Chapter 189
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Cave (4)
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My first impression of this space.
"Did the modes collide or something?"
The whole world had strangely started running a bit smoother.
One spot's terrain graphics glitch out, or the level scaling gets all jacked up...
Ah, this already happened.
Seeing a Profound Realm expert pop up out of nowhere yelling "I'll kill you" pretty much confirmed there was a problem.
......Thinking meta like this for the first time in a while was calming my brain down a bit.
Fortunately.
The zero-gravity space that felt like it could CTD and flip the world upside down at any moment was gradually coming alive.
Just chalk it up to a long loading screen.
"......A man? A real man."
Yeah.
It was about time for the event NPC to sho—
"Gasp."
That overwhelming appearance left me speechless for a moment.
The NPC inside the Heavenly Demon Cave, dressed in utterly whorish clothes...
"I've merely borrowed the appearance of the descendant most familiar to you for a moment. Think of me simply as the Heavenly Demon."
She looked exactly like Cheon Luri.
"If you're borrowing an appearance, make it the bustier one."
"Why? This one suits you be—"
"My brain's gonna break, so make it the big one."
"......?"
This wasn't Luri...!
Luri doesn't wear lewd clothes like this.
And she sure as hell doesn't talk this normally...!
As I silently recited sacred words to exorcise the inner demons, the false being before me tilted her head.
And then.
"Sigh."
She completed her transformation into Cheon Yuri's form.
Now it was busty and bouncy, the clothes fit perfectly, and I liked it.
"......You're totally insane."
"Th-that's a bit harsh."
"Isn't it true?"
Demonic cult folks really don't get human hearts.
Even the primordial ancient Heavenly Demon was no exception.
"A man stepping into the Heavenly Demon Cave—another first. Companion of which one?"
"I'm single."
"What?"
The fake Cheon Yuri's eyes widened in disbelief, then she instantly teleported and placed a hand on my head.
Along with a horrific sensation like something was rifling through my mind.
"Ahaha, ahahahaha...! A masterpiece, a masterpiece indeed!"
The self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon collapsed to the floor, clutching her belly in uproarious laughter.
Something felt off about this.
"Not of the Heavenly Clan bloodline, yet you learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art without even demonic qi infusion—and reached this place to boot. Truly wondrous."
"I'm pretty amazing."
Fortunately.
It seemed she'd only scanned one of my many Geum Sihyeon selves: the righteous martial arts fanatic Geum Sihyeon.
Really fortunate.
.
.
.
After that.
I sat through a lecture on Heavenly Demon Divine Cult history—nothing I was curious about—and a practical rundown on what a Heavenly Demon is.
"So, to sum it up. The Heavenly Demon commands the winds, brings rain to drought-stricken skies, folds the earth to gallop across, and swings a sharp sword like the wind to cleave the world."
"Got wax in your ears?"
"No, how can you say something so rude."
Imagining her as the venomous Cheon Yuri got a bit of a reaction stirring...
....
If I kept flapping my tongue, I felt a cosmic sensation like my soul might just vanish right there.
"So, basically, not some immortal or anything... just a human, huh."
"Exactly. That's why the Heavenly Demon is all the more special."
The self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon gazed up at the void.
"The heavens sometimes block mankind. But to defy even the heavens' will, shatter the heavens, and enforce human resolve—that is the Heavenly Demon."
Definitely.
When you think Heavenly Demon, it's the Heavenly Demon Punch.
'I...... punched the heavens......'—wasn't that the famous line?
"So, now I become the Heavenly Demon?"
"Yes."
"Meaning I jump two realms instantly from Peak to Profound?"
"As if."
"......So no change in my realm at all?"
"Naturally. Enlightenment is seized by one's own hand. Knowing how to wield the Heavenly Demon's power won't suddenly open your mind. Though it might speed things up a little."
....
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had always scammed me.
Why?
Why couldn't I be happy after gobbling up so many supreme arts?
"Realms are mere labels slapped on by enthusiasts. The path of martial arts, the path of man—it's an endless journey. How could one divide it into stages midway?"
"I'm about to die here..."
No, seriously.
If I don't hit Fire Profound, I die?
Game over just like that?
Did she read the anxiety on my face?
"What do you think the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Heavenly Demon's seat, signifies?"
Hmm...
Peddling scam coins like some cult leader?
But I couldn't blurt that out.
Fortunately, it wasn't a question waiting for my answer.
"A being who becomes a beacon for people just by existing. A parent who steels them never to abandon living as humans. That, too, is the Heavenly Demon."
The self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon added her explanation.
......Totally a cult leader.
"......Well, sure, the cult has its share of rough types. But they'll follow you regardless of realm. Anyone who's cultivated demonic arts must revere the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. That will be your strength now."
"That's reassuring."
Geumhyeonmun, chronically understaffed (current disciples: 1, hall master: 1, familiars: 2, assorted contractors: many), lacked the weight to protect me properly.
The self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon's lips moved as if to explain more, but she glanced skyward and sighed.
"Hmm. Time's up."
"There was a time limit, huh."
"Well, we'll meet again."
I doubted I'd ever enter the Heavenly Demon Cave again, but...
Leaving on a positive note mattered, so I nodded in agreement.
As the self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon said, noise like the space collapsing began filling the surroundings.
Her voice faded, growing distant bit by bit.
"I wish you success this time, Heaven Defier. Take good care of that descendant while you're at it—and make plenty more."
"......This time?"
Hey.
What the hell did that mean—
"You've come, Heavenly Demon."
"Huff...... Baldy, I never thought I'd see a lunatic like you again."
"Who do I resemble, then? Anyway, how was it?"
The Heavenly Demon.
Gazing at the heavens, she murmured.
"Worthy timber to punch the heavens."
Before the firmly shut door of the Heavenly Demon Cave.
There.
Every demonic cultist left on Heavenly Mountain had gathered—even the elders who hadn't shown their faces since Cheon Siu passed the seventh gate and went into seclusion.
It was only natural.
The Heavenly Demon Cave had opened once more.
And unlike Cheon Siu, who had turned back without conquering the eighth—
"Truly... truly passed the eighth gate...!"
"At last...... the moment of the Heavenly Demon's reincarnation......"
No one had ever seen it before.
But the mark shimmering in the skies above the Heavenly Demon Cave was something anyone who cultivated demonic arts could instinctively understand.
Heavenly Demon Reincarnation, Ten Thousand Demons Rejoice.
The master of all myriad demons who rules creation descends once more upon this land—let all demonic cultists prostrate and worship.
That prophetic adage, recited like a warning slogan since ancient times, was on the verge of coming true.
Even.
From the deepest recesses of Heavenly Mountain, the elder great demons who had merely awaited the decay of their flesh abandoned their lair in the Ten Thousand Demons Hall and marched with heavy steps.
"Apostate."
"......Yes."
Even Hoyeonhwa, the seductive demon who had been playing power broker in Cheon Siu's absence, found etiquette forcibly drilled into her before these old monsters.
"I just can't comprehend it. We have no interest in meddling in your Heavenly Clan family squabbles, but who the hell is inside there?"
'I don't know either!'
Hoyeonnwa screamed internally.
She had no idea why these geezers hadn't croaked yet and were crawling out of the Ten Thousand Demons Hall, or what was going down inside the Heavenly Demon Cave right now.
If Cheon Siu were here, she could've revealed her true form and used the chance to rein in these old freaks with perfect justification.
She'd wasted too much demonic power lately, and none of these gathered old monsters were pushovers.
No Transcendents among them, but the Ten Thousand Demons Hall's old freaks were veterans who'd walked the demonic path for ages at the Extreme realm.
"......I don't know."
"Tch."
In the end, Hoyeonhwa admitted her ignorance in a crawling voice.
But.
Rumble...
Rumble rumble...!
"Oh, ooh......!"
"Heavenly Demon!"
"Heavenly Demon Reincarnation, Ten Thousand Demons Rejoice!"
"At last, the cult's long-cherished wish......!"
A massive quake shook all of Heavenly Mountain, and the entire Heavenly Demon Cave was enveloped in sacred black light.
According to ancient records.
This was truly the omen heralding the birth of a new Heavenly Demon.
Thud, thud......!
All slowly prostrated, chanting sutras.
"Heavenly Demon Reincarnation...... Ten Thousand Demons Rejoice...... in this lifetime...... such glory......"
The Ten Thousand Demons Hall's great demons were no exception.
Though their hands were stained with countless blood during the righteous-demonic great war, their guiding principle was singular.
To ensure the reincarnated Heavenly Demon could fully exercise their authority—by enlightening the faithless.
They were even more devout than the lay believers present.
Even.
"Real... really...?"
Hoyeonnwa knelt in dazed shock.
She had believed Cheon Siu was the true seed of the Heavenly Demon.
That's why she'd spared no expense, even her tail.
Disbelief and shock overrode any sense of emotion.
Amid those emotions.
Rumble, creeeak—
The Heavenly Demon Cave's door opened.
In the silence so heavy not even breaths could be heard.
Pop!
Cheon Luri stepped out with an utterly lighthearted stride.
A stillness heavier than silence blanketed Heavenly Mountain, born of that flowery, soft, cheerful absurdity.
But...
Thud, thud, thud.
From the deep recesses of the Heavenly Demon Cave.
Footsteps carrying an overwhelming pressure worlds apart from Cheon Luri's began resounding.
And soon.
A man no one in the cult had ever laid eyes on.
Yet overflowing with such pressure that any demonic cultivator instinctively yearned to bow.
He revealed himself.
"Ooh...... Lord of Ten Thousand Demons......!"
Elder Hyukryeon Mountain collapsed sobbing, murmuring.
"This...... is the true Heavenly Demon qi......!"
"Heavenly Demon......!"
The Ten Thousand Demons Hall's veteran masters shed tears of ecstasy at the promised victory's glory.
And.
The Heavenly Demon reincarnated in this world.
Uttered just one phrase.
"Rise."