Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 485 – The Six Demons (5)

The signal to begin the battle against the Lion-Grasping King, one of the remaining Six Demons, was given by Grand Divination Master Myeong-ryul and Divine Diviner Ahn Gong-yeon, the master of the Song Ancestral Pavilion.

Shuuuuuuu
As the evil spirit with the upper body of a horned tiger and the lower body covered in brown dragon scales hurled a sphere of purple poisonous mist, the Lion-Grasping King dodged it with agile movements that didn’t match its huge body.

Paang! Paang! Paang!
Kwatatatatatatatata!
Not content with just that, the Lion-Grasping King charged quickly towards them, moving back and forth in a 之-shaped pattern.

“It’s coming!”

“I know!”

Facing the approaching Lion-Grasping King, the two Divine Diviners, Grand Divination Master Myeong-ryul and Ahn Gong-yeon, put their hands together to form the Vaisravana Seal and simultaneously chanted a spell.

‘The Heavenly Horse Borrowing Power technique! The art of Earth Collapse Containment Realm[1]!’

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!
The moment the vast spiritual power of the two Divine Diviner-level practitioners, known as the pinnacle of current diviners, interlocked to create a spell formation, the ground around the Lion-Grasping King instantly collapsed with an explosion.

It wasn’t just a technique to make the ground collapse and sink.

Kureureureureureu!
Stone hands emerged from the collapsing ground, trying to grab the Lion-Grasping King’s hind legs and tail to pull it down.

Kwaaaaaaang!
In response, orbs of demonic energy poured out of the Lion-Grasping King’s mouth in rapid succession, instantly destroying the stone hands.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwaka!
With the grabbing hands gone, the Lion-Grasping King leaped up at an incredible speed, riding the continuously collapsing debris.

‘Damn it! It’s not working at all.’

As the two Divine Diviners clicked their tongues in frustration and prepared their next technique, it was at that moment.

Pat!
Two experts at the Transformation Realm level suddenly sprang up like lightning in front of the Lion-Grasping King, which had finally surged upwards from the collapsing ground.

“Kuhehe! You monster! I’ll show you the power of the Blood Progression Golden Body!”

Shuuuuuuu!
There was a large man with his entire body glowing red, displaying the Blood Progression Golden Body technique. It was Hae Yeok-won, the Second Alliance Lord of the Evil Alliance.

Pachichichichi!
And beside him, unleashing the ultimate technique of the Blood Jade Hand imbued with red lightning, was Dam Baek-ha, the Blood Saint of Nine Blood Cult.

‘Red Blood Golden Body Undefeated Fist!’

‘Blood Jade Hand Thunder Sky Breaking Strength!’

The ultimate techniques of the two, going all out from the start, perfectly struck the forehead of the Lion-Grasping King as it surged upwards.

Papapapapapapak!
However, the title of Six Demons wasn’t given to these evil spirits for nothing.

The Lion-Grasping King, not minding this at all, slightly pulled its head back and then knocked the two Transformation Realm experts away just by flicking its head forward.

Paaaaang!
“Keok!”

“Ak!”

“Second Alliance Lord!”

“Blood Saint Dam!”

The flying experts were caught by Yoo Gyeong, the Fifth Alliance Lord Asura Slaughter Blade of the Evil Alliance, and Bu Pyeon-seok, the Eighth Alliance Lord Interweaving Fist.

“Heok!”

Paaaaaaaang!
It seemed like a light flick, but the Lion-Grasping King’s demonic energy was so strong that even those who caught the two experts couldn’t withstand the force and were sent flying as well.

Dagreudak! Dagreudak! Dagreudak!
Meanwhile, about a thousand mounted archers from the Evil Alliance’s rear guard aimed their bows at the Lion-Grasping King while riding their horses.

“Fire!!!”

Chwachwachwachwachwachwachwachwacha!
The Lion-Grasping King sneered at the rain of arrows imbued with inner energy and struck the ground with its hand.

Kwang!
Pachachachachachachang!
With a strong gust of wind, the arrows were deflected.

“This is crazy!”

“Nothing’s working at all.”

The surprised mounted units hurriedly pulled their horses’ reins, trying to change direction and create distance.

However, the Lion-Grasping King wasn’t about to let them go.

The Lion-Grasping King’s golden mane suddenly swelled up, and the hairs of its mane extended towards the fleeing mounted units and the Evil Alliance warriors trying to surround it.

Chwachwachwachwachwachwachwachwacha!
From afar, they might have looked like just stiffened hair, but their size was no different from spears.

As thousands of golden spears flew at an incredible speed, the thousand mounted archers had no time to dodge and were swept away in an instant.

Where the Lion-Grasping King’s hair spears passed, only blood and chunks of flesh remained.

“Nooooo!”

Pat!
Hae Yeok-won, the Second Alliance Lord who had barely stopped, hurriedly flew his body to try and block this.

However, no matter how much of an expert he was at the Transformation Realm, it was impossible for him to cross the space and block it.

But at the perfect moment,

Uuuuuuuung!
A huge, faintly glowing, opaque semi-circular wall appeared in the sky above the warriors, blocking the hair spears that were flying like a torrential rain.

Pachachachachachachachang!
The two Divine Diviners were performing the Guardian Barrier technique atop the spirit beast Tawi in the sky.

It was a scale unimaginable for ordinary diviners, but possible because the two Divine Diviners had come together.

However, as if waiting for this moment,

Kkuuuuuuk! Kwaaaang!
The Lion-Grasping King, with its hind leg muscles bulging immensely, leaped up, trying to tear apart the spirit beast Tawi along with them in one go with its front paws.

‘Damn it!’

It was at that very moment.

Ureureukkwakwakwang!
Was it a stroke of heavenly luck?

Lightning struck from the sky, and coincidentally, the Lion-Grasping King was hit and fell.

Pachichichichichik!
Kweoeoeoeoeo!
The Lion-Grasping King, which hadn’t been affected at all by Dam Baek-ha’s lightning, let out a roar of pain, as if the power of the naturally striking lightning was tremendous.

Then the Lion-Grasping King glared upwards with eyes full of anger.

Ureureukkwangkwang!
As a woman rose into the sky and raised her sword upwards, thunder and lightning struck from the cloud-covered sky, enveloping her entire body in electric currents.

Pachichichichichik!
She was Jin Ye-rin, the descendant of the World’s Greatest Sword.

As Jin Ye-rin, her entire body dyed in lightning, swung her sword towards the Lion-Grasping King, lightning energy arose from the dark clouds and bolts struck down repeatedly.

Kwakwakwakwakwang!
In response, the Lion-Grasping King hurriedly leaped to dodge the thunderbolts.

As it seemed for the first time that an attack was effective, the Evil Alliance warriors shouted in excitement.

That monster is dodging!
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!
‘This is the power of Heavenly Concealed!’

Jin Ye-rin’s eyes burned with fighting spirit as she unleashed the tremendous power of lightning.

On the way here, she had occasionally opened the secret manual of the Heavenly Concealed Life-Death Sword technique to learn the arrangements left by her ancestor.

But when she opened the secret manual, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

She had naturally predicted that the Heavenly Concealed Life-Death Sword technique would be a more refined version of the original Life-Death Sword technique.

But it wasn’t.

The contents written in the secret manual described a realm of training that seemed impossible for humans to master.

‘How am I supposed to learn this?’

Moreover, since the secret manual contained not a few passages related to the Immortal Way, it was extremely abstruse.

No matter how intelligent and naturally talented she was, she couldn’t understand it at all.

However, unable to give up, she kept repeatedly reading the sentences of the secret manual in her mind, trying somehow to master this secret text.

Swaaaaaaa!
At that moment, her vision brightened, and she fell into an imaginary world.

There, she met her ancestor Jin Woon-hwi for the first time.

If it had been before, she would have resented her ancestor Jin Woon-hwi, but having learned the truth through the Iron Cultivation of the Evil Heart Destruction Sect, she shed tears endlessly rather than feeling resentment.

Her ancestor Jin Woon-hwi silently embraced and comforted her.

After her sorrow had subsided somewhat, as she had met the ancestor of her clan, that is, the elder of her family, they had many conversations.

For the first time since her father’s passing, she was able to unburden her heart with the mind of a young child.

And after finishing their conversation, she formally asked her ancestor Jin Woon-hwi.

[Ancestor, please open the way for me.]

With her talent alone, there was no way she could master the secret text.

However, here she heard shocking words.

[You cannot learn the Heavenly Concealed.]

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!
Recalling the memory from that imaginary scene, Jin Ye-rin swung her sword repeatedly towards the Lion-Grasping King, which was dodging the falling thunderbolts.

Jin Woon-hwi told her:

[Regardless of talent, learning the Heavenly Concealed requires a very long time, and it involves enduring the pain of receiving thousands of lightning strikes on your body.]

‘!?’

The Heavenly Concealed was never a power she could master in the first place.

Then why on earth did he leave this arrangement?

If it’s something that can’t be learned, isn’t it meaningless?

But then her ancestor Jin Woon-hwi said to her:

[It will be difficult for a long time, but the secret text I left will serve as a medium connecting you and me in the fuse.]

[A medium?]

[I will perform the energy circulation of the Heavenly Concealed through the medium on your behalf. I will transmit to you the usage method of the techniques, so you should be able to use the Heavenly Concealed for at least half a quarter-hour, if not longer.]

That was how she became able to use the Heavenly Concealed.

Jin Woon-hwi regretted that he couldn’t help more than this because the Heavenly Concealed was a secret technique of the ancient immortals and shouldn’t remain in the world.

Understanding her ancestor’s deep consideration, she was rather grateful to him.

Although it was only for a short time, she had gained the power to face the Six Demons, which were called natural disasters.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
Once again, the Lion-Grasping King, dodging the falling lightning with its unique movements, charged towards Jin Ye-rin at an incredible speed.

Its speed was so fast that it was even evading the falling lightning.

Pachik! Pachik!
Blood flowed from Jin Ye-rin’s eyes.

Although the secret text in her bosom was acting as a medium and performing the energy circulation on her behalf, handling the lightning of the Heavenly Concealed, which she hadn’t fully mastered, was painful as the power kept backflowing.

This was a side effect that even her ancestor Jin Woon-hwi hadn’t predicted.

However, she endured this with extreme patience, trying somehow to properly handle the power of the Heavenly Concealed.

Pachik!
“Haeuk!”

But due to the pain, she was finally thrown back by the backflowing lightning energy while using the Heavenly Concealed, and fell towards the ground.

The Lion-Grasping King didn’t miss this moment.

Kwaaaaaaang!
The Lion-Grasping King charged towards her as she fell.

At that moment, thick tree trunks shot up from the ground like whips, wrapping around the Lion-Grasping King’s two legs and body.

It was a technique by Grand Divination Master Myeong-ryul and Divine Diviner Ahn Gong-yeon.

Ppudeudeudeudeugeuk!
“What?”

However, as it was a hastily performed technique, the Lion-Grasping King broke the tree trunks off at the roots and tried to swallow the falling Jin Ye-rin.

“Nooooooooo!”

“Young lady!”

Hae Yeok-won, the Second Alliance Lord, and Dam Baek-ha, the Blood Saint, flew their bodies, but it was already too late.

Just as her body was about to enter the Lion-Grasping King’s widely opened mouth,

Chwak!
At that moment, a huge silver full moon shone in everyone’s eyes.

Kweoeoeoeoeo!
Simultaneously, the Lion-Grasping King’s nose bridge was cut off, and someone caught the falling Jin Ye-rin, flew backwards, and landed on the ground.

Seeing this scene, Dam Baek-ha, the Blood Saint, exclaimed with reddened eyes.

“The Moonless Void Sword!”

That sword strike, reminiscent of a full moon, creating a formless blade, was undoubtedly his sword.

Pachikpachik!
Jin Ye-rin, who had overcome the backflowing lightning energy, barely regained consciousness, and her eyes trembled.

Although his hair had turned white and his face was full of wrinkles, an old man with intense eyes and the dignity of a scholar was smiling kindly at her.

“I’ve finally found you.”

Jin Ye-rin hugged the old man tightly and cried out.

“Elder Chak!”

The old man patted her back as if treating a grandchild.

Seeing their appearance, Hae Yeok-won, the Second Alliance Lord of the Evil Alliance, asked Dam Baek-ha, the Blood Saint, with a face unable to hide his shock.

“Was, was he really alive all this time?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I am nothing compared to the Elder.”

The reason Hae Yeok-won was so surprised was simple.

The old man holding Jin Ye-rin.

The identity of the old man was Sima Chak, the Moon Evil Sword, one of the legends of the Old Murim.