Chapter 496: Side Story 16 Baek Sang-ah’s Melancholy

“Please, grant Eungnyong peace.”

The moment I heard those words, my guard shot up to its peak.

Because I sensed that the being before me was toying with me.

Flash!

Without hesitation, I made my move.

Though it hadn’t shown much since I became the Alliance Leader, even before I was stained by the Demonic Cult, my nature had always been rather aggressive.

But—

My sword futilely sliced through the other’s neck.

“I’m sorry, but physical force holds no power here. Not for you—nor even for me.”

“……”

Killing King’s True Qi didn’t work.

As high-level a power as the Killing King’s True Qi might be, I still couldn’t draw out its full potential.

‘Sword Intent…’

If I wanted to strike that existence, only Sword Intent would work.

But if I couldn’t refine it into a sharp, blade-like form, even that would be useless.

I hadn’t yet reached such a level.

“I haven’t fully resurrected yet. Only my consciousness has awakened, and I called you here in that state. I couldn’t possibly play tricks on you.”

“But you’re clearly capable of doing something in this state.”

How could I simply believe those words, when evidence of the contrary existed all around us?

“You don’t believe me.”

“Can you really expect us to trust your words so easily right now?”

“In that case, it can’t be helped. Please consider my words mere ramblings, then.”

“……”

Regardless of the seemingly courteous demeanor, this being also had quite the strong sense of self.

No matter how I responded, the Phoenix continued on without pause.

“Not long after my consciousness awakened, I sensed that Heavenly Evil had completely perished, escaping the cycle of reincarnation.”

“That’s right. Such a catastrophe will never occur again.”

“But precisely because of that, we’re now caught in a dilemma. Heavenly Evil was our mortal enemy—but at the same time, it was also our lifeline.”

“…Lifeline?”

“Yes. Because Heavenly Evil existed, Heaven’s Favor would sometimes descend upon us, and through that brief window, we could take shallow breaths.”

But now, that Heavenly Evil was gone.

Unless Eungnyong had taken part in the final battle and harvested some of Heavenly Evil’s powers—though he hadn’t.

He had cowardly avoided that battle altogether.

“The aftermath of the Great War stripped us of the right to ascend to the Higher Realm. That’s why we’re now forced to find a path of survival here, no matter what.”

“…You lost the right?”

The Phoenix’s expression dimmed.

“Yes. A shameful history we’ve never shared with anyone.”

I had once heard something about this from Jin Yeomyung.

There was indeed a Heavenly Realm in this world.

Surprisingly, some beings had managed to transcend and ascend, and the most recent to do so had been the previous Heavenly Demon, Cheon Taejong.

Then why were those divine beasts, once dreaded in the past, still here without ascending?

Jin Yeomyung had once asked that very question—to me and to others around me.

“Try thinking from our perspective. The civilization of the surface has collapsed, and the earth is no longer habitable for humans. If survival was only possible by sleeping in dormancy beneath the ground… what would you choose?”

“……”

“There are three options. Wait for someone stronger than us to resolve the situation, or devolve into something pitiful just to scrape by on the surface—or…”

The Phoenix gently closed her eyes.

“Or bet everything on a small sliver of hope and gamble.”

“If it were me, I’d gamble.”

“Yes. For someone with a bold nature, that’s a perfectly reasonable choice. But what if that gamble meant eradicating all existing life on the surface? Even if they were mere insects?”

Flinch—

“…That’s…”

“Of course, sacrificing others for self-preservation isn’t exactly rare. It’s entirely plausible.”

I faintly noticed it.

That subtle shift in the Phoenix’s expression—the faint glint of rising anger in her voice.

“But what if the reason they were forced to live underground was purely due to their own doing?”

“……”

“To deceive even their own pride, to refuse to accept the outcome, and to flail about in disgrace—that is our present reality. Of course, one’s own life is naturally most precious, and up until now, opportunities have allowed them to remain quiet…”

But now, the situation was different.

“Isn’t it time we acknowledged our past failures and chose to be buried in history?”

“…Isn’t that a matter for you to decide once you fully resurrect? Why come to me?”

“Because I… and the other Divine Beasts, cannot go against Eungnyong.”

Not a nominal figurehead, but one who holds true decision-making authority.

“Divine Beasts may appear to be on equal footing like the Four Atrocities, but in truth, it’s different. Eungnyong, as the Supreme Seat of the Divine Beasts, holds the authority to forcibly issue commands to us. Of course, that’s also why we’ve been able to survive this long even after Jiseong gave up reincarnation and fragmented himself.”

That explained why even Girin, despite opposing Eungnyong’s thinking, continued to follow him.

I briefly lowered my stance, which had been ready to strike.

The Phoenix’s tone had risen with such fervor that it bordered on passion by the end.

Regardless of whether her intent was true or false, continuing the conversation for now seemed the better option.

“Well, fine. Let’s say you’re right. So what?”

Kill Eungnyong? That’s what I came here to do in the first place.

“You must’ve called me here because you had something useful to offer, right?”

“Of course.”

Swoosh.

The Phoenix extended her palm.

“First, please take this.”

From her hand, something red burst forth and flew toward me.

‘A feather?’

Indeed, it was a flame in the shape of a feather.

“This is a feather from my true body. It serves to help you avoid losing your way within Eungnyong’s domain.”

“……!”

“I could bestow power and authority upon you, but if I did, Eungnyong would notice immediately. If he senses my betrayal, he’ll discard me on the spot.”

“…Discard you?”

Even if there was a hierarchy of authority, that wasn’t something one should say about a comrade.

“Eungnyong absolutely would. His heart… is already tainted by demonic influence.”

Of course, there had been past instances when he observed things based on his own judgment, but never had he run so out of control.

“That feather will guide you to the most critical places within the many-layered spaces here.”

“The most critical places?”

“First is naturally the location of Eungnyong’s true body. And the second…”

The Phoenix closed her eyes.

“…is the incubation space prepared for the resurrection of my true form.”

Some time passed.

Flash!

I tore through space and arrived somewhere.

And the moment I did, a feeling struck me.

‘Hot.’

For someone who had attained immunity to fire and water, feeling heat meant this was a place where life couldn’t normally survive.

A space spanning hundreds of jang burned and withered in endless cycles, without distinguishing up or down.

At the center of that space—

A massive crimson ‘egg’ throbbed, entangled in countless fiery blossoms.

‘That’s the same flower I saw just a moment ago!’

Back in the space where the Phoenix had been, I hadn’t sensed anything strange. But in truth, each of those blossoms emitted overwhelming heat.

‘If those flowers are here, then this must be the place the Phoenix mentioned…’

“What’s this? I didn’t expect you to arrive here so soon.”

Flinch!

Before I could even finish that thought—

A languid voice drifted from behind me.

A voice I knew well.

‘Yeonggwi!’

Divine Beast Yeonggwi.

Before I knew it, a beautiful woman with smooth, gray skin—far too unnatural for a human—was standing behind me.

With a sly grin, Yeonggwi reached her hand toward my shoulder.

“What do you think? Pretty, isn’t it?”

Before Yeonggwi’s hand could touch me, the Jade Heavenly Divine Sword moved like lightning.

Killing King’s True Sword

Moon Soul Strike

A secret blade that ignored the opponent’s Protective Energy!

It hadn’t worked against the Phoenix, but that was only because she had forcibly suppressed all martial power within her domain, myself included!

If this was the real world, it had to work!

“You’ve got quite the sting, don’t you?”

Before I knew it, a turtle-shell-shaped barrier manifested in front of Yeonggwi.

My Moon Soul Strike sought to pierce through and strike her true body—

Boom!

“……!!”

But the power that ignored martial qi was repelled outright and bounced off!

‘How?!’

“I don’t fall for the same thing twice. Don’t you think you’re underestimating me just a little?”

Yeonggwi clicked her tongue, reading my shock.

“My name is Yeonggwi (靈龜). I am, after all, the apex of the Tortoise Divine Beasts.”

Her once-leisurely expression turned slightly serious.

“Among the Divine Beasts, no one is more specialized in defense than I am. A technique of that level? I can block it just fine.”

Unlike the previous encounter where she had allowed So Cheon to land a strike, the Yeonggwi standing before her now felt like an impenetrable wall.

“If you want to bring me down, you’ll have to do it with sheer force. Not that it’s possible, of course.”

“Do you really believe it’s impossible?”

“Yep. Impossible. Maybe outside, but especially not in here.”

She loosened her robe slightly and revealed the area around her chest where So Cheon had once struck her.

Last time, that spot had been stained with dark energy. Now, it was spotless, without a single scar.

“No matter how you got here so quickly, that power won’t work anymore.”

“…There’s something I’ve been wondering.”

At the sudden question, Yeonggwi tilted her head.

“Hm? All of a sudden? Go ahead.”

I asked the question that had always lingered in my mind.

“You said you were a fortune-teller, right? But you couldn’t even predict I’d come here, let alone see the far future?”

“Ugh! You hit me where it hurts…”

As she adjusted her loosened robe, she pulled something out from inside—a slip of paper.

“Here, what does this say?”

The content was easy to read.

“…Misfortune (凶).”

“That’s our fortune for today.”

“……”

“But I don’t actually know how misfortunate it is.”

“You’re not very skilled, are you?”

“Maybe not—but that’s the truth. Still, whether I draw ten times or a hundred, our fortunes are going to come out as misfortune for a while.”

“……”

“All because of that Phoenix’s resurrection.”

Now, I could somewhat understand what she meant.

“Because the Phoenix is such a massive presence in terms of karma?”

“That’s right. And to begin with, we’re beings unwelcome in this world. We’d be lucky to get even neutrality (平), let alone fortune (吉).”

That’s why Yeonggwi didn’t bother with fortune-telling most of the time.

“Of course, with my skills, I could easily leak celestial secrets. I could read our futures if I wanted. But something like that doesn’t end with just a day or two of rituals—it requires too great a price.”

Eungnyong knew that as well, which is why when Yeonggwi was resurrected, he had her divert that power not toward reading fate, but instead rewriting the histories of nearby humans.

That was far more efficient.

“In the end, it’s all about efficiency. Understand now?”

“…Thanks for answering honestly.”

“No big deal. You won’t ever be leaving this place again, so I don’t mind telling you.”

Absolute confidence.

That kind of attitude didn’t appear unless one was completely certain of overwhelming superiority.

“Given your current state, you’ll make an even better offering than the rest.”

…The rest?

Unconsciously, I turned my gaze toward where Yeonggwi pointed.

Looking a bit farther beyond the egg, I saw the figures of more than a dozen humans tied up.

“……!”

The egg had been so massive, and the space itself so devoid of presence, that I hadn’t noticed until now.

‘…Them!’

There was no doubt.

At the very center, a woman had fainted and was bound.

Just seeing Lord Baek Cheong was enough to confirm it.

‘The imperial family!’

Those who had fled Beijing with the Emperor—members of the royal family—were now miserably bound here in this place!

“They’re… just ordinary humans, aren’t they…?!”

“Well, they are now. But once they awaken, it’s a different story.”

A sneer curled at Yeonggwi’s lips.

“Just look at that Gumiho. Once the blood awakens through atavism, they make very, very useful offerings.”

As she said, a few among the royals had already begun to transform—slightly shifting away from their human forms.

“I’ve left the Emperor alone just for appearances’ sake, but that won’t last much longer either.”

“…Have you truly abandoned even the barest shred of pride as a Divine Beast?”

“Oh? So you can say things like that?”

Yeonggwi looked me over, amused.

Then, she smiled in a way unlike before.

“I mean, why would I mention something like pride when playing with insects? And besides, I’ve been doing this sort of thing behind Eungnyong’s back for a long time now.”

“……”

“Maybe you didn’t know this either?”

A mocking smile that nearly split her face.

“I played a big role in founding the Heaven-Defying Society.”

Flower Lord of Lust, Myeong Yuryang.

The one who inherited Yeonggwi’s blood—and one of the Ten Heavenly Lords of the Heaven-Defying Society.

As that figure came to mind, my blood ran cold.

“…Sorry but… actually, no. I’m not even sorry anymore.”

I gripped the Jade Heavenly Divine Sword in my right hand and shaped Sword Qi in my left, glaring straight at Yeonggwi.

“You’re just going to die here.”

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