Chapter 168 – Declaration of War (3)

Using Kang Yu-hyeon’s enlightenment, Yu-jin smiled and swung the Ink Dragon Sword. In that instant, ten inescapable Mind Swords were unleashed toward the Heavenly Demon.

“I won’t be defeated!”

The Heavenly Demon formed the Dark Flame Flower, a demonic blaze that incinerates all, and hurled it at the Mind Swords.

A clash of dark blue flames and inky brilliance.

However, the Mind Swords Yu-jin unleashed were formed from the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts, so the flames of the Dark Flame Flower were extinguished by them.

The ten Mind Swords then pierced and slashed the fatal pressure points on the Heavenly Demon’s body.

“Kugh!”

Faced with a power that surpassed all previous attacks, even the Heavenly Demon couldn’t help but groan.

Even the Heavenly Demon, with his power of immortality, felt immense pain when his vital points were struck, but Yu-jin had done more than just inflict pain.

He had properly attacked the Heavenly Demon by unleashing Mind Swords—known as the strongest realm of swordsmanship—infused with the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts, created to kill the Heavenly Demon. This was not an attack a clone could withstand, though his true body might have.

*Vwooom!*

Yu-jin bound the Heavenly Demon’s completely exposed body with Wings of Light and injected the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts into him.

The Heavenly Demon’s clone began to break down from the inside. Only then did Yu-jin, looking at the completely restrained Heavenly Demon, speak.

“This is my victory, Heavenly Demon. Are you satisfied?”

In response to Yu-jin’s question, the Heavenly Demon spoke through his pain.

“My kindred spirit, I am satisfied with how strong you’ve become. But the next time we meet, it will not be like this.”

Yu-jin nodded at the Heavenly Demon’s words. In this battle, neither had used their full power. The Heavenly Demon hadn’t unleashed the Asura Heaven-Annihilating Sword, and Yu-jin hadn’t summoned the Ink Dragon.

Furthermore, Yu-jin hadn’t revealed the power of regeneration he gained from his Divine Demonic Body.

This battle was merely a light skirmish, so there was no need to show his full hand. And honestly, going all out against a clone would have been rather pathetic.

“The next time we meet, I will grant you eternal rest.”

For Yu-jin, this battle was significant in that it confirmed he could break the Heavenly Demon’s immortality.

For hundreds of years, countless masters had challenged the Heavenly Demon, but all had knelt before his immortal body.

But Yu-jin was different.

It was something no other master in the Central Plains, past or present, could do. Only Yu-jin could grant the Heavenly Demon eternal rest.

“Eternal rest, you say. I look forward to that as well, my kindred spirit. Then, let us meet on the battlefield.”

Was it because he had lived for hundreds of years? Even at the mention of his own death, the Heavenly Demon simply smiled leisurely.

As soon as his words ended, the Heavenly Demon’s clone disintegrated into dust and vanished.

“It’s over.”

Although it was a light skirmish, its significance was profound, so Yu-jin gave a slight nod.

Just then, Yu-jin sensed someone rising into the air where he was.

“Ah, must I explain again?”

Yu-jin sighed and looked at those who had risen to his position. They were, of course, the absolute masters who had been watching his fight with the Heavenly Demon.

***

Inside a vast, empty grand hall. A magnificent chair sat upon a high dais.

A throne made for only one person. Behind the throne, shrouded in darkness, the words “Heavenly Demon” were written in red. And on that throne sat its sole master, a man with his eyes closed. The man was, of course, the Heavenly Demon.

“Cough!”

The Heavenly Demon’s face, which had been serene with his eyes closed, instantly turned pale, and he coughed up blood. Red blood splattered on the floor. The Heavenly Demon opened his eyes, saw the blood staining the ground, and smiled.

Soon, dark bruises appeared on several parts of his body. Despite possessing a regenerative ability so powerful that he could instantly recover even if his head were blown off, the dark bruises he now bore did not fade easily.

“It’s been a while since I’ve felt pain.”

The bruised areas throbbed with immense pain, yet the Heavenly Demon smiled. It had been so long that the pain felt strangely refreshing.

The reason for such a severe injury was the destruction of his clone. The clone’s spirit was connected to his own, so its annihilation dealt a significant blow to his true body.

His soul had been damaged in the fight with Yu-jin, and the aftereffects had manifested physically. This was an injury that even the Heavenly Demon’s regenerative powers could not easily heal.

“My kindred spirit, you have truly grown strong.”

The Heavenly Demon murmured, thinking of the unseen Yu-jin. Although Yu-jin had inflicted great pain on him for the first time in centuries, the Heavenly Demon felt no anger.

No, having lived for hundreds of years, he had never seen a martial artist like Yu-jin, so he was actually pleased.

“I knew it the moment I saw you. That you and I are of the same kind.”

The Heavenly Demon had recognized at a glance that he and Yu-jin were kindred spirits, and at the same time, the only beings who could annihilate each other.

Of course, when they first met, Yu-jin had yet to fully awaken his abilities and was still lacking.

Now, Yu-jin had brilliantly proven the Heavenly Demon’s premonition correct. Until now, no master had ever been able to break the Heavenly Demon’s immortality, but Yu-jin had demonstrated that it was possible.

“You have truly reached the same level as I.”

*Kwooooooo!*

A colossal aura erupted from the Heavenly Demon’s entire body, and soon, the form of a giant demonic god enveloped him.

Fundamentally the same as Yu-jin’s Ink Dragon but possessing an even greater sense of intimidation, the demonic god seemed capable of destroying the world by its presence alone.

*Kukukukung!*

The grand hall, built to withstand any powerful martial art, began to tremble merely from the demonic god’s appearance.

The Heavenly Demon noticed this and dismissed the demonic god. However, he couldn’t stop his body from trembling with an excitement he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Since his appearance in the martial world, he had never once used his full power. He knew that no one could kill him, so there had never been a need to go all out.

That was why, despite being able to kill countless masters, he had spared most of them. Kang Myeong-un, Kang Yu-hyeon’s first body, was one such case.

But Yu-jin was different. An opponent who might be the only one in this world capable of granting him rest. He was worthy of facing his full power—a power the Heavenly Demon had never once unleashed.

“For that to happen, the stage must be set properly. We can’t have others interfering.”

Just then, the Heavenly Demon sensed several beings with considerable power.

“Lord! At your command, all four Vice-Lords have gathered.”

At their cry, the Heavenly Demon nodded and replied in a low tone.

“Enter.”

Though his voice was low, it was clear enough for the demonic followers outside, as the grand hall’s doors opened.

Four figures entered through the open doors. All of them possessed powerful demonic energy; they were the four Demonic Kings who currently held the position of Vice-Lord in the Western Heaven Demonic Cult.

Sword Demonic King, Seol Mu-rin.

Fist Demonic King, Gu Yang-geuk.

Spear Demonic King, Ham Seung-hwan.

Saber Demonic King, Cheon Yeop-sang.

All were masters who had reached the pinnacle of the demonic path (Transformation Realm), the strongest demonic followers after the Heavenly Demon himself.

“You summoned us, Lord?”

Seol Mu-rin, known as the strongest of the four Demonic Kings, spoke on their behalf. The Heavenly Demon nodded in affirmation and then spoke.

“How are the preparations for advancing into the Central Plains coming along?”

“We can depart at any time, as soon as you give the command, Lord!”

Seemingly satisfied with Gu Yang-geuk’s words, the Heavenly Demon nodded. But he then looked at the four demonic followers and spoke again.

“We have the power to overwhelm the Central Plains, but you are well aware that we are vastly outnumbered in terms of absolute masters. Of course, I have the strength to defeat most of them, but you do not.”

At the Heavenly Demon’s words, the four demonic followers wanted to protest, but one look into his eyes made them reconsider. And honestly, he wasn’t wrong.

The Central Plains had eight masters at the Profound Realm and eleven at the Transformation Realm. In contrast, the Western Heaven Demonic Cult had no masters at the Transcendent Demonic Realm (Profound Realm) or higher besides the Heavenly Demon himself, and only the four Vice-Lords were at the pinnacle of the demonic path (Transformation Realm).

Without the Heavenly Demon, the Vice-Lords alone would not be able to handle all the kings of the Central Plains.

Their pride stung, they felt humiliated by the Heavenly Demon’s words that they couldn’t even handle the eleven kings of the Central Plains. The Heavenly Demon looked down at his Vice-Lords and spoke again.

“Are you disappointed?”

“We are! At the fact that our existence may not be of much help to the great cause!”

“We fear we will only hold you back, Lord.”

Ham Seung-hwan and Cheon Yeop-sang exclaimed. The Heavenly Demon shook his head at their cries.

“There is no need to be disappointed by a lack of power. Power that is lacking can simply be filled.”

*Kwooooooo!*

Pitch-black demonic energy began to rise from the Heavenly Demon’s body, enveloping the four Vice-Lords.

The four Vice-Lords were startled by this strange phenomenon, but for some reason, they could not resist the demonic energy at all. The energy summoned by the Heavenly Demon had seized even their souls.

“There is no need to resist. There is no need to fear. Feel it and accept it. If you do, you will see a world entirely different from the one you have known.”

At the Heavenly Demon’s low words, the four Vice-Lords instinctively realized that this power would transform them into completely different martial artists.

The Heavenly Demon was forcibly guiding them to a realm they could never reach no matter how hard they tried. Overwhelmed with emotion, they relaxed their bodies and began to accept the demonic energy.

Soon, a giant sphere of pitch-blackness enveloped the four Vice-Lords. They felt a sense of peace and closed their eyes.

“When you emerge from that place, you will see a completely different world, and the Western Heaven Demonic Cult will conquer the Central Plains.”

The Heavenly Demon spoke as he looked at the four massive spheres. He was already a great being capable of forcibly elevating others to the Transcendent Demonic Realm (Profound Realm).

And not just one, but four people at once. He was no longer a human, but a demonic god.

***

Yu-jin sighed as he looked at the absolute masters staring at him. With the exception of the Sword Empress, Hwa Un-wol, they all wore expressions of utter shock.

What Yu-jin had just shown was so shocking that even these masters, with their deep mental cultivation, couldn’t hide their astonishment. Realizing the Heavenly Demon was a clone and then watching him destroy it—how could they not be shocked?

“W-who are you?”

The Martial Alliance Lord, the renowned Supreme Harmony Sword Emperor, Hyeon Cheon-ja, asked in a flustered tone. In his eyes, Yu-jin no longer appeared as a martial artist who had just reached the Profound Realm.

No, he looked like the greatest master of all time, one capable of defeating the Heavenly Demon. The greatest master who could grant eternal rest to an immortal being and break the limits of existing martial arts.

“I am Kang Yu-jin. Is that not enough for you?”

“It is not. That alone does not explain the source of your power.”

At Hyeon Cheon-ja’s words, Yu-jin let out a small laugh and stared directly at him.

“I don’t believe I have any obligation to tell you the source of my power, Alliance Lord. And what will you do if I don’t? Surely you don’t intend to persecute me?”

At the word “persecute,” the Hegemon Heaven Saber Emperor, the Thunder Sword Emperor, and the Sword Empress glared at Hyeon Cheon-ja.

Regardless, they had personal ties to Yu-jin and were in a position where they had to take his side.

Seeing their reaction, Hyeon Cheon-ja gritted his teeth. The True Dragon Sword Clan’s influence was already growing stronger, especially after Yu-jin’s official engagement to the imperial princess.

The existence of the True Dragon Sword Clan was already shaking the Martial Alliance’s authority to the point of rendering it nominal. In such a situation, if it became known that Yu-jin was the only one who could kill the Heavenly Demon, the Martial Alliance’s authority would completely crumble, and the True Dragon Sword Clan would take its place.

It might seem unlikely, but for hundreds of years, the Heavenly Demon’s infamy had been more than enough to make countless martial artists of the Central Plains tremble in fear.

If it became known that Yu-jin could kill such a being, his presence would inevitably skyrocket. And as Yu-jin rose, so too would his clan, the True Dragon Sword Clan.

That was the outcome Hyeon Cheon-ja dreaded most. He unconsciously revealed his killing intent.

“A misunderstanding would be troublesome, Alliance Lord. The one holding the hilt of the sword here is me.”

Noticing this, Yu-jin smiled faintly and released his own killing intent. In that moment, Hyeon Cheon-ja felt a chill run down his spine. It was as if a colossal dragon was glaring down at him.

Only then did Hyeon Cheon-ja once again perceive that Yu-jin was the martial artist who had killed the Heavenly Demon. Even if Hyeon Cheon-ja gave his all, he could not guarantee victory against Yu-jin.

“Even if you were to lose your life here and now, Alliance Lord, the martial world would not be shaken. The martial artists of the Central Plains might be greatly angered, but they would not fall into chaos. Because of me.”

Yu-jin’s words provoked Hyeon Cheon-ja’s anger, but he could not refute them. After today’s battle, once word spread that Yu-jin had driven away the Heavenly Demon, all the martial artists of the Central Plains might very well acclaim him as the new Lord of the Martial Alliance.

Since the martial artists of the Central Plains viewed the Heavenly Demon as something beyond fear, it would not be strange for them to endorse Yu-jin, who already led a powerful faction, as the new Alliance Lord.

“And yet, you still wish to know the source of my power?”

As Yu-jin spoke, raising the energy of the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts, Hyeon Cheon-ja was left speechless.

“No… The fact that you can defeat the Heavenly Demon is enough.”

This was the moment the Supreme Harmony Sword Emperor, Hyeon Cheon-ja, who had dedicated decades of his life to the Central Plains’ martial world, yielded to Yu-jin.

Yu-jin had now risen to a position where he could sway the entire Central Plains’ martial world. This meant he had truly become its supreme ruler.