Chapter 425: Heavenly Timing (4)
“Damn bastards… What do they think life is worth?”
Baek Sang-ah bit her lip hard.
Hundreds of experts from the Southern Murim Alliance, including the commanders of the Ten Thousand Ultimate Commanders Unit and elders of the Nine Sects One Gang, had thrown away their lives far too easily.
It was certainly not of their own will.
But had they truly not foreseen that they would end up like this?
“That’s an amusing remark.”
Fwoosh!
Spreading black wings, Gunggi sneered at Baek Sang-ah.
“For someone among the current generation most specialized in slaughter to say that—how ironic.”
“No matter what power one possesses, what does it matter?”
Baek Sang-ah pointed one of her swords at Gunggi.
“Power is just power.”
“Indeed, a sound principle.”
Gunggi’s lips curled like a crescent moon.
“But there are far too many wretches in the world swayed by such power.”
“……”
“All those humans sacrificed for my summoning—every single one—ended up like that because they were driven by that so-called power.”
Baek Sang-ah could not refute those words.
The reason they had cooperated with the Heaven-Defying Society wasn’t for wealth or status, but for advancement in their realm. In other words, power.
“But I’ll admit—you people have earned the right to say such things.”
Gunggi’s killing intent began to intensify.
Cold sweat trickled down Baek Sang-ah’s forehead.
‘Can I win?’
The answer she gave herself was negative.
Last time, she had been utterly overpowered and had barely escaped with her life.
The gap in fundamental capability was overwhelming.
‘If I could drive Sword Intent into its very core, it might be possible…’
But the problem was that even with her offensive power, piercing that skin was no easy task.
“I assure you, there won’t be any delays or escapes like last time.”
‘Damn it.’
Step!
Before she realized it, So Cheon stood beside Baek Sang-ah, growling at Gunggi.
“This time, I’ll make sure to kill you for real.”
Gunggi laughed mockingly.
“So you still have breath to speak, you who barely escaped with your life. Don’t you know the two of you alone can’t do anything to me?”
“Then it doesn’t have to be just the two of us.”
“What?”
Flash!
At the sound of those words, white and dark crimson waves surged toward Gunggi’s neck from both flanks.
Blood Dragon Shattering Explosion
Sacred Flame Treading Path
Kwagwagwang!
The Saintly Demon Heaven-Shocking Saber and the Blood Demon Dragon Heaven-Slaying Sword Art unleashed power that exceeded realms, striking Gunggi hard.
From the force of the impact, Gunggi’s body was instantly hurled far away.
“…You two!”
Ma Chulsoo and Pa Yeongyeong—Captains of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult reinforcements—had arrived.
Since it had been difficult to pair them with the Northern Murim Alliance members, they had been given independent operational authority—and they were the first to show up here.
Baek Sang-ah was glad for the sudden appearance of reinforcements, but also concerned.
No matter how outstanding their skills were, the opponent was what he was.
However—
‘…That wound?!’
Baek Sang-ah saw marks engraved on Gunggi’s body where the two ultimate techniques had struck.
That meant their martial arts possessed enough potential to tear through his skin!
Gunggi, stroking the wound left on his neck, smiled faintly.
“This… is a familiar resonance in many ways.”
He could feel the echoes of humans from a thousand years ago—those he had joyfully battled to the point of having his limbs severed.
While Gunggi was immersed in a sudden wave of nostalgia—
“What the hell is that monster bastard? That’s not human, is it?”
Ma Chulsoo, who had appeared in the arena, opened his mouth slightly while staring at Gunggi’s face.
Pointed fangs. Eyes without whites. And even massive bat-like wings.
The situation hadn’t looked good, so he had just charged in—but looking closer, it was far more dangerous than he had expected.
“A monster that shouldn’t exist in the human world.”
Pa Yeongyeong agreed as she spoke.
“What is that thing… is it what Jin Yeomyung called an Awakened Being?”
“For something like that, it seems far too powerful…”
Even though they had unleashed the Blood Demon Dragon Heaven-Slaying Sword Art at eighty percent strength, it had only barely managed to graze the surface.
“Even that brat Jin Yeomyung’s younger sibling, the Asura Spirit, wasn’t on this level.”
More than anything, the opponent hadn’t even used any outer arts—it seemed he had just taken the attack with his bare body.
Toward the two confused figures, Baek Sang-ah shouted.
“That bastard is not an Awakened Being.”
“Huh? He’s not?”
“A monster of a higher dimension… just as the Young Master of the So Clan said, a creature that should not exist in the human world.”
“Hey, So Cheon. Is that true?”
To Ma Chulsoo’s question, So Cheon nodded.
“Don’t let your guard down. At your level, he could take your head off with a single strike.”
“…Ha.”
Compared to Pa Yeongyeong, who found So Cheon’s words absurd, Ma Chulsoo nodded somewhat seriously.
“If it were the old you, the loafer, I wouldn’t have believed it…”
But the current So Cheon was no longer the loafer who used to hang around with Jin Yeomyung in the past.
He was the lover of the Northern Murim Alliance Lord who divided the world and a serious contender for inheriting the Hidden Shadow So Clan.
“I believe you now.”
This was a change in perception as massive as heaven and earth turning over.
In fact, among the Six Great Demonic Clans’ younger generation, So Cheon’s reputation had once been in the pits.
Yet, even with such rare praise, So Cheon muttered in a low voice.
“Like he didn’t mess around back in the day too…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing at all.”
He had the urge to bring up Ma Chulsoo’s flamboyant past, but with the monster Gunggi right in front of them, now was not the time for mind games.
Pa Yeongyeong, Ma Chulsoo, Baek Sang-ah, and So Cheon all pointed their weapons at Gunggi at once.
“So four against one, huh…”
Even with two individuals possessing power near the Extreme Demon Realm, the situation was still hopeless.
‘If we retreat, that bastard will surely carry out a massacre in the vicinity.’
After all, the very reason he was summoned was to annihilate the Northern Murim Alliance.
Even if we escape with our lives, that faction called the Northern Murim Alliance would surely be erased from this world by that monster.
At that moment—
“Hmm?”
“…?”
“…??”
Suddenly, Gunggi tilted his head and looked off into the distance.
“Well, something interesting has happened.”
For some reason, Gunggi began baring his teeth in excitement.
“I had intended to finish this here, even if the stage was crude… but now I’m feeling a bit regretful…”
“What nonsense is that?”
“It means your pitiful little lives have been extended for a moment.”
And the moment those words ended—
“Huh?”
“Wha—?”
A colossal darkness tinged with gold veiled the sun, and its aftermath cast shadows over their faces.
Heavenly Demonic Divine Art
Heavenly Clear Net
From the sky, a massive black-gold pillar struck down on Gunggi’s position.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Wh-What is that?!”
From the point where the pillar of light landed, a massive shockwave exploded.
With a wave that paralyzed all vision and hearing, the ground tore apart, and the four resolute figures were flung hundreds of jang away.
A supernatural feat far beyond the principles of typical martial arts.
Unconsciously, Ma Chulsoo and Pa Yeongyeong let a name slip from their mouths.
“C-Cult Leader?”
To their knowledge, only one being could manifest such divine might between heaven and earth.
The previous Cult Leader, once called the Heavenly Demon, whose depths were said to be unfathomable.
But the former Cult Leader was no longer.
Then who in the world could cause such devastating destruction?
“Ghhhk!”
Only after a long while did the explosion’s aftermath subside.
Baek Sang-ah and the others finally realized that someone was floating in the sky like a celestial being.
“J-Jin Yeomyung?!”
“How is it, Jumyeong?”
“……”
“You once said you had no intention of sitting on a throne covered in ruin.”
“I did.”
“In that sense, haven’t I kept our promise quite well?”
Cheon Jumyeong, the new Clan Head of the Cheon Clan and now the leading candidate for the next Cult Leader, silently gazed at the ruins of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
A battle that had suddenly erupted in the Heavenly Demon Pavilion due to the Grand Heavenly Lord’s ambush.
That battle ended swiftly, even before the Thirty-Four Demon Squads and the Six Great Demonic Clans who supported her could intervene.
As a result, Cult Leader Cheon Yura went missing.
Great Guardian One-Thousand Kills a Day Mujeong was also missing.
The Left Guardian and Right Guardian were captured, and the Guardian Lions who resisted until the end were mostly killed.
With just one thunderbolt-like ambush, the entire force of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion had been annihilated.
Cheon Jumyeong, walking through the ruins of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, asked in a calm voice.
“Where is the Cult Leader?”
“Who knows?”
“You didn’t kill her, did you?”
At Cheon Jumyeong’s seemingly sensitive attitude, Cheon Juchun tilted his head.
“Why react so sensitively? It's not like the Cult Leader matters anymore.”
After a brief moment of thought, Cheon Juchun clapped his hands.
“Ah, is it for revenge for the former Cult Leader? Don’t worry about that. No matter what happens, that wench won’t die peacefully.”
Twitch.
“So she’s alive, at least.”
“Probably? Most likely that Grand Heavenly Lord bastard sealed her away somewhere. I don’t know where though.”
Now that it was all over, Cheon Yura no longer concerned Cheon Juchun.
Sensing that probing further would only draw suspicion, Cheon Jumyeong changed the topic.
“What about the movements of the other Six Great Demonic Clans?”
As if waiting for that question, Cheon Juchun smiled slightly.
“Hehe, the Jin Clan quickly declared a seal-off. The Pa Clan and Ma Clan haven’t shown any response yet… and lastly, the Black Gold Sa Clan…”
Cheon Juchun pointed toward a head hanging in the distance.
“As you know, they surrendered after ending up like that.”
The severed head belonged to none other than the Clan Head of the Black Gold Sa Clan, Thunder Commander Sa Myeongnin.
Sa Myeongnin was the only Clan Head among the Six Great Demonic Clans to respond to the Grand Heavenly Lord’s ambush.
The Sword Demon Ma Seonghwan was still in critical condition and confined deep within the Ma Clan, and Saber Demon Pa Uryang had been dispatched far away to Beijing at the request of Lord Baek Cheong.
So Mun-yak still remained secluded, and Jin Gun-ak had been too far away to respond at the time, meaning only Sa Myeongnin had been able to react to the Grand Heavenly Lord’s ambush.
However.
Despite using the Thunderous Divine Demonic Art at full power, Sa Myeongnin could not withstand even three seconds against the pure white monster Chaos, brought by the Grand Heavenly Lord, before his head was severed.
“What do you plan to do with the Black Gold Sa Clan? If you want to take control of them…”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. The clan’s eldest son who survived will inherit the position.”
The eldest son of the clan referred to none other than Sa Bihwan, who had been defeated in a political struggle against Sa Biyeon and had fallen into ruin.
“Eldest son? Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?”
A sneer formed at the corner of Cheon Juchun’s mouth.
“Turns out he was secretly kept alive. Even someone like Thunder Commander must’ve had some parental affection left. Thanks to that, it made swallowing the clan much easier.”
Naturally, Sa Bihwan pledged unwavering loyalty to the Heaven-Defying Society and Cheon Juchun without hesitation.
“Ha…”
In this absurd situation, Cheon Jumyeong let out a quiet laugh.
“Still, it’s unfortunate we couldn’t eliminate the Cult Leader’s handmaiden. How did she manage to escape?”
“……”
“By the way, wouldn’t that be something the Heavenly Thunder Corps would report to you? Doesn’t seem like something you’d need to ask.”
To Cheon Juchun’s sharp question, Cheon Jumyeong gave a prepared answer.
“As you know, ever since I became Clan Head, I’ve deliberately kept my distance from the Heavenly Thunder Corps. But that won’t be necessary anymore.”
“Ah, I see. That makes sense.”
Cheon Juchun nodded as if he understood.
Since the Divine Ghost Unit of the Cheon Clan, which was to replace the Heavenly Thunder Corps, reported to him first, it made sense for Cheon Jumyeong to say such things.
Cheon Juchun opened his arms wide as if to reassure Cheon Jumyeong.
“Now, as promised, you shall rise to the position of Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. And once we eliminate that Jin Yeomyung bastard, it will truly be the beginning of our era.”
An unmistakable joy bloomed across Cheon Juchun’s face.
“Just like we vowed long ago, the day has come when the three of us truly control the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult!”
“…Indeed.”
That vow—had it not been forgotten until now?
Cheon Jumyeong looked at Cheon Juchun with a slightly bitter expression.
“One last thing—I have something to ask you.”
“As much as you’d like.”
The phrase “one last thing” tugged at him slightly, but Cheon Juchun willingly allowed his brother to speak.
And then, the moment Cheon Jumyeong quietly asked something in a very small voice.
“Your true body… is in [……], isn’t it?”
Cheon Juchun’s expression froze.
“…How did you know that?”