Dark Sky Village
I felt there was no reason to hold back in this fight. As long as I took down that monster, everything would be over. Thus, I decided to unleash all my cards.
‘Lu Dongbin. You must be thinking the same thing, right?’
The Tentacle Monster, formerly known as the Golden Eagle Guard Commander, was now growling right before me. Yet, Lu Dongbin still didn’t show any intention of descending. This meant that he believed the opponent before me was someone I could handle alone.
Crackle!
The technique of Thunder Call was drawn into my body. At the same time, the Baek Woong’s Formation, which enhanced my mobility and calculations, swirled around me, and as the two effects combined, my combat power suddenly surged several times over.
“Haah!”
Boom!
As I charged forward with a shout, the Tentacle Monster, which was as massive as five people, was sent flying by my sword slash. The Alchemist nearby turned wide-eyed, startled, just as my fiery blade was aimed straight for the monster’s neck.
Swish!
‘Instant teleportation?’
I flinched upon seeing the Alchemist‘s figure vanish momentarily. However, as I sensed his aura in another spot, I quickly realized it was a form of short-range movement, unlike the space distortion I was used to. Determined to track him down, I stomped on the ground again.
Paaat!
“Ugh… take this…”
The Alchemist unexpectedly summoned a gigantic staff and concentrated a bright red flame within it. Dozens of fireballs began to whirl in the air, appearing more defensive than offensive, trying to make me think twice about approaching carelessly. I had to make a quick decision.
‘First, I’ll hit those fireballs.’
Boom!!
As I sent a wave of sword energy towards the fireballs, they seemed to divide for a moment before exploding in midair. The explosion radius was impressive—about ten people wide. I dodged the attack coming from behind by the Tentacle Monster using the Thunder Shadow Step and then launched another wave of sword energy at the pile of fireballs from mid-range.
Kaboom!
Thick smoke billowed around, and there stood the Alchemist, summoning more fireballs again. He seemed to be feeling safe now and was chuckling to himself.
“Do you think my magic can harm me?”
This was becoming a nuisance. Those fireballs appeared to react and explode upon someone’s approach, inflicting no damage on the caster. No matter how strong I was, receiving dozens of these blasts would surely leave me incapacitated.
Grrrrr!
Boom!
The Tentacle Monster roared again and lunged a heavy strike at me. This time, it confidently extended its tentacles, clearly recognizing me as its ‘enemy.’ I dodged the Tentacle Monster’s attack while quickly assessing my options.
‘Should I eliminate the Tentacle Monster first or the Alchemist?’
Choosing the former, I resolved not to recklessly challenge the fireball defense magic, opting instead to eliminate the easier target swiftly. So, I cast the Thunder Shadow Step and retreated, leaving an afterimage behind.
I climbed up a column in the dark with agile movement and slowly readied my aura. Before I knew it, I had taken out a blade from my robe and focused even harder. I could hear the mocking laugh of the Alchemist in the background.
“Ughahaha! Are you retreating because you can’t do anything?”
Ignoring his taunt, I calmly examined my veins and blood. I then targeted three acupoints to activate the Lightning Wind Blasts even further. At the same time, the dormant power within my Dantian surged forth explosively.
Rumble!
The Thunder Call, Baek Woong’s Formation, and particularly the enhanced Qi began to boil over. I leaped off the column, letting out a fierce shout. My sole target was the sluggish Tentacle Monster.
“Yaaaaah!”
Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique!
Secret Technique: Thousand Kills Slash!
A dazzling white light erupted. My body spun like a whirlwind, unleashing a series of crescent-like sword energies at terrifying speed. This swordplay, which could only be executed after mastering swift movements and deceptive strikes, was simply a relentless flurry of slashes.
Whoosh!
It felt as if time had stopped. In reality, my blade speed had exceeded limits, turning that white light into flaming sword energy, consuming sound as it unleashed an unholy barrage of slashes. A howling beast-like roar pierced through the air as the white sword light glowed ever more vividly, slicing through dozens of tentacles in seconds.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The rapid succession of three hundred slashes was a blur. The white light soon transformed into a radiant lightning glow, enveloping the entire body of the towering Tentacle Monster. The Alchemist, standing some distance away, seemed baffled by this turn of events, his eyes wide with disbelief as I focused purely on my cutting technique.
Bang!
Seven hundred slashes!
Eight hundred slashes!
Nine hundred slashes!
Bam!
The swirling sword light resembled clouds spewing thunder and lightning.
Clink!
It was the finishing blow.
With my sword sheathed, I turned my back to the almost completely obliterated Tentacle Monster.
The Tentacle Monster, in a final desperate effort, extended its tentacles toward me. My eyes narrowed, and I focused deeply, feeling the tendons in my forearms twitch.
I muttered quietly,
“Thousand Kills Slash.”
Whoosh!
As I turned my back, light burst forth behind me. In reality, I was channeling all the momentum from my previous slashes into a final attack, crashing down on my foe. Simultaneously, the body of the Tentacle Monster that had withstood nine hundred slashes suddenly split in two.
Boom!!!
The body of the Tentacle Monster shattered into countless fragments as light dispersed in every direction. This was the culmination of my training on the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique, and I felt a tremendous pride in using it for the first time in battle.
Thud, thud, thud…
As the Alchemist witnessed the explosion, he seemed thoroughly shocked. Then he yelled,
“No way… How could you possess that level of power?”
“Why indeed!”
I exuded ruthless killing intent, pulling a dagger from my robe and throwing it with lightning speed.
Swish – Bang!!
“Graaaah!!”
Fueled by my inner strength, the thrown dagger, now imbued with tremendous force, severed his arm, pinning the Alchemist‘s body against the wall. His numerous fireball defenses became useless; I had targeted his weakness from a distance. It turned out that his defensive techniques were weak against long-range attacks.
The Alchemist hung there, bleeding profusely, struggling against the wall. However, his struggles began to wane over time. I watched him quietly before raising my sword.
‘No need to give him any leeway. I should just finish him off.’
I didn’t bother trying to extract any information from the Alchemist; he was too dangerous a foe. There was a chance I could allow a reversal if I wasn’t careful, so I charged silently with determination.
He appeared half-conscious, barely holding on.
“Die!”
Clank – !!
In that moment, just as I was about to finish off the Alchemist, something suddenly blocked my path. It was a figure wrapped in Amulet Spirits, who seemed to effortlessly defend against my serious strike. I clenched my jaw, recognizing my opponent.
“Zhuge Fu…!!”
“Looks like I’ve made you rush into a difficult position.”
Zhuge Fu had stealthily entered the palace. Upon hearing my voice, he seemed to have approached me and followed me right to the throne room. He made a hand sign and invoked a spell he had prepared in advance, causing me to feel heavy pressure again.
“Merge!”
Boom!
Just as I unleashed my inner strength again, this time the spell vanished without a trace. Zhuge Fu’s surprised expression revealed he had teleported the Alchemist away, retreating some distance with visible shock on his face.
“Remarkable… to dispel an advanced spell with just your shout.”
I took a moment to catch my breath. Then, raising my sword, I asked Zhuge Fu,
“Why do you want to keep that guy alive? Isn’t taking him down all we need?”
Zhuge Fu dropped the Alchemist he was holding to the ground and replied,
“You don’t understand anything. That guy is just a pawn.”
“What?”
“Killing him would be mere laughter for the forces of darkness. They’ll merely spread their reach more fatally and in secrecy across this world.”
“But we can’t just let the Alchemist run rampant!”
I glared at Zhuge Fu, growling.
“Get out of the way!”
“……”
Zhuge Fu gazed at me with solemn eyes before saying,
“I can share some information with you. Follow me.”
Swish!
Zhuge Fu abruptly began moving deeper into the heart of the Imperial Palace. I glared at his retreating figure but decided to approach the Alchemist and bind him with my needle technique. While I had initially intended to take him down in one shot, since Zhuge Fu had offered to negotiate, I figured it would be better to charm him for information using Miho’s captivating arts. I subdued the Alchemist’s spirit completely before restraining him in the chest pocket.
Tap!
Following Zhuge Fu, I ventured deeper into the darkness of the Imperial Palace. As I tracked his presence toward the heart of the palace, a strange thought hit me.
‘What’s going on? Is this palace really that vast?’
Now, attempting to conserve energy, I had turned off my Thunder Call, but my lightness technique was still quite fast. At this rate, I should have already reached the end of most palaces. Yet, we were still descending underground, indicating immense size.
But soon I began to realize that this palace was built upon a magical framework, making it larger inside than it appeared on the outside, akin to how the Twelve Celestial Beasts‘ realm was designed. In the gloom, I noticed two or three enormous doors, and Zhuge Fu opened one first, allowing me to follow him through.
Finally, we reached a massive space reminiscent of the Abyss, connected by long spiral staircases. Strange bubbles and bizarre structures dotted the landscape. From afar, Zhuge Fu called out,
[ This way.]
I dashed down the spiral staircase for quite some time. As I descended dozens of steps, a flicker of light appeared, likely marking the Abyss’s floor. Zhuge Fu stood at the bottom, gazing up at an altar.
Whiiiiing
Whiiiiing…
“What is this?”
I stood there entranced, staring at the enormous green crystal hovering above the altar. This crystal was huge, approximately ten people high, and pulsed with life-like radiance. I had never even conceived of a crystal this large before. Moreover, this crystal seemed to possess an extraordinary magical power that could ensnare a person’s senses like a siren’s call.
Zhuge Fu remarked,
“This is the Philosopher’s Stone that the Alchemist has been working on.”
“The Philosopher’s Stone?”
“It seems you don’t know.”
With an ancient gaze, Zhuge Fu fixed his attention on the Philosopher’s Stone.
“More accurately, this is a stele with the method of creating the Philosopher’s Stone inscribed on it. The Alchemist brought it from the Western Regions. After being summoned from the land of the Otherworldly Race, the Alchemist has been dedicated solely to interpreting this stele while working to create the Philosopher’s Stone.”
I frowned. It was hard to adjust to the fact that the enemy I perceived was suddenly starting to provide explanations.
“So, what’s your point? What happens when the Philosopher’s Stone is completed?”
“There are basically three things.”
Zhuge Fu continued slowly.
“First, Immortality.”
“……!!”
“Second, Infinite Energy. The Philosopher’s Stone could become an inexhaustible energy source.”
“Hmm.”
“And finally… Creation of All Things. With the Philosopher’s Stone as a medium, anything can be created and transformed into whatever one desires. This is the pinnacle of ambition for Western magicians.”
I emitted a low hum. The Philosopher’s Stone was, in fact, an immensely fraudulent artifact. Now I understood why the Emperor, who possessed all worldly wealth and power, would collaborate with the Alchemist, as the first summoned Otherworldly Mage focused solely on creating the Philosopher’s Stone.
‘If that’s true, could it also turn an ordinary stone into gold?’
But somehow, I felt it wasn’t just about that. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a reason for the emperor, who possessed all the riches and power, to collaborate with the Alchemist. As I wore a dubious expression, Zhuge Fu smirked.
“Looks like you’re catching on. Right, in reality, the first Immortality is nothing special. Most of the Otherworldly Race are inherently immortal. If you implant the Magic Body like the Golden Eagle Guard Commander, it becomes easily attainable. The Emperor easily achieved Immortality with the Alchemist’s assistance. However, the unexpected twist was his death due to soul absorption.”
“What’s the Secondary Contract?”
“……”
A strange light flickered in Zhuge Fu’s eyes. He then explained,
“I guess you are smarter than I thought.”
As I contemplated whether his comment was a compliment or insult, Zhuge Fu responded.
“Indeed. The Emperor desired more than just Immortality. He wanted to rule over the entire world. Therefore, he sought the Alchemist’s help in creating the Philosopher’s Stone while gathering the Seven Luminaries. With the Seven Luminaries‘ power, the Philosopher’s Stone could be created easily.”
“What do the Seven Luminaries and the Philosopher’s Stone have to do with world domination?”
“Do you know that Zheng He made seven expeditions around the world?”
“……?”
I had no idea about that. As I tilted my head in confusion, Zhuge Fu continued.
“By then, the forces of darkness had already established gates connecting to various parts of the world. Zheng He‘s expeditions were initially dispatched for this purpose – an easy means for the Great Ming Empire’s army to invade foreign lands.”
“What?!”
“The Philosopher’s Stone not only serves as an inexhaustible energy source but also provides the means to open and close those ‘gates’ freely. In other words, the completion of the Philosopher’s Stone would signify the establishment of the Great Ming Empire ruling over the entire world.”
I was stunned.
What a monumental revelation!
The scope of the story had escalated beyond my comprehension, leaving me utterly bewildered. It dawned on me that,
‘The Infinite Energy source… Did the first mage who performed human sacrifices wish to obtain the power to open and close the gates through the Demon Gods, all at the cost of human sacrifice?’
It was entirely plausible. I glared at Zhuge Fu, saying,
“Have you guys never had a failed attempt at summoning the Otherworldly Race?”
“How did you know?”
“… I see. So that’s why the Alchemist was called here in the second place.”
I grimaced and looked at Zhuge Fu, asking,
“Was it your intention to wait for the Alchemist to complete the Philosopher’s Stone?”
“Exactly.”
“You intended to take it for yourself once it was completed.”
“Of course.”
I began to form an understanding of Zhuge Fu’s intentions. Unlike Zhuge Fu’s technique, only magic could produce the Philosopher’s Stone, and that could only be accomplished by the Alchemist. Thus, Zhuge Fu was biding his time, remaining loyal to the Emperor while waiting for the moment when the Alchemist would finish the Philosopher’s Stone before attempting to snatch it away.
It dawned on me that Zhuge Fu’s constant weighing his options against the Huang Yeon Army was due to assessing whether to collaborate with the Alchemist or help maintain his status while also completing the Philosopher’s Stone.
I became infuriated, my veins bulging as I yelled,
“Damn it! Do you not realize what monsters the Otherworldly Race are? Do you not see how many commoners will be slaughtered and tormented by them? Do you mean to say you let this happen all in the pursuit of your own interests?!”
“Of course I am aware…”
Zhuge Fu replied seemingly indifferent.
“Why should it matter to me whether I stop them after acquiring the Philosopher’s Stone? This is just how the world works.”
“You have no interest in humanity whatsoever.”
“Perhaps.”
Now I understood what had caused the sense of incongruity I felt when I first encountered Zhuge Fu.
He had zero empathy for humanity, devoid of emotions.
Instead, he viewed everyone else as mere tools to exploit for his intelligence.
His mindset was almost akin to that of the Otherworldly Race, and having encountered them firsthand, I instinctively sensed Zhuge Fu’s predilections.
While I was reeling in disbelief, Zhuge Fu chuckled softly.
“But… I think you might work out just fine.”
At this proposal from Zhuge Fu, I shut my mouth tight.
“Now, I’ll loosen the palace’s guard and yield the world to Huang Yeon. However, in return, we will snatch the Alchemist away to finalize the Philosopher’s Stone.”
“……”
“I can help you perfectly in that. If that happens, you can obtain the Philosopher’s Stone and become the future ruler of the world.”
This was an enticing offer.
The acquisition of the Philosopher’s Stone!
Even with the prerequisite of negotiating with Zhuge Fu, this was a monumental opportunity dropping into my lap.
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