전생검신 88권 07화

The World Divided into Three!

My own unique influence!

At those words, Yu Mang looked quite surprised. Then he let out a chuckle.

“Haha, this is getting serious. With that kind of influence, you could have power comparable to any divine organization.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

“But do you really grasp what it means to establish your own influence? If things go well, you might achieve a balance of power and create peace, but if things go wrong, it could lead to a huge war, like a square peg in a round hole.”

“……”

“It’s not the size of the influence that matters, but rather the ‘justification’ for maintaining world peace among others.”

Justification…

‘That’s a valid point. Truly, this is the wisdom of a divine being that has lived for millions of years…’

I agreed with Yu Mang’s statement. After all, from the gods’ perspective, there were still thousands of years left until the end, a lengthy time for humans, but just a moment for deities to take a little detour. In a chaos where their own gains took precedence, would a large influence really shield them from attack?

As Yu Mang said, if a new influence sought to aim for peace, a solid justification to stop the gods’ conflicts was necessary. Without it, it would merely be a matter of time before someone went to war. After all, the gods were continuously waging war among themselves for better positions during the [Revelation].

Lee Hwan-woong chuckled at this and said,

“That’s not difficult at all.”

“Not difficult?”

“Because it’s Baek Woong, there’s a different method to do it. I can’t explain everything here, but if Baek Woong leads the persuasion, surely all the gods will halt their wars and quiet down.”

With that, Lee Hwan-woong raised his hand slightly.

“To do that, at some point, we need to bring all the gods and their leaders to a negotiation table. To get them to accept negotiations, we need to demonstrate enough power to spread our reputation. Right now, we’re just in the starting phase.”

“Hmm, sounds plausible.”

“Yu Mang, I would like to ask you something.”

“……?”

“Among the officials from Takrok Village here, do you think you can cultivate someone comparable to the Emperor’s close aides, Jeon Wook or Jeogok?”

Yu Mang’s eyebrows twitched at Lee Hwan-woong’s words.

“Are you serious? You know how formidable they are, right…?”

“Yes. At least we need one of those beings among our allies if we want to negotiate fairly against the Emperor and Fuxi.”

“Hmm…”

Yu Mang listened to Lee Hwan-woong and scanned the room slowly. After some time, his gaze landed on someone, stroking his chin, and said,

“I suppose this guy has the best chance of reaching that level.”

The one whom Yu Mang’s gaze landed on was Yeol-san.

The most powerful person with extraordinary powers born in Takrok Village, and the brother of Yuso and the young girl! Moreover, he has a unique ability to consume chaos. Yeol-san’s ability may be deemed the highest level among all the humans I’ve seen in my past life.

Lee Hwan-woong seemed surprised and said,

“You think Yeol-san has the highest potential? Then why did you take Cheongyang as your disciple?”

“While Yeol-san has the highest potential, he doesn’t seem that interested in the martial path. However, Cheongyang is seriously pursuing martial arts. The only requirement to become my disciple is martial prowess, and compared to Yeol-san, Cheongyang’s potential may be lower, but his capabilities have long transcended that of a mere human.”

“Then can I take it that cultivating Yeol-san would make him a powerhouse on par with the Three Sovereigns in the future?”

“How should I know that? He certainly possesses the best potential among you all. Furthermore, if we’re discussing potential purely, the young girl (Su-nyeo) would actually be the strongest… But her power is akin to a treasure that all the gods covet, so I left her out of this.”

With a curt response, Yu Mang suddenly glared at the young girl who was present.

“By the way, shouldn’t we solve the issue of the young girl as well? For now, because of Baek Woong, the forces of chaos and order are all cautious, so they’re not trying to retrieve her. But soon enough, no matter which deity it might be, they will come for her. If you consider yourself the advisor, then elaborate on how to handle this matter.”

“Ha… The solution to that problem is simple. It all comes down to the people of Takrok Village becoming stronger. We need at least one more strong person who won’t become a burden for Baek Woong, which is why I just asked you that question.”

“So you used a trick like the seniority system to amplify power?”

“Yes. But as you know, it’s still quite lacking…”

As Lee Hwan-woong trailed off, his eyes glimmered for a moment.

“Yu Mang, then we will focus all our strength on Yeol-san.”

“Focusing strength?”

“Yes. As you know, today we distributed power equally among about ten initial shareholders. But if we concentrate that power on one person during the next distribution…”

“……I can’t guarantee that. This is somewhat absurd.”

Yu Mang shook his head in disbelief and cautiously spoke.

“Are you Lee Hwan-woong? Is your lord, Baek Woong, such a strong being that it’s given you cognitive dissonance? The gap between mortals and the upper divine status is deeper and more desperate than you think. Just concentrating power on Yeol-san won’t spawn a new upper divine status. An upper divine exists to control several galaxies and spread their reputation across the universe; do you really think someone from the lowly breeds of a tiny planet could rise to that rank? Even if there were 100 demon kings like those thieves, an upper divine could easily crush them with a finger.”

“……”

“If you want to cultivate a being of such strength, merely concentrating power won’t suffice. At the very least, Baek Woong must have the resolve to sacrifice something to nurture them.”

“Looks like that’s indeed the case…”

Lee Hwan-woong, who had been pondering, glanced at the young girl and said,

“Young lady, the time has come for you to lay your cards on the table.”

Gulp!

At Lee Hwan-woong’s sudden words, the girl in black silk attire widened her eyes in surprise.

“What do you mean by laying my cards on the table…?”

“Don’t play dumb. We already decided to take a strategical approach, so I can’t keep treating you delicately anymore. At the very least, we must hear about the truth you’ve been hiding in this place.”

“Hiding the truth? What are you talking about… I told you everything I knew before.”

“No. You’ve been hiding the truth.”

“Hiding what?”

“Hehe…”

Then Lee Hwan-woong, with a wicked smile, continued,

“For example… inside the Palace of the Queen Mother of the West, during the first meeting with Baek Woong, you and Yuso discussed how you could mutually degrade each other’s abilities. Am I right?”

“That was indeed true.”

“If that’s the case, it means you, possessing the ability of [Omnipotence], could temporarily draw upon [Omniscience]’s power. You were able to foresee fragmented futures using that power. However, doesn’t the opposite also hold true?”

“……”

“Your sister, Yuso, holding the ability of [Omniscience], could conversely weaken [Omnipotence].”

“I haven’t really hidden that, so why are you saying I hid something?”

The room fell silent in shock at Lee Hwan-woong’s words.

“Do you know why I’ve made such deductions?”

“Why?”

“It’s simple. If I was in your position, being someone with both omniscience and the ability to wield a bit of omnipotence, I would guess accordingly. There’s no need to doubt when it comes to human desires and motivations. In fact, I have no substantial evidence other than that.”

“……”

“But let me warn you in advance. I’m giving you the chance to reveal the truth. Right now, it could still pass as a mistake, but if the truth comes out later… you will become a long-lasting enemy of Baek Woong, facing dire consequences. What will you do?”

Hearing Lee Hwan-woong’s words, Yu Mang mumbled in disbelief.

“Haha… Did you just throw out a conspiracy theory out of intuition? If the girl were truly an enemy, she wouldn’t fall for such ridiculous probing.”

“Haha. Exactly, if she isn’t an enemy.”

Lee Hwan-woong laughed, but after a moment, the girl took a deep breath and said,

“Sigh… You’re right. I had suspected that Yuso might have mirrored my abilities.”

“Oh? You revealed that so easily to such a simple probing. Surprising.”

“Surprising? I’d say it was all calculated.”

“That can’t be~”

The young girl glared at Lee Hwan-woong with displeasure, but truthfully, she was right.

‘Lee Hwan-woong, that guy is truly terrifying…’

Although he seemed to propose a flimsy conspiracy theory, in reality, every action and word of Lee Hwan-woong was calculated.

The young girl now understood that I was the only being who could protect her in this world, so it was imperative she do nothing to make me wary or suspicious. For her, merely mentioning something that could plant a seed of doubt would send chills down her spine. Moreover, emphasizing my potential for relentless revenge as a reincarnated person would intensify her psychological pressure.

I realized that while Lee Hwan-woong seemed similar to the other advisors, he was a completely different entity. While Mangnyang and Zhuge Clan preferred to dismantle their opponents logically, Lee Hwan-woong didn’t care much about how flimsy his logic was; he would drag his opponents into the mud. He seemed to excel at seizing advantages even amidst seemingly illogical discussions.

In blunt terms, even if he fell short in logical debates, as long as he won the fight, it wouldn’t matter.

Can this guy be called an advisor?

And soon, I realized I was mistaken.

‘Ah… No, this guy isn’t just an advisor. More like a crafty victor, one who will do anything to win.’

Having a sharp mind simply allowed him to assume the role of an advisor temporarily, but his essence was to take the lead in a situation, directly or indirectly. He was willing to use flawed strategies and deception to achieve victory in any situation. It wasn’t so much that the young girl genuinely distrusted me; more like he was forcefully threatening us to speak up or bear the consequences.

Chilling.

I felt the chill because I had experienced this same feeling from that very person before.

‘This guy is definitely the same as Master of the Twelve Joules Ha Eun-cheon…!!’

What I had merely known in my head until now finally hit me hard. Eventually, this guy would become the Master of the Twelve Joules as he accumulates thousands of years of experience and becomes more notorious!

After a moment, the young girl finally spoke.

“Baek Woong, I didn’t intend to deceive you. But I found it difficult to speak up since I wasn’t entirely sure myself.”

“Does that mean, as Lee Hwan-woong suggested, that there’s a high likelihood that Yuso utilized your infinite powers?”

“……Perhaps. But I have no clue how Yuso applied my abilities. Although we can replicate each other’s powers, no signals are sent when they are used.”

“Weren’t there any hints? Did you just gloss over and say ‘just follow me’?”

“Yes. But Yuso had always confidently spoken of something since she was a child.”

“What was it?”

The young girl took a deep breath before continuing to speak.

“The reincarnated person would never be able to find themselves. They would only end up creating the picture they wanted, like a dog chasing its tail…”

“……What?”

With that, the young girl flushed and narrowly lowered her head.

“I’m s-sorry. I should have told you earlier… But if I brought that up, I thought you’d only suspect me more and wouldn’t come to rescue me.”

“You’re already plenty suspicious, so don’t worry. It’s concerning that you would only reveal such vital information when pressed by Lee Hwan-woong…”

“……”

“Come on, keep talking. If there’s anything else you haven’t disclosed, now’s the time.”

At my prompting, the young girl cautiously continued.

“……I mentioned this before, right? According to Yuso’s prophecy, she and I are destined to die simultaneously… So, my being alive also means Yuso is still alive.”

“I already knew that.”

“But Yuso also mentioned that she could break that precondition. Normally, the prophecies of an omniscient being restrict their fate, but a reincarnated person could break those limitations…”

“……?”

This was genuinely a puzzling tale.

‘What exactly is Yuso aiming at?’

Yuso, being nearly at the Emperor’s level of omniscience, would have made her predictions binding. Just look at Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen’s ability to calculate cause and effect flawlessly until the very end; genuine omniscient beings exist on another level. And because their omniscience is so powerful, once a prophecy is made, it must be fulfilled, and if it pertains to themselves, they become trapped by the error of not escaping their own predictions.

But Yuso said she could use me to break the contradictions within her omniscience?

How could she achieve that?

At that moment, Lee Hwan-woong, who was listening nearby, interjected.

“You don’t seem to know much. You must not fully grasp the implications of what you just said.”

“Yeah?”

“Really don’t know?”

At that instant, Lee Hwan-woong summoned the Cosmic Fragment in his hand and struck toward the young girl at an incredible speed.

Boom!!

In that moment, I quickly jumped in front of Lee Hwan-woong to shield the young girl. Even as a young girl, if stripped of her powers, she was no different than an ordinary human, making her vulnerable to sudden attacks. Shocked by Lee Hwan-woong’s sudden action, I shouted at him.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing!!”

“What am I doing? Haven’t you realized what the young girl’s words imply?”

“What?”

Lee Hwan-woong’s follow-up words left me frozen.

“First off, if we kill the girl now, we will know whether there is a contradiction in Yuso’s prophecy. Why would we bother with a more complicated route when the solution is so simple?”