Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm
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The flustered Cheon Woo-jin suddenly swung his hand.
Rumble!
Thunderclouds rolled in, and moments later, his figure vanished without a trace. Illusory mists began to gather around me once more, but unlike before, they carried no hint of hostility.
From the distance, a voice echoed like Cheon Woo-jin's afterimage.
[Master of the Seven Luminaries! Until my master makes his decision, you cannot leave this village!]
Kieeeeng—
"Ugh..."
Eight Trigrams formed around me. Black lines clustered and shifted, perfectly mimicking the shape. Judging it to be some kind of sorcerous attack, I swung Black Night with all my might once again.
Crack! The Eight Trigrams shattered, opening up the space. I quickly scanned for Cheon Woo-jin, but the mists had already reformed nearby.
"..."
Regenerating endlessly?
'Then I'll just have to swing faster and shatter them...!!'
Thunder God Style
Secret Technique
Thousand Cuts, Ten Thousand Slaughters
I unleashed the Thunder God Style secret technique, Thousand Cuts, Ten Thousand Slaughters, with Black Night, spewing forth countless sword energies. Among the techniques I knew, this one contained the most sword paths. My body spun like a whirlwind, indiscriminately blasting sword qi and sword flames.
Boom boom boom!
The illusion shattered and reformed repeatedly. Thinking Cheon Woo-jin's sorcery might run out of power at this rate, I poured everything into my sword energies.
But after about an incense stick's time of unleashing them, I realized it was pointless and stopped.
"Hmm..."
Something was off. They kept breaking, but the illusory mist's encirclement showed no sign of opening. As I held Black Night upright, merely on guard against the mists, Cheon Woo-jin's voice rang out.
[Even if you break my illusory mists with a Luminary, I've sealed the perimeter with Illusory Heaven—it's useless!]
I had no idea what that meant, but it seemed Cheon Woo-jin's illusion could regenerate infinitely, even if briefly shattered by Black Night. Yet, since I wasn't taking fatal wounds like before, he apparently couldn't attack recklessly because of Black Night either.
The stalemate dragged on until Cheon Woo-jin spoke.
[...What is your name?]
"Baek Woong."
[My master wishes to see you. Will you accept?]
"If it's your master, do you mean Elder Mangnyang?"
[Indeed.]
I thought for a moment before replying.
"I'll meet him if you promise to tell me Mangnyang's whereabouts."
[Very well.]
Whoosh.
As soon as he spoke, the mists around me dissipated, revealing the ordinary rural village once more. About ten paces away, Cheon Woo-jin had appeared, staunching the bleeding from his arm. He glanced at me and said,
"Go pay respects at that shrine over there, and you'll be able to speak with my master."
"...Does it have to be such a hassle?"
"......"
Cheon Woo-jin turned away without responding. Sensing his wariness, I shrugged and headed to the shrine. Having come here several times with Mangnyang, it felt familiar.
Moments later, as I bowed my head in worship before the shrine, a sudden drowsiness hit me.
'Ugh... So sleepy...'
The same trick as before. He was trying to pull me into a dream again.
If I fell asleep here, who knew what Cheon Woo-jin might do? But he didn't strike me as the type to ambush and kill a sleeping man. I resisted the urge to sleep for a bit, then slowly collapsed and drifted off.
......
In the dream.
Elder Mangnyang approached from the other end of the path in the form of a black cat. As always, he was an emotionless, inscrutable being. Standing before me, Elder Mangnyang spoke.
[You've unsealed the Water Luminary, Black Night.]
"You knew right away? How?"
When I asked, he leaped lightly onto a nearby rooftop and said,
[The moment a Luminary's power is freed, the authority infused by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors spreads around. And with water qi, it has to be Black Night. No high-level sorcerer would miss it.]
"......"
[You look like you have a ton of questions.]
Elder Mangnyang lay down leisurely on the roof, as if teasing me. The black cat flicking its tail while gazing down was both cute and infuriating. Glaring at him, I said,
"Do you know who I am? Doesn't it surprise you that I'm the master of the Seven Luminaries?"
He replied indifferently.
[Word had already reached the Heavenly Realm that a human unsealed Black Night. I'm just surprised you walked into the tiger's den on your own two feet.]
"What?"
Elder Mangnyang spoke in a threatening tone.
[Human, I am Mangnyang, guardian of the border, protector of the Central Plains. Did you think the Heavenly Realm would let the one who freed a Luminary roam free?]
"......"
I stared at him silently, then said,
"That may be true, but I don't think so."
[Ho.]
"Just a hunch."
Indeed.
Normally, entering the abode of Je Mangnyang, apostle of the Heavenly Realm—not to mention leaving the Heavenly Dark Secret Book behind—would be suicidal. But after meeting Je Mangnyang countless times, I'd gauged his nature, and my instincts from my past lives screamed it: he wasn't the diligent sort to simply devour someone who entered his den.
Yawning, Elder Mangnyang said,
[Your gamble paid off. I have no intention of touching you.]
"Why? Isn't the Heavenly Realm wary of the Seven Luminaries as dangerous?"
He replied nonchalantly.
[The danger of the Seven Luminaries is merely the high chance of releasing the [Ancient Rulers]. But even that wouldn't surpass the singularity of the Law of Causality. Touching you recklessly might just give the beings lurking in the world's underbelly an excuse—that's far riskier.]
"......?"
[The blockheads in the Heavenly Realm might, but I'm not that stupid. I'm too busy with my own duties.]
What was this about?
With my limited knowledge of sorcery, I could barely follow. The only familiar term was 'Law of Causality,' so I pondered and asked,
"What's the Law of Causality anyway?"
[Hm?]
"Why do even mythical beings obsess over it?"
[You freed a Luminary like Black Night without even knowing the Law of Causality? What an absurd guy.]
Muttering pityingly, Elder Mangnyang continued.
[The Law of Causality is a colossal law no being can escape—not the Heavenly Realm's Grand Immortals, not the Heavenly Gods, not even the [Ancient Rulers]. It regulates results without causes.]
"Results without causes?"
[Simply put, it maintains balance. It prevents the reckless abuse of transcendent powers.]
"I don't quite get it—explain it simpler."
[Puppy-like fool.]
"......"
It felt like a sanitized insult. Licking his front paw, Elder Mangnyang said,
[Suppose there's a spell that could destroy the world with a single incantation. Could you cast it?]
"Uh... Creating it would be impossible first off, right?"
[No. Beings surpassing the power of upper Grand Immortals can create such spells. Their innate authority is terrifyingly potent, making it possible. They're usually Heavenly Gods ruling the Heavenly Realm or [Ancient Rulers] dwelling in the Dark Heavenly Fragrance.]
Elder Mangnyang gave me that signature feline side-eye and continued.
[But even so, the world never ends. Because the Law of Causality makes casting such a spell impossible.]
"Eh?"
[This world is fixed by the immense dominion created through countless contracts among higher beings. Attempt a world-ending incantation, and the Law of Causality hits back with a backlash, erasing you instantly. No [Ancient Ruler] can overwhelm every other being.]
"......"
[You get it.]
Even with my dim wits, I'd studied sorcery for nearly two decades as Pungwol. I quickly grasped it and said,
"No matter how powerful, without justification, they can't wield that strength."
[Exactly. That's the chain of the Law of Causality—the bare minimum bulwark protecting the human realm.]
Now I understood why in my fourteenth reincarnation, Yeo Dongbin and Demon King Dalgi had mentioned the Law of Causality.
Dalgi was likely an ancient demon king-level being from the dawn of time, retired to the shadows for some reason. Wielding power recklessly would have caused him to vanish under the Law of Causality. Even demon kings needed justification to act; otherwise, they'd stay quiet.
Anyway, I said,
"Enough of that. I'm here to find your disciple, Mangnyang. If you know his whereabouts, tell me."
[......]
Elder Mangnyang fell silent for a moment, then said,
[Why should I tell you?]
Classic Elder Mangnyang. He never gave crucial info easily. Grinding my teeth inwardly, I replied calmly.
"I'm planning to fight the Imperial Palace. I can't do it alone— I desperately need Mangnyang's abilities, that's why I'm looking for him."
[The Imperial Palace...? Why fight them?]
"There's an alchemist there developing Portrait Automatons, demon folk, dragon folk, and such for nefarious ends. If we don't stop him, innocent people might end up as human sacrifices."
[......]
Elder Mangnyang looked down at me with surprised eyes and said,
[You're a weird one. Fine, you know that top-secret info. But knowing the Imperial Palace's might, you still think you can oppose them with your skills? Like an egg against a boulder.]
"Because the worst demon slumbering in Luoyang might awaken."
[...Ho...]
"Think of it this way: what I'm doing ultimately helps you too."
This reaction from Elder Mangnyang was quite different. Until now, he'd been aloof and hands-off, but now he seemed intrigued. Staring intently at me for a long while, he said,
[If you maximize the power of the Water Luminary Black Night, you might even beat the Imperial Palace.]
"Yeah?!"
I was stunned by the unexpected words.
'No way, really?!'
Truth be told, in this reincarnation, I'd half-given up on stopping the Imperial Palace. Speed was key before they mass-produced Portrait Automatons or demon folk, but I'd wasted seven whole years on personal training. For Je Mangnyang—one of the Heavenly Realm's strongest Grand Immortals—to say it was possible!
Elder Mangnyang said,
[Do you know how to grow Black Night?]
"I know killing something with it works."
[There's another way.]
"Huh?!"
Focusing on him, he said,
[Find and unseal the Fire Luminary, Ganjiang.]
"......!!"
[As far as I know, Ganjiang and Black Night are a paired set of Luminaries. Using them together grants power enough to slay even gods, I've heard.]
Unsealing the Fire Luminary Ganjiang!
That was the best way to maximize the Water Luminary Black Night's power. Hearing this windfall, my face lit up. Didn't that mean the more Luminaries I gathered, the stronger I'd get?
'Awesome!'
Ganjiang was on a distant southern continent, unknown even to the Southern Barbarians. But I wasn't worried. I'd already reached the world's northernmost point, the North Pole. If I set my mind to it, I'd find the Fire Luminary Ganjiang someday!
Elder Mangnyang, having shared the unexpected info, hopped down from the roof. Strolling toward the path, he said,
[My disciple went to Kunlun Mountain to learn sorcery. When the time comes, I'll send him to you—remember that.]
"Kunlun Mountain? The one with the Kunlun Sect of the Nine Great Righteous Sects?"
He glanced back and said,
[Puppy-like fool. Figure it out yourself.]
"......"
[Farewell.]
Whoosh.
I watched him vanish as I slowly awoke from the dream.
"......"
When I rose, the sun was already setting. It felt like a short nap, but quite some time had passed.
"You're awake?"
Cheon Woo-jin sat about two paces away. His hostility gone, his tone had softened to polite speech. Munching on a fresh cucumber from the field, he said,
"Master must have told you, but don't go looking for my senior brother. He's in the most important period of his life right now."
"He went to Kunlun Mountain, right? You mean the Kunlun in the Kunlun Range?"
"Who knows... No."
"......?"
Cheon Woo-jin tossed me a cucumber. Freshly picked, it was crisp. As I caught and stared at it, he said,
"My senior brother is a once-in-a-millennium genius, but he lacked talent in sorcery and suffered greatly. Yet through trials in the mortal world, he gained enlightenment and qualified to enter Kunlun Mountain. He'll become an outstanding sorcerer henceforth."
"......!!"
"Following him would only hinder his future."
I was baffled.
Mangnyang had gained enlightenment seven years from now and qualified for Kunlun Mountain?
I'd never heard a word of this from him.
"Enlightenment? What do you mean?"
"In the Immortal Realm, there are Immortal Disciples and Mortal Disciples. Immortal Disciples are those innately immortals; Mortal Disciples are exceptional humans who gain posthumous enlightenment in the Dao and enter. My senior brother has just begun the path of a Mortal Disciple."
Cheon Woo-jin spoke leisurely and continued.
"After leaving Jin Rang Valley, senior brother must have studied diligently. That's how he achieved Dao enlightenment."
Pride tinged his words.
"......"
The Mangnyang I'd known played hard, slacked off, and studied only when bored—yet still outshone ordinary folk with his wisdom. He caroused with women and occasionally drank with Jin Rang Valley folk. But I had no desire to tell Cheon Woo-jin that.
"Then I'll be off."
"Go."
As I left Jin Rang Valley, I thought,
'Hmm... Better leave Mangnyang be for now.'
Elder Mangnyang said he'd send him when the time came, so Mangnyang would join on his own later. Until then, I'd train my martial arts to the max and grow Black Night.
============================ Author's Note ============================
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