Chapter: 447
The flames that erupted from the mountainside were reaching the clouds.
‘That crazy guy.’
I cursed as soon as I laid eyes on it.
The heat I felt, even from this considerable distance, was anything but ordinary.
If it’s this hot from here, just how scorching must the center of those flames be?
I stared at the blaze.
Its size was so massive that it exuded an overwhelming presence, even from afar.
‘Hah.’
How much energy would it take to produce flames of that magnitude?
What I could be sure of was that I couldn’t possibly emit that much fire right now.
Feeling the heat, I quickened my pace.
It wasn’t just me; the ones in front—Muk-kwon and Magum-hu—upped their speed, causing me to follow suit.
Crack.
I heard a popping sound from ahead.
Rumble-!
Suddenly, the Demon Sword Master shot forward, ramping up her speed.
“Your Majesty…!”
Mok-kwon urgently called out to Magum-hu, but she had already dashed far ahead.
Confirming this, I concentrated energy in my toes.
Tsk.
This feeling isn’t pleasant at all.
Without being able to use the Nine Flames Fire Lun Gong, I couldn’t unleash explosive power.
Moreover, since the energy in my danjeon hadn’t been properly restored, anything I tried to do felt terribly awkward.
‘What can I do? It’s all my karma.’
I couldn’t blame anyone; after all, I was the one who made the mess.
Honestly, part of me wanted to keep things low-key and just tag along.
Sigh…
But looking at those ridiculous flames made that impossible.
Thud-!
I leaped forward with determination.
Using a lot of energy made the difference in speed starkly clear.
The problem was…
‘I almost messed up there.’
If I pushed too hard, it felt like flames would pop out randomly.
Since I was maintaining the mine, if those sparks went off like this, it would all be over.
“Eight-leaf clover!”
Despite Muk-kwon’s calling out as I fled, I ignored it as usual.
By the way, that name kind of bothers me. If you’re going to shout it, at least use a proper pseudonym.
As I got closer to my destination, I found it harder to breathe.
The black flames were still raging, holding their positions. What a hellish heat.
I scrutinized the air.
Someone was floating above the towering flames.
‘That rotten bastard.’
The demon was suspended in mid-air, wrapped in black flames.
Even in that moment, it was likely he was using an enormous amount of energy, but clearly, it wouldn’t be much to him.
I glanced around.
The giant flames surrounded the area, but they weren’t scorching the forest.
This meant they had some control over it.
‘Rather than regulation…’
It might look absurd, but these flames were akin to a display.
Just looking at them was enough to make your heart race.
There couldn’t be a better way to establish dominance.
‘…Not something anyone can pull off.’
I could say with confidence that this was a feat only I could achieve.
Dare I say the Heavenly Demon might manage it too, but…
‘I’m better at instilling pressure.’
The blaze evoking images of a tsunami could easily strike fear into the hearts of onlookers.
I knew this too well, which is why I chose to showcase something like this before starting.
Look.
‘…The effects are already taking hold.’
As I approached the heat, I noticed others gathering there.
They wore similar white clothing and stared hopelessly at the tsunami unfolding before them.
Just as Muk-kwon said.
There was a substantial force of martial artists clustered together.
‘What’s going on here?’
Moreover, the weapons in their hands were equally impressive. It was rare to find anyone below the peak level.
From the perspective of the sects, there were definitely martial artists present who could easily claim the deputy commander position of the swordsmanship.
‘Did they gather all this strength?’
And in such a short amount of time?
Recalling what I remembered about the past, it wouldn’t have been quick to mobilize such power into Sichuan.
They must have been in a real hurry.
Even considering that, the power they amassed was quite significant.
As I slowed down to observe them, the gazes of the martial artists shifted toward me.
Not very welcoming looks.
Some glared at me with contempt.
Others regarded me with sad eyes.
‘Sadness, huh.’
The reason they look at me like that must be because I appear quite young.
Even a martial artist who looks that young has become a mine, hence their pitying expressions.
Feeling their stares, I continued onward.
Only once I reached my destination could I finally halt.
When I arrived, Magum-hu was already there, fixated on the air, her gaze directed at the demon lord.
I followed her line of sight and locked eyes on him.
A man surrounded by flames floated high above us.
The mage was peering down at the gathering crowd with his characteristic gaze.
This was exactly the borderline.
The barren forest indicated the territory of the mines.
Just a step further was the verdant forest, a sign of the Heavenly Demon’s mercy.
The forces of the Murim Alliance were lingering just beyond the boundary past Sichuan.
This meant they hadn’t yet encroached into Sichuan.
Crackle-!
The flames began to thrash violently.
Due to their size, even the slightest movement triggered a response.
The wave that seemed ready to engulf the people roared madly before soaring into the sky.
Rumble-!
The fire surged upward, unleashing a pressure.
The impact caused cracks to begin forming in the dry earth beneath.
It was a scene that defied description.
‘I would see this with my own eyes.’
When I was doing it myself, I hadn’t realized, but to witness it from an outsider’s perspective was truly mind-boggling.
Flames of that magnitude shooting skyward at once—who wouldn’t find that awe-inspiring?
Moreover, if I imagined those flames targeting me…
Could I even keep my sanity?
ROOOAR!!
The sound from the flames resembled the roar of a beast.
Soon, all the flames that had risen into the air congregated into a single point, taking the shape of a sphere—a power different from the secret technique, Flame Pearl.
‘Secret technique, my foot… That’s just.’
It was basically just gathering an enormous amount of fire.
It must have consumed considerable energy to emit those flames.
Then I had to lift it into the air once more.
Afterward, maintaining that single point would require monstrous effort as well.
I may have felt like I had an overflow of energy at that moment, but to pour it out so inefficiently like that…
‘I probably used up at least half of it.’
Just because I had a lot of energy doesn’t mean I had infinite reserves.
Even with the ridiculous amount of energy I had, pouring it out like that might as well mean I’d expended about half of my reserves.
Still, the reason I was acting recklessly was…
‘Pressure of dominance.’
This was all to completely overpower the enemy’s morale.
And based on my experience, showing off something like this would definitely have a solid impact.
You could see that just by looking at them now.
“This… this is…?”
From the expressions on the opposing forces, it looked like it really hit home.
Despair.
Their faces were filled with nothing but despair and terror.
The mage slowly confirmed this with their eyes.
Those who locked gazes with him trembled uncontrollably or instantly crumpled under the weight of their fear.
It’s just how things are.
No matter who you are, in the face of something overwhelmingly strong, you’ll invariably show that kind of reaction.
At that moment, I took advantage of that weakness skillfully.
In the chilling silence, the only sound heard was the whispers of the flames.
The first to break the silence was from the mage.
“You’ve gathered quite the crowd.”
The mingled energies made his voice resonate, causing the enemy to flinch.
“I came to see what the insects were up to, and it turns out they were right after all.”
The sly grin he wore and his choice of words were just disturbing. Could he not speak plainly?
I fervently wished he wouldn’t, but contrary to my hopes, his mouth didn’t stop.
“What were you hiding here?”
At the mage’s query, they hesitated and retreated a step.
None of them could muster a response.
Upon seeing this, the mage’s brows furrowed slightly.
“I’ll count to three. If I don’t hear an answer by then, there will be no further conversations.”
A declaration to start a war.
Finishing his words, the mage raised a finger and began folding them down one by one.
With each finger that bent, the massive fireball forming behind him began to hiss ominously.
It was clear that one wrong move would set it off.
Finally, as the second finger bent down, and just before the last could follow,
Someone stepped out from within the ranks of the Murim Alliance.
Dressed in elegant attire suggesting he was of high rank among the leaders, he appeared surprisingly young for a master.
His face was tense as he approached the mage and began to speak.
“I am the head of the Golden Dragon Sect. I am Bi Yeonsum.”
Just as I predicted, he was a master…
‘…Wait a second.’
Bi Yeonsum?
I definitely recognized that name from somewhere.
‘Where had I heard it?’
I struggled to recall, but it didn’t seem like it was anything too significant.
Anyway, the man who introduced himself as the head of the Golden Dragon Sect approached the mage without crossing the boundary and began conversing.
“On behalf of the Murim Alliance, I seek a discussion with you.”
“Discussion?”
The mage burst into laughter at Bi Yeonsum’s request.
“You mean to say that this is your idea of a discussion?”
“…”
“You must think of me as an idiot.”
It was utterly absurd that he, carrying a multitude of peak martial artists, had come all the way to the line just for a chat.
What’s more…
“To think you would come here to propose dialogue… Did you really underestimate the sect?”
The simple fact that a mere sect leader was seeking dialogue in such a situation was the real problem.
Bringing in all that strength and then showing up to negotiate?
‘Are they really looking down on us?’
Considering the number of wars we’ve fought, they couldn’t think we would appear that foolish.
Even if this was part of a plan, it was unfathomable as far as understanding goes.
The Murim Alliance, no matter how foolish, shouldn’t be oblivious to the situation.
They were not in a position to seek negotiations right now.
They should be begging for their lives after witnessing the bloodthirsty beast before them.
Why they insisted on this was beyond me.
And so was the reason things had shifted in this manner.
The problem was…
Thrummm…
While I was filled with mere questions and doubts,
My past self wouldn’t leave it at that.
The black flames I had amassed roared higher and higher, resembling the sun.
Hissss…
The colossal sphere began to move slowly, shifting its position.
It created an illusion as if the sun itself had been obscured.
At the same time, the mage gradually began descending from the air.
With his robes flowing, he descended slowly.
Seeing this, Magum-hu took a few steps back to create space.
The mage naturally settled into that space.
He approached the highly tense Bi Yeonsum.
In my previous life, I hadn’t been particularly tall among martial artists.
Compared to Magum-hu, I would stand a bit taller.
But next to Bi Yeonsum, I would look quite small.
Yet, with each step I took, I hardly felt small at all.
As I stepped forward,
Boom-!
Pressure radiated throughout the forest.
“Gak…!”
“Huh…!”
Under that immense pressure, the martial artists of the Murim Alliance quivered and collapsed.
The boundary drawn by the Heavenly Demon.
Beyond it, the mage stepped forward.
It didn’t matter.
This was merely the mercy granted to the Murim Alliance by the Heavenly Demon.
As long as they didn’t cross the line, their lives would be spared.
Such a mercy it was.
After crossing that line, as the mage stepped outside of Sichuan, he walked toward Bi Yeonsum, gently extending a hand toward his neck.
“You little pest.”
He didn’t grab him.
He merely stroked his neck slowly.
Just that alone was enough to suffocate the atmosphere.
His flashy purple eyes locked onto Bi Yeonsum’s dark ones.
“Do not waste your breath on useless attempts. Unlike the sect master’s high patience, mine is rather shallow.”
ROOOAR!!
The flame-covered mass in the air began to gradually shift its form.
With every movement of the flames, the heat distorted the space around it.
And the sounds of something sizzling echoed in my ears.
Once more, its form morphed.
It was so twisted that I couldn’t accurately perceive it, but faintly, it resembled…
“A wolf?”
It looked eerily similar to a wolf, its mouth agape wide.
That sight gave the impression it would swallow everything whole at any moment.
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