THE MARTIAL KING - Season 8 Episode 31

Legend had told time and time again, that the River of the Netherworld was a pathway leading to hell.

Criminals who committed heinous crimes in their lifetime were to become souls destined to entangle with evil, ruthless flames, and be sent to drown in the infamous stream on their way to the inferno.

It was a story told by word of mouth. However, in the Central Region, the idea of this so-called tale was regarded as an alien concept.

Whether it was hell, sin, the netherworld or reincarnation, these terms were of unfathomable origin to the warriors of the Central Region. Only a few of these labels had been passed down, thus creating the circulating myths most knew of now.

There were speculations on how sin was synonymous with the weight of one’s malicious aura. Although everyone had been born with this energy, a journey filled with torture in the afterlife would be inevitable, if one were to choose the path of a killer.

And so, sin was believed to be used as an instrument of temptation to annihilate one’s soul before arriving in death.

It became a huge burden, a heavy load that kept the conscience anchored into the River of the Netherworld. Sin kept the consciousness fugitive as it flew aimlessly through murky waters before it encountered the Netherworld Yaksha, a ghost-like monster born from the abyss of hell.

“This Nameless Saber can summon the Netherworld Yaksha. It is certainly a powerful sacred weapon.” Zen raised his eyebrows, mild curiosity and cautiousness crossing his eyes at the sight of the Netherworld Yaksha.

Zen then looked down at his own iron sword. Unfortunately, Zen wasn’t quite sure how well he would be able to wield the blade to its maximum potential.

Fairy weapons and the weapons of higher levels usually contained special skills; some had immunity against all kinds of defenses, while some contained exclusive weapon abilities.

Zen’s iron sword came from the Dragon Abyss Palace, together with the body protection garment. It might be due to its classification as basic equipment, that he knew nothing of its effects. Perhaps it was too common for them that they didn’t bother to mention anything about it when they gave it to Zen. Or, the iron sword could hold the strength of a sacred weapon but didn’t possess any distinctive characteristics.

Zen didn’t pin too much hope on this weapon any way, as everyone in Dragon Abyss Palace had the equipment. The chances of the sacred weapons being at the most basic level weren’t so far off. “So what if you’ve comprehended the three types of Law Power?” Zen was forced out of his reverie upon hearing Eden’s cunning taunts, “If you’ve at least reached the Internal Elixir Realm, I might’ve been a fair match. But now, you won’t have the chance to improve further because you will die here by my own hands!”

Eden didn’t give Zen much time to react. He charged at him with lightning speed that must’ve been imperceptible to the untrained eye, At the same time when Eden launched his attack, the Netherworld Yaksha he summoned with his blood also roared as it awakened, crawling on the ground before ferociously pouncing on its foe.

“Two against one?” Zen smiled, taking amusement in his opponent’s attempt in giving him no time to recover. “I also have an assistant!”

Seething at Zen’s calm demeanor, Eden released a barrage of coordinated attacks with his companion in hopes of catching his rival off guard. Zen summoned his sword spirit. A red light burst out of his body as he did so. He let it wash over him, basking in the presence of his sword spirit.

Eden was left watching, mesmerized, as the blaze slowly faded and condensed into the form of a beautiful woman. She had soft, tender skin with an hourglass figure that exuded an ethereal glow; a being that was clearly set apart from the creatures of earth and heaven, an existence belonging solely to the land of the fairies.

A rush of wind blew as a giant sword materialized in Lily’s graceful hands.

She looked at her master with expectancy, and with the connection of their minds. He knew exactly what his aide wanted. He knew she was waiting for his commands. They cooperated with each other flawlessly to fight their enemy.

Lily gripped the behemoth steel, which came from the Blood Fiend Emperor, and swung it on their enemy.

A thunderous sound was heard upon contact.

The Netherworld Yaksha was thrown in the air, crashing heavily on the enchanted barrier.

Upon witnessing the shocking scene, all the onlookers were left dumbstruck.

“Why did a beauty suddenly appear? What’s more, she’s swinging such a huge weapon!”

“Is it really the Netherworld Yaksha? How is it possible that it was thrown away by just one strike!”

“It’s not that the Netherworld Yaksha is too weak, that lady there is just too strong for it.”

Eden couldn’t blame the warriors’ incredulous remarks as even he, was abandoned in stunned silence. He had originally planned to end Zen’s life using a two-pronged ambush. But then, the Netherworld Yaksha moved faster than him, thus taking the brunt force behind the female’s foray.

“Who is she? Who knew Zen had this many tricks up his sleeve?!” His warrior spirit wavered, wondering for a brief moment if he was eligible enough to fight this fellow of unknown lineage. He clenched his fists, nails almost biting his skin as he fervently reminded himself of his own potential. He was a divine-level talent, and he refused to be crushed so easily.

The Netherworld Yaksha was also something that wouldn’t be killed by brute force alone.

He regained his composure in an instant, giving all his attention to Zen as he assessed him.

“Chop wind!”

Eden slashed the air with his saber, thousands of silver wind blades appearing shortly after in reflection to his killing intent. He looked like an enraged monster, all sharp teeth and claws aching with the need for his prey’s spilled blood after tearing him into pieces.

Zen stood firmly in place. He was confident; a beacon that stood still against the angry, crashing waves of the ocean as they were all caught up in a raging storm. He had no qualms as he assumed a defensive stance, taking Eden’s wrath head-on with no hesitation.

“Raise sword!”

Countless, golden wind blades manifested around his body, mimicking Eden’s own with a difference that could only be seen in the color of gold.

Deafening noises were produced upon the collision of their abilities.

Crisp metallic clangs set the rhythm for a hypnotizing dance between the infused Metal Law attacks.

It thrummed in the air, buzzing with zeal that encouraged the pumping of adrenaline through everyone’s veins. The sounds were much like that of an iron monster grinding its teeth.

It continued on for minutes, the sound getting higher and higher in pitch until it eventually made the spectators’ ears throb painfully hurt as consequence to the reverberations.

No one was exempted from the onslaught of second-hand attacks to the public. High-level cultivators like Lady Poison Blood and Letitia couldn’t help but also frown at the unbearable feedback, while the vast majority of warriors all covered their ears to shut out the noise.

Eden took a step backward upon seeing his first assault fail in breaking through Zen’s defenses. Gritting his teeth, he tried once again.

“Air kill!”

Zen widened his eyes in surprise. It was undeniable that he had a deeper grasp of the Wind Law than Eden did, yet Eden seemed to be more skillful in applying this law.

After all, Zen hadn’t refined any cultivation methods on the wind system, while his adversary had immersed himself in its artistry for years.

“Raise sword!” In one swift movement, Zen had raised his sword to block the incoming swing.

Clang!

Eden might not have expected Zen’s counter, but he still didn’t falter. He grinned menacingly, knowing that he had ensnared Zen in his trap.

Boom!

The stream of blade energy forming behind Eden’s saber released and shot towards Zen. It cut through his shoulder, leaving a wide, gaping wound that revealed the white bone underneath its flesh.

“Still sticking with defense? Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

He flashed a cold smile, having fully taken advantage of his nemesis’ stubborn defensive power. He had the upper hand now.

Zen shook his shoulder; mustering up his energy to force the melding of his muscles together, thus stopping the bleeding of his wound.

“I was too careless,” he said faintly. Though the Central Region was a small place compared to the bustling places all over the world, the martial arts learned within the region were unique and well worthy of praise.

A loud noise erupted from the other side of the arena, catching both contenders’ interest.

A cacophony of rackets exploded.

The Netherworld Yaksha was flung away by Lily’s pure, unadulterated strength recurrently. Its repeated crashes onto the enchanted barrier steadily chipped away at its strength, resulting to the shield being unstable.

Lily was fierce and merciless, and yet the Netherworld Yaksha looked as if it only continued growing in size.

“Did you see that?”

A smug smirk appeared on Eden’s face upon taking notice of Zen’s scrutinizing stare on the creature.

With each callous clobber, the monstrous beast only got bigger, as if absorbing the power released onto it.

“So that’s how it works. You thought that I can’t kill it, that’s why you’re confident in defeating me, right?” Zen appraised him with an unreadable expression on his face.

“If that’s all you have, you’re doomed to die today.” Eden fumed and directed the point of his Nameless Saber at him. “What’d you say, bastard?”

“I don’t even need to use half my power to defeat you.”

Zen chuckled ominously as he sent Lily a message in his mind. She abruptly stopped her battle with the Netherworld Yaksha and sheathed her huge sword, bounding towards Eden instead.

In turn, Zen had sprung on the Netherworld Yaksha, effectively changing their positions.

Eden grew confused, but knew exactly that he didn’t have the leisure to think further. His combatant now was a warrior of great prowess. She danced gracefully with the huge sword in her hands and swung it deftly at him. Eden needed to unleash his whole aptitude if he hoped to stand against her.

She was sophisticated and refined with her swordsmanship, brimming with an expertise that could even block Eden’s special abilities. He caused almost no damage to Lily, only leaving a small scratch on her enormous weapon.

On the other hand, Zen fought with the beast, fearlessly striking his foe in a fight for dominance.

With the accumulated force of Lily’s attacks, the Netherworld Yaksha easily reached the height of two people combined.

Bam!

It rammed onto the enchanted barrier after Zen viciously smashed the Netherworld Yaksha for the last time, shattering the precious barricade into fragments.

His primordial energy circulated through his body, wallowing him in a welcoming warmth he gladly embraced.

In the past, Zen wasn’t aware of the true value of this energy. It was only now, that he realized its usefulness.

“That’s it,” Zen beamed. Since the beast was so persistent, he had taken it as an opportunity to test out his strength. He had just employed the power of five hundred dragon scales from the cyan dragon, so the force had been proven to be unimaginable.

In his excitement, he forgot the massive crowd of warriors’ gazes that were trained on him. They were thrown into a mass hysteria, unable to register what they had seen with their own eyes.

“The enchanted barrier built up by the World Commercial Alliance was smashed?”

“How did he make it? It requires tremendous force to smash that barrier! How much strength did he even use to make that happen?!”