Chapter 494

Colors whirl around Qing like a rainbow gone mad.

The five gleams of red, blue, green, yellow, and gray all seem to resemble something out of a nightmare. Red like blood, blue like putrid water.

Green is sickly, gray is dull and lifeless, and yellow is stained and grimy.

In theory, the five colors should harmonize into a good omen, but what sprawls before me is nothing but a sinister spectacle.

The warriors glance at each other, bewildered. “What is this supposed to be a harmony of? Why’s it so freaky?” They back away, shaken by the primal fear invoked by the unknown, their faces frozen in dread.

Because they know what it is.

For those in the know, the terror of the unknown doesn’t apply.

In truth, most of those labeled as masters of the Realm of Transformation are actually demons of the Realm of Demon Arts.

If they could just keep their wits about them and not succumb to mindless slaughter, they’d hardly be distinguishable from one another. Claiming to be in the Realm of Transformation suits their purposes just fine.

But even they have their excuses.

The esteemed disciples of the orthodox sects have long since opened all their energy channels from a young age, gobbled down elixirs like baby food, and practiced thoroughly verified divine skills, so yes, they ascend to the Realm of Transformation through legitimate means.

Meanwhile, our side, the heterodox sects or the rogues—what chance do we have to gain elixirs, train in divine skills, and reach true mastery?

Thus, they understood the situation before them.

A sudden Blood Sect witch about to enter the Demon Realm right in front of them!

In unison, they shout:

“Kill that witch!”

“We can’t just let this happen!”

“Someone stop that crazy woman! Now! It’s urgent!”

If this were Qing’s homeland, acts of aggression during awakening or transformation would be unthinkable.

Attacking during such moments would be seen as a grave sin based on some serious laws; it’s probably even condemned by international agreements as a wicked act that breaks the very rules of existence.

But in this primitive, ancient land, such concepts haven’t developed yet, so when things seem amiss, they vastly prefer to go for the kill.

In a rush, the three masters unleash their powers.

Qing’s form sways and crumbles like a fallen leaf to the ground.

“Kraak!”

The target vanishes suddenly, and the force of their attack engulfs innocent warriors instead.

Well, the primary objective has been splendidly achieved, so the collateral damage is just a minor inconvenience.

The five flavors of color slip away into Qing’s body.

A color that entered before forming a circle.

An annulment of the demon entrance.

Drawn forth before the looming threat to her life, Qing screams out desperately.

“Wait, Lady! Is it fair to attack while I’m vulnerable? Just hold on a sec! Just a little longer!”

“Shut up! You’re not in a position to look down on anyone! Is this a time to be slack regarding your awakening?”

“It’s not unfair! This is… uhm, uhm, what’s it called in the Central Plain?”

A-mook-hap-rab asks, yet who could possibly understand the Westland’s words?

Not even A-mook-hap-rab himself.

And certainly not Qing, who possesses a built-in translation function.

“Ah! That’s military strategy! Military strategy!”

“Oh, military strategy! Thank you, crazy woman! In exchange, I’ll grant you a spectacular Great Handprint!”

The thin, bony palm of the Lama Monk reaches for Qing.

Suddenly, an inflated palm of blood-red energy manifests, surging towards her like a tidal wave.

However, it moves with a strangely ambiguous speed—not too fast, but not slow either.

“Repaying kindness with malice!”

Qing responds angrily, twisting her body away.

Just then, the blood hand adjusts its trajectory towards her!

Why does it feel indecisively slow? Is it trying to guide her!?

Qing panics and drops flat to the ground, melting away.

The red shadow barely misses her.

Before she can catch her breath, the surroundings darken ominously.

The three foolish masters. The hefty Sapa sect leader, the rotund man, and the foreign pig, Pobidon, who’s about as able to move as a ball of grease.

His body is a massive, round chunk of meat, with all measurements equal.

As his limbs stretch out, they drop like a turtle or a starfish, stuck in his stupor.

Oh dear, how frustrating.

Qing stretches out her sharp fingertips forward.

Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat, Seven Strokes, Yao Huo Tam Gan. Double on each side.

A sly fox aims for her heart.

This is the very essence of her technique, the one that extracts a person’s heart with bare hands.

The nefarious strength of her grasslike hand becomes a swift, cruel serpent.

And now, a colossal belly slams down toward Qing!

Her dreadful technique plunges into the soft sides where the belly meets.

Her hand sinks in up to the wrist, but the rough skin remains distinctly tough.

The principle that softness conquers strength operates here—Pobidon’s massive belly has enough girth to stop her technique.

“Lady—”

Bam! Rumble…

Pobidon’s belly bombards Qing, digging a vast crater in the ground.

Debris flies in all directions.

The sheer weight of that belly crushes down on Qing.

The overwhelming pressure on her body.

“Cumh…!”

Qing writhes as she gasps for breath.

It’s suffocating…!

Though she pushes against the monstrous bulk with inhuman strength, her hands merely sink into the flesh; the weight doesn’t diminish.

What kind of martial arts is this…!?

As Qing flails, pushes, and claws, she only gets mired deeper into the slick flesh, waves ripple around her, and she gasps for air. The pain in her chest screams for help.

Trapped by this immense weight, her ribs cry out, excruciating agony suffocating her without relief.

Her blood seems on the brink of bursting her veins, and the torture of choking feels like being twisted and wrung out.

“Ugh, gasp, haah, breathe…!”

As Qing flails around, she starts to droop.

At last, Pobidon rolls away, flailing his arms and bouncing up like a balloon.

The two masters rush toward her, only to stop in their tracks at the sight of Pobidon’s massive form.

“Hehehe, where do you think you’re going? That deranged witch is mine now! Isn’t that right? According to the laws of the Martial World, I caught her, so she belongs to me!”

“Sorry, but we can’t let this slide. However, yes, silencing this witch will confirm my Pobidon’s prestige; I’ll take her, and hand over your Heart Consumption Technique!”

“Hey, who was that? The law is that a treasure should go to someone strong enough to protect it. I know well you’re not half of what your reputation suggests, but can you shoulder all the accomplishments of the Martial World alone?”

“Cough.”

“Thus, you should take that mad witch, do what you will with her, drain her knowledge of the Heart Consumption Technique, and we’ll take the technique itself. In return, you’re welcome to stay at Jeolnak-seong. I’ll treat you like an honored elder, with all the respect it entails.”

“Mhm…”

Pobidon’s eyebrow twitches.

Not a bad deal, is it?

This could be the perfect chance to ditch the rogue lifestyle and settle down in a decent sect.

If Jeolnak-seong is anywhere near as celebrated as it claims, becoming an honored elder like in their top ten wouldn’t be too shabby.

Suddenly, A-mook-hap-rab yells with fervor.

“Wait! This is extortion! You greedy monkeys of the Central Plain, how dare you covet my offerings to the Buddha! A piddly little pepper that can’t possibly grow! I’ll make sure you’ll regard me with fear!”

At that, Jun Gi-chung and Pobidon share a glance, seeming to share an understanding. Jun sneaks beside Pobidon.

To illustrate.

A-mook-hap-rab’s gaunt, fleshy face turns beet red in that moment—

“Whoa!”

“Lord! Behind! Behind!”

“Her! Her again!”

In a panic, Jun and Pobidon spin around.

They see Qing collapsed, eyes rolling back, and the grotesque spectacle just about to complete a dark transformation.

“That girl! What kind of tricks does she have up her sleeve now?”

Jun leaps up, brandishing his Great Sword.

Meanwhile, Qing’s eyes snap open, locking onto them.

Ah, so the act of playing dead didn’t work. What a shame.

Qing kicks off the ground, using her arms to spin like a top before landing gracefully.

As she lands, the Great Sword smashes into the ground beneath her, pulverizing it, while Qing shouts angrily.

“Lady, you’re being unreasonable! Seriously, what kind of Realm Master attacks a delicate woman three against one! You pathetic bastards! Are you even men? That foreign pig’s right! Cut it out, cut it out!”

“That girl…!”

Jun bellows angrily, but Qing isn’t looking at him; her focus is on the hefty target.

What kind of meatball is resistant to bullets?

Seeing Pobidon’s quaking legs, she lets out a piercing shout.

“Wait! We’ve been a bit misunderstood here. The Heart Consumption Technique’s secret manual is lying around here, and, uh, it’s all gone!?”

The treasure room has turned into a totally different atmosphere.

Explorers clutching torn secret manuals engage in an intense game of cat and mouse, trying to seize their pieces.

“Anyway, I don’t have any secret manuals, okay? If you desperately want the Heart Consumption Technique, wouldn’t it make sense to search over there for the fragments?”

“Well, I guess. A girl who collects every piece of demon arts isn’t likely to rip apart her Heart Consumption Technique.”

“Lady, that’s not very trusting of you. I’m Unyeonjeong, and I never speak a lie in my whole life! I’ve yet to tell a fib since I was born, I’m the very embodiment of purity, pure as can be, embodying that purity, you know what I mean?”

“How can that be pure when you’re the one shouting about being the Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady? Even I’m sure the world’s run dry of purity.”

“Why! I can be the Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady too! I am the best beauty of all time! The standards of beauty vary for each person! How can you not be delicate-minded? Can’t you respect my standards, too?”

“That girl’s insane. With a mouth that spews lies like a broken faucet, she’ll probably end up in hell, biting her own tongue off.”

“Hey, barbarian! Can’t you keep your mouth shut? Can’t you see we’re talking here? Who gave you the right to interfere in our conversation? Did your master grant you permission?”

“####! #### that #! ########!”

Insults that would be hard to repeat fly around.

Of course, Qing understands.

But since it’s not directed at her, she feels absolutely no impact.

They’re cursing Unyeonjeong, not her.

“So, what’ll it be, hey lady over there? Wanna come over here and check if there’s any secret manual?”

—Don’t try to fool us. I know the secret manual wasn’t torn up.

Jun Gi-chung’s voice echoes in her ear.

Qing glances over; she’s clutching a torn piece of secret manual.

It reads just two characters.

Heart Consumption.

“Lady.”

They wouldn’t dare let it slip, afraid to draw attention to the secret manual gathering event happening in the back.

Qing’s eyes gleam.

Oh really? If they don’t want to, make them.

Breathing in deeply, Qing bellows.

“Ah! The preface of the Heart Consumption Technique! The breath of the world flows through, and the warrior who tames it gives rise to the Ultimate! This is known as True Energy! But the natural energy is like a wild horse, powerfully fierce! It’s as ferocious as a massive lion! And cowardly too, like a mountain hare! So to engulf the True Energy into one’s body to tame it is as grueling as moving a mountain!”

In response, the warriors, previously locked in a tense contest over the secret manual, whip their heads around.

“Is that so! If so, why should we accumulate the natural energy? A gentler True Energy exists, already tamed by a nice human! In this world where the law of the jungle reigns, to grow stronger, we should consume one another according to the principles of nature! Therefore, I, the Daoist, propagate the Heart Consumption Technique!”

It’s basically the preface of the Heart Consumption Technique.

She just swapped the last name for the Heart Consumption Technique and renamed it like that.

“That insane girl!”

“Stop her! Shut her up!”

Then they all charge forward.

Qing leaps up, her eyes glowing with swirling spirit, her left and right hands poised like lethal blades.

The advancing warriors freeze momentarily.

“The Heart Consumption Technique resides in my mind! Everyone! Listen to me!”

Qing’s crafty tongue dances.

These so-called masters all possess renowned divine skills but are too greedy, scheming to possess even more!

But why has each of you stepped into this perilous situation, risking your lives in search of divine skills?

Is it not that desperate desire to leave a name in history, risking it all for skill?

If so, wouldn’t it be better for all of you, desperate ones gathering in this place!

To have me, Unyeonjeong!

Here and now, I will impart the secret of the Heart Consumption Technique to you all!

Beware those trying to stop me!

Those calling themselves masters!

Those members of the Ten Greats!

They’re already the haves!

They intend to seize the divine skills for themselves, stacking their fortifications even higher!

So, us miserable commoners!

Even aware of the minuscule probabilities of one in ten thousand!

We who have come risking our lives out of desperate need!

“Everyone, protect me! Then I’ll recite the divine skill’s secret for you all!”

Qing’s fervent cry shakes the stone chamber.

“Who does the divine skill belong to? Is it not ours collectively? A divine skill should not be the property of a single individual or group!”

“Shut that girl up!”

“What are you doing! Kill her! No, just keep her alive!”

“Look here! A ghost is wandering about! The spirit they fear the most, the vision of a future in which we share the divine skills—that’s the ghost! They try to silence us, to thwart the ideal of all of us sharing the divine skills!”

At that, a few warriors’ expressions start to twist darkly.

Even those from the Ten Greats are beginning to waver; they’ll likely end up learning divine skills meant for those esteemed folks if they manage to secure them, after all.

Qing gives a roar, husky but charged with determination.

“I’ll lead the charge to share the ultimate divine skill with you all! Let’s fight against these vile oppressors together! There’s no sin in revolution, and rebellions have their reasons! Revolution is innocent! Breakfast united! Let’s all stand up and seize our future! United we will combine the world!”

Then follows a thunderous roar of approval!

“Right!” “Revolution is innocent! Breakfast united!” “Those words ring true!” “The divine skill belongs to all of us!”

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