Chapter 652
“I felt the Celestial Sage suddenly stop while riding my Kunlun Cloud.”
Suspended in the void, the Celestial Sage stared intensely at something and said, “Hold still. So, there really is someone on patrol.”
I followed suit, concealing my breath and aura, moving as little as possible. When I concealed my presence to the level of being like a plant, something zipped past my side.
Whoosh!
A black wind flowed, swirling like waves. The Celestial Sage seemed to activate one of his techniques, going completely still. For a moment, it felt like something was riding the black wind; upon closer look, it was a monster clad in a ritual object. I think I had seen that creature before.
No surprise there! After the black wind completely vanished, the Celestial Sage descended to the ground and muttered, “The Northern Dipper Star Lord is actually roaming about; that could have been a disaster.”
“……!!”
The Northern Dipper Star Lord!
He was known as one of the lower gods who governs lifespan alongside the Southern Dipper Star Lord. Even though he was a lower god, he uniquely held the position of ‘Overlay Technique,’ primarily overseeing human death. Conversely, the Southern Dipper Star Lord managed human life, dealing with human judgment after death and determining their fate in the Underworld.
I asked the Celestial Sage, “The Northern Dipper Star Lord seems closer to a god than an underling; why does he willingly take on lower-level tasks?”
No matter how excellent the Overlay Technique was or how esteemed the higher god might be, it still paled in comparison to divine status. Yet, the Northern Dipper and Southern Dipper Star Lords were unique in that, despite their divine duties and hierarchy, they actively chose to assume the role of Overlay Technique, implying they were eager to undertake tedious tasks. The Celestial Sage replied to my question.
“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve heard they’re related to Yan Wang, the ruler of the Underworld. They originally hailed from the Underworld. There must have been some kind of transaction between the Celestial Realm and the Underworld.”
“……”
From the Underworld, huh?
“Honestly, I’ve never liked any of those Overlay Types. They’re all so full of themselves; I want to smack them down a peg.”
“I see.”
The Celestial Sage grumbled. I casually agreed before asking, “Even the Northern Dipper Star Lord wouldn’t stand a chance against you in a fight, right? The reason it would be a big deal if he did…”
The Celestial Sage scratched his ear. “Well, naturally, if we fought, I’d win. I’m confident I could take them both on at once. However, their powers are thorny, so in truth, I don’t want to fight them.”
“Powers?”
I asked in response, and the Celestial Sage nodded.
“They can borrow the powers of the Three Sovereigns to instantly kill an opponent with the strength wielded by the Yan Wang. Even a celestial being like me could be killed instantly. After all, they’re from the Underworld and govern the domain of ‘death’ as lower gods of the Constellation.”
“……!!”
“Only I can easily defeat them; others would struggle significantly. Even if they withstand the powers of death, their strength would take a massive hit.”
It started to make sense. Alone, the Celestial Sage could freely handle the Northern Dipper Star Lord, but he wasn’t someone who could fight while shielding me at the same time. Plus, there was no way to prevent the Northern Dipper Star Lord from alerting the outside.
‘All these Overlay Types are monsters…’
Yeodong-bin, Jang Sam-bong, Hou Yi, and more were all top-tier characters. If they were of human origin, they had all dominated as the strongest in the Martial Arts World. As for the strongest Overlay Type in the Celestial Realm—it was undoubtedly the Celestial Sage, but depending on the situation, there were also cases where even he couldn’t easily underestimate those appointed as Overlay Types.
Swish…
How long had we been on the Kunlun Cloud? The Celestial Sage, wary of being caught outside, carefully advanced while cloaked in stealth, and finally stood at the entrance of a large mountain.
“We’re here. This is Nine Immortals Mountain, where Xiang Yu is secluded.”
“Do you know where Xiang Yu might be?”
“I don’t know either. All I’ve heard is that he’s built a palace somewhere here and is holed up, memorializing someone.”
“We’ll have to find the palace.”
I considered using the National Seal’s showcase technique, but then decided against it. The Celestial Sage would surely know about the National Seal, and I couldn’t imagine how he’d react if he found out I was its owner. The Celestial Sage said, “Oh well, he’s a ridiculously strong guy; you should be able to feel his aura as we go.”
True to his word, as we ventured about five miles into Nine Immortals Mountain, I suddenly felt an overwhelming aura wash over me, as if the whole mountain was filled with incredible power. Even when faced with the Infinite Internal Power of the Dharma Guardian, I hadn’t felt such intimidation before. While I was still startled, the Celestial Sage took on a stance, gazing into the distance.
“Oh, there it is.”
“Is Xiang Yu there?”
“He doesn’t seem in a good mood. You’d better be cautious with your life.”
“…Understood.”
To be honest, I didn’t have much confidence that I could survive if Xiang Yu decided to kill me, but I was determined to muster my courage. Chances to come to the main base of such a figure were rare, so it was worth risking my life. Besides, having the Celestial Sage with me meant I could potentially escape if things went south.
As we went deeper into Nine Immortals Mountain, a large palace came into view, resembling the ancient style of the Chu Kingdom. And standing at the entrance of the palace was a rather gigantic figure.
“Celestial Sage. What brings you to my estate?”
It was the King of the Southern Dipper, Xiang Yu!
He looked somewhat bored and annoyed, fixing his gaze upon the Celestial Sage’s approach. Xiang Yu could feel the Celestial Sage coming from quite a distance. Then, the Celestial Sage gestured to me, saying, “This friend here wants to see you. I just brought him along.”
“He’s a human?”
“A human can come to the Celestial Realm, you know. You, who are uncertain whether you’re alive or dead, shouldn’t talk.”
“……”
Xiang Yu fixated his gaze on me without responding.
Thud!
‘Cough…!!’
The moment his gaze landed on me, I was engulfed in an incredible sense of powerlessness.
Unprecedented might!
This wasn’t the influence of a peak expert’s martial prowess; it was pure, destructive ‘force’ itself! Every hair on my body stood on end as I trembled in response to his overwhelming strength. It felt less like a high-level oppressive pressure and more like standing before a colossal natural disaster. I felt as if I’d been thrown into the cosmos.
While I trembled, somehow managing to endure Xiang Yu’s aura, he remarked with interest, “For a human, you’re quite strong. Much stronger than that Red Dragon King.”
“Quit tormenting the poor guy. He’s a good one.”
The Celestial Sage said in a somewhat irritated tone, causing Xiang Yu to nod slightly in agreement.
“If he’s your guest, then he must be quite special. It wouldn’t be right to just leave a guest standing; come on in.”
“Is there anything to eat?”
“Nope.”
We soon entered the interior of Xiang Yu’s palace. An eerie darkness pervaded the atmosphere, with the soft glow of moonlight filtering through. With no signs of life—no Sibi or servants—it felt eerily tomb-like.
A few candles flickered, and Xiang Yu arrogantly seated himself at the head of a large table, kicking back as he eyed me with mild annoyance.
“So, what’s your name? Why did you come looking for me?”
“Uh… Well, I’m Baek Woong and…”
“If it’s some trivial matter, just leave.”
Though he was exceedingly curt, I understood this was actually a relatively mild reaction. Xiang Yu had suffered a rather unfortunate death and had been confined in a state of isolation after causing a ruckus in the Celestial Realm. Given his temperament, under normal circumstances, if I had come alone, I would have likely been beaten to death immediately.
I calmed myself and spoke to Xiang Yu, “I have two questions, so I dared to seek the Southern Dipper King.”
“One is already rude; asking two is downright insolent.”
“I apologize.”
Xiang Yu’s brows tightened as if offended, but after glancing at the Celestial Sage, he let out a sigh.
“…Go ahead.”
It seemed he was too lazy to engage in a fight with the Celestial Sage, so he was accommodating. I spoke cautiously.
“What was the reason for your ascent to the Celestial Realm?”
“That’s a straightforward question.”
Xiang Yu, appearing somewhat bored, took a sip from a nearby cup before responding.
“After sustaining such severe injuries that I should have died, the Underworld deities kept flitting around me. Annoyed with them, I attempted to go to the Underworld but ended up in the Celestial Realm instead. Once here, I got caught up in the process of taking down those pesky celestial beings and ended up in my current situation.”
“……”
“Your question is probably the most commonly asked since I arrived in the Celestial Realm.”
“It’s not that.”
“Do you wish to ask something else?”
I nodded and said, “I want to know if you clashed with the Queen Mother of the West when you ascended.”
“……”
Xiang Yu’s eyes sparkled, and the Celestial Sage looked equally intrigued. Xiang Yu stroked his chin, seemingly interested.
“…Why do you want to know about that?”
“I’m just curious…”
“No, it’s not just that.”
Xiang Yu stared at me with piercing eyes.
“That’s not a question you can ask without reason. There are plenty of powerful entities; why specifically the Queen Mother of the West? You seem to conceal some special secret. I mean, someone like you wouldn’t have brought the Celestial Sage all the way here otherwise.”
“Um…”
“Just say what your reason is, and then I’ll answer you honestly, in the name of the Overlord.”
This was tricky.
While I had managed to elicit a reaction by asking a question out of curiosity, the atmosphere felt like I was being interrogated. I could feel the weight of confessing openly in this situation, and I might easily lose the Celestial Sage’s goodwill. I sensed my life was in jeopardy and gulped.
‘What to do?’
After mulling it over, I said, “Is this place free from eavesdropping or surveillance by anyone?”
“Of course. With the power of my Constellation, no one could know what happens inside this palace.”
“Then I will speak frankly.”
I took a deep breath and continued, “I suspect that the Queen Mother of the West might actually be Nüwa, one of the Three Sovereigns, or perhaps her clone.”
“……!!”
“Since you, Xiang Yu, are said to possess the strongest Constellation power in history, I wanted to know what the outcome was when you fought against that Queen Mother.”
I laid it all out.
I could have hidden some of it, but I instinctively felt there was no reason to. This opportunity was a rare one that might not come around again in my lifetime, so there was no need to waste time testing Xiang Yu or withholding my thoughts. Also, I believed Xiang Yu had a strong aversion to anyone attempting to deceive him, even over trivial matters.
The aftermath was intense.
At that moment, the Celestial Sage shot up from his seat, wide-eyed, and exclaimed, “Baek Woong, you rascal! What on earth are you?”
“Celestial Sage!”
“What’s with you, casting doubts while being a human?! With that Seven Luminaries matter too, what are you really?”
For once, it was Xiang Yu who remained calm. He glanced at the Celestial Sage before returning his gaze to me.
“First, let me answer. I have never fought the Queen Mother of the West. That lunatic—who knows?”
The lunatic he referred to was probably the Celestial Sage. It was well-known in the Celestial Realm that he had once challenged the Queen Mother.
“I see.”
“When I was busy taking down celestial beings, the Queen Mother never showed up. Neither did the Jade Emperor or the Three Pure Ones. The last to show up to clean up was the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”
Just as I thought.
After confirming the disappearance of the others, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman had to have come out to negotiate with Xiang Yu because she had no other choice.
“When she performed a large-scale Corpse Dissolution Technique alongside the top Celestial Beings, I had no choice but to halt my actions, and we came to a promise that I would seclude myself here.”
As if finding it amusing, Xiang Yu continued, “But really, it’s intriguing. I never thought that the goddess Nüwa, the creation goddess among the Three Sovereigns, would be the Queen Mother of the West.”
“Tch! Can it truly end at just being fun? Seriously…”
The Celestial Sage grumbled then turned to me. “Hey, Baek Woong! If the Queen Mother is a clone of Nüwa, what’s your intention in asking?”
“Um… That’s…”
I hesitated, unsure how to respond, prompting Xiang Yu to cross his arms and speak in a low tone.
“You want to kill her.”
“……!!”
“I possess the energy of the Death God, which makes me sensitive to the killing intent of others. Even if someone harbors just a hair’s worth of killing intent, I can sense it, and conversely, I can instantly tell who holds killing intent against whom.”
Xiang Yu’s lips curled slightly upward.
“……”
“A human who can sincerely hate the Three Sovereigns.”
Even I found it rather strange.
No matter how much one might harbor hatred towards the world, to specifically hate the Three Sovereigns is incomprehensible by common sense. Why harbor hatred towards such exalted celestial beings? Yet, I was in a position where I had no choice but to feel that hatred; that’s why I was a Reborn Person.
“Baek Woong, I find you interesting.”
Xiang Yu continued.
“I’ll appoint you under my command. You may ask one more question.”
