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“Humanity?”

I couldn’t help but make a weird face when this grand concept called humanity popped up.

“Huh… humanity?”

I mean, sure, I’ve heard of “humans” and “Central Plains folks” or “Western foreigners,” but the term “humanity” felt like it was trying to define humans as something special. It even kinda suggested that humans aren’t the only beings around!

Then it hit me why this word felt so off. It was all about perspective—the size of one’s worldview.

The black cat in front of me treats humans as mere ‘dust’ of this world, hence why he referred to us separately as humanity, including oddities like foreign races and gods.

It’s not that I couldn’t understand that. If I went by the supposed ‘truth’ of this world that I’ve picked up so far, then calling humans ‘humanity’ just like Master Mangnyang does would actually make sense. But that perspective is something only those like me, who have lingered in the world’s shadows for ages, could grasp—it’s not a word that fits in the usual context of central China.

Master Mangnyang said,

[ You have no clue what the Blessing of the Sky really is, do you? You just see it as some convenient tool, right? ]

Ouch, that hit hard, but I tried to keep my cool.

“Then explain it to me. What kind of ability is it?”

[ No. ]

“Damn it!”

After scratching his head with his paw, Master Mangnyang said,

[ Most of my power is used to seal away the Outer Gods. What I can share with you as the Blessing of the Sky is but a tiny fraction of my power, just some weak residual streams from my essence. In fact, I’m starting to feel it’s a waste, a huge bloodletting! Even locked away, I’m consuming an enormous amount of strength constantly. ]

He flicked his tail.

[ So, unless you’re ready to offer me three times what you just mentioned, it won’t be worth my time. ]

“Th-three times?”

[ That’d be just right. To be honest, I inflated the number a bit just for the fun of it. ]

“……”

Words failed me. The price I had just put on the table was already huge, and three times that meant I’d have to strip away everything except my own body—maybe even sneak into the Imperial Palace to grab the Nameless Ritual Book.

No, wouldn’t that still be lacking? Would gaining the Blessing of the Sky even hold any meaning if I had to go through all that?

I huffed in frustration.

“No, stop dodging the point! Why do you charge me such a high price but freely hand it out to humans across the land?!”

[ You’re seriously asking that? You still don’t get it? ]

“Get what?”

[ It’s normal to help dying humanity in dire straits. But you, you’re after the Blessing of the Sky for your personal gain. That’s the difference between charity and trade. ]

“Grr. But I am humanity too!”

[ Really? ]

My retort was met with silence as Master Mangnyang rolled around on the floor, getting all dirty. After a while, he lay there and said,

[ Use what you have wisely. Honestly, you don’t even need my blessing at your current level. ]

“For the love of—just tell me what the Blessing of the Sky even is! I need to know if I’m to gather a price or not!!”

[ Oh? So you’re confident you can gather three times the treasures then? ]

“Yes!!”

I shouted back. Master Mangnyang stared at me for a moment before saying,

[ The Blessing of the Sky is the power that BREAKS Heaven. It enables changes driven by observation in places where even life and death do not exist and lets you step into a dualistic individual world. ]

“……”

[ Well, it’s all in how you use it. ]

I was baffled. Until now, the blessings from the Great Immortals were all so powerful and straightforward; I had no clue what this guy was babbling about! It felt too abstract to really grasp what kind of ability it was.

“So… what kind of blessing are we talking about?”

[ You’re too dumb to understand it. ]

“You little cat…”

I ground my teeth as I felt Master Mangnyang drifting away slowly. The obnoxious black cat’s voice floated back.

[ You’re still far from being able to chat with me. ]

So this wasn’t even a proper conversation?!

[ Build more cause and effect. ]

I wanted to argue back, but my vision faded into darkness.

When I regained my senses, I found myself lying in front of Yeodong-bin’s shrine. Sitting up groggily, Mangnyang spoke beside me.

“You back to your senses?”

“Uh… how long was I out?”

“How long? You’ve only been out for half an angle.”

So it was like I’d fainted and woke up suddenly. As I swallowed dryly, Mangnyang suggested,

“Let’s go now.”

I suddenly turned to the shrine of Yeodong-bin. Confused, I asked,

“Mangnyang, why is there a shrine for Yeodong-bin here?”

“Hmm?”

“This is supposed to be the village of Master Mangnyang, a protector of Taoism. So logically, there should be a shrine honoring Master Mangnyang! So why are we using this shrine when offering respects to him?”

It was a question I hadn’t thought to ask during my countless rebirths, but suddenly it intrigued me. It just didn’t add up somehow. Mangnyang replied nonchalantly.

“The Master doesn’t need offerings or worship in the first place.”

“What…?”

“When offerings are made to Yeodong-bin, that Yeodong-bin in Heaven receives those offerings. And gods and spiritual beings in the celestial realm grow stronger and gain vitality as humans on earth recognize, believe, and long for them. While it’s not always directly connected to power, recognition is more important for the immortals than you’d think.”

After saying this, Mangnyang gazed at the shrine and continued.

“However, the Master is special. His power doesn’t fluctuate based on offerings or lack thereof. Furthermore, there are no entities in heaven worthy of receiving his worship, so shrines like this would just be a hassle. But rather than leaving the village in empty space, we just left the shrine of the most popular local deity, Yeodong-bin.”

“……”

I thought deeply about what he said.

“Why is that? Are you saying his power doesn’t fluctuate… that human faith doesn’t affect him at all?”

“Indeed. The Master does not require humans.”

“Hmm…”

What a contradiction. I had thought that Master Mangnyang bestowed the Blessing of the Sky to leverage his power, but apparently that wasn’t the case at all! Suddenly, I recalled what Master Mangnyang had just said.

[ The difference between charity and trade. ]

Charity. So Master Mangnyang helping humans wasn’t out of self-interest, but rather out of charity? Sure, it sounded nice, but something felt off about it. After all, everything in this world has its interactions. What drives a being that could crush humans like bugs to show kindness without any ulterior motives?

I asked Mangnyang, “Do you help humans just because you like them?”

Mangnyang shrugged.

“I don’t know that either. How can a mortal like me understand a god’s thoughts?”

“If you don’t like them, then what’s the reason to help?”

“Not necessarily. There are many counterexamples. I just hope that it’s not the case.”

Mangnyang murmured.

“Baek Woong, now that we’re here, I should mention I never trained directly under the Master.”

“What?”

“Ever since I first became his apprentice, I’ve only learned through dreams and visions. While you might have seen a different form of the black cat, the truth is I’ve only ever seen him in dreams.”

I couldn’t help but feel curious.

“What form did he take for you?”

“Hmm…”

Mangnyang thought hard for a moment before saying,

“Whatever I think about, he manifests in that form in my mind.”

“So if you think of a beauty, he appears as a beauty?”

“Exactly. But since I respect the Master, I always imagine him in a dignified form. Quite solemn, really.”

As Mangnyang smirked, it seemed he was also somewhat amused by his own nature. After all, if he appears as whatever one thinks, it’s basically a reflection of oneself, right? No matter how you slice it, that’s bound to evoke some self-deprecation.

After a minute, Mangnyang said,

“Now, summon the Four Great Spirits.”

“Sure.”

I called out loudly into the void, “Four Great Spirits!!”

Swishhh—

Suddenly, colorful clouds began to gather in the empty space before me, and from amidst them, something flowed out as if reality was being distorted. Constructions of dots and lines tangled like clay, forming the bizarre shape of a beast.

With a camel’s neck, deer antlers, a donkey’s tail, and hooves a bit like a cow’s, I was shocked to see that it matched the description of the Four Great Spirits I read in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It turned out that the Classic truly recorded strange creatures!

However, this Four Great Spirit was covered in dragon scales and looked at me with a gaze filled with divine energy. It was about the same size as a mount, yet the sense of pressure it exerted was unbelievable. Staring into its eyes, Mangnyang warned me,

“The Spirit Beast is much higher than an Earth Immortal. Be careful not to be rude!”

“Huh?”

In disbelief, I turned to Mangnyang.

“Are you saying it’s a being that outclasses the previous Earth Immortal? But it looks just like a beast!”

“Not at all! The spirit beast is a Divine Beast of Heaven, and it serves as a disciple to the Absolute Being in the celestial realms. Moreover, the Four Great Spirits are spirit beasts directly bestowed by the Primordial Heaven Master upon Tai Gong-mang. Their status is on par with Qilin or Phoenix. Never treat it lightly.”

“Even if you tell me not to treat it lightly…”

I felt awkward. After all, being a Spirit Beast, it should ideally serve as a mount, right? But it would surely be considered blasphemy to even sit on its back.

‘What good is a spirit beast you can’t ride?’

While I was caught in this dilemma, I suddenly heard the Spirit Beast saying, [ Human, I grant you permission to ride on my back. ]

“What?”

Startled, I looked at the Spirit Beast. Surely it wasn’t actually speaking to me! The Spirit Beast slowly turned, beckoning me to climb aboard. Cautiously, I mounted its back, and it spoke again.

[ Where would you like to go? ]

“Um… let’s say, to the North Pole…”

[ Understood. ]

I didn’t genuinely want to go to the North Pole; I merely wanted to assess the Spirit Beast’s speed. But in the next instant, the space around us was engulfed in pure white light, and a bizarre flash enveloped us.

Whoosh—

A tremendous cold hit me. I managed to endure the frigid temperatures with my internal power, but this chill was anything but average. As I took in the snowy expanse, it immediately became clear: the Spirit Beast had whisked us to the North Pole in the blink of an eye.

“……!!”

[ Is this all? ]

We just teleported to our desired location?! I gasped, bewildered.

“Wait, so you can teleport anywhere you want?”

[ By bending space, I can go anywhere. Even thousands of miles away. ]

“Wow…!!”

Wonder and admiration flooded over me. Indeed, the power of the Spirit Beast was nothing short of astounding.

But since I had a similar device already, I felt a bit underwhelmed. My weapon could also instantly transport me to my desired location, after all. When I mentioned this to the Spirit Beast, it seemed to take offense.

[ Really? I can’t lose to such a tool! Let me show you another ability! ]

“Another ability…?”

Whoosh!

“Wha—?!”

I was stunned to find myself in a breathtaking mountain landscape filled with breathtaking flowers. The sunshine was warm, and life radiated all around, yet no matter how I thought about it, this could not possibly be the earthly realm. The reason was crystal clear; there were colorful clouds and scents wafting through the air, not to mention fantastical rock formations towering in a backdrop of heavenly light flowing through the sky.

“Could it be…?”

[ Golden Crow Island. ]

Boastfully declared the Spirit Beast.

[ It’s the heart of the Absolute Teachings and the home of Monster Sages. Originally, it was sealed off by countless barriers after the Fengshen War, but I can enter freely. Your tool wouldn’t have the power to break through! This ability is uniquely mine! ]

I surveyed my surroundings.

“I’ve never seen a place like this in the earthly realm.”

[ Of course! This place, similar to Dark Heaven Village, is an Otherworldly Realm. ]

I mentally acknowledged that Mangnyang was right.

‘I see.’

A simple teleportation wouldn’t get me to the celestial realm. Because the celestial realm was shrouded by barriers that wouldn’t allow my device entry! However, the Spirit Beast could circumvent any dimensional barrier and travel freely! Truly, it could be likened to a Qilin or Phoenix.

While I’d entered Golden Crow Island through the Spirit Beast, I realized I couldn’t reach Golden Crow Island myself next time, no matter how much I remembered its coordinates. The circle closing around it meant I could only enter with the Spirit Beast! I felt pleased that my ability to summon the Spirit Beast was better than I had anticipated and nodded.

“Alright, you’re definitely better.”

[ Hmph… Now you get it. ]

“Now let’s head back.”

[ …… ]

“Spirit Beast?”

After a pause, the Spirit Beast confidently said,

[ The ability to bend dimensions can only be used once a day! ]

“Huh… what do you mean?” So you mean…

The next thing the Spirit Beast said twisted my expression.

[ You can’t get back right now! ]

“What the hell?!”

That’s right.

I found myself stuck in the dark Otherworldly realm of Golden Crow Island, home to the Monster Sages and entirely cut off from the human world, for a whole day!

 

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