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“The Soul of the Evil God!”

After wrapping up my chat with the Chulu Dragon, I headed back to the Underworld on the official road. I needed to ask Zhuge Liang’s soul about the current situation. But when I arrived at the throne of the Underworld, I found not just souls waiting for me, but also the King of Hell and several other underworld kings. They were all standing there, looking quite serious.

“Oh no, you guys…”

The King of Hell stepped forward and bowed.

[Oh Wheel King, it’s an emergency. There’s been an overpopulation of souls. We can’t take in even half of the souls that are out there.]

“……”

[Despite our best efforts to gather them into our hell, we have failed to collect even half of the souls currently released into the world. We need your guidance.]

It seemed the excess souls emitted by the Chulu Dragon were overwhelming the Underworld’s capacity. Understanding the situation, I asked him back.

“What should we do? I need some advice.”

[You’re the only one who can handle this… by utilizing the Book of Life and Death.]

“Huh?!”

This was a solution I never saw coming!

I was taken aback, and the King of Hell continued.

[First, open the Book of Life and Death.]

Swish!

As I complied with the King of Hell’s demand and opened the book, he spoke again.

[The Book of Life and Death is not just for combat but is the most important treasure for ruling the Underworld… You can inscribe names into it to kill, but you can also store them.]

“How do you mean to store them?”

[If you focus your Third Eye on the Book, it will automatically inscribe the names of souls into it.]

“Hmm…”

Listening to his words, I attempted to activate my Third Eye. But for some reason, even after trying my best, I couldn’t produce it due to my diminishing powers. Ultimately, I had to tell the King of Hell,

“I can’t do it.”

[It can’t be helped… then there’s only this option.]

“What?”

And then, something unbelievable happened.

Swish!

“Whoa!”

The King of Hell suddenly plucked out his own Third Eye with his hand! As I gaped in shock, he handed me the bloodied eye without a care in the world.

[It’s an emergency, so use my eye.]

“Q-are you alright?! You just removed your eye….”

[You and I share the same origins… so don’t worry.]

“…….”

Calming my surprise at the King’s composed demeanor, I lifted the Third Eye towards the Book of Life and Death. Immediately, a gray light started to emanate from it, and with a humming sound, countless names began inscribing themselves into the book at a terrifying speed.

Swish, swish, swish!

As the names continued inscribing, I saw countless soul orbs flying from above and landing in the Book of Life and Death.

Woahhhhhh – !!

It was like pillars of light were continuously filling the Book with soul orbs!

Breaking my focus to observe this phenomenon, the King of Hell made a gesture for me to return his eye. Once I handed it back, he reinserted his Third Eye into his forehead and declared,

[Now the Book of Life and Death is temporarily full and cannot be used.]

“You mean it can’t be used?”

[Indeed. It can act as a warehouse for storing souls, but you can’t use it as a weapon anymore.]

“Hmm… that won’t do.”

[Just wait a bit. The underworld kings will quickly manage the souls and consolidate the Underworld, then we can extract the souls from the Book again.]

It seemed there was no other way. After all, we were talking about the souls of countless mortals and living beings who had died for thousands of years. The fact that we could use the Book of Life and Death as a temporary solution was a relief. But I had to clarify something with the King of Hell.

“Still, I want to resurrect my companions first, excluding Zhuge Liang.”

Upon hearing this, the King of Hell looked skyward for a moment and then said,

[The barrier of the Old Ruler has disappeared… what happened?]

I explained to him what had transpired with the Chulu Dragon. The King of Hell nodded in understanding.

[Then it is definitely possible. I will revive them right away.]

Whew!

From behind the King of Hell, small orbs of light shot up into the sky. It seemed that in light of this emergency, the King of Hell had temporarily shielded the souls of my companions.

I explained the current situation to Zhuge Liang’s soul, and he expressed his astonishment.

[Indeed… the God of Chulu truly exists. I thought it was just a myth.]

“So what do we do now?”

[What needs to be done hasn’t changed. I’ll continue investigating the underworld while you go back to the material world.]

Boom!

I returned to the current world. And sure enough, I saw that those who had died were miraculously resurrected. The tactical forces agents looked shocked, touching their own bodies in disbelief.

“I-I really died, and now I’m back to life….”

“The First Emperor has truly become a God!”

With a smirk, I said,

“Try not to die too often. The King of Hell mentioned that every time I resurrect someone, it seems to slow down the recovery of my power as the Wheel King.”

“Your Majesty!”

I called back my companions, including Cheon Woo-jin and Asura. Even though Sagong Lin didn’t join the meeting, it was unavoidable.

‘Sagong Lin and Chi You’s physical forms seem to reject resurrection. She must be watching from afar.’

Presenting what I had obtained, the Arm of Chi You, I said,

“This is the Arm of Chi You. What do you think?”

As we touched and examined the arm, it didn’t seem to attack at all, so I casually passed it around. After everyone had a turn touching it, Asura was the first to give his opinion.

“It’s engulfed in the Power of Chaos, but it just looks like an ordinary human arm.”

“Hmm… that’s possible.”

Cheon Woo-jin chimed in as well.

“I hold a similar view. This doesn’t seem like an arm of the Giant Race.”

I slammed my hand on the table, exasperated.

“What?! Chi You was a direct descendant of the Yan Emperor Shennong and a Giant! How can it not be a giant’s arm?! That’s ridiculous!!”

Cheon Woo-jin raised an eyebrow.

“There’s nothing I can say if you’re asking me. How would I know that, you bloody fool?”

“…….”

“But if this is indeed the body of a Giant, it would include a spirit body, yet this arm consists purely of material. If it were hybrid, it’s possible its blood is diluted significantly.”

“I don’t understand… Are you saying that the reason Chi You was the strongest in history wasn’t because he was a Giant?”

I was confused.

What do you mean Chi You isn’t a Giant?!

If that’s the case, where did all that immense power come from?

Then, maintaining their seal of the Chi You Heart, Seo Mun-hye, who was present, spoke up.

“Please hand me the Arm of Chi You once more.”

“Huh?”

“I have a hunch.”

Receiving the Arm of Chi You, Seo Mun-hye closed her eyes for a while, as if trying to sense something. After a bit, she opened her eyes and said,

“Upon reading its memory, it appears that these two arms originally carried countless [forces] themselves. But now, all those have vanished, leaving only the essence. Hence, I feel the appearance of the arms used by ancient Chi You differs from what we see today.”

“……?”

What does that even mean?

I was puzzled, tilting my head in confusion, but Cheon Woo-jin’s expression turned grim. He interlocked his fingers, narrowing his eyes.

“Perhaps Chi You was someone who could absorb the powers of numerous gods as he defeated them.”

“What?”

“…There’s a legend saying Chi You grew stronger through battles and became the Invincible One. Maybe that wasn’t just a legend, but how Chi You gained his powers.”

“Wait, are you saying that Chi You could eat the powers of the defeated gods?”

“Most likely.”

Cheon Woo-jin suddenly grinned broadly.

“A being who ascended to immortality and then absorbs enemies to grow stronger… It really seems to be a being that transcended the laws of this world.”

“…I don’t quite see it that way.”

Asura stared blankly at the Arm of Chi You.

“That arm carries the soul of a Supreme Martial Artist. It seems that individual also devoted themselves to martial arts training.”

“That’s nonsense! Why would an absolutely powerful being train from the very beginning? Especially someone like Chi You…”

“It could happen! If he felt inadequate within himself…”

After that retort, Asura looked at me and said,

“Baek Woong, I think it’s time to make a choice.”

“Huh? Choose what?”

“Whether to seek out the legs of Chi You or to attempt to unseal Chi You’s heart using the arms.”

“Hmm…”

That was a valid point.

Using the arms could weaken the seal on the heart and potentially make unsealing it easier.

‘But should I really do that right now…’

I pondered deeply and finally made my decision.

“Let’s find the legs of Chi You. I don’t want to pursue a reckless adventure right now.”

No matter how I thought about it, the heart held unresolved mysteries. Who pulled out Jeon Wook’s hidden weapon? And who was the existence exerting pressure on me from within the seal of the heart? With various mysteries piling up, even if I could smoothly unseal the heart using the arms, this wasn’t a risk I should take.

It might be better to spend a few years regaining the strength of the Wheel King instead. And during that time, I could search for the legs too.

After our meeting wrapped up, Cheon Woo-jin approached me.

“Baek Woong, your wooden armor broke, so I made you some temporary pouches.”

Thud!

A total of nine pouches, all different colors, lay before me. Given their size, there was no way I could carry them all at once, so I was flustered.

“Uh, why are there so many?! I definitely packed it all into one pouch when I took it from Chi You’s temple….”

“That was a temporary technique, and it can’t be stored permanently. Even for cargo spell tools like this, a single pouch is needed for one of the Seven Luminaries. So, due to this, I’ve packed each luminary separately, leading to a total of nine.”

“…….”

I was flabbergasted and exclaimed at Cheon Woo-jin.

“What’s going on?! I could’ve packed everything with my wooden armor, but this spell isn’t even close to that level! Isn’t magic supposed to be stronger?”

“This isn’t my specialty, so what do you expect? No matter how brilliant I am, I’ve never dealt with cargo spells in my life. The wooden armor was one of the best artifacts!”

“…….”

“Anyway, you figure it out. I’m off.”

“Wait! Come on, do your job properly….”

Just then, Cheon Woo-jin shouted in a genuinely furious voice.

“Shut it! Be grateful I’m here during my leave!”

Boom!

As Cheon Woo-jin vanished, I was left in a quandary, staring at the nine pouches. Each one was about the size of half a backpack, making it utterly impossible to carry them all at once. I stuffed them into a large sack, and it was manageable on my back, but still really inconvenient.

‘I didn’t realize just how precious the wooden armor was…’

This was all because of the Arm of Chi You!

As I glared at the Arm of Chi You, Seo Mun-hye, who stood nearby, spoke up.

“Baek Woong, why not head to the Celestial Realm?”

“Go to the Celestial Realm?”

“Yes. The reason is….”

Upon hearing Seo Mun-hye’s words, my mind sparked. I was incredulous when I said,

“Why didn’t Zhuge Liang or Cheon Woo-jin or Asura tell me such a plan?”

“…W-well….”

“Do you know the reason? Spill it!”

As I pressed, Seo Mun-hye hesitated before speaking.

“They probably thought you’d already know that much…”

“…….”

Feeling a headache coming on, I thanked Seo Mun-hye and promptly moved to the throne of the Jade Emperor in the Celestial Realm. Once there, I summoned the celestials.

“Gather the Twelve Immortals of Kunlun!”

[Understood!]

When the Twelve Immortals of Kunlun gathered in the celestial meeting hall, I placed the nine pouches before them, saying,

“I need a treasure that can store as much as possible! Create an artifact with at least a hundred times the capacity even after storing all this!”

This is it!

If my wooden armor broke, I needed to create something to replace it!

And I would draw on the powers of the Celestial Realm!

[…….]

[…….]

The Twelve Immortals stared at me with bewildered expressions. Especially the artifact-making master, the Lantern Daoist, looked as if he’d just bitten into something sour. I discreetly glanced at him and said,

“You wouldn’t dare ignore an order from the Jade Emperor, would you?”

[Your Majesty… are you sure there isn’t a Seven Luminaries in there?]

“Of course!”

[Hmm… I can make it, but it will require a significant budget… If you provide a budget, I can collaborate with other immortals to create it.]

“Oh, and one more thing.”

[What is it?]

I raised the Arms of Chi You and said,

“You need to be able to fit these in too!”

[What are these….]

“The Arms of Chi You!”

[……!!]

Wow wow!

Suddenly, the Twelve Immortals turned as pale as ghosts, and some even fainted from shock. The Lantern Daoist trembled, seemingly having trouble believing what he heard and then regained his composure.

[I-it couldn’t possibly be that the reason your previous artifact broke was because of these arms, could it?!]

“That’s exactly right!”

[The power to tear apart dimensions…!! Oh, indeed, the Arms of Chi You…!!]

The Lantern Daoist shook his head vehemently.

[No way!! Even if we’re experts in making artifacts, we can’t create one that can contain the Arms of Chi You! Even the Old Ruler wouldn’t be able to make such a thing!]

“Are you really going to ignore what I just said?”

[Absolutely! While I should obey a decree from the Jade Emperor, you’re asking for the impossible…]

“Ugh, you all better get this done…”

I was considering whether to call for punishment on the Twelve Immortals when suddenly,

Boom!

A sudden rumble of thunder shook the Celestial Realm, and a massive dragon silhouette seemed to loom over the meeting hall. Then, a stern voice rang out.

[Twelve Immortals! You will create the most powerful artifact!]

What voice is that?

I was taken aback by the familiar voice.

Boom!

And the following clouds of mist appeared.

I walked through the mist, and at the end of the path stood a familiar hexagonal pavilion. There, a stunningly handsome man holding a long smoking pipe awaited me.

As soon as I saw him, I exclaimed,

“Fuxi! Did you summon me here?”

“First, have a seat.”

In no time at all, Fuxi had transported me to his otherworldly domain, and I hesitantly sat down in the pavilion. He extended his hand as I sat, which was a prompt for me to show him the Arms of Chi You, and realizing this, I handed them over.

As Fuxi examined the arms, he said,

“Don’t torment the Twelve Immortals too much. The truth is, there is no artifact or magic tool currently in this universe that can contain these.”

“How can that be…? These aren’t even his actual body, nor are they freshly released from their seal, and they aren’t even the arms of a Giant, right?”

“It’s because they are Chi You’s. Simply being the body of Chi You explains everything.”

With a sigh, Fuxi continued,

“If I hadn’t been ensnared by the schemes of the [Coming Chaos], maybe when Chi You appeared, we could’ve had a more favorable outcome. So I always feel regretful when I think of Chi You.”

“If so, you would have fought against the Emperor alongside Chi You.”

“It’s not that simple. For you see, Chi You was destined to win the war from the outset, and that wouldn’t change whether I or Nüwa helped him or not. The problem was the other factors that led to Chi You’s defeat.”

“……?”

“Someone intervened in Chi You’s fate.”

What does that even mean?

Confused, I stared as Fuxi clarified,

“Listen closely. The owner of this arm, Chi You… is alive now yet not alive.”

“Does that mean he can be revived upon unsealing?”

“No… it’s a matter of [opportunity]. Whether a being who has already seen their fate can participate in the game again is also a question of law. I wonder if the great [Father] would allow that.”

“……?”

“Therefore, resurrecting Chi You could mean adding an extra conclusion to your own fate. Chi You isn’t merely someone to have on your side; he embodies a conclusion of his own.”

“I’m sorry. I must be a bit slow on the uptake here, but I don’t quite grasp it…”

“It’s fine. Whether you understand or not won’t change the situation. There are still things we won’t know until you unseal Chi You.”

Hoo –

Fuxi, calmly puffing on his pipe, gazed at me with weary eyes.

“I’ll take care of Chi You’s arms. Together we will see what we can create to fit it in as much as possible.”

“Is that possible?!”

“With my wisdom and Nüwa’s power, perhaps…”

Fuxi then added,

“Also, I’ve heard that Chi You’s legs are located at the North Pole.”

“Whoa! How did you find that out?”

Fuxi looked into the distant sky.

“The one who sealed the legs was Shao Hao Jin Tian. When he was in the material realm, he formed a kingdom of birds and ruled countless avians, centered right in the North Pole. It was called the Kingdom of Shao Hao. While I’m not completely certain, given that he was a bird god, it’s likely that he had a penchant for hoarding precious items in his kingdom.”

Something stirred in Fuxi’s tone, and I asked,

“…Did someone tell you?”

“Nüwa informed me.”

“……!!”

“She had long active involvement in the material realm and was the hidden ruler of the Celestial Realm, frequently interacting with the Five Emperors, so it’s likely she wouldn’t lack such valuable information.”

I was incredulous as I asked Fuxi,

“Are you telling me that Nüwa knew where Chi You’s heart and arms were the whole time…?”

“Maybe she only had an inkling.”

“Then why didn’t she share that with us?! Making us suffer unnecessarily!!”

I shouted, bursting into frustration, but Fuxi simply took another puff from his pipe and replied calmly.

“She likely never held much fondness for you all… And even now, she isn’t certain whether unsealing Chi You is the right thing to do.”

“…….”

“But as I mentioned earlier, unsealing Chi You isn’t the key issue. What happens afterward is what matters.”

With Fuxi’s subtle remarks, I felt the weight on my heart increase substantially.

“If the resurrection of Chi You represents an ending, are you prepared to accept that conclusion…?”

“…….”

I couldn’t respond.

While I thought that death was simply an end, somehow, the resurrection of Chi You seemed to imply a significance beyond that. Therefore, I responded with difficulty to Fuxi’s question.

“I have to accept it.”

The confrontation with Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen likely didn’t stand a chance. If it really seems impossible to win, then I may have to resort to resurrecting Chi You instead, making it part of the strategy should it come to that. In order to do that, I must be prepared to have no backups.

After I gathered the information from Fuxi, I relayed it to my companions.

Then Sagong Lin suggested,

“Baek Woong, why don’t you wait a few months before taking the challenge?”

“Why?”

“It’s better to wait for your power to recover before taking on the challenge. Another reason is….”

Sagong Lin hesitated for a moment before continuing,

“Cheon Woo-jin has gone missing, proclaiming he won’t show up until his leave is over, no matter if the world meets its end….”

“…….”

“He’s gone missing.”

Was he serious about that…?

I had no choice but to nod in acknowledgment.

“Alright then, gather as much information as you can about the North Pole.”

 

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