Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 264

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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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Chapter 264

The Jinryeongju that had been created within the Hwangyo’s body.

Was it because that power had seeped in, completely changing the nature of his spirit energy?

Bang!

The earthen wall that hadn’t been completely destroyed struck his body, delivering a shock, but it didn’t hurt as much as he’d expected.

Moreover, his hair became stiff like wire, and his skin hardened like armor.

Most importantly.

‘Tiger energy is surging up like crazy?’

That’s how it felt.

As if he had devoured that tiger-shaped monster, the Hwangyo, and absorbed its power, his entire body overflowed with strength.

Even as time passed, black stripes like those of a tiger became vivid on the skin exposed between his torn clothes.

Before long, even his eye light began to shine bright blue.

Bang!

The ground surged up again to form earthen walls, even flying at him in sharp wedge shapes, but they were blocked by the Silver Cold Staff and shattered repeatedly.

“Damn bastard…”

As the distance gradually narrowed, a look of panic deepened on Cheonggyeo’s face.

The earth spirit that was the source of his innate power.

It granted him the ability to manipulate the earth at will.

He could flip it or make it surge up, processing it into any shape he desired.

He could make it soft or hard, sometimes even create swamps to trap his opponents.

Even moving small mountains, albeit weakly, was possible.

It was truly immortal arts.

But what the hell was this bastard?

A mere human was neutralizing his attacks, wasn’t he?

A bastard who was born with nothing and realized spirit energy through effort alone, a bastard who used human martial arts instead of immortal arts…

Being of lowly birth, he should have been struggling without being able to escape from under his feet. Though his body had momentarily hardened and the spirit energy within seemed to have grown stronger, it was nothing compared to himself.

Even if his defense became sturdy, that was all.

There were limits to the power one possessed, and when shocks accumulated, it would eventually break.

But why?

How did he possess power equal to his own?

That’s when it happened.

Something caught Cheonggyeo’s eye.

He could see the flow of spirit energy contained in the weapon being swung while smashing through earthen walls.

The power flowing into it was being amplified to more than double in an instant.

‘I see. That bastard’s weapon was making up for the difference in power.’

A dharma treasure.

That was what had elevated human martial arts to a level similar to immortal arts.

But how?

That was an item permitted only to beings called High Immortals.

Why was an item that should be beyond the boundary in that bastard’s hands? No, how could a bastard with spirit energy barely worthy of the Half-Immortal realm use a dharma treasure?

‘Could it be? A dharma treasure that even non-High Immortals could fully use?’

At that moment, the object of his greed expanded.

If he could make not only that bastard’s spirit energy but also the dharma treasure in his hands his own?

He would cross the boundary in an instant.

If he completely escaped the human world and reached the realm of High Immortals, he wouldn’t have to worry about hunters anymore.

He had to steal it.

By any means necessary…

Cheonggyeo’s pupils sparkled with greed.

Of course, Zhuge Munhyeon immediately sensed that change.

‘Huh? The attacks are…’

It was a feeling that passed in an instant.

Though he had lived a finite life shorter than the immortals, he had spent his entire life fighting.

He wouldn’t fall behind in experience.

On the other hand, how much could this Half-Immortal bastard who had been holed up in the mountains for hundreds of years cultivating spirit energy have fought?

The unique sense cultivated from a life filled with battles seemed to tell him.

The direction of power had changed.

It had weakened.

Had the bastard perhaps grown tired?

Had his spiritual power been exhausted?

Well, he did seem to have taken quite a shock from the previous attacks.

But the energy flowing within the bastard’s body, as seen through his spiritual sight, was still at a tremendous level.

Yet the fact that it showed change must have a reason.

‘What is he aiming for?’

Zhuge Munhyeon no longer focused on advancing and concentrated on defense while observing Cheonggyeo.

His pupils, the form of his attacks, and so on.

When he concentrated, he could see it.

If before he had been intense and trying to crush him by any means, now he was drawing him closer as if luring him.

As if he had dug a trap.

Also, he could feel that gaze occasionally turning toward the same place.

‘…The Silver Cold Staff?’

The bastard seemed to have noticed too.

That he was displaying power beyond what he possessed thanks to the Silver Cold Staff.

So he was coveting it.

Not content with just killing, he was trying to draw him into a trap he had created to steal the Silver Cold Staff.

The moment he realized this, a faint smile formed on Zhuge Munhyeon’s lips.

Reading the opponent’s intentions was extremely important.

Such opportunities didn’t come easily.

‘In that case? Of course I should jump in.’

He would use the trap the bastard believed in without doubt in reverse.

Pop!

The moment he made his decision, Zhuge Munhyeon took out a water spirit bead from his chest and bit it with his mouth, then deployed the Heavenly Mystery Bewildering Steps and leaped toward Cheonggyeo’s embrace in one bound.

Craaaash!

The earth that surged up from both sides of where he had passed collided with each other, making a thunderous noise as they shattered.

Thanks to that, it was easy.

Since he intended to draw him in, it had become easier to dodge than before.

Meanwhile, Cheonggyeo’s pupils gleamed with obviously bright light.

He was delighted.

He was extremely pleased that his opponent was entering the trap as he intended.

Whoooosh!

Zhuge Munhyeon put all his strength into it as if he had seized an opportunity, and the Silver Cold Staff traced a large trajectory unlike before.

“Bastard! You’re caught!”

The moment Cheonggyeo’s eyes flashed wide, revealing his entire eyeballs as he cast his technique, the ground surged up and wrapped around his body.

Crunch.

The earth, hardened like pottery fired in a kiln’s heat, made Zhuge Munhyeon unable to move a muscle.

His entire body except for his face and the hand holding the Silver Cold Staff was trapped in the earth.

“Hehehe. How is it? This is what the earth pottery technique is.”

“…”

“It’s a prison crafted with earth spirit arts. Since you bastard who just recklessly scatters spirit energy wouldn’t know the principle of mutual generation, I’ll teach you. Originally, fire generates earth, so when heat is added, earth becomes stronger than anything else. Since it contains my spirit energy, its hardness is incomparable to iron.”

When the restrained Zhuge Munhyeon frowned, Cheonggyeo wore a victor’s expression and was triumphant.

“It’s useless no matter how hard you try. Even if your weapon is a dharma treasure that amplifies that power, if you can’t hit with it, it’s just a useless club.”

“….”

“Now I’ll devour you and steal your dharma treasure.”

Cheonggyeo gripped the Silver Cold Staff that protruded from the earth with an expression like someone anticipating a feast.

At that moment, Zhuge Munhyeon stretched the corners of his mouth wide and wore a grotesque smile.

“Stupid bastard.”

“….”

When he instantly changed his despairing expression, Cheonggyeo hesitated and stared at him.

It seemed his thoughts had stopped, unable to resolve his bewilderment.

“Do you know when the most dangerous moment in war is? It’s when you have the upper hand, when you let your guard down thinking you’ve won.”

“What?”

“And talking about traps to me, a member of the Zhuge clan? You’re far beneath me in that regard.”

“What does that…?”

“Hold on tight. Don’t let go.”

“…?”

The moment he spoke with a grin.

Wooooooong!

The Silver Cold Staff began to shine while emitting an intense resonance.

When he changed the nature of his power with the spirit bead in his mouth, the Gam trigram emitted brilliant light, and that light transferred to the Jin trigram.

Mutual generation?

I heard your explanation well.

But you also know about mutual destruction, right?

Wood spirit destroys earth spirit.

It takes root above it, burrows in, and devours it.

“You, you bastard! What are you doing right now…?”

As the instantly amplified spirit energy burrowed through his hands causing pain, Cheonggyeo’s face contorted horribly as he urgently tried to let go.

But would I let him?

“Small Heaven Star, Heaven Star Collapse .”

The final martial technique of the Small Heaven Star Sword unfolded with quiet words.

Stars collapse and tear the heavens.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The spirit energy he released exploded at the tip of the Silver Cold Staff, dyeing the world in brilliant light.

His ears went numb and for a moment he couldn’t hear anything.

His vision shook and he couldn’t see anything.

All directions were covered in dust clouds, and Mount Tai cracked everywhere as if an earthquake had occurred.

The earth prison that had bound his body shattered without a trace, and Zhuge Munhyeon’s body, caught in the violent storm created by the explosion, flew violently and crashed.

“Kugh!”

Heaven Star Collapse inflicted severe damage not only on Cheonggyeo but also on Zhuge Munhyeon himself.

“Urgh! Blech!”

Zhuge Munhyeon, who had flown far from the explosion point, knelt and vomited dark red blood.

Destruction doesn’t mean unconditional victory.

Just as it weakens the opponent’s power to deliver shock, he too could be affected by the opponent’s power.

Although it was somewhat less, he had suffered internal injuries due to the sheer size of the explosion.

But even while vomiting blood, his mood was refreshing.

This is the taste.

Of breaking down the strong.

While fighting, it’s painfully difficult and agonizing, but the thrill of finding a gap in an instant and turning the tide can’t be compared to anything else.

“Did he die instantly?”

Zhuge Munhyeon, who had cleanly spat out the remaining blood pooled in his mouth, slowly got up.

He couldn’t sense that bastard’s spirit energy.

Even the flow of spirit energy that should have been visible despite the thick dust had disappeared.

He was dead.

Certainly….

It was somewhat regrettable.

It would have been good if he had known a way to absorb that bastard’s spirit energy….

“Phew.”

But he felt relieved.

Thinking he had finally won, the strength drained from his legs that he had been forcing to hold up, and he collapsed with a thud.

“Damn, the barrier broke… I hope no one got caught up in it.”

It was an explosion big enough to shake all of Mount Tai.

Even before that, there might have been those who followed him when he went out alone, so he was needlessly worried.

“Oh my, the life of an immortal isn’t easy either. Each one, each one is this strong. If I meet several of them, I’ll surely die.”

He got up again.

His physical condition wasn’t good.

External injuries aside, his internal injuries were serious.

It seemed he would need to return and recuperate for a while.

It was just as he was turning around.

Goosebumps rose on his spine from a massive energy that suddenly amplified.

The moment he turned his head.

Thud!

One energy that flew at high speed pierced through his shoulder like an iron skewer.

Thump!

It was only because he barely managed to twist his body; if he had taken it directly, it would have been more than enough to put a hole in his neck.

“Kugh!”

But he couldn’t offset the impact, so Zhuge Munhyeon lost his balance, staggered, and fell.

And soon, something of massive form revealed itself within the scattering dust.

It was long enough to cross nearly half of the mountainside that had turned to ruins.

Thud thud thud thud thud.

The identity of that thing covered in blue scales was a snake with a body thickness of an adult man.

The ground shook from its movement.

Then soon a head that rose high became visible.

[What a troublesome bastard you are.]

“…!”

His breath caught.

At that size that seemed like it could swallow someone like him in one gulp, at the intimidating presence so intense his body trembled finely.

A giant blue snake.

It was the moment when Cheonggyeo, the earth spirit yokai immortal, a snake-form yokai that had cultivated for long years dreaming of becoming a dragon, finally revealed his true form.

You guys always do this.

You never intend to fight properly from the start, and only reveal your real power when you’re furious to the top of your head.

But how do I fight now?

“Fuck… I’m screwed.”

Zhuge Munhyeon, who could only sit and look up, spat out curses with a contorted face.

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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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