Ranker Who Lives Twice

Erlang Shen nodded heavily. “Yes.”

Yeon-woo’s eyes narrowed. “Do you need us in the war against the Jie Sect? Or Allforone?”

[The demonic society <Jie Sect> is paying close attention to you.]

All the gazes of the heavenly world were upon Yeon-woo. Naturally, once Erlang Shen asked for a private discussion, all the societies became interested in what Erlang was planning to propose. Erlang was one of the three leaders who had taken control over the Chan Sect when the Jade Emperor fell ill and gone to sleep. They were also the leaders who had initiated the golden age of the current Chan Sect.

‘Erlang Shen is the greatest among the three leaders.’ In other words, it was no exaggeration to say that Erlang Shen was currently the highest-ranked god in the heavenly world. As soon as an illustrious and powerful being like him announced his intention to descend as an envoy, Yeon-woo speculated that the Chan Sect were prepared to make a serious proposal. ‘The Chan Sect is the only one that has a legend of going to war with the Heavenly Demon.’

This was also the reason why the Chan Sect was ranked as one of the top godly societies in the heavenly world. After Yeon-woo met the Heavenly Demon, he realized that the Heavenly Demon was a class above the ordinary gods and transcendents.

The Heavenly Demon was a primordial being whose life began at the same time as the creation of the universe, and so only the progenitor gods and creator gods could probably go toe to toe with him. After all, he was a transcendental demon who had achieved transcendence after transcendence. The fact that a godly society possessed a legend of battling a demon like this meant that their stature would only increase along with the Heavenly Demon’s own fame and power.

Even though they had lost to the Heavenly Demon, the Chan Sect was still highly regarded in the heavenly world, and the fact that their leader wanted to hire Yeon-woo and his warrior corps as mercenaries drew a lot of interest.

Yeon-woo said that if any of the gods or demons wanted access to the revelations, they would need to help him unreservedly. Yeon-woo emphasized that he would not accept anything less. However, Yeon-woo had no choice but to accept Erlang Shen’s request for a solo meeting due to Erlang Shen’s position.

“If you grant my request, we will give up all authority over Huangdi Yinfujing—what you call the revelations. Of course, the things you have asked for so far, such as support for your warrior corps, shall continue. In fact, we will be even more active in our support. I and the other leaders will continue to administer support personally. If necessary, I’m willing to offer a few Peaches of Immortality as well.”

Just as the Fruit of Good and Evil was incredibly important to Malach and L’Infernal, the Peaches of Immortality were equally important to the Chan and Jie Sect. The ancient goddess West Empress Dowager grew the Peaches of Immortality in her holy territory, Kunlun. She wasn’t aligned with either the Chan or Jie sects, and only one peach could be harvested every few thousand years.

Yeon-woo could not help being intrigued by this. He’d been wondering what he could use aside from the Fruit of Good and Evil for his warrior corps. Furthermore, in addition to unconditional support, Erlang Shen was promising to build a long-term relationship even after the job was over. The Chan Sect was also risking falling behind the other heavenly societies by giving up any claim over the revelations.

Yeon-woo had no choice but to accept Erlang’s request for an exclusive meeting.

“First of all, I want to clarify that my request is not related to war.” Erlang Shen slowly uttered with the voice of a god rather than normal human speech. Erlang seemed to be appeasing the anxious gazes that were focused on their discussion.

[The demonic society <Jie Sect> is gazing at you and Erlang Shen with suspicion.]

[Most gods show interest in Erlang Shen’s private meeting.]

[A small number of gods are expressing doubts about Erlang Shen’s intentions.]

However, many societies did not believe in Erlang Shen’s words or intentions.

“Too noisy.” In irritation, Yeon-woo stared at the gods and demons. Their comments and reactions made it difficult to have a proper conversation.

Sss! Yeon-woo spread his shadows in a wide radius to create a dome to block those from the outside from looking in. “No one will bother us anymore. Keep talking.”

“The longer I’m with you, the more amazed I am at your abilities and skills. It’s very similar to the Tongtian Jiaozhu’s divinity, although there are some subtle differences.” Erlang looked in amazement at the way Yeon-woo used his familiars to construct a private space. Not only could Yeon-woo create holy territories on the lower floors as he pleased, he also had a supply of familiars to do his bidding, as well as the shadow ability.

As Erlang observed the shadow area, which could be considered Yeon-woo’s trademark skill, he grew more curious seeing it up close instead of from the heavenly world. Even the visible link the familiars had with Yeon-woo had faded to the point that Erlang could barely see it. If this continued, the link would soon cease to exist, possibly allowing the familiars to move around independently.

Erlang Shen suddenly felt Yeon-woo’s gaze, so he returned to their conversion. Yeon-woo had taken care of the bothersome eyes, so it was much easier now to discuss. “Like I said, we don’t need you or your half-giant corps for any war.”

“Then?”

“I hope you will help us find a Soulstone.”

“What?” Yeon-woo’s eyes widened, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Rattle! The black chain around Yeon-woo’s right arm began to rattle and tremble as if it would break at any moment.

「That sounds…very interesting…」 The Demonism’s voice spoke from a very deep place. Yeon-woo had wrapped the Demonism in chains and thrown him into the void, but he knew that it was only a temporary measure. He was expecting the Demonism to make an appearance soon, and it was clear that the topic of their discussion had prompted him to speak. 「Keekeekee. What are you doing, spring chicken? Hurry up and accept.」

The Philosopher’s Stone had already consumed two Soulstones and had been reborn as the Sin Stone. Furthermore, since the Demonism’s power was based on the Sin Stone, he wanted to take every opportunity to gain greater power.

‘Are you asking me to do something beneficial to you?’

「How can you say such a foolish thing? Why would it be good only for me? It would be good for you, too. Haven’t you already tasted the power of Soulstones?」 the Demonism whispered sweetly. 「You’ve used the revelations or whatever you call it, but your achievements are largely thanks to these two Soulstones. In essence, a mere mortal is contending against transcendent beings. But what if you add another Soulstone? You’d be able to slap around that good-for-nothing Allforone. Keekeekee.」

‘I want to slap your face around.’

「Stop spewing nonsense. Or…are you too busy? If you’re too busy, then let me handle it. Send me. I’ll get the Soulstone and bring it back to you! Wouldn’t that benefit you as well? Hurry, let me go!」 The Demonism had finally stated his real intent.

No longer interested in hearing more, Yeon-woo moved the chains that were connected to the void and tightened them around the Demonism.

「Keekeekee! You must think that you have me trapped in this place. You must think that you’re able to contain me, but you just wait. You’ll soon bring me out with your own hands…」 The Demonism’s harsh voice was again drowned in the void as it disappeared.

Rattle, Rattle! However, the chains continued shaking. Yeon-woo could clearly see how wildly the Demonism was struggling. Yeon-woo frowned and clucked his tongue.‘Really, the more I think about it, the more I feel that it’s a waste.’

Vigrid was a holy relic that hadn’t yet unlocked all its names and secrets. It seemed like a waste to use it to contain the Demonism in the void. Yeon-woo thought that he’d have to find a way to separate the Demonism from Vigrid sooner or later. He turned his attention back to Erlang Shen. “Sorry for the interruption. This troublesome guy suddenly became noisy. Where were we again? You were asking for my help in finding a Soulstone?”

However, Erlang Shen did not answer Yeon-woo’s question. He stared at the chains with trembling eyes. “Just then…what was that? The void?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Hahaha…of course. You’re his successor. I’ve known about this, but seeing it like this is still unbelievable. There have been several successors so far, and even more contenders to be successors, but this is the first time I’ve seen anyone accomplish this much.” Erlang Shen let out a small laugh as if he were tired. There was something in his words that Yeon-woo did not miss.

“Were there many previous successors?”

“You already know, don’t you? Faust, the Vampiric Lord, and so on. A lot of beings pursued the Black King to become his successor but failed. On the other hand, some became successors but were so overwhelmed by the immense power that they could not endure.” Erlang Shen continued, “This was the case with the Titan King Kronos and Tongtian Jiaozhu, but in the end, they all failed. Besides…” Yeon-woo heard Erlang’s next words, he couldn’t help straightening his back. “Some of them are still alive.”

“What?” Yeon-woo’s eyes widened once more. ‘There are other successors?’

He asked, “Who are the others?”

“Huh? You didn’t know? Well, I guess it makes sense. It seems you haven’t met the others yet since they are only famous in the heavens but not known on the lower floors. They also seem to be very secretive,” Erlang Shen responded while waving his hand as if this was nothing special. “Sea of Time.” For Yeon-woo, Erlang Shen’s implication was not to be taken lightly. “I believe he also chose the head of that clan.”

Yeon-woo was stunned.

“The ‘time’ in their name refers to a poem that praises him, and they await his return through time. ‘Time’ also refers to a test that he has given them.”

Among the eight major clans, the Sea of Time was the one most veiled in mystery. His younger brother had never had any contact with them, so despite its encyclopedic information, there was very limited content in the diary regarding the Sea of Time. Nothing was known about them except that they once stopped Allforone from descending. That was already a great achievement.

Yeon-woo never thought that the Sea of Time held such a secret. ‘Then, why hasn’t anyone from the Sea of Time approached me yet?’

The Sea of Time had to have eyes everywhere, and since Yeon-woo had come all the way up here, they should have responded. There was no way that they did not know that the skills and abilities he was using originated from the Black King. ‘Also, why aren’t they completing the things related to the revelations…Ah, wait, am I thinking about this the wrong way?’

For Yeon-woo, the revelations illuminated the path to the Black King, and he thought the Sea of Time must have also tried their best to access the revelations. This reminded Yeon-woo of the Kelat Auction House. When he was distributing the fake Emerald Tablet sections, Yeon-woo had heard in passing that some Sea of Time members had also appeared. It was clearly because of their pursuit of the Black King.

‘I was wondering why they didn’t show up after that commotion. They must have known after that incident that the Emerald Tablet section was a fake.’ Yeon-woo could not help feeling exasperated. Another clue related to the Black King had been right under his nose, but he had no inkling of its existence or how close he’d come to it. ‘Should I try and meet them first? My tasks are piling up.’

The road to the Black King’s darkness was slowly revealing itself, and fortunately, Yeon-woo did not have to act on his own. 「Doyle.」 All Yeon-woo had to do was tell his first Apostle, Doyle, to get Arthia to find them.

「Yes, hyung?」

「There’s something I need you to do as soon as possible.」

「Is it urgent? I’ve received a report that the Chest of Souls is plotting something with White Dragon and the Daud Brethren. I’m in the middle of investigating it. I think they’re planning to do something to the One-horned tribe.」

‘The One-horned tribe? Where Master is?’ Yeon-woo snorted. He felt that they were attempting to commit suicide and walk to their own deaths. ‘Besides, Chest of Souls is the organization led by Faceless. Faceless was Master’s first disciple, but he must have no idea how terrifying Master is,’ Yeon-woo thought. He shook his head, thinking it was nothing to worry about.

「Stop your investigation for a moment and take care of this first.」

「Alright. Tell me what to do.」

Yeon-woo then spoke in a serious tone. 「Bring me Moonchild.」

「Is it OK if I just bring you the child’s head?」

Yeon-woo was taken aback for a moment, wondering what would make Doyle think that “bring me” meant “kill”. When Yeon-woo had first met him, Doyle had been so naïve that Yeon-woo wondered why he’d changed so much. There was a saying that Apostles grow to resemble the gods they served, but Yeon-woo decided not to think further about that. 「Bring me Moonchild alive.」