Chapter 473: Heavenly Evil Cheon Yura (2)
“It has begun.”
When the clash of two colossal beings erupted atop the summit of Mount Tai…
Two other beings, nearly equal in might, began observing their battle from afar.
“But still…”
The Divine Beast awakened in this era, the Four-Star Qilin, clicked her tongue lightly.
“Aren’t we a bit too far from it?”
From the long horn protruding from her forehead, spiritual energy surged more densely than before.
“The wound you suffered at the hands of Heavenly Evil has fully healed. Gunggi is also tied up by some mere human.”
She stared at Yinglong, not hiding her dissatisfaction.
“If we lend him our strength now, we could truly discuss the odds of victory. So why are we hiding here like rats, watching from afar?”
As she said, they weren’t even near Mount Tai at the moment.
In fact, they were at a distance where intervening would be virtually impossible in a short span of time.
“……”
“Look, Yinglong.”
The Qilin pointed with her finger toward a direction.
Not far from where they stood, black death energy different from the red energy covering the world was surging and billowing.
“The Kings of the Underworld are watching. If that human loses, they will erase every living being in this lower realm as per the contract.”
“They will.”
Yinglong, who had remained silent all along, finally responded.
“And when that happens… we’ll have to return to slumber. Deeper and longer than before. Until the beings of the Higher Realm descend once more to rebuild this world….”
The Qilin felt uneasy.
Of course, if that time came, the world would return to its original form, but with Heavenly Evil still intact, it would be no different from their defeat.
However—
“That will not happen.”
Unexpectedly, Yinglong flatly denied that possibility.
“Then why?”
The puzzled Qilin looked toward Yinglong, who revealed his resolve with determined eyes.
“For our ultimate victory.”
“You… don’t tell me.”
Realizing something, the Qilin’s expression immediately turned ice cold.
Her eyes no longer reflected those of a comrade who had spent long ages together.
“Are you saying you’ll betray the alliance?”
“If necessary.”
“You bastard!”
The Qilin’s hand roughly grabbed Yinglong by the collar.
Her fury was so intense that her human hand momentarily transformed into that of a Divine Beast.
“No matter that it was an alliance with mere humans, it was still you who first proposed it! Have you discarded your pride as the one who once served the great Emperor Huangdi?!”
Yinglong’s words were none other than this:
To break the alliance with Jin Yeomyung and plot mutual destruction.
To intervene at the right moment and eliminate both.
“This is not betrayal. It is merely the end of a contract that failed to fulfill its promises.”
“What?!”
“The condition of our alliance with him was the resurrection of the Tortoise and the Phoenix. But that human broke the promise and charged into the final battle. All he took from us was the technique to protect a human.”
“That… is…”
Indeed, one of the alliance’s conditions was the resurrection of the Spiritual Turtle and the Phoenix.
Of course, the primary fault lay with those two for not having awakened until now…
“A contract is a contract. Since he broke it first, we have no reason to maintain the alliance.”
“……”
The Qilin fell into thought as she stared at Yinglong’s back.
Watching him make such pitiful excuses, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
More than anything, he didn’t even try to meet her gaze.
As if desperately hiding his emotions.
Which meant…
“I suddenly had this thought.”
“……”
“Could it be… Yinglong, are you afraid?”
Flinch!
“That our strength might not even help him.”
“……”
“That rather than aiding, we might get caught in their clash and die a meaningless death.”
Seeing Yinglong maintain his silence to the end, the Qilin became certain.
Among the Divine Beasts of old, the apex was the Spirit Command.
The Phoenix was the bravest, the Spiritual Turtle the most calm, the Qilin the most cruel.
And the Dragon, the wisest.
But being wise didn’t mean being a coward.
Even during the great war of the past, he had never once abandoned his pride.
“If that’s not the case, then why would someone planning betrayal settle so far away?”
“……”
"Am I wrong?"
Though not on par with Yinglong, the Qilin was also a wise and intelligent being.
Above all, recognizing the anomaly in a longtime comrade was an easy task for her.
"…You're right."
Only then did Yinglong admit it honestly.
"The potential captured in the Dragon Eye of those two… even I can no longer dare to measure it."
***
Yura took the initiative with a light thrust for her first strike.
Her sword passed through six transitions, aiming for all the vital acupoints of my body.
Considering her original realm, the transformation was almost dull.
But instead of dodging, I chose to parry that one second.
In the same second, the Ten Heavenly Record Sword flowed out, canceling out the six sword routes.
"Six-Spirit Demonic Path."
This technique was the first Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword she had ever used against me during the Exchange Ceremony.
"You remember."
"I wouldn’t have back then, but now there's no way I wouldn’t."
Because I, too, had learned the Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword.
"Then, do you remember this as well?"
She quickly seized my blind spot and swung her sword horizontally.
A pitch-black surge of sword qi flew to slice through my neck.
Unlike back then when it emitted unstable flickers of light, this strike was refined, sharp, and incredibly stable.
Of course, such a level no longer posed any threat to me now.
Unlike back then when I had barely reached First Rate, now I could hold my neck out confidently without suffering a single scratch.
But the very fact that she showed me this stance meant one thing.
‘She truly intends to kill me.’
Back then, Yura had swung her sword fully intent on taking my life.
And if Cheon Taejong hadn’t intervened, that moment would have marked the end of my last reincarnation.
As Cheon Taejong had done before, I intercepted the blade targeting my neck with both palms in the Empty Hand Embracing the White Seal.
Crunch.
"Taking it step by step and exchanging swordplay is fine, but you’d better start getting serious soon."
Yura warned coldly.
"Otherwise, you might die before unleashing all that hard-earned power."
"Thanks for the advice."
Despite Yura’s warning, I showed no sign of exerting any real strength.
Even as her sword grew faster and more fierce, I responded like a martial artist of the Wudang Sect, unleashing an unceasing flow of seamless swordplay using only the minimal force required to block her strikes.
And then, at some moment.
From the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, an explosive energy unlike anything before began to surge out.
"If you’re going to toy with me until the end, then just die."
Transcendent Technique.
True Bright Net Sword.
Unable to hold back, Yura finally unleashed a Transcendent Technique from her sword.
‘Bright Net Sword!’
Originally, the Bright Net Sword was a high-level technique that fused two forms of energy into a single unified technique.
It should have felt different from my own Bright Net Sword, which was based on the Profound Heaven Divine Art.
But as they say, all rivers flow to the sea. Shockingly, her Bright Net Sword bore an uncanny resemblance to mine in nature.
Kwagwagwagwang!
The overwhelming might of the Bright Net Sword exploded, blowing apart the summit of Mount Tai.
The aftershock was so powerful that it scattered the red energy that had thickly enveloped the area around Mount Tai in an instant.
However—
The fact that the Bright Net Sword’s shockwave had spread outward was by no means an intended result for her.
Whatever the case, the Bright Net Sword was still a sword.
It existed to pierce a single point, not to cause such flashy destruction all around.
"Is that all?"
"…!"
The Bright Net Sword Yura unleashed with all her might failed to pierce even the Heavenly Demon Seal I casually raised, and dissipated right there.
"Naturally. Even the Bright Net Sword I used before couldn’t pierce the Heavenly Demon Seal."
I daresay, I am not inferior to Cheon Taejong of that time.
If she continues to recklessly unleash Transcendent Techniques within the framework of Demonic Shedding, I was confident I could receive them all.
Of course, only within the framework of Demonic Shedding.
"Use Divine Sorcery."
"What?"
"If you want to find a chance of victory against me, stop mimicking Yura half-heartedly and come at me with Divine Sorcery or your authority."
Her face twisted.
Surely, the 'personality' currently at the surface must be Yura.
But the one I was speaking to now was something else lurking within that personality.
Though hidden beneath a benevolent mask, it was the absolute evil—more malevolent than anyone else—wishing for the end of the world.
I could now clearly perceive the presence of that other entity dwelling inside Yura.
And Yura’s sharp intuition had caught that contradiction perfectly.
"Who do you think you're talking to?!"
Kwakwakwa!
The gray Heaven-Slaying Strong Qi, now materialized, burst forth and formed a domain.
"The one standing before you is no one else! Even if this began not from my will, what stands before you now is solely my own will!"
She charged at me with a fierce shout.
"Look at me! Jin Yeomyung!"
Even though the Bright Net Sword had been blocked, her momentum hadn't diminished one bit.
Rather, her intent and energy surged far beyond the realm she had originally reached.
Her gray domain expanded wider and wider.
An unrealistic scene began to unfold, as if it would soon engulf the entire Mount Tai, invading the blood-red zone.
"Sorry, Yura."
"…!"
"I never intended to respond to that resolve of yours, to fight me at the cost of your life."
"What?!"
Because, the current me is living for you.
To fight you, risking our lives, was never an option to begin with.
"So just endure a little pain."
I activated the first move I had prepared.
At some point, a sword other than the Ten Heavenly Record Sword had appeared in my left hand.
"……!!"
The pure and original Yura might not have cared what this sword was.
But the Yura now fused with Heavenly Evil would surely recognize the identity of this sword.
"…You!"
Just as she, in fury, was about to unleash her sword—
"True Star Sword, activate."
The final of Hwan Family's Three Great Treasures, charged and ready, activated and sliced diagonally through Yura's upper body.
"Keugh!"
Her upper body wasn’t physically split.
The true function of the True Star Sword was its metaphysical ability to sever even in the realm of 'concepts'.
What I severed with the True Star Sword was the domain separating Cheon Yura and Heavenly Evil.
"Once clay of different colors is mixed, you can never separate them again unless you paint over them anew. But…"
The True Star Sword makes it possible.
Its power had reached, even if in a limited form, the realm of reality manipulation.
Of course, given the scale of the opponent, it wouldn't result in a clean separation—at best, it would create a crack.
"But right now, that's enough."
The move I used wasn’t just the True Star Sword.
"Keugh!"
While Yura clutched her chest in agony, a small hand mirror appeared in my hand again.
Another of the Three Great Treasures of the Hwan Family, once used on me by Elder Hwan Yul.
"Life and Death, Intermediate Realm, Hell. The rite of the fifth seven shall now be offered here."
The same activation phrase once spoken by Hwan Yul flowed from my lips.
"O Lord of Mount Tai, the final offering of Bongseon is delivered here."
Truly coincidental.
The location where I recited this request to the original owner of this treasure, Lord of Mount Tai, was none other than Mount Tai itself.
"Mirror of Karma, activate."
The required energy for activation had already been imbued in advance.
Crack! Crk-crack!
With the final allowed use of the Mirror of Karma vanishing, it turned into stone and began to crack everywhere.
Two of the Three Great Treasures of the Hwan Family exhausted their lifespan here, but they had fully served their purpose.
"What… is this…"
Seeing the gradually transforming surroundings, she scowled.
To that Yura, I spoke with hollow eyes.
"I can't let you stake your life on this."
But—
"I can let you rampage as much as you want, without risking it."
It was similar yet different from what happened with Cheon Yujeong.
This time, I would extract Heavenly Evil from Yura without her ever being sacrificed, safe and certain.
"Come at me. This time, I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got, just as you wish."