989——————==

Soul of the Evil God

What?!

Did that guy just eat the obsidian?!

Flustered by the sudden turn of events, I exclaimed, “Hey!! What are you doing eating that!!”

Master Mangnyang glanced at me and replied, [Pet my head.]

“… Huh?”

[Do it.]

Ugh… something tells me I shouldn’t refuse…

Reluctantly, I began to gently pat Master Mangnyang’s forehead. He gave a cat-like expression and seemed to enjoy the touch before he said, [I see now… I understand.]

“No… why did you eat my obsidian?”

[It was to figure out the settings of the Law of Cause and Effect. And now I know.]

“Know what?”

[Wait a moment.]

With that, Master Mangnyang slipped away from my touch and hurried to a stream beside the path to drink some water.

“……”

Feels like he’s just having a meal and then drinking water…

When I looked at him skeptically, he finally spoke after a while. [This must be offered at the highest place of the ‘Belly Button of the World’ during a solar eclipse. If you meet this condition, the god lying dormant in the body will resurrect, and the one who resurrects him will pay the price.]

“Belly Button of the World…? Solar Eclipse?”

[There’s another condition set too. The one who brings the other half of the god must manifest the will of destiny across the absolute limitless time and space, allowing the connection with the guest who will ultimately destroy the world. But this is far more difficult than the first condition, nearly impossible. Even I’m not sure what this condition means.]

“Hmmm…”

Seems the prophet isn’t just being picky for no reason. With such special conditions, figuring out ways to utilize them normally is impossible.

[This god possesses a remarkably high rank of a great deity but seems to have been sealed for some special reason.]

So it means there are two ways I can utilize this god’s body.

One is to make offerings in a specified manner at the ‘Belly Button of the World’, which would grant me wishes through divine power. The other method is something incomprehensible, so I didn’t dwell on it. I figured the former was likely the only way I could go.

‘If the solar eclipse requires the opposite of Fire Spirit, then the Fire Spirit had to align with a total solar eclipse.’

I had struggled a lot to figure out the conditions under which the Fire Spirit’s barrier would break, but if I use my rebirth ability, figuring out the timing for the solar eclipse wouldn’t be too hard. I started sensing the puzzle pieces coming together and said to Master Mangnyang, “No sorcerers felt anything special about this obsidian. However, it seemed like Xiang Yu in the Celestial Realm sensed something from it.”

[Is that so.]

“What’s the difference between sorcerers and Xiang Yu that made that happen?”

[If I had to guess, since Xiang Yu is literally the embodiment of the constellation, he could resonate with the divine body’s essence of the ‘Old Ruler.’ His power is closely aligned with his kind.]

“Hmmm… Got it. Where is this Belly Button of the World?”

Master Mangnyang stared at me and then said, [It’s on Earth.]

“……”

[……]

“No… I mean, where on Earth…”

[Figure it out yourself.]

This cat won’t give me any help right to the end!

I sighed deeply and said, “Damn it. Fine. Now give me back my obsidian.”

[How am I supposed to give back something I ate?]

“……?”

I looked at Master Mangnyang in disbelief. I thought he’d naturally return it since he said it so casually, but what is this nonsense? Then I quickly grasped the reality and gasped to Master Mangnyang, “W-wait!! You really ate it?!”

[It was tasty.]

“Aaaah!! I asked you to check it, and you just… ate it?!”

[If I didn’t eat it, I couldn’t know the settings of the cause and effect. That’s a weird thing to say. Plus, I never said I would return it.]

“Spit it out!! Throw it up!”

I grabbed Master Mangnyang’s cheeks with both my hands, wailing, but he simply blinked and said, [No.]

“Aaaaaah!!!”

I screamed and leaped from my seat. I could see Cheon Woo-jin staring at me as if I were pathetic. Cheon Woo-jin said, “What’s going on now?”

“Master Mangnyang… ate my obsidian!!”

“What?”

I explained everything that happened to Cheon Woo-jin. He then said, “Just find it in your next life. In this life, just act like an emperor.”

“……”

“Why? Did I say something wrong?”

Are all priests like this, scratching at my insides…!!

I felt a mix of annoyance and shame, but Cheon Woo-jin’s words snapped me back to reality.

“Isn’t it a huge advantage just to know the offerings method for the divine obsidian? You’re a reborn person and whining over pointless things. It’s not like you can destroy the god of all in this life, and you’ll just act like a fool and die suddenly.”

I felt like he hit a nerve. But even though Cheon Woo-jin’s words were right, it didn’t stop me from feeling annoyed, so I grumbled.

“Tch… easy for you to say, you’re not the one dying here.”

“Of course, nobody enjoys dying. But if you made that choice yourself, stop whining to others.”

“……”

I thought any discussion would only lead to my own loss, so I decided to stop thinking about the obsidian and change the topic. I said to Cheon Woo-jin, “Cheon Woo-jin. Are you not thinking of coming to our side to fight? We need your power.”

While I did get fellow sorcerers like Seong Jin, Abe no Seimei, and the like, only Cheon Woo-jin had a unique capability. Moreover, based on potential, few companions could match his growth potential. I desperately wanted Cheon Woo-jin to join us. However, he replied coldly, “Then let me ask. After you beat the Twelve Joules, what do you plan to do?”

“Well, of course, I’ll spread my influence and seek hidden martial arts secrets around the world.”

“Do you even know what that implies?”

“What do you mean…?”

“You’re talking about world domination.”

“……”

“From what you said, it’s understandable why Krishna showed up to keep an eye on you. If after obtaining the Central Plains, Arasa, Goryeo, and Dongyoung, you then spread your influence to Tianzhu, and on to the Western Continent… that literally means world domination. The other two continents are weak in civilization anyway.”

Since Cheon Woo-jin was right, I found it hard to answer.

‘It’s true.’

My strategist hadn’t directly mentioned it, but I knew it too. If I conquered Goryeo, which holds the Twelve Joules, it would mean I was firmly establishing myself as the Overlord of the East and the start of an unprecedented great empire in history. Moreover, with Chi You’s transference gates scattered worldwide, it wouldn’t take more than 50 years to achieve world domination calculation-wise.

But I shook my head and replied, “… Does that really matter? The world is at the brink of destruction anyway. What’s wrong with finding the martial arts secrets quickly to get clues about the impending doom and delaying my singularity? Even if I am pursuing world domination, isn’t that a means to an end, so it shouldn’t matter?”

“That’s quite a plausible argument. But have you thought about what middle kingdom world domination truly means?”

Unlike before, Cheon Woo-jin was no longer just hasty or irritated. His gaze held a serious, rationality. This implied he was saying what he truly felt right now.

“What?”

Cheon Woo-jin looked at me with sharp eyes.

“The empire isn’t uniting the world. It’s the people of the middle kingdom sweeping the globe… That’s a fundamentally different matter. And you seem to be overlooking this meaning. Perhaps you’re unaware of the discomfort living your whole life in this middle kingdom brings.”

“Hmmm…”

“It’s not the time yet. I still think it’s too early for me to be on the same ship as you.”

“What do you mean? What should I do?”

“… Look back at yourself.”

Swoosh

Cheon Woo-jin began to vanish slowly into the mist.

“Check if you’re being consumed by your dreams and ideals…”

“Consumed…?”

“I will accompany you when you can look back at yourself.”

Swish

After Cheon Woo-jin disappeared, I stood there for a while.

“……”

I didn’t quite understand what he meant precisely.

However, his words resonated within me a little.

‘To look back at myself…’

But I felt scared to do it. It’s like I’d get seriously hurt the moment I turn around. Maybe there’s something wrong with me right now, but at least as long as things are going well, it should be fine, right?

Why is it…

Fighting against transcendent enemies feels fine, but why am I scared of this…

I shook my head and muttered, “Let’s move.”

No time to get lost in thoughts.

As good as everything is, right now I need to move as much as possible to prevent losing my companions in vain. If I can’t even trust myself while facing a decisive battle, what kind of grand matters can I possibly undertake? After repeating this to myself, I began my next movements.

Crack

I returned to the main camp and sought Zhuge Sa. Zhuge Sa hadn’t been attending the meetings or strategy sessions recently because he’d been engrossed in the study of the Imperial Palace’s demon magic with Zhuge Yulong.

Attempting ultimate alchemy using the formidable magical creation power of the Crystal Stele based on the knowledge left by the alchemists. Moreover, Zhuge Yulong was currently the highest master of the Eastern Eight Trigrams techniques, and Zhuge Sa was a predecessor who inherited all the landlord’s demon arts from the West and was also the head of the rebellious faction. If these two combined their efforts, something could emerge that was beyond anything that’s ever appeared thus far.

As soon as Zhuge Sa saw me, he welcomed me, “You came at the right time, Baek Woong.”

“What’s that?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s a Portrait Immortal.”

“I knew that…”

I was puzzled seeing the Portrait Immortal lying on the stone altar so different from before. Previous Portrait Immortals had an eerie aura about them, but this one gave off no sensation at all. Sensing my discomfort, Zhuge Yulong, who was beside me, said, “This Portrait Immortal has no core.”

“……?!”

“I intentionally created it that way. The role of the core was dispersed elsewhere.”

No core, huh?

Typically, Portrait Immortals had a core serving as their heart, and as long as that core existed, they were immortal. While the core was the greatest weakness, its efficiency was too good to be omitted. Thus, I found it odd that there was no core at all.

“Why was it made like that?”

“Well, it was intentionally left empty to fit the Seven Luminaries inside.”

“……?!”

What?!

Seven Luminaries?!

“W-what do you mean?!”

Surprised by the unexpected revelation, I shouted, and Zhuge Sa shrugged.

“Isn’t it simple? Think about the ultimate Portrait Immortal, Jin. What was his core?”

“It was… the Earth Spirit (土曜).”

“That’s right. And what power did Jin gain by making the Earth Spirit his heart?”

“He gained the ability to nullify all martial arts.”

“That’s exactly it.”

Zhuge Sa smiled slyly.

“Could it be that only the Earth Spirit could produce such an effect among the Seven Luminaries?”

“…Could it be?!”

“Exactly. Since the available Seven Luminaries the Imperial Palace could use at that time was only the Earth Spirit, they simply put it into the ultimate Portrait Immortal. In other words, it’s entirely possible to perform the same trick with other Seven Luminaries.”

“……!!”

“For instance, if I were to insert the Moon Sovereign into this one…”

Zhuge Sa flicked at the Portrait Immortal’s heart area and continued speaking.

“This Portrait Immortal would gain the unique three abilities of the Moon Sovereign. It could use the sword’s power to attack, the jewel’s power to heal and defend, and the mirror’s power to reflect. Furthermore, it could also harness the powerful lunar magic in Moon Sovereign, think about how strong that’d be.”

“……”

“It would at least be stronger than the previous Miho. It’s a good idea to either directly outfit it with the Seven Luminaries as we gather them or place the Seven Luminaries into the Portrait Immortal’s heart to control a powerful automaton.”

So, that kind of method exists…!!

I was marveling at Zhuge Sa’s words when I suddenly realized something.

“But the Seven Luminaries all have sharp weapons and pointy ends; aren’t some of them way too large to fit as a heart? Wouldn’t it be hard to cram them in?”

“When the Earth Spirit was made the heart, they didn’t just cram it in raw. They reduced the volume of the material with the Eight Trigrams and synchronized it with the heart, then fused it. If done the same way, even if you tried to fit a spear or sword as a heart, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hmm.”

“And do you know what the biggest benefit will be once this research is completed?”

Zhuge Sa grinned mischievously.

“That’s the advantage that comes from gathering all Seven Luminaries…”

I listened to Zhuge Sa and Zhuge Yulong describing the progress of their research for a while. While I did, I frowned.

“Hmm… So we can’t deploy the Portrait Immortal in this war against Goryeo?”

“That can’t be helped. If they try to abduct the Portrait Immortal, things will get complicated. As you know, those guys also possess some future tech, and if we aren’t careful, they might send out a stronger automaton against us.”

“I see.”

“But we’ve already prepared the latest weapons for the North Dragon Troops under Hwang Yeon in collaboration with the blacksmiths in Luoyang. About 1500 units, but it should be good enough…”

As the massive door of the Imperial Palace’s weapon storage creaked open, I saw blue gun barrels glowing in the darkness. And upon seeing their shape, I couldn’t help but mumble.

“Why do the wheels and the base have to be under the gun? Isn’t the barrel way too long?”

“Hehe.”

“Didn’t you make a mistake? It doesn’t look intimidating at all…”

“No need to worry.”

Zhuge Sa grinned wickedly.

“Hehe… Just delivering this to Hwang Yeon and we’ll win the war.”