Chapter 182 – The Great War Begins (5)

“Amitabha! Who might you be? Who are you to possess such formidable demonic energy?”

Great Master Gak-won’s entire body tensed. As one who had mastered the orthodox martial arts of Buddhism, he could clearly feel the formidable demonic energy flowing from Guyang Geuk.

It was known that only the Heavenly Demon had reached the state of Demonic Transcendence in the Demonic Cult, so the appearance of a master of comparable skill forced Great Master Gak-won to be on his guard.

“My name is Guyang Geuk. I am the Demonic Cult’s greatest fist master, known by the title Fist Demon King. I need not ask your name. Are you not Great Master Gak-won, revered as the Central Plains’ greatest fist master?”

“Amitabha!”

Great Master Gak-won’s gaze deepened. The Demonic Cult was a threat even assuming the Heavenly Demon was their only powerhouse. Now, a master had appeared who, while perhaps not the Heavenly Demon’s equal, could completely turn the tide of battle. Such a reaction was inevitable.

However, Guyang Geuk felt the same. He had believed no one besides the Heavenly Demon could stand against him, yet here was someone he felt he couldn’t defeat even by drawing out all his power.

“This should be a worthy fight.”

But the fact that his opponent was not an easy victory stimulated Guyang Geuk. His foe was from Shaolin. The sect known as the leader of the Buddhist path and the strongest among the Nine Great Sects.

Moreover, the martial arts of Buddhism were the natural enemy of those who practiced demonic arts like him.

Although he did not fear Shaolin, he drew out all his power to save the living corpses. The surrounding plants, unable to withstand his formidable demonic energy, turned black and withered.

“Amitabha.”

Great Master Gak-won, too, responded to Guyang Geuk’s energy, naturally raising his own. The Demonic Cult’s greatest fist master, Guyang Geuk, and the Central Plains’ greatest fist master, Great Master Gak-won. A clash between the two was inevitable.

*CRASH!*

It was as if the world was shattering. Their clash cracked the earth, which seemed on the verge of collapsing.

Stone fragments and dust flew everywhere. But the two paid it no mind, continuing to throw their fists.

Guyang Geuk rode the air currents, stealthily approaching Great Master Gak-won to strike. His fist, like a viper stalking its prey, aimed for the master’s vital points.

But Great Master Gak-won extended a hand and blocked the Fist Demon King’s attack.

Though both were masters of fist arts, their styles were completely different. While Guyang Geuk’s style boasted stealth and strangeness, Great Master Gak-won’s was straightforward and unyielding.

The two diametrically opposed fist arts pressed against each other, neither giving an inch.

“Yes! This is the kind of fight I wanted! So there are true masters in the Central Plains after all!”

The moment Guyang Geuk’s shout ended, countless fist shadows materialized in the air, instantly descending upon Great Master Gak-won.

Great Master Gak-won hastily raised his protective aura, and with a sound of bursting air, his body was pushed back a good ten zhang.

His arms, having blocked Guyang Geuk’s indiscriminate assault, were swollen. But Guyang Geuk, too, had failed to secure a decisive advantage.

His fists were spasming.

“Amitabha. You are truly strong. I shall now face you in earnest.”

*Vwooom!*

A golden energy began to erupt from Great Master Gak-won’s body. Seeing this, Guyang Geuk frowned. An incomparably powerful and pure energy was now pouring forth from the master’s entire being.

But he was not simply releasing his energy. The golden light spread in all directions, beginning to erase all the demonic energy in the vicinity.

“The energy of demon subjugation and evil purification. Truly, this is Shaolin! But with just that, you cannot defeat me… Keo-heo-heok!”

*KWAAAAANG!*

Guyang Geuk, who had been about to speak, felt an impact as if his upper body were being shattered. Had he not raised his protective aura, he would have lost his life in a single blow.

But Great Master Gak-won’s attack was not over. The seventy-two famed martial arts of Shaolin unfolded at his hands, and Guyang Geuk, unable to properly respond, could only take the blows.

Though they were both at the Profound Realm, Guyang Geuk was no match for Great Master Gak-won, who had mastered the Divine Fist, a skill comparable to the Heart Sword.

*KWAAAAANG!*

Guyang Geuk was slammed into a crack in the ground, a wretched sight. The bones in both his arms were completely shattered, and his entire body was covered in bruises.

“Keuk!”

Unable to endure the pain, Guyang Geuk vomited black blood. Great Master Gak-won looked down upon him.

“Your existence is too dangerous. For the sake of the world, this humble monk shall willingly break his vow against killing.”

As he finished speaking, Great Master Gak-won prepared to strike Guyang Geuk. But just then, a spear made of dark blue flames fell toward him, forcing him to retreat.

Great Master Gak-won was greatly alarmed by the dark blue flames. Though there were countless martial artists in the world, only one person could create them.

*KUUUUUOOOOO!*

A tremendous energy that expanded its presence to a terrifying degree. Its owner was someone Great Master Gak-won knew well.

“Heavenly Demon…”

“It has been a long time, Great Master Gak-won.”

The Heavenly Demon, having finally appeared in Hubei, looked down at Great Master Gak-won with a smile.

The Heavenly Demon was clearly smiling. This was the same Heavenly Demon who was said to never show emotion unless something truly exceptional occurred, yet looking at Great Master Gak-won, he was genuinely smiling.

But the reaction of those who saw his smile and heard his voice was not good.

“Keuk!”

“Ugh!”

*Wooooo!*

At the Heavenly Demon’s voice and smile, every warrior monk except for Great Master Gak-won felt a shock that shook their very souls. Such was the immense demonic energy emanating from the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon projected a formidable presence that made even Great Master Gak-won tremble.

But Great Master Gak-won’s eyes were fixed on the Heavenly Demon, unwavering.

“It has been a long time, Lord of the Demonic Cult.”

“You always said you were searching for the ‘answer.’ Have you found it?”

When Great Master Gak-won had just reached the Profound Realm, the Heavenly Demon had visited him. Naturally, the two had clashed on the spot.

And the victor had been the Heavenly Demon.

But the Heavenly Demon had not killed Great Master Gak-won, instead sharing a certain conversation with him. What the Heavenly Demon was asking about now pertained to that very conversation.

“I have found an answer. But I cannot say if this answer is correct. Yet, that no longer matters. For we have now found ‘hope.’ Therefore, I shall gladly show you the ‘answer’ I have found.”

*KUUUUUOOOOO!*

A golden energy erupted from Great Master Gak-won’s entire body. It would not be an exaggeration to call the light holiness itself. The barely surviving Guyang Geuk and the other cultists behind him felt pain from his energy.

The energy Great Master Gak-won was now emitting contained the power of demon subjugation and evil purification, which was the natural enemy of the demonic cultists. But the Heavenly Demon looked down at him with haughty eyes.

“You have certainly strived to find your ‘answer,’ Great Master Gak-won. Then let me verify if that answer is truly correct.”

With those words, a jet-black demonic energy rose from the Heavenly Demon’s body. The energy soon became darkness, instantly pushing back Great Master Gak-won’s light.

But Great Master Gak-won did not panic and threw a punch. A great torrent of light surged from his fist toward the Heavenly Demon. The Hundred Steps Divine Fist, the ultimate fist art created by Shaolin, was unleashed by his hand.

The Heavenly Demon thrust out both hands, and from them erupted the force of the Bright Jade Divine Palm.

*KWAAAAAAAAANG!*

With a single clash, an area of a hundred zhang was completely devastated. The Shaolin warrior monks and Demonic Cultists, who had already moved to a safe distance, had to tremble from the mere shockwave.

But Great Master Gak-won and the Heavenly Demon continued to move their hands as if nothing had happened. And each time they did, the earth, unable to withstand the violent force, was destroyed.

“Indeed, my choice back then was not wrong. But Great Master Gak-won, you must know you cannot kill me with just this, right?”

“Of course. But you need not worry. For this humble monk has attained an enlightenment to send you to your final rest.”

The sight of the two conversing calmly amidst their fierce battle made them seem as close as old friends.

They were, in fact, coming to understand each other through their desperate fight. Just by seeing a single one of their opponent’s moves, they could infer the kind of life he had lived.

Though they spoke as casually as if they were chatting, their battle was extremely fierce and fast. They fought endlessly in a realm only absolute masters could reach.

“It seems neither of us intends to drag this out. In that case, I shall act accordingly.”

*Wooooong!*

From the empty air, a deep darkness bloomed, and the Heavenly Demon plunged his hand into it. When he pulled his hand back out, he held a sword made of darkness.

The demonic sword ‘Asura,’ which thoroughly rejected all common sense and rationality, bringing death and destruction to all living things, had finally revealed itself.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Among the warrior monks who saw ‘Asura,’ those with shallow internal energy screamed wretchedly before vomiting blood and collapsing. Those who fell did not rise again.

Even those who barely survived were chanting Buddhist scriptures to endure, but seeing their pale faces, it seemed they could not last much longer.

This was the power of the demonic sword ‘Asura.’ It inflicted death upon a person by sight alone. It was truly the worst of demonic swords, befitting the Heavenly Demon.

But Great Master Gak-won and the surviving warrior monks knew that this was not the full extent of ‘Asura’s’ power.

“I will not allow you to unleash the Asura’s Dance of World Annihilation!”

The light enveloping Great Master Gak-won’s body began to concentrate into both his fists. The light compressed, finally forming fists of a new shape.

If the Heart Sword existed at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, then the Divine Fist existed at the pinnacle of fist arts. Great Master Gak-won had just unleashed that Divine Fist.

But Great Master Gak-won did not stop there. He began to execute the techniques of the ‘Nameless Fist,’ a martial art that could only be performed when wielding the Divine Fist.

“This is!”

A power so immense it even startled the Heavenly Demon was pouring out of Great Master Gak-won’s two fists.

Regardless of the Heavenly Demon’s reaction, Great Master Gak-won threw his punch, and a tremendous force surged toward the Heavenly Demon.

In response, the Heavenly Demon swiftly swung Asura, and a blast of darkness erupted to block Great Master Gak-won’s energy.

*KWAKWAKWAKWANG!*

An incomparably massive shockwave spread in all directions, and countless survivors lost their lives to that shockwave alone.

But regardless, the two continued to move their fists and sword to take each other’s lives.

Great Master Gak-won did everything in his power to stop the Heavenly Demon from using the Asura’s Dance of World Annihilation.

For even though he had created the Nameless Fist, he had no confidence he could block the Asura’s Dance of World Annihilation.

However, as time passed, the outcome of the battle seemed to become clear. Great Master Gak-won was visibly, slowly being pushed back.