Chapter 251: Chapter 251

Celestial Realm

After killing Zhuge Bu, it didn’t take long for me to sweep up over ten thousand books from the Inner Imperial Pavilion into my sack. With the Sword Demon and my use of lightness skill and power amplification, it was all done in the blink of an eye. Once we gathered everything, Zhuge Sha spoke.

“Looks like that’s enough; next, we just need to swipe the Portrait Spirit and Crystal Stele.”

I was taken aback by his words.

“What?! If we do that, the [Old Ruler] will be furious!”

“That’s a different story.”

Zhuge Sha grinned sinisterly.

“If you were to offer the Portrait Spirit and Crystal Stele to another deity or defile them, then surely the [Old Ruler] would intervene due to karmic retribution. That would be a justified intervention, and no one in the Celestial Realm could say a word. But if we say we’re ‘borrowing’ them, then it’s a different tale.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means that as long as you provide some food, it doesn’t matter who receives it.”

Zhuge Sha continued after that.

“We can take responsibility for this; let’s hurry and steal those things. There’s no reason to delay.”

“……”

Having seen the power of Demon King Dalgi with my own eyes, I found it hard to accept his words. However, as I stared at Zhuge Sha, the Sword Demon sent me a message.

[Just accept it.]

[But.]

[If things go south, you can just kill him in your next life. Just gaining the possibility is worth it.]

I felt myself stiffen at the Sword Demon’s words. On the surface, they seemed cold and rational, but they also meant he was willing to risk his own life. To think like that seemed to stem from the mindset of a reincarnator rather than someone living in the present.

‘I have no choice then.’

I replied to Zhuge Sha,

“Alright.”

Swish

A short time later, I entered the room of the Celestial Fail. I knew that an incomplete Portrait Spirit was here. When I had seen it in my previous life’s early days, it had only appeared as a doll-like female.

But now, it was different. Upon discovering over ten human forms laid on stone beds, I couldn’t contain a suppressed gasp.

“Hmm…”

If the Portrait Spirit were to be completed, it would possess immense power, and there were ten of them! I was terrified that the Portrait Spirits would awaken and attack at any moment. They all looked incredibly lifelike, and the fact that they had actual pulses made me even more anxious.

Zhuge Sha studied the Portrait Spirits slowly and commented,

“Indeed, they are artificial life forms created by fusing techniques and magic. I thought such research was confined to the West; it seems the alchemist is of a master-level caliber. Otherwise, he must have come from the West.”

He seemed well-versed in sorcery and magic. He then continued,

“Let’s take them all.”

“Is that really okay?”

“It is fine. If you’re that concerned, then let’s do this.”

Scratch

Zhuge Sha appeared to be writing something on the brow of the Portrait Spirit. After leaving marks on all their foreheads, Zhuge Sha grew impatient.

“Hurry up.”

“What did you do?”

“I inscribed the mark of the Ancient God. It means ‘I will borrow your offerings.’ With this, the [Old Ruler] shouldn’t be angry or go berserk.”

“……!!”

“I also nullified their tracking spells.”

I was taken aback by what he said and looked at Zhuge Sha.

“The mark of the Ancient God?! You didn’t, by chance, learn the sorcery of the alien races…?”

“I know a bit. What’s so special about that?”

Zhuge Sha, who was wiggling his ears, became annoyed again.

“Damn it! Hurry up! Can’t you even steal properly?”

I had no choice but to keep my questions to myself and hurriedly stow all the Portrait Spirits in my sack. Time was indeed of the essence. After wrapping up this process, we headed to the depths of the Imperial Palace to obtain the Crystal Stele.

Swish

Upon finding the Crystal Stele, Zhuge Sha muttered in admiration,

“Jackpot! Now I can try for immortality.”

“Is achieving immortality really that easy?”

“It’ll be as easy as turning my hand over once the Philosopher’s Stone is completed.”

Saying this, Zhuge Sha turned to the Sword Demon and added,

“The Crystal Stele will be a huge asset moving forward.”

“In what way?”

“You’ll see in the future.”

Zhuge Sha’s grin was so unsettling that I instinctively sensed he knew a lot about the Crystal Stele and the Philosopher’s Stone. Moreover, if he had also mastered the sorcery of the alien races, he could potentially be even more knowledgeable than the general public regarding that topic.

Once we completed these endeavors, we returned to the Shadowless Gate. Upon our return, Zhuge Sha immediately asked the Sword Demon,

“What are your future aspirations, Sect Leader?”

The Sword Demon replied without hesitation,

“To solidify our position in the Thirteen Regulations and prepare a foundation for re-entering the Central Plains.”

“That’s merely an intermediary goal. If you were to widen your ambitions, what would you be thinking?”

“To surpass the Dharma Protector of the White Lotus Sect.”

“Hmm… I see. Would you be okay with using external methods?”

“No, I can’t accept that. I want to surpass the Dharma Protector purely through my own strength.”

“……”

Zhuge Sha appeared to be deep in thought. He then said,

“Sect Leader, even if you possess the power to surpass the Dharma Protector, as things stand, we cannot bring down the Imperial Palace.”

“Why is that? After killing Zhuge Bu and stealing all the enemy treasures, wouldn’t they become weaker?”

“The alchemist is likely nothing more than a lackey within their vast dark forces. And right now, we’ve merely cut off their means of production; they have already dispatched numerous superhuman soldiers created through Demon Path magic within the Imperial Palace. That alone is a threat akin to a calamity.”

“……”

“I believe that as long as the leader of the White Lotus Sect does not directly intervene, we will find it impossible to deal with the current Imperial Palace.”

If the powerful transformed beings known as demons or dragon-men were gathering in large numbers, then we were at a complete loss. The Sword Demon and I had faced the superhuman soldiers before, so we knew just how strong they were. As we fell silent, Zhuge Sha stated,

“This is war. We must also produce troops to respond.”

“Are you planning to mass-produce demons?”

“If you permit me, I’m confident I can create soldiers as powerful as those crafted from the prohibited texts and Crystal Stele.”

Mass production of troops!

This was an idea we had never even conceived before. Our strategy had simply been to crush the Imperial Palace before they could mass-produce superhumans. I found myself momentarily tempted by Zhuge Sha’s proposition, but I quickly dismissed it.

‘There’s no way that Mang Ryung hadn’t thought of this.’

Surely, there are ethical and moral problems inherent to that plan.

As I stared intently at Zhuge Sha, he broke into a slight grin.

“Hey, White Dharma Protector. Do you have something to say?”

Even Zhuge Sha, who was usually high-handed, seemed to have noticed the Sword Demon’s demeanor and adjusted his tone slightly for me.

“I don’t understand how what you’re proposing is any different from the Dark Forces. There’s no way there wouldn’t be a price to pay for mass-producing troops like that.”

“Ah, you oppose it?”

As I raised my objections, he shrugged his shoulders.

“If you think that way, then I suggest you go to Dragon King’s Valley right away and devote yourself to training in swordsmanship. Meanwhile, I will assist the Sect Leader.”

“……!!”

“Stop acting like a child. We’re talking about war, aren’t we? If we simply sit by in the Shadowless Gate, we’ll just be subservient to the Thirteen Regulations for millennia. Given the circumstances, it may already be too late to bring down the Imperial Palace. We must produce troops by any means we can.”

Zhuge Sha was clearly directing his comments at me, but he was subtly presenting his opinions to the Sword Demon. He was trying to persuade the Sword Demon how necessary his plan was. The Sword Demon, arms crossed, then spoke.

“Is it also possible to control the Portrait Spirits?”

“Of course. They were crafted based on the Eight Trigrams, so with a little finesse, I could make them move.”

“Right now, I can’t fully trust your statements. First, let’s test it out and then decide based on the results.”

“Understood.”

“Sect Leader!”

I called out to the Sword Demon, who then replied,

“I share your reluctance toward the sorcery of the Demon Path. However, Zhuge Sha’s words are not without merit. If there’s any way to mass-produce troops, it would be beneficial just to know about it. Wouldn’t you agree, White Dharma Protector?”

“……”

The Sword Demon was subtly directing his words toward me. It was an indication to watch Zhuge Sha’s methods well, taking it as a chance to learn and apply in the next reincarnation.

‘But that guy is dangerous.’

I felt that Zhuge Sha was a particularly treacherous individual.

Even more so than Zhuge Bu, he was someone dangerous and sinister. He could not be trusted blindly at all.

I bit my lip and eventually said,

“Understood. I will also assist you, Zhuge Sha.”

“Ha ha. If the master of the Seven Luminaries is willing to help, that would make things easier for me. Please do take good care of me.”

“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”

I felt a need for a mask.

‘I need to learn the technique of hidden daggers within laughter.’

While I smiled on the outside, I had to keep my dagger hidden inside. Up till now, I had only ever displayed overt hostility toward my enemies, but as I faced more and more treacherous individuals, I needed to be prepared to collaborate with them when required. I felt an urgent necessity to remain vigilant around Zhuge Sha while mastering my façade in his presence.

Seemingly aware of my thoughts, Zhuge Sha said,

“Anyway, what kind of powers does the Seven Luminaries Demon Beast possess? If you don’t tell me, I won’t know.”

“How should I know? I believe it grows through taking lives.”

“Oh, through killing! How intriguing.”

Zhuge Sha’s eyes sparkled as he continued,

“Well then, let’s bring out three Portrait Spirits. Let’s see if we can make the Demon Beast grow here and now.”

“Alright.”

I summoned three Portrait Spirits from my sack. One was a young girl, one a boy, and one an older man. They all had an otherworldly charm, looking almost impossibly beautiful. I stared at their appearances, curious, and said,

“How can they look so remarkable?”

“Because they’re dolls.”

Zhuge Sha yawned and replied.

“The creator of the Portrait Spirit’s body is a master of Eight Trigrams. If you look closely at the Portrait Spirit’s body, you can see that the energies of Yang and Yin are perfectly balanced according to the 64 hexagrams, forming the body parts.

For example, you can see traces of flesh gathered on the head and neck, reflecting the auspicious hexagrams. The artistry of this balance means, of course, that their appearances are utterly harmonious.”

“Hmm…”

My lack of understanding in sorcery made it hard to follow what he meant. Becoming tongue-tied, I remained silent while Zhuge Sha continued,

“Of course, while the body is constructed using Eastern sorcery based on the Eight Trigrams, the power source seems to come from elsewhere.”

“Will we be able to move them properly if we create the Philosopher’s Stone?”

“Probably?”

Muttering to himself, Zhuge Sha then said,

“Now hurry and use them as the Demon Beast’s offerings.”

“……”

“It seems efficient to carve out hearts with the Demon Beast.”

I was momentarily taken aback while holding the Demon Beast, hesitating. No matter how much I considered it, the Portrait Spirits in front of me were almost real humans, and performing such a cruel act before my eyes wasn’t easy. However, as I felt the Sword Demon’s gaze upon me, I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the Demon Beast.

‘They’re not human. They’re dolls.’

Squish!

Moments later, I carved out the first Portrait Spirit’s heart. I had killed countless people before, but this was my first time carving out a heart from a defenseless opponent. As I pierced into the heart, the Portrait Spirit didn’t show any change in expression as though it felt no pain at all. After extracting the heart, the Portrait Spirit remained still, expressionless.

Zhuge Sha nonchalantly extended his hand.

“Give me the heart.”

“……”

While I had a good grasp of anatomy, making sure not much blood splattered when carving out the heart was possible; still, some clotted blood would inevitably spurt out, causing me to frown.

One by one, I extracted the hearts from the three Portrait Spirits. As Zhuge Sha received and observed them, he said,

“Hmmm, just as I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look closely at the hearts. Isn’t there something engraved here?”

At his words, both I and the Sword Demon gathered closer to examine the hearts. We noticed black characters inscribed on the left atrium, resembling a brand, and came to understand they were a sort of strange language. Zhuge Sha showed us the strange language and continued,

“Sect Leader, these were offerings from the moment they were created. They don’t seem to be meant for combat at all.”

“Really? I’ve heard the Portrait Spirits wield unique abilities.”

“That’s likely a power they were inherently born with. Fundamentally, they are intended to be offerings to the [Old Ruler], not intended for battle.”

“That’s terrifying…”

The Portrait Spirits are not meant for combat!

After Zhuge Sha made this chilling declaration, he asked,

“White Dharma Protector, do you sense any growth in the Demon Beast?”

“Yes… somewhat…”

I answered honestly. With each heart I carved from the Portrait Spirits, I felt a peculiar vibration resonating from the Demon Beast. It was akin to some ecstatic response. Even now, I could feel a blue aura seeping out like waves from the Demon Beast’s blade, clearly indicating that its power had indeed grown.

Zhuge Sha looked at me with puzzled eyes and said,

“Even if it has grown, I’m not sure to what extent. Do any ancient knowledge or magic come to mind?”

“I have nothing of the sort.”

“Then it appears the growth of the Demon Beast is either physical enhancement or it still hasn’t consumed enough blood to satisfy.”

Once he muttered this, Zhuge Sha suddenly made a shocking proposition.

“White Dharma Protector, just follow me. I need your assistance because there’s some cleanup I need to do, which involves human sacrifice.”

“……!!”

Both the Sword Demon and I were shocked simultaneously.

Human sacrifice?

Was he actually planning to commit such a horrific act?

Zhuge Sha explained calmly,

“Since you’ve fed the powers of the Portrait Spirits to the Demon Beast, it means the [Old Ruler]’s offerings are now defiled. Therefore, we should sacrifice the hearts now to appease the God as much as possible.”

“What happens if we don’t?”

“You’d likely incur the curse of the [Old Ruler]. There’s no choice in the matter.”

The Sword Demon stepped forward.

“Zhuge Sha, do you actually know the rituals of human sacrifice?”

“Yes, I do. I doubt there’s anyone in the Central Plains more knowledgeable than me.”

“How do you know about such things?”

“What I mainly studied was the sorcery of alien races and ancient rituals.”

Zhuge Sha chuckled darkly while responding.

“It’s nothing much. It’s simply feeding the gods, so let’s get it over with.”