Chapter 51 Heavenly Demon Yi Se-ryeong
The world seemed distorted.
An overwhelming presence crushed down on me. It wasn't killing intent, nor was it internal energy radiating outward. Just the mere fact that she was looking at me was enough to pin me in place. It felt like every layer of my being was being peeled back and exposed.
I recognized her the instant I laid eyes on her.
Her skin was as white as a statue carved from ice, and her silver hair—something no ordinary person could ever possess—caught my eye first.
Her slender, elongated figure revealed graceful curves beneath her flowing robes, like a sculpture come to life.
Her straight, prominent nose looked as if it had been chiseled by a god of sculpture pouring every ounce of divine effort into it. Her red lips stood out vividly against her pale skin, drawing me in irresistibly.
The finishing touch.
Her eyes sparkled like stars plucked from the heavens and set in place, gleaming with a brilliant silver hue.
That radiant gaze even conveyed a sense of divinity at first glance.
Cold energy rose from her body like shimmering heat haze, amplifying her otherworldly aura.
At the age of twenty-seven, she had ascended to the throne of the Heavenly Demon—a truly unprecedented feat, the undisputed strongest being in this world.
The Heavenly Demon, Yi Se-ryeong.
And she had appeared out of nowhere.
The Twelve Heavenly Demon Guardian Beasts were likely lurking nearby, hidden from sight.
Her sudden appearance had sent countless people in the Punishment Cave prostrating themselves in worship. Even those with no connection to the cave had followed in her wake.
'Damn it...'
Prostrated on the ground, I bit my lip.
I'd run into the absolute last person I should ever meet. The Heavenly Demon, who almost never left the Heavenly Demon Palace and lived in seclusion.
'My hands... they're shaking.'
I could feel how different she was. Unlike Do Il Gwang, who had fallen from Super Peak due to restraints.
No, this was wrong. I was the wrong one; she was right. All my will felt negated, while hers was eternally correct. Which meant right now, I—
'...!?'
Pa Cheon's words jolted me back to my senses. Goosebumps erupted across my skin. So, just facing her had been enough to mesmerize me somehow.
'Will.'
I heeded Pa Cheon's advice and fortified my resolve. Mine was simple, of course: survival.
My dazed mind gradually sharpened.
A simsang was the mental world forged from a warrior's life experiences. Refining one's will within it and manifesting it outwardly was the realm of intent.
Which meant the Heavenly Demon hadn't even unleashed her intent yet—just a few words, and her simsang had leaked through, shaking my mind.
'Did she come here to inspect or something?'
The Heavenly Demon was free to act on whims. Inspections were no different. Maybe she'd finished a cup of tea and thought, Why not check out the Punishment Cave for old times' sake?
The problem was...
'Do Il Gwang saw right through me at a glance.'
Do Il Gwang, half-crippled by restraints and formations, had called me a fake the moment he saw me. He'd discerned my state. And if this was a "higher realm," it made sense—even fallen, he'd spot it.
'If she figures out my state, what do I do?'
For others—even Sa Wol—I could dodge once with the Flicker Jade's power.
But not the Heavenly Demon. The instant she suspected, my head would roll. Like the heart-kill realm from other wuxia tales.
'Worst case, but there's one way.'
Throw myself deeper into the Punishment Cave.
Hide in its labyrinthine depths, and in the absolute worst scenario, release Do Il Gwang for chaos cover to escape.
But that would make me look utterly insane.
First, focus on the situation at hand.
"You..."
The Heavenly Demon spoke. Her voice was softly languid yet carried unyielding strength, resonating in my ears. I felt my will waver again, gritted my teeth to endure, and replied.
"I am Sado Hwan, rightful heir of the Sado Family."
"I know. It's been quite some time."
I bowed my head even lower.
The Heavenly Demon fired off a sudden question.
"Did you meet Do Il Gwang inside?"
Contacting the imprisoned former Heavenly Demon was tantamount to treason. Normally, I'd deny it outright, but...
'Lies won't work.'
My instincts screamed it.
"Yes. I met him."
"I see. I caught a whiff of that foul stench from his energy. No wonder. Then there's no need for me to descend into the Punishment Cave."
I flinched.
The reason Yi Se-ryeong had crushed Do Il Gwang at just twenty-seven and claimed the Heavenly Demon throne.
She could smell the scents carried by energy. It let her precisely identify others' auras, turning that knowledge into her power.
'She loses that ability in the original story.'
By the time Mu Jin arrived at the cult, her injuries had worsened, stripping her of the power. Readers complained the author changed settings for plot convenience, but hey, that's canon.
'Wait, then...'
Does that mean she can still smell scents now?
If so, that might actually work in my favor.
"Raise your head."
At her command, I slowly lifted my gaze.
Our eyes met. The moment they did, I felt compelled to confess everything to her—to spill that I wasn't Sado Hwan, but Kim Dong Yun, and this world was actually fic—
'...!'
Pa Cheon's shout unleashed the dormant Heavenly Demon Divine Art from my dantian, surging toward my eyes. I desperately blocked it from rising, instead compressing it tightly in my dantian with abdominal force.
Raising the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy to my eyes now would tip her off...!
Yi Se-ryeong, eyes locked with mine, tilted her head slightly.
Thankfully, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art hunkered in my dantian kept my mind from the earlier turmoil.
"Hmm—"
She inhaled deeply toward me several times before speaking.
"Sweet. No bees in the Punishment Cave, so no honey either. Must be your scent."
"......"
"Can't tell from the outside. A Reverse Pulse Hidden Expert with bulging Sun Acupoint? Fascinating."
Usually, up to Peak realm, more internal energy meant more leakage—creating intimidation. But true masters were different.
True masters revealed nothing outwardly. That supreme state, undetectable externally, was called Reverse Pulse Hidden Expert.
Murmurs rippled from the surrounding crowd.
Curiosity gleamed thickly in the Heavenly Demon's eyes.
"......I am deeply grateful."
There was no reason for a sweet scent from my body.
'She sensed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy.'
The Heavenly Demon would have mastered at least the latter half—the forms—of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
That incomplete half yearned desperately for its missing counterpart. Only together could they form the complete art. She found my energy sweet for that reason, perhaps.
'Even though I'm a fake, the energy I emit is sweet, so she can't identify it—hence, Reverse Pulse Hidden Expert.'
Had I let it surge to my eyes unchecked, it'd have been instant death.
By barely containing it, I'd accidentally become Heavenly Demon-certified elite. A welcome turn, for me.
Sado Hwan was already called a genius but shunned in the family, rarely venturing out. Rumors of sudden Super Peak would breed suspicion.
She'd dispelled it with one phrase.
...But the situation felt riskier now.
Her gaze bored into me excessively, like she was trying to excavate something.
Was it just my imagination, or did it feel like the prologue to a webnovel titled <SSS-Class Heavenly Demon Obsessed With Me>?
"Do you recognize me?"
I knew the implication. But I couldn't eagerly say yes—it might prolong the conversation.
She was already awkward to deal with. Better to end it quick and withdraw.
"Any soul in the cult would recognize Your Excellency at a glance."
"Is that all?"
She stepped closer. The chill intensified.
'Is her injury worse than I thought?'
As with Reverse Pulse, a true master's aura shouldn't leak. The Heavenly Demon should be no exception.
Yet cold energy kept emanating as she moved.
Hard to see her as the absolute. She wasn't deceiving like Sado Hwan—nor could she, in her position.
Conclusion: her internal injuries were graver than I'd assumed. Like a cracked vessel leaking energy.
'...And she's still the Heavenly Demon? True monster.'
Cold sweat beaded.
While I pondered, she took another step, leaning slightly toward me. Her eyes held expectation.
"Is that all?"
"As cultists, we must serve Your Excellency—naturally, we recognize you."
"Tch..."
Disappointed, she spun away sharply.
"We're leaving."
"Heavenly Demon Excellency! Ten Thousand Cheers!"
Cultists prostrated with roars that could collapse the Punishment Cave.
The moment I thought she was walking away with hands behind her back, she vanished from sight. Like spatial translocation, impossibly fast.
Only lingering cold haze proved she'd been there.
Finally, the crushing pressure lifted.
I stood.
Post-departure, all eyes turned to me.
"Reverse Pulse Hidden Expert...?"
"So the Super Peak rumors are true?"
"Is the Sado Family leaping forward again?!"
"With the Excellency's backing and a new master... It's not the Six Demonic Families anymore—it's the One Demonic Family."
Shocked whispers filled the air. Her actions carried massive ripple effects.
Cultists treated her like fans with their idol—cheering every move, hands over mouths in glee.
It was inevitable.
The Heavenly Demon commanded absolute loyalty, was godlike in beauty, and had ousted the terrorizing Do Il Gwang. Her popularity was insane.
'Though legitimacy is her weak point.'
A Heavenly Demon must perform the cult ritual—she hadn't. They still honored her as Excellency, but elders from the Six Demonic Families grumbled.
'Anyway, time to head back.'
Her sudden appearance was startling but beneficial. Time to exploit it.
The week in the Punishment Cave—minus Do Il Gwang—let me organize my thoughts.
How to act back at Sado Family.
I'd already revealed the truth to Pa Cheon. No more acting as before. But since I'd opened up, it wasn't a wildcard.
The wildcard was elsewhere.
'What will Sado Gwang do?'
Sado Gwang was a genius, sure. But he wouldn't stray beyond my predictions.
Because I was a Murim Returner veteran.
Even Mu Jin in Murim Returner faced Sado Gwang's suspicions upon return, enduring trials. His moves were predictable.
Or so I'd thought.
'The problem is...'
The three-year gap.
Like Do Il Gwang, like the Heavenly Demon, those three years made a huge difference—bigger than I'd imagined.
Sado Gwang's methods now might differ from three years later.
Ultimately, I'd have to clash and see.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Demon encounter helped.
She'd certified me as elite; info-obsessed Sado Gwang surely knew already.
He wouldn't rashly move against me.
'Blessing in disguise, huh?'
Returning to Sado Family, I sensed an oddly chaotic atmosphere.
Weird, thinking about it.
With Sado Gwang's personality, he'd have sent a welcome party the moment I emerged. No one came.
'That was my plan too.'
Gripping Pa Cheon, I headed to Sado Gwang's residence.
But I couldn't meet him.
Because.
"...Brother is missing?"
Sado Gwang had gone missing.
Pretending to be the Heavenly Demon