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1109——————==

Soul of the Evil God

[What do you mean….]

I conveyed my thoughts, but I could feel the sweat pouring down.

Did they really notice my Rebirth Ability right away?

No, there were signs that they had noticed, but how did they figure it out so quickly? And even if they did, there shouldn’t be any solid evidence confirming it was Rebirth Ability, right? As I was flustered by this unfamiliar experience, Fuxi spoke.

[It’s either that or nothing.]

[…….]

[Whether it’s true or not, you will meet Taishang Laojun in the Celestial Realm. He will tell you what needs to be done.]

Uwooong!!

A moment later, the three sovereigns simultaneously vanished from the palace of the Giant Race. As I stared vacantly at the spot where they had disappeared, I suddenly realized my own body had also been teleported.

Pa-at!

When I regained my senses, I found myself back in the Primordial Palace. It was definitely Fuxi who must have moved me, but I felt bewildered upon arriving.

‘Meet Taishang Laojun?’

Damn! I have no idea what Fuxi is thinking…!!

However, since it seemed Fuxi was acting for my sake, I thought it wouldn’t be wise to go against his words. Reluctantly, I wandered through the Primordial Palace, calling out for Taishang Laojun loudly.

“Taishang Laojun!! Are you there?!”

Swish

After a moment, Taishang Laojun appeared before me. As I confirmed his appearance, I noticed it was significantly different from before.

‘The Taishang Laojun who appeared when the seal of the Ruyi Staff was lifted looked quite old, but the current Taishang Laojun is difficult to classify as an old man. Rather, he’s a young immortal.’

Moreover, the biggest difference was that while the Taishang Laojun back then was definitely a Wind Spirit but faceless, the current one had a recognizable face. I tilted my head in confusion at this change, but shortly after, Taishang Laojun spoke.

“I heard from the Master that you would come.”

“Ah, yes…. You said he would tell me what I need to do.”

“Follow me.”

Taishang Laojun slowly walked ahead. I followed him and asked,

“By the way, where is the Primordial Heaven Master?”

“…….”

“Is the Twelve Great Immortals of Kunlun with you?”

“The Twelve Great Immortals?”

“Are there not the twelve great immortals supporting the Celestial Realm?”

Taishang Laojun stroked his chin, pondering my words, and then replied,

“There are none such beings. I’ve never even heard of the term Great Immortal. Truly, just as the Master said.”

“What? You mean there are no Great Immortals?”

“The term Great Immortal. It’s my first time hearing it. Can you explain what that is?”

Unbelievable.

How could Taishang Laojun, one of the Three Pure Ones of the Celestial Realm, not know the concept of the Great Immortal? Feeling perplexed yet determined, I explained.

“Well… they are half-human, half-deity beings with an immortal body who have ascended to the Celestial Realm. They’re certainly stronger than humans but not as powerful as gods….”

“What’s this immortal body?”

“Well, you see….”

I described the characteristics of the immortals as thoroughly as I could. Since I observed closely next to Mangnyang when he ascended, there shouldn’t be many who could explain better than me. Upon hearing my explanation, Taishang Laojun said,

“There are no such beings in this Celestial Realm. The only ones that have existed until now are the Master and our disciples, along with various divine beasts and monsters that have flowed in from different dimensions. The concept of an immortal body is quite foreign.”

“Is that so?”

“Both I and the Primordial Heaven Master have different bodies from what you describe as an immortal body.”

“How are they different?”

“We have arrived.”

Uwoong

A massive stone door inscribed with the Eight Trigrams opened by itself, and I stepped into the foggy underground interior. After walking a bit, a vast and mystical chamber appeared, where both the Primordial Heaven Master and the Four Great Spirits were present.

The Primordial Heaven Master looked at me and said,

“O being from the Otherworld, go up to the altar of the Tai Chi above.”

“…Is that the Four Great Spirits?”

I asked curiously.

The Four Great Spirits!

That guy definitely had the ability to transcend dimensions and had brought me to Golden Crow Island before. Strangely, the appearance of the Four Great Spirits hadn’t changed at all from that time. Then the Four Great Spirits stared at me and spoke.

[How do you know about me?]

“Uh…. Well, you’re quite good-looking.”

[…….]

The Four Great Spirits shook its head in disbelief and looked at the Primordial Heaven Master beside it.

[Did the Master really take such a guy as a disciple?]

“What do you mean by ‘such a guy’!”

I protested, but the Primordial Heaven Master merely smiled faintly. He then emphasized once more.

“Go up to the altar of the Tai Chi.”

“Why do I need to go up? I’d like to know the reason, brother.”

“I want to awaken the talent of chaos that exists within you.”

What?!

I turned my gaze between the Primordial Heaven Master and Taishang Laojun in shock. They didn’t seem like the types to get overly emotional and were quietly staring at me, just like Fuxi. Their feelings or thoughts were hard to read, so I spoke to them.

“If I awaken my talent of chaos, will I become stronger?”

“Probably.”

“Probably? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It can be risky.”

Soon, Taishang Laojun, who had been sitting cross-legged in a three-level training area, explained to me.

“The Master, together with Shennong and Nüwa, once greatly modified the human race. And as the spirit of humanity gradually developed from the slave race, the so-called [talent of chaos] began to blossom. Humanity on the surface is currently accumulating that talent over generations.”

“…….”

“However, it is still in the developmental stage. If this continues without artificially awakening the inner talent, few humans will awaken their talents. Those who do awaken will gain powerful supernatural abilities.”

“So, this altar of the Tai Chi is a treasure to awaken the talent of chaos?”

“That’s correct.”

Taishang Laojun nodded.

“The Primordial Heaven Master and I also awakened our talents here.”

“……!!”

The beings referred to as the Three Pure Ones awakened their talent of chaos here!

In surprise, I looked at the altar of the Tai Chi. Suddenly, a puzzling thought crossed my mind.

‘This hasn’t been passed down at all to later generations. It wasn’t even mentioned…. What could be the reason?’

If there was an altar that could artificially awaken the talent of chaos, why hadn’t it been transmitted to future generations? If such a thing existed, not only ordinary humans but even immortals could instantly obtain powerful abilities!

I felt something suspicious and stayed on guard. This could be a trap, so hesitantly, I asked the Primordial Heaven Master.

“Then why don’t you bring all the humans here to awaken their talents at once?”

“Because sometimes their heads explode.”

“…What?”

Did I hear that wrong?

However, the Primordial Heaven Master calmly continued.

“Among the talents of chaos, there are many abilities that utilize the Upper Dantian. The Upper Dantian is closely tied to the brain, and if someone pushes their abilities too far while awakening them, their heads can burst.”

“…….”

“Wait, hold on….”

“Therefore, this is not just an opportunity to take lightly. If you don’t have enough talent, you will fail.”

“Wait a moment! If someone’s head bursts, that means they die, right?! Why are you saying this so casually?!”

When I yelled in frustration, both the Primordial Heaven Master and Taishang Laojun looked at me with a questioning expression. After a moment, the Primordial Heaven Master, seemingly puzzled, said,

“Then just revive them.”

“Excuse me?”

“It seems like a waste of time. Hurry up and go up.”

Feeling incredulous, I asked.

“Can you two really revive the dead?”

“That’s right.”

“Of course, we can.”

The two replied as if it were nothing. Since they didn’t sound boastful at all, I realized that even beings like the Three Pure Ones could revive the dead. I still couldn’t believe it, so I asked the Primordial Heaven Master.

“Please teach me that technique!! I need that technique!”

No matter what, it’s hard to revive the dead as I am now. But if I were to learn the resurrection technique, I could bring back those comrades who died during my reincarnation! My heart raced at this unexpected turn of events, but the Primordial Heaven Master shook his head.

“Hm. It’s not a technique.”

“Huh?”

“It’s one of the talents of chaos. [Resurrection Talent].”

“That exists too?”

“I’ll show you directly.”

Pa-at!

As the Primordial Heaven Master said this, he swiftly pointed his finger forward, and suddenly, a human appeared out of nowhere. The human was dressed in ragged clothes and looked filthy, resembling an ancient primitive man. The Primordial Heaven Master, having summoned the ancient human, flicked his finger again.

Thud

The primitive man’s head fell off without any bloodshed.

“Rise!”

In an instant, the Primordial Heaven Master killed the primitive man and flicked his finger again, causing the head to fly back and attach itself once more.

Thump!

As soon as the head was reattached, the fallen primitive man appeared to regain his life, as his eyes sparkled with vitality. I stared in awe, unable to utter a word.

“……!!”

How is that even possible?! They can really bring the dead back to life!

Feeling a glimmer of hope, I asked the Primordial Heaven Master.

“Brother Primordial Heaven Master, when someone dies, their soul would go to the Underworld, right? So, do you bring back the souls that went to the Underworld and return them to revive the dead?”

“It’s not that complicated. If you think ‘come back to life,’ they come back.”

“……?!”

Is that really a thing?

It doesn’t seem like there are any principles or anything!

“The talent of chaos is a bit hard to explain precisely. Anyway, if you die, you’ll be revived, so go up now.”

“Uh…. So one more thing! Can I awaken only the talent I want?”

“No. For example, it’s like a plant sprouting. Even if you make it sprout, the number and power of the awakened talents will vary based on the quality of the original seed.”

“…….”

“Why do you look at me like that?”

I glanced at the Primordial Heaven Master and Taishang Laojun, then said.

“Then, does that mean you two were chosen as disciples of Fuxi because you awakened the most exceptional talents of chaos…?”

“That’s one way to see it.”

Taishang Laojun answered without hesitation. He stared at me expressionlessly.

“However, there were others with talents comparable to ours. However, those individuals did not meet the other criteria that the Master desired, so they were not chosen as God’s disciples.”

“Other criteria?”

“Humanity.”

He continued to speak slowly.

“Those who believe they can wield their power to obtain everything through violence, those who recklessly bully the weak, those who use schemes to manipulate others… Such individuals with evil traits were filtered out.”

“Hmm…!!”

“However, since you have already been chosen by the Master, it’s unnecessary to discuss your humanity further. The Master stated that you have yet to awaken your talent of chaos, so he has asked us to help you awaken it.”

“Is that so!”

“Right. So go up.”

I felt that awakening the talent of chaos would greatly enhance my power. No, at the very least, I really wanted to acquire the resurrection talent! Moreover, I was also curious about how great my talent could be, which made me anxious.

‘Alright, let’s give it a shot!’

If I can awaken the talent of chaos, I’ll come out ahead even if I die!

Step by step

I climbed onto the Tai Chi altar. Standing in the exact center, the Primordial Heaven Master began placing his hands one by one on the Eight Trigrams at the front of the altar.

Tiriring Kiring

Each time his hand touched, the Eight Trigrams emitted a mystical light and changed shape. As the Primordial Heaven Master manipulated the shapes of the Eight Trigrams, he eventually gathered all eight trigrams in one place and shouted.

“In the name of the Great Dragon Fuxi, I command you. Awaken, sprouts of chaos!”

Uwooong!!

Moments later, my forehead began to tremble, and I felt a powerful vibration ringing inside me. Gradually, it felt as if immense strength was being birthed within me.

… Huh? What’s this swelling….

It hurts….

Boom!!

Suddenly, both of my ears burst. Simultaneously, blood flowed from my seven orifices, and I felt the bones in my body shatter. I slowly collapsed to the ground.

Thud

“…Come back to life!”

Bright light

I opened my eyes. The area near the altar of Tai Chi where I lay was drenched in blood, and my clothes were soaked in a pool of it. As I blinked in confusion, the Primordial Heaven Master shook his head and said,

“Disciple Baek Woong! Are you okay?”

I realized something had happened just moments ago.

“D-Did my head burst?”

“No. Not quite, but judging from the serious injuries you sustained, it seems you failed to awaken the talent of chaos. Since there was a faint sprout, you didn’t die, so I healed you without using resurrection.”

I couldn’t express my relief for being revived with the Primordial Heaven Master’s help.

“…….”

I apparently didn’t have the talent of chaos at all.

Just as I was feeling downhearted, I suddenly felt the Heavenly Secret within me resonating intensely.

“Huh?”

Uwoo

Uwooong….

Like a weak and long vibration flowing through the depths of darkness….

The vibration continued for a while, and soon I noticed a blue light emanating from the Heavenly Secret.

Without realizing it, I took out the Heavenly Secret and noticed it had a glowing blue page. Even when trying to read other pages, they were still filled with incomprehensible script. Unable to do anything else, I opened the glowing page, and there were two bizarre monsters illustrated on it.

What is this?

I have flipped through the Heavenly Secret countless times and yet never seen illustrations like this before!

What are these monsters….

‘Why are they appearing in the Heavenly Secret that hasn’t been readable until now?’

Swish…

But the two looked like monsters I’d seen before, so as I tilted my head in confusion, the Heavenly Secret slowly closed. When I tried to reopen it, the same two illustrations of the monsters still remained, while other pages stayed unreadable.

Observing this, the Primordial Heaven Master asked,

“Disciple, what’s going on?”

“Ah…. Well, I was wondering if perhaps I had awakened a talent for reading, so I tried to read the book I’ve been carrying around.”

Not wanting to reveal my experiences with the Heavenly Secret, I mumbled.

“Hm. Did you receive a response?”

“It seems so….”

The Primordial Heaven Master nodded.

“Then you must have awakened a talent related to that book.”

A talent related to the Heavenly Secret?

Just two illustrations appeared, and this is considered a talent?

As I tilted my head in doubt, Taishang Laojun, who had been watching, said,

“Let’s find out what kind of talent the disciple has later. Now follow me.”

“Where are we going?”

Taishang Laojun abruptly turned and walked away.

“The Master ordered me to teach you the Divine Arts.”