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“Is the Sea God dead?”

“Not dead. Just gradually dying.”

“What do you mean…?”

“You cut off his head, and with Dongbang Mu-gyeol bound to the Fire Dragon Sword, it’s a seal that will lead to his demise. He still clings to life, but he’ll lose his vitality over the next several decades and eventually perish.”

…That’s just downright ridiculous.

So after all that, the Sea God isn’t dead? He got his head chopped off and is still going strong for years? ‘Gods are just absurd creatures…’

Jeon Wook continued, “I refrained from telling you how to activate your powers out of fear it would violate the world’s law of cause and effect, but you’ve already benefitted from my powers several times. You’ve managed to remain alive, despite the fact you should have perished in that battle.”

“So I’m not dead?”

“Correct.”

I was overjoyed at those words. The fact that I survived was way more exciting than taking down the Sea God. Until now, I had always been close to death after my battles, but this time I had made it. And then Jeon Wook added, “However, it’s true that you fought recklessly. Are you aware that you were like an egg trying to crack a rock?”

…I had nothing to say.

That I managed to finally chop the Sea God’s head off was a miracle in itself; logically, I should have run out of energy and died like a bug. At the very least, I still felt the need to unleash one more of the Seven Luminaries to even have a fighting chance against him.

“Besides, you were ridiculously weak for an apostle. That’s why I’ve brought your soul through the cracks of time to speak with you.”

That ‘weak’ comment stung a bit, but I guess coming from someone like the Three Sovereigns, I had to accept it. The Jeon Wook in front of me might even be more powerful than the Sea God himself and could very well look down on my struggle.

“Umm… what exactly are my apostle powers?”

“That will soon be made clear by Yeol.”

Suddenly, Jeon Wook’s enormous eyes gleamed in the dark, and the pressure made my whole body feel tense.

“A massive danger is about to approach you. You need to gain enough strength and return.”

“A massive danger?”>

“It could very well be more dangerous than taking down the Sea God.”

With Jeon Wook issuing the warning, I couldn’t brush it off. The status of the Three Sovereigns wasn’t behind that of the Old Ruler, so this truly meant significant danger. I quickly felt the joy of having defeated the Sea God turn into anxiety.

‘Damn, if I don’t get my act together, I will die.’

There was always another mountain to climb. Instead of celebrating my victory over the Sea God, I had to keep my guard up. Suddenly, a thought hit me, and I spoke to Jeon Wook, “Jeon Wook! I’ve discovered the whereabouts of Chi You and Peng Zuo.”

If I shared this, I might finally end the mission to find Chi You, which has dragged on for a decade!

“Go ahead.”

“Chi You is at Dark Heaven Village, and Peng Zuo is in the British Empire.”

“So?”

“Huh?”

Jeon Wook’s tone was icy. “What I ordered you to do as my apostle was to bring Chi You to me within ten years. Now that you’ve told me where he is, do you want me to go capture him myself?”

“Umm… no, that’s not…”

His cold response left me flustered. I thought he wanted me to find out where Chi You was and come to me, only to realize that the location wasn’t exactly a big deal to him.

“Oh, and even though Peng Zuo is my descendant, he’s crossed over to the West and joined forces with the Evil God, even rising up into their ranks…”

“And so what?”

…

“I have no intention of getting involved in my descendant’s affairs. If it’s settled in the West, even less so. However, if it affects your mission, you can feel free to eliminate Peng Zuo.”

My heart sank at the cool command to eliminate his descendant, and he didn’t even think of directly taking action? But I guess this was typical thinking for someone called ‘King.’ Regardless, my mission to bring Chi You was still in full swing.

“Do try to show a more capable side of yourself.”

With that final reprimand, Jeon Wook slowly rose from his seat.

“Baek Woong. Enjoy the feast properly, then meet up with Yeol and head to the Five Demon Gate.”

“Yes.”

Whoosh!

Jeon Wook’s figure disappeared, leaving me alone with the ghosts in the banquet hall, surrounded by the raucous sounds of feasting. They seemed completely engrossed in their food.

Clatter!

Slurp!

I glanced over at the ghosts, but they looked back at me as if to say, “What are you looking at?” Each one was a powerhouse, and I couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

‘Ugh, should I just eat and leave…’

Nevertheless, the food at the feast was pretty tasty, so I reached for my chopsticks, ready to indulge.

Just then,

“You’re too careless. Stop eating and get up.”

“Huh?”

Yeol stood at my table, having appeared out of nowhere, looking down at me with a serious expression. I protested, “Just give me a sec, I’m almost done eating…”

It was too delicious to stop now. But Yeol countered, “You may be an apostle, but you’re still human. Don’t you understand the significance of a spirit coming to dine at the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace?”

…?

“For every plate you empty, your physical body in the real world ages ten years. Each drink ages you five. This is a result of the immense Spirit Power in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace. If you’ve overindulged, it’s too late, but you should be careful about aging.”

“Gah!”

“It’s not in the King’s character to warn you, so I came to let you know.”

Yeol mumbled, “Though you might prefer to age completely and then ditch your mortal form to become stronger…”

I was startled and instantly checked what I had eaten. Luckily, I had taken just a little of everything and hadn’t completely emptied a single plate yet, plus I had only had one drink.

‘Just how many years am I aging here?’

A terrifying thought struck me. What if I snapped back to reality as a decrepit old man? I quickly stood up and followed Yeol.

“I’m done eating.”

No matter how delicious it was, aging was not welcome. With my initial appetite, I felt like I could’ve tackled ten plates, but that would have me aging a hundred years all at once, turning me into a fossil like Dongbang Mu-gyeol or those old men from the Elder Council. Reaching a transcendent level didn’t mean my combat ability would drop, but if I messed up, I could die of old age!

“Yes.”

I followed Yeol out of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace and back to the Five Demon Gate. As I stepped out, the dreamlike, mystical scenery of the sun and moon floated ominously on either side of me unfolded again. Yeol spoke beside me, “If you wish to return, I can adjust the exit of the Five Demon Gate to send you back to the present realm.”

I stole a glance at the Five Demon Gate and asked, “What’s my current state like in reality?”

“You can confirm that yourself later. There’s no need for concern—it’s not dangerous.”

“Hmmm…”

“But right now, you need to possess power befitting an apostle. Otherwise, it would damage the King’s authority.”

That made sense.

Yeol continued, “The power you’ve been granted as an apostle stems from the Sun and Moon Mountain in the Five Demon Gate. You can infinitely align with the Yin and Yang of the world and have the strength to mock it. As a vassal of the king, I will teach you how to handle that power.”

And thus, the training began.

It felt like Yeol had been teaching me diligently for quite some time.

“……”

But I opened my eyes in the real world, feeling a bit dazed.

“I don’t remember a thing…”

It seemed like I had trained hard for what felt like ages, yet nothing stuck in my mind.

Suddenly, I felt my feet become unsteady, and my body began to float in the air.

“Gah?!”

As I looked around, it all felt strangely familiar. My body was soaring above a scene of heavenly destruction, and I was covered in wounds while gripping the Fire Spirit tightly.

‘Oh, that’s right!’

I remembered Yeol’s words slowly coming back to me. According to Yeol, Jeon Wook had stopped time with his powers and brought my spirit to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace. Which meant that the moment I returned to reality was simultaneous with my call to the palace.

With a heavy thud, the Sea God’s massive head landed, sending tremors across the area. The problem was, I couldn’t use any martial arts here, and due to the dense magical energy, the Golden Lamp technique was also a no-go. If this kept up, I’d crash down and take heavy damage.

“Hah!”

Creeeak!

I focused my internal power to reinforce my body, slowing my descent while driving the Fire Dragon Sword into the Sea God’s body. As I fell, I couldn’t help but glance at the enormous, glowing blade embedded in his solar plexus.

Without the Fire Dragon Sword, I might lose significant power. I wanted to retrieve the legendary blade, but then Jeon Wook’s advice echoed in my mind.

‘That’s right… Dongbang Mu-gyeol is sacrificing himself to kill the Sea God. I can’t pull it out.’

Was it just me? The Fire Dragon Sword seemed to be shaking wildly as if it didn’t want to be pulled.

Buzz…

If I yanked it out, the Sea God might recover his divine power and resurrect immediately. So, with a heavy heart, I opted to leave the Fire Dragon Sword where it was.

“Dongbang Mu-gyeol, I’m sorry.”

Should I call it a stroke of luck? Even right after unleashing the Great Destruction move, my body felt completely fine and even refreshed. I felt no side effects from Dongbang Mu-gyeol or the intense consumption of my power, maintaining peak condition.

‘…But I definitely used quite a bit of the energy stored in the National Seal. Maybe around 30% left?’

If I drained that much power in such a short amount of time, it had been a truly vicious battle. I began to think about my next step.

‘I don’t want to face that Master of the Twelve Joules head-on right now. It’s too perilous.’

Meeting their gaze now could lead to an attack aimed at stealing the Seven Luminaries. The Master of the Twelve Joules was someone I couldn’t trust at all, and in a state where the Fire Dragon Incarnate was injured and Dongbang Mu-gyeol had disappeared, I definitely didn’t want to run into him.

So returning to the base with Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa seemed like my best option. If the Master of the Twelve Joules had anything to say, he would likely send a messenger later. With my instincts guiding me, I relied on the Fire Spirit and hung there, attempting to utilize Jeon Wook’s powers.

‘Uh… was it like this?’

Whoosh!

Suddenly, I found myself atop the Sacred Altar Tree. The dark night sky, filled with stars, and the round earth lay beneath me. I hadn’t expected to be sent here, causing me to feel flustered as I instinctively used my powers again.

“Ah… not like this…”

Whoosh!

This time, I appeared at some Western building. When I landed, Thomas More, who was praying on his knees, looked utterly baffled to see me.

“How did you manage to slip past the Black Brotherhood’s barriers they’ve put up throughout the British Empire?”

It seemed that after my visit, they had issued warnings, and Western sorcerers were actively deterring intruders with their barriers. I scratched my head, unsure how to respond.

“Uh, it’s just that…”

“And you look quite different now…”

Things were going awry. I was on the verge of remembering what this power was capable of, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

One thing was for sure: this power could not only move me but also served all sorts of purposes. For some reason, lingering memories of how to wield this power remained faintly present. Why couldn’t I recall the details of the training I had undergone?

‘Damn it. This isn’t right…’

I once again surrendered myself to my instincts and used my powers.

Whoosh!

“Got it!”

At last, I felt confident that I had the ability under control. I had returned to Jangryeong Valley!

And so, I began searching around Jangryeong Valley to find Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang. It didn’t take long before I ran into Mangnyang, who looked totally taken aback upon seeing me.

“Baek… Woong…?”

I was overjoyed and exclaimed, “Yes, Mangnyang! Do you know what I’ve accomplished? I have defeated the [Old Ruler] known as the Sea God!”

……!!

Not sensing Zhuge Sa nearby, I scanned the surroundings. “Zhuge Sa is missing. Where is he…?”

…”Sorry, but are you really Baek Woong?”

“Huh?”

Mangnyang stared at me silently before saying, “The Baek Woong I know is a boy in his mid-teens. But you definitely do not look like a boy anymore.”

“What?”

“Look at yourself.”

He tossed a mirror from his pocket, which I caught and stared at my own reflection in shock.

……!!

A man in his mid-thirties stared back at me.

That was my current appearance.

‘It must be from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace Feast!’

And the bigger issue was that my aging face had turned quite ugly; I was clearly not just ‘rough around the edges.’ I looked like a rejected clay sculpture, as far from my boyish charm as possible. It felt nearly impossible to recall what I looked like as a child.

 

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