Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 422 (Part 1)



422 (Part 1)

”'< Chapter 423 > The Water Dragon River. (4)

When the red grade first appeared.

Countless disasters occurred in the Central Plains.

Unlike the green or blue grades it only spawns a single demonic beast but the damage caused by that one beast is immense.

Even peak martial artists usually do not die against ordinary demonic beasts.

However the emergence of red demonic beasts disrupted this common understanding.

Moreover it began to fracture the era of peace that had been maintained.

The reason was simple.

Red demonic beasts do not respond to qi.

The meaning contained in this short line created all the disasters and calamities.

Originally the sword masters who hunted demonic beasts used the qi within their bodies to hunt them.

They must be able to cut and tear through tough hides.

They must be able to break solid bones.

Thus it was common sense that those who hunted demonic beasts were all martial artists who used qi.

But red demonic beasts shattered this common sense.

Surrounding them was an unknown barrier that protected their bodies and this barrier had the property of absorbing qi.

Any attack mixed with qi would be absorbed and attacks devoid of qi could not penetrate the demonic beast’s hide.

Despite their enormous size and strength incomparable to blue beasts.

Even the attacks of martial artists became ineffective so it was only natural that they began to rampage.

Even if only one appeared at first they could not stop that one and the northern lands were thrown into chaos.

A demonic beast that does not respond to qi is like that.

Thus in their previous lives martial artists had to feel helpless against red demonic beasts for the first time. But as always people tend to find ways even in despair.

The barrier of the red demonic beast certainly absorbs qi but it does not have an infinite limit.

This was a fact discovered by the Celestial Sovereign of the previous life while hunting red demonic beasts.

The barrier would break when it absorbed a certain amount of qi.

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After breaking it it became possible to deal with lower-grade demonic beasts using qi.

The problem was that the amount of that ‘certain amount of qi’ was enormous.

To quantify it when a martial artist who has reached the transformation stage poured all of their qi into it.

Only then would the barrier break.

In other words unless one was a martial artist with a significant amount of qi it was impossible to hunt red demonic beasts.

Even if they gained a glimmer of hope in hunting demonic beasts the conditions were far too stringent.

Eventually as many fell back into despair.

A piece of news arrived.

A peak martial artist had succeeded in hunting a red demonic beast.

This was around a year after the red demonic beasts began to appear.

Many asked him. How did he do it? They wondered if he was a martial artist with an exceptional amount of qi compared to his level.

However the young man was not someone with an overwhelming amount of qi as a martial artist of his sect.

So when they asked how he managed to confront and hunt that demonic beast.

The young man answered the question like this.

[Not all are the same. Just like the sea where there are deep places there are also shallow ones. You just need to aim for those.]

At first it sounded like nonsense.

But before long it became a huge clue of hope.

Not all barriers are the same.

Just as there are deep places in the sea there are also shallow ones.

This means that within the powerful barrier that absorbs qi there are areas with weaker density.

If you find and attack those areas you can inflict damage on the demonic beast. It was more effective in breaking the barrier.

The young man discovered this aspect and targeted the demonic beast.

Martial artists who confirmed this were filled with hope. It was a method found after nearly a year.

However.

A problem arose even there.

Finding where the weak points were in the transparent barrier and where the deep parts were was another issue altogether.

How could one know when it is not visible?

When they inquired about this the young man replied with a somewhat sleepy expression.

[It’s a feeling.]

An utterly absurd answer.

The peak martial artist who hunted the red demonic beast in his previous life.

Jang-ryong Woo-hyuk’s response was like that.

Swoosh—!

The sword strike imbued with qi displayed an unwavering curve.

Then it struck briefly along the scales of the serpent’s back.

Crack—! Bang—!

The sound made by the sword was somewhat dull.

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Kyaaaah—!

The impact was certain as the demonic beast screamed and shook its body.

Each time the waves made it troublesome to maintain balance.

I focused my gaze on the barrier that spread around the demonic beast.

‘It’s cracking little by little.’

I could see that the barrier surrounding the demonic beast was gradually cracking.

It must have deepened a bit from the strike Woo-hyuk just delivered.

Seeing that I couldn’t help but keep my mouth moving.

“Just a bit to the right from the gills.”

At my words Namgoong Bia immediately unleashed a lightning strike.

Though the position I described wasn’t entirely accurate Namgoong Bia showed no hesitation.

Soon the lightning strike flew precisely to the location I described.

Crackle—!

The lightning was absorbed by the barrier and disappeared but it didn’t matter.

“Pierce it in.”

Swoosh—! As soon as my words fell Wi Seol-ah quickly wrapped her sword blade with golden energy and thrust it forward.

As the tip of the sword made contact the barrier slightly broke creating a gap.

Seeing this without needing to mention it someone had already flown towards that spot along with Wi Seol-ah.

The captain of the Taoist sect Woo-hyuk infused qi into his sword and shot it out.

Crackle—!

Slash—!

A long wound was inflicted on the serpent’s body.

Strange turquoise blood flowed in streams from the wound.

In response the serpent let out a shallow cry and curled its body.

On that body similar wounds were already numerous.

Seeing that I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

‘They’re getting better at this way too fast.’

Though I was in a position to give orders the synergy among the three was becoming increasingly seamless over time.

From the start I wondered why they matched so well but now there were no gaps at all.

Initially it felt like I was simply giving them positions and they were rushing in order.

Now they had already grasped the situation themselves and were gaining confidence from my words.

They had identified where to extend their swords.

Perhaps they were seeking confirmation from my words wondering if they were right.

It was frightening.

‘It hasn’t even been a moment since we started.’

But how are they already adapting?

I hadn’t even properly taught them how to observe yet.

‘This is why talent is terrifying.’

The difference in the barrier that Jang-ryong discovered in his previous life.

It literally meant that there are weak and strong points.

Finding these points and focusing attacks on them was the characteristic of hunting red demonic beasts.

Otherwise one would have to pour out an enormous amount of qi to tackle them which was practically impossible making this the easiest method.

However there was a significant problem.

It was that one had to feel the subtle gaps rather than just see them.

While looking at the uniformly transparent barrier one had to sense where it was shallow and where it was solid.

‘Easier said than done. Can it really be done?’

When trying to do it directly it didn’t go as smoothly as it sounded.

While facing that rampaging giant demonic beast where would there be time to observe such things?

I recalled the conversations I had with Jang-ryong in my previous life.

[I’m just trying to listen. Then you’ll know right?]

[What the hell… Do you think that’s some kind of instrument? What do you mean listen!]

[Oh! Watch out!]

Thinking of the way Jang-ryong used to explain things so poorly made my teeth clench.

People are excited about the current geniuses of the meteor generation.

But the real feeling of this came after the outbreak of the red demonic beasts.

From here on was the real battle of talent.

Understanding the differences in barriers is a matter of how delicately one can feel the qi.

This is essentially the difference in the talent of martial artists using their sensing abilities.

The magnitude of this difference is significant.

Even among those of the same level.

There will inevitably be a time difference in how quickly they find the weaknesses of the red demonic beast’s barrier.

This relates to how long they can withstand the demonic beast.

Just holding out increases the probability of dying from exhaustion.

Even if they endure there’s a high chance of being eaten by the demonic beast.

While transformation stage martial artists may flee from the demonic beast or be eaten.”’