Chapter 53 – Mad Demonic King (3)

“Grrrrrr!”

But the fiend, seemingly unharmed, immediately rose to its feet. The demonic energy coiling around it began to squirm, transforming into dozens of whips that lashed out toward Yu-jin.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Yu-jin activated the Black Heaven Hands, his hands moving with incredible speed. They multiplied into dozens, tearing apart the whips of demonic energy.

Truthfully, he wanted to use the new martial arts he had recently learned, but he feared that a misstep could cause them to clash with his existing Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts and shatter his body. Thus, he couldn’t use them.

‘I’ll have to keep them sealed until I master the Primordial Chaos Divine Arts.’

With that thought, Yu-jin unleashed the Black Heaven Divine Palm. A black wave engulfed the fiend.

*CRASH!*

The ground twisted, and dozens of trees snapped. All the debris merged with the Black Heaven Divine Palm, swallowing the fiend whole.

Even after consuming the fiend, the attack’s momentum was immense. It traveled nearly a hundred feet further before crashing into a cliff, finally ending its massive trail of destruction.

“How can this be…”

Lee Hye-yeon was speechless at the incredible power Yu-jin had displayed.

‘He looks to be my age, yet he possesses such martial skill…’

It defied her common sense. However, she soon recalled tales of masters who appeared young and looked at Na Ye-jin.

“Is he perhaps a master who has achieved rejuvenation?”

At Lee Hye-yeon’s question, Na Ye-jin smiled and shook her head. Hearing this, Yu-jin instantly appeared before Lee Hye-yeon and took her hand.

“Rejuvenation? I’m only twenty-five. In any case, I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself in the heat of the moment. My name is Kang Yu-jin, currently known as the Divine Sword Dragon.”

Lee Hye-yeon blushed and pulled her hand away from his, but her expression soon turned to one of shock upon hearing his title.

She had heard of the Divine Sword Dragon. The strongest of the Eight Dragons, who were currently shaking the martial world.

However, Lee Hye-yeon could tell that Yu-jin’s martial arts were far more profound than what was known to the world. The power he had shown far surpassed the limits of what a peak master could display.

“I was late in expressing my gratitude. Thank you so much, Young Master Kang. I will not forget this debt. If it’s not too much to ask, would you be willing to visit the Mount Diancang Sect? I believe we should at least offer such hospitality to our savior.”

Yu-jin grinned at Lee Hye-yeon’s words. He couldn’t be more pleased that she was walking right into his hands.

But it was then.

*RUUUUMBLE!*

A colossal demonic energy surged, sending heaps of dirt and trees flying as the fiend slowly walked out.

Its entire body was drenched in blood, mangled by the Black Heaven Divine Palm, but its wounds were slowly regenerating.

“It’s fine even after taking that?”

Even if it had regenerative abilities, the attack he had unleashed was powerful enough to overwhelm them.

It should never have been able to regenerate so easily, yet there it was, perfectly fine. Yu-jin was utterly dumbfounded.

But his surprise was fleeting. He once again launched himself at the fiend, kicking its head with a leg imbued with internal energy.

*BOOM!*

A shockwave, like an exploding cannonball, rippled through the air as the fiend was sent crashing into the cliff again.

To finish it for good this time, Yu-jin once more brought his hands together, creating a black sphere. Having formed the Black Heaven Orb, the ultimate technique of the Black Heaven Divine Palm, he threw it without hesitation.

*CRUMBLE! CRASH!*

As the power of the extremely condensed energy was released, the cliff could not withstand the force and collapsed.

“This should do it.”

A kick powerful enough to shatter its brain, followed by a direct hit from the Black Heaven Orb—even a fiend should have died from that.

However, Yu-jin’s assumption was wrong again. As the rocks flew away, the fiend revealed itself once more.

A single glance showed its bones and muscles were a mangled mess, clearly indicating a severe injury, but the fiend was still alive.

“I have no choice. I’ll have to end this in one blow.”

Yu-jin muttered and drew the Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword. Unlike the techniques he had used so far, the Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword consumed an enormous amount of internal energy, making him reluctant to use it while suppressing the Golden Wheel Heavenly Vigor and the Suction Arts.

But the fiend was far more resilient than he had expected. Though it was too injured to regenerate properly, he had failed twice, so he judged it better to end things in a single strike.

“Grrrrrr!”

Then, something astonishing happened. The fiend, which should only know how to kill and fight, began to flee. It even launched a powerful attack toward Na Ye-jin and Lee Hye-yeon as it did.

The attack’s power far surpassed what a master of the Transformation Realm could produce. Yu-jin had no choice but to throw himself in front of them to block it.

“Ugh!”

The attack was so powerful it felt like his arm would twist off. Yu-jin couldn’t help but grimace.

In that instant, the fiend completely escaped from his sight, even concealing its immense demonic energy.

“What just happened?”

Yu-jin was at a loss for words, seeing the fiend behave so differently from how it did in the original story.

It was stronger than he remembered, and it had even concealed its demonic energy to escape.

It was a sight he couldn’t believe even after seeing it with his own two eyes.

“Ugh. It took a blow powerful enough to stop its regeneration, so it won’t be able to move recklessly for a while. But this is quite troublesome.”

The thought of that fiend recovering and moving again sent shivers down Yu-jin’s spine.

“Lady Hye-yeon.”

“Y-Yes?”

Hye-yeon answered, startled by Yu-jin’s call.

“We must go to the Mount Diancang Sect immediately and mobilize all the martial artists in Yunnan to create an inescapable net.”

“I… I don’t have that kind of authority…”

“It doesn’t matter. Just take me and Yu-jin to the Mount Diancang Sect for now.”

At Na Ye-jin’s confident declaration, Lee Hye-yeon nodded.

***

The Mount Diancang Sect.

Located near the border of Sichuan and Yunnan, this sect sought to attain enlightenment through the way of the sword.

It was a unique sect that originally followed the Buddhist path due to the influence of the Dali Kingdom, which had once adhered to Theravada Buddhism, but later converted to Taoism.

Its swordsmanship was also highly practical. While it was based on mastering the three principles of speed, change, and reversal, the sect was so renowned for its swift sword techniques that people immediately thought of them when the name Mount Diancang was mentioned.

“The most famous sword art of the Mount Diancang Sect is the Sun-Shooting Sword Art, isn’t it?”

At Yu-jin’s question, Lee Hye-yeon smiled faintly and nodded. She was pleased that he knew of their most famous sword art. But her joy was short-lived.

“If only we had perfected Hou Yi Shoots the Sun, the final form of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art, my martial brothers wouldn’t have fallen to such a vile creature.”

Hou Yi Shoots the Sun. The very technique that gave the Mount Diancang Sect’s signature sword art its name and established its modern reputation. If only she could have perfected that move, Lee Hye-yeon would not have feared the fiend.

But neither she nor her martial brothers had mastered it, and their incomplete Sun-Shooting Sword Art was not enough to defeat the fiend.

‘Truthfully, it’s uncertain if she could’ve beaten that fiend even if she had perfected the Sun-Shooting Sword Art. But it’s not entirely impossible, either.’

With that thought, Yu-jin headed toward the Mount Diancang Sect with Na Ye-jin and Lee Hye-yeon.

Eun Seol-rin and Ran were currently separated from Yu-jin’s group because Ran was consuming a spiritual elixir.

While Eun Seol-rin or Na Ye-jin might be fine, Ran would likely be in danger if she faced the fiend, so he had her consume the elixir to become as strong as possible.

Eun Seol-rin was staying by Ran’s side to assist with her training.

“Lady Hye-yeon. Before we meet your master, would you grant me a request?”

“You saved my life, so of course. What is your request?”

“Please tell your master that the one who drove the fiend away was the heroine, Na Ye-jin.”

Na Ye-jin had already revealed her identity to Lee Hye-yeon, so she wasn’t surprised by that. Although, she had been truly astonished when she first heard it.

Lee Hye-yeon couldn’t easily answer Yu-jin. She was conflicted about whether it was right to lie to her master.

“I implore you.”

Noticing her hesitation, Yu-jin bowed his head and pleaded. Lee Hye-yeon finally sighed and nodded.

“That’s not a difficult request. The Moon Empress did indeed help me. I won’t say anything specific about you, Sir Yu-jin.”

Yu-jin smiled at her answer. With everything settled, the group quickened their pace toward the Mount Diancang Sect and arrived two days later.

The Sect Leader’s residence, located in the depths of the Mount Diancang Sect, was usually a place of quiet and tranquil energy.

But not today. The news Lee Hye-yeon had brought had changed everything.

*CRACK!*

Elder Cheongsong, one of the sect’s elders, slammed his fist on a writing desk, and it shattered under the force.

But no one paid it any mind. They all understood the gravity of the situation.

Lee Hye-yeon couldn’t bring herself to meet the gazes of the elders and the Sect Leader.

“What is the meaning of this! How could the Nine Swords of Diancang fall to a mere fiend!”

Lee Hye-yeon felt a surge of defiance at Elder Cheongsong’s words. In her opinion, that fiend was so strong that even the elders present would struggle to face it.

To expect the Nine Swords of Diancang to defeat such an opponent was an impossible demand from the start. But Lee Hye-yeon couldn’t say a word.

“Hold on, Elder Cheongsong. Aren’t you being too hard on Hye-yeon?”

Jo Hye-jin, the Diancang Divine Maiden, Lee Hye-yeon’s master and another elder, asked with a frown.

She could see how intimidated her disciple was, and she couldn’t help but be angered by the way he was cornering her.

“Hmph! Elder Jo Hye-jin, you can say that because your disciple is alive, can’t you? I and the others have all lost our disciples. Is it not natural to ask what happened!”

At those words, Jo Hye-jin gritted her teeth. He was right. Except for her own disciple, all the other elders’ disciples had lost their lives.

Among the dead were some elders’ only disciples. Just then, Baek In-cheon, the Sect Leader of the Mount Diancang Sect, spoke.

“It would be too painful to ask Hye-yeon anything after she witnessed the deaths of her martial brothers. We will ask the other witness for the truth.”

Everyone nodded in agreement at Baek In-cheon’s words. Soon, Na Ye-jin entered. Though she possessed a refined beauty, no one was interested in such things at the moment.

“Could you please tell us what happened, Moon Empress?”

Although Baek In-cheon was the leader of a sect, the Moon Empress, Na Ye-jin, was a supreme master who had reached the Transformation Realm, so it was necessary to show her proper respect.

“Of course.”

However, since Baek In-cheon’s seniority was higher than Na Ye-jin’s, she also had to show him respect.