Chapter 1222

<Chapter 1222> 1222. The Path of Radiant Ascension

“Everyone… dies!”

I charged straight towards the assassins.

Caught off guard by my sudden rush, the assassins panicked. This was because I had accurately spotted their hidden positions in the darkness and moved accordingly.

But these were top-tier assassins who quickly recovered from their confusion and scattered to surround me, launching throwing stars from all directions.

Even knowing they were coming, dodging the shurikens flying at me from every angle proved difficult.

Demon-Slaying Sword Technique: Evil Slash.

A massive cleaving force erupted from the tip of my blade, batting away the incoming projectiles. The assassins then pulled out prepared nets instead of more throwing stars and hurled them at me.

“In an instant…”

My vision slowed down as the net descended leisurely before me. The energy contained within the net wasn’t ordinary. Even with my heightened reflexes, it seemed impossible to evade.

“They must’ve prepared this specifically for me. It’s definitely not a regular net.”

The best course of action would be not to underestimate it.

Woooom.

I activated Heavenly Demon Martial Arts.

KUHNG!

My heart pounded fiercely. In sync with it, demonic energy surged through my veins, boosting my vitality and strength.

The blade resonated, generating a black sword qi. In my unrestricted state, I could wield powerful energies carelessly—while steel might bend to strong energy, plastic-like sword qi wouldn’t cut it. It wasn’t entirely satisfying.

“But it’ll be enough to kill these bastards!”

With gritted teeth, I swung my sword.

Heavenly Demon Martial Arts: Heavenly Demon Sword, Demon Gale.

A dark wind erupted, sweeping across everything in front of me. The wind laced with sword energy shredded the net into pieces and mercilessly slaughtered the assassins hiding beyond it.

“Damn it. That’s not Demon-Slaying Sword Technique.”

“Don’t lose your cool. It’s common for martial artists to hide their true abilities. We just need to do our job.”

“…Hidden power should have limits. That’s…”

The assassins fell silent as I lunged toward them again. They skillfully maneuvered to maintain distance, primarily attacking with throwing stars.

“What a hassle.”

Demon-Slaying Sword Technique: Wind Reversal.

Using In an Instant, I accelerated instantly. One assassin failed to evade, his head severed cleanly. The floating head of the assassin stared wide-eyed as I grabbed it with my left hand and hurled it like a baseball at another assassin. Clenching his teeth, the assassin deflected the flying head with a punch.

Two down. The remaining assassins immediately retreated, creating about a 20-meter gap. The battle paused briefly.

I focused on regulating my breathing. Demonic energy escaped from my mouth.

“I won’t use any more advanced techniques or skills from Heavenly Demon Martial Arts.”

They say a long tail is easily stepped on. This place, Hagashi, falls under the senses of Chanyuwen. I need to conserve Heavenly Demon Martial Arts carefully. Of course, since it’s not the genuine Heavenly Demon Sect’s arts of this world, even if I displayed it openly, they likely wouldn’t recognize it… but caution is still necessary.

“Damn. Because of the restriction, using Heavenly Demon Martial Arts is draining my stamina and internal energy like crazy.”

Miling’s restriction was sturdy yet subtle. However, it had a feature allowing me to release it whenever I wished. The problem was that this feature made it hard to unleash my full strength.

If only it were Brain Piercing Style. Heavenly Demon Martial Arts was too rough. A careless move might break the restriction.

I sense killing intent.

Four assassins prepared their next move.

“I’ll attack first. In an instant.”

[Used In an Instant. Remaining Stacks: 4]

As the world slowed, I realized what they were preparing. Two assassins turned their hands behind their backs, sprinkling some liquid onto the ground in a ritualistic manner.


“…so THAT’S how it feels to lose!”

The assassin’s corpse hit the ground with a dull thud, its lifeless eyes staring up at the heavens. I stood there panting, Spirit energy coursing through my veins, as I surveyed the carnage around me. Four assassins lay dead, their bodies twitching from the residual electricity still coursing through them.

“Fit, Na…” I muttered under my breath, inspecting the wound on my right arm. The black-green discoloration was spreading slowly, but strangely, it felt… right. Like this poison was meant to be.

Ha! Let the world tremble before my new power! This cursed blade may have wounded me, but even in weakness lies strength. I could use Complete Recovery now, but where’s the fun in that?

As I made my way back to the inn, a wicked grin spread across my face. This could be the perfect opportunity to draw out Elder Piggy. He’s been lurking in the shadows for far too long.

Let the games begin! Even poisoned, even weakened, I’ll show him the true meaning of Heaven’s wrath! And when I do… ah, what a glorious day that will be!


“It’s probably best to keep this in mind. Go eat your mom’s ass in hell. …Nah, that’s too cliché. What would be good?”

I stepped outside the inn.

Yesterday, I was so tired that I just entered the first inn I saw that was open, but now during the day, it looked far from decent. The floors were stained everywhere, clearly not cleaned properly, and the furniture looked like it’d break if you touched it lightly. Looking around, there weren’t many customers either.

I sat down on a chair on the first floor. A waiter quickly rushed over.

“Sir! Did you cough? What would you like for breakfast?!”

“…What do you have for breakfast?”

“Our inn’s chef is quite skilled. We can make almost anything.”

“You talk too much. What’s your bestseller?”

“Customers usually order congee with fish in the morning.”

Since Ha is by the western river, there are plenty of fish dishes.

“One bowl of congee.”

“Yes sir! Coming right up!”

The waiter really brought out one bowl of congee immediately. It’s like a soup system. They prepare tons of it beforehand and just serve a portion when a customer comes.

I looked at the congee. For some reason, its appearance made my appetite disappear completely. I stared blankly at the bowl of congee.

There was no need to force myself to eat it. I could just take out food from my inventory. My inventory was full of Yuria’s specially-made bento boxes that even a 7-star hotel would envy.

However, I generally try to eat at least a spoonful of local cuisine whenever possible. The curiosity of trying food from another world excites me. And if I find something that suits my taste, I get extremely happy and obtain the recipe from the cook.

“…”

I raised my left arm. The waiter who had been resting against the wall immediately came over.

“Yes, sir! How may I assist you? A glass of water costs one silver piece.”

“Try it.”

“Huh?”

“This congee. You eat a spoonful first.”

“In the harsh world of martial arts, one does not eat food carelessly. It is a virtue of martial artists to beware of poison.”

“Virtue… huh?”

“Anyway, eat it. Prove that there’s no poison in the congee.”

“Tch. Alright, sir. You truly are a martial artist through and through.”

The waiter scooped up the congee with a spoon.

“Hold on.”

“Yes?”

“Who said anything about eating the fish? Drink the broth.”

“…Yes.”

The waiter ate the congee. There was no poison since nothing happened after eating it, and his expression remained calm.

“Is that all? I’ve worked at inns for five years, and I’ve never seen anyone like you, sir.”

“…”

I picked up the bowl and dropped it on the floor.

“H-Hey! Sir?! What are you doing?! There’s no poison, I told you!”

“This is an accident. Bring a new one.”

“An accident?! I clearly saw you pick it up and drop it! Damn it! Cleaning this up is my job!”

“It’s an accident.”

I fiddled with the hilt of my sword with my barely moving right hand. The waiter turned pale and immediately forced a smile.

“S-Sure, accidents happen to everyone. I’ll bring a new one.”

The waiter ran to the kitchen. I watched him carefully. By the way, my Heavenly Eye ability allows me to see through walls.

The waiter ladled the congee into a bowl while checking the chef’s reaction, then took something out of his sleeve and added it to the congee.

‘Hmph. So you’re an assassin after all. My instincts were right.’

Since I’ve survived assassination attempts several times in another world, I’m pretty sensitive to these kinds of things.

‘The guy ate the congee without issue earlier. Did he take an antidote beforehand? Or is it poison that activates later?’

Well, whatever.

The waiter returned with the new congee.

“Here’s the new congee, sir.”

“Good work.”

I grabbed the back of the waiter’s head with my left hand and pulled him forward, dunking his face into the steaming hot congee that had just been boiling in the pot moments ago.

“Uuuuuuuuuuugh!”

“The congee is your last meal. Anything left… you’ll eat in hell.”

In a flash, I drew my sword and beheaded the waiter.

It was a clean decapitation. Too clean. The body, still not realizing it was dead, flailed its arms around uselessly.

“AAAAAAH!”

“Wha-whaaaat?!”

“S-Someone’s killing people!!”

The area instantly became chaos. I kicked the waiter’s torso while shouting.

“Manager, get out here!!!”