NOVEL NEXT Chapter 259
Episode 259: Did I Defeat It?
The Ten Years Polished One Sword, as solid and heavy as Everest, cleaved through the air.
SWISHHHHHHHHH!
With a sharp piercing sound, an awful energy surged up, tearing the space with the force of black and white.
At the moment the ferocious power of the Ten Years Polished One Sword reached the Demon’s eyes…
“Oho.”
The Demon narrowed his eyes. He raised his right hand to grasp the sword. A wicked smile crept across his lips. The moment a red demonic energy flared from his hand…
PA-CHH!
With a spark, the sword shattered. A rebound surged through my body. I bit my lip and swallowed the blood rising up my throat.
WHOOOOSH!
The stars in the sky shivered. Bathed in starlight, my internal injuries began to heal naturally. It was the effect of the Heavenly Martial Formation.
Heavenly Martial Formation.
A collective wisdom crafted by all masters belonging to the Heavenly Alliance from ancient times to the present, passed down through generations to deal with the Demon.
The formation created by the skill of the Young Master was giving me strength.
“Is this all you’ve got, monster?” the Demon laughed.
I wiped away the blood trickling from my mouth and smiled back at him.
“That’s my line, Blood-Bong.”
“Blood… Bong?”
The Demon’s expression became slightly strange. The current Demon was completely naked. I shifted my gaze downwards.
Just like during the clone incident, he was indeed small.
My smile widened.
“Your… whatever it is has shrunk even more since I last saw it on Demon Mountain. What good is your level being at the boundary of life and death if you can’t satisfy a woman at night? Tsk tsk.”
“Do you really think such lowly insults will work on the true one? I have already transcended the realm of base desires. You, who cling to trivial cravings, would never understand.”
The Demon’s brow furrowed at my words.
Just like last time, it was clear that I hit a nerve. I lifted my energy to heal my wounds as I spoke.
“To transcend the base desires, eh? Poor Demon. The base desires you speak of are nothing more than physical pleasures. You claim to have lived for three thousand years, yet that time must be utterly empty. The pleasures and cravings you indulged in are just hollow physical delights. You’ve never truly enjoyed the pleasure of the heart. No, you have never genuinely shared your heart with anyone, be it love or friendship.”
I gazed at the Demon.
What does living three thousand years really achieve?
If you spent those years just breathing air, they’d be less meaningful than even three years.
The Demon rambled on about transcending base desires, but I remembered seeing him get riled up when I mentioned his small… whatever.
He didn’t transcend anything.
Why should he transcend base desires in the first place? One shouldn’t be swept away by cravings, but that doesn’t mean one has to transcend them either.
Yet the mere discussion of transcendence paradoxically indicates an aversion to desires.
It’s contrary to the teachings of the Color Spectrum. As the ultimate practitioner of the Color Spectrum, I couldn’t let that slide.
“Poor Demon. You wasted three thousand years. Mistaking mere physical pleasures for the truly meaningful ones, you’ve grown tired of false delights and fooled yourself into thinking you transcended. But with that… you couldn’t even truly enjoy physical pleasure.”
I cast a genuinely sympathetic gaze at the Demon.
Three thousand years spent in the void…
Is there anyone more pathetic than that?
Then suddenly, a chilling thought crossed my mind.
The last time at Demon Mountain, the Demon claimed to have experienced every joy and sorrow of this world.
That means…
“Oh, you didn’t happen to enjoy male favors and got played from behind, did you? Because that’s something that can be done regardless of size… or lack thereof. Didn’t you say you’ve experienced every pleasure under heaven?”
“Stop chattering and just fight, monster.”
The Demon interrupted me. His brow etched an ominous symbol. Fiery red threads of energy surged from the split in his flesh.
“The mere act of conversing with someone as lowly as you makes me feel inferior. Now that I’ve breathed the outside air after a long time, I’ll grant you a single chance. I am generous, after all.”
The Demon’s eyebrows twitched.
“That tickles, doesn’t it?”
“Hmph. I won’t waste my breath on you. I already know why you lowlifes are gathered here. You came to dare block my path.”
Ignoring me, the Demon looked at everyone. Dark demonic energy burst from his body. The crimson light of the rebellious sun shone down upon him. The Demon grinned.
“No matter your tricks, they are in vain. The outcome is already decided: my victory. But, I am merciful and generous. So, enjoy your antics. I shall watch your futile struggles from a majestic throne with great compassion.”
The Demon assumed a meditative posture. His body levitated gently into the air. The overpowering aura radiating from him warped the Heavenly Martial Formation.
WHOOSHHHH!
An ominous wind whirled. Just one person—the master of the boundary of life and death. The Demon’s energy devoured the Heavenly Martial Formation.
Ugh!
I clenched my teeth and poured my energy into the Ten Years Polished One Sword’s Mind Martial Art. WHOOOSH!. The Triple Realm shook as the sword reappeared and circled the air, the branches of a pine tree burst into life.
I wasn’t alone.
The Heavenly Horse, Young Master, Heavenly Wolf Guest, Red Moon, Sword Pavilon, Sosu Demon Art, and Disciple.
All the masters of the Heavenly Alliance
present spread their mind martial arts together, resisting the Demon. The shattered universe above Baekdusan began to reassemble.Seeing this, the Demon laughed, looking down on us with contempt.
He did nothing while seated in the empty air.
Absolutely nothing.
But we couldn’t find a single gap within his being.
Yet I knew.
[His resurrection is incomplete. We must strike now.]
When I had thrown the Ten Years Polished One Sword at him earlier.
I sensed it.
His energy absolutely defied heaven. He was a master of the boundary of life and death.
But his power was unstable. The cracks on his body testified to that. The energy seeping out from the web-like cracks on his naked form indicated his weakness.
So now was our chance.
The moment to hit him back was now. I manipulated the Ten Years Polished One Sword using my sword techniques. The Joining and Parting Divine Skill manifested from the sword. The flow of energy twisted, swirling around the sword.
I produced a blade with the floating sword.
It was the Ultimate Move of Demon Sword Technique.
Final Demon Sword Technique. The combined blade embodying our intentions manifested into reality.
SHRRIIIIP!
Space ripped apart as the sword flew once more toward the Demon.
This time, it wasn’t just me attacking.
Our minds were all connected, creating a sort of thought network. Thus, I felt it.
Everyone attacked the Demon simultaneously without a split second of error.
BOOOOM!
With a thunderous sound, the Heavenly Horse took a step forward. Heavenly Horse Dominance Step. As he crushed the myriad of forms, the very earth trembled and the universe shook. The black hair of the Heavenly Horse, imbued with the essence of the universe, fluttered in the wind.
Infinite Independent Existence.
The Mind Martial Art of the Heavenly Horse resonated with him.
The Heavenly Horse unleashed a strike. Heavenly Horse Divine Power. The starlight converged within the power of the Heavenly Horse, piercing the air toward the Demon.
[I shall reap the blood of the New Religion.]
The thoughts of the Heavenly Horse etched into the world. His eyes, suffused with the essence of the universe, lit up like a supernova.
[Amithaba. Today I shall end the fate of the Heavenly Alliance and our long-standing grudge. For the salvation of all beings, I shall open the path today.]
The Young Master’s thoughts flowed in. Sitting on his lotus throne, he raised a hand. At that moment, his body split into nine.
Nine Petal Lotus.
The supreme absorption technique of Shaolin unfolded from the Young Master’s body. Beginningless and Endless. The golden wheel of Dharma rose behind the Young Master, augmenting his anti-demon magic power.
BOOOOOOM!
A wave of nine anti-demon powers unleashed by the nine Young Masters surged toward the Demon. This wasn’t a wave; it was a tsunami.
[The empire’s foundation shall crumble beneath my spear today!]
With a FLAP, the cloak of light worn by the Heavenly Wolf Guest, Jo Nam-pyeong, billowed. His shining armor glimmered. Raising his crescent blade…
The Heavenly Wolf’s Moonlit Technique was unleashed. The light of the star Heavenly Wolf illuminated his blade as Jo Nam-pyeong swung it.
SWISSHHHHHH!
The energy imbued with the starlight flew like a crescent toward the Demon.
[As a descendant of the Sword Pavilion, I shall avenge my ancestors. Sangong! Watch over me!]
The Sword Pavilion’s thoughts resonated in. The Sword Pavilon swung her sword. Flowers of lotus and Udamvara bloomed from her weapon. Beautiful moonlight enveloped the lotus made of energy. The fragrance of the lotus wafted through the air as the energy petals scattered toward the Demon.
[To dare place a Gold Restriction on me, you shall not be forgiven! Die in my father’s name!]
The thoughts of the Sosu Demon Art echoed. She was clad in sparkling ice, unleashing a strike. The supreme Demon Art, Sosu Demon Art.
With the peak of the Sosu Demon Art, the Mind’s Martial Art of the Sosu Demon echoed. A blizzard of unyielding cold howled toward the Demon.
[For Gaga, fall beneath my feet, Demon!]
A voice, utterly out of context, rang out. It was Red Moon.
She flaunted her beauty as the most beautiful in the world, flicking her wrist. Flames from the Eight Heat Hells and chills from the Eight Cold Hells rose on her shoulders. She flicked her wrist once more.
The Seventh Hell, Chopper’s Divide.
The Seven Hells Technique of Red Moon arced through the air. The extreme hot and cold energy, altered like a saw blade, raced toward the Demon, igniting one side while freezing the other.
[…For my disciple… For the sect… I will eradicate you.]
The thoughts of the Disciple echoed. Releasing all her energy, a pillar of void shot up into the sky.
Her eyes turned gray. The Disciple drew her sword.
Heavenly Body.
The starlight of the entire world descended upon her. An overwhelming aura forged from the void compressed to a single point. Her Mind Martial Arts resonated. A tiny blade imbued with a dreadful power shot toward the Demon.
BOOOOOOM!
The blade shot forth, annihilating everything with the energy of the void as it barreled toward the Demon.
In this instant, every attack resonated with the formation.
WHOOOSH!
The universe above Baekdusan vibrated.
At this moment, our thoughts, our microcosms were all interconnected. Our mind martial arts were bound together. And only now, having executed all our attacks flawlessly.
The eight warriors united their disparate spirits into one.
We became one.
Our mind martial arts merged into a singular entity.
The Heavenly Martial Formation was not merely a formation.
It was a summation of ancient wisdom accumulated from those who had built a barrier to fend off monsters.
Connecting microcosms to realize a macrocosm, it was a transcendent realm of wisdom.
GOOOOOOOOOO!
The energy erupting from our bodies amplified. A rush of exhilaration and omnipotence surged through us. When all eight minds unified, our mind martial arts finally manifested.
It was a thought to suppress the rebellious sun.
The spirits of the eight masters coalesced into a softly glowing celestial body.
The Moon.
[Those who defy heaven shall perish.]
All our minds unleashed their martial arts. The silver-lit moon, shining in the universe, descended upon the Demon.
Yes.
This was the trump card we had prepared. He was the master of the boundary of life and death. But if we joined forces and manifested our mind martial arts together…
Then we could defeat the Demon.
The moon of our collective thoughts fell slowly upon the Demon. At the moment all our attacks struck him…
ALL FLOWS RETURN TO ONE.
The Demon’s mind martial arts unfolded. From his body surged all beings that existed in this world. The embodiment of every ultimate force manifested around him.
Ultimate powers beyond ultimate powers. The culmination of martial mastery bloomed around the Demon.
The strength radiating from it was enough to numb the skin. It wasn’t the incomplete All Flows Return to One from Demon Mountain. It was complete.
The ultimate of the ultimate martial prowess stood there.
But it was useless.
It couldn’t block our Those who defy heaven shall perish. This was our formation space, and the Demon was an unwelcome guest.
So…
FLASH!
Every attack landed as light erupted in front of me. BZZZZZZZ!
There was a ringing in my ears. My thoughts halted. The world turned white. The overwhelming clash of forces and energies swept through Baekdusan.
I must have dealt him a blow. At least, that had to be the case.
I continued my thoughts.
In truth, I couldn’t sense him anymore. The overwhelming presence of the Demon, once so foreboding, was nowhere to be found in the formation now.
As the light faded. The energy receded. The water of heaven and earth evaporated, filled with rolling mist.
Thoughts from everyone flowed into my mind. Anxiety, unease, disbelief, tension, relief, and more—conflicting and contradictory emotions wrangled in my head.
[…Is it over?]
The Heavenly Wolf Guest murmured. With his absence, it was understandable.
But…
My senses rang alarms. The Demon was not finished yet. No, we never thought that we would take him down in one move. Yet, the presence of the Demon was absent. Then, where could he be…?
Just as my thoughts reached that point.
“Well done.”
An ominous voice echoed across Baekdusan.
WHOOSH!
With that, a column of water shot back up into the sky like a dragon, and from within the pillar emerged a figure.
Unlike before, his body was now whole, the cracks across it vanished—the naked Demon stood before us.
He opened his eyes. Unlike the overwhelming presence he emanated before, his existence now felt entirely like that of an ordinary person.
He seemed like just a commoner you’d meet on the street, as if a single tap would send him crashing down. But it was ominous.
The fact that his presence felt like an ordinary person meant he had consolidated all his energy.
That signifies…
“I’ve warmed up a bit. Having received a splendid blow, I should return the favor properly, as a master to a fledgling.”
The Demon grinned.
It was ominous. All our emotions unified into a singular thread of dread.
Fear.
As if sensing that, the Demon spoke.
“I shall show you a part of my true demon arts. Consider it an honor.”
The Demon didn’t move. He didn’t make any special gestures, nor did he exude overwhelming force.
He simply floated there, like an ordinary person, and swung his hand weakly.
In that moment.
The Demon’s dark words etched themselves into the air.
Ilcheonsocheonsegye.
And the entire world convulsed.