Chapter 728
I was just about to sneak out of the outer city of Luoyang when someone called out to me.
“Hey! You there!”
Peeking over the city wall, I spotted a guy in blue martial attire looking up at me. With no guards around, I thought I could just scale the wall and bounce, but it seems someone had noticed me flying through the air.
‘He doesn’t look that impressive.’
As I turned to leave, the guy quickly sent me a message through secret transmission.
[So you’re a great master who can manipulate the Celestial Sovereign and fly freely in the sky. My Zhang Clan wants to give you gold! I have an urgent request.]
“……”
The Zhang Clan? They were known for their martial might, headed by the formidable Zhang Bong from the Twin Gate Sect. Not that it meant much to me now, but being part of such a clan certainly earned respect in the martial world.
While I wanted to slip away quickly due to the Eight Divine Beings and Chi You, I found myself somewhat intrigued by what the guy had to say.
‘Hmm, with Chi You and Master Mangnyang around, they can’t lay a hand on me just yet.’
Thinking it over, I decided to descend to the wall and regard him from the rooftop before responding.
[Get to the point.]
“Uh… I want to discuss this in our clan.”
[I don’t have time for that. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll decide afterward.]
“Ugh.”
He looked around nervously. Once he confirmed there were no guards, he spoke quickly but carefully.
“I’m Zhang Yi from the Twin Gate Sect. All our clan elders have been summoned to the imperial palace as martial arts instructors, but they haven’t returned for a year! Please check on their safety!”
There was an undercurrent of panic and urgency in his tone.
“……”
“If you can resolve this, I’ll pay fifty gold pieces!”
So the clan heads were missing? I asked, intrigued.
[Zhang Yi. Is Han Jin-seong, the head of the Han Clan, also missing?]
“Yes.”
[Are the rest of the Twin Gate Sect members safe?]
“Yes, but they are all terribly anxious because our head hasn’t sent a word. The younger members are frantically searching for the peak experts.”
[……]
The situation definitely seemed dire. Here I was, practically an unknown in the martial world, but someone was scrambling to secure my help. The panic among the Twin Gate Sect warriors likely stemmed from fear that their head had been murdered.
What if this was the work of the Eight Divine Beings?
On the one hand, all the leaders of the Twin Gate Sect were peak experts who posed a serious threat to anyone, including the likes of Chi You. They were masters representing Luoyang, which made them significant players in the game. Perhaps the Eight Divine Beings had set their sights on them. I had no clue what exactly had happened, but one thing stuck with me—the fact that Han Jin-seong was also taken.
Having known him from my previous life, he was not someone who had made an unfavorable impression on me, and I had developed good rapport with him over time.
The thought of him potentially being slaughtered didn’t sit well with me. Pondering it for a while, I finally spoke to Zhang Yi.
[Okay, Zhang Yi. I’ll look into it shortly with my companions.]
“Wait… what was the name of your clan’s head?”
[No need to know.]
Wham!
I leaped from the wall, soaring out of Luoyang. Summoning the Soul Removal Technique and speed technique, I quickly made my way to the nearby village of Master Mangnyang. As I scanned the area, I spotted Cheon Woo-jin sitting on a boulder, giving me a side-eye.
“You came from Luoyang. What were you thinking going there?”
“Don’t ask me. It was Master Mangnyang who sent me.”
“The Master?”
“Anyway, where has everyone gone?”
“They went to comb the nearby cities to find you. They’ll be back within half a moment.”
“Gather the team…”
Whoosh!
Cheon Woo-jin unleashed a spell, summoning dozens of sparrows that took to the air in every direction. After he sent the word, he turned to me with an explanation.
“It seems Chi You hasn’t cast a spell or used verbal magic against you.”
“That’s a relief.”
“But if what you say is accurate, then Chi You and the Eight Divine Beings will begin to recognize us as adversaries starting now. They won’t rush in right away, but the situation has become complicated.”
“……”
“When everyone gathers, we’ll discuss it then.”
As Cheon Woo-jin predicted, it wasn’t long before the scattered companions converged. I handed them the obsidian stones to share memories, and they seemed to grasp the situation.
Jin So-cheong remarked, “Baek Woong, not teaming up with Chi You was a smart move. You’d only be used as a tool by someone so shady.”
“Thanks.”
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“… We should hear Master Mangnyang’s opinion.”
That night, I dropped a mirror into the lake to summon Master Mangnyang.
After hearing my plight, the summoned Master stated, [Baek Woong, if your intuition tells you this, then it might very well be correct. Your instincts lie in an area beyond reason or calculation, often leading to answers that surpass mere strategies.]
“But I have a question. If we had allied with Chi You as he suggested and destroyed the Celestial Realm, wouldn’t things have been easier?”
[Of course. The Celestial Realm is nothing more than a subordinate of the Three Sovereigns, and its structure and scale can’t be dismantled overnight. If it disappeared, the Three Sovereigns would have to expend considerable power and cause and effect every time they intervened in worldly matters. From an efficiency standpoint, Chi You’s proposal was quite good. He seems to be quite the cunning one.]
“Hmm…”
[Taking down the Celestial Realm would undoubtedly shorten our journey. But pursuing efficiency might lead to betrayal; it could be better to stand independently.]
Master Mangnyang continued, [While Chi You threatened us, he currently can’t attack. The pathway connected to the Demon God of the Golden Star is under the influence of Jeogok, so Chi You would need to exert considerable power just to maintain control. You can view Chi You as half sealed. The only ones able to act freely are the six members of the Eight Divine Beings, and even they are restricted due to the provocations of the Celestial Realm and the Three Sovereigns.]
“That’s a relief.”
[However, the Chi You’s movements won’t remain dormant for long. Within a few months, they’ll release their grip and act recklessly. We must take advantage of this moment.]
“What happens if we don’t?”
[Remember what Chi You said. He claimed that once he occupied Luoyang, everything would revolve around him. That wasn’t baseless arrogance; he’s probably been planning what to do in Luoyang for centuries and has likely laid a massive scheme that could give him the upper hand.]
“……!!”
[When Chi You breaks free from Luoyang to expand his territory, it could mean the end for us all.]
“Understood.”
Master Mangnyang said, [Right now, we need to ally with Cheon Gong-pyo to subdue Golden Crow Island.]
“Subdue Golden Crow Island…!!”
[Our current power is insufficient. We need to enlist the Monster Sage of Golden Crow Island as our subordinate to ensure we’re not outmatched by Chi You or the Celestial Realm.]
Master Mangnyang’s plan was straightforward. We were to help Cheon Gong-pyo as requested and suppress Golden Crow Island and the Ten Thousand Ghosts Army! But I had my doubts about this plan.
“Master Mangnyang, won’t this just benefit Cheon Gong-pyo?”
“We shouldn’t act naively and let him betray us once he seizes Golden Crow Island.”
[She won’t be able to do that.]
“Why not?”
Then Master Mangnyang explained his strategy in detail. It finally dawned on me.
‘Indeed, Master Mangnyang.’
As I marveled, Cheon Woo-jin interjected.
“Hey, does anyone know where that girl went?”
“The girl?”
“Cheon Gong-pyo. We can’t help if we don’t know where she is.”
“……”
Right. Cheon Gong-pyo had bolted when Cheon Jeong-dae showed up to threaten us. Since then, she had disappeared completely.
Responding to Cheon Jeong-dae’s remark, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens spoke up.
[She’s likely waiting at the entrance of Golden Crow Island.]
“Heavenly Mysterious Woman, how do you know?”
[Because she told me that before disappearing…]
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
[There were more pressing matters.]
“No…”
Cheon Jeong-dae was about to protest when Cheon Woo-jin interjected.
“What really matters now isn’t that. Our forces are too imbalanced.”
“What do you mean?”
“You and Heavenly Mysterious Woman are immensely powerful, but if we humans attempt to storm Golden Crow Island, we’ll likely find ourselves annihilated by even one member of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Army. Each member is a peak entity, equal to the overlay technique.”
Cheon Jeong-dae appreciated the concern.
“That’s true. Especially Wang Cheon-gun and Golden Light Saint—they’re much stronger than the others of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Army. You guys would definitely struggle.”
“Have you fought them?”
“In the time of the Monster King, I crossed blades with the Ten Thousand Ghosts Army once. Alone, they’re nothing special but come together, and they become quite bothersome.”
While Cheon Jeong-dae’s words sounded somewhat arrogant, they were indeed true. Even one member of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Army had, over the decades, assassinated Kunlun’s immortals without anyone even being able to follow him, proving his formidable skills. Even Yeodong-bin had to prepare for death when facing a member of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Army.
If I considered the Ten Thousand Ghosts Army to be comparable to beings like Great Immortal or overlay technique, then going up against them with our current human force was impossible.
“We can’t just be a burden.”
“So what do you suggest? We won’t be able to speak unless we ascend to the Absolute Realm, but it’s not as easy a feat.”
“We can only do our best and raise our capabilities.”
As Cheon Woo-jin gazed at me, he urged, “Get moving.”
“Got it.”
I sighed, pulling all the treasures from my wooden armor and distributing them to my companions. Cheon Woo-jin would train them using these treasures, and we’d have at least a chance to utilize them once.
‘If we train at the room in the Shaolin Temple, our skills should improve significantly.’
With that, I headed westward, following Master Mangnyang’s plan.
Master Mangnyang had uncovered where the descendants of Guan Yu were located while I was away, but I had gone missing and couldn’t deliver the Azure Dragon Halberd. I decided to locate the descendants of Guan Yu based on the information I received from Master Mangnyang and collect blessings first.
With the help of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, I teleported straight to a place called Jangheung. I turned to her and said, “Heavenly Mysterious Woman, please find Guan Xiu, who holds a military post in Jangheung.”
[Understood.]
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman promptly informed me of Guan Xiu’s whereabouts, and I teleported to his home in front of a residence. I verified that Guan Xiu’s house belonged to a high-ranking military officer and barged inside to confront him.
“Huh! Who are you?”
Upon startling Guan Xiu, I spoke, “Are you Guan Xiu, the descendant of Guan Yu? I’ve come to see you as I’ve heard you are the clan’s heir.”
“… Yes, but are you a martial world figure?”
“Indeed. I’m not here to harm you, so rest easy.”
As I responded to Guan Xiu, I pulled out the Azure Dragon Halberd from my wooden armor and handed it to him.
“Take this. It was meant to be passed down from Guan Yu.”
“……”
Guan Xiu was dumbfounded, then replied, “Are you crazy? That’s just a legend…”
“I couldn’t care less. Will you take it or not?”
“Fine. Just get out of my house already.”
As Guan Xiu was about to accept the Azure Dragon Halberd, it unexpectedly seemed heavy, and he almost stumbled over. I caught him to steady him.
“It’s too heavy for you to lift alone.”
“……”
Guan Xiu looked at me suspiciously before summoning his servants to help carry the halberd together. Having completed my task, I headed to a nearby hill, drawing on the Spirit Power to reach out to Guan Yu in my heart.
[Guan Yu, come forth!]
Oooooo
As the laws of cause and effect formed, it became possible to summon spirits without major rituals. Plus, by fulfilling the Spirit Power, Guan Yu’s spirit appeared before me.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard and spoke, [Ah… You truly honored my request.]
“Guan Yu, you promised me. You said if I delivered the Azure Dragon Halberd to your descendant, you’d bestow a grand blessing.”
[Understood. I shall descend upon you and provide the blessing of a warrior…]
I hurriedly waved my hands. “No, that’s not necessary. Can’t you give a different type of blessing?”
Having already gathered too many who could descend, including the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and Fire Dragon Incarnate, receiving duplicate blessings was redundant, so I refused.
Guan Yu stroked his beard thoughtfully. [Hmm. It seems there’s more to this.]
“I have companions. They need blessings too.”
Guan Yu called out, [Then I, as the Military God, shall bestow upon you and your companions a shining blessing. Your future will be filled with the friendship of heaven and earth and the luck of a thousand enemies!]
Boom!
Guan Yu emitted a radiant light before vanishing. Simultaneously, I felt an inexplicable force surging through me.
‘Nice.’
If I were to die in this life, the number of blessings I could carry over to the next would increase.
