Published at 27th of August 2026 7:16 pm

Chapter 1135: The World of Ascension (65)

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Rumble.

A thick cloud of dust billowed around me. I shook off the dirt from my body as I observed it. In the distance, I could still sense the presence of Heavenly Lord.

I had landed a strike. The only disappointing part was that it didn’t feel quite satisfying.

"He blocked it."

In that brief moment, he had raised his qi to deflect my attack. As expected—after all, he was someone called the pinnacle of martial arts. It was only natural for him to be capable of at least this much.

However—

"Just as I expected."

There was something I had realized after exchanging blows with Heavenly Lord.

And that was—

"He's trapped in a Heart Demon."

Right now, Heavenly Lord was consumed by a Heart Demon. Just as it had been in my past life, just as it had been in the world I came from—this was the exact same moment when he had been overtaken by it.

For a martial artist, a Heart Demon was nothing short of a disaster. Not only did it prevent them from using abilities they normally could, but it clouded their vision, making it impossible to see or hear what they truly wanted to.

And even worse—

"There’s hardly any way to cure it."

Since it was a fundamentally mental affliction, there weren’t many known ways to treat it.

This strange and fragile thing was what shackled Heavenly Lord.

And I had only realized it in this life.

"Heavenly Lord, once freed from his Heart Demon, was completely different."

It had probably been in Sichuan.

More precisely, thanks to my father, Heavenly Lord had escaped from his Heart Demon.

The Heavenly Lord I had known was nothing like the man I was facing now.

He had been benevolent, strong-willed, and dignified.

At one point, I had even questioned whether this kind, resolute old man was truly the same arrogant and insufferable bastard I remembered.

"But this old man in front of me now—he’s not that person."

The Heavenly Lord I was seeing now was the one from my previous life.

The same man who had been utterly helpless against Cheonma.

The difference was stark—undeniable.

Which meant—

"In this state."

He was beatable. That was my conclusion.

Rumble—!!!

From a distance, another bolt of lightning crashed down. A blinding light flashed. The moment I saw it, I twisted my upper body.

And then—

BOOOOM—!!!

A massive surge of light came roaring toward me.

Rather than blocking it, I had to redirect it.

Sssssssss—!!

"Damn."

I had tried to guide it away by wrapping qi around my forearm, but even then, the scorching heat tore through my qi like it was nothing.

Even consumed by a Heart Demon, Heavenly Lord was still Heavenly Lord.

BOOM.

I twisted my body, counteracting the force with my waist.

My legs spun, cutting through the air—

CRACK—!!

My foot struck against something solid. A blade.

Heavenly Lord was charging at me with a sword in hand.

"Hmph!"

I felt the force behind it.

I infused my own energy into the impact, deflecting it.

Thump—!!

Heavenly Lord’s body shook as the force rebounded, creating distance between us. At that moment, I activated my martial arts technique.

Fwoosh—!!

I intensified Black Heaven, reinforcing my body.

Ziiiiiing—!!

I maximized Firewheel Nature, simultaneously erasing my presence.

Vwooooom—!!!

Merging Azure Sky with my movements, I heightened my agility. As my Black Heaven overlapped with it, my body began to react explosively.

I was pushing my body to its limits—but it was necessary.

I charged at Heavenly Lord.

"Hmph!"

Heavenly Lord seemed to have anticipated my speed. His lightning-clad sword lashed out swiftly.

It was so fast that it left countless afterimages, as if an entire storm of swords had appeared.

But—

I wasn’t weak enough to be caught by them.

My enhanced speed was enough to match his swordplay.

I twisted my movements, my eyes darting.

"...Well, this is interesting."

A wry chuckle almost escaped me.

This sword technique—I had definitely seen it before.

Shiiiing—!!

Just as Heavenly Lord's sword was about to accelerate—

Thwack—!

Thunk—!!

"......What?"

Heavenly Lord suddenly dropped his sword.

The blade fell to the ground, rolling away.

And Heavenly Lord, standing frozen like a stone, stared at it.

His expression said it all.

What just happened?

I watched him and asked,

"What are you doing?"

His eyes snapped toward me.

"A swordsman, dropping his sword? How pathetic."

"You...!!"

Heavenly Lord gritted his teeth and lunged.

He didn’t bother picking up his sword—yet it still flew back into his grasp as if drawn by a magnetic force.

Rumble—!

The lightning-clad blade came slashing toward me once more.

And yet—

Thwack—!

It was the same as before.

Heavenly Lord dropped his sword again.

"H-how...!?"

I had struck his wrist just right, forcing him to release his grip.

It was only now that Heavenly Lord seemed to realize something was wrong.

His gaze turned toward me in disbelief.

"How...?"

His eyes were demanding an answer—how was I so effortlessly disarming him?

I decided to humor him.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

"Obvious...?"

"Yeah."

I could see it.

When I had only just returned to this life, it had been the same with Namgung Cheonjun.

And now, it was the same here.

"Your pathetic sword will never reach me."

The Namgung family’s swordsmanship—

It had already fallen and deteriorated beyond recognition.

As long as Heavenly Lord wielded such a flawed blade, he would never touch me.

"Know your place, fallen one who fled to the heavens."

Once, Namgung Bi-ah had been chosen by Noe-a, earning the title of Demon Sword Queen.

But Heavenly Lord?

He was nowhere near her level.

The fatal weakness in the Namgung family's swordsmanship still remained.

Speed and power meant nothing without perfected technique and mastery.

And that—

Was why Heavenly Lord had never become the Sword Master.

And—

"You little brat—!!"

This truth was his greatest disgrace.

ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!!!

The air itself trembled as an overwhelming force erupted from Heavenly Lord.

So he still had this much energy left...

"Now that’s a proper old monster."

If that wasn’t an old monster, then I didn’t know what was.

ROOOOOOOOOAR—!!!

The radiance from his lightning qi was so intense that it nearly blinded me.

I had to coat my eyes with qi just to see properly.

Rumble—!!

BOOOOOM—!!!

The unleashed lightning qi ravaged the entire forest.

He had abandoned any pretense of restraint.

And—

"Tch!"

Even his own grandson, Namgung Hyeong, was now affected.

I snapped my fingers.

Snap—!

With a sharp sound, a barrier formed around Namgung Hyeong.

BOOOM—!

The lightning qi crashed against it, unable to penetrate.

"Hahh...!"

Namgung Hyeong gasped in shock.

I glanced at him and said,

"If you’re not going to leave, then at least stay still. You’re annoying."

"......"

I turned back to Heavenly Lord.

That old man was still unleashing his power.

"Just how much does he have left?"

If we were talking raw energy, I wasn’t lacking.

In fact, I was probably superior.

But—

"When it comes to unleashing pure firepower... he might actually be stronger."

Because he knew—

That his sword was weak.

So he had compensated for it by focusing entirely on firepower.

‘What should I do?’

Should I push forward with sheer firepower as well?

Even while throwing a tantrum like that, he’s still meticulous. He’s not letting his guard down.

He’s just furious because I hit his reverse scale.

If that’s the case...

‘I need to create an opening.’

I need to find a gap to break through.

The problem is—how?

Just as I was contemplating my approach—

‘Ah.’

It came to me.

‘This might just work.’

It was a plan that seemed... a little entertaining.

**********

Rumble—!

Heavenly Lord twisted his face in fury, his Lightning Qi surging to its peak.

‘That bastard dares—’

There were things that must never be touched. Not in Anhui, not anywhere in Zhongyuan. Words that no one had ever dared to say to him—

"Your crude sword will never reach me."

"Know your place, you loser who fled to the heavens."

Crude sword.

Loser who fled to the heavens.

Those words grated on every nerve in Heavenly Lord’s body.

All his life, he had been called a genius. He had honed the Namgung family's sword techniques, striving to reach the heavens.

‘Because of that bastard, Sword Master...’

Wi Hyogun, the Sword Master.

The man who was hailed as the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Because of him, Heavenly Lord had hit a wall he could not overcome.

Still, he had something else—control over Lightning Qi. If he could not claim the heavens with his sword, he would become the greatest through this path instead.

That was what he had told himself.

But was it because he had neglected the sword? Noe-a (Thunder Fang), the sacred blade and symbol of the Namgung family, had not chosen him.

For a Namgung to forsake the sword, despite belonging to the most prestigious sword-wielding family...

Perhaps Noe-a had resented him for that. Or maybe there was another reason. He didn’t know.

But Namgung family tradition was absolute.

The next head of the household could only be the one chosen by Noe-a.

That rule irritated Heavenly Lord.

He had the talent. Controlling the elders had been trivial.

And besides, if even he wasn’t chosen by Noe-a, then no one else would be, either.

So, naturally, he was the rightful next head of the family.

The choice of Noe-a? That was irrelevant.

He was Namgung itself.

"My swordsmanship is weak?"

The Namgung clan was still a renowned family.

It wasn’t that they were inferior. It was just that Wi Hyogun was an exception.

And yet—

"What the hell is that bastard?"

Who exactly was this Cheonma?

That man had suddenly appeared out of nowhere—then dismantled his swordsmanship without effort.

It had only taken an instant.

In that brief moment, he had exploited an opening and struck his wrist.

A feat impossible without absolute confidence.

‘What is his identity?’

What was he? Why had he appeared?

And—

‘Could he be... connected to Him?’

If so, why was he interfering with him?

Questions flooded his mind, but—

‘No. Enough.’

Heavenly Lord wiped the thoughts away. That wasn’t what mattered right now.

‘I will kill him.’

What mattered was eliminating the bastard who had dared to strike his reverse scale.

And—

‘Him as well.’

His own grandson—the one capable of drawing Noe-a. He would erase him too.

The boy had no idea what he was worth.

Not that it mattered anymore.

‘Noe-a doesn’t matter now.’

Even without it, he would become the head of the family. And if that wasn’t possible, he would simply make it possible.

Because he was Namgung.

Just as Heavenly Lord was about to unleash his full strength—

"I’ll borrow this for a moment."

The so-called Cheonma uttered something incomprehensible.

And then—

Whoosh—!

"What...?"

"Huh?"

Heavenly Lord and Namgung Hyung reacted in shock.

Noe-a, which had been firmly in Namgung Hyung’s grip, suddenly flew into Cheonma’s hands.

"What the—!"

Heavenly Lord’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Even a Namgung blood relative couldn’t fully wield Noe-a.

Yet Cheonma... had seized it with ease.

And that wasn’t all.

"Bite."

Cheonma grasped Noe-a tightly and spoke its name.

"Noe-a (Thunder Fang)."

ROOOOAAAARR—!

A monstrous force erupted from Noe-a, engulfing both Heavenly Lord and Namgung Hyung.

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