novelraw Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Chapter 90
“He disappeared!”
“Where did he go?”
“I didn't see him!”
The people murmured amongst themselves in surprised voices. Cheon Ha-seong spread out his Qi sense to find where Danmok Yeon had gone.
However, even after spreading his sense quite wide, he could not find his presence. Danmok Yeon must have also known that this was a duel. Thinking that he wouldn't just stay hidden, he spread out his Qi sense again.
This time, he scanned meticulously with the thought of not missing even the faintest presence.
As he was doing so, a sharp aura of power was suddenly shot from behind him. It was an attack that made his mind snap to attention.
Cheon Ha-seong, with purely animalistic instinct, swung his sword and cut it down.
The attack and defense were carried out so quickly in a single moment that the people did not know the reason for the two's movements. It was as if the opponent was already preparing their defense before the people had even grasped the attack.
When the sound of a handbell, *ting-a-ling*, was heard, the people were startled and looked at each other.
A creepy atmosphere was suddenly created, and an ominous feeling arose.
Looking towards where the handbell sound was coming from, a red energy was shimmering like the shape of a person. It was Danmok Yeon, who had hidden his form.
He was muttering an incantation in a small voice.
“What do we do? What if the Principal is greatly injured? Shouldn't we stop it at once?”
“They said it was a duel, but it's a wicked art. Is it even allowed to have a duel with wicked arts?”
The common followers, who had come with hearts to cheer for Cheon Ha-seong, muttered with faces full of worry, not knowing what to do.
However, the martial artists were captivated by the duel, the likes of which they had never seen before.
Thinking that they too might have to face a person who used wicked arts, and wondering how it would be best to respond at that time, they watched Cheon Ha-seong with more concentration than ever before.
Cheon Ha-seong also knew that the martial artists would be trying to find an answer in him. So, as if to give them the answer, he raised his sword.
Starting from taking his ready stance, he showed them each and every move of his form in a sufficiently slow motion.
The important thing was not for him to block the attack, but for the people watching the duel to remember it later and be able to use it in a real fight.
As if Danmok Yeon had also noticed that, he unfolded his wicked arts not in a dangerous way, but in a way that the martial artists could perceive.
As time passed, the martial artists' level of concentration grew higher and higher.
It seemed that even the common followers were now finding it fun to watch, as the movements were now quite visible to their eyes.
When Danmok Yeon muttered an incantation again, worried gasps came out from here and there again.
“It seems he attacks suddenly after chanting the incantation, so can't we just stop him from finishing it? If we throw a sword at him while he's chanting, won't he be stabbed and die?”
There was even a common follower who said such a creative thing. The people by his side, as if his words sounded plausible, repeated them in a loud voice, as if they wanted Cheon Ha-seong to hear.
Cheon Ha-seong thought such reactions were amusing.
They did not properly know how difficult a task it was to aim for Danmok Yeon and throw a sword at him.
“The technique the Principal is performing is the Heaven-Shattering Will Art, right? I've never seen anyone perform it so powerfully before. Just what is the Principal's level of skill?”
While everyone was voicing their own questions, Danmok Yeon brought his finger to his mouth and bit it. At that, a piece of flesh fell off, and blood streamed down. When Danmok Yeon scattered it into the air and chanted an incantation, a hazy energy formed in front of him.
Cheon Ha-seong felt that energy charge at him as if it were a living creature. It seemed to have gained life force after consuming the blood, and since it wasn't clearly visible to the eye, it was not easy to avoid.
‘Did he create a clone?’
As he had that thought and was trying to gauge its movements, Cheon Ha-seong's body shot up into the air. Then his waist shot upwards as if someone had kicked it from below.
Cheon Ha-seong was startled and quickly turned his body.
Danmok Yeon had been thinking of just giving him a moderate scare, but seeing Cheon Ha-seong avoid even that, a competitive spirit arose. He had realized how meaningless it was to think of going easy on him.
Danmok Yeon's incantation continued again.
This time, the incantation went on for a bit longer. And he took a talisman from his clothes, dripped his blood onto it, and soaked it.
Everyone in that place felt that a much stronger wicked art than before was about to be performed.
Cheon Ha-seong thought that things were getting more and more interesting.
The energy that had been invisible attacked Cheon Ha-seong again. But he stepped on the ground and vanished from the spot.
The people could not even fathom what was happening, and only Danmok Yeon was aghast.
Seeing Cheon Ha-seong's movements, it seemed he had seen the illusion he had created.
“How long will you just run away like that, Principal!”
Danmok Yeon said, then took a dagger from his clothes and slit his own palm in one go. An amount of blood that could not be compared to when he had bitten his finger rushed out.
As if he had made up his mind, he took several talismans from his clothes. At that, they floated into the air on their own in accordance with his incantation. Then they slowly drew a circle and spun, and that rotation grew faster and faster.
The people were frightened, thinking that an ominous event was about to occur.
They thought it would be best to stop it before it progressed. Cheon Ha-seong focused all his senses and felt the flow of Danmok Yeon's energy.
It would be good to win the duel by blocking Danmok Yeon's attack in advance, but he wanted the other martial artists to understand his attack as much as possible.
Danmok Yeon did not have a mind to attack the people who were here. However, wasn't it possible that the martial artists of the Divine Cult might one day meet someone in the Central Plains who performed a wicked art similar to his?
But if he were to block Danmok Yeon's attack now, before it was fully deployed, it seemed he would be taking away the opportunity for the Divine Cult's martial artists to gain insight.
As he was waiting with that thought, blood suddenly gushed from Danmok Yeon's mouth.
Until then, he had thought Danmok Yeon was in complete control of the situation, but the moment blood poured from his mouth, the situation changed.
Cheon Ha-seong read a deep sense of bewilderment in Danmok Yeon's eyes.
It was a face that looked as if he hadn't thought things would turn out this way.
“Chief Head Instructor?”
Cheon Ha-seong called out, but Danmok Yeon did not answer. Then, a stream of dark, fresh blood poured from his mouth again.
At first, it poured from his mouth, but then blood streamed down from his nose and eyes as well.
Eventually, the clothes he was wearing were soaked in blood and dyed completely red.
It wasn't that the blood flowing from elsewhere had soaked him; it was as if blood were bursting from the pores all over his body.
‘Could it be that he can't handle the wicked art? Is the demonic energy so strong that he's being devoured by it instead?’
It was a thought that had occurred to him by chance.
But the eyes that were looking at Cheon Ha-seong from within the pits of his eyes, which were shedding tears of blood, seemed to be desperately asking him for help.
It was as if his soul were trapped inside his eyes, unable to speak and asking to be saved with only his gaze.
Just then, the Cult Leader kicked off the ground and flew to Cheon Ha-seong's side. In his hand was the Cult Leader's sword.
“What happened?”
“I believe he has been devoured by demonic energy.”
“What should be done?”
“Please have the people evacuate. I will try to stop the old senior.”
The Cult Leader did not know if Cheon Ha-seong could accomplish it, but for now, it seemed he had no choice but to trust his words and do so.
The Cult Leader gave a loud command to the leadership and the martial artists of the Divine Cult and had the common followers evacuate first.
In the meantime, Danmok Yeon's body trembled, and the illusion he had created grew larger and larger.
The difficult thing was the fact that Cheon Ha-seong was the only person who could even feel that energy.
Cheon Ha-seong did not know how to control demonic energy. Just then, Cheok Gyo-woon and Danmok Muyeol came running to his side.
They too did not know how to resolve this situation, but they had come with the thought of providing even a little help if Cheon Ha-seong were to ask.
“It seems the demonic energy is drawing out the old senior's blood. If he continues to shed blood like that, he will lose his life from excessive bleeding. I will try to block the demonic energy, so the two of you, press the old senior's acupoints and try to stop the bleeding.”
When Cheon Ha-seong spoke, the two nodded and immediately shot their bodies forward.
He didn't know if the demonic energy had heard what Cheon Ha-seong had said, but it immediately tried to block them. However, Cheon Ha-seong launched his body a little faster and swung his sword.
To other people's eyes, the demonic energy was not visible, so it would have looked as if Cheon Ha-seong were swinging his sword at the empty air like a madman.
The demonic energy, avoiding Cheon Ha-seong's sword, aimed for Danmok Muyeol and Cheok Gyo-woon.
It seemed to think it was more important to prevent the two from stopping Danmok Yeon's bleeding.
Cheon Ha-seong tried to block it, but the demonic energy was so fast that Danmok Muyeol's body was thrown into the air.
When Cheon Ha-seong was about to chase after him to save him, Danmok Muyeol shouted loudly.
“I am fine!”
If Danmok Muyeol could just protect himself, then now, when the demonic energy was trying to attack others, seemed like it could be an opportunity.
Cheon Ha-seong's sword flew towards the demonic energy like a ray of light. At that, the demonic energy split itself and avoided the sword.
Cheon Ha-seong, not discouraged by the failed attack, took out a dagger.
It was the dagger Danmok Yeon had given him.
It was also the one that had made many of the disciples of the Azure Sea Sect into guests who would not return.
Cheon Ha-seong held its end, hooked it on his finger, and threw the dagger with all his might. The flying dagger was filled with a powerful aura.
The demonic energy split again and avoided the dagger, but the dagger, having been retrieved by Cheon Ha-seong's hand, flew again. As he had struck it with his palm and sent it flying without even gripping the returned dagger, it seemed even the demonic energy had not anticipated its speed.
The dagger dug into the demonic energy.
Cheon Ha-seong's gaze was directed at the talismans. The talismans were still circling rapidly in the air. As he was thinking that they might be what was sustaining the demonic energy, a sword flew in from afar.
“Principal!”
When he turned his head, he saw it was Sa Un-ak. Sa Un-ak, knowing that Cheon Ha-seong was without a sword, had thrown his own.
Cheon Ha-seong kicked off the ground, rose up, caught it, and flew towards the talismans as he was.
He had thrown the sword itself, thinking it might be too late if he were to launch his own body, and Sa Un-ak's sword flew, cutting through the wind without hesitation.
The place it was headed for was exactly where the talismans were. But it seemed there hadn't even been time to infuse it with internal energy, as he had hastily thrown the sword he had just caught from Sa Un-ak.
The many people who were watching the scene were discouraged, thinking that he would not be able to destroy the power of the talismans with a sword that had not been infused with internal energy.
Then, when they saw dozens of streams of Sword Qi stretch out from the body of the sword and cover several talismans at the same time, everyone's eyes could not help but go wide.