1035——————==

True Martial Home

The moment Sagong Lin finished speaking,

Crack!

A sound akin to shattering glass rang out from afar, and a golden light erupted. I followed the trail of the light and realized it was emanating from Earth. I couldn’t see Earth due to being behind the moon, but the sheer volume of light spreading over the horizon could only be from there.

‘What the heck just happened?’

I was struggling to piece the situation together. Sagong Lin must have done something, but I couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

Sagong Lin extended her hand toward the Reptilian Lord’s illusion and said,

“I’m going to erase you now. Anything you want to say before you kick the bucket?”

The Reptilian Lord laughed mockingly.

[Hahaha…. Do you really think this is my real self? My real body is in the safest place in the world, over 380,000 km away. Go ahead, have your fun attacking this illusion….]

“Let’s see about that.”

Swish

Before I knew it, Sagong Lin’s delicate fingers had seized the Reptilian Lord’s neck. It was just an illusion, so it should have been meaningless. But what happened next defied all logic.

Gulp

[Hack, guh…. How… can this be….]

The Reptilian Lord’s illusion was flailing as if genuinely caught by her grip! Sagong Lin stared coldly at the Reptilian Lord, squeezing his neck with one hand.

“I could have wiped you out anytime…. Have you realized? Anyone who reveals themselves before me cannot escape unscathed.”

[……!!]

“The day you dared to invade the administration of Luoyang, claiming you’d steal my essence…. No, every moment before that when you revealed your hologram before me.”

[Ugh… ugh….]

“But do you know why I let you be for a while?”

The Reptilian Lord struggled, glancing at her with a puzzled expression. She replied without a change in her demeanor.

“Eradicating a minor evil like you only brings greater evils in this world greater attention. Your existence only allowed the big players to hide in the shadows…. Above all, I had no desire to expend my energy on a lowly creature like you.”

[Gah…. Why am I even getting caught by my real body…. Urgh… this… this power… transcends scientific positioning….]

The Reptilian Lord suddenly bellowed, clearly in immense pain.

[O noble spirit of this continent! Save me! Save me! I will give you everything you ask for!]

Who was he begging for his life out of nowhere?

Zzap!!

Instantly, sparks flew, and thick smoke billowed from Sagong Lin’s hand that grasped the Reptilian Lord’s neck. For a moment, I noticed Sagong Lin’s eyes twitching, but she didn’t release her grip, and electricity crackled continuously.

Crackle!!

Sagong Lin remained unmoved. In fact, she had a faint smile on her lips, as if urging him to give it another try.

Wooosh…

“Is that…!”

Moments later, a silver deer unexpectedly appeared in the hall.

‘That’s the one from the orbital elevator!!’

Clap!

I kept close to Sagong Lin, keeping a wary eye on the deer. I didn’t know what was happening, but I was sure that silver deer was dangerous. I had heard it harbored tremendous power, so there was a good chance I would need to use all my might to face it. If it attacked Sagong Lin now, it would be bad news.

Tydaht

Just then, the tactical forces agents who had finished dealing with the aliens arrived and surrounded the deer in a semicircle. The silver deer stood still, its gaze transparently fixed on Sagong Lin.

‘No killing intent. It seems lifeless….’

Noticing that the silver deer directed no malice or intent toward Sagong Lin, I breathed a sigh of relief. In that case, the absence of any action could mean it was either a top expert who had achieved an absolute state of emptiness or simply an inanimate object. Amid my confusion, the silver deer exuded a wave of psychic energy.

[This is unfortunate. I had no idea you had that much ability, Sagong Lin. If I hadn’t been in the Old Continent to regulate things, I might have been in trouble.]

What on earth was it talking about?

Sagong Lin glanced back at the deer then said,

“If you’re so unfortunate, then you wouldn’t be casually chatting with me.”

[Hehe, perhaps.]

“Are you sending your underlings to test me after what happened to the Reptilian Lord…. That arrogance should be punished.”

[Ugh, wait….]

Boom!!

In the next moment, Sagong Lin tightened her grip and shattered the Reptilian Lord’s illusion. The illusion burst apart, and the Reptilian Lord seemed to die without letting out a scream. As his death was finalized, the lights in the entire floating city of the Reptilians went out in an instant.

Whirr!

Suddenly, out of the fleeting darkness, I felt a golden light erupt. And soon, two golden lights appeared, as Sagong Lin drew them into her hands and pointed a finger at the deer.

Whoosh!

The silver deer was instantly obliterated at the mention of its name. It vanished without warning, leaving no trace behind.

‘What technique was that?’

One thing was certain: that wasn’t martial arts. I felt no intent behind it whatsoever.

Thud…

In the blink of an eye, Sagong Lin had done away with two opponents and frowned.

“This doesn’t feel good. It slipped away.”

“It slipped away? Who did?”

“The true owner of that deer….”

Sagong Lin muttered, then added,

“Let’s return to the orbital elevator now. The operation is complete.”

Woosh!

I followed Sagong Lin back to the orbital elevator. When we arrived at the command room, where we had previously launched the plasma barrage at the Reptilians’ floating city, Professor Sima Ling bowed and greeted us. Sagong Lin addressed her.

“Show me Earth.”

“Your Honor.”

Zzt!

The massive screen revealed Earth in all its glory. Staring at the Earth’s image, I was taken aback.

“……!!”

Gold!

Literally, a sphere of pure golden light encircled the entire Earth.

‘It was invisible from the outside, but why does it show as a golden sphere on this screen?’

While I marveled at this unexpected development, Sagong Lin spoke to Professor Sima Ling again.

“Have we received any messages from the surface?”

“…None. It isn’t possible.”

“Alright. How much power is left in the orbital elevator?”

“It can hold out for 16 hours.”

“I will make this command room my temporary base and use my power here. Make sure no one but Baek Woong gets in.”

“Your Honor.”

As I listened to their conversation, I asked Sagong Lin,

“Sagong Lin! What on earth is going on? What is that golden orb surrounding Earth?”

“…A disaster caused by the volcanic eruption instigated by the Reptilian Lord. Truth be told, it’s a disaster that is currently beyond human capacity to deal with.”

Sagong Lin stared at me, lost in thought, before speaking.

“The easiest way to resolve that would have been to reverse the Small Cycle. But using that method would not only drain my energy considerably but would also draw a lot of attention from the countless Old Rulers given the fact that the Cycle was altered. It would be a bad move, so I chose another approach.”

“Another approach?”

After her explanation, I gazed at her blankly.

“I stopped the flow of time and space around Earth with my power. That golden orb is the manifestation of my energy, and it won’t be undone until I release it.”

“What…?!”

“And while time is halted, I’m dispatching agents to pinpoint the volcanic eruption site, and then I plan to suppress the ley lines there to stop volcanic activity. No need to suppress all the ley lines, so it should be quick.”

Sagong Lin spoke calmly and coolly. It was so natural that I almost mistook it for a mundane conversation about what she’d have for dinner.

But her words held tremendous weight, and I found myself blurting out.

“Then why was the golden sphere invisible in the universe but visible here?”

“My power is divine power, which is difficult to perceive with the naked eye, but this command room was originally designed to foresee the end, enabling it to detect ether and metaphysical energies.”

“…What kind of power is that?”

The most critical question.

Sagong Lin simply replied to my inquiry.

“It’s the result of the awakening of divine powers from the Mythological Age. Just like Seo Mun-hye….”

“Hmm…. You really are….”

Are you even human right now?

I felt my question hovering on the edge of my lips, but I hesitated. No matter how much I doubted that Sagong Lin might not be human, saying it out loud would be utterly disrespectful. Moreover, my trust in her could shatter. Sagong Lin smiled bitterly and said,

“Baek Woong. I know you have many questions, but for now, please assist me. Your help is imperative to resolve this situation.”

“Sounds like you used me as bait for all that.”

I replied in a somewhat sulky tone, and Sagong Lin responded,

“I did not underestimate or belittle you by assigning that role. For some reason, entities existing outside humanity instinctively feel a bond with you and often leak more information than necessary….”

“Alright, alright. I get it. Just saying it was a joke.”

I waved my hand dismissively. I already understood she wasn’t trying to use me.

“So what do I need to do?”

“Professor Sima Ling, our spirit envoy, will gather information and manage the situation. Please take the treasures you have received from the Celestial Realm and seal them into the ley lines worldwide, following her instructions.”

“So I just need to seal the treasures into the ley lines?”

“I never envisioned it would be used this way, but there seems to be no more certain method than this. If the treasures from the Great Immortal are infused with spirit power, they should be able to decisively quell the rising ley lines.”

“Got it. I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.”

Whoosh!

I set off with the agents. From this point on, Sagong Lin would need to concentrate fully on her ‘abilities,’ making her almost in a meditative state.

I counted to confirm the number of treasures I possessed.

‘Hmm, that’s right. Then….’

I spoke to Professor Sima Ling.

“Just give one treasure to each agent, right?”

“I would be grateful if you could do that. I plan to assign one combat unit from the Great Bear Empire’s magic division to each agent. They will assist the agents in sealing the ley lines.”

“What? But the time and space above ground have stopped! Only those here can move.”

“Oh, that….”

Professor Sima Ling pressed a nearby red button, and white smoke seemed to drift out.

Chik – Clack!

The wall shook open, revealing a round chamber, from which capsules containing frozen humans emerged.

“I had secretly kept around a hundred combat units in hibernation capsules for emergencies.”

“…….”

“In case of a situation where combat might arise….”

“I heard this orbital elevator was built with the hope of all humanity—it’s just jam-packed with the Great Bear Empire’s selfish desires, isn’t it?”

I said with a hesitant tone, to which Professor Sima Ling proudly adjusted her glasses.

“It’s fine! If Your Majesty Baek Woong saves the world, what does it matter to have a little human hope wrapped up in it? You are the true hope, Your Majesty.”

“…….”

Oh, is that so….

“Then I’ll mark the coordinates, so hurry up and move! Your power weakens the longer you use it.”

“Got it.”

“You may not need to assign a magic division to yourself since you are the true owner of the treasures.”

“Sure.”

The others would need to channel their magic to use treasures initially given by me, but as the owner, I didn’t need to do that. I merely had to throw the treasure into a rift and utter a command.

Finally, as coordinates popped up on the display, I saw Liu Ha snapping a photo of the screen on her smartphone.

Click!

“TAR app has completed coordinate analysis~ Oh, hold on, I need to delete the ad from my phone….”

“Do that later!”

Professor Sima Ling surprisingly snapped. Liu Ha, twitching her bunny ears, chirped,

“Then, I, the Portrait Immortal Liu Ha, command you! Open the six dispersed Transference Gates!”

Whoosh!

The moment Liu Ha finished speaking, I was sucked into the Transference Gate and arrived at a place I had never seen before. I quickly realized I was in an area colored in ominous red heat, surrounded by flowing lava.

“Hmm…. Nothing is moving.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

The scene of a disastrous volcanic eruption was right before me, yet the rising heat, plumes of smoke, and airflow around me were all perfectly frozen. Even the birds flying in the sky had come to a complete stop. Although I doubted it before, I confirmed with a shiver that the entire Earth had indeed frozen in time.

‘Even with divine powers awakened, is this really possible…?’

What kind of perilous journey had Sagong Lin traversed for 500 years?

And what exactly was Aiternum Mundi, a place that was tough to survive despite having such power….

Shaking my head, I sensed the strongest current of the ley line nearby and dashed towards it, immediately throwing the treasure into the rift while shouting,

“Let the ley lines cease their fury!”

Grumble!

The treasure vanished deep within the lava, and after a while, something sounded. Moments later, the frozen scenery of the world began to flow again, with the previously spilled lava being drawn back into the ground.

Swish, swish, swish!

The treasure’s spirit power had calmed the ley lines. I sighed and thought.

‘Professor Sima Ling said just using the treasures I have should be enough to seal the disaster. Then I’ll leave the other locations to the other agents and head back to the orbital elevator.’

Just as I thought that, preparing to return via the orbital elevator, a voice echoed from somewhere.

[Human… do you know what caused this situation?]

A familiar voice rang out.

Crack, crack!

I whipped around to see a gray-skinned being standing atop a hardened lava rock. It was evident that it was no ordinary human but a divine being. The proof was that my perfect fire-eyed golden spirit sensed the powerful divine energy it held.

I recognized that being.

I had first encountered it when I assisted the warrior of the Ma Bu Iag clan in the past. Later, when I inadvertently sought it out on my journey in the outer universe, I had come across this entity.

“…Spirit of Death!!”

The powerful spirit servant of the Rainbow Snake, the divine being from the Southern Continent, stood before me.