Chapter 247

Chapter 247
Chapter 247. Today’s Fortune (6)

Upon reflection, it occurred to me that my previous life might have been incredibly brutal simply due to my own wretched destiny.

If that wasn’t the case, considering how much more formidable I had grown during this incarnation compared to my prior life, it made no sense for my current path to feel even more treacherous rather than smoother.

To speak plainly, what were the chances that after going back in time, I would cross paths with the Yin-Yang Twin Demon, an entity I hadn’t even caught a glimpse of in my past life?

It appeared that a scoundrel burdened with a foul destiny remained cursed with that same foul destiny even after undergoing reincarnation.

What a thoroughly repulsive universe.

Because of that, watching the manifestation of my terrible luck shift onto a different scoundrel…….

“T-The Great Star-Absorbing Art!”

Nothing could have brought greater satisfaction.

“Exactly, you miserable wretch!”

My awful misfortune must have bled into this bastard since he had wallowed alongside me for several days within the Black Thought Alliance.

Or perhaps that wasn’t the reason?

For an Orthodox Path chivalrous hero—whom he dismissed as a mere nobody and sought to execute after clandestinely infiltrating the Jianghu—to have secretly mastered the Great Star-Absorbing Art, just how wretchedly unlucky did he have to be?

This is precisely why parents advise their offspring to select their companions with care…….

“Ah! Demonic Practitioners are devoid of parents, aren’t they?”

“……”

RUMBLE!

The Internal Qi flooding inward via the Azure Dragon Bracelet surged through my Qi center and linked up directly with the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand manifested in my right grip.

Likely because a colossal volume of Internal Qi had been injected, it was incapable of containing its own immense power, which should have remained confined to my palm, and instead erupted in every direction, sparking blazes.

CRASH!

Sizzle, crackle.

The Formless Flying Demon Unit operatives, whose flowing vestments had ignited, desperately attempted to shake their clothing to smother the fire, but there was absolutely no way the Holy flame of Holy Power, having encountered Demonic Qi, would extinguish so easily.

“Ugh!”

The color gradually receded from Je Geum-hak’s countenance as he turned deathly pale.

Observing him in this state, he resembled some delicate entity captured within a classical depiction of courtly beauties.

Since that thoroughly disgusted me, you can have a taste of this as well.

BOOM!

“Gah!”

I extracted his Internal Qi and delivered an immensely magnified Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand right beneath his feet.

Concurrently, I locked my arm tightly around Je Geum-hak’s throat, positioning him before me like a human barricade, and brandished the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand aggressively toward the remaining Formless Flying Demon Unit.

“Freeze, you degenerate scum! Take even a single step, you wretched beggars, and this bastard gets incinerated on the spot!”

“……”

“……”

The Formless Flying Demon Unit killers, who had barely managed to quell the flames by severing their burning robes, exchanged glances. Shortly after, two of them abruptly melted into the floorboards.

The very instant I sensed danger and attempted to pivot.

Pierce.

“Arrgh!”

An agonizing sensation pierced into my right flank and rippled through my entire frame.

Those underhanded cowards!

Mercifully, owing to the protection of the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe, my vitality did not desert me immediately.

“You absolute miscreants…….”

If you scoundrels are going to resort to such tactics, I possess a countermeasure of my own.

I instantly channeled an even greater portion of the Azure Dragon Bracelet’s raw energy.

By now, the current of power being pulled through the Azure Dragon Bracelet was nearly exceeding my capacity to endure.

BOOM! BLAST! CRASH! BANG!

I also unleashed the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand frantically all around me, engaging in combat as though it were a desperate final stand.

If perishing was inevitable regardless, wouldn’t it be far less desolate if we all descended into ruin together?

It was vexing that I had to journey to the netherworld alongside these degenerates, but at the very least, I could taunt them along the way.

“Throw yourselves at me, you damned bastards!”

BOOM BOOM BANG BANG!

The Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand, having absorbed and amplified energy to its absolute threshold, started transitioning into a state reminiscent of the Blood Jade Hand I had witnessed during my past life.

My ablaze palm glowed white-hot, morphing into a Fire Concentration capable of incinerating any substance.

When I clamped down on the blade that had impaled my torso, the metal instantly liquefied and crumbled away.

Clatter.

Oh? This is remarkably effective.

Without hesitation, I slammed the Demon-Extinguishing Hand directly over Je Geum-hak’s face.

SZZZZZZ──

As a suffocating odor of burning flesh drifted outward, the bastard unleashed a bizarre, unnatural shriek for the very first time.

“Aieeeee!”

Just as I felt confident that I could extinguish Je Geum-hak’s life force if I maintained this pressure just a bit longer.

Stab, stab.

The blades of the Formless Flying Demon Unit pierced through my right forearm and thigh.

These wretched dogs, they deliberately target only the areas unprotected by the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe.

I resolutely suppressed the urge to yank my limb back against the agonizing, drilling pain.

If I retreated my arm here simply due to the torment, I truly would be traversing the path to the afterlife entirely alone.

“……That would be far too dismal!”

Twisting my entire physical form with frantic force, I deflected the incoming weaponry and rolled across the ground, locked in a tight embrace with Je Geum-hak.

To think the very first individual I held so tightly and tumbled across the floor with in this lifetime would be Je Geum-hak…….

Damn it, I truly am an incredibly star-crossed individual.

“Puff, pant, huff…….”

Even though I was siphoning Internal Qi and channeling it directly into the Demon-Extinguishing Hand, my physical threshold was rapidly catching up to me.

Even with the utilization of the Azure Dragon Bracelet, the Internal Qi ultimately had to pass through my own Qi center and pathways.

I could not circumvent the profound physical toll.

“Ugh…….”

Identical to the moment I rescued Murong Sang-won, my entire constitution was undergoing massive strain, and a wave of vertigo washed over me so severely that I felt on the verge of blacking out at any second.

“Gasp, wheeze, groan.”

Fortunately, Je Geum-hak was likewise emitting strained whimpers, indicating his own severe distress.

Yet, an unusual phenomenon manifested right then.

SHUUUUU—

The intense radiance of the roaring Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand began to gradually dwindle.

My hand, which had been glowing crimson like Fire Concentration, rapidly started reverting to its natural skin tone.

The volume of Internal Qi I was injecting remained precisely identical, so why was this occurring……?

Suddenly, a biting layer of ice materialized over my fingers.

Alarmed, I scrutinized Je Geum-hak, who was pinned firmly against my chest.

“Curse it…….”

I realized the issue did not originate from me.

Je Geum-hak, recognizing his imminent demise, had initiated an entirely different counter-technique.

And following that.

CRACK.

Within a split second, originating from my hand, my entire limb began freezing solid as though plagued by severe frostbite.

Simultaneously, even the nature of the power surging out from the Azure Dragon Bracelet began to transmute.

‘……What on earth is this?’

This was not Internal Qi meant simply for replenishing a depleted Qi center.

True Qi began to saturate my being, identical to the sensations I felt when I consumed the Human-Faced Spider’s Inner Core a long time ago.

What is happening?

I had never encountered a phenomenon of this nature, not even when completely draining an individual’s vitality…….

Re-evaluating the bastard’s state, I could discern by his blood-filled gaze and strands of hair standing rigid that he was expending his own Innate Energy.

No, incredible.

‘This fellow…….’

……He was highly beneficial for my constitution!

As I pulled in a staggering quantity of Innate Energy alongside an ocean of regular Internal Qi, True Qi began to flood my Qi center to absolute capacity, mimicking the effects of consuming the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Ginseng.

Nonetheless, owing to the overwhelming density of True Qi, no additional Internal Qi could be pulled in.

Furthermore, at this velocity, my arm felt as though it would solidify into ice and shatter, forcing me to disengage from him.

The instant I severed that repulsive yet exhilarating connection with his body, I couldn’t prevent an inward click of my tongue.

‘Wow…… roughly thirty years’ worth?’

In that fleeting window, the capacity of my Qi center had expanded significantly.

Lately, regardless of what rare Spiritual Medicine or exotic Spiritual Pill I digested, my cultivation base had failed to advance by leaps and bounds.

Yet Je Geum-hak had elevated the scale of my internal cultivation more effectively than any legendary elixir.

I gazed down at the bastard’s countenance as he remained sprawled on the ground, convulsing.

The visage that had previously seemed so repulsive now appeared rather pleasant.

Well…… perhaps that was also due to the reality that half of his facial features had melted away.

“GYAAAH!”

As Je Geum-hak clutched his face and shrieked, three operatives of the Formless Flying Demon Unit moved in to enclose him and offer defense.

In the meantime, the remaining Formless Flying Demon Unit combatants charged directly at me, and in all honesty, I possessed no remaining stamina to maneuver.

It would be ideal if they merely collected that wretch and retreated to provide medical care to Je Geum-hak…….

“Apprehend that bastard alive at all costs! I will transport him back to our organization and execute him by carving away every single scrap of his flesh!”

The individual who was so beneficial to my constitution apparently harbored no such desires.

I rescind my prior statement about your face looking pleasant, you absolute monster.

I channeled remaining vigor into both of my limbs and barely managed to push myself upright.

“Huff, puff, pant.”

It was beneficial that the dimensions of my Qi center had augmented, but I had already pushed past my physical operating boundary.

There wasn’t a single zone within my body, most notably my lower abdomen, that wasn’t radiating agony, and crimson fluid was still trickling from my lacerations.

I executed the Minor Heaven Sword Art, a style so deeply ingrained into my muscle memory that I could perform it while completely unconscious, yet not even half the prowess of my previous life manifested.

Clack-clank-clash.

I foolishly permitted incoming strikes to connect, and with every strike, fresh lacerations were etched into my forearms and torso.

Damn it, even during my prior incarnation, I had never succumbed to such pathetic assaults.

My perception and intellect could vividly discern the trajectory of the Sword Path, yet my body lacked the capacity to intercept it.

SWISH—

I compelled myself to launch an offensive first, but instead, I merely exposed a vulnerability and invited an additional counterstrike.

Thud.

Crash-tumble.

I rolled twice across the floorboards before forcing my physical form back up.

My vibrating knees threatened to collapse at any second, but…….

I refused to allow myself to bend the knee.

If I collapsed here, I wouldn’t be departing for purgatory.

I would be hauled away to the Demonic Cult.

I would prefer to pass the distinction of being the initial Orthodox Path warrior to be dragged into the Demonic Cult over to Yong So-ah.

Or perhaps to Senior Il-myeong, that utterly worthless bald fellow.

‘Je Geum-hak…… if only that miserable Je Geum-hak……’

My objective shifted entirely from self-preservation to absolute mutual destruction.

If I could at least drag the Yin-Yang Twin Demon down to hell alongside me, Jegal So-myeong’s existence might endure a bit further.

Besides, to force the Formless Flying Demon Unit to fall back immediately, no alternative strategy existed.

The roar of the bastard who had now become my sole focus and target reverberated through the chamber.

“Step aside! I shall personally rip the skin from that bastard’s skull.”

The fellow who was so beneficial to my constitution.

Je Geum-hak, who courtesy of my actions would henceforth bear the moniker Half-Beauty, Half-Monster, conjured blazes within his palm and strode toward me.

Observing that approach, I unleashed the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula to its absolute zenith.

Hummmm─

Eight ethereal blades of the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula materialized in the cramped atmosphere.

Wow, as expected, once I ingested something highly beneficial to my constitution, my proficiency advanced at an accelerated pace as well.

I didn’t pause there; I flooded them with internal arts, even cloaking them in dense Sword Force.

A third of the cultivation base that had saturated me due to Je Geum-hak evaporated in a heartbeat, and subsequently, the eight blades commenced a lethal choreography, unleashing the Twin Heaven Sword Formula.

WHIRRRRR—

The gale of cutting edges that raked through the cramped quarters began savagely hacking at Je Geum-hak and the Formless Flying Demon Unit without making any distinction.

Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang.

Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang.

The deafening racket of steel being parried.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

Detonations forceful enough to rupture eardrums.

Flash, flare, flash.

The radiance generated by the impact of Force Qi obscured my sight with blinding illumination.

Since every individual within striking range was an adversary regardless, there was no requirement to isolate any specific target.

I now shut my eyes completely and danced alongside the blades.

BOOM BOOM BOOM. BOOM BOOM BOOM. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

The tempestuous Torrent of Qi saturated the small chamber repeatedly.

Truthfully, I had no option but to acknowledge it.

The Mystic Gate Formation this bastard had deployed was an extraordinary construct.

Even while my internal anatomy felt as though it would rupture from the immense force, the barrier didn’t crack in the slightest, so it truly deserved to be deemed an extraordinary construct.

“Gleuuugh.”

Once the gale of cutting edges and the Torrent of Qi subsided, my internal organs were violently disrupted, and I discharged a torrent of dark blood.

And when I strained to open my eyelids and verify the condition of the enemy.

I couldn’t prevent a broad grin from forming on my face.

“Son of a bitch…….”

Beholding the broken form lying motionless on the floorboards, it appeared I had somehow eliminated one operative of the Formless Flying Demon Unit.

However.

Rustle.

The surviving four, who had cocooned Je Geum-hak and shielded him with their own bodies, slowly began to disperse.

Witnessing that, I couldn’t restrain my irritation.

“What an absolute garbage style of combat.”

The wretch glared at me with eyes brimming with malice.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

I desired to refute him and mock him with a vulgar gesture, but truth be told, I harbored no remaining vitality whatsoever.

Swoosh──

Moments later, the extended garments of the Formless Flying Demon Unit snared my arms and lower limbs.

Precisely as I had experienced within the Sojeong Squad during my previous lifetime, the sensation of mortality felt incredibly vivid.

Greater yearning for existence than ever before flooded my consciousness, and dread gripped my entire being.

“I will ensure you suffer endless remorse for pushing matters to this point.”

Je Geum-hak’s tone, which had previously resonated like pristine jade spheres cascading over a silver platter, had turned extraordinarily gravelly, resembling an unsightly elder on the precipice of expiration.

And that tone resonated with greater malice than ever before.

‘……Is this my demise?’

My upper and lower extremities had been entirely immobilized, rendering me incapable of even committing suicide.

To terminate my own existence, I attempted to invert the circulation within my Qi center and pierce my own Hundred Convergences Acupoint.

And precisely at that juncture.

As if recognizing that this marked the conclusion of my lifetime, a cascade of recollections drifted through my intellect, forcing me to review my journey…….

‘Damn it, why are these particular recollections surfacing?’

I had anticipated that at the very absolute minimum, my sire’s countenance or the countenances of the brethren from the Taeul Sect would manifest.

Yet the primary image that materialized within my recollections was the visage of a charlatan messing around with the Beautiful Trickery Divine Art.

[Step right up, wager your coins and claim your prize! Opportunities like this don’t come around daily. This is a contest even a stray mutt could solve! Locate the legume. The legume!]

Confound it.

Present me with a different recollection!

As I battled internally, only then did the vision transition to an alternate scenario.

[You encapsulate resonance and cause it to detonate within an alternate environment.]

The figure who emerged in that fashion was Blood Battle.

The subsequent image I perceived was Je Geum-hak conjuring a barrier of frost to obstruct my blade…….

No, blast it, you oblivious recollections, vanish!

A single person! Just one lady, at the very minimum…….

[Martial arts endeavor to replicate the Dao of nature, yet they refrain from attempting to fuse with the Dao of nature. Is it impossible for the Dao of martial arts and the Dao of nature to become unified?]

Nonetheless.

The entity who materialized after that was Murong Gang.

How could I be evaluating the concluding instances of my existence, yet only these grotesque visages manifested?

At this pace, dying would leave me far too aggrieved.

……Indeed, I cannot allow myself to perish either.

“Ha…… haha…….”

At the sound of my chuckling, Je Geum-hak scowled with his monstrously disfigured face.

“You find amusement in this?”

I beamed even more radiantly at him, intentionally putting it on display.

“Have you bothered to check today’s fortune?”

“Fortune?”

“If you had inspected my fortune for today…… I suspect the Five Heavenly Kings would be the result.”

At my bizarre statement, Je Geum-hak cocked his head to the side.

“What does that even……”

“For some reason, I get the impression I won’t be dying today.”

The phrases that saturated my mind.

[An endeavor to make the Dao of martial arts and the Dao of nature fuse into a singular entity.]

Presently, my Qi center, which had been rigidly paralyzed, quietly commenced movement.

It did not attempt to violently force its path through the obstructed pathways.

It merely circulated softly in its current position.

There was no requirement to attempt to expand outward.

There was no requirement to attempt to contact anything.

The Dao was simply present.

There was no requirement to attempt to circulate via sheer force.

It was entirely sufficient to naturally synchronize and circulate in tandem.

That constituted Void-Annihilation.

And…….

WHOOSH.

WHOOSH.

WHOOSH.

WHOOSH.

Four distinct Holy flames abruptly ignited directly above the crowns of the Formless Flying Demon Unit operatives.

“Wh-What on earth is……”

Subsequently, a Holy flame likewise ignited on the torso of the panicked Je Geum-hak.

[That is the Void-Annihilation Fist.]

Murong Gang’s voice softly reverberated inside my consciousness.