Chapter 166: The Thing I Wish To Show (6)
Crack!
With that one sound…
One whole side of his shoulder was shattered.
Crack!
With the second sound…
He wondered where his body had given way this time.
He couldn’t quite tell.
His senses were murky, and his vision was equally clouded.
He swung his sword instinctively.
Yet, the sharpness at the tip of the blade felt as threatening as ever.
The divine energy contained within Jang Seonyeon enhanced both his physical form and martial skills.
He was elevated to the level where he could easily defeat a martial artist of the same caliber.
He could even overpower them without a single hair of his own being touched.
Craaack!
Yet, to his opponent, it was merely child’s play.
“Ugh…!”
Jang Seonyeon staggered a few steps back, then dropped to his knees, clutching his chest.
“Why…”
He whispered softly without even realizing it.
“Why do you think?”
It seemed Gu Yangcheon could hear him just fine.
Gu Yangcheon reached out a hand toward Jang Seonyeon.
He flinched at the sight.
‘Dammit…’
Jang Seonyeon struggled to stop his trembling shoulders and cursed silently, feeling utterly humiliated for being frightened.
The hand brushed against his cheek several times before moving away.
It was an excruciating moment of humiliation.
Why.
Just why.
“You don’t understand, do you? You never will.”
Perhaps he would remain clueless for a lifetime. I almost wished that for him.
The reason? It’s quite simple.
These days, the phrase ‘might makes right’ feels a tad overused, almost cliché.
Yet, the world still loves to pit warriors against each other in contests of strength to establish who is stronger.
In the end, it boiled down to a simple fact: he was weak, and I was strong.
‘But he was surprisingly strong.’
Given the many watchful eyes observing and the fact that I couldn’t just kill him in front of a crowd, I’d only intended to show a fraction of my strength.
However, the prick turned out to be stronger than I anticipated.
As a result, I had to resort to utilizing Fire Qi to bolster my body.
It was something I never thought I’d have to use against a young upstart.
‘Is he perhaps at the threshold of the Peak Realm?’
In terms of martial prowess, he hovered around the peak of the first-rate level, a feat nearly unimaginable at Jang Seonyeon’s age.
Namgung’s Pissing Dragon would be nothing compared to him.
He could hold his own against the Sword Phoenix, Sword Dragon, and Water Dragon.
Yet, this brat was pushing his abilities using an unknown force.
‘Even so, he hasn’t broken through the middle dantian.’
I couldn’t detect any energy typical of those who had reached the Peak Realm emanating from him.
It appeared to be a temporary boost, and it didn’t seem like he could maintain it for long.
‘That’s probably why he didn’t use it from the start.’
I didn’t think he was merely hesitating to create an excuse for himself.
The reason had to be that either he couldn’t maintain it for long or that it had a limited number of instances for use.
It could even be both.
‘If this energy is similar to what I took from Namgung Cheonjun, does that mean I could use it too?’
I tried, but the energy refused to respond.
Moreover, the purifying effect of the energy outpaced even Demonic Qi, making any further experimentation impossible.
‘This is different from Demonic Qi.’
Demonic Qi indeed enhances the body but doesn’t amplify martial prowess.
Ultimately, it’s a driving force for practicing demonic arts and signifies one’s descent into becoming a demonic human.
“But this… ”
I recalled the moment when Jang Seonyeon cleaved through my flames in a single strike.
I thought he’d dodge, but he sliced through them instead.
Swish!
While lost in thought, Jang Seonyeon’s sword came flying at me.
It sped toward my neck at alarming velocity,
Crack!
I managed to tilt my head to dodge, then swiftly twisted the wrist holding his sword.
I had no hesitation in breaking it.
“Aghhhh!”
Jang Seonyeon’s scream echoed loudly.
It seemed he had been suppressing his screams until that moment, but he had clearly hit his limit.
I was slightly surprised to see him continue attacking.
‘Didn’t I scare him enough?’
I thought I had instilled enough fear into him that next time we met, he’d be too frightened to get in my way.
Killing him right now wasn’t an option, so I aimed to break him lightly, ensuring it would be easier the next time we encountered each other.
However, it seemed his fighting spirit remained intact.
In that case, a thought crossed my mind.
‘I wonder how much more I can break him.’
If I wanted to simply kill him, I’d be quicker about it.
However, if I wished to break him, I’d need to be somewhat cautious.
I couldn’t let him sustain injuries that were beyond healing, as my relationship with the Murim Alliance mattered too much to ruin.
‘Those sorts of things are just so annoying.’
It bugged me that I couldn’t rid myself of those I wanted to kill whenever I wanted.
I accepted that I couldn’t control the world, but it was infuriating to be unable to do something about a scum like him.
‘If I’m gonna regress, why is it a struggle to do anything?’
I kicked him hard at the joint, making him kneel once again.
“If you keep moving like that, you’re gonna get yourself seriously hurt…”
Bang!
As I quickly raised my hand to block, the sound of Qi exploding erupted in the air.
That brat had launched a Sword Qi at me.
Having broken his right hand and twisted his left wrist, how was he even able to do this?
‘Look at this guy?’
Jang Seonyeon swung his sword with that broken wrist.
I thought about how he’d heal that wrist at this rate, but I had to admit, he had spirit.
So he really is a martial artist after all.
I kicked Jang Seonyeon in the chest, launching him away, and stole a glance at the judge.
The place was in shambles, and Jang Seonyeon was in no condition to continue fighting.
The judge appeared aware of this, his eyes flickering with indecision.
However, he couldn’t intervene.
‘Because he hasn’t forfeited.’
Unless one side lies unconscious or feels they’ve fully won, the judge isn’t permitted to step in.
‘And you intend to continue, even knowing that?’
He surely must have recognized that defeat was on the horizon.
Knowing he was in that condition after using that mysterious power and still planning to persist?
‘If he’s the guy I remember, he wouldn’t act like this.’
I was curious.
If this were him in my past life, he wouldn’t make such foolish decisions.
He would prefer to plot something in the shadows after the duel.
‘So, does that mean this current him is significantly different from the one I knew?’
I hoped against hope that wasn’t true, as that was the last thing I wanted to confront.
‘But even if that holds true,’
It wouldn’t matter.
I had no desire to change my plans.
Even if he hadn’t descended into wickedness yet, right now he was just a boy besotted with power…
‘Your past actions don’t just evaporate.’
This wasn’t rooted in any noble desire for forgiveness or some such.
I was just angry, and he became a target for that rage.
The primary reason I targeted his chest was simply that he had injured Namgung Bi-ah in that spot.
And the reason I wanted to instill fear in his heart wasn’t because of some grand scheme.
It was merely a conduit for me to vent.
I shouldn’t consider myself as an adult.
Thinking that way would likely lead to more harm than good for me.
I had lived an ignoble and coarse life, and that past helped form who I was.
So, I shouldn’t deny that past.
Denying it would only poison my progress towards transcendence.
I needed to rise even higher.
Much, much higher than I was now.
‘So, I don’t have much time to spend on this brat.’
It’s about time to wrap this up.
It wouldn’t be enough time to fully relieve my stress, but dragging this out any longer wasn’t wise either.
It was time to conclude.
‘But first, let me give one more parting gift.’
Ending the fight with a simple chin shot felt too uncaring, so I planned to either break his arm again…
Or toy with his genitals just a little.
It felt like such a waste if I didn’t do at least one of those.
Then suddenly…
Craaack!
Jang Seonyeon forced himself upright.
Every movement was accompanied by a cacophony of cracking bones.
His condition was such that he couldn’t even rise properly.
The agony must have been unfathomable.
‘So, he has that much willpower…’
I was about to credit his persistence to sheer will when an unsettling sensation made my spine tingle.
It didn’t take much for me to catch on.
I had gone through this sort of sequence of events quite a few times in my past life.
Though I didn’t expect to experience it again so soon in this life.
“That dumbass of a brat.”
Jang Seonyeon’s eyes turned vacant as he forced his body to rise while gripping the sword.
That signified he had already lost consciousness.
Some might ponder how he could still act.
‘He’s been consumed by power.’
When someone with demonic energy used it excessively, or pushed themselves onward despite having reached their limit, their consciousness could be devoured by that power, turning them monstrous.
I referred to this condition as being ‘consumed by one’s own power.’
And this fool had fallen into just that state.
Even if the essence felt distinctive from Demonic Qi, it seemed to carry similar backlash.
‘Is it because I battered him too hard?’
That was perhaps the most plausible explanation.
After all, I had beaten him to the brink, where he would face death without resorting to his power.
I watched Jang Seonyeon teeter unsteadily.
He wouldn’t die merely from being there, but if I left him like this, his mind would shatter.
‘Maybe I should just leave him like this then?’
It didn’t seem that bad of an idea.
If he became so broken, it would appear as though he had ruined himself trying to uphold his pride as a martial artist.
That way, the Murim Alliance’s leader wouldn’t hold me accountable. Though he might still harbor resentment as a father.
‘But should he blame anyone, it ought to be the Second Elder.’
Not that I could say for sure whether that lumbering old man could be of any assistance.
It’d be satisfying for me to take Jang Seonyeon’s life with my own hands, but I wasn’t about to muck up my plans just for personal revenge.
I had far more pressing concerns at present.
As I got into position, Jang Seonyeon merely stared at me.
His empty gaze met mine while I released a sliver of my Qi, readying for a potential attack.
Yet, contrary to what I anticipated, he didn’t lunge at me.
Instead…
“It’s you.”
He suddenly addressed me.
Surprisingly articulate considering his swollen lips.
Had he not completely lost consciousness?
“What?”
I asked, confused about his strange comments, but he continued as if possessed.
“I sensed something break, and it turned out to be you.”
His unsettling giggle scratched at my sanity.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I charged at him, gripping his throat tightly.
A peculiar sensation raced through me, making every hair stand on end, cold sweat eager to break free.
What should I even call this horrible sensation?
“What are you?”
I demanded while squeezing his throat, and Jang Seonyeon smiled.
Though the shape of his lips remained intact, he wore a silent smile filled with twisted joy.
“That is what I wish to ask. Child, what are you?”
“I asked what you are.”
Clenched.
I gradually tightened my grip on his throat.
It served as a warning—speak anything foolish and I would surely break it.
However, that idiot didn’t remain silent.
“What are you to possess so much within yourself?”
Despite the choking grip, he spoke as if undeterred.
“No, you’re not Jang Seonyeon.”
There was definitely something off.
Had he, too, become the vessel for another being? This wasn’t surprising given all the entities that had taken residence within me in this life.
After all, isn’t it commonplace for people to host at least one spirit in their bodies?
The issue lay elsewhere.
‘Heeee…’
I heard a voice, crystal clear and resonating directly in my head.
Initially, I thought it might be Elder Shin.
‘Elder Shin…’
I quickly called out, thinking he might have returned unexpectedly.
‘Hee… Heeeee… Hungry…’
But it definitely wasn’t Elder Shin.
“What now?!”
‘Hungry… eat… that… must eat…’
Suddenly, an unrecognizable voice began echoing in my mind.
At the same moment, my dantian began to tremble, and the energy within me swirled chaotically as though I had lost control of my own body.
Naturally, it had to happen when the duel was just about over.
‘Eat… it! That… must eat it.’
The voice droned, seeming to be a cacophony of many voices merged into one; even a few sentences sent an overwhelming headache coursing through my skull.
‘…This voice…’
While I grimaced from the pain, I recalled hearing this voice before.
In that last moment with Namgung Cheonjun, after I had absorbed all his energy.
And…
During my conflict with the Blood Demon in Shaanxi.
That last moment before I lost consciousness, it mirrored the voice I was hearing now.
Whirrl.
“…!”
As I endured the throbbing pain, I clenched my teeth, feeling the energy within me operate on its own.
Once again, my Demonic Absorption kicked in autonomously.
‘Shit, not again.’
If I absorbed it once more, it would only foster needless suspicion, and I wasn’t keen on sorting through those complications.
I couldn’t afford for anyone to discover that I could absorb energy—not at this stage.
In a rush, I tried to pull away my hand, but—
Grab!
Instead, Jang Seonyeon’s hand latched onto my wrist.
“I see. This feeling.”
Then he spoke, voice dripping with a realization, high spirits evident in his tone.
“You have darkness within your little body. Could it be your great capacity that keeps you from shattering, despite holding such a colossal entity? Though I doubt that’s the case…”
I longed to argue against his drivel, but my mouth was betraying me.
‘Why is everything happening all at once?’
I was capable of handling one catastrophe at a time, but it felt like everything was crashing down around me all at once.
He should have felt me siphoning his power, yet he clung tighter, unwilling to let go.
‘What strength…!’
Had this been Jang Seonyeon’s true might, I could have easily broken free from his grasp.
Yet for some reason, it felt bewilderingly difficult.
“I cannot discern why the master of the abyss occupies the body of a child like you, but I feel fortunate to have unraveled it.”
The energy flooding my body was akin to Namgung Cheonjun’s, yet its richness felt different.
And my body seemed to devour this energy as if it were gourmet food.
“You are certainly enjoying this feast.”
After hearing those words, I began to become certain.
Despite knowing I was absorbing energy, he allowed it to happen.
Tap!
Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Jang Seonyeon loosened his hold, and his body began to decay, almost as if it were anticipating the moment.
“Child.”
I could only remain silent as I struggled to maintain control of my body, now no longer obeying my commands.
“With the joy of our encounter, I’ve left you a gift. Your inner beast shall surely take delight in it.”
“I wished to give you everything, but sadly, this child’s body and spirit are useful, so I can’t offer it the way I desire.”
“Thus, if you find pleasure in this gift, seek me out in the future.”
As Jang Seonyeon concluded his words, I faltered and sank down to one knee. The voice continued resonating in my mind. I had much I wished to say, but even though I regained control over my body, my tongue remained obstinately stiff.
“It was a pleasure meeting you. If you happen across the Dancer in the future, relay this message to her.”
Jang Seonyeon slowly let his eyes close as he fell limp. Just before they shut completely, he whispered softly.
“I, Dok Gojun, seek you, child.”
With those parting words, Jang Seonyeon drifted into oblivion.
I remained squatting, exhaling deeply. Whatever energy had entered my body was merely the tip of the iceberg; I needed to process the utterly shocking turn of events that had just occurred.
The judge, having observed Jang Seonyeon’s unconscious form, quickly rushed over to assess the situation.
“…”
He briefly touched Jang Seonyeon’s body before nodding, confirming that death had not claimed him.
Then he declared…
“The victory goes to Gu Yangcheon of the Gu Clan.”
The judge’s voice echoed my victory.
— Woahhh!
The audience erupted in deafening cheers, yet my expression remained tightly knitted.
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