NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 653
Chapter 653: Dark Heaven Village
At Xiang Yu’s words, I realized the flow was smoothly blowing my way. Today felt like a day when I could do anything. As I made one right choice after another, it felt as if destiny was raising my hand in approval. With a bit of confidence, I said to Xiang Yu, “Can you lend me the Power of the Constellation? I want to wield that power as your subordinate.”
The Power of the Constellation! It was a mighty celestial force revered even by the Immortals, close to the authority of the Old Ruler. If I could obtain that power, my reincarnation process could be dramatically shortened.
“…”
Xiang Yu’s eyebrows twitched, as if he couldn’t believe the words he was hearing this time. He mumbled, “There’s no reason not to, but what price are you willing to pay?”
Yes! If he hadn’t made any offers at all, there would have been no way forward, but Xiang Yu was insinuating that it might be possible under certain conditions. While I pondered what I could offer, the Celestial Sage, who stood beside me, spoke up.
“This isn’t my business, but are you really okay with this?”
“Excuse me?”
“That…”
The Celestial Sage seemed to want to say something but then fell silent.
“No, never mind.”
“…?”
His reaction was a bit unsettling. Perhaps it was because his favor for me had slightly dropped, causing him to harbor some doubt. However, the fact that he deliberately warned me held significance, prompting me to consider things more cautiously.
‘What is it? What’s the problem?’
Would borrowing Xiang Yu’s Power of the Constellation create some issue?
As I thought deeply, Xiang Yu continued, “Whatever offering you might have in mind, to be frank, it won’t hold much value to me. I have no significant thoughts or aspirations left here…”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s true. I no longer have anything I want to pursue.”
Xiang Yu’s face looked incredibly bored. He genuinely seemed to be tired of the world. It appeared that despite possessing such powerful strength, he had given up on being involved in it.
“However, if you were to fulfill a request of mine, I would consider greatly easing the conditions for you. I will directly connect you to the means to receive the Power of the Constellation.”
“What is your request? I will definitely fulfill it.”
If I could obtain the Power of the Constellation, there was no reason to be picky about the means. With an excited expression, I looked at Xiang Yu as he slowly opened his mouth.
“Bring me the soul of Yu Ji.”
“… Excuse me?”
“The Emperor does not repeat himself.”
At Xiang Yu’s words, I could only feel a moment of confusion. This was because the only Yu Ji I knew was the only person in my knowledge.
Yu Ji! Also known as the Beautiful One, she was recorded in the legendary chronicle of the Chu-Han Contention as Xiang Yu’s only lover and concubine. She was known for being so famous that she gave rise to the phrase “cornered on all sides,” making it impossible for me not to know about her. She was renowned as the most beautiful woman in the realm at that time, and I vaguely remembered she was rumored to hail from the Western Regions.
But how?
‘She’s been dead for over a thousand years! Even if she were to be reincarnated, it should have happened long ago… Plus, how on earth would I bring back a soul from Nine Heavens to this palace of Nine Heavens?’
Even with help from the Celestial Sage, getting here so carefully had been quite difficult. Sneaking back with Yu Ji’s soul would undoubtedly be tremendously challenging. In fact, could finding a soul that had passed away a thousand years ago even be possible?
I was flustered, but I nodded carefully and said, “… I will try my best. However, I have too few clues, so if there is anything that could help…”
“I thought you were straightforward, but apparently not.”
“……”
Having given me a jab, Xiang Yu took a sip of his drink and said, “The power of my Celestial Sabre protects her. Look into that.”
“Thank you.”
Xiang Yu glanced at me subtly.
“I have a question to ask.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you want to kill Nüwa?”
In an instant, everyone’s attention turned to me. The Celestial Sage also seemed eager to hear my answer, indicating it was a question I could not evade. I hesitated greatly, eventually recalling I would likely be hounded by questions from the Celestial Sage later, so I opened my mouth.
“I believe she is manipulating the Celestial Realm from behind the scenes.”
“Oh? What gives you that impression? It’s true that Queen Mother of the West holds great power in the Celestial Realm, but I heard one cannot ignore the stories of the Jade Emperor and the Three Pure Ones. Moreover, even if Nüwa was controlling things behind the scenes through the Queen Mother, would that be enough to want to kill her? It shouldn’t have anything to do with humans.”
“……”
I sighed and replied, “If her misleading actions in the Celestial Realm only harmed the Immortals, it wouldn’t be a concern. But if she is merely watching humans be annihilated with no accountability, is that truly the right thing to do?”
“Hmm.”
“I lack power, but I believe that’s an unjust act which is why I want to defeat her. I think she is deliberately eliminating chances for humans to survive.”
Xiang Yu chuckled mockingly. “Right now, you couldn’t even beat a minor figure; you’re dreaming big.”
“Ugh…”
“Fine, I won’t pry any further, so you can take your leave now.”
I cautiously asked, “If I were to request to meet you through an Offering Ceremony, would you come?”
Xiang Yu’s expression grew somewhat displeased. “You already know, but an Offering Ceremony is a public ritual, so everything discussed becomes known to high-level beings in the Celestial Realm. Therefore, I generally prefer not to respond to summons through Offering Ceremonies.”
“Ah…”
It seemed I had been quite fortunate to have summoned Xiang Yu before. I also realized that attempting to summon him without notice in the future would yield uncertain success.
“If you mention or discuss Yu Ji during an Offering Ceremony, I will kill you.”
“Ah… understood.”
“Come back to Nine Heavens. If you complete your mission, I will surely reward you.”
After the conversation concluded, I exited Xiang Yu’s palace with the Celestial Sage. Before leaving Nine Heavens, the Celestial Sage said to me, “Hey, sit over there.”
Was it finally happening? I sat on a rock, feeling tense.
The Celestial Sage scratched his hair and, after a while of silence, spoke, “You seem to know a bit about the ‘end,’ huh… Is your goal ultimately to prevent it? And it seems you think the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors have no intention of stopping that end.”
“……!!”
“Hey, don’t get too tense. I’m not planning to kill you here.”
His attempt to ease my anxiety only made me more rigid. I instinctively sensed that he was much smarter than he appeared. He had inferred my objective from a few exchanges with Xiang Yu. I calmed my heart and nodded.
“Yes. Ever since I learned of that fact, I’ve been trying to prevent the end.”
“Ah, I see. Your interest in the Seven Luminaries is for that reason. There’s a limit to the power one can possess as a human, so you aim to liberate the Seven Luminaries to gain power beyond human limits, right?”
“… Well, yes.”
“It’s starting to make sense…”
The Celestial Sage, with arms crossed, seemed to ponder and then spoke, “I should make it clear; I like you, Baek Woong, and consider you like a younger brother… But if you attempt to gather the Seven Luminaries, I will kill you. Even if I don’t kill you, I might seal you away.”
His tone was resolute. He had a playful nature, yet there was no ambiguity or concession when it came to something he had to do. I nodded, having reaffirmed my understanding of his character, and the Celestial Sage continued.
“But still, few humans get close to the truth of the world like you. I had suspicions about the Queen Mother of the West myself, but I had never thought of Nüwa until now. Hearing your words seems quite plausible.”
“……”
“So, what if you aimed for Ascension?”
“Ascension?”
When I questioned his sudden remark, the Celestial Sage grinned widely.
“You know well enough that there are limits to the power obtainable as a human. Then wouldn’t it be better to become an Immortal and elevate your soul’s rank while also enhancing your strength? If you truly want to become an Immortal, I will support you without reservation.”
“But neither you nor Xiang Yu seemed to have any change in power pre- and post-immortal status…”
“While that’s true, after being appointed as a Celestial Immortal, I did gain a few additional abilities. I don’t think it’s a bad trade-off. If you become an Immortal, I’m sure you’ll be at least twice as strong as now.”
The Celestial Sage patted my back enthusiastically. “Think it over. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“If it calls to your heart, contact me through He Yu at the Ruyi Staff.”
The notion of the Celestial Sage aiding me in becoming an Immortal sparked interest in me. Would my reincarnation abilities still function if I became an Immortal? If they do, could I potentially reincarnate with the power of an Immortal intact?
‘It’s worth testing.’
As I fiddled with the Ruyi Staff, the Celestial Sage suddenly remembered something. “Oh, and…”
He mentioned as if recalling, “It seems that the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens is pretty upset with you. I’ll take care of that. I’ll explain the situation, so she won’t cause you any trouble for a while.”
“……”
“Now, let’s get you back to Earth. Staying in the Celestial Realm for too long may cause you adverse effects.”
Pa-at!
Before long, I hopped onto the cloud steed and returned to Nine Heavens’ back entrance, leaving the Celestial Realm through the rear door. On the ground, I bowed to the Celestial Sage.
“Thank you.”
“Hehe, no need. If that Tripitaka fellow bothers you again, contact me. I’ll take care of him.”
“Understood.”
After parting from the Celestial Sage, I headed straight toward the southern continent. There, I utilized the Hidden Phoenix to show my companions everything that happened during my negotiations with the Celestial Sage. After the memory sharing concluded, Mangnyang spoke up.
“Baek Woong, that’s impressive. To think you aimed to meet with Xiang Yu in that situation…”
He sighed dramatically. “Even if I could entertain that option, I would never have the guts to choose it. Truly impressive intuition and courage.”
“Haha.”
Feeling buoyed, I chuckled, only for Zhuge Sa to comment, “It seems the challenge at Dark Heaven Village is continuing to become worth it. Originally, I intended to throw myself at Dark Heaven Village to gain some clues, but you keep bringing more gains, my lord.”
“Well, it’s not a bad thing, is it?”
“That’s true.”
Zhuge Sa continued, “Given the circumstances, it seems most important to carry out Xiang Yu’s request for now. Let’s use the National Seal to search for Yu Ji’s soul.”
“Got it.”
Woong—
I activated the National Seal and searched for Yu Ji’s soul through the spirit of the seal. Then the spirit of the National Seal emitted light and spoke.
[The result of the search for Yu Ji’s soul is zero.]
“Again? Tch… So she’s not in this world?”
I couldn’t help but whine. The National Seal was useful, but it could only search for what existed in this world. When I relayed the search results to my companions, Mangnyang pondered deeply and suggested, “Baek Woong, try activating the National Seal again.”
“Hmm?”
“How about searching using the energy of the Celestial Sabre?”
I followed Mangnyang’s suggestion. To my surprise, the spirit of the National Seal announced.
[The search results for the energy of the Celestial Sabre are a total of 129 instances.]
“Huh?! Why so many?”
[Would you like to view the search results?]
“Show me.”
Pa-bang!
A massive projection that seemed to open up the entirety of the world appeared before my eyes. This projection displayed what seemed to show all the oceans and continents of this world. Across various parts of the projection, hundreds of traces were flashing in red light. I chose the one that seemed the largest and pressed it. The National Seal then began to zoom in on that area.
Woong—
Before me appeared the desolate ruins of an ancient castle. Inspecting the location carefully, I found nothing particularly promising. I hesitated to ask, “When you search for energy, does it show where it has lingered?”
[That is correct. It tracks the traces of a strong constellation’s energy and displays the current figures holding it as well.]
“Figures… Show me humans with the energy of the Celestial Sabre!”
[There are a total of 14 cases.]
Pa-bang!
Fourteen distinct panels appeared. Each panel displayed humans of various ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds. Yet strangely, they didn’t appear to be remarkable power users; they looked just like ordinary humans. Confused, I muttered, “Are they really capable of the Celestial Sabre’s power? They don’t seem that impressive.”
[The amount of Celestial Sabre energy they possess is extremely minimal.]
“Is there a certain threshold of power they need to exhibit substantial strength?”
[Indeed.]
While humans possessing the energy of the Celestial Sabre weren’t rare, those demonstrating supernatural power seemed to be quite few. It seemed that based on this alone, there was not a single individual across the globe that could truly claim to have been born with the Celestial Sabre’s capabilities.
I closed the National Seal and shared the search results with Mangnyang. He then responded, “That old castle was likely the backdrop of the predicament known as cornered on all sides.”
“Are you talking about the castle where Xiang Yu was surrounded by Liu Bang’s great army?”
“That’s right. If Yu Ji’s traces are most pronounced in an ancient castle in the Central Plains, it could only be that place. First, let’s head there and employ the Heavenly Secret Technique.”
He said gravely, “If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to use the last resort.”
The last resort—
That would likely mean crossing directly into the Underworld.