My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 169

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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 169. The Heavenly Demon’s Return — Ten Thousand Demons in Submission
“Is there anyone else?”
The Grand Plaza of the Heavenly Demon Cult, where countless disciples had gathered, was now thick with shock.
Every eye fixed on the masked man whose gaze burned cold and bright.
It was Yeo Un-hwi.
Behind him stood the Divine Maiden Wi Seol-lin and the Four Dharma Protectors.
What in the world was happening here?
***
One hour earlier.
A summons had descended upon the Heavenly Demon Cult, reduced now to rubble.
It was an order issued by the Divine Maiden Wi Seol-lin herself.
Within the Heavenly Demon Cult, only the Cult Master and the Divine Maiden could issue such a summons.
Yet unlike the Cult Master, it was exceedingly rare for the Divine Maiden to do so.
In fact, for decades—no, there had never been a single instance.
While the Cult Master held actual dominion, the Divine Maiden possessed authority alone, with little cause to step forward into the light.
Everyone had been bewildered.
But given the circumstances, none dared to question; they assembled without complaint.
The faces of those gathered were far from bright.
An unknown master of extraordinary skill had descended upon them without warning, and the Heavenly Demon Cult’s finest had been slaughtered wholesale.
Word had it that even the Cult Master, the Sky-Piercing Demon Emperor Gwak Cheon-hu, and the Ten Demon Fortresses had all fallen.
Though some still lived, the loss of strength was so catastrophic that it could scarcely be called anything but near-total annihilation.
How could their spirits not be crushed?
The heaviness in their hearts was beyond measure.
None could foresee where matters would lead from here.
And then—
“H-hey, look over there!”
“What? What is it? Gasp!”
The eyes of those who looked up widened as if about to tear.
Upon the stage in the Grand Plaza, light was shimmering across the Heavenly Road that the priestesses had just brought forth.
Which meant—
“I, Divine Maiden Wi Seol-lin, hereby proclaim that a new Heavenly Demon has been born this day.”
“……!”
Silence fell across the Grand Plaza.
What was this sudden proclamation?
A Heavenly Demon? A Heavenly Demon? Who could it possibly be?
It was then—
A deep, resonant hum filled the air.
A presence of incomparable magnitude manifested, one they had never felt before.
Above their heads.
Their eyes naturally lifted toward the sky.
There, a masked man soared through the heavens, looking down upon them all.
He radiated a majesty like that of a celestial being itself.
And then, slowly, he descended the sky as if walking down an invisible staircase.
The Void Step Walk.
Every mouth in the crowd fell open at the sight.
A legendary technique said to be wielded only by those who had perfected the Lightness Martial Arts to their absolute pinnacle—and it was unfolding before their very eyes.
As the masked man’s feet touched solid ground,
A deafening roar erupted from the assembly.
Shaken by the sudden arrival of the Heavenly Demon and the marvel of his martial prowess, the crowd unleashed a thunderous cry.
It was, without question, news so extraordinary that it swept away all the chaos and confusion that had gripped them since the Cult Master’s death and the fall of the Ten Demon Fortresses.
“We revere the Heavenly Demon!”
Countless disciples prostrated themselves before the masked man.
The Heavenly Demon—the birth of the Heavenly Demon!
Could there be any news more joyous than this?
Now that the Heavenly Demon had been born, it mattered not whether the Cult Master lived or died.
For the Heavenly Demon was the embodiment of the Heavenly Demon Cult itself.
How could a mere Cult Master ever be compared to such a being?
And they knew it well: whenever the Heavenly Demon was reborn, the Heavenly Demon Cult had always ruled all under heaven.
Their hearts trembled.
Trembled with the anticipation of painting the world crimson with blood.
But their expectations shattered just as quickly as they had formed.
The Heavenly Demon, who had been slowly surveying those bowing and swearing their loyalty in ringing voices, finally spoke.
“I won’t belabor the point. From this moment, now that I have assumed the position of Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon Cult is forbidden from committing murder without just cause. Those who violate this will die. Furthermore, until I give further orders, the Heavenly Demon Cult enters Sealed Seclusion.”
“……!”
The ecstasy that had seized them moments before evaporated in an instant—all of them gasped in shock.
The Heavenly Demon had been born; one would think there was barely room for them to bare their ambitions toward the Central Plains Martial World, yet here was a prohibition on murder and Sealed Seclusion.
True, they had lost considerable forces, including the Ten Demon Fortresses, so military reorganization was understandably necessary.
But to forbid murder on top of that—those who had just bowed before the Heavenly Demon were utterly bewildered.
Their great expectations transformed into discontent in a heartbeat.
And it was the Elder Council who first gave voice to that discontent.
“Your Majesty, this is impossible.”
The elders of the Elder Council, positioned at the farthest point from the Asura Gate that marked the entrance to the Heavenly Demon Cult, had all survived unscathed.
And they had long possessed such tremendous authority within the Cult that even the former Cult Master could not act arbitrarily against them.
The one who stepped forward was Cheon Hyeol In-ma, who wielded the most influence among them.
“Impossible, you say?”
“Yes. We cannot possibly comprehend or accept the order you have just given.”
“Why not?”
“It is far too abrupt. To forbid those who live by the sword from committing murder? And Sealed Seclusion on top of that? This has never happened before.”
“Is that so? To my ears, it sounds as though I were simply saying to kill or not kill as you please.”
It was clear that, to them, the name of Heavenly Demon represented an entity that would gift them a world where they could strut about and run wild as they wished.
But when circumstances diverged from their expectations, they could not remain silent.
“Very well. Fine. If there are those among you who do not wish to hear my orders, step forward now. And likewise, if any wish to leave because the command I just gave does not please you, do the same.”
Remarkably, quite a large number of the senior officials stepped forward.
Among them was the entire Elder Council.
Every one of them a villain among villains, each having left their mark upon an age.
Cheon Hyeol In-ma’s lips curled upward.
If such a considerable number resisted so firmly, he believed the Heavenly Demon would have little choice.
Moreover, having only just assumed the position, he felt an urgency to establish certain boundaries from the outset.
Otherwise, he would be swayed again and again.
‘Youth and recklessness alone do not suffice in this world. Acting the master so soon after arrival—excessive, wouldn’t you say, Your Majesty? Tsk, tsk.’
No matter how much of a Heavenly Demon he was, they did not intend to submit so easily.
After all, beyond martial prowess alone, they were exceptionally skilled at these political games and at shaping the atmosphere.
But they did not know.
Yeo Un-hwi was not a man who could be swayed by such things.
He had established a criterion far too clear.
That criterion was,
Annihilating Thunder.
A standard of judgment toward evil.
Those who had already killed without just cause and refused to cease deserved nothing but death.
In that instant, a black sphere formed in the sky above.
And before anyone could even perceive it, the black sphere descended like lightning to the ground.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, every single one of those who had stepped forward, Cheon Hyeol In-ma among them, perished without even a scream.
Not even corpses remained—a horrible end.
With but a gesture from Yeo Un-hwi, all the former leaders of the Elder Council who had stained an age with blood were struck down in a single blow.
Uuuuh…….
Those who witnessed it trembled with fear.
An overwhelming power the likes of which none had ever seen, coupled with a killing intent so frigid it froze the blood—all gasped in shock, their very breaths catching in their throats.
Toward them, Yeo Un-hwi opened his mouth, his face expressionless.
“Anyone else?”
And now it was clear.
In that instant, everyone understood.
Just as the whole world must come to fear the Heavenly Demon, so too must they fear the name of the Heavenly Demon.
Yeo Un-hwi’s lips curved into a smile as he spoke.
“Those of you who would disobey my commands—come forward now. This will be the kindest death I offer.”
But no one else stepped forward.
No one wished to die in such a manner.
In that moment, absolute fear and terror of Yeo Un-hwi became seared into the hearts of all who stood there.
“None? Good. Then let me say one more thing, for the last time.”
Yeo Un-hwi, surveying those assembled before him, smiled thinly and continued.
“From this moment forward, if anyone in the Heavenly Demon Cult takes another’s life without just cause, they will be executed. The same applies to those who oppress, torment, and kill the weak and defenseless. The same applies to those who defy any order I give hereafter. A warning? There is no such thing. I do not speak twice. Is that understood?”
Someone found the courage to speak.
“Then what are we to do going forward?”
Listening to Yeo Un-hwi’s words, one might have mistaken them for those of the Orthodox Sects of the Martial World.
They could only wonder what this new Heavenly Demon truly wanted from them.
Yeo Un-hwi answered the question.
“Do you believe that oppressing the weak and innocent, killing them, and striking fear into them without reason is what the Heavenly Demon Cult should do? No. That is mere petty self-aggrandizement.”
Worthless acts, shamefully crude and cowardly to the last.
Such things were no longer needed.
“Forget what the Heavenly Demon Cult has been until now. My Heavenly Demon Cult—”
Yeo Un-hwi’s eyes gleamed as he gazed upon those who had survived, speaking his true desire.
What he genuinely wished for.
“—will not be a place where demons run rampant and hold sway, but rather a place that rules over all ten thousand demons under heaven.”
“……!”
All were overwhelmed by the new Heavenly Demon’s words.
A place that would rule over all ten thousand demons under heaven.
This was utterly different from the Heavenly Demon they had always imagined.
Perhaps this was what true Ten Thousand Demons in Submission truly meant.
***
The emergence of the new Heavenly Demon was shockingly intense.
For a time, there would be none who dared oppose Yeo Un-hwi’s will.
Those who might have were already slain at his hands.
Thus his official duties as Heavenly Demon came to an end.
And then—
“From now on, I leave this to you all.”
At Yeo Un-hwi’s words, the Four Dharma Protectors, including Wi Seol-lin, exchanged bewildered glances.
They had become followers of Yeo Un-hwi more than anyone else.
“Pardon? Heavenly Demon, what do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean? I have my own life to live. There’s much else I need to attend to. And haven’t we already completed all that the Divine Maiden said must be done?”
Truthfully, Yeo Un-hwi would have gladly left today’s affairs entirely to Wi Seol-lin and the Four Dharma Protectors.
Having cut down Gwak Heo-won, that worthless son of a worthless cult master, Wi Seol-lin had pleaded with him to appear dignified and present beside her at the proclamation of the new Heavenly Demon, and so Yeo Un-hwi had obliged her by staging the grand spectacle.
Unlike the coldness he had displayed in the plaza, Yeo Un-hwi now offered a gentle smile.
“So handle this place yourselves. Of course, I’ll step in when truly necessary, but you must understand—I cannot always be here as a matter of course. I ask for your understanding.”
“I see. Understood.”
Wi Seol-lin nodded.
The Four Dharma Protectors, though confused at first, soon acquiesced.
It was then that Qinglong spoke.
“Then take Zhuque with you.”
“Zhuque?”
“Yes. Among us, none exceed Zhuque in stealth, Lightness Martial Arts, and reconnaissance. It will prove useful. Moreover, we Four Dharma Protectors can communicate through the Thousand Li Sound. Whatever occurs here, or should you require anything, it will be far more convenient that way.”
The Thousand Li Sound.
Though he spoke of it casually, it was clearly an extraordinary ability.
With such a power, he could easily maintain contact with the Divine Maiden and the Four Dharma Protectors.
Moreover, since Zhuque was a formidable master, there was no reason to refuse.
Yeo Un-hwi nodded.
“Good. Let’s do that. Until we meet again.”
Yeo Un-hwi laughed briefly, then hurled himself skyward.
Zhuque nodded as well, following swiftly after him.
The silhouettes of the two vanished beyond the heavens in an instant.
“We’ve certainly entrusted the position of Heavenly Demon to quite an unusual person.”
“Indeed.”
All nodded at Qinglong’s words.
A Heavenly Demon Cult that rules over ten thousand demons rather than filling the realm with them.
But why did their hearts race at this prospect?
Thus the Four Dharma Protectors and Wi Seol-lin gazed at the sky where Yeo Un-hwi and Zhuque had departed, their smiles quiet and serene.

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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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