Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm
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Heavenly Realm
I headed back to Jangryeong Valley with the Sword Demon. The fastest way to confirm whether Valley Lord Je-gal-sa had revived was to check his grave, so the moment I cast Golden Flying Escape, we arrived above the tomb. I scanned the surroundings as soon as we landed, but there were no signs of life anywhere.
'Should I dig up the grave?'
I pondered seriously. It was possible he had come back to life inside the coffin and was gasping for breath within it. That was when it happened.
"What...? Why am I here?"
An all-too-familiar voice came from the bamboo grove not far away. The speaker seemed unaware of our presence, as there were plenty of signs of movement. I exchanged a glance with the Sword Demon before concealing our presence and heading toward the bamboo grove.
There, in the middle of the bamboo grove, stood Je-gal-sa. Unlike his previous decadent gaze, he looked thoroughly bewildered. He muttered to himself.
"Damn it! Could it be the forbidden art of Reverse Soul? But it's been years since I died, and they cremated me and scattered my ashes in the river... The only one who could pull off Reverse Soul in that situation is the Great Ra Immortal."
He seemed to be organizing his thoughts as he muttered. The Sword Demon had concealed his presence with his intent and now gave me a nod. I steadied myself for a moment before stepping out in front of Je-gal-sa.
"How does it feel to be alive again, Je-gal-sa?"
Je-gal-sa whipped around to face me. He hadn't sensed my presence at all, so his expression grew even more flustered. But he quickly regained his composure and said,
"Did you bring me back?"
"I did."
"The technique looks amateurish. How did you manage it? What kind of sorcery is this?"
I stared at Je-gal-sa for a moment before replying.
"Do I have any reason to tell you?"
"......"
Je-gal-sa blinked before responding.
"Fair enough. You wouldn't revive me without a reason. What do you want from me?"
"That's for someone else to explain."
Whoosh.
The Sword Demon appeared at my side the instant I finished speaking. To Je-gal-sa's eyes, it must have looked like a man had popped out of thin air, as he let out a groan. The Sword Demon clasped his hands in greeting and said,
"Pleased to meet you, Valley Lord Je-gal-sa. I am the Sword Demon, Seomun Daeryong."
"......!!"
"And this is Baek Woong, the protector of our sacred text."
At the Sword Demon's introduction, Je-gal-sa's face twisted into a mix of disbelief, absurdity, and disgust. Then, as if grasping the situation, he said to the Sword Demon,
"As you know, I was dead. I had no more attachments to this world, so I chose death. Dragging me back from the afterlife like this—what do you take the laws of the world for?"
His rebuke carried real weight. But the Sword Demon merely chuckled and replied,
"That's too bad. Now that you're alive, why not make the most of it?"
"For your sake?"
"Exactly."
Je-gal-sa gave a grim smile and said,
"I just can't understand it. You must want something from a wretch like me, right? I was nothing but the head of a backwater valley—a pathetic piece of trash who couldn't even hold himself together and killed himself. I can't fathom why you'd go to the trouble of reviving trash like me."
His self-loathing was intense. Anyone overhearing would think he had long since given up on life. I had sensed a similar 'acceptance of death' when we first met him in the past, and the current Je-gal-sa seemed no different.
The Sword Demon replied calmly.
"Baek Protector. Bring it out."
"Yes."
We had already planned how to persuade Je-gal-sa. That was why we could calmly proceed to the next step, even in the face of this madman's death wish tantrum.
In my hand was the Water Raven Makya before I knew it. Je-gal-sa, who first eyed it with confusion, soon sensed something extraordinary. With a rigidly tense face, he said,
"The Seven Luminaries? How do you have that...?"
"Baek Protector is the master of the Seven Luminaries. Reviving you is connected to them as well."
"......!!"
"Does that make you willing to hear us out?"
As expected, the moment the Seven Luminaries appeared before him, Je-gal-sa stopped ranting about life and death. Instead, he muttered intensely to himself while stealing glances at Makya. After a long deliberation, Je-gal-sa said,
"Very well. Let's hear what happened."
"There's one promise you need to make first."
"What?"
"That everything you say will be the truth."
"Fine."
We entered a building deeper inside Jangryeong Valley with Je-gal-sa. The Earth King Byuk Ji-sang was surely supposed to be standing by as the valley lord, but strangely, there was no sign of her presence inside. Suspicious, I asked Je-gal-sa,
"No Earth King Byuk Ji-sang. What happened?"
"How should I know? You ask a lot of a man who just came back to life today."
Je-gal-sa gruffly continued,
"Don't worry about that guy. Let's talk."
A short while later, we sat facing each other across a table. Je-gal-sa gazed at us with his signature hollow, decadent eyes and said,
"First, tell me how you revived me."
The Sword Demon met his gaze and said,
"I only know that Baek Protector used some divine method. Probably the power of the Seven Luminaries."
As Je-gal-sa's eyes turned to me, I nodded and picked up,
"I can't reveal the method, but I awakened the Seven Luminaries Makya and gained a special power. And since the sect master requested that I revive you, Je-gal-sa, I accepted."
"Hmm... Awakening the Seven Luminaries... That's not impossible to grasp... But isn't it too extraordinary?"
A flicker of greed crossed Je-gal-sa's muttering face. He was clearly coveting the Seven Luminaries. When I hid it behind me warily, Je-gal-sa spoke up.
"Fair enough. So you want to take me on as your strategist?"
"Yes."
"Why? No boasting, but I've never revealed my talents to the world and cut ties with family and kin. It's hard to believe the supreme master of the unorthodox paths would revive me just to recruit me out of the blue."
The Sword Demon answered, as if agreeing with the logic in Je-gal-sa's words.
"Because you're the only one who can stand against the Central Plains Treasure, Je-gal-bu."
"......"
"From what I know, your Je-gal clan has been the family of the Imperial Observatory since the days of Zhuge Kongming. And the renowned genius of this era is Je-gal-bu himself, while you possess comparable ability."
Je-gal-sa scowled and replied,
"Fight Je-gal-bu? What exactly are you planning? Trying to topple the imperial palace?"
"Would I come all this way for anything less?"
"......"
Je-gal-sa fell silent. He had realized the Sword Demon was dead serious.
Then, out of nowhere, a delighted expression appeared on his face.
"Kekeke, interesting. I had no more lingering regrets in this world, but now this."
"What say you?"
"I'll hear more before deciding."
Je-gal-sa continued firmly.
"Suppose I could be of help to you. Why topple the imperial palace? To slay the emperor and crown a new one?"
The Sword Demon answered without hesitation.
"Hardly. What we seek is to exterminate the demons hiding in the palace. To eradicate the wicked who plunder the innocent and offer human sacrifices to borrow the power of the [Ancient Rulers]."
"Hah... You know quite a lot. I never imagined a martial artist would know such things."
Je-gal-sa looked shocked before saying,
"If you accomplish that, you'd be a great hero unmatched in the world..."
"Any issues?"
"It's surprising you even thought of it. You could live like a king as the leader and top master of the unorthodox paths without lifting a finger. Why challenge such a formidable foe?"
The Sword Demon grinned and said,
"Truth be told, it's not my idea—it's Baek Protector's. Since he has aided our sacred text greatly, I intend to help him as much as I can."
"Hoo."
Je-gal-sa's gaze shifted to me. He sized me up briefly before saying,
"Master of the Seven Luminaries. Why fight the palace?"
"They're bad guys."
"That's it?"
I had no fondness for Je-gal-sa, so I replied curtly.
"Do I need more reason? You hoping I'll chicken out?"
Je-gal-sa burst into laughter.
"Kyahahaha! No, I just realized there's another madman like me out there."
"......"
What a twisted soul. He clearly approved of me, but was that praise or an insult? Or neither? Je-gal-sa laughed for a while before sobering up and saying,
"I'll join. I swear to serve you, Sword Demon Seomun Daeryong, as my liege and live on."
"Good choice."
"Feel free to drop the formalities from now on."
"Will do."
It seemed we had successfully recruited Je-gal-sa. He knelt briefly to formally pledge his loyalty to the Sword Demon, then spoke.
"Ask me anything you're curious about."
"Je-gal-sa. Why did you take your own life?"
"As I said, I couldn't bear my own fate. It wasn't a heavenly decree I could defy."
The Sword Demon sensed something off in that and, after a moment's thought, asked,
"Were you fated to die young, no matter how long you tried to live?"
"Yes."
"Couldn't you have extended your lifespan with longevity arts like the Mount Tai Fortune Extension?"
Je-gal-sa eyed him in surprise at the Sword Demon's words.
"You know a great deal about sorcery, my liege."
"I learned that from Baek Protector as well."
"To put it simply, it was an inescapable heavenly decree, so I chose not to evade it. With no attachments to this world, I simply decided to die. Even longevity arts have limits, so I twisted it instead."
"Twisted it?"
"I can't say more."
Je-gal-sa answered firmly. Then he continued,
"You seem to know about Byuk Ji-sang too. She and I have a contract: she manages my quarters and cares for me, and in return, she gets free rein over Jangryeong Valley after my death. So don't pry too much into her."
"What do you mean?"
"We're just collaborators. Violating her authority would bring disaster."
Je-gal-sa seemed to have answered everything. But a closer look revealed he was hiding something.
'Well, it'd be weirder if he spilled all his secrets right away...'
For now, the important thing was that we had piqued Je-gal-sa's interest and made him an ally. The Sword Demon nodded in acknowledgment and said,
"We'll head back to Shadowless Gate first. Follow us."
"Give me a moment to gather my things."
"How long?"
"Half a shichen will do."
We waited as Je-gal-sa requested. After a while, he emerged from his study rummaging through things, his belongings packed into a pristine white bundle.
"Let's go."
"The Earth King Byuk Ji-sang is away. No need to say anything?"
"I left a letter. She'll understand."
"Then let's move."
Flash!
We returned to Shadowless Gate with Je-gal-sa. The Sword Demon then spent about half a shichen explaining Shadowless Gate's current situation in detail, along with what I had been through in the Central Plains. He also shared our intel on the White Lotus Cult and the imperial palace. Je-gal-sa's expression grew increasingly grave.
After a long pause, Je-gal-sa said,
"I've thought of the best strategy for the current situation."
"What is it?"
"Assassination."
Without hesitation, Je-gal-sa continued.
"We go kill Je-gal-bu right now. Everything else will become much easier."
"......"
What madness was this?
Dumbfounded, I said,
"Do you even know how strong Je-gal-bu is? His martial arts have reached the absolute peak, and he wields the treasure White Cloud Fan to unleash multiple sorceries at will—a monster. Plus, with the palace barriers, he's practically invincible. How do you kill him in one go?"
Je-gal-sa smirked and said,
"You'll see. Just use Flying Escape to get me to the palace."
"Wait. Why are you speaking casually to me?"
"Huh? I serve the Sword Demon as my liege—why should I be polite to you?"
"......"
As I bristled to retort, the Sword Demon raised a hand.
"Enough. Baek Protector has a point. How exactly do you plan to kill Je-gal-bu?"
"The bastard seems like a perfect genius, but he has a fatal weakness."
"Fatal weakness?"
Je-gal-sa said,
"If you're trying to kill him rather than use him, it's easy."
A short while later, Je-gal-sa explained how to kill Je-gal-bu.
"That will work."
Convinced, the Sword Demon ordered me to use Golden Flying Escape. With no choice, I transported us to the Inner Emperor Pavilion at the heart of the palace.
Flash!
The three of us, masked, appeared inside the Inner Emperor Pavilion. Night had fallen, leaving the interior pitch black without candlelight. Je-gal-sa, unconcerned about Je-gal-bu arriving soon, leisurely pulled books one by one and stuffed them into his white bundle.
Moments later, a massive beam of light heralded the arrival of Pavilion Lord Je-gal-bu via teleportation sorcery. Je-gal-bu glared at us furiously and shouted,
"Thieves! You've intruded again! I won't forgi..."
That was when it happened.
Je-gal-sa pointed at Je-gal-bu and muttered,
"Explode, gu."
Boom!
"...... Cough..."
In that instant, something burst near Je-gal-bu's heart with a small explosion. Covered in blood from the waist up, Je-gal-bu collapsed forward with an incredulous expression. He hadn't even had a chance to unleash any sorcery before suffering a fatal wound.
'Even Hua Se-myeong or Dongbang Mu-gyeol couldn't save that...'
Having studied medicine, I knew how dire Je-gal-bu's condition was. His heart had burst, shredding nearby organs—nothing short of the Great Ra Immortal could save him now.
Je-gal-sa looked down at the writhing Je-gal-bu on the floor and said,
"Hello, nephew. Long time no see."
"... Un... cle... Je-gal-sa..."
"When I thought about it after leaving the Je-gal clan, you were always such an eyesore. So I slipped an explosive gu poison into your farewell feast using the cult's forbidden art."
"......!!"
As Je-gal-bu's eyes bulged, Je-gal-sa giggled.
"Who knew a little prank would come in handy."
Crunch.
Je-gal-sa stomped with infused inner power, sending Je-gal-bu's head flying.
In an instant, Je-gal-sa had eliminated one of the palace's greatest obstacles. He said,
"Hey, Baek Protector. Sweep all these books into a sack."
"Why are you ordering me around?"
I grumbled, and Je-gal-sa shrugged.
"If it bothers you, use your head."
"......"
With no choice, I began stuffing the Inner Emperor Pavilion's books into a sack. As I worked, I was awed by Je-gal-sa.
'He killed his own nephew without batting an eye.'
I was certain.
Je-gal-sa was no ordinary madman.
He was a strategist who utterly disregarded human decency.