Almighty God of War - Chapter 165

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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165

 

Over a hundred warriors from the Gunmamaeng were completely annihilated, and the surroundings fell silent.

 

Whoooooosh-

 

The only sound that could be heard was the flickering of flames.

 

Guyang Cheongang slowly exhaled and looked at the Invisible Sword that had returned to him, speaking inwardly.

 

‘Well done.’

 

[Retrieving the Invisible Sword.]

 

The sword disappeared as the nanobots scattered and returned to Guyang Cheongang’s body.

 

He slowly turned around.

 

Lee Namillye, wrapped in Hangi’s Veil, was approaching.

 

Though they looked tired, the energy emanating from them was extraordinary.

 

Guyang Cheongang offered a cupped fist salute to them as they stopped walking in front of him.

 

“Thank you for your help.”

 

The veiled woman returned the cupped fist salute and replied.

 

“As you’ve probably already guessed, we judged that it would be better to join hands with you two to get through Hongnyeom-ro. So we stepped in, which means our intentions weren’t purely altruistic.”

 

Guyang Cheongang smiled bitterly inwardly.

 

The veiled woman’s words were excessively honest.

 

“Even so, the fact that you helped us doesn’t disappear.”

 

A faint smile appeared around the woman’s eyes.

 

“We’re from the North Sea Ice Palace. I’m Seol Hyang-yeong, and these are my senior brothers Han Yu and Han Baek.”

 

Guyang Cheongang’s eyebrows twitched.

 

He too had heard of the North Sea Ice Palace before.

 

They were the overlords of the North Sea who had achieved extreme ice arts, but they kept their distance from the world and rarely showed themselves in Gangho.

 

“I am called Guyang Cheongang, and this is Chong Sohyeop Jongnoeu.”

 

Seol Hyang-yeong’s gaze changed subtly.

 

“Guyang… Are you perhaps from the Guyang Family Estate?”

 

Guyang Cheongang’s expression also changed.

 

“That’s correct, but it’s quite unexpected that someone from such a distant place would know of the Main Family Estate, whose name disappeared from Gangho quite some time ago.”

 

“Everyone knows how fiercely the Guyang Family Estate fought against the Demonic Cult. Wouldn’t it be strange if someone couldn’t guess the family upon hearing the surname Guyang?”

 

Just as Guyang Cheongang was about to respond, Jongnoeu, who had been barely standing while swaying beside them, finally collapsed.

 

“Chong Sohyeop!”

 

Guyang Cheongang hurriedly supported him.

 

Jongnoeu had lost consciousness and his face was burning bright red.

 

He could no longer endure the heat of Hongnyeom-ro that had seeped through the gaps.

 

Seol Hyang-yeong spoke.

 

“May I examine him for a moment?”

 

There was no reason to refuse when a disciple of the Ice Palace, which could be called the main family of Yin Cold martial arts, offered to look.

 

Seol Hyang-yeong took his pulse and concentrated, then pulled out a medicine bottle from her bosom.

 

“This is Bingseolhwan, a secret medicine of our palace. It will lower his body temperature and increase his resistance to heat.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Guyang Cheongang offered a cupped fist salute in gratitude and immediately put the pill into Jongnoeu’s mouth.

 

After a moment, Jongnoeu’s complexion improved slightly. However, he still hadn’t regained consciousness.

 

Guyang Cheongang carried the unconscious Jongnoeu on his back.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Seol Hyang-yeong nodded.

 

“Yes.”

 

The group began walking.

 

The heat rushed at them, but having endured it once before, they were familiar with it.

 

However, it didn’t take long to realize that this was a misconception.

 

Whoooosh!

 

The color of the flames was changing.

 

At first, blue light seemed to flicker within the red, but gradually the blue increased and pushed out the red.

 

And then,

 

Kwaaaaah!

 

The flames turned completely blue and the heat became explosively intense.

 

“Urgh! Wh-what is this…?”

 

Han Baek groaned and muttered.

 

Seol Hyang-yeong’s face also turned pale.

 

Even they, who had mastered the Ice White Divine Art, the pinnacle of ice arts, found the heat difficult to endure.

 

Sweat poured down like waterfalls, soaking their entire bodies in an instant.

 

Guyang Cheongang was the same.

 

With every breath, his throat felt like it was burning up.

 

‘Akasha, what’s happening?’

 

[The flame temperature is estimated to have increased from approximately 1,500 degrees to over 2,000 degrees.]

 

‘Damn…’

 

[It’s estimated that geothermal energy has been drawn up and enhanced with Jinse, creating a structure where temperature rises over time.]

 

Guyang Cheongang was stunned.

 

‘How could they create such a mechanism when there isn’t even a volcano nearby?’

 

[This is a mechanism that would be difficult to reproduce even with Earth’s modern science.]

 

‘How high will the temperature go?’

 

[It depends on the mysteriousness of the Jinse, so estimation is currently impossible.]

 

‘Hmm…’

 

Screams erupted from ahead.

 

“Ahhh!”

 

“It’s hot!”

 

“Save me!”

 

Murim warriors were burning like torches.

 

Though they had endured the red flames, they fell one by one in the blue flames and instantly turned to ash.

 

There were no longer any who targeted Guyang Cheongang’s group.

 

They had no energy to think about stealing cold energy treasures while resisting the heat, and everyone was desperate just to survive.

 

Seol Hyang-yeong gasped roughly and spoke.

 

“L-like this… we can’t hold out…”

 

Han Yu also nodded in agreement.

 

“Samae is right. With our abilities…”

 

Han Baek, who seemed to have the weakest martial arts among them, could only sweat profusely and stagger without being able to speak at all.

 

Guyang Cheongang’s expression hardened.

 

Even the disciples of the Ice Palace, who were among the top three in All Under Heaven for martial arts dealing with Yin Cold Energy, couldn’t endure it.

 

‘I didn’t want to reveal all my cards… but there’s no choice. We might really die at this rate.’

 

Having made up his mind, Guyang Cheongang spoke.

 

“Everyone, come close to my side.”

 

Seol Hyang-yeong looked up and asked back.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I said come close to my side. Quickly!”

 

Guyang Cheongang’s voice carried strength.

 

Though Seol Hyang-yeong was puzzled, she thought he wouldn’t say something useless in this situation and moved while shouting.

 

“Senior brothers, get close to Young Master Guyang!”

 

“Understood!”

 

The three people moved close to Guyang Cheongang’s side.

 

Guyang Cheongang slowly inhaled and focused his consciousness on his dantian.

 

The Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art surged powerfully as the yin and yang internal energies rotated together like a taiji symbol.

 

Transparent energy flowed from his body, enveloping a space of five zhang radius around him like a massive bell.

 

The absolute defense that only Transformation Realm warriors could use, Protective Body Energy, had been deployed.

 

The blue flames struck against the Protective Body Energy.

 

Chiiiiiiik!

 

Fire and qi collided, sparks flying, but it did not break through.

 

As the Protective Body Energy blocked the flames, the heat rapidly subsided to a bearable level.

 

The faces of Seol Hyang-yeong and the other Ice Palace disciples turned pale with shock.

 

“Th-this is…”

 

“Protective Body Energy!”

 

They could not see Guyang Cheongang’s face due to his bamboo hat.

 

However, judging by his voice and build, they thought his age would be similar to theirs.

 

It was no wonder they were shocked that someone estimated to be in his mid to late twenties at most had reached the Transformation Realm.

 

Even in the North Sea Ice Palace, only the Palace Master and one or two elders had reached the Transformation Realm.

 

[Doctor, your internal energy consumption rate is rapidly increasing. At this rate of maintaining Protective Body Energy, the estimated duration is 30 minutes.]

 

‘Damn, does this path intend to kill everyone who enters…?’

 

Guyang Cheongang walked forward while carrying Jongnoeu on his back and maintaining his Protective Body Energy.

 

Seol Hyang-yeong and the other two followed behind him with expressions of disbelief and eyes filled with awe.

 

Screams continued to echo from ahead as people kept dying, but Guyang Cheongang’s group walked leisurely under the protection of the Protective Body Energy.

 

Han Yu muttered quietly.

 

“Chong Sohyeop will… probably be very disappointed when she wakes up.”

 

Seol Hyang-yeong asked.

 

“Why?”

 

“She didn’t get to see Young Master Guyang deploy his Protective Body Energy.”

 

“…That’s true.”

 

Seol Hyang-yeong also nodded in agreement.

 

Guyang Cheongang heard their conversation but did not react and walked silently.

 

Like the warriors ahead, he had no energy to spare for such trivial(?) matters.

 

The number of warriors visible beyond the blue flames had clearly decreased.

 

Within Hangi’s Veil, he could see the leaders of the groups and renowned masters who had deployed Protective Body Energy, but their number did not exceed ten.

 

The rest had already turned to ash and disappeared, or were barely enduring within their protective formations.

 

The warriors walked Hongnyeom-ro at maximum speed they could manage, but that speed was only equivalent to an ordinary person running.

 

If they went any faster, the formations that were barely maintaining their form and withstanding the heat would collapse.

 

The warriors thought there would be no more obstacles on Hongnyeom-ro.

 

But their expectations were soon betrayed.

 

The trial by fire was not yet over.

 

Kwaaaaak!

 

The blue flames began burning more intensely.

 

The blue light gradually faded and changed to white, finally transforming completely into white flames.

 

The blazing white fire was a pure white hell that burned everything.

 

Hwaleuleuleu-

 

On the surface of the Protective Body Energy that Guyang Cheongang had deployed, the transparent barrier was being consumed and burned by the white flames.

 

This meant his internal energy was also burning along with it.

 

[The Protective Body Energy loss rate is rapidly increasing. Current maintenance rate is 78%.]

 

Throughout the group ahead, people were turning into white ash one after another with agonizing screams.

 

“Uaaaak!”

 

“Save me!”

 

“No!”

 

Formations collapsed and Hangi’s Veil was torn apart.

 

The white flames devoured even the Protective Body Energy deployed by over ten supreme masters.

 

One person, two people, three people…

 

The number of warriors rapidly decreased, and now there seemed to be fewer than a hundred left.

 

Guyang Cheongang gritted his teeth.

 

He applied so much force that his lips split and blood seeped out.

 

‘I must endure.’

 

At that moment, he felt a strange sense of unease.

 

Something was odd.

 

While others were suffering as if they were dying, the breathing of Jongnoeu on his back was becoming peaceful instead.

 

‘What’s this?’

 

Guyang Cheongang focused and examined his condition.

 

His breathing was stable, and his pulse was regular too.

 

No matter how much he had taken the Ice Snow Pill and was protected by Protective Body Energy, this was not normal.

 

‘Akasha.’

 

[Yes, Doctor.]

 

‘Check Jongnoeu’s condition.’

 

[Understood. Deploying nanobots.]

 

A moment of silence passed.

 

[…This is strange.]

 

‘What is?’

 

[The white flames are not touching Jongnoeu’s internal energy.]

 

‘What do you mean?’

 

[Based on your condition, Doctor, the white flames seem to burn internal energy. More precisely, they burn circulating internal energy. However, Jongnoeu has lost consciousness and is not circulating his internal energy. Therefore, the white flames cannot approach his internal energy.]

 

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes widened.

 

‘So me maintaining Protective Body Energy and consuming internal energy is actually drawing the white flames in?’

 

[That’s correct. The more you circulate internal energy, Doctor, the more the white flames penetrate and burn following that energy. Since Jongnoeu lost consciousness and could not resist, the white flames also cannot burn him, I judge.]

 

‘The difference lies in whether one resists or not?’

 

[Yes. From the situation, circulating internal energy is food for the white flames. However, internal energy sleeping quietly in the dantian cannot be touched by the white flames.]

 

Guyang Cheongang’s mind raced quickly.

 

‘Then…’

 

The plan he conceived was an adventure, a life-or-death gamble.

 

But continuing like this would lead to death anyway.

 

Once the Protective Body Energy completely dissipated and his internal energy was exhausted, it would be over.

 

There was no choice.

 

Having made his decision, Guyang Cheongang spoke to Seol Hyang-yeong.

 

“Young Lady Seol.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I’m going to withdraw my Protective Body Energy.”

 

“…What?”

 

Shocked by words she never imagined, Seol Hyang-yeong’s eyes doubled in size.

 

“Do not resist with internal energy. Stop qi circulation completely. If you don’t, you’ll die.”

 

“But, that’s…”

 

Han Yu swallowed and said.

 

“If Young Master Guyang withdraws his Protective Body Energy, we’ll all turn to ash and disappear!”

 

“No.”

 

Guyang Cheongang’s voice was calm but resolute.

 

“Look at Chong Sohyeop. He lost consciousness but his condition is actually improving. The white flames burn circulating internal energy. But they cannot burn stationary internal energy.”

 

“What does that mean…”

 

“Trust me. Or die as we are.”

 

Guyang Cheongang did not explain further.

 

[Protective Body Energy maintenance rate 47%.]

 

That’s why there’s no time to leisurely give explanations.

 

He withdrew his Protective Body Energy.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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