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“After the fierce battle, I approached Miho.”

“Miho.”

Miho turned to me. The Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Dharma Protectors had already headed to the Imperial Palace, leaving with a thought of gaining something.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking to Miho.

“It might be difficult for you to become my companion. But I consider you a comrade.”

“……”

Miho fell silent. Even her beautiful face clearly showed the emotion of ‘hesitation.’ It was proof that deep down, she took the memories of the obsidian I showed her seriously. The countless stories accumulated over 17 lifetimes were enough to erase any chance of perjury.

After a while, Miho spoke up.

“Baek Woong. If you rescue Mangnyang, what do you plan to do next?”

“I’ll think about it then.”

“That’s not the answer I was looking for.”

Was that the kind of question it was? I replied firmly.

“I plan to become a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect to uncover the secrets of the Heavenly Spirit Pill and find a way to oppose God in the future. I should collect the Seven Luminaries while I’m at it.”

“God… does that include the Heavenly Realm?”

“Unlike celestial beings like Yeodong-bin, the high-ranking Great Immortals feel suspicious to me. I think there are secrets they are hiding.”

Upon hearing my answer, Miho sighed.

“With that line of thought, it seems you and I can’t be companions in this life.”

“… I see…”

That was the answer I expected, but it shocked me nonetheless. It was a rejection directly from Miho, who had received the memories of the obsidian. As my strength faded from my hands, Miho continued.

“Must you really oppose the Heavenly Realm? Now that you’ve defeated the power of the Imperial Palace, shouldn’t you be able to ascend?”

With her words came an indescribable yearning, indicating her stance—if she opposed the Heavenly Realm, we could never truly be comrades. I almost reacted emotionally but managed to hold back and responded slowly.

“Miho. Let me ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“You should know from reading my memories, this world will eventually perish due to the evil god’s revival after a few hundred years. What does immortality mean then? When that time comes, won’t the Heavenly Realm also perish? When the time arrives, even the celestial beings will all perish!”

“……”

Miho seemed at a loss for words. I took her hand and continued.

“I don’t want to wait for the predetermined destruction. If there’s a better path, I want to find it. Mangnyang, the Sword Demon, Jin So-cheong… they all became comrades because they understood my intentions. Don’t you understand my heart?”

“Well… um…”

Miho pondered for a moment before replying.

“I don’t understand. It feels overwhelming…”

She then shook her head, seeming to want to change the subject.

“For now, let’s go to the Imperial Palace. We need to rescue Mangnyang.”

“That’s right.”

“How do you plan to rescue Mangnyang now that Zhuge Sa is gone?”

I gazed at the distant horizon and replied.

“Even though Zhuge Bu didn’t know where Zhuque hid Mangnyang, he must have caused cracks in the barrier from dying and being revived several times. With Cheon Woo-jin’s help, we’ll be able to find it.”

“……”

Miho thought for a moment before saying.

“I understand. This Maiden will assist in rescuing Mangnyang.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But if a conflict arises afterward, I won’t be able to yield.”

Swish!

As soon as Miho finished speaking, she vanished like a ghost along with Wol-Young, seemingly leaping through space with the power of the Moon Sovereign. I felt an urgent need to move quickly, lest I be left behind.

‘This is bad.’

With a whoosh, I headed to where Cheon Woo-jin and Zhuge Sa had been. I then moved directly to the Great Dragon Hall where our group was gathered.

The situation in front of the Great Dragon Hall was already organized. Corpses of demons and dragon people were scattered here and there, along with the fallen bodies of White Lotus Sect masters. It seemed there had been an intense battle. I soon discovered the Sword Demon, Dokgo Seong, and the Shadowless Sect with the Thunder God Lineage gathered around a place treating their wounds.

Seeing the Sword Demon, I shouted urgently.

“Your Honor! That injury…”

The Sword Demon smiled bitterly.

“Ugh… dealing with dozens of demons and dragon people was no easy task. Even the renowned masters of the White Lotus Sect fell like this.”

A severe injury was engraved on the left side of the Sword Demon’s chest, and his body was littered with minor wounds. Though Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong weren’t as severely injured, they were hurt as well. The least injured was Dokgo Seong, who was currently moving around tending to the wounded.

One of the Shadowless Sect lieutenants who had sustained considerable injuries spoke up with a whimper.

“Huff… if only you were by yourself, it would have been fine, but you protected us and…”

“Hmm.”

I let out a sigh. Considering the Sword Demon’s martial arts, he shouldn’t have sustained such a level of injury. It seemed like he had created an opening while trying to protect the Shadowless Sect. Thankfully, there were almost no serious casualties among the Shadowless Sect, and only one or two had died. Dokgo Seong approached us while tending to the injuries.

“Baek Woong. We can’t afford to sit and watch our situation. Hurry and enter the Imperial Palace.”

“Did the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s group go in?”

Dokgo Seong nodded.

“A new building has appeared behind the collapsed Great Dragon Hall. Something must be hidden there.”

Where Dokgo Seong’s gaze pointed, there was a structure that appeared to be around five stories high. Without a doubt, this structure didn’t exist before the Great Dragon Hall collapsed. I stared at the building for a moment and said.

“It seems like a trap.”

“Even if that’s the case, do you have any other choice? If there’s a treasure hidden there by the Emperor…”

“No. I think differently.”

I glanced at Zhuge Sa and continued.

“The Zhuge Clan’s strategists aren’t that naïve. Following what’s visible will lead to disaster.”

It wasn’t the first time I had fallen victim. Considering Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa’s scheming tendencies, the Zhuge Clan would not hesitate to use any means necessary.

Zhuge Sa grimaced.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you’re handsome.”

“What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard…”

Zhuge Sa grumbled.

“Fine. That building was created by sorcery, and the possibility of it being a trap is high. But if we don’t go, what are we supposed to do? Just sit here wasting time while tending to the wounded?”

“You know that’s not true.”

“What?”

I explained.

“We’ll start by getting the National Seal.”

“……!!”

As soon as I said that, everyone in the hall gasped in shock. The National Seal was a legendary item that no one—sorcerers or martial artists—could have missed.

A true proof of the emperor passed down since the Warring States period or even earlier! A true imperial seal that has existed for hundreds or thousands of years, connecting nations!

Many dynasties crafted their own seals to signify their legitimacy, but nothing represented dominion and legitimacy quite like the National Seal.

Lee Kwang, who had looked pale from exhaustion, suddenly stood up and shouted.

“What?! Where on earth… cough! cough!”

“Master!”

As Lee Kwang coughed up blood and collapsed, Jin So-cheong rushed to support him. It must have been shockingly information for Lee Kwang, who had worked in the Imperial Guards for decades. The Sword Demon organized his thoughts and said.

“Hmm… that certainly makes sense. We need to secure it first. Baek Woong, you’ve become quite composed.”

“We need to act quickly. We don’t have much time to rescue Mangnyang.”

“Then choose the elite.”

The Sword Demon let out a long sigh before surveying the hall. Then he spoke.

“Cheon Woo-jin and Jin So-cheong should come along.”

“I think so too.”

Dokgo Seong understood the situation and chimed in.

“I will stay and control this place.”

“Thank you.”

Just then, Zhuge Sa, seemingly annoyed, shouted in his clear voice.

“What the hell! Are you sidelining me in obtaining the National Seal?”

I replied gruffly.

“I’m not monopolizing it. Don’t worry; I’ll leave some scraps for you.”

“Don’t joke. I could cause a ruckus right here.”

Goo…

Zhuge Sa was beginning to channel his sorcery. Purple spirit energy swirled around him, and his eyes glowed fiercely. No matter what anyone says, he was the current leader of the heretical sect and a powerful sorcerer. It would definitely lead to frightening outcomes if he caused trouble.

Thud.

“Cough.”

But in the next moment, Jin So-cheong dashed forward and knocked Zhuge Sa out with a blow to the back of his head. As Zhuge Sa collapsed helplessly, Jin So-cheong laid him flat on the ground and said.

“Let’s hurry.”

I was stunned and said.

“Are you saying Jin So-cheong has grown stronger again during this time?”

I couldn’t help but feel shocked. Despite Zhuge Sa appearing as a pale and weak scholar, he possessed peak-level martial arts. Moreover, he had just summoned his spirit energy to enhance his defense and physical abilities, yet Jin So-cheong moved at a speed Zhuge Sa couldn’t even react to, striking him accurately. This indicated that Jin So-cheong’s martial arts had advanced several levels from before.

“I grew stronger while fighting.”

Was he implying that he had grown in real combat during the fierce battles in front of the Imperial Palace? I had no idea what level Jin So-cheong’s martial arts had reached now. While I was lost in thought, Cheon Woo-jin, fired up, shouted.

“Let’s go!”

No matter how one looked at it, Cheon Woo-jin was also a sorcerer, and he had a desire to see the treasures of sorcery. I forced a wry smile and led Cheon Woo-jin and Jin So-cheong to the location of the National Seal.

Swish!

There was a barrier hiding the National Seal right under the collapsed Great Dragon Hall. I had previously accompanied Ji-seon Mang-nyang when he attempted to deactivate this National Seal’s barrier. The problem was that as long as the barrier’s strength remained, we couldn’t head straight to the center of it. We couldn’t proceed without deactivating the barrier.

When I glanced at Cheon Woo-jin, he confidently replied,

“Don’t worry. It’s a strong barrier, but this should be easy.”

Cheon Woo-jin conjured the shape of the Eight Trigrams in both hands. Summoning the Qian (☰) and Xun (☴) trigrams, he blasted the Eight Trigrams forward, which flared out and passed through the void space with ease. Cheon Woo-jin then chanted an incantation.

“Grab the urgency!”

Boom!

Moments later, with a loud explosion, the front of the labyrinth sealing the National Seal broke apart. I, curious, asked Cheon Woo-jin.

“‘Grab the urgency’ isn’t an official incantation, right? Is it fine to use that as a spell?”

The reason I asked was that ‘Grab the urgency’ was merely a term affixed to official documents during the Han Dynasty. I was curious if chanting such a phrase could break an ancient barrier like that sealing the National Seal. Generally, the more ancient the language used as a spell, the more powerful it was.

Cheon Woo-jin replied bluntly.

“A profound skill isn’t bound by form! I find the sound pleasing, so don’t mind me.”

“Is that so…”

“Once you reach a higher level of sorcery, you’ll understand how foolish this question is.”

He said this casually and marched in confidently. Truly, a genius with a bad personality. Jin So-cheong walked beside me and asked.

“Baek Woong, why don’t you learn sorcery in your next life?”

I hesitated then answered.

“Well… Master Mangnyang said that my martial arts talent is lacking, and my ability in sorcery is even worse. I hesitate to waste time studying out of fear of dilly-dallying.”

“That was probably a judgment based on you when you had nothing. You now possess various potentials, like the Thunder Elemental Divine Sword, so wouldn’t you be able to learn sorcery now?”

“I haven’t thought about it much.”

Jin So-cheong chuckled and said,

“If you learn sorcery, there will be more options in the future. I recommend you pursue something beyond just martial arts.”

“Is that an intuition?”

“It’s an intuition.”

I was swayed by Jin So-cheong’s words.

‘Yeah, maybe I should learn sorcery in my next life.’

First, I would rescue Mangnyang, become a disciple of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, uncover the secrets of the Heavenly Spirit Pill, and then learn sorcery. As my future plans stacked up neatly, my mood lifted. After walking for quite a while, I finally arrived at the cave I had visited before.

Cheon Woo-jin pointed to a corner of the cave and said.

“There it is.”

“Hmm.”

Upon seeing the shining rectangular object, I let out a gasp. The item emanated a divine light with dragons carved into it. And even with just my eyes, I could feel a significant energy emanating from it, accompanied by a sense of pressure.

Previously, I had only faced off against it without obtaining the National Seal. I wondered why the item I couldn’t find back then was suddenly appearing right in front of me. Cheon Woo-jin said.

“It seems the barrier of the Great Dragon Hall came crashing down, and the seal hiding the National Seal broke along with it. A complete freebie!”

“So we just have to take this now?”

“Wait a moment.”

Cheon Woo-jin stopped me.

“The National Seal is an item that absorbs tremendous power just by possessing it. We should be careful about touching it.”

“Ah!”

Now that I thought about it, the forces of the Imperial Palace possessed the National Seal, yet they couldn’t dare use it until they performed the Offering Ceremony to gain divine power. This meant that the National Seal had special usage conditions unlike other items or treasures.

Cheon Woo-jin again performed the Eight Trigrams sorcery, sending multiple trigrams toward the National Seal.

Wooooo…

“I’ve cast a barrier with my sorcery. It should be fine to touch it now.”

“Got it.”

I reached out to the National Seal. At that moment, I saw a strange vision.

Wooooo…

“……!!”

I felt as if I had been cast into an abyss of darkness. It felt like I was swimming in an endless sea of darkness. However, the darkness wasn’t merely black; shimmering silver lights adorned the sky here and there.

Indeed.

At that moment, I stood in the midst of the Milky Way, where the stars of heaven were shining brilliantly. Countless star clusters scattered across the boundless dark sky! Tens of millions of luminous stars!

I had seen this scene before.

[Have you ever seen this universe in your lifetime? Do you have the confidence to describe this scenery to someone else?]

[The brain is merely a mirror. With a small perspective and narrow angle, nothing can be seen.]

The first time I encountered Master Mangnyang, he had shown me this scene!

I had never believed there were places like this in the world. However, the space the Master called the universe surely existed in reality. And in the middle of this pitch-black cosmos floated the most prominent sphere.

The sphere appeared to be the size of my body. I could see the earth and the ocean being beautifully encompassed within the globe. Without realizing it, I reached out to the sphere, and at the moment I touched it, a strange voice resonated.

[I am the relic left by the Five Emperors, Shao Hao, Jin Tian. Do you have the qualification to be the owner of the National Seal, a relic of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors?]

The question lingered in my mind for a moment. After a while, the voice continued.

[That’s not right… You are under a contract with a far more significant being… I apologize for questioning your qualifications. Rather, I feel honored.]

What the heck is this?

While I was baffled, the voice spoke again.

[Now acknowledging you as the owner of the National Seal, I bestow upon you the All-Seeing Eye of the Earth and Ocean.]

Pop!

The next moment, I found myself back in reality. And as I gazed at the National Seal, I noticed that, alongside the dragon’s carving, an engraving of the phoenix had been added. It seemed that the one acknowledged as the owner would also obtain the power of the phoenix alongside the dragon.

‘All-Seeing Eye?’

I felt perplexed. It seemed I had obtained some special ability, but I couldn’t quite grasp what it was. So, I turned to Cheon Woo-jin and asked.

“It said I obtained the All-Seeing Eye; what kind of ability is that?”

“Huh?! Really?! That’s the power of the National Seal?”

Cheon Woo-jin’s face turned pale.

“It is indeed.”

“Kyaaaaah!! I was supposed to obtain that… The power even the Great Immortals would find hard to get…”

Cheon Woo-jin let out a bizarre scream followed by frantically stomping his feet, seemingly filled with ridiculous jealousy. For a moment, he shone silently like a lightbulb before giving up and said to me.

“You can use the National Seal to find your older brother. Dammit! Pearls before swine…”

“……?”

“Pearls before swine?”

Pop!

After a while, I found myself with Cheon Woo-jin and Jin So-cheong in a dark space I couldn’t quite place.

And there, I spotted a young man bound by chains with both his hands and feet. He didn’t seem to have undergone torture, but his body looked haggard from being bound for so long. I realized I had come to the right place and called out to him with a trembling voice.

“… Mangnyang.”

Mangnyang didn’t open his eyes even upon hearing my voice. As I attempted to approach him, Cheon Woo-jin gruffly interjected.

“You don’t know what kind of trap might be waiting; why approach so recklessly? Just use the All-Seeing Eye to observe him, you pig.”

I snapped back in annoyance.

“Thanks… but why do you keep calling me a pig?”

“You keep eating the treasures of the world all by yourself, so I’m a bit annoyed, you know.”

“If you’re jealous, go obtain the treasure yourself.”

“Pig.”

“……”

Seriously.

I clenched my fists, holding the National Seal as I activated the All-Seeing Eye to observe Mangnyang. Thankfully, I could perceive the existence of the sorcery invisible to the naked eye. Unbelievably, I could read the name of that sorcery, its activation principles, and all the nuances of its methods. Thus, I simply read and manipulated the nuances of the sorcery to eliminate the trap spell binding Mangnyang.

Pop!

Lastly, as I removed the spell that was suppressing Mangnyang’s consciousness, he finally opened his eyes.

“Huh… Where am I?”

Mangnyang regained his sense of self. I smiled softly, cutting the chains with my sword strength.

“You’re awake?”

Mangnyang looked bewildered even after being freed from his chains. Then, as he examined the National Seal in my hands, he seemed to grasp the situation.

“I see! You came to rescue me!”

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“……”

I briefly recounted everything that had happened to Mangnyang.

He sighed heavily.

“I feel ashamed. I didn’t think it would come to this after trying to carelessly investigate the Heavenly Spirit Altar…”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Everyone makes mistakes. If we count the number of mistakes, I’ve made dozens more than you.”

“No, my mistake put you in danger. I’m truly sorry.”

Mangnyang looked very dejected. Jin So-cheong, who was standing nearby, patted his back gently and said.

“Just your being alive is a significant help. And now that we’ve defeated the Emperor and Zhuque, we’re almost done.”

“Ah…!!”

Upon hearing that, Mangnyang’s expression suddenly stiffened.

Then he urgently said to me.

“This is not the time. It’s far from over.”

“What do you mean? The only thing left is for the Master of the White Lotus Sect to settle matters with the deity…”

“The Master of the White Lotus Sect isn’t what’s important!”

Mangnyang scratched his head and continued.

“Through your memories of the obsidian, I grasped the sorcery of Hong Meng. Even while I was under mental suppression, I maintained at least a minimal wit. I couldn’t forfeit the right of the Offering Ceremony for my life, but I managed to keep your past life secrets hidden.”

“Ah…!!”

I suddenly understood the gravity of the situation.

The sorcery I obtained from the Heavenly Emperor, which I obtained while reincarnating! Mangnyang must have grasped and used it with the powers from Ji-seon and the inner gate of the Three Sovereigns. After taking a deep breath, Mangnyang continued.

“Because of that, I could understand Zhuque’s intentions to some extent. And if what you just said is correct, nothing is yet concluded.”

I was baffled.

“What are you talking about? We’ve obtained the National Seal, driven out the demon forces of the Imperial Palace, defeated the Apostle Daji, and even taken down the Emperor. Zhuque may have been resurrected from somewhere, but what could he do alone?”

“That’s true. A very favorable situation indeed. But, but…”

Mangnyang said mournfully.

“Soon… the ruler of the Demon Subduing Hall will descend, and all of that will become meaningless.”

 

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