Chapter 2560 – 2560. Ascent To The Light

The Little Heavenly Demon suddenly appeared in the Murim Alliance’s territory.

For the Murim Alliance, it was a god-sent opportunity. They were already in a stalemate in their war against the Demonic Cult. Killing or capturing the Little Heavenly Demon would boost the Murim Alliance’s morale and inflict significant damage on the Heavenly Demon Cult, which had lost its next successor. For a large sect like the Heavenly Demon Cult, nurturing a successor was an extremely difficult task.

“If possible, capture the Little Heavenly Demon, Seong Yu-jin, alive.”

Gong Baek-sung, the leader of the Murim Alliance, a martial artist of the Wudang Sect, and known as the Supreme Heavenly Lord, spoke to the elders of the Murim Alliance.

“Why must we do that? He is a future evil. ‘Cut the grass and eliminate the roots.’ We must kill him before he grows any stronger.”

“Even if we kill Seong Yu-jin now, the Heavenly Demon Cult will eventually produce a new successor. According to the information, Seong Yu-jin is the current Heavenly Demon’s son and killed the previous Little Heavenly Demon, Cheon Yu-un, to take his place.”

“…Wasn’t it the Heavenly Demon, the cult leader, who recognized the Little Heavenly Demon? To accept someone who killed his own son… The Heavenly Demon Cult is truly filled with madmen.”

“That’s how all the demonic sects are. Nothing special about it. Capturing Seong Yu-jin alive will bring us many benefits. We can gain an advantage in negotiations with the Demonic Cult, and we might even be able to study the Heavenly Demon Divine Art through him.”

“Negotiate with the Demonic Cult?! Absolutely not! Have you already forgotten that the Mount Hua Sect was annihilated by them?!”

“We have also annihilated several of the Demonic Cult’s forces. The war has been going on for decades. As a result, the Murim Alliance’s strength is diminishing day by day. The Demonic Cult is not the only enemy of the Murim Alliance. We must think about the future, not just the present.”

“…Ugh. I understand. We will try our best to capture the Little Heavenly Demon, Seong Yu-jin, alive.”

“As the leader of the Murim Alliance, I order you to deploy the Heavenly Net. We must not let Seong Yu-jin escape.”

“How will you organize the personnel?”

“Seong Yu-jin is said to be an absolute master of the Three Supreme Realms. To subdue him for sure, it is right for me, a Harmonious Realm master, to step forward.”

“It is excessive for the Alliance Leader to personally deal with the likes of the Little Heavenly Demon! Please consider your dignity, Alliance Leader!”

It was then. One of the elders who had been listening quietly suddenly stood up and shouted.

“Please send me, Alliance Leader!!”

It was Mak So, the Plum Blossom Wave, a Murim Alliance elder from the annihilated Mount Hua Sect. He had been lucky enough to survive the destruction of Mount Hua. His voice was filled with resentment.

Gong Baek-sung, the leader of the Murim Alliance, gave up trying to stop him. He figured that even if he tried, Mak So would just move in secret anyway.

“…Very well. But you will go with the True Void Master. True Void Master, I will assign the True Dragon Unit to you. I will also guarantee you command of this operation.”

“Understood, Alliance Leader. I will surely capture the Little Heavenly Demon alive.”

Yul Gu, the True Void Master, a Murim Alliance elder from the Common Faction, nodded in response.

The True Dragon Unit. It was a military force of the Murim Alliance. They were not quite the elite, but they were strong enough to deploy the Heavenly Net.

Thus, the Murim Alliance’s Heavenly Net was deployed, centered around Tongbi City.

The Heavenly Net was a massive barrier that slowly narrowed. Once the barrier was completely closed, even a Harmonious Realm master in their divine form could not escape.

Mak So, the Plum Blossom Wave, spoke to Yul Gu, the True Void Master, in a dissatisfied tone.

“Is it necessary to move so cautiously? The opponent is alone. If we all attack at once, we can capture him alive.”

“Think rationally. Why do you think the Little Heavenly Demon suddenly appeared? It’s because of teleportation. To prevent him from escaping using teleportation, the Heavenly Net must be perfect. We will capture him for sure.”

The Heavenly Net began to slowly narrow.

“True Void Master! News has arrived that the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult have clashed in the north! It’s certain that they sent demonic people to save the Little Heavenly Demon.”

“The Demonic Cult will be stopped by our alliance’s masters. The True Dragon Unit must maintain the Heavenly Net.”

“True Void Master! Some people have entered Tongbi City without our permission!”

“…If they are not dangerous, leave them be. If we try to control all the merchants, officials, and wanderers, the government will intervene. We must prevent that at all costs. However, stop anyone trying to escape the Heavenly Net and thoroughly interrogate them.”

The Heavenly Net was tightening around Seong Yu-jin’s neck, so to speak. But Seong Yu-jin himself was busy having fun and relaxing.

• • •

Another guest came. This time it wasn’t an official.

It was a man wearing clothes with the character “Namgung” (南宮) on his right arm. His cultivation was in the Upper Qi Realm.

“I am Namgung Tak, the Azure Cloud Commander of the Namgung Clan. I have come under the orders of the Clan Head to escort you back to the family.”

Namgung Tak’s face was stiff. The way he looked at me was not kind. Well, I understand. I, who was once a son-in-law of the Namgung Clan, had suddenly become the Little Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult. It was something that the righteous Namgung Clan could not tolerate.

“It seems my father-in-law is very angry.”

“…It was the first time I had ever seen the Clan Head so angry. The Clan Head has ordered the Elder to return. Please come back to the family.”

“Elder? Me?”

“Did you not know yet? The Clan Head has acknowledged your position as an elder. As an absolute master of the Three Supreme Realms, it is only natural.”

“Well, that’s true. But I can’t go back to the Namgung Clan right now. Don’t you know that the Murim Alliance’s Heavenly Net is spread out nearby?”

“We can negotiate with the Murim Alliance.”

“As if the Murim Alliance would agree to negotiate.”

I scoffed. The Murim Alliance had even deployed the Heavenly Net. Even if the Namgung Clan had great power, they wouldn’t let me go.

“The Sword King is planning to end his closed-door training soon.”

The Sword King, Namgung Bu.

The former head of the Namgung Clan, and a Harmonious Realm master who had reached the divine form, just like the leader of the Murim Alliance. If he really came out of his closed-door training… the Murim Alliance wouldn’t be able to ignore him.

“Your wife is also waiting for you. Please come back.”

“Seol is?”

“Yes. It has been a long time since you last met.”

No. It hasn’t been that long. I gave Namgung Seol a space-travel scroll. We met every so often.

Namgung Seol wanted to see me, so she told me to come back? If it were Namgung Seol, she would have told me directly instead of sending someone. She could have left a note on Falling Moon Mountain, or asked Wi Yu to pass on the message. That would have been much faster.

‘This bastard dares to sell my wife’s name?’

The moment I felt annoyed, my fist had already shot out. A Thunder Punch filled with inner energy landed on Namgung Tak’s face. Namgung Tak fell backward, scattering blood and teeth into the air.

“I’m warning you. Don’t cross the line. The only reason you’re alive right now is because of the name Namgung.”

“…Yes. Thank you for your mercy.”

Namgung Tak calmly got up. He didn’t seem to care about his broken teeth. He was a master of the Upper Qi Realm. His broken teeth would grow back in a few days.

“When will you return to the Namgung Clan?”

“When the time comes.”

“…Until then, our Azure Cloud Unit will serve you, Elder. But it still doesn’t look good, so please stop calling for courtesans.”

“It is the nature of a hero to be a womanizer. And who are you to interfere with something that even my wife doesn’t mind?”

“Please consider the reputation of the Namgung Clan.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Namgung Tak. I don’t like this bastard. Should I just kill him? But then I’d really make the Namgung Clan my enemy.

After considering this and that, I got annoyed and waved my hand at Namgung Tak. It was a signal for him to leave.

“One last thing… Will you return to the Demonic Cult?”

“Why? Did the Clan Head tell you to ask that too?”

“It’s a personal question. The Namgung Clan and the Demonic Cult. You will have to choose one day, Elder.”

“What if I choose both?”

“Would the Clan Head and the Demonic Cult allow that? You can only choose one.”

“Do you know what the biggest difference between the strong and the weak is? It’s the range of choices they have. The choices available to you, a weakling, and me, a strongman, are different from the start. If you understand, then get lost.”

“…Yes. I will take my leave.”

Namgung Tak still looked at me with eyes that showed he couldn’t understand me, and then he left.

That guy didn’t like me from the start. The reason… there were too many to even guess.

I had no intention of maintaining a good relationship with Namgung Tak.

‘If I kill him without a cause, the Namgung Clan will make a fuss… If something happens, I’ll have to find a reason to kill him. I’d rather someone else killed him.’

• • •

I needed to pee, so I left the room, avoiding the sprawled courtesans.

It was dawn, before sunrise. I headed to the outhouse, feeling the chilly air.

‘Ah. This outhouse is the worst. But using a chamber pot is a bit too much.’

They say that if you use magic or special martial arts, you can be free from bowel movements.

‘But even Wi Yu, who is at the realm of All Creation, has bowel movements.’

Honestly, Wi Yu should be able to control her bowel movements. But she doesn’t. I don’t know the reason because I haven’t asked her. I guess it’s because of her humanity. Wi Yu has god-like powers, but when you look at her daily life, she’s more like a jobless older sister.

I went into the outhouse. I took out my penis and started to pee. My stream was as powerful as ever. But something was missing.

‘If this were the Baekhwan World, the maids would hold my penis and take care of everything, even the cleanup.’

But there were no obedient and pretty maids here. I smacked my lips in disappointment.

A dark figure shot up from inside the outhouse. At the same time, a dull blade extended toward me.

I widened my eyes. I hadn’t felt any presence in my senses. Even when I saw the blade, I couldn’t sense any killing intent.

[Crisis Detection has been activated. Remaining stacks: 7]

The world slowed down.

Thanks to that, I was able to recover from my shock and calmly assess the situation.

The enemy had covered their body with black clothes. Their build was small. More like a woman than a man. There was no killing intent in the blade. It wasn’t that they didn’t have any killing intent. They were intentionally hiding it.

‘An assassin. It’s hard to judge their cultivation. The fact that I can’t immediately tell… there’s a high chance they’re in the Three Supreme Realms.’

An assassin who had reached the Three Supreme Realms. Only one person came to mind.

‘The Killing King of the Four Kings Alliance…!’

I hesitated. Should I trust my full recovery and let them hit me to kill them? Or should I just dodge? It was too late to subdue them safely.

My hesitation didn’t last long. No matter what, I didn’t want to get hit by a shit-covered blade.

Thunder Sky Style, Flying Thunder God.

Lightning pulled my body backward. The shit-covered blade barely missed my neck.

‘To almost die from a blade like that.’

I let out a sigh of relief.

The assassin threw the shit-covered blade at me. I was horrified and dodged, raising my qi barrier. It was to prevent the filth from splattering on my body.

“Ugh, damn it! A shit attack! You crazy bastard!!”