Though it couldn't compare to the power of his original form, even in his transformed human state, Jaekyung's physical body was tougher than most human cultivators who specialized in physical strength. So, even if it was just a wild punch, the power contained within it was not something an ordinary human cultivator could handle.
When his fist struck the opponent's back, Jaekyung could feel the heavy impact. It was the sensation of flesh tearing and bones breaking.
“Keuk!”
But as expected, an experienced Foundation Establishment cultivator was different. Even while spitting blood and being thrown back, he drew upon his spiritual power to protect his body and took out a spirit artifact to prepare a counterattack. Such swiftness was even better than the Black Shark Gang Leader he had faced before.
“Kuaaaah!”
But what did that matter? Even if this man was better than the Black Shark Gang Leader, he himself was no longer the same person who had struggled with the gang leader back then.
BOOM!
Demonic flames swept through the area. It was no exaggeration to say that Jaekyung's spiritual nature was the essence of fire energy; flames naturally arose whenever he stirred his demonic power. These demonic flames weren't as potent as a cultivator's spirit art, but they couldn't be casually ignored either.
Seo Mu-so knew this, so he had to expend spiritual power to block the invasion of demonic power.
CLANG!
The flying sword struck a scale on his head and bounced off. Seo Mu-so frowned once when the flying sword was repelled, and again when he saw not a single scratch on the scale it had hit.
It might have been a hasty attack meant to keep him at bay, but it was still a spirit artifact infused with spiritual power. As an experienced cultivator, he had faced many from the demon races, even Great Spirit Beasts, but this was the first time he had encountered something like this.
“Heup!”
Pursued without a moment's rest, he somehow gathered his spiritual power and launched the flying sword once more. This time, it was a proper strike, infused with sufficient spiritual power.
PSH!
Indeed, it was different this time. Instead of being pathetically repelled like before, the flying sword pierced a scale and lodged itself there. Just barely, to a precarious degree.
“Impossible!”
This time, Seo Mu-so couldn't suppress his emotions and cried out in shock. While controlling his spiritual power to retrieve the flying sword, he threw his body aside to evade the Great Spirit Beast's ensuing charge. But perhaps because his heart was shaken, or because his concentration was divided by retrieving the sword, his reaction was a little slow.
The moment the formless barrier covered Black Shark Island, Yang Yu-wan instinctively knew something was wrong. She immediately tried to break the barrier, but even when she attacked with all her strength, the barrier only wavered for a moment without even a slight crack forming.
After several attempts, Yang Yu-wan realized she couldn't do anything about this barrier, or formation, with her power alone and tried to join Seo Mu-so, who had gone inside the building.
But no sooner had she made up her mind than a fierce energy raged from within the building, followed by a series of roars, and then the entire building collapsed.
CRASH!
And from within the collapsing wreckage, a small dot shot up rapidly. Yang Yu-wan recognized it as her husband, Seo Mu-so, at a glance and flew toward him with all her might.
“Husband! What is going on?!”
“Yu-wan! Be careful...!”
Seeing Yang Yu-wan approaching quickly, Seo Mu-so shouted in a suppressed voice, then, as if sensing something, he hastily turned his head toward the thick cloud of rising dust.
FWOOSH!
A wave of crimson fire stretched out toward them. Seo Mu-so gritted his teeth and stretched out his hand. The flying sword blocked the path before him like a shield, and a translucent barrier of light spread out wide.
The flames, which had been stretching out as if to burn everything, faltered as they hit the barrier of light. But these were not ordinary flames; they were demonic flames imbued with demonic power. The moment he blocked the wave of demonic flames head-on, Seo Mu-so's complexion had already turned deathly pale.
If Yang Yu-wan hadn't supported him in time with her spirit art, Seo Mu-so might have been engulfed by the flames.
“Haap!”
Yang Yu-wan's eyes glowed with a bluish light. A milky white smoke flowed from her mouth, and a cold air that could freeze even flames enveloped her entire body. And that very cold air suppressed the flames that were blocked by the barrier of light.
Like most human cultivators of the Western Twin Lake, Yang Yu-wan was also a cultivator who practiced a water attribute technique. She had no other particular talents, but she was deeply skilled in one thing: spirit arts. It was because of her pride in that very skill with spirit arts that she didn't even use offensive spirit artifacts.
This wasn't arrogance, but confidence. In fact, her water attribute spirit arts boasted a power superior to any other spirit artifact. The barrier of light blocked, and the cold air suppressed.
It was like blocking with a shield and striking with a spear. But despite that exquisite combination, the demonic flames would not be pushed back. How long did that fierce struggle continue?
A huge figure revealed itself from within the thick smoke.
“A Black Flood Dragon?!”
Yang Yu-wan's eyes widened. Beside her, Seo Mu-so, who was breathing heavily, shook his head.
“No. It bears a strong resemblance, and perhaps it truly inherited the bloodline of a dragon, but it cannot be called a true flood dragon.”
The fact that he had managed to escape that collapsed building alive was the biggest proof. That Great Spirit Beast certainly looked the part, but its power was far from that of a flood dragon. The problem was that even that far inferior power seemed too much for the couple to handle.
Wincing from the pain that intensified with every breath, Seo Mu-so shouted in a slightly trembling voice.
“Who are you, Dao Friend! Why are you attacking us?!”
Jaekyung met his question with a cold smile. A low, deep laugh, like one echoing in a cave, rang out eerily.
“Why am I attacking? Is it not natural to attack thieves who have broken into my home?”
“Your home?”
Seo Mu-so muttered blankly before his expression hardened.
‘So that Gwak Jeong-shin fellow really has joined hands with the demon race!’
He had been a little suspicious ever since he heard the story about a unique spirit beast called ‘Elder Cheong-o’ from that Han Cheong-yu fellow, but now hearing this, his suspicion turned to certainty. Now he understood. Gwak Jeong-shin of the Prosperous Treasure Guild had joined hands with this very Great Spirit Beast.
They joined hands with the demon race, destroyed the Black Shark Gang, and then started their business here.
‘A Black Flood Dragon, a Black Flood Dragon... In a way, I suppose the rumors were true.’
Seo Mu-so's gaze clouded over, but only for a moment. As an experienced Foundation Establishment cultivator, he did not lose his composure even in this absurd situation.
“My wife and I sincerely apologize for thoughtlessly setting foot in your residence and for our rudeness. But we truly did not know this was your home.”
“Oh? Then whose home did you think it was when you barged in?”
At Jaekyung's cunning question, Seo Mu-so pressed his lips together. The answer to that question was meaningless. Because, judging by the circumstances, the giant Great Spirit Beast and Gwak Jeong-shin were clearly business partners.
What difference would it make whether he said he thought it was Gwak Jeong-shin's place of business or the Great Spirit Beast's residence?
“You're not answering. Right. It doesn't matter anyway. What does it matter if you did it unknowingly? We have already drawn blood.”
“... Must we really see this to the end?”
“If there is a beginning, of course there must be an end.”
The conversation ended there. Still, it was a relief that they were able to catch their breath while talking, however briefly. At least they could now muster their strength again.
BOOM!
Seo Mu-so's flying sword flew in, and giant snowflakes bloomed all over Jaekyung's body. But the cold air could not freeze his body. At best, it only slightly hindered his movements, and even that minor effect quickly vanished thanks to the demonic flames that shimmered like a heat haze from his entire body.
Gritting her teeth, Yang Yu-wan exhaled a long breath and clasped her hands together. Simultaneously, giant ice spikes shot up from the ground.
CRACKLE!
Dozens, hundreds of giant ice spikes pierced and trapped Jaekyung. Yet none of them could wound his body. At most, they only managed to slightly crack his scales.
“Impossible!”
Yang Yu-wan staggered in shock. It was partly due to the consumption of her spiritual power, and partly because her state of mind was disrupted by her panic. She glared at Jaekyung, who was fiercely struggling and shattering the ice spikes, and once again clasped her hands together.
KABOOM!
All the ice spikes shattered at once. Each of the fragments became a band of cool light, snaring Jaekyung like a lasso.
“You have many tricks!”
Jaekyung did not resist. Instead, he opened his mouth slightly and held his breath.
“Grrrrrr” A terrifying heat leaked from his open mouth.
“Go!”
Sensing something was amiss, Seo Mu-so spat blood and launched his flying sword. The flying sword, containing the maximum amount of spiritual power he could currently muster, embedded itself quite deeply in Jaekyung's forehead. However, to Jaekyung, who had grown to 150 meters through repeated molting, a single sword was less than a toothpick.
It was the same even if it was filled with spiritual power. If Seo Mu-so had been in normal condition, the story might have been different, but as he was now, he posed no threat unless he hit a vital point.
FWOOOSH!
It didn't even take a few seconds for the heat to turn into demonic flames. As he became more adept at accumulating demonic power and handling fire energy, his ability to breathe fire naturally changed. He could now breathe fire faster and more powerfully.
He could spew more powerful flames if he gathered his power for longer, but even a brief gathering like this produced quite decent power.
“Dodge!”
Seeing Jaekyung unfazed even with the flying sword stuck in his head, Seo Mu-so shouted urgently. Thanks to him, Yang Yu-wan immediately dodged, but Seo Mu-so, the one who had warned her, could not. He was severely injured and half-exhausted from forcibly wringing out his spiritual power.
“Husband!”
Realizing the situation belatedly, Yang Yu-wan urgently tried to fly toward her husband. Seeing this, Jaekyung's eyes curved slightly.
“How touching! Good! You can both turn to ash together!”
The flames poured out. If what came before was a wave of fire, this time it was a pillar. A massive pillar, as if it could support the heavens.
KWOOOOSH!
Jaekyung did not make empty threats. The pillar of fire that spewed from his mouth swept over both Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan at the same time. Seo Mu-so could not escape.
Yang Yu-wan might have been able to escape somehow if she tried, but instead of fleeing, she flew toward Seo Mu-so. And she stopped in front of Seo Mu-so, unfolding that same spirit art to try and block the storm of demonic flames. But without Seo Mu-so's support, Yang Yu-wan's power alone was not enough to block the demonic flames.
The mystical ice mist she unfolded dissipated like a mirage almost as soon as it touched the pillar of fire. Yang Yu-wan's eyes were filled with despair. The wicked flames, which felt like they would burn even her soul, reached her in an instant.
And the moment Yang Yu-wan squeezed her eyes shut, it vanished without a trace.
“Ah?”
When the bewildered Yang Yu-wan opened her eyes, what she saw was a black tail casting a huge shadow as if it covered the sky.
THUD!