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Chapter 1
The Heavenly Demon Falls
The Heavenly Demon was a man to whom mercy had not been given — not even in appearance.
His eyes forever burned crimson like smoldering embers, and his fangs were long and sharp like a beast’s tusks.
His massive, rock-like body was so muscular that calling him “human” seemed a stretch, and his face — fierce enough to send even a reaper from Hell running.
Though he was neither cruel nor bloodthirsty by nature, the Heavenly Demon could not hold an ordinary conversation with anyone.
“Hooh.”
The Heavenly Demon let out a low sound of interest.
But the assassin who met his gaze trembled uncontrollably.
Black Cloud Dark Emperor (Heuk Un Am Je).
A grandiose name for an assassin sent by the Martial Alliance to kill the man who ruled over the martial world — the Heavenly Demon.
But before he could even unleash his killing technique, he’d been discovered and exposed.
“Until now,” the Heavenly Demon said calmly, “no one but that righteous bastard ever dared to point a blade at me.”
He nodded, then looked down at the trembling assassin.
“How admirable.”
His gaze, meant as approval, only sent the assassin into deeper terror.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
“Do not command me to come or go.”
The Heavenly Demon merely spoke his mind. But with his fangs bared and his red eyes gleaming, his smile looked like a demon’s mockery.
The assassin screamed — a cry of pure despair.
“Stay away!”
Squelch.
Unable to bear it, the assassin drew his poisoned blade and slit his own throat.
He would rather choose a swift death than be captured and tortured by the being known as the Demon King of Hell — the strongest being of past and present alike, the Heavenly Demon.
“…What was that?”
The Heavenly Demon looked down at the corpse with a baffled face.
“Madman.”
Snowy Mountain, Peak of Purple Mist.
There, the Heavenly Demon was practicing his martial arts.
Paaat!
A light punch cracked the ground and split the clouds above.
Even though he had long since broken through the limits of human attainment, he continued to train every day.
He had no rivals.
Since his emergence, no one in the martial world had ever defeated him.
In only three years, he had conquered all the orthodox and unorthodox sects alike — all beneath his heel.
There was no opponent left anywhere under heaven.
And yet, he continued to train — to study, to refine.
There must be one, he believed.
Someone who could make his blood boil, who could force him to fight with every ounce of his strength — an opponent truly worthy of being called a rival.
Someday, surely, that person would appear.
A flash of light tore through the heavens.
A massive meteor fell from the sky, crashing into the courtyard of a traditional house.
BOOOOM!
The earth quaked. Blue light erupted from the crater, forming strange glowing sigils across the ground.
Chara-lang.
Like stardust scattering, the light faded, and from the smoke came a low groan.
“Urgh.”
Red light flickered within the shadow buried among the shattered timbers.
As the dust cleared, the moonlight revealed the figure — a muscular man in a sleeveless martial robe.
His wild hair was tied into a topknot, and veins bulged across his log-like arms.
Slide.
A paper door opened, and a girl stepped into the courtyard, jerky in her mouth.
“What was that sound… huh?”
Her eyes met the red-glowing ones of the man amidst the wreckage, and her jerky fell to the ground.
“Wh-who are you?”
A bodybuilder’s physique, burning red eyes, an old tattered martial robe —
“…Gouki?”
The man before her looked just like the final boss character from a 1990s fighting game.
“Gouki? What is that?”
“Then who are you?”
“Who am I, you ask?”
Still half-buried in the rubble, the muscular man spoke solemnly.
“I am the Heavenly Demon.”
The Heavenly Demon
His fists could tear the sky, his legs split the earth — the mightiest warrior under heaven.
He was called the Overlord of the Demonic Path, the Heaven of the Demonic Way, the King of Fear, the Bloodless Reaper — and countless other titles besides.
But in truth, he had simply been a martial arts fanatic who had spent his whole life training in seclusion.
Of course, the girl, who knew nothing of this, blinked blankly.
“Heavenly Demon?”
“Yes.”
“That’s your name?”
“You mean to tell me you don’t know who I am?”
He frowned.
There was no one in the martial world who did not know the name of the Heavenly Demon.
But the girl just stared with wide, innocent eyes.
She’s serious, he thought.
Her gaze was so pure that deception was impossible.
The Heavenly Demon sighed deeply and clarified.
“That is not a name but a title — it means the supreme martial artist who reigns over all under heaven.”
“Uh-huh. And?”
“For some reason, I was suddenly engulfed in a great light. When I opened my eyes, I was here.”
Only then did the girl notice the shattered tree in her courtyard — her prized possession.
“My treasure! My spirit tree!”
The tree was smashed to bits, only the massive stump remaining, surrounded by faintly glowing shards that were quickly losing their light.
“Nooo!” she cried, collapsing to her knees.
“What the hell happened here?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“This tree! It’s a Spirit Tree!”
She pointed at the scattered shards.
“Do you even know what that is?”
“Something valuable, I suppose.”
“Of course it is!” she shouted.
The Heavenly Demon looked at her strangely.
How dare this child speak so rudely to me…
He was the ruler of the Ten-Thousand-Demon Palace, successor to the God-Demon himself. Even the head monk of Shaolin would bow to him.
Yet this girl — barely eighteen — dared interrupt him.
“The rules of the martial world have truly fallen,” he muttered. “How can a mere maiden address me so informally?”
“Martial world? You’re serious right now?”
She squinted, recalling scenes from web novels.
“…A wuxia geek?”
“I know not what you mean, but if you wish to speak disrespectfully, at least reveal your internal rank so I can judge your standing.”
“Your… rank?”
She smirked. “How old are you, anyway?”
“What does age matter?”
“You look around my age, honestly. Rough, but your skin’s pretty firm.”
“Hmph. My youth is preserved by my inner power, having transcended the Innate True Realm.”
“What nonsense is that?”
He looked dead serious.
“Do not be alarmed, girl. I have long passed forty — nay, nearly fifty.”
“So… you’re in your forties?”
“That’s right.”
“Still young.”
The girl pouted. “Sorry, kid, but I’m way older than that.”
“…What?”
“Let’s not talk about age. It’s depressing.”
She sighed like an old woman.
Could she be a master who’s reversed her age through cultivation? he thought.
Indeed, faint blue energy shimmered around her — an aura only supreme masters could sense.
“Anyway,” she snapped, “are you the one who broke my Spirit Tree?”
The girl pointed at the wreckage.
“Was it an explosion? No, with your strength? But the Earth Spirit was guarding it—how—?”
He shook his head firmly.
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“What?”
“When I came to, I was simply here.”
It was an unconvincing excuse — especially since he was still leaning against the stump.
Feeling her glare, he quickly stood up.
Crunch.
The remaining stump crumbled beneath him.
“Ahem.”
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I merely rested for a moment. Now, I shall take my leave.”
“You’re not getting away that easy! You’re paying for this!”
He glanced down at his battle robe — there were no pockets. Of course, the King of Terror didn’t carry around coins.
“Hm.”
He coughed lightly. “Accidents happen often in the martial world. Inns collapse, roofs cave in — such is fate.”
He patted her head with his enormous hand. “Be strong, girl.”
“Wh—what?!”
She grabbed his sleeve before he could leave.
“Are you kidding me? That tree was a Spirit Tree!”
“Spirit Tree?”
“Yes!”
He blinked. He had consumed countless elixirs and rare herbs in his life, but this was new.
“I have nothing now. When I return to my palace, I shall compensate you.”
“Palace?”
“The Ten-Thousand-Demon Palace, of course.”
She blinked again. Did he hit his head in the crash?
“Uh… can we come back to reality, please?”
“Do not worry. I am the Heavenly Demon. With one word, I could bring forth a thousand-year snow ginseng.”
“Yeah, right. If you’re leaving, at least give me your phone number.”
“Your… what?”
“So I know you’re not running off!”
“The word of the Heavenly Demon is worth more than gold,” he declared solemnly.
Before she could reply, he stomped the ground.
He meant to use the supreme movement technique — Night Moon Extreme Speed — to vanish in an instant.
Boing.
He jumped… thirty centimeters.
“…?”
He felt no flow of inner energy. His dantian was empty.
Something was wrong.
He tried again — boing.
Still nothing but a frog-hop.
“Not an internal injury, then…” he muttered.
“That light wasn’t ordinary.”
“What are you babbling about?”
“I seem to have fallen into a trap.”
The girl stared at him like he was an alien.
But the Heavenly Demon, deep in thought, turned away.
“I must return and discover who plotted this.”
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
She stepped in front of him.
“I am not joking,” he said gravely. “Do not make me lose my patience.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“So be it.”
He moved to slip past her with swift footwork — even without inner power, his martial skill remained.
But the girl’s hand shot out even faster, grabbing him by the back of the neck.
“Going somewhere?”
“How dare you touch me!”
He tried to shake her off — but she let go first, and his strike cut through empty air.
She anticipated my move?
His eyes gleamed with bloodlight.
“So you’re a hidden master after all… reborn in a young form!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Very well. Take this then!”
With renewed fighting spirit, he lowered his stance and swung his right arm wide.
“The power of the God-Demon shakes the heavens — God-Demon Sky-Shattering Palm!”
He thrust forward with a mighty shout.
But… nothing happened. Not even a breeze.
And his outstretched hand —
— had landed flat on the girl’s lower abdomen.
“Y-you… perverted freak…”
Blue flames of rage burned in her eyes.
“Where do you think you’re touching?!”
Her knee shot up, right into his most sacred spot.
He sighed. Better to take the blow than be accused of impropriety.
After all, he had the indestructible Diamond Body —
THUD!
His eyes rolled upward.
Pain like nothing he’d ever known shot through his core.
“Urgh!”
It felt like his organs were being wrung out like wet laundry.
Foam bubbled from his lips as he fell to his knees.
Even when he’d driven spikes into his meridians to forge the Diamond Body, even when he froze his dantian with Ice Spirit Energy, he had never known such agony.
“Ghhhk…”
Clutching his lower belly, the Heavenly Demon forced a smile through his pain.
“Impressive. To shatter my Diamond Body with a single blow…”
“You’re disgusting,” the girl snapped.
“But it was only a surprise attack.”
He lowered his stance again, red aura flaring from his body — pure battle spirit, not inner power.
“Let us fight for real.”
When their eyes met, his heart pounded.
The power to crush his body, the sharp eyes that pierced the soul — yes, she was it.
At last, he thought.
He had finally found the rival he’d longed for.
“Come at me with everything you have!”
“What nonsense? Get lost!”
“So you refuse to fight?”
“Of course! You’re paying for that tree!”
“Coward.”
“What?”
“Afraid of defeat? Or perhaps biding your time for a sneak attack?”
He smirked, beckoning with his fingers.
“Whatever it is — come.”
The gesture was infuriatingly smug, like a taunt button in a video game.
“You’d best go all out from the start, Flat-Girl.”
“…Flat-Girl?”
“Your body’s as smooth as a millstone, without a single curve.”
“Ha… ha ha ha ha!”
Her laugh was bright — and terrifying.
The ground began to shake violently.
“You little goblin… do you want to die?!”
CRAAACK!
The earth split open, but the Heavenly Demon’s fighting spirit only rose.
“Impressive power — but that alone—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because the sky had gone dark.
And a moment later — light appeared.
Meteors — a rain of them — falling from the heavens.
Each one the size of a city.
This…
Even the Heavenly Demon, master of all martial arts, could never summon such might.
This was not human power — this was divine.
“Should I crush you flat like dried squid?” she hissed, baring her teeth.
“Or should I burn you until not even ashes remain?”
With a flick of her hand, the meteors shifted in the sky.
He felt cold sweat on his back.
So this… is what Heaven sent me.
He sighed quietly.
This isn’t a foe to be reckless against.
His inner power was gone, his body weakened. Against someone who could call down meteors, his odds were zero.
He wasn’t foolish enough to throw his life away for pride.
“…Just for now,” he muttered.
“What?”
“I’ll let you have this one.”
Once his inner power returned, even those meteors would be nothing.
“But for now…”
For the first time in his life, the Heavenly Demon smiled warmly.
“…I concede, Flat-Girl.”
“Who are you calling flat?!”
THUD.
Her foot found its mark again — and the Heavenly Demon collapsed.
