The Heavenly Demon’s Request (1)
Cheon So-seon entered the leader’s chamber.
In the distance, the Heavenly King sat motionless, like a statue.
“You called for me?”
“Have you found the Dark Merchant?”
“Not yet. After declaring bankruptcy, he vanished without a trace. I apologize.”
The Heavenly King’s expression hardened, displeasure evident in his cold gaze. Cheon So-seon realized something crucial.
‘This man is not my grandfather.’
The Heavenly King spoke again.
“You went to the confidential archives?”
Despite the sudden question, Cheon So-seon remained composed.
“Yes. I went to find the necessary documents to track the Dark Merchant.”
“Did you find them?”
“No, I did not.”
Cheon So-seon met the Heavenly King’s gaze steadily. It was easier to hide his thoughts now that he was certain this man wasn’t his grandfather. When he thought it might be his grandfather, his mind was too tangled to think clearly.
But now, things were different.
This man was not his grandfather but an enemy. He would eliminate him and take his place. Thanks to the innate energy his grandfather had passed down, his internal power had reached the sixth level.
Once this man was gone, he could seize the world. Of course, he would have to use this man to eliminate the leader of the rival faction.
Then, the Heavenly King said something unexpected.
“It’s time to move to the next phase.”
“The next phase?”
He had never heard of a next phase before.
“Follow me.”
The Heavenly King rose and walked behind the throne. Through a mechanism, they descended underground.
He led Cheon So-seon to a secret chamber meant for the martial arts alliance leader.
Inside the chamber was the Celestial Egg. It had been moved from their hidden refuge to this place.
“Why is the Celestial Egg here?”
The Heavenly King opened a door on one side. Inside was a martial artist, tense and terrified, having been brought here without explanation.
“Come out.”
The man stepped out, and the Heavenly King pointed to the Celestial Egg.
“Get inside.”
“Yes.”
Unable to defy the command, the man entered the Celestial Egg.
As he lay inside, the lid closed.
The Heavenly King approached the Celestial Egg and closed his eyes.
A low hum filled the air.
Soon, a dark aura emanated from his body.
Cheon So-seon was startled. He had thought the dark aura only appeared when the Heavenly King was angry or experiencing intense emotions, but now he saw it could be summoned intentionally.
The surprises continued. The aura flowed into the Celestial Egg, which absorbed it like nutrients. The Heavenly King had once performed a great technique with this Celestial Egg, so the aura was undoubtedly connected to it.
The Celestial Egg began to vibrate, and screams erupted from within.
“Aaaah!”
The sound alone made it clear that something terrible was happening to the man inside.
The Celestial Egg, once used for healing and his grandfather’s great techniques, now exuded a dark, sinister, and combative energy.
How much time passed?
Eventually, the screams ceased, and the vibrations stopped.
Slowly, the Celestial Egg’s door opened.
The man inside rose slowly, exuding a dark and unfamiliar aura.
He turned his head toward Cheon So-seon. His eyes were completely black, even the whites, a terrifying sight to behold.
The Heavenly King spoke to Cheon So-seon.
“Kill him.”
“Kill him?”
“Yes, kill him.”
Though he couldn’t understand the purpose of killing the transformed man, Cheon So-seon complied.
With a swift motion, a beam of light shot from Cheon So-seon’s fingers.
The man’s heart was pierced, and he fell backward.
But he didn’t die. He rose again.
“Could it be the Bloodless Demon Army?”
They were the elite soldiers of the Blood Demon Sect, feeling no pain and becoming more violent at the sight of blood.
They were the ones his grandfather and he had recreated and used.
The very ones intended to kill the rival leader, but something felt different about this one.
Sure enough, something astonishing happened. The blood flowing from the man’s chest stopped. The hole in his chest began to heal on its own.
“My God!”
The Bloodless Demon Army felt no pain, but if their hearts were pierced, they could only move briefly before dying.
That alone was terrifying, but the man before him felt no pain and healed naturally.
The Heavenly King now commanded the man.
“Kill!”
Without hesitation, the man attacked Cheon So-seon.
With a swift motion, he drew the sword at his waist and charged. His movements were as natural as any skilled swordsman.
Of course, his skills were far below Cheon So-seon’s.
With a powerful strike, the man was slammed into the wall.
Yet again, he rose. Despite the blow that should have shattered his ribs, he was unharmed.
Crack, crackle, snap.
The sound of broken bones mending inside his body.
“This is insane!”
As Cheon So-seon wore a bewildered expression, the man unleashed a sword aura. Realizing a simple attack wouldn’t work, he changed his approach.
With a swift dodge, Cheon So-seon avoided the sword aura, which split the wall behind him.
Fearing the room would be destroyed, Cheon So-seon rushed in and disarmed the man.
He glanced at the Heavenly King, silently asking if it was okay to kill him. The Heavenly King nodded in approval.
With a swift slash, the man’s head was severed.
Even headless, the body flailed its arms, driven by an instinct to continue attacking. It was a grotesque and terrifying sight.
After a while, the body collapsed to the floor. Severing the head was the only way to kill it.
Looking down at the corpse, Cheon So-seon asked in a trembling voice.
“What on earth is that?”
“It’s the Dark Celestial Weapon.”
Cheon So-seon repeated the name in a shaky voice.
”…Dark Celestial Weapon.”
It was truly a formidable creation, far more powerful than the Bloodless Demon Army. And its abilities went beyond mere healing.
“The Dark Celestial Weapon retains the martial arts of the material used to create it and exhibits even greater power than before. The stronger the material, the more powerful the Dark Celestial Weapon becomes.”
In other words, the martial artist created in the Celestial Egg felt no pain from external attacks, possessed powerful healing abilities, and wielded greater strength than their original skills.
“Why do you think I kept Ma Cheol-gun alive? It’s for this purpose. Through Ma Cheol-gun, I plan to gather the martial arts masters of the world and turn them into Dark Celestial Weapons.”
Cheon So-seon asked fearfully.
“Isn’t our current power enough?”
The Heavenly King shook his head.
“It’s not enough.”
“Not enough?”
“As I grow stronger, another powerful enemy will emerge.”
Cheon So-seon recalled the presence he had sensed when the Heavenly King had shattered the window and flown away. Perhaps that was what he meant.
The Heavenly King walked over and touched a wall, revealing a door.
Inside was a second-floor balcony.
Below, in a vast hall, dozens of people were constructing something.
Cheon So-seon’s eyes widened at the sight.
“Gasp!”
They were building Celestial Eggs. Not just one, but several at once.
He hadn’t known such a place existed, nor that they were making Celestial Eggs here. The fact that so much had been accomplished meant this plan had been in motion since they entered the martial arts alliance.
The Heavenly King spoke words even more shocking.
“I intend to mass-produce these Dark Celestial Weapons.”
Cheon So-seon was taken aback. He had never imagined the Heavenly King would speak of mass-producing such a terrifying thing.
“As you know, creating a single Celestial Egg costs an unimaginable amount of money. Therefore, even with the funds stored in the martial arts alliance or by extorting a few wealthy families, mass production is impossible.”
The Heavenly King turned to Cheon So-seon, speaking coldly.
“Do you understand now why you must find the Dark Merchant as soon as possible?”
Rumble!
The riverbed trembled under the onslaught of sword energy.
The repeated techniques of the Demon God Art caused the riverbed to quake, unable to withstand the power.
The water flowed rapidly, creating whirlpools in various places.
With a splash, I soared out of the water.
I scanned the turbulent river for any fishing boats. Fortunately, there were none passing through.
Soon, the tremors ceased, and the river calmed.
[We can’t train here any longer.]
[Indeed.]
Two days ago, I finally broke through the wall of the seventh star and reached the realm of the eighth star. The riverbed could withstand the Demon God Art up to the seventh star, but not the eighth.
There were several reasons I could surpass the seventh star’s barrier.
The exceptional results of underwater training, combined with his innate talent and relentless effort in martial arts, and even the guidance of the Heavenly Demon.
Yet, it wasn’t all cause for celebration.
If the previous challenges had been like a towering fortress wall, now even that wall was nowhere to be seen.
Up until now, he had always felt that if he could just overcome this, he could move on to the next stage. He could sense how thick and high the wall before him was.
But now, he couldn’t even grasp where to begin.
“I think it’s time to pause your training for a while.”
The Heavenly Demon’s words sounded somewhat unfamiliar.
Surely, the Heavenly Demon knew. The Demon Sword was synonymous with the realm of the Heart Sword.
And reaching the Heart Sword realm meant he might have to cut down even himself.
Was he unaware of this? Or was he hoping for a moment of death?
It was time to ask the question again.
“You mentioned you had a favor to ask in exchange for teaching me the Demon Art, right?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me now.”
After a brief silence, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a calm tone.
“My original ambition was to conquer the martial world.”
“I know.”
That was why we had waged war.
“After entering your body, my perspective changed. What meaning would conquering the martial world hold? It felt like a hollow thought.”
It wasn’t solely because of me. Before entering my body, he had inhabited the bodies of several children. Undoubtedly, some psychological changes occurred during that process. And as he grew closer to me, those changes must have intensified.
“During that time, I realized there was something I truly wanted to do. Or rather, someone I wanted to see.”
The Heavenly Demon hesitated, then finally revealed what he had kept inside.
“There was… a woman.”
I was taken aback. A woman, for the Heavenly Demon?
“She was a woman I met by chance in the Central Plains during my youth.”
I listened silently. It was difficult for him to speak of it, so he must have loved her deeply. Knowing the Heavenly Demon’s nature, I didn’t press for details.
“Where is she now?”
“She passed away long ago. It was well before we waged war.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Before she died, she sent a letter to a promised place. She had told me to send a letter there if there was ever something of utmost importance in my life.”
“What did it say?”
“She was raising our son.”
Good heavens! The Heavenly Demon had a son.
“Have you ever seen him?”
“I visited a few times after she died. But no one in the sect knows of his existence. I had no intention of raising him as a member of the sect.”
I could imagine how meticulously he must have kept the secret to protect the boy’s life.
“Is he still alive?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since I died. If he’s alive, he might have a family of his own by now.”
Now I understood what the Heavenly Demon’s request was.
“You want to see your son.”
“Yes. I want to see my son.”
“Where is he?”
“He lived in Gansu.”
“Let’s go right now.”
“Isn’t your situation such that you can’t leave? We can go later…”
“You stubborn fool. What could be more important than you meeting your son?”
If it had been anyone other than the Heavenly Demon, or even if it had been the Heavenly Demon but for a different matter, I might have considered various circumstances. But this was not something to be postponed. Especially knowing the Heavenly Demon’s character as I did.
“What if something happens in the meantime?”
“Let it happen!”
With a whoosh, I flew towards Gansu using the Demon Flight technique. It was the fastest speed I could muster.