Chương 167: Those That Are Lost (1)

'Damn, the situation is going to change drastically from now on.'

If the Devil Race's Integration stage cultivators make a move, it's obvious that the tide of war will turn instantly.

We might have to relinquish all the occupied territories, and in the worst case scenario, the Human Territory might be invaded by the Devil Race.

In that case...

I hold my head, full of complex thoughts, and head outside the Governor's office to look up at the sky.

Although the Devil Realm is different from the Bright Cold Realm, celestial energy exists here as well, and it's only natural that celestial energy will play a major role in the upcoming situations.

Just when I'm examining the sky,

"Hm? Daoist Yeon, what's the matter?"

Before I know it, Yeon Jin is beside me, looking up at the sky.

He strokes his half-white, half-black hair with a bland expression on his face.

"Daoist Yeon..."

I call out to Yeon Jin once more.

He doesn't respond and keeps on reading the celestial energy beside me.

I ask with a rigid face.

"... Who are you?"

"…Huh?"

As I exude killing intent, Yeon Jin finally seems to come to his senses and looks at me.

"Ah, sorry. The celestial energy changed so suddenly. An incredible grand calamity appeared in the celestial energy, sealing our doom. It's funny. I was happy to hear that the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect was destroyed, but as soon as I was happy, the day of our death was confirmed. Haha..."

"…I asked who you are."

The destruction of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect is a matter that had just been reported to me, the governor, by the messenger from the Human Race Grand Alliance.

How could Yeon Jin, a Core Formation cultivator from such a distant place, know about this?

'This person is not Yeon Jin.'

Someone is talking to me, wearing Yeon Jin's body.

However, I feel something strange.

No matter how much I scrutinize Yeon Jin, for some reason, his intent and temperament are no different from what I had known him to be.

"Seems I've teased the young one too much. Sorry, I am Yeon Wei (Profound Brilliance), Yeon Jin's ancestor."

Crack, crack... Crack!

Gradually, Yeon Jin's body twists here and there, and his physique itself begins to change.

"By the way, seeing the Governor reading the celestial energy with such a serious face, something big must have been reported from the mainland of the Bright Cold Realm, right? Could you tell me what happened? What made the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect fall, the Heavenly Lightning Banner's energy disappear, and at the same time, a disaster befall Yeon Jin and my fate."

Crack...

After a while, Yeon Jin completely transformed in physique and skeleton, his face changing to that of a complete woman.

Furthermore, Yeon Jin's hair, which was originally white on the left and black on the right, had its colors reversed, with black on the left and white on the right.

Wo-woong!

"... I see."

I swallow and look around at the immense size of the consciousness that covers more than half of the newly occupied 8th territory.

The being with that massive consciousness reveals their intent without hiding.

Passersby, officials of the governor's office, and cultivators from various places started looking around to find the owner of this consciousness.

Zap, zap...

"Four-Axis stage senior, I don't know why you hid your True Soul in the body of a small Core Formation junior, but to explain..."

A cultivator at the Four-Axis stage.

Not just any ordinary cultivator, but a peak Four-Axis stage cultivator qualified to challenge the domain of Integration stage!

Not like Song Jin, who was just a remnant dead soul lingering in the world, but an actual living Four-Axis stage cultivator who crammed their entire true soul into the body of their descendant at the Core Formation stage!

I explain with heightened tension.

"In the Human Race territory of the Bright Cold Realm's mainland, a True Immortal revealed their power, vaporizing the entire Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect and the Thunder Spirit Island, injuring the Grand Cultivators at the Integration stage in the process. I believe, although it's just my guess, that this True Immortal has taken the sect's treasure, the Heavenly Lightning Banner."

"Ah, so that's what happened. Even in my time, there were rumors that the Heavenly Lightning Banner has a bad legend associated with it. To think it was really an object that brings disaster."

The woman, Yeon Wei, crosses her arms and sighs.

I ask her cautiously.

"Excuse me, but may I ask who you are?"

"Didn't I tell you my name?"

"Where you come from, what you are doing, that's what I'm asking."

"Ahaha, even for a Core Formation cultivator acting as a governor, you're quite extraordinary. How can you have such a look in your eyes with a Core Formation body?"

Ssshhh...

The atmosphere around us cools, and my heart pounds like crazy.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth solidifies, making it hard to breathe.

However, as I send out a wave of consciousness, an immense force emerges from my shadow, making it easier for me to breathe.

Kugugugu!

"Hm!?"

Her complexion changes.

"Kid, what are you hiding in your shadow?"

"If you're curious, how about you first explain who you are properly, and then I might tell you."

"Ahaha, trying to trade information with me? Sorry, but I'm not in the best mood right now since my and Jin-ah's fate has been fixed by fate. Honestly, I'm wondering if I should just go around doing things I never got to do in my life..."

"As a friend before a superior, I have to ask what exactly you plan to do with Daoist Yeon's body. For the last time, Senior Yuan. Who are you, where are you from, why have you hidden inside Daoist Yeon's body, and what is your purpose?"

Koong!

An explosive momentum bursts from my shadow, starting to push back Yeon Wei's pressure.

Simultaneously, a hand appears from the shadow, and General Seo, who is a head taller than me, begins to emerge.

During my stay in the Devil Realm, I had been steadily working on recreating General Seo.

By using special materials from the Devil Realm to reinforce General Seo.

I was finally able to restore General Seo to an early Four-Axis stage level to some extent.

Even though the soul in front of me reached the end of the Four-Axis stage, Strictly speaking, the current level of this person's cultivation is at the mid Core Formation stage, and only their consciousness is at the peak of the Four-Axis stage.

Of course, as someone who reached the pinnacle of Four-Axis, they would know all sorts of bizarre and profound abilities, but with Four-Axis stage General Seo here, I'm not at a disadvantage.

"Hmm, this is boring. A man should tremble with fear. That's why Jin-ah was so cute. Well, anyway, I am Yeon Wei, an elder of the Thundercloud Pavilion."

"Thundercloud Pavilion?"

"Yes, after ascending from the Head Realm, I betrayed the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect and spilled all the sect's core methods and major secrets to the Thundercloud Pavilion. Because of that, after the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect's mass ascension, I was nearly killed by the Heavenly Lightning Banner before I hid in Jin-ah's body to barely save my life."

"..."

"Thinking it's safest under the enemy's nose, I had Jin-ah join the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. But thinking that the ascended Jin Byuk-ho seemed to have a keen sense, I decided to join the expedition to the Devil Realm to avoid his gaze."

"So, what is your purpose?"

"My purpose? Nothing much. Just living a long life and doing what I want, a simple purpose. That's why I shamelessly entered the body of my descendant to live a bit longer. Ahaha... though, that's coming to an end now."

Regret fills her eyes.

"While reading the celestial energy, I learned about the annihilation of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. It wasn't hard to find out about the rise and fall of a sect I had a lot of connections with... But then, I found out our fates were fixed to [death]."

"Fixed to death, what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. Jin-ah and my fate will come in at most 20 years from now. We will [definitely] die. For some reason, our fate was drastically shortened."

"..."

She looks up at the sky with a lamenting face.

"I wanted to live a little longer, but it seems the heavens don't allow for that. To die like this..."

"How is Daoist Yeon right now?"

"He's listening to our conversation inside."

"Please let me talk to Daoist Yeon for a moment."

"Well, alright."

Woong!

Shortly after, the immense consciousness seems to twitch, and then the massive consciousness disappears, revealing that of a Core Formation.

Yeon Jin screams out in a strained voice.

"Aack! Senior, my lower half is gone! Senior, please stop changing my body as you like except during cultivation!"

"..."

Yeon Wei seems to say something to Yeon Jin through consciousness, and Yeon Jin is fuming and yelling into the air.

"No, cultivation aside, I was born a man! It's really annoying how every time you take over my body, you turn it into a female! Even the Governor found out! How am I supposed to live now? Will you take responsibility if it becomes known? What? You did it because we don't have much time left anyway? Ugh!"

"... Daoist Yeon."

"Ah! My apologies, Governor. My ancestor, ugh, being a woman, tends to change my body every time she takes possession of it."

"Hmm..."

I observe the flow of Yin and Yang within his body.

"The flow of spiritual power changes quite naturally during the transformation. Is that a special technique?"

"Ah...! That's... ah, my ancestor said she will explain it later. You can ask her about it afterward."

"... Well, alright. For now..."

I ask him with a serious expression.

"The current situation of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect is roughly like this. The sect has been annihilated, and currently, there's probably only one survivor, Jeon Myeong-hoon. It's likely that he's not in his right mind right now... I understand that Daoist Yeon's lifespan is not more than 20 years left. What do you plan to do?"

"Senior Brother Jeon is still alive?"

"Yes."

"Well, then..."

After a moment of contemplation, he has a firm expression.

"I'll go see him! I need to ask what exactly happened from the senior brother who was there!"

"... Understood. I'll send you off. Since the Integration stage Grand Cultivators from the Devil Realm will start to exert their powers soon, we'll gradually have to hand over the occupied territories anyway. I'll prepare to follow soon."

Once I withdrew from the Devil Realm, I planned to inquire about Jeon Myeong-hoon as well.

"I'll settle the occupied territory as soon as possible, step down from the governor position, and then follow. I'll do my best within 20 years, so I hope you'll still be alive by then."

"Haha, it's unlikely I'll die from external pressure, not with my ancestor around... Oh, by the way, my ancestor keeps nagging that she wants to talk to you, Governor. I'll arrange for you to meet her."

Shortly after, his consciousness once again fluctuates.

"Hmm, reports about the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect's sole survivor even reaching a Core Formation stage governor? The Human Race's intelligence network has developed quite a bit, hasn't it?"

"..."

"Well, if you don't want to talk, then don't. I wasn't that curious anyway. More importantly, do you have a Four-Axis puppet or even a Heavenly Being one? Your puppet seems suitable for the soul to enter.

"Do you intend to use it as your body, Senior?"

"Not to use it as my body, but as a trump card to exert my full power in times of emergency."

"Yes, I'll give you one."

I readily take out a storage scroll and hand it to her.

"Hm? You're giving it to me this easily?"

She scrutinizes the storage scroll with a suspicious look.

"There's no trap. After all, Daoist Yeon and I are friends. I just have a few questions, so please answer them."

"Hmm, alright. Go ahead and ask."

I ask with a hint of curiosity.

"The Azure Spirit Starlight Quintessence Great Method that I practice, and the flow of Yin and Yang in Daoist Yeon's body, seem to share a commonality of coexisting Yin and Yang flows. May I inquire about this?"

"Hmm... Such a mundane question."

Crack!

In an instant, as she runs her fingers through her hair, her body twists and then reverts back to the male Yeon Jin.

The color of the hair is reversed as well.

"Firstly, this gender-reversing method itself is a traditional Thunder Path method developed from the basics of the Thunder Path.

'Thunder (雷) and Lightning (電) arise from the exchange of Yin (陰) and Yang (陽) energy.' It's the core of all Thunder Path powers. Interpreting the exchange of Yin and Yang as the cycle of Tai Chi, reversing the body's Yin and Yang to cultivate lightning powers within the body is the method of the Tai Chi Thunder Body."

"... Does everyone in the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect learn to change their gender like this?"

"Hm? Not necessarily. It's just a technique I learned because it suited my taste. Ahaha!"

Sarang!

Yeon Wei does a twirl.

Within that twirl, Yeon Jin's body switches genders several times.

"And you mentioned similarities between your method and mine in terms of Yin and Yang? Well, at the Nascent Soul stage, one cultivates both the Primordial Spirit and Yin Spirit, so any method passing through the Nascent Soul stage would inherently contain the principles of Yin and Yang."

"I see."

"Yin and Yang, as well as the concept of Tai Chi, are the fundamental principles of this world and all cultivation methods... I've heard that demon beast methods even prioritize the principles of Yin and Yang and Tai Chi more than the methods of the Heaven Tribe. Is that all you're curious about?"

"For now, let's leave it at that."

"Good, then we'll depart from the occupied territory and return to the Bright Cold Realm soon."

Wo-woong!

After finishing her words, she disappears back into Yeon Jin's consciousness.

Yeon Jin regains consciousness and once again screams.

"Ancestor! Please return my body before you go! I still find it hard to control! Ah, really..."

After sighing, Yeon Jin vents his frustrations to me for a while.

He bids farewell and goes to his quarters to pack up, starting his journey back to the Bright Cold Realm.

After seeing him off, I returned to the Governor's office.

'There was a bit of commotion, but I've confirmed it from the celestial energy.'

It won't be long now.

In about 7 months, calamity will strike.

That means, given the Devil Race's Grand Cultivators make their move, the frontlines will be pushed back to here in about 7 months.

'From today, we need to start evacuating the people from the occupied territories in coordination with the Human Race Grand Alliance.'

Once the evacuation is complete, the governors should be able to leave their posts.

The Grand Alliance will likely issue such an order as well.

And, the message conveyed through the messengers of the Grand Alliance also didn't deviate much from my expectations.

Except for one thing.

"Are you saying to retreat to the 4th occupied territory?"

"Yes, the Human Race Grand Alliance has decided to retreat to the 4th occupied territory, slightly reducing the front line, and then proceed with a full-force battle from there."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"The Grand Alliance plans to deploy the Realm Invasion Array in the 4th occupied territory, intending to assimilate at least up to the 4th occupied territory into the territory of the Bright Cold Realm."

"Hmm..."

I make sense of the situation.

The Human Race Grand Alliance intends to use an array called the Incursion Array to 'devour' up to the 4th occupied territory of the territories conquered from the Devil Realm into the Bright Cold Realm.

It means literally wrapping the dimensional barrier of the Bright Cold Realm around the Human Territory up to the 4th occupied territory and pulling the land of the Devil Realm into the Bright Cold Realm, aiming to expand the Human Territory by any means.

"Then I'm curious, there's a Void Spirit Pond in the 8th occupied territory. Considering the Void Spirit Pond can potentially be developed into a Flying Immortal Platform, it's a strategic asset of a different dimension. Why then reduce the scope to the 4th occupied territory?"

"Ah, Governor. Weren't three Void Spirit Ponds discovered this time?"

"That's right."

Indeed.

During this invasion of the True Devil Realm, the Human Race discovered three Void Spirit Ponds in the Devil Realm's territory, and each Void Spirit Pond was strictly protected by the governors of those regions.

"That's why it's even more incomprehensible. The value of the Void Spirit Pond is coveted by numerous races within the Bright Cold Realm, something not easily obtained. I heard the Human Race Grand Alliance was in uproar when three Void Spirit Ponds were discovered during this Human-Devil war. And... all the Void Spirit Ponds are beyond the 4th occupied territory.""

It's true.

Void Spirit Ponds are truly coveted by all races within the Bright Cold Realm, and discovering three during this conflict is significant.

The Void Spirit Ponds are respectively located in the 5th, 8th, and 11th occupied territories.

"It would have made sense if they decided to retreat to at least the 5th occupied territory, but to pull back to the 4th...? Why?"

To that, the messenger of the Grand Alliance nods and replies.

"The Human Race Grand Alliance has determined it's impossible to stop the advancing Integration stage devils. Therefore, the Grand Alliance has decided to use the Void Spirit Ponds we cannot utilize as a trap."

"... What?"

"Soon, the Grand Alliance will send formation masters to set up the Realm Annihilation Heavenly Void Formation in the Void Spirit Ponds, intending to detonate them along with the Void Spirit Ponds when the Integration stage devils arrive. The Devil Realm's devil veins will be devastated, and the Void Spirit Ponds will be damaged beyond use, while the Integration stage Grand Cultivators will also suffer significant injuries from the spatial storm."

The messenger of the Grand Alliance delivers the will of the Grand Alliance with a bright smile.

"What could be more foolish than allowing the enemy to use resources we cannot utilize ourselves? Haha, the strategists of the Grand Alliance are truly brilliant."

"... I have one question."

"Yes, please go ahead."

"If we detonate the Realm Annihilation Heavenly Void Formation in the Void Spirit Pond… won't the entirety of the territory we've occupied turn into wastelands…?"

"That's not all. The spatial storm unleashed from beyond the Void Spirit Ponds will sweep through all nearby areas, dragging everything into it. If the Grand Cultivators don't stabilize it and leave it in its natural state, this area will become uninhabitable wasteland for a thousand years! It's a highly efficient strategy for weakening the Devil Realm's forces long-term, and if the Grand Cultivators choose to stabilize it, it will delay their advance. It's truly a highly efficient strategy!"

"…I… see. Thank you for the valuable information. Then, we must start evacuating today."

I press my throbbing head and attempt to stand up.

An official shuffles through papers and says with a cold face.

"Then, we'll proceed with the elixirization of the Devil tribes in the occupied territories that we've been postponing."

"... What?"

"Since we no longer have any business on this land, it will be best to convert the devils into devil pills, which take up less space, for maximum efficiency. While they can be useful as pet beasts, carrying too many bulky items during evacuation can be problematic."

"Hold on, in my opinion… wouldn't it be better to just drive the remaining devils far away?"

My statement seems incomprehensible to the messenger of the Grand Alliance and the official.

The messenger asks me.

"Governor, what are you saying exactly? The Grand Alliance has also issued orders for this evacuation operation to 'evacuate as efficiently as possible while taking Devil Realm resources'.'… May I know why you're issuing such an order?"

"That's…"

I think as quickly as I can.

The messenger from the Grand Alliance approaches me.

"Governor, all your actions are periodically reported to the Grand Alliance. Even the most lenient policies you've implemented in the occupied territory have been reported under your name. Thus, there are concerns circulating within the Grand Alliance."

The envoy and I lock eyes.

"Some worry whether you, Governor, have been swayed by the devils of the Devil Realm… becoming a spy for the Devil Realm. I trust you, Governor. Please… do not betray our Human Race."

The official also approaches, presenting a document.

"Governor, please make the decision quickly. Approve the elixirization process."

"Governor, make the right decision."

"We need to act quickly now. Governor, please…"

Amidst the pressure from those around me, I heavily open my mouth.

"I am..."

Caught in the torrent of conflict and dilemma, I reluctantly make my position clear.