Chapter 206: Chapter 206

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

I returned directly to Jinrang Valley. Originally, if I had intended to bring the Nameless Ritual Book here, it would have been troublesome because it had tracking spells on it, but since it has now passed to the prophet of Astana, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Zhuge Fu shouldn’t be able to do much about the prophet, so I could relax on that front.

“Mangnyang, I’ve found a solution.”

I told Mangnyang how I could locate the ‘God of Silence’ on the Arctic continent. I also recounted the trade I made with the prophet of Astana after acquiring the Nameless Ritual Book and the events that transpired. Mangnyang, who was listening with great interest to my series of events, said,

“So now you can store your memories in Obsidian?”

“Indeed. I’ve completely mastered that spell.”

“How about trying to put your memories into Obsidian as a test?”

“Sounds good.”

Before long, Miho had also approached us, her curious eyes glued to our conversation. I glanced at Miho and thought,

‘Right. I should sift through my memories and show them to Mangnyang and Miho.’

They only knew about my experiences through my words, so their understanding was somewhat superficial. But if I could show them the memories I directly saw and felt, things might change.

Swish

I grabbed two pieces of Obsidian and, while rubbing my palms over them, focused my mind.

‘The mind and matter… relate within time as processes that affect the present through memories, habits, and choices… organizing… factors… twisting paths… Form Resonance…’

The factors of memory, it is said, tend to sink within the spacetime continuum as if distorted by a massive force. Furthermore, there are inevitable laws and shapes that need to exist before that form comes into being, called Form Resonance. Hence, memory does not merely exist as a physical substance but can exert causal influence, rendering it free from the shackles of causality, the most potent force in spells.

‘…though that’s all just knowledge I’ve been fed.’

As I was using the spell, I smiled wryly. Normally, mastering the spell of memory storage in Obsidian would take me not just ten but over thirty years. Receiving it in exchange for the Magical Book, I felt I had to make good use of it going forward.

Whoooosh

In an instant, I could see the memories I had experienced being sucked into each piece of Obsidian. Once the process was complete, I handed the Obsidian to Mangnyang and Miho.

“Here.”

“……”

Mangnyang and Miho exchanged glances. Then, almost simultaneously, they picked up the Obsidian.

It was as if a current of blue water encircled the two of them. The silently permeating energy was the flow of memory, connecting to their own memories and delving down into their subconscious. I was well aware of the process through the knowledge I had absorbed, knowing this was the method with the least side effects.

For a moment, both Mangnyang and Miho wore dazed expressions.

The first to react was Miho.

“So it was true. You really…”

Then her face turned bright red.

“Ah!!”

Suddenly, Miho vanished using a transformation technique. It seemed she was quite flustered, employing the Hundred Changes of Body

, which is typical for her kind.

‘Why is she acting like that?’

I was puzzled, unable to comprehend Miho’s actions when Mangnyang chuckled softly beside me.

“She just recalled when you sacrificed yourself against the Dharma Protector of the Fire Spirit Sect in your tenth reincarnation. I saw that memory too.”

“Ah…”

“With the pride of being a pure Celestial and a powerful fox spirit of the earthly realm, she probably felt flustered by her feelings for you.”

So she ran away out of embarrassment.

As I processed Mangnyang’s words, he mumbled in disbelief while sitting in the Grand Hall.

“I finally understand. White Woong, you possess an incredible willpower…”

“Why the sudden compliment?”

Mangnyang looked me straight in the eyes and said,

“A normal person would have given up and resigned to fate after dying, not once, but likely around five times. If anything, they’d probably have gone insane—that’s the norm.”

“Hmm…”

“But you’ve kept your convictions alive and steadily pressed on without faltering. You even resisted the ancient gods and their temptations, facing them head-on without breaking your resolve.”

“……”

“I truly believe there’s no one in the world with stronger mental fortitude than you.”

Suddenly, I felt a bit bashful as Mangnyang lavished compliments on my face. It wasn’t just flattery; he genuinely seemed amazed. Feeling slightly awkward, I tried to brush off the moment. Mangnyang grinned and took my hand.

“You’ve done well so far, White Woong. I believe you will continue to do great things.”

“Uh, uh-huh! That’s a bit much! I’ve always managed, so why wouldn’t I now?”

I presumed my face was flushed. I could hardly keep my embarrassment in check. As I scratched the back of my head, Mangnyang gently let go of my hand and said,

“Seeing your memories has clarified much of what I need to do. Things should proceed nicely.”

I suddenly recalled and asked,

“What is it you need to do? By the way, how are things regarding the Imperial Palace?”

“I haven’t explained that to you in much detail.”

Mangnyang nodded, continuing,

“What was our primary strategy before we politically restrained the Imperial Palace?”

“Well… the White Lotus Sect…”

Ah!

As I started to respond, realization dawned on me, and my eyes widened. Mangnyang grinned as he saw my surprised expression.

“Yes. We decided to hand over the world to the White Lotus Sect. That plan has been in motion for some time, and now we are seeing results.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Utilizing the Black and White Lotus, we succeeded in becoming the underlings of the White Lotus Sect, and I’ve even acquired some of their secret martial arts. Because of that, I’ve managed to become an expert in a short period of time. Of course, my relentless training played a part too, but fundamentally, it was because I received the White Lotus Sect’s peerless martial arts.”

“……!!”

I focused on Mangnyang’s pulse. Until now, I had simply detected his energy but decided to directly assess his level and martial arts. The result came to me in mere seconds.

“Your internal energy level has far surpassed the peak… and you’ve mastered the martial arts of the Fire Spirit Sect.”

“You catch on quickly. As expected of a peak expert of the Thunder God lineage.”

“Well, each of the Four Great Schools has its distinctive traits, after all…”

Inside Mangnyang, the power of the Fire Spirit was currently thriving. Just as the Thunder God lineage utilizes their thunder-dragon-like skills to achieve the realm of the thunder spirit, the Fire Spirit Sect also harnesses Secret Internal Energy to channel the fire spirit’s energy. Moreover, Mangnyang likely had full access to the Black and White Lotus, allowing him to absorb the essence of that peerless internal energy.

Mangnyang continued,

“Shortly after sending the Black and White Lotus, the leader of the White Lotus Sect promised I could learn martial arts from any branch I wished. So I deliberately chose the Fire Spirit Sect’s arts to practice.”

It seemed the leader rewarded him for curing his son’s ailment, just as they did when I had met Dongbang Mu-gyeol.

“Why the Fire Spirit Sect?”

“I have two reasons. One, since the Dharma Protector of the Fire Spirit Sect resides in Luoyang, working in the same sect would likely facilitate our activities. Regardless of appearances, she and I are currently considered schoolmates.”

“I see.”

“The second reason is I thought the more knowledge I acquired about sects you might not be familiar with, the more it would assist you in the future.”

“……!!”

“Learning the techniques, secrets, internal energy properties, and weaknesses of the Fire Spirit Sect will surely become useful. As you pursue your objectives through reincarnations, you may encounter battles against the Fire Spirit Sect.”

I fully agreed with Mangnyang’s words. Knowledge gained directly from someone who transformed into their sect was qualitatively different from what I might learn through an opposing faction. As Mangnyang ascended to mastery of the Fire Spirit Sect’s techniques, he would gain profound insights, and relaying that intel back to me would simplify dealings with them in the future.

Mangnyang continued,

“I did consider learning the Wind Spirit Sect, but since it inherently clashes with the Thunder God lineage, there was no need for that. Truthfully, I wanted to master the Water Spirit Sect, famed as the strongest of the Four Great Schools, but it seemed to involve some special ritual that I would need to go through.”

“A special ritual?”

“Yes. The leader said learning the Water Spirit Sect is permissible, but it requires staying in the White Lotus Sect’s forbidden area to undergo a special procedure for a year. Given your matter holds higher priority with so many suspicious elements, I could not choose the Water Spirit Sect.”

“……”

A year in a forbidden area to learn the strongest martial arts?

In a way, it may seem weak as a restriction for acquiring the best peerless martial arts, but considering how secretive and closed-off the Water Spirit Sect is, I could only speculate on what kind of curse they might impose. Mangnyang chuckled and said,

“Nevertheless, I’m more than satisfied with the martial arts of the Fire Spirit Sect. It’s a powerful sect that, much like the White Lotus Sect, doesn’t considerably lag behind the Thunder God lineage. With my current level of martial arts, I suspect I can handle most peak experts.”

“Quite impressive.”

I expressed my genuine admiration. Indeed, Mangnyang’s martial arts proficiency could be at the level of a top-tier expert. Yet considering how overwhelming and spectacular the techniques of the Fire Spirit Sect are and how his energy rivaled that of a peak expert, if Mangnyang were to truly fight, he might be able to defeat one or two peak experts.

This was astounding, especially since Mangnyang had only begun his training in martial arts less than a year ago. Generally, it takes years of relentless hard work to reach such a level. His growth was clearly beyond the conventional expectations of a martial artist.

Mangnyang lamented,

“As expected, it stings somewhat that I wasted the elixirs I should have used to foster the Bancheon Alliance, meaning our current Bancheon Alliance is somewhat smaller than it should have been. Originally, it should have been at least twice the size by now…”

“Is that so…”

“But it’s not something to worry about. After all, this lifetime’s purpose is not to increase the Bancheon Alliance’s might but rather to strengthen the White Lotus Sect and use it to counter the Imperial Palace.”

After answering, Mangnyang’s eyes sparkled.

“White Woong, you should delay unsealing the second seal of the Maku of Demand at the Arctic.”

“Why’s that?”

“Don’t you think you’d have a high chance of dying there? It’s better to see what we can do here before diving into the potential doom of sudden death. I believe it won’t be too late to head there when we genuinely need the strength of Maku.”

That made sense. I also sensed the underlying intention in Mangnyang’s words and replied,

“You’re planning to teach me the martial arts of the Fire Spirit Sect.”

“Exactly. If you don’t know when or how you might die, it’d be wise for you to learn the techniques, secrets, and weaknesses of the Fire Spirit Sect from me in advance. Luckily, with the White Lotus Sect and indeed everyone in the world mostly oblivious to your existence, there shouldn’t be much suspicion around them passing on martial arts to me.”

I thought it over and asked,

“Wouldn’t the differing natural energies involved in the spells make that impossible?”

“Haha… You should know better than anyone about that. Hasn’t Lee Gwang provided an explanation to you regarding this?”

I shook my head.

“No, he has not. Lee Gwang has too much pride in his Thunder God lineage martial arts, hardly touching upon these matters. Even when discussing the Four Great Schools’ power use, he’d suggest that we shouldn’t even consider the practical applications.”

“Is it truly impossible to mix the martial arts of all sects?”

“That’s probably true. To truly excel in one natural energy would require a body aligned with that energy to even barely grasp the extreme ends of each sect. How could one simply abandon that energy that has been honed over time?”

This was most likely an undeniable truth. I had received tips from Lee Gwang to harness various elemental techniques, but the practicality was nearly nonexistent. I even attempted to forcibly apply my extraordinary energy to shift techniques, but the efficiency dropped subsequently, leading me to abandon it. Once someone fully trained in a single sect to the extent of mastering one elemental energy, they generally cannot learn any advances in different elemental energies.

But then Mangnyang surprised me with his next words.

“That’s odd. The leader of the White Lotus Sect I met seemed adept in all martial arts of the Four Great Schools.”

“……!!”

What on earth?!

I thought for a moment Mangnyang was joking. However, there’s simply no way he’d jest about something this significant. Thus, I calmed down and began to accept the reality, albeit still incredulous, so I clarified with Mangnyang,

“Is that… really true?”

My voice trembled, yet Mangnyang nodded, with an expression of understanding.

“Indeed. A few days after I presented the Black and White Lotus, I was taken to the White Lotus Sect by esteemed masters of their council. Upon meeting the sect leader, he proclaimed that he was healed due to my efforts and asked what I wanted as compensation. I requested to learn martial arts from any of the Four Great Schools, and I asked him to assemble the key figures of each sect.”

“And then?”

“The leader insisted that was unnecessary, and there on the spot, he demonstrated the techniques and ultimate arts of the Thunder God, Fire Spirit, Wind Spirit, and Water Spirit sects. It even seemed like there were interlinking techniques among them. This made me think that the martial arts of the Four Great Schools could indeed be fused.”

“……!!”

Chills and horror crawled down my spine. Mangnyang was still fairly new in martial arts, hence his casual delivery, but for someone like me, with decades of experience, his words screamed terror. A being capable of using all techniques of the Four Great Schools!

If what Mangnyang said was true, then I could never hope to be anywhere near the level of the leader of the White Lotus Sect. With merely a flick of his fingers, it was entirely conceivable that a peak expert could be killed in an instant. Each of the ultimate techniques of the Four Great Schools is famed for its terrifying power, and who could even predict the synergistic effects if they were to be merged?

‘How can such a being be considered human?!’

A peak expert alone could single-handedly confront a thousand soldiers, just leveraging geographical advantages. Even with advanced firearms and artillery, it would be extremely troublesome to capture a peak expert. To a typical martial artist, such figures would seem like disasters they cannot contend against. Furthermore, among the ranks of peak experts, there were certainly those who would at least manage to hold their ground against a Dharma Protector.

What in the world is the leader of the White Lotus Sect if he possesses the ability to instantly kill such beings?

As I pondered gravely, Mangnyang remarked,

“Well… I can’t teach you the martial arts directly, but I can provide you insights into the techniques of the Fire Spirit Sect. I’d say you could learn all the essential secrets within about a month.”

“I would definitely like that.”

“Afterwards, I suspect the Imperial Palace will start crumbling without any more effort from us. Why? Because the White Lotus Sect is already working on plans for it.”

“Already? Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

“The White Lotus Sect didn’t sit idle until now, unable to act. Additionally, after presenting the Black and White Lotus, I disclosed the true nature, misdeeds, and dangers posed by the Imperial Palace to the leader. At present, the leader sees the Imperial Palace as the number one enemy that must be eliminated.”

It seemed Mangnyang had already cleared so many tasks within a single year. With a triumphant smile, he continued,

“In a while… probably no longer than half a year, they will make their move.”

“Them?”

From Mangnyang’s subsequent words, I realized the Imperial Palace would be far from safe in this reincarnation.

“The three great Dharma Protectors of the White Lotus Sect and the peak experts from their council plan to launch a direct attack on the Imperial Palace. This is a martial force beyond estimation compared to the currents of the martial world, an utterly transcendent force that will obliterate the Imperial Palace.”