837——————==

True Martial Home (진공가향)

My 27th life just kicked off.

“Cough! Cough… Hack…”

I twisted my body in agony. It felt like I exploded into a million pieces, way worse than your average death pain. I rolled on the floor a few times, gasping for breath and finally realizing I was just coming back to life.

“……”

Leaning against the wooden wall of the barn felt a bit better. Sure, it smelled like cow dung, but it also helped calm my frazzled brain. After a bit, I finally got my thoughts together.

‘What do I do now?’

Normally, I’d dash straight for the Heavenly Secret without a second thought, but this time wasn’t exactly normal. I had just experienced the end of the world, jumped across the multiverse, and knew what would happen if my memories got shared in this realm! It was a clear divergence from my previous life, and I was even pondering my future self, which was new territory for me.

Getting to the throne felt like a bizarre preview of my life’s destination. I still didn’t know why the Primordial Void Ruler was chilling on that throne or who the other characters hanging around were, but I had a gut feeling it all tied back to a convergence of destinies in that high-dimensional world.

On the bright side, I died there but ended up reincarnating in this original world, which meant my rebirth abilities were still intact. But that didn’t really comfort me. Crossing the multiverse wasn’t exactly a stroll through the park, and I didn’t have any compelling reasons to do so right now.

With a sigh, I murmured.

“…Guess I should just move for now.”

Pow!

This time, I didn’t bother with running around. I directly summoned my familiar using magic.

‘No need for a contract in this life? Sweet.’

Maybe it was because the Law of Cause and Effect flowed through my past lives?

Normally, I’d have to strike a deal with the demons to summon my familiar by teaching and sharing magical commands, but it seemed like I could do it straight away this time. I mean, the fact that the Three Sovereigns keep this cause-effect thing going, it’d be pretty weird if a single summon didn’t follow suit.

In other words, from now on, as long as I struck a contract once, I could summon that demon right when my new life kicks off.

Before this, I stressed over summoning my familiar with magic, worrying about being discovered by others, so I preferred to run around on foot.

But after witnessing the world’s destruction, I felt a strange sense of detachment, so I decided to take it easy this time.

Just like the artifacts from the Path of Demons, using a summoned familiar wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows with the Three Sovereigns, I figured.

Screech!

I summoned my familiar and headed straight to the cave where the Heavenly Secret was located, scooping it up with ease.

Boom!

“Oof.”

Ouch, that hurt!

Even with my Protection Energy shielding me, I felt a dull ache throughout my body as I gritted my teeth. Normally, I’d need to take a special magic potion to absorb the impact while moving, but I opted for wrapping myself in my Protection Energy. Even so, I still felt like I just got dumpster-dived by a bunch of thugs all over my body.

‘Well, I guess I can manage to do the movement-summoning magic a couple of times without potions…’

Any more than that and I’d definitely feel real damage. Still, it saved me a ton of time in running all the way to Beitong; no joke, even with my Light Body Technique, traveling that distance isn’t typically a stroll.

After summoning my familiar, I zipped over to Beitong and snagged what I needed. Then, after sending my familiar back, I swapped it out for a protective wooden armor. Following that, I gathered all the treasures I could, including the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and Black and White Lotus, rescued several prisoners, including General Hwang Yeon, and then headed to Mount Huang.

Once that was all squared away, I visited the Zhuge Clan.

Boom!

As soon as I arrived at Zhuge Sa, I tried persuading him. But honestly, things felt a bit different this time.

“Hmm…?”

Zhuge Sa was hidden inside, and someone was kneeling in front of the Great Hall of Jangryeong Valley. This guy appeared to be trembling in fear with his eyes covered up. Upon closer inspection, he looked like a somewhat decent martial artist based on his muscle development and energy levels. When I stared at him in confusion, he seemed to pick up on my aura and started speaking.

“…Are you the servant of Guangsheng?”

Guangsheng is the nickname for Zhuge Sa.

What in the world is happening here?

I tilted my head, pondering his words.

“Yeah, but what are you doing here like this…?”

“Um… if it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me how the formation behind you… no, how the trees and stairs are laid out? Please, if you do, I’ll give you some gold coins.”

He looked desperate.

This kind of thing had never happened before; what was up with this guy all of a sudden?

Just then,

“Who are you?”

Zhuge Sa’s voice came from inside as he stepped out. I glanced at him and replied.

“I’m Baek Woong. What’s your relationship with this martial artist?”

“We’re betting on something.”

“A bet?”

“Yeah. If he can decipher my formation while blindfolded, I’ll forgive him for one betrayal. It’s a petty bet.”

“……”

No way…

Memories from my previous life flickered in my mind, back to when Zhuge Sa had beheaded someone with a sword. I remembered seeing that head roll on the ground!

At that time, I thought Zhuge Sa was just cruel, not giving it much more thought. And later on, I avoided him to steer clear of witnessing any more bloodshed.

But if I thought about it, was this martial artist the same one Zhuge Sa had executed way back when?

I couldn’t remember the guy’s face, but it had to be him!

Now it all made sense.

‘This time, I actually arrived at Zhuge Sa quicker than ever, cutting down the time it took to travel. So Zhuge Sa was about to start this “bet” before things got out of hand. I was witnessing this guy just before his execution.’

That meant he had previously died almost immediately once the game began each time. As I mulled over this revelation, I asked the blindfolded martial artist.

“What’s your name?”

“…I’m Jo Hee-tae of the Hengshan Sect.”

Not familiar. He might be a big shot from Hengshan, but if I recognized him, it had to be noteworthy. I pondered for a second.

‘What to do here…’

Saving Jo Hee-tae was simple enough. I could just stop this bet and convince Zhuge Sa to spare him after giving him the obsidian. But doing that would mean my next lives would involve constantly trying to save him, and that sounded like a hassle.

Would I really put myself out for a stranger, especially without any ties to righteousness? Just out of a respect for life?

It felt different than the loyalty I learned from Mangnyang.

But I had zero clue whether Jo Hee-tae was a good guy or a bad guy.

I kept thinking when I finally said to Zhuge Sa.

“Zhuge Sa, can I take your place in this bet?”

“Who are you again?”

“I’m Baek Woong. If I lose, you can keep this Xuyou and Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.”

Swish!

I threw the Xuyou and Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng at Zhuge Sa. He caught them mid-air with a martial arts technique and, once he checked them out, his expression changed. He remarked.

“You’ve got the Seven Luminaries and seem to know their worth, but are throwing them my way for this bet… What on Earth are you?”

“Nope. Let’s focus on the bet for now.”

“Fine. What are your terms?”

“If I win, you’ll have to use the magic of my obsidian to accept all my memories.”

Zhuge Sa shot a glance at the obsidian in my hand and spoke.

“This sounds fun. What’s your deal with the betrayer, Jo Hee-tae?”

“Honestly, not much. It’s our first meeting today.”

“……”

“Just thought it looked entertaining, so why not keep him alive….”

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“So you’re willing to throw away your Xuyou and Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng to save a total stranger? Haha! You must be insane.”

“Hey, what can I say?”

“Alright. I can’t argue with that kind of generosity. But I’m rewriting the terms of this bet.”

“Go for it.”

After a moment of thought, Zhuge Sa stated.

“Carry Jo Hee-tae on your back and blindfold yourself. If you’re able to see through my formation in that state, I’ll declare you the winner.”

“Hmm….”

I thought it over. Carry Jo Hee-tae on my back while blindfolded and figuring out Zhuge Sa’s formation? It’s possible but pretty daunting for your average martial artist. Still, I ended up nodding.

“Fine by me.”

So, I hoisted Jo Hee-tae onto my back and entered the formation behind me. Then I focused all my internal power, unleashed my Spirit Power, and charged ahead.

Boom!!

I woke up!!

“……”

Zhuge Sa didn’t seem too shocked when I obliterated the formation with my raw power. It was like he’d seen this coming. He scratched his head and said.

“Wow, I didn’t think I’d end up freeing a betrayer… can’t say I saw that one coming.”

“Did I win?”

“Yep, you did. So hand over that obsidian.”

He sounded relaxed.

‘Turns out he wasn’t too concerned with the bet at all.’

Zhuge Sa seemed genuinely curious about my memories and wanted to check them out. Nodding, I approached him and handed over the obsidian, feeling a transmission of memories rushing into his mind.

Sssss!

As Zhuge Sa absorbed my memories, he paused for a moment, dawning an expression of realization. Then he furrowed his brows and said.

“Seems like things really went south, but that’s part of the journey, huh?”

“Zhuge Sa, recognize me now?”

“Hehe, why bother flexing? If you hadn’t given me the obsidian, I might’ve just pegged you as some mysterious martial arts sage.”

“I was curious about that Jo Hee-tae guy…”

Zhuge Sa shrugged.

“Not much to say. He’s just a betrayer, plain and simple.”

“A betrayer? What do you mean?”

“There were around twenty spies infiltrated into the major sects when he was young. I can use them anytime I want. But this one couldn’t stand his orders and started offing other spies instead.”

“……”

“So I was going to take care of him myself.”

Sounds like this bet was a mere excuse; Zhuge Sa was prepped to take Jo Hee-tae’s head just like before. I remembered the savage scenes from my past life and glanced at Jo Hee-tae before I said.

“Couldn’t we just let him go…?”

“Well, I promised, so why not? Go ahead and let him run.”

With a snap of his fingers, the formation behind him dissolved, and Jo Hee-tae bolted away while screaming.

“Zhuge Sa of the Heretical Sect!! You’ll pay for this!! I’ll unite the Nine Great Sects to come for your wicked Jangryeong Valley!!”

Even as Jo Hee-tae fled, Zhuge Sa remained indifferent.

“Do as you like.”

I felt bad and said to Zhuge Sa.

“Sorry. I made you let a betrayer go…”

“Don’t sweat it. That guy was already a dead man walking.”

“Wait, what?”

“He’s been consumed by a curse. After taking just fifteen hundred more steps, he’ll lose his sight, then after another five hundred, his hearing. The farther he strays from the core of Jangryeong Valley’s curse, the worse off he gets.”

“……”

“If he manages to come back as a total loser, I’ll gladly end his life then.”

So Jo Hee-tae was basically already finished…

‘Hmm… He’s not someone I’d gladly save. Should I make use of him later? Anyway, we’ll meet in the next life, I guess…’

Just then, Zhuge Sa said.

“But that guy’s not the real problem. The big issues lie ahead…”

“Eh?”

“Baek Woong. Hah…”

Zhuge Sa sighed deeply before continuing.

“From now on, don’t pass that obsidian to other companions.”