0768 ———————————————-

Dark Heaven Village

Watching the soldiers from the battle raged on with no hope of victory left me feeling quite uneasy. Did they even realize what kind of wicked trials they were signing up for? But soon enough, I understood that it didn’t matter whether they knew or not.

In this world, the king’s power is absolute.

Not just the king, but even the lower and middle-ranking officials wield immense power. With a flick of their hand or a single word, they could mobilize enough manpower and wealth to change the landscape. Turning innocent people into rebels and rebels into loyalists was merely child’s play.

A commoner is not more than a bug.

Especially when the order comes from Qin Shi Huang, who unified the entire Middle Kingdom for the first time ever—who could possibly defy that? If the king had the power to crush someone like a bug, then no one could possibly refuse him.

Even if it meant suffering hundreds of times in the Chaos Zone after death, no one here could avoid the option of death.

‘Most humans are all about this world… hardly anyone truly believes in the afterlife.’

That’s just the nature of the people here. They cling and focus intensely on the reality they’re living in. Those who take the afterlife seriously are often regarded as fools.

Taoists and monks may have some inkling of the world’s underbelly, but ordinary townsfolk? They don’t really take that stuff seriously. Sure, if they have a religion, they might believe a bit, but the majority consider it mere superstition.

So it’s likely they accepted the cunning trap contract laid out by Qin Shi Huang without any inkling of what it truly entailed. Even if they did know, they wouldn’t have guessed what kind of demonic contract it actually was.

I glanced around and spoke up.

“…But there are just too many soldiers. The ones at Mount Ye weren’t this many.”

“I know what you mean. There were maybe 8,000 over there. But now, taking into account all the reinforcements, we’re talking at least 200,000 to 300,000 troops. That just doesn’t add up.”

“Where did they pull more troops from?”

“It’s the difference between the royal guard and the regular troops.”

“Huh?”

Zhuge Sa chuckled softly.

“The soldiers at Mount Ye were an elite force with unwavering loyalty to Qin Shi Huang. I believe the average soldiers or townsfolk who had contracts in life weren’t present at Mount Ye.”

“So they were buried elsewhere?”

“Throughout Central Plains, perhaps? They’ve probably been buried alive in dozens of places.”

“…….”

It was utterly despicable. My disgust showed on my face as Mangnyang spoke.

“Baek Woong. This is no time to focus on the soldiers. Pay close attention to how Jin You is attacking and how he fights.”

“Hmm…”

“It might sound harsh, but this is an opportunity. Everything you observe here will become part of your unique assets—difficult to accumulate again.”

“Got it.”

While I felt bad for the soldiers, I had no duty or loyalty to go and save them from their countless deaths. Having come this far, I had to pass the trial of the Six Needs by any means necessary, and most importantly, I needed to witness Jin Yeo’s abilities.

Particularly, the fact that our three allies completely vanished made me anxious.

Boom!

How much slaughter was taking place up front? I had a decent view of Jin Yeo’s attack style and movements for about half an hour. Being a fellow expert, I had a keen ability to detect the ‘center’ in the opponent’s movements and analyze their variables.

As I scrutinized the battlefield, I finally realized one thing.

“It’s insufficient.”

“What do you mean by insufficient?”

“Jin Yeo isn’t giving it his all. He’s hiding at least four or five more techniques.”

“I figured as much. No matter how large the army, to Jin Yeo, they’re nothing more than insects.”

I allocated the Seven Luminaries to our allies.

“It’s no longer the time to wait for Qin Shi Huang. Observing is a waste of time; we need to eliminate Jin Yeo if possible.”

“Good judgment.”

As I resonated the Seven Luminaries, our allies felt a sudden surge of power. The number of allies who could use the Seven Luminaries had sharply decreased, so I figured it was best to distribute them among Zhuge Sa, Cheon Gong-pyo, and Cheon Woo-jin. Mangnyang, Zhuge Sa, and I would once again watch from the sidelines, but there was no other option.

Pah!

Zhuge Sa summoned hundreds of clones and rushed toward Jin Yeo’s spirit, followed by Cheon Gong-pyo throwing his sabre sword to join the fray. They too were formidable fighters, so there was no need for me to worry about them understanding Jin Yeo.

Once our three allies joined forces, I could see the soldiers panic and retreat.

[Temporary Retreat. Spectate.]

Simultaneously, the commanders leading the soldiers yelled out orders to retaliate fiercely. They knew there was an inviolable treaty between me and Qin Shi Huang. As vicious as they were, I yearned to slay them, but since I couldn’t, I had to leave it be.

Boom!

A grand battle began.

At that moment, Zhuge Sa spoke beside me.

“You’re not actually planning on giving up on Geok Ho, are you?”

“……”

“Forget promises; summon Geok Ho again in the next life. Someone with the talent and potential like him is rare, so it’s best to recruit him as a companion. He may not be as good as Jin So-cheong, but he’s still undoubtedly a genius. Finding talent on the level of Geok Ho is incredibly difficult.”

“A promise is a promise.”

“Why keep such a promise? It doesn’t benefit either of us.”

I didn’t respond to Zhuge Sa’s words.

True, it certainly didn’t benefit either of us. But despite that, Geok Ho’s intentions were genuine, and I couldn’t disregard his sincerity. As I remained silent, Mangnyang chimed in.

“Baek Woong. Make your choice, as your heart desires. But…”

“But?”

“You know well that just moments ago, Geok Ho reached the Absolute Realm. He wouldn’t impulsively make such a critical decision without reason. Please understand he had his own reasons.”

“I think I might have a guess.”

“…I have suspicions, but unless I’m him, I can’t just casually spill that. That would be arrogant. Everything is your choice.”

“Hmm.”

“Once you make your choice, I’ll tell you what I suspect.”

It seemed Mangnyang held back from speaking freely even though he had guessed Geok Ho’s intentions for moral reasons. Zhuge Sa scoffed.

“Hmph, that’s rich. Even kings and nobles would kneel and beg to be Baek Woong’s slaves. Do we have the luxury to be picky? No matter his circumstances, if he can be useful, we should use him.”

“Zhuge Sa. Enough.”

When I cut him off, Zhuge Sa shrugged his shoulders. I realized that both advisors understood Geok Ho’s heart and its cause, but their acceptance differed. Since I hadn’t yet grasped how to resolve this internal conflict, I decided to put it aside for now.

Then it happened.

Woooh—

The Eight Trigrams Formation began to shake. Suddenly, time felt like it was slowing down, and a gray light swept through the area, causing Zhuge Bu to stagger. I noticed someone standing at the entrance of the Eight Trigrams Formation.

As soon as I caught sight of him, I shouted.

“Jin!!”

Qin Shi Huang, now referred to as the Portrait Immortal Jin!

He was standing there calmly at the entrance of the Eight Trigrams Formation, looking this way!

When Jin faced me, he stroked his chin and said.

“Impressive. The Eight Trigrams Formation… This is definitely the formation technique created by the Absolute Realm genius, Zhuge Mu-hu, surpassing even Celestial Sage. I believe I’ve heard of it before.”

“Are you here to ambush us like a sneaky rat?”

“You know that’s not the case. Regardless, as long as the agreement stands, I can’t fight you until you pass the trial of the Six Needs.”

Jin spoke lightly.

“But while this Eight Trigrams Formation can restrict me, it won’t completely halt my abilities.”

“……!!”

I instinctively sensed that what he was saying was true. He might have been stalled because he had activated his time-stop ability while crossing into the Eight Trigrams Formation, but if he unleashed all his power, it implied he could forcibly use his abilities. Seeing Zhuge Bu with a nosebleed and a pale complexion confirmed that Jin’s words were probably accurate.

‘I can’t completely stop him with the Eight Trigrams Formation, but even suppressing him a little would make a difference…’

As I imagined what would happen if I fought him, Jin brought up another topic.

“So it seems you’ve set out to take down Jin Yeo. Wouldn’t that make us allies?”

I glanced over at the other flank. From the lack of light from the enemy’s side, it seemed that they too had been subdued by him.

“If you know, hurry up and fight Jin Yeo. Don’t waste time picking a fight here!”

“Hehe! But before that, I have something to discuss.”

“Spit it out quickly.”

I growled as Jin spoke.

“…What’s your relationship with Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen?”

“……?”

“That’s what I came to find out.”

What kind of absurd nonsense was that?

I didn’t grasp Jin’s intentions behind that question, so I merely wore a wary expression. Until I understood what that question meant, I couldn’t afford to speak carelessly. Sure enough, Mangnyang stepped forward instead of me, responding to Jin.

“We need to know first. What’s your basis for asking such a question?”

“You’re not willing to reveal your own hand, I see.”

“I don’t have time for nonsense. This isn’t exactly a leisurely moment.”

“Fine. Then let me reveal my cards first. Do you know why I tossed aside all preeminence on the ground and concentrated everything on this trial of the Seven Luminaries?”

“……”

“Hmm, you seem unwilling to engage in conversation. In that case, I’ll take my leave.”

Pah!

Suddenly, Jin disappointingly vanished, teleporting off to the battlefield to fight Jin Yeo. I stood there, astonished, watching him go.

“What on earth did he come here for?”

“Can’t you see? He came to probe us.”

Zhuge Sa replied curtly before continuing.

“Looks like things are about to come to a head.”

Just as he said, once Zhuge Sa, Cheon Gong-pyo, and Cheon Woo-jin amplified their powers with Luzhen, Jin Yeo was steadily pushed into a corner, and even Jin began summoning spheres of chaos from various directions to attack; Jin Yeo’s spirit seemed unable to withstand it.

Although Jin Yeo appeared far weaker than Mok-yo, it was likely that Mok-yo had simply been excessively powerful.

[Kraaaa… I acknowledge the strength of you challengers….]

As Jin Yeo’s spirit was defeated, a rainbow glow emitted from him. In due time, as our allies returned, we prepared to challenge Tydaht.

‘Once we take care of Tydaht, only the Sun remains.’

Surprisingly, we still had plenty of time left. From the looks of it, Tydaht hadn’t even shown up, indicating that we had resolved the trial of the Seven Luminaries faster than anticipated! I thought maybe the trial of the Seven Luminaries wouldn’t be too hard, but soon realized that wasn’t the case.

Cheon Gong-pyo and Zhuge Sa

I had no idea if I could rely on their assistance next time. I had borrowed the powers of the strongest among mortals, so it might be difficult to match this level of strength next time. Having tackled Mok-yo without knowledge of Tai He could have likely resulted in our annihilation.

“Hah, heh….”

However, Cheon Woo-jin appeared to be in a bit of trouble. His face had turned pale, and he leaned against a nearby tree, seeming to lose strength throughout his body as he coughed.

“Hey. I’ll check your pulse for a moment.”

I examined Cheon Woo-jin’s body, but there didn’t seem to be any physical issues.

While coughing, Cheon Woo-jin said.

“…Just a little lifespan trimmed off. I’ll be fine after a short rest, so don’t worry.”

“What?”

“The forbidden technique I used to suppress Mok-yo took off about 70 years of my lifespan. The aftereffect is coming sooner than expected….”

“…….”

How could he say such a thing so casually!!

I quickly took out the treasure of the Chi You from the Wooden Armor and said.

“Is there any way to restore your lifespan with these?”

“What, roast them and drink the broth? Don’t say things recklessly without knowing anything about martial arts.”

Cheon Woo-jin muttered irritably, tapping his forehead.

“…Ugh, damn… Why am I so concerned about someone else’s troubles… pathetic….”

Thud.

Cheon Woo-jin collapsed without a sound.

“Ah!”

I was taken aback and immediately summoned him again.

Woooh…

But he wouldn’t summon back this time, just like before. And in my head, I heard Mangnyang’s voice.

[Do not attempt to summon my disciple any further. He shall rest by my side now.]

[Mangnyang!]

[I don’t wish for him to be dragged aimlessly into the emperor’s conspiracy.]

Mangnyang was refusing to let Cheon Woo-jin be summoned?

Shivers ran down my spine at that moment. I could sense Mangnyang’s cat-like eyes turning towards me with palpable intensity. It seemed Mangnyang didn’t want Cheon Woo-jin’s soul to suffer further in this trial. As I informed everyone that Cheon Woo-jin was out, Mangnyang spoke as if he expected this.

“It can’t be helped…. We can only resolve Tydaht with the power of Cheon Gong-pyo and Zhuge Sa.”

“…….”

The situation was steadily worsening. Our allies were dwindling, and the king’s summoning rights were practically useless. Why were there so many scenarios where resummoning was impossible?

‘Huh? But why…?’

I suddenly felt something unusual. A small sense of discomfort. But I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, so I shook my head to clear it. It wouldn’t mean anything to dwell on it now.

Finally, as we arrived at Tydaht’s location, the trial of Tydaht just opened up.

Whoooo—

Tydaht, a tentacle monster floating in the air with a translucent form, had the shape of the Eight Trigrams swirling densely around his body. After seeing this, Zhuge Sa remarked.

“The Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram has been under the control of the Demon Subduing Hall for so long; it has likely been heavily influenced by the Otherworldly Race. At the same time, it should also have the power to nullify techniques.”

“…If it’s nullifying techniques, then what about Cheon Gong-pyo’s abilities…?”

“It’s not just Cheon Gong-pyo. If the techniques are sealed, Cheon Sa-ryeong wouldn’t have much left to use aside from Demon Power. This is the worst trial in a different sense than Mok-yo.”

“Hmm.”

“I regret that there are no Martial Artists in the Absolute Realm….”

After mumbling that, Zhuge Sa looked at me.

“Baek Woong, like it or not, you’ll need to step up here. While the rest of the allies distract him, you’ll have to deliver the finishing blow with your martial arts.”