Chapter 179
Chapter 179
In a mountain valley so deep it could be called a secluded gorge, a man sat in the Cross-Legged Meditation Posture.
At a glance, it might appear that he was simply meditating normally, but upon seeing that the man was floating in midair, such a thought would immediately retreat to the back of one’s mind.
The man sat in the Cross-Legged Meditation Posture, yet he was levitating roughly one cheok above the ground. A phenomenon that could only occur after reaching at least the State of the Transformation Realm clearly revealed that the man before them was an Absolute Master.
However, if judged solely by the level of martial arts, the man before them was not a being that could be fully described by the mere words Absolute Master.
If Youngho were to see this man, he would call him a monster. And there was only one being whom Youngho would call a monster.
The Cult Leader of the Sun–Moon Divine Cult and the god of its cultists, the Heavenly Demon, slowly opened his eyes.
“The Circulation and Breathing Exercises have become quite stable.”
For an expert on the level of the Heavenly Demon, it would normally be expected that phenomena like the Five Qi Returning to the Origin or the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown would appear—five rings or three blossoms blooming above the head.
But was it called Returning to Simplicity? Mediocre experts unconsciously revealed the Martial Might they tried to hide, yet true masters were said to conceal everything in any situation.
Whether it be their martial realm or their mind.
If that domain truly was Returning to Simplicity, then the Heavenly Demon had unquestionably stepped into it.
Not only was his expression impossible to read, but not even the slightest aura flowed from his body. The Heavenly Demon, from whom even the vital energy that humans possessed could not be felt, seemed like a ghost.
Though the Heavenly Demon was clearly visible, if one closed their eyes, nothing could be sensed at all. It was not the domain of sinister sorcery, nor was it an ability born from the Divine Cult’s special experiments.
This was a realm carved out solely by the Heavenly Demon himself.
That was why he was called a god within the Divine Cult and a monster within the Central Plains.
Because of that, Pungwol had to exert all his strength to conceal his astonishment.
He had thought he would never see such a sight in his lifetime. The Heavenly Demon occasionally showed interest in toys, but this could not be handled with the mere expression of interest.
The Heavenly Demon did not hide his emotions. Even though he had reached the realm of Returning to Simplicity, he was openly revealing that he felt not just interest but even favor toward the opponent before him.
How long had it been? It was an emotion he had only ever felt toward his own son, Cheon Muback.
Even that emotion had quickly faded once he realized Cheon Muback had fallen short of his expectations.
He acknowledged the strength of his enemy. He wanted to fight his enemy and prove himself. At this moment, the Heavenly Demon was not a lofty and sacred god, but the Heavenly Demon as a martial artist.
He did not need the grand title of the sky of all Demonic Practitioners. He even detested the troublesome title of god of the Divine Cult.
Right now, he merely wished to unleash his fighting spirit freely toward the opponent approaching him.
The Heavenly Demon did not even try to suppress the smile that he simply could not hide. He remained faithful to his emotions.
At last, he was coming. His rival. He would finally see it now.
“Finally, that day approaches…….”
What he had once thought to be a futile dream—his prophetic dream—was finally about to be reenacted in reality.
Feeling his rival approaching from well over one li away with his entire body, the Heavenly Demon spoke.
“Pungwol, prepare the cultists. They will arrive soon.”
“Yes.”
In response, Pungwol once again awakened the spirits of the Twelve Demons and the other cultists.
Though the voice of Pungwol reciting the doctrines of the Sun–Moon Divine Cult could be heard nearby, the Heavenly Demon merely bared his white teeth and grinned.
And not long after, the soldiers of the Orthodox–Unorthodox Alliance appeared before the Heavenly Demon. Naturally, such an alliance did not exist within the Heavenly Demon’s field of vision.
Only Youngho approaching him could be seen.
What if Youngho had been unable to grow properly after suffering despair and frustration from the overwhelming gap? The Heavenly Demon had once wondered that.
But Youngho shattered that concern as if proving it had been nothing but needless worry.
In the end, Youngho did not remain merely a toy of the Heavenly Demon. He had earned the qualification to be called his rival.
Just as excitement was about to consume his heart, Youngho’s steps stopped.
The Heavenly Demon frowned slightly at that, yet the distance of roughly seventy zhang between them did not close.
Just as the Heavenly Demon was about to step forward, Youngho’s voice thundered like lightning.
“I kept the promise.”
The Heavenly Demon replied with a voice filled with laughter.
“We have not fought yet. Can you truly say the promise has been kept?”
“That’s true. Then let me ask one thing.”
“If it is only one thing, I will hear it. Though my patience is not particularly good.”
“Then I have nothing to say. You were dragging your feet, so I was about to urge you on.”
“Is that so… then let us begin.”
The Heavenly Demon’s expression exploded with the ecstasy and pleasure he had been suppressing. He stretched both arms forward.
Then he opened his palms and placed both hands side by side.
“You can at least use Hardened Force Manifestation, can’t you?”
“If I couldn’t, I would never have dared to fight you.”
The tip of Youngho’s sword pointed toward the Heavenly Demon.
“Then let’s begin. This war where the Demonic Cult will fall and your head will be severed.”
“Very well—?”
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon frowned.
The expression on his face looked deeply displeased, so much so that even Pungwol could not hide his confusion.
Even Youngho was taken aback when the Heavenly Demon suddenly lowered his hands.
‘What is he thinking?’
The Heavenly Demon had shown many bizarre sides until now, but they had never gone beyond the range Youngho could anticipate.
But this time, even Youngho found it difficult to guess why the Heavenly Demon was acting this way.
Youngho let out a light scoff and said,
“What is it? Surely you’re not afraid… or perhaps you’ve gone senile?”
Even at those words, the Heavenly Demon gave no reply. Youngho quietly began gathering his energy.
‘I can’t waste this chance.’
A completed Hardened Force Manifestation displayed power incomparable to Hardened Force. It was a power that could truly be called the authority to destroy the world.
While the Heavenly Demon was distracted, he had to reduce the Demonic Cult’s forces even if only by a little.
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue and spoke.
“Withdraw your energy. It seems it is not yet time to enjoy the festival.”
“What?”
“If you do not withdraw your energy now, I will kill others before I kill you.”
At that single sentence heavy with threat, the immense energy gathered at the tip of Youngho’s sword instantly dispersed.
Seeing Youngho’s hardened face, the Heavenly Demon nodded slightly.
“A wise decision. If your energy had swelled any further, I was planning to kill the women standing beside you.”
Muyeon and Myeongnyang, who stood on either side of Youngho, both flinched at the same time.
“My rival, it seems our battle must be postponed for a moment.”
“What trick are you playing? I thought no one was simpler than you, yet now you seem exceedingly cunning.”
As Youngho growled fiercely, the Heavenly Demon burst into hearty laughter.
“Yes, it is my greed. But I too am holding back. To obtain a more delicious fruit. After all, the longer one endures, the sweeter the reward that follows.”
The Heavenly Demon grinned.
“Let us fight exactly three shijin from now. You will remain exactly where you are. I shall do the same.”
At the sudden turn of events, not only Myeongnyang and Zhuge Lianhua but even Pungwol needed time to grasp the situation.
But the three quickly regained their composure and began thinking of countermeasures.
Youngho’s hardened face stiffened even further. Despite the distance between them, the Heavenly Demon clearly saw his expression and instead laughed.
“The two of us will do nothing for three shijin. We move exactly after three shijin. Is there any reason you cannot accept it?”
“There is no reason I must accept it either.”
“Do you think such bravado works on me?”
Others could not understand those words. But at least the Heavenly Demon’s intention had been conveyed clearly to Youngho.
Youngho glared at the Heavenly Demon with killing intent. The aura he emitted had grown so powerful that even the Heavenly Demon could feel the pressure.
The Heavenly Demon laughed loudly.
“Hahahaha!! How refreshing. You are different from me.”
The Heavenly Demon had no one precious to him. Those who called themselves believers only showed interest in the god of the Sun–Moon Divine Cult, not in the human Cheon Sangmu.
Thus, there was no one beside him he could call precious. The Heavenly Demon never formed relationships where emotions were shared.
The way the Heavenly Demon judged people was simple—whether they were useful or useless.
In any case, due to the nature of religion, there were no cultists who would betray him, their god.
Because Cheon Sangmu was such a person, the Heavenly Demon realized something the moment he saw how Youngho treated others.
The young rival before him was a being different from himself.
He was someone who formed relationships without reason and slowly built trust—unlike himself.
If the Heavenly Demon’s proposal caused significant disruption to the war, Youngho would reject it outright even if it meant letting go of those precious to him.
However, no matter how he thought about it, this proposal did not seem likely to cause any unexpected changes for either side.
At that moment, Myeongnyang spoke.
“It would be best to accept it. I can guess what the Commander is thinking, but this may instead become an opportunity.”
Without turning his gaze toward Muyeon, Youngho kept his killing intent fixed on the Heavenly Demon as he spoke.
“What is your reasoning?”
“After discussing with Strategist Zhuge, if both the Heavenly Demon and the Commander refrain from entering the battle, there will be fewer variables. Just as the Heavenly Demon is a major variable, so is the Commander. If the Heavenly Demon and the Commander do not fight, the chances of killing the Twelve Demons increase.”
Youngho glanced at Zhuge Lianhua. She nodded.
“That is correct. The Commander’s battles are always full of variables. But if two Absolute Masters are removed, this will become a pure battle of strategy and forces.”
It was a logical argument.
Even a single one of them was a disaster-level variable that could change the situation constantly. If there were two, the tides of war would shift every moment.
And no matter how brilliant two geniuses might be, if the battle became prolonged, they would not defeat Pungwol’s monstrous intellect.
The strategists’ words were simple.
The Twelve Demons of the Demonic Cult and the experts of the Orthodox–Unorthodox Alliance would fight and decide victory.
This war would end in a single great battle from the beginning. Both the Demonic Cult and the Alliance had brought all the forces they could muster.
A single opportunity. A situation where using a gamble move would not be strange.
Youngho trusted his comrades.
But at this moment, more than trust, he needed solid reasoning for the plan.
Though somewhat uneasy, Youngho listened to the strategists’ advice and made his decision.
“I will accept your proposal. Exactly three shijin later, I will move. The same applies to you.”
“I swear it on everything I have.”
Youngho’s cold eyes met the Heavenly Demon’s blazing gaze. After staring at each other for a moment, they both turned away.
“Children.”
“Pungwol.”
“Do your best.”
“Begin.”
“—Uwaaaaaaah!!!”
With a thunderous roar, the war began.
The distance of nearly seventy zhang became meaningless as the soldiers of the Demonic Cult and the Orthodox–Unorthodox Alliance collided in an instant.
KWA-AAAAANG!!!
At that moment, a deafening explosion shook the mountain as white Sword Force slaughtered the Demonic Practitioners before it.
The Imperial Sword, backed by overwhelming Internal Energy, revealed its presence in the hands of Namgung Cheon.
Namgung Cheon curled his lips and said,
“Too bad. I won’t reach a hundred.”
Enraged Demonic Practitioners charged toward Namgung Cheon without hiding their ferocious Martial Presence.