Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
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The fifteenth life had begun.
For the first time in ages, I awoke in the stable. Unlike before, there was scarcely any of the gruesome pain or lingering grime from death—just the refreshing sensation of having slept soundly and risen anew. Perhaps because of that, I found myself calmly taking in the moonlight filtering through the stable as my thoughts settled.
'My fourteenth life was packed with incidents, but I barely survived for any real length of time.'
In truth, I had died without even reaching my thirties. Yet during that span, I had gathered more varied events and information than ever before. So unlike previous times, I felt no urge to rush into action. Instead, I needed to distill and organize the events on my own.
I began sorting through the key pieces of information I had acquired, one by one, in my mind.
"Hmm... Quite a lot. Eight, in total."
First: Dongbang Mugeol of the Heavenly Fiend heads south to the frontier wilds in search of Dragon Flower Water to cure the White Lotus Cult Young Leader's strange illness. He uncovers a clue and returns to the cult years later. Along the way, he's entangled with Dowang Bi Ji-sang, a woman of peerless beauty. For protection, Dongbang Mugeol hires the ultra-peak experts known as the White Origin Twin Demons.
Second: According to Baek Ri-jeong-un, a mysterious transcendent master dwells in Dragon King's Valley.
Third: To meet Miho, one must go to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
Fourth: This world is, in fact, round, and the second seal of the Demon Night lies somewhere called the North Pole.
Fifth: Tampering with the crystal stele or Portrait Automaton in the imperial palace will awaken Demon King Dalgi, apostle of the [Ancient Ruler].
Sixth: The Thunder God Style possesses a separate ultimate secret technique, and the Yeok Nok Wol Three Great Guardians hold its clue. Moreover, the one called Cheong Wol is secluded in Aokigahara, the worst demonic realm of the east.
Seventh: Hwanwoo's blessing activates after my death, and somewhere in this world exists the Heaven-Earth Interval, a passage that opens and closes to the heavenly realm.
Eighth: The strange illness stems from the curse of the [Ancient Ruler], and Black-White Lotus can cure the Young Leader's affliction.
Having recalled this much, I felt a pang of difficulty.
'No matter how brilliant Mangnyang is, can he really chart a path after hearing all this?'
I was also unsure whether to seek Hwanwoo's blessing again this time. It was undeniably powerful, but the activation condition of 'after death' was far too uncomfortable. Sure, it might feel refreshing for me inwardly, but the end result was still death.
Thus, I felt the need to reconsider my usual early-game travel route, as always. I pondered the path I had followed before.
First, secure the Heavenly Dark Secret Book right away.
Head to Shandong Province and obtain the Golden Winged Roc.
At the Great Thunder Stronghold, slay the demonic beast and rescue Hwang Yeon.
On Yellow Mountain, acquire the Millennium Snow Ginseng, kill the giant spider, and obtain the Demon Night of Suyo.
From the Hwa Clan of Taegyeong Village, get the silver phoenix fragment.
Raid Pirate Island, wipe out the pirates, hand the revival funds to Hwa Seomyeong, and entrust the Goryeo captives.
Meet Mangnyang and receive the immortal's blessing.
Afterward, free Simun Hye and the other women from the Shadowless Sect, and handle all the captives.
Up to this point, the process had felt flawless, without a single superfluous step. But with the vast information gained in my fourteenth life, I could no longer be certain it was the perfect sequence.
After some deliberation, I made my decision.
'I'll just have to ask Mangnyang later.'
I might have overlooked something. Mangnyang would point out any issues and guide me to the best path—that much I trusted.
I immediately went to retrieve the Heavenly Dark Secret Book. Once I had it, I dashed straight to Shandong Province using the Annihilation Step. Thanks to diligently training my lightness skill in the Thunder God Style, the journey felt far easier this time. Soon after securing the Golden Winged Roc in Shandong, I headed to the Great Thunder Stronghold and clashed with the giant tentacle toad.
Wooong!
[I have come to vanquish the demon!]
Pure Being Yeo Dongbin descended upon me. Though I hadn't defeated Dalgi in my fourteenth life, that was only because Dalgi was overwhelmingly strong—Yeon Dongbin himself possessed power transcending humanity. Effortlessly unleashing flying swords and sword auras, he slew the massive tentacle toad.
Kwaaa...
Once the giant tentacle toad was dead, Yeo Dongbin unexpectedly addressed me.
[Young one. How is it that the aura of a constellation clings to you?]
"What do you mean?"
[No matter. It must be my imagination. I sense a faint, ominous constellation power, but nothing worrisome.]
With that, Yeo Dongbin ended the possession and departed. I mulled over his words and soon realized the reason.
'It must be because of Hwanwoo!'
As Miho had said, Hwanwoo bore the power of twelve constellations in one body. With him possessing me and rampaging wildly, even the great immortal Yeo Dongbin couldn't miss the traces left behind, no matter my reincarnations. Recalling Hwanwoo anew, I gave a wry smile. I was already fretting over how to respond if I met him this time.
Shortly after, I rescued Grand General Hwang Yeon and the captives, obtained the storage ring, and headed to Yellow Mountain. There, I harvested the Millennium Snow Ginseng along with the black-and-white lotus flower and roots. Then I entered Soyo's ruins and smashed the giant spider. By now, it was scarcely worth mentioning.
Kukwang!
After pounding the giant spider into the wall, I muttered to myself. I had already stowed the gold ingot chest in the storage ring.
'I'll come back later with a venom extractor to pull out its inner core.'
I could borrow a specialized venom extractor from the Sichuan Tang Clan or another poison sect. With the Demon Night of Suyo in hand, I also retrieved the statue of Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Jeon Uk from the underground chamber of Soyo's ruins. Then I obtained the silver phoenix fragment from the Hwa Clan library in Taegyeong Village and proceeded straight to Pirate Island.
I tore through Pirate Island at dawn, slaughtering the pirate scum and slitting their throats. In the process, I freed the captives, released Simun Hye from her golden seal, and stored the Blood Path Pill's gold and treasures, along with the demon blade Muramasa and all the gunpowder, in the storage ring. After handing Hwa Seomyeong a chest of gold ingots for the Hwa Clan revival and entrusting him with the Goryeo captives, I went to meet Mangnyang.
Paat!
Though it was a great deal of work, familiarity allowed me to handle it mechanically without issue. Especially when slaughtering the pirates, the righteous fury I once felt was absent. Killing them felt as dull as squashing bugs, like Hwanwoo had—especially since I'd done this slaughter a dozen times or more.
Yet even so, arriving to meet Mangnyang always brought fresh emotions. Each time I shared new information, he pointed me toward a new direction.
Mangnyang was lounging idly on the porch, rolling around. I approached and spoke.
"Hello."
"Huh? Who..."
"I am Baek Woong."
Right away, I explained to Mangnyang everything that had happened across my fourteen lives, showing him the treasures and奇物 I had amassed. When I even pulled out one of the rescued pirate captives from the storage ring to show him, Mangnyang looked utterly shocked.
The problem was that fourteen lives made for quite a lengthy tale, especially the fourteenth reincarnation with its wealth of information and exploits. What usually took half a shichen to explain now stretched well over a full shichen.
By the time I finished, fully two shichen had passed. Mangnyang, who had occasionally interjected with questions or points of curiosity, now wore the expression of a boy who had just read a grand epic. His hands trembled as he muttered.
"Truly... incredible events..."
Then Mangnyang looked at me and said.
"I have one question."
"What is it?"
"From what you've described of your fourteen lives, my strategies have failed multiple times, leading to your deaths. And yet you still come to me trusting?"
"Those failures were due to sheer bad luck, lack of power, or my own mistakes."
"Then what of stealing the Portrait Automaton, only for Demon King Dalgi to rampage? That was entirely my fault, wasn't it?"
I answered firmly.
"That was something no one in this world could have foreseen. I cannot disdain your wisdom for it. You are the smartest person I know."
"......!!"
"I simply trust you. So show me the way."
Mangnyang's lips twitched as if he wanted to say something. He clutched his head, thinking deeply, then spoke in a resolute tone.
"...Very well. Leave it to me from now on."
Moments later, having composed himself, Mangnyang waved the Five Flames Seven Feathers Fan as he spoke.
"First, let me synthesize those eight pieces of information from your fourteenth life."
"Please do."
"The transcendent master of Dragon King's Valley, Miho's location, and the second Demon Night seal aren't urgent matters right now, so I'll set them aside. The rest lack immediate significance as well. That leaves the most critical discussion: the entity known as [Dalgi]."
I let out a groan before replying.
"Dalgi was truly formidable. Even the great immortal Yeo Dongbin would struggle to defeat it one-on-one."
"A great demon of that caliber deserves the title Demon King. But the truly vital point is the reason Dalgi intervened."
"Because we stole the crystal stele and Portrait Automaton, right? Robbed of its offering, the [Ancient Ruler] grew furious and dispatched Dalgi."
Mangnyang nodded and replied.
"That's where sequence and intent become crucial."
"Sequence and intent?"
"Consider this: The one who orchestrated the Portrait Automaton's creation was a being called the Alchemist. If the Alchemist made it as an offering, then what was that offering intended for?"
"Hmm..."
On the surface, it was to pay homage to the [Ancient Ruler]. But crafting such an elaborate fusion of eastern and western sorcery just for a single tribute seemed excessive. The Alchemist was undoubtedly a sorcerer rivaling the two-legged shamans of old; a simple human sacrifice ritual would have been a hundred times easier.
Mangnyang continued.
"As you might guess, the Portrait Automaton wasn't made for mere homage. That's why the [Ancient Ruler], who rarely interferes in the human world even nominally, reacted so fiercely—mobilizing its kin to upend everything."
"It must have some special purpose."
"Undoubtedly. The previous 'me'—Mangnyang—treated it merely as a combat sorcery weapon and kept it in check, but we need an entirely different approach."
"Different how?"
Mangnyang grinned.
"Touching it summons a Demon King-level entity, but leaving it be allows the Portrait Automaton to complete and empower the enemy... The answer is clear: swift and decisive annihilation."
"As expected, no other way..."
"First, let's go pay homage to the Demon Night water tome at the immortal's place. We can decide our next moves after seeing what blessing we receive."
I headed with Mangnyang to the village where Immortal Mangnyang resided. After burying the Heavenly Dark Secret Book and explaining the situation to Cheon U-jin, we performed the Demon Night water tome homage ritual.
And for the first time, Great Void Heavenly Lord possessed me.
[What an odd human... Why do I sense constellation power...?]
"I don't quite follow."
I feigned ignorance, and Great Void Heavenly Lord tilted his head before saying.
[No... It couldn't be.]
"......"
[With my aura upon you, I shall bestow a blessing from another being.]
Next came Queen Mother of the West's turn. Since I had a question for her, I didn't skip ahead with a casual plea for Miho's mercy. Instead, I asked.
"I have something I'd like to inquire."
[What is it?]
"I understand the entity called Dalgi is a subordinate of the [Ancient Ruler] and a nine-tailed fox. Yet it seems distinct from the fox yokai currently in the east. Are they related in some way?"
Queen Mother of the West fell silent for a long while before replying.
[It is taboo. A heavenly realm ultimate secret, not to be revealed to mortals.]
"What if I offered the Demon Night water tome in exchange for that secret?"
Her mood soured visibly, her anger plain. Queen Mother of the West gripped her long-stemmed pipe more firmly and responded.
[You would likely go mad. And no amount of Demon Night water tome homage would compel me to divulge it.]
"That seems an overconcern..."
[That secret must never be leaked. Ask for something else.]
I intuited that Queen Mother of the West knew some tremendous truth about Dalgi. As Miho had said, she was one of the heavenly realm's most ancient beings, predating even Emperor Gongson Hwanwon. She couldn't possibly be ignorant of Dalgi.
'What could it be that she'd refuse even against a homage offering?'
I knew offering the Demon Night water tome greatly pleased even the great immortals. Her refusal to trade it for the secret piqued my curiosity.
I wanted to press further, but she was an absolute heavenly being. Provoking her ire might earn a curse, costing me a life for no reason. So I requested Miho's mercy and passed the blessing opportunity to the next immortal.
I skipped Old Man Nanhua as well, and as before, Yeo came next. The order of the great immortals remained constant, no matter the reincarnations. Yeo, the innate hunter and god of the hunt who shot down the sun, declared.
[I am Yeo. I shall grant you the power of the Imperial Arrow.]
I recalled how, last time, I'd argued that as a swordsman, not an archer, I didn't need it—and ended up with Hwanwoo's blessing. This time, Hwanwoo's felt off-putting again, so I decided to try for another option.
"Lord Yeo, forgive me, but hear my circumstances."
[Your circumstances?]
"Yes. In truth, I face several formidable foes..."
I described battling the White Lotus Cult and the imperial palace—emphasizing their numbers and might. Then I subtly continued to Yeo.
"Thus, I'm not convinced the Imperial Arrow power is essential for my survival. Please enhance its might or introduce another."
[Hmm...]
Unlike before, Yeo pondered seriously. Then he said.
[Very well... I hadn't planned to go this far, but since you insist. I shall give you my arrow.]
"Your arrow?"
It was right then.
Kururung!!
Thunder rumbled, and suddenly, the Eight Trigrams materialized around Yeo's form. The brilliantly hovering trigrams enveloped him like bindings. Confirming them, Yeo cried out to the heavens.
[Emperor Jun! What is the meaning of this?]