Chapter 133: An Unnecessary Truths (3)
Had Song Yangja, now turned into a monster, grown to about nearly nine feet tall?
He had become massive, but it wasn’t a transcendent size like the awakened ones of the Colorful Flower Lord.
“Huff, huff! This sense of liberation… it’s the best.”
In Song Yangja’s relieved expression, beast-like fangs were visible.
The Azure Pine High Sword he held in his hand was unchanged, but due to his grotesquely enlarged body, the sword now looked like a mere toothpick.
“Gu Chil, take the subordinates and fall back.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Gu Chil bit his lips and nodded.
The bluish energy radiating from the entirety of Song Yangja’s body was something no human should be capable of emitting.
I let out a hollow laugh toward Song Yangja.
“For one who walks the Dao to fall into demonic obsession, what a ridiculous sight.”
“Demonic? Can’t you see this sacred and pure energy? How is this demonic in any way?!”
Song Yangja vehemently denied my words, almost as if screaming.
I tilted my head slightly and spoke.
“‘Demonic’ doesn’t just refer to the nature of Qi. If the mind walks the path of the demonic, then that’s already falling into the demonic.”
“A mere cultist of the Demonic Cult dares lecture me about mental demons?”
“The Demonic Cult’s philosophy puts overcoming the demonic at its very core. Don’t think concepts like ‘Transcending the Demon’ or ‘Freeing from the Demon’ exist for nothing.”
Assuming that one has escaped the demonic just because their Qi feels clean and pure—that’s a huge mistake.
In fact, the more one clings to such things, the greater the mental demons grow inside.
“Nonsense!”
Song Yangja pointed a finger at me.
“Look! That vile demonic energy swirling around you! And you have the nerve to talk about the demonic path to me?!”
“Mm!”
“He has a point!”
“From the outside, he’s not wrong…”
The people who had retreated behind me seemed to trust Song Yangja’s words more than mine.
Despite his monstrous appearance, Song Yangja radiated a clear Daoist energy that made him seem almost like a divine beast.
On the other hand, even though I looked pristine, the force radiating from me—imbued with the power of the Heavenly Demon—was no different from that of the world's most wicked heretic.
“Well, on the surface, that may be true.”
I smirked lightly and gathered my aura.
In an instant, the wild energy calmed, and a subtle killing intent lingered in its place.
Of course, the more I looked at Song Yangja, the more the Qi and blood within my entire body surged as if unable to contain the power rampaging inside me.
“Let’s finish this quickly. Honestly, I still don’t get why the Cult Leader spared you, but I hope I’ll find the answer beyond that point.”
“You dare act so arrogantly just because you’ve reached a decent realm!”
Just like during the Yin-Yang Fist Demon fight.
Had Song Yangja maintained his original appearance and displayed his swordsmanship as the Azure Star Swordsman, I likely wouldn’t have had any chance of winning.
Such people couldn’t be affected by the mystery-disrupting power that Yoo So had bestowed upon me.
But now it was different.
The moment I faced Song Yangja’s awakened form, the Heavenly Demon’s power infused me with an unmatched vitality.
‘I don’t feel like I’ll lose.’
No doubt, Song Yangja was a martial master with few rivals in the Central Plains.
The very fact that the Cult Leader had personally stepped in proved he was worthy of such a title.
However—
“Unleashing your awakened form before me was a clear mistake. I’ll make sure you realize that.”
Bzzzzzt!
The moment my sword was enveloped in flame-like Qi Projection—
A sword momentum flew at Song Yangja, one that shouldn’t even exist at the peak master level.
***
First Palm, Great Void Palm
First Sword, Opening the Heavens with Fire Stream
The moment Song Yangja’s palm technique and the first strike of the Heavenly Deer Sword collided—
Boom—!
A massive shockwave echoed through all of Iron Steed Prison Cave.
Gulp!
“Ughhh!”
“Which lunatics are rampaging in here?!”
The prisoners nearby instantly went into a panic, spewing out their fear.
But Three Attendants and Ma Cheolsoo paid no mind to the others’ reactions. They were utterly mesmerized by the mythic battle unfolding before their eyes.
When the black Qi Projection and the blue palm force clashed, the resulting shockwaves destroyed everything around them.
None of them had ever witnessed a true clash between super-high-level martial artists, and they doubted their own eyes at the spectacle.
“Wh-what the hell is that?”
“You’re telling me the Lord was that powerful…?!”
Three Attendants, in particular, who had been a frog in a well, was overwhelmed with shock.
Reaching the realm of a first-rate martial artist and drawing out Sword Qi had made him feel like he possessed the whole world.
But now, they realized just how arrogant that mindset had been.
The moment they saw this battle, that illusion shattered completely.
“Crazy… And I thought I could catch up to that?”
Ma Chulsoo, especially, was filled with deep despair as he watched the clash.
‘No matter how I think about it… I don’t think I can ever catch up!’
However, there were a few who found the clash itself puzzling.
San Dojeon leaned toward Baek Sang-ah and whispered with a confused expression.
“Has the Lord reached the state of Transcendent Demon Realm?”
Baek Sang-ah, who had been watching intently while swallowing her saliva, shook her head.
“Absolutely not. When we sparred before, he may have been a level or two above me, but he was still firmly within the peak demonic master realm.”
“Is it possible that he crossed realms during that time?”
“It’s not… entirely impossible, but I don’t think that’s it.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“If Jin Yeomyung had truly reached the Transcendent Demon Realm, he’d be moving even more boldly than this right now.”
To Baek Sang-ah, Jin Yeomyung was a strategist.
Not one who pulls strings from behind, but one who dives into the field himself and flips the situation.
If his base martial power had reached the level of Transcendent Demon Realm, he would have had no reason to keep his distance from the Young Cult Leader.
“Then what are we seeing in front of us? No matter how I look at it, that’s the majesty of a supreme martial artist who has reached the Transcendent Demon Realm.”
“Th-that… I’m not sure either…”
Perhaps he was using some kind of special great technique or explosive Qi technique.
Even considering that, the martial prowess Jin Yeomyung was currently displaying was far beyond excessive.
As the battle between masters escalated, a domain of authority began forming—an area where anything living or nonliving that entered would be instantly torn apart.
As time passed, the momentum of the demonic energy surrounding Jin Yeomyung only grew stronger.
In contrast, Song Yangja—whose awakened form had once brought to mind the legendary Wu Zhiqi—was clearly weakening by the minute.
Just then, near Baek Sang-ah, who was blankly watching the fight, came the sound of an old man's laughter.
“Heh heh heh, now this is quite the unexpected development.”
“O-old man?!”
The very one who had once blocked their way and then disappeared—Poisoned Demonic Warlord Cheon Jeonmun.
He now appeared before Baek Sang-ah.
Startled by Cheon Jeonmun’s sudden appearance, Baek Sang-ah instinctively stepped back and growled.
“Why are you appearing before us again?”
Cheon Jeonmun let out a sly smile.
“Because this old man is the administrator of this place. Should the administrator just vacate his post?”
It was a logically sound answer, but his tone was incredibly irritating.
Baek Sang-ah curtly questioned again.
“Why is that kind of monster still alive and kicking?”
Cheon Jeonmun shrugged.
“It was that Junior Brother who ignored my suggestion. I did warn him, you know.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. Why was something like that kept alive? For what reason?!”
“Well, that I can’t say. It was the Cult Leader who brought him in.”
As Cheon Jeonmun dodged the question with ease, rage boiled up inside Baek Sang-ah.
But she dared not speak out recklessly.
Though she had become more aggressive and combative in nature, she was still capable of selectively controlling her anger.
Her instincts had been screaming for some time now—never to provoke the old man standing before her.
“Then let me rephrase the question. What is it that the old man wants from Young Master Jin?”
“Do I look like I want something from that Junior Brother?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
If not, there was no reason for him to appear here like this.
Cheon Jeonmun looked at Baek Sang-ah with an odd gaze.
“Hmm, perhaps it’s because you’re the granddaughter of that Sword King guy? Your intuition is unusually sharp.”
“…What is that supposed to mean?”
“It’s a compliment. No need to scowl like that.”
From the tone of his voice, it sounded like he was lumping her together with her grandfather for mockery.
Furious yet on edge, Baek Sang-ah studied the old man whose intentions were impossible to read.
There weren’t many who could casually refer to one of the Five Kings of the Central Plains, the current righteous alliance leader—the Southern Sky Sword King—as just “that guy.”
“It’s not so much that I want something… I’m just curious about one thing.”
“And that is?”
“Whether that Junior Brother can act as he always did… even after learning the truth.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to explain what that truth is first?”
Did he have some illness where he’d die if he just stated things clearly?
“You’ll naturally come to know if he defeats that old man of Qingcheng. As promised, there will be no more interference after that.”
“……”
“So let’s just watch for now. If he can’t overcome at least this much of a trial, he won’t be qualified to shoulder the truth anyway.”
“I’m asking what that truth is!”
Baek Sang-ah pressed relentlessly, but Cheon Jeonmun never answered her directly.
He merely muttered quietly to himself.
“It’s earlier than expected, but it should be fine. If he’s going to stand by her side, it’s something he’ll have to know eventually.”
Baek Sang-ah scowled deeply.
She badly wanted to stitch shut the mouth of this damn old man who kept babbling things only he understood.
“You there, lovely young lady.”
“What is it now?”
Her voice was laced with thorns.
Had he not called her “lovely,” she probably wouldn’t have responded at all.
“There’s something I’m curious about. Will you answer it?”
Before Baek Sang-ah could even respond,
Cheon Jeonmun abruptly threw out an odd question.
“Do you believe, young lady, that a True Supreme must always be absolutely lonely?”
***
Roughly the time of two breaths passed.
The fight between me and Song Yangja had entered its final stage.
“Huff! Huff!”
Song Yangja was panting heavily, gritting his teeth, clearly struggling to breathe.
‘As expected, he wasn’t at full strength.’
Only two breaths had passed, and yet a martial master of that level was already exhausted.
The likely cause was the aftereffects of his fight with the Cult Leader.
While his awakened form certainly brought explosive Qi power beyond the ordinary, it still hadn’t been able to fully regenerate his severed limbs.
More importantly—
“Keuh… keh heh heh!”
The longer the battle dragged on, the more Song Yangja was losing his sense of self.
Just like Myeong-oh before him, his human body couldn’t handle the power of myth.
Kwa-gwang!
The Qi Projection unleashed through the sword form of the Boundless Realm Demon Art tore through Song Yangja’s chest.
“Graaagh!”
As time went on, Song Yangja’s movements grew more and more monotonous.
Only the instincts of a wounded beast remained, flailing his limbs mindlessly.
Of course, even those wild swings contained such terrifying force that getting hit directly would be incredibly dangerous.
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
One of his palm strikes swept across a nearby cliff, instantly pulverizing a group of Iron Steed Prison Cave prisoners.
“Graaagh!”
“S-spare me!”
Song Yangja clearly had no intention of stopping.
I widened the distance and quietly observed his rampage.
‘A little bitter, this.’
No doubt, Song Yangja had once stood on the verge of entering the Transformation Realm—a true master.
If he hadn’t been devastated in that fight against the Cult Leader, I wouldn’t even have been able to stand against him.
Still, while it was bitter, I felt no pity.
Left alone, he could have one day destroyed the cult I belonged to.
“Huff! Ama…zing…”
After rampaging for some time and wreaking havoc upon Iron Steed Prison Cave, Song Yangja suddenly seemed to regain his senses and halted his destruction.
“Each time I absorbed your energy, I felt the power of myth within me unravel.”
“Of course. That power is the very reason I could stand against you.”
“More than that… for some reason, I keep seeing the Heavenly Demon in you.”
“Oh?”
“You… surely weren’t involved in ‘that incident’... and yet…”
‘That incident’?
What’s he talking about?
“Two Heavenly Demons in one era… absurd, but not entirely impossible. Heh heh…”
Thud!
As if his body had finally reached its limit, Song Yangja dropped to his knees and hung his head.
‘His body is collapsing!’
It was similar to Myeong-oh’s case.
As the light in his eyes slowly faded, Song Yangja turned to me and earnestly pleaded.
“Qingcheng has nothing to do with this. It was all due to my greed and ambition… please, grant them mercy.”
“……”
“I believe you’ll grow strong enough one day to wipe out Qingcheng single handedly.”
Probably.
I nodded toward the dying Song Yangja.
“I’ll take that into consideration.”
“Thank you…”
Perhaps taking that as agreement, Song Yangja peacefully exposed his neck.
Of course, the judgment on Qingcheng would come only after I confirmed whether they were truly involved.
I swung my sword cleanly, severing Song Yangja’s neck in one stroke.
Thud!
Thus, his head fell.
And before me now stood the entrance to the cave he had once passed through.
‘Now, it’s time to find out what lies beyond that point.’