Chapter 230
—I curse you. How dare you seal me!
—You betrayed me, Heavenly Demon! I will surely destroy you!
—Everything you wanted! The world you lived in! I will erase it all…!
Back when he met the Pandarian King, the moment he mentioned the name ‘Heavenly Demon,’ Charpham spewed out hatred and curses.
Because he had finally remembered the name of the one who sealed him.
He had been forcibly calmed down, but his resentment wasn’t resolved at all.
If anything, it had only grown after he recovered those memories.
So, for a moment, Park Chan-woo hesitated.
Whether it was right to summon Charpham here.
‘There’s no problem that can be solved by avoiding it.’
The hesitation was short.
He decided to dig into the hidden truth.
Anything related to the Heavenly Demon.
Or, if an even greater divine intent was laid out here, the best way was to face it head-on.
Soon, the summoned Charpham looked around, then glanced at the wall.
[What a lousy mural.]
A curt criticism.
At the same time, the old man’s expression hardened.
“Are you saying that Shadow is the Guardian Charpham?”
Park Chan-woo nodded.
“Only the appearance is different. The existence is the same.”
“That can’t be. Guardian Charpham ascended with the First Heavenly Demon….”
[Ascended together? What a load of crap. That bastard was afraid of me and sealed me. Do you think a coward like him could become a god?]
Charpham cut him off.
His voice was filled with anger, then and now.
“……They are unbelieving bastards.”
The old man’s eyes flashed with murderous intent at the claim that the Heavenly Demon was nothing but a coward.
In an instant, Park Chan-woo’s body felt heavy.
His breath turned short, and cold sweat broke out.
He had resistance against mental pressure tied to demons or Creators, but he still had to endure the raw energy emitted by other beings.
‘Even in a state where he barely has any life left, he’s this strong!’
He couldn’t even guess how terrifying this man would have been at full strength.
Normally, the murderous intent of a powerful being would shake the surroundings, but the old man’s murderous intent was focused solely on Park Chan-woo and Charpham.
A maddening pressure.
It felt like every bone in his body was about to shatter.
However, murderous intent was ultimately a movement of Mana.
After accepting Transcender Lil’s Mana, Park Chan-woo had gained the ability to ‘dominate’ Mana to a certain extent.
He neutralized the old man’s murderous intent as much as possible.
Focusing his mind, he dispersed the flow of Mana into the surroundings.
‘…Not bad.’
A strange light appeared in the old man’s eyes.
To think there was a being who could accept his murderous intent so fluidly.
Moreover, this wasn’t ordinary murderous intent.
The old man had reached the realm of ‘Mind is Murder.’
Once he made up his mind, the target should have died.
Yet Park Chan-woo didn’t.
He must have been able to see, feel, and finely adjust the flow of energy.
[From the looks of it, you seem to be one of that bastard’s followers, but ‘Heavenly Universe Kill’ isn’t used like that. Your Mana doesn’t seem intact.]
“……!”
The old man’s eyes widened.
Heavenly Universe Kill.
A Divine Art of killing gods—one that could slaughter the entire sky.
With that Divine Art, the Heavenly Demon could kill everything around him if he wished.
There was no way a dying old man could fully use Heavenly Universe Kill.
But.
Someone who knew that name…
…Could be counted on one hand.
Charpham looked at the mural again.
Then he reached out and erased the Heavenly Demon from it.
In an instant, another word surfaced.
[Myriad Demon Reign? Do you still believe the Heavenly Demon stands at the top of this Abyss? That weak, cowardly bastard who opened the Great Rift and ran away…!]
Charpham ground his teeth, as if sick of it.
“…If you are truly Guardian Charpham, you would also know his True Name. Answer me. The moment you get it wrong, both of you will die here.”
He was serious.
He couldn’t allow someone who spouted such blasphemy to live.
Even tearing him apart wouldn’t be enough.
And there was no one who knew the Heavenly Demon’s True Name.
Among the living, only the old man should have known it.
Charpham paused.
The Heavenly Demon’s name.
Was he really being told to speak a name he didn’t even want to think about?
Charpham looked at Park Chan-woo.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
[…Nameless. The fact that he had no name was his name. Is that enough?]
“…….”
The old man fell silent.
But his eyes trembled even more than before.
Because it was correct.
Because Charpham knew the name no one should know.
“Are you really… Guardian Charpham?”
[My name is Charpham, but I am not a guardian.]
“Then… is this man perhaps… his successor…?”
[That is half right and half wrong. He is an existence that cannot be compared to such a coward.]
“……!!!”
There was nothing left to be shocked by.
Half right.
Didn’t that mean he was a successor—and superior to him?
…However, Charpham’s intent was slightly different from what the old man assumed.
He was only referring to the fact that the Heavenly Demon had once been an owner of the Sealed Demon God’s Grail, and that Park Chan-woo had inherited the authority tied to the Grail.
Beyond that, Park Chan-woo had little contact or connection with the Heavenly Demon.
“Ah! He has not abandoned us!”
The old man, having completely misunderstood, trembled as he shouted.
“He sent a successor for us! He sent a savior to break the chains of this terrible Avici Hell!”
An extremely grandiose conclusion.
Park Chan-woo stared at him for a moment.
Because if he told the truth, it felt like the old man would grab his collar and send him off to the afterlife.
The old man prostrated himself, burning what little will he had left.
“The sin of failing to recognize you! I will repay it with death. Please kill me!”
“…It’s fine.”
“Then from now on, we, the Twelve Heavenly Kings, will serve you. We will reclaim the Hall of Myriad Gods occupied by the rioters and reign as the supreme being!”
“…….”
“Though my body is humble now, the power of the remaining Eleven Heavenly Kings is enough to destroy heaven and earth….”
“Is one of those Twelve Heavenly Kings that skeleton?”
Park Chan-woo asked, pointing to the skeleton seated beneath the mural in the same posture as a high priest.
The old man subtly averted his gaze and calmly changed the subject.
“…The power of the remaining Ten Heavenly Kings is so great it can overturn heaven and earth, so it will definitely be helpful….”
“They’re all already dead.”
“……?”
“I saw them while passing through this cave.”
“That, that can’t be. Their will is stronger than steel.”
Only the old man remained of the Twelve Heavenly Kings.
And most of them had given up on escaping and ended their lives by smashing their heads.
Park Chan-woo couldn’t hide it any longer.
He took a book from his chest.
“Here. A book containing the ‘Divine Art’ and ‘Mental Cultivation’ they left behind. It wasn’t mine to begin with, so do as you please.”
In a way, the book once labeled Divine Art was like their keepsake.
He handed it over without hesitation.
The old man accepted the worn book.
Rustle.
He opened it and began to read, slowly.
Thud.
When he reached the final chapter—
“…Ah. Everyone… did you finally go?”
Drip.
Tears fell again.
—
A little later.
After reverse-summoning Charpham, the old man—who had barely calmed down—introduced himself as First Heavenly King Chiwoo.
Then he explained how the Twelve Heavenly Kings had been trapped in this Avici Hell.
“After the Heavenly Demon disappeared, the Hall of Myriad Gods was divided into two factions for a long time.”
Hall of Myriad Gods.
That was what they called the Mountain of Ascetics.
“However, he left behind no successor, no sign, and no martial art. The power of those who followed the Heavenly Demon quickly weakened. They were deemed to have no legitimacy and were driven to the brink, so we, the Twelve Heavenly Kings, had no choice but to resort to forbidden martial arts.”
Bitterness crossed Chiwoo’s face.
Because even within the Hall of Myriad Gods, the Heavenly Demon’s name had been erased.
The followers who blindly chased after him were weak and had no legitimacy.
So they resorted to forbidden martial arts.
“A nameless Divine Art. The only martial art so dangerous that the Heavenly Demon himself sealed it. But the moment we touched it, we were trapped in this Avici Hell.”
“Who trapped you?”
“…The new owner of the Hall of Myriad Gods. Another God Killer. He trapped us here.”
That meant there was someone else who had killed an Outer God.
An extraordinary being—one who now owned this mountain and could create an Avici Hell like this.
“He… that monster erased his name from the Hall of Myriad Gods. He killed every follower who followed him, and imprisoned only us here.”
“You’re saying he only imprisoned the Twelve Heavenly Kings?”
“Yes. He destroyed all of our Dantian, but perhaps… he was curious to see whether we could complete it after touching the forbidden martial arts.”
He destroyed their Dantian.
That meant he abolished their stored Mana.
So that was why he had said, ‘Even if completed, you cannot leave.’
“Has the Divine Art been completed?”
“Yes. Thanks to the successor, it has been completed. But… I don’t have enough time left to learn it.”
He was dying by the moment.
It wouldn’t have been strange if he died on the spot.
The Mana he carried was barely a trace.
Yet Chiwoo’s will remained intact.
“I may not be able to match the martial arts of the owner of the Myriad Demons, but would you please allow me to convey our final insights?”
“Are you saying I should learn the Divine Art?”
“You don’t need to take time to learn it separately. The Divine Art consists of twelve insights. It is a masterpiece completed through twelve awakenings.”
He didn’t need to grind away at learning it.
He only needed to accept and understand the insights.
It was simpler than he expected—so much so that it felt strange.
Because it was completely different from the martial system he knew.
Usually, martial arts were acquired, trained, and completed through the body.
The twelve insights likely referred to the ‘words’ he had written into the book.
“After receiving the insights, climb to the Hall of Myriad Gods and face the Arahan, and you will be able to awaken on your own. However… if they catch you learning this ‘Divine Art’ or being the successor of the ‘Heavenly Demon,’ they will attack you with everything they have.”
“So I have to climb while hiding it completely.”
“I’m sorry. Originally, it was something we, the Twelve Heavenly Kings, should have helped you with….”
“It’s fine.”
“…No matter how much time has passed, there will be those who carry on his will. Please go up to the Hall of Myriad Gods with them, and make your name known.”
First Heavenly King Chiwoo knelt.
He was desperate.
Park Chan-woo couldn’t easily refuse that determination.
He couldn’t bring himself to tell him that he was far from a true successor of the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, he held the Sealed Demon God’s Grail and had become the owner of Charpham, so it wasn’t as if he had no connection at all.
Hadn’t he acted as the Heavenly Demon once when he met the Pandarian King?
‘Either way, I have to climb the Mountain of Ascetics.’
This wasn’t the end.
The real Mountain of Ascetics would begin after escaping this place.
Avici Hell was only the darkness of the mountain—its deepest part.
Meaning the true climb hadn’t even started.
And he was deeply curious about the masterpiece called Divine Art.
A martial art built on enlightenment.
The fact that it could only be learned by confronting the Arahan only sharpened that curiosity.
After thinking for a moment, Park Chan-woo nodded.
“I will do that.”
He felt sorry to Charpham, but he couldn’t miss this opportunity.
—
First Heavenly King Chiwoo, as he conveyed insights and teachings, couldn’t control his trembling heart.
‘T-this perfect body! Could it be the Heavenly Martial Body…!’