---

“`html

594——————==

Dark Heaven Village (암천향)

Kagagang

As soon as I lifted the Immortal Sword, I could feel Yeodong-bin’s secret technique, the Moon-Style Defense Technique, enveloping me. Thanks to that, the Elder’s sword was so fast it didn’t quite turn my defense into scrap, but my arm felt like it was about to explode as I dueled him and the Three Heroes.

‘What the heck is this power?’

Pure strength that was a dozen times stronger than the enhanced power I gained through my cultivation was nestled within the Elder’s giant sword. As a result, I couldn’t even dream of counterattacking; I was pushed back solely using my technique to evade. All the experts I’d faced until now relied on Qi and Intent, but the Elder had raw physical power that overshadowed even the absolute masters.

Suddenly, the Elder unleashed a Lion’s Roar.

[Haah!]

Ku-goo-goong!

I activated my Protection Energy Technique in preparation for the Lion’s Roar, but it shattered like paper, forcing me to face him barehanded with my Immortal Sword Technique. After a brief lull in the chaos, the Elder spoke.

[Are you trying to mock me? Stop with the nonsense and fight me properly!]

“What… what nonsense? When did I ever joke around?”

[Are you trying to fool me, using martial arts like a human despite being a descendant of the Evil God?]

A fiery glow erupted from the Elder’s eyes, burning like magma.

[Return to your true form! Even if you become your true self, I’ll sever that chaotic body of yours.]

“… I am a human…”

[……]

Silence descended into the hall.

The Elder glared at me with his pitch-black eyes, clearly furious.

[What business does a human have coming here!?]

“Uh, well…”

[I don’t want to hear it! Just get lost!]

“……”

What kind of nonsense is that after asking me a question?

I realized that the Elder was in an extremely irritated state. I cautiously deduced that provoking him or throwing myself into a fight would be disastrous. I kept an eye on him and slowly continued.

“The balance of Yin and Yang in the world has been disrupted, and the dark energy is overwhelming. The fiery energy I sense from you is even more powerful now.”

The Elder’s body, originally massive like a giant, had somehow shrunk down to the size of a tall human, and the flames swirling around him were roaring out like a furnace. He flinched slightly at my words before responding.

[What do you mean?]

“According to the legends, you were once the god of water, so if the dark energy has grown stronger, shouldn’t your fiery power have weakened?”

[… You might actually be right about being human. The minions of the Evil God don’t usually understand my circumstances well.]

The Elder, who had been grumbling, retorted.

[Human. Did you come here aiming for the Fire Spirit?]

“To be honest, yes.”

[Then there’s nothing more to discuss. Leave…]

Of course, staying silent and leaving would keep me safe, but I wouldn’t gain anything. Even though I had a hunch that I might die here, I steeled my resolve and decided to speak.

“O Elder! I seek the Fire Spirit and the other Seven Luminaries to eliminate the Evil God.”

If I focused solely on survival, hoping to make it out of here alive, I’d be doing a disservice to Jin So-cheong, who waited fifty years for me. I was prepared to cross this dangerous bridge for her resolve.

[……]

The Elder looked at me in disbelief but remained silent. I pressed on.

“Recently, we humans joined forces and defeated the Master of the Nine Lotus Sect, who was channeling the Evil God’s powers. With the strength of the Seven Luminaries, we could seize the opportunity to expel the Evil God.”

[Ha-haha…!!]

The Elder burst into laughter. Then, he glared at me with a mockery usually reserved for a foolish child and sneered.

[So, you’ve come all this way to boast about taking down the Evil God’s little plaything, huh? But enough of your nonsense; get out now.]

“What are you talking about? You know the power of the Seven Luminaries better than anyone, right? If we gather the Seven Luminaries and amplify their power, we can…”

[You really don’t know anything, do you? What the Seven Luminaries actually are…]

The Elder responded sharply.

[The Seven Luminaries are the key to destruction. Though they’re incredibly powerful divine artifacts, using them to defeat a god turns everything upside down. Besides, the one you think you defeated is merely one of the Evil God’s toys, making the Evil God’s powers hundreds of times stronger.]

“……”

[You may seem like quite an impressive human, but if you interfere with my matters, you’re dead.]

The undertone of killing intent began to creep into the Elder’s words. Until now, he had just been a jester, but now he seemed to be aiming to kill. I figured he hadn’t exerted his full strength yet, which made me swallow hard.

‘What should I do? How can I persuade him…’

Suddenly, another thought struck me.

Why was the Elder here?

Was he guarding the Seven Luminaries like they were his own?

Is it simply that he is “The Guardian of the Fire Spirit”?

“……!!”

My mind jolted with inspiration like a lightning bolt. Trusting my instincts as a reformed individual, I spoke cautiously.

“Are you here as the [Guardian of the Fire Spirit], or…”

The moment I spoke, the Elder’s gaze wavered.

“Are you here as the god of the Giant Race?”

[… What do you mean?]

A powerful energy emanated from him, but I thought of Jin So-cheong’s death and didn’t back down as I continued.

“I understand that you are protecting the Fire Spirit against your will. The guardians of the Seven Luminaries were originally demon lords and gods, but they were demoted to guardians by the Three Sovereigns… So, if the barriers around the Fire Spirit are shattered and the balance of Yin and Yang has reversed, wouldn’t it mean you no longer need to protect the Fire Spirit? The influence of the Three Sovereigns is gradually weakening.”

[……]

“No matter how I see it, it doesn’t look like you’re trapped here. No… it feels as though you’re protecting it as if it belongs to you.”

[What are you trying to say?]

I glared at the Elder.

“It seems you are pretending to guard the Fire Spirit until the influence of the Three Sovereigns vanishes, waiting for the Evil God to turn the Celestial Realm upside down, so you can take the Fire Spirit for the Giant Race!”

[……!!]

“Please don’t get angry; it’s just a conjecture.”

I’ve gone and done it.

I attempted to backtrack with excuses, but it was too late. However, I had no regrets about my actions. In this chaotic situation, the only reliable thing I had was to follow my gut.

A tense silence directed the air, and eventually, the Elder spoke.

[Hero of the human race, what is your name?]

“Baek Woong.”

[You don’t seem like a fool, swayed by the puppetry of the Celestial Realm… Interesting.]

That sentence was as good as an acknowledgement of my speculation.

As I stared intently at him, the Elder continued.

[Your words mostly hold truth. The cause-and-effect within the mortal realm has significantly collapsed, and the restraints of the Three Sovereigns largely hold no more power. I also no longer need to protect the Fire Spirit. It has already been over fifty years.]

By his words, it meant that when the Evil God wreaked havoc in Luoyang, the influence of the Three Sovereigns had plummeted. I held onto the Elder’s words as he stated.

[However, I could have left this place, but I chose to protect the Fire Spirit. Because, as you said, this Fire Spirit is a remarkably precious possession that I want to use for my race.]

“Now that’s puzzling. You could have simply run away, right?”

[Heh heh… The Evil God is also after the Seven Luminaries. No matter where I go with this, the Evil God’s minions would chase me to the ends of the earth. It was far safer to use this barrier to protect my kin’s base.]

“I see.”

[You seem to have a fair grasp of the secrets of the Seven Luminaries and the gods, more than a typical human. You should be able to find their whereabouts as well.]

As the Elder murmured that, he asked.

[Baek Woong, will you not join hands with me?]

“Join hands with you?”

[There are two conditions on my side. You must disclose all the information you know about the Seven Luminaries and their locations, and the second is to bring me an absolute method to break the enchantment of Jeon Wook. If you do that, I will grant you the Fire Spirit.]

“Hmm…”

[Once the seal is lifted, I plan to leave this place and search for the other Seven Luminaries. In short, we’d share the Seven Luminaries together.]

The first condition was simple; just share what I knew.

But the second was absurdly difficult—asking to break Jeon Wook’s enchantment. I expressed hesitation as I replied.

“I don’t really know what Jeon Wook’s enchantment is. Could you elaborate?”

[The last curse that binds me as a guardian by demoting me from the Giant God is this flame. This is the clever curse that Jeon Wook cast upon me.]

Fwhoosh!!

Suddenly, the Elder ignited in flames that blazed like the full power of Han Baek-ryeong. The layers of fire reached into the sky before quickly dwindling. The Elder continued with a pained expression.

[You must eradicate this flame that Jeon Wook has bound me with! Once it’s gone, I can regain my strength and fight him again!]

I posed a question in response.

“Zhu Rong? You mean the being of the Giant Race?”

[Heh heh… The betrayer of our race, Zhu Rong! He held power right after Jeon Wook at the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, which ultimately led us to defeat at Pancheon. If it weren’t for him… Even if Chi You fell, we could have fought longer…]

“……”

[Though I was born with the power of the blazing flame, Zhu Rong’s flames are flames of chaos! Their attributes are completely different, sealing away my power for eons.]

The Elder, lamenting miserably, declared.

[On my name, I vow to keep the promise I just made! Find me the method to break the curse!]

“… I understand.”

[Also, tell me everything about the Seven Luminaries right now.]

“Of course.”

I sighed as I spoke.

“Then, could you grant me a request first?”

[What is it?]

“I need to awaken the Fire Dragon Incarnate, who sleeps within the Fire Dragon Sword. Please allow it to absorb the vigor of the Fire Spirit for thousands of years.”

[That much is…]

Wuuuu!

I finally placed the Fire Dragon Sword against the Fire Spirit, letting it absorb the energy. After the intense heat streamed into the sword, I felt the power of the Fire Dragon Incarnate stirring from within.

I disclosed the locations and information I had about the Seven Luminaries. The Elder listened intently, deep in thought as he tried to memorize the details. I then asked if I could take the Dragon Flower Tree with me.

[Take the Dragon Flower Tree. It’s of no use to me.]

I nodded and dug up the Dragon Flower Tree that was buried nearby, placing it in my wooden armor.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Fwhoosh!

Once I finished my business, I headed back to the base, delivering the experience I had with the Obsidian to Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang. Hearing the stories, Mangnyang exclaimed.

“Well done, Baek Woong. That was a rather clever judgment.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Zhuge Sa seemed to have some dissatisfaction, with a mischievous grin.

“It would have been really entertaining if the Elder had killed you in one blow.”

“Don’t say that.”

I shook my hands in annoyance.

“The Elder hadn’t been fighting at full strength. If it were a proper fight, I wouldn’t have had a chance to even use my technique.”

Though I had spoken with my life on the line, I strongly believed I would lose to the Elder in a real fight. No matter how strong the Immortal Sword Technique was, I felt like the Elder’s strength had surpassed most demon kings.

And how could it not? The Elder was originally an ancient deity on par with Jeon Wook, and he was slowly releasing his seal. An existence that humans simply could not contend with.

But perhaps because I had gained the sword technique? It felt like I could somewhat gauge the strength of these super strong beings, which had previously been unfathomable.

‘Is it because I’ve gained Yeodong-bin’s sense…?’

As I gaze absentmindedly at my hands, Mangnyang remarked.

“Then, to break the Elder’s curse, the presence of Zhu Rong, that divine being, must be significant. As far as I know, Zhu Rong was originally the subordinate and offspring of the Yan Emperor Shennong, but he later vanished, only becoming a legendary fire spirit. I’ve heard there are still small tribes in the southern region of the Central Plains that worship Zhu Rong as a god.”

“What connection do they have with the Zhuyong Tribe?”

“Of course, Zhu Rong would be the ancestor of the Zhuyong Tribe, so there should be a deep connection. We need to find that out now. However, the Prophet probably escaped back to his homeworld…”

After a moment of thought, Mangnyang announced.

“Baek Woong, go to the Tower of Muwang and make contact with the Zhuyong Tribe. It’s our only option for now.”

Fwhoosh!

I headed towards the Tower of Muwang located on the southern continent. However, when I reached the spot where I had been before, there was nothing but emptiness. It was like a barren field where nothing existed.

‘Damn it. Did they follow the Prophet and leave this world?’

The Zhuyong Tribe, being a race of incredible technology and strength, would find travelling dimensions or planets as easy as pie. Choosing to flee rather than stay in a world run rampant by the Evil God was the more sensible option.

As I reported the situation to Mangnyang through the suspicious fishhook, he replied swiftly.

[That’s not it. Surely they wouldn’t make an easy escape, even with the situation being dangerous. Look a little further.]

[Do you have a reason to be so certain?]

[The Central Plains have always been a dangerous place. It has been a battlefield since ancient times with the Three Sovereigns and the Old Ruler rampaging. There’s a reason the Zhuyong Tribe stayed here till the end. Perhaps they also want to confirm what the [Prophecy] is…]

[……!!]

[They must have reasons to stay in this world. Hence, it’s unlikely everyone would flee. Even if they left behind a library or scouts, there should be something left behind if you search carefully.]

Mangnyang’s words made sense. Naturally, the Prophet, being the ruler of the tribe, would have to evacuate, but the others wouldn’t all make a run for it. I steadied my resolve and headed toward the ruins of the Giant Race that I had previously visited with the Zhuyong Tribe.

Fwhoosh!

Ku-gugugu!

I approached the ruins of the giant where I had once gone to negotiate with the Zhuyong Tribe! As I landed near it, the Tower of Muwang had vanished. However, fortunately, the ruins of the giant still remained intact.

‘Looks like they couldn’t take the ruins with them.’

Or maybe they thought it wasn’t necessary to protect.

I took a deep breath as I focused on the ruins of the Giant God that the Zhuyong Tribe had guarded.

“I’m going in.”

There should be clues about the Zhuyong Tribe within those ruins.

“`

 

---