Chapter 422
“I don’t want to ride that!”
As I tried to get him on the Obsidian Beast, the Prophet shot back, “Why?”
“The Obsidian Beast is a spirit creature from the Celestial Realm. My magical powers don’t vibe well with it… It’s like sitting in a thorn bush!”
“But it’s so far to the Heavenly Altar!” I protested, bewildered. We were thousands of Li away from the Central Plains, in a remote land, and just a bit farther would lead us to the Arasa Empire followed by the Western Regions. How long would it take to go from here to the Five Great Mountains in the Central Plains?
Then the Prophet said, “I’ve already scouted the place. Let’s just do it at Mount Hua.”
“But how are we supposed to get there?”
“I’ll handle it. Don’t worry…”
Swish!
The Prophet vanished the moment he finished speaking.
“Whoa.” Did he just use some magic? As I stared dumbfounded, Zhuge Sa urged me, “Let’s go.”
“What did he do?”
“Probably cast a spell. He’s already on his way.”
“Even so, it’s thousands of Li from Astana to the Five Peaks…”
Sure, there were techniques like Transmission or the Spatial Technique in the magical system. But even then, moving a thousand Li was impressive, and unless you were a Grand Sorcerer, moving even a hundred Li was tough. The idea of magically zipping through thousands of Li? That was off the charts!
The Obsidian Beast could travel via the Spirit Power of the Celestial Realm, and the Golden Lamp was a magical artifact meant for travel, but still, moving that far in one go was plain insane! If I wasn’t leveraging an artifact, I’d never keep up with that kind of impossible speed.
Then Zhuge Sa let out a hearty laugh. “That Prophet is the king of the Zhuyong Tribe and an ancient monster from before the era of the Three Sovereigns. He’s an otherworldly being living beyond the stars! Just knowing he exists could drive an ordinary person mad. Their magic is way stronger than basic spell techniques, so he can definitely pull off extraordinary spells!”
“So, you’re saying spell techniques are weaker than magic?”
“Not at all; you know from experience that mastery and talent are what counts. If techniques were really weaker, we wouldn’t even be talking about the strength of someone like the Illusory God Cheon Woo-jin!”
“Hmm.” That made sense. Among all the Demon Sorcerers I’d seen, none were as strong as Cheon Woo-jin. Excited by the mention of magic, Zhuge Sa continued.
“Both magic and techniques stem from the power of the Old Ruler. Techniques are just a more refined system. And magic has a well-developed method for human sacrifice, which also has its own perks!”
“So, in the end, it’s about sacrificing people to get stronger?”
“That’s better than wasting talent and life with no gains, right?”
“…”
I was briefly tempted by Zhuge Sa’s logic. If you could just skip all that nonsense and get stronger through human sacrifice, life would be so much easier. However, I shook my head and announced, “We need to go.”
Swish!
A little later, I arrived at the Heavenly Altar of Mount Hua. There, three experts from the Su Shin Sect were waiting. As soon as they spotted me, they bowed deeply, “We greet the Deputy Sect Leader.”
I glanced around, noticing that the Su Shin experts had secured the area around the Heavenly Altar after defeating the Huashan Sect. Not a drop of blood or sign of battle indicated a bloodless entry.
“I command you to keep anyone from coming within five Li of this place for the next day. Make sure the Huashan Sect is informed as well.”
“Understood.”
My order was a bit rough, but this was crucial. If they were too dense to understand a warning, they’d need to be dealt with. As the Su Shin experts scattered with their Light Body Technique, I stepped closer to the Heavenly Altar.
Just then, with a black shimmer, the Prophet appeared as if he had been waiting in the void, having likely concealed himself so well that the Su Shin experts hadn’t noticed. “You’ve finally arrived. Let’s get started,” he said.
“Wait. What do we need for the Offering Ceremony?”
I decided to double-check. “Order, rights, qualifications, and timing.”
“You know all this?”
“Of course! Chiu Hel shared the details of the Offering Ceremony with me before it was created… I know all there is to know about it!”
“The rights, qualifications, and timings?”
“You’re already the Lord of the Moon Sovereign, acknowledged by the Celestial Realm, and have rights for the Offering Ceremony… As for timing, I’ll align it with my magic. Your qualifications are obvious since you’ve gained benefits many times through the Offering Ceremony.”
The Prophet’s body suddenly radiated a brilliant glow.
BOOM!
“We can start the Offering Ceremony right now… But first, decide what you want to sacrifice and what you’re asking for.”
As the light faded, the figure that emerged looked surprisingly human—like Jeon Wook, the Ancient High Priest, donned in robes of old. But something was off; dark energy swirled around his body, and his face had a few hard, shell-like protrusions. His eyes gleamed with a terrifying light, sending chills up my spine.
Confused, I asked, “Why transform into a human all of a sudden?”
“The Three Sovereigns aren’t fond of seeing beings from other realms… don’t want to provoke any hostility.”
“Wow, who knew they were so picky?”
As I pondered, the Prophet pressed, “What will you offer? What will you ask?”
After careful thought, I replied, “I’ll offer the Portrait Immortal and the Bracelet of the Magical Beast, and I’ll request a halt to the Heavenly Decree.”
“Really? Are you sure that’s enough?”
I replied with bitterness, “I can always throw in more offerings later? We’ll negotiate it.”
Offering the National Seal and the Moon Sovereign would significantly increase what I was dedicating, but that was a risky path. If I threw everything in, I’d be left with crumbs and wouldn’t be able to involve myself in the upcoming chaos. The potential danger was too great to just jump in blindly.
“It’s possible. But… it doesn’t sound very smart.”
The Prophet folded his arms, looking somewhat displeased. “You seem to be acting on impulse when the fate of the world is at stake. Do you not have a plan for the consequences of failure?”
“Ugh…”
His point stung. It was true—I had rushed here without a solid plan, merely intending to protest against the Three Sovereigns’ decree with the Offering Ceremony. This might be one of the most critical moments in my new life, yet I entered with hardly a strategy!
As I realized this, the Prophet stated, “I’ll wait here for a day. Discuss further strategies with the Sect Leader.”
“With the Sect Leader?”
“The Sect Leader possesses many of your treasures. If you can acquire them, your chances of success will skyrocket. There’s also treasure unique to the Master of the White Lotus Sect…”
“Ah.”
That made sense! Feeling a surge of clarity, I quickly said, “Thank you!”
“Don’t make more mistakes… I’m trading meticulously based on the value of the sacred relic you gave.”
“…”
A chill ran down my spine. The Prophet was merciless and demanding nothing less than precise transactions. The advice he just gave wasn’t out of kindness but merely a price to balance what I’d given him.
Without wasting a moment, I hopped back on the Obsidian Beast and headed to the Sect Leader.
“Sect Leader, I have something to discuss.”
I explained the current situation to the Sect Leader, leaving out any mention of Lee Cheong-un’s existence, of course. After wrapping up my explanation, I concluded with, “So, in my view, rather than provoke the Thunder God Lineage, we should secure the Five Peaks and conduct the Offering Ceremony to maximize our chances of success…”
“Baek Woong. Are you saying you want to include my treasures in this Offering Ceremony?”
“Isn’t stopping the Heavenly Decree our most pressing concern?”
“Hmm…”
The Sect Leader appeared deep in thought, furrowing his brow. After a while, he finally said, “I need time to think. Wait a moment.”
“Sure.”
I stepped outside and waited for a while. Once the minute was up, I re-entered to find an unexpected sight—the Sect Leader tossed the Golden Lamp and Wooden Armor my way.
“Take this.”
“Are you sure?”
“This is just the beginning. Follow me.”
“…?”
I was shocked. The Golden Lamp and Wooden Armor were outstanding magical artifacts, on par or better than the most famous swords! It was odd that he’d hand back what he took from me, and yet there was more?
Soon, I followed the Sect Leader away. We exited the Fortress where the main hall of the White Lotus Sect was, turning away all the elder council experts accompanying him, which suggested we were heading somewhere significant.
Whoosh!
I sped along with the Sect Leader using a wild pace of the Light Body Technique until we reached a massive fortress that could only be described as a mountain carved down to form a gigantic structure. But it was evident the outer wall was crafted, making it clear it was an artificial structure.
Clunk…
Activating the mechanism, the Sect Leader swung open a colossal iron door and walked in, saying, “What you’re about to witness is the greatest secret of our sect and the Su Shin Sect.”
“What?”
“If this secret spills outside, I’ll rip you apart and make you suffer, even if the world ends!”
The greatest secret! And the Sect Leader’s threat!
Clearly, the Sect Leader was well aware of the precarious situation facing the White Lotus Sect. Plus, he knew I was rather unfazed by the thought of death. Yet, his insistence on the threat suggested there was something incredibly vital hidden inside.
If things went wrong, this was a secret worth killing me over!
“…I understand.”
Then the Sect Leader chuckled softly. “…Heh, I never thought I would share this secret with someone in my lifetime. I expected to crush the Imperial Palace but not get entangled in such a mess… Life really is full of chaotic twists!”
Hearing the Sect Leader’s musings felt fresh. I followed him through a dark secret passage for some time, crossing several chambers, until we finally reached what appeared to be a gigantic altar.
The altar had a triangular shape inscribed with bizarre letters on each tier. Surrounding it were numerous spiral staircases that looked like decorations, and blue flames darted around like fireflies.
Whooosh!
“Sect Leader, what’s that altar… and the blue lights?”
“That is the spirit.”
“What?”
“We’re feeding it.”
The Sect Leader extended his hand, and suddenly, with a booming sound, a transparent barrier shimmered into view. After murmuring a spell in the language of outsiders while touching the barrier, the Sect Leader finally withdrew his hand, saying, “This place has a barrier that prohibits anyone outside the Su Shin Sect from entering. I’ve temporarily disengaged it.”
“Understood.”
We walked up the spiral staircase inside the barrier, slowly approaching the altar. As we stepped up, I felt oddly familiar with the architecture—it was a classic style of the otherworldly race.
This confirmed that the Sect Leader was indeed a master of magical arts and well-versed in the knowledge of the otherworldly race.
The Sect Leader took the lead, stating, “The power I gained in my youth was thanks to this ruin.”
“Ruin? Are we not in the village of the Su Shin?”
Indeed, this colossal structure was effectively the village of the Su Shin, who did not live within the main hall of the White Lotus Sect but rather in this closely-knit fortress. I had caught a glimpse of the Su Shin village from afar upon entering.
“Correct.”
The Sect Leader answered as he picked up his pace on the suspended staircase. “I’ve always been a bookworm since my youth, a descendant of the Priest of the White Lotus Sect. Martial arts never really interested me. My lifelong goal has been to preserve knowledge as the priest’s lineage for future generations and to conduct the sect’s rituals.”
“…”
“One day, I stumbled upon an ancient document containing records of the Dharma Masters and learned that ancient ruins were hidden inside this mountain. I pushed with all my might to reach this place, driven only by my thirst for knowledge.”
Suddenly, he paused.
“And there it was! The Altar of Heavenly Darkness.”
“Altar of Heavenly Darkness?”
The Sect Leader nodded. “The Dharma Master created the spells of the Non-Birth Mother with assistance from outsiders, but the powers of chaos were too overwhelming. They ended up scattered across the world. The Dharma Master passed away around that time. But to ensure that the White Lotus Sect had a piece of it, the altar was constructed before the spells were completed.”
“So, the spell of the Non-Birth Mother is sealed in this altar?”
“Correct. It was waiting for the right successor.”
The Sect Leader stepped off the spiral staircase to reach the top tier of the altar.
“I lived here for a long time, gaining food and power as I interpreted the spells…”
Considering the Sect Leader’s Light Body Technique, he could have easily reached the top without needing to use the stairs, indicating that this spot was special to him. When I finally placed my foot on the top tier, the Sect Leader opened a stone box.
Clunk…
From within, he pulled out a massive scroll. It looked like a scroll but had layers upon layers of flat sheets. I couldn’t discern what material it was made of.
But the moment I saw that scroll, my heart raced. I could barely breathe. What was this feeling? My head spun, and my heart felt like it was going to explode.
Maybe he sensed my unease; the Sect Leader moved closer, saying, “Can you hold this?”
I gritted my teeth and reached for the scroll, but in that instant, I felt a massive shadow of darkness loom over my mind.
Bang!
I came to my senses when the Sect Leader slapped me back to reality. Apparently, at the moment I reached out, I had totally spaced out and fainted! Embarrassed, I shook my head.
“Ugh… I totally blacked out.”
“Remarkable.”
The Sect Leader commented, fascinated. “You’re the first person to not just pass out the moment you touched the scroll after opening the lid of this stone box. But you remained intact and even made an attempt to reach out—only fainting in the end!”
“…”
“Many people have burned away their eyes or gotten twisted up like pretzels just looking at the scroll.”
That’s some terrifying talk from the Sect Leader. He tucked the scroll away into his robes.
“The only reason I can hold it is because I learned the right incantations from the Dharma Master’s notes, allowing me to draw out the chaotic energy with my Primordial Spirit. Before I was able to master the chaos, I was practically a lunatic dedicating myself solely to practice. If a regular human climbed up to the highest tier of the Altar of Heavenly Darkness, they’d either succumb to the powers of chaos or die!”
“Uh-huh…”
“The power of the Grimoire is linked to the altar. But look at you—seemingly unbothered by either!”
Suddenly, a realization dawned on me. “Wait… could that scroll be…?”
“Indeed.”
With that, the Sect Leader’s words sent a chill through me. I sensed that the upcoming Offering Ceremony was going to be anything but ordinary.
“This is the ancient mystery that directly traces back to the powers of chaos—the Grimoire of Water Spirit, Ktaart, penned by the gods themselves. I will offer this to the Three Sovereigns to halt the Heavenly Decree!”
