BOOM!
General Shin Jae Gul's blow killed four disciples of the now-ruined Shaolin Temple.
"Damn it! Not a single useful healer is left in this Shaolin Temple," General Shin Jae Gul grumbled.
"Forgive me, young master, but it seems our only remaining hope is at Mount Hua," General Shin said, bowing slightly toward the descendant of the Heavenly Demon.
"Ah, it's alright, General. It's not your fault," Baek Ji Won replied with a sense of guilt.
Ten days had passed since General Shin and Ji Won fled the Demonic Empire palace. Their desperate search for a healer to fix Ji Won's shattered dantian—the core for gathering qi—had been fruitless. His dantian had broken from pushing himself too hard during cultivation.
General Shin knew there was no hope left for Ji Won. A destroyed dantian was an irreversible condition, especially since the entire Murim continent's kingdoms had been laid to waste by Baek Cheonma, the 20th Heavenly Demon.
Baek Ji Won was the only son of the previous Heavenly Demon, who had died a year ago in a great battle against the entire Murim world—clans, Orthodox factions, Shaolin, and guilds—in a bid to conquer the continent. The title of Heavenly Demon had fallen to his son, Ji Won.
However, he could not yet control his demonic power and had not even mastered the 20 Heavenly Demon Skills. In the Demonic Cult, there was one unwritten rule: "The strongest rules." Ji Won knew his current condition was a great danger, so he was determined to become as strong as the previous Heavenly Demon, Baek Cheonma.
He had been too reckless in his cultivation—the technique of absorbing qi into the body to be stored in the dantian—and it had resulted in his core's destruction.
When news of this reached the four generals of the Demonic Cult, the Four Heavenly Kings, they began plotting to eliminate Baek Ji Won, deeming him unfit to bear the title of Heavenly Demon. All except one: General Shin Jae Gul, who had sworn a promise to the previous Heavenly Demon to protect his son.
There was nothing General Shin could do but offer Ji Won false hope, visiting the ruins of every faction besides the Demonic Cult in a futile search for a healer.
But the problems didn't stop there. An even greater threat loomed, one that could annihilate the entire Murim world: an invasion from the neighboring continent, Archadium, which was once ruled by the Seven Deadly Sins Demon Kings. They were now all killed by a demon who craved power and domination, Demon King Dexed.
When Demon King Dexed heard rumors that the Murim continent possessed a legendary weapon from the demons' ancestors, he began his invasion of the Murim continent, which was now led by the Demonic Empire.
"General, I actually know that a destroyed dantian can never be remade," Ji Won said, staring at the ground.
"N-no, that's impossible. We haven't tried searching at Mount Hua yet. I'm sure there are great healers there who can—"
"Enough. It's better for you to help the other three Heavenly Kings fight Demon King Dexed. I'll go into hiding so you can focus."
Suddenly, General Shin pushed Ji Won and tied him to a tree with a strong rope.
"Forgive me, young master, but I promised the Heavenly Demon who saved my life when I was a child. I must repay my debt to him."
General Shin drew a ritual logo to summon the first Heavenly Demon's soul, but this ritual of summoning a soul came at a price: a soul for a soul.
"H-hey! What are you doing, General?" Ji Won panicked at the sight of the drawing.
But General Shin didn't listen and began to channel his demonic power into the logo.
"GENERAL SHIN, STOP THIS!!!" Ji Won yelled in panic.
The ritual was already halfway done.
"SHIN JAE GUL, I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!!" Ji Won's panic intensified.
It was too late. The ritual was complete, and General Shin fell lifelessly to the ground.
"NOOO!" Ji Won could only cry and scream.
ZZZTTT! ZRRRT!
A black portal appeared in the sky, directed downwards. Thick black smoke billowed out, filling the air and making it hard to breathe.
"COUGH! COUGH!"
The soul of the first Heavenly Demon emerged from the portal and looked down at Ji Won with a look of utter disgust.
"What a truly wasteful sacrifice for a Heavenly King."
"GIVE ME BACK GENERAL SHIN'S SOUL, YOU BASTARD!"
"Tch, you're weak and ungrateful. You truly are not worthy of being the Heavenly Demon."
The first Heavenly Demon's soul left Ji Won and moved toward the portal.
"BASTARD! AT LEAST GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO DEFEAT THE DEMON KING! OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!"
"There's no point in giving power to someone like you."
The first Heavenly Demon merely smiled, glanced at Ji Won, then entered the portal, leaving Ji Won alone in the middle of the forest, tied to the tree.
"AAARGH! DAMN IT ALL!" Ji Won screamed, filled with sadness and rage.
"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" He wondered who would help him get out of the ropes.
Jiwon tried to break free, but his physical strength was far too weak.
"Ah, I really am useless. So what's the point of living in a world that's about to be destroyed?" Ji Won lost all hope and considered suicide by choking himself on the ropes.
Suddenly, a majestic portal of lightning mixed with light opened, like a single drop of water in a still pond.
DING!
"HAHAHA, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE STARTING TO REGRET IT! BUT YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE! I WON'T ACCEPT YOUR POWER! LET THE CULT YOU BUILT BE DESTROYED!" Ji Won yelled.
But Ji Won was wrong. What emerged was not the soul of the first Heavenly Demon, but a dense, clear white light in an abstract shape.
"Huh?! Why did your soul turn into a jerk?"
The light descended before Ji Won, and instantly, the surrounding forest transformed into a vast, white space that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"I am no jerk. I am a constellation that can grant you power."
"What do you mean?"
"You can make a contract with me and spread my name in exchange for the power I give you."
"Get lost. Why would I defend a cult I want to destroy?"
"Fine. It's perfectly alright if you don't want to bring your beloved General back to life." The constellation began to leave Ji Won.
"H-hey! Wait! Can your power really bring the dead back to life?"
"It can even bring a dead kingdom back to life."
"W-what else can I do with your power?"
"Hahahaha, you're a demanding one, aren't you? With my power, you can even absorb mana without needing a vessel."
Jiwon suddenly lowered his head and smiled menacingly.
"Fine. Give me your power, and I will conquer two continents to spread your name."
"Excellent! You will not regret this decision." The constellation descended and exploded instantly.
Jiwon couldn't see anything, and when he opened his eyes, he was standing in front of General Shin, who was alive again.
"G-General Shin, you're back?" Ji Won's eyes were filled with tears.
"Yes. Don't worry, I'm with you and I won't ever leave you. From now on, you will conquer the entire continent with this Heavenly Demon's power. But I didn't expect him to give his power to me as well."
Jiwon was confused about how to explain it to General Shin, as in his world, no one had ever mentioned "constellations."
"General Shin, do you know what a constellation is?"
"Huh?! Did you see it?"
"W-why?"
"Constellations are forbidden beings on par with the souls of the dead, and they can only descend when a portal to the dead is opened."
"O-oh, I see."
"Only those who have mastered summoning techniques know this. Don't tell anyone, because constellations can disrupt the laws of nature."
"A-alright." Ji Won felt worried that he wouldn't be able to fulfill the promise he had made in the contract with the constellation.
But Jiwon wasn't a fool. He had already thought of a way to spread the constellation's name: by creating a new kingdom called "The Zero Alpha".