Chapter 141
Chapter 141
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My fourteenth life had begun.
Crunch.
I awoke in the stable and immediately clutched my neck. I waited until the faint phantom pain subsided, and only once my brain had accepted reality did I finally let go. It was a relief that I'd built up a considerable tolerance to the pain by now.
Leaning against the stable wall, I mulled things over.
'Hmm... What the hell was that thing trying to possess me at the end?'
I could still remember it vividly. It went beyond mere physical ailment—it was possession bordering on a curse. Some entity calling itself an [Ancient Ruler] had lent me its power to fuel the death flag, and it hadn't stopped there. It tried to seize control of my body and drag me to its lair.
It was laughable, but the fact that I'd sensed goodwill from it only made my skin crawl more. If it had taken my body and soul there, I would've used the teleportation talisman under its guidance to head straight to the [Ancient Ruler]'s domain.
I didn't even want to imagine what would've happened next. What the hell were these Ancient Rulers? Unlike the immortals, they seemed to act purely on whim.
But now, not a trace of that possessive energy or mental domination remained. My mind was clear and rational. I muttered to myself.
"So even an Ancient Ruler's magic is nullified when the Heavenly Dark Secret Book sends me back to the past."
The more I thought about it, the more wondrous the Heavenly Dark Secret Book seemed. It was a simple ability—returning to the past—but it utterly surpassed every bizarre divine treasure I'd acquired through my adventures so far. The mere fact that I could return to the past infinitely demonstrated its tremendous power. I realized anew just how incredible a fortuitous encounter it had been to obtain it.
I was tempted to rush off and retrieve it right away, but first, I paused to think. Decades of experience had taught me that acting on impulse alone wasn't efficient. Calmly, I considered the most effective course of action now.
'Hmm. Yeah. I can switch things up a bit.'
Thud.
I leaped out of the stable and started moving at speed. As always, I didn't forget to occasionally practice the essentials of the Soul Extinguishing Step.
"Let's go!"
Securing the Heavenly Dark Secret Book came first, same as before. But instead of heading to Yellow Mountain Sect like last time, I veered off immediately toward Shandong.
Tadadadad.
With my route completely reversed, my arrival time in Shandong shifted dramatically. Just a few days after leaving home, I scaled the outer walls at midnight and slipped into the city. Racking my memory, I headed for the warehouse holding the Great Dragon Merchant Association's trade goods.
Soon, I found the golden teleportation talisman and activated it without delay.
Flash!
The next moment, I appeared in the Great Thunder Jade's bottomless pit. Sure enough, the massive tentacled giant toad was squatting there, staring blankly awake as if it knew no day or night.
"Come forth, Yeo Dongbin!"
At once, Yeo Dongbin descended upon my body.
[I shall exorcise this demon!!]
Yeo Dongbin let out a spirited shout as he wielded the sword through my body. He always seemed thrilled, swept up in the ecstasy of battle against evil.
Boom boom boom!
Screeeeech—
Soon after, Yeo Dongbin's fight ended, leaving the tentacled giant toad's corpse in shattered pieces. I went behind the toad into the cave and retrieved the neck guard, the Twin Horn Greatsword, and the Nine Yin Star Original Formation. Then I ascended the Great Thunder Jade, cut the bars, and freed the prisoners.
"General Hwang Yeon. Apologies, but please step inside for a moment."
"You... who are you...?"
I convinced them to enter the neck guard, then stuffed everyone including General Hwang Yeon inside. From there, I teleported again to Yellow Mountain Sect.
Flash!
"Let's do this..."
At Yellow Mountain Sect, I harvested the Millennium Snow Ginseng along with several black-and-white lotus flowers and roots, stashing them in the neck guard. Then I dove into the water to enter the Water Desire Ruins, grabbed the gold ingot, dripped blood on the altar right away, and fought the giant spider.
Boom!
The giant spider put up no real resistance against my improved skills and died easily. I slammed it into the cliffside and retrieved the Final Night, storing it in the neck guard.
Curiosity suddenly struck me.
'What’s down in that abyss where the giant spider lived?'
Probably just a spider web, but I was intrigued. I grabbed a nearby torch and slowly descended the cliff into the abyss, anchoring my feet with internal energy. It was manageable enough.
Rumble...
"Not a spider web?"
Unexpectedly, the ground wasn't covered in webs but smooth stone. The giant spider must've hibernated on the floor normally, only leaping up when it sensed intruders. Aside from where it lay, there wasn't a trace of webbing anywhere, which struck me as odd.
'The giant spider must've been an artificially created creature from the start.'
I examined the stone floor carefully. In one corner of the cliff, I spotted a cave leading downward. I cried out in shock.
"What? Another cave here?!"
I knew the Water Desire Ruins—one of the Seven Desires where Final Night was sealed—was a massive complex. But this was my fourteenth reincarnation, and there were still things left to uncover? Amazed anew, I slowly descended the cave's staircase.
Unlike before, there was a small room. It had a bizarre atmosphere with faint light drifting about. In the center stood a bronze statue of some middle-aged man.
"Oracle bone script?"
Unexpectedly, it wasn't in ancient script but oracle bone script. Of course, even that was archaic, so I couldn't decipher it.
'I'll bring Mangnyang here...'
I debated cutting out the statue or fetching Mangnyang. Realizing the latter was less hassle, I left it be. Since it was oracle bone script made by humans rather than ancient script, Mangnyang should be able to figure it out.
I looked around the small room but found nothing else worth taking besides the statue. It seemed less like a treasure left behind and more like a memorial erected in remembrance and respect.
A bit disappointing, but learning something new was fortunate enough. With that, I teleported away.
Flash!
I arrived in Taegyeong Village and retrieved the silver phoenix carving from the Hwa Clan library. After securing it, I teleported straight to Pirate Island.
Tsk.
"Ughhh."
Pirate Island was at dawn. Upon arrival, I went straight to the pirate captain's quarters and slaughtered the pirate leaders. They tried to call for their men, but since I'd ambushed them in their sleep, I dispatched all three easily. After killing them, I emptied their secret stash of Blood Path Pill gold and silver treasures into the neck guard.
Slash.
".....!!"
I continued teleporting silently, slitting the throats of every sleeping pirate. I wanted to make them suffer, but since I'd done it several times before, I kept it quiet this time. For the pirate prisoners' revenge, I crippled and bound about a dozen pirate officers.
With all the pirates on the island subdued, I moved to the northern side, loaded gunpowder, and retrieved the Yodo Muramasa from an officer's room. Satisfied I'd gotten everything worthwhile from Pirate Island, I released Seomunhye from her restraints and gave the pirate prisoners time for vengeance.
Once the brutal revenge ended, I stuffed all the pirate prisoners into the neck guard and teleported to Goryeo's capital, Kaegyong. Morning was breaking as I arrived. I grabbed a meal at an inn to rest briefly, then sought out Hwa Seomyeong.
Appearing out of nowhere in his apothecary early in the morning startled him like a thunderbolt.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"I'm Baek Woong, a collateral of the Hwa Clan..."
I explained the full situation and, as before, handed him the gold chest before involving House Lord Jeong Cheol-uk to handle the Goryeo prisoners. It had taken barely two hours.
Before leaving again, I had a new question.
"House Lord Hwa Seomyeong. Do you happen to know Physician Kang Jeon-gil, one of the Five Great Divine Physicians, the foremost in Henan?"
Hwa Seomyeong's face soured.
"Hmph, know him? He's got no real skill but struts around like he does."
"...Actually, he's currently under the Shadowless Sect's protection. I happened to meet him."
"Huh? Shadowless Sect?"
Hwa Seomyeong looked baffled.
"Why would that guy go there? I figured he'd head to Shaolin since he was so chummy with them."
"Seems he found Shadowless Sect more comfortable."
"Sigh... All that posturing, but he looks out for himself first. Not that I'm one to talk."
Hwa Seomyeong gave a wry smile.
"So, what about him?"
"Truth is, Kang Jeon-gil suspects the White Lotus Cult Young Leader's strange illness isn't due to a [curse]."
"......!!"
Hwa Seomyeong flinched in surprise, his eyes sharpening.
"Tell me the details."
I relayed Kang Jeon-gil's speculation in full. Hwa Seomyeong listened intently from start to finish, pondering deeply. After a full incense stick's worth of silence, he spoke.
"Do you truly want to know the truth behind the White Lotus Cult Young Leader's affliction?"
"Yes."
"Then I agree with Kang Jeon-gil. Go find old man Dongbang Mu-gyeol. Hate to admit it, but I acknowledge him as the world's foremost physician."
Dongbang Mu-gyeol!
Unlike the other Five Great Divine Physicians, he was known by the odd moniker Heavenly Odd Physician. He treated humans on his whims and set his own prices. Sometimes that price was a life, earning him enemies. I knew little of him, but according to Hwa Seomyeong and Kang Jeon-gil, he possessed genuine top-tier medical skill.
"Where might Dongbang Mu-gyeol be?"
Hwa Seomyeong smacked his lips.
"Well... Unlike us, that old man's got incredibly profound martial arts. Oddly, he came voluntarily, not under threat from the Dharma Protectors. They confirmed it, so it's probably true."
"Profound martial arts? A physician excels in martial arts?"
Hwa Seomyeong nodded at my question.
"I'm the Hwa Clan head and trained to first-class level myself, but he's on another level. Even the Dharma Protectors couldn't handle him easily. Must be the Dongbang Clan's unique arts or something—he's undoubtedly a peak expert."
"......!!"
Martial arts even Dharma Protectors couldn't handle lightly!
That made him one of the world's supreme masters. I groaned inwardly, unable to easily imagine a physician honing transcendent martial arts alongside medicine. Dongbang Mu-gyeol was undoubtedly a once-in-a-millennium genius.
After a moment's thought, Hwa Seomyeong said,
"If you want to find him, head to the Sichuan Tang Clan in Sichuan. That's the last trace I heard of him."
"Thank you."
"And he's a real fucking lunatic with a temper... er, bit eccentric. Be careful."
Hwa Seomyeong coughed hastily.
"Ahem."
"......"
I couldn't believe such crude profanity had slipped from the refined, patient Hwa Seomyeong. Just recalling him was enough to make him tremble and curse—Dongbang Mu-gyeol's personality must be something else.
'...Don't wanna meet him.'
I shook my head and handed Hwa Seomyeong one last gold ingot for the Hwa Clan's revival. With farewell greetings, I teleported straight to Jinrang Valley.
Flash!
There was Mangnyang's familiar thatched hut.
Peering in, I saw him lounging on the porch, leisurely flipping through an erotic book. I approached with a smirk.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"Gah!"
Mangnyang startled and flailed about.
"Wh-who are you?"
"Just a passing martial artist."
"......"
I let out a short sigh. Everything had gone as planned so far, and I'd saved a ton of time.
Indeed.
This time, I'd skipped Yellow Mountain Sect, grabbed the teleportation talisman first, and handled all the preliminaries in under two days max. I'd saved meeting Mangnyang for last.
The only minor issue was when to release the hostages, but that wasn't a big worry. Handling business first then meeting Mangnyang felt more convenient, so I'd changed my approach this reincarnation.
Eventually, I took time to explain all thirteen previous lives in sequence. Once I was sure I'd convinced him fully, I asked my burning question.
"...Mangnyang. How can we beat Zhuge Bu?"
"......"
Mangnyang accepted me without a shred of doubt. He pondered my seemingly abrupt question carefully.
"Your thirteenth life was incredibly lucky. If Zhuge Bu hadn't planned to use you, you'd have died to his Soul Scattering Charms long ago."
"Soul Scattering Charms?"
"Charms that kill instantly on contact by scattering the soul. And if he pulled out the White Feather Fan... that was truly hopeless. It's one his ancestor Zhuge Liang used personally."
Mangnyang's eyes gleamed as he continued.
"But even if things play out the same this time, we'd lose due to lack of power. Without that Ancient Ruler's coincidental blessing on your body, you'd have died in the palace with 100% certainty. Remember that."
"Hmm."
I groaned, as I'd thought the same. We couldn't beat Zhuge Bu with his barrier up in the palace normally! That was our biggest problem now.
Mangnyang said,
"Of course, I've got a few strategies to take him down. But they all require building sufficient power and forces first."
"You mean...?"
"Don't go to Mount Tai's Seven Kill Village to assassinate the emperor. Hold off on that. Instead, let's form the Anti-Heaven Alliance, with you supporting it, and build strength over a few years. Chop at a giant tree too hastily, and you'll hurt yourself on the axe handle."
"Got it."
Mangnyang grinned.
"First, let's handle the Final Night manual."
Mangnyang and I used the teleportation talisman to head straight to Cheon Woo-jin's village. Burying the Heavenly Dark Secret Book in the pine grove had become habit. Convincing the stubborn Cheon Woo-jin and performing the ritual went as expected.
Whoooosh.
Cheon Woo-jin's eyes glowed, and soon the Great Void Heavenly Lord descended. He stared at me and spoke.
[This is truly strange... Why do I sense my own energy from you?]
"Pass the turn."
[Fine.]
With the Great Void Heavenly Lord's turn passed, it went to the Queen Mother of the West. I asked her to go easy on Miho, then requested,
"Please exclude Namhwa Nosun."
[Hmm. Very well.]
Whoooong.
I expected Yeo Dongbin next, but oddly, the order differed.
The spirit descending into Cheon Woo-jin trembled, then spoke in a gruff voice.
[I am Peng Zu.]
He continued.
[I still live, so I cannot bless you... I pass the turn.]
"You're still alive?!"
I exclaimed in shock.
"Aren't you from the Yao-Shun era?!"
Peng Zu replied irritably.
[I am still alive. What of it...?]
"......"
I was floored.
Peng Zu had lived from the Yao-Shun era through the late Shang Dynasty, then ascended to immortality. In other words, even in the ancient late Shang—eons ago—he'd lived for centuries, the epitome of longevity. And he was still alive after thousands more years? How old was he?!
'At least three thousand...'
As I stood dazed, the turns shifted.
Flash...
[I am Ye.]
I had no idea who that was.
Such a deity existed?
Standing there blankly, the self-proclaimed Ye chuckled and bestowed his blessing.
[I grant you the power of Must-Hit.]
"W-wait! What kind of power is that?"
[The ability to hit anything you shoot without fail...]
I instinctively glanced at Mangnyang. He seemed to guess why and was thinking hard, then shook his head vigorously. I hurriedly shouted to Ye.
"Sorry, but that doesn't suit me. Anything else?"
[Hmm... Every archer in the world covets this blessing...]
"I'm a swordsman, not an archer."
Ye sounded resigned, a bit annoyed, and curtly said,
[Fine. If you love swordplay so much, I'll introduce you to someone fitting.]
Flash!!
'Is Cheon Woo-jin okay?'
I grew quietly worried. We'd passed four descents now, onto the fifth. Last time, he was on the verge of exhaustion by this point. If this spirit didn't work, I'd have to brace for a sixth.
Soon, the spirit Ye summoned descended.
[Are you the arrogant brat picky about spirits?]
It felt ominous from the start.
Word must've spread among the immortals that I'd rejected four blessings already.
As I hesitated without responding, the spirit slowly revealed itself. A young man in ancient black armor and helmet, exuding an utterly ferocious battle aura. He looked somewhat youthful, but he radiated danger so intensely it was beyond question.
'Is this... a deity?'
I felt inwardly fearful. The pressure was like facing Lee Gwang or a supreme master—no, even greater. Immortals and deities were supposed to be enlightened beings, yet this was my first time sensing such belligerent, cruel, intense energy. It felt more like a demonic overlord or evil ghost than a heavenly king.
I barely managed to reply.
"S-sorry, but I need power!"
The spirit's eyes lit up.
[Power? What kind?]
"The strongest enemies block my path. I need a blessing mighty enough to smash them, hence my rudeness to the heavens."
It was half an excuse, but the spirit seemed pleased, smiling faintly.
And with a grin, he said,
[I like that... It's my favorite.]
"Yes?"
Mangnyang and I gasped in unison at his next words.
[I bestow upon you my blessing—Xiang Ji.]
"Eek!!"
"Xiang Yu!!"
Mangnyang urgently signaled me to refuse, but the possession had already completed before I could react.
Thud.
Cheon Woo-jin collapsed unconscious, white light swirled, and the blessing descended upon me.
'Ughhh... This is bad...'
I stood there in dismay.
The Hegemon King of Western Chu, Xiang Yu!
The God of Destruction, the Undefeated Slaughter Demon!
The unparalleled brave warrior of Central Plains history, infamous in equal measure, had blessed me.
============================ Works Notes ============================
Slightly revised.