Chapter 289: Cheon Yujeong (2)

The black tendril instantly pierced through Sixth Heavenly Lord’s heart and lifted his body into the air.

“Keuk! Keoheok!”

Sixth Heavenly Lord coughed up blood and groaned in pain, but he didn’t die instantly. Instead, he continued to writhe in agony.

However, I didn’t have the luxury to pay attention to Sixth Heavenly Lord’s condition.

‘It’s fast!’

Just now—the movement of that black tendril.

It had been so fast that even I struggled to react.

After shaking Sixth Heavenly Lord off, his body crashed powerlessly to the ground.

I slowly placed my hand on the hilt of True Star Sword, preparing for the next clash.

But the black tendril didn’t come for me.

Instead, a welcoming voice reached my ears.

-Come on in.

-Step inside. This way….

The blackened exterior walls of the dark shrine.

What lay beyond that shrine was undoubtedly a realm even more demonic than this place.

Nevertheless, I walked past Sixth Heavenly Lord and slowly approached the entrance of the shrine.

At that moment.

“Kuheuk! There’s… not no way at all.”

Sixth Heavenly Lord, still coughing up blood, suddenly grabbed my ankle and spoke.

“Even if the power has been obtained, a ritual that isn’t aligned with the heavenly and earthly timings… is bound to be unstable.”

“……”

“The Lord Baek Cheong is the key to breaking through. Just… keep that in mind.”

Whether those words were truth or lies, I couldn’t be sure. But this man was someone who ceaselessly deceived others.

Whatever information he provided, I had to be discerning in how I used it.

I stepped into the open entrance of the shrine.

The moment I placed one foot inside.

The space… expanded.

“……”

Far ahead in the center of the shrine.

Aside from the six-armed stone statue at the altar lit by two candles, the entire space expanded, consumed by darkness.

It felt as if I had entered the belly of some creature—an unsettling sensation.

-Not surprised, are you?

A faint chuckle echoed from within.

A voice completely different from any I had heard until now.

A will unlike anything I had felt before.

Was this woman standing before me truly the same Cheon Yujeong I once knew?

“Lady Cheon Yujeong.”

-That’s right.

Ssssh!

As the candlelight on either side flickered, her outline, which had been hidden in the darkness, gradually revealed itself.

Looking at her, I spoke.

“…You’ve changed a lot.”

-……

“Seems like you’ve completely stopped mimicking Yura’s way of speaking too.”

-Yura, huh….

A look of clear displeasure spread across Cheon Yujeong’s face.

-That… doesn’t sit well with me.

“Is that so?”

At that moment, she suddenly said something unexpected.

-Call me Yujeong, and I’ll forgive you.

“……”

What an absurd thing to say.

I shook my head in disbelief.

“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”

The moment I expressed my refusal.

Chwarururuk!

Six tendrils suddenly shot out from behind her, aiming for my entire body.

In response, True Star Sword flew from its sheath at my waist like a lightning bolt.

It was certainly fast.

But since it wasn’t a surprise attack, it wasn’t hard to deal with.

Tstststst!

In an instant, my body split into six afterimages.

Five of the tendrils pierced through different afterimages, and just as the last tendril aimed for my real body, True Star Sword deflected its strike.

Kagagang!

I could feel the texture of a beast in that black tendril I had thought was just a tentacle.

‘Not a tendril… a tail?’

Just what had Cheon Yujeong turned into?

Cheon Yujeong asked, sounding genuinely curious.

-What is that martial art? I don’t think I’ve seen it before?

Since it didn’t matter if she knew, I answered honestly.

“The Heaven-Defying Society’s secret art, Six Illusory Shadow Steps.”

It was the secret movement technique of the Illusion Clan that Hwan Seong Sa-hyung had passed down to me before I came here.

-The Illusion Clan, huh?

Well, since the Illusion Clan and I were mortal enemies, it was natural for her to be puzzled.

“Still, you’ve become rather aggressive. Attacking without a word.”

She scoffed.

-That was just a light greeting. I’ve always been like this.

Huh? Come to think of it….

I paused for a moment at her words.

After all, the one who had swung her sword at Baek Sang-ah the moment we met… was none other than Cheon Yujeong standing before me now.

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Ssssh!

Her full figure, previously hidden in the shadows, slowly revealed itself.

Behind her, six tails made of darkness swayed like tendrils.

Their shape reminded me of something I had seen in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

“…A nine-tailed fox?”

She nodded.

-Yes. Since the ritual used the blood of a fox spirit as its offering, I ended up like this.

“……”

Looking at her, I realized that Sixth Heavenly Lord’s words weren’t entirely false.

If the ritual had been a complete success, she shouldn’t have been influenced by a mere demonic beast.

More importantly.

‘She’s bound by the ritual, anchored to this place.’

Knowing the temper of the Cheon Yujeong I was familiar with, she wouldn’t have called me here.

She would have come to find me herself.

However, it seemed that something had gone wrong, and she couldn’t leave this place.

I stared straight at Cheon Yujeong’s face.

“Though your temper remains the same, your appearance has changed quite a bit.”

-Really?

Aside from the tails on her back, even her pupils were entirely dyed in darkness.

But what stood out even more was that the sharpness in her features had softened slightly, her eyes subtly slanting downward. The problem was…

‘She looks chillingly like Yura.’

They had always resembled each other to some degree, but now, apart from the color of her eyes, she looked so much like Cheon Yura that one could easily mistake them for twins.

“How are you feeling right now?”

She grinned.

-Not bad at all.

“Even though you can’t move?”

-It’s not like I’m bound here forever. If I can gather enough offerings, I’ll be free.

“How many do you need?”

-About…

After thinking for a moment, she gave her answer.

-Three hundred thousand. That should be enough.

“……”

I felt a chill run down my spine.

Right now, Cheon Yujeong dismissed the lives of three hundred thousand people as if it were nothing.

-Why that expression? All it takes is swallowing a single city.

A whole city, she said….

How distorted had her perception become?

While I was silently clicking my tongue inside.

-Drop the act, Jin Yeomyung.

She shot me a cold glare.

-If saving Cheon Yura required the lives of hundreds of thousands, you wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice three hundred thousand or even a million, would you?

“……”

-Am I wrong?

I let out a hollow laugh.

“No, you’re not wrong.”

If Cheon Yura ever faced such a situation, I would gladly stain my hands with blood and cross a sea of corpses.

“But even so, I wouldn’t treat those lives as lightly as you do, Lady.”

-……

I would agonize, suffer, be tormented by guilt, and still, I would have no choice but to make that decision.

But it seemed my words didn’t resonate with Cheon Yujeong.

-Hypocrite. You and I both don’t care about the means as long as we achieve our goals.

She struck where it hurt.

-You knew something like this would happen, yet you didn’t kill me and left me alive, didn’t you?

So she noticed.

Well, unlike Cheon Yura, Cheon Yujeong had always been quick-witted.

In everything except talent for martial arts and appearance, she had surpassed Cheon Yura.

Finding nothing more to say, I changed the subject.

“Enough small talk. Let’s get to the point.”

-Let’s.

Cheon Yujeong didn’t press further and slowly approached me as she spoke.

-I’m going to kill the Grand Heavenly Lord. Join me.

“……!”

-If I can devour him, I won’t need to take three hundred thousand lives.

‘That’s unexpected.’

I had thought she would mention Cheon Yura first, but it seemed her priorities had shifted.

Cheon Yujeong smiled seductively as she continued.

-What do you say? If the Grand Heavenly Lord disappears, wouldn’t that resolve your biggest concern?

“That’s true, but….”

I could read something in her expression.

It was unmistakable greed she couldn’t hide.

Though her priorities might have changed, her nature had not.

In the end….

“Lady Cheon Yujeong.”

-Speak.

“Are you satisfied with what you’ve become?”

-……

After a brief pause, she answered.

-What if I am?

I asked again.

“Do you have even the slightest desire to return to how you once were?”

At my question, Cheon Yujeong gave me a look of genuine incomprehension.

-Why would I do that?

It was the same as when I had just stepped into this space.

Though her body might have accepted the power, her mind had been captivated by the overwhelming force before her.

Though her memories and sense of self remained, something deep within the core of her existence had become twisted.

“You’re not just drunk on power… you’ve been completely consumed by it.”

-……What?

“Let me ask one final thing.”

Though the answer was obvious, considering her current state, I still asked her.

“If I agree to help you with your plan, would you be willing to leave Yura alone?”

She grinned.

-Not a chance. Once I devour the Grand Heavenly Lord, she’ll be my next target.

Truly, her answer didn’t stray an inch from what I had expected.

Cheon Yujeong elegantly twirled with her fingers holding her skirt.

-I told you before, didn’t I? I’ve already surpassed Cheon Yura. Neither her Heavenly Demonic Divine Art nor her Heaven-Slaying Qi can harm me anymore.

Indeed, I could feel the power of the Heavenly Demon Founder in her now.

Even the Heavenly Demon’s power that had been fatal to the awakened of the Heaven-Defying Society no longer seemed to affect her.

Not long ago, she had barely reached Extreme Demon Realm, but now, she had become someone I, even after reaching Transcendent Demon Realm, couldn’t easily measure my chances against.

And the problem was that this wasn’t even her limit.

I let out a sigh.

“In exchange, you’ve given up being human.”

As she was now, calling Cheon Yujeong human would be a stretch, even being generous.

She had become a ‘monster’—the very kind I had faced countless times in my past life—who preyed on humans without hesitation.

-That’s not a problem.

Her presence gradually began to shift into a battle-ready stance.

-Remember what I told you? That I would one day reach my hand out to you again.

I nodded.

“You asked me to seriously consider it when that time comes.”

-That’s right. That time is now.

Cheon Yujeong extended her darkened right hand toward me.

-Take it.

It wasn’t a suggestion, but a demand that refused rejection.

Yet, that demand was sweeter than anything else in this world.

-I can give you anything you desire.

She spoke with utter sincerity.

-Power, pleasure, wealth, even endless life. Whatever it is, even if it means exhausting all the resources of this world, I’ll place it in your hands.

Right now, she had the potential to make those words a reality.

-So, abandon Cheon Yura and come to me.

“……”

-I’m begging you.

I stared into her eyes.

I could still feel the endless greed and jealousy swirling within them.

But surprisingly, along with those, I could also see something just as strong—desperation.

This wasn’t just about rivalry with Cheon Yura.

She genuinely desired me as a person.

Letting out a deep sigh, I finally voiced the truth I had buried deep inside my heart.

“To be honest, I once wished to live a carefree, indulgent life.”

I had actually lived that way for about twenty years.

“Having suffered so much in the past, I dreamed of living the rest of my life in reckless luxury as compensation. And frankly, even now, if I could, I would still choose to live like that.”

-I can give you that. For a hundred years, a thousand years. Even if you refuse to help me, as long as you abandon her and come to me….

“But every time I had those thoughts, a certain vision kept appearing before my eyes.”

-……?

Yes, even now, in this very moment.

In the heart of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion engulfed in flames, I could see her body pierced by countless blades.

Even as blood dripped from her lips.

The last moment when she had smiled and asked me to seduce her.

That image continued to flicker before my eyes like a mirage, even now.

“Every time I see that vision, my wavering resolve becomes firm again.”

-What is that resolve?

“In this life, I will dedicate everything to a single woman.”

Flinch!

Her body froze.

I slowly opened my eyes halfway and offered her my apology.

“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.”

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