873——————==

True Martial Home

So, I decided to teach martial arts to Seo Mun-hye. And when I went to check her skills, I couldn’t help but be amazed at what I saw.

‘In such a short time, her form has already become perfect…’

At this rate, she could master the Seven Great Techniques in just a few years without much help from me. I realized her extraordinary talent once more and said to her:

“Seo Mun-hye, but you seem to be holding back a lot of power.”

I got this strong feeling that she could unleash her full strength but wasn’t doing it, so I pointed it out. Seo Mun-hye, looking a bit sheepish, replied:

“Yes, I was going to mention that too.”

“Hmm?”

“The thing is, if I use all my strength, I can’t practice martial arts because the shock from my movements would destroy the training ground.”

“……”

Swipe

Seo Mun-hye lifted her arm to show me a bright red pattern carved into her skin.

“That’s why Zhuge Sa summoned the Blood Exchange Herb, a plant from the Blood Realm, and implanted it in my limbs to suppress my power. Thanks to this, I can move like a normal person.”

Originally, the Blood Exchange Herb was a plant that could suck all the blood out of a human body without a trace, but for Seo Mun-hye, it only had a dulling effect. It seemed that the herb couldn’t suck her blood beyond a certain limit.

“A normal person…”

Clearly, applying the ‘normal’ standard to Seo Mun-hye’s situation was overly peculiar. Her physical abilities had already surpassed those of ordinary humans by hundreds of times, so even with that herb, she just felt slightly sluggish. I couldn’t help but think that even just her current self was among the strongest in the world, perhaps even stronger than me.

“On the other hand, I don’t feel much of the ‘Dark Qi’ that I inherited from you.”

“I don’t hear any strange voices either…”

“Seo Mun-hye, you may have already heard, but we decided to team up with Zhuge Yulong to launch an attack on the Celestial Realm.”

“…….!!”

“Your role will be very important. I hope you can be of help.”

At my request, Seo Mun-hye’s expression brightened like she was about to jump.

“Yes!”

I spent time continuing to train Seo Mun-hye. There were many other tasks to handle, but I felt that she could be a crucial ace, so I wanted to enhance her power.

“Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Lü Buwei.”

One day, Lü Buwei visited the training ground. He seemed to have recovered much from his initially pitiful state. Zhuge Sa had done as I suggested and had freed him from the seal of Mount Ye. Lü Buwei spoke up.

“I haven’t found the whereabouts of the Lü Family Chronicles yet, but while searching on Zhuge Sa’s orders, I stumbled upon some interesting information I wanted to report.”

“Interesting information?”

“According to Zhuge Sa… it seems that Ying Zheng wanted to become the king of humanity by participating in the trials of the Seven Luminaries with the body of a Portrait Immortal, all while seeking immortality… but the question remained as to who provided him with such high-level information.”

I pondered. This wasn’t so much a question as it was already known information.

‘… Wasn’t it likely that he got help from Chi You? If Chi You helped him, it would make sense.’

The Chi You that was manifested from Jin and me was familiar. Precisely, Jin first thanked Chi You for helping with the Offering Ceremony, and Chi You acknowledged that. Given such a conversational context, Chi You was likely the one who informed Jin about the Offering Ceremony, clearing any doubt on my part.

As I focused intensely on what was being said, Lü Buwei opened his mouth.

“Zhao Gao.”

“Are you talking about the infamous eunuch who brought down the country?”

He was a well-known eunuch. After the death of Qin Shi Huang, he controlled the power with the young prince Hu Hai, executing purges until his own demise.

“I might not have seen him directly since I was born after being trapped on Mount Ye… but I found out that Zhao Gao provided Ying Zheng with that information. Apparently, everything about Ying Zheng’s journey to find the elixir of immortality later in life originated from Zhao Gao’s tip.”

“Where did you get that information?”

“Of course, after continuously tracking the Lü Family Chronicles’ sealed location with the flag, I finally made contact with an exorcist clan and managed to figure it out… They didn’t know the whereabouts of the Lü Family Chronicles but hinted at a connection with the descendant of Li Si. There seems to be something fishy going on ever since I was thought to be dead.”

“……”

“I will continue the search. I’ll let you know if I find better information…”

Whoosh

Lü Buwei vanished in an instant.

‘That guy’s quite the sorcerer.’

Though he was only known to the world as a target, Lü Buwei also seemed to have secretly mastered some sorcery to a fair degree. It appeared that Zhuge Sa had entrusted Lü Buwei with the task of tracking down the Lü Family Chronicles and other miscellaneous jobs. Reflecting on Lü Buwei’s tales, I thought;

‘So, Zhao Gao might have actually been one of Chi You’s subordinates from the Eight Parts of the Divine? … No, considering it doesn’t matter to ponder. Whether he killed Zhao Gao to steal his place or infiltrated from the get-go, the fact remains that Chi You’s influence is undeniable.’

What’s important is that Chi You had schemed to create chaos in the world since ancient times, preparing for the end. He was indeed a painstakingly cunning bastard.

The real problem was that because of that scheming Chi You, every time I reincarnated, I was wiped out, and it was unpredictable how that cause and effect would spread in the world.

Luckily, it wasn’t as if Chi You’s disappearance meant that an immediate crisis was lurking in the world. While I was lost in thought, Seo Mun-hye spoke up.

“Lord Baek Woong.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking, what will you do about Miho’s residence?”

“……?”

Why on earth did she suddenly bring up Miho?

Looking at her with a puzzled expression because I couldn’t comprehend her intention, Seo Mun-hye slowly spoke:

“Miho is likely a being prepared for when the Queen Mother of the West or Nüwa suffers a great blow in this world. Therefore, the Queen Mother of the West also holds her in high regard.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“If an all-out conflict with the Celestial Realm begins, the Queen Mother will surely be the first to retrieve Miho. She would likely issue a command for her return. What will you do then?”

“……!!”

“I hadn’t thought about it until now, but if we are indeed going to fight the Celestial Realm, it’s definitely something to consider.”

I hadn’t even thought about that!

“Oh, well…”

As an unexpected reality struck me, Seo Mun-hye wore a somewhat sad expression.

“If Miho goes to the Celestial Realm, she will inevitably be used as a hostage in the war. The tragedy will repeat itself. I think it’s crucial for you to act before that happens.”

That was true. But because of the practical situation, I felt quite flustered.

“… But I lack the confidence to explain the circumstances to Miho and persuade her to join our side.”

Miho, a great demon nine-tailed fox with formidable powers, also had clear limitations. The overwhelming Dark Qi possessed by my obsidian would likely plunge Miho deeper into the abyss of darkness. This was because demons inherently leaned towards chaos, positioned as beings of the intermediate realm. Even if she could endure the obsidian, it remained a problem.

‘Besides, Zhuge Sa explicitly ordered that no one else was to increase their knowledge of reincarnation…’

Could I really persuade Miho, who felt a bond like a parent towards the Queen Mother of the West, to stand against the Celestial Realm? From past experiences, it was an impossible job. Miho had always chosen death when faced with opposition to the Queen Mother, as if handing a child a knife to fight against a parent.

Then Seo Mun-hye said,

“Lord Baek Woong, if you cannot persuade her, then you have no choice but to kill her.”

“What…!!”

“If Miho returns to the Celestial side… even if we went to great lengths to inflict a lethal blow to the Queen Mother, she would undoubtedly be resurrected at the expense of Miho’s life. Miho’s role could be termed as a secret weapon of the Celestial Realm.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s an enormous burden. However, if you cannot convince Miho, the conclusion must follow…”

“……”

I hesitated to respond to Seo Mun-hye’s words.

“Surely we don’t have to kill her. I’ll just suppress her with force and put her in a wooden armor.”

Seo Mun-hye shook her head.

“Could a mere wooden armor-like demon artifact withstand the call of a formidable Queen Mother, the embodiment of Nüwa? The conclusion remains the same.”

“Ugh…”

“I apologize for pushing you toward a cruel choice, Lord Baek Woong. But realistically, you must reach a conclusion either way…”

Seo Mun-hye’s words were correct. I would have to consult Zhuge Sa, but the conclusion wouldn’t likely differ much, and there was no way Zhuge Sa would want to save Miho. Zhuge Yulong was out of the question. In all this chaos, I would be the only one opposed to Miho’s death.

Should I really kill Miho?

For the sake of shattering the Celestial Realm… would I have to sacrifice this life’s Miho?

‘Damn it…!!’

While it was rationally sound, it would undoubtedly drive Miho into devastating despair. Imagine being exiled from the Celestial Realm, living in the human realm, and then being killed by a reincarnated person for being an obstacle to attacking the Celestial Realm! Even if I didn’t feel any romantic feelings towards Miho, it was an utterly selfish notion.

But the truth remained; if persuasion failed, then I couldn’t escape the necessity to kill Miho.

No… No.

Even aside from this scenario, I could never bring myself to kill Miho with my own hands.

That was a line I couldn’t cross.

I bit my lip, blood flowing but disregarded it, wholly absorbed in thought. After a while, I finally opened my mouth.

“… I will help Miho grow.”

That was my only option.

“What do you mean?”

I laid out my plans to Seo Mun-hye. She wore an astonished expression as she processed my words, then said:

“There’s potential there. But you must discuss it with Zhuge Sa…”

“I intend to.”

“I appreciate you opening up about something that must have been hard to say.”

“It’s nothing compared to the grace I’ve received from you, Lord Baek Woong.”

A few days later, Zhuge Sa emerged from his lab with Zhuge Bu, whom he had revived with a new body. He passed me the still dazed Zhuge Bu and said:

“Here she is. You can just use the Golden Lamp technique and hand her over to Zhuge Yulong later.”

“……”

“What’s the matter? Why do you look at me like that?”

“Uh… but Zhuge Bu was a man, right? And this is…”

I accidentally gazed at the body of Zhuge Bu I had embraced. The delicate shoulders, neck, and curves were undeniably those of a woman. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties, a stunning beauty outside.

That’s right.

Zhuge Bu had been transferred into a female body.

When I looked at Zhuge Sa with bewildered eyes, he smiled.

“I have a preference for beautiful women.”

“… I didn’t ask.”

“I merely lowered the age a bit since she’s my niece.”

“That’s not the important part… Argh, I don’t even know.”

As I prepared to retort against Zhuge Sa’s comments, I shook my head.

‘Yeah, the world is on the brink of destruction; what’s the big deal about this? Let it go.’

It wasn’t my concern. I quickly brushed it off and laid Zhuge Bu beside me before speaking.

“Zhuge Sa. I plan to help Miho grow; please assist me in my plan.”

“Hmmm…”

Even though I hadn’t revealed the details yet, Zhuge Sa’s eyes lit up when he heard me.

“I figured you’d want to transfer Amaterasu’s power to Miho, then work with Seimei to evolve her into a Divine Being.”

“……”

I didn’t know how he figured it out, but he was spot on.

The method to elevate Miho into a Divine Being was precisely the technique Seimei had employed when Dongyoung was brought to ruin, artificially drawing out Miho’s latent potential to make her Dongyoung’s guardian. Back then, I had vehemently opposed it, thinking Miho would be sacrificed, but this time, I was considering it as a feasible solution.

Zhuge Sa stroked his chin and remarked,

“Indeed, it makes sense. It’s hard to believe that’s an idea from your head.”

“Right?!”

“If she becomes a Divine Being, the current soul being subservient to Nüwa would shift, tying Miho’s spirit and body to Dongyoung, the Great Earth. Then, she wouldn’t have to respond to the Queen Mother or Nüwa’s call, and the possibility of her servitude could vanish. Plus, her power would increase.”

As he said this, Zhuge Sa snapped his fingers.

“However, you understand there are significant risks involved, right?”

“……”

I braced myself for what Zhuge Sa was going to say.

“Firstly, when she is reborn as an artificial guardian, Miho’s original persona is likely to vanish entirely. Whether the new creation retains any essence of the original Miho is up to you to ponder. But then again, it’s certainly better than killing her, isn’t it? Another point is that a considerable offering and ritual are necessary for such a great youkai to be reborn as a Divine Being. You do realize you’d need to give something like the seed of the Dragon Flower Tree to Seimei, right?”

“… That’s true.”

“Assuming you can handle the former, you won’t need to worry. Seimei would likely cooperate fully. As for the latter, you’ll need the treasure for it.”

“So I have to find the seed of the Dragon Flower Tree?”

“Sure, you can do that, or search for another method… For now, it seems this issue warrants a discussion with Seimei.”

Whoosh

Zhuge Sa and I headed off to find Seimei. Once I shared my thoughts with him, Seimei contemplated for a moment and then spoke.

“It’s a welcome proposal. My power has indeed halved, so I need something new to suppress the darkness of Dongyoung. At this rate, the Aokigahara Life Sea will likely expand its territory by double within thirty years… Though the method of becoming a Divine Being is extreme, I have no reason to oppose it.”

“Seimei, it would be wonderful if you could provide the seed of the Dragon Flower Tree, but acquiring it is incredibly challenging.”

“I’m well aware. It might be one of the hardest tasks in the world.”

Seimei understood the circumstances. The Dragon Flower Tree’s seed lay hidden within the confines of the barrier held by the Fire Spirit, protected by guardians, and retrieving it would be immensely difficult. Though I could use underhanded tactics, doing so would likely unleash greater consequences, making it infeasible for us at this critical juncture.

Seimei then said,

“Therefore, I’ll handle this matter myself.”

“Handle it yourself? How…”

He soon offered a solution.

“We can ask the Master of the Twelve Joules for assistance.”