820——————==

True Martial Home

I had a dream.

I don’t even know when it started, but a wheel was spinning. It kept turning endlessly, spewing darkness and light without pause. In the gaps of that wheel, there was another whirlwind, and inside it, something that looked like blood vessels or nerves was sprawling out like roots. The wheel was larger than the celestial spheres, and everything else seemed like emptiness. I slowly lifted my gaze.

There, sat a gigantic throne.

Around the throne, unknown apparitions danced and swirled. They were singing a serene song, and hearing it made me feel both comforted and exhilarated at the same time.

What a lovely tune. While the resonance of the song echoed throughout the throne, I could hear the voice of someone who had arrived before me.

“Is that your choice?”

*

“……”

I stumbled to my feet. A sudden severe pain coursed through my entire body, snapping me into awareness. As I stood, a voice came from beside me.

“You’re awake.”

“And you are?”

“I am myself.”

Tap tap.

It was a cave. I felt the warmth of a dying fire, and across from me was a man leaning against the wall with a sword cradled in his arms. I looked around to confirm that there was no one else in the vicinity, and after ensuring there was no one, I spoke.

“Pasun…, Asura! Why am I here with you…?”

“Call me Pasun.”

The self-proclaimed Pasun — Asura of the Eight Parts of the Divine, replied irritably and continued speaking.

“I was preparing to invade Moscow when something went down in the Celestial Realm. It’d be a hassle if you died, as you would have been a great help in my plans, so I hurried to save you. You were about to die from the Old Ruler’s Spirit Summoning.”

“……”

“Shouldn’t you at least say thank you?”

“Thank you… Pasun.”

I gauged Pasun’s reaction and realized something.

‘That guy doesn’t seem to know why there’s chaos in the Celestial Realm. He probably doesn’t even know I’m a Reborn Person.’

There’s no reason to pretend to be uninformed about this. My death would determine the fate of the world, after all, so pretending wouldn’t help. Those who learn my truth either become my companions or try to manipulate me, simple as that. And judging by what Pasun was saying, he must not have accessed my memories from my previous life through the Celestial Sage.

Just then, someone appeared outside the cave, teleporting in and saying.

“Hey. Are you awake?”

When I saw the figure, I jumped in surprise and shouted.

“…Y-You!”

“Oh, do you know me?”

“You’re… the new head, aren’t you?”

“……”

“……”

The person who appeared had a bird’s head, a human body, and a pair of wings sprouting from his back. Of course, I already knew who he was.

‘Garuda of the Eight Parts of the Divine!!’

A being capable of unleashing Divine Flames that could inflict fatal damage even on God-level entities! Garuda was powerful enough to turn any Absolute Realm expert into dust with a single move. As I stared in awe, Garuda seemed displeased and said,

“Why? Do you want me to maintain a human form like this?”

Swish!

In an instant, Garuda transformed into an incredibly handsome celestial man. The birdman appearance was nowhere to be found. After magically changing his form, Garuda reverted back and replied.

“It’s laughable. From the perspective of another race, even the most handsome human is just a monkey. It’s a joke to measure beauty by human standards.”

“I apologize… I didn’t realize you were one of the Eight Parts of the Divine.”

“Correct.”

It seemed Asura and Garuda had a close relationship among the Eight Parts of the Divine.

“More importantly, I need to know what the heck happened to make the Celestial Realm turn upside down, and why you were fighting the Old Ruler.”

When I hesitated to speak, Garuda’s eyes glimmered ominously.

“Don’t think of us as mere water. Torturing you is an easy task.”

“…I guess so.”

While that was true, Garuda didn’t understand the gravity of my situation. I could easily commit suicide whenever I wanted, and even now, it was the same. The dilemma I faced was whether to prolong my life in this phase or just give up.

Should I pull them in, thinking that there might be more to gain? Or should I gradually give up out of fear of the torture?

‘Naturally, it’s the former.’

Thanks to not foolishly committing suicide in the Celestial Realm, I had learned that Asura and Garuda got along well. If I kept my life going, I’d surely learn more information. But I was immediately aware of a premise that preceded that.

“I saw Queen Mother of the West and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens fighting in the Celestial Realm.”

“We saw that too.”

“The reason they fought was that it was revealed that Queen Mother of the West was the incarnation of Nüwa of the Three Sovereigns, deceiving the Celestial Realm with false information and causing chaos in reincarnation. Furthermore, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman had awakened as the incarnation of Pangu to combat Queen Mother of the West, and, in the meantime, it became known that the Jade Emperor was also an incarnation of Yao Shun of the Three Sovereigns.”

“……!!”

Both Garuda and Asura looked flabbergasted. They appeared to be quite uninformed about the events in the Celestial Realm. Asura, who had been listening, could not hide his surprise and said,

“That can’t be… Then what about Jeon Wook’s summoning?”

“The Immortals of the Celestial Realm were going to attack us, so I summoned him. After all, I had been his apostle.”

“What does that mean? Is becoming an apostle something one can just quit?”

Asura glared at me suspiciously. I sighed and replied.

“I had a connection with Jeon Wook that randomly pulled me into his apostolate, but since I was human by birth and my powers were feeble, I was discarded quickly. I barely survived, thanks to my human companions after suffering severe injuries. Jeon Wook is my enemy.”

“It’s absurd that you summoned an enemy.”

I calmly fabricated a lie. The two in front of me didn’t seem particularly knowledgeable about magic or the demon path.

“Even though I lost my apostle status, traces of the Law of Cause and Effect remain. Using that connection, I can wield Jeon Wook’s powers freely.”

“…If that’s true, you’re the most impressive great sorcerer I’ve ever met.”

Asura looked at me with suspicion in his eyes. However, as I skillfully mixed truth and lies with persuasive reasoning, he seemed unable to challenge me easily. I drove the point home.

“Feel free to torture me if you like. But my goal isn’t to use you or the Eight Parts of the Divine; it’s to take revenge on Jeon Wook and the Three Sovereigns, who used me and discarded me. If we share a common goal, shouldn’t we cooperate?”

“Hmm…”

It seemed Asura and Garuda were engaged in some silent communication. Then Asura spoke.

“I’ll trust you for now. But how do you plan to help us catch Yacha?”

“That is…”

“State your method. If you don’t help, I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

I felt a sense of dread. It seemed like Asura and Garuda were not about to relinquish their suspicions easily; they wanted to establish whether I was of any use first. However, Yacha was also one of the Eight Parts of the Divine and, as of now, an absolute monster who could wipe me out in a one-on-one.

With my pure martial arts, magic techniques, and spirit power alone, I’d be no help whatsoever.

‘Damn it… Dying is easy, but surviving requires constant scheming!’

I lamented to myself as I wracked my brain. Just then, something suddenly clicked, and I said.

“I have human companions. With their help, we can be of great assistance…”

“Not necessary!”

“What?”

“I’ve seen the strength of your companions while fighting at Nanhae Port. They’re decent for humans and could compete at the top of the human world, but they’re weak compared to our true powers. Besides, we don’t have time to waste.”

“No time, you say?”

“Yacha seems to be drawing in not just Gin Nara but others too. If we delay, it’ll be impossible for us to deal with them alone. We’ll set off as soon as we finish this conversation.”

“……!!”

“Speak quickly. You must know Yacha’s weakness since you made such a proposal.”

It became apparent that the lack of time was just an excuse to extract information from me. But if I didn’t respond, I’d surely be tortured immediately. I bit my lip hard, thinking it over, before saying,

“I’ll summon Zhu Rong.”

“What?!”

“I’ve summoned Jeon Wook before. If I summon Zhu Rong, who is in direct opposition to the Eight Parts of the Divine, he should be able to—”

“……”

“Zhu Rong knows the First Character, so he should be quite useful.”

Asura and Garuda both flinched. Well, that made sense because they surely knew why Zhu Rong was a feared entity.

The First Character!

Originally, it was something only the founder and the Three Sovereigns shared, but Zhu Rong also possessed that secret. Because of this, in an objective measurement of power, Zhu Rong didn’t necessarily far exceed the main body of the Eight Parts of the Divine, but if I could seize that weakness, he alone could potentially annihilate the Eight Parts of the Divine. Asura eyed me suspiciously, then said,

“…Okay, let’s go.”

“Ah, wait a minute, but I’d like to bring my companions along….”

“Not needed!”

“……”

How stubborn can you be!

Regardless of whether I grumbled internally, moments later, I found myself arriving with the two at the capital of the Arasa Empire, the main gate of Moscow. Garuda then announced the coming battle by opening his mouth wide and unleashing a colossal flame.

Boom!!

Garuda’s divine flames looked ready to scorch half of Moscow instantly. However, just as Garuda’s flames were about to engulf the area, a translucent barrier sprung up and blocked the attack, and soon someone appeared in front of us by teleporting in.

“What the hell is going on? Are you nuts?”

“Gin Nara. So, you’ve sided with Yacha too, just like the Celestials.”

“What do you mean… sided?”

The one who appeared was none other than Gin Nara of the Eight Parts of the Divine.

The thick-set, middle-aged Gin Nara shook his head in disbelief and said,

“Enough. I want to know why you’re here first.”

“Why are we here? We’re after the path leading to the Martial God.”

“What…?”

“I’ve heard that Yacha was trying to find the Four Great Spirit Deities in the past. If he shares that information with me honestly, I might let you pass without a fight.”

“Four Great Spirit Deities… Martial God… Hm, who did you hear that from?”

Gin Nara’s gaze became serious. It seemed like he had noticed how Asura had been easily lured by my plausible words. Recognizing that continuing the conversation with Gin Nara was risky, I suddenly raised my voice.

“Asura! It might be that the disappearance of Chi You is related to Yacha and Gin Nara!”

“What?!”

“Is that true?”

Asura and Garuda stared at me, while Gin Nara shot me a furious glare.

“Bullshit! It’s you! You’re the one who’s been messing with these two!”

Ugh!

Feeling Gin Nara’s rising magical power aimed at me sent chills down my spine. But if I shrank back now, I’d gain nothing and die, so I called out desperately.

“Then what about modifying the Arasa Emperor Ivan IV to grant him divine powers! That sounds exactly like an imitation of Chi You’s powers, doesn’t it? You’re not trying to manipulate the other Eight Parts of the Divine to reign like a king after suppressing Chi You, are you?”

“……!!”

“It’s highly suspicious! We need to take them down! They might be traitors!”

Asura looked at Gin Nara with a face full of suspicion, while Gin Nara chuckled incredulously, saying,

“Heh… Asura. You’re not falling for that ridiculous lie, are you? Do you even know what we’re planning?”

“What are you planning?”

“This empire, originally intended to produce divine weapons, is now going to be sacrificed as an offering to find out the cause of Chi You’s disappearance. By offering to the Outer God, we will undoubtedly be able to locate Chi You! Don’t get in our way!”

However, Garuda, beside Asura, said irritably.

“Where did Yacha go? I need to hear his side of things directly.”

“He’s busy. The human sacrifice is in its final phase and has gone into ‘administration,’ much like during the time of Empress Wu Zetian…”

“I don’t trust that.”

Something felt ominous.

If this conversation continued, it was clear my lies would be exposed. Just as I was growing more uneasy,

Boom…!!

“Ah!”

Suddenly, part of the Moscow walls collapsed, and an unidentified black wave swept in. Seeing this wave, Gin Nara was horrified and flew toward it, while Asura turned to Garuda and said,

“Garuda. Go follow and see what’s happening. I’ll find Yacha and settle things.”

“Got it.”

Swish!!

Asura cast a last glance at me, then said,

“Follow us.”

“Do you trust Gin Nara?”

“I don’t. Neither do you.”

“……”

“I’ll hear Yacha’s story and then decide.”

Things were looking grim. But I thought, no risk, no reward, and quietly followed along.

‘Maybe I can figure out what Yacha is planning…’

As we entered the interior of the Imperial Palace, the Celestial Master Tripitaka appeared before us. He looked at Asura with a cold gaze and said,

“What’s going on here? Asura.”

“You’re too suspicious. You’re not plotting treason while the Lord has gone missing, are you?”

“Hah… What a strong, narrow-minded fool. Is that why you came to cause trouble without bringing anything to the table?”

“……”

“Just get lost. I don’t care what that human is, just kill him quickly.”

“Narrow-minded… fool…. You always belittle me like this.”

Asura glared at the Celestial with an irked expression, making the Celestial smirk even more.

“Hehe, you think you’re the cosmic hero of the Chi You war, don’t you? Even among the Eight Parts of the Divine, I don’t consider you a companion. You don’t even know what the Lord desires, chasing a mirage of the Martial God like an idiot…”

Swoosh!

At that, Asura transformed into his true form. The Celestial looked alarmed at Asura instantly revealing his true appearance.

“…Y-You’re serious? I’ve only said this before jokingly, but are you really thinking about fighting among the Eight Parts of the Divine?”

[You just said that you didn’t consider me a companion! You shouldn’t have said that!]

“……”

[You weren’t the only one who thought like that.]

Asura’s eyes glowed with a deep gray.

[Now truth doesn’t matter. I’ll bury you here!]

Nirvana of the Absolute!!

Six Absolute Realm techniques converged into a point and burst forth from the tip of Asura’s sword. The Celestial immediately attempted to use the time stop technique to block it, but at that moment, Nirvana of the Absolute shattered the spatial curves that were in its way and rushed toward the Celestial Martial Master. The Celestial transformed into his true form and summoned a barrier that resembled a mandala, but Asura unsparingly slashed through the barrier.

Boom!

The Celestial tried to teleport backward to evade a consecutive attack, but Asura pursued him, unleashing the Absolute Realm techniques continuously. In an instant, the Thousand Slashes cut through the entire form of the Celestial, who screamed in agony.

[Graaaah!!]

Having sustained considerable injuries, the Celestial staggered and flew high into the sky, shouting out in rage.

[You’re just a cocky fool! I am the strongest of the Eight Parts of the Divine!! You will regret this!]

[Did you know? This is the first time I’ve had a proper fight against you.]

Asura looked lowly at him standing on the ground and smiled chillingly.

[I’ll make you realize you’re just a frog in a well.]