Chapter 193: Chapter 191

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

I returned to Jinrang Valley with Mangnyang. Then Mangnyang said,

“From what I’ve gathered, I realize now that I’ve mistakenly executed my strategy thus far.”

“What do you mean by that?”

After sipping a warm cup of tea, Mangnyang continued,

“The ‘Mangnyang’ until now has allowed you to cultivate and navigate variables on your own, growing the Bancheon Alliance to keep the Imperial Palace in check while preparing to ally with the Thunder God Lineage in a pinch. With the powerful piece called Hwangyeon, it was only natural for that path to follow. In other words, I was prepared to seize the world at any moment.

However, now that the existence of Dalgi has been revealed, that strategy has become obsolete. In simpler terms, it means there’s a pressing need to significantly revise our strategy for your 15th life.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“What does that mean?”

“For instance, if we assume in your 14th life, we let the Portrait of the Ruler sit unclaimed in the Imperial Palace as time passed, Dalgi wouldn’t have intervened. But in a few years, the Portrait of the Ruler would have been crafted to a point where it could be practically used. Press one button, and the other side flourishes. This means, as things stand, we can never defeat the Imperial Palace in a direct confrontation of Organizations.

“But I successfully took over the Imperial Palace when I assassinated the emperor with the power of the Old Ruler.”

“Yet, you couldn’t handle Zhuge Fu, the final defense, with your own strength.”

“Hmmm…”

“Even if the situation unfolds favorably and Zhuge Fu were to surrender to us then, touching the Imperial Palace amounts to attacking the underlings of the Old Ruler, responsible for his sacrifices. It’s only a matter of time before the Old Ruler intervenes and dispatches Dalgi.”

After explaining that, Mangnyang sighed.

“That’s why I said I’ve set the wrong strategy. Until now, our plan was merely to overthrow the royal family and establish order before the intervention of the Old Ruler. But if Dalgi‘s power is as tremendous as suggested, we must reassess all our plans. Above all, we currently don’t even understand why the alchemists are casting magic of the Demonic Path or for what purpose.”

“……”

Listening to Mangnyang‘s words, I pondered deeply before asking,

“What should we do?”

Mangnyang picked up the teapot and poured hot tea into my cup.

“The current situation is so flooded with information that it leaves us perplexed about what to do. I believe your will should be prioritized.”

“My will?”

“I have a logical solution in my mind, but I can’t readily present it to you. Because there are too many unknown truths at play, hastily moving forward could lead to mistakes or misunderstandings, like before.”

Mangnyang gazed at me earnestly as he continued,

“That’s why your ‘intuition’ is important.”

“I don’t really have good intuition…”

“You have already repeated time regression 15 times. You possess experience far beyond that of an average person. I believe you have senses only you can access.”

“Umm…”

There was uncertainty in Mangnyang‘s words, leading me to hum in contemplation. Intuition? Did I ever have that?

Up until now, whenever something seemed good, I had approached it haphazardly and made judgments afterward. I often ended up dying because of it, so I couldn’t confidently trust my intuition. However, considering Mangnyang‘s words, I couldn’t disregard it either, so I thought through my options.

Then I voiced what I most wanted.

“First, I want to meet Miho and then Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

Mangnyang responded with surprise,

“You want to meet the Master of the White Lotus Sect? What makes you think that?”

I felt awkward bringing it up with Mangnyang, a lowly being like myself, as I had no solid reason for my thought. I scratched my head and answered,

“Well… I thought giving the world to the White Lotus Sect wouldn’t be too bad.”

Whether the White Lotus Sect dominated the martial world had nothing to do with me. I just wanted to let them do whatever they pleased without unnecessary resistance.

“……”

Mangnyang’s face stiffened. I wondered if I had said something wrong, feeling anxious, until Mangnyang sighed deeply.

“Aah… I can truly believe now that you are a Reborn Person!”

“Uh…”

“What you just said was one of the solutions I had in mind, but it’s not something an ordinary person would suggest. Moreover, your approach is completely different from mine.”

Mangnyang appeared genuinely impressed. Since I had spent a lot of time with him, I hadn’t seen him react that way often, so I felt oddly pleased. I had mostly spoken without thinking it through, but it felt like I stumbled upon a lucky chance.

Mangnyang said,

“Yes, I agree that trying that method now is worth a shot. Up until now, we tried to topple the Imperial Palace through our efforts alone, but perhaps yielding control to the White Lotus Sect entirely isn’t such a bad idea after all. It’s better to risk lesser evils than the worst evil.”

“Sounds good!”

“However, this implies one crucial fact… Is that alright with you?”

“What do you mean?”

As Mangnyang continued, my expression hardened.

“You cannot ally with Lee Kwang in this life or receive his teachings. Lee Kwang sees the White Lotus Sect and all its supporters as enemies.”

“……!!”

I hadn’t considered that!

Indeed, if I were to assist the White Lotus Sect, I could not engage with the Thunder God Lineage, who viewed them as adversaries. Moreover, it would be questionable whether I would ever have the chance to meet Lee Kwang again in the future. While I didn’t particularly like Lee Kwang, missing out on training alongside martial geniuses like him and Jin So Cheong would be quite a painful hit.

I pondered before replying,

“Um… What if I hand over the world to the White Lotus Sect and then join the Thunder God Lineage to fight together?”

“That’s too self-centered an approach. Handing over the world to the White Lotus Sect means the Master of the White Lotus Sect will mobilize all their power for the conquest of the Central Plains. Do you think the Thunder God Lineage could survive that?”

“……”

“Without a doubt, it will be completely different from dealing with the contemplative White Lotus Sect from the previous life. It will be an overwhelming degree of difficulty.”

“Hmm.”

“There are ways to have both, but… I’ll leave it to your intuition.”

It felt like I had to make a choice again.

I sensed that this was a significant turning point. Until now, whenever I consulted Mangnyang, he had simply provided a straightforward direction. However, this time he was making me ‘choose,’ which indicated how crucial this matter was.

I sat in silence for about a sixty breaths, drinking tea while deep in thought. Mangnyang also participated in the silence, sipping his tea as he waited for me. I soon replied.

“I’ll let go of the Thunder God Lineage. But I want Jin So Cheong on our side.”

Upon hearing my answer, Mangnyang looked astonished. Then he burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! You are indeed an interesting person. Out of the ten choices I considered, you picked the one that looks the toughest!”

“Is that impossible?”

“What could make it impossible? Let’s give it a try.”

“Thank you…”

I felt gratitude towards Mangnyang. He said,

“Well then, I will prepare while you go get Miho.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and for now, don’t think about heading to Aokigahara. It might complicate things.”

“I will take note of that.”

It seemed Mangnyang was concerned I would become overly curious and strive to explore Aokigahara, ultimately leading to my demise. Indeed, such a magical realm should not be ventured into at my current lack of strength. I felt that this 15th life was meant for monumental preparations, so I resolved to act as cautiously as possible.

I then prepared to use Cooking to head to the Heavenly Palace.

Whoosh!

‘Miho asked me to bring her directly from the next reincarnation, didn’t she?’

Recalling Miho‘s request, I stepped into the interior of the Heavenly Palace. If I didn’t meet her directly, Miho would have to travel for hundreds of miles to reach the Central Plains, following the orders of the Queen Mother of the West.

As I walked through the inner chambers of the Heavenly Palace, suddenly a spine-chilling sound rang out.

Kiiing!

It was an unsettling sound, seemingly designed to bewilder the mind. Knowing how to prepare for a spell of this sort, I closed my ears as much as possible and focused my inner power. As a result, the dizzying sensation in my head subsided, and I was able to stand upright.

Bang! Bang!

At the same time, two goblin-like creatures appeared from a distance. Knowing full well what those beings were, I murmured,

“Front Demon and Back Demon, huh?”

When I first met Miho, these were the Spirit Puppets that had nearly annihilated the warriors of the Twelve Beats! The power of the Front Demon and Back Demon is proportional to that of the sorcerer, indicating that Miho‘s illusion skills are extraordinarily impressive. Of course, even I couldn’t look down on the Front Demon and Back Demon now.

The Front Demon and Back Demon did not launch an attack but merely glared at me. And from somewhere, an echo of the Heart Language spell reached my ears.

[Who are you? Who dares to intrude upon the Heavenly Palace?]

That tone sounded very familiar. I chuckled and replied,

“Miho! I figured you’d be looking for me!”

[……]

“You must have heard from the Queen Mother. Let’s skip to the chase.”

For a long moment, Miho didn’t respond at all. Then suddenly, her half-fox, half-human form manifested between the Front Demon and Back Demon. With an imposing expression, the beautiful yet mystical fox monster Miho looked at me with caution and said,

“So it is true. You are the human that the Queen Mother spoke of.”

“That’s right.”

“But how is it that you were able to arrive so quickly when I only received the revelation just a day ago?”

“First, shouldn’t you dispel those Spirit Puppets? They’re too scary for me to even speak.”

“Hmph…”

Bam!

When Miho waved her hand, the Front Demon and Back Demon vanished. She approached me and said,

“From the looks of it, you seem to be a martial artist from the Central Plains. What’s the story?”

“Of course. I came here to find you. However, you must believe everything I say.”

“Hmm… Trusting is the hardest thing in the world, you know?”

“If you don’t want to believe me, that’s fine. After all, your tasks won’t change regardless.”

Then Miho wagged her tail playfully, flashing a peculiar smile.

“You’re an interesting one. Why do you speak as if we’ve been acquaintances before?”

“Well, that’s because I’ve been reincarnated.”

“What?”

Then, like I did with Mangnyang, I shared the lengthy tale of my past lives with Miho. Recounting my 14 lives felt exhausting, but Miho listened intently, without showing any signs of boredom, her expression serious the whole time.

To bolster my credibility, I showed her the Cooking and Mok Gap as proof. The moment she witnessed their capabilities, she was taken aback.

“Wow… this must be a Demonic artifact! Incredible!”

“Now do you believe me?”

“What a fascinating story.”

Miho had plenty of questions for me, and I responded sincerely, sharing all that I knew. After about a sixty breaths of back-and-forth dialogue, Miho finally sighed.

“It truly seems to be the case. You don’t look all that clever, yet your story holds together perfectly.”

“……”

The comment about not looking clever stung a bit. When my face fell, Miho hurriedly tried to soothe me.

“Oh! No, I didn’t mean that! I was merely trying to ascertain the truth of your tale.”

“What do you mean?”

“Humans can weave all sorts of lies, but once you dive into the details, inconsistencies arise. Yet, your story lacks that feeling. So I believe in its truth.”

“Well, that makes sense. It is indeed difficult to believe such things right off the bat.”

As Miho gently patted my cheek playfully, she said,

“Ahaha, Baek Woong. So, did you come to pick me up to prevent me from journeying to the Central Plains on my own?”

“Yep. That was your request.”

“Hmm… Speaking of which, how about just living here instead? I could place you on the throne of Dongyoung.”

I shook my head at Miho‘s offer.

“Sorry, but I can’t do that. Leaving the Imperial Palace unattended would spark a tremendous catastrophe.”

After saying that, a realization hit me, and I asked Miho,

“By the way! Have you ever heard of Dalgi, the great youkai?”

“……”

Miho hesitated, then responded,

“I haven’t been on the ground for that long. To start, I was born in the Heavenly Realm, and during ancient times like the Silver Age, beings like that didn’t even exist. I’ve never heard of a great nine-tailed fox like that.”

“Hmmm… But nine-tailed foxes aren’t all that common, are they? You alone are a Heavenly Fox.”

When I raised my objection, Miho replied,

“There are a lot of fox demons around, and more than a few could train long enough to acquire nine tails and achieve the status of Heavenly Fox. Perhaps Dalgi was also a creature like that, undergoing severe levels of cultivation since the days of the Silver Age?”

Miho‘s reasoning made sense. Just like humans, youkai can also gain powers through training, so if they cultivated for a long time, they’d acquire strength according to their effort. I nodded in understanding and said,

“Then let’s go. I look forward to working well together.”

“Ah! Just a moment.”

“Why?”

“After hearing you, I’d like to bring my loyalists along. They could prove quite helpful in whatever Mangnyang has in mind.”

“Your loyalists…?”

“Yes. After enchanting Dongyoung, I have a couple of chosen ones in mind.”

Curiosity piqued my interest.

‘It seems Miho, on her journey to the Central Plains, hadn’t considered bringing her loyalists along.’

Now that she had heard my story and knew of Cooking, a convenient means of transport was present, suggesting she might want to take her loyalists to the Central Plains. The more allies, the better, so I nodded fervently.

“Sure! Who are they?”

Miho laughed gleefully.

“I intend to bring just two.”

“So who could they be?”

Miho confidently replied,

“Miyamoto Musashi and Hattori Hanzo.”