Chapter 98
The Demonic Doctor was circling around Cheon Woojin. A thick cloud of dust surrounded the two, making it difficult to see.
Nevertheless, Cheon Woojin occasionally moved his gaze, following the Demonic Doctor's movements as if he could see everything.
The moment Cheon Woojin's gaze turned to the right.
Swish-!
A faint sound of something cutting through the air was heard from the right. Cheon Woojin lightly swung the Crescent Moon Staff without even turning his head.
Kaang!
A large needle, commonly used by doctors, was hit by the Crescent Moon Staff and bounced off.
Cheon Woojin still followed the Demonic Doctor's movements with his eyes. However, the dust cloud became thicker, and the Demonic Doctor's figure gradually blurred.
Soon, the Demonic Doctor's movements reached a point where they could not be followed by the eyes. An ordinary martial artist would have lost his life to his invisible attacks.
However, Cheon Woojin was calm as always.
'How strange.'
It was Cheon Woojin's evaluation of the Demonic Doctor's martial arts.
The fact that he could not be followed by the eyes was not much of a threat to Cheon Woojin. Because he was already at a stage where he was more accustomed to fighting using his ki sense rather than his sight.
Cheon Woojin closed his eyes. Then, the Demonic Doctor's movements were felt even more clearly.
This time, the Demonic Doctor rushed in directly.
His bursting calf muscles became as taut as a bowstring, and he rushed in like a beast.
Cheon Woojin stretched out his palm forward. Soon, the palms of the two met, and they poured out their palm force at each other.
Kwaang-!
The two Dark Sky Ki clashed, and a menacing explosion occurred, and in the midst of the storm of ki, the Demonic Doctor once again unfolded his movement skills.
This time, it was from behind.
Similarly, an exchange of palm force took place.
Cheon Woojin intentionally took a step back. Then, he felt the Demonic Doctor's speed decrease slightly.
'Is he consuming his internal energy explosively?'
Even in Cheon Woojin's view, that speed was a realm that a human could not achieve. Even if it were his two masters or the Shadowless Divine Thief, they could not run faster than that.
Also, the palm he had faced was rougher than any martial artist Cheon Woojin knew. To be precise, it was not as hard as an iron lump, but it felt as tough as a cow's hide.
However, it certainly did not mean that the Demonic Doctor was stronger than his masters. A moment ago, seeing that he had confirmed his superiority and had reduced his speed, it seemed that he had a limit to his internal energy.
The moment he thought so, the Demonic Doctor rushed in again.
He lightly deflected his fist, but this time, he rushed in as if he had made up his mind. He swung his fist, palm, and foot in succession, mixing them exquisitely.
'The techniques have rather become simpler.'
Cheon Woojin watched the Demonic Doctor. To be precise, he observed his breathing, pulse, flow of ki, emotions, movements, and expression.
As a result, he realized that the Demonic Doctor's words were right. The current him seemed closer to a beast than a human.
His body had become stronger, and his senses were sharp. He would dodge counterattacks that he should not have been able to dodge at his level, but it seemed to be based on his senses rather than an intentional action.
On the other hand, his judgment seemed to have rather decreased. The Demonic Doctor was a person who was well-versed in medicine. He could not have been stupid. Nevertheless, the way he fought was ignorant and monotonous.
Soon, Cheon Woojin came to a conclusion.
"Did you decide to become a dog?"
There was no other way to explain it. The current Demonic Doctor was acting like a wild dog that had been starved for a few days.
He would rather have the upper hand against an opponent of the same level or a lower level. Because there would be no martial artist who had faced a wild dog that had surpassed the transcendent realm.
However, to entrust one's body to one's senses and instincts against a master stronger than oneself was no different from choosing death.
The Demonic Doctor considered Cheon Woojin as a lower-level person. It was a natural thing. Because even if he was the disciple of the Black Master, he was still young.
When there was no answer to his question, Cheon Woojin tilted his head.
"Don't tell me you've already become a dog? Have you become unable to speak human words anymore?"
"Shut up!"
The Demonic Doctor, who had been holding back his answer to reduce his internal energy consumption, burst into a roar. At the same time, Cheon Woojin's figure rushed in the direction where the voice had come from. The Crescent Moon Staff cut through the air, and a heavy resistance was felt at the tip of his hand.
Jjeo-eong-!
The Demonic Doctor, who was hit in the forearm, flew away at a tremendous speed. In the meantime, Cheon Woojin was genuinely impressed by the sight of him rotating his body to regain his balance.
"You've made something amazing."
However, the Demonic Doctor did not have the energy to answer. Originally, it was a fight that should have ended within an hour after taking the pill. However, that guy was blocking all of his attacks.
He even seemed to have quite a bit of leeway. It was difficult to erase his impatience, as he felt that only his internal energy was being rapidly consumed.
The Demonic Doctor could not believe this situation. However, there was no time to think. Because that guy was rushing in again.
The Demonic Doctor's body flinched for a moment because the image of the Black Master was projected from the momentum of the guy holding the Crescent Moon Staff.
"W-what a monstrous guy."
"..."
Cheon Woojin did not answer. Although he would sometimes hear the rude word 'monster', he had not known that he would even hear it from a guy who had chosen to become a beast himself.
A rather unpleasant feeling was fully contained in the Crescent Moon Staff.
Kwaang-!
The Demonic Doctor crossed his arms and blocked. Although he was pushed back, his arms were fine. For Cheon Woojin, who had intended to at least break his arms, it was a failed attack.
However, there was no need to be frustrated. How could there be only one chance? The momentum that Cheon Woojin had exuded had already dominated the surroundings.
The Demonic Doctor, who had intended to run away for a moment, stopped his steps, thinking that he might die if he showed his back. The Demonic Doctor changed his strategy. In a situation where only he was impatient, even a fight he could win was bound to be lost.
Perhaps because the image of the Black Master was constantly being projected, he could not calm his mind, so he intended to draw out the opponent's impatience as well.
"Isn't it an amazing pill?"
"That's right."
Cheon Woojin obediently admitted. If it could enhance the skill of a master of the Demonic Doctor's level to that extent, a martial artist below him would see an even greater effect.
Because it was a law that poison and medicine did not work well on masters.
As Cheon Woojin admitted, the Demonic Doctor, who had smiled pleasantly, continued to speak.
"I have prepared a hundred pills in the Tang family. By now, your comrades would have been torn to shreds by the wild dogs that have taken the poison..."
Jjeo-eong-!
The Demonic Doctor's head was thrown back. If he had received this much impact on his forehead, his neck bone should have been broken. However, the Demonic Doctor raised his head again. His bones and muscles had become abnormally strong.
When he looked forward again, the Crescent Moon Staff was rushing in. The Demonic Doctor let out a laugh. The opponent had also become impatient.
The Crescent Moon Staff rushing at him was very fast. Before he had taken the pill, it would have been difficult to even follow the movement with his eyes.
However, now that his body and senses had been awakened, it was clearly visible. The Demonic Doctor raised his arms, staring straight at the trajectory of the Crescent Moon Staff. He intended to block it. He would give up on attacking and just keep blocking.
So that that guy would become more impatient, until the Martial Alliance members in the Tang family were all dead.
It was then.
'W-what...!'
The Crescent Moon Staff that he had been staring at suddenly disappeared from his sight. The moment he recognized that, he felt a sharp pain in his side.
Jjeo-eok-!
The speed of the Crescent Moon Staff was so fast that he had allowed a single strike to his side before he could even raise his arms.
The Demonic Doctor thought that he had been too careless. While he was blaming himself and preparing for the next attack, the Crescent Moon Staff was already stuck in his solar plexus.
"Keoheok!"
For a moment, it felt as if his breath had stopped. Starting with that, the dark, cool iron staff cut through the empty air one after another.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-!
The Demonic Doctor's entire body was literally pounded. A terrible pain came over him. However, in that pain, his skin, muscles, bones, and organs were enduring it.
Cheon Woojin, who was driving the Demonic Doctor, frowned slightly. It was so faint that even the Demonic Doctor, who was close by, could not recognize it.
'How hard.'
His body was truly abnormal.
The Demonic Doctor's intention was exactly right. Cheon Woojin was impatient. He was worried that when he returned, Song Yiyeon, Zhuge Lin, and the Heavenly Tiger Unit Commander would be dead.
For a moment, seven ways to kill the Demonic Doctor came to Cheon Woojin's mind at the same time.
He could forcibly open his mouth and shove the Crescent Moon Staff in, or he could gouge out his eyes. He could induce a qi deviation by injecting the Dark Sky Ki into his brain, and if necessary, he could throw him into a deep underground where he could not get out with his own strength and starve him to death.
In the meantime, a single voice brushed past his brain.
- Did I teach you like that!
It was the scolding of his Black Master.
At the same time, the methods that had come to Cheon Woojin's mind disappeared in an instant, and only one method remained. It was a method that was extremely fitting of the Black Master.
Cheon Woojin stopped his attack and hung the Crescent Moon Staff down.
"What do you think my master would have said to do when he saw a disobedient dog?"
At Cheon Woojin's question, the Demonic Doctor's mouth twisted. As much as they feared the Black Master, the ones who were close to him were the disciples of the Dark Heavenly Son.
"I'm sure he would have said to beat it with that eerie staff. Saying that the rod is the medicine."
"Wrong."
"Hmm?"
The Demonic Doctor tilted his head. The Black Master he knew would have definitely said so.
"He said to look it straight in the eye and stroke it gently. Because a beast, unlike an arrogant human, instinctively feels the position of the opponent and itself."
Cheon Woojin, who said so, looked straight into the Demonic Doctor's pupils. The Demonic Doctor, who met his eyes, flinched for a moment. Pupils as deep as an abyss.
The last time he had seen those eyes was decades ago. However, the fear that had been deeply engraved in his mind was a law that would not be forgotten even after hundreds of years.
'The eyes I had only seen in my master and the great senior brother...'
The great senior brother was the Black Master, and the master was the venerable one of evil who had brought them into the world.
"How is it? Now that you've become a dog, do you think my master's words are right?"
"..."
The Demonic Doctor could not say anything.
Cheon Woojin also stretched out a palm towards the Demonic Doctor, as if it were not a question that expected an answer.
It looked like a simple palm force. However, the surrounding air was roughly torn, and the heavens and the earth shook as if they would collapse at any moment. Cheon Woojin had put half of his internal energy into this one palm force.
Was it around the age of fourteen? After the palm force that he had poured out with all his might had brought down a cliff. His masters had told him to use only half of his internal energy, except for the Heavenly Demon, the Black Plaque Star Lord, and the alliance leader, who were called the Three Pillars of the World.
Now, his internal energy had doubled since then, so that statement would have to be corrected, but the masters who would do so were no longer there.
Cheon Woojin's palm touched the Demonic Doctor's solar plexus.
At that moment, the Demonic Doctor had the illusion that the world was twisting.
He thought that something was exploding...
On the contrary, that energy sucked in everything around it. It was a phenomenon that was the complete opposite of an explosion that emitted energy in all directions.
A flash of light swallowed the vision of the two, and just a 'beep' sound continued.
* * *
Cheon Woojin looked down at the Demonic Doctor.
He thought that it was a relief that there were no private houses nearby. A large pit with a radius of a hundred feet (300m) had been created, centered on the Demonic Doctor.
The Demonic Doctor was dead with his ribs collapsed.
The moment he was about to turn around after looking at the corpse for a moment.
He felt a very familiar energy from behind.
It was the Dark Sky Ki.
"Don't tell me."
Cheon Woojin turned his head. Fortunately, the Demonic Doctor was still dead. Well, if he had survived even after being hit by such a palm force, the Demonic Doctor would not have even tried to establish the Righteous Heaven Alliance by tempting Dang Bicheon.
When he looked closely, he saw something like a black bead between his collapsed ribs. It was the source of the Dark Sky Ki.
Cheon Woojin jumped down into the pit where the Demonic Doctor's corpse was. He retrieved the bead that was in his burst heart.
It contained a very dense concentration of the Dark Sky Ki. Did the Demonic Doctor know? That he had lived with a precious elixir in his heart that was more precious than any pill he had made.
"...Master."
For a moment, the dug-up corpse of the Black Master came to Cheon Woojin's mind. Also, the Giant Stone Monster and the Blood Immortal, who had died in the same state.
Did all the disciples of the Dark Heavenly Son have something like this in their hearts? If so, the incident at that time must have been committed by someone who was aiming for this bead.
Cheon Woojin's energy sank colder than ever before.
A person who would know of the existence of this bead.
Also, a person who needed such a dense Dark Sky Ki.
At the same time, a person who could do that.
There was only one
such being in the world.