Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 242

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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 242
Hyeon Sang fixed his gaze upon Nok Rim Dae Je.
The dense, verdant martial power flowing from him was spreading across Huashan with terrifying speed, as though it might swallow the mountain whole.
Watching this, Hyeon Sang bit his lip hard.
‘……Formidable.’
No—formidable hardly sufficed.
The aura he radiated, his very presence, was overwhelming, and its depth was incalculable.
The moment his concentration wavered even slightly, he would be swept up in the verdant power flooding Huashan, struggling helplessly against its tide.
Hyeon Sang’s brows drew together sharply.
‘Even holding my ground has become difficult.’
He was managing to deflect the onslaught with the Inner Power of the Ja Ha Divine Art, but it was growing progressively harder to maintain.
The martial power radiating from Nok Rim Dae Je was, without question, overwhelmingly dominant.
‘So the reputation of Nok Rim Dae Je was no mere legend. The man who raised Nok Lim from a mere bandit faction to its current standing…….’
Until he faced Nok Rim Dae Je directly, Hyeon Sang had unconsciously looked down upon him.
No matter what they called him—Nok Rim Dae Je or otherwise—at heart, he was just a bandit, or so he had thought.
But meeting him face-to-face changed everything.
He was a master.
A master vastly above himself.
At that moment, Nok Rim Dae Je’s lips, which had been pressed into a firm line, began to slowly open.
“A beautiful violet hue.”
His voice fell flat and measured upon the ear.
It was a voice as parched as dried kindling.
Yet the expression on Nok Rim Dae Je’s face as he spoke was as fierce and blazing as dancing flame.
‘To think he could withstand the martial power of the Heaven Punishment Green Flower Protection Technique.’
Nok Rim Dae Je’s gaze shifted to the void above.
He observed the violet brilliance waging territory against the martial power of the Heaven Punishment Green Flower Protection Technique, which churned with fighting spirit.
It was far too subtle, too soft.
It looked so fragile it might shatter the moment one grasped it.
‘Yet it will not break.’
His eyes grew somber and settled.
He sensed it instinctively.
Though it appeared on the surface to be easily swept aside, it possessed a flexibility that would not yield to any force, no matter how violent.
“The divine art of Huashan—is it the Ja Ha Divine Art?”
“You know well.”
Hyeon Sang answered, forcing coldness into his voice.
Yet Nok Rim Dae Je’s expression showed no reaction whatsoever.
He simply opened his mouth without emotion.
“Indeed…… it is aptly called a divine art, as you say. Yet…….”
He trailed off and took a step forward.
Thud.
And in that moment.
“……!”
Hyeon Sang’s expression contorted.
From the foot Nok Rim Dae Je had planted, a violent surge of fighting spirit erupted, reinforcing the martial power attempting to consume the void.
Then, shortly after.
Crack.
Fissures began to form in the Ja Ha Divine Art, which had been locked in contest with Nok Rim Dae Je’s power.
As he felt Nok Rim Dae Je’s martial power gradually piercing through and infiltrating the Ja Ha Divine Art, Hyeon Sang’s mouth went dry.
‘Extraordinary Internal Force mastery.’
Just as he barely suppressed his shock inwardly.
Grin.
Nok Rim Dae Je bared his teeth and laughed.
“Your mastery of that divine art falls woefully short.”
At Nok Rim Dae Je’s scornful words, Hyeon Sang gripped the sword in his hand all the more tightly.
It stung, but his words were true.
Though he had mastered the supreme divine art that was the Ja Ha Divine Art, his own attainment remained far from complete.
“Can you truly best me with that?”
At Nok Rim Dae Je’s following words, Hyeon Sang’s eyes grew troubled for a moment.
‘If I clash with him in my current state…….’
The word ‘defeat’ took hold of his mind.
The gap in their strength was unmistakable.
Yet……
‘There is no escape from this.’
Hyeon Sang closed his eyes slowly, then opened them.
He could not avoid a final confrontation with this man.
He must not avoid it.
Hyeon Sang lifted his sword with deliberate slowness.
Whoosh—
In an instant, the tip of Hyeon Sang’s blade pointed directly at Nok Rim Dae Je’s face.
Then the man’s mouth opened.
“You talk more than I expected.”
Hyeon Sang smiled gently as he spoke.
“Are you afraid you might lose to me?”
“Hahahaha! How amusing. How very amusing.”
Nok Rim Dae Je burst into raucous laughter.
After laughing for some time, he regarded Hyeon Sang with eyes blazing with killing intent, his lips curling into a sneer.
“You must be mad with a death wish.”
Nok Rim Dae Je’s laughter vanished in an instant. He uncrossed his arms and brought both hands forward.
A tingling killing intent rippled outward in all directions.
At the same time, the martial power of the Heaven Punishment Green Flower Protection Technique that saturated the surrounding area undulated like waves in response to his will.
Then it happened.
Swish—
Nok Rim Dae Je raised his right palm.
‘Dreadful scarring indeed.’
In that moment, Hyeon Sang’s brow furrowed slightly.
The countless blade marks carved into the exposed palm were ghastly to behold.
‘What manner of training could have done this……’
Alongside this, Nok Rim Dae Je’s gray robes billowed wildly, and a solidified green energy erupted across his entire body.
And in the next instant.
Nok Rim Dae Je’s figure suddenly stretched unnaturally, closing the distance to Hyeon Sang in a single breath.
It was an uncanny sight.
The gap that had narrowed so abruptly.
Hyeon Sang flinched, but he fought to maintain his composure and moved to shift the Blue Cloud Sword in his grip.
But before he could.
Swoosh!
A palm strike erupted from the side, aimed at Hyeon Sang’s face and hurtling toward him.
Hyeon Sang jerked his head desperately.
The palm strike grazed past his ear so closely that his hair stood on end.
He succeeded in dodging the sudden assault, but Hyeon Sang found no relief.
Nok Rim Dae Je now stood before him, his eyes gleaming with a faint green light, fixed upon him with an eerie intensity.
A chillingly dense killing intent radiated from those murderous eyes, and Hyeon Sang felt himself shrink beneath it.
“A nice dodge.”
Nok Rim Dae Je smiled wickedly and continued.
“Let’s see if you can evade this as well.”
Nok Rim Dae Je extended his palm forward.
Green energy flowed across his hand, radiating fierce power.
His hand then moved with dizzying speed, creating dozens of phantom images in an instant.
Whoooosh!
A barrage of violent palm strikes infused with martial force began to rain down upon Hyeon Sang.
Each one was terrible to witness.
Faced with the relentless onslaught, Hyeon Sang moved his feet urgently.
His form instantly split into multiple images, executing transformations beyond counting.
Divine Movement Hundred Transformations!
Deploying Huashan Sect’s most dazzling Speed Technique, Hyeon Sang swung his sword violently against the raining palm strikes.
His slash cut from left to right, cleaving as if splitting heaven and earth.
Swish—
A crimson light blossomed.
The flame that bloomed against dozens of palm strikes appeared feeble and insignificant.
Yet in that moment.
‘What is that?’
Nok Rim Dae Je felt something amiss.
That small flame. That tiny spark.
He sensed it carried an inexplicable aura, and that strange feeling was no illusion.
Whoosh!
The spear shadows that had been pouring down upon Hyeon Sang all ignited at once, vanishing in flame.
It was a wondrous sight.
Everything in the world seemed engulfed by violet fire, burning brilliantly.
As if it were the very flame of purification itself.
‘Is this the sword of Huashan?’
It was indeed an exquisite sword form.
Dozens of variations woven into a single stroke, the momentum flowing through them was nothing short of miraculous.
It drew forth admiration unbidden.
Yet.
‘Insufficient.’
Nok Rim Dae Je’s eyes grew cold as ice, and his body began to sway left and right.
His verdant gaze traced a long afterimage across the air even as the sleeves of his robe whipped about violently.
Unfolding the Ghost No Shadow Step—a Speed Technique perfected over centuries—Nok Rim Dae Je thrust his right palm forward in a straight line.
Crack!
The very space twisted with tremendous force.
The Blue Cloud Sword was seized in Nok Rim Dae Je’s palm.
“——!”
Hyeon Sang’s eyes widened.
‘The Subtle Light Opening Flame…?’
He could not believe it.
Yet reality remained unchanged.
“That was a rather brilliant sword technique. Had your strength been higher, you might have caught me.”
Nok Rim Dae Je pulled the Blue Cloud Sword toward himself with the hand that held it, then raised his left palm and drove it toward Hyeon Sang’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Blood spilled from Hyeon Sang’s mouth.
Even so, he gripped the sword-hand tighter and twisted it to the side.
“A futile gesture.”
Nok Rim Dae Je released the sword.
“Cough, cough.”
Recoiling from the impact, Hyeon Sang stumbled backward.
And Nok Rim Dae Je did not waste that moment.
Whoosh!
Blazing Inner Power coalesced in Nok Rim Dae Je’s right palm as it rushed toward Hyeon Sang’s ribs.
“——!”
Hyeon Sang clenched his teeth, his brow furrowing as he poured his Internal Force into the sword and raised it to block.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion erupted.
Hyeon Sang had been knocked back five paces, while Nok Rim Dae Je slowly dusted off his hands in the cloud of settling powder.
“So the Sect Masters of the Nine Factions and One Gang truly are different breed. To block the Explosive Thunder Palm Technique in such a state.”
Hyeon Sang wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve.
His white beard, now stained crimson, was beginning to take on the deep hue of blood.
“This is not yet the end.”
Hyeon Sang lifted his sword with difficulty.
‘Has the Blue Cloud Sword grown so heavy?’
His longtime companion felt unnaturally weighty today.
No—it was not the sword’s weight at all.
It was the grave burden of responsibility he carried as Sect Master of Huashan.
His gaze settled into frigid resolve.
Though anxiety stirred within him, threatening to consume him, he did not yield.
“I am the Sect Master of Huashan.”
Muttering to himself, he gripped the sword tightly and unleashed the Ja Ha Divine Art.
Whoosh——
His Sect Robe billowed dramatically.
At the same moment, violet Inner Power rose from beneath his feet, staining his blade.
And then he spoke, as if in solemn vow:
“No matter what comes to pass, I cannot—I will not—fall.”
* * *
Bang! Bang!
Cheon Hui watched the collision between Nok Rim Dae Je and Hyeon Sang, his eyes gleaming as he murmured softly.
“You’re more skilled than when you last showed me. Have you been training somewhere?”
The sword form Hyeon Sang now displayed was the first stance of the Huashan Sect’s supreme Sword Technique—the Ja Ha Sword Technique.
The Subtle Light Opening Flame.
But.
“Shame about that. The opponent’s just too strong.”
Cheon Hui shrugged his shoulders.
While Hyeon Sang had reached the edge of the Wuji Realm, Nok Rim Dae Je was already a master of the Heavenly Martial Realm.
And not just any master—he stood roughly on par with Jongnam Geom Seong himself.
That gap was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Already wounds were accumulating across Hyeon Sang’s body, yet Nok Rim Dae Je remained unscathed.
The only reason Hyeon Sang could hold his ground against Nok Rim Dae Je at all was thanks to the Ja Ha Divine Art.
Had he not learned the Ja Ha Divine Art, he likely would have collapsed under the sheer force of Nok Rim Dae Je’s aura without any resistance.
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed.
‘Let’s see how long he can hold on, and I’ll step in if things get dangerous.’
Building real combat experience was important, but death was not an option.
So when Cheon Hui was preparing to intervene at a moment’s notice, gripping his sword lightly—
Someone moved first.
“Sect Master!”
Hyeon Heo rushed at Nok Rim Dae Je.
With sword raised high, he radiated fierce momentum and shot forward like an arrow.
“…An interruption.”
As Nok Rim Dae Je glanced at him—
Whoosh!
A pale shadow appeared suddenly.
Clang!
Baek Ui Gwi Myeon blocked Hyeon Heo’s path.
“How dare you thrust yourself in.”
Hyeon Heo’s eyes narrowed, and he unsheathed the Heaven Flow Sword, attacking Baek Ui Gwi Myeon.
Yet.
Clang!
The blade met defense.
“…!”
Hyeon Heo’s eyes widened.
No matter how hastily he’d drawn the Heaven Flow Sword, it had been blocked far too easily.
Just as he was about to furrow his brow—
“Elder brother!”
This time Hyeon Yang stepped in.
“Hyeon Yang?!”
“I will help as well.”
“But you…”
Hyeon Heo could not hide his dismay.
Knowing Hyeon Yang’s current condition as he did, he felt only unease.
As if reading Hyeon Heo’s thoughts, Hyeon Yang smiled gently and parted his lips.
“Do not worry.”
At the same moment, Hyeon Yang drew up his Internal Force.
And he grasped his sword in his left hand.
At that remarkable display, Hyeon Heo flinched for an instant, then nodded slowly.
“Then I leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
As the two exchanged nods, Baek Ui Gwi Myeon’s face twisted.
“You dare underestimate me.”
That instant—
“Exactly.”
A voice came from beside Baek Ui Gwi Myeon.
Startled, Baek Ui Gwi Myeon hastily swung his blade, but the attack was stopped cold.
“Hmm, disappointing.”
Cheon Hui caught the blade Baek Ui Gwi Myeon had swung between two fingers, then bared his teeth.
“You are……?!”
Baek Ui Gwi Myeon’s brow furrowed.
But only for a moment.
“Ki Ryeon No!”
“Tsk, tsk.”
At his call, Ki Ryeon No appeared abruptly.
“Why do you summon me?”
When Baek Ui Gwi Myeon saw Ki Ryeon No grinning with lethal anticipation, as if he’d been waiting all along, he spoke.
“Those two — handle them.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a shame. I was hoping to see that young one’s blood spill.”
Ki Ryeon No, casting a sideways glance at Cheon Hui, broke into a sinister smile.
“These two?!”
“…….”
As Hyeon Heo and Hyeon Sang knitted their brows.
Clang!
A sharp, ringing sound split the air.
Cheon Hui, who had snapped Baek Ui Gwi Myeon’s sword clean in half with a firm grip, flashed a bright grin.
Then he flicked his fingers toward Baek Ui Gwi Myeon and Ki Ryeon No.
“Come on, you think you can manage alone? Go ahead and both come at me.”

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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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