Chapter 107 The Swordsmen’s Alliance (9)

Chapter 107: The Swordsmen’s Alliance (9)

As Baek and Inhyun Jin-in lunged forward, the entire hundred-strong death squad—or rather, the now less-than-ninety-strong death squad—followed suit.

Light began to radiate from the weapons the death squad wielded.

Whoosh.

Each unleashed their proudest, most powerful martial arts to strike first.

And then.

The black flame dragon in Baek’s hand began to blaze.

Whoosh!

As he extended his hand, the pitch-black Black Flame Dragon shot forth at a terrifying speed.

Heat intense enough to melt steel in an instant.

Had it connected, Hyunsanwol would have vanished without leaving even bone dust behind.

Whoooosh!

A crimson energy aura appeared from somewhere, blocking the Black Flame Dragon’s path.

BOOM! RRRRRR.

An explosion that felt like the heavens and earth were splitting apart erupted, and both energies faded.

An old man in a crimson robe appeared amidst the chaos.

Bukgung Baek frowned and opened his mouth.

“Blood Demon?”

“Heh heh heh heh, to see the Black Dragon here! What a coincidence.”

“I thought you were over a hundred and twenty years old. You’re still quite spry.”

“The Blood God bestows his power upon his priest.”

Hearing their conversation, an alarm bell rang in my head.

Good heavens, the Blood Clan Leader?

Why on earth had he, one of the Ten Demon Clan’s three great masters and one of the Ten Great Masters of the World, appeared here?

Unlike me, whose scalp was drenched in cold sweat, North Palace Baek looked utterly serene.

In fact.

“This should be interesting.”

He merely let out a mocking chuckle, radiating fighting spirit.

“Take care of that bastard until I return after dealing with the Blood Clan Leader.”

He even gave me the absurd order to handle Hyun San-wol.

“No…”

I tried to protest, but he was already gone in an instant.

Then.

‘Only a joint attack will do.’

I thought, scanning my surroundings…

“Can’t you just rot in hell?!”

“How dare you covet Jianchang Mountain! You’ve lost your fear!”

There was no one left to help. In fact, some were already fighting two or three opponents simultaneously.

Which meant.

‘I’m screwed.’

It meant I had to face the bloodthirsty demon standing at the pinnacle of power all by myself.

“Khm, heh heh.”

I cleared my throat and spoke with confidence.

“Um… what I said earlier wasn’t meant personally…”

Clang. Thud.

Instead of answering, he drew his signature weapons: the left sword and right spear.

True to his bloodline origins, he radiated suffocating killing intent as he silently prepared to fight. Seeing this sent a chill down my spine.

“I won’t let you die easily.”

No choice.

Fighting was the only option.

The moment he resolved himself, the Whirling Dragon Blade surged forth.

This wasn’t an opponent to gauge the situation while fighting.

He had to go all out from the start, so he immediately summoned the Dragon Blade.

Crackle.

“Come at me. You little bastard. I’ll beat the crap out of you.”

* * *

“Guh.”

I got beaten like a dog.

In less than ten minutes, I’d lost everything I had, and it felt like a few ribs were broken too.

If it weren’t for the Dragon Scale Armor, I’d have been sent to the other world long ago.

No, wait. We’re both at the peak level, so shouldn’t our stats be closer?

“You blocked that? You’re wearing some fine protective armor.”

“Will you spare me if I give it to you?”

“Why bother? I could just kill you and take it.”

“True, I suppose.”

Thud, thud.

Thinking it was over, the bastard slowly walked toward me.

Of course, it wasn’t unreasonable for him to think that.

I had poured out every last bit of my Zhenwang Qi.

Thanks to that, only a mere handful of Zhenwang Qi remained within my body now.

‘To pierce and shatter the Exploding Star Mirror with a spear after pouring all my strength into it…’

My attacks hadn’t dealt him any real damage at all.

The Extreme Death Mirror had simply been cleaved apart by the sword he swung.

The Thirteen-Piercing King’s Energy, packed with my entire cultivation, had been futilely blocked by his protective aura.

The Exploding Star Mirror vanished each time it was shattered, pierced by the spear’s blade.

The only move left was the Lotus Environment.

Caught in his rhythm, I’d exhausted all my energy needed to unleash it.

Still.

“Your immaturity will be your death.”

“Bullshit.”

There is hope.

“Before I die, let me ask one thing.”

“Trying to stall won’t work.”

“Ever heard of a Super Saiyan?”

“What?”

He swiftly reached inside his dragon-scale armor and pulled out two small jade bottles.

“You’d better know. Because this is the hell you’re about to endure.”

Gulp.

He popped both bottle caps and downed their contents in one gulp.

It was the life-saving elixir made by the Qing Shou Sect under closed-door restrictions.

He’d brought it along to use when his life hung by a thread, but he never dreamed he’d end up drinking two bottles at once.

It was a precious elixir worth a fortune, but what could he do?

Wealth, honor, and even three wives and four concubines—you have to be alive to enjoy them.

As the extreme yin energy soaked into the solution entered his body, the Zhenwang Qi began to rage like a mad beast.

Crackle.

Its intensity was so fierce it nearly burst the meridians from his body.

He didn’t need to activate his heart sutra to absorb the energy.

The more he moved, the stronger he grew. The more he fought, the stronger he grew.

It was a problem that would resolve itself through battle.

“You bastard!”

Sensing something amiss, Hyun San-wol swung his sword.

Whoosh.

A strike packed with immense force.

Had I allowed it, the power would have sent me to the other world.

Kwaaah.

The Dragon Qi erupted spontaneously, blocking the sword strike.

And then.

Kurung. Pong.

The explosive force of the Yan Hwang-gye, erupting from deep within his body, delivered a tremendous blow.

“Hm?”

His attack blocked so easily, Hyun San-wol looked at me with slightly startled eyes.

“This is the Chajeon. You bastard.”

Kwoong.

He combined the Jeonwangbo and Bicheonpung into one strike.

POW!

In an instant, the scene shifted, and I seized the back of Hyeon San-wol.

A step of the Transcendent Transformation, permitted only to those who master the peerless Divine Vision.

“……!”

Hyeon San-wol’s shock was natural.

Before he could turn, I drove the Exploding Vision straight into his spine.

CRASH!

A storm of energy erupted on his back.

Of course.

“You’re not even close!”

From his recent experience, he knew attacks like this wouldn’t even leave a scratch.

Therefore, he had to unleash as many strikes as possible.

He swiftly closed to Hyun San-wol’s close range.

Ultra-close combat.

Hyun San-wol roared and swung his sword.

But at this distance, he couldn’t match the speed of the Zhen Wang style.

Thwack.

Before the hair grazed by the blade even hit the floor.

POW!

My extended leg technique slammed into his knee.

My right fist, packed with experience, smashed into his jaw.

With my left fist, I unleashed the Mingzongse.

“Guh.”

Whether it worked or not, a groan burst from the bastard’s mouth for the first time.

“Die! You bastard!”

Riding the momentum, I unleashed the Ten-Three Strike.

Thirteen techniques, one yet not one, embedded themselves into his entire body.

Under the full force of my attack, his center finally collapsed.

‘Maybe I’m actually strong?’

Just as I was intoxicated by the sudden surge of martial prowess, about to unleash the Extreme Death Strike.

Chill!

His sixth sense warned him.

He could die.

Sure enough.

Spot!

A streak of light flew toward him.

Swoosh!

A spine-chilling blade slashed at his neck.

“……!”

It was too late to dodge.

Then there was only one option.

The Dragon’s Breath.

Kwaaah!

A black magnetic field began resisting the spear strike and sword slash.

Kwaaang!

The Dragon’s Breath pushed and pulled, then suddenly got pushed back sharply.

‘Damn it.’

It was a choice I shouldn’t make, considering the next attack, but to survive right now, I had no choice.

I poured every last bit of Dragon’s Breath into it.

Then.

Whoosh!

The magnetic field-shaped Dragon Spear transformed into an elongated form.

It resembled North Palace White’s Black Flame Dragon.

“What is this?”

It was a phenomenon I’d never seen before, but now wasn’t the time for contemplation.

“Hmph!”

Blocking the enemy’s attack was the priority.

Hyun San-wol thrust his spear forward.

In terms of sheer power, it was a strike twice as strong as the previous sword strike.

Even in this life-threatening crisis, a smile kept forming at the corners of his mouth.

Heh.

For some inexplicable reason, he felt confident he could block it.

Hyun San-wol looked at him with puzzled eyes at that reaction.

A look that said, What the hell is this guy?

“You’ve lost your mind!”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

The thick, elongated Zhenlongqi stretched out.

Then it swallowed Hyun San-wol’s sword strike whole.

Kraaaah.

With a monstrous roar, it collided with Changgang, its form now even larger.

“What?!”

Like a dragon defending its territory.

It didn’t take long for the Zhenlongqi to devour Changgang.

“Die! You bastard!”

I immediately pointed at Xianshan Yue, and the Zhenlongqi, now transformed into a black dragon, flew towards him.

Kwaaah!

A sound like a mortar shell exploding echoed, and a large crater appeared where he had stood.

“Did I get him?”

The forbidden line slipped out before I could stop it.

But this time, I was confident.

It was the ultimate strike, forged from my entire life.

Just as I swiftly unfolded my Ki to check Hyeon San-wol’s condition.

Pung.

A piercing sound echoed.

Pwoo!

A spear, flying like a beam of light, pierced my thigh.

“Gah!”

Thud, thud.

Hyun San-wol, covered in dust, emerged from the pit.

“Impressive. Such an achievement at your age.”

“Guh!”

The searing pain surging up like fire made it impossible to think clearly.

Thud.

I tried desperately to put weight on my leg, but the spear embedded in my thigh made it impossible.

Clang.

Hyun San-wol drew the sword strapped to his back.

“Whoa…”

He survived that hit…

The life-threatening crisis closed in.

But showing fear to the demon of the Ten Demon Realm? That wouldn’t do.

“How about a draw?”

“Bullshit.”

Heh.

When I sneered, Hyun San-wol said with an expression of utter disbelief.

“You seem to have lost your mind.”

“No, I’m perfectly fine?”

“Or perhaps you’ve lost your fear.”

“Well?”

I summoned every last bit of my remaining battle energy.

If you have no teeth, you must fight with your gums.

I poured everything I had into it—my experience in the Yan Environment, and even the essence of the unfrozen Snow Water Sap.

Pwooong!

I fired the Hyuncheol Nail.

Pssst.

The Hyuncheol Nail flew, freezing the surrounding ground and air.

“Predictable.”

Hyun Sanwol dodged it far too easily.

Well, that’s possible.

It was an attack so obvious anyone could see it coming.

But from the start, my target wasn’t Hyun San-wol.

Kwaaang!

It was the Blood Clan Leader, who was fighting Bukgung Baek.

Why waste energy on something he’d obviously dodge?

Better to let Bukgung Baek win and shift the momentum our way—that was a hundred times wiser.

And that plan of mine produced an outcome no one could have foreseen.

“Gah!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected ambush, the Blood Clan Leader let the attack land.

He’d probably been focusing all his attention on facing Baekgongbaek.

Thanks to that, the Hyuncheol Nail embedded itself in his left hand, freezing everything around it solid.

And Baekgongbaek wasn’t the type to let an opportunity like this slip away.

“I’ll melt it for you!”

Whoosh!

A super-heated black flame dragon shot toward the Blood Demon’s upper body.

“Hah!”

The Blood Clan Leader urgently raised his right hand to unleash his power.

CRASH!

“Gah!”

His right hand was utterly crushed, vanishing without a trace.

With the Ten Demon Clan’s strongest power neutralized, Hyun San-wol was thrown into deep panic.

In his desperation, he swung his sword at me.

“You bastard!”

Watching the descending blade, I thought.

‘This is it.’

No matter how many times I replayed it, there was no way to survive.

Just as I was about to recall everyone who had helped with the Martial Reincarnation Technique…

Whoosh!

An immense heat washed over me.

“Gah…”

Hyun San-wol’s upper body vanished without a trace.

That’s right.

Bukgung Baek, who had defeated the Blood Clan Leader, had rushed over in a single bound.

In that instant, my true feelings burst out unbidden.

“Dad?”

“Shall I put you on the family register?”

Overwhelmed by the emotion of having my life saved, I almost nodded reflexively.

“What about the Blood Clan Leader…?”

Click.

Bukgung Baek turned his head at my question.

I saw the Blood Clan Leader’s retreating back vanishing in an instant.

“Did you let him escape to save me?”

“I simply judged it better to save you than to kill an old man with little time left.”

It was deeply regrettable, but in a way, it was the right call.

Had he killed the Blood Clan Leader here, the remaining Blood Clan bastards would have charged like mad.

Because he let the Blood Clan Leader go, most of the Blood Clan bastards who came with him began retreating.

Thanks to that, the elite fighters of the Death Squad gained breathing room and could handle the enemy more easily.

Before long, realizing the situation had turned unfavorable, the Ten Demon Alliance expeditionary force began retreating.

And then.

“Guh!”

Pahh. Pssst.

As the accumulated blood clot was expelled, he could see the blood spreading through the air freeze solid.

‘Ah, right.’

This had a side effect.