Lightning roared and black clouds swirled above a towering peak that loomed over mist-covered plains. In the heart of this raging storm, an old man stood, surrounded by an army of celestial beings.
"Elder Archfiend, don't make this harder than it has to be!"
"Heavenly demon, your time is over! Surrender Black Demon Peak and leave this world in peace!"
But not everyone spoke to him so politely.
"You wretched fiend! You wiped my sect off the face of existence! Today, I will avenge my brothers and sisters!"
"You accursed old man! You killed my brother and left his body hanging on this mountainside for a century! Even if the heavens descend to save you today, I will burn the world to the ground to destroy you!"
The old man slowly raised his hand. His wide sleeve billowed in the wind like a battle flag. Then, he let out a thunderous laugh.
"Hahaha! So Heaven has chosen to test me with this calamity..."
His eyes burned with fury. He clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his neck as he roared, "I, the Venerable Heavenly Demon, Sovereign of Sorcery and Lord of Alchemy, challenge the Heavens today!"
His gaze swept over his foes.
"You naive fledglings think that just because you were born immortal, you have the right to challenge me? Today, you'll pay for that arrogance with your lives!"
With a flick of his fingers, he traced a sigil in the air, and a vast surge of power began to swirl around him.
One of the warriors cried out in terror.
"H-he's preparing the Godslayer Palm! Defend yourselves!"
The Venerable Heavenly Demon let out a wild laugh and unleashed a massive hand of raw energy. Towering like a mountain, it exploded with a deafening roar. Smoke and dust swallowed the battlefield.
But before the haze could settle, six pairs of glowing eyes emerged from the mist.
Though momentarily surprised, the old man's expression remained unchanged.
"So... even the Six Heavenly Kings have declared war against me?"
Six sacred beings hovered between the heavens and the earth, their eyes burning like divine flames.
One of them, the Sword God, spoke in a deep, resolute voice.
"Today, Black Demon Peak will be erased from the heavens forever. We will no longer tolerate your crimes!"
The Heavenly Demon snarled, his fury erupting.
"Spare me your nonsense! You and the rest of them just want the technique I spent millennia perfecting! I will never hand it over!"
A bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the determined faces of the Six Heavenly Kings.
The Sword God let out a bitter smile and said, "Old Demon… You may be the eldest of Heaven's kings, but while we honed our cultivation, you sought only the path to true immortality. Now, the gap in our strength has closed. Heaven is no longer your domain. Surrender the technique… and perhaps you may die without suffering."
The Heavenly Demon threw his arms wide and laughed maniacally.
"Hahaha! You think you've closed the gap?! Hahahaha! Even if you cultivate for another hundred thousand years, you'll never surpass me! Under the heavens of paradise, I alone am the Eternal Devil!"
He was about to unleash another strike when, suddenly, his body betrayed him. His inner power spiraled out of control. His expression twisted in agony as he coughed up blood.
"This… this is impossible! How could…?!"
Before he could recover, a poisoned dagger pierced his chest, sinking straight into his heart. Pain spread like wildfire through his body. His eyes widened in fury and disbelief. With great effort, he turned his head—only to see his own disciple, eyes wild with madness, twisting the blade deeper into the wound.
"Y-you… Why?!"
Tears welled in the disciple's eyes, his voice shaking.
"Master…! For the future of Black Demon Peak… for the prosperity of the next generation… I had no choice! Please, when you ascend… punish only me!"
The Heavenly Devil coughed up more blood. His breaths turned ragged.
"You… poisoned me… and now you've torn my heart apart… Why?! Why would you betray me and side with the enemy?! How could you be so foolish?!"
Gathering the last of his strength, he struck his palm against his disciple's chest.
BOOOOM!!!
The disciple was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
"You fool of a disciple!!! Did you think that once you became putty in their hands, they would let you live?!"
The Heavenly Devil's eyes burned with rage. He roared to the skies.
"Why do the gods curse me with traitorous children?!"
Then, turning to the Sword God, he growled,
"I did not cultivate for thousands of years just to die like this!"
With a final burst of power, he charged.
And thus, the battle that shattered heaven and earth began.
It was a war greater than any the heavens and earth had ever seen. Their attacks annihilated the mountain range for four thousand miles. Storms collapsed. The earth cracked. Thunder shook the world.
Seven days and seven nights passed.
In the end, the Heavenly Demon—gravely wounded and on the brink of death—collapsed. But the Heavenly Kings had not emerged unscathed. Their bodies bore horrific wounds; even the Sword God's right arm had been severed in battle.
Black Demon Peak was no more—reduced to nothing but ruins. The storm that had raged since the battle's beginning had been cleaved in two.
The Heavenly Devil, bloodied and barely breathing, lay among the wreckage.
"I… I still… haven't reached the peak… not yet…"
Cough… cough…
The Sword God, his right arm lost, picked up his sword with his left and stepped forward.
"Old Demon… 'Venerable' truly suits you."
His gaze swept over the ruins surrounding them.
"Even poisoned and wounded, defeating you came at a heavy price."
He looked into the fading light of the Heavenly Demon's eyes and said,
"But this is where it all ends. I want the Forbidden Art of Reincarnation. Let's make a deal. This body of yours is too broken to continue cultivating. Let's both reincarnate. I swear, in the next life, we won't stand as enemies."
The Heavenly Demon wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with a trembling hand. His bloodshot eyes locked onto the Sword King, and he sneered.
"Hahaha… You truly are something else… Willing to sacrifice even your own allies to achieve your goal…"
His gaze drifted across the battlefield.
"Take a good look… This destruction… this is the price of your greed… and my disciples' betrayal."
Cough… cough…
"But rest assured… In my next life… I will destroy you."
His eyes burned with madness.
"I, the Venerable Heavenly Demon, swear upon the ruins of Black Demon Peak… I will have my vengeance!"
The Sword King roared in fury and charged.
"Hahahahaha!!! Too late!!!"
The blade fell.
But at the final moment…
The Heavenly Demon's soul vanished into the darkness of reincarnation.