Chapter 429
“I could finally move after roughly six days of listening to Lee Cheong-un’s research on the Thunder God lineage.”
Lee Cheong-un initially expected I’d only need two days, but my lack of talent and his extensive explanations turned that idea upside down.
During that time, I stayed at the Zhongnan Sect, studying with the top-notch experts of the Thunder God lineage. I practiced the forms, learned theories, and continued observing the profound arts that Lee Cheong-un demonstrated.
On the final day, Lee Cheong-un said, “I’ve taught you all eight potential aspects of the Seven Great Techniques.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Cheong-un chuckled lightly, “Well, it would be unreasonable to expect you to master all this in such a short time. But if you refine it in your next life, the knowledge and experience you gain now will be invaluable.”
“I suppose so.”
“If you polish all eight derivative techniques of the Seven Great Techniques to a usable level, you’ll undoubtedly see the Peerless Technique in your sights.”
It was just the two of us in the cabin when he quietly added, “So, don’t despise the Thunder God lineage too much. They don’t despise you, Baek Woong.”
I forced a smile. “I’m working on that.”
“You and Lee Kwang have a bad connection. That grudge can only be resolved between you two… So, I didn’t want to play the petty matchmaker and reconcile you both. But regardless of how it resolves in your next life, just remember that humans can change over time.”
My agreement wasn’t quick at hand. I shook my head and replied, “That’s one thing, but this is another. If he were a true hero, he wouldn’t be broken by such harsh trials. He’d press on with his will intact. So I have no intentions of cutting him any slack.”
“I see.”
“I don’t know about Lee Kwang in this life, but I will definitely settle that debt properly.”
There were just too many pressing matters piling up, so I was prioritizing them. Seeing I wouldn’t budge, Lee Cheong-un sighed. “Alright then. What are you thinking of doing now?”
“Time is of the essence. Less than a month remains. I plan to gather enough offerings and challenge the Primordial Void Ruler’s grand luck.”
“The problem is Cheon Woo-jin. Do you think he’s recovered?”
I flinched. The urgency came from that very point, which made me resolve to wait as efficiently as possible while receiving Lee Cheong-un’s martial teachings. After pondering, I said, “I guess we’ll have to go with Mangnyang.”
“I’ll come along, just in case there’s an unexpected strong foe.”
“Thank you.”
Pa-at!
Along with Lee Cheong-un and Mangnyang, I arrived at the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai aboard the Four Great Spirits. We were astonished the moment we got there.
The once gloomy lair of the Demon Path had transformed into something ethereal, radiating spiritual energy like a sacred temple. The corpses that were scattered all around had been entombed, while the spirits seemed to be purifying their past pains; it had turned into a spiritual ground that felt comfortable just standing in.
Mangnyang looked around and murmured, “Perfect! My disciple indeed.”
“Where’s Cheon Woo-jin?”
Cheon Woo-jin’s tense voice rang out from a distance. “Here!”
Out of a nearby cave walked the Illusory God, Cheon Woo-jin, who turned to us with an annoyed expression that brightened upon seeing Mangnyang.“Oh, older brother! You’re here.”
Mangnyang smiled broadly. “It’s been a while, disciple.”
“Where have you been all this time?”
“I was busy studying up on Mount Kunlun after breaking through the Celestial Realm.”
“You could have come down as an Earth Immortal, that would have been nice.”
“I would have, but the situation on the ground changed rapidly…”
As they caught up, Mangnyang glanced at the Heavenly Altar. “You really restored the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai in no time. It’s a feat that will go down in history. You can truly be called the strongest sorcerer of this realm.”
To that, Cheon Woo-jin responded curtly, as if he wanted to hide his delight, “Well… it’s nothing much.”
Just then, Lee Cheong-un stepped forward. “Nice to meet you, Cheon Woo-jin. I am Lee Cheong-un, a disciple of the Thunder God lineage.”
“I’ve heard about you. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Is it alright if I summarize what’s happened while you were away for Baek Woong?”
Cheon Woo-jin looked at him in surprise. “I don’t mind, but why?”
Lee Cheong-un explained, “You seem to get unnecessarily tense when you talk to Baek Woong.”
“Tch…”
After a moment, Lee Cheong-un told Cheon Woo-jin all about the offering ceremony conducted for the Three Sovereigns, what results were achieved, and the training I had undergone with the Thunder God lineage. Upon finishing, Cheon Woo-jin seemed troubled and frowned.
“Prophet, that guy must have twisted the Law of Cause and Effect haphazardly. Since he operates with magic instead of sorcery, it could be much worse. According to him, performing the offering ceremony again could be extremely dangerous.”
“What’s the way around it?”
“Well… I can’t be sure either. In a way, it might be meaningless.”
“Meaningless?”
“The Three Sovereigns are rather unpredictable beings, so whether there are restrictions or not, I can’t guarantee the success rate. They live according to their whims, that’s for sure.”
It was hard to discern whether that was good or bad. As Cheon Woo-jin pondered, he finally said, “You mentioned using the grand luck of the Primordial Void Ruler. What do you plan to use as offerings?”
“I’ll need treasures worth thousands of years’ worth of artifacts, which is why I intend to offer the National Seal and the Suspicious Fishhook.”
“And what about the Fire Dragon Sword?”
“That too, I plan to offer.”
After hearing all this, Cheon Woo-jin said, “Prepare your hearts as you might need more. Just in case.”
“What…?”
I stuttered in surprise. “Isn’t the National Seal a top-tier treasure crafted by Shao Hao Jin Tian himself? On top of that, I’m offering the Suspicious Fishhook and the Fire Dragon Sword, and that still might not be enough?”
“What I’m saying is, we need to gauge it. We’re not just performing one ceremony, but two.”
“Um.”
“One offering for the Primordial Void Ruler and another for the Three Sovereigns. It’s vital that the National Seal is offered to the Three Sovereigns this time. Then we’ll need to prepare something separately for the Primordial Void Ruler.”
Cheon Woo-jin’s point made sense. Then Mangnyang spoke up from beside us, “I suspected this might happen, so I gathered Unique Artifacts of Inner Strength while running around.”
“What did you gather?”
With a flourish, Mangnyang pulled out a statue from his robes. It was a statue of Jeon Wook from the Three Sovereigns. Not stopping there, he also revealed the Phoenix Fragment from the Hua Clan in Taekyung Village and even a Biwa from the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line!
Mangnyang continued, “Baek Woong has what Baek Woong has, and the Master of the Sect gifted me the Golden Lamp and Wooden Armor. We’ll have more than enough if we offer all this.”
“I can’t be sure either, older brother. The Primordial Void Ruler is a notoriously unpredictable being…”
Cheon Woo-jin trailed off. “Fortunately, with the restoration of the Heavenly Altar, the spiritual energy on the ground has risen significantly. The imbalance that the Prophet twisted should be somewhat manageable because of the strength of the Heavenly Altar. Nevertheless, the instability of the Law of Cause and Effect remains a fact; thus, we only have one shot.”
“……”
“Then let’s get started right away.”
Under Cheon Woo-jin’s guidance, we began arranging the offerings. Upon gathering all the treasures we had collected, we realized the quantity was much greater than we anticipated. As Cheon Woo-jin gazed at the offerings on the altar, he seemed flabbergasted. “The average person would need to adventure their entire life to acquire just one of these… how did you gather so many?”
After examining each offering carefully, Cheon Woo-jin said to Mangnyang, “You should conduct the offering ceremony for the Primordial Void Ruler.”
“Got it.”
Mangnyang stepped forward eagerly, but I questioned, “Is there a reason Mangnyang should do it?”
Cheon Woo-jin replied nonchalantly, “The offering ceremony for the Three Sovereigns is much larger and more complex. I could conduct the Primordial Void Ruler’s ceremony, but if my sorcery isn’t up to scratch, the offering for the Three Sovereigns could fail. That’s why I’m hoping Mangnyang conducts it first.”
“Ah.”
“Let’s begin.”
A stream of light flowed from the altar. Mangnyang had amassed enough sorcery power to lead the grand ceremony confidently.
Mangnyang first chanted, “Come forth, Tai Gong-mang!”
Crackle
The apparition of Tai Gong-mang arose upon the altar. Looking bewildered, he said, [Why did you summon me?]
“We offer the Wind and Fire Biwa, so please remove the energy of the Primordial Void Ruler residing in Baek Woong to grant us the right to reselect!”
[Ah… I see. Understood.]
Pa-at!
Having great intelligence, Tai Gong-mang grasped the request swiftly and vanished. The Wind and Fire Biwa, a treasure bestowed by the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens for excellent performance, was indeed a crucial offering, but it was now gone.
“Avatar of the Spirit Treasure Heaven, I, Mangnyang, summon you to descend!”
Once granted the right to reselect, Mangnyang immediately chanted again, this time calling upon the Primordial Void Ruler.
“You seem to have amassed tremendous training during this time. A grand offering ceremony involving the Three Purities is beyond what a mere sorcerer can even attempt…”
Woah!
While Cheon Woo-jin marveled at this, Mangnyang’s incantation flowed as a faint multicolored haze enveloped the area. The summoning of the Primordial Void Ruler was a success right after Tai Gong-mang!
I felt a peculiar sensation amid the pillar of light rising on the altar. ‘What’s this?’
Familiar chaos. It flickered for a brief moment before vanishing. I tilted my head in confusion over this strange qi but it was fleeting, soon forgotten as the figure of the Primordial Void Ruler manifested above the altar.
As he materialized, he spoke to us, [Why have you summoned me, the Primordial Void Ruler…?]
Mangnyang bowed respectfully, replying, “We need the grand luck power of the Primordial Void Ruler! We present offerings that are commensurate and ask you to grant Baek Woong the blessing of grand luck, O Primordial Void Ruler.”
[Hmmm…]
Suspended in the air, the Primordial Void Ruler reached out a pure, shining hand to examine each offering on the altar.
[The treasure of Yu Shun… the Phoenix Fragment… and Zhuge Liang’s treasure… offering three treasures… very impressive indeed.]
“Thank you… then let the blessing be…”
[But this is insufficient.]
We all gasped in unison. How could he call three treasures insufficient when he just recognized it as impressive? As we hid our shock and looked at the Primordial Void Ruler, he continued, [Summoning me, the Avatar of the Three Purities, for an offering is unprecedented since the Silver Age… thus, I feel the need for an even greater price…]
“O Primordial Void Ruler! This is an incredibly substantial offering!”
[Is that so…? Yet, you appear to have more that you could give… so why not share some more?]
“……”
[Let’s see, perhaps the National Seal and the Moon Sovereign would suffice?…]
The Primordial Void Ruler’s slyness irritated me. ‘You know everything!’ Did he think he could intimidate us into handing everything over? He seemed aware of our hesitance, pushing us into a semi-coercive situation.
However, if we offered the National Seal and the Moon Sovereign, it would be catastrophic since we wouldn’t have anything left for the Three Sovereigns. I gritted my teeth and confronted the Primordial Void Ruler, “O Primordial Void Ruler, isn’t this a bit much? We’ve prepared suitable offerings for the grand luck blessing, why must you be so greedy?”
Baek Woong!”
Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin looked at me, shocked. After all, I had just directly called out to the being dubbed the Avatar of the Spirit Treasure Heaven, a being of immense power. Normally, it would warrant my immediate destruction.
Surprisingly, facing the Primordial Void Ruler didn’t instill fear in me. Instead, I wanted to challenge this pest.
Unsurprisingly, the Primordial Void Ruler seemed taken aback but replied, [Um… It’s because you’re only caring about the Three Sovereigns that I’m feeling a bit petulant…]
Annoyed, I crossed my arms, “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to bring a great offering for you later on too.”
[Really?]
“Yes, really.”
With a satisfied grin, the Primordial Void Ruler declared, [Alright, I’ll let it slide. You can keep the seal of Yu Shun and the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line.]
“Then…”
[I will bestow upon Baek Woong the blessing of great luck.]
At that moment, Mangnyang jumped in, saying, “What if the Three Sovereigns take offense at this blessing?”
[I doubt they will…]
With a seemingly lazy tone, the Primordial Void Ruler whisked away the Suspicious Fishhook and the Fire Dragon Sword into his sleeve, waving goodbye to us as he vanished with a simple [Call me again!]
Once the Primordial Void Ruler disappeared, we were left standing in shock. Who would have thought that my aggressive tone would actually work? Especially Cheon Woo-jin regarded me with an expression that suggested he was in awe of some bizarre monster.
“Baek Woong. What kind of person are you? Threatening the Three Purities?”
