CLS-Chapter 673

Chapter 673:

“You don’t seem particularly clever.”

This was Heavenly Demon’s assessment of Wei Yan-ho’s sharp retort.

However, another light flickered in his eyes. Heavenly Demon looked at Wei Yan-ho with extremely curious eyes.

The aura Wei Yan-ho was emanating was pressuring him.

It was astonishing.

The power of this child, who appeared to be barely twenty years old, was the most outstanding among everyone here.

Could such a thing really be possible?

Heavenly Demon tilted his head.

Something was unnatural.

This didn’t mean the situation was unnatural. The Wei Yan-ho visible to his eyes was certainly an unnatural existence. He had climbed to a place he should not have been able to reach originally.

What kind of feeling would one get if a turtle were frolicking on the summit of a rough and treacherous mountain?

That’s how Heavenly Demon saw Wei Yan-ho now. He wasn’t in the place he should be. As if someone had forcibly dragged the existence called Wei Yan-ho upward.

“Who is your master?”

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand a damn thing.”

“Your mouth is rough.”

Heavenly Demon smiled broadly.

Even though Wei Yan-ho was drawing up all his energy to pressure him, he was overflowing with leisure. As if watching the antics of a small child.

“Yes, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Even if there was a master’s existence, everything you’ve achieved is solely your accomplishment.”

Wei Yan-ho ground his teeth.

He couldn’t stand those eyes looking down from above.

“What are you planning to do?”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you have to go that far? You’re the Heavenly Demon, right? Then you’re a being who has achieved everything. Why do you go to such lengths? Why! Stealing others’ bodies, enduring over a thousand years… what exactly is the reason you hate the Central Plains so much?”

It was pure curiosity.

Wei Yan-ho knew.

How arduous it was to live in a form without a physical body. He had seen Baek Mu-han.

This was impossible with ordinary hatred.

But why did Heavenly Demon hate the Central Plains? Heavenly Demon was one who had devastated the Central Plains. It would make sense if the Central Plains hated him, but there was no reason for him to hate the Central Plains.

Yet why did he go to such lengths?

Why?

“That’s a difficult question to answer. There’s too much to explain.”

“This…”

“And it’s not even an important question.”

Heavenly Demon shook his head.

“What’s important is that I’m trying to kill you all now, and you don’t have the power to stop it. Ultimately, death is the annihilation of everything, the severance of all things. There’s no difference between death knowing the reason and death not knowing the reason. I don’t feel the necessity to waste mental energy explaining to you who will accept the same result.”

“Kill us?”

“That’s right.”

“With that kind of ability?”

Heavenly Demon nodded at Wei Yan-ho’s sneer.

“You certainly are different.”

Heavenly Demon smiled.

None of those present knew how much ability Heavenly Demon possessed. They couldn’t even guess.

Because they were overwhelmed by that intense presence.

But only Wei Yan-ho was coldly seeing through his essence.

In Wei Yan-ho’s judgment, the current Heavenly Demon couldn’t handle Wei Yan-ho.

“That’s enough posturing. I’m going to defeat you and get my brother back. By any means necessary.”

“It’s impossible.”

Heavenly Demon smiled.

“Certainly, if you defeat me, there might be a possibility of getting your brother back. Even if it’s one in a thousand, one in ten thousand, the possibility definitely exists for your vanished brother’s existence to be reconstructed. But child, you cannot defeat me.”

Heavenly Demon’s voice was calm.

So calm that it felt like he was simply conveying something already decided.

“Isn’t that overconfidence? That you can beat me? With that shell of a body?”

“Child.”

“…”

Heavenly Demon smiled broadly.

“It was enjoyable. Having a conversation like this with someone while possessing a physical body—it’s been quite a long time. So I unknowingly fell into enjoyment.”

Heavenly Demon shook his head slightly.

“But the conversation ends here. You already know, don’t you, that you cannot handle me.”

“What nonsense are you…”

“You’re not someone who just talks, are you?”

Wei Yan-ho closed his mouth.

“Yet the reason you don’t attack me is because you instinctively know. That you cannot handle me.”

Heavenly Demon turned his body.

Then, showing his back, he slowly moved away from Wei Yan-ho.

Showing one’s back to an adversary was an incredibly foolish act. At the same time, it was incomparably arrogant.

But Wei Yan-ho couldn’t punish that arrogance.

Wei Yan-ho bit his lip until it was torn.

‘My feet won’t move.‘

He couldn’t understand it.

The current Heavenly Demon was incomparably weak.

His presence was overwhelming, but looking at it coldly, the current Heavenly Demon was inferior even to Wei San-ho. No internal energy could be felt at all.

No matter how much martial arts progressed to not require internal power, not existing and existing but not needing it were clearly different stories.

If it were the current Heavenly Demon, Wei Yan-ho could cut his throat within ten seconds. This wasn’t confidence. It was a cold fact.

But…

But why couldn’t he move?

“Everything was decided from the beginning.”

Walking slowly, Heavenly Demon spoke in a small whisper.

“A variable called you interfered and changed many things. But ultimately, nothing has changed. You may have diverted the water flow, but you couldn’t change where the water flow arrives. All arrangements and flows have flowed as predetermined to arrive here.”

Step.

Step.

Heavenly Demon stopped walking.

Where he stopped, three archbishops including Blood Demon were trembling.

“H-Heavenly Demon.”

Blood Demon’s eyes were paralyzed with unbearable fear.

“I gave you a command.”

Heavenly Demon’s voice was calm without highs and lows. But the archbishops’ eyes listening to that voice were being colored with indescribable terror.

It was an awkward and eerie sight.

Demonic Cult archbishops.

Those terrible ones who had so tormented the Central Plains—no one was familiar with the sight of them trembling in fear.

“W-we were foolish and couldn’t complete the command Heavenly Demon gave us. Please punish us!”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Blood Demon slammed his head into the ground three times in succession. Whether he wasn’t using internal energy, his head cracked and blood flowed down.

But Heavenly Demon looked at even that act indifferently.

“It’s fine.”

Blood Demon raised his head with trembling eyes.

“I’m telling you because there might be some misunderstanding. I’m not angry at you.”

“H-Heavenly Demon.”

“This is just a process that was decided long ago.”

Heavenly Demon stretched out both hands.

“Suck!“

“Hiik!“

The bodies of Flying Demon and Fist Demon were sucked toward Heavenly Demon. Heavenly Demon’s hands grabbed Flying Demon and Fist Demon’s heads.

“H-Heavenly Demon!”

“I am! I am!”

“Shh.“

Heavenly Demon whispered softly.

“How one is remembered is also important. Isn’t that right?”

Flying Demon and Fist Demon’s hands went limp.

They sensed their fate. They also sensed their death. Inescapable death was before their eyes. If so, as Heavenly Demon said, how they died and how they were remembered was also important.

“…Please establish the Demonic Way Under Heaven.”

“Returning to Sacred Fire is a joy.”

Heavenly Demon smiled broadly.

“Well.”

Crackle.

Flying Demon and Fist Demon’s bodies shriveled up.

Everyone watching that scene widened their eyes. The bodies of Flying Demon and Fist Demon, which had instantly dried up like mummies, were eventually rolled up small like balls.

“Hmm.“

Thud.

The bodies of Flying Demon and Fist Demon, transformed into grotesque forms, fell to the ground.

An utterly miserable death.

Heavenly Demon, who had given the two archbishops incomparably miserable deaths, turned his gaze to Blood Demon.

Flinch.

Blood Demon’s body convulsed.

“How about it?”

“…”

“Will you also die for me?”

“H-Heavenly Demon!”

Blood Demon slammed his head to the ground.

“If Heavenly Demon desires it, I can offer this worthless life anytime!”

Thud! Thud!

Blood Demon, who had struck his head on the ground, shouted again.

“But Heavenly Demon, this lowly life can be of greater help to Heavenly Demon while alive.”

That was the end.

Blood Demon didn’t beg for his life any further. Because he knew it was meaningless. If Heavenly Demon had decided to kill him, no matter what he said, death would be delivered.

He only prayed that Heavenly Demon had decided to let him live.

“Death is merely death.”

Heavenly Demon spoke as if reciting.

“Death holds no meaning. There’s no such thing as death for my sake. Because the dead leave nothing behind.”

A low laugh.

“Stand up.”

“Yes! Heavenly Demon!”

Heavenly Demon turned his head to look at everyone.

“Hmm.“

Then he frowned slightly.

“Not as many gathered as I thought.”

“I apologize. We tried, but our subordinates were foolish.”

“It’s not without shortcomings, but we can’t be perfect every time. If it’s lacking, we can fill it.”

Heavenly Demon raised his hand slightly.

‘What is he trying to do?‘

Wei Yan-ho’s body flinched.

It was nothing special. He had simply raised one hand upward. But from that single motion, an indescribable ominousness was felt.

The moment that hand moved, an anxiety as if the world would collapse.

‘I have to stop it!‘

Snap!

But before Wei Yan-ho could even react, Heavenly Demon flicked his finger.

That small sound echoed and shook Mount Hua.

‘What is it?‘

No one knew what Heavenly Demon’s action meant.

Even after some time passed, no change occurred. Just when they were suspecting it was a meaningless action.

‘That change‘ appeared.

“Urgh.“

Shaking.

From various places.

Those who had been watching Heavenly Demon and Wei Yan-ho began writhing.

“What is it!”

“Th-this!”

People began having seizures in various places. Those who screamed and collapsed to the ground writhed their bodies.

The Divine Fist Temple members were horrified.

They had already seen this sight once before. Especially those who had experienced the battle with Hundred Sword Castle reacted violently.

They clearly knew what their reaction meant.

“N-no!”

At that moment, black demonic energy began spurting out from the bodies of those who had collapsed.

Seizures.

The seizures caused by demonic energy that had tormented the Orthodox Alliance.

That phenomenon was now appearing here as well.

‘Can Heavenly Demon also cause this phenomenon?‘

No. Thinking about it, it was too obvious.

All of this must have originated from Heavenly Demon.

They had to stop it! If the formation collapsed at this moment, they could be driven into the worst situation.

“Subdue those who have collapsed! Right now…”

The mouth of the Divine Fist Temple member who was shouting froze.

‘What?‘

It was different.

At that moment, something unbelievable entered the Divine Fist Temple member’s eyes.

The demonic energy emitted by those collapsed and convulsing on the ground. That black, thick demonic energy shot up into the air all at once, then was sucked into Heavenly Demon.

As if souls were being sucked out.

“Pathetic.”

Concentrated and re-concentrated demonic energy was sucked into Heavenly Demon’s hands.

Simultaneously, Heavenly Demon’s body began to be covered with pitch-black demonic energy.

Demonic energy swelling like black clouds.

And Heavenly Demon standing alone and lofty within it.

‘Is this a dream?‘

Myth and reality met.

The true Heavenly Demon was descending here.