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“I briefly explained what happened to Mangnyang.”

Then I pulled out some obsidian, bokgab, and the Flame Spirit, passing on my will with the suspicious fishhook. While rummaging through the bokgab, I mumbled.

“And here’s the obsidian…”

“Ah, I believe you. You’re definitely Baek Woong,” Mangnyang sighed.

“I was a bit skeptical. Suddenly losing connection with you and then seeing you appear looking like a senior made it hard to recognize you. Still, since some of the old likeness remains, I thought maybe…”

“Hmm…”

“Please transmit the memories through the obsidian.” I had made a brief explanation of the situation, but nothing conveyed it as straightforwardly as the obsidian. I nodded and sent Mangnyang the memories that had built up over time. After looking through my memories, Mangnyang remarked.

“First off, it was a good judgment to come here without meeting Master of the Twelve Joules. And… taking down the Sea God is truly an unbelievable feat!”

He wore a slightly taken-aback expression. For Mangnyang, who usually maintained his composure, to react with surprise meant that my achievement was remarkable. While I felt a bit proud, Mangnyang continued.

“But what exactly is this Apostle’s Power given by Jeon Wook?”

I pondered over the question before answering. “I… don’t really know. I do remember how to use it instinctively, but I can’t clearly define its essence. All I know is that it’s the force that has allowed me to survive without reincarnating and that I can utilize it for movement and combat.”

“Then why are the memories from training at Ilwol Mountain missing?”

“I don’t know that either. I came back to reality, and there I was.”

“……” Mangnyang crossed his arms, looking deep in thought. Then he said, “I think I need to talk to Zhuge Sa too. Let’s go.”

I followed Mangnyang to Zhuge Sa. Zhuge Sa was busy creating numerous Portrait Immortals and inscribing patterns on their bodies, resembling some kind of magic. He paused his work and looked my way.

“Could it be… Baek Woong?”

“You figured it out right away.”

“Though you look a bit different, you’re the only one who would come here with someone else.” I passed my memories through the obsidian to Zhuge Sa. A stunned expression spread across his face as he went through the memories.

“…What in the world. Is this real…? Really? You actually caught him?”

“You saw it for yourself.”

“……” It seemed that the mental shock hit Zhuge Sa harder than Mangnyang; he was momentarily spaced out. But then, he burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!! Wow! Who would have thought a mere human would catch the [Old Ruler]!! Hahaha!!!” He grabbed my shoulder and shook me madly.

“Liu Bei? Cao Cao? Emperor Wu of Han? Xiang Yu? Zhu Yuanzhang? None of that matters! You are the greatest hero in history!! Hahaha!”

“Wait a second…”

“Kekekek…” Zhuge Sa dabbed at his eyes, and with a voice bursting with madness, he said, “Even the geniuses of the Zhuge family, lasting over a millennium, couldn’t handle the Great Immortal and fell into despair, yet you’ve achieved something hundreds of times more astounding. You’re truly something else!”

“Hehe, guess I was just lucky!”

“Oh, lucky indeed. The heroes of Goryeo over thousands of years would all hang themselves if they heard about this. Even someone as clumsy as you pulls off what they couldn’t.”

As I basked in the glowing praise, Zhuge Sa, ever the buzzkill, continued, “But we should celebrate now since it resulted in the best outcome.”

“But what if the Celestial Realm stirs something up because of this?”

“That’s unlikely. Those guys are nothing more than subordinates of the Three Sovereigns, so they probably can’t raise issues with the Apostle after everything’s been wrapped up at the higher ranks.”

I glanced around and asked, “But what’s the deal with all these Portrait Immortals you’re making?”

It seemed odd. It looked like he had created more Portrait Immortals than I had ever seen in this life. There had to be well over twenty, and they varied in age and gender.

Zhuge Sa replied curtly, “I made them in a hurry to use as offerings.”

“Why?”

“Why else? There’s a strong possibility you suddenly lost contact with the suspicious fishhook and fought the Sea God. Did you think you’d survive such a battle? It was clear you were heading for death, so I was going to create Portrait Immortals to ask the [Old Ruler] to save you.”

“Ah…” Mangnyang chimed in, “Zhuge Sa used up all the resources in Jangryeong Valley for this. Every bit of those magical materials and treasures he collected has been utilized.”

That made sense. I felt grateful that Zhuge Sa was trying to save me by borrowing the power of the [Old Ruler]. I lowered my head. “Thank you.”

“Haha. Jangryeong Valley’s resources were not the important part. The key point is that the Sea God, who ruled over the oceans of the world, has fallen.” Zhuge Sa cackled.

“From now on, the Merfolk will hide their tracks around the Central Plains and Goryeo for a while, and the Merfolk cities will decline. The human slaves that were under their control will live concealing their mixed blood. This is peace that even the greatest generals can’t achieve, supported by your efforts, saving hundreds of thousands of people in the next decade.”

“…Is that so?” The Sea God’s downfall seemed monumental.

“To be honest, I can’t predict what will happen moving forward. For a human to defeat an [Old Ruler] is something that has never occurred in history. A monstrous chaos is sure to follow.” I pondered Zhuge Sa’s words and recalled something.

“Wasn’t it said that an [Old Ruler] cannot die because they exist beyond life and death? How could the Sea God have been killed?”

No matter how much Yeodong-bin weakened the Sea God’s power by sealing himself, it still seemed strange. I remembered my past reincarnation, having asked the ruler of the jungle, the [Old Ruler], if it was possible to kill the Evil God.

[Can your power make a being called the Evil God fall into death?]

[That’s a different matter… Le Rue’s ruler… that being is a direct descendant of chaos… a transcendent being that has existed since the primordial days, beyond life and death… It is impossible to apply the power of reversal to them according to the laws.]

That was it.

Gods, being transcendent beings not bound by life or death, couldn’t have the power of reversal applied to them—the concepts of life and death being nonexistent. But strangely, the Sea God was dead, contradicting what the ruler of the jungle said.

At that moment, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“That’s because the Sea God is one of the [Old Rulers] born from the material world.”

“What do you mean?”

“There exists a hierarchy even among the [Old Rulers], and their powers are vastly unequal, as you might know?”

“Yeah.”

Zhuge Sa continued at a leisurely pace.

“The [Old Rulers] are largely categorized into two types. Those born from the material world and those born from distant divine thrones… the Sea God is one of the former, hence a much lower caliber among the [Old Rulers]. This is because being born from the material world means possessing the soul of a god, yet the body of a mortal.”

“Ah!”

“However, since he does possess a divine soul, even if the Sea God dies this time, he will be resurrected after a few thousand years. But due to being an incomplete [Old Ruler], he cannot avoid a physical death. This weakness is shared among many [Old Rulers] born from the material world, not just the Sea God.”

I felt as if I had discovered an unexpected piece of information. Listening to Zhuge Sa, I tried to memorize everything and asked, “Does that imply that the [Old Ruler] born from distant divine thrones has both an immortal soul and body?”

“Correct. Such beings are incredibly rare. To my knowledge, there’s no more than ten among the [Old Rulers]. We could call them the crème de la crème of divine bones.”

“……”

“A prime example of a direct descendent of chaos would be the Evil God. Such beings have never known death, making it impossible to defeat them. The only ones stronger than them are the Outer Gods, referred to as gods that surpass gods.”

“Damn…” I gritted my teeth.

My goal was to stop Le Rue from rising in a few hundred years and take down its ruler, the Evil God. But after taking down the Sea God, I realized that fighting the [Old Rulers] would require far more than just two Seven Luminaries. I’d probably need to liberate at least three to even stand a chance against the Sea God.

Defeating the Evil God, who was even stronger and had no weakness of death—how on earth would I go about it?

“…I might have to collect all the Seven Luminaries.”

“That’s the right answer.” Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“Everything else is just secondary.” I finished my conversation with Zhuge Sa and began discussing my future plans. Zhuge Sa questioned my condition.

“Baek Woong, you seem to have aged at least 20 years. How are you feeling? Has your battle power decreased?”

I shook my head in response to Zhuge Sa’s question. “Not at all. My internal power level means my physical strength isn’t too crucial, and besides, it’s actually made it easier to fight since my body has matured.”

“What about your technique?”

“Um… I’ll know once I test it out.”

“Show me some techniques you’ve learned.” I began demonstrating my fire and stealth techniques, along with the Soul Exchange Technique and the Heavenly Peace Technique. That’s when it happened.

Whoooosh!!

“Whoa…!!” As I unleashed the fire technique learned from Jangryeong Valley, a massive fan-shaped flame spread, three yards in size, startling me. It was far more powerful than I had anticipated, and if left unchecked, I’d burn the entire valley. Just then, Mangnyang, standing by, formed a spirit connection.

“Ice.”

Suddenly, a chilling aura enveloped everything, quelling my flames after a while. Mangnyang, who had thwarted my flames with his ice technique, looked at me in astonishment.

“Incredible. I just tried my best to contain it, and yet I couldn’t easily extinguish that fire. You can now use that fire technique as your main attack skill.”

“Um… what happened?”

It hadn’t been like this before. When using my fire technique, it would spread out to an extent no more than three feet. The overpowering force had multiplied several times, catching me off guard as Mangnyang explained, “It’s proof that you received a gift from Jeon Wook.”

“Gift?”

“You ate the food and drank the liquor during Jeon Wook’s Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace Feast. As a result, you aged 20 years, but you also acquired a significant amount of Spirit Power.”

“But since Spirit Power belongs to the Yin category, isn’t it odd that my Yang fire technique would become stronger?”

“Spirit Power is from the moon, a special type of energy so rare that even regular human practitioners find it hard to acquire. That’s why your magical power increased exponentially. Moreover, this fire technique is originally a specialty provided by the Nine-Tailed Fox, so the rise in Spirit Power naturally leads to an upward push.”

“……!!”

“Additionally, you’ve gained the foundation to learn the rare and precious moon techniques. Short of being an immortal, no one in the human realm can utilize moon techniques.”

I could understand Mangnyang’s words, realizing that the Spirit Power I obtained from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace granted me magical prowess commensurate with that of a legendary artifact. I asked in return, “What if I had eaten twenty plates of food at the feast and ended up aging to death?”

“That would be exactly what Jeon Wook desires—with you becoming an Arch-demon and an Apostle of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, your abilities would amplify far beyond what a human could do…”

“……”

“But if it were you, the moment you died, your Rebirth Ability would likely activate, so it’s uncertain what would transpire.” Then I tried other techniques, and all had improved in power and casting time. Feeling very pleased, Mangnyang jokingly remarked, “Your pure power has risen, but since your understanding of techniques is still low, you won’t be able to shorten the Spirit Connection or incantations. Don’t get too satisfied; you still need more training.”

“I got it.” Next, I used the Soul Exchange Technique to control the Portrait Immortals, and Zhuge Sa commented, “You’ve finally reached the seventh level of the Soul Exchange Technique.”

“Really?”

“It’s acknowledged by the heretical sect’s leader. You’re now at a level where you can adequately insert a soul into a body.”

The seventh level of the Soul Exchange Technique! This meant I could now effectively utilize the Portrait Immortals. Previously, even though I could control them, it was only for short durations and I couldn’t manage them properly. But now, I could easily stabilize and transfer souls; in urgent situations, I could even swap out using the Portrait Immortal. Zhuge Sa rubbed his chin, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

“Although the Spirit Power is fine, I initially thought it would take a decade of hard work to break through the wall of the sixth level, but you busted right through it using the power of the moon.”

“Hehe.”

“Don’t get too excited. You’re still a long way from greatness.” With blunt words, Zhuge Sa said, “This level of technique is sufficient. I need to check your martial arts as well. After battling, we should assess what martial arts you’ve gained from the Wild Beast realm.”

That sounded reasonable. I asked him, “How?”

“Try your Heavenly Secret Technique.”

Whoosh.

I activated the Heavenly Secret Technique. Suddenly, I felt the presence of countless souls expanding over a wide area. Previously, my limit had been around twenty leagues, but now it seemed I could reach up to ninety leagues. Zhuge Sa instructed, “Summon the strongest martial spirit and place it into a Portrait Immortal.”

“What if it falls off when I try?” Even with my raised level of the Soul Exchange Technique, maintaining it for long was a challenge. I needed to concentrate; otherwise, the spirit would dissipate away from the body.

“I’ll stabilize the spirit; give it a shot.”

“Got it.” I understood Zhuge Sa’s intention. By placing a powerful warrior’s spirit into a Portrait Immortal, he aimed to have me spar against it. This way, I could accumulate combat experience without making unnecessary connections with the outside world.

Woosh…

‘Should I go for that one?’

With the broader scope, I found a powerful warrior’s spirit at the edge of the ninety leagues. Compared to the other spirits, it was larger and more robust, exuding a blue flame-like aura. Without a doubt, it was a strong spirit, so I immediately summoned it.

[What do you call me for?]

The spirit appeared somewhat dated, clad in old armor and weaponry, its cheeks oddly tattooed as if marked by punishment. ‘Did he get some kind of punishment?’

Regardless, he was undoubtedly a mighty warrior, so I said, “I will place you into that figure. I’d like to spar with you.”

[Is that your request?]

“Yes.”

Swish. The robust body of the Portrait Immortal was now occupied by the ancient warrior’s spirit. A moment later, he stood up and selected a large spear from the array of weapons at hand. He faced me off, holding the spear with one hand.

[It’s been a while since I fought.]

“What’s your name?”

[My name is Yeongpo (英布)!]

“Huh…” I felt a little shaken by that name. ‘Isn’t Yeongpo the one who betrayed Xiang Yu, only to switch to Liu Bang’s side?’ He was a warrior of renown history, a prominent general. Although he had a blemish of treachery, his martial strength was among the best in the Chu-Han Contention. Moreover, he was a hero rivaling the trios of the Han dynasty. Though he rebelled against Liu Bang and was executed, he was still a significant figure.

So I cautiously spoke. “Yeongpo, you must have met Xiang Yu directly.”

Yeongpo responded, sounding somewhat displeased. [Are you implying I’m a betrayer?]

“Not at all. My reason for asking is that I, too, encountered Xiang Yu in person.”

[What? Nonsense.]

I briefly recounted the tale of when Xiang Yu had previously summoned me with his spirit, causing Yeongpo to ease his guard as he spoke.

[Sure, I managed an army for a long time under Xiang Yu. I’d think I know him fairly well.]

“From what I understand, Xiang Yu’s strength was nearly superhuman. How could you have plotted against such a being?”

[He was too strong, making him unnecessary to anyone!]

“What do you mean?”

Yeongpo replied with discomfort. [As you mentioned, Xiang Yu obtained the power of the constellations and would always win without effort. When he swung his sword on the battlefield, hundreds would die in an instant. Yet, ironically, his character was contemptible. I thought I’d die if I stayed by his side, so I aligned with Liu Bang. That was the outcome.]

I jumped to the main point. “But that sounds weird. Regardless of how great Liu Bang, Han Xin, or Shaohao were, they were merely humans. How could they oppose a monster like Xiang Yu?”

[They were monsters themselves!]

“What do you mean by that?”

[Liu Bang was the incarnation of the Celestial Red Dragon, and Han Xin, Shaohao, and Zhang Liang also inherited the powers of constellations. In fact, Zhang Liang, even as a human, was the embodiment of the constellations and also served as the Great Immortal. This was an era where those carrying the power of the stars ruled. I judged I had a fair chance, so I sided with Liu Bang, leading to his eventual victory.]

“……!!”

After pondering for a moment, I asked, “Then can you compare my strength to that of those heroes?”

[Kekhaha! You’re humiliating me by making me evaluate myself against you! Are you a demon?]

“……”

[Alright.]

Suddenly, Yeongpo swung the giant spear from the Portrait Immortal towards me with tremendous force. I took the hit head-on but felt pushed back slightly, forcing me to take a step back. I was astonished by the strength behind Yeongpo’s attack.

“What…?”

This was bizarre. Despite Yeongpo being an ancient figure, he exhibited strength reminiscent of a Peak Expert without having practiced a systematic style of martial arts. Surprised by this, he grinned and said, [I learned the secret techniques of the Chao royal family for ten years from Xiang Liang. Don’t underestimate me.]

Clang clang!

For a while, Yeongpo and I exchanged attacks. He was certainly impressive, but I felt I could easily defeat him using the Seven Great Techniques. Nonetheless, I matched his skills only using the Thunder God Sword Dance, but it was evident that as a ceremonial technique, it lacked efficiency.

I frowned, ‘Something doesn’t feel right.’ It seemed like I grasped the potential hidden within the Thunder God Sword Dance at that final moment against the Sea God. So on purpose, I used the technique to elicit that potential, only to repeatedly confirm its impracticality. It seemed Yeongpo caught on too, halting his spear momentarily.

[Why are you holding back? You’re clearly much stronger than me.]

“I called for this to see the limits of this sword dance.”

[Hoping to awaken during a crisis? That’s a luxury thought you can’t afford on the battlefield.]

Yeongpo sneered, charging at me again.

‘Tch, there’s no helping it…’

I predicated my moves on the Seven Great Techniques against Yeongpo. The Three Treasure Technique played out smoothly, dodging all of his strikes, and I seized the opportunity with the Bowing Sky Slash intuitively. In mere ten seconds, Yeongpo found himself on the defensive, and my blade finally grazed his throat.

Yeongpo remarked, [You should have done this sooner.]

He seemed to recognize my potential at a glance. Given his ancient hero status, his martial skills too were exceptional. “I apologize for the mockery.”

[You asked me to evaluate you compared to the others, didn’t you?]

“Yes.”

[Your martial techniques far surpass those of Liu Bang or the Han Three Heroes. Han Xin wouldn’t stand a chance against you in a sword duel. In my time, there were no masters of sword systems that could compare to you.]

After praising me highly, Yeongpo followed up with, […Except for the father and son of the Xiang family.]

“Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu were masters of the sword?”

[Of course! They inherited the secret techniques of the Chao royal family, which are extraordinary indeed. They are peerless martial techniques, rivaling the Moon Woman Sword. Even without the power of the constellations, Xiang Yu wouldn’t lose to you in martial arts. ]

“……”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. ‘I feel like I’ve heard of that before.’ I wondered if there might be a chance to gain another peerless sword technique. Realizing this potential gain, I expressed my gratitude, “Thank you.”

I let Yeongpo go and turned to Zhuge Sa, who was watching the whole time. I stated, “Something just struck me…”

“Trying to obtain the Moon Woman Sword Technique, right?”

It was as if Zhuge Sa had predicted that. As I nodded, he continued bluntly, “The Baek Won-sangma, serving Dongbang Mu-gyeol, is likely the successor of the Moon Woman Sword Techniques; if you press them, you might acquire it. But do you really need it at this moment?”

“It’s not strictly necessary, but…”

“You already possess several techniques that are on par or greater than the Moon Woman Sword’s power. You’re busy finishing the task Jeon Wook set you with, so don’t get distracted with unnecessary details.”

Feeling sheepish, I scratched my head. “Got it.”

“By the way, does that mean your martial arts haven’t grown considerably?” Zhuge Sa’s inquiry met with my shake of the head.

“Nope. I’ve advanced a step beyond where I was before fighting the Sea God. I’m confident I’ve fully awakened the Three Treasure Technique and my fluency with the sword has greatly improved. But…”

“But?”

“While wielding the Thunder God Sword Dance, I can’t seem to feel that connection anymore.”

That was the issue. I felt I could confidently stand among the top experts of Jianghu now, yet I couldn’t re-establish that mysterious power hidden in the Thunder God Sword Dance. It was undeniably frustrating, as I suspected that it was the unknown strength that had allowed me to decapitate the Sea God in that climactic moment.

The potential to kill a god. I needed to be able to wield that power consciously. As I pondered, Mangnyang spoke up.

“We can’t provide the answer to that issue. When it comes to martial techniques, Baek Woong, you’ve surpassed the Elder of the Thunder God lineage. There should be a master with superior ability to advise you. You’ll need to find someone stronger than you.”

“You mean…” Mangnyang chuckled.

“You’ll want to ask the one with the finest martial skills in the world, right?”

 

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