Chapter 653 – Defying Heaven

The great cavern was growing dark.

The Heavenly Demon’s single kick that had risen in a beautiful trajectory. With one perfectly formed kick, all the night pearls in the hall had been shattered. Their remnant lights were rippling like dawn mist within the thick dust that had risen.

“To whom.”

Only one voice rang clearly through the dreamlike atmosphere.

“What did you ask?”

Laughter and madness.

These were what dwelt in the Heavenly Demon’s voice.

Though it was certainly Baek Mi-ryeo’s, it sounded like a man’s voice. At the same time, it approached as her inherent voice, as if scraping up Baek Mi-ryeo’s deep inner self.

Demon.

Either way, it was likely to bring inner demons to Jeong Yeon-shin. Naturally, she was much closer to chaos than even Little Heavenly Demon Invincible.

Man, woman, old person, youth, heaven.

She could be anything, and she was nothing.

‘Even the Lowly Revelation Technique can’t grasp her. She’s not an opponent eye techniques can work on.’

Kaifeng Qing Family Head’s words came to mind.

—Recognition from none other than the ancient and modern greatest demon must be received…

But Jeong Yeon-shin decided not to pay particular attention to his words and actions. That was what befitted this place.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“If you sensed the world through energy perception, you would know for yourself. That the world is dying.”

“Speak properly.”

Rumble—

Suddenly a pile of dirt rose behind the Heavenly Demon’s back, then instantly took the form of an antique chair. It was a grand master’s chair that had carved itself smooth.

“This star would need eons more to die. Only humans think they cannot live according to their fate.”

The Heavenly Demon sitting in the grand master’s chair spoke.

It was strange speech. Because she had called stars like dots in the night sky equivalent to the world.

At the same time, it was natural.

Both the words that seemed to deviate from the norm, and the perspective that seemed different from humans.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke quietly.

“I’m not interested in your perspective. To me, the world is people, and what Gates and famine try to kill is also the world of people. If you’re going to deflect with sophistry, look at this first.”

Sword resonance spread from beside him simultaneously.

Wooong!

A strong resonance. Azure flames blazed in the shape of a sword, the only means to stop the Heavenly Demon’s tyranny.

At this moment, the formless sword Starry Night was fainter than when a perfect Jeong Yeon-shin would deploy it, but still enough to cut beyond the cave to Wild Goose Fall Peak with a single sword. Because it had been created between mirror-like identical combat senses.

Jeong Yeon-shin had guided, and Little Heavenly Demon Invincible had followed. Until Starry Night was completed and rose from the Shaofu and Laogong acupoints of their touching palms.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke to Little Heavenly Demon Invincible.

“I’ll take the front, you take the rear.”

Swish.

He naturally released the hand he had been clasping with her. When Little Heavenly Demon Invincible’s cold calluses like a corpse briefly brushed against Jeong Yeon-shin’s fingers as they fell, her internal energy breathing was slightly disturbed.

‘A madwoman with nothing left but hatred.’

The world’s Ming Cult Leader. A peerless talent.

The armrest of the grand master’s chair would be more familiar than human skin. Since it was questionable whether she had ever held hands with others, she would have no experience matching rhythms with anyone.

The closer the distance, the more she felt not like a sister or brother but like a lacking younger sibling.

Suddenly Little Heavenly Demon Invincible asked.

“I’m in the rear?”

“Then can you face that alone?”

Jeong Yeon-shin made a small chin gesture toward the front. With a clearly different tone from when the Heavenly Demon had referred to Little Heavenly Demon Invincible as ‘that thing,’ it felt like facing a disaster rather than a person.

Little Heavenly Demon Invincible fell silent.

“……”

Jeong Yeon-shin took her into his vision with a sideways glance.

It wasn’t the appearance that seemed to wear the words perfect completion or seamless naturalness all over her body. Not just her pure white cape but even the light armor inside had been completely torn. Dark marks were even carved on her white abdominal muscles that pulsed faintly front and back.

It was the trace of Star-Absorbing Great Method achieved in that instant before Jeong Yeon-shin’s Heaven Breaking blocked the Heavenly Demon’s strike.

It appeared as a great flaw.

Because she had always been a flawless being from when they first met, it couldn’t be helped. Jeong Yeon-shin asked casually.

“The pain must be severe. Can you follow my strike speed?”

“What pain?”

Little Heavenly Demon Invincible asked back.

At the same time, cloth naturally rose from her abdomen with a rustle. It was a dreamlike scene, seeming to be a dharma treasure that could repair itself using true energy as power, like Desolate Fortress’s purple robe.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s brow furrowed.

“You’re wasting true energy you don’t have much of on such clothes?”

“This is still better than ordinary protective energy. Lightning Genius, you’ve been making nothing but presumptuous remarks since Black Capital. You should know self-restraint.”

Even in this situation, she completely hid her weak appearance. Was it because of the sect founding patriarch and ‘younger brother’s’ presence?

Jeong Yeon-shin inwardly shook his head.

Step.

When he took one step forward, the Heavenly Demon’s finger watching that scene intently tapped the armrest. With interest formed on Baek Mi-ryeo’s snow-white face.

It was leisure and dignity as if appreciating an interesting painting.

The Heavenly Demon parted her lips.

“The relationship between that thing and you is quite amusing. Will that half-wit respond to combined attack?”

“I don’t know.”

Simultaneously with Jeong Yeon-shin’s answer, Starry Night floated alongside. With just that brief movement, semi-transparent waves of force filled the cave and surged.

But the Heavenly Demon’s pupils captured not only the formless sword but both people together. Black eyes that seemed to miss nothing, yet it was impossible to fathom what thoughts she had after manifesting in this world.

“I.”

The index finger that had been tapping the armrest smoothly rose for a moment.

“Will ask.”

Thud!

Suddenly Little Heavenly Demon Invincible’s knees nearly touched the ground as they dropped. She had nearly prostrated in place as soon as she was hit by the demonic energy in the finger wind.

They said demonic arts were martial learning where hierarchy was clearly divided among practitioners. The reason those who drew up destructive nature could be bound as one under the name Ming Cult.

“Ugh…!”

Little Heavenly Demon Invincible’s brow crumpled. It seemed thin blood vessels had briefly stood on end.

A scene any jianghu person would disbelieve.

Her caliber couldn’t reach the Heavenly Demon, and she had fallen to a demon person who must bow to heaven. If she had learned orthodox martial arts, it wouldn’t have been like this.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt tremendous power rising from her buttocks and thighs in resistance. Incredible inner technique.

‘Bright Phoenix Divine Form.’

At the level of defying natural law.

A smile toward her appeared on the Heavenly Demon’s lips. Though faint and twisted mockery, it was the first time showing emotion.

“Having received my bloodline and martial learning.”

She slowly concluded while bending her index finger downward.

“Even if you die, that’s right.”

Bang!

“……!”

Little Heavenly Demon Invincible finally knelt on both knees.

The cave floor was roughly gouged, and now she had become distant from flawlessness throughout her lifetime. She seemed to be realizing this with wide eyes at this moment.

Jeong Yeon-shin intuited.

That right now the Heavenly Demon’s pupils permitted no interference. Without needing to go to upper energy center insight, because killing intent had settled on his skin like substantial mist.

Whoosh!

His whole body seemed to crumple.

If he interfered once more, she intended to kill even Jeong Yeon-shin. Completely unrelated to the favor she had shown toward him, however small.

He had already sufficiently realized the Heavenly Demon’s transcendence.

‘I don’t know how she surpassed the originally given lifespan, but…’

The destination that Jeong Yeon-shin, who had transcended even heavenly mandate like that, could reach when walking the single path called the demonic way.

Defiance was permitted to no one.

Unlike senior Shin Cheon-hwa, she might be able to live a lifetime in Baek Mi-ryeo’s body.

Rumble!

Little Heavenly Demon Invincible began gradually sinking along with the ground.

How strong was the pressure? She had the momentum to burrow to the abyss while kneeling, and Little Heavenly Demon Invincible even dyed her cape red as if blood had burst from her entire body’s skin.

‘She’ll really die like that.’

Jeong Yeon-shin held Starry Night with one hand and raised the other. Suddenly Enter The Divine Sword embedded in the ceiling trembled, then slid down through the air to complete a twin sword formation.

Unlike Remaining Thunder, it felt utterly faithful to the master’s weapon handling. But it was inevitable that the Tang siblings’ divine swords briefly crossed his mind.

Could the poppy addict left in the north retrieve Remaining Thunder from Aisin-Gioro Black Return’s hands? There had been some agreement between himself and Black Return.

Kiiiiiing—!

But Jeong Yeon-shin set aside brief thoughts while unifying Enter The Divine Sword and Starry Night into one blade.

Because the Heavenly Demon who had risen from the grand master’s chair was now approaching right before his eyes and meeting his gaze.

“……”

She said nothing.

She was truly like a king of hell who had come to bring death to a presumptuous descendant. Therefore, Jeong Yeon-shin decided to speak first.

“You spoke as if you transcended everything, but even so…”

He spoke while gripping Enter The Divine Sword wrapped in Starry Night with his right hand.

“It seems you had attachments.”

Otherwise, there would be no reason to exert this much effort on Little Heavenly Demon Invincible. Therefore, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke with certainty while measuring the extremely close distance with the ‘first Heavenly Demon.’ Words no jianghu person would dare utter.

“In the end, you’re also human.”

“An obvious statement.”

Why was it?

The Heavenly Demon laughed pleasantly.

It didn’t suit her inherent temperament to an eerie degree, yet was natural for that reason.

“Only by embracing all desires can one finally discuss heaven with a human body. Demon is the most human thing.”

Crack! Crackle—!

Jet-black lightning bolts constantly flashed at the center between the Heavenly Demon and Jeong Yeon-shin. Divine sparks containing godly power endlessly flickered in all eight directions, because Jeong Yeon-shin had begun seriously resisting the Heavenly Demon’s distance.

“I thought conversation was possible, but it seems I was mistaken.”

“Right, that’s exactly it. Come.”

Rough roaring began filling his ears numbly. Not only the ground but even the vast cave’s walls were being gouged like dragon claw marks.

It seemed ready to collapse at any moment. Even though successive Ming Cult Leaders would have placed protective functions with all sorts of magical martial arts.

Feeling that power directly from the front, rare great surprise had to form in Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes.

‘Such power with an incomplete soul garment.’

Heavenly Demon.

Who could strike before this? Unless another martial god or madman, one should rightfully kneel.

Along with such thoughts, Jeong Yeon-shin rotated toward the Heavenly Demon’s chest. While gripping Starry Night and Enter The Divine Sword overlapped in one hand.

Flash!

Suddenly light that raced faster than sound dyed all directions blue-green.

* * *

“The world’s end.”

The middle-aged swordsman’s voice was heavy with breathing, befitting ruins. His additional words were the same.

“If that story is true, that is.”

Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance’s Azure Dragon Hall Master. A middle-aged swordsman who had descended from Mount Hua an hour ago, with an atmosphere that didn’t match Mount Hua.

His energy waves themselves were bumpy and dry like a wanderer. Originally, he had climbed Mount Hua only as a guest, and his true martial arts had been completed by learning several techniques from Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance Leader Wave Star.

“Suddenly the first Heavenly Demon? No matter how mysterious and eerie this mountain slope is, what kind of cloud-chasing nonsense is that? How could the tomb’s owner appear from such an ancient tomb?”

Azure Dragon Hall Master was first suspecting the senility of Kaifeng Qing Family Head who had explained the situation to him.

The old man with emptiness below both shoulders, Kaifeng Qing Family Head, clicked his tongue as if looking at a pitiful grandchild.

“I only conveyed facts. Now later waves of the Yangtze like you must move on your own. Of course, I also find it hard to believe what I experienced today…”

But Azure Dragon Hall Master’s face was calm.

Because he was the leader of thirty flag bearers holding azure dragon banners. Azure Dragon Hall warriors were different from the mountain of thousands of jianghu people now half-sunken. All azure dragon flags had resisted Little Heavenly Demon Invincible’s wide-area Form-shifting Void like some dharma treasure.

“What’s truly hard to believe is your senior’s appearance. How did Kaifeng’s greatest person’s arms become like that… Was the Divine Sword Group Leader so strong?”

“I’m getting tired. I’ll return now.”

Kaifeng Qing Family Head, who had turned around like that, suddenly let out an ‘ah’ exclamation.

“Come to think of it, didn’t they say they’d draw out Mount Hua Sect’s former elders inside the Gates? I mean the four hundred years of Brilliant Jade Fire Sword God Lady Lu Xian’s distribution. Since the sect leader became like that, I thought it was a fairly realistic story… What happened?”

“I think we’d have to cut even a large peak like this Wild Goose Fall Peak for them to come out. The young Zhongnan Sect Leader interfered so much from the side that if my cultivation had been shallow, I would have drawn the Azure Dragon Sword.”

It was then.

“……?”

Suddenly a blue-green horizon flickered in Qinling Mountain Range. Naturally, all conversations and outcries were cut off.

As if cut by some sword.

A horizontal line was carved on Mount Hua’s northern Cloud Platform Peak, eastern Morning Sun Peak, and southern Wild Goose Fall Peak that composed the great mountain. Though people couldn’t confirm it at a glance, it was a scene visible through energy perception.

It was truly a sudden occurrence.

All of Mount Hua.

Rumble—!

Slowly began collapsing.