Chapter 299: Greedy and Selfish (2)
True Bright Night Sword
The Great Destruction of the Primordial Wasteland that Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon unleashed was ultimately unable to withstand the Bright Night Sword we had released, and it vanished.
However—
Thud!
Without knowing who moved first, Cheon Yura and I both collapsed on the spot.
“Ugh!”
“Keugh!”
The backlash from breaking the opponent’s resonance was by no means light.
Never mind the turmoil in my internal qi—it felt like my head was about to split open.
'Damn it!'
The recoil was worse than I had expected. No—perhaps it was a relief that it had ended with just this much?
At that moment, Ma Seoyeon rushed over, shouting.
“You stupid bastards! Why the hell don’t you ever listen properly?!”
Surprisingly, Ma Seoyeon actually looked to be in better shape.
But I quickly realized that was an illusion.
“Sister… your arm….”
One of Ma Seoyeon’s arms had already disappeared, and blood was seeping out from the torn sleeve.
With a faint smile, she flicked my forehead with her remaining hand.
“What, you bastard? You’re the one who sliced it off.”
Thwack!
“Urgh!”
“And besides, we’re not living beings. We’re just lingering thoughts.”
“…….”
“So shut up and focus on managing your qi. Unlike us, you’re alive. If your mind gets damaged, it’ll be a pain to recover.”
“…Yes.”
At her words, I focused all my strength on calming my nerves and stabilizing my mind.
On the other side, Yoo Jeon, who had been injecting qi into Cheon Yura, spoke.
“It’s the backlash from briefly touching upon a realm several levels higher than yours. Still, you’re lucky it ended here.”
“Ugh…!”
As Cheon Yura writhed in pain, her entire body suddenly began to grow faint.
“Yu, Yura?!”
“The recoil from exceeding her limits.”
Yoo Jeon, removing his hand from Cheon Yura’s back, explained.
“Don’t worry, disciple. That child wasn’t her true self from the start.”
“…Ah.”
Indeed, the Cheon Yura here was a spiritual manifestation brought forth by Hwan Seong.
“Rather, today’s intense experience will remain in her subconscious, likely providing meaningful help in advancing her realm later.”
“Th-that’s a relief… I thought something went terribly wrong…”
“Don’t… worry.”
Cheon Yura weakly lifted her head, her voice barely audible.
Sweat streamed down her forehead, as if she still hadn’t recovered from the aftereffects.
“It seems… my time is up.”
Her form grew even fainter.
Even though I knew she wasn’t dying, my hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
“Listen carefully, Jin Yeomyung.”
She placed her hand on my cheek and spoke.
“As I told you before, I will stop advancing at Shaanxi. I’ll buy as much time as I can, so come as soon as you finish things here.”
“…Alright.”
“And…”
Squeeze.
She gently pulled my cheek.
“Make sure you win. I could accept you running away like a defeated dog, but it’s better if you win, isn’t it?”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
The transcendence that the Heavenly Demon Founder had spoken of—something that could be achieved even from a lower stage.
I had already grasped some of its sensation while releasing the Bright Night Sword together.
“For the last thing…”
“If you meet Cheon Yujeong again, deliver this message.”
“What is it?”
Cheon Yura paused for a moment as if choosing her words carefully, then finally spoke.
“Tell her… she’s a fool of a sister.”
“…….”
I blinked slowly.
Though it was a curse, I could tell that it wasn’t really meant as one.
“She said she didn’t care, but I guess she still worries after all.”
“Worry? What worry? You just need to deliver the message.”
Cheon Yura’s cheeks puffed out slightly.
Finding that look unbearably cute, I nodded.
“Got it. When I see Cheon Yujeong, I’ll definitely pass it on.”
“Good.”
She closed her eyes with a peaceful expression.
“A brief farewell after a reunion.”
“…….”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Finally, her figure transformed into literal stardust and disappeared.
I hung my head low, feeling a tremendous sense of loss in my chest.
“Yura…”
“Your lover’s not dead, so stop sniveling already, you bastard.”
Thwack!
Ma Seoyeon’s fist once again struck the back of my head.
Rubbing my head, I glared at Ma Seoyeon.
“…Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?”
“Harsh? You should be fighting like your life depends on it right now, and you’re sitting here crying over your alive lover?”
My face stiffened instantly.
Fighting like my life depends on it?
“It seems something has happened.”
Following Ma Seoyeon’s words, Yoo Jeon pointed toward something.
“The form of Heavenly Evil that I had sealed is gone.”
“…!!”
“We were so engrossed in our duel that we failed to notice the abnormality. That’s my mistake.”
Ma Seoyeon also fixed her gaze, her face hardening.
“…I can no longer sense Master or the other Senior Brothers.”
“We’d better go.”
Yoo Jeon, sheathing his sword, turned to me and said.
“Disciple, there’s something I should tell you in advance.”
“Please, go ahead, First Senior Brother.”
“As I’ve said before, you’re the only one who can kill Heavenly Evil. Even if Master and all the Senior Brothers attack together, it’ll likely amount to nothing more than buying time.”
It was a surprisingly weak statement coming from a warrior who had sealed Heavenly Evil with a transcendent strike.
But surely there was a reason behind those words.
“…First Senior Brother.”
“So if we fall to Heavenly Evil, you must not panic or lose your composure. Do you understand?”
I clenched my teeth and nodded.
“…Understood.”
Baek Sang-ah was gasping for breath.
“Huff… Huff!”
How many times had it been now?
Her head being sliced off into the void in such a futile manner.
She had stopped counting after surpassing a hundred.
No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t escape death.
Consumed by frustration, Baek Sang-ah shouted at So Jeong.
“Why… Why are you doing this to us?!”
“I told you already, didn’t I? To continue my legacy.”
“You’re putting us through this torture for something like that?!”
Despite Baek Sang-ah’s protest, So Jeong merely brushed it aside.
“Hehe… Hehehe… You’ve got some spirit left after all. You still have the energy to shout!”
So Jeong nodded with deep satisfaction.
Ordinary people would go mad and charge at her after four or five deaths, then gradually grow passive after ten or twenty.
By the time they passed fifty deaths, they would lose all will, becoming little more than dolls.
Like So Cheon right in front of her.
So Jeong glanced at So Cheon with displeasure.
“My descendant is… rather disappointing….”
……
Just as she said, So Cheon was kneeling with his head hung low.
There wasn’t a trace of light in his eyes.
His entire demeanor spoke of complete resignation, as if he no longer cared whether he lived or died.
“Young Master So Cheon, get a hold of yourself!”
……
“Are you going to die like this without even finding Young Master Jin?!”
……
“Wake up already, you bastard!”
Smack!
Unable to hold back, Baek Sang-ah punched So Cheon in the face.
However—
So Cheon merely collapsed like a lifeless doll, showing no reaction.
Grit.
Baek Sang-ah clenched her teeth.
She understood.
She herself had nearly lost her mind countless times after dying and reviving over and over.
But without So Cheon’s help now, escaping from this death god in front of them was a hopeless dream.
‘I have to do something to break out of this situation!’
There was still one way.
Each time she died, something was being engraved onto her soul—a secret incantation.
It was more foreign than any martial art she had ever learned, heading in a completely different direction from ordinary qi gathering techniques.
‘Every time the gugyeol increases, something mixes into my internal qi.’
The problem was, she couldn’t tell whether that change was good or bad.
So Jeong clicked her tongue.
“Tsk! Looks like I’ll have to give up on one of you.”
“What kind of martial art are you even trying to pass on?”
Baek Sang-ah couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked.
“Martial art…? No, it’s a constitution.”
“…A constitution?”
“Yes, a constitution.”
Crackle!
So Jeong extended her hand, and lightning qi flowed along her fingers.
“The Nine Heavens Lightning Art I created is quite a decent martial art.”
It was self-praise, but it wasn’t entirely wrong.
The Hidden Shadow So Clan had earned a rightful place among the Ten Great Demonic Arts thanks to that very Nine Heavens Lightning Art.
“But this Nine Heavens Lightning Art doesn’t suit assassins.”
So Jeong’s expression darkened with dissatisfaction.
“Lightning techniques are just too flashy.”
“W-Well… that’s true, I guess?”
“And their unique nature makes it far too easy to identify the culprit.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Very few factions in the Murim world specialized in lightning techniques.
In the orthodox side, there was the Namgung Clan and the mysterious Heavenly Thunder Divine Sect.
On the demonic side, the Hidden Shadow So Clan and the Black Gold Sa Clan were about the only ones that came to mind.
Anyone killed by lightning techniques could be easily traced back to one of those factions.
“So, I sought to develop something new—a martial art optimized for killing, better than lightning techniques.”
“…And you succeeded, I assume?”
“Indeed. I call it the Body of the Death God. A body optimized for assassination, inspired by Sister Ma’s Heaven-Slaying Nature.”
……
Baek Sang-ah gave her a stunned look.
That all sounded great, but why was she passing it on to her?
“You’ll be my successor. You have the potential—the talent and the mental strength. You have it all.”
So Jeong’s eyes gleamed with madness.
So excited, she no longer stuttered.
“Now! Let’s continue! Once you master the Body of the Death God, you’ll become the greatest Queen of Assassins in history!”
“L-Like hell I will?!”
An assassin from an orthodox family? Was she trying to ruin her house?!
“Sorry, but you don’t have a choic—”
So Jeong’s words were cut off.
“So, you finally showed an opening.”
“…Huh?”
A dark Demonic Taiji emerged behind So Jeong.
“When did you…?!”
So Jeong had been caught off guard by So Cheon, but for some reason, her expression remained bright as she looked at him.
“Stop making that annoying face!”
Heavenly Demon Taiji Reversal
Sun and Moon Shatter the Heavens
Kwakwang!
So Cheon detonated the summoned Demonic Taiji, bombarding So Jeong’s entire body.
By leveraging the clash of yin and yang, the instant destructive power rivaled that of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art!
“Yo-Young Master So Cheon? Since when?!”
“From the very beginning.”
So Cheon gritted his teeth as he glared at So Jeong, who had been blown far away.
“I survived that hell! Did you really think I’d break from just a hundred deaths?!”
He had already endured his body and soul being torn apart by the Heavenly Demon Founder at Heaven of Sacred Spirits.
Compared to that pain, the deaths So Jeong had given him were like resting on a soft bed.
Rumble.
So Jeong rose, brushing aside the collapsed rocks, her eyes glowing fiercely.
“Indeed… I saw traces of Master’s techniques in that strike.”
“Y-You monster?!”
So Cheon was horrified.
She had taken the Sun and Moon Shatter the Heaven head-on and was still perfectly fine?!
“Excellent! Marvelous! To have deceived even my senses, even for a moment—that stealth must be the sign of fully accepting the essence of the Body of the Death God!”
He had thought So Cheon was a fool, but it turned out he was a genius overflowing with talent!
So Jeong’s voice climbed higher, almost sounding like a woman.
“Ha… Ahahaha! Let’s start again, my dear disciples!”
So Jeong charged at them like a wild beast.
The Heavenly Demon Founder and his disciples arrived at the place where Heavenly Evil had been sealed.
But the massive form of Heavenly Evil had already disappeared.
Instead, a woman dressed in black and white like a snow spirit welcomed them with a faint smile.
“Welcome, Yuseong.”
The Founder replied with hollow eyes.
“I didn’t expect you to leave your will behind as well. Did this happen before we arrived here?”
“That’s right.”
Pa Gooncheong, standing behind the Founder, glared at her.
“…It’s been a long time, Priestess. Or should I call you Grand Heavenly Lord now?”
“Hehehe! Call me whatever you like. Titles don’t matter to me. But more importantly…”
Crack!
Her head twisted grotesquely at a right angle.
“Where is my beloved Jeon?”