Chapter 381 The Path to Becoming a God (9)

Chapter 381: The Path to Becoming a God (9)

CRASH! BOOM! CRACKLE!

When the radio punched the air, the sky roared.

When the Lion Clan Chief brought his sword down, the earth split apart.

It was truly a clash between gods.

All the righteous faction members witnessing the scene understood.

If Mujeon loses this duel, there is no hope for the orthodox martial world.

‘Wuzhen…’

Tae Cheong Jin-in radiated an aura ready to leap forward at any moment, tightening his grip on his sword.

Though he couldn’t match the Lion Clan Leader, he could block one move.

Then, he saw Wutian struggling.

His abdomen was pierced, and he was pushed back, powerless.

“Huh…”

“Damn it!”

A situation on the brink of explosion.

Just as Taecheong Jin-in was about to unleash his shape-shifting technique to rush to Moojeon’s side.

Thwack!

A sword, shrouded in white light, flew from somewhere and pierced the Lion Clan Chief’s heart.

It was a perfect and beautiful sword.

Across the entire martial world, only one person could wield such sword energy.

None other than the Martial Emperor.

As he walked over to confirm the Lion Clan Leader’s corpse, everyone let out a roar of excitement.

“W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w

“We won! The Dragon Lord has avenged the previous Lord!”

“From this day forward, anyone who insults the Martial Emperor City will become my enemy!”

“All the heretic scum are finished!”

However, the commanders of the righteous faction remained tense.

They knew it was still too early to celebrate.

“You cowardly bastards! Attacking together?!”

“You bastards, what are you doing! Prepare to kill the hypocrites of the faction immediately!”

“Warriors of the Alliance, draw your swords!”

For the Lion Clan, losing their leader to the righteous faction’s cowardly ambush meant their rage was blinding them.

Then.

Creak.

The main gate of the Lion Clan headquarters swung open, and a horde of the Dark Sect poured out toward the Righteous Sect alliance.

“Kill the Dragon Lord!”

The first to react was the Sword General.

A veteran of a thousand battles, he had anticipated from the start that the war would not end with the Lion Clan leader’s death.

“Raise your swords! Stand foremost and block the enemy!”

The moment the main gate of the Lion Clan opened, he led the Seven Hundred Manryeon Sword Corps forward in a charge.

Behind them, the Zhengdemaeng and the Nine Dragons Sect moved.

“Jeongdo-myeong, purge the followers of Sima the Heretic!”

“Disciples of Huashan, follow me!”

As the Zhengdeng Sect Leader shouted, Zhen Gong led the disciples of Huashan out in pursuit.

“Leave not a single one alive!”

As the sect leader, Jiksajung, shouted, the five hundred sworn warriors of Guryongseong drew their weapons and charged forth.

Dan Yun and Wei Zhifeng, who had lost their master to the Lion Clan’s attack, naturally took the lead.

Just as the two forces were about to collide.

Boom!

A colossal storm of deceit swept through the spot where the Lion Clan Chief’s corpse lay.

Brrrr.

The sword-bearer felt the fine hairs on his entire body stand on end and halted his steps.

And then.

Kwaaang!

A sword blade enveloped in aura flew forth, slaying all one hundred swordsmen of the Manryeon Sword Corps.

“……”

“……”

Not only the righteous faction alliance, but even the Lion Clan was unable to contain their shock.

Everyone had clearly witnessed the Lion Clan leader’s heart being split open. Yet he had survived unscathed.

The sword general sighed softly.

“……Damn.”

The Alliance Leader has been resurrected-!

The Lion Alliance, surging with renewed spirit, charged at the righteous faction alliance.

* * *

Namgung Muyoung’s sword strike descended.

Its power was enough to crush mountains.

Under normal circumstances, one would have avoided it, but now enemies and allies were intermingled.

If he tried to dodge without blocking, the allies behind him would be unable to escape annihilation. Thus, the Unrivaled City Lord swung his sword.

Kuuuung!

“Kuh!”

The Sword of Will, once bestowed upon me as a teaching, clashed with the Emperor’s Sword Form.

Splatter.

The veins bulging on the Emperor’s face and arms burst open.

Snap.

His right arm snapped at an unnatural angle, and simultaneously, his treasured sword shattered in two.

But.

After all this sacrifice, he succeeded in blocking Namgung Muyoung’s strike.

I couldn’t just stand by either.

As the Emperor of the Moon and Namgoong Muyeong faced each other with their swords drawn, I unleashed the full power of the Moon’s Wrath upon Namgoong Muyeong’s back.

A small black hole formed, generating immense gravitational force that twisted Namgoong Muyoung’s body.

Shhhhh!

A serpentine aura surged forth, swallowing the entire Hwawol whole.

‘What kind of internal energy is this… AI?’

No, what kind of internal energy in the world rises up on its own to block an attack?

It was absurd, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.

If we continue fighting here, our casualties will spiral out of control. We must finish off the enemy who entered Phase 2 as quickly as possible.

“Die!”

He unleashed his final attack, draining every last ounce of his remaining energy.

It was the wireless version of the Heavenly King Sutra, the ultimate technique I had carefully guarded and cherished—Heavenly Moon.

Thwack!

His fist slammed into the back of Namgoong Muyoung, shrouded in fighting spirit.

——!

A crystalline energy formation, shaped like a full moon, emerged and began expanding at a rapid pace.

Before the power that annihilated everything, Namgoong Muyeong’s aura crumbled powerlessly.

Namgoong Muyeong didn’t stand idly by either.

Moving instinctively, he unleashed the Imperial Sword Form toward the center of Cheonwol.

Boom!

A massive shockwave erupted, scattering everything around it.

“Guh!”

A force of immense physical power halted the expansion of the Heavenly Moon.

Seeing this, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Now!”

It was to execute the prearranged plan.

“Gah!”

The Emperor of the Moon grasped his sword with his left hand, replacing his broken right.

And then.

Whoosh!

A brilliant white light surged from the broken blade.

The Sword of the Heart.

He unleashed the ultimate vision achievable by a swordsman.

A complete and swift sword path was embroidered upon Namgoong Muyoung’s body.

The Black Lord’s sword severed the man’s arm, pierced his leg, and split his throat in two.

Splash! Splash! Squeak!

The Martial Emperor let out a cry of despair.

“I underestimated him!”

“That should suffice!”

Though he said this, it was undeniably a missed opportunity.

Having lived a life steeped in clichés, he knew better than to relax until his head was severed… no, until it was completely blown apart.

Sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Indeed, even now, Nangung Muyoung’s wounds were healing in real time.

“Everyone, stand back!”

With a lion’s roar, he shattered the celestial moon.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, destroying everything around it.

Thud…

Namgoong Muyoung’s body crashed through the walls of the Lion’s Den headquarters.

An explosion powerful enough to kill even an Absolute Realm cultivator instantly.

However, he couldn’t rest easy until he saw the bastard dead with his own eyes.

‘Less than one-tenth of my remaining energy remains.’

Gooooo…….

To finish them off, I unleashed the Heavenly King Divine Step toward the Lion Clan headquarters, where their members were gathered in droves.

“The Heavenly Dragon Sword Corps protects the Alliance Leader!”

“Jiho Sword Corps, block the defeated army!”

“The Changcheon Sword Corps…!”

The warriors of the Myeongju Clan threw themselves in front of me to block my path.

“Hmph!”

Kurung. Kwaan!

The wave, spread as wide as possible, swept across the entire front.

Those instantly turned into corpses fell, creating space.

“Out of the way!”

He immediately unfolded the Heavenly King’s Divine Sword and plunged into the gap, but.

“You can’t pass any further!”

Seven old swordsmen blocked the way.

Each one was clearly a master of absolute skill.

‘I can’t afford to waste any more time here…’

Thud.

“If you intend to harm the Lord, you must kill us first!”

Behind them, countless warriors gathered.

My internal energy was nearly depleted.

Time was running out.

But there was no way to ignore them and pass by.

In the end, there was only one way. Kill them all and force my way through.

“If dying is your wish, then I suppose I’ll grant it!”

Just as he was about to force his way through.

“……!”

Whoosh!

A familiar aura of energy surged from behind.

Four-Sword Descendant, Four-Sword.

Two sword energies, sharp enough to pierce the sun itself, shot toward the seven old swordsmen.

But that wasn’t all.

Kurung. Kwaaang!

Dan Yun and Yi Feng Zhenren’s Blue Cloud Falling Sword descended upon their heads.

Whoosh!

The sword of the White Tiger, imbued with the fierce energy of the Dragon-Tiger Sword Technique, descended with a force capable of splitting rock.

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Dang Ducheon’s solo attack blocked the surrounding enemies.

“Mujeon! Are you all right?”

“Leave this place to us!”

“Those bastards from the Sapa faction, causing trouble like this… The end of the world. Truly the end of the world.”

“Clear the way if you don’t want to die!”

Behind them, Grandmaster Jang and the three executioners, Jikil, Ilsam, and Sam, led the charge as the five hundred elite troops of Guryongseong stormed in.

Every one of them covered in blood.

They had clearly fought their way through a bloodbath to come to my aid.

And then, in that instant, the tide of battle shifted.

Roar!

At a glance, it was clear that at least three thousand warriors had stormed the battlefield.

If they were enemies, it was certain our allies would be surrounded.

At that moment when everyone was on edge.

“Show those Namgung bastards the might of the North Palace!”

“The Hoyeon Society must eliminate Sima Oedo’s faction!”

Woo-ahh-!

A lion’s roar, clearly identifying them as allies, echoed out.

The North Palace’s Royal Clan Association and the Heroic Alliance had arrived together.

Then Danun raised his sword and pointed it at the Lion Clan.

“Go. Go finish this fight and return.”

With such fiery men risking their lives to step forward, how could he just stand by?

“I’ll be back soon, so stay put and don’t get hurt.”

“When we return to the castle, let’s have a drink.”

Heh.

“Good.”

Grandfather’s roar erupted.

“Our rear will be covered by our allies. Guryongseong, focus only on the path ahead and break through!”

Guryong-!

A bloody battle erupted in an instant.

I charged through the battlefield, blood spilling everywhere.

Thud!

I smashed the skull of an enemy charging at me.

“You won’t pass!”

I snapped the neck of the enemy blocking my path.

“Stop! Stop him!”

Boom!

He blew up the charging mob.

Thus, forging a bloody path forward.

“Namgoong Muwyeong!”

Finally, he could fling himself inside the city walls that Namgoong Muwyeong had breached.

And it was at that very moment.

“Damn it!”

That feeble sword dared to threaten me.

No matter how exhausted I was, how could I fail to block a sword devoid of any inner power?

Snap, crackle.

I instantly crushed it in my hand and kicked the chest of the one who swung the sword.

“Gurgle.”

The man, his ribs shattered, flew away, spitting blood.

“…Baek Muha?”

“Truly… to the very end… we are… bitter enemies.”

Even a peerless master has no way to survive with a shattered chest.

For reasons unknown, Baek Muha, having lost all his inner strength, could not escape death.

But, as per his final words, our bond was stained with ill fortune until the very end.

“……!”

Distracted by Baek Muha’s sudden appearance, Namgung Muyeong’s sword strike had flown toward him.

Kuuung!

His reaction was too slow to block it properly.

Crack.

His sword pierced through my protective aura, shattering my ribs completely.

CRASH!

I flew straight into the pavilion.

“Gurgle! Ugh!”

Blood gushed endlessly, as if my internal organs were damaged.

“Kuh…”

His eyes bloodshot, as if completely consumed by malice, Namgoong Muyoung walked toward me.

The arm that had been completely severed hadn’t grown back, but all other wounds had healed. Even the neck, which had been cut in half, was now reattached, leaving only a scar.

‘I must get up…’

If I didn’t take him down now, there would be no second chance.

No, staying still meant certain death. So I mustered every ounce of strength to rise.

“Guh.”

I tried desperately to unleash the Zhenwang Style, but something was wrong—I couldn’t muster my inner energy.

“Damn it!”

In that instant, Namgung Muyoung’s sword fell toward my head.

But his blade never touched me.

Whoosh!

Two short swords appeared from somewhere and blocked him for me.

Crack!

The immense pressure shattered the arms of those who blocked the swords for me.

Thud!

Namgoong Muyoung’s sword indifferently sliced open his chest.

And the man who took the sword for me turned his head.

“Yang Nodae?”

I have no idea how he ended up here, but the graveyard keeper of Cheonggyu sacrificed his life to save me.

He grinned.

He smiled as if to say he was fine.

“Win for sure.”

That was the moment.

The engine of the Jeonwanggi started.

Crackle.

I poured out every last bit of my remaining energy to unleash the Parkryong Thirteen Piercing Technique, the foundation of my martial arts.

Thud!

My fist flew, shattering Namgung Muyoung’s heart.

Crunch.

I snapped his neck with a bone-crushing technique.

POW! CRACK!

He shattered every one of his organs.

‘He might survive.’

It was an attack that couldn’t be avoided, but now was not the time to let his guard down.

“Gah!”

I grabbed and tore off Namgoong Muyoung’s only remaining arm.

POW!

From the severed stump of his arm, torn clean off along with the sword, a burst of fighting spirit erupted.

And in that instant.

[Let’s… stop… here.]

Namgoong Muyeong opened his mouth.

“Gasp! Gasp!”

He returned with clear eyes, kneeling and looking up at me.

[How futile. I knew it would be like this…]

Namgoong Muyeong opened his mouth in a calm tone.

Given the atmosphere, it seemed like he was about to utter his last words.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Die! Die! Die!”

[Guh…! S-stop!]

I never intended to listen to his last words in the first place.

Staring at his head, now a complete pulp, I said.

“What a joke.”

The brutal fight had finally ended.