## Chapter 789 – 789. The Ascent To Brightness
789. The Ascent to Brightness
Heukjeokbyeon’s head was shattered. His skull was crushed, and brain matter stained the ground. After confirming he was definitely dead, I turned my body. All that remained was Obihwan, who Gongbi was still fighting.
‘Tsk. My inner energy is a bit low.’
I had about 20% of my inner energy left.
Using the Heavenly Demon’s Descent earlier had consumed more than half of my energy. Still, I didn’t regret it. Thanks to the Heavenly Demon’s Descent, I was able to take out the riffraff in one go.
‘I have complete recovery. I’ll join forces with Gongbi to kill Obihwan, then subdue Gongbi. If I use complete recovery well, it’ll be possible.’
I was about to take a step towards Obihwan when I felt a huge, ominous energy from behind. I turned around to check.
A dark energy was exploding from Heukjeokbyeon’s headless body. I narrowed my eyes. He was definitely dead. His head was still crushed, and his body wasn’t moving.
‘What is it?’
That ominous energy felt like a living creature. A parasite living in Heukjeokbyeon’s body. That was exactly it.
The energy pulsed and covered Heukjeokbyeon’s body.
“What are you doing! Don’t just stand there, get rid of it now!”
Gongbi, who was fighting Obihwan, shouted urgently. It seemed Gongbi knew what this was.
‘If Gongbi is saying it so urgently… it must be dangerous.’
I clenched my fist. Honestly, I didn’t know how dangerous it was, but having variables in this situation wasn’t good for me.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Dragon Fist (竜拳).
The condensed demonic energy flew in a straight line, piercing through Heukjeokbyeon’s body. This was the real end. Or so I thought. Heukjeokbyeon’s headless body suddenly stood up. The black energy clung to it, and its form began to change.
It was a black lizard. A lizard that looked like it was melting. It slowly stood up on two legs instead of crawling on all fours. Its tail and wings repeatedly broke and reformed.
‘Is it like a lizardman? It’s unsettling.’
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Dragon Fist (竜拳).
I unleashed another Dragon Fist. This time, it pierced through the creature’s abdomen. But the hole in its abdomen was instantly filled by the pulsing black energy.
‘If attacks like this don’t work… I’ll just crush it all at once.’
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Palm (天魔神掌)
I dropped energy from the sky. The lizard was slammed into the ground.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Palm (天魔神掌)
I used the Heavenly Demon Palm again. There were two ways to use the Heavenly Demon Palm, a technique from Shin Jongwoo’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art. One was to drop energy from the sky. The other was to temporarily maximize the gravity within a certain range. This time, I used both.
The lizard’s body was crushed, and its fragments flew everywhere. The black energy disappeared, and it returned to Heukjeokbyeon’s torso. Of course, that torso was also crushed by the gravity and wasn’t in normal condition.
『You have successfully completed a special mission.』
『You have acquired 50 Heavenly Jade as a reward.』
The Heavenly Star System window appeared before my eyes. The window hadn’t appeared when I crushed his head, so the fact that it appeared now meant that Heukjeokbyeon would never move again.
‘Come to think of it, when the first special mission was created, the Heavenly Star System defined Heukjeokbyeon as a dangerous being.’
Maybe the Heavenly Star System knew something. The problem was that the Heavenly Star System didn’t openly tell you anything.
‘I’ll subdue and take Gongbi, then ask her.’
First, I retrieved the Hwaryeon Flying Daggers stuck in the corpse. I watched the battle between Obihwan and Gongbi. Both of them were clashing and fighting. Their levels were similar, but Obihwan’s martial arts skills were superior.
‘I wish they’d fight more fiercely and wear each other down.’
Obihwan seemed willing, but Gongbi was being overly defensive. Whenever Obihwan tried to do something, Gongbi would quickly create distance. It was clear she was trying to stall for time instead of fighting properly. From Obihwan’s perspective, he must have wanted to kill her for being so annoying.
“Young Master Seong! What are you doing?! Help me now!”
“I just used too much energy, so I’m a bit tired…”
“Young Master Seong!!”
“Haa. I guess I have no choice.”
I walked casually, then suddenly started running, aiming for Obihwan’s back. Gongbi also swung her flexible sword from the front, timing it perfectly.
“You bastards…!”
Obihwan swung his twin spears, blocking our weapons. He rolled the spears with his palms. The direction of the force slipped, and the weapons were deflected.
Gongbi retreated, and I released my sword without hesitation. I took a step forward and threw a punch at him.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Explosion (天魔爆).
A black explosion erupted from my fist.
It didn’t work. Instead, Obihwan used the explosive force as propulsion to rush towards Gongbi. Gongbi hurriedly raised her sword to block Obihwan’s spear. However, the deflected spear narrowly grazed her shoulder. Some of her clothes tore, and blood splattered.
“Kuh!”
“I was aiming for your neck, but you’re lucky, wench!”
“Die!”
Gongbi gritted her teeth and shouted. As if she had activated a spell, hard tree roots rose from the ground.
“Not a chance!”
Obihwan showed off a flashy footwork technique. He stepped on the tree roots, moving through the air to avoid the attacks.
‘I can’t just stand by either. Meteor Sword!’
A meteor sword imbued with lightning fell from the sky towards Obihwan. Surprised, Obihwan quickly twisted his body. In that small gap, a tree root grabbed his left ankle and twisted it. At the same time, the meteor sword collided with the ground, emitting lightning in all directions.
“Kuaaaak!”
Obihwan screamed, electrocuted by the lightning. He must have felt the pain of his whole body being torn apart, but he didn’t fall. He exploded his inner energy. The roots turned to dust, and the meteor sword embedded in the ground flew into the sky.
‘He exploded his inner energy. Obihwan has given up on escaping and is prepared to die.’
I gripped the Hwaryeon Flying Daggers tightly and took a defensive stance. If I recklessly stepped forward, I could die with Obihwan. I had to avoid that at all costs.
Fortunately, Obihwan’s gaze was directed at Gongbi, not me.
‘He’s trying to kill Gongbi more than me, who killed Heukjeokbyeon… It seems his loyalty to Heukjeokbyeon wasn’t that great from the start.’
Obihwan grabbed one of his spears and threw it at Gongbi, then charged towards her.
And Gongbi’s movements changed. A red aura appeared from her body. The aura fluttered like a celestial maiden’s robe.
Gongbi dodged the spear. Her flexible sword loosened and moved like a whip. Her steps on the ground were elegant yet light.
“Crimson Shadow Divine Dance (朱影神武)…! So that’s it! You’re from the clan that the Lord mentioned!”
Obihwan gritted his teeth and swung his spear. But his spear never touched Gongbi’s body. Gongbi perfectly avoided his attacks by a hair’s breadth.
She moved as if dancing, swinging her flame-covered sword. Obihwan could block three times, but he couldn’t block one. The outcome of the battle was already decided.
“Damn it! Black Dragon Lord! This Obihwan will fall into hell with the Lord’s enemy! May the Lord achieve his goals!”
Obihwan raised his spear high. A black aura completely enveloped the spear. The tip of the spear was aimed at the ground, not her. It was a suicide attack.
-Young Master Seong!!
Gongbi’s urgent telepathic message reached me.
‘Meteor Sword.’
The meteor sword fell from the sky. It collided with Obihwan’s spear, causing a powerful explosion. I focused my inner energy on my feet, digging them into the ground to withstand the shockwave.
‘Gongbi… she was too close… did she get caught in the explosion and die?’
The dust from the explosion was so thick that it was hard to assess the situation.
After some time, the wind blowing from the top of the hill carried the dust away.
‘Gongbi!’
Gongbi was safe. She looked a bit tired, but she didn’t seem to be injured by the explosion. She walked towards me.
“It’s over. None of the Black Dragon Castle warriors survived. Our deal is over, so please return to Anhui Castle quickly… Hup…!”
In the middle of her sentence, a fireball flew towards me. I turned my body to the side, barely dodging the fireball. The fireball suddenly changed direction and flew towards me again.
‘Fall!’
Lightning fell from the sky, extinguishing the fireball.
“Master of the Flower Moon Pavilion! What are you doing?!”
“I’m sorry, Young Master Seong. No matter how much I think about it, the only conclusion I reach is that letting Young Master Seong go is foolish.”
I tensed up and took a fighting stance. The moment had come.
“What’s the reason?”
“Young Master Seong’s nature and trustworthiness. How can I trust a pervert who secretly rapes women? And Young Master Seong’s talent is exceptional. More than anyone I’ve ever seen. If I let Young Master Seong live, you’ll definitely come back to haunt me.”
“I swear I’ll live like a dead mouse.”
“Would Young Master Seong believe those words?”
“……”
Of course, I wouldn’t believe them. I gathered my inner energy in preparation for battle.
“Young Master Seong. I have a proposal. If you actively cooperate with me, I’ll let you die without pain.”
“…Cooperate? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I have many questions for Young Master Seong. Your demonic art. It feels like it’s on a different level. It’s worth researching.”
In short, she wanted the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. She pretended to be refined, but her greed was extraordinary. Well, if she didn’t have greed, she wouldn’t have reached the level of obsession.
“And as a sorcerer, I’m also curious about Young Master Seong’s essence. A human with memories of a past life. If I investigate and research Young Master Seong… maybe I can discover the truth of the world.”
I was startled. Memories of a past life? I had only said those words to Shin Jongwoo.
She must have used sorcery to find out about my conversation with Shin Jongwoo.
“……Could it be that Eun Josa also…”
“That guess is wrong. Eun Josa is just a target of surveillance. Well, thanks to him, I learned many things. That Young Master Seong killed Shin Jongwoo and your relationship with the Nangong family sisters. I was really surprised when I found out.”
“……”
Gongbi entered my attack range. I swung my sword with all my might.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Sword (天魔劍) Ninefold Triple Kill (九中三殺).
I stabbed her in three places simultaneously: both shoulders and her abdomen. But my sword didn’t touch her body. My body stopped. It wouldn’t move at all.
“You weren’t the only one who was gathering strength while stalling for time. I needed time to manipulate the barrier since Obihwan died. The reason Obihwan died so easily was thanks to this barrier, the Evil Bewitching Binding Array (邪昏呪縛陣).”
I gritted my teeth.
It felt like invisible chains were wrapping around my body, binding me. Obihwan was moving like that even while being affected by this binding array? I was surprised at how great Obihwan was. And Gongbi, who fought equally with that Obihwan, was stronger than I thought.
‘…Did she save her strength while fighting Obihwan in preparation for this moment?’
I was already at a disadvantage the moment I entered this barrier. But I couldn’t give up right away. I still had means left.
‘Heavenly Heart (天心)!’
I used Heavenly Heart.
The invisible chains binding me were all severed, and my physical abilities temporarily increased. One minute. I had to decide the outcome within that time. The blade of the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger aimed for Gongbi’s thigh.
Surprised, Gongbi hurriedly swung her flexible sword. The flexible sword wrapped around the blade of the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger like a whip and grabbed my right arm. If I didn’t pull my arm out here, my right arm would be crippled.
‘I won’t pull it out!’
I had complete recovery. The sword cut more than halfway through Gongbi’s thigh. The flexible sword wrapped around my right arm like a snake. The muscles in my right arm were cut.
“Ugh! What did you do?!”
Gongbi retreated, pulling back her flexible sword. She used sorcery to stop the bleeding in her thigh.
‘The duration of Heavenly Heart is one minute! I can’t stop!’
Kwaang!
Like Obihwan, I exploded my inner energy. I felt my internal organs being damaged, and I used an instant with my temporarily accelerated body.
‘What I did just now isn’t enough! I have to cut off at least one of her limbs!’
Gongbi moved her body as if dancing. It was the martial art that Obihwan called the Crimson Shadow Divine Dance.
‘Instant! Instant! Instant!’
I used Instant repeatedly. But my sword couldn’t even graze her clothes. It was maddening. She was right in front of me, but my blade couldn’t reach her. No, it reached but didn’t reach.
‘Lightning!’
Red lightning covered her.
