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00516 Dark Heaven Village ————————————————————————

Zhuge Bu was still trapped in the secret room of Jangryeong Valley. However, it seemed that Mangnyang had improved his treatment; unlike before, when he looked barely alive from starvation, he now appeared calm and composed. As soon as Zhuge Bu saw us, he spoke with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“Are you here to kill me?”

Mangnyang responded, “You’re just pretending not to know, aren’t you?”

“……”

“I’ll ask you directly: how much do you know about the Yu-Dragon Collection?”

At the mention of it, Zhuge Bu’s eyes shimmered with interest.

“That’s unexpected. Why do you ask?”

“Just answer the question.”

“You must know, since you came looking for me. I learned the teachings as a devoted descendant of the Zhuge family.”

“In that case, you should know about this pattern.”

With a swift motion, Mangnyang revealed the drawing made by Miho to Zhuge Bu. Zhuge Bu nodded silently, seemingly deciding not to deny what Mangnyang already presumed he knew. Mangnyang continued.

“I had only a brief time to study the Yu-Dragon Collection. But you, Zhuge Bu, have been groomed as your father’s successor and studied it for years. If you know anything more about this pattern, please speak honestly.”

Zhuge Bu scoffed.

“Hmph… honestly, there’s no real choice for me, is there? It feels like a game. Even if I refuse, you’ll just use the Soul Exchange Technique to force me to reveal everything, right? Why bother with this nuisance?”

“……”

The two brothers’ gazes collided in the air. Mangnyang stared at him with an emotionless expression, but I knew better.

[Baek Woong. I want to make Zhuge Bu an ally too.]

Mangnyang had told me this before coming here. When I dismissed it as nonsense, I remembered Mangnyang persistently saying,

[Right now, things are dire and the enemy’s level is escalating, so it may not feel real, but having Zhuge Bu as an ally would make things easier in the future. He is undoubtedly the best talent in the Central Plains. Thus, I’ll test him just once.]

Mangnyang didn’t seem to like Zhuge Bu that much. It was because Zhuge Bu took pride in his natural talent and looked down on Mangnyang, who was his younger brother. Yet, aside from their personal feelings, it appeared that Mangnyang recognized Zhuge Bu’s capabilities and talents.

What was Mangnyang hoping to achieve?

As I watched their standoff, Zhuge Bu slowly spoke.

“I don’t even know what that pattern is. Do whatever you want with the Soul Exchange Technique.”

“Really, you don’t know?”

“I told you to do as you please. What’s the point of pestering me like this? You’re not getting the answer you want anyway, and even if I lie, there’s no way to verify it.”

He chuckled wryly.

“You really haven’t changed at all.”

“……”

Mangnyang exhaled a short sigh. Zhuge Sa stepped in and began interrogating him with the Soul Exchange Technique, but they only confirmed again that Zhuge Bu genuinely didn’t know anything. Zhuge Sa, irritated with Zhuge Bu’s apparent indifference, slapped his cheek and turned to Mangnyang.

“The only option left is to capture Zhuge Yulong and ask him.”

“That does seem to be the case.”

“Still, I have to acknowledge my brother’s cautiousness. He doesn’t share anything even with his own children.”

Zhuge Sa’s words rang true. Mangnyang believed that Zhuge Bu had studied the Yu-Dragon Collection for at least ten years, and yet even he didn’t know what special meaning the pattern held. This was evident that Zhuge Yulong saw that pattern as the secret he would take to his grave.

After the inquiry ended, Mangnyang turned to me.

“The Demon King has been taken down, but now we need to observe the situation.”

“I agree.”

Zhuge Sa chimed in from the side.

“Fighting the Incarnation of the Old Ruler dwelling in the White Lotus Sect is a huge risk. The Demon King, despite becoming a divine being, was fundamentally a human sorcerer, but that creature is the genuine article. We can only hope for King Mi-hu to defeat him.”

I pondered for a moment and asked, “It seems we have about a month until the Heavenly Sovereign’s coming. What should we do?”

“The situation is different from before.”

Zhuge Sa clasped his hands together as he spoke.

“This Heavenly Sovereign may be needed for the survival of humanity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Until now, the Heavenly Sovereign has represented a punitive measure against humans who dared to summon the Old Ruler, but this time it can’t be a Heavenly Sovereign of that meaning, since you’ve defeated the Sea God. The Heavenly Sovereign essentially signifies the descent of the Celestial Realm to Earth, which could fit well with the current chaotic cause-and-effect situation in the Central Plains.”

“……”

“So, waiting for the Heavenly Sovereign might actually be a method. With the Demon King, who could be a major variable, already dealt with, things may become easier.”

I had never thought of that possibility.

Until now, I had seen the Heavenly Sovereign as a harbinger of destruction, and tried to stop it at all costs, but could it actually end up benefiting us in the chaotic Chaos Zone? But as the thought crossed my mind, I quickly turned to Zhuge Sa, saying,

“…Even so, there’s still a possibility of human massacre. The Great Immortals who descend as the Heavenly Sovereign won’t spare humanity.”

“We can’t avoid that. As you said, there’s a chance that tens of thousands of humans could be slaughtered by the Immortals. But doesn’t it just depend on who it is that brings about their demise?”

Zhuge Sa continued unmoved.

“You’ve seen the foresight of Baek Woong through his prophetic vision, haven’t you? You’ve witnessed the Nine Lotus Sect’s hangers-on, filled with the apostles of the Old Ruler. Whether they are the apostles of the Evil Spirit… or the followers of another Old Ruler—once they start running rampant, humans will inevitably lose their rights and become livestock. The Celestial Realm will showcase punishment to humans as an example, but annihilation or reducing them to livestock is less likely.”

“Umm…”

“That means the forces of the Celestial Realm could descend and protect the lifeblood of humanity.”

I could wholly understand Zhuge Sa’s words. If it’s something unavoidable, then it makes sense to choose to be governed by the gentler side.

But then Miho, who had been listening beside us, spoke up, “Is that really the case?”

All eyes turned to Miho. She glanced toward the sky with a somewhat cold gaze and continued.

“The Queen Mother of the West hasn’t been too fond of humans. Moreover, from what I’ve seen, most of the top officials in the Celestial Realm had a begrudging attitude toward sparing humans.”

I was taken aback and exclaimed, “Are you serious, Miho?”

“Yes. At least among the Great Immortals below the Three Pure Ones, many were quite skeptical of human civilization.”

Miho idly twirled her hair with her finger as she remarked, “It’s more like they do it because they have to…? It seems to me that, once appointed to that position, it feels like an inescapable task or fate has been thrust upon them. Hence, pure-hearted Immortals who genuinely care for and protect humans are exceedingly rare.”

“Umm…”

“Baek Woong, the relationships you maintain with Yeodong-bin, Fire Dragon Incarnate, and Jang Sam-bong can be viewed as an unusual case.”

Miho’s comments held significant weight. As a Great Demon with hundreds of years of experience staying beside the Queen Mother, her perspective certainly reflected the views of the Celestial Realm. I was baffled and replied.

“Wouldn’t they hardly be Celestial-born? Most of them are likely humans who climbed up to the Celestial Realm. So why see humans skeptically? Shouldn’t they want to protect them?”

“…What a strange thought you have, Baek Woong.”

Miho regarded me with an odd look.

“Why would they find human civilization favorable? They rear and slaughter animals at their leisure, make endless use of horses and cattle without rest, and pigs, though intelligent creatures, get bred in masses and butchered simply for their tasty meat. A myriad of ways to devour them. Humans not only kill other beings for survival but also for pleasure. And they brazenly destroy the natural ecosystem for their own greed, bringing harm.”

“……”

“Most figures of the race who ascend to prominence from the beasts possess a profound hatred for humans. Even humans themselves, when viewing from an objective perspective, shift to a gray view of their own kind. It’s not that monsters attack humans for no reason.”

“Umm.”

So this is how demons perceive humans.

“Humans aren’t such positive beings. I wonder why they even maintain policies to protect humanity in the Celestial Realm.”

Miho’s words resonated with me.

‘I don’t particularly like humans either.’

While I cherish and care for my companions, I don’t hold an encompassing love for humanity as a whole. In truth, I am also a human unable to extend love beyond my personal circle. Yet, preventing a massacre is something completely different, and that’s why I am striving to protect them. I can’t just escape the cycle of destruction while letting others perish.

Zhuge Sa waved his hand dismissively.

“Let’s not reiterate what everyone essentially knows. Does anyone here not understand that humans can be far worse than dogs? It’s all clear, and discussing it further won’t change anything.”

“Indeed.”

“Anyway, it’s best to refrain from moving now and be cautious. But…”

“But what?”

“It might be wise to check the five Heavenly Altars once more.”

Following Zhuge Sa’s statement, it became evident that while the value of the Heavenly Altars had diminished to some degree since the Offering Ceremony could no longer be held, it remained crucial to monitor the places where the Celestial Realm may descend upon Earth.

“What if King Mi-hu launches an assault?”

However, given that King Mi-hu was on high alert around us, moving separately was hazardous. Just recently, we nearly faced annihilation upon a sudden encounter in the Divine City. Although we escaped unharmed due to luck, I couldn’t count on that fortune being in our favor the next time. In response to my concern, Zhuge Sa replied.

“If it becomes truly dangerous, it would be better to use dolls instead of us going out directly.”

“Dolls?”

“Come out.”

With that, Zhuge Sa waved his hand through the air, summoning the technique to draw forth the souls.

Stomp, stomp.

As Zhuge Sa wielded the Soul Exchange Technique, five figures began to stagger out from a secret chamber. As I recognized their shapes, I quickly grasped the situation.

“Divine Portrait.”

“These are the highest quality ones that I didn’t sacrifice last time and kept in reserve. They were crafted with care, and compared to hastily made ones, these are far more stable and functional. With just a bit of martial and sorcery input, we can easily conduct a reconnaissance.”

“Are you saying to use a Divine Portrait to explore the Heavenly Altar of Mount Huang?”

I had never considered this method before. Zhuge Sa remarked, “That might be the best option. What if you walked out and triggered a trap or encountered King Mi-hu again? Baek Woong, as our leader, you need to refrain from carelessly wandering around. If you’re captured, that’s the end.”

“Hmm. I wonder if the Divine Portrait can use it?”

“Let’s give it a try with the Drill and the Suspicious Fishhook.”

I handed the Drill and the Suspicious Fishhook to Zhuge Sa, who presented them to the beautiful young lady Divine Portrait.

“Use the Drill to go to the Heavenly Altar of Mount Huang. Report back using the Suspicious Fishhook.”

“Yes.”

Paat!

The moment the smiley Divine Portrait activated the Drill, she vanished in a burst of light. I grasped the other end of the Suspicious Fishhook, anxiously awaiting a report. A short while later, the voice of the Divine Portrait filtered through.

[I have arrived at the Heavenly Altar of Mount Huang.]

[Is there any enemy, monster, or demon in sight?]

[None visible within my range.]

[Return.]

[Yes.]

Paat!

The Divine Portrait returned instantly. She willingly handed back the Drill and the Suspicious Fishhook upon my command. Zhuge Sa chuckled, grinning.

“So? Simple, right?”

“That’s true… but we only have one Drill.”

“We can send them out in pairs. It’s more efficient together than alone, plus it’s better suited for surveillance. Even if one gets caught, we still have two left.”

“……”

So if one gets attacked and the Divine Portrait is destroyed, it’s not like a real living being would die.

While it might be efficient in theory, I still felt hesitation.

‘Do these Divine Portraits truly lack their own will?’

The silver-haired boy, that Divine Portrait clearly moved with intent. And stepping outside of their Divine Portrait role, they awakened as the archbishop of the Nine Lotus Sect and the Apostle of the Evil Spirit. If that’s the case, it implies that the Divine Portraits possess some essence beyond being mere dolls. There could be traps even Zhuge Yulong, their creator, is unaware of.

Nevertheless, for now, Zhuge Sa’s strategy appeared to be the best course of action. I concurred with his plan.

“Let’s go with that.”

After the operation was decided, Zhuge Sa requested that I produce a large amount of Obsidian. He emphasized that only with the Obsidian encapsulating my knowledge of martial arts and Mangnyang’s memories could we impart real strength to the Divine Portraits.

“Typically, one would teach martial techniques or sorcery directly to the Divine Portraits, but with our Obsidian sorcery, we don’t need to be inefficient in that manner. By directly infusing memories into the Obsidian, they’ll grow much stronger in no time. We simply need to delete any useless memories from your past lives and fill the remaining capacity with knowledge.”

“Isn’t there a chance that the Divine Portrait might develop a will and betray us?”

Zhuge Sa snickered.

“If that were a possibility, it would make things all the more interesting. But they’re merely dolls artificially revitalized through the Eight Trigrams power, so no such occurrence is likely. It’s akin to a flower blossoming in a desert.”

“Hmm…”

Bzzz…

The five Divine Portraits received the Obsidian, and for about a brief moment, they wriggled, as if checking the memories they had received. Then, they began to test their martial and sorcery skills one by one.

I secretly hoped they could master their skills in an instant, but the result didn’t pan out that way.

Hiss!

I saw one or two of the Divine Portraits attempting to unleash the Thunder Dragon Sword of the Thunder God lineage, but their forms and breathing were all off. Moreover, there was no sign at all of finesse in martial arts. However, in regard to sorcery, it was evident that they executed it accurately, showing much higher power than I possessed. Observing this, Zhuge Sa commented as if he had expected it.

“Divine Portraits don’t particularly gel well with martial arts. They mostly utilize reverse techniques; adapting to martial arts based on Qi and intent is difficult. However, they shine extraordinarily in sorcery.”

“Does that mean they can’t shine in martial arts but are easy to grow into sorcerers?”

“That’s true…”

Zhuge Sa trailed off slightly.

“We’ll see how this production technology evolves over time. Given the excellent foundational theory, the potential is vast; eventually, it might lead us to create top-class Divine Portraits who become martial arts geniuses.”

“In any case, since they’re still awkward with martial arts, putting them out right now might be tough.”

“They can’t adapt instantly. Let’s have them train for a few days before sending them out for reconnaissance.”

After saying this, Zhuge Sa turned to me.

“Since we’re at it, you should also teach martial arts to the Divine Portraits, Baek Woong.”

“Huh? I think I already passed down all the memories through the Obsidian.”

“Knowing something with your head is different from learning it directly. It’s better for you to teach them to a usable level.”

“Got it.”

I had a feeling it could be quite an enjoyable experience.

Taat!

I grabbed the sword of the Divine Portraits and shouted, “Master your breathing, unleash the Thunder Dragon Sword and the Thunder God Sword Dance!”

The Divine Portraits began their martial arts training under my guidance, completely unbothered by my commands. Memories of learning from Lee Kwang resurfaced in my mind, and I felt an odd nostalgia. It was fascinating to see them following my orders so seamlessly.

Over the course of about three days, I corrected the shortcomings in the martial arts of the Divine Portraits one by one. Strangely enough, despite being clumsy in those aspects, they always seemed to find ways to adjust the pointed areas I mentioned, to the point where they were soon using the Thunder God lineage martial techniques proficiently enough.

“Go on!”

Having deemed their training sufficient, I sent out the reconnaissance team of Divine Portraits. The basic order was to search the area surrounding the Heavenly Altar for abnormalities, continuously reporting anything suspicious.

[Heavenly Altar of Mount Huang has been confirmed. No suspicious points detected.]

The first reconnaissance was conducted at Mount Huang, and everything was clear. However, the remaining four altars raised concerns.

‘At Huashan, there’s the Huashan Sect; at Songshan, there’s the Shaolin Temple; at Hengshan, there’s the Hengshan Sect…’

It was uncertain what defenses lay around the Heavenly Altars. Of course, I knew there wouldn’t be too many defenses at the Huashan or Hengshan Heavenly Altars, but things could become troublesome if a scuffle broke out unexpectedly. As I wrestled with my thoughts, Zhuge Sa said,

“Just send them out. Since the Blood Shadow Valley took down the True Heaven Alliance, both Huashan Sect and Hengshan Sect probably won’t be able to pay attention to the Heavenly Altar. The majority of the Nine Great Sects are likely facing clan extinction anyway. And there’s no need to perform reconnaissance at the Shaolin Temple.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve heard the Blood Shadow Valley didn’t harm the Shaolin Temple at all. It should be safe.”

Following Zhuge Sa’s advice, I proceeded with the reconnaissance.

[Heavenly Altar of Mount Hua has been confirmed. No suspicious points detected.]

[Heavenly Altar of Hengshan has been confirmed. No suspicious points detected.]

The second reconnaissance finished smoothly.

I thought everything was going to run smoothly afterward.

“……”

“There’s no reply.”

Until the two Divine Portraits I sent to scout the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai went missing.

It was clear that the Divine Portraits had been communicating back and forth with us through the Suspicious Fishhook while periodically monitoring Mount Tai, but suddenly they ceased communicating entirely after a strange sound, keeping silent thereafter. I instinctively felt something must’ve happened at the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai.

Something ominous was stirring there.

“I need to check it out.”

“No, you can’t.”

“What?! If I leave it like this, we’ll lose both the Suspicious Fishhook and the Drill…”

“That’s why what’s more important now is your life.”

Zhuge Sa retorted bluntly.

“Those Divine Portraits were originally meant to be sacrifices. So it isn’t unexpected if they die. If you’re in danger, then learning about traps there is still a benefit. Discovering danger means avoiding it, right? It’d be foolish to rush into a trap.”

“……”

At that moment, Cheon Woo-jin, who was listening from the side, said, “It appears someone has laid a trap nearby the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai and lies in wait.”

“Who could it be?”

“I’ll utilize the Eye of Long Sight to investigate.”

Clang!

Cheon Woo-jin grasped the Half Yellow Pearl and used the Eye of Long Sight. Perhaps experiencing an increase in spirit power after obtaining an artifact, he now seemed significantly more forceful than before. After peering at the surroundings of Mount Tai for a while, he frowned.

“As expected, I can’t see anything.”

“Wait, what do you mean? There must be some trap.”

“Exactly, it means there’s a trap so intricately set up, it doesn’t even show on my Eye of Long Sight.”

“……!!”

“Someone skilled beyond measure is lying in wait at Mount Tai. They cleverly maneuvered to evade risks by using Divine Portraits.”

Who in the world lurks near Mount Tai?

As I was engulfed in confusion, Zhuge Sa spoke up.

“That’s enough. Getting caught in such poor bait would be foolish.”

“But what about the Drill and the Suspicious Fishhook…”

Swoosh!

At that moment, the Drill and Suspicious Fishhook levitated over Zhuge Sa’s hand. With a sly smile, he said,

“I used one of the advanced spells from the Nameless Ritual Book to connect myself to the treasure. I retrieved it.”

“……”

Zhuge Sa tossed the treasure towards me, declaring, “Baek Woong. This makes things even clearer. There are others besides us trying to take advantage of the Heavenly Sovereign’s opening.”