사신지혼(四神之魂)

I decided to go rescue Seo Mun-hye first. I could not delay the task of saving lives, no matter what else was going on. However, I also had to resolve the Offering Ceremony’s ritual soon, so I aimed to handle everything quickly.

After rescuing Seo Mun-hye and the others, I collected all the treasures and stored them in my wooden armor, then went to find the Sword Demon through the Shadowless Gate, just like before. I approached Master Mangnyang without giving the obsidian to either the Sword Demon or Seo Mun-hye yet.

Pa-at!

I arrived at Jinrang Valley where Mangnyang lived and calmly sought out his house. I called for him, and he appeared looking half-asleep, as if he were seeing a goblin.

I spoke to Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang, I’ll give you the obsidian, but first, let me make this clear. If anything goes wrong with your mind, I swear I will do whatever it takes to bring you back to normal.”

“……?”

Woo-woo-woo!

A moment later, Mangnyang received a memory transmission through the obsidian. He staggered for a moment, looking confused, but then seemed to regain his wits after a while.

“… This is unbelievable…”

“Do you understand the situation now?”

“Umm. Please give me a moment to gather my thoughts.”

Feeling a headache, Mangnyang pressed his temple and continued.

“I think I get it, but frankly, it’s strange that I haven’t gone insane. If I had bad luck, I could’ve turned into a madman.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. The dark energy inscribed in my memory has been reduced by more than half, but that’s still not something I’d give to an ordinary person. Please understand that my uncle’s standards for mental strength are extraordinarily high.”

“……”

So my memories are still dangerous…

“Anyway, I understand why you came to me. And I also know what I need to do now.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Mangnyang replied calmly to my question.

“First, I want to go to Guang Chengzi’s ruins to obtain the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate. I also want to consume the Black and White Lotus and the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.”

“Uh-huh, got it.”

I nodded without further comment, and a curious thought crossed my mind.

‘It feels like this is the first time Mangnyang is so proactive in securing opportunities…’

I got the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate as Mangnyang said and allowed him to consume the Black and White Lotus and Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng while helping him channel his true energy to boost his internal power. The process didn’t take long, and it seemed like Mangnyang quickly acquired significant internal power and martial arts abilities. Eventually, Mangnyang headed with me towards Master Mangnyang’s village, and we planned to persuade Cheon Woo-jin to hold the Offering Ceremony.

Woo-woo-woo!

While preparing for the Offering Ceremony, the sky turned a deep black. Mangnyang looked up at the sky and remarked.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gained the Offering. This is a risky moment. Oh, and I plan to conduct this offering differently than before.”

“What do you mean?”

“Leave this to me. I intend to achieve something great with a small effort.”

Shortly after, the Primordial Void Ruler descended into Cheon Woo-jin’s body for the first time. As soon as he descended, Mangnyang addressed him.

“Primordial Void Ruler, I, Mangnyang, have been entrusted with the authority of the Offering by Baek Woong and would like to request a separate reward for this ceremony.”

[Hmm… What do you wish to obtain?]

Mangnyang’s eyes sparkled.

“I request the right to summon the world’s greatest treasure in the Celestial Realm, the Tai Chi!”

[……]

There was a strange glimmer in the Primordial Void Ruler’s eyes. He was clearly intrigued, and after a moment of thought, he responded to Mangnyang’s request.

[How do you know the Tai Chi is in his hands?]

“That’s not important. Can you grant our wish?”

[That’s not my jurisdiction. You should discuss this directly with him.]

Shwaaak!

Moments later, instead of the Primordial Void Ruler, Tai Gong-mang and the Strong Baby manifested in Cheon Woo-jin. Tai Gong-mang, with a blank expression, stared at us and spoke.

[Taoist, don’t you think you’re asking for too much with mere offerings? The Tai Chi is the ultimate treasure of the Celestial Realm, and I have the mission to protect it, so I have no intention of giving you the right to summon it, no matter the external pressure.]

Hearing this, Mangnyang smiled slyly.

“If we don’t receive the right to summon it, we will spread the secrets of the divine arts, Light of the Azure Dragon.”

Gulp!

Tai Gong-mang’s spirit tried to exit Cheon Woo-jin’s head but hesitated. With a flicker of light in his eyes, he admonished us.

[Don’t spout nonsense. How could you possibly know those secrets?]

“If you don’t believe me, I could recite a few crucial training scriptures.”

Mangnyang slowly recited about 120 characters worth of the scripture; it was precisely the memory I gained when I stole the mask from Nan Gu Xianong. As he continued his reading, Tai Gong-mang grew increasingly restless and shouted.

[Stop it!!]

“Will you listen to our side now?”

[Do you even understand what it means for divine arts to be spread in this world? Ultimately, it would only lead to disastrous consequences where humans cannot be protected. To dare spread a secret beyond comprehension…!!]

“Either you hand over the Tai Chi to us, or at least give us the summon right. If you do, I swear on a contract that we will keep the divine arts secret forever.”

[… Fine.]

Tai Gong-mang glared at Mangnyang with a face filled with displeasure and said.

[Let’s make this a deal. For the Offering Ceremony, I will accept this transaction. You will give up the transmission of the divine arts forever, and I will grant you the summon right to the treasure, Tai Chi.]

“Thank you.”

[No need to express gratitude. I will merely give you the summon right as per our agreement.]

Pa-at…

Finally, as the Offering Ceremony concluded, a strange pattern was etched onto both our hands. It seemed like an overlapping Tai Chi within a Tai Chi.

“This is the mark given to us by the Great Immortal Tai Gong-mang and the right to summon the Tai Chi.”

“Oh.”

I prepared to summon the Tai Chi by gathering my martial energy at the pattern, but Mangnyang suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“Stop it.”

“Huh? I just wanted to give it a try…”

“Tai Gong-mang said he would only grant us the summon right equal to the Offering’s compensation. Therefore, the number of times is naturally limited. We can’t waste the summon count carelessly in a place like this.”

“……!!”

“Nevertheless, it’s true that we gained benefits. Considering the power of the Tai Chi…”

“That’s true. Well done.”

The Tai Chi!

That treasure was a powerful item that even Xiang Yu would not dare to underestimate. Known for having [abilities that an immortal could not possess], the Tai Chi had the capacity to destroy the sacred, so it was likely to play a significant role at crucial moments. Securing the summon right to the Tai Chi through this Offering was a significant achievement.

Mangnyang said.

“Baek Woong, let’s go collect the Suspicious Fishhook, Crystal Stele, Nameless Ritual Book, and the treasures of Longmen Grottoes. After that, it might be fine to give the obsidian to the Sword Demon and Seo Mun-hye as well. If I can resist with mental strength, then Elder Sword Demon can certainly endure too.”

Clearly, Mangnyang seemed to have noticed my unease about the memory contained in the obsidian. He understood I had withheld it from the Sword Demon for fear of him losing his mind.

“Understood.”

Pa-at!

I moved alongside Mangnyang to gather the treasures from various locations. It took less than a day to recover all the treasures, and when we finished everything, I returned with Mangnyang to our headquarters at Jinrang Valley.

I sat in the Great Hall scratching my head.

“Now that I think about it, Master Mangnyang didn’t speak to me or put me to sleep this time.”

That was the oddest thing I had witnessed today. Usually, every time I visited, he would always make some suspicious remark or give warnings, but this time he showed no signs of it. Mangnyang replied while munching on fruit he must have picked from a nearby field.

“That’s a good sign. It means there’s nothing particularly worth advising.”

“It could be that…”

“What’s the matter? Are you feeling uneasy about something?”

“……”

To be honest, I was. Was it a sixth sense? I felt an indescribable anxiety creeping up somehow. This anxiety suggested that Master Mangnyang’s lack of advice wasn’t a particularly good sign. As I remained silent, Mangnyang spoke.

“Let’s take a break and head to the White Lotus Sect where my uncle is.”

“Okay.”

Pa-at!

Moments later, I returned with Mangnyang to the Zhuge Clan’s location.

“Have you finished everything you needed to do?”

“Yeah.”

The Zhuge Clan was where the sect leader’s esteemed guests stayed, and it seemed like the leader was having a discussion with someone. Mangnyang and I sat down, and I began to talk about what I had gained.

Zhuge Sa, who had been listening, remarked.

“Indeed, Hyun is right. Acquiring the Tai Chi was a brilliant strategy.”

“Zhuge Sa, I’ve gathered almost all the materials needed. The only remaining tasks are to meet Abe no Seimei and Miho to recruit them to our side.”

There were still tasks left for persuading Yeon Jong-hwi, Tang San, and Jin So-cheong to become our allies, but since they weren’t urgent matters, I hesitated to attempt those for fear of distorting the narrative. Zhuge Sa crossed his arms and mused.

“I spoke with the leader before you arrived… The conclusion was singular.”

“What is it?”

At Zhuge Sa’s following words, I widened my eyes.

“Unification of the Martial World!”

“……!!”

“Weren’t you involved in something similar in the past? Officially, it would mean that Baek Woong here would become the Deputy Sect Leader of the White Lotus Sect, and we would work parallel to the Dharma Guardians. Then through the power of the White Lotus Sect, we would conquer the Central Plains and seize the entire Martial World.”

“Why are we doing that?”

“Do you not know? If we gain control over the Martial World, we can collect taxes from all the various martial arts factions and freely use all human and material resources. Our information network will dramatically increase, and we’ll have easy access to news from beyond the borders. Conquering the Martial World would lead to the White Lotus Sect gaining more than ten times the financial power it currently has.”

Understanding Zhuge Sa’s words, I muttered.

“… So you’re saying that conquering the Martial World is to find the Dharma Scriptures.”

“Exactly. And before we become the most powerful force in the Martial World, we must remove or co-opt any opposing powers. There might be hidden masters lurking around that could obstruct us. It wouldn’t be easy to handle solely with the powers of the Sect Leader, so you will have to take action from the shadows.”

“……”

So the dream of every martial artist, the unification of the Martial World, is merely a means to achieve our final goal.

As the scale of this endeavor kept getting bigger, I felt a bit overwhelmed, yet I calmed myself.

‘What the heck, let’s go for it…’

Just as Zhuge Sa said, I had previously invaded the Martial World as the Deputy Sect Leader. I had even organized a secret faction to stand against the White Lotus Sect. So now, it couldn’t possibly be too difficult.

“Alright. How long do you think it will take to unify the Martial World?”

“Hmm… I think around two months should be enough,” Zhuge Sa suggested.

Hyun Ah, what do you think?”

At Zhuge Sa’s question, Mangnyang responded.

“That would only apply if we handle things too roughly. If we aim to control things peacefully, it will take about a year.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If we use truly rough tactics, it could be done in a month. And that’s within the realm of a gentle approach…”

“If that was the case, the Sect Leader would have already unified the Martial World long ago. Right now, we need to create the most powerful faction while minimizing resistance. If we rush things, we could end up collapsing.”

“You know very well that searching for the Dharma Scripts itself is a tremendous gamble. Before long, we might face unimaginable obstacles. It wouldn’t be bad to proceed quickly and gain strength.”

“A year is not a long time either.”

It seemed that it was rare for Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang to clash over opinions. After hearing them, the Sect Leader slowly spoke.

[Can I share my opinion?]

As everyone’s attention turned to him, the Sect Leader spoke with his arms crossed.

[I don’t think anyone here is worried about the little fish in the Central Plains. In my view, there are three major hindrances that can significantly affect us.]

Zhuge Sa opened his eyes slightly.

“Three, you say? What are they?”

[First, the Celestial Realm. As you know, if we exceed a certain level, they will unconditionally obstruct us. The key to moving forward will be how we deal with the interference of the Great Immortal and the Overlaid Technique from the Celestial Realm.]

“Alright. What about the second?”

[The Eight Parts of the Divine forces, specifically, Asura. He’s the strongest warrior in Tianzhu and will definitely get in our way while in his mercenary state. There’s already a precedent set from Baek Woong’s past life.]

“And the last one?”

[Master of the Twelve Joules.]

The eyes of the Sect Leader glimmered.

[Dealing with him may be even more troublesome than the two cases I just mentioned. I believe we need to devise a plan to suppress the Master of the Twelve Joules right here and now…]

Everything he said made perfect sense.

‘The Sect Leader’s intellect is formidable as well.’

After all, a person who, at such a young age, mastered thousands of Grimoire texts and attained the status of a Supreme Being was no ordinary individual. He possessed a mind that could be classified as genius. After hearing that, Zhuge Sa grinned and turned to me.

“Okay, Baek Woong. What do you think we should do about the three obstacles the Sect Leader mentioned?”

“……”

I paused in silence before responding.

“The best option would be to draw the Imperial Palace forces to our side.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled wickedly.

“Hehe, that’s correct.”

The three major powers known as the White Lotus Sect, the Imperial Palace, and the Twelve Joules.

Since we had already taken control of the White Lotus Sect, the next step was to gain the Imperial Palace and unite with them.

That alone would undoubtedly birth an unprecedented force.

Zhuge Sa continued.

“We’ll leave the task of subjugating the Central Plains to the Sect Leader, and we will persuade Zhuge Yulong and the Imperial Palace to join us. Then we shall unite the White Lotus Sect to attack the Master of the Twelve Joules. That alone will bring us one step closer to unifying the world!”