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00351 Celestial Realm ————————————————————————=

After striking out in my search for the Fire Dragon Sword, I had no choice but to embark on a quest for the remaining fortuitous encounters. I headed straight to the ruins of Xuyou, gathering as many Black and White Lotuses as I could stuff into my wooden armor, and I also harvested Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. Entering the ruins, I snagged a wooden box full of gold bars and took down the Guardian Giant Spider, then acquired the Water Element Divine Sword from Xuyou and also got the statue of Jeon Wook, the Sovereign of Three Sovereigns.

Next, I placed the Suspicious Fishhook on the spider’s body to neutralize its poison, and retrieved the spider’s spirit essence to add to my wooden armor. Until then, I only had the Black and White Lotuses and Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, but the spider’s essence was an unexpected addition to my past lives. After finishing my business in the ruins, I set off to the Hua Clan’s library in Taekyung Village to obtain the Silver Phoenix Fragment.

‘Almost there.’

To be precise, I still had to visit the Sacred Lotus cultivation site to pick some Sacred Lotuses or head to the Inner Imperial Pavilion to acquire the Nameless Ritual Book or bring back the Crystal Stele. But those would provoke the Imperial Palace Forces, and they weren’t urgent items right now. So, I decided to consult Mangnyang later and determine when to get them, then set my sights on Jinrang Valley.

Hold on.

“Oh right!”

Remembering, I shifted to Dongyoung. Upon arriving at the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace, the Front Demon and Back Demon Spirit Puppets appeared as if they were waiting for me, and I waved at them like an old friend.

“Hey there!”

Bam!

The Front and Back Demons attacked me as if my greeting was useless. But, I evaded them smoothly with the Soul Removal Technique and shouted, “Miho! I have something to say, so stop attacking for a moment!”

As soon as I finished speaking, their attacks ceased. From the darkness emerged a stunning beautiful woman in noble attire, holding a fan.

“Who are you?”

I knew the moment I saw her. This was the form Miho took when she transformed into the wife of the Dongyoung Heavenly Emperor. My face lit up with a grin.

“Nice to see you, Miho!!”

Bang!

“What?!”

I dashed in and hugged Miho. Startled, she quickly slipped away as if from a surprise attack, but I accelerated the Soul Removal Technique and embraced her once more. As I hugged her again, Miho’s face transformed into a fox form, and she growled.

[What is it, human! How rude!!]

Miho looked ready to unleash a fiery breath right on the spot. Of course, it was natural for a creature unfamiliar with humans to be wary when suddenly hugged. I grinned as I said, “It’s just… so good to see you.”

How long has it been since I last saw Miho?

[…]

Miho gazed at me in disbelief. I knew my actions were absurd and ludicrous. I understood this could jeopardize my entire plan and might even lead to my death in the future.

But – I couldn’t hold myself back any longer.

I like Miho.

I want to see her, hug her, and feel her presence. In my past life, I had forced myself to hold back under the pretext of caring for Miho, but now that longing flooded back, I found myself drawn to her.

I couldn’t stand it anymore.

Suddenly, our eyes met. Miho, who was literally forced into my embrace, stared deeply into my eyes before returning her fox-like face to her human form. She then gently touched my face with her delicate hands.

“Weird human.”

Bam!

With a burst of power, Miho sent me flying. As I flipped through the air, regaining my posture, Miho shot me a cold glare and spoke.

“I don’t know who you are, but recklessly hugging the maiden is nothing different from being a Color Demon. A shameless scoundrel like you should die to come to your senses!”

“Miho, I’m Baek Woong.”

After catching my breath, I continued, “I’m not ready yet, but I’ll come back soon. When I do, I can grant your greatest wish. I promise.”

Miho’s expression turned chilling. It was the look of genuine fear.

“You… get away! What are you saying?!”

I was taken aback, replying, “What do you mean…”

“Get away!!”

Miho was clearly rattled, trembling in panic. Being a nine-tailed fox for hundreds of years, she could usually handle matters with ease and control her expressions, yet my words caused her to look like she was facing a dreadful pervert. This indicated Miho truly feared me.

Why is she reacting like this?

I thought of helping her achieve her wish of ascension.

However, I soon realized that Miho was genuinely intent on killing me, as she summoned Fire Techniques and ordered the Front and Back Demons to attack.

‘Ah…!!’

The Miho standing before me was not the Miho I knew.

She wasn’t the Miho who defended me from the Dharma Guardian’s Wind Bullet.

She wasn’t the Miho with whom I might have shared developing feelings.

She wasn’t that Miho who smiled at me, asking me to die with her in the face of the worst crisis.

What stood before me was… a complete stranger.

I should have realized this sooner; why was I so foolish? Had my overwhelming longing clouded my judgment? Confusion crashed through my mind as I stood there, frozen.

Bang!

“Miho, I’m sorry!”

Whoosh!

With a loud sound, I used the Golden Lamp to return to the Central Plains. There was no sense in fighting Miho.

Sitting by a peaceful stream I didn’t recognize, I reflected.

‘I acted foolishly again.’

My foolish act must have stemmed from wanting to emotionally resolve the shock of my abrupt death in my previous life. I had just thought of Miho as an escape route and tried to playfully engage with her to alleviate my anxiety. But as you can see, the outcome was just Miho’s horror.

Dying from the curse melting my body had been a devastating shock. The pressure of having to defeat the greatest foe of the Imperial Palace, the Vermilion Bird, without resorting to loopholes was immense. I had lost to that pressure and acted impulsively. You could say that the aura of discomfort I felt from the Master of the White Lotus amplified that strain.

I felt too lonely and troubled.

Could I really defeat the Vermilion Bird?

It felt like walking endlessly down an unlit dark path, relying on faint echoes. Until now, I had emotionally depended on Mangnyang and the Sword Demon, but I was weakening little by little. My gloomy feelings were boiling over, pulling my heart into despair.

I buried my head between my knees, holding them for a long moment of silence. In this position, everything was dark, and I couldn’t think of anything. I used to adopt this silence whenever I felt overwhelmed in my first life.

“……”

Hmph!

After a while, I exhaled through my nose and stood up, dusting myself off.

That’s all it was.

It was just a moment like this.

I gathered my thoughts and made my way to Jinrang Valley. I handed the Obsidian to Mangnyang to convey my memories and briefly explained what had happened until now. Looking concerned, Mangnyang seemed to have seen my recent visit to Miho and the feelings tied to it.

“Are you alright?”

“It was just my mistake.”

“If it’s tough, do speak up. I’ll find a solution as best I can.”

I smiled wistfully at Mangnyang’s concern.

“Everyone has weak moments.”

“Hmm… If that’s the case, I won’t say much.”

“What should we do from here?”

After my question, Mangnyang pondered for a moment before replying.

“If the Vermilion Bird asked the Old Ruler for a retribution curse placed upon itself, things have gotten tricky. It might not technically be the power from the Seven Kills Village, but whoever kills the Vermilion Bird will receive the same curse.”

In other words, whoever destroys the Vermilion Bird is destined to die!!

The task of eliminating the Vermilion Bird came with a complicated condition attached. Swapping the Vermilion Bird’s life with one’s own was not a decision to be taken lightly.

“But Lee Kwang and the Master of the White Lotus managed to slay the Vermilion Bird without any repercussions, right?”

“Well, that’s because their souls were intact; they didn’t actually ‘kill’ it. But if a chance ever arises to eliminate all backup bodies completely and you can truly kill the Vermilion Bird… someone will need to commit double suicide with it.”

“……”

“Such a bothersome situation…”

I said to Mangnyang, my voice trembling.

“Are you not mad I acted on impulse and died?”

Mangnyang shrugged, appearing completely indifferent.

“Like you said, it happens sometimes.”

“……”

“In another light, you could say I benefitted because you tested it with your own life. If everything is set and you win the final battle, if someone has to die due to the Vermilion Bird’s curse afterward, that would be a bigger loss, right? You can’t just die after winning. Hehe.”

Mangnyang continued chuckling.

“Let’s just keep it simple.”

“How so?”

“By not doing anything.”

Mangnyang smiled and stated firmly.

“Since you’re going to be reborn after dying anyway, let’s not try to gain anything grand this round. In my view, what you need to get this time isn’t an encounter but time.”

“Time?”

“Yes, time.”

Afterward, I went with Mangnyang to the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate. Mangnyang carefully collected the seals from the Three Sovereigns and obtained a powerful spirit power instantly, then we headed for the village where the Master Mangnyang resided. Crossing through the barrier set by Cheon Woo-jin for the sacrificial ceremony, Mangnyang declared.

“Primordial Void Ruler! I seek the blessings of the Queen Mother of the West.”

[Ah, wait… I haven’t said anything yet.]

I yelled over to the Primordial Void Ruler.

“Hurry up!”

[Got it…]

The next in line to appear was the Queen Mother of the West. As she revealed herself, Mangnyang shot a glance at me, and I opened my mouth as planned.

“Queen Mother, please lift Miho’s curse.”

Subsequently, like before, the Queen Mother lifted Miho’s curse and assigned me a ten-year guard mission. Because the Queen Mother still held some of her energy, she didn’t give a blessing but moved on to the next step – the Southern Flower Immortal.

“Next!”

The Southern Flower Immortal looked flabbergasted.

[No?! Even though you are a disciple of Master Mangnyang, how dare you ignore me…]

“Didn’t I just say ‘next’? Are you deaf?”

[Ugh…!!]

Mangnyang casually brushed past the Southern Flower Immortal and came to Yeodong-bin’s turn. However, since I was already linked to Yeodong-bin, there wasn’t much blessing to receive. Just in case, I asked Yeodong-bin.

“Yeodong-bin, isn’t there a blessing that increases martial talent?”

At my inquiry, Yeodong-bin firmly replied.

[Don’t try to take advantage of me.]

“……”

I awkwardly moved on to Yeodong-bin’s next turn. Then, after quite a while, I witnessed the Wudang Sect’s Supreme Master, Yuan Yuanzi, channeling spirit summoning into Cheon Woo-jin. I was inwardly tense as the summoning ritual carried on.

‘This is the second time I’ve reached this stage after passing the summoning ritual.’

In other words, I hadn’t passed anyone since Yuan Yuanzi. Upon seeing me, Yuan Yuanzi said.

[I wish to bless you, but my energy is depleted… I would recommend passing it to the next in line, but… alas…]

“Alas?”

[This sorcerer, Cheon Woo-jin, is nearing his limits…]

“……”

Cheon Woo-jin was trembling all over, bleeding from his nose. He had accepted the power of more than five Great Immortals, after all. No matter how exceptional the spirit medium was, it was normal to lose one’s mind or die at this level. I glanced at Mangnyang, but he spoke without hesitation.

“It’s still better to pass.”

“Um… please pass it.”

[Understood…]

Yuan Yuanzi passed his turn. The next in line was the Heavenly Spirit Yi, but his blessing could become a significant hurdle later, so I chose to pass without a second thought.

Boom!

What I saw next was the energy of the Great Immortal descending. Mangnyang and I felt nervous from this point onward. What kind of Great Immortal would descend after Yuan Yuanzi? Finally, as Cheon Woo-jin’s gaze turned into divine energy, he opened his mouth.

[I am Jiang Shang.]

Simultaneously, Mangnyang let out an involuntary sound.

“Tai Gong-mang…!!”

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