Murim Login - Chapter 704

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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 704
The Nantian Demon Empress was certain of one thing.
Within the time it took to drink a single cup of tea—a mere moment—she could end this tedious battle.
It would be the last breath these wretched creatures would ever draw.
But that unshakeable conviction fractured the instant she prepared to unleash her palm strike.
Booooom—!
A tremendous resonance erupted from somewhere in the distance.
In that same moment, the air rippled and the wind stilled. The Nantian Demon Empress gritted her teeth as she sensed the formidable qi wave emanating from beyond the thick darkness.
‘This is…!’
A powerhouse. Someone strong enough to remain unaffected by the demonic aura!
The realization flashed through her mind in an instant, and her response came just as swiftly.
Understanding that things had gone awry, the Nantian Demon Empress channeled all her power into her sole remaining hand and roared.
Not toward the direction from which the qi wave emanated, but toward someone whose life she needed to snuff out before it was too late.
“Kill him!”
Kwaaaaaa—!
In that instant, what tore through space was not merely a massive palm strike wreathed in turbid light.
Nearly a thousand transformed humans and beasts, corrupted and strengthened by demonic aura, unleashed their howls in unison and hurled themselves forward.
Whoosh, whoosh whoosh—!
—Screech, screeeech!
Teeth harder and sharper than steel gleamed in the darkness.
Above the heads of those charging forward with strength and speed that far exceeded their original physical capabilities, a massive palm strike infused with tremendous qi shot forth like a meteor.
Toward the two figures standing in the thick darkness, bathed in a faint glow of light.
No—toward the one human who had dealt the Nantian Demon Empress an unforgivable insult, to shatter him into pieces.
Yet as Jin Tae-kyung gazed upon all that descended upon him, his exhausted lips twisted into a smile.
“Too late, I’m afraid.”
“…!”
That brief phrase which had escaped the Nantian Demon Empress’s lips mere moments ago now returned in a voice dripping with mockery.
Boom! Crash—!
The thick darkness that shrouded all directions exploded outward, the demonic aura bursting violently to both sides.
Simultaneously, a verdant qi force that erupted from within—resembling forest and vegetation—shattered everything in its path.
No, it savagely tore and devoured.
Like a single ferocious beast.
Craaash—!
The earth trembled. Compressed air exploded outward, and the wind carrying bitter demonic aura dissipated.
The verdant qi force that had torn the limbs from the transformed creatures rushing in from all directions now opened its maw toward the colossal palm strike.
Boom! Crunch—!
Light intermingled with the collision.
Following the deafening roar as if the heavens themselves were splitting, a terrifying shockwave shook the space.
The Nantian Demon Empress’s eyes, burst with ruptured blood vessels, widened as she watched her own palm strike dissipate helplessly beyond.
‘Mutual destruction?’
Who was he?
The most magnificent and exalted being in heaven and earth—one of the most faithful servants attending the Heavenly Master’s commands, and a formidable power trusted enough to oversee the Southern Heaven.
Even having lost considerable strength at Jin Tae-kyung’s hands, he could still tear apart any supreme master in a matter of moments.
Yet mutual destruction?
The result was unbelievable and unwelcome, but the Nantian Demon Empress was not foolish enough to deny the reality unfolding before her eyes.
Moreover, she possessed the discernment to deduce the identity of this sudden opponent.
‘There’s no doubt.’
That degree of fist force. And that massive silhouette visible through the slowly settling dust clouds.
A coldly measured voice flowed from between the Nantian Demon Empress’s lips.
“…Beast King Miao Wang. Ya-ryul Cheok.”
Whoosh!
Wind erupted from the hem of the Nantian Demon Empress’s sleeve, illuminating her vision.
Through the dispersing dust, the face of a towering giant emerged—his salt-and-pepper beard flowing like a mane of an aged Great Tiger.
Behind his iron-pillar frame stood a young man, leaning against the massive body of a white tiger.
“You’re late. Very late.”
At Jin Tae-kyung’s faint voice, Beast King Miao Wang opened his mouth with a composed expression.
“My apologies for the delay.”
“I nearly died as a stranger in a foreign land.”
“That will not happen.”
Beast King Miao Wang, answering softly, extended his hand like a lightning strike.
Boom.
With a sound like a drum bursting, Jin Tae-kyung’s body convulsed.
Just as Su-ho-ryung instinctively bared his fangs while frantically catching the collapsing form, Jin Tae-kyung, lowering his head, opened his mouth.
“Ugh. Uuuugh!”
Splurt.
Crimson blood drenched his broad back. Feeling the warm sensation of death-blood pouring out like vomit, Su-ho-ryung muttered.
– That felt incredible.
“…!”
– Don’t look at me with those eyes, large one. I am….
Just as Su-ho-ryung was about to continue speaking to the wide-eyed Beast King Miao Wang, Jin Tae-kyung, having expelled the death-blood, rose to his feet and opened his mouth. His voice far more vibrant than before.
“The atmosphere isn’t quite right for introductions, but first, say hello. This one’s Whitey. I just adopted him.”
– Adoption, you dare!
“Oh. So Whitey approves?”
– Roar!
As Jin Tae-kyung chuckled watching Su-ho-ryung forget the situation and bristle with anger, Beast King Miao Wang suddenly shook both his hands.
Whoosh!
Green fist force and turbid spear energy collided in mid-air. Simultaneously, the transparent blade that had been hanging limply began to move.
Slash!
About a dozen mutant creatures that had rushed in to exploit the opening were cleaved apart without even a scream.
And in that instant, the other mutant creatures charging toward Jin Tae-kyung’s back caught sight of the massive foreleg waiting for them.
Whoosh, crack!
Blood erupted like a fountain, and severed limbs scattered across the ground.
A low growl escaped Su-ho-ryung as I pressed my back against the Beast King Miao Wang, raising the blade of White Flame to point in one direction.
“And that bitch who interrupted while someone else was speaking… you know who I mean, right?”
Beast King Miao Wang nodded. In his deeply sunken eyes, the grotesque visage of an old woman was reflected.
“Yes. The Nantian Demon Empress.”
His voice seethed with barely concealed fury.
The countless mutated creatures still surrounding us—tribespeople of this land who had lost their original forms, consumed by demonic energy—were once those whom Beast King Miao Wang cherished and loved more than anyone.
No, that truth remained unchanged even now.
The ache that had begun throbbing in my chest the moment I saw those mutated creatures was proof of that.
‘I had hoped we weren’t too late.’
I had run here with breath caught in my throat, squeezing out every ounce of strength.
And the moment I confirmed the sight of the Southern Beast Palace engulfed in darkness and raging flames in the distance, I understood.
We were already too late.
To reach this place, Beast King Miao Wang had to traverse more than just mountains and fields, rivers and valleys.
A hellscape.
He had witnessed it. Fragments of that horrific memory from decades past, the one called the Great Demon War, clawed at his heart.
Over the bodies of tribespeople who hadn’t managed to flee lay the rubble of collapsed buildings, and the streets that had echoed with music and laughter mere moments before were now consumed by writhing darkness and fire demons.
And now, in this very moment, the primary architect of this hellscape stood before Beast King Miao Wang’s gaze.
“As Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace, I swear this oath.”
Flames poured forth in torrents from his reddened eyes.
The usual demeanor of one who loved wine and people, who would laugh heartily while pleasantly intoxicated, was nowhere to be found.
The giant who had once led ten thousand warriors northward and earned the title of one of the Ten Kings by standing against the Demon Cult’s hundred thousand demon followers spoke in a chilling voice.
“I will tear that woman’s limbs to shreds.”
From behind Beast King Miao Wang’s massive frame, I added from where I had positioned myself.
“In case the task proves too taxing, I’ve already severed one of her arms.”
Still pale, but color was rapidly returning to my complexion. The hand gripping the Jade Spear no longer trembled.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.
A single footfall.
Just one step.
Yet the mutated creatures still filling the space all around flinched but did not rashly charge forward.
Though their reason had been paralyzed, the instinct amplified alongside their mutation had perceived something.
The flow of the air had changed. And their master, who should have been commanding them, had fallen silent for some reason.
And the instincts of these mutated creatures were close to the truth.
Since arriving in the Southern Wilderness, the Nantian Demon Empress was experiencing a sense of crisis for the second time.
‘If this continues… it won’t be good.’
Under normal circumstances, she would have scoffed. No matter how much one of the Ten Kings Beast King Miao Wang might be, he couldn’t bridge the gap between them.
But now was different.
Jin Tae-kyung’s strike had been powerful enough to freeze even the Nantian Demon Empress in terror for a fleeting instant, and as a result, she had lost considerable power along with one arm.
In such circumstances, the appearance of Beast King Miao Wang was sufficiently threatening.
With the aid of Beast King Miao Wang, Jin Tae-kyung had recovered some of his strength, and Su-ho-ryung, brimming with considerable power, was far beyond what a mere mutant could contend with.
Yet the growing unease in my heart stemmed from more than that alone.
‘Why. Why haven’t they appeared yet?’
Just as the Western Heavenly Demon Lord who had met his end in Sichuan months prior, the Nantian Demon Empress commanded a considerable number of subordinates beneath her.
Their count numbered approximately five hundred.
While insufficient to be called a full regiment, they were elite forces—enough to evade the eyes of the Southern Barbarians and prepare for any contingency while remaining in hiding.
Yet….
‘They haven’t come. Not yet.’
More than half a double hour had passed since the Rift opened. But only a single Masked Figure had appeared on schedule.
By rights, more than half should have arrived through the Displacement Array inscribed upon the mirror gifted to Baek Sang, while the remainder sealed the Outer Palace’s City Gate from without.
‘Even if something had gone wrong with the Displacement Array, by now they should have appeared by some means or other. It defies all reason.’
As the Nantian Demon Empress pressed her lips together, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble ever so slightly.
Rumble. Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Realizing at last that her subordinates had arrived, the Nantian Demon Empress allowed a faint smile to bloom across her face.
The five hundred soldiers now approaching were those she had personally selected and trained.
Having mastered demonic cultivation, they would grow even stronger under the influence of demonic energy, and no matter how many beasts remained within the Outer Palace, they could not bar the way forward.
“Tear your limbs to shreds and kill you? Someone like you?”
The Nantian Demon Empress let out a soft chuckle. Seeing the faces of Jin Tae-kyung and Beast King Miao Wang, now rigid with tension, she could not contain her laughter.
“I’ll admit it. You fought far better than I anticipated. In truth, no one could have foreseen things reaching this point.”
But that too was now at an end.
Swallowing her remaining words, the Nantian Demon Empress moved forward with casual grace. And just as the oppressive tension began to ease, Beast King Miao Wang suddenly spoke.
“There is.”
“What?”
“Someone who foresaw this very outcome. One who walked an irreversible path, who writhed beneath the weight of self-recrimination, yet never surrendered hope until the very end.”
Words that made no sense whatsoever.
As the Nantian Demon Empress blinked in confusion, Beast King Miao Wang pivoted like a whirlwind and extended a single fist.
Boom!
A sharp emerald force erupted forth, piercing the darkness and carving a path through it.
And along that path, reinforcements arrived to decide the final outcome of this battle.
Thundering hoofbeats!
A contingent clad in pristine white garments and armor.
The man at their head bowed toward Beast King Miao Wang.
“Wang Ho, commander of the White Heaven Squad, pays his respects to the Palace Master.”

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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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