What is a Human? (4)
Our eyes momentarily met.
In the next instant.
Crack! Crack!
A bolt of lightning erupted from the void between us and our consciousnesses collided.
“Suddenly launching a mental attack on a junior like me… how terrifying.”
“Hmph… a little brat blocking a Sachuk-stage mental attack head-on and still whining…”
I laughed softly while resisting the consciousness assault that Yeon Wi suddenly launched my way.
To be blunt, at my current level, she should have easily suppressed me.
Even though my lightning attributes had vanished thanks to Myeolsin Geopcheon, the method of Brain Thunder Technique had merely transformed into a demonic attribute rather than being wiped out entirely.
She had sensed my ambush from moments ago and wisely refrained from recklessness, instead sitting properly and taking a sip of her tea.
“So, my dear junior, why and how did you locate and summon me, the betrayer of your sect? Without informing the Supreme Sect Master Geum Byeok-ho.”
Up until now, my focus had been solely on unraveling the curse of the Heavenly Thunder Banner and observing Jeon Myeong-hoon.
I had never truly conversed with her or asked the questions burning in my mind.
But now that my primary task was resolved, I had the luxury to inquire.
“I summoned you because I had a question I wished to ask. I will never speak a word to the Supreme Sect Master. Rest assured.”
“Will you guarantee my safety and Yeon-jin’s?”
“Of course. I swear on my original soul that I will not reveal your identities to anyone.”
Her slight suspicion toward my casual reply vanished immediately, as there was nothing she could do.
I slowly began my questions.
“First. I heard that you hold the title of Sect Leader of Geumsin Cheonroemun but have never ascended above it. Yet you claim to have deep ties with those who once stood above the position. Do you by chance know anything about the technique called Myeolsin Geopcheon?”
And her reaction came instantly.
“…What?”
Yeon Wi’s pupils contracted sharply.
“What nonsense is this? Why would you ask about such a ridiculous legend?”
She knows.
I smiled knowingly and pressed on.
“So you do know. Allow me to inform you of my junior’s achievement. I have successfully obtained the secret code of Myeolsin Geopcheon. As a result…”
I unleashed a colorless divine energy.
“My lightning attributes are completely gone.”
“…”
Yeon Wi’s pupils shook violently.
“Y-You truly mastered that?!”
“Yes. The question I have for you concerns whether the legends and traditions of Myeolsin Geopcheon were passed down properly in your era. Four thousand years ago, how was this technique transmitted?”
For a moment she stared at me with dazed eyes.
Her thoughts were filled with sheer disbelief: Impossible. No way this could be real.
“…If one can master it… well, setting that aside… hmm…”
She faltered, clearly stunned.
After regaining her composure, she nodded.
“Alright, I accept it. In my time, there were indeed legends surrounding Myeolsin Geopcheon. Within the sect, internal regulations on the technique were also passed down.”
“…! Please, master, share the transmission records and internal regulations with me.”
Yeon Wi glanced at me with an uncomprehending expression before beginning her explanation.
“…Myeolsin Geopcheon is fundamentally a forbidden technique of inverting the heavens. In other words, it is a divine ability that threatens the sky itself.”
That’s why it’s called Geopcheon.
“According to the transmitted records, Myeolsin Geopcheon grants the power to overcome the sect’s direst crisis. Details are vague, but the method of fully mastering it is extremely peculiar, so I still remember it vividly.”
“How does one master it?”
Her words carried a heavy irony.
“In Geumsin Cheonroemun, there exists something called the Ancestral Command. Simply put, the Ancestral Command is the role where the Sect Leader acts as a proxy to execute the Ancestor’s orders. Any order given through the Ancestral Command must be obeyed absolutely, and because the Ancestral Command itself is considered exceedingly sacred, it is rarely used. It is primarily employed when the sect faces a life-or-death emergency or when excommunicating a disciple who has committed an unforgivable crime against the sect.”
A bitter smile formed at the corner of Yeon Wi’s mouth.
“I was excommunicated through the Ancestral Command. Those who are excommunicated by the Ancestral Command can never be restored to the sect. Their fate is absolute. And from what I know, the method of fully mastering Myeolsin Geopcheon is precisely by ‘being excommunicated’ through the Ancestral Command.”
“…?”
“When one is excommunicated by the Ancestral Command and declared a former disciple of Geumsin Cheonroemun, a consciousness technique called Myeolsin Geopcheon is completed, allowing the user to wield it freely.”
“…I see.”
As I listened to her explanation and recalled the truths Yang Su-jin had revealed, I finally understood the bitter reality of Geumsin Cheonroemun.
From the beginning, Geumsin Cheonroemun had been nothing more than a long-term pawn for Yang Su-jin.
Mastering the Red Thunder Heaven Destruction, using Myeolsin Geopcheon to dissipate one’s own power, forcing Geumsin Cheonroemun to excommunicate its founder, and then obtaining the Golden Thunder Annihilation Technique to achieve a different destiny.
It was a sect that existed for no other purpose than to produce a single Jongmyeongja.
That was Geumsin Cheonroemun.
“This is roughly the information I received about Myeolsin Geopcheon. There are also approximately four internal regulations concerning it.”
And the regulations she described were as follows.
First: The user of Myeolsin Geopcheon must never reveal the secret code to the Heavenly Thunder Banner.
Second: When using Myeolsin Geopcheon, one must not wield the Heavenly Thunder Banner.
Third: Using Myeolsin Geopcheon openly before a high-level being can provoke its wrath, so one must be cautious.
Fourth: Myeolsin Geopcheon is never a benevolent rite; it invokes calamity, so remember this well.
These were the internal regulations passed down within Geumsin Cheonroemun regarding Myeolsin Geopcheon.
The restriction on the Heavenly Thunder Banner… makes sense.
If the bearer of the Heavenly Tribulation learned of Myeolsin Geopcheon through the banner, it would cause problems.
The third regulation was also understandable.
From Yang Su-jin’s perspective, any high-level being would be at least a Jinseon or higher, so using such a forbidden technique openly in front of them would only anger the target.
But the fourth regulation—that Myeolsin Geopcheon brings calamity—remained difficult to grasp.
What does it mean by “invokes calamity”? Does it literally mean a backlash?
I recalled the secret code of Myeolsin Geopcheon.
Using the technique undoubtedly caused backlash, and that was likely what it referred to.
Most probably, it is simply a warning to be cautious of the backlash.
I organized the information in my mind.
“…Thank you for the information.”
“Well, a junior of the sect asking for help, I had to share.”
“Haha, since you’re kind enough, there is one more thing I would like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Regarding the Heavenly Thunder Banner.”
Once I brought up the banner, Yeon Wi’s complexion darkened.
“The Heavenly Thunder Banner is not a divine object.”
“Yes, I know.”
“It should be called an ominous object rather than a divine one. If it continues to be venerated like this, it will surely…”
She blinked in surprise when I calmly acknowledged its inauspicious nature.
“I also know how dangerous the Heavenly Thunder Banner is. Therefore… I intend to steal it without anyone knowing and seal it back in the Water Realm.”
“…”
My words brightened her expression.
“Good! Exactly what I thought! Hahaha, it is only right for an ominous object within the sect to be taken to its proper place of seclusion! It was only fitting that it was sealed back then!”
“Hmm?”
I looked at her as if she knew far too much about the banner and asked.
“You seem to know quite a bit about the Heavenly Thunder Banner.”
“Of course I do. During my time, every year there was a ritual where the soul of the Heavenly Thunder Banner was summoned and its voice transmitted to the sect.”
She chuckled.
“It was a fine fellow. Honestly, the moment it was summoned, it spewed endless curses and vitriol against Geumsin Cheonroemun and the Ancestor without taking a single breath. If that is the Heavenly Thunder Banner, how could anyone call it an inauspicious object? And how could they possibly venerate it as a divine object?”
“…So that happened.”
I nodded.
“For that reason, my ultimate goal is to steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner and seal it in the Water Realm one day. If you can assist me later, master, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“Well… I would love to help, but I am currently clinging to Yeon-jin’s body, barely keeping myself alive.”
“There is no need for you to help directly.”
What I needed was something else entirely.
“Since it must be sealed in the Water Realm, please teach me how to descend there.”
How exactly could we return to the world we had not won?
And she replied as if it were nothing.
“Returning to the world we did not win is simple. You only need to advance to Cheonin.”
“Yes?”
“Once you reach Cheonin, you will understand. How to go. Well, if you wish to go before Cheonin, other methods are needed. However… if beings like you or those with wills like yours are simultaneously attempting the same thing in the Water Realm and here, their homogeneity will pull them together and they will meet.”
“So, if there is a pull of fate, I can descend back to the Water Realm?”
“Correct. If there is such a pull of fate, even without reaching Cheonin, entering any Gongryeong-ji or Byeseondae would allow you to descend to the Water Realm.”
“…Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind.”
I must reach Cheonin as quickly as possible.
I steeled my resolve and asked my final, most burning question.
“Could you tell me… what exactly happened in Geumsin Cheonroemun four thousand years ago…?”
“Nothing.”
“…?”
I had never expected her to refuse so decisively and was momentarily stunned.
Yet upon seeing her thoughts swirling with violent turbulence, I nodded.
This must be a forbidden topic for her.
I would learn more about it slowly.
“Well, if that is the case, then for now, I have roughly learned what I wished to know. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Hmph… You truly will not hand me over to Geum Byeok-ho, will you?”
“Did I not swear on my original soul?”
A vow sworn upon one’s original soul carried immense binding force; this was the method used by cultivators when they mutually promised each other.
“I have survived after breaking vows sworn on original souls and seen many who have done the same. It is no rare sight.”
“How could a junior break a vow sworn to a senior?”
“Kukuku… To be precise, I am not your senior. I am merely an excommunicated disciple. Honestly, even if you immediately captured me and turned me over to Geum Byeok-ho, it would be entirely within the regulations and cause no problem.”
“…I see.”
Yet I shook my head.
“However, if I did that, wouldn’t Yeon-jin, your descendant, be dragged into a family purge without reason? Not merely for your sake, but also for the sake of the new disciple Yeon-jin.”
“…Thank you.”
Yeon Wi bowed her head to me in response.
After that, she seemed to believe our conversation had ended and vanished into Yeon-jin’s consciousness.
After a while, Yeon-jin suddenly regained his senses and reclaimed his body.
“Hah! Lord Elder, did you perhaps speak with my ancestor?”
“Yes. I guarantee your safety. You need not fear Geum Byeok-ho hearing anything.”
“…! Thank you, Lord Elder!”
I watched Yeon-jin bow and respectfully withdraw, then dismissed the Gathering Spirit Technique.
Yeon-jin left slowly after greeting me.
Cheonin. I must reach Cheonin.
If I reached Cheonin, even if Geum Byeok-ho wielded the Heavenly Thunder Banner, it might be worth challenging him.
Then, with the Heavenly Thunder Banner in hand, I could descend boldly to the Water Realm and seal it.
Being excommunicated by the sect is the condition for mastering Myeolsin Geopcheon?
Then my gaze fell on the two skulls I had received from Heo Gwak earlier, which contained the secret code of the Six Extreme Yin Thunder Divine Method.
…Black Ghost Valley.