Chapter 354 ·Martial Artist and Cultivator (2)
Chapter 354: Martial Artist and Cultivator (2)
Those who would be influenced by the fragments left behind by the True Martial God.
And the preparations made by the Buddha Realm.
After realizing everything, the Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable came to a different conclusion.
'I shall become the new True Body.'
Rather than reviving the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven, he wished for the Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable to be reborn as an entirely new existence.
Before the rift closed, he gathered his power and sent it to another timeline.
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerables there would discover the plan and, using both the preparations originally made to revive the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven and the power he had sent, begin something new.
Then, one day, when those who had inherited the power of the Buddha Realm arrived, every Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable would become one, creating a new Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
Everything had gone according to plan.
Until Jang Woo-hyun appeared.
'He was the problem.'
From a certain point onward, the future had become impossible to see clearly, and variables gradually began to appear.
In the future Wi Un-yang had foreseen, Muk Geom-yeong and Zhang Sanfeng did not exist.
Only the Demon Beast Race was supposed to receive the Buddha Realm's power and ascend to the Upper Realm, yet unexpected variables had appeared.
There had also been indistinct scenes within the future, but he had assumed it was simply because his power was insufficient.
Besides, events had mostly unfolded as he expected, so he had paid them little attention.
But that was not the case.
Everything had begun to go wrong the moment Jang Woo-hyun appeared.
Jang Woo-hyun had been influencing the future that could not be seen clearly.
An existence beyond all prediction and calculation.
The martial artist who stood opposite him was not the True Martial God, Lee Tae-seong.
It was Jang Woo-hyun.
Even the current situation had been completely beyond his expectations.
He had never imagined he would lose his power and fall into ruin like this.
Previously, he had cast Jang Woo-hyun down in order to use the fragment of the Martial God.
Now, Jang Woo-hyun had used the very same method against him.
"So, this is where you were?"
While organizing his thoughts, he heard a voice.
Wi Un-yang looked ahead.
Jang Woo-hyun was slowly walking toward him.
"You..."
Speaking directly with his own voice felt unfamiliar to Wi Un-yang.
It had been so long that he could not even remember the last time he had spoken aloud.
After clearing his throat to shake off the awkwardness, he spoke again.
"So this was the best method you could come up with? You will die here today."
"We'll only know that after we fight."
Smiling, Jang Woo-hyun raised Baekmu.
Now free from the mercury-like appearance that had once covered him, Wi Un-yang was a middle-aged man with a sharply sculpted face.
He gave off a dignified impression overall, but his eyes were cold and razor-sharp.
'His strength is at the level of a Peak Master.'
Judging by the standards of martial artists, that was his level.
His power was indeed greater than Jang Woo-hyun's.
'Even so, this is manageable.'
His own strength was at the First-rate level.
His opponent was at the Peak level.
It would not be easy, but it was far better than fighting in the Upper Realm.
Now, if he struggled with everything he had, he could still reach him.
Besides, this kind of battle suited him better.
To Jang Woo-hyun, martial arts meant swinging a sword to attack an enemy and moving his body to evade attacks.
He raised Baekmu while measuring the distance.
Drawing the energy from his Dantian, he bent his knees slightly so he could spring forward at any moment.
"I'm Jang Woo-hyun."
With the corner of his lips lifting slightly, he proudly spoke his name.
"Wi Un-yang."
Upon hearing his opponent's name, he focused all of his senses.
With the amount of Internal Energy he currently possessed, using Sword Energy would exhaust him almost immediately.
He would have to rely on his own eyes.
Though his realm had fallen, Jang Woo-hyun's experience and enlightenment remained unchanged.
The same was undoubtedly true for his opponent.
'It won't be easy.'
Even so.
That was fine.
At least he had not reached the point of giving up.
The first to move after their brief observation was Jang Woo-hyun.
Bang!
Driving his foot into the ground, he exploded forward.
Demonic King Second Step Dash.
He instantly closed the distance and was about to thrust his sword.
Then he twisted his body.
Crunch!
Without warning, two thick muscular arms burst out from behind Wi Un-yang's back.
Their fingernails extended more than three chi before stabbing toward him like spears.
Jang Woo-hyun rolled across the ground.
His clothes were torn, but he remained unharmed.
"Excellent instincts."
Rolling backward, Jang Woo-hyun met Wi Un-yang's murderous gaze.
Though he had clearly been walking slowly, Wi Un-yang somehow stood directly before him.
The arms sprouting from his back increased to four.
Swinging their elongated claws like blades, they pressed relentlessly toward Jang Woo-hyun.
Clang! Kaang!
Claws and sword collided, scattering sparks.
Even while retreating, Jang Woo-hyun concentrated on everything.
Every tiny movement.
Every step.
The direction of his toes.
The twist of his waist.
His opponent's eyes.
His clothing.
Even the surrounding environment.
He had not escaped earlier through instinct alone.
-Don't just watch the person. Observe everything around them.
He followed Ma Chung-won's teaching to observe his surroundings.
He did not focus solely on Wi Un-yang's gaze and movements.
As he observed the overall picture, Wi Un-yang's clothing suddenly clung tightly to his body, as though someone behind him had tugged on it.
The instant he noticed it, Jang Woo-hyun threw himself aside.
'A cultivator could attack in any manner.'
Because he never forgot that his opponent was not a martial artist, he reacted immediately.
As Jang Woo-hyun was forced backward, Wi Un-yang seemed to think he had seized the advantage and unleashed an even fiercer assault.
Crack.
The claws disappeared.
His arms grew even thicker.
They lengthened further, and his fists were dyed silver.
Boom!
The fist Jang Woo-hyun dodged slammed into the ground, sending dirt flying.
Immediately afterward, another fist the size of a human head came flying toward him.
Baekmu traced a small circle.
Three Rings Sword Art.
Small Ring.
Because of the difference in their realms, redirecting or deflecting the attack was far from easy.
Boom!
Instead of deflecting it, Baekmu rebounded as though it had struck solid rock.
-Every person's body is different. How can they all be treated the same? I have my own way. And you have yours.
He abandoned rigid thinking and adapted.
Then he immediately found his own method.
He compressed all of his power into only the tip of his sword, just as he did when using Evil-Slaying Single Flash.
Because his realm had fallen, he could not pour much power into it.
But that alone was enough to redirect Wi Un-yang's attacks.
Boom! Boom!
The fists that had descended as though to shatter his sword struck only the empty ground.
Small craters appeared everywhere.
But Jang Woo-hyun remained unharmed.
"So you know how to dodge!"
Something snapped.
At the same time, two additional arms sprouted from Wi Un-yang's back.
Now six arms punched toward Jang Woo-hyun.
Drawing circles with his sword, he somehow managed to endure.
Yet the increasing force made it progressively harder to defend.
'They're heavy.'
The number of fists had only increased from four to six.
Yet the pressure had more than doubled.
Though they were merely punches, the power behind them was overwhelming.
Each time Jang Woo-hyun was forced backward, deep footprints were carved into the ground.
But that was not all.
Wi Un-yang overlapped his original hands and activated a spell.
Clang! Clang!
Silver spikes shot toward Jang Woo-hyun.
Blocking the enormous fists alone was already pushing him to his limit.
Now he also had to evade the rapidly flying spikes.
'This won't work.'
No matter how extraordinary Jang Woo-hyun's talent was, his opponent possessed talent equal to his own.
He was holding out.
But only barely.
Jang Woo-hyun had not yet launched a proper attack.
Until now, he had only dodged, blocked, and redirected.
'I can't win like this.'
From the very beginning, cultivators possessed greater power than martial artists who specialized in offense.
On top of that, Wi Un-yang's realm was currently higher.
As time passed, his Internal Energy would continue to dwindle.
And that would only place him at a greater disadvantage.
He had to decide the battle before that happened.
He had set the stage himself.
Yet all he had done was retreat.
'Stop overthinking it.'
He was still responding passively because he had not completely cast aside his fear.
Whenever an enemy stood before him, Jang Woo-hyun always advanced without retreating.
Yet now he could not.
He retreated a considerable distance.
To cast off his fear, he took one deep breath before exhaling.
Without taking his eyes off Wi Un-yang, he inhaled deeply once more.
Since he had forcibly lowered his own realm, he could no longer absorb the surrounding energy at the terrifying speed he once could.
Even so, his Dantian gradually filled with Internal Energy.
'I'm going.'
He circulated a large amount of energy at once, sending it into his legs and arms.
Ascending Heaven Flowing Armor.
Jang Woo-hyun's unique martial art, created from the foundation of the Tyrannical Heaven Divine Armor, a martial art combining offense and defense.
Ascending Heaven Flowing Armor was both armor made of Qi and a new body.
He could not use it perfectly now.
So he decided to focus solely on movement speed and offense.
Although it was an altered application, it was not difficult for a martial artist who had once ascended all the way to the Upper Realm.
For a brief moment.
Jang Woo-hyun surpassed the level of a First-rate Master.
'I'll finish this here.'
He intended to pour every last bit of strength into deciding the battle.
It seemed Wi Un-yang thought the same.
While Jang Woo-hyun prepared himself, he did not attack, instead gathering his own power.
His face hardened as he pressed his palms together.
Crack! Creak!
The six arms compressed.
Even Wi Un-yang grimaced, as though the process caused damage to his own body.
The thick muscular arms withered until only bones remained.
Their hands transformed into blades.
Multiple joints appeared.
They no longer resembled arms.
They looked like the massive legs of an insect.
Watching the transformation, Jang Woo-hyun kicked off the ground the instant Wi Un-yang briefly closed his eyes.
Boom!
The tremendous force left a crater beneath his feet.
Closing the distance in an instant, Jang Woo-hyun arrived before Wi Un-yang and swung his sword in a great arc.
Ordinarily, the attack would release a crescent-shaped sword slash.
But with his current lack of Internal Energy, that was impossible.
Even so.
Its power remained exceptional.
Crunch!
For the first time, Jang Woo-hyun's attack landed.
Two of the six arms extending from Wi Un-yang's back were severed.
Immediately afterward, Jang Woo-hyun used Six Directions Demonic King Steps.
Demonic King First Step.
Extreme Gap.
Using footwork that slipped into his opponent's blind spot, he appeared behind Wi Un-yang.
His sword thrust toward his neck.
But Wi Un-yang was not standing idle.
The remaining four arms swung their blade-like limbs, blocking Jang Woo-hyun's sword.
And that was not the end.
One of the severed arms moved again.
Blood gathered at the severed stump, condensing into a fist that struck Jang Woo-hyun.
Bang!
"Urgh."
The impact made him hunch over.
Yet Jang Woo-hyun stepped forward, closing the distance.
If he retreated now, he would lose his momentum and once again be forced onto the defensive.
The next moment, seeing another gigantic fist rushing toward him, he swung his sword.
Once vertically.
Once horizontally.
Black Wolf Fang Cross Slash.
The defensive sword slashes collided with Wi Un-yang's fist.
Kwaaaang!
Breaking through the explosion, Jang Woo-hyun charged once again.
Gathering all his energy into Baekmu, he thrust it forward.
A greatly weakened Evil-Slaying Single Flash.
Even so, the result was satisfying.
Boom!
The two arms Wi Un-yang had raised to defend were blown away.
Bang.
Jang Woo-hyun was struck once more and rolled across the ground.
Using the force that sent him flying, he rolled repeatedly until he escaped the attack's range.
Grinding his teeth, he kicked off the ground once more.
There was not much time left before his Internal Energy ran dry.
Only two arms remained on Wi Un-yang's back.
Yet he was smiling.
"You think this is all I have?!"
Raising his voice, Wi Un-yang clenched his fists.
This time, it was not the arms on his back.
His true arms became dyed with silver radiance.
Wi Un-yang thrust out both fists.
The back of his left hand faced the heavens.
His right hand faced the earth.
Everything before Jang Woo-hyun was dyed silver.
Wooooong.
Baekmu let out a resonant cry.
Five rings formed upon its blade.
Seven Rings, Fivefold Force of the Three Swords of Dark Night.
His Internal Energy was insufficient, so only five rings appeared.
Even so.
That was enough.
Kwaaang!!
The silver radiance collided with the five rings, producing a tremendous explosion.
Dust billowed into the air, obscuring their vision.
The surrounding area was left looking as though a war had broken out.
Jang Woo-hyun charged straight through the cloud of dust.
Boom!
Using Demonic King Three Steps of Dominion, he scattered the dust, then immediately used Dash to close the distance.
Bang!
One of the insect-like legs pierced Jang Woo-hyun's shoulder.
Even so, he took another step forward.
Another insect-like leg tore across his cheek.
Crunch!
To endure the pain of his face being ripped apart, he clenched his teeth.
He bit down so hard that his teeth cracked and blood burst from his gums.
Even then.
He took another step forward.
"You bastard!"
The startled Wi Un-yang retreated.
Jang Woo-hyun, smiling, advanced.
"Die!"
A silver-radiant fist shot toward him.
Using Three Rings Sword Art, he redirected it.
Bang! Bang!
Unable to redirect its force completely, his thigh and side burst open.
It hurt.
But he did not retreat.
Compared to when he had helped the Five Guardian Gods or when he had fallen into the Corpse Blood Realm.
This pain was nothing.
Once again, the insect-like legs moved.
Jang Woo-hyun responded with flowing movements.
Using Qingcheng's Flowing Willow Movement, he evaded the attacks.
Though he failed to avoid them perfectly and suffered more wounds.
Now.
It was Jang Woo-hyun's turn to attack.
Boom!
Driving his foot into the ground, he brought down his sword with every ounce of strength.
His final move was the Tiger-Form Sword's Mountain Lord Descends, learned at the White Tiger Martial Hall.
Crunch!
He severed the arm Wi Un-yang had raised in defense and shattered his collarbone.
As Baekmu descended to his chest, cracks spread across the blade.
Then, with a sharp crack!
The blade shattered.
"Grrr..."
Despite the agony, the arms behind Wi Un-yang's back moved once more.
Jang Woo-hyun did not stop.
Pursuing the terrified Wi Un-yang, he slammed his forehead into him.
Bang!
As he forced his way inside, Wi Un-yang's attack raked across Jang Woo-hyun's back.
Even so.
He did not stop.
Boom!
He delivered another headbutt.
Then slashed Wi Un-yang's neck with the broken Baekmu.
"Ghk."
Though Wi Un-yang struggled desperately, Jang Woo-hyun did not stop.
He drove the broken Baekmu into his heart.
Bang! Bang!
"Ghk!"
At the same time, the insect-like legs pierced both of Jang Woo-hyun's shoulders.
Unable to move his arms, Jang Woo-hyun rammed his entire body forward.
Both men rolled across the ground.
Jang Woo-hyun quickly climbed back to his feet and mounted Wi Un-yang.
Using his entire body, he forced the broken sword buried in Wi Un-yang's heart even deeper.
Then he continued slamming his forehead down.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Crack!
Wi Un-yang's face was crushed.
Cracks also began spreading across Jang Woo-hyun's skull.
The insect-like legs flailed wildly, attacking Jang Woo-hyun.
His thigh was pierced.
His chest was torn apart.
Though his entire body was carved to pieces.
Jang Woo-hyun did not stop.
In the end, he even pulled the sword embedded in Wi Un-yang's chest out with his mouth before driving it into his neck.
There was no telling how a cultivator might revive.
He had to use every attack he could.
As he repeatedly slammed his forehead into the sword lodged in Wi Un-yang's neck, his cheekbone shattered and one of his eyes was destroyed.
Even then.
Jang Woo-hyun did not stop.
Bang! Boom! Crunch!
Ignoring the fact that his own face was breaking apart, he continued headbutting like a madman.
Bang! Bang! Thud. Thump.
The endless headbutts finally came to a stop.
Jang Woo-hyun slowly raised his head.
His entire body was drenched in blood.
Both of his arms were useless.
His forehead and cheekbone had been shattered beyond recognition.
Blood streamed endlessly from one eye.
For quite some time, he simply laughed like a madman.
A little later.
Covered head to toe in blood, Jang Woo-hyun straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest.
Though pain twisted his face, he repeated the words once spoken by his inhuman friend.
"If I fight seriously, I win every time."
The battle between the martial artist and the cultivator ended with the martial artist's victory.