Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
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Young Leader's strange illness is caused by the [Ancient Ruler]!
Mangnyang had mentioned that via transmission during the Yellow Mountain Sect's conference? As we stared at him in shock, he replied calmly.
"As I said, our main enemy is the Imperial Palace, but more precisely, it's the alien race lurking within. We learned this while investigating their dark currents."
[ I see... I can empathize with you.]
The White Lotus Cult Leader let out a brief sigh before continuing.
[ A few days ago, you told me there was something more important than curing the Young Leader's strange illness. What is it?]
"Utilizing the power of the Seven Luminaries."
Mangnyang looked him straight in the eye as he spoke.
"The clues we have about the strange illness are very limited. They're hints from the mythic era, encoded like a cipher, and even if I pass them on, it would be extremely hard to track them down. So, since I'm here, I'd like to offer my advice as the Anti-Heaven Alliance Leader on the direction the White Lotus Cult should pursue from now on."
[ Seven Luminaries... direction...]
"Will you hear me out?"
The White Lotus Cult Leader fell silent for a moment before speaking.
[ First, I'd like to hear those mythic era clues you mentioned.]
"Yes. Finding the black-and-white lotus, the prototype of the sacred lotus, can cure the strange illness, and it's said to be on the primordial mountain where Zhuanxu of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors left his final evidence of flood control."
[ ...That would indeed be hard to find.]
The White Lotus Cult Leader seemed somewhat incredulous. He probably would have reacted the same even if Dongbang Mukeol had returned to the cult normally with that clue. Mangnyang continued calmly.
"More importantly, with the power of the Seven Luminaries, we can break the [Ancient Ruler]'s curse even without the black-and-white lotus. And since it's a power that transcends mortal limits, I believe we should prioritize the Seven Luminaries."
[ Seven Luminaries... I recall hearing there's one in Haedong.]
"You seem to have something you want to say..."
As Mangnyang trailed off, the White Lotus Cult Leader spoke.
[ Anti-Heaven Alliance Leader. What did you do with Dongbang Mukeol?]
Straight to the core out of nowhere!
It might have been a guess, but the White Lotus Cult Leader seemed to have immediately inferred how we'd obtained our information. Jin So-cheong and I looked at Mangnyang tensely, but unexpectedly, he didn't lie and answered straightforwardly.
"He's currently under our Anti-Heaven Alliance's protection."
[ Hmm... Then you must have more information to relay to me.]
"If it's about the Dragon Flower Tree, it's said to be hidden on the continent at the world's southern end, slumbering beside the treasure of the Fire Luminary among the Seven Luminaries."
[ I see. It all leads back to the Seven Luminaries, doesn't it?]
I couldn't follow their conversation.
In other words, the White Lotus Cult Leader had just learned that the Anti-Heaven Alliance had kidnapped and imprisoned Dongbang Mukeol, the White Lotus Cult's envoy. Yet he wasn't flying into a rage and slaughtering Mangnyang or us—he was continuing the discussion calmly. And Mangnyang had revealed the truth as if he'd anticipated this.
The White Lotus Cult Leader said,
[ You must have been confident you could deliver better information than Dongbang Mukeol.]
"That's right. Though Dongbang Mukeol went all the way to the Yue Kingdom for intelligence, only we can organize it and connect the dots to the [Ancient Ruler]."
[ What do you want?]
"Entrust the overall mission of searching for the Seven Luminaries and curing the Young Leader's strange illness to our Anti-Heaven Alliance. In return, we'd like to form a friendly alliance with the White Lotus Cult."
[ ......]
The White Lotus Cult Leader fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long while.
Only then did I understand the 'gamble' Mangnyang had mentioned. He was negotiating with the White Lotus Cult Leader to ignite their will to pursue the Seven Luminaries, while using that intelligence as leverage to forge an alliance with the cult! Of course, if it went well, the Anti-Heaven Alliance would gain the world's strongest martial force as a backer in one fell swoop, but if it failed, all three of us would die right here at the cult leader's hands.
After a long pause, the White Lotus Cult Leader finally spoke.
[ Mangnyang... Your name is the same as someone I know. What is your relation to Elder Mangnyang?]
"I am his disciple."
[ As I thought. What an interesting coincidence.]
The White Lotus Cult Leader seemed to know Elder Mangnyang as well. He appeared almost amused as he continued.
[ You all know this, but there are two ways to break the curse. One is acquiring a spirit medicine infused with sacred power like the primordial sacred lotus. The other is slaying the curse's caster. Why do you think I couldn't choose the latter?]
"Uh..."
Mangnyang looked troubled before giving his prepared answer.
"Because you couldn't kill the curse's caster."
[ Correct.]
The White Lotus Cult Leader's form shifted slightly sideways. He continued.
[ This was decades ago... I had a clash with some divine being and ended up fighting it. To be precise, I once destroyed its physical form in combat. It was powerful, but no match for me.]
"......!!"
At that moment, Mangnyang and I widened our eyes in shock.
'M-Madness!!'
Had the White Lotus Cult Leader actually fought an [Ancient Ruler]?!
One of those unfathomably terrifying death gods that even the Heavenly Realm wouldn't touch?!
It was something I'd never even imagined, and I ended up gaping.
[ But it suddenly fled as a soul to somewhere, and afterward, my son the Young Leader was afflicted with this horrific curse.]
"......"
[ I wanted to track it down and destroy it completely, but there was no way to pursue a being that had vanished as a soul.]
Mangnyang thought for a moment before replying.
"I believe what you slew was an avatar of the [Ancient Ruler]. Such beings have already transcended [death], so when their avatar dies, the main body returns to the other realm called the Dark Heaven Village."
[ I know. After that incident, I investigated the alien race and [Ancient Rulers] extensively...]
The White Lotus Cult Leader sighed.
[ No matter how strong I am, going to another dimension like the Dark Heaven Village to hunt it down was impossible. So I had no choice but to seek a normal cure via the first method.]
Now I understood what had happened. The White Lotus Cult Leader had slain the [Ancient Ruler], but in dying, it had cursed the Young Leader with this strange illness. I grasped the general situation, but inwardly, I had many unresolved questions.
Then why was the strange illness the Alchemist had spread in the capital so similar to the Young Leader's?
The illness progressed differently in each person—what exactly were the differences?
Mangnyang said,
"I'd like to hear more details. How did you end up fighting the [Ancient Ruler]?"
[ It started when a blue-eyed foreigner from the Western Regions came to me.]
"Foreigner?"
[ He proposed that if he obtained the Nameless Ritual Tome, he could help me conquer the world. But I had no interest, so I ignored and expelled him. Before dying, he sacrificed his life to summon the [Ancient Ruler].]
Nameless Ritual Tome!
I glanced at Mangnyang. Our eyes met, and he nodded.
The Western Regions foreigner was probably a warlock like the [Alchemist], who had come to the Central Plains seeking the powerful grimoire known as the Nameless Ritual Tome. Though the cult leader hadn't mentioned it explicitly, he must have deemed the man a threat and dispatched an execution squad. In his dying rage, the warlock had offered his soul to summon the [Ancient Ruler].
Mangnyang asked,
"Are you aware that the Imperial Palace is borrowing the alien race's power, and the Emperor is pursuing immortality through it?"
[ Of course. Until now, it hasn't directly concerned us, so we've left it alone.]
The White Lotus Cult had already grasped the Imperial Palace's dark undercurrents. But since things like human sacrifice rituals or the palace's Golden Guard activities hadn't struck the cult directly, they'd ignored them. The urgency of curing the Young Leader's illness must have played a big role too.
Mangnyang said,
"We can track the Seven Luminaries while also finding the Nameless Ritual Tome and the cure. Trust us."
[ Very well. I look forward to working with you.]
"Thank you."
[ However, send Dongbang Mukeol back here. I must reward his efforts.]
"Understood."
The discussion proceeded smoothly. I'd been fidgeting, fearing we'd be struck down by the White Lotus Cult Leader, but it felt foolish now that it was going so peacefully. Though puzzled at first, I soon realized Mangnyang had bet on this because he saw a chance of success. Even as cult leader, it was better to rely on the Anti-Heaven Alliance—which knew about the alien race and grimoires and could handle the search—than to act solely on Dongbang Mukeol's fragmented intel.
"And if we form this alliance, I have one request..."
[ What is it?]
"The Wind God School seems to be moving against the Thunder God School to check it, which would be a major blow to our Anti-Heaven Alliance, allied with the Thunder God School. I'd appreciate your help in preventing that."
[ Our cult's guardian martial lineages wouldn't stoop to such pettiness.]
"Of course, but underlings sometimes act out of excessive loyalty, don't they? I'm mentioning it because it might cause issues in finding the cure for the Young Leader's illness."
[ Hmm... That could happen.]
It was decidedly political dialogue.
The White Lotus Cult Leader pretended ignorance, but he surely knew what the Wind God School was plotting. So Mangnyang subtly shifted it to [the leadership is unaware], and the cult leader reluctantly played along.
Once the negotiations seemed settled, I stepped forward from the side and asked the White Lotus Cult Leader,
"Um... may I ask one thing?"
[ You're Baek Woong, right? Go ahead.]
"You seem to be seeking the Dragon Flower Tree as a cure. Why did you think of that?"
Dragon Flower Tree.
It wasn't just any tree—it was the tree under which Shakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, attained enlightenment. In other words, a being infused with divine power. The White Lotus Cult's origins were tied to the White Lotus Sect, so it might relate to Buddhism, but I wanted more details.
The White Lotus Cult Leader seemed surprised by the question, stroking his chin as if in thought. Then he said,
[ Wusheng Laomu.]
"......?"
[ The name of the great god our cult reveres. The Creator Wusheng Laomu sent Maitreya to this world to gather Her scattered children and return them to the True Void Home, promising a peaceful Millennial Kingdom in the human realm. Do you know our cult's doctrines?]
"I've heard bits before, so roughly."
[ Actually, to cure the strange illness, I once sought advice from the most powerful sorcerer I knew. He said he couldn't help me either, but called it a heavenly fortune.]
"Heavenly fortune?"
[ He meant the [Ancient Ruler]'s magic could have cursed and destroyed the entire White Lotus Cult, but Wusheng Laomu's protection prevented it. So, pondering the greatest offering and merit I could give Wusheng Laomu, I thought the Dragon Flower Tree—our cult's mythic tree imbued with divine might—might be the way.]
"Uh..."
Wusheng Laomu's protection!
I let out a groan, finding it hard to believe.
Though the White Lotus Cult was a religious group, I'd seen it as more of a demonic cult wearing religion's mask. Indeed, they'd crushed the original demonic cult in Gansu Province to establish themselves. But from the cult leader's words, he genuinely revered Wusheng Laomu as leader and felt profound identity in their faith.
Then Mangnyang interjected abruptly.
"So, what do you think Maitreya is?"
[ A being that severs the cycle of reincarnation.]
"What do you mean?"
[ The moment Maitreya descends beneath the Dragon Flower Tree, all beings in this world attain enlightenment and ascend. But that also means shedding the shackles of flesh and soul to reach the upper heavens... ending all suffering of reincarnation.]
I nodded along, taking in the cult leader's religious theory. But Mangnyang listened with a gravely serious expression. Resting his chin in thought, he pressed on.
"Then you don't consider Maitreya a god?"
[ Correct. Maitreya isn't a god. I see it as a cosmic principle existing in itself.]
"Thank you for those valuable words. They've been immensely helpful."
We obtained detailed information on the warlock from the Western Regions, along with a few volumes of the White Lotus Cult's scriptures. Once that was done, the White Lotus Cult Leader looked at Jin So-cheong and said,
[ Disciple of Lee Gwang. Impressive achievements.]
"Thank you."
[ It would be good if you all returned to our cult.]
He seemed genuinely regretful. I was struck anew by Jin So-cheong's fearsomeness upon hearing such praise from the supreme expert. In other words, even the world's greatest acknowledged and coveted his talent.
Afterward, we met the White Lotus Cult's Young Leader directly. He was recuperating in a building called the Heavenly Law Hall, wrapped in some mystical purple sandalwood. Mangnyang marveled at the Young Leader's bed setup.
"This building itself feels like a temple. It's spiritually stable, and that bed has an incredible spiritual structure..."
Up close, the Young Leader was as expected: half his body transformed into something alien due to the strange illness. But his face remained intact. The illness hadn't progressed as far as I'd feared, and he seemed in a vegetative coma, merely breathing. After confirming his condition, we bid the White Lotus Cult Leader farewell and left the cult.
We flew via flight technique for hundreds of li before stopping. Settling in a nearby inn, we held a meeting about the trip.
I asked Mangnyang,
"Mangnyang. Can we block the Wind God School's scheme now?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. We can prevent major backlash, but minor hits are likely."
"Even with the White Lotus Cult Leader stepping in personally?"
"That's viewing the White Lotus Cult too favorably."
Mangnyang sighed briefly.
"The cult leader's orders will make Yong Jung-il halt his plans, but the cult doesn't want the Thunder God School growing unchecked either. So the issue is 'when' the cult leader calls it off. If it's too late, we might suffer irreparable damage."
"Uh."
"Well, at least we've avoided the worst. He won't act too viciously out of face."
As Mangnyang spoke, I said to him,
"Mangnyang. Why did you ask about Maitreya back there?"
Everything else tied to practical matters, but the Maitreya question felt out of left field. I wondered if it stemmed from Mangnyang's thirst for knowledge or if even that linked to our survival issues. Jin So-cheong eyed him curiously too, and Mangnyang sighed as he replied.
"It's still a hypothesis, but better to share it."
"Tell us."
"Simply put, I'm suspicious of this 'Wusheng Laomu's protection.'"
"......?"
His words hit me like a blow to the head.
"My master taught me that only another [Ancient Ruler] or a superior divine being could block an [Ancient Ruler]'s magic. So if Wusheng Laomu's protection truly exists and weakened the [Ancient Ruler]'s curse, that means..."
Mangnyang didn't finish, but I got the point.
"...the White Lotus Cult's god Wusheng Laomu might be an [Ancient Ruler] herself?"
"Just a hypothesis."
"But the cult doesn't do human sacrifices and feels more like a martial force than a religious group..."
"Not all [Ancient Rulers] revel in human sacrifice. They're fundamentally indifferent to humans, and what they desire can sometimes be intangible offerings. If this hypothesis holds, the cult might have gained immense power in exchange for 'something.'"
"......!!"
Mangnyang waved his hand as if reluctant to dwell on it. Uncharacteristically irritable, he said,
"Anyway. That's why I had to ask. If Wusheng Laomu sends Maitreya to bring enlightenment to the world, what is this Maitreya? No one knows the cult's doctrines better than the leader, so I asked him."
"He said Maitreya isn't a god."
"Right. Not a god, but a principle. That's the headache-inducing answer."
"Why?"
"Because the cult's interpretation of Maitreya contradicts not just Central Plains Buddhists, but all in Tianzhu and the world. The leader's response equates to affirming Wusheng Laomu's existence and that she wields the [power] to enact the cosmic principle of Maitreya. Severing reincarnation's cycle? That's outright heretical."
What was Mangnyang getting at?
As Jin So-cheong and I stared curiously, he sighed.
"Hoo... Anyway, it's still a hypothesis. I need to visit my master and ask about this."
"Is it that important?"
"Of course."
Mangnyang muttered gravely.
"Baek Woong. Take me to my master. I'll return to Jinrang Valley afterward."
============================ Author's Note ============================
I'll write even harder if you leave recommendations and comments on your favorites!