Chapter 301
“Looks like it’s time to join the Sword Demon!”
As the tale wrapped up, we decided to team up with the Sword Demon’s crew. Honestly, nothing was more important than gathering the experts together.
I used the powers of the Golden Lamp and Wooden Armor to sneak the Thunder God experts through the Shadowless Gate, while Dokgo Seong finally came face-to-face with the Sword Demon.
“Nice to meet the Supreme of the Heretical Sect!”
“It’s an honor to meet the top expert of the Thunder God Lineage!”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got down to talking.
“Sword Demon, did you hear the full story from Baek Woong?”
“I sure did.”
As Dokgo Seong winked at me, I presented a small piece of obsidian to the Sword Demon. Since we already shared secrets, I figured there was no need for long-winded explanations—so I crammed my recent memories after parting with him into the little obsidian stone. After reading it, the Sword Demon remarked,
“Incredible… Who would’ve thought the White Lotus Sect would actually attack the Imperial Palace?”
“They’ve had a rival relationship from the start. Now they feel it’s their time to strike!”
The Sword Demon stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm… It’s not that simple. The White Lotus Sect could’ve wiped out the palace at any time. It’s odd they’re only doing it now that the Emperor is showing more strength.”
“Maybe they can’t handle the Emperor’s power if they don’t act now?”
“That’s true, but it feels off…”
The Sword Demon pondered and then turned to Dokgo Seong.
“Do you think the Water God experts will intervene in this attack on the Imperial Palace?”
“Probably not,” Dokgo Seong replied quietly. “The Sect Master hates revealing the Water God’s power. He believes having only the Elder Council and Dharma Guardians is sufficient. If he thinks highly of the Emperor, he might send them, but it’s unlikely…”
“That sounds strange. Are you implying the Water Gods are somehow more significant than the Elder Council or the Dharma Guardians?”
“Probably.”
“……!!”
Dokgo Seong sighed before continuing.
“The Water God’s power has been the strongest since I was in the Sect. After half a century, who knows how powerful they are now.”
“Is that so… The White Lotus Sect truly is unprecedented.”
After exchanging those words, the Sword Demon turned to me. “Baek Woong, do you have a plan on how to launch the attack?”
I calmly replied, “I think it’s best if the White Lotus Sect stirs the pot first, and we follow their lead.”
“If you use the Golden Lamp and Wooden Armor, you could tear through the enemy’s heart in an instant.”
“But defeating the Emperor isn’t the end of it. I’d like to keep the power of the Golden Lamp hidden from the White Lotus Sect.”
“That makes sense. Good thinking.” Dokgo Seong interjected.
“What about Mangnyang?”
“His location is probably known by Zhuge Bu or Zhuque. I’ll make some side deals with the Prophet to get info on Mangnyang through Zhuge Bu.”
“Think you can do it in time?”
“Absolutely.”
The Sword Demon nodded. “Alright. Then let’s gather at the Shadowless Gate and set off with you leading the charge.”
“Yes.”
Pa-at!
After wrapping up the initial operation plan, I headed to see the Prophet.
“I’m here to make a deal!”
At first, the Prophet seemed reluctant to deal with me and hid in the shadows, but after I stood still for a little over half a moment, he reluctantly emerged. He looked noticeably annoyed.
[What do you want this time?]
“I’ll give you the Land and Earth Diagram and also hand over Zhuge Bu trapped inside. I want some information from him, and I’ll pay for that.”
After a brief pause, the Prophet replied.
[Not exactly difficult… But why should I agree to this deal?]
“Because I can offer you a deal you can’t refuse.”
[Oh? What might that be…?]
I took a deep breath and said, “I will return the rights to the Tower of Muwang that you previously gave me as a betting chip.”
[…!!]
“Thinking about it, it’s really not that useful to me. And you must be uncomfortable giving such power to a human, so I’ll return it.”
The Prophet seemed stunned and was silent for a while. Then he said, [You’re a foolish man… Do you even know what that right means? Only royalty can enjoy such a power among our race. Even the Old Ruler would covet it.]
“I don’t care. What matters is that I have nothing else to offer you right now, so I have to return what I received. I think this is an acceptable deal.”
[Hmm…]
The Prophet began waving his tentacle as he entered into a verification process.
[I’ll ask again… Are you really returning the rights to the Tower of Muwang?]
“Definitely.”
[Hehe… Got it.]
The Prophet was obviously unable to hide his delight. It seemed like giving that right back to me had really weighed on his mind. He then opened a dimension and pulled out the Land and Earth Diagram, extracting Zhuge Bu from it.
Zhuge Bu was visibly regenerating as if on cue. Apparently, the reason he recovered from my earlier injuries so quickly was thanks to his impressive regeneration ability. The Prophet extended a tentacle to Zhuge Bu’s head.
Grrr…
The tentacle wriggled into Zhuge Bu’s ear, and while it seemed to rummage through his brain, the Prophet mumbled, [Brainwashing complete… You can ask him anything you want.]
“Thanks.”
[Hehe… Really… Trading a stone for a jewel…]
The Prophet chuckled strangely. I ignored him and asked Zhuge Bu.
“Tell me what you know about Mangnyang.”
“Yes…” Zhuge Bu began to spew out information with a dazed look in his eyes. It seemed that the Prophet had scrambled his brains.
And for about half a moment, I gleaned what I needed from Zhuge Bu about Mangnyang. Once I felt I had enough information, I turned to the Prophet.
“Can you give me Zhuge Bu now?”
[No… That’s just greedy…]
Greedy my foot. He was the one who broke his promise to trade stones for jewels! But I was determined to solidify this trade, even if it meant taking a loss, so I asked flatly, “What are you planning to do with him?”
[A pet… It’s been a while since I’ve taken care of a human…]
“……”
A pet? I felt a chill run down my spine but shook it off. If I had already gotten the info on Mangnyang, Zhuge Bu was practically useless to me now. As I turned to head back to base, the Prophet called after me.
[Baek Woong… If you come across any good grimoires in the future, bring them. I’d be willing to trade.]
It seemed the Prophet’s mood had lightened now that he got his right back. I secretly felt relieved and asked, “By the way, how many grimoires are out there? So far, I’ve only come across two…”
[The grimoires you found are originals, not copies… They were crafted not by humans, but by the transcendent beings known as the Old Rulers… They are incredibly rare… In fact, there might not be more than ten copies across the entire world… Near the Central Plains, you might find something like the god of water, Ktahat, or Al-Azif…]
“Oh, I see. What’s the difference between an original and a copy?”
[Copies just contain ancient knowledge locked away, but originals, if in the right hands… can provide enough power to alter the balance of heaven and earth…]
“Power, huh…”
[Hehe… Of course, it’s nearly impossible for a human to obtain that kind of magic…]
“Got it. See you next time.”
Pa-at!
Not knowing much about that field, I ignored it for now and returned to the Golden Lamp. My head was already spinning just thinking about the rescue of Mangnyang—there was no room to ponder over grimoires and magic.
However, there was one hopeful fact that kept me excited.
‘Mangnyang is alive!’
Zhuge Bu had said that Mangnyang was currently under mental suppression by Zhuque and locked away in a secret location. It was a place hidden even in the depths of the Imperial Palace, covered by Zhuque’s barrier, so even Zhuge Bu didn’t know the exact location. But it was clear that Mangnyang was only subdued in awareness and hadn’t suffered any injuries or been killed, meaning I could save him!
The major requirement was to supplant Zhuque!
As I participated in the White Lotus Sect’s attack, I had to take down Zhuque before them and secure Mangnyang. With my target clear, thoughts about how to act during the decisive battle naturally sprang to mind.
Returning to the Shadowless Gate, I shared the information I’d gathered with Dokgo Seong and the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon then said, “We need to request the White Lotus Sect to capture Zhuque alive first. If we accidentally kill him, we’ll never find Mangnyang.”
“Sounds good.”
“Also, the Master of Zen from the Shaolin Temple, Grand Master Myung-ho, has been trying to contact you. Stop by the Shaolin Temple for a bit.”
“Huh? Master of Zen?”
“Not sure, but it sounds important.”
“Understood.”
I used the Golden Lamp to head directly to the Shaolin Temple.
“Welcome, Benefactor.”
Once I arrived, several monks came out as if they had been waiting for me and guided me to Grand Master Myung-ho. Instead of the Great Hero Hall, he resided in a quiet thatched house.
As soon as he saw me, the Master of Zen spoke.
“You’ve arrived, Baek Woong Benefactor.”
“What’s going on? I’m busy with a big matter.”
“Ah, well. Master Mangnyang suddenly sent word.”
“……?”
As I looked confused, the Master of Zen continued.
“He told me to inform you that the Moon Sovereign’s seal has been broken.”
“W-What?!”
This made no sense!!
As I gasped in disbelief, the Master of Zen calmly said, “It seems the Twelve Joules have responded strongly to that event. Soon they’ll try to interfere with your fate, so he warned you to be cautious in your movements. You must be careful, very careful.”
“The Twelve Joules…?”
I shook my head vigorously, “No, I don’t care about the Twelve Joules. Who on earth broke the Moon Sovereign’s seal?”
“He didn’t say. Just that it was broken.”
“……”
“You’d likely break the seal of the Water Spirit. If that’s the case, it means three of the Seven Luminaries’ seals have already been released…”
As Grand Master Myung-ho mumbled, he looked towards the heavens and mused, “Heavenly mechanisms are stirring. It’s a portent of immense happenings on the horizon.”
“I appreciate the warning, but if I can’t know the specifics, how can I prepare for it…?”
As I grumbled, he smiled slightly.
“Well, one thing to remember: The plans of the celestial deities always dwarf the scale of human thought. If you approach with fixed notions, you’ll only suffer loss.”
That felt like some serious advice. I reluctantly accepted his counsel.
“Got it.”
I was considering sharing the current situation with Grand Master Myung-ho. But I held back, as there were too many intricate issues involved. I feared the consequences if the head of the Orthodox Three Greats and de facto head of Shaolin Temple learned about the struggle between the White Lotus Sect and the Imperial Palace.
Eventually, I returned to the Shadowless Gate and made final adjustments to our plans before heading towards the Han Clan.
Upon arriving at the Han Clan, Han Jin-seong guided me to Han Baek-ryeong.
Han Baek-ryeong spoke sharply, “The Imperial Palace is going to be a real pain in the neck! They’re no easy target.”
“What happened?”
“We’ve started seriously scouting their forces, and it seems they’ve gotten their hands on some strange power. Mysterious, powerful soldiers and sorcerers are lurking around the Imperial Palace. The Elder Council is even suggesting we delay the attack.”
“Hmm.” I thought I knew what was going on.
Superhuman soldiers!
These demonic creatures or dragon people created using the powers of the otherworldly races had immense strength. Plus, according to Zhuge Bu, it appeared the alchemists had summoned bizarre sorcerers from other realms as their personal guard. The current strength of the Imperial Palace was far from lacking compared to a great army of one hundred thousand.
Han Baek-ryeong added, “So this attack will also involve those fat-bottomed Water Gods.”
“The Water Gods?”
“They will probably take the lead.”
“Hmm…” I found it fascinating how things were unfolding just as Dokgo Seong had predicted. If the White Lotus Sect truly deemed their enemy worthy of caution, they would dispatch the Water Gods, meaning the current Imperial Palace had never been more powerful than now.
“I have something to share.”
Trying to mitigate the White Lotus Sect’s losses and earn their trust, I relayed the Imperial Palace information I obtained from Zhuge Bu to Han Baek-ryeong. After hearing all the intel, she said, “That’s extremely helpful.”
Once I concluded discussions with the Fire Spirit Techniques, I prepared to attack with my gathered companions. When the time came to strike, I would group up separately with the Thunder God experts, Sword Demon, Cheon Woo-jin, and Zhuge Sa.
The day of the showdown finally arrived.
Pa-at!
“Is this the Imperial Palace?”
I freed the people from bondage near the Imperial Palace using my Wooden Armor. I surveyed the group of people I was with.
Alongside the Thunder God experts like Dokgo Seong, Jin So-cheong, and Lee Kwang, there were three more experts joining us—the Thunderbolt Three Saints: the Red Moon, Green Moon, and Cheongwol Dharma Protectors. Somehow, Dokgo Seong had managed to find and bring them here in this short time!
On the Sword Demon’s side, there were also a bunch of Shadowless Gate experts, including Sasaki Kojiro, who seemed quite worn out by all the duties the Sword Demon had piled on him. Standing next to them were Cheon Woo-jin and Zhuge Sa as well.
“Today is the day we settle things with the Imperial Palace.”
The crowd fell silent.
I stood with my arms crossed, patiently waiting for the signal.
‘Probably within a mealtime, soon…’
Boom!!
Moments later, a massive explosion went off somewhere on the outer wall of the Imperial Palace, sending great clouds of smoke and screams echoing everywhere. Dark figures began to surge forth, charging into the outer walls of the Imperial Palace.
The experts of the White Lotus Sect had begun their assault on the Imperial Palace!
Turning to Cheon Woo-jin, I said, “Please.”
Pa-at!
As Cheon Woo-jin waved his hands and chanted an incantation, I could visibly see the barrier around the Imperial Palace weaken exponentially. Once we broke the formation of Eight Trigrams inside, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we’d completely dismantled the Imperial Palace’s defenses.
I gripped the Water Element Divine Sword tightly and shouted, “Let’s go!”
The decisive battle against the Imperial Palace had begun.
