1015——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Yong Junil betrayed us?!

“…I see.”

I was a bit surprised, but not too distressed. After all, this was something that happened while I was away, and if it happened a long time ago, my companions must have prepared for it.

Han Baek-ryeong seemed to be observing me for a moment before speaking.

“I don’t know why he betrayed us. But he joined the Dan Clan with his own faction and the Seven Great Techniques. Naturally, the Dan Clan would adopt the Seven Great Techniques, so the Fahe Technique had to be established.”

“I understand that. Did Yong Junil cause us any harm?”

“If the leakage of the Seven Great Techniques is a harm, then yes. Yong Junil rarely had direct confrontations with us.”

“That’s fine then. But there’s something else I’m curious about….”

“What is it?”

“What are the Dan Clan up to right now? And what about the Master of the Twelve Joules?”

In response to my inquiry, Han Baek-ryeong calmly replied.

“After you went missing, they completely abandoned the idea of regaining control over Goryeo and have holed themselves up in the Divine City, focusing solely on defense. They have provocatively engaged our forces a couple of times, but they only showed themselves like cowards. During the Yokai War and the war against the Third Empire, they didn’t come out at all.”

“…….”

“We’re currently monitoring with a barrier, but there’s no sign of anyone coming out. They’ve been hiding for five hundred years.”

“What about the Master of the Twelve Joules?”

“Probably… he has also ceased activity and hasn’t appeared in history.”

With that, Han Baek-ryeong continued, looking somewhat troubled.

“But no one genuinely believes that the Dan Clan has actually stopped their activities. They’ve likely intervened in the ongoing situation by whatever means possible. It’s just that, without you, we couldn’t grasp their movements or catch them in action.”

“…Hmm.”

“It does feel strange. We suffered significant setbacks during the end of the Yokai War and the collapse of the Third Empire, yet they never revealed themselves during those times.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They’ve thoroughly isolated themselves without launching any attacks against us.”

“…….”

This is troublesome.

If even Han Baek-ryeong, one of the highest-ranking officials of the Great Bear Empire, concludes that they have been completely inactive, it suggests that their organization is in a state of dormancy. But it’s hard to believe that someone like the Master of the Twelve Joules would allow that to happen, leading me to wonder what kind of activities they might be engaging in. It’s pointless to speculate about conspiracies without knowing their true nature.

“Damn it. So many troublesome things to deal with….”

I frowned and said to Han Baek-ryeong.

“Let them handle me however they want. By the way, can you tell me about the fusion of chaos and the primordial void?”

“You want to know?”

“Yes. If I understand that training method, things will become much easier for me!”

I want to fuse the powers of chaos and the primordial void to obtain immense strength! Moreover, according to Master Mangnyang, it could lead to a power comparable to that of the Three Sovereigns if practiced for millennia!

However, Han Baek-ryeong firmly refused.

“No, that’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“The prerequisite for this training method is having an absolute amount of chaos. You seemed to try to meet this condition using spirit power mastery and divine strength augmentation, but the Sect Leader concluded that your training method could potentially become a poison to you. So, even after becoming your companion, he didn’t share that with you.”

“What? Poison? Why?”

“…The Sect Leader constantly emphasized balance, which means the principle of Tai Chi and Wuji. For us humans, this training method is not toxic by its nature. Rather, it is the only training method that can lead to the godliness of chaos, and for that, the prerequisites are either the Heavenly Spirit Pill or Primordial Spirit.”

Han Baek-ryeong rested her arms on the table and stared at me.

“The Sect Leader and I started from chaos to reach the primordial void. We extract the primordial void from the maximized chaos to attain the divinity of the Mixed Element Tai Chi. This may be the most orthodox method for a human to become a god. However, your starting conditions are different. No, they might even be the opposite.”

“Opposite…?”

“You possess far more possibilities than you realize. The substrate of a reborn person has a foundation that no human can achieve in a lifetime, meaning no matter how talented a genius might be, they can’t match the conditions you have in just one lifetime. If you train in the same way as us, your limits would be all too evident. The Sect Leader has been aware of that possibility all along.”

“Limits? What kind of limits?”

She spoke softly.

“If you become a god, you will face the limit of not being able to surpass gods. That contradicts your ultimate wish. Isn’t that right?”

“……?”

“If it were the early days of your rebirth, this training method might have been beneficial, but after decades of discussions with advisors and Sect Leader Dokgo Uncheon, it has been concluded that it isn’t the answer. You shouldn’t pursue this training method now.”

“Why?”

What’s she talking about?

Not understanding Han Baek-ryeong, my confusion must have shown on my face, prompting her to chuckle softly.

“Nothing has changed. You don’t need to be distracted by external methods. Just continue doing what you’ve been doing. For now, mastering martial arts and polishing your Absolute Realm to the level of the Overlay Technique should be your priority.”

“…Alright. I don’t fully get it, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

I nodded. Then I said.

“I should be going now. I have a lot of questions, but I think I need to learn more about this era first.”

“Sure. The Fahe Technique of the Seven Great Techniques isn’t immediately urgent, so you can come back and learn it later.”

“So, one last question….”

“What is it?”

“From what I just saw, it seems you’ve reached the Absolute Realm. What’s the name of that Absolute Realm?”

It’s unmistakable. When I sparred against the Fahe Technique just now, Han Baek-ryeong had her Intent Heavenly Pill extending straight out. That’s why no matter how much I tried to counter the Fahe Technique, I was being pushed back even harder. In fact, it would be strange if she hadn’t reached the Absolute Realm after five hundred years, but what’s truly puzzling is that I can’t see what kind of power her Absolute Realm holds.

Then Han Baek-ryeong smiled.

“My Absolute Realm is the Fire Spirit. Isn’t it obvious?”

“What!”

I was taken aback. Not because I hadn’t heard of the Fire Spirit before, but because of the hidden meaning behind those words.

“Wait, you mean you’ve elevated the incomplete Fire Spirit to the completed stage?!”

Fire Spirit!

This was a special technique that Han Baek-ryeong could harness to draw immense power in a short time, inspired by the Thunder Spirit. It was astonishing to think she had brought the Fire Spirit up to the level of the Absolute Realm, something I had only seen a few times before.

“Five hundred years was a long time. The Fire Spirit now belongs to me.”

“…What’s the effect of the Fire Spirit? The Thunder Spirit could move at lightning speed; does that mean the Fire Spirit can move at the speed of fire? Like before, enveloped in flames…?”

“Ha ha… To think you’d consider it so simply; you still have a long way to go.”

Swish

“All the Fire Spirits you’ve seen in your past life were incomplete. The true Fire Spirit does not merely manipulate the element of fire.”

Han Baek-ryeong extended her delicate white finger into the air.

Then, she tapped the void as if it were a surface, and the empty space radiated out like a droplet of water falling onto a tranquil surface. As I felt the ripple, I couldn’t help but shudder.

Swaat

“……!!”

In an instant, I felt the threat of life and death and sensed my Intent Heavenly Pill reaching a state of extreme focus. I didn’t know exactly, but this ripple held a ‘power’ strong enough to threaten my instincts. Han Baek-ryeong withdrew her hand and spoke.

“This is the flame that has reached the realm of recognition that transcends objects and selves. To be a vessel containing godly power, one should be at least this stage, no?”

“…….”

“This is the answer I present as my Absolute Realm. A power created to fight against gods.”

With that, Han Baek-ryeong withdrew the power from her hand.

“Anyway, with the apocalypse approaching, it won’t be long until you see this power showcased. It’s currently too lethal to reveal it right now.”

I couldn’t help but think that Han Baek-ryeong’s Fire Spirit was likely to possess frightening power. After all, she wasn’t simply at the level of an ordinary Absolute Realm; she had trained under Sect Leader Dokgo Uncheon for over five hundred years and bolstered her Absolute Realm with fusion power. I swallowed hard and said.

“…I look forward to it.”

After stepping away from Han Baek-ryeong, I encountered Dokgo Sung, the Deputy Sect Leader of the White Lotus Sect. He politely bowed his head and said.

“Have you met the Sect Leader well?”

“Hmm.”

Wiying

I boarded the flying machine with Dokgo Sung. As we descended, I asked him.

“Aren’t you afraid that the apocalypse is approaching?”

Dokgo Sung flinched at my question. Then he replied.

“To say I’m not afraid would be a lie. However, if there’s nothing I can do about it, I have no choice but to accept it.”

“Accept it….”

“Your Majesty. Would you follow me for a moment?”

Wiying….

The flying machine headed towards a mid-level of the sprawling White Lotus Sect buildings. Upon arriving at the mid-level, I could see hundreds of trainees in the vast hall practicing martial arts.

Haah!

Hai!!

The hall echoed with shouts as they each trained in the martial arts of the Four Great Families and basic techniques. What was peculiar, though, was that they all wore the pristine training uniforms of the White Lotus Sect, and they were all children. As Dokgo Sung stood over the machine and looked down, he said.

“Those 200 kids are talented trainees recruited from across the continent, all aged 12 and under. They each possess genius-like qualities. And all of these children are aware of the coming apocalypse.”

“What?”

“Our White Lotus Sect has long taught the doctrine regarding the apocalypse. All those kids know that the world will face a state of destruction 17 years from now. It’s written within the White Lotus Sect’s scriptures.”

I was incredulous and questioned.

“Are they crazy? Why tell them that?”

“But even if they are informed, not a single one truly believes that the world will end in 17 years. None of them show signs of mental distress or suffering.”

“…….”

“The world as it appears remains entirely peaceful and stable. The Great Bear Empire is at its peak, and technological advancements have led to developments like smartphones and intercontinental gravity-vacuum trains. Hence, all of these children entered to master the strong martial arts of the White Lotus Sect, and to them, the impending apocalypse is just nonsensical ramblings of the sect.”

“What are you getting at?”

“But regardless, the apocalypse will truly come. That’s why Your Majesty returned before it arrives.”

Dokgo Sung said that while looking at me.

“Your Majesty. I’ve heard that when the apocalypse and prophecies come, all of humanity goes mad and perishes without exception. Yet, the people of this era are utterly unprepared, and compared to those from previous eras, we feel a sense of injustice. Why should we directly face such despair…?”

“Hmm.”

“Us adults have lived our lives. We might accept this as our karma for being born in this era, but do those innocent children have any reason to experience the chaos brought on by the [Old Ruler]?”

I felt my heart waver greatly at Dokgo Sung’s words.

“…….”

I gazed blankly at the trainees. Their eyes sparkled with joy and vitality, and they looked full of talent. It was only natural that seeing such eager children would soften my heart. The thought of them being viciously murdered and turned into meat chunks by the [Old Ruler] and his subordinates, enduring eternal torment, was frankly an unbearable notion.

When I fell silent, Dokgo Sung said.

“I was merely venting. Forget it, Your Majesty.”

He instead bowed his head to me.

I felt I needed to harden my resolve.

“Yeah… This was something I anticipated from the beginning. That said, I can’t just commit suicide before the apocalypse arrives. If I act recklessly, the number of reincarnations will only increase… I’m not in a situation that allows for that.”

Thanks to Jeon Wook dispatching the Hat Warrior, I had stability this lifetime, but the Hat Warrior would likely appear in the next life as well. There are no guarantees that I would be able to deal with him then, so I need to endure by any means necessary in this life, and acquire everything I can from the future world. I cannot intentionally let go of the information right before me by committing suicide to save the humans of this world from their suffering.

But, like Dokgo Sung said, it’s true that humans in this era will fall into hell in 17 years. A heavy heart arose from recognizing that truth, compelling me to grit my teeth.

“Damn it… then I’ll try to stop the apocalypse itself.”

Even Master Mangnyang claimed that the apocalypse couldn’t be halted, but I have no real way to do that either. Yet regardless, I had to firm my resolve. I was reminded of how many humans would suffer if the [apocalypse] were to come.

“I don’t want to end things as a hypocrite… Is there no way?”

In that instant, an unexpected plan formed in my mind.

“…Oh? Now that I think about it.”

I have a good method that I can try right away!

“Dokgo Sung. I’m off now.”

“Please take care.”

I left the White Lotus Sect and immediately summoned Liu Ha with my smartphone. After pressing 1, Liu Ha appeared before me using a small transference gate and I asked her.

“Liu Ha. I’m curious, can your small transference gate penetrate barriers?”

“Sure! It can.”

“To what extent can it penetrate?”

“Hmm~ All except those it can’t. If I analyze the coordinates with the app, I can gain the ability to penetrate barriers.”

As expected.

It was far superior to the Bead of Fate. With the powerful portrait ability of the Portrait Immortal and its specialization in teleportation, it could significantly outclass items like the Bead of Fate.

“So can you travel to any location you’ve visited, or just to places you remember?”

Upon pondering my question, Liu Ha replied.

“The latter. I can go to places I’ve seen with my eyes. But why…?”

“Great! Take this!”

Woosh

“Uweeeek”

I suddenly transmitted a memory of Obsidian to Liu Ha. She looked quite dizzy, even struggling to hold back vomit. I said to Liu Ha.

“Now that you’ve taken my memory, you should be able to go to any location within it, right?”

“That’s brutal~~ I’m so dizzy….”

“Can you go?”

As Liu Ha swayed like she was drunk, she nodded her head, and I instructed her.

“Can you reach Golden Crow Island?”

“Ohoho~~! What a cruel title you give me as the ruthless First Emperor. This marks the end of my peaceful life! It seems possible.”

Although Liu Ha made nonsensical remarks, I felt hopeful and commanded.

“Is it possible?! Then go to the spot where Jin So-cheong obtained the egg, the place guarded by the Golden Light Saint!”

Liu Ha’s expression turned forlorn as the ears of her rabbit hat perked up.

“I don’t know~~”

Swish!

“Portrait Immortal Liu Ha commands! Let the transference gate to Golden Crow Island open!”

Woosh!

In the next moment, a small transference gate appeared.

Can a modern Portrait Immortal even penetrate the barrier of Golden Crow Island?!

As I marvelled, I stepped into the small transference gate while saying.

“You can maintain this gate until I exit, right?”

Liu Ha presented her smartphone towards me, where the time was displayed and steadily decreasing.

“The app shows a maintenance time of 80 seconds~”

“What? Maintenance time?”

Liu Ha nodded.

“While I can breach the barrier, I can’t do so fully, so there’s a time limit~~”

“……!!”

In that instant, I hurriedly entered the small transference gate. Once I arrived, I realized I was at the sealed area of Golden Crow Island that the Golden Light Saint once guarded, confirming that Liu Ha accurately sent me based on my memories. Though it seemed I couldn’t fully breach the seal, this was already sufficient.

“Urgghh!!”

Infinite Slash!!

Crash

Bang bang bang!!

“Faster, faster!”

With all my intent injected into the Infinite Slash, I struck the barrier vigorously. The seal of Golden Crow Island resisted for a time, but after about 30 seconds, it shattered. As soon as the seal broke, I jumped inside.

[You!! How dare you intrude!!]

From behind, I heard the piercing scream of the Golden Light Saint as countless golden lights began flying toward me. I quickly dodged using the Three Treasure Technique while penetrating deeper into the dark wall-like space until I began feeling around for the egg.

‘Damn it… It’s not even caught by my Qi Sense, so I have to search for it directly… Where on earth is it?’

Feel, feel

I desperately groped the floor and finally managed to find the egg. After stuffing it into my wooden armor, I focused and watched the direction from which the Golden Light Saint would be coming. I checked the position of the small transference gate through my Qi Sense and silently waited.

Wiiing!!

Soon, the enraged Golden Light Saint appeared in the dark space, starting to manifest the Golden Light Array. I had no choice but to get caught in this subspace formation, just before the Golden Light Saint could release thousands of strands of golden light that could claim my life with just a single touch.

Heavenly Destruction Step!

Papababat

I literally disregarded the Golden Light Saint’s subspace with overwhelming divine technique! I perfectly employed the powerful Soul Removal Technique to slip past the Golden Light Saint and arrived right in front of the small transference gate, as the golden lights were chasing me down to my back.

Crash!

I tumbled on the ground and jumped up, landing gracefully with my light body technique, saying, “How much time do we have left?”

Swish!

As soon as I finished that sentence, the small transference gate disappeared.

Liu Ha expressed disappointment, “Tsk…. There were 4 seconds left~~”

“…Okay. Let’s go to Cheon Woo-jin.”

I headed with Liu Ha toward the location where Cheon Woo-jin would be. Cheon Woo-jin was the head of the research department, busy restoring all the data, and was currently sifting through various texts in a nearby tent. The moment I reached Cheon Woo-jin, I pulled out the egg from Golden Crow Island.

Boom

Cheon Woo-jin seemed momentarily speechless, like his mouth had paused the instant he saw the egg.

“You… that’s….”

“Cheon Woo-jin. You know how valuable this is, right? I don’t know the exact details.”

“…….”

“Is there a way to use this to somehow delay the apocalypse?”

I wanted to carve a different path than the two proposals Master Mangnyang had presented to me in a dream. It seemed that Master Mangnyang felt some form of pressure from that ‘guest,’ thus he wasn’t in a free state. Couldn’t I use this incredibly valuable offering to present an opportunity to Master Mangnyang?

‘And if Master Mangnyang has fewer restrictions, it would become easier to deal with the apocalypse….’

Cheon Woo-jin seemed to gauge my intent right away, likely due to his cleverness.

“Hmm.”

He took a puff from his liquid electronic cigarette and replied.

“No. That’s impossible. The Sect Leader exists in harmony with the barriers, rendering normal offering rituals utterly ineffective. He wouldn’t appear just because this has value; he’s not that shallow.”

“Impossible…?”

“However, there might be another way to use it. What you need to focus on isn’t postponing the apocalypse, but rather, obtaining something beforehand.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Puff—

Cheon Woo-jin lingered a moment on the lingering taste of his electronic cigarette before continuing.

“Baek Woong, instead of offering it, why not try hatching it with your spirit power?”

“`

 

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