Questions about the Heavenly Demon, and worries about the Azure-Eyed Blood Demon who had stolen the Heaven-Slaughter Star’s energy—those, I decided to set aside for the moment.

There was something more important to deal with right now.

“From the way you look, it seems you have some idea about the contents of this letter… What do you plan to do?”

“Ah, come to think of it, Venerable Gakjeong, you’re not fully informed about our situation.”

At that point, I looked to Venerable Jeong Hyeon. What came next wasn’t something I could say myself.

“White Moon Sword Lord is currently under a mental restriction, Master.”

“A mental restriction? What kind of vile thing is that…! Is this the work of the Demonic Cult? I always knew you had strong hostility toward them…”

“No. It’s presumed that the mental restriction was placed by Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva and some unknown Great Luo Immortal. He was born with it already in place.”

“What?”

Venerable Gakjeong flinched as he unknowingly called Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva ‘vile’, but only for a moment. He tapped his own lips a few times, then finally spoke again.

“Are you certain?”

“At least from what I saw, yes. Though I couldn’t precisely determine what kind of restriction it is.”

“That’s fine. I’m just surprised that you, who’s always disliked esoteric Buddhist techniques, are doing all this.”

“Well… I owe the White Moon Sword Lord a great deal. More than that… after seeing you suppress the Heaven-Slaughter Star’s murderous qi the other day, it really made me rethink things, Master.”

“Haha, I see.”

Even though Venerable Jeong Hyeon wasn’t young, in front of his master, Venerable Gakjeong, he somehow gave off a much younger impression.

Despite everything that had happened, they were still a good master and disciple, clearly.

While the two exchanged satisfied smiles, Venerable Jeong Hyeon continued to explain the details he had discovered. Then, with the help of Tang Sowol and me, we conveyed the events regarding Blood Flame.

After hearing everything, Venerable Gakjeong gave a slow nod.

“I see… I thought my role had ended with the last incident, but perhaps it’s not over yet.”

“I know this is shameless to ask, but… may I request your help again?”

“Oh dear. Young master Cheon keeps making me feel embarrassed. I’ve already received so much from you. This is no evil deed, so I’ll help however I can. Wasn’t that the reason I came in the first place?”

“Thank you.”

“However, one part still bothers me. So before attempting anything, we must first verify this method the Heavenly Demon has provided.”

“Of course. I agree with that completely.”

I folded the letter again and handed it to Venerable Gakjeong. I had already memorized the contents. The problem wasn’t remembering it—it was not understanding what any of it meant.

“Still… based on what I just heard, doesn’t this require a highly skilled Taoist to test it?”

At Venerable Gakjeong’s murmur, Tang Jincheon shook his head with a bitter smile.

“I did contact the Wudang Sect, but unfortunately, while they have the records, there’s no one left who can fully interpret and actually perform the Daoist techniques.”

“But Wudang is the successor of the Quanzhen Sect and is known for preserving ancient techniques…”

“If it’s about that part, I believe I can help.”

Interrupting the heavy sighs of Tang Jincheon and Venerable Gakjeong was none other than the Murim Alliance’s strategist, Zhuge Bu.

At this unexpected claim, the Murim Alliance Leader blinked in confusion.

“You? Strategist? I’m not well-versed in this field, but I thought the Zhuge Clan had little to do with Daoist teachings?”

“Indeed, as the Alliance Leader said, our Zhuge Clan doesn’t follow Daoist teachings. Nor Buddhist, for that matter. However, we’ve often studied them academically. After all, formations themselves were born from attempts to borrow nature’s power to reproduce diluted forms of mystical techniques.”

“Oh, I believe I’ve heard something like that before.”

“Seems like you’ve researched this quite a bit for personal reasons. Yes. Our ancestor Zhuge Liang, though not a Daoist himself, was said to read the heavens and call forth the eastern wind. Discovering the principles that fill the world and slightly twisting them to achieve a desired outcome…”

As I agreed with him, Zhuge Bu’s eyes sparkled and he began pouring out a torrent of technical knowledge.

A middle-aged man getting this excited—it reminded me of someone.

Namgung Clan.

Both Namgung Dowi and his son Namgung Jong would break their usual solemn expressions and ramble on endlessly when the topic of swords came up.

As those memories overlapped in my mind for a brief moment, I noticed the Murim Alliance Leader and Venerable Gakjeong shaking their heads with weary expressions.

“The strategist is certainly a brilliant man, but… sometimes he makes your ears hurt.”

“Looks like the current Zhuge generation is no different from the last.”

Apparently, this wasn’t a new thing. Previous generations of the Zhuge Clan had been just like this.

Though I’d never been to their estate, I could already imagine the atmosphere there.

Well… it’s no wonder the clan continues to provide military advisors to the Murim Alliance generation after generation.

To be honest, before my regression, I assumed it was due to corruption or symbolism—like in the Black Lotus Sect.

But now I see… there’s just another insane family out there.

I let out a silent laugh at the thought. Then, unable to take it any longer, Tang Jincheon interrupted.

“That’s enough. Just get to the point. Can you do it or not?”

“I can. However, since this is my first time attempting to use formations in this way, I’ll need as much reference material and preparation as possible.”

“Good. I’ll ask Wudang to send any books they can provide.”

With that, the room fell into a brief silence.

Partly because there was nothing more to say, but mostly, it felt like Zhuge Bu had drained everyone’s energy.

When I opened my mouth, all eyes naturally turned to me.

“Thank you, everyone.”

I bowed my head. Feeling awkward, the others scratched their heads or stroked their beards.

“No need to thank us. We’re simply returning what you’ve already given.”

“Namu Amitabha. This too is the result of your accumulated good karma.”

“Ahem. At the very least, this is much simpler than, say, chopping off someone’s arm out of nowhere or cleaning up after a collapsed building, so don’t worry.”

The Murim Alliance Leader’s words had a strange edge to them, but in any case, the atmosphere warmed and the day came to a close.

***

Half a month later.

By the time my warped willpower had stabilized and my body had caught up, a message came through the Murim Alliance Leader.

Everything was ready.

I paused what I was doing and headed to the Alliance Leader’s office.

Apparently, I was the last to arrive—everyone else was already waiting.

“I came after hearing that everything’s ready. Is that true?”

“Yes. We’ve verified it in multiple ways and even tested the grand technique itself. It works flawlessly, and surprisingly, it wasn’t as dangerous as we feared.”

Zhuge Bu nodded with confidence. The others’ expressions were bright as well.

“However, there’s one issue—or rather, a condition.”

“A condition? What is it?”

“As you might’ve guessed… not just anyone can enter your heartscape. The connection has to be deep, and there must be sincere feelings.”

“So then…”

“That means only Lihyang, Hwarin, and I are qualified.”

While I was still trying to figure out what that meant, Tang Sowol spoke up to clarify.

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting something like that.”

“…You say that, but you don’t look surprised at all… Anyway, even then, we probably won’t be able to see everything. Still, compared to last time, when we barged in with a crude method, we’ll likely see much more and stay longer.”

“I understand. Then what about the fog-like perception Tang Sowol mentioned before?”

“That’s the most prominent thing we can’t see. It seems to be the core of the mental restriction, so it’s difficult to bypass. The same goes for the voice.”

“Then what can you see more clearly?”

“The context. Not all conversations will be audible, but we should at least be able to understand the general situation and direction of things.”

Whether they would be able to deduce the truth about my regression was unclear.

But at least one thing, I could convey with certainty.

That the person I kept seeing over the three women…

Was none other than another version of them.

That alone would be enough.

“Are we starting now?”

“If there are no other issues, yes.”

At that, Zhuge Bu turned to look at the Murim Alliance Leader. He grinned and said,

“Some of you may already know, but… please keep everything you see today a secret. It’s one of the Murim Alliance’s hidden protocols.”

“What are you trying to pull this time…”

Before I could finish that thought, the Murim Alliance Leader tapped the floor a few times with his foot, then infused internal energy into a bookshelf to the right.

Grrrk—

An entire wall rotated to reveal a hidden passage.

“This is…?”

“This is a hidden ritual chamber known only to past Alliance Leaders and a few closest confidants. It’s not fancy, but there’s no better place to perform such techniques without interference. After all, look at who’s gathered here—don’t you think too many eyes would be watching?”

As the Murim Alliance Leader said, several Flowering Stage masters were gathered, each representing their own sect.

Naturally, people would assume some kind of secret council was taking place. Many would be curious.

This hidden room was clearly prepared for such contingencies.

Zhuge Bu’s eyes went wide.

“Wow! I always suspected there was a secret exit in the office, but I never imagined it’d be here! So this is where you disappeared to whenever you dumped all your work on me!”

“I-I always came back eventually! Even if it was after sundown…”

The Alliance Leader’s voice grew smaller and smaller. Well… in the Beggar’s Sect, there’s usually a clear split between those who specialize in intel and those who focus on martial arts.

Considering the Alliance Leader’s martial prowess, he’s clearly the latter.

With a faint laugh, I followed behind him.

Even with night-glow stones embedded in the walls, the passage was dim. But after a short walk, we arrived at a spacious chamber—not tall, but quite wide.

In the center, complex scripts and diagrams were drawn. Around them were several valuable-looking items arranged precisely.

“Lie in the center. The others will lie around you in a triangle.”

“Yes.”

Following instructions, I lay down, and the other three took their positions.

With a mix of anticipation and slight concern, the grand formation began.

Energy gathered toward the center, drawn into the formation. Soon after, the sound of Venerables Jeong Hyeon and Gakjeong reciting sutras filled the space.

As I continued listening, something began to stir deep in my chest. I wasn’t sure what it was, but something was definitely happening.

That stirring sensation gradually intensified.

Then, at a certain moment, Tang Sowol released her pale pink poison in the form of mist, shrouding the surroundings.

And then—

Ding.

The Demon Bell in Zhuge Bu’s hand rang out with a clear sound.

***

Lying at the center among the unconscious Tang Sowol, Seol Lihyang, and Seo Mun-Hwarin, I opened my mouth.

“Why… am I still conscious?”

“Well, that’s because it’s not you entering someone else’s heartscape—it’s others entering yours, right?”

Ah.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep