Chapter 763: O-ryong-jaeng-ju (6)

The reason behind Yoohwang's betrayal was an old shaman.

The predecessor shaman before her had retired and lost the protection from aging.

She laughed and said, "I will live the life of an ordinary human from now on."

In the cheerful atmosphere of the shaman's retirement and a new start in her life, Yoohwang was frightened.

She realized that her perpetual youth is not permanent.

So, from the moment she became a shaman, Yoohwang had been preparing for this moment.

'The longer a royal lineage lives, the stronger they become. But it's the opposite for humans.'

Old age for people of royal lineage doesn't necessarily equate to more strength, but the long history of their lives reinforces their reputation, making them stronger.

It was the complete opposite for humans who lose everything as they age.

Yoohwang tried to gain perpetual youth and immortality.

There was a time when she tried to get along with the Cintamani who had the power to grant wishes, but Yong Jegun didn't show much interest in the shamans.

Yong Jegun was always busy pursuing his whimsical interests, and that doesn't include the shamans.

'The Dragon King and Hwangryong are good people. It's a shame it had to turn out like this.'

She had no intention of betraying the Dragon King from the start, but after realizing that betrayal was the most effective path to get what she wanted, Yoohwang turned her back on the dragons without hesitation.

She had to become royal lineage.

It was a certain butterfly who told her about that means.

— Isn't immortality a long-cherished desire of man? The shamans of the Dragon King get a taste of it and lose it again. That person says that one day there will be someone who will make that wish come true.

That person, whose face or name Yoohwang doesn't even know, spoke as if they had seen through her.

She was contacted through a butterfly minion.

— Humans have often risen to the top in myths and legends. It's not easy to accomplish such a feat in modern times, but...

Nabiryeong's minion fluttered its colorful wings.

— Your wish will come true if you take advantage of the relationship between the Dragon King and the Dragon Clan, and the uniqueness of the Dragon Palace.

Yoohwang didn't believe Nabiryeong's words at first.

Her doubts only increased at the feat that she'd be caught and would lose her position as a shaman sooner.

However, her hesitation slowly faded whenever he saw that person's power.

It completely disappeared when she saw Imoogi, a being to replace the Dragon King.

Imoogi, which is said to have been made by that person, looked completely different from a dragon, but it possessed such a powerful force that it wouldn't be strange for it to go up to the sky right away.

— Put Imoogi in the place of the Dragon King, and you will be the one who established the new Dragon King. You will be immortalized.

She will become a dragon!

It sounded absurd, but it was credible.

The Dragon King's shamans were the closest to the dragons among the humans, and they could deal with dragon power.

Of course, as Nabiryeong said, it wouldn't be an easy feat.

Since the symbolism of dragons was widespread on Earth, it was almost impossible to bring down the Dragon King.

It was decided to start with gaining the commitment of the other shamans and the suppression of the Dragon Palace which was isolated from the earth.

'I don't think it's going to be difficult for the shamans to take over.'

Those who were unlikely to comply with the palace's shamans were quietly sent out.

Many people find it frustrating to stay in a closed palace, so a little isolation and bullying would quickly send them away.

The problem lies with the Dragon King's shamans.

Shaman Hong liked the Dragon King very much and there was no gap in her heart.

'Despite her commitment to the Dragon King, that child lacks a lot. I reminded her of her shortcomings and she quit on her own. That's how much loyalty she has for the Dragon King.'

She managed to make Shaman Hong quit, but the problem remained.

The best child among the new candidates looked difficult to handle.

She tried, but she wasn't interested in living a long life, and she didn't even shake when she was pressed psychologically.

So she made the youngest and most vulnerable child among the candidates as the new shaman.

The current shamans secretly cheated the selection process.

They spoke to the Dragon King and the candidate they wanted was eventually chosen as the new Shaman Hong.

'That child remained in the Dragon Palace and is still a variable, but I can't do anything about it. She can't do anything about us getting the Dragon Palace in our hands anyway.'

Thus, Yoohwang succeeded in mentally taking control of the new Shaman Hong.

Her next goal is the Dragon Palace.

— The palace is isolated from the ground. That's why it's hard to attack from the outside, but if the inside collapses, there's no place for it to lean on.

— You mean Imoogi must be brought to the Dragon Palace.

— Yes. If you push the Dragon King out and overpower the palace that symbolizes the five dragons, the world of the dragons will change.

As Nabiryeong said, if it can't be broken from the outside, you attack it from the inside.

And so the Dragon Palace was sprinkled with Imoogi's scales.

Hwangryong, who guarded the Dragon Palace alone, ingested the scales slowly.

Since the scales were small and mixed with the shamans' powers, neither the Dragon King nor Hwangryong noticed.

And now the time has come for Yoohwang to retire.

As the test for the new shamans approached, that person said that the test should be nullified and Yoohwang should stay in place.

'The Dragon King said that he would not let the test be nullified, so Imoogi should be placed around the Dragon Palace to prevent the Dragon King from approaching it.'

As a result of the shamans' ploy, the Dragon King lost access to the Dragon Palace which had been eroded by Imoogi's scales.

Since the shamans connected the Dragon Clan to the Dragon King, it was easy to block revelations from coming to them.

However, the shaman selection test didn't go as she wanted.

All the candidates were excellent, and despite the shamans' schemes, the test went on without a hitch.

With that, that person recommended that the work be carried out.

As soon as the Lunar New Year came, that person demanded that Imoogi be crowned as the new Dragon King and take over the Dragon Palace.

'I always thought that even if I lost my position as Shaman Yoohwang, I could continue to seek my will. I didn't expect them to come out so hard.'

That person established Imoogi for the moment when the Dragon Clan shook greatly to wipe them out.

Yoohwang thought it would be safe on the other side so she decided to follow them.

"What about Hwangryong-nim?"

"He's accompanied by the human and the descendant guest."

When Yoohwang asked, the shaman in charge of watching Hwangryong answered.

Yoohwang understood and nodded softly.

"Good. I was thinking of ways to make that child move with Hwangryong-nim."

The shamans referred to Kim Shinrok as "that child."

Although the Tiger Clan and Dragon Clan treat Kim Shinrok as a child, he's a being that lived thousands of years.

The shamans, who had completely deceived the Dragon King and the Dragon clan for a long time, had the arrogance to think that they were above him.

When they were ready to instill Imoogi as the new Dragon King...

Shaman Hong was shaking, while Shaman Ja was also hesitant.

"You must be worried."

"The work was supposed to be done when the Dragon Clan on the ground is weakened."

When Shaman Byeok spoke, Yoohwang gently soothed them.

"Two dragons who haven't ascended are here in the palace. They will be crushed by Imoogi's power. If Cheongryong-nim were outside, this task would've been more difficult."

The shamans were relieved by Yoohwang's words.

It bothered them that there were still dragons back on land who were alive, but if the palace immediately fell into the hands of the shamans, those outside wouldn't be able to do anything.

There was no way to enter from the outside because Hwangryong, Cheongryong, and the shamans were all in the Dragon Palace.

They are the only ones who can teleport from earth to the palace below the sea.

They could dive directly, but there was no way people from far distances could break the Dragon Palace's boundary.

"And I'm going to use my hands outside as well. The Dragon Clan has a weakness, so it's best to aim for it now."

"Outside?"

"That's right. That person caught the one who lost the Dragon King's order and was kicked out of the Dragon Palace."

A large-scale Jin made from Imoogi's scales and that person's handed poison was made.

There was less than a minute left until the Lunar New Year.

"Alright, now we accept the new Dragon King and make our wish come true!"

Starting with Yoohwang standing in place, the other shamans summoned clouds one after another.

Shaman Hong trembled until the end and failed to summon clouds properly.

In the end, Shaman Byeok standing next to her clicked her tongue and tried to fill it instead.

The day changed when the five-colored cloud filled with Jin appeared.

Fwaaaa!

Clouds of five colors spread throughout the palace, thoroughly changing it.

From Obangsaek to Ogansaek, Imoogi, who had to be served by the five shamans, offered them grace.

Jwiik, duk...

The skins of the five shamans began to change.

When they found scales on the back of their hands, the shamans spat out an exclamation.

They were turning into dragons.

"Our wish is finally coming true!"

"There will be no death or aging for us now!"

Some shamans shed tears of joy behind the cloth that covered their faces.

The Dragon Palace shamans were delighted to quickly become dragons like them.

In that shared joy among the shamans, Yoohwang warned.

"God Imoogi's power is not complete yet. All we can do as dragons is keep this palace within the reach of God Imoogi."

Yoohwang rolled up the cloth covering her face.

She wanted to remove the symbol of her shamanism and finally assume the role of a dragon.

Yoohwang's face was exposed, revealing scales and eyes that were vertically open like those of a reptile.

"The Dragon King had his dearly cherished Cintamani. Our new king, God Imoogi, does not yet have one."

Everyone knew who Yoohwang was referring to.

It was the mischievous Yong Jegun who confused the shamans' minds.

"If we give God Imoogi a Cintamani, he will be complete and we will also be complete. The other shamans will receive grace."

The shamans were reluctant at the mention of Yong Jegun.

Yoohwang tried to boost their spirits.

"It wouldn't hurt to get one wish from the Cintamani before we give him to God Imoogi."

The word "wish" energized the shamans.

"Where is the Cintamani right now?"

"I heard that he's coming to the White Dragon Palace to meet us."

At the mention of the said palace, Shaman Ja spoke.

That palace was currently transforming into purple.

"Then I will have to get the Cintamani."

"Omo, are you trying to monopolize the Cintamani?"

"It's hard to deal with the Cintamani alone. Let's go together."

"It would be nice to receive a wish from the Cintamani, but would he listen to us?"

While looking around the Yellow Dragon Palace which turned to her color, Yoohwang remembered those underneath the palace.

Yoohwang dropped her gaze and spoke.

"The Cintamani has a weakness, and that weakness lies in the Yellow Dragon Palace. How about this? The dragon who gets her hands on that weakness first gets the wish from the Cintamani."

Weakness

Yong Jegun's only friend came up in every shaman's mind.

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