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This world didn’t have one Venerable, but two.
While the Heavenly Venerable was Hue Xian, who represented the Orthodox Faction of Sects and Organizations and led what she called the “Heavenly Court” at one point, there was also someone else.
There was the second Venerable, the Demonic Venerable, or, as most would call him, the Heavenly Demon. Someone who reached the pinnacle of heaven while being a Demon, an Evil Cultivator belonging to the Demonic Faction.
But what truly differentiated the Evil Cultivators from the Orthodox Cultivators? Could there truly be just a bunch of evil people together in such large quantities all over the world, somehow all belonging to the same faction?
Why would all these villainous people—barbarians, thieves, assassins, and tricksters—all belong to the same faction when they can’t even trust one another to begin with?
It was because of a single man that dominated all of the Evil Cults, the Demonic Sects, led by blood pacts between vile, heartless cultivators that sought to grow stronger no matter the method, even if it meant killing innocents, robbing the rich and poor, and committing all sorts of crimes.
And that one figure was right above me right now—the Heavenly Demon. A figure that might as well be present in most Murim Worldlines. And this was an especially unique world, with both pinnacles of each faction living together.
Well, aside from all of that, one thing surprised me a bit. He was a completely black-feathered crow. His eyes were bright red, and he had a strong-looking, big, and sharp black beak.
“Why are you staring at me so intensely? Have you never seen a man before?” He asked very unkindly.
“You’re a crow…” I said.
“Huh? Of course I am! I belong to the Umbral Crow Bloodline.” He spoke. “Since eons, we’ve been a tribe that has birthed the strongest Demonic Cultivators. We cultivate our beastly bloodlines to dominate the elements of darkness and the void! There is but no equal to us at night. And even now, I can bring it if I desire.”
His eyes flashed with bright red light, and the skies darkened in an instant. It was as if he had summoned the night in that very moment. Stars shone above the skies, and the big and beautiful silver moon appeared above.
“Do you see what is happening now, foolish bald ape girl?” He laughed. “And yet you dare trespass in the territory of this great Heavenly Demon? You must have no brains left within that big head of yours, hah!”
“You’re really like she told me.” I sighed. “I will tell you the truth now, oh great Heavenly Demon... I was sent here by the Heavenly Empress. I am her disciple, and I’ve come with one mission.”
“That wretched woman has sent you?!” He groaned. “So it’s war! I thought she would at least let us recuperate for a few hundred years, but she already wants to crush us while we are weak?! Hah! As if! I’ve been preparing this entire time, so come and-”
“Wait a minute, PLEASE! I don’t want to fight, Jesus Christ…” I sighed. “She doesn’t want any conflicts either! I came here in peace; I want to be of help.”
“Of help?! And what help would someone like you even give to the… Ugh, to the great me?!” He groaned; he didn’t look that well. He was just pretending to be super strong, but he was clearly very weakened.
I sensed many people inside the walls of this small fortress village. Many of these presences were very small and young. The Heavenly Demon might have a soft spot for children, but he was giving a big show here, showing me he was almighty, to protect his people because he felt threatened by my powerful presence.
“I am fairly sure you’ll need as much help as you can to destroy that tree, right?” I pointed at the distance as he squinted his eyes.
“…” He looked there and sighed. “And why would I need your help for that anyway? Is the white crane looking down on me again? Does she think I ever need her damned assistance? Is this another of her plots to make me owe her something later? Tsk, go away now! Before I kill you.”
“…I haven’t told this to the White Crane woman.” I spoke to him again, my eyes growing sharper. “But my Inner Martial Core is cultivation the Demonic Darkness that only your bloodline can cultivate properly as well. I don’t want to simply learn from her, but also from you, oh great lord of evil, the Heavenly Demon. By simply looking at your beautiful black feathers, I sense a feeling of awe! I need to learn from you, please. I want to save your world. I want to destroy those metallic trees. And I won’t be able to do so without learning from the best first.”
“Huh? W-What are you…?!” He was shocked by the words I spoke. “I see, so that’s the power surging from you, your Inner Core! It possesses the Demonic Darkness Ki I also cultivate somehow… And you said my world? You’re not from Bestia?” His curiosity grew.
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“That’s right. I come from a distant world. Just like those mechanical beasts were sent here to destroy your world, I’ve been sent here to save it, or at least, to assist his greatness, the heavenly demon, in doing so.” I said, bowing my head. “You may use any lie detection abilities or even see through my soul; I tell no lies. I show you my truest sincerity.”
After I spoke, his eyes shone again as I felt his entire aura overwhelm my entire body, forcing me to fall to the floor. I felt his energies looking into the depths of my soul in a much more aggressive way than the Heavenly Empress, almost harming my soul.
However, my soul didn’t just let him do whatever he wanted, putting up a strong resistance that grew as my Cosmic Aura surged from my body instinctively, encompassing my body as a veil.
He was shocked, but then calmed himself down and laughed.
“Hah… HAHAHA! Interesting!” He nodded, rubbing the tip of his beak. “You were able to reject my Soul-Searching technique so easily! But I was able to see a glimpse into your very being. Yes, you are indeed not from our own world. How amusing for someone to come out of their way here to just help us. I have never relied on the kindness of anyone to reach where I am now. But I suppose... Things might change now. I would have instantly eliminated you back in the past, but now... I hate to admit it, but I am quite short on personnel. However! Even as I’ve seen you tell no lies and possess a great heart full of sincerity, that means nothing but dog shit to me. In the Demonic Faction, the only thing we believe, and trust is strength.”
“And I wouldn’t have wanted anything else!” I smiled. “The Heavenly Empress herself told me to come here if I truly wanted to, and I did. There was not even a second when I thought that this journey would be easy. Please, great Demonic Lord of Heaven, tell me what I must do to earn your trust.”
“Hmph, you can’t earn my trust even in ten thousand years.” Laughed the Heavenly Demon. “However, your strength, however, might learn my recognition. Do you see this island? We’ve been clearing the mechanical beasts as they surge, but they always keep coming. I’ve recently discovered that these bastards have created underground facilities connected to the tree’s roots. There are three facilities where they create these monstrosities by extracting the rich metal reserves of our mines, which were taken over by their army several years ago. You can guess what’s my request, right?”
“To destroy the underground facilities that make the mechanical beasts?” I asked.
“And to also eliminate every single one you find.” He said. “I saw within your soul various powers and techniques; now show it to me that you can at least use them half-decently! Now go, quickly! Make sure to come back before sunset. If you can’t, you’re expelled from my island. And if you insist afterwards, I’ll kill you.”
“Yes, I understand.” I nodded, completely unfazed by his threatening words. That only made him smile slightly, as if he were seeing within me great potential.
“Then be on your merry way, bald ape girl.” He quickly flew back to his black palace, as I noticed a few eyes looking at me from the other side of the walls. There were guards and soldiers, though they dared not to show themselves to me.
Perhaps they knew I was considered an Immortal in power alone or something?
Well, whatever’s the case...
[A New {Special Quest} has been generated: {The Heavenly Demon’s Hellish Trial}!]
[Rank: SS++]
[Once you stepped onto the Heavenly Demon’s Island, he confronted you directly. And after a long talk, you’ve somehow managed to convince him to accept you as his disciple and allow you to assist him in destroying the giant Metallic Tree.]
[However, before that, he desires to see the extent of your abilities. Complete all steps of this Quest to gain his trust.]
[Step 1: Hunt all Mechanical Beasts within the underground caverns: 0/13.538]
[Step 2: Destroy all three Mechanical Production Facilities: 0/3]
[Completion Rewards]: [???]
[Failure Penalty]: [Favorability With Demonic Cultivators -10.000] [Favorability With The Heavenly Demon: -100.000] [Inability to become the Heavenly Demon’s Disciple.]
[Time Condition]: [12 Hours]
[If you cannot complete the quest within 12 Hours, it will be automatically shown as a Failure.]
It seemed harder than the Heavenly Empress Trial, and I only had twelve hours to complete it too! The Heavenly Demon wasn’t being fair at all, but I liked that as well.
I woke up craving some challenges today, and I got them.
[Celestial Dragon’s Aura]!
[Golden Dragon’s Eyes]!
I activated both techniques at the same time, as I couldn’t use my Mana Sense properly around here. Combining it with faint amounts of Cosmic Energy and my Ki Essence, I expanded my senses as far as I could, reaching the deep underground.
I closed my eyes, moving part of my senses towards where my aura expanded. I quickly managed to see the underground caverns. Thousands of mechanical beasts were mining silver and gold-colored ores.
They carried them to these facilities, where they were processed into all sorts of metallic parts, and then these parts were assembled together into new mechanical creatures of all shapes and sizes.
Despite the endless efforts of the Demonic Cults here to take them down, the mechanical tree had taken even greater measures than on the other island, expanding its forces into three more facilities, which constantly created more enemies.
Eventually, the faction here would fall as their resources dwindled while the mechanical beasts continued to proliferate endlessly.
They were playing it safe, going for a war of attrition and wearing down their enemy slowly, without any rush.
Unfortunately for these invaders, their perfect plan will never come to fruition.
“Alright, let’s get going.” I smiled, summoning my familiars by my side as we quickly moved through the jungles.
We rushed behind a huge mountain, which had the entrance I was looking for. From the mountain, new mechanical beasts kept walking out and then being grabbed and sent flying towards the metallic tree.
Were they storing the units there for the big invasion they were planning later? I better destroy as many as I can and then enter. I can’t let that damned tree get even more soldiers.
“{Sunshine Blades}! {Umbral Spears}!”
I combined Celestial Ki and Demonic Ki with my special Physique Ability Sunshine and my Inner Core Ability Umbral Star, summoning a dozen swords of golden light and a dozen spears of purple and black darkness.
And he fired them at lightning speed towards the flying units carrying the mechanical creations away.
BOOOM!
As my targets exploded into pieces once hit by my flying projectiles, dozens of cold, mechanical eyes were set on us.
“Let’s begin.”
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