Chapter 194
Chapter 194
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mangnyang's words left me feeling a bit out of sorts.
The northernmost edge of the world!
Of course, based on the information I'd gathered so far, to unlock the second seal on Mokya and obtain its true power, I had to head to the northernmost edge and overcome the trials there. But did I have to do it right now?
I looked at him curiously, and Mangnyang provided further explanation.
"Do you know what our biggest problem is right now? It's that we're lacking in 'power.'"
"......"
His words pierced reality so starkly that I had nothing to say.
As I fell silent, Mangnyang continued.
"The power of this being called Dalgi is, by my estimation, on the level of a Demon King—something even a group of Great Thunder Immortals would struggle to handle. Even if you or I cultivated for centuries, it's uncertain whether we'd ever reach Dalgi's level."
"That makes sense..."
I had repelled Dalgi by borrowing Hwanwoong's power, but I knew it had been an incredible stroke of luck. If Hwanwoong hadn't possessed strength beyond the norms of ordinary Great Thunder Immortals, and if I hadn't received Mangnyang the Immortal's blessing of Breaking Heaven to pierce Dalgi's sorcery, there would have been no way to resist.
"We need to find a way to deal with 'Dalgi' at the very least, even if we set aside the [Ancient Ruler] for now. And among the cards we currently hold, the one closest to achieving that is none other than the Water Luminary, Mokya."
"You think it's possible?"
"The Seven Luminaries are the greatest treasures bestowed upon humanity by divine beings known as the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors in ancient times. Even the Great Thunder Immortals revere their existence, so if the Seven Luminaries won't do it, nothing else will."
Mangnyang scratched his head as he said this.
"Honestly, by my original calculations, uncovering Mokya's secrets would have been something to attempt only after toppling the Imperial Palace. It's a shot in the dark with slim chances of success. But right now, I believe it's our best option."
"The northernmost edge of the world is still too vague."
"There's no rush to go immediately. Take your time to think of and research a way to head north."
"Hmm."
A way to reach the northernmost edge of the world!
It was an unexpected task thrust upon me. As I pondered, Miho, who had been listening from the side, spoke up curtly.
"It feels half-hearted somehow. Why not look for the other Luminaries?"
"The Luminary held by Dan's clan can't be stolen, and attempting to take the Moon Luminary would bring catastrophe. The Fire Luminary is likely in some uncharted corner of the southern continent, and the Eight Trigrams Chart's whereabouts are unknown. We have no choice but to make the most of what we have."
"......"
Miho fell silent for a moment before glaring at Mangnyang.
"You're not just giving up, are you?"
"Not at all. We'll just have to endure some trial and error."
"Hmm."
From there, we began planning the operation to rescue General Hwangyeon's household. With no allies we could mobilize immediately, we decided to spend about a month preparing before launching the rescue. Above all, I needed time to refine the martial arts I'd acquired so far.
In my fourteenth life, through countless battles, I could feel my skills clearly surpassing the early stages of the transcendent realm and entering a higher level. Precisely, the insights from Jang Sambong I'd obtained, along with training with geniuses, had made it easier to break through that wall.
'No matter what I do, Invincible Dominance is still hard to use properly.'
I muttered to myself as I unfolded Jang Sambong's insights once more. The other techniques felt ingrained in my body now, but Invincible Dominance refused to take root. To be more precise, it was hard to truly comprehend Invincible Dominance. I understood it was a counterattack art, but its specific power didn't resonate with me.
"It'd be easy if Musashi or Hanjo were here."
On the day of the operation, Miho expressed her regret. But there was no helping it, so Miho and I headed to the village where General Hwangyeon's family was imprisoned.
Flash!
We appeared in a remote warehouse at the edge of the village. Miho said,
"Then I'll set up here and summon the Front Ghost, Rear Ghost, and shikigami. You handle the rest."
"Leave it to me."
Flash!
Moments later, orbs of light formed by spells floated around Miho, and the onmyoji's guardians, Front Ghost and Rear Ghost, materialized. At the same time, shikigami fluttered in from all directions, gradually solidifying into physical forms.
"Uwaaaah!"
"What is this?!"
Screams from the Brocade Guards rang out as they clashed with Miho's summons. Even the Twelve Tones subjugation force, with its large numbers, had been prepared for total annihilation against this power, so the Brocade Guards would undoubtedly struggle. I looked at Miho with concern.
"If it gets dangerous, make sure to dodge."
Miho burst into laughter.
"Ahaha... Are you worrying about me now? Thanks."
I felt embarrassed. Truth be told, Miho had seemed slightly intimidated by transcendent experts lately, but her essence was that of a great yokai with unmatched yokai power. It was absurd for the current me to worry about her.
'It's just lingering worry from the Wind God-style guardian lion incident.'
That could never happen again. Mangnyang's words about our lack of power overlapped in my mind, fueling my determination to grow stronger.
I slipped out of the village and watched the chaos unfolding everywhere. Amid the turmoil, I noticed General Hwangyeon's family gathered in a specific building.
'There.'
I stealthily used Soul Extinguishing Step to approach the building. But soon after, five Brocade Guard experts suddenly appeared around me. They surrounded me, radiating killing intent.
"A kid?"
"Don't underestimate him. That lightness skill is no joke!"
Swish swish.
They seemed to have silently agreed to kill me. As I met their killing intent, I thought to myself,
'You lot have committed grave sins.'
They moved like dogs to satisfy their master's desires, unable to think or act for themselves. They pursued only their own selfish gains without looking beyond. In some ways, they were pitiable.
But I would kill them anyway.
That's why I would kill them.
Because those who sin must face punishment.
"Farewell!"
I shouted curtly and charged, unleashing sword flames. My sword flames stretched slantwise through the air like threads, instantly bisecting two nearby Brocade Guards from top to bottom. The remaining ones attacked in surprise with their ultimate techniques, but I realized their strikes were easier to handle than before.
'Were they always this weak?'
Crack!
I eventually sent one to the afterlife with a knee strike, then thrust at the hearts of the last two. They collapsed spewing blood like puppets with cut strings—utterly powerless. Though they appeared frail, each was a first-class expert who would be respected anywhere.
It was because I'd been operating at such high levels lately that they seemed weak. But that didn't bring satisfaction. As Lee Gwang had said, as long as I perceived the heaven beyond heaven, I'd always feel at a loss. To shake off this filthy feeling, I had to grow stronger myself and establish my own school.
"Y-You are?"
Upon reaching the building where General Hwangyeon's household was confined, I addressed them while scanning the group.
"I'm Baek Woong, here to rescue you. No time for explanations—quickly, put your hands into this wooden armor box."
"Wait! Three are in another building."
"Where?"
"In the lumber mill twenty張 away..."
"Got it."
Whoosh!
After securing all of General Hwangyeon's family in the wooden armor box and exiting, three experts with arms crossed were waiting for me. Each was a peak expert, radiating terrifying killing intent toward me.
"You bastard..."
Brocade Guard elites were gathering around them one by one. As their numbers surpassed ten, I glanced at them and said,
"Thousand Tiger rank, huh."
"You came prepared. You won't die easily."
The Brocade Guard's Thousand Tigers were all peak experts, renowned in the martial world. With three of them, plus a joint assault from the other Brocade Guards, it was understandably daunting. But rather than fear, I regarded them calmly and said,
"No personal grudge. Just so you know."
One of the Thousand Tigers scoffed.
"Ha! Lunatic!"
"Kill him!"
As soon as the words ended, ultimate techniques from Brocade Guard elites assaulted me from all directions. These weren't the wild swings of street thugs but the sharp strikes of martial artists laced with murderous intent. The old me would have had to brace for fatal wounds.
But I grinned, activating Baek Woong Formula and Thunder Resonance simultaneously while executing Soul Extinguishing Step. It felt as if time slowed, my reaction speed surging madly.
Slash slash!
Dodging every attack with Soul Extinguishing Step, accelerating with Thunder Resonance, and carving through with peerless sword strikes—I turned seven experts into bloody ghosts in an instant. Amid the spray of blood, I fired sword energy at the rigid-faced Thousand Tiger's forehead.
Pfft—a thin stream of blood trickled from the small wound. No major external damage, but his brain was already mush, and he was dead. I unleashed Thunder Spirit Seals repeatedly at the survivors.
Boom boom!
"Uwaaaak!"
"Aaak."
The Thunder Spirit Seal imparted from the Thunder God-style Crescent Moon guardian! This upper-secret technique of Thunder God-style fist arts launched palm strikes infused with Thunder Spirit Qi. Though my attainment was only at the first stage, my immense inner power turned the area into a hellscape in moments.
It took only about fifteen seconds to repel the Brocade Guard experts' joint assault. I flew forward like a swallow, seizing one Thousand Tiger by the scruff. Resigned, he hung his head.
"Kill me..."
"I have a question."
Whoosh!
Dragging him along, I soared with Soul Extinguishing Step to the roof of the lumber mill twenty張 away, landing where no one was around. I muttered my question to him.
"If an order came from above, would you kill even the elderly and weak among Hwangyeon's family?"
Without hesitation, the Thousand Tiger replied,
"Of course. If that's our mission."
"Even if they were your own family?"
"......"
"I don't want to slaughter you mindlessly. Think about it a bit more."
I didn't want to see more blood. I'd killed enough already.
As I subtly released his scruff, the Thousand Tiger ground his teeth and spat,
"Damn it... Don't act all high and mighty. We pledge our convictions to serve the nation! You're just a traitor not worth preaching to."
"Yeah, sure."
"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor..."
Irritated as veins bulged in his neck, I swung my sword.
Puk!
The Thousand Tiger's head flew through the air. I sneered and muttered,
"Go serve His Imperial Majesty in death, you bastard."
For a moment, I was shocked by what I'd said.
"......!!"
It was hard to believe those grim, cruel words had come from my mouth. Yet they clearly reflected my will, leaving me momentarily confused. But deeming it nothing serious, I calmed myself and entered the lumber mill to rescue the remaining three.
Once the rescue was complete, I returned to Miho. She greeted me with a broad grin.
"Good~! Let's go then."
Flash!
We arrived at the entrance to Whirlwind Valley. Miho hurried ahead, eager for rest, but I walked slowly, lost in thought.
"......"
"Why the long face?"
Feeling deeply uneasy, I cautiously said to Miho,
"Miho. I feel like my will has become fickle."
I wanted to confide in Mangnyang too, but decided to tell Miho first. As she looked at me curiously, I continued.
"When I was killing those Brocade Guards earlier, at first I cut them down without a second thought. But midway, I didn't want to kill more and tried to show some mercy, only for sudden irritation to make me decapitate one in a single stroke."
"Hmm..."
"I don't get it. This fickleness boils up out of nowhere. Why is this happening?"
It was confusing.
Through my martial pursuits and killings so far, regardless of righteousness, I'd focused purely on the fight with utmost concentration. Kill if I killed, spare if I spared. But now, my actions flipped unpredictably even in the moment. I couldn't control my own will, which was a poor mental state for a martial artist.
Miho thought for a bit, then said casually,
"I understand your feelings."
"You know the reason?"
"It's simple."
Her following words made me shut my mouth and freeze in place.
"You just enjoyed that battle as a game. You toyed with the losers for fun until you got bored and killed them. That's all it looks like."
"I... fought just for fun?"
"Not quite. The fight itself was serious, but how you handled the defeated differed."
Miho flashed her yokai eyes and grinned.
"I'm actually pleased. So what if you kill some humans? Just enjoy it."
"......"
Deep down, I thought, this is bad.
'What do I do?'
Miho's words pointed to one thing.
The cruelty within me had grown tremendously.
