novelraw Chapter 104 : Feeling the Waves (11)
Chapter 104 : Feeling the Waves (11)
It was a very close call. If my bones had been a little weaker, the extreme exoskeleton strengthening from the acquired fine meridian activation—the name is too long, so let's just call it Segeuk Oegang.
So, the moment I performed Segeuk Oegang, all the bones in my body would have shattered, and I would have been cut in half by the Blood-Faced Demon's saber.
Also, after trying this Segeuk Oegang, I found out that there was one serious side effect. That is, by deliberately putting all the great meridians in a state of blocked meridians, if it is maintained for a long time, the internal organs will rot.
The time I could maintain Segeuk Oegang was at most about 10 seconds.
Of course, during these 10 seconds, I cannot use my internal energy.
In a way, it's a form of a single-blow kill that stops all the power necessary for life activities for a moment and focuses solely on external skills.
This is a double-edged sword.
Now that I've tried it myself, I know. Why ninety-nine out of a hundred people with blocked meridians die.
How on earth did that Hainan Sword Demon guy survive? Is it really that the human itself is strong?
If the Hainan Sword Demon were to fix his blocked meridians, I can't imagine how strong he would become.
"Ugh!"
I got up, grabbing the floor, and approached the Blood-Faced Demon, who had been cut in half.
It was to confirm a sense of unease I had felt from the moment I first met the Blood-Faced Demon.
Swoosh.
I took off the mask with the broken horns.
I could see the Blood-Faced Demon's closed eyes.
The Profound Realm is a paradoxical realm where the infinite is accepted into the finite human body, a realm where a kind of cause-and-effect relationship is not established.
Therefore, in the process of accepting this infinity, a peculiar intersection appears in the body.
That is the window that connects the world and me.
The pupils.
Therefore, when one reaches the Profound Realm, a mark like an engraving appears in the pupils.
A person's pupils can never be vertically slit. They are all round.
The Blood-Faced Demon's vertically slit pupils had returned to their original state as expected.
The Blood-Faced Demon's realm was clearly the Profound Realm.
This meant only one thing.
A different form from the Profound Realm I had met so far.
The words the Blood-Faced Demon had said while fighting and the shape of his new pupils.
Perhaps I only knew a very small fragment of this realm called the Profound Realm.
I'll have to go back to the Divine Monk and ask him after this is over.
He has lived longer than anyone I know, and the world he has seen through enlightenment will be wider and deeper than the world I have seen.
Swoosh.
Just in case, I took the Blood-Faced Demon's mask, thinking it might be useful later.
"Kids, are you alive?"
"Yes!"
Slave 2... no, the kid was safe.
"I-I thought I was going to die. I almost peed myself. Hic!"
Slave 1... no, Namgung Mu-gwang was also safe.
Slave 0... no, the Rakshasa Divine Maiden was still unconscious. I approached and checked her condition. She had internal injuries, but it wasn't something to worry about.
"Mu-gwang, carry her."
"Yes!"
Strangely, it felt like Namgung Mu-gwang was listening to my words better than before.
I spoke to the presences I felt around me.
"Does anyone know the way to the next island?"
Rumble, rumble.
The people who had been hiding while watching the fight came out.
"I'll do it! Just spare my life!"
"No! I'll do it! Shall I kill that bastard?"
"I will kill all the guys here! Please take me as your slave!"
"Everyone, line up."
"""Yes!"""
I placed a blocked meridian restriction using the application of Segeuk Oegang on everyone who came out.
The only people in this world who can release this are the kid and me. The kid is not yet used to performing this, so at this moment, it could be said that it was only me.
As their internal energy was sealed, they all looked like they were about to die in an instant.
"Don't worry. I'll release it if you just guide me well."
At my words, everyone smiles brightly.
"Yes! I will do my best!"
"I will risk my life!"
"I will receive your command!"
Of course, I had no intention of purely releasing the restriction even after everything was over.
It wouldn't be bad if they just rotted and died like this.
By the way, there aren't any more guys like the Blood-Faced Demon, are there?
If there is one on the next island, I was confident that I would run away without looking back.
***
The Sword Pavilion had kept its doors firmly closed for the past few days and had not interacted with anyone.
Some even said that the Sword Pavilion had abandoned everything and fled in the middle of the night.
Creak.
The gate of the Sword Pavilion, which had been closed all along, opened.
The people passing by all stopped and stared at the Sword Pavilion with surprised eyes.
Murong Seryeong, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, was slowly coming out. Behind her, a woman wearing a veil and also dressed in the same white martial arts uniform was following.
The two of them moved through the people. And they continued to walk towards somewhere. The place where the two stopped was in front of a huge signboard.
Hainan Sect.
The sect that currently represents Hainan, having spread its influence throughout Hainan in the short time that the Sword Pavilion had been virtually closed.
The gate of the Hainan Sect was wide open.
A young martial artist walked out from inside. The young martial artist greeted the two, Murong Seryeong and the Sword Empress, with a bright smile.
"I have been waiting."
Murong Seryeong just nodded her head. The young man gave Murong Seryeong a brief glance and then stared intently at the Sword Empress behind her. But it was impossible for him to examine the Sword Empress's complexion, which was hidden by a veil.
The young man, the young master of the Hainan Sect, Nam Ji-hyeok, smiled brightly.
"Fortunately, it seems the Sword Empress has recovered."
At this, the Sword Empress remained silent, and Murong Seryeong gave a short nod.
Nam Ji-hyeok's face was still smiling, but his eyes, as he looked at the Sword Empress, were sharp.
Soon, he relaxed his eyes and said with a grin.
"Haha! Now! Please come inside. Everything is ready."
Murong Seryeong and the Sword Empress were guided inside by Nam Ji-hyeok.
Then, as he had said, all the preparations for the duel were finished.
Even an unexpected sight.
Murong Seryeong opened her mouth for the first time.
"What are these people?"
It is customary for a duel between sects to be held in a quiet place.
But now, countless people were sitting in this place.
And among them were ordinary people, martial artists, and those who seemed to be government officials.
"Isn't it the day the history of Hainan changes? We should let many people know. There's no need to do the work twice, is there?"
This statement was like saying that since it was obvious they would win, they would save themselves the trouble of spreading the news throughout Hainan later.
Because everyone here today would become a word-of-mouth messenger and spread it throughout Hainan.
Although it was a blatant insult, Murong Seryeong responded calmly.
"That's right. There's no need to do the work twice. Since nothing will change."
"Haha! I'm glad to see you're full of enthusiasm."
At that moment, Murong Seryeong saw something, and when she looked again, she rubbed her eyes several times, thinking she had seen it wrong.
When she looked again, his pupils were the same as before.
'I thought they were vertically slit just now... I must have seen it wrong.'
It seemed that she was still tired from training all day without sleep under the Sword Empress recently.
"Then, the waiting room for the Sword Pavilion is over there. The duel will begin in a moment. Is there anything you wish for, or any complaints?"
"No."
"Yes, I understand. It's not something to say in a situation like this, but it's truly a shame that the two sects have become hostile. Still, let's both do our best."
Hearing from the Sword Empress, it was this side that had started the fight first. And seeing their actions so far, this was not something that could be planned in a day or two. It was hard to see it as a fair duel.
But the martial world was a world where power was everything.
If they won today's duel, everything would go back to its place.
"Alright."
At Murong Seryeong's answer, Nam Ji-hyeok nodded readily and left. He watched the Sword Empress until he had completely left.
Finally, when his figure was no longer visible, the Sword Empress took off her veil. The veil was specially made so that the inside could not be seen from the outside. The Sword Empress's face was pale, no matter who looked at it.
Murong Seryeong quickly supported the Sword Empress.
The Sword Empress gently raised her hand and stopped Murong Seryeong.
"This much is fine."
"Yes."
Murong Seryeong trusted the Sword Empress, but she was still worried. The Sword Empress's internal injuries were almost the same as at the beginning. From her point of view, it was a miracle that she was even moving like this.
She had to stop her somehow.
In the first place, Murong Seryeong had intended to give up today's duel.
But the Sword Empress's attitude was too firm.
Murong Seryeong asked carefully for the last time.
"You don't have any thoughts of reconsidering?"
A question she had asked hundreds of times.
The answer she had heard was also the same hundreds of times.
"Yes. There is something I must confirm in the duel."
Although she didn't tell her what she was going to confirm, if the Sword Empress's mind hadn't changed, what Murong Seryeong had to do was already decided.
The Sword Empress was the first adult in the world to help her, besides her parents.
To Murong Seryeong, the Sword Empress was by no means just another person.
"Can I call you master?"
A question she had hesitated and hesitated to ask.
What if the she refuses?
Although it was a rejection she had experienced countless times, for some reason, this rejection seemed like it would be a wound that would last for a long time.
At the brief silence, Murong Seryeong closed her eyes tightly.
'As expected...'
Swoosh.
Just then, she felt a warm body temperature on her head.
Murong Seryeong opens her eyes.
Pat, pat.
The Sword Empress was gently stroking Murong Seryeong's head.
"You are already my proud disciple who has inherited my insights."
A sound was heard from outside.
"The players from each camp, please come up to the tournament stage!"
Murong Seryeong slowly raised her bowed head, looked the Sword Empress straight in the eye, and said.
"I'll be back, master."
The Sword Empress said.
"Don't overdo it. I'm always behind you."
"Yes!"
Murong Seryeong went up to the tournament stage.
As she appeared, many of the people watching the duel cheered all at once.
Soon, a person came up from the other side.
Of course, she had thought that the opponent would be the young master, Nam Ji-hyeok, whom she had just met. But the opponent who came up was a nameless person from the Hainan Sect.
As the two players took their places on the tournament stage, the person who seemed to be the announcer spoke again.
"This duel is a duel challenge between the Hainan Sect and the Sword Pavilion, and everyone here will be a witness. The loser will yield all the hegemony they have held so far to the winner. Do you both agree to this?"
The martial artist from the Hainan Sect answered first.
"I agree."
Murong Seryeong also answered.
"I agree."
At the two's answer, the people all cheered.
"So cool!"
"Hurry up and fight!"
"The winner is on our side!"
The announcer continued.
"The format will be a winner-takes-all series as proposed by the Sword Pavilion, and the maximum number of players to come up is 5. Do you agree?"
"I agree."
"I agree."
As the announcer gave a signal with his eyes, the sound of a huge gong filled the space.
Gong!
Immediately, the announcer shouted.
"From now on, we will begin the first match of the duel challenge!"
Immediately after, swish, Murong Seryeong kicked off the ground. She rushed forward, closing the distance.
The martial artist from the Hainan Sect could not react at all to Murong Seryeong's movement.
Murong Seryeong, who had entered the Hainan Sect martial artist's space, thrust the hilt of her sword, which she had not even fully drawn from its scabbard, into the opponent's abdomen.
Thwack!
"Gurgle!"
The opponent collapsed as he was, without being able to put up any resistance.
The people's cheers continued, and the announcer declared the Sword Pavilion's victory.
"Sword Pavilion wins!"
On the other hand, the Hainan Sect camp was still smiling.
And the expression of the victorious Murong Seryeong was firm.
The next opponent came up.
"I've paid my respects. Sword Pavilion."
The momentum felt was at the Transformation Realm.
"I am the Hall Master of the Hainan Sect, Hae Won-pyeong."
From now on, it was the real thing.
(End of Chapter)