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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The 36 heavens of the celestial realm. The peak of the Jadeite Mountain of the Great Overarching Heaven, said to be the highest among them.
In the center of the clear sky and the vibrant green forest, a man with black hair, black eyes, and a robe as dark as the night sky sat cross-legged with his eyes gently closed.
Breaking the heavy silence, in which no sound could be heard, were the three gods who were looking at the man.
“Hmm… On the surface, he looks terribly ordinary.”
“Indeed, who would have thought that he was a god of pestilence just by looking at him?”
“Do not let your guard down, he is the strongest god of pestilence.”
The old man with black hair, a long beard, and a red robe spoke.
He was the existence known as the Primordial Celestial Venerable, revered as the highest god.
“I am well aware, it’s just that his energy is so calm that it’s unbelievable compared to when we first met him.”
The one who agreed with the Primordial Celestial Venerable’s words was a woman who could be said to be the embodiment of beauty, with skin like white jade, round eyes, and a high nose.
It was the Queen Mother of the West.
The highest goddess, who oversaw all the female deities, gazed at the man with a wary look.
“That’s why we must be even more cautious.”
The ruler of the heavens and the supreme god, the Jade Emperor, also had a look of tension in his eyes.
It was only natural, as the man, who was praised as the strongest and only god of pestilence, had a very ordinary beginning.
The only unusual thing about him was that he had come from another dimension.
However, it took Lee Seong-joon 20 years to become the Blood Demon, only 10 years to conquer the Celestial Continent on earth,
5 years to become the god of pestilence, 3 years to forcibly open the gates of the celestial realm and ascend, and only 2 years to stand shoulder to shoulder with the highest gods of the celestial realm.
And the most terrifying thing was that the god of pestilence’s power continued to grow even at this moment.
The Lee Seong-joon in front of them was a being who was writing a myth that even the lofty gods could not achieve.
“Is everyone sure they are ready?”
“Yes.”
“We are sure.”
The Primordial Celestial Venerable, who had confirmed the appearance of the Queen Mother of the West and the Jade Emperor, reached out his hand, and the energy that had surrounded the man was scattered at that moment.
As the black energy spread out as if it were exploding, a heavy voice was heard that seemed to press down on the world.
“Primordial Celestial Venerable, Queen Mother of the West, Jade Emperor, the three of you coming together means you’ve found a way, right?”
The god of pestilence, Lee Seong-joon, who had been silent all along, slowly rose from his seat and faced the three gods.
“Yes, thanks to your restraint, we have found a way to open the dimensional gate to a place called Earth.”
“My patience is not so short that I can’t wait even five years.”
Although his tone seemed calm, the energy around Lee Seong-joon was surging as if it would explode.
This was because the power that had been suppressed due to excitement, joy, and surprise was beginning to be released.
However, it was still too early to be happy.
Lee Seong-joon quickly calmed his racing heart and carefully opened his mouth.
“It’s not just the location, is it?”
“If it were, it wouldn’t have taken five years.”
“Good.”
Although he tried to control it, there was a slight tremor in his voice.
He couldn’t help it.
Returning to Earth was a dream that Lee Seong-joon had longed for.
The reason he had accepted the gods’ sudden offer of peace was that the condition they had presented was the dream he had so longed for, ‘returning to Earth’.
‘Finally… I can finally go back to Earth!’
As mentioned earlier, the god of pestilence, Lee Seong-joon, was merely transported to the Celestial Continent due to an unexpected accident.
Originally, he was a modern man who enjoyed the benefits of Earth, the Internet, smartphones, and fast and comfortable transportation.
Was it because he enjoyed the benefits of this civilization and lived a comfortable life?
‘I was really immature.’
He had frequent arguments with his family because they did not support his opinions.
Of course, it was Lee Seong-joon himself who raised his voice first.
Even though he knew that they would clash because they cared for each other, he would get angry because he was frustrated and things didn’t go his way.
He never once thought about it from his parents’ point of view.
He was 26 years old, an adult, but he acted no different than a child, so perhaps the heavens were punishing him.
In fact, 45 years ago, the day he was forcibly transported to the Celestial Continent, he was having a conversation with his family when he raised his voice in frustration and stormed out of the house.
He regretted it.
Even now, he wanted to apologize for his immature and foolish actions of the past.
He would make up for his past mistakes by living with his precious family and making them happy.
“Can you open the door right away?”
“It’s not impossible, but… you will have to pay a great price.”
Even at the words of the Primordial Celestial Venerable, Lee Seong-joon calmly nodded his head.
Every action has its consequences.
He had already expected that a considerable price would be required, as his dream was to travel through time and space.
“What is the price, specifically?”
“God of pestilence, you will lose all the power you possess.”
“Hmm….”
As Lee Seong-joon seemed to be contemplating with his eyes narrowed, the Primordial Celestial Venerable spoke again.
“Since it is like escaping the shackles of the past, it is like shedding your skin, so it will be of great help in the future. Not only will you be able to return to your homeland, but you will also be able to reach a higher level, killing two birds with one stone.”
Reaching a higher level, becoming stronger, these words were very tempting to any martial artist.
Although he was trying to use this to tempt him, Lee Seong-joon had already made up his mind.
He had nothing to be sorry for or greedy about.
‘I can always regain the lost power.’
Of course, as someone who was praised as a god of pestilence, Lee Seong-joon had many things besides his power.
He had the reverence of countless people, wealth that could not be exhausted even if he spent his whole life, and absolute power that could change the map of the continent with a single word.
‘But they are all false.’
They were only pretending to be in awe, offering sacrifices, and bowing their heads to protect their own interests and vested rights.
There was no one who truly stood by his side without expecting anything in return, like his family.
‘I seem to have everything, but in the end, I have nothing.’
If he could live happily with his precious family, whom he had missed for a long time, he could give up all the lies.
“That’s fine.”
“You have indeed made a wise choice.”
As if she had been waiting for this, the Queen Mother of the West took out three beads from her bosom that were filled with five colors, and they were objects that were full of divine energy even at a glance.
Then, as the Primordial Celestial Venerable waved his hand, the beads flew through the air and into Lee Seong-joon’s grasp.
“These are strange divine objects.”
“You just need to infuse them with your energy.”
“How much?”
“Until they are full, think of it as squeezing out all the power you have.”
Lee Seong-joon had a puzzled expression.
It was a rather absurd method to travel through the gates of dimensions, time, and space.
“Is that all?”
“The divine arts will then take care of the rest.”
Although he was a little embarrassed, there was no need to doubt.
The reason he had accepted their offer in the first place was because they had made a contract by putting up their own sources of power,
Such as the Primordial Celestial Venerable’s creation of all things in heaven and earth, the Queen Mother of the West’s Peach Garden, and the Jade Emperor’s Jade Capital.
There was no reason for them to lie when they had made a contract by putting up their divine origins, their lives, and everything they had cherished and nurtured beyond their own desires.
The moment Lee Seong-joon nodded his head and began to infuse his energy into the three beads.
The power emanating from Lee Seong-joon’s body began to shake the earth.
-Kugugung…….
A wry smile appeared on the lips of the Primordial Celestial Venerable.
He knew that the power of the god of pestilence was strong, so he had proposed peace, but the power emanating from Lee Seong-joon’s body now was both too brutal and too vast.
If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.
The Primordial Celestial Venerable felt as if he was facing the abyss.
It wasn’t just the Primordial Celestial Venerable who was at a loss for words.
“Oh, my god.”
The Queen Mother of the West and the Jade Emperor also had their eyes shaking as if there had been an earthquake.
Lee Seong-joon’s power far exceeded the expectations of the gods.
Just how vast was the power that the god of pestilence had been holding?
It was unbelievable that he had been holding such immense power in a human body.
But the power that Lee Seong-joon was now emitting was only the tip of the iceberg.
-Kung, kung.
Once again, a vast amount of power began to emanate from Lee Seong-joon’s body.
“Good.”
As he had been staying in the celestial realm, he had been suppressing his power to avoid unnecessary conflicts, so he had been quite frustrated.
But now that he was releasing it, he felt as if the weight he had been carrying had been lifted.
-Kugugung-!
The Primordial Celestial Venerable swallowed hard.
‘It was a wise choice not to go to war with the god of pestilence.’
He thought he had a good grasp of Lee Seong-joon’s power.
It was just a peace offering because he didn’t want to shed unnecessary blood.
But that was just a misjudgment.
The power he had seen and grasped so far was only a part of Lee Seong-joon’s power.
It was only a fraction of the power that had been sealed and a fraction of the power that was now flowing out of his body.
He had been judging Lee Seong-joon based on only a fraction of his power.
The space within a radius of one zhang (丈) became his domain.
The moment he unleashed his power, even the three gods gathered here could not guarantee their own survival.
‘This guy is really… ‘
While the Primordial Celestial Venerable was shaking his head in astonishment, Lee Seong-joon’s power, which filled the area, began to be sucked into the beads.
The energy of the beads swelled up in an instant and quickly penetrated Lee Seong-joon’s body.
‘This is…?’
Lee Seong-joon’s brow furrowed at the feeling of someone forcibly pushing energy into him.
-Kwagwang-!
As the energy that was trying to push in and the energy that was trying to push out collided within his body, Lee Seong-joon clenched his teeth in the midst of the excruciating pain.
‘How dare a mere divine object.’
It was sudden, but he had not failed to anticipate this variable.
Lee Seong-joon drew out all the power in his body and began to subdue each of the energies flowing out from the three beads.
‘Submit obediently.’
Finally, Lee Seong-joon, who had subdued all the energy of the beads that had entered his body, was about to harmonize the three energies into one.
-Kung-!
Along with the deafening roar that rang in his ears, a black whirlwind swept through the world, creating a crack.
Inside, he could see the familiar blue planet.
‘Earth.’
As soon as he thought of the name of his long-lost home planet, a powerful suction force pulled his body.
Lee Seong-joon completely entrusted his body to the suction force.
‘Finally, I’m going back.’
Finally, in Lee Seong-joon’s vision, the Earth began to approach at a rapid pace.
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