NOVEL NEXT Chapter 595
Chapter 595 – Dark Heaven Village
As I stepped into the ruins of the giant, I noticed my form flickered like a moon halo. My body rippled as if in waves, multiple layers undulating. I stopped to check myself, wondering if I had fallen under a curse, but didn’t sense anything unusual.
“…?”
This was definitely a strange space. I had a gut feeling that further movement would trigger bizarre phenomena. So, I contemplated whether to press on or seek advice from Mangnyang Zhuge Sa, but just then…
Swoosh!
Something suddenly teleported in front of me, blocking my path. It was a figure clad in a large red cloak. I could guess his identity from his attire and appearance.
‘The Zhuyong Tribe!’
Having previously dealt with the Zhuyong, I recognized their looks. As I stared at the Zhuyong, he spoke, clearly displeased.
“I can’t read your thoughts. How is it possible that a human’s mind is unreadable?”
“……”
“Reveal your identity.”
I replied to the Zhuyong, “I wish to meet your clan leader, the Great Demon King, rather than disturb this ruin.”
“……!!”
Swoosh!
Swoosh! Swoosh!
As soon as I finished speaking, more Zhuyong emerged, two, three, five, until dozens surrounded me.
‘It doesn’t look like they’ve been waiting for me from the start.’
The structure seemed set up to teleport whenever an intruder entered. Given the importance of this giant’s ruins, they wouldn’t easily let go of their hold.
Being surrounded by dozens of Zhuyong was uncomfortable, yet the one in front stated, “I just received information about you from our home planet. You are the one who traded weapons with our king.”
“Glad to be recognized.”
“However, our king wishes to sever ties with this world entirely due to the Evil Spirit. We are merely guarding this ruin, not living here any longer. The king has decreed that the human body will soon be discarded, so we hope you will withdraw.”
I frowned at the unwelcome news. “Hmm… you’re rather self-serving. So, can I meet your king or not?”
“You cannot meet him due to overwork.”
“Then step aside. I need to explore this ruin.”
The Zhuyong crossed his arms and firmly declared, “That’s impossible. This place is under our protection.”
“Are you telling me to just leave?”
“Yes.”
So that’s how it is? I smiled slyly and replied, “Then I have no choice but to bother you guys continuously.”
The Zhuyong’s expression soured.
“What did you say?”
“You might not know, but the Prophet has already betrayed his loyalty to me once. Regardless of what I do, it won’t violate any principle. I’ll annoy you in any way possible to make your escape difficult. Trust me; I am confident in that.”
“Do you dare to threaten the Great Race?”
He ground his teeth in anger, but I calmly continued, “Isn’t there a mutually beneficial path? If you agree to one of the two conditions I propose, I won’t bother you again.”
“Do you wish to meet the king or explore this ruin?”
“Yes.”
“……”
The Zhuyong looked up, seemingly contemplating. Many of the surrounding Zhuyong mirrored his stance, indicating they were communicating mentally with someone somewhere. After a moment, the Zhuyong said, “The king has granted you permission to explore the ruins.”
“Then does that mean I won’t meet him?”
“The king is busy. Be satisfied with having one of your conditions accepted.”
“Hmm, understood.”
If they weren’t inclined to meet, there was no way to force it, and honestly, I didn’t want to see the Prophet’s face. Given that I had sold my info to Changqie, the thought of slapping him would be enticing. While pondering this, I reflected on the torture of living in a world fifty years ahead.
Swoosh!
Soon after, the dozens of Zhuyong vanished, leaving one behind. Notably, this one was a woman—a cold beauty with an emotionless face. She spoke slowly, “I will guide you, so follow me.”
“You’re not human, are you?”
“……”
“What happened to the original owner of that body?”
When I questioned her, she responded, “Her name was Margil. She is safe.”
“You didn’t forcibly take over her body?”
“It seems you have no idea how we share consciousness with the natives. We rent the native bodies for a period, sending their consciousness to our homeland in exchange. They are treated with respect by our laws.”
As I listened to her explanation while walking, I grimaced. “What? So, you’re saying the human mind is sent off to an alien world?”
“When the rental period is done, we switch places. They don’t age while we borrow their bodies, and after the switch, they gain strong mental abilities. Our tribe never violates the Galactic Ethical Code.”
“……”
I exhaled, stunned by the bizarre method of mental swapping. If what she said was true, the original natives who swapped their consciousness with the Great Race had to spend decades involuntarily in another world. They claim to respect them, but it looks like a terrifying calamity. A normal human might go insane.
‘Even these guys belong to the benign faction of the otherworldly races.’
This world is twisted by a terrifying chaos and the laws of power. Can I really defeat the Old Ruler and change this maddening world?
While I pondered, she spoke again, “This is the Hall of Resurrection.”
The place, called the Hall of Resurrection, looked open but had an immensely vast interior filled with bizarre devices whose purpose I couldn’t comprehend. There were massive cobalt glass tanks boiling over, over a dozen in total.
Within those cobalt tanks, I could see shades squirming. The tanks seemed to contain something. I recalled the name ‘Hall of Resurrection’ and gazed intently at the tanks.
“Are those sealed giants?”
“Yes.”
Reflecting on how I had merely walked through the passage to get here, I muttered, “With such a simple structure, how did they seal it for thousands of years?”
“Because you received the king’s permission, you were able to enter freely. Normally, this place is protected by dimensional distortion fields and barriers, preventing anyone from entering.”
“Hmm…”
It seems that without the ability to manipulate dimensions, entering this sealing area recklessly would be impossible. Given such high-level technology, even my Golden Lamp artifact would only bounce me back.
‘If I really wanted in, I would have to use the Four Great Spirits to force entry…’
I reminded myself that I couldn’t come here too often and tried to take in the surrounding sights meticulously. Approaching the cobalt tanks, I peered inside, and to my surprise, they looked like giant humans rather than monsters. Their bodies were simply enlarged versions of a human.
“So, the giants in the Hall of Resurrection are dead, huh?”
“They are in a state of suspended animation.”
“Why are they in suspended animation? To endure for centuries, ignoring their lifespans?”
“Not exactly. Unlike you lesser races, the giants have no set lifespan and approach immortality. These are elite warriors of the giants who suffered severe injuries during the Great War of Panchen.”
Her reply stunned me.
“The emperor…!! You mean these beings fought against Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen?”
At my question, she answered coldly, “You’ve seen enough of the Hall of Resurrection. Let’s move on.”
She seemed reluctant to elaborate.
Swoosh!
In the next moment, unlike before, I found myself in a huge chamber filled with brilliant green gemstones. The place sparkled with jade light, truly a gem paradise.
“What is this place?”
“This is the power plant to maintain the next exhibit. About 30% of our tribe’s capital is invested here, hence it’s called the Hall of Sealing. The most precious energy stones and facilities from the galaxy are powered here.”
“Is this the last place you’ll show me?”
“Yes.”
Swoosh!
As soon as she finished speaking, we transitioned from the Hall of Sealing to suspicious gray grounds where energy currents flowed. The mist was thick, obscuring my surroundings, but I could see a gigantic ‘something’ looming at the horizon, filling my sight.
Is that a mountain?
No, it’s a giant.
That massive being, reminiscent of Dalgi, was surrounded by dark chaos and remained completely still. Additionally, there were hundreds of thousands of iron chains hanging from its colossal body, crammed with all sorts of radiant sealing devices.
“This is the Hall of the Demon Path. All the energy from the Hall of Sealing assists the hundreds of thousands of sealing devices in the Hall of the Demon Path, barely keeping that being contained.”
“……”
So, a species equipped with processing technology of such magnitude is pouring 30% of their funding just to contain one giant? I couldn’t even imagine the extent of that black giant’s power, gulping down hard.
“What is that being?”
“That is confidential, so I cannot disclose.”
As she casually waved her hand, I found myself back at the original entry point of the ruins. She crossed her arms and said.
“You’ve seen enough. It’s time to go back.”
“Wait! Please ask the king again for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s your relation with the Zhuyong? Also, did you betray the giants in the past?”
“……”
“Also, I’d like to know where the Zhuyong are.”
Her face suddenly twisted into a grim expression, and she fiercely retorted, “Betrayal?! How dare a clueless human…”
“I’m asking for reasons if it’s not true. Is that really so hard?”
“You lowly race…!!”
Her eyes sparked malevolently as if attempting to exert mental abilities. My body began to stiffen, and I felt my tongue dry out. It seemed the being before me was a significant high-level ability user even among the Great Race, quickly capable of suppressing my spirit.
Yet I shook my head and the mental suppression washed away as if it had never existed.
“Enough!”
“Ah… No?! How can a human…?”
“Relay my questions to the king.”
She blinked in disbelief, then appeared to reluctantly connect communication. After a while, she spoke.
“The king has permitted me to share that information.”
“Then please answer me. Did you betray the giants?”
“It’s not betrayal. Absolutely not!”
“Then?”
She responded with a fierce voice, “We never intended to oppose the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. We were merely observers, maintaining a good relationship with the Old Ruler. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we were dragged into battle alongside the emperor.”
“What unforeseen circumstances?”
“… A mutation emerged.”
She spat out her words in anger. “We didn’t want any unnecessary war with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so we decided to return things to normal. Thus, we suppressed the giants, who rejected the world’s order, to bring an end to the conflict. During that process, we maximized our efforts to preserve the giants, so we have done nothing wrong morally.”
“A betrayal is still betrayal. You Zhuyong belong to the giants as well…”
“We are not giants! We are us! It’s merely coincidental that we belong to the Zhuyong.”
Clearly agitated, she turned her head sharply.
“I’ll answer your last question. The Zhuyong currently…”
Swoosh!
As soon as she exposed the Zhuyong’s whereabouts, she vanished from the spot. It seemed she found even the thought of looking at me repugnant. However, without caring about her aversion, I was deeply pondering the information I had just acquired about the Zhuyong.
“Leya of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace.”
Leya, the second-in-command of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace and referred to as Jeon Wook’s right-hand! The being said to be the son of Jeon Wook was, in fact—a colossal deity from the Zhuyong tribe.
‘What the hell happened?’
I recalled seeing Leya back when I was at the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace. At that time, he appeared human, but anyone could tell he bore immense yin energy, resembling a shadowy deity without a trace of the giant’s form. Moreover, considering the Zhuyong’s terrifying flame might, it was impossible for Leya and him to match up.
As I pondered this, I decided to return to my base and relay the information I had obtained to Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang. Upon doing so, Zhuge Sa remarked, “Things are becoming increasingly difficult. If the Zhuyong has become Leya, who is the second-in-command of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, then there’s practically no way to handle the flames of chaos.”
“Is that so?”
“If Leya is indeed the second-in-command, he would be far stronger than the overseer of the Gate of Yin. Plus, if he originally was a giant Zhuyong, then he’s nothing less than a being incomprehensible in terms of humanity. Only the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could contend with him.”
“……”
Zhuge Sa chuckled. “However, there is a way to lift the public curse. Though it’s a backdoor method.”