Chapter 167
The Four Great Protectors simply could not comprehend it.
Why was Yeo Un-hwi going to such lengths for them, whom he had only just met? They were merely tools prepared for the Heavenly Demon, after all.
Moreover, erasing the records of the previous Heavenly Demons carved into the pillar made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron was no easy feat.
Of course, it might have been possible someday, but for now, it seemed impossible. Yeo Un-hwi had just become the Heavenly Demon, so he couldn't possibly possess deeper Internal Qi than the previous Heavenly Demons.
But they had no idea that Yeo Un-hwi's Internal Qi already far surpassed the combined Internal Qi of the Second and Third Heavenly Demons.
Regardless of their thoughts, Yeo Un-hwi stood unhesitatingly before the massive pillar made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
The pillar was so enormous that Yeo Un-hwi looked incredibly small beside it.
Yeo Un-hwi, who had been scanning the pillar up and down, suddenly asked, "Is there a chance this place will collapse if this disappears?"
At Yeo Un-hwi's unexpected question, Wi Seollin tilted her head, then shook it. "No, that's not the case. Many other pillars are already supporting it."
Really? So it's fine if it's gone. Good.
Pardon?
Yeo Un-hwi simply curled the corner of his lips to Wi Seollin's questioning remark. He had only checked just in case. After all, even if he himself wasn't in danger, others might be.
However, Wi Seollin found Yeo Un-hwi's question merely puzzling. The massive pillar made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron was as thick as an ancient tree that had lived for hundreds of years. Disappear? Such a thing was absolutely impossible.
Yet,
*Swoosh.*
Yeo Un-hwi reached out his hand to the pillar. Yeo Un-hwi's palm touched the Iron Rule carved by the Second and Third Heavenly Demons as if to cover it.
What is he thinking? Wi Seollin understood that he intended to erase the Iron Rule carved by the previous Heavenly Demons. But simply saying that didn't explain the intent behind Yeo Un-hwi's recent question. The pillar can be gone? Doesn't that sound like he's going to make the pillar disappear? Surely not...
It was then.
*Kwoooong.*
Yeo Un-hwi fully unleashed his contained power. The moment his eyes seemed to turn golden, the air shimmered, and a brilliant golden light began to emanate from his entire body.
I'll make sure such *vile traditions* can never be created again.
Soon, Yeo Un-hwi's golden light touched the massive pillar made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, and
Hwaaaaaaak! A colossal light filled the Ten Thousand Demon Palace.
Wi Seollin and the Shamanesses, along with the Four Great Protectors, covered their eyes.
The light soon faded. Everyone cautiously opened their eyes.
But... the pillar remained exactly as it was, without a single scratch.
*A failure?* The Four Great Protectors and Wi Seollin sighed inwardly, swallowing their bitterness. It was what they had expected. No, it was only natural. No matter how supreme the Martial Arts one possessed, Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron was not something that could be easily handled. Yet, the Aura Yeo Un-hwi had emitted was so immense that they had unconsciously harbored expectations.
It was then.
*Thud. Thud-thud-thud.*
Suddenly, something began to fall from the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron pillar.
W-what is this...!
Soon, the colossal pillar split into tens of thousands of pieces, then crumbled into dust. The pillar that had stood before Yeo Un-hwi no longer existed.
The eyes of the Four Great Protectors and Wi Seollin widened as if they would tear. He hadn't merely carved his palm deeply into the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron pillar; he had completely annihilated the pillar itself.
How could such power exist? Throughout their lives, they had imagined and re-imagined countless times the supreme display a great Heavenly Demon might show, but this was a sight that far surpassed all their lifelong hopes and expectations.
Silence filled the Ten Thousand Demon Palace. No one dared to open their mouth.
How about it? Is this enough? Yeo Un-hwi turned around and grinned.
To the Four Great Protectors and Wi Seollin, his appearance seemed like an impossibly vast mountain.
No,
That person is a divine being.
The true Heavenly Demon has returned!
Wi Seollin and the Four Great Protectors' hearts began to pound fiercely. Just serving the Heavenly Demon they had yearned for their entire lives was enough to fulfill their life's goal, and they wished for nothing more. But the one they served was a powerhouse who far surpassed their imagination. As those whose mission was to serve their lord, there could be no greater honor. Their eyes began to sparkle with excitement and anticipation.
At that moment, Yeo Un-hwi spoke to them. "You are now free. Don't be bound by these *vile traditions*; go and find your own lives."
Yes...? At Yeo Un-hwi's words, everyone's faces went blank for a moment. That was an utterly truly unexpected statement.
While everyone froze, unsure how to react, Blue Dragon, who recovered first, spoke up. "Heavenly Demon Lord. But we are..."
Are you trying to say that you are tools prepared for the Heavenly Demon and that your mission is to live only for the Heavenly Demon? Forget that. *That's utter rubbish.* You've probably always been forced to live for complete strangers you don't even know. But that's wrong. If you truly want to live that way,
Yeo Un-hwi grinned and said to those staring blankly at him, "Live for the people you love. And live with someone with whom you can share a wonderful dream and on whom you can stake your life. That is a truly valuable life. Understand?"
He hadn't intended to nag so much. But thinking of the countless individuals who for generations had been sacrificed for the sake of the Heavenly Demon, without truly knowing why, Yeo Un-hwi couldn't bear it.
A life never chosen by oneself.
Even though he had decided to become the Heavenly Demon, he had no desire to force that upon them. If he didn't make it clear, he would feel uneasy.
Of course, no one will be able to say anything to you. I'll make sure of it. If you can't decide right away, you can take your time and choose slowly. Leave whenever you want. So, always make the choice your heart desires.
At Yeo Un-hwi's words, the Four Great Protectors and the Divine Maiden looked as if they had been struck on the head with a hammer.
A life forced upon them. A life never chosen by themselves.
The feelings they had forgotten, or rather, deliberately hidden away from some past time, began to bubble up and resurface.
Yes.
They were human too.
No matter how much they had been raised for a mission since childhood, how could they have never once thought that this life was unreasonable?
Countless Shamanesses and Protectors had withered away meaninglessly, waiting for a Heavenly Demon who might never appear again. Honestly, they wanted to speak. What good was a lofty mission? It was a fleeting and futile life. Nothing compensated the single tear they shed as they fell at the end.
*And I'll be the same.* But whenever they tried to think such thoughts, those around them told and forced them: *What you bear is a mission and a duty, and fulfilling it is the greatest glory.*
So, they buried it. They forgot. They ignored. *My will, my actions, my life, my existence are solely for the Heavenly Demon.* They lived believing this, over and over again.
And finally, they met the Heavenly Demon.
But that Heavenly Demon was telling them: *That is an unreasonable life. So abandon everything and go find the life you desire.*
Live for those you love, and with someone with whom you can share a dream and walk. Everything they had suppressed burst forth at once, and countless emotions crossed their faces.
*Can we really do that? Truly...?*
As if knowing the thought that simultaneously arose in them, Yeo Un-hwi smiled and nodded. They would be confused. It was natural. It was difficult for a way of life to change in an instant. But no matter how long it took for them to make that choice, Yeo Un-hwi intended to help them live their own lives, just as he had said. A life where he regretted not being able to use others' power as he wished was not what he wanted. Such a life, no matter how it began, would eventually be tainted black.
So he made up his mind. Since things had come to this, he would do it his way.
But Yeo Un-hwi didn't know that his actions, his words, and the sincerity in his eyes had, in fact, drawn out the true loyalty of the Four Great Protectors and the Divine Maiden.
How much time had passed? The Four Great Protectors, including Wi Seollin, and everyone else present seemed to have sorted out their thoughts.
And their answer was,
We will follow the Heavenly Demon Lord to the very end.
For a moment, Yeo Un-hwi's expression was dumbfounded. *No, should I explain it again?*
Hey. It seems you didn't understand my words.
No. We understood. And we have decided to act as you instructed.
Huh? What do you mean?
You told us to live for those we love. And to walk with someone with whom we can share a dream and on whom you can stake our lives.
Following Wi Seollin's words, Black Tortoise, one of the Four Great Protectors, spoke. "We wish to share a dream with the Heavenly Demon Lord and live alongside you."
Of course, if we meet someone we love, we will gladly live for them.
So please accept us.
We sincerely wish to be with the Heavenly Demon Lord.
Following Black Tortoise, Blue Dragon, and then White Tiger and Jujak, continued carefully.
Not an answer to a command, but an opinion based on choice.
Such awkward words flowed from their mouths.
As Yeo Un-hwi had said, they could have chosen to leave this place. But in this short time, they had seen what kind of person Yeo Un-hwi was. So they wanted to stake everything on him, the one who had, for the first time in their lives, given them a choice and genuinely felt sorry for them.
Now, that would undoubtedly be a far more appealing prospect to Yeo Un-hwi the human, beyond just the Heavenly Demon, than the option of wandering the world according to his own thoughts.
Hmm. There might come a moment when you regret it. As you can see, I'm someone who often gets tangled up in quite troublesome affairs.
We will gladly accept even such moments.
I'm human too, so there might be moments when you're disappointed.
As you said, since you are human, we will take it as such.
You've all become quite brazen so quickly, that is, unlike before.
At Yeo Un-hwi's words, everyone smiled faintly. They smiled and bowed their heads.
We will follow the Heavenly Demon Lord!
Their eyes, unlike before, were sparkling. It was the gaze only humans could possess, those who had decided to determine and walk their own lives, rather than being puppets choked by a mission and simply obeying orders.
Ha, haha. Well, now.
Yeo Un-hwi scratched his head for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure you don't regret that decision."
Yeo Un-hwi also smiled gently, his eyes shining. Another dream, another destiny, were just beginning here.
And soon, the world would see the new form of the Demonic Heavenly Cult, unlike anything it had ever known.