Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Retrieving the Old Power (2)
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‘I’ve endured for ages untold, yet the world still holds freaks like this one.’
The old man stood stock-still, gazing at the man who had come to seek him out.
‘Cheon-do must not have slacked in his teachings.’
Even accounting for Cheon-do’s youth, this man’s potential was enough to impress even the elder.
‘The vessel containing his mana is unstable. Five months... at best a year. That body was forged in haste.’
Talent could overcome gaps in skill growth, but not in physical development.
The innate internal energy—qi, as it was called outside—or mana. The container holding it was far too precarious.
This was a common sight among the gifted who grew too rapidly.
‘I thought him a mere fledgling stepping onto the martial path, but seeing him wield that power so freely... clearly not.’
He had seen and slain countless such young heroes.
Most prodigies like him split into two paths based on their talent.
They plunged into severe slumps from unstable mana and abandoned the martial way.
Or they overcame it through sheer effort.
The old man’s brows furrowed slightly.
‘No idea where he crawled out from.’
But he was no ordinary bastard.
Lee Si-heon had already surpassed that slump phase.
He wielded his unstable mana at will, forcibly conquering the trials that plagued geniuses.
Whether from overwhelming talent or relentless effort.
“……”
A once-ordinary man had gained such power in a single year.
That was a realm even he could achieve.
But suppose.
If that power, not yet fully contained, had piled up in a mere five months—
‘To think I’d live to see such a monster in my old age.’
—A feat even he couldn’t help but admire.
A miracle that shouldn’t be possible.
“Kuhuhuhu.”
The old man chuckled thickly, spittle flying from his gaps.
The aura rising from the man’s body was pitch-black, as if he’d inherited his power outright. Wasn’t it like the heavens had destined it?
What a fateful encounter. How bizarre.
It made him want to tear into that flesh with his teeth right then and there.
Feeling the hot blood of his youth, the old man swept back his hair.
“Cheon-do.”
“……Yes.”
Cheon-do pulled away from the man’s embrace and hurriedly bowed her head.
Her cheeks flushed shyly, embarrassed at having shown such impropriety.
“Step back from there.”
“Yes.”
Cheon-do retreated a couple of paces.
“Baek-do. Hwang-do.”
“Eek!” “Hiiik!”
“Didn’t I tell you not to climb up here?”
“B-But this guy down below insisted on seeing Father, so we...”
“Explain later.”
“Y-Yes, Father!”
Baek-do and Hwang-do trembled under the old man’s glare before fleeing from the man like arrows loosed from bows.
Their four quivering legs were quite the pathetic sight.
“So. You wanted to see me?”
The old man rose from his unmoving stance and approached the man. The air around them began to quiver just from that.
-Woooong!
A man who shook mountains by his mere existence.
The old man’s shadow, with the sun at his back, fully engulfed the younger one.
“Who are you?”
His voice was ice-cold.
“I can’t tell you my name.”
Bold as brass, the man thrust his impudent face forward, utterly unbowed by the old man’s presence.
Such arrogance was hardly surprising—in fact, it was welcome.
“Are you the one they call the Heavenly Demon?”
The old man scoffed at Lee Si-heon’s question.
“Indeed.”
Heavenly Demon.
The name the world gave him.
War God. Demon Fiend. Worst Treefolk in history.
Epithets that had clung to him time and again.
The massive scars etched into his body brutally displayed his past deeds.
A warrior’s frame forged in layers of battle. That skeleton. Those grotesquely torn eyes.
His long white hair swept back resembled an aged lion’s mane.
“No idea why they call me that, but everyone does.”
“I see.”
Of course, he hadn’t risen to that title overnight.
Nor had he sought it.
The old man simply had too many fools he despised since boyhood.
Arrogant pricks claiming righteousness without knowing their place. Lunatics blind to the era.
He’d merely smashed every one that grated on him.
Rat-like whelps yapping like tigers—it pissed him off.
Hypocrites cloaked in false virtue committing every sin imaginable—it was infuriating.
Beat them on sight, contain them, grow stronger. That was his life.
The savage boy-beast earned the moniker Heavenly Demon and became the leader of his pack.
This Peach Blossom Paradise. The final stronghold.
His black hair turned white, but his body grew denser, sustaining him through the ages.
The king of the martial world, revered by all.
One couldn’t help but marvel at his imposing stature.
“How was your first greeting?”
“...A bit shocking.”
“Not words for an intruder. Well, that’s the easiest way to see me. So, how long do you plan to hide it?”
“Pardon?”
The old man lowered his head, bringing his face nose-to-nose.
“I don’t know why you sought me, but... show me how far you’ve come. Unless you want to die here for mimicking my power.”
Flinch—
The old man’s fist plunged toward Lee Si-heon’s gut.
Reacting on instinct, he deployed a barrier of qi in that split second, then shoved the old man’s chest to create distance.
-Crash!
The barrier on his abdomen shattered like splintered wood.
The man’s counterattack followed swiftly.
-Boom boom boom!
Compressed air rained from the sky, pummeling the old man’s body mercilessly.
Dust clouds billowed, shrouding the elder’s form.
“...Magic, eh. It’s second nature to you.”
Swoosh—the dust cleared, revealing the old man unscathed.
Unable to hide his sardonic grin, he sauntered toward Lee Si-heon.
“Surrounded by amateurs my whole life, never found a true rival to call ‘young hero.’ And now, on death’s door, I finally meet one.”
Praise? Lee Si-heon’s eyes narrowed.
“I’ll ask why you came later. For now—”
Black battle aura cloaked the Heavenly Demon’s body.
“—show me your full power.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Shall we transfer?] Back when I was trapped in the Purgatory dungeon with Cheon-do.
I still remembered my master’s eyes, occasionally filled with longing for someone.
‘No, hold on.’
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [But if you die here, the timeline will twist. That’s beyond my authority.] I figured the Heavenly Demon would be kind and gentle despite the name...
But what the hell is this?
Cheon-do watched us worriedly.
Baek-do and Hwang-do, the two brats, stood speechless.
‘I was rude, sure, but why so aggressive? Though it fits the Heavenly Demon image better. My eyes must be spoiled from seeing only my gentle master.’
Like I sensed it, so did the old man.
The Heavenly Demon’s power dwelling in our vessels.
A force never meant to be exposed—it had to drive him mad with curiosity.
He might even try to kill me slyly.
He approached somewhat amiably, but it ended in a brawl anyway.
To even talk, I needed to earn his approval somehow.
‘Can I cut the World Tree link while in the past?’
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [What are you talking about?] ‘...No clue. But I have to now.’
As the old man said, half-assed magic wouldn’t work.
I crossed my arms.
“Hup.”
I swallowed deeply, drawing up my mana.
Bloodshot eyes. Black mana like the old man’s crept across my skin and spread outward.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Connection to the World Tree has been temporarily severed.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Wait just a moment. You, what is this—] Black Spade.
Mana expanded once more.
-Pang!
The surrounding air was shoved away.
Our clashing mana made the ground tremble slowly.
“Beyond expectations.”
Black mana. Before the man who first tamed this power, I revealed my derivative creation.
He knew its meaning.
I could now confirm why the Time World Tree sent me here—from this moment.
“Hoo, hup.”
Steadying my breath, I wrapped all my mana around my body.
My heart pounded painfully from tension.
Combat-Type Physique.
Adapt to the situation. Read the opponent’s movements.
The old man simply stared, showing no motion.
‘...He wants me to move first.’
Not bad.
I’d slam him with everything.
No holding back from the start.
First stance.
I pulled my fist back, dyeing the black mana pure white.
-Zzzzt, zzzzzzt.
“Impossible...”
The harsh wave’s roar swallowed Cheon-do’s distant mutter.
Petals bloomed. But woefully insufficient.
I poured in far more mana than last time.
A single pure white strike.
True to its name, it blanketed part of the mountain in white.
I didn’t know how far it reached—let it stretch as it would.
“Baek-do.”
The massive falling petals engulfed the Heavenly Demon’s body.
He didn’t dodge, taking the flow with his right arm.
-Kwarung!
Since leaving Purgatory, I’d never unleashed it at full power.
No worthy foe.
No such situation.
-Crack!
The mountain’s echo scattered leaves and startled birds skyward.
“……”
“……”
That sky-piercing strike froze everyone present.
All but one.
“Not bad.”
Not a scratch on him.
Battle aura intact, the Heavenly Demon flaunted his right hand.
Pure white vital energy hummed, compressed there.
Whose mana formed it was plain as day.
“Now take this one.”
He swung his arm, hurling the compressed mana at me.
‘Crazy bastard.’
-Kwududuk!
Forcing it down sent my body flying back.
Body aflame. Pain like flesh flayed by a saw.
Familiar agony, yet unadaptable.
-Thud.
I tumbled into a tree.
Not stopping, my body snapped it and soared further.
How far was flung?
I staggered to my feet far from the old man, legs wobbling.
Burnt clothes exposed my upper body.
“Damn it.”
“Lots of scars. Few for now, though.”
The Heavenly Demon closed the gap, eyes blazing as he approached.
“I can add one more.”
“No thanks—”
Before I finished, his fist rocketed toward my face.
-Whoosh!
I caught it, dodged the follow-up.
A few openings let me target his gut, but no major hits.
“You’re slow.”
His kick cracked the earth.
“How long have you trained?”
No time to answer—his fist grazed my cheek.
The tree behind split and fell.
I forced distance; he closed it in one bound.
‘Insane...’
That pressure on my shoulders since earlier. Each step he took, his mana countered my direction.
Can’t surpass him. The thought came unbidden.
Not even 10% effort... Is this human?
‘If Flower’s executives had this power...’
Much less—I’d never seen Cheon-do or the Heavenly Demon in their fully unleashed, true Treefolk forms.
The calamity that nearly destroyed the world.
Why Cheon-do stayed by my side, protecting me all this time.
-Boom!
His fist pierced my gut precisely. The massive boulder propping my back shattered.
“……Urk, ugh.”
Nausea surged. Strength drained from my limbs.
“That all?”
Not the end.
I tensed my limp legs.
Green energy enveloped me.
“This is...”
Amazement beyond interest lit the Heavenly Demon’s eyes.
Healing authority.
It dulled my cornered body’s edge.
Vomiting bile, I shook off exhaustion, gathered mana in my fist, and blasted him.
-Kwang!
Dead on. But futile.
...Steam rose from my muscles.
“Impressive.”
The Heavenly Demon shrugged off the blow effortlessly.
What an absurd creature.
Is that even alive? A hollow laugh escaped me.
-Crunch.
The Heavenly Demon roughly seized my throat, hoisting me up.
My body lifted weightlessly.
Am I dying here? That thought hit just as—
“Polish it a bit more—”
The Heavenly Demon’s face filled my view.
In that instant, overwhelming relief sapped my strength.
“—and you’ll be useful.”
The old man’s expression as he regarded me.
It was the look of one who’d caught a rare treasure.