---

“Where are we heading?”

I, along with Cheon Woo-jin, ventured towards the most remarkable spiritual site nearby. As we positioned ourselves beneath the waterfall, Cheon Woo-jin set up a barrier and began channeling his spirit energy while casting his sorcery. It wasn’t long before I noticed unusual ancient Sanskrit materializing and extending outwards.

The barrier of Sanskrit spanned beyond five feet, prompting me to glance around in confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a chance that the Spirit Power could burst into the world and create a new monster, so I’ve set up a barrier.” Cheon Woo-jin explained, an eyebrow raised.

“Is that really possible?”

“What do you think Spirit Power is? It’s divine power. Even the essence of a powerful great demon or a Great Immortal can spawn monsters. Just imagine, with Spirit Power, the chances of summoning a new type of great demon are quite high.”

“Hmm… I see.” I nodded, realizing something suddenly.

“Wait. So, when I start drawing power from Jeon Wook’s statue in my next life, do I need to set up a barrier like this?”

“It’s not hard to set up a barrier if you know Qimen Dunjia. I can teach you that much, so don’t worry.” Cheon Woo-jin assured me.

“Hmm.” I considered it. Even Mangnyang, who hardly had any sorcerous skills, could manage the Mangyun formation. Since Qimen Dunjia is the foundation of barrier techniques, I figured with enough preparation, I could pull it off too.

“Enough chatter, focus. Observe the latent power.” Cheon Woo-jin muttered as he stretched his hand forward. Then with a commanding voice, he shouted:

“Release!”

Rumbling sounds echoed as Jeon Wook’s statue began to twitch. Energy surged from the top of the statue like molten lava. It was not just explosive— it gurgled like a boiling pot. The intense energy created a mirage of crimson light, nearly morphing into rays.

Cheon Woo-jin moved his hands to control the flow, and as the chaos waned, he spoke:

“It seems this statue has genuinely absorbed Jeon Wook’s blessing. The residual force from ancient times is still very much intact.”

“So now what do we do?”

“I’ll teach you the incantation for absorbing the power of the Emperor.” Cheon Woo-jin responded.

I focused intently, memorizing the incantation he’d shared. Suddenly, the statue’s energy started writhing and extending towards my heart, feeling as though energy itself was passing through me and being absorbed.

Hisssss…

My body felt hot, but that warmth faded quickly. It was as if I had stepped into a glacial cave, the cold gripping my blood vessels and squeezing tight. The overwhelming chill caused me to gasp for air, almost collapsing.

“Ugh!”

“Cold, right? Naturally. That power possesses the essence of the moon.” Cheon Woo-jin responded, unwavering.

A painful chill swept through my lungs like swallowing bucketfuls of ice. It felt so freezing that I thought I could see frozen water trickling from my eyes.

“I want something warm to eat.”

“That’s pointless. The pain directly affects the mental realm, so it’s not physical pain. No matter how much hot or spicy food you eat, it won’t warm you up from that coldness right now.” Cheon Woo-jin said flatly.

He continued, “Ordinary humans would have likely frozen to death the moment they accepted such power. Yet, you seem to be holding up well, perhaps due to your prior experiences with Xuyou and being an Apostle of Jeon Wook. You have a decent resistance.”

“So… is that a good thing?”

“It’s peculiar. Normally, unless a Grand Sorcerer commits to building their resistance, one could never naturally withstand Spirit Power. It would make more sense to have resistance against extreme cold instead…” Cheon Woo-jin mumbled.

“Hang in there. Given the amount of Spirit Power you possess, the pain won’t last long.”

True to his word, the sensation of frozen lungs faded within a half-moment. Once the pain receded, I compared it coolly, realizing that my experience with Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and Black and White Lotus was still more discomforting. As I stood, Cheon Woo-jin picked up the statue from the ground.

“Now, this statue can no longer be offered as a sacrificial item to the Celestial Realm. You’ve consumed all the energy that was embedded in it.”

“So, how much stronger have I become?”

“Hmm…” Cheon Woo-jin mused as he peered into my spiritual energy.

“It seems you’ve gained power equivalent to approximately 20 years of training.”

“……!!” I gasped in astonishment.

Just by absorbing the statue’s energy, I managed to shave off 20 years of training? While 20 years sounds easy, remembering the effort of meditating on a cliff for three breaths every single day for years made my head throb. I quickly pondered and exclaimed, “So if I do this 13 more times…!!”

“You could most likely achieve mastery in Spirit Power. From there, you could even try your hand at the Great Peace Sorcery with the overflowing abilities you’ll possess.” Cheon Woo-jin replied, a mischievous smile gracing his lips.

“But 13 times… when do I die?”

He remained silent.

“Well, if you’re keen on eating to die while repeating the cycle, I won’t stop you.”

I sealed my lips.

Indeed, while 13 sounds like a feasible number, it isn’t exactly an easy feat. Also, committing to this level of self-sacrifice every time just for Spirit Power seems far from appealing. No matter how you slice it, the pain and agony that come with it are always dreadful. It’s not impossible, but it’s also not appealing.

So I muttered to myself, “So I still need to keep training.”

Cheon Woo-jin nodded, “And as your Spirit Power accumulates, the efficiency of your energy buildup is likely to increase as well. After all, the more significant the power, the more training it accrues.”

Heaving a sigh, I thought that if possible, I wanted to gain 40 or 50 years’ worth of Spirit Power this time. However, it seemed that the energy left in the statue wasn’t enough. Given that it had been lying in the ruins of Xuyou for ages, a significant portion of its strength had probably leaked away.

Crack!

Suddenly, the statue seemed to collapse, and the figure of Jeon Wook vanished, replaced by a giant form. I stared at it in shock.

“What the hell just happened?”

“Hmm, I see. So that’s why there was Spirit Power.” Cheon Woo-jin remarked.

“This depicts Jeon Wook’s true form!”

“Exactly. It was designed so that if all its energy was released, it would reveal not just the appearance but the actual form of him.”

…….

The massive figure of the giant was familiar enough. It had an overwhelming presence that could upheave the world! That was the true form of Jeon Wook I had glimpsed at. When I looked back at Cheon Woo-jin, he calmly deduced:

“The statue must have been crafted by someone who witnessed Jeon Wook descending to the human realm. When this sculpture was shown to him, he must have been pleased to grant a blessing of Spirit Power. There is no other explanation.”

Shock coursed through me at his unexpected words.

“What? That’s… insane!”

“It’s obviously madness. Jeon Wook possesses power that rivals the Old Ruler, and merely seeing his true self would lead any mortal to death or insanity. Yet, someone must have crafted that statue. They must have witnessed both the [surface] and [essence] of Jeon Wook.”

“Isn’t that impossible for a human?”

Cheon Woo-jin nodded.

“It is impossible. But that only applies if the creator was human.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no law stating that a being that crafted the statue had to be human.”

…….

Chills ran down my spine!

‘What… really.’

My perspective shifted as I realized I had only considered the human view. This statue was originally a relic from the age when the Three Sovereigns and the [Old Ruler] once roamed the earth. During that chaotic period filled with divine beings and monsters, there must have been superior beings existing alongside humans. At the very least, the creator behind this statue must have been an entity possessing [power] capable of surviving an encounter with Jeon Wook’s true form.

The sculptor was undoubtedly an Otherworldly being of Grand Immortal standards!

With skepticism in my voice, I asked, “Who could have possibly created this?”

“Ask your older brother or Zhuge Sa. From here onward, it falls into the realm of ancient history, which transcends my expertise.”

“Understood.” I conceded.

I returned to Jangryeong Valley and shared my findings and suspicions about the statue with Zhuge Sa. After pondering silently for a moment, Zhuge Sa finally spoke.

“Baek Woong, you should summon Cheon Woo-jin. Let’s head back to the ruins of Xuyou again.”

“Alright.” I replied.

Shh!

As a trio, we made our way back to the depths of the Xuyou ruins. Upon arriving at the location where I had pulled out the statue, Zhuge Sa examined the place with meticulous care, and Cheon Woo-jin did the same.

Zhuge Sa posed a question to Cheon Woo-jin, “Can you use any sorcery that allows you to read past memories?”

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s impossible. That sorcery can only retrieve memories from about 500 years ago.” Cheon Woo-jin replied flatly.

“It seems we’ve overlooked something significant all this time.” Zhuge Sa murmured as he began tracing the Oracle Bone Script into the earth with a stick.

[Alas, the passage between Heaven and Earth in the North has collapsed.

The Divine Child Gao Yang answers the Emperor’s summons and returns.

He leaves behind the methods of water control in response to the pleas of humanity.

Thus he leaves the mark of Moya.]

As Zhuge Sa quietly reflected on his interpretation, he continued, “Previously, we haven’t paid attention to this interpretation as we focused on the ruins of Xuyou. However, now that we’ve discovered the secret of the statue, another interpretation is possible.”

“What interpretation?”

“The method of water control.” Zhuge Sa’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“A long time ago, there was a great flood. Everyone knows that, right?”

Cheon Woo-jin nodded, as did I.

“I know. During the time of Emperor Yao, there was a flood, and the Great Yu controlled it. Da Yu was the founding ancestor of Xia and a ruler who managed floods.”

“Exactly. That’s a well-known part of history.”

“Are you implying there’s something more to it?”

Zhuge Sa chuckled as if enjoying a good joke.

“The order goes like this. Jeon Wook separated the realms of humans and celestial beings upon the Emperor’s order. Shortly after, the flood surged; however, Jeon Wook had already imparted the methods of water control to humanity before departing! That mark of Xuyou, as you know, is recorded in the sacrifices.”

“So this statue was created around the same time as Xuyou.”

“In my opinion, the creator of that statue…” Zhuge Sa began to say but suddenly diverted his thoughts.

“That’s not the important part. The important part is the method of water control performed by Yu and Gun.”

“Huh?” I asked, confused by the shift in topic.

Cheon Woo-jin, who had been quietly listening beside me, suddenly chimed in, “You’re talking about the method of Xiyang.”

“Exactly, Xiyang.”

“……?” I was startled, not following the conversation.

“Xiyang? What’s that?”

“Xiyang means ‘to fill in.’ It refers to the soil that sprouts spontaneously. This soil was utilized to fill the river’s source and obstruct the flooding.”

“Ah!” I exclaimed, suddenly enlightened.

“Until now, scholars only viewed this as a means of channeling water. Writing the history of Yu, they didn’t actually believe it. The method of Xiyang is so unreal that they dismissed it. They considered it just a foundational guideline for establishing the Six Ministries.” Zhuge Sa commented as he interlocked his fingers.

“But if Yu and Gun, as well as the human race, were taught the methods of water control by Jeon Wook, then the narrative changes.”

“How so?” I was eager to learn.

“Xiyang might not just be a metaphor—it could have actually existed.”

My eyes widened in disbelief. “What? You’re saying soil that naturally grows could actually exist?”

“Absolutely. For a deity to bestow blessings and protection on humans, it must have been possible. If not, during that ancient flood, the population and labor force wouldn’t have been able to manage such colossal disaster. Jeon Wook, a sovereign of the Three Sovereigns likely granted the blessings of Xiyang to the human monarchs at that time.”

“……”

“After severing the connection between heaven and earth, the deity could no longer directly intervene in the flood. Thus, he must have provided his blessings beforehand. The divine soil that springs forth blocked the river channels, significantly mitigating the flood’s impact.”

I was left speechless.

Could it be that even the ancient history would be touched by the influence of the Three Sovereigns?

Zhuge Sa sighed as if reminiscing.

“That’s why we came to see if there are any clues related to Xiyang here. If it still exists, it will likely be of immense help ahead.”

“Well… they probably used Xiyang to block areas around the Yangtze or Yellow River, right? Maybe it’s still sitting in sediment at the riverbeds?”

“That’s possible, but the most likely place is right here where Xuyou was sealed. If Xiyang acts as a sort of catalyst, it’s probable that some remnants remain.”

“Got it. Let’s search.” I replied determinedly.

Together with Zhuge Sa and Cheon Woo-jin, we thoroughly searched through the ruins of Xuyou for a long while. Unfortunately, we found no objects that could channel spiritual energy. In the end, we had to temporarily abandon our search for Xiyang and head back.

Upon returning, Zhuge Sa commented, “This needs further research.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll enlist the help of an expert in ancient history.”

Days later…

“I’ll look into it.”

“Thanks!” I exclaimed in gratitude.

Mangnyang, who was tasked with leading the Bancheon Alliance, left his work momentarily to visit Jangryeong Valley. No matter how knowledgeable Zhuge Sa or Cheon Woo-jin were, Mangnyang had the crème de la crème of expertise. Thus, I accompanied Mangnyang back to the ruins of Xuyou once again.

“Let’s head up.” Mangnyang instructed.

After inspecting the ruins for a while, he suddenly ascended a spiral staircase that led to a pond. As we emerged above the pond while surveying our surroundings, he headed towards a small cave.

“Ah, that’s…!” I hastily interjected.

“This is where the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng used to grow.” Mangnyang replied casually, eyeing the ground closely.

After a moment, he looked at me amidst the snow-covered plain.

“Baek Woong. I’ve figured it out.”

“What do you mean?” I pressed, curious.

“Isn’t it strange that ancient spiritual beings like the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and Black and White Lotus all thrive in one place?”

“Huh?” I realized what he was implying.

“This entire basin… No, all of Mount Huang is Xiyang.”

“The reason those little hills have morphed into massive mountains over thousands of years is because of it. This is a blessed land energized directly by the divine, formed with the grace of the Three Sovereigns, hence the creation of this ancient marvel.”

 

---