Chapter 196: Awakening of Power
Chapter 195
If there was something he felt anew while learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from Master Heavenly Demon, it was that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art also pursued depth no less than the divine arts of any Orthodox sect.
If he did not waver, his martial arts also did not waver.
If the martial arts of the Taoist sect pursued truth-seeking through the sword, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art placed his own ego at its center.
A bitterly strong ego.
It was a martial art that could stand proudly under heaven with just that one thing.
It was worthy of being Master Heavenly Demon’s martial art.
“Surelyyyyy!!!”
Yi Gang-mu, whose feigned leisure had completely vanished, threw his fist forward while scattering black demonic energy.
‘Shattering Powder Thrust Strike.’
One of the martial arts that Master Heavenly Demon had taught him in the process of learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Outwardly it looked like a simple straight punch extending rigidly, but inside it, layers of force were stacked up.
It was a technique where, if one clumsily blocked or deflected it, the stacked forces would detonate in a chain reaction, breaking the opponent’s defense with an unexpected additional blow.
Although it was a highly advanced technique, Master Heavenly Demon seemed embarrassed the entire time he was teaching it.
[It is a trivial trick I used during my trivial days. Do not be dazzled by flamboyance. True power needs no tricks.]
This was the reason Master Heavenly Demon re-established the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and created the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand.
‘Why focus on tricks when there is a divine art that can make me infinitely strong with just a firm ego?’
The power that was like the epitome of that gathered in his fist.
The Ultimate Extreme Strike that shattered defenses.
Kwa-aaang!
The fist strike extending straight like a flash of light opposed Yi Gang-mu’s Shattering Powder Thrust Strike.
The moment the fist strikes clashed, it felt as if dozens of thin shells were shattered one after another.
Each one possessed the power to grind a person’s bones to dust.
A masterpiece is still a masterpiece; although it was a technique Master Heavenly Demon evaluated as trivial, the creator was so great that its power could not be disregarded.
Had he not known its characteristics properly, he would have suffered a great setback.
‘But that doesn’t apply to me.’
Someone had said.
That a master was a person who could naturally unfold martial arts at any moment, in any situation.
The essence of the Ultimate Extreme Strike was the destructive power created by flawlessly unifying the internal and external.
If it could be unfolded with the right hand, it could also be unfolded with the left hand.
And if one had the skill to connect the flow without interruption, consecutive strikes were possible.
Ultimate Extreme Strike, Double Consecutive Strike!!!
The ultimate strike dug into the left and right, aiming at Yi Gang-mu.
“Gasp!!”
Startled, Yi Gang-mu flattened his body to the ground, then mobilized both hands and feet to leap backward.
He tried to immediately pursue Yi Gang-mu, who threw his body high in the air, but the red lines drawn in the air stopped his body.
“Blood Net Gang Lines?”
Ten thread-thin red lines made of Astral Qi.
A mean smile was drawn at the corner of Yi Gang-mu’s mouth.
“You bastard!”
An anti-personnel lethal martial art that tore everything nearby to pieces.
‘Whether his own subordinates die or not, if left alone, it will tear everything around to pieces, so come and block it?’
If he charged straight in to block it, he would be dragged into a trap like a spider waiting in its web.
If he avoided the front, his intention was to target his surroundings.
He was a vicious fellow.
Perhaps because the characteristic of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which was heavily influenced by one’s own ego, exerted power, he showed outstanding skill regarding tricks.
It was none other than Master Heavenly Demon’s martial art.
Even if unfolded in the hands of a worthless person, the legacy of a giant who walked the path of an absolute being was by no means to be underestimated.
‘I must suppress the ten incoming Gang lines.’
The time he pondered was short.
As he charged straight in, the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand moved in response.
‘Grasp it.’
The power that exerted strong influence within the domain!
The Three Talents Unified Qi Art, spreading like paint dropped into a puddle called the world, expanded that domain.
Domain Expansion!
‘Huuup!’
Although the load applied to his body also grew exponentially as much as the size of the spreading domain, he grit his teeth and endured it.
‘I can control it!’
It was different from the past when he brandished this dangerous power without knowing anything.
The Three Talents Unified Qi Art, which communicated with the outside beyond him, relieved that burden with its mysterious efficacy.
‘N… o… w.’
The influence he extended swallowed the surrounding space.
“Shatter!!!”
A move thrown with will.
The martial art spoken of as a legend set a milestone in the presence spreading in all directions.
Kwa-aaang!!
The echoing sound spreading along with his stomp erased the unsightly impurity.
The Blood Net Gang Lines, which were about to sweep like a fierce wind toward Old Jong, the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guards, and Yi Hwa, vanished like smoke scattering in the wind.
“H-Heavenly Demon’s Reign Stride? Impossible!!”
Disbelief was written on the smirking face of Yi Gang-mu.
Seizing that gap, he pried into the opponent’s space.
To his movement of closing the distance in an instant with the Heavenly Demon’s Reign Stride, Yi Gang-mu’s hand responded by moving simply.
‘Wuji Palm!’
The martial art Master Heavenly Demon mentioned as the highlight of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Wuji Six Stances.
Since reaching the realm of shedding the mortal coil, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was discarded as it was merely a lower compatibility to the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand, but he evaluated that each of the Wuji Six Stances was a martial art containing the essence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
As if proving that, behind Yi Gang-mu, who extended straight like never before, the image of the Demonic God, which had revealed its form before long, was extending its hand together.
He had said that the image of the Demonic God revealed when operating the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was the essence of the inner mind.
The image of the Demonic God taking the same appearance and attacking was equivalent to saying that the unity of essence, qi, and spirit was achieved.
Therefore, Yi Gang-mu’s essence was revealed.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art Yi Gang-mu contained was skill and trickery to deceive others.
‘If so!’
While charging straight ahead, he extended his hand toward the left side, containing a special martial art.
Paang!
As the image of the Demonic God in front blurred, Yi Gang-mu’s figure was revealed on the left side along with the sound of tearing air.
Having suffered a great setback, the eyes of Yi Gang-mu, who retreated reeling, contorted.
“Even the Wuji Palm?”
“Yes! The Wuji Palm is used like this!”
Rigidly.
Uprightly.
If there is something blocking, smash it!
The martial art containing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art itself. The offensive containing his natural temperament surged relentlessly.
Boom! Crash!!
“Ugh!”
At his single palm, Yi Gang-mu’s body was bounced backward.
Although he let out a short scream, seeing him take the move unfolded with the intention to crush him without major damage, it was clear he still had spare energy.
Reeled back miserably, Yi Gang-mu grit his teeth.
Looking at that appearance, he smirked.
‘Fool.’
Despite his internal energy being deep enough to draw out Astral Qi, he focused only on tricks.
He did not know how to harness momentum, busy only with protecting his own body.
‘Even if he inherited the name of the Heavenly Demon, is it inevitable to become like that if he has lived only looking at others’ reactions?’
Now it was even to the point of being pitiful, but sympathy was quickly erased.
Had he wished to live proudly, there were plenty of ways.
Because inside the Demonic Cult, there were upright people like Old Jong.
Even if it was an adversity where he could not see a single inch ahead, the one who gave up despite having a path to struggle hard was that idiot.
Such a fool’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art could not help but be weak.
Strong, yet weak.
The fake Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult, Yi Gang-mu, was not a fearful opponent.
However,
Booom!
“How about… stopping there?”
A presence different from Yi Gang-mu, who was pushed back miserably, revealed itself.
The martial artist with half-white hair possessed a disciplined rigidity despite exuding the unique aura of a demonic practitioner.
“Extreme Demonic Sovereign!”
At the appearance of the new strongman, Yi Gang-mu’s face, which had been miserably crumpled until a moment ago, brightened up.
‘Am I late…?’
Hearing the title, he seemed to be one of the Five Great Demonic Sovereigns like Old Jong.
Looking at the ugly sight of Yi Gang-mu, he gazed at the end of this situation.
He thought killing him now was the best option, but unfortunately, the fake Heavenly Demon was weaker yet stronger than he had thought.
“Kill that bastard!”
With the appearance of the Extreme Demonic Sovereign, Yi Gang-mu, whose spirits had risen, shouted.
After being pushed back sightlessly, he raised his voice as soon as his situation improved a bit.
It was indeed difficult to become so openly ugly.
‘It seems I’m not the only one who thinks so?’
Influenced by the occurrence of the large commotion, Cult members of the Demonic Cult who could enter this place belatedly were revealing themselves.
Someone with an excited face, someone with an angry face, and someone with an interested face.
More demonic practitioners than he thought were frowning as they watched Yi Gang-mu’s behavior.
Among them were also those who had blocked the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guards under his command by Yi Gang-mu’s instruction.
Their faces were filled with unerasable shame.
Among them was also the Extreme Demonic Sovereign, who had kept him in check while exuding aura.
‘Let’s do it. What difference does it make if I do a crazy thing twice, having already done it once?’
Along with the resolution, the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand inside him moved again.
He stepped into the range he could control.
A heavy weight pressed down on his body.
Grafting the Three Talents Unified Qi Art, it felt like moving his body within incoming waves.
The unequal forces creaked and wavered.
There was a need to balance it even by force.
He made a single flow to seize the reins.
‘Vortex.’
Making a constant flow in the overflowing power.
Constructing a violent rotation centered on his own existence.
The swirling power shook him as if to shatter his body.
‘I can do it!’
It was a body tempered by Master Bodhidharma’s Heavy Earth Divine Art.
The body, strengthened by the various arrangements of his masters, endured the flow of power that went beyond the line.
A constant flow arose in the power that seemed unmanageable.
“…Hm?”
Although the Extreme Demonic Sovereign seemed to have noticed that something was unusual.
“Open the path.”
He was faster.
“Accepting orders!”
Upon receiving his instruction, Old Jong and the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guards threw themselves forward.
As the battle temporarily stopped and entered a standoff, perhaps thinking the situation would be sealed up like this, the Dark Rock Demonic Sovereign’s reaction was a beat late.
Perhaps due to disgust toward Yi Gang-mu, who showed an ugly sight that should not be shown as the Heavenly Demon, the Extreme Demonic Sovereign’s short hesitation held them back.
The path opened.
Kwa-aaaa-aa!!!
The single-strike punch constructed in a new form pierced the opened path.
Yi Gang-mu’s smiling face contorted.
He flurried and waved his hands, but it was already too late.
Whack!
Yi Gang-mu’s panicked face was shattered into pieces.
The moment the two arms that blocked his attack were torn, the expression Yi Gang-mu wore in that brief moment was to the extent that it was a waste only he saw it.
“…”
“…Is he dead?”
It seemed everyone felt the moment of Yi Gang-mu’s death as unrealistic.
Everyone closed their mouths, or with mouths open unable to close them, silence dominated the surroundings.
Ppi-iiii!
The one that broke the silence was a sound heard from the sky.
A huge blue light cutting through the sky flapped its wings above his head with its back to the sun.
An appearance as if it would appear in an ancient story.
He raised his right hand upward so that the Azure Bird could land, gathering all remaining strength in his abdomen.
“I aaaaam!”
Feeling the weight of the Azure Bird landing, he shouted loudly.
“The Heavenly Demon!!!”
Showing himself with all his might!
The massive image of the Demonic God soaring behind his back announced his presence.
“The Heavenly Demon descends!”
“Endless eternity!”
“Eternal! Eternal! Forever eternal!”
The shouts of Yi Hwa, Old Man Jong, and the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guards stretched out into the surroundings and took root.