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1161——————==

Soul of the Evil God (Concept)

Woo woo woo!!

The moment Fuxi’s words ended, I felt a sensation as if the Yin-Yang pattern was imprinted on my forehead, along with a vivid coming-to-mind. For a moment, the waves of the pattern echoed, but soon calmed down, and when I lightly touched my forehead, it seemed like there was nothing there. However, the feeling that something was engraved on my forehead still lingered.

I also realized that my clothes had transformed into the jade emperor’s robes, something I’d only seen in legends. A somewhat flowy blue silk garment!! When I touched the attire, I could tell it was not made of material but woven from some special spiritual energy.

“This is…!!”

“It’s the Jade Emperor’s Jade Robe. It is attire crafted from the finest materials in the Celestial Realm and is a treasure.”

“Wasn’t the Jade Emperor merely the avatar of Yao Shun? I never thought there would be something like this…”

“Just because it’s an avatar doesn’t mean it can’t wear treasures. And when the avatar of Yao Shun is absent, there needs to be something to symbolize the authority of the Jade Emperor. That way, when the proxy Jade Emperor stands in, others won’t suspect him as much.”

“…….”

“It’s a decent item. At least among the clothing-type treasures, it’s worthy of being in the top three.”

Woo woo!

“…It does seem that way.”

If Fuxi deems it good, then the Jade Robe must be more than just satisfactory. I felt like I had obtained good armor in the absence of the Yellow Dragon Demon God. Furthermore, it didn’t even feel heavy, so it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

Not believing it, I asked Fuxi.

“Am I really the Jade Emperor now?”

“Indeed. By all means, you have become the ruler of the Celestial Realm.”

At that moment, Mangnyang, who had been coughing beside me, stood up with a pale complexion and approached me. Then, he took my hands and spoke.

“You shouldn’t be satisfied with just that. Now receive the position of the Wheel King…”

I grew anxious and asked Mangnyang.

“…Mangnyang. Just to ask, if you give me this power, you won’t be dying or disappearing, right?”

“……”

“Please answer me.”

Mangnyang didn’t reply but stared deep into my eyes. There was something akin to regret and resignation in his gaze. He then spoke slowly.

“Remember when you first ascended to the Celestial Realm and asked me how I had been all this time?”

“I remember.”

“As I said back then, I have lived as myself. Not as Zhuge Hyun, but as Mangnyang.”

“……?”

“I was destined to live this way from the beginning…. Perhaps since the day we first met….”

What does that mean?

What significance is there in saying he is Mangnyang and not Zhuge Hyun?

Paaaat!!

As soon as those words ended, light erupted from Mangnyang’s body, and black-yellow energy flowed into me. I noticed the black-yellow energy spreading endlessly around me, and slowly, Mangnyang’s figure began to blur. In a panic, I tried to let go of his hands.

“……!!”

This is dangerous! It’s clear that if Mangnyang transfers this power entirely, it would be risky for him!

But no matter how hard I tried to let go, despite my immense strength, Mangnyang’s hands didn’t budge. Mangnyang said in a calm voice.

“It’s futile. Even if your energy is so overwhelming it could overturn mountains…. The power of the Wheel King, ruler of the Underworld, cannot be shaken by that.”

“Mangnyang! You don’t have to do this while disappearing! You can just use this power to help me!”

“It’s necessary…. I cannot wield this power for long. Moreover, this is my penance to you. Regardless of the circumstances, it’s true that I have betrayed you significantly as your strategist.”

“No, that’s…!!”

“Baek Woong….”

Due to the dark energy, I couldn’t see Mangnyang’s face clearly. Only his lower jaw and lips were visible, and from his tightly sealed lips, I could read his complicated feelings. After a moment, Mangnyang’s lips opened.

“I have so much I want to tell you, but…. Hehe…. This is all I can say right now.”

He smiled faintly for a moment and then said.

“Baek Woong. Just as I did…. You too will have days when you must live as yourself…. Even then, don’t give up. This power is…. a gift for that you.”

Paaaat!!

Moments later, both Mangnyang’s figure and the black-yellow energy vanished. Suddenly, Mangnyang was nowhere to be found, and I blinked in disbelief.

“…Mangnyang?”

He disappeared.

Did he really cease to exist?

Thud.

I dropped to the ground, not even feeling my newly acquired power settle in. I didn’t expect the situation to turn out like this!

‘Mangnyang… in such a way….’

Up to a moment ago, I honestly felt a bit angry at Mangnyang for betraying me. But now that he had transferred his power to me and vanished in front of my eyes, that feeling completely disappeared, replaced by a sense of longing, much like what I had seen in Mangnyang’s eyes earlier.

Regardless of the circumstances…. Did Mangnyang really have to disappear?

“No…. This is….”

As I muttered blankly, Fuxi, sitting next to the railing and casually puffing on a cigarette, gazed at the distant misty mountains and said.

“What does it feel like to witness Mangnyang’s death repeatedly as the cycles of reincarnation accumulate? Can your spirit still endure it?”

Glaring!

In that moment, my heart welled up, and I shot an angry look at Fuxi. Then, gritting my teeth, I marched over and grabbed Fuxi by the collar.

“Shut your mouth!”

“Hmm. Did I sound like a cold-hearted person?”

Fuxi met my gaze, seemingly unaffected by my aggression. His eyes were so devoid of emotion that it startled me. Though he looked like a human and spoke like one, it was clear that he transcended humanity fundamentally. No matter how well he understood people, Fuxi was not human.

“…….”

As my grip on his collar loosened slightly, Fuxi still regarded me with his emotionless eyes and spoke.

“You won’t be able to see the conclusion of your past life in this life anyway. You’ll live your life to the fullest here, and when your 29th life begins, you’ll meet your 29th Mangnyang again. Can that not be called a reunion?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. It doesn’t mean I’m not sad that my comrade died this time!! It’s not meaningless!!”

As I shouted furiously, Fuxi replied.

“The idea that it’s not meaningless is the problem. Up to the 28th, humanity has retained its presence, but what will happen the more times it accumulates? If all those tragedies are meaningful, wouldn’t it be closer to a tragedy?”

“Th-that’s….”

“You’re far too human, to the point of being inhuman. Among all the humans I’ve observed, you are the most peculiar…. Transcendents either possess the mind of a god before such contradictions occur or go mad; it’s one or the other.”

Fuxi, who had been uttering confusing words, continued.

“First, get a grip. Calm your sorrow and listen well. What I’m about to say is far more important than the position of the Jade Emperor.”

“…I understand.”

I agreed with Fuxi’s words. While the sorrow of losing Mangnyang surged, this was no time to be lost in thought. Outside, the powerful Guang Chengzi was still pressing Yuwang, so I needed to do something quickly to resolve the situation.

Fuxi said.

“Now, you could say you’ve completed your assault on the tower and achieved your purpose. So how do you plan on handling the ‘knot’ now?”

I tensed and gasped.

“How do you know about the knot?”

Fuxi had been stuck in this seal all this time, hadn’t he? I was astonished to discover he was aware of the recent knot incident.

“Yuwang has been observing all temporal-spatial events within the dual-star realm from start to finish. Naturally, I’ve been privy to everything your party discussed, so there’s no need for you to explain about the knot to me.”

“Oh.”

“I asked my question poorly. Let me rephrase: do you still think you will die tomorrow?”

“…I honestly don’t know.”

I answered honestly.

“By the prophecy of the spirit, I was supposed to die tomorrow, but in this knot I’ve chosen, I chose to engage in a mock duel with the Qilin without hearing the spirit’s prophecy. So I haven’t listened to the prophecy, but….”

“Indeed. Because you didn’t ‘hear’ the prophecy, you might not die tomorrow?”

“I’m a little hopeful….”

Honestly, I hope so. Although it’s a prophecy of unavoidable death, could it be that hearing it is what leads to that death? Since I haven’t listened to the prophecy from the start, doesn’t that nullify the result?

Then, Fuxi tapped his cigarette against the railing and said.

“Prophecies don’t work that way. Causes arise in accordance with the results of a prophecy, not the other way around. If that were the case and cause and effect were complementary, then it wouldn’t be prophecy; it would be a curse from the beginning. However, the spirit doesn’t fortune-tell that way; it simply reads the expected outcome.”

“Are you saying….”

“You cannot evade the outcome of a cosmic prophecy with such flimsy reasoning. It’s like blocking your ears as a child and pretending not to hear a curse; even if you block your ears, the curse is still uttered, and the fact remains unchanged.”

“…….”

“It’s certain that you will die tomorrow. There may not be much time left now.”

“Couldn’t I manipulate the temporal-spatial dynamics of this sealing realm to elongate time?”

“I currently lack the strength to do so, and distracting the internal space-time while Guang Chengzi is attacking from the outside would be tantamount to sabotage. It would merely add to the burden on Yuwang.”

“Ugh….”

As I voiced my gloomy thoughts, Fuxi continued.

“But…. Mangnyang calculated everything as soon as he became aware of your knot. So now you can choose whether to repeat the ‘knot’ or not.”

“…What do you mean?”

Startled by his unexpected words, I looked at him with wide eyes, and Fuxi said.

“What exactly is the position of the Wheel King bestowed upon you? The ruler of the Underworld.”

“That’s right…. Ah!”

As I realized something, Fuxi chuckled.

“The Underworld is the world that governs death. And being its ruler means you’ve truly gained immortality. No matter what the fate of death brings, you cannot kill the ruler of death.”

“……!!”

“Whether by coincidence or necessity, Mangnyang’s plan has been in motion from beginning to end…. As if he knew this would happen all along….”

Muttering in a strange tone, Fuxi said.

“Regardless, even if you face death soon, you can use the power of the Wheel King to nullify that state of death. However, if you desire, you can comply with death and repeat the ‘knot’ once more. Do you understand now?”

“I understand.”

I answered confidently.

“I won’t repeat the knot! I’ve endured too much hardship to get this far…. And.”

“Perhaps there are constraints inherent to the knot. It could be that it’s specifically the knot that leads to death.”

Fuxi looked at me with his emotionless eyes and said.

“Then there’s only one thing you must do. Just as Mangnyang suggested, head to the Underworld and revive the cycles of reincarnation. You will probably learn how to do it automatically once you arrive at the throne of the Underworld.”

“Do I have to do it immediately?”

“Absolutely. If you do not revive the cycles, you cannot evade death.”

“…Huh? But you just said death could be nullified with the power of the Wheel King….”

What on earth is this?

As I stared at Fuxi in confusion, he said.

“The power of the ruler of the Underworld you’ve just mentioned only activates under the premise that the Underworld functions properly. In other words, you must escape Guang Chengzi’s siege and make your way to the Underworld while surviving until then. After reviving the cycles, you can untie the knot.”

“…….”

“This may be your final critical juncture. The last threat of death that looms over you. Keep your spirits up.”

Damn it!

Nothing in this world is easy!

Is there anything that can come easily without a hitch!?

“Is it possible? If Guang Chengzi is such a powerful existence, then he must be of at least a proxy-level strength…. Is there a way….”

“Seems you have a bad habit. You lean on others as soon as you hit a snag.”

“No…. But Fuxi-sama should be wiser than me…. Time is running out….”

“Hmm.”

Fuxi took a puff of his cigarette and said.

“We’ll have to summon the Jade Robe and cloak it, then summon the Wheel King’s Seven Treasures. We’ll have to charge through together.”

“Understood.”

Woo woo woo

I summoned the power of the Jade Robe and cloaked myself before summoning the Wheel King’s Seven Treasures.

Seven Treasures.

This power was something I learned as soon as I received it from Mangnyang; it originally comprised the seven treasures that make up the Underworld but had solidified into the form of treasures by the convenience of the Wheel King. However, this was not a treasure per se; rather, each was said to be a power, though I wasn’t entirely sure about the difference at this point.

As the seven strange forms surrounded me in a circular formation, I felt the black-yellow energy Mangnyang had given me envelop my entire being. At the same time, a strong jolt ran through my heart.

“Ugh…!!”

It hurt intensely. As I flinched from the severe pain, Fuxi commented.

“That’s not a power you can use frequently. You now possess the authority of the Jade Emperor, so you’re mitigating damage with the Jade Robe and its energy, but what’s really stabbing at your heart is the very energy of death itself.”

“What?!”

“That’s a power normally ungraspable by mortals. Only the Wheel King, born from death itself, can inherently wield it. Mangnyang, through the extreme limits of the Corpse Dissolution Technique, maximally neutralized the energy of death, but in the end, he couldn’t hold on.”

“……”

“It’s going to be impossible for even the power of the Jade Emperor to neutralize it completely. It’s a power that governs the death of the universe. You’ll need to find a way to overcome that power moving forward.”

“…Understood.”

This feels more troublesome than I had anticipated. After a moment, Fuxi flicked his cigarette and stood up.

“Well then, let’s go.”

Woo woo woo woo!!

Kuwaaat!

A moment later, the misty image ahead vanished entirely, leaving only the vast dark sky. I found myself standing in a land filled with enormous scales, and before me were two massive mountains.

‘What the?!’

Where did Fuxi go?

As I pondered, Fuxi’s voice echoed in my head.

[I have returned to my main form, and you are atop my head.]

“Gah!”

That means, those two giant mountains are Fuxi’s horns?!

As I gasped in shock, Fuxi said.

[I will do my utmost to break through, but I cannot block all of Guang Chengzi’s attacks.]

“I’ll take care of it!”

[Then I’ll go for it.]

Kooaooo

Moments later, Fuxi’s main form began to ascend. As the Great Dragon took flight, it felt as if the entire dimension twisted and shattered, and soon, a vast scenery of cosmic nebulae and darkness unfolded before my eyes. And at the forefront of the universe was Yuwang’s form, engaged in battle with ‘something.’

‘Is that Guang Chengzi?!’

It looked radically different from the past.

Just seeing it instilled unimaginable terror in a mortal!

Was that the true form of Guang Chengzi?!

GooOOOO

Koooom

Silver spears shot from Yuwang’s hands, assaulting the ‘something’ surrounded by a halo of light, but the opponent summoned nearly infinite starlight to block the spears. The light, seeming to recognize me and Fuxi, sent a voice.

[Oh…. You’ve emerged from your confinement, Fuxi. I shall put an end to this era of torment for you.]

Fip pip ping

In an instant, an overwhelming amount of starlight began pouring down, countless in number. From a glance, it seemed slow, but any one of those was clearly an attack imbued with godly power. Yuwang shouted with anger.

[You wretched beast of an Emperor!! You cannot lay a hand on Fuxi!!]

Whoooosh!!

Yuwang’s powers surged, creating a giant defensive barrier around me and Fuxi. Then, it seemed as if the entity surrounded by light grinned.

[As the Sustainer of Order, I command the laws of the universe. Let me fill the time of the great ruler.]

Caaang –

[Ugh….]

[One of my greatest spells. Even you, it won’t be easy to break that, Yuwang.]

[What a pathetic trick.]

In that instant, Yuwang suddenly froze stiff. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu at the sight and realized the following moment.

‘It’s the same spell Guang Chengzi used to bind Queen Mother of the West!!’

Back then, I thought it was an incredible technique upon seeing him bind her; could it be effective against Yuwang’s true form as well?! Yuwang seemed to exert pressure to free himself, and taking that opportunity, the light attacked us with malice.

[Once, you were a great being. However, now you are nothing more than a big lizard…. So, become the cosmic dust and vanish, Fuxi!!]

HooOOO

It felt like Shenglong called forth the winds of the universe, and rays of starlight began to pour down from an unfathomable range. If each individual ray had the power to obliterate the very fabric of heaven and earth, how on earth could I defend?

Not to mention I lacked the Blessing of the Sky right now!

My heart sank as I blankly stared, and Fuxi said.

[Now is the time to use the Seven Treasures.]

“…Let’s do it!”

I shouted while summoning the Seven Treasures.

“Seven Treasures, guard us!!”

Whiiiiiing

The moment my cry echoed, countless wheels emerged, starting to block the incoming starlight. Along the path formed by the wheels, Fuxi began flapping his wings grandly, and as his speed began to surpass that of light, I could see the surrounding scenery transform into a swirl of light.

Paaaat!

Moments later, I realized I’d been thrown off Fuxi’s scales and began soaring through the sky. Suddenly, Fuxi, Yuwang, and Guang Chengzi’s figures disappeared without a trace. While suspended in a space filled with clear light and waves, I was momentarily lost in thought.

What should I do now?

How on earth do I get to the Underworld now?!

As I was pondering like that, my body suddenly started plummeting quickly to the ground.

Koooom!!

“Cough….”

Thud.

I found myself buried under rubble, feeling the shock hammer down upon me. It was quite a hit, but thanks to being wrapped in the Jade Robe, the impact seemed considerably reduced. If I had collided with the ground unprotected, even with the Protection Energy Technique, my body would have burst, so I was fortunate.

I regained my senses and rose from where I had fallen. Looking around, I realized.

“I’ve arrived.”

The Underworld.

Among them, I had landed in the Yama Hall. Now, if I travel about three hundred li from here, I will reach the Wheel King’s chamber and proceed to revive the Underworld.

However, I suddenly sensed hundreds of presences surrounding me. I quickly drew the Seven Luminaries and stood alert, when moments later, numerous Yama ghosts and Yama Guardians started to gradually reveal themselves from the halls of the Yama Hall.

Kuwooo

Uooooo….

In the hands of the Yama ghosts were ominous weapons, and the Yama Guardians towered over me, towering at more than three spans. And it wasn’t just hundreds; they seemed to number in the thousands, gathering from all directions.

Gulp.

‘Damn…. Do I have to fight?’

I wasn’t sure if I could take them all down on my own. Despite looking like mere Yama ghosts, each one was a spiritual entity capable of overwhelming even high-level warriors in the human realm, and facing thousands of them could severely deplete my power. I was mentally bracing myself when suddenly.

Thud!

The Yama ghosts gathered around me all suddenly bowed their heads and knelt. With that action, the Yama Guardians in the back also knelt and shouted loudly.

[Long live the Great King!!]

[Long live the Great King!!]

That was the cue for thousands of Yama ghosts and Yama Guardians to chant in unison, and the energy surged as if it were a tidal wave.

[Long live the Great King!!!]

Finally, the scene of countless soldiers and generals from the Yama Realm, kneeling and paying their respects, filled my vision.

At that moment, I realized.

‘I see now.’

Those beings had been waiting for thousands of years for the return of the Wheel King, the ruler of the Underworld.