Chapter 147: Soul Reaper Demon

Jang Woo-hyun slowly walked out from the sunken hill.

‘That hurts.’

Even though his body had become extraordinary, the base was still human, and so he could feel pain. It wasn’t the same kind of pain as before—broken bones or slashed flesh. It felt as if his soul or the very foundation of his being had been damaged.

Standing in place, he checked his physical condition once. Then, he looked toward the approaching Yang Jeon-gun. As always, he released his Qi Threads and widened his Qi Perception to assess the opponent.

Viiing—

At Yang Jeon-gun’s feet, a small wheel spun, radiating light.

With every step he took, his body vanished for a moment before reappearing.

It was as if he was leaping through space, just like the bellies of the giants he had encountered in the Giant Tree Grove.

Yang Jeon-gun, after taking a few steps in midair, approached near Jang Woo-hyun. As he slowly descended to the ground, he threw something upward.

When the unidentified object rose into the sky—

Rumble.

A sudden roar rang out.

Moments later, a black line fell from the sky.

Boom! Boom! Kwaang!

There were eight in total.

The black lines that tore through the air and fell became massive pillars that drove deep into the earth.

Uuuung.

As the pillars vibrated, countless beams of light formed between them. In an instant, both Yang Jeon-gun and Jang Woo-hyun found themselves trapped inside a massive cage.

‘Is this the reason?’

He now understood why Seok Hae-gang had lied to bring him here. Yang Jeon-gun had pre-installed this massive Dharma Treasure and lured him in.

‘But it’s meaningless.’

The massive cage of unknown design appeared to be a fairly sturdy Dharma Treasure. However, with Jang Woo-hyun’s current strength, he could smash through it and escape in an instant.

It seemed Yang Jeon-gun had misjudged his strength.

Viiing—

Yang Jeon-gun slowly descended to the ground. The glowing wheel spun beneath his feet, and white fireballs hovered around him.

“Did you use Seok Hae-gang to lure me here?”

“You could say that.”

Just before his feet touched the ground, the glowing wheel disappeared with a clank.

“Eight Ghost Snake Black Iron Cage. A Dharma Treasure used to imprison opponents. But I use it to create hunting grounds.”

Spreading his arms wide, Yang Jeon-gun laughed as he introduced the Dharma Treasure he had used.

“Welcome to my hunting ground, Slayer Sword Demon.”

Hearing the blatant intent to hunt him, Jang Woo-hyun let out a hollow laugh.

“Go ahead, try it all. By the way, what exactly are you collecting?”

The cultivators he had seen at the inn had referred to Yang Jeon-gun as the Soul Reaper Demon.

‘Soul Reaper’—a rarely used word that meant extensive collection.

The thought occurred to him, so he asked what exactly he was collecting.

“Whatever I want. Artifacts, Dharma Treasures, minerals or gems. And…”

The smile on Yang Jeon-gun’s face deepened.

“Even monsters, other races, or humans.”

At the word ‘humans,’ Jang Woo-hyun frowned.

“You collect people?”

“I collect anything. And what I want right now is you, Slayer Sword Demon.”

Yang Jeon-gun, known as the Soul Reaper Demon or the Collector.

Jang Woo-hyun, who came from the Murim Realm, didn’t know, but within the cultivators’ realm, Yang Jeon-gun was notorious for his vile hobby.

“I’m curious about something too. Why did you cross over to this side? Ah, if it’s a secret or you don’t want to say, it’s fine. I can just ask later, hehe.”

“No special reason. Just ended up here.”

“Hmm? You just ended up here?”

Yang Jeon-gun seemed about to ask more, but Jang Woo-hyun cut him off.

“Let’s stop talking. Doesn’t seem like we’re in the mood for a friendly chat.”

With that, he raised Mukya.

“Oh, just one last question.”

Just before launching forward, Jang Woo-hyun habitually asked a question he posed to all cultivators.

“Do you know about the Ascension Cult?”

“…Never heard of it.”

It was such an unexpected question that Yang Jeon-gun’s response came a beat late. His face, which had previously held a sly smile, hardened slightly.

From that reaction, Jang Woo-hyun realized Yang Jeon-gun knew something.

“If you don’t, that’s fine. I’ll ask again later.”

He didn’t need an answer right away. Jang Woo-hyun planned to ask in his own way—after the fight.

Thanks to his experiences in the cultivators’ realm, getting someone to talk wasn’t difficult anymore.

‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’

Uuuuuung.

As he entered the Realm of Transcendence, everything slowed.

Jang Woo-hyun kicked off the ground, quickly closing the distance to Yang Jeon-gun. But faster than that, Yang Jeon-gun vanished from his spot as if teleporting.

It was a move Jang Woo-hyun had already seen once before, so he turned and swung his sword immediately.

Kwaang!

He intended to slash at a fist suddenly extending from the side.

But the hand that clashed with Mukya remained intact. Instead, Jang Woo-hyun was pushed back.

‘Tough.’

Yang Jeon-gun’s body, clad in flames that emitted light like armor, was tough enough to block Jang Woo-hyun’s sword.

It was the kind of force that could easily split a mountain peak, yet Yang Jeon-gun had blocked it with his bare body.

After both were pushed back by the recoil—

A massive explosion occurred at the point where sword and fist had collided.

At the same time, the wheel under Yang Jeon-gun’s feet spun and emitted light, and his figure vanished.

‘A teleportation Dharma Treasure.’

It wasn’t something simple like a Flying Apparatus. It appeared to be a Dharma Treasure that allowed instant spatial movement.

Using the wheel-shaped Dharma Treasure, Yang Jeon-gun disappeared and reappeared from all directions around Jang Woo-hyun.

Boom! Boom! Kwang!

Every time sword and fist clashed, explosions erupted in the air.

As he blocked Yang Jeon-gun’s attacks, Jang Woo-hyun’s lips curved slightly.

‘Interesting.’

A type he had never fought before.

A body clad in flames. This physical ability was unlike any cultivator he had encountered thus far.

‘They called it Flexible Technique Methods.’

Cultivators who trained their bodies like martial artists. They fought using Flexible Technique Methods, an external technique style of training.

None of the cultivators Jang Woo-hyun had met until now had properly mastered it, so this was his first time fighting someone like Yang Jeon-gun.

In the time it took to breathe a few times, dozens of exchanges took place.

Then, as he deflected Yang Jeon-gun’s forceful punch, Jang Woo-hyun asked,

“Is that all?”

Yang Jeon-gun was strong. Not only was his body hardened to withstand swords, but he also supplemented his limited mobility using Dharma Treasures.

Since his fight with Myo Cheon-pung, Jang Woo-hyun no longer underestimated those who used Dharma Treasures. He considered them part of one’s strength.

But it still wasn’t enough.

The reason Jang Woo-hyun had come to what appeared to be a trap was twofold.

First, to completely shake off the ones tailing him. And second, because he had confidence in his strength.

Until now, Jang Woo-hyun had never gone all out in a fight with a cultivator. Because he had never faced a worthy opponent.

So when he first sensed Yang Jeon-gun’s power, he had secretly felt excitement.

Judging by his power level, Yang Jeon-gun was in the Refined Void Stage.

Comparable to the Boundless Realm of martial artists. And unlike others he had met, this one had mastered the Flexible Technique Methods.

Naturally, expectations rose.

But if this was all there was, he wouldn’t be much different from those before.

“Hahaha! As expected of the Sword Demon! Wonderful! Just wonderful!”

At Jang Woo-hyun’s taunt, the wheel beneath Yang Jeon-gun’s feet spun faster and glowed more intensely—clearly signaling he was about to go all in.

And then, Jang Woo-hyun lost track of his movement.

Kwaaaang!

A sudden punch from above reached him a beat too late.

The ground caved in around Jang Woo-hyun, creating a massive crater.

Yang Jeon-gun’s next attacks followed in succession.

The white flame orbs that had floated around him transformed into ring shapes and rose in front of him.

It was as if it had become a kind of passageway—Yang Jeon-gun punched toward the center of the ring. At the same time, a white line extended between the two of them.

Kwaaaang—

A massive explosion erupted.

A hemispherical blast with a diameter of hundreds of jang swallowed everything in its path and continued to grow.

The impact from the explosion shook the Dharma Treasure that had trapped them as if it were about to shatter.

“……”

Jang Woo-hyun’s brows lifted slightly at the tingling sensation climbing up his arm.

‘What was that?’

It was certainly a powerful attack. Enough to annihilate most martial artists in the Realm of Transcendence with a single blow.

But something felt off.

As if something was being hidden. It felt like Yang Jeon-gun hadn’t gone all out.

“One more hit coming.”

Even before the aftershocks had settled, Yang Jeon-gun’s voice came again. The ring of fire in front of him had increased to five.

In response, Jang Woo-hyun unleashed his power.

Until now, he had merely been moving in harmony with the surrounding energy.

He no longer needed to create the Sacred River Flowing Armor. Now, his Will-Form Qi and energy were simply being released into the world.

Boundless Realm. A realm where one’s will could be extended infinitely.

At this stage, he could use the extended will to slice through space itself and attack from afar.

His will, extending endlessly, seized control of the surrounding space.

A killing aura that could slice through anything filled the air around him.

Just by releasing his energy, two of the five rings of fire floating before Yang Jeon-gun were sliced and vanished.

“What the……”

Yang Jeon-gun was horrified at the incomprehensible sight.

Panicking, he hurriedly created five new rings of fire and immediately threw a punch.

Jang Woo-hyun raised his sword. Then, he swung it slowly.

Transcendental Sword.

A sword art that created sword qi as thin as threads and cut across hundreds of jang.

He now unraveled the enlightenment he had gained from the Transcendental Sword in his own unique way. Just like when he fought the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and Jeongye Sam-baek. The swung sword split the world.

A single trajectory was drawn before him, and everything within that path was cut.

The approaching white light.

The massive black pillars surrounding them.

And even Yang Jeon-gun, who had raised both arms to block the attack.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Yang Jeon-gun screamed as his arms were severed, the cry echoing around them.

Two contrasting expressions.

Jang Woo-hyun, having witnessed Yang Jeon-gun’s strength, remained indifferent. Yang Jeon-gun, having witnessed Jang Woo-hyun’s true power, was filled with horror.

“If you’ve been hiding something, you’d better bring it all out.”

Jang Woo-hyun, holding Mukya, began to approach Yang Jeon-gun.

Just by getting closer, Yang Jeon-gun’s body started to fragment.

“Ehehehehe.”

Hearing Yang Jeon-gun’s laughter, Jang Woo-hyun furrowed his brow.

It was different from before. Now, Yang Jeon-gun was the one laughing, and Jang Woo-hyun the one frowning.

‘Just as I thought.’

He had suspected something was being hidden—and he had been right.

Sigh.

Jang Woo-hyun let out a small breath and turned his gaze toward Yang Jeon-gun’s head.

A head already separated from the body.

From beneath it, wriggling, tentacle-like things emerged. From the beginning, that body had not been Yang Jeon-gun’s true body.

“A Projection… is it?”

It was different from Kim Min-soo’s Projection he had encountered on the Dawn Continent. That Projection had been created by gathering energy, but Yang Jeon-gun’s body until now had seemed like a living person.

“Well, depending on how you look at it, I suppose so.”

The tentacles growing from below the neck squirmed and straightened Yang Jeon-gun’s neck.

“What’s it made from? Doesn’t seem like an ordinary Projection.”

“I told you before we fought, didn’t I? I collect people too.”

Jang Woo-hyun immediately understood—it was someone else’s body.

After that, Yang Jeon-gun let out a cackling laugh, and Jang Woo-hyun, disgusted, kicked the head with his foot.

Puhng! The head shattered with a sound, scattering bones, flesh, and blood.

“Disgusting bastard.”

“Hehehe.”

As the head exploded, Yang Jeon-gun’s severed arm nearby twitched. Then, tentacles sprouted from it, forming eyes and a mouth.

“I don’t understand. Just like you trained with the sword, this is a technique I trained in—uh, uhh, mm, hmm.”

Yang Jeon-gun, mid-sentence, suddenly stopped and made strange noises. The arm with the tentacles crawled along the ground using its fingers.

The grotesque arm moved about three jang away before stopping.

“Mm, mm. That’s enough. This is a technique I trained in. It’s just that the martial arts and cultivation methods we trained are different.”

Watching him closely, Jang Woo-hyun recalled something.

“So this is the reason you lured me here.”

There was a more important reason beyond just trapping him inside the Dharma Treasure.

“……”

“You can’t reach beyond this point. Am I right?”

At Jang Woo-hyun’s observation, Yang Jeon-gun stopped speaking.

Earlier, when Yang Jeon-gun had stopped mid-sentence, Jang Woo-hyun had noticed the tentacles briefly lose strength and go limp.

From that, he immediately grasped the situation. He had experienced something similar once before.

Woo Jeong-hak, the Left Minister of the Demonic Cult.

While the scale of their powers differed vastly, the method Yang Jeon-gun was using now was similar. His real body was somewhere else, and he was controlling another person remotely.

Thanks to that prior experience, Jang Woo-hyun understood Yang Jeon-gun’s current state.

The body currently connected to him would be uncontrollable if it moved any farther from this point.

“Hmph, you’ve already figured it out, so there’s no point in lying. You’re right. This is as far as I can go. If I stray even slightly from here, I can’t fight properly.”

Yang Jeon-gun seemed about to speak further, but Jang Woo-hyun reached out and clenched his fist. Yang Jeon-gun’s arm was crushed into a bloody mess.

【Listen to me for a moment. It won’t be bad for you either.】

This time, from a little distance away, a mound of dirt rose up and formed a human head—but Jang Woo-hyun smashed it again.

【Let me just talk for a moment…】

Bang!

【Wait a little—】

Crack!

【Hey! Wai—】

Puh-ung!

Several more times, Yang Jeon-gun tried to speak, but Jang Woo-hyun smashed every new head the moment it appeared.

【Wait! Wait! It’s about the Ascension Cult! I want to talk about the Ascension Cult!】

Only then did Jang Woo-hyun stop destroying the heads.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep