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549——————==

Dark Heaven Village

I was seriously disappointed with Zhongli Quan’s blessing, but when I finally shared that with Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang, they both chimed in.

“Isn’t it a good blessing?”

Zhuge Sa said.

“Somehow, I thought this life would flow smoothly with fewer variables, and it turns out that the blessing was at play. You’ve received quite the good blessing.”

“Uh… I just want to increase my talent and get stronger quickly…”

“Our role this life is to help you train diligently. We facilitated that, so isn’t it a pretty good blessing? If you really can’t stand it, try what I mentioned last time in your next life. By the way…”

Zhuge Sa said curtly and then asked me,

“Does the Silver Phoenix contain the memories of the Balhae royal family?”

“Let me take a quick look.”

Hmm…

I lifted the Silver Phoenix to check its capacity. Then I said,

“It still has plenty of space.”

“How much?”

“About 30% left…”

“Then give it a try.”

“Just a moment…”

I attempted to cast a spell, like when I stored memories in the obsidian. But soon, a stinging sensation spread from my hand throughout my body.

Crack!

“Ugh.”

I hurriedly placed the Silver Phoenix on the table. Then I turned to Zhuge Sa and said,

“No good. I can’t store memories here.”

“Hmm… Why is that?”

“I don’t know. It feels like it’s rejecting me.”

“……”

Zhuge Sa seemed to think of something and said,

“Baek Woong, for now, you should focus on training. And call Yeon Jong-hwi over.”

“Uh? Why?”

“Because I have something for him to do.”

I called for Yeon Jong-hwi to Zhuge Sa, who seemed to be giving him some secret instructions. Of course, it made no sense for me to care about it at this moment, so I went to train.

The training was long. I dedicated half the day to martial arts training, using the rest of the time to accumulate knowledge of the Demon Path. Consequently, I got more exhausted than when I only focused on martial arts, and I had to give myself breaks for several days.

Maybe I studied for about three months?

One day while Zhuge Sa was teaching me, he said,

“With this, I feel like I’ve got a sense of which ‘Old Ruler’ might exist.”

“Uh-huh…”

“I might not know the details, but at least memorize all the names. You’ll need them later.”

I was overwhelmed trying to absorb all the knowledge Zhuge Sa had been throwing at me. My memorization skills were good, but my understanding wasn’t great, and I got scolded dozens of times. Still, after three months of diligent effort, I grasped the foundational knowledge. I felt puzzled and asked Zhuge Sa,

“There seem to be hundreds of them… why are there so many Divine Beings?”

That’s strange. I thought there would be only a few extremely powerful ones referred to as ‘Old Ruler,’ but the list Zhuge Sa showed me extended into dozens, maybe hundreds. Some were in languages that couldn’t even be pronounced in human tongue, so I had to memorize their patterns instead. When I expressed my confusion, Zhuge Sa explained,

“Previously, I mentioned that ‘Old Ruler’ is divided into those from the material world and those from the Divine Seat.”

“Ah, right.”

“Truly powerful Divine Seat ‘Old Rulers’ who can scheme across the universe are rare; most usually come from the material world. So some of them can be quite weak, enough to be defeated even by a Great Immortal.”

“Being that weak, are they still called ‘Old Ruler’?”

It might have been cheeky to describe a Great Immortal as weak, but considering the power of the ‘Old Rulers’ I had faced until now, it felt puzzling. I thought beings referred to as ‘Old Ruler’ were outrageously powerful, but it turned out not to be the case.

“‘Old Ruler’ is a term of reverence. It refers to those born from ‘chaos’ who have ascended to divine status. And just as you’ve learned, there is a significant gap even among them; those you’ve faced until now, excluding the Sea God, are all considered Extreme Demon Gods. You’re rather a special case.”

“Hmm.”

“Currently, the Demon King level or Apostle level beings who have survived for over a thousand years might also be called ‘Old Ruler’ if they accumulate enough power. After all, it’s all about… levels.”

Suddenly, a thought struck me and I asked,

“So being born from chaos means they have no parents?”

“Not quite. Damn it, do you still not understand what ‘chaos’ means in the Demon Path?”

Zhuge Sa, now irritated, added,

“Speaking of which, why are you struggling to learn alchemy so much?”

I scratched my head.

“I memorize all the formulas, but applying them is a bit…”

Exactly. While I could memorize complex formulas and ingredient lists thanks to my impressive memory during those three months, I couldn’t blend them in my own way or grasp why it worked. Zhuge Sa sighed.

“Ugh! If you can’t learn this, it’ll be tough to master the basic sorcery of the Demon Path, and furthermore, you won’t see any improvement when learning the techniques of the Eastern platforms. Let’s set a goal to grasp alchemy’s basics within a year.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh? Western alchemists say it takes at least ten years to become one after entering as an apprentice…”

I protested as Zhuge Sa visibly showed disappointment. It felt unfair since I wasn’t just loafing around for the past three months but had been diligently training in martial arts and exhausting my mind. Zhuge Sa replied,

“Do you know why I’m rushing you to grasp alchemy? Because someday, you will need to create Portrait Immortals using the Crystal Stele and the power of Xuyou, and the sooner you do it, the better.”

“Uh? I’m making Portrait Immortals?”

“That way, when you reincarnate, you’ll have more strategies to try out. When will you stop relying on me? Without me, you would have had to die about ten times before even trying to use a Portrait Immortal. Talk about luck.”

“……”

I had nothing to say. It was true. I suddenly felt grateful to the Sword Demon, who had proposed bringing Zhuge Sa on board.

He clasped his hands.

“Creating Portrait Immortals requires a skill level in alchemy, a deep understanding of the Eight Trigrams Qimen Dunjia, and expertise in ergonomic design of the human body. Fortunately, you have the basics in these three areas. It’s a high-difficulty sorcery, but you can achieve it someday.”

“How long did it take you to reach that level?”

“Well… about a year, with diligent study.”

“……”

It took a year just to master alchemy, Qimen Dunjia, and medical techniques? Clearly, Zhuge Sa is indeed a genius from the Zhuge clan. Zhuge Sa said,

“It looks like it won’t work. Even doubling your training ability with heretical techniques is meaningless since your talent is lacking. For now, stop martial arts training and learn alchemy under my guidance.”

“Uh?! Is that okay?”

“Achieving the Absolute Realm doesn’t happen overnight, so let’s quickly obtain what we can right now.”

“Got it.”

From that day on, I decided to focus intently on alchemy and put martial arts training on the back burner. Lee Cheong-un, upon hearing the news, shouldered his spear and said,

“Great. Then I’ll also join the others in discussing martial arts from now on.”

“Do you think anyone else can reach the Absolute Realm?”

Lee Cheong-un shook his head.

“I truly can’t say. It requires both skill and luck… so perhaps none of them will achieve it within ten years.”

“……”

“There’s a world of difference between peeking into the entry of the Absolute Realm and stepping firmly into that stage. It’s understandable if you find yourself lingering in the middle stage for a while. No matter how talented a genius might be.”

“What about me?”

“Your levels have certainly deepened recently, but you haven’t completely immersed yourself in the mystical realm… Anyway, let’s talk again after you’ve learned alchemy.”

I felt a pang of regret.

“When will I ever step into the Absolute Realm?”

I knew it wouldn’t be easy. But I had to reach it someday. Only then could I claim to be at least at a minimum level required to fight against gods. Even with my current skills, which made me a big shot in the martial world, in the hidden realm, my skills weren’t even worth a sigh of disappointment.

And so, I began to receive rigorous alchemy instruction from Zhuge Sa, almost resembling closed-door training. Zhuge Sa brought all sorts of minerals and alchemical materials for me to experiment and study with and kept forcing me to read and study books without rest.

“Ugh…”

As I studied, my head started to hurt so much that I trembled my hands.

“This is several times harder than when I was studying basic academics under Mangnyang…”

If I were just doing physical training, I could clear my mind, but this kind of studying was painfully eating away at my brain. Even alchemy, with dozens of principles shared within a single formula, made it hard for anyone not bright to achieve real results.

Roughly a year passed like this.

One day, as I was idly flipping through an alchemy book, Zhuge Sa said,

“Baek Woong. Stop for a moment and come out.”

“Huh?”

“It seems we need to hold a meeting due to some urgent matter.”

I stumbled out from my dark little room. It had been a while since I had immersed myself to the point of feeling like my mind might split. When I stepped outside, I found all of my companions waiting for me, including Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang, what’s going on?”

Mangnyang replied gravely,

“Something we were worried about has occurred.”

“The worried matter?”

“We were initially most concerned about this when we brought in Elder Lee Cheong-un.”

“……”

My face stiffened.

“You’re saying the Master of the White Lotus Sect has grown stronger.”

“Ugh, indeed.”

The martial skills of the Dharma Guardian, equipped with the Heavenly Spirit Pill, can directly empower the Master of the White Lotus Sect!

Having realized this principle, we had been cautious about bringing in Lee Cheong-un all this time. Training under the high-level Elder Lee Cheong-un was certainly welcome, but as he grew stronger learning the Seven Great Techniques and Eight Immortals Divine Art, the Master of the White Lotus Sect would also gain those insights. I was curious and sat down to ask,

“What exactly has happened?”

“Until now, the Imperial Palace and the White Lotus Sect maintained a balance. Although they have always been in a countering relationship, we suppressed their ambitions for human sacrifices, so the situation has been manageable.”

“That was the case.”

Recently, we had turned the Duke of Guanzhong, Golden Eagle Guard, and Great Dragon Hall into rubble, and the secret location where Zhuge Yulong had been stored exploded. As I recalled this, Mangnyang continued,

“Since then, we’ve been moving the Bancheon Alliance in the shadows, trying our best to keep the delicate balance of power stable between the Imperial Palace and the White Lotus Sect. However, it seems we’ve failed to maintain that balance.”

“Did the White Lotus Sect take the initiative?”

“Indeed. This is the rallying edict issued by the Master of the White Lotus Sect to the martial world three days ago.”

Swoosh!

A silken rallying edict was spread out before me. I slowly read its contents.

[ I am Dokgo Uncheon, a descendant of the First Ancestor, the Buddha, and the leader of the White Lotus Sect, proclaiming to the world.

Are the powerful demons rampant in this world truly just a few?

I am frustrated by my lack of strength and have been unable to take action until now.

However, having obtained Heavenly Revelation, I am about to incorporate your sects into the embrace of the White Lotus Sect.

Those with ambition should plunge into our sect and become the foundation for establishing the Peaceful Millennium Kingdom. I will treat the capable and ambitious generously.

Let us create a truly peaceful and lasting True Martial Home for all the ages to come.]

“……”

“Additionally, he included a postscript requesting sects wishing to join the White Lotus Sect to respond within fifteen days. It’s clear that the White Lotus Sect intends to take control of the martial world.”

I frowned at the words written in the edict.

“Heavenly Revelation… this signifies that the sect leader has acquired the Seven Great Techniques and the Eight Immortals Divine Art.”

“Exactly.”

Mangnyang nodded.

“And he must have undoubtedly raised his own level significantly.”

“… That means.”

I glanced discreetly at Lee Cheong-un, who was wearing a wry smile.

“The sect leader must have sensed that I am still alive. And despite knowing I’m alive, he must have full confidence that he can defeat me, which is why he issued such an edict.”

“How strong is the current sect leader?”

“Well… it’s hard to say. But if left unchecked, your 19th life will merely repeat itself.”

Lee Cheong-un’s words were indeed true. Now that the sect leader had issued such a declaration to the martial world, he would sooner or later seize control of it. And after gaining the power of the martial world, he would confront the Imperial Palace head-on and wipe out its forces. Following that, just like before, he would likely engage with the ‘Old Rulers’ of the Imperial Palace to seek out the forbidden texts on human sacrifices after a frenzy of madness.

I clenched my teeth.

“We need to stop him before he truly begins his maneuvers.”

“We’ve also been pondering strategies for that.”

Zhuge Sa, who was next to me, said,

“There’s a way to let him run rampant and observe what happens when he gathers all the forbidden texts with the power of the gods.”

“……”

“Are you not curious?”

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious. And it would be crucial information that could shorten my time in this life. But I replied firmly,

“No! I can’t just watch the humans of the Central Plains perish.”

“Hehe… I knew you’d say that. Really no fun at all…”

While Zhuge Sa sulked, Mangnyang said,

“Fortunately, we know the true intentions of the sect leader, so we can use effective prevention strategies. How about we preemptively block him using the method of ‘using the other against the other’?”

“‘Using the other against the other’?”

“Indeed.”

Mangnyang said gravely.

“Let’s mobilize the Master of the Twelve Joules.”

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