Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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The twelfth life had begun.
"Whew, this is something."
I sat in the stable, staring blankly for a long while.
To die from a fall after Yeo Dongbin's descent went out of control!
Honestly, I hadn't expected to live long, but it felt ridiculously absurd. I never imagined the Brocade Guard Commander would suddenly turn into a demon beast, and that Yeo Dongbin would descend to exorcise it, only to exhaust all my energy and kill me in the process.
From Yeo Dongbin's perspective, though, it might have been inevitable. The forces behind the Brocade Guard Commander from the Demon Horse Hall had apparently been using him to open a dimensional gate to Dark Heaven Village. If it opened, it would bring catastrophe to the mortal world, so as a sage protecting humanity, Yeo Dongbin had no choice but to stop it, even at the cost of my life. Since he'd saved my life before, I decided to let it slide.
The real issue was why it had failed.
I'd successfully drawn most of the connections I knew into Luoyang and formed a major force. That alone should have been enough to wipe out the Brocade Guard remnants without issue. But due to the worsening situation around us, we couldn't even properly fight and were forced to abandon Luoyang.
'The eleventh life had so many events that it's hard to pinpoint the fatal mistake.'
This was a first.
Until now, I'd always known exactly what I'd done wrong, making it easy to figure out. But in the eleventh life, with so much happening, it was tough to identify.
"Urgh..."
I pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out my mistake. If I had to pick one, it was rescuing General Hwang Yeon too late, but my instincts as a regressor told me that wasn't the only issue.
So what should I do?
'First, I have no choice but to save time.'
I decided to secure the Heavenly Dark Secret Book and Millennium Snow Ginseng before thinking further.
As I stood to move, my whole body ached and throbbed. My internal energy was fully restored to its original state, but the aftermath of the Great Thunder Destruction Formation caused excruciating pain like shocked muscles. I gritted my teeth, enduring it for about an hour before dashing out.
Obtaining the Heavenly Dark Secret Book was no longer worth mentioning as a story. After getting it, I tried reading the strange text inside again, but it still wouldn't decipher. Right after securing the Heavenly Dark Secret Book, I headed straight for Yellow Mountain.
Tadadak
While racing toward Yellow Mountain, I practiced the Soul Extinguishing Step that Geuk Ho had taught me whenever I had time. But as expected, deploying it just resulted in a limp like a disabled person's gait; it was nowhere near the wondrous, peerless lightness skill Geuk Ho had demonstrated. I even suspected he'd taught me the wrong incantation. Yet since he'd taught it to Lee Gwang first, that seemed unlikely.
I arrived at Yellow Mountain, obtained the Millennium Snow Ginseng, dug up all the Black and White Lotus flowers and roots, and acquired them at the Su Yo ruins.
Plop
After removing the gold ingot, I fought the giant spider with my sword. I'd handled it easily before, but with my swordsmanship now greatly improved, it felt like a pushover. As soon as the giant spider leaped from the abyss, I charged with Sword Flame activated.
Shwick!
[KieEEK!!]
I unleashed Thunder Roar and Baek Woong Resolve, dismantling the giant spider in under fifty seconds. As usual, I embedded its corpse into the nearby wall. Pondering how to extract its inner core, I just blasted it with Sword Flame and hacked away wildly.
Pukwakwakwak
Acidic fluids splattered noisily everywhere. After the acidic mess drained out, I spotted a black lump in the spider's head-thorax lower section. I figured it was the inner core, but I wasn't sure, and who knew what poison it might have. Besides, I needed to save time this round, so I couldn't waste it here.
'Next time, I'll risk it and take the inner core.'
I retrieved the Su Yo ink demon and left with the gold ingot. I stuffed everything into a large bundle and hit the road again.
I raced madly to Jinrang Valley, even more desperately than before, arriving incredibly fast. It shaved off more than half a day from my previous best record. I'd even stopped at Taegyeong Village for the Phoenix Fragment along the way, so I'd truly given it my all.
Zziruruk zzriruruk
"Mmmnya... mmmnya..."
Mang Ryang was fast asleep in the dead of night. I burst through the door of his house and shook him awake.
"Mang Ryang! Get up."
"Uhguk... Huh?! W-who are you?!"
Mang Ryang screamed in shock. I replied calmly.
"A passing martial arts expert."
"Oh, really?!"
He stared at me in bewilderment but scratched his head and said,
"Tch... I broke through Mangun Formation to get here, and you wake me like this? Must be something to say. It's cold—close the door."
He seemed to realize I wasn't here to kill him. I nodded, shut the door, and he lit a candle inside. Mang Ryang dressed haphazardly, sat in meditation pose, and spoke.
"You don't seem ordinary. What's the matter in the dead of night?"
"...Mang Ryang. I'm Baek Woong, a regressor."
"Huh?"
"And as you've probably seen from the stars, a disaster from the ink demon's water qi is coming soon."
I explained in more detail than last time, spending time on it. Previously, I'd kept it brief for half a shichen, but this time I held him for a full shichen, detailing everything I'd been through as best I could.
"Whoa!"
Mang Ryang was stunned when I showed him the ink demon, Millennium Snow Ginseng, and other spirit herbs and items. His overall reaction was similar to before but slightly different. Especially after hearing about my tenth and eleventh lives, he fully believed me and fell deep into thought. As I finished and waited for his response, he stroked his chin and said,
"I see. I believe you about being a regressor. I have no choice."
"Thank you."
For others, it might be empty words to brush it off, but not for Mang Ryang. When he said it like that, it was an absolute affirmation of belief. As he pondered again, he spoke.
"...So you don't know why the eleventh life failed."
I nodded.
"Yes. You're my greatest ally, so I had to come to you, but I don't understand the reason beforehand. It seemed like there was no major reason to fail, so why do you think it did?"
"......"
Mang Ryang fell silent, then replied in a bitter tone.
"I hate to think about it, but if I abandoned the Luoyang base in the eleventh life and went to my uncle in Jangryeong Valley, that's the worst possible scenario. To rely on that human scum trash means it was truly dire."
"Huh?!"
"I probably didn't tell you to avoid worrying, Baek Woong, but my relationship with my uncle is extremely hostile. I could live in luxury in Jangryeong Valley, but I chose to hide in Jinrang Valley because of that. He's a brilliant schemer who lives like scum as he pleases."
After venting his disdain, Mang Ryang continued.
"Anyway, in my view, the biggest failure was the rescue time limit."
"As I thought..."
"But it's not just that. The greater reason is there wasn't enough time to build strength."
Time to build strength.
As I repeated those words, Mang Ryang spread his fan and said,
"Think carefully. Lee Gwang's actions seem like bold, manly decisiveness at first glance, but in reality, they were just improvised responses from experience to sudden crises. He allied with me when the Anti-Heaven Alliance was barely formed, making it an incredibly unstable organization."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Whether Lee Gwang or I, we stayed calm on the surface, but inside, it felt like walking on thin ice. We weren't prepared enough."
That might be true.
Even the Thunder God Style was just disciples connected to Lee Gwang, and they allied with the Anti-Heaven Alliance under pressure from the Brocade Guards. Mang Ryang had pointed out the alliance's fragility.
"So saving time blindly won't work. The confrontation with the Brocade Guards and rescuing General Hwang Yeon need to be on separate tracks. A force needs at least a year to stabilize and grow."
"I don't quite get it. Explain."
"Simple."
I widened my eyes at Mang Ryang's next words.
"Rescuing General Hwang Yeon alone is best."
"......!!"
"Of course, theoretically."
"Why is that?"
Mang Ryang sighed.
"Because gathering everyone drew the Brocade Guards' attention, turning the rescue into the main event, making the entire Anti-Heaven Alliance and Thunder God Style alliance an easy target. Must have wasted a ton of time."
"Hmm."
"To avoid that, a third party should swoop in anonymously and rescue him. It throws the Brocade Guards into chaos and buys time."
Only then did I understand Mang Ryang's point. He'd pinpointed something I hadn't even considered. After saying that, he folded his fan and added,
"The downside is the pirate subjugation on the way to Goryeo becomes mandatory. The rewards are too huge to skip. Hard to save time there."
"I see."
"But don't worry. I have a clever plan."
"What?"
Mang Ryang explained the plan for about an hour. Halfway through, I slapped my knee.
"Indeed, that would cut down on time!"
"But think carefully. If you're not confident in your current skill, it's better not to try. Enduring the Goryeo round trip and saving time in the Central Plains might be safer."
I shook my head.
"No. I'll follow your plan."
The next day, I left with Mang Ryang and arrived at the village where Cheon Woojin lived. I hid the Heavenly Dark Secret Book in the pine grove again and entered the village, where Cheon Woojin greeted us sourly.
"Who are you, and what business in this village?"
"Junior brother, don't pretend you don't know me. It's your senior brother Mang Ryang."
"Who's my senior brother? You show up out of nowhere dragging a martial expert—what's the plan? Don't you know Master is struggling lately?"
Cheon Woojin's reaction was the harshest yet. Probably irritated from the night visit interrupting his sleep. Mang Ryang persuaded him calmly.
"It's a very important matter. Please."
"...Fine."
Soon, Cheon Woojin was convinced, prepared the ritual. As before, his incantation prayer proceeded, and the Great Void Heavenly Lord descended into him.
The Great Void Heavenly Lord, possessing Cheon Woojin, looked at me curiously.
[What are you, exactly?]
"What do you mean?"
[Your heavenly fortune is layered. Impossible for a human, even in death and rebirth... And I sense my own power too. What is this?]
"I don't know what you mean."
As I responded, the Great Void Heavenly Lord said,
[Anyway, receive another being's blessing.]
"I have a question."
[What?]
"Is having blessing energy so important? Why can't multiple blessings stack?"
I'd wanted to ask this for a while. Strangely, whether the Great Void Heavenly Lord or Queen Mother of the West, they hesitated to give more blessings if I already had theirs. The Great Void Heavenly Lord stroked his nonexistent beard and explained.
[Gods can bless one person multiple times. But the human soul can't withstand the volume and shatters. Stacking requires immense capacity, and a non-immortal soul is too frail and small.]
"I see..."
[If you insist, I can infuse it. What say you?]
"What happens if the Great Void Heavenly Lord's blessing stacks?"
[Of course, unparalleled great fortune would continue across heaven and earth. If you can endure it.]
I nodded.
"Yes, please do that."
[Very well. I bestow my blessing upon you.]
Fwaaah!
Soon, a divine light descended over my body. I felt intense warmth from each ray. Mang Ryang, watching beside me, cried out in shock.
"N-no, Baek Woong, what have you done?!"
"I wanted to see if blessings stack..."
You don't know until you try. I felt the need to test it.
"That's...!!"
Mang Ryang's face paled. He squeezed his eyes shut and shouted at me.
"Right now, storm the Luoyang Imperial Palace alone!"
"What are you talking about?"
"No time to explain. Every minute counts—charge the palace and fight the Brocade Guard Demon Horse Hall bastards!"
"Huh?"
"And learn and take as much as you can! That's best right now!"
What was this?
Anyone normal would dismiss it as nonsense and space out, or at least ask questions. But I looked at Cheon Woojin and said,
"I have a request—send me to the Luoyang Imperial Palace."
Cheon Woojin had heard everything and stared at me in disbelief. He sighed.
"No one else in heaven and earth would make your choice. I respect your foolishness."
"......?"
"Farewell."
"W-wait."
I rushed out, grabbed the Heavenly Dark Secret Book from the pine grove, and returned. Cheon Woojin cast the teleportation spell.
Fwaat!
In an instant, I was inside some palace hall in the Imperial Palace. For one at the Illusion God realm like Cheon Woojin, long-distance teleportation was feasible. Not knowing what was what, I recalled the palace map and pushed deeper inside.
'Eh, whatever. It'll work out.'
Right then.
Kugugugung
Kwaaaaaang!!
Something suddenly fell from the sky, causing a massive explosion, flash, and shockwave. I hurriedly dodged the oncoming blast and shockwave, but oddly, it didn't harm me in the slightest.
When the explosion ended, parts of the palace were burning, and a huge dust cloud rose. Over half the palace seemed reduced to rubble in seconds.
"Aaah!"
"No way..."
"A meteor fell."
Indeed.
A massive meteor had plummeted from the heavens, smashing into the palace. Hiding with concealment technique, I watched the chaos. A Brocade Guard Thousand Tiger passing by shouted,
"Disaster! The奇門絶陣 is broken. Everyone, protect the imperial clan!"
'Oh ho?'
I felt intrigued. The meteor impact had destroyed the palace's most formidable absolute formation. The oppressive pressure on my body had vanished. Using concealment and lightness skill, I slipped through the chaos toward a certain place.
'Only one destination!'
The Inner Imperial Pavilion!
I had to find the Nameless Ritual Book stored in the world's deepest sanctum. Roughly locating it via the map, I spotted a Brocade Guard pacing in front. I sneaked up and knocked him out.
Thud
"Ugh..."
I stripped his uniform, tailored it roughly to fit. As a young Brocade Guard, it might pass. Entering the Inner Imperial Pavilion, the barrier seemed destroyed by the meteor shockwave too.
The pavilion had five floors. The first floor held a staggering number of books, but instinct said it wasn't here, so I skimmed to the second. On the third, following a hunch, I went straight to a spot—and there it was, the Nameless Ritual Book plugged in.
Nameless Ritual Book
Nearby were traces of research and deciphering attempts. They'd luckily evacuated. I pulled it out; unreadable as expected, so I pocketed it.
Climbing to the fifth floor, a gaunt, handsome man sat in meditation. Sensing me, he spoke lowly.
"Incredible fortune... Meteor falls, barrier breaks, I'm immobilized by spell backlash, Brocade Guard Commander rampages from demonic qi overflow, otherworldly being struggles with lack of power, transcendent eccentric is in check... And you come for me at this moment?"
"......"
"Go on, take my head. This world really runs on luck alone..."
I was dumbfounded by the lamenting man. So I said,
"Look, I don't know who you are, but why should I kill you?"
"Intruder. Don't you know I'm the Inner Imperial Pavilion Master, Great Heavenly Gate Official, grand sorcerer guarding the palace barrier—Zhuge Fu?"
"Uh..."
"......"
"......"
An odd silence followed. Then Zhuge Fu sighed deeply, as if realizing something.
"You're truly a reckless fool."
"So what?"
"Puhahahaha!"
Zhuge Fu suddenly burst into mad laughter. Then he said,
"I want to test how far your luck goes. Go to the Grand Audience Hall next door."
"Why there?"
"The Emperor is there."
"......!!"
Zhuge Fu smiled bitterly.
"See if your luck pierces the era's darkness."
I didn't know the details. But my heart raced.
'Emperor?'
The Emperor was at the center of this messed-up incident. If he was the Demon Horse Hall's leader issuing cruel orders to the Brocade Guards, killing him would end it all. Sure, I'd be an imperial assassin, but who cared? The chance to meet the root of all evil, get info, or kill him was too tempting.
I glanced at him and said,
"No grudge, so no need to kill. Thanks for the info."
Turning from Zhuge Fu, I headed to the Emperor's Grand Audience Hall next door. The barrier was indeed gone; no resistance. Brocade Guards were everywhere, but dazed.
[Groooar.]
"Aaagh!"
"Commander, snap out of it!"
Tentacles spewed flames and lightning wildly; Brocade Guards hit became cold corpses. The Commander had lost control of his demonic qi. Facing the beast that was the Commander, a pale-faced beauty trembled in rage.
"You bastard! Killing my men too?!"
"Lord Phantom Night, what now?"
"What do you mean what? Hold until the Imperial Shadow Guard arrives! If this breaks, His Majesty is in danger."
Likely Phantom Night, East Depot Admiral of the palace's Black Tortoise. He commanded remaining Brocade Guards and East Depot against the rampaging Commander, fully occupied. Luckily, I slipped past into the Grand Audience Hall.
Tududuk...
Oddly, no maids or concubines inside. Separate palaces for them, but this huge building was eerily empty and quiet. Just ominous throbs now and then.
Venturing deeper, a dizzying demonic aura hit, like from the two-legged shaman I'd defeated before. Approaching, I found a door and opened it without hesitation.
Kugugu...
Two figures inside.
On the central jade throne sat a middle-aged man, the Emperor. To his right, an unknown figure in black robes, arms crossed.
Spotting me, the Emperor snapped irritably.
"Alchemist. What's that kid?"
The black-robed Alchemist replied lowly to the Emperor.
"He bears an enormous ring of fortune. The meteor was his luck."
"Fortune?"
"Heh heh heh... What now, Emperor? Second contract with me? Offer your soul to Dark Heaven Village?"
The leisurely-laughing Alchemist showed no respect or awe for the Emperor—almost condescending. Surprisingly, the Emperor had no objection, sitting thoughtfully before saying,
"No. Immortality contract suffices."
"Fine... Then we'll skip this."
"You..."
"No duty to protect you, Emperor."
Shuuk!
The Alchemist vanished via instant teleport. As I stared in bewilderment, the Emperor spoke resolutely.
"Intruder. Do as you will. But taking my life will be endlessly difficult."
"No, why would I even..."
"I know you came to kill m—"
Kukwakwang
Right then, another meteor fell from the sky, blasting shockwaves and explosions. It struck exactly where the Emperor sat; he exploded without a scream, flesh raining like blood mist.
Hududuk
"......"
Seeing the Emperor reduced to debris left me speechless.
I'd just sneaked here, yet the palace was razed, and I witnessed its ruler's death. Now I truly understood stacked fortune.
'Great fortune stacking brings matchless luck across the world nonstop.'
Right then.
The Great Void Heavenly Lord's voice echoed in my head.
[Your fortune is spent.]
Kwakwakwang
"Aaaah!"
Next instant, a meteor storm pelted the entire palace like rain, sweeping me up in explosions. Too omnidirectional to block or dodge. The Grand Audience Hall vanished in the blast.
Facing the massive flash, I realized.
'...And when great fortune ends, great calamity inevitably brings death...!!'
Kwagwang
That was my twelfth death.