Chapter 259: Chapter 259

Heavenly Realm

After that, Zhuge Sha laid out his plan. He fiddled with the Crystal Stele and said,

“While producing Prodigies is good, without a [force] to serve as fuel, they would just be scarecrows. It’s inefficient to pour the power of Makya into the Prodigies alone. So, let’s create them only for offerings, and postpone their combat utility.”

“What are you thinking?”

Zhuge Sha stared at me intently and said,

“Hey, Baek Woong. Why do you think the Imperial Palace is a threatening presence?”

“Well, it’s because they produced superhuman soldiers.”

“That’s a secondary issue. To be honest, if the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Dharma Protectors all mobilized, what problem could those soldiers pose? Even so, the White Lotus Sect isn’t planning to smash the Imperial Palace with brute force.”

I realized what Zhuge Sha meant.

“It’s because they are backed by the [Ancient Ruler].”

“Exactly. That’s the essence of the problem. They could weaken the Imperial Palace, but everyone fears the [Ancient Ruler] will take vengeance on those who disturb their lower ranks. In reality, only beings of equal or greater strength can withstand the wrath of the [Ancient Ruler] in this world.”

As Zhuge Sha murmured that, he suddenly turned his head.

“Then we must change that essential problem. If the Imperial Palace has the power of the [Ancient Ruler] behind them, we must also have an equal being backing us.”

“……”

I could guess what he meant. However, it was an idea I had never considered, so I frowned.

“Are you suggesting to serve the [Ancient Ruler]?”

“That’s precisely it.”

Zhuge Sha seemed pleased, humming a little.

“We refer to them collectively as the [Ancient Ruler], but in truth, there are many divine beings that dominate the constellations. I know at least 40 of them, and they are hierarchical among themselves.”

“Ha…”

“Then, if we serve an appropriate deity and receive their powers, we wouldn’t need to worry about the Imperial Palace’s backer.”

“That’s nonsense!”

I shouted vehemently.

“The Demon Gods see humans as mere bugs and won’t take us seriously at all! Human sacrifices are just for their amusement, and they all have the nature of evil beings. How could we possibly serve a being like that?”

Zhuge Sha chuckled lightly.

“Then let’s use non-humans as offerings.”

“… Prodigies?”

“Exactly. Based on the reactions when we used the Three Prodigies as offerings last time, each Prodigy is worth hundreds or thousands of ordinary humans. Otherwise, the [Ancient Ruler] wouldn’t go out of their way to give us such coveted treasures.”

Zhuge Sha’s laughter grew richer.

“We solve the ethical issue and achieve maximum efficiency. While creating combat-ready ones would be a different story, we can produce Prodigies solely for offerings as much as we desire. If we wish, we may receive extraordinary rewards from the [Ancient Ruler].”

“……”

He was right. If that was the case, the ethical concerns would be greatly alleviated. After all, Prodigies are extremely artificial beings with no souls, so using them as offerings wouldn’t invoke much guilt. But I knew that this was undoubtedly the path of demon sorcery, so I shook my head.

“I’m not sure that’s the right thing. Is it necessary to rely on deities?”

“Oh dear… how frustrating. Dealing with Hyun is another level of exasperating. While he pretends not to understand, it seems you truly don’t.”

Zhuge Sha dramatically thumped his chest.

“Listen carefully. I’m not suggesting we use an evil method; this is merely a necessary strategy when facing the Evil God’s Cult. Ancient priests always employed this method.”

“Ancient?”

Without responding to my question, Zhuge Sha crossed his arms.

“If you try to wipe out the Evil God’s Cult without any backing, the consequences would be dire. It’s basic to serve a being of similar strength and receive their blessings. Otherwise, you will incur a curse that is essentially a nightmare.”

I was aware of curses. After all, didn’t the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s apprentice suffer a curse from the [Ancient Ruler]?

But I bluntly replied,

“It’s not that I’m unaware of that. But how can we be sure the [Ancient Ruler] will be satisfied with the Prodigies? If they demand far more offerings to indulge their appetite?”

“……”

“While I agree that we need the power of the [Ancient Ruler], we need a compromise. Serving those beings to the end would lead to ruin.”

“Ugh…”

Zhuge Sha frowned, clearly troubled. It seemed I had struck a nerve. Serving one’s own interests may be a natural thing for someone steeped in demon sorcery like Zhuge Sha, but for me, that act could cause unimaginable harm to those around me. Naturally, I would hesitate.

“A compromise…”

Zhuge Sha pondered for a while before saying,

“Fine. I’ll settle this efficiently. Borrowing the power of both beings at the same time should suffice.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means I’ll smash the Imperial Palace, a trivial matter. If we finish it once and for all, we won’t have to serve them again, right? Isn’t it a pretty good plan?”

“Of course, if that happens, that would be ideal…”

“Exactly! It’s very easy. All you need to do is just help with a bit of Makya.”

Zhuge Sha chuckled. His laughter brimmed with confidence, as if he truly considered the Imperial Palace an easy opponent. Despite the constant threats from them, he spoke with certainty, as if he could turn the tables with a mere flick of his wrist.

‘What does he plan to do?’

I decided to help Zhuge Sha for now, but so many questions lingered in my mind. So, while following his instructions, I finally asked,

“I do have a question.”

“You’re really full of curiosity. Though being dim-witted is a flaw.”

I ignored his nonsense and continued,

“First… Could you take a look at this book?”

I decided to venture forward. Now that I knew he could interpret that strange language, there was no point in delaying. I handed him the tome containing the ancient scripts, and Zhuge Sha took it with a bewildered expression.

“What’s this?” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“It’s called the Book of Heaven’s Secrets, a tome of demon sorcery. Please tell me what it contains.”

“Alright, let’s see…”

Flap flap

Zhuge Sha slowly turned the pages of the Book of Heaven’s Secrets. Then, his face twisted oddly as he said,

“What is this?”

“What does it say?”

“I don’t know.”

“……”

When I looked at him with disappointment, Zhuge Sha offered an excuse.

“Even if it’s a strange language, there are thousands of types. If I’m lucky, I might come across a language I know; otherwise, it’s unreadable. Among the commonly used ones, there are languages like the Evil God’s or the Gatanor… but this doesn’t seem to fit any of those.”

“Hmm… The Otherworldly beings I encountered seemed to understand it. Although they ran away, so I couldn’t find out what it was about.”

“What did the Otherworldly beings look like?”

I explained the appearance of the Sorcerer and described the human sacrifice and mind control spells they had used. Zhuge Sha nodded and said,

“That Sorcerer is likely a high-ranking descendant of the Evil God Cthulhu.”

“A great being?”

“Absolutely. They could easily be the master of a prominent building in Rue Ruye. It’s hard to believe such a being has been summoned to the human realm.”

As Zhuge Sha muttered that, he added,

“With that level of power, they are half a god.”

“For someone like that, their physical abilities seem rather mediocre…”

“Why would a Sorcerer train their physical strength? With the powers of Rue Ruye alone, they could kill most beings. And Sorcerers aren’t accustomed to fighting in the first place.”

Zhuge Sha tossed the Book of Heaven’s Secrets back to me as if mocking my ignorance.

“In any case, if it’s not a mainstream strange language, then it must be written in a special kind of language among the strange tongues. There’s no choice but to ask genuine Otherworldly beings like them.”

“Hmm…”

“I don’t need it, so don’t burden me with useless matters.”

I felt my questions deepening. I thought that showing it to Zhuge Sha might help me uncover the identity of the Book of Heaven’s Secrets, but it only made things more complicated.

Whoooosh!!

Moments later, Zhuge Sha conducted some rituals using the Prodigies, and this time, the stolen Prodigies evaporated into thin air. I was startled and asked what was happening, but Zhuge Sha replied,

“I’m persuading them, so don’t interrupt.”

Persuading?

A little while later, a peculiar box appeared on the altar in front of Zhuge Sha. It gleamed a shining gold, as if made of pure gold, and shimmered with a faint glow. It seemed the [Ancient Ruler] had bestowed another gift.

I turned to Zhuge Sha and said,

“Good, isn’t that a nice gift as well?”

I still remembered how greedily Zhuge Sha had reacted to the previous treasures. I figured he would be eager to snatch up this golden box at any moment.

“……”

However, Zhuge Sha’s complexion had turned slightly pale. He muttered to himself,

“What… what is this? A golden box? What could it possibly be sealing… if so, does that mean it’s the existence sealed away in Luoyang…”

“……?”

“Damn it! What the hell is this escalating into?”

Zhuge Sha suddenly spat out curses.

Then he burst into laughter.

“Hehehe! No, this is how it should be! This is amusing! Very amusing! Ehehehehehe!!”

“Have you lost your mind? Why are you suddenly babbling on?”

Zhuge Sha stared blankly at me and suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Hey, thank you! I’m really grateful for saving me!”

“……”

“I’m the happiest I have ever been in my life! I’m getting closer to the ultimate truth of the [Ancient Ruler] that I’ve longed for—I’m bewildered, overjoyed, frightened—anyway, I’m feeling exceptionally fulfilled! All thanks to you, Baek Woong!!”

“Ugh…”

At that moment, I felt a twinge of fear emanating from Zhuge Sha. I couldn’t figure out what was prompting this behavior in him. Somehow, it seemed he reached a state of insanity beyond mere madness. Understanding the meaning behind his actions was something only someone sharing a similar mental state could grasp.

Zhuge Sha, smiling like a crescent moon, said,

“Tell the Master about this. Let’s attack the Imperial Palace tomorrow afternoon.”

Tomorrow afternoon?!

I was taken aback and said,

“What?! Is it really okay to attack so quickly?”

“Of course! Do you know what I’ve just done?”

“I have no idea.”

Zhuge Sha chuckled boisterously.

“I just received consent from the [Ancient Ruler] controlling the Imperial Palace from behind the scenes. They said I could wipe out the Imperial Palace without issue.”

“……!!”

Can I trust these words?

Isn’t this guy setting us up for a trap?

No matter how hard I tried to perceive his feelings or mental state, I was overwhelmed. I had never faced such an utterly insane person. Even when remaining rational, it seemed impossible for someone to be both coherent and completely lost in madness.

“Let’s assume what you said is true. Even if so, how can we take down such powerful beings and mind masters in just one day…”

“Beings… masters… those are just mere scraps of the Otherworldly beings. You martial artists insist on matching pure power against them, so of course, you would struggle. But for me, the traitor’s sect leader and a demon sorcerer, they are nothing at all.”

Thud

Zhuge Sha held the golden box in one hand, laughing maniacally.

“Ahaha! With this in my hands, why would I worry?! One day is more than enough—no, that’s an overestimation!”

“……”

“Baek Woong! Hurry and tell them. We’re going to attack the Imperial Palace tomorrow.”

Left with no choice, I had to convey Zhuge Sha’s message to the Master. The Master was discussing matters with Dokgo Seong and Mu Ron, taken aback by the sudden news. However, I was equally puzzled about what was truly happening, making it difficult to explain to him.

Eventually, after listening to my tale in detail, the Master said,

“It’s a gamble. If Zhuge Sha speaks truthfully, you’ll finally achieve your greatest ambition in one go, but if it’s a lie, we’re all walking into a trap that could lead to our extinction.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Try testing Zhuge Sha. If he really has a plan to wipe out the Imperial Palace, then we must ascertain whether it holds merit.”

“But what if he’s deceiving us…”

The thought alone was horrifying. There was no guarantee that Zhuge Sha wouldn’t overpower us, imprison us, and inflict horrific torture. Given that he was almost entirely mad, it would be a hundred times better to commit suicide than to fall into his hands. Not to mention, the Master needed to look after his only daughter, Seo Mun Hye, as well as the members of Mu Yeong Moon!

However, the Master said,

“In that case, Mu Ron and I will risk our lives to cut him down. If we work together, even the Master of the White Lotus Sect won’t escape unscathed.”

“……”

I thought he was right. If the Master and Dokgo Seong teamed up, they had a high chance of taking down Zhuge Sha, even if he was the Dharma Protector. These were exceptional masters who were nearly impossible to find a match for in the world. Yet, I couldn’t shake the endless anxiety sparked by Zhuge Sha’s ominous presence.

Zhuge Sha was seeing something different.

I was anxious because I had no idea what it could be.

“I understand.”

I returned to Zhuge Sha’s workshop and began the task of channeling the power of Makya. Zhuge Sha drew intricate magic circles, continuously reciting spells with his hair let down, conducting rituals one after another, an aura of bloodthirst emanating from him that would have startled onlookers.

And then, the next morning dawned.