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Dark Heaven Village

Zhuge Sa was fully aware that his combat power was significantly inferior to Zhuge Yulong right in front of him. Sure, he boasted superiority in sorcery and magical power, but even that wasn’t such a huge advantage. After all, Zhuge Yulong had partnered up with the Eight Parts of the Divine for quite some time and had no qualms about making a deal with the Old Ruler.

Moreover, Zhuge Yulong was one of the Three Great Masters of the Orthodox Martial World, known as the Old Sage of Mount Tai, and his martial arts were exceptionally formidable; no need to even mention his sorcery. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had already become an Earth Immortal in his twenties after ascending to the Celestial Realm, for he was a genius without comparison.

Zhuge Sa had never considered himself significantly less talented or intelligent than anyone in the world, yet even he found Zhuge Yulong always to be a daunting opponent. His own brilliance paled in comparison to his brother’s extraordinary talent.

In other words, a monster who may have accomplished mastery in the three realms of martial arts, sorcery, and magic.

It was certain that if he were to face Zhuge Yulong head-on, he’d be dead in less than three seconds. Even Baek Woong might find it questionable to defeat Zhuge Yulong without the help of Cheon Woo-jin. Thus, Zhuge Sa decided to buy some time with words.

“Did you bring Tydaht with you? I’ve got a Seven Luminaries too.”

Zhuge Sa deceitfully claimed to stir Zhuge Yulong’s emotions, but Zhuge Yulong replied without a change in expression,

“Alright. Then, let’s use the Seven Luminaries.”

“Hold on…”

“Die.”

Boom!

Ultimate Technique!

Entering Cloud and Ascending Dragon!

A blue whirlwind seemed to surge forth. Zhuge Yulong flew toward Zhuge Sa in a dazzling display of divine technique, striking out with incredible speed. It was so fast that Zhuge Sa, who had just surpassed the first-class level of martial arts, couldn’t dodge or block it.

Zhuge Sa’s eyes widened; it was far too quick, even beyond his expectations.

“Facing it directly feels completely different.”

After all, no one doubted Zhuge Yulong’s martial arts prowess while acting as the Old Sage of Mount Tai among the Orthodox Martial World. Even if his identity was fake, his strength was real, and against one of the most skilled martial artists in the martial arts realm, the hodgepodge techniques he had learned for fun would be utterly useless.

Smash!

It was only natural that Zhuge Sa’s head shattered like glass. Although he excelled in magic and knowledge, he hadn’t put much effort into martial arts. It was expected that he’d be caught off guard in less than a second.

Zhuge Yulong, who showed no hint of hesitation in killing his own brother, stood expressionless amidst the raining blood. Then he muttered,

“Purification Technique.”

Blood that had stained around Zhuge Yulong’s body suddenly washed away as if it had never been there. Zhuge Yulong activated his technique to erase the bloodstains and quietly said,

“A blood curse? How ridiculous. Such a low-grade magic.”

Zhuge Yulong lifted his gaze somewhere.

“Controlling dolls again; your method hasn’t changed at all. Are you afraid to face your older brother, Sa?”

“Of course I am.”

Step, step.

“An older brother who breaks his cute little brother’s head without hesitation can’t be respected.”

Slowly, Zhuge Sa’s figure emerged from the darkness behind the cave. Strangely, even though Zhuge Sa had just been killed by Zhuge Yulong’s strike, he seemed to have revived immediately! Of course, it wasn’t true resurrection; he had switched bodies through his doll, which made Zhuge Yulong furrow his brow.

The Soul Exchange Technique? That now belongs to Zhuge Sa… What a disaster.

Though this was their first encounter, Zhuge Yulong, being well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge, recognized the inheritance and the power of the Soul Exchange Technique. It allowed one to manipulate humans freely without them even realizing it, and a master could possess another’s soul at will. This legendary dark arts technique, passed down to the heretical sect leader, made Zhuge Yulong cautious.

Zhuge Sa grinned slyly.

“Well, you don’t look like you’re the real deal either.”

“Think what you want.”

When Zhuge Yulong drew his long sword, an icy sword strength immediately coiled around it. The fact that he could generate powerful energy in one breath without any preparatory stance or spirit call indicated that he was an astonishing peak swordsman. It was a scene that could strike fear into any martial artist’s heart, and aimed with his blade, Zhuge Yulong uttered,

“How quickly will our prepared dolls drop? Will it be me slicing through you endlessly or you dying repeatedly?”

“Haha. Do we really have to play a war of attrition like this?”

“If you have hidden cards, you’ll bring them out soon enough.”

Whoosh!

This time, as Zhuge Yulong lunged, the doll Zhuge Sa controlled was decapitated in just a second. Ultimately, even if it was a doll or an immortal portrait, the user’s original capacity would determine the outcome, and with Zhuge Sa’s abilities falling short, he could not defeat Zhuge Yulong. Furthermore, the ability to switch bodies freely with dolls was equally present for Zhuge Yulong, placing Zhuge Sa in an endless disadvantageous circumstance.

There were times when he attempted to counterattack using sorcery and dark arts, but each time, Zhuge Yulong effortlessly nullified his resistance with appropriate counter spells. The number of spells he knew was staggering; he could freely cast over two hundred advanced sorceries!

Smash!

Wosh!

For a while, the gruesome slaughter continued, filling the not-so-wide cavern with Zhuge Sa’s corpses. While Zhuge Yulong was overwhelmingly in the advantageous position, he showed no signs of relaxing, continuing his emotionless killing spree.

Crash!

When Zhuge Yulong unleashed a command of destruction, the dolls resembling Zhuge Sa were torn apart like pieces of rag. Zhuge Yulong believed he had sufficiently eliminated Zhuge Sa’s dolls and said,

“Your mastery of the Soul Exchange Technique is high enough that you can skillfully evade my sealing arts. If you’re too scared to fight me, that’s certainly fine.”

Fwoosh!

The ‘Zhuge Yulongs’ gathered Zhuge Sa’s corpses together and set them ablaze. Watching the flames engulf the pile of corpses, he seemed to be waiting for something.

Jingling!

Suddenly, the ground near the roots seemed to pulse, and a bright blue spirit energy oozed out as if it were viscous paint. Unlike ordinary spirit beings, it transmitted a distinct feeling through time and space! Zhuge Yulong matched his spirit energy’s frequency with that energy, trying to find something.

Jingling—

Walking along the roots for a while, Zhuge Yulong found a place where the density of the blue spirit energy was thick enough to take his breath away. He gazed at the massive root pile in a moment of reflection, then said,

“I’m certain the World Tree’s seed and reincarnation body are inside there. Sa, come at me if you dare.”

Zhuge Yulong did not underestimate Zhuge Sa at all. Though he had won largely in the doll duel, he knew Zhuge Sa was a strategist equal to himself. It wouldn’t be a strategy to engage in an attritional contest among dolls without any reason, but since he couldn’t read Zhuge Sa’s inner intentions, he utilized the dolls’ material to fuel the World Tree’s energy. As a result, he discovered the most concentrated spot of the World Tree’s spirit energy—the place where the seed slept.

There was no doubt about it.

Now, Zhuge Sa would make his move.

Drip!

Provocatively, he began moving one of his immortal portraits to cut the root structure, and red-like sap oozed out and fell to the ground. However, as he searched for the seed for quite a while with no movement from Zhuge Sa, he muttered with disappointment.

“Is he a coward?”

Suddenly, he exclaimed,

“Found it.”

He soon discovered something the size of a watermelon falling to the ground as he cut through the root that was rich in spirit energy. It was too large to be a seed but radiated a bright blue light, showcasing its presence.

This is it!

No more schemes, it’s meaningless now. With a smug smile, Zhuge Yulong instantly seized the World Tree’s seed to teleport away. Just as he attempted to use the teleportation technique while holding the seed in his hand,

“……”

He couldn’t invoke any magic.

Did Tydaht activate?

In a moment of panic, Zhuge Yulong thought that the activation of the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram had rendered him unable to use any spells, making the inability to cast spells the most likely reason for his immortal portrait.

But then he realized that wasn’t the case.

“……!!”

As Zhuge Yulong’s face hardened, one of Zhuge Sa’s dolls stealthily emerged from behind. He smirked and said,

“Brother. You’re falling for this even knowing I would come out.”

“…I didn’t expect the level of your dark arts to be this low.”

“Three years of separation must make quite a difference, huh? How long has it been since you and I last met?”

Zhuge Sa swiftly snatched the World Tree’s seed from Zhuge Yulong’s hand and cradled it. It looked like a reckless act. Under normal circumstances, he should have been instantly killed by Zhuge Yulong’s formidable martial power. Yet, Zhuge Yulong stood still, not moving at all.

Actually, he wasn’t simply not moving.

He couldn’t move.

“No. No matter how much you practice, it’s impossible for a human to master the Soul Exchange Technique to that degree. Your magical power surpasses common sense.”

“……”

After a moment, Zhuge Yulong, having grasped something, glared at Zhuge Sa’s right eye.

“That eye…! Thanks to that magical eye?”

Shimmering!

Zhuge Sa’s right eye wasn’t a typical human eye. It was stained dark, and the pupil glowed with a chilling crimson light. Plus, it emanated powerful magical energy, creating a stark contrast against his left eye, which had been crushed and soaked in blood.

No one could mistake him for anything less than a mad sorcerer, and Zhuge Sa chuckled as he stroked his right eye.

“Ah? Is there a problem? Doesn’t it feel like my inner black goat is going wild? Do you believe I’ve spent my entire fortune to get this? Brother, once this is over, I’ll be pretty much a cripple for a while.”

“Did you contract with the Demon King?”

“Correct.”

Zhuge Sa’s jet-black eye expelled eerie energy.

“While this ‘eye’ is activated, the restrictions of the Soul Exchange Technique are lifted, allowing me to control your spirit simply with sight.”

“……”

“Zhuge Yulong, you’ve fallen under the Soul Exchange Technique.”

Zhuge Yulong gritted his teeth.

That was most likely one of the ultimate secrets of the Landlord Doctrines!

It might sound easy, but that ‘eye,’ infused with the Demon King’s power, was certainly not something one could attain normally. An ordinary sorcerer wouldn’t even dare to think about a contract, and even if one tried to, they’d end up being drained dry like a slave, swallowed for eternity. However, Zhuge Sa had reached the pinnacle in both dark arts and heretical techniques, successfully forming a contract for that magical eye!

The Soul Exchange Technique originally required prolonged contact to bring the target’s spirit under interference. But that demon’s eye abolishes that requirement, allowing the casting of the Soul Exchange Technique merely with sight.

Hissssss!

As the dolls of Zhuge Yulong began to twitch their lips, it was apparent that the Soul Exchange Technique was beginning to unravel. Zhuge Yulong, intending to use his formidable arts and spells to counter this, saw Zhuge Sa’s complexion slightly pale. Yet after a moment, Zhuge Sa illuminated his magical eye, commanding,

“Kill yourself.”

Thud!

Shortly thereafter, all of Zhuge Yulong’s immortal portraits simultaneously plunged knives into their throats and committed suicide. The madness inflating the Soul Exchange Technique, enhanced by the demon’s eye, was easily disregarding their self-preservation instincts. However, one remained standing instead of killing itself. Zhuge Yulong glared at Zhuge Sa.

“Why leave one?”

“Don’t you know? If they all die, I’ll immediately switch to another doll, blocking my escape route. While I command the Soul Exchange Technique, that body becomes your prison.”

“……”

At that remark, Zhuge Yulong coldly chuckled.

“That eye must surely have a time limit. Did you risk everything just to achieve victory in this place?”

Zhuge Sa shrugged.

“Is that a problem?”

“You’re a fool. Torturing me here won’t bring you anything. I can endure any physical pain with my mental techniques. Moreover, no matter how powerful the Soul Exchange Technique, it can’t penetrate my psychological defenses through the immortal portraits. If that’s possible, the Demon King of the heretical sect would’ve ruled the world by now.”

“You’re right.”

“Winning once here means you’ll never meddle in my affairs again. Your right eye will go blind, and your left eye will burn with magical flames, leaving you a blind man.”

“…That’s likely.”

“Does this single victory hold significant meaning? I truly don’t understand why I’m asking this, Sa.”

Zhuge Yulong questioned with a cold gaze. It wasn’t mockery but rather confusion stemming from their vastly different values regarding significance.

Zhuge Sa’s current strategy was that of a failed strategist.

He could hardly claim to be a descendant of Zhuge Mu-hu.

While it seemed acceptable at first glance, the main and minor objectives had been completely inverted.

Zhuge Yulong thought Zhuge Sa would likely focus on taking reasonable gains and then, like a strategist, shift focus towards the grand scheme; however, Zhuge Sa defiantly chose to abandon all future sustainability for the sake of winning this small battlefield. To Zhuge Yulong, it was evident that even if obtaining the World Tree’s seed was a gain, it wasn’t worth such a substantial trade.

Zhuge Sa responded in a pessimistic tone.

“I’m tired of playing the wise man who merely targets the grand scheme. To the gods, after all, I’m just a pitiful mortal!”

“What?! Is that something a strategist should say?”

“Originally, I would have thought the same of my actions and felt like an idiot. But you see, brother, if you had an infinite game, what strategy would you devise?”

“……?”

Zhuge Yulong showed his first sign of losing composure, looking utterly baffled. As he wore a face that couldn’t comprehend the situation, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“Even if it takes millions or billions of turns, a strategist’s duty is to lay the foundation for the king.”

Thud!

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Sa forcefully stabbed a dagger into Zhuge Yulong’s heart, twisting it.

“Ugh.”

Zhuge Yulong staggered, but it seemed he wasn’t prone to great reactions for someone used to physical pain. Zhuge Sa, leaving the dagger embedded in his heart, stepped back and said,

“As you said, brother, I will be stepping back for a while. But it wouldn’t suit my temperament to leave quietly, so you must go with me.”

“What… do you mean?”

“That dagger will slowly consume your soul and lead to your corruption in a hundred days. To dispel it, you’ll have to dedicate at least ten years to the exorcism without a moment’s distraction.”

“……”

So they had sealed him here for ten years.

That seemed like an effective strategy. Being here, the Eight Parts of the Divine would also find it hard to come looking for him, and moreover, they had no obligation to lift his curse.

The dagger was imbued with magical energy, and the body-switching technique was entirely disabled.

“What an idiot.”

Zhuge Yulong said nothing. Although he had lost here, he had ultimately won the greater war. If Zhuge Sa became blind and lost all his support base, it’d benefit Zhuge Yulong immensely. The fact that a genius strategist who could freely wield the Soul Exchange Technique was no longer his enemy would considerably widen Zhuge Yulong’s maneuvering space. In fact, the curse of the dagger couldn’t even substantially threaten Zhuge Yulong, who was poised to wield the general’s techniques targeting the end of the world five hundred years hence. Overall, Zhuge Sa’s actions could be conclusively stated to be a suicidal act.

However, seeing Zhuge Sa’s overly relaxed expression after having made a deal was bewildering.

What on earth drove Zhuge Sa to act like that?

Zhuge Yulong sighed as he watched Zhuge Sa completely vanish into the darkness.

“The Eight Parts of the Divine will now run rampant…”

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