1332——————==

Soul of the Evil God

As the conversation with Daji wrapped up, she immediately spoke up.

“Then, let’s head to the Lunar Realm.”

“Wait a second!”

“What?”

I predicted that Daji would ask if I even knew where the Lunar Realm was, so I decided to change the subject.

“Daji, we have matters to attend to first. We’re in the middle of gathering the Seven Luminaries, and right now, we have five of them in hand.”

“…!!”

“So, you need to help us collect the remaining Luminaries.”

Daji seemed taken aback by this unexpected request. She looked at me with suspicion and asked,

“Are you serious?”

“Look.”

Immediately, I summoned the five Luminaries I had—Moon, Fire, Water, Wood, Earth—and floated them in midair. After sensing the power of the Luminaries, Daji wore a stunned expression, and before she could regain her composure, I spoke again.

“I’ve collected the Moon to Earth. All that’s left is the Gold Luminary. Once we gather all six, the trial of the Seven Luminaries begins, and if we clear it, we’ll get our hands on the last Luminary, the Sun. Did you know this?”

“Oh…!!”

“However, I’m not looking to undertake the trial of the Luminaries right now. My goal is to fulfill my objective when all six are gathered at the same moment, not to undergo the trial.”

“…….”

I noticed Daji’s gaze faltering and quickly pressed on.

“We’re almost there. Naturally, it makes sense for you to help me first. I know passing through the Lunar Realm isn’t easy. The more power we gather from the Luminaries, the higher our success rate will be when assisting you.”

“Hmm! That does sound reasonable.”

To be honest, I had no idea what the Lunar Realm was and how to navigate it, but it was better to act as if I knew.

Daji pondered my words before responding.

“Alright, I’ll go with your plan. So, where’s the Gold Luminary?”

“I thought it was in the sacred place of Paliyas, but some Apostle of a God cast a petrifying curse and wiped out its guardians. So now, it’s gone without a trace.”

“…So? Are you telling me to ask this Maiden to find it?”

“Huh? Why do you say it like that? What’s with the attitude?”

I was flabbergasted and retorted.

“In the first place, I came here because I heard there was a ‘Prophet’ with cosmic knowledge, hoping to ask for the Gold Luminary’s location. But unexpectedly, you were here.”

“…….”

“I’ll think of a way to locate the Gold Luminary from now on. Still, compared to the Lunar Realm, acquiring the Gold Luminary should be easier.”

Then Daji chimed in.

“The Western Deity, Shao Hao Jin Tian.”

“What?”

“He is likely the creator of the Gold Luminary. So, I think the fastest way would be for you to contact Shao Hao and offer sacrifices to ask for the Gold Luminary’s location.”

“……!!”

Oh, right?

‘Daji had previously found out my info by offering to Jeogok! She’s suggesting to use the same method to gather info on the Gold Luminary.’

Asking the Three Sovereigns who created the Luminaries directly! It was a perfectly fitting solution, and I couldn’t help but feel impressed.

Just then, Dae Jo Young, who was beside me, spoke up.

“Baek Woong. Directly offering sacrifices to the Three Sovereigns sounds incredibly difficult, doesn’t it? They won’t even accept sloppy offerings, and the Heavenly Altar where the ceremonies were conducted is now the lair of those alien monsters.”

“Aliens have taken over the Heavenly Altar?”

Dae Jo Young nodded.

“The Heavenly Altar is a place where powerful spiritual veins converge, where latent divine power exists… I’ve heard that the strongest alien races are stationed there based on the world’s reports.”

“Hmm….”

I mulled it over.

‘Not long ago, Jeon Wook mentioned that if you offer sufficient sacrifices to the Heavenly Altar, you could reach the Celestial Mount Kunlun where a hundred Immortals reside. And to find the Gold Luminary, it seems I also need to offer sacrifices there…’

Finishing my thought, I spoke up.

“Regardless, we’ll need to seize the Heavenly Altar. Only then can we learn the Gold Luminary’s location and reach the Celestial Mount.”

The fact that powerful alien races were occupying the Heavenly Altar could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

After all, I had to eliminate those alien races on behalf of Lee Hwan-woong due to Nailatop’s request this time.

What a two-for-one!

“Hmm…!! Is that how it works?”

I slightly nodded at Dae Jo Young and turned my gaze back to Daji.

“Daji, you understand, don’t you? To fulfill our objectives, we first need to take over the Heavenly Altar. Help us wipe out the aliens there.”

“Heh heh. I don’t mind helping, but that means I need one more condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Looking at the way we’ve talked, it seems you’re planning to use the Heavenly Altar to reach the Celestial Mount, right?”

At that moment, I noticed a glint of bloodlust in Daji’s eyes.

“I want to go to Mount Kunlun with you. Do we have a deal?”

“…….”

I could read Daji’s intentions all too clearly.

‘She plans to devour the Immortals on Mount Kunlun to enhance her own power…’

And it was clear that the weakened Heavenly Mount Kunlun would crumble under Daji’s strengthened form. I briefly fell silent before finally agreeing.

“Fine. But when I return from Kunlun, you must come back with me.”

“Understood.”

Anyway, I intended to slaughter the Immortals on Kunlun to collect the souls for my own benefit. I had no right to criticize Daji’s ambitions. The least I could do was bring her back with me after ensuring minimal carnage by my own moral compass.

“Mephisto. Show us the alien forces stationed at the Five Great Mountains.”

[Executing user command.]

Beeep—

Moments later, light burst from my wristwatch, and a massive screen appeared, displaying not just the land of the Central Plains but also all the alien forces invading said region. My command revealed the strength of the aliens lurking at the Five Great Mountains, cleverly color-coded for clarity.

“Hmm. Does the numeric indicator refer to the tiers of those aliens, as Nailatop had said?”

[That’s correct. Tier 5 is the weakest, while Tier 1 is the strongest.]

“…The aliens at Mount Hua are the strongest. That’s the highest number.”

I squinted as I confirmed the alien’s red tier etched at Mount Hua.

“2.5 tier, huh? So that means… they’re at the level of a Demon King?”

[Yes. Among the hostile alien races, they’re the most aggressive and powerful, the Rakil race. They are a lord race from the M101 galaxy.]

“What about the Tier 4 Partelquian I previously exterminated?”

[A single battalion of the Rakil race is stronger than the entire 25 battalions of the Partelquian.]

“Seems like they’re some tough cookies.”

As I was talking with Mephisto, Daji interjected with irritation.

“Enough with the idle chatter. Let’s move now. Time is wasting!”

“No, we should know what we’re dealing with first…”

“And what good will that do? They’re all just gonna be torn to shreds anyway!”

“…….”

I had no comeback and scratched my head. Then, I turned to Mephisto.

“Mephisto. Transport us as close as possible to the Heavenly Altar at Mount Hua.”

Boom!!

A moment later, we were suddenly standing near the peak overlooking the Heavenly Altar at Mount Hua. The instant we appeared atop the peak, I sensed that something was off with the surroundings.

Whoosh—

Creeeak! Creeeak!!

In the swirling dark clouds of the chaotic heaven, something massive, resembling a jellyfish, was floating in the air. Larger than a mountain, this jellyfish had round glowing orbs drifting like souls, releasing tentacles into the surrounding area, which was covered in the jagged exoskeletons of alien civilizations seemingly fused with the tentacles.

And from the iron-like surface of the aliens devouring the land, thick red bubbles began to rise, and I could scarcely believe my eyes as grotesque quadrupedal monsters dashed about all around the volcano.

“……!!”

Clearly, the alien civilization was giving off a foul vibe!

Just seeing that would cause a regular human’s mental strength to shatter, and I stood in a daze for a moment. I had anticipated that the aliens flying in from the other side of the galaxy would appear strange, but their appearance was downright jarring.

The first to act was Daji.

[Hmph…. They’re all just bugs, so it doesn’t even matter which one’s more disgusting.]

Guuu-dooooom!!

Daji’s magic erupted forth. She twisted violently, transforming gradually into a half-demon, half-human being, resembling a dark being that was part nine-tailed fox.

[I’m going first!]

Boom!

Moments later, Daji dashed through the air faster than sound, clawing through the sky and simultaneously ripping the massive jellyfish bigger than the mountain to shreds. As an explosion sounded, thousands of electrifying sparks erupted from the jellyfish, and grotesque alien races filled the sky.

Squeak!

Kyaaaahh!

[Ahh ha ha ha…!!]

Boom!!

Daji swung her nine tails, leisurely massacring everything that ran toward her. Watching this scene unfold, Dae Jo Young couldn’t help but murmur.

“Hm… Where on earth did she gain that endless magic?”

“Seems she may have eaten the Ten Heavenly Generals.”

“That could be, but even that alone wouldn’t grant such power.”

Upon Dae Jo Young’s words, I felt a chill go down my spine.

“Right now, Daji is in a half-demon state, and she’s not even using 10% of her power. Yet she’s already dominating those demon races.”

“Not even using 10%?”

“It’s enough to deal with these little nuisances when in half-demon mode.”

“…….”

“The power of her true form is unimaginable. I can’t believe she managed to negotiate with such monsters earlier.”

That was true.

KROOOAAAAAHHH—

Suddenly, the Rakil race summoned thousands of teleportation arrays, and from them, spacecrafts of a far-off dimension began to pour out. As their leading crafts opened fire with blinding beams, all of the blasts zeroed in on Daji.

Boom wham!

With explosive reverberations reminiscent of continent-shaking blasts, Daji’s magic echoed through the heavens.

[Ahh ha ha ha ha!!! Bugs, if dying is your wish, I’ll unleash my tails!]

Five-tailed Liberation

Phantom Fox

In the midst of furious artillery fire, Daji’s half-demon form gradually grew larger, inching ever closer to the appearance of a fox, absorbing the power of all beams as they fired at her. By the time her transformation completed, a translucent fox figure emerged, and Daji’s eyes glimmered with bloodlust.

[You all shall die madly!]

The moment those words left her lips, something unexpected occurred.

WOOOAAAAAH—

A bizarre distortion rippled across the surface of the alien spacecraft, almost like droplets of water bouncing. From the ships emerged strange alien entities writhing out, only to twist and contort grotesquely, shrieking in agony as they fell dead.

Kyaaaaaa!!

Gggaaazzzaaahhh!!

Even witnessing the massacre of countless alien beings with my two eyes left me in disbelief. Dae Jo Young, watching alongside me, said,

[Phantasmal Death! A power of mental corruption. But if the sacrificial races are protected by the Old Ruler, their mental defenses must be hundreds of times stronger than a human’s, yet they’re being cut down like paper!]

Booom!

The alien ships began to explode, and the monsters on the ground were driven to madness by the influence of phantasmal deaths, ceasing all combat. I realized that what was happening now didn’t even reflect half of Daji’s true abilities and swallowed hard.

‘Seriously… she’s ridiculously powerful.’

A force potent enough that even the Old Ruler wouldn’t stand a chance against it.

Dae Jo Young’s previous inquiry was utterly justified.

Where on earth did she gain such insane levels of magic?

I sensed a secret hidden within Daji, but I also felt something unusual.

“Hmm…. What’s that?”

Guuu-dooom!!

Even as Daji continued to massacre aliens, a golden orb emerged from the mountain’s slope, radiating brilliant light. I seemed to be the first to notice it, so I used the Fire Eye Golden Spirit technique to observe the light more closely.

Zuuuu—

‘Divine Power! Plus a gathering of aliens… ugh!!’

As my vision sharpened, I almost hurled at the sight before me.

Human flesh!!

Or rather, it would be more accurate to describe it as ‘something’ that looked like human sashimi. Intestines and bones were neatly arranged, and there were unmistakably human sacrifices lined up. But it would have been less nauseating had they just been corpses. The problem was that the faces of those sacrifices were still intact and even alive.

‘Evil magic!!’

It seemed the Rakil race was an evil race that had simultaneously developed science and sorcery.

The reason they had disassembled the humans like sashimi while keeping them alive was crystal clear.

They were packaging their inferior race, human sacrifices, for the Old Ruler’s ease of consumption!

The fact that the number hit in the thousands made it painfully clear that all the humans living in this area had been offered up as sacrifices to the Rakil race. It was apparent that those monsters saw us humans as little more than livestock, willing to commit such heinous acts without a second thought.

Gooooogle—

Amidst the heap of human sacrifices, I spotted a massive, one-eyed alien that seemed to be the Rakil high priest stirring a rod or something, concentrating its divine power. With each flick of the staff, the sashimi-like humans let out anguished cries.

Kyaaaaaah!!

Aaaaah!!

As the hellscape unfolded, powerful energy began to collect at the altar where the alien priest stood, flowing in like a river. I recognized the moment I saw this power for what it was—divine power. I realized what the altar before me was.

And I shouted to Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong standing nearby.

“Follow me!! We need to seize the Heavenly Altar!!”

Without a doubt.

This was the Heavenly Altar at Mount Hua!

The aliens were offering sacrifices to summon their worshipped Old Ruler through the Heavenly Altar!

“Alright!”

[Got it!]

Boom!

The three of us took flight almost simultaneously toward the location of the Heavenly Altar on the opposite side. Almost instantaneously, we arrived and began slashing down the aliens that guarded the altar.

Slash!

Having sliced through dozens of tentacled aliens with the Thunder Sword, I suddenly felt a transparent beam shoot out from an empty location. I reflexively dodged using the Three Treasure Technique and narrowly avoided falling into a trap leading to a void.

An A-Space sorcery?!

WHOOSH—

“Ugh, damn it!”

In a split second, I reinforced the Intent Heavenly Pillar and sliced through the space entirely before I could be caught in the trap. However, I realized that had I been any slower, I would have become a time-space wanderer, making my heart race.

‘Damn…. I thought these guys were on a similar level as the Partelquians, but it seems the lord-level aliens are on a whole different tier!’

I never imagined they’d be able to toy with time and space at the mortal level. The level of sorcery or magic, as well as science, felt leagues apart. Dealing with foes like these demands not just simple attack power but thorough defensive capabilities to counter unexpected ambushes, yet martial arts aren’t exactly made for that, leaving me feeling uneasy.

“But…. then I’ll just respond in kind!”

Whoosh!

I immediately retrieved Water and Fire and crossed them together.

‘The Infinite Slash might work, but the Seven Luminaries are much more suited for breaking dimensional barriers!’

I glared at the one-eyed priest of the Rakil race right in front of me and shouted.

“Seven Luminaries Resonance!!”

Koooon!!

Next moment, the power of the Seven Luminaries amplified, creating a massive wave. I could feel the great divine power generating from the portions of Water and Fire combined into the power of the Seven Luminaries, and I felt an exhilarating rush from the long-lost resonance technique.

The paired light waves generated by the Seven Luminaries flew toward the priest. The priest swung his staff in defense, revealing a gigantic, invisible wall as it executed a muffled sound.

Guuugugugu….

‘He’s quite the sorcerer…!!’

Outwardly, it seemed like the distance between us was merely fifty paces, nearly close enough to sever his head with a single leap. But in reality, he’d set up over ten layers of dimensional barriers, requiring me to cross multiple thresholds before reaching him. I felt it too dangerous to break through those layers solely through martial arts, which is why I had activated the Two Luminaries Resonance technique. Assessing the level of sorcery he employed made it clear he was at least at the Great Immortal level, and I was realizing how tricky this would be.

‘Rakil. Truly a powerful alien race…’

They’d obliterate the human race a hundred times over without breaking a sweat. At this level, they must surely be the ones who dominate galaxies.

But even such beings were regarded as Tier 2.5—it felt like a nightmare world where the long-hidden evil powers simultaneously appeared on Earth.

That was the end days!

Boom!!

[Wooooahhh…!!]

However, no matter how great a Great Immortal-level sorcerer he was, he couldn’t withstand the advance of the Two Luminaries Resonance. The sorcerous wall he briefly resisted shattered in an instant, and the priest screamed before being instantly engulfed by the light waves and erased from existence.

Shhh—

Then the evil divine power that was flooding the Heavenly Altar ceased, and the surrounding Rakil sorcerers started panicking, running in all directions. Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong began hunting down the fleeing aliens.

“You evil bastards! I’ll slay you all!”

[I’m in too!]

Boom!

As Dae Jo Young gleefully charged in, slaying the alien races atop his black horse, I approached the Heavenly Altar. My eyes fell on the living human sacrifices strewn about nearby, and I gazed at them with a heavy heart.

“…Such a tragedy. At the very least, let me send you off without suffering. Come forth, Book of Life and Death!”

Boom!

I summoned the Book of Life and Death without delay.

“Thank goodness!”

Even in this alien underworld, I could summon the Book of Life and Death.

But this Book of Life and Death seemed far older and more worn than the one from my world.

‘As expected, this world’s underworld isn’t functioning correctly… and it’s in much worse shape.’

At this rate, even if those human sacrifices died, they’d just become vengeful spirits, suffering exceedingly. I bit my lip and commanded the Book of Life and Death.

“Book of Life and Death, grant peace to the souls of those gathered here.”

Woooon—

And soon, the faces of all the sacrifices relaxed as they breathed their last. After all, bringing them back to life was impossible, and this was the best I could offer them. I then prepared to dispel even the weathered Book of Life and Death and climbed to the top of the Heavenly Altar.

‘There’s sufficient divine power collected here.’

With this level of power, I should be able to activate the divine sorcerer rituals with the help of Gong Gong, who is versatile in divine techniques, even without any additional sacrifices.

I gazed up at the battlefield in the heavens. While we had seized the Heavenly Altar, Daji was still leisurely annihilating the Rakil race using her Five-tailed Phantom Kill technique. With Daji’s victory all but assured, I realized that my task now lay with the Heavenly Altar.

“Hmm, what to do…”

Having prevented the summoning of the Old Ruler, two choices lay before me.

One was to begin offering sacrifices here to activate the Heavenly Altar and reach Mount Kunlun.

The other was to summon Shao Hao Jin Tian to locate the Gold Luminary.

‘Logically, summoning Shao Hao first would be better. After learning the Gold Luminary’s whereabouts, then heading to Kunlun would be cleaner. But…’

Are these really the only two choices I have?

Things were unfolding in order, but once again, I sensed that I might be missing something.

Is there potentially a better use option?

“…….”

Wait a second… could it be?

‘Yeah… the Heavenly Altar isn’t the only one here. So from my position, I need to check that!’

About one meal later, the dark clouds of the heavens began to dissipate. This meant the Rakil race had realized they couldn’t defeat Daji and were retreating all their forces. Daji, Dae Jo Young, and Gong Gong began walking toward the Heavenly Altar where I stood.

Daji spoke.

“Alright, let’s summon Shao Hao Jin Tian. Since he’s Fuxi’s disciple, I’m sure you can summon him easily.”

“…….”

“What are you waiting for?”

“No, that’s not happening.”

Daji furrowed her brow.

“What did you say? We agreed to find the Gold Luminary’s location.”

“I came up with a better plan.”

“A better plan?”

I smirked at Daji and said, “I’m going to summon Yu Shun.”