NOVEL NEXT Chapter 780
Dark Heaven Village
“The closer the probability is to nothing, the more likely it is to succeed?!”
Doesn’t that mean the more impossible something is to happen, the more likely it is to actually happen?
I quickly gathered my spirit and shouted, fully understanding the words of the Fire Dragon Incarnate.
“…Then, with the blessing of Great Creation, I’ll take out Shenglong with a single strike!”
[Hmm… Is that really the case?]
The Fire Dragon Incarnate sounded skeptical, but this was my best shot. If I could gain the ability to reverse an impossible probability, wouldn’t it be best to cut down my enemy in one go without wasting any efforts?
Tydaht!
I summoned my strength, visualizing cutting Shenglong from head to tail, and rushed forward into the air.
Boom!!
“Ugh!”
But what in the world happened?
My body bounced off the air and crashed into the ground. I wasn’t seriously injured thanks to the Protection Energy Technique, but it hurt quite a bit, so I twisted my body and stood up after a moment. When I looked up at the sky, an astonishing scene was unfolding.
Crackle
Crackle
The spirit of the Zhuge King was separated into two bodies. One was the intact Shenglong, and the other was the one I had imagined split in half. The two Shenglongs hovered in the air like illusions, and amidst this bizarre situation, Shenglong was chanting something.
[As the Dragon Emperor, I shall void the law of cause and effect!]
Whoosh!
At last, the Zhuge King’s spirit merged back into one.
‘What happened?’
It definitely seemed like the blessing of Great Creation had activated, but why couldn’t I kill him in one strike? While I was ruminating on my doubts, Shenglong spoke to me.
[Indeed… I never thought you would bring the blessing of Master Mangnyang. Just now, I nearly died.]
“Shenglong!! How did you withstand the blessing of Great Creation?”
When I shouted my question, he looked down at me steadily while holding the Wishful Pearl.
[That blessing divides existence and non-existence based on the probability of a parallel world, then forces a selection that favors you… Thus, I revealed the true nature of the blessing with divine power and resisted my potential obliteration!]
“……!!”
[You are a dangerous existence…]
Shenglong looked at me with evident wariness. It didn’t seem he was considering an attack or defense right away, probably thinking about the chance of being countered due to the blessing of Great Creation. The fact that even the powerful Shenglong, as the protector of the Sun Sovereign, felt intimidated by the blessing was staggering!
At the same time, I fell into deep contemplation about what to do.
‘The broken Golden Crow doesn’t regenerate… That means all damage that he deems ‘cheating’ will be recognized as valid and won’t be restored. If taking out Shenglong in one strike is out of the question, then I must first destroy the Seven Luminaries to cut off his power!’
My mind spun rapidly.
I had been in a hopeless situation, but now that I thought I had some chance to fight back, courage surged within me. I started thinking more desperately.
‘However, if using the blessing of Great Creation even once is required to destroy the Seven Luminaries… then I’ll have to use it six more times to eliminate the core. If this blessing has a limit on its uses, I might exhaust it entirely before achieving my goal.’
Then perhaps it would be better to push myself to destroy the rest all at once!
After settling the strategy in my mind, I decided to wield the Fire Dragon Sword and break three of the Seven Luminaries at once.
Boom!!
Sure enough, I was floating in the cosmic space without any context, and around me, the Moon Sovereign, Water Element, and Wood Element were exploding. Just like that, I had left only three of the Seven Luminaries. But at that moment, I heard Shenglong’s voice.
[The winds of the universe are raging…]
What does that mean?
Crackle
Before I could even think about the meaning of those words, a sudden branch of light extending into the cosmos appeared before me, surely showing the ‘future probabilities’ as the blessing of Great Creation activated. And it was the moment a single line extended towards that branch, piercing through the far reaches of the universe.
Boom!!
“Ahhhhhhh!”
I let out a scream without realizing it. An overwhelming force that could sweep across the stars hit me like a hurricane. It was a scale so absurd, any living being would instinctively feel fear, as if it might engulf the world. Discussing physical defenses felt meaningless under this extreme torrent, blending chaos and generating a spirit wind. It was large enough to easily sweep away thirty stars.
Rumble
The remnants of the destroyed Wood Element and the ring were being sucked away by the cosmic storm. A stream of sweat poured from my forehead, feeling as if I was being drawn into the spirit wind. Maybe I hadn’t died yet only because the blessing of Great Creation had turned the probabilities in my favor.
‘Shenglong wants me to waste the blessing of Great Creation uselessly!’
This was both Shenglong’s offense and defense. It was said that he dealt with winds in ancient myths, so it was clear he could also manipulate the spatial wind of the universe. And he probably knew that my blessing of Great Creation was limited, so if he could drain it quickly, he was bound to win.
Then, I just needed to break the remaining Seven Luminaries once more!
Rumble
“……”
Wow, this is too much…
As I felt myself getting dragged into the interstellar storm, I struggled. Although I was under the protection of the blessing of Great Creation, it seemed to have a persistent effect that was continuously influencing me. Without that blessing, I would have surely died thousands of times by now. I had no choice but to desperately wish to escape this space.
Boom
As I descended to the ground, Shenglong spoke.
[What do you wish to achieve by meeting the Emperor?]
“I seek to ask for his strength to save the mortals of this land.”
[How frustrating! Can’t you feel the great plan of the Emperor? Do you wish to become a cog in the wheel of ambition?]
Shenglong’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
[Let me tell you this. Even if you defeat me, the door to the Divine Temple will not open! As I said before, that’s a separate matter!]
“……”
That was certainly true. Until now, I had been collecting the Seven Luminaries with the intention of gathering them all, but when I once summoned Shenglong through a ritual, he had clearly stated that acquiring the Sun Sovereign and entering the Divine Temple were unrelated matters.
‘Wait… Could it be…?’
Until now, I thought that his contradictory words were just a suggestion, and the strategists hadn’t given them much thought either. It was impossible to speculate when Shenglong was hiding so much! But somehow, it felt like this moment presented an opportunity beyond mere battle.
At the same time, I activated the blessing of Great Creation and declared, “Shenglong! Answer my question truthfully!!”
[Hmm…!!]
At that moment, Shenglong’s massive body writhed. One of the future branches reached out and pierced through him, ensuring that the blessing of Great Creation was indeed affecting him. I caught on to the way the blessing of Great Creation could be applied and continued with my question.
“Could it be that the Sun Sovereign does not exist in the Divine Temple?!”
Even as I asked, I worried I had wasted the blessing of Great Creation.
Could that even be possible?
Why was I asking such a question?
However, due to the strange discomfort and sensation during my recent conversation with Shenglong, I had no choice but to ask this question, even if it seemed futile. This was because the contradictory statement needed to exist to satisfy the two different premises.
And then, Shenglong’s shocking response echoed.
[That’s correct!]
“What, what did you just say…”
[The Sun Sovereign does not exist in the Divine Temple! Thus, even if you win this trial, you cannot ascend to the Divine Temple.]
Ironically, I was left in shock by my own question. There was no need for Shenglong to lie this far, plus he had enforced the truth using the powers of the blessing of Great Creation. Could it really be that the Sun Sovereign didn’t exist in the Divine Temple? Then what in the world had I been tirelessly gathering the Six Sovereigns and challenging the trial of the Seven Luminaries for?
As I stood there, dumbfounded, Shenglong continued speaking.
[…However, winning this trial does guarantee that you can gain the Sun Sovereign.]
“Shenglong! What on earth do you want?!”
[What do you mean?]
“It seems like you dislike this trial itself. And it feels like you don’t want anyone to reach the Divine Temple or the Emperor! The attitude you show is not that of an examiner!”
[……]
It felt like I hit the nail on the head. I gained confidence and pressed on with more questions.
“What is your intention? Aren’t you one of the Emperor’s subordinates?”
[You must have heard from the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. We made a pact with him to become subordinates of the Divine Temple… Therefore, we follow the Emperor’s orders, but I do not hold loyalty to him.]
“That’s quite different from what you said during the ritual back on Earth.”
[At that time, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were all chasing after us, and all kinds of miscreants were watching that meeting. Would I foolishly reveal my inner thoughts?]
“Hmm…”
[Personally, I find the trial of the Seven Luminaries to be distasteful. However, a job is a job…]
Shenglong’s Wishful Pearl turned bright red.
[Be obliterated!]
Boom!
In that moment, the world exploded with light. Until now, as if it hadn’t been sincere, Shenglong’s breath began to cover the heavens, the earth, and the realm of the Seven Luminaries. It was as if the sun’s light was swirling in a wheel, and light burst forth as if countless shooting stars were being churned out. Amid that dazzling wave of light, I felt that this time, I was truly going to die.
Crackle
Once again, the blessing of Great Creation activated. However, this time, instead of moving without context like before, it felt as though the passage of time around me had slowed down.
Rumble
Rumble
Rumble…
The murderous ray of white light approached as if it would pierce through me, but it couldn’t reach me. As I stood there, drenched in cold sweat, the Fire Dragon Incarnate said,
[This is the paradox of time and space. Since space divides infinitely, no attack can breach the blessing of Great Creation and reach you.]
“Is that even possible?”
[It seems this is the first for the Maiden. Master Mangnyang is indeed a being of a different caliber.]
The Fire Dragon Incarnate murmured with awe.
[However, since you’ve used this far the blessing of Great Creation, you probably don’t have much left.]
“Now, there’s no choice but to destroy the remaining three of the Seven Luminaries.”
[…No, I don’t think that’s the case.]
“Huh?”
[I am the Incarnation of Shenglong. And since I recently fully awakened my power, I can somewhat read what the core is thinking. Shenglong doesn’t care if the Seven Luminaries are completely destroyed.]
“Why’s that?”
[Because that form is merged with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. Destroying all the Seven Luminaries only wounds her; once the Seven Luminaries are obliterated, Shenglong will release the merge and engage you. Then, you will be completely spent from using the blessing of Great Creation and will die in one strike.]
“…Hmm.”
Could it be that was the strategy?
I nearly fell for it and could’ve been toyed with and killed even while wielding the strongest blessing. I was relieved in that last moment to have the Fire Dragon Sword.
In a moment, the words of the Spirit of the Wood Element came to mind.
[Shall I give you one last piece of advice…?]
[You seem to be using the Double Sovereign, so you probably haven’t drawn the Fire Dragon Sword for this trial of the Seven Luminaries… It would be better to draw the Fire Dragon Sword…]
So, that’s what it meant?
Since the Spirit Beast, the Divine Dragon, knew much about Shenglong, it was likely he understood what significance the Fire Dragon Incarnate held in the challenge of the Sun Sovereign. As I caught my breath a bit, the Fire Dragon Incarnate spoke.
[I think you should use the Emperor’s powers along with the blessing of Great Creation. No matter how great the blessing of Great Creation is, Shenglong is an existence comparable to the Five Emperors, and you can’t win using just that. Did you not see how Shenglong resisted even when I used the blessing of Great Creation directly against him?]
I felt a sense of temptation from the words.
“Using the Emperor’s power as well…? Summoning reinforcements wouldn’t waste the blessing of Great Creation, would it?”
[That’s right. In this situation, it’s not wasteful but rather it could create a synergistic effect.]
The Fire Dragon Incarnate continued speaking.
[The Emperor’s power is the power of fate. Moreover, the power of fate can amplify the blessing of Great Creation, so you must bestow the blessing of Great Creation to those who are your fate and who can act as your swords.]