Ch.186Chapter 186 – Raid on the Heavenly Demon Cult

Near Mount Cheonma, where the headquarters of the Cheonma Divine Sect was located.

A group of people dressed in black was gathering here.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes, Bishop. All personnel have assembled, except for those currently guarding the inner sanctum.”

“Well done. Today, the Cheonma Divine Sect will fall, and the Demon Cult will rise as the true demonic sect.”

These people were none other than the Demon Cult.

The Demon Cult forces gathered near Mount Cheonma numbered roughly 2,000 to 3,000.

Had Cheonma been conscious, these people would have been flattened by the Cheonma Dominion technique long ago, but Cheonma was currently unconscious.

Naturally, Cheonma’s unconscious state was their doing.

After Eldran’s plan to corrupt the World Tree failed, he naturally turned his attention to the Eastern Continent.

So he ordered the Eastern branch of the Demon Cult.

His command was to secure the Cheonma Divine Sect.

To secure the Cheonma Divine Sect, eliminating its leader and absolute sovereign, Cheonma, was essential.

Therefore, the head of the Demon Cult’s Eastern branch devised a meticulous plan.

First, he infiltrated the Cheonma Divine Sect by disguising Demon Cult followers as sect members.

Fortunately, the energy signature of the Demon Cult followers was similar enough to that of the Cheonma Divine Sect members that they weren’t easily detected.

Through this infiltration, he learned that Cheonma would soon enter seclusion to achieve a new level of martial prowess.

“Now is our chance!”

The branch leader prepared his elite forces to strike when Cheonma would be most vulnerable—during the enlightenment phase of martial cultivation.

In the process, all the elite forces were annihilated, but even that was part of the branch leader’s scheme.

The deadly poison released by the dying elite forces completely devastated Cheonma’s body.

Moreover, this poison was created through demonic powers, making it incurable by any means available in the Eastern Continent.

With Cheonma incapacitated, the branch leader executed his next plan.

“Damn it, where do these bastards keep coming from?”

“Fighting every day is exhausting.”

He launched continuous attacks against the Cheonma Divine Sect’s main combat units—the Cheonrang and Cheonho Squads.

When people are continuously exposed to external threats, they dull their senses for protection.

The branch leader was counting on this, and after prolonged exposure to combat, the Cheonrang and Cheonho Squads began to wear down.

Conveniently, the Cheonrang Squad was currently deployed elsewhere, and the Cheonho Squad had many injured members guarding Mount Cheonma.

“Lead all forces to attack Mount Cheonma.”

Realizing the time had come, the branch leader mobilized all available forces from the Eastern branch of the Demon Cult to attack the Cheonma Divine Sect.

Most of the Demon Cult forces gathered near Mount Cheonma were recruited from minor families and sects that had been pushed aside by the sixteen major families.

Naturally, all of them were trained in martial arts and, with the Demon Cult’s support, possessed much greater military strength than before.

“Huff, huff, I can feel power surging through my entire body.”

“With this power, our family could push aside the major families and claim the position of hegemon.”

Those who consumed the mysterious elixir provided by the Demon Cult could exert twice their normal power.

“Everyone, prepare. Today, the Cheonma Divine Sect will vanish, and the Demon Cult will take its place.”

“Demon God’s Return! Ten Thousand Demons Prosper!”

“Demon God’s Return! Ten Thousand Demons Prosper!”

Chanting their slogan, the Demon Cult forces leaped toward Mount Cheonma as one.

The sight of nearly 3,000 troops moving stealthily under the moonlight was truly spectacular.

Soon, they encountered members of the Cheonho Squad guarding the vicinity of Mount Cheonma.

“E-enemy!”

“Quickly, alert the headquart—ARGH!”

The Cheonho Squad members tried to sound the alarm, but the Demon Cult forces killed them faster.

No matter how much stronger the Cheonho Squad members were compared to ordinary martial artists, they were no match for the Demon Cult forces enhanced by the mysterious elixir.

After neutralizing the guards at the entrance to Mount Cheonma, the Demon Cult soldiers rushed up the mountain.

Using their lightness skills to the extreme, the Demon Cult forces arrived at the Cheonma Divine Sect headquarters located midway up Mount Cheonma.

Only a single woman stood in their way.

Sky-blue hair, as if a piece of bright daylight had been transplanted.

Black eyes like black pearls, revealing no emotion.

A woman in somewhat revealing attire stood facing the Demon Cult forces that had appeared before her.

“What’s this?”

“Step aside, woman! We are carrying out a great mission! If you withdraw quietly, we won’t harm you!”

The Demon Cult forces, misunderstanding her stillness as shock, requested that she step aside.

But a smile formed on the woman’s lips upon hearing this.

“How amusing. Truly amusing.”

“What’s so amusing?”

The attackers expressed confusion when the woman blocking their path said she found something amusing.

“It amuses me that you dare to flap your mouths so freely before this sovereign. Your courage is truly admirable.”

“W-what? This sovereign?”

This sovereign.

Upon hearing those words, some of the martial artists turned pale.

Because only one person in the entire Eastern Continent referred to themselves as “this sovereign.”

“Since you’ve provided this sovereign with amusing entertainment, I should repay you.”

As she spoke, she slightly raised her foot.

Seeing this, some martial artists immediately warned those around them.

“Everyone, run! This is not someone we can face!”

“Behold, this is the first and last mercy this sovereign shall bestow upon you.”

This is the Cheonma One Step.

Just as some of the Demon Cult forces were turning to flee, her foot gently pressed down on the ground—

—THUD!

With a single heavy impact sound, the forces that had set foot on Mount Cheonma were crushed by an invisible pressure.

Those exposed to the invisible pressure were all transformed like tangerines crushed under a massive cart wheel, spewing their juices.

And on the face of the one who created this catastrophe was a smile.

“This is… the new realm of the Cheonma Divine Art…”

She was the leader of the current Cheonma Divine Sect and its absolute sovereign.

She was ‘Cheonma.’

Having reached a new realm of the Cheonma Divine Art, she could feel the internal energy of the art settling calmly within her.

Originally, the internal energy accumulated through practicing the Cheonma Divine Art contained an unstable and rough, so-called tyrannical energy.

But after reaching the new realm of the Cheonma Divine Art, her internal energy no longer emitted that tyrannical aura.

Instead, it moved according to her will, consuming less energy while producing more destructive power.

“Master!”

While Cheonma was rejoicing in her increased strength, Manoe had approached her side.

“I wondered where you went… my goodness.”

Manoe looked at the carnage Cheonma had created.

What appeared to be completely pulverized human flesh was scattered across the middle of Mount Cheonma.

However, Manoe hadn’t sensed any trace of the Cheonma Divine Art’s energy on her way here.

This meant that Cheonma had reached a new realm where she could use the Cheonma Divine Art without carelessly dispersing its energy.

“Master! Congratulations on reaching a new realm!”

“Thank you, Manoe. I’ve heard you worked hard taking care of the Cheonma Divine Sect while this sovereign was unconscious.”

At Cheonma’s words, Manoe felt a tightness in her nose.

Though it hadn’t been long, the Cheonma Divine Sect had truly faced an existential crisis after Cheonma collapsed.

But now, with Cheonma awake and stronger than before, she was overjoyed that they no longer needed to worry about the sect’s survival.

“Now, let’s return. This sovereign has awakened and wishes to hear about what has happened in the meantime.”

“Yes, Master!”

Manoe’s mood, following behind Cheonma, was more elated than ever before.

Upon returning to the Cheonma Divine Sect, the first place Cheonma visited was the hall for receiving guests.

Entering the hall, Cheonma smiled once more at the person inside.

“Thank you, visitor from the Western Continent.”

The recipient of her smile was none other than Pathos, who had been kidnapped by the Cheonma Divine Sect.