Chapter 444: The Overturned Heavens (5)
"Under the lamp? Nonsense!"
Han Mubaek shouted, his voice filled with rage.
"No one noticed! I didn't give the slightest hint!"
Even as the surroundings grew colder, Han Mubaek's mouth did not stop.
In truth, Han Mubaek felt wronged.
The truth that he was the host of the Great Heavenly Lord had been kept a well-guarded secret.
He had made some moves in the shadows, but they had been for purposes completely unrelated to the Great Heavenly Lord.
How, then, could it have been exposed like this?
"How could you know that I was the contractor for the Great Heavenly Lord...?"
"Ah, so you're confessing now."
"...?!"
The corners of Cheon Yeongha's lips curled up slightly at that moment.
Han Mubaek immediately realized that he had fallen into his opponent's trap.
"You... damned woman!"
A very simple probing.
For someone like Han Mubaek, filled with tricks and cunning, there was no way he would fall for such a shallow ploy.
However, in a situation like this, where his life was at stake, even someone like Han Mubaek could do nothing.
"Don't worry."
Cheon Yeongha grinned and raised her demonic arts.
"Anyway, all those who were suspicious, anyone connected to them, I planned to kill them all."
She didn't hesitate any longer and aimed to finish off Han Mubaek right then and there.
Han Mubaek tried to escape from Cheon Yeongha's grip, but as a pure human who could not even transform into an awakened body, he had no power to do anything.
"No, no! I... I haven't even achieved my goals, and now this...!"
"Heh heh! I can't just let you die like this."
"...!"
A voice, simple and casual, slipped through the perception barrier of someone beyond an absolute master.
Boom!
Cheon Yeongha instinctively raised her arm to block the sudden attack that came from her side.
However, it didn't take long for her to realize that blocking it was a mistake.
"Ugh!"
With the sound of bone breaking from her right arm, her body was sent flying far away in an instant.
Han Mubaek stared wide-eyed at the figure who had saved him.
"Gu, Gunggi-nim!"
A black creature with the wings of a giant bat.
The Four Atrocities Gunggi had suddenly appeared here, far from the battlefield.
"Thank you for saving me, but why...?"
"Because if you die, it won't be fun."
Gunggi grinned, revealing sharp fangs.
"Keep struggling. For your purpose."
"..."
It was as if Gunggi had immediately figured out what Han Mubaek's goal was.
Han Mubaek stared blankly at Gunggi for a moment, then bit his lip hard and tried to flee.
Not long after...
Boom!
A huge ice crystal appeared from the direction where Cheon Yeongha had flown, striking Gunggi in the abdomen.
Though it didn’t break through Gunggi's defenses, the sharp ice crystal pushed him back significantly.
"...It packs quite the destructive force."
The simple physical force of the ice crystal wasn't enough to pierce Gunggi's defenses, but it still contained a destructive power that even Gunggi could not dismiss easily.
Saaaah!
A blizzard-like mist exploded from afar, and Cheon Yeongha's body, seemingly unharmed, appeared.
"Won't you catch that one?" Gunggi pointed his chin at Han Mubaek, who was trying to escape.
However, Cheon Yeongha didn't even glance at Han Mubaek and stared at Gunggi instead.
"I’m not so crazy as to chase after a rat when the real enemy is right in front of me."
Of course, in the ideal situation, Han Mubaek should be eliminated first, no matter the circumstances.
But that could only be attempted if there was a chance.
"Oh…."
Interest flickered in Gunggi’s eyes.
"You're not a male, but you're a warrior as well. I respect that spirit. But..."
Gunggi pointed at Cheon Yeongha with his long claws.
"You don’t look like you're in good condition. Can you even fight properly?"
Gunggi wasn’t talking about the arm he had broken.
He had clearly seen that Cheon Yeongha had pushed herself beyond her original limits.
"She looks like a Western demon but speaks like a gentleman."
A small chuckle escaped her lips as she gathered demonic energy in both hands.
"At this point, I’ve already given up on surviving."
"Are you preparing for a final stand?"
"This is partly my responsibility for the current state of the Cult."
In her search for the whereabouts of the missing First Elder, she had neglected the affairs of the Cult almost entirely.
And the price she paid was enormous.
It was something that could not be reversed with just one’s life.
“If I leave you as is, you will definitely become a variable capable of turning the tide of this battlefield.”
“Of course.”
“Then I will never let you leave this place.”
Szzzz! Szzzz!
A vast aura of ice spread out from Cheon Yeongha.
Whoooom!
A brutal blizzard of frost, capable of freezing even a skilled martial artist to the bone, roared over a vast area that extended almost five li.
This was a domain of ice that far surpassed the level of typical peak martial artists.
The area almost touched the realm known as the "Image Spirit Realm," a level that sorcerers referred to as Four Symbols Scripture.
Gunggi instinctively admired the power of the domain Cheon Yeongha had created.
“Impressive.”
It wasn’t just the environment that had changed.
As long as this domain remained intact, Cheon Yeongha could face Gunggi in a state close to his peak.
The moment Gunggi realized this, he sensed that this battle would not be as easy as he had anticipated.
“Haaaaaap!”
Cheon Yeongha’s hands, filled with all his energy, struck out.
Waterhand Demonic Art
Demonic Ice White God Palm
Huge ice pillars stormed in from all directions, and Gunggi, filled with excitement, spread his wings wide.
“Hahahaha! Come at me!”
The final blue flame of Cheon Yeongha blazed up brilliantly.
Near the Soaring Demon Peak, the scene was truly no different from a bloodbath.
The only scent carried by the air was the pungent tang of iron, and wherever one looked, the bodies of those who had perished lay strewn across the ground.
Should I be comforted by the fact that the damage to the Disciple of the Cult was minimal?
By the time I reached the entrance of Soaring Demon Peak, the situation had mostly been settled.
“You’re here.”
“It’s been a while, Clan Head.”
At the entrance to Soaring Demon Peak, a large crowd had gathered, nearly to the point of overflowing.
All of them were either clan elders, former patriarchs, or warriors ranked at least Ten-Captain level in the Thirty-Four Demon Subjugation Units.
These were the elite warriors of the Six Great Clan, none below the highest tier.
At the very front of them, looking somewhat gaunt, stood the Sword Demon Ma Seonghwan.
Ma Chulsoo, who had been behind me, slightly lowered his head towards the Sword Demon.
The Sword Demon responded with a slight nod, acknowledging his son’s greeting.
It was then that Jin Gun-ak interrupted their father-son reunion.
“Hmph! You, sword dog, done playing sick?”
Normally, Ma Seonghwan would have retorted back without hesitation, but unexpectedly, he waved his hand with a look of annoyance.
“I’m fit enough to walk outside.”
“Stop wandering around for no reason and don’t go dying on the streets. Just hand over the position to your son and take a good rest, will you?”
Though his response was sharper than expected, I understood Jin Gun-ak’s reaction.
‘He’s gotten stronger.’
After waking from a coma, something must have clicked for him.
The realm he had been stagnating in had made a noticeable leap.
‘Now, if I faced him, it would make for a good match...wait.’
I suddenly froze.
Only after hearing someone’s name did it hit me.
A presence I had been unconsciously ignoring suddenly surfaced in my mind.
‘...Master?’
The Master, who must be somewhere within the Ten Thousand Great Mountain, had yet to reveal himself.
As soon as I realized this, an indescribable sense of foreboding gripped me.
The Sword Demon sensed my unease and quietly asked, “Is something wrong?”
“…No.”
“Even if there is, make sure to hide it thoroughly.”
The Sword Demon, now close beside me, whispered softly.
“Every action, every gesture you make will affect the morale of everyone around you.”
“Of course, I know.”
No one understands it better than me.
The burden that weighs on my shoulders when all expectations fall upon them.
The time when every action, word, and even the smallest gesture would be met with heightened sensitivity, scrutinized, and overanalyzed.
At this very moment, everything felt eerily similar to that time.
I controlled my expression and asked the Sword Demon, “By the way, it doesn’t seem like you’ve been simply waiting for me. Is there some issue?”
If it had been anyone else, it would not have been strange to hear that they had already started moving against the Daecheong-gun, tearing through the entire area of Soaring Demon Peak.
But despite this, they were still lingering near the entrance...
“Ah, sharp as ever, huh? Yes, there is.”
He raised his finger and pointed to the peak of Soaring Demon Peak.
“Watch carefully.”
“……!”
As I followed the Sword Demon's finger, my sight shifted, and only then did I clearly see the peak of Soaring Demon Peak, which had been obscured by red clouds.
And at the peak of Soaring Demon Peak...
‘...Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain?’
It was something akin to a barrier brimming with immense poison, similar to what I had seen at Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain earlier.
That something surrounded the peak of Soaring Demon Peak, closing in without a gap.
“That barrier is a problem, but the real issue lies elsewhere.”
“The poison is the problem, right?”
The environment around Soaring Demon Peak was eerily similar to Heaven of Sacred Spirits, but with a far more intense and venomous atmosphere.
Even a Demonic Being who had reached the peak would have found it difficult to endure.
However,
“No, the poison isn’t the issue.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Take a closer look at the surroundings around the peak.”
“......?”
Following the Sword Demon's words, I examined the area around the peak of Soaring Demon Peak, where the barrier spread out.
And soon, I realized what he was referring to.
“Life force...”
“That’s right.”
More precisely, from the middle of Soaring Demon Peak upward, everything seemed as if it had been drained away, leaving the area barren.
The once sparkling trees had lost their color and turned into withered trunks, and the grass had all wilted into dust.
“Just past the middle of the mountain, the martial artists lost their energy and naegong rapidly. There was nothing that could be done.”
“Hmmm...”
“Peak martial artists could endure, but honestly, I’m not sure if they could perform at their full capacity.”
If he had made that judgment, then it must have been accurate.
In reality, no matter how elite the group, when it came to the mountain peak, the only one capable of fighting was Ma Seonghwan.
“More importantly.”
A strong competitive spirit and hostility appeared on his face.
“That white monster that struck the Cult Leader, it’s guarding the entrance.”
“......!”
“I wanted to fight it recklessly, but to be honest, I wasn’t so confident. So, I’ve been waiting for you.”
I was greatly surprised when I heard the Sword Demon admit weakness.
After advancing one more step and reaching the complete stage of Talmado, for him to acknowledge defeat without facing it head-on was remarkable.
It was surprising, even considering that the opponent was a member of the Sa Hyoung.
‘That means the opponent is extraordinary.’
At that moment,
“By the way…”
The Sword Demon stared intently at my face and then let out a slight breath.
“I feel a similar aura from you to the previous Cult Leader.”
“......”
“I can't believe it, but… have you truly surpassed the wall?”
I nodded quietly in response to his words.
“That’s correct.”
Surprisingly, the Sword Demon didn’t seem shocked by this revelation.
“Is that so? In that case…”
He hesitated slightly, an unusual trait for him, before asking.
“Do you intend to stand at the peak of this Divine Cult?”
“......”
“......”
Both Jin Gun-ak and So Munyak, who were present, immediately understood the meaning behind the Sword Demon's words.
“Only until Yura returns to the position of Cult Leader.”
The ‘time’ I spoke of could be a day, or perhaps longer than expected.
“I see.”
The Sword Demon slowly nodded at my words, and then, with deliberate slowness, he unsheathed the sword at his waist.
He then approached me, knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and offered his sword, still in its scabbard, to me.
“Blood Dragon Demon Clan, Sword Demon Ma Seonghwan, pays respects to the Heavenly Demon.”
It didn’t end there.
Right beside him, So Munyak also lowered his head, presenting a silver dagger, and bowed.
“Hidden Shadow So Clan Head, Murder Demon So Munyak pays respects to the Heavenly Demon.”
“......”
“......”
The sudden actions of the Sword Demon and Murder Demon caused the many onlookers to let out silent screams filled with shock.
And,
From behind, the expression of Jin Gun-ak, who had been watching, twisted in a great frown.