Chapter 1 – Dark Heaven Village

“Let’s go to the Heavenly Altar of Mount Huang with everyone,” I said, noticing the slightly bewildered expressions of the White Lotus Sect and the Twelve Joules experts. The Master of the White Lotus Sect scanned the surroundings and remarked,

[There’s an ominous energy here, even more so than at Mount Ye…]

“This is Mount Huang,” I responded.

[Why are we here? Could it be…?]

I looked at the Master of the White Lotus Sect and said, “The ultimate Divine Portrait is being created here.”

[Is that so? Please explain a bit more.]

“There’s no time! And even if you understand, the situation won’t change. First, let’s deal with the Vermilion Bird.”

As I spoke firmly, one of the Three Masters of the Twelve Joules, Yu, interjected, “That’s right. The unusual energy at the peak is gradually drawing out the Dragon Vein, so we must settle this within half a moment.”

Mangnyang asked, “Yu, what do you mean by Dragon Vein? Are you saying the ritual at the top can control the Dragon Vein?”

“I believe so. It’s sucking in an incredible amount of power. At least twelve hundred li of geological power is gathered in this Mount Huang.”

“Hm… The ultimate Divine Portrait seems impressive. Are they trying to awaken divine blood by drawing the entire Dragon Vein?”

Just as Mangnyang was marveling at that thought,

[Baek Woong, what’s going on? Why have you brought all those people here?]

The Zhuge Clan’s communication came through the Suspicious Fishhook. They had indeed been lying in ambush nearby with Lee Cheong-un, and had hidden upon unexpectedly seeing the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Twelve Joules. I briefly explained what had happened, and the Zhuge Clan reflected on it before responding.

[So, your intuition suggests that the Vermilion Bird still has a trick up its sleeve?]

[Sorry. If my judgment is wrong, I will take responsibility…]

The Zhuge Clan cut me off decisively.

[No need for such words. You are our king. If you believe it’s right, then I will do my best to assist you as your strategist.]

[Um…]

[There’s no complicated Yin and Yang formation here like at Mount Ye, nor any apostles or demon kings. Only the dark barrier protecting the altar at the peak exists, so use the Three Masters of the Twelve Joules to attack.]

[Understood.]

[Lee Cheong-un and I will join in at the right moment.]

I organized the plan in my mind and shouted to everyone, “Follow me!!”

With a thunderous sound, a massive group began moving along the mountain path of Mount Huang. To be honest, I could have used the Golden Lamp technique to instantly move to the Heavenly Altar, but it was obvious the barrier would be blocking us, so we settled at the foothills of Mount Huang instead. As a rather high mountain, climbing its cliffs felt akin to scaling a sheer rock face, but among those gathered, no one would find such climbing daunting, so we proceeded without issue.

About half a moment passed, and our group halted before the remaining cloud bridge at the peak. The Master of the White Lotus Sect gazed across the cloud bridge and commented,

[What a strong barrier.]

Indeed, the barrier that the Zhuge Clan had mentioned appeared before us. Armed with a countermeasure, I shouted to the Three Masters beside me, “You help us break it!”

“Understood.”

Wiying

The Three Masters began reciting their advanced incantation, and as the chant concluded, strange characters emerged from the void and flew toward the dark barrier. The barrier emitted crackling sounds as it twisted and began to explode, creating a whirlpool-like hole after a moment.

Perberbeng

At that moment, Unsa, one of the Three Masters of the Twelve Joules, sank to the ground, looking exhausted.

“… We will wait here.”

[What’s the meaning of that?]

At the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s question, Unsa shook his head vigorously.

“There’s no point in scheming. It’s evident I would be of no help after exhausting all my strength to break that barrier, so I’m saying we’ll rest, Master.”

[……]

The Master fell silent. Because all three had collapsed, it meant that the peak strength of the Twelve Joules was effectively neutralized. If the Master of the White Lotus Sect were to strike them now, it would be a tremendous gain. With the Master of the Twelve Joules already deceased, if the Three Masters followed suit, it would deal an irrecoverable blow to them.

However, the Master suddenly turned his head sharply and ordered, [Yongbi-cheon, remain and monitor those individuals.]

“Understood.”

It seemed the Master had come to the conclusion that forcing through the interference of the Twelve Joules experts and my own would bring more loss than gain. Hence, he left one Dharma Guardian at the scene to ensure the Three Masters wouldn’t cause a ruckus.

With a thunderous sound, the peak was finally in sight. And what unfolded atop it was an unexpected scene.

“……!!”

A white-haired Divine Portrait.

It was the enigmatic enemy I had faced numerous times in my past lives, yet never truly grasped its identity—it sat upon the altar, appearing as if recently awakened, with the Vermilion Bird Zhuge Yulong standing beside it.

‘It has been completed!’

Had I arrived too late to steal it?

I deciphered the Vermilion Bird’s plan but could not keep pace with its breathing. Zhuge Yulong glanced over at us and remarked, “This works out perfectly. A great test subject.”

“……”

“Consider it an honor to die before this being that is infinitely close to God.”

This is the worst! We have to fight the ultimate Divine Portrait…!!

‘Wait a second?’

As I closed my eyes, preparing to think of death, I realized something was off. It was a sensation similar to what I had felt earlier, an odd sense of discomfort at the very situation of the Vermilion Bird standing before us.

Was it really possible to arrive at such a perfect timing?

Wouldn’t the Vermilion Bird have preferred to prepare even earlier?

And why did the Vermilion Bird prepare nothing but the dark barrier? It could have deployed astrologers or dragon people, formations, and the like.

“……”

No, this situation isn’t the end.

Given the experiences I had being taken by surprise by the Vermilion Bird, even this could be a form of deception.

As the thoughts of the Vermilion Bird’s intentions raced through my mind, I communicated with the Zhuge Clan through the Suspicious Fishhook.

[Zhuge Clan! Do you know where we are? Is that Zhuge Yulong the real deal?]

[Hehe! Indeed… your instinct is remarkable. It’s something I had just pondered, too.]

The Zhuge Clan chuckled pleasantly before continuing, [Of course it’s not.]

[Good to hear!]

Perberbeng

I stopped the White Lotus Sect experts about to charge at the Vermilion Bird before me and said, “Don’t do it!”

[What do you mean?]

“This is a trap too.”

I cast a quick glance at Mangnyang next to me. Mangnyang’s expression transformed as he realized the situation, gathering the powers of all techniques to shout, “I long for the Eye of the Breaker! Odoilgwanshi!”

Wiying

For a moment, the entire space shook. Realizing this, Jeon Woo-chi beside him also shouted out. With the merging of the two advanced sorcerers’ powers, a massive blue light appeared in the air.

“Odoilgwanshi!”

It seemed lacking in power as crackles of electricity flew, and sweat was visible on their brows. Simultaneously, Hong Gil-dong and the Twelve Joules’ sorcerers began chanting spells together, applying pressure to the entire space.

Pahng!

Suddenly, the scenery before our eyes shattered, leaving only a desolate altar littered with bones and corpses. And where Zhuge Yulong and the Divine Portrait had stood, an enormous mound reminiscent of a grave lay piled high. The mound was so vast that its height could be measured in dozens of feet.

No, it was not a grave. As Hong Gil-dong of the Twelve Joules approached for a closer look, he grimaced.

“It’s gunpowder.”

“Gunpowder?!”

As the extreme tiger beside was taken aback, the Master of the White Lotus Sect crossed his arms.

[If we had attacked with full strength, we would have been annihilated. With this amount of gunpowder, not even the Dharma Guardians would have come out unscathed with their Protective Energy Technique.]

I nodded in agreement. “This was a high-level illusion that blurred the line with reality, meant to bait us.”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect was greatly impressed. [Incredible. I can typically ignore ordinary formations with the power of the Primordial Spirit, but this formation reaches the level of the Great Immortal… I hadn’t noticed until just now. By the way, Baek Woong, how did you perceive this was fake?]

Indeed, this must have been the final trap set by the Vermilion Bird, and as such, it likely reached levels closely resembling those of previous illusions deployed by the Southern Flower Immortal or the Great Immortal. The fact that an advanced sorcerer from our end needed to put forth their utmost effort to see through it reflects its great strength. While the Vermilion Bird exerted all its effort, I had strangely hit upon its intention all at once.

Scratching my head, I admitted, “It just felt right.”

[……]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect stared at me in silence for a moment before saying, [I truly do not wish to be your enemy today.]

Boom!!

At that moment, from a ridge about a mile away, lightning struck dramatically. Not just once—five consecutive massive bolts of lightning struck, appearing as if the lightning itself was alive and moving. At the same time, urgent words from the Zhuge Clan rang out.

[Baek Woong!! We’ve located the real one. Come quickly.]

[Alright! Right now, Lee Cheong-un is fighting with Zhuge Yulong…]

[No! It’s not Zhuge Yulong. The Divine Portrait has awakened.]

[……!!]

The Divine Portrait, you say?!

There was no time to hesitate.

“Let’s go!”

Pababang

When we moved to the next peak, Lee Cheong-un was fighting the Divine Portrait using the Thunder Spirit Technique, and the situation was surprisingly one-sided.

Perberbeng

With brain-piercing and brain-splitting power!

A dazzling series of attacks followed. Each strike from Lee Cheong-un held the potential far beyond that of ordinary martial arts masters’ finishing techniques, capable of even putting the mighty Dokgo Jun down in a single blow. It was expected that one in such a relentless offensive would not be able to hold out.

Yet, it was the white-haired Divine Portrait that endured this overwhelming onslaught. It maintained an expression of mild confusion while effectively blocking Lee Cheong-un’s attacks.

Was it blocking? Or avoiding?

No, it was merely taking hits yet did not fall.

‘What on earth is that?!’

The recovery revealed by its super regeneration was incredibly strange. No matter how swift Lee Cheong-un was, the speed was within the realm of perception of an expert’s body. Thus, even with super regeneration, it appeared to be little more than an annoying monster to kill.

Clatter

Clatter

However, the way this Divine Portrait recovered was peculiar. It seemed like those moments of damage didn’t exist, as it kept restoring itself to its original state without fail. This was beyond physical recovery.

It was as if a vortex of time was inherent within it!

This realization seemed to have dawned on Lee Cheong-un as he punched the Divine Portrait back and fell back. Turning to me, he shouted to everyone, “Master! Baek Woong! Let’s combine our strengths to deal with that thing!”

[So you survived, Lee Cheong-un?]

“Now is not the time for chatter! This is a unique opportunity!”

Lee Cheong-un, who had always been relaxed and smiling, now sported an obviously tense and panicked expression. He had faced thousands upon thousands of opponents, yet he still felt a substantial threat from the Divine Portrait before him. Gritting his teeth, he cried out, “That thing is gradually awakening its power. Once it fully wakes up, we won’t be able to handle it. We have to kill it before that happens!!”

Lee Cheong-un’s shout was desperate.

‘What is it?’

What did Lee Cheong-un feel from the white-haired Divine Portrait that seemed to only be taking a beating?

But the Master of the White Lotus Sect nodded and calmly commanded, [Everyone of the White Lotus Sect, annihilate that Divine Portrait before us.]

Kuakuakwang

In the next instant, as if it had been waiting, the Dharma Guardians and Su Shin Sect experts unleashed a frenzied series of internal energy attacks. As overwhelming, infinite internal power poured forth, the peak itself collapsed in on itself.

I turned to Jin So-cheong and the Sword Demon and said, “Let’s wait until the White Lotus Sect’s assault is over before we finish it off…”

Then, Jin So-cheong interjected, “Baek Woong, I don’t think this is the right time.”

“Huh?”

“I feel something ominous. I think something ridiculous is about to happen…”

“……”

In fact, I was also feeling the unease Jin So-cheong spoke of. I wanted nothing more than to join the White Lotus Sect’s combined attack and start pounding, but if I got caught up in that extensive assault, it would only lead to interference, so I held back. As I deliberated on what to do, the Zhuge Clan spoke up, “Baek Woong. You need to trust your instincts.”

“Hmm…”

“What do you think we should do? There’s no room for additional tactics at this point.”

I declared resolutely, “If that thing survives this attack, I will speak with the Divine Portrait. I want to know what it’s thinking.”

Does the Divine Portrait possess any humanity?

That’s something I must establish.

Only then will my plans for future reincarnations become clear.

   

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