814——————==

True Martial Home (眞空家鄕)

No way?!

I’m just a human, right?!

‘What the heck are you talking about!’

How could I possibly be a divine avatar!

I felt utterly flabbergasted by Master of the Twelve Joules’ words, yet he continued.

“The world is already twisted beyond recognition by its predetermined fate. If we let it be dragged along by his intentions any further, everyone will meet their doom.”

[So you are the Master of the Twelve Joules? What’s your proof?]

Master of the White Lotus Sect looked at the Master of the Twelve Joules and spoke.

[Do you have any proof that the fellow in front of us, Baek Woong, is a divine avatar of chaos?]

“Well, I don’t have anything concrete, you know?”

[…….]

“Why I don’t have it is something you should know too. That being is the most cunning and intelligent among all in the universe, and there’s no way we can test him without being toyed with in some manner. In fact, the moment we try to verify… we’ll end up getting completely played.”

[You’re hilarious… have you experienced this yourself?]

The Master of the Twelve Joules flinched and let out a dry chuckle.

“…Perhaps. Heh.”

[That may not be wrong, but if that’s the case, there’s no reason to view Baek Woong as a divine avatar of chaos, is there?]

“There is a reason.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules glanced at me.

“Everything that ‘that fellow’ says and does contravenes the trajectory of the quantum realm. By Dr. Faust’s theory, that’s impossible. Isn’t he ignoring dynamic characteristics and the system itself? Unless he is a transcendent being that has passed through the origin of the fractal universe…, this is utterly impossible. And to my knowledge, such a being could only be the [Chaos] itself, an Outer God.”

[I don’t understand what you’re saying. Explain it in layman’s terms.]

“Put simply…, all the bait you’ve been lured with cannot exist in this era, and you’ve figured that out. That guy cannot be called a human.”

[Hmm….]

“Capture Baek Woong. That guy is a calamity. He definitely has a significant relationship with [Coming Chaos].”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect seemed to ponder the words of the Master of the Twelve Joules for a moment. Even Asura had crossed his arms, deep in thought as he observed the situation in the hall from earlier. It was now a moment where my life could very well be decided by their choices, so I quickly recalled the 21 methods of suicide I learned from the Zhuge Clan.

‘What was the least painful way to die…?’

And finally, the Master of the White Lotus Sect spoke firmly.

[I can’t trust either side. Therefore, I will believe in the side I want to believe in, so you, Master of the Twelve Joules, get lost from this place.]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect took my side!

“Phew, it seems I don’t need to come up with excuses.”

Fortunately, it looks like luck was on my side today. I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

At that, the Master of the Twelve Joules spoke in disbelief.

“Okay, I may seem suspicious, but are you really going to believe what that guy says?”

[At least we don’t have the luxury to pick and choose. Even if we follow your words, the situation won’t improve, but there is hope if we listen to Baek Woong instead.]

With those words, the Master of the White Lotus Sect slowly continued.

[The laws of cause and effect and balance between heaven and earth have already collapsed. And since your own minion has suffered, it won’t be long before the calamity reaches for the Central Plains directly…. Now is not the time for humans to fight recklessly.]

The Master of the Twelve Joules retorted with a tone full of distrust.

“Are you really saying you’re looking to find the Four Great Spirit Deities and gain their power? Your ambitions are grand.”

[I have no reason to share that much with you….]

“Then how about we capture Baek Woong and make him spill the information? That would be much easier and faster.”

[You are too simple and hasty.]

The Master’s eyes sparkled with brilliance.

[I still don’t know how deep Baek Woong’s cards run. Judging that there’s no guarantee to catch him even if the three of us attack together, I can’t proceed with that.]

“…….”

[He and I might become good partners in the future….]

It seemed the Master of the White Lotus Sect was greatly cautious of my companions’ power and my capabilities. Perhaps he believed he couldn’t catch me if I ran, but it was clear he decided to cooperate with me.

“You coward.”

[Just babble as you please.]

“Alright…, I’ll agree. I’ll give up on the Golden Crow.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules turned away with a faint smile and vanished with the Three Masters.

“Baek Woong. We will meet again soon….”

Swoosh

The Master of the Twelve Joules disappeared with the Three Masters. Then the Master of the White Lotus Sect looked at his disappearing figure before addressing Asura.

[Great being. You seem to be searching for the whereabouts of the Martial God. Your understanding of wanting to find the Four Great Spirit Deities and the Divine Maiden seems to align perfectly with our White Lotus Sect. Shall we not join hands here?]

[…….]

After a moment of contemplation, Asura replied.

[Sure. It wouldn’t hurt. I’ll agree to sail in the same boat with you.]

In an instant, the Master of the White Lotus Sect and Asura became allies!

I suddenly felt incredibly happy that things were falling into place. Whenever I was faced with such challenges, I usually ended up being cornered, but now everything was going smoothly, and I was feeling great. So, I mumbled with a smirk.

“Hehe, have I overlapped some good fortune without realizing it?”

“That’s not it, Baek Woong.”

Jin So-cheong, who was beside me, quietly added.

“At least the current situation has been proven by your abilities. How could it be said that you gained the trust of the entire White Lotus Sect and Asura by merely relying on luck? You are now qualified to be the savior of this world.”

“…Thank you.”

I was grateful for Jin So-cheong’s words, but I felt a bit bitter.

Yeah, if I’ve amassed this level of skill, I’ve surely built enough capability to be the king of a nation. But why, despite all my efforts, hasn’t the Absolute Realm shown me the way?

‘Could it be that I’m hated by the Martial God?’

While I was lost in thought, the Master of the White Lotus Sect glanced at the fallen Golden Crow on the ground and said.

[If you wish to take the Golden Crow, our sect will agree, but… will you promise me one thing.]

“You’re talking about conditions, huh?”

[Share with me all the information you have on the Four Great Spirit Deities, the Divine Maiden, and the True Martial Home among other things. Then, we will support you wholeheartedly in the future. I will allow you to use the Dharma Guardian as if he were your subordinate, and we will also do everything possible to assist the Bancheon Alliance.]

“Hmm…, that’s tempting.”

It was an enticing offer. I had nothing to lose, so I was about to nod my head, but at that moment, Zhuge Bu sent me a warning about the Six Harmonies Assembly.

[Baek Woong, don’t agree! The Master could still be a potential enemy. Don’t let your guard down. You shouldn’t offer the Obsidian just yet!]

[What? Are you saying his proposal is dangerous?]

[Of course! If you accept his offer, you will inevitably have to give him the Obsidian. Doesn’t the Master already have a vague suspicion of the Obsidian’s existence? Once he asks for it, you’ll have no justification to refuse. At that moment, the White Lotus Sect will turn hostile!]

[Ah!]

[I can’t trust him enough to give away the Obsidian. Have you forgotten the ‘real conditions’ that the Master spoke of? Since they were words he himself spoke, without meeting those conditions, he is still likely to stab us in the back.]

[……!!]

At that moment, the memories of the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s last words returned to me. I recalled the time at the 24th round when Zhuge Sa and my comrades defeated the Master during the New Era Grand Battle.

[The future Baek Woong will meet me, Dokgo Uncheon, and will not be swayed by just a few words from a Reborn Person. As you have seen, I have become someone who believes in nothing after discovering the hidden truths of all worlds in the library of the Su Shin Sect…. Up until the very end, I can still deceive my opponent….]

[But I can give you clues.]

[If you bring back the Four Great Spirit Deities…. And if you prove that the prophecy of the Divine Maiden has been fulfilled in front of me…, Dokgo Uncheon will submit to that person.]

Thanks to Mangnyang who risked his life to deliver the Mirror of Clarity, I remember that time as if I had experienced it myself. At that time, the Master of the White Lotus Sect had learned from Jin So-cheong that I was a Reborn Person and in the final moments of his life, he told me about his condition for his own recruitment.

‘Obtaining the Four Great Spirit Deities. And proving the prophecy of the Divine Maiden.’

At first glance, it seemed that I had fulfilled both of those conditions. However, I still hadn’t disclosed any concrete information to the Master of the White Lotus Sect, and our relationship was still one of testing the waters. In that case, wouldn’t the Master of the White Lotus Sect attempt to seize an opportunity to glean information from me rather than submit? He, as a descendant of the Divine Maiden, would never easily hand over the Four Great Spirit Deities to a suspicious outsider.

That means the probability of being backstabbed by the Master of the White Lotus Sect is higher than ever! Zhuge Bu had pointed out a concern I hadn’t considered.

At that moment, chills ran down my spine. I was trying to trust the Master of the White Lotus Sect because the Master of the Twelve Joules had intervened to stop any disruption and had willingly joined my side, but in fact, it might just have been a facade.

I steadied my mind and calmly replied.

“I think it’s a bit too early to share all the information. Even if it’s the case that I’ll transfer the Golden Crow to the Master, I can’t agree to that.”

[Hah, so you’ll do whatever you want after I’ve gone as far as this to be considerate? That’s quite shameless.]

“I’ll first share as much information as I can regarding the Four Great Spirit Deities with the two of you. However, there’s one thing that concerns me.”

[What’s your concern?]

…I didn’t have a specific pat answer ready.

‘Alright, let’s just throw something out there?’

I desperately racked my brain and decided to throw out whatever came to mind.

“Now that the Chi You has been destroyed, could the ability of foresight have significant implications…?”

[Hmm….]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect flinched. Asura also looked at me with surprise. I scanned the faces around me and continued.

“You are of the lineage of the Divine Maiden, and you know that you are bestowed with clairvoyant powers by birth. And although the Master of the White Lotus Sect may not have that foresight ability, couldn’t there be someone within the Su Shin Sect who might be endowed with it more strongly?”

[What are you trying to say?]

“The foresight ability was originally meant to be incredibly strong, but during the Great Dragon’s descent, Chi You actively interfered with the laws of cause and effect and rendered that foresight ability useless. Perhaps the Divine Maiden also picked up on this fact and warned not to depend on her ability to descendants.”

[…….]

“Yet, if now there’s no divine status actively interfering with the human realm as Chi You used to do, the foresight ability may wield power once again. The past ‘Old Ruler’ must have always looked down on the human world, so typically wouldn’t concern themselves much with the foresight powers.”

[Are you suggesting I will try to utilize such a foresight power to take command of the Four Great Spirit Deities’ locations?]

“Not just that. Even by simply hinting at the outlines of all the information, us and Asura can be manipulated by the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Just knowing the outlines enables us to predict the rest through foresight.”

[…….]

“Please understand our position as well.”

Of course, this was nothing more than speculation and a conspiracy theory. If such a power existed, the Master of the White Lotus Sect would have certainly used it long ago. What I said was merely an excuse to refuse sharing information. The Master of the White Lotus Sect spoke with an agitated tone infused with excitement.

[There’s no such thing as a foresight ability. If the bloodline of the Divine Maiden was that strong, I would’ve never struggled so hard to become the sect master. If I had that clairvoyant power, someone like Lee Cheong-un would be… Heh, you infuriate me.]

“…….”

[But it’s worth considering. If it’s really that, we shall postpone that discussion for another time.]

Vroom

The Master of the White Lotus Sect reached out into the air and lifted the fallen Golden Crow, tossing it my way. As I caught the Golden Crow, the Master of the White Lotus Sect spoke with a hint of killing intent.

[Take the Golden Crow. However…, if you take my sincerity lightly, you will regret it.]

I suppose I was acting too cautiously?

I hesitated for a moment but nodded my head.

“Of course. First, let’s tidy up this venue.”

The post-processing was carried out swiftly. I obtained the Eight Trigrams Garment, as well as the treasures and the Golden Crow, meanwhile, Asura munched down on the Dawn’s Glory. The Master of the White Lotus Sect received several treasures of Peng Zuo and captured many Demon Sorcerers, taking all the magic weaponry. The metamorphosed caterpillars of calamity would be taken by us for treatment.

Whoosh

Sorcerers, including Cheon Woo-jin, obliterated the magic cores hidden throughout the city, casting spells as the blood mist that had hung over faded. And when checking the Southern Sea situation, it appeared that the human population had dwindled to less than 60% of its original size. Countless humans had been slaughtered or altered into Demon Soldiers while the Western fleets maintained control over the Southern Sea for a year.

Once the post-processing was completed, I promised to visit the White Lotus Sect in three days and gathered with my companions.

Asura had accompanied us, and since he now wished to learn the secret of the Four Great Spirit Deities, it seemed I couldn’t afford to separate from him anymore. Zhuge Sa maintained the body of a homunculus, and during the meeting, he spoke up.

“Lord Asura. First, I’d like to hear the information you know regarding the Four Great Spirit Deities?”

“Just call me Pasun for now. I distinguish titles based on my state.”

“Right then.”

Asura, or rather the entity currently transformed as a human named Pasun, slowly opened his mouth.

“You seem to know how the Great Dragon was destined to descend a millennium ago, so I’ll skip the detailed explanation. At that time, Yacha was tasked with elevating Empress Wu Zetian to a low-ranking divine status, and at the same time, recovering the Four Great Spirit Deities.”

“The Four Great Spirit Deities fell into an outer universe of chaos, a void so prevalent that matter couldn’t even retain its form. Additionally, it is a space akin to infinity, which might as well be worse than Dark Heaven Village. Tell me, did Yacha actually rummage around in the outer universe?”

“I don’t know about that. However, it’s certain that she tried to recover the Four Great Spirit Deities.”

Then Pasun continued.

“I can’t know the outcome of the mission. Afterward, she reported all her findings solely to Lord Chi You and never relayed her progress to us, her comrades…. Yet it seems she didn’t obtain the Four Great Spirit Deities.”

Naturally.

If Chi You or Yacha had obtained such powerful treasures as the Four Great Spirit Deities, they would surely have armored the Eight Parts of the Divine with them, aiming to bolster their power. However, I’ve seen every inch of Chi You’s bottom and yet there have been no signs of procuring the Four Great Spirit Deities. Chi You and Yacha, in the end, were unable to acquire the Four Great Spirit Deities.

Zhuge Sa attentively listened to this and then spoke.

“Yacha’s whereabouts are important. We must capture her and glean all the details. Do you know where she is?”

“She has gone to the Arasa Empire in the northern region. She is set to join forces with celestial beings in the capital there.”

“…….”

Zhuge Sa appeared to think of something, a peculiar smile spreading across his face as he spoke.

“Very well then. Will you accompany us to the Arasa Empire to seize Yacha? If we capture her, it seems we could learn a great deal.”

“…….”

“Ah! If taking down an old comrade makes you uncomfortable, we can handle Yacha ourselves.”

“I agree. Even if she’s a comrade, she isn’t more important than my goals! I could even kill her if necessary. I owe my loyalty to Lord Chi You; I have no obligation to friends. But….”

Pasun spoke firmly while glaring at us.

“You must present me with evidence that the Four Great Spirit Deities are clues leading to the Martial God. I let it slide before, but you must’ve had a basis for saying that!”

“I was just about to explain….”

“That’s merely flattery. Present me with credible evidence. If you can’t produce any, I can’t possibly harm my old acquaintances.”

Pasun’s gaze started to turn red.

“If you can’t show me, I will earnestly ensure all of you perish here under my name.”

In an instant, the atmosphere felt icy.

While all my comrades from the Bancheon Alliance and my previous life were present, I felt overwhelmingly pressured by just Pasun alone. Even if the top experts of the Martial Arts World like Jin So-cheong and the strongest sorcerer, Cheon Woo-jin, were here, they were still merely humans, and against a formidable demon king, the odds of winning were unthinkable. The other Bancheon officials, who were unaware of the situation, seemed to sense Pasun’s power and were frozen with fear.

Zhuge Sa spoke.

“Are you aware of the incident where the founder of the White Lotus Sect, Master Dalma created the teachings of the Non-Birth Mother?”

“Of course.”

“After that incident, it’s presumed Master Dalma perished, and his teachings spread far and wide. However, after Dalma’s death, the White Lotus Sect did not evolve into a group of sorcerers or spellcasters but honored martial arts, taking the Four Great Families even more seriously. Considering that Dalma was the most powerful Demon Sorcerer in human history, it’s quite peculiar.”

“Are you suggesting that the Four Great Families are the connection to the Martial God?”

“Precisely. The Four Great Spirit Deities and the ultimate techniques of the Four Great Families intersect in certain ways. The ultimate technique of each faction, the Soul of the God, serves as a ‘vessel’ that contains something. That vessel holds the infinite power that can be drawn from the Four Great Spirit Deities.”

“…….”

“This contrasts with the perspectives and martial theories existing within previous martial artists. It could also be said that they have cultivated a separate path of relying on artifacts while separately training their vessels…. I trust you, having trained martial arts for thousands of years, understand how unusual this is.”

“Hmm…, interesting. This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Pasun seemed genuinely intrigued. Zhuge Sa let out a wicked smile.

“Hehe…. The vessel that leads to the divine power…. The original founders of the Four Great Families received divine insights on how martial arts (‘Wu’) could reach the divine realm (‘Shen’). However, martial arts, when a human dies, merely transmits as a flow, leaving no physical evidence. Yet, since the Four Great Spirit Deities are treasures corresponding to artifacts, there’s bound to be evidence remaining even after a thousand years have passed.”

“Is that so…!!”

Pasun seemed genuinely taken aback. No, at this point, it seemed more like he was already convinced.

Finally, Pasun spoke.

“Alright, I will tell you the location of Yacha. Additionally, I’ll lend you my strength when capturing her.”

“Thank you for your great assistance.”

“Since you plan to meet the White Lotus Sect in three days, I’ll make sure to be there ahead of time.”

Whoosh!

Pasun’s figure vanished as if teleporting. After he disappeared, we gathered once again with our previous-life comrades for a second meeting.

As I started the meeting, I turned to Zhuge Sa and asked.

“Zhuge Sa! Is it true? Was that just made up, or is there really a clue leading to the Martial God within the Four Great Spirit Deities?”

“I can’t say for certain…. But I sometimes think you might pierce through the core when you’re onto something.”

“Then….”

“It’s a plausible hypothesis. I’ve thought about it quietly, but I never had the luxury of time to try it out, which is why I’ve kept it to myself.”

Zhuge Sa shrugged, then said.

“But I don’t think so. I lean toward the belief that it’s not true.”

“…Why?!”

“Just a feeling. I think the Martial God might be as much of a nasty character as I am.”

“…….”

What on earth is that supposed to mean?

“Anyway, now that we’ve briefly gained Asura and the White Lotus Sect as allies, the situation has improved significantly. For now, let’s focus on capturing Yacha. Once we find the Four Great Spirit Deities, we can make Master of the White Lotus Sect a truly reliable ally, thus drastically reducing our challenges.”

“What should we do about the entity that interfered in my previous life?”

In response to my question, Zhuge Sa said.

“Anyway, once the calamity is unleashed, the earth is going to face mass destruction, and the world itself will undergo extreme changes. When the apocalypse reaches a point where nothing survives, the entity that interfered in your past life would likely not show itself.”

“I guess there’s no choice but to wait for it to reveal itself?”

“For now. Going to Aokigahara Life Sea would guarantee us nothing and would only waste time.”

“That’s so powerless…. Dammit.”

I lamented. It was impossible to kick back and relax when an being from my previous life may bring about some adverse effects on me. As I sighed, Zhuge Bu, who had been listening, said.

“I have one method available.”