Chapter 84: Your Master Went to Hell
A hot energy flows through my body. It feels like breathing in a hot bath so dense with steam that I can barely see ahead.
Part of the heat generated from the huge fireball nearby is flowing in through the gap of the ‘open’ hole in my head.
As that hot energy dwelled, the method of the Spirit-Descending Hand also moved quite differently from before.
Whoosh!
It was violent.
It moved fiercely like sparks splattering in all directions.
Boom!
“Kgh!”
The opponent, whose hands clashed with mine, also seemed surprised by that fierceness, opening his eyes wide in astonishment.
“…Mmph?!”
‘Is it really something to be that surprised about?’
It was unexpected. Considering he had appeared while crushing this ancient forest, he seemed somewhat pathetic.
Given the martial power he displayed outwardly, it was somewhat strange for him to be this surprised.
‘Rather than being surprised by the martial arts, it felt as if he was surprised by the energy I displayed?’
Moreover, this hot energy dwelling in my body was unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.
“This, somehow feels like divine power…”
[It is indeed divine power.]
“Pardon?”
I was the one surprised by Master Zhang Sanfeng’s confirmation.
If this was indeed divine power, it would have to be called the divine power of fire.
But where did this divine power come from?
‘Also, though I don’t know the reason, why does Master Zhang Sanfeng’s voice also sound somewhat pissed off?’
In Master Zhang Sanfeng’s voice as he confirmed it was divine power, there was a feeling of hot steam characteristic of someone who was angry.
Was it an illusion?
[Darn it! I wondered what that guy Heavenly Demon was thinking by doing such a thing…]
It wasn’t an illusion.
Seeing that Master Heavenly Demon was suddenly mentioned, he seemed not to be unrelated to this matter.
“Grr!”
While I was assessing the situation, the demonic practitioner glaring at me and emitting streams of demonic energy tried to say something.
But it was not a proper word. He was merely vomiting a sound loaded with emotion.
“A mute?”
“He is a Mute Commander of the Demonic Cult. They belong to the Demonic Cult’s Xinwei Army, and since high-ranking officials keep them close to assign them secret tasks, their tongues are cut from the time they learn martial arts.”
“Aha.”
‘And who on earth are you to know that high-ranking officials keep them close and assign them secret tasks?’
Would it be going too far to think that Master Zhang Sanfeng getting pissed off and mentioning Master Heavenly Demon just now was deeply related to this girl here?
“Ah! Ahh!!”
However, that was not what was important right now.
The opponent in front of me was not someone to be simply ignored.
The strong demonic energy he had shown when he first appeared surged from his body.
But it was a martial art I had already received once.
There was no reason I couldn’t do a second time what I had done once.
I unfolded the Spirit-Descending Hand.
In response to the whip-like lashing strike of his entire arm, I extended a palm.
Bang!
As I struck down with my palm at his fingertips where his power was loaded to the maximum, the opponent’s arm, which had been bent nimbly like a whip, suddenly folded and his elbow dug in.
Striking and stabbing.
Clashing and digging in.
Boom! Boom!
‘Ugh! It’s violent!’
The Spirit-Descending Hand is a martial art that responds to the opponent’s moves. The fact that the clash of the first moves was violent meant that the opponent’s technique was also violent and fierce.
The changes happening in the blink of an eye dug into the gaps.
However.
‘I’ve already seen it!’
I had fully seen what the opponent’s martial arts were like when we exchanged the first moves.
It was the Spirit-Descending Hand that had responded even when it was unfamiliar.
No matter how violent the opponent’s movements were, I could fully follow them.
Furthermore.
‘I’m not pushed back in strength.’
The destructive power the opponent displayed. Considering the demonic energy he spewed out when crushing this ancient forest, I thought I would have to deflect his strikes, but unexpectedly, I was receiving them head-on.
The reason lay in the divine power of fire dwelling in my body.
It felt like it was reigning over the demonic energy from its very birth?
It felt so arrogant, as if it took that for granted.
That temperament was somehow familiar.
‘Master Heavenly Demon?’
It was Master Heavenly Demon’s temperament.
I wondered if this was also going too far.
“Ah!! Aaargh!!”
Every time we clashed hands, the opponent shouted in surprise.
Confusion and an unknown anger were loaded in his voice.
Although I didn’t know why he was so angry.
‘If you open a gap, I won’t hold back!’
This time, I was the one digging in.
Master Bodhidharma’s Ultimate Extreme Strike.
A force that condensed solidly like a rock extended aggressively.
Boom!
A short, loud boom that did not sound like the clash of human flesh and muscle.
He belatedly gathered his arms to defend, but it was useless.
“Graah!”
Beyond his opened arms, the opponent’s eyes, wide with shock, were visible.
A punch that extended with the momentum to pierce that retina.
In my fist, the force gathered at a single point through the method of the Ultimate Extreme Strike exploded.
Ultimate Extreme Thunder!
The martial art at the opposite pole of the Ultimate Extreme Strike was the Ultimate Extreme Thunder.
While Master Bodhidharma’s Ultimate Extreme Strike was to strike by gathering force at a single point, Master Zhang Sanfeng’s Ultimate Extreme Thunder was to explode the force gathered at a single point.
Crush with the Ultimate Extreme Strike, and pierce with the Ultimate Extreme Thunder.
Consecutively strike the two poles.
‘If I add the divine power of fire to this!’
Fire possessed the energy to expand to its surroundings.
The force that dug into the center like thunder flared and spread like a wildfire.
Ka-boom!
An explosion blasted.
Along with a burning smell, the body, which did not leave a single piece of corpse behind, fluttered as a red blood mist.
“Whew!”
Although it was a strike I created, the destructive power was really no joke.
‘The aftermath is no joke, so I should use it with caution.’
The Ultimate Extreme Strike alone was no ordinary power, but when I unfolded the Ultimate Extreme Thunder in succession, a considerable recoil occurred. Adding the divine power of fire to it, my right arm was almost reduced to rags.
Considering the result of defeating such a demonic practitioner in a single blow, it was fully worth enduring.
‘The combination of the Ultimate Extreme Strike and the Ultimate Extreme Thunder is better than I imagined.’
The Ultimate Extreme Strike is solid. Being strong and hard, it is good for crushing defense.
The Ultimate Extreme Thunder is sharp. Its power to pierce by exploiting a gap is outstanding.
Endure with the Spirit-Descending Hand, break the defense with the Ultimate Extreme Strike, and then pierce with the Ultimate Extreme Thunder.
If I can connect them properly, I can devour an opponent with higher skills than me.
‘How did you see it?’
I waited for Master Zhang Sanfeng to give a rating on the connection of these martial arts.
“…”
But there was no answer.
“…Master?”
With Master Zhang Sanfeng’s personality, he should have said something by now.
Did something happen?
[Your master went to hell.]
“…Pardon?”
At Mister Hua Tuo’s voice, my face hardened unconsciously.
[He went to hell to find the Heavenly Demon. He ran off the moment he saw that girl.]
“Ah…? Ah, yes.”
Hearing it like this, it made sense.
‘Somehow the nuance is…’
But at the same time, I felt sulky.
I felt a bit deflated because he left without watching to the end while I was fighting a strong opponent.
It could be seen as him trusting my skills, but I also felt a bit disappointed.
‘Anyway, who is she that Master Zhang Sanfeng reacted so sensitively?’
Seeing she was chased by a demonic practitioner, there was a high possibility she was in an adversarial relationship with the Demonic Cult.
However, considering her familiarity with the internal structure of the Demonic Cult and Master Zhang Sanfeng’s reaction, she might be related to Master Heavenly Demon.
As I turned around while asking and answering my own question, I could see eyes shining brightly.
Looking at me with a look of admiration as if she were looking at the idol of her life, the girl soon composed herself, showed respect, and bowed.
“I am Yi Hwa. It is an infinite honor to meet the great one.”
“Uh? Uh…”
I had been praised quite a bit recently, but it was my first time being put on a pedestal to this extent.
Moreover, being looked up to by a young girl as if she were a priestess welcoming a god actually made me feel strange.
“I’m not that great of a person…”
“You are humble.”
The girl who introduced herself as Yi Hwa said with a bright smile.
Looking at her, she seemed willing to devote herself no matter what orders I gave.
As if to prove that appearance was real, Yi Hwa, holding my hand respectfully with her two hands, knelt down.
Placing my hand on her head with her two hands, the girl named Yi Hwa showed ecstasy like a priestess in front of a sacred existence.
“The ‘Divine Maiden’ Yi Hwa pays her respects of eternal subordination to the true ‘successor of the Heavenly Demon’.”
“…”
Did I just hear some bizarre words?
What?
“…Divine Maiden?”
“Yes, Lord Heavenly Demon.”
Lord Heavenly Demon?
Lord Heavenly Demoooon?
Lord Heavenly Demooooon?!
“…Me?”
“Yes, Lord Heavenly Demon.”
“…”
This pretty girl suddenly began to look like a thunder bomb with its fuse lit.
Furthermore.
“What is this. Did you have that kind of taste?”
Baek Mu-ho and Miss Tang Sa-yeon, who had rushed over after detecting the sound and shock waves generated during the battle, saw this sight.
Although they didn’t seem to have heard the mention of Heavenly Demon spoken by Yi Hwa, they evaluated this bizarre scene of a pretty girl kneeling with my hand on her head in a quite unique way.
Especially Miss Tang Sa-yeon, who had eyes like a carnivore whose prey had been stolen.
‘I’m going crazy…’
In many ways, this girl Yi Hwa was a bolt from the blue.
***
“I’m getting deja vu from this.”
Running down through hell, Zhang Sanfeng recalled when he had fought with the Heavenly Demon not long ago and turned Fengdu Hell upside down.
Running through hell to interrogate the Heavenly Demon felt exactly like going back to that time.
Of course, he had no intention of causing a mess like back then, but he was willing to fight again depending on what conversation took place.
Arriving deep in hell in that way, Zhang Sanfeng could see the Heavenly Demon holding a device that reflected the Meridian Mirror.
“You came down quickly.”
“Naturally, since I saw what you did.”
“Well, considering the scale of the Great Forest, I thought you might cross paths, but you did meet well.”
The Heavenly Demon, who must have seen the same thing as him, let out a laugh.
It was a laugh that confirmed many things.
“Was that your goal? To raise Cheong-un to the position of the Heavenly Demon?”
“Wasn’t it also unfair? I am also his master. Yet my share in my disciple’s life is small. It’s almost non-existent. Even though the one that showed the highest achievement among the martial arts he learned is my martial art.”
“Sigh…”
The Heavenly Demon’s words were a valid argument.
Zhang Sanfeng could not easily refute that.
Of course, if they considered the disciple’s affiliation or position, the story would change, but from the Heavenly Demon’s perspective, he could view it that way.
“Do not worry. Since I’ve taken my share, I won’t overdo it anymore. Rather, shouldn’t you be paying attention to the other side?”
“What do you…”
As Zhang Sanfeng frowned and tried to shout at the Heavenly Demon’s mention that now was not the time to pay attention to him, he realized one thing.
The Heavenly Demon had said the Great Forest.
“You called it the Black Wood Forest, but it was referring to the Great Forest?”
“They’ve called it that for a few hundred years… well, if it’s nowadays, I guess it could be called nowadays. If it’s based on Hua Tuo’s legacy, then it makes sense…”
The Heavenly Demon knew what the Black Wood Forest was called in the present world.
He had sent the Divine Maiden to that Great Forest.
Then, who was the one who led Yeon Cheong-un to the Great Forest?
“Sigh…”
It was Bian Que.
In that case, for what reason did Bian Que put his bet on this game?
Zhang Sanfeng had a hunch.
“The Tang Clan’s family head…”
A poison expert who reached the boundary is hovering between life and death after being poisoned by a poison that exceeded the limit. He is holding onto his life.
Since the poison practitioner practicing poison was crossing the boundary of the limit, it was highly probable that his boundary was continuously rising.
If they could resolve this properly?
“Yes, it’s the Medicine Immortal.”
The roots of the Sichuan Tang Clan lie in medicine. Though several martial lineages were mixed in, their origin is effectively a medical family.
From that medical family, someone who reached the realm of an immortal might emerge.
“It seems Bian Que put his stake there. If that gamble succeeds, many more will pay attention to our disciple than now.”
“Hmm…”
Just as the world was turning in a complicated way, hell was also forming a board under the attention of supreme beings who watched Yeon Cheong-un.
Once, Zhang Sanfeng had been pleased that the Heavenly Demon was truly caring for their disciple Yeon Cheong-un.
Though that concern turned into a burden after realizing that the Heavenly Demon could do truly crazy things.
Therefore, Zhang Sanfeng found it difficult to gauge whether to be pleased or worried about this current situation.