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“The Three Sovereigns’ Jeon Wook has descended!”

I never dreamed something like this would happen. The lofty Jeon Wook, who had been observing the human world from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, using the physical form of the Apostle, was beyond my wildest imaginations. Yet, Jeon Wook’s presence completely controlled my body, leaving me unable to do more than think in the corner of his mind.

“I don’t know anything about that!” said Gin Nara, struggling against his domination.

Jeon Wook chuckled deeply.

“Ha ha ha! Am I amusing you?”

With a casual flick of his finger, Gin Nara’s body twisted grotesquely, and with a splintering sound, a desperate wail echoed.

“Aaaah…!!”

As the hidden weapon skewered Gin Nara, his insides were being decimated. Sharp thorns jutted out, mercilessly tearing him apart.

Thud!

Gin Nara’s spirit was shredded to bits. However, as if this was just the beginning, Jeon Wook used my body to clench a fist.

“You’re far from done.”

Uwoong!

“Huc… Aah…”

Gin Nara’s spirit began to restore itself, as if reversing time. Only pain remained in the blood-soaked earth. Gin Nara seemed to have something to say, but Jeon Wook shot another hidden weapon that pierced his eyes.

“Gaaah!!!”

Gin Nara staggered, struggling against the excruciating torment, but Jeon Wook swiftly traced his fingers up and down, slicing off Gin Nara’s arm with a sadistic ease, which fell uselessly to the ground.

With a splat, as the arm hit the ground, Gin Nara vomited his insides.

“Ugh…”

“Such a horrid sight.”

Jeon Wook’s fingers twitched again.

Puff!

Once more, Gin Nara’s body unraveled like a thread, twisting and exploding into a splatter of blood. All I could do was gape in horror at this indescribable festival of destruction.

‘What on earth is going on?’

All Jeon Wook seemed to do was clench his fists or wave his fingers, yet here was Gin Nara, who had almost annihilated our group with his Eight Trigrams Formation, utterly at his mercy like a bug squirming in a spider’s web. The sheer dominance was terrifying.

Is this what the power of the Three Sovereigns looks like?

This was a strength beyond comprehension, resisting any logic.

Moreover, Jeon Wook was cruel. Even now, while resurrecting Gin Nara, he was choking his neck with intangible force, ready to crush it.

Smack!

Gin Nara’s head flew off into the air before plummeting to the ground. Jeon Wook cackled as he watched Gin Nara’s face roll in the dirt.

“There’s plenty of time, so do endure for a while longer.”

Gin Nara revived again at Jeon Wook’s command. He seemed half mad, desperately shouting, “When all Eight Parts gather… no matter who you are…”

Hearing this, Jeon Wook paused mid-destruction, considering his words.

“I was hoping for that. You better gather them all.”

“……”

“It’s too bothersome to search through all the bugs one by one…”

Puff!

Gin Nara’s head burst once again. Jeon Wook continued, “Honestly, one of your kind was killed by a mere human, so I’m not expecting much.”

How long will Jeon Wook’s brutal torturing continue?

In a whirlwind of violence and crimson chaos, Gin Nara met his demise.

The change came after the fiftieth death. Lying in the bloodbath, limbs severed, Gin Nara struggled to speak.

“That… Mandu…”

“What’s with that? Is your loyalty worth so little?”

“Even if you do this, Lord Chi You won’t sway from his resolve…”

“……”

“Hehe…”

Suddenly, Gin Nara began to cackle.

“But I traveled as a prince to flaunt my status, and yet the Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen didn’t share his true intent with you; he passed it onto Lord Chi You… You must be jealous…”

“Hmmm. Spare me the nonsense.”

Jeon Wook waved his hand as if to dismiss him.

“Ugh… Ack…”

Wham!

From Gin Nara’s mouth escaped a grotesque scream. His skin bubbled menacingly, taking on a grotesque hue.

“Graaah…”

Gin Nara rolled his eyes in sheer agony, the orbs swelling horrendously. Looking at him squirm on the ground like a worm, Jeon Wook commented with disdain.

“Calling yourself Chi You’s strategist, yet you don’t even know what I desire. Well, you probably thought a mere avatar wouldn’t be caught, so it makes sense you wouldn’t share.”

What on earth is Jeon Wook rambling about?

Peering down at Gin Nara, Jeon Wook muttered, “I truly came out too early. Because of this pitiful creature…”

A moment of silence ensued.

Jeon Wook then spoke again.

“Baek Woong. I’m talking to you.”

Huh?!

Is he aware of me? Is he aware of my existence within him?

“You are indeed an anomalous being. When I descended, the consciousness and soul of the Apostle should have immediately dissipated, yet you remain in the corner of his mind.”

How should I respond to this?

Yet, I felt like I had encountered this experience before. When Xuyou released himself automatically, the Old Ruler had descended into me and went berserk. I was once again pushed into the recesses of his mind just like now. Thankfully, Jeon Wook seemed unable to read my memories and continued calmly.

“Originally, I observed the world through you and intended to control everything when the Heavenly Sovereign descended. Bestowing you with power to handle the debts of causality was all for that purpose. You were meant to quietly protect yourself until the Heavenly Sovereign’s arrival. I gave you more than enough strength to shield yourself, didn’t I? Yet, you and your companions act completely on your own…”

Thud!

Jeon Wook stepped forward. Ignoring the writhing Gin Nara, he climbed atop the Heavenly Altar. Once on the altar, he caressed the structure with nostalgic eyes, saying,

“This boundary was created by me, under the Emperor’s decree. I am the one who ended the age of chaos.”

“……”

“But you just attempted to destroy this achievement.”

I protested against Jeon Wook’s words.

“What could I do? If things continued like this, we were all set to die, so I was trying to make a desperate effort!”

“If you all die, then just activate power and evade this challenge. Don’t excuse your choice.”

“If time is reversed, won’t this boundary come back too?”

“No.”

“……?!”

Jeon Wook looked up at the sky.

“This boundary is like thin ice. It intertwines with the powers of countless gods and contracts, so a mere ability to reverse time can’t restore it. You don’t seem to grasp how difficult it is to accomplish what the Three Sovereigns term as achievements.”

“Y-You mean… even if I used the power of time restoration, the destroyed boundary of the Heavenly Altar wouldn’t return?”

“That’s exactly why I came here to stop you. I don’t care if you all are annihilated, but the Heavenly Altar must not be destroyed. I can restore it, but I see no need to complicate matters.”

“……”

“Not just me, but the other Three Sovereigns are quite angry too.”

I felt my head spinning.

‘How can this be…’

I couldn’t comprehend it instantly, but there felt like a vast importance hidden in Jeon Wook’s previous statement. It was a gut feeling I had gained from living as a Reborn Person. Regardless of my confusion, Jeon Wook continued speaking.

“That’s enough.”

“What do you mean by enough?”

Swish!

“Xuyou. Be liberated.”

Jeon Wook extracted Xuyou from my Wooden Armor and held it in his hand. He infused it with a light touch of dark power, and because the force was immense, the seal covering Xuyou immediately unraveled.

Bang!

In an instant, the divine weapon began to unleash tremendous power. Jeon Wook stroked the sword god with satisfaction, and I felt a chill creeping up my spine.

Freedom of Xuyou!

For mere mortals or filials, engaging in such vital actions through the Offering Ceremony is already a stretch, but it seemed the creator of the Seven Luminaries, the Three Sovereigns, could liberate at will as easily as breathing. Jeon Wook raised Xuyou towards the sky, continuing to speak.

“This is how the Three Sovereigns utilize the Seven Luminaries.”

Grrr…!

There was no immediate change. Compared to the miraculous powers we previously witnessed from the divine beings, which scarred the horizon with their might, this was almost disappointing. But in the next moment, I felt Jeon Wook’s divine perception expand through me, and my senses enveloped everything in the world.

Tens of miles?

Hundreds of miles?

It was much more than that. Jeon Wook was perceiving all organic and inorganic materials present on this Central Plains continent. My senses expanded wildly, reaching to the seabed, into the clouds, and to the celestial stars above. It felt virtually unachievable by human effort, and I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information to the point of suffocation.

This is what a divine being perceives on a normal basis?

Ooooooo!

Dark power radiated from Jeon Wook, and the Fire Spirit and Xuyou in his hands began to resonate powerfully. Unable to endure the pressure of the divine artifact, I yelled,

“What on earth are you trying to accomplish?!”

“I’ve misjudged my thoughts.”

Jeon Wook’s tone was tinged with bitterness.

“When you defeated the Sea God, I was ecstatic. I thought I had a chance to take off the mask and live comfortably… As all these beings converge, chaos unfolds in the realm of Asura, I felt confident I’d overcome hurdles with the power of the Three Sovereigns.”

“……”

“However, I cannot find the confidence to control you. You are pure chaos incarnate… true chaos.”

Why does Jeon Wook evaluate me that way?

Have I acted in a manner so difficult to interpret?

“I can no longer traverse these treacherous waters. Though a reprieve will begin again, a few thousand years will soon pass.”

Wiying!

As Jeon Wook muttered, dimensional gates suddenly opened around us. From those portals emerged five shadowy figures, their identities obscured.

“Is this for real, Jeon Wook? Is this truly the best course of action?”

“I didn’t expect them all to come.”

One shadowy figure spoke in a troubled tone.

“This is far too significant a matter for you to decide alone. Explain to us your justification for the use of the Seven Luminaries.”

“Jeogok? If the Evil God plans to interfere in the chaos, warring against that entity again would be tremendously bothersome.”

The shadowy figure next to Jeogok chimed in.

“I, Shao Hao, support Jeon Wook’s intentions. I never anticipated it would reach this level of annoyance; it’s merely a human affair…”

Hearing that, realization struck me.

‘I’m in a truly outrageous situation…’

Surrounding dimensional portals signified the presence of the Three Sovereigns!

They were holding an impromptu meeting through their avatars. One of the previously silent figures spoke.

“I, Yu Shun, also support this.”

Jeon Wook retorted, almost mockingly.

“Corruption! How very human of you. Good and evil are merely games; you’ve fallen too deeply into your roles, haven’t you?”

“……”

Even as the Sovereigns conversed, oddly enough, the Emperor was nowhere to be seen. Thus, the others focused their gazes on the shadowy figure presumed to be truly sovereign. A consensus was slowly forming in favor of agreement.

However, only two and not three Sovereigns had appeared in this space. One of them finally spoke up.

“I, Nüwa, oppose this.”

 

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