Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 421 – First Realm (3)

At the same time.

Inside a hall filled with darkness.

-Jeo-jeo-jeok!

At the sound of cracking, the gaze of the being sitting on the stone throne, suppressing its anger, turned towards the wall where six candles were growing larger.

The space in front of the last candle was empty, and round jade tablets were standing in front of the other candles.

A small crack had formed at the tip of the round jade tablet in the middle of the five jade tablets.

At this, the eyeball on the forehead of the shadowy being sitting on the stone throne twitched and moved.

-It’s Kang Yeom.

“He must have clashed with him. But the situation doesn’t look good.”

The cracking of the jade tablet meant nothing good for Kang Yeom’s condition.

It signified that he was either injured or in a dangerous situation.

Then the eyeball on the forehead moved and a voice echoed:

-The power possessed by the First Realm is not just the martial arts we passed down. You know that well too, companion.

“…We’ll see soon enough.”

-Wait a little longer. Your wish will soon be fulfilled.

***

‘How could this be…’

The Bright Blade King Son Yun was at a loss for words.

He was a monster who had so easily blocked the combined attacks of supreme experts including himself.

But not only was Kang Yeom pushed back, but the moment he tried to reveal his hidden power, he was pierced through the chest in an instant with power concentrated into a single point.

It was truly overwhelming.

Is this really the same Mok Gyeong-un he knew?

‘…The real monster was someone else.’

It was a growth rate that was hard to believe was human.

At this level, even if it was the Society Leader, no, honestly speaking, even the Society Leader in his prime, one would wonder if they could face this monster.

‘Should I consider this fortunate?’

Although hope had arisen to save Wi So-yeon, the youngest disciple of the Society Leader, Son Yun was inwardly more worried about Mok Gyeong-un’s martial prowess.

He was too strong, even for being strong.

He had heard that the young miss cared for Mok Gyeong-un, but this guy was originally a hostage from the righteous path.

If someone with that level of martial prowess were to harbor rebellious thoughts, even by the slightest chance, it could lead to an extremely dangerous situation.

-Cha-cha-cha-cha-chang!

At that moment, the sound of clashing swords reached his ears.

He could see the Mad Swordsman Ji-oe fighting with the remaining masked individuals.

As he watched this, a glint appeared in Son Yun’s eyes.

He had noticed that a few among the masked individuals possessed exceptional martial prowess, but the four who had withstood Mok Gyeong-un’s stomp were even withstanding Ji-oe’s sword.

‘Even if he’s almost exhausted his true qi, to withstand like that against an expert of the Transformation Realm. They’re no ordinary beings.’

“Huu.”

Son Yun, who had been regulating his energy with simplified circulation, stood up.

Having escaped a fatal wound, it seemed he should help Ji-oe.

But then,

-Chwak!

As Ji-oe’s sword tore the mask of one of the masked individuals,

‘What?’

Son Yun and the Sword Demon Ji-oe, who was directly facing him, couldn’t hide their surprise at the face hidden behind the mask.

This was because it was far from an ordinary human.

Fierce eyes reminiscent of a beast, no bridge of the nose with two small holes, and extremely sharp teeth.

It was nothing short of a monster.

“Damn old man.”

The monster whose face was revealed expressed displeasure.

Then the monster, moving on all fours like a wild beast, showed strange movements as it avoided Ji-oe’s sword technique and rushed to attack his back.

‘Its movements are not human.’

However,

-Pak!

Ji-oe, turning backwards as if doing a backflip, stabbed his sword into the head of the monster aiming for his back.

-Puk!

“Kak!”

The monster, pierced by the sword, fell face down on the ground with a death cry.

“You old human bastard!”

“We’ll kill you!”

“Kwaaaaa!”

Enraged by their comrade’s death, three masked individuals rushed towards Ji-oe with fierce momentum.

Their movements were no less than the monster that had just died.

-Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pak!

As Ji-oe, who had almost exhausted his true qi and stamina, moved his eyeballs rapidly and calmly tried to respond with minimal movement,

-Pu-pu-puk!

“Euk!”

“Keuk!”

“Kek!”

At that moment, a sword flew in, piercing through them one by one as if skewering them.

The masked individuals with holes in their bodies gasped in agony before collapsing.

Seeing this, the Sword Demon Ji-oe exhaled in relief.

What had pierced their bodies was black Sword Energy Controlled by Qi.

The one who had sent it flying was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

-Chak!

The Sword Energy Controlled by Qi, which had killed them in an instant, flew back and settled in the scabbard at Mok Gyeong-un’s waist.

‘To handle even Sword Energy Controlled by Qi so freely. There’s no room for doubt.’

The Bright Blade King Son Yun, who had been about to help Ji-oe, stuck out his tongue.

Mok Gyeong-un had undoubtedly reached the Profound Realm.

For a guy not even twenty to reach the highest realm in just half a year.

No matter how one thought about it, no, even seeing it, it was hard to comprehend.

But why is that guy still standing in front of him like that?

The reason for the Bright Blade King Son Yun’s puzzlement was simple.

Mok Gyeong-un was still standing in front of Kang Yeom, who had died with a hole in his chest.

‘With a hole in his chest, yet he’s standing there as if something might happen…’

-Flinch!

At that moment,

-Hwa-reu-reu-reu-reuk!

The entire body of the dead Kang Yeom was suddenly engulfed in tremendous flames.

“What?”

What’s going on?

Why did a dead person suddenly spontaneously combust?

As he was wondering, the flames spread to the ground around the burning Kang Yeom, and soon it began not just to burn but to melt.

The heat surpassed that of ordinary flames.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un made a gesture of raising his right sword finger upwards while keeping one hand behind his back.

Then,

-Dung-dung!

The masterless swords around them rose up.

As Mok Gyeong-un stretched his hand towards the burning Kang Yeom, the swords all flew towards him at once.

-Shu-shu-shu-shu-shu-shuk!

But then, an amazing thing happened.

The heat of the flames was so strong that the swords melted before they could even touch him.

It was as if they were blocked by an invisible wall of heat.

-Pa-seu-seu-seu-seu!

‘Heat that can melt swords…’

Gi Ok-ryeon, the daughter of Sun Rock Valley Master Gi Hae, couldn’t help but be amazed at this sight.

But this wasn’t the only problem.

As the heat gradually spread in all directions, the surrounding air began to ripple and distort.

It was like seeing a mirage.

-Shu-shu-shu-shu-shuk!

The swords that Mok Gyeong-un had sent flying with Sword Energy Controlled by Qi continued to fly towards the burning Kang Yeom, but they kept melting without even touching him.

Why does he keep sending swords when it’s useless?

Does he feel the heat is not ordinary?

But Gi Ok-ryeon’s eyes widened.

‘Ah?’

The melted sword fragments had almost become molten iron, and these were gradually piling up, surrounding the burning Kang Yeom.

‘Is this possible?’

When it had surrounded him up to about waist height, perhaps because half of the heat couldn’t escape, the burning of the surrounding ground stopped.

Instead, the heat surged upwards, making the surrounding air hot.

-Pak!

It was then.

“Kuaaaaaaaa!”

Kang Yeom, who was thought to be dead and burning, suddenly moved and broke through the molten iron trying to trap him, rushing towards Mok Gyeong-un.

-Pa-pa-pa-pak!

As he, who had become hot flames itself, launched his body, Mok Gyeong-un pulled his hand forward and then stretched out his palm as if performing a palm technique.

Then, a pure white energy exploded and enveloped the flames.

It was the extreme cold energy of the Ultimate Yin.

-Shwa-a-a-a-a!

As the extreme cold energy of the Ultimate Yin clashed with the flames, the moisture instantly filled the surroundings with hazy steam.

-Pat!

Breaking through the steam, Kang Yeom launched a hand blade towards where he was certain Mok Gyeong-un was.

Then, a sword energy in the shape of a blade made of flames stretched out, cutting through the steam as it passed.

-Hwa-reu-reu-reu-reuk! Chwak!

-Kwa-a-a-ang!

The flaming sword energy not only cut through the steam but rushed to a radius of over ten zhang, devastating the surroundings.

That wasn’t the end.

From within the steam, flaming sword energies flew out in all directions one after another.

Due to this tremendous power, the Bright Blade King Son Yun and the surviving society members around had no choice but to create as much distance as possible to escape its aftermath.

‘How is he still alive?’

Son Yun, who had moved as far away as possible from the radius where the flaming sword energies were flying, couldn’t understand.

How could he still be alive with a hole in his chest? What kind of strange phenomenon is this?

Could he possibly be an immortal being?

As he was bewildered,

The flaming sword energies that had been continuously flying in all directions suddenly stopped.

Then, as the steam that had filled the surroundings cleared, something could be dimly seen.

It was,

‘!!!!!!’

Kang Yeom, with all four limbs severed, lying face down on the ground, being stepped on by Mok Gyeong-un.

Hot heat was still flowing from him, but Mok Gyeong-un, seemingly unconcerned about this, had driven the demonic sword Evil Commandment Sword, made of black strong energy, into his head.

-Puk!

“Kek!”

The sword penetrated his head and came out through his mouth.

Despite such a cruel act, Mok Gyeong-un was looking down without showing any emotion.

At that moment, Kang Yeom’s severed limbs twitched, and blood vessels tangled as flesh tried to grow.

Then Mok Gyeong-un,

-Chwak!

Pulled out the sword he had driven into his head and cut off the areas above where regeneration was trying to occur.

-Chwa-chwa-chwa-chwak!

As his limbs were severed again, Kang Yeom let out a groan with a pained expression.

“Kuuuu.”

Kang Yeom was inwardly utterly bewildered.

He was a Imaemangnyang being who had lived for hundreds of years, and a high-ranking demonic beast capable of even human transformation.

Moreover, because he had achieved human transformation more elaborately than other Imaemangnyang, he could even implement blood vessels, allowing him to receive martial arts transmission from the Mok-gan and become a member of the First Realm that he favored.

But what exactly is this monster?

He, who had succeeded in absorbing the blood of a spirit beast that was almost his opposite and gained tremendous fire energy and regenerative power, was completely overwhelmed.

“Uuuu.”

To him, who was suffering, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said:

“Does it hurt? How many times do I need to cut before you die? A hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times…”

-Flinch!

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, a chill ran down Kang Yeom’s spine.

It seemed this monstrous human would really do just that.

“Kuuu. You bastaaaaard.”

“It doesn’t seem so good to be unable to die. Don’t you agree?”

-Chu-reu-reu-reuk!

No sooner had those words ended than Kang Yeom’s severed limbs tried to regenerate again, regardless of his will.

But it was literally a repetition.

As Mok Gyeong-un moved his sword again, his limbs were cut off even higher, leaving only the torso now.

-Kwang!

Mok Gyeong-un stomped on Kang Yeom’s head, who was suffering, and said with a chilling smile:

“I wonder if we need to leave the torso. Wouldn’t just the head be enough?”

At this, Kang Yeom shouted towards Mok Gyeong-un in an urgent voice:

“I’ll, I’ll hand over that human woman, so stop this.”

Human woman.

The woman he was referring to was Wi So-yeon, the youngest disciple of the Heaven and Earth Society Leader.

Two masked individuals were still attached to Wi So-yeon’s side.

They had already drawn daggers and were holding them to her neck as if ready to stab at any moment, so even the Sword Demon Ji-oe couldn’t easily approach.

But then,

“You dispersed this level of force and even had the capacity to flee while taking her, yet you stalled for time. That means you had some other purpose…”

‘This guy?’

Kang Yeom’s eyeballs shook.

As he was thinking ‘surely not’, Mok Gyeong-un stared intently at the unconscious Wi So-yeon, then said with a cold gaze:

“That’s not the real one.”

‘!!!!!!!’