Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 803

Dazed.

The world is dark and hazy.

Even though his eyes are open, a sense of floating, as if he’s drifting on a cloud, filled Kang Jin-ho. Surrendering to the irresistible sensation, Kang Jin-ho blankly existed.

“Master.”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze shifted to the side.

The floating sensation vanished. Then, bewilderment washed over him.

“Master?”

Confirming the person before him, Kang Jin-ho raised a hand and lightly rubbed his face.

‘Cheongma.’

He saw Cheongma.

Strangely, Cheongma’s face felt a bit unfamiliar. It was strange to feel this awkwardness with a face he saw every day.

“Master, is there perhaps something wrong? You don’t look well.”

“No.”

Kang Jin-ho, no, the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

Cheongma still looked unconvinced, but the moment the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign waved his hand, he didn’t press further. It was disrespectful to question the Master when he said it was nothing.

“Everyone is waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“Yes.”

Cheongma’s eyes subtly scanned the surroundings. He knew the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign was out of it, but he was trying to figure out how to explain the situation without upsetting him.

“It’s the day of the departure ceremony. Everyone is waiting for you, Master. If you need more time to prepare, we can postpone it a bit…”

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign slightly frowned, and Cheongma stopped talking and quietly stood still.

‘That’s right.’

It was a departure.

The righteous sects had dared to invade the Demonic Cult’s territory. It wasn’t an accidental incident. A deliberate force had entered the Cult’s domain. Yet, they weren’t advancing deeply.

It was a probe to see if they could compromise at this level.

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign slowly rose from his chair. Cheongma, who had been waiting below, bowed deeply.

Step.

Step.

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign slowly walked down the stairs. The red carpet rippled with his steps.

Step.

Step.

In the grand hall, which could only be described as enormous, only he and Cheongma were present. The sound of their footsteps echoed and reverberated back.

As he crossed the hall, attendants waiting opened the doors. The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign walked through the doors and down the corridor. With each step, his aura surged, and with each gesture, demonic energy swirled like smoke.

His long hair swayed with each stride.

The incarnation of tyranny.

The successor of the demonic lineage.

The scene was so overwhelming that all the words used to describe him seemed inadequate.

Even Cheongma, the second-in-command of the Demonic Cult and feared by all, followed carefully two steps behind him, his back bent. This scene clearly showed the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign’s position in the Demonic Cult.

Walking down the corridor lit on both sides, the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign walked steadily towards the entrance where light poured in. As he stepped outside, the vast training grounds stretched out before him.

The training grounds were densely packed with demonic cultivators.

Ten Thousand Demonic Paths.

How else could one describe this sight?

People upon people, and more people behind them. It was a scene where it seemed like people filled the horizon.

Anyone who saw this scene would hold their breath and clutch their chest. The demonic energy emanating from the lined-up demonic cultivators rose into the sky like black smoke, scorching the world.

Tens of thousands of demonic cultivators held their breath.

Their gazes all followed the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign. Anyone with a weak heart would collapse on the spot.

But the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign arrogantly accepted their gazes.

He was, from the beginning, one who stood above.

One who was meant to receive endless gazes of respect and reverence.

Step.

Step.

Tens of thousands of demonic cultivators filled the plaza.

But those tens of thousands of demonic cultivators dared not unleash their power now.

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign.

He was absolute among the tens of thousands of demonic cultivators.

The demonic cultivators trembled with each step he took, and they flinched whenever his hand moved.

Finally, the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign stopped in the center and looked around at everyone.

Those who met his clear gaze could not dare to look at him and lowered their eyes.

Master.

For the Demonic Cult, the Master was a sacred and great position. He represented all demonic cultivators and held the power of life and death over them.

But the position of Master was also a dangerous one.

Unlike other sects that divided their lineage and selected successors, there was only one way to become the Master of the Demonic Cult.

Strength.

The strongest became the Master. No matter how, if one could kill the Master, that person could become the next Master. The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign standing before them had also killed the previous Master with his own hands and ascended to the position.

Therefore, the Master was worthy of respect.

But the one standing before them now was different from the previous Masters.

He was not respected because he was the Master.

He forced submission through his strength.

Even if the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign was not the Master of the Demonic Cult, the reverence the demonic cultivators showed him would not change. He was so strong that all demonic cultivators could not even dare to approach him.

Rules? Etiquette? Process?

Such things were only necessary for the weak. For one who could suppress all the demonic cultivators of the Demonic Cult with his own power, no formalities were needed.

His words became law.

His actions became truth.

With a single word, a single gesture, he could change the laws of the Demonic Cult, shake its spirit, and trample on its soul.

That was the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign.

So how could they not respect him?

How could they not revere him?

As the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign stood on the platform, the demonic cultivators moved.

Like a well-trained army, the perfectly lined-up demonic cultivators simultaneously knelt and slammed their heads on the ground.

Kuuuuung!

As tens of thousands knelt and bowed their heads at the same time, the world trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

The world seemed to bow to his majesty.

“May the Demonic Sovereign live a thousand years!

May all demons bow in reverence!”

The voices of reverence from tens of thousands of demonic cultivators shook the world. The grand hall trembled, and the mountains screamed.

The majesty of man overwhelmed nature, and even the sky closed its eyes to his power.

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign quietly looked down at the scene.

Arrogance.

His appearance was arrogance itself.

But no one dared to find that arrogance repulsive. Arrogance suited him perfectly, as if it had been a part of him from the beginning.

The hands hanging down beneath his black and red robes. The deep scars etched on those hands.

The long scar across his face showed how arduous his life had been. His thick eyebrows and strong jawline made anyone nod in agreement, and the glint in his eyes that peeked through his flowing hair clearly showed why he was called the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign.

Numerous demonic cultivators pursued the ultimate path of the demonic arts.

But none of them had reached the pinnacle. When everyone gave up, saying it was impossible to reach the pinnacle as a demon, the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, as if mocking them, reached the pinnacle of the demonic arts himself, and even broke through that pinnacle, reaching a realm that no one in history had ever touched.

Could the arrogance shown by such a person be called arrogance?

Arrogance was a word for those who did not possess. For one who possessed everything, the term excessive confidence could not be used.

Cheongma knelt before the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign below the platform.

The second-in-command of the Demonic Cult.

The one whom the martial artists of the Central Plains wanted to kill the most, the one with the brain of a devil, the one whose methods were so cruel and cold that he was more feared in the Demonic Cult than in the Central Plains.

Even the unwavering second-in-command of the Demonic Cult, who no one dared to defy, could not stand at the same level as the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign. The place where he could stand was here, on the same ground as the other demonic cultivators.

“Oh, master of all demons!”

Cheongma’s voice, filled with internal energy, echoed loudly across the plaza.

“Those who do not know the demonic path, those who do not accept it, those pitiful beings have dared to invade the Cult’s territory. This is my fault for not properly enlightening them and for not properly making them aware of the Demonic Sovereign’s majesty. I beg for punishment here. Strike my neck and throw me into the fires of hell to atone for my sins!”

“I forgive you.”

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign answered calmly.

Thud, thud, thud.

Red blood flowed from Cheongma’s forehead as he slammed his head on the ground three times.

But Cheongma didn’t care about the blood and raised his voice again.

“We, who are foolish, lowly, and utterly ignorant, cannot show them the majesty of the demonic path! Therefore, I dare to implore you. Show them what true demonic power is, what true fear is! I dare to implore you, Master!”

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign quietly nodded.

“May the Demonic Sovereign live a thousand years!”

“May all demons bow in reverence!”

The resounding roar that shook the world filled the plaza. The sound of the demonic cultivators slamming their heads into the ground echoed like a giant drumbeat.

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign quietly watched the scene before slowly turning his body.

Words were unnecessary.

“Joma.”

“Yes!”

As the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign called out while moving, Joma jumped up from his spot.

“Take the lead.”

“May the Demonic Sovereign live a thousand years!”

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign’s voice, slightly languid, continued to flow from his lips without stopping his steps.

“Yeom-ma.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Lead the Ghost Spirit Unit and the Blood Demon Unit and strike from behind.”

“May the Demonic Sovereign live a thousand years! May all demons bow in reverence!”

With each step the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign took, demonic energy surged out. He truly looked like a demon king.

“Cheongma.”

“Yes, Demonic Sovereign!”

“Take command.”

“I will crush the enemies with everything I have.”

“Not them.”

Cheongma raised his head sharply.

“Go to the Central Plains. It is only natural to punish those who have entered the Cult’s territory. Let them know that those who step into places they shouldn’t will have not only their feet but also their necks severed.”

Cheongma bowed his head and shouted loudly.

“May all demons bow in reverence!”

As even Cheongma bowed, the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign quietly nodded.

“Mayeom.”

This time, there was no answer.

The moment the word Mayeom was spoken, black shadows hidden in the dark simultaneously flew out and filled the space behind the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign. It was as if a hundred ghosts were dancing in the darkness.

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign did not give them any orders either.

“Let’s go.”

Without a reply, the Mayeom followed behind him. The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign slowly walked out, opening the massive main gate of the Thousand-Year Demonic Cult.

The sun hid in fear, and darkness covered the world as if welcoming his appearance.

The Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, who had stained the Central Plains with fear, personally led the Mayeom.

Just three days later.

In the Central Plains, over a hundred thousand lives were lost, and the Yangtze River was dyed red.

Mountains were made of corpses, and seas were made of blood [屍山血海 – shishan xuehai, a Chinese idiom meaning ‘mountains of corpses and seas of blood’].

It was the moment when the Demonic Heavenly Sovereign, the master of demons, who had never existed before and would never exist again, perfectly etched his name into the world.