Chapter 1709
That will be enough. (4)
Their eyes met at a distance so close it seemed their gazes could almost touch – one wide with shock, the other half-closed and sinking.
“Urgh…”
The Lord of the Sun Palace clutched the sword embedded in his chest. Blood trickled down the blade, soaking into his hand and oozing thickly.
The strike had not fully pierced his body. It meant that it wasn’t fatal enough to sever his life.
Yet, no one could have imagined such a blow would occur. This sword should not be lodged here.
The searing pain burning in his chest was the only proof that this was reality.
“This..”
Crack!
The Sun Palace Lord gripped the Plum Blossom Sword tighter, causing it to emit a sharp, agonized cry. Blood that had flowed from his chest along the blade evaporated into a red mist, unable to withstand the heat emanating from his hand.
And then.
Boom!
With terrifying force, the Sun Palace Lord’s left hand shot towards Jo Geol’s side. Lost in a trance, Jo Geol didn’t even think to evade the strike.
But in that moment, Yoon Jong swung his sword with all his might. Hundreds of sword strikes filled the air, as if they were scattering like falling petals. The sword energy, which hadn’t even fully blossomed into plum blossoms, just barely managed to block the Palace Lord’s powerful strike aimed directly at Jo Geol.
Boom!
Gurgle!
As the sword energy clashed with the hot yang energy, blood suddenly gushed from Yoon Jong’s mouth. It felt as though his internal organs had been utterly crushed and shattered from a single strike. The impact was that overwhelming.
However, the tip of Yoon Jong’s sword did not waver for even a moment. If he faltered, Jo Geol would die. For that reason, Yoon Jong could not allow himself to falter.
“Raaahhh!”
Instead, he let out a battle cry, as if to vomit out the blood. The blunt sword energy began to transform into a single blooming flower. It was a sword technique that poured everything into one strike.
The steel flowers that bloomed in defiance of the oncoming storm of intense heat momentarily pushed back the searing force of the Sun Palace Lord’s blazing attack.
“Ooooohhhh!”
And then, as if it had been waiting for this moment, a brilliant golden light surged towards the Palace Lord’s left hand.
Boom!
The sound echoed like a massive bronze bell being struck. The tremendous force did not stop at a single blow.
Boom! Boom!
The successive strikes unleashed all their power against the Sun Palace Lord.
Hye Yeon, the prodigy nurtured with utmost care by Shaolin, poured out every ounce of his strength at this moment. All for one purpose!
“A-mi-!”
Without even the chance to finish his shout, which burst forth like a lion’s roar, Hye Yeon’s relentless attack continued without pause.
The Sun Palace Lord’s overpowering force, which had been reaching out in full strength, began to shrink back, unable to withstand the onslaught of the plum blossoms and golden light, like flames that had burned out.
“You dare!”
The Sun Palace Lord screamed in rage.
The wounds that now marred his body, the unintended display of weakness, the reality that he was being pushed back by these insignificant, feeble beings – all of this drove the Sun Palace Lord to the brink of madness, stripping away his reason.
“Raaaahhhhh!”
A sound erupted, part anguished cry, part scream of insanity, echoing through the air. The roar, unbefitting of his noble status, was no different from that of a wild beast.
Golden energy surged from both of the Sun Palace Lord’s hands, dazzling and overwhelming as though it was formed from the world’s most precious treasures, with the power to crush the very earth beneath it.
A palpable malice, the intent to utterly annihilate these foes before him, even if it meant expending the last of his strength, emanated from him.
Boom!
The golden energy swelled, threatening to engulf everything – the sword still lodged in the Sun Palace Lord’s chest, Jo Geol, who clung to it, Yoon Jong, who was defending with all his might, and Hye Yeon, who was desperately pounding on an unyielding door.
It seemed as if everything would be consumed by the rapidly expanding golden force. Despair began to cloud the eyes of all those present.
But then.
Flash!
Just as the explosion was about to occur, someone darted into the condensed energy like a bolt of lightning, plunging into the maelstrom of sword energy, power, and the Sun Palace Lord’s intense heat.
A deep, resonant hum filled the air.
The tip of a red-tinged sword, slowly yet inevitably, advanced towards the Sun Palace Lord’s neck.
Yoon Jong’s eyes widened in disbelief. He recognized, with startling clarity, who it was that had stepped forward, bearing the brunt of that overwhelming energy while thrusting a sword forward.
‘Sasuk?’
He’s going to die.
His heart sank. That energy was so immense that even someone in perfect health couldn’t withstand it. Facing it in a body already on the brink of death? It would be easier to survive by biting down on a sword and falling forward.
Yet Yoon Jong could do nothing. If he faltered for even a moment, Baek Cheon, Jo Geol, Hye Yeon, and even Yoon Jong himself would be instantly reduced to blackened ash.
No, in the end, everyone here would die.
Crack.
The energy clashed and screamed as it collided. Amid the horrific cacophony, the sound of Baek Cheon’s feet dragging forward echoed with terrifying clarity.
Ssssss!
His flesh burned and melted away. The skin on Baek Cheon’s hand, which held the sword, began to fall off as it was charred beyond recognition.
‘No, no…’
Ssssss!
But even in that moment, Baek Cheon continued to advance, albeit slowly, inch by inch. The sharp tip of his sword remained unwaveringly aimed at the Sun Palace Lord’s neck.
That sword would not stop. Yoon Jong couldn’t help but sense it instinctively.
Even if Baek Cheon’s entire body were to be completely consumed, even if not a single bone remained, that sword would not stop until it pierced the Sun Palace Lord’s neck.
And Yoon Jong was not the only one who felt this. In fact, the person who sensed it most intensely was none other than Jin Pyeong, the Lord of the Sun Palace, who watched as the tip of the sword drew closer.
‘Why?’
Why would someone go to such lengths?
Baek Cheon’s death was already certain. If so, wouldn’t it be better to die quietly rather than to choose such agonizing suffering?
Enduring the Sun Palace Lord’s scorching hot yang energy with nothing but his body would bring about a pain so severe that death would be a welcome release. In fact, even the impending death would be filled with an unparalleled agony.
So why, then, was he continuing with such a reckless act?
As he watched Baek Cheon, who pressed forward without hesitation despite looking like a sinner suffering in the hottest depths of hell, a new and unfamiliar emotion stirred within his heart – something he had never felt before.
Ssssss!
Through the energy on the verge of exploding, he could see Baek Cheon’s distorted face.
Though it was covered in wounds and burns, Baek Cheon’s eyes remained steady and unwavering, like those of an enlightened monk.
The Sun Palace Lord felt as if his very soul was fleeing from him. His martial prowess might have been overwhelming, but as a person, he could not withstand the sheer ‘strength’ of these people.
As his spirit shrank, so too did his energy. It became increasingly difficult to unleash the full power he had just moments ago.
Baek Cheon’s eyes were gradually closing.
There was no pain anymore. All that remained was the will to move forward. His body had surpassed its limits, and his mind had stepped into a realm it had never reached before.
As Baek Cheon’s frail but determined advance continued, a fire ignited in the chest of the cornered beast.
“Ugh, uaaaahhhh!”
The Sun Palace Lord, in a frantic burst of desperation, thrust his hands forward with all his remaining strength.
It is said that a cornered rat will bite the cat, and the Sun Palace Lord was far more formidable than any ordinary beast.
Flash!
The Sun Palace Lord’s waning energy suddenly flared up like a wildfire, surging outwards – directly at Baek Cheon, who was leading the charge.
Yoon Jong and Jo Geol screamed involuntarily.
At that moment, an arrow shot forward, following the path that Baek Cheon had carved out with his life.
Swoosh!
With a sound like a sharp blade slicing through silk, Yu Iseol’s Plum Blossom Sword pierced through the surging flames, heading straight for the Sun Palace Lord’s forehead.
That sword carried all of Yu Iseol’s strength. It was a strike that left nothing behind, holding every ounce of her power, her resolve.
For once, the usually stoic face of Yu Iseol was marked by grim determination, a resolve that went beyond mere determination – there was a desperate hope.
‘Please!’
The tip of the sword, as if answering the hopes of Yu Iseol and everyone else, reached the Sun Palace Lord’s forehead.
But in that very moment.
Snap.
The Sun Palace Lord’s hand grabbed Yu Iseol’s sword. Since the blade was infused with intense sword energy, the Sun Palace Lord’s hand paid the price for this. The sharp edge dug into his palm, slicing through flesh and bone.
But despite the pain, the Sun Palace Lord stubbornly refused to let go of the sword.
‘Ah…’
Yu Iseol’s eyes, which had seemed unshakable, now wavered violently.
She had not reached him.
The strike that had contained everything she had, fell short by just a bit, resulting in failure.
She instinctively knew that she would not get another chance at such a strike.
At that moment, her eyes filled with a profound despair at the bitter end she now faced.
“Uaaahhhh!”
But then, from behind them, a tremendous battle cry erupted.
The voice was unfamiliar, yet the desperation behind it was unmistakable. The shout was so intense that it seemed to be right beside them the moment they heard it, and by the time they realized it, it had already moved ahead.
A stranger’s back came into view, radiating a fierce urgency and deadly resolve.
What followed was a sight that shocked everyone – especially the Sun Palace Lord, whose eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth agape.
‘Cheon Myeon..?’
Cheon Myeon Susa’s palm, which had suddenly appeared before them, plunged mercilessly into the Sun Palace Lord’s chest, right where Jo Geol had previously wounded him.
Thud!
The moment the pale hand struck his chest, the Sun Palace Lord spewed a fountain of dark blood and was violently thrown back.
All the disciples of Hwasan froze in place.
The situation was so unimaginable that their minds simply stopped processing what was happening.
Gasp, gasp…
Cheon Myeon Susa, who had just landed on the ground, panted heavily. His entire body was covered in wounds, and his face was twisted in a ghastly grimace, resembling that ot a demon.
“What in the world…”
Thud!
As Jo Geol tried to speak, attempting to make sense of the bizarre scene, a dull sound interrupted him. The Sun Palace Lord, who had been lying on the ground, struggled to rise. His eyes were filled with a murderous rage as he glared at Cheon Myeon Susa, as if he would devour him on the spot.
“This… this… what… this… this treachery… cough!”
“My Lord!”
Just as the Sun Palace Lord Jin Pyeong was about to unleash his fury, blood once again gushed from his mouth.
“This… this…”
He put a hand over his mouth, glaring at Cheon Myeon Susa with eyes that burned with hatred. In that moment, when he should have been fighting alongside someone who was meant to be his ally, his resentment reached its peak.
“You… damn…”
His body stiffened like an ancient, withered tree, and he fell forward.
Thud!
The sound of the giant’s body crashing to the ground echoed, followed by a hissing noise as his flesh seared against the heated earth.
No one could find words to speak.
A brief silence settled over the scene.
In that stillness, Cheon Myeon Susa, Dam Yeohae, glanced down at his trembling hands, then bit his lip hard.
“…Damn it.”
With that, he leaped forward, swiftly moving past the fallen Sun Palace Lord like the wind.
It was the moment when the final gatekeeper of hell fell, pierced by a blade from someone entirely unexpected.
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