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0310 ———————————————-

Celestial Realm

What I gave to Mangnyang this time was an obsidian stone that contained the meticulous knowledge and experience of the Earth Immortal Mangnyang. Thus, it could be said that Mangnyang inherited the experience of when he ascended to the rank of Earth Immortal. After organizing that knowledge in his mind, he said,

“Baek Woong, we are currently facing a significant contradiction.”

“What contradiction are you talking about?”

“The greatest power you can currently acquire is the Water Element Divine Sword, but if you were to release it, the path to our goal would be significantly shortened. However, to do that, we must go through the Offering Ceremony, which directly conflicts with my father, the Vermilion Bird.”

“That’s true. The Vermilion Bird has been eavesdropping on all the information in the Celestial Realm as the Old Sage of Mount Tai.”

“So, let’s postpone the release of the Divine Sword for a bit. That will be our priority for now.”

Mangnyang’s words were right. As I nodded, Mangnyang continued,

“The way to gain rights to the Offering Ceremony isn’t just through the Seven Luminary’s Ritual. It might take a bit of a detour, but there will definitely be a way.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Mangnyang took out the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line and waved it around, saying,

“The key is to present a gift so great that the Celestial Realm can’t refuse. The value of the Water Element Divine Sword is immense, but there are certainly other treasures in this world that hold equal worth. You can find countless treasures by utilizing the Golden Lamp and Wooden Armor, so let’s first gather artifacts of exceptional value.”

“Hmmm, that sounds good.”

“When we perform the Seven Luminary’s Ritual this time, it might be a good idea to ask for something different. Do you have anything in mind?”

After pondering for a moment, I replied,

“I want to obtain a way to oppose the Old Ruler through the Great Immortal.”

At my answer, Mangnyang sighed.

“I understand why you said that, but it’s impossible. No deity in the Celestial Realm could provide you with that answer.”

“……”

“Even though we lost in our past life, it wasn’t due to a lack of strength. Our defeat was determined the moment we were summoned. We must not think of the Old Ruler as an opponent we can defeat.”

“Dammit.”

I gritted my teeth.

Seeing my displeasure, Mangnyang’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Baek Woong, are you not afraid of the Old Ruler?”

“Huh? It’s not so much fear as it is frustration. We’ll have to figure something out, somehow.”

“Your mental strength is truly remarkable. Instead of breaking down, you even feel anger…”

For some reason, Mangnyang’s words continued as he shook his head.

“If that’s the case, let’s try this.”

Mangnyang shared his plan with me, and I nodded in agreement, finding it good. Soon we rapidly made our way to Master Mangnyang’s village to begin preparing for the offering of the Water Element Divine Sword.

“Ha!”

As Cheon Woo-jin chanted the command at the altar, the spirit summoning took place. And the first to be summoned, as expected, was the Primordial Void Ruler.

[The ritual was well served, mortals. However… it’s strange.]

I interrupted when the Primordial Void Ruler got that far, wanting to save time.

“Next!”

[What?!]

Suddenly shouting, I caught the Primordial Void Ruler off guard. I crossed my arms and said,

“Our blessings don’t overlap, do they?”

[Well… that’s true, but.]

“You’re not being helpful.”

[……]

For some reason, the Primordial Void Ruler felt quite easy to deal with. It wasn’t just a gut feeling; it felt like some existential force was speaking. It seemed to be the influence of the Heavenly Secret, though I didn’t know why. Cheon Woo-jin’s cheeks trembled, but I ignored it and said,

“Next!”

[Ugh… this rude little brat…]

The Primordial Void Ruler trembled and replied,

“Fine… then this time, I will make an exception. I will remove the remnants of the great fortune residing within you and grant you a new blessing. Will that suffice?”

I was surprised and asked,

“Is that possible?”

[Of course.]

“Then what kind of abilities will the new fortune have?”

The Primordial Void Ruler confidently replied,

[Your fortune will improve, and you’ll be blessed with love, business success, talent, health, and more—blessings that are outstanding in all aspects of fortune! The amount of energy surrounding you will be several times greater than what a normal human might accumulate in a lifetime.]

That was quite an enticing story. Thanks to irritating the Primordial Void Ruler, he was prodded into offering blessings forcefully.

‘This is different from what I thought.’

Glimpsing at Mangnyang, who was standing nearby and lost in thought, he eventually spoke up.

“Primordial Void Ruler, before we proceed, I have something I want to know.”

[What is it…?]

“Is the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens also able to be summoned in this ceremony?”

Perhaps taken aback by the unexpected question, the Primordial Void Ruler fell silent for a moment before replying.

[The Heavenly Mysterious Woman cannot be summoned.]

“Why not?”

[She doesn’t have the capacity to bestow blessings upon others. She’s too busy with her own karma, so just leave her be.]

“Is it truly impossible?”

[It’s possible, but I wouldn’t recommend it.]

At that, Mangnyang gave me a wink. It was clearly a sign to skip the Primordial Void Ruler’s proposal and summon the Heavenly Mysterious Woman instead. To confirm, I sent a secret message to Mangnyang, and he firmly replied,

[Summon the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. That’s preferable.]

[Understood.]

After exchanging thoughts with Mangnyang, I turned to the Primordial Void Ruler.

“Primordial Void Ruler! I apologize for the previous rudeness. However, I cannot accept your proposal. Instead, I truly wish to be blessed by the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”

[Hmmm… I understand.]

Bang!

Then the Primordial Void Ruler withdrew from Cheon Woo-jin’s body, and an eerie energy settled all around. It felt like a killing intent, as if the atmosphere was surging with a palpable tension that a battle could erupt at any moment.

A little while later, Cheon Woo-jin opened his eyes. His pupils shone with a distinct silver light, radiating an otherworldly glow, and a feminine halo surrounded him.

Whoooosh!

The presence that had possessed Cheon Woo-jin soon took a stance, cradling something like a pearl in both hands. Looking at us, she said,

“Who are you to summon me, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman?”

Her tone was curt.

However, seeing the ethereal manifestation of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, I couldn’t help but be amazed. Even having witnessed many peerless beauties in the world, I felt a sense of awe at her perfect beauty! It was said that her beauty was akin to the dew of the moon, but this was something else entirely. She was so ethereal that it almost lacked any allure.

Mangnyang seemed familiar with her and immediately spoke.

“O Heavenly Mysterious Woman! Both I and Baek Woong are learning the Corpse Dissolution Technique. We need to gain the qualification to enter the Celestial Realm to completely master the art of dissolution.”

[What…?]

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman seemed surprised.

And understandably so, for the Corpse Dissolution Technique was a proprietary art only held by the Heavenly Mysterious Woman among the vast Celestial Realm. There were those who became immortals by discarding their physical bodies and letting their souls escape, and many notable immortals in history had mastered the technique to ascend. In reality, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman passed down her techniques through Earth Immortals who descended to the mortal realm on rare occasions; this was how the art of dissolution was disseminated over many years.

Looking at Mangnyang with a somewhat sharp expression, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman said,

[It is true that the practice of Corpse Dissolution includes training within the Celestial Realm. However, that secret can only be known by those who have reached the final stage of the technique, and even then, the Earth Immortals control it strictly. I have not heard that you have been recognized in the Dao Vein.]

“……”

[How do you know that secret?]

Mangnyang calmly replied,

“That isn’t important. What’s important is that both Baek Woong and I already comprehend the overall contents of the Corpse Dissolution Technique.”

With those words, Mangnyang began to recite a scripture as if to chant something. The murmured content continued for a while, and after reciting roughly 500 characters’ worth of scripture, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman appeared frozen, clearly astonished. What Mangnyang spoke was indeed a recitation that could only be performed by someone who had completely mastered the Corpse Dissolution Technique.

Mangnyang continued speaking.

“We are already qualified to enter the Celestial Realm. Please grant us permission.”

[……]

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman let out a reluctant sigh.

[Hoo… as much as I would like to refuse, it seems I have no choice since the offerings you’ve presented hold immense value. Following the recent meeting among the Great Immortals, we have decided to accept you as members of the Celestial Realm.]

“Does that mean we’re permitted to ascend Mount Kunlun?”

[That’s right. You may enter the Celestial Realm through the space between Heaven and Earth whenever you wish. Once you do, come find me right away.]

“Thank you.”

[Then…]

Bang!

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman vanished from that spot. Cheon Woo-jin, coming to his senses, remarked,

“You’re quite unlike yourself, older brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“Older brothers usually don’t like the Celestial Realm that much.”

Mangnyang chuckled.

“People can change. Plus, mastering the Corpse Dissolution Technique is essential.”

“If you’ve chosen that, I won’t stop you.”

“Well, you always do as you please, right? It’s funny to hear you say something like you used to stop me.”

“Hmph.”

Cheon Woo-jin turned his head, perhaps feeling awkward by Mangnyang’s slightly teasing tone. Truly a peculiar dynamic between the two brothers. Mangnyang, feeling that he no longer had to urgently recruit Cheon Woo-jin, left the village with me.

As we walked along the mountain path, Mangnyang spoke,

“Baek Woong, things have gone as planned.”

“That’s true, but… can you explain a bit more? Why did we have to make that choice?”

My question was valid. From the start, Mangnyang and I had planned to summon the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. That was because we wanted to gain the rights to enter the Celestial Realm under the pretext of mastering the Corpse Dissolution Technique. Even though we were startled by the Primordial Void Ruler’s interruption along the way, everything ended up going as planned. We intended to gradually assess the situation by passing through the Primordial Void Ruler, the Queen Mother of the West, Yeodong-bin, and others, but the result didn’t differ significantly.

The reason for wanting to gain the right to enter the Celestial Realm was twofold.

The first was to find out if the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were present in the Celestial Realm. Jeon Wook had used strange expressions, claiming that the Three Sovereigns themselves were present but also that they were not. To understand what he meant, an exploration of the Celestial Realm was necessary.

The second reason was that I also needed to cultivate techniques myself. The Celestial Realm had a far higher spiritual energy than the mortal realm, enabling a significantly faster pace of learning techniques. Moreover, if I could master the Corpse Dissolution Technique, one of the best arts, it would benefit me greatly in the long run.

However, my dilemma arose from the Primordial Void Ruler trying to offer the “Blessing of Great Fortune” in the middle of our journey. Frankly, the thought of accepting the blessing felt much more impactful than gaining permission to enter the Celestial Realm to cultivate techniques. After all, didn’t I achieve overwhelming success when I once received the Blessing of Great Fortune?

“The Blessing of Great Fortune is the highest-level blessing. Are you really willing to give up such a great gift just to enter the Celestial Realm?”

“Hmmm… honestly, I feel a bit regretful too, Baek Woong.”

“Then why?”

Mangnyang said,

“It’s because it’s the blessing from the Primordial Void Ruler.”

“Huh?”

“Baek Woong, don’t you find the Primordial Void Ruler suspicious?”

He sat down on a nearby rock and continued,

“In your past life’s memory, the Primordial Void Ruler was at the forefront when the Old Ruler clashed with the Celestial Realm. He directly faced the formidable power of the Water Element Divine Sword. Moreover, Itaka seemed to know him quite well, as he made remarks about the Primordial Void Ruler.”

“Oh.”

“Not only that. The Primordial Void Ruler lied to the representative prophet of the peaceful faction, distorting information about the secret of the Water Element Divine Sword. Additionally, according to Mangnyang’s memories, he doesn’t even know where the Primordial Void Ruler resides in the Celestial Realm. He is currently the most mysterious and insidious existence in the Celestial Realm.”

“……!!”

“It wouldn’t be wise to accept a blessing from such a dubious entity. It only increases the likelihood of being caught off guard by unforeseen risks.”

“That makes sense.”

I could understand Mangnyang’s words.

Indeed, the Primordial Void Ruler was suspicious. Though presumed to hold the third position in the Celestial Realm, just how he could govern Great Fortune and what kind of being he was remained too ambiguous. It seemed Mangnyang was willing to forgo immediate gains to avoid the risk represented by the Primordial Void Ruler.

Mangnyang chuckled softly.

“Regardless, this means you and I can now cultivate techniques at Mount Kunlun anytime we wish. For any human sorcerer, obtaining the right to ascend is a dream come true.”

—————————= Work Reflection —————————=

The aftermath of the last reserves is intense… I will do my best to write tomorrow.

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