전생검신 86권 10화

Kwayoung was taken aback by my words.

“W-who are you…? I admit you might be the best martial artist in the Central Plains, but this is a matter of the Earth’s fate! How do you plan to negotiate against that terrifying demon god?”

[…….]

“Only someone who has witnessed the vast universe can comprehend this. The master of this space is such a great being that no human can even imagine it… Even a decent god is just a rookie in comparison. Please, don’t be reckless.”

Kwayoung’s words reflected a primal fear rather than condescension. He genuinely believed that the Ancient Ruler lurking in the palace was so formidable that no human could win. However, despite his heartfelt advice, I merely chuckled.

[Of course, he must be quite the high-powered entity. But I’m not scared at all.]

“Dude, pulling stunts in front of us is pointless.”

[Not a stunt. I’ve survived against beings far greater than him.]

“……?!”

As the crowd gasped in shock, I calmly said.

[Trust me. Once I get a bit stronger… I’ll negotiate with that being and prevent the world’s doom.]

I could visit the master of the core right now, but it’s not the right time yet.

If I’m too weak, my opponent wouldn’t even listen and might swat me down like a bug on the spot.

I must be strong enough for him to at least pay attention.

…….

After a moment, the others seemed to show signs of some unknown hope. They didn’t seem to fully believe in their own transformation, and Mangnyang, looking the most surprised, said,

“Just now, your persuasion was incredible. If I feel that way… your words bear weight.”

[If I’m going to do this, it’s either do or don’t, you know? I’m determined to make it happen, so you should trust me.]

Upon hearing my words, Zhuge Yulong nodded.

“Alright. I’ll trust you. I’ll eventually head to the core for the safe retreat of the subjugation squad, and I’ll let the squad leader know.”

[Thanks.]

At least I seemed to have given Zhuge Yulong a little bit of faith. Feeling relieved, I asked him,

[By the way, is there really a way to expand our territory using Tydaht? Zhuge Bu mentioned something like that; is there a method?]

“Of course.”

Zhuge Yulong chuckled.

“I learned through using Tydaht for the assault on the Ancient Ruler that its latent abilities are not limited to nullifying techniques. Using the Primal Eight Trigrams, I can even lift the curse of a god.”

[You mean……]

“If the right offering is made, Tydaht can purify vast territories into livable lands for humans. The Primal Eight Trigrams should easily neutralize Tsukuyomi’s curse of ‘night’.”

I was overjoyed when a solution emerged.

[Oh!! That makes sense. But why have you not used that method until now?]

“Because there was nothing suitable for offerings. To be precise, I planned a human sacrifice, but your companions vehemently opposed it, so it was never attempted. However, without a human sacrifice, we can’t offer enough to harness Tydaht’s power with the current decaying human civilization.”

[Couldn’t we use treasures from the Celestial Realm?]

“Tydaht values living beings far more than the same treasures. While it’s not that I can’t use treasures from the Celestial Realm, their efficiency has been low, which is why I hesitated. Plus, considering the exceptional abilities of treasures from the Celestial Realm, it’s better for humans to live a bit tightly than to risk losing a fight against gods.”

[…….]

Seeing that perspective which doesn’t regard humans as beings but merely focuses on efficiency was quite refreshing. It wasn’t wrong, but it was unnecessarily harsh, which was his hallmark.

‘Yeah, this is Zhuge Yulong for you.’

I said to Zhuge Yulong,

[Now the situation has changed so that seeking human welfare will aid in divine killing. Please cooperate with me.]

“What do you mean?”

I explained the situation to Zhuge Yulong. He seemed a bit surprised and said,

“Could it really be that you can gain divine power just through faith?… Then we must help!”

[Is there no way…? For offering without human sacrifice…….]

“……There is, indeed.”

[What is it?]

Zhuge Yulong’s eyes lit up.

“Portrait Immortal… that’s the only way.”

[…… No, that one… we’re back to mentioning the Portrait Immortal? But Gum Cheon-jae mentioned there are zero Portrait Immortals in Nanjing Castle.]

Gum Cheon-jae, who entrusted me with the lordship, reported that there were no Portrait Immortals in the castle. The Portrait Immortal was considered an unpleasant existence to the Celestial Realm. So, I thought we had to give up on the Portrait Immortal, but Zhuge Yulong’s mention of it was quite the shock.

But Zhuge Yulong shook his head.

“There is a Portrait Immortal in Nanjing Castle. One that is the greatest masterpiece of all time.”

[…… What?! No one, including Gum Cheon-jae, knew that such a thing existed? What the heck……]

“Of course, there was no way you would know.”

As Zhuge Yulong continued, I felt once again that he was indeed Zhuge Yulong.

“Zhuge Sha and I have been secretly working to create a Portrait Immortal that surpasses Qin Shi Huang for many years.”

[What?!]

Was such a thing really happening?!

It wasn’t just me; even Mangnyang and the others looked shocked. I panicked but soon regained my composure and asked Zhuge Yulong.

[Are you talking about the Portrait Immortal from Qin (秦)?]

“……You do know your stuff. Zhuge Sha thought you should know everything and proposed a discussion; looks like he was right.”

A slight smile crossed Zhuge Yulong’s face. He glanced around momentarily and said,

“From this point on, I’d like to talk alone with you. If that’s not possible, I can’t say more.”

[Since everyone here is fighting for humanity, can’t you just share about the Portrait Immortal?]

“If that’s the case, I would refuse to discuss it altogether. Had it not been for you, I would have kept this matter secret forever. I’m only speaking because you’re Baek Woong; otherwise, this would be a secret taken to the grave.”

[…… Hmm.]

I glanced at Mangnyang. He nodded.

“My father is right. No matter how close we are, some things can and can’t be shared. If you want that, you don’t need to tell us from now on.”

[Alright then. Let’s talk privately.]

As I agreed, Zhuge Yulong looked at Mangnyang.

“Hyun Ah. Send only me and Baek Woong to Nanjing Castle.”

“Understood.”

Pa-at!!

I arrived in Nanjing Castle with Zhuge Yulong through Mangnyang’s technique. Standing on the upper level of the inner city, Zhuge Yulong looked at me for a moment before saying,

“Before talking about the Portrait Immortal, I have a question. What happened to Zhuge Sha?”

His question made me flinch. I stared at him, thinking why he would ask that, and Zhuge Yulong continued.

“With things having developed this far, that guy must have made contact with you. After all, through the Heart and Soul of the Nine Chambers of Thunder, you’re connected to Zhuge Sha. You came all the way to the Western Regions to meet me, so there’s no way you didn’t meet Zhuge Sha.”

Zhuge Yulong, too, had impressive reasoning. Moreover, knowing the secret between Zhuge Sha and me made it clear that he’d been collaborating with Zhuge Sha regularly. I had no reason to hide it, so I divulged the situation.

[Actually, Zhuge Sha…….]

As I briefly recounted the events I experienced in this world and how Zhuge Sha was dormant in my body in spirit form, Zhuge Yulong pondered for a moment before saying,

“If what you say is true, then Zhuge Sha has been in a sleeping state for an excessive amount of time. That’s strange.”

[Why is it strange?]

“Zhuge Sha could have supported you by keeping his consciousness alive beside you and advising your path. It would have been far more helpful than in this slumber. He could move at least several times more efficiently than now. Yet having exerted excessive effort to remain in slumber for so long is uncharacteristic for a strategist.”

[Hmm……]

“It can be interpreted in two ways. One is to let you move freely while collecting every unpredictable variable and at the same time monitor whether you are truly Baek Woong. The other is that he wishes to grow alongside you.”

The latter was quite unexpected, so I asked Zhuge Yulong.

[Grow?]

“Yes. As you grow and gain power, there would be no better vessel than you. Perhaps Zhuge Sha has another plan that evolved from the time he lost his body to the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

A vessel… that left a troubling echo.

From my long experience, I could tell that Zhuge Yulong intentionally chose a word that would make me feel uncomfortable. He wanted me to listen more closely to his words; it was a skillful use of language. I thought it was only natural since he was a born strategist and replied.

[Hmm… Regardless, it doesn’t bother me. After all, I decided to trust Zhuge Sha, so that much is fine.]

“Do as you wish. Anyway, the only ones who can understand the Soul Exchange Technique are other Soul Exchange Technique practitioners.”

Zhuge Yulong, speaking casually, continued.

“To keep the Portrait Immortal’s location secret moving forward, we need to block Gum Cheon-jae’s attention. Do you have any methods?”

Gum Cheon-jae, who must be holed up somewhere inside the castle enjoying himself, was still a contractor of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens. His status as a powerful divine being hadn’t changed, so there was a risk we could be detected by gods in everything we did.

[…… I don’t have anything in mind. With the minuscule divine power I have, it seems impossible.]

“Could you transfer that minuscule divine power to me? Then there’s bound to be a method.”

[Sure.]

Since the people of Nanjing Castle didn’t really trust me yet, the divine power I possessed was indeed tiny. I didn’t have much attachment to this amount, so without hesitation, I reached out and transferred my divine power to Zhuge Yulong.

Kuuuu

As Zhuge Yulong manifested the divine power into a sphere of light on his palm, he appeared surprised.

“…… This isn’t at all a tiny amount… Did you really feel this was just a speck?”

[Isn’t it a pretty small amount? Or is it plentiful?]

“It’s far beyond what most divine artifacts possess by several times. To regard this as a speck means the power you originally possessed was tremendous…”

Zhuge Yulong murmured in astonishment and soon exclaimed,

“Come, Tydaht!!”

Chwaaaak!!

The next moment, the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram was summoned into the air near Zhuge Yulong. I sensed that the energy contained within that Eight Trigrams Diagram was extraordinary, and then suddenly, I realized something and said,

[Has it been liberated…? The liberated Tydaht, you mean!!]

There’s no doubt about it. The spirit energy I was feeling from Tydaht was on a whole different level. To emit such energy, it was unmistakably a liberated Seven Luminaries. At that, Zhuge Yulong chuckled.

“Hyun has become a direct disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens and can now use the Corpse Dissolution Technique, and it has been confirmed that the Three Sovereigns do not interfere with matters on the ground. There’s no reason not to liberate Tydaht.”

[Then, is it possible that the spirit of Tydaht has awakened as well?]

“See for yourself.”

“`

 

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