Chapter 84 – The Northern Sea Ice Palace (8)

“Take this.”

As Bukri Hwan spoke, he slowly extended his hand. An immense power that even Yu-jin could not ignore surged toward him.

The Ice-White Divine Palm, a technique said to be usable only by the direct bloodline of the Ice Palace. However, the Ice-White Divine Palm displayed by Bukri Hwan was far more powerful than its ultimate form. The cold energy of the Northern Sea had amplified its might.

“You think I can’t take it!”

Yu-jin extended all thirteen of his Wings of Light to block Bukri Hwan’s palm energy. Then, something astonishing happened. The Wings of Light, a pure concentration of extreme yang energy, began to freeze.

It was something Yu-jin could never have imagined. He hastily withdrew his Wings of Light and unleashed a massive surge of Green Phosphorus Poisonous Flame. The palm energy of the Ice-White Divine Palm could advance no further. But Bukri Hwan’s attack wasn’t over.

“That light sphere you showed earlier. Surely you don’t believe you’re the only one who can do something like that?”

The moment Bukri Hwan finished speaking, icicles began to rain down on Yu-jin from all directions. Yu-jin hastily created a protective aura infused with the Green Phosphorus Poisonous Flame to shield his body.

“Kugh!”

Although the icicles didn’t touch his body, the shockwaves alone caused Yu-jin immense pain.

Moreover, their sheer number began to shatter his protective aura of Green Phosphorus Poisonous Flame. Bukri Hwan’s internal energy, now one with the Northern Sea, was infinite. The power erupting from that immense energy was truly tremendous.

*Fwoosh!*

Unable to endure, Yu-jin used the Flying Heaven Dance to escape the fearsome assault. But Bukri Hwan had already anticipated his escape and once again launched the palm energy of the Ice-White Divine Palm at him.

Yu-jin shot back with his own palm energy, not to be outdone, but since he had gathered his energy in a hurry, its power was incomplete. Unable to hold his ground, Yu-jin was sent flying and crashed into the ground.

“Woooooah!”

The warriors of the Northern Sea who witnessed the scene roared with excitement. Having fallen from such a height, even an absolute master would surely perish.

And he hadn’t just fallen; he had been struck by Bukri Hwan’s palm energy, hadn’t he? The force was so great that a massive crater had formed where Yu-jin landed.

It was smaller than the one created by Yu-jin’s Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword, but it was more than enough to obliterate a man. Yet, Bukri Hwan’s eyes remained impassive.

“I would appreciate it if you refrained from such hasty judgments.”

At the immense voice echoing from the crater, the warriors of the Northern Sea instinctively fell silent. An overwhelming energy, enough to make them shudder, was flowing out of the crater.

Slowly, Yu-jin flew up. His condition was a mess. Though he had deflected the palm energy of the Ice-White Divine Palm, falling from a vertical height at such a tremendous speed meant he couldn’t possibly be unscathed.

Not a single bone in his body was intact, and he was covered in blood. Yet, unlike a man on the verge of death, a terrifying spirit emanated from his entire being.

“Surely you don’t think you can defeat me with just this?”

The moment Yu-jin finished speaking, his body began to regenerate. The vast primordial essence energy he had gained from obtaining the Divine Demonic Body sensed the danger to his body and began to heal him.

In an instant, Yu-jin returned to his original state. The bizarre sight was more than enough to overwhelm the warriors of the Ice Palace, but not Bukri Hwan.

“Are you even mimicking the Heavenly Demon’s Immortal Body? What is it that you can truly call your own? Those wings of light were interesting, but they won’t work on me.”

Bukri Hwan’s words were spoken lightly, but they struck a deep blow to Yu-jin’s pride.

“The Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon. Every absolute master I have met cries out the name of the Heavenly Demon. I declare it here and now. I will be the one to end the legend of the Heavenly Demon. And I will prove it by defeating you first.”

It was an undeniable fact that among the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts, techniques like the Black Heaven Hand, the Heaven-Shattering Mara Fist, and the Green Phosphorus Poisonous Flame were created under the Heavenly Demon’s influence.

But now, Yu-jin had the power to make those martial arts uniquely his own. By obtaining the Divine Demonic Body.

*Kwooooooo!*

Once again, the Wings of Light formed behind Yu-jin’s back.

“You cannot defeat me with that.”

Bukri Hwan spoke, his expression still impassive as he watched Yu-jin. He knew the technique was formidable, but it wasn’t enough to face him. Of course, Yu-jin was no fool; he knew that much as well.

“I am well aware. I would appreciate it if you just watched.”

Yu-jin replied coldly and drew upon all the inky-black martial arts that constituted the ‘Demonic’ part of his Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts. A colossal black light erupted from his entire body.

The sight of golden light and inky black light flowing out simultaneously was even more bizarre than his regeneration. But that wasn’t the end of it. The golden light of the wings began to merge with the inky light.

No, to be precise, it seemed as if the golden light was being absorbed by the inky light. And the moment the golden light completely vanished,

*Kwoooooooooo!*

The form of a massive Ink Dragon materialized and coiled around Yu-jin’s body. The Ink Dragon Emperor, who would one day become a legend. The beginning of that legend was here, in the Northern Sea.

* * *

Dragons. Auspicious beings resembling giant serpents, possessing divine power. They were absolute divine beasts, beings beyond the measure of mere mortals.

Though someone might occasionally boast of it in the marketplace, no one dared to claim that a human could command a dragon.

Even the emperor, called the incarnation of the dragon, did not truly command one. It was merely a symbolic title. But now, in the skies of the Northern Sea, a human who commanded a dragon had appeared.

Everyone was speechless, staring at the form of the Ink Dragon coiled around Yu-jin. No one was foolish enough to believe it was a real dragon, but its presence was so tangible it felt as if they were looking at a true one. It was just that lifelike.

It wasn’t just its lifelike appearance. A colossal presence, as if it were the only thing in the world, emanated from the Ink Dragon’s manifestation.

“Ugh!”

The warriors of the Ice Palace, gazing at Yu-jin and the Ink Dragon, suddenly found it difficult to breathe. An immense pressure bore down on their bodies and minds. By their mere existence, the Ink Dragon and Yu-jin were overwhelming everyone else.

“This is my everything.”

Yu-jin spoke, stroking the trembling Ink Dragon Sword. The Ink Dragon, created by combining all the demonic arts of the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts and the energy of the Ink Dragon Sword, all based on the Wings of Light, was truly the ultimate existence.

This immense power, serving as both the ultimate shield and the ultimate spear, was a force that not even the Heavenly Demon could easily face. There was a stage beyond this, but the Ink Dragon alone was more than enough to deal with Bukri Hwan.

“Is that so? It is certainly impressive. But is that enough to defeat me?”

Unlike the other warriors who were trembling in fear, Bukri Hwan maintained his composure and drew upon all the power he possessed.

The vast sky of the Northern Sea churned. The heavens themselves responded to a mere mortal’s will, bestowing immense power upon him.

It was a different kind of intensity from Yu-jin’s Ink Dragon. Yet, even to the warriors of the Ice Palace, Bukri Hwan’s figure looked too shabby compared to Yu-jin’s Ink Dragon. Whether he knew it or not, Bukri Hwan advanced, undaunted by Yu-jin.

*Kwaaaaaang!*

Bukri Hwan unleashed one of his other ultimate techniques, the Yin Cold Fist, striking out at the Ink Dragon. With that as a start, he began to use the various forms of the Yin Cold Fist.

Each and every blow was a powerful move, capable of freezing and shattering even a person’s soul.

However, the flames spewing from the Ink Dragon’s maw were the flames of the Green Phosphorus Poisonous Flame. Before the flames of annihilation that extinguished all things, the ice created by Bukri Hwan was useless.

“It’s no use.”

*Kwooooooo!*

As soon as Yu-jin finished speaking, the Ink Dragon roared and swung its tail fiercely. Bukri Hwan quickly created an Absolute Ice Wall, but the Ink Dragon’s tail shattered it with ease and struck his entire body.

Bukri Hwan had deployed a protective aura based on the Absolute Ice Wall and crossed his arms to block the tail, but it wasn’t enough to nullify the impact.

“Kugh!”

For the first time, his impassive face twisted in pain. The power of the Ink Dragon was that immense. But he did not give up. He flew toward Yu-jin and threw another punch.

The Ink Dragon roared again at the sight of him, and the dragon and Bukri Hwan clashed at a single point.

But the fight did not last long. The Ink Dragon was an existence created by concentrating all the martial arts of Yu-jin’s Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts, except for the Yin-Yang Lust Arts and the Flying Heaven Dance.

That immense power was something not even Bukri Hwan, supported by the lands of the Northern Sea, could stand against.

“Hah!”

Yet he advanced, silently throwing his fists. Step by step, Bukri Hwan walked through the air toward Yu-jin.

“I told you it’s no use.”

*Kwaaaaaang!*

The Ink Dragon swung its massive claws. Bukri Hwan quickly crossed his arms to block, but struck by the demonic claws, he plummeted to the ground. However, Yu-jin frowned.

The Ink Dragon’s claws had the power to shatter even diamond in an instant, yet Bukri Hwan was still unharmed. No matter how formidable his Absolute Ice Wall was, this was strange.

“So that is your true ultimate art? Impressive.”

Bukri Hwan said as he rose to his feet. Surprisingly, despite being slashed across the chest by the Ink Dragon’s claws, he hadn’t shed a single drop of blood.

He was a mess from crashing into the ground, but he didn’t seem to have taken much damage. Yu-jin stared at Bukri Hwan, bewildered. Something that defied his common sense had occurred.

*‘This is rather unpleasant.’*

Yu-jin welcomed being an illogical existence to others, but he had no desire to think of others in the same way.

“Did you know? There are two divine artifacts that have been passed down through generations in the Northern Sea. Though one was lost hundreds of years ago, the other has been carefully protected in the Ice Palace. I am not fond of this artifact, but to face you, I had no choice but to wear it.”

Only then did Yu-jin understand why the Ink Dragon Sword was trembling. He had thought it was trembling from the strain of maintaining the Ink Dragon’s form, but in reality, it was trembling for another reason.

The previous attack had revealed the silver, shining armor Bukri Hwan was wearing beneath his clothes.

“I never expected the Ice-White Divine Armor, ranked fourth among the Twelve Treasures, to be in the Northern Sea.”