983——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I went back to Krishna and said.

“Krishna, I accept the proposal. But is it okay if I just drive the Celestial out of the capital instead of defeating them?”

“The method doesn’t matter. What’s important is that the mortals in this land do not suffer any further pain.”

“Alright. And one more thing… if I find out some clues regarding the Emperor’s plans you mentioned, do I have a good chance to stand against him?”

“……”

The question my advisors told me to ask Krishna.

After pondering for a bit, Krishna replied.

“As a mortal, it might be in vain. However, the clue would indeed hold significance for the immortals.”

“… Hmm.”

A rather meaningful answer. I racked my brains and asked again.

“Are you implying that it’s about the scale of power? Mortals can’t use the clue, but immortals have the strength to utilize it, right?”

“That’s a tricky question… Half of that could be true, but not entirely. In some ways, it might be more about the influence on the world rather than just power… which can essentially be seen as ‘strength.'”

“……?”

Krishna didn’t give me a clear answer, leaving me baffled.

‘Well, it must mean something helpful anyway.’

Feeling that it was pointless to overthink without knowing what the “clue” was.

“Alright. I’m going into action.”

Pa-at!

I used Golden Lamp immediately to enter the palace of Moscow. Normally, I should be heading straight to Ivan IV and Belov, who were likely embroiled in fierce battles, but my advisors said that would be the wrong choice.

I need to go to the palace.

‘The one who turned Ivan IV into a god was the Eight Parts of the Divine Celestial. If he intends to manipulate Ivan IV like a puppet, he’s definitely not going to show himself upfront.’

Those who scheme usually prefer staying hidden from sight. And the perfect hiding spot for the backroom puppet master is certainly at the deepest part of the inner palace where Ivan IV resides.

Step by step…

As I entered deeper into the inner palace, the space began to tremble with a bizarre ringing in my ears. Gradually, the boundary between reality and illusion collapsed, and the surrounding scenery transformed into a strange, exotic palace made of ash gray.

Before long, a tall and handsome monk in fine robes appeared before me, grinning.

“Emperor of the Great Bear Empire, what brings you here?”

It seemed he recognized my identity and decided to treat me as an emperor, no matter his true feelings.

“……”

Ah, but each time I hear that name, I can’t help but think about whether it was a well-chosen one…

‘Great Bear… Was that the best name? Ugh…’

After becoming the emperor, I constantly pondered what to change the name from Ming, and eventually, I named it after my character “Woong” (熊), hence the Great Ming Empire turned into the Great Bear Empire overnight. However, using “Woong” as a national name was unprecedented in Chinese history, making it quite awkward. Even I often mistook it for the Great Ming Empire when speaking.

Anyway, considering the other party already figured out my identity, I shook my head slightly and spoke.

“O Celestial Sage, what is your name?”

“Call me Celestial. You may also refer to me as Tripitaka.”

Just as I thought.

The one who orchestrated everything behind the Arasa Empire, turning the Emperor into a divine being and toying with him was none other than the Celestial Sage Tripitaka. Confirming what I already suspected, I spoke to the Celestial.

“O Celestial, are you not worried about being punished by the Celestial Realm for orchestrating such tremendous deeds?”

That was the question I was most curious about.

The Eight Parts of the Divine had to be cautious not to reveal their true nature, so what kind of audacity did he have to unleash his power in the Arasa Empire? Regardless of the Three Sovereigns, an act like this could not be overlooked by the Celestial Realm.

The Celestial smiled warmly.

“The realm protected by the Three Sovereigns is located in the East. This place belongs to the West, so there’s no need to worry about the underlings of the Three Sovereigns here. The Celestial Realm doesn’t pay attention to this matter.”

“……”

With that, the Celestial stepped forward.

“Since the Emperor of the Central Plains has personally come to my palace, I should give you a warm welcome, but you are an uninvited guest. It would be proper to deliver a light punishment to an uninvited guest, wouldn’t it?”

Hiss!

‘Damn! He means to fight.’

This guy seems more proactive than he looks!

An unusual aura began to radiate from the Celestial Sage Tripitaka, and his pupils glowed with a dark light. If he revealed his true form, it would be tough for me to win even if I used the Great Destruction, so I felt the need to disrupt the flow for now.

“Wait!”

Swish!

I bit my teeth as I saw the techniques unfolding.

‘Damn it!! Why won’t you listen to me!’

Usually, a “wait!” would be enough to make someone pause!

At the same time, it felt as though everything around him had come to a standstill. Every object, even a single speck of dust, froze in place. I recognized what kind of technique this was.

‘Time Stop!’

The technique he had used before when revealing himself to Jin So-cheong! However, the difference this time was his intention—he was using it entirely to suppress me, and I couldn’t move an inch. Of course, when time is stopped, one can’t move.

But my mind was alert and awake. I was puzzled about this fact while straightening up my Intent Heavenly Pillar.

Creeeak…

I could feel my body starting to move slowly. My intent had resisted the power of time stop. Simultaneously, I shot out Thunder Sword at the approaching Celestial Sage.

Boom!

The Celestial was pushed back, along with the defensive barrier surrounding him. He smiled as if he had anticipated it and said.

“I didn’t believe Yacha was defeated, but you really do possess the strength that has reached a mortal’s limit.”

It seemed he didn’t underestimate me as a child. He likely was just testing my strength. I twitched my eyebrows and said.

“Do you wish to die?”

“No. I don’t plan to fight seriously.”

Saying that, the Celestial snapped his fingers, and the effects of the Time Stop dissipated like washing away. As I gripped my sword and slowly gathered my fighting spirit, the Celestial spoke.

“Emperor, if you can defeat a Yacha, you have surpassed the level of a human. What do you say we talk at the level of immortals?”

“What’s with this nonsense after attacking first?”

“My apologies. Yacha may look weak, but she’s notably strong among the Eight Parts of the Divine, so I was curious about the strength of someone who could defeat her…”

“…Fine. I’ll take it as a sign that if you attack again, we’ll fight until death.”

“I won’t attack again, at least not within this palace.”

As the atmosphere of battle waned, I began to speak.

“I came here directly because I want you to revert Ivan IV to his original self and completely withdraw from Moscow.”

“Hmm. I have no reason to do that, but…”

“In exchange, I give you a chance.”

“What kind of chance?”

I crossed my arms and replied.

“The chance to become my ally!”

“……”

The Celestial stared at me for a moment, then looked incredulous.

“How arrogant… I can’t believe a human would be this arrogant.”

“Do you think I’m unworthy of it?”

“That’s not it. If someone has taken the White Lotus Sect and the Imperial Palace, then they might have the right to speak like that.”

After muttering to convince himself, the Celestial Sage Tripitaka finally said.

“That’s not an unreasonable condition. So what would the benefits be for us to form an alliance with you?”

“I’ll tell you upfront, I had no intention of being hostile towards you from the beginning. I inadvertently clashed with Yacha, but that was because she acted recklessly to protect Zhuge Yulong. You are not my enemies.”

“How interesting. So Emperor, who would your enemies be?”

“For now, it’s the Twelve Joules… And afterwards, the Three Sovereigns.”

He flinched!

It seemed the Celestial wore a strangely amused expression as he looked surprised. It was undoubtedly because I mentioned the Three Sovereigns.

“You’ve gone from arrogant to insane. Mortal Emperor, those beings are not something you can treat so lightly. They are far more expansive and horrifying than you think.”

“I know.”

“No, it seems you don’t. I have no intention of entertaining a mortal’s arrogance any longer.”

As his expression gradually darkened, it became evident what he was thinking. He probably viewed me as a mere child who just got a power comparable to that of a Demon King and had no idea what the Three Sovereigns were. I anticipated his reaction and opened my mouth.

“Regardless of my dreams, that’s not what’s important right now. You’ve been troubled because of Asura’s movements, haven’t you?”

“I don’t see what Asura has to do with anything.”

“I know exactly where the missing Asura is and what he’s doing. And I could persuade him to join our side.”

“……”

“You probably don’t care much for Asura. He’s reckless and a lone wolf, but his strength is noteworthy. If you plan to fight against the Gods, Asura’s cooperation would be essential.”

“You speak as if you know everything.”

“As much as you pretend to know me, I also know enough about you.”

“……”

The Celestial seemed to be deep in thought. Then he said.

“You’re sharper than you look… So are you proposing that I abandon everything in Moscow, and in return, we the Eight Parts of the Divine and the Central Plains would form an alliance to assist in controlling Asura?”

“That’s correct.”

“… That’s still insufficient. I have invested a great deal of time and resources into Ivan IV, with plans that took at least a hundred years to build. I cannot simply throw it all away for mere flattery of an alliance.”

“Alright, then propose your terms. If they align, I’ll comply.”

“Hmm…”

When I flipped the table on him, the Celestial pondered for a moment and then smiled.

“Well, I have no choice. All I ask is for 100,000 of your humans to give to us. That would satisfy me.”

“……”

“You shouldn’t have a problem as you are.”

What the hell!

Did he just ask for 100,000 human sacrifices so casually? He truly manipulates without a shred of remorse or sympathy for humans! His sincerity only fueled my anger.

While I felt a surge of curses boiling inside, I decided to remain calm.

“100,000 isn’t too tough, but I need to know what you’d use them for.”

“Due to our internal matters, we must perform a significant ritual. This ritual requires many human sacrifice offerings, but the problem is that we are severely lacking in numbers… It’s been hard gathering offerings due to the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western Inquisition, but if you provide those, I will trust you.”

I know what that ritual is.

I’ve seen it in my past life before.

‘It’s probably a demon ritual aimed at finding the missing Chi You with Yacha at the center of it…’

I remembered the tangled struggles I had back then, suddenly relating to the Twelve Joules and fighting against Jang Sam-bong. Although I couldn’t grasp the precise details of the ritual, I understood the motivation. It was solely to find the lost Chi You.

‘I want to behead that Celestial, but… I can’t lose my temper here. Let’s take an indirect approach for now.’

I decided to change my expression and try to persuade him with different words.

“I cannot afford to give you human offerings right now as I must solidify the foundation of the empire. Instead, I can offer support in the form of a Portrait Immortal. If needed, I can also provide treasures that could serve as offerings.”

“A Portrait Immortal… No matter how good the quality, it certainly can’t substitute for 100,000.”

“Isn’t it better to keep your greed in check? We’re not going to benefit by fighting here.”

“Hmm…”

With his arms crossed, the Celestial took a moment before speaking.

“What do you think, Gin Nara?”

Swiftly,

From the subspace, an advisor from the Eight Parts of the Divine, Gin Nara, emerged. It seems he had been listening to the entire conversation from start to finish. Gin Nara, with a seasoned smile, said.

“All is well, Emperor. However, I must stress that we need clarity regarding your knowledge of Asura’s whereabouts.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“No. I don’t know how you’ve uncovered our affairs, but if you’re boastful without knowing Asura’s whereabouts that could lead to trouble.”

“Asura is in the West.”

I continued.

“I can’t divulge more than that. Originally, this was information we intended to use, so I can’t reveal everything. I can only share more once we establish our alliance.”

“Hmm. Seems you don’t intend to concede at all.”

“The choice is yours.”

Then Gin Nara slowly nodded at the Celestial, who seemed to accept our agreement.

“Very well. We shall form a Non-aggression Pact and alliance between the Imperial Palace and the Eight Parts of the Divine.”

“Can you represent the Eight Parts of the Divine?”

“Of course.”

“Then the alliance is established.”

Nodding, I said.

“Now leave Ivan IV behind and cease all demon rituals, liberating the humans.”

“Understood.”

Wooo…

The Eight Parts of the Divine began to open the door with their techniques and started to disappear. Just as Gin Nara was about to vanish, he added.

“Emperor Baek Woong of the Central Plains, understand that this is the first time in history that we transcendent beings have negotiated with a mere human on equal terms. Such recognition of a mere mortal has never happened before…”

“……”

“Haha… I hope we have a beneficial future together.”

Swish!

Feeling that I had just wrapped up the negotiations with the Eight Parts of the Divine successfully, I let out a sigh.

“Phew…”

The advisors couldn’t contribute much beyond basic guidelines; the rest fell on me to improvise. Throughout our discussion, I felt it was still tough to take on the Eight Parts of the Divine head-on. Among our forces, there should be at least two more strong beings on the level of the Eight Parts of the Divine.

‘The Overlord.’

I felt a surge of confidence from Gin Nara’s words.

‘Yeah… Let’s see how it goes.’

If I were to do this, it wouldn’t stop at the Central Plains.

Now that I’ve controlled the threat of the Eight Parts of the Divine, I’ll smash the Twelve Joules and conquer the East.

Then I shall advance into the world to gather the Dharma Techniques!