Sword God Reborn

Chapter 312 : Respect the rules

The retreat was carried out in an orderly manner.

As the Heavenly Demon had said before the battle, this battle was, after all, a test.

With the intention of seeing and confirming the power of the orthodox path with his own eyes.

For this to be a simple reconnaissance of force, it would be an unfair thing for the orthodox path.

The Jongnam Sect Leader had died, and the Huashan Sect Leader and the Sword Empress had left the battlefield with serious internal injuries. Although Gwak Yong could still hold a sword, he needed to recuperate.

Considering the fact that the war in the martial world was an extension of the battles of the absolute masters, their power had plummeted.

Of course, the damage to the demonic path was also not insignificant.

The King of Hell, who had been the strongest among the Guardian Demon Kings, had died absurdly, and the Yaksha King had also died.

But anyone could see, even the people of the orthodox path, that the victory in this battle belonged to the demonic path.

Because the Heavenly Demon was fine.

Especially, the martial artists who had witnessed the Heavenly Demon's overwhelming martial power with their own two eyes could not shake off their gloom.

He had put the Sword Empress in a near-death state, had half-neutralized Gwak Yong, and Namgung Jo's sword tip had not even cut his flesh.

At least the morale of the orthodox path had risen at the sight of him retreating after Yoo Baek-gi had appeared, but the Heavenly Demon did not care.

Because he was not running away because he could not face Yoo Baek-gi.

"The level of the orthodox martial world is pathetic."

"Hehehe, that's a matter of course. In front of the sect leader, they are just a bunch of small fries."

As the King of Hell had died, the Ghost Mother King stuck close to the Heavenly Demon's side.

The Short-Lived King, who was next in line after the King of Hell, was in charge of commanding the retreat, so the Ghost Mother King naturally accompanied the Heavenly Demon.

"The sect leader's realm has reached beyond human and has surpassed the Azure Sky Sword God of the past."

"Is that so?"

"This one participated in the last Righteous-Demonic War, and has witnessed the Azure Sky Sword God in front of me many times. I have seen the scene of that person and the previous sect leader fighting countless times, so I know well. I can say with certainty that the sect leader has surpassed the Azure Sky Sword God."

The Ghost Mother King truly believed that the current Heavenly Demon had long surpassed the past Gun Cheon-ak, and was now even looking down on the martial prowess of the Azure Sky Sword God.

"The Sword Saint, the Fighting God, and the Sword Empress, the sect leader did not even use half of his strength against them, and he also easily passed over the attack of the Sword Venerable Yoo Baek-gi. I dare to offer my humble opinion. Since the sect leader has reached the number one of all time, surpassing the number one under heaven, please lead the forces and conquer the Central Plains."

"Yes. You're saying I've become stronger than the Azure Sky Sword God."

But somehow, the Heavenly Demon's voice as he said that was somewhat strange.

Should I say it was cynical?

Or should I say it was a sneer? It was that kind of feeling.

The Ghost Mother King tilted her head.

"Isn't that also a funny story? The Azure Sky Sword God is no longer in this world. What meaning does it have to have become stronger than him? He must have felt like this too. The feeling of having no rival in the world. The Azure Sky Sword God must have been lonelier than I thought."

"..."

"When I was in the foreign lands, the Sword Venerable was a good rival who met my expectations, but now, seeing him today, I'm disappointed. It would have been different if the Azure Sky Sword God were alive."

Although the Heavenly Demon was a person who rarely showed his emotions on his face, it was different now.

A mixture of disappointment and loneliness flowed out. The Ghost Mother King always found it difficult to guess what this new Heavenly Demon was thinking.

"If the Sword Venerable is that much, the young guy called the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero will be no different. No matter how much of a genius he is, will he reach the level of Yoo Baek-gi?"

"That's right. Although it is clear that that guy is strong, having cut down the sect leaders, at best, he will be at a level close to Yoo Baek-gi. In fact, just by looking at this, he is an unprecedented genius of the world."

"I thought he would show himself in this battle, but it's a pity. No, rather, it's a relief."

"A relief, you say...?"

The Ghost Mother King tilted her head.

Although Yoo Baek-gi had performed a reverse heaven and was still alive, he would inevitably die after a few fierce battles. He could not be a threat to the demonic path.

The real danger was the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero.

He had already proven his earth-shattering skill at a young age.

It was impossible to even guess how far his potential reached.

'The bud must be cut.'

It was a conclusion shared by the leaders of the demonic path.

He must be killed in this war.

Even if the Sword Venerable Yoo Baek-gi could not be killed, the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero must be killed. Absolutely.

Even if the demonic path world were to be achieved right now, if the current Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero were to aim his sword after ten, twenty years?

He was already terrifying enough to cut down several sect leaders, so could he be handled then?

'The one who will become the new Azure Sky Sword God.'

Although Yoo Baek-gi had the talent, he could not become the Azure Sky Sword God.

But the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero had enough qualifications, and all the flows were perfect.

Was there ever such a dangerous person in the history of the demonic path?

Although he had to be killed in this war, he had not shown himself.

"But he will be somewhere in this war. The One-Eyed Serpent, Neung-heo, is the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero's right-hand man."

"If it were up to me, I would rather he hide somewhere and not come out to the war."

"..."

The Ghost Mother King tilted her head, unable to understand. Although it was an outrageous blasphemy to guess the Heavenly Demon's inner thoughts, she could not help but have a terrible thought come to her mind.

As if... he wanted the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero to survive?

"Rather, if he survives and grows into a good rival after a few years, a few decades, wouldn't that also be a happy thing?"

"......!"

The Ghost Mother King was at a loss for words. Far from cutting the bud that would surely become a great disaster, he was rather hoping for his safety.

Whether he had read the Ghost Mother King's gaze, the Heavenly Demon suddenly burst into laughter.

"Why? Are you afraid he will become stronger?"

The Ghost Mother King was silent for a moment and then made a firm expression. She, who knew that she had only a few years left to live, was one of the few people in the demonic path who could offer a proper direct opinion.

"Although it is disloyal, this one dares to offer a direct opinion. Even if only half of the rumors about the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero are true, he may be a talent comparable to the Azure Sky Sword God, or perhaps a talent sent down by the heavens to represent him. If he becomes stronger, he will surely become a great disaster for the demonic path."

The Heavenly Demon did not answer and turned his gaze. In his vision, the entire demonic path's camp was reflected. The orthodox path martial artists who had been chasing them had stopped at a suitable point. They had realized that it would be difficult to inflict damage even if they chased further, since it was such an orderly retreat.

The Heavenly Demon, who had already come close to the demonic path's camp, nodded his head.

"I see. It's not a wrong statement. I always listen to the words of the elderly."

"......!"

Did her advice get through? The Ghost Mother King, on this occasion, even prepared a plan for herself and the Short-Lived King to step forward and to track down and to kill the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero.

"Then me and the Short-Lived King will track the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero..."

"But, why do you think he will become stronger, and not think that I will become stronger?"

"......!"

In an instant, the Ghost Mother King stopped. She was terrified. Although the Heavenly Demon had not even given her a glance, it was as if he were seeing through her. At the feeling of her whole body being stripped, the Ghost Mother King's teeth chattered.

A chill ran down her spine.

"Do you think he will become stronger than me?"

"N, no."

"Do you think the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero's potential surpasses mine?"

"No, please forgive my slip of the tongue!"

The Ghost Mother King prostrated herself and banged her head. Although the ninety-year-old woman had hit her forehead until it was broken, she did not even look at the Heavenly Demon.

"As long as the Azure Sky Sword God does not return alive, there can be no one with the potential to surpass me."

A truly arrogant statement.

A self-confidence that he believed himself to be the number one under heaven without a doubt was dripping.

Of course, such self-confidence came from the experience of not having witnessed a stronger person than himself.

Even Yoo Baek-gi, who had been a long time ago, had only been considered a difficult opponent, and he had never felt that he was a threat to his own life.

The position of the absolute.

The Heavenly Demon was such an existence. Therefore, the tension that the Heavenly Demon felt when he saw the figure standing in the center of the camp was a kind that he had never felt before.

"..."

A man who was guarding the empty camp, where all the demonic people had gone to war, alone.

The shadow of the man wearing a mask somehow seemed to cover the entire camp.

The Heavenly Demon's heart pounded.

And when he reached in front of him and saw the man's masked face vaguely, he felt his palms become damp.

'Am I, nervous?'

He had felt a tension that he had not even felt from the number one under heaven, Yoo Baek-gi, now?

The Heavenly Demon's gaze turned to the man.

The man, without bowing his waist or making a fist, said.

"I greet you, I am the sect leader of the Sword Sect."

It was Cheon Mubaeck.

* * *

'He's young.'

That was Cheon Mubaeck's first impression of the Heavenly Demon.

He had a young appearance that seemed to be in his early thirties at most.

Was he ten years older than Cheon Mubaeck's current age?

It was unexpected.

'So he's the one who beat up Gun Cheon-ak.'

Cheon Mubaeck's eyes ruthlessly swept over the Heavenly Demon's entire body.

From his appearance to his physique, his gaze, and even his trivial movements, he took them all in clearly.

Cheon Mubaeck sighed inwardly.

"You seem to have had a rather fierce fight, but you don't look tired, sect leader?"

The Heavenly Demon was silent. At Cheon Mubaeck's presumptuous attitude, an expression of incomprehension appeared on the faces of the demonic people who had returned to the camp, led by the Heavenly Demon.

Good heavens. Such a tone to the most noble existence.

Cheon Mubaeck, knowing such gazes, did not care.

His attention was solely on the Heavenly Demon.

The rest were just small fries.

'I heard that Gwak Yong and the Sword Empress were also at the battlefield. Namgung Jo wouldn't have just stood by and watched the Heavenly Demon. And... Baek-gi and the puppies of the Great Desert would have also come. But he's so fine?'

Cheon Mubaeck could roughly gauge the opponent's profound internal energy and skill just by looking.

Was it because he had the eyes of a master? No.

It was an eye that had been honed solely through experience.

Cheon Mubaeck, who had realized and had accumulated experience by clashing with his whole body how to efficiently operate qi from the birth of internal energy techniques, the dawn of the martial world, through repeated past lives.

No one in the world could dare to approach the eye that gauged the opponent through repeated past lives.

But even the current Cheon Mubaeck could not easily gauge the extent of the Heavenly Demon's martial power.

'Baek-gi must have had a hard time, but he met an even bigger wall.'

Although he had even made a bet that the one who caught the Heavenly Demon first would be the owner.

The reason why Yoo Baek-gi had sent the Heavenly Demon here was obvious.

He was not an opponent that Baek-gi could handle.

At that moment, the silent Heavenly Demon reacted.

"The sect leader of the Sword Sect...?"

"It seems the sect leader is still young, but it's a pity that his hearing is not good. I told you, I'm the sect leader of the Sword Sect."

"I heard. You threatened my subordinates, talking about rank?"

"What a threat, it's reasonable logic. Isn't the Demonic Path the one with the highest rank?"

Cheon Mubaeck shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. At his outrageous attitude, the other Guardian Demon Kings would have raised their voices and would have stepped forward, but they all remained still.

They had felt it instinctively.

The shadow that covered this entire camp. It was Cheon Mubaeck's pure presence.

They had realized that it was not their place to step forward.

The Heavenly Demon smiled lightly.

For him, who had been dry until now, it was an intense reaction.

"But you, who value rank so much, why are you showing such an attitude in front of this one?"

He did not raise his presence. He did not make a fierce expression. He did not raise his tone.

But all the demonic people felt it. The fact that the Heavenly Demon was angry.

The emotion of anger was as if it had been materialized and was tightly binding their hearts.

Cheon Mubaeck smiled.

"I value the rules of the Demonic Path."

Now, it was completely informal. The Heavenly Demon let out a hollow laugh.

"Any organization, any society, if there are rules there, I do not ignore them and I respect them. That's me."

"It's funny. It's really funny. Don't you feel that your own actions are contradictory?"

"Not at all!"

Cheon Mubaeck threw his shoulders back. And he took off his mask.

Was there anyone among the demonic people who had seen Cheon Mubaeck? From somewhere, the sound of someone taking a sharp breath could be heard from time to time. Cheon Mubaeck said slowly.

"According to the rules of the Demonic Path, it is not a shameful act to challenge a higher position from a lower one."

"..."

"It is also a natural thing for a lower rank to challenge a higher rank and to take that position. A world of insubordination. The strong stand in a higher position."

The Heavenly Demon's face became strange. The shadow of Cheon Mubaeck that had covered the camp was now wriggling as if it were alive.

"So I respect the rules. As the sect leader of the Sword Sect, the seventh rank, it's not something I can't do to challenge the head of the Demonic Path, is it?"

"......!"

"Now you know what I'm talking about, right? I, the sect leader of the Sword Sect, and the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero, Cheon Mubaeck, will say it. Let's have a fight. You bastard."

Cheon Mubaeck smiled. The Divine Iron Ancient Sword vibrated and reacted.

The time had come.

(End of Chapter)