Chapter 601
In Dark Heaven Village, just as Zhuge Sa was about to explain the plan to me, a familiar voice broke in.
“She’s awake!”
Kang Jeon-gil rushed to inform us. I exchanged a glance with Zhuge Sa, and without wasting a moment, followed him to her room.
When we got there, I was taken aback to see Seo Mun-hye sitting on the bed, her expression one of shock.
Unlike before, her hair was not white now; it was glossy and jet black, and her entire being seemed perfectly balanced as if she had undergone a complete transformation. Despite the change in her hair color, her beauty hadn’t diminished at all. If anything, she looked even more exquisite than before. It felt like she hadn’t aged a day in fifty years.
But her current expression was not a pleasant one at all. She sat there dazed, seemingly traumatized, while Hwa Seong-myeong wore a somewhat distressed look as he questioned her, likely trying to assess her condition.
“Seo Mun-hye, my dear,” I called out, and she finally turned her gaze towards me, tears streaming down her face.
“Baek Woong…!”
She began to sob quietly, unable to articulate her feelings. Sensing the atmosphere, Zhuge Sa subtly gestured for the Five Great Physicians and the others to step outside, leaving just me and Seo Mun-hye in the room.
“Calm down,” I said softly.
“Hick…”
I hugged the weeping Seo Mun-hye and gently patted her back. After a while, she settled down, wiping her tears.
“I remember everything… Something controlled my body, and I couldn’t do anything while watching it all happen,” she said, voice shaky.
“It’s not your fault,” I reassured her.
I already knew that the evil god’s descendants had hijacked her body for their nefarious purposes. I understood her feelings of helplessness all too well from my past life experiences, so I continued to comfort her. Once she had calmed down completely, Seo Mun-hye started recounting her past.
“Fifty years ago, after you disappeared and the stronghold moved to the Kingdom of Duke Du, I began practicing the Seven Great Techniques under my father. One day, a figure known as ‘the Bishop’ appeared, and after a fierce battle with him, my father died alongside him.”
“I’ve heard about that,” I said.
Everyone regarded it as a momentous event. Up until then, the Bishop was considered an invincible monster that couldn’t be defeated. No one expected that the Sword Demon could take him down in a mutual destruction.
“I tried to help my father, but I was gravely injured and blacked out. When I woke up, I found myself at the Nine Lotus Sect’s headquarters, surrounded by bishops preparing some kind of ritual…”
“Ritual?” I responded, intrigued.
She nodded. “During that ritual, I felt a superior being overtaking my body. But I had no way to resist. I became the Nine Lotus Bishop, and I remember everything that being did, every single evil act…”
Her head hung low. “I want to die right now. Those crimes cannot be forgiven. The horrors… the cruelty… demonic deeds… how could this happen?”
It was easy to put two and two together. The Nine Lotus Bishop’s ‘spirit’ was a ruthless being, a high-ranking alien race that could see humans as mere bugs. It was clear that they delighted in human sacrifice, murder, and other ghastly acts.
“…I said you didn’t do it. You were merely a victim trapped inside your own body.”
“Can I atone?” Seo Mun-hye whimpered as I sighed deeply.
“Anyone else in your situation would have been powerless too. You are also a victim.”
“……”
“But I do have a question. The alien that possessed you clearly wanted to erase your spirit. Yet, your spirit remained intact. That shouldn’t happen…”
It was likely that the high-ranking alien’s mental power was formidable. Seo Mun-hye should have been killed completely the instant her consciousness was taken. But she regained her original body immediately after that being sustained a devastating blow and was sealed by the Celestial Sage. Seo Mun-hye answered my question.
“Now that I think about it, the Nine Lotus Bishop kept asking me questions. It felt mostly one-sided, though.”
“She asked?”
“Where is Chi You? Do you sense Chi You? Have you ever seen someone like you before? Those three questions repeated hundreds of times, torturing me.”
“……?”
“I had no clue what she meant, so I kept saying I didn’t know until she finally stopped.”
Chi You?
Why would Chi You come up here?
Chi You referred to the royalty of the Giant Race that lost to the Emperor in war. Despite his defeat, he had incapacitated the Emperor several times, and records showed that it was a narrow victory for the Emperor. I had known that the Zhuyong Tribe had sealed him away, but why was his name surfacing now?
‘What’s going on? What connection do Chi You and Seo Mun-hye have?’
I remained perplexed, but one thing was certain: the information Seo Mun-hye provided was incredibly precious. If it weren’t for sheer luck, it was knowledge I could never obtain, even at the risk of my own life.
I cautiously asked her, “So is that being completely gone now?”
“Yes.”
“Do you feel like you can use your martial arts?”
“I’m not sure, but my body feels more powerful than before.”
“That’s a relief.” I discussed what had happened with Seo Mun-hye for a while before stepping out. As I opened the door, Zhuge Sa stood there, pushing me back into the room.
“Where do you think you’re going, you fool?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t waste time! Bring Seo Mun-hye outside. We have something to test.”
I complied and followed Seo Mun-hye with Zhuge Sa toward a nearby secret realm. We reached a stunning terrain filled with cascading waterfalls and strange rock formations. Zhuge Sa glanced at Seo Mun-hye and asked, “How strong do you think your internal power is right now?”
After a moment of thought, Seo Mun-hye replied, “I don’t know.”
“You’re an expert, how can you not know?”
“I just used Qi Regulation Technique to manipulate my Qi, and the boundaries feel like they’ve vanished…”
I was startled by her words. “Boundaries?”
But Zhuge Sa grinned knowingly. “I saw this coming. You don’t even know your own strength. Your previous limits of meridians and vital energy have disappeared. The Eight Extraordinary Vessels as well?”
“Yes…”
“Then let’s put it to the test.” Zhuge Sa pointed at a cliff. “Put every ounce of your strength into one strike against that cliff.”
“… Understood.”
Seo Mun-hye rose into the air using her Light Body Technique, rapidly charging towards the cliff. Just as her arms and sword swung, something astounding happened.
BOOM!
Dozens of cliff faces disintegrated before her single strike, and the shockwave tore through the ground ahead like a giant wave crashing forward. The devastation unfolded over a massive area, extending towards the horizon, eventually halting near the edge.
There was a rumbling sound; a mild tremor spread across the area.
“……!!”
What kind of ridiculous level of destruction is that?!
This was a force beyond human capabilities—it mirrored the techniques of the Great Immortal!
I stood in shock as Zhuge Sa said, “As expected. Jin So-cheong sacrificed so much; she left behind incredible gifts. If you had lost to the Nine Lotus Bishop, you’d never have discovered this power.”
“What do you mean?”
“Seo Mun-hye isn’t just a unique body; she could be a massive clue to unraveling the secrets of this world’s mythology. Of course, she’ll be linked to the Portrait Immortal as well.”
Zhuge Sa looked at me. “It seems your journey after being reborn has just become a whole lot more complicated. I’ll tell you more later.”
Once Seo Mun-hye returned, she wore an expression of disbelief at her own strength. “What just happened…? This power…”
Zhuge Sa clarified, “To put it simply, with your physical abilities, you can now stand toe-to-toe with Dharma Guardians. Even without using martial arts, you could shatter their protective barriers with just punches and kicks. Your body resembles that of a human but is hundreds or thousands of times more powerful. The Nine Lotus Bishop must have brought out the potential that existed within you.”
“……!!”
“You might not even have reached your full power yet. You’re only beginning to unleash it, so the more you practice, the stronger you’ll get.”
Is that not your whole power? I was stunned as Zhuge Sa continued, “Earlier, you mentioned wanting atonement?”
Seo Mun-hye looked at Zhuge Sa thoughtfully, and he replied, “There will be a big battle soon, so help Baek Woong and fight. Then you will be forgiven.”
“Understood.” Seo Mun-hye nodded without any hesitation. I was dumbfounded; after coming back to life, someone pushed her back into combat without a moment of pause. This was too absurd.
“Let’s get moving then. We’re out of time.” Zhuge Sa added.
“Where to?”
“To the Divine City.” His demeanor turned serious.
“The Twelve Joules have been quiet for nearly 50 years, barely reporting anything other than to protect their own territory. We’ve been too busy trying to survive to notice, but things change as your life nears its end. It’s time to scout their stronghold and learn more about the Twelve Joules.”
“Okay.” I agreed.
FLASH!
We utilized the Golden Lamp Technique to traverse to the vicinity of the Divine City. I confirmed that the barrier of the Divine City was still intact, but the atmosphere felt off.
SCREECH!
SCREAM!!
“Monsters.”
From the bushes, screams erupted as the monsters surged toward us. I checked their appearances; they didn’t seem particularly strong. Then, Seo Mun-hye charged at the approaching monsters, launching her attacks.
BOOM!
In seconds, Seo Mun-hye moved with incredible speed, annihilating them effortlessly. The monsters, no longer wishing to be slaughtered, quickly fled, leaving behind pools of blood and silence. My heart raced at the thought of her killing hundreds of them in such a brief moment.
‘Are their abilities rendered useless against her…?’
When facing monsters, their unique abilities are usually more troublesome than their physical prowess. But Seo Mun-hye just decimated them without a hitch. After the chaos settled, Zhuge Sa remarked, “Even with a barrier, something feels off here. Normally, hordes of monsters wouldn’t appear near the Divine City.”
“Should we investigate?”
“It’s worth the risk. Let’s go.”
FLASH!
Moments later, we arrived near the barrier of the Divine City, and using the Palace Examination Technique, we twisted the foundational structure to create a gap. Upon entering the barrier, we discovered a Cloud Bridge leading to the Divine City. But what lay beyond was shocking.
“The Sacred Altar Tree has withered!”
Indeed, the once-mighty World Tree that seemed like it would pierce the heavens had shrunk to less than half its original size. Though it still appeared larger than most mountain ranges, its branches hung limply as if drained of vitality. Zhuge Sa remarked, “No matter how powerful the World Tree is, the evil god directly wielding the Law of Cause and Effect must have had an effect on it.”
“Now what do we do?”
“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’? Why do you think we came here?”
Zhuge Sa chuckled. “The Twelve Joules are long gone, and for the past 50 years, the World Tree has been gradually dying. If the Twelve Joules have weakened this much, there’s no need to be cautious. Let’s find the Wood Element that the Twelve Joules possessed and make our getaway.”
CRACK!
We crossed the Cloud Bridge and entered the interior, only to find an eerie silence, akin to an abandoned village. Recalling old memories, I led us towards the house where the Twelve Joules had once resided, yet there was no sign of anyone to stop us.
‘Why is no one here?’
I felt an odd sensation, yet no sign of magic or ghosts emerged. The current Divine City felt like a hollow shell. I glanced back at Zhuge Sa. “Did you expect it to be like this?”
“Of course. How do you think the Twelve Joules controlled the magic? But once the evil god’s rampage began, those busybodies went silent. Naturally, their stronghold wouldn’t be in good shape.”
“Hmm.”
Eventually, we arrived at the Twelve Joules’ residence, and stepping inside, it was just as empty. I even wished that some rivals, like the Three Masters or the Dan Clan, would appear—it had all become a void.
“Did they all flee?”
“……”
Zhuge Sa pondered for a moment and ordered me, “Baek Woong. Since we’ve come this far, we can’t turn back. Use the Palace Examination Technique to find the Wood Element’s location.”
“Got it.”
“It might be impossible to locate the Wood Element from outside the barrier, but it should be feasible from within.”
With a thought, I visualized the Palace Examination Technique, and soon enough, it revealed the location to me.
[The location of the Wood Element has been found.]
“Where is it? Is it near the Sacred Altar Tree?” I asked eagerly, only to feel puzzled moments later.
[The Wood Element is currently in the Underworld.]
