The Weight of Fate (1)
Oh ho, now who might this be? Not the trio, are you? When you were Nascent Souls it was just yesterday, yet here you are, already so grown!
GOE-GUN!!!!!!
Baekgol Gwima’s eyes rolled back as he scattered dark ghoul qi.
His roar stirred the Valley of Black Ghosts. Spirit roars echoed from all directions, shaking heaven and earth.
You brat, you…!!!
“Hold it. Before the Ascension Gate opens, aren’t you making things awkward?”
“No need. The old man doesn’t want unnecessary trouble before the gate opens either.”
Kim Young-hoon and Changhoza grabbed Baekgol Gwima’s shoulders and held him back as he tried to explode.
Geukran Island’s Ghost King watched them and chuckled, then leaped down from the puppet and landed right in front of us.
Exactly. In these auspicious times when the Ascension Gate is opening, I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. So if you hand over that criminal to me, I’ll simply withdraw.
At his words, the three sect masters formed cold smiles and blocked our path.
Geum Byeok-ho met the Ghost King’s gaze and spoke.
“Sorry, but everyone here possesses talents that surpass imagination. It would be hard to hand him over.”
“Enough with the greed, old man. You’ve already plundered the core of our Seopmyeong Ship. What more are you after?”
Hearing this, the Ghost King chuckled and stroked his beard.
Ah, right. That power core you took from your bellies. It really is excellent. I modified it and implanted it into [Her]’s heart. Thanks to that, [Her] has become even more complete. You owe me, Black Ghost Valley.
Baekgol Gwima’s pale face turned scarlet.
This… You only embedded a puppet into the power source of the Seopmyeong Ship?! Stronger than the entire spiritual vein of a large sect embedded into just a puppet…!
Just a puppet…?
The Ghost King’s expression stiffened.
Repeat that. [Her] is just a puppet…? [Her] is alive. [Her] is something to be perfected. [Her] is everything in my life…! You brat, do you want me to destroy the rest of the Seopmyeong Ship too…?!
Kuung!
The Ghost King tossed out a wooden box from his bosom. The box enlarged, becoming as large as he was.
He placed his hand on the lid of the giant wooden box.
Is that the Twilight Dharma Artifact…?
The same qi fluctuation that had come from the Twilight Dharma Artifacts spilled out of the box.
At the same time, the box felt much heavier, as if it contained far more than a normal Twilight Dharma Artifact.
Dalgeun―
Just as Baekgol Gwima reached to open the wooden box’s lid.
“You shouldn’t open that, Ghost King…!”
Chwaaaak!
Baekgol Gwima pulled out the Twilight Dharma Artifact at his waist. A black darkness gushed out, spewing out something huge.
Kuquwaang!
The massive thing formed a shape in mid-air, then rapidly shrank into a huge door ten zhang wide and fell behind us.
On the door’s wings was painted the image of a great ghost king.
Kiiieek!
The ghost king’s door opened. Inside was filled with dark darkness, and it strangely smelled like sea breeze.
Chalang, chalang…
Behind the door, water gurgled as if it were a space filled with water.
I sharpened my eyes and looked inside the door, then shivered in surprise.
Inside the door floated two enormous warships spewing flesh-piercing ghost qi and yin qi over the dark sea.
Seopmyeong Ship…!
Although I couldn’t be sure they were inside the door, the ghost qi emanating from those two ships was far more chilling than the wrecked Seopmyeong Ships I had seen in my past life.
Moreover, inside those two vessels, I sensed a few existences with similar qi to Baekgol Gwima.
So it’s true that he compressed and brought his own sect…
Baekgol Gwima displayed the two Seopmyeong Ships and growled at the Ghost King.
“If you open them, it means you plan to fight here again. Warning—don’t open them…!”
Hum…
Kiiieek…
However, the Ghost King looked at Baekgol Gwima with meaningful eyes and opened the box’s lid a little more.
At that moment, both Changhoza and Geum Byeok-ho’s expressions stiffened.
“Ghost King, Geumshin Cheonroe Sect also warns you—don’t open it. No matter how you claim to be a one-man army, I don’t think you can face all of us.”
“I, Changhoza, also warn you. If you take those out, I won’t be able to stand by either! Do you really plan to wipe out Deungsunhyang!?”
Pajijijik!
Geum Byeok-ho clasped his hands together, and lightning qi gathered. A small pavilion appeared inside the lightning qi.
Inside the pavilion, extremely dense auras were felt.
At the same time, Changhoza pulled out a scroll from his waist and unfurled it.
The scroll rose into the air and automatically spread out. Inside the scroll was a landscape painting.
Inside that landscape painting, countless auras were felt.
Then the Ghost King curled his lips and laughed wickedly.
Huuuuuuu…
Kiiieek…
The box’s lid was raised higher.
You brat…! Do you really think you can fight all of us…!
You don’t even know how precious your life is!
Are you underestimating us too much!
Kurung, kurururung…
Clouds gathered in the clear sky, and heaven and earth began to shake.
The three sect masters raised their qi and pressed down on the Ghost King.
Yet the Ghost King remained calm even while receiving their qi.
“Don’t know how precious your life is? Of course not. My heart died a long time ago. What more is there to live for? You brats should stop poking my temper and just withdraw with that criminal and quickly leave through the Ascension Gate.”
“Hu, even when fighting with the Seopmyeong Ship, you barely destroyed one and fled. With the current situation where Geumshin Cheonroe Sect and Changcheon Gaebyeokmun have allied with you, do you think our three sects will lose to you?”
“Haha, do you not know that when I spared your sects back then, it was mercy? And that was right after the fight, when I was the weakest. You should have joined forces to fight me then. Now that [Her]’s heart is complete, it’s actually harder to face me than back then… Think carefully.”
Kiiieek…
The Ghost King opened the box’s lid further.
At the same time, countless qi of various attributes burst from between the box’s gaps, and the three sect masters’ expressions grew tense as they glared at the Ghost King.
Then.
Swuaaa―
Rain began to pour down.
“Huk… Heuk…”
At the same time, Oh Hye-seo suddenly flushed and collapsed.
Kurung, kururung…
Clouds had already been present from the sect masters’ and the Ghost King’s qi clash, but the clouds flowed even faster.
What, she awakened her power today…?
I guessed why she was doing this and shivered.
It was also one day earlier than planned.
At the same time, the eyes of the three sect masters and the Ghost King turned to Oh Hye-seo.
Ho, what’s this…? It’s a strange bloodline?
The Ghost King’s eyes sparkled as he stroked his beard.
The three sect masters also brightened at Oh Hye-seo.
“Are you reacting to the qi of my bio-puppets…? Ah, right. There were puppets made from Haeryong Clan royal blood, and they react to the spirit beast’s bloodline? Haha, I’d love to dissect them.”
The Ghost King approached Oh Hye-seo with a curled lip, and the three sect masters raised their qi to block him.
“None of the ones here are handing you over, Ghost King!”
“If you don’t back off, I’ll kill you all and replenish them with bio-puppets.”
Kiiieek…
The Ghost King raised the box’s lid higher, and the sect masters’ faces twisted into ugly smiles as they raised their qi.
Just their qi was enough to shatter heaven and earth.
And then.
Kwarurung!
Lightning flashed in the sky. Suddenly, a new person appeared in the hall.
A blue-haired youth in a blue robe.
Small horns protruded from his forehead, and he exuded a dignified aura.
“This is troublesome. The qi twisted heaven and earth and called my bloodline, so I rushed here faster than planned. I didn’t expect familiar faces…
Haeryong King Seo Hyul.
In the end, this person had appeared in a different time than my past life.
“It’s been a while, Golden Supreme Sect Master. Elder Won, Cheongmun Sect Master. And…
Seo Hyul smiled and greeted the Ghost King too.
“Ghost King-nim, I heard from afar in the wind that you three are having a quarrel… May this king mediate?
“Everyone fighting in this auspicious time in Deungsunhyang… I don’t think anyone wants that. Especially Ghost King-nim, please stop breaking Deungsunhyang and close it instead.”
At Seo Hyul’s appearance, the Ghost King curled his lip in amusement, and the three sect masters brightened.
“Haha, if the dignified Seo Dragon King says so, it’s believable.”
“Exactly. How many conflicts has the Dragon King mediated and resolved peacefully? I wish you would tell this old man to keep righteousness.”
“I also believe in the Dragon King.”
Geum Byeok-ho, Baekgol Gwima, and Changhoza nodded at Seo Hyul, sending him trust.
However, the Ghost King curled his lip and burst into laughter.
“Fuhuhuhuhu… Fuhiki… What? Does that guy mediate conflicts and solve them peacefully? That guy has been spreading seeds of discord and causing countless wars across the continent with schemes and plots. Do you three have no brains?”
At those words, Geum Byeok-ho spoke.
“Don’t slander the Dragon King unnecessarily, Ghost King! Unlike you, whose reputation is lacking, the Dragon King has mediated conflicts in countless disputes.”
“Fuhahahaha! You all lock yourselves in your sects and only do work, so you don’t know the man’s true nature. If you wandered freely like me and saw everything, your eyes would open. Does that guy look kind and reputable to you? That guy is a broken-hearted person. He has a mask thick enough that even I can’t guess what’s inside.”
“Hmph, isn’t it natural for everyone to hide some of their inner thoughts?”
“Kruh, are you still young, or did your hearts not break like ours? You don’t know anything. Among those whose hearts are broken, there is a way to communicate. Since I have a broken heart too and have rotted, I understand my kind well! That guy is a monster whose mind is even more twisted and rotten than mine!
“Seo Hyul, no matter how thick your mask, do you think no one can see inside? I can see it. I’m someone whose heart is broken like yours.”
…
Seo Hyul simply smiled calmly at the Ghost King’s words.
“Seo Hyul-ah, Seo Hyul-ah. If you lock a heart that is already rotten and dead inside a thick mask, the mental illness only worsens. Wouldn’t it be better to live freely like me, taking off the mask and doing what you want?”
…Haha, this king has lived his whole life following his heart. Even though he followed his heart, he has no regrets or shame, so how grateful is this life?
“Huhu, the many conflicts and pain you caused were because you followed your heart… You really are turning into a monster. I don’t know your circumstances, but choose carefully.”
Seo Hyul smiled faintly without changing his expression and spoke to him.
“Thank you for the advice, old man.”
“You’re older than me, old man. You’re also fake.”
“If there’s someone worth learning from, it is only right to take them as a life mentor.”
Baekgol Gwima clicked his tongue while watching their conversation.
“The Dragon King has suffered greatly. To slander such a wonderful person like this delusional monster. What mental illness! Rather, this mad old man’s heart is the one broken. What sane human would slander that lunatic who turns them into puppets with his crazy logic?!”
“It’s not just my crazy logic, idiot. I have realized one of the principles of the world and have evolved others to realize it!”
Baekgol Gwima showed disgust and stopped confronting him, looking at Seo Hyul instead.
“I don’t want to fight that crazy old man anymore. Please ask the Haeryong King for mediation.”
“Understood. The fundamental reason the three of you are quarreling is because of those human clans, isn’t it?”
“Correct. We clearly discovered them first, and if we take them as disciples, we have priority. But that stupid old man keeps saying we must withdraw immediately!”
“Hu, how well you three would teach those guys. That guy, especially those with consciousness, I can teach the best. In my eyes, the woman who borrowed the Haeryong Clan’s bloodline to summon the Hofung Eungryongbyeon is the one who would teach the spirit beast the best.”
The Ghost King pointed at Kim Yeon and then himself, then pointed at Oh Hye-seo and Seo Hyul.
“What crazy talk! Our Black Ghost Valley has no such attribute cultivation methods. Do you know how old our sect is?!”
“It’s none of my business how old your Black Ghost Valley is. I know there are countless cultivation methods, but do you have a teacher who can teach them properly? Especially since I have learned many cultivation methods related to consciousness from various angles, I can teach far more on controlling consciousness!”
Seo Hyul watched them calmly and opened his mouth.
“First, I would like to ask the three of you. Realistically, if the three of you added two more each, could you withstand the spatial pressure?”
At those words, the three sect masters’ expressions stiffened.
Seo Hyul continued.
“I believe you three have put in all your efforts this time to break through your sects. I assume that inside each sect’s buildings and warships, the most important selected disciples are spreading formations to resist spatial pressure under the guidance of their sect elders.”
…Correct.
The three sect masters nodded slowly.
“Adding one more wouldn’t be a problem since the person themselves could endure one more unit of pressure, but if two or more are added, the formation would break, and the chance of failing the breakthrough would increase.
Moreover, this time we chose the period when the Ascension Gate is the largest and widest open, gambling our sect’s fate on the breakthrough. We absolutely cannot fail.”
At Seo Hyul’s calm explanation, deep regret appeared on the faces of the three sect masters.
“But. It is certain that the three of you discovered these human clans first. Ghost King-nim, you also acknowledge that point, don’t you? I know your logic differs from the general category, but in that logic, the order of time has not changed.”
The Ghost King chuckled and nodded at Seo Hyul’s words.
“Well, for now, I’ll say it’s correct.”
“Then, Ghost King-nim should give the three of you appropriate compensation. After all, you are trying to forcibly take the treasures the three of you discovered, so if the three of you receive proper compensation, you will understand.”
At those words, the three sect masters’ expressions brightened.
“The Dragon King is indeed wise!”
“Truly a wonderful answer.”
“The future of the Haeryong Clan is bright.”
However, the Ghost King’s eyes sparkled as he raised the box’s lid even higher.
“But what if I don’t want to?”
At those words, Haeryong King Seo Hyul furrowed his brows in displeasure, and the three sect masters’ faces twisted.
“I have no attached place or living being I must take with me, so the pressure I must bear is almost none. I plan to kill all of you here and destroy Deungsunhyang, and capture every special physique person you chose, dissect them all, and ‘evolve’ them to bring them into my world. Why should I negotiate?”
At those words, Haeryong King Seo Hyul took a deep breath and spoke.
Kuung!
Wind began to blow around him.
“This king has made the best proposal. If you keep ignoring this king’s suggestion like this, this king and the Haeryong Clan will also join the three sects to attack you, and we will reclaim the corpses of this king’s blood relatives whom you kidnapped long ago.”
“Hu, you know my blood relatives are long-term pieces too. Is this just pretending to value blood relatives? Isn’t this the groundwork to secure a justification by talking about your blood relatives?”
After a while of Seo Hyul and the Ghost King staring each other down, the Ghost King smiled and closed the box.
“Fine. Today I’ll compromise a little. Three of us is one thing, but if the Haeryong King joins, this old man might lose. Since I have to perfect [Her] by ascending to the upper realm this time, I’ll follow your suggestion today.”
He stepped back and pointed at Kim Yeon.
“I’ll take this one as my disciple. Compensation will come later. I swear in front of [Her].”
Tungtungtung―
The Ghost King knocked on the wooden box twice and pressed his ear to the surface.
Then he nodded solemnly and spoke.
“Did you hear? [Her] also witnessed my oath.”
The three sect masters looked at this Ghost King and twisted their faces.
“What kind of… A puppet said something…?”
Seo Hyul sighed and spoke to the three sect masters.
“I know that Ghost King-nim’s logic differs from normal logic. But from what I have observed, every oath sworn before [Her] has been kept. I can guarantee that.”
At those words, the three sect masters clicked their tongues but nodded.
“Then this guy will be taken as my disciple, and compensation will be discussed later… What about this guy?”
The Ghost King pointed at Oh Hye-seo.
“From my insight, it seems Seo Hyul will draw out this guy’s potential the best. But I worry that the brat will learn nothing but bad things from Seo Hyul. What about if I take this guy as my disciple?”
At those words, Seo Hyul’s brows twitched.
However, he soon recovered his expression and gave a kind smile, turning to Oh Hye-seo.
“Honestly, it would be too burdensome for the three sect masters to take two more each, and it doesn’t seem you would like the three of you giving two each to the Ghost King-nim.
“Can you allow me to take this woman? I also promise to compensate later and uphold my honor.”
At those words, the three sect masters glared at the Ghost King.
“Since the Haeryong King mediated, do that.”
They seemed displeased that the Ghost King was getting more benefit.
Then Seo Hyul approached Oh Hye-seo.
At the same time, I felt dizzy.
Why… is it like this?
It was all arranged.
I had asked them to awaken Kim Yeon’s talent, the Ghost King had rushed in upon feeling that talent and threatened the three sect masters, the bio-puppets’ qi had awakened Oh Hye-seo inside the box, Seo Hyul had arrived faster than planned and mediated, and the original allocation had been followed.
Originally.
Everything had flowed exactly as it should have.
I laughed helplessly and knelt before them.
“Please listen to me, seniors. In fact, these are my colleagues. Can you not simply keep my colleagues with me?”
At those words, the Ghost King snapped his fingers.
“Now that I think about it, I forgot. Who are you? Why do you have a womb when you’re a human? This is the first time I’ve seen something like this… I’d like to dissect you too.”
Ppuddeugeuk!
“Kk… Uaaaaak!”
At the same time, my dantian began to ache as if my inner dan was being pulled out.
Under the Ghost King’s will, my inner dan was being pulled outward.
It felt like my belly would tear apart!
Then.
Pwaaaat!
A soft qi pushed between me and the Ghost King and blocked his qi.
Surprisingly, the qi’s owner was Seo Hyul.
“How dare you disturb a powerless spirit, old man. In these auspicious times, you should refrain from such wicked acts.”
…Hmph! You fake. Fine. A womb of Nascent Soul level has almost no value for research anyway. I won’t touch it anymore.
“Tsk tsk, you’ve suffered because you got caught by a madman.”
Changhoza patted my shoulder.
With his touch, my dantian injured by the Ghost King was cleanly healed.
Seo Hyul looked at the Ghost King and spoke.
“After we leave, swear that you will not touch these powerless and pitiful ones.”
…What? Seo Hyul, did you go mad? Why are you doing this?
“Why would you disturb powerless people in these auspicious times and steal yin for no reason?”
At those words, the Ghost King, who had been staring blankly at Seo Hyul, burst into laughter.
“KHAHAHAHAHAHA! Disgusting, disgusting, and again disgusting. You all lock yourselves in your sects, so it’s a pity you don’t know the catastrophe that Seo Hyul has caused. It’s so disgusting that I feel like vomiting.
“Fine! I admire your disgust and swear I won’t touch it anymore. [Her] also rebukes your disgust, so just sympathize appropriately and move on.”
After swearing not to touch us anymore before [Her], the Ghost King stepped back.
Seo Hyul gave me a kind smile, then spoke to the three sect masters.
“On the way here, I saw that the three of you have harmed many spirits of Deungsunhyang. The past cannot be helped, but please restrain yourselves in these auspicious times so you do not steal yin.”
Geum Byeok-ho, Baekgol Gwima, and Changhoza nodded with uneasy expressions.
“We have shown a shameful face before the Haeryong King.”
“We will restrain ourselves.”
“How righteous, Dragon King.”
Seo Hyul laughed heartily and exchanged pleasantries with them, then carried Oh Hye-seo on his back and approached me, who was calming the pain in my dantian.
“I don’t know the details, but you must have inherited the blood of In-yeon. It’s an irony in itself that things turned out like this. Could you possibly listen to my request?”
“…What is it?”
Seo Hyul took out a dark gray bead from his bosom.
“I arrived here hastily after sensing this woman’s qi, so in fact I have something I couldn’t process. Originally, I was supposed to hand this bead to one of my descendants who is still in the sea, but I couldn’t deliver it.
“If you could deliver this bead to my descendant Seo Ran who lives near Geukran Island?”
…
“If you fulfill my request, as a reward I will give you a good cultivation technique that a person with your In-yeon bloodline can inherit.”
Seo Hyul took out a cultivation technique book bound in saury leather and handed it to me.
The title of the cultivation technique was Hofung Eungryongbyeon.
Ah, that’s why he saved me.
Only then did I understand Seo Hyul’s intention.
I hid my surging disgust, put on the mask in front of Seo Hyul, and received what he gave me gratefully.
“Thank you… Dragon King… I will never forget the kindness your senior showed me…”
“Thank you. Oh, and…
Kuquququ!
His eyes split vertically.
“Expressing an opinion like that is courageous, but also foolish. Please behave well in front of those higher than you.
“And to answer your question, you and that person have ambiguous qualities and cannot be taken. If you leave your colleagues behind, they will most likely be consumed by their own mythic talent and die.
“If there is a way to suppress those qualities for you, it would be good advice, but if there is no way, it is best to quietly stay. Remember that.”
Kuquququ!
Even breathing was difficult under his qi.
Haeryong King Seo Hyul gave me a calm warning, then transformed into a dragon and flew toward the Ascension Gate. The remaining sect masters also flew toward the Ascension Gate with their colleagues.
In the hall remained only the Ghost King who had knocked out Kim Yeon trying to escape, and me and Kim Young-hoon.
I stared blankly into the air.
Why had everything turned out like this?
The Ghost King moved his fingers while looking at me and Kim Young-hoon. A spatial rift opened.
“Tsk, you fake dragon. If you’re going to spout words, at least throw us out of Deungsunhyang…”
“Ha, ha…”
In my past life, I had used my wits to send Kim Young-hoon out with Seo Hyul’s hand, but in this life, everything had returned to normal, like a ball returning to the rubber band.
Probably, the Ghost King would send me and Kim Young-hoon to Yeon Kingdom again.
“Senior.”
I hid my empty feeling and asked the Ghost King.
“Does the concept of fate really exist?”
At my question, the Ghost King stroked his beard with an interested expression.
“It does not. I’m not sure if you have inherited a special cultivation technique or not. When you complete the Seven-Star Ceremony of Qi Condensation, you will realize that everyone has a heavenly fate.”
He pointed at the sky.
“What is destined to happen will definitely happen. That is the heavenly fate.”
“…Then, can humans not change their fate?”
At those words, the Ghost King laughed wickedly.
“You don’t understand the structure of fate, do you? No, it is not that. Every living being can change their fate.”
“…Really?”
“Have you ever had a dream? Why do they call it the Sixty-Fourth Year of the Sudaeseons, the Thirty-Six Thousand Kang, the Seven-Star Ceremony, and the stars in the sky containing the principle of the stars made during Foundation Establishment?”
He pointed his finger at the end of the sky.
“Why do the Sudaeseons see themselves as beings that defy the heavenly order. Have you ever had a dream?”
“Isn’t that just natural? Since it defies the lifespan given by heaven…”
“Then why can the Sudaeseons defy the lifespan given by heaven and fate?”
“That’s…”
I had never thought about it.
The Ghost King sprayed pure qi with his finger and drew on the air.
“Poor you. The great one explains the structure of fate specially. [Her] also told me to do so.”
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