926——————==

True Martial Home

Wiying

The Primordial Void emitted a strange black light, creating a path. I examined whether this path extended into the universe, but it simply led upwards into the sky; I was at a loss in the prison.

“Guess I have no choice but to move.”

I had just fought against the Avatar of Dharma, leaving my mental strength, Qi, and physical strength all depleted, but there was no helping it. My energy would be refilled as I moved, and the rest I had to make up for with sheer willpower. Knowing that sometimes you just have to keep going, I infused my internal power into my hands and broke the chains.

Pah-Kang!

After breaking all the chains, I casually pushed the iron bars aside with my fingers. They snapped like twigs and bent completely, allowing me to step outside.

“……”

“Hmm. I have something to ask.”

I addressed the three paralyzed guards who were standing frozen in front of my cell. They were shivering, holding their spears, confused by how I managed to break the bars with just a finger. I continued,

“By any chance, have you heard of the Divine Thief…?”

“Yah!”

Thud!

One of the guards bit down hard and jabbed the spear at my neck, but I simply stood still, allowing the attack. I could have dodged even with my eyes closed, but I intentionally took it. There was no way that a spear, with none of my power, could pierce through my defensive skills honed to withstand even the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s force; it didn’t leave so much as a scratch.

Frowning, I pinched the spear tip between my fingers and suddenly, using my experience, I knocked the guard off balance, causing him to stumble and fall.

Boom!

The guard struck his head against the wall and lost consciousness.

“I was going to ask if you knew about that…”

“Yipe!!”

“Don’t waste your effort. If you just answer my questions, I’ll let you off without any trouble.”

The one who collapsed was the captain, and the other two nodded their heads in compliance.

One of the guards responded to my question.

“I’ve never heard of a Divine Thief!!”

“Hmm… then what era is it now and what’s going on in the world?”

“Um…”

After a moment, the guard told me that this was the Liang Empire, that I had been imprisoned by Emperor So Yeon, and that currently there were two rival empires: Northern Wei and Eastern Wei fighting for supremacy. Hearing this detailed explanation, I frowned.

“I had my doubts, but it really is the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. History is almost identical to our world.”

The Southern and Northern Dynasties period refers to a time after the Jin Dynasty split into chaotic territory, beginning the Sixteen Kingdoms era. Long after that, during an era characterized by the rivalry of two major dynasties, the forces located in the south were generally referred to as the Southern Dynasties, while the North was referred to as the Northern Dynasties. It was historical fact that the first emperor of the Sui Dynasty destroyed the Southern Dynasties to unify the lands of China.

“After the Sui, the Tang Dynasty was established, ushering in the time of Emperor Taizong and Empress Wu Zetian… that was the age of the Eight Immortals and Yeodong-bin the Sword Master.”

This explains the discomfort I felt seeing people’s attire resembling that of the Tang Dynasty but strangely different. It was about four to five generations earlier than the Tang. Given this perspective, it also aligned perfectly with the time of Dharma’s arrival in the Central Plains. Legend has it that Dharma came to the Central Plains during the Southern and Northern Dynasties to impart Buddhism to Emperor So Yeon.

Yet, I had one nagging thought in my mind: it was the word of the Giant God Suin that I had recently parted with.

[“Just because it looks similar doesn’t mean it’s the same world. Perhaps even the laws of the universe are entirely different from ours.”]

That is definitely true. Although my desire to seize the divine being clouded my judgment, I was fully aware that the [laws] were different. The very fact that [Martial Arts] didn’t exist here corroborated his words.

In the world I lived in, martial arts had been passed down since the Primordial Age. Even during the Spring and Autumn period, martial arts existed, and Xiang Yu had learned the imperial martial arts techniques. Although the origin of martial arts remained unknown, it was perfectly self-evident that they had been transmitted over thousands of years without someone needing to explicitly explain. Thus, I had never even considered a world without the Martial Arts world (무림) itself.

Woong

I felt puzzled as my Qi flowed through me.

“Qi is still flowing through this world. But why hasn’t martial arts emerged? If there’s a genius with exceptional Qi Sense, he should eventually discover how to utilize it. It doesn’t make sense that Qi exists while martial arts don’t.”

I could have understood if Qi didn’t exist, but something felt off. Even the Avatar of Dharma I fought had seemed surprised by the martial arts techniques I used.

If it were Zhuge Sha, he would have probably dissected these humans right in front of him to see how many organs they had, as his line of reasoning was that one could tell whether they were of the same race by dissection. However, I had no intention of going that far, so I sighed and continued questioning.

“Does the Martial Arts World exist?”

“Ah, no…”

“Have you heard of sorcery or sorcerers?”

“Um… are you referring to fortune-tellers…?”

I spent about half an hour keeping two guards in place while I continued my questioning. As a result, I confirmed that not only martial arts but even sorcery (법술) itself didn’t exist in this world. In the world I lived in, sorcerers were rare but undeniably powerful figures, while here, it seemed like sorcery was entirely unknown. In our world, the general populace recognized that sorcerers could wield truly astonishing powers.

“A world with neither martial arts nor sorcery but with demons.”

It felt really strange. I thought for a moment and then said,

“Then, who is said to be the most knowledgeable and intelligent person in the world?”

“That would be Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Are you referring to the Emperor So Yeon I saw earlier?”

“Yes…”

One guard informed me that Emperor So Yeon was a renowned emperor known for his extensive knowledge and exceptional wisdom. Historical evaluations recognized him as the embodiment of all things within the Liang Empire, which made sense. Emperor So Yeon was one of the great rulers noted in Central Plains history. However, now even he was brainwashed by Dharma, so there was nothing I could ask.

With information gathering sufficiently covered, I aimed to put the guards to sleep and activated the Golden Lamp technique to escape the prison.

Paat!

I realized my Golden Lamp wasn’t functioning properly, frowning.

“… Not good.”

Even though I had made it to the surface, I found myself back on that hill where I first arrived on Earth with the Giant God Suin. No matter how hard I tried to think of other coordinates, I just couldn’t move, and I ended up here. Then I recalled the rules of the Golden Lamp technique in my head.

You can go anywhere, but only to places you’ve been before.

So, in this world, all the places I had been must be things I had “never been to” here? Just as the Giant God had said, this Earth in another universe was entirely different, as it appeared that all coordinates registered in the Golden Lamp had vanished.

Wiying

I looked at the path of black light erupting from the Primordial Void and steeled my resolve.

“Right… I’ll go to the ends of the world!”

I’ll find the Divine Thief first and think later!

Woosh!

I leaped into the sky and began following that path using the Void Step technique. I could have run on the ground, but there was a high chance of unnecessary contact with the surroundings. However, after flying for a while, I felt my internal power gradually depleting.

“Of course, not being with Heavenly Spirit Pill means I can’t just fly infinitely…”

Plus, the Void Step itself consumed focus since it was an ascending martial arts technique. As I contemplated what to do, I revitalized my slightly recovered Spirit Power to manifest a pair of black wings behind me.

Fwap!

Was it because I materialized the wings with my slightly recovered Spirit Power while in a depleted state? They looked rough, but I was able to create somewhat stable dark wings. I began moving them to fly, which was far more efficient in conserving my physical and Qi strength compared to mere jumping.

Whoosh!

After a while of flying, I noticed the path of black light slowly descending towards the ground. Seeing this filled me with joy.

“Thank goodness!”

The descent of the light didn’t imply that the Divine Thief was beyond the universe; it meant he was here on this Earth! So, regardless of when, it would be possible to find the Divine Thief! However, judging by how slowly the path was descending, the Divine Thief seemed to be quite far away.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

“……”

After a while of tiring flight, I landed on an unnamed mountain range in the south. I sat on a tree stump to rest and murmured,

“It feels like I’ve already reached the south coast of the Central Plains, and it keeps going…”

With the faint horizon visible, it seemed like I was near the south coast of the Central Plains. Yet, the path of black light kept heading towards the sky without drastically changing its course. So, the Divine Thief wasn’t living in the Central Plains, but somewhere in the southern part of it.

To cross the sea, I needed strength, so I sat cross-legged and focused on recovering. After about half an hour of rest, once I regained some power, I dashed to the seashore and began crossing the waters using the Water Walking technique.

Thump Thump Thump!

This wasn’t my first time crossing the sea. I had done this before when I crossed the straits of the British Empire. However, during my trip to the Southern continent, I hadn’t crossed the distance mindlessly; I used the transmission function of the Tower of Muwang. This time, using the Water Walking technique felt like an unknown trial.

“Taking a boat is slow. I’m just going to leap across the water.”

Honestly, finding the Prophet Clan here and using the Tower of Muwang might have been faster. However, considering that there was no guarantee the Prophet Clan existed in this world, it could be a waste of time. Thus, I decided to seize this opportunity to challenge the limits of the Water Walking technique.

Thump Thump!

“Hmm. It’s more manageable than I thought.”

Perhaps it was due to having gone through multiple lifetimes in my 22nd life that my internal power and expertise in the Divine Technique had significantly increased. There was almost no unnecessary drain of energy when employing the Water Walking technique, and I could reduce friction and rebound to nearly nothing beneath my feet. While it felt like I had traveled twice the distance of the British Empire’s straits, my power expenditure was barely half of what it had been then. As I considered taking a break, I landed on an unnamed island and rested again.

Thump!

At this pace, I figured I could reach near the Southern continent by the end of today. After a brief maintenance break, I immediately resumed the Water Walking technique.

Thump Thump!

Thump!

How many islands had I crossed? I soon found myself at the southern continent as the sun was setting. The black light indeed extended towards the southern continent. Seeing the coral reefs and clear seas, I was filled with excitement as I stepped onto land. Marching forward at full speed along the path of black light, I felt a little thrill.

Tap Tap Tap!

“I don’t sense any barriers.”

Normally, there would be a vast instant transfer barrier set to protect the Fire Spirit, and I would sense its presence. But here, there was absolutely nothing—a complete void. As I sprinted for a while, I detected the path of black light leading to a strange location.

“Um… this feels somehow familiar…?”

Where was this?

I had definitely been here before…

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, I tilted my head, but couldn’t quite remember. By the time I reached the base of a large dormant volcano that resembled a caldera, I could see the path of black light plunging deep inside the crater.

A dormant volcano, huh?

What on earth is down there?

Why on earth did the Divine Thief end up in a dormant volcano?

I was utterly puzzled, yet I ventured into the volcano’s interior. As the familiar terrain began to emerge, an inkling of memory brushed against my mind.

Right. I had definitely been here before.

But when was that again… and why?

Just as I tilted my head, following the path of black light, a roar echoed from within the cave.

Croooow!!!

Crash!

From inside the slimy cave, a gigantic creature resembling a giant toad, with limbs like tentacles, began to crawl out. I recognized this as the Otherworldly Race I had encountered before. Immediately, after seeing its form, memories flooded back, and I shouted,

“Ah, that’s right!”

As I released a warning cry, I unleashed the Thunder Sword technique, shattering the giant toad monster into hundreds of pieces in a single blow.

Kaboom!

Thud!

Only after obliterating the monster did the memory fully return.

“… The Spirit of Death!!”

I had absolutely been here before.

Inside the volcano, a powerful Otherworldly monster resided, and a heroic figure from a barbarian tribe had fought and died trying to defeat it. And it was during my practice of the Soul Exchange Technique that I had encountered that hero’s soul and agreed to fulfill his request! I had also slain that toad monster back then.

Additionally, I had learned a very significant secret in return for vanquishing that creature.

Specifically, the secret regarding the Spirit of Death.

[… Very well. For you, I can teach the greatest secret I possess. This has been concealed from everyone until death.]

[It’s not exactly a treasure, but here’s how you can meet the Spirit of Death.]

[We believe that the Rainbow Snake created this world. And the Spirit of Death serves as its foremost underling. If you encounter the Spirit, you will get a chance to meet the Rainbow Snake.]

As I recalled that buried memory, I slowly made my way back out of the cave. Gradually, I began ascending toward the volcano’s crater.

“……”

This is a big problem…

I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that the whereabouts of the Divine Thief leading me here might symbolize a great calamity.

A moment later, as I finally reached a vantage point overlooking the crater, I found that the black light had disappeared deep into the dark opening, no longer visible. Normally, I would have gone down there surrounded by my defensive techniques, but there was no need for that now.

Instead, I recalled the past and fortified my resolve.

“Damn it. It’s either life or death…”

To find the whereabouts of the Divine Thief, I needed to perform the ceremony to meet the Rainbow Snake starting now.