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00511 Dark Heaven Village ————————————————

After Miho’s powers grew stronger, Mangnyang spoke to me.

“Baek Woong. What is it that you wish to do now?”

“What’s with the sudden question?”

“Since your rebirth, we have merely been pawns in the gods’ plans. And I think the chances of us taking the initiative going forward are… quite slim.”

“……!!”

“Because our strength is absolutely lacking.”

Mangnyang’s gaze darkened slightly.

“So now is the time to choose rather than act rashly.”

“Choose… what do you mean?”

“Exactly that. If we cannot stop any of the four—the Chi You, the Demon King, the White Lotus Sect, and the Heavenly Sovereign… then choosing to not stop them might also be an option.”

What does that even mean?

I was taken aback because this wasn’t the Mangnyang I knew. I thought he would be adamantly advocating for humanity’s protection. But while I was still in shock, the Sword Demon, who was standing next to me, crossed his arms and said,

“So you’re suggesting we let Baek Woong see what happens when the Heavenly Sovereign descends.”

Mangnyang turned to the Sword Demon.

“That’s right.”

“We need to learn how much power the Celestial Realm possesses once the Heavenly Sovereign arrives, and how they plan to purify the earthly realm. This is all very crucial information, so it’s a viable option.”

“Yes. Besides, since Baek Woong is an apostle of the Three Sovereigns, he will likely survive until the end. We believe Baek Woong will endure even after all events conclude, and until then, we gather as much information as we can for him.”

I could understand the words of the two.

‘ Certainly… that is also an option.’

However, I had no way of predicting how much damage this would cause to the earthly realm. The Demon King, not to mention the Avatar of Chi You, the Avatar of the Old Ruler, and the chaos that would unfold with the Celestial Realm out of control. Surviving amidst that chaos would be a high-stakes gamble.

And I had to clench my teeth because of another problem.

“If that happens, everyone here except me will die.”

“That may indeed be the case.”

I clenched my fist and protested.

“That’s not an acceptable option. I will struggle to the end.”

Mangnyang looked at me with a strange expression.

“Baek Woong. Can you absolutely guarantee that this feeling is genuine?”

“……?”

“If it’s nothing more than self-satisfaction as Zhuge Sa said, what then? While we derive hope from seeing your courage, your journey will multiply in hardship. It may just be a meaningless death.”

“I anticipated this.”

“I don’t care about your ideals; you just don’t want to watch us die, do you? You don’t genuinely think that struggle is anything more than self-satisfaction?”

Why was Mangnyang pressing me like this?

It felt like Zhuge Sa’s attitude.

I pondered carefully over Mangnyang’s words and responded,

“No! If you get used to giving up, then in the end, all you’ll be left with are choices anyone can make.”

“Oh? What do you mean by that?”

I spoke earnestly.

“I have observed for over a hundred years how selfish, cruel, and merciless humanity can be. And I know how cold they can become towards others.”

“And?”

“So I believe the choices that people claim are rational and efficient are merely the easy path they choose.”

At that moment, Mangnyang had a look of surprise.

“……”

“Who can’t let go? Ultimately, humans only value themselves in the end. But the choice to not give up and persevere to the very end is what I believe to be the right answer.”

“Is it the people around you that are precious? If that’s the case, you could just live in seclusion.”

I shook my head.

“Not at all. My will is what’s most important.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s why I am here now.”

Then Cheon Woo-jin, who had been listening from the side, sighed.

“What arrogance!”

All eyes turned to Cheon Woo-jin. He looked at me with a complicated gaze and said,

“You’re the epitome of arrogance one might expect from a reborn person. You’re not just a fool; you’re an arrogant fool. I cannot gauge the size of your capacity.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You’re essentially discussing how finite and foolish a mortal’s life is. You have lost touch with human perspective.”

The Sword Demon shook his head in agreement.

“Baek Woong, what you just said might seem like the mindset of a great hero, but it isn’t. It’s no different from any other self-righteous ideology. You’ve denied the self and the ego that humans have, their selfishness. You seem to view humanity from a very high vantage point.”

“……”

He chuckled lightly.

“However, it doesn’t seem all that bad to me…”

Mangnyang stepped forward and said,

“… I heard you well.”

“Mangnyang, why did you ask me such questions?”

I was slightly annoyed and continued,

“It doesn’t sound like it’s coming from a true place.”

“I’m sorry for testing you. I simply wanted to understand what kind of person you really are, as I had only seen you through the memory of obsidian until now. I needed to ensure that there wouldn’t be any more failures in our plans.”

“……?”

“And now I see it. We’ve misjudged you until now, which is why we’ve been tangled in the gods’ schemes.”

Mangnyang continued in a firm tone.

“Baek Woong! Whether it’s life or death, let’s just grab ahold of someone and fight. This is the strategy that fits you best at this point!”

“……?!”

I was taken aback by his sudden words. But it seemed that my companions around me all understood what Mangnyang meant, nodding in agreement. Even amid this sudden shift in Mangnyang’s attitude, it seemed I was the only one in the dark.

Mangnyang said,

“We were mistaken to think that you were trying to minimize your rebirth instances. We believed it was merely your personality and self-satisfaction. But if that effort in itself shows you are truly trying your best, then the story changes. It will be our path to fight through and resolve this crisis instead of enduring until the end.”

“Wait a sec. So what do you mean to do?”

“First, we go after the weakest one. Once the Fire Dragon Incarnate recovers, let’s all join forces and take down the Demon King.”

“But Zhuge Sa warned against recklessly engaging the Demon King…”

Mangnyang chuckled.

“That’s a story from before Miho received her powers. It was never impossible, and now I think we can definitely win. It’s just that the risk is high, so I wasn’t entirely certain whether it was better to engage the Demon King or not.”

“Hmm…”

“But if your perspective is that way, then there won’t be any answers from just holding on like this. The situation will only worsen, and even if you survive alone, you won’t be able to do anything. It’s wiser to fight while you have strength.”

Mangnyang stated firmly.

“And if we fail against the Demon King, we won’t blame anyone. Because we believe you will take revenge in your next life!”

“……!!”

“With that mentality, I’m now convinced that you won’t lose sight of your true intention.”

Only then did I realize the meaning behind Mangnyang’s words.

What Mangnyang initially analyzed might indeed be true. Defeating the Demon King could bring forth opponents even stronger than him, rendering it largely meaningless; thus it could be the right answer to just let me survive and observe the situation. But after conversing with me, Mangnyang judged that the benefit of taking down the Demon King outweighed the risks.

The Sword Demon seemed to be waiting for this moment to speak.

“I think the same way. I’ve felt annoyed not being able to do anything while being played with.”

“According to Mangnyang, we really might end up as mere obstacles.”

“So what if we do? There’s no guarantee that holding on will save us from ending up dead.”

“……”

“And if we take down the Demon King, Chi You will surely show us some traces. He’s been waiting for this, so as long as we’re prepared to follow those traces, we’ll be fine.”

Jin So-cheong said,

“Baek Woong, you are the commander. If the commander can kill the commander, then the war is already over.”

“… Alright.”

Miho chuckled as she patted my head.

“Don’t worry! We will definitely win!”

“I know that.”

I got a bit irritated. For some reason, I felt like the people gathered here were treating me almost like a pet. But even though that feeling annoyed me, it didn’t feel too bad. At this moment, I sensed a slight change in my relationships with my companions.

‘ Alright, shall we do it!’

Once my resolve was made, there was no holding back.

I asked Han Baek-ryeong, who was recuperating at the Han Clan, to once again unfold the Fire Spirit technique. Han Baek-ryeong accepted my request once more, and I felt the strength of the Fire Dragon Incarnate recover significantly. It would be three days later when the Fire Dragon Incarnate would be fully restored.

Mangnyang said,

“Baek Woong. Please wait three more days. The priest needs time to learn how to use the Half Yellow Pearl.”

“Understood.”

Since Mangnyang had the Seven Fires, he seemed to plan to give Cheon Woo-jin a treasure. I, too, spent the time training after requesting help from the Master of the Twelve Joules, and three days soon passed.

Once all preparations were complete, we immediately headed to the Blood Valley, where the Demon King was located.

Pa-at!

“… It’s eerie.”

Jin So-cheong whispered. Just as he said, we had come near the Blood Valley, and despite being fifty li away, the ground was stained bright red, and ominous energy spread all around. We searched for any peasants or hunters nearby, but there was no sign of life, indicating that the Blood Valley had already taken over this area.

Mangnyang said,

“The Blood Valley has already destroyed the True Heaven Alliance. Three of the Nine Great Sects have been annihilated, two have suffered serious damage, and most have sustained significant injuries. The only ones remaining intact are the Wudang Sect and the Shaolin Temple. I suspect the Eight Demons of the Demon Path will soon fall to their hands as well.”

“Hmm.”

“But it seems, as the rumors say, that even civilians are being killed.”

Mangnyang’s gaze fell upon a dry corpse hanging from a branch. There were numerous such corpses scattered about, like rags. Cheon Woo-jin frowned.

“I heard that the master of forbidden law kills living beings to make them obey him as corpses.”

“We can’t fight every single corpse; that would take forever, Priest.”

“I’m aware.”

After a moment, Cheon Woo-jin’s Illusion Fog unfurled. The fog spread with an incredible force, quickly enveloping the area in a mist. Strangely enough, even within the fog, we could still see clearly and move about freely.

Woo-woo-woo

We could see ragged corpses staggering around. I noticed corpses wearing the martial outfits of the Orthodox Sect and looked at them quizzically, when the Sword Demon said,

“It seems the True Heaven Alliance sent a subjugation squad. Those fellows are their martial force.”

“They seemed pretty strong…”

I recall that various experts, including First-Class Experts and Peak Experts, were mixed among them, and I had previously avoided them.

“It’s meaningless. I would have avoided a clash with the Blood Valley and hidden away… Seems they think themselves something special.”

The Sword Demon looked almost contemptuous. He had already evacuated all his forces, the Shadowless Gate, and his retainers to Jangryeong Valley in anticipation of this Bloodstorm. It was the best choice to avoid this crisis.

Creeeak

Splat!

Suddenly, one of the corpses jerked and executed Wudang’s Heavenly Cloud Sect Technique to attack something. A small rat was impaled on the corpse’s blade. It appeared to be set to attack anything that moved nearby. I was astonished by the Wudang corpse’s movement.

“This looks just like its living form.”

We were shielded by Cheon Woo-jin’s Illusion Fog, so the corpses could not perceive us. The Sword Demon remarked bitterly,

“I see. It seems they can fully utilize Wudang’s Underground Sword Technique even in death. This forbidden law seems quite troublesome…”

The ability to use the full power of those who came to subjugate him was indeed a deceptive technique. The fact that he could extend this necromancy over a distance of several tens of li was truly impressive. Dozens or even hundreds of experts lay nearby, so without the Illusion Fog, we would have already been embroiled in a fierce battle.

After walking for a while, Cheon Woo-jin said,

“According to Zhuge Sa, my Illusion Fog doesn’t work on those known as Blood Fiends. They must be taken down directly.”

“But I hear self-detonation is dangerous…”

Boom!

Eventually, we spotted a valley that appeared to be the Blood Valley, as well as a massive structure at the valley’s center. Near the structure stood several dark figures, each with their skin flushed red and their eyes rolling back in their sockets.

‘ Those must be the Blood Fiends!’

There appeared to be about thirty Blood Fiends in total. They stood there, seemingly unaware of us, but they would undoubtedly notice and attack if we got closer.

Then Miho created a sphere of energy around herself.

“Leave it to me!”

Wiying

“Ha!”

Boom-boom-boom!!

The silver light that extended from the sphere suddenly flared out to dozens of feet and blew away the Blood Fiends guarding the structure in one go. Moreover, the very structure was split in half by Miho’s attack, collapsing violently.

Boom!

That wasn’t the end. Miho, as if playing, swung her hands a couple more times, sending forth even larger bursts of silver energy. Soon the area around the structure vanished without a trace, as if dozens of bombs had exploded, sending massive storms swirling about.

Boom!

Whooooosh

‘ What incredible power!’

If I gathered all my internal power, I could manage to imitate a single strike like that, but Miho had just executed an attack capable of reshaping the terrain without even straining herself! I was astonished by Miho’s phenomenal power.

“Mi, Miho.”

“Just a little something.”

Beside her, Miyamoto Musashi frowned.

“… The Blood Fiends are coming.”

As soon as Jin So-cheong and the Sword Demon heard that, they rushed forward.

Clash!

Simultaneously, their weapons clashed with the incoming Blood Fiends. A fierce battlefield unfolded with projecting energies colliding, twisting and distorting the space. Despite Miho’s attack, it seemed that a considerable number of Blood Fiends survived, and over a dozen came soaring towards us, ready to attack. Miyamoto Musashi killed two in an instant.

Then Jin So-cheong swung his spear and said,

“Let’s finish them off quickly.”

Boom!

Boom!

Jin So-cheong and the Sword Demon began fighting back to back. It was undoubtedly a technique using the Seven Great Techniques or Eight Immortals Divine Art, which meant that even if the Blood Fiends had high martial arts, they couldn’t get close to them at all.

Swish!

Even when Jin So-cheong severed the heads of two of them, they seemed to hold onto their own necks, trying to reattach them. Those things really were immortal.

‘ Timing the explosion will be crucial here.’

Splat!

Just as Zhuge Sa had warned, amidst the clash with the Blood Fiends, three of them unleashed Peak Martial Powers. When their throats were cut, they suddenly exploded. The speed of the blood flying everywhere was astounding, and even high-level experts could easily be hit.

“I know what to do!”

But Jin So-cheong and the Sword Demon, having diligently trained the Peerless Divine Technique and sparred with Jang Sam-bong, had significantly elevated their skills. They were aware ahead of time thanks to Zhuge Sa’s warning and dodged the explosion effortlessly. And with me, Musashi, and Miho teaming up, it didn’t take long to deal with the remaining Blood Fiends.

After we dispatched the Blood Fiends without issues, we made our way toward the structure.

Tydaht

And in the spot where the structure had stood was a woman.

“Bikje Sang!!”

I shouted her name loudly. Slowly, she turned to face us, and she looked exactly as I remembered from my previous lives. There was no sign of the Demon King transcending the Great Immortal anywhere in her appearance.

The Demon King Bikje Sang spoke slowly.

“I wondered who had come; it turned out to be an apostle of the Three Sovereigns.”

Interestingly, she spoke in a human voice.

‘ She knows me.’

It seemed my identity as an apostle of the Three Sovereigns was well-known among divine beings. Bikje Sang stared at me intently and then asked,

“Why are you attacking me? The Three Sovereigns shouldn’t need to strike against me right now.”

 

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