Murim Login - Chapter 363
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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 363
Boom!
A deafening explosion and shockwave hammered through my entire body.
In that instant, my vision swam as ceiling and floor inverted, my hair whipping wildly. My body, moving against my will, flew across the Treatment Chamber and crashed into the corner.
Crack!
A searing current raced down my spine, and something hot surged up from deep within my lungs.
“Cough!”
Dark blood stained the ground. The evidence of severe internal injuries was unmistakable—and the reality matched the signs.
‘Damn it. How long has it been since I recovered?’
At least the injuries weren’t as catastrophic as before, and I’d managed to protect the Treatment Chamber from the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s sword force.
“Are you alright?”
At my question, the Divine Physician, who had been huddled in the corner of the Treatment Chamber, lifted his head.
Covered entirely in pale dust, he cradled Jeok Cheon-gang in his arms. The boy let out a soft whimper as he answered.
“Thanks to you protecting us, we’re unharmed.”
Yet despite his words, the Divine Physician’s condition was clearly abnormal.
His snow-white beard, once pristine as an immortal’s, was stained with blood. His wrist bent at an unnatural angle, and between the shredded fabric of his robes, his lower abdomen was covered in dark bruises.
‘That’s…’
No doubt about it. The Divine Physician’s dantian was destroyed. Now, stripped of all his martial arts, he was nothing more than an ordinary old man.
No—with his Qi Sea point shattered and his arm broken, this was far from a good situation.
‘And yet, he still protected Old Master Noya…’
Meanwhile, Jeok Cheon-gang’s body bore not a single scratch. The elderly physician had sacrificed his own protection for his patient.
“Old Master.”
“This old man is fine, so don’t worry yourself.”
The Divine Physician offered a faint smile, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at me.
“Rather, I’m worried about your condition. Let me come to you—just wait a moment…”
Instead of answering, I reached out my hand. Invisible force flowed from my fingertips, gently pushing the Divine Physician’s approaching body back.
“Jin… Young Master Jin?”
Before the Divine Physician could finish speaking, a streak of wind blade shot from beyond and pierced through the wall.
It was the exact spot where the Divine Physician’s head had been just moments before.
Whoosh, thud!
A half-second later, and the Divine Physician would have already left this world.
I gestured urgently for the Divine Physician, now frozen like stone, to move aside, then turned my gaze forward.
“Targeting a helpless old man—that’s rather cowardly.”
Beyond the dust cloud parting like the Red Sea, the Western Heavenly Demon Lord finally emerged, his voice cold and desolate.
“Cowardly? You were the one who rejected the opportunity I gave you.”
His usual composure and refined manner had long since vanished. The killing intent radiating from his eyes was palpable and concentrated.
“You touched something you shouldn’t have.”
“If anyone heard you, they’d think the Thousand Poison Restoration Pill was your weak spot. Now you’re too old to even get it up, you pathetic bastard.”
“…!”
I rose to my feet, using White Flame as a staff.
Every bone in my body throbbed as though it might shatter, and judging by the pain, several were likely cracked. On top of that, considerable internal injuries.
‘Damn it. The bastard’s already a monster.’
A sudden wave of regret washed over me—had I made a mistake by provoking him?
I never expected someone of the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s caliber to employ methods that only third-rate Black Path thugs would use, and to execute them without a moment’s hesitation.
But….
“That just means this object is that important, doesn’t it?”
I pulled the Manyeok Ring from my inventory and dangled it. The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s unstoppable advance came to an abrupt halt.
“Hand it over immediately….”
“Hand it over? That’s not difficult.”
“Are you proposing a deal?”
“You’re quick on the uptake. I like that.”
To me, the Manyeok Ring was merely a curious artifact, nothing more and nothing less. But to the Western Heavenly Demon Lord, it was different.
He valued this single small ring more than the annihilation of the Sichuan Tang Sect, Qingcheng, and Emei combined.
Just as the Blood Lord had desperately seized the Green Jade Immortal Lamp even as his arm was severed.
“Withdraw immediately with your lackeys outside. Otherwise, you’ll never see the Manyeok Ring again.”
“Never see it again….”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord swept back his blood-matted hair.
After a moment of silence, a low voice emerged from between his lips.
“Amusing.”
“What?”
“How could it not be? I could simply kill you all and take it.”
“….”
“Nothing changes. Not you, not your master, not the Divine Physician. None of you can escape death.”
There was no point in explaining—the Western Heavenly Demon Lord couldn’t truly comprehend the concept of pocket dimensions or inventories.
Perhaps if he killed me, the contents of my inventory would spill forth as he suggested.
But the Western Heavenly Demon Lord had overlooked one crucial thing.
“Well, that’s a reasonable argument, but you should have at least considered that I’d destroy the Manyeok Ring before that happens.”
I possessed a grip strength that crumpled steel like paper. Without even channeling my inner force, crushing this ring to dust would be trivial.
“So stop entertaining foolish thoughts and withdraw. If you take even one more step forward….”
Thud.
I trailed off, staring at the Western Heavenly Demon Lord. He advanced without hesitation, a smile spreading across his face.
“Why? Are you flustered?”
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord didn’t wait for my answer. With an expression of unbridled delight, he continued.
“How truly amusing. You call it a divine artifact, yet you don’t truly believe it to be one.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“How strange. I thought you’d understand with just that much.”
The smile vanished from the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s lips. A pair of eyes filled with contempt and disdain pierced through me.
“How could a mere human of flesh and blood ever hope to damage a divine artifact imbued with transcendent power?”
“…!”
I stared down at the Manyeok Ring resting in my palm.
A divine treasure passed down through generations of the Sichuan Poison Sect. One of the Murim’s ancient legends. A strange ring that neutralizes and absorbs any poison in the world.
And….
‘The Thousand Poison Ring cannot even be detected by the system.’
A divine treasure.
The moment that single phrase crossed my mind, my heart sank with a heavy thud. Something—whether blood or cold sweat—trickled down my spine.
Plink, thud.
Blood droplets fell from my reflexively clenched fist.
Even within that terrifying grip, the Thousand Poison Ring refused to deform, instead burrowing into my palm like thorns.
“…Damn it.”
I muttered under my breath. There could be no more compromise, no more retreat.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord approached me with light, confident steps.
“I regret it for the Blood Lord’s sake….”
Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk!
“But I must kill you.”
Black mist poured from his entire body, swallowing the Treatment Chamber whole.
* * *
Whoosh!
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s form vanished. Crossing several zhang in a single stride, he swung his dark sword energy, and solid stone split like tofu.
I ducked beneath the attack and thrust my spear forward with explosive force.
Bang!
As the spear tip pierced the empty air, compressed energy erupted outward. The Western Heavenly Demon Lord, his hand gripping the shaft with condensed force, clicked his tongue.
“Still clinging to false hope?”
In the same instant, his heel lashed out at my wrist—a strike aimed at the vital acupoint, not the bone. Pain shot through me like a massive needle piercing a vein, and the spear fell from my grip.
But I did not yield.
‘I resolved from the beginning to perish together if necessary.’
I could not fall here. Either he dies, or I die. If even that proves impossible, I will drag him down with me into death itself.
Without the aid of others, this body should have died countless times already. Now was the time to repay those debts with interest.
“Ugh!”
I seized his ankle with a cry that was half-groan, half-shout. The Western Heavenly Demon Lord unleashed a palm strike with a bestial roar.
Boom!
A small explosion erupted within my body. Vile force penetrated deep through bone and flesh, shredding my meridians.
My vision blurred in an instant, and strength drained from my legs.
Yet my hand, clamped around the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s ankle like a shackle, moved according to the will etched in my mind and the instinct of survival.
Crack!
I saw the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s eyes widen in agony.
Though his protective qi could withstand my spear technique, it could not prevent the pure force that shattered his ankle.
‘Damn it, my hand….’
Of course, I too had to pay the price for such reckless action.
My hand, which had grasped his protective qi bare-handed, was charred black as if struck by high-voltage electricity. On top of that came internal injuries that further deteriorated my condition.
In that moment when strength drained from my grip against my will and my body began to stagger.
“Gahhh!”
A belated scream erupted from the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s mouth.
His ankle, squeezed like laundry in an enormous grip, exposed white bone beneath torn flesh drenched in blood.
Even a supreme master who had reached an unfathomable realm had limits.
Though the Western Heavenly Demon Lord had displayed incredible martial prowess until now, he was not the possessor of infinite power and stamina, nor could he recover through leveling up like I could.
‘This is my only chance.’
I surged toward the staggering Western Heavenly Demon Lord.
Enduring the searing pain as if my limbs were being torn to shreds, I channeled my power toward my clenched fists, which soon ignited with flame.
Whoooosh!
“Jin Tae-kyung!”
Heat filled the entire space.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord stood right before me, his bloodshot eyes screaming my name.
His hands, empty from dropping his sword in agony, could not possibly block my attack in time.
If I simply extended my hands—just extended them—I could deliver a devastating blow to the Western Heavenly Demon Lord.
‘But… but why…’
Why did I feel this way?
I was seized by a peculiar sensation.
The world had slowed, and everything moving within it crawled at a pace that would induce yawning.
The very same sensation I had felt when facing Hwang Bo-eom.
Yet this time, an incomparably sharper instinct rang an alarm in my mind, and simultaneously, I accepted it.
The eerie chill creeping up the nape of my neck from behind.
‘Ah.’
So that’s what it was.
A flash of enlightenment struck my consciousness.
As I withdrew my extended hand toward the Western Heavenly Demon Lord, I twisted my head.
In that instant, time, which had been paused, began flowing again.
Shwooooosh.
Like a dam bursting, multiple events unfolded simultaneously.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s sword, wrapped in dark energy, grazed my neck, and when I extended my palms again, his fist slammed into my ribs.
Crack!
My ribs shattered, and blood surged up my throat. I was sent flying at bullet speed, struggling to lift my head.
Through a distant, hazy vision, I saw the Western Heavenly Demon Lord standing tall.
Was it because of the lingering strange sensation, or was it the pain?
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s face reflected in my eyes was filled not with joy or satisfaction, but with shock and fury.
“You dodged Qi-Guided Sword?”
Yes, Qi-Guided Sword. Such a technique existed.
I laughed softly while spitting blood. The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s pupils trembled faintly as he watched me.
“To achieve enlightenment even now… you are indeed someone who must not be allowed to live.”
Enlightenment. So that’s what it was.
I twitched my fingers. The flow of energy, the sensation—clearer than ever before—coursed through me, as did the pain that already dominated my entire body.
‘But it’s far too late.’
Thud, thud.
The Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s footsteps echoed like thunder as he drew near.
Through hazy eyes, I watched his approaching form.
In the darkness where stone dust and debris cascaded down, the Western Heavenly Demon Lord rippled like an even deeper shadow.
“A prodigy of monstrous strength. So that’s what you truly were.”
I laughed, baring teeth stained with blood. My voice spilled from my lips in a drunken slur.
“Go to hell. You… bastard.”
“Farewell.”
In the darkness, the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s eyes flashed crimson.
A hand wrapped in dense shadow rose high, then descended slowly toward the crown of my head.
Whoosh.
And it was in that very instant.
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on him.”
Crack!
As though he hadn’t spoken in ages, a hoarse voice rang out, and flames erupted from the darkness.
Beyond the Western Heavenly Demon Lord’s shoulders, now frozen rigid, a figure was rising to his feet.
“Take your hands off what belongs to me.”
A small frame. Yet a presence as commanding as a giant.
I laughed, and the Western Heavenly Demon Lord groaned.
“The Fire King…!”
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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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