Chapter 743
“Looks like I’ve got his attention now.”
The Primordial Void Ruler wore a bizarre expression, as if he had lost his mind at my words. I expected him to ask, “What are you basing this on?” but, surprisingly, he brought up something else entirely.
[You know what will happen when the Seven Luminaries are released, right?]
Honestly, I had no clue. Nüwa was terrified of the situation, but only the beings above the clouds seemed to truly understand what would unfold when the Seven Luminaries were unleashed. However, I knew that showing weakness in this setting would mean getting stomped on, so I calmly replied.
“I get it, alright? You should understand my resolve is genuine.”
[Hmmm…]
That’s when it happened.
Krroooo!
Suddenly, the skies above the sacrificial ground darkened ominously. A thunderstorm began to rage, engulfing everything in chaos, and in an instant, darkness enveloped the surroundings. The Celestial Sage shouted at me,
“Hey!! A massive gate is opening in the Celestial Realm!!”
“……”
“She’s coming directly…”
I couldn’t understand it at first.
In the sinister sky, behind the bright glowing mass of light, I spotted ghostly figures—more than just a handful, a few hundred in fact—and I realized they were none other than the Queen Mother of the West and her multitude of Great Immortals. Among them, I also recognized the phantoms of Natahta and Lee Rang-jin-gun, confirming that the overlays were all deployed as well.
I glanced at the Primordial Void Ruler and asked,
“Did you summon the Queen Mother of the West?”
The Primordial Void Ruler smirked and said,
[No way. Looks like she’s taken the initiative.]
“Send her back to the Celestial Realm.”
[As I said, I lack the reason and ability to do so. How can I interfere with her self-imposed recklessness in confronting you?]
The Primordial Void Ruler’s tone suggested he was enjoying turning my insides out with his words, but I chose not to respond and quietly surveyed my companions. Especially turning to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and the Celestial Sage, they seemed to grasp my intention. The Celestial Sage spoke sharply,
“Seriously! This situation is way too extreme.”
“We really have no options here.”
The Queen Mother was clearly planning to bring her Great Immortals from the Celestial Realm to eliminate us without hesitation and seize the Seven Luminaries. Though insufficient causal connections existed, it was evident from her perspective that obtaining all five Luminaries justified the risks. If this continued, we’d be facing another full-scale war against the Celestial Realm.
With that kind of momentum, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Queen Mother even called upon Nüwa’s powers to fight. And we had no way to counter the strength of the Three Sovereigns Nüwa.
“Alright then.”
Swiftly, the Celestial Sage tossed me the Golden Crow he had. I also handed over my Fire Spirit. The Heavenly Mysterious Woman began activating the Corpse Dissolution Technique, chanting a spell.
Wooooo!
To free the Seven Luminaries, it seemed the Heavenly Mysterious Woman had to focus, as her body was soon enveloped in radiant light. The Primordial Void Ruler, watching this unfold, appeared taken aback.
[… Are you serious?]
“I don’t understand why you interpret my words as threats. Let’s see this through to the end.”
If I showed weakness here, I’d lose. I had to demonstrate our will, whatever it took. Having gone through enough absurd scenarios, my instincts led me to this choice. If I unlocked all of my energy, at the very least, I wouldn’t go down easily.
Not wavering, the Primordial Void Ruler spoke up again.
[That choice will lead to everyone’s destruction, you know? No one—neither you, nor Chi You, nor the Three Sovereigns—will be left standing.]
“What do I care?”
[Khe… khe khe…]
The Primordial Void Ruler wore an odd smile, looking strangely satisfied.
[I like it… I’ve thought of hundreds of scenarios, but this is the one that appeals to me the most!]
BAM!
[Chaos, arise.]
In that moment, the Primordial Void Ruler snapped his fingers.
Whirr! Whirr!
Suddenly, a pitch-black cloud of chaos appeared, snuffing out the light from the sky, and the storm ceased. The dimensional gate to the Celestial Realm that was opening began to reverse, as if time itself was rewinding. The Great Immortals floundered, confused, unable to halt the change. The Great Immortals initiated their powerful techniques, but the chaotic realm’s expansion disregarded all of it.
Chaos devours time.
How could a self-proclaimed immortal manipulate chaos itself with such ease?!
Queen Mother of the West, at the forefront, let out an irritated shout.
[Primordial Void Ruler… what have you done!! Stop this!]
Down on the ground, the Primordial Void Ruler looked up at the sky with a grin.
[I’m disappointed in you. To ruin such an exciting game in such a dull way? That’s third-rate meddling. It is your fault that I must intervene.]
[Are you betraying me?]
[Not at all. Just cool your head.]
Swish…
Before I knew it, the dimensional gate that had been breached in the Celestial Realm vanished incomprehensibly. The Primordial Void Ruler, having brushed off the Queen Mother’s interference, turned to me and said,
[Seriously listen now: stop the release of the Seven Luminaries.]
“Understood.”
Feeling a strange authority and pressure from him, I nodded.
‘As I thought…’
I realized the Primordial Void Ruler had just begun to show his true self. Up until now, I had tried not to provoke him, so he had kept up the act, but now he was primed to shed that facade. The true face he had partially revealed left me feeling somewhat suffocated.
Such power to directly oppose the will of the Three Sovereigns Nüwa.
What was this guy’s real identity?
As the Heavenly Mysterious Woman halted the release of the Seven Luminaries and returned the Fire Spirit and Golden Crow, the Primordial Void Ruler spoke up.
[There were four conditions. Attack Chi You, restore the Zhuge Clan, suppress the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother of the West, and stop me from interfering in the world.]
“That’s right.”
[As mentioned, asking for support is out of the question. You should know that yourself, so why demand such outrageous things?]
I boldly replied,
“I had a feeling you might agree.”
[Why?]
“Because all you want is something entertaining to watch!”
[……]
The Primordial Void Ruler wore a strange smile.
I knew he was intrigued, so I continued,
“If you want fun, then grant my request. I’ll show you more than you expect.”
[Are you suggesting you’ll show me something beyond my intellect? That’s the hardest thing in the universe to achieve, you know…?]
“But even you couldn’t predict what I would do, could you?”
[Kekekek… That’s not important…]
Continuing to chuckle, the Primordial Void Ruler said,
[If I don’t agree to your four requests… your group will have no choice but to release the Seven Luminaries again… and that’ll lead only to destruction.]
“That’s true.”
[Fun… fun… hmmm.]
The Primordial Void Ruler pondered briefly before saying,
[Under normal circumstances, your request wouldn’t even be considered. I’m an observer and investor… I dislike cheap methods that overturn everything with brute force. I don’t know whether you realize my true identity, but regardless, I remain a spectator.]
“Why? You seem to have power equal to the Three Sovereigns.”
[Until the end, this world is my playground. For a creator, the supreme joy is to erase their presence…]
He rambled on with incomprehensible statements, then continued.
[But… looking at it now, one of them has indeed crossed the line. Because of that infraction, I’ll grant your request as a special case. Absurd ambition you have… kekeke.]
“Who crossed the line?”
[Figure it out yourself. That’s also part of the fun.]
“……”
[This won’t be entertaining as it stands. Just because we don’t, doesn’t mean we can’t; those who think themselves smart become awfully foolish.]
“So what do you plan to do?”
The Primordial Void Ruler smiled softly and clapped his fingers together.
BAM!
In that moment, brilliant light burst forth from the sky, a distant horizon. That light signified the Celestial army marching towards Luoyang.
Also, the Zhuge Leader, who had been in a daze, shook off the magical power from himself and regained consciousness.
[Of the four requests, I complied with three. The Celestial Realm is attacking Luoyang, I’ve restored the Zhuge Leader to human form, and I placed sealed contracts on the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother of the West, preventing them from moving rashly.]
“Is that for real?”
[It’s true. Now, if I disappear, it will be the end.]
I looked at the Primordial Void Ruler with suspicion. It was hard to believe he had placed constraints on the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother of the West, and I couldn’t be sure if this suspicious guy wouldn’t meddle again. So I said to him,
“Promise on your name that you won’t interfere anymore.”
[You want me to swear on my existence?]
The Primordial Void Ruler looked astonished as he heard this, giving a cunning smile.
[I can’t do that…]
“Why not?”
[I’m sealed, so I can’t swear. Even if I wanted to.]
“Sealed? Who sealed you and with what?”
[I can’t answer.]
“Why do you call yourself the Primordial Void Ruler?”
[I can’t answer.]
“Are you the Old Ruler?”
[I can’t answer.]
“What’s your real name?”
[I can’t answer.]
The Primordial Void Ruler seemed determined not to reveal any important information. No matter how many questions I asked, he simply wore a creepy smile.
‘So, as a puppet master playing games in this world, he’s decided to help me to punish the cheats… but won’t help beyond that?’
Well, considering I got this far with almost no offerings, it’s a good deal.
Resolutely, I said to the Primordial Void Ruler,
“Then at least give me your name.”
[Kekeke… I, on behalf of the Primordial Void Ruler, promise to no longer interfere. I shall disappear from the Celestial Realm as well.]
He chuckled strangely and swiftly accepted.
The Primordial Void Ruler gradually began to fade, saying,
[Now… I’ve removed all interference as you wished… I’m looking forward to seeing what results you’ll produce within this manipulated fate…]
POOF!
In an instant, he vanished.
I stared at where he had been and muttered,
“I need to talk to Zhuge Sa.”
I made my way to the room where Zhuge Sa lay and confirmed he was awake. I could feel the magical power that had tormented him wash away the moment the Primordial Void Ruler fulfilled his wish. I immediately transferred the memories from just now to the awoken Zhuge Sa using obsidian.
After receiving the memories, Zhuge Sa said,
“As expected, did I just acquire brain function akin to a genius, thanks to the Mirror of Clarity’s awakening effect and the Seal of the Supreme King’s added effects? This is much easier to converse than usual.”
“Zhuge Sa, was summoning the Primordial Void Ruler the wrong choice?”
“Hmph… no need to ask me that. Whatever you choose now, it’s the king’s choice. It’s you leading us towards the place your fate inclines. And I don’t think it was a bad choice from my perspective.”
“……”
“However, the Primordial Void Ruler’s goodwill will definitely be limited to this life. Don’t do that again in the next life. Speaking directly to the puppet master is far too great a risk. That being is… truly dangerous.”
“Got it.”
Zhuge Sa continued,
“Even though your brain functions have improved, you’re still a novice with detailed strategies, so I’ll help. Right now we need to accomplish two things.”
“What are those?”
“First, contact Yong Junil. Second, while the Celestial Realm is attacking Chi You, find out Tydaht’s location.”
“Are we still not ready for full war?”
Zhuge Sa nodded.
“The important thing is Chi You, not the Eight Parts of the Divine. And currently, the Celestial Realm didn’t assault with proper causal connections, but rather under the coercion of the Primordial Void Ruler, so it’s clear they’ll retreat quickly after minimal fighting.”
“I see.”
“You know why contact with Yong Junil is important, right?”
“Of course.”
Zhuge Sa spoke with a tone as if he were touched.
“Feels like I’ve trimmed three words down to one…”
POOF!
I quickly borrowed the Corpse Dissolution Technique from the Heavenly Mysterious Woman to search for Yong Junil. After discovering Yong Junil’s approximate location using the technique, I went with my companions to visit him.
“You all are…”
Zhuge Sa stepped forward in my stead and said.
“Yong Junil, I trust you’ve completed the assignment?”
Sitting leisurely in his chair, Yong Junil responded,
“Of course.”
He was currently seated on the grand throne of the White Lotus Sect’s headquarters.
Originally, that seat rightfully belonged to the Supreme Being of the White Lotus Sect, who had died five years ago.
The reason Yong Junil took that spot was straightforward.
Yong Junil slowly spoke,
“I, Yong Junil, Master of the White Lotus Sect, welcome you all to the White Lotus Sect.”
Indeed, Zhuge Sa had foreseen the collapse of the White Lotus Sect five years ago and instructed Yong Junil to seize the opportunity to stabilize it. Following Zhuge Sa’s advice, Yong Junil eradicated the Su Shin Sect and gathered the remaining remnants of the White Lotus Sect to establish a new White Lotus Sect, claiming the position of its leader.
