It felt like the world had been distorted.
An overwhelming presence pressed down on me. It wasn’t bloodlust, nor was it an outpouring of internal energy. Just being looked at by that existence alone was enough to crush me.
I felt as though every part of my being was being laid bare.
The moment I saw her, I knew instantly.
Skin as white as a statue carved from ice, and silver hair—something no ordinary person would ever have—were the first things to catch my eye.
Her long, flowing robes revealed curves that made her look like a divine sculpture.
A high-bridged nose, lips the color of blood contrasting with her pale skin—one couldn’t help but be drawn in.
The finishing touch.
Her eyes shone like stars plucked from the heavens. Their color was silver too.
The brilliance in her gaze exuded a sense of divinity.
A cold aura rose from her body like a shimmering haze, further emphasizing how inhuman she was.
At the age of twenty-seven, she had ascended to the position of Heavenly Demon—a feat unmatched in history. Unquestionably, she was the strongest being in this world.
Lee Seryeong, the Heavenly Demon.
She had appeared, out of nowhere.
Likely, her twelve Heavenly Demon Guardian Commanders were also nearby, hidden and on standby.
Because of her sudden presence, countless people within the Disciplinary Quarters were bowing deeply. Even those unrelated to the area had followed her here to show their respect.
“Damn it…”
I bit my lip as I knelt.
Of all people, I had run into the one I absolutely must not meet.
The Heavenly Demon, who usually remained secluded within the Cheonma Palace and rarely stepped out.
“My hands… they’re shaking.”
I could feel it—she was different. This wasn’t like Do Il-gwang, who had fallen into ruin after reaching Transcendent Peak.
No, this wasn’t just “different.” I was wrong. She was right. It felt like my entire will was being denied, while hers was absolute.
So right now—
[Pull yourself together, monster!]
!?
At Skybreaker Sword’s voice, my mind snapped back. Goosebumps ran down my spine.
I had been getting enchanted just by facing her.
[It’s your first time facing a higher being. Like iron powder drawn to a magnet, unless your will is firmly grounded, you’ll be swept away.]
“Will…”
I braced myself with Skybreaker Sword’s words. My will—of course, it was survival.
My drifting consciousness slowly gathered itself again.
[Her inner world—her mental state—is bleeding into the surroundings. Be careful.]
A warrior’s inner world was the culmination of their life’s path. Manifesting it externally was the basis of intent projection.
And yet, even without projecting her will, the mere echo of her words stirred her inner world and shook my mind.
‘Was she on an inspection?’
The Heavenly Demon was free. If she wished to go somewhere, she would. Maybe she just felt like walking through the Disciplinary Quarters over a cup of tea.
But the real problem was—
“Do Il-gwang saw through my state in an instant…”
Half-broken due to the restraints and formations, Do Il-gwang called me a fake the moment he saw me. He had seen through me.
And if that level was what they call “a higher class,” of course he would have.
“What do I do if she sees through me?”
With others—Saweol, for example—I could use the Blink Orb to escape once.
But the Heavenly Demon was different.
The moment she formed the thought, my head would be gone. It was no different from intent-kill, a state where killing intent alone could kill.
“There’s one, worst-case option…”
Throwing myself into the Disciplinary Quarters.
I could hide within its maze-like structure, and in the absolute worst case, release Do Il-gwang to cause chaos and escape.
But that would make me look utterly insane.
For now, I needed to focus on the situation in front of me.
“You.”
The Heavenly Demon opened her mouth.
Her voice was soft yet unwavering, carrying a faint lethargy, and it rang in my ears. I could feel my will wavering again, but I gritted my teeth and answered.
“I am Sado Hwan, rightful heir of the Sado Clan.”
“I know. It’s been a long time.”
I bowed even lower.
Then she suddenly asked—
“Did you meet Do Il-gwang inside?”
To meet the previous Heavenly Demon, who had been imprisoned for his crimes, could be considered treason. Normally, I would have denied it flatly, but—
“Lies won’t work here.”
My instincts said so.
“Yes. I met him.”
“I thought so. I could smell his pungent stench clinging to you. Then there’s no need for me to go further down.”
I flinched.
The reason she could defeat Do Il-gwang and ascend to the position of Heavenly Demon at just twenty-seven—
She could “smell” the nature of a person’s energy.
She could precisely identify the type of energy someone possessed, and that became her strength.
‘In the original, she loses this ability later…’
By the time Mujin came to the cult, she had internal injuries and had lost this ability. Back then, readers complained the author kept changing things for convenience—but that was canon.
‘Wait… so she still has the ability now?’
That could actually work in my favor.
“Lift your head.”
At her command, I slowly raised my head.
Our eyes met. And in that moment, I felt like I had to confess everything—to say I was Kim Dong-yun, that this world was actually just a—
[Snap out of it!]
!
[She’s far beyond normal Transcendent Peak—snap out of it! Didn’t you say you wanted to live?!]
Skybreaker Sword’s roar echoed within me, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art began surging from my dantian up toward my eyes.
I quickly suppressed it, forcing it back down with abdominal strength.
If the energy reached my eyes, she would notice…
The Heavenly Demon tilted her head slightly as our eyes met.
Fortunately, thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art being tightly contained in my dantian, I wasn’t swept away again.
“Hmm…”
She sniffed deeply in my direction and said,
“Sweet. There shouldn’t be any honey in the Disciplinary Quarters, so where is that scent coming from? Is it you?”
“Hard to tell from the outside. A swollen Solar Blood point with a hidden internal flow… fascinating.”
Normally, warriors with powerful internal energy up to the Peak stage tend to leak it outward. That helps create pressure.
But true masters were different.
When someone’s presence gave off nothing at all, they were said to be in a state called Hidden Returning Vitality.
I could hear murmurs among the surrounding people.
Curiosity glimmered in the Heavenly Demon’s eyes as well.
“I am humbled.”
There was no reason my body should be giving off a sweet scent.
‘She definitely sensed the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.’
She had surely learned at least the latter half of the technique—its forms and techniques.
She must be desperately yearning for the other half, to make the art complete.
That’s probably why she called the energy “sweet.”
‘Even though I seem fake, the scent is sweet, so she can’t identify me—she just thinks I’ve achieved Hidden Returning Vitality.’
Had I let the energy rise to my eyes, I’d be dead already.
I narrowly avoided it, and now I’d unintentionally been certified by the Heavenly Demon herself as a master.
Which was a good thing.
Sado Hwan was considered a recluse by many, barely stepping outside. So if word spread that he suddenly reached Transcendent Peak, people would naturally be suspicious.
But now, the Heavenly Demon had verified it in a single sentence.
Though somehow, I felt like things had gotten more dangerous.
Her gaze pierced through me, as if trying to dig something out.
If this were a web novel, it’d be like reading the prologue of
.
“Do you recognize me?”
I knew the meaning behind those words.
But I couldn’t answer too eagerly. That would only drag the conversation out.
And the Heavenly Demon was already a threatening enough presence for me.
“Anyone would recognize the Supreme One at a glance.”
“Is that all?”
She took a step closer. The chill in the air intensified.
“Is her internal injury worse than I thought…?”
Just as with Hidden Returning Vitality, a true expert’s aura shouldn’t be leaking.
The Heavenly Demon should be the same.
Yet with every step she took, her energy leaked.
It didn’t feel like the absolute being she was supposed to be.
She wasn’t faking it like Sado Hwan had—it just wasn’t possible for someone in her position.
Which meant—
‘Maybe her injuries are worse than I thought.’
Her vessel had cracked, and her energy was leaking out.
Even in that condition, she remained the Heavenly Demon. A true monster.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
While I was distracted, she stepped even closer and leaned in slightly, as if expecting something.
“I said, is that all?”
“As a cultist, of course I would recognize the Supreme One. It is only right.”
“Tch…”
With an annoyed click of her tongue, the Heavenly Demon turned abruptly.
“Let’s go.”
“Heavenly Demon Supreme! Ten Thousand Blessings!”
With thunderous cries that felt like they would bring down the Disciplinary Quarters, the cultists all bowed deeply.
The Heavenly Demon walked away, hands behind her back—then vanished from sight.
It was like she’d teleported.
Only the cold, shimmering aura she left behind proved she had been here.
Finally, the crushing sensation disappeared.
I stood up.
With the Heavenly Demon gone, everyone’s attention turned to me.
“Hidden Returning Vitality…?”
“So the rumor about him reaching Transcendent Peak was true?”
“Is the Sado Clan preparing to rise again?”
“With the Supreme One’s recognition and a master appearing… They’re practically one of the Six Demon Families now.”
The buzz of astonished voices filled the air.
The Heavenly Demon’s appearance had caused a major ripple.
To the cultists, the Heavenly Demon was treated like an idol—cheered at every move, adored at every word.
It was no wonder.
She was the object of loyalty for all cultists, and she looked like something the gods had sculpted. She had even overthrown Do Il-gwang, the terror of their past.
“Of course, there’s still that legitimacy issue…”
She hadn’t completed the proper ritual required of the Heavenly Demon.
So while she was still treated with respect, many of the old guard in the Six Demon Families resented her for it.
‘Anyway, time to return.’
Though her sudden appearance had shocked me, it turned into a stroke of good fortune.
I had to make the most of it.
The week spent in the Disciplinary Quarters—aside from the Do Il-gwang incident—had given me time to sort out my thoughts.
How should I act upon returning to the Sado Clan?
I had already told the truth to Skybreaker Sword. I couldn’t keep pretending as I did before.
Still, opening up wasn’t the problem.
There was another variable.
What would Sado Gwang do?
Sado Gwang was a genius. But he wouldn’t do anything beyond what I had already anticipated.
Because I was a veteran reader of Return of the Murim.
When Mujin first returned, he too suffered greatly under Sado Gwang’s suspicion.
So I thought I knew what was coming.
“But the real problem is…”
The three-year time gap.
Just like with Do Il-gwang and the Heavenly Demon, that three-year gap was more significant than I imagined.
Sado Gwang’s methods now might be completely different from what I expected.
Ultimately, I would have to confront him.
Thankfully, the Heavenly Demon’s appearance had earned me recognition as a master.
And Sado Gwang, who obsessed over collecting information, would have heard about it already.
Which meant he wouldn’t try anything rash.
“Is this what they call a blessing in disguise?”
But when I returned to the Sado Clan, I immediately sensed that something was off.
It was strange in hindsight.
Given Sado Gwang’s personality, he should’ve sent someone to meet me the moment I left the Disciplinary Quarters—but no one had come.
[Let’s go to your brother. There’s something we need to ask.]
“That was my plan too.”
Holding Skybreaker Sword, I headed for Sado Gwang’s residence—
But I couldn’t meet him.
Because—
“My brother is… missing?”
Sado Gwang had disappeared.