전생검신 91권 06화

I remembered this situation.

‘I definitely resisted the Heavenly Mysterious Woman hard back then…’

Even if it’s the Seven Luminaries’ trial or the king’s selection, the level of difficulty was absurdly unreasonable, and after my companions and I employed all kinds of tricks to overcome it, having the audacity to call it a ploy was just ridiculous. Anyone would be furious in that kind of situation.

But maybe I was too worked up back then? I couldn’t recall exactly what I said. So this time, instead of getting heated, I stared blankly at the void in front of me.

Crackle

[Change history / Do not change it]

No surprise, the option to change history popped up. Having experienced this before, I chose [Do not change it] without hesitation.

“……”

However, silence followed instead of immediately returning to the Go match with Al Karda.

‘Is this going to be another situation like with Cheon Woo-jin earlier…?’

I couldn’t be sure.

For now, the only answer was silence.

While I sat there in quiet, the Celestial Sage next to me was rather bluntly yelling at the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.

“Hey. Isn’t this a bit much? Regardless of whether it’s a trick or not, we passed the gate you presented, didn’t we? If you’re going to change your words like this, you should’ve just written that tricks aren’t allowed from the start.”

[…….]

“Even the human race you look down on wouldn’t acknowledge such a pathetic trial. Especially if the organizer is a Divine Being, there should be a certain level of respect. Am I wrong?”

[…… That does make sense.]

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman seemed to sigh for some reason after the Celestial Sage’s words. Then she mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch.

[Dear Sage. Please understand that I did not embark on this course of interference by my own volition…]

“Hmm.”

[There, Baek Woong. Since we also recognize that this trial is unfair, I will share with you the rules of this trial that you have overlooked. You may know about the king’s summoning power, but in reality…]

I interrupted her abruptly.

“Fate Power. Opening Royal Power.”

[……!!]

“Within this trial of the Seven Luminaries, those acknowledged as kings can wield miraculous powers on par with the [Old Ruler].”

I’ve already been through this once.

Especially with such significant events, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember every detail. I had no idea when I might need to use this information again.

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman looked visibly shocked by my words, then nodded.

[Th… That is correct. You already knew.]

“……”

[I only realized my mission after encountering the fragment of Cause and Effect. While I too belong to the Divine Temple, the only great being I can contact is Shenglong… The Emperor doesn’t even show up in the Divine Temple…]

After that, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman explained in detail the reasons she had no choice but to follow the Emperor. I had heard all this before and even knew things about this situation that weren’t supposed to be known, so I just half-listened.

Then a moment later, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman got to the main point.

[I will present you with three options.]

“……”

[First. I will teach you how to summon the Royal Power here. However…]

Oh crap… this is boring!

I couldn’t hold back and interjected.

“You’re going to bounce us off here with that power and have us fight the dragon of the constellation, am I right?”

[……?!]

“The second option is to teach us how to summon the Royal Power, but we have to restart the Seven Luminaries’ trial from the beginning. The third option is….”

I casually crossed my arms and continued.

“To wait indefinitely here until the Emperor presents an alternative, right?”

[……!!]

Seeing through all her thoughts left the Heavenly Mysterious Woman stunned and motionless.

‘Hmph. You somehow feel annoying.’

I’m not a pure villain, but a little teasing helps me vent my frustration!

Enjoying the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s reaction, I spoke again.

“Let’s have a chat and then decide. So, Heavenly Mysterious Woman, why don’t you return for now?”

[…… Baek Woong, what on earth are you…?]

“Not going? Do I have to force you out?”

[No, please make a wise decision.]

Fzzzt

After I threatened her, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman disappeared. I sighed deeply.

“Ha.”

I felt like I was already caught up in the Outer Gods’ plans, but there’s no helping it.

This time is important in a different sense compared to the Cheon Woo-jin case…

A little while later, a companion who had been looking at me with curious eyes, Zhuge Bu, hurriedly said.

“B… Baek Woong! How did you know about the Royal Power? And how did you perfectly comprehend the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s thoughts?”

“Hmm…”

I stared intently at Zhuge Bu. As I concentrated, he looked quite uncomfortable.

“Stop staring at me. Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Well…”

Even though I met Zhuge Bu again in my 30th life after returning to reality, it wasn’t that nostalgic. But I could tell that this Zhuge Bu felt distinctly different from the Zhuge Bu I had met before. The circumstances, resolve, and experiences he had gone through were all different, right?

‘It’s evident. The Zhuge Bu now is the most brilliant and spirited one I’ve ever encountered…’

As I mulled this over internally while observing him, I suddenly spoke.

“Zhuge Bu. I’ve got something to say.”

“What is it?”

“The truth is, I’m Baek Woong from my 30th life, and I got pulled back in time for a short while because I’m in the trials of the Outer God.”

“……?!”

“I’m playing Go with an Outer God and every time I make a move, I randomly return to the past.”

Oh, it’s working!

I confirmed there were no restrictions on spilling future secrets!

Naturally, Zhuge Bu, the Celestial Sage, and Cheon Gong-pyo all looked greatly stunned.

“What… what are you talking about?”

“Did you dream about being tested by the Outer God or something?”

“Is this guy crazy?”

And after a moment, Zhuge Bu appeared to understand something.

“……I see. So it adds up.”

I was taken aback by how quickly Zhuge Bu adapted to this situation.

“Zhuge Bu. You really believe me right away?”

“Yeah. If it’s not as you say, the current situation wouldn’t make sense. And…….”

Zhuge Bu suddenly said something sharp that made me flinch.

“If what you’re saying is true, then the purpose of testing you by the Outer God is ultimately to see whether you will choose to change the past or not, right?”

“……!!”

“There likely exists a choice about whether to change it or not as well.”

What? Did he figure that out with just that one sentence?!

I was impressed by Zhuge Bu’s genius.

“How did you know?”

“Just looking at how you’re deliberately trying to spill secrets clues me in. If it’s a trial where disclosure is possible, the potential intentions are severely limited. From there, it’s not hard to infer your current situation.”

“……”

No way, it shouldn’t be that easy…

‘Truly one of the greatest geniuses in the Central Plains…’

I realized once again that just because I didn’t know future information didn’t mean a genius wasn’t a genius. A genius is someone who can sufficiently apply knowledge with their innate intellect even if a reincarnated person has prior information. Moreover, Zhuge Bu now was radiant with a spirit and keen energy like never before, so it wasn’t impossible.

I nodded and began to explain in detail the situation I was facing to Zhuge Bu and the others.

“So what happened was….”

I briefly explained the events from my 30th life and how I had come to face the Outer God Al Karda while clashing with Fuxi, Tsukuyomi, and others. The more I talked, the more serious Zhuge Bu’s expression became, while the Celestial Sage and Cheon Gong-pyo seemed filled with curiosity.

Once I finished my explanation, Zhuge Bu spoke up.

“Baek Woong. You’re probably guessing why the Outer God hasn’t imposed restrictions on disclosing my wager, right?”

“……Huh?”

“Seems you haven’t realized that. It’s like the Outer God is signaling they won’t care about any trouble you cause while you’re in the past.”

I was taken aback by Zhuge Bu’s words.

“What? Does that really mean that?”

“Of course. Their aim is to immerse you in the fun of altering the past and see if you’ll choose [to change it] even just once.”

“……!!”

“Regardless, whatever you do won’t affect the [Great Cycle].”

So that’s how it is!

As I belatedly grasped the situation, Zhuge Bu continued.

“The Outer God intentionally loosened their restrictions to stimulate your desires. But on the flip side, this could be seen as an opportunity for you.”

“An opportunity…?”

“I don’t know much about the future you experienced. You may have something that only you know. Think carefully about what you couldn’t accomplish or what you regretted doing at that time.”

“Hmm….”

Zhuge Bu’s words got me thinking.

‘What was I regretting while facing the Sun’s trial? Let’s see…’

I pondered the events that transpired during that time.

‘After receiving the Blessing of the Sky, I managed to pass the Sun’s trial and ultimately succeeded in obtaining the Sun. Then I returned to the Earth and met Yan Emperor Shennong, only for the Emperor to suddenly overturn everything and destroy the world…’

Realizing how absurd my death was, I found it was annoying to think about. I had made such an effort and yet ended up with nothing concrete.

Reflecting on that dissatisfaction made me somewhat irritable, but I tried to push through my thoughts.

‘But what did I really want back then? What I wanted was….’

In that moment, a thought flickered through my mind.

“……!!”

Could this actually work?

I looked warily at Zhuge Bu and the others present, then said.

“You shouldn’t be surprised by anything I do from now on.”

“What are you planning?”

“This trial was a trap set by the Emperor. So I don’t want to go through with it. The Heavenly Mysterious Woman has already been defeated by me in the future as well.”

“…….”

“So I’ll take what I need and leave here.”

“If you’re taking something….”

As Zhuge Bu caught on, I nodded.

“Hand over all the Seven Luminaries I’ve obtained until now.”

Zing –

After receiving all the Luminaries from my companions, I gathered my Divine Power and focused. Then I activated my technique.

Divine Technique

Trimurti!

At that moment, I found myself entering the space with the red gem of the Trimurti. I realized as usual that the Trimurti was activating properly, and simultaneously reached out and whispered.

“I shall activate the Royal Power as the King of Humans.”

Creak… creak…

As I declared, the red gem suddenly began to make bizarre sounds and started to tremble, shortly emitting a large bright light.

Boom!!

Then, the red gem at the apex of the Trimurti changed to yellow in no time.

I could tell that this was a phenomenon caused by the special power of the Royal Power granted by the Emperor that was allowed in this Seven Luminaries trial.

‘We’ll need to see the effect of this from here on…’

I mumbled to myself as I continued.

“I command as the Royal Power… let the space of Trimurti expand to six!”

Chichichiching!!

At that moment, the Trimurti space that had been divided into a maximum of three was now increased to six. Normally, such a thing wouldn’t be possible, but in a king’s trial of the Seven Luminaries, even the Emperor’s powers could be utilized, which made it feasible.

‘There’s a reason for dividing it into six!’

I tossed one Luminary into each of the six spaces and joined my hands, shouting.

“Trimurti… I, Baek Woong, earnestly wish… to offer the Six Luminaries as an offering to obtain the most precious Luminary!!”

Crackle! Crackle!!

In an instant…!!

Lightning flashed and the clouds swirled around. After a while, something blindingly bright with a pure white hue appeared at the center of the Trimurti. I grasped that pure white entity, and in the next moment, I returned to reality.

Fzzzt

Crackle… crackle…

Was it because it still held overwhelming power? The final Luminary floating in my palm radiated a vivid light and emitted Thunder Energy.

‘Huh… was it this strong before?’

It didn’t seem this powerful before, did it? It felt like a hundred times the energy compared to the previous Luminary.

While I was perplexed, Zhuge Bu trembled and exclaimed in shock.

“Wha… What? You just offered all the Luminaries as a sacrifice…?”

“Yep.”

I grinned while showing my palm to my companions.

“This is the Sun’s Wish Jewel.”

The combined power of the Trimurti’s creation, the Luminary of the Six, and the Royal Power permitted only in this Seven Luminaries trial!

These three things combined made this the only opportunity now to create the Sun with my own power!

Zhuge Bu, flustered, said, “B-but still… There’s no guarantee that the Sun here is the same as the one obtained as the final reward for this trial.”

I shrugged it off nonchalantly.

“Why does it need to be exactly the same? The reason we’re here for the Seven Luminaries trial is to uncover the trials that arise after releasing the Six Luminaries. But I already know the content and ending of the trial, and all I need is to retrieve the human world. So it was only to get the final reward, the Sun.”

“……!!”

“Now, as a genius, you might have guessed what I’m planning?”

Zhuge Bu seemed to acquire an understanding of my intent and nodded.

“…So you’re going to end the Seven Luminaries trial here! You no longer have to dance to the Emperor’s whims.”

“Exactly. That’s what I made this for.”

I replied and aimed the Sun Jewel at my palm.

“Sun Jewel, I command as the Royal Power… please listen properly and do not ignore my words like last time. Send all of us back to the real world from this Seven Luminaries trial!”

Will this work?

Though I didn’t know the explicit power of the Sun Jewel, just the presence of a jewel named ‘Jewel’ suggested it would fulfill the wielder’s requests. Considering how challenging it had been to return from this trial, I wanted to leverage the power of the Sun.

A short while later, powerful light flowed from the Sun Jewel, shining bright.

Paaaar…!!

Moments later, we all returned to reality. We found ourselves standing in the ruined Imperial Palace as the clear light rained down from the sky.

Looking at the scene, Zhuge Bu remarked.

“I never expected we could be extracted safely from the Seven Luminaries trial under the powers of the Emperor and Three Sovereigns… The powers of the Sun Jewel are indeed real.”

“Hmm… who was it again? That Portrait Immortal Jin must still be undergoing the Seven Luminaries trial, right?”

“…Probably.”

“Let him work hard on his own. I’m done playing around with the Emperor.”

I casually let that out and sighed.

“Phew, that should be enough, right? Now that I’ve learned about the Sun’s powers, I no longer have regrets. I will not change history…”

Just then, as I seemed to murmur to Al Karda, the void suddenly opened up, and something colossal began to descend slowly.

That entity, draped in a golden mane, somewhat resembling a dragon—a beast that had never existed before—was descending with immense divine power, causing the Celestial Sage and Cheon Gong-pyo to tense up at the sight of it.

The Celestial Sage scowled as he observed that strange and powerful presence.

“…It looks just as strong as the dragon from before! What on earth is that?”

“……”

I stared at the beast, lost in thought because I already knew what that being was from encountering it in the Great Bear Empire 500 years later.

“A Heavenly Demon.”

Watching the descent of the Heavenly Demon, I realized that Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen wanted to talk directly to me now.