Chapter 134 – The Decisive Battle (6)

Those who had reached the Profound Realm were, without exaggeration, the living history of the martial world. Their deaths were not mere passings but the severing of martial traditions.

Moreover, their very existence served as a deterrent to major conflicts.

If they were to die, the martial world of the Central Plains would likely crumble from internal strife, even without the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven.

“I will never allow such a future to come to pass.”

With those words, Grand Master Gakwon once again unleashed the Hundred Steps Divine Fist, sending a massive torrent of light flying toward the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven.

In response, the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven extended his hand. Simultaneously with his movement, the Golden Buddha also reached out.

*Kwwaaaaang!*

The Golden Buddha’s hand clashed with the Hundred Steps Divine Fist.

The Hundred Steps Divine Fist was defeated. Yet, Grand Master Gakwon remained unfazed, unleashing the technique repeatedly. His efforts were not in vain, as each strike exploded against the Golden Buddha.

However, the Golden Buddha withstood all the attacks without wavering in the slightest. Realizing that ranged attacks were ineffective, Grand Master Gakwon closed the distance and began to clash directly with the Golden Buddha.

*Thwack!*

As he met the Golden Buddha’s fist with his own, Grand Master Gakwon winced at the repulsive force, which felt strong enough to shatter his arm. The Golden Buddha’s power was truly beyond imagination.

*‘How can it possess such power…?’*

Just then, the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven spoke.

“It is useless. You cannot defeat me with your martial arts.”

The Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven spoke calmly and extended both hands again, the Golden Buddha mirroring his movements. A far more powerful wave of Heavenly Diamond Force surged toward Grand Master Gakwon at close range.

Fortunately, Grand Master Gakwon had anticipated this. He used the Thousand-Pound Drop technique to lower his body before swinging his fist at the Golden Buddha.

But even his mighty fist could not penetrate the Golden Buddha, and its palm struck his entire body.

“Kuh-huh-huk!”

Grand Master Gakwon coughed up blood as he plummeted to the ground. He hastily regained his senses and stopped his fall, but several of his ribs were already broken, and his face was stained with blood.

“Die.”

*Kwwaaaaaaang!*

Another wave of Heavenly Diamond Force shot forth. To save Grand Master Gakwon, the supreme masters of the Central Plains threw themselves in front of him and unleashed their ultimate techniques.

Soon, the colossal forces collided at a single point.

*Kwakwakwakwang!*

The shockwave from the impact was so immense that all the surrounding thunderclouds vanished, and the sky instantly cleared. The battle between these beings, who had long since transcended the limits of mortals, was truly worthy of being called a battle of gods.

However, Kang Yu-hyeon frowned. Though he hadn’t used his full strength to save it for later, he had expected to win with five supreme masters fighting together, yet they were still being pushed back.

As if to prove this, the complexions of the other four supreme masters had turned slightly pale. The energy of the Heavenly Diamond Force had seeped into their bodies and was tormenting them from within.

Of course, they quickly dispelled it, but doing so consumed their internal energy, inevitably weakening them over time.

*‘What a remarkable man. To have reached a level comparable to mine or the Heavenly Demon’s in just over a hundred years.’*

Both the Heavenly Demon and Kang Yu-hyeon had attained their current level by training in martial arts with immortal bodies they had acquired through their own means. It had taken them well over several hundred years to reach this stage.

But the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven, despite having lived for little more than a century, was demonstrating a level of power equal to theirs. Even Kang Yu-hyeon couldn’t help but be impressed.

*‘I’ll have to use a little more power. It doesn’t matter, since I’ll be discarding this body soon anyway.’*

Having made his decision, Kang Yu-hyeon shot toward the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven. The other supreme masters tried to join him, but Kang Yu-hyeon had already swung his sword at both the Great Dharma Master and the Golden Buddha.

*Kwwaaaaaaang!*

A torrent of rainbow-colored light swallowed both the Golden Buddha and the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven at once.

***

Watching the battle of the supreme masters from below, Yu-jin nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Hmph, he is indeed strong.”

As befitting his title as the God of the Western Regions, the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven was incredibly powerful. This satisfied Yu-jin even more, as it allowed him to witness the true strength of Kang Yu-hyeon, who was concealing his martial arts even more than he was.

From Yu-jin’s perspective, even Kang Yu-hyeon couldn’t afford to underestimate the Great Dharma Master. If he fought carelessly, even he could lose his life.

“Of course, I would prefer it if that happened.”

If Kang Yu-hyeon were to die here and now, everything would end happily, but Yu-jin knew all too well that such a thing was unlikely. He calmly observed Kang Yu-hyeon’s martial arts.

“Is that the God-Slaying Sword my father perfected? Its power is certainly immense, but it seems to be lacking when compared to the Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword or the Asura Heaven-Annihilating Sword.”

The Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword and the Asura Heaven-Annihilating Sword were sword arts created with a singular focus on destructive power. Perhaps for that reason, Kang Yu-hyeon’s God-Slaying Sword felt slightly lacking in raw force.

Even so, it was more than enough to shatter the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven’s Heavenly Light Guardian Aura and threaten the Golden Buddha.

“Well, it looks like things will stay that way over there for a while. I should stop paying attention and deal with the other guys.”

With those words, Yu-jin turned his gaze to Chenzhu, the third disciple of the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven, who was rushing toward him.

“You’re the one who killed my junior brother!”

Chenzhu shouted from a distance of about ten yards.

*‘He doesn’t have to shout that loud for me to hear him.’*

Yu-jin thought as he watched Chenzhu. The energy radiating from Chenzhu, who was burning with intense killing intent toward him, was certainly stronger than that of Nima, whom he had just killed.

“But that’s all there is to it.”

No matter how strong he was, it was meaningless before Yu-jin. A cold smile on his face, Yu-jin clenched his fists tightly and launched himself at Chenzhu.

***

Yu-jin knew the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven’s true objective. What he truly desired was not the complete destruction of the Central Plains’ martial world, but to throw it into chaos to secure the safety and future of the Western Regions.

It made sense. No matter how powerful the warriors of the Western Regions were, it was clear they would suffer immense losses if they tried to annihilate the martial world of the Central Plains.

And the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven had no intention of sacrificing the warriors of the Western Regions.

*‘He will likely retreat once he has killed all the supreme masters of the Central Plains. But there is another way to make him withdraw.’*

The Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven was equal to the Heavenly Demon and Kang Yu-hyeon in terms of power, but unlike them, he had not chosen immortality. Having lived for well over a century, he was nearing the end of his life.

Although he had regained his youth and extended his life through Reversal of Aging, even that extended lifespan was almost at its end.

Even if the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven killed all the supreme masters of the Central Plains, he would no longer pose a threat to the martial world afterward.

*‘That is why he is in a hurry. But what he truly cares about is the safety and future of the Western Regions. If he loses any more of his warriors and disciples, he will have no choice but to retreat.’*

That was Yu-jin’s reasoning, and it was why he intended to kill as many of the Great Dharma Master’s disciples as possible.

In that sense, Chenzhu rushing at him like a moth to a flame was making things very convenient for Yu-jin. He didn’t have to go around searching for them.

“Die!”

Chenzhu shouted and gathered power in both hands before thrusting them forward. A wave of Golden Diamond Force poured toward Yu-jin.

Yu-jin channeled the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy into his fist and punched out forcefully.

*Kwwaaaaang!*

The Golden Diamond Force was deflected by Yu-jin’s fist. He quickly closed the distance to Chenzhu and threw another powerful punch—the very same blow that had shattered Nima’s body.

However, Chenzhu was a far more skilled warrior than Nima.

As if to prove it, instead of panicking, Chenzhu recognized the menacing energy in Yu-jin’s fist and immediately twisted his body to block the attack.

“Kuh!”

Although the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy was more alien than any other energy in the world, Chenzhu desperately blocked Yu-jin’s attack with his pure internal energy.

Yet, despite forming a thick layer of protective energy to block it, a portion of the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy seeped through and tormented his body. Still, Chenzhu gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

“This is not enough to stop me!”

He had long since realized from watching the fight with Nima that Yu-jin’s energy would disrupt his balance if it entered his body. But Chenzhu did not retreat, moving both his hands. Yu-jin, sensing Chenzhu’s resolve, also threw a punch.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

As the two clashed, a whirlwind of energy erupted. The ground could not withstand the force and began to crack and sink.

Those fighting nearby hastily evacuated the area. They were in danger of losing their lives not to their enemies, but to the stray thunderbolts from the adjacent battle.

It was a clash on an entirely different level. However, with each exchange, the tide of the battle tilted further in Yu-jin’s favor.

Before the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy, which could be said to be superior to any other energy, even Chenzhu’s pure internal energy gradually lost its strength.

“Kuh-huh-huk!”

Eventually, struck by Yu-jin’s fist, Chenzhu was sent rolling across the ground. His face was pale, indicating internal injuries, but he refused to give up and rose to his feet. Then, his figure multiplied into dozens, surrounding Yu-jin.

“Oh?”

There were dozens of Chenzhu’s clones, and each one exuded a formidable presence as if it were a real body.

The energy emanating from each clone merged into one, pressing down on Yu-jin. He smiled as he felt his body grow heavy. It was a smile that blossomed on its own, anticipating a far more interesting fight than he had expected.

*‘I didn’t expect a warrior from the Western Regions, who supposedly pursues only orthodox methods, to display such a technique. Interesting.’*

While Yu-jin was contemplating this, all of the dozens of figures assumed the Golden Diamond stance and thrust out their palms. It was one of Chenzhu’s most confident and ultimate techniques.

*‘Are they all real? If so, that’s truly incredible.’*

Amazingly, the Golden Diamond forces created by the clones were all real. Realizing this, Yu-jin was impressed.

Yu-jin could confidently say that this attack surpassed the Transformation Realm. His heart pounded with excitement.

The sight of a weaker opponent giving their all was that much more enjoyable. It meant he could crush them with even greater pleasure.

*‘I wonder what kind of power it will display.’*

*Woooong.*

Yu-jin drew upon the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy to create a protective aura. Seeing this, Chenzhu sneered and spoke. It was a natural reaction, as Yu-jin’s protective aura did not look particularly strong on the surface.

“You think you can block this attack with a protective aura like that? Die!”

No sooner had Chenzhu finished speaking than his dozens of clones extended their now-enormous hands, and dozens of streams of Golden Diamond Force swallowed Yu-jin whole.

*Kwakwakwakwakwang!*

The earth split apart, and a massive cloud of dust formed, obscuring the vision of the warriors nearby.

Despair washed over the faces of the Central Plains warriors. They were already terrified watching the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven, with his transcendent martial prowess, overwhelm their supreme masters. Now, their hero, Yu-jin, had been engulfed by a tremendous attack and vanished without a trace. Their despair was only natural.

“Hoo… hoo…”

The technique consumed a great deal of internal energy, leaving Chenzhu gasping for breath.

He, a master who had reached the Transformation Realm, was struggling to control his breathing; that was how much effort he had poured into that last attack. Because of this, Chenzhu had no doubt that he had avenged Nima.

“No matter what strange energy you use, you could not have blocked that attack.”

But his belief was soon shattered. Something shot out from the dust cloud.

That something, of course, was Kang Yu-jin.

His clothes were slightly scorched, but his body was unharmed. As if to prove it, he was closing the distance to Chenzhu at an incredible speed.

“H-how?”

Flustered, Chenzhu hastily commanded his clones. They immediately rushed toward Yu-jin.

“Creating clones with such a tangible presence is impressive, but…”

Yu-jin pulled back his right fist and punched forward with immense force. A massive vortex of light erupted, swallowing Chenzhu’s clones and annihilating them in an instant.

“Kuh-huh-huuuk!”

The clones were all spiritually linked to Chenzhu, so the pain he experienced was tremendous. Red blood streamed from his seven orifices, quickly dyeing his body crimson.

But Chenzhu ignored the pain and thrust his palm toward the abdomen of the approaching Yu-jin.

*Thwack!*

“Kuh!”

Although Chenzhu was the one who attacked, he was also the one who cried out in pain. He winced at the tremendous repulsive force that shook his arm.

The protective aura surrounding Yu-jin was so solid that it sent a massive shock through his arm.

His body was already in poor condition from internal injuries, but taking the full brunt of the recoil from Yu-jin’s protective aura only worsened them.

*‘How can someone from the Central Plains have such a protective aura…?’*

A protective aura that could withstand his ultimate technique without a scratch… The sensation reminded him of his master, and Chenzhu flinched.

*‘What am I thinking…?’*