Chapter 244 : Reappearance of the Heavenly Demon (4)
Chapter 244: Reappearance of the Heavenly Demon (4)
Flare—!
The pure white space blazed fiercely, as if it had transformed into a gigantic furnace.
It was because of the extreme yang energy being emitted from the Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade that filled the space.
It was not merely its appearance that resembled flames.
It was living fire itself—living sparks brought into being by the manifestation of the essence of a Divine Craftsman engraved upon Sewoon’s soul.
A strange light rose in Sewoon’s eyes as he realized his true Mind Sword.
“Now it will be different.”
“Hmph. Then come.”
Bang!
Kicking off with full force, Sewoon charged forward like a bolt of lightning.
The balance of space itself shook in response to his movement.
Ground-Folding Step.
As if folding the earth’s energy channels beneath his feet, he folded space as he ran, his divine form turning into a streak of light.
Srrrng!
Shaaaa!
The Heavenly Demon did not merely watch.
The Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword unfolded, still radiating overwhelming might.
It swept through the air with air-rending sounds, chasing Sewoon’s trajectory—but unlike before, it could no longer push him back unilaterally.
Titi-ti-ting!
Kwaaaar!
The Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade, blazing like a sun burning in the azure heavens, vanished from sight as if it never existed—only to suddenly bore into the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword and deflect every single strike with precision.
‘I can block it now…!’
Astonishingly, that movement contained neither sound nor energy, making it impossible to predict.
It was possible only because the essence of the Invisible Dagger—formlessness, silence, and emotionlessness—had been fully imbued into the Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade.
“Colorless, hm. An interesting trick.”
“It won’t be merely interesting!”
“We shall see if that is true.”
Taht!
The Heavenly Demon pivoted on his left foot and rotated his body.
Pulling his left hand toward his waist, he extended his right arm long in the opposite direction.
Chrrrrr!
Following that mystical motion, the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword began to split into dozens—hundreds—of branches.
Paat!
In response, Sewoon unleashed a newly realized martial art, carrying the enlightenment he had just gained.
The flames of the Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade raged, overlapping and interlinking tightly.
A massive barrier formed, protecting Sewoon.
Flawless Immortal Garment
Ultimate Technique
Circular Wings, Radiance
Kuurrrr!
Kwaaaang!
Whenever the sharp Sword Intent emitted by the Mind Sword tried to tear apart Sewoon’s intent, the Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade flared like blazing fire, rising to melt it all away.
The shock of intent colliding with intent was powerful enough to shake the soul.
Each time space twisted and exploded from the clash of the two attacks, the temperature of the pure white space boiled up like molten lava in an instant.
Shaaaaah!
But Sewoon was not fighting defensively alone.
The blazing yang energy of the flames relentlessly bored in, as if it would burn away the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword itself.
It was an attack imbued with will—fundamentally different from the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword, which existed purely for destruction.
Clearly, the situation was different from before.
Sewoon was no longer being pushed back one-sidedly.
However—
‘I still can’t suppress him. No… just how much power does he have?’
Sewoon’s expression was far from bright.
Even after stepping into the true Life and Death Realm, he could not afford to relax.
He had merely reached the starting line after beginning as someone unqualified.
That was how endless the Heavenly Demon’s strength was.
In the next instant, the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword collided with Sewoon’s Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade, shaking the pure white space and opening massive fissures throughout it.
Pazzzzzz!
Kwaarrr!
The sight of a space formed of intent being destroyed as if it were real demonstrated just how fierce their battle was.
Sewoon gasped for breath as he poured everything he had into the Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade.
There was no room for surrender.
He continuously refined and layered his intent.
‘Ghk! This isn’t enough. More—just a little more.’
The Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade burned redder, hotter, its power surging to the limit.
Countless threads of the Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade traced unpredictable trajectories as they passed through and beyond the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword.
At last, he seized an opening without missing it.
Chrarararah!
Uuwoooong!
At the very moment when the fiercely rotating blades of the Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade lunged straight toward the heart of the Faint Silver Heavenly Demon—
“Hm. This should be enough.”
Pazzzzzz!
Saaah!
With that single remark from the Heavenly Demon—
“…!!”
What?
Like cherry blossom petals scattering in a spring breeze, all of Sewoon’s Heavenly Net of the Mind Blade suddenly dispersed without a trace.
Sewoon could not hide the confusion on his face.
Yet he did not immediately take a defensive stance.
“You’ve done well, brat.”
The presence of the Heavenly Demon before him had completely changed.
The low voice of the Faint Silver Heavenly Demon echoed through the space.
At the same time, the chilling killing intent he had been scattering vanished as if it had never existed.
Uuwoooong!
Shaaaaah!
The temperature, which had felt like the inside of a volcano, instantly returned to how it had been at the start.
As if nothing had happened.
The oppressive pressure that had filled the space evaporated in a single moment.
Not only the Heavenly Net, but even the Heavenly Demon’s Mind Sword disappeared without leaving a trace.
Faced with this sudden turn of events—
“Hah.”
At a complete loss for words, Sewoon let out a hollow breath.
He realized that the Heavenly Demon had never intended to kill him from the beginning.
So that meant—this entire battle—
‘…was just a farce staged to test my potential.’
It had all been the Heavenly Demon’s game.
“Do you need some cold water?”
“…No.”
“Haha, your expression is quite the sight. Seeing that look for the first time in a long while almost makes me want to go out into the mortal world again.”
Within the pure white space that had regained its calm, the Heavenly Demon looked at Sewoon and teased him mischievously.
It was impossible to believe that the two of them had been locked in a Life-and-Death Battle just moments ago.
Sewoon himself, the person involved, felt just as dumbfounded.
After all, the Heavenly Demon standing before him was known throughout the martial world as the root of all demons.
However, since he could not afford to waste time like this indefinitely, Sewoon cautiously opened his mouth.
“…May I ask why you are showing me such generosity, Senior?”
It truly could be called generosity.
Despite not being a member of the Demonic Cult, the Heavenly Demon had guided Sewoon to enlightenment in the Life and Death Realm.
The Heavenly Demon chuckled lightly, as if tossing out a joke.
“Heh heh. Drop the ‘senior.’ I don’t care to be treated like an old man.”
There was no longer any coldness in his smile—only a strange sense of ease.
He slid closer to Sewoon and lightly patted his shoulder.
Sewoon felt no threat at all from the touch.
“The more I look at you, the more peculiar you seem.”
“…Pardon?”
The Heavenly Demon continued, his gaze piercing straight through Sewoon’s inner self.
“Ordinarily, to reach the Life and Death Realm, one must form a Natural Body. Flesh, mind, and qi must align perfectly as one, uniting the upper, middle, and lower dantian into a single whole.”
A look of confusion surfaced in Sewoon’s eyes.
That was because he had yet to form a Natural Body, and his dantian were still divided into three.
“Yet you entered the Life and Death Realm using only the power of your true self, despite lacking a Natural Body. Even I failed to accomplish that in my lifetime. It is worthy of praise—take pride in it.”
Sewoon was stunned by the Heavenly Demon’s words.
To think that even the Heavenly Demon himself had failed to achieve such a feat—it was bewildering.
“However, from now on, you must form a Natural Body.”
“…!”
The Heavenly Demon’s eyes turned serious once more.
“Without a solid vessel as your foundation, whatever you pour into it is bound to overflow. If you fail to complete it fully here, you will never be able to face ‘that one.’”
“‘That one’… you don’t mean—?”
Sewoon could not bring himself to finish the question asking whether he meant the Blood Demon.
“Still, you are carrying something truly peculiar within you.”
“…!”
The Heavenly Demon was closely examining Sewoon’s dantian, his eyes glinting with interest.
Sewoon immediately realized that the ‘peculiar thing’ he referred to was his Heavenly Punishment.
For some reason, the Heavenly Demon’s gaze carried an unusually profound light.
“A hole that devours everything. It resembles a hole torn open in the sky itself. Calling it a Heavenly Aperture would not be inappropriate.”
Heavenly Aperture.
A name meaning a hole of the heavens—revealing just how astonishing even the Heavenly Demon found it.
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon spoke to Sewoon.
“Extend your hand.”
“…!”
The Heavenly Demon extended one of his own hands as well.
After a brief hesitation, Sewoon reached out.
Ordinarily, for a martial artist to offer their hand while completely defenseless was unthinkable.
But the one standing before him was someone who could erase his very existence from this space with a single thought.
And—
‘If it’s the Heavenly Demon, he might know what the Heavenly Punishment truly is…!’
It was a chance to learn the nature of the curse that had plagued him his entire life.
At last, the Heavenly Demon grasped Sewoon’s hand.
Saaaah!
Kuurrrr!
At the same time, the Heavenly Demon’s qi spread through Sewoon’s limbs and body, sweeping over his entire physique.
Normally, another person’s qi entering one’s body brought pain and discomfort.
‘…It feels like I swallowed a supreme elixir.’
Instead, it felt refreshing and cool, like an autumn breeze.
Wherever the Heavenly Demon’s qi passed, vitality surged.
It felt as though he were undergoing Hair-Cutting and Marrow-Washing.
After a brief moment passed—
The Heavenly Demon slowly opened the eyes he had kept closed.
“So that’s how it is.”
A meaningful smile formed on his lips.
Sewoon also listened intently.
But what followed was something he never expected.
“As I thought. There was a reason behind all my waiting.”
“…!!”
Sewoon was startled.
That judgment had come after seeing what Sewoon believed to be a curse.
Unable to stop himself, Sewoon spoke.
“Please tell me, what exactly is this Heavenly Punishment?”
He asked urgently.
If he could overcome this curse—or at least learn its nature—it might become a decisive clue in facing the Blood Demon.
But regrettably, the Heavenly Demon slowly shook his head.
“I’m sorry. If I were to tell you, the Heavenly Mechanism would collapse. And that would surely lead to an even worse outcome for you.”
“Ah…”
Sewoon let out an involuntary groan.
In the end, even the Heavenly Demon could not give him a clear answer.
However, as if soothing him, the Heavenly Demon added one more thing.
“Wait patiently. Everything will soon unfold according to Natural Order.”
“…Yes.”
Sewoon nodded in response.
He had waited his entire life—what was a little longer?
Then, with a faintly playful tone, Sewoon made a joke.
“Hah. Still, hearing you speak of natural order is rather amusing.”
The Heavenly Demon was a being who had once sought to overturn the martial world and destroy everything.
Wasn’t it absurd for someone like that to mention ‘natural order’?
The Faint Silver Heavenly Demon let out a small laugh at Sewoon’s remark.
“Must a Heavenly Demon destroy the world to be proper? Hmph. This is why people of the Central Plains are such a bother.”
Caught off guard by this unexpected side of him, Sewoon chuckled.
He had heard much about the Heavenly Demon—but those were merely records and rumors passed down through the martial world.
Then, the Heavenly Demon’s gaze drifted toward the distant void.
Though nothing but white existed, his eyes seemed to be recalling a faraway past.
The Heavenly Demon slowly moved his lips.
“Child. I loved this world more than anyone.”
“!!”
Sewoon closed his mouth and listened intently, startled.
His intuition screamed at him.
That this—
Was the moment he would finally hear why the Heavenly Demon had once left the martial world, before unifying the Central Plains.