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The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

When I woke up, I found myself in the training temple of Jinrang Valley. I was dressed in new clothes and bandages were wrapped around several wounds I received during the fight. As I inhaled the fresh air, I felt a slight chill and sat up.

‘Looks like it’s early evening…’

How long did I sleep?

I remembered using my full power in sword strength and then collapsing, but beyond that, I only knew that the Extreme Tiger had moved me. My stomach was growling and I felt pretty lethargic, so it seemed like quite a bit of time had passed.

I scratched the back of my head and half-sat up from the bed. As I watched the sunset, I checked my internal power with the Lesser Circulation Technique.

My internal power was perfectly fine—completely restored. It seemed I had healed naturally, and I was confident the wounds wrapped in bandages were fully closed. While I sat there for a while, a voice called out.

“Big brother, you’re awake?”

A gentle voice, like a jade pearl, reached my ears. Startled, I looked toward the door, and there was Sagong Lin walking toward me, having noticed my awakening. I answered awkwardly.

“Yes, Lin.”

“Hehe… Why are you using honorifics?”

“Well, because you’re…”

As I spoke, I suddenly felt like something wasn’t right. The moment age came up, I noticed Sagong Lin’s expression growing colder, so I hurriedly wrapped up my sentence.

“… dignified.”

Sagong Lin smiled brightly and approached, placing her delicate hand on my forehead.

“Hmm, no fever. Big brother, how’s your condition?”

Seeing her elegant features up close, I felt my heart race. Years had passed since the beginning of this life, and my body had fully transitioned into adolescence, flushing my face. But it was no wonder, as Sagong Lin had a peerless beauty that could rival all the beauties I had seen during my travels.

“I’m… fine.”

“Master and big brother were really worried about you.”

Clink!

Sagong Lin placed a bowl of black rice porridge beside my bed. It seemed she had made the porridge and kept warming it whenever she had the chance. Just as I felt hungry, I was glad to see porridge; I was in the mood to devour it.

“Now that all three have gone out, eat this and regain your energy.”

“Gone out?”

“Yes.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“By the way, how much time has passed? And what about the fight…”

“It’s been two days since the Extreme Tiger brought back Baek Woong. I heard the Thunder God Lineage completely defeated the Wind Spirit Sect.”

“Defeated? Then what about the Huashan Sect…”

“They were annihilated.”

“……!!”

I gripped the blanket tightly while sitting on the bed. I felt joy at the news that the Thunder God Lineage had achieved total victory in that fierce battle. However, the Huashan Sect’s destruction and the upcoming confrontation with the Wind Spirit Sect also worried me.

“Ah, big brother! You’re awake!”

“Mmm…”

At that moment, Jeonghu walked in with the Green Forest King Gu Cheol. Jeonghu looked like a young handsome boy about my age, with bright red hair, while Gu Cheol, wrapped in bandages all over, looked even worse than I did. They both greeted me with martial authority, and I returned the gesture.

Jeonghu giggled and said, “Lin helped give you a bath.”

What?!

Startled, I looked at Sagong Lin, who looked embarrassed. Sagong Lin hurriedly scolded Jeonghu.

“Jeonghu, why are you saying that now?”

“Just because~”

Thinking about it, I was completely changed out of my clothes, even my undergarments. Did Sagong Lin really see me all bare? Feeling shy and my face turning beet red, Gu Cheol broke the awkwardness with a hearty laugh.

“Anyway, I, Gu Cheol, am truly in awe of big brother’s divine might. Please take care of me going forward.”

“The pleasure is mine.”

“Don’t stand on ceremony. I’m the youngest.”

“… Okay.”

Green Forest King Gu Cheol, once a peak expert leading the Nine Great Sects’ leader Tiger King’s Stronghold, was now the youngest disciple of the Thunder God Lineage. The hierarchy among disciples really ignored age completely.

I asked Gu Cheol, “By the way, where have Master and the others gone?”

“They went to Longryeong Valley with the leader of the Bancheon Alliance.”

“Longryeong Valley…?”

“Yes. They said they had business with the Lord of Longryeong Valley. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

I wondered what was going on.

Longryeong Valley!

That place supposedly rewarded you with riches for answering three questions correctly. There were also rumors of severe punishment for anyone who answered wrongly. Seemed that Mangnyang must’ve followed the Thunder God Lineage too; it was intriguing that he had to act directly.

‘Oh, right. The Lord of Longryeong Valley is also a descendant of Mangnyang.’

Mangnyang seemed quite uncomfortable about it, but I had also heard the Lord of Longryeong Valley belonged to the Zhuge clan, which was not an ordinary martial artist. It was true that when things fell apart in Luoyang, I thought of relying on him as a last resort.

It was then I heard a voice.

[It seems the priests are treating you well, Baek Woong.]

Miho’s voice echoed. I had been wondering where Miho was, realizing I didn’t have the pearl around my neck anymore. So it turned out she’s been nearby. I glanced toward the window and heard her giggling.

[I’m playing with the old man from Dongbang in Jinrang Valley. Come find me after you’re done eating.]

“Uh…”

I had no choice but to wrap up my casual chat with the priests after finishing the black rice porridge and walked toward Jinrang Valley. Miho must’ve gone looking for Dongbang Mu-gyeol, who was said to be living there.

When I arrived at the quiet thatched cottage where Dongbang Mu-gyeol was living, I saw Miho giggling in the form of a young girl right in front of the door.

“Ahaha! Your face looks starved!”

“Can you tell?”

“You must have gone several days without eating, so porridge wouldn’t cut it.”

Miho grinned, ruffling my hair.

“Let’s go eat something delicious in a bit.”

“Okay, but why are you here?”

As far as I knew, Dongbang Mu-gyeol had been living the life of an ordinary villager in a secluded thatched house, his internal power sealed. Unless I released the seal, he was doomed to remain like this forever, which is why no one cared much about his whereabouts. But I couldn’t understand why Miho would come to see him.

Miho replied, “Actually, while I was helping you, I got bored and came over to Jinrang Valley, but I realized something was missing.”

“Something missing?”

“You all only superficially gathered information about Dongbang Mu-gyeol but didn’t delve into his deep memories. This maiden thought it was high time to thoroughly charm that old man.”

“……!!”

Surprised, I stepped inside the thatched house. There, I saw Dongbang Mu-gyeol sitting on the bed in a daze, completely under Miho’s enchantment. Thankfully, it seemed Miho hadn’t done anything harmful to him.

“Wait, so you’re interrogating him?”

“Exactly. I did all I could and was just waiting for you to wake up.”

Dongbang Mu-gyeol showed no signs of reacting despite hearing our voices. Under an overwhelming enchantment, memories often vanish. I sat on a chair in the thatched house and replied, “I don’t think the information Dongbang Mu-gyeol shared back then was a lie. It truly seemed effective, and even the Master of the White Lotus Sect believed every bit of it. He probably revealed everything to survive, but there might be more he’s hiding.”

Miho crossed her arms. “Rather than just information… there was something he concealed. For instance, concerning the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.”

“The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?”

Why was that even a topic now?

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors refer to the first divine monarchs who ruled over the Central Plains, often regarded as deities. In many ancient Taoist or Buddhist texts, they are essential figures tied deeply to myths of antiquity, believed to be the ones who bestowed the Seven Luminaries upon humanity.

With a curious expression, I looked towards Miho, who then spoke to Dongbang Mu-gyeol.

“Hey, when you interacted with the Southern Barbarians and visited the library of Yu, tell me detailed accounts of what happened.”

“Understood…”

Dongbang Mu-gyeol replied like a puppet, continuing, “I gained the opportunity to peruse the Ancient Library as a reward for presenting the Sacred Lotus to the Black Prince Naresuen, the greatest overlord of the Southern Barbarians… At that time, I encountered a suspicious clan and ended up making an additional transaction…”

What on earth was he talking about?

I questioned him, startled. “Suspicious clan? What do you mean by that?”

It seemed that taking the Sacred Lotus as a bargaining tool had allowed Dongbang Mu-gyeol to achieve his goals due to the support of the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Regardless, I had never heard anything about a suspicious clan before, and it left me flabbergasted.

“I could speak the languages of the Southern Barbarians and Mu, but I lacked the ability to interpret ancient texts from the library… At that time, those seeking the ancient texts appeared, demanding Sacred Lotus as compensation, and Naresuen had them take on additional outsourcing… With their help, I was able to decipher the records of the library… Furthermore, I was even able to see the ruins of the giants.”

“Giants?”

“Descendants of Shennong, the Yan Emperor, as mentioned in the legends of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors… They were, in fact, indeed kindred spirits to Chi You, Gu Bo, Gong Gong, and others… They established mysterious ruins in a place far beneath the Southern Barbarians and Yu, leaving evidence of their presence…”

“……!!”

Were giants actually a thing?

In myths like the Classic of Mountains and Seas that recount the archaic era of the Central Plains, giants frequently appear, commonly having tragic fates after defying the gods or heavenly emperors. Even so, the size depicted for these giants has always made me think it was pure myth. But now, to hear giants actually existed in history!

“So…? Did you ever enter those ruins?”

“With the assistance of that suspicious clan, who called themselves the Zhuyong Tribe, I was able to get inside… And inside, I found something terrifying…”

“Terrifying?”

“There… lay divine beings from the ancient era… or rather, it could only be described as demonic in nature… absolute…”

Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s lips trembled as he continued.

“Furthermore, within were strange words written in unknown scripts that even the Zhuyong Tribe couldn’t decipher… Those inscriptions formed a barrier to seal those divine beings… Apparently, the mission of the Zhuyong Tribe is to guard those seals for eternity…”

“……”

Unknown scripts.

Hearing that, I recalled the bizarre grimoire I had collected until now. I took out the wooden armor from earlier and pulled out the book titled <Naun Star Main Capital>. Since I couldn’t show him the Heavenly Secret, I showed him the Nine Stars Main Capital instead.

“Is this how those unknown scripts looked?”

“… Oh, oh yes… While the form differs slightly, the essence remains undeniably the same…”

“Hmm.”

Indeed, there were ruins related to the otherworldly race in the territories of the Southern Barbarians. But if that’s the case, why does it relate back to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? Sinister thoughts flickered in my mind, but I shook them off. For now, nearly everything was speculation.

“You mentioned that the Zhuyong Tribe are descendants of giants, so they must have been quite massive.”

“No… not at all; they looked like ordinary humans… But they possessed extraordinary abilities that could hardly be classified as human…”

“What kind of abilities?”

“They could swap bodies with other beings…”

“……!!”

“It’s said to be a power granted by the Yan Emperor himself… They have utilized this ability to live for thousands of years…”

Body swapping!

That meant, if one’s soul remained intact, they could infinitely switch bodies and essentially achieve immortality, right? I found it hard to believe his words, yet given Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s current state under Miho’s enchantment, I had no choice but to accept it. So I calmed my thoughts and spoke.

“What did those Zhuyong Tribe want with the Sacred Lotus?”

“I also do not know…”

“How exactly does their body swapping ability work? Why weren’t you deprived of your body?”

“It didn’t seem to be forceful; it required consent from the other party… They claimed it had been diluted from their original clan’s ability…”

“Hmmm.”

After pondering for a moment, I asked, “Was there anything else strange you noticed?”

“A tower without windows… A bizarre tower made of dark stone…”

“A tower?”

“It looks to be both the living space of the Zhuyong Tribe and a ruin…”

Other than that, he had nothing further.

The Zhuyong Tribe!

The tower without windows!

Somehow, I had this thought that this could lead to acquiring the fire spirit of Shennong’s Seven Luminaries. I continued probing Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s mind, but he had nothing more than what he knew already. My curiosity spiked with a mischievous thought, so I asked Dongbang Mu-gyeol.

“Hey. What martial arts do you know, and what secrets are hidden there?”

“Uh… ugh…”

Dongbang Mu-gyeol was unable to respond easily to that and twisted his body in distress. Finally, Miho, who’d been watching from the side, interjected.

“It’s difficult to draw out something he rejects so deeply; even enchanting won’t work.”

“What do you mean?”

“In other words, that secret is one he would rather die than reveal. Continuing to ask could drive him insane or shatter his mind.”

“Hmm…”

I felt disappointed. If that was the case, using enchantment to extract the secrets of a peak expert would be tough indeed. Dongbang Mu-gyeol was clearly someone with much to learn from, making me feel regretful.

I turned to Miho. “What do you think? Do you believe the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are connected to the otherworldly race?”

Upon my inquiry, Miho appeared deep in thought. It was indeed strange for me, as a human, to be interested in such matters, while Miho, who had lived in the Celestial Realm, had an even deeper connection. Thus, it seemed she too regarded this issue with great weight.

After pondering for a while, Miho replied.

“The Queen Mother of the West I serve has, in fact, her appearance viewed by humans and her true form being entirely different.”

“……?”

“In other words… the form that exists in the Celestial Realm is merely an illusion created by human subconscious. Beings that exist in the Celestial Realm are spiritual entities, allowing them to change their appearances relatively freely.”

She sighed briefly and continued.

“… And even having served the Queen Mother for nearly a millennium, I have never seen her true form.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Even in the Celestial Realm, there is a massive gap between the ‘old ones’ and newcomers. I’m fairly young in that context and the Queen Mother has existed since before the Celestial Realm came into being. She hasn’t shared any of the ancient events with me.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s certain there are secrets even the great immortals shy away from. It also seems highly likely that these secrets are linked to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.”

I learned a lot from Miho’s answer.

And I came to my own conclusion.

Even the Celestial Realm isn’t to be fully trusted.

 

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