NOVEL NEXT Chapter 713
Chapter 7: The Dark Heaven Village
Cheon Woo-jin glanced at Seo Mun-hye beside me and said, “May your father rest in peace.”
“Thank you.”
It was a late acknowledgment from Cheon Woo-jin for the death of a comrade. I spoke to him, “Anyway, we need to discuss what’s happening right now.”
“You start. Then I can organize the information I’ve gathered so far.”
“Alright. Here’s the obsidian…”
*Pa-at!*
I cast the obsidian’s spell for Cheon Woo-jin. He took a moment to savor it before speaking.
“I see. I was wondering why the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens was here; that was the reason.”
“Cheon Gong-pyo asked me to show him ‘power.’ Mangnyang said it would be fine to take you with me.”
“First, let me explain what the current situation is.”
Cheon Woo-jin continued, “Five years ago, I predicted this moon would be the Banwang Hall based on Zhuge Sa’s schemes. Fortunately, one of the ancient spells allowed me to safely travel through the vacuum of the universe, making it easy to arrive here. With the strength from the World Tree, my power became quite formidable.”
“Hmm. So this moon is indeed a Banwang Hall?”
“Just wait until the end.”
Cheon Woo-jin, slightly irritated, continued, “This moon is an environment hostile to humans, but it’s home to many Otherworldly Races. Among them are about seven tribes, including the Beorin tribe, which has a civilization similar to ours. The others are typical evil Otherworldly creatures. I decided to infiltrate the Beorin tribe to gather information.”
“Are you still investigating?”
“No, it has become a bit bothersome.”
As Cheon Woo-jin leaned back, he continued, “This moon itself is not a Banwang Hall, but acts as a dimensional portal to it. I once infiltrated the Banwang Hall, but I had to escape midway. Now I’m staying to find another opportunity to enter.”
Perplexed by Cheon Woo-jin’s words, I replied, “Then what’s so bothersome? It doesn’t seem like an issue.”
“…”
After a silence, he spoke. “Do you remember the guardian of the Moon Sovereign, whom you fought multiple times?”
“Izanagi no Mikoto.”
“That guy ruled over the estate this moon is connected to in the past, and there are still massive remnants of his followers. They fled to Venus after Jeogok took control of the moon, but I’ve gathered information they intend to return to our Earth through the moon.”
“…?”
Tilting my head, Seo Mun-hye calmly interjected Cheon Woo-jin’s words.
“There must be a reason behind that. They have a purpose for returning to our star.”
“Exactly. The goal is obviously the resurrection of Izanagi no Mikoto, but that’s not all that matters. The real issue is why after thousands of years of being exiled to Venus, they can return…”
Cheon Woo-jin’s expression twisted in horror momentarily as he said, “That’s because of me.”
“What?”
Why is Cheon Woo-jin blaming himself all of a sudden? He has never shown this side before, and both Seo Mun-hye and I were momentarily taken aback. Cheon Woo-jin said, “I destroyed the World Tree.”
“Wait. I don’t quite understand; can you explain calmly?”
“…”
He sighed and said, “Huff, during the decisive battle in the Divine City, I infiltrated the core of the Sacred Altar Tree according to Zhuge Sa’s strategies and broke the core. Thanks to that, our side was able to nullify the Master of the Twelve Joules, but it was something that shouldn’t have been done.”
“What happens if the Sacred Altar Tree dies?”
“The Sacred Altar Tree is the World Tree. It connects nine worlds and generates a powerful force field. It is the most perfect being birthed from chaos and the closest entity to the essence of the divine, so even the Old Ruler wouldn’t dare touch it. The Sacred Altar Tree was a divine artifact that protected the northeastern region and guaranteed minimal survival rights for humans in this world.”
An ominous feeling crept over me.
Cheon Woo-jin replied, “Just as this moon serves as a natural barrier preventing meteors or comets from colliding with our world, the Sacred Altar Tree acted as a barrier to prevent powerful Otherworldly beings from casually entering from outside.”
“So now that the Sacred Altar Tree has collapsed, mighty Otherworldly beings can easily cross over from other worlds?”
“Exactly.”
He slightly lowered his head.
“The name of the colossal clan that was exiled to Venus for following Izanagi no Mikoto is Amatsukami. The Divine Races from the otherworld that once ruled Dongyoung are about to descend upon Earth via the moon. Soon, the surface will undoubtedly fall into great chaos…”
“…!!”
Amatsukami!
I recalled the conversation with Abe no Seimei.
[You Central Plains people have received the blessings from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, while the south islanders have protections from Dangun, the Three Masters, and the Twelve Joules. However, in Dongyoung, after the exile of Izanagi and Izanami, the Amatsukami have faced challenges without a single decent blessing and have been forced to confront demons and monsters. Therefore, heinous acts and tragedies have occurred here more frequently than in the Central Plains.]
At the same time, I remembered the conversation I had with the Heavenly Emperor.
[That place is called Takamagahara, akin to the divine realm you envision. However, upon reflection, it seems it is precisely a stronghold for the Otherworldly beings.]
[What makes you think so?]
[For the Heavenly Emperor’s ears only, Takamagahara is not the land where gods visit; it is a location of an ominous entity sealed away and a passage. Those who came from there possess powerful abilities and have lorded over Dongyoung. I firmly believe it serves as the dwelling place for the Otherworldly beings.]
[I’ve heard that there’s a passageway to Takamagahara in Goryeo’s Geochang region. There, you might find some clues.]
“…”
I was starting to understand the situation bit by bit.
While desperately thinking, I addressed Cheon Woo-jin, “So… the Otherworldly beings that originally lived in Dark Heaven Village are the Amatsukami, and their leader is Izanagi no Mikoto. They ruled over Dongyoung and created havoc until the Three Sovereigns imprisoned Izanagi no Mikoto and they were exiled to Venus?”
“You’ve improved quite a lot in analyzing the situation.”
“Dammit. It feels weird when you praise me.”
I grumbled, but Cheon Woo-jin’s expression didn’t lighten. After all, he was recounting his faults, not his accomplishments.
“That’s right. Soon, the Amatsukami will descend upon the Earth, and there’s no capacity to stop them. This is all my fault for destroying the World Tree.”
“Hmm? Won’t the Three Sovereigns handle it?”
What came next from Cheon Woo-jin’s lips was shocking.
“If the Three Sovereigns were going to stop it, then the Amatsukami wouldn’t even be able to set foot on Jeogok’s territory in the first place. However, the information I’ve gathered during my five years here suggests that Jeogok seems willing to allow the Amatsukami to enter the Earth.”
“…!!”
“They’ll likely turn a blind eye to the unsealing of Izanagi no Mikoto.”
What?!
This was truly unexpected, and I was flabbergasted. The Three Sovereigns, even if they toyed with the reincarnation of this world, still played a role in maintaining at least some human civilization. Yet now, they were just going to stand by and watch as the new Old Ruler, Izanagi no Mikoto, resurrects, and allow his followers to return to Earth via the moon?!
*Shooo!*
At that moment, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens revealed her spirit body beside me, saying, [Cheon Woo-jin. If so, the Three Sovereigns have already started preparing to shed their masks.]
“Lady Heavenly Mysterious Woman, I think so too.”
Calmly, she expressed her thoughts.
[The Sacred Altar Tree was meant to suppress the Otherworldly beings, but it also secretly prevented the influence of the Three Sovereigns and the Celestial Realm… With the Sacred Altar Tree destroyed, they aim to resurrect Izanagi no Mikoto, disrupting the Law of Cause and Effect, ultimately creating a pretext for them to draw out the Seven Luminaries and destroy the world.]
“…!!”
[Once the Amatsukami descend and start rampaging, it will all align with the Three Sovereigns’ intentions. While the Amatsukami are not of the Old Ruler’s caliber, they possess a mid-high divine status, making it tough to stop them with Celestial powers. Civilization on Earth will collapse, and islanders and continent dwellers alike will be subjugated by the Amatsukami, worshiping evil gods.]
“No, that’s…”
[The Three Sovereigns will likely then pull out the Seven Luminaries under the pretext of recreating order, or they might descend themselves to kill the Amatsukami and purge the world.]
A chill ran down my spine.
‘Are they using the Amatsukami to shed their masks?’
The apocalypse of the world by the Three Sovereigns!
It was an experience I’d felt deeply and horrifically when I witnessed Jeon Wook wielding the Seven Luminaries to obliterate the Central Plains continent. Most of the Three Sovereigns despised waiting for the end and aimed to unmask quickly. The only one opposing this was likely Nüwa.
Unknowingly, I shouted, “That can’t happen!!”
“Don’t shout. If we hadn’t cast a barrier, we would’ve been overheard.”
“When are these Amatsukami coming to the moon? How can we stop them?”
“I was just about to discuss that.”
Cheon Woo-jin calmly continued.
“There are three methods. The first is that Jeogok rejects them and doesn’t allow them onto the moon… Technically, if the Amatsukami don’t pass through the moon, they can’t go directly from Venus to Earth. This is an essential safety measure created by the Three Sovereigns. However, this method is unfeasible since Jeogok seems to want it.”
“What’s the second method?”
“The second method is to seal Venus using the power of the Golden Eagle Guards among the Seven Luminaries.”
“What?”
“Did you mishear? We can seal Venus through the power of the Golden Eagle Guards.”
“Can that be done?”
“Dammit…!! How have you not changed at all over the past five years? When will you stop being startled and flailing like a fish?”
Cheon Woo-jin suddenly became angry, saying, “The Golden Eagle is, in essence, the soul of Venus. That small artifact holds all the spiritual power of Venus, so if we use it as a medium for the sealing technique, the Amatsukami will undoubtedly be sealed for thousands of years again. We’ll block them before they even arrive on the moon.”
“Oh!”
So the Golden Eagle holds such power?!
Knowing that the Golden Eagle was held by the Southern World’s guardian, I understood that if we gave it our best effort, we could somehow retrieve it. Though I hadn’t tried it yet, stopping the Amatsukami from returning and averting devastation was worth the attempt.
Seo Mun-hye, overhearing from beside me, exclaimed, “The Golden Eagle is indeed impressive… To think it can seal one of the planets of the Seven Luminaries.”
“The Three Sovereigns clearly poured their utmost efforts into creating the Seven Luminaries in preparation for the apocalypse. Calling them divine artifacts seems like an understatement.”
I then asked Cheon Woo-jin, “So what’s the final method?”
“Reviving the World Tree. If we recreate the seal, the Amatsukami won’t be able to return.”
“…? But it’s dead. The core was destroyed; how can it be revived?”
My question wasn’t foolish. Even with the vast gap in martial arts skills between Cheon Woo-jin and me, I understood the basics of sorcery. The fact that the core of the Sacred Altar Tree was shattered meant that it was like a human having their heart burst; there was no possible way to recover from that. Cheon Woo-jin seemed to have anticipated this and answered.
“There is a way to revive the World Tree.”
“What… Ah!”
I gasped, realizing something as a memory flashed in my mind.
[Sa, you plan to obtain the spiritual power dwelling in the roots of the World Tree to extract the seed of the World Tree that can be nurtured for another millennium.]
[I’m certain there lies a seed of the World Tree along with a reincarnation entity inside.]
That’s right.
During the decisive battle in the Divine City, Zhuge Sa and Zhuge Yulong crossed paths near the roots of the World Tree, and their common goal was to retrieve the seed of the World Tree! Possessing the seed would allow us to scatter it again for growth, ultimately leading to the revival of the World Tree.
“Zhuge Sa has the seed of the Sacred Altar Tree!”
“Exactly. If we can get the seed from Zhuge Sa, we can even grow the Sacred Altar Tree again. It won’t be easy to return alive from the Underworld, but we still have a chance.”
After saying this, Cheon Woo-jin slowly gazed outside as he added, “I believe what we need to do now is to return to Earth and find the Golden Eagle. As of now, we can’t reach the depths of the Underworld to save those two, so we must secure the guarantee known as the Seven Luminaries first.”
“Sounds good.”
As I crossed my arms to think, I asked Cheon Woo-jin, “How much time do we have left until the Amatsukami return?”
“If it’s long, three years; if short, one year.”
“Time is short…”
I let out a sigh. Cheon Woo-jin must have overheard information about the Amatsukami while planning to infiltrate the Banwang Hall. Suddenly, a realization struck me, and I said, “Is the Moon Palace Amphora’s Guanghan Hall inside the Banwang Hall?”
“I couldn’t confirm. While I did set foot into the Banwang Hall, I couldn’t enter its depths.”
“So the Moon Palace Amphora is located within the Banwang Hall.”
“Exactly.”
After organizing my thoughts, I said, “Alright, let’s head back.”
With Cheon Woo-jin now part of our team, we could meet Cheon Gong-pyo’s conditions. No other sorcerer would be able to sneak into the Imperial Palace well enough to deceive the eyes of the Three Sovereigns.