Chapter 440: The Overturned Heavens (1)
I had never been particularly skilled with the sword.
But as a master who had reached Extreme Demon Realm, it was no surprise that I could unleash a slash surpassing most first‑class swordsmen.
Swoosh
The tightly condensed aura stabbed straight toward Grand Heavenly Lord’s neck.
Yet instead of fear, Grand Heavenly Lord smiled and lifted his chin.
Pa‑aat!
As the air seemed to tear, my sword—Heavenly Demon Divine Sword—cut across her throat.
But—
“Why are you doing this?”
Grand Heavenly Lord still smiled, chin raised.
“All right, I’ll give you another chance. Try again. Feel free to pierce me.”
……
“Go on.”
Despite her repeated prodding, I couldn’t swing the sword.
“Your true form… isn’t here.”
“That’s correct.”
A faint sneer appeared on Grand Heavenly Lord’s lips.
“I exist between reality and illusion. Even Cheon Taejong cannot fully eliminate me in this state.”
She grasped the blade of Heavenly Demon Divine Sword and pressed it against her neck.
“Had you properly released Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, you might have dealt some damage, but someone like you had no way of doing that.”
Slide.
Grand Heavenly Lord pushed the blade toward her throat.
Yet it passed through as if through a ghost, and nothing happened.
“Heh heh, to reveal your true intent with such a trivial provocation—your alias, Demon Mind, will envy you.”
My face twisted in rage.
Grand Heavenly Lord picked up Cheon‑Eunryeong’s head rolling on the ground.
“If you had denied any connection till the end, I might have let it slide. What a pity.”
“Keukeuk! Let it slide, you say?”
“I can’t let blood be wasted on such a good day.”
My laughter deepened.
“No. If I’d caused a scene here, those gathered would scatter, right?”
Flinch.
Grand Heavenly Lord’s expression stiffened for a moment.
“You went through the trouble and yet had no attachment to our sect. You never intended to rule it. You planned to swallow the entire sect in a physical sense.”
“Hmm…”
Grand Heavenly Lord made a troubled snort.
“And one more thing.”
I pointed Heavenly Demon Divine Sword at Grand Heavenly Lord.
“Even if the you before me is an illusion, the moment you threw Heavenly Demon’s Seal and Eunryeong’s heads, and the instant you held the blade—you were definitely exerting physical force.”
“So, what are you getting at?”
“You are not a mere phantom. You’re cleverly hiding your true form. No transcendent being can fully defy this world’s laws, even divine arts.”
……
“The simplest, most obvious hypothesis here is that somewhere in this world your original body exists, or there is a medium anchoring you to reality.”
The grin left Grand Heavenly Lord’s face, replaced by coldness.
“That damned white monster still hasn’t recovered, has it? If you’d brought it, I’d know.”
……
“The one named Do‑ol who occupied Jumun’s body must be dead by Jin Yeom. The black monster called Gunggi doesn’t seem to follow your orders much.”
With uncanny insight, I prodded at Grand Heavenly Lord’s weaknesses.
“The same goes for Do‑cheol. He seemed to plan reviving Juchun as a sacrifice, but he’s not usable at the moment.”
In other words,
It meant that the forces Grand Heavenly Lord could deploy now were something I could handle.
And then—
“Strike!”
“Kraaak!”
“Kyaaak!”
Simultaneously with someone screaming from outside, a fierce storm of demonic qi began sweeping across the pavilion’s exterior.
Kwa‑gwa‑gwa‑gwang
Paji‑jijik
Everywhere was stained with blood, screams of agony echoing.
And most of the victims were none other than Grand Heavenly Lord’s bodyguards.
“Cheon Jumyeong, you…”
A troubled expression appeared on Grand Heavenly Lord’s face.
Those waiting outside were elite awakened beings—among the top tier of strength.
Even one or two of them were enough to contend with a Sib‑Cheong‑gun member.
That kind of force, even if it was a surprise attack, was swept away this helplessly?
Reading the expression on the Grand Heavenly Lord’s face, Cheon Jumyeong let out a sneering smile.
“There’s no need to be surprised. They’re all masters who’ve reached the Extreme Demon Realm.”
“Are they the forces of the Cheon Clan…?”
“That’s right.”
Cheon Jumyeong declared arrogantly, his face exuding triumph.
“Today, I will uproot every bit of your forces that have taken root in this Ten Thousand Great Mountain, and create a world that is truly mine.”
“…Not for the Cult Leader’s return?”
At the Grand Heavenly Lord’s unexpected question, one corner of Cheon Jumyeong’s lips lifted.
“Why would I do that? Once I drive you out, this world is completely mine.”
“……”
“The Six Great Demonic Clans have already finished their preparations. Today, not a single one of you will be able to leave Ten Thousand Great Mountain.”
Cheon Jumyeong’s declaration of victory.
Upon hearing that declaration, the Grand Heavenly Lord fell silent for a while.
And then, after a brief moment—
“It seems you made decent preparations behind my back….”
The Grand Heavenly Lord shrugged her shoulders and turned around leisurely.
“What will you do now? Can you stop me from escaping?”
“……”
“You can go ahead and purge the forces of the Ten Heavenly Lords and the Heaven-Defying Society as much as you like. They’re merely things I’ve collected tediously over the past thousand years, and now that the Heavenly Time is approaching, they’re of little use anyway.”
Step! Step!
The Grand Heavenly Lord slowly walked toward the entrance.
“Even if the ritual is delayed a bit, it’s only a matter of time. As long as I fully revive the Four Atrocities, there won’t be any power that can stop me.”
Swish!
The Grand Heavenly Lord grabbed the doorknob and smiled lightly.
”Ah, when that time comes, perhaps I’ll eradicate the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and blow off some steam.”
Just as she was about to pull the doorknob—
From behind came Cheon Jumyeong’s chilling voice.
“What did you think I meant by all that?”
“…?”
“I said the Six Great Demonic Clans have finished their preparations.”
For a moment, the Grand Heavenly Lord sensed a hint of unease in Cheon Jumyeong’s words.
“What are you… trying to say?”
“It means it’s not the Five Great Demonic Clans.”
“…What?”
At that moment, the doorknob the Grand Heavenly Lord had been holding vanished.
The sunlight that had been pouring in from outside was blocked, and her vision began to ripple like a mirage.
The Grand Heavenly Lord knew all too well what this phenomenon was.
“…Illusion Art!”
This wasn’t just a simple trick to blur vision—it was an advanced technique capable of influencing reality itself.
There was only one group in the entirety of the Central Plains capable of using such Illusion Art.
“Is it… the Heavenly Illusion Clan?!”
“That’s right.”
The Heavenly Illusion Clan, who had been expelled years ago by Cheon Taejong and removed from the Six Great Demonic Clans.
They had revealed themselves once again.
“Jin Yeomyung, that bastard!”
The Grand Heavenly Lord’s expression twisted into ferocity once again.
Knowing who the Heavenly Illusion Clan now served, locating the instigator was as easy as turning over her palm.
“With the Heavenly Illusion Clan’s sorcery, it’s even possible to seal you within this place.”
“…Cheon Jumyeong!”
“And to think you came here hoping to provoke me, bringing only such meager forces. There’s a limit to carelessness, you know.”
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Suddenly, chains shot out from all directions and began to bind the Grand Heavenly Lord’s body.
Up until now, she had ignored the physical interference of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, yet now she was caught motionless as if bound by illusion—trapped, as if it were a lie.
“You… leech-like pests! Even back at the Royal Palace, you dared interfere with me like this!”
Among all forms of sorcery, the Illusion Art wielded by the Heavenly Illusion Clan was akin to a natural enemy for the Grand Heavenly Lord.
“We may not be able to imprison you forever, but at the very least, we can restrain you until the Divine Cult’s matters are settled. And if, in that time, we manage to find and eliminate your true body, it would be perfect….”
Cheon Jumyeong never finished that sentence.
Shk!
For some reason, something long and sharp—like a human fingernail—pierced through his chest.
“…Huh?”
Cheon Jumyeong dazedly lowered his head to look at the object.
It was a shabby, wrinkled hand—but he couldn’t possibly fail to recognize the distinct Yin Demonic Qi it carried.
“Nine Yin Blood Claw…?”
“Sorry about this, Head of the Cheon Clan.”
A bitter voice rang out from behind Cheon Jumyeong.
“Elder of Nine Yin Blood Claw? When did you…”
Nine Yin Blood Claw, Wang Garak.
He shook his head slowly, wearing a slightly regretful expression.
“From the very beginning. Even if you used the Biheon Stealth Technique, for someone of your level to not notice at all…”
Cheon Jumyeong’s eyes began to bloodshot.
“You… traitorous bastard!”
“Even if you say so, there’s nothing I can do. I have already made my choice.”
Swish!
This time, a woman in pure white garments descended between the Grand Heavenly Lord and Cheon Jumyeong.
It was the Sixth Elder, Gwang Rahi Yeo Jin.
“……”
“……”
Yeo Jin and Cheon Jumyeong met eyes for a very brief moment.
“Even if it were Elder Wang… for even you to…”
“Your path ends here.”
“……”
Did he think the tide had completely turned?
Or had he simply given up?
Though he still had strength left, Cheon Jumyeong didn’t struggle further and simply let the strength leave his arms.
Nod.
Gwang Rahi Yeo Jin bowed slightly to Cheon Jumyeong, then unleashed her ultimate technique at full power.
Swoosh!
Gwang Rahi Mu, one of Yeo Jin’s ultimate techniques, struck Cheon Jumyeong directly.
Cheon Jumyeong, who had been watching the approaching light with indifferent eyes—
“Ha Wol…”
—murmured someone’s name.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
“I… the promise…”
That was the final sentence of Cheon Jumyeong, the Demon Gentleman.
Crack!
The Grand Heavenly Lord ground her heel into the back of the now-lifeless Cheon Jumyeong’s head.
The once-beautiful face of the Priestess Han Yeong was nowhere to be seen, replaced entirely by a ferocious expression akin to an Asura.
“That so-called Venerable Buddha monk too… I don’t understand why such worthless things keep getting in my way.”
The chains that had restrained her body had already disappeared.
The sorcerers of the Heavenly Illusion Clan who had launched the surprise attack had released their illusion the moment Cheon Jumyeong was struck and fled.
They had never had loyalty or faith to begin with, so it wasn’t surprising.
“Whew! That was a bit dangerous.”
Only then did the Grand Heavenly Lord, having vented some of her pent-up emotion, return to her usual relaxed demeanor.
Her gaze turned toward Wang Garak and Yeo Jin, who were prostrated before her.
“Still, I didn’t expect you two to make such a choice. That was a real crisis back there… I never thought you’d side with me over Cheon Jumyeong.”
Wang Garak responded, still with his head bowed.
“As I said before, we made our choice, Grand Heavenly Lord.”
“Very well. That choice… I’ll make sure you never regret it.”
To be honest, several questions still remained unanswered.
When Cheon Jumyeong, consumed by fury, swung his sword at her—
The emotion had been explosive, yet the sharpness of the strike was strangely controlled.
Compared to his past actions, he had shown an excessive lack of concern over Cheon Yura’s whereabouts.
And in the final moment, despite all the meticulous preparations he had made, he gave up his life too easily.
The Grand Heavenly Lord stared at Cheon Jumyeong’s corpse once more before turning her gaze away.
‘It shouldn’t matter. Whatever arrangements this bastard prepared, they can no longer affect me.’
Turning her gaze away from Cheon Jumyeong, the Grand Heavenly Lord issued a command toward someone.
“Sangdo.”
-Yes, my lord. What are your orders?
The Sixth Heavenly Lord, who had been busy preparing for the coronation at the peak of Soaring Demon Peak, replied.
“Bring Cheon Yura here immediately.”
The Grand Heavenly Lord had made her decision.
“Today, we will conduct the Awakening Rite to Heavenly Evil.”