The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable and the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion stepped into a place the dark energy had yet to reach.
It was the kitchen, and perhaps because it was not time to prepare a meal, it was empty.
“Let’s rest here for a moment.”
“Yes.”
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable took courteous care of the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion. The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion felt burdened by her kindness. No matter how young she was, the other party was still a Demon Venerable of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“If you’re hungry, please have some of this.”
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable found two duck legs in the kitchen and brought them over.
“I’m fine.”
When the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion declined, the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable leaned against the table and tore into a duck leg.
She ate with evident relish. From that natural ease, the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion sensed composure and strength.
“It’s quiet.”
One would have expected to hear the sounds of fighting from somewhere far away, but it was so quiet it felt unpleasant.
“The Young Cult Leader must be moving in the opposite direction from us.”
Though she could not fight alongside Geom Mugeuk, the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable considered this task important.
Geom Mugeuk would be able to fight without worry because he trusted that she would protect the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion well.
Moreover, the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion was a woman deeply connected to the Extremely Evil Lesser Demon. Protecting her was important.
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable, who had been tearing into the duck, set the leg down and roughly wiped her hands on a dishcloth nearby.
“Step back.”
As the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion stepped back, the door opened and someone entered.
The one who stepped inside was an old man, Heukno, one of the two old men who had been with the Dark Palace Lord. He entered naturally, as though he had known his target was here.
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable wiped her greasy lips with her sleeve and stood in front of the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion.
Heukno looked at the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable and grinned. In that smile was the confidence of someone who regarded his opponent as laughable. She was young—far too young.
“I heard a new Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had inherited the position, but I didn’t think she would be such a brat.”
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable answered leisurely.
“You even unleashed the Great Annihilation Art of Greed just to catch one brat and one woman. Does taking in the energy of gamblers make that old body of yours overflow with strength?”
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable did not yield in the clash of momentum. She had always been good at cursing when she fought, and good at getting under her opponents’ skin. Today was no exception.
“And the older you get, the more you should wash yourself properly. You reek of rotting corpses.”
With one blow, she overturned Heukno’s temper.
“You damned bitch!”
Dark energy as sharp as blades burst from Heukno’s body.
Swaaaaaaah.
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable released her internal energy and blocked the incoming force.
The two of them faced off, their auras locked in a tense balance.
Heukno’s appearance was not necessarily a bad thing.
It meant the Young Cult Leader was doing his part well.
It meant their situation was so urgent that they needed to take the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion hostage.
‘That’s right. Things aren’t going your way, are they?’
Just then, someone else entered from behind Heukno.
“Let us postpone the fight for a moment.”
At the courteous words, Heukno withdrew the aura he had been releasing.
The one who entered was Gaye, the Palace Lord of the Divine Maiden Palace. She, who had disappeared as if fleeing, had shown herself again.
Gaye slowly approached the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion. Perhaps because she trusted Heukno, she showed no fear at all of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable standing beside her.
The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion and Gaye stood facing each other. The one who spoke first was the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion.
“What lie have you come to tell this time?”
She had been told to come alone, but in the end, this place had proven to be a trap.
In a situation where even ten mouths would have left Gaye with nothing to say, she had appeared before her again.
And Gaye did not apologize for that.
“The Young Cult Leader was right.”
For whatever reason, she did not hide her true feelings.
“I wanted to kill you.”
The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion quietly listened to words that were almost a confession.
“When the Palace Lord ordered me to lure you here, I looked forward to it inwardly. At last, you would die.”
As the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion listened to her, she thought that perhaps the one who had kept her alive from Gaye might have been the Dark Palace Lord.
“I know a prophecy recently descended upon you. What prophecy was it?”
“How did you know that?”
During the selection competition for the most beautiful woman under heaven, she had received a prophecy that the Extremely Evil Lesser Demon would stab Geom Mugeuk in the heart.
“I simply knew. Now tell me what the prophecy was.”
Gaye was curious about what the prophecy was. The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion could clearly tell where Gaye’s reason for wanting to kill her stemmed from.
Instead of answering, the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion asked,
“How long has it been since you received a prophecy?”
In that instant, Gaye’s gaze turned cold.
“What are you, that you dare put the prophecy of the Palace Lord of the Divine Maiden Palace in your mouth?”
“That’s right. I am not of the Divine Maiden Palace.”
That was why. That was why she was so angry. She had staked everything on the Divine Maiden Palace, yet the prophecy had descended upon someone who had fled because she hated the Divine Maiden Palace.
“The one born under the Heavenly Slaughter Star will rule this world. That prophecy—you made it up, didn’t you?”
“Shut your mouth!”
From her violent reaction, the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion could tell. The Palace Lord of the Divine Maiden Palace had already lost her way. Perhaps that was why the prophecies were descending upon herself, the one who had left the Divine Maiden Palace.
On the other hand, she understood her. More than anyone, she knew how ruinous it was to grow up as the Palace Lord of the Divine Maiden Palace in that closed-off place. And she knew how a Divine Maiden who could not receive prophecies was treated.
Gaye spoke with an indifferent gaze.
“No matter what prophecy you received, nothing changes. You’re going to die anyway.”
She was threatening her, but the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion could feel it. Gaye was afraid of something.
“What exactly are you afraid of? That Heavenly Slaughter Star?”
The emotion in Gaye’s eyes was a primal fear that could not be hidden.
“That power should have belonged to us.”
The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion did not know the exact details, but she could at least guess whom that power had gone to.
“No. It is right for the Young Cult Leader to possess that power. Whatever kind of power it is, he is someone who will use it properly.”
The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion tried to persuade her.
“I believe there is still a chance. If you truly believe in Heaven’s will, then the final prophecy will descend upon you. Do not side with the Young Cult Leader, nor with the Dark Palace Lord. Side with Heaven. Just as the Divine Maiden Palace did in the past.”
It was just then, when Gaye’s eyes wavered faintly.
Sssssss.
The dark energy flowing around the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion began to retreat on its own. This energy was the innate energy that had naturally flowed from Heukno’s body.
And yet, though the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had not deliberately pushed it away, that energy began to be repelled from the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion.
At that moment, the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion let out a short exclamation, then spoke words that were astonishing.
“A prophecy is about to descend.”
She had felt that a prophecy was about to come down.
It was an unexpected situation, but the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable nodded with a calm expression.
“I will protect you, so receive the prophecy.”
The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion immediately sat down where she was and took a white cloth from her bosom. It was the Divine Maiden’s Dream.
Before covering her eyes, she saw Gaye’s despairing face, but now she had no time to attend to her.
To be honest, she did not want to receive a prophecy. If this prophecy had nothing to do with the Extremely Evil Lesser Demon, and if it had nothing to do with Geom Mugeuk, she would not have received it.
But now, she had to. If Heaven was sending down a prophecy at this moment, then that, too, must have meaning.
Gaye’s face twisted hideously.
A prophecy was descending at this very moment? Here, where she was watching? At the very moment she was venting her rage at not having received a prophecy?
This was Heaven disregarding her. If this was Heaven, she would never believe in it again.
Or perhaps the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion before her was deceiving her.
Whatever the case, there was only one response Gaye could make. Killing intent flowed in her eyes.
“Kill her.”
When Gaye turned away, Heukno stepped forward.
“I cannot do that. My task is to bring that woman to the Palace Lord.”
The Dark Palace Lord intended to take her away not merely to use her as a hostage.
“The contents of that prophecy must be reported to the Palace Lord.”
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable stepped in front of the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion.
“If it were a prophecy your side was meant to hear, it would have descended upon your Divine Maiden.”
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable added one more thing to her task of protecting the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion. She had been annoyed the entire time she was listening.
“Hey, fake Divine Maiden.”
At the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s words, Gaye, who had turned away, bit her lip hard. The word “fake” shook her heart.
“From now on, resent me instead of Heaven. I’ll be the one to kill you.”
It was chilling. Because the one who had foretold her death was the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
But when Gaye turned back, she did not look frightened at all.
“Did he also tell you to bring that brat back alive?”
“Of course not.”
Heukno laughed coldly. If he killed her, he intended to make her death as painful as possible.
From the beginning, he unleashed a powerful move.
Swaeeeeeeek.
A mighty palm force shot from Heukno’s hand toward the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
Shuruk.
In that instant, something appeared in the air before the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
It was one of the bizarre patterns drawn on the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s carriage.
The moment the incoming palm force struck that pattern, it changed direction and flew toward the wall.
Kwaaaang!
The cabin wall was smashed apart, but beyond it writhed a dark haze. The energy of the Great Annihilation Art of Greed was blocking the surroundings of the ship, so no matter how fiercely they fought, there was no need to worry about the ship sinking.
“What a strange little trick.”
Swaeeeeeeeeek!
This time, he struck out with an even more powerful palm.
Shurururuk.
Another pattern appeared in the air, and this time it sent the incoming palm force back toward where Gaye stood.
Kwaang.
Heukno extended his hand and blocked the palm force flying toward Gaye.
Sssss.
Black smoke rose from his palm as the palm force he had released was dissolved.
“Not bad.”
The look of disdain vanished from Heukno’s face. Considering the internal energy contained in that palm strike just now, it was not a power that could be easily blocked.
Moreover, she had not merely diverted it; the move that sent it precisely back at Gaye was truly extraordinary.
One of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s unique demonic arts, the Soul-Origin Reversal Art (魂元易傳術), had been displayed.
He did not know how hard the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had worked. How she had reduced her sleep and trained so as not to fall behind the other Demon Venerables.
Nor did he know that at the center of that effort stood an outstanding master named Cult Leader Pungcheon.
Heukno chanted an incantation.
Gururururung.
The floor shook and trembled as if there were an earthquake.
Several places in the floor bulged upward, and then something popped out as though hatching from eggs.
Astonishingly, they were skeletons.
Heukno’s most powerful dark demonic art, the Nine Springs Descent Art (九泉降臨術), had been unleashed.
Those skeletons, chilling just to look at, were no illusion.
From their two eyes flowed a blue light emitted by the dead.
It was truly fortunate that the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion had her eyes covered. No matter how bold a person was, they could not maintain their composure at such a sight.
Of course, the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable was not afraid at all.
“Now I know why you reeked so much of rotting corpses.”
She quietly recited a formula.
Srrruk.
Unfathomable characters began to be inscribed on the floor.
With the Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion sitting cross-legged and the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable standing before her at the center, the characters were engraved into the floor in a round circle. Light poured from the carved letters.
The moment the skeletons tried to cross over the characters—
Thud.
There was an invisible barrier blocking their way.
The martial art the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had displayed was the Ghost-Script Barrier Art (鬼文結界術).
The skeletons swarmed forward and struck the invisible barrier with the weapons in their hands.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
But the barrier created by the writings of ghosts did not break.
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable was buying as much time as possible. She thought that if a chaotic battle broke out, the prophecy might not be received.
“Not bad.”
Heukno, who had been watching, fired palm force at the floor. He did not waste unnecessary internal energy trying to destroy the Ghost-Script Barrier. The place his palm force flew toward was the floor.
Kwaaaang!
Under his immense palm force, the floor shattered and collapsed downward.
Kwareureureureu!
The Master of Cheonhwa Pavilion, who had been sitting cross-legged, gently descended to the lower floor. The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had released her internal energy to set her down safely. Gaye, likewise, was brought down without injury by Heukno.
Did he think that if he collapsed the floor, the letters on it would be damaged and the Ghost Gate barrier would be broken?
But even after they fell to the floor below, both the letters and the barrier remained intact.
Boom! KABOOM!
Heukno released his palm force again and shattered the floor.
This time, too, everyone fell downward.
Heukno had not been trying to destroy the Ghost Gate barrier. The farther they fell, the denser the energy of darkness became.
After descending several more times like that, they arrived at a place filled with thick, dark energy. They had deliberately climbed up while avoiding places where the darkness was dense, only to plunge straight down like this.
Bam! Bam!
Sure enough, the strength of the skeletons battering the barrier had become incomparably greater than before.
Even so, the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable’s barrier did not break.
Just then, Heukno recited an incantation again.
At that, the skeletons pounding on the barrier retreated as if afraid. What the skeletons were feeling was clearly fear.
Ruuuumble!
When he finished reciting the incantation, a tremor far greater than anything before shook the place.
Then a skeleton, far larger and more massive than those summoned earlier, rose up from the floor.
The skeleton summoned this time wore armor made of bone. Its eye sockets were even deeper, and the blue light flowing from within was so intense it looked as though gems had been set there.
Each finger bone was as sharp as a blade, and between bone and bone flowed a deathly aura that crushed its opponent.
It was none other than the king of skeletons, the Jiuquan Shiwang (九泉屍王).
In one hand, the Jiuquan Shiwang held an enormous sword, making it look like a death god risen from hell.
Watching it, the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable’s gaze deepened.
“A soul dwells in it.”
The Jiuquan Shiwang was different from ordinary skeletons. A soul could be felt from it—an evil soul filled only with rage, resentment, and killing intent.
Certain of victory, Heukno burst into loud laughter.
“Let’s see you block this one.”
The Jiuquan Shiwang’s enormous sword flew toward the barrier.
Whoooosh! Boom!
At the first attack, the barrier shook violently, and with the even stronger second strike, cracks appeared in it. It was truly terrifying power.
Riiip.
The Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable looked back at the Lord of Cheonhwaru.
She was still seated, her eyes covered by the Divine Maiden’s Dream. He had to protect her at least until she had received the entire prophecy.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and patch the hole.”
At Heukno’s mockery, the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable began reciting an incantation, as if she really intended to do just that.
Boom! KABOOM! Boom!
Under the relentless barrage of blows, the barrier began to crack in an instant.
Craaaaack!
Now, one final blow would shatter the barrier completely. The smaller skeletons surrounded them on all sides, ready to rush in the moment the protective barrier broke.
“We’ll have to choose a new Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable again. That seat is ill-fated.”
The Jiuquan Shiwang delivered the final strike.
Whoooooosh.
Clench.
Heukno was staring upward, his face filled with shock.
He had caught the sword the Jiuquan Shiwang had brought down. Black energy rippled from the palm blocking the blade, and his arm trembled from the impact.
“…What are you?”
The Jiuquan Shiwang, which had been about to deliver the final blow, had suddenly turned and struck at him instead.
Heukno’s startled gaze shifted to the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable standing behind the Jiuquan Shiwang.
‘No way?’
From her two eyes, the same blue energy flowing in the Jiuquan Shiwang’s eyes was streaming out.
She had not been reciting the incantation to strengthen the barrier. Astonishingly, she had been seizing the soul of the summoned Jiuquan Shiwang.
Even if you created it, the moment a soul dwells within it—
“This skeleton is mine now.”