Chapter 92: Chapter 86: Ascension 2
The guests from the Spirit Beast Clans were shocked to see the glowing Totem. They were even more shocked because they could actually sense that the Totem was connected to someplace far away—a place too far away to be in Murim. Perhaps another plane like the underworld...?
Zeke manifested a huge model of the full-fledged Asuran Neo-Nephilim Primogenitor so that everyone could see him. He amplified his voice with qi as he said:
"People of the Divine Demonic Cult, my name is Cheon Ryeong, and I am the chosen heir of not only my father, the current Heavenly Demon, but also of the founder of the Cult, the first Heavenly Demon."
He paused for a moment and then continued:
"Since the founding of this Cult, we have been persecuted by the world, just because we have different beliefs. Because we don’t hide behind the facade of hypocritical righteousness. Just because we do what we want, whenever we want. Because of the god we believe in.
This world and its people have persecuted us, marked us as beings worse than animals, just because we live as we are. Thirty years ago, my father waged war on this world and was able to hurt their very foundation. But thirty years is a long time. They have become peaceful. They have forgotten who we are and what we can do.
So now, as the next Heavenly Demon, I give you my word that this time they will not forget. I will not let them forget. That is, if they survive. For He supports me—the master of the one we worship, the one that the Mara Demon serves, the Asuran Neo-Nephilim Primogenitor.
The Cult is my home, and He will support it as well. And he asks for nothing in return except your faith. Believe in him wholeheartedly, and you will see the way."
Seeing that the crowd was almost convinced, he yelled:
"All hail the Asuran Neo-Nephilim Primogenitor!!"
Zeke’s speech had touched the Cult’s members’ black hearts. As he said, they had been persecuted just because they did something they wanted to do. So what if they massacred a few villages? Who gave the Righteous Alliance the right to send their Demon Suppression Squads after them? Not to mention, they could feel the raw power coming off of Zeke’s body.
So when he yelled, they yelled back:
"ALL HAIL THE NEO-NEPHILIM PRIMOGENITOR!!!"
Zeke yelled again:
"In the name of the Neo-Nephilim Primogenitor, I command you to commence the sacrifice!"
The members of the Cult each held an unconscious Spirit Beast with a Totem drawn on its forehead in their hands. All of them took a dagger and cut the beasts’ throats. Seeing this, the guests from the Spirit Beast Clans stood up in anger. Although none of the beasts were from their clans, they were still fellow Spirit Beasts.
But they soon sat back down. No, they were forced to sit back down as they felt extreme pressure. They saw that Zeke was looking at them. They had the premonition that if they tried to do something, they would die very gruesome deaths. Who knows, they could even be sacrificed to this unknown god.
Zeke nodded, and all of the members of the Cult, even the Demon Monarchs, the old man, the Yin and Yang Elders, and the Heavenly Demon, knelt down. They started chanting:
"Oh One who exists outside of Heaven and Hell. Hunter of Demons and Angels. Creator and Destroyer of Myriad Races. Master of Rebirth. Reacher of Untold Planes. Seeker of Lost Knowledge. Beast of Battle. Dominator of Emotions. Ruler of the Celestial Sky. Oh Asuran Star of the Gemini Primogenitors, we call upon you today.
In this hopeless world, the sun, moon, and stars are the only ones who don’t judge us for being who we are. They are the only ones who let us live with a shred of dignity. We seek asylum in your benevolent arms. We beg you to accept our faith and let us live as your faithful believers. As proof of our faith, we sacrifice these beasts to you."
The Spirit Beasts dissolved and were absorbed by the Totem. Zeke could feel a humongous amount of faith being generated. As a result, the tether that connected him to the Aurevion Pantheon was also strengthened to an ungodly degree.
He had a feeling that he could open a portal to the Pantheon as long as he wanted to, but when he tried, the portal only led to a void—most probably the System’s doing. Still, he could feel that if it wasn’t for the System’s interference, he would have been able to do so.
While he was doing this, everybody else was going through the techniques that had appeared in their minds. Because Zeke had personally conducted the ritual, the missions hadn’t appeared in their minds.
Many of the Demons were laughing wildly as the Asuran Neo-Nephilim Primogenitor Visualization could help them with the one thing that was holding them back—their soul.
One could get very strong very fast with Demonic Arts, but there were always downsides, mostly mental side effects. That is why many Demons had to stop cultivating these techniques as they wanted to keep their sanity. But with the Visualization technique, they could go all out without having to compromise their mental state.
Suddenly, one of the Demons yelled:
"All hail the Asuran Star!! All hail the Heavenly Demon!!"
Slowly, all of the members of the Cult started shouting at the top of their lungs:
"ALL HAIL THE ASURAN STAR! ALL HAIL THE HEAVENLY DEMON!"
The Heavenly Demon beckoned Zeke to himself. When Zeke went to him, he led Zeke to his seat—the throne of the Heavenly Demon. He whispered:
"I have fulfilled my side of our deal. Now it’s your turn."
Zeke said:
"Don’t worry, I will fulfill my promise."
The Heavenly Demon laid a crown on his head and handed him a black sword. It was the first Heavenly Demon’s sword and a symbol of legitimacy for the Heavenly Demons. Zeke took out the sword and pointed it at the skies as he said:
"Through the suffering, to the stars!"
