Chapter 128: Descent
The middle-aged man approached me with that massive saber raised high.
Seeing the murderous intent in every step he took...
I swallowed dryly.
Among the Ten Demons, the one who uses a saber that huge...
Only one name came to mind.
Overlord Saber Ghost Demon, Muk Jincheol.
The greatest saber master of the Demonic Cult.
A monster who wielded that enormous blade as though it weighed nothing.
In the future...
countless swordsmen of the Righteous Alliance would spill their blood beneath his saber.
Until the day Moyong Cheonhwi cut off his head...
it was said that not a single Righteous Alliance martial artist had been able to stop him head-on.
And now...
that absolute master was walking toward me one step at a time.
To cut off my head.
Damn it.
What was I supposed to do?
Should I draw my sword now and strike first?
I didn't even have time to think any further.
Why?
Because—
WHOOOOOM!
With a sound like the air itself being torn apart...
a saber filled with overwhelming force was already descending toward me.
I instinctively drew my sword.
KAANG!
The deafening clash of metal shook the stone chamber.
Kugh!
A bone-rattling shock traveled from my wrist through my entire body.
Overlord Saber Ghost Demon Muk Jincheol had swung his saber casually with one hand.
But I had barely managed to block it even while gripping my sword with both hands.
And despite using all my strength...
my body had still been forced half a step backward.
What the hell is this strength...?!
Fine cracks spread through the floor beneath my feet.
If I hadn't supported myself with internal energy...
my knees would've buckled outright.
Muk Jincheol looked down at me and grinned.
“Oh?”
He drew his saber back slightly and looked me up and down.
“Not bad.”
“I didn't expect you to block that.”
I gritted my teeth and raised my sword again.
I had no room to respond to every word he threw at me.
Muk Jincheol spoke again.
“Good.”
The corner of his mouth twisted strangely.
“Then again, I suppose you would need at least that much skill to dare ignore the laws of the Divine Cult and even cover your face.”
The moment he finished speaking...
his saber moved again.
CHAANG! KAGANG! KAAANG!
The blade came at me without pause.
Crushing downward.
Rising from below.
Twisting sideways and cutting diagonally.
Every single strike was meant to kill.
I hurriedly swung my sword and blocked each killing move.
KANG! KAANG! KAGANG!
Sparks burst every time saber and sword collided.
And each impact shook my entire body.
My breath caught again and again.
So this... is the strength of the Ten Demons....
The pressure of facing Overlord Saber Ghost Demon directly was overwhelming.
In terms of sheer pressure...
it reminded me of facing Jin Gwangung.
But if Jin Gwangung's presence was like a massive mountain of stone...
Muk Jincheol was more like a storm that crushed everything in its path.
As I continued blocking his attacks...
Muk Jincheol looked increasingly entertained.
“Heh.”
He raised one corner of his mouth.
“Interesting.”
“Fine, then. Let's properly see how strong you are.”
Wooooom.
At that moment...
an enormous amount of qi erupted from his entire body.
Muk Jincheol slowly raised his saber.
At the same time...
dense black saber qi began covering the entire blade.
Ink-colored energy rose along it...
like dark clouds wrapping around the saber.
Muk Jincheol gave me a sinister smile.
“Let's see if you can block this too.”
Behind his grin...
the black saber qi writhed.
Then—
“Black Clouds Crushing Heaven.”
He swung the saber down in a massive arc.
KAAAAAAAH!
The blade, filled with ink-black energy, crashed toward me.
A tremendous black force filled my entire vision.
It looked as though enormous storm clouds were swallowing the sky.
The overwhelming saber qi pressed down on the air itself as it descended.
This was no longer a strike meant merely to cut one person.
It was pressure meant to crush everything in existence beneath it.
He's seriously trying to kill me.
This wasn't something I could block casually.
One half-hearted response...
and I'd be finished.
No choice.
I pulled up all the internal energy in my dantian at once.
Then twisted the tip of my sword and unleashed one of the decisive techniques of the Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword.
Snowstorm Spiral Shatter.
SHWAAAAAAAK!
A storm-like force exploded from the tip of my blade.
Pale sword energy spiraled outward...
rushing straight toward the incoming black clouds.
Saber and sword collided head-on.
BOOM!
BOOOOM!
BOBOBOOM!
The black clouds tried to devour everything.
The storm opposing them tried to grind those clouds apart.
Stone dust and debris exploded everywhere.
The floor of the stone chamber shook violently.
Every time my sword clashed against Muk Jincheol's saber...
a brutal impact ran through my entire body.
The shock was so severe that my head nearly went numb.
I gritted my teeth and pushed harder.
I can't give ground!
Muk Jincheol was no longer smiling either.
His face twisted as he drove the saber forward with greater force.
Black saber qi and pale sword energy tangled in the air...
devouring each other.
BOBOBOBOOM!
Then—
BOOOOOM!
With a tremendous explosion...
the black clouds and the raging sword storm scattered at the same time.
Shock appeared on Muk Jincheol's face.
He clearly hadn't expected me to stop his attack.
At the same time...
a cold silence fell over the stone chamber.
But it didn't last long.
Kugh.
The next moment...
an overwhelming wave of killing intent crashed into me from every direction.
The other Ten Demons who had been watching our exchange...
all released their murderous aura toward me at once.
Killing intent from ten absolute masters.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Muk Jincheol lowered his saber and stared at me.
“...That isn't a martial art of the Divine Cult.”
His eyes narrowed.
Hostility deepened in them.
“You're an outsider.”
The instant he said it...
the murderous intent from the other Ten Demons grew even denser.
My chest felt crushed.
The pressure became so heavy that even breathing was difficult.
Damn it.
The situation was getting worse.
