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Chapter 494 – Dark Heaven Village

I returned to Jangryeong Valley with Mangnyang in tow alongside Cheon Woo-jin. Cheon Woo-jin wore a rather surprised expression as he instantly arrived thanks to the power of the Apostle I wielded.

“What is this…?”

I asked him with a glimmer of hope.

“Do you know what kind of ability this is?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s the power of a god.”

Cheon Woo-jin muttered, looking puzzled.

“And it’s completely different from the technique of spatial stepping.”

He laid Mangnyang down and began to chant an incantation, focusing his mind. The sorcery that had calmed Mangnyang’s condition earlier by borrowing the power of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman was only a temporary measure, and now Cheon Woo-jin intended to quench the divine fever himself.

As his chanting continued, Mangnyang’s complexion flushed a bit more red. His life force was recovering, previously suppressed by excessive divine power. Seeing this improvement, I let out a sigh of relief, and Cheon Woo-jin said, “Fortunately, we’ve saved your older brother’s life, but due to the side effects of the divine fever, his lifespan has shortened by 15 years.”

His tone had changed.

“…”

“Can you take responsibility for your older brother’s lost 15 years?”

The casual, familiar tone he previously had was gone. He seemed calm on the surface, but there was suppressed anger and killing intent beneath. I realized that he still considered the situation dangerous and that I needed to respond to this question as carefully as possible.

‘Must not answer incorrectly.’

Cheon Woo-jin hadn’t decided to become my ally. He had come to protect Mangnyang out of suspicion, as Mangnyang had abandoned everything to follow me. I paused to think before responding to his question.

“I can take responsibility.”

“You speak well. How do you plan to repay his lost lifespan?”

“If I find offerings to dedicate to the Celestial Realm within 15 years, I can extend his lifespan. I will definitely repay it.”

“Hmm.”

Cheon Woo-jin sighed.

“Since we have to stabilize your older brother’s condition, you should leave.”

“Understood.”

I sensed that continuing to talk was a bad idea. He was emanating an extreme level of irritation and dissatisfaction merely by my presence. No matter what I said, a negative response was likely to follow. So I quickly excused myself and went to check on the matters of Jangryeong Valley.

“Has the Lord of Jangryeong Valley not returned yet?”

“No.”

“He did not reveal his destination?”

The infuriated-looking Jangryeong Valley’s attendant replied, “As I mentioned before, he only said he would return in two weeks.”

“Did he leave in a hurry?”

“… Yes. He seemed quite pressed for time.”

What is this?

What could Zhuge Sa be doing for two weeks?

With a glimmer of hope, I asked the attendant for more detailed information.

“Did he not leave any message for me?”

“He did leave.”

“What did he say?”

“To train diligently…”

“……”

It sounded cliché. However, I felt that Zhuge Sa’s sudden disappearance was an extremely grave matter. As I shared the shard of memory with Zhuge Sa through the obsidian, he would discuss any significant issues with me. So it was bizarre that he had left without even a single word for fifteen days.

I wanted to use my sorcery and powers right away to find Zhuge Sa. But I decided to keep a cool head.

‘Can’t mess things up by acting hastily!’

If something had really happened to Zhuge Sa, being reckless and panicking wouldn’t help at all. I realized that what I needed to do was to swiftly recover Mangnyang from the divine fever, listen to his counsel, and set a plan in motion.

‘Hmmm… but I can’t just sit here either. At least I should gather basic information about Zhuge Sa’s activities.’

It would help facilitate a smoother conversation when I discussed things with Mangnyang.

I raised my hand and activated the Heavenly Secret Technique. I sought out a powerful spirit nearby and inquired.

[I am the Iron Fist Saint, Muak. What business do you have with me?]

A martial artist?

I had no doubt he was a spirit of martial origin given his title. Considering that the spirit summoned through the Heavenly Secret Technique should be of historical significance, Iron Fist Saint must have been quite an expert in life. I asked Muak.

“The owner of Jinrang Valley has vanished. I’d like to trace his movements or the direction he disappeared.”

Iron Fist Saint frowned.

[Sorry, but that is beyond my abilities. I can only fight.]

“Didn’t you have to grant me a wish since you were summoned by the Heavenly Secret Technique?”

[Hmm… I could try, but I’ve never mastered tracking techniques in life.]

As Iron Fist Saint pondered aloud, he spoke again.

[Alright! I’ll recommend someone else.]

“Who are you talking about?”

[During my lifetime, there was a person renowned for their tracking skills, known as the ‘One that Chases Souls’ – Sucheong. With his tracking method, we might find the owner.]

“Are you sure?”

[In my time, no expert in Jianghu could avoid the tracking of ‘Chasing Souls’. His tracking skills are truly exceptional.]

“Summon that spirit and sync with him, can you?”

[Understood.]

Iron Fist Saint’s spirit began to concentrate intensely on something. After about an hour, I felt another spirit hastily coming into the range of my Heavenly Secret Technique. It seemed that the spirit of Sucheong, who was stationed in another region, had been summoned here.

[What is it? Why have you summoned me?]

Soon, the mirage of Sucheong appeared before my eyes.

[I’ve done all I need to. I’m leaving.]

Iron Fist Saint soon faded away. The flame on one of my ten fingers from the Heavenly Secret Technique also extinguished. Regardless, he had fulfilled my request to some extent.

I spoke to Sucheong.

“Sucheong, I need you to find the Lord of Jangryeong Valley. Use your tracking skills to seek him out.”

[Fine. Then will you let me take control of your body until I find him?]

“I don’t want to completely give over control, just gather some leads for me.”

[Understood.]

Swish!

Sucheong’s spirit possessed my body. He could move my body, but I hadn’t completely relinquished control to him. I was watching carefully to prevent him from doing anything reckless. It seemed he understood this, as he said to me.

[We need something that belongs to him.]

[What kind of thing?]

[Things with his scent or blood… anything that leaves a trace of his body…]

I fetched Zhuge Sa’s long sword from my room as per Sucheong’s request. Since Zhuge Sa was a Demon Sorcerer, he seldom carried the sword around, only using it when the boredom of killing required it. After holding the sword, Sucheong took a moment to gather his energy and infused the sword with a jade-green aura.

Whoosh.

[Ohhh.]

I couldn’t help but admire it. I saw threads of energy spun from Qi extending out long. While there were many masters of tracking arts in Jianghu, I’d never seen a technique like this before. Sucheong grinned, saying,

[This is my specialty ‘Chasing Souls’. I can detect the opponent’s Qi with a special technique.]

[What? And you were called ‘Chasing Souls’?]

[I have my circumstances, which prevent me from using my formal title in Jianghu. Hence, I adopted my own specialty as my name.]

[……?]

This guy is peculiar.

What could these ‘special circumstances’ possibly be?

Swish!

[Since it hasn’t been long since he vanished, I can still track him for up to six hundred li from here.]

But I was soon surprised to see Sucheong moving my body with fluid and swift movements.

[Hey, wait! Sucheong!]

[What’s wrong?]

As Sucheong stopped suddenly, I shouted in disbelief.

[That move you just used was the Thunder Shadow Step and Heavenly Gathering Kill!!]

Indeed!

The movement I just used to maneuver through the spider-web-like terrain of Jangryeong Valley was none other than a practical martial art from the Thunder God lineage, known for its powerful might—the Thunder Shadow Step Heavenly Gathering Kill! This technique was among the many martial arts I had learned under Lee Kwang in my past life, making it impossible not to recognize it.

Consequently, Sucheong seemed bewildered.

[Hmm… are you also from the Thunder God lineage? Or are you from the Four Great Families?]

[I’m from the Thunder God lineage.]

[So you’re one of my descendants.]

We didn’t bother to establish our master-disciple relationship. Neither of us felt particularly attached to the Thunder God lineage, and Sucheong, knowing he had been dead for hundreds of years, thought it pointless to dwell on such ties.

[What’s going on here?]

I asked in surprise, and Sucheong replied.

[What is there to be surprised about? Even if the White Lotus Sect resides in the Heavenly Stronghold, experts from the Four Great Families have continuously sneaked into the Central Plains Martial World. I served as a direct disciple of the Dharma Guardian of the Wind Spirit Sect, one of the ten great spies operating secretly in the Central Plains.]

[You seem too renowned to be a spy.]

[Huh?]

[The Heavenly Secret Technique distinguishes those who had great notoriety in life. You fit the bill perfectly.]

Iron Fist Saint was undoubtedly one of the leaders recognized in Jianghu, and Sucheong’s abilities and reputation, acknowledged by Iron Fist Saint, must also have been among the best. With such a luminous reputation, calling him merely a spy seemed inappropriate.

Suddenly, Sucheong sighed.

[What does it matter? Until I got married, had children, and grew old and died in the Central Plains, nobody discovered my identity as a Thunder God. I remained undisturbed, with collecting information as my only task back then. At that time, the Central Plains and the White Lotus Sect had a good relationship.]

[……]

[Anyway, I have my own business to attend to…]

[Wait. I’ve never learned the techniques of ‘Chasing Souls’. How did you come by it?]

When I pressed him, Sucheong grew irritable.

[I was the top disciple of the Ghostly Spirit Sect. Good enough?]

[So you’re saying ‘Chasing Souls’ is a technique from the Ghostly Spirit Sect?]

[Dammit. Your martial arts seem incredibly grand, so what is your standing in the Thunder God lineage? You’ve got to at least know the different factions within!]

[Just curious…]

[What do you want me to do with that kind of question?]

Sucheong grumbled but then said.

[Hey, do me a favor. Whether you’re tracking Zhuge Sa or explaining the arts of the Ghostly Spirit Sect.]

I momentarily hesitated. Sucheong appeared to be an ancient expert of the Thunder God lineage and unusually an adept at tracking. It wouldn’t hurt to gain detailed information about the Ghostly Spirit Sect from him. Plus, having Sucheong, a master of tracking, would be useful for my future reincarnations.

However, I suppressed my eagerness and said.

[Sorry for the interruption. Please find Zhuge Sa.]

[You should’ve said so earlier.]

Just knowing Sucheong existed was satisfying enough, as it meant I could summon him again in the future. Gaining clues to respond to the emergency caused by Zhuge Sa’s disappearance was what mattered most now, so I chose not to confuse my priorities.

Swish!

Sucheong moved skillfully along the thread of energy. He had a habit of checking for traps while moving along the Qi, which unfortunately limited his speed. However, before long, Sucheong had covered more than four hundred li of the promised six hundred li.

He stated,

[The person headed south.]

[So to the south…]

[I can feel he went straight in this direction.]

He continued moving. After exceeding the promised distance of six hundred li, he had gone an additional one hundred fifty li before coming to a halt. He then spoke in a puzzled voice.

[This is strange. The trace has disappeared.]

[Is that unusual?]

[To remove the trace means he vanished like a ghost. Such a thing shouldn’t be possible…]

[Do you have any ideas?]

[I have no idea. This is as far as my powers extend.]

[Understood. You can go now.]

I sent Sucheong back. Then I surveyed the area around me.

“This place…”

There was a reason I dismissed him. This area seemed familiar.

“I’m sure it’s here.”

This place reminded me of my past when I worked beneath the White Lotus Sect. I had been led somewhere to sneak into the slave market. Many events had unfolded after I joined the slave market.

Indeed! This was the very site of the slave market! The largest slave market in the Central Plains, tied to the Wind Spirit Sect and the Imperial Palace, had been held right around here!

‘Does this mean someone opened and closed a dimension around here, causing the traces to vanish like a phantom?’

Back then, to avoid the scrutiny of other martial forces, the slave market had been held at a site connected to the Blood Realm, utilizing the powers of otherworldly demon sorcerers. Someone had erected a barrier, creating a direct passage to the Blood Realm.

It was highly likely that Zhuge Sa had opened a dimension in this very location and entered the Blood Realm.

“……”

I felt that I could traverse dimensions from this spot, but I lacked the sorcery and magic for such feats. Additionally, I didn’t possess a relic like the Four Great Spirits that could breach dimensions. I tried using the power of the Apostle, but it seemed to be ineffective in this case.

With no methods at my disposal, I decided to return to Jangryeong Valley.

After covering over seven hundred li with my body, quite a bit of time had passed. Mangnyang had completely regained his color and was sitting upright on the bed, and Cheon Woo-jin was across from him. I addressed Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang, are you alright now?”

He wore a somewhat gloomy expression.

“I feel ashamed. To have blustered and ended up like this…”

“Anyone can make mistakes. Next time, we can work out a way to manage the divine fever.”

“… Thank you.”

Then I explained the current situation regarding Zhuge Sa’s disappearance to Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin. After listening to the entire account, Mangnyang said,

“Just as you speculated, if Zhuge Sa has passed through the old passage to the Blood Realm, there’s only one reason.”

“What reason is that?”

“I think he intends to meet that [Slave Trader].”

“That’s quite possible.”

The Slave Trader!

An enigmatic ally of the Wind Spirit Sect and the Imperial Palace, that otherworldly being was involved in the human trade, yet it was rumored that they were an ancient race responsible for creating humans. They were proficient in demon sorcery as well. In my past life, I had impersonated Zhuge Sa’s acquaintance to make a deal with the Slave Trader and obtained a bracelet for summoning demon beasts.

Mangnyang continued, “If it’s Zhuge Sa, he should be fine. That’s his forte. It might be better if we leave him to his own devices. If he were truly in danger, he would have told you his destination and sought your help.”

“Hmm, is that so…”

“Let’s wait a few days.”

I decided to heed Mangnyang’s advice. We shouldn’t draw attention from beings capable of opening the Blood Realm. I agreed to spend a few more days observing with Mangnyang until we made a move, devoting ourselves to our training instead.

And just as Mangnyang had predicted, Zhuge Sa suddenly appeared in Jangryeong Valley three days later.

“Kekeke. Were you worried about me?”

When I told Zhuge Sa about my fruitless search for him, he chuckled. I returned his gaze with an uncomfortable expression.

“Mangnyang faced a sudden crisis. Of course, worrying for a companion’s safety is natural.”

“Then how is it that that Cheon Woo-jin is in Jangryeong Valley…”

Zhuge Sa stared at Cheon Woo-jin with half-lidded eyes while the latter didn’t even look at him. They clearly weren’t on amicable terms. Zhuge Sa turned his head away and said,

“Anyway, I brought some things from the [Slave Trader].”

Swish!

Zhuge Sa handed me a bracelet for summoning demon beasts. I took it in a daze and remarked,

“What is this…?”

“You’re familiar with it, right? You already know how to use it.”

“Hey. You didn’t spend all the Jangryeong Valley’s assets on making the Divine Portrait, did you? What price did you pay for this?!”

Zhuge Sa’s expression twisted.

“……”

“Don’t tell me… your lifespan…!!”

I exclaimed in shock, and Zhuge Sa looked at me as though I were an idiot.

“What’s wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?”

“Uh… no…”

“Cut the crap.”

At Zhuge Sa’s reprimand, I suddenly felt embarrassed and scratched my head.

“……”

Zhuge Sa gave me a look as if I were something pathetic.

“Just because I’ve drained Jangryeong Valley’s wealth doesn’t mean I have to stop making purchases. The assets of Jangryeong Valley are merely a fraction of what I own.”

“Where did you get that money and treasure?”

“There are some fools in Jianghu who trade with me, the heretical sect leader. After ripping off a few of those vermin, I exchanged that wealth for magical treasures through acquaintances.”

“Uh, how?”

Zhuge Sa grinned mischievously.

“Not telling you, idiot. Why would I want to reveal my sources to someone who’s reincarnated?”

“……”

I felt my heart sinking at Zhuge Sa’s arrogance as I tried to save Mangnyang.

Right… This guy is exactly as I remember…