Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation - Ch 409
“A stealth technique that even a living corpse can detect. I guess I shouldn’t use it anymore.”
Seol-Hwi grumbled as he scratched his head. What he had used was a stealth technique described in the martial arts book called Hidden Shadow Step.
It was something he had learned a long time ago in Martial Arts Island, a stealth technique devised by a guy who claimed to be the cult leader’s guard.
He had tried to blend with the wall and even controlled his heartbeat, but it was still detected.
“It’s because of the smell.”
Seol-Hwi looked puzzled at Songhwa’s response.
“Soulless can visualize and detect the scent of their opponents. Especially at that old man’s level, he might be able to visualize not just the smell but also the breathing.”
“Oh, so that’s why. As expected… Songhwa, you’re still smart.”
“Pardon?”
Songhwa looked surprised when the unfamiliar intruder called his name.
Seol-Hwi patted his head and spoke.
“Surprised, are you? More importantly, how are you feeling? I just arrived and I’m not sure about the situation.”
“Ah… Yes. Well, I’m okay. Except for feeling a bit dizzy and finding it hard to stand.”
“Fortunately, it seems I wasn’t too late. To be honest, I came all the way here personally to save you… Hmm?”
It was then.
Bang!
A powerful gust struck the ground with a massive explosion right in front of Songhwa’s eyes.
Boom!
In the spot where the stranger had stood, Mong Hyun, now a spectral figure, appeared.
“Ah…”
Songhwa felt a chill run down his spine.
As expected, this spectral figure had become an overwhelmingly powerful being.
With overwhelming force and movements beyond common sense, the unfamiliar intruder couldn’t even react and was hurled into the wall.
“Was it Songhwa?”
He felt an irresistible fear from the aged voice.
Songhwa steadied his trembling voice and spoke with difficulty.
“……Yes, elder.”
“Hurry, infuse more qi into my body.”
“I, I…”
“What are you doing! Hurry! Infuse stronger qi.”
Songhwa was utterly terrified. The old man’s face, veined and lined, was the very essence of fear.
When Songhwa didn’t open his mouth, frozen with fear, Mong Hyun became even more agitated.
“Act quickly! With your power, I can reach a higher level than I am now! Hurry!”
“That’s enough, elder.”
Whish.
A middle-aged man appeared, blocking Mong Hyun, with his robes fluttering.
It was Yu-pae, the leader of the Bloody Troops.
“Elder Mong Hyun. Achieving the pinnacle of martial arts is indeed a matter of great celebration, but please be aware that the disciples of the Heavenly Demon are present here as well.”
Was it the sudden intervention that was unpleasant? Or perhaps the mention of the Heavenly Demon disciples?
Mong Hyun’s expression was half twisted.
But soon returning to his usual expression, he nodded and said.
“Ah, yes. This old man had some work to do. It seems I got too excited dealing with the rat hiding away…….”
“…….”
“My apologies to the Bloody Troops leader. But, you see…….”
Mong Hyun approached Yu-pae and gently placed his hand on his shoulder as he continued.
“No matter how well you dress it up, a hunting dog is a hunting dog. Weren’t the Demon Lord and Lady Ah Ryeong planning to attach me to the Demon Lord as a consumable anyway?”
“What do you mean… Ugh!”
As a powerful qi swirled around the shoulder that his opponent was gripping, Yu-pae’s face hardened.
‘Qi Absorption Technique!’
Typically, the circulation of qi through renowned meridians is common, but the Qi Absorption Technique was an absolute martial art that could extract internal qi from any meridian.
Yu-pae hastily summoned his Body Protection Arts to shield his internal qi while swiftly swinging his sword, but.
Swoosh.
Mong Hyun instantly transformed into an illusion and appeared at a distance, then gave a sly smile.
“This is fun, isn’t it? Once you reach this level, even a martial art that’s only theoretically established… can be realized with just a thought.”
Those observing the scene sensed the gravity of the situation.
A person wielding the Qi Absorption Technique, known as an absolute martial art.
They didn’t know how he could unleash such an absolute martial art, but they had to stop him somehow.
If by any chance, that old man went on a rampage, they might face a situation where they had to endure great losses.
In the end, Demon Lord, unable to watch any longer, stood up and paid his respects.
“Elder Mong Hyun, why are you doing this all of a sudden? Did we perhaps do something to upset you……?”
“There’s nothing like that.”
“Then why…….”
“I just briefly thought about the miserable end of becoming a hunter, and it’s simply too hard to accept.”
“Ah……”
With his words, Demon Lord sensed a change in the old man’s heart and quickly sent a glance toward Yerin.
In the meantime, Ah Ryeong stood up and shouted at Mong Hyun.
“Hunter!? We only asked you for a favor. You were the one who accepted it, elder!”
“Yes. That’s right. I, who was living with my days numbered, decided to become a hunter. That much is true.”
The old man nodded calmly and continued speaking.
“Of course, I will keep that promise. However, the opponent, Earth Demon, is the Heavenly Killing Star. Even fighting with my current strength, I am not confident of winning against him. So, I plan to use that child to achieve the state of Profound Demon, so please assist me.”
“Where in the world is there such a method! Profound Demon! Don’t you know it’s only possible for those who have reached the utmost strength! Aren’t you embarrassed in front of your old subordinates? You were once the leader of the Strange Beings Troops, weren’t you.”
“Ah, it seems the Third Disciple knows one thing but not the other.”
Mong Hyun spoke with a serious gaze.
“The members of the Strange Beings Troops would rather witness the marvelous scene of achieving Profound Demon through demonic qi than my changed attitude. It is also the ultimate goal of the Strange Beings Troops. Is that not so? Members of the Strange Beings Troops…”
Mong Hyun quietly glanced around.
Before he knew it, the members had formed a circle around him, standing at a distance.
At that sight, Demon Lord spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Then there’s no choice. We have no option but to ask the elder to comply with our control.”
“……”
At that moment, the ritual of Strange Beings Troops began, and a sinister qi began to constrict his entire body in an instant.
However, for some reason, Mong Hyun was not particularly flustered.
“Tsk tsk tsk. You did this even when you were young… Throwing shallow tricks hasn’t changed even as you’ve grown older. However, there’s something the disciple doesn’t know…”
Swoosh.
He grabbed the long ceremonial robe with one hand and continued speaking.
“The control techniques using ambition do not work on me as I am now. It’s different from the unconscious Soulless being. In fact, I might even be able to use it to my advantage.”
Swoosh!
He then shook his ceremonial robe vigorously. Suddenly, the ominous qi surrounding him began to return to where they came from.
The qi, which had turned dark in an instant, separated like silver threads and penetrated the bodies of the guards, branching into hundreds of strands.
“Gah!”
“Ugh”
“Urgh!”
An intangible qi.
A technique that can only be deployed upon reaching the pinnacle of supreme martial arts, so none of the soldiers dodged or countered it, except for the perceptive commandant Yerin.
In an instant, all members of the Strange Beings Troops died on the spot.
“Damn it…”
Rage flared in Demon Lord’s eyes.
He regretted having been excited even for a moment.
Naturally, when the situation changes, so does one’s attitude.
He hadn’t calculated what it would feel like to rise to the pinnacle and wield intangible qi.
The fact that he once held a high-ranking position momentarily blurred his vision.
“Bloody Troops!”
“Yes!”
“If necessary, you may kill.”
“Understood.”
As Demon Lord gave the decisive command, six warriors of the Bloody Troops charged forward as if they had been waiting for it.
Each one was composed of leaders who had reached the level of Peak Demon.
“Hmph. Pointless…”
Mong Hyun sneered and mumbled as countless demonic techniques poured down.
The qi, akin to sword qi, imbued with green light, was scattered not only where the old man stood but also along his escape route.
Boom!
The ground and walls exploded, and smoke blocked the surroundings in a hazy manner.
In the meantime, the warriors split into six directions to track the old man’s traces.
However, Mong Hyun pierced through that narrow space and appeared behind the warrior whose arm had been severed.
“Considering the disciples who granted me an enduring life, I won’t kill you specially.”
Thud!
After knocking out the leader with a single strike, he leisurely walked toward Songhwa.
From afar, the commanding figures glared at him, but they couldn’t rush in as before.
Not only was he overwhelmingly powerful, but Yu-pae stood in their way.
“It seems you have to face me first.”
The sword he drew was already blazing with formidable qi.
He was looking with a completely different momentum than before.
“This is the aura of a supreme martial arts warrior…”
And this time, Yu-pae didn’t adhere to manners.
Before the response was even finished, his swing, which was released, was beyond common sense in speed, and the old man’s body in front of him was precisely cut in half.
‘There was a sensation in my hand.’
With a powerful sword force, the upper and lower halves of the body separated.
Yu-pae was certain it was not an illusion, but a reality.
However.
Sssssss.
“……!”
Left, right, and behind. Even in the air, Mong Hyun appeared.
Yu-pae gasped as soon as he saw it.
“Heavenly Demon King’s Step!”
He couldn’t help but doubt his eyes.
It wasn’t just that the Heavenly Demon King’s Step’s footwork was the issue; the shock was that someone knew that martial art.
Isn’t it a technique that cannot be performed without seeing or being taught by the cult leader?
“There is no need to be surprised. Before the power struggles of the disciples, the Strange Beings Troops was a group that studied all of the cult’s martial arts. It is not strange to know the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon.”
Yu-pae had no choice but to acknowledge those words.
The Strange Beings Troops had existed since the time the cult was established.
Since the study of sorcery required specialized qi they had no choice but to study the cult’s martial arts.
Nevertheless, the fact that he studied the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon was also an astonishing feat.
“Well then. Shall we end this?”
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pat.
The Heavenly Demon King’s Step flew in from all directions.
There were a total of seven, one less, but even that was enough.
As they were all real, not illusions, Yu-pae had to face seven peak martial arts warriors at once.
“Kra, krak!”
Amidst the shower of light that scattered power from all directions, he seemed to vanish from his spot.
Thunk.
Thus, Mong Hyun stood before Songhwa. Then he smiled broadly and spoke.
“Now that the nuisances are gone, let’s once again…”
“Not yet.”
Thwack!
Mong Hyun, struck in the chest by a blow from behind, was pierced through.
Somehow, Yu-pae had thrust his sword in.
“There. You.”
Yet Mong Hyun, who should have fallen, was still moving.
Holding the sword that pierced through his heart with one hand.
“Did you forget that I’m a Soulless?”
“……!”
At those words, Yu-pae flinched.
But before his emotions could surface, the old man’s remaining hand moved.
A dark qi, a level higher than the Absolute Martial Arts, flew toward his face.
Thunk.
Strangely, it was blocked.
Not by Yu-pae’s hand, but another’s.
“Hey, I’ve been waiting for you for a while.”
“You, you are……”
“And Yu-pae, this guy can’t be harmed. He might be connected to Simulation Lv3 somehow. But!”
“……?!”
With a dazed, no, bizarre expression, Mong Hyun looked on.
Facing him, Seol-Hwi grinned widely.
“You can die.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Seol-Hwi smashed his fist into the crown of Mong Hyun’s head.
Crack!
The blow was so strong that Mong Hyun’s body was half-buried in the ground.
Boom!
A portion of the ground erupted, shooting up almost to the ceiling.
‘Not yet!’
Despite the powerful impact, Yu-pae was certain that Mong Hyun was not dead.
He sensed that it was a situation that could not be subdued by mere physical force.
Sure enough.
“With just that much…”
He was still alive.
Mong Hyun, half-embedded in the ground, raised his head with a half-crushed face, a part of his skull visible.
“Do you think you can kill me?”
In that bizarre situation, another incomprehensible situation unfolded.
“No, this is just a greeting. The real one is…”
Crackle, crackle.
The power of thunderbolts soared all around. And within it, a tremendous force felt like beans being roasted.
Yu-pae instinctively knew.
This was the Absolute Supreme Demon Technique, said to be used only by the Heavenly Demon.
“This is it.”
The moment he stretched out his hand.
Kuwaa—ang!
The vortex-like current pierced through the entire ceiling of the dungeon, soaring into the sky.