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“Okay, that was unexpected.”

I stepped through the silver portal created by the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and immediately noticed that the scenery morphed into a pitch-black starry sky. Behind me, Seo Mun-hye followed, and I checked if everything felt alright; so far, so good.

“I can still breathe!”

I thought the atmosphere here would be too thin for even a whisper, but nope! Breathing was just fine, and Seo Mun-hye seemed okay too. The Heavenly Mysterious Woman chimed in.

[ I am maintaining absolute survival through Corpse Dissolution Technique. There shouldn’t be any issues with the air.]

“Oh… right…”

I tried to speak but realized any sound that escaped my mouth was completely silent. Without air, it made sense that my voice didn’t carry. Clearly, chatting out loud wasn’t an option here; it seemed like I’d have to switch to Secret Transmission.

As I looked around at the vast, dry gray terrain and the endless dark space, I felt out of place. No human could survive in a place like this, and of course, there was another problem.

With a spring in my step, I noticed that every move made me feel lighter than air. I hadn’t even used any techniques, yet my body felt weightless. Thanks to my knowledge of the Demon Path, I figured it was due to the Moon’s weak gravity, so I tread carefully.

‘Guess I need to stabilize myself with the Heavenly Weight Technique.’

I could still use Light Body Technique. However, leaping around recklessly might send me flying off into the cosmic void, and nobody wants to become space debris.

Just then, I jumped around for about ten li with Seo Mun-hye but saw nothing resembling the Temple of Jeogok; just endless barren white land. Glancing far in the distance, I spotted my home planet, and a wave of nostalgia hit me.

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman spoke up.

[ This terrain lacks any significant influence from Jeogok.]

I replied through Secret Transmission instead of speaking.

[ Wasn’t the moon supposed to be the Banwang Hall?]

[ I thought so too, but this is my first time here. The Divine Power in this place feels quite weak.]

Weak Divine Power? Does that mean this isn’t Banwang Hall? As we learned from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, the abodes of the Three Sovereigns usually overflow with an immense presence, the Divine Power flowing like a lava stream. But this moon didn’t feel like a Divine Temple at all.

‘What’s going on here?’

Finding Cheon Woo-jin in this vast emptiness was proving to be quite the challenge. While I pondered my next move, Seo Mun-hye’s voice reached me.

[ Baek Woong! There’s something moving in the distance.]

Something moving? I quickly hid my presence and followed her gaze. About five li away, something was wriggling near the basin that caught my attention. Using my energy to sneak a better look, I frowned.

‘Is that an Otherworldly Race… or not?’

It resembled a human but had wings and multiple eyes—definitely not your everyday Joe.

Visualizing a bug-human hybrid, I concluded that if it was some sort of Otherworldly race, it still fell under the categories of monster or strange form. I had never encountered such a thing in my knowledge bank, which totally confused me. But charging in headfirst didn’t seem wise; I flat out sprawled next to Seo Mun-hye, observing the insect-like humanoid’s actions.

Despite being in an airless moon, this creature flapped its wings just fine! It appeared to dig for something at the basin’s floor and eventually flew away cradling a handful of unknown items.

After it disappeared, I cautiously approached the basin to see what it had been clawing at. The bottom of the deep basin hosted a type of plant I had never seen on the surface, resembling barnacles. As I observed, the plant extended a stem that blossomed into mist-like flowers, piling up abundantly around.

‘How on earth is life thriving here without water or air?’

As I contemplated this bizarre ecosystem, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman broke through my thoughts.

[ That insect-human likely took flowers from that plant.]

[ What kind of flowers are these?]

[ I’m not entirely sure myself.]

This admission hinted that the lunar ecosystem was highly unique. I decided to grab a few plants and flowers to store in my Wooden Armor. Then, I waited nearby to see if the bug-human would return.

Sure enough, about a moment later, I saw it return, flanked by not just one but countless others! They all flocked to the plants, eagerly picking flowers as if in a competition. I quietly trailed behind once they took off.

As I followed, I noticed more signs of life and ancient-looking structures cropping up, leading into what appeared to be a massive temple.

‘This definitely seems like a city…’

The architecture was totally unlike anything I’d seen on the surface. It felt less like a place built for human habitation and more like a structure made explicitly for strange beings. I continued observing when I noticed something flying overhead.

Beeeeee!

A giant bird with glowing feathers was soaring above, emitting odd noises. I spotted something riding on its back and immediately tucked myself away. I’d seen those riding techniques before and my eyes widened.

‘Is that… from the Offering Ceremony?!’

An otherworldly creature with a human face, canine ears, and an unidentifiable bestial body was perched on the bird. Its appearance was undeniably monstrous, yet it exuded a divine aura, making it evident that it was a Divine Being.

The presence was reminiscent of when I summoned Yu during a ceremony, and things got wild when the Sacred Beast, Shabi God, intervened to block my path.

[ The intention of the Deity is as follows: Both the Red Bow and White Arrow belong to the Heavenly Sovereign. It would be excessive fortune to bestow upon a mortal.]

Yet I pressed on and managed to secure the Red Bow, despite the grim aftermath. It left quite the impression, and I remembered it vividly.

Indeed, the entity riding that divine bird was none other than the Shabi God!

At that moment, both Seo Mun-hye and I felt a soft glow envelop us. The Heavenly Mysterious Woman cautioned us.

[ Be wary. Human martial arts or stealth techniques cannot fully conceal us from the Shabi God; I’ve temporarily cast Corpse Dissolution Technique. Our concealment won’t last long, so we need to get out of here.]

[ Do you think we could take on the Shabi God?]

[ I wouldn’t say impossible, but only because I have regained some power thanks to your offerings. Bear in mind, however, that the Shabi God is a top-tier divine entity embodying the might of the Three Sovereigns.]

[ Understood.]

[ Right now, we are concealed and the area is likely under the strict supervision of Jeogok. Causing a commotion would be foolish.]

It dawned on me how serious the situation was.

Back during the Offering Ceremony, I had no clue what was happening. Now, witnessing the Shabi God soaring above confirmed that we were teetering on the edge of the Three Sovereigns’ territory, just as I’d been granted immense powers upon my designation as Jeon Wook by the Three Sovereigns.

‘Unlike me, the Shabi God, being a divine entity, can manipulate the powers of an apostle freely…’

Not to mention, if things went south, it was possible the Three Sovereigns could directly intervene and take us all captive. We absolutely could NOT be discovered in this spot.

Beeee!

Fortunately, it seemed the Shabi God didn’t detect us and flew off. Once things calmed down, I turned to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.

[ The moon indeed appears to be Banwang Hall, yet if it’s not, there’s no way the Shabi God would be patrolling.]

[ ……]

[ Heavenly Mysterious Woman?]

She seemed to think for a moment before replying.

[ Then, it’s possible that the moon itself is a colossal Dimension Door.]

[ Huh?]

[ The Shabi God seems to act like a Gatekeeper.]

[ … Hmm!]

I realized there was merit to her theory. It explained why there was such a weak Divine Power here, yet the apostolic divine presence of Shabi God was roaming around freely.

The moon itself wasn’t Banwang Hall. Instead, it served as a gateway leading to the Three Sovereigns’ realm.

‘Just like how the Five Demon Gate was guarded by Ye-Ri?’

The Five Demon Gate, a portal to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, was directly overseen by its divine entity, Ye-Ri. The fact that it was heavily fortified in a place humans couldn’t approach meant that the Three Sovereigns denied entry even to the Immortals. They considered the Dimension Door to be something of great significance.

At that moment, my head started spinning thinking about how the Three Sovereigns kept their fortifications in check.

‘Damn it… if I’m going to bring down the Three Sovereigns, I have to deal with the Gatekeeper of the Divine Temple first…’

Those Gatekeepers were all stronger than the Great Immortal and apostolic warriors of the Three Sovereigns!

Unless I was careful, it was likely I’d be wiped out long before I could even approach the Three Sovereigns.

While contemplating the bug-humans’ structure, I signaled Seo Mun-hye. Soon, we slipped inside the building, using Stealth Techniques to get closer, and were quickly able to take in our surroundings.

Thousands of bug-humans had gathered in an enormous plaza, where the flowers that they had been picking now formed small mounds. Scattered throughout were severed heads and limbs of other bug-humans. It was a gruesome sight, but far more horrifying was what unfolded next.

Woosh!

Bright white flames erupted, consuming the mounds of flowers whole. What was shocking was how the corpses of the bug-humans blazed alongside them. As the fire reached its peak, birds began to appear from the altar and started to dance. These birds looked familiar; they were likely the divine entities summoned alongside the Shabi God.

Beep!

Once the chaotic dance concluded, the bug-humans dispersed, seemingly rejuvenated. After witnessing this sequence, it became clear to me what was happening.

‘Human Sacrifice…’

The bug-humans served the Three Sovereigns, and to flourish under their favor, they harvested the flowers enjoyed by their deities while sacrificing some of their own kind in an offering.

All for the sake of civilization.

“……”

I felt it was strange.

Turns out, it wasn’t just humans who practiced human sacrifices. Knowing that monsters and the Otherworldly races were also serving Great Beings and offering sacrifices left an unsettling feeling in my gut. The gap between mortals and divine beings suddenly felt colossal.

‘Hmm… there might be something to gain here.’

If I return to the moon next time, I could grab one of those massive mist flowers, right?

As I mulled over these thoughts, a brusque voice suddenly interrupted from behind me.

“Hey. Follow me.”

A bug-human was staring directly at us. Even with the Corpse Dissolution Technique making us invisible and my martial prowess keeping my presence hidden, it had somehow caught us!

But the reason for my shock was the language it was using.

It spoke Central Plains Language!

Seo Mun-hye and I exchanged glances, then silently followed it since the voice struck a familiar chord. Moments later, it led us into a sizable home and said:

“So you’re saying you made it back from Dark Heaven Village?”

Inside the structure, it seemed like air existed, allowing us to speak without issue. When the bug-human looked at me in disbelief, I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Pretty cool, right?”

“… Hmph.”

By then, I couldn’t help but ask:

“By the way, is that form a product of Transformation Technique?”

The bug-human replied to my question with a chuckle.

“That wouldn’t fool the Divine being under Jeogok. This isn’t a Transformation Technique, it’s a technique that tricks the world itself.”

“Not sure what that means.” I mumbled but was ignored.

“Your older brother must’ve sent you. He’s okay, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a relief. Glad you made it back, you.”

Huh? Who is this guy?

I stared at the bug-human with confusion.

“You’ve changed a lot during these five years.”

The guy wouldn’t have said something like that in the past.

Little by little, the bug-human’s form began shifting back to its human one. There stood the familiar figure I recognized.

“Got a problem?” The familiar voice grumbled with that signature attitude; it was Cheon Woo-jin.

 

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