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After that, Zhuge Sa laid out his plans. He fiddled with the Crystal Stele and said, “It might be nice to churn out Portrait Immortals, but if we don’t have any [power] to back it up, they’re just scarecrows. And it’d be inefficient to dump all the might of the Water Element Divine Sword into them. So let’s just make the Portrait Immortals for offerings and postpone the ones for combat.”

“What are you thinking?”

Zhuge Sa glanced at me and said, “Hey White Dharma Protector, why do you think the Imperial Palace is a threat?”

“Because they churned out Superhuman Soldiers, obviously.”

“That’s just a side issue. To be honest, even if the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Dharma Guardians all teamed up, what difference would it make how many soldiers they have? Still, the White Lotus Sect isn’t thinking of smashing the Imperial Palace with brute force.”

Realizing what Zhuge Sa meant, I replied, “Because they have the support of an Old Ruler.”

“Exactly. That’s the crux of the matter. They could weaken the Imperial Palace, but everyone fears retaliation from the Old Ruler against those who touch their lower forces. Only entities of equal power or greater can handle the Old Ruler’s wrath in this world.”

With that, Zhuge Sa abruptly turned his head. “Then we need to change that fundamental issue. If the Imperial Palace is backed by the power of the Old Ruler, then we have no option but to secure an equally formidable being as our background.”

“…”

I had an inkling what he meant, but since it was a thought I’d never considered before, I frowned. “You’re not suggesting we serve the Old Ruler, are you?”

“That’s exactly it.”

Zhuge Sa hummed as if pleased. “Though we refer to them collectively as the Old Ruler, there are actually many divine beings that dominate the constellations. I know of at least over 40 of them, and they are ranked among themselves too.”

“Hah…”

“If we serve an appropriate deity and receive their powers, we won’t need to worry about the back of the Imperial Palace. It’s that simple.”

“That’s nonsense!” I shouted vehemently. “Those Demon Gods treat humans like mere bugs and don’t take us seriously at all! Human sacrifices are just their pastime, and they’re all cruel, evil beings. How could one possibly serve them?”

Zhuge Sa let out a chuckle. “So, you mean we’ll use non-human offerings, right?”

“… Portrait Immortals?”

“Yes. If you look at the reactions from using three Portrait Immortals as offerings last time, each one is worth hundreds or thousands of ordinary humans. Otherwise, the Old Ruler wouldn’t just drop a treasure like the Blood Eye Fruit and walk away.”

Zhuge Sa’s laughter grew stronger. “We solve ethical issues and enhance efficiency! Sure, if we’re using them in combat, but offering Portrait Immortals? We can create as many as we like! If all goes well, we might get superb rewards from the Old Ruler.”

“…”

He was right. If it happened that way, ethical burdens would significantly lessen. After all, Portrait Immortals are highly artificial life forms with no souls, so using them as offerings wouldn’t weigh heavily on the conscience. But I knew this was undoubtedly the path of Demon Sorcery, so I shook my head.

“I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do. Do we really have to rely on a deity?”

“Ugh… you’re frustrating. Dealing with Hyun is another kind of frustration. He pretended not to understand even when he did, but you really don’t get it.”

Zhuge Sa made an exaggerated gesture of patting his chest. “Listen well. I’m not suggesting anything evil; when facing a regime of Demon Gods, this is just a necessary strategy. Ancient priests always used this method.”

“Ancient?”

He ignored my question and crossed his arms. “If you try to take on the Demon God’s regime without any backing, the consequences are going to be severe, so at the very least, one should serve an Old Ruler with similar power for their grace. Otherwise, you’ll be cursed with nightmares themselves.”

I was aware of the curse. After all, didn’t the Young Master of the White Lotus Sect suffer from the Old Ruler’s curse?

But I curtly replied, “I’m not oblivious to that. But is there any guarantee that the Old Ruler will be satisfied with Portrait Immortals? What if they demand numerous offerings just to enjoy a better feast?”

“…”

“I agree that we need the strength of the Old Ruler, but we need a compromise. Serving those beings to the bitter end will only lead to destruction.”

“Hmmm…”

Zhuge Sa wore a troubled expression. Perhaps I had struck a nerve. For him, who was already steeped in Demon Sorcery, serving human sacrifices or Demon Gods seemed normal, but for me, those acts could cause unimaginable harm to those around me. Naturally, I couldn’t help but be repulsed.

“A compromise, huh…”

After a lengthy pause, Zhuge Sa spoke, “Fine. Let’s expedite this process. Borrow the powers of both beings at the same time; that should work.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Imperial Palace isn’t a big deal. We can demolish it entirely. If we finish it all at once, we won’t need to serve anyone anymore; doesn’t that sound fantastic?”

“Of course, if that’s how it happens, there’s nothing better, but…”

“That~’s right. It’s a piece of cake. As long as you help a bit with the Water Element Divine Sword.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled. His laughter was filled with confidence, making it seem like he really thought the Imperial Palace was an easy target. Even though we had struggled against them until now, his demeanor suggested he could topple them like flipping a hand.

‘What’s he planning?’

I decided to assist Zhuge Sa for the time being, but I had too many questions. So, while following his orders, I asked, “I have something I’m curious about.”

“You really do have a lot of questions. Being slow is a flaw, I guess.”

I ignored his nonsense and continued, “First… could you take a look at this book?”

I decided it was time to take a risk. Since I learned he could interpret demon languages, there was no need to wait. So I handed the Heavenly Secret to Zhuge Sa, who took it and looked confused.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a Demon Grimoire called Heavenly Secret. Please tell me what it’s about.”

“Alright, let me see…”

Flipping through the pages slowly, Zhuge Sa’s face twisted oddly, and he said, “What is this?”

“What’s inside?”

“I don’t know.”

“…”

When I gave him a disappointed look, Zhuge Sa defended himself, saying, “Even demon languages have thousands of types. It’s just luck to stumble upon one you recognize, otherwise, you can’t read it. The commonly used ones are like the languages of the Evil Gods or Gargantua, but this one doesn’t seem to fit any of them.”

“Hmm… The Otherworldly Race I encountered understood what this was. Of course, they ran away, so I don’t know what it said.”

“What did that Otherworldly Race look like?”

I described the ‘sorcerer’ to Zhuge Sa along with the human sacrifice sorcery and mind sorcery they used. Zhuge Sa nodded and said, “That ‘sorcerer’ seems to be a high-ranking descendant of the evil god Cthulhu.”

“A remarkable being?”

“More than remarkable. I imagine they could own a good-sized building in Le Rue. It’s hard to believe too that such a creature was summoned into the human realm.”

As Zhuge Sa muttered, “At that level, they’re half a deity already.”

“For something like that, their physical abilities are nothing special…”

“Why would a sorcerer need to train their physical abilities? If they use the powers of Le Rue properly, they can take down most opponents. Besides, sorcerers aren’t typically accustomed to fighting.”

With a condescending tone, Zhuge Sa tossed the Heavenly Secret back to me. “Anyway, unless it’s a commonly spoken demon language, it’s written in a special type of language. The only option is to ask a true Otherworldly being.”

“Hmm…”

“I don’t need it, so don’t assign me useless errands.”

I felt my doubts deepening. I thought I might uncover the identity of the Heavenly Secret by showing it to Zhuge Sa, but it only complicated matters further.

Vrooong!!

After a moment, Zhuge Sa performed a ritual with the Portrait Immortal again, and this time, all the Portrait Immortals we had stolen evaporated into thin air. When I was surprised and asked what happened, Zhuge Sa replied, “I’m negotiating, so don’t interrupt.”

Negotiating?

Then a strange box appeared on the altar in front of Zhuge Sa. It gleamed with gold and looked as if it were made of gold while exuding a subtle glow. It seemed that the Old Ruler was graciously providing something yet again.

I turned to Zhuge Sa and said, “Good! That must also be a great gift!”

I still remembered Zhuge Sa’s greedy, bloodshot eyes as he accepted the Blood Eye Fruit. I imagined he would immediately snatch up the golden box this time too.

“…”

However, Zhuge Sa’s expression turned slightly pale. He then muttered, “What… what is this? The golden box has to be sealing something… So, are we talking about something sealed in Luoyang…?”

“……?”

“Damn it! What’s with the stakes rising so high?”

Zhuge Sa suddenly started cursing.

Then he burst into a fit of giggles. “Hehehe! No! It has to be this exciting! This is so much fun, heeheeheehee!!”

“Are you crazy? What on earth are you babbling about?”

Zhuge Sa looked at me wide-eyed and suddenly grabbed my hand. “Hey, thanks! I’m really grateful you saved me!”

“…”

“I’m having the best time of my life right now! I’m getting closer to the truth of the Old Ruler faster than I ever wanted! I feel confused, overjoyed, and scared at the same time—anyway, I feel incredibly fulfilled in life! It’s all thanks to you, Baek Woong!!”

“Ugh…”

At that moment, I felt a bit of dread from Zhuge Sa. I had no grasp of his logic in this madness, and somehow, he seemed to have gone beyond mere madness into madness itself. The significance of his behavior would be unintelligible to anyone who doesn’t share the same mental state as him.

Zhuge Sa smiled crookedly, like a crescent moon, and said, “Tell the honored sect leader. Let’s attack the Imperial Palace tomorrow afternoon.”

Tomorrow afternoon?!

I was taken aback and said, “What?! Can we really attack that quickly?”

“Of course! Do you know what I just did?”

“No…”

Zhuge Sa laughed heartily. “I got permission from the Old Ruler pulling the strings behind the Imperial Palace. The lower force of the Imperial Palace can be annihilated without a second thought.”

“……!!”

Can I trust this? Is he not trying to trap us?

Even if I tried to read his emotions or mental state, he was so far gone that I couldn’t get a grip on him. This was the first time I’d encountered someone like this; someone so utterly irrational while still holding onto their sanity.

“If, if we suppose that’s true, what about their powerful servants and Demon Kings in just a day…?”

“Demon Kings… those are all just scraps from the Otherworldly Race. You martial artists are attempting to confront pure strength with strength, so it’s no wonder they seem daunting to you. But to me, the leader of the heretical sect and a Demon Sorcerer, they are nothing.”

In one swift motion, Zhuge Sa held the golden box and laughed madly. “Hehehahaha!! With this in my hands, what do I have to fear! One day will be plenty, no, even excessive!”

“…”

“Hey, White Dharma Protector, go tell them quickly. That’s the only way we can hit the Imperial Palace tomorrow.”

With no other choice, I had to relay Zhuge Sa’s words to the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon looked surprised by my sudden news while discussing with Dokgo Seong and Muron. But since I had no clue about what was happening, it was difficult for me to explain it.

Finally, after I explained everything to the Sword Demon in detail, he said, “It’s a gamble. If Zhuge Sa’s words are true, you might finally get your biggest wish fulfilled, but if he’s lying, we’re all in a trap that could lead to annihilation.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Try testing Zhuge Sa. If he genuinely has a secret strategy to destroy the Imperial Palace, we need to find that out.”

“But what if he’s deceiving us…?”

Just the thought was horrifying.

There’s no guarantee that Zhuge Sa wouldn’t suppress us and inflict horrible torture on us. Given how utterly insane Zhuge Sa was, it would be a hundred times better to kill myself than fall into his clutches. Not to mention, the Sword Demon had to look after his only daughter, Seo Mun-hye, as well as his family at the Shadowless Gate!

But the Sword Demon replied, “Then I and Dokgo Seong will put our lives on the line to slash him down. Even if it’s the Master of the White Lotus Sect, he wouldn’t come out unscathed against our combined efforts.”

“…”

I thought that made sense. If the Sword Demon and Dokgo Seong teamed up, they had a high chance of taking out the Dharma Guardians, no matter how formidable they were. They were peerless masters, hard to find anywhere in the world. Yet, I felt an endless anxiety regarding Zhuge Sa’s treachery.

Zhuge Sa seemed to be seeing something else.

Not knowing what it was filled me with dread.

“Understood.”

I returned to Zhuge Sa’s lair and repeated the process of pouring the power of the Water Element Divine Sword as instructed. Zhuge Sa drew a blood magic circle and mumbled incantations while letting his hair hang loose, repeating an intricate ritual that radiated such a chilling air that it could disturb onlookers.

And then morning broke the next day.

 

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