815——————==

True Martial Home

One method?

“Pay back the law of cause and effect to Master Mangnyang again.”

“What!”

“You sacrificed it to Master Mangnyang at the end of your 24th life, and in return, your [Singularity] became even more powerful. That’s why the phenomena of the constellation have arisen, and the ‘enemy’ is on the verge of approaching. You can see it as repaying the debt to Master Mangnyang, so I think it would be best to pay off the debt quickly in another way. While we can’t stop the inevitable approach of the [Singularity], we can slow it down.”

“What are you talking about? I already paid it to that guy; how can I repay it?”

As I confusedly asked Zhuge Bu, he replied.

“I don’t know if it’s possible, but… there’s no harm in trying.”

“…….”

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“So you’re holding onto straws, huh? Plus, you’re also trying to find out more about the enigmatic Master Mangnyang. Whether you accept it or not, we can gain some practical benefit or clues here.”

Zhuge Bu glanced at Zhuge Sa.

“You must have thought this too, right?”

“I did. But since Baek Woong aims to grow strong and reach the Absolute Realm in this life, I thought it wouldn’t be wise to waste time gathering treasures again. Right now, it could actually be a waste of time for Baek Woong. Holding onto straws might seem good at first glance, but the probability of it being ultimately meaningless is high.”

Zhuge Bu hesitated for a moment, but then retorted.

“…But it’s a plan worth trying now.”

“That’s true. Now that we have the Liberation Golden Crow in hand.”

Zhuge Sa thought for a moment before turning his gaze to me.

“Baek Woong, your will is the most important. Will you accept Zhuge Bu’s plan?”

“Hmm….”

“Zhuge Bu’s plan assumes that you’ll devote the Liberation Seven Luminaries you just obtained to repaying the law of cause and effect. Keep that in mind and decide. Personally, I think it doesn’t matter whether you agree or disagree.”

“…….”

It doesn’t matter either way.

That statement meant Zhuge Sa wasn’t really prioritizing the repayment of the law of cause and effect. His perspective was still aligned with my journey towards the Absolute Realm. In fact, when it comes to tricks, Zhuge Sa is probably better than Zhuge Bu, but it can be viewed as his effort to maintain the existing stance. And that could be seen as consideration from him to prevent me from getting confused.

After pondering deeply, I said.

“I think it’s worth a shot. But I won’t do it now.”

“Why not?”

“If the plan succeeds and the repayment is accomplished, we will lose the Liberation Golden Crow, and it would put us at a disadvantage against two demon-level beings in the Arasa Empire.”

“So you don’t want to lose comrades.”

“Right.”

Overall, it would actually be better for Zhuge Bu’s plan to succeed in terms of cutting down my reincarnation cycles. Even if we fought and lost against the Eight Parts of the Divine in the Arasa Empire, if the law of cause and effect succeeds in repayment, I could leisurely build my strength while repeating life and death again. However, that means putting the current comrades at risk for me, the reincarnated person, which I didn’t want to choose. With the Liberation Golden Crow, maybe we could defeat the enemy without casualties.

“I think it wouldn’t be too late to attempt it after fighting in the Arasa Empire.”

“Really? Not too late? That’s something no one can guarantee. How can you be certain when the enemy’s identity is unclear? Tomorrow, the Singularity might come and rip you apart!”

That was a valid point, so I flinched but didn’t bend my stance.

“Ugh… but somehow, I feel like it won’t come right now. It seems they’d prepare thoroughly before coming.”

“That’s uncertain, isn’t it? How do you know how strong they are? They might already have that level of power.”

“…….”

“It’s all just intuition. Hehe, very good.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled and said.

“Then let’s adjust our plans according to the lord’s will.”

We felt the need to gather more treasures for now. After all, we had to strengthen our forces, and the treasures we hoard can be used to repay Master Mangnyang’s law of cause and effect after the battle in the Arasa Empire.

“First up is the Fire Spirit. With the power of the Liberation Golden Crow, we’ll break the barrier of the Fire Spirit and obtain it, and then get the Fire Dragon Sword too. It’d also be good to grab all the treasures of the Imperial Palace, like the National Seal.”

“Will just getting the Seven Luminaries not disturb the deities?”

“Since the Evil God is sure to come outfront, what does it matter? As long as we’re not directly trying to collect the Seven Luminaries and challenge their trials, the Seven Luminaries themselves only hold the significance of the Three Sovereigns’ peace treaty. If the old rulers on the western side led by the Evil God are willing to break the treaty, the Celestial Realm and the Three Sovereigns won’t have the luxury to pay attention to the Seven Luminaries now.”

“Hmm.”

“Moreover, if we only own them without liberating them, the chances of interference will decrease even further. Assuming you’re willing to sacrifice this life, liberating them all at once is also possible.”

“That’s a problem with the Celestial Sage.”

“Right, that monkey is the Celestial Realm’s archer, so he’ll probably show up as soon as the Fire Spirit’s barrier is breached again by outside force. Plus, being a Seven Luminaries fanatic makes him even more of a nuisance.”

Zhuge Sa smirked and patted my shoulder.

“Just use your dazzling words to cook that guy. Or mischief and throw him some obsidian. That’s the only way.”

“…….”

“Since it worked once, it should work again, right? If all else fails, you’ll just have to use any means necessary to take him down.”

“Damn, it’s easier said than done….”

It was sheer luck that I had managed to bring the Celestial Sage to our side before. I had risked my life to persuade him sincerely, and by sheer luck, he decided to help me. There was no guarantee that he would stop this time just because I tried again. There was a chance I’d get whacked with a Ruyi Staff if I caught him in a bad mood.

Zhuge Sa glanced at Cheon Woo-jin and continued.

“And we need to keep an eye on the Moon Sovereign. You need to move immediately and check the whereabouts and nearby activities of the Moon Sovereign at Mount Muni, Cheon Woo-jin.”

“Do you think the Master of the Twelve Joules will have moved?”

Normally, Cheon Woo-jin would be irritated, but this time he just asked nonchalantly. It seemed he was trying not to blow up over something useless.

“If I were the Master of the Twelve Joules, I would’ve moved. If the ownership of the Moon Sovereign hasn’t shifted to someone else, I’d prioritize obtaining the Moon Sovereign over the Fire Spirit.”

“Wait a moment. It can be confirmed in a meal’s worth of time.”

Bang!

Cheon Woo-jin vanished from his spot, and after a meal’s worth of time, he reappeared in the hall and said.

“Nothing. Moreover, the area near Ganghwa Island is already in ruins.”

“The [Guardian]?”

“No trace at all. It seems to have perished.”

“Of course…. So the Master of the Twelve Joules retrieved the Moon Sovereign right after that period. Well, we can’t help it.”

Zhuge Sa shook his head and said.

“Let’s move. Time is of the essence.”

Bang!!

We first headed towards the Imperial Palace to snatch all the treasures available there. Since Zhuge Bu was originally a high-ranking member of the palace, we didn’t even need to sneak in this time, casually collecting treasures like the National Seal and the Portrait Immortal. I asked Zhuge Bu.

“Why don’t we see any Alchemist around?”

To which Zhuge Bu gave an unexpected answer.

“He left the Imperial Palace a few years ago at my father’s summons. I don’t know his whereabouts since then.”

“…Isn’t that dangerous? An alchemist has never done that before….”

“I guess my father, Zhuge Yulong, is scheming something without my knowledge.”

“Do you have any guesses?”

“None. If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to ask you for obsidian. My mistrust of my father was also one reason I sought you out.”

That made sense.

I accepted and obtained the National Seal hidden beneath the Imperial Palace. After acquiring the ownership of the National Seal, I said.

“O National Seal. Where is Zhuge Yulong?”

Searching for the hidden mastermind Zhuge Yulong using the National Seal’s abilities!

[Searching….]

After a while, the National Seal responded.

[1,283 total counterparts found. Would you like to search further?]

“…….”

As expected, the vast numbers of replicated bodies created through the knowledge of the Eight Trigrams made it difficult to pinpoint Zhuge Yulong’s exact location. With a glimmer of hope, I asked the National Seal.

“Can’t you find just the main body? The one with the actual soul?”

[Identifying is impossible. All counterparts possess artificial souls.]

“Damn…. Then just mark the locations of his counterparts on the Central Plains map for now.”

[Please wait a moment.]

Bleep!

A moment later, Zhuge Yulong’s bodies were marked as dots on the translucent map of the Central Plains before me. I carefully observed the dots, thinking.

‘As expected, there’s no difference compared to the Zhuge Yulong’s base location I saw before….’

Also, there are no separate dots protruding outside the base. Zhuge Yulong is likely hiding in one of the bases. I could rush in and start smashing his bases one at a time to take him down, but unless I could completely annihilate him, that would be pointless. After pondering, I said.

“Let’s search again. Find the location of the Alchemist Saint Germain.”

Beep!

Just as I had searched before, two Saint Germains popped up in the results. I knew one was the ‘human’, the genuine Saint Germain, while the other was the Alchemist of the Imperial Palace, a ‘Homunculus’ version of Saint Germain. Naturally, the real Saint Germain was in the west, and the fake one seemed to be residing in one of Zhuge Yulong’s bases.

‘Certainly, the main body Zhuge Yulong must be with the fake Saint Germain.’

It was evident that Zhuge Yulong and the Alchemist were scheming something together.

When I shared what I learned through the National Seal with Zhuge Sa, he transformed into the Portrait Immortal and spoke.

“There’s no need to worry. Let’s smash all of Zhuge Yulong’s main bases today and capture the Alchemist.”

“Is that okay? Provoking Zhuge Yulong unnecessarily is….”

Zhuge Sa scratched his ear as if finding it bothersome.

“Now that we’ve taken over the Imperial Palace’s forces, there’s no reason to care about his movements. Since the former high-ranking member Zhuge Bu has joined our side and considering Zhuge Yulong is just a small fry compared to the Evil God, it would actually be more troublesome to let him mess around. If he wants to revive, let him. We have to go all out for the Fire Spirit too.”

“Understood.”

Crash!!

We immediately charged toward the base where the Alchemist was located among Zhuge Yulong’s territories.

“What?!”

While the Alchemist was startled, Jin So-cheong rapidly lunged and pierced his entire form with her needle. The rest smashed up the remaining Zhuge Yulong’s replicas, and I used the National Seal to keep track of the remaining numbers while trying to eliminate the last one.

‘No counterattack.’

Although Zhuge Yulong might’ve attempted to command the replicas to fight back, the dolls were just shutting their eyes and accepting destruction. Perhaps they lacked the ability to fight back, but it seemed closer to the fact that the main body wasn’t here, so there was no need to fight back.

“Looks like he’s escaped….”

Much swifter and more agile than before. It seemed that when I previously raided with only Cheon Woo-jin, Zhuge Yulong believed he could fight back and win, but this time, he realized how powerful our forces were and decisively chose to abandon everything and flee.

“Didn’t you see that coming? Hand the Alchemist over to me.”

As I passed the limp Alchemist to Zhuge Sa, he said.

“I’ll torture him to extract information. For now, let’s destroy the rest of the bases.”

“Right.”

Bang!

We smashed all of Zhuge Yulong’s bases that day. Although we couldn’t capture the main body, we had effectively deprived Zhuge Yulong of his substantial foundation. It was now obvious that he wouldn’t dare interfere with our plans lightly.

As soon as we finished wrecking Zhuge Yulong’s bases, I headed to the underground of the Zhuge clan to cast the Palace Examination Technique. As I cast it, the Fire Dragon Sword, which had been fragmented like leaves in the barrier of Dark Heaven Village, came into view, and with the power of the examination, I could touch and retrieve the Fire Dragon Sword.

‘Has my Spirit Power increased? I don’t feel as much pain as before….’

After obtaining the Fire Dragon Sword, we went to the southern continent. I drew forth my Spirit Power, holding the Liberation Golden Crow to extract its strong power.

Rumble!!

“Ugh…!!”

My hand feels like it’s burning!

Even though I was controlling it with Spirit Power, the Golden Crow was unleashing an accumulated force that became unbearable. Eventually, I reached a point where I could no longer withstand the pain and blasted the power contained in the Golden Crow toward the Fire Spirit’s barrier.

Bang!!

It wasn’t completely destroyed, but a significant crack appeared clearly visible to the naked eye in the barrier. Feeling that one shot wouldn’t suffice, I gritted my teeth and drew upon my Spirit Power to fire another ray from the Golden Crow.

Boom….

“Got it. A crack big enough for a person to squeeze through has formed. Quickly go in and retrieve both the Fire Spirit and the Dragon Flower Tree.”

“Understood.”

Bang!

I moved inside the Fire Spirit’s barrier and swiftly cut down the stump of a peach tree to collect the seed of the Dragon Flower Tree. Then, I touched the Fire Dragon Sword to summon Yeodong-bin and asked him to use the concentrated flame to restore the Fire Dragon Sword.

Rumble!

As soon as that task was complete, I was able to hold the Fire Spirit in my hand. But soon enough, the expected obstacle appeared.

Boom!!

Suddenly, a huge giant with a great sword broke through the wall. The fierce giant roared.

“How dare you try to steal the secret treasure with your small tricks! I, Gong Gong, as the Guardian of the Fire Spirit, will regard you as an intruder and execute you!!”

As expected!

I had previously used the same method, but at that time, I was an Apostle of Jeon Wook, and I had come with all prior permissions, so Gong Gong didn’t stop me. However, this time, arriving at the Fire Spirit’s barrier in the form of an ordinary human, Gong Gong was furious!

‘I can’t use the Overlay Technique.’

It’s clear that Gong Gong has blocked my teleportation ability with his own power.

Swish

I took a deep breath and slowly drew my sword. Then I muttered.

“…If I fought that guy, would I be able to include that battle in the Ten Battles?”

My mumbling was met with Cheon Woo-jin, who had secretly descended behind me, crossed his arms and responded.

[I’ll grant you that… Shall we have a battle?]

“No, I really can’t afford to fight right now. It’s not a situation where I can risk my life. I was just asking.”

[…I see.]

“Will you help me?”

[I am the Celestial Realm’s archer, and that guy is a gatekeeper of the Seven Luminaries tasked with guarding it. Broadly speaking, we belong to the same faction, so there would be no justification for me to fight him.]

As expected, it turned out like this.

Previously, the Celestial Sage also broke through the Fire Spirit’s barrier, but after hearing about Jeon Wook, he immediately turned around and killed me while I was still descended. I recalled that incident and asked Cheon Woo-jin.

“Do you think my actions count as treason against the Celestial Realm? Would you kill me with Divine Fever?”

[No, there’s no need for that.]

“…”

[Do not call upon Jang Sam-bong. Do not trouble him unnecessarily. He is but a pure martial artist.]

“I hadn’t intended to.”

Sighing, I sent Cheon Woo-jin back. Out of curiosity toward the reaction he might show, I called him while facing Gong Gong, but he didn’t have much enthusiasm towards confronting him. Normally, it would be expected for a guardian to seek to kill an intruding human for trespassing into a prohibited area of the Celestial Realm, yet at least Cheon Woo-jin did not display that level of allegiance.

‘This just solidified it.’

Cheon Woo-jin has no loyalty towards the Celestial Realm.

He’s merely pretending to be loyal for his own purposes.

‘What could his purpose be…?’

To learn more about Cheon Woo-jin’s great desire, I must somehow come into contact with the Martial God at least once. After thinking deeply, I addressed Gong Gong.

“Wait a moment, Gong Gong!!”

[Do you have a last word to leave behind?]

I flashed a nonchalant smile at him.

“I can release the enchantment bound to you. In return, you must align with me.”

[……?!]

A moment later, I coaxed Gong Gong into releasing the enchantment using the powers of the Fire Dragon Sword ensconced in the Fire Dragon Incarnate. Once freed, Gong Gong astonishedly examined his body and said.

[Th-thank you.]

“Please don’t forget the promise we just made.”

[Of course. I will assist you in your confrontation with the Eight Parts of the Divine.]

“No need for gratitude. Then can you step outside with me…?”

[I’m busy!! I’ll go visit the Lord Yan Emperor.]

Bang!

“…….”

Gong Gong ignored my words and disappeared right there. I inwardly cursed at him.

‘You asshole…. You really don’t listen!’

The established plan fell apart. But there’s nothing I could do.

With a hurried heart, I stepped outside.

And just like I expected, outside the barrier, my comrades surrounded a single entity, which was none other than the well-known Celestial Sage, who was standing at the center. Once the Fire Spirit’s barrier was breached, the Celestial Realm sent down the Celestial Sage to eliminate the intruder.

“Oh, hey….”

When the Celestial Sage spotted me emerging from the barrier, he grinned and said.

“Hey there, nice to meet you! And die, you thieving bastard!”

Bang!!

In an instant, the Ruyi Staff struck my side with tremendous speed and power. I quickly used the martial technique of The Void to deflect that force while activating the Three Treasure Technique and all the White Lotus Sect techniques, yet even that couldn’t withstand the force and sent me crashing into a nearby rocky hill.

“Cough…!!”

In the blink of an eye, I saw stars and felt my consciousness slipping away.

‘This is the worst-case scenario! Ugh….’

I had hoped that at least a few words might give me a chance to persuade him, but the Celestial Sage was planning to kill me first since he saw me as the main perpetrator!

The strength of that blow was incomparably faster and stronger than when I fought against the Portrait Immortal, and my body felt as heavy as lead, rendered immobile. The overwhelming physical force within the Ruyi Staff inflicted incredible damage, and I felt my bones and flesh scream in agony.

‘Damn! It was too soon to use the Peerless Technique.’

I thought the Celestial Sage might listen to a few sentences, but it didn’t turn out as I hoped. Moreover, it’s difficult to say that I’ve fully mastered the Peerless Technique yet, making it a risky venture to use it in such a sudden situation.

‘Gong Gong, you bastard… Could you have come out here with me….’

I could’ve bought some time to speak! As I hacked up blood, the Celestial Sage lunged at me again to attack.

“Block him!!”

My comrades desperately rushed at the Celestial Sage to stop him.

“Oh? A joint attack? I know how to do that too!”

Huh!

The Celestial Sage, who mocked us, plucked a handful of hair from his head and blew on it, executing Clone Technique.

Bang!

The Celestial Sage’s clones rushed toward my comrades two at a time for counterattacks. Our strongest members, such as Jin So-cheong and Cheon Woo-jin, seemed to struggle but managed to hold on, while the rest fell into a predicament and faced imminent death.

“Ugh.”

“This is bad.”

While the Master of Shadowless Sword and Dokgo Seong unleashed their mighty sword strengths against the clones, they too soon found themselves in peril within three seconds from a combined assault of the Celestial Sage’s clones. Surprisingly, Miho fought extraordinarily well—her fox flames seemed to be the natural counter to the clones, as she instantly incinerated some and aided others.

Swish!

“Gah….”

Before long, the Master of Shadowless Sword was hit by a kick from one of the monkey clones and sank to the ground.

Slap, slap!

Moments later, he found himself gripped by a monkey and began taking powerful slaps to the face, completely dazed it seemed. While the Master of Shadowless Sword was one of the most distinguished experts in Jianghu Martial World, he amounted to nothing against the Celestial Sage’s Clone Technique.

“……!!”

The Clone Technique of the Celestial Sage, an extraordinarily potent martial art!

I had seen a few using Clone Technique, but his power was on a whole new level. Each clone he created had incredible strength, even while he summoned a considerable number.

Knowing that wasn’t even his full strength, my vision darkened. I remembered how the Celestial Sage had summoned hundreds of clones when he defeated the Guardian of the Moon Sovereign. It truly lived up to the reputation of the strongest archer, and at this moment, I realized how terrifying he could be as an enemy.

I gritted my teeth and stood up from the rocky hill, preparing my stance for Tai Chi.

‘I have no choice!’

This isn’t a situation where I can reason with him.

I have to endure at least a little while longer until the Celestial Sage recognizes my worth!

Seeing my stance, the Celestial Sage chuckled and stepped closer.

“Hahaha, you’re trying to use Jang Sam-bong’s technique? This’ll be fun.”

He raised his hand and a cruel glint appeared in his eyes. Muscles bulged visibly on his arm as though alive, and his fist began to exude tremendous force like a steel hammer.

“I always wanted to break that thing head-on!!”