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The forces of demon beasts crashing towards Miho were like a furious wave. Thousands upon thousands moved as if they were alive. Just defending against them with the power of the Moon Sovereign seemed overwhelming for Miho. I suddenly had a brilliant idea on how to save Miho.

‘The more urgent it is, the more I need to take a step back!’

I grabbed Cheon Woo-jin’s hand tightly.

“Cheon Woo-jin!”

“Uh, uh?”

Cheon Woo-jin looked flustered, so I hastily spoke.

“Do you have any techniques to wipe out thousands of demon beasts at once?”

“Hmm!”

Cheon Woo-jin seemed to quickly grasp the situation with his genius intellect and nodded.

“Take me there.”

“Sounds good!”

“But bring Zhuge Sa as well.”

Why was that? I didn’t get it for a moment. But I decided to follow Cheon Woo-jin’s words and head where our allies were.

Considering Miho’s current strength, she wouldn’t lose right away. At the very least, we had some breathing room. I quickly used the Golden Lamp technique to slip away from the frontline and went to where our group was, calling for Zhuge Sa.

Zhuge Sa seemed to understand Cheon Woo-jin’s intentions. He frowned and protested immediately.

“That’s mine. Why are you trying to use it as you please?”

“If we lose this battle, everything will be over. Are you such a fool not to realize that?”

“Damn… This debt will come back at a high cost.”

Zhuge Sa grumbled.

With a swift motion, I brought two sorcerers back to the battlefield. At Cheon Woo-jin’s quick signal, Zhuge Sa pulled out the Crystal Stele from the void space, and Cheon Woo-jin placed his hand on it and shouted.

“Urgent Command as Decreed!”

As the incantation burst forth, an immense aura of illusion mist erupted from Cheon Woo-jin. It was as if a storm had rolled in; within moments, a thick fog enveloped a radius of ten miles, obscuring visibility entirely. Soon after, a more powerful barrier than the one protecting Master Mangnyang’s village was set up all around.

Woong!

Screech!

From within Cheon Woo-jin’s mist barrier, the wails of demon beasts could be heard. The demon army that had been charging towards Miho temporarily halted. However, after a moment, Cheon Woo-jin waved his hand, allowing our group to see normally despite the mist barrier’s effects.

“……!!”

I couldn’t help but be astonished. The thousands of demon beasts were spinning in circles or standing in a daze as if they had lost their souls! It was pitiful to see those affected by the barrier’s illusion from the viewpoint of a barrier master. Cheon Woo-jin chuckled softly.

“It’s impossible to use this level of illusion with only my power, but I borrowed some strength from the Crystal Stele.”

“Damn…”

I could hear Zhuge Sa’s irritation. He had likely anticipated Cheon Woo-jin’s intention from the start. Regardless, since my intention was materializing, I decided to survey the battlefield again.

‘The Emperor and the Alchemist are flustered. And Miho is still afloat…’

This moment was the opportunity to make contact with Miho. I asked Cheon Woo-jin.

“Cheon Woo-jin, can you annihilate the ones caught in the illusion?”

Cheon Woo-jin shook his head.

“That’s not possible. Their demon ki is too strong, and if we try that, the illusion will collapse.”

“Got it.”

I glanced at Yong Bi-cheon.

“Use the Heavenly Spirit Pill’s power to clean up the demon beasts. I’ll talk to the master of the Moon Sovereign.”

Yong Bi-cheon growled uncomfortably.

“Am I your subordinate? Who do you think you’re ordering around?!”

“Cheon Woo-jin’s illusion can’t last indefinitely. You don’t intend to throw away the chance to deal with those annoying pests, do you?”

“…Just you wait!”

Yong Bi-cheon, with fire in his eyes, swiftly soared up to the celestial realm. He then began launching dozens of Wind Bullets at the demon beasts.

“Die!!”

With explosive sounds!

As the demon beasts exploded into pieces, only a few dared to charge at Yong Bi-cheon. It seemed that the mist was slowing their reaction even to attacks directed at them. While a powerful army of demon beasts would have troubled a Dharma Guardian, Yong Bi-cheon began his slaughter as if he had leapt into a herd of sheep.

“Miho!!”

In the meantime, I dashed towards where Miho was. She seemed to recognize my presence and turned to look at me as the Moon Sovereign’s power allowed her some awareness even in the mist.

With a puzzled look, Miho said, “You… you’re that human from before?”

“Yeah. It’s Baek Woong!”

“What’s the owner of Xuyou doing here?”

I tilted my head. “What about you?”

“…”

After some thought, she answered coldly, “I have no reason to explain. My goal is to take down the Emperor, so don’t get in my way!”

“Hmm.”

Seeing Miho’s guarded demeanor, I felt a bit awkward. Miho must have been a Herald of the Heavenly Realm receiving the help of the heavenly forces to liberate the Moon Sovereign and become its master. I, who had liberated Xuyou, was clearly regarded as a top target of concern in the Heavenly Realm. Whether by her will or not, she wasn’t in a position to talk to me casually.

But I had thought things through. I calmly said, “My goal is also to eliminate the Emperor. How about we cooperate for a while?”

“Cooperate…?”

“You have the Moon Sovereign, and I have Xuyou. If we use the combined powers of the two Seven Luminaries at once, taking down the Emperor blessed by the Three Sovereigns isn’t impossible.”

“……”

Miho glanced at Xuyou in my hand. Then she spoke, “Alright! Then grant me the sight of the illusion.”

“Of course.”

I rushed back to Cheon Woo-jin and asked him to restore Miho’s sight. When Cheon Woo-jin waved his hand, Miho’s vision returned, and she slowly descended to the ground.

With an explosive noise!

In the front, Yong Bi-cheon was furiously massacring the demon beasts. Watching that scene intently, Miho said, “Let’s attack together.”

“Sure.”

Miho, unlike a Herald of the Heavenly Realm, followed up eagerly for practice with me. It seemed she realized her power alone wasn’t enough while battling the demon beasts and prioritized a realistic choice and mission completion.

As Miho summoned Xuyou around her with silvery light, I raised my own power with Xuyou. I thought we would simply fight to assist Yong Bi-cheon, but something unexpected unfolded.

Crackle…

“……!!”

“What is this?!”

Suddenly, the light of the Moon Sovereign and Xuyou intensified fiercely. Then, a resonance echoed, and a massive wave surged suddenly. As the shockwave passed, I sensed the power flowing through Xuyou was multiplying in strength.

It felt like a force capable of splitting heaven and earth!

It wasn’t just me; Miho also wore a shocked expression. Then she shouted, “Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

Miho and I charged toward the demon beasts ahead almost simultaneously. Miho unleashed the Moon Shadow from the powers floating around her, while I wielded the Thunder God Sword Dance’s Absolute Slash to unleash the Sword Mastery technique.

With a thunderous explosion…!!

It was just a single attack. However, the power unleashed by the two Seven Luminaries merged in the air, suddenly growing several times larger and striking down upon the demon army ahead. It was a radiant slash as if it were dividing heaven and earth.

“Uhh.”

Due to such overwhelming force, Yong Bi-cheon ended up shocked and retreated back with the Wind Master’s plume. Light engulfed the canyon.

GooOOoo!

The aftershock rushed in.

The earth bore a fan-shaped scar, and it took only a moment for it to extend several tens of miles in size. I had seen many powerful techniques over time, but what I witnessed now was on an entirely different scale. The terrain had changed, and a mountain had vanished! The entire demon army that had once filled the world had completely disappeared.

“This… is…”

Even I lost my words as I stared at the devastation ahead.

‘The Seven Luminaries possess this level of strength?’

I knew I had gained formidable power after unlocking Xuyou, but if I hadn’t had such confidence, I wouldn’t have dared charge directly at Yong Bi-cheon a while ago. Since Xuyou was a divine entity, I had believed it would possess sufficient power.

But to think that when two Seven Luminaries combined their strengths, a resonance occurred, amplifying the force dozens of times stronger! This was something I had never fathomed before; it sent chills down my spine.

This could no longer be regarded as just a weapon. This was a divine artifact.

Then… what would happen if all seven scattered Seven Luminaries in this world united and resonated?!

“……”

Miho was also wide-eyed in shock. After a moment, she regained her composure and said, “The Emperor has moved further away.”

“Where?”

“Follow me!”

With a whoosh, Miho flew off in one direction. Perhaps considering me, her flying speed was manageable. I quickly followed behind her, speeding up to catch up.

‘Damn. No chance to give her the obsidian…’

I grumbled. I had to somehow hand over the obsidian so we could communicate, but the situation was rushing forward, leaving no room to bring it up. If I brought it up carelessly, it was clear Miho wouldn’t accept the obsidian due to her wariness.

Shortly after, Miho entered an even deeper valley terrain, and in front of her, the Emperor and the Alchemist were waiting. They had descended from a transparent sphere to stand on the ground.

With a somewhat pale face, the Emperor spoke.

“Is that the power of the Seven Luminaries? Truly remarkable.”

“The one enjoying the fortune of the Seven Luminaries will be you alone, Emperor.”

“Heh, how amusing. No matter how much I’m Emperor, I don’t want to enjoy such fortune.”

While chuckling, the Emperor looked to the Alchemist and said, “Isn’t it about time?”

“Of course…”

But right at that moment, the Alchemist’s body abruptly burst into pieces. It was such an abrupt occurrence that not only were the Emperor and Miho astonished, but I was stunned as well.

And then, the Six Harmonies Assembly resonated throughout the hall.

[Well done, Baek Woong. A more favorable situation has been created than I expected.]

From behind a nearby tree, Master of the White Lotus Sect and Han Baek-ryeong emerged as if they had been there all along. In that instant, I realized that the Alchemist’s explosive death was the handiwork of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, and both Miho and I had been completely unaware of the precursor to that attack, causing a chill to run down my spine.

‘What the hell? Is that also a technique of the White Lotus Sect?’

No, that was more like power!

After momentarily freezing, I turned to the Master of the White Lotus Sect and said, “Yes. It’s all over now. Please take care of the Emperor.”

I felt like everything was going well. In any case, if we took down the Emperor, annihilating the Imperial Palace would mean I accomplished my ultimate goal. All that was left was to save Mangnyang, and the perfect conclusion would be achievable.

However, the Master of the White Lotus Sect crossed his arms and countered.

[He won’t be killed.]

“What?”

Then the Emperor seized the opportunity and suddenly yelled the command of Chi You, “All of you, die!!”

With a rumble,

I felt an overwhelming pressure descending upon my shoulders and chest. It was such a significant pressure that even I, a martial arts expert, faltered and lost my balance. If I was under the divine blessing of the Three Sovereigns, I had no doubt that an ordinary human would face instant death.

“Hmm.”

“Hump.”

However, no one on that spot died from the Emperor’s command. Even Miho, being the master of the Moon Sovereign and receiving all sorts of heavenly blessings, merely staggered, while Han Baek-ryeong just looked a little pale. In fact, the Master of the White Lotus Sect hadn’t even flinched and was instead casually walking toward the Emperor. The Emperor, possibly not understanding the situation, hesitated in fear.

“Wh-what?! The command of Chi You has absolute effects on humans…”

[Emperor, you lack the qualifications to wield that power. Your mental strength and spirit failed to support it, diminishing its authority. After all, a puppet is nothing more than a puppet, right?]

“What?!”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect chuckled mockingly.

[Everyone in this room possesses the blessings and power of the divine. If you had gained the power of the Three Sovereigns, it would have been dangerous, but facing the power of the Fourth Sovereign Chi You, who is merely a subordinate to the Three Sovereigns, is more than manageable…]

Suddenly,

“Kugh…!”

As the Master of the White Lotus Sect seemed to grasp something in the air, the Emperor thrashed around helplessly, being pulled upward into the void. The Master appeared to be pressing the Emperor with his intent. The Emperor, struggling in agony, flailed his limbs in a most unsightly manner.

I shouted to the Master, “Kill him!”

[……]

However, even though the master could end it in an instant, he stood still. Why was he hesitating? Just as Miho, reaching the limits of her patience, took a step forward, the master spoke.

[It’s about time to bring him out. I want to speak with the real deal.]

What does that mean?

As soon as the Master finished speaking, someone suddenly appeared in the previously empty space. He was wearing a conical hat, gazing at the Emperor before turning his gaze to the Master.

“It seems you’ve realized that killing the Emperor is meaningless. As expected, you are exceptional even among humans.”

There was a hint of admiration in his voice. The Master of the White Lotus Sect, fully masked, stood still, revealing no thoughts as he silently stared at him. After the Master held his gaze for a while, the newcomer spoke again.

“I see your thoughts now.”

[Is that so? What do you think?]

A bitter smile flickered across his face.

“Master of the White Lotus Sect, you are indeed an arrogant one.”

[……]

“What you envision lacks reality. Wouldn’t it be better to simply give up now and be satisfied with being the best among humans?”

The one who had appeared was none other than Vermilion Bird Zhuge Yulong. Just as Zhuge Sa suspected, he had resurrected by transferring his soul into a backup body created by the Crystal Stele and the Eight Trigrams techniques. And he radiated an overwhelmingly powerful aura compared to when he had been at the Great Dragon Hall earlier. The strength he emitted was so robust that even my body, receiving the power of Xuyou, quivered with tension.

There was no doubt about it. He possessed the strength of a Dharma Guardian. This was no potential allowed for an ordinary martial artist. Such a feeling was only something I had encountered when a Dharma Guardian unveiled their full power.

‘Even so…’

But even so, there stood the Master of the White Lotus Sect—the best in the world, and two masters of the Seven Luminaries, along with Han Baek-ryeong, the Dharma Guardian of the Fire Spirit Techniques. No matter how strong the Vermilion Bird was now, I couldn’t comprehend why he radiated such confidence.

After a moment, the Master grumbled.

[That cannot be.]

The Master’s subsequent words made both me and Miho’s faces stiffen.

[I have come here to settle things with your god.]

 

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