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0194 ———————————————-

Three Sovereigns & Five Emperors

I felt a bit caught off guard by Mangnyang’s words. The northernmost end of this world, huh?

Of course, according to the intel I’ve gathered so far, to unlock the second seal of the Divine Sword and gain the true power of the Seven Luminaries, I have to go to the northern end and overcome a trial. But do I really have to do that right this second?

As I looked at him with curious eyes, Mangnyang explained further.

“Do you know what our biggest problem is at the moment? It’s simply that we lack ‘power.’”

“……”

His words pierced the reality so starkly that I found myself speechless.

When I went silent, Mangnyang continued.

“I’d wager the strength of that being called Daji is at least that of a Demon King level. Even a group of Great Immortals would struggle against them. I can’t say if you or I could match that power even after hundreds of years of training.”

“Yeah…”

I had managed to fend off Daji with the power of Xiang Yu, but I knew it had been pure luck. If Xiang Yu hadn’t possessed extraordinary strength beyond the typical Great Immortal, and if I hadn’t received the Blessing of the Sky from Master Mangnyang to counter Daji’s dark sorcery, I wouldn’t have had any means to resist.

“I’m not sure about the Old Ruler, but we need to figure out how to deal with Daji. Currently, the closest card we have to play is Xuyou, the Water Spirit, with their connection to Mokya.”

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“The Seven Luminaries is an artifact of the highest order bestowed upon humanity by the Divine Beings known as the Three Sovereigns & Five Emperors in ancient times. Even the Great Immortals regard that existence with awe. If it cannot be achieved through the Seven Luminaries, then nothing else will work.”

With that, Mangnyang scratched his head.

“Originally, I would have attempted to search for Mokya’s secret only after toppling the Imperial Palace. To be honest, it seemed like a wild goose chase with slim chances of success. However, I believe this is our best option.”

“The northern end of the world still feels too vague.”

“Well, you don’t have to go immediately. I hope you can think of a method to head north in your own time and do some research on it.”

“Hmm.”

A journey to the northern end of the world lay unexpectedly at my feet. As I pondered, Miho, who had been listening beside me, spoke bluntly.

“It feels sloppy, doesn’t it? Why not consider searching for other Seven Luminaries?”

“The ones held by the Dan Clan cannot be stolen, and attempting to snatch the Moon Sovereign would bring about a great calamity. As for the Fire Spirit, they’re likely in the far-off southern continent wilderness, and I have no idea where the Eight Trigrams Diagram is. We have to make the most of what we have.”

“……”

Miho fell silent for a moment before glaring at Mangnyang.

“Please tell me you’re not giving up.”

“Of course not. We’ll just have to embrace the trial and error.”

“Hmm.”

And so we began planning a mission to rescue General Hwang Yeon’s family. Since we had no allies we could mobilize immediately, we decided to take about a month to prepare. Above all, I needed time to refine the martial arts I had acquired over this period.

Having fought numerous battles in my fourteenth life, I felt my martial arts clearly surpassing the entry point of peak mastery, entering a realm beyond that. More specifically, the insights from Jang Sam-bong and my training with geniuses had helped me break through the barriers quite easily.

“No matter how hard I try, using the Peerless Technique makes it difficult.”

I muttered as I unfolded Jang Sam-bong’s insight once more. The other martial arts seemed to have become second nature to me, but the Peerless Technique just wouldn’t click. More accurately, I was struggling to comprehend its nuances. I knew it was a counterattack technique, but its specific power eluded me.

“If only Musashi or Hanzō were here, it’d be a piece of cake.”

On the day of execution, Miho sighed wistfully. But it was unavoidable, and so I moved with Miho to the village where General Hwang Yeon’s family was being held.

Pa-at!

We appeared in a hidden warehouse in that village. Miho said,

“I’ll set up here and summon the Front Demon, Back Demon, and Spirit Puppet. You handle the rest.”

“Leave it to me.”

Pa-a-at!

Moments later, a source of light conjured by sorcery floated around Miho, and the Guardian Spirits, the Front Demon and Back Demon, appeared. Simultaneously, Spirit Puppets fluttered around, gradually solidifying into physical entities.

“Whoa!”

“What the hell is this?!”

I could hear the Golden Eagles screaming as they fought against Miho’s summoned creatures. The Subjugation Squad of Twelve Joules, which had amassed a large force, would surely be troubled by them. Worried, I glanced at Miho.

“If it gets dangerous, be sure to dodge.”

Miho chuckled.

“Ha ha… are you worrying about me now? How thoughtful.”

I felt a bit embarrassed. In truth, Miho had shown some apprehension in front of the peerless masters she had surpassed; the reality was that she possessed power fully deserving of the title of a Great Demon. It was a bit absurd for me to be worried about her.

“I’m just worried about the Dharma Guardians of the Wind Spirit Sect.”

I thought to myself that I absolutely cannot let anything like that happen again. Mangnyang’s words about lacking power resonated with me, and I felt a surge of determination to grow stronger.

I stepped outside the village and observed the chaos unfolding everywhere. Among the turmoil, I noticed General Hwang Yeon’s family gathering at a particular building.

‘There it is.’

I secretly used the Soul Removal Technique to approach the building. However, before long, five Golden Eagle warriors suddenly appeared around me. They surrounded me, exuding killing intent.

“Just a kid?”

“Don’t underestimate him. That Light Body Technique is no joke!”

Ssss!

It seemed they had silently agreed to kill me. I met their killing intent head-on and thought to myself,

‘You really have a lot of sins to atone for.’

Merely moving like dogs to satisfy their ruler’s desires, they couldn’t even think or act for themselves. They sought only to satisfy their selfish desires and nothing more. In some sense, they could be seen as pitiable beings.

But still, I’ll kill them.

Simply put, I’ll kill them.

Because if you commit a sin, you must pay the price.

“Farewell!”

I shouted shortly before charging in, unleashing Sword Flame. My Sword Flame stretched out like thread in the air, and with a swift motion, I sliced through the two Golden Eagles beside me from top to bottom. The remaining Golden Eagles gasped in shock and launched their Absolute Slashes at me, but I realized their attacks were now easier to evade than ever before.

‘Were they this weak?’

Kwak!

I sent one flying with a knee strike and then delivered a strike to the hearts of the remaining two. They collapsed like marionettes with their strings cut, blood spraying everywhere. Despite their feeble forms, the truth was that each of them was of first-class expert status, well-regarded wherever they went.

I had been operating at such a high level that they appeared weak to me. However, that didn’t make me feel compensated. As Lee Kwang said, as long as I have recognized the Beyond Heaven, I’d forever feel like I’m at a loss. To shake off this vile feeling, I needed to grow stronger myself and establish my own family.

“Who are you?”

Upon reaching the building where General Hwang Yeon’s family was imprisoned, I looked around and said,

“I’m Baek Woong, here to rescue you. There’s no time for explanations, so please extend your hand to this Wooden Armor.”

“Wait! Three others are in a different building.”

“Where?”

“The lumberyard just twenty meters away…”

“Got it.”

Shushush!

After placing General Hwang Yeon’s family inside the Wooden Armor and escaping outside, I found three peak experts waiting with crossed arms. They were all exuding terrifying killing intent towards me, each at the peak master level.

“Who’s this punk…”

Don’t underestimate me, huh? As more and more Golden Eagles’ elite warriors began gathering around them, surpassing ten in number, I glanced at them and said,

“Looks like Heavenly Tigers.”

“You’ve planned something, haven’t you? You’ll pay for it.”

The Heavenly Tiger level of the Golden Eagles were peak experts, distinguished figures in Jianghu. With three of them teaming up with other Golden Eagles, it was undoubtedly a daunting situation. Instead of being afraid, however, I looked at them calmly and said,

“I hold no personal grudge against you. Just so you know in advance.”

Hearing that, one of the Heavenly Tigers scoffed.

“Ha! Crazy punk!”

“Kill him!”

As soon as those words ended, the Golden Eagles’ elite warriors launched their Absolute Slashes simultaneously from all directions. This wasn’t just a mindless attack; each strike was a sharp assault filled with lethal intent from experienced martial artists. If it had been my former self, I would’ve had to brace for a serious injury against such an onslaught.

But instead, I smiled and activated the Baek Woong Formation and Thunderclap while wielding the Soul Removal Technique. Suddenly, everything slowed down, and my reaction speed surged to incredible levels.

Chwa-zhak!

Using the Soul Removal Technique, I dodged every attack while accelerating with Thunderclap and slashed through them with the Peerless Sword Slash, turning seven of them into bloody messes in an instant. Amid a flurry of blood, I shot a Sword Qi at the forehead of one of the remaining Heavenly Tigers.

With a slicing sound, a trickle of blood seeped from a small wound. While he had no external wound to speak of, his brain was already mush. I unleashed the Thunder Spirit Seal at the remaining foes.

Kwak!

“UAAAAH!”

“AAAH!”

The Thunder Spirit Seal of the Wind Spirit’s Red Moon Protector! This was a high-level skill from the Thunder God Lineage, releasing stored power in a rapacious surge. Despite my current level being only first rank, my immense internal power transformed the battlefield into utter chaos.

It took me barely 15 seconds to neutralize the Golden Eagles’ combined assault. I soared through the air like a swallow and caught one of the Heavenly Tigers by the neck. He seemed to have given up, as he hung his head low.

“Just kill me…”

“I have a question.”

With a swift motion, I soared over to the lumberyard building’s roof, some twenty meters away, where no one else was around. I whispered to him,

“If orders came from above, would you have killed any elderly or children among General Hwang Yeon’s family?”

Without hesitating, he replied,

“Of course. That would be our mission.”

“Even if it were your family?”

“……”

“I don’t want to just go around killing indiscriminately. Think a bit more about it.”

I didn’t want to see any more bloodshed. I had done enough killing for now.

So, as I subtly loosened my grip, the Heavenly Tiger gritted his teeth and said,

“Damn it… don’t act all high and mighty. We are loyal to our country and pledge ourselves with conviction! We are not here to listen to a traitor like you preach!”

“Right you are.”

“We serve the Emperor…”

As he raised a vein on his neck, my irritation peaked, and I swung my sword.

Thunk!

The Heavenly Tiger’s head flew into the air. I let out a sly laugh and muttered,

“Die and show loyalty to the Emperor. You piece of trash.”

In an instant, I was shocked by my own words.

“……!!”

I couldn’t believe the gruesome and savage tone coming from my own mouth. However, that was indeed my will, and for a moment, I felt confused. But then I calmed myself, convinced it wasn’t a big deal, and headed inside the lumberyard to rescue the remaining three.

Once the rescue was completed, I returned to where Miho was. Miho greeted me with a bright smile.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Pa-at!

We arrived at the entrance of Jinrang Valley together. Miho hurried her steps as if she wanted to rest quickly, but I was preoccupied with my thoughts and walked slowly.

“……”

“Why the long face?”

I was feeling very uneasy, so I cautiously spoke to Miho.

“Miho, I feel like my will has become quite capricious.”

I wanted to share this with Mangnyang too, but for now, I chose to tell Miho. As she looked at me with curious eyes, I continued.

“Just now, while killing those Golden Eagles, I did it casually at first. Then, halfway through, I felt like I wanted to show a bit of mercy, but suddenly I got annoyed and killed him in one hit.”

“Hmmm…”

“I don’t know why. It’s like a whim surged up unexpectedly. What’s going on?”

I was confused.

Until now, while engaging in martial arts and killing, my focus was merely on pure concentration that varied in degrees. Whether to kill or spare—there was no in-between. But now my actions were chaotically unpredictable. I couldn’t keep my will under control, which didn’t bode well for a martial artist honing their craft.

Miho contemplated for a moment before casually saying,

“I understand your feelings.”

“Do you know why?”

“Isn’t it a simple matter?”

As Miho continued, I fell silent and stopped in my tracks.

“You enjoyed the recent battle as a game. You played with those defeated like a toy until you got bored and decided to end them. That’s how it comes off.”

“I just fought for fun?”

“That’s not it. You took the fight seriously, but your manner of handling the defeated changed.”

Miho flashed a glint of mischief in her eyes, typical of a being of her nature.

“I find this rather delightful. What’s wrong with killing a few humans? Just enjoy it while you can.”

“……”

Inwardly, I thought I was in serious trouble.

‘What do I do now?’

What Miho implied made one thing very clear.

The cruelty within me had grown significantly.

 

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