Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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Paht!
Before anyone could say a word, Lee Gwang and Han Baekryeong had already flashed to Zhuge Bu's side. They glared at him as if pinning him down, and Zhuge Bu soon wore a tense expression. Lee Gwang warned him in a low voice.
"You're already within our striking range."
"...I see. I truly can't move."
Zhuge Bu replied calmly, then glanced at Mang Liang. He spoke.
"I never saw this coming. This is a complete dead end."
"It's not my ability. It's Baek Woong's, right here."
"Hoo."
Zhuge Bu looked at me with deep, serene eyes. Meeting his gaze felt mesmerizing, like something otherworldly was standing before me. Unlike Miho's enchantment, his endlessly profound eyes revealed an extraordinary mind.
Mang Liang said.
"Zhuge Bu, the tide has turned toward Hwang Yeon. I hope you'll make a wise choice."
"And what would that be?"
"Disperse the formation barrier guarding the palace and surrender to our side."
"Hut..."
Zhuge Bu said.
"You call it a formation barrier, but do you know what array I've deployed?"
"Not exactly. I'm guessing it's the Mixed Origin One Qi Array."
"You're wrong. It's the Eight Arrays Chart."
Swish!
"......?!"
In that instant, I realized the scenery around me had completely changed, and everyone had vanished. Thinking it was an illusion, I unleashed the Illusion-Breaking Art to dispel it. But the illusion clinging to me wouldn't lift.
Fog blanketed everything, with palace buildings scattered here and there. Standing in this unfamiliar place, I tensed and scanned my surroundings warily. Then Zhuge Bu's Six Harmonies War Banner boomed, echoing through the palace.
[True wisdom comes from overwhelming power. Break the Eight Arrays Chart if you can and prove it.]
The Eight Arrays Chart!
The legendary formation said to have been used by Zhuge Liang, its original name simply the Eight Arrays—eight interlocking formations. The one at Yufu Pass had nearly confounded and killed Wu's supreme commander, Lu Xun. But it seemed this was no mere legend; the array truly existed.
'Hmph. I'll ignore this nonsense.'
Paht!
I snorted and used the golden flying boat to return before Zhuge Bu. He looked troubled.
"That's cheating. Who would've thought you'd have an item from the Yi Clan."
"How did you know?"
"No ordinary magical treasure could produce that power. And I've never heard of such an artifact, so it had to be from the Yi Clan."
Muttering to himself, Zhuge Bu casually sat cross-legged and said.
"It's a hassle sending you back over and over. Shall we talk instead?"
Whoosh!
'Who said anything about talking?'
Ignoring him, I charged and unleashed a slash of sword flame. A massive surge of energy flew toward him, aiming to cleave his torso. But at that moment, Zhuge Bu thrust out both palms, unleashing a powerful double strike.
Kwaang!
"......!!"
I realized my attack had vanished in an instant. Sensing his martial prowess, I shuddered.
'So... strong! Beyond Peak Expert!'
Unbelievable. This Zhuge Bu was known as the palace's top sorcerer. I'd assumed his personal martial arts were weak and tried to overpower him quickly, but his internal energy surpassed even Lee Gwang's. He wielded transcendent peak-level arts, stronger than me without my Thunder Name.
Zhuge Bu said.
"Even at its peak, the Asura Heavenly Light Great Law made my hands numb. How did you acquire such internal energy?"
"Who knows!"
I kept lunging, assaulting Zhuge Bu relentlessly. This time, he didn't clash head-on but flickered away like a phantom, evading. He must have judged a direct confrontation disadvantageous.
"Damn it. You just going to keep running?"
Realizing this approach was futile, I paused to catch my breath. Zhuge Bu spoke.
"Fighting with martial arts could be fun, but here, let's try sorcery."
He began chanting incantations leisurely.
Collapse-Burn Demonic Messenger
Array of Sequential Rites
Flame Orb
Life Wind Verbal Seal
Phantom Demon Storm Blast
Wiiing!
"......!!"
I widened my eyes. True words symbolizing great sorceries floated in the air as Hanja characters, linking to support one another. I'd never heard of sorcery wielded this way and had no idea how to counter it. One thing was clear: any single spell hitting me would deal devastating damage.
Ttak!
Zhuge Bu snapped his fingers, and the sorceries assaulted me. Wooden platforms shattered, and the ground cratered.
Kugung!
"Ugh..."
My body felt weighed down like iron rebar. Collapse-Burn Demonic Messenger was a grand gravity spell that warped space itself. It imbued every inch with the weight of millennia-forged steel, crushing foes. I endured with my internal energy, but Zhuge Bu's chant rang out again.
Array of Sequential Rites—
Upper Gravity, Become Word, Lower Scripture
Become Word, Wheel Qi Heaven Mix
Kuooh!
Suddenly, my body lightened. Along with vertigo, I was yanked skyward at tremendous speed. This terrifying attraction ignored even my Thousand Jin Weights.
'Gr... gravity above me.'
Incredible. He'd twisted space to create artificial gravity for suction. As I was pulled to the center, my body nearly crumpled. I exploded my internal energy to escape the Array of Sequential Rites, but then a massive, dozens-of-feet-wide Flame Orb hurtled toward me.
Kwagwagwang!!
I dodged the Flame Orb with Thunder Shadow Step's Heavenly Pivot Kill, but it wasn't over.
Pabat!
Zhuge Bu's finger pointed at me. His eyes glowed crimson as he chanted a curse.
"Fall! Tremble! Die! Servant! Fall! Die!"
Fall
Extinction
Death
At once, Hanja characters etched onto the positions of my Heaven-Earth-Man Triple Battlefront. Before I could react, I was dragged down and slammed into the earth, burrowing deep. Without internal energy protection, my body would've burst.
[Come... come... come forth...]
A stinging pain surged through me, interspersed with voices calling from the underworld. A powerful illusion gripped my mind; one lapse in resistance, and it would seize my soul. Shaking it off with sheer will and crawling from the ground, an unidentified vortex then swept me up, hurling me skyward.
Kukung!
"Graaak!"
After enduring the Phantom Demon Storm Blast, I crashed back onto the fifth floor of the inner hall. It felt like Zhuge Bu had toyed with me exactly as planned. My body ached as if thoroughly beaten; I could barely regain my senses. Zhuge Bu sat back in his chair and looked at me.
"Challenging me here is reckless. Even Lee Gwang and Han Baekryeong couldn't suppress me carelessly due to a peak expert's instincts. As long as we're fighting in the palace, you have no chance."
In that moment, I was certain. This Zhuge Bu had reached the pinnacle in both martial arts and sorcery, with flawless Demonic Illusion Divine Mountain. To defeat him, I'd need at least Guardian Lion realm.
"Kuh..."
I struggled to raise my upper body from the ground. Then I said.
"You know the Yi Clan is rotten too, right?!"
Zhuge Bu nodded.
"Mm. They are bad apples."
"And now the emperor you served is dead! What the hell are you even trying to achieve by guarding this palace?!"
As I shouted desperately, Zhuge Bu pondered briefly. Then he replied.
"You're wrong. I've never been loyal to the emperor from the start."
"...What?"
"He just paid the highest price for my talents. That's all."
I retorted incredulously.
"Aren't you from the hereditary Astronomer clan? How can you say that?"
"Ah, yes. True. I am Zhuge of the Astronomer clan."
Zhuge Bu chuckled.
"But I'm not representing the clan. Everyone lives by their own rules, however different. If I wanted, I could leave this palace anytime."
"......"
"I simply had no reason to. So I stayed loyal to my role: checking the Demon Subduing Hall while escorting the emperor. And now, I'm looking for my next lord."
From his words, I understood what kind of man Zhuge Bu was.
A genius testing his talents on the world, devoid of emotion!
He had no ideology or sense of good and evil. He simply wanted to serve whoever valued his abilities highest. It seemed ridiculously simple, but his exceptional talents made anyone unable to question his path.
Zhuge Bu said.
"Even our ancestor Zhuge Liang chose his lord."
"Wrong. You're not Zhuge Liang."
I glared fiercely and said.
"Mang Liang suits that role better than you."
"......"
Zhuge Bu fell silent. Then he sighed.
"You're saying the same thing as Father..."
"What? What are you talking about? I'm talking about Mang Liang—why bring up your father?"
"Because the one you call Mang Liang is my younger brother, obviously."
"...What?"
Zhuge Bu chuckled.
"Didn't you know? That child's name is Zhuge Hyun. My blood brother and little brother."
"......!!"
What was this?
Mang Liang, the former Central Plains' Guardian, was Zhuge Bu's brother? Thinking about it, Zhuge Bu as Grand Astronomer of the Astronomer clan made sense. And upon closer inspection, their features were strikingly similar.
"Killing you by trapping you in a sorcery hell would be easy. A single Falling Soul Talisman would've done it."
Zhuge Bu said with serene eyes.
"But I want to test my brother and his companions' capabilities. If anyone besides you reaches here on their own, or breaks the Eight Arrays Chart, I lose. Then I'll surrender to your side."
I ground my teeth.
"Acting all high and mighty. Isn't your arrogance a bit much?"
"I hear that a lot. But remember, I could just slaughter you all here and join the Demon Subduing Hall instead."
"Kuh..."
I realized Zhuge Bu's abilities far exceeded expectations. Even if our supreme experts had rushed in earlier and beheaded him, it might've been futile. Within this barrier, he freely manipulated illusions, twisting reality and space. As long as he existed, breaching the palace was a pipe dream.
'Without breaking this guy, toppling the palace is impossible.'
I revised my goal mentally. The Golden Guard Chief or guards didn't matter now. Even if we felled everyone else, failing against Zhuge Bu meant failure.
'So that's why Mang Liang said to wait...'
And Mang Liang, once Central Plains' Guardian and his brother, knew this best of all, so he'd waited.
A frontal assault on Zhuge Bu was foolish, and knowing his mercenary nature, Mang Liang had hoped he'd join Hwang Yeon's side willingly. But our premature assault flipped it—he was now testing us.
I asked him.
"What the hell is this alchemist guy, and where is he? Even with your absolute barrier, he's fine?"
"Probably. He's no mere Yi Clan member—he's a demon sorcerer."
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term.
"Demon sorcerer? Another type of sorcerer?"
"Completely different. They worship demon gods, offer sacrifices, and wield magic. They're originally human. But prolonged study corrupts them into half-human, half-demon."
"Hmm."
I sensed something off in Zhuge Bu's words.
Why was this getting complicated?
Shouldn't we just kill the root of all evil, the alchemist?
And why hadn't Zhuge Bu eliminated him after the emperor's death? He wielded absolute power in the palace.
'Something's wrong. He's hiding something.'
This wasn't just testing to sell his services. My instincts screamed he knew 'something else' about the alchemist. He was scheming for maximum personal gain while concealing it.
My instincts—honed through over ten deaths—told me.
Now's the time, even if it means risking death.
'I have to do it. No choice!'
So I said to Zhuge Bu with feigned nonchalance.
"Sure, beating you might be tough... but I don't necessarily have to, right?"
"You don't mean..."
Zhuge Bu's expression changed abruptly.
"Come with me and see."
Paht!
With those words, my body teleported via the golden flying boat into the emperor's residence. As expected, no maids or attendants lurked here. As I dashed toward the throne room, Zhuge Bu's spiritual voice rang out.
[Stop! Touch the alchemist, and I'll kill all your comrades!]
The spiritual line lingered, awaiting reply. I focused my mind along it and responded.
[No thanks? If you hate me killing the alchemist, dispel the Eight Arrays Chart!]
[You madman... You dare bargain with me?]
[If it bothers you, come into the palace yourself. Seems the Eight Arrays Chart doesn't reach inside.]
[......]
[Make a wise choice.]
Tadadak!
I raced to the throne room with a triumphant smile.
'Just as I thought.'
Why hadn't Zhuge Bu killed the alchemist?
Beyond interests, the alchemist had nullified the Eight Arrays Chart in his own residence. Otherwise, rational Zhuge Bu would've subdued him. Thus, the emperor's palace—his very quarters—was the safest zone from Zhuge Bu.
I'd been here before and knew the throne room well. Pushing open the doors, a black-clad figure stood there, arms crossed.
The black-clad man glared and said.
"I sensed Alhazad's Lamp activating nonstop, but to think a human was its master. Are you a descendant of the [Ancient Ruler]...?"
Alhazad's Lamp?
He meant my golden flying boat for teleportation.
Grinding his teeth, the black-clad man said.
"The Philosopher's Stone is nearly complete. I won't let the likes of you interfere."
Chwarak!
He whipped the floor with a lash. From the darkness, something thudded forth.
"......!!"
A massive tentacle monster lumbered on four legs, a human face at its center. Clearly the Golden Guard Chief, twisted yet twitching as if trying to speak. But modifications had stripped most of his humanity.
I shouted at the alchemist.
"I'll be the one to kill you!"
And the battle began.