Fist Demon of Mount Hua ( Novel ) - Chapter 281
Chapter 281 – Bonds Cannot Be Predicted (3)
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Discord
The wind that had taken human form spoke.
“I thought Mount Hua only had the Fist Demon as a notable figure. I was mistaken.”
The voice sounded like the humming of the wind. It was difficult to understand unless one listened carefully.
Myung Kyung’s eyes gleamed.
“Who are you? How dare you use evil arts on Mount Hua?”
Mount Hua had closed its gates.
Having completely cut off activities with the outside world, no one could enter Mount Hua without permission. At least, that was true for sects that followed the righteous path.
Myung Kyung’s sword pointed toward the wind that had taken human form. His sword gleamed more coldly than ever before.
“Your achievement is quite impressive.”
“Reveal your identity.”
“Kuh! If I were going to do that, why would I bother using the Glassy Invisibility Art?”
“If you won’t reveal yourself willingly, I’ll have to force you to speak.”
“Hmph! The arrogance of this youngster reaches the heavens. Do you find the Blood Spirit Emissary so laughable?”
“Blood Spirit Emissary?”
It was a title he had never heard before.
‘Is it the Demon Cult?’
A murderous intent swirled in Myung Kyung’s eyes.
If it was the Demon Cult, Myung Kyung hated them to the point of grinding his teeth. Without further thought, he charged toward the Blood Spirit Emissary.
Swoosh!
Myung Kyung’s sword sharply cut through the air.
With the momentum to cleave anything in two.
In that instant, the Blood Spirit Emissary’s body rippled and allowed Myung Kyung’s sword to pass through.
‘There’s no feeling.’
Myung Kyung’s pupils trembled slightly.
Clearly, his sword had sliced through the Blood Spirit Emissary’s body. Yet, he felt nothing in his hands.
“Chaaaat!”
Myung Kyung let out a battle cry.
This time, he unleashed the Plum Blossom Nine Swords technique, not ordinary swordplay.
A rain of swords poured into the air.
Sword Rain.
The ultimate move of the Plum Blossom Nine Swords was unleashed.
Pububububuk!
The Blood Spirit Emissary’s body was pierced countless times by the rain of swords. It was a powerful attack that would have killed or fatally wounded any ordinary person. But it seemed to have no effect on the Blood Spirit Emissary.
‘What on earth?’
Once again, no sensation was transmitted to his hands. It was impossible according to his common sense.
While Myung Kyung was bewildered, wind rose from the Blood Spirit Emissary’s body and surged toward him.
Wheeeng!
Myung Kyung deployed the Revolving Severance Wheel technique to protect himself.
Papapapat!
The oncoming wind was torn to shreds.
Myung Kyung tried to use this momentum to attack the Blood Spirit Emissary.
At that moment, his body hesitated. Though he still held his sword, his face was filled with bewilderment. It was because darkness surrounded him in all directions.
“This can’t be!”
It was darkness so complete that he couldn’t see an inch in front of him.
Though it was indeed nighttime, it hadn’t been this dark before.
Myung Kyung realized that something was wrong with his senses. The evil arts deployed by the Blood Spirit Emissary had confused his senses.
He had trained in the martial arts of Mount Hua Sect, the leader of the Hyunmun Orthodox Sects. Ordinary evil arts couldn’t even penetrate his defenses, yet his senses had been disrupted in an instant. This meant that his opponent’s evil arts were far from ordinary.
Myung Kyung closed his eyes. If he couldn’t distinguish anything with his eyes anyway, it was better to abandon them and rely on his other senses.
‘Where are you?’
His ears opened wide, and his senses became more sensitive. He could feel the flow of air.
He released his qi like unraveling threads, scattering it in all directions. A slight movement caught on the qi he had spread out.
“Chaaaat!”
Myung Kyung unleashed the Chaotic Wind Leaves, one of the ultimate moves of the Plum Blossom Nine Swords.
In the darkness, plum blossom leaves scattered chaotically. But the Blood Spirit Emissary wasn’t caught by any of the plum blossom leaves.
“It’s useless. In the Prison of Endless Darkness, I am the emperor.”
The Blood Spirit Emissary smiled in the darkness.
The space that Myung Kyung perceived as darkness was actually the crystallization of the Blood Spirit Emissary’s internal energy. He converted his entire body’s internal energy into clouds and released it. The released clouds completely cut off the inside from the outside while confusing the senses of those trapped within.
Unless the Blood Spirit Emissary released them, there was no way for those trapped inside to escape by their own power.
Everything Myung Kyung felt and detected was an illusion created by the Blood Spirit Emissary. Even now, Myung Kyung was continuously unleashing the ultimate moves of the Plum Blossom Nine Swords into empty space.
The Blood Spirit Emissary’s gaze turned toward the Medicine King Hall.
‘The Plum Blossom Divine Pill, you say.’
For the first time, a light of greed appeared in his eyes.
Until he came here, his purpose had been simple surveillance. But when he discovered that the Plum Blossom Divine Pill had been created, a seed of greed took root in his heart.
Five Plum Blossom Divine Pills were truly a priceless treasure. Although they would be of no use to him who had mastered evil arts, they could still be an enormous power depending on how they were used.
‘I’ll take that woman along with the Plum Blossom Divine Pills.’
Jong Ri-yeon.
She had recreated the Plum Blossom Divine Pill in the current era, despite its manufacturing method having been lost long ago. Therefore, if he took her, he could make as many Plum Blossom Divine Pills as he wanted.
‘The Sect Master only ordered me to quietly observe, but if I bring her, he will surely recognize my merit.’
He smiled.
The Blood Spirit Emissary raised his hand. Immense power gathered in his hand.
He could see the back of Myung Kyung, who was still swinging his sword in the Prison of Endless Darkness. If he unleashed his palm strike now, Myung Kyung would either die or be severely wounded.
‘Die!’
Just as the Blood Spirit Emissary was about to unleash his palm force toward Myung Kyung…
“Infinite Buddha!”
Suddenly, a low voice echoed through the night sky.
“Kuut!”
A soft groan escaped from the Blood Spirit Emissary’s lips. His emotionless eyes trembled. It was because his spirit had suddenly been shaken.
From the darkness, the voice continued.
“The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. If you call the Dao by its name, it is no longer the Dao, and if you call a name by its name, it is no longer a name.”
It was the first verse of the Tao Te Ching written by Laozi. It was a verse that anyone walking the path of Taoism would know. The Blood Spirit Emissary was also well familiar with this ordinary verse. That’s why he didn’t think much of it.
‘This can’t be!’
But at this moment, his spirit was greatly shaken.
It wasn’t simply because the unknown opponent had recited the Tao Te Ching. It was because of the inexplicable power contained in the voice reciting the Tao Te Ching.
The Blood Spirit Emissary looked in the direction from which the voice came with bloodshot eyes.
A Taoist priest with a clear countenance was approaching.
As he drew closer, the Blood Spirit Emissary’s complexion, hidden by the wind, turned pale.
The Taoist priest’s voice continued resonantly.
“If you think it’s darkness, darkness will come, and if you believe there is light, the world will be filled with light. Myung Kyung, don’t be deluded by the darkness you see. Though forms may differ, there is only one essence.”
At that moment, Myung Kyung, who had been wandering aimlessly in the Prison of Endless Darkness, stopped abruptly. An extraordinary aura flowed from his entire body.
“Kuut!”
The Blood Spirit Emissary bit his lip tightly.
His Prison of Endless Darkness was shaking.
Just as the fog that engulfs dawn disappears with the rising sun, the energy of the Prison of Endless Darkness was dissipating.
Bloodshot eyes appeared in the Blood Spirit Emissary’s eyes.
His entire body felt itchy. It was as if thousands of needles were pricking his entire body.
The Taoist priest was merely chanting incantations without taking any action. Yet, the Blood Spirit Emissary was in unbearable agony.
‘What kind of Taoist power…’
From the Taoist priest’s entire body, an immeasurably deep and vast Taoist power could be felt. His Taoist power was affecting the Blood Spirit Emissary’s evil energy.
Just by existing and chanting incantations, the power that the Blood Spirit Emissary had accumulated throughout his life was being scattered.
“No! Die!”
The Blood Spirit Emissary attacked the Taoist priest with a shout.
Despite the formidable evil energy bearing down on him, the Taoist priest, Sage Hyeon-so, was merely chanting incantations with his eyes half-closed.
An enormous amount of evil energy enveloped Sage Hyeon-so’s entire body. Darkness came to Sage Hyeon-so as well. But Sage Hyeon-so paid no heed and said:
“Evil energy shall retreat.”
Puhwahak!
At that moment, a formidable burst of light arose from his body. It was the pure Taoist power accumulated in his body being released.
“Kueu!”
The Blood Spirit Emissary staggered backward. The wind that had covered his body disappeared without a trace, revealing his true appearance.
His true form was that of an old man in his early fifties with a goatee.
‘This man’s Taoist power is dangerous! It can neutralize all the evil arts of our sect.’
The Blood Spirit Emissary instinctively realized that Sage Hyeon-so was his natural enemy. In front of someone with vast Taoist power like Sage Hyeon-so, all evil arts were virtually useless.
The Blood Spirit Emissary decided to withdraw his evil arts and kill Sage Hyeon-so with martial arts.
“Chaat! Bone-Crushing Soul-Consuming Palm.”
Just as he was about to unleash his secret palm technique…
“Not so fast.”
Myung Kyung appeared, breaking through the darkness. The Azure Unyielding Sword in his hand emitted a cold light.
The ultimate move of the Plum Blossom Nine Swords, Overflowing Sword Sea, was unleashed. A silver light flashed past the Blood Spirit Emissary.
“Keuyk!”
With a soft groan, the Blood Spirit Emissary retreated.
Where he had been standing, an arm severed from the shoulder had fallen.
“Mount Hua Sect! I won’t forget this humiliation.”
The Blood Spirit Emissary clutched his severed left shoulder and leaped backward. Wind came and enveloped his body, and in an instant, he disappeared from the sight of the two.
“Do you think I’ll let you escape?”
Myung Kyung tried to pursue him.
“Stop, Myung Kyung.”
Sage Hyeon-so restrained him.
“But Fourth Uncle?”
“He has already disappeared.”
“What?”
“It’s too late to chase after him. Let him go.”
“Keuyk!”
Myung Kyung’s face contorted at Sage Hyeon-so’s words.
With Sage Hyeon-so’s help, he had barely escaped from the Prison of Endless Darkness. The fact that he had struggled against mere evil arts made him feel humiliated.
“Fourth Uncle!”
“What’s happening?”
The disciples of Mount Hua Sect, who had belatedly become aware of the intruder’s presence, came running.
Sage Hyeon-so patted Myung Kyung’s shoulder.
“There’s no need to feel so ashamed. Whoever that person was, his evil arts were truly remarkable. Anyone would have fallen victim if not prepared in advance.”
“The next time we meet, I won’t be defeated so pathetically.”
“That’s the spirit!”
Sage Hyeon-so’s gaze turned toward the direction where the Blood Spirit Emissary had disappeared. His evil energy had already vanished far away long ago.
“Infinite Buddha!”
He shook his head.
The tremendous evil energy gave him a headache. But he had to do what needed to be done.
He said to his disciples:
“Check if there’s anything unusual at the Medicine King Hall.”
“Yes!”
The disciples answered and rushed to the Medicine King Hall.
Once they were alone, Myung Kyung asked:
“It was truly tremendous evil energy. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Myung Kyung let out a sigh of relief.
Except for Dam-ho, he was the strongest in Mount Hua Sect. When Dam-ho was absent, it was his duty to protect Mount Hua Sect.
“Where could he have come from? I’ve never heard of someone so proficient in evil arts.”
“The Heavenly Evil Sect… Perhaps he was from the Heavenly Evil Sect.”
“Heavenly Evil Sect?”
“Ho once told me. Long before the Demon Cult, there existed an organization called the Heavenly Evil Sect, and they were instigating conflicts between the Demon Cult and the martial world.”
“The Heavenly Evil Sect…”
Myung Kyung sensed another bloody storm brewing in the martial world.