The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 257

The Divine Doctor of the Demonic Path (257)

“Was this Zhuge Yeon’s instruction?”

At Namgung Baek’s question, No Danyang smiled chillingly.

“It is true that she asked me to kill the beggar leader. But killing you is a separate matter. It is purely my own will.”

“Is that so.”

Swish.

The sword held in Namgung Baek’s hand revealed its cool, bare self with a clear ringing sound.

“It wouldn’t be bad to settle our old feud like this.”

No Danyang chuckled, meeting Namgung Baek’s cold gaze.

“Kekeke. For the first time, we are on the same page.”

They glared at each other for a moment.

In an instant, the two of them dashed towards each other as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Woo-oong.

The sword in Namgung Baek’s hand emitted a sonorous cry.

It was the result of combining the Namgung family’s martial art, the Azure Sky Great Evolution Divine Art (蒼穹大衍神功) [a powerful internal energy cultivation technique], with the Emperor Sword Form (帝王劍形) [a collection of sword techniques], a supreme technique that rivaled the best among the many sword techniques of the Central Plains.

From the start, Namgung Baek had no intention of dragging out the fight.

‘End it in one blow!’

The milky-white energy surging from the tip of Namgung Baek’s sword was clearly Sword罡 (geomgang) [sword energy], which only those who had reached the pinnacle of sword mastery could wield.

Yet, No Danyang did not back down.

Rather, as if he had been waiting for it, he thrust his hand, wrapped in blood-red energy, into the sword strike.

It was then that Namgung Baek’s sword moved.

At first glance, it was just a simple motion of slashing down from above.

But the power contained within was by no means simple.

It was the essence of the Emperor Sword Form, which pursued a heavy sword (重劍) style with a powerful strike capable of cleaving mountains in one blow, a masterpiece known as Severing Glow Meteor (斷霞流星).

Clang!

An explosion erupted even though only a sword and a hand collided.

At the same time, fierce energy swept through the surroundings.

Unable to withstand the impact, Namgung Baek staggered back three steps.

‘……!’

Namgung Baek forcibly swallowed the groan that escaped his lips.

A tremendous shock was transmitted through the fingers holding the sword.

Namgung Baek looked down at his hand holding the sword.

The sensation in his fingers had long disappeared, and his palm was torn, oozing blood.

‘How on earth?’

Namgung Baek could not help but be astonished by No Danyang’s martial prowess, which far exceeded his expectations.

It was not the No Danyang of the past, who was not even worth a moment’s attention when he fled from him.

Even though it was only one exchange, he could no longer guarantee victory.

But he couldn’t afford to be surprised forever.

The eerie blood-red energy was wriggling as if alive, rushing towards his neck and chest.

Namgung Baek gritted his teeth and firmly gripped the sword hilt, which was slippery with blood.

And he swung his sword again.

Clang, clang, clang!

Amidst the flashing cold sword light, a series of chilling metallic sounds erupted.

The two exchanged over twenty blows in an instant.

The surroundings, swept away by the rampaging sword light and energy, were transformed into ruins in the blink of an eye.

However, as time passed, a look of triumph appeared in No Danyang’s eyes.

On the other hand, Namgung Baek’s face was darkening.

‘Netherworld Sound Demon’s Laugh (冥音魔笑)!’

He had already heard from Dan Akseon that No Danyang had mastered the Blood Jade Hand (血玉手) and Blood Demon罡 (血魔罡) [powerful demonic techniques], the prized martial arts of the Demonic Sect.

But he had cultivated yet another demonic art in the meantime!

The Netherworld Sound Demon’s Laugh was a terrifying sound-based martial art (音功) [a technique that uses sound to attack] that could, by itself, disrupt the opponent’s meridians and lead to death.

However, it consumed a tremendous amount of internal energy.

Like the Poisonous Dragon Art, it was a demonic art that was more effective when launching surprise attacks against multiple opponents rather than in one-on-one duels.

However, No Danyang had been secretly employing the Netherworld Sound Demon’s Laugh from the beginning.

Moreover, he had cleverly mixed it into the Blood Demon罡, sending it out in such a way that his internal energy would not be depleted.

By the time Namgung Baek realized this, he had already suffered considerable damage through several exchanges of attacks and defenses.

His internal energy had already begun to run out, and he was acutely aware that the power of his sword had also diminished significantly as a result.

“This is the end!”

It was then that No Danyang raised his hand high with a thunderous shout.

Thrum, thrum, thrum.

A vivid wall of blood-red energy appeared, shaking the air for a moment.

Namgung Baek’s gaze sank heavily as he faced it.

He had anticipated that No Danyang was preparing a decisive blow, but he had not expected it to be the Heavenly罡 Demonic Wall (天罡魔壁).

With this, all the demonic arts that the Martial Alliance had seized, except for the Extreme Extinction Flame Wheel (極滅炎輪), had now been revealed by No Danyang.

“Farewell, the lingering attachments of the past that have bound me!”

With those words, No Danyang reached out his hand.

It was a movement so slow that it made one yawn.

However, Namgung Baek could not avoid it.

The gigantic blood-red wall, shimmering like a phantom as it surrounded him from all sides.

But the destructive power contained within was by no means an illusion.

It was a manifestation of layers upon layers of condensed demonic energy, a rising martial art more powerful and destructive than any he had ever experienced.

Namgung Baek swung his sword towards the approaching energy wall.

Clang!

Namgung Baek’s sword faltered as if it would break.

However, he could not cut through the blood-red wall.

Rather, all that returned was a shock that made Namgung Baek’s arm tingle.

Faced with such terrifying power, Namgung Baek felt fear for the first time.

‘There’s no way out of this!’

Realizing that he could not escape this desperate crisis, Namgung Baek thought of death for the first time.

‘Is this the end…….’

The various memories, both big and small, that had accumulated during his not-so-long life flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

Strangely, he did not feel resentful or sad.

He felt an inexplicable sense of regret, but this too was not an attachment to life.

At that moment, the figure of his father, who had passed away, came to mind.

‘Father…….’

His father’s eyes, smiling quietly as he looked back at him.

Even though it was an illusion encountered at the boundary between life and death, Namgung Baek was delighted.

He was simply glad to have encountered his father’s figure, even in this way, whom he thought he would never see again.

Then, he became depressed.

If only he had completed the Emperor Sword Form that his father had left behind, he would not have collapsed so futilely.

If he were to fall at the hands of No Danyang like this, the family, which had struggled to rise again based on his father’s sacrifice, would also decline again.

Thinking so, an inexplicable sadness and anger filled his chest.

―Settle the mind and forget emotions (心定忘情), kill the mind and awaken the spirit (心死神起).

The mantra of the Emperor Sword Form, which he had recited countless times and could no longer shake from his mind.

It was then that the mantra, which was particularly difficult and had been put off until later, struck his mind like a thunderbolt.

For a moment, Namgung Baek felt a sense of elation as if a bolt of lightning had passed through him from the Baihui point (百會穴) [the crown of the head] at the crown of his head to the Yongcheon point (湧泉穴) [the center of the sole] on the soles of his feet.

Ironically, he had grasped a clue to enlightenment at the very edge of utter desperation.

The mantra, whose meaning itself was ambiguous and difficult to even interpret accurately, became clear in his mind at this moment.

‘If you settle the mind, you forget the intention. In other words, the state of selflessness (無我) that does not distinguish between the enemy and oneself!’

The meaning of first killing one’s own mind to awaken the sleeping spirit (神) was the same.

The nerves throughout his body, which had been slackened, were tightened again.

A stream of hot energy surged from his dantian (丹田) [energy center], which he thought was completely depleted and empty, and began to rush towards the meridians throughout his body.

Namgung Baek looked straight ahead.

The energy wall, approaching to crush him from a distance of only a foot or so, came into view.

Even considering the power of the Heavenly罡 Demonic Wall, No Danyang’s momentum, and his own condition, the situation was still unfavorable.

The distance was not sufficient to aim for No Danyang’s neck or heart and attempt a counterattack.

Even if he fully extended his sword, it would be crushed by the Heavenly罡 Demonic Wall.

There was no suitable space to evade.

The range of the constantly fluctuating blood-red energy wall had already completely dominated the space within one zhang (丈) [approximately 3.3 meters].

Even if he endured the damage and somehow escaped, he could not be free from the ensuing wave of attacks.

‘Rather, the situation will only get worse.’

There was only one way.

Namgung Baek’s gaze sank deeply.

The moment his consciousness focused on a single point of the sword’s edge, Namgung Baek extended his sword forward.

Seeing Namgung Baek, who had been on the verge of defeat, charge straight in, No Danyang sneered inwardly.

Namgung Baek’s appearance of leaping towards the Heavenly罡 Demonic Wall looked as reckless as a moth throwing itself into a bonfire.

It was then that the layers upon layers of overlapping blood-red energy walls swallowed Namgung Baek.

No Danyang’s lips twisted faintly.

He had no doubt that Namgung Baek would soon be torn into scattered pieces of flesh (肉片).

But before long, No Danyang’s face hardened.

Something was going wrong.

The death throes that should have been heard, and the thick spray of blood, did not appear.

Moreover, the energy wall began to shake due to an unknown repulsive force.

It was then that a streak of light flashed amidst the mist, as No Danyang could not help but feel a sense of bewilderment.

A white light (白光), so blue that it was blinding, intertwined fiercely with the blood-red energy wall at the same time.

“……!”

No Danyang’s heart sank.

A sword that was closing the distance, cleaving through the mist!

It was clearly Namgung Baek’s.

Each time the sword, which was emitting a milky-white sword light, moved, the energy wall, which had been so impenetrable, was being cut down helplessly.

As his mind became distracted, the true energy that had been operating the Heavenly罡 Demonic Wall naturally loosened.

Namgung Baek did not miss this opportunity and cleaved through the weakened energy wall with the force of splitting it in two with a single stroke (一刀兩斷).

Tear!

A noise like tearing apart hundreds of layers of silk erupted.

Due to the resulting shockwave, the floor heaved, and a thick cloud of dust covered the arena on a storm-like current.

Soon, the dust cleared, and the scene inside the arena was revealed.

Stagger.

No Danyang staggered back with a pale face.

“How……, ugh!”

Staggering back like a drunken man, No Danyang opened his mouth and vomited more than a bowlful of blood before collapsing to the floor.

His palm, which had been torn open lengthwise, was tattered with flesh, exposing the bone.

Namgung Baek’s condition was not much better either.

Not to mention his face, which was as pale as a sheet, blood that had started at the corner of his mouth was constantly flowing down his chin.

Yet, Namgung Baek was smiling.

No Danyang felt goosebumps all over his body as he faced that smile.

As No Danyang, who discovered the sword flying towards his neck, squeezed out the remaining strength and struck Namgung Baek.

It was then that an unexpected event occurred.

Namgung Baek, who had been expected to retreat, did not avoid it and instead closed the distance even further.

Crack.

A chilling sound of tearing flesh erupted from Namgung Baek’s shoulder.

However, No Danyang, who had embedded the Blood Jade Hand into Namgung Baek’s shoulder, widened his eyes.

“Keuh-reureuk.”

Namgung Baek’s sword was already embedded in the chest of No Danyang, who was collapsing while vomiting blood foam.

Not missing the fleeting gap, Namgung Baek had swung his sword like lightning and plunged it into No Danyang’s chest.

No Danyang’s face turned pale at the sight of Namgung Baek, who was covered in blood and smiling.

“You crazy bastard!”

A suicidal tactic (同歸於盡) aimed at mutual destruction (兩敗俱死).

“Are you trying to die together?”

“I have no intention of letting you go. So let’s go together to the end. My original sin (原罪).”

“You didn’t intend to return alive from the beginning!”

“I have committed too great a sin to do so.”

No Danyang, who finally realized Namgung Baek’s intention, turned pale and tried to distance himself.

However, Namgung Baek was not about to allow it.

With the determination to kill the Seven Fiends Demonic Lord (七絕魔君) on the spot, he plunged the sword he was holding even harder.

On the other hand, No Danyang only had the thought of surviving.

‘How did I obtain this martial art!’

If he could escape the current crisis and be given more time, it was not a vain dream to complete the martial art that would dominate the world.

Clutch.

No Danyang, who grabbed Namgung Baek’s sword with both hands, began to resist with all his might.

However, the sword gradually began to dig into No Danyang’s chest.

“Kuaaaaak!”

A desperate scream echoed in the air.