NOVEL NEXT Chapter 792
Chapter 15: The True Home of the Void
“I decided to ask Master Mangnyang to summon the god I wanted. He chanted some incantations, and mystical clouds surrounded him until finally, the Primordial Void Ruler appeared.”
Whooooosh—
“Then, after skipping about three turns, the Strong Baby Tai Gong-mang was summoned and presented a re-selection option. Master Mangnyang immediately accepted the re-selection, and only then did he bring up the main topic.”
“Come forth, Zhongli Quan!”
“I have to make Cheon Woo-jin go through the Divine Fever so he can become stronger, so even though I could call Zhongli Quan at once, I chose to go through this cumbersome process on purpose.”
Boom!
[Did you summon me?]
As the Eight Immortals’ Zhongli Quan possessed Cheon Woo-jin’s body, I knew my plan had worked.
‘But I can’t just jump straight to the main issue…’
Before that, I added what I had heard from Zhuge Sa.
“Zhongli Quan, apart from the blessings I can receive from the ritual, I’d like to know a few things.”
[What do you wish to know?]
“I want to know what blessings can be granted by the entire Eight Immortals when summoned, and please tell me all seven others.”
[Uhm… Would it be okay if I told you instead of the ritual blessings?]
“No. As payment for the information, I will offer you this Black and White Lotus and some Gold Bars.”
I discreetly took out a few Black and White Lotuses and some Gold Bars from my wooden armor. Zhongli Quan responded, somewhat annoyed.
[You underestimate me! Do you think an immortal would be swayed by mere spiritual pills and gold bars?]
That was an unexpected reaction.
‘Oh dear. Despite his playful nature, Zhongli Quan is being serious.’
Of course, I’ve seen many cases where offering such things leads to successful negotiations, but perhaps the personalities of the immortals vary, as the Black and White Lotus and Gold Bars did not impress Zhongli Quan. It was a new realization, but I couldn’t dwell on it right now. So, I thought hard and offered him the Demon Sword.
“Then I’ll give you this Demon Sword.”
[Hmm… A sinister item. It has value, but…]
“…I will also offer you this Innate Dan from the Spider. Not only is it a spiritual pill, but it also carries spiritual essence.”
[It doesn’t seem all that different from the lotus… Hmm…]
After a good amount of deliberation, Zhongli Quan finally nodded.
[Alright. I will tell you. Since a person who has offered a ritual requests this much, I should share.]
“Thank you.”
Zhongli Quan finally began to speak.
[First, my blessing is the Great Peace and Safety Blessing.]
Then, one by one, he listed the names and types of blessings held by the Eight Immortals.
Zhongli Quan: Great Peace and Safety Blessing.
Han Sang-ja: Birth Wheel and Transcendence.
Jang Gwa-ro: Escaping the Infant.
Lee Tieguai: Borrowing a Corpse to Return to Life.
He Xian Gu: Immortal Drug Techniques.
Lan Caihe: Infinite Martial Arts.
Cao Guojiao: Qing Xu.
Lu Dongbin: Heavenly Escape Sword Technique.
I wanted to know the detailed effects of each blessing, but Zhongli Quan shook his head.
[I can give you the names of the blessings, but I cannot reveal the details without the consent of the individual.]
“Why not? Isn’t knowing the contents harmful to the immortal?”
[That could be the case. Because the blessings we bestow are the pinnacle techniques we all dedicated our lives to refine during our human days.]
To receive a blessing means you take on the role of a provisional disciple in a sense.
“……!!”
[If the one who received the blessing challenges the Celestial Realm’s entrance, naturally we would look favorably upon those who received our blessing.]
“Sort of like bonus points?”
[It may be something like that.]
I started to see the light. The reason Lu Dongbin’s blessing was the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique was that it was the most diligently honed skill he used to ascend to the Celestial Realm. Similarly, He Xian Gu must have perfected her techniques to a master’s level, and Lee Tieguai’s skill has even become a legendary tale in the world. I suspected Zhuge Sa also gained significant inspiration from Lee Tieguai’s technique to complete the Soul Exchange Technique.
[Also, it’s more a matter of courtesy, so for the rest, you’ll need to discover them yourself. With enough heroism to remove the ritual from the Seven Luminaries, it shouldn’t be too difficult.]
“…Understood. Then, I would like to receive Master Zhongli Quan’s blessing as payment for the ritual.”
[Sounds good. Hah!!]
Boom!
I received Zhongli Quan’s blessing, finished the ceremony, and organized the altar. I then moved the unconscious Cheon Woo-jin inside and spoke to Master Mangnyang.
“Master Mangnyang, I just had a thought… Is it possible to gather offerings to receive separate blessings from as many Great Immortals as possible?”
“Hmm. Since they aren’t overlapping, it should be possible. Because if it weren’t, we couldn’t explain why Lu Dongbin’s final point doesn’t conflict with the blessings received in subsequent reincarnations… This means it’s acceptable to receive separate blessings rather than overlapping ones. Plus, when I added the blessing from Guan Yu in my past life, I was just fine…”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“It seems you were considering receiving blessings from the entire Eight Immortals.”
After a moment of thought, Master Mangnyang said, “Though it would be possible to get blessings more than twice, it would be inefficient. There’s a reason why previous strategists never mentioned this. Did you not think of it before?”
“Inefficient?”
“Regardless of how many different blessings you try to cram into your body, the actual power increase won’t be significant. Sure, each individual blessing would give an ability capable of dominating the world if an ordinary person received even one, but it will never exceed the power of the Great Immortals. Unless you can raise your level itself, it’s merely a waste of time and offerings compared to your goals.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Even if you gathered a considerable amount of resources to receive the blessings of the Celestial Great Immortals, you wouldn’t defeat the Queen Mother of the West. However…, if you use the same offerings, there could be other circumstances.”
“…”
I understood what Master Mangnyang was getting at.
‘The Blessing of Great Creation!’
No matter how many blessings one could gather, none could compare to the Blessing of Great Creation that Master Mangnyang bestows. It’s the ultimate blessing that enables someone like me, who lacks any particular ability, to face off against a divine being like Shenglong, the ancient Dragon God of the Three Sovereigns!
Ultimately, since both blessings and grace are influenced by the rank of the being who bestows them, at this moment, there is simply no one greater than Master Mangnyang. This must be why previous strategists understood this and strategically chose to gather offerings instead of dispersing them for multiple blessings.
Master Mangnyang continued.
“Now you have received Zhongli Quan’s blessing, allowing you to focus on your training. However, aside from that, the Imperial Palace’s tyranny and evil plans will continue. Has your uncle not provided any countermeasures?”
I nodded in agreement, responding.
“Zhuge Sa advised against direct contact with Zhuge Bu. While enticing Zhuge Bu to hamper the palace’s plans from the outset and managing it as a double agent could be good, considering Zhuge Yulong’s intelligence, it wouldn’t be wise to attempt recklessly.”
“Hmm…, that’s reasonable. My father would certainly catch on.”
“Instead, Zhuge Sa suggested that you take charge….”
As I hesitated to continue, Master Mangnyang let out a light chuckle.
“To establish the Bancheon Alliance to keep the palace in check while buying time, right?”
“…Correct. I believe you could at least hold out for 10 years. But….”
“I don’t mind. If there’s a task to be done, I’ll do it. In fact, I’m motivated by the thought that I can help to buy you time.”
“…….”
I bit my lip, shaking my head.
“But I’m rejecting that plan.”
My words startled Master Mangnyang, and his eyes went wide.
“What do you mean?”
I poured out my thoughts like a sigh.
“I have owed you too much up until now. And I feel like I’ve burdened you too much by somewhat taking advantage of your desire to achieve the big goals. Also, although your yearning to grow stronger is no less than that of other companions, I’ve seen you set aside your desires for the sake of those goals…”
Zhuge Sa may not understand this emotion, but I felt it deeply as I had seen other companions nearby. Knowing how much Master Mangnyang had sacrificed, I couldn’t bring myself to ask for any more sacrifices from him this life after witnessing him give up the Ming Jing in the last cycle.
“Hmm…”
“For that reason, I wish for you to master your techniques and ascend to the Celestial Realm as an immortal. In this life, you needn’t become the Bancheon Leader.”
“You hope I learn the Corpse Dissolution Technique.”
I said emphatically.
“Yes! In this life, become a strong being who supports me through your power rather than a strategist! If anyone can master the Corpse Dissolution Technique perfectly, it’s you.”
It’s entirely possible.
If I feed him the Black and White Lotus to enhance both his internal power and spiritual essence, and then provide him with the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate to strengthen his technique, he would have more than enough fundamentals. Moreover, this reincarnation of Master Mangnyang already possesses the Ming Jing and knowledge, making his potential unprecedentedly high.
Hearing my words, Master Mangnyang smiled and said, “Thank you. I will definitely make it happen.”
“I too will ensure I achieve my goals!”
Master Mangnyang and I clasped hands. With determination set, we had nothing to fear.
Master Mangnyang spoke.
“That aside, what will we do regarding the palace’s containment? If I’m not using the Bancheon Alliance to contain them, destroying them immediately, or calling upon Zhuge Bu, what’s your plan?”
“…Well, Zhuge Sa provided a strategy. It involves leveraging the power of a third force.”
“A third force? You can’t mean…?”
I drew out the Silver Phoenix Fragment in my hand. Seeing that fragment, Master Mangnyang immediately caught on.
“Matteo Ricci… You intend to use the Jesuits in the West.”
“I’m thinking of using this phoenix fragment as bait to expose the current state of the imperial family to them. Then they should naturally take it upon themselves to suppress the palace.”
“I do wonder if that’s not too risky a move.”
“Are you worried that the Jesuits won’t have enough strength to contain the palace?”
When I countered, Master Mangnyang shook his head.
“Quite the opposite. If your uncle employs the Jesuits, it means he’ll draw the entire Western power into this scheme. If that happens, it’s not just containment anymore but an outright interest from foreign powers in the Central Plains.”
“Hmm. Is that really something to worry so much about? Even if the powerful [Old Rulers] in the West are strong, they cannot directly invade due to the truce between the Three Sovereigns and the Seven Luminaries…”
“[Old Rulers] wouldn’t even need to get their hands dirty.”
Master Mangnyang interlaced his fingers.
“The Holy Roman Empire currently rules the West, and its ruler is Charles V. Since you once delivered a letter to Catherine de Medici of France on behalf of the monk Belov, you’ve inadvertently gathered intelligence on the Western situation. Moreover, considering the current strength of the Holy Roman Empire…”
His words flowed slowly.
“If they send just 50,000 elite troops through their fleets to land in the Central Plains, a million-strong army there would be annihilated. A catastrophic chaos can be expected…”
“…Isn’t that a bit too pessimistic? And no matter how powerful firearms might be, there’s still General Hwang Yeon using the North Dragon Troops, and they can also use firearms.”
Master Mangnyang adamantly shook his head.
“Not at all… By your past life’s experience, the West has already completed shell casing development, and if they possess the latest in mainland technology, they likely have tech surpassing that. They might even have automatic firearms developed by now. I would posit that a significant technology gap has grown to the extent that even a dozen martial artists wouldn’t be able to withstand a few gunmen. Furthermore, if the West intervenes, it’s likely that demon soldiers or sorcerers would come along as well.”
“…….”
“If Zhuge Yulong chooses to abandon this era and remain silent, it’s entirely possible for the Central Plains to become a colony of the West.”
“That can’t be…”
“Your uncle seems to think it’s just worldly matters, planning to let it all slide while letting the palace and the West fight among themselves while you focus solely on training. Using the demon forces to play one against the other… While you may achieve the Reborn Person’s goals, haah.”
Master Mangnyang sighed.
After thinking deeply for a while, he said, “Baek Woong, take me to your uncle. While that strategy isn’t entirely wrong, we need to adjust it.”