NOVEL NEXT Chapter 776
776 ———————————————-
Dark Heaven Village
As soon as I heard the words of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, I vehemently protested. There was no need to use formalities against an enemy.
“What a joke! That’s nonsense.”
[Why is that?]
“This level of difficulty for a test—are you kidding me? Is this really a suitable exam for selecting the King of Humans through the Seven Luminaries? Sure, the spirits of the Seven Luminaries are excessively strong, but why must we destroy the very essence of the Seven Luminary Spirits to defeat the Celestial Dragon in the final test?”
[……]
“Even if our methods are considered unorthodox, we must acknowledge that! This was an unfair exam from the very beginning.”
At my outcry, the sorcerer Cheon Gong-pyo, the Celestial Sage, and Zhuge Bu all looked in agreement. Given the skills of those present, this test shouldn’t have been this stringent.
To begin with, Cheon Gong-pyo and the Celestial Sage were beings stronger than most Demon Kings, and if they acquired the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries, they would approach the level of a [Master]. My companions were also unparalleled experts surpassing the absolute peaks of the Martial Artist World.
Zhuge Clan was a legendary heretical sect and Grand Demon Sorcerer, while Cheon Woo-jin was a disciple of the gods and a sorcerer surpassing the Great Immortal in techniques.
The qualifications of those challenging this trial were arguably the best I could gather. Yet, to lose them all and barely scrape through with a failing score was undoubtedly insane.
What could possibly justify the difficulty of a test meant to choose the King of Humans!?
It felt as if the test was designed to ensure failure from the start…!!
In response to my protest, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman spoke.
[Even so, that’s why I temporarily separated my persona to appear before you.]
“What do you mean?”
[You have not employed one of the laws inherent to this test. It’s like heading into a true fight while having one arm bound. Yet, you’ve reached this point, and thus, I bear some respect for you.]
“……?”
[No one expected such colossal beings like the Celestial Sage and Cheon Gong-pyo to aid a mere mortal.]
What is she talking about?
[Even so, that method is quite distant from what this trial was originally meant to pursue…. As the guardian of the last trial, judging becomes difficult when I do not share intentions with the Emperor either.]
“What do you mean by one of the laws? Are you saying there’s another one aside from the King’s summoning right?”
[It seems Jin has not informed you. After all, you were adversaries.]
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman pondered for a moment before speaking.
“It’s called Fate Power. Alternatively, it can be referred to as the Law of Conditioned Genesis.”
“Fate Power?”
[A being recognized as a king can summon subjects within this space, and forge bonds with them to evoke great miracles impossible to explain through conventional laws, reasoning, techniques, or demonic ways.]
“……!!”
[This can be seen as the opening of royal authority.]
I flinched.
Because I had an inkling.
[…this won’t end here.]
[There exists a final principle of this trial that has not been disclosed to you….]
Jin’s last words.
Jin had abruptly amplified his life force and power to trigger unknown supernatural abilities while simultaneously summoning hundreds of thousands of troops onto the Sea of Chaos. Normally, no matter how many vast armies there were, if they were summoned into a churning sea that melted everything, they should realistically drown the moment they appeared.
Yet, the armies seemed unaffected by the chaos, and unlike when they fought the Seven Luminary Spirits, every soldier was invigorated, showcasing even greater physical prowess. Had it not been for the protection of the Guardian Army, defeating them would have consumed a significant amount of time and energy.
‘A miracle of hundreds of thousands remaining unscathed in the Sea of Chaos. That’s something a Divine Portrait’s supernatural ability could never achieve. No matter how perfected a Divine Portrait is, that would be impossible.’
Could it be that Jin opened the royal authority at the very end?
‘Damn it!! That bastard was holding back to the very end, hiding his tricks from us. If we figured out he could wield royal authority, he’d be at a severe disadvantage…. Even so, to conceal things until the trial was on the brink of failure is disgusting!’
I gritted my teeth inwardly at Jin.
If only that damn guy had shared that fact, we could have passed easily! If he couldn’t become a king, he’d prefer to drag us down with him to the bottom. He must have been frustrated with the increasing difficulty of the Seven Luminary Trials.
Then, Zhuge Bu stepped forward and spoke.
“Heavenly Mysterious Woman, that is also unjust. May I say something?”
[What do you mean by unjust?]
“To open royal authority and evoke miracles means a mortal recognized as a king can directly manipulate the forces of the Law of Cause and Effect in this space.”
[Correct.]
“The ability to nullify the cause while revealing only the effect…. Indeed, if we had that ability, we would have passed the Seven Luminary Trials with ten times the ease. In this space, a being recognized as a king can wield powers akin to that of an [Old Ruler].”
Zhuge Bu, speaking slowly, shot a sharp glare at the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.
“However, that ability cannot be triggered merely by the will of a mortal. There must certainly be a specific activation process, which the king must be fully aware of. Moreover, infinite activation is impossible and likely carries its own constraints. If it had been activated purely by one’s will, then Baek Woong, who had exhausted everything he had until now, would surely have realized it.”
[That statement is also correct.]
“This is a bogus test. As you said, without royal authority, passing the Seven Luminaries test would be impossible, yet nowhere was it explained what royal authority exactly was, nor was there anyone who informed us. Even you, Heavenly Mysterious Woman, did not tell us about the royal authority.”
[…….]
“Why wasn’t it disclosed?”
At that accusation, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman closed her eyes.
[It could only be the will of the Emperor….]
“The will of the Emperor! Haha, why would the great god, the leader of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors who created China, devise such a shoddy test to select the King of Humans?”
“Ugh.”
In that moment, I gulped.
Saying something critical about the Emperor, the guardian of the last trial and the spirit of this world, to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman! Of course, this was something I did routinely, but Zhuge Bu was not reincarnated; he bluntly blurted it out. Even if he knew about my reincarnation, it was certainly a daring remark to make.
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman sighed.
[As I mentioned, I did not realize my mission until I encountered the fragments of the Law of Cause and Effect. While I belong to the Divine Temple, the only great being I can contact is Shenglong…. The Emperor does not appear even in the Divine Temple. Therefore, I do not grasp the intentions behind this trial either.]
“That’s irresponsible.”
[……]
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman gazed at me with a contemplative expression before speaking.
[Shenglong and I were originally opposing forces to the [Old Rulers]. We have been the entities governing spirits since the dawn of this world and our original role was to drive out the evil beings from other dimensions. However, due to countless [Old Rulers] arriving in this land, all fates became twisted, and we lacked the strength to handle them. During this time, the Emperor suggested that we work together to create the Celestial Realm.]
“The Celestial Realm…?”
[If we cooperated with him to belong to the Divine Temple and help repel Chi You, the Emperor promised to protect the spirits surviving in this land even after the Apocalypse and Revelation. So, as a divine spirit, I became the heavenly persona of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and Shenglong, originally the primordial dragon, also joined the Divine Temple.]
So that was it….
‘In that case, it seems that the Heavenly Mysterious Woman was the true Mother of Earth, not Nüwa….’
I remained silent, listening as the Heavenly Mysterious Woman continued.
[We do not have the authority to judge this matter. However, it is indeed unfair, so I will give you three options.]
“Three options?”
[Indeed.]
“Tell me.”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman slowly raised a finger.
[First. I will teach you the methods to wield royal authority here. However, after one meal cycle from now, I will expel you with my powers, and you will have to battle the Celestial Dragon.]
“…….”
[Second. I will similarly teach you the methods to wield royal authority. And since this trial was unfair, I will allow you to turn back time and start over from the very beginning.]
“What… do you mean by that?”
[I mean to challenge the trial of the Moon Sovereign from the very start without Jin.]
I wore a blank expression.
The first and second options were quite similar.
I had no idea what kind of miraculous results mastering royal authority could produce, but fighting the Celestial Dragon now with no chance of winning was something everyone was well aware of.
We had only managed to take out one of the dragon’s eyes and barely reduced its power by 14%. There was absolutely no way we could win against a creature wielding the strength of an [Old Ruler].
Moreover, accepting the second proposal was equally challenging. How hard had it been to endure the trials of the Seven Luminaries, only to be told now to start over?! I asked.
“If we start over, can my companions like the Sword Demon, Jin So-cheong, Extreme Tiger, and Cheon Woo-jin all come back? And will I regain the treasure dedicated to Tydaht?”
[No. Your companions will not return. The Sword Demon, Jin So-cheong, and Extreme Tiger have their souls mortgaged to an absolute being, and Cheon Woo-jin also refuses to relinquish his soul to Master Mangnyang. However, the treasure dedicated to Tydaht, the fragment of Peng Zuo, will return to you.]
“Damn it…!! Who the hell mortgaged the souls of the martial artists? Do you even know?”
[I do not know. All I can say is that the being possesses immense power, rivaling that of the master of the Divine Temple…. Even if I try to summon them, they refuse.]
This is futile!
Without those four, there was no way to pass the Seven Luminaries trials!
Apart from everything else, I had no idea how we had managed to annihilate the Moon Sovereign using the powers of the martial artists. It was a miracle that could hardly be explained.
Only supreme martial artists who had reached the pinnacle could properly utilize the power of the Primordial Void, but where would I find beings of their caliber? It could be safely said there were no martial artists of their level remaining on Earth. Even if there were, they likely wouldn’t have the ties needed to recognize me as their king.
Yet, I still forced myself to ask.
“What is the last third option?”
[To wait at this spot until the Emperor contacts us and provides a solution. You may continue to ponder during this time.]
“What… are you saying?”
[It’s more of a postponement than an option. If you cannot choose between the first and second, we have no option but to settle for postponement.]
What kind of situation is this?!
I fell into contemplation, realizing that none of the three options were remotely favorable. The unfortunate silver lining was that the stay of postponement allowed me to remain in a state of rest, but that offered no real solution.
Because the world we were supposed to protect was already half-destroyed.
Changhil had made a mess of everything, and the factions safeguarding humanity had been obliterated. The remnants of Changhil and his kin were also entirely wiped out.
In the Central Plains, which had become a lawless state, it was likely that otherworldly races would soon rise to power, and the Celestial Realm had also suffered damage, making it difficult to properly counter their advance. During the war against the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the cause-and-effect laws had been disrupted, and the factions on the emperor’s side had sustained heavy losses, making them less capable of offering protection.
Goryeo and Dongyoung had already reached a point of near destruction due to the Sea God’s aggression, so the Central Plains would be in an equally dire state within a few years. The Sea God had been injured after taking a hit and also nearly perished due to Shennong, so for the moment, nothing serious was at stake, but it remained a danger all the same.
We had chosen to challenge the Seven Luminaries Trials in hope of meeting the Emperor and securing the right to survive and independence, but if the world we needed to protect were to be annihilated before then, all of it would be meaningless.
The likelihood of the Emperor revealing himself only hundreds of years after the apocalypse and revelation was overwhelmingly high.
Just then, Zhuge Bu spoke.
“None of those three are the right choice. Thus, I propose a fourth option.”
[What is this option?]
Zhuge Bu opened his mouth.
“Teach us the methods to wield royal authority. And allow us to offer the Seven Luminaries as a sacrifice to gain the protection of another divine being.”
[…That’s not too different from the first option. You’re saying you’ll enlist someone else’s power in this space?]
“That’s not your concern. If you accept this proposal, I will endure fighting the Celestial Dragon.”
[Very well. Normally, no [Old Ruler] nor the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors can interfere in this space, but since you’ve made a request, I will lift that restriction.]
I shouted to Zhuge Bu.
“Zhuge Bu! Fighting the Celestial Dragon in this situation is an act of suicide!”
“Who doesn’t know that? It’s the same as battling the true essence of the Three Sovereigns! Because the Celestial Dragon is likely Shenglong!”
“…Huh?”
I gaped at his unexpected words.
Zhuge Bu shot a mocking glare at the Heavenly Mysterious Woman as he continued.
“The true essence of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman becomes the sun and the Seven Luminary Spirits, enveloping its inner power, summoning the universal being Shenglong as the Celestial Dragon…. Combining the two great pillars of the Divine Temple to battle is precisely the trial of the Moon Sovereign. This combination was powerful enough to place even the legendary giant Chi You at risk, making it practically impossible to win under normal circumstances. Isn’t that right?”
[Correct.]
“……”
Wait… so we would be fighting the combined essence of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and Shenglong!
Moreover, having two divine spirits working together was akin to battling against the history of this world spanning billions of years!
Suddenly, Zhuge Bu looked at me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Baek Woong. Still, trust me just this once.”
“But….”
There’s really no chance of winning.
How could we possibly win?
Is there even a way to victory in this mess?
“Central Plains Treasure, my final scheme.”
Zhuge Bu smiled coldly.
“I will prove who the greatest genius of the Zhuge Clan is at this moment!”