Step by step, Baz and his Heavenly Strike Force swept through the north-eastern Groups of the eastern continent. With every battle, Baz’ heart, and resolve, hardened. After five years of war, the harsh reality of his campaign no longer affected him. Neither the weight of commanding people to kill and die nor the consequences of those orders moved his heart.
All that mattered was his purpose.
Group after Group was either conquered or joined the cult of their own volition. Some sought protection; enemies or criminal Groups had already brought them to their knees and joining the cult was their only option to survive. Others feared the cult’s power and momentum; better to join them than be crushed beneath their feet as they march through their territories.
Baz had let his Demonic Kings do most of the heavy lifting.
They had all trained for decades at this point and had become quite proficient at their own styles. Baz knew from personal experience, however, that you could only reach so far without the pressure of life and death battles. He had felt the need for such a pressure many times before and would not deprive his Demonic Kings of the catalyst needed to push them further. Especially since they were now [Nascent Soul] stage; to cultivate the soul required enlightenment, which often followed danger.
It had worked wonderfully.
All three Demonic Kings who joined him in the offensive ascended to Mid stage [Nascent Soul] during the northern campaign.
For Demonic King Chul, it happened during the assault on the Fearless Sword Palace, the 27th Group they absorbed into the cult three years ago. It was a large stone compound on a mountain peak. They had separated their mortal cities from the Fearless Sword Palace itself which always made things easier for the cult’s conquest. The fewer mortals were around, the less they had to restrain themselves. Not that the presence of mortals would dissuade them from their purpose.
Chul was the closest to Baz’ build and style. He too wielded a straight, double-edged one-handed sword. Together they had spent a great deal of time and effort to create the cult’s main Sword Art, [Eight Paths Demonic Sword Art]. It was an Advanced Martial Art focusing on swordsmanship, the next step past the generic [Demonic Martial Form].
While Baz created the Sword Art and could use it quite well, he mainly used his own [Unyielding Sword of the Demon God]. Chul, however, devoted a great deal of his time to mastering the [Eight Paths Demonic Sword Art].
When they created it, they had simplified every sword style they had access to into eight moves. Within those eight moves, and with the flexibility of not overly relying on the [System]’s guidance, all aspects of swordsmanship could be found.
Chul explored his own interpretation of the chosen intent during his training. The Sword Art’s intent had been refined after everything that had happened since they began its development.
Five paths to domination. Two paths to conquest. One path to salvation. Nothing shall hinder the path of the demonic sword. Nothing shall pierce its veil.
Originally, with the generic [Demonic Martial Form], they worked with the intent to simply cut down all who stood in your way, but they found that lacking for a true Advanced Sword Art. There were too many aspects missing. The simpler the intent, the more flexible the Technique. That was true, however, that also meant that the user had to be able to not only understand the intent, but to wield it.
Baz’ intent for his [Unyielding Sword of the Demon God] was quite simple, but because Baz himself created it, he understood it intimately.
Any and all who block my path shall be cut down. Any attack shall be crushed. All hope, shattered.
It would be almost impossible for him to teach it to someone else.
For a good intent to be able to be passed down, it needed to be simple yet all-encompassing and, to a certain degree, open to interpretation without straying too far from the core meaning.
Just as Baz had strayed quite far from the original intent of his [Earthen Cultivation Art] when he first began his cultivation journey, and yet it still qualified as the same cultivation art because he understood the core meaning. Later on, once he had walked too far from the path of the original cultivation method, however, he naturally created his own.
Demonic King Chul had been closely involved in the development of the Sword Art and had a good understanding of its intent. Still, he had his own interpretation and wielded it in a way best suited to his true self.
He had been sixteen when he entered the Cave of Latent Demons. For those sixteen years, he grew up alone in the wastelands. While System magic allowed him to never go hungry, as there was always plenty of food to go around, he could never afford any variation in his meals. As an orphan without any means of gaining the Skills needed to get work, he was trapped.
He couldn’t leave his town, the journey through the wastelands of the Red Sea would have killed him.
He couldn’t climb out of poverty, getting the Skills or Titles to do so was near impossible.
He yearned for freedom.
It’s why he didn’t hesitate to agree to be locked in a cave system for years on end. So what if he had to be locked underground for years, he was already trapped. Once he succeeded, however, he might get a taste at what it meant to be free.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had honored their word and given him that freedom, and it flowed through his swordsmanship.
When they arrived at the Fearless Sword Palace, the gates were wide open.
The palace master and his elders waited for them in the outer court of their palace. They held true to their name and showed no fear, even when faced with enemies stronger than them. They were too proud to yield to the fear of death and destruction, but they did not wish for it to come to pass.
Although their purpose there was conquest, Baz didn’t want any more bloodshed than necessary. It wasn’t completely altruistic, though. He wanted to require them.
Since the palace master and his four elders welcomed them, Baz hoped for a simple surrender.
The palace master of the Fearless Sword Palace was too proud for that, as it turned out. He offered a polite greeting when Baz and his Demonic Kings entered the palace’s outer court, but he did not have the eyes of someone ready to bend the knee.
“Greetings, Heavenly Demon.” The palace master, and the elders of the Fearless Sword Palace, had sublime white robes tied with a light grey belt. His long hair was in a top bun. He placed a fist into an open palm as he gave a simple bow. “We welcome the Demon Lord of the Divine Cult to our humble Fearless Sword Palace.”
Baz did not return the gesture. He spoke, with the authority of a divine being. “I take it you know why we are here. What say you, Palace Master?”
The man tried not to let it show, but Baz could sense how the palace master tensed up.
“We do indeed know what brings you here. We are not quite so arrogant as to assume we could stop you, but we also have our own pride and legacy to consider. Thus, I request we settle the matter with as little collateral damage as we can, through single battle. If I lose, the Fearless Sword Palace will pledge itself to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. If I win, however, we retain our freedom, and the cult offers us its protection, as allies. Equals.”
They were the first to make such a request. Others had made their own requests, some of which were rather creative, but none quite so simple and direct. Baz quite liked it. He couldn’t help but smile. “Very well. I accept.” His senses could tell how the palace master braced himself. He had likely not expected his request to be accepted so easily. “However,” Baz continued, “if I were to be the one engaging in this contest, I might as well destroy you now.” The palace master did not approve of the implication, but there was nothing he could do. He knew it was true. “Instead, Demonic King Chul shall face you.”
“As you command, Demon Lord,” Chul said. He stepped up and with gave a deep bow.
Although a part of the palace master wanted to object—the idea of him facing a subordinate of the Heavenly Demon felt almost like an insult—for the sake of the Fearless Sword Palace, he could not bring himself to reject an advantage given freely.
“Demonic King Chul,” Baz said. “The palace master is very high leveled. He is certainly superior to you in most ways, but as demonic cultivators, we have our own advantages. I expect you to capitalize on those advantages. And, I expect you to win.”
Chul looked back and gave another deep bow. “Yes, Demon Lord!”
The Palace Master was a decently strong Master, not quite level 75 but still quite a few levels over 70. It was most certainly the most difficult fight of Chul’s life.
Baz and his Demonic Kings followed the palace master and his elders to the arena within the palace grounds.
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It was fairly simple, a raised platform of enchanted stone tiles with stairs up to the arena in each cardinal direction. There were stands on opposite sides of the arena yet Baz, Haru, and Shik observed from ground beside the platform, it was only up to Baz’ waist so they had no issues watching the fight from there. The elders observed from the opposite side.
The palace master stood somewhat taller than most, with a lean build. His clean shaven face made him look like he was in his late forties rather the centuries old monster he truly was. Most noteworthy of all was his fearless attitude. He carried himself with a dignity few could ever emulate.
He faced Demonic King Chul on the fighting platform and assumed a surprisingly dramatic stance. His left foot slid forward and his back knee bent down. His sword was raised above his head like the tail of a scorpion. Finally, his empty left hand was moved behind his back. While the stance looked rather peculiar, it was clear to anyone with any degree of mastery that he was ready to strike at any moment.
In response, Chul assumed a simple stance with his sword held in front of him. The [Eight Paths Demonic Sword Art] was never meant to be beautiful or dramatic, only efficient. With his sleeveless black robe, tied around his waist with a thick red band, and his forearms and ankles wrapped tightly with white strips of fabric, the cult’s Education Hall Master radiated his own dignity—the dignity of a devoted follower of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Two master swordsmen, walking separate paths to power, faced each other.
Each observed the other, attempting to read their opponent.
The palace master was the first to make his move. He struck forward with a thrust. The [System] always guided the use of Skills, but with the palace master’s attack, it was as though the [System] propelled him. As he moved, the tail of a unearthly scorpion of pure white energy manifested, its deadly stinger aimed directly for the Demonic King’s throat.
Chul wielded the [Eight Paths Demonic Sword Art] to the extreme, focusing on the conquering aspect of its intent. To him, to conquer his opponent was to control their flow. Two paths to conquest. These were moves to redirect and counter your opponent’s attacks. He flicked the tip of his sword to intercept the incoming stinger and redirect it as he took a step to the right. Before his opponents attack had even reached its fullest extension, he was already countering with a backhanded swing. A sharp cut reached out for the palace master, not through manifested essence but through sheer intent.
It took more than a high level to become Palace Master. With a practiced hand, he let the [System] guide him to a perfect block. He retracted his thrust in a fraction of a second and with the supreme fluidity of a master swordsman transferred all his weight into a diagonal swing. His young opponent managed to alter his sword’s path once again to render the attack harmless.
In the blink of an eye the two exchanged a dozen moves, each as powerful as the last.
Even with such a short clash, the enchantments on the platform lit up as they struggled to protect it.
Their sheer physical strength and speed—not to mention their powerful essence manifesting through their attacks—sent gusts of wind across the arena and stands.
As a [Nascent Soul] stage cultivator, Chul’s physical cultivation had already reached its peak. Physically, he was superior.
However, as a System path practitioner, the palace master’s physical prowess never stopped growing as his essence was saturated into every cell in his body. He could certainly hold his own, especially with his mastery over his Sword Style Skill and his Advanced Attached Skills.
During their fight, the palace master’s frustration became clearer on his face. As he fought, it was as though he was stuck in a swamp. Chul sapped the momentum out of the old master’s every attack, and every time his sword and his Skills were redirected to miss its target, so too was his stamina. Still, his fighting experience and expert use of his System Skills put him firmly in the lead against the Demonic King.
At least until Chul experienced his first true enlightenment.
His deeply rooted need for freedom had pushed him to focus on the paths of conquest. It was he who would control his opponents, no one would control him.
It wasn’t until he was pushed to his limits by a superior opponent that he understood that a restraint he placed upon himself was still a restraint.
He had already escaped his old life. He was free, and there was no need to hold himself back for such a trivial reason.
The enlightenment turned the tides of the fight immediately. As he ascended to Mid stage Nascent Soul mid-battle, his senses and his control over himself and the Techniques he wielded improved drastically. Within a dozen moves he had the palace master on his knees, yielding.
Even in defeat, the palace master retained his dignity. Bleeding and broken, he stepped up before Baz and dropped to his knees.
“The Fearless Sword Palace shall henceforth serve the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. As Palace Master, I, Yang Haneul, swear it.”
***
The First Demon, victor of the very first generation to graduate from the Cave of Latent Demons, Demonic King Haru, was also the first to reach Mid stage [Nascent Soul] of the Demonic Kings. She had more experience in battle as she spent more of her time on out in Red Sea, and at times beyond, fighting than the others.
It had been the eighth Group they fought that pushed her past her limits, a full year before Chul.
Haru was a close-range hand-to-hand fighter.
When she fought the Mystic Ash Sect, she had found herself surrounded by elders who primarily wielded ranged Skills, what the practitioners called Internal Arts. It whittled her down to the point where desperation took hold.
Enlightenment followed.
With that enlightenment, she developed a new Technique on the spot, [Demonic Ghost Hand].
Her new Technique allowed her to grab hold of her opponents from a distance and pulled them into close range, her range.
The fight ended soon after that.
***
The third to achieve the breakthrough to Mid stage was Demonic King Shik, two years ago now.
He was a tall and slender man. Tall enough that he would be considered tall even in the NBA back on earth, taller even than Gawen. Yet, while those athletes back on earth were tall, they was also fit. Shik had put on some muscle during his time training in the cult, but he was still disproportionately skinny.
Growing up, it was even worse, he was like a giant stick.
Even though food was rather plentiful in general in this world, Shik had always struggled to get enough to get by. His parents weren’t good people. The abuse and constant bullying, both at home and with what few peers he came into contact with, continued until the very day he entered the Cave of Latent Demons.
He was among the first generation, like Haru and Chul, but had lagged behind the others. While he managed to sculpt the Advanced meridian system of the [Demonic Oasis Art], his cultivation during [Essence Consolidation] was a crawl.
Just as the body took after the spirit, so too did the spirit take after the body. And his body was weak, weak enough that his spirit couldn’t absorb essence at the same rate as most others.
Until he finally broke through to [Core Formation].
The leap in his physical cultivation at that point was like opening the flood gates. Overnight he began to cultivate faster than anyone thought possible. Even Baz couldn’t quite believe how talented the slender demon was.
Eventually, he became the fourth demon from the Cave of Latent Demons to break through to [Nascent Soul] stage.
It was during the Heavenly Strike Force’s forty-third assault that he finally reached Mid stage.
They attacked the Murukuan Temple. It reminded Baz of a Buddhist temple, the monks wore similar robes to what Buddhist monks wore back home.
While Buddhism didn’t exist in this world, the monks of the Murukuan Temple lived by a similar philosophy. They believed that only through hard physical labor contrasted with deep meditation could they unlock the true potential of the spirit and reach immortality. Baz couldn’t help but feel like they were on the right track. Given a few more centuries, they might even have discovered a method of cultivation of their own.
They were deeply resistant to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and faced the Heavenly Strike Force head on. Monks of the Murukuan Temple were known to never back down from a fight, and their bo staffs were feared by many.
Perhaps it was in defiance of his weakness as a mortal, but Shik wielded a wide greatsword almost as long as he was tall. With the physical cultivation of a powerful demonic cultivator, he used it with a level of agility that should have been impossible.
When he fought the monks, he overpowered them, but their versatility overwhelmed him. Like Chul, he used the [Eight Paths Demonic Sword Art] but focused more on the domination aspect of the Sword Art.
In a way, he faced the opposite issue as Chul, and he had to learn that stepping back at times wasn’t a sign of weakness.
***
Within five years of the campaign, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had conquered and absorbed the Red Sea and every Group all the way to the Mika Sea, the northern ocean.
Next, they set their sights on the south.
To save time, and to give the remaining two Demonic Kings a chance to grow stronger through adversity as well, Baz sent Demonic Kings Seong and Duho to join with the Jeoksa Family in the south and begin the southern campaign.
Demonic King Chul took their place as general to defend and consolidate their expanded territories. Since they now had fewer neighbors to worry about, and the help of the elders and Group leaders who had joined them, there wasn’t as much of a need to keep two Demonic Kings there to defend, after all. The [System]’s influence to worship the Heavenly Demon, the Demon God, on all those who now belonged to the cult also made it easier.
Baz, Haru, and Shik rushed across the continent to join the southern campaign as quickly as they could.
The cult worked hard to conquer what remained east of the Great Martial Alliance as quickly as they could. They were going to need all the power they could gather.
Most, if not all, of the remaining Groups south of the cult had joined forces to defend themselves.
The independent Groups east of the Great Martial Alliance weren’t as powerful as the nine great sects and five great families in the west, but this alliance was nothing to scoff at. These were the last twenty-something mid-sized Groups, and just as many smaller Groups, who had not already bent the knee to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The alliance was led by the only active Grandmaster not under the Great Martial Alliance’s banner. There were a handful more in the East, but they were retired old monsters who chose not to involve themselves. Just as the Jeoksa Family’s great elder had been, they were simply too old to properly fight. Why sacrifice their long lives on a lost cause.
The Masters of the alliance added up to almost forty.
Although the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had absorbed so many Groups at this point that they had almost 150 Master Practitioners, not all of them could be mobilized. Many had to remain with their own Groups to manage their new normal, or because they too were too old.
As powerful as this southern alliance was, however, in terms of true powerhouses, it was nothing compared to even just the Tang Clan alone, one of the Great Martial Alliance’s five great families, who had two known Grandmasters. The Tang Clan was the eastern most major Group of the Great Martial Alliance, and soon the time would come for the cult to clash with them as well.
The Great Martial Alliance itself had as many as thirty Grandmasters and even two famous Saints, though almost all of them were locked down in the war with Lumeria in the west.
In order to stand against the Great Martial Alliance, the cult had to raise more [Nascent Soul] stage demonic cultivators. Most importantly, however, Baz himself had to break through to [Domain Establishment].
The four heroes of Lumeria wouldn’t stop growing either. Once the Great Martial Alliance was defeated, something Baz thought of as inevitable, Lumeria would come for them with everything they had.
By then, the heroes would almost certainly be Saints.
During the years of conquest, Baz’ True Spirit had grown significantly. After over twenty years of cultivation at [Soul Transformation], his True Spirit was now a smaller copy of himself sitting in lotus position, just as Baz usually sat when cultivating. Contained within was a cosmos in its early development. The dense essence had cooled enough to form the initial stages of stars and galaxies.
Soon, worlds would form.
[Domain Establishment] was the final stage of soul cultivation, where his soul would reach its limits just as his physical cultivation had done when he broke through to [Nascent Soul].
A breakthrough was still years away though. He would have to deal with the southern alliance first.
Baz was powerful, but he would soon be facing a Grandmaster for the first time. The only being over level 80 that he had ever encountered was an Overlord, a monster which he still—to this day—did not feel confident in defeating.
Baz and the [Nascent Soul] stage demonic cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would have to face their greatest threat since the creation of the cult.
Year
0
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is founded.
Cave of Latent Demons is created.
Haru, Chul, and the other first generation demons begin cultivating.
Year
0, m 6
Haru and Chul break through to Essence Consolidation
Year
0, m 7
Third demonic cultivator breaks through to Essence Consolidation and dies
Year
0, m 7–9
The remaining 3 reach Essence Consolidation
Year
1
Second generation, over 50 new candidates, begin cultivating
Year
2
Third generation, closer to a hundred candidates, begin cultivating
Year
3
Fourth generation, around 100.
Year
4
Fifth generation, around 100.
Year
5
Sixth generation, around 100.
Demonic mania is discovered.
Aberrant Demon Path is developed
Secondary training area opens for those training the Aberrant Demon Path
Year
6
Haru wins the first graduation tournament
First generation graduates, including Haru, Chul, and Shik
Seventh generation, around 100
Year
7
Second generation graduates, Jum wins the second graduation tournament
Year
7–8
Jum and a few other demonic cultivators reach out to Víctor about magic
Year
8
Third generation graduates, including Joon
Year
9
Baz enters isolated cultivation
Year
10
Baz breaks through to Nascent Soul, about 22–23 years after he was summoned and began cultivating
Year
11
Construction of Demonic Citadel begins
Jeoksa Jaemin arrives and a deal is struck regarding his 2-year-old son
Víctor's magic academy rivals the Cave of Latent Demons in terms of recruitment and graduates
Jum develops Formation Arts
Jum is promoted to Demonic General, third after Haru and Chul (Education Hall Master)
Jum is given the title of Formation Hall Master
Year
11–12
Jeoksa Jaemin holds up his end of the bargain and sends countless resources
Year
12
Demonic Martial Form is developed and spread throughout the cult
The Cave of Latent Demons extends its curriculum, disciples now stay there for 8 years
All demonic cultivators work on developing new Techniques
Whispering Reaper Guild attacks
Marion is killed
Sebastian has an epiphany and his Akashic Connection Talent is upgraded to Akashic Incarnation
Sebastian accepts his place and identity, he becomes Baz, the demon god.
The Unyielding Sword of the Demon God is developed
Mujin is named the capital of the cult and a restructure is begun
Baz bestows new titles for everyone.
Víctor reaches level 50
The training at the Cave of Latent Demons is extended to 10 years
The new city, Muwon, is announced, though the name is not revealed until later
From this moment onward, the cult exclusively recruits sproutlings to the Cave of Latent Demons
Víctor endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
16
The construction of the Demonic Citadel and the entire Mansan mountains has reached a point of minor completion
The Grand Demonic Mist Formation is completed and deployed
Year
17
Demonic General Joon and his Intelligence Hall embeds themselves in the Jeoksa Family
Year
18
The Kam brother attack and are killed
Messaging boards have been installed at important sites of the cult
Demonic General Joon prepares for the takeover of the Jeoksa Family
Jeoksa Jaemin's son, Jaebak, is sent to the Cave of Latent Demons
The plan is executed, and the Jeoksa Family pledges themselves as the first Vassal Family of the cult
Baz kills elites of the Tang Clan
Baz breaks through to Soul Transformation, 8 years after reached Nascent Soul
Year
20
The Mansan mountains are now teeming with natural essence, nature having recovered due to their presence
Baz' singularity bursts forth like the big bang and becomes a cosmos
Baz' True Spirit begins taking shape
The Demonic Caverns are constructed
Thousands upon thousands of sproutlings from all over the Red Sea were recruited and enlisted to the Demonic Caverns
Plans for a major campaign to conquer the region are started
Year
22
Baz' inner cosmos settles and begins its development
Gawen endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
24
Safi endures her Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
25
Eduard endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
28
Jeoksa Jaemin's son, Jaebak, graduates as top of his generation
Year
30
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is officially a powerhouse. Nearby Groups are paying attention.
Haru breaks through to Nascent Soul, about 30 years after she began cultivating
The Eight Paths Demonic Sword Art is developed
Year
31
Chul breaks through to Nascent Soul
Year
31–34
Three other demonic cultivators break through to Nascent Soul—Seong is third, Shik is fourth, and Duho is fifth
Year
35
The campaign begins
The Red Sea is conquered
The Iron Courage Fortress is the first proper Group to fall and pledge allegiance to the cult
Year
36
Haru reaches mid-stage Nascent Soul during the assault on the Mystic Ash Sect
8 Groups have been absorbed
Year
37
Chul reaches mid-stage Nascent Soul during the assault on the Fearless Sword Palace
The Fearless Sword Palace pledges alliegance to the cult
27 Groups have been absorbed
Year
38
Shik reaches mid-stage Nascent Soul during the assault on the Murukuan Temple
43 Groups have been absorbed
Year
40
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult has conquered every Group all the way to the Mika Sea, the northern ocean
Demonic Kings Seong and Duho join the Jeoksa Family to begin the Southern campaign
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