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560——————==

Dark Heaven Village

The next day, I visited Master Mangnyang.

‘Is it because Cheon Woo-jin isn’t here? It feels so deserted.’

Since Cheon Woo-jin was currently recruiting with the obsidian he received, I could enter Master Mangnyang’s village without any hassle. As I walked inward for a while, I realized it was about time and shouted, “Master Mangnyang! I have something to say!”

Swoosh

Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep sleep and found myself on the familiar path where I usually met Master Mangnyang. This time, he appeared in the form of a black cat, walking toward me from beyond the path.

[You’ve called Yeodong-bin again.]

Sure enough, beside me was Yeodong-bin’s soul, summoned once more. I had invited him into this dream space just before descending into sleep again. Yeodong-bin looked rather displeased, his expression stiff as a board.

Master Mangnyang asked me,

[What brings you here this time?]

“I figured you might already know.”

Master Mangnyang’s cat-like eyes stared at me emotionlessly.

[Speak it out loud. Don’t get too caught up in your own words.]

I nodded and replied, “I want to know more about Taehuh and Chaos! And how to fuse them too.”

[Why do you want to know that?]

At Master Mangnyang’s counter-question, I shot Yeodong-bin a glance and said, “Well, you haven’t told me anything about the Martial God, and I feel like I need to know the method to become stronger than a god in the future!”

Honestly, right after having a conversation with Lee Cheong-un yesterday, I summoned Yeodong-bin to pry into the secrets of the Martial God, Taehuh, and Saguk. However, Yeodong-bin had remained silent, practically ignoring me, leaving me with no clues. After spending so long with him, it felt a bit disappointing when he wouldn’t share anything.

Then Master Mangnyang said,

[You want to become stronger than a god… do you understand what that means?]

I answered confidently, “It means that if I use the Seven Luminaries in the future, I can beat those ‘Old Rulers.’ If I amplify the power of the Seven Luminaries with the fused strength of Chaos and Taehuh, it will definitely be possible!”

[……]

Master Mangnyang slowly approached and leapt up onto the roof. Then, curling up like a dumpling, he yawned.

[It’s possible.]

Yes!

I internally cheered. Though I had shouted it boldly, I was still unsure if it could actually happen. But now I had received confirmation from Master Mangnyang, a divine being on the same level as the Old Rulers! As I clenched my fist, Master Mangnyang continued,

[It’s strange, but I can sense enough cause and effect from you. For someone who hasn’t even lived a hundred years, the amounts of cause and effect present in you are hundreds of times that of an ordinary human. But I won’t question it and will tell you about Chaos and Taehuh.]

“Wait, so I don’t need to offer an offering?”

What’s up with this guy?

I had actually brought more than half of my treasures for this negotiation. Depending on the situation, I was even ready to offer everything after consulting with Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang yesterday, stuffing the wooden armor full of treasures. But now Master Mangnyang was saying he’d give me information without any cost.

Seeing my confusion, Master Mangnyang wagged his tail.

[There’s no need to be surprised. If there exists enough cause and effect, it’s also a reflection of Cause and Effect principles for me to give you information. It’s merely a logical connection, a part of the flow of destiny.]

“… Don’t use such difficult words! You’re just making my head hurt.”

I scratched my head irritably. That guy had this peculiar talent for infuriating people with his occasionally incomprehensible talk. Master Mangnyang slowly opened his mouth.

[Chaos is…]

“……”

[……]

“……”

[……]

What’s going on?

Why’s he suddenly gone quiet?

I stared at Master Mangnyang as he halted mid-sentence, feeling flustered, but shortly after, he said something bewildering.

[I’m hungry…]

“Huh?”

Master Mangnyang got up and looked at me.

[Hurry up and give me a snack.]

“What… Didn’t you say you didn’t need offerings?”

I yelled in surprise, but Master Mangnyang responded with more confusing words.

[That’s different. Currently, I have manifested in a manner that is perceived through your recognition from the myriad possibilities in multiple dimensions. My nature leans heavily toward that of a cat, so I want some snacks. It’s an unavoidable situation since I chose to manifest in a dream to avoid the side effects of cause and effect.]

“Wait, what now?”

I felt a strong gaze from Master Mangnyang locking onto me.

[So, give me my snack.]

I turned to look at Yeodong-bin beside me. He spoke up reluctantly.

[Why are you looking at me, Yeon-ja?]

“Has the Sword Saint ever had this kind of experience with Master Mangnyang?”

[He didn’t look like that when I met him.]

“What do we do?”

[Just figure it out.]

Damn it… Does that mean he won’t help?!

With no choice, I started rummaging through all kinds of stuff I had stashed inside the wooden armor. When I pulled out the pork I had been saving, Master Mangnyang sniffed at it for a moment and then grimaced.

[I don’t like pork.]

“Uh… what am I supposed to do?”

[Are you not going to give me a snack then…?]

Master Mangnyang turned his head sharply, sounding rather disappointed.

I felt frantic and shouted, “Just wait a minute!”

What do cats like again?

I panicked and continued digging through my wooden armor.

‘Huh? Why did I put this in here…’

I suddenly found a chicken leg I had inexplicably stashed away, presumably for when I needed a snack after drinking heavily last time.

“How about this?”

[Hmm… This is good.]

Master Mangnyang seemed satisfied as he extended his paw and began to munch down on the chicken leg slowly.

Success!

I gave a snack to Master Mangnyang!

Enjoying the chicken leg for a while seemed to put him in a good mood, and he opened his mouth.

[Chaos is the ‘Father’ and the source of this world. It is the very foundation that fills the entire universe. All races in this world, whether in abundance or scarcity, possess Chaos, and the gods do as well.]

“Everyone hasChaos?”

[Yes. Even the smallest creatures inherently possess Chaos.]

Master Mangnyang continued his explanation.

[And Taehuh is the ‘String.’]

“A string?”

[The string of Cause and Effect. That string is also the smallest thing in the world.]

“What does that mean? What’s the string got to do with anything?”

Then Master Mangnyang stared at me with that penetrating gaze of his and said,

[Cause and Effect means that if there is a cause, then there is a result. It’s a state where causation connects and the string connecting them is called “Inyeon,” and everything is born and perishes within this connection.]

“……”

[Taehuh exists as Qi in its usual state, but when unravels, it returns to the ‘String of Cause and Effect.’]

I was lost. Why was it so hard to comprehend Chaos and Taehuh?

I was sweating profusely from the difficulty of the explanation and responded, “Um… it’s too hard for me. Can’t you explain it simply?”

[Just wait.]

With that, Master Mangnyang leisurely started to gnaw at the chicken leg to the bone. After some time of slurping satisfyingly, he pushed aside the bones and continued.

[For humans to integrate Chaos and Taehuh, it’s not that difficult. From the very beginning, you are a race born from Chaos, and anyone can possess Taehuh. Therefore, if you grasp these basic conditions, even a newborn child should be able to attempt the merger of Chaos and Taehuh.]

“Really?!”

[That’s correct. It’s also true there’s a way to surpass the gods. Because you can reach the Void and transcend the limits of your kind.]

My heart raced.

“Teach me how to do it!”

Finally… Finally, I may have found a way to bridge the desperate gap between me and the gods!

Even if I couldn’t entirely surpass a god, just gaining power comparable to that of my past sect leader would fill me with great confidence. Because if I could amplify my strength using the Seven Luminaries, I might just hurt those guys.

If I could unleash that potential, I would definitely sail smoothly in my reincarnation adventure!

Whoosh

Master Mangnyang raised his front paw and suddenly conjured a glowing orb.

[Now, gather the inner Chaos, and connect to Cause and Effect through Taehuh. That’s how the fusion is completed.]

“……”

[It’s really easy.]

“Oh, no! You need to tell me how to do that!”

[Hmph.]

Master Mangnyang dispelled the glowing orb and spoke.

[Come to think of it, gods can see the world of Cause and Effect directly, so it’s easy for them, but it would be impossible for mortals. For you mortals to reach this level, three training methods will be required.]

“Three?”

[Firstly, you must feel the Chaos you possess and be able to move it freely. Secondly, you should deconstruct Qi down to the basics until it transforms into Taehuh and be able to sense it and move it at will. Lastly, you’ll need a mental strength sturdy enough to withstand the vast Void at the moment of fusion.]

“……”

I gaped at him.

“How do you even feel what Chaos is and move it?”

[Chaos is inherently present in you humans, but as the lowest race in the universe, it is only an extremely minimal amount. You need to increase your amount of Chaos until you grasp it as if a fish swims in water.]

“So… how do I decompose Qi into Taehuh?”

[Chaos has the property of decomposing Qi. By condensing overwhelming Chaos, Qi will cease to exist in that space, leaving only the smallest essence, Taehuh.]

“Hmm.”

I could somewhat comprehend Master Mangnyang’s explanation. And I came to a conclusion.

‘So, the only one who has achieved the fusion is the Master of the White Lotus Sect!’

According to Master Mangnyang, there was one absolute condition to realizing the fusion.

You must possess overwhelming power of Chaos within your body!

You had to be submerged within great Chaos to feel and manipulate it, and likewise, the amount of Chaos you have must exceed the norm to deconstruct Qi and revert it into Taehuh. To meet this condition, one must have the power of overwhelming Chaos, and the only person in the world who possessed that much was the Master of the White Lotus Sect, who could borrow infinite power from the Throne of Chaos using the Primordial Spirit! That’s why only the Master of the White Lotus Sect achieved the transcendence of fusion.

Even the Great Immortal probably couldn’t achieve this enlightenment, could he? It was a secret of the world that only the Master of the White Lotus Sect, having formed an agreement with Chaos, could grasp.

I cautiously asked Master Mangnyang, “Then… if I achieve the fusion, how long will it take to be on par with the Three Sovereigns?”

[Quite a long time.]

“So how long exactly?”

[Training in the fusion’s realm means that you’re honing the sacredness of Chaos within a mortal’s body to become a god. It will need at least hundreds of years, and it might even take thousands of years before you can become useful in the world of gods.]

Master Mangnyang twirled his tail and continued, [To fight evenly with the true essences of the Three Sovereigns, you will need to train for at least tens of thousands of years.]

“……”

What is this? Is he messing with me?!

Those words crawled up my throat. But given that I had directly felt the overwhelming power possessed by the true essences of the Three Sovereigns, I had no choice but to acknowledge it, even amidst despair. The power of these absolute gods, who could wipe out humanity at any moment if they wanted, wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

‘No. I can’t give up just yet…’

Even if it would take tens of thousands of years to build up that simple training period, it doesn’t necessarily have to be like that. Because I have the Seven Luminaries. Even if it’s just a fraction of the Three Sovereigns’ power, using the Seven Luminaries to amplify my strength might allow me to inflict wounds on them!

While I was secretly elated to have gained such a significant clue, Master Mangnyang glanced at Yeodong-bin and muttered.

[Well, it seems there are other methods too…]

“Huh?”

Under Master Mangnyang’s gaze, Yeodong-bin offered no reply. He just let out a short sigh.

I pressed on with my questions. “Master Mangnyang, I currently possess the Spirit Power of Jeon Wook. Can this also be considered Chaos?”

[It’s a power that has been refined once, not pure Chaos. Jeon Wook, being one who wears a mask, couldn’t display his pure Chaos. Thus, it would be an exaggeration to call that Chaos itself.]

“Is it not possible, then?”

[If your power reaches its peak and breaks through the boundaries, there might be a possibility.]

“I see.”

Then it would mean that if I experienced death 13 times at most, I too could feel and manipulate the essence of Chaos. Because to reach a level where the Spirit Power reaches its peak and breaks the boundaries of techniques, I need to absorb Spirit Power from Jeon Wook’s statue.

No, surely there could be numerous methods!

I suddenly felt a rush of optimism about the future and my mood lifted. I had toiled to reach the Absolute Realm, and now it seemed clear the path ahead was laid out wide.

While I was gloating, Master Mangnyang slowly stood up and began to vanish beyond the path.

[The snack was delicious. Prepare chicken legs next time…]

Moments later, I woke up from my dream. Just as I was about to turn back, I suddenly froze.

“……!!”

In front of Yeodong-bin’s shrine.

The Sword Saint, Yeodong-bin, had manifested in the material world. This was a manifestation that had occurred without my consent, relying solely on the power he had accumulated as the Great Immortal. Until now, he had never manifested voluntarily during my reincarnation, so I could only be astonished.

Yeodong-bin stood silently in front of the shrine, gazing at it, before opening his mouth.

“Yeon-ja.”

“W-why do you call me?”

Then Yeodong-bin turned toward me and said, “Are you trying to become a monster to catch monsters?”

“……?”

“… If you can save humanity by any means, what does it matter…”

There was a certain lament in Yeodong-bin’s voice as he continued, “However, I, Yeodong-bin, shall reserve my judgment of you…”

Swoosh

With those final words, Yeodong-bin returned to the celestial realm. Of course, as our connection still lingered, he would come whenever called, but for some reason, an uneasy feeling washed over me. I felt a heart-sinking anxiety that Yeodong-bin would no longer converse with me.

“Huh?”

I suddenly noticed something being offered inside the shrine and approached it.

Inside the dark and narrow shrine of Yeodong-bin, there lay a rusty iron sword. It looked as if it could crumble any moment. I picked it up and swung it, but it felt as old and useless as it looked. I feared that one wrong move with my internal force could snap it in half.

‘Who offered such a thing to Yeodong-bin?’

As a weapon, it was utterly worthless. Who would offer a useless sword to Yeodong-bin?

Yet somehow, I felt that the recently manifested Yeodong-bin might have been keenly observing this sword.

“… Should I head back?”

Leaving the old sword inside Yeodong-bin’s shrine, I turned back to Jangryeong Valley.

Now that I had grasped a clue, all that remained was to become stronger.

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