The Heavenly Demon Destroys the Tower - Chapter 68

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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 68
‘Definitely different.’
The moment Lee Kang-han drew on the Cheonma Divine Arts, power surged through him.
With his Cheonma Body Constitution now at Rank C, he could sustain fifteen percent of his full strength at all times.
But channeling the full hundred percent felt entirely different.
‘At this power level, I should be able to execute the Cheonma Divine Sword techniques far more effectively than before.’
The Two Sword Severance had already split cannonballs falling from the sky with just fifteen percent strength.
If he used it now, the force would be magnified beyond what he’d accomplished then.
At this level, he should even be able to cleave through those deceptively durable Golden Statues.
‘Then I’ll take all four at once.’
Lee Kang-han resolved to strike all four Golden Statues simultaneously.
[Ah… please be careful…]
The Spirit of Heavenly Sword issued a warning from within the blade.
[The power of Sacred Flame… I’ve burned through more than expected… If you expend too much magical energy here… the flame’s kindling will weaken, just like last time…]
“Sacred Flame already running low? I thought it matched perfectly with the sword.”
[That’s precisely the problem… it matches too well…]
The spirit continued, responding to Lee Kang-han’s confusion.
[Of the Sacred Flame I channel into the blade, the majority is being used to repair the sword itself…]
“You’re saying Sacred Flame repairs the blade?”
[Yes… the sword and Sacred Flame are, how shall I put it… their power resonance is perfectly aligned…]
Sacred Flame.
The original description had stated it was the primal flame that gave birth to the Cheonma Divine Sect.
But he’d never imagined it could resonate so completely with the Celestial Sword.
‘Though I suppose the Cheonma Divine Sect’s origins don’t seem particularly connected to angels…’
Light attribute plus fire attribute—perhaps their wavelengths simply harmonized well?
The full name of the Celestial Sword was originally “The Faded Radiance of the Burning Angel,” after all.
Reasoning thus, Lee Kang-han
‘decided to finish this in one decisive strike.’
Rather than carelessly deploy his techniques in overconfidence at having excess power,
he resolved to execute the Two Sword Severance with greater precision and focus.
As Lee Kang-han began to recall the incantation for the Two Sword Severance,
a faint shimmer rippled
as he began to stabilize his sword energy.
[Master.]
Shin Nyeo, who had been quietly observing their exchange, spoke softly.
[Even if one severs the sea, can one truly sever what returns?]
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
[The Two Sword Severance you deployed in the sky earlier… you executed it well, but something crucial was missing.]
Something crucial was missing?
[If you cleave the sea but the water rushes back in, then it is not true severance, is it?]
[What nonsense are you spouting… technique names are merely exaggerations… splitting the heavens with one blade, parting the sea with another… it’s all just theatrical overstatement…]
The Spirit of Heavenly Sword grumbled from within the blade.
Shin Nyeo gazed toward the spirit for a moment,
then slowly
drifted toward the sword.
At which point,
[… it may not be mere exaggeration… After all, these are techniques of the Cheonma…!]
The Spirit’s voice faltered suddenly, then hurried forward.
It seemed Shin Nyeo’s influence on the spirit had been quite substantial.
Having ceased its movement, Shin Nyeo
turned her head back toward Lee Kang-han and continued.
[Though the names of Cheonma Divine Arts techniques may seem exaggerated at first glance, there exists a reason such names were inscribed upon them.]
“Is that so?”
[Yes. I wished always that you remember this point, and so I speak to you now.]
There was a reason the technique names were given as they were?
What had been lacking in the Two Sword Severance he’d deployed moments ago?
‘I can’t quite grasp it yet.’
Even as Lee Kang-han harbored this uncertainty,
he sensed that Shin Nyeo was far from ordinary.
‘When we spoke before, she seemed quite versed in martial arts as well.’
It was the same when she transmitted the Cheonma Divine Arts to me.
Whenever Shin Nyeo spoke of martial arts and related matters, she carried an unmistakable air of expertise.
Lee Kang-han suddenly recalled that her name was Yeo Se-ran and posed a question to her.
“Shin Nyeo, but you said before that the Cheon clan belonged to the Cheonma bloodline, didn’t you?”
[Yes, I did.]
“But your family name is also Cheon?”
[……What? Me?]
“Yeah. Cheon Se-ran is your name. Were you also of the Cheonma clan?”
[That can’t be right……. Did I really appear that way? I was Yeo Se-ran until the day I died.]
Faced with Lee Kang-han’s question, Shin Nyeo insisted in bewilderment that she had been of the Yeo clan.
‘What?’
Her tone didn’t sound like she was lying.
Had some kind of error occurred?
[This isn’t the time…… Sacred Flame…… I’m running low on it…….]
“Right. I understand.”
The question of Shin Nyeo’s identity could wait.
Upon hearing that her Sacred Flame was depleting, Lee Kang-han
refocused his attention on the Two Sword Severance.
‘What I was missing from the Two Sword Severance…….’
Lee Kang-han recalled the section of the Cheonma Divine Arts scripture that pertained to the Two Sword Severance.
He found his answer at once.
‘It’s the Sword Path Wave Stillness.’
The sword path stills the waves.
When he’d first read those words,
he’d assumed it merely described cutting through the sea and explaining the phenomenon.
But after hearing Shin Nyeo’s account,
those words didn’t seem carelessly placed.
‘It wasn’t just about cutting the sea—I needed to leave behind the sword path.’
Only then would the waves still, and it would truly become a severance of the sea.
Whoooosh!
Pure white sword energy erupted from the Celestial Sword.
Lee Kang-han raised it high.
Cheonma Divine Sword.
Two Sword Severance.
Crack!
In an instant, two Golden Statues were severed.
Yet the sword energy did not reach the statue beyond them.
Despite using the Cheonma Divine Arts, the extended sword energy was in fact weaker than before.
But unlike last time—
[Why is it weaker…… Oh……?]
Where the sword energy had passed,
a single line of crimson remained etched in empty space.
‘It’s merely a small mark, not quite a true sword path,
yet after cleaving through the Golden Statues, the trace that lingered in the air—
Crack-crack-crack!
—continued to shower brilliant sparks, gnawing away at the Golden Statue.
The statue, ground down by the line inscribed in empty space, soon
—cra-crack—
splintered along the sword mark and
Boom-boom-bang!
both statues shattered completely, Golden Fragments scattering across the floor.
“Is this some progress, then?”
[Exactly! You truly are the Cheonma! To manifest it so perfectly just from hearing the explanation!]
This time, the spirit Shin Nyeo’s assessment was nothing but praise.
Yet Lee Kang-han was not satisfied and pressed on with another question.
“But there’s still a long way to go, isn’t there?”
[Well…….]
“How far should I take it?”
[Hmm…… I’d say until you can leave a sword path on the sky you cut through initially, wouldn’t you?]
The first Two Sword Severance, when he’d cut down a cannonball hurtling from the heavens with a single strike.
To leave behind a Sword Path like that, one would need to be capable of a slash of that caliber?
[Ah… why is the bar set so impossibly high?]
[Of course, this is just my standard! In reality, there have been past Heavenly Demons who couldn’t leave behind a Sword Path either~]
Isn’t your standard a bit too high?
As Lee Kang-han felt bewilderment wash over him at her words.
Splash!
Two statues shattered, falling from the tilted stretcher.
Something tumbled into the sea.
At first, the water churned up too violently to discern its shape.
Ssshhhhh…
As the seawater settled and the form became visible.
‘The Santa Maria.’
It was the medieval-style vessel that had fired cannonballs at Lee Kang-han at the start.
* * *
So this Golden Land was indeed the Santa Maria Harbor.
‘The ship was being supported by the statues all along.’
When the cannonballs were fired, the background had definitely looked like the sea.
So that too must have been some manner of illusion.
As Lee Kang-han recalled the scene from when the cannonballs were fired.
[Ah. It’s running away!]
Ssshhhhh…
Having found its position in the sea, the Santa Maria began to move slowly.
It was clearly attempting to escape and buy time however it could.
‘That won’t do.’
If he missed it this time, he’d have to wait quite a while again until the next entry.
He needed to settle matters on B1 Floor today.
As Lee Kang-han made up his mind and moved to dash forward.
Crunch.
A statue shattered, and a Golden Fragment fell to the ground beneath his foot.
The Golden Fragment, which would surely amount to a considerable sum if converted to currency.
Of course, there was no time to collect it.
‘Before I go, I should entrust this to the Chieftain.’
He knew who could handle it.
Lee Kang-han summoned the Goblin Chieftain through Myriad Demon Summoning.
Fwoooosh!
A crimson portal tore open, and the Chieftain emerged from within.
[Hmm? This creature is…]
“Heavenly Demon eternal glory! Myriad Demons in servitude!”
[He does observe the basic courtesies, at least.]
Shin Nyeo, who had been displeased at first sight of the Goblin Chieftain.
Praised him for his fundamental courtesy upon seeing him bow so earnestly the moment he arrived.
Meanwhile, the Chieftain.
“H-heh… this is…!”
His eyes had already gone wide as he stared at the gold strewn across the ground.
“Chieftain, I need you to collect the gold. Gather what you can and give me TP later.”
“Yes, sir!!! Ah, if it’s not too much trouble, might I also summon my subordinates? For… for gold collection…!”
“Sure, go ahead. I’ll call them too.”
At the Chieftain’s request, Lee Kang-han summoned all the goblins at once.
Whoosh!
“Then I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, sir!!!”
Leaving the cleanup to them, he immediately dashed across the sea’s surface.
The Santa Maria, desperately trying to flee from Lee Kang-han.
Yet the ship, which had been moving at a sluggish pace, was suddenly.
Engulfed in a pale white mist, its movement brought to a halt.
Or rather, to be precise.
‘The Vengeful Spirits are blocking its path.’
The Vengeful Spirits that had been hindering Lee Kang-han until moments ago.
Now that the Santa Maria was bobbing gently on the sea.
Had all swarmed toward the vessel instead.
Of course, Lee Kang-han approached with sword in hand.
[No, don’t…….]
[Please…… not now…….]
[I have to get Columbus out of here!]
[The light…… make it stop……!]
They vanished one by one, unable to withstand the light.
Yet as they faded, they pleaded with him not to interfere.
‘Hmm.’
These Vengeful Spirits.
When he’d first faced them,
he’d wondered why they didn’t attack Columbus and went after him instead.
But the truth was, they’d simply never had the chance.
Were they stationed up there to catch and crush the ship if it ever fell?
‘Then maybe I should put the sword away for now.’
He’d already used Sacred Flame quite a bit.
The Vengeful Spirits were currently blocking Columbus’s path and helping him instead,
so Lee Kang-han granted their request and stored the sword in his inventory.
“Ah, no……. This is a forced parting…….”
The moment the sword entered the inventory,
the Spirit of Heavenly Sword was forcibly ejected, revealing its disappointment.
“I’ll summon you again if I need the blade.”
“Yes……. Well, it’s nice not seeing that ghost anymore…….”
[What did you say?]
“W-what……?! What are you going to do……! You hideous blood-eyed specter……!”
It stuck its tongue out as far as it would go and made a mocking face.
Hisss…….
Then the Spirit of Heavenly Sword vanished at once.
Once it was gone,
[……I was lenient because of its child-like form, but it seems proper education will be necessary next time.]
The spirit that was Shin Nyeo spoke in a desolate voice, warning that the next lesson would be far more thorough.
‘Blood-eyed, huh……. Maybe it really does have red eyes.’
If it looked that way and had eyes like that too, it would certainly be frightening.
Lee Kang-han thought this to himself and continued racing across the sea.
At first, as he charged forward, mist swirled around him and the Vengeful Spirits tried to grab at his ankles.
[Do not interfere!]
[He is our benefactor…….]
A powerful voice echoed from within the Vengeful Spirits,
and with a whoosh,
the mist split left and right, opening a path.
And going further still,
[Come this way, if you please.]
[We have formed footholds for you.]
Hisss…….
To make the ascent from the sea surface to the Santa Maria easier,
the Vengeful Spirits clustered together in the void, forming a shape like stairs.
Though they resembled small clouds and looked as if they’d sink when stepped on,
‘I can’t ignore their kindness.’
Swift!
Lee Kang-han leaped onto them without hesitation.
In one bound, he reached the deck of the Santa Maria.
And there he saw——
“Get out of here! You uncivilized slaves!”
Columbus stood waving a shattered wine bottle this way and that,
shouting at the Vengeful Spirits in a fury.
His resistance was pathetic,
yet for some reason the Vengeful Spirits didn’t strike at him—they merely maintained their encirclement, applying pressure instead.
Step. Step.
As Lee Kang-han walked toward them,
hisss…….
Part of the encirclement dissolved, and the Vengeful Spirits cleared a path.
‘Could it be he was waiting for me?’
Lee Kang-han stepped toward Columbus with that thought.
“Ugh. You……!”
Columbus stared at Lee Kang-han, his face contorted in a grimace.
The Cheonma Shatters the Tower (serialization)
Author │ Yeom Bi
Published by │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Gurodong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Yeom Bi 2025
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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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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