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“What about that guy?”

I looked at Zhuge Sa with curiosity in my eyes as he spoke.

“Well, to obtain Tydaht, an incredibly perilous ordeal awaits us. And clearly, brute strength alone won’t cut it. So, what else do we need besides strength?”

I quickly realized what Zhuge Sa was hinting at and exclaimed, “Luck!”

“Exactly. We need the blessing of the Primordial Void Ruler.”

Aha!

It made sense! To challenge the unknown Tydaht, good fortune was not just a choice but a necessity.

“But right now, we don’t have complete intel on Seo Mun-hye, so jumping in right away for that blessing might be a stretch…”

Zhuge Sa replied brusquely, “Who said you can only perform one Offering Ceremony? With Hyun and Cheon Woo-jin around, as long as we have enough treasures, we can do it as many times as needed.”

“Hmm.”

“You’d naturally want more than one blessing…”

Just as Zhuge Sa was about to say something else, Mangnyang interjected.

“Uncle, my thoughts differ slightly.”

“Hyun, do you know what I’m thinking?”

“Yeah. It’s the most efficient method. But what if we abandon maximum efficiency and aim for combined growth instead?”

“… Oh.”

Zhuge Sa seemed lost in thought, trying to read Mangnyang’s intentions. Then he said, “So you’re suggesting we broaden the scope of the Law of Cause and Effect for the younger generation. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“I’d like to leave that to Baek Woong’s taste.”

“so you’re leaving it to a Reborn Person’s instincts. Maybe that’s the right approach.”

What in the world were the strategists babbling about?

Just then, Zhuge Sa turned to me, saying, “Baek Woong, my thoughts have changed. Pay close attention to what I’m about to say…”

And then Zhuge Sa laid out his plan. After hearing it, I finally understood why Mangnyang had butted in. I was secretly impressed by their cunning when Zhuge Sa continued.

“I intend to investigate Dark Heaven Village and that gate in more detail. It’ll likely be a short-term effort, so you don’t have to worry about anything else. Once the celestial offering ceremony is done, gather as many treasures as you can.”

“Got it.”

As I nodded, Mangnyang gazed at me thoughtfully.

“Baek Woong. I have something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“You obtained Yeodong-bin’s Sword in your 23rd life. Is that still something you can manifest?”

Now that he mentioned it, I had completely forgotten about the sword technique since I started this life. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I concentrated, attempting to lift the sword on my right hand.

Swish—

“Ugh!”

But suddenly, a piercing pain struck my heart, halting my efforts. An alarmed Mangnyang asked, “Baek Woong, what’s wrong?”

“……”

I tried to concentrate again to summon the sword, but it still didn’t appear, and instead, I felt a stabbing sensation in my internals as if my organs were being pricked. And my magical energy remained unspent. I pondered if it was a problem relating to the Law of Cause and Effect, but the intensity of the pain and its immediate effects suggested otherwise.

‘What is happening?’

Though there were no signs of the sword’s summoning, strangely, I felt a distinct, full sensation as I tried to wield the sword. It felt not like an outright block, but rather like being tightly restrained in multiple layers. When I shared this sensation with Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa, Mangnyang scrutinized me seriously before speaking up.

“Now, don’t try any more attempts.”

“Do you have a hunch?”

“Yeodong-bin might have transformed into the sword, but the sword techniques themselves belong to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. In other words, you’ve succeeded in mastering the sword techniques, but since you don’t know the exact procedures, commands, or components, you can’t actualize them.”

“Then what is this piercing pain?”

“… I don’t know. If the incantation weren’t enacted from the start, normally, you wouldn’t feel pain like you do. You’d merely waste your magical energy. But didn’t you mention you don’t feel any loss of energy?”

“That’s right.”

“What can be inferred is… the sword techniques differ from standard martial arts techniques. And perhaps every time you try to perform them, it’s causing reactions with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and Yeodong-bin.”

“……!!”

I gasped. Just trying to execute a technique could provoke the Celestial Great Immortal? While I was still in shock, Mangnyang added, “It’d be best to inquire with the Priest. Also, given the impending celestial adversity, let’s hurry.”

With that, I, along with Mangnyang, headed towards the village of Master Mangnyang. As usual, I buried the Heavenly Secret and went to meet Cheon Woo-jin. Cheon Woo-jin initially seemed irritable, trying to brush us off, but with Mangnyang’s persuasion, we managed to enter.

Rumble…

Cheon Woo-jin glanced at the sky and said, “The sky doesn’t look good. If we had arrived just three breaths later, the celestial adversity would have hit us instantly.”

“Hmm, isn’t there a tight schedule to prepare for the ceremony?”

“Not particularly. We can do it in a simple manner.”

Cheon Woo-jin dismissed almost 90% of the flags that should have been placed and only set up a small fraction for defense. It seemed he planned to absorb the rest with his magical capabilities. I thought about giving him the obsidian, but it was better to let him focus on the ceremony.

A while later, the celestial offering ceremony began, and the first to appear was the Primordial Void Ruler.

[ The offering is well received. Humans. ]

Until now, I had either quietly listened to that or sneered. But this time, I had no intention of doing either. This was because the appearance he showed at the end of my 23rd life was far too suspicious.

The immense technique that pulled Gong Gong into chaos, and his self-proclaimed status as the Observer of the Queen Mother of the West – and above all, the fact that the Three Pure Ones were obliterated by the Queen Mother, yet the Primordial Void Ruler, the avatar of the Spirit Treasure Heaven Master, was unscathed! It was perfect evidence that the Primordial Void Ruler was not just the avatar of the Three Pure Ones but another dark figure entirely.

I wanted to pepper the Primordial Void Ruler with questions, but I held back my itching tongue. If he really is a dark figure, asking in plain sight would surely yield no answers and might only pique his suspicion.

Instead, I subtly said, “Primordial Void Ruler, I wish for the blessing of another Great Immortal in exchange for the offerings.”

Just as he prepared to say something, the Primordial Void Ruler remarked with interest, [ Oh? Whose blessing do you want? ]

“That would be… Celestial Sage Mi-hu.”

[ …… ]

The Primordial Void Ruler seemed quite taken aback. It was as if he didn’t expect the mention of Celestial Sage Mi-hu at all. Then, with a tone of disbelief, he replied, [ The, Celestial Sage Mi-hu does not have any blessings to give… ]

“That might or might not be true. Just call him for me.”

[ No, King Mi-hu is very busy with celestial matters… ]

My irritation at the hesitating Primordial Void Ruler boiled over as I shouted, “I said to call him!!”

[ Ugh. Fine… ]

The Primordial Void Ruler reluctantly relented, vanishing in a puff of smoke as he passed the turn to the next.

Moments later, Cheon Woo-jin’s gaze returned to normal, revealing that the spiritual possession had lifted. Both Mangnyang and I shot incredulous looks at him, and Cheon Woo-jin struggled to hide his shock.

“Ah… do you mean Celestial Sage Mi-hu?”

It was then.

Swoosh!!

In the hall, a spectacle of multicolored clouds zipped around at incredible speeds, and after a series of chaotic movements that lasted just about a breath, an unfamiliar monkey sage revealed himself before us.

“Ta-da!”

Letting out a nonsensical cheer, he looked at us from atop his cloud, with a playful grin plastered on his face.

“Hahaha!! Who are these reckless fools that have summoned me?”

“……!!”

Celestial Sage Mi-hu!

I couldn’t help but be shocked at his sudden appearance. I expected merely the spiritual form to transfer into Cheon Woo-jin, but who would’ve thought he’d fly here on a cloud? Reacting to our surprise, Celestial Sage Mi-hu scratched his ear and said, “Why are you guys so surprised? Given that I’m half god half demon, it’s such a hassle to separate body and spirit. Besides, my cloud is much quicker, so it’s just easier to fly in from the outskirts of the celestial realm.”

Oh, I see!

Typically, Great Immortals are powerful high-level spiritual beings who usually manifest as spiritual entities, but Celestial Sage Mi-hu was unusually given a physical body and made a Great Immortal. Hence, it’s likely more convenient for him to move in full form.

‘I never thought of that…’

Though taken aback, I realized the plan wouldn’t drastically change. Regaining my composure, I bowed towards Celestial Sage Mi-hu and stated, “I, Baek Woong, seek the blessing of the Celestial Sage in exchange for the offerings!”

“Hmm… I see…”

Looking a bit flustered as he scratched his cheek, Celestial Sage Mi-hu said, “I hate to say it, but I’m not really well-known among the commoners, you know? I might be popular among other immortals, but usually, people don’t know me. So, do you really have a reason to desire my blessing?”

“……”

He chuckled as if to tease us, “What if my low recognition means I can’t give you a good blessing? It could well be at the level of an ordinary talisman~”

What he said held truth. After all, a lesser-known celestial figure like him was unlikely to be recognized except by seasoned Taoist masters. Usually, the higher one’s renown, the stronger their powers as a Great Immortal, so naming Celestial Sage Mi-hu as the recipient of the Seven Luminaries Offering created quite the odd picture.

I pondered what to say but ultimately just blurted out whatever came to mind, “Uh… Well, if you’re uncertain, I could elevate your status by doing things like writing stories about you!”

Celestial Sage Mi-hu’s eyes widened with curiosity, “Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, I could write stories, poems, or even music about you. Everything to spread the tale of Celestial Sage Mi-hu!”

“How much will you spread it?”

“I’ll make sure it becomes an epic trend in the capital, Luoyang.”

What a ridiculous thing I just said?

Now that the words were out of my mouth, I couldn’t take them back, regardless of how absurd they sounded.

“Oh? Oho?”

Celestial Sage Mi-hu’s eyes sparkled like crescent moons. He seemed to perk up, letting out that typical monkey laughter, “Hahaha!! Is that for real? Writing a story about me sounds entertaining! Should I base it on my travel to Tianzhu?”

“Um…”

“That sounds fun! Talk about signs of good luck! I had a great time coming today~”

Like a tipsy man basking in joy, Celestial Sage Mi-hu proclaimed, “Alright, alright!! I shall grant you my blessing, the blessing of Celestial Sage Mi-hu! I’ll make it special and powerful!”

Boom!

As soon as Celestial Sage Mi-hu reached out towards me, a bluish light enveloped my body. I felt intense spirit energy surging within me, signifying that an extraordinary ability was being bestowed upon me. Once the light faded, Celestial Sage Mi-hu soared back on his cloud, his last words echoing in the hall, [ I’ll think of a title for the story later!! ]

“……”

No, that’s not what’s important!

He should have told me what kind of abilities I now had!

Once again, I was left dumbfounded for not hearing the explanation. Why did these Great Immortals always refuse to elaborate on the blessings they gave? As I stood there frustrated, Cheon Woo-jin snapped, “To write a travel log for a monkey immortal? How utterly frivolous!”

“Huh?”

“Who in their right mind would read that? What do you plan to write about it?”

Drawing from the information I had previously gathered regarding Celestial Sage Mi-hu, I half-heartedly replied, “Umm… it’ll be about Celestial Sage Mi-hu accompanying the renowned monk, Tripitaka, to Tianzhu or something…”

Cheon Woo-jin scoffed.

“Ha! What kind of story is that? Even as a fantasy, I guarantee nobody would read it. I’d rather read some steamy tales instead. I could write a better one than that! How about calling it ‘Jin Ping Mei’?”

“……”

More than just farming, was this guy also into writing stories?

As Cheon Woo-jin clicked his tongue and grumbled, he added, “Anyway, if you’ve done everything, wrap it up and let’s go.”

As Cheon Woo-jin mentioned, I had done my part.

Zhuge Sa’s original strategy was to receive the blessing of Xiang Yu this time, and right before challenging Dark Heaven Village, use the Primordial Void Ruler’s Great Luck Overlap. That way, we’d almost certainly secure Tydaht.

But Mangnyang questioned that plan. Instead of pursuing efficiency all at once, they proposed increasing the number of deities linked to me through the Law of Cause and Effect. Because anyone who blesses me becomes entwined with that law, meaning as I reincarnate, my connections to them strengthen, thus diversifying my strategic options in the future.

So this time, I intentionally chose not to seek Xiang Yu’s blessing and instead opted for the mightiest spirit I was aware of, Celestial Sage Mi-hu’s blessing. It’s merely my anticipation for what amazing abilities could come of it.

“Wait, I have to ask something.”

I stopped Cheon Woo-jin and handed him the obsidian.

“What’s this suspicious gemstone?”

At first, Cheon Woo-jin seemed reluctant to accept the obsidian, but after some convincing from Mangnyang, he begrudgingly accepted it. Moments later, as he absorbed the memories tied to the obsidian, his expression abruptly shifted to one of clarity.

“……!!”

As he recalled the memories, I asked earnestly, “I have a question.”

Once those memories were retrieved, there was no need for any pompous formality.

I told him about my struggles with summoning the sword and the pain that enveloped me afterward. Cheon Woo-jin stared blankly at me before speaking.

“That sort of phenomenon?”

He sighed heavily after a moment.

“… You’ve drawn the attention of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman!”

 

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