Wait, you blessed the destruction of the universe?!

“Then… does that mean the Outer Gods supported the True Martial Home?”

That’s the only conclusion I can draw. I also think the reason my limbs regenerated is that the Great Intelligence of All just gifted me this blessing. I couldn’t feel any other magical power, but this alone was a massive boost for me. At the same time, I recognized that this was the perfect opportunity.

The Earth Spirit was in utter confusion. The fact that such a High-Level Existence was thrown into disarray meant the event that just transpired was colossal, and it also implied that such an exceptional chance would not arise again.

Immediately, I figured out what the best offensive move I could use was.

White Lotus’ Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique!

I don’t know how I used it, but that strike punched a hole in the head of the [Old Ruler] Tezcatlipoca, landing a critical hit. The most powerful attack I could perform now was not the Thunder Blade but indeed the Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique.

If I used the Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique, I would surely land a critical hit on the Ancient God Spirit in front of me. I was confident!

However, the problem was that I couldn’t remember how I used it. It felt like back then with the Sea God, where I unknowingly reached [somewhere] in a trance and naturally received that power. Still, it was odd that I had a distinct name for it, yet I didn’t know the principle behind its activation.

Frustration welled up within me. As Yeodong-bin said, facing tremendous crises and trials like the life-and-death ten rounds serves as a catalyst for awakening, but it annoyed me to no end that the potency of that awakening didn’t sustain and keeps breaking apart.

No way.

I don’t want to be swung around by enlightenment like I’m losing my memory!

If this power isn’t something I can reliably utilize, what’s the difference from Great Luck Overlap?

I clenched my teeth. I felt sick of dying foolishly, so I decided to unleash all my focus before meeting my end. Regardless of what happened, I couldn’t allow regret.

The best strategic option available right now was to maximize the potential of the Absolute Realm! By doing so, I might summon a clue towards using the Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique again or draw upon its power. I had no choice but to gamble.

So, I gathered every ounce of my energy and firmly set the Intent Heavenly Pillar.

Intent Heavenly Pillar.

The pillar of will obtained when ascending to the Absolute Realm! This pillar pierced through the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantian and allowed the will of the Absolute Realm master to resonate through heaven and earth, enabling a genuine transformation of reality through intent. The actions of intent that could unfold physically impossible miracles and secret techniques become greatly amplified, leading to occurrences of the miraculous.

Woo-oo-oo –

My Intent Heavenly Pillar resonated. I had yet to properly unleash the power of the Intent Heavenly Pillar since rising to the Absolute Realm. I initially thought of hanging the Intent Heavenly Pillar on the blade’s tip where martial artists focus, thereby amplifying this power but soon realized the folly in that.

“A blade… You can never create an attack that can penetrate a god with just a blade alone!”

What if I manifested the [World’s Sharpest Thunder Blade] or the [Sword that Cuts Through Time and Space] using the Intent Heavenly Pillar?

Depending on the mastery of the Absolute Realm, it would probably manifest. Just like the Thunder Blade of Dokgo Seong who reached the Absolute Realm, or Miyamoto Musashi’s Time-Slicing Blade. The ultimate techniques of the Absolute Realm possessed their own unique might, sufficient to confront a hundred thousand soldiers; however, the problem remained that since it was manifested through human Intent Heavenly Pillar, there lay a limit to its power.

You could tell from Musashi’s failure to cut down Jeon Wook. At that moment, Musashi clearly sliced through the time and space near the descending Jeon Wook, yet he could never surpass a god’s perception and magical power. Jeon Wook was a being transcending time and space; thus, no matter how quick your sword play was, it would be in vain, and Musashi already knew the means and methods of attack. All he did was seal the dimension with magical power several times stronger than the Intent Heavenly Pillar.

That’s far easier for the Three Sovereigns than twisting a child’s arm behind their back, so Jeon Wook probably treated Musashi like a bug. In terms of manipulating time and space, a god vastly surpasses mortals, thus making it impossible for a master of the Absolute Realm, manifesting at the level of intent, to ever cut down a god.

However, for martial artists, there exists a place with greater attacking power than their weapon’s tip. Hence, I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment.

How can I slay a god with the martial arts of the Absolute Realm?

In that moment – a phrase from the Divine Thief flickered through my mind.

[Let me tell you this: It’s best to rid yourself of the delusion that a human’s martial arts can kill a god.]

Delusion…

“That’s it. It’s delusion…”

I easily acknowledged and understood the words of the Divine Thief. Why? Because Musashi already demonstrated a perfect example. Musashi honed a martial technique named Divine Kill Slash to overcome his fear of gods, creating a blade that sliced through time and space. Yet, I witnessed with my own eyes that blade not even grazing the god, resulting in a harrowing humiliation.

Attempting to slay a god with human martial arts is indeed a delusion. They are inherently existences of a different dimension.

Underestimating transcendent beings playing around at the galactic scale is foolish.

However, that also signifies another truth. The one who uttered those words was none other than the Divine Thief.

“…If it were the martial arts of gods, wouldn’t that be different?”

Could slaying a god with the martial arts of gods be possible?

Thus, couldn’t it be called the Peerless Technique achieved by reaching the godly domain?

Isn’t that the advice from the Divine Thief who reached the seat of Martial Deity?

It sounds ridiculous and absurd, I know. But to enable slaying a god through martial arts, I would have no choice but to change the precondition.

Ordinary sorcerers or demon sorcerers would sneer at such thoughts. It was a hundred times more plausible to conduct a human sacrifice or train to become the embodiment of demons or elevate one’s existence.

But I am a Martial Artist.

If it were merely about pursuing strength, would I have ever reached the Absolute Realm? “Martial Arts” cannot merely be a means or an end; they exist, purely as martial arts. Compromise and efficiency cannot coexist within my martial path.

“……”

I close my eyes.

I empty my mind.

I erase all distractions and eliminate the will to kill.

I sensed instinctively that as long as I remained within the realm of a human trying to kill, I would never escape. Even if I trained a thousand years, I could not catch up to Musashi’s innate predatory combat sense, an absolute genius born with the capacity for murder. And upon confirming that Musashi’s highest state did not reach the divine realm, I realized I should not employ the same methods.

If I don’t kill the opponent, what am I meant to do?

In fights that don’t end unless you topple your foe, still, there’s something I cannot give up.

Unless I grasp something beyond this fight, the White Lotus’ Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique will never come close to me.

“Just as Yeodong-bin and Jang Sam-bong said, I must embody emptiness in my heart.”

Woo-oo-oo

Something began to tickle the back of my head and gently warmed me. I wondered what it was, and soon I recognized the faint backlight illuminating behind my head. As the glow grew stronger, I could feel the sensations I had experienced when I reached ecstasy with the Peerless Technique resurface.

It’s coming.

Is this the sensation of the Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique?

Whether it was fantasy or reality…

Boom!

At that moment, in front of my eyes, an enormous royal court seemed to unfold. It appeared as if constructed from a hundred palaces, each palace harboring its own master. At the far end of the court sat some incomprehensible figure. Moreover, many beings residing in the hundred palaces seemed to be non-human.

Where is this place?

Should I set foot in there?

Somehow, it felt like I could utilize the White Lotus’ Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique once more if I did.

I had to reach that seat…

And just as I was about to step toward the royal court in a state of ecstasy.

Woof!!

“…Cough.”

…Huh?

I felt my heart pierced by a rocky spear. Dark blood gushed out.

“Though it’s a bit late, I suppose I should tidy things up. Time to clean house.”

With the cold voice of the Earth Spirit, I realized it was the end. The Earth Spirit seemed to have recovered from the chaos and attacked me, taking advantage of my state of vulnerability as I immersed myself in self-awareness. I felt my consciousness fading and my body growing cold.

“Cough, gasp…”

No, this can’t be…!

I thought I might feel something, yet it turned out so absurd…?

“Trying to gain enlightenment while in a life-or-death showdown is foolish… but…!!”

Thud

My vision swayed as I stumbled forward and fell. Immediately, I sensed the aftereffects of the deviation in the law of cause and effect surging in.

The flow of everything centered around me, like it was the protagonist of the world, ceased.

This means that if there are real setbacks, it will not spare my circumstances and will strike!

Could it be that, unconsciously, I was also relying on the deviation in the law of cause and effect?

This is bad.

As I teetered on the brink between life and death, suddenly, a massive power akin to the sun erupted from within me.

“Do not worry, Baek Woong! My name is Quetzalcoatl!! I will not let you die for saving me!”

Ku-whaaat!

Quetzalcoatl transformed into a golden-feathered bird and filled my heart. Losing control of my body, Quetzalcoatl began to move my form instead. Wrapped in golden spirit energy, he charged toward the Earth Spirit.

“Ohhh!!”

Ka-boom!

Quetzalcoatl threw wild punches at the Earth Spirit, and unlike before, it could not dispatch him with a single command, instead erecting a defensive barrier. It seemed that in his descended state, Quetzalcoatl was regarded as a being of lower status, hence the command wouldn’t work.

The Earth Spirit, seemingly displeased, said, “

“How dare you confine an ancient god with a divine artifact… You pest!!”

“…Hoo.”

I felt a bitter sensation.

“Since I’m at it, I wanted to defeat by enhancing my martial realm.”

Everything in the world doesn’t seem to flow so easily. Still, it’s true that I deeply realized the essence of the Heavenly Thunder Martial Technique, and I felt woeful that I had drawn out the fight that I should have won with divine artifacts. Or perhaps, after gaining a handle on the law of cause and effect, I had grown accustomed to coast with the wind, making me overly cautious. The biggest reason was that I hadn’t thought about using the divine artifacts due to my impatience.

“Die.”

Ka-BOOM!

I shot Agni straight away. Simultaneously, the Earth Spirit failed to scream, turning to ashes before vanishing. I drew in the scattered soul of the Earth Spirit with the Soul Exchange Technique and placed it into the final divine artifact.

“Final divine artifact: [Vajra (वज्र)]. Obtained.”

Woo-oo-oo!

With that, I gathered all four great spirit deities. After completing a tough mission, I headed toward the altar where Dharma was located.

Thump!

As I climbed onto the altar, Dharma was attaching the ninth fragment of the scroll.

Crackle!!

“……”

Once the last fragment was attached, would the True Martial Home end? I pondered and glanced at Dharma standing on the altar. He seemed to have lost nearly all human form, morphing into a dark mass of chaos slowly being absorbed into the void. I couldn’t fathom that Dharma possessed any consciousness in that state.

“Dharma. I’ve gathered all four great spirit deities. What should I do now?”

Still, I spoke to Dharma. As the main orchestrator of everything, I couldn’t proceed without hearing his next directives. After a moment of silence, Dharma slowly addressed me.

[… Baek Woong… Do you understand why other [Old Rulers] opposed this True Martial Home ritual while Outer Gods supported it and even bestowed blessings…?]

“I really don’t know.”

I replied honestly, and with my gaze focused on the scroll, continued, “Almost done. Just wait a bit, and the last fragment should fit.”

[……]

Dharma fell silent before resuming.

[The reason Outer Gods don’t feel repulsion towards the world’s destruction… and even cheer me on to perform this True Martial Home ritual… is that they are beings unconcerned with the world’s demise caused by the True Martial Home.]

“……!!”

What?!

I was utterly astonished at that first hearing.

“Ah, no, that’s logically consistent, but!”

I hurriedly exclaimed, “Wait, are you serious? That Outer Gods won’t be affected even if the True Martial Home progresses?”

[…Indeed…]

“How do you know that?”

[Not long ago, when I connected to the world library to obtain approval for the True Martial Home… that being hinted to me.]

Dharma seemed to wear a wry smile.

[Even if the True Martial Home were to proceed, the Outer Gods will never disappear… They are inherently unconcerned about the world’s destruction and have immunity… because they truly transcend the cycle of reincarnation…]

[They are incomparable to other [Old Rulers]…]

“Transcend the cycle? What do you mean?”

I felt strange and asked back.

“Aren’t [Old Rulers] already beings who transcended life and death, having all surpassed reincarnation? What are the Outer Gods different from them?”

[Baek Woong… That is the reincarnation recognized by mortals… The reincarnation of transcendent beings is… on another dimension… It is… [Cycle]…]

After a pause, Dharma continued.

[The moment [Father] closes his eyes and reopens them is a single round of [the Great Cycle]… Only those who transcend that existence are recognized as the Outer Gods…]

“……!!”

[Indeed… Baek Woong… heh heh…]

He burst into laughter.

[My True Martial Home was… meaningless from the very start… As long as I cannot eliminate the true gods among gods… even if the world perishes… infinite suffering will once again revolve… HAHAHAHAHAHA!!]

“……”

The level of despair is overwhelming.

How powerless I must be.

To discover that the world’s destruction I pursued with all my might could be played with so profoundly.

While I stood there blankly, Dharma spoke.

[But I haven’t given up… because… you, Baek Woong, exist…]

“What do you mean?”

[Whatever reason you may have for coming to this world… you are the only hope… Baek Woong, promise me… it is something only you can achieve…]

“……”

[Hah… Hah…]

For a moment, Dharma seemed to be gasping for breath.

Then he said, [Baek Woong!! Complete the true True Martial Home that can even annihilate the Outer Gods!!!]