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chapter 141
Peng Jinghao opened his closed eyes.
His face was twisted with unbearable pain.
And then—
Pop!
Both of his eyeballs burst.
The golden relic in his hands shattered at the same time and lost its glow.
“Arghhh! Aaaghhh!! AAAAAHHH!! Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal!! Great Sage!!”
Peng Jinghao clutched his head and writhed in agony.
It wasn’t just that he had lost his eyes.
At the very end of the Telepathy Technique, Sun Wukong had forcibly crammed an immense torrent of fighting intent into his body, striking both flesh and soul at once.
His mana circuits snapped strand by strand, part of his soul was mangled and torn away by force.
It was as if he had become a ghost rolling through a hellfire that had manifested in the human world, screaming in anguish.
The rope he thought would grant him glory turned out to be nothing more than a reckless, presumptuous act of stupidity—realizing that truth was its own torment.
But then—
“You—! You’ve done this to me!! It hurts! I said it HURTS!! Ughhh… You… you are to me… Heheheh… Hahahahahaha!!!”
That pain turned into sobbing, sobbing into madness, and madness into hysterical laughter.
Blood mixed with tears poured from his ruined sockets as he cried and laughed at once, his face twisted in madness.
“How absurd! The Great Sage is indeed the Great Sage! I prepared for everything, and still—still I end up like this!!”
Fragments of his eyes, shredded to pulp, dripped from his sockets with the bloody tears.
The torment still rattled his skull, but greater than the pain was the ecstasy that now consumed him.
“It was a ritual I perfected with so much effort! Yet it had such a fatal weakness! Hahaha! As expected of the Grand Disciple of the Dharma King! How could he possibly have known such a secret?”
Though blind, Peng Jinghao turned his head as if he still had sight.
There stood the Vajra Pagoda.
Inside the transparent orb, Monk Xuanzang sat silently with eyes closed, still wearing his blood-stained robes.
“Was it my master’s secret he uncovered? Or did he sense the presence of the One behind us? Ah… yes, that must be it! The Great Sage—Sun Wukong himself—he could surely perceive it! Even without his full power restored, to do this much…”
Peng Jinghao’s longing for Sun Wukong only grew stronger.
If this was his power even now, what would he be like once fully resurrected?
“He took my eyes from me… perhaps so I might see what cannot be seen? A trial to grant me enlightenment?”
His face gradually warped into a mask of madness.
He began to twist the meaning of Sun Wukong’s hostility toward him—recasting it as a sign of being chosen as Wukong’s successor.
“To shape me into a true demon, a Demon King. Truly, he is beyond the comprehension of a foolish rustic like me! He will stand at the pinnacle of Heaven! And if… if I could devour him… ahhh! If only I could!!”
Peng Jinghao curled his lips coldly into a smile, baring sharp fangs—an evil god’s grin.
The madness spread deeper, seeping into his pineal gland and staining his brain.
His very temperament was becoming corrupted.
Demonic energy.
He was forsaking humanity, awakening his demonic nature, and transforming into a true Magin (Demon-Man).
“And now, more than ever, I desire the power of the Great Sage. My vision was never wrong. Only the Great Sage… only he can give me the strength I seek.”
The encounter with Sun Wukong, the impact he received, had twisted something within him.
But—
Just for a moment.
Then, as if all emotion had drained away, he wore a calm expression once more.
Yet unlike before, it was now steeped in malice and poison.
“Which means, I must leave this place after all. Time to depart.”
Just days ago, his chamber had bustled with people.
Now it was empty, barren—books gone from the shelves, furniture stripped away.
This change had come in a single day, ever since he received his notice of dismissal that morning.
The Party had abandoned him.
But Peng Jinghao told himself otherwise.
That it wasn’t he who had been abandoned, but he who had abandoned the Party.
After all, his encounter with Sun Wukong had shown him there was still much left within himself.
Now only “That One” and Sun Wukong remained as his true sources of inspiration.
At that moment—
Flutter!
A bird suddenly flew in through the window.
Its feathers shone a brilliant blue, like carved jade.
A bluebird.
Tap, tap.
“You’ve come?”
Peng Jinghao opened the window wide, letting the bird in.
The bluebird, known as Cheongjo, was a sacred creature—messenger between Heaven and Earth, bringer of divine will.
It was a gift bestowed by So-Ho Geumcheon upon his apostle.
Peng Jinghao used it as a secret means of communication with his followers, beyond the eyes of the Party and the Committee.
The bird climbed his arm and perched on his shoulder, politely delivering the note it carried in its beak.
— Shi (始).
Peng Jinghao brushed the ink mark with his fingertip and smiled.
It meant the beginning.
His movements were so precise, one would never guess he was blind.
“Heh heh heh. Indeed, you are my fiancée, always bringing such pleasing tidings.”
He stroked the bird’s chin with his finger and placed another note in its beak.
“Go once more, my dear. So much rests upon you.”
Flutter!
The bird soared back into the deep blue sky, wings gleaming as brightly as the heavens themselves.
Peng Jinghao watched in silence, then turned his back.
Step. Step.
Leaning on his staff, he walked out of the official residence with firm steps.
Thud!
The doors shut behind him.
Never to open again.
His final parting with the Committee.
[The Fengshan Ritual]
A celestial rite once performed by ancient Emperors to worship the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven.
By offering this rite, the Emperor declared himself Heaven’s representative, affirming his legitimacy as sovereign of the mortal realm.
-
Type: Ancient sacrificial ritual, Heavenly worship.
-
Source: Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)
Clatter, clatter!
The Ruyi Chains spun endlessly.
Flash! Flash!
Boom!
Bolts of lightning surged from sky to earth and back again, over and over.
Rumble…!
Thunder and earthquakes followed in their wake.
[You activate the Trust of the Duokshini!]
Fwoosh!
Lee Hyun sprinted along the chains of the Ruyi.
In his hands were twin axes, each also bound to the chain.
“Sick of it, you say?”
Xu Changyou, dressed like an ancient Son of Heaven, opened his mouth wide in a mocking smile.
The majesty of his attire clashed with the malice in his expression.
“What a pity. I’m enjoying myself immensely. I’ve waited for this moment for four long years!”
Rumble!
The dungeon shook violently.
Suddenly, ice dust gathered high above, condensing into the shape of a massive censer.
The Celestial Furnace.
A relic Xu Changyou had carried often since his days with Qinglei.
Said to adjust fate itself and alter the history of the mortal world, the sacred artifact spun in place.
Whirrr!
And then—
BOOM!!
The ground heaved as ice plains thrust upward into the sky.
[By command of the Jade Emperor, the Fengshan Ritual begins. All beings must bow to welcome the new sovereign.]
[The Altar of Fengshan is summoned!]
Just then, a new message appeared before Lee Hyun’s eyes.
Ding!
Ding!
[Sudden Event: Disrupt the Fengshan Ritual!]
-
The Jade Emperor seeks to accept his apostle’s offering, complete causality, and secure a pretext for deep intervention in the mortal realm.
-
Ordinarily indifferent to worldly affairs, the Jade Emperor has become keenly attentive due to the news of the Great Sage’s resurrection.
-
At present, he wishes to erase you—but lacks the causal justification to act directly. His apostle has created this chance for him.
-
Disrupt the ritual at once and block the Jade Emperor’s advance. If you fail, both you and your master’s very existence may be endangered.
Success: Gain the second character of the Great Sage’s true name ■■대■, and obtain the location of a new relic.
Failure: Offering lost, and intervention by the Heavenly Church.
‘Another chance to earn the Great Sage’s name. And a new relic too.’
For Lee Hyun, there was no reason to hesitate.
He had never intended to let the ritual proceed anyway.
‘A new relic… Hopefully, it’s the Somersault Cloud.’
With that casual thought, he swung his axe down hard toward Xu Changyou’s head.
A full-force, frenzied strike.
Boom!!
But the blow was blocked midway by two knights who suddenly leapt into its path.
[The Tale of the Snow Queen cries out to the enthralled vassals, begging them to awaken from their trance!]
Clang!
The knights shoved his axes aside, then immediately attacked from left and right in unison.
Their intent to protect the ritual was unmistakable.
Whip—!
But their charge was cut off as the Ruyi Chains wrapped around their feet, tripping them.
Lee Hyun smashed through with a body tackle, breaking their defense.
Crash!!
His cloak of Duokshini flared brilliantly, shattering their frozen armor.
And then—
Screech!
[You forcibly pull the enemy with Gravitic Pressure (S)!]
Crack!
An invisible giant’s hand seized Xu Changyou.
“Pointless.”
Xu Changyou raised his jade tablet high.
A wave of formless resistance shattered the grip.
[You forcibly pull the enemy again with Gravitic Pressure (S)!]
The invisible hand snatched him once more. Yet still, that unseen force pushed back, struggling to shake it off.
“I told you—it’s pointless.”
[Gravitic Pressure (S) activates repeatedly!]
But before he could break free, more giant hands latched onto him—from below, above, the sides, every angle.
Xu Changyou’s brows twitched.
This time, he couldn’t shake them off so easily.
Crack!
Sure enough, his protective barrier began to fissure.
Lee Hyun struck in that opening.
BOOM!!
Shatter!!
The barrier collapsed as his axe slashed at Xu Changyou’s neck.
The man froze stiff, bound tight by countless giant hands.
Chains of the Ruyi erupted again—five thick chains winding and constricting him even further.
Thud!!
Rrrrip—!
The axe slammed beneath his jaw.
It didn’t pierce deeply—only grazing his collarbone as if sliding across ice.
But Lee Hyun was satisfied.
It was the first wound he had inflicted.
Splash!
Blood sprayed.
“……!!”
“What’s pointless is you. Your schemes are the true nonsense.”
“You dare…!”
Xu Changyou’s eyes widened with fury.
But Lee Hyun ignored him, unleashing another wild storm of frenzied strikes.
Lightning crackled with every blow.
Crack! Crackle!
Both fighters leapt and landed hard upon the ground.
Xu Changyou retreated quickly, raising his jade tablet again, while Lee Hyun pursued relentlessly.
Screech!
The Celestial Furnace resonated with the jade tablet’s power.
Rumble!
The Son of Heaven never fought directly.
He always had retainers to act in his stead.
[Nezha manifests his will through the knight of glaciers, Harma!]
[The Thunder God descends into the body of the snow-forest guard, Schneewald!]
[The Wind Emperor channels through the White Knight, Gerwin…]
[Jintong…]
…
[The gods of the Heavenly Church, angered by the loss of their apostle, unleash divine punishment upon you!]
Flash! Flash!
Behind him, divine warriors charged with terrifying speed, their powers unmistakable.
Nezha’s apostle wielded twin fire-tipped spears while soaring forward on flaming wheels like Qing Xiao.
The Thunder God’s apostle hurled down bolts of lightning like Ma Ryong.
Others, like the Wind Emperor’s and Jintong’s apostles, each brought unique divine might.
The assault of these knights, each bearing the essence of a mythic god, was overwhelmingly fierce.
[The Tale of the Snow Queen sneers at the Heavenly Church’s gods, who stoop to appear in numbers just to seize a mere mortal!]
‘I agree.’
Lee Hyun thought, watching the so-called gods react no differently than cornered animals.
Crack!!
He slammed a foot into the ground, stopping short.
Fissures spread for dozens of meters, tearing open the frozen earth.
BOOM!
The ground surged upward, upheaving.
The pursuing knights all leapt skyward at once to avoid being swallowed by the fissures.
‘Got you.’
That was the moment Lee Hyun had waited for.
Clatter!
The Ruyi Chains, charged with his mana, shot up from the cracks, ensnaring them.
This time, they were the ones on the run.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!!”
While he wrestled them with fistfuls of chains—
[The Fengshan Altar is complete.]
[The offering ritual begins!]
Xu Changyou had already ascended the icy stairway to stand upon the completed altar.
The ritual pressed on.
Yet within Lee Hyun’s blazing golden eyes, there was no trace of impatience.
If anything, he seemed to be waiting.
Like a hunter, poised for the perfect moment to strike.
