SYM 124

The black flames seemed to devour the darkness.

Cheong-un split the flames in half with his sword, which was imbued with Pure Qi. A sharp sound rang out, and he was forced to retreat.

Surprise spread across Cheong-un’s face.

The Qi he had cultivated through the Demonic Divine Art was purer than any other Qi, and he had even compressed it more strongly than usual. Yet, even the Demonic Divine Art was being pushed back.

Jeong-hyeon burst into loud laughter.

“Hahaha, are you surprised? Yes, this is the Reversing Heaven Energy!”

…Reversing Heaven Energy.

Cheong-un glared at the black energy. Just a mere graze made him feel nauseous and sick.

For the first time since becoming Cheonma, he had met an opponent he couldn’t confidently claim victory against.

“You little brat! No matter how much you struggle, you can’t stand against the Reversing Heaven Energy!”

As Jeong-hyeon spoke, the black energy gathered in one place and soared upwards.

The black energy took the shape of a large hand and struck down towards Cheong-un, as if a giant were slamming the ground. Cheong-un kicked off the ground and jumped upwards to evade it, but a chill ran down his spine.

The Qi he had spread out for exploration vanished the moment it touched the black hand.

It was as if it were devouring the Qi. Even in the long history of the Demonic Sect, he had never heard of anything like this.

Cheong-un glared at Jeong-hyeon, who was before him.

Jeong-hyeon, who had been as black as a shadow until just now, had lost some of the blackness, and he could now distinguish the shape of his face and the color of his clothes.

Is the amount of Reversing Heaven Energy he can use limited?

Cheong-un quickly dodged the black hand while observing Jeong-hyeon.

Is Jeong-hyeon controlling the black hand himself?

Even as he pondered these things, the black hand was striking down around Cheong-un faster and faster.

Thwack! Thwack!

Each time, dirt soared into the air, and the large stone slabs that had been neatly laid on the ground shattered into pieces.

It was enough power to turn a person into mincemeat.

However, Cheong-un evaded every single attack. At the same time, he countered the black energy with his sword each time.

However, Cheong-un frowned when he saw that simply surrounding the sword with Sword energy had no effect. If Cheong-un had been attacking and Jeong-hyeon had been defending until just now, the roles had now been reversed.

The black hand, created with Reversing Heaven Energy, seemed to move with a separate will rather than being controlled by Jeong-hyeon. As a result, it was as if Cheong-un was fighting two opponents.

Clang! Clang!

Just being near the Reversing Heaven Energy caused the Qi within his body to fluctuate. If he were to be properly attacked by that, even Cheong-un would suffer a considerable blow.

“You were so loud earlier, but now you’re just running away like a rat. It suits you perfectly, Cheong-un!”

Jeong-hyeon sneered at Cheong-un, who was running away, but Cheong-un didn’t respond.

Evading the black hand itself wasn’t that difficult. The black hand’s movements were fast, but they were simple and predictable enough.

The problem was that even a graze would be affected by the Reversing Heaven Energy, so he had to make larger movements to secure enough distance.

Then, he suddenly felt a burning sensation on one cheek.

When he wiped his cheek with his hand, a faint amount of blood was smeared on it. He hadn’t completely avoided the energy of the black hand.

It hadn’t even touched him directly, yet it had scratched his body, which was covered in protective Qi. That Reversing Heaven Energy was far more dangerous than he had thought.

“If you kneel and beg for forgiveness now, I will show you mercy.”

“Haha, hey, are you dozing off with your eyes open? Why are you talking in your sleep so loudly?”

“Foolish. Do you really think you can defeat Defying Heaven!”

Cheong-un had maintained a relaxed attitude throughout, but his breathing was gradually becoming rougher. He had to move several times more than usual to avoid the black hand, and he still had to deal with Jeong-hyeon in the process.

Jeong-hyeon believed that he would soon be able to bring Cheong-un to his knees.

Cheong-un lightly jumped back and composed himself.

“We’ve seen enough of each other’s cards by now, so let’s do this properly.”

Jeong-hyeon’s eyebrows twitched at Cheong-un’s words.

“…You’re just being reckless.”

Jeong-hyeon thought Cheong-un was being reckless. Although he had been quickly evading, Cheong-un hadn’t been able to counterattack properly.

However, Jeong-hyeon began to think that something was wrong as the Qi emanating from Cheong-un began to change.

A bluish Qi swirled around Cheong-un. Jeong-hyeon’s expression hardened as he saw it.

Cheong-un’s Qi, which had been as gentle as the Qi of nature until now, began to surge violently. Cheong-un’s rough and overbearing Qi clearly showed that the Demonic Divine Art was the Martial Arts of the Heavenly Demon.

Jeong-hyeon hesitated for a moment before reaching out towards the black hand. Then, the black hand scattered and was absorbed into Jeong-hyeon’s body.

After that, they charged at each other simultaneously. Jeong-hyeon wrapped the Reversing Heaven Energy around his sword.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang.

He stomped forward with stomping step. The moment the swords collided in mid-air, the air vibrated with a resonant sound.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the swords clashed. A low groan escaped Jeong-hyeon’s lips.

He couldn’t overwhelm him even with the Reversing Heaven Energy. In fact, he felt like he was being pushed back slightly.

The moment he realized that, Jeong-hyeon felt a chill run down his spine.

He had felt it from the first time he had clashed swords with Cheong-un, but his speed and velocity both exceeded his expectations.

But now he was even faster than before. At first, it seemed like Jeong-hyeon had a slight advantage, but gradually Jeong-hyeon’s sword became barely able to block Cheong-un’s attacks.

Cheong-un’s sword was getting faster and faster from a speed that seemed like it couldn’t get any faster.

Jeong-hyeon’s face turned pale.

It was no longer possible to follow Cheong-un’s sword with his eyes. He had no choice but to rely on his instincts to block.

It felt like Cheong-un had become multiple people.

Is this what it means to be a Heavenly Demon?

Cheong-un’s sword was a terrifyingly fast quick sword, but it was also heavy at the same time. Each time he blocked, a considerable amount of Qi was consumed.

He had expected it wouldn’t be easy since he was facing Cheonma, but he didn’t expect to be struggling even after drawing out the Reversing Heaven Energy.

“Kugh!”

Cheong-un’s sword, which had been drawing a dazzling curve, tore through Jeong-hyeon’s arm. Surprised by the burning sensation, Jeong-hyeon retreated.

Red blood flowed out over the half-torn clothes.

Jeong-hyeon bit his lip tightly and glared at Cheong-un.

He didn’t know that the Reversing Heaven Energy would be so incompatible with the Demonic Divine Art.

The Qi of the Demonic Divine Art was rapidly depleting the Reversing Heaven Energy as if it were gnawing at it.

At this point, Jeong-hyeon was dumbfounded.

“The master… created a monster.”

He wouldn’t have been able to exchange blows equally if it weren’t for the Reversing Heaven Energy.

He didn’t want to admit it, but Cheong-un’s skill was superior to his own.

And that wasn’t all. He had a similar depth of understanding of the Kunlun Sect’s Martial Arts as he did. He had even teased and mocked him with the same swordsmanship.

What a monstrous bastard.

He himself had grown up hearing that he was a genius who could understand ten things from being taught one thing since he was young, but this guy was beyond all standards.

He’s just a monster.

He had honed the Kunlun’s Martial Arts all his life, but all this guy had learned of the Kunlun’s Martial Arts was what he had learned from Eun-hyeon in his childhood at best.

Seo Eun-hyeon, who had been his junior, wasn’t someone with great comprehension. Moreover, he had been expelled halfway, so the Kunlun’s Martial Arts that Eun-hyeon knew couldn’t have been that great.

At best, he would have only learned the basics.

But he couldn’t believe that he had achieved this much after learning from Eun-hyeon. Even though he tried to ignore it, a petty jealousy was seething inside him.

“If that Reversing Heaven Energy runs out, does that just mean you’ll become the Kunlun Sect’s leader?”

Jeong-hyeon’s insides twisted as he saw Cheong-un smirking and sneering. So he decided to do something he hadn’t tried until now.

“I can’t do that. Not when I’m facing Cheonma.”

Whoosh, something flew between the two of them.

Cheong-un’s face hardened in an instant.

What Jeong-hyeon had brought with Telekinesis was Eun-hyeon, whom Cheong-un had been secretly searching for all this time.