999——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The atmosphere shifted ominously at Lee Rang-jin-gun’s words. It was because the Celestial Sage’s face hardened, and he let out a blatant sigh of frustration.

[What kind of nonsense is that?]

[Celestial Sage, do I seem like I’m lying?]

[Fine… let’s say it’s the Queen Mother of the West’s order. Why are you trying to nullify it?]

[I’m merely following orders. How could a mere combatant like me speculate on the Queen Mother of the West’s true intentions and convey them to you?]

[Ha!]

The Celestial Sage scoffed then, in a moment, blood-red light erupted from his eyes.

[Don’t kid around! Do you think I’m a lackey of the Queen Mother? If you don’t get that trident out of my sight immediately, I’ll take you down myself!]

[……]

[Get lost!]

[I can’t do that.]

At Lee Rang-jin-gun’s firm response, the Celestial Sage summoned the Ruyi Staff into his hand.

Swish

[So… let’s see what you’ve got.]

[That’s what I’m hoping for.]

The Celestial Sage appeared incredulous.

[Just because there have been several draws in the Heavenly Martial Arts Tournament, do you think you stand on the same level as me? If I go all out, you won’t survive!]

[Just a lot of hot air.]

Kugugugu

As the two combatants glared at each other, the air itself seemed to warp under the pressure. I realized their killing intent surpassed that of ordinary absolute realm masters. No, it was more apt to call it a force of nature.

Witnessing this standoff, the Eight Immortals’ Nam Chae-hwa murmured anxiously.

[This is bad. Those two are among the top combatants in the Celestial Realm… Neither can afford to hold back.]

[We need to intervene.]

[There’s no way I can stop them with my techniques.]

[Hmm…]

The Eight Immortals hesitated, fearing that their attempt at meddling might escalate the situation into an even greater disaster. It was clear that a wrong move could trigger a furious rampage, obliterating everything in the vicinity. Just then, Yeodong-bin stepped between them.

Woom

It was as if a transparent droplet dropped into the flames, but Yeodong-bin’s aura spread out cleanly, naturally placing him between the two combatants. Holding the Fire Dragon Sword in a relaxed stance, he had positioned himself as a barrier, and before long, both the Celestial Sage and Lee Rang-jin-gun had extinguished their killing intent.

An unexpected silence!

‘W-what a feat.’

I couldn’t help but marvel.

The current silence was a result of Yeodong-bin perfectly grasping the energies of the two absolute powers and flowing his intent into the gap to establish a Heavenly Pillar, infiltrating their confrontation. No matter how powerful the force, if you receive it while in flow, you can let it slip away as if it never existed, embodying the principle of transformation in martial arts.

However, while it was easy to say, was that truly attainable? Even I, who had perfected the Peerless Technique, could not guarantee to neutralize their energies like Yeodong-bin had just done. His sword arts evidently transcended human levels.

Yeodong-bin calmly spoke.

[Calm down.]

[……]

[Lee Rang-jin-gun. While you say such things, this offering ceremony was carried out through proper channels, and you have no authority to arbitrarily nullify the Queen Mother of the West’s contract. You must know that someone of your standing should not dismiss this.]

As Yeodong-bin’s composed and reasoned words sank in, Lee Rang-jin-gun slowly lowered the trident. He then responded.

[The Queen Mother said that if you don’t comply, you will be expelled from the Celestial Realm.]

[……!!]

[I sincerely hope you will comply with her instructions. It would be unfortunate for extraordinary beings like yourselves to become embroiled in the evil incidents of the mortal world and lose your positions.]

At his words, not only the Eight Immortals but also the Celestial Sage looked taken aback. After a moment, the Celestial Sage’s face twisted, and he erupted.

[This old hag is driving me mad! Does she think she’s the Jade Emperor or something?!]

The Eight Immortals displayed strong displeasure as well.

[This is overstepping your bounds.]

[No matter how high-ranking in the Celestial Realm, you have no such authority.]

[If you threaten the Divine Immortals unjustly, you’re supposed to be imprisoned in the Celestial Dungeon—but are you saying the Queen Mother has transcended these laws?]

Ssssss

With the Eight Immortals showing hostility, Lee Rang-jin-gun flinched, appearing to cave in slightly. He seemed resigned as he withdrew the trident and said.

[It’s pointless to talk to me. Even if you take me down here, the Queen Mother will continue to send her combatants until her will is enforced.]

[So? Are you asking for mercy?]

[That would be appreciated. However, this is not such a trivial matter…]

A shadow crossed Lee Rang-jin-gun’s face. Deep down, he likely found the Queen Mother’s command nonsensical, but felt compelled to comply. As the Celestial Sage caught onto Lee Rang-jin-gun’s attitude, he began to scheme before suddenly saying.

[Alright, I’ll nullify the offering ceremony.]

[Really?]

[Yeah, what could it hurt? Just say it’s nullified and report back. Right? That’s all it takes… hehehe…]

Seeing the Celestial Sage’s sinister smile, Lee Rang-jin-gun seemed to catch on to something. He then forced a smile.

[You reckless fool… you’ll earn the Queen Mother’s ire.]

[When has that ever stopped me?]

[Then I’ll take my leave.]

Pa-at!

As Lee Rang-jin-gun vanished with his companion, the Celestial Sage looked on blankly and then swept the offerings off the altar. He then declared.

[Let’s consider the offering ceremony nonexistent.]

“Celestial Sage! How can you do this?!”

Had the Celestial Sage bowed to the Queen Mother’s pressure?

With my vision darkening in disbelief, the Celestial Sage grinned and said.

[From now on, I won’t be helping any longer!]

“What?!”

Swoosh…

Shortly after, the Celestial Sage’s body transformed from a spirit form into a corporeal form. Unlike before when he had only sent his spirit for the ceremony, he had manifested in his entirety.

Then he glanced at the Eight Immortals beside him and said.

“Hey! I’m going to give you guys the Trivergent Armor I got from the Dragon King, so help me out when we subdue the Sea God! How about it?”

[……]

“If you dig around Huagushan, you’ll find it. Just pay me back later.”

The Eight Immortals remained silent for a while before they seemed to catch on. Noticing that Jang Gwa-ro was chuckling, he said.

[Well, of course, Celestial Sage. This is no offering, but it’s your request, so we can’t just ignore it.]

“Right~~?”

And the Celestial Sage smiled broadly and turned to me.

“Have you ever heard of volunteering?”

“……!!”

No way!

Realizing how the Celestial Sage had turned the situation around left me in shock.

‘He sacrificed my offerings while using his treasure to rope in the Eight Immortals!’

In this way, he would uphold the Queen Mother’s mandate while still enforcing his own will. Since the Queen Mother never explicitly said not to subdue the Sea God, it would remove her grounds for punishing the Celestial Sage and the Eight Immortals.

But…

I couldn’t believe it and stuttered to the Celestial Sage.

“Great Master, why are you being so friendly to a stranger like me…”

That’s right.

In my past lives, I had seen the Celestial Sage numerous times and formed a bond, but this was essentially the first time he truly saw me. And having dangled Xuyou as bait, our relationship was nearly one of cold transactional nature. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the Celestial Sage to go this far, risking his own loss to help a mere mortal he had just met.

The Celestial Sage slung the Ruyi Staff over his shoulder and said.

“There are two reasons for that. One is that the Queen Mother has been so unlucky that I’ve developed a desire to spoil her plans, and the other is…”

He gazed at me intently and said.

“If someone as insignificant as you is willing to act for righteousness, then how can I just sit back? I admire your guts to challenge the ‘Old Ruler.'”

“……!!”

“Oh, but just be sure to pay me back later. Got it?”

The Celestial Sage chuckled as he moved forward. Then he rode on his cloud to Huagushan and returned with some shining armor, helmet, and boots to hand over to the Eight Immortals. It was said to be the Trivergent Armor, a treasure originally possessed by the King of Death Sea.

I realized everything was now in place.

“Alright, time to hunt down the Sea God.”

“Let’s go!”

Pa-at!!

We boarded the Celestial Sage’s cloud together, heading toward Goryeo. As we soared through the skies, the Celestial Sage furrowed his brow when he spotted the enormous figure of the Sea God from above.

“Dang it, that bastard is really serious this time.”

“What do you mean?”

“From the waves of magic, it seems to be resonating with the Heavens and Earth’s oceans, calling out to the Sea God Clan across the globe.”

Across the globe?

As those words hit me, memories from the past resurfaced. It was information I had gathered from the Master of the Twelve Joules regarding the Sea God’s strongholds.

[From what I’ve gathered, there are a total of six strongholds of the Sea God around this island, mainland, and Dongyoung. These spots form the shape of the Six Stars and serve as sources of strong magical power. From now on, I shall crush that Fisherman’s city one by one with you.]

That was correct.

There were at least six strongholds of the Sea God nearby. Since the Sea God could traverse the world’s oceans, the actual count of Sea God clans could be much higher. It appeared the Sea God was planning to summon his kin not just from the nearby strongholds but from all over the world.

I asked with a sense of foreboding.

“What happens if the Sea God clans all come together? How many would that be?”

“What good would it do to think about that? I’d say they’d amount to at least a million—does it matter?”

“……”

“It’s going to turn into a race against time. If we let this go unchallenged, not only Goryeo but the Central Plains would see civilization crumble under the Sea God invasion.”

I nodded, understanding the Celestial Sage’s point.

“So we need to take down the Sea God to stop the summoning.”

“Alright, let’s give it a shot!”

As the last syllable rolled off his tongue, the Celestial Sage leaped from the cloud, enlarging the Ruyi Staff as he swung it with all his might.

“Die!”

Vwoom—

Kuwakwang!!

The Ruyi Staff, extended to a length of over a thousand zhang, came crashing down upon the Sea God’s head. It seemed the Celestial Sage had put all his strength into that attack. However, the Sea God staggered briefly before grabbing the Ruyi Staff with one hand and tossing it aside.

Whoosh

The Celestial Sage, clutching the Ruyi Staff as he flew backward, shouted.

[That bastard’s got a hard head!!]

Simultaneously, the Eight Immortals began to jump down one by one from the cloud. Judging by their grim expressions, they must have sensed the Sea God’s strength. I overheard Zhongli Quan among the Eight Immortals mumbling in exasperation.

[Oh no… is there really such an absurd magic barrier? That guy’s barrier is akin to an entire world.]

[Zhongli Quan, quit whining. We just need to join forces.]

[I’m not too confident, though…]

[How long have you been a part of us? Do you think we’ll keep listening to your whining forever?]

[Ugh, I get it, Lee Cheol-goei… I understand.]

Under Lee Cheol-goei’s scolding, Zhongli Quan flinched. I scanned the faces of my companions from atop the cloud and asked.

“What should we do? Should I use the Command of the Evil God right away?”

“No. Let’s observe the situation for a moment. With their current strength, they won’t be overwhelmed by the Sea God. But something more important is at stake…”

Zhuge Sa looked at me with a dubious glare.

“Can you really use the Ultimate Technique of the White Lotus? That’s the crux of our assault.”

“… I think I might be able to.”

“You think? If you can’t use it immediately, that sounds like a problem.”

“……”

I fell silent. Zhuge Sa’s statement rang true.

‘I spoke with confidence, but… even if I try to use it, I realize I need to reach another level in martial arts first to manifest it.’

The skill remained clear within me. However, I instinctively understood that I could only unleash the technique if my martial prowess had advanced to the necessary realm. I might be able to mimic the movements, but I couldn’t ensure the true impact of the Ultimate Technique would manifest.

“But if I reach the boundary of life and death, I might be able to do it all at once…”

“What’s with that kind of nonsense? Are you aware of how slim those odds are? If it looks like you’re dying, you really will die.”

“Ugh…”

“In any other situation, I’d humor your foolish talk, but this time, a [Pursuer] exists. Unifying the world and gathering the laws of the Dharma is the ultimate mandate. Therefore, you need to survive this deadly scrape as smoothly as possible.”

“……”

“That’s why I want to suggest this: Rather than hopelessly trying for the Ultimate Technique and dying, why not use the Four Great Spirit Deities?”

“Four Great Spirit Deities?”

“Exactly.”

Zhuge Sa stared at me with sharp eyes.

“With the forces you’ve prepared now, you’ll be able to exploit the Sea God’s weaknesses. You should slip in to pierce his heart when his defenses are at their weakest! That would be the most realistic strategy.”

“… Got it!”

Just then.

Kwahh—

“Yagagagya—this guy is seriously insane…”

Whoosh

Kuwakwang

The Celestial Sage summoned thousands of clones and was attacking the Sea God, but he let out a scream when the Sea God suddenly roared and unleashed a colossal beam of destructive energy from its mouth. The blast soared over the horizon, creating a massive explosion that vaporized the sea entirely.

[Haa!!]

Swhoosh

Yeodong-bin swooped nearby, cutting off the Sea God’s finger with the Fire Dragon Sword. It was the first substantial wound dealt to the Sea God, but the Sea God retaliated angrily, forcing Yeodong-bin to retreat with the help of the Eight Immortals.

Kuwakwang

While the Celestial Sage and the Eight Immortals continued attacking the Sea God, unleashing waves of light and explosions, from above, it looked as if the Sea God was merely swatting at flies. Its defenses were still intact, making it impossible to deliver a proper hit.

I focused my mind and spoke to Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang, are you sure about this?”

“Of course. My level has significantly improved since mastering the Corpse Dissolution Technique. I can be the backbone for the Immortal Summoning.”

He glanced aside and added.

“Moreover, since Zhuge Yulong is helping, the burden should be considerably lighter.”

“… Understood. Then I’ll charge right in!”

As soon as I finished speaking, I recited the Command of the Evil God.

“O constellation that flows during the time of destruction! I beseech your powers. I honor the coming thousand years!!”

Fwoosh

In that moment, a massive tentacle erupted, wrapping itself around the Sea God. The Sea God appeared visibly flustered, thrashing its limbs in a panic.

‘Yes!’

Using the Command of the Evil God would nullify that bastard’s magic barrier for a finite period! During this window, I was free to attack without regard for its divine sorcery! I was set to cast the Great Destruction.

Kugugugu

Great Destruction

Immortal Summoning

Life Force Sharing!!

Kiying—

Simultaneously, I felt the power of the Great Destruction infuse into my body, and my life force connected with Mangnyang and Zhuge Yulong beside me. Using the Great Destruction means I had to die eventually, but by sharing life force with a top-tier sorcerer, I could delay my depletion and prevent my vessel from shattering! This allowed me to draw upon the power of Great Destruction without dying.

“Xuyou, let’s go!”

I charged forth with all my might, sprinting several li towards the Sea God. The Xuyou in my hand began radiating spirit energy.

“Uooooo!!”

I aimed right for its heart!

Having experience from when we took down the Sea God before, I already knew where its vital spot was!

If I cut it down in one blow and stabbed the Four Great Spirit Deities right in, even the Sea God wouldn’t survive!

Purr!!

The moment my body collided with the Sea God’s heart, it let out a thud, spewing blue blood as it toppled backward. I could feel myself being engulfed by its flesh and blood.

‘Ah… oh no…’

Did I charge in too hard…?!

Kuwakwak

Unable to withstand my momentum, I continued pressing into the Sea’s body with my body slam. Despite being in the state of Great Destruction, the overwhelming force kept me mostly immobile, but I gritted my teeth and hoisted my sword up.

Thunder God Sword Dance

Reversing Heaven Slash!

Phwuck

A staggering seventy strikes surged from around me, slicing through the Sea God’s bones and flesh simultaneously. It felt like I cleaved through a cliff, an exhilarating technique, and at that moment, I desperately sought the Sea God’s heart.

‘Where is the heart?!’

If I didn’t find it quickly, I’d be in deep trouble…!!

The Celestial Sage and the Eight Immortals were distracting the Sea God, allowing this attack to proceed. If the Sea God focused on me, I might die in one blow even with the Great Destruction active!

And in that frozen moment, I felt as if I heard a voice whispering in my ear.

[… You can’t…]

What is this?

[… No matter how good you are… this time… you can’t… if you use ‘that’ artifact on my servant… I’m in trouble too…]

Was that just a hallucination?

What, is the Sea God begging for mercy before dying?

[Will your intent… be unbetrayed?… I can’t stop… it…]

“Hah, quit the nonsense!”

Then, just as I sensed the heart was slightly to the side, I readied my sword to dive in, only for a barrage of spikes to explode from the Sea God’s flesh at lightning speed.

Pewpewpew!!

“Ugh!”

If I hadn’t drawn upon the Great Destruction, I’d have been instantaneously wiped out by that spike trap. Using my incredible physical agility, I was able to dodge it, but as I did, Yeodong-bin yelled out urgently.

[Yeonja! Watch out! The Sea God has begun targeting you!]

“I know! I need to slice its heart quickly.”

[Alright… is that your goal? Let me guide you!]

Tydaht

Finally, Yeodong-bin dashed in from behind, deftly deflecting the Sea God’s thorn attacks. I felt increasingly free to move as a result, allowing me to leap sideways toward where I speculated the heart was.

Phwuk

‘… This is it!!’

As I carved deeply into its flesh, the thumping Sea God’s heart emerged before my eyes. The heart alone was massive—over fifty inches in size—so much so that I questioned whether it could truly be called a heart. I envisioned the Four Great Spirit Deities in my mind and summoned them into my hand.

“Come forth, Vajra!!”

Pazhazak

Gripping the flaming Vajra, I charged headlong at the Sea God’s heart.

“Uoooooo!!”

I would plunge the heart with Xuyou and smash it right in! And I would pierce the Vajra deep into the heart!

The Vajra holds supreme properties over the demons, so no matter how powerful the Sea God is, it wouldn’t hold up!

‘You’re done for…’

Just then, I felt something was off.

Tentacles?

At that moment, having reached right before the Sea God’s heart, I felt time seemingly slow down.

Whiir…

And a sluggish segment of tentacle coiled from the heart, taking on a shape almost familiar to me. The entire sequence was etched in my mind like a nightmare as crimson darkness began to settle everywhere.

It didn’t look very big.

Soon, a being resembling a hybrid of human and the Eight-Scaled Fish, complete with enormous wings sprouting from its back, emerged before the Sea God’s heart. I recognized that figure and felt a surge of dread.

“Ah… that’s…”

[The only being permitted to take that form is said to be a closest servant of the Evil God… ]

As Yeodong-bin’s words continued, I felt the blood drain from my face.

[That being is the king among the descendants of the Evil God.]