“They abandoned their human souls and reincarnated as divine beings in Dark Heaven.” This meant they had transformed into lower-tier gods or powerful otherworldly creatures, capable of living for thousands, or even tens of thousands of years, beyond mere human lifespan.

“Hmm… that’s…” But I was still struggling to grasp it. “Isn’t it strange? Why not just implant magic like the current emperor and live semi-permanently in a state of immortality? Why pursue a reincarnation into death?”

It just didn’t add up. Both Qin Shi Huang and Wu Zetian, while eccentric and ruthless, were still human power players. The idea of reincarnating into an unfamiliar otherworldly race or becoming a god should have sounded like nonsense to them. Yet they still performed the Offering Ceremony—it was mind-boggling.

“…” Mang-nyang sighed deeply. “Even I don’t fully understand it. The Offering Ceremony is more than just a simple ritual; it’s a ceremony where the priest gains [authority]—an equal, mutual exchange in a sense. Even if the Old Ruler oversees it, one cannot treat it lightly.”

“So why does the Heavenly Realm have the rights to conduct such a ceremony?”

“The Offering Ceremony wasn’t initiated by Qin Shi Huang but created by the Historian Emperor, Chi You, the one who created the Chinese characters. You could say the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors delegated this right to the Heavenly Realm.” As he spoke, Mang-nyang had a slightly bitter tone.

“The contradiction held by the Heavenly Realm is quite serious. They need to allow the great evil of Dark Heaven to grow, yet they can’t act on their own. Unfortunately, as a mid-tier immortal, I couldn’t learn more about the Offering Ceremony.”

After some thought, I asked, “You don’t mean to say you think the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors will show up if we perform the Ceremony?”

Mang-nyang nodded vigorously. “Exactly.”

I groaned internally at the realization. “But they’re gods!”

“They’re just god-like beings. Otherwise, how could Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen have ever lost to Chi You? They’re significantly stronger than humans, but they can definitely be taken down.”

To think of defeating a god! I had never considered such a thought before and was left deep in contemplation. If indeed the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were behind the Heavenly Realm’s schemes, with the express purpose of dragging the mortal world into chaos, maybe I’d need to fight them. But, battling against legendary beings before obtaining the Heavenly Secret? It couldn’t even begin to make sense.

“I’ll need time to gather my strength,” Mang-nyang continued. “I won’t be forming the Bancheon Alliance again for now. Since we’re no longer limited to the Huang Palace as our foe, I need to focus on building my own power. I’ll practice my martial arts with Zhuge Sha and Cheon Woo-jin, and I’m leaving concern for the Huang Palace to you.”

“What about General Hwang Yeon and the prisoners from Great Thunder Valley?”

“You can leave them to Lee Kwang. They know each other, and he won’t expel Hwang Yeon. Didn’t you see how it turned out last time?”

That was true. Until now, I had been keeping Hwang Yeon in the Bancheon Alliance for my own purposes, but since Mang-nyang decided not to set it up, I didn’t need to keep him here anymore. Handing him to Lee Kwang would work out even better.

Suddenly hit with a thought, I asked, “Then I should just train under Dokgo Seong’s swordsmanship, right?”

“That’s an option; however, you mentioned hitting a wall.”

“Yeah.” I had been told that my sword styles were a mixed bag and that I couldn’t properly learn the Thunder Dragon Sword Technique from Dokgo Seong. I could only overcome this by either drastically improving my talent or engaging in reckless sparring matches with him—it was tough going either way and ultimately resulted in my demise at the end of my 16th life.

Mang-nyang said, “I have a feeling neither Dokgo Seong nor the Sword Demon will have solutions for you. You should seek out another master of swordsmanship who’s on par with them.”

“Then there’s only the Bright Dragon left.”

“The intense training he promotes is quite similar to Dokgo Seong’s rigorous practical sparring, which could push you to the brink of death,” Mang-nyang noted.

“…”

“Seek another path.” His calmness made it hard for me to argue. If I sought out the Bright Dragon again, I could expect even harsher training than before; there’d be a high chance I could die during it. That training was fundamentally beyond what a human could manage, relying solely on my inner power and the Infinite Divine Technique I learned from the Bright Dragon.

Feeling my head spin, I sighed. “There’s just too much to do.”

“Ha ha… well, you’re just faced with plenty of choices now, so it’s a bit of a good headache. That’s a step up from facing inevitable death when you knew nothing!”

“True.” Mang-nyang’s smile widened as he summoned Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line.

“Now, I’ll stop here. You’ve got about three years to make your own choices. With your current skills, I don’t think you’ll go terribly wrong.”

“Got it. Wish me luck.”

“Take care.”

Just then, Cheon Woo-jin walked over and said to Mang-nyang, “Older Brother! We have a situation.”

“What’s the matter?”

“The messenger from the Heavenly Realm reported that soon the Lion of Huang Tian will descend to the mortal plane.”

Mang-nyang’s face grew serious. “They plan to obstruct us.”

“What should we do?”

“For now, let it be. After all, they can’t act hastily.”

I turned to Mang-nyang. “What’s the Lion of Huang Tian?”

He scratched his head. “It means that the Great Immortal who once turned the world upside down is coming to the mortal realm. They’ll be looking for a suitable host to give divine knowledge and start a new religion.”

“…?”

“It’s not urgent, so don’t worry about it. Major changes won’t happen for at least a decade.”

“Alright, I understand.” I noticed how Mang-nyang was reluctant to talk further, so I didn’t pry any deeper before excusing myself from the situation. It seemed the Heavenly Realm was on high alert concerning the Offering Ceremony and were beginning to make moves.

Using Golden Eagle, I dashed to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School where Lee Kwang was. The students were hard at work under the careful eyes of Grandmaster Yun Guang and Ji Ji-pyeong. Sitting on a roof of the tall building, I found myself reminiscing.

‘I used to be like that.’ I shook my head and headed towards Waryong Hall where I planned to release General Hwang Yeon and the prisoners from the Wooden Armor like before.

However, as I reached for the armor, I found myself frozen in place.

Formless Qi!

Overwhelming energy began to suffocate me from among the peak experts. I recognized that intensity all too well—it was a technique I’d suffered under before. I turned slowly to see who was emanating it.

Standing before me, the one releasing the Formless Qi was looking right at me.

“Who are you? You have remarkable skills for someone so young.”

“…”

A mid-twenties young man with short hair and wearing a martial outfit—his sharp features were instantly recognizable to me, and I tangled with my words.

“Grandmaster Jin So-cheong of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.”

“You know me?”

Indeed, standing before me, oppressing the unknown invader with Formless Qi, was none other than the current grandmaster of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, and Lee Kwang’s most cherished disciple—Jin So-cheong, the genius of the Central Plains. With a recognition that haunted me for years, I stood there in shock.

Feeling the odds stacking up against me, I racked my brain for a solution. ‘Should I just bolt using Golden Eagle?’

It wouldn’t take too much time to set them free, so I could always seek the perfect moment later.

But then, a spark of competitiveness flared up, and I decided to speak.

“I’m the heir of the Thunder God Line. I heard rumors that this place held its teachings, so I came looking.”

Jin So-cheong’s expression changed as he heard ‘Thunder God Line.’

He studied me closely and replied, “It certainly seems so, but I can’t allow an unknown like you into Waryong Hall.”

“Who said anything about going into Waryong Hall? I just want to test my skills.”

His face shifted slightly.

“You’re saying you want to spar with me?”

“That’s right. If you find it inappropriate, I’m willing to follow proper protocol later.”

As I guided the conversation, Jin So-cheong accepted, “Fine. Seeing a talented opponent has sparked my own competitive spirit.”

“Looks like we’re on the same page.”

Both of us leaped onto the sparring arena, taking our positions and drawing our weapons. As we stared each other down, I braced myself.

‘This time, I won’t lose.’ So far, I had never beaten Jin So-cheong in sparring. Even during the last match, I was outclassed and toyed with. But since then, I’d been through hellish training and honed my skills.

Today, I would surpass Jin So-cheong for sure.