Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 207

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

Chapter 207

The greatest talent Heaven has given to humans is adaptability.

And the one born with this adaptability stronger than others is none other than Zhuge Munhyeon.

In his past life, and in this life as well.

Clang!

The Hwangyo’s fiercely swung paw was deflected.

Of course, it was clearly different from before.

As the battle prolonged, he gradually adapted to the Hwangyo’s attacks, making the fight increasingly even.

This was the difference between a beast that had become an immortal but still moved according to bestial instincts, and one whose long-refined martial arts had once reached the ranks of the world’s greatest, melded with experience.

Moreover, the Spirit Eyes had the effect of further enhancing Zhuge Munhyeon’s adaptability.

In the past, before earning the title of Heavenly Demon, he had experience using the same martial arts as his opponents during duels.

Palm techniques with palm techniques, swordsmanship with swordsmanship.

Thus, he was accustomed to reading flows.

If back then he focused on how hands moved and where feet stepped.

Now, thanks to the Spirit Eyes, he could see how the creature’s spirit energy moved, where it condensed and where it manifested.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Zhuge Munhyeon slowly figured it out.

He was learning it.

His opponent’s techniques.

And what made this possible was largely thanks to the Silver Cold Staff.

‘So spirit energy’s properties can change?’

Thanks to this, he realized a new fact.

Like color being added to pure white paper, his own spirit energy was changing to become similar to metal spirit energy.

Claaaang!

Finally, the sound of metal rang out.

The surging elation was indescribable.

He had become equal to the creature.

It was the clash of metal against metal.

It was the collision of mountain against mountain.

Claaaang!

Now the creature’s claws were no longer a threat.

Because he had realized how to operate metal spirit energy to make his body as hard as steel.

Of course, he hadn’t surpassed it yet.

Just as he was, the creature’s power also originated from metal spirit energy, making it extremely sturdy.

However, he would surpass it.

As he always had!

Clang! Clang! Clang clang clang!

The sparking exchange of blows continued without rest along with metallic sounds.

Meanwhile, outside Saja Plain.

“Tr-truly amazing.”

At Jeong Haeryong’s admiration, Dan Chuyeong could only nod.

Was this truly a fight between human and beast?

Each time those clashing figures collided, the spreading shockwaves created gusts of wind.

Those gusts uprooted trees entirely.

It seemed as if the mountain was being gradually carved away.

Even their advantage couldn’t be gauged.

It had been quite some time since their movements became invisible.

As if exceeding the range of human vision, only countless overlapping trajectories of light could be seen.

Like tens of thousands of fireworks exploding at once, there were only sparks everywhere.

“…From the beginning, I wouldn’t have been of any help.”

What he had said about wanting to help was embarrassingly presumptuous.

They seemed too far away to reach.

“Elder Jeong.”

“Yes.”

“Move the formation a hundred zhang back… no, a bit further than that.”

“…Understood.”

Jeong Haeryong didn’t question it.

He knew as well.

The shockwaves were expanding their range more and more.

The wind had grown stronger accordingly.

Everything was being swept away and even the terrain was changing, so there wasn’t even a proper place to grab onto and support oneself.

The moment they got swept up, it was obvious their entire bodies would be torn apart by those trajectories of light.

Already, broken trees and stones were… crumbling like sand.

However, Dan Chuyeong, who had given the order, wasn’t moving.

Using his internal energy, he planted his feet into the ground like roots and gazed at the battlefield.

“What about you, Palace Master?”

“Just a little more, let me watch just a little more.”

“…Understood.”

Again, he didn’t ask further.

How could one martial artist not understand another’s heart?

Dan Chuyeong had lived his entire life as one of Yunnan’s absolute powers.

His heart must be heavy.

He would feel powerless before the fight of beings incomparable to himself.

Even if he couldn’t help, even if he couldn’t fight, he would want to watch to the end, as long as his strength allowed.

“Beast Palace, listen! Move the formation a hundred zhang back!”

Jeong Haeryong shouted, and the warriors retreated from the battlefield’s range in perfect unison like a receding tide.

From the place that had already been carved away like a bare mountain to somewhere safer.

And Dan Chuyeong, left alone in that spot, endured with a martial artist’s competitive spirit and muttered.

“I’ll watch, I’ll remember. What your fight is like.”

That was his duty.

Even if he were to lose.

Someone had to convey his final moments.

* * *

The world only remembers those who stand at the highest position.

Being first.

How could one not understand that feeling of looking down at all below from the mountain peak?

But being first isn’t necessarily all good.

With nowhere higher to climb, always being chased, one can’t help but worry.

With nothing above, it’s not easy to set goals either.

It’s always lonely.

Because there’s no one to share concerns with.

But what about those below?

Those at the bottom, at the very bottom, encounter countless goals. Even after surpassing one, there’s another, and above that, yet another.

Zhuge Munhyeon was someone who enjoyed that.

Chasing.

And surpassing.

Nothing made him happier than that.

That was precisely why he dreamed of Ascension to Immortality even as the Heavenly Demon.

A new goal.

The desire to advance further.

This was exactly that moment.

He had finally drawn close.

During the fight, he was learning and mastering everything from his opponent, engaging in an equal battle.

His tied hair had become disheveled, the clothes he wore had long since turned to rags, and the exposed skin between them was torn and splattered with blood, forming a bloody figure… yet he had never been more delighted.

The goosebumps from the rising thrill would not subside.

Meanwhile, as the pursuer’s speed increased, the one being chased grew flustered and, focusing only on defense, was gradually being pushed further back.

[This, this bastard…]

It was bewildering that nothing was working.

It was unbelievable that something possessed the same power as himself.

Zhuge Munhyeon’s power, achieved through melting the energy of death threads and reaching transcendence, had reached a level comparable to Hwangyo.

However.

‘It’s not enough. This won’t do.’

He couldn’t immediately produce power stronger than his opponent.

It was a contradiction.

A spear that pierces everything and a shield that blocks everything.

At this rate, there would be no victor.

It would only be a war of attrition.

‘I need some other method. Another way.’

A way to defeat his opponent despite having similar power.

Countless martial arts principles flashed through his mind.

Taoist teachings, Zhuge strategies.

He began to contemplate, seeking answers within them.

Thwack!

The result was clear.

After all, when thoughts multiply, the body naturally becomes sluggish.

[Kuhaha, is that all you’ve got?]

Seeing him rolling on the ground, Hwangyo roared mockingly with great satisfaction.

The mountain echoed thunderously.

His ears felt muffled.

How delighted this stupid beast was after landing just one successful attack.

But this time the damage was severe.

The moment his contemplation deepened, he failed to properly utilize his metal spiritual energy, weakening his defense.

The wounds on his body deepened.

More blood flowed than before, and internal injuries caused nausea as bloody fluid surged up his throat.

“Khaak, ptui!”

There was no need to swallow it.

Holding dead blood in his mouth wouldn’t return his body to normal anyway.

It only made his mouth taste foul.

Zhuge Munhyeon roughly wiped the black blood flowing from his lips, slowly regulated his breathing, and glared at Hwangyo.

He needed a moment.

“You really are strong.”

[Do you understand now?]

“Sufficiently…”

[I’ll soon make you part of me.]

The beast, whose momentum had greatly risen, looked down with a triumphant expression.

It was extremely unpleasant.

“But what exactly is this Baekryeong-gwa you mentioned earlier?”

[What?]

“You said so yourself. That you were trapped in Aenoe Mountain for a hundred years because of Baekryeong-gwa.”

[Hmm, that damned spiritual fruit. Because I ate that thing…]

“Spiritual fruit?”

[Why? Do you covet it?]

“I have no choice but to. I heard that devouring is also a method to increase spiritual power.”

[A talisman-using ascetic spouting such nonsense.]

While the beast seemed to chuckle, Zhuge Munhyeon was busy racking his brains.

The deception passed down to him.

How could it be limited only to martial arts?

Thought was also deception.

While steering the conversation by changing topics, he contemplated other thoughts, pondering ways to defeat his opponent.

Then his thinking stopped at one particular idea.

‘What breaks the natural order is ultimately reversal. If his energy originates from the Five Elements… there should be a corresponding opposition.’

He knew this from reading Taoist scriptures during his cultivation in Taiji Cave.

Among the Taoists of the Central Plains, few would have read as many Taoist scriptures as himself.

The energy of the Five Elements.

Taoism divides this into mutual generation and mutual destruction.

Mutual generation means wood generates fire, fire generates earth, while mutual destruction means wood destroys earth, earth destroys water.

What overcomes metal is fire.

Fire.

This corresponds with the Eight Trigrams as well.

Metal represents the Heaven trigram…

‘Damn it, this is annoyingly complex. Anyway, the power that would be reverse and opposing to someone born with metal spiritual energy would be fire spiritual energy. The energy of fire.’

He glanced at the Silver Cold Staff.

The position representing fire, the Li trigram (☲).

‘I have no choice but to try…’

Though he didn’t yet know how to use it, to win he had no choice but to make some effort.

[What are you thinking about so intently?]

“Thinking about how I should cook you from now on.”

[Nonsense.]

“You’re the son of a bitch.”

When he grinned, Hwangyo launched his body like lightning.

Provoking was this easy.

First, metal spiritual energy.

Clang!

The fight began anew.

A heavy shockwave worthy of being called earth-shaking spread in all directions.

The unfortunate reality was… no matter how hard he tried, he could barely produce sparks, let alone fire.

Even the light was faint.

‘With such weak power…’

At that moment.

Wait! What did he say earlier?

Did he say he ate Baekryeong-gwa?

Come to think of it, the Silver Cold Staff had emitted light not only from the Heaven trigram but also from the Mountain trigram.

The position of earth.

Could it be?

Though his innate spiritual foundation was metal spiritual energy, did his energy change after eating a metal spiritual fruit imbued with mountain energy?

It was an uncertain speculation.

But perhaps…

Zhuge Munhyeon, dodging attacks and leaping back, hurriedly thrust his hand into his robes.

His thought process accelerates.

The iron rod corresponds to earth energy, and earth’s opposing element is wood.

‘And wood is in harmony with water.’

Then what if?

He could use water energy to strengthen the power of wood energy.

Conveniently, he had an object imbued with water energy.

The orb that the damn Gold Plume Man had coughed up.

The thing that had allowed him to breathe underwater.

The moment he pulled the orb from his chest, bit down on it, and circulated his spiritual energy, the nature of his power changed and the Silver Cold Staff began glowing in different places.

Perhaps…

Just perhaps…

Zhuge Munhyeon, adding hope to his speculation, poured all his water-transformed power into the Zhen (Thunder, ☳) trigram corresponding to wood energy.

Craaaack!

The attack’s power changed instantly.

No, rather than the attack changing, the damage inflicted on the Hwangyo was completely different.

Its front paw was knocked back and its body swayed.

Whoooosh!

The follow-up attack dug deep into the creature’s abdomen.

With its waist folded, the beast crashed pathetically to the ground, and the impact seemed considerable as it couldn’t get up immediately.

Moreover, the fur where it was struck was burned black.

As if it had been struck by lightning.

“…”

Zhuge Munhyeon, successful in his attack for the first time, stared blankly at the Silver Cold Staff.

Hummmm!

It seemed to be saying ‘I did good, right?’

“Th-this is…”

Zhuge Munhyeon’s mouth corners, who had only speculated without certainty, stretched so wide they looked grotesque as they shot upward.

“…So this was it. This was how it worked.”

He had grasped how to use the Silver Cold Staff.

And why it could strike down yokai and demons.

This wasn’t just lucky guesswork that happened to be right… but my own method of using the Silver Cold Staff discovered through long contemplation.

Gripping the Silver Cold Staff tightly, Zhuge Munhyeon approached the Hwangyo with a triumphant expression.

The thought process to find the answer had been damn complicated, but the conclusion was to amplify power in the Zhen position corresponding to wood energy through water energy.

The combination of Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, harmony and opposition.

You don’t know much about that stuff, do you?

I don’t know much either.

But there’s one thing I know for sure.

“Hehehe. Now let’s have a proper fight, you bastard!”

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