Chapter 95

Chapter 95

The killing intent flowing from Cheonung’s body was so intense that even Youngho’s skin prickled.

Youngho had made thorough preparations so that if Cheon Sangmu did anything reckless, he could draw his sword at once.

Cheon Sangmu glanced at Youngho’s twitching hand before turning his gaze to Cheonung.

“Move aside.”

“That is not possible.”

Cheon Sangmu narrowed his brow.

“I do not wish to repeat myself.”

“You will not pass unless you first state your purpose. What business do you have with my disciple?”

“I want to fight him.”

For a brief moment, Cheonung’s hand trembled.

“…Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Then all the more reason I cannot allow it. My disciple still has boundless room to grow.”

“Five Moves.”

“…?”

At Cheonung’s puzzled expression, Cheon Sangmu maintained his characteristic indifferent face and said,

“If he blocks my Five Moves, I will give him two drops of Clear Sky Stone Milk.”

“……!”

It was an utterly shocking proposal. To gain two drops of Clear Sky Stone Milk merely in exchange for blocking five attacks…

If asked a hundred times, a hundred people would accept without hesitation. It was an absurdly generous reward.

The offer was so sweet it aroused suspicion as to why he would make it at all.

“No.”

Cheon Sangmu’s brow furrowed.

“Why? That is more than a generous reward.”

“Do you truly believe a mere Junior Disciple can block the Five Moves of the Heavenly Demon?”

“That one is no mere Junior Disciple.”

By now, not only the spectators but even the Martial Artists present had quieted their breathing as they listened to the exchange between Cheonung and Cheon Sangmu.

The entire audience was in confusion.

‘Did the Heavenly Demon just acknowledge the Flame Dragon?’

‘What does he mean by saying he’s not merely a Junior Disciple?’

Though they could not understand, they chose to keep listening.

Just as Cheonung was about to firmly refuse once more—

“I accept.”

“……!”

At the voice from behind, Cheonung frowned.

“You do realize what you just said?”

At Cheonung’s faintly anxious tone, Youngho replied confidently,

“Of course. If I block the Heavenly Demon’s five attacks, I may not have much of a body left.”

“And you know that, yet—!”

Chill—!

The moment Cheonung turned to scold him, he felt an indescribable fear.

He was sinking. The instant he saw Youngho’s eyes—eyes whose depths showed no end—Cheonung felt as though he were plunging into an abyss without bottom.

Cold and sharp with killing intent, Youngho’s gaze alone instilled terror.

‘He was never one to act without thought.’

Soon nodding, Cheonung said irritably,

“Do as you please.”

“Are you in your right mind?”

Startled by Cheonung’s permission, Han Yonghu looked at him with a hardened expression.

Cheonung did not bother to conceal his irritation.

“My head is perfectly fine. It’s his that seems strange.”

When Han Yonghu looked at Youngho, the latter merely shrugged.

Letting out a deep sigh, Han Yonghu shook his head as if witnessing yet another madman.

“This is no matter I can interfere with.”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he shouted,

“Deploy the formation! Ensure their Martial Presence does not leak beyond the Sparring Stage!”

The Formation Masters, too, seemed to grasp the severity of the moment and began preparing at once.

Not even a trace of the Heavenly Demon’s aura could be allowed to escape. If it did, every Common Person present would perish.

Cautious yet swift, they set up the formations without giving Cheon Sangmu any reason for displeasure.

Once the setup was complete, one Formation Master approached Han Yonghu and said,

“All preparations are finished. It will absorb most impacts. If we pour our Internal Energy into it, the formation will become even sturdier.”

With a solemn nod, Han Yonghu looked toward Cheonung.

“You heard him.”

“Yes. We will pour in as much Internal Energy as possible as well. You should make your preparations quickly.”

Having already gathered Horyeung and the experts of the Unorthodox Alliance, Cheonung took his stance and said,

“The Heavenly Demon’s power cannot be endured by this formation alone.”

Horyeung asked gravely,

“Then what must we do…?”

“This will not be a prolonged battle. It will likely end quickly. Pour every bit of Internal Energy you possess into this formation.”

“And you, Alliance Lord…?”

“I will join you. And above all, the Internal Energy of those Orthodox Sect fellows is not to be underestimated, so it will suffice.”

As Cheonung gestured with his chin, Han Yonghu could be seen explaining the formation to various experts from the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families.

Watching them desperately strive to protect the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering Grounds, Youngho spoke.

“You said I appeared in your dream?”

It was no longer possible to hear outside sounds. Nor could those outside hear them.

Thus, Youngho no longer concealed his emotions. After all, none of it could be seen beyond this formation.

Cheon Sangmu did not mind Youngho’s informal speech and replied,

“Yes. It was truly a wondrous sight. At first, even I doubted it. But…”

He looked straight into Youngho’s eyes.

“Seeing those eyes now, I am certain. The one from my dream was you.”

Youngho’s cold, sunken eyes began to gleam brightly.

“So? Shall we begin fighting now?”

“No. You must block my Five Moves.”

“That’s really all? Not a fight to the death?”

“Do you believe you can kill me?”

“…….”

He could not. If he wished, he could say the words, yet strangely, before the being standing before him, he found himself unwilling to speak falsehood.

“Why suddenly demand that I block Five Moves?”

“I wish to give you Clear Sky Stone Milk.”

“…What?”

“I said I want to give you Clear Sky Stone Milk.”

Youngho let out a hollow laugh, utterly dumbfounded.

“What are you talking about?”

“I want you to grow stronger. And…”

At that moment, a gloomy aura, dark enough to oppress the very sight of it, slowly awakened within Cheon Sangmu’s body.

Kwaaaaaa—!

‘It’s coming!’

Sensing the ferocious Demonic Energy erupting from Cheon Sangmu, Youngho immediately drew his sword.

“I hope you will entertain me.”

Creak.

His teeth ground together. And once again, he was reminded of his own position.

The Heavenly Demon’s plaything.

Before his Regression, Namgung Cheon and Youngho had been nothing more and nothing less than toys to the Heavenly Demon.

He lowered his stance so strength could properly root into his sword. Firming his lower body, he loosened the muscles of his upper body.

Freed from tension, his muscles shifted, ready to move flexibly at any moment.

Youngho felt his mind grow colder and colder.

The instant he composed an expression as calm as ever—

Wooooong—!

Cheon Sangmu spread both hands toward Youngho. A strange Resonance Sound rang out from his palms.

An utterly bizarre action, unbefitting the man evaluated as the greatest under heaven.

But Youngho, who stood facing him, had already experienced ‘that’ once before.

‘You damned bastard!’

The instant Youngho hastily infused Hardened Force into his sword—

The eerie Resonance Sound from Cheon Sangmu’s hands vanished.

Eeeee—

A ringing filled Youngho’s ears, and at the same time, something burst forth from Cheon Sangmu’s palms and engulfed him.

Kwaaaaaaa—!

“Ghk!”

Unable to withstand the destructive attack, the formation flickered between collapse and restoration in an instant.

Had there been only Formation Masters without experts like Cheonung or Han Yonghu pouring in their Internal Energy, the formation would have vanished in a heartbeat.

The attack Cheon Sangmu unleashed was so absurd that such a thought naturally arose.

And everyone present believed that Youngho had died from that single strike.

It did not even resemble Martial Arts, yet Cheon Sangmu had always been a monster beyond imagination.

Just as Cheonung was about to rush toward Cheon Sangmu—

Cheon Sangmu wiped the beads of sweat from his brow and said,

“You exceed my expectations.”

An unconcealable smile rested upon his lips.

Perhaps sensing something strange in that smile, Cheonung turned to look where Youngho stood.

Soon, Cheonung widened his bloodshot eyes and could only watch the scene unfolding before him.

He was standing. No—more than standing, he looked perfectly fine.

Though tiny blood vessels had burst and blood trickled from his eyes, there appeared to be no visible external injury.

Seeing Youngho grin, baring his white teeth, Cheonung exhaled deeply in relief.

Gripping the hilt tightly, Youngho spoke.

“Looks like you used a bit of strength there. I almost died.”

“Yes. It was an attack delivered with considerable effort… I did not expect you to block it.”

Cheon Sangmu spoke as though genuinely impressed.

Youngho’s face grew chilling with killing intent.

“Four Moves left.”

“I know. The greetings are over. Now I will show you proper Martial Arts.”

At that moment, Cheon Sangmu took a single step forward.

It was merely one step. Yet its aftershock was anything but small.

Kwaaaaaa—!

Heavenly Demon Descends Step.

The true Heavenly Demon Descends Step, incomparable to the one Cheon Muback had shown, was recreated before Youngho’s eyes.

His clothes and hair whipped wildly in the violent Shockwave of Qi. An overwhelming force bore down upon Youngho.

In response, Youngho raised his own Martial Presence to its peak.

Crack! Crack-crack!

As their energies collided, sparks scattered through the air.

“You endure even this?”

“You should at least manage this much.”

Cheon Sangmu’s face was filled with exhilaration.

“Then three Moves remain.”

At the same time, his second step crushed down upon Youngho.

Kuuung—!

Heavenly Demon Descends Step, second step— a technique said to be completed only after exactly three steps—was now more than halfway realized.

Youngho’s body was no longer merely pressured; it was completely crushed.

His legs pierced into the solid Blue Steel Stone.

‘This is dangerous.’

To be honest, if the Heavenly Demon took the third step, Youngho had no confidence in enduring any longer.

Whether he liked it or not, he would have to accept some Internal Injury.

And above all—

‘The formation won’t hold.’

Seeing the formation flicker like an illusion, it seemed this was the limit.

Just as Youngho resolved to endure Internal Injury and charge at Cheon Sangmu—

“…?”

The overwhelming force that had been binding his body vanished as though it had been a lie.

The weight crushing his shoulders disappeared completely, and Youngho stared ahead in confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“I have no desire to wage war right now. So I adjusted.”

“Well then….”

Boom!

“Thanks!”

As Youngho stomped down powerfully, a fierce tremor shook the Sparring Stage.

Despite the immense vibration that should have staggered him, Cheon Sangmu remained unmoving, still wearing a pleased smile.

The pitch-black Sword Force surrounding Youngho’s blade grew ever more solid.

Compress. Compress. Further compress—raising the perfection of the Sword Force.

And when it reached its peak!

Kwaaaaaang—!

Cheon Sangmu’s Fist Strike, launched like a ray of light, collided with Youngho’s Sword Force.

It was a clash befitting the phrase that the heavens tremble and the earth splits apart.

Chill—!

Sensing an inexplicable unease, Youngho hurriedly opened Flame Venerable Opens the Gate.

‘This is dangerous.’

Before he knew it, Cheon Sangmu had already withdrawn his fist and was preparing to strike again.

Kwang—!

Cheon Sangmu’s fist drove straight into Youngho’s abdomen.

Urk!

From the devastating blow, Youngho vomited Stagnant Blood and was sent flying.