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00402 Heavenly Realm

I returned to the Central Plains and sought out Sang Gwan Hyuk. I wanted to sort out his matters before confronting the sect leader. The fact that negotiating with the sect leader was a perilous gamble for my life also played a part in this choice.

“Baek Woong. I can sense tremendous power emanating from you.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk was on the third floor of the Sangguan residence. The moment he laid eyes on me, he gasped in surprise, and I stared at him with a blank expression. Then, I produced a fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet from my pocket and showed it to him.

“Is this enough?”

“Ohhh…!!”

Sang Gwan Hyuk reached out, but I swiftly withdrew my hand before giving it to him. I said coldly, “Let’s be clear about the terms of exchange.”

“That makes sense. If you hand that over to me, I’ll certainly enlighten you about the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries.”

“That’s not all.”

I glared at him and added, “I’ve gone through a lot of trouble and effort to acquire this fragment. So if I’m handing over an artifact of such grade, I deserve to know what you’re planning to do with it.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk’s face showed signs of concern. “Do I really have to tell you?”

“Oh, you don’t have to. Just consider this transaction null and void.”

I intentionally took a strong stance. In truth, I was already aware of the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries, so I didn’t feel the need to trade with Sang Gwan Hyuk at all. As my expression remained unwavering, he sighed.

“Give me a moment to think.”

“Take your time.”

After a while of deep thought, Sang Gwan Hyuk seemed to have made up his mind and said, “Alright. I’ll tell you. The reason I need the artifact is to strengthen the seal.”

“The seal?”

“Yes. It’s a duty my clan has upheld for a very long time…”

He let out a short sigh and turned his back to me. “Follow me, Thunder God Lineage Dharma Guardian Baek Woong.”

I followed him to the lower part of the Sangguan residence. On the first floor, Sang Gwan Hyuk entered a secret room and pressed a button on some mechanical device. Suddenly, the whole room shook with a mechanical sound. And then, I heard the sound of a room descending underground.

After a brief moment, when we arrived underground, the door of the mechanism opened. It was evidently a unique device for moving underground. The underground space was bright and quite expansive.

‘There’s no presence here.’

Strange, ominous patterns laced with sorcery were excessively engraved all around. With how magic energy was seeping out from various places, it was clear that this was the hideout of a demon sorcerer. Moments later, I caught sight of a giant spiral mechanical structure following Sang Gwan Hyuk.

Chikikking!

Chiking!

An eerie sound echoed as a dark mass, about the size of three tables, pulsed like a beating heart in mid-air. The darkness radiated a soft light, and surrounding it were dozens, if not hundreds, of intricate devices spiraling and moving continuously. It was as if the machines were dancing around the darkness, powered by some infinite energy.

The light created barriers in the air like a disc, and kaleidoscopic flashes of light occasionally formed swirling whirlwinds.

I stared at the mechanical devices and asked, “What is this? Can something like this be made by human technology?”

Sang Gwan Hyuk smirked and replied, “This was created a thousand years ago during the Tang Dynasty. Of course, it’s not by human technology as you might think…”

“I don’t get it. You’re saying this is a seal? What exactly is sealed?”

“……”

He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. “What’s sealed in here is a scar from the past. As the head of the Sangguan clan, I have the responsibility to seal and maintain this torn wound. However, this seal has its limits, which is why I need an additional seal.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk seemed to be avoiding a direct explanation, and I figured he wouldn’t just tell me if I asked outright, so I pondered for a moment before saying, “If I don’t give you the artifact, will this seal be lifted soon?”

As I posed my question cautiously, Sang Gwan Hyuk responded, “Not exactly. But if you had the artifact, we could maintain the seal stably for at least 200 more years.”

“Hmm. If you don’t clarify what’s being sealed, I can’t hand over the artifact.”

“Cruc… do I really have to know?”

“Of course. With that artifact, my sorcery power would greatly enhance, and you expect me to give such a precious item to a questionable seal? I won’t part with it unless I know at least what it’s used for.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk gritted his teeth and said, “…You must promise me that you won’t speak a word of what you learn here to anyone outside.”

“Of course not.”

“This seal stems from a rift in time and space created during the Offering Ceremony a thousand years ago. A colossal divine being came into existence, ripping the dimension apart, and as a result, powerful monsters were born in the world.”

He sighed heavily. “If this seal were to break, it would lead to disaster. No one wishes for a rift to occur. I’m trying to borrow the power of the artifact to strengthen the seal.”

“Umm.”

A rift, huh?

When I tilted my head in confusion, Zhuge Sa spoke up from within me. [That sounds about right. Just give him the fragment already.]

[Zhuge Sa, do you know something?]

[I have my guesses, but it’s not worth worrying about right now. Just hand it over.]

[Got it.]

I handed the fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet to Sang Gwan Hyuk. He accepted the fragment and broke into a beaming smile. Then he said, “Thank you. This is surely a powerful artifact.”

“Your gratitude is unnecessary. It’s a deal, right? Now you owe me information about the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries.”

“Understood. But first…”

As soon as Sang Gwan Hyuk finished speaking, he began to chant a spell while holding the fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet. After completing the incantation, he immediately tossed the fragment inside the seal.

Kugugugu!!

Suddenly, the darkness that had been squirming inside the spiral mechanical structure shrank significantly. It was originally the size of three tables, but now it appeared to have reduced to the size of one. It seemed that with the strengthening of the seal, the power of the darkness was weakened as well. With a sigh, Sang Gwan Hyuk remarked, “With that, my responsibilities here are complete!”

“Now, tell me about the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries.”

“Let’s go back upstairs first.”

Kugugung…

I rode the mechanical device with Sang Gwan Hyuk back to the surface. We took our seats on the upper floor of the residence while looking out over the scenery of Luoyang. Sang Gwan Hyuk, who had come by carriage, placed a cup of tea on the table and spoke up.

“Baek Woong, did you know there are two ways to liberate the Seven Luminaries?”

“I’m not too sure.”

Truth be told, I did know, but I wanted to hear it from his own lips. Sang Gwan Hyuk nodded, took a sip of tea, and continued, “One method involves mass slaughter leading to the accumulation of power in the Seven Luminaries, eventually releasing the seal. However, this method also awakens the [Old Ruler], which results in the human soul being consumed entirely. It would be a trap, to say the least.”

“And the other?”

“The other way is to first seek permission from the Celestial Realm to acquire the right to perform the Offering Ceremony, summon the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors, and then be recognized as the master of the Seven Luminaries. This way, the Three Sovereigns will suppress the [Old Ruler], allowing you to safely become the ruler of the Seven Luminaries.”

“……”

“The Offering Ceremony is a ritual originating from the Heavenly Altar of the Five Great Mountains, summoning divine beings like the Three Sovereigns.”

There wasn’t much difference from what I already knew. ‘Was that a fruitless effort on my part?’

As I felt a bit disappointed, Sang Gwan Hyuk continued speaking, “You must be wondering why the Offering Ceremony is necessary to gain the Seven Luminaries. It’s said that Qin Shi Huang was the first to execute the Offering Ceremony.”

“Indeed, why was the Offering Ceremony created?”

“That’s part of an ancient secret.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk said, “Considering it, from the perspective of the gods, the Offering Ceremony is something not really needed. Humans offer tributes, which is an opportunity for them, but it doesn’t matter whether they receive them or not. This is because they can exist without being served by humans. Yet, they still insist on making contracts with humans to fulfill their desires for a reason.”

“Uh…?”

“Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen favored humans.”

This was a perspective I hadn’t heard even from Mangnyang. I recalled the information about the Offering Ceremony that Mangnyang had once shared with me.

[Think about it. Why did ancient people thousands of years ago associate the realm that extended beyond China with the boundaries of the constellation?]

[The fields delineated in the realm are the territories allocated to the [Old Rulers] of primordial times. Within those bounds, they acted as true gods, directing the first humanity with the dark myth. This also serves as a secret that the Celestial Realm desperately wants to keep from human awareness. They can’t help but reveal the existence of the [Old Ruler], whom they wish to hide so much.]

[To gain dominion over the realm and celestial fortune through the Offering Ceremony. That means becoming the owner of the world while also becoming the priest bridging gods and humans.]

[By offering large-scale tributes to the [Old Ruler] and providing sustenance, one earns a promise of security in the world, while also acquiring the magic of immortality and power… No wonder Qin Shi Huang and other emperors would have lost their minds over this.]

Mangnyang’s words rang true. He had expounded on the background of the Offering Ceremony as a means to offer tributes to gain power, and I hadn’t thought much beyond that. From the standpoint of someone opposed to the [Old Ruler], I merely finished off with some inward curses.

But why was Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen mentioned? This appeared to revolve around why the gods would agree to the Offering Ceremony in the first place.

I felt dumbfounded.

Sang Gwan Hyuk – the Five Great Physicians and a demon sorcerer, and also the head of the Sangguan clan! What on earth was going through his mind?

I stared at him skeptically. “I can’t believe it. Before this, how on earth do you know so much about the Seven Luminaries?”

“……”

As I pressed him, Sang Gwan Hyuk responded calmly, “It’s because I’m the head of the Sangguan clan.”

“What do you mean?”

“A thousand years ago, it was my clan’s matriarch, Sang Gwanwna, who assisted Empress Wu Zetian in executing the Offering Ceremony. My clan has presided over these rituals to elevate humans to the divine status and has passed down this secret for a millennium, so I know more about the Offering Ceremony and the Seven Luminaries than anyone else.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk continued, “The world persists because the emperor desires it, and the Celestial Realm begrudgingly accepts the contradictory Offering Ceremony. And it’s Changhil, the emperor’s confidant, who conceived that system.”

“A system?”

“That’s why if you want to fundamentally change the Offering Ceremony as the master of the Seven Luminaries…”

Sang Gwan Hyuk’s eyes gleamed. “You’ll need to investigate and approach the Emperor and Changhil.”

I retorted bluntly, “Why do you think I’d want to change the Offering Ceremony?”

“Ah… I would probably think the same if I were you.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk chuckled bitterly. “Having inherited the clan’s knowledge from a young age, I’ve contemplated for decades on how inefficient and difficult it is to find each of the Seven Luminaries one by one and request permission from the Celestial Realm to liberate them. Surely, even the Celestial Realm finds it bothersome, but everyone leaves it be just because it’s an ancient ritual.”

“Hmm.”

I had definitely never considered it that way. Sang Gwan Hyuk said, “In my opinion, to liberate the Seven Luminaries efficiently, you must first find Changhil. He was the one who proposed and established the Offering Ceremony.”

“But isn’t Changhil a divine figure right below the Three Sovereigns? How am I supposed to find him or even approach him?”

My question was a perfectly valid counterargument. Sang Gwan Hyuk replied, “Baek Woong, have you heard about the ancient event when Changhil invented writing?”

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”

“They said that at the very moment writing was created, all humans wept, and even the ghosts were struck with terror, causing calamities to unfold. When Changhil invented writing, it was by no means a happy event; it was a harbinger of great misfortune. And through this feat, Changhil became the emperor’s foremost confidant.”

“Uh-huh.”

“This is proof that he was a personification of insatiable ambition.”

Sang Gwan Hyuk continued calmly, “He is known as the History Emperor and was once human but has since reached divine status. Thus, my clan’s matriarch, Sang Gwanwna, was convinced that Changhil continues to send his avatar to the human realm to keep tabs on the world. After all, the current realm of China is nothing less than a masterpiece created by him.”

I was taken aback and retorted, “What kind of god is that? He’d rather look down from the Celestial Realm…”

“I don’t know either. Anyway, our conclusion for making the Offering Ceremony easier is that we must contact the avatar of that History Emperor to coordinate the Offering Ceremony process. It’s utterly impossible under the current frustrating system.”

After hearing a bit more from Sang Gwan Hyuk about the Seven Luminaries and the Offering Ceremony, I excused myself from the conversation. My mind was a jumbled mess, so I climbed a nearby hill to find some calm, at which point Zhuge Sa spoke to me.

[At least there’s some gain to be had.]

Being in an uninhabited place, I muttered to myself, “Finding Changhil’s avatar sounds way too far-fetched.”

[I’m not too sure either.]

“It’s a surprise you don’t know something.”

Zhuge Sa replied resolutely, [The relationships between ancient secrets and Taoist deities aren’t my expertise. There’s likely a highly complicated web of reasoning involved that requires extensive reading and research abilities. You’ll need to seek someone out to unravel this.]

In that moment, one person immediately popped into my mind. So I spoke out loud, “Mangnyang.”

[Exactly. He’s the only one who could interpret the ultra-ancient oracle bones, not just gleaning from written knowledge.]

I found myself missing Mangnyang again. It hadn’t been long since we parted ways, yet his absence began to creep in. If I could have sought advice from both Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang, things might’ve gone smoother. But right now, Mangnyang was in training, building up his strength, so there was no way to see him.

I shook off the thoughts and stood up. “Alright. I’m back on track now.”

[It sure took you long enough to get organized. Don’t you seem like you want to live?]

“What, I’d say I have no regrets even if I die.”

[Hehehe…]

Zhuge Sa chuckled at me, but I paid him no mind. I then looked up at the sky. “Now, I guess it’s time to test whether my words will get through to the sect leader.”

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