암천향(暗天鄕)

After Chi You was gone, I slipped out of Luoyang and headed towards Master Mangnyang’s village. Maybe because it was a village blessed by him, even though everything around was in ruins, this place looked perfectly intact. Before entering the village, I decided to hide the Heavenly Secret for a bit and walked in.

“You’re here.”

Cheon Woo-jin seemed to have set up no illusions. I suppose that’s because with his master personally using his powers, there was no need for him to step in. Near Cheon Woo-jin, a few companions were gathered, and thankfully, Jin So-cheong, Tang San, and Seo Mun-hye were all safe.

Suddenly, I realized something odd and asked.

“What about Yong Junil and Sagong Lin?”

“They’re missing. No clue where they are.”

Well, can’t do much about that.

“Hmm… what about the Celestial Sage and Gong Gong?”

“… they went to the Celestial Realm.”

“What?”

“When the war between Chi You and the Three Sovereigns reached its peak, the soul of Daji trapped in your body went wild. We three tried to stop it, but it was just too intense. In the middle of it all, Queen Mother of the West suggested something to us through martial arts.”

I could guess what Cheon Woo-jin was indicating.

“She asked to return Daji to her.”

“With the soul still stuck in your body, it’d be completely useless for you and since we couldn’t contact you, we had no idea when you’d come back… Left as it was, your body was about to turn into a high-level existence tailored by Daji’s soul. So, we temporarily sealed the soul and took it to the Celestial Realm.”

The Seal of the Supreme King is indifferent to the location of one’s soul. It just targets the desired ‘body’ for plundering and exchanges the soul, so the location of Daji’s soul doesn’t matter.

“Do you think it’s okay? What if Queen Mother of the West attacks them…”

As I worried, Cheon Woo-jin chuckled.

“What exactly are you worried about? You really need to chill.”

“What?”

“Since the Primordial Void Ruler issued a command to the Queen Mother of the West, she won’t attack our group recklessly.”

“I see…”

So now I just need to wait for the Celestial Sage and Gong Gong to return?

At that moment, Zhuge Sa’s voice rang out.

“Baek Woong. Everything’s fine, but can you tell us what happened at the Imperial Palace? There was a massive war and the information we have is limited.”

“Got it. Gather around.”

Using the powers of Obsidian, I shared everything that happened after I switched Daji’s body with mine. After pondering for a while, Zhuge Sa spoke.

“Chi You managed to surpass the Great Cycle…? Interesting. If that’s the case… then my and Mangnyang’s choices were indeed right.”

Zhuge Sa muttered something under his breath.

“That means, the two most important things right now are as follows.”

“What are they?”

“First, we need to figure out how Jin, the Portrait Immortal, betrayed us. There must be a reason behind that betrayal, and they likely felt the need to show up in front of Chi You intentionally. Plus, since Jin’s heart is Tydaht, to gather the Seven Luminaries, we’ll have to fight him whether we like it or not.”

“That’s true. But Chi You died without revealing the full story to me.”

“Well… can’t be helped. I wish you had more insight, but we should be glad that Chi You is gone in the first place.”

Zhuge Sa sounded disappointed and raised his middle finger after his index.

“Second, we need to go find Zhuge Yulong.”

“……?”

I stared at him, dumbfounded by the unexpected suggestion.

“Why? Is that even necessary right now?”

Zhuge Yulong had a sealing of at least ten years placed on him by Zhuge Sa. The reason I say ‘at least’ is that the curse from the dagger Zhuge Sa implanted in him is so brutal that he should’ve been corrupted by now, but because of Zhuge Yulong’s ability, it only remained a seal. Even without checking, considering Zhuge Yulong’s state, he likely couldn’t be rescued right now, and was probably buried beneath the ruins of the Sacred Altar Tree.

‘It’ll take a few more years for his seal to break.’

It had been quite some time since he had exited the current reincarnation. Plus, with the powerful Qin Shi Huang looming ahead, there’s hardly any time to waste. So why chase after someone like him?

Zhuge Sa said.

“Baek Woong, think carefully about why the Portrait Immortal appeared in this reincarnation.”

“Hmm…”

“Something related to the Portrait Immortal has significantly changed in this life.”

As I was deep in thought, it suddenly hit me.

“There was no Zhuge Yulong at the Imperial Palace…?”

“Exactly.”

“But that’s not the first time that happened. There have been several instances where the Imperial Palace was wiped out and Zhuge Yulong’s whereabouts became mysterious. Can’t we say he was ‘not there’ even then?”

When I posed my confused question, Zhuge Sa shook his head.

“That situation is different. Up until now, Zhuge Yulong had not lost his influence over the Imperial Palace at all, and the Portrait Immortal never utilized his powers. Mostly, it was either incomplete or Zhuge Yulong was nowhere near the completion of the Portrait Immortal.”

“Hmm… I guess that makes sense.”

“To put it another way, the critical moment when Zhuge Yulong and the completion of the Portrait Immortal were closely linked was in the previous round. The time when Portrait Immortal Yushin appeared.”

With that, Zhuge Sa paused for a moment before continuing.

“This is the first time Zhuge Yulong was absent from the Imperial Palace, and yet the Portrait Immortal has, in the end, completed.”

“Hmm… wait a second.”

As I thought over Zhuge Sa’s words, I replied.

“So, essentially, if Zhuge Yulong is in the Imperial Palace, he becomes Yushin, and if not, he becomes Qin Shi Huang… is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s a fair assumption. Based on the circumstances, there’s no other explanation for Qin Shi Huang’s existence.”

“……!!”

Not just me, but all the nearby companions looked totally dumbfounded.

How on earth is that even a causal relationship?

Jin So-cheong, who was listening, suddenly spoke up.

“Zhuge Sa, if what you say is true, then it means Qin Shi Huang is a being that cannot exist in ‘original history.’”

“Right. That’s what I believe.”

Zhuge Sa clasped his hands together.

“But even so, examining Qin Shi Huang’s words and actions suggests that he must have made ample preparations with the appearance of the Portrait Immortal in mind. It seems likely that he intended to intrude from the very beginning, but there was a reason that prevented him from doing so.”

“And that reason is Zhuge Yulong, right?”

“Most likely.”

Zhuge Sa glanced at me.

“Baek Woong, since we’re on the topic, you should ask Zhuge Bu for information. It’ll be best to check what he knows before meeting Zhuge Yulong.”

“Got it.”

I received the wooden armor from Cheon Woo-jin, opened it, and pulled Zhuge Bu out. Then, I asked Zhuge Bu what he knew about the Portrait Immortal, Zhuge Yulong, and more. Since he was in doll form, perjury or lies weren’t an option.

After about half a moment of interrogation, Zhuge Sa sighed.

“This guy seems to be focused solely on the idea of needing to create the Portrait Immortal. He’s clueless about the rest. Just like my brother, keeping a lot from his child.”

“Wait, so what’s the benefit of meeting Zhuge Yulong and asking about the Portrait Immortal?”

“… Isn’t it obvious?”

Zhuge Sa took a sip of water and said.

“Now that Chi You and the Eight Parts of the Divine are gone, our biggest opponent is Qin Shi Huang, but we have no information on him. The only one who could tell us about Qin Shi Huang’s true identity and weaknesses is precisely Zhuge Yulong, who controls the ‘variables.’ We need to extract information from him to gain an advantage when fighting him later.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“And while heading to Goryeo, we should also get up to speed on the status of the Twelve Joules and the location of Extreme Tiger.”

Zhuge Sa’s words were spot on.

As I nodded, something clicked in my mind.

“Wait! Jin recklessly stirred the Small Cycle while Chi You was descending, and as a result, he received hundreds of restrictive curses from the Old Rulers. If he can no longer use the ability to stir the cycle, wouldn’t that mean we could win him outright without needing to dig for weaknesses?”

However, Zhuge Sa gave a wry smile.

“That curse targets the ‘essence.’ It only applies to Chi You. Since you took Chi You down, that curse would have likely vanished, and with Jin denying his connection to Chi You, he likely won’t be bound by it.”

“Ugh, dang it!! Always such a nuisance.”

“What’s most interesting is how the heck Qin Shi Huang managed to survive and strike Chi You from behind in that big battle where the Three Sovereigns were wiped out… But for us to find that out, we need to meet Zhuge Yulong.”

Zhuge Sa looked at Jin So-cheong.

“Jin So-cheong, before we proceed, there’s something I need to confirm…”

“What is it?”

“Can you, like the Sword Demon, awaken the ‘Cycle’ to resist?”

“……”

That was a crucial question. Because if Jin were to attack us now, the ability to manipulate time at will would mean we could end up wiped out in an instant. To counter that, we’d need the ability to resist the Cycle at the peak of martial artists. And presently, excluding divine beings, the only one in our group with such potential was actually Jin So-cheong.

Jin So-cheong replied.

“If I unleash my full potential like the Sword Demon, it’s possible. But I doubt I could respond fluidly enough to handle the enemy’s attacks while continually keeping track of time.”

“How disappointing. The strongest warrior in the human realm can only manage that much.”

“Don’t say weird things. As a human, resisting the sheer force capable of manipulating time is nearly impossible. The Sword Demon is a superhuman who will go down in martial arts history. Such concepts or legends didn’t exist in the martial world before him. It’s a heavenly technique that can only be attempted after reaching the Absolute Realm.”

Jin So-cheong said firmly before casting a sideways glance at me.

“However, now that Baek Woong has inherited the Sword Demon’s memories, things may change from here on out. The levels of our companions will undoubtedly rise.”

“Yeah, I suppose so. Shame it’s an immediate concern. Either way, if we stick together, we’ll get wiped out in one blow from Jin’s Time Stop, won’t we?”

“……”

Zhuge Sa turned to me, licking his lips.

“Baek Woong, you must be protected to the maximum by the Celestial Sage and Gong Gong. And our top priority should be to reach the place where Zhuge Yulong is while avoiding Jin’s notice.”

“Got it.”

Following Zhuge Sa’s words, we decided to wait for the Celestial Sage and Gong Gong and set our course back to the ruins of the Sacred Altar Tree. After spending about three days waiting in the village, the Celestial Sage finally returned.

“Hey, you’re still alive.”

“Celestial Sage.”

I told the Celestial Sage everything I’d gone through. I wanted to share about the Obsidian too, but Zhuge Sa subtly stopped me. He seemed to think that now wasn’t the right time to share that with the Celestial Sage.

The Celestial Sage listened intently to the story about Chi You’s demise, then pondered deeply.

“Actually, when I was in the Celestial Realm, I handed over Daji’s soul and had a little chat with the Queen Mother of the West.”

“Huh? Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Gong Gong.”

“That ties into this.”

The Celestial Sage sighed and continued.

“The Queen Mother of the West acknowledged that she is Nüwa. And even if she receives Daji’s soul, she has resolved not to meddle in earthly affairs anymore. It seems the Primordial Void Ruler applied some serious pressure on her.”

“Interesting.”

“If you put it in terms your martial world would understand, it seems the Celestial Realm is about to close the gates. Now that Chi You is gone, the world will be quiet for a while. Many immortals died in the war. But…”

“But?”

“She said she wants to meet you.”

Me?

I couldn’t quite guess why the Queen Mother of the West would want to see me. In fact, there were so many reasons I couldn’t pinpoint just one. Regardless of the reason, I didn’t want to meet her, and I must have expressed my distaste clearly because the Celestial Sage seemed to anticipate my reaction.

“And if you refuse to meet her, she sent a message.”

“A message?”

“If you challenge the trial of the Seven Luminaries, you will see her again. At that time, she hopes you will make a great decision. If you make the right choice, she promises to bless you and your companions for life.”

I scoffed at the Celestial Sage’s words.

“What a joke.”

“I think so too. From the Queen Mother of the West’s perspective, it means she’s not keen on the Seven Luminaries being freed.”

“You still haven’t explained why Gong Gong hasn’t arrived.”

“He went to free Yan Emperor Shennong.”

“…What?”

What a random thing to say!

The unexpected news drew everyone’s attention to the Celestial Sage in an instant. He shrugged.

“From now on, Gong Gong isn’t really our ally. He’ll be resurrected as the Yan Emperor’s kin and the elder of the Giant Race.”

“Wh-what do you mean? The Yan Emperor Shennong’s seal is in the Shadow Realm, and because of Nüwa’s seal, he can’t break it on his own.”

“Right, but that Nüwa has agreed to release the Yan Emperor’s seal. The Queen Mother of the West personally suggested that to Gong Gong.”

“Huh!”

What!!

Wasn’t Nüwa someone who hated Yan Emperor Shennong to the extreme, to the point of investing her power into sealing him?

As the unexpected situation unfolded, Zhuge Sa’s eyes gleamed.

“It seems like… we’ve really entered a new phase of circumstances.”

“Zhuge Sa! Do you have any inkling of what’s going on?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The fact that Nüwa agreed to release Yan Emperor Shennong means…”

Then, Zhuge Sa said something utterly unbelievable.

“It means that in the battle against Chi You, Jeon Wook and Jeogok suffered severe losses. With that, among the Three Sovereigns, only three will be active, meaning when the Seven Luminaries are eventually freed, they will definitely be at a disadvantage compared to the alliance of the Old Rulers. So, whether they like it or not, they must awaken the sealed Three Sovereigns, the Yan Emperor, to prepare for whatever is coming.”

“……!!”

Everyone went silent at Zhuge Sa’s remarks.

“Soon, the Giant Race will resurrect. Then the true war of gods will begin.”