“…Are you looking for Lord Heavenly Horse?”
The Guard Captain’s eyes widened.
To the Heavenly Horse Church, the Heavenly Horse is the absolute ruler and God.
The notion of carelessly seeking such an existence raised the Guard Captain’s vigilance, but he didn’t want to reveal it rashly.
If it were a place like Teshiniria, he’d be shouting, “How dare you mention my ancestor’s name?!”
It seems the hierarchy regarding cultivation is more significant than I thought.
“Yes. If he is as powerful as they say, I would like to meet him and have a conversation.”
“Hmm… It’s not easy to meet the Heavenly Horse. My authority isn’t that great.”
“In that case…”
Should I just barge in anyway?
As I turned my head towards the largest building of the Heavenly Horse Church, the Guard Captain hurriedly added,
“W-Well, you might be able to meet one of the Four Heavenly Kings. They are responsible for protecting the Heavenly Horse Church, so I think you can make a request.”
“Oh. Then could you guide me?”
“Yes, senior.”
The Guard Captain kept bowing his head as he led me.
What’s with this cultivation business? It’s strange how they treat someone they’ve just met as a senior.
[LOL]
[Can’t meet the Heavenly Horse?]
[Senpai!]
[Lily the senior is hilarious]
[So, who is Lady Lily?]
[Can’t I just kill him and enjoy the scenery?]
[But doesn’t it seem a bit different from the Aether main temple?]
[Right?]
“Hmm… That is true.”
Why is the structure different even though we are in the same world?
■
Heavenly Horse Church. Palace of the Guardian Magus.
Majul, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who defends all external threats to the Heavenly Horse Church, pulled his fist back as he gazed at the enormous collapsing rock.
Through one of the secret techniques of the Heavenly Horse Divine Art, Majul was able to perform powerful martial arts thanks to the teachings of the Heavenly Horse.
It was the Great Heavenly Horse who helped him rise from a level that merely surpassed energy gathering but fell short of a decisive breakthrough.
He turned his gaze from the half-collapsed mountain and looked at his servant.
“…Who’s visiting?”
“It’s Mountain Master. The Guard Captain, Gamseok, analyzed and suspects he has at least reached the Origin Spirit level.”
“Origin Spirit level? What kind of crazy Mountain Master dares to emerge before reaching that?”
Majul scoffed.
The wall he had struggled with for over hundreds of years in his practice was that point of decisive breakthrough.
Despite training repeatedly, he couldn’t break through the wall that was a turning point.
The reason he had been able to rise to this level was all thanks to Lord Heavenly Horse’s teachings.
It wasn’t something that could be easily attained at the level of Origin Spirit.
“By the way. Is Mountain Master at the level of Origin Spirit?”
This means one of two things.
Either he has a great backer like Lord Heavenly Horse,
or “Someone is just imitating Mountain Master.”
“There shouldn’t be anyone at the level of Origin Spirit among the Martial Alliance folks… How strange. Where is he?”
“He’s been taken to the VIP room of the palace.”
“Got it. I’ll check it out.”
I’ll know once I meet him.
Majul used the earth attribute technique to head straight for the VIP room.
The Palace of the Four Heavenly Kings was impressively large.
Inside, it was quite comfortably furnished, reflecting Lord Heavenly Horse’s unique taste to some degree.
– When will that person arrive?
– Just a moment…
Voices drifted from beyond the VIP room.
One was the deep voice of Guard Captain Gamseok.
And the other was the beautiful voice of a woman.
So beautiful, it almost made him freeze in place.
‘Was she a woman? Not that it matters anymore.’
Cultivation is open to everyone and yet closed to everyone.
As the other Guard Warrior, who was guarding in front of the VIP room, opened the door, the owners of the voices began to come into Majul’s view.
A beautiful woman with blue hair…
“…!”
“Ah. Is this the person?”
“…What is this?”
He hesitated.
Majul was astonished.
It wasn’t just because the woman’s voice was pleasant or her beauty was extraordinary.
Though those factors weren’t absent, he was a cultivator familiar with cultivation.
Instinctively, as a cultivator, he had to step back upon sensing her level.
‘The peak of Origin Spirit!’
She was on the verge of entering the realm of the Human Realm, surpassing even Origin Spirit.
Although she was at the level of Origin Spirit, she was at a plane so high that it couldn’t be easily compared.
Of course, he could confidently say that the Heavenly Horse Divine Art he had mastered was superior to any technique in the world, but Majul was at best at the initial level of Origin Spirit.
It was impossible to defeat a woman who had reached the peak of Origin Spirit and stood on the threshold of the Human Realm.
Glug.
“Welcome, Taoist Friend.”
I entered the grand building to meet the Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Horse Church.
Outside had a martial arts vibe, but inside was strangely filled with convenient elements, which I found intriguing when a man walked in and spoke to me.
A man in a black robe typical of the Heavenly Horse Church with quite thick hands and feet.
He looked like he was going to act quite recklessly, so I expected a rough voice, but unexpectedly, what came out was a friendly greeting.
“Dao?”
[Dao?]
[Are we talking about pizza dough?]
[Lily-dough ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[He looks quite manly]
[What’s a Dao?]
[Let’s kill him kill him kill him kill him]
[Killing him might give us some nice scenery]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Is he a friend?]
“You must be an ascetic doing cultivation together? Is the title Dao uncomfortable for you?”
“Umm. Not really.”
Of course, many had tried to hit me on the back of the head on the first meeting and were raving to kill me.
So, this was quite a change; he was like a fairy compared to them.
It was rare to find a world with such a clear hierarchy.
I nodded, and the Four Heavenly Kings approached the table in front of me and sat down in a luxurious chair.
“I am Majul, the Guardian Magus of the Heavenly Horse Church. May I ask your name, Dao?”
“It’s Lily. Lily Elbrite.”
“…Indeed. Your name is as extraordinary as you are. May I call you Lil-Dao?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Good. Lil-Dao. What brings you to the Heavenly Horse Church?”
“More than I came to find, I’m curious about how strong Lord Heavenly Horse is. Is there any chance I could meet him?”
“…Lord Heavenly Horse is not someone you can meet casually.”
Majul wiped away the anxious demeanor, firmly refusing my request.
And understandably so, the Heavenly Horse Church is a place that reveres only the Heavenly Horse.
No matter how much the levels differ and how much they fear me, betraying the Heavenly Horse is unthinkable.
[Really?]
[Oh dear]
[Then let’s kill him ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[I feel like he would guide us if we just hit him]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“Why can’t I meet him?”
“It’s not something just anyone can summon or dismiss… whether you can meet Lord Heavenly Horse is entirely at his discretion. It’s not a realm we can judge at will.”
“Hmm…”
“Besides, if you are looking for a powerful ascetic, there wouldn’t be a need to meet Lord Heavenly Horse.”
“? Really?”
As my head tilted in curiosity, he seemed to take pride in it and gulped down the tea placed on the table in one go.
It was quite hot tea, yet he swallowed it without a care.
Then it struck me; the flavor of the tea felt somewhat familiar.
“I don’t know if you were informed, but the Four Heavenly Kings are all strong ascetics. While they may not be on the level of Lord Heavenly Horse, I can confidently say they are enough to satisfy Lily’s curiosity.”
“So, what about you?”
“…I have a schedule to stick to. There’s a Heavenly King available to handle it separately. He’s the strongest among the Four Heavenly Kings. He’ll definitely clear up Lily’s curiosity well.”
Majul cleared his throat and turned away.
He seemed to take pride in his words but still knew how to distinguish right from wrong.
[Hahaha]
[Scared?]
[How strong are the Four Heavenly Kings?]
[Lily can take them out in one hit, right? Hahahahaha]
[He talks all big and then bails.]
[Just smack him and let’s meet Heavenly Horse, Lily.]
Majul stood up and gave a nod to the Guard Captain, who had his head bowed beside him, giving him a directive, and the Guard Captain immediately left the room.
I too rose from my seat.
Are we really going to meet the strongest among the Four Heavenly Kings now?
“What happens if it can’t be resolved?”
“Ha! You’re quite the confident Taoist Friend. In that case, I will personally guide you to Lord Heavenly Horse.”
“Really?”
“Indeed. No matter how much Taoist Friend has reached the pinnacle of Origin Spirit, the Magus of Ultimate Evil among the Four Heavenly Kings is also knocking on the doors of the peak. Plus, he’s learned the greatest martial art, Heavenly Horse Divine Art, so it won’t be easy for him to lose…”
■
Kuuung!
“A monster-like…”
“We’ve won.”
In the training grounds of the Heavenly Horse Church.
The Magus of Ultimate Evil, said to have reached the peak of Origin Spirit, was left lying around like trash on the side of the road.
Majul, the Guardian God, gazed at me, who stood unscathed without a scratch.
His expression darkened quickly as he looked down.
“…I will guide you.”
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