918 - I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

Qing felt wronged. Truly wronged. What was this about Demon Liberation? Why was Demon Liberation mentioned here? If someone reached that level, shouldn't they be ruling an entire faction in a major city under their own name or serving as a power broker beside the king of Joseon? And how could someone like that, who looked like they'd gone mad, free themselves from the grips of demon possession? How could someone like that overcome their demonic nature? But what could Qing do about such injustice? A monstrous being of Demon Liberation had already erupted in a grandiose explosion of rage, tears, or perhaps a fusion of both emotions of cataclysmic proportions akin to a volcanic eruption. Suppressing the urge to cry out about this fraud, Qing focused on protecting the most precious among the group. "Damn it, Yeobo, go! Run—" As Qing hastily turned her gaze, she caught sight of a black horse sprinting away as fast as its legs could carry it, like a foal with its tail on fire. Its whinnying echoed: Neigh! "-Leaving me behind. That faithless beast." Despite what it looked like, it was probably for the best. Qing's foot slammed onto the ground with a thud. The Eight of Qing scattered in all directions, each running in their unique way. Using the Phantom Mirage Step's shadow clone technique, one of the illusions nimbly darted past sharp, icy spikes that had erupted in a line from the ground, dashed over Kim Heo-jung's hunched back, and regained solidity of the body behind him. Due to the characteristic of the Phantom Mirage Step causing one to appear back-facing the enemy, Qing quickly turned her body. And there it was. Ugh. What is that? So hideous... It was Kim Heo-jung sprawled on the ground like a turtle. His two arms were placed on the ground below his elbows, and his legs were sprawled out to the sides, knees on the ground, heels raised with the tips of his feet touching each other. From the front, this grotesque stance coupled with a twisted face resembling an enraged turtle was truly an eerie spectacle, enough to send shivers down one's spine. But seeing it from the back? The unabashedly spread legs and the posterior pressed flatly to the ground created a thoroughly unappealing view, beneath which... Argh, it was appalling. In that position, Qing's left hand swept forward gracefully, drawing smooth curves. Although the hand seemed leisurely, it was infused with enormous inner energy as it extended. It was the moment the formidable Buddhist technique, Buddha’s Divine Palm, began its Forceful Strike. The target was set just an inch below the center between those two legs. While it was an unkind act as a fellow man, targeting the weak points is fundamental in fighting, and there's no need to show mercy to an opponent coming with intent to kill. Duuung...!! A resonant but not noisy sound like a Buddhist temple bell reverberated. Qing’s pure qi spanned the distance and reached its target. Abruptly, a thick sheet of blue ice formed over Kim Heo-jung’s posterior, presenting a natural shield. Crash! The transparent ice shield shattered, shooting shards in all directions. Wait, how was his Reverse Blood Demon Technique an ice art? Even the strongest ice cultivation, Ice-White Divine Arts, doesn't form such a shield—unless it's perhaps a capability at the Profound Realm? “Urk! Ouch, grgh...!” Fortunately, it seemed Qing did achieve some damage. After all, the protective qi could only shield bones and muscles, and it couldn’t nullify the pressure from Buddha’s Divine Palm, which felt like a relentless strike against unspeakable areas, pushing the shattered ice shield inward. Given the choice between becoming a eunuch and enduring a man-exclusive pain, anyone would undoubtedly choose the latter. Lucky for Kim Heo-jung, unfortunate for Qing. Embarrassed by having an untouchable area assaulted, Kim Heo-jung lost his senses. “Graahhh!!! How dare you! I will kill you!!!” With a furious roar that merged both pain and rage, Kim Heo-jung's body suddenly elongated upward toward the sky. Moving with extreme swiftness unfathomable even for Qing, who possesses transcendent ocular abilities, his figure skipped across the vision line. Qing snapped her head up in haste. High up in the sky, Kim Heo-jung curled his body into a ball and began a fierce spin— Wooosh! Accompanied by a formidable noise, Kim Heo-jung descended like a massive spinning ice disc! In that instant, Qing's eyes locked onto the advancing menace. Once again, the Eight of Qing scattered—crawling, leaping, flying, and whirling—all the Qing were frantically fleeing in panic. Qing, now running on all fours, was the last to escape before— Bang!!! A deafening collision reverberated, shaking the heavens and the earth. Unable to withstand the upheaval, the earth shot upward, columns of dirt erupting. Recognizing her back to the epicenter, Qing shivered. This couldn’t be handled, could it? No. Was there any compelling reason to necessarily kill him? No. Judgment made, Qing stamped down with resolve. "Master, should we flee...!" "Get down!" In a hurried voice, Qing instantly hurled herself. Barely skimming the ground in her flight, a sudden, chilling sensation brushed past Qing's back. Colliding with the earth as if throwing herself onto a bed, Qing let out a small yelp. The brutal pain originating from her chest as it impacted the rock-hard frozen ground was horrifying. But before she had time to relish the agony— Crack! Crunch! Snap! Qing jerked her head up abruptly, looking ahead. The enormous icy wheel that was Kim Heo-jung, wrapped in a coat of ice, smashed through the robust northern pine forest, reducing them one by one to splinters. Naturally, the trees let out their mournful cries, branches entangled, trunks leaning, supporting, and clinging as they toppled together. Qing found herself at a loss for words. How could this be possible? Even if people acknowledge those who reach Demon Liberation as half a step ahead of the Profound Realm, was all of this humanly feasible? Heck. For a moment, her breath stopped. The strong grip pulling her upright from behind belonged to her escape partner. At once, Qing started sprinting. “Master, I have my own legs! If I run—” “That’s not Demon Liberation! It wasn’t even a martial technique, and certainly not from someone trained in the Heaven-Shattering, Blood-Overturning, Heart-Piercing Decisive Strike!” Even at this moment, the ease with which he pronounced the complex term Heaven-Shattering, Blood-Overturning, Heart-Piercing Decisive Strike in a single syllable was indeed a mark of a being transcending the Profound Realm, showcasing superior articulation speed in fleeting moments. --- **Explanation of Terms and Translations:** 1. Qing uses "억울" (translated as "wronged") to emphasize the feeling of being treated unjustly, retaining the tone of frustration. 2. Yeobo(여포), used here humorously as Qing names the black horse that ran away, is a typical affectionate term often used for a partner/lover in Korean, but adapted as the horse's nickname. 3. Phantom Mirage Step(능파미보) refers to a technique used for evasive maneuvers, maintaining the martial arts context. 4. Kim Heo-jung(김허중), despite the lack of context in the original list, is translated unchanged as a character name. 5. Forceful Strike(격공장) is interpreted as a blow within the Buddha’s Divine Palm(Pal 실법산) technique, indicating Qing's martial arts application. 6. Heaven-Shattering, Blood-Overturning, Heart-Piercing Decisive Strike(파천역혈수심자첨결) maintains its descriptive term beyond direct translation, reflecting its elaborateness. 7. "Strong grip pulling her upright from behind" interpretation aligns with escape context, though the character is unnamed here, possibly referring to an ally or another partner. 8. Traduction errors include: Correction of repeated names for Namgung Noble Clan and Hwangbo Noble Clan, as well as clarification regarding Kim Heo-jung's alignment or technique affiliations, as more character context arises. Further specificity about which factions Qing’s techniques come from could refine context understanding. **Gender Assumptions and Language Nuances:** - Qing's reactions and interactions within the scene indicate determined impulsiveness synonymous with Qing’s established personality in the narrative. - The described techniques and their naming conventions aligned with martial cultivation habits in web novels remain straightforward yet intricate, using human experiences metaphorically and dramatically for effect. "What do you mean, Heaven-Shattering, Blood-Overturning—oh, come on, then what’s that?" "Dark arts! It's dark arts!" "What?" Dark arts? What exactly were dark arts? Originally, they refer to immoral practices, those extremely vicious or wicked acts that defy human conscience. Like reanimating a corpse with magic, cultivating demonic arts by consuming or killing people, or achieving an unnatural level of power through drugs. However, in Jianghu, it’s used somewhat differently. In martial circles, when someone loses but refuses to acknowledge the defeat, they'd insist that their opponent used deceitful dark arts. A lamentation after being bested, and a petty attempt to mark the opponent as an evil soul through political machinations, thereby burying them. That is what dark arts mean! So, Qing found herself momentarily forgetting the urgency, only to be left in disbelief. Unbelievable, for a master at the Profound Realm level, to lose without even putting up a fight and then claim it was because of dark arts. R1o1RUY1V2dWdFByellBWDZwUWJGWmc4cXBXMENOdXVna2wwVkVTZTBlbFRUa3pzNXRhSi96eUdxRm1YV1FyVA Even though intricate absurdities in martial prowess had been showcased continuously, this situation was truly too hideous... "Damn it! That's not it! What kind of ice art can create ice from nothing?! What he's using isn't martial arts—it's sorcery! It’s genuine dark arts!" "Ah." Thinking back, even Guryeong always carried a water pouch to craft ice blades. Ice arts only exude cold energy; they don't just make ice appear out of thin air. But it makes sense if it's sorcery. Whether it could be accomplished with sorcery or not, Qing wouldn’t need to ask Single Wheel True Person, the leading authority on sorcery in Zhongyuan(Central Plains), about its feasibility. Her own constitution was a testament to sorcery, as her body, blessed with a Blood Poisoning Constitution, readily absorbed beneficial elements while rejecting harmful ones—a living proof of the power of sorcery. Considering that zombies animated through sorcerous means exist, crafting ice in midair seems minor in comparison. Suddenly, Qing sensed a shadow overhead, as if thick clouds had blotted out the sun, slightly dimming the world’s hues. But the clouds did not obscure the sun. It was something round and massive. In Qing’s transcendent vision, the hunchback’s grand rotation manifested as a thick, ice-clad disc eclipsing the sun, imprinting itself in the outline reminiscent of a solar eclipse. "Above! Above! Up there!" "What—" "That bastard’s flying again! Watch out!" Then Wooosh! The terrifying sound of air being torn echoed powerfully across the land. Kim Heo-jung’s body, covered in ice, descended as a massive meteor into Qing’s line of sight. It was then. With a battle cry, the rescue partner intensely spun Qing by the scruff of her neck and hurled her skyward. While compelled into aerial flight, Qing twisted her body to peer below. The partner, after throwing Qing, drew a crescent moon blade, both hands gripping and pulling it back with enormous force. Simultaneously, the partner's arms appeared to increase to six. Two arms powerfully swung down the crescent moon blade vertically, two directed the blade downward and to the right, swinging upward to the left, while the remaining two did similarly from the reverse direction. A single body demonstrated three positions. And countless shadows followed the choreography. In the White Lotus Sword Art, every shadow accounted for was an actual strike; it was exactly the countless repeated attempts, an embodiment of persistence. The repetitive hundreds of attacks in three forms intersected at a singular point high above, ready to meet the descending ice meteor of Kim Heo-jung. Boom!! A colossal column of soil erupted, obscuring sight. A shockwave exploded outward. From Qing’s aerial view, all trees of the forest leaned outward from the epicenter, as a colossal circular ring rolled out, sweeping widely. Before Qing could even marvel at the tremendous explosion, the urgent voice of the partner reached her ear. “Watch out! It’s bouncing back!” While deflecting the falling star could regard the dignity of the Profound Realm, Qing’s expression twisted sourly. If anything she wanted to hear was, ‘It’s deflected and all right,’ rather than ‘Watch out, it bounced back!’ As it was, the distorted figure bounced through the still dispersing column of soil. Revealing itself from above, disappearing below rapidly with grotesque countenance, a trail of bright red blood seeped from his mouth, while bloodshot eyes, angry, traced a violent journey downward. Yet despite the maddened gaze absorbing their exchanges, the fearful intent, even as it spun unsparingly, was chillingly fixed upon Qing, its menacing presence persistent. Qing turned at the vexing gaze. As if finding invisible ground to step upon, she flipped upside down, squatting mid-air. Her plan was to strike the void and dodge in freefall using her Meteor Descent technique. And then— As she flipped with the strong wind blowing high above, Qing’s face covering flapped upward and stuck firmly atop her head. In the instant Kim Heo-jung faced Zhongyuan’s most beautiful woman’s blessed visage— Kim Heo-jung’s murderous aura, stabbing viciously at the heart and throbbing incessantly, abruptly dissipated. His head, whirling three times a second, attached awkwardly to a grotesquely elongated neck, bore a slackened expression. The tightly closed mouth opened absentmindedly, exposing teeth crooked like those of the Japanese, while maintaining a fuzzy gaze consistently meeting Qing’s, despite the fervent spinning. In response, Qing hesitated briefly. The decreasing revolution of Kim Heo-jung. Perhaps because of this, the ever-destructive speed aimed at smashing anything in its path gradually slowed, reaching Qing’s vicinity, whereupon he reached out with an inscrutable expression. --- **Newly Introduced and Translated Terms:** 1. Dark Arts (사술) - Translated based on context of unethical sorcery, focusing on its disgraceful and manipulative connotations rather than purely magical. 2. Guryeong (구녕) - A person referred to in Qing's reflection, possibly linked to ice weapon creation. 3. Zhongyuan (중원) - Kept the traditional name to portray the central region pivotal to martial arts narrative setting. 4. Single Wheel True Person (단륜 진인) - Retained a full title highlighting an expert's prestige in sorcery. 5. Blood Poisoning Constitution (시혈독인) - The pathological nature preserved capturing Qing’s unique advantage yet geographical risk. 6. Meteor Descent Technique (유성락) - Described Qing’s technique to rapidly escape downward shifts in confrontation intensity. 7. White Lotus Sword Art (백련도법) - The poetic name emphasized the art flourishing in successive attempts with persistent quality. **Character and Contextual Observations:** - Shifts in Qing’s tactics and constellations amidst an overwhelming challenge bear comedic undertones contrasting the intensity. - The intricate detailing of techniques and their grand exposition enrich literary rhythm and pacing amidst chaotic sequences. - Qing's oversight, formidable calculations through transcendence timeframe, provoke intrigue as well as humor amidst improvisational assertiveness. - Explicit entanglements of martial feats meshed with artistry and Qing’s reactive pivot martial cultures offer deeper plot architecture, showcasing curbed contradictions of mortality and miscalculation within narrative. In response, Qing, crouched mid-air, sprang powerfully off an invisible platform composed of the intangible concept of the Heaven-Rending Demon Martial Arts. In an instant, Kim Heo-jung widened his eyes as much as he could. Just as the corners of his mouth began to spread to the sides— Smack!! Qing's palm, imbued with the dark energy of the Black Slaughter Demon Formation’s black aura, struck the bald crown of Kim Heo-jung's head, laid bare by hair loss. --- **Newly Introduced and Translated Terms:** 1. Heaven-Rending Demon Martial Arts (경천대성마곤) - Described to maintain the grandeur and power implied in the original name, emphasizing its demonic nature and sky-rending capabilities. 2. Black Slaughter Demon Formation (흑살마장) - Reflects the sinister and lethal characteristics of this technique, staying true to the menacing undertone intended in the narrative. **Character and Contextual Observations:** - Employing the Heaven-Rending Demon Martial Arts concept allowed for an abrupt and majestic transition from defensive evasion to offensive might in Qing’s strategy. - The text contrasts Qing’s deft mastery over martial momentum with Kim Heo-jung’s unprepared state, injecting both irony and climactic tension. - The detail of Kim Heo-jung's baldness adds a touch of humor and indignity, fitting for a dramatic yet comedic combat scenario. - The narrative uses cinematic techniques, with vivid, physical, and emotion-charged descriptions amplifying character dynamics during action sequences.