Chapter 119 : Chapter 119
Chapter 119. Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable (2)
Dam Jeok-san’s group continued their meal at the Silver Tear Pavilion, exchanging pointless chatter.
Yet deep tension lay heavy in their eyes.
It had been Dam Jeok-san who first warned of the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable’s attack. The other two had agreed not because they had discovered any concrete evidence.
It was trust in him. Faith in that name.
But now, all three were sensing something ominous.
The climate had changed. It was difficult to explain, yet they all felt it. An unparalleled master was approaching without concealing his presence in the slightest.
And with that presence alone, the world itself began to change.
“There is no other word for it but monster.”
The one who said it was none other than Kwon Gi-il.
He himself had surpassed the Ultra-Peak—the so-called pinnacle or limit of humanity—and reached the Entering Transformation Realm. Even so, the existence drawing near now was on an entirely different level.
It felt as though the world itself were approaching.
Even if he spent the rest of his life in cultivation, could he reach even half of that realm? Frankly, he doubted it.
“Everyone, be on guard.”
The warning came from Bukgung Wan, who had been quietly observing the situation.
Among the three present, he alone was a sorcerer. As a martial artist, his instincts might lag behind the other two, but he was a sorcerer who carried all the secret legacies of the Ming Cult and the Lesser Heavenly Demon confirmed to inherit the seat of the next Heavenly Demon.
“Something is starting.”
The moment Bukgung Wan’s warning fell, Dam Jeok-san drew both swords, and Kwon Gi-il rose as well, planting his saber into the floor.
Then, beyond the tavern windows—
WOOOOOO—
A blood-red shockwave, falling like a comet, came into view.
One of the Four Great Profound Intents of the Blood World Heavenly Sect—no, now of the Blood Palace.
[It is called Blood Blossom Calamity Destruction.]
The Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable’s resonant voice filled the entire space, booming like a colossal bell.
A mad advance that showed no intention of hiding his presence or acting discreetly.
“To dare do this on Shanxi soil.”
Dam Jeok-san’s brows twitched.
It was an outright insult to the authority of the Martial Sovereign Castle.
Had it been so long since the absolute Castle Lord last displayed his might at his seat of power?
Or was it sheer confidence, born from having once shaken off the Unorthodox Alliance Leader?
‘Or perhaps…’
He might simply be a madman. One who stepped onto Shanxi land despite knowing the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord might take his head.
For some reason, Dam Jeok-san found himself leaning toward that answer. The Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable’s presence was overflowing with nothing but madness and delight.
That did not mean his savagery could be tolerated.
Dam Jeok-san raised his sword.
[All of you, return to a handful of ash.]
With that mad declaration, the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable unleashed Blood Blossom Calamity Destruction, one of the Blood Palace’s Four Great Profound Intents.
The comet of Blood Blossom Calamity Destruction left a long trail in the air as it plunged toward the Silver Tear Pavilion.
“That is Astral Qi.”
Dam Jeok-san spoke while watching the cluster of comet-like lights beyond the window.
It was a shockwave formed of condensed qi, yet it distorted the world through shockwaves alone.
Only Astral Qi—refined by compressing and compressing the will of an Entering Transformation Realm master—could perform such a miracle.
“But to wield Astral Qi on that scale?”
“That is the result of merging the demonic path with the Outer Path.”
Bukgung Wan spoke softly.
The demonic arts of the Ming Cult were already violent and domineering by nature. Add to that the methods of the Outer Path, which went beyond defying human morality and abandoned humanity itself.
The resulting power would have risen without limit. That was the ultimate martial pursuit of the Blood Palace, and the Left Protector was one of the few transcendent beings who had embodied that ultimate.
FSSSSSS—
The Silver Tear Pavilion burned away upon contact with the comet of Blood Blossom Calamity Destruction. No, burned was not the right word.
It was closer to being ground down into powder by Astral Qi.
Blood Blossom Calamity Destruction pulverized the pavilion and bored into its interior.
And when it finally reached the place where Dam Jeok-san’s group stood—
[Explode.]
With a simple yet overwhelming will, it detonated.
“You insane—!”
A coarse curse burst from Dam Jeok-san’s mouth.
Crimson fragments of Astral Qi scattered in all directions. Wherever those fragments brushed past, everything turned into fine dust.
A divine might of a peerless master that no Heaven-Shaking Thunderbolt or fire cannon could ever hope to imitate.
Dam Jeok-san swung his twin swords wreathed in sword flame, forcing his way through the storm.
At that moment, the will of the Heaven-Dominating Saber shook the air.
[One Saber Fills the Heavens.]
Though still unrefined, he was undeniably a master who had reached the Entering Transformation Realm.
The saber strike swept through the air, erasing more than a third of the Astral Qi fragments.
Meanwhile, Bukgung Wan calmly formed hand seals, guarding himself.
Wrapped in a transparent barrier of some unknown kind, he blocked the storm almost perfectly.
It was undoubtedly one of the secret legacies of the Ming Cult.
Only the three of them survived the storm.
The building collapsed entirely, and even the rubble was half-ground into powder.
It was an attack closer to a natural disaster than a human act.
They now stood not in a tavern, but atop ruins.
Yet more terrifying than the power of that single strike was the fact that the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable had yet to reveal himself.
He had cast one of his profound intents—an art of such destructive force—merely as a means of seizing the initiative.
Dam Jeok-san stared into the air, his tension palpable.
“He is coming.”
As though a celestial deity were descending to the mortal world, a figure clad in blood-red robes descended from the sky to the earth.
It was extreme Void Treading, pushed to its utmost limit.
Every technique he displayed was something that would consume vast reserves of inner power. Unless one’s accumulated qi was as deep as the sea, such methods would never be used in real combat.
A shadow crossed Dam Jeok-san’s eyes. This might truly be a battle fought with the resolve to die.
And finally—
The Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable descended upon the earth.
***
“Three of you.”
A monstrous man with a blood-red crimson jade embedded in one eye socket. The Left Protector of the Blood Palace, the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable.
Dam Jeok-san’s group was reflected in his gaze.
The crimson jade, saturated with the demonic energy of the Outer Path, was also a demonic eye that pierced the essence of all things.
In an instant, he grasped the nature of his opponents.
The first to catch his eye was the Heaven-Dominating Saber, Kwon Gi-il.
“A greenhorn.”
He had reached the Entering Transformation Realm, yet did not even properly comprehend what that realm meant. It was a pity that he did not realize what a fragment of transcendent power he held.
‘If you do not know, then you must die as you are.’
Next, his gaze settled on Bukgung Wan.
The Young Cult Leader of the Ming Cult, the Lesser Heavenly Demon.
Killing him might incur the wrath of the Heavenly Demon in the west. But what of it? Since the Blood World Heavenly Sect broke away from the Ming Cult, they had been sworn enemies.
They said the Heavenly Demon reigned above ten thousand demons, but that only mattered when realms were comparable. A mere Ultra-Peak master could not obstruct the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable’s path.
“Then Sword Dragon, you…”
The light of the crimson jade, tinged with faint anticipation, turned toward Dam Jeok-san.
The rising star who had slain the Reverse-Blood Heaven Fiend. The miracle who had restored a lost dantian.
If that were the case, might he not be hiding something? And might that secret be of use to the Blood Palace—and to himself?
It was a leisurely attitude, like pondering the breed of a fish already caught.
Yet none of them dared strike first. Instinctively, they sensed the disparity in level.
“Hm?”
The Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable let out a puzzled sound as he looked at Dam Jeok-san.
He could see nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Even when looking upon someone stronger than himself, the crimson jade would at least reveal a hazy mist or the shape of a towering mountain.
Moreover, in the present world, there were very few who could be called stronger than the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable.
Excluding the Eight Sovereigns of Murim, there might not even be twenty.
A realm that could discuss pinnacle and ultimate without arrogance.
And yet, in exchange for gazing upon a mere Ultra-Peak master—
Cough—
Black, dead blood spilled from his mouth.
***
“We cannot miss this chance!”
Dam Jeok-san shouted fiercely.
From the moment he felt the crimson jade pierce through Kwon Gi-il, he had been preparing for this instant.
He drew forth the status of Seo Woo-joo, slumbering deep within his being.
It was an act that risked clouding his own sense of self. Moreover, borrowing Seo Woo-joo’s abilities to strike was fundamentally impossible.
‘My body still cannot endure Seo Woo-joo’s mind.’
His spirit had reached a realm so lofty it was better described as Entering Divinity rather than Entering Transformation.
If he unleashed that power, his Ultra-Peak body would collapse in an instant.
But to hold it for just a fleeting moment—
‘I can endure it.’
The price would be that his Upper Dantian would be left in tatters, but the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable would also pay the price for peering into the divine.
All things considered, it was a profitable exchange.
‘Because we have almost no means to stop his advance.’
Of course, Kwon Gi-il and Bukgung Wan likely each had a hidden card of their own.
‘But there is no need to expend them yet.’
Dam Jeok-san acted on that judgment.
Cough—
The effect was far greater than expected.
Blood flowed from the Heaven-Transcending Blood Venerable’s mouth.
This occurred because his spiritual sensitivity was monstrously sharp.
The Blood Palace was originally a sect that split off from the Ming Cult, and like them, it was a form of religion that worshiped a god.
Only that god was a demon that defied the heavens.
And within the Blood Palace, the Left Protector’s position was closer to that of a high priest.
Thus, he suffered even greater backlash from involuntarily glimpsing a fragment of the divine.
Dam Jeok-san did not miss that opening and charged forward.
This time, he chose a traditional ultimate technique of the Extreme Heaven Strange Sovereign Technique.
A sword art first taught to him by the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord, one that had made him a peak-level master.
[Sun-Piercing, Space-Shattering.]
Piercing the sun and shattering space—true to its name, a domineering sword art devoted solely to destruction and penetration.
To that domineering sword art was added Dam Jeok-san’s perfected Body Movement Art.
The unity of footwork and sword art. Pushed further, it was no different from the unity of body and sword.
It was worthy of being called Body and Sword as One.
Nor did it end there. The will of Seo Woo-joo, momentarily drawn forth, lingered faintly within Dam Jeok-san’s qi and lent it strength.
Measured precisely, it was power not even worth a single coin.
Yet with just that, Dam Jeok-san’s qi gained a force of an entirely different order.
GURK—
His body, unable to endure it, screamed in protest. Joints creaked, and blood overflowed within.
But Dam Jeok-san paid it no heed.
Only the resolve to pierce and kill remained. Only the resolve to penetrate and destroy clung to the sword.
At the same time—
“If there is no life, then there is no death…”
A strange incantation flowed from Bukgung Wan’s mouth, and the translucent barrier enveloping his body began to expand toward Dam Jeok-san.
Unless struck head-on by one of the Four Great Profound Intents, it should be able to block even a blow from an Entering Transformation Realm master. The opponent was of the Blood Palace, and he was the heir of the Ming Cult.
And the Heaven-Dominating Saber once again unleashed his will and swung his blade.
[One Saber Fills the Heavens.]
Approaching this as mere endurance would only lead to death for all of them. The three understood that instinctively.
And from far away—
Or perhaps from very nearby—
Someone was watching their struggle.