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“Well, isn’t this a fun little surprise?”

The Celestial Sage Mi-hu King stared at us with a disgruntled face, his Ruyi Staff tucked away at his back. Though he appeared calm on the surface, Jin So-cheong had a tense expression, clearly on guard against him.

Jin So-cheong spoke up, “There must be a reason why the Celestial Sage has come here in hiding. We don’t have time for explanations; how about we team up to take down this demon beast?”

This was definitely something that the strategist Mangnyang would suggest, and Jin So-cheong wasn’t typically one to propose ideas either. But he was the only one who could muster the courage to say it in front of Mi-hu King’s intimidating presence.

Mi-hu King raised an eyebrow at Jin So-cheong’s suggestion.

“Alright then! Guess I should do my part!”

Suddenly, Mi-hu King grabbed his Ruyi Staff and transformed it into a massive size. What used to look like a tiny candle quickly morphed into a pillar the size of a palace, and he slammed it into the ground while chanting.

“Grow!”

BOOM!

In a flash, his staff grew larger and burrowed into the ground, causing the giant tree to thrash around like it was having a seizure.

CRACK!

The ground shook violently as the top layer twisted and turned, making it seem like an earthquake had struck, with blood splattering everywhere. But the giant tree didn’t seem to care as the Ruyi Staff mercilessly grew larger and dug deeper.

WHIRL!

Round and round it spun!

After piercing right through the root, it stopped for just a moment before expanding even more. The rapid speed sent us all flying into the air in an instant.

“Whoa!”

CRASH!

Chunks of blood and wood filled the sky in the aftermath. The enormous tree that was once towering over us was obliterated by a single strike! The destructive force was so beyond what any martial arts expert could do that we had to use aerial techniques just to hang in the air and gawk at the scene.

‘So this is the power of the Ruyi Staff…!!’

It seemed like the staff was designed from the start to capture giant monsters, disregarding the laws of humanity. The tree’s height easily surpassed ten li from its roots to its peak, yet it had been destroyed in an instant. Considering even Jin So-cheong’s maximum attack had only managed to slice through 30% of it, this was true power without a doubt.

Jin So-cheong transmitted a message to me.

[We can’t hang here forever. Let’s all descend together.]

[Got it.]

With a nod, we began our descent to the ground. We were incredibly high up, and the speed of our fall was something else entirely, but among us was no one who wasn’t a peerless master. Calmly calculating the spot and timing for our fall, I quickly distributed the shock using mind control techniques and my flow techniques, directing the force downwards.

THUD!

Finally, we all landed safely without a single injury, creating a loud impact. Gui Ho wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Phew… I’ve never fallen from this high in my life.”

BOOM!

Just then, Jin So-cheong zoomed over like lightning. Upon confirming we were all okay, he asked, “What’s going on? Why did the tree suddenly explode?”

“The Celestial Sage used the Ruyi Staff to take out the tree.”

“… That’s quite the monster, to take something like that out in one shot.”

Jin So-cheong’s eyes widened in horror as he gazed at the swirling blood clouds.

“If we’re dealing with the Celestial Sage, there’s no way we can take him on. Baek Woong, you absolutely need to get help from Yeodong-bin.”

“Even Yeodong-bin might not be able to defeat him…”

“But we have to try.”

“……”

I understood what Jin So-cheong meant. We might not be able to defeat the Celestial Sage, but we needed some minimum deterrent to prevent him from attacking us recklessly and wiping us out. Nevertheless, I felt uneasy.

‘Yeodong-bin… is he really not planning to help?’

No matter how much I called out, there was no response. The connection was there, but he wasn’t receiving any requests. Yeodong-bin’s statement of “I’ll just watch” meant he had cut off all expectations and assistance from me! I finally clenched my teeth and said, “Yeodong-bin is currently rejecting me.”

“What?”

“He’s not listening to me…”

Then it happened.

KU-gaga.

A monstrous, dark mist began to swirl, engulfing the blood clouds. A terrifying amount of demon energy pulsated, creating what looked like a living human figure. The figure formed ‘hands’ and then scattered a spore cloud all around.

‘[Mind] is here.’

I realized we’d dodged the worst situation, but seeing the enemy still standing before us left me in despair.

Sssssss.

‘And that is…’

Using a secret transmission, I recognized that the spores contained ‘words’ from the [Old Ruler], injected with intent. Just like when the evil god spread his influence in Luoyang last time. Knowing that normal humans would be driven into madness the moment they recognized the ‘words’ in that spore cloud, I quickly warned everyone.

“Those are the words of the Old Ruler! It’ll drive your minds haywire so you need to hold your intent steady!”

Immediately, everyone’s gazes sharpened. They focused their mental strength to strengthen their minds and prepared to withstand the descending spore cloud, but soon after, Gui Ho and the Sword Demon grimaced terribly. Jin So-cheong managed to frown but it was obvious that his face hardened like stone from the impact.

The Sword Demon coughed up blood and croaked, “Cough… Heart Demon… what the hell…?”

To think the Sword Demon, who had just stepped into the Absolute Realm, would instantly experience a heart demon! The level of the mental invasion attack was undoubtedly stronger than the sonar attacks thrown by the Thunder Pearl’s giant toad in the past. A regular human could go mad and die just standing here.

“If we stay exposed for too long, we’ll lose our minds. We need to quickly find the sorcerers and regroup.”

“Let’s hurry.”

Tydaht!

We rushed towards the location where the sorcerers had set up around the ruins of the Moon Sovereign. Near Great Monk Seo San’s residence, amidst the shattered remnants, we spotted the sorcerers generating a blue defensive barrier. I spotted Mangnyang and shouted.

“Mangnyang!”

“Baek Woong. Quickly come inside…”

Once inside the barrier, the madness that had twisted our heads started to fade away, and everyone relaxed visibly. Mangnyang turned to me and said, “Baek Woong, you need to explain what that [word] is.”

I activated a secret transmission to interpret the [word] emitted from the dark entity in the sky.

[ Where is my body?]

A word laced with intense fury! I could feel it distinctly that this entity was spreading its will in the same way as the [Old Ruler] did, and gritted my teeth as I said, “It seems that creature is the ‘Old Ruler’ of the moon that was sealed by the Three Sovereigns.”

“Hmmm… I figured as much.”

Mangnyang nodded, suddenly understanding the situation.

“Baek Woong, known as Izanagi no Mikoto and sealed as the Moon Sovereign’s protector, that creature’s body is indeed the ruler’s physical form, and the dark mist floating in the sky is the ruler’s spirit. And since the Ruyi Staff caused massive destruction before the spirit could fully merge with the body, it must’ve destroyed the body first.”

“Right.”

“Then the real name of that [mind] is… hmmm…”

Mangnyang whispered, as if he couldn’t believe his own guess.

“Izanashi or Izanagi no Mikoto… the ancient being that once ruled Dongyoung and the source of the sacredness that created the great divine characters of the Three Sovereigns. Furthermore, the one sealed for thousands of years after being defeated by the Three Sovereigns…”

“……”

The room fell silent. Mangnyang’s speculation seemed highly probable, and if true, we were facing an utterly formidable foe that had just emerged.

[Old Ruler]!

Even just the power of the sealed physical form was enough to evoke the image of a Demon King, so who’s to say this wasn’t something to dread. Although he had weakened significantly after being demoted to a guardian, he was still a catastrophe that instilled fear into heaven and earth, with no one else like the [Old Ruler].

‘Izanashi likely holds power that far exceeds that of the Sea God…’

From what we’ve seen so far, it was apparent. The fact that he could emit will in the form of spores clearly indicated he exists in a higher dimension, beyond mere mortals. I clenched my fist and said, “But his body is already destroyed by the Celestial Sage. Now there might be a chance for us.”

“Hmm…”

Mangnyang pondered and said, “Baek Woong, we need to approach this cautiously. With the goal of the Moon Sovereign already in hand, I’m uncertain if it’s worth taking any further risks.”

“Are you suggesting we run?”

Mangnyang’s gaze shifted towards the darkened sky.

“For thousands of years, he’s been sealed, and even as half a being, he still exists in that sky as the [Old Ruler]. I’ve never experienced something like this, so I can’t gauge how much of a challenge it would be. It might be best to run while the Celestial Sage’s attention is on him.”

“……”

Mangnyang had a point. To be certain, I used a suspicious fishhook on Zhuge Sa to get a read on the current situation and gave a brief summary. Zhuge Sa replied through the link.

[Mangnyang is right, but I’d recommend you to hold your ground and observe a bit longer.]

[What’s the reason?]

[There’s something suspicious about why the Celestial Sage went this far to hide and chase you. No matter where you run, he’ll just follow, so it may be better to settle it here.]

[ … That makes sense.]

As soon as I heard Zhuge Sa’s advice, I felt clarity about what needed to be done. Just as I was organizing my thoughts, an enormous cloud suddenly rose into the sky, and I saw the giant Celestial Sage Mi-hu King riding on it, trying to soar above us. The reason I said giant was that he had grown to an impossible size, at least the height of five men stacked on top of each other. It seemed he used transformation techniques to enlarge himself rapidly, and proudly announced.

[I blew your body apart, dummy!!]

My spine shivered as the Lion’s Roar echoed through the sky. Watching this unfold made me bewildered.

‘Does he not know it’s the [Old Ruler] he’s dealing with?’

The Celestial Sage was stirring up trouble with absolutely no hesitation, even understood as a being that once dominated the world.

Then, moments later, Izanashi began to boast again.

[I will return once more.]

WHOOSH!

The black mist instantly dissipated. The mist seemed to blend into the brilliant full moon as if it were being drawn in, illustrating a stunning sight. Gui Ho, who had been staring in shock, muttered, “Is the moon absorbing the mist?”

“No.”

Mangnyang replied sternly, “The mist is heading towards the moon.”

BOOM!

Just when the black mist completely vanished from the sky, suddenly, the ground and oceans trembled, releasing a green energy from various places. Remarkably, the white full moon floating in the sky expanded rapidly, suddenly doubling its size by ten times!

It was still growing, leaving us baffled as to what was happening. Seeing this, Cheon Woo-jin let out a crazed laugh, “Ha ha… how futile… to fight against a god, haha…”

“Cheon Woo-jin, do you know what’s happening?”

“The moon revolves around the outskirts of this world. The moon growing larger naturally means it’s coming closer to this world, ha, ha ha…”

Cheon Woo-jin appeared dazed, lost in thought as if he’d lost his will to fight. However, it was easy to grasp what he meant.

I couldn’t believe it, muttering, “No way… even the [Old Ruler] could pull the moon down with just his mental strength!”

WHOOOSH!

The sound of crashing waves filled the air. Despite being inland on Ganghwa Island, it was starting to rapidly flood with waves crashing all over. The land was quickly submerged.

Mangnyang spoke, “Though the tidal differences can change with ground elevation, this is extreme. The water levels have risen several times higher than during high tide…”

“Could it be…?”

“Those regions affected by the moon’s influence on the surface will likely succumb to the same situation.”

Mangnyang’s voice fell somber. “Right now, countless cities across the Central Plains, Goryeo, and Dongyoung are likely facing flooding. The coastal areas would be entirely submerged, and at least tens of thousands could be swept away.”

A great calamity.

Even though we managed to stave off the absolute worst situation with the merging of bodies and spirits, the thought of Izanashi unleashing a global disaster just with his mental strength was overwhelming!

BOOM!

Riding on his cloud, the Celestial Sage Mi-hu King silently gazed at the devastation below before suddenly stretching the Ruyi Staff to reach the heavens and earth, transforming it into an immense tower. He called out.

[How dare you treat me like a fool? Here, taste this…]

The Celestial Sage extended both hands towards the sky.

[Come on down now!]

At that moment, something black appeared like dotted ink on the bright full moon. The dot hung momentarily before vanishing, and simultaneously, a dark mist reappeared over Ganghwa Island. The spirit of Izanashi was forced down to the ground.

KU-gugu.

[I am the strongest in the Celestial Realm! Even from the far side of the world, none can dodge my Ruyi Staff!]

The Celestial Sage cackled as he swung the Ruyi Staff.

SWOOSH!

[Oh oh oh oh…]

The staff had grown colossal enough to cleave heaven and earth in two when it struck Izanashi, causing the mist to shudder as if it were a tangible being that had just been hit.

With a triumphant laugh, the Celestial Sage announced, “[You’re just a hollow thing! HAHA!]”

Unbelievable!

“This monster…”

I mumbled in disbelief.

Even though he was merely a spirit, the Celestial Sage Mi-hu King had single-handedly subdued the [Old Ruler], who had almost broken free!

 

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