Chapter 163: Chapter 163
Cheon-hwi, who was watching the Black Flame that rapidly spread, even swallowing the old man’s white hair and white eyebrows, muttered with a questioning expression.
“I didn’t expect to see those flames again in the Central Plains.”
“……?”
The old man’s eyebrows twitched.
‘He saw this?’
It was an absurd sound.
This Black Flame, no, Demonic Fire was the product of a peerless divine art that had only revealed its appearance in the Central Plains a few times.
And there were at most ten or so people in the present world who had seen this Demonic Fire.
Even those were only figures from a long time ago.
‘There’s no way a young punk like that would know…….’
Just as he was about to dismiss it as nonsense.
“Why did the Cheon Clan come out to the Central Plains? Unless it was something major, they would be holed up in the Heavenly Demon Cult and never come out.”
“……!”
The old man glared with his two eyes.
“How could the Cheon Clan…….”
“Is there anyone other than the Cheon Clan who could learn the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art?”
At Cheon-hwi’s casually spat out words, the old man’s pupils trembled like an aspen tree.
The consecutively heard words were shaking his composure harder than anything that had recently occurred.
By some chance, he might have been able to recognize it if it was Demonic Fire.
But this was a different story.
Right now, the only place in the world that knew this Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art was related to the Cheon Clan was just one!
‘……Did the Heavenly Demon Cult find me!’
The old man bit his lip.
He had thought the guy was a simple trivial being, but that was not it.
‘Did they perhaps use the Black Liu Sect to draw me out?’
The old man’s eyebrows twitched.
Destroying a sect and killing everyone just to draw him out?
If it were anywhere else he might not know, but if it was the Heavenly Demon Cult, it was a place that was more than capable of doing so.
Gulp…
Dry saliva went down his throat.
There was exactly one reason why he, who had been notoriously known as the Mad Blood Demon in the past, was holding his breath while looking after those black path bastards.
To avoid the Heavenly Demon Cult.
‘Even though such a long time has passed, to think they were still aiming for me!’
Fear dwelled in his pupils.
The old man hurriedly spread his qi sense.
The Demonic Fire that burned around him became thin threads and spread out to the surroundings.
Fortunately, perhaps because they weren’t certain he was here yet, there was no personnel surrounding him.
Which meant……
‘I only need to kill that guy!’
The old man’s eyes glinted with killing intent.
Since the Heavenly Demon Cult had found out his location, he had to urgently leave this place.
And to do so, he absolutely had to kill the guy in front of him and erase his tracks.
When the old man retracted the Black Flame again.
Whoosh!
It began to burn crazily.
Just like the martial art’s name, Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire, like flames burning in hell.
Flash!
At that moment, the old man’s eyes flashed.
At the same time, the burning flames swooshed out, and the old man simultaneously disappeared.
The old man, who shrank the earth in the empty air by unfolding the Heavenly Slaying Supreme Spirit Step, shortened the distance with Cheon-hwi in a single breath and stretched out his palm power.
Nine Underworlds Forbidden Heaven Seal!
The Demonic Hand, which competed for the top rank among the many techniques of the Demonic Path, covered Cheon-hwi.
“……Is he crazy?”
Cheon-hwi half-opened his eyes.
In his past life, he was the Demonic Path Supreme, the Absolute Heavenly Demon, who had forced not only the Cheon Clan but all Five Great Clans to submit and ascended to the position of Cult Leader.
He knew all the demonic path supreme techniques they learned, as well as the methods to destroy them.
Unfolding the Nine Underworlds Forbidden Heaven Seal?
Even a hollow laugh didn’t come out.
Cheon-hwi twisted his body to the left and lightly kicked off the ground by unfolding the Flying Heaven Footwork.
Baaaang!
Then, the place where Cheon-hwi had been standing just a moment ago exploded, and a storm rose.
In its aftermath, Cheon-hwi’s hair soared, and his clothes fluttered heavily.
At that moment.
Pat!
Piercing through the storm, a palm appeared.
“Obvious.”
When Cheon-hwi twisted his head to the side, the palm vainly cleaved the empty air.
Paaang!
Along with the belated sound of tearing the air, the air popped, and a terrible heat covered the surroundings.
Following that, a terrible demonic qi wafted out.
“Next was here, right.”
Cheon-hwi, who turned his body, moved his hand.
The sword held in Cheon-hwi’s hand at some point was drawn towards the empty left side.
Thud!
Along with a dull sound, the old man who appeared from the empty air wore a look of astonishment.
“How did you completely destroy…….!”
It was the Nine Underworlds Seal unfolded with all his might.
However, the opponent dodged it all just by twisting his body, as if he knew the Nine Underworlds Seal inside out.
‘Could it be that in the Cheon Clan…….’
In an instant, the old man’s face distorted hideously.
He exploded with killing intent.
The killing intent that stretched out stream by stream mixed with the Demonic Fire and distorted the space.
Hmm?
Cheon-hwi gave a look of interest.
‘At this level, he’s almost elder rank?’
The demonic qi that the old man spread was massive enough that it would be safe to call him an elder of the Five Great Clans, and the density of that demonic qi was thick.
At that moment, the old man raised his right hand.
The Black Flame that followed along moved bizarrely and created a Wheel.
“Die.”
The old man quietly parted his lips.
Then, the Wheel of Black Flame rushed towards Cheon-hwi.
That wasn’t all.
Paat!
The old man also threw his body.
The old man, who began a joint attack with the flying Wheel, shot towards Cheon-hwi.
‘……Is it a new demonic art supreme technique?’
A smile was drawn on Cheon-hwi’s lips.
The martial art of a style he was seeing for the first time in his life was enough to excite his heart.
Cheon-hwi pointed at him with the tip of his sword.
Before he knew it, the Astral Qi containing the internal energy of the Plum Blossom Divine Art revealed its transparency to the world.
Following that, Cheon-hwi’s sword moved.
Screeeeech…
As it clashed with the Wheel of Black Flame, a sound that naturally made one frown burst out.
However, Cheon-hwi didn’t even pay attention, and twisted the swung sword to strike it away.
Clang!
Sparks flew once.
The deflected Wheel quickly disappeared, and instead, through that gap, the old man who had approached at some point spread both his palms wide and stretched them forward.
Paang!
In an instant, the air exploded, and Cheon-hwi flew back.
‘He’s quite good.’
Cheon-hwi, who cancelled out the power by lightly jumping backwards, smiled even deeper.
Following that, he unfolded the Thousand Catty Fall.
As soon as his soles touched the ground.
Tat…
He immediately unfolded the Divine Movement Hundred Transformations.
Cheon-hwi, who shortened the distance again in a single breath, drew his sword from bottom to top.
“This bastard!”
The old man struck down with his right hand.
Baaaang!
Once again, the sound of an explosion erupted.
And starting with that, the old man drew out all of his internal energy and unfolded the demonic path supreme martial arts he possessed.
Cheon-hwi also moved his sword to counter the continuously unfolding demonic path supreme martial arts.
Clang! Clang!
The hand of Cheon-hwi holding the sword grip went numb, but the smile didn’t disappear.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve faced a demonic art.’
Because he was dodging or blocking the attacks while admiring the martial arts he was unfolding.
‘I thought they wouldn’t have sent an ordinary guy, but to think it was this level…….!’
The old man felt a sense of impatience.
Because his attacks were being neutralized.
‘I have to kill him quickly! If I don’t, I’ll be swallowed by the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art…….’
At that time, a sound like something snapping was heard from the old man’s head.
Whoosh!
His internal energy suddenly began to boil.
At the same time, as if a blood vessel had burst, his eyes became blood-red and were swallowed by madness.
“Keu, keukeukeuk!”
The old man burst into mad laughter.
Then, the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art started to run wild like crazy, dripping demonic qi.
“Huh?”
Cheon-hwi squinted his eyes.
The old man’s figure of pulling up even his Innate Qi as if he had lost his reason matched the figure he had seen several times in his past life.
“Qi Deviation? That’s strange. The Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art doesn’t lead to a rampage.”
Thud!
At that moment, the old man stamped the ground.
Then, the three zhangs around him split wide open, and an intense blast swept through.
He, who appeared right in front of Cheon-hwi’s nose at some point, crossed both hands and thrust them forward.
Huoong…
The dual hands engulfed in Black Flame emitted a terrible heat and pierced through Cheon-hwi’s abdomen.
Jjeoeoong!
The space between the two split open, and cracks spread out like a spider web.
Cheon-hwi grabbed the dual hands stuck in his abdomen with his hands and muttered indifferently.
“I thought the attack was simple compared to the internal energy and skill he possessed.”
Cheon-hwi’s gaze pierced through him.
To be precise, it was fixed on the energy twisting the qi and blood in his head.
“It was because it was only half-completed.”
Cheon-hwi awakened the Absolute Reigning Art.
In that instant, an irresistible absolute energy flowed out from Cheon-hwi’s body, and.
“U, uuuuk!”
The old man grabbed his head.
“Shall I make you come to your senses first.”
Along with those words, Cheon-hwi raised his index finger.
At that moment, a streak of flash glinted.
Soul Extinguishing Finger!
The moment the absolute finger technique that had made the masters of the Heavenly Demon Cult submit with just one finger pierced through the old man’s tangled qi and blood.
Sseureureuk…
The old man, who was running wild, stopped, and his eyes clouded over, standing blankly as if they had unfocused.
Was this what it felt like for the soul to slip away.
The old man felt his body becoming infinitely light, and his senses disappearing one by one.
Cheon-hwi looked at the old man staring at the sky in a daze, and then sheathed his sword.
“It’s about time he comes to his senses now.”
As soon as those words ended.
Sseureureuk…
Vitality dwelled in the clouded eyes.
Soon, the moment he, who regained his senses, discovered Cheon-hwi.
“Heop!”
He swallowed a breath of vain air.
Although he had temporarily lost his reason due to Qi Deviation, his figure was engraved deeper than anything else in his mind.
‘The Heavenly Demon Cult has decided to kill me.’
He bit his lip hard, stared straight at Cheon-hwi, and parted his lips.
“……Kill me.”
Cheon-hwi tilted his head.
“Huh? You wanted to die? I spared you on purpose, but I didn’t know you would want to die.”
The old man opened his eyes wide.
“Weren’t you here to kill me……?”
“What are you talking about. You were the one trying to kill.”
“…….”
The old man, whose mark was hit, lost his words.
“Then let’s have a chat for a moment.”
“If it’s a chat…….”
“Why would I spare you for nothing. It’s because I have something I want.”
“If we talk, will you let me live?”
“Just listen first.”
When the old man’s expression violently distorted at the sight of him speaking of life-and-death matters as lightly as catching a bug.
“You didn’t learn the latter half of the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art, did you?”
At Cheon-hwi’s first question that immediately followed, the old man’s eyes grew so large they looked like they would tear.
“H-How did you know that?”
“Obviously, I know by looking. If you had properly learned the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art, you wouldn’t have ended up in that state.”
As Cheon-hwi poured out words bitterly, the old man’s lips slightly pouted.
“As you said, I failed to fully learn the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art, and only learned the first half.”
The old man didn’t reveal the detailed reason why it was so.
And Cheon-hwi didn’t ask either.
Because it was already enough.
‘For now, he’s definitely a person of the Cheon Clan.’
Seeing the martial arts he unfolded earlier, it was certain he was a person of the Cheon Clan.
Except he just didn’t properly learn the most important latter half of the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art.
And the meaning of that was quite large.
The Cheon Clan wouldn’t have left someone who learned a half-completed Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art alone.
However, the fact that they left him like this meant…….
‘He must have left the Heavenly Demon Cult a long time ago.’
Around the time Cheon-hwi deduced a few facts he found out through the questions and answers.
‘Tsk, to make me recall that day.’
His name was Cheon-yang-gong, and he was one of the few direct blood relatives in the Cheon Clan.
He was cherished and raised in the Cheon Clan as a promising talent, but around the time he became twenty.
He committed an irreversible accident and fled to the Central Plains because he didn’t want to die.
He had thought to live in seclusion like that, but.
He didn’t even last a few years.
At a vigorous age filled with blood energy, and possessing outstanding martial arts, how could he endure it?
In the end, he came out to the Jianghu and went around strutting in the Central Plains with the Nine Underworlds Demonic Fire Art of which he had only learned the first half.
Thanks to that, he quickly built up notoriety and even gained the moniker Mad Blood Demon, but…….
Was it said that if the tail is long, it will be caught.
The Heavenly Demon Cult chased and tracked him down, and he hid his body again.
For over fifty years.
Around the time his reminiscence was gradually deepening.
‘Hmm, his martial prowess is outstanding. Except for falling into Qi Deviation…….’
Cheon-hwi, who was thinking while looking at Cheon-yang-gong, let out a low voice.
“Shall I teach you the oral mnemonic of the latter half?”
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