The first time he saw Tian Hae-jin came to mind. During his rise as an elder of the Yi Tian Alliance, the man who became the new leader after overthrowing the previous one praised Tian Hae-jin as an extraordinary treasured sword. Jeong Il-ryong's view of the leader was not favorable.
He was someone who had the support of the masses to the point where the elder meetings seemed meaningless. It was natural that he didn't like the beast that suddenly took the seat he ultimately aimed for. Of course, his impression of Tian Hae-jin was also the worst.
He was a huge help in the leader's rise to the current position. If he hadn't eliminated all the political enemies from behind, that man could never have become the leader. But even without that, Jeong Il-ryong couldn't help but dislike Tian Hae-jin.
The guy, who had received no particular support, was suddenly being called one of the top ten experts in the world. Whether his actual skills matched that was meaningless. Jeong Il-ryong hated the fact that the leader's sword, which he despised, was being evaluated as stronger than himself.
So he applied to the Celestial Network. If he couldn't kill the leader, he at least wanted to get rid of his limbs. He even wondered if Tian Hae-jin's sudden escape was a hidden scheme of the leader.
"He's definitely dead!"
The guy was pierced by countless weapons and became a rag. It was he who cut off the guy's leg, and it was Bi Yo-wang who finally took his head. Thus, the King of Death died.
More miserably and horribly than anyone else. But who is this guy using the martial arts of the King of Death? Did the King of Death secretly raise a successor?
But isn't this guy a demon?
Crack!
The ice covering Jeong Il-ryong's body shattered completely. The ice within a radius of one jang around him also broke into pieces.
Wooong.
A powerful energy wave overflowed from his body. It was the complete release of the White Lotus Qi he had honed and practiced all his life.
"I'll ask one last time. Your identity..."
Clang!
Jeong Il-ryong's body staggered. He had blocked Seo Ryang's sword, which had approached unnoticed. Seo Ryang's eyes, burning red right in front of him, were so fierce that no expression could adequately describe their ferocity.
"I told you, find out my identity with your sword."
"You!"
"All I have left to show you is my swordplay!"
Boom!
With a loud noise, Jeong Il-ryong was pushed back. It wasn't like before when he retreated on purpose. He was purely unable to withstand the force and was pushed back.
And in that gap, Seo Ryang was undergoing another transformation.
Whoosh!
The dark red lightning was sucked back into his body. Jeong Il-ryong's eyes shook.
Crack!
The ground where Seo Ryang stood cracked like a spider's web. An unusual pulse arose from Seo Ryang's crouched body. The second gate among the gates of hell built deep underground was finally about to open.
Swish!
Jeong Il-ryong moved. It was instinct. He had felt ominous signs before, but this was different.
It seemed like something of another dimension was about to emerge.
Wooong!!
From the White Crane Sword, which stretched out elastically, a brilliant white light bloomed. If any martial artist had seen this scene, they would have doubted their eyes. The light blooming from the White Crane Sword was not just sword energy.
Nor was it simply condensed sword energy emitting a stronger light. It was pure light of a different dimension in the form and concentration of energy. A pinnacle of destruction made of true energy that no one in the world could withstand.
"Die, you bastard!!"
At that moment, Seo Ryang's head lifted.
Thud!
Jeong Il-ryong was momentarily shocked. The extreme martial arts he had unleashed with all his might had created a round hole in the ground. Even if there had been steel there, it would have been pierced without any resistance.
The problem was that Jeong Il-ryong's target for the hole was not the ground or steel.
Swish!
Jeong Il-ryong, who had spread sword dance around his body just in case, looked around. He couldn't sense Seo Ryang's presence. '...?!' Seo Ryang was standing in front of a large tree not far away.
'He was this close?' But why couldn't he sense his energy? No, at least he should have felt some presence, right?
'Could he really be the successor of the King of Death...?' The King of Death's stealth technique was beyond imagination, as he was called the greatest assassin in history. Those who escaped the leader's eyes because of that stealth technique had to live in fear every day.
But why use stealth now? Isn't it too inefficient? Anyway, since he could see him, he had to attack.
Jeong Il-ryong, who raised the White Crane Sword, charged at Seo Ryang once more. '...?' Jeong Il-ryong's eyes were filled with confusion. 'What is this?
Why is my movement...?'
Slow. Too slow.
It was as if his limbs were heavy and it was difficult to breathe, like being submerged in water. 'What kind of trick is this?!' His senses were fine, but only his body had slowed down.
No, it felt like the world had slowed down. Amidst the confusion, a part of his mind flashed. His ears were ringing, and his chest felt stuffy.
An unknown sense of crisis tickled his insides. At that moment, Jeong Il-ryong saw Seo Ryang's eyes. Unlike the previous demonic eyes that burned fiercely, his eyes were now clear and calm.
It was like looking at a seeker. Like seeing an unknown prophet who had penetrated the truths of heaven. What is this?
Did his demonic arts break? Or did he abandon his killing intent? Did he gain some enlightenment in that brief moment?
Crack!
At that moment, cracks appeared on the nails of Jeong Il-ryong's outstretched left hand. Jeong Il-ryong's mouth dropped open. Only then did he realize why he couldn't sense the guy's presence, why the world seemed slow, and why his eyes looked so clear.
And the moment he realized it. The energy of the Absolute Demon swept over Jeong Il-ryong.
Whoosh!!
The White Lotus Qi shook violently like a sailboat hit by a wave. The White Crane Sword, which moved according to the White Crane Sword Technique, stopped, and the frozen wounds on his upper body burst open one after another with a popping sound. 'This can't be!'
It wasn't that Jeong Il-ryong couldn't sense Seo Ryang's presence. For a moment, the energy wave emitted by Seo Ryang was so massive that he couldn't sense any presence. The illusion that the world seemed slow was also the result of his movements being suppressed by the overwhelming energy wave.
And Seo Ryang's clear eyes? 'This is ridiculous!' It wasn't because he gained some enlightenment or abandoned his killing intent.
It was because he had drawn out all the demonic energy hidden in his blood vessels and meridians and opened the Dark Shadow True Demon Art once more. Seo Ryang's killing intent was the same as before. The change was so dramatic that his eyes appeared clear.
Just as cold air rushing into the place swept by the Ultimate Infinite Blade brings a sudden chill, Seo Ryang opened a deeper gate of hell. It was the second opening of the Dark Shadow True Demon Art, the Demon Observes Heaven and Knows Gate Style.
Swish.
Seo Ryang, who slowly lifted his leg, stomped the ground hard.
Boom!!
With a loud noise, the ground cracked wildly.
Crack! Crack!
The cracking of the ground didn't stop and rapidly and violently headed towards Jeong Il-ryong. Jeong Il-ryong's complexion turned pale. It couldn't be described as mere brute force.
He couldn't even guess how strong the force had to be to crack the ground like this.
"Haaap!"
With a shout drawn from his lower abdomen, Jeong Il-ryong shook off the energy wave and moved to the left.
Crack!
The continuous crack stopped only after overturning the roots of the large tree on the opposite side.
Pssst.
At the same time, a hazy smoke rose from the cracks in the ground. He didn't know what kind of smoke it was, but Jeong Il-ryong praised his judgment for avoiding it. But he had relaxed too soon.
Boom!
"Kraaah!"
With a scream of pain, Jeong Il-ryong flew backward. Blood burst from his nose and mouth. The White Crane Sword, which somehow blocked it, had cracks running through it.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Jeong Il-ryong felt a spine-chilling sense of crisis once more.
'The guy!'
The demon had already caught up with him. A blade filled with demonic energy and killing intent was coming down with tremendous weight. Jeong Il-ryong's body was completely enveloped in white.
Boom!
One Blade Collapses a Mountain. It was truly a strike worthy of such an expression.
"Huff, huff!"
Jeong Il-ryong, who barely avoided that strike, gasped for breath. The internal injury he had suffered earlier was severe, and the enormous consumption of internal energy to avoid this strike had caused him another severe internal injury. 'Here it comes again!'
There was no time to be surprised. Jeong Il-ryong gritted his teeth and raised the White Crane Sword.
Swish!
Seo Ryang charged. Jeong Il-ryong, who had switched his sword to a defensive stance out of tension, felt a moment of doubt. 'The guy's condition...?'
His complexion was pale, and his body was drenched in cold sweat. Thin blood was flowing from his nose.
'This guy!
His martial arts aren't complete!' It was the correct answer. Seo Ryang had completed the Dark Shadow True Demon Art but had not mastered it.
It's like how even the best craftsman can't be called a swordsman just because he wields a sword. Although he was more familiar with the martial arts he had created than anyone else, the process of embodying it was never easy.
It was only possible to reach this level in a short period because he was enlightened enough to be called one of the top ten experts.
Unlike the first opening of the Dark Shadow True Demon Art, the second opening, the Demon Observes Heaven and Knows Gate Style, was a study of constantly embodying the essence of the demon by amplifying the demonic power itself. Naturally, it was bound to put a strain on the body.
Crack!
Jeong Il-ryong spat blood again, and Seo Ryang also bled more from his nose. Although he suffered losses again, Jeong Il-ryong was relieved. 'It's over now, you bastard!'
The reason the guy could push him was because of that bizarre martial art. If both their stamina and internal energy were equally consumed, his victory, with his higher enlightenment, was clear.
"The good times are over! You damn demon, I'll cut off your limbs!"
"Look at this guy? One leg wasn't enough, so you're going to cut off my limbs again?"
"What?"
"But well... I like it? I guess I just have to make you like that."
At that moment, Seo Ryang's fist dug into Jeong Il-ryong's side.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
As Jeong Il-ryong staggered back, Seo Ryang, panting, showed his large sword.
"Do you know why I brought this ridiculously big sword?"
Wooong!
Once again, the demonic energy of the Dark Shadow True Demon Art was extremely unstable on the large sword. It meant that the forcibly opened Demon Observes Heaven and Knows Gate Style was closing. But it was more than enough to smash a greedy old man who had lost his mind.
"If it's a similar level, it's because your White Crane Sword Technique is particularly weak against heavy swords."
"How do you know that...?"
"Moreover, if I have the upper hand in enlightenment, you're nothing."
"......!"
Swish!
Seo Ryang's body scattered in all directions. Jeong Il-ryong's face was filled with shock. Now he remembered the guy's footwork.
Unlike the unknown sword technique, that divine footwork was known to all the high-ranking members of the Yi Tian Alliance.
"Nine Heavens Shrinking Earth?!"
"That's right!"
Bang!
Seo Ryang, who pushed Jeong Il-ryong back with a Mountain-Crushing Strike, smiled brightly and raised his sword.
"I'll chop you up!"
Thud!