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“That’s definitely the face of Sagong Lin.”

If it were someone else, I might not recall it, but the face of a legendary beauty, praised across the Central Plains, was simply unforgettable. Even after centuries, not a single wrinkle or sign of aging could be seen on her.

“Rebirth of Flesh?”

If she truly had attained peak perfection through it, that would explain her agelessness. Even reaching over a hundred years, she wouldn’t have to worry about aging. But I doubted that the suppressive effects on aging and vitality from this technique had no limits. I couldn’t possibly fathom how many years had passed.

“First, let’s stay calm.”

I had countless questions, but I needed to find my composure first.

I spoke slowly to Sagong Lin.

“What do you mean by ‘coming back too late’?”

She looked at me with sorrowful eyes for a moment before saying,

“It means many who waited and longed for you have perished…”

“How long has it been since then?”

After glancing at Zhu Xian, she continued,

“Did Wu Cheon-ryong not fill you in?”

“I’ve hardly spent a half-moment with him. I was just swept along like a flash, so I have no clue about our current situation.”

“I see…”

She thought for a second before saying,

“You founded the Great Bear Empire around the 16th century… It is now the 20th century, so approximately 480 years have passed since then. We’re almost at half a millennium.”

“…?! “

“Humans have landed on the moon and are currently planning a lunar base.”

Wait, what?! Five hundred years?! No way!

Had that much time really passed?

“This… is absurd…”

I was thinking around 2,300 years and my mind felt blank. The shock was far beyond the time leap I made of fifty years. I sensed the world had undergone a complete transformation, but this was beyond anything I imagined!

Then… the chance of human companions surviving was nearly zero.

If there were any, maybe just one or two…

Maintaining my composure, I asked,

“So, where are the other companions? You seem to be handling the Great Bear Empire now; what happened to Mangnyang, the Zhuge Clan, and the Master of the White Lotus Sect?”

“Um…”

Sagong Lin leaned her head back for a moment and fell silent, as if choosing her words carefully. Then, she continued,

“Baek Woong, 480 years is not a time frame where you can just ask ‘where did everyone go?’. That era is but a small entry in history, a mere remnant of the medieval period. Those of that time generally struggled to endure the passage of time. You already know this, don’t you?”

“……”

“It has indeed been far too long… It’s impossible to explain everything that has happened or the whereabouts of our companions in just a few words.”

“I’m not looking for an easy summary! Why are you dodging the topic? Tell me what happened and where everyone is!”

“Understood.”

Having said this, Sagong Lin glanced at Zhu Xian and said,

“Wu Cheon-ryong, relay the order to stand down all defensive measures in the Chancellor’s Office.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And prohibit anyone from entering the royal court for a day.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

With a clap!

As soon as Wu Cheon-ryong finished speaking, he channeled a divine technique and left. I stared at his retreating figure, muttering,

“So you trust him?”

“He is the greatest martial genius produced by Shaolin in a century. Plus, he has a knack for artificial treasures and is a top-tier psychokinesist. His growth potential is the highest in the empire, making him the one the previous generations of agents have put their hopes on.”

So that’s the origin of Wu Cheon-ryong’s flashy alias?

It seemed like a title reserved for someone with exceptional potential. Nodding, I said,

“But that kind of skill doesn’t mean he’s deep in martial arts. Don’t tell me there aren’t any peak experts or those who reached absolute realm still existing in this age?”

Her silence lasted for a moment until Sagong Lin finally replied,

“They hardly exist. Even if they do, not in this world.”

“What do you mean?”

“After you vanished, we temporarily withdrew from Goryeo and reassessed the situation. Somehow, the Evil God and its forces disappeared, and we were faced with the curse of destruction from the Three Sovereigns.”

“Right. That seems plausible.”

“What actually happened in the underwater city?”

I recounted my experiences, and Sagong Lin seemed to grasp it.

“So you flew into the future with the power of the Four Great Spirit Deities’ Vayu.”

“That’s my thought, but I still have so many questions.”

She continued,

“You escaped the curse of the Evil God, but the Three Sovereigns did not. Shortly after, it was confirmed that nearly all the Five Emperors perished, and one of the Three Sovereigns, Nüwa, sustained severe trauma and fell into a self-sealing state. Fuxi and Shennong, close to being sealed, had minimal reactions.”

“Hmm.”

“As Nüwa lost her power, the Celestial Realm began to gradually fall into ruin… Left unchecked, the human realm would also face destruction. The dimensions nearly collided, threatening to erase everything.”

“What?! “

“So we collaborated with the Celestial Realm over a hundred years and successfully separated the Celestial Realm from this world.”

“Separated?”

“Yes.”

Nodding, Sagong Lin continued,

“Now, no matter what spell or ritual is performed, the existence of the Celestial Realm cannot be summoned. Immortals and spirit beasts are completely blocked. The Celestial Realm itself has become an entirely separate realm separated from the causal laws of the human realm. By severing their link, we escaped the crisis of causality.”

“……!!”

I was taken aback.

“So that means the Celestial Sage or Eight Immortals can’t be summoned?”

“You can try it yourself.”

No way!

I quickly checked the terminal connected to Yeodong-bin, attempting to summon her.

…

‘There’s not even a reaction…’

It felt empty like a severed thread. As I stood bewildered, Sagong Lin continued,

“The impossible feat was achieved thanks to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens. Because of the knowledge you provided using obsidian, Mangnyang could persuade her, allowing her to wield the essence for the monumental task of separating the Celestial Realm.”

“I see…”

“But the trouble started afterward. No matter how much we tried to minimize the impact on the surface, there were limitations. Soon after the separation of the Celestial Realm, the barrier that had been restraining the evil forces dissipated, and dreadful chaos broke out in the Eastern Regions, with monsters rampant. Even during the civilization era, we had to fight in a great war against demons and beasts.”

“……”

“That war continued for about fifty years. In the process, the Great Bear Empire had to abandon its western ambitions because we expended so much strength, and to top it off, the Eight Parts of the Divine took advantage and threw the Great Bear Empire into turmoil.”

The situation seemed bleak and continued to worsen…

Hearing this made me feel dizzy.

“So, the Eight Parts of the Divine were still around…”

Had the Great Bear Empire faced chaos from both the upheaval in the Celestial Realm and the Eight Parts of the Divine? Considering what I knew about their power, the cry of the empire could very well lead to its downfall.

“So what happened? Given that the Great Bear Empire is still standing, it sounds like you withstood the attacks of the Eight Parts of the Divine.”

Sagong Lin’s response shocked me.

“By conquering the Indian subcontinent, the demon crisis came to an end, and we eliminated the last of the four Eight Parts of the Divine.”

“……!! “

“The remaining Eight Parts of the Divine all sustained severe injuries and went into hiding.”

“What?! “

I couldn’t have misheard that!

“You really eliminated the four of them? Those demon-level entities?”

Sagong Lin answered with a faint smile,

“Baek Woong, the forces you gathered were far more potent than you think. Everyone was a hero of their generation, and by uniting their strengths over decades, they could sufficiently expel the Eight Parts of the Divine.”

“Even so… was it really possible to face them gloriously with just human power?”

“Yes. Primarily, Seo Mun-hye and the Master of the White Lotus Sect led the charge, supported by the absolute experts, while Seong Jin and Abe no Seimei blocked the escape of the Eight Parts of the Divine. The battle-type Portrait Immortal produced by Zhuge Sa minimized losses. Furthermore, thanks to the information you gathered regarding Chi You, we disrupted the unity of the Eight Parts of the Divine, picking them off one by one.”

Then perhaps it was feasible…

With such power, beating one of the Eight Parts of the Divine might be within reach. Of course, Asura was a different problem, but his stubbornness could be exploited!

But this was all just theoretical… Zhuge Clan must have devised strategies with their genius brainpower to maximize the potential of the companions.

While I contemplated this with admiration, Sagong Lin said,

“However… the top experts of the Four Great Families, including Dokgo Seong, Yong Bi Cheon, and Dokgo Jun, fell during the war, weakening the Thunder God Lineage and Wind Spirit Sect. Additionally, Zhuge Bu perished at the hands of Asura, while Zhuge Sa’s main frame was incinerated by the divine flame of the Eagle God Garuda. Thus, he had to become a Portrait Immortal through the Soul Exchange Technique. Mangnyang was gravely injured while sealing the Yacha and fell into a comatose state for sixty years, and Abe no Seimei died helping him, reincarnating into another body.”

“……”

It sounded like a grim end.

As I stood, dazed, Sagong Lin continued,

“It was an inescapable sacrifice. In truth, it was a miraculous feat that we emerged victorious.”

“What about the Master of the White Lotus Sect? Did he perish too?”

“He was fine until the end of the demon war. However, he died in the subsequent conflict.”

What else could there be?

I had no strength left to question further; I could only absorb what she said.

“Afterward, we focused on recovering the national power drained by expelling the Eight Parts of the Divine and strategized to conquer the Western Regions across the Indian subcontinent. It took around 140 years to recover the national strength of the Great Bear Empire, and by then, a new force known as Nazi Germany emerged in Europe.”

“Nazi Germany…”

“They defeated the British Empire and abducted and tortured Peng Zuo. Luckily, the Great Bear Empire managed to recover Peng Zuo, but he perished. Nazi Germany had fully succumbed to the Demon Path, opening a Dimension Door for the [Old Ruler] to be summoned in droves, which led the Great Bear Empire into war with them.”

“……”

“During the war with Nazi Germany, most of our companions perished. In reality… almost all fell.”

“Seriously…”

“Now, I’m the only one left who can actively lead the Great Bear Empire.”

Sagong Lin shook her head.

“And the war of the Great Bear Empire is still ongoing… Now, we are divided against a new foe, the United States, competing for half the world in a state of cold war.”

“That’s irrelevant…”

Honestly, I wasn’t bothered by the fact that everyone had died. I figured at least one or two must still be alive.

But where could they be?

I was desperate to inquire about my companions’ detailed whereabouts. Regardless of the situation, my curiosity about who remained alive was overwhelming.

However, I clenched my teeth.

‘Now, as a reborn person, I need to gather as much information as possible.’

But when I looked into Sagong Lin’s eyes, it was as if she hoped I would remain composed as a reborn person, so I calmly replied,

“Those people possess incredible technological prowess. How did they acquire such advancements?”

“The reason remains a mystery. The United States literally appeared suddenly on the North American continent. However, the shadow government that manipulates them, known as the Illuminati, already possessed technology that we couldn’t handle with our strength.”

“To what extent?”

“I heard you clashed with their secret agents alongside Zhu Xian. The prototypes of those secret agents had been developed with their own technology as early as the mid-19th century.”

“……!!”

“They had cyborg technology early on. It seems they now possess dimension cloning technology as well…”

I felt the situation was getting increasingly outrageous.

‘No way…’

The secret agents I faced earlier, the cyborgs, were extraordinarily powerful weapons. I easily dealt with them due to my absolute realm status, but in a one-on-one situation, even a peak expert could be easily killed. Their light-speed beams and ability to also absorb and re-release energy would be a nightmare for any martial artist.

But the fact that the nascent United States had technology nearly on par with the Great Bear Empire’s homunculus Portrait Immortal was shocking!

I said calmly,

“You don’t suppose the [Old Ruler] is behind them, do you? That they’re transferring the power of the Demon Path to them?”

“We had thought the same, but the scientific prowess they tout as the Prophet of Genesis has no trace of magical energy. It developed purely through physics.”

“Hmm.”

“That gives you a rough idea of the past five centuries of history.”

Having said that, Sagong Lin continued,

“Baek Woong, if you understand the situation, I will now take you to the surviving companions. I believe it’s best to meet them knowing at least the bare minimum.”

“……!! So, who are the remaining companions?”

“Please follow me.”

I followed Sagong Lin to a place called [Inner Palace]. On the outside, it resembled the architectural styles of my time, but it was outfitted with cutting-edge technology utilizing biometric verification. As she placed her palm on the scanner, the door opened immediately.

Whirring

Upon entering, I was met with a facility resembling an enormous research building filled with various machinery. In that vast space, when Sagong Lin pressed a button, a hovering device came up to serve as a platform for us, and we stepped aboard.

Vroom

The device moved smoothly, allowing the sights below to rush past as we flew through the air. Shortly after reaching the opposite end, Sagong Lin verified her fingerprint again and passed through no less than five doors.

Whirring

Whirring

Whirring

They seemed to have a very strict security protocol in place.

[Top-secret access confirmed. Long live Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Bear Empire.]

Whirring

Finally, as the sixth door opened, I saw a familiar face.

“……”

Clang!

I dropped my terminal in shock. I spoke with a trembling voice,

“Seo Mun-hye.”

She was encased in a massive ice wall, which spanned more than a hundred layers, and she seemed to be trapped next to something resembling a beating heart. It was hard to tell if she was indeed alive.

Then I heard a familiar voice from the shadows of the research building sealing the ice wall.

“She has become the seal of Chi You.”

Creak

A young man emerged from where the voice originated. Holding some research materials in one hand, he wore a long, pristine lab coat and looked at me, saying,

“Long time no see, Baek Woong.”

“You are…”

I finally recognized his face.

And since it was someone I least expected, I was momentarily shocked.

“Wow…?! “

With a grin, he said,

“Looks like you made it back just before the end, you thick-headed moron.”

It was Cheon Woo-jin.

 

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