Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1901

Rumble!

A sound of thunder.

Or perhaps, the sound of a mountain collapsing would be more fitting.

Which description is more appropriate doesn’t matter. What matters is that with each reverberation of this thunderous sound, an unbelievable storm of energy is raging.

‘What is this…’

Shin-chang slashes his spear from above to below.

At that, the golden tidal wave surging towards him splits wide open to the left and right.

His spear parts the river and cleaves the sea.

But that is only for a moment; the energy that had split to the sides rushes back in as if filling a void, surging up once more.

“Kuh!”

For the first time since the start of the battle, a groan of dismay escaped Shin-chang’s lips.

‘The Hong King!’

For the martial artists living in this era, the significance of the name ‘Three Kings’ is self-evident. But for Shin-chang, the name ‘Three Kings’ was nothing more than an empty title.

Though they may be the rulers of this era, Shin-chang and the Twelve Flying Blades were also absolute beings of their time.

He, who had reached the pinnacle of an era where such stellar martial artists roamed, had no reason to respect those who ruled this inferior era.

That was his thought until he faced the Hong King.

But now, he had no choice but to admit that he was completely wrong.

‘What kind of inner force is this…’

The Black King and his physical age would be similar. From the moment he returned to this body, he had gathered inner force in the most efficient way he knew. His current inner force even surpassed that of when he ruled the Central Plains in the past.

But the Hong King’s inner force was not merely at that level.

For two people who had lived the same amount of time, the difference in their inner force was beyond unfair, it was absurd.

No matter how much the amount of inner force gathered can vary depending on constitution, martial arts, and talent, if the difference reaches this point, it’s not a difference in constitution but a difference in species.

Kiiiiing!

“Kuh!”

The tip of the spear, extended out, screams and bends limply.

The pressure emanating from the tidal wave of energy was crushing his entire body, beyond the spear.

A pressure that felt like every blood vessel in his body was about to burst.

A pressure that felt like his body would be crushed and his soul would be pressed and shattered.

“Hoo!”

Shin-chang, taking a short breath, pulled his spear far back. Then, with his body twisted back as if preparing for a javelin throw, a great shout erupted from Shin-chang’s mouth.

“Taaaaaaap!”

At the same time, the spear in his hand thrust forward with tremendous force.

It was like a great flash of light extending out.

The white light pierces through the surging golden sea.

Once! Again! And again!

The spears of light poured down in succession. Like divine punishment from a god in the sky.

It was impossible for Shin-chang’s inner force to contend with all of the Hong King’s energy that was covering such a vast area. But there was no need to do so. He only needed to break through the energy that was engulfing him.

A linear attack.

No one could match him in a thrusting attack.

Shin-chang’s spear was one with his mind.

His spear was one that could pierce even the sun. Before such a spear, this sea was nothing.

Gooooooo!

The Profound Heaven True Energy [Xuantian Zhenqi – a type of powerful internal energy], which he had cultivated his entire life, surged within his body and gathered at the tip of his spear.

“Taaaaaaap!”

A continuous release.

Thrust.

Swing.

In the end, all attacks do not deviate greatly from these two.

The martial arts of the spear are simply concise and straightforward. Thrust, thrust, and thrust faster.

A martial art that completely eliminates all unnecessary elements and pursues only simplicity to the extreme. When that martial art reaches its peak, it becomes faster and more powerful than anything in the world!

‘One Flash (一閃)!’

The spear, fully embodying the profound meaning of the One Mind Spear, extends forward.

It was neither as flashy nor as fierce as his previous strikes.

Just fast, incredibly fast!

A lightning-like strike that cuts through the surging sea as if passing through it, advancing forward.

Whoosh!

In a fleeting moment, the spear strike that had cleaved the sea pierced the Hong King’s body, which was emitting energy from behind that sea.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The sea of energy that had covered the world lost control and raged in all directions. Shin-chang swung his spear, striking and pushing away the energy that was surging towards him.

Crack! Crack!

Not only the hand holding the spear but also his shoulder was crushed by the pressure. His flesh turned black, and his bones cried out in agony, unable to withstand the pressure.

“Taaap!”

Shin-chang, having swung his spear greatly to blow away all the remaining energy, exhaled deeply.

“Hoo!”

His face was covered in sweat, and his shoulders heaved incessantly.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had exerted himself so much that his breathing became this labored.

Shin-chang, wiping away the sweat that had soaked his face, raised his head and looked across.

The Hong King.

The Hong King, clad in golden robes, was staring at him with a stern face.

His face was neither wet with sweat like Shin-chang’s nor was his breathing disturbed.

But…

Thud.

Red blood dripped down from the Hong King’s hand, half-hidden by his sleeve.

“Hmph…”

The Hong King raised his hand with a hardened gaze. A hole was punched through his thick, large palm, like that of a divine general.

The One Flash that Shin-chang had unleashed had pierced through the Hong King’s body.

Squeeze!

The Hong King clenched his pierced hand. The blood that had been flowing stopped immediately. But the fact that his hand, which should be emitting energy, was injured was clearly not something to be taken lightly.

The Hong King’s eyes met Shin-chang’s in the air.

‘He’s strong.’

What needed to be acknowledged had to be acknowledged.

The Hong King was a strongman whom even Shin-chang had to face with his life on the line. In his opinion, the difference between the two was so minute that the outcome would depend on the luck of the day.

Therefore…

‘My blood is boiling.’

Shin-chang’s eyes were tinged with madness.

Those who cannot enjoy a life-or-death battle where lives hang by a thread cannot reach the pinnacle of an era.

The stronger the Hong King was, the more his heart found vitality, and his hardened brain seemed to sing a song of joy.

‘More… more!’

Just as Shin-chang was about to move.

“Are there…”

“Hmm?”

At a moment when conversation was unnecessary, the Hong King opened his mouth. Shin-chang’s face slightly contorted, not wanting to miss this feeling.

“…twelve more like you?”

“…Eleven.”

But he couldn’t help but correct that one thing.

“The Black King is not someone who can be compared to us. He exists in a different dimension from us.”

“Eleven…”

The Hong King’s eyes lowered.

“…How well have such beings lived, acknowledging each other?”

“It wouldn’t have been possible without him.”

Shin-chang’s mocking gaze pierced through the Hong King.

“But you should consider yourself fortunate. If he hadn’t bound us together with chains, you wouldn’t be alive right now.”

The Hong King didn’t exactly deny those words.

It wasn’t that he saw defeat in Shin-chang.

But if eleven such beings, along with the Spear King, had run rampant in the Central Plains… the current structure would never have been created.

In a chaotic world where everyone is tearing at each other, there is no guarantee that the stronger will survive. In that sense, Shin-chang’s words were not exactly wrong.

“The more I hear, the less I understand.”

The Hong King opened his mouth in a serious voice.

“Those of that caliber shouldn’t be afraid of losing their lives.”

“I cannot understand why you, who crave battles with stronger opponents and dream of challenges worth risking your lives for, are acting like dogs under the Black King. What do you want to do?”

The Hong King narrowed his brow.

Eleven plus two beings of that caliber. With that power alone, they could rival the Hong King faction.

No, to be blunt, with that much power, it would be impossible to face them with the Hong King faction alone.

That’s why he couldn’t understand.

If these beings had appeared not now but when the Hong King and the Spear King were weakening each other, they could have taken over the Central Plains twice as easily as now.

No matter how much the internal forces unite when an external enemy appears, the Spear King and he were in a relationship where it was impossible to join hands for any reason.

They wouldn’t have been unaware of that either.

Then why did they start moving now, not then?

“What are you trying to do?”

“Hmm, disappointing.”

“Hmm?”

Shin-chang lightly spun his spear and took a stance.

“The fact that you feel curious about such things means that you are not a pure martial artist.”

“I understand that as the leader of the Hong King faction, you have many things to consider. But… a true martial artist, the moment they bare their fangs at each other, should forget such trivial things.”

The Hong King’s eyes lowered again.

“Do you think you can defeat me while having such distracting thoughts, Hong King?”

“…I have committed an impoliteness. I apologize.”

The Hong King nodded.

Indeed, Shin-chang’s words were not wrong. To have other questions in front of such a martial artist is arrogant.

Thoughts can be had after the battle is decided.

“You don’t need to have that question.”

Shin-chang bared his teeth.

“Because the dead have no need to worry about anything.”

“You arrogant fool…”

“I’m going!”

Shin-chang kicked off the ground and flew towards the Hong King. His spear, flying with tremendous speed, pierced towards the Hong King with a speed that was incomparable to his physical body.

A speed that even created the illusion that only his spear was moving at high speed in a frozen world. In a world flowing slowly, the airwaves pushed by the tip of the spear were vividly visible.

Thud!

At that moment, the Hong King also stepped down with his true stance.

His feet, spread wide apart, firmly supported his body, and his fist fixed at his waist and the opposite hand spread wide created an incredibly stable form.

The spread hand moved softly, lightly pushing away the shaft of the spear that was piercing towards his chest.

A defense that seemed slow but was lightning-fast, melting the utmost strength into perfect softness.

Tuck!

The moment the Hong King’s fist, which had pushed away the spear shaft, was about to surge forward.

Whoosh!

The spear that had been pushed away was recovered with lightning speed and pierced towards the Hong King again.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The tip of the spear split and split again, creating hundreds of spear shadows. The spear, which had become like a snake with hundreds of heads on one body, covered the Hong King’s entire body.

As if proving that attack is the best defense, the Hong King’s fist, which was about to extend forward, could not dare to go out and quickly switched to defense.

The Hong King’s hands created numerous hand shadows. Like the hands of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara [a Buddhist deity known for compassion and having many arms], the multiplied hands blocked the incoming spear strikes one by one. The hands that multiplied further formed a wall between the two.

A Palm Wall (掌壁).

It was a perfect defense that not even a single drop of water could pass through.

But!

Whoosh!

A ray of light burst out from between the perfectly executed Palm Wall.

As if to say that a gap is not something to be found but something to be created, an incredibly intense thrust pierced through the point where the hand shadows met.

‘What?’

Even the Hong King of the world could not help but be flustered at this moment.

But before his mind could fully process the emotion of fluster, the spear, which had become lightning, flew in with incredible intensity and mercilessly pierced into his shoulder.

Crack!

It was the moment when a spear from the past pierced through the body of the absolute ruler of this era.