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I was dumbfounded when I found out that Chang-hil, who had hidden his true identity all this time, was already in Luoyang and even leading the current chaos.

After a moment, I regained my senses and asked, “So, we have to take down the Chang-hil in Luoyang?”

To my surprise, Mangnyang looked at me calmly.

After a brief silence, he replied, “For what reason?”

“……”

When I heard Mangnyang’s question, I was at a loss for words. I had assumed we should take down Chang-hil, but Mangnyang showed an expression suggesting otherwise.

When I couldn’t reply, Mangnyang continued.

“Baek Woong, the reason you can’t respond is that it’s not about how strong Chang-hil is. You’re already prepared to fight the ‘Old Ruler’ and the difference in power is no longer important.”

“Hmm.”

“You, and all of us, don’t understand what kind of being Chang-hil is and what his ‘purpose’ is. It’s not just about making Chang-hil fearful; it’s also about not being able to judge whether he is good or evil.”

“I-I see.”

When Mangnyang hit the nail on the head, it felt like cold water splashed onto my head.

That’s right. I really didn’t know what Chang-hil wanted.

Even though he’s ranked among the ‘Old Rulers’ and has manipulated the Eight Parts of the Divine to cause countless disasters, I can’t just conclude that he’s purely evil. There must be a persistent and frequent scheme behind it all that serves a specific goal, but I had no idea what that was.

As my expression grew serious, Mangnyang said, “If it is certain that Chang-hil is truly a vile being, we must muster all our strength to crush him. However, he is too formidable to engage carelessly.”

“Mangnyang, do you think you know Chang-hil’s purpose?”

“It’s still hypothesis, but I have some guesses. However, I can’t tell you yet as it may implant a bias in your mind. Once I gather more evidence, I will share.”

I grumbled in response. “Bias? It’s not like we’re just dealing with monsters toying with humans, so what’s wrong with thinking a little skewed?”

“That’s exactly why I can’t speak freely.”

“Huh?”

“Baek Woong, don’t you realize that every action you take, even the smallest choice, creates a massive storm? The mindset that you can deal with problems simply by knocking them down excludes the possibility of turning him into an ally. If we’re not careful, it could lead to thousands of years of regret, so you must approach everything with an open mind.”

“Is that so… no, that’s…”

I was shocked to catch the implication hidden in Mangnyang’s words.

“Are you saying we could ally with Chang-hil and the Eight Parts of the Divine?”

Mangnyang nodded vigorously. “At least in this lifetime. Even if we don’t form an alliance, we could find ourselves in a situation where we don’t need to oppose him.”

“……!!”

“Baek Woong, what do you think Chang-hil’s position is? If our ultimate enemy is the Three Sovereigns, have you ever considered that Chang-hil might be an enemy of the Three Sovereigns?”

“W-Well…”

“The enemy of my enemy could be my ally.”

Really? I panicked at the thought of teaming up with Chang-hil, a concept I’d never even imagined. As I began to sweat, Cheon Woo-jin let out a sigh and interjected.

“Brother, enough. This guy overthinks everything to the point he trips on his own schemes. We don’t need to confuse him further.”

“Priest.”

“Your hypotheses are a bit ahead of us, too. We need immediate orders to act, so now isn’t the time for a grand discussion. We don’t know when Cheon Gong-pyo might arrive, so time is of the essence.”

That was a fair point.

Mangnyang acknowledged Cheon Woo-jin’s words and turned back to me. “For now, let’s go to Tang San.”

“Tang San?”

“That would be the best idea. As you know, he’s currently at the Four Talents Sect.”

“Got it.”

After our conversation with Mangnyang, we moved according to his plan.

Using the help of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, we all made our way near the Four Talents Sect, where a lush forest emerged. I recognized this forest, as it was part of the terrain before entering the Four Talents Sect. As I jogged my memory and stepped further inside, an unexpected sight greeted me.

Ruins.

Once grand and magnificent, all the walls, fences, and pavilions of the Four Talents Sect lay in ruins, reduced to gray dust. There were also skeletons scattered about, indicating that a massacre had taken place here at one point. I frowned as I walked deeper inside.

Tap…

Tap.

The main building of the Four Talents Sect remained intact.

And then I spotted someone standing right in front of it. Though still youthful, a tall and handsome man was waiting for us. Dressed in green robes, he smiled at me and said, “The Guokasha mentioned intruders, and it turned out to be you.”

“Tang San!”

It was Tang San, waiting for us in the decayed walls of the Four Talents Sect. He seemed to have matured into adulthood over the past five years. Noticing Seo Mun-hye and Cheon Woo-jin beside me, he asked, “When did you return?”

“Just recently.”

“Oh… well, let’s go inside and talk.”

We followed Tang San inside the well-maintained main building. Unlike everything else, this space showed signs that Tang San had taken good care of it, with barely any dust and neat furniture. After serving tea, Tang San said, “Give me that obsidian. It’s better than a hundred words.”

“……”

He was right, but I stared at him, feeling an odd sense of discomfort.

I couldn’t stand the discomfort any longer and asked, “Tang San, I want to hear it from you first. What has happened in the past five years?”

“Hmm. What happened… nothing much, actually.”

“Still, tell me.”

“If I had to say, I was looking for the Grave of the God, and on the suggestion of the Sword Demon, I returned to the Central Plains. Then, I sealed myself away for about two years to perfect my martial arts, and once I felt I reached a level, I returned here.”

“Here? You mean the Four Talents Sect?”

“Yep.”

“What did you do once you got back?”

I wasn’t just prying for no reason; I had a strange sense of unease about the vibe of this place, and my instincts as a martial artist warned me that something wasn’t right. Seo Mun-hye and Cheon Woo-jin were also observing Tang San closely, sensing my unease.

Tang San smirked, took a big gulp of tea, and said, “I’ve been doing what I wanted to do.”

“……”

I sighed. “So, you’ve really done something.”

From the indications, I could guess what had taken place here. Tang San must have meticulously plotted his revenge on the Four Talents Sect, and any direct descendants of the Sect wouldn’t have survived. If they had, their lives would surely have been worse than death. I couldn’t help but think that someone was still being tortured in the basement or a secret location of this very building.

“Extreme Tiger finally got his chance for revenge against Yongbi-cheon. And thanks to you, I’m able to fulfill my dream, so I couldn’t be happier. Hahaha.”

Tang San was joyfully laughing, but I couldn’t share in his amusement. I knew just how cruel his true nature was, rivaling Zhuge Sa, and I didn’t need to see the horrors the revenge targets endured. I could only imagine the terrible fates awaiting them—perhaps alive but flayed.

‘Is this right?’ I thought.

While I considered Yongbi-cheon deserved to die, I had made a decision during my rebirth to keep granting Extreme Tiger chances to finish him off. But Tang San was different; even though the Tang clan members had deserved to be torn apart, the scope of that revenge would undoubtedly lead to a massacre and a descent into hell. Even if those Tang descendants hadn’t committed any capital crimes, I felt certain he would kill them brutally.

But…

“Baek Woong, let’s be honest. You and I have both faced abuse and lived in hardship.”

“I was the enemy of the Four Talents Sect, and you were the enemy of the Soeul Village Clan. It’s not that I had the talent to take revenge and you didn’t; it’s simply that I had a gifted talent while you didn’t. Had you possessed the talent I have, you’d have done the same thing. In fact, you already have.”

“I like and respect you. You’ve taken action without sugar-coating anything, haven’t you? Hahaha! It’s quite thrilling!”

I always felt as if I shared the experience of revenge with Tang San. And now that I had already committed revenge myself, I couldn’t rebuke or criticize him. I was shackled by the bonds of original sin.

As I fell silent, Cheon Woo-jin spoke coldly, “Tang San, how about you ease the pain for the previous Clan Leader, Tang Mugyeok?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Knowing your personality, I can’t imagine you would have lightly dealt with the biggest target for revenge. You’re probably still keeping the person alive to torment them.”

“Right. I’ve kept him alive for some entertainment until Baek Woong returned.”

“Stop it. That behavior is not humane.”

Tang San grinned. “Sure, let’s do that.”

As he snapped his fingers, there seemed to be a faint vibration echoing through the air. It was likely linked to a torture device using threads. Tang Mugyeok’s life was probably snuffed out with that single vibration.

Cheon Woo-jin looked utterly disgusted. “You don’t seem to stop even after your revenge has ended. You wear the mask of a victim, but underneath, you’re simply pure evil.”

“Hahaha!” Tang San’s eyes twinkled like a crescent moon as he laughed.

“You’re right. Even if I hadn’t been mistreated, I might have wiped out the Four Talents Sect someday. It could be my nature. But in the Martial Arts world, in this everyday life, don’t I get called an overlord and a hero?”

“I couldn’t care less. You’re garbage.”

“Just consider it cute. I wasn’t idly sitting around for five years either.”

“……”

Cheon Woo-jin turned away as if he didn’t want to have another word with him. I then handed Tang San the obsidian to learn what had happened in my absence. He seemed quite surprised and said, “What? So much has happened while I was messing around in the Martial Arts world?”

“Tang San, didn’t you keep in contact with Mangnyang or the others during that time?”

“No. There was no way to do that. After I wiped out the Four Talents Sect, I played around with the sects in Sichuan for a bit.”

Tang San shrugged.

“Well, anyway. If we’re going to find the Golden Crow in the west, let me join too. Even in a minor role, I could be of some help.”

“The Golden Crow is guarded by a powerful group of Demon Sorcerers. I can’t guarantee our lives.”

“It might be fun.”

“More importantly, if you have any of the healing techniques from the Four Talents Sect, please quickly see if you can return Jin So-cheong to health.”

“Hmm.”

I took Jin So-cheong out from the wooden armor and presented her to Tang San for pulse diagnosis. He carefully felt her pulse and then said, “The fact that you showed her to me means you’ve found no answers with the medical techniques of the Hua Clan.”

I felt my face turn bright red.

“It’s not that the Hua Clan’s techniques are lacking, it’s just that my level is a bit deficient.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Tang San chuckled, clearly amused. “I’m a genius, so I’ve learned all the healing techniques of the Four Talents Sect, but honestly, I don’t see a clear way either. However, I think I know how to quickly bring Jin So-cheong back to health.”

“What’s that?”

“Feed her Daehwandan. Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and Black and White Lotus have imbalanced qi, so they’re not good for a person in a comatose state, but Daehwandan has a neutral energy, making it easy for her body to accept and recover.”

“Ah!”

Why hadn’t I thought of that?!

There’s nothing better than Daehwandan for detailed recovery!

‘I-I must have forgotten after collecting all the treasures and blessings this lifetime…’

No, perhaps it’s because I’ve been distracted by so many larger matters that I couldn’t focus? In a hurry, I took out Daehwandan and fed it to Jin So-cheong, slowly waking her up.

Swish…

After a while, her face flushed red, and it seemed like her consciousness was returning. However, she was still merely recognizing her surroundings, and it looked like she’d need a few more days at least before she could move properly.

Tang San said, “Mangnyang probably sent you to me because he meant to take me along for the mission of finding the Golden Crow.”

“I will without regret.”

Tang San smirked. “Saying that would be embarrassing…”

He wore a truly silly look.

Could it be…? No, I quickly discarded the thought that popped into my head. I didn’t want to admit that possibility.

After accepting Tang San back as a companion, I addressed the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens. “Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, please head directly to the British Empire…”

I absolutely need to get my hands on the Golden Crow!

“Huh?!”

Crash crash!

But before I could make my request to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, an unsettling blue current seemed to swirl into the hall. We all noticed the current wrapping around the Four Talents Sect like a whirlwind, and almost simultaneously, we raced outside.

Crash!

Before long, a bolt of lightning struck the ground. Accompanying that lightning was a figure with a calm demeanor, eyeing us.

“As promised, I’ve returned.”

It was Cheon Gong-pyo.

 

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