Chapter 73: Zhang Sanfeng Versus the Heavenly Demon
“This crazy bastard…”
Zhang Sanfeng cursed someone, looking completely furious.
From the Mountain of Blades Hell, which was completely covered with blades, to the Great Saw Hell, which sawed sinners apart, seven of the hells ruled by the Ten Kings of Hell passed by in an instant beside Zhang Sanfeng, who seemed to move by folding space.
Beyond the Iron Bed Hell, which was full of iron needles, a vast desert unfolded before Zhang Sanfeng’s eyes.
It was Fengdu Hell, where a biting wind that could easily tear sinners apart raged.
However, the appearance of Fengdu Hell was different from usual.
“Heavenly Demon… this damn bastard!”
The wind of Fengdu Hell, which should have been full of wild winds that tore sinners to shreds, had weakened significantly in its strength.
It looked as if a huge typhoon had swept through once, and a state of lull had set in.
In fact, that was true.
“Heavenly Demon! Did you really touch the Divine-Sealing Great Barrier!?”
“Is that you, Sanfeng? You arrived early.”
“I’m asking you, you crazy bastard!!”
Zhang Sanfeng looked as if his anger had surged to the top of his head.
There was a good reason for it.
“I! Huh! To protect that disciple of mine! Huh!! Do you know how busy I’ve been running around!!! Huh!!!!”
Zhang Sanfeng had no choice but to neglect his disciple Yeon Cheong-un for a while. This was because he was slowly targeting dangerous targets, not knowing what disadvantage there might be if the old fogeys up there looked unfavorably upon his precious disciple.
It was also because he keenly realized that a single safety device was insufficient since the Mysterious Heavenly Supreme Emperor, whom he had dragged in for that issue, tried to do some crazy psycho stuff instead.
But in the meantime, Heavenly Demon had done something crazy.
“You went and caused an accident?!”
Heavenly Demon had touched the Divine-Sealing Great Barrier.
He even broke through that Divine-Sealing Great Barrier and influenced the earth.
No matter how great Heavenly Demon was, this level of karma was beyond common sense. He had been said to be going around selling treasures that reflected the Meridian Mirror recently, and he must have sold an incredible amount of them. Because influencing the earth by breaking through the Divine-Sealing Great Barrier meant he had gathered a truly stupendous amount of karma.
“My actions and the karma I paid clashed. I paid a reasonable price, so there is no problem.”
“You shook the heavens, you crazy bastard! It was to the extent that almost any immortal-class entity would have noticed!”
The biggest problem Zhang Sanfeng thought of in the current situation was that every immortal had noticed Heavenly Demon’s actions.
This was because the Divine-Sealing Great Barrier being breached even for a moment was something that had rarely occurred since that great barrier was established.
The attention of the old fogeys, who were highly likely to look unfavorably on Yeon Cheong-un, would increase.
Just imagining what kind of bad news this incident would be made his head throb.
All the hard work he had done running east and west in the meantime had gone down the drain.
That anger directed toward Heavenly Demon.
“Even if my overtime days increase by a thousand years due to manpower shortage! I will tear your Yang Spirit into ten million pieces right here!”
“That’s a declaration of war that looks extremely pathetic.”
One’s heart becomes petty.
“Shut up! How many things are scarier than this!”
However, the power gathering in Zhang Sanfeng’s hand was far from a joke.
When will arises, Qi moves.
For beings like them, things like manifesting imagery were already no different from gestures.
The moment the intention to attack was revealed, the world manifested it.
Kwaaaa!
The sky… no, the upper layer of Fengdu Hell, which should be called the ceiling, crumbled downward and was sucked into the sphere created on Zhang Sanfeng’s hand.
The earth surged. The sand of the desert swirled and was also sucked into the sphere.
Heaven and earth met on Zhang Sanfeng’s hand.
A vivid Taiji was drawn on the colorless and transparent sphere.
The moment Zhang Sanfeng’s power concentrated inside it, one more line was generated between the lines dividing the Taiji.
Tri-Taiji.
Three Talents.
Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Unity.
The authority of heaven and earth was grasped in Zhang Sanfeng’s hand.
The world of Fengdu Hell bowed its head to Zhang Sanfeng.
“Die.”
Anger became hostility, and hostility transmitted that will to the world.
The entire Fengdu Hell responded to that anger and roared together.
The sight when an entire world fully harbored anger.
The world bared its teeth.
Kuuuuuu!
Wind currents that could easily tear apart all things in nature rose fully between heaven and earth.
A biting wind that did not tolerate anything with form raged.
Kwagagagagagagagagagagagaga!
The unfathomable darkness surrounding Heavenly Demon surged and took the winds.
Every time it clashed with countless biting winds, the darkness billowed and surged.
The surroundings of Heavenly Demon were covered with black spears of darkness.
“How annoying.”
Heavenly Demon, who had turned the world of Fengdu Hell into an enemy, clicked his tongue and waved his hand.
Pung-pung-pung!
Following the movement of that hand, dozens of black spears pierced Zhang Sanfeng’s body.
The appearance looked as if Zhang Sanfeng was counterattacked by Heavenly Demon and killed in an instant.
Generally speaking, that was how it looked.
“Mysterious One (Miao-yi).”
However, Heavenly Demon still did not erase his annoyed expression.
At the same time, the spears stuck in Zhang Sanfeng’s body surged.
Heavenly Demon’s spears, which melted away in an instant, were sucked into the Tri-Taiji sphere held in Zhang Sanfeng’s hand.
It looked as if Zhang Sanfeng was devouring Heavenly Demon’s power.
“From the Mysterious One came the Three Primes, the Three Primes gave birth to the Three Qis, and the Three Qis became Yin and Yang, finally forming the Three Talents and quickening all things. So it is the beginning of everything, the primordial one? You have reached well to the power prior to the Three Primes, not inferior to the Void.”
“Do you think I was just playing around! Rolling and tumbling, the only thing that increased was my strength! You damn fellow!!”
With Zhang Sanfeng’s shouting yell, the quality of the raging biting wind changed.
Those that had blindly pounded the surface of the power emitted by Heavenly Demon became sticky.
Touching and staining.
Heavenly Demon also let out a twisted smile at the change in temperament, which fully revealed the intention to swallow it whole just like that.
“Fine, then.”
Heavenly Demon’s power, which had been sharply honed like a thorn, instantly flared up like flames.
Burning away Zhang Sanfeng’s invasion, Heavenly Demon’s energy moved violently.
Behind Heavenly Demon’s back, the figure of a giant Demon God whose head seemed to touch the sky slowly raised its head and rose.
Descent of the Heavenly Demon.
Great Chaos Limitless.
Just as their respective imagery manifestations were about to clash in earnest.
“That’s enough!”
Between the boundary where the powers of the two, Zhang Sanfeng and Heavenly Demon, clashed, the power of another being intervened.
A giant dragon whose head was larger than a typical city. A dragon that seemed more than worthy of being called a Dragon God had intervened.
What’s more, as many as nine dragons resolved the wild powers while spreading the damage to the surroundings.
Recognizing the opponent, the brows of Zhang Sanfeng and Heavenly Demon narrowed.
“Adept Tai-yi?”
“You guys over there. I know you can break my Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover if you make up your minds, but if you do, I will take it as an agreement to fight with me.”
While Zhang Sanfeng and Heavenly Demon hesitated at the growling, threatening voice.
“Tsk! Since you made a complete mess of Fengdu Hell, the King of Fengdu (Du-shi King) will throw a fit.”
The giant dragon that had snapped up the two vanished like a mirage.
***
“How unpleasant.”
Zhang Sanfeng frowned. Being swallowed by something was not a very pleasant experience.
Although it was a simple space with only one table and two chairs, being able to see the outside through the window meant it was not the worst situation, so he was relieved to some extent.
A grand, massive mountain rose upside down in the sky.
The mountain reflected on the water surface painted a landscape where the top and bottom met.
“Is it Kunlun?”
“Of course it’s Kunlun. Since I moved.”
An old man, fitting the description of having the bones of an immortal and the demeanor of a crane, was stroking his long white beard, having entered at some point.
Adept Tai-yi.
The Immortal Realm, a corner of heaven. One of the top factions within that Immortal Realm was Kunlun. Adept Tai-yi was one of the Twelve Immortals of Kunlun who was in charge of Kunlun’s practical affairs.
“Where is Heavenly Demon?”
“Would I have put you together after you threw such a fit? That troublemaker is in a different space. Taoist Master Ran-deng stepped forward, so if the meeting breaks up, it will be quite a sight.”
One of the seats of the Twelve Immortals of Kunlun. He was an existence close to a fighting immortal who could suppress even typical heavenly gods, so it wouldn’t be easy to handle for Heavenly Demon, who had consumed quite a bit of strength breaking through the Divine-Sealing Great Barrier.
Confirming that the situation was roughly organized, Zhang Sanfeng sat opposite Adept Tai-yi.
Looking at Zhang Sanfeng with a strange gaze, Adept Tai-yi opened his mouth.
“You’ve been quite busy lately, haven’t you?”
“It seems you know everything, so what’s the point?”
“How hasty. The divine rank of True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao would weep.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Adept Tai-yi chuckled at Zhang Sanfeng, who waved his hand, showing a gleam of vigilance.
“I’m saying don’t worry too much. There are more people on your side than you think.”
“What is that again…?”
“It means the treasures scattered by that Heavenly Demon fellow got quite a decent response. I don’t know if he scattered them with that in mind, but having many favorable immortals can be seen as having many on your side for now, can’t it?”
“Is everyone in their right mind?”
It was an unexpected situation for Zhang Sanfeng. He had merely assumed vaguely that most of the higher-ups would view this matter strictly.
Of course, the old fogeys would be the same, but if many immortals really viewed this matter favorably as Adept Tai-yi said, Heavenly Demon’s actions could bring about unexpected results.
“It’s not incomprehensible, either. Isn’t everyone busy and tired? Manpower is short, too. In the midst of that, a fun spectacle appeared, so it’s natural they like it.”
“Heh…”
“Moreover, your disciple is quite popular. It seems the objects scattered by Heavenly Demon somehow crossed over all the way to Jiejiao’s Jin’ao Island. Daji even said she wanted to lick your disciple’s back?”
“……Crazy.”
If treasures were sold even in that neighborhood, where many demon immortals of the beast lineage had achieved correct results to become immortals, there was no telling how far they had spread.
It meant Heavenly Demon had truly stamped and scattered them blindly.
“Ah, there was also an opinion that there are too few shirtless scenes.”
“Did that out-of-her-mind bitch Daji say that too?”
“No? This was Queen Mother of the West, though?”
“This old lady is seriously…”
A goddess who took the form of half-human and half-beast, yet was beautiful enough to be called the goddess of beauty, and governed death and life, eternal life and immortality. As the elder supervising all female immortals, her divine status was easily comparable to the Jade Emperor.
“Sanfeng, you’ve got some nerve. Disparaging Queen Mother of the West not anywhere else, but here in Kunlun?”
For reference, this goddess’s main territory was Kunlun.
Perhaps she was listening to this conversation even now.
Realizing that fact, Zhang Sanfeng was troubled.
It was definitely a good story that a great deity like Queen Mother of the West was backing him up… but for her desire to be a shirtless scene?
“Well, it feels like your disciple is strangely popular among beast-man lineage immortals. I hear the divine beast that the Victorious Fighting Buddha is currently obsessed with also likes that fellow a lot. What on earth is there to cause this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm! That part can be looked into gradually. First, what I want to say is this. Don’t worry too much. As you worry, there might be gentlemen who look unfavorably on this situation, but you have many on your side too. It serves as a mood refresher during tight public service, and if the earth is normalized as a result of your disciple’s activities and new immortals come up, everyone will be happy. In fact, results have even been generated. Didn’t they say good results are likely to happen soon in the neighboring department (Pure Land) as well?”
“Ah, one more thing.”
Adept Tai-yi stopped Zhang Sanfeng, who was trying to withdraw after understanding the situation.
“‘That’ do not transmit.”
“That?”
“You know that the compatibility between what you taught your disciple as the ‘Clear Brightness Mind Method’ and the Three Talents Unified Qi Art you created this time is dangerous, right? It might be fine at the current level, but in the future, if the fire control of the Clear Brightness Mind Method deepens… and if you transmit one more thing on top of that, something truly dangerous will come out. Although the martial art transmitted by Heavenly Demon is also beyond standards, that combination is even more dangerous than that.”
The expression that had been chuckling with a playful face until just now was nowhere to be seen.
“Do not make the situation you worry about with your own hands.”
“……I will keep it in mind.”
At Adept Tai-yi’s solemn warning, Zhang Sanfeng nodded and withdrew from the space.
It was a warning that could be fully understood.
“Because it was something that was bound to be said at least once.”
He also agreed.
However, his mouth played separately.
“Then it just shouldn’t be a direct ‘transmission’.”