Chapter 182. Pathetic

Whoop!

Activating the Star-Sucking Great Art, I greedily sucked in the water qi possessed by the White Hand Demon Empress.

“……!”

The White Hand Demon Empress had her water qi absorbed without being able to offer any resistance.

Since the Heavenly Demon Divine Skill Star-Sucking Great Art was cast, resistance was impossible even for the White Hand Demon Empress.

Swooosh!

The water qi permeated from the White Hand Demon Empress’ mouth into my mouth, and soon into my full body meridians.

Zap zap!

A chill that felt like my whole body was freezing from head to toe was felt.

Also, the existing fire qi and the water qi caused a conflict with each other, trying to destroy my full body acupoints.

Nevertheless, I did not stop the Star-Sucking Great Art.

‘Let’s not try to resist. Just, just accept it.’

If one intends to achieve the Heavenly Demon Divine Skill Demonic Emperor, one must achieve Union with the fire qi.

If I stopped here, I would just become a martial artist with unbalanced energy inclined to fire qi.

Ideally, qi should not be inclined to any one side and must keep the Middle Way.

I couldn’t stop the Star-Sucking Great Art until the fire qi and water qi I possessed achieved an appropriate balance, at least.

Swooosh!

The water qi that had permeated into the full body meridians finally flowed toward my dantian.

Whoosh!

The fire qi that had been occupying the place rose like wildfire and tried to push out the water qi.

That was a natural reaction.

Yin and Yang are mutual opposites.

It was nothing strange that they tried to collide with each other.

‘No, no.’

I consciously suppressed the fire qi.

I wanted Union, not collision.

Pop, poom!

As fire qi and water qi collided inside the dantian, it felt like explosion sounds were even heard in my ears.

‘Union, it is Union.’

I focused on balancing the fire qi and water qi while enduring that extreme pain.

How much time passed like that?

‘Done.’

I stopped the Star-Sucking Great Art when the fire qi and water qi achieved a perfect balance of fifty percent each.

And that judgment of mine was correct.

My fire qi and water qi, which achieved a perfect balance, did not collide but settled down quietly while entangled with each other.

As I felt it, the shape was just like the Taiji symbol spoken of in the Wudang Sect.

‘Perfected Person Sam-pung wasn’t the best in the world of his time for nothing.’

I clicked my tongue, recalling Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang Sect.

Didn’t he realize this principle hundreds of years ago already and give teachings to the world by combining Taoist ideology and martial arts?

The thought occurred that being a Generational Master of a Prestigious Great Sect wasn’t something just anyone could do.

“Phew.”

I pushed away the White Hand Demon Empress and exhaled.

And…….

“Ha!”

I was startled.

The reason was simple.

The appearance of the White Hand Demon Empress was not like before.

Her skin, which had been like white jade, was wrinkled like an old woman.

Her lips were dead black, her hands were covered in liver spots, and her hair had even turned white without luster.

She had the appearance of a beauty that anyone would recognize until I sucked her water qi, but now she had become a completely old woman.

As if she had been hit by a Sexual Art and suffered Plucking Yin to Supplement Yang or Plucking Yang to Supplement Yin.

“Ee…… Eeeee……!!!”

The White Hand Demon Empress, who finally came to her senses, looked down at the back of her hand and was indignant.

Her hand, which was wrinkled, covered in liver spots, and skinny like a white skeleton, had become a hideous thing that could no longer be called a delicate hand.

“Dare…… Dare to make this lady into this state…… How dare yoooou!!!”

Black mist spewed out from the White Hand Demon Empress’ two eyes.

Swooosh!

White cold energy leaked out.

Crack, c-crack!

The surroundings froze even more solidly.

But I didn’t blink an eye.

Even though I met the White Hand Demon Empress’ eyes, I didn’t suffer.

As water qi and fire qi achieved balance, the Upper Dantian became stronger due to that effect, so I no longer took damage from the White Hand Demon Empress’ Demonic Eyes.

“Have you finally found your true form?”

“True form, you say!”

The White Hand Demon Empress shouted in rage.

“Where do you dare spout such words to this lady! This is not this lady’s form! Is it not because you stole the water qi!”

“That’s not even funny.”

I snorted.

“Grandma, if you were born hundreds of years ago, you should have a conscience. Isn’t it strange that you are still alive and breathing?”

“Gr, Grandma?”

“Then are you a grandma, or a young miss?”

“N, No! This lady does not age! I am an existence who is ageless and immortal!”

The White Hand Demon Empress vehemently denied my mockery and emitted killing intent.

“I will kill you. I will kill you and regain the youth you stole from this lady!”

The White Hand Demon Empress screamed and pounced toward me.

Grin, a smile rose on my lips.

The White Hand Demon Empress no longer felt threatening.

What was so scary about the White Hand Demon Empress who had nearly eighty percent of her water qi stolen?

“Pathetic. If you’ve lived that long, you should just die gracefully.”

I smiled coldly and clashed with the pouncing White Hand Demon Empress.

***

The second duel between me and the White Hand Demon Empress was completely different in aspect from the first duel.

During the first duel, I merely repeated evasion to survive without even daring to approach the White Hand Demon Empress.

But the second duel was completely different.

My body didn’t freeze nor did I take major damage from the White Hand Demon Empress’ attacks.

During the first duel, one arm froze solid just by hands colliding, but now it was fine.

“Aack!”

Rather, it was a situation where the White Hand Demon Empress took damage and was pushed back every time she clashed with me.

The White Hand Demon Empress, who lost her youth after having her water qi stolen, was no longer the legendary demonic practitioner who rivaled the First Heavenly Demon Dokgo Seong and achieved mutual destruction, but just a master who learned Ice Arts.

“How does it feel to become the insignificant being you so despised?”

Bang, Baang!

I asked while slamming the Heavenly Demon Fighting Soul Martial Art’s Heaven-Breaking Fist into the White Hand Demon Empress’ solar plexus.

“Aaaaaack!”

The White Hand Demon Empress screamed and suffered.

“How does it feel to be hit by a mere insignificant being?”

Thwack, thud!

Crack!

The Heaven-Breaking Fist and the Soul-Shattering Desolation-Breaking Kick pummeled the White Hand Demon Empress’ whole body.

“Aack! It, it hurts! I said it hurts!”

Perhaps not used to human pain, the White Hand Demon Empress cried and suffered like a child.

“This trash.”

My expression looking at such a White Hand Demon Empress was cold beyond measure.

If she reached such a realm, she must have killed at least ten thousand, or as many as tens of thousands of people in her lifetime and sucked their vital blood.

Yet to think she would suffer from just this much physical pain and whine that it hurts.

“Do you think the humans you killed and whose vital blood you stole until now didn’t hurt?”

“Aaaaaack!”

“In the end, you are just trash like Dokgo Seong. Nothing but a parasite extending its lifespan by plundering the life force of others.”

I was truly angry, and that anger was poured out entirely on the White Hand Demon Empress.

“S, Stop! Please stooooop! Aaaaaaaaaaaack!”

The White Hand Demon Empress begged for her life, crying and pleading, but there was no mercy for me.

As if to vent the anger of the people who suffered from the White Hand Demon Empress and those treated as insignificant beings by this evil woman, I continued to inflict violence and bestow pain.

Like that, when about one shichen had passed.

“This is the end.”

I threw the final blow at the White Hand Demon Empress.

I wanted to beat her for days and make her pay for her sins, but thinking of Cheol Yu-ra who would be wandering the verge of death even at this moment, I decided to stop venting my anger.

Kwaaaang!

The Heavenly Demon Fighting Soul Martial Art’s Heavenly Thunderclap Palm exploded on the White Hand Demon Empress’ chest.

The result.

Crack, cr-raaack!

Cracks appeared on the White Hand Demon Empress’ body.

Just as ice cracks, the cracks that spread like a spiderweb covered the White Hand Demon Empress.

And…….

Clatter!

The White Hand Demon Empress’ body shattered into pieces.

Just like solid frozen ice.

– Kyaaaaaaaaah!

The spirit that popped out of the White Hand Demon Empress’ broken body let out a ghostly wail.

– Do you think you can kill this lady with this! A body is nothing to this lady…….

Just then.

– Let’s go together…….

– I will not leave you alone…….

Spirits flying in from somewhere gathered around the White Hand Demon Empress and grabbed her.

“Ah.”

I noticed the identity of the spirits at once and nodded.

They were martial artists of the past who entered this Eternal Island and became Frozen Death Ghosts by the White Hand Demon Empress.

When the White Hand Demon Empress was well, they wandered this world trapped in frozen bodies, but now they had found peace.

– Thank you, truly thank you. You kept the promise.

“Ah, Senior Extreme Cold Ice Venerable.”

– Thanks to you, we have obtained rest.

“Don’t mention it…….”

– We will take this evil witch’s spirit to hell. So, Junior, please do not worry.

“If you say you will do so, it is something I am grateful for.”

Just the First Heavenly Demon Dokgo Seong was a headache, but if even the White Hand Demon Empress resurrected, it was a headache just thinking about it.

Since they said they would take such a White Hand Demon Empress to hell, it was just a grateful thing for me.

– Thank you once again. Also, I congratulate you on achieving Great Success.

“Thank you, seniors.”

– Then, we shall be going. Please take care of our bodies.

“Yes, seniors. Please rest in peace.”

I took a clasped hands greeting toward the spirits.

***

Immediately after disposing of the White Hand Demon Empress, I left Eternal Island.

‘Water qi and fire qi are balancing each other.’

Strictly speaking, the achievement in Eternal Island was not achieving Great Success.

I succeeded in possessing the Essence of Water and Essence of Fire in the dantian simultaneously, but the two energies were merely coexisting like the Taiji symbol and had not achieved Union.

‘Is that why they say I must obtain the Divine Essence.’

I looked at the Sky Mountain visible in the distance.

The Heavenly Demon Peak located at the top of Sky Mountain was hidden by thick clouds and mist and was not visible.

The Divine Essence spoken of by the Iron-Blooded Demonic God must be there, and only by obtaining it could I achieve Union and say I have achieved Great Success.

‘Like the Scorching Hell, Eternal Island is no longer one of the Five Great Forbidden Areas.’

Eternal Island, where the White Hand Demon Empress disappeared, was no longer cold.

Of course, since it was an area frozen solid for hundreds of years, it didn’t get warm immediately, but at least the cold that would freeze a person to death in the blink of an eye was nowhere to be found.

“I guess I’ll have to come to retrieve them later.”

Looking at the bodies of the seniors who were no longer Frozen Death Ghosts, I pondered for a moment and concluded I should do so.

When I even swam here because there was no boat to take to Eternal Island right now, I couldn’t take the bodies of the Extreme Cold Ice Venerable and seniors.

Since the frozen bodies would melt the moment they fell into the water, wouldn’t the bodies be damaged?

Still, I couldn’t let the bodies that were well preserved until now get swollen in water.

‘Anyway, going back is also a task. How much do I have to swim again. Phew.’

It was just when I was feeling at a loss looking at the waves of the Sky Mountain Sea.

“Liege, Lieeeeeeege!”

A voice full of internal energy rang out from a place far away, almost near the horizon.

Danmok Cheong.

It was the voice of my most loyal subordinate.

Grin, a smile hung on my lips.

Even though they couldn’t come together, the subordinates who hurriedly chased after their liege and brought a boat were extremely lovely and trustworthy.

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