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“So that’s the price of the Heavenly Spirit Pill!”

“That’s terrifying.”

Even a prophet from anotherworldly race, familiar with cruelty and darkness, described it as “madness.” That meant, for those who had gained the Heavenly Spirit Pill, destruction was imminent. I swallowed hard and asked again, “So what exactly is this Primordial Spirit?”

[If what you say is correct… it’s an infinite internal power that can harmonize the Tai Chi and the Four Concepts… receiving the daunting power of chaos… to bestow such strength upon a mere mortal is absurd… I’ve never even heard of anything similar… Well, the contract itself is a maddening condition.]

The prophet paused for a moment before continuing, [That White Lotus Sect leader… it’s certain he’s made a dual contract…]

“Dual contract?”

[I can’t say for sure… But the power known as Primordial Spirit is… an incomprehensible force that couldn’t even be matched by the price of the Heavenly Spirit Pill. If what you’re saying is true, then this power has reached the realm of the Apostles…?]

“Exactly.”

I immediately agreed. When witnessing the awe-inspiring power of the White Lotus Sect leader fighting with Daji, it was clear he had attained that level. Even if he might seem weaker than Daji on some occasions, in the absence of Daji’s protective sorcery, they’d be on even ground. It was safe to say the power of the White Lotus Sect leader was on par with that of an Apostle of the God.

[Of course, there must be a price… there must be a contract… there must be an offering… That’s how God grants power to mortals…]

“……”

[That’s the law of cause and effect…]

A contract based on the law of cause and effect. So does that mean one can transact normally with the divine?

After a moment, I reiterated my question as per Zhuge Sa’s suggestion, “You know I’m a reborn person. So, if I attach the terminal of the Heavenly Spirit Pill, will it carry over to my next rebirth? And can that isolation command artificially eliminate the Heavenly Spirit Pill?”

[You’re asking annoying questions…]

“Please. I need to know.”

[A terminal acts as a cause-and-effect connection. It’s like an imperceptibly tiny thread that remains connected… Therefore, it’s highly likely to carry over into your next life… and since the isolation command can sever that thread, the chances of successfully eliminating the terminal are high…]

I furrowed my brow in doubt. “Probability? So it’s uncertain?”

[As I said, the contract of the Heavenly Spirit Pill is an abnormal slave contract that distorts the Grimoire of Divine Communication. Nobody knows what kind of side effects it might have… And as an advisory note… even if it’s possible to eliminate the Heavenly Spirit Pill with the isolation command, it’s better not to attempt it…]

“Why not?”

The prophet rolled his eyes and said, [If my predictions hold true… the “Old Ruler” involved in the Heavenly Spirit Pill contract wouldn’t easily let go of his prey… even dismissing the ‘Father’ as a transcendent being, there’s no way the Sea God would let go of a contracted mortal… ?]

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head as I realized what he meant. “Are you suggesting that the moment the Heavenly Spirit Pill contract is broken, the Sea God could intervene?”

[There’s no need for intervention… Just the infinite internal power disappears… leaving behind all the contractual obligations… resulting in your soul being torn apart after death… If he intervenes, it would be even worse…]

“Ugh.” I grimaced.

‘At this point, I might as well give up on the Heavenly Spirit Pill.’ It turned out this was a mad slave contract where gaining invincible power in the current world came at the cost of losing everything! There was no way I could transplant that into my body. Even if I could, without the power to challenge a Sea God, it would be utterly futile. There had to be a reason why the leader deceived them into sharing the Heavenly Spirit Pill with the Dharma Protectors.

So the only way for me to gain power would be to pursue the Seven Luminaries going forward. I thought to myself that I needed to shift from obsessing over the White Lotus Sect to focusing more on obtaining the Seven Luminaries. As I was already deep in thought, the prophet spoke up.

[This time, I’ll make a suggestion… I’m also intrigued by the Grimoire of Divine Communication… If you bring it to me, I’ll grant you one request…]

I was dumbfounded as I replied, “Are you saying that knowing I’m a reborn person, you’d still make such a request? You’re the one losing out.”

[Not necessarily… If you keep reincarnating, I might continue to lose out in the future… No… I’ve already lost out before…]

For a moment, I felt the prophet could be smiling. Though it was probably just my imagination, there was something about the prophet that appeared surprisingly relaxed.

[But… that’s not my concern…]

“What?”

[You don’t need to understand me… Just bring the payment.]

“Got it.”

With that, I backed away from the prophet and stepped outside. There was nothing more I could trade.

After arriving at the Dragon King’s Valley, I took a moment to gather my thoughts. I needed to reconsider the information I had just received from the prophet, and I required time to organize my mind before meeting Dokgo Seong.

‘He said it isn’t his concern?’

Do otherworldly beings think differently than humans? Or was I just misunderstanding something?

While I pondered, Zhuge Sa spoke up. [Now it’s clear. Both the Imperial Palace and the White Lotus Sect can be viewed as cults worshipping otherworldly beings. That’s why you’ll inevitably become closely tied to the divine.]

“The Twelve Joules might be the same.”

[The Twelve Joules is uncertain. The leader of the Twelve Joules seems to be something more than just a priest wielding divine power…]

Zhuge Sa murmured and turned to me, [Baek Woong. With this, it’s safe to say you don’t need to obsess over martial arts in your next life. Am I wrong?]

“……”

[You can put an end to your martial arts training after mastering the Three Treasure Technique. Anything beyond that is just a waste of time.]

I couldn’t help but fall silent. He had struck at the core of my thoughts. I sat on a rock and gazed up at the sky.

“That’s true.”

The White Lotus Sect leader and the Dharma Protectors, who possessed the strongest martial arts in the mortal realm, had ultimately borrowed the power of the divine through contracts with their grimoires. Therefore, for me, the one aiming to confront them, I too would need to wield divine power, which would take me far beyond the realm of martial arts. The more I thought about it in relation to my feeble martial arts and the Five Insights, the more convinced I became of this.

“But I still don’t want to give up.”

[Oh? Why’s that?]

“Because Mangnyang hasn’t given up.”

That’s right. Mangnyang had shown me a path, and he hadn’t given up on it either.

I recalled memories from the past.

[Yes. Without raising him, we have no future.]

[Even so, the life we live now is reality. We can’t just sit and wait to die. So we must at least prepare some chance to fight against the divinity, and I think that will be Jin So-cheong.]

[He will surely surpass the White Lotus Sect leader, someday. Nurturing Jin So-cheong is like nurturing Baek Woong.]

Jin So-cheong!

Mangnyang had said during a planning session with the Sword Demon in my 18th life that to stand against the gods, I had to nurture Jin So-cheong. Of course, I thought that was absurd at the time, and I figured Mangnyang was simply boasting, so I just let it slide.

As if reading my momentary thoughts, Zhuge Sa sounded shocked. [Huh? What are you thinking? Do you really trust Hyun’s words that much?]

“Yeah.”

[On what grounds? What makes you think Jin So-cheong will surpass the White Lotus Sect leader? Of course, his talent is arguably the best in the martial arts world, but the White Lotus Sect leader has already reached the Great Immortal level. Talent or not, he’s overwhelmingly superior. There’s no comparison. Not even close.]

Zhuge Sa’s words were entirely valid. But I strongly countered him.

“I trust Mangnyang.”

[You trust him…]

“Mangnyang has shared the memories of my past lives and has stood by me throughout the process. And because of that Mangnyang knows something I don’t. I merely trust his instincts.”

For a moment, Zhuge Sa fell silent.

[This is ridiculous… Trusting him…]

Somewhere in his grumbling tone was the sense of disbelief that likely made Zhuge Sa continue, [But even if we assume that prediction is accurate, it only means that Jin So-cheong will become strong, not you. Moreover, do you have any idea how many times you’ll have to die in the process? You could very well end up dying at least thirty times just trying to nurture Jin So-cheong.]

“Ugh…” I felt a sharp pang of reality.

I hesitated but replied, “What about Yeodong-bin?”

[Huh?]

“Yeodong-bin and Jang Sam-bong reached the pinnacle of martial arts without making contracts with the divine like the White Lotus Sect. As humans, there’s a likelihood that they can become as strong as the divine. And Jin So-cheong seems to have the highest chances of achieving that. So it’s worth a shot. Who knows how long it might take to find the Seven Luminaries? During that extended time, it’s something we should definitely try. That’s why Mangnyang would say so.”

I framed my thoughts logically, and perhaps because of this, Zhuge Sa didn’t seem to be scoffing at it too much as he replied.

[Oh… It makes sense, but the issue is that the Heavenly Realm is incredibly suspicious.]

“Suspicious, how?”

[Look at the current situation.]

Zhuge Sa elaborated.

[Now that you’ve enlisted Dokgo Seong, and immediately after you’ve had some negotiation with the Imperial Palace, the leader will surely begin to assert his power aggressively. He has enough confidence to cleanse the Wind Spirit Sect, as he’s become secure in his own strength. It’s a natural sequence of events. And knowing that the Imperial Palace grows stronger with each passing day, he’ll likely act swiftly to crush the Imperial Palace first.]

“Hmm… That makes sense.”

[Now here’s the problem. If the Imperial Palace and the White Lotus Sect engage in a fierce battle, would the Heavenly Realm simply watch? You already know the answer to that.]

“……”

My jaw clenched.

“Are they trying to use Miho from the Heavenly Realm again?”

The memory was still vivid in my mind. The sudden awakening of the Moon Sovereign, becoming the master of the Moon Sovereign after visiting the Imperial Palace to suppress the Emperor! If that was the case, I was highly likely to face Miho as an opponent again.

[It could be that, or they could prepare another assassin. As you know, each time you reincarnate, the surrounding circumstances change, and who knows if some cause-and-effect shifts might occur? Though the Heavenly Realm serves as an intermediary, they possess immense power compared to the mortal realm, so they have countless ways to intervene.]

Zhuge Sa continued, [But that’s not the important part. You’ve overlooked the most significant fact during your reincarnation.]

“What did I miss?”

[Whether the Offering Ceremony concludes successfully or the Imperial Palace and White Lotus Sect decide the matter, it represents a tremendous event that can shape the fate of the realm. Don’t you agree?]

“That’s true.”

In the latter case, the victorious side would gain everything and become several times stronger.

[But why has the Three Sovereigns not shown themselves during any of your reincarnations?]

“……!!”

I was taken aback. ‘Now that you mention it!’ I hadn’t thought about it until now. If the Imperial Palace were to gain tremendous power, from the perspective of the Heavenly Realm trying to delay the impending doom looming five hundred years ahead, this would be a major incident! So naturally, they would need to do whatever it takes to prevent it. Yet why haven’t the Three Sovereigns, the strongest beings of all, taken action or manifested themselves?

The moment I summoned Jeon Wook during the Offering Ceremony, he seemed utterly uninterested in the affairs of the mortal realm, only answering questions put to him before disappearing. It was a sign of such apathy as if the Heavenly Realm and the Three Sovereigns were indifferent allies.

[Another thing. Is it certain the Three Sovereigns reside in the Heavenly Realm?]

“What do you mean?”

[No matter how divine beings transcend time and space, they still require a place to dwell. The “Old Ruler” can’t be an exception, so naturally, the Three Sovereigns would need their own palace. But even looking into Ji-seon Mang-nyang’s memories, the Three Sovereigns haven’t been seen even once in the Heavenly Realm.]

“……”

[This is critically important information. And there may be a ridiculous truth hidden behind it…]

Zhuge Sa murmured affirmatively, [Baek Woong. The answer lies in the Seven Luminaries. Whether it’s martial arts or sorcery, it takes too long to reach the divine realm. You need to be cautious in this life, conserving your strength, observing the unity of the White Lotus Sect from behind, and then later borrowing the power of the White Lotus Sect leader to seek the Seven Luminaries.]

“Is that the only answer…?”

I found myself troubled. Logically, I knew Zhuge Sa’s advice was utterly realistic and reasonable, but I also couldn’t dismiss Mangnyang’s instincts. After some contemplation, I responded, “Then I won’t hold back any longer.”

[Hehe… That method is a good idea.]

Zhuge Sa, having seemingly read my thoughts, offered his agreement before saying, [Now let’s go meet Dokgo Seong.]

 

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