novelraw Chapter 107 : Chapter 107
Chapter 107 : Chapter 107
Chapter 107 Stone Cavern (9)
“Heh heh. You should be. If you don't want to die.”
“…….”
“And chew and eat that medicine properly too.”
─ GRIT
The sound of teeth breaking flowed from the mouth of Yu Jeol-hak, who had a distorted expression.
“This bastard……”
At Mad Dragon’s words, Yu Jeol-hak gripped his saber tightly.
As the energy of the Blood Immortal Pill spread out, red energy began to waver on Yu Jeol-hak’s body.
Mad Dragon, who was narrowing his eyes and looking at the Blood Qi enveloping Yu Jeol-hak’s body, spat on the ground.
“I’m feeling it directly for the first time in a long while. That cursed energy.”
Yu Jeol-hak raised his energy to the maximum.
‘Can I win?’
If it was Mad Dragon of the Sado Alliance, there was no guarantee that he would unconditionally win even if he borrowed the power of the Blood Immortal Pill.
No, evaluating objectively, it was his certain defeat with a probability of over seventy percent.
‘The other way is……’
Yu Jeol-hak glanced at the entrance of the grotto.
“I have no intention of letting you go, so it’s useless to struggle. Kill me, or you die. There are only two choices.”
At Mad Dragon’s words, Yu Jeol-hak let out a small sigh and fixed his gaze forward.
‘The only way is to try clashing with him.’
Mad Dragon’s words were right.
Die, or kill.
It was a situation of choosing one of two.
He no longer had any leeway to consume his mental strength in running away.
Yu Jeol-hak began to focus solely on Mad Dragon.
When Mad Dragon looked at him without any movement, Yu Jeol-hak first gripped the handle of the saber firmly.
─ SWISH
Yu Jeol-hak’s massive saber momentarily flashed.
The energy emitted from Yu Jeol-hak’s saber was shot toward Mad Dragon at a lightning-like speed.
Confirming Yu Jeol-hak’s approaching energy, Mad Dragon tilted his head.
When Mad Dragon flicked his finger, Yu Jeol-hak’s energy vanished in vain.
“What are you doing? I told you to do it properly, you fledgling.”
When Mad Dragon opened his mouth while crossing his arms, Yu Jeol-hak’s gaze sank coldly.
He realized that a probing battle was meaningless against this martial artist.
Massive Demonic Energy began to be emitted from Yu Jeol-hak’s body.
[Heavenly Suppressing Demonic Saber, First Form.]
When Yu Jeol-hak bit his lip hard and raised his energy, black energy began to sizzle on the saber.
Following that, the streams of blood that flowed down from Yu Jeol-hak’s mouth evaporated directly into the air and overlaid a layer of bright red energy onto Yu Jeol-hak’s saber.
Yu Jeol-hak, who gathered his energy to the limit, lowered his stance.
Yu Jeol-hak, who took a deep breath for a moment, swung his saber as he was.
─ WHOOSH
Yu Jeol-hak’s saber, carrying both massive Demonic Energy and Blood Qi, cut through the air and was shot out.
Energy so dense that the front could not be seen properly filled the inside of the grotto.
─ BOOM!
Mad Dragon lifted his saber and struck back at Yu Jeol-hak’s energy.
Yu Jeol-hak’s saber energy, which was deflected by Mad Dragon’s saber, vanished after leaving a massive mark on the grotto.
Mad Dragon gave a faint smile.
“Still far from it. Try with all your strength.”
At Mad Dragon’s provocation, Yu Jeol-hak’s body momentarily vanished from the spot.
Around Mad Dragon’s body, Yu Jeol-hak’s form split into three or four strands and shot in.
─ THUD
When Mad Dragon’s hand flashed, Yu Jeol-hak was deflected back at the same speed he had shot in.
Yu Jeol-hak, who was rolling on the floor, stood up and painfully assumed a stance.
“I said I wanted to see the Tyrant Blade, I didn't say I wanted to see such trivial tricks.”
“Tsk.”
Yu Jeol-hak spat on the ground and cracked his neck from side to side.
It seemed there was no chance of victory.
Whether in speed, strength, or experience, Mad Dragon was a martial artist a level above himself.
In this situation, the only thing Yu Jeol-hak could trust was Blood Qi.
‘Only to the extent that I can preserve my life.’
Yu Jeol-hak raised his finger and stabbed his own right thigh.
Along with a SPLURT sound, blood began to sprout out, and soon that blood turned into Blood Qi and began to envelop Yu Jeol-hak’s body.
“Tsk tsk. Just look at you using such sorcery as martial arts.”
Watching Yu Jeol-hak stab his own thigh, Mad Dragon clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Thick Blood Qi formed in Yu Jeol-hak’s gaze.
Gritting his teeth, Yu Jeol-hak kicked the ground strongly with his left foot and shot forward.
“Take this!”
The pouring blood added strength to Yu Jeol-hak’s saber.
Energy several times more massive than before formed on Yu Jeol-hak’s saber.
─ BOOOOM!
─ BOOM!
This time, Mad Dragon could not deflect the attack all at once.
Mad Dragon looked with bitter eyes at Yu Jeol-hak, who was attacking by swinging his saber repeatedly.
─ BANG!
Once again, Yu Jeol-hak’s swung saber was blocked by Mad Dragon’s saber.
The amplified energy was at a level that could be seen by the eye, but it could not break through Mad Dragon’s defense.
Watching Yu Jeol-hak’s saber continue for several times, Mad Dragon smacked his lips.
“The Murim is rotting, completely rotting.”
Yu Jeol-hak’s saber carrying Blood Qi was clearly showing strength at a level similar to Mad Dragon’s, but it was only up to that point.
Because he only pursued strength, profoundness could not be contained within it.
“What is the point of gaining power? When you don't even know how to use that power.”
The difference in overwhelming power could certainly be a weapon that could hold a significant advantage in a duel.
However, that was a story for when the opponent was at a similar level.
Mad Dragon, who stood far above in terms of understanding martial arts, felt that the sword Yu Jeol-hak swung was dead.
After receiving a few more attacks, Mad Dragon let out a small sigh and raised his energy, causing the whirlwind enveloping Mad Dragon’s body to spread roughly in all directions.
Toward Yu Jeol-hak’s saber shooting toward him, Mad Dragon extended his left hand.
─ WHOOOSH
When the Rotation Scripture arose from Mad Dragon’s hand, the Blood Qi enveloping Yu Jeol-hak’s saber was stripped away in an instant.
Following that, Mad Dragon, who caught Yu Jeol-hak’s saber filled with Demonic Energy with his hand, raised his right hand.
─ SLICE
Mad Dragon’s saber emitted light along with a chilling sound.
“Aaaaagh!”
The right arm part of Yu Jeol-hak, who was retreating back, was empty.
Yu Jeol-hak, who grabbed around his shoulder with his left hand, glared at Mad Dragon with a completely distorted face.
Mad Dragon dropped Yu Jeol-hak’s arm, which he was holding, onto the ground with a thud.
“Foolish fellow.”
─ SIZZZLE
Blood Qi gathered and began to clump at Yu Jeol-hak’s severed right shoulder.
Watching the flesh on Yu Jeol-hak’s right shoulder squirm and grow in size in an instant, Mad Dragon once again raised his energy.
A massive whirlwind arose from Mad Dragon’s saber.
“It is clear that the source of the Tyrant Blade must be strength, but that is not all.”
Mad Dragon began to walk toward Yu Jeol-hak step by step.
“No matter how great the power one possesses, what can one do if one doesn't know how to use it? If it is settled only by strength, how can that be a saber technique or martial arts? It is merely a show of strength. You, who do not fully understand that power and cannot use it properly.”
Mad Dragon stopped his steps in front of Yu Jeol-hak.
“You are not qualified to use the name Tyrant Blade.”
As light flashed, Yu Jeol-hak’s opposite sleeve was directly annihilated.
Toward Yu Jeol-hak, who was looking ahead with despondent eyes, Mad Dragon’s whirlwind surged.
─ BOOOOM!
Along with a massive explosion, Yu Jeol-hak’s body, which collided with Mad Dragon’s energy, burst apart.
***
“Mad Dragon!”
As soon as Yu Jeol-hak fell, Jaun ran toward Mad Dragon.
Mad Dragon, with a pale complexion, waved his hand as if he were okay.
Jaun approached Mad Dragon with a serious expression and began to remove the Demonic Energy formed on his left arm.
He had clearly shown an overwhelming gap, but Mad Dragon had also sacrificed not a little within that.
Demonic Energy had penetrated his entire body, and because he had operated his internal strength excessively, the Qi and Blood of his entire body were boiling.
Having quickly checked Mad Dragon’s body, Jaun let out a small sigh.
Fortunately, it was not to the extent that he could not take action, but it seemed it would be difficult for him to properly use martial arts for the time being.
After removing all the Demonic Energy that had penetrated the body, Jaun stepped back one step, and Mad Dragon sat down and entered luck-regulating breathing as he was.
‘I clearly see…… why Blood Arts are called cursed martial arts.’
Jaun turned his head and looked at Yu Jeol-hak’s corpse sprawling on the ground.
If it hadn't been someone with martial prowess like Mad Dragon’s, he wouldn't have been able to strike down Yu Jeol-hak so easily.
Yu Jeol-hak, backed by Blood Qi, showed strength and speed close to the transcendental peak for a short while.
It was fortunate that Mad Dragon inflicted damage that was difficult to recover from all at once; if he had inflicted minor wounds, the Blood Qi would have recovered those wounds in an instant.
‘What if there was even an altar here?’
Goosebumps rose on Jaun’s body.
If Yu Jeol-hak had received a constant supply of Blood Qi, it was certain that it wouldn't have been settled so easily in this way.
The power shown by Yu Jeol-hak, a mere Pavilion Lord of the Demonic Cult, was at this level.
If the opponent had been one of the Seven Demons, it could have been Mad Dragon who was lying down.
Behind Jaun, who let out a small sigh, Muhyang, who had just now come to her senses, stood up from her seat.
Muhyang, who cautiously approached Yu Jeol-hak’s corpse and looked here and there at it, which failed to even retain its shape properly, gave a bright smile.
“Yo-you were truly Mad Dragon of the Sado Alliance. To think you would win against a Pavilion Lord of the Divine Cult with such an overwhelming gap……!”
Muhyang, who was looking at Mad Dragon performing luck-regulating breathing, ran toward Jaun.
“Does Lord Sword Demon intend to join forces with the Sado Alliance? If the Sado Alliance helps, it is not impossible to drag the Blood Demon down from his position!”
Jaun looked down at Muhyang with a complicated expression.
‘I wish that were the case, but even if the Murim Alliance and the Sado Alliance join forces, I don't think they will be able to easily defeat the Demonic Cult, which receives the help of Blood Qi. I, who can suppress Demonic Energy, must somehow grow more.’
Jaun bit his lip and clenched his fist tightly.
***
Mad Dragon did not wake up from luck-regulating breathing for over a day.
Jaun, who spent another day in the grotto with open eyes, looked out of the grotto as dawn broke.
‘Since the Pavilion Lord of the Tyrant Blade Pavilion has fallen, the Demonic Cult will surely be wary of this side.’
Even if only to accurately grasp the situation here, the Demonic Cult would have no choice but to send people.
However, since Hunan Province was the territory of the Sado Alliance, sending a large-scale personnel was impossible.
It was highly probable that personnel composed of a small number of elites would visit.
‘This time, at least two or more martial artists of the Pavilion Lord level might come.’
If that was the case, it was unreasonable for the current group to protect this place among themselves.
Since they were handling everything in secret so that Yu Jeol-hak’s death would not be conveyed to the Demonic Cult, there was a bit of time to prepare.
In the meantime, they had to gather the strength of the Sado Alliance as much as possible.
Jaun, who made up his mind to first return to the Sado Alliance and ask for help, stood up from his seat.
Ice Rakshasa Pan Bing-yeong, who felt Jaun’s movement, rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked up at Jaun.
“Young Master Jaun. Why are you getting up again instead of resting a bit?”
“Because I don't think there will be much time. I will return to the Sado Alliance first and meet the Alliance Leader. Please protect this place for a while. We need someone to stand guard so that Mad Dragon can recover properly.”
Ice Rakshasa Pan Bing-yeong, who looked back and forth between Mad Dragon and Jaun for a long time while agonizing, let out a sigh and nodded reluctantly.
***
“……Are you sure?”
“Yes. I am certain, Alliance Leader.”
The Alliance Leader, who was listening to One-eyed’s report, let out a deep sigh.
“I almost ended up raising a tiger cub.”
The Alliance Leader, who agonized for a long time, turned his head.
“If he is a fellow who succeeded the will of the Heavenly Demon instead of being the successor of the Sword Demon…… I must never miss this opportunity.”
“……How do you wish to proceed?”
“I must kill him. We go as originally planned. I had thought of taking him in for a moment because I thought he was the successor of the Sword Demon, but if it is not that and he is a fellow who has learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, this is a completely different story. I must somehow trample him down now before he grows further.”
One-eyed was lost in thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“However, even if he is the successor of the Heavenly Demon, wouldn't the situation not change all that much? After the Blood Cult is collapsed, more than half of the power within the Demonic Cult will be gone anyway.”
“Ridiculous.”
The Alliance Leader turned his head and cut off One-eyed’s words with cold eyes.
“Heavenly Demon Divine Art is a martial art of a completely different dimension. There is a reason the Demonic Cult fellows revere the Heavenly Demon as a god. Even if only five peak-realm masters who have properly learned demonic arts are together around him, there is no place in this Jianghu that can strike down the one who has learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
The Alliance Leader bit his finely trembling lips hard.