Chapter 332: Cheon Jumun (4)
When the leader of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, Cheon Jumun, appeared.
The voice of Sa Biyeon, who had been assisting Cheon Yura from the top seat, grew urgent.
“L-Lady Young Cult Leader!”
“Calm down, Biyeon.”
Though it had never been officially announced, those among the higher-ups who needed to know already knew.
That the Cult Leader’s sword had, at some point, surpassed the Extreme Demon Realm.
Cheon Yura slowly raised her head and turned to the seat beside her.
“Did you know this would happen?”
Sitting where her gaze landed was a young man with a calm expression.
“Leader of the Heavenly Thunder Corps.”
The Leader of the Heavenly Thunder Corps, Cheon Jumyeong, slowly opened his mouth.
“If I said I didn’t know, would you believe me?”
A faint sneer crossed Cheon Yura’s face after a brief silence.
“So, you really didn’t know. I can see the betrayal written all over your face.”
“……”
“That means this wasn’t your doing, but the Cult Leader’s scheme….”
Though her tone didn’t reveal it, Cheon Yura felt a hint of bitterness.
That even in the very end, she had not been consulted about testing Jin Yeomyung.
“Will you be alright with this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your opponent is none other than him. There is no one in the current Cult capable of defeating him.”
Cheon Jumyeong stood up and looked straight at Cheon Yura.
“Not even the Sword Demon of the world, not even you, Lady Young Cult Leader, can manage it.”
“Perhaps a few years from now, but at this moment, the greatest in the Demonic Path is him.”
Of course, it was implied that the Cult Leader, who was beyond all measure, was excluded.
Cheon Jumyeong’s expression did not waver in the slightest.
“It’s not too late, even now. If you don’t wish to witness his death before your eyes, you’d better step in quickly.”
Cheon Yura looked at Cheon Jumyeong with a surprised expression.
“Weren’t you the one who wanted Jin Yeomyung dead?”
“Well….”
At his vague reply, Cheon Yura scrutinized Cheon Jumyeong’s face.
Though it was nearly expressionless, there was clearly some emotion there.
However.
For some reason, Cheon Yura could not read what that emotion was.
“……”
Before long, she scoffed softly and leaned back again.
“There’s no need to worry.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You said the leader of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad is the greatest in the Demonic Path right now?”
Cheon Yura spoke with unwavering conviction.
“The greatest in the Demonic Path right now is him.”
“……What did you just say?”
Cheon Jumyeong’s face turned to one of shock.
For some reason, Cheon Yura felt something like a sense of victory in that expression.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Shortly after those words.
The Heavenly Demonic Resonance Technique unleashed by Jin Yeomyung revealed itself.
The massive hemispherical explosion that shattered the entire training ground.
Its aftermath was far more intense than anyone had imagined.
“Uwaaah!”
“W-What the hell is that?!”
A massive storm, born from the explosion, sent those with lacking martial arts skills flying into the distance.
To them, martial arts had always been something that allowed one to elegantly wield a sword, smash boulders with heavy strikes, and slice trees with sharp precision.
They had never before witnessed such a massive explosion that completely disoriented their vision.
Even those who had reached the Extreme Demon Realm were no exception.
“W-What just happened?”
Even the masters of the Cheon Clan, those at the Extreme Demon Realm, were visibly shaken by the sudden explosion.
Even when they fully expanded their qi domains, symbols of absolute mastery, they couldn’t produce even a fraction of that destructive power.
“I-I can’t believe this! Don’t tell me this wasn’t a formation but caused by a single person!?”
“T-That’s not a formation?!”
Like many others, Jin Gun-ak was equally flustered.
More than anyone else, Jin Gun-ak had been positioned right in the path of the resonance’s shockwave.
If he hadn’t instinctively summoned the Asura Spirit, he might have suffered severe injuries.
Even so, being hurled far away by the blast was unavoidable.
“Damn it! What the hell did you just do?!”
He had thought Jin Yeomyung had grown stronger, but wasn’t this far beyond what should have been possible?
That was when it happened.
A familiar voice reached Jin Gun-ak’s ears.
“Stronger than last time.”
It was a voice utterly devoid of emotion, or rather, a voice that had completely killed off all emotion itself.
I turned my head with a surprised look.
“What are you doing here? Have you finished guarding the gate?”
“……”
The one standing before me was none other than So Munyak, known as Murder Demon.
He was the Clan Leader of the Hidden Shadow So Clan.
“No, before that. What do you mean by stronger than last time?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Despite saying it was exactly that, Murder Demon fell silent without adding any further explanation.
My face twisted into an ugly scowl.
“……Are you trying to drive me crazy? Explain properly.”
“Last time, he needed the Young Cult Leader to perform it, but now he can do it alone? It truly feels like ages have passed.”
I clenched my fist.
“Ever since you started following the Cult Leader, we haven’t fought even once. How about we settle our ranking after all this time?”
Few people knew, but the two of us had been childhood friends since long ago.
And every time we fought, I, Jin Gun-ak, always had the upper hand because our styles were a bad matchup for him.
Yet, despite my threatening tone, Murder Demon replied indifferently.
“Instead of worrying about me, shouldn’t you be more concerned about your own son?”
“A-Ah!”
I whipped my head around.
Because of the explosion just moments ago, I had lost track of things, but I remembered now that my eldest son was about to fight that Cheon Jumun.
“Damn it, the opponent is way too much for him. Perfect timing—you’re going to help me.”
Just as I flared my qi and was about to jump in—
“Have you already forgotten who caused that explosion just now? Sit back and watch.”
Murder Demon stopped me, his gaze fixed forward.
“From here on, you’re going to witness something very entertaining.”
***
Heavenly Demonic Resonance Technique - Great Annihilation Tribulation.
The true power of the resonance technique, when fully unleashed, could rival even the transcendental techniques one would only learn in the later stages of the Transcendent Demon Realm.
Of course, I had held back.
If I had gone all out, not just the sparring stage, but even the regular cult members standing far in the back would have been caught in a catastrophe.
Perhaps because I had moderated the power.
I could feel the fighting spirit, which had momentarily shrunk beyond that wall of dust, surging exponentially.
‘Here it comes.’
A jet-black qi, parting the thick dust, shot toward me.
‘Heaven-Slaying Qi!’
I had heard the rumors that Cheon Jumun could wield the Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword, but to think he actually could!
However, while it was definitely Heaven-Slaying Qi, it wasn’t the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.
A sword that shimmered dark blue with a tint of azure light!
‘He must have carved his own unique path, just like the First Senior Brother and the other Senior Brothers.’
He, too, had enough talent to challenge the position of Cult Leader!
If only monsters like Cheon Yura hadn’t appeared in this generation.
I lightly deflected Cheon Jumun’s qi with the Ten Heavenly Record Sword.
“Your swordsmanship is smooth.”
Before I knew it, Cheon Jumun had closed the distance and swung his sword at my neck.
I, too, thrust my blade toward his throat in response.
“The same goes for you.”
Though it was a situation where both of us could have died together, we slightly tilted our heads to avoid each other’s blades.
In the blink of an eye, our swords clashed repeatedly.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
The series of explosive sounds cleared the dust that had filled the air from the earlier resonance.
After several exchanges, I found myself being pushed back, unable to overpower Cheon Jumun’s sword.
‘His strength is absurdly overwhelming.’
And it wasn’t just about raw power.
Cheon Jumun was similar yet different from Cheon Yura.
Unlike her, who often used unorthodox moves and never obsessed over strength alone, Cheon Jumun pressed down on me with pure, straightforward techniques that rejected all trickery.
At first glance, it might seem reckless, but I was sure he had mastered countless variations to reach this form of pure efficiency.
As we stood in a brief standoff, Cheon Jumun suddenly asked me a question instead of continuing the attack.
“What was that technique you used at the start?”
Since it was related to the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad’s inquiry, I answered honestly.
“The Heavenly Demonic Resonance Technique - Great Annihilation Tribulation.”
“…Resonance?”
Cheon Jumun’s expression changed slightly.
It was rare to find anyone who knew much about resonance techniques, let alone the fusion of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art and the Current Heaven Divine Art.
But then, something unexpected came from his mouth.
“About twenty years ago, I remember reading it in the Divine Demonic Physique Records.”
Goo-goo-goo-goo!
A massive pressure began to form around Cheon Jumun.
“They say that those who have mastered the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art and its derivative qi techniques are capable of performing a special resonance technique.”
Hmm… That probably didn’t refer to any of us brothers.
It likely meant the Second Heavenly Demon and Yo So.
“But you… did you manifest two qi techniques simultaneously to perform resonance? That’s something that shouldn’t be possible by any conventional martial theory. Truly fascinating.”
“……”
It was true.
No matter how closely related the two qi techniques were, handling them both at the same time was considered suicide under normal circumstances.
I could only perform resonance alone thanks to the vitality I had once possessed, now lost.
“From here on, I’ll go all out.”
The turbulent fighting spirit swirling around Cheon Jumun began to compress into his sword.
‘Is he planning to unleash Sword Intent for real this time?’
It was the perfect opportunity to gauge the true extent of Cheon Jumun’s ability.
‘Whether he becomes Cheon Yura’s rival or ally, having an accurate grasp of his strength will be a huge advantage. And if he turns out to be an enemy, it might be better to kill him here and now….’
But my thoughts didn’t get to reach their end.
“Oh, before that.”
Something completely unexpected came out of Cheon Jumun’s mouth.
“If you survive this fight… would you consider taking command of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad?”
“…?!”
What did he just say?
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Cheon Jumun replied without the slightest hesitation.
“Originally, after the Cult Leader’s ascension, I was going to pass the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad to Jumyeong. But I suppose it wouldn’t be a problem to entrust it to you instead.”
‘Is he serious?’
Those words practically hinted at his retirement.
Though I hadn’t yet witnessed his full power, the fact that he withstood my resonance technique already left no doubt about his skill.
Of course, if I really took over the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, it might cause the Underworld King’s Unit I had been raising with such care to lose its place, but that was something I could endure.
‘But why?’
While I struggled to find a proper answer, Cheon Jumun pointed his sword at me and spoke.
“Does my proposal confuse you?”
“To be honest… yes.”
“Then I’ll ask you again… after you survive.”
“……”
“I’ll be coming at you seriously now.”
Cheon Jumun seemed unwilling to continue talking. He steadied his posture, assuming the preparatory stance of some unknown technique.
“Try to block this.”
The moment his upper body shifted, afterimages began to ripple out—
And then, no fewer than nine sword strikes rained down on me all at once.
Simultaneous Sword
Nine Linked Sea-Crossing Blades
It was the ultimate technique of the Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword that Lady Cheon Yujeong had once performed. Nine consecutive sword strikes flew toward me.
However, the strikes Cheon Jumun unleashed now were on an entirely different level from those of Lady Cheon Yujeong.
It was a masterpiece designed with such precision that it left no room for retreat!
But.
‘As sharp as it may be, the sheer power is still weaker than Cheon Yujeong’s!’
I took my stance as the Heaven-Slaying Qi bore down on me from all directions.
“In that case, I’ll come at you with all I’ve got as well.”
If I truly went all out—
There was no reason I should lose to someone like Cheon Jumun in terms of pure strength.
If you can truly master this, it will open up a new possibility for your ----.
Following the teaching I had received that day from my martial sister.
A new possibility had opened up in the Ten Heavenly Record Sword I had mastered.
With all my might, I swung the Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword.
Heaven-Piercing Annihilation
Dimensional Slash
It was the final technique of the Ten Heavenly Record Sword, now infused with the essence of the Demonic Spirit Sword devised by Ma Seoyeon.
As a result—
The Heaven-Piercing Annihilation I unleashed split apart Cheon Jumun’s Nine Linked Sea-Crossing Blades head-on.
Kwa-jik!
Cheon Jumun’s Demonic Soul’s First Sword shattered in two.
Puaaaak!
“……!!”
A burst of blood exploded from his chest, leaving a long, deep sword wound across it.