Chapter 1197

<Chapter 1197> 1197. The Bright Ascension Realm

The *Bright Ascension Realm* is a fusion of six creative worlds in a playground of infinite possibilities.

While the main setting, the Bright Ascension Realm, belongs to the Immortal Cultivation World, the other five realms are all Martial Cultivation Worlds. Naturally, this means the Heavenly Demon Sect also exists here.

“To think about it… the Heavenly Demon Sect might be the most important piece. Four out of the six worlds have ties to the Heavenly Demon.”

I decide to infiltrate the Heavenly Demon Sect.

This plan started on a whim. I am a Celestial Demon—what better than securing a useful faction like the Heavenly Demon Sect for myself?

“Building my own force from scratch would take forever… and even with time, there’s no guarantee of success.”

How long would it take to build something comparable to the Heavenly Demon Sect starting from nothing? Besides, wouldn’t it just be faster and easier to absorb them instead?

“My original plan was simple: cause some chaos near the Heavenly Demon Sect, fight them, prove my strength, then join their ranks.”

The Heavenly Demon Sect operates under the principle of “Respect for the Strong.” Instead of killing me, they’d likely try to recruit me. And unlike the righteous factions, the Heavenly Demon Sect allows for a degree of freedom—though leaving isn’t exactly an option once you’re in.

Before executing my initial plan, I gathered information about the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Thanks to Gong Bi, the owner of the Moonflower Pavilion, I managed to acquire high-level intel on the sect. This included current internal dynamics within the organization.

After reviewing the data, I came up with an even better plan—a way to infiltrate the core of the Heavenly Demon Sect faster and more reliably.

To leave for the Heavenly Demon Sect, I needed permission from my master, Wei Yu.

Surprisingly, she agreed without hesitation. Perhaps it was because I often visited Naku Mountain during my stay at the Ten Thousand Nothingness Pagoda. With my spatial teleportation talismans and the Tian Gang Star System’s transfer system, distance wasn’t an issue—we could meet instantly no matter how far apart we were.

Nangong Xue pouted slightly but ultimately gave her blessing. Approval from Meiling and Nangong Lin came easily as well.

“Though you’re heading to the Heavenly Demon Sect, it’s not like you’ll disappear forever—it feels like sending off a husband on a business trip. Work hard and support us, dear!”

That day, Meiling lightened the slightly melancholic mood with her cheerful voice. I smirked. Her help would indeed be necessary for this plan. Talented spellcasters like Meiling aren’t easy to come by.

And besides, it’s about time she stopped slacking off and got back to work. Though her immediate assistance wasn’t critical.

After preparing for several years according to the timeline of the *Bright Ascension Realm*, I set off toward the Heavenly Demon Sect. It was located deep within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in the northern continent.

The distance between Naku Mountain and the Heavenly Demon Sect is estimated to be around 25,000 kilometers—an impressive span fitting for an Immortal Cultivation World. For reference, Seoul and New York are approximately 11,000 kilometers apart.

Though vast, with Meiling’s aid, this journey could be completed in mere days. Once traversed, I could freely travel back and forth using the spatial transfer system.

With minor issues resolved, it was time to put my plan into motion.

•••

I didn’t head directly to the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Instead, I stopped about thirty days’ horse ride away from their territory…


I headed toward a village located on the main road. The village was called Nando.

This was no ordinary village.

It was a bandit village.

A village created by bandits banding together. The entire village acted as one. They stripped and looted any easy targets passing nearby. Their main prey? Naive martial artists wandering the lands to build their reputation, and merchants.

Instead of entering the village, I set up a tent nearby and kept watch.

On the fourth day, smoke rose from the center of the village.

I smirked and nodded to myself.

“Right on schedule… or rather, just like the original story.”

The sound of clashing weapons echoed from the village. Infighting had broken out among the bandits.

“You ungrateful bastards! I fed you, I housed you, and now you dare to show your teeth at me?!”

“Fed us? You feed us one meal a week and think that’s enough?! Don’t make me laugh! Like I don’t know you’ve got rice stacked up in your house?!”

“Do you know what my son says when he wakes up every morning? ‘I’m hungry.’ He says ‘I’m hungry!’ I’ll be damned if I let my own son starve!!”

“Kill them! Kill them all!!”

As evening fell, the sounds of battle lessened, but the village burned brighter than ever.

From the burning village, a man staggered out. Only then did I move, walking towards him.

“W-who are you?”

The burly man looked up. His blood-stained clothes were half-torn, revealing a red demon tattoo on his back.

“Yom Guseok, is that right?”

“M-me? Yes, I’m Yom Guseok. Who the hell are you?”

At this weak martial artist barely reaching Entry Level, I saw his hand moving towards his waist. He gripped the hilt of his broken sword tightly.

“Just so you know… you’re about to die here.”

Swoosh.

As I drew my sword, Yom Guseok’s face contorted in shock.

“Who… who said you could kill me?! Was the infighting in the village your doing?!”

“Looks like you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not an assassin. The infighting in your village happened because your boss was too greedy.”

“…What’s your purpose?”

“Your life. I’m going to take it.”

“Bullshit!!”

Yom Guseok suddenly lunged at me, his sword aimed straight for my chest.

But he was way too slow.

Yawn-inducingly slow.

Pfft.

My blade pierced his throat effortlessly.

“Gahahaha. You idiot. You should’ve just begged for mercy.”

“G-gr… spare me…”

“Too late.”

Yom Guseok collapsed and died.

I stripped the corpse of its upper clothing and examined the red demon tattoo on his back. Then I took out my smartphone and launched the Life Customization app.

[Sung Yoojin

Level: 81

Strength: 105 Health: 100 Agility: 100 Intelligence: 100 Spirit: 110 Mana: 103]

[Available Points: 7,580]

On the smartphone screen, there was my naked avatar standing still. Here, I could use points to change my face, increase my height, or even adjust certain… personal dimensions to my liking.

I rotated the avatar and added a tattoo to its back. The desired tattoo appeared instantly in my mind.

[Would you like to add a tattoo for 3 points?]

I confirmed the addition.

Nothing happened. On the smartphone screen, the red demon tattoo from Yom Guseok’s back now appeared on mine.

Satisfied with the result, I took off my shirt, used the phone’s camera to photograph my back, and confirmed the tattoo was there.

With a pleased smile, I tossed Yom Guseok’s corpse into the flames.

‘Preparations complete.’

Yom Guseok was the left arm of ‘Byeongui Cheonma’.

Becoming Yom Guseok, I would infiltrate the inner circle of ‘Byeongui Cheonma’. I would gain his trust, and when the time comes, strike him down from behind. I would obtain the Cheonmasin-gong technique of the Cheonmasin-gyo sect in this world and become its master.

I took out a notebook from my inventory.

It contained detailed information about Yom Guseok – his favorite foods, minor habits, and even his actions from the original story.

‘To deceive ‘Byeongui Cheonma’…’


You must flawlessly play the role of Yeom Gu-seok.

•••

I stared at the entrance of the main headquarters of the Cheonma Shin-gyo.

Its size was comparable to a decent-sized metropolis.

I headed toward the Rimmaso (入魔所), located in a corner of the city.

The Rimmaso is where lower-ranked warriors of the Cheonma Shin-gyo are educated and trained. It’s also a place that weeds out the riff-raff. In short, it’s the bottom rung of the Cheonma Shin-gyo hierarchy, as well as the starting point.

The doors of the Rimmaso open only once a year for ten days. And this was exactly that time.

As I entered the Rimmaso, a man sat at a desk. He glanced at me with his brush poised, asking officiously,

“What is your name?”

“Yeom Gu-seok.”

The brush froze mid-air.

“…You’re rather terse, aren’t you?”

“I’ve heard the Cheonma Shin-gyo respects the strong.”

“That means… am I weaker than you?”

He glared fiercely at me, but I calmly returned his gaze. Our eyes locked. He was the first to look away, breaking out in cold sweat as he resumed writing. My name, Yeom Gu-seok, appeared on the paper.

“Ahem. How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Where are you from?”

“Nando.”

“Where’s that?”

“It’s a village not too far from here. It burned down a month ago.”

“Burned down…?”

“A rebellion broke out. Father’s men picked up weapons because they weren’t given enough food. Well, I wiped them all out.”

“Oh, I see…”

After finishing the record, he handed me a piece of paper.

“For the next year, you will undergo education and training at the Rimmaso. If you successfully complete the program, only then will you become a true warrior of the Cheonma Shin-gyo.”

“Number 123?”

I stiffened. The original Yeom Gu-seok had been number 155. Looks like I arrived earlier than him.

“Well? Does the number not suit you? Even if you throw a tantrum, it can’t be changed. Or are you getting scared now? It’s not too late to turn back. If you leave now, I’ll rip up the paper with your name on it.”

“No, it’s fine. Where do I go?”

The guy stood up and grabbed my collar. Leaning close to my ear, he growled menacingly,

“I know you’ve lived rough. Probably a bandit or highwayman, huh? But this is the Cheonma Shin-gyo. There are people here far rougher and crueler than some hick like you. Do you know why we’re called ‘Demon Humans’? Because we’ve transcended mere humanity. Let me give you some advice as your senior: You’re not strong. You’re just one common bug. If you don’t want to die, stop acting cocky and show some respect.”

“…Fuck. Your breath stinks.”

I grabbed the brush rolling on the desk and jabbed it into his right eye.

“AAAAAAHHHHH!”

He screamed, releasing my collar. Staggering, he swiped at my neck with his nails. I easily dodged by tilting my head and kicked his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground, flailing.

“Stop!!”

“Halt!!”

Two warriors appeared and grabbed me. I didn’t resist, keeping my eyes fixed on the fallen man.

“You’re clearly nothing but a bug.”

“Shut up! You attacked a warrior of the New Sect! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”

Other warriors rushed over and used pressure points to stabilize the fallen man.

“I just joined the sect too. I’m a member of the sect. And this guy started it.”

“…What did he do wrong?”

“He had the audacity to rise.”

“What?”

“He dared to rise despite being weak!!”

“…Another lunatic has joined.”

One of the warriors sighed.

Half the people entering the Cheonma Shin-gyo’s Rimmaso are criminals. People like me are dime a dozen. And since I didn’t kill him, I won’t be expelled from the Rimmaso.

‘A guy like him who just sits around scribbling doesn’t have any backing.’

As I was dragged away by the warriors, I mocked the man being carried off somewhere else.