CLS-Chapter 677

Chapter 677:

The Heavenly Demon’s gaze followed Wei Yan-ho.

‘Hmm.’

The Heavenly Demon quietly examined his own condition.

This was strange.

He was definitely being swayed by Wei Yan-ho right now.

This was something that should hardly be possible. But no matter how coldly he looked at himself, he couldn’t reach any other conclusion.

He was currently feeling a sense of familiarity toward Wei Yan-ho.

‘Can what remains in this flesh dominate me?’

At first, he thought it might be possible. No matter how he had obtained Wei San-ho’s body through the Great Method, not much time had passed, so the body’s remnants could influence him.

But what about now?

What was the reason he felt pleased with Wei Yan-ho even now, when he was completely controlling the body through demonic energy?

The Heavenly Demon was hesitating.

It was absurd, but it was true.

If he put his mind to it, he could cut that child’s throat in an instant even now. And he knew that this should be the first priority to perfectly control this place.

Look.

The moment Wei Yan-ho confronted him, the atmosphere among the Central Plains people completely changed.

Those who couldn’t even breathe properly under the pressure of his presence until just moments ago were now raising their heads stiffly and looking at him.

The Heavenly Demon found himself smiling without realizing it.

‘Interesting.‘

Wei Yan-ho is certainly an interesting existence.

Both the fact that he possessed tremendous martial prowess unsuited to his young age, and that this prowess was created not so much from his own genius but from other factors.

‘Did I have such ability at his age?‘

He couldn’t tell.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to compare, but that he couldn’t compare. His memories were incomplete. Whether it was because he had endured long years after losing his body, or because the blow he received in the process of losing his body was too severe, many parts of his memories were lost.

But judging by estimation, when he was that age, he probably wasn’t stronger than Wei Yan-ho. The martial prowess Wei Yan-ho had built up was that extraordinary.

‘That’s not all.‘

His every move shook the Central Plains people.

Even though the great Shin Gi-sua was present, the Central Plains people’s attention was focused on Wei Yan-ho. This wasn’t a scene that could be created by achievements or reputation alone.

Wei Yan-ho as a person was drawing others to him.

The Heavenly Demon let out a hollow laugh.

Absurdly.

Right now, his greatest adversary in this place was that young child.

Though it was embarrassing to attach the word adversary to such a level, among all the martial artists in this place… no, in all of the Central Plains, there would be no one other than Wei Yan-ho who had the courage to dare block his path.

But right now, the Heavenly Demon was feeling familiarity rather than anger toward that greatest adversary.

‘The more I think about it, the stranger it becomes.‘

The fact that he felt familiarity toward Wei Yan-ho was also amusing. But even stranger was the fact that he was feeling the ’emotion’ of familiarity toward someone.

It was simply amazing that such emotions still remained in him, who thought all human emotions had dried up.

The Heavenly Demon quietly looked at Wei Yan-ho and opened his mouth.

“This much cannot make you afraid…”

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes quietly gazed at Wei Yan-ho.

It didn’t seem to be a lie.

Whatever Wei Yan-ho had seen, it meant Wei Yan-ho had already experienced the level the Heavenly Demon was showing now.

He became curious about Wei Yan-ho’s master for a moment, but the Heavenly Demon soon erased that curiosity. There was no need to be interested in the dead.

What was important was not such things.

“Are you saying you can stop me?”

Wei Yan-ho glared at the Heavenly Demon without answering.

Could he stop him?

‘It’s impossible.‘

There was no need to think about it.

No matter what Wei Yan-ho did, he couldn’t stop the Heavenly Demon. This wasn’t a matter of determination. What was impossible had to be called impossible.

But that didn’t mean he had to give up.

“I can’t stop you.”

A sneer appeared at the corners of the Heavenly Demon’s mouth.

“You know it.”

“But I don’t necessarily have to stop you alone.”

“Hm?”

Wei Yan-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

“You seem to be mistaken about something, but this isn’t a duel between you and me. It’s a fight about whether the Central Plains can stop the Demonic Cult or not.”

“The Central Plains…”

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes darkened.

“What’s different?”

“Of course it’s different. No matter how powerful you are, you can’t face everyone alone.”

“The others seem to think differently.”

Though the Heavenly Demon’s words carried mockery, Wei Yan-ho was not shaken.

“That’s how it is now.”

“Oh?”

“But it won’t continue to be so. The Central Plains has always been like that. It would have been the same when you were around too.”

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes sank heavily.

“There have been countless people who overturned the Central Plains during this time. But no one has ever dominated the Central Plains until the end and severed the Central Plains’ soul. This time will be the same. You won’t ultimately overcome the Central Plains. Because everyone won’t let that happen.”

These were somewhat embarrassing words.

Wei Yan-ho was usually not a Central Plains enthusiast. But at this moment, he had no choice but to speak this way. Not to steel his own heart, but for the sake of those listening to his words.

Sometimes you have to know how to say things different from what you think. That’s…

‘I’ve become quite the con artist.‘

Wei Yan-ho couldn’t help but chuckle.

Wei Yan-ho was someone who would speak his mind even if he was about to die, and couldn’t say the right thing even with a knife at his throat. Hadn’t he been beaten countless times by his master for not properly controlling that damn mouth of his?

But now he was calmly spouting nonsense.

“Those people?”

A sneer appeared at the corners of the Heavenly Demon’s mouth.

“Yes, these people.”

“Child.”

The Heavenly Demon shook his head.

“Humans are not as strong as you think.”

“…”

The Heavenly Demon’s words carried a strange resonance.

“Humans are more ugly than any other existence. They are base, hypocritical, and also self-centered. Humans are not as great as you think. The reason humans can rush at beings they cannot handle is ultimately because they have confidence that they can win. But what do you think will happen when they meet another being that destroys even that confidence?”

“…”

Wei Yan-ho glared at the Heavenly Demon without answering.

“They become silent. Humans who have accepted death come to wish they could die just a little later. Even if you die here, they will remain silent. No, that’s not right.”

The Heavenly Demon’s gaze turned toward Shin Gi-sua.

“There are bound to be one or two, moth-like humans who never stop even knowing the tide has turned and they cannot resist. But they are only a minority. What you hope for will not happen.”

“I know.”

“…What did you say?”

“I said I know.”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“All the answers are in what you said. Yes, humans are base. And they only know themselves and are petty too.”

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes became a bit more serious.

“No need to explain everything. I already know. Because I’m like that.”

Wei Yan-ho thrust his chest forward.

“I’m base, money-grubbing, lazy, have a bad personality, and don’t know how to do much properly. And I don’t know what manners are, and my speech habits are bad too.”

“…”

The Heavenly Demon looked dumbfounded at this sudden self-confession.

“But I’m standing in front of you right now.”

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes darkened.

But someone with good eyesight would be able to notice that the Heavenly Demon’s gaze was slightly different from before.

“Whether people are ugly or whatever, that’s not my concern. What’s certain is that I have nothing better than other people, yet I’m standing here now.”

“…So what changes?”

“You said it yourself.”

Wei Yan-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

“That people change when they think there’s a chance of winning.”

“…”

Wei Yan-ho raised his sword and pointed it at the Heavenly Demon.

“I don’t need to beat you. I just need to show that you can also get a blade stuck in you, and that you also bleed.”

The corners of the Heavenly Demon’s mouth twisted.

What started as a small twist of a smile gradually grew larger, eventually turning into loud laughter.

“Hahahahahahahahahaha!”

The Heavenly Demon finally burst into wild laughter.

This wasn’t forced laughter.

It was the kind that couldn’t be contained because it was pleasant and enjoyable. The Heavenly Demon, who had been laughing while holding his belly, finally seemed to calm down as he turned his gaze to Wei Yan-ho.

But his face didn’t completely return to its original expressionless state. The Heavenly Demon, with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, quietly opened his mouth.

“In hundreds of years…”

“…”

“You are the only one who has made me this happy.”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyebrows twitched.

“Yes, that would be good too. Then prove it. Whether I bleed, whether I am a person like you.”

The Heavenly Demon let his hands hang loosely.

Wei Yan-ho watched this scene and took a slow deep breath.

‘Easier said than done…‘

It wasn’t as easy as the words suggested.

It felt like looking at a wall.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much effort he put in, an absolutely uncrossable wall reached the sky.

This kind of despair was the first since his master.

If the wall he felt from his master was solid but warmly welcoming him, the wall he felt from the Heavenly Demon now was like a cliff with blades stuck all over it.

An absolute demonic wall that wouldn’t even tolerate a challenge.

Though he could clearly feel that despairing difference, Wei Yan-ho instead pushed his body further forward.

It was just that backing down once would be difficult.

The moment he backed down from this place, he would never be able to face the Heavenly Demon again.

‘Calm down.‘

His heart sank.

His excited heart slowly calmed down and his breathing became composed.

If not for his master, he would never have been this calm.

But Wei Yan-ho was Baek Mu-han’s disciple.

He had done countless times what seemed like crashing into a despairing realm that he could never reach no matter how hard he tried throughout his life.

So he could do it.

“Yeon-ho!”

From behind, he could hear Wei Jeong-han calling him.

He knew what Wei Jeong-han was trying to say. But Wei Yan-ho deliberately ignored Wei Jeong-han’s voice coming from behind.

Right now, he had to focus only on the being in front of him.

There was no other way.

If he backed down here, the opportunity would not come again.

He had to prove it here by staking everything. That that person was also made of blood and flesh.

Wooooooooooong!

Wei Yan-ho’s sword emitted brilliant radiance.

Lustrous light.

The pure white radiance without a single point of darkness slowly began to cover Mount Hua.

The peak of Mount Hua began to be dyed with light.

“Hmm?”

Even the Heavenly Demon showed interest seeing that brilliant light.

“What’s this?”

That was the moment.

“Uraaaaaaaaah!”

Wei Yan-ho, his entire body wrapped in light, charged straight at the Heavenly Demon.

Sensing the attack, the Heavenly Demon’s body was instantly covered with pitch-black demonic energy. Dark energy billowed up thickly.

Light and darkness.

Radiance and demonic energy.

Two distinctly different energies began to intertwine with each other.

A match with the fate of the Central Plains at stake was beginning at this very moment.