Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 198
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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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The Broken Ranker
Devours Myths
Chapter 198
Dueokshin’s Teeth (8)
Crack crack, crunch-
Lee Hyeon could barely maintain his sanity due to the iron needles rampaging inside his body.
‘This is a terrible pain in a different direction from the Ring of Extreme Cold. If I stay like this, I’ll be devoured by the bone armor.’
Lee Hyeon thought this probably represented the impulses of Zhu Bajie, who had always been driven by appetite and lust.
Zhu Bajie, who was always called a troublesome character in 【Journey to the West】.
But this should be seen as him having much stronger instincts than others, rather than being foolish.
Therefore,
Zhu Bajie, who overcame all of this and awakened to Buddha-nature, seemed rather remarkable.
‘Fortunately, I have the Golden Headband and the Mask of the Golden Arhat, so there’s no worry of my impulses being broken… but still, controlling all of this won’t be easy.’
Lee Hyeon’s eyes flashed fiercely.
‘Then,’
[Activating ‘Sacred Relic: Golden Headband’ to rapidly accelerate thinking!]
[Attempting body contemplation.]
…
[Using the Super Recovery function of the Ruyi Chain to increase recovery power.]
Crack crack crack!!
Six iron needles burst out from Lee Hyeon’s body, then converged back inside.
And they came out and went back in several more times.
Each time, his clothes were stained red with blood seeping from wounds, his eyes became bloodshot, and his body became a complete wreck in an instant, but,
“Oh?”
Interest sparked in Zhu Bajie’s eyes as he watched.
“He’s assembling against his own body? Making the bone armor fit his body type? Haha! This is an unexpected method?”
The iron needles were a cultivation method for the Eight Precepts.
Therefore, as desires were severed one by one, the iron needles would also properly settle within the body.
Mental cultivation led to physical transformation.
This was Xuanzang Tripitaka’s teaching that suffering must accompany the attainment of enlightenment, but
Lee Hyeon was trying to skip over this entire process all at once.
[The narrative of 【Snow Queen】 looks at you with quiet eyes.]
For him, who had endured the Ring of Extreme Cold for over four years, pain was familiar.
Then he would endure this much pain without concern and make many attempts so the iron needles could properly settle.
Like Lego blocks.
Until a satisfactory result emerged.
“Senior brother, it seems you’ve brought a disciple more troublesome than you were in your youth?”
Zhu Bajie knew well how tremendous the pain of bone armor was, so he looked at Son Wukong with an incredulous tone.
“Did the me you saw look like I would ever take a disciple?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“But that guy just sat down saying he had to take that position.”
“…”
“Even when I said no, he grabbed it. That means he’s the one who convinced me.”
Though Son Wukong grumbled with crossed arms, he couldn’t completely erase the smile from his lips.
“You’ll understand if you experience more going forward. This isn’t even the beginning yet.”
“…That’s a bit scary.”
“Kak kak kak! It looks like he’s about to start!”
“What?”
At Sha Wujing’s laughter, Zhu Bajie looked at Lee Hyeon again.
Lee Hyeon was slowly rising from his position with his eyes open.
[Controlling the iron needles of the bone armor.]
[You have not yet passed the first trial.]
Lee Hyeon’s body was still bulging here and there. Occasionally iron needles protruded and went back inside.
Crack crack crack.
“Great… Sage.”
Eyes red like a monkey’s turned toward Son Wukong.
A cracking voice.
His vocal cords seemed to have been damaged and barely recovered.
“Yeah.”
“I will immediately take the second trial of restraining anger.”
“In that state?”
Son Wukong looked Lee Hyeon up and down with a mocking attitude.
He could barely stand while dripping with cold sweat, yet what second trial was he talking about taking, but,
“No. If not now, it won’t work. I need to take this… and enter the Demon King’s Subconscious Realm.”
“Why would you suddenly take that to the Demon King… Huh!?”
Zhu Bajie was about to dissuade Lee Hyeon when he belatedly realized something and opened his eyes wide.
Jiaoma Wang, who was on one side, let out a hollow laugh with profound eyes.
“The iron needles of Sangbosimgeum-pa are said to cut off all eight desires… afflictions. You’re seeing the demonic nature of big brother that torments me as such an affliction and planning to defeat it together?”
“That’s right.”
Lee Hyeon nodded with his face still drenched in cold sweat.
“The Bull Demon King’s demonic nature that brings madness. The iron needles of Sangbosimgeum-pa that cut afflictions. These two are mutually destructive.”
“…Using barbarians to control barbarians.”
Roc King’s muttering.
Jiaoma Wang said.
“I understand what you’re thinking. You want to selectively remove only the demonic nature. But the premise is wrong from the start. How exactly do you plan to enter my subconscious world?”
Jiaoma Wang pressed his head firmly with a slightly distorted face. Even after drinking holy water, the madness was still waiting for a chance to emerge.
“Unless a contract is made and a spiritual connection is established between you and me, how could you interfere with my mind,”
“It’s not entirely impossible.”
Son Wukong suddenly spoke up.
The gazes of Jiaoma Wang and his companions all turned that way. Conversely, Son Wukong stared at Lee Hyeon.
With his Fiery Eyes glowing mysteriously.
“You just need to be devoured by big brother. Right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!!”
At Lee Hyeon’s answer, the expressions of everyone present hardened.
Jiaoma Wang was the same.
* * *
“…As you master and disciple said, I am a body born from the fusion of countless monsters and demons beyond counting. Everything I devour naturally assimilates into me.”
Gyoma King finally opened his mouth after a long while.
“If I were to ‘devour’ you as well, you would become part of me. I understand that you plan to remove the demonic nature from within afterward. I also understand that you intend to use Sangbosimgeum-pa.”
But his eyes were mixed with anger and regret, self-mockery and lamentation.
“But how exactly do you plan to move within that place? My unconscious is a complex and chaotic Makyeong that even I find difficult to understand. And yet, as a human, you…”
Gyoma King still didn’t fully understand how he had come to be born.
Somehow, countless demonic beasts had become entangled together, and somehow their collective consciousness had integrated into a single ego.
The reason he couldn’t remove his demonic nature was precisely because of this.
And yet…
Lee Hyeon was saying he would enter that treacherous place and remove all the demonic nature?
It was madness.
Even with Sangbosimgeum-pa, what couldn’t be done simply couldn’t be done.
“It’s impossible. I cannot sacrifice my brother’s disciple just to save myself. Let’s consider the friendship contract null and void.”
“Whether it’s possible or not is for me to decide.”
But Lee Hyeon firmly shook his head and cut off his words.
“I’ll just try it. After all, Gyoma King, you have nothing to lose, don’t you?”
“…Are you telling me to make a selfish choice?”
Pfft.
Lee Hyeon let out a bitter laugh.
“What’s wrong with being selfish? Isn’t that exactly what a true friend is?”
“A… friend?”
“Didn’t we decide to be friends now?”
“…”
“So put your mind at ease and leave it to me. Friend.”
Gyoma King’s eyelids trembled.
And after a long while.
“…These past few days, I’ve been learning a lot from a human who hasn’t even lived a hundred years.”
Gyoma King’s face showed genuine emotion at Lee Hyeon’s warm heart.
A face filled with many thoughts.
Then,
After a very brief moment of contemplation, he nodded readily.
“Good. Then I’ll trust my friend’s words. Friend.”
“You’ve made a good choice.”
“However, I won’t allow death. If that happens, even if I have to tear out my own heart, I’ll do whatever it takes to save you.”
“That won’t happen.”
The smile never left Lee Hyeon’s lips.
“I don’t die that easily.”
“Is that so…”
Gyoma King smiled faintly, then turned to look at Zhu Bajie.
“Then, would Qingtian Lion be alright with this? With me stepping forward here? Isn’t there a risk of losing the Sacred Relic?”
“Do as you please. He’s senior brother’s disciple, isn’t he? Whatever I say, he won’t listen anyway.”
“Pahaha. That’s true enough.”
As Zhu Bajie shrugged his shoulders, Gyoma King burst into light laughter.
“What exactly do you people think of me?!”
“Then let me ask our youngest brother.”
Gyoma King’s gaze now turned to the grumbling Son Wukong.
“What your precious disciple is about to do is far more dangerous than a simple apostle contract. Your disciple could really die. Are you still okay with this?”
Son Wukong still had a sullen expression.
“If I’m not okay with it? Won’t you do it?”
“Well, I’d take your opinion into consideration…”
“Stop talking nonsense and just do it.”
“…”
“Did you get backstabbed by big brother because you worried about others like that? Just worry about your own path ahead.”
Son Wukong snorted lightly.
“Even if I grumble, that guy won’t give up on you until the end, will he?”
“You’ve really raised an amazing disciple. I never thought I’d meet someone who speaks of loyalty and friendship like this in my lifetime. This is truly enviable.”
“How naive.”
“…?”
Son Wukong snorted lightly. Gyoma King tilted his head in confusion.
“You don’t really think that guy is walking a path to death simply for friendship, do you? To my eyes, he looks like he’s charging forward with fire in his eyes just to get your wind technique.”
“…?!”
Gyoma King looked at Lee Hyeon with wide eyes.
Sure enough.
Lee Hyeon’s eyes looking this way were blazing fiercely. He was even making strange laughing sounds. Ehehe.
It was greed.
“If he has that wind technique, he can handle Somersault Cloud better too, right? That’s why he’s going crazy like that. Really. Nothing but greed filling him up.”
Son Wukong’s martial arts, Sha Wujing’s curse magic, Roc King’s flame technique, Wuyong Wang’s ferocity technique, Zhu Bajie’s defense technique. And now even Gyoma King’s wind technique.
Lee Hyeon’s desire for growth knew no bounds.
“Brother’s disciple is… truly multi-layered.”
“Right? He’s really easy to understand yet difficult at the same time. At this rate, he’ll become a greedy old man soon.”
“But that makes me like him even more. Friendship and greed – in the end, he won’t let go of either.”
Pahaha!
Gyoma King burst into satisfied laughter.
And then…
“Then let’s start right away.”
“Be careful, brother.”
Roc King carefully helped Gyoma King sit on the ground before leaving, and Sha Wujing also retreated while carrying Zhu Bajie. Son Wukong also quietly flew up into the sky.
At that moment,
Paaaaat!
[Bohai Sage Gyoma King reveals his true form!]
Kuooo-
A black gust swirled around Gyoma King as an enormous flood dragon revealed its form.
Because of this,
The madness he had barely suppressed flared up again, and his eyes were stained with a murky light.
‘Here it comes.’
Lee Hyeon took out Dueokshin’s molars from Kirsis and slung them over his shoulder.
In truth, this decision was like a gamble for him as well.
Facing Gyoma King’s demonic nature while not even having complete control over his iron heart would be extremely difficult.
However,
‘I need greater power. And more power.’
Lee Hyeon’s thoughts had been complicated ever since facing Bull Demon King and meeting Raphael.
The path ahead of him still seemed far too long.
‘Simply inheriting the power of the Seven Great Sages cannot be the end. I must digest it all and become strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.’
That’s why he was driving himself into more difficult situations.
Beyond that,
Valuable rewards would always be waiting like treasure.
‘Only then can I barely reach the starting line.’
His gaze was already directed not toward the Surface, but toward the Heavens.
Kaaaaa!!
At that moment, Jiaoma Wang opened his maw wide and swallowed Lee Hyeon, who was right in front of him, in one gulp.
Flash!
[The second trial has been forcibly initiated while the first trial remains incomplete.]
[Moving to Event Dungeon.]
A burst of light exploded.
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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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