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After killing Zhuge Bu, it didn’t take long to bag over ten thousand books from the Inner Imperial Pavilion into my wooden armor. Using Light Body Technique and gravity defiance, it was a piece of cake.

Once I stuffed everything, Zhuge Sa chimed in, “That’s enough; next, we’re stealing the Portrait Immortal and the Crystal Stele.”

Startled, I exclaimed, “What?! If we do that, the Old Ruler will be furious!”

“Not quite,” Zhuge Sa smirked, looking shifty. “If the Portrait Immortal or Crystal Stele gets offered to another deity or damaged, then sure, the Old Ruler will intervene based on the Law of Cause and Effect. But if we say we’re ‘borrowing’ them, it’s a whole different story.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“As long as we give some food, it doesn’t matter who it’s from,” Zhuge Sa replied, continuing with his sneaky plan. “Since we can take responsibility, we should head out and steal them now. No reason to delay.”

……

Having seen the Demon King Daji’s power firsthand, swallowing those words was a tough task. But as I stared at Zhuge Sa, the Sword Demon sent me a secret message.

[Just go with it.]

[But.]

[If things go south, you just need to kill him in the next reincarnation. For now, exploring possibilities is enough.]

Feeling frozen by the Sword Demon’s words, they seemed cold and rational but implied he’d risk his life. This was a mindset of a Reborn Person, not one who’s living in the present.

‘Looks like I have no choice.’

I replied to Zhuge Sa, “Fine, I understand.”

Swoosh!

A little later, we entered Cheonram’s room. It was said there was an incomplete Portrait Immortal here. When I last saw it during the early reincarnation, it looked like a doll-like woman.

But now, it was different. Finding over ten human forms laid out on a stone bed made me spill a sound of contemplation.

“Ugh…”

Once completed, the Portrait Immortal would have tremendous power, and to think there were ten of them! I was scared they might wake up and attack at any moment. They all looked like real humans, alive and with a pulse, which spooked me even more.

Zhuge Sa slowly examined the Portrait Immortals and remarked, “Interesting. They’re artificial life forms created by merging martial arts and magic? I thought such research was only done in the West; this alchemist must be a Grand Master level or maybe even someone from the West.”

He seemed quite knowledgeable about arts and magic. Then he continued, “Let’s grab them all.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“If I say it’s fine, then you shouldn’t worry. But if you’re really that concerned…”

Swoosh!

Zhuge Sa seemed to write something on the forehead of the Portrait Immortal. After he wrote something on all of their brows, he became irritable.

“Hurry up.”

“What did you do?”

“I’ve marked them with the Ancient God’s insignia. It means ‘I’ll borrow your sacrifices.’ This way, the Old Ruler shouldn’t get angry or run amok.”

“……!!”

“Oh, and I also erased the tracking technique.”

I gave him a puzzled look. “The Ancient God’s insignia?! You didn’t learn the magic of the Otherworldly Race, did you?”

“Just a bit. What’s the big deal?”

Zhuge Sa, who seemed to be twirling his ears, became irritable again. “Damn it, hurry up! How can you be so uncoordinated while stealing?”

I had no choice but to start placing all the Portrait Immortals into my wooden armor. Time was indeed pressing. After the process was finished, we headed towards the Heart of the Imperial Palace to find the Crystal Stele.

Swoosh!

Finding the Crystal Stele, Zhuge Sa murmured in excitement, “Jackpot! Should we give immortality a shot?”

“Is immortality that easy?”

“Once the Philosopher’s Stone is complete, it’ll be easier than flipping a hand over.”

After saying that, Zhuge Sa turned to the Sword Demon. “The Crystal Stele will be a huge asset moving forward.”

“In what way?”

“You’ll see in time.”

His grin felt ominous. Seeing that smile made me instinctively feel that Zhuge Sa knew much about the Crystal Stele and Philosopher’s Stone. And if he even mastered Otherworldly magic, he might even surpass Mangnyang in knowledge about the Otherworldly.”

After we wrapped up, we returned to the Shadowless Gate. Once we were back, Zhuge Sa immediately addressed the Sword Demon.

“Your Honor, what are your future goals?”

The Sword Demon answered without hesitation, “To solidify our presence in the Thirteen Regulations and lay the foundation to advance back into the Central Plains.”

“That’s just a middle step. If you aim for something greater, how far do you plan to go?”

“To gain power beyond the Dharma Guardian of the White Lotus Sect.”

“Hmm… I see. Does it matter if it’s external law?”

“No, I want to surpass the Dharma Guardian purely with my own strength.”

“……”

Zhuge Sa seemed to contemplate deeply and then said, “Your Honor, even if you possess power surpassing the Dharma Guardian, you still cannot take down the Imperial Palace as things stand.”

“Why’s that? I’ve killed Zhuge Bu and taken away enemy treasures; shouldn’t that weaken them?”

“The alchemist is probably just a pawn in a massive dark force. For now, we’ve only limited their production methods, but I believe they already have dozens, if not hundreds, of Superhuman Soldiers created using demonic magic deployed in the Imperial Palace. That alone would be equivalent to unmatched power.”

“……”

“I believe that the Imperial Palace can’t be breached unless the Master of the White Lotus Sect goes into action.”

Having throngs of powerful beings, like the Demon and Dragon Person, would undoubtedly be a problem. Both the Sword Demon and I had faced Superhuman Soldiers directly and knew how strong they were. As we fell silent, Zhuge Sa remarked, “This is war. We must produce troops to respond.”

“You’re not really thinking of creating demons, are you?”

“If you give me permission, I’m confident I can generate powerful soldiers, inspired by the Forbidden Books and Crystal Stele.”

Troop production! This was an idea we’d never conceived until now. We previously only focused on the strategy of toppling the Imperial Palace before they could produce their super beings. For a moment, I was tempted by Zhuge Sa’s words, but then came the realization that it wasn’t right.

‘Mangnyang definitely wouldn’t be able to think of this.’

There had to be an ethical or moral dilemma present in that plan.

As I glared at Zhuge Sa, he chuckled slightly.

“Hey, Baek Dharma Guardian. You have something to say?”

Even Zhuge Sa, who was usually arrogant, seemed to sense the Sword Demon’s mood and adjusted his tone appropriately.

“I don’t get how what you plan is different from the forces of darkness. There’s no way you can create such troops without a cost.”

“So you’re opposing me?”

As I pushed back, he shrugged it off.

“If that’s what you think, then Baek Dharma Guardian, you can run off to Dragon King’s Valley to immerse yourself in sword training. In the meantime, I’ll assist your Honor.”

“……!!”

“Don’t act childish; didn’t we say this is war? If we just stay idle at the Shadowless Gate, we’ll end up shackled by the Thirteen Regulations for an eternity. In fact, the longer we wait to bring down the Imperial Palace, the worse it gets. We need to do everything we can to produce troops.”

Though it seemed Zhuge Sa’s words were directed toward me, he was also subtly pushing for the Sword Demon’s agreement. He aimed to convince him of how necessary his scheme was. The Sword Demon, arms crossed, finally spoke up.

“Can we also control the Portrait Immortals?”

“Of course. Since their bodies were made based on the Eight Trigrams, it won’t be hard to move them with a bit of finesse.”

“For now, I can’t fully trust you. We’ll need to run a test and see how that goes before making any decisions.”

“I get that.”

“Your Honor!”

When I shouted to the Sword Demon, he replied, “I’m also wary of the Demon’s magic, but Zhuge Sa isn’t wrong. If there’s a way to produce troops, knowing it would be beneficial. Right, Baek Dharma Guardian?”

“……”

The Sword Demon was subtly implying I should observe Zhuge Sa’s methods closely to find an opportunity to use them in the next reincarnation. But I felt instability in Zhuge Sa’s intentions. He felt even more dangerous and insidious than Zhuge Bu. I knew I couldn’t trust him wholeheartedly.

I bit my lips and said, “Alright, I’ll help you, Zhuge Sa.”

“Hehe. If the Master of the Seven Luminaries is helping, it’ll ease my burden. Looking forward to working together.”

“Yes, I’m counting on you.”

I felt the need to wear a mask.

‘I must learn the technique of hiding a knife behind a smile.’

Even as I appeared to smile outwardly, I needed to keep my dagger hidden within. Until now, I had only openly displayed hostility toward enemies. But given the nature of beings like Zhuge Sa, I would soon find myself needing to cooperate with them. I realized I needed to keep my guard up while practicing my mask in his presence.

Zhuge Sa, seemingly aware of my thoughts, said, “Anyway, what kind of power does that Seven Luminaries Divine Sword possess? If you don’t tell me, I won’t know.”

“I’ve heard it grows through killing.”

“Oh, killing! Interesting.”

His eyes sparkled, and then he continued, “Then let’s bring out three Portrait Immortals. Let’s see if we can grow the Divine Sword right here.”

“Alright.”

I pulled out three Portrait Immortals from my wooden armor. They were a girl, a boy, and an elderly man. The commonality among them was their unrealistically beautiful appearances. As I examined their features, I couldn’t help but ask, “How can they look so exceptional?”

“Because they’re dolls.”

Zhuge Sa yawned and said, “The one who crafted their bodies was a master of the Eight Trigrams. If you look closely at the Portrait Immortal’s body, you’ll see the balance of Yang and Yin energies according to the 64 trigrams, shaping its physical form. For example, you can see clear traces of flesh gathered according to the Six Lines of the Upper Trigram around the head and neck area. The appropriateness of the Eight Trigrams has elevated the arts to such a degree that, naturally, their appearance achieves utmost harmony.”

“Ugh…”

The level of magic seemed too advanced for me to grasp. My silence prompted Zhuge Sa to elaborate.

“The body is constructed solely with Eastern magic based on the Eight Trigrams while the power source appears to be something else.”

“Would using the Philosopher’s Stone allow them to move correctly?”

“Probably.”

Zhuge Sa murmured, “So, hurry and use them as sacrifices for the Divine Sword.”

“……”

“I think it’d be more efficient to carve out the heart of the Divine Sword.”

Holding the Divine Sword, I hesitated. No matter how I looked at it, the Portrait Immortal in front of me was a real human being; committing the cruel act of carving out a heart wouldn’t be easy. However, upon feeling the Sword Demon’s gaze on me, I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the Divine Sword.

‘They’re not humans; they’re dolls.’

Stab!

After a moment, I carved out the heart of the first Portrait Immortal. While I’d killed countless people, this was my first time carving a heart from an unresisting target. As I removed the heart, the Portrait Immortal clattered without a single expression, as if it felt no pain at all. Even after carving it out, the Portrait Immortal stood there motionless.

Zhuge Sa casually extended his hand. “Give me the heart.”

“……”

Though I managed to avoid splattering too much blood while carving, some still inevitably stained my face, making me frown.

So one by one, I extracted the hearts from all three Portrait Immortals. As Zhuge Sa observed the hearts he received, he spoke, “Hmm, just as I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look closely at the hearts. Isn’t there something engraved here?”

At his words, the Sword Demon and I leaned in to examine the hearts. Indeed, we found a dark script resembling a brand etched near the left ventricle, which we identified as a form of demonic script. Zhuge Sa displayed the script to us and continued.

“Your Honor, these were sacrifices from the start. They don’t seem suited for battle.”

“Really? But they say Portrait Immortals possess bizarre supernatural powers.”

“That’s probably inherent abilities. Fundamentally, they exist solely as offerings to the Old Ruler; they were not made for combat.”

“That’s frightening…”

The Portrait Immortals were not combatants!

With a chilling proclamation, Zhuge Sa continued, “Baek Dharma Guardian, does it feel like the Divine Sword has grown?”

“Yes… a little…”

I answered honestly. Each time I carved out a heart from a Portrait Immortal, I felt a peculiar vibration resonating within the Divine Sword. It was a reaction akin to something stirring with joy. Even now, I could sense a blue spirit energy spilling from the blade of the Divine Sword, clearly a sign of its power strengthening.

Zhuge Sa pondered, “Though it has grown, I can’t tell how much. Isn’t there something suddenly arising from ancient knowledge or magic?”

“Nothing comes to mind.”

“Then growth must either be physical enhancement or it still needs enough blood to satisfy it.”

As Zhuge Sa muttered, he dropped a shocking suggestion.

“Baek Dharma Guardian, follow me. We need to help with the human sacrifice.”

“……!!”

At those words, both the Sword Demon and I were taken aback.

A human sacrifice? Was he really thinking of pulling such a horrid stunt?

Then Zhuge Sa calmly explained, “Since you fed the Portrait Immortal’s power to the Divine Sword, it’s like the Old Ruler’s offering has been desecrated. So now, we must appease the deity by presenting a heart.”

“What happens if we don’t?”

“You’ll likely be cursed by the Old Ruler. There’s no choice.”

The Sword Demon stepped forward and asked, “Zhuge Sa, do you know the ritual of human sacrifice?”

“Yes, almost no one in the Central Plains knows it better than me.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because I mainly studied the magic of the Otherworldly and ancient ceremonies.”

With that, Zhuge Sa chuckled ominously.

“It’s simple. It’s just feeding the god, so let’s handle it quickly.”

 

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