Chapter 219: Meeting The Heavenly Demon

Chapter 219: Meeting The Heavenly Demon

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This world didn’t have one Venerable, but two.

While the Heavenly Venerable was Hue Xian, who represented the Orthodox Faction of Sects and Organizations and led what she called the “Heavenly Court” at one point, there was also someone else.

There was the second Venerable, the Demonic Venerable, or, as most would call him, the Heavenly Demon. Someone who reached the pinnacle of heaven while being a Demon, an Evil Cultivator belonging to the Demonic Faction.

But what truly differentiated the Evil Cultivators from the Orthodox Cultivators? Could there truly be just a bunch of evil people together in such large quantities all over the world, somehow all belonging to the same faction?

Why would all these villainous people—barbarians, thieves, assassins, and tricksters—all belong to the same faction when they can’t even trust one another to begin with?

It was because of a single man that dominated all of the Evil Cults, the Demonic Sects, led by blood pacts between vile, heartless cultivators that sought to grow stronger no matter the method, even if it meant killing innocents, robbing the rich and poor, and committing all sorts of crimes.

And that one figure was right above me right now—the Heavenly Demon. A figure that might as well be present in most Murim Worldlines. And this was an especially unique world, with both pinnacles of each faction living together.

Well, aside from all of that, one thing surprised me a bit. He was a completely black-feathered crow. His eyes were bright red, and he had a strong-looking, big, and sharp black beak.

“Why are you staring at me so intensely? Have you never seen a man before?” He asked very unkindly.

“You’re a crow...” I said.

“Huh? Of course I am! I belong to the Umbral Crow Bloodline.” He spoke. “Since eons, we’ve been a tribe that has birthed the strongest Demonic Cultivators. We cultivate our beastly bloodlines to dominate the elements of darkness and the void! There is but no equal to us at night. And even now, I can bring it if I desire.”

His eyes flashed with bright red light, and the skies darkened in an instant. It was as if he had summoned the night in that very moment. Stars shone above the skies, and the big and beautiful silver moon appeared above.

“Do you see what is happening now, foolish bald ape girl?” He laughed. “And yet you dare trespass in the territory of this great Heavenly Demon? You must have no brains left within that big head of yours, hah!”

“You’re really like she told me.” I sighed. “I will tell you the truth now, oh great Heavenly Demon... I was sent here by the Heavenly Empress. I am her disciple, and I’ve come with one mission.”

“That wretched woman has sent you?!” He groaned. “So it’s war! I thought she would at least let us recuperate for a few hundred years, but she already wants to crush us while we are weak?! Hah! As if! I’ve been preparing this entire time, so come and-”

“Wait a minute, PLEASE! I don’t want to fight, Jesus Christ...” I sighed. “She doesn’t want any conflicts either! I came here in peace; I want to be of help.”

“Of help?! And what help would someone like you even give to the... Ugh, to the great me?!” He groaned; he didn’t look that well. He was just pretending to be super strong, but he was clearly very weakened.

I sensed many people inside the walls of this small fortress village. Many of these presences were very small and young. The Heavenly Demon might have a soft spot for children, but he was giving a big show here, showing me he was almighty, to protect his people because he felt threatened by my powerful presence.

“I am fairly sure you’ll need as much help as you can to destroy that tree, right?” I pointed at the distance as he squinted his eyes.

“...” He looked there and sighed. “And why would I need your help for that anyway? Is the white crane looking down on me again? Does she think I ever need her damned assistance? Is this another of her plots to make me owe her something later? Tsk, go away now! Before I kill you.”

“...I haven’t told this to the White Crane woman.” I spoke to him again, my eyes growing sharper. “But my Inner Martial Core is cultivation the Demonic Darkness that only your bloodline can cultivate properly as well. I don’t want to simply learn from her, but also from you, oh great lord of evil, the Heavenly Demon. By simply looking at your beautiful black feathers, I sense a feeling of awe! I need to learn from you, please. I want to save your world. I want to destroy those metallic trees. And I won’t be able to do so without learning from the best first.”

[If you cannot complete the quest within 12 Hours, it will be automatically shown as a Failure.]

It seemed harder than the Heavenly Empress Trial, and I only had twelve hours to complete it too! The Heavenly Demon wasn’t being fair at all, but I liked that as well.

I woke up craving some challenges today, and I got them.

[Celestial Dragon’s Aura]!

[Golden Dragon’s Eyes]!

I activated both techniques at the same time, as I couldn’t use my Mana Sense properly around here. Combining it with faint amounts of Cosmic Energy and my Ki Essence, I expanded my senses as far as I could, reaching the deep underground.

I closed my eyes, moving part of my senses towards where my aura expanded. I quickly managed to see the underground caverns. Thousands of mechanical beasts were mining silver and gold-colored ores.

They carried them to these facilities, where they were processed into all sorts of metallic parts, and then these parts were assembled together into new mechanical creatures of all shapes and sizes.

Despite the endless efforts of the Demonic Cults here to take them down, the mechanical tree had taken even greater measures than on the other island, expanding its forces into three more facilities, which constantly created more enemies.

Eventually, the faction here would fall as their resources dwindled while the mechanical beasts continued to proliferate endlessly.

They were playing it safe, going for a war of attrition and wearing down their enemy slowly, without any rush.

Unfortunately for these invaders, their perfect plan will never come to fruition.

“Alright, let’s get going.” I smiled, summoning my familiars by my side as we quickly moved through the jungles.

We rushed behind a huge mountain, which had the entrance I was looking for. From the mountain, new mechanical beasts kept walking out and then being grabbed and sent flying towards the metallic tree.

Were they storing the units there for the big invasion they were planning later? I better destroy as many as I can and then enter. I can’t let that damned tree get even more soldiers.

“{Sunshine Blades}! {Umbral Spears}!”

I combined Celestial Ki and Demonic Ki with my special Physique Ability Sunshine and my Inner Core Ability Umbral Star, summoning a dozen swords of golden light and a dozen spears of purple and black darkness.

And he fired them at lightning speed towards the flying units carrying the mechanical creations away.

BOOOM!

As my targets exploded into pieces once hit by my flying projectiles, dozens of cold, mechanical eyes were set on us.

“Let’s begin.”

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