Chapter 206

Chapter 206: Makeup and Plastic Surgery (5)

Malice was consuming the terrain.

A murky, dense, and putrid aura, carrying the stench of decay, blanketed the meadow. It caused the greenery to shrivel, extinguished the insects’ lives, and blotted out the lunar glow.

At the epicenter of this devastation stood Sang Gwanhwi.

His pristine white vestments were splattered with various hues of gore, while a obsidian miasma of Malice billowed forth, enveloping a perimeter of dozens of zhang around him in a thick haze.

The guise of the refined pretender had been stripped away.

Leaving only the true, sinister nature he had concealed for decades.

“Predictable.”

The remark was delivered without a shred of feeling.

It held neither praise nor astonishment, bearing only the tone of someone confirming an expected reality.

Sang Gwanhwi narrowed his vision, fixing his gaze upon the disguised figure stepping out from the shadows.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Mortals who desperately mimic humanity.”

Dong Bongsu advanced a pace.

He stepped boldly onto the terrain that was being devoured by the Malice.

“The more they project that facade, the further they usually are from being truly human.”

Naturally, the term ‘human’ was meant for ordinary folk.

For abominations of his kind, this grotesque state was far closer to his actual nature.

Such was the inherent contradiction and core of mortal existence.

Whish—.

The miasma born from the Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword swirled frantically, only to be forced backward the moment Dong Bongsu’s boot made contact with the earth.

His Super True Qi Field naturally deflected the foul energy within a step’s distance from his form.

It mirrored the way a traveler’s garments remain unsoaked even while wading through a deluge.

“Deflecting the Malice?”

For the briefest moment, a furrow creased Sang Gwanhwi’s brow.

The corrupted energy had completely seized control of the environment.

Regardless of the depth of an adversary’s Internal Energy, entering this zone should have immediately suffocated their breath, contorted their Meridians, and shattered their internal flow.

Yet this adversary was advancing calmly, as though enjoying a serene stroll.

Based on his knowledge, such a phenomenon could stem from only a single reality.

“So… your origins lie within the Unorthodox Faction after all.”

Furthermore, to withstand his overwhelming pressure with such nonchalance?

At this intensity, it ceased to be a mere suspicion; he was absolutely certain.

“You miserable lackey of the Dark Rakshasa Way.”

However, this was a superficial deduction, entirely expected from a man who had spent his existence operating under false pretenses.

It made no difference to Dong Bongsu.

Whether the conclusion was a mere hunch, a calculation, or an absolute certainty, he remained indifferent.

Without uttering a word, he simply elevated the prize he had claimed moments prior.

『Evil-Slaying Sword』

◆ Unique Attribute: When engaged with Demonic-aligned adversaries, all core attributes of the wielder are enhanced by 3%.

※ Only the maximum value among identical traits will manifest (layering of effects is restricted).

◆ Requirement Fulfilled: The adversary’s internal energy is classified under the Evil domain, initiating the enhancement.

His eyes swept over the weapon’s edge.

It possessed far less weight than the Nine Demon Annihilation Wheel Sword, yet the 3% enhancement was distinctly palpable to his senses.

The Evil-Slaying Sword vibrated minutely, answering the undulations of the surrounding Malice.

It was as though the weapon was signaling to its wielder that the target destined for destruction was standing right before him.

“Ah, so it was due to the heirloom of the Jin Family?”

Sang Gwanhwi’s attention shifted to the blade.

“Fascinating. I was oblivious to the fact that the Evil-Slaying Sword held such potency. It escaped my knowledge.”

Had he been aware, that wretch Jin… whatever his name was…

Regardless, he would have slaughtered that Jin bastard ages ago, utilizing him as a stepping stone to perfect his command over the Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword.

“It alters nothing. This elder’s Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword is not a discipline that can be thwarted by a mere trivial artifact.”

Sang Gwanhwi’s expression contorted into a grimace.

“Excellent, excellent. Since matters have escalated to this point—.”

Boom—!

The Malice swelled violently.

The corrupted force of the Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword surged outward with a ferocity that threatened to break past the clearing, enveloping the woodlands he had traveled through, and extending toward the River Capital itself.

“For the first time, I shall display the absolute pinnacle of my martial heritage to this world.”

Sang Gwanhwi hoisted his weapon.

From the pitch-black steel, nine currents of Malice writhed and rose, mimicking serpents.

Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword First Form.

Netherworld’s Rising Eclipse.

“Deem it a privilege. The reality that you shall be the inaugural casualty extinguished by this Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword.”

Swoosh—!

The engagement occurred in a fraction of a second.

The instant Sang Gwanhwi propelled himself forward, his Flight Over Grass, saturated with foul energy, cleaved the ground instantly.

In a single heartbeat.

A gap spanning over ten zhang vanished as the dark blade lunged directly toward Dong Bongsu’s throat.

The velocity was staggering.

It existed on an entirely separate plane compared to his previous display utilizing solely the Vast Heaven Qi.

The moment he unlocked his forbidden arts, the caliber of Sang Gwanhwi’s execution shifted dramatically.

The corrupted force intertwined seamlessly with the secret techniques of the Orthodox Faction, rendering its path exceptionally arduous to anticipate.

A fusion of Orthodox principles and Unorthodox internal arts.

A blending of a resolute Heavy Sword methodology with a rapid blade style centered on deception and fluidity.

This discordant combination birthed a completely erratic trajectory.

The path of the blade, which initially fractured into countless minor vectors, coalesced into a singular strike, only to splinter into infinite variations once more as it converged on the target.

And yet.

Flash—!

Dong Bongsu’s weapon locked onto Sang Gwanhwi’s blade at the precise instant the trajectories were poised to unify.

The moment the corrupted energy made impact, the steel of the Evil-Slaying Sword radiated a subtle luster, shearing through the opposing force.

Capitalizing on that defensive bounce, Dong Bongsu glided backward a dozen paces, fully comprehending the core principles of his foe’s martial style.

A methodology where dark Malice remained concealed within a shimmering silver Sword Aura.

A martial discipline balancing mass, variation, illusion, and velocity.

A single clash.

That single contact sufficed to dismantle the adversary’s combat methodology.

Clang—! Clang-clang-clang—!

A tempest of colliding steel reverberated through the air.

Sang Gwanhwi unleashed a relentless barrage.

The nine streams of corruption from the Netherworld’s Rising Eclipse snaked along the weapon’s trajectory, striving to lacerate and rend Dong Bongsu’s physical form from every angle.

The toxic properties of the Malice.

A design where even if the actual steel failed to connect, the corruption itself, merely by brushing against the flesh, would immobilize the Meridians and degrade the internal reserves.

Any conventional Supreme Master would have collapsed after a few sequences.

Yet Dong Bongsu was far from a conventional Supreme Master.

To be precise, he was a entity who defied classification within the standard boundaries of a ‘Supreme Master’ to begin with.

Whish—! Clang! Clash!

Even when the tangible Sword Aura was neutralized through head-on deflections, the nine-pronged Malice should have relentlessly torn into Dong Bongsu.

At the very least, it ought to have grazed his form.

However, the Super True Qi Field deflected the corruption outward every single time, stopping it a mere fraction of an inch from his person.

Like water sliding off a treated surface, the foul energy slipped away or bounced back whenever it reached the perimeter of the Super True Qi Field.

“How?! What sorcery is this?!”

Protruding veins mapped themselves across Sang Gwanhwi’s brow.

“Why does it fail to breach your defense?! Confound it?!”

The invasion of the Malice was completely halted.

Even when the weapon’s point made contact, not a shred of energy could filter through.

Yet that was not the extent of Sang Gwanhwi’s ignorance.

He remained oblivious to the fact that even if his Malice managed to bypass the defense and strike Dong Bongsu, it would remain incapable of inflicting harm.

An Acupointless Body.

Dong Bongsu’s physical vessel was entirely devoid of standard energy channels.

There was simply no gateway for the corruption to exploit.

A physique lacking Meridians to compromise, devoid of a Dantian to taint, and free of Acupoints to disrupt.

To Dong Bongsu, the dark energy of the Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword held no more significance than a smudge of moisture upon his steel.

Clang—!

With a sharp flick of his blade to propel Sang Gwanhwi backward by several dozen paces, Dong Bongsu relegated the Evil-Slaying Sword back into his Inventory.

By storing the weapon, the 3% attribute enhancement dissolved.

He proceeded to gauge and commit the exact scale of that 3% variance to memory.

It was an indicator worth noting, as it corresponded precisely to what practitioners within the Murim designated as the ‘three parts’ of strength an individual should permanently conceal.

However, from Sang Gwanhwi’s vantage point, the action could only signify that his foe had discarded his means of defense.

“Abandoning your blade—!”

Flash—!

He instantly surged forward, discharging a devastating wave of corrupted force.

And yet.

Click.

An entirely different implement materialized instantly within Dong Bongsu’s grasp.

Though, could it truly be classified as a conventional weapon?

It was a concentrated cluster of luminescence.

The [Faith Arrow] coalesced into a blade of pure radiance extending from his left hand.

He refrained from launching it.

Instead, he retained it within his grip.

The moment the dark energy intersected with it, the luminescence reacted violently.

Sizzle—.

The corruption was instantly incinerated.

The energy of the Holy alignment triggered a ferocious counter-reaction upon contact with the Malice, vaporizing the dark force out of existence.

“……!”

For the first time, genuine terror gripped Sang Gwanhwi.

An energy capable of ‘burning’ away Malice.

This transcended the conventional righteous intent associated with the Orthodox Faction.

The power of an entity that inherently repudiated all things malevolent was gathered within that individual’s palm.

An Immortal.

He recalled legends of such things.

A force accessible only to those who had elevated the techniques of the Divine Immortal Dao to its absolute zenith.

“You… what creature are you truly….”

This marked the third instance he had voiced this inquiry.

The initial time occurred during their encounter within the settlement.

The second transpired amidst the pursuit through the woodlands.

The third was unfolding at this very moment.

On all three occasions, the response remained unchanged.

“……”

Total mutation.

Clang—!

In place of speech, steel delivered the reply.

Dong Bongsu’s blade, forged from the [Faith Arrow], shattered the offensive vector of the Heavenly Flower Sword directly.

Windless Sword Art.

A singular execution devoid of resonance, devoid of turbulence, devoid of any redundant motion.

Yet that solitary action halted all of Sang Gwanhwi’s continuous maneuvers instantaneously.

The nine currents of corruption had generated hundreds of intricate paths, deceptions, and rapid strikes, but all of it was rendered meaningless.

Regardless of the diversion, the faint, or the swiftness of the approach, the trajectory ultimately converged upon a solitary intersection.

This ceased to be a matter of martial prowess and became one of geometry.

It mirrored basic mathematics or structural calculations, where identifying the singular node where all paths cross and placing the blade there silently resolves the equation entirely.

Furthermore, given that this energy possessed a Holy attribute, any further analysis was redundant.

“Ugh.”

Sang Gwanhwi found himself constantly driven backward.

“I—I am! This elder is counted among the Three Swords of Vast Heaven!”

Having unsealed his forbidden demonic arts, there was absolutely no turning back for him now.

He simply could not afford to.

Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword Third Form.

Sang Gwanhwi’s Middle Dantian vibrated intensely.

Abyssal energy cloaked the length of his blade.

Then, in a flash, the tangible metal dissolved entirely, replaced by an Aura composed strictly of condensed Malice.

A weapon formed not from forged iron, but from unadulterated corruption.

Heaven-Devouring Ink Slash.

A solitary, midnight-colored arc designed to corrode the firmament.

Hummmmm—!

The air groaned under the pressure.

The dark energy compacted into a crescent trajectory, descending ruthlessly toward Dong Bongsu.

This was no ordinary manifestation of power.

It was a tidal wave of corruption that actively eroded the fabric of space itself.

The nine distinct toxins of the underworld designed to decompose, feast upon, and corrupt whatever crossed their path.

A mere instant before that wave collided with Dong Bongsu.

Dong Bongsu extended his left hand.

In that fraction of a second, the [Faith Arrow], which had assumed the configuration of a sword, reverted instantly to its primal missile form and shot straight ahead.

Boom—!

Divine Radiance and dark Malice collided in a head-on struggle.

Crash—!

A catastrophic detonation occurred.

The atmosphere ruptured as a kinetic wave of intertwined darkness and light rippled outward in all directions.

The scorched flora of the meadow was instantly obliterated down to its roots.

Rumble—.

The terrain fractured, splitting apart as though a massive web had been carved into the earth.

Within those fissures, dark energy and brilliant white light flared in turn, locked in a prolonged struggle.

The ultimate outcome…

Revealed itself shortly thereafter.

Sizzle—.

The Divine Radiance began to incinerate and dissolve the Malice.

The progression was measured, yet absolute.

The Holy was systematically dismantling the Evil.

“This… this defies reality.”

Sang Gwanhwi’s features twisted in disbelief.

The Heaven-Devouring Ink Slash of the Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword.

The ultimate maneuver utilizing the absolute sum of his power, capable of tearing the skies asunder…

Was being overwhelmed.

Yet Dong Bongsu remained relatively indifferent to the display.

The resolution of this confrontation had long been determined, after all.

In a context where only the optimization of resources truly mattered.

[Faith Arrow]

Cooldown: 0.5 seconds

‘Attempting to sustain the energy drawn forth under duress yields a return that fails to justify the expenditure of Internal Energy required.’

He deduced that for the moment, squandering excess reserves merely to bypass the reset period was unnecessary.

Naturally, validating his capacity to directly ‘scorch’ and neutralize the life force of Demonic entities remained a critical discovery.

— When subjected to holiness, corruption dissolves.

A fundamental equation.

Ultimately, engagement boils down to a collection of data points.

It functions as an ongoing trial.

A cycle of creating a premise, testing it, and archiving the results.

This subject, designated as Sang Gwanhwi, had yielded highly satisfactory observations.

He proved to be an exceptional asset because he persisted in contributing to the trial even after recognizing the futility of his situation.

Dash—.

Prior to the dissipation of the residual shockwave, Sang Gwanhwi charged forward.

His vision was bloodshot, appearing as though his vessels might rupture at any second.

Any vestige of a term like ‘refinement’ had utterly vanished from his countenance.

“I shall end you!”

The Malice entered a state of complete instability.

From Sang Gwanhwi’s entire vessel, dark energy erupted chaotically, as if all constraints had shattered.

An unstable surge akin to self-destruction, forcing his Middle Dantian far past its designed thresholds.

His skin split apart as dark crimson fluid trickled out in thick droplets.

This was a physical reaction resulting from his actual anatomy serving as a conduit for the raw corruption.

“Hahaha! To bring me, this elder, to such a state in a godforsaken wilderness!”

The steel descended in a frantic frenzy.

Lacking structure.

Lacking defined technique.

Merely unadulterated aggression fueled by dark energy.

Yet a weapon stripped of intellect retained neither aesthetic merit nor true lethality.

There was nothing left to calculate, no patterns to archive.

Dong Bongsu shifted a single pace laterally.

A mere fraction of a step.

An absolute minimum of movement.

The chaotic trajectory of the Absolute Evil Aura (絶對邪罡) barely brushed a solitary strand of Dong Bongsu’s hair.

In that identical instant.

The Nine Demon Annihilation Wheel Sword, brought forth instantly from his Inventory, executed its maneuver.

Three Forces Sword Art, Second Form.

Piercing Yellow Dragon.

A solitary, unswerving thrust.

The most fundamental and streamlined attack possible, stripped of all superfluous flourishes.

Swoosh—.

The point of the blade tore straight through the veil of Malice.

Like a fabric riddled with tears, the destabilized defensive barrier of the Nine Hells Heaven-Devouring Sword was swept aside instantly, exposing Sang Gwanhwi’s forehead.

In that microsecond, Sang Gwanhwi must have registered the reality.

The perception of his Malice, his self-worth, and his carefully guarded ultimate technique.

Being shredded like fragile parchment by a single, focused thrust.

“……y—”

His lips shifted as though attempting to utter a final thought.

Yet no coherent sound could form.

Thud.

With a heavy impact, the tip of the Nine Demon Annihilation Wheel Sword embedded itself directly into the man’s brow.

Sang Gwanhwi’s frame went rigid, and the violently churning Malice ebbed away instantly.

The midnight-hued energy that had dominated the area.

It naturally began to vanish rapidly alongside the ebbing life force of its master.

Sigh…….

The dark mist cleared, allowing the lunar radiance to reclaim the land.

The soft moonlight vividly cast its glow upon the crimson fluid spilling from Sang Gwanhwi’s mouth.

His gaze remained fixed and wide.

An expression of utter disbelief.

Or perhaps, a refusal to acknowledge his demise?

“This elder…….”

Dong Bongsu rotated the embedded steel.

Crack.

The resonance of fracturing bone.

“Indeed. You.”

Squish.

As he extracted the blade, Sang Gwanhwi’s physical form collapsed forward.

Thump.

One of the celebrated Three Swords of Vast Heaven now lay prostrate across the withered vegetation of the field.

He felt no particular emotion.

He simply paused.

Awaiting the familiar, calm tone of Lumina.

Chime—.

[You chose not to ignore the cries of the defenseless. A bounty is bestowed.]

[+3]

Concurrently.

[Your supplementary noble actions have progressed your Hero History. A bounty is bestowed.]

[+1]

[Your reputation has expanded slightly across the realm (Fame +5).]

[The state of the world has grown noticeably more harmonious.]

[A tie with the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect has materialized. This tie may manifest as adversity or fortune. The path of this bond rests entirely upon your subsequent actions.]

Lumina’s alerts manifested in rapid succession.

Following that.

An anomalous and ethereal white radiance poured from Dong Bongsu’s form.

It was a Sacred Light of such purity that it could easily cleanse even the corrupt remnants of the Patrol Sword Corps.

Dong Bongsu’s eyes, visible behind his facial covering, crinkled minutely.

The reappearance of a familiar companion is invariably a positive development.

It appeared that Murim Online had been making steady progress even during his periods of distraction.

Nonetheless, in contrast to his newer associations, this familiar system’s tracking sheet contained numerous anomalies, requiring his personal review.

It presented no significant challenge, so he resolved to inspect it at a later juncture.

“……”

Dong Bongsu stood in isolation within the meadow.

Nothing but the fallen, the shriveled grass, the restored moonlight, and a midnight breeze heavy with the scent of iron surrounded his figure.

Presently, adhering to his standard protocol, he commenced securing the remains one after another into his Inventory.

Roughly thirty bodies belonging to the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect’s Patrol Sword Corps.

Among them was the physical form of the Corps Leader himself.

Naturally, additional fragmented pieces remained scattered across the area, indicating his tasks here were not yet concluded.

He had no definitive knowledge regarding their ultimate utility, but the potential remained vast.

Upon concluding his immediate task, he projected his Super True Qi Field outward toward the sector containing the Slash-and-Burn Village.

The faint signatures of three individuals were currently in motion.

— If one commits to offering aid, shouldn’t they invariably ensure the matter is brought to a flawless resolution?

Prior to making his journey back to the River Capital, he ought to conclude this segment in the fashion of a ‘hero’ as well.

And finalize the gathering of the remaining bodies while he was engaged in the task.

Swoosh—.

The clearing soon returned to a state of absolute stillness, as though no conflict had ever transpired upon its soil.