954——————==

True Martial Home

What?!

I couldn’t hide my shock at the Divine Thief’s words. There was so much meaning packed into that statement, I didn’t even know where to start with my questions. I glanced nervously at Seo.

‘Thankfully, it seems Seo hasn’t completely destroyed this place yet…’

The end of the universe was happening slowly. According to what I heard from Dharma, it would start with beings of high spiritual density and power being wiped out one by one, eventually leading to the destruction of matter. Even so, since I had no idea when everything would come to an end, I urgently said,

“…Can you explain that in detail?”

“Cu-ck… Don’t be so impatient. I’ve got time to share this much.”

The Divine Thief sighed and continued.

“…It’s all over now. Damn it.”

I could feel a deep hopelessness from his sigh. It felt genuine, not just smoke and mirrors. Because of this, I perked up my ears, realizing that whatever he said next was likely true.

“As I said, I tried to steal his mask while masquerading as the [Coming Chaos].”

“A mask? You mean you’re a manifestation of a god?”

At my question, the Divine Thief shook his head.

“If I were a manifestation, I would have simply said that. A mask is different. If a manifestation is akin to a god’s limbs, a mask is just a mere tool—a far inferior ‘tool’.”

“A tool…”

“Well, people don’t worry about a few strands of hair falling out in their sleep, right? You can’t control hair with your will.”

He said it somewhat cheerfully, but the underlying tone of sadness didn’t change. In reality, his situation was dire. I looked at him and spoke.

“The ability to hear from birth… the talent to replicate an opponent’s martial arts came from being a mask, didn’t it?”

“Something like that.”

“Then you were born into this world for the reconnaissance and amusement of the [Coming Chaos]!”

I shouted with a hint of animosity, and he burst into laughter.

“That’s a weird story. Ha… it’s true, but the moment I awakened my identity as a mask was because of the Abyssal Mask.”

“What?”

“In other words, the [human] Divine Thief had no recognition of this until he became a top expert in Jianghu. I thought I was originally a genius cruising around Jianghu. But then, I had an accident while practicing the ancient technique of mask manipulation and failed to control the Abyssal Mask.”

The Divine Thief slowly lifted a hand to his face and with a click, took off the mask. In an instant, an unfamiliar face appeared. The Divine Thief, transformed before my eyes, said,

“At that moment of the accident, I realized I was a [mask] and knew my true essence.”

“What? How did an accident lead to that?”

“The Abyssal Mask will go berserk if left unattended for too long. And when it goes wild, it becomes another version of oneself… a being with exactly the same power and abilities.”

“……!!”

“But I didn’t need to deal with [myself] separately. Why? Because the moment that guy appeared, I realized I was the very same person. From the start, I wasn’t human but a mask, so I couldn’t be confused about my identity or have an enemy.”

“W-what?”

“And when I merged the masks, I finally awakened to the fact that I was [non-human]…”

The Divine Thief was mumbling like a monologue, then spoke in a somewhat dry voice.

“In this situation, facing my own essence and trying to steal the [God’s Mask] wasn’t unusual. I just didn’t want to admit that I was the residue of a god.”

“……”

Is that the reason for his obsession with the essence?

If he couldn’t find his true essence, it would render even his status as a great thief meaningless, and he would lose any reason to continue living. I felt something was odd and asked the Divine Thief.

“But didn’t you have a strong desire to find the Xuanyuan Sword when you faced Yeodong-bin? If you had that mindset, why would you even look for it?”

“……”

“And you went so far as to find the Xuanyuan Sword and come to the Outer God. That contradicts what you were saying!!”

“Idiot. Do you think I would have revealed my plans and secrets to Yeodong-bin, the strongest among the Eight Immortals and a puppet of the Celestial Realm? Who knows what kind of interference they could create if they knew my intentions and existence?”

“Um…”

That’s true. Given that Nüwa and the Three Sovereigns were pulling the strings behind the Celestial Realm, I couldn’t deny the Divine Thief’s words. I was left speechless when he said,

“Junior, the Xuanyuan Sword is… a lie.”

“……Huh?”

The Divine Thief nodded, confirming it multiple times.

“It’s a lie. Pay attention. It was a total fabrication.”

His repetition left me dazed.

‘A lie…?!’

I was losing my mind!

How much effort had I put into finding the Xuanyuan Sword! I had lived countless lives in its pursuit and had done everything to gather that information. Suddenly, boiling anger surged in me, and I yelled at the Divine Thief.

“You bastard…!! You told people lies just to make others suffer!!”

I was about to charge at the Divine Thief to take a swing, but he merely replied calmly.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, Junior. Even though it’s a lie, it’s not like I originated it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t it sound strange? If I had made up the lie, there’s no way I would have kept a fake Xuanyuan Sword safe in the Gongson Clan for thousands of years. And considering that my servant Yeo-chuk is aware of that information, it shows it dates back at least to the Mythological Age. So, there’s no way a guy like me from the Tang Dynasty would have lied about the Xuanyuan Sword. Timing-wise, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

“…Well, that makes sense.”

The Divine Thief seemed to have freed himself a bit and spoke with a brighter expression than before.

“I hadn’t researched the Xuanyuan Sword for long, so I discovered it doesn’t exist and that it was a deliberate rumor spread in the Divine Age. However, the mere pretense of searching for the Xuanyuan Sword was a perfect cover to hide my true intentions, so I was just pretending to look for it externally.”

“So, you didn’t crave the privilege to hold the Offering Ceremony for nearly nothing or the right to meet the Emperor?”

“To say I didn’t crave it would be a lie. But what good is a lie? I gave up on it early on.”

“…So why did you lie to Yeodong-bin?”

The Divine Thief shrugged.

“When I met Yeodong-bin, he was the world’s top expert and a spearhead of the Celestial Realm. He was the most noticed figure in the world. There was no harm in telling a small lie to follow him around and keep tabs on his movements.”

“Then why did you unify the dark streets of Luoyang?”

“Because there were many mythological legacies related to my true form in Luoyang, I gathered lowly henchmen to investigate in my stead.”

“And why did you join the Six Heroes under Empress Wu Zetian?”

“Same reason. I didn’t go in to find the Xuanyuan Sword but rather to keep an eye on Empress Wu and the Eight Parts of the Divine in cahoots with Chi You. I gained quite a bit of valuable information.”

“Valuable information?”

The Divine Thief chuckled slyly.

“Chi You will never be able to topple the Three Sovereigns… That’s what I realized.”

“……!! How did you come to that conclusion?”

“It’s simple. Chi You’s scheme was to summon the Dragon of the Apocalypse using Empress Wu, devouring the Law of Cause and Effect. While that method could temporarily strike at the Three Sovereigns’ estates, it would ultimately not help increase Chi You’s own power. Moreover, you could see that there were limits to Chi You’s vessel from the beginning.”

With that, the Divine Thief waved his hand dismissively.

“He wasn’t a vessel capable of destroying the world. Therefore, after cutting my hopes for Chi You, I chose to leave this world.”

“……?”

“No matter how much I searched the realm, my true form was nowhere to be found. It’s impossible to overturn the Central Plains, which the Three Sovereigns staunchly protect with my current strength. From my perspective, to hope for the descending of my true form, the world needed to be plunged into a major crisis, so it was only natural to leave for another realm.”

“Y-you mean…?”

I mumbled in disbelief.

“Just for the sake of seeing your true form… you aimed for the destruction of any world you could?!!”

“That’s right.”

“That’s insane!! If we can’t even destroy our world, how would you plan to destroy another?! What made you think you could cross into another world while facing the perils of the Life Sea?!!”

I could only be flabbergasted by the Divine Thief’s madness and recklessness. I knew he was an odd character, but this was on another level. In the realm of martial arts, comprehending the Divine Thief’s thoughts and intentions was utterly impossible.

The Divine Thief said,

“True Martial Home.”

“……!!”

“I perused more knowledge while actively engaging in Jianghu than most scholars. I’m not boasting, but I remember everything I see, so I have a mental library of a hundred thousand books stored in my mind. While delving into various texts, I developed an interest in the White Lotus Sect, uncovering their doctrines and secrets, leading me to discover the ritual of True Martial Home which leads to world destruction.”

“Then why didn’t you conduct True Martial Home in our world?”

“There were no suitable conditions whatsoever. To perform True Martial Home, one requires immense offerings, the Four Great Spirit Deities, priests, and a super-strong Demon Sorcerer to complete the Offering Ceremony like it is now, but the White Lotus Sect at that time lacked such figures. Even in the future, I doubted anything like that would be born.”

“Didn’t you think about becoming a powerful Demon Sorcerer yourself?”

“Are you kidding? After seeing Dharma vanish as the last piece of the Ritual, you think I would even consider such a question? It’s a ceremony predicated on self-sacrifice; what happens if I die?”

“……”

“Well, that’s roughly what led me to cross into this world. I thought if I tried to induce world destruction even in another world, my true form would show up. My true form is a being that transcends time and space, so it wouldn’t be interfered with in the Outer God.”

As I spoke with him, I felt a mix of confusion and disbelief.

“…There’s no guarantee that when you crossed into the Outer God, you would find the right conditions to perform the True Martial Home. It could have been a primitive universe where Earth itself didn’t exist!”

“Heh heh heh. Do you think I didn’t think of that? Of course, I figured there’d be a way to meet those conditions, which is precisely why I ventured there.”

“What?”

“After entering the Outer God, I asked the Outer God Observer at the entrance to send me to a world that meets those conditions.”

“You asked the Outer God Observer?! And they accepted?!”

“Yup, they did. Because that existence is of absolute neutrality and just wants to watch interesting things unfold, I thought they’d agree. My identity as a mask told me it was possible.”

“……”

This guy is insane.

He pretended to be normal but was actually a madman.

‘To even think of such an idea, knowing the power of the Outer God Observer…’

He could have been reduced to cosmic dust in an instant, yet he acted as if he had nothing to fear. No, actually, since he was the mask of a god, he was beyond human understanding from the start. Consequently, he might be deemed the greatest thief in history.

“But you know, the Xuanyuan Sword isn’t just a total lie.”

“Eh?”

“Technically, it was an item with many mixed legacies. Most of those legends were false, but there seemed to be one that was true. But that had nothing to do with my goals, and I wouldn’t have enough lives to delve deep into that legend, so I concluded the Xuanyuan Sword was a lie.”

“What was that legend?”

He crossed his arms and said,

“[The Three Sovereigns cannot wield the Xuanyuan Sword]. That’s what I heard from Yeo-chuk, and it seemed like the truth.”

“……? What does that even mean?”

“I don’t want to spoon-feed you all my findings, so I won’t tell you.”

“Hey!”

“I think it might be a clue to a terribly vile object, but I don’t have the courage to investigate it.”

With that, the Divine Thief continued.

“Since coming to this world… I’ve been reincarnating, waiting until Dharma is born. I figured out the way to reincarnate while roaming the world as a thief long ago. After waiting over two thousand years like this, Dharma finally performed the True Martial Home.”

“……”

“Any more questions?”

“Why are you suddenly being so vague? You could have found a way to live nearly forever, so why choose to keep reincarnating?”

At my question, the Divine Thief grinned.

“It was because of the Divine Skill.”

“The Divine Skill?”

“The Divine Skill requires conditions. To meet those conditions, one life wasn’t sufficient. So I decided to stockpile power, even if it meant by unconventional means.”

“Please, tell me the conditions.”

“You already know. I can’t say more to those who haven’t reached Divine Skill.”

“Ugh…”

“Well… Anyway, it’s all over now.”

He seemed thirsty from all the talking and drank from a water container while muttering softly.

“Now that I’ve reached this point, I feel rather relaxed. I meant to steal the mask of the [Coming Chaos] to regain myself… but I never imagined I wouldn’t even be able to sniff it. How utterly frustrating.”

I gazed at the Divine Thief thoughtfully and spoke.

“Did you, at any point, want to save the world? With your abilities, you could’ve at least attempted it.”

“…It seems like thinking highly of something not present is odd. There’s nothing more precious to me than myself in this world.”

“That’s not necessarily true.”

“Eh?”

“…It’s not necessarily true.”

If he thought of himself as the most precious being… I would have never come this far. He would have spent his life flaunting his power and enjoying everything. However, it was through the influence of my companions that I realized that life isn’t meant to be lived that way.

“Hmph… You’re truly the worst little brother. You’re not just foolish; you’re sincere and skilled… What a complete mess you are.”

As the Divine Thief grumbled, I smirked.

“But isn’t it an honor to have a little brother like me come visit?”

“Drop it. We’re all doomed anyway… What’s the point…?”

The Divine Thief made a cheesy expression and gulped down from the container. Then he said,

“Now, tell me your story.”

“Okay.”

Kugugugugu~

Kugugugu~

From the far reaches of the universe, a bright white light began to radiate outwards. That was something I had never seen before, and it seemed to signify that the universe’s destruction was nearing. Feeling that I had nothing to lose by sharing with the Divine Thief, I attempted to speak.

“I…”

Right as I was about to say I was a Reborn Person.

“……”

Something felt off.

All of a sudden, the Divine Thief froze with no motion. Slowly, I could see his face changing. The shift was so subtle that a normal person wouldn’t have noticed it, but I could immediately tell.

As I paused my speech, the Divine Thief asked,

“What’s wrong? Hurry up and tell me.”

Slap!!

I quickly stepped back and summoned my Immortal Sword. I pointed the Intent Heavenly Pillar at him.

“…Who are you?”

“I’m the Divine Thief.”

“Who are you really!!”

That guy isn’t the Divine Thief.

As a mask manipulator and his student, I could feel that fact clearly. Because just moments ago, that phenomenon was a complete mask transformation into something else! And since the mask had been stripped to its core, the mask manipulator shouldn’t be capable of maintaining a stable form, yet this opponent stood firmly as before.

Then, the ‘once the Divine Thief’ spoke.

“Nice perception, Mortal.”

“……!!”

No way…!!

As the opponent slowly straightened up from their seated position, a strange feeling washed over me; they were clearly facing me, but for some reason, I couldn’t recognize what their face looked like. The memory eluded me, and it felt as though a thousand masks were layered on that face.

That existence smiled brightly.

“You’ve finally found my mask.”