776 ———————————————-

Dark Heaven Village

The moment I heard the words of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, I couldn’t help but protest fiercely. After all, since she’s an enemy, there’s no need to be overly polite.

“That’s ridiculous! It’s nonsense.”

[Why’s that?]

“This exam’s difficulty, are you out of your mind? Is this really a fitting trial for choosing a human king through the Seven Luminaries? Sure, the spirits of the Seven Luminaries are powerful, but how on earth do you expect us to shatter the very essence of the Seven Luminaries just to eliminate the Constellation’s Dragon in the last test?!”

[…….]

“Even if our methods are cunning, they should at least be acknowledged! This test was unfair from the start.”

From my shout, the Sorcerer Cheon Gong-pyo, the Celestial Sage, and Zhuge Bu all seemed to agree. Considering the skills of those present, this test should not have been so ridiculous.

From the start, Cheon Gong-pyo and the Celestial Sage were stronger than most demon kings, and anyone who obtained the Seven Luminaries would be immensely powerful enough to touch upon the realm of [Ruler]. My companions were also absolute masters of the martial world, far surpassing the pinnacle.

Zhuge Clan was the legendary heretical sect’s leader as well as a great demon sorcerer, and Cheon Woo-jin was a disciple of the divine, wielding techniques that surpassed even the Great Immortal.

The participants of this trial could be regarded as the cream of the crop available to me. And yet, losing them all and barely passing this test like an absolute failure was undeniably insane.

What on earth made this exam to choose a human king so complicated!?

It’s as if it was designed to ensure failure from the get-go…!!

In response to my protest, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens spoke.

[That’s precisely why I temporarily manifested a persona to discuss this with you.]

“What do you mean?”

[You didn’t utilize one of the fundamental rules of this trial. It’s like going into a duel with one arm tied behind your back… and yet you still made it this far, so I hold you in a bit of awe.]

“……?”

[It’s likely because nobody expected such mighty beings as the Celestial Sage and Sorcerer Cheon Gong-pyo would aid a mere mortal.]

What does that even mean?

[Nonetheless, it’s true that your approach strays far from what the trial aimed for… As the Guardian of the Sun and overseer of all tests, it’s hard for me to make a judgment. Plus, I’m at odds with the Emperor, so I have my own perplexities to deal with.]

“What do you mean by a fundamental rule? Is there another aspect beyond the summoning rights of a king?”

[It seems the truth has not been disclosed to you. After all, you were adversaries.]

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman contemplated for a moment and said.

“It’s the Law of Cause and Effect. Alternatively known as the Principle of Origination.”

“The Law of Cause and Effect?”

[A being recognized as a king in this space can not only summon subordinates, but also, through the bonds with those subordinates, create a grand anomaly. It’s a miracle so powerful it can’t be explained by any conventional rule, principle, or martial technique.]

“……!!”

[It could be described as the unlocking of royal power.]

I flinched.

Because something clicked.

[…this won’t end here.]

[There is a final principle of this trial that hasn’t been disclosed to you….]

The last words from Jin.

Jin suddenly amplified his life force and power, unleashing an unknown supernatural ability, while simultaneously summoning hundreds of thousands of troops intact onto the Sea of Chaos. Normally, being summoned into the Sea of Chaos should mean death for any human, as it dissolves everything in its path.

Yet, the army appeared unaffected by the chaos, and unlike during their battle against the spirits of the Seven Luminaries, every soldier exuded confidence and exhibited enhanced physical abilities. Without the Guardian of the Constellation’s blessing, it would have taken considerable time and energy to bring them down.

‘To witness hundreds of thousands holding firm in the Sea of Chaos was a miracle that couldn’t simply be achieved through the abilities of a Portrait Immortal. Even a perfected Portrait Immortal wouldn’t be able to pull off something like that.’

Could it be that Jin unlocked royal power in his last moment?

‘Damn it!! You bastard, you kept your trump card hidden right until the end, knowing that revealing it would put you at a disadvantage! As if hiding your moves until the trial nearly failed wasn’t bad enough!’

Internally, I ground my teeth at Jin.

If he’d just let us in on that fact, we could have breezed through this! If he couldn’t become king himself, he clearly had the twisted plan of dragging us down with him. He must have been disheartened by the trial’s difficulty somewhere along the way.

Then Zhuge Bu stepped forward and spoke.

“Heavenly Mysterious Woman, that’s unfair as well. May I have a word?”

[What do you deem is unfair?]

“To activate miracles by unlocking royal power seems like a special system allowing a mere mortal recognized as a king to directly seize the power of the Law of Cause and Effect in this space.”

[That’s correct.]

“Using royal power to nullify causes and only reveal effects… if we had that ability, we would have breezed through the Seven Luminaries trial more than tenfold. In this space, a recognized king would wield powers akin to the [Old Ruler].”

Zhuge Bu spoke slowly before glaring sharply at the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.

“But that ability wouldn’t activate merely through desperate will. There’s undoubtedly a specific activation process, and the king must clearly comprehend that mechanism. Also, infinite activation would be impossible; there must have been some constraints. If it could activate just through desperate will, then the highly capable Baek Woong would have recognized it by now.”

[That statement is also correct.]

“This is a shoddy trial. As you said, without royal power, passing the Seven Luminaries trial is impossible, yet nobody here informed us what royal power actually entailed, or announced it beforehand. Not even you, Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”

[…….]

“Why didn’t you announce it?”

At that query, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman closed her eyes.

[It can only be attributed to the Emperor’s will….]

“The Emperor’s will! Hahaha, the leader of the Three Sovereigns and the great deity who created China, why on earth would such a magnificent being allow a trial to choose a human king to be so shoddy?”

“Ugh.”

At that moment, I swallowed hard.

After all, to criticize the Emperor in front of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, who’s the Guardian of the Sun and this star’s divine spirit? Sure, I might do it casually, but Zhuge Bu was just spouting off without giving it a second thought. Even if he knew I had reincarnated, that’s a bold thing to say.

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman sighed.

[As I mentioned, I realized my mission only after encountering the fragments of the Law of Cause and Effect. While I too am part of the Divine Temple, the only powerful being I can contact is Shenglong…. The Emperor doesn’t even reveal himself in the Divine Temple. Hence, I too am unaware of the true purpose behind this trial.]

“That’s irresponsible.”

[……]

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman looked at me with profound eyes for a moment before speaking.

[Shenglong and I are not so much [Old Rulers] but representatives standing in opposition to them. We were sovereigns over the spirits since the beginning of this world, and our original role was to expel the evil beings from outer dimensions. However, countless [Old Rulers] began appearing in this land, twisting every fate, and we found ourselves unable to handle them. Then, the Emperor came to us proposing to join forces to shape the Celestial Realm.]

“The Celestial Realm…?”

[If we helped him by becoming part of the Divine Temple, defeating Chi You and constructing the Celestial Realm, the Emperor promised to protect the spirits that remained in this land even after the End and Revelation. Thus, in my capacity as a spirit, I personified myself as the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and became the progenitor of the Celestial Realm, while Shenglong, the primordial dragon, also became part of the Divine Temple.]

So that was it….

‘If that’s the case, then the true Great Earth Deity isn’t Nüwa, but rather the Heavenly Mysterious Woman…’

While I was quietly listening, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman continued.

[We have no authority to judge this matter. However, since it’s undoubtedly unfair, I will present you with three choices.]

“Three?”

[Indeed.]

“Please, tell me.”

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman slowly raised a finger.

[First, I will teach you how to wield royal power here. However, from this moment after one meal, I will use my powers to fling you out, and you’ll have to fight the Constellation’s Dragon.]

“…….”

[Second, I will similarly teach you how to wield royal power. And since this trial is unfair, I will allow you to turn back time and restart from the beginning.]

“What does that even mean?”

[I mean restarting the trial from the very beginning with the Sun Sovereign’s trial, but without Jin.]

I stared blankly.

The first proposal isn’t much different from the second. While wielding royal power may lead to amazing miracles, fighting the Constellation’s Dragon right now is widely regarded as hopeless.

We barely managed to poke one of its eyes out, weakening it to merely about 14% of its full strength. There’s no chance we could defeat the Constellation’s Dragon, which possesses power akin to that of an [Old Ruler].

Accepting the second proposal also felt heavy. Just how arduous and exhausting was the trial of the Seven Luminaries, and now I’m supposed to start all over?! I questioned.

“If we restart from the beginning, will my comrades, the Sword Demon, Jin So-cheong, Extreme Tiger, and Cheon Woo-jin come back to life? And I can get back the treasure I offered to Tydaht?”

[No. Your comrades will not return. The Sword Demon, Jin So-cheong, and Extreme Tiger’s souls are pledged to an absolute being, and Cheon Woo-jin’s soul is also not forthcoming from Master Mangnyang. However, the treasure you offered to Tydaht will return.]

“Damn…!! Who has pledged the souls of the martial artists? Do you even know?”

[I don’t know either. Just that the being responsible has power that rivals that of the master of the Divine Temple…. Even if I attempted to summon them, they simply refuse.]

It’s pointless!

With those four missing, there’s no way to pass the Seven Luminaries trial!

Setting aside everything else, whether it was a miracle or not, who knows how they dealt with the Sun Sovereign as a collective?

The only ones capable of genuinely using the power of the Primordial Void are supreme martial artists, and where would I find someone of their caliber? In the current world, it’s safe to say there aren’t martial artists of their level. Even if there were, they wouldn’t have the bonds necessary to recognize me as king.

But still, I swallowed my frustration and asked again.

“What’s the last third option?”

[It’s to wait here until the Emperor contacts us with a solution. You guys can continue to ponder indefinitely.]

“What…?”

[Rather than a proposal, it’s more of a postponement. If you can’t choose between the first and second, we’ll have no choice but to choose the postponement.]

What kind of absurd situation is this?!

Amid considering all three options, each one felt like a path straight to a Living Hell. While it might be a small blessing to have the option to postpone if I couldn’t decide, it doesn’t resolve anything.

Because the world we must protect is essentially on the brink of collapse.

Chi You’s rampage had left the forces protecting humanity shattered, and even what remained of Chi You and his clan had been annihilated.

With the Central Plains having turned into a wasteland, there’s a high chance otherworldly races will rise soon, and since the Celestial Realm has also been affected, they won’t be able to stop the disruptions. As Chi You clashed with the Three Sovereigns, the Law of Cause and Effect became a mess, and the forces of the Sovereigns suffered great losses, making it hard for them to protect us.

Considering that Goryeo and Dongyoung teeter on the brink of destruction due to the Sea God’s rampage, it wouldn’t be long before the Central Plains ended up in the same state. The Sea God has been wounded after facing someone, and though it doesn’t seem like an immediate threat, the danger is still palpable.

The main reason we attempted the trial of the Seven Luminaries was to meet the Emperor, aiming to guarantee humanity’s survival and independence, despite the looming calamities. But if the world we were supposed to protect falls apart before that, all of it would be meaningless.

The chances of the Emperor revealing himself until hundreds of years after the End and Revelation seem slim.

At that moment, Zhuge Bu spoke.

“None of the three choices are the right ones. In that case, I’d like to propose a fourth option.”

[What kind of proposal?]

Zhuge Bu opened his mouth.

“Teach us how to wield royal power. And allow us to offer the Seven Luminaries as a sacrifice to gain the blessings of another divine being.”

[That’s not much different from the first proposal. You’re saying you want to borrow the power of some ancient ruler?]

“That’s not your concern. If you grant that proposal, I’ll accept fighting the Constellation’s Dragon.”

[Alright. Normally, no [Old Ruler] or the Three Sovereigns can interfere in this space, but since you’ve made a request, we shall lift that restriction.]

I shouted to Zhuge Bu.

“Zhuge Bu! Fighting the Constellation’s Dragon in the current situation is a death wish!”

“Who wouldn’t know that? It’s akin to battling the true self of the Three Sovereigns. Because the Constellation’s Dragon is likely to be Shenglong.”

“…Huh?”

I gaped at the unexpected revelation.

Zhuge Bu glared at the Heavenly Mysterious Woman with a mocking expression.

“The Heavenly Mysterious Woman is the embodiment of the Sun and the Seven Luminaries, enveloping her inner power, summoning the cosmic entity, Shenglong, as the Constellation’s Dragon… The combined force of the two pillars of the Divine Temple facing off in the Sun Sovereign’s trial. This combination must have been so powerful that even the legendary giant Chi You of ancient times found himself in peril. It’s virtually impossible to win under normal circumstances. Isn’t that right?”

[That is correct.]

“…….”

Wait, so I’m actually fighting against Shenglong merged with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman?!

Moreover, two divine spirits combining their powers is like fighting against the historical backdrop of this star’s several billion years!

Zhuge Bu suddenly looked at me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Baek Woong. Just trust me this once.”

“But….”

The odds truly feel dismal.

How on earth could we win this?

Is there even a way to win in such a dire situation?

“This is the last hidden plan of the Treasure of the Central Plains.”

Zhuge Bu smiled coldly.

“I will prove here who the greatest genius of the Zhuge Clan is!”