Murim Login - Chapter 358

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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 358
Roooaarrr!
A spear blade wreathed in azure flames plummeted toward a man’s crown.
It was the talon of a fire dragon descending from the heavens—a force of annihilation capable of erasing everything in its path.
‘This is….’
Within that fractured moment, the Western Heavenly Demon Lord contemplated.
‘There is no escape.’
This was no strike that could be evaded by merely stepping back.
Then what must be done? Before that question could even fully form, a body tempered through countless life-and-death battles was already moving.
Shwing—!
A blood-red sword aura erupted from his waist, meeting the azure flames.
* * *
Boom!
A deafening explosion swept across my entire body. My ears rang, and my breath caught in my throat.
The moment sword and spear collided, crimson light erupting between them, I was hurled backward as if yanked by an invisible force.
Crash, crash, boom!
The thick wall of sedimentary rock crumbled like sponge cake the instant my back struck it.
I batted away stalactites falling toward my eyes while flipping my body upright.
The moment my feet touched the ground, the stone floor fractured like a plowed field.
Crack, crack, crack!
Damn it. I must have been sent flying at least thirty feet.
I kicked off my leather shoes, their soles completely destroyed, and glared at the distant figure.
“You bastard. You’ve got some skill?”
“….”
Even through the haze of dust, I could see the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s expression—rigid as stone.
He lowered his gaze to his sword, snapped cleanly in half, and his blood-soaked palm, then spoke.
“That spear—it’s a Divine Weapon.”
“A weapon? Well, it’s something like that.”
“What technique was that?”
I answered without hesitation.
“The Divine Art of Taking a Hit and Dying.”
“Now I begin to understand why the Blood Lord called you arrogant. And why he so desperately wanted you dead.”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s eyes swept across my entire frame.
“You are dangerous.”
“I suppose I am a bit dangerous. Maybe that’s why all the women avoid me.”
“Chung Poong—that youth who reached the pinnacle at such a tender age is remarkable, certainly, but not to your degree. To be frank, yes. You have far exceeded my expectations. To think you could wound me with merely that level of cultivation.”
I was not surprised. I had already sensed that Chung Poong had transcended the wall and reached the pinnacle.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s precise assessment of my cultivation level stemmed from the same understanding.
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course. But do not rejoice too greatly. I do not favor those who exceed my expectations.”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord clenched his blood-soaked palm with a low voice, then opened it. Sticky crimson dripped down, soaking the boulder and sand beneath.
“My technique of Four Ounces Moving a Thousand Pounds was flawless. Yet I couldn’t completely deflect it. A single strike from a mere Peak-realm youth, no less.”
Four Ounces Moving a Thousand Pounds—the subtle principle of martial arts where four ounces command the weight of a thousand pounds.
And true to his words, the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s Four Ounces Moving a Thousand Pounds had been flawless. Even while his vital point was pierced, he had calmly and precisely redirected the force with each attempt—something worthy of genuine admiration.
But there was one fact he hadn’t anticipated.
“I’m simply stronger than I look.”
What he faced now was no mere Peak-realm master.
Third-rate cannot withstand second-rate, and second-rate must kneel before first-rate.
The higher one’s realm, the wider the chasm grows, and the magnitude of power becomes immeasurable. That was the common sense of this world, of the Murim—yet I was an existence that defied such logic.
“Call me a physically transcendent master.”
“A physically transcendent master, you say? I don’t quite grasp the meaning, but if that’s what you claim, then so it is. I understand.”
I stared at the Western Heavenly Demon Lord, who nodded in acceptance, with bewildered eyes.
“…What exactly do you understand?”
“Having lived long, I’ve experienced all manner of things. Compared to the power of anomalous strength and mystical forces I’ve known, what you’ve displayed is merely a drop in the ocean.”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord raised one arm with a faint smile.
It was such a natural movement that it was hard to believe he’d been one-armed just ten days prior.
Surely that power he spoke of—anomalous strength and mystical forces—included this as well.
“All things unfold according to the will of the supremely venerable Heavenly Master. Why not abandon vain hope now and surrender?”
“Surrender?”
“If you do, I shall petition the Heavenly Master directly to employ you with favor. Even the Blood Lord wouldn’t dare lay a hand on you.”
“Well, you certainly have everything planned out.”
“May I take that as acceptance?”
“Hmm, wait a moment. I’ve just thought of something better.”
I walked slowly toward the Western Heavenly Demon Lord as I continued speaking.
“In the end, stories like this always conclude with good rewarded and evil punished. Stop your nonsense in Dark Heaven or Clear Stream Heaven, and come over to the Orthodox Sects instead. I’ll have a word with Grandfather Sword Saint and put you to good use lightly.”
“Heh heh, well now.”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord took a step forward with a faint smile.
“A pity. I hope you won’t regret it when you meet the Blood Lord.”
“Every bastard who’s said something like that to me is now bowing their head before the Yama King.”
“Your youthful vigor is excessive. If you’re hoping for the same fortune as before, you’d best abandon such thoughts. I’m well aware that strike was your full power.”
“That’s the best bullshit I’ve heard all year. Did you maybe take lessons in talking nonsense from the neighbor’s dog?”
Though I brushed it off casually, regrettably, what the Western Heavenly Demon Lord said was true.
A surprise strike to the vital point must succeed on the first attempt. Either render the opponent combat-ineffective or kill them outright.
A broken weapon and torn palm weren’t enough.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord was a master of a far higher tier than I. Having shown him my full power with a single strike and failing to inflict significant damage was a painful mistake.
‘Perhaps I should have unleashed a sword strike from the beginning.’
What if I’d gone all-in from the start?
I cast such thoughts far away. Likely, even if I could go back, I couldn’t commit everything.
I must avoid gambles where it’s all or nothing. Especially when other people’s lives hang in the balance.
‘And… I haven’t revealed all my cards yet.’
Step, step.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord and I. I and the Western Heavenly Demon Lord. We approached each other slowly.
Unlike our initial clash, neither of us unleashed wind blades or projectiles.
We merely measured the distance between us, watched each other’s hands and feet, and waited for the moment.
A moment just like this one.
Whoosh!
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord moved first.
In a single step, he closed a distance of three zhang, his hand blurring as it moved. His serpentine sword, wreathed in dark blade energy, blazed with terrible power.
‘I must avoid direct confrontation at all costs.’
If there was a gap that even the system could not bridge, it was enlightenment itself.
The difference between one who had achieved enlightenment on the path to the ultimate realm and one who had not was as vast as heaven and earth.
No matter how strong my power was, if I clashed continuously with his blade energy, I would inevitably suffer internal injuries.
Whoosh! Boom!
As the blade energy tore through the ground, a crater worthy of a cinema screen materialized with a deafening roar. Had I not dodged by the narrowest margin, I would have been cleaved in two.
I retreated, shaking out my hands.
‘Inventory open. Summon.’
Whistle, whistle, whistle!
Though I had never formally learned the art of projectile throwing, the shuriken fired with tremendous power and speed possessed formidable force in themselves.
Of course, such tactics were useless against the Western Heavenly Demon Lord.
Screech!
A single horizontal line of dark blade energy erupted from his sword, cleaving through the projectiles and shooting toward me.
I tilted my head diagonally, and the scorching heat and blade energy whistled past.
Boom!
I ignored the thunderous sound and tremor echoing behind me as I pushed off the ground.
Crack, crack, crack! Snap!
The moment the hard stone floor fractured like a spider’s web, I was already launching forward like a flash of lightning.
A speed so swift it seemed like the divine technique of the ultimate realm itself, or perhaps even faster.
“As expected!”
With a sharp exclamation, the Western Heavenly Demon Lord brought his sword down.
The dark blade energy that darkened the very surroundings cut across my entire body.
In that infinitesimal moment where time itself seemed to fracture, had it not been for the single word I had whispered in my heart just before, I would surely have been split asunder.
‘Thirty points to agility and strength each.’
The transformation was blindingly swift. My entire body became lighter, and muscles dense with newfound elasticity seized all their power.
As my form treaded upon the wind, the dark blade energy carved through empty air.
Roar!
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s eyes widened in shock.
It was already too late to withdraw his blade. He desperately reached out with his other hand, attempting to seize the spear hurtling toward his chest.
Remarkable reflexes. What was even more remarkable was that my prediction had struck true.
His hand closed around the shaft.
‘Inventory open. Store.’
Whoosh!
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s hand, wrapped in fierce energy, slashed through empty air.
The spear that seemed about to be seized—White Flame—was now safely stored somewhere in my inventory.
And this moment right now was precisely what I had been waiting for.
‘Flame Divine Palm.’
My right hand, engulfed in blue flames, struck the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s abdomen.
Boom!
The instant his body lifted slightly into the air with tremendous heat, I unleashed the prepared punch from my left hand.
‘Extinguish Flame Divine Fist.’
Crack!
The same blow that had shattered the cliff embedded itself into the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s ribs.
The impact transmitted through my fingertips—his body flew like a cannonball and crashed into the wall.
Bang! Crash crash crash!
The entire Underground Prison trembled. Simultaneously, overwhelming exhaustion and hunger washed over me.
Every movement had been an all-out exchange. Ragged breathing naturally escaped between my lips.
“Phew.”
Pitter-patter.
I steadied my breathing and slowly picked my way through the cascading rubble.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord, embedded deep within solid rock, stared at me with unfocused eyes.
“I was certain I had seized the spear… How did you manage that?”
“It’s similar to that extraordinary strength you believe in.”
*Cough*. “I see. Then that sudden increase in speed was also because of this?”
“Yes. A few lives were lost because of you. Though they were all condemned anyway.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This is the Underground Prison. You haven’t sensed anything strange?”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord fell silent for a moment before answering.
“…There are no prisoners.”
“Correct.”
“How did you manage it? Did you perhaps employ some form of life-draining technique on the prisoners?”
“You could say that, in a manner of speaking.”
While life-draining techniques absorbed an opponent’s energy, I consumed experience points instead—that was the difference.
‘Thanks to them, I earned sixty points. A masterstroke indeed.’
The Sichuan Tang Sect, rather than sealing the prisoners’ dantians, had chosen to restrict their cultivation and bind them with restraints.
That way they could live longer. They could subject them to prolonged torture, letting them taste hell for extended periods.
Thanks to that, the dozen or so prisoners—excluding Cheon Ryeok-ma—had become my nourishment.
*Cough*. “Life-draining technique, I see. So that’s how it was.”
“Are your questions answered now?”
“If I ask, will you answer?”
“Yes. So…”
I looked down at the Western Heavenly Demon Lord, whose head nodded weakly, and continued speaking.
“Drop the pathetic act and get up. And quit with that coughing—you’re not even bleeding.”
“Well, I’ll be.”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s eyes, which had seemed on the verge of dimming entirely, curved into crescents.
“Looks like I’ve never had a talent for this sort of thing.”
“…Sigh.”
Damn bastard.

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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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