997——————==

Soul of the Evil God

It’s bewildering. How could the Sea God suddenly show up in this situation?

According to the messenger’s report, there’s no doubt that the Sea God has appeared, but what on earth is the reason for their appearance now? My thoughts were overflowing, but then I suddenly realized a critical fact.

“…Zhuge Bu!!”

The reason the messenger was able to report the sighting of the Sea God.

The reason General Hwang Yeon and the great army could escape with relatively minor damage.

It was because Zhuge Bu had been dispatched to the main camp just in case of an emergency! Originally, he was placed there to prevent the Twelve Joules’ masters or sorcerers from assassinating Hwang Yeon, but it seemed like an unexpected situation has occurred.

‘Zhuge Bu must be carrying a mass-produced Philosopher’s Stone for emergencies. He would use it to establish a protective barrier to shield our troops from the dark magic. But…’

Since the Sea God appeared in person, there’s no guarantee that Zhuge Bu is safe.

I need to rescue him immediately!

I quickly looked at Mangnyang, who calmly said, “Baek Woong! You need to decide now. Are we retreating our army or going after the Sea God?”

“What are you talking about!”

“The safety of Zhuge Bu is a matter for later. This is essentially an assault from the Twelve Joules, so your will is what matters most.”

Then, Zhuge Sa, who was standing next to him, chimed in, “You can assume that they intentionally released the barrier of the Sacred Altar Tree and the protection of the Phoenix. They probably used some method to lure the Sea God to attack our army. Whether you take down the Sea God or not, the Twelve Joules won’t suffer major losses.”

“Dammit!!”

“But we shouldn’t suffer further losses either.”

“What do you mean?”

“We can activate the Transference Gate despite the interference from the Celestial Realm and get the entire army to retreat. That would end the war here. Then the Sea God’s rampage is something the Twelve Joules will have to deal with, so we can dodge this bullet without major damage.”

Zhuge Sa’s words initially seemed like a perfect plan. But soon, I realized the flaw and said, “But that means innocent people in Goryeo will die.”

No matter how formidable the Twelve Joules are, there’s no way they’d be able to control the Sea God right after pulling this plan off. If they could do that, they would have taken down the Sea God already.

In the end, the Twelve Joules had gambled, expecting me to go after the Sea God, and if I pull back now, the remaining suffering would fall squarely on the common people of Goryeo. Just like I saw in the Outer Universe, an enormous tragedy would cover the land of Goryeo as the Sea God’s tribe massacres, devours, and brutally humiliates humans. It was a brutal scene of dark magic that no human reason or ethics could resist.

Zhuge Sa said dismissively, “Well, it’s true that they would die a more brutal death in war… But what does that have to do with you? That’s not your fault. It’s the Twelve Joules’ fault for dragging the existence of gods into human wars.”

“But… I can’t just leave them to die.”

I could no longer stand idly by.

As I fell silent, an air of silence filled the tent.

“Heh, the Twelve Joules. However you pulled it off, you read me completely. You wouldn’t have had the guts to use this plan if you weren’t completely sure I’d go after the Sea God…”

Zhuge Sa smirked. And then said, “My indecisive lord. Make your decision. Will you hunt down the Sea God?”

“……”

I paused to think.

This is undoubtedly a losing move. It’s falling into the Twelve Joules’ trap. If I go after the Sea God, I’ll just get into a whole lot of trouble, and the Twelve Joules will gather their elite to attack me during the chaos. But if I avoid this, the humans will be slaughtered by the Sea God.

But…

Even so.

“I will hunt down the Sea God.”

I tightened my grip on my sword and rose from my seat. And I said, “As the Emperor of the Great Empire, I will take responsibility for this war!”

Since I’ve started this war, it’s ultimately my responsibility to determine its outcome. I could try to escape this responsibility, but I’ve been feeling this ache of conscience for a while now. If I want to claim that my previous journey was just, I can’t simply turn a blind eye to the massacre of the common people under the excuse of self-interest. It felt like taking down the Sea God was part of my duty as the Emperor of the continent.

Then the Master of the White Lotus Sect, who had been standing next to me, said, [Baek Woong… If you defeat the Sea God, our Primordial Spirit and Heavenly Spirit Pill will be rendered powerless, and ultimately, the strength of the White Lotus Sect will disappear. What will you do about that?]

“…Uhmm.”

This was indeed a problem. I had directly witnessed that if the Sea God were defeated, the power of the White Lotus Sect would significantly weaken during my previous journey. This was because the Sea God was the middle master drawing power from the mighty [Throne], so once the Sea God is defeated, the Primordial Spirit and Heavenly Spirit Pill would be in a state of breach of contract.

Then unexpectedly, Zhuge Yulong replied, “I can take care of that.”

[You?]

“The absence of the contract intermediary can be covered by another [Ruler]. If we transfer the contract to the [Ruler] of the Imperial Palace, it’s possible. I can hold the ceremony as the Priest of Darkness.”

[Transferring contracts… But that would also place a considerable burden on the divine status. It is something that the meager tribute of mortals would never be accepted.]

“Exactly. However, we can’t recklessly waste Baek Woong’s treasures either. He’s not such a merciful being and would want to suck out the treasure down to the marrow. So, that means there’s a prerequisite.”

With that, Zhuge Yulong looked at me with sharp eyes.

“Baek Woong, if you take down the Sea God this time, you have to get their core! That’s the absolute condition.”

“Core?”

“Right. When you defeated the Sea God last time, you seemed to have fainted or been too busy dealing with the situation to notice, but when you take down a god, a core that forms the essence of their material body remains. That core is a treasure unlike any other and is a divine body, so you must acquire it.”

“Um…!!”

“No matter how weak it may be, the Sea God is an [Old Ruler]. If you offer the Sea God’s core as a bargain for the contract transfer, even the ruler of the Imperial Palace would have to accept the offer. It’s a decision weighted more towards gain than loss for him.”

Could this resolve the problem with the White Lotus Sect as well?

Yet, since I hadn’t thought of this way without Zhuge Yulong, I realized how great a force I had gathered in this life. I said, “Then let’s go!”

Paat!

I took my comrades and headed towards the Pingju Castle, as instructed by the messenger. I had heard that the troops had retreated here due to unavoidable circumstances, even though they had been marching right up to Gaegyeong, and I could get here quickly using the Golden Lamp since I had visited Pingju during my previous travels in Goryeo.

I immediately sensed a massive barrier surrounding Pingju Castle. It was an invisible barrier that contained a powerful force to repel evil. I entered the castle with my comrades and headed toward the Pingju Palace where the general was.

“General Hwang Yeon! Are you safe?”

Hwang Yeon looked a bit haggard, but he bowed and said, “I’m at a loss for words, having troubled Your Majesty.”

“What’s the damage situation?”

“More than 40,000 have died in battle, and 20,000 remain missing.”

“The damage is greater than I heard in the report.”

“…It was a calamity. That was the limit of my abilities…”

Hwang Yeon lamented. I felt it was only natural for a human to reach such a limit and replied to Hwang Yeon, “Where’s Lord of Inner Imperial Pavilion?”

“He… has sustained serious injuries. So he’s currently calling for physicians to treat him in the separate palace.”

“Lead the way.”

We headed for the separate palace where Zhuge Bu was. And when I saw him lying on the bed, I was taken aback.

“…!!”

“Did you… come?”

Zhuge Bu spoke faintly, and he seemed to retain his sanity. However, his entire body was drenched in blood, and what was most shocking was that his left arm and left leg, along with his entire left side, had almost transformed like a fish. Moreover, his remaining half kept oozing pus and blood without rest.

No matter how you looked at it, he appeared to be under an atrocious curse, and the physicians and the sorcerers of the Inner Imperial Pavilion kept changing his bandages as they tried to treat Zhuge Bu.

I was at a loss for words for a moment, then said, “Everyone, step back.”

Once everyone left the room, I spoke to Zhuge Bu. “Are you okay? What the hell happened…?”

“Ugh… Ugh… the worst scenario I imagined has befallen me… I didn’t even consider that the Sea God’s interference would be the worst scenario in this war… and here I am…”

“……”

Zhuge Bu trembled as he spoke, “This… this is a curse inflicted directly by the Sea God… It won’t be lifted until that bastard dies because it’s bound with a command spirit…”

“Why did he curse you…?”

“He used the low-grade Philosopher’s Stone that was mass-produced through the Crystal Stele… I managed to ward off the Sea God’s frenzied attack just once with it… naturally, the Philosopher’s Stone shattered immediately… It cost me dearly to prevent 100,000 troops from turning into meat chunks in an instant… but the Sea God immediately locked onto me afterward…”

“……”

“He cursed me that when I die, my soul would belong to him… If I die, I become a slave for a thousand years in the Sea God’s palace… Hah… hahaha…”

A mad laugh escaped him. It seemed like the worst situation a sorcerer could anticipate had thrown him into half madness. I calmly said, “Did you set up the barrier around this castle?”

“…I used my last strength to do so… But… this barrier won’t last long… it will repel the Sea God’s invasion for a bit, but if the Sea God comes near, it will break immediately…”

“I see… how long can you hold out against the curse?”

“At most… two days… that’s if I’m lucky…”

“Understood. I’ll take care of things in there.”

Swipe!

When I rose from my seat, Zhuge Bu said, “…Stop…”

“No. I’m going to hunt down the Sea God.”

Zhuge Bu’s lips trembled.

“That’s a foolish act… You’ll just walk into the trap of the Twelve Joules… It’s far better to leave me and conserve your strength… Facing the Sea God head-on now… would be a colossal mistake…”

I replied curtly, “When have I ever been anything but foolish?”

“……”

“Don’t worry. Even if I die, I won’t leave you behind.”

“You madman…”

Zhuge Bu smiled faintly and passed out. I then turned to Zhuge Yulong and said, “Zhuge Yulong, can you use sorcery to prolong Zhuge Bu’s endurance for more than two days?”

“It’s impossible. This is a curse directly placed by a god. Saying two days is hopeful is not an exaggeration. There’s no more we can do with human sorcery.”

“What if I use Spirit Power?”

“Countering a divine curse with divine power would alleviate the symptoms. However, if you waste your strength on every little thing…”

Whoosh!

As soon as those words left, I placed my palm on Zhuge Bu’s heart and infused him with Spirit Power. At least five years’ worth of Spirit Power flowed into Zhuge Bu, reducing the curse’s range on his left side by about 30% and stopping the stream of pus and blood. In exchange, it seemed Zhuge Bu felt a great chill and began to sneeze.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Foolish… don’t you realize you’re only wearing yourself down this life instead of increasing your Spirit Power?”

“I’ll just die and die some more until I gain some, so don’t worry. You should know I have that determination.”

“…Spirit Power can hurt the body, so I’ll use an amulet to balance the energy.”

Zhuge Yulong, as if not wanting to converse further, began treating Zhuge Bu.

I then turned to Zhuge Sa and asked, “Zhuge Sa, how should we form the team to hunt down the Sea God?”

“Hmm. You seem serious.”

Zhuge Sa shrugged and said, “It’s only right to utilize the Command of the Evil Spirit in this hunt. That way, we can deliver effective hits without incurring great sacrifices. Also, we need to ensure you can properly use the techniques of the White Lotus Sect.”

“If I can use them, how many more allies do we need?”

“I’d think two Transference users at minimum besides you. That’s the minimum estimate.”

“……”

“Don’t look at me like that. Even if it’s the weakest among the [Old Rulers], a ruler is still a ruler. Just being able to attempt a hunt like this is something to be thankful for.”

“We can’t take the Master of the White Lotus Sect with us.”

“Right. So convince the Celestial Sage or Xiang Yu. That’s our best bet.”

“Um…!!”

“Currently, among your allies, the useful ones are probably all training or sorcerers. At this rate, human companions are meaningless. Your precondition is gaining the help of the Celestial Transference users, and if that doesn’t go well, you’ll have to bring in the Eight Immortals.”

“I understand. Let’s give it a shot.”

Paat!

I decided to conduct the Offering Ceremony to the Celestial Realm. Once the altar was set up and the sorcerers began their rites, divine clouds began to swirl around. Before long, the Celestial Sage was summoned from the celestial realm and revealed his spectral form on the altar.

[Hey. What do you need to summon someone like me who prefers a quiet life?]

The Celestial Sage spoke playfully. I immediately offered up a request.

“Celestial Sage! I offer you the Spirit Power as a tribute. In return, I have a condition.”

The Spirit Power is an extremely precious treasure, but if I can’t overcome this crisis, it wouldn’t matter even if I have it.

[Spirit Power?!]

The Celestial Sage was taken aback. He looked around and, upon realizing that the Spirit Power was genuine, his eyes widened. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, [What’s your condition?]

“I plan to hunt down the Sea God, so lend me your strength. You can use the Spirit Power during the hunt; I won’t mind.”

[Oh, that’s a tough condition you have there.]

The Celestial Sage frowned as he muttered. From his perspective, engaging in a fight with an [Old Ruler] wasn’t something he was thrilled about. I assured him, “Although he’s a powerful being, with your strength, we can handle him. We’ll lend a significant hand as well.”

[That may be true, but if the Sea God falls, the laws of cause and effect in the world will get all jumbled up, and I’ll likely get scolded by Jade Emperor or Queen Mother of the West, and worse comes to worst, I could be sealed in Mount Huaguo again… It sounds like too much trouble.]

“Then it’s settled. Forget about the Spirit Power.”

[Hold on a moment. Let me think.]

“Think as much as you want.”

The Celestial Sage appeared to be deep in thought. Then he said, [You know, I’d better get a hazard pay for this. Just give me a little more tribute.]

“Hazard pay?”

[Yeah. If you give me that, I could convince some more people to join you.]

“Um…”

That was an unexpected proposal. I glanced at Mangnyang, and he nodded, saying, “Celestial Sage, please accept the Secret Techniques of the Three Sovereigns! And I will additionally offer the Gold Bars obtained from the ruins of Spirit Power, plus Platinum.”

[Oh…!! That should work.]

I was shocked and looked at Mangnyang. “Mangnyang! Isn’t that a secret technique you need to train?”

Gold Bars and Platinum aren’t very precious to me. After all, I’m the Emperor of the continent, so losing a few treasures is nothing. But the Secret Techniques of the Three Sovereigns were a strong treasure and secret technique, and I thought Mangnyang would bear a significant loss.

“I’m fine. I’ve memorized everything.”

“……”

You memorized all that vast amount? In any case, with that, the negotiation with the Celestial Sage was established, and he said, [Hey. Wait a minute. I’m going to see if I can gather some others.]

Swish!

The Celestial Sage disappeared on the spot. A moment later, he reappeared alongside several other spectral beings.

FWOOSH!

The newly appeared spirits spoke.

[Do you truly intend to hunt down the Sea God?]

[This is hard to believe… The instigator of war…]

[That guy seems to be quite the powerhouse.]

[I wonder how the Emperor of the human world knows the true identity of the Sea God.]

[Celestial Sage, there are fears that Queen Mother of the West might be concerned about this matter.]

Among the spirits who were all speaking one after another, suddenly one stepped forward and bowed to me.

[Your Majesty, I apologize. I didn’t know you were a righteous person and hastily threatened you. Please forgive my ignorance.]

“Not a problem.”

[However, remember this. The blood that a ruler spills on their people will ultimately return as disaster upon themselves… Continue to be virtuous.]

I smiled and said, “I will keep that in mind. Lord Cao Guo.”

Exactly.

The Celestial Sage had gathered none other than the Eight Immortals!

In one swoop, he had brought them here to this offering ceremony.

I spotted Yeodong-bin among them and asked, “Yeodong-bin! Could you wield this Fire Dragon Sword?”

Swish!

[……]

Without a word, Yeodong-bin accepted the Fire Dragon Sword. I crossed my arms and said, “I’ve slightly restored my strength using the power of the Fire Spirit, but the Fire Dragon Incarnate has yet to awaken. However, I believe you can wield the Fire Dragon Sword better than anyone else.”

[You know… I’m not sure what kind of connection there is between us, but we are indeed linked…]

Yeodong-bin stared intently at me and finally said, [Alright. The offering you provided may not be enough for all of us Eight Immortals to act, but when facing the head of the Evil God, how can we hold back our own strength? We will all join in the hunt against the Sea God!]

“Thank you!”

With the Celestial Sage and the Eight Immortals!

They would be joining me in the hunt against the Sea God.

‘With this, we should be able to win…!!’

I felt uplifted.

If I follow the path of righteousness, things might just become this easy!

“Now, let’s head to where the Sea God is…”

Just when I was about to head with the Celestial Sage and the Eight Immortals to hunt down the Sea God, a thunderous sound erupted!

With a gigantic boom, a powerful spirit descended before us.

He was an incredibly handsome man with bright, pure eyes and three eyes. His spirit energy was also that of a Transference user. Holding a Trident, he pointed it in our direction, alongside him stood a Spirit Beast, a divine dog. Such a being existed only one in the Celestial Realm, and the Celestial Sage immediately recognized him and scowled.

[What’s going on? Lee Rang-jin-gun.]

Lee Rang-jin-gun, a high-ranking Transference user and the hero of the Fengshen War, said with a fierce killing intent in his gaze directed at us, [Everyone, halt! I, Transference user Lee Rang-jin-gun, under the command of the Queen Mother of the West, shall nullify this offering ceremony.]