Chapter 596
“So, I headed straight back to Gong Gong after hearing Zhuge Sa’s plan.”
Gong Gong was still chilling there in his seat, just waiting, while I noticed a bunch of tentacle monster corpses scattered around. He shot a fiery gaze at me and said, “You’re quick.”
“Yeah, but…” I looked at the monster bodies and couldn’t help but ask, “What are these monsters?”
“Descendants of the Evil God,” he replied.
“Oh!”
“They constantly swoop in looking to steal away the Fire Spirit. Seems like they’re sent from the sleeping Evil God’s domain.”
“Hmmm… But you make it look easy. Aren’t these guys supposed to be pretty strong?”
Honestly, I was impressed. If the Evil God’s descendants had shown the power of the Nine Lotus Bishop, then they had to be among the strongest of their kind. Yet, Gong Gong seemed unfazed while dealing with them, almost like he was just toying with them. He replied, “They’re just half-breeds, so it’d be weird if I couldn’t handle them.”
“Half-breeds?”
“The Evil God sends out half-demons, sired from humans, in droves to find the Seven Luminaries. The real descendants are pretty rare.”
“Sired, huh?”
“It’s his cruel little hobby, but it hardly eats up his divine energy. He’s probably trying to slowly sap my power this way.”
“……”
Listening to Gong Gong, I started to piece together what hell was brewing. The Evil God was sending his minions everywhere, but he was holding back his actual descendants. Even though he had gained influence, there were limits, so he had to conserve it. Instead, it’s clear he’s making those half-demons from kidnapped humans across the continents, keeping his energy consumption low while searching for the Seven Luminaries. Naturally, it goes without saying that humans bearing the Evil God’s descendants were living in hell, and that chaos was most likely happening unseen all around us.
‘What’s this… how crafty.’
But rather than anger, I felt somewhat taken aback. It seemed brutally genius that the Evil God would not be swayed by his own immense power; instead, he was meticulously weaving the scene to his advantage. If he kept doing things so calmly and thoroughly, he could very well bring the Celestial Realm crashing down, leaving even the Three Sovereigns with no chance to fight back.
“Enough idle chatter. Did you bring me what I wanted?” Gong Gong asked.
I nodded and raised the Fire Dragon Sword, saying, “I believe this is the only way.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re going to absorb the Chaos Flames into this Fire Dragon Sword.”
“……”
He stood there looking dumbfounded for a moment before crossing his arms in disbelief. “What nonsense! How can that sword possibly absorb the Flames of Zhu Rong?”
“What rests in this Fire Dragon Sword is the Great Immortal of the Celestial Realm.”
“So?”
“She is the avatar of the Divine Dragon, Shenglong.”
“……!! Shenglong?!”
“Yeah.”
I sensed him wavering and continued, “She holds a rank far above typical Great Immortals. Moreover, as an avatar of a dragon, she’s way more familiar with fire control, even if it’s the Flames of a Giant.”
“Hmm… Shenglong…” Gong Gong murmured, seemingly in thought.
“He was a remarkable being. Even the Emperor relied on Shenglong, so her avatar must be…”
After a lengthy pause, he finally said, “I need proof that sword is genuinely the Fire Dragon Sword. Show me the evidence.”
I predicted this would happen. Recalling Zhuge Sa’s plan, I shot back, “I’d rather not?”
“What… did you just say?!”
“I’ve laid out all the most plausible methods I could think of. Given that I hold a reliable way, I see no reason to cater to your demands. I certainly don’t feel obliged to free you from your current enchantment.”
“You…”
I held his glare with a fierce look. “The disadvantage falls on my side, not yours. I suggest you drop the arrogant attitude. It’s essential for a proper deal.”
Seeing Gong Gong’s anger rise, it looked like he was about to draw his gigantic sword. But after a moment’s thought, he seemed to calm his rage and said, “You want something else, don’t you?”
“That’s right. Right now, the terms favor you too much.”
“What is it you want?”
“In exchange for freeing your enchantment, I’d like you to help us search for the Seven Luminaries. Also, I expect your genuine support in battles against our enemies in the future. Abandonment is not an option.”
“You’re saying I should help you humans fight?!”
“I know you don’t care about human lives, but it’s a big deal for us.”
“……”
“Even if you find the Seven Luminaries, you can’t act on it right away, can you? Your goal is to grow stronger to get revenge on the Three Sovereigns, isn’t it? If you join hands with us, we can share any intel we gather until then.”
Gong Gong seemed deep in thought. After some time, he said, “Alright, let’s do that.”
“Our promise is thus established.”
“If you have deceived me, I’ll hunt you and your companions down to the ends of the earth and tear you apart!” he threatened, exuding a menacing aura that felt as if it could peel the skin off.
“Bring it on.”
“……”
I’m the kind of person who speaks my mind even to the Three Sovereigns or the Old Ruler, so why would I tremble at Gong Gong’s weak threats? I shrugged off his pressure and focused.
‘No unnecessary movements, just aim.’
All-Seeing Eye activated.
“National Seal, show me the most vulnerable part of Gong Gong’s seal!”
Wiying
As I tapped into the power of the National Seal’s All-Seeing Eye, I distinctly saw the Flames of Zhu Rong sticking into Gong Gong like a dark thorn bush. Those curses weren’t visible to the naked eye, so the All-Seeing Eye allowed even conceptual curses to materialize. I quickly zeroed in on the thickest part of that thorny chaos and pierced through.
Thunder God Sword Dance!
One Slash!
Shwaaaak!
With one big cut, I felt the pressure of the curse on Gong Gong diminish. He looked a lot lighter, and in shock, he exclaimed, “Oh…!!”
But it wasn’t over yet. To dispel the flame curse, I needed to absorb that power!
With the thorn bush weakened, I stabbed the main stem with the Fire Dragon Sword.
Gooooo!
The curse that had appeared as a thorn bush suddenly transformed into a giant blaze, surging up and threatening to engulf me completely.
“Grah!”
Is that the defensive mechanism of the Evil God? But while holding the Fire Dragon Sword, I had resistance to all flames in this world, so even the Chaos Flames only stung a bit on my skin; I sustained no injury. Focusing on the Fire Dragon Sword, I shouted, “Awaken, Great Immortal!”
The next moment, the sword began to shine bright white, and massive power started to suck up the chaotic flames enveloping my body. Instead of burning, it felt like the divine flames of the Fire Dragon Sword were purifying me from chaos.
Kugugu!
From within the Fire Dragon Sword, power, which had been dormant for so long, exploded forth, and I felt a consciousness beginning to awaken. After a brief moment, the Fire Dragon Immortal manifested in my mind and screamed, “I will dispel this evil curse!”
As the Fire Dragon Immortal concentrated his power, the energy surged into the Fire Dragon Sword, seemingly amplifying its pull. And soon, the power of the Fire Dragon Immortal began to climb rapidly, muttering as if straining, “This amount… is quite hefty…”
“Fire Dragon Immortal! Is it difficult?”
“Not at all. Just hold on a bit longer!”
Kugugugugu!
Fwoosh!
“I’ve subdued it!”
After what felt like an eternity, the Fire Dragon Immortal finally absorbed all of the Zhu Rong’s flames, rebirthing itself through the Fire Dragon Sword. Simultaneously, Gong Gong began to transform as well.
“Haha! Finally, this damned curse is gone…!!”
Kwarrrung!
Gong Gong’s size surged dramatically. He had gone from a normal human size back to his original stature, his form shifting into that of a flame giant but with a chill eerie presence. There was now a swirling orb of flames around him, proving that he could wield all the properties of Yin and Yang.
The Fire Spirit seemed to be swallowed up by Gong Gong’s outstretched hand, transforming from a size manageable for a human into a massive weapon, similar to that carried by the Giant Tribe. The Seven Luminaries must have the potential for transformative scaling.
Gong Gong lifted the Fire Spirit high and bellowed, “I’ve reclaimed my true form! Hahaha!”
Crackle!
I sensed my body sinking deep into the ground under the weight of his single shout. No doubt about it—once Gong Gong was unsealed, he’d become at least ten times stronger! Looking up at him, I said, “Gong Gong! Now about that promise…”
“Promise… yes, I’ll keep it! But first, I have something to do, so pardon my rudeness.”
“What?!”
“I must meet someone!”
Kwaaaang!
Gong Gong burst forth from the ground, exploding into the heavens.
“My King! Wait for me!”
Thud…
And so I stood there, gaping at the emptiness where Gong Gong had been, thinking, ‘Did Zhuge Sa’s plan really work?’
It truly was a two-birds, one-stone strategy, using the Fire Dragon Sword to absorb the Flames of Zhu Rong while simultaneously reviving the Fire Dragon Immortal. But I had doubts about Zhuge Sa’s plan, as there wasn’t a solid guarantee it would work, and I could’ve very likely been reduced to ashes instead. There was also the chance the Fire Dragon Immortal wouldn’t awaken, leaving me in a burning hell. Furthermore, as I just witnessed, Gong Gong had begun to suspect me too.
And there was something niggling at my mind about what Zhuge Sa had added, “Well, if it goes south, just pretend to unseal him and kill him. You’ll still gain by absorbing Gong Gong’s soul into the Fire Dragon Sword regardless.”
“That’s betrayal!” I had protested.
“What do I care?”
“……”
Yet, regardless of it all, I had succeeded in the end. With a sigh of relief, I thought, ‘If Jin So-cheong hadn’t instilled her determination in me, I could never have taken this plunge…’
Having seen Jin So-cheong’s sacrifice and resolution, I couldn’t go on living passively this life. I needed to gain advantage somehow, grow stronger, and create a good outcome, even if it meant enduring every gamble and adventure.
At that moment, the Fire Dragon Immortal manifested in a shimmering vision and spoke, “You have awakened me. Who are you?”
“I am Baek Woong. And…”
I briefly filled her in on the backstory. She looked puzzled and asked, “Immortal Sword Technique? Yeodong-bin is a Great Immortal, and she can transform into an Immortal Sword?”
I was taken aback by her words. “What? Don’t you know?”
“No, I don’t. I taught various sacred arts like the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique as Yeodong-bin’s master, but I never taught her anything like that.”
“……!!”
What’s going on? My surprise didn’t go unnoticed as she added, “First, try to summon this Immortal Sword.”
“Sure.”
Shoooom!
I focused on summoning the Immortal Sword in my left hand. As the Fire Dragon Immortal reached out to touch the blade, she went wide-eyed in shock.
“This is…?”
She looked up at the heavens and murmured, “This is the technique of the War God, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens!”
