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**Soul of the Evil God (四神之魂)**

Zhuge Sa chuckled at my words.

“Before we proceed, there are a few things we need to address. But first, I’d like to know how you plan to use the Thunder God Martial Arts again.”

“Hmm…”

I pondered for a moment at Zhuge Sa’s question before replying.

“Since it was a fleeting sensation, I can’t just use it like any other martial arts technique. To reach the boundary of Thunder God Martial Arts once more, I think I need to achieve a state of unified harmony.”

“Is that unified harmony achievable merely through meditation and concentration?”

“Guess there’s no way to know until I try.”

“Alright. Make the arrangements.”

Once Zhuge Sa set up a training ground within Jangryeong Valley, I settled down cross-legged in the spacious area and began my meditation. For experts, meditation is a method to cultivate energy and a training session that maximizes focus, making it the best practice to dive into a state of unified harmony.

*Wuuuuuu…*

As I raised my energy to its max, I thought,

‘The artifact of the constellation that Xiang Yu gave me has disappeared… Did the Divine Thief sacrifice it for summoning a ruler?’

It was a bit disappointing, but I had to consider it the price paid to get through that dangerous situation. I could feel the vast energy flowing through my body uninterruptedly and realized that this sensation was quite different from what I felt during my Rebirth of Flesh technique.

*Gugugu…*

When my energy peaked, my focus naturally surged to its highest point, and a tremendous energy materialized around me, creating what felt like a pillar connecting me to the heavens. As the Intent Heavenly Pillar stood straight, I quickly sensed myself reconnecting with the feeling of Thunder God Martial Arts I once experienced through a concentrated mind.

‘Here it comes!!’

*Bang!!*

Along with the sensation of something striking down upon the upper dantian, I felt my mind drifting into a higher dimension, as if my soul was separating from my body. Concurrently, I could see the Hundred Thrones again.

If I could reach that royal court, would that mean obtaining the seat of the Divine??

Desperately, I reached out towards the royal court. I wasn’t sure, but I knew that the moment I made contact with it, many things would change.

*Flounder*

*Flounder*

But I couldn’t get any closer to the heavenly thrones, which seemed almost within my grasp. No matter how much I tried to approach, it felt as if they were moving further away from me. I instinctively realized that this way, I would never reach them.

…I’m lacking.

Something is missing…

What is missing…?

Even the original dwellers of the thrones cast faint shadows, showing no interest in me at all. It seemed they understood that I wasn’t ready to reach the throne yet. I pressed onward with all my might, but at some point, I felt all the strength in my body fade away.

*Gah!! The Intent Heavenly Pillar… is depleting…*

The Intent Heavenly Pillar isn’t infinite. It’s a symbol of the Absolute Realm, a powerful force that can distort the laws of the world, but there are limits to what a human can utilize. As I elevated my soul to a higher dimension with the aid of the Intent Heavenly Pillar, that depleting intent might prevent me from returning to my original body.

*Whoosh!!*

“Cough!!”

The moment my focus broke and I returned to reality, I felt the blood surge from my throat. As the crimson liquid poured out, I covered my mouth with my hand. While I was on my knees, coughing up blood for a while, Zhuge Sa remarked,

“Didn’t it work?”

“… Darn it.”

“I had a feeling it wouldn’t.”

“What?”

Looking up at Zhuge Sa’s nonchalant tone, he pulled a chair nearby and sat with a composed posture.

“I’m not a martial artist, but from what I gather from your memories, the Thunder God Martial Arts of the White Lotus Sect isn’t something you created. Additionally, even if you reached the Absolute Realm, it’s not certain that the Thunder God Martial Arts is an Absolute Realm technique. Considering the situation, it seems that Thunder God Martial Arts is a separate category altogether.”

“……”

“However, if we consider the possibility that the Thunder God Martial Arts is a Divine Skill, it wouldn’t explain why you were able to use it back then. In my opinion, while the Thunder God Martial Arts could be a Divine Skill, it likely requires special conditions to be used even in the Absolute Realm.”

“Hmm!!”

“Also, if you can maintain that level of intense focus during the use of Thunder God Martial Arts, it’s likely that reaching the Divine’s seat is a primary condition for its use.”

“I already had a hunch about that. That’s why I attempted it this time…”

I honestly told Zhuge Sa about the despair I had just felt, admitting that I couldn’t touch it. He slowly spoke,

“Think about the circumstances when you cast Thunder God Martial Arts. At that time, you were able to leap over countless life-threatening instances using the Peerless Technique, right?”

“I was.”

“The level of focus you had then and the focus you maintain now during meditation didn’t compare at all. The conditions are entirely different. Logically, you need to find a way to embody that astonishing focus akin to what you had back then.”

“……”

Is that even possible?

‘…I feel like I’d die at least 20 times before achieving that…’

In my 27th life, I had continuously unleashed the Peerless Technique to fend off the relentless onslaught of the Demon God Tezcatlipoca. Thinking back on it now, that was nothing short of a miracle. Normally, using the Peerless Technique to nullify a powerful foe perfectly could only be done two or three times at most, and anything beyond that was nearly impossible. Moreover, back then, it wasn’t a physical attack but rather intangible sorcery and curses flying at me, elevating the difficulty significantly.

Attempting that practice again was like layering an extremely slim probability… I couldn’t muster the courage to do it again. Assuming my time was infinite, I could attempt it, but I couldn’t complete the training within a short period.

Zhuge Sa propped his chin thoughtfully.

“Nonetheless, even in this case, there remains a question.”

“A question?”

“When you defeated Tezcatlipoca, your focus was indeed remarkable. However, from a third-party perspective, you overcame countless life-and-death situations, squeezing your focus from the brink of despair. Claiming that such focus alone allowed you to reach the realm of Divine Skills feels unreasonable. Didn’t you have plenty of life-threatening situations before? No matter how many times you used the Peerless Technique consecutively, that alone isn’t proof that the situation was unique.”

“…That much is true.”

“I believe there’s some special condition we’re unaware of. It’s likely linked solely to Thunder God Martial Arts. We need to identify it.”

Zhuge Sa’s words made perfect sense.

‘Hmm… Is this my next assignment? But I don’t think it’s impossible. I could take it steady.’

As I kept Zhuge Sa’s words internalized without hastily asking about this and that, he stated,

“First, since achieving Thunder God Martial Arts won’t be immediate, let’s put that aside for now. Instead, I want to see what these Four Great Spirit Deities of yours look like.”

“Got it.”

I briefly showed Zhuge Sa the Vajra among the Four Great Spirit Deities in my mindscape. As Zhuge Sa attempted to touch the Vajra out of curiosity, his expression suddenly stiffened and he quickly pulled his hand back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Those carry the extreme properties of magical power. If I touch them, I’d be fried by thunder immediately.”

*Whoosh*

The Vajra vanished shortly after. Zhuge Sa, who had been watching with great interest, said,

“They’re persuasive materials, but perhaps lacking.”

Zhuge Sa pondered for a moment before declaring,

“No, it’s worth the challenge.”

After saying that, he quickly ordered me,

“Baek Woong. You can postpone other matters for now. Let’s go to the main temple of the White Lotus Sect to meet with the Master of the White Lotus!”

I nodded eagerly.

“…Alright!!”

*Boom*

I headed towards the main temple of the White Lotus Sect with Zhuge Sa using the Golden Lamp technique. Upon reaching the Hall of the Sect Leader, I felt the killing intent radiating from the experts of the Elder Council lurking within. Zhuge Sa chuckled at the presence of their malignant energy.

“Baek Woong. If it were you in the past, you would have struggled to break through all these folks without outside help. Especially now that Heuk Woong isn’t around. If these Elder Council members pooled their strength, they could wipe out the Nine Great Sects three times over.”

“……”

“Can you break through with the power of the Absolute Realm?”

“What do you take me for?”

I grumbled, slowly drawing my sword.

“I’ll finish this quickly.”

Fighting against the Old Ruler made me feel strangely at ease as I stepped into the human realm.

As if provoked by my words, one of the elders, showing a Half-Transition Master appearance, bellowed,

“How dare you! Kill those punks!!”

*Woosh*

The moment his command rang out, fifteen shadowy figures surged toward me, like they were darting from all directions. Each of them was an Elder Council expert and if we consider them as Peak Experts in the Jianghu, it was undeniably a formidable joint attack. No renowned experts from the Jianghu would dare face their combined strength alone.

‘But…’

I didn’t want to resort to any grand moves to win this match.

Could it be pride?

I thought I could repel this level of attack using just the basics of swordsmanship.

*Clang*

*Thunder God Lineage*

*Thunder Dragon Sword*

*Main Sword Rain*

I unleashed my first basic technique. In the grandiloquent display of the Thunder Dragon Sword, the flamboyant Main Sword Rain swirled in the air, creating dozens of flower-like sword auras. The three Elder Council members, upon seeing this Main Sword Rain, attempted to shatter it by channeling their powerful energies into their weapons and swinging them.

*Crash!!*

“Uh?! No way…”

But the powerful energies they unleashed, built upon the sacred lotus, couldn’t break through the sword auras, which shattered their weapons instead. The fluttering sword flower soon transformed into a Thunder Spear that pierced through their acupoints.

*Blergh!*

“Ugh!”

In an instant, the three became bloodied messes on the ground. Seizing the opportunity, five more rushed forth, unleashing their techniques.

“Die!”

The surging energies chaotically filled the air around me. Each of them, being Peak Experts on par with the upper ranks, were imbued with intent-laden Secret Techniques. Yet even without a change in my expression, I cast my next technique against their incoming attacks.

*Thunder God Lineage*

*Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique*

*Gray Scaled Dragon*

*Shhhhhh…*

My sword felt like it was extending, and the elongated sword aura surged with intensity, rising fiercely. With a single, clean slash, the gray sword strength sliced through the surrounding space effortlessly, rendering it into nothing, and the two who had been attacking fell simultaneously, inflicted with critical wounds to their bellies and shoulders.

‘Lightly once more…’

With a swift pivot on my left foot, I unleashed the Sword Dragon from the tip of my blade, and with a loud *bang*, two more experts collapsed. The lightning-fast strike didn’t give even the slightest chance for them to deploy their Protection Energy Technique.

*Pop*

And as the Gray Scaled Dragon’s technique flowed seamlessly into the ensuing battle, I swiftly evaded the energy storm they unleashed, brushing past the remaining one who staggered beside me. That Elder Council expert turned quickly, but soon fell with a dazed expression.

“Urr…”

In that fleeting moment, I had knocked him out by striking his acupoint with the handle of my sword. Having taken down eight without sustaining any injuries myself, the remaining seven hesitated, circling around me.

“Ugh!!”

“What is that guy…?”

I smiled brightly.

“Aren’t you all wasting too much motion? There’s so many openings, it’s just ridiculous.”

This wasn’t mockery; it was genuine. Compared to fighting Yeodong-bin or Jang Sam-bong, this was just too easy. Even if their movements appeared quick, they were filled with excessive waste, and hiding their vulnerabilities felt awkward.

“You little!!”

“Don’t spout nonsense.”

Boom!!

‘How about this?’

As the Elder Council members charged at me once more, I had already resolved to finish this fight in exactly ten seconds. I didn’t know why it had to be ten seconds, but something felt right about it. In the past, I had been overwhelmed by their clutter moves and felt I must evade first, but now I felt confident enough to determine how to knock them down when facing them.

First second. I targeted the opening of the enemy right in front of me. I watched as he wielded two scythes to attack and swiftly jabbed his ankle, striking a weakness that would instantly ruin his balance. The moment his technique faltered, I swung my fist to hit his temple.

*Thump*

With that, I knocked him out and grabbed his unconscious body, flinging him toward the oncoming adversary. The Elder Council experts were masterful enough not to be surprised by this and quickly dodged my toss while racing toward me. But in that brief moment, I had an instinctual feeling about where the safest ground was. So I advanced toward that spot, striking the solar plexus of two of them with my sword handle.

*Thud*

Next, I lightly kicked a pebble on the ground, sending it flying towards the pursuing One Elder.

“Hmph!! With such a trick…”

The Elder proclaimed dismissively, ignoring the stone with his Protection Energy but before he knew it, *crack*, his arm got sent flying. The pebble lodged perfectly in his elbow joint.

“Ugh?!”

Since the stone contained my intent, it pierced through his Protection Energy Technique, knocking him cleanly out. Though he tried to retreat, I charged after him, knocking him unconscious with a hand chop to his neck.

*Boom*

As soon as he fell, I lunged at the others, landing a strike with each step. It was simply a matter of swinging my sword at their vulnerabilities, yet they couldn’t evade or defend themselves at all.

*Whack!!*

The Elder who had been struck by the back of my sword trembled in disbelief, unable to conceal his shock. Even though he could’ve fought back, he seemed to have already lost the will to continue.

“Uh… How can this martial art…”

These guys were lacking in skill and couldn’t conceal their strengths and weaknesses. They had likely won many times based merely on their sheer energy, so they hadn’t taken the time to refine their martial techniques perfectly, and without encountering a top-tier master from beyond heaven, they never had an opportunity to learn of their shortcomings.

*Thud*

As the last Elder collapsed, I sheathed my sword and contemplated.

‘Hmm… Not ten seconds as expected. Wrapped it up faster than anticipated.’

Had I developed a habit of overly exaggerating my opponents?

If they were supreme masters from the Absolute Realm, they would’ve knocked them out just as I predicted. This still felt immature. I felt a sense of bitterness as I turned to Zhuge Sa, who had been watching from behind.

“Let’s go.”

Zhuge Sa let out a chuckle.

“Haha… You took them all out in one go. Is it because you’re reserving your big moves for lesser foes?”

“Something like that.”

With confident strides, Zhuge Sa and I entered the garden where the Master of the White Lotus awaited, leaning against a massive tree with his arms crossed.

The Master of the White Lotus addressed me,

“I’m glad to see you. And I commend your martial prowess.”

“……”

“I once thought there were only individuals like the Divine Thief or the Master of the Twelve Joules who could rival me… I had no idea someone of your caliber even existed.”

I gazed into the mask of the Master of the White Lotus and replied,

“Master of the White Lotus, we did not come to fight.”

“Then for what reason have you come?”

“I’ve come to discuss the truth of the True Martial Home with you.”

It was better to gradually approach the main topic rather than hastily dive into the story of the Four Great Spirit Deities.

“……”

The Master of the White Lotus fell silent before inquiring,

“What is your name?”

“I am Baek Woong.”

“Baek Woong… You must have come with significant news. However, before you speak of it…”

*Gugugu…*

An overwhelming torrent of limitless energy could be felt emanating from the Master of the White Lotus. A chaotic energy surged from his masked face, exuding an aura. At the same time, I felt as if time itself slowed down drastically, enveloped by an immense sense of pressure all around.

“I wish to converse through martial might.”

“……”

He was fully deploying his Primordial Spirit.

I sensed the Master of the White Lotus’s exhilaration. He must have witnessed my recent battle with the Elder Council experts, gauging the depth of my martial skills accurately.

And undeniably, he wanted to fight me, prioritizing a duel over negotiations or information gathering despite having mentioned True Martial Home.

There was no way to avoid it.

I nodded.

“Very well.”