The deer, as massive as a mountain, exuded an aura of immense power. It was Nok So-pyeong, the Beast Demon, a transcendent being whose age was impossible to fathom. Among the Seven Demons, she was one of the strongest.
Her mere presence altered the density of the space around her.
The Greed Demon’s eyes rolled nervously, and the Sword Demon clicked his tongue as he spoke.
“What are you doing, Beast Demon?”
[Insect, did you not ask me what I was doing?]
“Have you not heard the Priestess’s orders? We found the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord and intend to capture him.”
Rumble—!
The heavens thundered—it was the deer’s laughter. Nok So-pyeong rolled her enormous eyes toward the Priestess.
[Since when does the Priestess stand above the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord?]
“…I merely wish to serve him.”
[Did the Mara Lord say that?]
“How could a mere human know his will? If he desires the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord, I simply obey.”
The atmosphere turned tense in an instant. Seo-jun steadied his breath, his eyes fixed on Nok So-pyeong.
‘So this is how you take command of the mood?’
Now that he thought about it, the way he had tried to dominate the atmosphere before was nothing more than the tantrum of a master with a flair for dramatics.
Look at this colossal deer. By changing only her tone, Nok So-pyeong radiated an oppressive presence completely different from the one he’d seen not long ago.
Admiring her, Seo-jun discreetly scanned for an escape route.
‘It’s better to run now, right?’
Facing two of the Seven Demons was still out of the question. Not to mention, the Priestess hadn’t even directly intervened yet. It was best to slip away quickly since he couldn’t predict how much Nok So-pyeong would help him.
Thud—!
As silently as possible, Seo-jun activated the Mixed Origin Step, his body darting like a ray of light through the encircling demonic cultivators.
The Sword Demon immediately reacted.
“Where do you think you’re going…!”
His sword moved, but at the same time, Nok So-pyeong took a step forward.
BOOOOOOM──────!!
Her enormous hoof crushed the ground where the Sword Demon had stood moments ago. The Sword Demon narrowly evaded and glared.
“Fine, let’s settle the hierarchy today!”
Zing—!
The Sword Demon’s blade gathered a dense, dark-red aura. His strikes brimmed with tyrannical energy as he swung with the force to cleave a mountain in two.
Screeeech────────
Space itself split along the blade’s trajectory. Nok So-pyeong responded effortlessly.
Whoosh—!
She retracted her front leg slightly to avoid the strike, then used the momentum to swing her massive antlers.
Whoooooom────────!!
Her colossal antlers tore through the air, creating a violent storm in their wake. The Sword Demon rode the storm upward, preparing to unleash his next attack.
Thud──────!!
Nok So-pyeong, returning her front leg to its full size, stomped down and charged forward.
It was the charge of a deer the size of a mountain. Far from being clumsy due to her size, her immense body gave her steps an almost incomprehensible reach.
BOOOOOOM────────!!
The Sword Demon’s blade intercepted the charge, but the impact launched him into the sky. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips under the overwhelming force.
Watching nervously, the Greed Demon gulped as he took in the scene.
‘I’ve heard the stories, but this is no joke.’
With just a few casual movements, the Beast Demon had reshaped the entire landscape. Several mountains were obliterated, and enormous canyons formed wherever her hooves landed.
‘I wonder if she’d taste good…’
As he drooled over the idea, the Priestess, biting her lip in frustration, shouted.
“Forget the Beast Demon and go after the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord!”
She began to move herself. With a wave of her hand, the surrounding demonic energy coalesced, cutting off Seo-jun’s escape route.
“Damn…!”
The moment Seo-jun noticed, a massive wall of flames erupted before him. This wasn’t ordinary fire—it carried an unusual energy.
But even so, it was ultimately just a manifestation of demonic energy.
Seo-jun’s eyes flashed, and his horns vibrated as he dispersed the flames completely.
Whoosh—!
Beyond the dissipated flames, a group of demonic cultivators charged toward him. It seemed true that they had been gathered from nearby, as their level wasn’t particularly high.
Slash—
The three flowers blooming behind Seo-jun swayed, and the countless mouths on them spoke in unison.
[[[Kill yourselves.]]]
At the command of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord, most of the demonic cultivators burst their own hearts and died instantly.
However, a few remained unaffected. Seo-jun narrowed his eyes.
‘It’s not their level.’
These cultivators weren’t resisting because of their strength. Some other force had already claimed their loyalty before Seo-jun’s command reached them.
They were more fanatical and skilled than others of their level, perhaps part of the Ten Thousand Ghost Army.
As Seo-jun deduced this, something erupted from the ground.
Screeeeech────────!!
A massive centipede emerged, each of its countless legs wielding a sword. There were more than fifty blades in total.
‘Fifty-sword style?’
Admittedly, it looked pretty cool. However, unlike the other monsters, the centipede ignored Seo-jun’s commands entirely.
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun spread his arms wide, drawing the surrounding demonic energy under his control.
Having surpassed the transcendental peak, he could now wield natural energy. While this might be a supplementary ability for other martial artists in the Fiery Transformation or Extreme Demonic Mastery realms, for Seo-jun, it was his greatest weapon.
Sssss—
Dozens of energy swords materialized in midair. Seo-jun swung his arms wide, and the swords simultaneously executed a single technique.
Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, Second Stance: Sweeping Through Thousands.
Screeeech────────!!
Dozens of slashes carved lines into the landscape, severing the centipede into pieces and spraying its bodily fluids everywhere. The dozens of demonic cultivators blocking his path were also sliced apart, scattering like debris.
“Thanks for the meal!”
The Greed Demon, suddenly closing in, extended his arms as if embracing something.
Greedy God Devours It All.
A technique as profane as its name implied, the Greed Demon’s martial art devoured anything and everything, turning it into his strength.
Chomp—!
The Greed Demon’s gaping maw left bite marks in the air itself, consuming nearly half of Seo-jun’s energy swords. Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun muttered,
“Well, at least you’re better than the centipede.”
Compared to that swordsman, this one was weaker. Considering their compatibility, he was manageable.
“Eat until your stomach bursts.”
Crack—!
The horns sprouting from Seo-jun’s temples grew larger. Commanding the demonic energy in the area, he issued a sharp order:
“Rain down.”
Pop, pop, pop—!
Countless dots appeared in the air, each one a condensed Reversal Celestial Sun and Moon Art. At a flick of Seo-jun’s finger, they rained down on the Greed Demon.
“Hahaha…! What a feast!”
The Greed Demon opened his body wide, and rip! countless mouths emerged all over his form.
Bang, bang, bang—!
His body was riddled with holes, yet he devoured even more of the Reversal Celestial Sun and Moon Art. As the consumed energy was digested, new flesh regenerated over his wounds.
Thump—!
That flesh then repelled the remaining energy. Through the Greedy God Devours It All technique, he had gained resistance to the attacks.
‘What in the world…?’
What kind of martial art was that? Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun adjusted the structure of the Reversal Celestial Sun and Moon Art slightly.
Bang, bang—!
Once again, holes were drilled into the Greed Demon’s body. Though briefly startled, the demon soon broke into a wide grin.
“Wonderful!”
At that moment, shadows surged. The shadow of Nok So-pyeong, covering the ground, rose and morphed into the shape of plants.
But this divine deer’s scale was different. Dozens of massive plant-like tendrils sprouted, akin to a world tree, and wrapped around the Greed Demon, slamming him into the earth.
BOOOOOOM────────!!
A cloud of dust erupted. Seo-jun, riding the shockwave, was flung high into the air.
And then Nok So-pyeong, the colossal deer, split her head vertically.
“What…?”
Seo-jun’s eyes widened in shock. The Sword Demon had managed to cut through Nok So-pyeong.
A massive torrent of blood erupted from the deer’s enormous body, shooting high into the sky before gravity pulled it back down.
Swoooooooosh────────
Red rain poured over Tian Shan.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Seo-jun cursed.
An ominous energy radiated from his entire body as he prepared to charge forward. But then, Nok So-pyeong’s laughter echoed, shaking the heavens.
[Hoo-hoo-hoo…!]
Crack—!
From the cross-section of her severed head, a smaller deer’s head emerged.
Amid the crimson downpour, the deer shone brilliantly with her one remaining horn.
[For an insect, that wasn’t a bad effort.]
Screeeech—!
Countless tendrils shot out from the severed part of the divine plant. Each tendril was larger than most buildings, and there were thousands of them.
An enormous force descended upon the Sword Demon, who appeared as insignificant as a speck of dust in comparison.
BOOOOM────────!!!
Seo-jun, watching in awe, simply clapped his hands. The dry sound of applause echoed.
‘Amazing Tian Shan.’
No wonder the righteous and unorthodox factions alike despised the Demonic Cult. It was like a battleground for giant monsters.
‘Wait a minute.’
Now that he thought about it, he realized he could probably do something similar.
Well, it would be strange if the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord couldn’t manage that. After all, wasn’t it just another form of expression?
With an open mind, Seo-jun accepted the idea graciously and detonated the Mixed Origin Step beneath his feet.
For now, escaping Tian Shan was the top priority.
[I cannot leave Tian Shan,] Nok So-pyeong’s telepathic voice reached Seo-jun.
[If I assist you further, even I might be in danger.]
[Don’t worry. I’ve already received more than enough help.]
Nok So-pyeong chuckled softly.
[Nokyo has a message for you.]
[Oh?]
[She says, “My mom is the strongest!”]
Seo-jun let out a dry laugh.
Boom—!
The Greed Demon, buried in the ground, finally burst free, having devoured all the shadowy plants. The Sword Demon and Priestess also ceased their confrontation with Nok So-pyeong and began pursuing Seo-jun.
[We can’t talk much longer.]
[Understood. See you next time.]
[Indeed.]
Seo-jun detonated the Mixed Origin Step with all his might, sending a telepathic message.
[Let’s meet again sometime!]
Behind him, Nok So-pyeong’s laughter echoed across the heavens.
*****
The Demonic Cult’s persistence rivaled Chunbong’s stubbornness.
At least Chunbong would listen to his brother after he repeated himself about sixteen times, but these cultists showed no room for compromise.
“Stop!”
The Sword Demon’s slash tore through the air. Seo-jun stepped into the void to dodge and mused to himself.
‘The Black Lotus Alliance folks would love to see this.’
Sketching a rough mental map, Seo-jun determined his direction. Didn’t he have some acquaintances in the Black Lotus Alliance nearby?
‘Might as well pay the North Sea Ice Palace Lord a visit.’
Glancing over his shoulder, Seo-jun dodged the flames hurled by the Priestess and grinned.
“Haha…! Let’s see how far you can follow me!”
He couldn’t wait to introduce his new “friends” to the North Sea Ice Palace Lord.