Chapter 267: Chapter 267

Heavenly Realm

After hearing the secret of the Sacrificial Ceremony from Mangnyang, I made my way straight to Astana. The building where the Prophet resided remained as it was, buried in the extreme cold of the snowy fields. Before stepping inside, I recalled Mangnyang’s words:

[ There’s no need to provoke the Zhuge Clan right now. You can obtain the Nameless Ritual Book anytime, so first, negotiate with the Prophet using only the Nine Stars Main Capital. ]

It was indeed unwise to draw the Zhuge Clan’s attention when my own power was still unsteady. I took a deep breath and walked inside.

Creek

As the door opened, the figure of the Prophet appeared atop the Great Temple’s altar. Upon discovering me, the Prophet stared blankly and said,

[ A human who can use Alhazard’s lamp freely… Quite the peculiar existence. ]

“Prophet, I’ve come to make a deal with you.”

[ A deal…? What do you wish to trade? ]

“Book of Demon Arts and knowledge!”

I spoke briefly and then withdrew the Nine Stars Main Capital from my sleeve. The Prophet’s interest was piqued, and he said,

[ There’s value in this trade… What knowledge do you desire from me? ]

“I wish to verify the truth and obtain the techniques of Otherworldly Beings.”

[ Two requests, huh… We should weigh their significance. ]

Will you comply?

[ Of course… ]

Without hesitation, I followed up with my question as the Prophet agreed to the trade.

“As you know, this is the Liberated Demand Block, one of the Seven Luminaries. Are you aware of this?”

[ Naturally… You didn’t come just to ask that, did you? ]

“No, that is not the case. I arrived to correct your understanding.”

[ What do you mean…? ]

Thinking back to my tragic end in my 16th life, my teeth clenched in frustration. But I forced my anger down and continued.

“You understand that in order for the Liberated Demand Block to grow, it requires the slaughter of living beings. And even if it succeeds, I believe you’ve concluded that [the Former Ruler] Itaka will not descend. Am I correct?”

[ That is correct… What’s wrong with that? ]

I stated decisively,

“You are mistaken. When the second Liberated Demand Block grows, it will cause Itaka’s soul to descend, annihilating the soul of the descender and going berserk.”

[ Nonsense… The contract between the Three Sovereigns and the [Former Ruler] does not stipulate such a thing… There shouldn’t be a possibility of breaking the contract, as there is a divine vessel involved—what kind of nonsense is this… ]

The Prophet bore an unusually furious expression, convinced that there wasn’t a sliver of error in his knowledge. Seeing this, I thought perhaps he wasn’t intentionally deceiving me, and I pressed on.

I looked him square in the eyes and said,

“Shall we wager then? If what I said is true, you must grant me one additional request.”

[ Fine… Let’s wager… If you’re wrong, your soul and body will become mine… Do you accept…? ]

“Absolutely!”

I swallowed hard. Mentioning a soul transaction from someone as powerful as the Prophet, a formidable mage, meant that failing this wager would likely spell my death. I tried to ease my tension and took out the Obsidian from my pocket.

[ Obsidian…? Don’t tell me you can use the memory storage technique? ]

“Of course.”

The Prophet muttered as if in disbelief.

[ Quite strange… That technique is known only to a select few sages or mages in our race… How did you come to know it? ]

“You don’t need to concern yourself with that. What matters is that I can use the Obsidian technique.”

[ Fine… What memory do you intend to show me? ]

“My past life!”

Swish

I extended the Obsidian containing the memories of my 16th life towards the Prophet. After some hesitation, he reached out with his tentacles to accept the Obsidian. As he took it fully, I activated the Obsidian’s technique.

Vroommm!!

A moment later, the Prophet began to tremble uncontrollably before stopping. His tentacles drooped as if dead. A peculiar silence descended within the Great Temple, and soon after, the Prophet began to move again, rolling his eyes as he spoke.

[ This is unbelievable… I can’t accept it… You must have manipulated something… ]

“You know full well that the technique of this Obsidian is a secret art of your race, unmanipulatable by any means.”

[ It’s entirely possible to show only the necessary parts through the caster’s will… ]

I rolled my eyes at the Prophet’s rebuttal.

“Is that so? Then tell me where I edited or distorted it.”

[ …… ]

The Prophet was lost in thought for quite a while as he struggled to regain his memory. After about a quarter of an hour, he finally sighed and said,

[ I… lost. ]

I burst into laughter.

“Haha! I’ve won the wager!”

[ What do you want? ]

“Before I ask that, I’m genuinely curious… Where did I go wrong? I believed your words without question, and it cost me dearly.”

The Prophet fell silent for a long time before replying.

[ You are particularly unique in that you seem to possess a reincarnation ability that transcends time… Very rare, but not unprecedented throughout the universe… So assuming you have another life ahead… I’ll share my thoughts. ]

“Do tell.”

The Prophet spoke calmly.

[ The information I obtained about the contract of the Three Sovereigns regarding the Seven Luminaries came from none other than the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu. ]

“The Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu?”

That familiar name popped into my head.

[ Yes… I had been down on the surface long before the formation of the Heavenly Realm, since ancient times… And as time passed, after the establishment of the Heavenly Realm, I attempted to converse with the supreme leader there. It was pertinent to learn about the Seven Luminaries. ]

I paused to consider before interjecting with a counterpoint to the Prophet’s statement.

“The Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu is a high being, but not the supreme leader. Isn’t there a misunderstanding?”

[ You are correct… The ruler of the Heavenly Realm is the Primordial Heavenly Lord, and his assistant is the Supreme Old Lord… The Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu is two ranks below them, being a manifestation of the Eternal Heavenly Lord… An entity of relatively low rank within the Three Purities… He’s hardly qualifies to represent the Heavenly Realm. ]

“Then why did you engage with the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu?”

The Prophet replied bluntly.

[ I had no visibility of any being higher than the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu. I used summoning techniques, but received no response. ]

“What?”

[ I was forced to glean the contract between the Three Sovereigns and the [Former Ruler] via the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu… The methods for the growth and awakening of the Liberated Demand Block were precisely the contents I heard during that time. How could I possibly doubt it? ]

“……”

The Prophet’s words indicated a single, crucial fact.

‘Wait, are you saying that the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu lied to the Prophet about the Seven Luminaries?’

While the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu might be lower in stature among the Three Purities, he was still a high deity overseeing fortune and fate! The idea that such a being could lie to an Otherworldly Being was hard to accept. So I pressed the Prophet further.

“Is it not possible that the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu could have lied because you are a potential adversary to the Heavenly Realm?”

The Prophet’s expression darkened slightly as he retorted,

[ Hmph… It seems you know nothing about the relationship between us and the Heavenly Realm… We have no choice but to coexist. ]

“What do you mean?”

[ You might think that the Otherworldly Beings consist only of servile clans following the [Former Ruler], but that’s not the case. While many exist who cater to the whims of the [Former Ruler], there are also many clans seeking to survive independently… We are one of them. ]

“Hmm!”

[ Human flesh isn’t particularly delicious. ]

With that, the Prophet let his tentacle’s eyes roll.

[ Do you truly believe that the Heavenly Realm maintains the surface world solely by the strength of the immortals? There’s absolutely no way that could happen… It is precisely because moderate factions like us can control the extremes, sometimes closing off the gates of the Dark Heaven, and assisting humanity that the world as it is can exist. ]

“……!!”

[ The saying goes, “When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold.” The Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu would never dare to lie to me, the leader of the race. ]

The Prophet’s words made me realize that he had also been thoroughly deceived. It appeared that the Heavenly Realm and the moderate Otherworldly Beings partnered together to maintain peace on the surface world, which meant one could hardly believe that someone of Tai Xu’s caliber would lie.

I asked the Prophet,

“So, why did the Heavenly Lord of Tai Xu lie?”

[ I don’t know… There must be some mythical-level secret hidden in there. I intend to begin looking for that from today. ]

“Hmm. I wish you luck.”

I glared at him simultaneously and stated,

“But before that, I hope you make your calculations correctly.”

[ … Speak. What technique do you desire? ]

“First, I want a technique that can inflict significant damage on the Apostle of the [Former Ruler]. This is the price for giving you the Book of Demon Arts.”

This had to be my foremost demand. The power of Dalgi, the Apostle of the [Former Ruler], was overwhelmingly colossal, and since I barely survived against him due to the Blessing of Xiang Yu, I had been continuously searching for a means to counter him. Upon hearing my request, the Prophet slowly replied,

[ You have indeed encountered the Apostle before… Speak of your experience during that encounter. ]

I recounted all that I knew about the Demon Lord Dalgi. The Prophet nodded and then said,

[ If you wish to contend with Dalgi… You first need to break the spell of severance that protects his body and seal that overwhelming magical power. Only then will he be brought down to a level where a human can actually fight him. ]

“Any techniques you recommend?”

The Prophet thought for a moment and then said,

[ I will teach you the spell that borrows the power of the Evil Deity… ]

“Will that be effective?”

[ I don’t really know… But it should work. ]

“……”

I looked at the Prophet with disbelief, given his uncertain reply, and he hurriedly added his defense.

[ The magical power of the [Former Ruler] can only be countered by that of the [Former Ruler]… There’s no technique that would conveniently allow one to face off against a god’s apostle. ]

“Understood.”

I obtained the spell for invoking the power of the Evil Deity from the Prophet. With that, I was now capable of wielding the secret spell that borrows the Evil Deity’s power. This technique seemed usable even by those who couldn’t pronounce the curse.

Aware that I still owed a price, I stated again,

“You must fulfill the wager’s price. You have to grant me one more request.”

[ Ugh… Speak. ]

“Among all the techniques you know, bring forth the rarest and most powerful one!”

[ …… ]

The Prophet visibly shrank back. His tentacles twisted unnaturally, expressing signs of despair and lamentation. I had never seen an Otherworldly Being displaying such a change of emotion, and it intrigued me. After a moment, the Prophet said,

[ How about Immortality? ]

“Immortality comes in various forms. And since I have undergone reincarnation, I don’t really need that ability.”

[ Damn it… Then how about Telekinesis? ]

“I can achieve similar feats with my willpower—there’s really no point in that.”

[ ……]

I felt I was beginning to understand how to bait the Prophet. So, I looked at him intriguingly and subtly remarked,

“Think carefully. Something that only your race can achieve… or a spell that even the gods covet. After all, this is a price I’m entitled to since you pledged this wager.”

[ Hmmm… Very well. Then take this. ]

Swish

Crackle!

A moment later, the Prophet extended his tentacles towards me and touched my forearm. With a sharp pain, an unrecognizable curse was imprinted upon my forearm.

“What is this?”

[ I have granted you the authority to utilize the Tower of the Unopened Window with your soul. With this, I have paid the price for our wager. ]

“What do you mean? What’s the Tower of the Unopened Window?”

The Prophet hurriedly spat out.

[ If you can access the Tower of the Unopened Window located in the Southern Barbarian lands, you’ll be able to freely travel to other continents. Moreover, you’ll be able to use the exclusive weaponry of our race equipped there and even unseal the giants. You’ll be able to easily eliminate those you call the Beasts. This is a right only granted to a select few within our tribe.]

“……?”

As I stood bewildered, the Prophet snapped angrily,

[ Now be gone. Just so you know, I have also inscribed information within that mark, so should you attempt to wager using the same approach in your next reincarnation, it will not work. You scoundrel… ]

Zap!

Moments later, I was forcibly ejected and found myself back in Jinrang Valley. It seemed I had been transported as forcibly as when the Prophet had driven off the Zhuge Clan. This Otherworldly Being had likely used profound magic, having lived for thousands of years.

“Can’t you at least explain what the Tower of the Unopened Window is?”

I grumbled, but deep down, I felt I roughly understood.

It was a relic that the Eastern Divine Wu had discovered when she was tasked by the White Lotus Sect and encountered the Otherworldly Beings guarding it! That relic was the Tower of the Unopened Window made of basalt.

‘It’s certain I’ve obtained something significant, but I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.’

I felt a sense of loss but steadied my heart before using the Water Immersion technique again to head to Dongyoung.

‘It hasn’t been a day since the ceremony was held. Miho should definitely still be here.’

Upon arriving at Dongyoung, I found myself at the Heavenly Palace. As I scanned the surroundings, as expected, the former and latter spirits appeared to guard against intruders. Knowing that they were Miho’s familiars, I smiled and said,

“Miho! You must have heard of the return decree from the Heavenly Realm?”

Whoooosh

Shortly after, Miho emerged, batting aside her familiars, now wearing a wary expression I had never seen before. As a breathtaking beauty, she took on a voluptuous form and spoke with a thorny voice.

“Who are you?”

“Surely the Queen Mother has forgiven you; why aren’t you returning to the Heavenly Realm yet?”

I asked casually, but Miho slightly relaxed her guard and replied,

“Are you the human the Queen Mother spoke of?”

“I don’t know what the Queen Mother said, but it’s true that your exile has been lifted.”

“……”

After a moment, Miho’s subsequent words shocked me.

“Get lost.”

“What?!”

Miho did not wear the friendly expression she had shown me before. Instead, she glared at me with the fierce demeanor of a fox defending its den.

“The Queen Mother commanded me to retrieve the Moon Monday from the Heavenly Realm. I have no time to play with the likes of you!”