Chapter 188 – The Final War (5)

Cheon Yeop-sang unknowingly looked at Kang Yong-hoon. Kang Yong-hoon’s eyes were shining with a strange, almost bizarre light.

The moment their eyes met, Kang Yong-hoon’s hand moved, and Cheon Yeop-sang’s head flew into the air.

‘What the hell…’

Baffled by the absurd turn of events in a fight he had all but won, Cheon Yeop-sang lost his life. After defeating him, Kang Yong-hoon let out a deep breath without realizing it.

“Hah… Hah… What was that feeling just now…?”

Kang Yong-hoon didn’t know it yet, but he had now become a warrior truly capable of wielding the power of the Mind Sword. The one thing he had lacked compared to the other absolute masters was now perfectly filled.

In other words, he had truly reached the Profound Realm. Of course, he hadn’t fully realized it yet.

Still, Kang Yong-hoon did realize one thing.

“If I can make this feeling completely my own, I can even defeat my brother.”

It was like a revelation bestowed upon him.

***

BOOM!

The demonic energy emanating from the Fist Demonic King, Gu Yang-geuk, concentrated in his right hand. As he threw his right fist forward, a colossal aura surged toward Yu-jin.

It was an incredibly powerful attack, imbued with Gu Yang-geuk’s potent demonic energy, innate qi, and all his fury towards Yu-jin. It was enough to make even the great Yu-jin feel a slight sense of tension.

Whoooosh!

Yu-jin, deciding to get serious, also gathered his internal energy into his fist. When it reached its peak, he struck out with immense force.

CRASH!

Yu-jin’s fist and Gu Yang-geuk’s fist collided at a single point in mid-air.

The impact of the unprecedented collision of immense power was tremendous. The earth, unable to withstand the force, crumbled, and even the clouds in the sky were blown away by the resulting shockwave.

It was a phenomenal energy that seemed impossible to have come from a human body.

“Kuhh!”

A suppressed groan escaped Gu Yang-geuk’s lips. His upper and lower garments had been reduced to dust and scattered in the wind, and dark bruises were forming all over his body.

Normally, his demonic energy would have repaired his body, but that was impossible now. Yu-jin’s fist was imbued with Divine Demonic Energy, which was systematically destroying Gu Yang-geuk from the inside.

Rumble!

Gu Yang-geuk’s body was being pushed back helplessly. He had summoned all the demonic energy and innate qi within him, but it was utterly powerless against Yu-jin’s fearsome assault.

No matter how much Gu Yang-geuk risked his life, his resolve was futile against Yu-jin, an absolute master who stood above all others.

THUD!

In the end, Gu Yang-geuk’s body was sent flying backward. The moment he struggled to right himself in mid-air, Yu-jin unleashed a merciless barrage of punches.

As if determined to end it, he continuously unleashed ultimate techniques. Each and every strike was an attack capable of dealing a decisive blow to Gu Yang-geuk’s body. Despair filled Gu Yang-geuk’s eyes as he watched the terrifying onslaught.

‘What kind of absurd monster is this!’

His insides were already in a state of ruin. The primordial qi he had exhausted to defeat Yu-jin was nearly gone. The long life granted to an absolute master was no longer his.

Despite sacrificing so much, a single clash had displaced his internal organs and torn his heart meridian to shreds.

What made him despair even more was that despite his immense sacrifice, Yu-jin appeared completely unscathed.

Yu-jin continued to throw punches nonchalantly. At this rate, it was clear that one of them would shatter his head.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

He possessed immense power received from the Heavenly Demon. To be defeated while possessing such power was unthinkable.

Was it responding to his rage? The black demonic energy surrounding him began to grow darker.

“He’s becoming more and more like the Heavenly Demon. One of the emotions that forms the core of the Heavenly Demon is rage. Such intense fury is making him more like him.”

Yu-jin watched Gu Yang-geuk with an intrigued expression. Compared to the Heavenly Demon, Gu Yang-geuk was insignificant, but his aura was becoming increasingly similar.

However, he had no intention of giving Gu Yang-geuk time to complete his transformation.

SWOOSH!

Wings of light enveloped Yu-jin. In that state, he charged toward Gu Yang-geuk. Seeing the immense wave of light surging toward him, Gu Yang-geuk gathered even more strength and threw a punch.

But his fist only destroyed innocent trees. Yu-jin had already dodged his attack and was now behind him. His speed was so terrifying it was reminiscent of light itself.

“I know you’ve used up almost all your innate qi. Why don’t you just die already!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Gu Yang-geuk hastily twisted his body to dodge and threw another punch. Surprisingly, his assault wasn’t over.

He continued to throw punches at Yu-jin. Like an endless tide, his attacks flowed one after another.

But Gu Yang-geuk was not at ease. His opponent was Yu-jin, said to be of the same kind as the Heavenly Demon. He was an opponent who had toyed with him until now. There was no way he could be defeated this easily.

‘Damn him! Where is he!’

Gu Yang-geuk heightened his senses and spread his demonic energy in all directions, trying to locate Yu-jin. And when he finally found him…

SQUELCH!

“Keuk!”

A fiery pain erupted from his back, and Gu Yang-geuk’s mouth fell open. Yu-jin’s fist had pierced through his back and emerged from his chest.

Yu-jin’s fist and arm, having pierced through Gu Yang-geuk’s chest, were covered in dark red blood. Gu Yang-geuk struggled to look back and saw Yu-jin smiling faintly.

“I know you’re not the one who caused Grandmaster Gak-won’s death. But I’m only human, and my emotions got the better of me. It’s a bit shameful to take it out on you, but please, just die.”

“D-don’t be ridiculous…”

Spitting up dark red blood, Gu Yang-geuk grabbed both of Yu-jin’s arms. At that moment, all the remaining energy in his body began to boil.

Then, Gu Yang-geuk’s body began to swell. Realizing what he was about to do, Yu-jin frowned.

“That’s a meaningless gesture, you know.”

“Whether… it’s… meaningless… or not… we’ll… just have to… see!”

BOOOOM!

Gu Yang-geuk’s ever-swelling body exploded. It was a blast capable of destroying everything within a ten-zhang radius and taking the lives of all living creatures.

Gu Yang-geuk’s flesh and bone fragments became hidden weapons, striking Yu-jin. Black smoke from the explosion enveloped the area. From within that smoke, Yu-jin walked out.

“I kindly told you it was meaningless, yet you still did something so foolish.”

Aside from his right arm, which Gu Yang-geuk had gripped, being charred black, Yu-jin was completely unharmed. The Wings of Light had perfectly protected him even amidst that colossal explosion.

Even the right arm that Gu Yang-geuk had managed to injure was instantly healed by his Divine Demonic Body.

“Hoo. You’ll be making your move soon, won’t you, Heavenly Demon? I suppose I should get ready for the final showdown as well.”

With that thought, Yu-jin turned and headed toward the main forces of the Martial Alliance.

***

“So this is the Central Plains Martial World?”

The Heavenly Demon, who had been focused on recovering his body in the darkness, gave a bitter smile. All four of his Vice-Cult Leaders were spiritually linked to him. Thus, the moment they died, he knew.

But he hadn’t expected the Vice-Cult Leaders he had so painstakingly created to lose their lives, and he couldn’t help but admire the strength of the Central Plains Martial World.

“Have I failed to conquer the Central Plains again? A pity.”

For at least several decades, he wouldn’t even be able to dream of conquering the Central Plains. The damage the Demonic Cult had suffered in this war was that immense.

But the Heavenly Demon was not impatient. He was the Heavenly Demon. A demonic being feared even by the heavens, he had already attained an immortal body.

He had already lived for over several hundred years and could live for many more, so there was no need to rush.

“But before I return, I must end his life.”

Whether they were of the same kind or not no longer mattered. Heaven’s first adversary bestowed upon him, Kang Yu-jin. He had to end his life, no matter what.

However, even the great Heavenly Demon needed to focus on his recovery to do so, and as a result, the Demonic Cult had to fight the war without their leader.

***

Thanks to the great efforts of Yu-jin and others, all the Vice-Cult Leaders of the Demonic Cult lost their lives. Furthermore, with the living corpses they had brought as a trump card nearly all annihilated, the Demonic Cult was swiftly pushed back and driven out of Hubei Province.

But the Martial Alliance did not stop there. They mobilized the martial artists, who quickly surrounded the Demonic Cult’s main base.

While the Demonic Cult was being driven back, the Heavenly Demon never once showed himself. As a result, the cult suffered devastating losses and was holed up in its main base.

Yu-jin stepped forward alone toward the Demonic Cult’s main base. The despair, rage, and fear of the surviving demonic practitioners swirled around him, but he simply smiled, unfazed.

“Come out, Heavenly Demon! It’s time to settle this!”

Kuuuuooooooh!

No sooner had Yu-jin finished speaking than the sky turned black, and a figure emerged from within.

It was the Heavenly Demon.

***

The Heavenly Demon appeared in the sky.

Whiioooh!

A wave of energy swept across the battlefield’s sky and earth. No, the wave was growing more intense. The vast battlefield was being compressed into one man’s domain.

“Kuhuk!”

“Aaaargh!”

The complexions of most martial artists from the Central Plains changed. A terrifying aura emanated from the pitch-black demonic energy, so dense it was visible to the naked eye.

Those with weaker martial skills felt excruciating pain just by looking at this formidable demonic energy, while even the stronger ones felt a shock that rattled their heart meridians.

But the warriors of the Demonic Cult, who possessed demonic energy in their bodies, knelt as if nothing was wrong.

Despite the fierce battle that had just raged, they paid it no mind, kneeling and staring intently only at the Heavenly Demon. It seemed they no longer cared what happened to their own lives.

“He… He has finally come!”

“He has come to end this unjust world!”

Some shed tears. Others trembled, their pupils dilated as they repeatedly bowed their heads.

Even though the Heavenly Demon hadn’t appeared until they were being overwhelmingly pushed back, they did not complain. To them, the Heavenly Demon was no different from a god, and they firmly believed that he, a deity, had his own reasons.