1222——————==

Soul of the Evil God

To the water spirit Varuna, huh?

This was an unexpected idea that left my eyes wide open.

‘Offering the water’s energy to the water spirit… it makes sense, but…’

I immediately shared my doubts with Seo Mun-hye.

“How do you intend to gather the water spirits? Even if it’s water energy, it has been sealed together with the Water Spirit for thousands of years, floating in the sky in an unstable state. There’s no physical way to gather such energy; we can only rely on magic.”

“We can look for magic or spells for the water energy offerings from now on. Given your current standing, there are plenty of people in the world who wouldn’t hesitate to provide such minor assistance. It doesn’t even need to be Mangnyang or Cheon Woo-jin.”

“……”

“No matter how skilled a sorcerer you think you are, you’re still beneath Baek Woong in status. After all, you’re just human.”

Seo Mun-hye continued firmly.

“The important thing is that you’re offering to the Four Great Spirit Deities, not the Celestial Realm. This way, Baek Woong won’t have to forcibly entangle himself with the Celestial Realm.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hasn’t it always felt uneasy participating in the offering ceremonies to the Celestial Realm? That’s because, during those ceremonies, Baek Woong has been making his presence known among the celebrated Great Immortals of the Celestial Realm.”

“……!!”

“Showing your face and marking your existence inevitably draws attention from others. That may be one reason you’ve often found yourself caught up in their affairs.”

“True enough…”

Seo Mun-hye’s words were getting through to me. As I nodded, she suggested.

“First, Baek Woong, you should head to the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang. There, you can gather additional silver and gold treasures, and after that, I recommend visiting the Maoshan Sect.”

I blinked in surprise at her suggestion. She mentioned a martial arts faction I had never visited before.

“Maoshan Sect? Why there?”

“Previously, when you were seeking to learn magic, Mangnyang, the leader of the Bancheon Alliance, recommended either the Maoshan Sect or a secret school.”

“Oh, right…”

“The skill of the Maoshan Sect or the secret school is incredibly low compared to Cheon Woo-jin, the current top sorcerer in Central Plains. Since you can seek Cheon Woo-jin directly, there’s no need to consider them. Records indicate that Cheon Woo-jin surpassed their skills in just under five years of training during his mid-teens. Not to mention, Mangnyang quickly leveled up his skills after acquiring the opportunities of the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate…”

Seo Mun-hye’s eyes sparkled.

“However, excluding Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin, they are indeed the heads of practical sorcerer factions. As an official great sect, they likely possess spells for making energy offerings too.”

I began to understand her point.

“You mean to say, I should hire a sorcerer at the Maoshan Sect to perform the energy offering using treasures?”

“Exactly.”

“Hm… Seems a bit convoluted, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be easier and faster to just persuade Baek Woong, Zhuge Sa, or Mangnyang and find a method?”

“Baek Woong, this is a new experience as well. You already know how many possibilities and strategies can arise from facing new things, right?”

“It hesitates me, thinking those guys’ skill levels are too low to participate in my battles going forward.”

“That’s a judgement that can come later, after you’ve seen their talent and character. And…”

“And?”

“I’ve been to the Maoshan Sect before. Based on my experience then, they might have spells that even those without talent can easily learn. That’s what I’m aiming for.”

“Oh…”

“They employ external disciples for guarding, and their skills aren’t to be underestimated; they can fend off intrusions from Jianghu people.”

“So, the spells taught to external disciples might be those that don’t require much talent?”

“That’s what I think.”

I found it quite surprising that Seo Mun-hye had been to the Maoshan Sect.

‘Well, Seo Mun-hye is the daughter of the Sword Demon of the Heretical Sect. It’s not odd she has had the privilege of visiting the Maoshan Sect.’

I felt slightly curious about her words, nodding and replying.

“Alright then. Since I was going to be wary of the evil spirits anyways, it’s best to be thorough. Let’s go.”

Boom

After reaching the Longmen Grottoes and gathering all the treasures, I sprinted toward Maoshan. The Maoshan Sect was located at Maoshan, situated south of Zhenjiang and near the west of the Yanghu Lake. I had never been there, but Seo Mun-hye seemed to know the general location, so I followed her.

Seo Mun-hye moved incredibly quickly. She was faster than most of the peak experts in Jianghu and appeared to not tire at all despite running for hundreds of miles. Following her, I contemplated.

‘The reports of her prowess aren’t exaggerated. Her physical ability must have vastly exceeded that of an average person, so this is purely a case of physical performance influencing Qi…’

Since divine techniques ultimately rely on the body, those with outstanding physical capacity will naturally master divine techniques faster, even with equivalent skill levels. It was evident now that Seo Mun-hye had become one of the remarkable powers within Jianghu.

Boom

“This is the main entrance of the Maoshan Sect and the famous Maoshan Ten Gates.”

The peak known as Unryu Peak was precisely the entrance to the Maoshan Ten Gates, with ten large gates stretching straight across from that peak to another huge mountain across. The gates seemed massive enough to be seen from afar, at least three stories tall.

In such situations, people usually opt for a side path rather than crossing all ten gates. However, focusing my sight and casting the Fire Eye Golden Spirit revealed that this was not the case.

“While it appears to be a wide space, if we deviate from the Maoshan Ten Gates through another mountain path, we will undoubtedly fall into a more sinister formation. It’s a straight shot.”

“That’s correct. Also, up to the Seven Gates of the Maoshan Ten, external disciples guard them, while the remaining three gates are protected by the main disciples and elders of the Maoshan Sect.”

“……”

As I was admiring the Maoshan Ten Gates, a clear voice reached my ears.

“Aren’t you Seo Mun-hye of the Shadowless Gate?”

Looking in the direction of the voice, a young girl in blue clothing was climbing the stairs from the first gate of the Maoshan Ten. Holding a flute in one hand, her youthful features made her appear very young, and she waved cheerfully at Seo Mun-hye.

“Do you remember me? I’m so happy to see you!”

Seo Mun-hye smiled gently and replied.

“I remember you. You’re Danmok-ri, the disciple of Elder Sohae, right?”

“That’s right!!”

It seemed they were familiar with each other. Beaming with joy, Danmok-ri exclaimed.

“Who’s this… he seems to have a unique look! Are you a boy guardian warrior?”

“No, this person is very precious to me.”

“……?!”

Seeing Danmok-ri’s shocked expression, Seo Mun-hye continued.

“As the Young Master of the Shadowless Gate, I am here for a significant matter, so please open the gates for us.”

“Um, um, um, well… right now, it’s a bit…”

“Is there a problem?”

Danmok-ri hesitated for a moment, then replied.

“We can’t let anyone in just now. Therefore, all the disciples guarding the gates have been sent inside, and I came out to perform the guest summons.”

“Why is that?”

“I can’t say. Please come again next time.”

“Are you saying this knowing I’m the Young Master of the Shadowless Gate?”

“Uuuh…”

Danmok-ri was making a sad face before she added.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll ask the elders and come back.”

“No need for that!!”

Whoosh

In the next moment, a black crow that had been perched atop a large tree nearby transformed into a human and landed on the ground. He wore a jet-black Taoist robe, shocking Danmok-ri.

“Master!!”

The black-robed Taoist in his mid-forties shouted at me.

“I am Sohae, an elder of the Maoshan Sect. We are currently engaged in an important task, so please leave!”

“That is…”

Seo Mun-hye looked like she was about to speak, but I held my hand up to stop her. Upon noticing, Seo Mun-hye seemed to understand and closed her eyes in resignation. Slowly, I responded to Elder Sohae’s words.

“I can’t do that.”

“Young man! I don’t know what relationship you have with Seo Mun-hye, but even the leaders of the Wudang Sect and Shaolin Temple cannot enter our sect right now! So please turn back.”

From those words, I felt that Elder Sohae wasn’t a bad person. A leader of a great sect might usually exhibit arrogance and resort to force, but he approached this gently, which I could sense. I glanced at him and said.

“I see a powerful evil spirit from the main sect. Are you performing an exorcism?”

I had kept my Fire Eye Golden Spirit active since earlier, but was holding back on saying anything. It looked like some dark ghoul had been rising and falling from the mountain peak that seemed to be the Maoshan Sect’s main seat.

“……!!”

Elder Sohae showed an astonished expression.

“Divine Eye!”

Boom!

Then he made a hand seal and brought it towards his eyes to examine me, looking even more shocked as he shouted.

“Is that the legendary Fire Eye Golden Spirit?!”

Danmok-ri looked puzzled beside him.

“Master, what is that?”

“……”

Elder Sohae was sweating profusely and appeared quite tense. Carefully, he spoke.

“A being that is not human… the one who possesses the eyes of the legendary Monkey King… what brings you to our sect?”

I felt from his reaction that he was aware of both the Celestial Sage and the Fire Eye Golden Spirit. Apparently, the tales of the Celestial Sage and his ocular techniques had become quite popular in the Taoism sect. Although I felt rather proud that Fire Eye Golden Spirit was an achievement from my past life, I was slightly puzzled by the situation.

‘Hmm. So he’s assessing my abilities with Fire Eye Golden Spirit?’

Does he not sense my magical power?

Something felt odd, but I calmly replied to him.

“I’ve come to borrow a sorcerer for the needed offerings.”

“Offering…?”

“Seems we might be in a position to trade what we need.”

I continued my negotiation.

“Lead the way. I’ll take care of that troublesome thing indulging in your exorcism.”

“……”

Elder Sohae, the elder of the Maoshan Sect, reflected for a moment before nodding eagerly.

“Alright. What’s your name?”

“Baek Woong.”

Upon hearing my name, Elder Sohae raised both hands toward the Maoshan Ten Gates and chanted an incantation.

“Gates, I command in the name of the elder, open your portal!”

Boom!

In the next moment, a splendid ancient heavenly door appeared before us. As everyone walked in, the buildings of the Maoshan Sect came into view shortly after.

‘A combination of barrier release and teleportation magic.’

Elder Sohae said urgently.

“This way….”

As we entered the largest hall, which resembled the Great Hero Hall, there sat dozens of Taoists surrounding a dark presence they were struggling to contain.

Zzzz… Crackle!!!

Boom!

The energy of the dark presence was immensely fierce, and the swirling darkness continuously exuded energy from a sword. Within it, something was trapped, and the Taoists were putting forth their utmost effort to keep it contained.

Just then, an elderly Taoist with a long white beard glared at us.

“I told you, Sohae! No one was to be let in!”

Elder Sohae quickly kneeled and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry, Elder! But this gentleman, Baek Woong, possesses the Fire Eye Golden Spirit!”

“What… what did you say?”

“He offered to assist us in subduing that thing!”

The elder, known as Elder, widened his eyes in shock and stared at me. Then, growing visibly more alarmed, he shouted.

“Wha… What kind of monster have you brought, Sohae!”

“So… Elder, why are you…”

“It’s a monster! A monster!! That’s a disaster!!”

The Elder of the Maoshan Sect was staring at me, trembling from head to toe, spitting words out furiously.

“Can’t you feel it?! The incredible power lurking inside that monster!! Just because it has a human shape doesn’t mean it’s human!!”

“……!!”

“Look!! This monster is being weakened by the fear of the mighty force you’ve brought!”

Crackle…

Indeed, it was clear that the dark presence, which had been radiating malevolent energy from the sword, had diminished in intensity.

‘Could it really be that I’m the reason it’s weakening?’

Chills went down my spine!

At that moment, I sensed a curious gaze observing me from beyond the darkness. I figured it was most likely some entity trapped inside the sword. As the Taoists in the hall noticed that the pressure from the darkness had slightly weakened, they began to stare at me with expressions filled with hostility.

“Ugh…”

“Could it be a Great Demon!!”

“That’s infuriating… we can’t do anything while performing this sealing technique.”

“……”

I was utterly flabbergasted and began to scratch my ears, shouting at the Maoshan elder.

“I am Baek Woong, a human! Whether you’re afraid of me or not doesn’t matter; let’s make a deal!”

“A… a deal?”

“I’ll help you defeat that dark creature. In return, you’ll provide me with a sorcerer who can gather energy offerings in the Void.”

For a moment, the elder of the Maoshan Sect stared at me, eyes blinking in disbelief, before tremblingly muttering.

“Gah… more powerful than the essence…? C-Could it be… a g-great… being…? No, that can’t be….”

“Hey!! Answer me!”

“Eep!! I’m sorry!! Please let it be so!”

Boom

Suddenly, the elder of the Maoshan Sect rushed over to me and slammed his head onto the ground in a full bow, throwing all the Maoshan disciples into shock.

‘Geez. This is a bit over the top…’

What do I have to be scared of? Why treat a person like a monster?!

A bit disgruntled, I cleared my throat and said in a rough voice.

“Alright then. Let’s proceed to this exorcism of yours.”

Swish

I drew my sword and addressed the entity inside the sword.

“You over there. You were pretending not to emerge even though you can? Get out here right now.”

Boom!!

“Waaah!”

“Ugh.”

In the next moment, an explosive wave of dark energy surged forth, shooting the dark sword into the heavens, causing the Taoists of the Maoshan Sect to scream and tumble. Fortunately, it seemed to be just a shockwave; nobody appeared to be seriously injured.

And from the sword giving off dark energy, a sinister voice emerged.

[I was thinking of making my entrance now that the Emperor’s seal is weakened, but it looks like I’ve got some fun company.]

“Who are you?”

Hisssss…

In due time, a phantom appeared before the dark sword. The figure wore ceremonial garb, albeit badly damaged, not resembling that of a ruler but instead clad in prisoner’s garments. Although his face was human, he had hollowed-out eyes, appearing as a grotesque blind man, and his upper body was covered in fish scales.

Whether this entity was a former king or a sinner, I couldn’t tell, but it eventually spoke to me.

[I am the ancient emperor Gun… servant of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors….]