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Bang!

With Cheon Woo-jin’s help, I rushed to find the Prophet immediately. He utilized Transmission Technique and Space Passage to get me there in a flash before saying, “I’ve already had a bad encounter with Zhuge Sa and the Prophet. If I step back inside that building, I’m a goner.”

“Really? You’re the strongest Sorcerer right now, and you’re scared?”

“That’s just in human terms. The Demon King wouldn’t bat an eye at my sorcery. Even if I go in with you, the Prophet will kill me.”

Cheon Woo-jin looked at me with a self-deprecating glance, “I’ll be back in half a day.”

After he vanished, I flung the door open and stepped inside.

“Prophet, let’s make a deal!”

[Ah, so you’ve come back.]

The Prophet emerged from the shadows of the building as if waiting for me. I eyed him suspiciously and replied, “What do you mean, ‘of course’?”

[You’ve come looking for me before, and your Demon Sorcerer friend did too. You must have looted many treasures while stirring up trouble around the world; aren’t you here to buy information from me…?]

“You’re right. I came to buy information.” I shot him a sharp look and said, “You’re not going to refuse, are you?”

[Refuse? I’m always ready to sell something…]

“…”

[Come on, let’s hear it… customer…]

The Prophet seemed surprisingly friendly. Seeing him like this was nothing like the terrifying Demon Beast I remembered from my past encounters with Zhuge Sa. It hit me then that the Otherworldly Races and the Old Rulers were treating me quite nicely.

“But first, let’s clarify something.” I pointed a finger at him. “You have a secrecy pact with Chi You, right? If you want to do business with me, you’ll have to dissolve that pact. I won’t tolerate you keeping secrets for Chi You.”

That was my priority. Without doing this, bargaining with the Prophet would be pointless. Chi You held the reins of the world, and any secret or information was bound to be related to him. The Prophet seemed impressed and said, [Oh, so you are indeed a Reborn Person…]

“You figured it out back when you dueled Zhuge Bu, didn’t you?”

[Hmm… let me think… wait.]

The Prophet fell silent, then said, [It will depend on the price. If you offer enough, I can spill something about Chi You too.]

Looks like he’s going to play hard to get. After realizing he had a secrecy pact with Chi You, I understood that he would betray him for a steep price if I could afford it. But just breaking that pact would clearly require a hefty cost, something I hadn’t been able to muster up until now. I had too many other matters demanding my attention to pour all my treasures into uncovering just Chi You’s secrets.

Bitten lip, I pulled the Nine Stars Main Capital out of the pouch. “How about this?”

Having discarded the Nameless Ritual Book, this was my best Grimoire. Until now, I hadn’t found a good opportunity to sell it until now, so I was willing to part with it to dig up Chi You’s info. The Prophet took the Nine Stars Main Capital, examined it, and said, [A fantastic offering… but it’s still lacking.]

“What?! You can’t be serious!” I exclaimed, filled with shock and anger, “The Nine Stars Main Capital is a top-tier Grimoire! And it’s the real deal! How can it not be enough?”

When I learned about sorcery from Zhuge Sa, I was taught that a top-tier Grimoire was worth a nation! Sure, this wasn’t adding up.

[Hmm… Do you know what it means to break the secrecy pact with Chi You? From that moment forward, Chi You and the Eight Parts of the Divine will be outright enemies… It gives them an excuse to attack our clan, who are resting in the Material World…]

He waved his tentacles.

[… The Seal of the Giant Race will be in jeopardy. That is directly related to our survival.]

“…”

[Normally, this wouldn’t be a concern, but with Chi You and the Eight Parts of the Divine holding Luoyang right now, openly opposing them is way too risky… We could end up in an all-out war without any benefit… To bear such risks, you’ll need to offer a lot more. I can’t stake my entire clan’s fate on just one Grimoire…]

“Dammit.”

Isn’t this just an excuse to extract more treasures from me?

I wanted to complain, but with the Prophet saying this, I had no choice. I decided to look for something decent from within the pouch.

‘Let’s see…’

I pulled out the Secret Technique of the Twin Blades. “Here.”

[More…]

I offered the Treasure Baek Woong. “Here!”

[…]

Finally, the Prophet stopped shaking his head and looked at me seriously. It seems that combining the Nine Stars Main Capital, Twin Blades, the Secret Technique, and the Treasure Baek Woong might just be enough to justify breaking the secrecy pact with Chi You. The Prophet seemed deeply engrossed, trembling in thought, then he rolled his eyes and spoke to me, [What a pity… I was really tempted, but this isn’t enough. Isn’t there anything more?]

“Damn it!! You greedy bastard! This is all I’ve got!”

As I shouted in desperation, the Prophet waved his tentacles dismissively.

[No. Take it back.]

“Ugh…”

This isn’t good. I needed to find a way to dig up Chi You’s secrets this life, and then somehow ask the Prophet to check the curse on me. But to think I’d run out of all my treasures at my first request.

‘It’s too soon to give up.’

I felt anxious for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and rummaged through the pouch again.

“H-How about this egg?”

[Hmm…?]

I pulled out the strange egg I’d gotten from Golden Crow Island. It was the size of a watermelon, with a surface made of yellow, red, and blue patterns. It was incredibly hard, and it seemed impossible for an ordinary person to chip it. However, it showed no signs of hatching, and no one in my party knew its identity, so I just stored it away.

‘Will this work?’

I anxiously awaited the Prophet’s reaction. If this doesn’t fly, I’d need to switch gears and go straight to the main topic.

But to my surprise, his response was unexpected.

[What… where did you get this? No matter how much of a Reborn Person you are, how did you get this…]

The Prophet seemed startled, trembling his tentacles. I told him, “I got it from Golden Crow Island. Why?”

He replied excitedly, [It can’t just be from Golden Crow Island. I’ve scouted that place using divination spells. Don’t lie to me.]

“It’s from Tongtian Road, in the secret space of the Xichuan Army’s fortress.”

[Ah… Haha. I didn’t get a chance to search there. Unbelievable…]

“Do you know what it is?”

[…]

Suddenly, the Prophet seemed to be brainstorming. I could sense a change in him since I’d met him often enough to understand his emotions. After a moment of deliberation, he said, [If you hand over that egg now, I’ll break the secrecy pact with Chi You and tell you everything you want to know. I’ll risk the fight against Chi You just for you. Plus, I’ll help with other things…]

Whoa?!

The Prophet’s demeanor flipped completely to one that offered me everything I wanted. That egg apparently was a fantastic bargaining chip.

‘But this feels a bit weird.’

What’s up with this egg that it has him so thrilled? While I wanted to squeeze a bit more information out of him in this back-and-forth game of negotiation, I was at a disadvantage, making it hard to make a daring move.

“Fine! You take it.”

[Good. Less talk now. No returns. The deal is done.]

Whoosh!

As soon as the Prophet got the egg, he promptly stuffed it into the Void Space. As if afraid someone would snatch it away, he was desperate.

Sensing something strange, I asked him, “Hey. What’s that egg? At least tell me something.”

[I don’t know! I don’t have anything to say.]

“……”

[Just give it to me and don’t ask questions… I won’t tell you anything.]

What the?!

I was shocked not just by how tight-lipped the Prophet was but also by his strongly agitated reaction. The Prophet was reacting as if he valued that egg above anything else in the world. It was clear that further mention would provoke him to attack.

‘What in the world is that egg?’

I had an uneasy feeling but brushed it off and said, “Alright. Let me ask about Chi You’s secrets.”

I wasn’t sure if something was brainwashing or controlling me. Plus, having just secured a considerable price with that egg, I figured it wouldn’t be too late to ask about some critical information regarding Chi You first. I was completely filled with the desire to gain maximum benefit.

[What do you want to know…]

I thought hard. The most pressing matter was whether someone was controlling me, but it seemed that the Prophet gained quite a lot from that egg. Therefore, I wanted to extract as much information about Chi You, my current enemy, before checking if I was controlled. If things didn’t pan out, I could always offer more treasures afterwards.

“Right now, I want to know why Chi You occupied Luoyang, why he’s advancing civilization, and what he has planned for the future.”

[That…]

The Prophet took a few steps and replied, [Chi You occupied Luoyang to hasten his plans for the apocalypse.]

“What?”

[The First Character is Chi You’s weakness… But it’s also a powerful curse on humanity… The advancement of civilization follows this thread as well… It’s an organized effort to artificially fabricate the level of civilization expected to arrive in about four hundred years… to weaken faith and facilitate the spread of demonic paths… all done naturally without violating the Law of Cause and Effect…]

For a moment, the Prophet’s eyes sparkled.

[He aims to break Master Mangnyang’s boundary…]

“…!!”

[That’s something… neither the Three Sovereigns nor Chi You could achieve using only their own power… They’ve decided to use humans, whom they call bugs…]

“What?! Use humans to break the boundary? How?”

I was utterly amazed. To think Master Mangnyang’s boundary would be mentioned here!

As if sensing my shock, the Prophet trembled as he spoke. [I’m sorry, but if I say more… Chi You will send his Avatar directly to wage war… he just warned me… He seems to have sensed the threads of causality… I can’t say more…]

I protested to the Prophet, “What?! I’ve offered a price! Didn’t we agree to break the treaty? How can you pull back now?”

[…….]

The Prophet shook his head.

[I am… just as surprised… I thought he was only scaring me, but… it seems all the Eight Parts of the Divine are out there now.]

“What?!”

[Now that he’s transformed into his true form… he means business…]

Startled, I peered around the back of the building. For sure, the air turned icy. As I focused my intent, I began picking up the ominous energy that felt like the Eight Parts of the Divine, all radiating immense magical power.

Fortunately, they seemed unable to enter due to the barrier, but this happening was alarming. To think I’d said only a few words here and Chi You would send his subordinates to threaten me!

[Chi You has never reacted this violently before… He’s really gearing up to fight with our clan.]

“……..”

[It’s not just about the importance of the secret… You… Baek Woong, as an existence… is a massive threat to Chi You…]

The Prophet seemed intensely curious, extending his tentacles toward me as his eyes rolled.

[Fascinating… You don’t seem very strong yet… so I doubt you’ve experienced many reincarnations… But is your cause already severe enough to threaten Chi You…?]

“What do you know about Rebirth Ability?”

[Sorry, but I can’t discuss that. It’s even more dangerous than Chi You’s secret…]

The Prophet stated, [Wait a moment… I’ll go send the ones outside back…]

“I’ll go too. I want to know their intentions!”

[…Suit yourself…]

With a swoosh, I was teleported outside the building by the Prophet’s magic. There, I could see the main forms of the Eight Parts of the Divine encroaching with overwhelming intimidation.

Gulp.

Though there were only six left after the Dragons and Asuras fell, they all seemed either Demon King-level or even greater. With the Celestial Sage and Xiang Yu absent, I had no way to deal with them.

The Celestial Sage Tripitaka spoke to the Prophet, [Mighty Prophet of Astana, you great Demon King of the stars. How dare you break the secrecy pact made with our lord? He is quite displeased.]

[…]

[Do you intend to wage war with us?]

[This is truly… baffling…]

Suddenly, the Prophet glinted with a light in his eyes. [You treat the likes of an Old Ruler, a mere human… as a formidable foe capable of threatening our race that roams the intergalactic and solar realms since the dawn of the universe?]

Whirr.

A colossal image of Five Stars appeared in the air. A dazzling light created a bridge in the sky like a rainbow, causing the Eight Parts of the Divine to flinch and retreat. As soon as I saw the Five Stars, I knew what it was.

‘Mark of the Ancient God!’

One of the very few sorceries capable of resisting the Old Rulers was being unleashed on a large scale! The immense power was distributed in a way unlike any humans could manage, making it look like the Eight Parts of the Divine were struggling to withstand it, as if their strength was rapidly fading like scraps in a desert.

The Celestial emitted a low growl.

[… You’re allied with the Ancient Gods? Just how long has your alliance existed…?]

The Prophet lowered the sorcery of the Ancient God and said, [This is a warning… Don’t recklessly threaten us. Even the Three Sovereigns couldn’t easily attack us… Should you choose to do so, this land will be embroiled in endless wars…]

[Understood. But…]

The Celestial’s gaze shifted to me, piercing through it like a knife.

[Do not do business with that man again. And you are forbidden from giving him even an ounce of information. If you refuse, we won’t hold back.]

The Prophet scoffed at that statement. [What? You’re so afraid of a mere human… It’s true; Chi You is quick on the uptake…]

[What will you do?]

[That’s how it will be… But only regarding matters related to Chi You. For everything else, you do not have the right to force me.]

[What? Really…]

Crackle.

In that moment, the Prophet unleashed what seemed to be his real magical power. It turned into a colossal standoff, and as they stared each other down, it seemed they both grew weary and began to back off. The Celestial spoke resignedly.

[Demon King. Keep your word.]

[Understood…]

[Then we’ll take our leave…]

At that moment, I shouted out to the Celestial.

“Wait a minute!!”

When the Celestial and the Eight Parts of the Divine turned to look at me, I asked, “Do you really think Chi You will save the humans?”

 

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