Chapter 358

Kraaaaaash!

A spearhead wreathed in blue flame came plunging down toward the crown of a man’s head.

It was the claw of a fire dragon descending from the heavens—a destructive force capable of erasing anything that stood in its way.

This is…

Within a moment split into ever-smaller fragments, the Western Heaven Demon Lord thought.

I can’t evade it.

This was not a strike he could avoid by taking a few steps back.

Then what should he do? Before he could even form the question, the body that had survived countless life-and-death duels was already moving.

Whoosh!

A dark-red Sword Force shot up from his waist and collided with the blue flames.

Boom!

A shock wave swept through my entire body with a tremendous roar. My ears rang, and the breath caught in my throat.

The sword and spear collided, releasing a flash of dark-red light. In the next instant, I was flying far away as if someone had yanked me backward.

Bang! Bang! KABOOM!

The thick wall of sedimentary rock crumbled like castella the moment my back struck it.

I knocked away a stalactite falling toward my eyes and twisted my body around.

The instant my feet touched the ground, the solid stone floor gouged open like a plowed field.

Krrrrrk!

Damn it. I must have flown at least thirty feet.

I pulled off the leather shoes whose soles had completely disappeared, tossed them aside, and glared at the bastard in the distance.

“Fucking bastard. You’re pretty good, huh?”

“……”

Even through the cloud of dust, I could see the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s stiffened expression.

He silently looked down at the sword blade broken clean in half and his blood-soaked grip before opening his mouth.

“That spear is a divine weapon.”

“Divine weapon? That’s a bit much.”

“What martial art was that?”

I answered without hesitation.

“Get Hit and Fucking Die Technique.”

“I’m beginning to understand why the Blood Lord called you arrogant. And… why he wanted to kill you so badly.”

The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s eyes swept over my entire body.

“You’re dangerous.”

“I am kind of dangerous. Maybe that’s why all the women avoid me.”

“Cheongpung, the young man who reached Supreme Peak at such a young age, is certainly remarkable, but he is not as remarkable as you. To be honest, yes. You have far exceeded my expectations. You wounded me despite being merely at Peak.”

I was not surprised. I had already vaguely realized that Cheongpung had broken through the wall and reached Supreme Peak.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s accurate assessment of my martial arts realm followed the same logic.

“Was that a compliment?”

“Of course. But do not be too pleased. I do not like people who exceed my expectations.”

Speaking in a low voice, the Western Heaven Demon Lord clenched and unclenched his bloodied palm. Sticky blood dripped down, wetting the rocks and sand.

“My use of Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Catties was perfect. And yet I could not redirect the attack completely. An attack from a greenhorn of a young man who is merely at Peak.”

Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Catties—the martial principle of controlling a thousand catties of weight with four ounces.

And just as he said, the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s use of Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Catties had been flawless. Even after being caught off guard, his attempt to calmly and precisely redirect Heavenly Strike had been impressive enough to earn my secret admiration.

But if there was one thing he had failed to anticipate…

“I’m a little stronger than I look.”

The man he was facing now was not an ordinary Peak master.

A Third Rate could not stand against a Second Rate, and a Second Rate was forced to kneel before a First Rate.

The higher one’s realm, the wider the gap became, and the more distant the difference in strength grew. That was the common sense of this world—the Murim.

But I was an existence that defied common sense.

“Call me a physically strong Supreme Peak master.”

“A physically strong Supreme Peak master. I do not know what that means, but if that is what you are, then so be it. Understood.”

I stared at the Western Heaven Demon Lord as he nodded, utterly dumbfounded.

“…What exactly do you understand?”

“Living a long time exposes one to all sorts of experiences. Compared to the supernatural powers I have known, what you have shown is merely a drop in the bucket.”

With a faint smile, the Western Heaven Demon Lord raised one arm.

His movement was so natural that it was hard to believe he had been one-armed until only ten days ago.

That arm was certainly included among the supernatural powers he had mentioned.

“Everything will unfold according to the will of the most exalted Lord of Heaven. Now, why not abandon your futile hopes and surrender?”

“Surrender?”

“If you do so, I will personally petition the Lord of Heaven to put you to good use. Even the Blood Lord will not dare touch you.”

“Wow, you’ve got it all planned out.”

“May I take that as your consent?”

“Hmm, wait a second. I just thought of something better.”

I slowly walked toward the Western Heaven Demon Lord as I continued speaking.

“Stories like this always end with good triumphing over evil anyway. So stop fooling around in some place called Dark Heaven or Cheonggyecheon and come over to the orthodox faction. I’ll put in a good word with Grandpa Sword Saint and get you an easy job.”

“Heh. Well, this is something.”

The Western Heaven Demon Lord took a step forward with a faint smile.

“That is unfortunate. Do not come to regret it when you meet the Blood Lord.”

“Every bastard who’s said that to me is now bowing their head before Yama.”

“You are young, so your blood runs hot. If you are hoping for the same luck you had at the start, forget it. I know that strike was your full strength.”

“That’s the best bullshit I’ve heard all year. Have you been taking bullshit lessons from the yellow dog next door?”

I answered him casually, but unfortunately, the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s words were true.

A surprise attack had to end with a single strike. Either render the opponent unable to fight or kill them.

Breaking a weapon and tearing open a hand was not enough.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord was a master far above me. Showing him my full strength and still failing to inflict any significant injury had been a painful mistake.

Should I have used One Annihilation from the beginning?

What would have happened if I had gone all in from the start?

I sent the thought flying far away. Even if I could return to that moment, I probably would not be able to stake everything on one move.

A gamble with only all or nothing as the possible outcomes had to be avoided. Especially when not only my own life but someone else’s was on the line.

And… I haven’t played all my cards yet.

Step. Step.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord and I. He and I. We slowly approached each other.

Unlike our first clash, neither of us launched finger qi or daggers.

We measured the distance between us, watched each other’s hands and feet, and waited for the right moment.

For a moment exactly like this.

Snap!

The Western Heaven Demon Lord moved first.

He erased thirty feet of distance in a single step, and his hand blurred. His snake sword, with its winding, serpentine shape, burned with ink-black Sword Force.

Avoid a direct clash at all costs.

If there was a gap even the System could not bridge, it was the existence of enlightenment.

Those who had attained the insight needed to reach Supreme Peak and those who had not—the difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

No matter how great my strength was, if I kept colliding with Sword Force, I would inevitably suffer internal injuries.

Whoosh! Boom!

The instant the Sword Force split the ground, a crater that looked like something out of a movie formed with a thunderous roar. If I had not barely evaded that strike, I would certainly have been cut in half.

I retreated and flicked my hand.

Inventory open. Summon.

Shhk-shhk-shhk!

I had never formally learned the art of throwing daggers, but daggers fired with tremendous force and speed possessed power all on their own.

Of course, that did not apply against the Western Heaven Demon Lord.

Slice!

A single horizontal line.

Ink-black Sword Energy shot out along the blade, slicing through the daggers as it flew toward me.

I tilted my head to the side. The intense heat and Sword Energy grazed past me.

Boom!

Ignoring the roar and vibrations echoing behind me, I planted my foot on the ground.

Grind. Crack!

The solid stone floor split like a spiderweb. In the next instant, I shot forward like a flash of light.

My speed was fast enough to be considered a Supreme Peak movement technique—or perhaps even faster.

“As expected!”

With a short exclamation, the Western Heaven Demon Lord swung his sword downward.

Ink-black Sword Force, dark enough to swallow the surrounding light, cut across my entire body.

If not for the single thought that had flashed through my mind before that split-second moment, it certainly would have.

Thirty points each into Agility and Strength.

Swoosh.

The change was dazzlingly fast. My entire body grew lighter, while my muscles gained density and springiness and squeezed out every last bit of strength.

As my body stepped on the wind, the ink-black Sword Force sliced through empty air.

Kraaaaaash!

I saw the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s eyes widen.

It was already too late for him to retrieve his sword. He hurriedly stretched out his other hand and tried to seize the spear approaching his chest.

His reflexes were astonishing. But if there was one other thing that astonished me, it was that my prediction had been exactly right.

Inventory open. Store.

Whoosh!

The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s hand, wrapped in Force, swept through empty air.

The spear that had seemed certain to be caught—White Flame—should now be safely tucked away somewhere inside my inventory.

And this was the moment I had been waiting for.

Flame Divine Palm.

My right hand, engulfed in blue flames, slammed into the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s abdomen.

Boom!

The moment his body rose slightly into the air amid tremendous heat, I swung the fist I had prepared with my left hand.

Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist.

Crack!

The strike that had brought down a cliff slammed into the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s side.

The impact traveled through my fingertips. His body flew like a cannonball and slammed into the wall.

Bang! KRA-KA-BOOM!

The entire underground prison shuddered. At the same time, an unbearable weakness and hunger washed over me.

It had been an exchange in which I had poured my full strength into every movement. Naturally, ragged breaths spilled between my lips.

“Whew.”

Rumble.

I steadied my breathing and slowly walked forward through the piles of stone raining down around me.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord had been driven deep into the solid rock. He stared at me through a hazy gaze.

“I was definitely trying to catch the spear… How did you…”

“It’s probably similar to that supernatural power you believe in.”

“Cough. I see. Then was that also why you suddenly became faster?”

“Yeah. A few perfectly good lives were wasted because of you. They were bastards who deserved to die anyway, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is an underground prison. Don’t you notice anything strange?”

After a brief silence, the Western Heaven Demon Lord answered.

“…There are no prisoners.”

“Correct.”

“How did you do it? Did you perhaps use the Essence-Siphoning Great Technique on the prisoners?”

“You could say that, in a way.”

The difference was that the Essence-Siphoning Great Technique absorbed the opponent’s qi, while I sucked up EXP.

Thanks to those guys, I earned sixty points. It was a stroke of genius.

Instead of destroying the prisoners’ dantians, the Sichuan Tang Clan had chosen to suppress their internal energy and bind them in restraints.

That way, they could live longer. That way, the clan could make them taste hell through prolonged torture.

Thanks to that, the dozen or so prisoners—excluding the Heavenly Power Demon—were able to become nourishment for me.

“Cough. The Essence-Siphoning Great Technique. I see. So that was it.”

“Are you satisfied now?”

“If I ask, will you answer me?”

“Yeah. So…”

I looked down at the Western Heaven Demon Lord as he weakly nodded and continued.

“Quit the lousy acting and get up. And cut it out with those coughs that don’t even produce blood.”

“Well, this is something.”

The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s eyes, which had seemed ready to go out at any moment, curved into crescents.

“Apparently, I’m really no good at this sort of thing.”

“…Haa.”

You son of a bitch.