“So, the Wood Element is in the Underworld?”

I was a bit flabbergasted by Jeon Wook’s words, so I shot back, “What do you mean it’s in the Underworld?”

[It exists in the Underworld.]

“Okay, let’s say it does. But where exactly?”

Jeon Wook hesitated for a moment, then finished searching and replied, [It exists nowhere near the Ten Kings of Hell’s gateway. The location is unknown.]

“What kind of nonsense is that? Where the heck is it?”

[Since this is not the Underworld, further searches are impossible. We need to enter the boundary of the Underworld for detailed searches.]

“…..”

The Ten Kings of Hell were said to judge and punish the souls that died and went to the afterlife, but according to Ji-seon Mang-nyang’s knowledge, they were a bit different from what the world knew. The gateway to the Ten Kings was nearly all that existed in the Underworld, so I couldn’t help but be baffled by Jeon Wook’s answer.

When I recounted the exchange with Jeon Wook to Zhuge Sa, he said, “This seems like the work of the Master of the Twelve Joules.”

“No way! Even if that guy is good at sorcery, how could he bring the Seven Luminaries to the Underworld?”

I shook my head in disbelief. By now, I had enough knowledge about sorcery to know how completely absurd that sounded. Going to the Underworld literally means your soul flies off to another realm, and the idea of tethering it with an irresistible force to keep it there was beyond ludicrous. Trying to keep a soul anchored to the Underworld itself is tough enough, let alone hauling the Seven Luminaries along!

Then Zhuge Sa replied, “We don’t know anything specific about the Master of the Twelve Joules. If you think about it, that guy achieved both martial arts and sorcery to the level of an Absolute Being by only being in his twenties or thirties. That’s impossible for a human’s talent.”

“……”

“He must have secrets. I actually think he’s close to being a Divine Being, so it could be possible. That’s why I thought we should capture him and interrogate him for ages.”

Zhuge Sa continued calmly, “Anyway, with this development, it looks like we need to give up on finding the Wood Element. What a pity.”

“Dammit.”

I felt frustrated. But as Zhuge Sa said, at this moment when every minute counted, heading to the Underworld seemed impossible. The sorcery needed to reach the Underworld while still alive is extremely challenging, and whether I could find the Wood Element in time to return was uncertain. Glancing around, I commented, “So where did the Dan Clan folks living in the Divine City go?”

“I don’t know. The village seems fine, so they must have moved somewhere.”

“Where could they have gone, leaving the Sacred Altar Tree behind…”

“They probably lost the need to protect it. We don’t have time to track down those guys whose disappearance we don’t even know. There’s no point in speculating further, let’s just go back.”

“… Alright.”

Zhuge Sa seemed to think that digging deeper was a waste of time. I knew he had already considered all the possibilities with his rapid thinking, so I didn’t argue any further. Indeed, dragging this out here would only cost us more.

Bang!

We returned to our base. Zhuge Sa said to me, “If we think simply, freeing Xu You and letting him run wild is the easiest way to create chaos.”

“Right. Isn’t that what we were aiming for?”

“Hehe. If it were just against the White Lotus Sect or the Master of the Twelve Joules, I might have done it that way, but our opponent this time is the Queen Mother of the West. She’s been a shadow player in the Celestial Realm for thousands of years and is a monster that has single-handedly wiped out the Three Purities. She might be even stronger than the Sea God. Just freeing Xu You won’t cut it; you’d just lose your life.”

“……”

“You could say this is the worst opponent since Jeon Wook. Plus, before that, you’ll have to fight dozens of Great Immortals and the Overlay Technique.”

Hearing Zhuge Sa’s words, I realized how far out of my depth I was in this fight. When I took down the Sea God, the power gap was enormous, and it was only by chance I managed it. The Queen Mother of the West could potentially be stronger too. As I fell silent, Zhuge Sa informed me, “Listen closely, Baek Woong. Summoning a gigantic being to rampage is only effective once or twice. Sure, it sounds good on paper, but if the being’s power is weaker than the opponent’s, it’s just a mad dog causing chaos! A mad dog without any strategy will inevitably be beaten down with sticks.”

“……”

“Whether or not the Old Ruler connected to Xu You in the North Pole can defeat the Queen Mother of the West is uncertain. If things go as I predict, she might even beat him. If he turns into ‘sincerity,’ that is.”

That was a valid point.

But I felt frustrated that Zhuge Sa was switching the topic again, so I asked, “So what should we do?”

“I told you. There’s a method to use as long as we don’t think about the consequences. That is…”

Eventually, Zhuge Sa’s plan began to unfold from his lips. But as I listened, it felt so reckless that I could feel the strength draining out of my body. In disbelief, I said, “That… will it really work? Even if it does, what’s in it for me? It will just be chaos.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled. “You’re going to die anyway, right? What does it matter if it works or not? If it doesn’t work, just stab yourself in the neck and die.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

I grumbled, but I had no choice but to admit that Zhuge Sa’s plan was the only option available right now. I had only considered the primary method of letting Xu You go wild, but Zhuge Sa had come up with a method several steps ahead. He continued, “Listen well. Although the Law of Cause and Effect continues after your rebirth, nobody knows how the Divine Status connected to you was established.”

“Hmm…”

“Right, you don’t know. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be in the current situation where Jeon Wook can’t touch you.”

Zhuge Sa pointed at me with intensity in his eyes. “And recklessly messing with the unpredictable Cause and Effect is the most foolish thing; that’s why no one can lay a hand on you. The act of trying to figure it out itself disturbs the Cause and Effect, so they can’t even attempt it. The higher the level, the more so! That’s why Jeon Wook hasn’t touched you even with the Apostle’s powers connected.”

“Hmm…”

“Your plan is based on the information you gathered from repeating your past life and adventures, so there shouldn’t be much side effect. It’s just that the results are unpredictable.”

As Zhuge Sa explained, he murmured, “In fact, if this is possible, it could be considered the ultimate Grimoire.”

“……?”

“Anyway, all that’s left is to wait for Gong Gong.”

I continued to discuss various topics with Zhuge Sa. Most conversations revolved around our plans for the future and what to do once I die. I soon realized how exhausting it felt to converse with the premise of dying hanging over us.

‘Am I going crazy too?’

It was absurd to think I had to approach my own death with a positive attitude. Was there anyone more accustomed to death than me since the beginning of time?

About two moments passed when suddenly—

Boom!

Something huge fell from the sky, bursting forth in radiant light. We rushed to the location of the light, and sure enough, there stood Gong Gong. He grinned at us, lifting something in one hand.

[Hahaha! I’ve got the Golden Crow.]

I half-expected it, but he actually did it. I asked Gong Gong, “There were countless great sorcerers and Peng Zuo there, did you take them all down?”

He looked at me as if I had asked something ridiculous. [Those worthless ones all became my Tears of Blood. Peng Zuo dared to resist, so I ripped him limb from limb. The time it took to get the Golden Crow was because the barrier set by the Guardian of the West was powerful.]

“…….”

[Once I broke the barrier, everything went smoothly.]

It seemed Peng Zuo was truly dead. His demise was far too anticlimactic for someone from the West’s shadowy organization.

Contrary to what I expected, the sorcerers of the West seemed to be no match for Gong Gong, who had regained his strength. Free from the Guardian’s restraints, he appeared to transcend even Great Immortals’ strength. Stunned by Gong Gong’s power, he opened his hand to show me the Golden Crow.

[Here, take a look. This is the Golden Crow.]

The Golden Crow I was seeing for the first time.

Wow!

‘What an incredible light…!!’

I thought I had seen a lot of divine lights, but standing close to the Golden Crow, the sheer amount of light was so overwhelming I couldn’t even look directly. Even seeing sunlight up close wouldn’t hurt this much. Even with my internal power shielding my eyes, it was hard to bear the Golden Crow’s radiance. Normally, anyone would likely lose their sight just by staring at the Golden Crow. Sure enough, Zhuge Sa beside me closed his eyes as he recognized it and began muttering a protective spell to shield his vision.

As I struggled to keep my eyes open, Gong Gong laughed heartily and pulled back the Golden Crow into his grip. It seemed that under his power, the light diminished.

[Hahaha… This is the Divine Artifact filled with Primordial light, known as the Morning Star. Shao Hao Jin Tian forged it from the powers of the Venus. It’s the bright star itself.]

Gong Gong looked quite delighted to have obtained the Golden Crow and wore a proud expression. From that, I could guess that the Golden Crow possessed some special power.

‘Could there be affinities even among the Seven Luminaries?’

I cautiously asked, “Did you release the Golden Crow?”

[Hehe. If I released it now, it would surely catch the attention of the Three Sovereigns. I’ll hold off until I’ve gathered more.]

“…….”

As expected, Zhuge Sa was right. Gong Gong clearly could release the Golden Crow; it was not a matter of inability but choice.

I turned to Gong Gong and said, “You’re about to go after the Tydaht, but I have something to tell you first.”

[What is it?]