Just then, Cheon Woo-jin appeared next to us out of thin air. “You’re wrong. At this rate, even if we attacked for a thousand years, we couldn’t take him down.”

“Cheon Woo-jin!”

“That’s a special ability called Time Recovery.”

Time Recovery?

The term baffled everyone gathered around, and Cheon Woo-jin sighed. “Ugh! This is insane… That’s an ability that should never be seen in the mortal realm, and it’s straight out of a nightmare!”

“Cheon Woo-jin, no time for games! Explain!”

“Damn it… Don’t rush me. It’s my first time seeing that ability too.” He glared at the Portrait Immortal. “His time axis is fixed. No matter what attack we throw at him, it’s just a change heading towards the future in the flow of time. But since his time axis is fixed, any attack just snaps back to its previous state like a rubber band.”

“……”

“Put simply, his body keeps bouncing back to a [healthy state].”

“Okay, I get it.” I nodded, pondering. “So how do we break it?”

Cheon Woo-jin stared blankly at me. “Break what, exactly?”

“I mean, this Time Recovery ability…”

“You can’t break it with human abilities! At least not with the folks here.”

“What?!”

“That ability is known to be usable only by the top Great Immortals in the celestial realm. You’ve handled divine powers in the past as an Apostle of the God, so you should know? Interfering with the [Small Cycle] disturbs the law of fate itself. There’s no way to break it with normal physical attacks or sorcery.”

“……!!”

A dedicated ability for top-tier Great Immortals! These were the likes of Queen Mother of the West and Sanqing, whose powers rival those of the lower [Old Rulers].

‘Now that I think about it, the Eternal Fetus was ripped apart by Miyamoto Musashi’s attack but somehow healed back in a similar way…’

That meant the current body of the white-haired Portrait Immortal was at a divine level. Collecting my thoughts, I calmly gazed into the destructive light ahead. “Cheon Woo-jin, you’re saying you have no way to break it either, right?”

“Not that there’s absolutely no chance. But it’s no easy feat, and we’d need at least several tens of days to prepare for it.”

Cheon Woo-jin glanced around at Mangnyang, Jeongwoo, and Hong Gil-dong. “The sorcerers here have decent skills, but they’re powerless against Time Recovery. Even if I join them, it wouldn’t change much, so I recommend retreating.”

“Retreat?”

“Right now, that puppet is still in a state of confusion since it just woke up. That’s why it’s just standing there, but if we don’t escape now, we’re in for trouble.”

Listening to Cheon Woo-jin, Zhuge Sa smirked. “Hehe… So you’re saying if we convert the time control ability from defense to attack…”

“Exactly.”

“A contradictory puppet that possesses an invulnerable spear and an invulnerable shield at the same time…”

With Zhuge Sa’s murmur, everyone in the hall wore stunned expressions. Our attacks were useless against Time Recovery, making it invincible. And seeing how overwhelming it could be when time control was switched to offense, I remembered witnessing it during the battle between [Eternal Fetus] and Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi, who was in the Absolute Realm, had been reduced to nothingness in an instant.

If we were to face such a monster, even the Master of the White Lotus Sect would be at a loss!

I was confused. “What the heck is going on? That white-haired Portrait Immortal had been resurrected in the past, but back then, he wasn’t that strong.”

“In the past, it was just a half-baked process of resurrection. It was likely just a makeshift high-tier Portrait Immortal. But now, they’ve gathered all the divine blood from Mount Ye, raising the potential to its maximum, albeit imperfectly. We’re dealing with the strongest Portrait Immortal in history.”

“Ugh…”

So, the performance of a Portrait Immortal hinged on whether or not the divine blood was awakened? I realized this was the moment to make a choice. Gritting my teeth, I declared, “I’ll find a way to exploit its flaws. If we don’t keep him in check now, we won’t be able to handle it later.”

“Baek Woong!!”

Mangnyang shouted in shock. “That’s too reckless. Are you really planning to…”

“Indeed. I’m the only one who can likely stop that thing.”

“Is it really worth pushing yourself that far? Have you forgotten the prophecy about the [Evil Incident]?”

“……”

I knew what Mangnyang meant. The prediction from the Dharma Protector. “I feel a sense of dread. Don’t get too arrogant; that might lead to a counterattack…”

To begin with, bringing the Master of the White Lotus Sect along to Mount Heng was to keep that notion in check. In the past, I had dismissed the omen mentioned by the Twelve Joules and met an absurd end, so I had felt firsthand how potent prophecies could be. Especially one from a godlike existence like Mangnyang’s should never be taken lightly.

Mangnyang was suggesting that my belief I could stop the Portrait Immortal was arrogance itself. His concerns were certainly valid.

But I firmly responded, “I don’t see this as arrogance.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because I’m risking my own death by taking this perilous path. Fate isn’t so kind; the moment you seek the easy way out, disaster awaits.”

“Hmm.”

Having said that, I unsheathed my sword, gripping it firmly in my right hand, eyes locked on the front. “Plus, today for some reason I feel like whatever I do won’t end in failure. Things feel right.”

My instincts were whispering to me: this wasn’t the path of death.

Cheon Woo-jin sighed in disbelief. “So that’s what ‘being possessed’ is…”

Mangnyang pondered for a moment before nodding. “Very well, Baek Woong. I’ll trust you. Please stop that puppet from causing a tragedy!”

“Got it!”

With a loud clap, I charged into the destruction. Even now, the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Dharma Protectors were unleashing relentlessly powerful attacks, yet the Portrait Immortal showed no signs of breaking apart. I temporarily elevated my inner power and cast levitation to fly towards the Master.

“Master!!”

[Is that you, Baek Woong?]

“I’m going to land a blow on that guy. Please create an opening for me.”

[Understood.]

Having relayed the secret transmission to the Dharma Protectors, their assault came to a brief halt. I seized that chance and dove toward the levitating Portrait Immortal, concentrating all my strength for a swing.

‘Take this!’

Thunder Dragon Sword!

One cut!

As my sword technique surged with power and approached the Portrait Immortal’s neck, the Portrait Immortal—who had been mindlessly absorbing all incoming strikes—suddenly snapped back to attention. It abruptly moved its arm to block my attack.

Slash!

My swordplay was anything but pure. The Portrait Immortal attempted a counterattack but ended up with a deep gash across its palm, exposing bone as it flew backward. But it managed to avoid a beheading, so its defense was still intact.

With a strange hum, the white-haired Portrait Immortal remained floating, effortlessly employing the Dance of the Sky. It stared at the wound on its palm in shock, then redirected its gaze toward me.

“Who are you… How do you have the power to kill me?”

That voice rang a bell. I hadn’t faced the white-haired Portrait Immortal directly, but I’d heard it through Xiang Yu. The tone was unclear, but it had a distinctly high, feminine quality. I raised my sword in a defensive posture and replied, “I’m Baek Woong. What’s your name?”

“……”

The reason I landed a valid hit just now, and why the injury on its palm wasn’t healing back, was because my Spirit Power was counteracting its Time Recovery ability. As I summoned my Spirit Power, it interfered with its Time Recovery ability because, much like Time Recovery, my Spirit Power also fell under the realm of divine power.

However, the downside was that my Spirit Power drained rapidly. I could only use it for a few more times at most before I’d have to recover. If its abilities surpassed that, this moment could very well be my end.

The white-haired Portrait Immortal suddenly looked at the sky with a jerk, pointing its hand at the stars. A voice laced with yearning echoed out.

“When the stars in the sky return to their rightful places… a being who will name me will surpass the walls of eternity.”

“Who is that being?”

It tilted its head. “Uh… I don’t really know. Who was it again?”

“How can you not know but still be sure they’re going to name you?”

Its eyes turned pitch black, and it exuded a cold madness. “Because that being can see me even now.”

“……!!”

The white-haired Portrait Immortal trembled as it exhaled a sigh. “Can’t you hear it? I can hear the call of that being…”

From its words, I inferred its current mental state. ‘It’s already hearing the call of the [Old Ruler]. But it’s not complete.’

Baek Woong foresaw that the white-haired Portrait Immortal would awaken as the Archbishop of the Nine Lotus Sect, serving the Evil God. Although this was my first genuine dialogue with it, I recognized that it had already been massively influenced by the evil entity.

A call. It was something I had felt during my thirteenth death. At that time, I had awakened the Portrait Immortal to full strength while defeating Zhuge Bu, yet the power of the constellation used then belonged to the [Old Ruler]. To protect my soul, I stabbed myself with my own sword and committed suicide. Based on my experiences, the Portrait Immortal before me seemed to have to listen to that call since birth.

‘Does that mean it’s destined since birth to follow the Evil God…’

It was clear that it lacked knowledge about the Evil God or the [Old Ruler] and remained in a state akin to a newly hatched baby, making it oblivious to the implications. However, if we hadn’t attacked Mount Heng, Vermilion Bird Zhuge Yulong would have surely instilled wicked knowledge and awakened it as an Apostle to his liking.

Perhaps this was an opportunity? If it truly was like a fledgling, there might still be room for improvement!

As I pondered, the white-haired Portrait Immortal said, “This is odd.”

It tilted its head, its face bearing an expression reminiscent of a cat that had found something fascinating. It stepped closer, saying, “You feel different from humans. It’s like a great being is standing before me…”

“What are you talking about?”

As it mumbled, its expression brightened, clapping its hands excitedly. It sounded almost like it sought agreement. “Right, brother! Are you my brother? You heard the [call] too, didn’t you?”

“I’m human.”

I responded curtly and added, “You’re human too.”

“……?”

The Portrait Immortal looked completely lost. “N-No way?”

It looked utterly baffled by the current situation. Just then, the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Dharma Protectors closed in on us. I aimed my sword at it, declaring, “First, let’s get to the ground.”

Thud!

As we touched down, a heavy tension engulfed the room. Any attempts to attack were futile; the experts from the White Lotus Sect remained silently on guard, while the Portrait Immortal and I faced each other, engaged in conversation. It seemed to harbor no immediate hostility, but I couldn’t let my guard down, not knowing when it might turn violent.

The white-haired Portrait Immortal surveyed its surroundings and said, “Quit hitting me. It hurts.”

“Let me ask you something. Do you hate humans?”

To which the Portrait Immortal grinned widely, saying, “Absolutely! We need to wipe all humans out.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because that being desires it.”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect spoke gravely. “It’s already akin to being a puppet of a ruler.”

As a demon sorcerer, the Master seemed to instantly recognize the current state of the white-haired Portrait Immortal. Turning to me, the Master urged, “Baek Woong. With that strange power of yours, swiftly behead the creature. It has no choice but to break free.”

“……”

“We’ll assist you in making sure it doesn’t evade!”

It would certainly be possible. Although the white-haired Portrait Immortal might mobilize its [Small Cycle] to recover, there would be pain, and time for recovery would be necessary. If we exploited that rigidity, we might finally deal a significant blow to it.

But was that truly the answer? ‘Its hatred for humans isn’t its true will; it’s a forced will, an indoctrination.’

Like a parent training a child, the gaze of the higher being was naturally embedded in it since birth due to the call of the [Old Ruler]. The Portrait Immortal was, in essence, a blank slate.

Was it justifiable to condemn something to death simply because it was born? It didn’t choose to be born in the first place! This dilemma was one I couldn’t ignore. For some reason, I felt compelled to resolve this contradiction.

After a brief moment, I made a choice I couldn’t even believe I was capable of making. “Hey, you.”

“Yes?”

This choice felt as though it required a transcendence beyond ordinary perception, something I could not have pulled off under normal circumstances.

“I’ll give you a name.”