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“What have I gotten into?”

As I activated the Palace Examination Technique, it felt like my senses were stretching across an endless sea of darkness, searching for a single ray of light. The spirit of the National Seal synchronized with me, transferring my senses to a distant land, and soon, I felt like I was viewing the entire Luoyang from hundreds of miles above.

Then, I sensed a strange shadow casting a dark cloud over all of Luoyang—a gigantic something.

It looked like a weird mashup of octopus, dragon, and human – whatever it was, it gave me the creeps. I realized that the dark presence I saw just moments ago was now right above Luoyang. Wanting to share this sense, I reached for my obsidian while keeping the Palace Examination active, but Zhuge Sa next to me slapped my hand away, looking horrified.

“Stop it.”

“Why? I’m just trying to relay what I see to you all through the obsidian…”

“Hahaha! You really want to drive everyone insane?”

Zhuge Sa’s fierce expression twisted into panic. It hit me then. Zhuge Sa knew what the [Old Ruler] appearing above Luoyang was. They were convinced that common humans lose their sanity upon witnessing the true nature of such beings. I was fine thanks to my bizarre mental defenses, but others wouldn’t be.

But seriously, could even the top experts be driven mad just by looking at this thing?

“… What is that?”

“I don’t know what you’re seeing, but… that might be the destination of your journey.”

Zhuge Sa trembled, his eyes flickering with terror and madness.

“Please… Be careful.”

Just peeking with the Palace Examination might be enough to draw disaster.

While I contemplated this, the situation in Luoyang started to shift dramatically.

The brain clouds briefly turned red, descending something unidentifiable.

‘Language…?’

From the clouds, incomprehensible whispers drifted down like spores. It might sound absurd to describe an intangible existence as language, but I could feel the [Old Ruler]’s will manifesting in metaphysical dimensions being conveyed to me.

This might be the effect of the National Seal’s Palace Examination.

It interprets the language of [Old Rulers] and great beings, stuff that’s beyond mere mortals’ comprehension! It’s probably why Shao Hao Jin Tian, who created the National Seal, also possessed divine translation powers.

As I listened, the clouds produced only a gross, unpleasant sound, leaving the ordinary folks in Luoyang screaming in terror. Clearly, no one could understand this language.

But to me, the descending language was translated and understood.

[My things are here]

It was clumsy yet undeniably a clear intent. At the same moment, flames erupted suddenly in the streets of Luoyang.

These flames were ignited by humans. Chaos and destruction quickly spread, blood coloring the streets as dark winds howled. Screams filled the air along with scenes of horrific slaughter. Humanity was obliterated, and law and order fell apart.

It was a gruesome scene, yet I couldn’t help but think.

‘Is it because they couldn’t understand that language?’

Only the will of a higher existence was transmitted, and humanity’s minds just couldn’t handle it, succumbing to madness to protect themselves. It wasn’t like the [Old Ruler] used any powers; mere words drove millions into a frenzy, turning them into mindless killers.

Flash!

The brain clouds collided with something and sparked. They flickered several times before calming down, likely having failed to penetrate into Luoyang. Observing this, I pieced together the situation.

‘Battle Ground!’

There had been a Battle Ground established since ancient times in Luoyang, likely set up by Master Mangnyang. With a massive demon sealed within Luoyang, this was the one and only barrier that could even restrain an [Old Ruler].

Moments later, the entire Imperial Palace collapsed, the ground sinking beneath it.

Crack!

From where the palace stood, something like a giant frog’s hand sprang up from the underground. That massive hand slowly reached toward the surface and began lifting its body.

It revealed itself to be a monster with a toad-like head and a fuzzy, stout body.

But it was more than just a frog or toad; it bore features of other bizarre creatures too. I’d seen plenty of grotesque beings before, but this one made my eyes ache.

“Ugh.”

“Baek Woong, are you okay?”

Mangnyang asked worriedly, but I couldn’t respond. It felt like my eyes were being pricked by needles!

Why is it so painful?!

Then Zhuge Sa chimed in.

“Don’t look at the essence of a god. No matter how potent the Palace Examination is, it can still incur their wrath.”

“I got it.”

It appeared that looking directly at the [Old Ruler] through the Palace Examination would expose me to damages caused by the innate curse surrounding it. And to think I was merely using a divine artifact from afar, but the [Old Ruler]’s power seemed unfathomable.

At the same time, I raced to deduce the ‘toad’s’ identity.

‘It’s Enkai’s Sleeper!!’

The hidden puppet master of the Imperial Palace, a powerful [Old Ruler], and also an intermediary managing the ancient demon forces of the Demon Subduing Hall! I hadn’t seen that overwhelming presence revealed to the world, but I’d never forgotten the grandeur of its appearance.

The toad’s gaze slowly turned to the heavenly clouds, then shot a message across.

[Return to your realm of fear. Is there chaos here?]

Kiing!

It was bizarre. With its words, the temporary frenzy that had swept the ground lifted, as if the humans regained their senses. They couldn’t believe the horror they had unleashed upon each other, screaming in chaos; but for the two divine beings, it seemed like a welcome sight.

From this distance, I understood the [Old Ruler]’s gaze through the Palace Examination.

To them, humans were nothing but bugs.

Oooooo—

The brain clouds started to churn, expanding in all directions.

The ancient dragon reached for the heavens.

Time itself began to swirl around its hand. Amidst the dark abyss, the Constellation glowed majestically, and the daylight sky rapidly darkened. Day turned into night.

“Oh, no?!”

Darkness approached even the Jangryeong Valley at last. Surely, something was changing with the being in the cloud, reversing day and night from Luoyang. Watching this unimaginable spectacle unfold, I hurriedly asked Cheon Woo-jin.

“Cheon Woo-jin! Is this like the pinnacle of the Peaceful Magic?…”

“Ugh… Ugh…”

Cheon Woo-jin’s usual confident and arrogant demeanor had vanished, replaced by sheer horror and despair, thick beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. As he dropped to his knees, he shouted.

“This is wrong…!! How could such a thing appear… This world is over…!!”

Cheon Woo-jin knelt down, howling in anguish.

“Gah!”

Then, as if the Heart Demon pressed its advantage, he started spitting blood! Maybe reaching the height of the magic got him to understand the gap between us and the appearing [Old Ruler]? Even though Cheon Woo-jin could be considered one of the most powerful sorcerers in the realm, it seemed his spirit was completely broken.

Mangnyang quickly grabbed Cheon Woo-jin’s hand to comfort him.

“Priest! Calm down! That existence hasn’t attacked us yet…”

“It’s meaningless! It’s all meaningless…!! Ugh, do you even know what just happened, older brother?”

“I’m not sure. Just that day and night have reversed.”

Everyone fell into shock at Cheon Woo-jin’s words.

“That existence… altered the physical laws of this world with the power of the Constellation! It’s already flipped the world axis, with Yin consuming Yang. I never thought something like that was possible!! To fight against such a being? Really?”

“……!!”

“The Peaceful Magic? Don’t joke around!! How could that even compare… Damn it… damn it…”

With tears freely flowing, Cheon Woo-jin remained kneeling, unable to rise. That the most objectively powerful member of our group would be the first to lose motivation was beyond anyone’s expectation, throwing everyone into silence. The one observing the situation calmly was Lee Cheong-un, who quietly spoke while gazing at the dark sky.

“… If the gods have changed the laws, there must be a reason behind it. Baek Woong, what do you think that reason is?”

“Hmm…”

I pondered. From our previous conversation, it seemed the dragon-like [Old Ruler] wanted something that existed in Luoyang and demanded it for itself, while the Sleeper rejected that request. Consequently, as Cheon Woo-jin stated, it rewrote the laws of the world and flipped the order of the realms.

“It seems to want to demonstrate its power…”

The darkness continued to twist and loom larger while the ground in Luoyang cracked and trembled. These tremors weren’t limited to Luoyang; even from the heavens, the ground visibly swelled and sank repeatedly.

Crack…

As Luoyang collapsed, the brain clouds intermittently struck down bolts of lightning. Each flash seemed to have “words” mixed in, almost compelling the Sleeper. The overwhelming darkness that shrouded the world seemed to claim that it belonged to it as the being inside the brain clouds began to unfurl its bat-like wings.

Turning its back on the moon, the entity in the brain clouds fully manifested its colossal form.

As I stared, I murmured.

“That’s the Evil God.”

The being that would wipe out humanity five hundred years later and resurrect the [Old Ruler]!

As the Evil God unleashed tremendous powers that pressed against the Battle Ground, the barrier began to crack and splinter. The toad resting in the palace seemed aware or unaware of this, staring at the sky with its lumpy eyes before suddenly yelling.

[The seal is connected. You cannot break it without the power; it will wound the Divine!]

Then, as if to mock, the Evil God intensified its power, causing the Palace Examination to feel eruptions of volcanoes and boiling geysers from across the Central Plains. The reversal of Yin and Yang wasn’t a lie; numerous great demons started manifesting unexpectedly, and dark beings began crawling out from everywhere.

The Evil God glared menacingly with its darkened eyes and responded.

[Once the seal is broken, I shall erase you forever, that fool too.]

Seeing this, I finally deciphered the intent of the Evil God.

‘M-Mental!’

The purpose of the Evil God’s appearance was twofold:

One was to eliminate Enkai’s Sleeper, who possessed the Portrait Immortal’s Law of Cause and Effect.

The other was to shatter the Battle Ground in Luoyang and annihilate the demons sealed within it!

This was an act only possible by a being steeped in power and absolute self-confidence. But at that moment, a question arose in my mind.

‘Wait? If the Sleeper possesses the Law of Cause and Effect, how can the Evil God act so boldly?’

I quickly turned to Zhuge Sa.

“Zhuge Sa!”

“Hehe, quickly send the memories!”

I felt a touch of guilt, knowing that only Zhuge Sa, already enveloped in madness, could accept this chaotic knowledge. Though anyone else would feel a weight of despair so deep it would drive them to suicide; I still felt sorry for him.

Crack!

Zhuge Sa contemplated the horrifying scene through the obsidian and said, “It’s split in half…”

“Split?”

“Two [Old Rulers] have consumed the Portrait Immortal in half. It’s likely that the contract has always been thus; it’s what the Vermilion Bird intended.”

“So, both of them are currently in a state of acquiring half of the Law of Cause and Effect?”

Zhuge Sa nodded.

“Both are greedy. But the Evil God is the more avaricious one, wanting to destroy Enkai’s Sleeper and claim the other half. Plus, destroy the Battle Ground…”

“Is that even possible? Aren’t they both [Old Rulers] of the same rank?”

I questioned with puzzlement as he shook his head.

“There’s a gap. In my view, this is entirely possible for the current Evil God. Also, it’s not uncommon for [Old Rulers] to kill each other off.”

“But they should be tied by blood as products of chaos.”

“What use is blood to a god? That’s just a human perspective; they are embodiments of ultimate selves and selfishness, free of guilt.”

……”

Now I understood the situation. I urged Zhuge Sa:

“Alright. If we want to prevent the Evil God from winning, we need to involve the Three Sovereigns, right?”

“… We’ll have to see, but…”

Zhuge Sa sighed.

“The resolution might come before that.”

“Uh-oh!”

Suddenly, my sensings from the Palace Examination shifted wildly, causing me to shout.

Crack, crack, crack…

Luoyang Castle had completely collapsed, and probably less than one-tenth of the populace remained alive. Chaos after chaos, earthquakes and fires piled upon each other, resulting in about ninety percent of the populace turning into blood clots. Despite this, Enkai’s Sleeper sat firmly in the palace, chanting spells to attack the ominous entity hovering above.

Bang!

But the invisible barrier that surrounded the Evil God easily nullified that attack. The Evil God raised its hand dramatically and swung downwards.

Crash!

[Oh oh oh…]

The scream of a divine being!

Like a corpse frog trembling, the Sleeper seemed to take a heavy hit as its left arm severed away. I couldn’t tell what exactly happened, but the Evil God could inflict damage on an [Old Ruler], with powers that disregarded the Battle Ground. The Evil God fluttered its bat wings and spewed out commands into the air.

[I have received the decree from the King of Kings.]

[Nonsense…]

[The ancient decree is in my hand, hence you cannot be my foe.]

The King of Kings?

The ancient decree?

It sounded bizarre, but there seemed to be tremendous strength behind those commands as the Battle Ground started to shake and fracture around me. As the Evil God unleashed its power, the Battle Ground, maintained for thousands of years, teetered on the verge of destruction.

If the Battle Ground falls – the most catastrophic demon would be released.

Could the Evil God even eliminate that existence?

While I watched this unfolding disaster, silver light suddenly enveloped the vicinity of the Battle Ground and began to shine brightly. It burst forth with an astonishing event.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The once-ruined Luoyang, where millions had perished, began to restore as if time had reversed. It dawned upon me that this was the ‘Time Recovery’ ability I had witnessed earlier through the divine being.

But it had only targeted individuals—could it truly restore the entire Luoyang?

Everything, whether life or material, seemed to bend to its will! However, the damage inflicted by a god cannot be restored, and Enkai’s Sleeper appeared to still be in a disoriented state.

As I gaped in disbelief, a dark, shadowy fog appeared beyond the silver light, taking on a face-like form. Its eerie, white, eyeless visage turned toward the Evil God as it spoke.

[Now is not the time of revelation.]

Who could this being be?

Then, the Evil God stopped its barrage and faced the figure.

[Oh existence trembling in the heavens, do not obstruct me.]

[I will obstruct you.]

[Who has commanded you to lay your guard?]

The Evil God asked back, but it looked oddly anxious. The presence remained silent, returning no answer. As the standoff lingered, the Evil God suddenly chanted a spell.

[Die!]

With that, the suffering [Old Ruler], Enkai’s Sleeper, was unexpectedly torn apart and scattered mercilessly. It must have been an attack that even divine power couldn’t prevent, as he rapidly faded away! Absorbing the Law of Cause and Effect from the Sleeper, the Evil God addressed the shining being blocking its path.

[We shall meet again at the time of revelation.]

With that, the Evil God opened the door to chaos and vanished, washing away all traces of its presence. The brain clouds disappeared too, meanwhile the silver being silently faded along with them, but the power of the Constellation remained untouched. It was true that the Evil God flipped the balance of heaven and earth; night continued to reign now. People in Luoyang were either lost in madness or plunged into despair.

Zhuge Sa was right.

Without a chance for the Three Sovereigns to intervene, the duel between the divine beings had been decided in an instant.

And it was an overwhelming defeat!

Now that I noticed the situation had reached its end, I once again shared the recollections with Zhuge Sa.

“The Central Plains are finished. Volcanoes are erupting and monsters and otherworldly races will rampage. We’d better flee to the Kingdom of Duke Du. Soon, even the sealed Demon Kings will resurrect; this is truly the worst of scenarios.”

“Is there no way to help the people?”

“If you can switch Yin and Yang and change the axis, it might be possible.”

“……”

Of course, no one could do that.

While I packed up, I thought.

‘I must go.’

I had to meet Master Mangnyang before heading to the Kingdom of Duke Du.

Because that glowing being that stopped the Evil God – it had to be Master Mangnyang.

 

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