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The three Sovereigns exchanged glances for a moment at Mangnyang’s proposal. A while later, Jeon Wook spoke up.

[I assume you know the place where Fuxi is sealed.]

“My Master taught me.”

[It’s a place we all know. But it won’t be easy to get there.]

“……”

[We’ll discuss how to treat you and make a decision. You should organize the situation in the Celestial Realm and create more laws of cause and effect that enable our descent.]

“Understood.”

[Apostle, it would be wise not to entertain any absurd thoughts.]

Whoosh!!

As those words ended, the three Sovereigns vanished. Literally, they un-summoned their physical forms and all the minions they had conjured. It was astonishing, like a mirage. And with Jeon Wook’s descending presence dissipated, I regained control of my body.

Whoosh

As Jeon Wook’s divinity withdrew, the dark flames that had piled upon my body crumbled away like debris.

‘The total amount of power has increased.’

Once I shook off the remnants of power, I realized that my Spirit Power had become approximately thirty percent stronger than before. It seemed that Jeon Wook had bestowed upon me a tiny fraction of his Spirit Power during his descent.

As all the Sovereigns withdrew, Jeon Wook’s protective barrier lifted, and the comrades he was safeguarding emerged from within. I sighed in relief, confirming that they were safe.

“Phew. That’s a relief.”

“Baek Woong, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. But over there…”

The Eight Immortals of China had emerged from the barrier and stood before me. They were fortunate enough to also be protected by the chaos of the battle with the Sovereigns. The Eight Immortals stared at me intently.

Zhongli Quan spoke.

[Did you say you were Baek Woong? And Mangnyang… you have become an Apostle of God.]

I stole a glance at Mangnyang beside me. Then I turned my gaze back to Zhongli Quan’s words and responded.

“That is correct.”

[As you can see, the Celestial Realm can be said to have already perished. The previous battle has left the Celestial Realm devastated, and many Immortals have perished. We need to search for the remaining ones, but they likely haven’t survived. Moreover, many of the Twelve Great Immortals have perished or fled, and the Dao Masters have vanished…]

“……”

[You have truly brought about the destruction of the Celestial Realm for the sake of the human race…]

Zhongli Quan murmured bitterly. I felt a slight pang of conscience at those words.

‘Ugh…’

When you think about it, they were blameless, but in my attempt to thwart Queen Mother of the West’s schemes, they had suffered all sorts of damage. The Eight Immortals, while being Immortals, were also great heroes striving for humankind, so I couldn’t shake off the feeling of guilt.

However, I shook my head and said,

“As long as the Primordial Void remains, we can prevent Mount Kunlun from crashing down to Earth if we utilize it well. And even without the Dao Masters, the powers of the Immortals don’t solely derive from them, so it’s up to you guys moving forward.”

[The owner of the Primordial Void is currently you. Are you thinking of using it to save the Celestial Realm?]

“That is my intention.”

[… Thank you.]

Jang Gwa-ro, who was next to Zhongli Quan, opened his mouth as if to reply.

[Us Eight Immortals will lead the remaining Immortals to Yingzhou Mountain. Until then, please assist us…]

“If you mean Yingzhou Mountain, that would be the Three Sacred Mountains. Where is that?”

[Like the other Three Sacred Mountains, it’s an isolated otherworld. We can reach it using Cao Guojiu’s magic.]

Jang Gwa-ro replied, hesitating before suddenly glancing at Mangnyang.

[… I have a question. Are you really planning to kill the Sovereign Fuxi?]

Mangnyang replied flatly.

“It must be done. It’s part of my agreement with Jeon Wook.”

[Sigh… Is that truly necessary…?]

Jang Gwa-ro lamented.

[The existence of ‘magic’ in this world is solely due to Fuxi’s presence… Magic is no different from a flame of civilization. If he disappears, magic will vanish from this world at that moment. Magic, which holds the same rank in terms of system, is the power of Fuxi. Therefore, the strong weapons and shields available to humanity in their defense against the otherworldly races and demons will be gone.]

“……”

[Do you really believe that the fragile human race can survive in a world with distorted five elements and without magic…? I urge you to reconsider.]

Jang Gwa-ro spoke in a tone that was uncharacteristically pleading for such a distinguished Immortal. But this was not the time for him to care about appearances or tone. Mangnyang, as the Apostle of Master Mangnyang and I as the Apostle of Jeon Wook, were in the position to determine the fates of Fuxi and Nüwa based on our resolve. The anxious expressions were not just from Jang Gwa-ro; most of the Eight Immortals were gazing at us intensely.

The only exception was Yeodong-bin. Yeodong-bin, with a completely emotionless face, apathetically stared at Mangnyang. Among the Eight Immortals, he seemed to have little interest in the matter.

‘Is Yeodong-bin not particularly concerned about Fuxi’s death?’

While I pondered this inwardly, Mangnyang spoke.

“There’s nothing I can say at the moment. It is neither possible to break the promise with the Three Sovereigns nor is this the time for other discussions. I can only ensure that the worst-case scenario does not unfold.”

[Understood.]

And we began organizing affairs after death. The Eight Immortals started searching for and rescuing the surviving Immortals throughout the Celestial Realm, while we sought out the ancient humans freed from the Primordial Void. To our surprise, we found the ancient humans remarkably unharmed.

‘Not a single casualty?!’

Even though they were quite close to the battlefield, they appeared almost unscathed. It indicated that they had successfully protected themselves amidst the massive shock of the Celestial Realm’s devastation. Just when I felt astonished, the Great King Heibal stepped forward and said,

“The Three Sovereigns were summoned. What on Earth happened?”

I briefly explained the situation to the ancient humans. As they listened, they exchanged astonished whispers, and King Heibal sighed.

“I see… Nüwa and Queen Mother of the West have fallen, and the Celestial Realm has perished!”

“I apologize for not being able to protect you. We were struggling to keep ourselves safe.”

“No. Even if we had remained idle, we would have perished from the devastation of the war due to the destruction of the Primordial Void. Thank you for saving us instead.”

King Heibal, who answered calmly, continued,

“Now that things have come to this, it seems we must aid you moving forward. We will help in any way we can, so please allow us to lend assistance.”

“You mean you will help us?”

“In exchange for supporting the Apostles of the Three Sovereigns, we can secure our survival. Isn’t that the best option?”

“……”

It was a valid statement.

‘Hmm, but how can I actually utilize them?’

Even if the uncertain ancient humans from the Murungdo were our allies, I still found it hard to feel that their presence would have a tangible effect. While I contemplated this, Zhuge Sa, who had been standing next to me, spoke up.

“Ancient beings with the status of Constellation have plenty of potential uses. Don’t overthink it; leave them to me.”

“Zhuge Sa.”

“By the way, it seems Mangnyang has something to say.”

I turned to Mangnyang. He met my gaze, then said,

“We have things to discuss just the two of us. Follow me, Baek Woong.”

“Understood.”

After entrusting my fellow strategists to lead the group, I followed Mangnyang to a deserted area. Standing atop the crumbled cliffs of the canyon, Mangnyang silently gazed down at the swirling waters below. I too stood silently by, waiting for him to speak.

After some time, Mangnyang pulled out a dark fan from within his robes and said,

“Baek Woong. This was originally the treasure, Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line.”

“I know that. But earlier you said…”

Mangnyang smiled wryly.

“As you’ve heard, the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line has now evolved into the Sky-Destruction Sun and Moon Fan.”

“……”

“As you might guess from the name, this fan originally contained a small amount of the Blessing of the Sky. When my master bestowed the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line upon me, he granted me the possibility of carving out my own fate.”

“Blessing of the Sky…”

“However, as the situation became urgent, my Master temporarily allowed me to use this fan as a conduit, enabling me to receive his strength. Normally, it’s not possible to create Apostles in such a way, but I was able to awaken as an Apostle through this roundabout method. Without the Sky-Destruction Sun and Moon Fan, I wouldn’t be able to wield the power of the Sky-Destruction.”

“Is that so.”

Upon hearing Mangnyang’s explanation, I grasped the situation. The Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line had indeed contained the Blessing of the Sky from the start. Even that blessing wasn’t of an overwhelming level like what I had previously received; it merely allowed for slight manipulation of [possibilities] and [fate]. Since it was a treasure bestowed by Master Mangnyang with affection toward his disciple, it was natural.

“Mangnyang. Why did Master Mangnyang rush to make you his Apostle?”

“……”

“Why does it seem he has been so meddlesome with you this lifetime?”

At my question, Mangnyang replied.

“My Master’s power is so great that it is burdensome for a lower race like humans to wield. Even if a priest becomes his Apostle, they would hardly be able to use even a fraction of his power… Let alone in my case; it’s hardly worth speaking about. To be frank, I feel I’m bringing shame to my Master’s reputation even now. However,”

Mangnyang’s gaze sharpened.

“There’s a reason for that.”

“Does it have to do with that ‘Coming Chaos’ you mentioned?”

“Correct. In fact, that could be the crux of everything.”

He stroked his chin, continuing,

“Up until just before observing the battle of the Three Sovereigns, we had been aware of Nüwa’s plans and were prepared. Nüwa probably left herself spare chances for resurrection, and by making Miho a divine being, we thought that defense was secured. But even so, Nüwa remained entirely calm. That surely meant she had another method of resurrection left…”

“You mean to absorb Daji to use her new life?”

Mangnyang folded the Sky-Destruction Sun and Moon Fan and placed it in his palm.

“Precisely. It indicates that both Nüwa and Queen Mother of the West originally have two chances of resurrection. In relatively minor crises, she can use Miho as a spare life, and in emergencies for her own body, she can summon Daji to escape.”

“That’s absurd. If that were the case, then why did they seal Daji on Golden Crow Island? She could have just sealed her in the Celestial Realm.

“That’s exactly why they sealed her on Golden Crow Island. Managing a rampaging Daji is tedious, so they left it to the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army to manage, while making sure no one can connect Daji’s life to Queen Mother of the West.”

“No…”

“From right after the Great War of the Ancients, Queen Mother of the West has been managing her crisis with utter caution. The summoning of Daji was likely inscribed with spells from the start.”

“……”

“However, unlike Miho, Daji couldn’t be summoned unless there was a truly dangerous situation…”

Mangnyang continued.

“So, we prepared to summon Daji in order to stop Nüwa from recovering her strength, and I intended to use the power of the Sky-Destruction Sun and Moon Fan then.”

“But you stepped in and interrupted Jeon Wook, allowing Nüwa to escape. That makes no sense.”

“… That was my intention. Had my Master not bestowed upon me [the Blessing of the Sky] for foresight…”

“Foresight?”

At my question, Mangnyang nodded.

“I foresaw the worst possible future. Had I not intervened, then [Coming Chaos] would have stepped in instead. That entity would have erased or sealed the Sovereigns under the pretext of maintaining balance. And we would have met an inevitable destruction.”

“What…!!”

“Rather than allowing that, it would be better to help Nüwa escape and corner her. It was obvious she would seek out Fuxi, her only bloodline from the very beginning.”

“I don’t… understand. Why would that entity step in?”

I responded in confusion.

“Is that entity an ally of Nüwa? If so, this means that defeating her from the start would be impossible…”

“No. While they may seem like allies to Nüwa, in reality, they are bystanders… They are merely indulging in their amusements. And among the three Sovereigns, it’s highly likely that Jeon Wook’s plan to kill and devour Nüwa isn’t appealing to them.”

“Why wouldn’t that appeal to them?”

“I can’t say. Trying to fathom a being close to the highest order of chaos using human intelligence is pointless. However, my Master’s power may rival theirs, so as foolish humans, we have no choice but to rely on my Master’s power…”

Mangnyang murmured bitterly.

“Nothing will change. We will temporarily finish our arrangements and go to seal Fuxi and Nüwa.”

“But! If that’s true, that being might intervene once again.”

“That may be possible, but do you remember what Jeon Wook said before he vanished?”

“To gather laws of cause and effect and prepare…”

“Yes. No matter how supreme the opponent is, if we marshal the right laws of cause and effect and attack, they will have no grounds to make unreasonable demands. Considering their tendencies, failure to do so could lead to their intervention in the first place. In this instance, Jeon Wook used excessive cunning to reap too large a benefit; hence the possibility of that entity’s interference was greatly increased.”

“……”

I desperately racked my brain and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Phew… This is too complicated. To be honest, I don’t even know what to do right now. Doesn’t it feel like there’s an overwhelming amount of tasks?”

Mangnyang patted me on the shoulder encouragingly.

“Nothing will change. We are headed for the same destination anyway.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It simply means that we need not prepare separately for heading to the seal of Fuxi.”

Mangnyang folded the Sky-Destruction Sun and Moon Fan and tucked it back into his robe as he continued.

“In any case, we will be heading to Aokigahara Life Sea. Passing through that [gate] will allow us to achieve two objectives simultaneously.”

“……!!”

I widened my eyes, realizing something from Mangnyang’s words.

Could it be…!!

“Does it mean Fuxi is also in the other universe?!”

“That’s correct. The other universe is precisely where Fuxi is sealed.”

Mangnyang answered calmly.

“This attempt to conquer Aokigahara Life Sea is likely to become a watershed moment that shapes all destinies. We must prepare thoroughly.”

 

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