전생검신 97권 15화

After snagging the Golden Crow and Saint Germain, I made my way back to the Shadowless Gate where Mangnyang was hanging out.

Boom!

I dove right into explaining to Mangnyang the wild events I encountered in the West, and he had this look that said he was fascinated.

“The Angel King Metatron from another realm…? I feel like I’ve heard that name before. But you’re telling me he’s a big deal?”

Oh, right… I had chitchatted about a lot of things with Mangnyang but totally skimmed over the importance of Metatron!

I spun him the whole tale about my meeting with Metatron. Mangnyang listened intently, and after a while, he deeply contemplated and replied.

“Even the Great Immortal thinks beings that dwell in the clouds are quite something. Honestly, I can hardly fathom how mighty he is.”

“Hmm, is that so…?”

“On a basic level, among the strong ones you’ve met, excluding the Outer Gods, he seems to be one of the top five absolute beings… Just knowing that is probably sufficient?”

“Sounds accurate.”

“Hmmm.”

With a stick in hand, Mangnyang doodled something on the ground, really pondering hard. Then he asked,

“So, what if we just don’t summon Metatron?”

“Why’s that?”

“Every variable so far can be controlled by you taking risks and going all out. But I doubt even you could handle Metatron’s true power… Do you really think you can manage to bring a transcendent being into this world?”

“……”

“Unless you’re desperately in need of the Law of Cause and Effect… Maybe it’s better to postpone that request?”

Mangnyang’s advice was very sound and practical. Honestly, I’d been thinking along the same lines.

‘But…’

If I didn’t summon Metatron, I’d never unlock the mystery of the Guardian of the West.

I needed to know his true identity; it felt essential!

Could I even reach a level capable of confronting the deities of heaven and earth without ever discovering the identity of the Guardian of the West?

While I mulled it over, Mangnyang chimed in.

“Whatever the case, let’s just accept that we’ve wrapped up our business in the West. Now it’s time to handle the East.”

“What should I do next?”

“Well, naturally, you need to collect the Seven Luminaries!”

“Hmm!”

“Currently, you have the Water Spirit and the Golden Crow. Now to gather the Moon Sovereign, Fire Spirit, Wood Element, and Earth Spirit.”

I worriedly retorted to Mangnyang’s suggestion.

“But… as I mentioned before, each Luminary has a Guardian…”

“I know. The Heavenly Realm is closely watching all of them. If push comes to shove, they’ll send a strong projection to intervene. If that happens, things will blow up completely.”

“True.”

Exactly. That was the problem.

I was confident I could manage to deal with the Guardians of the Seven Luminaries and the sealing guardians. The real issue arose after obtaining the Seven Luminaries, as the Heavenly Realm would intensively keep an eye on me. They would control me in some way or claw back the Luminaries, leading to inevitable conflict with the top officials of the Heavenly Realm.

‘It’s not that I fear the Heavenly Realm anymore. But if things escalate uncontrollably, the Three Sovereigns will quickly emerge, and the mortal realm will be doomed…’

After countless struggles, I gained nothing by forcefully confronting the Three Sovereigns without any reliable information. Had I anticipated that, I wouldn’t have been this cautious. I was consistently working with my comrades to gather intel and reduce worldly variables to achieve better outcomes while avoiding confrontation with the Heavenly Realm.

Mangnyang chuckled.

“Regarding that issue, there’s actually a simple solution.”

“What? A simple solution? That exists?”

“Let’s first identify the essence of the problem. Why is the Heavenly Realm monitoring and inhibiting your acquisition of the Seven Luminaries?”

“Because they’re the markers for the contract of the Three Sovereigns, so when all Seven Luminaries are collected, something big will happen.”

“Exactly. But let’s think this through.”

With a swift movement, Mangnyang drew a large circle on the ground and placed six tiny ones inside, pointing at one of the small circles with his stick.

“This is the Water Spirit. And those six tiny circles represent the Seven Luminaries, with the large circle representing the Sun Sovereign’s legendary treasure when all six are gathered. Got it?”

“Got it.”

With a firm press on the Water Spirit, Mangnyang continued,

“However, you always start by gathering the Water Spirit first upon reincarnation. Just collecting the Water Spirit alone doesn’t trigger much reaction from the Heavenly Realm. Any idea why?”

“……?”

Wait, what?

Mangnyang’s statement made me scratch my head in confusion before responding.

“Err… I got the Water Spirit, but I haven’t liberated my power yet, right? They sound off only when that happens…”

“Heh, liberation might be a factor… but at its core, this is it. Just acquiring one out of these six Luminaries doesn’t significantly shift the balance of power in the world.”

“Hmm?!”

“Consider this carefully. Right now, you have two unliberated Luminaries… But that alone doesn’t make the Heavenly Realm move… What does this imply?”

With a swift motion, Mangnyang touched the boundary line of the large circle.

“The Sun Sovereign. From the Heavenly Realm’s perspective, the possibility of you reaching here is key.”

“Hmm…?!”

“In simpler terms, gathering one or two of the Luminaries might not raise alarms. Each of the Luminaries is a legendary treasure, and typically, no one even knows their locations… So when their numbers are low, there’s no watchfulness. But if their count rises or power is liberated? That’s when the Heavenly Realm gets intrusive.”

“Right. That kinda makes sense.”

I tilted my head skeptically.

“And what’s the solution?”

“A straightforward one.”

Mangnyang pointed his stick at me.

“Baek Woong, you should stop collecting the Luminaries. That way, it’ll be easy to avoid the Heavenly Realm’s observation.”

“……?!”

“What do you mean? I must gather the Luminaries! How can you suggest not collecting them when that’s a total nonsense?”

“Heh, you really don’t get it, huh…”

Mangnyang’s smirk hinted at my confusion.

“Think this through: it only matters that ‘you’ don’t collect them. There’s no law saying someone else can’t.”

“……?”

Wait, what?

As I stared blankly, Mangnyang chuckled.

“I’m talking about your comrades.”

“Uh…?”

“We’ll go to the sealing relics of the Luminaries and collect them on your behalf. That way, you won’t be directly spotted by the Heavenly Realm, and since the locations of the Luminaries will appear split, there’s less of a reason for them to keep an eye out.”

“Ah…!”

“Of course, that’s the surface reason. Later on, when you actually need the Luminaries, we can just deliver them to you.”

Now that’s clever!

I was stunned, as I hadn’t considered this.

‘My fixed mindset had been to directly retrieve the Luminaries, so asking my comrades never even crossed my mind!’

While I was admiring Mangnyang’s plan, an idea suddenly struck me, and I asked him.

“Wait! Your comrades are all in the Shadowless Gate too, right? You’ll be caught as soon as you gather the Luminaries and return to the Shadowless Gate.”

“Heh. Instead, let’s set up temporary bases all over the Central Plains. We’ll scatter and meet up whenever you need us. It seems that’s how we did it in my past life when I established the Bancheon Alliance.”

“Ah.”

“You don’t necessarily have to do it that way. You already have the Imperial Palace as an ally, right? Have Zhuge Yulong from the Imperial Palace collect the Luminaries, and since he’ll ‘appear’ to have gained them, no one will suspect him.”

“……!”

How clever!

I was taken aback by how easily I could now avoid the Heavenly Realm’s surveillance. Feeling somewhat amazed, I said,

“Why didn’t I think of this by the 31st cycle?”

Mangnyang shook his head.

“It’s not that you couldn’t think of it. Up until the 28th cycle, you hadn’t fully figured out the locations and strategies of all the Luminaries, right? Plus, you had hardly any strong allies who could collect them by themselves.”

“Ah!”

“Even if a strong ally joined you, most were likely part of the Heavenly Realm’s projection or were beings you couldn’t control at all. The strongest potential allies were from the Heavenly Realm, which left you with no options.”

“……”

That was true. Beings like the Celestial Sage, Xiang Yu, Yi, and Cheon Gong-pyo could have easily claimed the Luminaries, but back then, it was practically impossible for me to contend with them directly. Each time I wanted to negotiate for the Luminaries, I relied on countless reasons and persuasion rather than sheer strength.

Mangnyang folded his arms.

“If my Priest gets involved, he could easily snag the Moon Sovereign and Fire Spirit. However, since Musashi is affiliated with the Twelve Joules, that’s a no-go, and Asura is part of the Eight Parts of the Divine, which is also tricky. So let’s just put those thoughts aside for now… Go to Dongyoung, first.” And then…

I nodded as I listened to what Mangnyang advised.

“Understood.”

Boom!

I headed near Aokigahara Life Sea, to the village inhabited by the members of the Yin-Yang Master clan where Seimei was said to reside. Upon entering, I found dozens of Yin-Yang masters blocking my path.

“Who goes there!”

“Here to meet Abe no Seimei.”

“Looks like a shady character… Grab him!”

Suddenly, all sorts of Yin-Yang techniques and spirit puppets surged at me, but instead of moving, I decided to just stand there.

Crumble!

Crash!

Crackle!

Flames and lightning sparked around me as wolf-like spirit puppets tore at me from all angles, but I didn’t even get a scratch. I had been using the Protection Energy Technique all along, and that alone was enough to render their attacks useless.

“Ugh.”

“H-Holy crap, a monster…?”

Eventually, after some time, I yawned and said,

“I’m not looking for a fight; just let me see Seimei. I’m here because of Susanoo.”

“……! Wait!”

After a while, a leader amongst the Yin-Yang masters cautiously said, “Follow me…”

I followed him until we arrived at Seimei’s dwelling, atop a massive tree that I was already quite familiar with. As I climbed upward, I thought,

‘This place is inconvenient since I can’t just teleport due to the strong sorcery barrier…’

When I finally met the renowned Abe no Seimei, I asked the onlookers to step aside and revealed my identity as a reincarnated person, sharing everything that had happened so far.

After considerable time, as Seimei focused intently on my story, he sighed and said,

“I have no doubt about your words! However, the only thing I find hard to believe is that you’ve truly lost Amaterasu’s divine powers.”

“You don’t have to believe that. Honestly, it might take a long time to regain them.”

“Hmm… If what you say is true, I sense something. The eruptions of Mount Fuji have been unusually active lately.”

“Unusually active how?”

“It’s bubbling with the potent energy, likely about to erupt. I suspect it’ll be within a few days…”

BOOM!

In the next instant, the whole village of Yin-Yang masters shook from a massive explosion. I felt a strong tremor and muttered.

“Seems today’s the day for surprises.”

“…Susanoo has awakened.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Even from afar, I could sense this intense divine energy!

For the first time, I felt the immense power of Susanoo, one of the three great gods of the Shadowless Gate, who had been sealed by the Three Sovereigns in ancient times. As I felt the moment Susanoo was freed, it dawned on me that this situation was unlike any I had previously experienced.

‘I’m glad I took Mangnyang’s advice to come here.’

While I thought that, Abe no Seimei asked,

“What do you plan to do? It would be easiest to strike while he’s just awakened.”

That seemed to be the case. Even during the time I had known, Susanoo would inevitably seek out places with strong energies to recover his diminished powers. But I couldn’t help but chuckle at Abe no Seimei’s suggestion.

“He’s not a target for an attack. Just let’s go take a look together.”

“Understood.”

With Seimei using the technique of revealing the flow of spiritual energy, we moved with his sorcery, flying towards the summit of Mount Fuji. As we neared the bubbling magma flowing from the mountain, I caught sight of a brilliant glowing divine form shimmering against the dark lava.

‘Looking at the force flowing from his divine form, even in this state, he could effortlessly annihilate the Great Immortal…’

But still, it was true that he seemed weaker compared to when his powers were fully restored.

After assessing Susanoo’s condition, I addressed him.

“Susanoo, I am Baek Woong.”

[…….]

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

Yet Susanoo’s glowing form offered no response. For a moment, I wondered if it was my diminished spiritual energy making me inconsequential, but that didn’t seem quite right.

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

Silence.

While closely observing Susanoo, I suddenly realized something.

“This guy… he’s unconscious, isn’t he?”

“…What?! Seriously?”

“Look at those eyes. They’re not the eyes of a conscious being.”

“Godly beings can have those kinds of eyes too….”

“Ah, that’s just how it is… It’s obvious.”

“……”

Seimei quietly contemplated my words and invoked a spell, shooting talismans while forming seals.

“The Art of the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper.”

The seven talismans, representing each star, summoned the constellations’ power. As they reached their peak, rays burst forth from the talismans, binding Susanoo in a spiritual net.

“Well, you were right. It seems even if Amaterasu’s powers penetrate, he won’t react at all. Under normal circumstances, no human sorcerer would dare be so rude, and Susanoo would respond with his divine nature.”

“So I’m right…”

“He’s in a kind of state of suspended animation. However, it’s unheard of for a deity to enter such a state after unsealing… Is that due to his seal being only partially lifted?”

“……”

I pondered Seimei’s words for a moment before replying.

“He might be in suspended animation, but I can’t shake the feeling he’s merely sleeping.”

“Sleeping?”

“He seems to still be unconscious. Just a gut feeling.”

“Hmm, sleeping is an odd thing. To just break free from his seal, a god would need a powerful will to do so. How could he fall asleep during that?”

“……”

That did seem a bit odd…

‘But I can’t shake this instinct… He’s snoozing away, for sure.’

As I confirmed that Susanoo no longer had any intention to move or attack, I turned to Seimei.

“What if we just leave him here?”

“That’s too dangerous. If he had any consciousness, we could negotiate or command him to control his aggression, but if he suddenly goes wild in his unconscious state, it could lead to catastrophic destruction.”

Seimei might be right; if Susanoo went berserk, the first casualty would likely be the village where Seimei lived. Agreeing with him, I proposed,

“Well then, I’ll take Susanoo with me. Sound good?”

“What? What do you plan to do if he goes wild?”

“I’ll take responsibility. If I hadn’t come, handling him would have been hard for you too, right? That decision weighs heavier on me.”

“…I have nothing to say to that. Just please be cautious.”

“If you want to contact me in an emergency, use this.”

Handing Seimei the suspicious-seeming treasure I got from the Namgung Clan, he took it and nodded.

“Good. I’d like to ask how you plan to transfer him.”

“Transfer? I’m just going to carry him and fly away.”

I had learned previously that putting a powerful being into a wooden armor might be a bumpy ride. I figured I’d have to carry him myself.

“…Is that even possible?”

“It is.”

With disbelief in his eyes, Seimei stared at me, so I smiled and added,

“Anyway, I’ll check in with Kamizumi Nobutsuna and Tsukahara Bokkuden. I’ll wrap up all my business while I’m here.”

“Understood. I’ll cast a sealing barrier here for a time.”

I made my way back to the entrance of Aokigahara Life Sea, where I found the two legendary sword masters. After explaining my situation, they agreed to come with me, thrilled at the prospect of learning the Absolute Realm’s teachings. I packed them into my wooden armor.

‘Ah… I almost forgot about Cheongwol…’

As one of the Thunderbolt Three Saints and a powerhouse from the Thunder God Lineage! He entered the Life Sea seeking clues to potentially defeat the Master of the White Lotus Sect, yet I had learned that he had gotten stuck in the Third Sea, unable to escape.

While pondering this, I turned to Seimei.

“One of my comrades from the Thunder God Lineage, Cheongwol, is trapped in the Third Sea. Can you help rescue him?”

“Sorry, but I wouldn’t dare to venture into the Third Sea myself.”

“Hmm, yeah, that does make sense.”

From my experience, the chaos within the Third Sea was full of beings that were at least as strong as the Great Immortal or even better than that. Back when I power summoned Yeodong-bin, I had a hard time prevailing over them. If the dangers from the Third Sea gang up, even with Seimei’s semi-divinity, he would likely face severe injury.

It wouldn’t be worth the risk to rescue an outsider from another sect.

As I pressed forward, I mentioned,

“I guess I have no choice but to shoulder this burden.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? The Living Sea and the Death Sea are one thing, but the Third Sea is crawling with beasts…”

“Shouldn’t you be concerned about Aokigahara Life Sea? We might end up closing business today.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

With a grin, I flexed my fist.

“We’ll see since this place isn’t exactly part of the material realm…”

Bang!

I charged straight into the entrance of the Living Sea. The vast expanse of the second realm came into view, and without another thought, I unleashed my Thunder God powers, hurling my fist forth. More powerful now than I had ever been since the 31st life cycle began!

“Let’s go hard this time!”

“Thunder God Fist!”

Flash!

BOOM!

In an instant, the radiance blasted forth from my fist and filled my vision. When the lightning exploded, countless beasts within the Living Sea were engulfed and incinerated, revealing a gaping abyss beneath the surface.

BOOM!

The surge of my Thunder God Fist continued undiminished, thrashing through the dimensional boundary between the Living Sea and the Death Sea. I used the Soul Removal Technique to follow my momentum and darted forward. Moments later, the power surged similarly across the Death Sea as well.

[Argh!]

[Uh-oh!]

Could it be that the beasts in the Death Sea are also that much stronger? At least groaning sounds echoed as they passed on. Yet just like in the Living Sea, one strike was enough to wipe them out thoroughly. Everything in the Death Sea was succumbing to my Thunder God aura.

I watched, realizing that the residual force of my Thunder God fist had obliterated more than half of the Death Sea and completely shattered the dimensional boundary with the Third Sea.

Crash!

At that moment, another powerful being appeared and quickly dodged my Thunder God power.

‘The Guardian of the Third Sea!’

Evidently, it had caught on to the potential lethality of my Thunder God fist.

I dashed into the Third Sea where the chaos reigned and could sense that the residual energy of my Thunder God fist was still rushing forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The energy lingered longer than it should have, hinting at its might.

Suddenly a massive monster emerged, reminiscent of a mountain in size, a Giant Toad Demon Beast! I had never seen such a creature in all my lives. It seemed monsters were spawning randomly in the chaotic depths of the Third Sea. The Giant Toad confronted me, as if eager to take on my Thunder God fists.

Flash!

<|vq_16198|>BAM!

[Grrrrowwwl!]!

In an instant, the whole body of the Giant Toad exploded into flames, and a brilliant light of destruction erupted, thousands of times larger than itself! My Thunder God fist likewise surged forward, tearing through the dimensional chaos with an eerie roar.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

WHOOSH!

Then, just like that, an unrecognized beast from the depths of the Third Sea probably got caught in the chaos. A blinding light spread from the creature, creating heated waves of flame that swept across the battlefield.

“Found you.”

Having effortlessly surged into the Third Sea, I located Cheongwol’s hidden spot well within my memory. Notably, a chaotic beast loitered nearby, so I immediately unleashed my Thunder God powers once again.

BAM!

The beast was obliterated instantly. At that very moment, Cheongwol, who had been concealed among the ruins, trembled as he recognized me.

“Y-You were… Who…? How did you take down those beasts as easily as swatting flies…?”

“I’m Baek Woong. Ordinarily, rescuing you wouldn’t be this simple, but just be thankful for the luck.”

I placed Cheongwol into my wooden armor and prepared to withdraw from the realm.

Bang!

At that moment, a faint apparition materialized before me.

As I observed it carefully, the figure spoke.

[It seems you possess the power to overturn the heavens. Among the deities, I’m unfamiliar with anyone quite like you; who are you?]

Having gleaned enough from my lives, I casually replied.

“What’s it to you who I am? I’m not here to fight, so step aside.”

[….Heh… This is interesting.]

The entity’s amusement shone through as it slowly reached out a hand toward me.

[I am an outsider unattached to the fates of this world. You also appear disinterested in the balance of the world… I assure you, cooperating with me would benefit you greatly.]

This being’s power could potentially be helpful to me.

But that was a premature thought.

“……”

Ignoring the extended hand, I chose to remain silent, and the apparition, tasting the disappointment, licked its lips.

[No thoughts, huh? Well, fine… come find me later. I am prepared to welcome the man of chaos with open arms.]

As the apparition dissipated, I sighed.

“Hah. Guess this is happening now.”

The figure that had appeared before me was none other than the ruler of Aokigahara Life Sea and the true master of the Death Sea, the [King of the Life Sea]! More precisely, it was an avatar sent temporarily by the King of the Life Sea.

Though the King of the Life Sea was outwardly known to be a notch stronger than a Demon King, his true ability was comparable to the powerful divine entity known as the Old Ruler! Not to mention, he was also a mere underling to a being I could not fathom, making him a particularly tricky opponent.

If I unleashed my full strength, I could knock the King of the Life Sea down, but avoiding confrontation was ideal as this being likely marked the inception of tangled variables that could threaten to lead to global catastrophe.

I quickly escaped the Aokigahara Life Sea and headed straight to where Susanoo was situated. At that point, I began to manipulate the spiritual energy into a field around Susanoo.

“Whew, it’s working!”

When I returned to this reality during my 30th life, I was amazed by the memory of Wei Zhi-hun using transference techniques that allowed him to hover objects in the air. Back then, it was a demonstration of raising me and Soeul, who had been gravely wounded. It became clear I could employ a similar skill.

‘Too much flow caused by the spiritual channels being closed off, and this excessive power is the weakness of mine…but it’s an advantage when creating energies needing vast internal powers.’

I lifted Susanoo into the air, then spoke to Seimei.

“See you next time.”

“……”

“Why the long face?”

Seimei put on a bemused smile and replied,

“The ruler of the Life Sea sent me a message earlier, insisting that if you ever return, you must guide him to me. He even promised me a payback for doing so.”

“……”

“Seems you’ve achieved something unprecedented here. Let’s hope you bestow some grace upon this world.”

“If I save the world, then that’ll be plenty of grace!”

I retorted lightly, lifting Susanoo as I began to soar through the skies.

I’ll fly straight from the Shadowless Gate to the Central Plains!