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“`html

“I really don’t get it.”

Whether it’s Lee Cheong-un, Jin So-cheong, or Mangnyang, they are all way smarter and more talented than me, and the top experts of our generation, including the Sect Leader, aren’t falling behind either. Even if they put their heads together, can I really offer a solution in this situation where no answers seem to turn up?

What they want from me isn’t a logical and rational solution. It’s my unique intuition, something only I hold, as I’ve been going through this reincarnation with the Heavenly Secret.

“So thinking deeply about it is kind of meaningless…?”

I reflected intensely but quickly realized it was just a mess of conclusions repeating themselves, leading me to start emptying my head. I sank into the abyss of my own existence, feeling absurd, like a simpleton. To be honest, I doubted this method would work, but I thought that maybe clearing my mind would be a better approach.

And then I muttered absently, “What if I just get ridiculously lucky?”

“……”

“……”

Uh… what did I just say?

Even I found it sounded like nonsense, scratching my head involuntarily. But the people around me weren’t showing disappointment; they looked at me seriously. Especially Mangnyang, who seemed quite aghast at my words.

“Baek Woong! That could indeed be an alternative. I’ve thought about it too. And it’s something only you can do… but… can that actually work?”

“Huh?”

“That’s… a gamble with low odds.”

Confused, I tilted my head, not really understanding what Mangnyang was getting at. I had just suggested leaving it to chance since I couldn’t think of any clever tricks, but how had he interpreted it? Lee Cheong-un, who had been watching my expressions, sighed and spoke up.

“Baek Woong. We’re talking about the Primordial Void Ruler.”

“Primordial Void Ruler? Why is that…?”

“Didn’t that happen just once before? An incredibly lucky stroke of fortune that you yourself could hardly believe…?”

“Oh!!”

In that moment, I realized what they were talking about. I clapped my hands and exclaimed, “The stacking of great luck!!”

“Exactly.”

A wave of disbelief washed over me.

In the past, I had forcibly overlapped my luck by performing a ritual offering to the Primordial Void Ruler out of sheer curiosity. At that time, Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin were horrified and sent me to the Imperial Palace. Out of the blue, I arrived there and my luck had turned into catastrophe when a meteorite struck, obliterating everything!

The massive aura of the Great Immortal twisted fates and ran wild, bringing immense blessings but also a significant backlash! This was the peculiar nature of contracts with Heavenly Spirits.

Lee Cheong-un and Mangnyang, who were sharing my past experiences through obsidian, pointed this out. Reflecting on that moment made me scratch my head.

“Ha… But that’s just a useless stunt. The moment my brief luck wrapped up, I got killed by a meteorite. Even if stacking luck could prevent the Celestial Realm from bringing down the Heavenly Ladder, what does it matter if I end up dying?”

“That might usually be the case. But that method is lined with endless possibilities. Why? Because you’ve grasped what the blessing of Tai Gong-mang means in this life.”

“Huh?”

“Let me explain, Baek Woong.”

With his arms crossed, Mangnyang began to elaborate.

“Tai Gong-mang said this after being summoned through a ritual offering. He’s willing to give you a chance for a re-selection.”

“Hmm?”

“Think carefully…”

I paused to recollect Mangnyang’s words, recalling the ancient sage Tai Gong-mang’s words when he was summoned back then.

[I wish to bless you, but… since you are exceptional, I intend to grant you a choice.]

[I will give you a chance to receive my blessing or another’s blessing again. What will you choose?]

That’s right!

Tai Gong-mang had indeed set up that option. Since I had no intention of reselecting my blessing, I received the Four Great Spirits from Tai Gong-mang. After that, I had been using that as a means of transportation, so I hadn’t thought too deeply about it. While I was recalling that moment, Mangnyang continued.

“He’ll use his power to fend off the annihilation brought by the stacking and ensure it becomes a single blessing. It sounds simple, but it’s critically important. Because depending on how it’s utilized, it could drastically change the face of the battle.”

“Sorry, I don’t quite get it… could you elaborate a bit more?”

Calmly, Mangnyang explained.

“Baek Woong, you don’t necessarily need to summon giant figures like the Three Sovereigns through an offering ceremony. You can still summon the Great Immortal and perform a communication ritual. This is still possible due to the 49-day allowance, during which the Great Immortal can act freely. So, if we gather enough offerings, we could conduct a ritual offering again like before, summoning Tai Gong-mang and the Great Immortal back.”

“Hmm!!”

“I can guarantee this, having studied in the Celestial Realm until recently.”

I jumped slightly. Until now, I had assumed that once you received a blessing through a ritual offering, that was it, so I’d never considered doing it twice. But if Mangnyang was right, that meant I could call upon the Great Immortal once more.

“And if we were to summon him again, we’d have two choices. The first would be to stack the blessing of the Primordial Void Ruler for some crazy bad luck, and then proceed with the offering ceremony. It might be a risk due to the Prophet, but we could likely face that with great luck as well. The other option is to persuade the Three Sovereigns to stop the Heavenly Sovereign. It’s the most solid and effective method.”

My expression grimaced.

“If I do that, I’m as good as dead.”

“That’s why we should save this method as a last resort.”

Continuing with his explanation, Mangnyang added,

“The latter option would involve passing it on to Tai Gong-mang, receiving a re-selection through him, and then choosing the luck of the Primordial Void Ruler. While the success rate is lower than the former option, it could significantly enhance the chances of the offering ceremony succeeding.”

“So, it leads back to the offering ceremony.”

“The Sect Leader claimed he would confront head-on, but that’s ludicrous… we must focus exclusively on persuasion, or we’ll all die in the end.”

Listening to that, I tilted my head.

“Wait a second. Hearing you speak, the latter method sounds safe and good, doesn’t it? Besides, it feels like I already thought about it before I even arrived here, so why are you asking me again?”

Mangnyang hesitated for a moment before finally saying,

“Even if you know, executing it is a risky gamble. Because if you take the former option, even if you save the world, it’ll be meaningless if you die, and with the latter option, while the success rate is higher, there’s still no guarantee. It’s still a gamble.”

“A gamble?”

“The reason I hesitated is precisely that… will the luck of the Primordial Void Ruler even work against someone of the Three Sovereigns’ caliber?”

I suddenly realized, feeling despondent.

“Ah…!!”

“Typically, a blessing granted by a lesser being doesn’t affect a higher existence. There’s a possibility that you could get killed by the Three Sovereigns due to a grudge. So, I couldn’t carelessly leave the outcome to fate.”

With a nod, I agreed.

“I suppose I can only bring this up once I speak. ”

“That’s how it is.”

While munching on an apple beside me, Lee Cheong-un spoke up.

“But for now, this method seems the best choice. If you’re willing, Baek Woong, we’ll trust and follow you completely.”

“Hmmm.”

I could feel the weight of my thoughts.

Should I truly believe in the luck of the Primordial Void Ruler and execute this final plan?

After pondering for a while, I finally spoke.

“I will do it.”

If I’m going to lose, then at least I won’t leave empty-handed. Plus, I was curious to see how much that so-called luck could change this situation. Upon hearing my answer, Mangnyang seemed relieved, his expression tinged with sadness, and he remarked,

“It’s shameful to entrust everything to a reborn person like you!”

“Well, death is death, isn’t it?”

Mangnyang let out a dry laugh.

“If anyone else had said that, it would’ve been an absurd boast, but… with you saying it, I genuinely have no words.”

“……”

After a moment, I left the hut with Mangnyang to take a walk in the nearby forest. During our brief exchanges about how we had been doing, Mangnyang suddenly asked,

“Baek Woong. By the way, it seems like you’re harboring the soul of Zhuge Sa. What are you going to do about that?”

I was taken aback and asked back,

“You can tell that?”

“Sixty years of training wasn’t wasted. I can feel another spirit lingering around you, likely your uncle, Zhuge Sa.”

As Mangnyang droned on, he added,

“What’s Zhuge Sa saying right now?”

At that, Zhuge Sa’s blunt voice echoed in my mind.

[Tell him I’m watching the steps of the capable Baek Woong.]

[What are you complaining about now?]

[Are you really planning to keep me locked in your head for ten thousand years? I’m actually holding back quite a bit; if I decide to mess with you, you’d lose your mind in a few years.]

[……]

I swallowed hard. Zhuge Sa’s threats had always been somewhat playful, but this time felt different. It was laced with noticeable annoyance and anger, making me consider that he might genuinely plunge my mind into chaos. If he kept babbling incessantly and blasted off his madness like that, I really might go insane.

But I collected myself and responded,

“So, if I don’t yield my body, you’ll drive me mad, huh?”

“That’s likely. But is there any way to give you my body?”

“I’ve learned the Soul Exchange Technique.”

I explained to Mangnyang how I had gained the right of the Heretical Sect Leader from Zhuge Sa and had consistently trained the Soul Exchange Technique to enhance my abilities. Listening thoughtfully, Mangnyang finally said,

“Baek Woong, I’d like to have a word with Zhuge Sa. Can you lend him your body?”

“Got it.”

I fetched one of Zhuge Yulong’s spare bodies and placed it before Mangnyang. When I invoked the Soul Exchange Technique, Zhuge Sa gradually opened his eyes. He rose smoothly from his seat and spoke with a sardonic tone,

“Hyun Ah, your uncle is currently struggling. You have no idea how much I’ve been dying from this blockheaded brain of yours.”

“Confirmed, it’s definitely Zhuge Sa.”

Mangnyang, still with measured composure, replied,

“I hear Baek Woong has helped immensely in taking out Zhuge Yulong and Zhuge Bu. But after seeing your recent actions and advice, I’m left with confusion.”

“……”

“What expectations do you have for Baek Woong? Given your movements, that can be the only explanation. It feels like you’re sensing something substantial and are cooperating accordingly.”

Expectations? From that jerk towards me?

I was taken aback by his unexpected words. The despiser who always picked fights and irritated people was harboring expectations for me? Considering the pent-up animosity over time, I couldn’t help but feel my patience was truly commendable.

Zhuge Sa smirked with a crooked smile.

“Hehehe. Does it look that way?”

With firmness, Mangnyang asserted,

“If it didn’t, Baek Woong wouldn’t have made it this far. He’d have met a sudden death long before even reaching halfway.”

“……”

“It’s impossible unless you devise all your intelligence and strategies to give advice. You’ve dragged Baek Woong here by force, a feat I’ve never seen you commit to with such fervor.”

My expression twisted at Mangnyang’s harsh evaluation of my incident with Zhuge Sa. Yet, Zhuge Sa nodded knowingly and replied,

“That does sound about right.”

After a brief pause, Zhuge Sa grinned and said,

“But what does it matter? I enjoy both the process and the result, so I hold no regrets.”

“You say that while pouting like a child wanting their toy?”

Zhuge Sa suddenly complained,

“Damn it… if you had this blockhead brain in me, you wouldn’t be saying that. You have no idea how maddeningly powerful this idiot, Baek Woong, can become!”

“……”

“I don’t have some lofty goal anymore; I’m just fed up with being stuck in here and want out.”

Zhuge Sa said bluntly, waving dismissively.

“Well, whatever. It looks like he’s not letting me go for fear of getting a backstab. So you can stop worrying about it too.”

At that point, Mangnyang looked at me and inquired,

“Baek Woong, how about giving Zhuge Sa your body?”

“Huh?!”

“Please. His abilities could be quite useful.”

I could feel myself wavering. Why would Mangnyang—of all people—ask for this? It meant that harnessing Zhuge Sa could yield far greater gains than simply worrying about a potential betrayal. Yet, resolutely, I countered,

“I won’t do that.”

I knew all too well how much I disliked Zhuge Sa, and I grasped just how capable he could be. So even if it seemed foolish, I wasn’t going to risk my outcome for unmanageable gain. Mangnyang sighed sadly.

“I understand.”

A moment later, I wrapped up our walk with Mangnyang and returned to the hut. Zhuge Sa also seemed to return to his own body after the limit of the Soul Exchange Technique had passed.

Before I knew it, Lee Cheong-un had gathered all the Thunder God lineage experts and was calmly explaining our upcoming operation.

“From here on out, our Thunder God lineage will focus solely on defending the Heavenly Altar until that day comes. If the Heavenly Altar is destroyed before the 49 days are up, the Celestial Realm can intervene immediately.”

“Yes!”

The Thunder God experts responded vigorously, and Lee Cheong-un turned to me and continued.

“Baek Woong. You’re to prepare a massive offering comparable to a ritual offering. Only you can tackle this task.”

“Understood.”

“If you need help, just let me know at any time. We’re here to support you.”

Lee Cheong-un then seemed to remember something and added,

“But just in case, why don’t you take a few days to train your martial arts with me beforehand?”

“Huh?”

“I hear you’ve been stuck on progress, including your Three Treasure Technique, right? You need to get stronger so you can have more choices in the future, so I’ll do my best to guide you. I’ll show you a path beyond what you’ve heard from the Sect Leader.”

“……!!”

I grasped that an unexpected opportunity had been laid before me.

This was none other than Lee Cheong-un, the strongest Dharma Guardian in history, personally mentoring me one-on-one. I felt happy but also a tinge of suspicion, leading me to ask Lee Cheong-un.

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

Lee Cheong-un chuckled.

“You’re the ‘A’ class, right? I’m the ‘B’ class.”

“……?”

“Then let’s start training in half a moment.”

His words left me flabbergasted.

‘What does A mean?’

Anyway, this reincarnation felt like a string of fortuitous encounters piling up. I resolved to absorb everything I could from Lee Cheong-un and answered with enthusiasm.

“Yes!”

“`

 

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