## Chapter 1827 – 1827. The Ascension Of Light
The First Heavenly Demon, along with the other five Heavenly Demons, entered the depths of Seong Yujin’s mind from the very beginning. They were all individuals who had reached at least the Creation Realm (造化境) in their lifetimes, making them familiar with the mindscape, which allowed them to do so.
“The other seven are nowhere to be seen.”
A man with long hair swept back and a serpentine face spoke. He was the Second Heavenly Demon, Yu Heogun. Although not a member of the Cheon clan, he was personally appointed to the position of Heavenly Demon by the First Heavenly Demon before his death.
“Weren’t those other guys just pathetic hangers-on, an embarrassment to even be called Heavenly Demons? It’s better this way; they’d only be a hindrance.”
A man with short hair and a body full of scars spoke. He was the Third Heavenly Demon, Cheon Goshin.
Kwarururururung!
Thunder rumbled in the clear blue sky. It was an impossible occurrence. Thunder required dark clouds. Yet, no one present found it strange.
This was a mindscape. Anything could happen here. Thunder in a clear sky? That in itself could be a unique aspect of the mindscape’s owner.
“For a mere youngster, his mindscape is vast. The feel of air and humidity, the blowing wind, and the solid ground… The level of reproduction of the mindscape is considerable. And even the energy of the stars… He has perfect qualities and talent. First, he is more than qualified to become a Heavenly Demon.”
The Eighteenth Heavenly Demon, Cheon Unra, spoke. She was a short-haired woman with burn scars that had melted half of her face. Her gaze was so sharp that she seemed more like a hungry beast than a woman. She was a Heavenly Demon who had been active during the peak of the current emperor’s reign.
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
A massive bolt of lightning struck from the sky. It was a lightning strike that could obliterate a small hill in an instant.
The First Heavenly Demon swung his fist, imbued with demonic energy, and deflected the lightning. The lightning flew far away and crashed into a mountain. Part of the mountain disappeared.
The Seventh Heavenly Demon, Cheon Palbi, who appeared as a young boy, watched the scene with a smile.
“How intriguing. A mindscape reflects the state of its owner’s mind, so it’s not strange that it attacks us, the uninvited guests, but it’s amusing that such powerful lightning is attacking us. Most would have been annihilated without even being able to withstand such an attack.”
At the very end of their group was a man with a faint presence. He was the Thirteenth Heavenly Demon, Jeoksal, a former assassin who had his face and body covered in black bandages. The taciturn man spoke quietly.
“I wonder what’s at the very bottom.”
The First Heavenly Demon, Cheon Galson, quietly looked around. His eyes, which had once almost reached the realm of ascension, could see where they needed to go.
“Follow me. We will confirm what is at the end and then make a decision.”
He stroked his long white beard and walked forward. He never moved hastily.
Kwakwang! Kwakwakwakwang!
Lightning struck relentlessly. The Heavenly Demons responded lightly. Deflecting, absorbing, blocking, or dodging. For those who were once called the best in the world or close to it, the constant barrage of massive lightning strikes was nothing.
“To be so hostile towards us… How arrogant. It seems his ambition to become the sole Heavenly Demon was not a lie.”
The Seventh Heavenly Demon said with a smile. There was no soul in his laughter. A faint irritation flickered in his eyes.
The Third Heavenly Demon, Cheon Goshin, was interested in something else. Something a little further away. Modern cities and Western medieval mansions and castles caught his eye.
“There are many unusual types of buildings. I’ve never seen such buildings when I was alive…”
He wanted to go in and take a look, but the First Heavenly Demon continued forward without any interest.
The Eighteenth Heavenly Demon, Cheon Unra, noticed something strange.
“We’ve walked quite a bit, but not a single corpse is to be seen.”
At that, several Heavenly Demons raised their eyebrows.
A mindscape was a mind. A mind was memories and experiences. In any mindscape that hasn’t been organized, there are corpses. The memory of the first time one committed murder remains until death.
And for those who had killed the wicked and were close to death, like the demonic practitioners, corpses were inseparable.
“Since he’s just a youngster who hasn’t even reached the Three Stages… there are two conclusions.”
The First Heavenly Demon continued indifferently.
“Either he has no interest in those he has killed, or he has organized his mindscape by some means.”
The former was more likely.
Organizing a mindscape was only possible for those who had reached at least the upper levels of the Three Stages.
“……”
The Heavenly Demons all fell silent, each contemplating Seong Yujin. Some felt disgust and displeasure, some felt affirmation, and others felt interest.
The First Heavenly Demon, who had been walking ahead, stopped. The space had completely changed.
“Hmm.”
The First Heavenly Demon frowned slightly. At the same time, he and the other Heavenly Demons used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. They wrapped their bodies in the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. They were protecting themselves with a shallow layer of defensive energy.
They had no choice but to do so because the current space was filled with lightning energy. Not only the sky but also the ground was flowing with currents like water. Even the air contained subtle lightning energy that tried to penetrate their bodies.
For them, lightning energy was poison. Unless one knew how to control lightning energy. Lightning energy was a very rare attribute compared to other attributes. Even if someone was born with lightning energy, they might not be able to control it if they were not the owner of this mindscape.
The Seventh Heavenly Demon looked up at the sky, which was filled with thousands of lightning bolts.
“This is not a simple phenomenon. There is something above that sky. I can feel a powerful presence.”
The Second Heavenly Demon glanced at the sky and then lowered his gaze again.
“I don’t feel any hostility. Is there any need to confirm it? Let’s ignore it. This is not the bottom of the mindscape.”
Everyone looked at the First Heavenly Demon. Ultimately, it was the First Heavenly Demon who made the decision.
The First Heavenly Demon was intrigued. He could tell just from the presence. The being above the sky was a being with very powerful force. At the same time, it was an alien being.
‘Is it a celestial being, not a human?’
The First Heavenly Demon had encountered celestial beings before.
Celestial beings were generally strong, but they were not beings that could not be defeated. Not all celestial beings were unconditionally strong. The biggest characteristic of celestial beings was their alien nature. They felt fundamentally different from humans. It would be more accurate to say that they were closer to living nature.
‘The beings in the mindscape are indirect manifestations of beings that the mindscape’s owner has felt deeply about. This mindscape is so vast and clear, it must be almost perfectly realized.’
In other words, the owner of the mindscape had met a celestial being. And it was probably a celestial being related to the sky and lightning.
‘Sky and lightning. A celestial being representing something unusual. Its level is definitely not low. I want to check it out.’
The First Heavenly Demon raised his hand. Seeing that signal, the Thirteenth Heavenly Demon, Jeoksal, a former assassin, stepped forward.
“Yes, First.”
He was the most skilled in lightness techniques among them, except for the First Heavenly Demon. He was also stealthy.
“Confirm the being above the sky.”
“Yes.”
The Thirteenth Heavenly Demon’s answer was short and concise. His knees bent slightly and then straightened. His body shot upwards. For them, flying or running in the sky was nothing.
-Dare you try to look upon a god without permission?
A deep voice filled with subtle anger echoed in the sky. The movement of the lightning that filled the sky became more violent.
The Thirteenth Heavenly Demon protected his body even more thoroughly while dodging the incoming lightning. He ran through the air with all his might to confirm the being above the clouds. This lightning was no ordinary lightning. It was difficult for him to keep running while being hit by it.
‘I’ll achieve my goal as quickly as possible.’
He pierced through the clouds.
The being was sitting on a throne above the clouds.
Its form was not visible. It had a human shape, but it was not human. It was lightning itself.
-To ascend to the sky without permission… There is a limit to impiety. Offer your life as the price.
It held lightning in its hand and threw it.
The Thirteenth Heavenly Demon focused all his mind.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step (天魔君臨步) – Return (回).
The Thirteenth Heavenly Demon’s Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step was different from the other Heavenly Demons. He had imbued his mind into the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step. His Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step erased his existence for a moment and then returned. The moment his existence was erased, he was not affected by anything.
However, there was something he had not considered.
This world was a world within someone’s mindscape. Erasing one’s existence and then returning? Such a petty trick would not work.
The lightning pierced through his body. Even though he had strengthened his entire body with demonic energy, he could not block the lightning that it had thrown directly. His consciousness gradually faded, and he felt as if his existence was being sucked somewhere.
-The price is insufficient.
The being’s gaze turned to the ground. It threw lightning at one of the five Heavenly Demons looking up at the sky.
The target was the Eighteenth Heavenly Demon, Cheon Unra. She moved her hands. Unlike the other Heavenly Demons who used swords, she had mastered hand techniques. She had even created her own unique techniques using the martial arts of the Wudang Sect.
“I will handle it.”
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) – Tai Chi Demonic Pull (太極魔引).
Her two hands drew a large Tai Chi symbol. The direction of the lightning that had been aiming for her head changed. The lightning was sucked into the center of the Tai Chi. Normally, the Tai Chi should disappear along with the lightning, but the lightning pierced through even the Tai Chi and destroyed her heart.
With a face distorted in shock, her existence disappeared.
“……”
The Heavenly Demons fell silent. Then, their eyes became fierce.
“This is ruining the Heavenly Demon’s reputation.”
“It’s clear that he’s no ordinary foe.”
“How about we kill him before we leave?”
The First Heavenly Demon shook his head.
“He is a being of the mindscape. You all know it’s meaningless.”
“…First. If we retreat like this, what will he think of us?”
“We can settle the score later. I need to confirm what’s at the bottom right now.”
The First Heavenly Demon strode forward without hesitation. The Second, Third, and Seventh Heavenly Demons exchanged glances and then followed him. Frankly speaking, if the First Heavenly Demon did not help them, they were not confident that they could fight and win against the being above the clouds.
