Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Celestial Realm
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Celestial Realm
I returned to Mangnyang in Jinrang Valley and told him everything that had happened over the past few days. Mangnyang listened calmly before speaking.
"I'm sorry about what happened to Lady Miho."
"No. If that Fengxian Ritual is so important, there's no helping it."
I replied bitterly, and Mangnyang looked a bit awkward.
"I suppose I should tell you about the plan going forward."
"Before that, what's that?"
My gaze had turned to a man dangling limply from a tree branch.
'To end up like that.'
Of course, the man's face was familiar to me. I knew he was Jegal Sa, the lord of Jangnyeong Valley and Mangnyang's uncle. Jegal Sa hung there limp, as if unconscious.
"As you can see, it's Jegal Sa."
"Is it okay to just leave him like that?"
"To get that man to come to his senses, this much isn't enough."
"......"
Mangnyang seemed to harbor some resentment toward Jegal Sa. No doubt Jegal Sa had been subdued by Mangnyang's fellow disciple Cheon Woo-jin just a few days ago and dragged here. Mangnyang glared at the dangling Jegal Sa with cold eyes before continuing.
"The goal this lifetime is to perform the Fengxian Ritual—even if it means turning the Celestial Realm against us—and free Makya as well. That way, we can unravel our future reincarnations without wasted effort."
"I get that the Fengxian Ritual is a ceremony where you offer tribute to the [Ancient Ruler] to gain immortality and power. But why go to the trouble of claiming that right?"
I asked the question that had been nagging at me in detail.
"Couldn't you just set up an altar like Jegal Sa did and perform a proper ritual to get something similar?"
"The Fengxian Ritual is on an entirely different level from those ordinary tribute ceremonies."
Mangnyang's eyes sharpened slightly. It seemed he was gradually recovering the memories of the Earth Immortal Mangnyang.
"Though Zhonghua's history is long, only two people have ever properly performed the Fengxian Ritual. The rest either didn't know the sequence, lacked the qualifications, had no right, or the timing wasn't right. Given how demanding it is, it holds tremendous power."
"Two people?"
"Qin Shi Huang and Wu Zetian."
"......!!"
Hearing the two most famous sovereigns in Zhonghua history mentioned sent chills down my spine. Qin Shi Huang was the first to unify Zhonghua as an absolute monarch and the first to take the title of emperor. Wu Zetian, known as Empress Wu of Heaven, was the first female emperor. What they had in common was their awe-inspiring imperial majesty in life.
I sorted through the knowledge in my head and said,
"My memories are all jumbled up, but in history, didn't those two ultimately die of illness? If the power from the Fengxian Ritual grants immortality, shouldn't that be impossible?"
"Their human bodies did die. But in exchange for the ritual, they were promised immortality after death."
Mangnyang's following words were chillingly cold.
"They discarded their human souls and reincarnated as divinities in the Dark Heaven Fragrance."
That implied they had already transformed into lesser gods or powerful otherworldly beings in the Dark Heaven Fragrance. If so, they would gain lifespans and power incomparable to their human days—not thousands but tens of thousands of years.
"Hmm... I see."
But I couldn't quite grasp it, so I countered.
"Isn't that strange? Why not just implant a demon into a human body like the current emperor to maintain near-permanent immortality and enjoy their own brand of power? Why seek reincarnation and immortality after death?"
It was definitely odd. Qin Shi Huang and Wu Zetian had eccentric and cruel sides, but they were still human rulers. For them, reincarnating as an unfamiliar otherworldly being or living as a god in the Dark Heaven Fragrance should have been pure fantasy. Yet they went through with the Fengxian Ritual for that very reason, which didn't make sense.
"......"
Mangnyang sighed.
"I don't know the details either. What I do know is that the Fengxian Ritual isn't a mere tribute—it's an equal contract where the officiant gains [authority] as a high priest. Even if the [Ancient Ruler] presides over it, they can't handle it arbitrarily."
"Then why does the Celestial Realm hold the right to that ritual?"
"It wasn't Qin Shi Huang who devised and created the Fengxian Ritual—it was the Historian Sovereign Cangjie, the creator of Hanja. You could say the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors delegated the rights to the Celestial Realm to their confidant."
Mangnyang smirked as he said this.
"The contradiction the Celestial Realm harbors is profound. They permit an act that strengthens the colossal evil of the Dark Heaven Fragrance... Unfortunately, as a mere mid-tier immortal—an Earth Immortal—I don't seem to know much more about the Fengxian Ritual."
"......"
After thinking for a long while, I said,
"You're not saying that performing the Fengxian Ritual will summon the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, are you?"
Mangnyang nodded vigorously at my question.
"Exactly."
My suspicions confirmed, I let out a groan. As I hesitated, Mangnyang clenched his fist and said,
"Baek Woong, in your sixteenth reincarnation, you found a way to topple the imperial palace. But with the Celestial Realm as our enemy now, the path forward is unclear. It's not just a difference in power—it's our ignorance."
"Ignorance..."
"To understand the Celestial Realm, we must understand the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. But in the mortal world today, there are almost no ways left to contact them. I believe the surest method is the Fengxian Ritual."
Mangnyang spread out the Five Fires and Seven Golds Divine Thread as he continued.
"Baek Woong, you must succeed in the Fengxian Ritual this lifetime and uncover the true intentions and identities of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. If we learn what they truly desire and what kind of beings they are, we'll find a way to defeat them."
I asked in surprise,
"Defeat them? The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?"
"Yes."
"But they're gods."
"They're merely god-like beings. Otherwise, how could Emperor Huang, Gongsun Yuan, have lost to Chiyou? They're vastly superior to humans, but they can definitely be defeated."
Killing gods!
I'd never considered it before, so Mangnyang's words gave me much to ponder. If the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were behind the Celestial Realm, scheming to plunge the mortal world into chaos, we might have to fight them. But before obtaining the Heavenly Dark Secret Book, they were little more than legendary creator gods— I had no idea how to even approach that.
Mangnyang said,
"I need time to build my strength, so I won't form an Anti-Celestial Alliance like before. Until now, we'd limited our enemy to the imperial palace, so we established it. But now that the enemy is otherworldly, raising my own capabilities is more important. I'll train in sorcery with Jegal Sa and Cheon Woo-jin, so handling the imperial palace's scrutiny is up to you."
"What about General Hwang Yeon and the prisoners from the Great Thunder Prison?"
"Hand them over to Lee Gwang. They're old acquaintances anyway, so he won't turn Hwang Yeon away. We've seen the results once before, haven't we?"
"......"
He was right. Until now, we'd protected Hwang Yeon in the Anti-Celestial Alliance out of necessity, but since Mangnyang wasn't forming one, there was no need to keep him here. Passing him to Lee Gwang was far better.
A sudden thought struck me, and I said,
"Then I just train my swordsmanship under Dugoseong, right?"
"That's one way, but didn't you say you've hit a wall?"
"Yes."
I'd already received criticism from Dugoseong that my sword flows were muddled, preventing me from properly mastering the Thunder Dragon Divine Swordsmanship. To overcome it, I'd need even greater talent or reckless real combat with Dugoseong. Either way was grueling, so I stagnated and met my end in the sixteenth life.
Mangnyang said,
"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling Dugoseong or the Sword Demon won't provide the solution. It might be best to seek another swordmaster on their level."
"Then it's only the Dark Dragon Son."
"The super-recovery temperament training he advocated has the same basic framework as Dugoseong's extreme real combat. You'll cross the line between life and death and finally die for real this time."
"......"
"Find someone else."
He said it so matter-of-factly that I had nothing to say. True, consulting the Dark Dragon Son again would just repeat even harsher training, and I'd likely die in the process. It was training no human could endure in the first place—I'd walked a tightrope relying on my internal energy and his boundless divine art.
My head grew complicated, and I groaned.
"There's too much to do."
"Haha... That's the dilemma of having options. How much better is this than being helplessly killed when we knew nothing?"
"True enough."
Mangnyang smiled faintly and spread the Five Fires and Seven Golds Divine Thread.
"There, that's my advice. Spend the next three years as you see fit. I trust you won't make any major mistakes now."
"Got it. Stay well."
"Come back safe."
It was then. Cheon Woo-jin came trudging from afar and said to Mangnyang,
"Senior Brother! Big trouble."
"What is it?"
"A messenger from the Celestial Realm says they'll send an emissary from Yellow Heaven to the mortal world soon."
Mangnyang's face hardened ominously.
"They're planning to use him to interfere."
"What do we do?"
"Let it be for now. They won't act rashly anyway."
I asked Mangnyang,
"What's an emissary from Yellow Heaven?"
Mangnyang scratched his head.
"It means the Great Thunder Immortal who once turned the world upside down is descending to the mortal world. He'll scout a suitable candidate, teach them sorcery, and start another cult."
"......?"
"It's not urgent, so don't worry. It'll take at least a decade for anything to change."
"Alright."
Mangnyang seemed reluctant to say more, so I didn't pry and left. It looked like the Celestial Realm was starting to move in response to the Fengxian Ritual.
Flash!
I used the Golden Flying Vessel to head straight to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall where Lee Gwang was. The trainees were diligently practicing under Instructor Yun Gwang and Ji Pyeong. Sitting on the roof of a tall building, watching them brought back old memories.
'I had days like that too.'
Shaking my head, I headed near the Crouching Dragon Hall where Lee Gwang resided. Like before, I picked a suitable spot and reached into my bosom to release General Hwang Yeon and the prisoners from the deer-hide sack.
But I froze with my hand inside.
Formless Sword Will!
A fierce intent that only a select few peak experts could manifest was constricting my body. Having faced it countless times from transcendent masters, it was familiar. I sensed who was emitting it and slowly turned my head.
The source stared straight at me and said,
"Who might you be? Impressive skill for such a young age."
"......"
A young man in his mid-twenties with a shaved head and training robes. Though bald, his features were sharp and striking. I knew him better than anyone in the world, so I replied slowly.
"Jin So-cheong, Chief Instructor of the Azure Dragon Martial Hall."
"You know me."
Indeed. Emitting formless sword will to check the mysterious intruder was none other than the current Chief Instructor of the Azure Dragon Martial Hall, Lee Gwang's one and only prized disciple, and the greatest genius in martial arts in the Central Plains—Jin So-cheong. The senior brother who had given me a sense of inferiority in talent for nearly a century stood before me.
Sensing things had gone awry, I pondered my next move.
'Just escape with the flying vessel?'
Releasing them from the sack wouldn't take long anyway. If not today, I could find another opportunity later.
But a spark of competitive spirit ignited, and I spoke to Jin So-cheong.
"I'm the successor of the Thunder God Style. I came here after hearing rumors of it."
Jin So-cheong's eyes changed at the mention of the Thunder God Style.
He examined me carefully before saying,
"It does seem that way. However, I can't just let a stranger into the Crouching Dragon Hall."
"Who said anything about entering the Crouching Dragon Hall? I just want to test your skills."
Jin So-cheong's expression shifted oddly.
"You're saying you want to spar with me?"
"Yes. If it's rude, we can follow proper procedure later."
As I coaxed him with insincere words, Jin So-cheong replied,
"Very well. Seeing such a skilled expert stirs my own fighting spirit."
"Great minds."
Swoosh...
Without a word, we leaped onto the sparring platform before the Crouching Dragon Hall, taking positions three zhang apart and drawing our weapons. I gripped my sword, facing him, glaring at Jin So-cheong and gritting my teeth.
'This time for sure.'
I'd never beaten Jin So-cheong in a match. Even in our last decent spar, I was one move short and toyed with. But since then, I'd undergone hellish training and elevated my realm.
Yes.
Today, I wanted to surpass Jin So-cheong.