Chapter 444
Chapter 444
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 444
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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After passing down the Seven Great Ultimate Arts to the Sword Demon, I went alone to find Lord Zhuge. Having settled on a concrete plan, I wanted to consult him on the strategy born from my intuition.
"Oh, you're here."
Lord Zhuge was in the middle of crafting something using the toad skin he'd received from me in Jangryeong Valley. I glanced at it, and it wasn't as gruesome or cruel as I'd imagined. It looked like he was tearing and burning the skin to make it as thin and small as possible, with various iron tools scattered around the workshop.
"What are you doing?"
"This skin will be incredibly useful. Layer it onto armor, and you'll have treasure armor that can deflect sword ki. Melt it down, and it becomes material for high-grade magic tools. I was happily working away."
"I see..."
Clunk!
Lord Zhuge pressed down on what looked like a pedal, and a blade dropped, slicing the toad skin into six pieces at once. He'd built some kind of automated machine to speed things up.
"Smooth sailing. I'll let you know when I finish some usable treasure armor or magic tools. So, what's up?"
"Actually, I have something in mind."
I told Lord Zhuge about my discussions with the Sword Demon and Cheon Woo-jin, and how we'd decided to investigate the "original history." I braced for him to dismiss it as foolish, but instead, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. Then he spoke.
"Indeed. Now I get why that 'Lord Zhuge' pinned his hopes on you. A reincarnator's intuition can be surprisingly sharp..."
"Is it a decent plan?"
"Eh, close enough. Mine was a bit different."
"What was yours?"
Lord Zhuge shrugged and said,
"Simple. Offer up all the remaining treasures right now, perform a re-enshrinement ritual to the Heavenly Realm, retrieve the Four Buddha Statue, and enter the Flower Realm."
"What? The Four Buddha Statue is one-way, and it takes a day to recharge its dimension-breaking ability..."
"Just stand in the Flower Realm for a day without touching the Flower Yao. Then, the moment you grab it and the ability recharges, use the statue to bail."
"......"
Huh, that could work...
Lord Zhuge chuckled and continued.
"I itched to tell you back then but held back. This method has a flaw, so I wanted to hear your idea first."
"Hmm..."
I thought for a moment before replying.
"You mean the risk of the guardian Gonggong reacting just from standing in the Flower Realm without touching the Flower Yao?"
"Correct. Only those acknowledged by Gonggong can enter the Flower Realm, and intruders trigger an automatic summon. Looks like your time as a reincarnator wasn't wasted."
"That would mean walking straight into a trap."
"Heh heh."
Seeing Lord Zhuge's sinister grin, I realized.
'This guy's been testing me all along.'
While Wang Liang probably trusted my judgment sincerely, Lord Zhuge was different. He'd acknowledged me as his lord but wanted to test my abilities. And by coming up with a different answer from what he'd expected, I'd earned a bit of his respect.
Lord Zhuge said,
"Baek Woong. What do you think changes if you learn the 'original history'?"
"Everything. The reasons I need to act, the enemies I must defeat, the goals I have to achieve—they'd all come into focus at once, right?"
"Hmm... That's a bit too optimistic."
"What?"
"It's true you can observe the future with the White Feather Fan, but it's far from omnipotent. If the White Feather Fan could observe variable futures, the Vermilion Bird Zhuge Yulong would've conquered the world and ascended to godhood by now."
Lord Zhuge was spot on. As I stared at him, he picked up a piece of skin, tossed it into a grinder, and said,
"In a way, that future sight is the most useless ability in the world. The future it shows is real, but the moment you try to change it—no matter how small the action—that future has already shifted. It's worthless to anyone trying to alter the future."
"I see."
"That's why I had a chance to steal the White Feather Fan in the past but gave it up and left the palace. It was a desperate measure from Zhuge Wu-hou to protect Pa-chok Nation—trash to me."
After a brief silence, Lord Zhuge crossed his arms.
"But hey, it should be meaningful for you... because your reincarnation ability makes that future sight play a great role."
Exactly.
Even if the futures seen by the White Feather Fan are variable and thus useless, that's not the case for me. My goal isn't to change the future with it—it's just to learn what the "original history" is. Since I'm constantly creating variables with each reincarnation and living different lives, variability isn't a big deal. All I need is to see what future appears if nothing changes.
I pondered deeply before saying,
"Lord Zhuge. What kind of guy is this Zhuge Bu?"
He snapped irritably,
"Why ask me?"
"I know you hate him. I hate him too—I've killed him countless times without a pang of conscience. But I've only properly talked to him once, so I'm not sure what he's really like."
"Hmm..."
"I get that he's ruthlessly pragmatic, sparing no means for his goals. But does he have any unique traits?"
"...Why are you so curious?"
"It doesn't make sense to me. And I need to understand him properly going forward."
"I see what you mean. From a normal person's view, he's pretty peculiar."
Nodding, Lord Zhuge said,
"He's overconfident and burning with ambition to reach the top. He knows a fair bit about the Yi Clan but thinks he can manipulate them all."
"Is that so?"
"Even his father, Zhuge Yulong, is just a stepping stone to him. Nothing special—everyone from the Zhuge Family is clever. He's just a stereotypical genius: boring and obnoxious... Tch."
Lord Zhuge made no secret of his annoyance, clearly done talking. I'd gathered enough to converse with Zhuge Bu, so I waved it off.
"Got it. Then I'll get the White Feather Fan from him."
"No need to bother going to the Prophet. Just summon him here. This is my base—it'll be easier."
"Sure."
I pulled the Nameless Sacrificial Scripture from my spatial pouch. This would alert Zhuge Bu, who'd been tracking its location, and draw him straight here.
After a short wait, space ripped open, and Zhuge Bu unleashed the Falling Soul Star Talismans without a word.
"Die, you bastards!!"
Shing!
In an instant, tens of thousands of white talismans densely filled the space. But just before Zhuge Bu could activate them, Lord Zhuge beside me pointed and shouted.
"Explode, you fools!"
Boom!
"Arghhh..."
The caster critically wounded, the talismans lost power and fell. Zhuge Bu vomited blood like a fountain and collapsed. A fatal injury no one could survive. Lord Zhuge said irritably,
"Baek Woong. I'm extremely pissed right now."
"Why?"
He gazed coldly at Zhuge Bu writhing like a bug on the floor and said,
"From the moment I implanted the Yin-Yang Heaven Punishment in that Zhuge Bu bastard, I've fantasized about this exact thrill. But I've already seen that scene from your memories via the black obsidian multiple times. So it's not as satisfying as I'd hoped."
"......"
"Your life's gonna be boring as hell."
Grumbling, Lord Zhuge nodded.
"What now? Keep him alive for info, or kill him?"
I thought briefly, then charged forward.
"I'll save him first!"
Killing him and using the Heavenly Nerve Scripture's spell would be easier, but this time felt different. Something told me only a living Zhuge Bu could provide. Whether it was reincarnator's intuition or not, my senses screamed to save him now.
I'd trained for over a decade in Hua Tuo's Direct Precept Gate medicine and earned a licensed physician's qualification. I sealed Zhuge Bu's grievous wounds, swiftly stopping the bleeding, and placed a Sacred Lotus on the injury.
Wooong.
As expected of a spirit herb brimming with qi, the wound healed rapidly. I'd heard from the White Lotus Cult Leader that Sacred Lotuses worked for emergencies like this—no need for transfusions. My skills alone couldn't save him, but the lotus helped immensely.
After first aid, I carried him inside and performed the best treatment I could.
Pababat.
I swiftly inserted needles to stabilize his meridians and minimize bleeding. Once stable, I checked his organs and sutured the tears. Following my training, it wasn't too hard.
It'd been a while since I practiced medicine, but it all came back. Calmly using acupuncture and surgical tools, I saved Zhuge Bu. After two shichen of surgery with elixirs, he was clinging to life.
With Zhuge Bu stabilized, Lord Zhuge cackled.
"Puhahaha... You're more wicked than me."
"What?"
"Kill, revive, kill again... Toying with him properly? I like it."
"......"
Lost for words, I scratched my head. Effectively, that's what it was. But with no holds barred and needing to resolve the future sight quickly to move on, this was the way.
Normally, he'd need one or two months of bed rest, but no time for that. I infused qi to accelerate recovery, and by the next day, Zhuge Bu regained consciousness.
He looked at me in bewilderment, and I said,
"You're completely subdued right now. Resist, and you'll get hurt."
Zhuge Bu fell silent. As I'd said, I'd sealed his inner power with blood sealing arts, bound his limbs, and Lord Zhuge had added magic to block his spells. He was no different from a normal person.
Zhuge Bu said calmly,
"What do you want from me?"
"Explain this treasure in detail. Usage, principles—everything."
I dangled the White Feather Fan before his eyes. He went quiet, then replied.
"Will you free me if I tell you?"
I grinned.
"Nope. While you're at it, spill how you joined the palace, its current forces and goals, main executives, secrets they hide... Everything you know, as a gift. Then I'll let you live."
"Heh heh..."
Zhuge Bu chuckled lowly, glaring at Lord Zhuge beside me.
"Uncle. Your doing, huh? You lured that rejuvenated old monster to capture me."
"Haha. That's how it looks?"
Lord Zhuge smiled faintly and said,
"You think I'd go through this hassle? Really?"
"......"
"If you still believe that after seeing the Yin-Yang Heaven Punishment implanted, hand back your title of Central Plains' Genius."
Lord Zhuge's rebuke made Zhuge Bu realize something, panicking.
He turned to me and said,
"Who are you? Who the hell partners with Lord Zhuge to pull this on me?"
"Not time for introductions yet. One thing's certain: if you don't cooperate fully, you'll die a dog's death right here."
"......!!"
"Choose. Cooperate or die. I'm being generous."
I could kill him and extract info with the Heavenly Nerve Scripture, but that'd be too cruel. So I gave him a chance to spill willingly. If not, torture or the scripture as last resort.
Lord Zhuge scoffed at the pointlessness, but I knew my own contradictions and chose anyway.
Sensing my sincerity, Zhuge Bu looked slightly fearful. He thought coldly, then said,
"You'll really let me live if I tell everything?"
"Yes."
"...Fine."
He'd decided survival came first, even if it meant betrayal.
I started with the White Feather Fan's usage and principles—easiest since I knew the rest roughly. Midway, I blurted in disbelief.
"What? You possess a projected future?"
"Yes."
Zhuge Bu nodded, limbs chained to the wall.
"Unlike other future sights that flash premonitions through the mind, the White Feather Fan reads vast future flows, creates a virtual reality, and possesses the owner into a character within it for a preview experience."
I mulled it over and asked,
"Can you choose the possession target?"
"The White Feather Fan selects and creates the most suitable figure for showing that future in the virtual reality. You experience it by possessing that figure."
"Hmm..."
"Of course, that figure likely exists in actual history with high probability."
Desperate to live, Zhuge Bu explained fervently.
"Everything you experience and feel as that figure ties directly to the future you want to know. The White Feather Fan arranges it to flow naturally, so just observe without resisting."
"How long does it take?"
"A mere instant here. But perceived time inside varies by person."
A bizarre treasure. I'd expected mental flashes like prophecies, not personal immersion! Virtual, so no real-world impact.
"You've used it too, Zhuge Bu?"
"Of course. But trying to change it post-observation shifts everything—pointless."
"Makes sense."
Next, I questioned the palace's current forces, goals, main executives—classified info.
"...Our goal is to aid the Emperor in achieving immortality and eternal rule. Main executives include me, the alchemist, Black Tortoise's East Depot Commander, White Tiger's Brocade Guard Chief... We're also holding key figures like Grand General Hwang Yeon in the Great Thunder Prison..."
"Yeah, figures."
It matched what I knew—no surprises. I'd uncovered most palace secrets over twenty reincarnations.
'Nothing on treating the Emperor as a puppet, being the old ruler's priests or subordinates.'
I smirked inwardly at his silence on the enshrinement ritual and Vermilion Bird Zhuge Yulong but didn't press. Revealing I knew would make him clam up; feigning ignorance baited mistakes.
Once I'd gleaned enough, I glanced at Lord Zhuge, silently asking if anything seemed off. He grinned, mimed slitting his throat, and Zhuge Bu gritted his teeth.
"Damn it!"
But I shook my head.
"Lord Zhuge. Spare Zhuge Bu."
"Keep this trash alive for what?"
"I promised."
"Fine."
Unlike killing the Blood Path Sect leader, my gut said not to kill Zhuge Bu now. Lord Zhuge tapped his pressure points without protest, knocking him out. With it done, I took the White Feather Fan to a nearby open area and raised it high.
"White Feather Fan! I, Baek Woong, your master, command you."
Gathering spirit power in my dantian, I chanted the incantation. Then swung it wide and shouted.
"Show me the future fifty years from now, if I do nothing to stop the [Old Ruler] or save people!"
Fwaaah...
Instantly, I realized my consciousness was in a wholly new place.
No Lord Zhuge, no Zhuge Bu's corpse, not Jangryeong Valley.
Likely the virtual reality of the future sight.
'This is...'
The familiar space unfolding before me shocked me.
"Azure Dragon Martial Hall!"
Yes.
This was the Guanzhong Azure Dragon Martial Hall, where my reincarnation began.
I checked my voice, body, and the mirror in the room, uncovering a shocking fact.
"Uhk..."
I groaned at the absurd possession target.
"N-No way..."
The mirror reflected a familiar face.
Jin So-cheong!
Older than his current handsome youth, but unmistakably Jin So-cheong.