Chapter 45 – Desperate Fight
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“Whether you or I, we are ultimately just at the Qi Condensation stage.”
The brow of the old Foundation Establishment monster staring intently at Jin So-myeong twitched.
“Foolish! Even if my cultivation is restricted, would I fall to the likes of Qi Condensation! A brat like you is just like killing a bug…”
Just as the scolding filled with anger continued.
Jin So-myeong’s eyes shone.
He captured the opening revealed as the opponent grew excited.
Swish—!
The gap between breaths that occurred while speaking.
He aimed for that split second. He thrust out a swift sword that had reached a high realm by cutting down numerous enemies.
Just before the tip of the sword, which shot straight ahead while scattering sword light, pierced the heart.
Clang!
Spiritual Qi condensed in midair grabbed the sword. Under the pressure as if holding ten thousand catties of colossal strength, he could not advance even a fraction further.
Still arrogantly holding his hands behind his back, the old monster staring intently at Jin So-myeong clicked his tongue.
“Mannerless rascal. Still, you are at least enough to kill my disciple.”
“…Of course. How could I be worse than a weakling like your disciple, old man.”
“Hoo. What a foul-mouthed fellow. It makes me want to test how long you can act insolent.”
Jin So-myeong grew tense.
This was because the fishy smile worn by the old Foundation Establishment monster was unusual.
Boom!
Rousing his spiritual Qi, he kicked off the opponent. Naturally it was blocked, but using that repulsive force, he succeeded in backing away.
He widened the distance moderately and lowered his center of gravity.
Just as he prepared to respond at any moment.
Jingle…
He paused at the clear sound of a bell… no, the sound of cool waves rushing in with a roar.
‘A beach?’
Caw, caw!
The soft sandy beach and the seagulls flying in the sky were beautiful to look at.
The waves that crashed and burst into white foam made his heart feel at ease.
Jin So-myeong, who was looking at the picture-perfect ideal beach, furrowed his brow.
‘Something is strange…’
Just as he stood blankly due to an inexplicable discomfort.
“What are you doing? Coming all the way to the sea and not playing?”
A beautiful woman in swimwear approached and linked arms with him. She was not the only one.
“Jin So-myeong! Don’t just stand there, come here. Let’s play together!”
“Let’s dump that idiot into the sea first!”
“Fine!”
Numerous beautiful women he had seen in his life appeared and gestured to him.
Since there were even celebrities from his past life, including Cheong Hwa-ran, an unknown sense of incompatibility grew larger and larger.
“…”
A slight headache arose, but he could not tell what was wrong.
Bright laughter that made one feel languid just by hearing it was endless, and his thoughts fractured.
“Everyone stop and eat! The meat is all cooked!”
Suddenly, a fragrant aroma wafted.
Sizzle! Turning his gaze to the pleasant sound, he saw pork belly cooking over charcoal.
At the sight of his homeland food after so long…
An insane hunger rushed in. Since he had never been this hungry in his life, he was bewildered.
Just as he took a step forward without realizing.
“Ah.”
Jin So-myeong’s gaze snapped over. His entire focus was drawn to a single sword stuck in a corner of the beach.
A pitch-black longsword darker than a shadow.
The moment he saw it, his mind snapped back to reality.
“No!”
“Don’t go!”
Shaking off the beautiful women holding his arms, he ran straight toward the sword, and the moment he pulled it out without hesitation.
Shatter!
The fantastic scenery shattered like a glass window.
Along with burning heat, the acrid smell of lava welcomed him.
“Hah.”
Where had the refreshing sea breeze gone?
It felt as if he had been forcibly awakened from a sweet dream and flung onto the cold ground.
Returning to the secret realm where even breathing was difficult, a sense of regret rushed in. The heat he had grown accustomed to felt terrible.
The beach just now was literally a world drawn in dreams. It was a utopia where pain did not exist.
However, he had no intention of turning away from the reality spread before his eyes.
Shhh…
A faint sound of waves—no, the sound of a bell continued to be heard, but this time he did not waver.
“Your taste is truly terrible, old man.”
“Hooh? For a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, your divine soul is quite something. No wonder you developed Divine Sense.”
The old Foundation Establishment monster, who was shaking the bell playfully, admired.
He, who had shown no emotion other than murderous intent and anger, curled up the corners of his mouth.
Licking his dry lips, he let out a bizarre laugh.
“Heh… How long has it been since I had such entertainment. Good! Let’s see you endure this as well!”
The old monster’s fingers formed complex hand seals in an instant, and Jin So-myeong, preparing for a mental attack, set up defenses even by consuming his Supreme Great Ability.
Just as he completely shook off even the bell sound hovering in his head.
“Cough!”
He vomited blood that surged up.
He could neither block nor avoid it. This was because he did not even feel what he had been hit by in the first place.
At some point, a disgusting energy that grew from deep within his body caused his internal organs to rot and decay.
“…!”
His eyes flew wide open. His hands and feet trembled at the absurd pain.
He wanted to pass out instead at the feeling of thousands of ants devouring his intestines.
“…You endure this?”
Within his blurry vision, the man in black frowned.
“Rot and become a corpse!”
A gloomy voice that made his hair stand on end followed.
Thump! His heart fluctuated, and his strength drained completely.
The feeling of collapsing from the inside was terrible! He wanted to escape this pain somehow, but it was impossible.
“Ptooey!”
Just as Jin So-myeong, who spat out blood mixed with organ pieces, grit his teeth.
The organs that had evolved into spiritual Qi organs began to operate like crazy.
They spewed out blood energy to counter the lethal energy that caused decay just by touching.
In a split second.
The result of the fierce war that occurred inside his body manifested.
Sizzle!
Black smoke began to rise from all the pores of Jin So-myeong’s body.
This was because the vital energy that led the body to transcendence simply by possessing it—the body refiner’s blood energy—drove out the curse.
Simultaneously.
The expression of the man in black, who had been leisurely like playing with a mouse, distorted.
“A sword cultivator and a body refiner! A guy who must absolutely be killed.”
He did not have the mind to answer. In fact, he could not even hear well.
Had it not been for his strong body that had reached the peak of the Qi Condensation stage, he would have died long ago.
‘To think he is this strong…’
Even though he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator restricted by the secret realm’s restriction, he was too strong. Every single attack was too lethal.
‘Just what is different?’
The biggest problem was that the opponent’s attacks were not detected.
Since they were not visible, he could neither avoid nor block them.
He was on a different level from other cultivators he had met so far who only resorted to destructive attacks.
It was covert yet fatal!
He forced down the blood surging up. If his senses were insufficient, he had to elevate them further.
He consumed his few remaining charges of Supreme Great Ability to reinforce his senses.
Although something faint was felt…
‘It’s not enough!’
He gouged out his own flank which had begun to rot silently.
Squelch!
Dragging his heavy body, he stepped on the Rising Dragon Steps. He intended to move as quickly as possible to avoid the curse.
“Hmph! It is useless!”
It was frustrating, but it was literally as he said.
The moment he thought he perceived it, there was no answer to the curse that had already begun to spread from within his body.
He endured by force, but he was at his limit.
Just as he desperately held onto his body that felt as if it would collapse.
‘Ugh!’
Suddenly, at a spinning dizziness, he shook his head, and his vision was cut off.
He thought “uh-oh” at the accident that occurred during the battle contesting split seconds.
Swoosh!
Sure enough, he felt a violet energy flying in covertly…
Clang! He deflected it with his reflexively swung sword.
“Hmm?”
The man in black frowned as if it were unexpected, and Jin So-myeong, who flinched, also looked down at his sword.
He tried to grasp what had just happened.
The energy harboring the vicious curse had been bounced away by the Sword Qi.
‘How did I feel it?’
At his first successful defense, his head began to spin rapidly.
He quickly retraced the split-second moment he had swung the sword.
He had clearly reached his limit and his concentration loosened for an instant. It was an extremely dangerous moment as his five senses had been cut off…
“Ah.”
His eyes widened as he realized something.
Slash!
He clearly perceived the curse that flew in like an ambush and sliced it away.
“It was Divine Sense.”
Divine Sense was not a simple sensory organ.
It should not stop at grasping the surrounding situation like the five senses.
Moving further, it had to perform a far more important function.
It was none other than information warfare!
“Hmph. What difference does it make if a mere Qi Condensation cultivator knows that.”
At the gesture of the sneering man in black, violet arrows appeared in midair.
This time, it was clearly visible.
The old Foundation Establishment monster’s Divine Sense wrapping the arrows.
He intended to watch clearly and avoid it…
Swish!
The moment he thought he perceived it, it vanished. He grit his teeth at the arrow that was suddenly stuck in his flank.
The opponent’s Divine Sense suppressed and twisted his Divine Sense, preventing him from perceiving the spell!
Under the experienced manipulation of Divine Sense, it felt as if his senses themselves were warped.
Forcing down the pain, he narrowed his eyes.
He stared intently, observing the method of utilizing Divine Sense to disrupt senses and conceal spell presence.
Thud!
He barely avoided the curse flying toward his forehead, but this time an arrow lodged in his shoulder. He had missed another one.
‘Hoo.’
Ignoring the curse that made his muscles rot, he focused.
He spread his Divine Sense as far as possible. It was to detect the old Foundation Establishment monster’s attacks in advance.
However, it was impossible.
Hit by the continuous curses, his entire body became tattered.
His spiritual Qi was already more than half consumed. Even the spiritual Qi organs that had been incessantly emitting blood energy struggled.
“Tsk. What a fellow with a truly tough life force!”
The moment the irritated man in black shot dozens of arrows simultaneously.
“Haha…”
Jin So-myeong, who suddenly burst into laughter, acknowledged the level of his own Divine Sense.
It was exceptional in Qi Condensation, but lacking compared to Foundation Establishment.
Just how strong could a newly born Divine Sense be? Therefore, he had to change his method.
Humming!
He gathered all of his Divine Sense that he had been spreading as far as possible. Compressing it again and again.
He completely dominated a space of exactly thirty centimeters around him.
Slide.
He even closed his eyes and relaxed all the strength in his body.
Letting the Limitless Divine Sword enveloped in haze hang loose, he relaxed his muscles, and…
Swish!
He tilted his head to the side.
Simultaneously with an arrow grazing his earlobe, he advanced toward the dozens of arrows that followed.
It was a bizarre feeling. Amidst the extreme concentration, even the world slowed down.
Tap.
The slowly thrust sword tip pushed the side of the arrow. Without opposing the flow of force, he used only minimal movement.
Among the total of seventeen arrows, exactly three.
He deflected only the arrows aiming for his brow, heart, and dantian.
Although the curse collapsing his body ran wild, he ignored it. He believed that his tough physical body trained with the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art would endure it.
Step by step. He focused only on advancing.
Clang, clang, clang!
Just how many attacks had he deflected?
Amidst the severe pain that blurred his vision, he laughed instead.
Along with the Limitless Divine Sword leading him, he swung his sword toward the old Foundation Establishment monster who had drawn close before his eyes.
Spiritual Qi condensed in midair blocked the blade, but he sliced right through it.
It was a slash that poured out all of his remaining Supreme Great Ability!
“…Splendid.”
Simultaneously with the heartfelt admiration of the old Foundation Establishment monster, on whose neck a bloodline appeared.
His body divided and turned into a swarm of thousands of insects.
What Jin So-myeong had cut was not the main body, but a clone made of insects!
“So now, die.”
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The instant a chilling sound of wingbeats was heard, the insect swarms vomiting menacing gazes exploded.
Rushing at Jin So-myeong as if self-detonating, they spread a dark violet mist.
The surging poison smoke swallowed Jin So-myeong.
Sizzle!
A chilling sound was heard from inside the smoke. It was such a powerful deadly poison that even the surrounding soil melted away!
It was something that occurred in an instant, to the point that it was utterly unavoidable.
“Tsk. He was quite a tough one… Hm?”
Just as the man in black who emerged from empty air shook his hands with a somewhat tired expression.
Boom!
Jin So-myeong, who broke through the poison smoke, thrust his sword.
“Ugh?!”
The old Foundation Establishment monster pulled out a shield, but he pushed it away entirely. He blew him away instead of cutting.
After pushing him into the volcanic area spewing ash, he incessantly showered him with sword strikes.
Boom! Bam!!
The expression of the man in black, who had initially only knit his brows as if watching a death struggle, distorted more and more.
“What!”
This was because the power of the Sword Qi Jin So-myeong swung was unusual.
The sharp energy reinforced with the Supreme Great Ability had not yet disappeared!
Toward the Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator who had fallen from his lofty position and turned ash-covered before he knew it.
The blood-covered Jin So-myeong rushed. A mad smile was harbored at the corners of his mouth.