Chapter 238 : Heavenly Demon Cavern (1)
Chapter 238: Heavenly Demon Cavern (1)
Paaaat!
As if a whirlwind were raging, a massive vibration shook the mountains and echoed through them.
Three streaks of wind—so fast that an ordinary person could not even perceive them with the naked eye—astonishingly bore the shapes of humans.
Tang Sewoon, along with Nameless and Seori, fully unleashed their movement arts, crossing one mountain ridge after another, now heading toward the true destination recorded on the Treasure Map.
Screeeech!
Kwaaang!
Tang Sewoon led the way in silence, with Seori and Nameless quietly following behind him.
Aside from the sonic booms tearing through the air, the void remained still, but that silence was by no means peaceful.
The expressions of all three were steeped in tension more intense than ever before.
Seori had maintained a relaxed, even cheerful expression even after being captured as a prisoner and fed on solitude, but this time was different.
She too understood the significance of what had just transpired at Mount Chuaksan.
‘…He truly is a madman. To dare deceive the Demonic Cult.’
The performance Tang Sewoon had shown was so bold and flawless that it was difficult to believe.
To proclaim himself the Heavenly Demon, and with that name alone subdue the enemy and force them to retreat.
A single illusion born of that lie was, even at this very moment, likely shaking the entirety of the Demonic Cult.
‘Hehe, as expected of the man I chose.’
As Seori recalled the process and looked at Tang Sewoon, madness and affection surfaced simultaneously in her gaze.
[Junior Brother.]
Nameless, who had maintained silence until now, finally sent a telepathic message to Tang Sewoon.
Even Nameless, who was usually playful, spoke with extreme caution.
[…Just what are you planning to do? You actually gave the Demonic Cult the real location from the Treasure Map.]
The words were short and concise, but the doubt and worry contained within them were immense.
Indeed, the coordinates of the Treasure Map that Tang Sewoon had deliberately leaked to Naeng Cheonhwi were the genuine location engraved on the true map.
It was undeniably a perilous choice.
The moment the location of the legacy was exposed to the enemy, the entire Demonic Cult would converge upon it.
It could only be seen as a decision tantamount to committing suicide.
[That small fry seemed completely fooled, but there’s no guarantee the remaining Demonic Cult remnants will all fall for your silver tongue, Junior Brother.]
To Nameless’s question, Tang Sewoon replied briefly without turning his head.
[That’s true.]
[…Huh?]
At Tang Sewoon’s unhesitating agreement, Nameless momentarily found himself at a loss for words, staring blankly at him.
[But there was no other choice.]
[…].
[If I had left it alone, the Demonic Cult bothering me would have only begun with this.]
[…!]
Tang Sewoon narrowed his eyes and continued firmly.
[When it comes to matters related to the Heavenly Demon, the Demonic Cult never gives up. Even if I had resolved it some other way, they would have endlessly suspected me and caused even more trouble than this. And if that happened, the next victims would have been the Tang Clan and my subordinates.]
[…That’s.]
Nameless pressed his lips tightly together.
He could not refute it.
Tang Sewoon’s words were undeniably true.
A direct clash with the Blood Cult was already imminent.
If, in this chaotic situation, the Demonic Cult also began moving behind the scenes, the damage would be beyond imagination.
Tang Sewoon continued.
[So it’s better to lure them out like this. Following the words of the returning Naeng Cheonhwi, the Demonic Cult will mobilize all its forces, including its ruler.]
[…Then what do you plan to do about those venomously enraged bastards, Junior Brother?]
Nameless asked quietly.
This was an opportunity for the Demonic Cult, which had searched for generations, to uncover the Heavenly Demon’s legacy and Tang Sewoon’s true identity.
Without question, they would pour every bit of power they had secretly amassed into Tang Sewoon.
At that, Tang Sewoon paused briefly and looked around.
As they crossed steep ridgelines, the scenery changed rapidly.
The harsh snowy landscape vanished, and a fresh early-summer breeze brushed across their faces.
[My plan is one of two.]
Tang Sewoon’s voice was low and grave.
It carried a sense of resolve.
[First, I seize control of the Demonic Cult and make it my vassal.]
[……!!]
At that moment, Nameless’s pupils shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck them.
And it was no wonder he was so shocked.
Those who fanatically worshipped and followed only the Heavenly Demon were no different from another Blood Cult.
And yet, to make such a Demonic Cult his subordinate?
[…Is that even possible?]
[It won’t be easy. But it’s not completely impossible.]
‘Hah.’
Yet Tang Sewoon answered instantly, without the slightest hesitation.
Nameless swallowed back the hollow breath that nearly escaped his throat.
Then he looked steadily at Tang Sewoon.
What stood there was not a mysterious Junior Brother whose true nature was unknowable.
Rather, it was an absolute being who had already reached a distant realm beyond comprehension.
‘He truly never ceases to astonish.’
The corner of Nameless’s lips slowly curled upward.
There was no fear of death brought on by such absurd and reckless plans.
Instead, it was simply too entertaining and exhilarating.
This was different from the past, when he lived without will of his own, merely becoming the blade of the Gate of Assassins and cutting down targets.
This very moment—fighting a mortal enemy with his own will—filled him with a vivid sense of being alive.
[Hehe, good. It’s been a while since I stained my blade with blood. Then what’s next?]
[Either way, until they return, time is on our side. If we can quickly obtain the Demonic Cult’s legacy in the meantime—.]
[Using that legacy as a foothold, we can make the play of the Heavenly Demon’s reincarnation even more perfect.]
[Correct.]
This time, a strange light surfaced in Tang Sewoon’s eyes.
As they spent more time together, Nameless was grasping his intentions and thoughts with astonishing precision.
Tang Sewoon felt a different kind of reassurance—like having a brother distinct from his sister.
But only for a moment. Tang Sewoon moved on.
[But if they don’t fall for my plan.]
Tang Sewoon did not answer immediately and instead looked up at the sky.
Above the blue heavens, brilliant sunlight was being veiled by clouds.
[Then we’ll have to put the second plan into action.]
A glacial chill seeped into Tang Sewoon’s voice.
[All the Demonic Cult’s forces that come rushing to capture me…….]
Sssaaa—
Without realizing it, a ferocious strand of killing intent burst forth from Tang Sewoon’s body and spread into the surroundings.
Not only Nameless, but Seori as well was startled when Tang Sewoon continued speaking.
[At that place, I will annihilate them all without exception.]
[……!!]
Nameless swallowed his breath.
Those were not words spoken lightly.
Tang Sewoon’s expression held not the slightest trace of falsehood.
He was serious.
Tang Sewoon had already prepared for an all-out war, assuming the possibility that drawing in the Demonic Cult’s full strength might fail.
---
“…This place?”
Seori tilted her head as she looked at the scene before her.
The three of them had arrived at the location indicated by the coordinates.
The place they reached lay on the outskirts of Sunyang County.
It was a low mountain slope, rising gently like a small hill.
Compared to the towering famous mountains that served as the bases of great sects—such as Zhongnan, Mount Hua, or Kunlun—this was hardly worthy of being called a mountain at all.
“In a place like this… you’re saying the Heavenly Demon’s legacy is really here?”
Seori spoke with a tone half-mocking, half-disbelieving, as if a dry laugh might escape her at any moment.
“Even ordinary commoners living nearby must have passed by this kind of plain mountain countless times. What meaning could a place like this possibly have for the Heavenly Demon?”
At that moment—
“There is no such thing.”
Tang Sewoon spoke quietly.
Seori frowned.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that, to the Heavenly Demon, no place would have mattered in the first place.”
“…What?”
Tang Sewoon said coldly.
“If he wanted to hide something, he was someone who could hide it anywhere. Meaning wouldn’t have mattered. It might simply have been a place he happened to pass by, a place where he stayed briefly.”
“Isn’t that far too vague a guess? There isn’t even a single cave entrance here.”
Seori still looked unconvinced.
But Tang Sewoon was certain this was the place.
And he could not help but be so.
Sssaaa—
‘The energy is resonating like mad.’
Tang Sewoon could feel his own energy surging in an alien, restless manner.
As if a special texture that existed only here were drawing him in.
A subtle resonance and vibration—something only a successor of the Heavenly Demon’s lineage could perceive—was caressing him.
And that flow whispered to him endlessly.
That it had waited for far too long.
That it wanted its true form to be revealed as soon as possible.
“There’s no time. We’re going in now.”
“Huh?”
Leaving Seori’s question behind, Tang Sewoon lightly raised one hand.
Sssaaaa—!
“!!”
“!?”
At the same time, the energy began to resonate violently. Now even Nameless and Seori could no longer fail to notice it.
Chwaaaa!
From Tang Sewoon’s fingertips, demonic qi and chilling cold interlocked, causing the air itself to tremble.
It felt as though the order of the world were being momentarily twisted.
Kwaaaang—!
A violent gust erupted.
As if an invisible hand had swept through the area, a storm surged forth.
Seori and Nameless instinctively lowered their stances.
Their survival instincts had screamed danger.
And at the same time—
Kwarurur!
Chwaaaa!
The ordinary mountain slope, where nothing had existed until now, began to change.
“…!”
“Ah!”
An involuntary exclamation escaped Seori’s lips.
Space itself warped.
A sound like tearing air spread out, and a transparent veil draped over the mountainside was peeled away.
Like slowly stripping off wet paper.
Sssss—
The scenery changed.
Nothing new was being created.
Rather, a true scenery that had been hidden for an unimaginably long time was finally being revealed.
Beyond everyone’s field of vision—
A gigantic cave.
A cavern of stone ice, frozen white as snow, revealed itself.
Reflecting light and exhaling a mist-like, chilling cold, it resembled a realm not of the living world, but of the underworld.
Such immense demonic qi poured forth that one could scarcely dare to step forward.
“This is…”
A mixture of awe and breathless admiration flowed from Seori’s voice.
Nameless felt the same.
He had never imagined a place like this could exist.
It had been concealed that perfectly.
Nameless muttered, as if letting out an empty breath.
“A formation, then.”
“Yes. Though I’m not sure it can still be called a mere formation, given how much stronger the energy has grown with the passage of time.”
An obscuring formation that had reached a truly inhuman realm.
To Nameless and Seori, this place felt like a profound abyss of another dimension, completely severed from the world.
Yes.
This place, where the Heavenly Demon’s breath still seemed to linger—
This was the true **Heavenly Demon Void Cavern**, where the Heavenly Demon’s legacy lay dormant.
As the two stood speechless—
“What are you doing? You’re not coming?”
“!!”
Tang Sewoon showed not the slightest agitation as he simply stepped toward the interior of the cave.
The demonic qi flowing out of the cavern muddled the mind, but to Tang Sewoon, it only made his heart race.
Seori and Nameless stood frozen for a moment, then quickly regained their senses and followed after him.
Swoooo—
As the three entered the white cavern, only a frigid silence remained behind them.