Where the black lightning that had filled the mindscape receded like the tide, only emptiness remained.
Even at a rough estimate, the radius spanned several kilometers. The wasteland where the sky had been red as blood and corpses lay strewn about was nowhere to be seen.
As if a colossal black hole had swallowed the earth whole, only a massive cavity lay there gaping open, a void where even light could not reach.
It was closer to a calamity than martial arts. A power of Heaven-Breaking that transcended human limits by an immeasurable margin, usurping divine authority to shatter the heavens and rewrite the world.
Baek Hui steadied her rough, ragged breathing and slowly turned around.
Because she had reproduced the power of her prime, thin black sparks still crackled between her silver-white hair.
With blazing eyes, she pierced through Siu and asked,
“Did you see, my disciple? This is everything of mine that you shall inherit, and the karma you must bear.”
Baek Hui’s voice echoed through the empty space.
Her gaze penetrated beyond Siu’s flesh, delving into the depths of the soul sleeping within.
“I am asking whether you can surpass this master. Whether, ignoring the call of the heavens, you can become a god alone, by your own will.”
The Heavenly Demon Constitution, which even the heavens fear.
This question thrown to Siu, who possessed that vessel, was akin to an ultimatum asking whether he would remain an obedient disciple or ascend as an absolute ruler who placed the world beneath his feet.
Siu looked toward the end of the annihilated earth instead of answering.
Though it was empty there, in his eyes he already saw the blue river and sprouting buds he had promised.
An arrogant thirst to use this power of destruction to break the world and repaint it in the color he desired began to writhe in Siu’s heart as black lightning energy.
Siu opened his mouth, gazing at the space of void that had been annihilated.
His voice was low, but it held a firm conviction resounding enough to shake the entire mindscape.
“Surpassing Master is only natural. For I shall become a new sky that you have never seen.”
Siu slowly turned his head to look at Baek Hui.
In his red eyes, an arrogant hegemony intersected with deep compassion directed at only one person.
“But when I become a god, you must be by my side. When I turn this blood-colored wasteland into a green forest and make rivers flow, the only one who must see that scenery with me is you, Master.”
An arrogant declaration, and a confession promising eternity.
Baek Hui’s pupils trembled greatly at those words, and soon a bright smile bloomed on her lips—one she had shown to no one for a thousand years.
It was neither the smile of a bewitching demoness nor the stern First Heavenly Demon, but the smile of a woman who had opened her heart fully to a man.
“...You speak trustworthy words, my disciple. Very well. This master shall watch until the end to see if you keep that promise.”
Baek Hui soothed the overwhelming emotion that had blossomed in her heart and steadied her momentum once more.
Black lightning energy condensed into her grasp, and soon took the form of a pitch-black demonic sword.
“Now I shall show you my true absolute art, the pinnacle of martial dao completed after becoming the Heavenly Demon. The Heaven-Breaking Sword Art. Do not avert your eyes.”
Heaven-Breaking Sword Art
First Form: Heaven-Breaking Single Sword. Baek Hui lightly thrust her sword. It was the simplest of stabs, yet the black sword qi that shot from the tip distorted the principles of space in an instant and raced toward the enemy’s vital point. A supreme art of ambush and assassination, combining penetration that pierced even protective qi like paper and speed that tore through space.
Second Form: Demonic Sword Chain. Baek Hui’s figure wielding the sword divided into dozens of afterimages. A ring technique of endless, continuous slashes and thrusts. Every time she swung her sword, black afterimages remained to conceal the true sword path, and even a single graze caused black energy to cling to the opponent’s weapon, slowing their movements—a terrifying chain attack.
Third Form: Heavenly Demon Overlord Sword. When Baek Hui swung her sword in a great circle, a massive storm of black sword qi raged around her. The surrounding earth was torn to shreds by the sword qi storm, and the caster repelled all attacks from the center of the tempest while overwhelming the enemy. It was the sovereign sword art dominating the battlefield and laying waste to many.
Fourth Form: Shadow Soul Slash. Baek Hui’s sword blurred like a shadow. With the boundary between the real sword and illusions collapsed, sword shadows poured in from all directions. A sword path that infiltrated the soul directly rather than cutting the flesh. Those struck fell to their knees of their own accord, plunged into extreme terror and weakened will—a slash that annihilated the mind.
Fifth Form: Heaven-Breaking Descent. When Baek Hui raised her sword high to the heavens, a rain of dozens of black sword qi streaks poured down from the darkened sky. Each streak tracked the enemy like a living guided missile and impaled them, and whenever they touched the ground, black energy spread like a contaminant, devouring all surrounding vitality.
Sixth Form: Demonic Dragon Sword Draw. The moment she swung her sword, sword qi in the form of a huge black demonic dragon shot forth from the blade. The demonic dragon traced its trajectory freely, sweeping across the earth, and exploded upon contact with its target, turning the surroundings into scorched ruins. It was a sure-kill strike embodying the arrogant momentum of the Heavenly Demon in the form of a black dragon.
Seventh Form: Heavenly Demon Heaven Slash. Baek Hui struck downward vertically. A massive black sword shadow appeared in the air and passed through heaven and earth in a straight line. The black energy that penetrated along with the massive shockwave quaked the internal organs and blood vessels simultaneously, and each successive slash showed destructive power that tore space itself apart in layers.
Eighth Form: Soul-Annihilating Demonic Sword. Baek Hui condensed all her internal energy to the extreme at the tip of her sword. The external wound appeared small, but this profound technique engraved a black brand on the soul the instant it grazed the blade. Once branded, the victim’s will and internal energy gradually faded away, plunging them into suffering worse than death—a form that manifested the dominion of the Heavenly Demon at the pinnacle of sword arts.
Ninth Form: Heaven-Breaking Annihilation Sword — Absolute Technique. Finally, Baek Hui swung her sword greatly and created a compressed black sword sphere. The moment she detonated it, several dozen zhang in radius transformed into an absolute destruction zone of pure black energy. Even survivors would bear the remnants of Heaven-Breaking in their souls, suffering for the rest of their lives—it was the final annihilation cutting, tearing, and devouring everything.
Baek Hui’s sword, its demonstration complete, slowly scattered.
Her complexion had grown pale, and her shoulders trembled faintly. It was the price of reproducing the power of her prime within the mindscape in succession.
But upon confirming the yearning gathered in Siu’s eyes, she smiled as if pleased.
“Hoo... hoo... This is the Heaven-Breaking Sword Art. And Siu, this which you can only begin to learn after reaching the Transformation Realm... is precisely the Heavenly Demon Overlord Steps.”
Baek Hui forced down her quickened breathing and stood up again.
Clear beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but her eyes shone more brightly than ever.
Baek Hui took the first step. It was merely the beginning, yet the very air of the mindscape began to scream.
Heavenly Demon Overlord Steps
First Step. The moment Baek Hui took her first step, the surrounding air transformed into the weight of tens of thousands of geun and bore down. Minute black lightning burst from beneath her feet, distorting space, and invisible pressure exploded and spread in all directions.
Second Step. When the second step landed, the earth within a radius of ten zhang collapsed in an instant. A destructive force was released as if an invisible giant hand were pressing down on the ground, and the black demonic energy that seeped in constricted the opponent’s meridians while black lightning penetrated their blood vessels to burn them from within, bestowing unspeakable terror.
Third Step. With the third step, the surrounding space was dyed pitch-black. The opponent had their sight blocked and was pressed by a weight like a thousand geun, writhing in the agony of black lightning scurrying beneath their skin. It was a footstep that fully carried the Heavenly Demon’s momentum dominating the earth.
Fourth Step. The fourth step deceived space. It was but a single movement, yet the shock of destruction erupted simultaneously from five directions. It was the pinnacle of multi-directional destruction, capable of bringing five transcendent masters to their knees or bursting their internal organs with a single step.
Fifth Step. The moment the fifth step landed, the caster’s entire domain transformed into a Heavenly Demon’s destruction zone. Every being in the surroundings knelt simultaneously, and the shockwave that began from the step became an explosion of black lightning that covered the entire domain, allowing no resistance whatsoever.
Sixth Step. From the sixth step onward, destruction did not cease but continued in a chain. Before the shock of one step ended, the next explosion followed, and each movement caused multi-directional destruction as the chain explosions of black lightning amplified the damage exponentially.
Seventh Step. The seventh step was the quintessence of destruction condensed to the extreme. Before the foot even touched the ground, black lightning energy resonated and exploded inside the opponent’s body. Before this footwork, which destroyed blood vessels and internal organs simultaneously, none below the realm of Ultimate Demon could endure even a single step.
Eighth Step. The eighth step transcended even form. The moment it was taken, every being within several dozen zhang was caught in a powerful black lightning shock and annihilated. It was an absolute demonic step where a silent, soundless shock ended everything, or the most intense lightning explosion erased all traces.
Ninth Step. The ninth step was aimed at the heavens. With that one step, even the blood-colored sky was dyed black, and all the energy of the battlefield transformed into black lightning and exploded simultaneously. It was a step of destruction that defied even the natural order, turning a battlefield several hundred zhang in radius into scorched earth with a single tread.
Annihilation Step — Absolute Technique. The final, tenth step. It signified the erasure of existence. The moment Baek Hui’s foot cut through the air and touched the ground, overwhelming demonic energy exploded, wiping away the target’s flesh, blood vessels, internal energy, and even soul without a trace. It was the final footprint by which the Heavenly Demon reigned over the world, and the absolute single step returning everything to void.
Baek Hui, having completed all ten steps, staggered as if she no longer had the strength to stand.
Black smoke rose from her entire body shimmering like a heat haze, and black sparks mingled with her quickened breath.
At the center of the mindscape that had transformed into a massive cavity, Siu saw the ten footprints Baek Hui had just left behind.
They were not traces carved into the earth, but the path of sovereignty carved into Siu’s very soul.
The massive demonic energy sustaining the mindscape scattered like a mirage.
The moment his spirit snapped back to reality along with an intense dizziness, Siu felt a soft, delicate body collapsing into his arms.
The dignity of the First Heavenly Demon who had driven the world to terror a thousand years ago was nowhere to be seen; the one in his arms now was merely a woman drained of strength and pale.
Siu suppressed his wildly pounding heart and held Baek Hui preciously.
“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself this far, Master.”
Siu’s voice was mixed with self-reproach and pity.
Because he knew that those majestic powers he had just witnessed were actually shown to him by Baek Hui whittling away her own soul, his eyes trembled.
Baek Hui opened her eyes with difficulty and looked up at Siu.
A thin breath flowed from between her bloodless lips, but deep trust toward her disciple still lingered in her pupils.
She raised a trembling hand and gently caressed Siu’s cheek.
“Huhu... do not worry. It is simply because the seal lasted so long that my mindscape and body could not accept the power of their prime simultaneously. I am not dying, so do not make such a sad expression.”
The faint warmth felt from the tips of Baek Hui’s fingers made Siu’s chest ache.
Her smile was sorrowful yet dazzling, like the quiet moonlight after a storm had passed.
Siu pressed Baek Hui’s hand against his own cheek and pulled her into an even deeper embrace.
In the cold dawn air of the Demon Spirit Valley, only the body heat of the two seemed like the sole reality as they seeped into each other.
What Baek Hui had passed on was not merely a collection of forms.
It was an earnest wish for him to continue her life, and to become a new sky that would undoubtedly surpass her.