Paaaaah—!
Baek Museong’s expression grew darker with every burst of Qi-Riding Wind as he led the wounded squad members away. Although he had sealed their blood points, blood still poured endlessly from their wounds, and even their skin was gradually turning pitch black.
At this rate, it felt as though they would breathe their last before long.
Hummm—!
He halted his qinggong for a moment, raised his Prajna Great Power, and poured true qi into the squad members. Yet only the blackened skin briefly returned to its original color; the bleeding did not stop.
‘Is there truly no way to block this demonic aura?’ Baek Museong bit his lip.
Throughout all his years wandering the martial world, he had encountered countless powerful foes, yet never once had he been broken. But this slaughter demon not only possessed a regenerative ability that surpassed human limits—he was also wielding bizarre evil arts that no martial study could shatter.
Boom!
At that moment, a faint explosion and tremor echoed in the distance.
It was probably the clash between Seon Woojin and the slaughter demon.
‘Now that I think of it…’
Looking back, it had been strange.
The Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi that not even the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin could destroy or block—hadn’t that man severed it with ease?
‘Is he saying that the fellow has reached a realm higher than mine?’
Baek Museong shook his head.
He himself had mastered not only the Seventy-Two Arts but every secret technique of Blood Shaolin.
Even if Seon Woojin had attained a higher realm, Baek Museong could still measure his martial prowess in an instant.
‘Could he have reached the realm of Tranquil Silence?’
When both internal and external arts reach the ultimate pinnacle and the body arrives at the stage of Indestructible Diamond Body, one attains the state of Tranquil Silence, where no aura leaks out until the moment force is exerted.
Could Seon Woojin have surpassed Baek Museong’s own study of martial learning and reached a realm whose depth could no longer be fathomed?
Boom! Boom!
Meanwhile, explosions rang out one after another.
Anxiety seized Baek Museong’s heart.
‘I was too arrogant.’
The reason he had always carried himself with leisure until now was simple: no matter who stood before him, he had always held the upper hand and the initiative.
Humans inevitably become magnanimous toward those beneath them.
Among the younger generation there had been no one with talent comparable to his own, and once he became the disciple of the Buddha Venerable, his allotted status rose without limit.
The only time he had ever failed to seize the initiative was before the woman he loved—Gongsun Dankyung.
Yet if this man called Seon Woojin truly surpassed him?
If that man single-handedly felled the slaughter demon that Baek Museong himself could not defeat?
What would happen afterward… he did not even wish to imagine.
Paaaaah!
Having repeatedly unfolded the Qi-Riding Wind, Baek Museong soon arrived at a small village near Mount Daeryun but the squad members who had suffered fatal wounds had already breathed their last.
Baek Museong lowered his head.
These were men he had personally trained. They had left the Martial Alliance full of spirit, having accepted the mission to subjugate the slaughter demon.
Yet they could not withstand the terrifying power of the Earth-Killer Star and had become guests of no return.
‘This must not happen.’
The light vanished from Baek Museong’s eyes.
He had come to the Martial Alliance, defying even the fierce opposition of the power behind him, all to stand alone on the strength of his own ability and to win Gongsun Dankyung.
If he returned now having lost all his subordinates, every plan would dissolve into foam.
“…”
Having stared blankly at the dead squad members for a long while, Baek Museong—
Kwaaaaa—!
—unleashed the ninth-grade Great Burning Step at full power and shot back toward the village where the Earth-Killer Star waited.
Kwaaaaa—!
Becoming a single shooting star that pierced the firmament, Baek Museong roared in his heart.
‘That must never come to pass!’
***
[So that’s how it is.]
The Earth-Killer Star, watching Bu Eunseol—who had wrapped his body in transparent aura around himself and blocked the Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi—let out a sneer.
[A survivor of the Moon Shadow Squad, I see.]
Within the Martial Alliance exists the Evil-Breaking Corps, a unit that specializes in researching sorcery and defensive arts—the Moon Shadow Squad.
They trained in techniques capable of warding off impure power.
The Earth-Killer Star assumed the energy flowing from Bu Eunseol’s body was the anti-evil arts practiced by members of that squad.
[But blocking it changes nothing.]
His expression was utterly relaxed.
The Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi possesses many mysterious functions.
It can cling to an enemy’s body and allow the user to imitate similar martial techniques, unleash razor-sharp vigor, and—through the reaction felt upon touching the skin—instantly gauge the opponent’s level of martial attainment.
‘Internal force roughly three hundred years’ worth, martial prowess just barely past the threshold of the Peak Realm.’
The Earth-Killer Star sneered again.
Aside from the power that had blocked the Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi, this man was far inferior to the young fellow who had poured out Shaolin techniques earlier.
‘Then this will do nicely.’
A cruel smile spread across the Earth-Killer Star’s face.
He had thought of a quick way to dispose of this troublesome pest.
Kwaaaaa—!
Yet at that moment, the shriek of parted air rang out from the distant sky.
Baek Museong had already arrived.
Booom!
The instant he landed, Baek Museong spread a wide palm force using the move Buddha’s Evershining Light.
Booom!
A gigantic palm shadow left an enormous handprint four jang wide around where the Earth-Killer Star had been standing.
“Brother Baek.”
Bu Eunseol, watching Baek Museong land beside him, asked calmly, “Are the squad members safe?”
Twitch.
Instead of answering, Baek Museong’s body trembled faintly.
Whooo—
At the same time, a gentle breeze rose from his tightly clenched fist and swept toward the Earth-Killer Star.
Boom!
The Earth-Killer Star swiftly shifted one step sideways.
The boulder behind where he had stood shattered into pieces.
It was the profound technique of Shaolin’s arts, Hundred Steps Divine Fist, capable of emitting fist force from any posture once perfected.
“I must kill that creature and appease the souls of my men.”
Bloodshot veins filled Baek Museong’s eyes.
“So do not interfere.”
Taaah!
Baek Museong charged like a madman and hurled himself at the Earth-Killer Star.
His shadow vanished completely at extreme speed and only disheveled strands of black hair occasionally flashed into view.
The Shaolin ultimate arts he poured forth with all his strength became a colossal storm that seemed ready to blow away the entire world.
The aftershock was tremendous—even Bu Eunseol, far from the center, felt crushing pressure on his chest.
[How spirited.] The Earth-Killer Star, evading the lightning-fast strikes, bared white teeth.
Boom—!
Suddenly, the corpses of Baek Museong’s subordinates who had died in the village shot forth like arrows.
“Brother Baek!”
Bu Eunseol instantly stepped forward and safely caught each incoming corpse using the wondrous technique of Grafting Flowers onto Jade.
In that interval, Baek Museong spotted an opening in the Earth-Killer Star’s movements and closed the distance.
Shaaa—!
The Earth-Killer Star surrounded himself with a wall of Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi.
“Brother Baek! It’s a trap!” Bu Eunseol shouted while still catching corpses, but Baek Museong ignored him and pierced straight through the wall.
Shaaa—!
The moment Baek Museong entered, hundreds of strands of Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi sprouted like cactus spines, exactly as the Earth-Killer Star had planned.
Pshht!
In the end, Baek Museong froze, pierced through by the aura.
[Got you.] The Earth-Killer Star let out a gleeful, vicious laugh.
Killing this Shaolin disciple would grant him power greater than slaughtering thousands.
[Once properly struck by Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi, the body cannot move.]
Shwick!
The Earth-Killer Star reached for Baek Museong’s head.
[Die.]
Shaaa—!
Just as the razor-sharp aura was about to coil around Baek Museong’s neck—
“I was wondering when you’d take the bait.”
Fierce flames blazed in Baek Museong’s eyes as he seized the perfect moment.
He had known it was a trap yet deliberately entered—because otherwise he could never create this flawless chance to finish the Earth-Killer Star.
Because without doing this, he could never obtain Gongsun Dankyung.
Hummm—!
Majestic energy and golden radiance bloomed from Baek Museong’s body.
Grab.
At the same instant, he clutched the Earth-Killer Star’s throat.
Using the hidden Prajna Great Power he had kept concealed, he expelled the Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi from his body and moved in a flash.
“This is a power that cannot exist without dharma energy.”
Golden light surged in Baek Museong’s eyes.
“Evil shall descend to hell.”
Crack.
Pouring every ounce of Prajna Great Power into his grip, he snapped the Earth-Killer Star’s cervical vertebrae.
Thud.
Unable to even scream, the Earth-Killer Star collapsed, neck twisted at a grotesque angle, instantly turning into a cold corpse. All signs of life had vanished.
“Huu, huu.”
Having dealt with the Earth-Killer Star, Baek Museong staggered and gasped for breath.
“I gave flesh and took bone.”
Looking down at the corpse, he wore a radiant smile.
He had won a desperate gamble and, in the end, personally executed that vicious slaughter demon.
“I’m sorry.”
After taking a deep breath, Baek Museong looked at Bu Eunseol and spoke his true feelings spilled out.
“Because I believed you were one step below me, I could confidently speak of competing.”
Now that he knew Seon Woojin was at least his equal, the perpetual leisure had completely vanished from his face.
“Everything about me until now… was false.”
The thought that Seon Woojin might surpass him and rise to Captain filled him with fear.
If the credit were stolen in this state, he might never regain his confidence.
Once momentum is lost, the chance to reclaim it does not come easily.
That was why he had forced himself, no matter the cost, to deal with the slaughter demon.
“Brother Baek.”
As Bu Eunseol drew near, Baek Museong muttered with a bitter expression.
“To ask you to understand someone like me today—”
Shaaa—!
Then something astonishing happened.
The Earth-Killer Star, whose neck had been broken and who had surely died, suddenly opened his eyes wide and unleashed a tremendous surge of energy toward Baek Museong.
How could a man whose heart had stopped completely come back to life?
“Danger!”
It was Bu Eunseol who first sensed the Earth-Killer Star’s reaction.
Acting on instinct, he threw himself forward and took the energy meant for Baek Museong.
Boom!
The overwhelming vigor struck him, hurling Bu Eunseol dozens of jang away as though he had collided with a flying boulder.
It was a bizarre power entirely different from the Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi.
“Captain Seon!”
Greatly startled, Baek Museong turned to rescue Bu Eunseol—
Shaaa—!
But the Earth-Killer Star had already anticipated that reaction.
The instant Baek Museong turned, razor-sharp qi traced a semicircle and dug into his neck.
“Keuk.”
Though shocked, Baek Museong instantly used his right forearm to block the qi.
Sizzle.
Yet the qi pierced his forearm and poured vicious energy inside.
“Gaaah.”
As the malevolent energy ravaged his interior, Baek Museong threw his head back and let out a great groan.
Booom!
At the same time, a sound like a massive temple bell rang from his body.
The Earth-Killer Star had once again fired Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi, striking Baek Museong’s back.
“Puh!”
In the end, Baek Museong vomited a thick clot of blood.
Though his Diamond Indestructible Body Art activated automatically, the sudden assault prevented him from perfectly defending.
“Ugh… Haa!”
Vision darkening and consciousness fading, Baek Museong shouted a battle cry and thrust both palms forward.
It was the Diamond Prajna Palm containing the full power of his lifetime cultivation.
Thump.
But before the palm force could even touch the Earth-Killer Star, Baek Museong lost consciousness.
Crack.
The Earth-Killer Star straightened his broken neck and slowly rose.
[You forced me to use my final card after all.]
He walked toward the unconscious Baek Museong.
Shaaa—!
Dozens of strands of Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi rose behind his back.
He intended to sever the neck of the fainted man.
“If I kill you, I shall instantly ascend to the Limitless Realm.”
Shwick!
Just as the sharp vigors merged into one and were about to split Baek Museong’s neck—
Freeze.
The glossy black strands suddenly stopped mid-air.
[When did you—]
The Earth-Killer Star’s eyes flashed.
Bu Eunseol, who had been flung away, had returned unnoticed.
He was pouring transparent azure energy in a circle, forming a massive barrier.
Crunch.
Where the Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi touched his Crystal Divine Energy, its nature changed as though it had become solid rock.
Crash.
Bu Eunseol shattered the hardened aura like glass, then checked Baek Museong’s condition without even glancing at the Earth-Killer Star.
‘This is bad.’ Bu Eunseol’s face grew grave as he examined the body.
Baek Museong’s life was not in danger, but the vicious energy that had pierced his right forearm was the problem.
The sharp qi had torn apart every nerve and muscle in that arm.
Even if the divine physician Hwa Ta were reborn, the arm could never be restored perfectly.
“Brother Baek.” Pain flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he sealed the unconscious man’s sleeping point.
All Baek Museong desired was Gongsun Dankyung’s love. Yet before a man he had felt deep camaraderie with, he had revealed the petty true face hidden beneath the title “Golden True Dragon.”
And now that arm was crippled… he might fall into an abyss of irreversible despair.
Crack.
When Bu Eunseol turned, blood-red light poured from his eyes like an active volcano.
Step. Step.
Walking straight toward the Earth-Killer Star, he spoke in a low voice.
“You do not deserve to live.”
It was the final verdict of King Yama.
[Kekeke… Kahahaha!]
Far from being intimidated, the Earth-Killer Star burst into laughter.
As long as the corpses he had slaughtered lay scattered around, he was a god ruling this land. Through the energy rising from the earth, he had instantly grasped that Baek Museong possessed tremendous skill and inner force.
Of course he had also sensed that Bu Eunseol possessed inner force great enough to fire sword qi—yet apart from that, the young man seemed nothing more than an ordinary expert.
[With what confidence…]
The Earth-Killer Star was smirking when his eyes widened.
Whooo—
From the body of the youth he had dismissed as mediocre, an overwhelming current of qi that he had never detected before was now spreading in all directions.
[Who… are you?]
BOOM!
With an explosive sound, the Earth-Killer Star’s body flew backward more than twenty jang.
Crash, thud.
Like a cannonball, he smashed a huge boulder and sprawled unsightly on the ground.
Step. Step.
Through the dust, a shadow with gleaming crimson eyes looked down at him.
[Heh heh heh.]
Yet the Earth-Killer Star let out a sinister chuckle and stood as though he felt no pain.
[With such fist techniques—]
Shiiing.
Before he could finish, the Silent Tiger Soul Sword in its sheath flashed.
Whooo—
In that instant, crimson energy spread everywhere, and time in the entire world seemed to freeze.
Capturing a split-second moment and delivering instant death to the enemy—the ultimate swift killing sword art,
The Meteor Chasing the Moon Form, had been unleashed.
Slash.
The Earth-Killer Star stood frozen diagonally.
Pshht!
At the same moment, blood sprayed three jang high from his neck.
He had not anticipated that an inescapable ultimate swift killing sword would be used at such close range.
Eyes bulging, the Earth-Killer Star halted all movement.
Thud.
His body collapsed like straw.
With a single stroke from Bu Eunseol, he died instantly.
“Stand.”
Bu Eunseol, eyes burning red, looked down at the Earth-Killer Star and spoke in a low voice.
“I know you are not dead.”
Twitch.
The fallen Earth-Killer Star suddenly arched his back like a bow and slowly rose.
[An impressive sword art.]
His eyes flashed with genuine surprise.
[And an ultimate killing sword style at that. Does the Martial Alliance these days teach such things?]
“I will not kill you in one blow.”
Hellfire hotter than infernal flames burned in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“I will make you taste despair and terror first—then kill you.”
[Heh heh heh.]
Even after experiencing Bu Eunseol’s terrifying martial prowess, the Earth-Killer Star still wore a relaxed smile.
[Since coming out into the martial world, I have never seen a fellow as outstanding as you.]
Licking his red tongue, he nodded at Bu Eunseol.
[If I kill you, this old man will reach the Limitless Realm and be able to wield perfect Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi.]
Shaaa—!
At the same moment, dozens of strands of Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi shot up from the ground within ten jang, then descended at ferocious speed.
Yet they were not aimed at Bu Eunseol—they were stabbing toward Baek Museong, lying far away.
Realizing Bu Eunseol’s martial arts far surpassed his own, the Earth-Killer Star deliberately targeted Baek Museong to create an opening.
Tsss!
In the end, Bu Eunseol leapt into the storm of Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi to save Baek Museong.
The Earth-Killer Star did not miss the chance and drove vicious power into Bu Eunseol’s vital point.
In truth, it was not Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi—it was a palm released through the forbidden art Golden Demon Soul-Summoning Hand, a technique capable of slicing even a treasured sword in two.
Shockingly, the Earth-Killer Star was using not only bizarre powers but also the long-lost Annihilation Demonic Learning.
[Kuahahaha! You never imagined a move like this, did you?]
Bu Eunseol, struck by the palm, looked as though he had been pierced by dozens of black spears.
[This is orthodox demonic art—you cannot block it with anti-evil arts.]
Drop.
Yet disbelief appeared in the Earth-Killer Star’s laughing eyes.
The Golden Demon Soul-Summoning Hand, capable of penetrating even iron boulders, had failed to pierce Bu Eunseol’s skin and simply stopped.
[How…]
“Golden Demon Soul-Summoning Hand, is it?”
Bu Eunseol looked at the palm that had entered his body and smiled coldly.
“It looks like a shoddy imitation of the Wishful True Binding.”
Bzzz.
Upon closer inspection, the black true qi was rising from Bu Eunseol’s body, pushed back the palm of Golden Demon Soul-Summoning Hand in exactly the same way.
It was none other than the secret supreme art of the Demon Emperor—the Wishful True Binding of the Emotion-Severing Secret.
[You… who on earth are you!]
When the Earth-Killer Star roared with bulging eyes, Bu Eunseol raised the Silent Tiger Soul Sword and answered icily.
“Ask King Yama that question.”
Grrrr.
For the first time, rage leaked from the Earth-Killer Star’s eyes, which had never revealed emotion.
Until now he had reaped lives with ease like a death god and reigned over humans.
Yet this greenhorn possessed power that surpassed his own—humiliation and fury engulfed him.
[Insolent brat.]
Paaaaah—!
The Earth-Killer Star gathered the Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi with all his strength.
Black smoke rose from the corpses scattered throughout the village, dyeing the entire sky pitch black.
Shaaaaaaa—!
The Hundred-Spirit Earth-Killing Qi that had blackened the heavens transformed into the shape of inescapable natural disaster—giant raindrops—and poured down endlessly upon Bu Eunseol’s head.
