Chapter 244 – Divine Might (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Wearing a disguise? What on earth do you mean by that?”

Su Je-heon immediately asked. Seven Poisons Yama answered as if it were nothing.

“It is a highly meticulous disguise, but it cannot deceive my eyes.”

“A disguise? That is?”

Su Je-heon and the members of the Heaven’s Will Gate were all taken aback. Indeed, since my disguise looked extremely natural even to my own eyes, they wouldn’t have even imagined it was a disguise.

“The makeup used for disguise has a distinct scent. A faint fragrance that anyone who hasn’t trained in poison arts would simply miss.”

“……A disguise, indeed.”

Groaning, Su Je-heon’s gaze quickly changed as he looked at Cheong-ui.

“Sect Leader, is that true?”

“……”

Cheong-ui made no reply. Finding a pretext, Su Je-heon’s gaze became even more venomous.

“If this is true, you have used an unfair trick. The people of the martial world will be heavily disappointed.”

“Why is that an unfair trick?”

I opened my mouth. Su Je-heon looked at me.

“I cannot tell because of your disguise, but are you someone of a higher generation rank than me? Seeing how easily you speak down to me.”

“No, not particularly. I simply speak down to you because you are barely human.”

At my words, Su Je-heon’s expression stiffened visibly.

There was no chance of Su Je-heon recognizing me here. First of all, he firmly believed I was dead, and I had also modulated my voice using internal energy.

“Yes. That is a minor matter anyway. But is wearing a disguise in an honorable match truly fair?”

“It is not a matter of fairness or unfairness. Disguise is my personal hobby. Does it interfere with the match?”

“So that is how you intend to play it.”

Su Je-heon sneered.

“I say this because you do not seem to be a martial artist of the Wudang Sect. To my eyes, the martial arts you just used do not belong to Wudang.”

“Even though the Sect Leader himself has guaranteed that I am a Wudang disciple, you still refuse to believe it?”

“Given that you even disguised yourself, how could I not harbor suspicion?”

At our bickering, the members of the Heaven’s Will Gate also chimed in.

“You Wudang ox-noses! You were playing dirty behind our backs!”

“And after all that, you had the nerve to call us cowardly?!”

Su Je-heon and the Heaven’s Will Gate’s members were triumphant. They were convinced that I was not a member of the Wudang Sect. If things went well, they might even hand Wudang a default loss.

In addition to victory, it was a golden opportunity to drag down Wudang’s soaring reputation. They had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.

“Sect Leader, say something. Do not rely on that mysterious disguised fellow.”

Su Je-heon sneered. Cheong-ui spoke quietly.

“I do not recall telling a lie. That child is strictly a disciple of Wudang.”

“Are you going to persist in that claim until the end?”

“What do you mean, ‘persist’? It’s the truth.”

I drew Bright Elegance. In times like these, there was a most definitive method.

As my sword vibrated slightly, a mist began to pour out. It felt a bit awkward to release the mist that I had originally internalized.

“……This is.”

Within the thick mist, a hollow voice scattered.

Even if the members of the Heaven’s Will Gate didn’t know, Su Je-heon was the Martial Alliance Leader. There was no way he wouldn’t recognize the Flowing Cloud Sword Art.

Furthermore, judging by the density of the mist, the level of achievement was clearly not low. The excuse that I had been hastily taught it would not fly.

“……Are you truly a disciple of Wudang?”

“Why do you not believe my words? Do you think everyone in the world is like you?”

At my jeering, Su Je-heon glared at me.

“If you are truly a disciple of Wudang, you should know that speaking to the Martial Alliance Leader in this manner is a grave disrespect.”

“My apologies, but I am not a member of your Martial Alliance; I am a member of the New Justice Association. Tell me, if a master of the Demonic Cult is of a higher generation rank than you, do you address them with respect?”

“Are you comparing me to a minion of the Demonic Cult right now?”

“To my eyes, there isn’t much difference.”

“You rascal!”

Su Je-heon lunged toward me like a thunderbolt. His speed was truly immense. It was natural that his intent was invisible. Even his casual swings already contained the profound essence of the Unity of Body and Sword.

I tried to raise my sword a beat late to block. However, Bright Elegance and Su Je-heon’s sword never clashed.

“Alliance Leader. Did you just attempt to harm Wudang’s disciple right in front of me?”

Before I knew it, Cheong-ui was standing in front of me with a cold face. Although Su Je-heon had struck down with both hands while Cheong-ui blocked with one, Cheong-ui did not seem to be pushed back in power at all.

“Did you not see that fellow insulting me just now?”

“He is merely a child who lacks cultivation. Does that mean I should stand by and watch the Martial Alliance Leader strike down Wudang’s disciple?”

It was a clash of wills between two transcendent masters. The massive waves of energy radiating from their bodies made the air warp visibly.

‘Wow.’

I marveled inwardly. I had thought I had become quite strong after training in the tomb, but Cheong-ui and Su Je-heon were still far beyond me.

“Try drawing that arrogant sword of yours one more time. Next time, it will not end with merely blocking.”

Cheong-ui’s cold fury washed over the entire training field. Taiji Sword Emperor Cheong-ui. It was a moment that proved his soaring reputation as one of the Five Great Sword Masters Under Heaven was no exaggeration.

“……I was hasty.”

“It is well that you realize it.”

Cheong-ui sheathed his sword first. Su Je-heon also sheathed his and turned back. Of course, he glared at me briefly in that short span.

“Fine. There is no rule forbidding disguise in the match. However, I must wonder what kind of shameful and dishonorable disciple would necessitate such a disguise.”

Cheong-ui was about to flare up and retort, but I was faster.

“Can it possibly compare to you, who acts so pettily despite bearing the title of Martial Alliance Leader?”

There were very few martial artists who could defeat my tongue, which had been forged in the merchant world for decades. An insult can only be beaten by a greater insult. Since the Sect Leader could not say such things, I said them instead.

Realizing that he couldn’t defeat me with words either, Su Je-heon simply avoided my gaze.

“How fortunate. I wanted to test myself against you since you were using such strange martial arts.”

Seven Poisons Yama chuckled, rummaging through his sleeves. Even from a distance, the foul stench wafting from his sleeves pricked my nose.

“Begin.”

As soon as Su Je-heon’s words ended, Seven Poisons Yama flung green sand from his sleeve toward me. Each grain of sand was packed with energy.

“Taste my Green Poison Sand!”

So that was the Green Poison Sand. Instead of dodging, I whipped up a sword wind to blow all the sand away.

“Let me strip away that disguise of yours!”

A shadow fell over my face. Looking up, I saw Seven Poisons Yama, with the sun at his back, lunging at me with a reddish-green energy condensed in his hand.

The energy poured from his palm like churning muddy water. It was not of a density or strength that could be dealt with by a simple sword wind. I quickly darted backward.

“This is exactly why I can’t quit fighting! To think such an interesting fellow would appear every day!”

Seven Poisons Yama burst into mad laughter. Finding it too noisy, I slightly dialed down my internal energy-enhanced hearing as I spoke.

“It seems your brain has been poisoned from handling all those toxins.”

“Haha, a funny joke. In fact, I think that might be the case myself!”

“I would appreciate it if you shut up.”

“Haha, I refuse!”

Seven Poisons Yama scattered leather pouches into the air and burst them with his fists. The poison powder within the pouches threatened to blanket my entire body.

I narrowed my shoulders as much as possible, crouched, and held my breath. Then, operating the Heavenly Demon Heart Art, I formed a protective qi curtain around my body and charged.

Before the poisons could fully disperse in the air, I cut through them and stood right in front of Seven Poisons Yama. Once again, I unleashed the first form of the Hunyuan Wuhui Sword, New Moon.

*Boom!*

Even though I had unleashed it from a closer distance than against Baek Sang-cheon, Seven Poisons Yama managed to dodge it. Although his waist was sliced slightly, it did not seem to be a fatal wound. It wasn’t that he was significantly faster than Baek Sang-cheon, but rather a difference of whether he had anticipated it or not.

I had heard that among unorthodox martial artists, quite a few were consumed by the very martial arts they practiced. This was especially true for top masters. Seven Poisons Yama seemed to be one of them.

Whatever he had done to his sleeves, poisons kept spewing out continuously. His sclera were stained blood-red, suggesting that even he could barely withstand the poisons he was scattering.

The sparse grass on the training field floor turned yellow and wilted. If it could do that without even direct contact, it was indeed a lethal poison.

“Excellent, excellent! Taste this as well!”

Even though he spoke like a generous country grandmother, what he held in his hand was poison. Instantly unleashing the Heavenly Demon Lightness Art to its absolute limit, I got behind Seven Poisons Yama before my afterimage could even fade.

“What a domineering step!”

“How about you shut your mouth? Otherwise, I think the poison will get into your mouth.”

“Why don’t you try some too? It’s tastier than you think! Hahaha!”

Seven Poisons Yama was truly insane. Right now, the fight was leaning in my favor.

Since Seven Poisons Yama could not keep up with my speed and sword, wounds were steadily piling up on his body. Although he was faster and stronger than Baek Sang-cheon, he was not at a level to overwhelm me.

I decided to approach the match as stably as possible. If I kept accumulating small wounds like this, his body would eventually give out, and I could end it then. There was no need to force a finish right now.

However, I soon realized that my understanding of unorthodox martial artists was sorely lacking.

“Hahaha!”

Seven Poisons Yama dug into his own wounds, smeared his fingers with blood, and flung it at me. Not expecting such an absurd tactic, the blood splattered onto my body and clothes.

“……Ugh.”

Aside from the foul stench, the clothes and skin touched by Seven Poisons Yama’s blood began to melt away. The red muscle beneath my skin was clearly visible.

A commotion arose from the Wudang camp. Although they couldn’t call out my name since I couldn’t reveal my identity, their anxious expressions showed they wanted to leap out immediately.

“Hahaha. This is my personal poison art, the Seven Poisons Blood Claw. It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“It hurts like hell.”

Since my raw skin had melted away, I couldn’t pretend it didn’t hurt. It truly hurt excruciatingly.

“Your internal energy is also quite peculiar. If I capture and dissect you, I feel my martial arts level will rise another step.”

“Do you think that would be possible even if I die?”

“It is indeed a pity that it won’t be.”

Seven Poisons Yama continued to talk nonsense as he splattered blood. True to its nature as a secret poison art, the blood splattered in a bizarre trajectory that defied physics. With the liquid curving in toward me, I had no choice but to retreat and block.

And so, the battle between Seven Poisons Yama and me continued. It was nearing the two-hundredth exchange. My skin had melted to the point where white bone was visible in several places, and there wasn’t a single spot on Seven Poisons Yama’s body that was free of sword wounds.

What was somewhat terrifying was that Seven Poisons Yama did not lose his smile even in that horrific state.

My heart pounded. In the midst of the immense pain, the thought that I might die here suddenly crossed my mind. But surprisingly, I felt no fear. I could only see the path of the sword before me.

For a moment, it felt as though time and space had completely stopped. I felt stopped as well, yet strangely, I was able to move bit by bit. It meant my body was failing to keep up with the acceleration of my brain.

I knew that now was the time to make a decisive move. It was the intuition of a martial artist.

Concealing my presence with immortal arts, I drew my sword back. Although I was hiding my presence right before his eyes, it was bound to be effective. Right now, Seven Poisons Yama was tracking me through energy detection, not his eyes.

Seven Poisons Yama’s Seven Poisons Blood Claw lunged toward my chest. Normally, I would have dodged it. But I did not dodge. Because I was faster. Slice, and dodge. That was the only thought in my mind.

“Aaargh!”

With a roar that I could hardly believe came from my own mouth, Bright Elegance pierced Seven Poisons Yama’s neck. The corners of Seven Poisons Yama’s mouth were still split in a smile.

But the battle was not over. Seven Poisons Yama’s blood, packed with lethal poison, surged toward my chest. I expelled my internal energy outward while spinning my body to the absolute limit.

*Splat!*

Naturally, I couldn’t dodge all of it. Although it didn’t reach my heart directly, the poison struck the area near my lungs. Instantly, toxic energy surged into my lungs, and I vomited green blood.

“Blegh!”

“Junior Brother!”

I heard the senior brothers shout in unison.

*Thud.*

At the same time, Seven Poisons Yama’s braced figure collapsed. The moment Seven Poisons Yama expired, his corpse immediately began to melt. He had been controlling the toxic blood with his internal energy, but once that control was lost, his entire body dissolved.

The third bout was also over.

Kneeling and vomiting blood, I still raised my fist toward the sky. It meant I had won.

The worried cheers of the senior brothers enveloped me.