1200——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I knew that this Evil God was the pivotal force of this situation, a monster at the core of the dark throne. Otherwise, such a mess wouldn’t have happened in my 29th life, especially since the Evil God had always been in competition with Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen. Naturally, after the Emperor was sealed away, he was the most likely to act on his own wishes!

I had to keep the Evil God in check to safeguard my life as village chief in this life. With that thought in mind, I addressed the Evil God.

“I say it again. Stay quiet this time! Keep your powers, and silence those who have allied with you!”

[……]

The Evil God didn’t respond, merely revealing his massive form on the horizon in silence. For a moment, I felt a wave of darkness crashing in like dusk, startling me.

‘Damn it. Is this the pressure from Master Mangnyang’s dream…?’

Is it truly the case that even Master Mangnyang can’t fully control this guy’s strength? I pushed aside the unpleasant thoughts and continued to glare at the Evil God.

After a while, the Evil God spoke.

[There’s one condition….]

“Condition?”

[You cannot ever again pressure me into submission or silence during this cycle. If you can accept that, I will take your proposal, Reborn Person….]

“……”

I could understand why the Evil God made such a proposal.

‘He’s trying to prevent me from using my usual tricks to force him into hiding in every past life.’

If I successfully used that trick once, I could exploit the Evil God’s ignorance of the Great Cycle, sealing him half-infinite times. Naturally, from his perspective, that would mean I’d essentially have him permanently suppressed, so it made sense he wanted to avoid that.

I glared at the Evil God and said, “So what you really want is to ascend, right? What are you planning to use me for?”

[So shameless, Reborn Person…. You were the one who declined an invitation, weren’t you? If you had visited my palace yourself, I would have surely revealed the mysterious points you longed to know.]

“…There’s no way that’s happening. I can’t set foot in a dangerous place like yours.”

[A conversation heading in a parallel direction is quite boring…. Accept that this is the only time I’ll allow your “Hermit” cycle to be forced upon me.]

Hmmm…. He’s not backing down at all.

I knew that this proposal wouldn’t be a significant loss for me. In fact, pressuring the Evil God like this was absolutely ludicrous given the strength he possessed, relying only on the uniqueness of being a Reborn Person. Thus, the Evil God’s concession this time around was perfectly reasonable.

But – is that really the case?

If there were an essential strategic round in which I absolutely needed to suppress the Evil God, wouldn’t this vow turn into a stumbling block for me?

“……”

Nah…. No need to overthink it.

‘In any case, I’ll have to face that Evil God head-on someday, regardless of when.’

The gap in power between us remained vast even when weighing the pros and cons of a cycle. Engaging in pointless bickering with the Evil God considering such trivial loss would yield nothing. I wanted to resolve this quickly and focus on my own life.

“…I’ll add another condition.”

Should I at least impose a minimum level of control?

[How troublesome for someone so dull….]

“If it’s not about coercion or intimidation, I’ll be inclined to have these discussions with you again. If you agree, I consider this matter settled.”

[…Oh? Is that so….]

“Will you accept?”

The Evil God seemed to grasp the underlying meaning of my words. He slowly began to fade away, saying,

[You, Fool…. One day, you will seek my aid and come find me….]

Pa-at

As the Evil God vanished, tranquility returned to the dream world. I stared blankly at the spot where he had been, and soon, Master Mangnyang appeared, licking his feet and grooming himself. After a moment, Master Mangnyang spoke up.

[At this moment, eight-tenths of the world’s misfortune has been lifted.]

“…Eight-tenths, really?”

[The Evil God moving freely without restraint was a calamity.]

Master Mangnyang gazed at me through his cat-like eyes, saying,

[Enjoy your life, but be sure to handle the remaining two-tenths of misfortune well….]

Pa-at

When I awoke, I found myself outside the village. Since Cheon Woo-jin was nowhere to be seen, it was clear that Master Mangnyang had neatly sent him away.

‘Phew. That two-tenths.’

While it was undoubtedly a huge benefit to have pushed the Evil God away this time, the fact that there was still that much calamity remaining weighed heavily on my mind. On the bright side, it meant that the remaining tasks were mere trifles compared to facing the Evil God! If all goes well, I might accomplish everything while enjoying my village chief life comfortably.

I glanced back at the village, considering whether to recruit Cheon Woo-jin, but soon dismissed the idea.

‘Bringing him in to make use of him would just burden the village with his enormous capabilities. It wouldn’t be worth the hassle.’

Having thoroughly exploited Cheon Woo-jin in my 28th life, I decided not to contact him this time. I turned around and headed towards my next destination.

Tydaht

My destination was Master Mangnyang’s hermitage. I entered through the Mangyun Formation that Master Mangnyang usually laid out near his house and saw him lounging on a bench, lazily scratching his belly and gazing at the sky.

“Are you the renowned Master Mangnyang of the world?”

“Hmm?! Did you breach the Mangyun Formation?”

Master Mangnyang hastily got up and grinned.

“Well, well. A guest?”

“……”

I felt my resolve waver at the sight of Master Mangnyang. I was filled with an impulse to break my original resolution and embark on an adventure alongside him right away. It was the belief that any hardship could be faced as long as Master Mangnyang was with me.

But eventually, I realized that my mental state had not recovered to that extent and resolved to stick to my initial plan.

“Feel free to call me Mangnyang. I am Baek Woong, the village chief of Soeul Village, and I have come to personally invite you to be our village’s strategist.”

“……?”

“I’ll ensure your compensation won’t be lacking.”

Master Mangnyang wore a baffled expression. Then he said,

“What nonsense are you spouting? You want me to be the strategist of some village I’ve never even heard of?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm. Sorry, but I’ll have to decline. While I live as I please, I harbor lofty ambitions, so I can’t linger in a village for long.”

His tone was quite displeased. Understandably so, as Master Mangnyang, although forced out from the palace thanks to the backing of his father Zhuge Yulong, surely aspired to return to prominence or seek greater purpose someday. Asking him to be a village strategist wouldn’t exactly inspire enthusiasm. When high-ranking officials in Luoyang lined up offering him hefty sums, who would want to settle for being a village strategist?

‘But I won’t reveal my identity as a Reborn Person nor give him the Obsidian.’

Doing that would make the story too easy to unfold, which I didn’t want. It was because I was still unsure how much magical power I had left, and if I mixed in the Obsidian, there was a chance of leakage. Furthermore, revealing I was a Reborn Person would inevitably drag Master Mangnyang into the world’s darkness.

That darkness would rapidly increase the scale of the adventure and the power but would also hasten the approach of a historically significant calamity. I preferred to avoid such quick story developments, so I wanted to accept Master Mangnyang as he was.

I opened my mouth slightly.

“I can offer the location of the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate as a reward. Additionally, I’ll provide a Spiritual Pill known as the Black and White Lotus. If you desire, I’ll even pass on martial arts techniques.”

“The Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate?!”

“Do you not believe my words?”

“Are you saying that a legendary, Daoist-grade artifact exists, one that’s even a treasure of the Sky’s Azure Dragon? Your statement is utterly ludicrous.”

“If that’s true, I’ll show you directly.”

Boom!

“What the… Ugh!!”

I launched myself off the ground, soaring into the air with a technique called Sky Stride, wrapping Master Mangnyang in a massive barrier of qi. He stared at me in disbelief while I hurriedly flew towards the Common Mountain. After a while, I arrived at the ruins on Common Mountain, landing with Master Mangnyang.

“This is the site of the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate. Hidden on Common Mountain, it also belongs to a being known as Tian Xuan, a pride of the Celestial Realm.”

“……”

Master Mangnyang seemed unable to hide his astonishment, and I soon recited the incantation for exploring the ruins, extending my hand forward.

Rumble

As the dust and dirt of the ruins cleared away, a door leading inside appeared. I stepped in first, with Master Mangnyang following me awkwardly. As I began to perceive a living essence manifesting within the ruins, I turned to Master Mangnyang and said,

“With your capabilities, you should be able to read the flow of this essence and the merchants’ Heaven’s Gate. Following your lead, I will forcibly break this flow.”

“…Hmm! Alright.”

Boom!

Perhaps due to his genius, Master Mangnyang quickly understood my words, and soon directed me to read the essence’s flow, seconds later, as he shattered the energy in multiple places, the essence lost its power and came to a halt. Moving inwards, the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate finally revealed itself, and I picked it up, handing it to Master Mangnyang.

“Originally meant to be absorbed like a wave by its owner, it appears the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate does not consider me its master.”

“Are you really giving this to me?”

“Indeed. However, the moment you accept this, you must take on the position of strategist for Soeul Village.”

“That’s not a difficult decision. If it means obtaining the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate, I’d accept rebellion against the palace!”

With a clatter, Master Mangnyang grabbed the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate, and it seemed as if secret techniques were being drawn into his body. Master Mangnyang had an expression as if struck by lightning, but soon his eyes sharpened with clarity, and he happily exclaimed,

“Thank you so much! But… what on earth is your identity? What’s that absolute martial arts power, and how did you acquire such ancient ruins…?”

I chuckled and replied,

“Let’s develop Soeul Village together from now on. If your contributions are substantial, I’ll gradually reveal my identity to you.”

“Hehe…. You really will work towards the village’s development with that power, huh…. What a world-renowned phantom!”

Master Mangnyang laughed heartily and said, “Alright! Let’s get to it! I’ll gladly aid in creating the best village in the world.”

I took Master Mangnyang back to the village. Once we returned, I introduced him to everyone and held a meeting.

“To briefly explain the situation….”

I explained everything clearly to Master Mangnyang so he could easily understand the current situation. As he absorbed my words, he entered deep thought, and I continued.

“My current goal is to expand Soeul Village’s scale so it transcends the bounds of a simple village. Do you have any good suggestions?”

At that moment, Master Mangnyang raised his hand and said, “Baek Woong, village chief, if possible, may I have the chance to review who escaped from Great Thunder Valley?”

“Follow me.”

I gathered the people from Great Thunder Valley, and Master Mangnyang scrutinized their faces. Then he scratched his cheek and said, “The heir of the Qingyin Merchant Guild is here. Do you remember me?”

One of the men, looking around thirty, was taken aback and replied, “Ah…! You’re the great Master Mangnyang…!”

“I remember your father came looking for you,” he said.

“What circumstances have led you here?”

“I’ve become the strategist for this village. If you help me now, it will become more comfortable for you to stay here.”

Master Mangnyang said that and turned toward me, saying, “Baek Woong, village chief. I’ll pick a few among them to reach out to various guilds and influential families. We’ll receive much stronger financial support than what the Huashan Sect offers. While it may offend the palace, you’re not afraid of their retaliation since you’ve got strength, right?”

That made sense, so I nodded.

“Proceed with that. However, I wish to avoid the situation becoming too large….”

“It’s alright. As long as it’s under-the-radar contact with the guilds and influential families, the palace won’t openly act, so it can’t escalate too much. I won’t raise troops in broad daylight or anything.”

“Then I trust you.”

Just then…

“Village chief, there’s an urgent visitor from Huashan Sect.”

“Yeon Jong-hwi, let him in.”

Tydaht

The one brought in by Yeon Jong-hwi, who had been on guard, was a martial artist wearing the Huashan Sect’s uniform. He appeared to be in his mid-forties and carried a restrained energy that suggested he possessed a greater martial prowess than any Grandmaster. This martial artist saluted to me and said,

“I am Hwi Jae-seong, the elder of the Huashan Sect, Baek Woong village chief.”

“You’re the elder of Huashan Sect! What brings you here?”

“Uh…. If you could please clear the area of others….?”

“Don’t worry. They’re all trustworthy people.”

Hwi Jae-seong hesitated for a moment before getting straight to the point.

“…The Huangshan Sect has declared war on Huashan Sect and Zhongnan Sect. They wish to become the top within Jianghu and have proclaimed that if we don’t submit, they will destroy us.”

“…….”

“They said they would launch a full-scale attack unless we provide a response in three months. Please assist our faction, village chief.”

The Huangshan Sect?

I widened my eyes in surprise at the unexpected name. It had been a while since I heard it, but I definitely knew who the leader of the Huangshan Sect was. I probably knew better than anyone in Jianghu.

‘They’re already moving?’

Considering it was still early in my reincarnation, Huangshan Sect was making their moves at an astonishing speed. There had to be some reason for it.

Of course, if it were this being my 10th life, I wouldn’t be scared; but with it being the 30th, there was nothing to fear. Still, something amusing crossed my mind, and I immersed myself in contemplation, eventually discovering what kind of fun I could seek.

‘Oh, that could be interesting!’

I slowly smiled at Hwi Jae-seong and said, “Don’t worry and return. I will definitely assist Huashan Sect.”

“Thank you….”

As Hwi Jae-seong returned via the Divine Technique, I turned to Master Mangnyang and said, “It seems like there’s a place I suddenly need to go; could you oversee the remaining villagers when you have the chance? We might want to expand the village at a later time.”

“Not difficult at all. But where are you thinking of going?”

At Master Mangnyang’s inquiry, I grinned.

“To the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.”

Wait for me, Lee Kwang!