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“I decided to follow Zhuge Sa’s request.”

It didn’t take long to head to Jangryeong Valley with the Portrait Immortal’s corpse and heart tucked inside the wooden armor. The reason for visiting Jangryeong Valley was simple: they had an altar set up there.

“It’d be great to have the Sect Leader’s fresh blood, but I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just trying to minimize the backlash during the ritual, you know. Though, it’s not a big deal if we don’t have it.”

Zhuge Sa muttered something bizarre and led us into the inner building of Jangryeong Valley. As I followed him, I couldn’t help but ask, “How does a Lord of Jangryeong Valley make money and run operations?”

“What do you mean?”

“There were quite a few experts on duty there, and hiring them for years must’ve required a hefty sum, but it didn’t seem like Jangryeong Valley was involved in any business or contract work.”

This was something I had discovered in my past life while gathering information on Jangryeong Valley. They possessed enough power to be considered a martial arts organization, yet the origins of their wealth were murky. I was genuinely curious about where that kind of money came from, so I asked the Lord of Jangryeong Valley directly.

Zhuge Sa let out a chuckle. “You’re quite nosy about other people’s affairs, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Well, it’s not a big secret, so I’ll tell you. I had a lot of money because I received requests from the higher-ups.”

“Requests?”

“I have a few skills, and I’m particularly proud of my expertise in the arts of heretical techniques. With those abilities, I managed some shady dealings in the shadows of the world and got paid handsomely for it.”

When I peered at him intently, Zhuge Sa seemed a bit annoyed. “What else do you want? I didn’t come here to spill my past stories.”

“Do you know Mangnyang Zhuge Hyun?”

He flinched! The moment I mentioned that name, there was a glimmer in Zhuge Sa’s eyes.

“Why do you ask about that guy?”

“Mangnyang is the brother of Lord of Inner Imperial Pavilion Zhuge Bu whom you killed. So, you probably gave him a taste of that lonely fate too, huh?”

“Hahaha… Why are you so curious about it?”

I looked him straight in the eye and firmly replied, “Whatever schemes you’ve got, as long as they don’t harm the Sect Leader, I’ll leave it be. That also goes for me. But if your wicked hand leads to Mangnyang’s demise, then I won’t hesitate to come for you.”

“…”

Zhuge Sa came to a halt mid-stride. He spoke while remaining still, “You curious about the connection between White Dharma Protector and Hyun? I guess that’s not really appropriate to ask. He’s always had a lot of friends across different social circles.”

He turned his head towards me and continued, “But you can rest easy on that front. He has some similarities to me, and he’s a cute kid, so I didn’t go that far. I’d even stake my name on it.”

I felt incredulous. “Cute kid? Zhuge Bu is also your nephew.”

“A nephew is still a nephew. What’s cute about a guy who’s arrogant, selfish, and riding high on the Imperial Palace’s coat-tails? I’ve wanted to kill Zhuge Bu since long ago.”

Zhuge Sa continued nonchalantly. “And fundamentally, our Zhuge Clan isn’t in a position to worry about others. Wouldn’t you think it’s rude for you to meddle in clan matters?”

“I apologize for that.”

“Heh. If you were just blabbering nonsense, I wouldn’t let it slide, but this is pretty entertaining.”

As we resumed walking, we entered deeper into Jangryeong Valley—a place I had never been before. From the outside, the building didn’t seem that large, but it grew darker the deeper I went, with various winding passages branching off. As I walked through what felt like an intricate maze, I realized it was a well-crafted fortress.

Torches were lit throughout the cavern, each showing signs of having been maintained by human hands. They must’ve replaced them recently. When I observed the cave with keen interest, Zhuge Sa warned, “From now on, don’t touch anything without permission. There’s a formation set up.”

“What kind of formation?”

“The Three Thousand Yang Earth formation!”

Zhuge Sa walked slowly as if following certain rules, confidently navigating the ant nest-like passages. It seemed that the act of choosing the right path itself was part of solving the formation. Understanding the wisdom in his warning about the formation, I kept my mouth shut and followed him through the Three Thousand Yang Earth formation.

After some time, we reached an exit, revealing a massive room with an altar. This was undoubtedly the room where the ritual would take place. Zhuge Sa stood in front of the altar and said, “Place the corpse and heart on the altar.”

“I have one question.”

“You’re such a pest. What now?”

Zhuge Sa was clearly getting annoyed, but I pressed on. “I heard you’re half estranged from the Zhuge Clan. Is that because of the heretical techniques you’ve mastered and your dealings with the otherworldly race?”

“Well, someone’s digging into sensitive topics. We’ve only just met, and you’re being exceedingly rude.”

“You accepted the role of an operative in Shadowless Gate. And the job of a Dharma Protector is to assess risks to the Sect Leader. As someone accompanying the Sect Leader, it’s only natural for me to understand your past.”

Not willing to back down, I challenged him, prompting Zhuge Sa to show a rather peculiar expression. “You must be the master of the Seven Luminaries to be this assertive. I don’t mind that.”

Zhuge Sa murmured and continued, “Yes, it’s true. I focused my research on the techniques of the otherworldly race for many years, and my brother discovered it, resulting in my expulsion from the Zhuge Clan. Luckily, my brother was a kind soul, so he didn’t impose any heavy restrictions on me, and I ended up living pretty lazily in Jangryeong Valley.”

“What about those heretical techniques?”

“There are many mentions of otherworldly topics in Baehwa Sect’s texts, so while searching for materials, I picked up some skills along the way. It doesn’t really relate to my being expelled from the Zhuge Clan.”

“Hmm.”

“Are you done with your questions?”

After some contemplation, I asked, “You’ve been dead for quite a few years now. Have you seen the afterlife during that time?”

“The afterlife…”

Zhuge Sa leaned against his chin and replied, “Of course the afterlife exists, but I wasn’t there. I made another path to reside somewhere else because I wanted to [peep]. My soul has remained silent and preserved all this time.”

“What do you mean, peeping?”

“There’s a different world that exists apart from this one. There are realms like the Blood Realm, Phantom Realm, and Asura Realm… I found that much more interesting than the human world.”

I struggled to comprehend. I wracked my brain for any relevant knowledge and stammered, “Wait! This doesn’t make sense. When a person dies, doesn’t their spirit separate and head to the heavens? What really happens to the soul upon dying?”

“Hehehe. That’s a great question. I was curious about that too while delving into my studies.”

Zhuge Sa, with a sinister grin, continued, “To put it simply, the afterlife does exist, but it’s in a realm very different from what humans imagine. The King of Hell and the Underworld are entirely different entities than what’s known to the world. The descriptions of the afterlife in Daoism and Buddhism aren’t wrong in themselves, but they’re just scratching the surface.”

“…”

“Let’s stop the chit-chat here. To explain this properly would take three days and nights without a break.”

“I understand.”

Swish

I extracted the heart and corpse of the Portrait Immortal from the wooden armor and laid them on the altar.

At that moment, I felt a mix of complex emotions. Initially, I had been enduring to prevent the brutal tyranny of human sacrifices during my past life, yet here I was, becoming the one performing the sacrifice! Seeing the hesitation on my face, Zhuge Sa interjected, “Don’t think too deeply about it. These are just dolls without souls.”

“Have you ever performed human sacrifices or offerings before?”

“Of course. I’ve used substitutes like this in the past.”

Without a trace of hesitation or embarrassment, Zhuge Sa casually explained, and I couldn’t wrap my head around the depths of his psyche. After staring blankly at him, he continued, “Let me clarify something—you seem to have some misconceptions. Human sacrifice rituals are extremely efficient forms of technique before considering their brutality. Without mastering human sacrifice, most people can’t even step into the arts of the otherworldly race.”

“What on earth… Is that even something you can say? Efficient?”

“It’s efficient, that’s why we do it. There’s no other reason.”

Continuing, Zhuge Sa mused, “Could you imagine why the kings of the Silver Age kept holding those cruel human sacrifice rituals? Sure, there were requirements from the ancient gods, but there were times when humans voluntarily offered sacrifices even when the gods didn’t demand it. This is because the outcomes from human sacrifices often brought about rewards far beyond what humans could achieve through their own strength.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ancient humans were pretty weak. Without the gods’ help, they would have been wiped out ages ago. In return for human sacrifices, the gods would develop treacherous territories over hundreds of miles, eliminate fierce magical beasts, and bestow blessings of abundance. For the lives of a few people, they received astonishing rewards.”

I glared at him. “I wonder if you’d still say that if you were on the other end of the sacrifice.”

Zhuge Sa murmured in disbelief. “What do you mean? I learned this stuff to avoid ever being in that position!”

“…”

We were fundamentally thinking on different wavelengths. As I struggled to digest this information, Zhuge Sa spoke up again.

“That Water Element Divine Sword you’re holding is a product of a massive human sacrifice trade that happened between gods and humans. At the very least, if you are the master of the Seven Luminaries, you should recognize the efficiency of human sacrifices.”

“While the Seven Luminaries may have been created through such means, that doesn’t justify human sacrifices.”

“Wow. This is so frustrating. Talking to you feels like I’m debating with Hyun.”

Wearing an exasperated expression, Zhuge Sa continued, “People in this world might think human sacrifice is someone else’s problem, but it’s been going on since ancient times, continues even now, and will keep happening in the future as long as worshippers of the evil gods exist…”

“…”

“Anyway, let’s just proceed with the ritual. We can debate later.”

“Understood.”

Zhuge Sa spent a moment adjusting the positions of the Portrait Immortal and heart, like he was fine-tuning something. After quite some time shifting things around, he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“This is the most bothersome part, getting the directions right.”

“Directions?”

“We’re dividing it into four basic structures for order. The directional concepts from the Four Pastures, Four Great Families, Four Winds have been foundational laws of techniques for thousands of years.”

“I’ve practiced a bit of Daoism, but I’ve never heard of the Four Pastures, Four Great Families, or Four Winds.”

“Huh? Of course not. This knowledge dates back to the age when the gods personally descended to the world. Back then, there was no concept of spirits or Yin-Yang Trigrams, but knowing the four directions was necessary.”

Zhuge Sa continued, “When that knowledge evolved, it expanded into concepts like Kyushu in the heavens and various lands, and that’s linked to the powers of the Three Sovereigns, but… well, that’s just the way it is.”

“Hmm.”

“Alright. Now, bleed on the altar.”

Swish

As instructed, I sliced my arm and let the blood flow. Once I had shed enough, I used my internal power to stop the bleeding, and soon the altar was drenched in blood. Then, Zhuge Sa dashed to the front of the altar and kneeled, beginning to chant an eerie incantation.

“#&^$&@&%^@….”

It sounded like an incomprehensible muttering, but I got chills when I heard it.

This was an incomprehensible language!

Only I could sense it. Although it was mixed with a lot of Central Plains language, there were definitely segments that were in this esoteric language.

After finishing the incantation, Zhuge Sa turned to me, “The avatar will soon descend here. Bow your head to the ground and don’t look up.”

“Understood.”

We both lay flat beneath the altar, falling silent.

Whooooosh –

Then, amidst bizarre sounds, something began to wriggle and crawl down from the air. I caught a glimpse of it reflecting in the blood on the ground, revealing thousands of tentacles, each adorned with what looked like eyeballs.

The writhing avatar settled atop the altar moments later.

Crack

Crunch crunch

With sounds I’d rather not hear, I could hear the Portrait Immortals being devoured in real-time. The avatar feasted for a while, and during the feeding process, thick blood flowed down from the altar, tickling my nose.

After a moment, the avatar produced some kind of terrible sound and vanished back into the air.

When the whole ordeal concluded, Zhuge Sa was the first to rise from his kneeling position. He told me to get up and mumbled, “Fortunately, that went off without a hitch. It seems the Portrait Immortal’s body was quite delicious.”

“So the Old Ruler won’t place a curse upon us?”

Zhuge Sa nodded. “From now on, we have no need to fear any repercussions. In fact, even more than that.”

He pointed to the altar. “Looks like a gift has been left behind.”

Gift?

With dread, I approached the gruesome scene where the body had been grotesquely torn apart. And there it was—the weird object Zhuge Sa had mentioned. It was a bright red, round mass, about the size of half a fist, with a black-eyed creature squirming in its center.

Zhuge Sa yanked it by the tentacle on its head and exclaimed, “So this is the Blood Eye Fruit I’ve only heard tales of!”

“What’s that hideous thing?”

“The Blood Eye Fruit is a divine gift. Eating it supposedly grants special supernatural abilities.”

Then, without hesitation, Zhuge Sa bit into the Blood Eye Fruit, splattering blood everywhere.

Thud!

Thud!

“Ugh…”

I turned my head, feeling a bit queasy. Watching Zhuge Sa chomp on the Blood Eye Fruit—which had seemingly been alive with those glaring eyes—was beyond repulsive. I thought I had seen all kinds of grotesque and cruel sights in my life, but this was something beyond my wildest imagination.

Once Zhuge Sa finished devouring the Blood Eye Fruit, wiping the blood from his lips, he commented, “This is good. Really good.”

Wiying!

As Zhuge Sa pointed his finger, a huge rock some distance away suddenly lifted into the air. It was the size of a single panel, but it danced effortlessly as if it weighed nothing under Zhuge Sa’s finger. After placing the rock back down, he said, “Most practitioners spend decades honing their skills to achieve this level of telekinesis, but I’m feeling great.”

“…”

I silently stared at Zhuge Sa, keeping my mouth closed.

‘This is overwhelming…’

This guy is out of his mind.

I couldn’t guess just how far I could go with this insane monster in front of me.

 

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