Chapter 296
“What’s this? Ninjas in a moonlight fight?”
In the Celestial Realm, I found myself huddled with Jin So-cheong, brainstorming on how to tackle the pesky Gongsun Sword Technique. Jin So-cheong, ever the wise one, pulled from his bag of tricks and shared how the technique flows, warning me about its deadly moves.
“You should use the Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword to your advantage!”
“Why should I?”
“If you mess with the harmony, that fancy technique’s integrity will go kaboom!”
I suddenly had a lightbulb moment. “Wait, you mean you used that in the fight on Mount Tai?”
“Yep! Applied that secret knowledge from Jang Sam-bong. You can totally turn the tide against him.”
“That’s a relief!”
Feeling lighter than air, I looked forward to tackling the fight ahead. Jin So-cheong gazed at me with intent.
“So, what’s next?”
“I’ll make a quick pit stop at Dongyoung before diving back into battle mode. I need to chat with the Master of the White Lotus Sect ASAP.”
“Solid plan!”
With that, we zoomed over to Dongyoung, channeling some mystical energy. The obsidian mines over there were like a treasure trove. I ducked to miss the workers’ gazes and started digging for quality obsidian, while Jin So-cheong marveled at a small piece he picked up.
“This isn’t special, but in your hands, it turns into a gem!”
“Not as easy as it seems. The memory capacity really depends on size. It’s a bit annoying.”
While obsidian techniques seemed almighty, there were limits. If I wanted to transfer all my knowledge and skills at once, I’d need a giant chunk of rock—like twenty pieces! Finding that in the human realm? Nearly impossible! The bigger the knowledge, the bigger the rock needed.
“Let’s go find Miho!”
After gathering enough obsidian, we headed to the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace in Kyoto, where Miho was supposed to be. But as I got there, I searched high and low for her presence, only to find nothing but crickets.
‘Wait, what?’
Miho was MIA! The Emperor, usually wrapped around her little finger, was in good spirits, working on state affairs as if nothing was wrong. Even the Spirit Puppet was nowhere to be found. Something seemed off. I used the Soul Removal Technique to make an appearance before the Emperor.
“Whoa!”
“Sorry for dropping in unannounced!”
I gave him a nod and asked, “You don’t have any fuzzy memories of being enchanted by a nine-tailed fox, do you? We kinda need to find her!”
“Hmm…”
The Emperor glanced around, clearly nervous. “Are you folks her underlings?”
“If we were, we wouldn’t be trailing her, right? We need a face-to-face with that fox.”
“She dispelled my enchantment not long ago and left. I’m just doing my Emperor duties now. That’s all I know.”
“Where’d she go?”
The Emperor frowned, sinking deeper into his chair. “I wish I could share more, but I’ve got nothing. I heard she might be heading over to Goryeo.”
“Goryeo? What’s she hunting for?”
He waved his hands in defeat. “Beats me. Just leave me out of it. I wanna keep things peaceful.”
“Fine by me.”
So we bounced out of the Emperor’s palace. Jin So-cheong seemed a bit dazed, taking in the sights and sounds of Dongyoung for the first time. I stood on a building and mused aloud, “We should hit Goryeo next.”
“Sure, but don’t we have a little fox to find first?”
“Just hit two spots.”
“Two spots?”
I nodded with conviction. “If we don’t find Miho, then we just have to accept it. Let’s get started!”
One crazy burst of energy later, I headed to Mount Muni, where the Guardian of the Moon was sealed. I realized that the Great Monk Seo San was always roaming around, keeping things safe. But I was more interested in the hidden altar than the monk, so he didn’t sense us sneaking in. His barrier only sensed external intrusions, after all.
At the ancient altar, I scanned the surroundings and activated the barrier to check if the Moon Sovereign was truly intact.
‘Gotcha.’
The three divine tools were perfectly untouched. As long as I left it be, the Guardian of the Moon would stay snoozing. I stepped outside, heart a little lighter.
“Is the Moon Sovereign intact?”
“Yep! Looks like Miho hasn’t made it here yet.”
“Phew! Where to next?”
“Let’s hit Gochang.”
“Gochang?”
I cracked my neck and said, “The Emperor hinted there’s a connection to Takamagahara in Gochang. If Miho’s on a quest for the Moon Sovereign, that’s gotta be her next stop.”
“Still unclear on why it matters.”
“If Takamagahara links to the divine realm, it should remind you of somewhere we know.”
As soon as my words registered, Jin So-cheong’s eyes lit up. “The Heavenly Altar!”
“Couldn’t put my finger on it before, but it’s true. Gochang likely has some divine site mirroring the Heavenly Altar, and if Miho seeks the closest supernatural hotspot, that’ll be it!”
Sure, it could be somewhere else entirely, but it’s best to follow up before getting too grounded in theories.
“Gosh, that checks out.”
Jin So-cheong was now looking at me with surprise. “You’re a riddle! You can be so average and then surprise us with your brilliance.”
I chuckled, “I’m just connecting the dots. As if every tale has been woven together all along; every new fact ties back.”
“And you think that’s impressive? Follow your instincts, buddy!”
I brushed aside his praise, scrambling to keep up. I hadn’t been to Gochang yet, so I swirled off to Happyeong. I recalled my past visit to Haeinsa Temple not too far away. Once I reached Happyeong, I dashed toward Gochang.
But as I stepped into Gochang, I found myself in a pickle. Somewhere around here was supposed to be Takamagahara, but locating it felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. “Hey, what do you think?” I turned to Jin So-cheong, who had his brain whirring away.
“All Heavenly Altars were set atop mountains, let’s climb the tallest one we can find.”
“Sounds smart!”
Except there weren’t any mountains to climb. Unlike the grand peaks of other lands, Goryeo felt flatter and way less adventurous. Tired of the wild goose chase, we wound up at Haeinsa to gather intel.
The Great Master Daejeong, once a powerful sorcerer of the Twelve Joules, now just a former elder, greeted us at the temple.
“Once upon a time, Gochang was known as Gotara during the Three Kingdoms period, a battleground during those hefty times. But it’s not particularly special nowadays.”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t know who spun those strange tales, but a Ming Dynasty dude roaming this area won’t be getting warm welcomes from Twelve Joules.”
His cold demeanor felt a bit too much, but I was thankful he chatted with us instead of tossing spells at us. In this precarious situation, we had to tread lightly.
‘Hold on, there’s definitely something in Gochang.’
I thought hard about how to find the oddity here when a light bulb flashed. “Wait a sec, Takamagahara is a highland plateau, right? Let’s start tracking plateaus first!”
After leaving Haeinsa, I searched through Gochang’s highlands. After a couple of hours of hunting, what do you know? We stumbled upon a strange highland sealed with sorcery and barriers strong enough to keep regular folks out. Jin So-cheong chimed in, “Looks like we hit the jackpot!”
“This might just be Takamagahara!”
“Gonna break through? This isn’t just your standard Eight Trigrams formation you can smash your way through!”
“Count me in!”
Ka-boom!
We concentrated our energies and busted right through that barrier. Our formidable abilities combined could slice through even the finest sorcery—especially since Jin So-cheong and I were practically legends in the martial world. Breaking through this barrier? Easy peasy!
As we slipped through, we were greeted by a thick aura of otherworldly energy. While reality was still intact, if the malignant spirits increased their strength, they would twist the very laws of nature around us. This wasn’t your average location; we were likely entering Takamagahara!
Jin So-cheong muttered, “We need to avoid any contact with Twelve Joules when we leave. That Great Master Daejeong from Haeinsa wouldn’t have missed this place.”
“I think you’re right. Like Muni, it’s got a hidden area.”
Venturing further in, we spotted a stone stele inscribed.
[ Emperor I Jin Ah’s Domain ]
My brow furrowed. ‘What a name…’ Next, we climbed up the canyon to reach the valley.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped us, and a gust of black wind rushed in, accompanied by ghostly whispers all around. From my knowledge of Ji-seon Mang-nyang’s sacred texts, I could tell something was off. Pulling Jin So-cheong close, I shouted, “Get back!”
Boom!
Just then, the otherworldly realm slammed into our boundaries. Though it looked like an ordinary plateau, stepping forward would plunge us into another world entirely. One step, and we would vanish into the unknown. Given the peculiar energy racing toward us, it was undoubtedly the place I recognized too well.
I spat out, “Damn it… this connects directly to Dark Heaven Village!”
“Wait, Dark Heaven Village is where the demons lurk, isn’t it?”
“Correct. It appears this Takamagahara has become a Dimension Door.”
Dimension Door! A gateway leading straight to Dark Heaven Village! Such a place was exactly what the Great Immortal and the divine beings dedicated their lives to sealing off. It’s like opening a hole straight into reality; the more these doors open, the easier it is for the Old Ruler to regain their strength.
Often, calamities in the world correlated with these doors bursting open.
So Takamagahara wasn’t a celestial bridge as we thought; perhaps it once was, but now it had turned into a mere dimensional door entrenched in chaos! The sheer amount of dark magic emanating from this place was jaw-dropping!
I replayed the Emperor’s warnings in my head. [ I heard whispers of otherworldly races lurking in the land. The Takamagahara might just be the stronghold for these races. Stay alert! ]
“So this is a hangout for those otherworldly folks?”
Definitely, the I Jin Ah race had emerged here, ready to ravage our realm. The sheer thought made my skin crawl. I had my doubts earlier about Takamagahara being a sacred site but this was worse!
As I gathered my thoughts, Jin So-cheong questioned, “What’s the next move?”
“Let’s retreat. Whether or not there’s a lead on the Seven Luminaries here, we can safely assume Miho isn’t lurking around.”
A tinge of disappointment swept over me. All I wanted was a face-off with Miho, yet here I was, empty-handed. Our precious lead ended nowhere, but at least I confirmed the location of Takamagahara.
‘Gotta stop Miho from gathering the Moon Sovereign.’
Boom! We popped back to the Central Plains. Planning to connect with the Fire Spirit faction in Luoyang, I bid farewell to Jin So-cheong.
“If I tag along, the White Lotus Sect will probably grow more suspicious. I wish you safe travels.”
“I got this!”
After I dropped Jin So-cheong off at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, I made my way to the Han Clan’s residence. The minute I arrived, Han Jin-seong greeted me with a warm smile.
“How did the mission go?”
He grinned as I nodded back, “No biggie.”
“Thank goodness! So, I heard you want to become the Sect Leader’s disciple right away?”
Shifting topics, I nodded vigorously, “Yeah, basically…”
Han Jin-seong chimed in, “My father has something to discuss with you.”
“Your father?”
“Follow me.”
“Alright!”
He led me to his father’s parlor. There, Han Baek-ryeong was lounging, her ebony hair trailing like a black veil while she puffed on her pipe.
Upon spotting me, she studied me with a sharp gaze and asked, “Why are you looking to pick a fight with the Imperial Palace? What’s your agenda?”
Drat, straight to the point! I hadn’t even divulged info to the Fire Spirit faction yet, and she was already digging deep! Keeping my cool, I replied calmly, “What do you mean?”
“Jin-seong, you explain.”
Han Baek-ryeong cut in, urging her son to fill me in. Jin-seong sighed, “Every group under the Emperor is after three people. One of those is you, the famous Baek Woong. The second is Jin So-cheong from the Thunder God Lineage, and the last is still a mystery.”
“…!!”
“The world hasn’t caught wind of this yet, but soon enough, the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families will feel the pressure from the Imperial Palace. Thankfully, our Han Clan got the scoop before it blew up.”
My brain was racing; it was clear that Zhuge Sha’s minions were hunting us down. The Emperor’s Shadow was on our backs. “Did Zhuge Sha send out orders?”
Jin-seong warned me, “Watch your wording here. It’s not wise to deceive my father; your life hangs in the balance.”
This was a bold warning, not just a plea. Jin-seong was in the same bind as me, and he clearly didn’t want to provoke Han Baek-ryeong either. We were in dangerous territory, and laying the truth bare felt risky.
‘What should I do?’ My thoughts spiraled. If I laid my cards out on the table, Han Baek-ryeong might not align with my aims. After all, she could easily turn me over to the Imperial Palace, closing the gap on my strategies. But withholding information could foster distrust!
I took a deep breath and made my choice. “I was forced to fight at Mount Tai.”
Spilling as much detail as I could, I recounted everything: my antics at the Offering Ceremony, the merge with the Thunder God lineage, the mysterious disappearance of Mang-nyang, and how the Emperor gained Chi You’s powers.
With each passing moment, Jin-seong and Han Baek-ryeong’s expressions hardened like stone. Even Jin-seong struggled to conceal his shock at the whirlwind of news pouring out from my mouth. The pipe in Han Baek-ryeong’s hand trembled with every twist and turn of the story.
“…So that’s how it went down.”
After I finished, Han Baek-ryeong suddenly spoke, “So you’re saying the Emperor’s become some unstoppable immortal?”
“You got it!”
She narrowed her eyes, processing. “And he’s got divine commands at his disposal… really?”
“Yes.”
Silence took over the room, thick with tension.
Finally, Han Baek-ryeong pulled herself together and said, “Get ready to leave right this second.”
“What are you talking about?”
Her next words sent tremors of urgency through me. “I’m taking you to the White Lotus Sect. You need to share everything you’ve just told me.”
