Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 270

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 270

A place where blizzards never cease throughout the four seasons.

A mountain peak somewhere in the Tianshan Mountains.

Those with sinister auras had gathered in abundance on the mountain peak.

Though snow piled on their heads and their beards froze white enough to make one cold, they neither trembled nor even blinked.

The place they were looking at.

Crunch, crunch.

A man walking with his hands clasped behind his back, cutting through the blizzard.

It was Hyeok Wollim, who had defeated countless competitors at a young age to become the demon of the heavens.

Some said.

That since demons had formed a faction and established themselves in Tianshan, he would be the strongest.

Neither the First Sect Leader who made the demon’s name known to the world, nor Sect Leader Baek Ganghwi, who was the strongest among those who had inherited the Heavenly Demon’s name thereafter, would be a match for him.

He was demon itself.

* * *

“Huu…”

Plains covered in snow.

Hyeok Wollim, who had stopped in the middle and was looking down indifferently, waved his hand.

Huuuuung!

At his light gesture, a storm-like wind arose in an instant, blowing away the accumulated snow and revealing a transparent ice floor.

A smile appeared on Hyeok Wollim’s lips as he quietly gazed into it.

‘I found it properly.’

Hyeok Wollim, who had been smiling with satisfaction, raised his head and looked back.

Blood Sect.

Those who had been subjugated after he seized the Demonic Sect.

They were trivial beings who couldn’t even withstand a single wave of his hand, but for now they were quite useful.

Those strange techniques they possessed.

When he first encountered them, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

Weren’t these ascetic techniques?

And extremely wicked ones at that.

It seemed like fate given to him.

Thanks to obtaining them, Hyeok Wollim was able to accelerate his plans even more and gather power more quickly.

He had already surpassed the Formation stage and was on the verge of Spirit Transformation.

But even Spirit Transformation was insufficient.

Hyeok Wollim’s goal was much higher than that.

“What a pity, if only I had obtained the Eight Trigrams Heaven Wheel, things would have been much easier.”

Eight Trigrams Heaven Wheel.

A weapon that kills gods.

But its whereabouts were mysterious.

He had only found one record from the past somewhere in the Kunlun Mountains.

Even that was damaged by time and couldn’t be properly deciphered.

Hyeok Wollim’s gaze, filled with regret, fell upon the sword at his waist.

A red sword.

Uibo, Fire Script.

It was a derivative of the Eight Trigrams Heaven Wheel.

He had scoured all of Central Plains to secure craftsmen who could create divine weapons and iron ore, making them forge it.

But being an imitation, it could barely contain just one power.

“It can’t be helped. The connection wasn’t there.”

Hyeok Wollim shook his head to dispel his thoughts and looked down at the ground again.

Snow had already accumulated softly on the ground once more.

“Now, Hanmyeong. Show yourself.”

As he drew Fire Script and aimed it, scorching heat spread in all directions.

The snow where he stood instantly melted, and even the swirling blizzard turned to rain and poured down.

As the sudden downpour melted all the snow in the area in an instant, the wide ground was clearly revealed.

It was a massive lake that had turned into an ice sheet.

After a moment, one enormous shadow appeared to writhe from deep within those waters.

“Hehehe, you’ve come!”

As Hyeok Wollim, wearing a satisfied smile, spread his energy, eerie ghostly energy spread in all directions, enveloping the mountain peak.

It was a barrier.

One that separated cause and good.

Meanwhile, the black shadow had grown large enough to fill the space beneath the ice.

Thud!

Finally, the ground shook.

The creature had collided as if trying to break through the ice.

Crack crack crack!

Soon cracks spread and the ice shattered and tangled.

The smile on Hyeok Wollim’s lips deepened.

There was no way it wouldn’t appear.

It must have sensed the spirit energy he had released.

The moment he stepped back, a monstrous creature imbued with pitch-black energy emerged from the cracked ice.

[Was it you who summoned me?]

The giant serpent Hanmyeong, who had revealed himself as if boasting of his massive frame, looked down at Hyeok Wollim standing on a floating piece of ice and spoke.

It seemed as if his body filled the entire lake.

“It’s been a long time, Hanmyeong.”

[Long time? Do you know me?]

“I know you well. Including the fact that you’re the earth vein spirit of Tianshan.”

As Hyeok Wollim smiled slyly, Hanmyeong’s eyes sharpened.

Earth vein spirits don’t belong to any of the categories divided into yo, gwi, ghost, and sage.

A crystallization of purity close to primordial cleanliness, having absorbed earth energy while remaining in one place for a long time without violating taboos.

The giant serpent Hanmyeong was no different from a water spirit sage and an incarnation of cold energy.

[Unexpected, from what I can see you seem to have the fortune of a ghost… how do you know about me? More than that, what exactly are you? Why don’t your physical shell and soul overlap?]

He knew his existence was that of a ghost.

The inside of the barrier he had spread was filled with chilling ghostly energy. Also, what he held in his hand was a weapon containing the power of a fire spirit.

But it was crude.

So crude it seemed beneath him to even face.

But how had a being that should be born as a soul and perish as a soul obtained a human body, even if it contained spirit energy?

Those classified as ghosts are beings born from the byproducts of emotions, so-called existences that deviate from the laws, unlike other beings.

Vengeful spirits that couldn’t depart accidentally contain spirit energy and exist briefly, but they perish because their permitted time is short.

“That’s right. My previous life was a ghost born from the dregs of despair, a lingering resentment.”

[Of despair…? But how do you have the form of a human with life force? What’s permitted to your kind should only be rotting flesh?]

“Because I was reborn.”

[What? Reborn? What do you mean? Are you saying you’ve escaped the laws of life and death?]

“I don’t know the details either. I never thought such a thing would be possible.”

[You! Speak properly!]

Was he angry at the ambiguous answer?

The cold energy mixed with the sound waves Hanmyeong emitted spread in all directions, and intense spirit energy struck Hyeok Wollim’s body.

Despite the shock being enough to make his body tingle, Hyeok Wollim instead wore an even deeper smile.

“A creature that’s lived for a thousand years can’t even control its emotions without any sense.”

[This bastard…]

Hanmyeong’s eyes sharpened.

That confident attitude aroused deep unease.

His tone and expression weren’t bluffs.

The fact that he had come here knowing his identity meant he was prepared accordingly.

Above all, that impure energy contained within his demonic aura.

Not only had he escaped the framework of cause and effect, but he had undoubtedly violated taboos.

Considering the time he had lived, he must have stolen human essence to build his foundation, then devoured his own kind to accumulate power.

An enormous amount of power at that.

“Well, fine. Since you want to know, I’ll tell you. It’s not a problem to show that much consideration to someone about to die.”

Hyeok Wollim laid out the events he had experienced in detail, as if boasting.

Heavenly Demon Baek Ganghwi, who had dreamed of the Ascension Method.

And the Destruction Method.

The process leading to reincarnation.

“After becoming a spirit, I watched his death from beginning to end. That was my mission. Those damn bastards… I suppose it meant I was that insignificant. But strangely, he learned something slightly different from the Destruction Method we had taught him. I couldn’t help but be curious. I observed a little.”

Hyeok Wollim continued speaking while searching his memories.

“When he opened his spiritual sight, I was even caught. Fortunately, I was dismissed as just a ghost.”

[…]

“But then this guy suddenly became spiritualized and scattered. In that process, the malice he possessed overlapped with me. The pain he had experienced, his disillusionment with the world, his killing intent and such things. Thanks to that, I obtained part of the memories he had.”

[What are you talking about? He achieved spiritualization? You obtained memories?]

“I can’t explain that part in detail either. Anyway, after that I also learned the Destruction Method. Since I was born as a demon and was destined to be annihilated without reaching the realm of goodness, I had nothing to lose. This is the result.”

Heavenly Demon Baek Ganghwi?

Was he talking about that guy who lived in Tianshan long ago, who learned human martial arts and possessed power approaching goodness?

Hanmyeong’s head was complicated by this hardly believable story.

However, what was certain was this.

Those called Yo and Goe, demons, would not have liked this Baek Ganghwi entering the path of goodness.

They would have taught him the Destruction Method since it would be troublesome if a fight broke out, and something must have gone wrong, twisting the laws of life and death.

A remnant who witnessed this tried the same method and reincarnated in human form as Hyeok Wollim.

And in that process, he absorbed the malice that had separated from Baek Ganghwi.

This was dangerous.

How could it be called a good thing when despair was combined with malice?

Since he was already emanating such impure energy, he must have taken countless lives beyond measure.

[You bastard, what do you want? For what reason did you come to find me?]

“To steal your power.”

[What?]

“And to collapse the realm.”

[Collapse the realm? Do you think that’s possible?]

“You know about it too, don’t you? The reversal where heaven becomes earth and earth becomes heaven.”

[Re, reversal? How do you know about that?]

“That’s how it is originally, demons tend to overhear many things. It’s just that everyone considers us insignificant so they don’t pay attention.”

[…]

“The plan has already begun. I’m kidnapping countless humans and extracting their essence. Also, starting with you, the other eight will die by my hand and become materials for realizing the reversal.”

Hanmyeong’s eyes widened.

He was definitely talking about the nine earth vein spirits including himself.

Then did this bastard really know how to cause a reversal? And was he really going to collapse the framework of the Three Realms?

He had to be annihilated.

[You bastard! Do you think I’ll just stand by and watch!]

At his wild cry that shook heaven and earth, a storm whirled, and the water forming the lake surged up, instantly transforming into sharp ice fragments.

Kwaaaaaa!

And they poured down.

Bang! Kwabang!

Every time ice fragments fell and shattered, Tianshan shook as if it would collapse.

[You rat bastard! Running away is useless!]

When Hanmyeong’s rage reached its peak, even his breath turned to ice, and Hyeok Wollim barely dodged while fleeing.

However, soon his clothes and flesh were torn and blood splattered.

Even that froze white.

Hyeok Wollim could barely endure by igniting flames with the fire talisman in his hand.

But melting was all he could manage.

Pop!

Not only the pouring ice fragments, but even those frozen on the ground exploded and embedded in Hyeok Wollim’s body.

His entire body was riddled with holes.

No blood flowed.

Because the wounds froze immediately.

The terrible cold energy penetrated into his body through the wounds, freezing even his blood.

Crackle!

Soon Hyeok Wollim’s movement stopped.

His feet froze and stuck to the ground, and cold energy surged up his legs.

[Bastard, this is the end. I’ll shatter your arrogant dream.]

When Hanmyeong, confident of victory, approached with a triumphant expression, Hyeok Wollim smiled as if he felt no pain.

Even though he was already frozen up to his chest.

Even though the cold energy Hanmyeong emitted grew stronger and stronger, making it impossible to melt with fire spirit energy anymore.

“Tch, truly impressive. To think you, who are evaluated as the weakest among those ruling the lowest layer of the Three Realms, are this strong.”

The place commonly called the Human Realm or Desire Realm.

Hanmyeong, one of the strongest beings there, was an existence that couldn’t be defeated even if one was reborn with the wisdom of a previous life, even if one had devoured the essence and spirit energy of so many humans.

However.

“You have a great restriction.”

[What?]

“Fighting within the barrier I deployed was your mistake.”

The moment Hyeok Wollim, whose entire body was freezing, grinned wickedly, his hand swept out.

[The, the barrier?]

When the barrier suddenly disappeared and Hanmyeong turned his gaze in bewilderment.

“Waaaaaa!”

From outside the vanished barrier, countless people began rushing toward Hanmyeong.

He hadn’t sensed them.

Could it be that his barrier was meant to hide their presence?

But what was strange was that the appearances of those rushing in were all different.

A crowd of men and women, young and old, mixed together haphazardly.

[Th, this!]

Panicked, Hanmyeong quickly withdrew his spiritual power and tried to hide his body in the lake.

The restriction Sangson had placed on them while granting them power.

Good cannot harm humans.

Perhaps it was merely a rule that had to be observed in name, but there were beings for whom this was not the case, and those were the earth vein spirits.

“You, as a guardian of taboos, cannot harm humans even if they’re Yo, Goe, immortals, or demons. Because of that damn restriction.”

[You, you bastard!]

Hanmyeong’s face contorted at Hyeok Wollim’s mockery.

He had to avoid them.

He had to hide his body.

But for some reason, his body wouldn’t move.

“Don’t you think you got too close?”

[…!]

“Even the sorcery you look down upon can bind you for just a moment.”

The moment Hanmyeong withdrew his spiritual power, Hyeok Wollim melted his frozen body with fire spirit energy.

A net of flames he had created with spiritual power was binding Hanmyeong’s body.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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