I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 171

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

Chapter 171. Succession Ceremony
Two heavens cannot exist upon the same earth.
Two suns cannot coexist beneath a single sky.
A Celestial Demon—that great absolute being—can never number two in a single era. This principle was absolute.
Because it was a law established by the First Heavenly Demon and Solomon, those mythical existences, the Celestial Demons of later generations could never defy it.
But not anymore. Now that I have inherited the Sacred Flame Spirit—the very source of power that Solomon granted to the Celestial Demons—and drawn the submission of the First Heavenly Demon, I erased that restriction first and foremost.
It was only natural. Just because the 1st through 38th Celestial Demons were already dead did not make them any less Celestial Demons. With that restriction in place, they would inevitably be forced into a death game where all but one would perish.
Even in servitude, death comes when the soul is annihilated. The physical body can recover from destruction easily enough, but I could not nullify the damage inflicted upon the soul itself.
And the Celestial Demons were beings more than capable of obliterating souls.
So I erased that restriction first. I did so to prevent the Celestial Demons from tearing each other apart in a savage struggle, allowing them instead to govern the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Of course, erasing such a restriction did not mean the Heavenly Demon Emperor would reverse death.
Rather, she hastened to accelerate her work.
“I shall prepare the Succession Ceremony.”
The Succession Ceremony.
This ritual signified precisely what its name implied—a great ceremony in which a Celestial Demon of a later generation received all that their predecessor had accomplished, before that predecessor returned to death. It was their final martial contest.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor immediately began preparing a colossal formation under the First Heavenly Demon’s guidance to conduct the Succession Ceremony.
Needless to say, in all but the rarest of circumstances—such as when the Heavenly Slayer Star Demon coveted the power of his predecessor and murdered him as a half-fledged Celestial Demon—all Celestial Demons were overwhelmingly stronger than their successors.
The difference between an absolute being and a fledgling who had only just become a Celestial Demon was inevitable.
Therefore, it was nearly impossible for a successor to overcome their predecessor. This was precisely why the Succession Ceremony existed.
Ordinarily, the Celestial Demons who first ascended to the Immortal Realm would deliberately diminish their own rank and power, descending back to the Murim to exhaust themselves in the process of preparing for death.
Secondly, they would prepare the formation required for the Succession Ceremony, expending most of their remaining strength.
Finally, they would use the formation’s power to seal a portion of their rank and strength within it as the price.
Having discarded most of their power in this manner, they would then face their successor in a martial contest with only what remained.
Even after all this, there were cases where the successor still could not overcome their predecessor. In such instances, the generational transition would fail, and the current Celestial Demon’s era would continue until Bi-dong could be opened once more.
“The Heavenly Demon Emperor—that monster is preparing something with the First Heavenly Demon, that old one.”
But this Succession Ceremony was somewhat different. For one, there was no Immortal Realm. My esteemed younger sibling had taken issue with the fact that only they existed so leisurely in that paradise called the Immortal Realm, so she destroyed it entirely.
Naturally, this was merely the surface reason. Apparently, the Immortals had provoked my younger sibling and her companions—a sort of bullying by newcomers, as they say.
As a result, one avenue for expending power was lost. Moreover, the Bi-dong that should have assisted in creating the formation required for the Succession Ceremony had grown weak after I drained the souls of the Celestial Demons to fuel my own strength.
“It matters not. After all, they are hardly preparing something disadvantageous for me.”
“That is true.”
The scholarly Celestial Demon kneeling before me—the 7th Heavenly Demon, the Apocalypse Celestial Demon who had literally annihilated an alternate dimension that invaded the Supreme Martial Realm—lowered his head and continued.
“Do you intend to return to your homeland?”
“Yes, I believe I shall. My original purpose in coming here was to claim my younger sibling’s soul. I have become a Celestial Demon by circumstance, but this is not truly my place.”
“I understand. But you are aware, I presume, that you cannot simply depart without consideration. The symbol of the Celestial Demon is absolute in this Supreme Martial Realm.”
“Is that not why I extracted all of you from that Bi-dong and restored your physical forms? And if I am being honest, I am far closer to a Demon God than to a Celestial Demon.”
“That may be so. But then you intend to leave all of us here in the Supreme Martial Realm?”
I answered by nodding my head. But unexpectedly, the Apocalypse Celestial Demon shook his head in opposition to my decision.
“That is not a wise choice.”
“Why not? Surely you possess enough strength to devour this entire Murim, even weakened as you are? Though admittedly, it may prove difficult against certain formidable individuals. Yet with a little cultivation, you could recover.”
“That is precisely the problem. For now, we cooperate and rejoice together, but how long will that last? We are all absolute beings who once dominated an era. It was only the unique environment of Bi-dong that prevented us from testing our strength against one another—though not entirely—but we have never truly fought to the death.”
“If I leave and all thirty-eight remain here, they’ll inevitably fight?”
“Yes. Power is such a thing, and those who were absolute beings would never acknowledge anyone above them.”
That could be true. For now, they suppress their ambitions and desires beneath me as an absolute focal point, but who’s to say that once I depart, they won’t bare their fangs and purge their own ranks, each vying to become the ruler of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
“That’s quite presumptuous thinking.”
At my cold words, the Apocalypse Celestial Demon’s body trembled. In terms of raw power alone, I still couldn’t match the Apocalypse Celestial Demon—the gap was that vast.
Even at fifty percent of my prime, I remained half of a great absolute being, a divine existence. Such a difference was only natural.
The average stat of Celestial Demons was S-rank. Even the weakest among them was certainly A or A+ grade.
By contrast, I remained at C+. Well, I seemed poised for promotion to B- soon, but the gap was undeniably enormous. Stats became exponentially harder to raise with each grade increase.
However, in terms of presence and dignity, I far surpassed the Apocalypse Celestial Demon. Previously, it had been such an overwhelming presence that I’d questioned whether such dignity could even exist at this level of power. But inheriting Uranus’s strength had amplified that presence several times over.
Now I wasn’t quite at the level of a conceptual Divine Seat, but I could stand shoulder to shoulder with the lower-ranked among the supreme deities.
Yes, I was roughly on the level of Ra, freshly awakened from his seal. That presence sensed my mood and suppressed the Apocalypse Celestial Demon.
“I… I apologize.”
“But it’s a reasonable thought nonetheless. So what is it you wish for?”
“Seven. Seven would be sufficient. I will control those seven well. I ask for freedom for the other Celestial Demons.”
“Freedom, you say…”
Why would I? They would become an immense force for me, enabling overwhelming numerical advantage.
“Of course, Successor, you could compel them and issue commands, but granting them the opportunity to experience another world would be better for winning their hearts. Even if you must forcibly summon them in urgent times, allowing those who have been confined to Bi-dong for such an eternity to taste freedom would be a sound strategy, I humbly suggest.”
I pondered for a long while before nodding.
“Very well, let’s do that.”
Once released into the Abyss, they would naturally pursue whatever they desired.
“In that case, wouldn’t the remaining seven potentially harbor resentment?”
Besides, something about this System feels off. There haven’t been those casual status messages like before, and despite discovering a new dimension, the System hasn’t immediately granted anything.
Is it broken?
“Including myself, those seven are those who have declared their wish to remain in their homeland and protect the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult that we have cultivated with our own hands, rather than seek freedom.”
“Then let’s proceed with that.”
The Apocalypse Celestial Demon expressed gratitude by pressing his forehead to the ground in a deep bow.
For me too, it was an acceptable outcome. In truth, it would have been difficult for me to command the Celestial Demons.
With their power, they could ignore the subjugation and roam freely. Since I wasn’t yet Solomon, their strength and presence meant I could refuse them, though not release them.
I could use absolute commands several times per subjugation, but it would be wasteful to squander such opportunities carelessly.
Thus, matters for the future were decided, and over the span of approximately two weeks, I wandered through the Supreme Martial Realm, observing all that pertained to this new dimension.
“Holy Celestial Demon. The preparations for the succession ceremony are complete.”
At last, my final battle in this Supreme Martial Realm was about to begin.
***
The succession ceremony, which should have taken place within Bi-dong, was instead held in the Grand Training Arena of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It was only natural that all members of the Demonic Cult focused their attention here. For the first time, they could witness with their own eyes the moment of generational transition that had always been conducted in secret.
And the protagonist of this spectacle was none other than the greatest Celestial Demon in history, the absolute being who led the unprecedented resurgence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Heavenly Demon Emperor possessing unparalleled talent and power.
It was a situation where attention could not help but be drawn.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor who appeared in the Grand Training Arena remained beautiful, magnificent, and arrogant as she walked above the Demonic Cult members, arriving at the center of the arena.
From her bosom, she withdrew the most perfect succession formation array ever created, forged by pouring more than 95% of herself over the past fortnight.
The moment she dropped the formation array, which resembled black jade, into the center of the Grand Training Arena, it unfolded. In an instant, the surroundings were consumed by the formation, and tremendous power spread throughout the entire Supreme Martial Realm.
The Demonic Cult members marveled, while the Orthodox and Heterodox Sect beings who had come to witness this moment grew tense.
The absolute being of the previous generation, now deemed to be fading. Even after pouring forth 95% of her power, her dignity and strength remained formidable.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor, who had returned to her position, gazed briefly at the sky, drew a deep breath, and then cast her gaze to the opposite side.
Following her gaze, everyone’s attention turned to one place.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Clad in a black dragon robe, a sword as dark as pitch hanging at my waist, the absolute being of the new generation who came to announce the end of an era moves forward.
One step. One step. One step.
With each movement, my form transforms. A Divine Demon—the sole Divine Being in this world reveals itself.
Behind me, twelve pairs of wings embracing light and darkness unfold beautifully, and above my head, a radiant halo like the sun emerges, while a beautiful pair of horns grows long upon my forehead.
Simultaneously.
“Demon God Territory descends.”
The master of the new era, displeased that the demonic energy of the previous Celestial Demon forming this boundary sought to constrain me, granted my own territory upon it.
The world inverts. Black earth fills the formation array. The formation’s power did not weaken or disappear, but the oppressive hostility toward all beings except the master vanished completely.
Finally standing in position, I gazed upon the woman before me and smiled.
“Now let us see the end.”
An opponent with less than 5% of full power. Therefore, only now did this feel like an equal battle.
Without hesitation, we rushed toward each other, and thus the succession ceremony began.

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