Chapter 219: Deploying Scripture Refining Method
Chapter 218 – Deploying Scripture Refining Method
While the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard and the blood-drunk demonic practitioners clashed, the Dark Rock Demonic Sovereign and the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign began to move with a bloody glow in their eyes.
The movements of the Dark Rock Demonic Sovereign and the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign were beyond common sense.
Although I was prepared in advance, they approached right in front of my nose, appearing only as a blur.
Although the movements of the Mad Blood Demonic Sovereign and the Black Star Demonic Sovereign, who had been strengthened by the Blood Cult’s tricks, were also fast, looking at it now, they were at a cute level.
‘I had expected it… but! Kueok!’
I could no longer face them with only the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Because I did not possess the strength to face this head-on.
Basically, the Wuji Six Stances of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a martial art that crushed the opponent by prioritizing superior skill and strength.
In the end, I had to deploy Master Zhang Sanfeng’s Spirit-Descending Hand.
Peogeok!
Even though I deflected the force instead of receiving it head-on, a heavy impact flowed along my body.
“Mmm…!”
While the Dark Rock Demonic Sovereign, who radiated an energy as heavy as his title, dealt with Old Jong, the one who pounced toward me was the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign.
Soul-Frightening. It was a strength befitting his title of frightening the soul.
The arm that had exchanged blows with the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign was already trembling.
Despite redirecting the force with the Flower Grafting technique, the impact transmitted to my arm far exceeded expectations.
As speed increased, the destructive power multiplied several times.
How much more so when its foundation was the blow of a Demonic Sovereign-level expert.
Enduring even a single stance was a great feat.
But the opponent’s attack did not stop.
‘A follow-up strike?’
Hu-hwak!
Even though I redirected the force, I could not shake his combat routine.
The Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign’s hand wrapped around my arm like a snake.
He was different from the Demonic Sovereigns I had faced earlier.
Unlike them, who were no different from beasts, the Demonic Sovereigns deployed martial arts possessing their own forms and formulas.
‘With the Flawless… Heaven’s Net…’
Paang!
Combining the exchange and communication of the Three Talents Unified Qi Art, the Flawless Heaven’s Net was a lethal internal heavy strike technique that could shake the inside of even those with strong internal energy.
At the moment the snake-like hand movement winding around my hand tried to tear away my elbow, I struck the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign while infusing the internal heavy strike technique.
Perhaps because it was an unexpected impact, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign frowned, widened the distance, and shook his hand.
If it had worked properly, it should have shaken his insides and disrupted his qi and blood.
The Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign neutralized the energy I had infused just by shaking his hand.
“Hooh? The Flower Grafting technique to redirect force, and an extraordinary internal heavy strike technique. It doesn’t seem to be a martial art of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Where did you learn it?”
The monster of the Blood Cult also kept an eye on and commented on the martial arts I deployed during the short clash between me and the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign.
Although I silently ignored that question, the fact that the monster of the Blood Cult was watching me became a considerable pressure.
‘This is why I tried to hide it as much as possible…’
Originally, I had intended to hide my skills as much as possible, but no matter how I sized him up, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign was not an opponent against whom that was possible.
If I spared my strength out of concern that my hidden cards would be revealed, my head would likely roll before I could show anything.
“Tch! Here I go!”
I attempted to resonate with the bundle of weapons I had collected in advance.
Chwararararak!
The swords, communicated with across the distance, soared into the air and surrounded my vicinity.
The sight of ten controlled swords leisurely circling around me was a grand spectacle even in my eyes.
“Sword Control… ten?”
The monster of the Blood Cult also seemed surprised, as if it were an unheard-of marvel.
Rather, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign, the opponent in front of me, showed no sign of surprise.
Although it was a technique that would surprise any martial artist, there was no reaction at all.
‘Seeing that he uses martial arts to some extent, his mind must not be completely empty… Has his emotion been sealed, or is he in a state where he cannot accept anything other than executing what he is instructed?’
Whichever it was, his status as a puppet remained unchanged.
The problem was that the puppet was ridiculously strong.
Toong!
A blow from the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign who closed the distance in a single step!
It was to the extent that it was difficult to read even with my recently rapidly developed senses.
Paang!
I barely managed to deflect it and alter the direction of the attack, but my elbow stung in that instant.
‘Kueok!’
It was a pain as if the bone was being carved out and ice water was being poured on it.
I thought I had blocked it, but it seemed an impact remained on the elbow that the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign had tried to tear away.
However, I managed to redirect the attack somehow.
This time, it was my turn!
The ten controlled swords that had been watching for an opportunity in the air rushed in all at once, aiming for his back and flanks like piranhas that had caught the scent of blood.
Papat!
A sharp slicing sound was heard from the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign’s flank.
It was the sound of clothing and flesh being cut.
Yet, it was not the sound I had expected.
Because it meant the sword did not impale his body but stopped at the level of cutting the flesh.
In that brief moment, he avoided a fatal wound through sensory movement.
‘I know too! That you are fast!’
I dodged the attack that penetrated from a blind spot without any warning.
Certainly, this kind of speed was absurd.
Even though I deployed ten controlled swords, it might be difficult to drive them into his body.
But!
‘Scripture-Refining Mind Method!’
I also had a way to increase the output.
The martial art that maximized the senses, passed down by Master Heavenly Demon!
It was a martial art no different from feeding a fast-acting elixir to Sang-hwa, who had taken up position in my nerves.
Sang-hwa’s ability to move the controlled swords was instantaneously enhanced.
Pu-uk!
A sword was driven into the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign’s right shoulder.
It was no different from a momentary increase in speed.
From now on, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign was not the only one who would become dizzyingly fast.
Pu-uk!
One controlled sword was driven into the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign’s right elbow.
He suffered it as his response was delayed, likely due to the sword driven into his shoulder.
With this, the right arm was completely bound.
Lettherethen, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign changed his response.
Jjeong! Jjeong!
He began to strike down all the incoming swords.
He broke the controlled swords that aimed for openings with his fists and kicking techniques.
Rather, I welcomed that response.
‘If you don’t know, you have to suffer!’
It was the response method that the Heavenly Demon Bloodline elders had also taken.
However, my controlled swords did not stop just because they were broken.
The blades broken by the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign were driven into his right thigh and around his ankle.
Following the right arm, the right leg was also bound.
This was huge!
Since his leg was injured, his speed had no choice but to be halved.
Now, dealing with the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign would become much easier.
However, as expected, a Demonic Sovereign-level expert was different.
Teong! Teo-teo-teong!
Perhaps deciding that he could not receive each of the ten swords’ attacks individually, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign wrapped his entire body in Body-Protecting Astral Qi.
Pulling out and breaking the swords embedded in his body one by one, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign stared at me intently with emotionless eyes.
It was a gaze that felt even more chilling because absolutely no emotion was contained in it.
“So what.”
Enduring with Body-Protecting Astral Qi.
It was one of the methods I had thought of when evaluating the Sword Control I deployed and devising a countermeasure.
It was the most definitive way to block my controlled swords.
However, wrapping the entire body in Astral Qi like that consumed internal energy extremely heavily.
The victory had already tilted to my side.
If I just bought time, his internal energy would run dry.
Unless he could defeat me before his internal energy ran dry, in a situation where his thigh and ankle were injured, he could not overwhelm me in speed either.
While I was making such a judgment, the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign, who was moving his injured right arm here and there, grabbed his right shoulder with his intact left hand.
Bubuk!
He tore off his own right arm by himself.
It seemed that it dangling without even moving well was simply annoying.
It might also be a judgment that he should reduce the area needlessly consuming Body-Protecting Astral Qi while failing to function properly.
‘Is he a madman… No, he wasn’t sane anyway.’
Seeing him regard his own body so insignificantly, I might also have to keep in mind mutual destruction, rushing in to die together.
In any case, I had grasped the chance of victory.
“Tch!”
Gaining the upper hand against the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign was certainly something to boast about, but even so, I was not purely happy.
Because I had shown my trump card, the Sword Control, to the monster of the Blood Cult.
Watching me deal with the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign, he must have grasped the advantages and disadvantages of my Sword Control.
If he was truly one who deployed Kongling, the infinite internal energy, as Yi Hwa said, fighting while clad in Body-Protecting Astral Qi would also be possible for him.
If there was a limit as Master Zhang Sanfeng judged, I might have created a chance of victory in my own way, but for this, I had to resolve myself for a prolonged battle.
However, from my position of lacking in strength and skill, a prolonged battle was not a good situation.
Because if my shallow cards were revealed, there would be no prolonged battle or anything.
A prolonged battle was disadvantageous, and for a short-term decisive battle, I had no cards to use.
‘Well, then what should I do… Oh!’
While I was worrying about a way to overcome the disadvantageous situation, an energy that sounded an alarm in my senses was suddenly felt.
Three red Gang Orbs flying clearly aiming for me!
‘This bastard, wasn’t he planning to watch while acting all high and mighty?’
Having read the trajectories of the red Gang Orbs, I first backed away.
Thinking it was the moment the faint chance of victory vanished completely, my vision went dizzy.
“Huh?”
However, at that moment, the trajectories of the Gang Orbs twisted.
Kwang! Kwa-kwang!
Deviating from their original trajectories, the Gang Orbs flew toward the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign.
Along with an explosive sound, thick dust rose.
In the place where the dense dust settled, only scorched marks, where even the blood had dried up, remained.
It was the trace of three red Gang Orbs smashing and crushing the Body-Protecting Astral Qi.
“One is passable, but from two it’s difficult. At about three, slightly twisting the trajectory is the most I can do. I’ve never thought of myself as lagging behind in internal energy anywhere, but how on earth do you control as many as ten swords?”
That monster of the Blood Cult had imitated the Sword Control I deployed, using the Gang Orbs with the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign as a target.
‘The real madman was someone else…’
Fitting for a Blood Cultist crazy for blood.
He was a guy who had lost his mind in a novel way.
Thanks to him, I could quickly dispose of the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign, but goosebumps rose at the crazy behavior he showed.
He discarded an existence like the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign like a toy. It meant that even an expert of that level was not so precious.
The power that easily crushed the Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign, who had been a difficult enemy, was also beyond common sense.
‘Five percent…’
Master Zhang Sanfeng’s words that the chance of victory would only be five percent even if scraped to the very bottom were felt painfully.
‘Five percent… it seems unlikely, doesn’t it?’
Had Master Zhang Sanfeng perhaps slightly overrated the chance of victory to give me courage?
My heart shook.
If the Clear Mind Method, which arose just in time, had not washed away my shaking heart, I might have shown myself disgracefully shaking my legs.
‘Let’s do it! At most, what can happen other than dying.’
“Well, I can just capture you and thoroughly shake out what kind of martial arts you learned. It will be an interesting time.”
‘Fuck?’
If things went wrong, I might end up like a soulless puppet, just like the dead Soul-Frightening Demonic Sovereign over there.
If it seemed I would be captured, I should just commit suicide.
In any case, since they said that even if I died now, I would at least be at a level to do chores in heaven, if we met in hell later, there would also be an opportunity to fry him in dung water then.
‘…What kind of dog-like thought is this!’
I strongly denied the thought that had briefly arisen.
‘What kind of state do you think my subordinates will suffer after I am defeated? You idiot!’
Yi Hwa, Old Jong, and everyone who said they would follow me would either enter that guy’s mouth or be reduced to toys.
Watching that state from heaven?
I raised both hands to my face height.
And slapped my own cheeks.
Jjaak!
My mind snapped awake.
‘Bullshit!’
No martial artist fights while thinking of defeat.
Master Zhang Sanfeng said it was five percent.
If we fight twenty times, we win once.
I just had to tenaciously hang on and create that one time!
“Hoo!”
I calmed my breathing and refined the energy flowing in my meridians.
I gathered as much energy as possible.
The meridians swelled as if they would burst, and swords floated around me.
The number was thirteen!
It was the number of controlled swords raised by pushing myself.
“Hooh?”
The monster of the Blood Cult chuckled looking at this.
I felt the greed contained in the laughter becoming even thicker.
It was then.
“Catch what? You half-mixed leftover of dog food! Didn’t your mother teach you that your head gets smashed if you cut in line?”
Along with a figure appearing from the sky, five black Gang Orbs cut through the air.