Chapter 475
“Wait, what? His mother was…?”
I stared in shock at Mangnyang’s face. He never really talked about his parents, so to hear that his mother might have been killed by the Celestial Realm was a shocker!
“But… she died of illness!”
Mangnyang responded with a puzzled look, almost as if he had never heard this before. “They said she passed away from an illness when I was young.”
“Exactly. That was just a cover-up for your sake as the youngest in the family. In reality, she was not killed by illness!” Zhuge Bu retorted, sounding almost smug about it.
Mangnyang looked incredulous. “I can’t believe this.”
“Why would I lie about something like this? Besides, it’s not like I’d waste time hiding it from you now!”
Zhuge Bu continued, “The Zhuge clan already knew this. I simply did a quick check using the Soul Exchange Technique. Ask that scoundrel if you don’t believe me!”
“…?”
Of course, you could find out everything by just asking the Zhuge clan using that technique, and it made sense that Zhuge Bu wouldn’t be lying about this. He fully understood they could rip that guy apart anytime.
Mangnyang clenched his fists, obviously struggling. “Let’s say this is true. What does it mean when you say the Celestial Realm directly killed my mother?”
“It means exactly what it sounds like. The Celestial General descended and executed your mother for breaking the Heavenly Law. The reason she was targeted was that your father held a ceremony to change the world’s fate!”
“What?! Really?!”
I blinked in disbelief, trying to wrap my mind around Zhuge Bu’s words. “Did Baek Woong do it? But that would be…”
Sure, Baek Woong might have used a technique to glimpse into the future, but it was all pointless—looking into the future would change it! And if he had acted on that vision during the ceremony, it should have been him, the sinner, who died and not his spouse!
But Mangnyang seemed to have caught on right away, his face twisted in horror. “My mother… took on my father’s sins?”
“Exactly. You’d know that your mother was a strong spiritual presence herself, one of the top shamans of her time. So, she willingly chose to die to save your father from the Celestial realm’s wrath.”
“……”
As Zhuge Bu explained, the truth finally hit me. The guilt and sin that belonged to Zhuge Yulong were passed on to his wife, who died in his place. Zhuge Bu’s tone changed, becoming almost emotional.
“Your father had to witness your mother being killed by the Celestial General with his own eyes.”
Mangnyang sank to the ground in a daze, fists trembling silently before he uttered, “I can’t believe it.”
“Whether you believe it or not isn’t what’s important. I’m just sharing this information as per our earlier agreement.”
“Even if that’s true, there’s no way the Celestial General could run rampant on the earthly realm without the castle’s sorcerers doing something about it!”
Zhuge Bu chuckled dryly. “What do you think happened after they defeated the General? They’ll have sent a force even stronger, like the Three Sovereigns or the direct descendants of the Seven Luminaries to eliminate any rebels. No mere human stands a chance against beings like that!”
Mangnyang couldn’t simply dismiss this as nonsense either. He was clearly shaken and confused.
“……”
“Arguing with me changes nothing about the past. Your father lost your mother because of his own mistakes.”
Mangnyang stared blankly at the floor, devoid of any questions left. I had never seen him this desperate before, sensing I needed to act quickly.
“Mangnyang, snap out of it!”
I rushed to embrace and lift him up, turning back toward Zhuge Bu. “I really don’t care about your family drama. What I want to know is, what trick did Zhuge Yulong use to try to change the future?”
Zhuge Bu grinned. “Why not ask the Zhuge clan? They probably know everything I do.”
But then I snapped, “Shut up! Just answer the question! What kind of ceremony was Zhuge Yulong trying to perform?”
It was crucial to get what information I could; procrastination could lead me to dying unexpectedly before getting the chance. Zhuge Bu finally replied, “I don’t know that either.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Then, without hesitation, I pulled out my sword and pressed the blade against his throat. Zhuge Bu didn’t flinch, responding flatly. “It’s true. My father never told me what kind of ritual he intended to perform. Isn’t that something you could confirm with the Zhuge clan? The only thing I can say for sure is it was a ceremony that only my father could execute.”
I shouted, “Has Zhuge Yulong lost his mind? Does he really think he can change the world’s fate with just one ritual?!”
However, part of me felt a pit of hope. If such a ritual existed, maybe it could turn the tide of this grim world, and perhaps I wouldn’t have to suffer through countless reincarnations. But, feeling silly for even imagining that, I vented my frustration on Zhuge Bu.
Zhuge Bu chuckled weakly. “I honestly don’t know. Ugh!”
Suddenly, I tightened my grip around Zhuge Bu’s arm, causing him to gasp. His skin turned blue from the pressure.
“Ah!…”
As he writhed in pain, I applied my internal power to his meridians, glaring down at him. “Listen carefully. I’m from the Thunder God lineage, and I know the torture techniques of the Eight Trigram Seal and the Six Harmonies Total Kill. This technique requires immense internal power, making it difficult even for seasoned experts to withstand past level three, but I have so much internal power that I could push it up to level five!”
“……”
“And I’ve never encountered someone who could hold out past the third level of the Eight Trigram Seal. Just how much can you endure?”
This was no exaggeration. Thanks to my exceptional torture techniques, I rarely needed to learn particular skills just to extract information. The Thunder God lineage’s torture expertise had a solid thousand years of history. Noticing the seriousness in my expression, Zhuge Bu begged desperately.
“Wait! I might not know about the ritual, but if it’s clues you’re after, I have something!”
“Spill it.”
“Jin Cheon-hwi! Jin Cheon-hwi the General knew some details!”
What? I was taken aback by this unexpected name. “Why is his name even coming up here?”
Zhuge Bu continued, “He was the star of the previous General’s Office, a genius strategist on par with Hwang Yeon! He also happened to be a close friend of my father, so he might have shared information about that ritual!”
Moreover, he was Jin So-cheong’s father and a member of the imperial family. I mentally added, “But he’s dead.”
“Hold up, he was executed by the last emperor, remember?” I said, shocked.
This is the issue at hand—although Jin Cheon-hwi may have known what kind of ritual Zhuge Yulong attempted in the past, he was already dead!
As I was about to question him further, Mangnyang, who had been swaying beside me, grabbed my shoulder. “That’s enough. Baek Woong.”
“Are you okay, Mangnyang?” I queried. He nodded briskly and then faced Zhuge Bu. “Brother, I’m sure you’re curious as to why the Zhuge clan hasn’t executed you yet.”
“……”
“They aren’t keeping you alive just to sacrifice you or torture you. It’s because Baek Woong insisted! If it weren’t for him, you would have been a meal for the Demon Beasts ages ago or have become a wandering soul!”
This was absolutely true. I had insisted on keeping him alive, believing he would be of use. Even though I could extract information through the Heavenly Secret Technique from his soul, I chose to spare him.
Zhuge Bu stared at me in disbelief. “Who exactly are you? How can you control that lunatic Zhuge clan so easily at such a young age?”
“Brother, you need to come to your senses,” Mangnyang sighed. “Your arrogance and misuse of your gifts for personal gain will ultimately lead to your destruction. There’s always someone stronger out there, and if you want a better future, we need to cooperate.”
His words were the advice of family, which would certainly bother him only because he might feel restless from being avenged endlessly by me, the reborn one. Zhuge Bu growled in irritation. “Damn it! Just because I’m in this situation doesn’t mean you can lecture me! You’re nothing but a failure who was chased out of the Astrologer’s office for lack of sorcery talent!”
This punk! I nearly lost it and wanted to slam him, but Mangnyang intervened. He wore a bitter smile. “Maybe he’ll understand in his next life. Let’s go.”
I stiffly replied, “Fine. But just one punch…”
With a swift jab, I lightly hit his solar plexus before making my exit. Of course, I held back almost entirely, using just raw strength, so he wouldn’t suffer internal damage, but even so, I was strong enough that it would still hurt. I was more concerned about Mangnyang and said, “Are you really suggesting we turn that scoundrel into an ally and give him obsidian?”
Mangnyang hinted at the mention of the “next life,” a subtle indication for me. He surely understood. Glancing back, he replied, “That possibility might arise later.”
“That makes no sense. I’d rather kill him than give him anything!”
No way could I trust someone like him. Zhuge Bu may have been brilliant and talented, but he sees everyone else as pawns to exploit. There’s no way such a person could be an ally! Then Mangnyang muttered softly, “Perhaps it might not be enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing…”
I sensed Mangnyang hiding something, but I didn’t pry. It seemed wiser to wait until he was ready to share. And so, we began our training in Jangryeong Valley together.
About three days later, we were reading in the study when an overwhelming energy of darkness swept over us, prompting us to rush outside. We found the door to the abandoned building of the Zhuge clan wide open, with Zhuge Sa standing there.
He looked different than before. The crazed glint in his eyes had faded, and his left hand had turned pitch black, resembling the legendary sword, Kunlun. A dark purple aura emanated from him, signaling a change within.
Mangnyang pointed at the Nameless Ritual Book in Zhuge Sa’s hand. “Uncle, you’ve acquired the magic of the Nameless Ritual Book!”
“Ah, I appreciate the effort, Hyun Ah.”
“Are you stronger now?”
“You’ll see soon.”
Zhuge Sa shrugged casually. “Seems like something significant has happened. What’s been going on?”
I relayed everything, conveying my memories stored in the obsidian to him. Zhuge Sa frowned a bit as he processed what had unfolded since we last parted.
When Zhuge Sa tossed the obsidian to me, he growled. “You’ve ignored Hyun’s plans completely, haven’t you? Damn it!”
“Ugh.” I snatched the obsidian. Zhuge Sa grumbled more, “I told you to conceal your strength for opportunities. But here you are flaunting it like you just defeated the Fire Dragon Incarnate in the neighbor’s backyard!”
I bit my tongue at that remark. It reminded me of Mangnyang’s advice to keep my power hidden, yet having shared it with the Fire Dragon Incarnate somehow didn’t sit right with Zhuge Sa.
“That was the only way at the time!”
“You’re crazy! Do you realize the consequences of this? You’ve increased your chances of dying unexpectedly by 50% in five years! Just because Hyun didn’t say anything, you think you did well?”
“……”
As Zhuge Sa crossed his arms, he added, “Well, it’s not the worst outcome; there are still decent opportunities to pursue ahead.”
Mangnyang excused himself, “I was running into a plateau in my training anyway, so I should offer my assistance, Uncle.”
“Not particularly necessary, but it might be better for you to rise up the ranks quickly. Then you can gather information from the Celestial Realm.”
“With a little more effort, I’ll be able to.”
While Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang were conversing, I suddenly remembered I had a question. “Zhuge Sa, can I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“What’s this ritual Zhuge Yulong tried? A method to change the world’s fate…?”
“Ah, that.”
Zhuge Sa responded definitively, “I don’t know either!”
“……”
“My older brother kept that under strict secrecy, so how could I know? I wasn’t interested in his affairs back then. It was a wild, stormy time for me.”
Mangnyang chimed in, teasing, “I hear you just wandered around pointlessly back then, engaging in all sorts of madness like randomly slaughtering nobles or assisting in acts of cannibalism…”
“Was that really a thing? Anyway…”
So, Zhuge Sa didn’t know either, huh? As I pondered, Zhuge Sa continued. “That’s something I’m curious about, so I want you to find out—any way you can!”
“Got it.”
“Still, that’s not precisely the issue at hand; I need to make a monumental declaration!”
“A declaration?”
Zhuge Sa smirked, lounging back in his chair. “It’s crucial. Though it might not relate much to our current situation…”
“Cut to the chase! I’m ready to hear whatever it is!”
Responding to my eagerness, Zhuge Sa began piecing together his thoughts to share a longer tale. “Heh… Over the last while, I’ve decoded the first part of the Nameless Ritual Book and accessed the second section through the Grimoire’s spiritual essence. This ritual allows one to touch upon the true secret of the Nameless Ritual Book and enroll myself as a user of it. In other words, I currently hold four-tenths of the magic that exists within the Nameless Ritual Book.”
Zhuge Sa was boasting and continued. “Thanks to that, I can access mysteries that can’t be discerned through merely reading the Nameless Ritual Book.”
I asked him, “What kind of mysteries?”
“Prehistoric… shall we say? The terrifying truths so dreadful the otherworldly beings sealed them away. Human civilization’s history spans about five thousand years, but we would only be scraping the surface of something akin to a thousand times that. It’s simply the hidden secrets of time!”
“A thousand times five thousand? Are you joking?!”
I replied incredulously, but this time, Zhuge Sa had a serious look in his eyes.
“I’m not kidding. The history of this world is much older than you think. Not a thousand times, perhaps even a million times.”
“……”
If that were true, it meant an eternity more than I could even imagine. Was the Grimoire truly holding onto such unfathomable history?
“The otherworldly races and the Old Ruler have existed since that far-off era, wielding powerful sorcery and civilization. This is why, compared to them, humans feel like mere bugs.”
Mangnyang, who’d been listening quietly, interjected, “Uncle, your introduction is too lengthy. So what discovery did you make about this archaic mystery?”
“Well…”
Snapping!
“Gack!”
At that moment, Zhuge Sa’s eyes turned a pitch black. A chaotic energy surged from his body, and he doubled over as he seemed to exhale darkness. It unmistakably was some kind of anomaly! I hurried to check on him when he waved his hands at me, panting heavily.
“Hah… Hah… Just mentioning it is enough to break my mind. Something is calling to me from beyond… He… is watching me… Hehe!”
His babbling sounded somewhat deranged, and the mania seeped through his tone. Zhuge Sa stared blankly into the air as if something invisible held his gaze. To anyone else, it was clear he was lost in darkness.
Mangnyang, looking grave, remarked, “So it was true that merely mentioning the world’s secrets could shatter one’s sanity. If that’s the case, didn’t accessing the Nameless Ritual Book’s mysteries already cut your lifespan?”
“Exactly.”
“Baek Woong must find Chi You within ten years! Isn’t that irresponsible?” Mangnyang snapped, his concern for Zhuge Sa evident. Zhuge Sa grinned thinly.
“Well, with you here, Hyun, I can rest assured. You’ll find a strategy to locate Chi You. So I’m simply optimizing my efficiency to the max for when I’m gone.”
“That’s absurd…”
Both Mangnyang and I were appalled by Zhuge Sa’s absurd logic. Objectively, it could make sense, but that still wouldn’t justify risking his life for information in the Grimoire!
Zhuge Sa indifferently stated, “Is my resolve to lead to swift victory at the cost of my life nothing but mere words? With Baek Woong’s Rebirth Ability, our lives are nothing but resources to be consumed. Even if we perish, if Baek Woong takes a step forward, it’ll be worthwhile.”
“…….!!”
“The Nameless Ritual Book needed to be decoded, regardless. The ultimate Grimoire contains the unfiltered truth of the world related to the Old Ruler, and it must be unearthed. We can’t defeat our enemies without knowing them.”
Zhuge Sa glared at us intensely. “Prepare yourselves. If Baek Woong continues to reincarnate for hundreds, maybe even a thousand years, that’s when the difficulty level will skyrocket. We must finish everything before then!”
“Understood.”
Mangnyang nodded gravely.
Snapping, crackling—
Crackle…
For a moment, a dark electric energy encircled Zhuge Sa. As he channeled purple energy to calm it, after a while, he finally opened his mouth again.
“In about five hundred years, during an era when the Evil God rises from the abyss, it’s not just about bringing the end to humanity.”
“What do you mean?”
Zhuge Sa was sweating profusely, blood streaming from his nose. Simply speaking seemed to take a toll on him.
“The Nameless Ritual Book contained part of the Grimoire of Gospels, written by one of the Old Rulers, known as the ‘Wanderer of Time,’ or the ‘Eternal Fetus,’ who handles time, death, and annihilation. The existence of a higher caliber, such as the Old Rulers, directly authored this work, making it undeniably factual… This was spoken by a being transcending time!”
“…….”
“The Evil God is not here to doom humanity. Their mere aftermath will destroy us.”
I couldn’t wrap my head around what he was saying. Mangnyang seemed equally baffled. What Zhuge Sa had just mentioned were advanced mystical arts, so it was normal for us not to understand. Zhuge Sa forced a smile, stating, “The Evil God awaits the moment when the Power of the Constellation peaks in millions of years to awaken the Old Ruler in an instant. But the most crucial part is this…”
Zhuge Sa took a deep breath and continued, “The Evil God is waiting for that moment when the constellations align to form the Seven Luminaries, so they can utilize that power to raise Rueula. This is a truth no human sorcerer has ever known until now!”
“…….!!”
“Moreover, it’s not pure coincidence that the Old Rulers and the Three Sovereigns crafted the Seven Luminaries as a token for peace. According to the Grimoire, the Old Rulers foresaw that the Seven Luminaries would be constructed. Therefore, that creation undoubtedly hides immense secrets we can’t even fathom…”
Plop!
“Zhuge Sa!!”
I rushed to support him. He had completely fainted. I noticed his body burning hot and blood streaming from his eyes. I quickly moved him to a room and performed pulse diagnosis, realizing his brain was on the brink of melting.
‘In this case…!!’
Pow! Pow! Pow!
I hastily utilized Hua Tuo’s medical techniques to seal off his qi blood to prevent his brain from melting. The Hua Tuo lineage studied the human body closely, so they had ways to manage such situations. Thanks to that, I managed to relieve some of the heat from his body temporarily, preventing damage to Zhuge Sa’s brain. However, I still had no idea when he would wake up again.
“Baek Woong! How is it?”
“Not good. If we’re not careful, he could end up like a vegetable for life…”
With my knowledge of medical skills, I knew feeding him spiritual pills might worsen his condition. There was a real risk that I could impact crucial areas of the brain, causing stupidly irreversible damage. The brain is an incredibly delicate part of the body, not something to be treated carelessly, even with renowned medical skills.
Mangnyang sighed, feeling helpless. “Step aside.”
With a sound of Wiying, Mangnyang pulled out an amulet and placed it on Zhuge Sa’s Five Parts, chanting incantations. His breath steadily ceased, and he ultimately became entirely still, frozen in place. Glancing at me, he stated, “I’ve temporarily halted his bodily functions. He won’t deteriorate any further, but he won’t improve either.”
“Is that possible?”
I was taken aback, staring at him in awe. This was the same Mangnyang who once struggled to perform basic techniques, and now he could freely manipulate such high-level craft?
“It’s a technique my Master taught me ages ago.”
Having said that, Mangnyang added, “Baek Woong, I think we should bring in a more skilled physician to treat Zhuge Sa. He has nearly exhausted the energy from his magic, so this issue seems to be medical.”
“Got it.”
I felt the same, understanding what he meant as I nodded. “I’ll bring the Five Great Physicians.”
My medical skills were at the level of a regular Hua Tuo practitioner, but I could never compare to the Five Great Physicians. If anyone could resolve complex brain ailments and diseases, it would certainly be them.
