novelraw Chapter 135 : Turning Point
Chapter 135 : Turning Point
Chapter 135: Turning Point
‘Corpse Explosion. He plans to blow this entire place to pieces.’
The moment Sewoon saw the state of the Jiangshi, he immediately realized what power the opponent had unleashed.
If Jiangshi of this level exploded simultaneously, nearly all of the Beast Palace warriors here would be annihilated.
There was only one way to stop it.
Swoooosh!
‘All the evils and anomalies of the world must be contained within me—.’
Recalling the formula of the Reverse Heaven Qi in his mind, Sewoon quietly began to draw out his energy.
With a fierce resonant hum, the Reverse Heaven Qi surged within him like a raging storm.
Yet this time, it was clearly different.
Until now, unlike other energies, once the Reverse Heaven Qi was activated, it would rampage wildly throughout his entire body until its hunger was sated.
Rumble!
But now, the Reverse Heaven Qi gathered only in his two hands, following his will.
‘To think I can control it to such precision.’
Wuuum!
Though its violent nature remained unchanged, through the combined harmony of Ink Blood and the Unity of Essence, Energy, and Spirit, Sewoon had finally succeeded in taking the first step toward controlling it.
It still growled ceaselessly as if dissatisfied, but his control was undoubtedly perfect.
Tududud!
Just then, two Jiangshi charged at Sewoon with their arms wide open.
Their entire bodies, including their faces, were not pale blue as before—but dyed a blood-red hue, like fresh flesh.
Moreover, their bodies were swelling like balloons, ready to burst at any second.
At that hair-trigger moment—
‘Pathetic.’
Sewoon couldn’t help but let out a faint chuckle.
The Reverse Heaven Qi blazing like fire in his hands made him forget all his worries.
Shaaak!
With a sonic boom, his twin hands shot forward, slicing through the air.
Like vipers striking their prey, his hands seized the faces of the two Jiangshi effortlessly.
Squelch!
And the moment his ten fingers touched their faces—
Kugagaga!
Shaaah!
The demonic energy of the Demon of Prayers, which served as the source of the corpse explosion, was completely absorbed into Sewoon in an instant.
The moment he drained every last bit of that power, Sewoon tightened his grip.
Crunch!
Crack!
With a chilling sound of crushing flesh and bone, the heads of the two Jiangshi were pulverized completely.
‘Now then, let’s clean up the rest.’
Hurling the limp corpses into the horde of oncoming Jiangshi, Sewoon then charged toward them like lightning.
‘……What, what in the world is this??’
The Demon of Prayers gaped at the scene before him.
It wasn’t just because Sewoon’s blow had shattered his jawbone into fragments—there was another reason he couldn’t close his mouth.
KWAANG!
Boom!
With thunderous explosions, the ground beneath his feet trembled.
But it wasn’t because the Jiangshi were exploding according to his plan.
The one causing the deafening blasts—was Sewoon himself.
He was single-handedly facing dozens of Jiangshi charging at him.
Whoosh!
Then, Sewoon planted his right foot as a pivot and spun violently, like a whirlwind swirling beneath the cliff of the ceiling.
At the same time, his tightly clenched fists swung out, carrying the full force of that rotation.
Shaaak!
The air tore apart with a sharp sonic shriek from the sheer speed.
KWAANG!!
A tremendous explosion and shockwave erupted together.
Thud.
Crash.
One Jiangshi struck by his fist couldn’t withstand the impact and fell to both knees.
Its face looked as though a thunderbolt had smashed into it—utterly shredded.
Indeed—it wasn’t explosions from corpses.
The blasts were coming from Sewoon’s fists.
The Demon of Prayers could not comprehend the phenomenon unfolding before his eyes.
‘No way… How is that man using the power of Corpse Explosion??’
Others might mistake it as some explosive martial technique, but not him.
Shaaak!
Boom!
Once again, Sewoon’s punch pierced through a Jiangshi’s chest, leaving behind a gaping hole.
That, too, was undoubtedly the power of Corpse Explosion.
Yes—the opponent was now using, and even reversing, the very power he had spent a lifetime developing.
‘That demonic energy was so dense it could only be sealed within the dead. No one but that person should be able to wield it…’
As the Demon of Prayers stared in disbelief and panic—
“Hmph! You dare try to harm the warriors of the Beast Palace with such filthy abominations!”
Sewoon roared, his voice filled with feral fury.
UOOOOOH!!
And with every word he shouted, the warriors of the Beast Palace responded with cheers of exaltation.
To their eyes, Sewoon was nothing short of a living incarnation of a Battle God.
Especially to those who loathed sorcery and dark arts even more than martial arrogance itself, Sewoon’s divine might as he stood alone against the horde of Jiangshi filled them with boundless pride.
Yet the Demon of Prayers was simply dumbfounded.
For the power Sewoon was wielding right now could never belong to the Beast Palace.
‘No secret technique of the Beast Palace could achieve this. That’s undoubtedly a power rooted in demonic arts (魔功).’
Though Sewoon was trying to conceal it, the Demon of Prayers could clearly feel the faint demonic qi radiating from him.
It was a sensation only a Demonic Practitioner of the Blood Cult could recognize.
Thus, he strained his eyes further, focusing all remaining energy to discern the flaw in Sewoon’s power.
He had but a few strands of energy left.
If he failed to find a weakness in that power, his end was inevitable.
Swoooosh—
At that moment—
“……!!”
Sewoon’s power was radiating from both his hands, and for some reason, the Demon of Prayers froze in place like a stone statue.
Thud! Thump-thump!
The Demon of Prayers’ heart began to pound as if it would burst.
It couldn’t be.
This was something that should never have been possible.
His pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
There was only one reason.
‘How—how does that man possess the Master’s power?!’
He had realized that the power emanating from Sewoon was none other than his master Blood Demon’s Reverse Heaven Qi.
A chilling whiteness overtook his mind.
The Beast Palace was no longer important. He had to report this immediately.
If he failed to do so, the Blood Cult’s grand plan to dominate the martial world—something he had never once doubted—could be in jeopardy.
Still, about half the Jiangshi remained.
If he abandoned them and focused solely on his own escape, it might still be possible.
Swoosh—
Thus, the Demon of Prayers reached into his robe to retrieve a Return Pearl.
But at that very moment—
Slash!
A chilling sound of slicing flesh echoed.
With a dull thud, the hand that had been reaching for the pearl fell to the ground.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Gaaaah!!”
Before he realized it, Sewoon had already reached him and severed his wrist with a knife-hand strike.
Fwoosh!
Blood spurted from the severed wrist as the Demon of Prayers let out a cry of agony.
‘H-how…?’
Just a heartbeat ago, all the remaining Jiangshi had been utterly destroyed, their remains scattered everywhere.
Tremble.
Fear consumed his entire body. His will to fight was completely gone.
Only one question lingered.
How could that man possess the power of his master—the one who reigned above all Demons?
As he looked up at Sewoon with trembling eyes—
[Curious, are you? How I came to possess the Blood Demon’s power?]
Sewoon, wearing a cold smile, sent his words directly into his mind.
He knew he couldn’t escape death now.
So rather than beg for his life, the Demon of Prayers listened, hoping to hear the truth.
But…
“Go on ahead to the afterlife and wait there. The Blood Demon will soon follow to give you your answer.”
“You bastard…! Gah—!”
Sewoon merely mocked him until the end.
He grabbed the Demon of Prayers by the neck with one hand and lifted him high.
Crunch!
As he infused more Reverse Heaven Qi into his palm, the Demon of Prayers’ face turned a dark shade of violet.
Then Sewoon roared like a lion.
“Behold, my brothers!!”
“!!!”
Boom!
With a voice that struck like thunder, every warrior of the Beast Palace, including Umun Geol, turned their attention to Sewoon.
“For daring to threaten and mock us without fear, I—Tang Sewoon, successor to Chuk Yeoun’s strength—shall deliver divine punishment upon this servant of evil!!”
Wuuum!
Sewoon gathered even more Reverse Heaven Qi.
He was drawing out every trace of demonic energy lingering within the Demon of Prayers’ body.
“Ghhk, gahhh!”
The Demon of Prayers thrashed in unbearable agony.
The end had truly come.
But at that very instant, something occurred that even Sewoon did not expect.
Wuuuung!
Suddenly, the struggling Demon of Prayers went still, lowering his head slowly to look directly at Sewoon.
At some point, the whites of his eyes had vanished—his pupils had turned pitch black.
‘This is…!’
For the first time, Sewoon felt a wave of shock.
He had no choice but to be startled.
Those shadow-filled eyes no longer belonged to the Demon of Prayers.
From within that abyssal darkness, the true owner of those eyes gazed upon him—and Sewoon immediately understood who it was.
‘Blood Demon.’
At the moment the Demon of Prayers drew his last breath—
A secret formation embedded in him activated, allowing the Blood Demon to perceive Sewoon through his vessel.
But the surprise on Sewoon’s face quickly shifted into a completely different expression.
A surge of pure, murderous intent.
‘So we meet again.’
And an overwhelming will for vengeance.
Listen well, Blood Demon.
Locking eyes with unwavering resolve, Sewoon moved his lips.
Then, in the next instant—
Shaaak!
BOOM!!
Sewoon’s fist swung fiercely, and the Demon of Prayers’ head exploded into a cloud of blood and bone.
At the same time—
Within the main sanctuary of the Blood Cult—
The Hall of Blood Heaven (血天殿).
It was the grand hall where none dared to step foot.
Even the two Great Protectors and the Ten Elders were forbidden entry without explicit permission. This was the domain of the cult’s master.
Yet, within that chamber, there was no splendor or luxury.
Only an abyssal darkness filled the space—and within that darkness burned two flames, like the infernal fires of hell.
They were none other than the eyes of the Blood Demon.
Seated upon the Throne of Demons, gazing down upon ten thousand devils, the Blood Demon’s sight flickered with an image—Sewoon’s face, thousands of li away—before it faded.
“So, the ‘turning point’ occurred sooner this time.”
Breaking the silence, the Blood Demon muttered words no one else could understand.
Then his gaze drifted further—toward something unseen beyond the mortal realm.
“Wait for me, Ra.”
His opponent—Tang Sewoon—had clearly spoken those words to him.
Ssshhh—
For the first time, a faint, unknown emotion surfaced in the Blood Demon’s eyes.
“Then… let’s begin to move.”
With those final words, an even deeper darkness descended upon the Hall of Blood Heaven.