Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Contemporary Heavenly Demon
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The grandeur of the eight-horse carriage was truly awe-inspiring. The ground trembled as if a massive monster's head were approaching.
It had to be the demonic energy.
Demonic energy poured from the carriage known as the Heavenly Demon's Supreme Chariot, followed by the hundreds of demons trailing behind it. The eight horses pulling it seemed utterly unfazed by the foul aura, which was strange enough to raise eyebrows.
As Do Cheon approached, he tilted his head.
'Why is it different from the Generation's Heavenly Demon's energy?'
If the one inside the carriage was indeed the contemporary Heavenly Demon, their energy should at least match, shouldn't it?
It was markedly different. The energy Do Cheon had acquired from the Generation's Heavenly Demon felt close to the natural forces of the world, but the presence inside the carriage emanated a chilling menace that would set anyone's nerves on edge.
'Well, I'll find out soon enough.'
Do Cheon strode straight toward the front of the eight-horse carriage, gradually revealing his own energy.
The distance was a hundred zhang (300 meters).
No reaction yet. They hadn't noticed him.
'What kind of Heavenly Demon is this? The whole world should be trembling in fear.'
Disappointing.
At this range, they should have sensed him and surged with demonic energy, right?
Seventy zhang (200 meters).
The demonic energy inside the carriage stirred.
'Too late, old man!'
Do Cheon smirked.
Neither he nor the carriage changed speed.
Fifty zhang (150 meters).
A sinister burst of demonic energy erupted from the carriage. It coalesced in midair and shot toward Do Cheon like a meteor, intent on obliterating the fool daring to block its path in one strike.
Boom!
It exploded right in front of Do Cheon, blocked by his rebounding defensive energy.
The explosion noticeably slowed the carriage. The eight horses, previously immune to the demonic energy, now showed a change—not fear, but excitement, rearing up wildly. They must have been demonic steeds trained and acclimated to it.
Thirty zhang (100 meters).
Now they were close enough to clearly sense each other.
"He's coming!"
Do Cheon muttered.
A figure shot into the air from behind the Heavenly Demon's Supreme Chariot. Covering thirty zhang in a breath, he swung the weapon in his hand.
Shraaa-la-la-la!
The sound of iron chains unfurling in the air. At the end of the chains dangled a massive, terrifying blade. It was a weapon Do Cheon had never seen before—one that would shred and slice anything in its path. It slashed diagonally through the air toward him.
Kwa-rung!
Do Cheon thrust out his fist. Thunder roared as a bolt of azure energy shot from his straight punch like lightning. The weapon flying at ferocious speed was deflected, and its wielder sent flying in a single blow. No scream—just flung away like splintered firewood.
Twenty zhang (60 meters).
Both Do Cheon and the carriage came to a halt. Then three demons charged in.
Old men. Their presence screamed danger—one wrong glance and your eyes would be gouged out, one wrong word and your tongue ripped free. They embodied what true demons should look like: clad in somber black uniforms, exuding savage ferocity as they alternated palm strikes.
Pa-pa-pa-pak!
Fierce palm forces exploded through the air.
Experts on par with the Heaven-Rending Legion. But they were no match for Do Cheon.
Kwa-rung!
Do Cheon's fist unleashed azure lightning once more. Thunderous booms echoed in succession. The three elders looked shocked but held their ground, countering and deflecting as they pressed on.
'If it had been the Ten Stars' Thunder Wall Fist, I could've blown them away. Shame.'
No helping it.
He'd half-wanted to scatter these Heavenly Demon Cult demons with the Iron Lion King's Thunder Wall Fist, but his current Nine Stars level fell short.
Seeing Do Cheon hadn't dispatched them in one go, the three elders gained confidence and charged even more ferociously, intent on grinding him to pulp in a frenzy.
Do Cheon's fist opened wide.
The air roiled, layering and compressing around the three elders. Impressive masters indeed—they tore through the binding energy without flinching. But right then, Do Cheon's palm shot out.
Kwa-ang!
Space itself shattered. The three elders, bloodied, were hurled away.
"It's you!"
A furious roar erupted.
Black mist surged into the air from behind the Heavenly Demon's Supreme Chariot. The Heavenly Demon inside hadn't budged. Do Cheon scowled at the Heaven-Rending Legion on the roof. If the Heavenly Demon moved, he might find an opening—but with him staying put, Do Cheon couldn't recklessly strike.
Then it happened.
A suffocatingly sinister energy exploded from behind Do Cheon.
He grimaced. It was familiar. Turning with a scowl, he saw Nam Myeong: ghostly pale face, eyes black as ink, lips curled in a feral grin as he shot forward like a specter.
The moment Do Cheon, now attacked from both sides, furrowed his brow deeper—
Nam Myeong, face full of ghostly fury, soared into the air. As Do Cheon puzzled over it, he collided head-on with the one who'd unleashed the black mist from behind the chariot.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
Endless clash of impacts.
The shockwave was so immense that even the demonic steeds, unmoved by the demons' energy, panicked and bucked, shaking the eight-horse carriage violently.
"Hea-ven-ly De-mon!"
Do Cheon bellowed, launching like a massive cannon shell.
But the space ahead—the space ahead—shattered entirely.
Kwa-ang!
Even Do Cheon was startled.
The colossal eight-horse carriage, along with its eight demonic steeds, vanished without a trace.
Do Cheon halted.
He widened his eyes in shock, scanning around.
Gone. The Heaven-Rending Legion was nowhere to be seen.
The massive crater in the earth was the only testament to the tremendous explosion. And one man. An elder with pure white robes fluttering, white beard and hair, descending slowly from the sky.
Everything about him—clothes, beard, hair—was pristine white.
The Heavenly Demon.
The contemporary Heavenly Demon.
Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Ruler of the demonic path.
Like a sovereign overlooking the world, he gazed down from above, slowly descending. He single-handedly suppressed the demonic energy of nearly a thousand demons on the ground, radiating an untouchable presence.
"Heavenly Demon's True Form!"
"Ten Thousand Demons Pay Homage!"
"Eternal Prosperity to the Divine Cult!"
Shouts rose from the demons. Nearly a thousand of them prostrated in unison. Even the one clashing with Nam Myeong repelled him with a mighty strike and bowed toward the Heavenly Demon in the air.
"Kuhuhu!"
Nam Myeong glared at the Heavenly Demon with ink-black eyes. Sinister energy welled from his entire body—thick killing intent. Undoubtedly a thrill for the strong. He yearned to fight the Heavenly Demon. But the Heavenly Demon ignored him completely, eyes fixed solely on Do Cheon.
"Brushing aside these nuisances is this easy. Shall I clear everything around you?"
The Heavenly Demon asked. Arrogance and dignity dripped from his tone and voice. He had recognized Do Cheon's Heavenly Demon Annihilation Palm.
How could the contemporary Heavenly Demon not know it? That's why he was threatening: hand over the Generation's Heavenly Demon ancestor's ultimate art. The old Do Cheon would have fled danger. But now? Push him, he pushes back; threaten him, he charges.
Do Cheon's back straightened. Shoulders squared, a cold smile curled his lips. Mocking. He wasn't even regarding the Heavenly Demon as a threat. He would fight. But someone moved first.
Nam Myeong.
The Hell Demon Scripture practitioner kicked off the ground, surging ferociously at the Heavenly Demon. Black sclera gleaming, lips twisted to bare white teeth, his ink-black hands churned with brutal killing intent.
The Heavenly Demon extended a hand.
Skin-crawling demonic energy gathered in his palm. It exploded toward Nam Myeong, who had closed in right before him.
Kwaaa-ang!
Any who dared challenge the Heavenly Demon's authority would have their souls crushed.
It was the cult's unwritten law.
Nam Myeong, who had soared, was smashed into the ground. The Heavenly Demon's monstrous blow cratered the earth, sprawling him flat.
The Blood Demon, eternal rival of the Heavenly Demon!
Once the leader of the Blood Cult, rivaling the Demon Cult for dominance over the demonic path, his fame rested on the Hell Demon Scripture. But it required Blood Heaven to reach perfection. Nam Myeong hadn't even grasped what Blood Heaven was, failing to complete it and falling into qi deviation.
The price: not even lasting one exchange against the Heavenly Demon. But soon, one black hand slowly rose into the air. Even in his flickering consciousness, his will to fight the Heavenly Demon moved it. At that sight, the Heavenly Demon's eyes twitched savagely. Skin-crawling demonic energy gathered in his hand once more.
Kwaaaa-ang!
The earth's wail.
An even larger crater formed. But Nam Myeong was gone.
The Heavenly Demon's gaze turned to Do Cheon.
Do Cheon had used Air-Grasping Technique to pull Nam Myeong away and hurl him toward the Volcanic Divine Sword in the distance.
"Picking on someone not right in the head. Real classy."
Do Cheon sneered.
For the Heavenly Demon, it was the first mockery he'd ever received. Who would dare lift their head before him? Who would spew such words?
"You scum! Think I can't kill you just because the ancestor's art is in your head? Dragging out those memories is as easy as gutting you and pulling out your heart."
The Heavenly Demon extended his hand.
The Heavenly Demon Annihilation Palm. Sinister demonic energy surged like a massive water jet, propelled by palm force. But it differed from what Do Cheon knew. Do Cheon's version wielded power akin to nature's forces; this was pure demonic malice.
Do Cheon countered with his hand.
Heavenly Demon Supreme Art from his dantian drew in nature's energy, unleashing the mightiest force between heaven and earth.
Kwa-ang!
Not a clash of gang energy, but gods colliding. The monstrous shockwave blasted outward, forcing the startled Demon Cult demons to flatten themselves and pour all their energy into defense.
Yet the two remained in place.
Do Cheon and the Heavenly Demon.
"......!"
The Heavenly Demon's face twisted.
A mix of shock and rage. Do Cheon, by contrast, was serene.
'Guess a Heavenly Demon is still a Heavenly Demon.'
Nodding inwardly, Do Cheon clenched his fist.
"Let's see the Heavenly Demon Heaven-Rending Fist too!"
Do Cheon thrust his fist. The Heavenly Demon matched it.
Do Cheon's fist hurtled forward with mountain-crushing might. The Heavenly Demon's was no different—black energy streams erupted, capable of toppling mountains and serpents in one blow.
Do Cheon's energy held otherworldly mystery amid brutality. The Heavenly Demon's was the root of savagery, befitting one worshipped by ten thousand demons.
An unprecedented clash unfolded.
Yet no thunderous roar.
The massive shockwave had devoured even sound, the radiating aftermath showing its ferocity.
"......!"
The Heavenly Demon's face hardened further.
Do Cheon had mastered the Generation's Heavenly Demon arts to perfection.
"How dare you wield our cult's ultimate techniques!"
The Heavenly Demon raged. But he couldn't strike recklessly. The gap between them—once five zhang (15 meters)—had widened to eight zhang (25 meters) from the clash. One of them had been pushed back.
"......!"
The Heavenly Demon's face calmed. Hiding his shock behind feigned composure.
Do Cheon's display hadn't rattled him this much. He'd held back on the Annihilation Palm. But the Heaven-Rending Fist? Nearly full power with Heavenly Demon Supreme Art. And he'd been repelled.
"Finally putting in some real effort?"
"You scum!"
"Something's off with you. A Heavenly Demon's arts embody dignity itself!"
The Heavenly Demon's eyes wavered at Do Cheon's words.
The true Heavenly Demon arts didn't crush ten thousand demons with brute demonic energy. They embraced heaven, earth, and all things, naturally standing supreme.
Yet this contemporary Heavenly Demon brimmed only with demonic savagery.
"Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon! I think I know why your line never mastered it."
"Shut your mouth!"
"The Supremacy isn't just a martial art—it's the Generation's Heavenly Demon's authority incarnate."
"......!"
The Heavenly Demon's eyes widened.
Do Cheon clasped his hands behind his back, as if to show him, and stepped toward the Heavenly Demon. Before a thousand watching demons, he boldly executed the Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon.