Chapter 291: The Seven Demon Gods (1)
Hwan Seong spoke while stroking the True Star Sword that I had handed over.
“In fact, True Star Sword is the most dangerous among the three treasures I brought.”
“Is True Star Sword really that dangerous?”
Of course, I had suffered a fatal blow from True Star Sword when Hwan Seong had activated it.
However, compared to the unrealistic power of Karma Mirror, which was limited in the number of uses…
“Well, that was because its power hadn’t been fully charged. Karma Mirror, in its normal state, is nothing more than a defensive technique.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“When fully charged, True Star Sword can utilize the concept of ‘cutting’ to its absolute limit.”
“To the limit, huh…”
“It’s not just about physical force. Oh, of course, it can slice through anything—whether it’s diamond or one of the so-called Ten Great Strange Weapons of Murim—like it’s tofu.”
The Ten Great Strange Weapons… could it be?
“Can it cut the Heavenly Demon Sacred Sword as well?”
At my sudden question, Hwan Seong looked slightly flustered.
“Uh, uh? If you mean the Heavenly Demon Sacred Sword… Ah, you’re talking about Master’s sword. Yes, it’s possible. Though, things would be different if Master himself wielded it.”
“I see…”
“Back to the point. I heard that the sect was attacked by their descendants before. Do you know why they attacked the sect with Karma Mirror instead of this sword?”
“Is it because True Star Sword has a usage limit as well?”
Hwan Seong clapped his hands at my clever response.
“Correct! Unlike Karma Mirror, which can be used three times, True Star Sword can only be used once. Once you unleash its true power, that’s the end.”
I swallowed dryly.
If, as he said earlier, the concept of ‘cutting’ wasn’t limited to just physical things…
“Could it cut concepts, phenomena, or even origins?”
Hwan Seong’s eyes widened at my words.
“…Impressive. It’s rare for someone to understand this much.”
Most were ignorant martial artists, but even so, it was the first time someone grasped it so well.
“Is it possible to cut something like the limit of one’s lifespan?”
“Yes. Theoretically, achieving immortality with True Star Sword isn’t just a dream. But, to cut something like that, you’d need ‘eyes’ that can clearly perceive the concept of lifespan.”
Hwan Seong pointed to his own eyes with his fingers.
I saw his black pupils momentarily change into golden eyes like those of a cat.
That must be the so-called Dragon’s Eyes or something similar.
“By the way…”
Hwan Seong gave me a once-over with a curious look.
“Judging by how well you understand this, you must have seen something similar to True Star Sword before, haven’t you?”
“…I won’t deny it.”
“Then I don’t need to explain the sword’s danger any further.”
Hwan Seong handed the sword back to me as he spoke.
“Remember this, disciple. You can only use this once. I hope you’ll never find yourself in a situation where you have to use it in your lifetime.”
---
-■■■■■■■!!
A monstrous sound, not human language, echoed around me.
What I had cut with True Star Sword wasn’t just the source of power supplying Cheon Yujeong.
It was the ritual itself.
I had cut the twisted ritual of Bongseon itself, dismantling the ceremony altogether.
Squelch! Squelch!
Along with something black and sticky like tar, the body of Lord Baek Cheong collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
At the same time, the fragments of the Heavenly Demon Statue that had been resonating all ceased functioning at once.
-Grr! Grrrr! Ughhhh!
A voice completely different from Cheon Yujeong’s up until now rang out.
‘As I suspected…’
The strange discomfort I had felt when Cheon Yujeong’s tone had suddenly changed.
The source of that discomfort now stood revealed before my eyes.
In truth, with all my past life’s experiences, I should have known.
These human sacrifice rituals may seem like they grant power without much risk as long as you offer the sacrifice properly.
But what is the true nature of such rituals?
It is about offering a sacrifice to ‘someone’ and drawing power from that ‘someone.’
In my previous life, that someone was usually a maddened god.
-How dare you, how dare you, how dare you!
From within Cheon Yujeong, that ‘someone’ began unleashing its fury toward me.
Though I had not cut Cheon Yujeong herself, her entire body was now cracked like the shell of a broken egg.
And through those cracks… something pure white began leaking out.
-Once again, the Fragment of Wisdom dares to interfere with me.
That ‘someone,’ clutching its head, shouted in hatred.
“Are you… Heavenly Evil?”
-…….
The entity did not answer.
I had found it strange ever since Cheon Yujeong had started wielding the power of the Heavenly Demon Statue.
Because I had already experienced the nature of Heavenly Evil’s power through the Grand Heavenly Lord.
That ominous light.
Pure white like blank paper, yet exuding an ominous presence to all who beheld it.
The true nature of Heavenly Evil, which had been hiding within Cheon Yujeong all this time, began to emerge the moment I shattered the ritual.
-Do not interfere with me, outsider!
“Interfere or not, it’s over now. The ritual has been nullified, so all I have to do is stall for time.”
-Aaaaargh!
Leaving behind the writhing Cheon Yujeong—or rather, whatever that thing was—I slowly approached Lord Baek Cheong.
In that short time, who knows how much life force had been drained from her? Her skin now looked no different from that of an old woman.
‘She’s alive, but… this is dangerous.’
More importantly, the wound on her chest had not fully healed, and I couldn’t sense any inner power from her body.
If I left her like this, she wouldn’t last much longer.
But the problem was, I couldn’t just leave ‘that thing’ here and escape.
‘If only I had someone to help…’
The only one who could enter this domain right now with sufficient strength was Master.
But there was no way Master, who should be locked in a life-and-death struggle with Gam Unbi, would show up here…
“Disciple! Are you alright?!”
“…Huh?”
I parted my lips slightly at the familiar voice I heard from afar.
“Is that really you, Master?”
“Yes, you rascal!”
It was truly Master who emerged, cutting through the darkness.
“How did you deal with Gam Unbi?”
Even if he had lost his sanity, someone of that level, once awakened, shouldn’t have been easy to defeat, even for a master of the Transcendent Demon Realm.
However, Master gave a thin smile filled with hidden meaning.
“I minced him into tiny pieces.”
…Was that for real?
“Well, I did end up using the hidden card I’d kept secret to strike back at that damned Grand Heavenly Lord, but I still took care of him without much trouble.”
“How’s the situation outside?”
At my question, Master’s expression stiffened slightly.
“It’s serious. The demonic energy that had covered only Jungcheon Peak is now spreading as if it intends to engulf the entire Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain Range.”
“……!”
“I evacuated everyone who had been holding back the monsters outside the mountain. It felt like things would get out of hand if they stayed any longer.”
“That’s… a relief.”
“There was this little lady who threw a tantrum, refusing to leave, so I had to knock her out. If it weren’t for you, I might have taken her as a disciple.”
…Had that happened, we would’ve ended up in conflict with one of the top five powers in the world.
Though, knowing Master, maybe he wouldn’t care even if the opponent was the Namcheon Baek Family.
“Well, anyway.”
Master shrugged his shoulders.
“Take Ryeo-ah and get out of here. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Master! What nonsense is that?!”
“Why? Did you think you could face that thing while leaving your Master behind?”
Master’s tone was firm.
But I couldn’t just leave him like this.
He said he’d handle the rest, but no matter how mighty he was, holding that thing here meant throwing his life away.
-“Do you think I’ll end my first outing in four hundred years like this?!”
That ‘someone’, who had been writhing in agony until now, seemed to have regained its senses.
-“I’ll never, ever let you go!”
As Cheon Yujeong’s and that ‘someone’s’ voices overlapped, her entire body suddenly began to explode!
‘That’s… dangerous!’
Her physical body started to detonate.
At the same time, the previously pitch-black space began to be covered with white.
“Damn it!”
Even Master’s expression showed dismay.
The space was warping.
Our exit was blocked.
“The boundary of reality… is distorting!”
I instinctively understood what was happening.
The ritual was forcibly running wild, turning part of reality into a space similar to the Holy Spirit’s domain!
‘This is… a kind of erosion phenomenon!’
Before the ritual completely dissolved and the power scattered, the being inside Cheon Yujeong had recklessly taken a gamble.
“No matter what price it pays, it seems determined to capture us. No, rather than ‘us’, it seems to be after you specifically, my disciple.”
Master clicked his tongue after reading the malice emanating from afar.
Rumble! Rumble!
From the distance, a massive figure of a completely different dimension revealed itself.
A god with six arms and Cheon Yujeong’s head, said to have ruled the skies before the mythic era.
Heavenly Evil.
Chill! Shiver!
The sheer pressure and ominous presence were enough to make me lose all will to fight just by looking at it.
It was the first time I had felt such raw fear since facing a maddened god in my past life.
“Incredible.”
Surprisingly, Master didn’t seem all that shaken. He just clicked his tongue.
“Listen carefully, my disciple.”
“…Yes, Master.”
“I heard that four hundred years ago, your ancestor, Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, faced a similar situation.”
“……!”
“And a thousand years ago, the Heavenly Demon Founder and his disciples also faced ‘something like that.’”
I could roughly piece it together.
The things the senior brothers had mentioned seemed to align with this.
“But surely, what we’re facing now isn’t on the same level as back then.”
“Indeed.”
A being that seven masters of the Transcendent Demon Realm and their teacher had to fight together.
A being that two masters of the Supreme Demon Realm had to bet their lives to confront.
The white giant in front of me certainly radiated transcendence beyond common sense, but it didn’t quite give off the hopeless despair of world-ending destruction.
‘I’m still not sure which is scarier—this thing or the Cult Leader….’
My mind felt like a tangled mess.
Master spoke again.
“Still, it’s certain that this is something the two of us alone can’t handle.”
“…….”
“Watch your Master fight. Wasn’t seeing it with your own eyes your true objective this time?”
“……!”
Just how much does Master know?
“I’m glad I can show this to you, my disciple.”
A ripple-like sword qi gathered on Master’s sword.
But it wasn’t ordinary sword qi.
Nor was it a sword imbued with will.
Rather, its essence felt closer to that of the True Star Sword…!
-“Your devotion to your successor is commendable, but your role isn’t over yet.”
Flinch!
Both I and even Master widened our eyes at the voice that rang out.
But the surprise I felt was far greater than Master’s.
“W-What… How… are you here…?”
Suddenly, eight figures appeared behind us.
The young man standing to the right of the one in the lead spoke.
“Didn’t Master say? The boundary of reality has been distorted.”
“Yu, Yoo Senior Brother….”
The First Disciple, Yoo Jeon. And the Heavenly Demon Founder with his disciples.
They had originally been nothing more than spiritual remnants, yet they now appeared here with physical forms!
“That’s how we could appear here—through the ‘key’ that Master possesses.”
I had thought it might be theoretically possible, but I never imagined it could actually happen!
“Hmph…”
The Heavenly Demon Founder at the front gazed at the white figure of Heavenly Evil and spoke.
“Jeon-ah.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Take Gooncheong and Gwanchun and try to buy us some time. I have something to discuss with the youngest.”
“We obey your command, Master.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the First Disciple Yoo Jeon and the two others charged toward Heavenly Evil.
Though all three of them were masters of the Transcendent Demon Realm, it was still just three people.
There’s no way they could handle Heavenly Evil with just that!
As I struggled to find the right words to stop them,
“Don’t worry. With Jeon stepping up, we have nothing to fear.”
The Heavenly Demon Founder turned his head and looked at us with calm eyes.
Then, clicking his tongue slightly, he added,
“Still, what on earth should I do with this troublesome one here?”
Flinch!
It was as if he could see right through everything.