Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 160

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 160
“Yes, that is correct.”
The answer came without a shred of hesitation.
Another Phoenix would have deflected with flattery or evasion, claiming it had nothing to do with the Princess. But not this one.
“Does Mother know about this too?”
“The Jade Emperor does not know. Your Mother is concealing it right beside her.”
“So… Geum-ryeong hides it from Mother, and Hong-ye hides it from Father?”
“Yes.”
“Did all you siblings agree to this?”
“When it concerns the Princess, our eyes turn backward with fervor. We all consented.”
“But each of you serves different deities. Did all those gods consent as well?”
“Some consulted with their masters before deciding, but the rest likely remain unaware.”
“That won’t do! Not without the permission of the gods you serve!”
“This matter concerns the Princess’s safety. No one will object regardless.”
Heuk-yeon fixed me with a cool, unwavering gaze.
“This is unavoidable as long as the Princess remains in the Mortal Realm. If you find the protection of the Phoenix Guard burdensome, you need only return to the Heavenly Realm.”
“…”
I closed my mouth and lowered my eyes. Seeing my expression, Heuk-yeon continued in a slightly quickened tone.
“If you do not wish to leave, simply accept the Phoenix Guard’s hearts. We all understand why you remain in the Mortal Realm in human form. We comprehend, and so we have willingly stepped forward for your sake.”
“…”
“We minimize interference in human affairs to avoid accruing karmic debt, and we disguise ourselves as Demon Beasts to avoid detection by Doo-eok-sini. You need not harbor unnecessary concerns.”
Seeing Heuk-yeon—who claimed to dislike lengthy explanations—suddenly pour out words in succession, I understood the intention. I had not grown accustomed to Yun Ra-sa’s manner of speech for nothing.
I gazed up quietly at the silent black Phoenix and asked.
“Why did you step forward for this? If your family all volunteered, you had no choice.”
“Did I not say that ‘everyone’ stepped forward willingly for the Princess?”
Heuk-yeon answered curtly and turned away.
Phoenixes are poor liars. They cannot lie entirely, but they prefer to speak truth. So Heuk-yeon now wished not to openly admit that he too had stepped forward willingly for me, yet equally refused to lie. Thus he spoke in circles, using the word “everyone.”
‘He tries to dislike me, and he does dislike me… but I sense he does not truly despise me as a deity.’
He does not hate me, nor will he speak empty words or lies for my sake.
‘With a Heuk-yeon like this…’
Could I not consult with him about what I have long been pondering in my heart?
I glanced upward at the sky, then downward at the earth. Then I turned my gaze back to Heuk-yeon.
“Are Geum-ryeong and Hong-ye still diverting Mother and Father’s attention now?”
“Since you are meeting with me, they likely are.”
Even if indoors was safe, in a place where sky and earth were visible, Mother and Father might be watching. I needed to confirm.
‘Both of them are terribly busy, so they cannot always be watching me… but one can never be too careful.’
If Geum-ryeong and Hong-ye were screening, it would be fine. I swallowed dryly and opened my mouth.
“Heuk-yeon, I… have a plan I am considering in the Mortal Realm…”
Eyes as black as the entrance to the Abyss regard me steadily. After a long hesitation, I continued.
“I want to know your opinion on how likely my plan is to succeed.”
“Speak.”
“…I plan to gather talented humans from the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin, distribute divine artifacts imbued with my divine power, nurture them well, and then… together with those humans, I will strike down Doo-eok-sini.”
Heuk-yeon’s expressionless face cracked for the first time. He asked back with a furrowed brow.
“What did you just say?”
“I’m planning to cultivate the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin and strike down Doo-eok-sini together. To succeed, I need―”
“You intend to fight Doo-eok-sini with mere humans? Are you in your right mind?”
Heuk-yeon cut me off and spoke harshly. I hesitated before explaining carefully.
“Doo-eok-sini before ascending to the Heavenly Realm is still weak. Humans have already defeated one before, or so I’ve heard. So if I lend them my divine power and divine artifacts, and nurture them well over the coming years―”
“Princess.”
Heuk-yeon interrupted me again. The scar near his eye twitched.
“Do you know how the deity I once served met their end?”
“Huh?”
I’d heard bits and pieces from those around me—that Heuk-yeon still blamed himself for failing to protect his master, or that his master was a deity who gave generously to many places. But I didn’t know the specific circumstances. When I shook my head, Heuk-yeon’s lips twisted.
“That deity was devoured by the previous generation’s Doo-eok-sini. It was the decisive moment that allowed that Doo-eok-sini to ascend to the Heavenly Realm.”
“…What?”
“My deity was the God of Compassion. They believed that even the wicked could be enlightened and sought to save all living beings. They were a deity who gave everything without discrimination to anyone who called upon them.”
Compassion. In the current Celestial Realm, there is no deity who exclusively governs compassion, so Bari Degi, who is both a guardian deity and a deity of solace, shares that domain.
‘I heard that after the God of Compassion passed away, Bari Degi took over that domain… that deity’s name was surely….’
I recalled the name of a deity who had vanished long ago.
“Jijang.”
A divine name given because they distributed everything they possessed before becoming a deity, even their clothes, and covered their bare body with earth—Jijang (地藏). The one buried beneath the earth. The deity who dwells in the lowest place. That ancient deity was Heuk-yeon’s master.
“…So you did know. Though that deity passed away long before you were born, you knew their name….”
“I am a princess enshrined in both the Heavenly Realm and the Underworld. So I thought I should know about all the deities of both realms… and I studied.”
“No one would have dared to demand such a thing of you, Princess.”
“Of course no one asked me to. I’m not in good health. But still, I should know, shouldn’t I? If I’m to be ‘Princess Cheonmyeong.'”
“I see.”
Heuk-yeon, who had been watching me with an odd gaze for a long while, continued in a dry voice.
“…When I came to serve Jijang, I was a weak and young Black Phoenix. I was merely a useless servant who could offer little help, yet the God of Compassion did not mind. They showed compassion even to an incompetent divine beast. That should not have happened.”
“….”
“When the Doo-eok-sini born in the Mortal Realm grew stronger by devouring humans, countless prayers rose to the God of Compassion. That deity wished to hear all of them. Even the desperate pleas uttered without offerings or rituals. So I would gather even the prayers that the Incense Acceptance Officials ignored and convey them to that deity. That should not have happened either.”
“….”
“The Doo-eok-sini is born when the karma of the Celestial Realm accumulates and crosses a threshold—the one who oppresses the head. They are the evil spirits born as a reaction to deities violating the principles of the Celestial Deities. Princess, do you know what happens when such a thing reaches the very top of heaven?”
“I know. When the Doo-eok-sini oppresses the old head and becomes the new head, the definition of ‘evil’ is reversed.”
The current deities would fall into the category of evil spirits that deviate from the principles, and those now called evil would become the new deities ruling the world. For evil spirits, it is the only chance to invert the laws of the world. For deities, it is the trial that comes at the end of violating the laws of the world.
“…You truly did study well. Then do you also know why the deities leave the Doo-eok-sini alone until it ascends to heaven?”
“The Doo-eok-sini born in the Mortal Realm is a warning. A warning from the Celestial Deities not to accumulate more karma, not to violate the principles. While it is merely a warning, it is still manageable, but if a deity descends directly to the Mortal Realm to confront it… I’ve heard the Doo-eok-sini immediately gains divine status and ascends to the Heavenly Realm. Then it becomes a true trial.”
“Yes, precisely. My deity made the Doo-eok-sini into a true trial in that very way.”
“…Jijang descended to the Mortal Realm?”
“Humans pleaded. They begged to be saved from that monster. They offered nothing and merely beseeched the deity for compassion without recompense. The God of Compassion ultimately answered that prayer. To save the pitiful sentient beings from the monsters, they descended directly to the Mortal Realm and confronted the Doo-eok-sini.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, then slowly opened them.
“Jijang had no choice but to face it. After all, Doo-eok-sini was a monster born from the karmic debts of the gods themselves, and innocent humans suffered because of it, praying for mercy….”
“You speak as foolishly as your own god, Your Highness.”
Heuk-yeon clenched his teeth, then suddenly let out a bitter laugh.
“Innocent humans? Who said they were innocent? The karmic debts of the gods ultimately stem mostly from humans themselves.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“The greatest karmic debts accumulate when the world is not left to flow according to providence, but when gods intervene. And gods typically intervene in the world to fulfill the prayers of humans.”
“…!”
“Just as wicked things devour humans, gods generally love humans—it cannot be helped. The Celestial Deities are originally impartial to all life, but because gods who especially cherish humans among all living things became the heads of the world, the world became as it is now.”
This was the first time I’d heard such a thing. I stared blankly at Heuk-yeon as he spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on empty space as if looking into the distant past.
“Especially Jijang… loved all sentient beings and sought to save even the wicked, thus accumulating truly immense karmic debt. For Doo-eok-sini, it must have been a feast.”
“….”
“Moreover, a merciful god who becomes helpless the moment hostages are presented—how amusing that must have seemed to Doo-eok-sini. Why would Jijang do such a thing for filthy humans and a weak, foolish young Black Phoenix….”
Heuk-yeon trailed off and suddenly buried his face in his hands. He took a deep breath, traced the scar near his eye with his fingertips, then opened his mouth again with a blank expression.
“…Had he won that battle, though new karmic debt would have accumulated, he could have stopped Doo-eok-sini right before us. But Jijang was defeated and became its prey. He was never a god of war to begin with—a god of mercy should never have fought such a thing. It was reckless and foolish.”
I realize that Heuk-yeon’s words, which seem to condemn his former master, are truly condemning himself. Did that black phoenix witness his master being devoured by Doo-eok-sini before his very eyes? While held as a hostage?
How did he survive? How has he lived since then? What must he feel now that a new Doo-eok-sini has emerged?
I could say nothing and remained silent.
“As a result, Doo-eok-sini launched a surprise attack on the Heavenly Realm much sooner than expected… and countless gods died. Had the current Jade Emperor and Yama King not slain Doo-eok-sini, this world would now be ruled by wicked things.”
“….”
“Do you understand, Princess? A god of the Heavenly Realm commanding divine beasts was defeated by Doo-eok-sini before it ascended to heaven. Yet you speak of fighting Doo-eok-sini with merely humans—what foolish words are these?”
I see myself reflected in those abyssal eyes. Heuk-yeon spoke coldly.
“Are you prepared to become prey yourself and elevate this Doo-eok-sini’s power, Princess?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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