762——————==

Dark Heaven Village

Stay behind?

Of course, that wasn’t really an option for me.

“Isn’t it more likely that I can win if I fight alongside the Great Sage?”

“No way! I don’t think so at all.”

“……”

Shot down in an instant, I suddenly felt awkward. As I fumbled for words, the Celestial Sage pointed at Cheon Woo-jin and Cheon Gong-pyo.

“Look at those two. They’re sorcerers who won’t take second place in the world and have been prepping for time manipulation for a long time, but even they can only put up minimal resistance. In other words, what’s imprisoning us is pure old [Old Ruler]-level power. Unless you’re one of those born with chaos or someone like you with a ton of the Seven Luminaries…”

“Are you saying his powers get stronger the closer we get?”

“Correct. Right now, we’re far enough away to be chill, but the closer we get, the harder it’ll be to breathe. He’ll hunt us down like a fly caught in a web. I wouldn’t stand a chance against him once he really starts letting loose. I’d definitely be mortally wounded.”

“But then it wouldn’t be useful for the Great Sage to go alone…”

I was about to retort when something dawned on me and I looked down at the seven luminaries I had. The Celestial Sage nodded.

“You’ve figured it out. Hand them all over to me.”

“…Um!”

I understood the Celestial Sage’s plan.

If I gave the Seven Luminaries to the Celestial Sage, he would fight Jin on my behalf!

If I thought about how powerful I became just by equipping what I had as a mere human, the power the Celestial Sage would wield with all the Seven Luminaries would be unimaginable. Just having one of them would let him rampage like a storm. This was definitely the strongest strategy in this situation.

Of course, whether I could trust the Celestial Sage was another matter. If I couldn’t trust him, I wouldn’t have made it this far. Even if he betrayed me, as long as he didn’t betray my very existence, it would be fine.

However, one thing was troubling me, so I cautiously said to the Celestial Sage.

“Sage. If we take him down and the Earth Spirit shows up in the world… anything could happen then.”

“I know. That’s why you couldn’t pass the Seven Luminaries to Jin So-cheong or anyone else early on.”

The Celestial Sage replied nonchalantly, but this was an important consideration.

According to Zhuge Sa, there were still secrets and characteristics of the Seven Luminaries that hadn’t been uncovered, so it wasn’t out of the question that gathering all six together could lead to a cascading effect that would release the seals. So even if Jin showed up in front of us, we’d be forced to think about how to defeat him because if anyone else got a hold of the Seven Luminaries and defeated Jin due to that resonance effect, they could just as easily die or be dragged in front of the emperor. Nothing could be more absurd than that.

The Celestial Sage said.

“To be honest, I don’t think the Demon Sorcerer’s thoughts are particularly right or wrong… but if all the seals were to unravel immediately and allow us to see the Emperor, I’d definitely express my intent to him.”

“What intent is that?”

“Just like you’re thinking. I would wish for the end of this world to be delayed as much as possible, or to plead for help to save a world that’s gone to ruin.”

“……”

He was consistent. At first, he opposed gathering the Seven Luminaries, but now that hope had surfaced, he was willing to wager with his loyalty to me. It seemed he too had the desire to save the world.

‘…Alright.’

I strengthened my resolve in my heart. Then I pulled out the obsidian from my pocket and handed it to him. Zhuge Sa had warned me against doing this, but it felt like something I had to do. The Celestial Sage looked confused.

“What is this?”

“I’m placing the outcome of this life in your hands, Sage. Naturally, I’ll also have to share my secret with you.”

“Is it a technique for transferring memories?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Send it over.”

Whirr!

As I sent my memories to the Celestial Sage, he trembled for a moment, then looked startled. With an unusual glint in his eye, he glared at me and said,

“You… you were the Reborn One controlling the [Great Cycle]?”

“Yes.”

“Hah! You thought I’d spare you just because you sent me your memories? You’ve been messing with me, the Celestial Sage, through all your rebirths!”

The Celestial Sage had a hint of anger on his face. And understandably so, as he could see himself as being messed around by a Reborn One. But I shook my head.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Swish!

As soon as I finished speaking, I handed him the Golden Crow.

“Hmm!”

Noticing that his anger had subsided a bit, I calmly continued.

“The reason I didn’t share my memories until now was because the force against gathering the Seven Luminaries was so strong, and also because you could’ve easily seized them from me and sealed them away. I couldn’t be sure what would happen if you suddenly changed your mind, and Zhuge Sa had actually been struggling with that for a while. But having come this far, I’ve decided to trust you completely.”

“…….”

“Also, I don’t think you are an evil being. So I don’t want to toy with you using the special rights of the Reborn. Please believe my sincerity.”

The Celestial Sage’s expression turned curious upon hearing my words.

“You’re quite the funny one. So now you’re hoping the people gathered around you aren’t gathering because of your power but for the sake of a greater cause?”

“Yes.”

“At least one of them isn’t doing it for such reasons. They’re entangled because of your power as the Reborn, not out of righteousness.”

The Celestial Sage glanced at Tang San as he continued.

“And also, the remaining time you have left might not be for pursuing a great cause, but solely for despair. You might not be the savior you think you are. Perhaps you’re just under that misconception.”

I flinched.

“…That could be true.”

“And another thing, what if after I receive the Golden Crow, I ran away without facing Jin?”

“If I had worried about that, I wouldn’t have shared my memories.”

He grimaced and scratched the back of his head.

“Geez, what a hopeless lad. If you had just kept quiet and handed me the Golden Crow, I would’ve done my job faithfully. Why make it so complicated?”

“Because that would just be using you.”

“Ha! Hahaha…”

He let out a hollow laugh and said,

“Still, you’re not the kind of brat who would insist that all outcomes are the same if they’re identical. That’s a relief.”

“…….”

“Alright. Hand over the Seven Luminaries.”

Jingling.

A moment later, I began handing over the Seven Luminaries to the Celestial Sage one by one. After giving him the Golden Crow, I suddenly felt my vision dim and my strength ebbing away. At the same time, it felt like my insides were hardening as if being filled with stone.

Noticing my change, the Celestial Sage said,

“Even with three luminaries, it looks tough to resist Jin’s time powers. You’d need at least four to counter him. Remember that.”

“…If I pass two more to you… my consciousness will… soon…”

“I know. What a convenient situation for you, huh?”

The Celestial Sage said nonchalantly, but I paid him no mind and quickly handed over the Moon Sovereign, Fire Spirit, and Wood Element to him simultaneously. Then as time came to a halt, just before my consciousness faded, I heard the Celestial Sage’s voice echo in my head.

[Don’t worry. I will never lose.]

Pfft.

When I regained my senses, I found myself floating in an unknown bizarre place. There were remnants of buildings floating around, and the surroundings were filled with colorful qi, with no clear distinction between up, down, left, or right. At a glance, it seemed similar to the Void, but unlike before, I didn’t feel any phenomena of fluctuating existence probabilities.

‘Where is this?’

I looked around to find my companions when suddenly I heard a shout.

“Baek Woong!! Over here!”

I used the Light Body Technique to fly towards the source of the voice. The companion about thirty feet away was none other than Jin So-cheong. She spoke to me.

“Baek Woong. Are you aware of what’s happening?”

“No… I don’t know what’s going on. Where is this?”

“I don’t know well either. However, I’ve been awake for ten days, and you just appeared out of nowhere.”

“……!!”

“This space is strange. I haven’t seen a single companion yet.”

“Hmm….”

I shared with Jin So-cheong what had happened before I lost consciousness when I gave the Golden Crow to the Celestial Sage. After hearing that, Jin So-cheong said,

“Then it seems the Celestial Sage did something.”

“Let’s not just stand here and do nothing, we should search for our companions.”

Together with Jin So-cheong, we started jumping around the remains of the buildings in this space, looking for our companions. Not long after, we spotted Cheon Woo-jin with Tang San and Seo Mun-hye. The moment Cheon Woo-jin saw me, he said,

“Your causality is… astonishing…”

His tone seemed to be filled with awe.

“What do you mean by that?”

“This is the ‘Scattered Space.’ It’s a place where time and space are in a state of fragmentation.”

“Can you explain that in a way I can understand?”

“…How many years do you think I’ve been in this space until just now?”

“I don’t know. Jin So-cheong said you had been here ten days.”

Cheon Woo-jin sighed.

“I spent over a year and three months searching for these two while resisting this space with techniques. It’s been half a year since we joined forces.”

What?!

I was startled but soon caught on to the situation and said,

“So the flow of time is different for each of us in this space. And it seems we don’t need to eat or sleep either.”

“Exactly. We’re like reflections caught in shattered glass. Our existence is here, but we’re trapped within countless time-space folds.”

“Isn’t that a bad thing?”

“Not just bad. I was prepared for it to be the end for me. It’s a space where thousands of years could pass without me meeting you. I told those two to write a will here.”

“……”

“But… I think the moment you wake up, this scattered space begins to recover. It must be due to the incredible causality you possess. I’ve never seen such a phenomenon before. It’s theoretically possible but still…”

What is he talking about?

I had a hard time understanding what Cheon Woo-jin was rambling about regarding causality and the like and how it tied into time and space. But after trying to piece it together, I managed to grasp some of it.

“So, my strong causality means I can find all my companions as I wander from now on?”

“In simpler terms, yes.”

Cheon Woo-jin replied with skepticism evident in his voice.

“…But that’s as impossible as shattered glass spontaneously restoring to its original pristine state. What kind of causality do you possess that could make that happen?”

“Enough talk, let’s find them already!”

Next, I was able to locate Zhuge Sa. After I explained the circumstances, he said,

“Hmm. Then the situation must be that the Celestial Sage and Jin are fighting, and the time-space got wrecked.”

“The time-space got wrecked?”

“It’s possible. Let’s talk after we find Cheon Gong-pyo.”

We moved on to search for Cheon Gong-pyo. Before long, we met her floating in the air with a disgruntled expression. Upon seeing me, Cheon Gong-pyo looked irritated and said,

“You! You gave the Golden Crow to that monkey, right? Why didn’t you give it to me?!”

“……”

Would you give it to someone like you?

I held back the urge to curse and said,

“At least we’ve found you. Have you seen the Celestial Sage here?”

“I haven’t seen him!”

“…Then it looks like we have to wait.”

After discussing among ourselves, Cheon Woo-jin and Zhuge Sa concluded that once we find all the scattered companions here, the restoration of time would accelerate, allowing us to return to normal. The powerful causality would act like a magnet, pulling everything together in time and space. So, for now, I had no choice but to wait idly.

Then, half a day passed.

Shoooosh!!

Suddenly, the bizarre space filled with colorful qi disappeared, and we returned to the dark space we had originally been in.

Plop.

As if on cue, tomes from the Su Shin Sect fell to the ground. Seeing that, Zhuge Sa exclaimed.

“As expected, not even a moment passed after the time stop activated.”

“…….”

What a strange experience. As everyone looked bewildered, Cheon Gong-pyo suddenly spoke.

“The situation is clear. The monkey with the Golden Crow and Jin fought, causing a powerful distortion in time that shattered the entire palace’s space, creating this ‘Scattered Space.’ That’s why just moments ago, we were trapped in a fold.”

“I get that. Now let’s hurry to find the Celestial Sage.”

Tydaht!

Everyone followed me as we ran. I was the last one to feel Jin’s residual energy and its direction, so we had to find the location based on my memory. As I ran, I started to realize the shifting energy was getting closer to the emperor’s throne.

Just as we entered the throne room.

“…Hmph, think you’ve won…?”

I heard Jin’s voice, raspy as if about to snuff out. Jin was bloodied, half-turning into a corpse, sprawled against the throne. His blue blood pooled on the ground like a puddle.

Anyone could see he was on the brink of death!

And in front of him stood a familiar figure, also bloodied but still upright. I couldn’t see his face, but the moment I caught sight of his back, I understood everything.

It was the Celestial Sage.

The Celestial Sage’s whole body was just as badly mangled as Jin’s. I couldn’t even think about facing him.

With his shoulders square and unwavering, the Celestial Sage uttered a single phrase.

“Of course I won.”

Swoosh!

Bang!!

In the next moment, the Celestial Sage’s fist smashed into Jin’s skull, delivering the final blow. Just as I intended to rush in to support him, he held me back.

“Don’t come over.”

Overwhelmed by an unknown pressure, I couldn’t move. The Celestial Sage let out a sound that was either a sigh or something else, then said,

“…This guy, I couldn’t finish off. But I’ve weakened him enough to fight back.”

“Sage! I’ll heal you right away.”

“Listen carefully… Baek Woong, you’ll meet that guy again… make sure you win.”

I could feel the Celestial Sage’s body growing stiff. He looked straight ahead and spoke.

“I can see my hometown… Huaguo Mountain.”

His movements stopped completely. As life faded and the chilling aura of death spread, I realized he was dead. He had fought against Jin with the Golden Crow and had ultimately perished together.

He’s really dead?

The Celestial Sage of the world?

I froze for a moment in shock.

Then Zhuge Sa stepped forward and used the Soul Exchange Technique to try to capture the Celestial Sage’s spirit. At that moment, I felt a surge of emotion and grabbed Zhuge Sa’s wrist tightly.

“Stop it!!”

When I glared at Zhuge Sa, he ceased the Soul Exchange Technique and shrugged his shoulders, stepping back.

Swish.

In the meantime, Cheon Gong-pyo reached out with her telekinetic ability to pull the Golden Crow towards her, but just then, Cheon Woo-jin stepped in to block her telekinesis and quickly shoved the Golden Crow back into my hands. As I hastily gathered my senses and accepted the Golden Crow, I felt a powerful force once again fill my body.

I glared at Cheon Gong-pyo.

“Damn it!! Is this some kind of joke?! The moment the Celestial Sage dies, you’re already playing around?!”

“You were zoning out, so I figured someone had to recover it.”

“Shut up!!”

My frustration boiled over.

It was clear the situation had unraveled thanks to the Celestial Sage, but seeing them try to exploit his sacrifice made me feel instant disillusionment. While I knew Zhuge Sa and Cheon Gong-pyo had that sort of character, I still couldn’t help but think this wasn’t right.

‘Hah, snap out of it.’

I couldn’t let the Celestial Sage’s sacrifice be in vain.

This wasn’t the time to be nitpicking everyone’s flaws.

If I didn’t pull myself together, the Celestial Sage would have died for nothing!

With fierce eyes, I glared at everyone and declared,

“I’m going to retrieve the Earth Spirit now. Anyone who tries to stop me or snatch the Seven Luminaries will face their doom, no matter what it takes!”

“What….”

“I swear by my name, Baek Woong, that I will obliterate everything for eons to come!! Absolutely!!”

I directed that specifically at Cheon Gong-pyo, but she seemed rattled by my fierce spirit as she took a step back. I then walked towards Jin’s corpse.

Step.

Step.

I couldn’t muster the courage to see the Celestial Sage’s remains. The gruesome reality of their fight was clear from the blood puddles and severed pieces around me. Who would want to see the horrendous state of someone who sacrificed their life for me? But I squeezed my eyes shut, faced the Celestial Sage’s face, and bit my lip.

I will never let your death be in vain.

Standing in front of Jin’s corpse, I extended my hand toward his chest. Focusing my internal power, I tore through the flesh, snapping bones until I grabbed hold of his heart.

I could hear the rhythmic beating.

And just as before, the form of the Earth Spirit I had absorbed clutched in my hand.

Slowly, I extracted Jin’s heart, the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram, from my body.

Thud!

As I pulled out the heart, I felt the Golden Crow equipped within me thrum and tremor. The vibrations began to intensify, and soon all Seven Luminaries shone with golden light.

Jingling –

The freed Seven Luminaries transformed into a radiant, rainbow hue, while the ones still sealed maintained their golden glow. I laid them out, watching the scene unfold, then spoke.

“Zhuge Sa. It seems having the Six Needs gathered wouldn’t set them free just by resonance.”

“It does seem that way. Cheon Gong-pyo!”

Now, the only one who could fully release the Seven Luminaries here was Cheon Gong-pyo. She seemed to ponder for a while before answering.

“What if I refuse to release them?”

“I would conduct the Offering Ceremony.”

“Do you think we have the leeway to perform a ceremony in the current situation?”

“What’s stopping us? Nüwa has returned to observe, and the Yan Emperor Shennong doesn’t seem inclined to attack Baek Woong. The Three Sovereigns now have no reason to obstruct the ceremony or delay the release. There’s no one left to stop us.”

“Urgh… Heh.”

Cheon Gong-pyo broke into a strange smile and said,

“Alright, I’ll release them… I’ll keep an eye on this until the end.”

Slowly, Cheon Gong-pyo reached out towards the still-sealed Seven Luminaries. With her powerful chaos talent, she twisted the markings engraved on their surface. Moments later, the golden light began to morph into rainbow colors. This was the final moment of liberation.

‘Finally, all the Six Luminaries will be freed…!!’

Silence.

For just a fleeting moment, I felt the massive chaos that had been suffusing this world get sucked somewhere. And as the chaos was pulled away, the power of order filled in, seemingly breathing life back into the earth.

Pwoosh!

Gradually, light peeked through the dark clouds above, casting warmth upon the earth. At that moment, we felt everything around us starting to gradually recover. It felt like life and order were pouring over the entire world.

Cheon Woo-jin spoke in astonishment.

“The Spiritual River is completely reviving…? I thought it would be impossible in a land dominated by the [Old Ruler].”

“Cheon Woo-jin. What’s happening?”

“The Spiritual River is a special ley line that produces new spirits and enlivens the land. But right now, the Spiritual River has dried up, leaving most spirits heading to the spiritual realm, yet it has revived.”

“Hmm….”

It felt like light illuminated the dark realm.

The fresh air after the rain swept briskly across the fields.

Yet, even after waiting a while, no other changes occurred, which felt strange.

Kugugugugu…

Not long after, something began to descend from the sky. The moment I spotted it, my eyes widened.

“Queen Mother of the West!!”

[…….]

The Queen Mother of the West was gazing down at us from the heavens as we stood amidst the ruins of the imperial palace, but she didn’t say a word. She revealed herself alone, without any guards or handmaidens by her side. And starting from her, another being gradually descended from the sky—Sa-bi Ji-shin, the Apostle of Jeogok.

Wuuuuuu

It wasn’t just Sa-bi Ji-shin. The heat from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace opened a dark Dimension Door and appeared in the heavens. Additionally, something glowing like a shooting star appeared, which I recognized as another Apostle-level being from the Three Sovereigns.

What on earth is happening?

As we remained tense, the Queen Mother of the West suddenly spoke.

[From now on, things will happen that even the Three Sovereigns don’t know about.]