LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 734
Dark Heaven Village
Right after the return, the Celestial Sage spoke.
“Cheon Gong-pyo will be lurking around here for a while. He’s self-centered and wouldn’t think of others, so he’ll surely think we didn’t help him and that’s why he failed, so it’s best to be cautious.”
“……”
“Though he won’t launch a full-scale attack, it’s obvious he’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
The Celestial Sage was all too familiar with Cheon Gong-pyo’s character. I hesitated and asked the Celestial Sage, “Are you going somewhere else?”
“Of course, I plan to meet the Heavenly Mysterious Woman! I’ll also take the opportunity to check out the atmosphere in the Celestial Realm.”
“Oh.”
“If she was with us, I would have considered fighting Dalgi on Golden Crow Island as well. It’s not like me and Xiang Yu can block divine communication. The Corpse Dissolution Technique could have made that possible, what a pity… If Cheon Gong-pyo had blocked the Divine Spirit’s interference, and I had taken down Dalgi to acquire that power.”
With a genuinely regretful expression, the Celestial Sage continued.
“Her Corpse Dissolution Technique is terrifying when used against enemies, but reassuring when for allies, so prepare to summon her quickly.”
“Understood.”
Pa-at!
As the Celestial Sage vanished riding the cloud, this time, Xiang Yu came to find me. He stared at me blankly with an emotionless face before speaking.
“The fact that you, I, and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman are helping just one human is unprecedented. This means we likely need to gather the Seven Luminaries, but what’s stopping us?”
“Ugh… That’s…”
I hesitated before responding.
“I still haven’t found the Master of the Twelve Joules with the Moon Lord and Wood Lord in the Underworld… and the Earth Star is located in the Heart of the Imperial Palace.”
“That’s odd.”
“What?”
“Then, the most urgent task right now is to find this Master of the Twelve Joules or whatever. Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“First, we still need Cheon Gong-pyo’s help going forward… and I figured that by gathering help from the Monster Sage, we’d grow a formidable force, which would be beneficial in the future. There’s no way to find the Master of the Twelve Joules immediately.”
“Sounds kind of half-hearted.”
“……”
Xiang Yu smirked before saying.
“Somehow, it feels like if this goes on, you and your companions will end up being puppeted by someone. I’ll be back at the Nine Heavens Mountain, so don’t call for me for a while.”
“What?! Why…”
“If you call me when you haven’t found Yu Ji, I’ll kill you.”
Swish.
With that, Xiang Yu left.
“……”
“It’s enough to make anyone mad. Somehow, I ended up feeling good about helping you, but the result was just floundering in the void. The fact that I didn’t hit you here shows I’ve been pretty patient for someone like me.”
Cheon Woo-jin snickered from the side, but I had nothing to say. I felt guilty for having attacked him recently under the illusion.
When I fell silent, Cheon Woo-jin sighed and sat down.
“Ugh – the progress has suddenly stalled. The older brother’s strategy was predicated on achieving successful results on Golden Crow Island, so it might be wise to call him for help again.”
“… Is that really necessary?”
“What?”
“I feel like we’re all overlooking something important…”
I muttered.
The reason I couldn’t counter Xiang Yu’s words just now was because I felt something from his words. Of course, it’s not that Mangnyang’s strategy was wrong, but both Xiang Yu and I valued our instincts, and there was a sense that the overall flow was weirdly tangled, which clearly felt unrelated to my intentions.
It was something I couldn’t explain rationally, but one clear feeling arose – ‘This isn’t good.’
I don’t have the initiative in this situation.
It’s tough to gather the Seven Luminaries and the chance to directly fight Chang-hil isn’t there either.
Despite having powerful forces like the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, the Celestial Sage, and Xiang Yu, I’m not utilizing them well. The strategy certainly isn’t flawed, but I’ve only been floundering, which is strange. This must be because I’ve missed something crucial. So then, what is crucial in this situation?
“……”
It’s not that mysterious egg that Jin So-cheong found in the secret space. I mean, it doesn’t look like it’ll wake anytime soon, so I just shoved it into the Wooden Armor. The situation had already been spiraling out of control before I brought in that egg.
What could the problem be, what…
It’s not that Mangnyang is wrong. If I start suspecting him, my actions become meaningless, as do any future actions. This isn’t a matter of logic or strategy.
“Ah.”
In that moment, I felt like I realized something. I immediately stood up and spoke to Cheon Woo-jin.
“Cheon Woo-jin. Is there a technique that can control me without my knowledge?”
“Of course, there is.”
“What kind of technique is it?”
To my question, Cheon Woo-jin answered curtly.
“There are plenty. Not just one or two. The Soul Exchange Technique is similar, just with different principles for brainwashing and seduction. It’s not like there haven’t been instances in Central Plains history where the Dao Veins allied with power; I could tell you hundreds of them.”
“But… if some average sorcerer used brainwashing on me, you would know immediately, right?”
“Of course. Not to mention, think of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and the Fire Dragon Incarnate descending on you. There isn’t a sorcerer in this world who could successfully cast brainwashing or spirit techniques on you while they directly manifest and grant you blessings.”
“Then, if we expand the scope to otherworldly races or even great immortals?”
“… If they were truly a high-ranking otherworldly entity, it might be possible, but at that level, they are practically akin to a god. For instance, a prophet may conduct a powerful ceremony to control you, but… you know that they also fall under the title of the ‘Old Ruler,’ right?”
“Um…”
“Why are you asking something like that out of the blue?”
“You’re a genius; I’m sure you know why I’m asking.”
As I replied, Cheon Woo-jin scoffed.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Who would control you? Is there anyone in this world who has drawn as much divine attention as you and received more blessings from high-level entities? That’s impossible!”
“……”
Yet, I couldn’t have faith in Cheon Woo-jin’s conclusions. Because the strange anxiety and precarious misfortune I had experienced all pointed towards that conclusion.
[Somehow, it feels like if this goes on, you and your companions will end up being puppeted by someone.]
Xiang Yu’s words resonate in my mind.
Is this really just my feeling?
If it were, the experiences and instincts I’ve honed through my travels wouldn’t be sending constant warning signals. I pondered for a while before saying.
“Cheon Woo-jin. But think about it. If it turned out that someone is controlling me right now, who would benefit the most by controlling me?”
“……”
After some thought, Cheon Woo-jin replied.
“Your enemy.”
“But it’s not like the enemy has ever done anything that directly benefits them by controlling me.”
“Damn it… chatting with you feels like listening to the ramblings of a madman.”
Cheon Woo-jin, getting irritated, said.
“I don’t know. Go ask someone else.”
Ultimately, Cheon Woo-jin couldn’t handle it and left, so I reluctantly gathered the remaining human companions and Gong Gong and shared my strange anxiety with them. The one most interested in my story was Tang San.
Upon hearing my anxiety, Tang San immediately said.
“It reminds me of the techniques of Wan Poison Gate.”
“Wan Poison Gate?”
“You know the Wan Poison Gate of Yunnan, right?”
“I’ve heard of it. They were originally competitors with your Four Talents Sect, and the Poison Demon, the overlord and sect leader of Yunnan, is one of the Eight Demons of Martial Daos.”
“I beheaded the Poison Demon and put his head on display down here. I annihilated Wan Poison Gate recently.”
“……”
At Tang San’s unexpected words, everyone’s attention turned to him. I spoke, astonished.
“Why did you destroy them?”
“They were getting in the way while roaming around the Sichuan Martial World… And I needed to obtain their techniques and experience to research my Formless Poison.”
“……”
“Don’t look at me like that. I only killed the adults and spared the children.”
Tang San casually dropped enormous news as if it were nothing.
“When I destroyed Wan Poison Gate, I gleaned all the poison techniques and insect techniques they had. When it comes to insect techniques, I found their technique of parasitizing insects to be quite fascinating.”
“Parasitizing?”
“Yeah. An insect can enter another insect’s body and coexist. And the parasite can manipulate the host’s behavior and ecology while altering its body at will. The host can even reveal itself to predators without realizing it.”
“……”
“Could it be that someone has parasitized you? Hehehe.”
Seeing Tang San’s playful expression, I finally realized that he was just messing with me. I frowned.
“Don’t mess with me. What kind of insect shaman exists? Besides, even if they applied parasitic techniques on me, they couldn’t deceive the Heavenly Mysterious Woman or the Fire Dragon Incarnate’s blessings. Moreover, if such a powerful insect shaman existed in the Martial Arts World, the Master of the White Lotus Sect would have eliminated them and taken over the Martial Arts World by now.”
“What~ There could always be a case like that~”
While Tang San was joking, Seo Mun-hye spoke seriously.
“Lord Baek Woong, I think you’re being overly concerned. I understand why Cheon Woo-jin got angry, but do you have any concrete reasons for this thought?”
“I just have a feeling. But that feeling suggests there’s definitely an issue.”
Jin So-cheong, who had been listening from the side, spoke up.
“Baek Woong, I find your words quite reasonable.”
For the first time, someone listened seriously to me – it was Jin So-cheong! She composed her words carefully.
“It’s true that we are being dragged along without initiative, and the reason for that is indeed unclear. It is convincing to say that this influence comes from external forces rather than our own shortcomings. However, we can’t just prove this by mere feelings.”
“What should we do then?”
In that moment, Gong Gong interjected.
[In other words, it’s about not knowing what to do even with power and not knowing who to attack, correct?]
“That’s right…”
[Setting aside the existence of something mysterious controlling you, shouldn’t the priority be to clearly identify whom we should attack first? Who do you think we should hit first?]
“Well…”
I paused, about to mention Chang-hil and the Eight Parts of the Divine, but then hesitated.
Attacking them first wouldn’t give us any power, and even if we defeated them, it would likely just benefit others. Since I found myself in this kind of predicament, Mangnyang devised a strategy to gain Cheon Gong-pyo and Golden Crow Island’s strength. But now that the plan has failed, I need to find another way.
‘Then should we attack the Celestial Realm?’
That isn’t it either. The Celestial Realm isn’t evil, and in any case, it serves to prevent Chang-hil from acting freely. In emergencies, the Celestial Realm can receive orders from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to send the Heavenly Sovereign against Chang-hil, which is why Chang-hil doesn’t recklessly step into the forefront. Attacking the Celestial Realm first would be a bad option.
Furthermore, attacking Jeogok, who had negotiated with Chang-hil recently, also doesn’t make sense. We don’t have the strength to face the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors directly, and similarly, Jeogok acts as a controlling factor against Chang-hil.
At that moment, I realized.
The great powers are in a state of equilibrium, balancing each other out!
It was just like when the three great factions in the human world were pulling each other; it made it difficult to pinpoint a clear adversary.
“……”
[In my opinion, now is the time to remain cautious and gain strength. The moment someone cuts the rope of balance, seizing the chance to achieve your goals fiercely is best. Don’t you think? Perhaps the same could be said for discussing strategies with Mangnyang.]
“That could be true…”
As Gong Gong said, Mangnyang often preferred strategies that focus on gaining strength. No matter how clever the strategy, it often crumbles when there isn’t enough absolute power. Since the enemies are scattered, why would we take the initiative?
“… But…”
I’m truly concerned.
Is my current action truly my autonomous will?
To the average human, this might seem like an absurd worry, a delusion only a madman would have, yet I cannot let go of this string of suspicion. Intuition, which cannot be explained by logic, keeps warning me that disaster awaits if I miss this moment.
Fate? Destiny?
I feel the need to take on an adventure to bolster my intuition. So, I immediately stood up and declared.
“I’ll go seek the prophet.”
If I cannot decipher the variables in this situation, then I must find out, even if it costs me!