NOVEL NEXT Chapter 779
Chapter 779: Dark Heaven Village
A peculiar point of fate.
It was a warning given to me by Master Mangnyang during my 18th life.
[ The Law of Cause and Effect has wildly fluctuated, leading to this singularity. I’m here to warn you about it.]
[ This Law contains what we call a singularity. And the cause hanging over you has moved and created this singularity.]
[ To put it simply, it’s a moment that explodes when touched. This is something even the Old Ruler cannot avoid. Even the creator of the universe would have to face it. To express this singularity in human terms, let’s just call it destiny.]
[ Let me say just one thing. This singularity is entirely bound by the Law of Cause and Effect. You can think of it as a point marked on a round circle.]
[ Even if you were to go through eternity, there is a reason (因) for every result (果). You may think that destiny is sudden and arbitrary, but once faced with it, you will come to understand it more surely and painfully than anyone else in this world.]
[ You will have to pay the price for the cause.]
[ Fortunately, it seems that the time it arrives is far in the future. So do your best to live until then.]
I have not forgotten that moment.
I cannot forget the day when Master Mangnyang personally warned me in a dream while claiming the Law of Cause and Effect was in turmoil. According to his explanation, I would one day encounter a nightmare-like fate, a singularity that even the Old Ruler would want to avoid, and although that was a future matter, it was something I could not escape.
Perhaps the advisors were hastily trying to end my past life for that very reason. It wouldn’t just be for memory capacity or the erosion of my personality; it was likely because there was a chance that the destined singularity would bring me misfortune someday. It only makes sense to try and finish things up as quickly as possible before the bad luck arrives.
However, I chose instead to utilize that destined singularity. If it was something I would eventually have to face, I thought that by constraining myself with this sword, I could save my current companions. Sure enough, it seemed that the destined singularity directly affected the Law of Cause and Effect, as Master Mangnyang appeared to accept it willingly.
” ……”
What could the misfortune of the singularity be?
I can’t tell if it’s a specific [character], [event], or [fate]. Even Master Mangnyang doesn’t know what kind of misfortune warrants a warning. Perhaps, as he said, I might come to regret it without fail.
But at least for now, I don’t regret it.
Because this is my righteous path.
No matter how voluntary it may seem, I could never go through with something like human sacrifice.
I will walk the path of keeping my beliefs, even if it means risking my own future!
Boom!
When I returned from the dream to reality, I noticed that those around me were watching me intently. I slowly scanned their faces before speaking.
“I have received the Blessing of the Great Creation.”
At those words, Mangnyang turned suddenly to look at me. He wore a look of astonishment before rising from his seat, saying:
” … What did you pay as a price?”
“I paid the destined singularity.”
“Guh!”
Mangnyang wore a face of despair. It wasn’t just him; Zhuge Sa looked momentarily stupefied, while Zhuge Bu’s previously impassive expression contorted with visible agitation. Then Zhuge Bu spat out:
” You really are something else. Can’t you just take what you’re given without overthinking it? You’re truly choosing the worst path.”
“I agree. Hehe.”
Even Zhuge Sa seemed to concur with Zhuge Bu’s words.
“There were countless things to do in my next life, but now my first action has been set in stone.”
” ……”
From their reactions, I could gauge how significant a price I had paid, but once I’d made the choice, I decided not to regret it. With no hint of wavering on my face, Zhuge Sa remarked:
“Still, it’s a relief. A fool with beliefs, at that.”
“What happens to a fool without beliefs?”
“I don’t have time to answer foolish questions.”
After firmly rebuffing my question, Zhuge Sa continued.
“Now that you’ve received the Blessing of the Great Creation, you’ve done all you can. Baek Woong, return us in the name of the King. Anyone else is just a burden.”
“Return us? Is that even possible?”
“This place has amplified the variance of cognition and causality to its maximum level, so it should be possible.”
As I glanced around at everyone, they each wore expressions of confusion. It was a bit absurd to think that I would be left to fight relying solely on the Blessing at the last moment. When I turned my gaze back to Zhuge Sa, he said:
“Weren’t you willing to risk the strengthening of the singularity to save us all? If we just sit here, we’ll die anyway; don’t you understand that?”
“Isn’t disappearing here the same as dying?”
“All you have to do is win and call us back. Why ponder over being torn apart as you sit doing nothing? If we are summoned again, it’ll just feel like we fainted for a moment before waking up.”
“Fine.”
“There’s no need to leave Zhuge Bu behind just because of the Great Destruction. The Blessing of the Great Creation should make such powers meaningless.”
“Hmm.”
I soon wished with the King’s power for them to vanish.
Whoosh!
I then felt a messenger seeking their consent approach each of them, and I knew they had a choice. A king has the authority to retreat his subjects, but it must be done with their consent. Moments later, my companions began to vanish one by one.
Whoosh!
All had exited, but both the Celestial Sage and Cheon Gong-pyo remained. I was taken aback that they hadn’t accepted yet, but the Celestial Sage said:
“Even if I die, I want to see how far my power reaches with the Primordial Dragon Emperor. I want to know if my power can even touch him.”
“You could die pathetically.”
“I’m prepared for that.”
He had the look of someone who had confidently accepted everything, almost gleefully.
When I turned my gaze to Cheon Gong-pyo, she seemed to be lost in thought, unlike her usual self. Then she spoke.
” … There’s a technique I want to test one last time.”
“What technique is that?”
” ……”
She didn’t respond. It was too difficult to pry out something she didn’t want to reveal now, so I turned my attention to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens.
“Heavenly Mysterious Woman! We are ready. Please continue with the trial.”
[ I understand.]
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman smiled sadly for some reason.
[ I hope you can draw out the Emperor’s sincerity…]
Bang!
In the next moment, the three of us were taken outside the Zhuge King’s dragon. Unlike the inside of the eye of the guiding orb, this world was entirely bathed in orange. As we gazed at the sky from within the swirling sea of chaos, an overwhelming presence could be felt.
The Dragon of Dusk.
The power of the sun filled the entire sky, and an immense being, using the Celestial Sage as its core, looked down upon us in a seemingly contemplative manner. And this was surely the Shenglong, who had combined his powers with that of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman to manifest in this world.
Guuu…
” ……”
Such a massive being.
While it wasn’t as big as when I had seen the true form of Fuxi in the universe, it radiated an incomprehensible pressure and presence of its own. A presence that evoked the feeling of cosmic terror and made me realize how insignificantly small humans were in comparison. Simultaneously, I could feel the tenfold weight of the entire world pressing down on me, reminiscent of the first time we faced the Sun Guardian.
Whirring…
‘ That Celestial Sage’s Dragon… it’s granting infinite power.’
Looking up from below, it became clear. The power of the Seven Luminaries was bringing forth an overwhelming force that filled the universe, a force that simply could not be measured in earthly units. Even the highest power I could amplify with the Great Destruction would pale in comparison to that. I regretted that I hadn’t adequately destroyed over half of the core of the Seven Luminaries before facing the Sun Guardian’s trial.
The Dragon of the Celestial Sage projected its will towards us.
[ Foolish challengers, we pay our respects to your courage and determination.]
” ……”
[ To think you, as mortals, could build up your strength here in the continent of the ruthless Primordial Nightmare…]
The Shenglong murmured in admiration before declaring:
[ I shall become your final dream.]
Roar!!
The Shenglong shifted its body slightly for a moment. At that, the Celestial Sage’s core began to tremble, and I caught sight of what appeared to be a glowing orb forming in its mouth. The moment I recognized it, my heart sank.
‘ The Wish-Granting Pearl!’
A powerful treasure and source of technique held by beings called dragons! It appeared that the Shenglong, having joined forces with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, also intended to manifest the Wish-Granting Pearl for combat. Naturally, if it completed the formation, we would be hit by the combined breath of the Dragon filled with the power of the Seven Luminaries, so we had to stop the Wish-Granting Pearl.
Thud!!
The first to charge forward was the Celestial Sage. Desperate despite the lack of the Seven Luminaries, he activated the maximum limit of his Clone Technique and rushed forward with a spirit that seemed to burn his soul. The Celestial Sage’s Fire Eye Golden Spirit erupted, concentrating the strength of the Demon King into a single punch.
Boom!!
However, the attack of the Celestial Sage’s clones was blocked by an invisible wall that had been in the air. He retreated, seemingly lacking power, as one of his arms was charred black. And then, the Shenglong’s Command echoed throughout the hall.
[ The Six Extremes and the Five Constants gather.]
I had no time to grasp the meaning of that phrase.
Crackle!
That was the end for the Celestial Sage. A sensation akin to thunder briefly flashed across his body, and he was obliterated in the blink of an eye.
” ……!!”
Even without the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries, how could he wipe out the Celestial Sage in a single Command?! None of the spirits of the Seven Luminaries had ever shown such power! As I trembled at the might of that authority, Cheon Gong-pyo began to chant a spell.
[ Re-establish!]
Whoosh!
At that moment, Cheon Gong-pyo’s sword form vanished, and one of the Shenglong’s eyes flickered with black light.
‘ Did that guy just regain control over the guiding orb?’
Swoosh!
In the next moment, Cheon Gong-pyo suddenly pulled out all her treasures and unleashed a dazzling radiance. With her aura unleashed, Cheon Gong-pyo shouted madly.
[ Aha! No matter how mighty you are, Shenglong, you won’t be able to withstand my eyes bursting!]
Boom!!
In that instant, a tremendous explosion erupted, taking down the guiding orb along with Cheon Gong-pyo. She had gathered all her techniques and power to self-destruct with the guiding orb! It appeared that her calculations were based on the assumption that destroying the eyes would cause substantial damage to the Shenglong.
Thud…
As the chaos from the destruction rocked the realm, the body of the Shenglong staggered momentarily.
Did we succeed?
I turned to see if Cheon Gong-pyo’s final self-destruction attack had worked, but the Shenglong’s displeased voice soon resonated throughout the hall.
[ Challengers, you bring me shame. A disgraceful string of underhanded tactics!]
Whooshing…
[ I won’t typically regenerate this way, but it’s infuriating. I shall recover as much as I can from your underhanded tactics.]
A moment later, I saw the Shenglong’s destroyed eye sockets regenerating as if time itself were reversing. Before long, not only was the Shenglong completely unscathed, but the guiding orb and Nahoo also seemed to have fully revived. Even the Golden Crow that Cheon Gong-pyo had destroyed in advance came back to life!
” ……!!”
What on earth is going on?!
No matter how vast its powers are, can it really restore itself like that?!
‘ I can’t win.’
I instinctively knew that even if we had the Six Luminaries, we were facing an insurmountable foe. I had known for a while, but witnessing that power before my eyes filled me with shock and terror. I also realized that even if I tried to summon a being at the level of an Old Ruler as a final effort, it would be ineffectual against this first true adversary.
The Celestial System, led by the sun, was akin to a foe itself.
” ……”
I stared at the Fire Dragon Sword in my hand. All that remained for me were the Fire Dragon Sword and this body. No matter how I possessed the Blessing of the Great Creation, could I tip the scales against something like that? No, winning was out of the question; could I withstand even a single strike? The difference in power felt like an abyss, and I began to sense the cold touch of death creeping in.
And then the Fire Dragon Incarnate spoke to me.
[ You cannot win in this state. However, how you utilize the Blessing of the Great Creation will change this battle.]
” Do you know how to use it?”
[ It depends on your will. It is also unknown even to me as a Maiden.]
It was a vague statement, but I understood it wasn’t time for complaining. At any rate, it was now or never, a time to act regardless of the outcome. I took a deep breath and leapt towards the Shenglong.
” Yaaaaaaah!!”
It was absolutely impossible.
Even if I raised all my internal power and charged in with the momentum of Unity of Body and Sword along with the Fire Dragon Sword, my chances of winning were slim. But in this situation, I had no choice but to rush forward.
‘ What am I doing…?’
Am I about to die?
The thought crossed my mind that, like the Celestial Sage before me, I might vanish without a trace and meet my 24th death. Just as that fleeting moment stretched into an eternity of awareness,
Boom.
“Huh?”
I suddenly realized I had plunged my sword into the Golden Crow. I couldn’t remember when I had arrived, but somehow, I found myself standing on the surface of the Golden Crow with my Fire Dragon Sword embedded in it.
The instant I pulled the Fire Dragon Sword out,
Boom!!
The Golden Crow exploded instantly.
I was flung back by the blast, but I was astonished to find my body unscathed thanks to the Protection Energy Technique. No way could a normal human withstand such an explosion from a star at that range and not be reduced to a smear of blood!
‘ What is happening?’
Something felt off.
I hadn’t intended to attack the Golden Crow, yet somehow I had done so, and I had no clue why it had exploded from my single strike, nor could I comprehend how I remained unharmed from the blast. A series of incomprehensible events unfolded before me.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, I felt countless branches, as if made of light, unfolding before my eyes. It seemed like those branches reached to the very end of the universe, and just seeing them was an extraordinary experience in itself.
‘ Could it be… ?’
While I pondered, the Shenglong’s Wish-Granting Pearl was completed. As soon as it was finished, the Shenglong turned its gaze toward me and released a breath of fire.
Goooom!
There was no way to block or evade that breath capable of annihilating worlds. No matter what I did, I was destined to die. However, at that moment, one of those branches, which had spread completely white, connected to the Fire Dragon Sword and shot forth a golden light toward the ends of the universe.
Swish!
In the next instant, the Fire Dragon Incarnate residing in my sword unleashed its powers to contend with the Shenglong’s breath. The Fire Dragon Incarnate seemed to effortlessly block the breath, and when it ceased, it returned to merge back into the Fire Dragon Sword.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
” This can’t be!!”
No matter how much the Fire Dragon Incarnate was the Shenglong’s manifestation, something like this shouldn’t be possible. With such a massive power gap, even if the qualities of divine strength were the same, it should have been impossible to nullify the breath of the Celestial Sage. This was more improbable than cracking a rock with an egg.
The impossible was occurring right before me.
The Fire Dragon Incarnate spoke to me.
[ The Blessing of the Great Creation is activating. However, it is indeed a powerful blessing, so I cannot guarantee how long it will last. Use every action wisely, Dharma Protector.]
” What exactly is the Blessing of the Great Creation?”
[ The blessing adapts to your convenience, but in the opinion of this Maiden, it’s about reversing probability.]
” ……?”
[ This ability might even be a part of the Blessing, but… if combined with the King’s power, there may be a chance of victory.]
I was taken aback by the Fire Dragon Incarnate’s continued words.
[ If you consider the Blessing to guarantee a completed probability of 100, as the probability approaches zero, it reverses that probability to realize it as reality. Hence, the more you choose actions with an extremity of zero probability, the more successful your actions will be.]