Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 224

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 224. The Attitude Toward the Divine (4)
So Gwang’s eyes widened as if they might tear open.
‘The Ascending Soul Demonic Formation has been broken!’
He read the flow of True Energy with acute sensitivity.
‘Below… Did the dissolution begin from there?’
It wasn’t a matter of inserting the correct key to dismantle it.
If I had to describe it, I’d say he destroyed it unreasonably—knowing which points would cause the formation to collapse, he attacked indiscriminately and toppled the very core of the True Energy structure.
Naturally, this was far more laborious than dissolving a formation through precise, methodical deconstruction.
‘Truly a formidable master.’
He was undoubtedly the master who had assisted in handling the Jegal Clan incident.
So Gwang’s eyes, which had widened in astonishment, grew dark once more.
‘But this is far from over.’
A soft rustling.
Two figures who had concealed themselves in secrecy emerged from the left and right of Moyong Bi’s front.
Identical height, identical face, and their Auras were nearly indistinguishable as well. They were twins.
“Quite the impressive young one.”
Admiration flickered across the face of Geum Sa, the elder of the twin pair.
“His martial prowess already rivals that of an Ancient Sect Sect Leader. Perhaps even exceeds it.”
Eun Sa, the younger twin, spoke in his characteristically cold voice.
“He seems to have surpassed even Sect Leader level. Especially that bizarre spear technique—truly remarkable.”
“Indeed. One could even say his martial arts are worthy of the Apostle himself.”
“His martial prowess aside, that boy possesses far more practical combat experience than his age would suggest.”
“Occasionally such geniuses emerge—those who can instantly apply their martial knowledge in real combat.”
“I find myself envious.”
“But this world belongs not to geniuses, but to those who survive. We must teach that boy this truth.”
“Let us do so.”
Being twins, the flow of their exchange was remarkably natural. They would be equally skilled in coordinated combat. Moyong Bi was certain of this.
So Gwang spoke.
“Gentlemen, I entrust this to you.”
Geum Sa said with a smile.
“Just in case, you should prepare to retreat.”
Eun Sa furrowed his brow.
“Retreat? How could I flee while these elderly masters labor? I should lend a hand.”
Though their words differed, both seemed displeased with So Gwang. Eun Sa displayed his displeasure openly, but even Geum Sa, who used the provocative word “retreat,” regarded So Gwang with sharp eyes.
So Gwang spoke calmly.
“Focus on the target.”
Eun Sa snorted and drew his sword from his back.
The long sword, nearly five feet in length, was a flexible blade. It bent like a whip, yet when infused with martial power, it became rigid and taut.
“Let us begin, Elder Brother.”
“Very well.”
At that moment, Moyong Bi lifted his gaze toward the sky.
It was not the posture one would expect to see while locked in combat with a formidable opponent. The Twin Assassins flinched involuntarily—so unexpected was the gesture that they inadvertently surrendered the opening to strike.
“So… the Formation Technique wasn’t just one layer?”
A gleam of realization ignited in So Gwang’s eyes.
“Dispose of him.”
A sharp crack echoed.
The Twin Assassins surged forward.
Eun Sa wielded his chain-sword like a whip, while Geum Sa gripped his thick Broad Sword in both hands, drawing it diagonally downward to his right in preparation for attack.
Moyong Bi’s dual swords moved with the fury of lightning.
A crystalline clash rang out.
Dozens of sparks erupted where the wildly undulating chain-sword tangled with his dual blades.
Surprise flickered across Eun Sa’s face.
‘It bounced back?’
His intention had been to wrap the blade around itself and sever fingers, then wrists—a technique perfected through countless repetitions.
Yet the Serpent Blade rebounded with an inexplicable elasticity.
As the startled Eun Sa halted his advance, Geum Sa immediately surged in to replace him.
Boom! Boom!
Geum Sa’s sword technique overflowed with raw power.
Each strike was infused with his very soul—a martial art that lacked speed but promised utter destruction if even one blow connected cleanly. It was a style designed to overwhelm through sheer aura.
As Moyong Bi retreated step by step, parrying each of Geum Sa’s strikes, his eyes suddenly blazed with insight.
A sharp crack split the air.
He closed the distance with breathtaking speed, his blade slashing diagonally toward Geum Sa’s collarbone.
It was a strike aimed at the instant Geum Sa would reset his stance. Geum Sa smiled bitterly and evaded the blow, but in that same breath, Eun Sa’s Serpent Blade shot toward Moyong Bi’s flank.
One and two, two and one—regardless of how their opponent moved, one would defend while the other attacked.
Simplicity itself holds no terror, but perfected simplicity is the most fearsome thing of all. Such was the coordination technique of the Twin Assassins.
And Moyong Bi had been waiting for precisely this moment.
‘Now!’
The churning Infinite True Qi detonated in a cataclysmic burst.
A sharp whistle tore through the air.
The Serpent Blade pierced empty space.
Moyong Bi vanished from all sight in that instant. Geum Sa and Eun Sa’s eyes widened in shock.
A horrific spray of blood erupted.
His dual swords pierced through Eun Sa’s chest and emerged from the other side.
The blade that had entered from behind curved gracefully downward in a diagonal arc, exiting through his flank.
“Ugh!”
A merciless strike that severed heart and lungs, liver and intestines alike.
Eun Sa, vomiting blood, collapsed where he stood.
“No!”
Geum Sa’s jaw dropped as he stared at Moyong Bi.
His complexion had grown somewhat pallid, his breathing noticeably ragged. Yet, as always, his eyes remained perfectly composed.
“…!!”
So Gwang’s face drained of all color.
‘What, what was that?!’
There was no flash, no warning. One moment he simply vanished, and the next he materialized to pierce through Eun Sa and kill him—I couldn’t fathom how such a thing was even possible.
Rumble!
Then thunder crashed from the heavens above.
Whiiiing!
Simultaneously, the forests to left and right seemed to lurch closer and farther away. The scent of blood, the smell of vegetation, and even the nauseating stench of filth assaulted the senses all at once.
Shrieeeek!
The wails of spirits mingled with birdsong, the roars of tigers, and the laughter of crowds from the Market Street.
Eyes, nose, ears—all reeled in vertigo. My head throbbed with dizziness.
‘As expected.’
Another Formation Technique had activated.
Moyong Bi had sensed the mounting threats with acute sensitivity, and despite the drain on his Internal Energy, he had deployed the Illusory Phantom Shadow Technique to eliminate Eun Sa first.
“I’ve won.”
So Gwang spoke with measured calm.
“The Phantom Spirit Formation will disorient you. Your skill may allow some resistance, but….”
“Uuuaaahhh!”
Geum Sa charged toward Moyong Bi, radiating terrifying Killing Intent.
His aura was overwhelming, his eyes brimming with tears. The shock of losing his twin brother so meaninglessly had driven him into a frenzy of rage.
So Gwang cried out in alarm.
“Wait until the Phantom Spirit Formation consumes the Marketplace…!”
Crassshhh!
Geum Sa staggered backward with a tremendous resonance sound, forced to yield ground.
Moyong Bi, who had received the blow, also retreated more than a dozen paces. The Internal and External Injuries combined with the severe depletion of his Internal Energy left him no choice.
‘He’s strong!’
Even as fury clouded his vision, Geum Sa felt a bitter sense of defeat.
‘This man… he’s stronger than me.’
When he and his brother had exchanged blows before, he had merely been on the defensive, never truly understanding the opponent’s full power.
But now he understood.
The man was a level above him. Despite his injuries and severe Internal Energy depletion, despite unleashing a strike with all his might, the distance they both retreated was nearly equal—which meant he could not overcome this opponent through raw strength.
“Attack him.”
Surprise still lingered in So Gwang’s voice.
“The Phantom Spirit Formation will confound him. Soon countless openings will emerge.”
That was when it happened.
Flash!
Moyong Bi, who should have been staggering, shot toward Geum Sa like an arrow.
So Gwang’s face turned ashen.
‘How?!’
When caught in the Phantom Spirit Formation that madly distorts sight, sound, and smell, even standing upright becomes nearly impossible. It is a matter wholly independent of Internal Energy or realm of cultivation.
Yet the man charged straight toward Geum Sa without hesitation.
Flash!
A long, graceful blade descended in a brilliant arc.
Crash!
Geum Sa staggered backward once more under the weight of that devastating blow.
Pivoting in place, Moyong Bi swept his dual swords upward from below in a rising arc.
Twin flashes of light erupted as the blade aura shot forth, striking toward Geum Sa’s shoulder.
“This bastard!”
Boom!
Geum Sa managed to steady his stance and shattered the blade aura with his broad sword.
But as he cursed and surged forward, terror seized him once more. His opponent had vanished again.
‘Where, where is he?!’
Fear doubled after being deceived once.
Scanning his surroundings, Geum Sa realized his opponent was now charging toward So Gwang.
‘That bastard!’
A psychological gambit executed in mere moments.
When the opponent who had been charging with lethal intent suddenly changed direction, he vanished from sight for just an instant.
Having witnessed the Illusory Shadow Phantom Technique, Geum Sa could only hesitate momentarily, and that fleeting instant granted Moyong Bi two additional steps forward.
Now Moyong Bi charged in a straight line toward So Gwang.
So Gwang was startled, but prepared nonetheless—he reversed his grip on his drawn sword and drove it into the ground.
Kaboom!
The earth itself inverted from the explosive release of Energy Release.
So Gwang, about to flee without hesitation, suddenly saw Moyong Bi’s body flying toward Geum Sa instead.
‘Emptiness within emptiness!’
Feinting toward Geum Sa, then targeting himself, then launching back toward Geum Sa.
With the added momentum from the Energy Release explosion doubling his speed, Moyong Bi’s charge toward Geum Sa was like a shaft of pure light.
‘He read the Energy Release explosion in that instant and changed targets?!’
In the midst of it all, he had woven defensive Energy Manipulation Arts around himself, and to gain the necessary momentum, he had even shifted his posture like lightning.
Every judgment and action accomplished in the blink of an eye. So Gwang could not help but marvel at Moyong Bi’s reflexes.
Whoosh!
Moyong Bi descended like a gale, sweeping his dual swords with fluid grace.
Beautiful slashing arcs tracing circles—as if wrapping layers upon layers of silk around his opponent.
Splurt!
The wrist holding the broad sword flew away, the opposite arm severed from the shoulder, and one leg sliced diagonally clean off.
Geum Sa stared blankly into empty air.
Moyong Bi, already past him, exhaled sharply.
“Finally got one blade in, you cursed wretch.”
A rather deep sword wound marked his left shoulder—the place where Geum Sa’s broad sword had grazed him before his wrist was severed.
Geyaaaah!
Geum Sa collapsed where he stood, blood spraying from his entire body.
Moyong Bi’s gaze fixed upon So Gwang.
So Gwang had already retreated a dozen paces back. I thought he would flee immediately, yet he remained rooted to that spot.
“Hmm.”
Moyong Bi’s expression turned savage.
“You’ve made quite the preparations, haven’t you?”
The distance was a dozen paces, but between us lay something incomprehensible—a barrier of some kind. It must be a Demonic Path technique.
Once So Gwang crossed beyond that barrier, he would be safe. At least, in my current state—wounded and with Internal Energy severely depleted—capturing him would prove difficult.
“I have but one question.”
So Gwang’s voice trembled despite his efforts to steady it.
“Were you not caught by the Phantom Spirit Formation?”
“The Phantom Spirit Formation, you say….”
I relaxed my stance and flicked the blood from my blade.
“That first one, wasn’t it? The one who greeted us below the Hill.”
“Remarkable. You knew that?”
That young Demon Person who had been split in half in a single stroke was the very trigger condition for the Phantom Spirit Formation. It was a single-target Formation Technique that operated on only one person.
Moyong Bi laughed and pointed to his own head.
“I’m mad enough that crude tricks like that rarely work on me.”
“…You are formidable.”
“But now you’re running? With that level of skill, you might have stood a chance against me alone?”
“You alone would be one thing, but since I’ve brought my allies into this, I have no choice.”
A shadow flickered.
Neung Hyeong appeared from behind Moyong Bi.
He did not even glance at So Gwang, his eyes sweeping across the scattered Demon People around us.
So Gwang exhaled heavily and spoke.
“I suspected there might be something, but I never imagined you would be someone this difficult to handle….”
“Black Death.”
“…?”
Neung Hyeong, who had been surveying the surroundings, fixed So Gwang with a terrifying gaze.
“So you are Black Death.”
“…!!”

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