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“Paa-at!”

As soon as my chat with Mangnyang wrapped up, I teleported with Miho using the Enchantment, appearing in the Emperor’s Underground Sanctum, at the bottommost layer of the Abyss. In the eerie darkness stood a massive stele glowing ominously.

Miho glanced at the Crystal Stele and exclaimed, “Wow! This magical power is… impressive!”

“This is the stele that holds the secrets to creating the Philosopher’s Stone,” I said, gazing at it intently.

Back in my 13th rebirth, Zhuge Bu had led me to discover this very Crystal Stele. At that time, he had proposed we create the Philosopher’s Stone together. But I wasn’t able to trust him, so I declined and chose to confront him instead.

‘As expected, there are no mere guards here.’ This place was only reachable by top-tier figures like the Emperor, Alchemists, or Zhuge Bu himself. Naturally, it was highly classified. An Alchemist likely wouldn’t even allow the Emperor or Zhuge Bu near it, so it made sense that a regular guard wouldn’t be standing watch over the Crystal Stele.

Just as I approached the stele with intentions to pry it loose, Miho suddenly interrupted, “Wait!”

“Why?”

“There’s some kind of magical protection. If you touch it, you might trigger a connection to its source.”

“Hmm.” This was no surprise. For an Alchemist, this stele was probably more precious than life itself, so it’s no wonder they’d set up all sorts of protective spells. Directly contacting it could be quite perilous.

“Miho, can you dispel it?”

“It’s tough. This isn’t your average magic; it feels like it’s forged from raw magical power. It’s a trap drawn from the power of the Demon God, making it difficult to counter.”

It seemed the Alchemist was channeling some bizarre magic worthy of a priest dedicated to an evil god. After a brief contemplation, I pressed the wooden armor against the Crystal Stele.

‘Sigh, I can’t help it.’

It’s possible that the Alchemist had already been alerted to my presence. I couldn’t afford to come back again.

I had no choice but to act swiftly.

Swish!

The enormous stele, which was at least three panels wide, was immediately sucked into the wooden armor.

At that moment, red eye-like things erupted from everywhere, the light flashing wildly, and I grasped Miho’s hand, using the Enchantment again.

Paa-at!

When we reappeared, we found ourselves in Cheonram’s room—where the yet-to-be-finished Portrait Immortal lay in a lab. There were no guards here either, just a few ambiguously aged boys and girls sprawled on the stone altar.

I raised an eyebrow.

‘Four bodies?’

The numbers had increased. Last time I checked, there was only one girl here, but now there was a boy next to her, a beautiful woman in her twenties, and an exceedingly tall figure named Jang Han. In just a year, the Alchemist had expanded the experimental subjects for the Portrait Immortal.

There was no time to hesitate. Without even checking if the Portrait Immortal was in slumber, I swiftly extended the wooden armor to suck in the bodies. After collecting all four, I once again grabbed Miho’s hand.

Paa-at!

We appeared again in Jinrang Valley. Rapidly using the Enchantment left me feeling mentally drained. Miho seemed to feel the same way, leaning against a railing, slightly exhausted.

“Hah… Hah…”

“We made it,” I said.

As if waiting for us, Mangnyang smiled brightly, “Well done!”

By now, the Alchemist and the Demon Subduing Hall forces must have made significant progress with the Portrait Immortal. Naturally, I couldn’t sit idly by while they grew stronger, which is why I snatched the Crystal Stele to prevent them from creating the Philosopher’s Stone—this was basically a strategic move.

Mangnyang said, “Don’t take the Crystal Stele out. While the wooden armor might be able to hide it due to its subspace nature, once you bring it out, they’ll pinpoint our location. If Jinrang Valley gets tracked by the Demon Subduing Hall, it would be disastrous.”

He seemed to suspect there were tracking spells set in place.

“So what do we do?”

“There are two options,” Mangnyang replied, handing me a flask filled with water.

“First, you, Baek Woong, take the Crystal Stele to the most remote site you know and start deciphering it. Of course, I doubt an Alchemist has the magical prowess for long-distance teleportation, so you’d have some time to leisurely analyze it without concerns about being tracked.”

I gulped down the water and asked, “What’s the second option?”

“The Crystal Stele itself can be considered a tremendous Divine Treasure. By offering it to God, you may gain new abilities or blessings.”

“Oooh…”

The latter option intrigued me. After all, peeking at the Crystal Stele wouldn’t tell me how much I needed the Philosopher’s Stone right now, and I had no intention of putting in the work to craft one. It seemed reasonable just to offer it to God like it was a ritual for the Seven Luminaries.

“But, that’s something we can’t do right now,” Mangnyang noted.

“What about the Portrait Immortal?”

“That’s a similar situation…” Mangnyang’s smile faded slightly. “If I simply flew over to Dongyoung and began my own research, that would be fine, but right now I’m in the midst of expanding my influence as the leader of the Bancheon Alliance, so my hands are tied. We can discuss it further after knocking down the Alchemist.”

“Hmm…”

I now understood Mangnyang was under limitations. If he had no burdens, he could freely study both the Crystal Stele and the Portrait Immortal in a distant land. However, because of his position in the alliance, he was caught in a bind.

In that instant, another idea popped into mind. But it felt like a betrayal against Mangnyang, and there wasn’t an immediate reason to experiment with it, so I buried it deep in my thoughts.

Mangnyang spoke, “With this, we’ve bought ourselves at least five years.”

“Five years, huh?”

“In that time, we must expand the Bancheon Alliance and gather strength to take down our enemies effectively. You should grow your martial arts as much as possible.”

As I mulled over this, I posed a question to Mangnyang, “What if the Emperor remains alive and well this time?”

“The last Emperor’s demise was a very unusual situation. Let’s be clear, direct rebellion is out of the question for now. We’re planning to unite the Clear Stream Faction to politically pressure the Emperor.”

“Is it even possible when the Emperor himself is fully cooperating with the Demon Subduing Hall?”

“That’s the critical point,” Mangnyang said, settling down nearby. “If the Emperor willingly collaborates with the Demon Subduing Hall, it could make our counteractions meaningless, but alternatively, it could also work in our favor.”

“What’s the difference?”

“If he’s capable of refusing an Alchemist’s contract willingly, then it means he could also dismiss the Demon Subduing Hall on his own. This suggests that he isn’t a mere puppet being manipulated by them.”

“……!!”

“For now, I’d say this is the best strategy,” he concluded.

The Emperor may just toss out the Demon Subduing Hall! If that happens, there would be no reason to bother creating the Bancheon Alliance. The issue had always been the Emperor forming an alliance with the root of all evil, wielding power and influence. I pondered this, nodding thoughtfully, when Miho, who had been listening, suddenly chuckled.

“Haha… don’t you just love telling Baek Woong what he wants to hear? Is it really that simple?”

“It won’t be easy, I imagine.”

“The power holder has teamed up with the Demon Subduing Hall under the premise of immortality and eternal life. Unless we present greater benefits or pressure, the Emperor will never break off the connection with the Demon Subduing Hall. And what kind of repayment could surpass immortality and eternal life for that power holder?”

“……”

Miho’s laughter reflected the perspective of someone wielding power in Dongyoung. It was indeed clear that if immortality were dangled before the Emperor, he’d never relinquish his ties to the Demon Subduing Hall. After a moment of deep thought, Mangnyang spoke again.

“Even if we can’t sway him fully, there are still alternative methods. It’s just that this seems the most ideal.”

“Well, that sounds like a thorny path.”

“What can we do? We simply have to endure it,” said Mangnyang with a sigh.

“Baek Woong, that’s why your role is the most crucial. In truth, no matter how skilled I am, there are limits to what I can do against the Emperor using the Bancheon Alliance. You need to create variables while actively driving things forward. Make the enemy miss their weaknesses.”

“Understood.”

We returned to Jinrang Valley and went to meet Tao King. Tao King Byeokji had already unpacked and changed into clothing fit for a gentlewoman, resembling an elegant young lady. A beautiful figure radiating charm stood before us.

When King Byeokji noticed me, she smirked. “You look busy.”

“I am busy, actually.”

I replied with a nonchalant attitude and said to her, “Tao King Byeokji, I need you to tell me everything you know. How did you meet Dongbang Mu-gyeol, and what led you to gamble at the Unfinished House? And who are those Masked Monkeys?”

“So that’s what you wanted to know,” she replied.

“I hope you answer earnestly, as I’d rather avoid torture.”

Her eyes became narrow, almost as if she was smiling mockingly. “You may seem soft, but you’re definitely cold and tough. I doubt you’ve accumulated this level of mental training at your age.”

“Cut the nonsense.”

“Fine. It wasn’t an important matter anyway, so I’ll share.”

She began to recount her tale of meeting Dongbang Mu-gyeol. “When Dongbang Mu-gyeol sought me out, he proposed I join him for a major gambling event.”

“Dongbang Mu-gyeol asked you?”

“Yes. And since I owed him a favor, I agreed to accompany him in exchange for it being erased. He wanted to test my skills, so we traveled through Sichuan’s gambling dens, and once the skill test ended, we headed to the Unfinished House.”

“A debt? What kind of debt are you talking about?”

King Byeokji merely shook her head. “I can’t divulge that; it’s a personal debt between him and me.”

“Hmm… continue.”

“Upon reaching the Unfinished House, we played Mahjong. The Mahjong table was prepared on our end, and two men in Monkey Masks were waiting there. I demolished the 16 kingdoms and won, and Dongbang Mu-gyeol expressed his gratitude.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“Do you happen to know who the guys in the Monkey Masks were? And why exactly did you gamble at the Unfinished House?”

At my question, Byeokji pondered for a moment before responding, “I can’t say for sure, but those wearing Monkey Masks seemed like tremendous experts. Dongbang Mu-gyeol didn’t dare consider using force against them. Moreover, it seemed Dongbang Mu-gyeol wagered an immense price in that gambling game, and after it ended, he seemed to be whispering and chatting with the masked guys.”

“……?”

“I have no idea why they gambled at the Unfinished House. Probably only Dongbang Mu-gyeol knows.”

I was stunned and shot her a look. “Wait, are you saying you had no clue going into such a dangerous situation?”

“That’s what makes it interesting.”

“……”

I was exasperated as I stared at Tao King Byeokji. This woman’s mind was clearly somewhere else. The idea that she would just dive into such high-stakes gambling, gambling her life away without a thought, was beyond normal comprehension. Suddenly, she seemed to recall something.

“Oh, speaking of which, I do know where Dongbang Mu-gyeol went. He mentioned he was off to meet this guy called the Black Prince.”

“The Black Prince? And who might that be?”

“He’s supposedly the top expert in Thunder God lineage martial arts from the Southern Barbarians.”

“Hmm.”

The Black Prince from the Southern Barbarians—who exactly was he? I had indeed obtained unexpected information, but I didn’t grasp anything about it fully and asked her, “What on earth is Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s purpose? Why would he leave the Central Plains and head to the Southern Barbarian region?”

“He said he wanted to cure a ‘disease’.”

“Disease?”

“I doubt he’ll return to the Central Plains until he discovers how to do that.”

As I entered a thoughtful state, she intertwined her fingers and added, “I want to join your team. It sounds like it would be fun.”

“In that case…” I subtly glanced at Miho. Miho, as if waiting for this moment, suddenly cast her Enchantment technique on King Byeokji. Her eyes glazed over, and soon she toppled backwards as if she’d been knocked out. It was no surprise she couldn’t withstand the enchantment that even a Peak Expert like Jang Bong couldn’t shake off.

Miho grumbled, “Shouldn’t we’ve just cast the Enchantment from the start?”

“There are some things that can’t be drawn out just by enchantment, and I wanted to gauge how sincere she was with us.”

“Hmmm… Do you have some interest in her?”

“Why are we going there?” I let out a dry laugh. “This girl is beautiful, but her psyche is completely beyond my control. Even if she were ten times more beautiful, I’d still have to say no.”

“Haha, coming from you, Baek Woong, that’s a strong statement. But then again, being addicted to gambling isn’t a small issue either.”

As Miho laughed, she began interrogating King Byeokji.

“Now, look at me…”

After applying the Enchantment, she began questioning her one by one, and we quickly realized that Byeokji had told no lies. She truly knew very little about Dongbang Mu-gyeol and seemed genuinely interested in teaming up with us.

“A personal debt… She seems adamant about not divulging that.”

Not everything could be unearthed with Enchantment. There were some matters she was resolutely keeping private, refusing to reveal her inner thoughts due to her strong will. Once Miho finished her interrogation, she remarked, “Everything should be fine.”

“That’s good. Every expert counts when you’re short on manpower.”

“So, where do we head next?”

“To Extreme Tiger.”

I guided the unconscious Byeokji toward Mangnyang and then made my way with Miho toward Guanzhong where Extreme Tiger was located. Arriving at Guanzhong, Miho and I dropped by an inn to grab a meal. As Miho slurped up her noodles, she casually asked, “Baek Woong, how much do you plan to tell Extreme Tiger?”

Her question was crucial. I had shared almost everything with Mangnyang and Miho, including aspects of my past life, but Extreme Tiger was a neutral figure with whom no trust had been built yet. There was no way to explain to him, “[I conducted an experiment on passing the Soul Removal Technique from Dongyoung to a hero]” without being treated like a killer.

After a moment of contemplation, I turned to Miho and said, “Miho, help me.”

“How?”

I confidently replied, “Using a beauty strategy.”

 

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