Published at 26th of January 2026 9:31 am

Chapter 345

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Grandmother once said that you must never associate with evil spirits.

Having already crossed the point of no return, consumed by resentment and lingering attachments, she said it was only right to regard them not as mere souls but as calamities themselves.

She told me to avoid involvement at all costs, and even if I should see one, to act as if I hadn't.

So, as a child who listened to this, I asked:

'Then, evil spirits... can't attain deliverance?'

Was annihilation the only end for evil spirits? Could they not pass on peacefully like other souls? At my questions, grandmother would give a bittersweet smile and say: it isn't impossible, but there are simply too many things that need to be done.

More than what the evil spirits must do, it is what those who wish to deliver them must undertake.

There are so many tasks and hardships involved, so much so that she always told me not to bother with it. That's what she always said.

'How laughable.'

I found that statement rather funny.

'Isn't that the last thing someone like you should say?'

Someone who more than anyone else hoped for the salvation of evil spirits and strove for it...

And yet telling her own grandchild not to follow her path.

She just didn't want me to walk the painful road she had walked. I know all too well what she meant.

'But I'm famous for being disobedient.'

A grandchild, by nature, is one who grows up not listening to their grandmother's words, and among such grandchildren, I was top-tier.

So I didn't listen.

And I regretted it.

I should have listened to Grandmother.

I should have let go of that silly thought of delivering evil spirits to a better place.

I should have tried harder not to become entangled with them.

They say you're supposed to listen to your elders, but I failed to do so.

What a fool I was.

I really should have listened to her.

Because I didn't, I ended up regretting it.

Tragically, and again, all too tragically.

'Look at that face.'

In the midst of the pouring debris and ruined rubble

'Straighten your face, man.'

It's only after losing something precious that you realize certain truths. It's always been that way for me.

It's only after losing something that I realize its worth.

That's why anyone would call me a fool.

"... So."

I lifted my head.

"This time, I want to do something before I lose it."

A world shrouded in darkness.

Black sky and black earth.

Even the black water swirling around me.

I sat atop it, looking ahead.

It's the same as last time. In this ominous world, an immense evil spirit stood before me.

Last time, it was like a hill; this time, the numbers far surpassed that.

Kyaa... Aaaaah!!

Kkyaaah!!!

Unlike the remnants left before, these things seemed to have retained their wit, screaming incessantly.

And then.

Hmm.

I looked at the man sitting before me, surrounded by these screaming remnants.

You are the second person to give me orders.

He stared at me with interest. Crimson eyes, a starkly pale face, and an ageless air about him. I spoke up.

"The first must be that old man from the Yu family, right?"

Haha.

Heavenly Demon.

The one known as the sky of the Demonic Cult and the Great Demon King, laughed at my words.

Sharp one, aren't you.

"Yes. I hear that a lot."

Are you curious about my relationship with Yu Chun-gil?

"No, not really. I don't especially want to hear it."

Really?

"Yes."

Heavenly Demon and Yu Chun-gil. I could sense something had happened between the two.

There was something different therecalling it pure enmity didn't capture it, and Yu Chun-gil's reactions also revealed that.

It wasn't just about a hero who vanquished evil and the evil that was vanquished; there was more.

'I don't want to dig into it.'

I didn't want to get involved in that relationship. It was obvious just from looking: getting tangled up with these people would be a headache.

"So let's leave it at that."

Ha.

Heavenly Demon chuckled at my response.

So you just want to use me, is that it?

"You said you'd pay for your room, didn't you?"

This should be more than enough to settle my bill, no?

Kyaaaaahhhh

The evil spirits howled behind me. Heavenly Demon gestured to them, but I merely shrugged.

"Sorry, but my price is higher than it looks."

Should I teach you martial arts like the Sword Saint did?

"... Do I look like I'd learn that just because I wanted it?"

Heavenly Demon's martial arts, no less? That was insanity. Learning his martial arts meant becoming demonic, and I knew exactly how the righteous sects would treat me if I did.

Then what?

"I haven't exactly decided what I'm going to do, but your payment is insufficient for now. Besides"

I fixed my gaze on Heavenly Demon.

"Cult Leader, you want something from me too, don't you?"

...

"Then you need to renegotiate the price."

Hahaha.

Heavenly Demon laughed. In that instant

Suuuuuuuu---!!!

The water churned. The once howling evil spirits fell silent.

How ridiculous.

A chill ran down my spine. I didn't sense any energy, but just Heavenly Demon's laughter...

'The very air is different.'

The atmosphere shifted, the air grew heavier. It was overwhelming. The presence before me clearly wasn't just any ghost.

'Heavenly Demon.'

The master of the Demonic Cult.

And

'A spirit on the level of a Calamity God.'

Not just a ghost, but a godlike spirit. Yu Chun-gil was like that, and so was Heavenly Demon. If I called it a Calamity God, it might be a touch offit lacked that unpleasantness, so perhaps just calling him a god would suffice.

'Well.'

It's ambiguous. I couldn't sense the usual quality of an evil spirit from him, but there was no sense of holiness either.

Only blackness.

It wouldn't be quite right to call him evil, but "black" suited him perfectly.

He was black. Only and utterly black.

I do have something I wish from you. However, you see

Sssssss.

The water rippled; invisible waves brushed against me. Feeling the damp chill, I swallowed.

I can accomplish anything if I desire. Your opinion is irrelevant.

"..."

I narrowed my eyes at that claim.

It's the same now, ven without a physical body. Do you want me to show you?

Kugugugu.

Shadows billowed from Heavenly Demon's form. Overwhelming pressure, yet his eyes remained sharp. A dreadful fear wrapped around me.

I could tell that what stood before me was no sage.

But

"I think you're mistaken about something, Cult Leader..."

I didn't back down. I stared at him and spoke.

"Why is a guy who's already dead putting on airs?"

What?

His voice changed.

He didn't bother to conceal his irritation.

"You're a ghost who died ages ago, so why are you keeping a front? If you want something, bow your head and ask. Don't cling to pointless pride."

He might have been someone formidable in life, but as a ghost...

For someone whose body was now just spirit, I wasn't going to bow down.

Crack.

A surge of black energy took shape like a finely honed blade, thrusting for my throat.

It stoppedfrozen in midair, just before breaking my skin.

Are you talking to me?

It was a warning. Any more, and he'd kill me. But

"Who else is there besides you?"

I looked at his blade as I spoke.

"If you want something, stop threatening and start negotiating. The one mistaken here is you, right now."

Kegegegeg.

I pushed away Heavenly Demon's black energy.

His eyes widened at the sight.

"Did you think I haven't seen spirits like you before?"

Hmph.

Seeing his power repelled, Heavenly Demon let out a dry laugh. No matter how great and mighty he'd been when alivein this moment, that didn't matter.

Well, maybe it did, since a spirit's value depended on their deeds in life.

But

"That value means nothing to me."

It didn't matter to me what worth his spirit possessed. After all, what's the point of judging someone who's already dead?

"So enough with the pride."

Clench.

I grabbed the blade before me. Pain lanced through my hand, but I ignored it. The blade pressed to my neck, yet

Shff.

The energy dissipated before it could pierce me. Heavenly Demon had withdrawn it.

Sensing this, I continued,

"You need me, too."

You need me.

"So even if you can't bow your head, don't get arrogant."

I twisted my lips as I spoke. After a moment, his black aura receded, revealing that pale skin once more.

Are you so sure you won't die here?

"Of course not."

It's a mind world, so I can't actually die. But

"I could go crazy."

I could lose my mind or go insane.

With a spirit like this, such a thing was possible.

I was well aware of it.

You'd still risk it?

"I'm not just going to let myself be a victim."

Fighting spirits? I was utterly sick of it. Whether it was a Calamity God or an even higher being, I'd already bet my life pulling crazy stunts against them.

Living this way taught me one conviction

"I'm already insane, so what's the harm in getting crazier? You know, Cult Leader"

Splat.

Feeling the dampness, I spoke.

"If there's one thing I know, it's this: I don't bow my head to ghosts."

As long as something wasn't alive, nothing could scare me.

"So if you want to do it, do it right."

...

At my words, Heavenly Demon propped his chin and stared straight at me.

His gaze was fierce. Staring into those crimson eyes, I felt like I might get devoured at any moment.

Then, after a pause

Shhk!

The pressure vanished completely. The evil spirits behind him finally began to react as well.

Kyaa...!

Just as they started to scream again, Heavenly Demon flicked his hand once moreright at the evil spirits behind him.

Kwoooooo!!!

Kyaaah!!!

The evil spirits wailed and vanished.

Those legion numbers disappeared in an instant.

Yes, vanished.

Not delivered, but eradicated.

Heavenly Demon erased all those evil spirits with a single gesture.

Not bad.

He let out a satisfied laugh.

You're wasted on Yu Chun-gil.

"I don't particularly think I belong to that old man."

Don't waste those eyes and skills on unworthy things.

Unworthy things? I never wanted to waste them in the first place.

You're better than me.

"... What?"

I frowned at that. Better? He sounded certain.

That's why you must become it.

"... Become what?"

What I wish of you.

Heavenly Demon wanted something from me. Just as Yu Chun-gil did.

I knew that much.

A sense of foreboding swept over me upon hearing those words.

'... Yu Chun-gil told me to become The World's Greatest.'

To stand at the pinnacle of the Central Plains. That I should become that first. It was an absurd thing to say, but coming from the greatest of ages, it couldn't be dismissed outright. The problem was

What I want is not so different from what the Sword Saint desired.

Said Heavenly Demon.

"... It's similar?"

He wants the same thing as Yu Chun-gil? I faltered at that, and Heavenly Demon spoke as though he'd been waiting for it.

Become the Heavenly Demon.

"What?"

I'll give you the Demonic Cult and the world.

That was the turning point.

Fwoooosh!!

The current surged into a massive wave, becoming an overwhelming tsunami.

I'll hear your answer next time. You're not likely to give the one I want right now.

"What the...!"

Before I could finish, it swept over me. Agony blacked out my mind.

And then

"That's nonsense...!!"

I spat out the words I couldn't finish and jolted upright. Cold sweat covered me. I steadied myself, wobbling.

"... Huh?"

Something was strange.

I felt eyes on me from all around. When I lifted my head

"...."

The elders of Mount Hua Sect were surrounding me, staring with odd expressions.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Waking up at an unexpected timing.

So the Heavenly Demon wants Bang Sung-Yun to be the new Heavenly Demon?

Also, Bang Sung-Yun mentioned before that he had ripped a Calamity God's head. And now facing the Heavenly Demon, who is also akin to a Calamity God, he is not one bit afraid.

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