Chapter 1846 – 1846. The Ascension Of Gwangmyeong
“Great Heavenly Demon! The Little Heavenly Demon has been attacked!”
A warrior from the Demon Scale Unit, the direct guard of the current Heavenly Demon, knelt before the Heavenly Demon, Cheon Seong-jin.
The Heavenly Demon, sitting on his throne, looked down at him with vacant eyes. Even now, the demonic heart was gnawing at him. If it weren’t for the Heavenly Demon’s Sacred Seat, a special artifact, he would have long been consumed by the demonic heart, rampaging and dying.
“……”
Little Heavenly Demon. That name faintly illuminated the Heavenly Demon’s fading will. But that was all. The Heavenly Demon remained seated on the Heavenly Demon’s Sacred Seat. The demonic heart did not disappear, constantly eroding his mind.
The Heavenly Demon was dying while still alive. The demonic heart was a disease, a curse. The source of this demonic heart was the Emperor. The moment he saw the Emperor, he realized the long-held truth as if facing it directly.
That even if he staked his entire life, even if he sacrificed everything in the Heavenly Demon Sect, he could never reach the Emperor.
That despair had become a demonic heart, gnawing at the Heavenly Demon.
“…Eighth Elder, Cheongsu Saekma, Kwon Man-ok, has died at the hands of Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok. If you don’t act now, the Little Heavenly Demon won’t be able to hold on and will die.”
“……”
There were dozens of powerful individuals here. The Demon Scale Unit, the Heavenly Demon’s personal guard, was considered the elite of the elite within the sect. And the Right Protector and Left Protector, who could be called the Heavenly Demon’s left and right arms, were stronger than the elders.
Their characteristic was that they did not move without the Heavenly Demon’s permission. Only the Heavenly Demon’s command could move them. Even if it meant the death of the Little Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon’s son.
“…The Eighth Elder is dead?”
The Heavenly Demon spoke in a cracked voice. His eyes were still vacant, but a small light flickered within them.
“Yes. His death has been confirmed.”
“Is the Little Heavenly Demon also dead?”
“He is not dead yet. But the Little Heavenly Demon as he is now cannot stop Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok. Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok is aiming for the Little Heavenly Demon’s position. Behind him is First-Class Imperial Guard Baek Ran. It might be a scheme of the Imperial Family.”
“The Imperial Family…”
The Heavenly Demon’s face contorted. He reacted more violently to the word ‘Imperial Family’ than to the fact that the Little Heavenly Demon was in danger.
“I must see.”
“I will escort you right away…”
The Demon Scale Unit warrior suddenly stopped speaking. It was inevitable, as an alien and powerful energy was felt from the Little Heavenly Demon’s Palace. Immediately after, Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok soared through the roof of the Little Heavenly Demon’s Palace.
The Heavenly Demon had already moved. His Heavenly Demon’s Sacred Seat moved towards the window. As he was in the highest place within the Heavenly Demon Sect, he could see outside through the window.
“A Shura, is it.”
The Heavenly Demon’s emptiness disappeared. It was such a shocking event that he had to suppress the demonic heart, even if by force. Why would a being from the Netherworld suddenly appear? There was only one reason. The Little Heavenly Demon, Cheon Yu-un, had meddled with the Netherworld.
If this reached the Emperor’s ears? The Heavenly Demon Sect would be finished immediately. To avoid the sect’s destruction, Cheon Yu-un had to be killed. Convincing the Emperor was also a task. First-Class Imperial Guard Baek Ran, was it? He had to coordinate with her.
The Little Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Sect. If he had to choose, it would naturally be the Little Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon’s eyes coldly sank.
“Send me and the Left Protector. We will capture the Shura and Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok immediately.”
The Right Protector said.
“Wait. The two are fighting fiercely. It’s not too late to subdue them after this battle is over. It seems that the Ghost Shura will win.”
The Heavenly Demon’s gaze began to sink again. Ghost Shura. A being beyond humanity. But compared to the Emperor, he was nothing. He was weaker than himself, so he naturally couldn’t compare to the Emperor. He couldn’t understand why the Emperor, with his immense power, was wary of beings from other realms.
As his thoughts turned to the Emperor, the demonic heart raised its head again. The Heavenly Demon’s eyes began to die again.
It was then that the anomaly occurred. The energy of Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok, who was on the verge of death, exploded.
The Heavenly Demon, a user of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, knew what it was.
‘He used the Breaking Heaven Demolition. That madman.’
A technique that destroys and burns one’s own soul. It was a technique that he didn’t know why it existed in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
‘…What is this power? It has instantly surpassed the Ghost Shura’s power. No matter how much he used the Breaking Heaven Demolition, it’s not logically possible for this kind of gap to occur.’
But that illogical thing was reality.
He was overwhelming the Ghost Shura. He was toying with him.
“There’s no need to intervene.”
The Ghost Shura would die. Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok, who used the Breaking Heaven Demolition, would also die. They would fight each other to the death and perish together. It was a boring ending.
It was then. The hair on his entire body stood on end. The Heavenly Demon, the Protectors, the Demon Scale Unit, all trembled involuntarily. It was a fear based on instinct. The Heavenly Demon’s eyes widened. He had heard of it.
‘This, which forcibly draws out the fear of death, is the power of the Heavenly Slaughter Star!’
What was the Heavenly Slaughter Star?
It could be said to be a power that corresponded to the Emperor’s Ziwei Star. The Heavenly Demon did not know exactly what power the Emperor’s Ziwei Star possessed. The only thing he was sure of was that the Heavenly Slaughter Star was the opposite of the Ziwei Star!
‘The Heavenly Slaughter Star… the Heavenly Slaughter Star was right nearby!’
A talent who could oppose the Emperor! But it was already too late. The Heavenly Slaughter Star had used the Breaking Heaven Demolition to destroy his own soul.
The battle was over.
The Heavenly Slaughter Star killed the Ghost Shura and even the Little Heavenly Demon, Cheon Yu-un, died. The Heavenly Slaughter Star sent all the energy it possessed into the sky. The thick demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art spread in the sky. Some of the warriors of the Demon Scale Unit trembled in fear without realizing it.
It was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but it was slightly different from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. A power that subjugated all demons was felt. If the Demon Scale Unit was like this, it wouldn’t be strange for the demons within the Demonic Cult to kneel and tremble.
The Heavenly Demon’s eyes, which had been sparkling when he realized it was the Heavenly Slaughter Star, turned vacant again.
It was then.
Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok rose to his feet.
That energy was clearly felt. He had used the Breaking Heaven Demolition, but he was not dead. The energy of the Heavenly Slaughter Star was gone, but he was definitely alive.
The Heavenly Demon stood up abruptly from the Heavenly Demon’s Sacred Seat. A strange desire bloomed instead of the demonic heart.
The enemy who killed his son? That guy had also mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, so it didn’t matter. His son had died because he was weak. A new successor had taken the Little Heavenly Demon’s position by his own power.
‘If it’s him…! If it’s him, he can oppose the Emperor! The one who kills the Emperor, the true Heavenly Demon, will become my successor!’
The Heavenly Demon Sect must be eternal, and the Heavenly Demon must be the strongest in the world.
“Listen. In the name of the Heavenly Demon, I appoint Seomjeondo Yeom Gu-seok as the Little Heavenly Demon. No objections will be allowed.”
“We will obey the Heavenly Demon’s command!”
“Treat him and serve him as the Little Heavenly Demon. He is my legitimate successor. I… I need to deal with this damn demonic heart first. I will go into seclusion.”
The warriors of the Demon Scale Unit, including the Right and Left Protectors, were moved.
‘Finally, the Heavenly Demon is ready to overcome the demonic heart! The Heavenly Demon who has overcome the demonic heart will become even stronger!’
• • •
I walked back to the Heavenly Demon Sect. As soon as I entered the Heavenly Demon Sect, the atmosphere changed. It felt subdued. I could feel the ordinary people looking at me with tension.
‘Is it because of my clothes?’
My clothes were a mess from the battle. The Black Tiger Robe was in tatters, but there wasn’t a single wound on my body. Complete recovery doesn’t repair items.
Thud thud thud thud!
Armed warriors rushed over. They were demons belonging to the Heavenly Demon Sect. Their level was low, but there were a few masters of the Fifth Stage of Qi mixed in. They were equivalent to squad leaders. It seemed that their affiliated units were also different.
‘…Did they come to restrain me for killing the Little Heavenly Demon?’
It was as Baek Ran had said. Since I killed the Little Heavenly Demon, I would be restrained first. From now on, what I had to do was to show the Heavenly Demon Divine Art so that they couldn’t treat me carelessly. Since the Little Heavenly Demon was dead, I would be the only successor.
‘I just need to hold out until the elders and the heads of the Demonic Clans come. The heads of the Demonic Clans will support me.’
There were many eyes watching here.
It was perfect. I would show the Heavenly Demon Divine Art here. Then the fact that I had mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art would spread throughout the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Just as I was about to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the warriors who had rushed over bowed to me.
“We greet the Little Heavenly Demon!”
“We greet the Little Heavenly Demon!!!!”
Their loud voices echoed throughout the city.
“……”
It hadn’t even been 30 minutes since I killed the Little Heavenly Demon. Even if the Heavenly Demon Sect followed the law of the strong, how could they treat me as the Little Heavenly Demon so quickly?
‘It’s impossible. Unless these guys are crazy, they wouldn’t arbitrarily recognize me as the Little Heavenly Demon.’
Even if the elders had given them orders. And there were no elders in the Heavenly Demon Sect who could give orders right now. The one who gave orders to them was someone in a higher position. A position that no one would object to and everyone would acknowledge.
‘Did the Heavenly Demon recognize me as the Little Heavenly Demon?’
Did Baek Ran expect this? No, if she had expected it, she would have said so. She was reserved about the current Heavenly Demon. It wasn’t to hide information, but rather because she didn’t know much about him.
‘Well, it’s good. Things have become easier, so it’s not bad.’
I smiled.
I spoke to the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Sect who had bowed to me. Since I had killed Cheon Yu-un, there was no reason to pretend to be Yeom Gu-seok.
“I am the Little Heavenly Demon, Seong Yu-jin. The previous Little Heavenly Demon died by my hand. I have proven my worth through strength.”
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Force (天魔 Force).
The Heavenly Demon’s energy was scattered, binding people. It was especially effective against monsters and those who had mastered demonic arts. The warriors who had bowed lowered their heads and dripped sweat.
“Get out of the way. I need to pay my respects to the Heavenly Demon.”
People moved aside as if the Red Sea had parted. I walked slowly along that path. I had to imprint on them who the new Little Heavenly Demon was, so I kept emitting the Heavenly Demon Force as I walked.
Finally, when I arrived in front of the Heavenly Demon Palace, the center of the Heavenly Demon Sect where the Heavenly Demon resided.
‘Let’s just greet him and come out. Since he recognized me as the Little Heavenly Demon, he won’t harm me.’
The gatekeepers of the Heavenly Demon Palace bowed respectfully as soon as they saw me.
-Little Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon is currently in seclusion and cannot meet with anyone.
A telepathic message was heard.
Seclusion. There were rumors about that. But it was the Heavenly Demon who recognized me as the Little Heavenly Demon. The fact that he suddenly went into seclusion only seemed like he was trying to avoid me.
“I have come to be recognized as the new Little Heavenly Demon.”
-The Heavenly Demon has recognized you as the Little Heavenly Demon and has officially appointed you. The Little Heavenly Demon Palace is yours.
“…Is that so?”
I turned around. There was no need to force a meeting with someone who didn’t want to meet me. I had gotten what I needed.
