---

“`html

In my hand, the Moon Sovereign emitted different lights depending on the angle. It looked like it lacked radiance at times, while at others, it shone with a myriad of colors. Since I knew that all these variations represented the Moon Sovereign, I stared at it with a sense of wonder.

Zhuge Sa spoke up.

“Hehe… what do you plan to tell your companions about this evil deed later?”

His words made me flinch. It was true that by suddenly breaking the seal on the Moon Sovereign, the Guardian of the Moon Sovereign was probably rampaging like a madman right now. But since I had already resolved myself, I responded curtly.

“At this rate, the Celestial Realm will forcibly make Miho the master of the Moon Sovereign to strike down the Imperial Palace or the White Lotus Sect. Miho would have to fight a hopeless battle again. I’d rather bear that burden myself.”

“Oh… you’re truly devoted. Do you really like that Nine-Tailed Fox?”

I answered firmly.

“Yes. I’d die for Miho.”

“Hahaha… you did die once, that’s for sure.”

Zhuge Sa continued in a tone that seemed to admire me.

“I also think it’s not bad that you acquired the Moon Sovereign. Given that you lost the Xuyou to the Sect Leader, it’s important to hold onto at least one of the Seven Luminaries. But you know you can’t perform the Offering Ceremony in your current state, right? That means you can’t release the seal on the Moon Sovereign.”

“Ugh.”

And that’s the problem.

The Seven Luminaries could only be freed in two ways. One was through accumulating power while repeatedly killing with the Seven Luminaries, which would lead to a natural liberation, and the other was through being formally recognized as the master via an Offering Ceremony. The issue was that if it were liberated through natural means, the Old Ruler would descend, causing a tremendous tragedy. Thus, without performing the Offering Ceremony, one couldn’t become the master of the Seven Luminaries.

However, currently, I had no right to perform the Offering Ceremony. I hadn’t received permission from the Celestial Realm, and I didn’t even control the Heavenly Spirit Pill at the Five Great Mountains where the Offering Ceremony could be held. Even with the Seven Luminaries, it meant nothing.

Then Zhuge Sa said,

“Hey, you haven’t realized the most important fact from your previous life.”

“Huh? What now?”

“You don’t know if the Master of the Wood Element, Zhuge Yulong, has currently liberated the Seven Luminaries or not. You don’t know if he’s strong because he released the Seven Luminaries.”

“Ah!”

I was surprised by the unexpected insight.

It was certain. Up until now, I had only thought about Zhuge Yulong being the master of the Seven Luminaries, but I had no clue whether those Seven Luminaries were even liberated. However, I shook my head and replied.

“But I can’t ask. Zhuge Yulong seems to know well what the liberation of the Seven Luminaries implies, and he always seems to be wary of it when we meet. Trying to find out about the liberation of the Seven Luminaries from that slippery guy is far too risky.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled and continued.

“But think about it. What if Zhuge Yulong has that kind of power without having freed the Moon Element?”

“……”

I trembled.

“That can’t be. No way could a human be…!”

“It could be. You should always leave possibilities open.”

“That’s impossible.”

I strongly denied Zhuge Sa’s claim.

Currently, Zhuge Yulong’s power was undoubtedly on par with the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Plus, the Master of the White Lotus Sect had formed a contract with a god and gained the powers of a demigod, so the fact that Zhuge Yulong could be equal to him meant he was also an extraordinary being. But I believed that this was all thanks to the power of the Seven Luminaries. If it wasn’t… then that was truly terrifying.

If that were true, what kind of power would Zhuge Yulong gain by liberating two of the Seven Luminaries?

As I trembled at the thought, Zhuge Sa interjected.

“That’s enough nonsense. What’s certain is that among the Seven Luminaries on the Earth, the Four Luminaries have been released. Moreover, since you broke the seal on the Moon Sovereign without handling the Guardian, the Celestial Realm won’t sit idly by.”

“Hmm…”

“Probably, Yeodong-bin has been keeping an eye on you. Call him over.”

My expression distorted. This was something I had tried not to think about until now.

‘Ugh… I have no choice.’

I steeled my resolve and focused my spirit to call Yeodong-bin through my soul’s terminal. Yeodong-bin had returned to the Celestial Realm after fulfilling my request last time, but since we were connected through the terminal, he could come anytime.

Whoosh!

Before long, Yeodong-bin’s Sword Spirit shimmered into view. Though called a Sword Spirit, it was more like a clone of the Great Immortal Yeodong-bin himself. With a fierce expression on his face, he looked at me and spoke.

“Dharma Protector. How dare you break the seal on the Moon Sovereign on your own? Do you understand what disaster this may bring?”

“……”

With ten mouths, I had no words to say. But Zhuge Sa whispered.

“Ignore your conscience’s pangs. Just say what you have to say.”

“Still…”

“If you don’t negotiate with Yeodong-bin here, you’ll definitely get stabbed by him one day.”

What an unexpected high-stakes negotiation!

I tasted bitterness in my mouth, but I composed myself and slowly replied.

“Yeodong-bin. I had no choice but to release the Moon Sovereign to restore the balance of heaven and earth.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“As you may know, the Xuyou was recently taken over by Zhuge Yulong of the East. This means that two of the Seven Luminaries in the world have fallen into one person’s hands.”

“……”

“No one knows what powers Zhuge Yulong will gain in the future. Therefore, I had to obtain the Moon Sovereign to gain enough strength to counter him and eliminate the evil.”

I hoped this would convince Yeodong-bin. However, he coldly replied without any apparent concern.

“Such an excessive excuse. You have no reason to worry about the balance of heaven and earth, and you’re not taking responsibility for the calamity caused by the Guardian of the Moon Sovereign. Is it your way to deceive others with such clever arguments?”

“Ugh…”

“Considering your connection with the Dharma Protector, I’ll give you one more chance to explain yourself.”

Yeodong-bin didn’t say anything more, but that single line carried a terrifying implication. If push came to shove, Yeodong-bin could turn against me and take my life, along with the Celestial Realm itself potentially becoming my enemy.

Swallowing hard, I continued.

“So I’ll take responsibility.”

“How? This matter is beyond the scope of your life to atone for.”

“Grant me the right to be the master of the Moon Sovereign. Then I shall use its power to eliminate the Guardian. Isn’t that sufficient?”

“……!!”

Yeodong-bin looked taken aback. He then pondered carefully and said,

“I don’t understand. Why are you so obsessed with the Seven Luminaries? They are powerful Divine Treasures, but they are not something that can be handled by human strength. Obsessing over such power could lead to your demise.”

“Yeodong-bin. Do you really not get it?”

“What is it you think I don’t understand?”

I sighed as if my fire was being extinguished.

“No matter what means the Celestial Realm employs from now on, they can no longer control the Master of the White Lotus Sect, Zhuge Yulong, or the Imperial Palace. They have already obtained the Seven Luminaries… or perhaps a power far beyond that. So I am trying to restrain them before it’s too late, even if it requires extreme measures.”

“That’s not something a mortal should be concerned about…”

“Yeodong-bin! Isn’t it humans who should resolve human matters? Isn’t that in accordance with the Law of Cause and Effect?!”

At my outburst, Yeodong-bin fell silent. He stayed still for a moment before finally speaking.

“The Celestial Realm just finished a meeting.”

“A meeting?”

“We discussed your proposal in depth. I suggested holding a meeting.”

It seemed that the sense of time in the Celestial Realm was different from humans, meaning quite a bit of time must have flowed even in that brief moment. Yeodong-bin scrutinized me intensely and then said,

“Dharma Protector. Do you truly have the heart to protect this world?”

“Of course.”

“Then I command you to recover and seal the Seven Luminaries. For that, I will grant you the right to perform the Offering Ceremony, and particularly, you must strive to eradicate the evil present in the Imperial Palace.”

“Huh…!!”

“Furthermore, restrain Zhuge Yulong and the Master of the White Lotus Sect from carrying out their tyrannical actions. This is the command of Taishang Laojun.”

Isn’t that just too good to be true?!

I had been bracing myself to die by Yeodong-bin’s hands, but unexpectedly, the Celestial Realm’s response was extraordinarily favorable. I was not only avoiding hostility with the Celestial Realm but had also gained the right to perform the Offering Ceremony. Still stunned, Zhuge Sa spoke again.

“Don’t get too excited. This is merely a strategy born out of necessity because the powers of the Master of the White Lotus Sect and Zhuge Yulong exceeded human limits.”

“Ahahaha… as if I’d be so happy…”

My awkward laughter prompted Zhuge Sa to speak again.

“And don’t worry about the Guardian of the Moon Sovereign. That matter is already being handled.”

“What?”

“The Queen Mother of the West will seal that entity.”

Whoosh!

After a moment, Yeodong-bin’s Sword Spirit turned into mist and vanished. It seemed he had returned to the Celestial Realm again. I contemplated Yeodong-bin’s final words.

‘The Queen Mother of the West?’

I hadn’t expected her to make an appearance. Then Zhuge Sa, who had been listening, said.

“The reason Miho was able to obtain the Moon Sovereign in your previous life was that the Queen Mother of the West descended to deal with the Guardian. If she’s that powerful, it makes sense.”

“But… isn’t the Guardian also a type of Old Ruler? I can’t imagine her taking him down.”

“You know that there’s a massive gap even among the Old Rulers. Izanagi no Mikoto is one of the weaker ones, so the Queen Mother could handle it.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, it’s strange. The Queen Mother seems to be exceptionally powerful among the Great Immortals of the Celestial Realm. She could even surpass the Overlay Technique…”

After muttering this, Zhuge Sa added,

“The negotiation earlier was bound to succeed.”

“Why?”

“The Celestial Realm had to be this accommodating because you have proven your capabilities.”

“Proven my capabilities?”

“At a mere age of ten, possessing extraordinary martial arts, casually moving between the realms, and having unsealed two of the Seven Luminaries in just a few years—it wouldn’t be strange for you to be treated as a legendary hero. The Celestial Realm sees you as a valuable pawn due to the lack of competent individuals in the earthly realm.”

“……”

Am I really being recognized to that extent? Feeling a bit elated, I grinned, but Zhuge Sa cut in bluntly.

“Don’t get carried away. This is merely a bait. Nothing will progress unless we take down the Imperial Palace.”

“Ah, right…”

“You could release the seal on the Moon Sovereign now, but for now, just leave it. If your power rises drastically because of the Moon Sovereign, the Sect Leader will catch on immediately. It’s better to liberate the Moon Sovereign when a time comes that you can actually fight the Sect Leader.”

After setting out the future plan, Zhuge Sa asked,

“So, do you know what you need to do now?”

“What should I do?”

Excited, I asked back, and Zhuge Sa firmly stated,

“Train in the Soul Exchange Technique. You fool.”

“……”

How foolish of me to expect something different.

I took the Four Great Spirits and buried the Moon Sovereign under a huge rock in the southern continent. With that, no one could steal it. Then, I returned to living life as a Dharma Guardian of the Thunder God Lineage and continued training in the Soul Exchange Technique until the time came.

Meanwhile, the Sect Leader, along with Dokgo Jun, Han Baek-ryeong, and Dokgo Seong, seemed to be immersed in Closed Room Training, as they no longer taught me the Three Treasure Technique. Though I felt somewhat regretful, as Zhuge Sa had said, training in the Soul Exchange Technique was more than enough for now.

How much time passed like that? About three months later, a change occurred.

The Sect Leader called for me and said,

“Baek Woong, an envoy has come from the Imperial Palace.”

“What was the envoy about?”

“An envoy responding to an exchange. So, in seven nights, we will meet at the Luoyang Wood Bridge to negotiate with those from the Imperial Palace.”

“……”

It seemed Zhuge Bu’s death allowed Zhuge Yulong to disregard all limitations and make independent choices. The reason he had been quietly observing over the past three months was probably because he needed time to revive Zhuge Bu using the Crystal Stele and Portrait Immortal’s power. After thinking deeply, I asked.

“Isn’t Luoyang the enemy’s base? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“It will be dangerous, but I must go. Because no one can threaten me anymore.”

As the Sect Leader responded, he added,

“Baek Woong, you should come with me. We will slay all the scum of the Imperial Palace.”

So the purpose was that, huh? I cautiously tried to pull back.

“I’m not sure if my skills are sufficient to assist in that battle…”

“That may be true.”

“……”

Saying that felt a bit bitter. However, I was so shocked by what the Sect Leader said next that I couldn’t even worry about my pride anymore.

“So, tomorrow, I will grant you the Heavenly Spirit Pill.”

“`

 

---