My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 166

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 166. Heaven’s Secret Cave
Following Wi Seol-rin’s guidance, they arrived at a small chamber deep within Bongseon Palace.
It bore no costly ornaments, only the quiet marks of everyday life, and seemed utterly unremarkable.
Yet the moment Wi Seol-rin moved a small mirror hanging on the wall,
a low grinding sound echoed through the stone.
The adjoining wall suddenly recessed inward, and a hidden doorway revealed itself.
A secret passage, concealed from all eyes.
Wi Seol-rin led the way with a small lantern in hand, and they walked for some time through the passage.
Just as a faint glow began to show ahead, the two emerged into open air.
A chill wind swept past.
The wind carried a desolate quality to it.
They had arrived at a dense forest swallowed by fog so thick that not even an arm’s length ahead was visible.
As Yeo Un-hwi surveyed his surroundings, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
“A formation technique?”
“Yes, that’s correct. You noticed at once.”
Wi Seol-rin nodded in acknowledgment.
“Without the proper method, it’s impossible to pass through this place.”
Wi Seol-rin’s confidence was well justified.
Yeo Un-hwi’s spine had prickled with warning after all.
Had any ordinary master blundered in ignorant, they might well lose their way forever in the fog, or lose their life to something lurking within the formation.
She moved swiftly.
Setting down the lantern for a moment, Wi Seol-rin removed the necklace from her neck and held it toward the sky.
Then,
a violent gust tore through the air.
The suffocating fog scattered at once, and the forest’s true face emerged before them.
……!
Beautiful—there was no other word for it.
The sight was worthy of such praise.
The desolate feeling from moments before seemed like a trick of the mind; the forest revealed beyond the lifted fog was so mystical and lovely it took the breath away.
If the heavens had a form, surely it would look like this.
Yeo Un-hwi’s eyes widened slightly at the transformed landscape.
It occurred to him that since arriving at this place, he had encountered one surprise after another.
Wi Seol-rin gathered up the necklace, lifted the lantern again, and smiled softly.
“Shall we continue, then?”
The two walked onward through the forest path.
Before long, they arrived at the mouth of a cave.
Pushing aside the vines that hung in cascades, a relatively clean entrance appeared.
It hardly needed saying—
this was clearly the destination Wi Seol-rin had wished to show him.
“This is Heaven’s Secret Cave. Everything of the Heavenly Demon Cult began here.”
It looked like nothing more than an ordinary cave.
And yet the entire Heavenly Demon Cult had emerged from this place.
“You need only enter now.”
With these words, Wi Seol-rin handed the lantern to Yeo Un-hwi.
He took it without thinking and turned to her with a question.
“Won’t you come in with me?”
“No. From here on, only the Heavenly Demon may enter.”
Heaven’s Secret Cave permitted entry to none save the Heavenly Demon alone.
Wi Seol-rin smiled slightly, then bowed deeply.
“I will wait here for your return.”
“Hmm. Yes, that’s best.”
Yeo Un-hwi turned to face the cave’s entrance and nodded at once.
Going in alone seemed no trouble at all.
He briefly considered telling her to go rest—not knowing how long this would take—but suspected she would not obey, so he let the thought pass.
Soon enough, Yeo Un-hwi stepped into the cave.
Wi Seol-rin remained in place, watching his departing form.
The light of his lantern grew fainter and fainter, until it finally vanished into the darkness.
Time passed—how much, she could not have said.
A figure appeared behind Wi Seol-rin, who stood motionless in her vigil.
Twigs crackled softly underfoot.
Wi Seol-rin turned at the sound—deliberate, meant to announce their arrival—and smiled broadly upon seeing their faces.
“You’ve come.”
***
The cave was vast.
Only the entrance lay in darkness; as Yeo Un-hwi ventured deeper, Night Luminous Pearls embedded in the walls transformed the passage into daylight.
Thanks to this, he’d left his lamp behind long ago.
Even at a brisk pace, he’d been walking for what felt like an eternity before a colossal stone gate loomed before him.
Perhaps because only those who had earned the right could ever enter such a place.
No intricate formation techniques adorned the gate itself.
A firm push sent it swinging open with a grinding creak.
And beyond lay an enormous cavern.
But—
‘Stone statues.’
Thirty-two colossal figures, each with multiple arms and legs, stood in a perfect circle.
In the center of them all sat a single statue with dozens of arms, motionless in meditation.
Carved into the cave ceiling were the words “Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
‘This is…!’
Perhaps because Yeo Un-hwi had already reached the apex of cultivation through the Martial God Divine Art.
He understood at a glance.
Most secret scriptures were transmitted through texts, but the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was different.
This vast cavern itself—this entire space—was a scripture made manifest.
Yeo Un-hwi swiftly grasped the configuration of the statues and the chamber’s structure, and began committing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to memory.
The sequence was intricate, but discerning it posed no difficulty.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, hidden within thirty-three stone statues.
Though it might not surpass the Martial God Divine Art, it was undoubtedly a supreme art worthy of standing among history’s greatest treasures.
When or how he would use it remained unknown.
And as Yeo Un-hwi inscribed the final movements of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art into his mind,
a low rumble echoed through the chamber.
The thirty-three stone statues slowly descended into the earth.
As if they had sensed the moment he had fully mastered the art.
A remarkable thing indeed.
The statues vanished, and another colossal stone gate behind them swung open.
Yeo Un-hwi walked forward without hesitation.
“Hmm.”
Another immense chamber, and at its center lay a small lake.
Upon a raised island of stone in the lake’s heart, something glimmered.
Yeo Un-hwi leaped lightly into the air, crossing the waters toward the center.
What had glimmered there was a sword.
Its form was graceful and slender, with a blade that shone with crystalline translucence depending on the angle of light—a weapon that drew forth instinctive praise.
Yeo Un-hwi reached out as if drawn by invisible threads and drew the sword forth.
In that instant,
a resonant hum filled the space.
The blade trembled and sang, reverberating with life.
Feeling the subtle vibration travel through his palm, Yeo Un-hwi examined the sword.
The name “Moonlight Night” was inscribed upon the hilt.
“Moonlight Night.”
A name that suited it perfectly.
He had been in need of a weapon that fit his hand—no, one capable of withstanding the full force of his Qi—for some time now.
When he had felled the Demon Emperor Gwak Cheon-hu not long ago, the saber the man carried had shattered entirely, unable to bear the strain.
Moonlight Night.
It was the supreme divine blade of the Heavenly Demon lineage, passed down since the First Heavenly Demon himself.
Yeo Un-hwi found himself taken with it at once.
Never before had a weapon captured his favor so completely.
He gazed at Moonlight Night for a long moment, then lifted the sheath that lay beside it and sheathed the blade.
At that moment,
a deep rumble echoed through the chamber.
Yet another stone gate on the far side swung open.
What could lie beyond this time?
Yeo Un-hwi crossed the threshold, Moonlight Night in hand.
And—
“Ha, ha… that’s extraordinary.”
Yeo Un-hwi couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
The chamber was vast and suffused with such palpable cold it made the air shimmer.
And scattered throughout were countless elixirs and treasures beyond measure.
Each one of them was something every Martial World master would desperately covet even in their dreams.
Ten-Thousand-Year Fleece Flower, Empty-Clear Stone Oil, Shaolin Great Restoration Pills—even the inner cores of spiritual creatures.
Seeing them piled so casually that he wanted to laugh despite himself.
So these were the things prepared for the Heavenly Demon….
“It’s fortunate, at least.”
That was the thought that came to him.
That it had turned out well—his becoming the Heavenly Demon.
Better this than some other person harboring wicked intent becoming the Heavenly Demon, claiming all of this, and becoming his enemy.
But for now, these things were of no use to Yeo Un-hwi.
Having inherited everything from the Martial God, his internal energy had already accumulated to heights that touched the heavens.
Still, he felt that a day would come when they might prove useful elsewhere.
No further stone doors appeared.
It seemed that in this Chamber of Beginning, this was all that had been prepared for the Heavenly Demon.
Though it was more than enough—overflowing, even.
Yeo Un-hwi made his way out of the cave.
As he retraced his steps, each stone door that had opened now sealed itself shut behind him.
Surely, from this day forward, only Yeo Un-hwi would be able to enter and leave this place.
It felt to him like discovering a rather grand and invaluable storehouse.
Soon enough, Yeo Un-hwi emerged from the Chamber of Beginning.
But then—
Wait?
There were people waiting for him alongside Wi Seol-rin—people who had not been there when he entered.
Four unfamiliar figures, men and women both.
Yet the energy radiating from them was no less than that of the Ten Great Masters, no—comparable to the Heavenly Demon Emperor and Huk Mu-je, though perhaps slightly inferior.
Four such masters had appeared all at once.
It was astonishing.
Who were they? Such individuals had remained in the Heavenly Demon Cult all this time?
Seeing Yeo Un-hwi’s surprise, Wi Seol-rin introduced them with a look of quiet pride.
“These are the Four Great Dharma Protectors, who have waited only for the day the Heavenly Demon would return.”
With Wi Seol-rin’s introduction, the four figures knelt before Yeo Un-hwi.
“We greet the Heavenly Demon!”
For what reason, he could not say.
With expressions as though barely containing surging passion, they offered their salutation to the newly emerged Heavenly Demon of this age.
They introduced themselves as Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.
And they added that from this moment forward, they would follow only the Heavenly Demon’s command, and would gladly fulfill whatever was asked of them, no matter what.
‘So these were the true hidden power of the Heavenly Demon Cult.’
Even combining the entire strength of the Heavenly Demon Cult—Gwak Cheon-hu and the Ten Demon Lords included—these four would far exceed them all in power.
That such warriors had lived this long without proper renown, bearing no debts and making no waves, struck Yeo Un-hwi as remarkable.
Reading his thoughts, Wi Seol-rin added an explanation.
“Knowledge of the Four Great Dharma Protectors exists only among a select few within the Heavenly Demon Cult. They have been bound by a Restriction of Action until the Heavenly Demon appears.”
A Restriction of Action…?
Yeo Un-hwi’s brow furrowed at Wi Seol-rin’s words.
He had nearly failed to comprehend—so staggering was what she was saying.
Bound by restriction of action until the Heavenly Demon appeared.
By Yeo Un-hwi’s knowledge, throughout the long history of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Heavenly Demon had manifested only three times before him.
And excluding the First Heavenly Demon who founded the cult, only twice.
Which meant that for a Heavenly Demon who might never appear at all, these Four Great Dharma Protectors had simply been sacrificed across generations, their lives given over to waiting.
Was that not too cruel?
“It is an Iron Law set by the Second Heavenly Demon. We have no choice but to obey.”
Wi Seol-rin too wore a bitter smile.
“Then if I command you to abolish that damned law this instant?”
“It is not so simple a matter.”
“You’re saying there is a way, then.”
“Heavenly Demon, we are content as we are.”
“No. It is I who am not content. I didn’t know before, but now that I do, I cannot simply overlook such vile cruelty.”
As Yeo Un-hwi’s eyes gleamed with cold resolve, the Four Great Dharma Protectors fell silent.
That single glance told them everything they needed to know.
Before he was even a Heavenly Demon, Yeo Un-hwi had already ascended to a transcendent realm that lay far beyond them—a peerless master of unimaginable depth.
“Explain yourself, priestess.”
“Yes. There is a way, certainly. Please follow me.”
Wi Seol-rin drew a short breath and gestured for Yeo Un-hwi to come with her.
They soon arrived at a path’s end that diverged from the Heaven’s Secret Cave.
There stood a palace of breathtaking splendor and grandeur.
“This is the Ten Thousand Demon Palace. It was prepared for all the Heavenly Demons across the ages.”
Yeo Un-hwi nodded slowly.
The Ten Thousand Demon Palace was impossibly more magnificent and beautiful than any place he had yet seen.
It was indeed befitting the true master of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Wi Seol-rin then pointed to a pillar that stood at the center of the palace.
But this was no ordinary pillar.
It was forged not of stone, but of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
And upon it were carved countless inscriptions.
“The Iron Laws established by all the Heavenly Demons of ages past are carved into this pillar.”
Yeo Un-hwi examined the pillar closely.
Second Heavenly Demon. Neung Nam-cheon.
Third Heavenly Demon. Hwang Dae-un.
Alongside the names of the two previous Heavenly Demons were deeply carved handprints and, below them, the Iron Laws they had established.
The fact that they had carved handprints so deeply into Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron and inscribed their laws with such elegance alone spoke volumes of the profound martial mastery possessed by the previous Heavenly Demons.
Yet Yeo Un-hwi found these Iron Laws deeply troubling.
They were all alike in one respect: they sanctified the existence of the Heavenly Demon itself.
And to sustain that sanctity, they ruthlessly demanded endless, uncompensated sacrifice from all others.
“There is nothing from the First Heavenly Demon.”
“Correct. He established the foundation of the Heavenly Demon Cult in the Ten Thousand Mountains and shaped its framework, yet he imposed nothing by force.”
It was said that he was also the one who brought the Heavenly Path.
Yeo Un-hwi laughed softly.
The First Heavenly Demon had never even conceived of these abuses—they had been birthed later by the Heavenly Demons who came after him.
For what reason, he wondered.
Yeo Un-hwi shook his head.
Then he turned his gaze to Wi Seol-rin.
“So what do I need to do?”
“You must carve your handprint deeper still than the previous Heavenly Demon’s into the pillar, over the Iron Laws.”
“That’s it? Simple enough.”
But it was far from simple in practice.
It demanded strength of spirit surpassing even that of the previous Heavenly Demons.
And Yeo Un-hwi had only just become a Heavenly Demon.
Wi Seol-rin had been about to warn him that such a thing was impossible for now, at least—that perhaps later, but not today.
Yet—
“Then I’ll just tear it all down and start fresh.”
Yeo Un-hwi stepped forward.
And without hesitation, he raised his hand.
Toward the pillar carved with countless abuses.

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