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“So, you’re saying it’s about striking a deal with the Master of the White Lotus Sect?”

Even though Zhuge Sa’s words suddenly threw me into an adventure, I wasn’t flustered this time. I had seen it coming the moment I decided to confront the Vermilion Bird.

“You are aware of the situation, huh?”

“I figured you’d notice my newfound strength, including that of the Moon Sovereign.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled at my response and said, “So you understand that much. Now all that’s left is your resolution.”

“…”

I hesitated to respond. The reason I needed to confront the Sect Leader right now was simple: the slave contract of the Heavenly Spirit Pill!

Upon realizing that the Heavenly Spirit Pill, the pinnacle power and weapon of the White Lotus Sect, was essentially a slave contract, I could no longer settle for merely being a passive follower. If I accepted the Heavenly Spirit Pill and couldn’t nullify the contract, I could end up like others—a plaything for the Old Ruler, suffering in eternity.

Moreover, I had reached my limit just observing the situation under the Sect Leader. Whether it was the Moon Sovereign or the National Seal, I needed to reclaim my strength sooner or later. I had just made the hasty choice to act now.

After a moment of hesitation, I said, “Zhuge Sa. Now that I am the master of the Moon Sovereign, what are my odds against the Sect Leader?”

“You foolish one. Why concern yourself with odds? That’s not even worth discussing.”

Zhuge Sa continued with a casual air, “Currently, only the Master of the Twelve Joules stands a chance against the Sect Leader. The Moon Sovereign merely qualifies you to have a conversation with him.”

“So, I can’t win, huh?”

“If you were facing an unchanged Sect Leader, you might have a 20% chance… But given that you’ve lost all your treasures to him, and he studied under the Seven Great Techniques, your chances are zero.”

“Ugh…”

“But you’ve also obtained the National Seal. If used wisely, you could extract the information you need from the Sect Leader.”

I gritted my teeth. ‘Right. Even if I tried to escape from the Sect Leader now, it would be pointless!’

While I had gained a lot of information from the Sect Leader, I was still only scratching the surface. I knew the truth behind the Heavenly Spirit Pill, but I hadn’t yet uncovered the Sect Leader’s true intent. Approaching someone so close to the Sect Leader seemed nearly impossible, so I had to risk everything to learn all I could about the White Lotus Sect this time around. Otherwise, I’d suffer meaningless deaths over ten times.

Additionally, another concern nagged at me. As I pondered, Zhuge Sa spoke again.

“There’s a deal involving Sangwan Hyuk.”

“Shouldn’t I give the Baek Woong to him?”

“What he requested was a powerful treasure. Who knows when you’ll acquire such a treasure again. But…”

With a mischievous laugh, Zhuge Sa continued, “If you just switch the order of operations a bit, you won’t have to worry about that.”

“Huh?”

“Stop babbling and answer me. Are you resolved?”

Under Zhuge Sa’s prompting, I found myself hesitating again. This was arguably the biggest turning point in this life, and if I failed, I could end up worse than death. It wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly. After another moment of contemplation, I replied, “I’m ready. But first, I want to test the Moon Sovereign’s power.”

“Haha… Want to show off a bit?”

“I can’t have a conversation without knowing what the Moon Sovereign can do.”

“Understood. So, let’s head to the Arasa Empire.”

“What?”

When I asked back, Zhuge Sa explained, “It’s part of my plan anyway. If I’m going to exert my power, I might as well get some things done in advance.”

With a whoosh, I followed Zhuge Sa’s lead and arrived in a village of the Arasa Empire, where I had once visited. This place gathered forces to oppose the corrupted emperor, including the Capital Monk Belov of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Upon the sudden appearance of an Eastern boy, the knights and soldiers were taken aback. Zhuge Sa chuckled and said, “I’ll translate for you.”

Zhuge Sa synced with my soul, granting me some of his language skills. Now I was ready to speak, confidently articulating in fluent Arasa.

“I am Baek Woong from the Ming Dynasty. I come seeking a meeting with the Capital Monk Belov, the Archbishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church.”

Whispers filled the air.

The gathered knights and soldiers began murmuring, all understanding my fluent Arasa. A burly knight clad in steel armor gruffly said, “What’s he saying? Seize him.”

As soldiers stepped forward, swords drawn, a loud voice echoed from behind.

“Stop right there!”

It was the Capital Monk Belov striding towards me down the snow-laden path. He scrutinized me with suspicion before saying, “A marvel from the East? Why do you seek me?”

“Belov. I can assist you, for I have the means to unravel the dragon’s seal.”

“……!!”

Belov gazed at me in astonishment. He scanned the surroundings before saying, “We need to discuss this in more detail.”

“No need for lengthy discussions. Just promise me this.”

“What promise?”

“If I awaken the dragon and defeat the mad emperor, Ivan IV, your Eastern Orthodox Church will grant me a Sacred Relic.”

“Hmm…”

Belov sighed heavily and replied, “Baek Woong, you seem well-informed about our circumstances, but awakening a dragon sounds unattainable…”

“I’ll head to the cave first.”

With a sound like Ta-da!, I activated the Soul Removal Technique and disappeared into a secluded cave. I noticed the Westerners, including Belov, flailing in surprise behind me, but I didn’t care. As I ventured deeper into the cave, I sensed an incredible chill emanating from the ice walls where a colossal reptile, easily twenty times my size, was ensnared.

This was a Western dragon!

The Eastern Orthodox Church intended to awaken this legendary beast to combat the emperor, who had become powerful through myths created by the hands of the apostles. I recalled my past visit here with Miho.

‘Unlike the Eastern dragon, this one radiates a profoundly evil aura. While I have no doubt about its power, awakening it will likely bring calamity.’

‘It seems someone, perhaps a powerful sorcerer, realized its malignance and sacrificed themselves to seal it.’

‘While it resembles the Eastern dragon, I’m sure this Western dragon won’t be friendly toward humans. I doubt Belov possesses the ability to control it, though it’s undeniably powerful.’

Miho’s intuition and experience indicated that this imprisoned dragon was a remarkably wicked and powerful being. So, I had originally stepped away from getting involved in the Arasa Empire’s affairs.

But now, I was here to acquire the treasure to give to Sangwan Hyuk. I had heard that Sacred Relics were on par with those treasures, so I intended to resolve what I couldn’t back then.

As I gazed at the dragon, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“I see… It’s a being of Count Dracula.”

“What do you mean you see?”

“This is an existence that was originally human and has been reincarnated as a dragon. I have heard the rumors. If it’s from Romania, then it’s definitely true.”

“It was originally human?”

“A human lord traded with otherworldly beings for the body of a dragon to achieve immortality. Naturally, it became a creature of greed and malice.”

Having explained this, Zhuge Sa said, “So, just devour it. A golden opportunity indeed.”

With determination, I extended the bracelet and began channeling the Moon Sovereign’s power. Enormous energy surged from the Three Divine Tools and resonated with the bracelet, slowly melting the millennium-old ice imprisoning the dragon.

And faster than the ice melted, I felt the massive soul of the dragon escaping. The dragon’s soul screamed in agony.

Roar!!

But as I activated the Moon Sovereign’s power, my sorcery increased exponentially, and the absorption capacity of the bracelet soared. Something, imprisoned for hundreds of years, simply couldn’t withstand it. In the end, the dragon’s soul was completely absorbed into the bracelet.

Paking!!

In that moment, the jewel in the bracelet glowed crimson, and I felt a surge of power pulsing from it. Zhuge Sa explained the current phenomenon.

“The bracelet is now filled with the dragon’s soul. Its power is probably equivalent to thousands of ordinary humans.”

“I followed orders, but what’s so great about this?”

“Hehe… You’ll find out soon enough.”

Just then, Belov rushed into the cave with soldiers and knights in tow. Spotting me, he exclaimed, “You’re trying to awaken the dragon—what’s going on?”

“This dragon is evil, and not awakening it would be worse. So now, I’ll go and take down the emperor.”

“Wait, what…?”

“Once more, I ask: If I eliminate the emperor, will you give me the Sacred Relic?”

“……”

Belov, after some thought, nodded. “If you succeed, yes… but how…”

With another whoosh, I hopped onto the Safulsang again and this time moved to the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, the capital of the Arasa Empire. Beneath this palace lay the Prophet’s secret library, and I had memories of coming out from the palace’s depths long ago. As I slowly walked through the vast halls of the immense palace, I heard a rumbling sound.

It resembled the sound of a heart beating. Upon hearing it, Zhuge Sa remarked, “This place has already become a magical domain. There must undoubtedly be an apostolic being residing here.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Don’t worry. We’re far enough from the Central Plains that pulling a tiger’s hair won’t bring any repercussions. Besides, it looks like the apostle is in a deep sleep after exhausting their power. You can use the Moon Sovereign freely.”

With that warning, Zhuge Sa advised, “There’s likely an apostle sleeping at the palace’s core, so lingering here could be perilous. Let’s head outside.”

After stepping outside the palace and wandering the city for some time, I suddenly saw a massive illusion materialize in the air. It was a young man donned in luxurious clothing, bearing the appearance of a colorful-eyed person. His spectral visage loomed extraordinarily large with dozens of images.

Exuding a sinister yet powerful aura, the young man bellowed, “Hahaha! An uninvited guest has arrived at my palace; are you planning to leave just like that? Come over here, barbarian!”

The mad emperor had appeared. I recalled the past when I had hesitated to confront him and fled without looking back. Without the power of the golden leaves granted by Belov, I would have been no match for him.

But this time, I was here to face him head-on.

“Moon Sovereign, awaken!”

As I called out, the Three Divine Tools trembled and manifested around me. Simultaneously, I felt the liberated power of the Moon Sovereign coursing throughout my body. The stunned expression on the emperor Ivan IV’s face showed he was caught off guard.

“What is that power?”

“It’s the strength that allows an uninvited guest to take down the owner!”

I quickly responded, conjuring Moon Shadows like Miho had done in the past. These Moon Shadows appeared numerous, writhing as if alive, and as I willed them, I instinctively understood how to utilize them.

‘Ah, the Moon Sovereign is quite accommodating compared to Xuyou.’

Having handled Xuyou before, I knew it provided immense power but had never taught me any associated knowledge or techniques. While I was aware of the technique called Heavenly Ice, I had never experienced it. But with the Moon Sovereign, I seemed to intuitively know how to use techniques the moment I wanted to.

With a swoosh, the Moon Shadows shot forth, piercing Ivan IV’s body. Even in his semi-translucent spirit form, he emitted a painful scream as the shadows penetrated him.

“Aaaagh!! You bastard!!”

‘Does this actually work?’

To my surprise, his spectral form was cut like tofu by the Moon Shadows, which was staggering since I expected them to only scrape by. It appeared the power possessed by the Seven Luminaries was effective even against mythological beings. Ivan IV summoned a colossal palm imbued with immense pressure to strike me, but I effortlessly unfolded the Moon Sovereign’s barrier and deflected it.

Simultaneously, I grasped one of the Moon Shadows wandering around me, which was the sword known as the Heavenly Sword, also referred to as the Heavenly Gathering Cloud Sword within Dongyoung.

“Haap!!”

Space literally split as I unleashed the power.

With a whoosh, the Bowing Sky Slash sliced through the air, splitting everything in its trajectory and halving the space itself. Ivan IV staggered, his body starting to turn into particles of light.

“Gaaa… No…!”

The shock of defeating such a once-feared adversary left me dumbfounded. I had taken down a powerful divine spirit, one I would have had to offer up ten lives just to face on my own.

Zhuge Sa smirked, “The Seven Luminaries are divine artifacts created by the Three Sovereigns, infused with the power of the Old Ruler. There’s no way a mere apostolic spirit can withstand it.”

“Won’t the apostle inside retali when I finish him off?”

“You’re finally starting to think. Now, quit showing off and let’s head back.”

“……”

“After taking damage like that, he may not be obliterated, but he should be significantly weakened.”

From that statement, I deduced that Ivan IV hadn’t been obliterated, but he probably wouldn’t pose much threat. Eradicating him would be akin to a simple task; still, there was no need to go that far, so I taunted him.

“Seems you’ve met a fitting end at the hands of an uninvited guest.”

“You…!!”

“Don’t tell your mother about this.”

With that, I teased Ivan IV and returned to Belov’s encampment. I approached Belov and stated, “You must have been watching everything through your spell of long-range observation. Ivan IV is now too weak to even pick himself up.”

“Hmm…”

“Now hand over the Sacred Relic.”

Belov gazed at me, astonished, then sighed and said, “Very well…”

He may not hold any goodwill towards me, but it wouldn’t be prudent to offend a being strong enough to defeat Ivan IV. His expression conveyed discomfort, yet he maintained composure.

Eventually, Belov returned with several elder monks carrying a large chest and unlocked it with a key. Inside the chest, the size of a human, was a piece of stone slab the size of a fist.

With trembling hands, Belov presented the slab to me, saying, “This is a fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet. It is the most valuable and sacred Sacred Relic we possess…”

“The Ten Commandments Tablet?”

“We thank you for your contribution.”

“Got it.”

After collecting the plaque from Belov, I headed back to Luoyang in the Central Plains.

‘I need to give this Ten Commandments Tablet fragment to Sangwan Hyuk.’

It felt as though I had rushed through my errands, but I could genuinely feel the significance of the moment. Becoming the master of the Seven Luminaries meant wielding the power of a different divine status altogether!

Filled with newfound confidence, I declared to Zhuge Sa, “Alright, I’m going!”

I had made up my mind. No more lingering on indecision; I would use my strength to persuade the Master of the White Lotus Sect.

 

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