Chapter 406
Chapter 406
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 107
>Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon (2)
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"Kneel."
The faces of Eldest Successor Na Yul-ryang and Earth Pulse Faction Leader Yang Jeong, who had been cowed by the overwhelming pressure, twisted in fury.
What kind of humiliation was this?
Though they had given him cause by declaring war first, two peak Flower Realm masters had briefly joined forces against him—only to be pushed back.
And now, on top of that, he was ordering them to kneel.
-Grind!
These were words they had never even heard during the war with the Justice Alliance.
'...He's changed.'
In contrast, Mok Kyung-un's subordinates could barely hide their inner astonishment at his domineering aura and commanding presence, delivered in this altered tone.
No matter the opponent, Mok Kyung-un had always spoken with his characteristic polite deference.
One might dismiss it lightly, but this shift made his supporters realize he truly intended to walk the path of hegemony.
'Heh heh heh. Yes. This is it.'
Go Chan, the escort possessing Second Successor Jang Neung-ak's body, couldn't conceal his ecstasy.
Even after becoming a food spirit, he had been unable to guess Mok Kyung-un's true purpose until now.
Yet deep down, he had wondered:
What if this inscrutable, unpredictable monster of a master seriously pursued the path of hegemony?
What ripples would his every action send through the martial world?
Now that it was becoming reality, Go Chan felt a thrill surging within him for the first time since stepping into the martial world long ago.
He wasn't the only one feeling this.
Venom King Baek Sa-ha spoke to Fragmentation King Ho Tae-gang in a somewhat excited voice.
"Fragmentation King, it's been ages since my blood last boiled like this."
"Looks like it's not just your face that's rejuvenated. I'm feeling the same."
After the great war with the Orthodox Alliance, there had been minor clashes, but the three divided factions had maintained a delicate balance, ushering in a period of tense quiet.
This was largely because the Leader had secluded himself for over a decade, citing illness.
But seeing Mok Kyung-un exude such majestic authority and presence—evoking thoughts of hegemony—they felt their long-buried fighting spirit begin to boil once more.
"Hah!"
'...So that's what this means?'
Vice Leader Mong Seo-cheon, watching from the window of the Leader's residence atop the main hall, was left speechless.
When he had assigned the secret mission, or even just before entering Blood River Valley, the boy had barely any martial arts to speak of. Yet now he displayed an astonishing leap in power.
To overwhelm two absolute masters at the peak of the Flower Realm—verging on Eight Stars—no less.
This rate of progress couldn't be explained by mere prodigious talent.
[Vice Leader... no, Father. The era will be shaped by him now.]
He finally understood why his son Mong Mu-yak, who had always been so coldly rational like himself, had become so blindly devoted to that Mok Kyung-un.
'I thought there must be some exaggeration...'
Perhaps the tales of single-handedly shattering Shaolin's One Hundred Eight Arhats Formation in one step, or subjugating the Sichuan Tang Clan—a pillar of the Justice Alliance—alone, held a kernel of truth.
Of course, the Shaolin incident still strained credulity.
-Flinch!
At that moment, Vice Leader Mong Seo-cheon caught himself and glanced at the Leader before him.
He hadn't given his son Mong Mu-yak any firm answer, but as a man of the Heaven-Earth Society and the Leader's right hand, he couldn't afford to be awed by such overwhelming talent.
He hurriedly spoke.
"Leader, we must—"
-Swish!
Before he could finish, the Leader raised his hand.
Puzzled, Mong Seo-cheon watched as the Leader spoke.
"We watch for now."
Mong Seo-cheon furrowed his brow at those words.
If even two peak Flower Realm absolute masters were being pushed back in a joint assault, it meant the foe had surpassed the wall into the Profound Realm.
In truth, within the Society, the only one who could face him alone was the Leader himself, bearer of the same "Heavenly" title.
Mong Seo-cheon couldn't fathom why he chose to observe.
"But Leader, if even those supporting him join in, it could escalate into a massive civil war."
The forces declaring support for Mok Kyung-un—who claimed to participate in the Three Pulses Ceremony—already exceeded half the Society.
The hope was that once they learned his true ambition was to dismantle the Heaven-Earth Society, they would withdraw rather than side with him.
But if even half of them stayed aligned, the situation would spiral out of control.
"Leader!"
"I said we watch."
Yet the Leader was resolute.
Mong Seo-cheon couldn't comprehend this judgment.
He prided himself on knowing the Leader better than anyone, as childhood friends before right-hand man. But at some point, reading his mind had grown difficult.
Even in a crisis that could shake the Society itself, choosing to watch was tantamount to standing idle.
'Could he be testing them even now?'
"Them" meaning Earth Pulse Faction Leader Yang Jeong and Eldest Successor Na Yul-ryang.
Though Mok Kyung-un had suddenly declared war and bared his fangs to defect, the two remained prime candidates for succession.
Perhaps the Leader's reluctance to intervene, despite the danger, was to observe their crisis response.
It was bold, grand in scope—but a dangerous gamble.
One misstep, and they could lose those successors.
It was then.
-Rumble!
Over a hundred warriors in red fox-fur cloaks arrived in perfect unison, swiftly encircling Mok Kyung-un and forming a sword formation.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Earth Pulse Faction Leader Yang Jeong bellowed at his Crimson Wind Squad, who had mobilized without his orders.
Already humiliated by being overwhelmed despite surpassing the wall—not to mention their joint peak assault—they couldn't help but feel their pride crack as their subordinates stepped in.
Then, Yang Jeong's deputy and Crimson Wind Squad Leader Geum Mu shouted back.
"How could we stand by as subordinates while an enemy disrupts the Society and threatens our lord? Forgive our impertinence. Crimson Wind Squad!"
-Clack!
As they assumed formation stance, the surrounding energy began to surge.
The synchronized auras of the sword formation interlocked, amplifying each other.
-Roooar!
Composed solely of elite masters, the Crimson Wind Squad—veterans of countless battles—was the Earth Pulse's premier fighting force.
To forge them, Yang Jeong had spent over a decade on northern battlefields.
The result: their prowess and formation joint assault rivaled Shaolin's One Hundred Eight Arhats or Wudang's Supreme Ultimate Sword Formation.
"All of you, aid the Eldest Successor and drive out the Society's foe!"
Mo Yak's cry echoed out then.
Having already lost Yao An in a brief clash and sustained injuries, she judged Na Yul-ryang and Yang Jeong had no chance without committing full force—her only option.
Her call drew roars of agreement from Na Yul-ryang's subordinate executives and warriors.
"Waaaaah!"
"Follow the Eldest Successor!"
Na Yul-ryang commanded nearly forty percent of the forces, so their mobilization shook the ground with sheer numbers.
But then—
-Boom!
Fragmentation King Ho Tae-gang slammed his axe down before them and roared.
"If you want to face my lord, you'll have to get past me first!"
-Psssh!
"The same goes for this old man."
Venom King Baek Sa-ha stepped forward beside him, toxic miasma trailing in his wake.
Na Yul-ryang's forces flinched momentarily at the two Flower Realm masters' auras but pressed on, their numerical superiority overriding fear.
"These traitors bare their fangs at the Society, and you protect them? They're no longer our allies! Attack!"
Public Elder Jong Gak bellowed.
But then—
"Oh ho ho. Indeed. But if we strike like that, who has more on their side?"
-Sring!
As Hidden Elder Hwan Ya-seon drew her blade, the executives and members of Mok Kyung-un's supporting faction—who had silently observed—began to step forward.
Na Yul-ryang's subordinates couldn't hide their dismay at the sight.
They had believed these men wouldn't side with a rebel trying to overthrow the Society.
"W-What? Are you lot committing treason too?"
"What's traitorous about subordinates following their lord?"
-Fwoosh!
Blood River Valley Lord Lee Ji-yeom strode out menacingly, his blade flickering with flames.
After mastering the refined Crimson Flame Sword Technique and fully controlling his inner flame energy, his power had surged to the early Flower Realm.
Even the executives couldn't conceal their shock at his changed aura.
'He actually...'
Vice Leader Mong Seo-cheon's expression darkened.
He had thought Moon Pulse supporters, with their short allegiance to Mok Kyung-un, would see some defections among the loyal members.
Otherwise, it was outright rebellion, and they wouldn't join easily—or so he assumed. But that hope shattered spectacularly.
Nearly eighty percent were following.
The few holdouts were unit leaders under Second Successor Jang Neung-ak, who had followed Jang out of obligation, not true loyalty to Mok Kyung-un, and thus couldn't commit treason.
As a result—
-Kuuguugu!
The opposing forces balanced out numerically, appearing evenly matched.
With so many clashing, the atmosphere grew not just heavy, but taut.
No one had foreseen the Leader's emergency assembly escalating to civil war.
Yet here, no one could back down.
'In the end...'
'Will it come to a bloody civil war?'
Everyone maintained tense glares and distances in standoff.
It was then.
-Boom!
-Crackle-crackle!
The sound of a foot stamping the ground echoed from somewhere.
All eyes turned there.
The Society members' jaws dropped at the sight.
"Ghuk."
"Cough!"
"Gah!"
-Thud! Thud! Thud!
The hundred Crimson Wind Squad members encircling Mok Kyung-un in formation clutched their chests, spewing blood and collapsing.
'No way?'
'W-What's happening?'
It happened so fast, no one grasped it.
Even Earth Pulse Leader Yang Jeong was no exception.
Just a single foot stamp—how could the Earth Pulse's elite Crimson Wind Squad fall so helplessly?
In that instant, everyone present recalled one thing.
'Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step!'
The martial world dubbed that single step—which shattered Shaolin's One Hundred Eight Arhats—the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step.
The Society members' faces darkened at the sight.
They had assumed exaggeration in the tale of crumbling the formation in one step, but who could have foreseen witnessing it?
Yet before their stunned eyes, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.
-Woooong!
Mok Kyung-un, having felled over a hundred Earth Pulse elites with the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step, rose into the air with hands behind his back.
"Aerial Void Stride!"
This was Aerial Void Stride, the pinnacle of lightness skills—true flight through the sky.
Suspended in midair, Mok Kyung-un spoke.
"Kneel. Those who refuse submission face only death."
His voice reverberated everywhere.
No sooner had the words ended than black demonic energy poured from his entire body.
-Roooar!
It was demonic qi.
The ferocious demonic qi unfurled, blanketing the plaza and suffocating all within.
Mok Kyung-un's figure resembled an absolute tyrant.
Under that pressure, some opposing Society members unwittingly bowed their heads.
His aura had reached its zenith.
'No!'
Na Yul-ryang stepped forward, fearing morale would break before the fight.
"No matter how strong you are alone, the Society will not kneel. And you haven't faced the Society's true greatest power yet."
His subordinates roared in unison.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Indeed.
Before the Seventh Heaven, there was the Sixth Heaven—one who had reigned over the Central Plains martial world. They had him.
The Heaven-Earth Society Leader.
They believed his intervention would turn the tide.
Mok Kyung-un chuckled softly.
Then—
-Swish!
He formed a sword mudra and thrust it skyward.
Immediately—
-Gooo! Flutter!
"Th-This is..."
"N-No? Why...?"
The sword-wielding Society members were dumbfounded.
Their blades, gripped tightly, began moving uncontrollably under immense true qi.
Those with weaker inner strength or unable to resist dropped theirs.
-Pop-pop-pop-pop!
Countless swords floated into the air.
The onlookers below gaped, pupils shaking like in an earthquake.
Even Mok Kyung-un's own subordinates were stunned.
'This... is Sword Control?'
'How profound must one's qi be to control so many swords?'
Was this even possible?
As all marveled in shock, Mok Kyung-un pointed his sword mudra at Na Yul-ryang's assembled followers.
Then—
-Shing-shing-shing-shing!
The airborne swords targeted them.
But it didn't end there.
Mok Kyung-un's left pupil shifted, its iris turning gold like when Na Yul-ryang had unleashed Yao An's power. The swords then cloaked in black sword aura.
-Woooong!
'!!!!!!!!'