Overlord of Sichuan

Chapter 241: The Reappearance of the Heavenly Demon (1)

The entrance of the Heavenly Demon Cavern, which Sewoon and the other two had passed through, had once again fallen into turmoil.

A force numbering in the hundreds of martial artists was entering the interior of the ice-and-snow cavern.

All of them wore black face coverings or jet-black martial attire, and every single one of them emanated a sinister yet overwhelmingly intense presence.

They were none other than the martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, who had arrived precisely at the location Sewoon had conveyed to Naeng Cheon-hwi.

“No… how could a place like this exist…….”

“Surely not—surely this couldn’t have been real…!”

“I can’t believe it! To think that the traces of that One, whom our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had searched for over hundreds of years, would be found like this……!”

Ordinarily, the warriors of the Demonic Cult, governed by strict discipline and iron laws, would never display such reckless speech. Yet now, none of them could hide their shock and excitement.

But it was not only them.

From Sura True Lord, the commander of the Black Wind Unit—the Demonic Cult’s elite strike force—to Heaven-and-Earth Battle Demon and Yin-Wing Feathered Adept.

Even the elders of the Demonic Cult were openly revealing their agitation.

“Is… is this place truly correct, Great Protector?”

“If Elder Naeng’s words are truly accurate, then…….”

Sura True Lord’s voice trembled with disbelief.

The other elders, their faces flushed, all fixed their gazes on a single man.

The Great Protector of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Buk Ri-seung.

Without giving any reply, Buk Ri-seung slowly closed his eyes and sensed the qi filling the surroundings.

Shaaah!

Chwaaaah!

An immense and unfathomable demonic qi, so overwhelming it defied belief as something of this world, surged forth.

This was a presence no one could dare approach.

“This qi…… it is unquestionably the demonic qi of that One.”

“!!”

It was unmistakably the aura of the Heavenly Demon.

The murmuring spread in an instant, swelling like a massive tidal wave.

The atmosphere had transformed into something utterly different from when they had first departed.

Back then, upon hearing Sewoon’s message, most of them had erupted in rage and unleashed killing intent.

They had believed Naeng Cheon-hwi had fallen for a trick meant to muddle Tang Sewoon’s mind.

But the coordinates Sewoon provided had been exact, and their feet had finally reached the place they had sought for so long.

The moment they arrived, their hearts began to pound violently.

What they saw with their eyes, heard with their ears, and felt with their entire bodies was demonic qi that allowed not a shred of doubt.

The distrust rooted in their hearts was instantly replaced by awe and ecstasy.

“At last… at last!”

“Ah, ahh! O Demon God!”

For those who had chased the traces of the Heavenly Demon for centuries, this moment was akin to confirming the very reason for their existence.

But then—

“Calm yourselves, all of you.”

Buk Ri-seung’s low yet resolute voice cut through the commotion in a single stroke.

“Even if the qi lingering here truly belongs to that One, whether the being who summoned us is truly His successor is an entirely different matter.”

“!!”

At his words, even the sound of breathing among the Demonic Cult warriors ceased.

“Prepare thoroughly for any unforeseen enemy or contingency.”

“……We obey!”

It was authority befitting the Great Protector of the Demonic Cult.

Just as he had once ruled the hidden forces of the Demonic Cult with iron blood, Buk Ri-seung issued his orders without revealing a trace of emotion.

……Yet that was only on the surface.

‘What in the world is going on? Could it be that Tang Sewoon truly…….’

Before being the Great Protector, he too was a member of the Demonic Cult.

The heart of a disciple who worshiped the Heavenly Demon was pounding fiercely within his chest.

Even so, he alone had to maintain composure in preparation for any possible development.

“Move.”

At his calm command, the Demonic Cult group began to advance slowly deeper inside.

The intricate patterns carved into the ice walls, and the unknown qi flowing along them, were enough to muddle even the observer’s mind.

Soon, the first trial unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

Two diverging paths.

Between them, the ground had been blasted open into a massive pit, as if a meteor had struck.

It was none other than the trace left when Sewoon had smashed the ground apart with a single punch, declaring he would create a new path.

Because the enormous fissure had completely destroyed the route across, everyone came to a halt.

“Does this mean we are to leap over this massive hole using movement techniques?”

“Hm. That must be the beginning. And choosing which of those two paths to take afterward would be the real test.”

The Demonic Cult warriors voiced their own speculations.

Most of them interpreted this situation as the will of the Heavenly Demon testing them.

After centuries of absence, what would the Heavenly Demon be asking of them?

Was it not how much they had filled their shortcomings during that time?

But then, once again, Buk Ri-seung stepped forward.

“You are all mistaken.”

“Pardon?”

“Look over there.”

This was no simple test.

Where Buk Ri-seung pointed, four characters were engraved—words everyone else had overlooked.

“Heaven and Earth Opening.”

“……!!”

“Even if we must shatter the heavens and twist the earth to create a new world, is that not precisely what our Divine Cult exists to do?”

Buk Ri-seung’s voice was low, yet filled with unwavering resolve.

His gaze was sharp, as if it could pierce through all phenomena.

“Only one place here has fulfilled the will of defying heaven.”

He lowered his finger—not toward either of the two paths, but toward the gaping hole.

Buk Ri-seung’s spiritual sense clearly felt it.

The profound and wondrous qi emanating from within that pitch-black abyss.

‘Within this bottomless pit, the fragrance of that One is far too strong.’

A faint stream of demonic qi flowed from his fingertips, seeping into the darkness of the abyss.

Feeling a thrilling shiver run through him, Buk Ri-seung spoke slowly.

“This is not a trial. The Heavenly Demon is merely asking us.”

For the first time, a subtle ripple appeared on the face of Buk Ri-seung, who had revealed no emotion until now.

“Whether we possess the courage to follow Him, even if it means leaping into the fires of hell.”

“Aah!”

At Buk Ri-seung’s interpretation, not a single member of the Demonic Cult failed to be impressed.

……Of course, Sewoon had never left behind such an intention in the slightest.

In any case, through Buk Ri-seung’s transcendent interpretation, they proceeded to the next stage—just as Sewoon had.

“Enter!”

“We obey!!”

Whoosh!

Without the slightest hesitation, every Demonic Cult martial artist hurled themselves into the hole.

Like massive boulders plunging off a cliff, their bodies were sucked into the darkness.

Yet just as it had been for Sewoon, an unknown force wrapped around every single one of them.

Feeling a warmth like a mother’s embrace, all of them—without a single straggler—set foot in a new location.

At this miraculous phenomenon, the entire Demonic Cult force failed to hide their astonishment.

But it lasted only a moment.

“This is……?”

“What in the world……!”

The instant they beheld the second gate before them, shock seized them completely.

The walls and ceiling of the passage were filled with twisted, shattered remnants.

As though a colossal storm had swept through, the surrounding walls were pulverized and gouged deeply, while the ground was split apart with jagged cracks.

It was nothing short of a battlefield of carnage.

‘……Could this have been the Heavenly Demon’s training ground?’

‘That Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron…….’

‘To think it has been torn apart like mere paper.’

At a glance, it was clear these were not natural marks. Something of terrifying force had ravaged this place.

“These markings…….”

Sura True Lord approached the shattered wall and examined it closely.

Fortunately, no flying blades struck.

Because Sewoon had already entered this place earlier, all of the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword imprints carved here had completely vanished.

Yet even the remaining traces alone were overwhelming.

Without realizing it, Sura True Lord let out an exclamation and addressed Buk Ri-seung.

“Great Protector, what exactly is this place……?”

“…….”

“Great Protector?”

As Sura True Lord looked at Buk Ri-seung in confusion—

“Master…….”

“!!”

A cry suddenly burst from his lips.

Buk Ri-seung’s face was now openly suffused with deep emotion.

It was no longer something he could conceal.

Ignoring whether Sura True Lord was flustered by this unprecedented sight, Buk Ri-seung’s gaze traced the faint marks engraved across the shattered walls.

This was not merely evidence of training or destruction.

It was the distilled essence of martial arts released by an existence of an unfathomably high realm.

‘……This is the completion of intent that makes my own self feel unbearably small.’

Even he—a peerless demonic master who had reached the extreme of the Manifestation Realm—could not dare approach such a distant height.

Countless sword scars were carved everywhere, and within them, sword intent beyond imagination had been deeply engraved.

Buk Ri-seung, who had devoted his entire life to pursuing the traces of the Heavenly Demon, was glimpsing the ultimate pinnacle of martial arts here.

Yet what was even more astonishing—

‘There is not just one remnant……!!’

Though he could not deduce that this was the result of the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword colliding with Sewoon’s Invisible Dagger,

the fact that two colossal wills had clashed violently was unmistakably on display.

‘The powers of two Life-and-Death Realms are interwoven here……!’

On one side, the heavy and ferocious sword intent of the Heavenly Demon remained.

On the other, clear traces of another Life-and-Death Realm that had torn space itself apart in defiance of it.

Drip.

‘Ah…….’

In that instant, a single tear slid down from the corner of Buk Ri-seung’s eye.

Something hot surged up from the depths of his heart.

These were tears of overwhelming emotion.

He was moved that the path of martial arts he had pursued his entire life still possessed heights so unfathomably distant.

And he trembled at the realization that the one who had bestowed such a lesson was the Divine Demon he had chased all his life.

After a brief moment to regain composure, Buk Ri-seung finally spoke.

“……Let us go, to our Master.”

At last, it was time to meet the being who awaited them beyond.

Everyone followed behind Buk Ri-seung as he led the way.

At the end of the ravaged passage, a colossal door came into view.

Like the surrounding walls, the door was forged of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron—and it already stood wide open.

Shaaah!

Kwa-ga-ga-ga!

“Hngh!”

“K—kugh!”

Upon arriving there, everyone except Buk Ri-seung and the elders groaned in pain.

From beyond the door, along with deep darkness, an overwhelming demonic qi poured forth as if it would devour everything.

Yet even so, no one halted their steps.

Even if they were to die, unable to withstand the demonic qi, they could not allow this moment to pass.

Chwaaaah!

After walking through darkness that felt like countless eons, a beam of light finally unfolded.

The interior was an ordinary ice cavern.

What differed was that it had been arranged like a shrine.

And at the center of that shrine stood a single divine throne.

Upon that seat, like the throne of an emperor—

Step.

A shadow slowly revealed itself.

An overwhelming presence that transcended immeasurable ages.

At the moment when even Buk Ri-seung and all the Demonic Cult warriors could scarcely breathe—

“You are late.”

The Heavenly Demon, whom they had awaited for countless years, finally spoke.