1215——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The Emperor remained silent, crossing his arms, not bothering to respond to my words. That confident look of his made me panic a bit, thinking I might have said something stupid. But I decided to push through my doubts and shouted.

“Go ahead, hit me! Use your precious Heavenly Demon Martial Art!!”

Boom!!

I charged straight at the Emperor. Any hesitation I had vanished, and I felt my energy sharpen as I focused intensely. At the same time, my sword intent shot out like a spear, expanding like a massive pillar, smacking into the Emperor’s body.

BANG!

With a deafening boom, the Emperor’s body froze like a wall, his hand reaching out in a defensive posture. A gray aura of protection surrounded him, clearly a martial art I didn’t know. But seeing that defense, I was convinced.

‘He didn’t use the Eternal Dance!’

If he had, he would have completely ignored my attack and countered me in an instant! Assuming the Emperor might have gone easy on me was pointless; there was no easier or faster victory for him than wiping me out in one strike.

It was clear.

Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen couldn’t use the Heavenly Demon Martial Art right now!!

Whew.

I focused more, trying to enhance my hidden potential. As my qi settled and my chaotic thoughts calmed, I felt the martial artist within me expanding. This was the essence of being a martial artist; I could say I was stronger now than I was just moments ago.

As I entered a state of concentration, the Emperor slowly opened his mouth.

[Have you noticed?]

He acknowledged his deception, realizing there was no need for further bravado or lies. I chuckled and responded to his question.

“Nyarlathotep said that offerings are impossible to use!”

[…I see. Did I underestimate you?]

Reflecting on it, the conditions were contradictory.

Nyarlathotep told me, “If no separate offering exists and you gain power through your own training, then you can use any martial art.” However, the Heavenly Demon Martial Art required offerings, specifically human souls consumed in the Divine Temple!

Therefore, it was impossible to use the Heavenly Demon Martial Art here since offerings were needed!

In a way, I should have realized this before even coming here, but with the situation pressing down on me, I hadn’t had the time for rational thought. Still, I was relieved to notice this doubt now.

I boldly declared.

“If you can’t use the Heavenly Demon Martial Art, then I’m not that afraid of you! Don’t tell me you trained in the Divine Temple’s martial arts!”

[…….]

“I’ll finish you off!”

Boom!

I charged at Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen again, feeling no fear. If the situation was this favorable for me, being scared would be odd. Despite lacking talent, I was a veteran martial artist who had reached the Absolute Realm through countless fortuitous encounters. There were hardly any stronger martial artists on Earth than me. Only those masters of Divine Skills or Overlay Techniques could possibly stand a chance, and even they were ultimate practitioners who had transcended their limits.

Could the Emperor, who had wielded only his powerful authority, really be stronger than me without the Heavenly Demon Martial Art?

‘No way!’

I’m not that weak!

Absolute Sword Thunder!

Infinite Slash!!

The lightning that sliced through infinite realms echoed like a thunderclap, leaving a thunder shadow as it passed by the Emperor. He had activated his gray protective aura, but my Infinite Slash was powerful enough to shatter even the Heart of Heaven’s Abundance, leaving a massive cut across the Emperor’s chest.

Swoosh!!

[…….]

“Here I come again!”

Considering the fact that my opponent was Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen, I worried that using some gimmicky technique might give him an opening, so I decided to unleash Infinite Slash repeatedly to finish him in under three seconds, which was the most practical choice.

Just as the slashes transformed into lightning and extended out, I thought:

[It was good to have some contingencies….]

Six Great Forbidden Arts!

Yellow Heaven’s Hidden Hand!

Whew.

In that instant, a massive golden sphere appeared in the Emperor’s right hand. That sphere contained unimaginable power, and just as I reflexively tried to shatter it with my Infinite Slash, a colossal explosion erupted.

BOOM!

Almost simultaneously, a golden claw reached towards my vital points. It was so precisely aimed that I flinched but quickly used the Three Treasure Technique to evade it, sensing eighteen invisible qi channels overlapping as they flew towards my acupoints.

Ding ding ding!

I spun around on the spot, employing my sword strength to shake off the incoming attacks, realizing that was just one exchange.

That was an incredibly high-level Absolute Slash!

It was as if I was up against a master of the Absolute Realm.

I gasped.

“No way?! How can you use martial arts!!”

[Didn’t you just say the answer earlier….]

“What?”

[Of course…. Do you think I did nothing in the Divine Temple? After suffering such a humiliating defeat to Chi You….]

As the Emperor muttered, bitterness flowed from his eyes, mixed with a blue glow.

[Baek Woong. Do you think I created the Heavenly Demon Martial Art out of thin air? Definitely not. I researched the martial arts of countless masters throughout history and their souls. I developed it so I would never lose to a being like Chi You again….]

“…….”

[It was a power I hardly needed, but I didn’t expect my research to be beneficial like this.]

Hearing that, I realized something and stammered.

“…You’re serious, Emperor? You actually trained in martial arts in the Divine Temple?”

No, that’s insane.

This can’t be possible….

[Research, not training. I aimed to develop and advance the Heavenly Demon Martial Art.]

The Emperor lightly corrected my words and stepped closer.

[Of course, just through research alone, it seems I can easily win against you.]

“Don’t kid me!!”

I grit my teeth and charged at the Emperor again.

Despite everything, I had endured countless hellish trainings for more than a hundred years! There was no way that Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen, who merely researched to create the Heavenly Demon Martial Art, would surpass me in skill!!

This time, I chose to attack with my Immortal Sword instead of Infinite Slash. I focused my mind onto the Immortal Sword, observing my opponent’s openings—and then struck from an appropriate angle. As the dull blade descended toward the Emperor’s vital points, it seemed he was attempting to use the same Yellow Heaven’s Hidden Hand he had used earlier, but the Immortal Sword effortlessly penetrated through it.

‘Of course!’

The Emperor hadn’t sensed the speed of my Infinite Slash. His Yellow Heaven’s Hidden Hand reacted automatically to any martial skill, regardless of speed. So I figured that attacking with the Immortal Sword, which didn’t rely on speed, would work, and it did!

As the Emperor’s hand neared my blade, he pulled back slightly then cast another spell.

Six Great Forbidden Arts!

Snow Moon Great Convergence!

Heavenly Pillar Divine Skill!

Moon Blade Everlasting Dragon Wave!

In a swirl of white death, fingers began to form a hand attack on one side, while on the other hovered the infamous Moon Blade Everlasting Dragon Wave. The Emperor confronted my Immortal Sword with the Snow Moon Great Convergence, buying time before unleashing the Moon Blade to strike me. The formidable energy from the dragon form shot at me, leaving me no choice but to dodge as the Emperor gathered his palms to prepare yet another martial skill.

Guardian’s Flame!

Phantom Death’s Non-Shadow Palm!

Divine Heavenly Breath Protecting the Clans!

Boom!

Crack… Crack….!

Three mysterious martial techniques flew towards me simultaneously, and I couldn’t even think of counterattacks, forced instead to evade with the Three Treasure Technique. I could have faced them off with my Peerless Technique, but against someone who wielded countless martial arts without hesitation, revealing any openings could lead me to my end!

Mara Wheel Strike!

RUMBLE!!

As dozens of wheel-shaped energies soared towards me, I staggered back, unable to withstand the assault. Amidst taking hits, I shouted in disbelief.

“What on earth have you trained in?!”

Each of them was at least a Peak Technique!

At a slight distance from me, the Emperor clenched his fist and retorted.

[To create the ultimate martial skill that would not lose to Chi You, I needed to master all the martial arts in existence. Hence, I absorbed all the experiences of the souls gathered in the Golden Temple as if they were my own, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each to develop the strongest martial art…. Indeed… I researched all the martial arts from the prehistoric era to behemoths of both East and West….]

“…….”

[I have put in the effort. I’ve studied more than a hundred thousand types of martial arts, training for about seven thousand years since the Silver Age…. The result of that research resulted in the most powerful martial art, the Heavenly Demon Martial Art.]

The Emperor sneered at me.

[Can you truly still refer to yourself as a grandmaster in front of my efforts?]

In that moment, I was at a loss for words.

‘Crap… This is… insane….’

I had misjudged him.

This guy treats thousands of years of effort like it’s nothing! He’s a divine being that could craft a game plan since even billions of years ago, reading the laws of cause and effect, creating priests, and for him, training martial arts for just a few thousand years was hardly difficult! Yet, that alone meant he had martial capabilities that made me seem pitiful after my own tiring hundred-plus years of practice.

I shouted desperately, trying not to be overshadowed.

“Don’t kid me! Just because you trained longer doesn’t guarantee you’re stronger!!”

[Bring it on.]

Boom!

As I attacked again with my Infinite Slash, this time the Emperor used three defensive martial techniques to block me. Each unique but unfamiliar technique worked together to counter Infinite Slash effectively. It felt strangely familiar, so I squinted suspiciously and suddenly realized something.

“…No way.”

The Emperor’s martial aura was growing stronger. That clearly meant he was adapting to the martial arts!

[Who would have imagined we’d be fighting directly? It seems I’m finally warming up.]

Whew.

Different energy flows began swirling around the Emperor’s body. Each of those flows were tendrils that, once he infused his will and qi into them, would become real martial skills and come crashing toward me. I had seen such an aura before dozens of times, and I felt my eyes twitching.

‘No way? Surely… not!’

However, proving my bad predictions right, Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen stretched out his hands and said:

[Asura has some interesting techniques. I, too, was intrigued during my long training period and attempted to create something similar.]

Whoosh!!

Five energy flows spun together in mid-air, swirling in between the Emperor’s hands. And in the next moment, he launched that flow towards me with a horrifying martial skill rivaling the Soul Removal Technique. I felt that energy flow was fast but not too fast to deal with; however, I instinctively knew that if what I was suspecting was right, I shouldn’t engage in a direct confrontation.

WHOOSH!

Leaving mere light behind, I dodged with the Soul Removal Technique, but the Emperor kept pace with me!

‘Did he just use the Soul Removal Technique?!’

Six Great Forbidden Arts!

Great Sky Destructive Dragon Palm!

While I was still shocked at what strange martial skill he had, the Emperor threw a palm strike toward my dantian like it was child’s play, and I responded with my sword intent. His Great Sky Destructive Dragon Palm seemed to slice through my sword intent, suddenly latching onto my blade like glue, and before I had time to react, he unleashed another peak martial skill toward me with his index and middle fingers.

Blue Flower Divine Finger Technique!

Roaring Dragon Great Lotus!

Boom!

“Ugh!”

Maybe I should have used my Peerless Technique instead. I thought for a second. That technique didn’t seem overwhelmingly powerful so I reckoned it wasn’t worth using my Peerless Technique, but that finger-skill was far beyond the strength of my protective aura. As I flew through the air, spewing blood, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed as he declared.

[This is endgame.]

Ultimate Technique!

Yellow Dragon of Infinity!

Boom, boom, boom!

The five energy flows he had just unleashed upon me dove through the air like a vivid dragon of gold. Realizing I was still dazed from taking his earlier hit, I knew I couldn’t block or evade that attack normally, so I gritted my teeth and attempted to execute my Wuwei Technique.

Peerless Technique!

CRACKLE!

The Yellow Dragon of Infinity absorbed the Tai Chi formed by my Wuwei technique, disappearing into nothingness. I sat cross-legged in mid-air, taking up a pose that symbolized the yin and yang of my Peerless Technique, yet the next moment, I couldn’t help but cough blood.

“Cough…!!”

Was it too strong? I realized the aftershock from the Yellow Dragon of Infinity was shaking my body, surpassing what I could block with my Peerless Technique. Just as I predicted, it was an overwhelming attack that was among the very best I’d encountered in my life. Seeing that I barely blocked it, the Emperor said, astonishment flickering across his face.

[So this is the Peerless Technique of Jang Sam-bong. I once thought the Peerless Technique would be enough to handle the Yellow Dragon of Infinity in my research, and it seems I was right.]

“C-Crap… you….”

I breathed heavily, wiping the blood trickling from my eyes and said.

“Copying Asura’s Nirvana of the Absolute!!”

Right.

Earlier, the Yellow Dragon of Infinity operated on the exact principle as the Nirvana of the Absolute—it merely differed in the types of martial skills used inside!

How he synergized the martial skills, I wasn’t sure, but it was likely that during his research, the Emperor came across matching martial arts patterns. Asura crafted his through trial and error, while the Emperor found his through repetitive work.

The Emperor suddenly chuckled.

[…What fun. Is this the joy of applying what you have learned and practiced?]

“…….”

[Come on, Baek Woong. Try a little harder.]

With the Emperor’s voice, I realized I had underestimated the situation.

[Take down someone as weakened as me, having fallen into Nyarlathotep’s trap.]

So that’s it.

No matter how weakened the Emperor was, this was the reality. Even if he couldn’t use his power or the Heavenly Demon Martial Art due to Nyarlathotep, he still presented a staggering gap in strength now that I could barely match.

What was the original gap, then?

Dozens of thousands of times? Hundreds of thousands of times? Millions of times?

“…….”

I felt overwhelmed.

How much stronger do I need to become to overcome this abyss of despair?

As fatigue washed over my body, I was about to succumb to despair, but I bit down hard and focused on healing my internal injuries while gripping my sword.

“Alright. If there’s any time to try and kill the Emperor, it’s now.”

[Good spirit.]

I wouldn’t give up.

This was just the beginning of my true battle.

Even if I had to traverse the raging sea strands of death countless times, I would absolutely sever his head.

And equipped with the countless experiences I had garnered from my battles, I already knew how to win.

‘There is a way.’

Just one opening.

If I could strike at that one opening—an opening Asura had taught me—I could eliminate the Emperor in an instant.