771 ———————————————-

Dark Heaven Village

What are Nahoo and Kyedo?

I asked Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang, do you know about those twin stars?”

“…….”

But Mangnyang looked totally out of it, as if he’d just spent all his mental strength. He seemed paralyzed by fear. I quickly tried to inject some internal power into him to bring him back to his senses, but it was like throwing water on a duck’s back. As someone trained in medical techniques, I knew why this was happening.

When a living being faces death, it enters a state of resignation and acceptance!

When you reach that halfway point between life and death, no matter how great the medicine or treatment, it won’t work. His mind had acknowledged death. But for someone like Mangnyang, with such mental strength, to fall apart so easily?

I glanced at Zhuge Sa. However, despite being consumed by madness, he too seemed gripped by fear, trembling and barely able to speak. It meant that the presence they faced was beyond even madness.

As our gazes met, Zhuge Sa grinned.

“Ke… huh… you’re not afraid. I had a feeling…”

“Zhuge Sa, what are Nahoo and Kyedo?”

“…They’re not well-known… theories. Originally, based on the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, the constellations of the world revolve around the Seven Luminaries, but in ancient astronomy, they spoke of the Nine Luminaries. The two ominous constellations that run retrograde against the Yellow Path… Originally thought to be invisible ominous stars were dubbed Nahoo and Kyedo, and those two stars were referred to as the Nine Luminaries along with the Seven Luminaries.”

“……!!”

“Baek Woong…. The reason I suspect those twin stars are Nahoo and Kyedo is that… you should look at the traces in the sky….”

Thud

The moment he finished speaking, I could see Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa’s breaths stopped. They couldn’t bear the terrifying pressure anymore and had died. But I didn’t have the luxury to mourn their deaths, so I quickly looked at the sky, as Zhuge Sa advised.

Whoa –

‘So many trails….’

Since I had just been focusing on the sun, I hadn’t noticed, but the sky was filled with countless trails of stars beyond the sun’s light. There seemed to be thousands of them flying by, resembling meteors or comets. Among them were huge celestial bodies, a total of seven. That big celestial body must be the planet of the Seven Luminaries.

Looking closely at the heavenly trails, the path of the Seven Luminaries radiated a clear rainbow light and stood out brilliantly, each with an elliptical orbit. As I examined that path closely, I began to understand Zhuge Sa’s last words.

‘The orbit of that twin star following the sun leaves no trace….’

Since there are no traces visible, I concluded they must be the ominous twin stars Nahoo and Kyedo that run opposite the Yellow Path. But even so, it was impressive how quickly Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa deduced the identity of that star in such a short time.

Just then, the Master of Zen, who had been crawling beside me, spoke.

“Baek Woong…. Nahoo is the head of the dragon…. Kyedo is the tail of the dragon… hence… a dragon could appear any moment…”

“Master of Zen, what do you mean?”

Cough!

Moments later, the Master of Zen coughed up blood and died. Even with his tremendous internal power, he could no longer withstand the pressure here. I was taken aback; I hadn’t expected the second most powerful martial artist among us after me to die so easily.

“Ugh….”

What kind of pressure are my companions feeling right now?

Only the Sorcerer Cheon Gong-pyo and the Celestial Sage, among the few remaining, weren’t experiencing death via sheer presence like the others. It made sense since they were among the most powerful mortals to face, even stronger than the Demon King.

The two began to slowly regain their color, although their expressions resembled those hungover after a night of heavy drinking.

Cheon Gong-pyo muttered in disbelief.

“Is this truly the trial of the Seven Luminaries? It’s so tough, I can hardly believe it was imposed on mortals. Even if it’s assumed a being with the Six Needs is challenging it, it just doesn’t add up.”

“Cheon Gong-pyo. Is the protector of the sun that sun itself?”

“…I don’t know. But we have no choice but to try.”

The confidence in Cheon Gong-pyo’s voice had evaporated.

And after some contemplation, Celestial Sage spoke to me.

“Baek Woong, pass the five luminaries to Cheon Gong-pyo.”

“Huh?”

When I blinked in surprise at the unexpected proposal, Celestial Sage responded.

“My instincts are wary. If you die, it’s all over, so you’d best stay out of it for now and observe. I’ll watch for now too.”

At that, Cheon Gong-pyo scoffed.

“Hmph! So you plan to spectate while I fight?”

“Yeah. Want me to go first?”

“Forget it! I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Honestly, I hope you do.”

I handed the five luminaries, excluding the fiery one I had given to Qin Shi Huang, to Cheon Gong-pyo. Unlike me, Cheon Gong-pyo seemed to absorb the power of the liberated five luminaries, and soon immense power began to course through her entire body.

Kugugugugu…!!

I felt at least a few times stronger than before! With one water spirit, Cheon Gong-pyo was already strong enough to easily deal with the Eight Parts of the Divine, and now she seemed capable of battling the Old Ruler.

[Take this!]

Swish!

Cheon Gong-pyo summoned the Sabre Sword and hurled it toward the sun. Not just one sabre, but four appeared all at once, a first for her, as she usually only summoned one or two.

‘Does she have multiple Seven Luminaries to be able to do that?’

At the same time, Qin Shi Huang summoned his army and charged into the void, while Celestial Sage used the Clone Technique, sending hundreds of clones soaring into the sky. The first attack had begun against the Protector of the Sun.

But something unbelievable happened while the sabres flew toward the sun.

Weeeng –

“Cough….”

Cheon Gong-pyo let out a strange scream. No wonder; a translucent mirror suddenly appeared in front of the sun.

And that mirror was one we had encountered before.

‘The Mirror of the Moon Sovereign?!’

No doubt about it.

As expected, Cheon Gong-pyo hurriedly tried to recall the Sabre Sword to evade, but it was already too late, and the Sabre Sword’s attack was reflected back at her. If it had just been the Mirror of the Moon Sovereign, the Sabre Sword would have shattered by now, but the mirror summoned by the Solar Protector seemed unaffected. A massive silver light erupted, and the spot where Cheon Gong-pyo stood was wiped clean.

And the range included not just me but also Celestial Sage and Qin Shi Huang.

What the hell?

Seriously?

An attack reflection resulting in total annihilation…?

I thought that, but I was powerless to do anything. With the strongest Sabre Sword unleashed by liberating all five luminaries, my only remaining option was death. Even Qin Shi Huang and Celestial Sage wore expressions that said there was no way out.

At that moment, Qin Shi Huang unleashed the power of the fiery one and cast his ability.

[Time, go back!]

Whoosh

In an instant, the power of the reflected Sabre Sword seemed to reverse as if it were a lie. Also, the positions of me, Celestial Sage, and Cheon Gong-pyo were all returned to the past.

‘Time Recovery!’

It seemed similar to the ability to reverse the Small Cycle, but the difference was that those who entered the scope of Time Recovery could easily sense that their past had returned. Even though I currently had no ability to resist the Small Cycle, I knew for sure that Qin Shi Huang had used Time Recovery.

Cheon Gong-pyo ground her teeth when the Sabre Sword didn’t consume her.

“Do you think you can reflect this as well…! Spirit Summoning Technique!!”

At her shout, the world seemed to be swallowed up in darkness centered around her, and she alone shone with white light. She extended her arms toward the sun, and in that moment, space and time shattered, causing the area where the sun existed to vanish from sight.

Crash

Simultaneously, the mirror attempting to stop the Spirit Summoning Technique shattered upon being summoned, consumed by the rifts in space. Even the heavenly realm split in two, visible with the rising light of destruction stretching across the galaxy. The power was so immense, more than even the simultaneous deployment of the Sabre Sword, that I was shocked.

“No way!!”

Is there truly such a powerful technique?!

‘This Spirit Summoning Technique is on a whole different level from what I saw before!’

When used alongside the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s Corpse Dissolution Technique before, it was strong, but if Cheon Gong-pyo unleashed the Spirit Summoning Technique now, most of the Seven Luminaries would likely suffer great damage. Seeing the catastrophic power that could rival the essence of the Three Sovereigns left me in shock as Celestial Sage frowned.

“Tch…. She’s already pulling that out.”

“What do you mean?”

“No matter how good she is, that technique can only be used once a day. It’s ranked among the three strongest in the universe along with the Corpse Dissolution Technique. So I figured she’d save the sun until later, yet she used it straight away.”

“…….”

Kugugugugu

As the fragments of the sun crumbled, only chaos flowed out. I wondered if the trial of the Seven Luminaries had ended, but it seemed I was the only one thinking that way; the faces of the other three were tense with concern, as if they thought the sun wouldn’t die that easily.

And looking at the two stars floating in the void, I began to think the same. Despite the tearing of space and time by the Spirit Summoning Technique, Nahoo and Kyedo remained unharmed.

Woohhhh –

As Nahoo and Kyedo floated, they began to drift away with a ghastly sound, like they were heading toward the horizon. Celestial Sage shouted out.

“Cheon Gong-pyo!! You have to break at least one!”

“I know!”

Both of them were seasoned veterans in battle, sensing that it would be a disaster if Nahoo and Kyedo were left alone. Celestial Sage chased after Nahoo using both the Clone Technique and Instant Transport, while Cheon Gong-pyo headed the other way, pursuing Kyedo. Qin Shi Huang seemed to move toward Celestial Sage’s side to help against Nahoo.

And as I remained here staring at the void, I could hear an unknown voice echoing within the traces of destruction.

[You’ve finally made it here…. Indeed, you possess the qualifications of a king.]

I recognized that voice from somewhere.

As I pondered and suddenly discerned its identity—

“……?!”

Wait, is that even possible?

Why is this happening?

As I realized the identity of that voice, bewilderment washed over me, and it continued.

[I too am a being of the founder. When this star was born from the chaos of the universe, I was born as the king of the spirits that made up the land. The form and personality of a human were given according to the emperor’s will.]

“…….”

[When I faced the resurrected Qin Shi Huang in the present world, I received the divine mandate and was able to remove the mask I had worn all this time. In the emperor’s calculations of cause and effect, Qin Shi Huang was a massive fragment, and I too resonated with that cause and effect to break free from constraints. However, even though I was able to remove the mask, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.]

Sssss

At that moment, a faint light flickered within the traces of destruction. The light gradually grew larger and stronger, and moments later, it regained its circular form, floating up.

As the sun resurrected in the center of chaos, intensifying its light, I couldn’t utter a single word.

[At that time, my true form suggested to me to go with the flow…. I followed that advice and returned to my original state, shedding the mask. At the time of the ancient war between the Three Sovereigns and Chi You, I returned to the time before that proposal was made to the true master of this land… to my primitive form before I became a being with a personality.]

“…….”

[And the result is that Baek Woong, you have come here, having gained the qualifications of a king.]

“…Why…. if you have such power, why couldn’t you defeat the Queen Mother of the West?!”

I shouted as if crying out, for it felt like I had been deceived!

As I shouted, the sun radiated light.

[While the true master of this land lay dormant, Nüwa faithfully fulfilled the role of the Mother of Earth. Nüwa was originally the highest god from another realm but remained loyal to that agreement and did not stray far from it…. Because of that, I could not gain the justification and cause to defeat her, which is why I was unable to unleash my original power. Both the Queen Mother of the West and I were merely avatars.]

“…….”

[However… this place is the trial of the Seven Luminaries. To determine the qualifications of a true king of humanity, I can finally unleash all the powers that were sealed in ancient times. Perhaps even summoning Chi You’s rampage using your body was counted as part of Emperor’s calculations of cause and effect.]

In that moment, I felt I had grasped something.

Then could the Corpse Dissolution Technique…?

If my assumption was correct, it became clear why no one had ever achieved the Corpse Dissolution Technique. No, it was impossible for any mortal to ever succeed. Because it wasn’t ‘a technique’ at all.

Moments later, ‘she’ left me with one last message.

[Baek Woong. The Nine Heavens are in uproar…. Now, as my twin stars begin to summon the dragon, I shall confront you as an avatar of Pangu.]

With those words, our conversation came to a halt.

I felt ‘the personality’ dissipate, returning as the final spirit king and protector of the Sun.

Indeed.

The protector of the sun is none other than the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.

The avatar of the Creation God Pangu, the king of spirits who has ruled this land for billions of years was the ultimate protector.