Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 56

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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 56
“What did you just say? Did I mishear? You’re telling me to come up?”
“I… I heard the same thing.”
“You’re fighting that masked bastard right now? Immediately?!”
The spectators erupted in confused murmurs.
The martial prowess Third Prince had displayed thus far was so overwhelming that even calling it formidable fell short of the mark.
He had proven his dominance not only in the preliminary rounds where he was surrounded by dozens of fighters, but also in the match he had just concluded.
‘If it’s Seol Jung-ho, he’s at least a master of some renown.’
Seol Jung-ho, the defeated champion of Chukhon Arena—the largest tournament ground within the sect. He was a master whose reputation had spread so widely that even those ignorant of current affairs had heard his name.
Yet Third Prince had brought him down in merely three moves.
Having achieved such a crushing victory and declaring a consecutive match, there could be no more thrilling situation for the spectators.
However.
“Isn’t this far too dangerous?”
“It is, but he just finished his match…”
Deep concern settled across the faces of the spectators. The move displayed by the Unnamed Guest had been that formidable.
Who would welcome seeing the heir of the Divine Sect driven into a defensive position?
Worry churned within the hearts of the audience, and their pleading gazes gradually turned toward the VIP Platform.
Yet.
“How could a disciple of the sect go against the will of the Cheon Family?”
As if trampling their hopes, Do Je spoke with a smooth smile.
“We must grant him his wish.”
With a gesture from him, Chang Sun took over the proceedings.
“A consecutive match… I confess it is not entirely welcome. In truth, it disrupts the very structure and planning of the Tuyong Tournament, a course we should avoid.”
Chang Sun lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, infusing his voice with inner power.
“However, the purpose of this tournament is to invigorate the Divine Sect through fierce competition. An unpredictable battle would be the pinnacle of excitement. Regardless of my personal preferences, it aligns with the tournament’s true intent.”
The blade sang as it was drawn.
Chang Sun unsheathed his sword with a cry. The pristine blade flashed brilliantly, reflecting the sunlight.
“Please savor this magnificent spectacle! Today’s final stage features Cheon So-hyun, Third Prince of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and the Unnamed Guest of unknown identity!”
As Chang Sun gestured, the Unnamed Guest rose from the Waiting Area and ascended to the stage. He climbed with an eerie laugh escaping his lips.
“I was just getting restless, and this works out perfectly.”
Chang Sun snapped his fingers, and the air rippled as a barrier materialized.
“Then, you two, shall we begin with proper greetings?”
The Unnamed Guest clicked his tongue and glared at him.
“You perform like a clown with such shamelessness. Have you no embarrassment?”
Cheon So-hyun let out a derisive snort.
“Can’t you even identify your opponent? With that mask on your face, you seem utterly mad.”
The Unnamed Guest stared at him intently.
Behind the mask, brown pupils gleamed, and from the subtly curved corners of his eyes, a faint killing intent rippled forth.
“Young heir of the Cheon Family, refrain from reckless words. Do you even comprehend what situation you now face?”
Cheon So-hyun remained composed.
“A situation? What situation?”
“Aren’t you gulping down the punishment wine without even swallowing?”
A thick demonic aura seeped through the Unnamed Guest’s breath.
“I don’t know what you’re hoping for, but it will certainly prove hollow. Even the Divine Sect’s protective technique that has always lingered at your side will be useless here. The suffering from this point forward is what you have endured….”
Cheon So-hyun cut him off with a scoff.
“Was prison life so unbearable? Have you been terribly lonely all this time?”
“…What did you say?”
“All this rambling nonsense—why does it go on so long? I understand wanting to grab anyone and run your mouth, but you should choose your audience. What gives you the right to posture when you’re nothing but a captured dog?”
The Unnamed Guest’s eyes trembled violently as he maintained his silence.
“How could you possibly know that….”
From that reaction, Cheon So-hyun became certain of the Unnamed Guest’s identity.
‘So it is Yu Baek.’
He had already received a hint about this from Sa Ma-ryang.
-Finally… there is a formidable opponent among those prepared by the Blade Emperor Sect.
-Hmm? Who?
-Yu Baek, the Thousand-Faced Assassin. Like Yang Bong, he is a prisoner extracted from the Demon Prison. Despite organizing a pursuit team, his whereabouts became mysterious, and we concluded that the Blade Emperor Sect had already secured him. The intention is clear.
Because he was a master capable of killing the previous sect leader, Sa Ma-ryang expressed concern.
-Of course, if we leverage the Inspector Chief’s authority to pressure him, he would certainly withdraw. That approach would be….
-Enough with that. Didn’t I say it? Whoever comes up, I’ll just smash their skull.
And Cheon So-hyun had firmly refused.
The greater the danger, the greater the reward. There was no reason to decline.
The Unnamed Guest, Yu Baek, watched as Cheon So-hyun took his stance.
“…You would face me even knowing who I am?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re someone who’s been captured twice already.”
A cold gleam crystallized in Yu Baek’s eyes.
“That was only possible because my opponent was the Demon Master. You have no standing to speak so carelessly….”
“You can’t even evaluate yourself properly.”
Cheon So-hyun scoffed.
“A common criminal talking about great sects? Your self-assessment is far too generous.”
“How contemptible—not even knowing your own future… Yes, you’ll need to die at least twice for the accounts to balance.”
Yu Baek slipped his hand into his sleeve and began walking slowly forward.
Each flutter of his robe released an ominous demonic aura that froze the air itself. The momentum of drawing up his inner force while tempering his killing intent was extraordinary.
Soon the signal for the match to begin echoed across the Competition Arena.
“Begin!”
Clang!
A hidden blade suddenly materialized in Yu Baek’s grip.
The strange noise it produced while scattering sparks proved this was no ordinary technique. It was Yu Baek’s secret blade art—the Wandering Dagger.
“This martial art was forged with regret as its foundation. Let’s see if your body moves as well as your tongue does.”
As Yu Baek chanted softly and swept his hand, the blade shot forth like a beam of light with a fierce roar.
At the same moment, Cheon So-hyun pushed off the ground.
A deep, resonant boom echoed across the arena!
I had faced countless opponents wielding hidden blades across my past life—from Black Path ruffians to masters who had built their own legacies.
Among them all, Yu Baek’s hidden blade technique was chillingly reminiscent of the elders of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Those ancient masters of the Tang had obsessively and viciously refined the hidden blade art—a technique often dismissed as mere trickery—into a transcendent realm aligned with their family’s nature.
At my current level, subduing such mastery would prove difficult; to turn the tide, I would have to accept losses.
‘Amitabha Buddha!’
I surged my inner force and drove deep into the earth, abandoning all defense as I concentrated my vital energy into the Yongquan point beneath my feet.
“Kyaaaaaaagh!”
The hidden blade pierced through the space between my brows. The spectators gasped in horror and lurched to their feet at the gruesome sight.
“No, this can’t be!”
That was when it happened.
My body shimmered faintly, then scattered into a pristine afterimage and dispersed.
“What, what is that?!”
A thunderous crash!
The hidden blade struck the empty Fighting Stage with a deafening boom, and those versed in martial arts flinched in astonishment, their eyes widening.
‘Form Displacement Technique?!’
A body technique that vanished like a flash and materialized like a phantom.
It was unmistakably the Form Displacement Technique—a supreme art of movement that only those deeply versed in body methods could employ.
As shock rippled through the crowd like wildfire, I stamped the ground repeatedly.
Boom! Boom!
The energy blooming beneath my feet formed the silhouette of a lotus flower—the Lotus Platform Nine Grades, the supreme body technique Shaolin boasted to the world.
At its pinnacle, the body technique would split into nine distinct forms, each capable of independent combat sequences.
My inner force was still insufficient to unleash its full power, but for now, this was enough.
A heavy thud!
Like a projectile, I shot toward Yu Baek’s flank, my paired hands erupting with brilliant light as they surged forward.
Yu Baek staggered through his footwork, repeatedly parrying with his hidden blades. Each collision between incoming fists and steel produced metallic clangs and sparks.
“So, you do have some skill after all?”
Each strike was devastatingly heavy. The oppressive force, as if facing a ten-thousand-pound boulder, etched fine lines across Yu Baek’s brow.
Boom!
My grip tightened gradually, amplifying the force behind each blow.
A punch thrust forward as if grasping empty air itself—Shaolin’s fist technique that responds to all evildoers with compassion.
Shaolin’s martial arts were originally meant for suppression, not killing, but my technique was different.
Boom boom boom!
A single fist strike, raised without hesitation toward vital points, pure white fist shadows pouring down upon Yu Baek’s pressure points with fierce heat.
Yu Baek shook his wrists, aching from the impact of the Dragon Fire Fist.
Judging he could not defend against everything, he moved through his footwork and evaded. Wherever the fist pressure touched, the stone tiles of the arena cracked and crumbled as if boulders had fallen.
My voice came out rough and ragged.
“Struggle more.”
Thousand-Faced Killing Hand Yu Baek.
A villain who had murdered his lover and fled, taking an entire village hostage to annihilate his pursuers, earning the notorious epithet of Killing Hand through that very act.
In other words, compassion is useless against demons.
No matter how deep one’s cultivation, should compassion be extended even to beasts?
Divine Fist’s doctrine was that thorough guidance to prevent further wickedness was the true path to salvation.
Uuuuuoooong!
White light flickered across Cheon So-hyun’s eyes. A scorching energy, hot as boiling lava, surged through his entire body.
Boom! Crack-crack-boom!
As the three consecutive strikes of the Arhat Fist swept forth like a tempest, Yu Baek’s form was driven backward in a grinding retreat.
“Ugh!”
Then a tremendous impact pierced through his solar plexus. Cheon So-hyun’s strike had shattered the space itself and finally found its mark.
It was the Shattering Palm. In that seamless combination, Yu Baek coughed up blood.
“You whelp, how dare you…!”
Murderous intent flowed thickly through his breath, and his left palm blazed with light.
Skreeeeeech!
Suddenly Cheon So-hyun’s form flew in the opposite direction. Yu Baek’s hidden blade had pierced through his chest.
“Hgh!”
Cheon So-hyun crossed his arms and deflected with the Prajna Palm, but he could not completely nullify the impact. A long crimson line was carved from his solar plexus to his left ribs.
Uuuuuoooong!!
Yet there was no wavering in Cheon So-hyun’s breath. In his half-opened eyes, a steadfast resolve still gleamed.
Yu Baek’s hands, displeased by that gaze, began to glow with a sickly green hue.
“So you’re one who shouldn’t die cleanly. Very well, I shall take this seriously.”
Sizzzzzzz!
The liquid that fell to the ground melted the stone, releasing an ominous smoke. It was the Death Spirit Poison Palm, shrouded in lethal toxin.
Boom!
As Yu Baek brought his palms together at chest height, thick smoke billowed forth. In an instant, a dense Poison Fog enveloped him protectively.
“Treacherous bastard. Is poison all you can muster?”
“If that were all, I wouldn’t have drawn it.”
Yu Baek’s lips curled upward as he drew hidden blades from his sleeves, three in each hand.
“Close the distance and your blood will burn away. Widen it and your flesh will be torn. What will you do?”
“What indeed.”
Boom!
Cheon So-hyun immediately kicked off the ground.
He charged directly into the Poison Fog.
At this reckless decision, Yu Baek’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Foolish. Have you resolved to abandon your life? Or perhaps…?”
Thud!
His mockery could not continue. Cheon So-hyun accelerated rather than slowing, crashing forward with redoubled speed.
Boom-crack!
From the lower body through the waist and shoulders, an unbroken flow with not a moment’s waste.
It was Shaolin’s ancient technique. A tremendous strike channeling the force of his entire body crashed into Yu Baek’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Yu Baek leaped into the air to absorb the impact, then drove his blade downward in a vertical strike.
The killing intent behind that blow aimed at the nape of the neck was absolute—a decisive finishing move.
But then.
A sharp crack echoed.
As if he had anticipated it all along, Cheon So-hyun, already airborne, seized Yu Baek’s wrist with an iron grip.
“Let’s see who’s truly lost their composure.”
From his palm came a sound like a dam bursting, a torrent of power unleashed.
“…!”
In that same instant, Yu Baek’s eyes widened to their limit. From within that crushing grip, brilliant white flames erupted.

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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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