898——————==

True Martial Home

The operation was taking shape. First, we decided to use the delay of a moment to prepare everything. Mangnyang said.

“Let’s hurry.”

I headed with my companions towards the Southern Flower Immortal’s seal. And to break the seal of the Southern Flower, I stood in the center of the Eight Trigrams Formation, raising my Spirit Power. Zhuge Yulong, Zhuge Sa, and Zhuge Bu stood as the pillars of the Three Talents in the formation. Zhuge Yulong, who was unfolding the formation, spoke.

“Without Heuk Woong, you normally wouldn’t be able to activate the situation alone with your Spirit Power, but we’ll assist you using the Eight Trigrams. With the strength of the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram, it will greatly help to disable the Southern Flower’s barrier.”

“Got it.”

“You just need to raise your Spirit Power as high as possible from the center. We’ll handle the rest.”

Whoooo

Moments later, the Eight Trigrams lit up with a blue glow, and the trigrams began fluttering in the sky, creating countless changes. As Zhuge Yulong calmly read the trigrams, he relayed the calculations to Zhuge Sa, who immediately interpreted it and passed it to Zhuge Bu. Then, the Eight Trigrams started absorbing the Spirit Power I was releasing from the center and began casting the Great Peace Technique.

Great Peace Technique

Heavenly Weather Shift

Bwaaaam

A pillar of light extended toward the sky, and soon the clouds began moving at an incredible speed. It wasn’t just the clouds moving; the clear sky turned pitch black, and a solar eclipse started to unfold shortly after.

Kuguguu…

The sun emitted a strange light, its power gradually beginning to shine down like an afterglow onto the Southern Flower’s barrier. The barrier, bathed in the waves of light, held for a moment before it cracked like an eggshell. It took barely half a moment for the Southern Flower’s barrier to completely shatter.

Having shattered the Southern Flower’s barrier, I said to Zhuge Sa.

“…Wouldn’t it have been better to just bring the Southern Flower Immortal who is the master of the Great Peace Technique?”

“He wouldn’t listen to us anyway, and in terms of pure power, you have several times the potential of the Southern Flower Immortal. Even if he used all his power to cast the Great Peace Technique, he wouldn’t break the Southern Flower’s barrier as easily as you just did.”

“Hmmm.”

“Let’s hurry. Half a moment isn’t a long time.”

Zhuge Sa was right. As we entered the Southern Flower’s interior, Gong Gong was already on full combat readiness, glaring furiously.

[You scoundrels… how dare you invade the Southern Flower!]

I thought charming Gong Gong would now be as easy as giving candy to a child. Given the current situation, there was no problem at all. I spoke to Gong Gong.

“Gong Gong, the Celestial Realm is collapsing, and the Queen Mother of the West is about to reveal her true form as Nüwa.”

[Ah… What?!]

I briefly explained the situation to Gong Gong.

“…So, before Nüwa destroys the world, we’re thinking of attacking her to banish her from this realm.”

[… …]

“Gong Gong, please help us. If you do, I will immediately free you from that enchantment binding you.”

[Is that possible?]

“If you’re doubtful, just wait and see. For now, just let us access the Southern Flower.”

[Hmmm…]

“I’m also an apostle of Jeon Wook. You don’t need to worry about the mission.”

[Understood.]

After persuading Gong Gong and obtaining the seed of the Dragon Flower Tree, I immediately headed to the Heart of Luoyang to resurrect the Fire Dragon Sword with my advisors. Once I returned with the sword, I freed Gong Gong from the enchantment engraved upon him.

Shaaack!!

As the entangled enchantment unraveled like thorns, Gong Gong’s face lit up with joy.

[Ooooh…]

“I kept my promise. Now you help us.”

[I’ll help, but I don’t know what I can do. To be honest, if the Queen Mother can exert that much power now, even if I find my true strength, it wouldn’t be a big help.]

I shook my head.

“That’s not it. You know how to break the seal of the Yan Emperor Shennong, right?”

[……]

“Taking this opportunity, we want to awaken him to oppose Nüwa. It might allow us to deal a fatal blow to her.”

[Got it! Let’s go!]

Bam

We followed Gong Gong to the seal of Yan Emperor Shennong. Inspecting Nüwa’s seal on the parchment, Gong Gong looked disappointed.

[This… the seal of Nüwa seems weakened considerably, but it’s still powerful. It can’t be broken in a short time.]

“Seems like.”

Did Nüwa use the power of the Queen Mother and got sealed briefly by Guang Chengzi? The seal seemed to have lost about 30% of its strength, yet the core was still intact, as I could tell from my Fire Eye Golden Spirit. As Gong Gong said, such a strong barrier couldn’t be easily shattered, especially within a half moment.

‘Is awakening the Yan Emperor too much?’

It appeared that the Yan Emperor’s seal wouldn’t be released unless Nüwa personally removed it like before. As I fell into thought, Zhuge Yulong said.

“No need to overthink it. If we can deal a heavy blow to the Queen Mother to the brink of destruction, then the barrier here will naturally weaken. At that time, we can rescue the Yan Emperor and bring him to our side to break through the Life Sea.”

“Hmmm!”

We realized that we had obtained the Southern Flower and the Fire Dragon Sword in less than half a moment.

Zhuge Yulong then said.

“Since we seem pressed for time to obtain both the Wood Spirit and the Golden Crow, let’s give up.”

“Can’t we persuade the Master of the Twelve Joules or get them at Paliyas?”

“Do you really think we can do that in just half a moment? Neither of them would be possible. Even if we try to pressure them, they are no pushovers, and we’d only earn their resentment without getting the Seven Luminaries.”

“Hmm…”

“We’ll just have to try this.”

“It’s great that we have the Seven Luminaries, but how do we use them?”

While the Seven Luminaries were divine treasures, fighting against a figure like the Three Sovereigns Nüwa, wielding them would probably be pointless. Feeling worried, Zhuge Yulong said.

“We’ll utilize the Seven Luminaries Resonance. That’s the only way to enhance it further.”

“If two of them resonate, it would definitely be powerful, but I wonder if it would even work.”

“Of course, we can’t just use them as is. We must focus all the power on one person and gather all strength for a single strike.”

Simultaneously, everyone’s gaze turned to Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu!

His power, which had almost uniquely dealt damage to the Queen Mother, might allow him to deliver a fatal blow to a weakened Nüwa if we used the Seven Luminaries Resonance. Xiang Yu had been listening to our conversation but, acting as if he didn’t care, merely crossed his arms and stared at the sky.

‘What’s he thinking?’

As I looked at Xiang Yu in worry, Mangnyang said.

“Baek Woong. Come over here for a moment…”

I followed Mangnyang to a secluded spot. In the quiet of our own space, Mangnyang spoke softly.

“It’s the Master’s message. If you try to grasp something desperately, you will lose it, so do not cling.”

“……?”

“I’m told this could help avoid the worst outcome.”

What a sudden and random thing to say!

I was flabbergasted and questioned.

“Mangnyang said such a thing to me? Why on earth…”

“I don’t know the reason. However, the Master foresaw that you would inevitably face this situation. Please consider it carefully.”

“…Understood.”

There was one thing I was very curious about regarding Mangnyang, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask, itching to know why Mangnyang was so eager to give advice this time around.

Why was Mangnyang so unusually involved in my matters in this life?

Normally, that cat would show utter disinterest or even disdain towards my affairs. Yet this time, it seemed like Mangnyang was intent on worming his way into my affairs. It was the first time such a thing had happened, which puzzled me, but asking Mangnyang would yield no useful answers. As I puzzled over Mangnyang’s intentions and attitude shifts, he said.

“Baek Woong. Let’s wake up Cheon Gong-pyo as well.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It can’t be more dangerous than Nüwa.”

Agreeing with his words, I immediately went to the Celestial Sage to borrow the Ruyi Staff and expended my Spirit Power to break Cheon Gong-pyo’s seal.

[I am the Master of the Absolute Teachings, Cheon Gong-pyo! My seal is now released!]

“……”

[Ugh… What? Who are you?!]

Upon breaking free from his seal, Cheon Gong-pyo was about to rampage but froze when he saw the formidable presences in the hall. Seeing the Eight Parts of the Divine alongside the imposing Xiang Yu and Celestial Sage had him looking a bit daunted.

I bluntly said.

“Quiet down. Don’t rampage.”

[What’s the situation now?]

“Cheon Gong-pyo, we need to kill Nüwa, so lend us your strength.”

I explained the situation to Cheon Gong-pyo, including the details of the assassination of the Three Pure Ones. When I mentioned the battle in the Primordial Void, Cheon Gong-pyo glanced at Xiang Yu with a stunned expression.

[You killed the brother who uses the Ta Shin-pyeon?! I’ll have to prepare for a mutual destruction scenario… that monster.]

“Anyway, if we don’t fight, the Earth will perish. Help us out.”

[Alright. But I’ll be using the Ta Shin-pyeon, so hand it over.]

“……”

[I’ll be of great help if I use it.]

More treasure greed, huh!?

But I had no choice but to give it to him considering the Ta Shin-pyeon was indeed best used by him. It seemed Cheon Gong-pyo had no reason to avoid a fight against the Queen Mother either.

We informed the Eight Parts of the Divine that we were ready for battle. They awaited our strategy, then spoke.

[We will combine our strength during the attack as well.]

“I’m curious about something.”

[What is it?]

“Are you this obsessed with killing the Queen Mother simply because of the grief of a fallen comrade? What do you hope to gain by killing her?”

[We wouldn’t have any reason to tell you that.]

Gin Nara replied casually. However, given the context, I could tell they were definitely not moving just because of the grievance over a comrade. There must be more significant reasons at play. Perhaps after defeating the Queen Mother, they’d engage in a follow-up battle with the Eight Parts of the Divine, which made me feel uneasy.

Eventually, we could see the seal of Guang Chengzi gradually unraveling. The light of the lotus faded away, and it became clear that the Queen Mother of the West was reverting back to her original state. And soon after, the seal was completely removed. As all eyes turned to me, I immediately recited the spell for the Evil God.

Kugugugugu!!

At the moment the spell was cast, the strong barrier of the Queen Mother developed a brief hole. Indeed, the spell of the Evil God could pierce even the Queen Mother’s defenses! However, it seemed that was its limit, as it dealt no damage to her true form.

In the meantime, Xiang Yu surrounded himself with two Seven Luminaries, gathering his strength in his fist. To maintain the hole in the barrier for as long as possible before Xiang Yu might fully concentrate, the remaining companions launched a simultaneous attack.

KABOOM!!

With a roar as if the world were ending, an explosive sound erupted along with a bright flash as the Southern Flower’s forces unleashed their power in a violent flurry. The Demon King, the Eight Parts of the Divine, and even Miho and Seo Mun-hye joined in the attack. Even the Eight Immortals were firing magical strikes from a distance — the momentum was staggering.

Crackle

It seemed like the hole in the Queen Mother’s barrier was shrinking, but due to the intense assault, it was widening again right before our eyes. At that moment, Xiang Yu exuded a bloody aura from his eyes and began harnessing the powers of the Southern Flower and Earth.

Whoooom

The power of this resonance visibly strengthened the energy of the constellation Xiang Yu was emanating, and the constellations within him began shining continuously. Soon, the cores of these constellations gathered with Xiang Yu’s heart, uniting as he extended his fist forward.

Constellation Resonance

Overlord Fist

Boom!!!

Xiang Yu’s body, extending like a beam of light, pierced the throat of the Evil Queen. For a moment he seemed to be embedded in her flesh, writhing slightly, before twisting his fist again and unleashing.

Boom!

Had we done it?!

That was a critical hit!

Had we finally taken down the Queen Mother?!

But suddenly, Cheon Gong-pyo, who had been watching from the side, turned pale and shouted.

[Go, Sabre Sword!!]

Whoosh!

Simultaneously, four legendary sabers known to have the might of the highest upon the celestial sphere flew through the air, piercing the Queen Mother’s limbs. Cheon Gong-pyo did not stop there and hurled the Ta Shin-pyeon forward.

[Ta Shin-pyeon, destroy the divine nature!]

Boom

The blade of the Ta Shin-pyeon sank into the Queen Mother’s massive form. It was a horrific sight, akin to dismembering a corpse, yet Cheon Gong-pyo’s face grew even paler.

[Th-this… there’s no divine presence in the Queen Mother’s body… which means…]

My expression changed drastically at his next words.

[That’s an empty shell…!!]

The next moment.

Xiang Yu glanced back over his shoulder, and there stood ‘a being.’ It looked like a mysterious creature from another world, with its star-like sparkling black eyes resembling jewels.

The being floated in the air and spoke softly.

[Overlord Xiang Yu. I pay my respects to your power. You have just instilled the worst sense of crisis into her.]

Swoosh, the being pointed a finger at Xiang Yu.

[But you wished to die yourself… that has become the turning point of your fate.]

Xiang Yu didn’t respond.

“Hmph.”

He merely smiled comfortably.

[Farewell, Overlord.]

Swoosh

Xiang Yu’s body disintegrated into particles. The disappearance of the Supreme Overlord Xiang Yu.

“……?”

Huh?

What just happened? It transpired so suddenly that it didn’t feel real. But Mangnyang’s subsequent words brought me back to reality.

“Baek Woong. Escape.”

Swoosh

In the next moment, the Eight Parts of the Divine, Gin Nara and the Celestial were gone without a sound. Just a glance from that being was enough to obliterate the two members of the Eight Parts of the Divine. I couldn’t even call that an attack; it seemed like simply willing for them to disappear was enough to eliminate them.

“… We’ve failed.”

But with Mangnyang’s trembling declaration, as I became aware of the situation, I realized I stood in an utterly despairing circumstance.

The Three Sovereigns Nüwa had descended.