Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
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It was unbelievable.
I doubted my own ears at first, but soon accepted the reality.
The White Lotus Leader and the Emperor had signed a non-aggression pact!
Our main plan had been to use the White Lotus Cult's power to destroy the Imperial Palace, but now everything was falling apart from the start. The situation was as dire as it could get.
But I'd faced worse in my life. This wasn't enough to break my spirit. I quickly regained my composure and said,
"Tell me what happened."
Mang Ryang nodded and replied,
"I've been constantly urging the White Lotus Leader to attack the Imperial Palace. I sent several letters and even met him in person once to press the matter. But he remained utterly indifferent, saying nothing—until he suddenly declared that he'd formed a non-aggression pact with the Imperial Palace."
"Did he announce this to the Dharma Protectors and lower believers?"
"Yes. In truth, it must have been arranged with the palace quite some time ago."
"......"
Did that mean our chance to intervene had already passed?
'Something doesn't add up...'
As I pondered, Mang Ryang spoke up.
"I have two contingency plans. Would you like to hear them?"
"Go ahead."
"The first is to abandon the immediate overthrow of the Imperial Palace and focus on building up the Anti-Heaven Alliance's strength. You continue training your martial arts at the Shadowless Sect as before. We bide our time and wait for an opportunity to topple the palace. We'd be looking at least ten years ahead."
I understood the first strategy perfectly. It meant giving up the quick strike and buying time to build my own power.
"What's the second?"
Mang Ryang hesitated for a moment before saying,
"To stick with the swift resolution, we take an extreme measure right now."
"An extreme measure..."
"There are two options. One is to go to the White Lotus Leader and ask him directly about his true intentions behind the pact with the Imperial Palace. The other is to head to the North Pole and release the second seal on Makya."
"......"
I thought it over for a long while before replying,
"Either way, the odds of dying are high."
"Indeed."
"But if even one succeeds, the chances of gaining something big in my next life are high."
Mang Ryang let out a heavy sigh.
"That's why I had to suggest it, even knowing your chances of death are greater."
"No. If both succeed, we could drastically change this situation, couldn't we?"
"...What do you want to do?"
Mang Ryang's voice had grown low and somber. He'd been encouraging me all this time, but even he couldn't lightly push a life-or-death choice. I reconsidered the options he'd laid out.
'If I go to the White Lotus Leader and plead my case, will he reveal his real reason for the pact?'
Considering the first option, I knew it wouldn't work.
The White Lotus Leader was cunning.
His thoughts were impossible to read. That's why we'd been blindsided like this. No way would someone like that spill his true motives to a stranger like me, no matter how I begged.
Then what about going to the North Pole to unseal Makya's second seal?
I couldn't even guess how it would play out. The [Ancient Ruler] was undoubtedly waiting, and who knew what trials or torments it would inflict? I might get devoured alive or torn apart. And it wasn't something I could fight and win against—I'd have to hope it took a liking to me.
After agonizing, I asked,
"If I die, how do you plan to live from now on?"
Mang Ryang's face darkened at my question, but he quickly composed himself and answered.
"I'll continue leading the Anti-Heaven Alliance as a mid-level force in the White Lotus Cult and as one of its incarnations. I'll monitor the Imperial Palace as closely as possible to see if they commit any atrocities."
"I see."
Silence hung between us for a time.
Mang Ryang broke it.
"Baek Woong. Sometimes you feel distant to me."
I stared at him silently. He took a sip from the tea beside him and continued.
"People who speak of their own death so casually fall into two categories. One denies it's really their death. The other truly accepts it."
"Isn't that common? Plenty of people in the world face death without making a fuss."
Mang Ryang gave a wry smile.
"They're all just projecting themselves onto a vague mirror, not truly grasping what death is. Even the boldest man hides his weakness before it. Humans aren't that strong."
"But in my memories, you faced death with composure."
"Hah, composure is just hiding the fear. It's a method for those who've honed their minds to escape mental torment."
He pointed at me with his Five Fires Seven Metals Sword.
"But you're neither. You understand death, yet your way of accepting it is on a different plane from ordinary humans. It's hard to fathom—almost like..."
"Like what?"
"You treat it as familiar."
"......"
I had no rebuttal.
"I could never see death that way..."
With a sigh of lament, Mang Ryang fetched a bottle of liquor and poured me a cup. It looked like jade leaf liquor. As the clear surface rippled, he said,
"Empty that cup and give me your answer."
So it's not a decision to make sober.
Indeed, if we went long-term, our chances of beating the Imperial Palace would fade. Once mourning demons multiplied and the palace swarmed with fiends, victory was impossible—unless the White Lotus Leader flew into a rage and razed it.
But to pursue a swift end, I had to choose a path with near-certain death right now. A gamble with no guarantees. Mang Ryang's consideration was only natural.
I lifted the cup and downed it in one gulp. Then I exclaimed,
"Great stuff!"
Mang Ryang grinned.
"Heh, my secret stash of jade leaf liquor. Kept it well hidden."
"I'll throw a fit next time to get you to share."
"Then I'll hide it even deeper."
"What?"
We stared at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter.
We laughed heartily for about fifteen minutes until it suddenly stopped. With clear eyes, I looked at Mang Ryang and said,
"I'm going to unseal Makya right now."
I'd made up my mind.
Even if it meant dying to the [Ancient Ruler], I had to bet on Makya's power.
"I hope it goes well."
"One worry, though."
"What?"
"If I get too strong thanks to Makya and your master, Je Mang Ryang, tries to seal me—what then?"
At my playful question, Mang Ryang replied with exasperation.
"My master always jokes about it, but... he's truly terrifying. Even if you become a god, I recommend not fighting him. Just run."
"Yeah, suppose so."
I still remembered Dalgi's screams. Dalgi had been obliterated by Xiang Yu, but that was more due to the Heaven-Shattering Blessing on me than Yu's raw power. If even a demon king like Dalgi feared that blessing's granter, Je Mang Ryang was no ordinary being.
"Tell Miho for me."
"Got it."
I couldn't see her first. Miho read minds like a ghost—if I said even a few words, she'd see right through me. My dying on some perilous gamble would be her worst nightmare; she'd surely stop me at all costs.
Flash!
As soon as our talk ended, I used Instantaneous Movement to head north. The eternal daylight of the icy plains awaited, just as before. Standing on the tundra, I slowly drew out Makya, one of the Seven Treasures.
Makya gleamed with pure, intense light—unthinkable for an artifact from ancient times millennia ago. That was because its first seal had been released, allowing partial use of its power. Even that had greatly enhanced Mang Ryang's sorcery talents.
'If I could wield all of Makya's power...'
I'd joked about becoming a god earlier, but reaching Great Luo Immortal level wasn't impossible. The Seven Treasures held that kind of stature.
"......"
I swallowed hard, poured sword energy into Makya, and slashed a long gash across my wrist. Skilled in anatomy, I knew exactly how to cut deep enough for heavy bleeding without severing major tendons or bones.
Spurt!!!
Blood gushed out, staining Makya's blade crimson. I circulated qi to staunch the flow quickly. Once I'd fed it enough, I raised Makya as instructed and thrust it deep into the North Pole's earth.
'This is how to release Makya's second seal!'
......
Nothing happened for a long time.
But then, something bizarre occurred.
Whoooosh—
"No...!!"
A faint rainbow glow rose from Makya in the ground, and suddenly the sky flipped. The blazing sun vanished into terrifying darkness filling the heavens; even the clouds seemed to flee to the horizon.
I'd never seen such a drastic weather shift and was stunned, but soon realized what it was.
'The night is coming...!!'
Polar day, they called it—the endless daylight in the Arctic. Mang Ryang had said it would last months more. Yet day had ended abruptly, night descending.
The surprises didn't stop there.
As the night sky colored the heavens, divine light poured from its center. Etched across the stars like silk, it resembled a seven-hued dawn. I'd never seen such breathtaking beauty; I couldn't look away.
Soon, something emerged from that light.
Groooar...
A massive 'something' forcing its way through reality! I sensed its immense danger, and soon beheld its true form.
From the seven-colored veil slithered a horrific demon beast with enormous insect wings and dozens of eyes covering its body. No tentacles, but its structure was utterly alien to the human realm, its size around ten feet.
'Is that an ancient demon beast...'
Thud.
It landed before me and uttered strange words.
[#*&(@(@master*&$*... @&!time@&!*#&* why are you @&*#^*!? strange@&%^&*#.]
Barely intelligible. Fragments made sense, but not enough. Communication was impossible, so I just watched. Suddenly, it opened its hideous maw, wriggling something mucus-like.
Kweeeh!
Boom!
After an explosion, a bizarre beam from its mouth carved a tunnel in the air.
Rustle.
It waved its forelegs at me insistently, as if urging me inside. Likely some mystic demonic path linking spaces. And at the end...
I gritted my teeth.
'Damn. What's the worst that can happen—death?'
One step into the tunnel, and the scene shifted. The mystic night vanished, swallowed by utter void wrapping my body. Even the ground felt hollow; all around gleamed white nothingness.
Where am I?
As I scanned about, a voice echoed. Human words, but laced with alien tones I recognized all too well.
[Have you come to fulfill the contract?]
Swoosh.
The entity emerging from the void made me shudder.
'Horrific...!!'
A twisted, order-defying skull giant, repulsive and ominous!
Impossible to describe. Like with Dalgi, I vaguely knew it was a skull giant, but its exact form eluded me. Likely that lower-being observation block unique to higher existences.
Right before me stood the [Ancient Ruler], the [Wind-Walker]...!!
Second time facing one since Amcheonhyang. There'd been that eerie presence in the Imperial Palace, but indirect. This one exuded terrifying demonic power befitting an [Ancient Ruler]; my body screamed danger nonstop.
A being of another realm entirely.
No human could stand against it.
My instincts screamed as much; the [Wind-Walker] radiated overwhelming presence.
Frozen silent, it spoke.
[Strange. Why do you have no abilities?]
"Huh?"
What out-of-left-field nonsense?
But ignoring my retort, the [Wind-Walker] continued slowly.
[My name is Ithaqua. Per the contract, I shall liberate the Seven Treasure.]
Flash!!
Light burst forth, Ithaqua's colossal skull giant form pouring into Makya's blade. Its soul itself transferring. Aghast, I watched, but the immense spirit flowed endlessly.
When I came to, I lay sprawled on the North Pole under pitch-black night sky, clutching Makya in one hand. I jumped up and swung it experimentally—no extraordinary power evident.
"The second seal's really released... right?"
Far blander than expected. It seemed unsealed, but I couldn't be sure. No clue what new abilities it had.
'Ah well, I'm alive—that's what matters.'
As I shrugged and stepped forward—
Boom!!
Something massive pierced my body from the heavens.
"Gaaahhhh!!"
I screamed.
It hurt so much!
Not physical penetration, but a huge spirit body slammed into my upper half, shredding it. Felt like skewered on a giant pillar like a fish. Amid the agony and destruction shaking me—
[Such evil aura! I shall smite it with all my power!]
Wh-what?!
Stunned by the familiar divine tongue, I cried out.
"Lord Ye?!"
The mythical hero and Great Luo Immortal who'd bestowed upon me the Nine White Arrows—Ye himself had descended into my body!
Shockingly, the attack impaling me was a White Arrow. Invisible to mortal eyes, this divine slayer obliterated spirits in one strike—and it had hit me.
Ye declared,
[Fear not! I shall save your soul!]
"W-W-Wait! What do you mean 'evil aura'?!"
[The Makya you carry harbors an Ancient Ruler's soul! Even at full power, I know not if I can erase it. But I shall try my utmost!]
Ancient Ruler's soul?
I grasped it then.
'Unsealing Makya's second seal meant taking in [Ancient Ruler] Ithaqua's soul! And Ye sensed that evil power and descended upon me.'
Groooar.
"......"
Seeing the grand red illusory flame bow hovering high, I swallowed. That massive flaming bow symbolized Ye's might—the Red Bow. He'd once shot down the sun with its White Arrows.
I protested to Ye.
"Then why didn't you attack when Ithaqua appeared earlier?"
[Far stronger than I!]
"......"
Too honest.
But Ye pressed on undeterred.
[Now that the Ancient Ruler is absorbed into Makya is our golden chance! Once it regains true power, we're done! Your death will reseal the Seven Treasure as its owner's demise. Submit, mortal—fear not.]
Enraged, I shouted,
"Who are you to decide my death?! I won't die here!"
[Your soul shall be cherished in the heavens.]
"Urk..."
I realized I was in deep trouble. Ye had possessed me under blessing pretense, summoning Red Bow and White Arrows to fire upon myself. No Instantaneous Movement escape.
At this rate, nine White Arrows meant zero survival odds. I poured power into Makya desperately, but no response. Seemed special conditions needed to wield the twice-unsealed blade.
In final desperation, I called,
"Yeo Dongbin! Help me!"
No reply from Yeo; Ye's voice returned.
[In heaven's hierarchy, I outrank him! And slaying demons—he'd never refuse!]
"Ugh...!!"
[Fear not. This strike ends it!]
Boom!!
The second White Arrow pierced my head. Spiritual, not physical, but felt like a hammer blow. Its power was that devastating.
'Wh-why... am I not dying...'
Not dying instantly was worse. Tingling vibrations amplified hundreds-fold from a bell's toll racked my body. No torture later would top this.
Ye sounded apologetic.
[Your spirit is too strong—even divine slayer arrows falter! Meant to fell great yokai in one shot! But this time for sure...]
"Urgh..."
Boom!!
The third left me barely able to respond; fourth and fifth spun lanterns whirling in my brain dozens of times. Squeezed spirit brought carp-like gasping torment.
Boom!!
[Urgh! Not even six!]
No strength to interject.
I mumbled weakly.
"...Just... kill... me..."
[I shall do my best!]
Boom.
Boom.
Boom!!
After the ninth, peace finally came.
Felt my hand slowly drop to the ground, body lightening.
[You are a hero...]
Great Luo Immortal Ye's final words faded distantly.
That was my fifteenth death.