Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
When I said I would offer up the Water Essential, Shin Gongpyo seemed greatly flustered.
[What? The Seven Essentials...]
"If you won't help me, this is the only way I can survive."
[Wait...]
Before Shin Gongpyo could say anything, I spoke to the Fire Dragon True Person.
"Fire Dragon True Person. Is there a place nearby where powerful demonic energy is felt?"
[The entire world around us is a mass of intense demonic qi, so I can't pinpoint anything specific. But we've already drawn attention, so moving even a little will obviously lead to an encounter with someone.]
"I see. Then shall we just pick a direction and go."
specific. But we've already drawn attention, so moving even a little will obviously lead to an encounter with someone.]
"I see. Then shall we just pick a direction and go."
As I started to move, Shin Gongpyo shouted loudly.
[Wait! Are you serious?]
"Why do you ask? What if I am?"
[Reclaiming a Seven Essential that's fallen into the hands of a ruler is impossible. You said your goal is to gather the remaining Six Essentials and meet the Emperor, didn't you? This doesn't add up.]
I smirked.
"Even if I die here, the situation won't change. In that case, I'd rather live and wait for the next opportunity."
[You...]
"If you're not going to help, then don't get in my way."
As I began to move, Shin Gongpyo said,
[Are you really going to do this? If that's how you want it, then I have no choice but to kill you.]
"Why didn't you kill me earlier?"
I replied nonchalantly.
"If you're going to do it, then do it. It looks like if you kill me, you won't be able to move from this spot anymore either. If you want to die together, then go ahead."
[......]
Shin Gongpyo clamped her mouth shut. As I said, it seemed possible for her to kill or harm me
"If you're going to do it, then do it. It looks like if you kill me, you won't be able to move from this spot anymore either. If you want to die together, then go ahead."
[......]
Shin Gongpyo clamped her mouth shut. As I said, it seemed possible for her to kill or harm me by unleashing her power, but doing so would leave her without anyone to move her, putting her in a bind. And if the Ruyi Jingu Bang fell into the hands of the ruler of Dark Heaven Village or the Yi people, it would undoubtedly spell a nightmare for her, so she couldn't recklessly kill me.
Paradoxically, thanks to Shin Gongpyo unleashing all her malice toward me, I could easily judge the surrounding situation. If she had hidden her emotions like other cunning figures, a psychological battle might have ensued and I could have been manipulated, but since she openly showed her hatred while being forced to tolerate me, I figured it out.
She wasn't choosing not to kill me—she simply couldn't.
The moment I realized that, the initiative shifted to me.
As I swiftly crossed one mountain, a bizarre canyon came into view where giant eels with wings flew about. And at the bottom of the dark canyon swarming with hundreds of flying eels, powerful demonic power was visibly palpable.
'There must be something down there.'
Just one mountain over and an [Old Ruler] appears—this Dark Heaven Village really is the worst. Steel myself for negotiations with the [Old Ruler], I prepared to descend into the canyon.
[Wait!]
At that moment, Shin Gongpyo shouted strongly. She manifested her spirit body to block my path and said,
[Rather than hand the Seven Essential over to a ruler, I'll help you. So don't make a foolish choice.]
"As I said earlier, I can't trust you. In this situation, whatever you say is meaningless."
[Do you really intend to give up a divine treasure like the Seven Essential? It's just that your aptitude is lacking and you can't use it properly, but even one Water Essential alone could conquer the world. With two or three more, you could even overthrow the Heavenly Realm—do you really not know its power and plan to make this choice?]
"I know. You showed me the Water Essential's potential earlier."
I continued coldly.
"But I have my priorities. And they're different from yours."
[......!!]
"If you're going to help, how exactly do you plan to do so?"
With the initiative in my hands, as I pressed Shin Gongpyo, her expression twisted slightly as if feeling humiliated. But after a moment, she restored her composure and said,
[I will make a pact on my name.]
"What kind of pact?"
[If you release my seal, I will fully protect and aid you until you return to the real world. Since it's on my name, surely you can trust that?]
"Hmm..."
A pact on one's name.
For high beings, this carried overwhelming credibility, so it wasn't something to be done lightly. This was worlds apart from her earlier proposal to me. I thought this offer was worth considering, so I pondered for a moment.
'What should I do?'
I could just offer the Water Essential to the ruler and head back, but securing temporary safety from Shin Gongpyo was appealing too. However, if the ruler sends me back to the real world anyway, there's really no need to make such a pact with her.
"......"
After thinking for a long while, something suddenly occurred to me, and I said,
"Do you happen to know about Dalgi?"
[What? Why bring up that guy?]
"Tell me what your relationship is. Then I'll seriously consider your proposal."
Shin Gongpyo answered my question.
[That one is a great yokai and demon king born from Queen Mother of the West's yin energy falling to earth. Initially, he was her loyal servant but betrayed her and joined our Severance Cult. We were comrades in the Severance Cult for a long time.]
"......!!"
[I hear he's currently sealed on Golden Crow Island.]
Cult. We were comrades in the Severance Cult for a long time.]
".......!!"
[I hear he's currently sealed on Golden Crow Island.]
Queen Mother of the West's yin energy?
It was the first I'd heard of it, so my ears perked up. Dalgi, whom I'd clashed with countless times in my past lives, but whose true origins I'd never known—now his birthplace was clear for the first time.
'Queen Mother of the West... could it be...'
With a hunch, I asked,
"Is Dalgi an incarnation of Queen Mother of the West?"
[No. If he were an incarnation, she would have reclaimed him long ago. Dalgi is closer to a failed creation of hers.]
"Failed creation? What do you mean?"
[I understand that Dalgi was created when Queen Mother of the West failed to balance her Taiji, causing her yin energy to explode. I don't know the details, but because of that, Dalgi harbors great love and hate toward her.]
"Hmm... I see."
[He claims he escaped before being reared. But why are you asking about him?]
After finishing my calculations in my head, I replied to Shin Gongpyo.
"Shin Gongpyo. You must know the spell barriers and Severance Cult secret arts that Dalgi uses for defense, right?"
[...That's what this is about. Of course. I taught them to him, after all.]
"You taught him? So Dalgi didn't know them originally?"
[Correct. His innate yokai power was immense, but he didn't know how to use it properly, so our Severance Cult predecessors taught him sorcery. The spell barrier you mentioned is all secret lore from the Severance Cult headquarters.]
As expected!
I inwardly cheered and crossed my arms.
"Either teach me the Severance Cult's secret arts, or teach me a method to easily shatter them. As a bonus, tell me the weaknesses of the Golden Crow Fifty Heavenly Army too."
[What? Have you lost your mind?]
"Why? You know all this already."
Shin Gongpyo growled, her spirit body rippling with great fury.
[How dare a worm like you demand this from the Severance Cult Leader...!!]
Roar!!
As Shin Gongpyo's aura intensified, the Fire Dragon True Person manifested his spirit body to block her. Flames shot from Shin Gongpyo's eyes.
[Out of my way! Do you think even the Dragon King can survive against my Evil Subduing Sword?]
The Fire Dragon True Person replied calmly.
[Don't bluff. You know all that's left for you is ruin.]
[You bastards...!!]
Unable to contain her rage, Shin Gongpyo trembled. But in the end, as if with no choice, she halted her aura, her shoulders slumping slightly as she said,
[...Fine. So be it.]
"Got it. Negotiation successful. Let's make the promise."
Hum
Soon after, I made a pact with Shin Gongpyo on our 'names.' It was a form of ritual sorcery, overseen by the Fire Dragon True Person, leaving no room for deception. In exchange for releasing her seal, Shin Gongpyo would protect me until I returned to reality, and also reveal the Severance Cult's secret arts and Dalgi's secrets.
Watching the contract form in a burst of light, I thought,
'This is worth expending some Yin God Power.'
Just releasing Shin Gongpyo alone would be one thing, but this was different.
Dalgi's spell barrier!
It was the worst technique that made it hard to capture Dalgi even when the world's top forces ganged up on him. Even the White Lotus Cult Leader or the Twelve Rulers couldn't take him down alone because of it. Dalgi, deploying his barrier on absolute yokai power, was a natural
Dalgi's spell barrier!
It was the worst technique that made it hard to capture Dalgi even when the world's top forces ganged up on him. Even the White Lotus Cult Leader or the Twelve Rulers couldn't take him down alone because of it. Dalgi, deploying his barrier on absolute yokai power, was a natural disaster in himself—and the reason I'd had to anxiously watch for his summons throughout my past lives.
But if the Severance Cult Leader herself taught me how to break the spell barrier—my reincarnation process from here on would shorten dramatically. Because the difficulty of defeating Dalgi would drop sharply, making it much easier to conquer the Imperial Palace.
I said to Shin Gongpyo,
"By the way, is there anywhere we can hide? Those Eight Divisions Divine Generals will catch up soon..."
We'd put over thousands of li between us, but to divine beings like the Eight Divisions Divine Generals, it was meaningless. They couldn't close the gap easily due to the vast distance, but considering how the Three Zhang Sorcerer had chased me to the southern continent, distance didn't matter much to them. At longest, within one incense stick's time, I needed to find a place to hide or escape from them.
Shin Gongpyo said curtly,
[Why look for a hiding spot? Shut up and release my seal already.]
"What?"
[After making a pact, you still don't trust me? Hurry up. Time's short.]
"You're serious?"
[You filthy maggot! Do I have to say it twice for you to get it?!]
As Shin Gongpyo bellowed in rage, I flinched. So, I decided to first max out my Yin God Power, infuse it into the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and release Supreme Elder Lord's final seal.
'Can Shin Gongpyo really hold off the Eight Divisions Divine Generals...'
I doubted it, but I had no choice but to try. If it didn't work, I'd just kill myself. Gathering Yin God Power at my fingertips, I channeled it into the Ruyi Jingu Bang. I felt the most critical knot in the deepest part slowly unravel like melting in water.
The final seal was about to break.
Wooong—
That was the moment.
A vision of someone appeared before my eyes. It felt like an immortal with an otherworldly aura, yet his face was completely invisible, a faceless sage. A holy energy swept through the surroundings, its purity overwhelming.
I wondered what great immortal this was, but soon the vision addressed me.
[I am the final will and avatar left by Supreme Elder Lord. That you see me likely means someone is using divine power to release the seal on Shin Gongpyo, the Severance Cult Leader.]
"......!!"
Supreme Elder Lord!
So this before me was his final will?
"........"
Supreme Elder Lord!
So this before me was his final will?
It was my first time seeing the Three Pure Ones with my own eyes, so they widened in awe, but the Fire Dragon True Person and Shin Gongpyo apparently couldn't see him. It seemed only I could perceive him, so turning my gaze, Supreme Elder Lord's avatar said,
[...I have no way to judge if you are good or evil. However... we could not easily let a precious talent like Shin Gongpyo perish. Her chaotic talent was rare even in Chiyou's era, so to oppose the Gods, we wanted to protect her in the form of a seal.]
What did that mean?
[By the time you see this, Primordial Heavenly Venerable and I will likely have perished. I sense a mysterious demon who stripped our master Fuxi's mask and forced him back to his original form threatening the Heavenly Realm moment by moment. We probably have no way to stop that one's dark schemes... The previous Heaven-Penetrating Cult Leader was also annihilated by him.]
"....."
[It is truly terrifying. That existence views all humanity as mere playthings. If only someone could seal that colossal demon god... Could such a miracle occur?]
Sighing, Supreme Elder Lord's avatar pointed at me.
[You there. The chaotic being who calls himself Honggyun Do-in... The only ones who can slay the chaotic god who calls himself Yongbo Heavenly Venerable and treats the Heavenly Realm as a toy are Shin Gongpyo's Evil Subduing Sword or the Seven Essentials. Please awaken in her the true mission as successor to the Great Kunlun!]
Boom!
The next instant, the avatar vanished. I wondered if it was an illusion, but the information was too vivid for that. Supreme Elder Lord must have foreseen the future and entrusted his will to Shin Gongpyo's seal.
'Honggyun Do-in? Chaotic being?'
I couldn't understand it yet. Soon after, with a brilliant light bursting forth, I knew Shin Gongpyo's physical body was manifesting into the world.
Flash!!
Shin Gongpyo had been revived.
She looked almost identical to her spirit form but had clearly gained a physical body, freed from the Ruyi Jingu Bang. She gripped the Ruyi Jingu Bang, tossed it to me, and said,
"You, hide somewhere. I'll kill off those Eight Divisions Divine Generals or whatever they are."
"W-Wait..."
I tried to tell Shin Gongpyo what I'd just heard, but she showed no interest in listening.
Roar of Heaven-Penetrating!!
"Over there!"
Shin Gongpyo released sorcery from her twin palms to gather information, then hurled her Evil Subduing Sword into the sky somewhere and vanished. Stunned, as I watched her back,
Roar of Heaven Penetrating...
"Over there!"
Shin Gongpyo released sorcery from her twin palms to gather information, then hurled her Evil Subduing Sword into the sky somewhere and vanished. Stunned, as I watched her back, moments later the eastern sky turned red.
Kwarung
'C-Crazy...'
From earlier, she had been serious.
The revived Shin Gongpyo had challenged six of the Eight Divisions Divine Generals alone!
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