Chapter 206: Stronger
Chapter 205 – Stronger
By opening the Great Martial Arena and showing himself defeating challengers in front of everyone, he had planned to expand his influence within the Demonic Cult.
He had planned to win over those in the Heaven-Rebelling Faction who stood there because the Heavenly Demon did not act like the Heavenly Demon, and absorb the Heaven-Obeying Faction as the true Heavenly Demon.
Although there was the problem that he had not yet devised a solution for the Establishing Heaven Divine Demonic Sovereign, he believed that a way would appear if he took the steps stage by stage.
However, he had to modify his plan once again.
“Now that I know the Blood Sect is involved, I cannot afford to take things slowly.”
The Blood Sect was like a cancerous tumor. The sooner it was removed, the better.
Moreover, there was a risk that his identity could be exposed through the Blood Sect.
Although it was bound to be revealed someday, it would bring no benefit at this stage.
Ultimately, there was a need to bring down the Heaven-Obeying Faction more aggressively.
To be precise, he had to crush the Heavenly Demon Bloodline, the vested interest of the Heaven-Obeying Faction.
What method should he use to take even more aggressive action than now?
“Something everyone knows. Symbolic figures.”
There were indeed people who perfectly fit the situation.
***
After devouring the spiritual medicine he had gathered while roaming the Cheon-san Mountain Range all night, I summoned the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard.
“Did you call for us!”
“Please give us any command.”
Despite it being the crack of dawn, the members of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard, who had rushed over as if it were nothing, awaited my orders with eyes full of blind determination.
‘How can a person’s eyes sparkle so much…?’
It was burdensome.
I called out to a member of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard whom I remembered.
“Il-hyeon.”
“Yes! Young Demon, Il-hyeon is here!”
Though only his name was called, he prostrated himself in deep emotion.
I thought it was a bit of an excessive reaction, but the other members of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard seemed highly envious of Il-hyeon.
“Is it possible to contact the other members of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard?”
“By the other members of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard, do you perhaps mean…”
“I mean the ones who remained.”
They were the ones who followed the deceased fake Heavenly Demon.
“Do you wish to take them in?”
“Yes. Since the one who blinded them is gone, shouldn’t I give them a chance to make the right choice this time? I am not such a pathetic Heavenly Demon that I cannot receive the loyalty of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard.”
“Of course! They will also follow you willingly!”
Il-hyeon answered as if it were only natural.
The reply was so serious that I even felt a sense of disconnect.
It felt as if it had become all too natural for me to be the Heavenly Demon.
‘It will be a big problem if I can’t shake off this habit even after returning home…’
As it was, the situation was already one where I was updating my dark history in real-time.
Although the part of me capable of normal thinking remained and kept sending warnings, I was ignoring them due to realistic problems.
Because for now, this was normal.
I only hoped that this sense of mismatch would not disappear until this matter was concluded.
I informed everyone present, including Il-hyeon, about what had occurred the previous night.
“Last night, while roaming the Cheon-san Mountain Range, I ran into those of the Blood Sect. The ones holding hands with them must be the rotten crowd of the Heaven-Obeying Faction.”
Filth disrupting the sacred battle of the great Heavenly Demon.
The momentum of Il-hyeon, who was prostrated before me, shifted.
The expressions of everyone, including Yi Hwa and Old Jong who were listening intently to my words, contorted.
In particular, Yi Gyeong-cheon’s expression was grave to the extreme.
“I intended to proceed while observing the situation for about three or four days, but now that we know of the Blood Sect’s existence, we must change our approach.”
“Shall we sweep them away?”
The Black-Armed Demonic Monarch stepped forward abruptly and asked.
Perhaps due to the existence of the Blood Sect, his face was flushed and his breathing was rough, showing he was quite excited.
A bear before its prey was waiting for its master’s permission.
“If their guilt is revealed, I will tear apart and kill every single one of them, whether they belong to the Heaven-Obeying Faction or the Iron Demonic Bloodline. I cannot tolerate filth being smeared on the great bloodline.”
“Kaha!”
I willingly granted the prey to the bear.
Once again, I felt as though I could hear my normal mind warning me, ‘Are you crazy?’ but I ignored it.
‘It’s fine. No problem. I am the Heavenly Demon. I am the Heavenly Demon. I am the Heavenly Demon.’
It felt somewhat like I was hypnotizing myself, but it must have been an illusion.
“Old Jong.”
“Please command.”
“Persuade the Demonic Sovereigns belonging to the Heaven-Obeying Faction. Today, I intend to show them what happens to those who do not follow me.”
The negotiations with the Establishing Heaven Divine Demonic Sovereign.
The opening of the Great Martial Arena.
I staked my life on each and every one of these.
‘You guys need to come down too.’
I had no intention of letting them just watch from above forever.
To achieve that, the performance shown today was crucial.
If it had been a mild flavor until now, I would show them a truly strong, spicy flavor from now on.
***
Heading to the Great Martial Arena, I could feel an atmosphere different from the day before.
While yesterday there had been half-believing and half-doubting looks, now cheers and passion were being transmitted.
It felt as if something formless had calmly climbed onto my shoulders.
Shouldering all of that, I stepped onto the Great Martial Arena.
An entirely different level of attention compared to yesterday poured down.
‘My skin is tingling.’
In front of this many people, I had to shamelessly say things that would make me kick my blankets in embarrassment later while trying to sleep.
“I am the Heavenly Demon!”
The voice shouted with internal energy spread far and wide.
Perhaps due to the geographical structure, the words infused with internal energy extended into the surroundings with more vigor than expected.
“Waaaah!!”
“Boo!!”
While cheers flowed from one side, boos poured from the other.
“If there is anyone who denies it, step up!”
No sooner had my proclamation ended than a man stepped onto the Great Martial Arena.
The moment I saw him, his stature was so large that the word giant naturally came to mind.
Even though he wore clothes, his muscles, which looked as if they were clad in iron armor, were clearly visible.
Despite possessing such a body, he moved as lightly as a feather with a body-lightening art that had reached the peak.
I could tell the instant I saw him.
He was light yet heavy.
He was fast yet solid.
He was strong!
A demon of a completely different class from the Demonic Generals I clashed with yesterday.
“You are drawing quite a lot of attention, kid.”
“Not a kid, but the Heavenly Demon.”
“Hahahahaha!”
He brushed it off like a joke with a cheerful laugh.
“I admit you have talent. That martial prowess at your age. If you had not rushed like this and quietly built up your strength for ten years, I would not be laughing like this.”
He assessed that I had been too hasty.
“A genius is short-lived. Those with talent are prone to dying early. They look down on the world relying solely on their talent. Just like you, kid.”
This man had stepped forward solely to deny me.
He was still young. He might possess the qualifications, but he was in too much of a hurry.
At first listen, these were words one could easily agree with.
He was subtly belittling me.
He dismissed me as an immature child who could have become the Heavenly Demon but ruined things by overestimating his own talent.
Contrary to his appearance, he was using his brain.
‘Or perhaps he was instructed to act this way.’
“Your name.”
“I am the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King.”
“Pacifying Heaven…”
I thought he was of a different class from the guys who stepped up yesterday, and indeed, he was of the Demonic King class.
However, his moniker was interesting.
Pacifying Heaven Demonic King. One of the Seven Great Sages who swore brotherhood with Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. It was another moniker of the Bull Demon King.
“I don’t see any horns, though?”
“……Hm?”
“If you didn’t understand, then never mind.”
Suddenly, I grew curious about what kind of reaction that stone monkey in the heavens would show.
Would he laugh his head off, or would he get angry, asking how someone who didn’t know their place dared to use that moniker?
I must ask Master Bodhidharma later.
“If you’re done flapping your mouth, come at me. I’m too lazy to wait for your tricks.”
“……Ha?”
I yield the first move.
These were the typical words an expert would say to an amateur.
Letting out an absurd chuckle as if dumbfounded, the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King raised his energy.
“Your arrogance hastens your death.”
Boom!
Exuding an aura of fury, the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King launched himself forward.
‘Fast.’
The speed at which he kicked off the ground and threw his body forward was faster than I had anticipated.
But for me, it was fortunate.
‘I need to show them.’
The prejudice that I was still young.
The perception that, at best, I had merely dealt with Demonic General-level opponents.
The things I had to strip away today were tougher and firmer than expected.
‘I must make them recognize that I am the Heavenly Demon.’
I must flaunt my power.
I must show it so clearly that anyone can easily recognize it.
The technique to achieve that.
I merely raised my hand.
Although what was contained within it was the ultimate divine art, I did it with a calmness that would not be strange to be called arrogant by external observers.
‘Five Elements Divine Power… Activate…’
The hand raised toward the charging Pacifying Heaven Demonic King.
Through the arm, shoulder, body, and legs connected to that hand, the five divine powers took their places.
Earth: The solid power of the earth supported and held it up.
Wood: The power of the rising wood grew.
Fire: The hot power of the fire arose fiercely.
Metal: The tempered energy of the metal took form.
Water: The water mixed everything to bring harmony.
As the power exceeding human comprehension took place throughout his body, it erected a solid barrier against the rushing force.
Against that wall, the fury of the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King collided.
Rumble!
The air, refracted by the force field, folded and unfolded.
The ground heaved, and the wind pressure swept in all directions.
The floor of the Great Martial Arena, which the members of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard and the Black-Armed Demonic Monarch had painstakingly built, shattered into pieces and flew about.
A powerful pressure pushed in.
‘I can do it!’
The impact swept through my entire body and was filtered out in succession.
The Five Elements Divine Power, Master Bodhidharma’s Heavy Earth Divine Art and Shaolin’s Soft Vajra, and Master Zhang Sanfeng’s Softness cleared the shock, while the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand devoured the wild remnants.
The history built up through his masters absorbed the Demonic King’s power head-on.
However, to an outside observer, it would merely look as though an absolute ruler had calmly blocked this mighty blow with just a single hand.
“H-How can this be?!”
The Pacifying Heaven Demonic King, who had directly crossed hands with me, also widened his eyes in surprise.
This was the exact sight I wanted to see.
“I admit that I rushed.”
I overwhelmed him.
At least, that was how it looked.
“However, it seems the one dying today is you.”
This time, it was my turn.
Thud!
Through the fist, as large as a pot lid, which had firmly blocked the attack, I channeled the power of the completed Flawless Heavenly Net that I had unleashed in the Green Forest.
It was the worst internal heavy strike technique, which pierced even a firmness perfected inside and out.
“K-Kugh!”
The moment the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King, feeling his internal energy being neutralized, backed away in sheer shock.
A blood-red qi thread flowed from my hand.
It was the special technique of Master Heavenly Demon, the Blood Net Qi Threads.
The qi, drawn as thin as a thread, wrapped around the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King.
The Blood Net Qi Threads, notorious for slaughtering people, possessed one more advantage.
That was, it was highly spectacular!
“Something like this!!”
The Pacifying Heaven Demonic King exerted power throughout his body to sever the Blood Net Qi Threads wrapping around him.
His body, swelling up roughly, grew larger like a monster in a tale.
He looked as if he could easily snap the qi threads binding him.
‘You won’t be able to.’
But it was impossible.
‘Since your dantian is injured, isn’t it?’
The technique of the Flawless Heavenly Net had targeted the dantian while shaking the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King’s interior.
Having sustained a blow to his dantian, he would not be able to draw forth his power properly.
His meaningless display of power would only make me stand out even more.
Although urgency washed over the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King’s face as he realized his strength was not emerging as expected, it was already too late.
Slash!
With a light pull of my fingers, the wrapping qi threads severed the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King’s neck.
Thud! Roll, roll…
The sound of his head hitting the ground.
I clenched my fist and pulled my hand back.
Slice! Crunch! Snap!
The severed pieces of the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King’s massive body fell in heaps.
At the shocking spectacle, there were neither boos nor cheers.
Amidst the dominant silence, I looked up arrogantly at the VIP seats overlooking the Great Martial Arena.
“Next.”
***
“For the Pacifying Heaven Demonic King to be defeated so easily…”
People swept with shock muttered in low voices.
The Pacifying Heaven Demonic King was a powerhouse who could withstand even qi blades with his bare body once his internal and external training reached its limit and he pulled his strength to the maximum.
Even though he had been wrapped in the Blood Net Qi Threads, they had believed he would break them with raw strength.
However, the result was a senseless death.
“He was not given the chance to display his skills properly. In the exchange of the first move, it seems that… the Heavenly Demon did something…”
“Haha! Utilizing his own advantages while neutralizing the opponent’s… How skillful.”
“Well, preventing the opponent from utilizing their full skill is also a part of one’s ability.”
The Heavenly Demon was stronger than they had thought.
Keeping this clearly revealed fact in mind with their own respective meanings, their eyes sparkled.
Meanwhile.
“……That Heavenly Demon bastard grew stronger overnight?”
The Establishing Heaven Divine Demonic Sovereign watched Yeon Cheong-un with deep interest.