The moment Kasuur handed John the sword, his aura changed. He was now radiating a much more intense and threatening aura. The wounded, endangered old man from before seemed to have vanished. In fact, that man had never existed. Kasuur felt deceived as he watched the old man's aura rise.
However, Sorgon did not seem particularly surprised. In fact, the young man had been expecting all of this. Considering his current situation, he was not happy, of course. His eyes darted to Kasuur for a moment, and a look of contempt formed.
"You didn't really think an old man stuck in the Core Realm for so long would have such limited power, did you?"
Life in the Core Realm was 250 years. Ten years were added at each stage. Many years had passed since John had used up his original 250-year lifespan.
At that moment, he disappeared from where he stood. Kasuur couldn't even see him. The next moment, he heard the sound of a collision and witnessed Sorgon being thrown back.
Sorgon was thrown back by John's first blow.
Did the two-level increase in attack power correspond to this?
But John's attack power hadn't increased by only two levels at that moment.
His sword attacks were fast and simple, and the results were clear. With each blow, Sorgon retreated, sometimes sustaining wounds. Even if he was wounded, an attack from a Sage at the second stage shouldn't have caused him this much damage. Moreover, John's speed didn't seem to belong to someone in the Core Realm.
Kasuur didn't understand what was happening. But Sorgon's face was now much uglier.
"You are that Fake Sage! You stole this technique along with the Seven-Year Dungeon!"
'Sword That Seeks Tao!'
This was true. Years ago, a man disguised as a servant from the Core Realm came to the Black Hunters Clan, of which Sorgon was a member. Sorgon hadn't been born yet during that time. He had only heard about it from his elders. The clan had three techniques at the peak of the Core Realm, two of which were stolen by this man. He hadn't just stolen them, though. While escaping, he killed several Sages, and no one saw his true face. Apparently, he had used a technique to alter his appearance when he joined the clan.
At that moment, Sorgon quickly retreated, wiping the remaining redness from his lips with the back of his hand as he spat the blood flowing from his mouth onto the ground.
"I never thought someone like you would have children."
As the sword aimed at Sorgon once more, he raised his daggers and stopped the sword. Then, John raised his foot and kicked Sorgon hard in the stomach, sending him flying.
People who knew face-changing techniques were usually assassins or spies. Such people weren't careless enough to have children. Only if...
"You're nearing the end of your life."
Kasuur looked at John in surprise. John only looked to be in his forties, and he seemed to have a long time left to live. However, that wasn't actually the case. He must have decided to pass on his legacy to his children because he was nearing the end of his life. That's why he had retired from his previous jobs.
Sorgon wiped the blood from his mouth once more. Then he looked at John and smiled. The old man's face still looked calm.
"Not even the Sword that Seeks Tao could get you to the Sage Realm. You gave up."
At that moment, a black mist began to rise from Sorgon's body. Apparently, he knew he didn't stand a chance against this old-timer. In fact, he didn't even have a chance to escape. John had probably perfected a high-level core technique focused on speed. This gave him a speed equivalent to the second level of the Sage Realm. Now, Sorgon was even more badly injured than before he arrived. To make matters worse, John seemed to have specifically attacked his legs. He was in no condition to use a single technique. He couldn't escape.
But he could still fight.
"A peak technique was your last hope to obtain a technique equivalent to a basic-level sage technique. Old geezers are truly dangerous."
At that moment, various parts of Sorgon's body began to melt. John's face twisted, and he lunged forward. However, this lunge ended with the daggers that Sorgon threw embedding themselves in John's legs. At that moment, Sorgon's legs melted and merged together, and his predator-like eyes turned red. The tainted origin energy around him rose wildly, slowing John down even more.
'What the hell is this?!'
Although Kasuur was farther away, he could feel the needle-like origin energy attacking his body. The basic Sage technique, which is defensive, still protected him, but he knew that if he were only in the core realm, he would feel pain even from this distance.
'Damn it! A forbidden technique!'
These powerful techniques came at a high price, but they were not difficult to learn. A basic-level Sage forbidden technique could unleash the power of a mid-level technique. Moreover, they could often be used regardless of injuries.
Sorgon was a talented genius who had managed to learn a mid-level Sage technique to a minor success stage under normal circumstances. He had also learned a mid-level forbidden technique.
Had he been any other cultivator, he would not have learned a forbidden technique after cultivating a mid-level technique to a small success stage. Instead, he would have developed himself in other areas and increased his combat power.
However, the Black Hunters Clan was founded on hunting. Their main source of income was selling monster parts that they purchased and hunted. Therefore, its members were accustomed to spending time in the wild. This habit led to the frequent use of forbidden techniques. After all, survival was more important than anything else.
Sorgon was young and inexperienced, having never been to the Red Road forest before. Still, he was part of a hunter clan. He remained loyal to tradition.
At that moment, John's sword flashed. His long, white hair was whipped by the sharp energy waves that Sorgon emitted. At that moment, Kasuur thought death was inevitable. Whoever won would not survive.
This was a fight to the death. The death of a Black Hunters Clan genius would be a significant event. John would not allow Kasuur to spread this information.
Similarly, Sorgon had disliked Kasuur from the beginning. From the beginning of the battle, Kasuur was one of the main factors that brought John to the brink of death. The mid-level Sage weapon John was holding actually belonged to Kasuur.
'How can I survive?'
Kasuur wasn't sure what to do.
Then, an idea came to him.
Meanwhile, John watched Sorgon transform his human body into a snake under the glare of his sword. He was becoming an uninjured, powerful fourth-stage sage.
Sorgon could no longer use human techniques, but who could say he didn't have a technique that could be used by a snake?
Moreover, only John's attack power could rival that of a fourth-stage Sage. John knew he had only one chance.
The transformation was complete, and the light from John's sword reached its peak.
'Sword That Seeks Tao'
Perfection!
With the power of the mid-level sage sword, John's attack power could be compared to that of a fifth-level sage.
In fact, he was pushing the limits of a sixth-level sage.
The pain in his leg was insignificant. John had endured greater pain to survive.
TISSSS...
The stainless steel fell completely silent. John was enveloped by the Tao-infused origin energy emanating from the sword. He passed through it and stepped forward toward Sorgon.
DINNNGG...
The sword pierced Sorgon's neck, severing his head from his body.