971——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Since that day, Seong-jin worked tirelessly day and night to develop the Four Great Families. He wasn’t particularly adept at martial arts, but being a disciple of Dharm, he still possessed qualities of a peak expert. Teaming up with the martial arts geniuses gathered by Ho-wol, he began laying the groundwork for the Four Great Families. However, he noticed a critical issue for continuing the flow of divine energy.

‘We absolutely need ceremonial martial arts…’

By ceremonial, he meant martial arts that were more for show than actual combat. Naturally, these would be weak since they weren’t practical, and in the current martial world, weak martial arts weren’t worth practicing. But if he created martial arts geared towards real combat, it would be impossible to connect the flow of divine energy.

In this conundrum, Ho-wol spoke up.

“You don’t need to worry. Just create the core of that martial art and its techniques and let me know. Then, I will do my best to tailor the martial arts accordingly.”

“Brother. No matter how much we demand for the inheritance, martial artists are realists who prioritize practicality. Weak martial arts won’t help with survival, so they won’t be passed down. There’s no guarantee that the Four Great Families of the White Lotus Sect will always retain their supremacy…”

Having regained his trust in Ho-wol, Seong-jin switched back to a respectful tone. With his arms crossed, Ho-wol pondered.

“……”

“To reach the level where divine energy can flow, it requires tremendous training and talent. I wonder if anyone can refine a showy martial art to that level.”

Of course, if the supreme martial artist Ho-wol were to refine the martial arts, even if they were for show, some achievements could certainly be made through training. But even with the limited time to focus on practical peak martial arts, would there really be anyone willing to waste time on that?

Seong-jin’s concerns were natural. Although it was called a martial world, it was a battlefield where strong people gathered to fight for power, and showy martial arts would never survive in such a world. No master wants their successor to learn weak martial arts and then die, after all.

Then Ho-wol said,

“The Four Great Families will be directly linked to the power and the leadership of the White Lotus Sect. If that truly worries you, we could specify that the ceremonial martial arts are for [the qualification of the sect leader].”

“For the qualification of the sect leader?”

“Yes. It can represent a martial faction while also not losing the essence of the White Lotus Sect. We could say that only those who excel in those martial arts from each of the Four Great Families can become sect leaders.”

“Hmm. Forcing someone to achieve a showy martial art might weaken our sect.”

“That’s not possible. For the next thousand years, talented individuals from all over the world will continue to flock to the White Lotus Sect. Asking an overly talented martial artist to achieve that level isn’t unreasonable.”

“Is that also a prophecy from Ayuta?”

“Indeed.”

Responding lightly, Ho-wol continued.

“In reality, we cannot recognize anyone as a sect leader who has not met the requirements to use the divine powers. If one cannot wield the power of the Four Divine Deities, surviving a battle at the Absolute Realm level against an Old Ruler would be nearly impossible. There’s no guarantee that those purely reaching the level will appear in the later generations of the White Lotus Sect.”

“…Brother, I’ve been wanting to ask this for some time.”

“What about?”

Seong-jin looked directly at Ho-wol and said.

“What exactly are the Martial God and the seat? Both you and Ayuta talk about them as if such beings exist, but I’ve never received a proper explanation.”

“……”

“…Understood. I get there may be some things you cannot disclose.”

Seong-jin’s expression turned bitter. Even though he had been mentally overrun in the past and embarrassed himself in front of his brothers, he poured all his effort into serving the White Lotus Sect now and felt a lack of trust from them. Perhaps noticing Seong-jin’s feelings, Ho-wol spoke.

“Master, there will come a day when you’ll understand…”

“I hope that will also be a prophecy.”

Seong-jin chuckled lightly and brushed it off. Then he spoke.

“The foundation of the Four Great Families has been nearly completed over the past decade. Do you plan to become the leader of the Thunder God Lineage?”

Seong-jin had realized over the years that the martial arts of the Four Great Families were already nearly established and diversified. Those who studied them were geniuses so the launch of the Four Great Families was a foregone conclusion. The successors would absorb and suppress martial forces that roamed about, and from that moment, a new White Lotus Sect would begin to emerge.

Ho-wol’s answer was different from what Seong-jin expected.

“No. I will not take on the Thunder God Lineage. I will hand it over to Mu-rin. Furthermore, I plan to retire from all matters of the sect and focus solely on rituals.”

Ho-wol immediately declared a tentative retirement. Seong-jin was taken aback.

“What? The martial arts of the Thunder God Lineage are closest to your original martial arts, the Great Dragon of the Reflecting Sun, and it’s quite powerful. And Mu-rin is still too young to navigate this chaos alone…”

The successors of the Su Shin Sect, Fire Spirit Techniques, and Wind Spirit Sect were all originally peak experts of the Jianghu and were lords of great forces. They had all been esteemed figures among the eight great experts of the martial world.

On the contrary, the first Grand Master of the Thunder God Lineage, Cho Mu-rin, was a barbarian from the northern tribes and taken in by Ho-wol purely based on martial talent. Being only just over twenty years old, he seemed insufficient to clash against other peak talents. So Seong-jin naturally assumed Ho-wol would take the Thunder God Lineage under his wing until Mu-rin matured, but that assumption was proven wrong.

Ho-wol smiled.

“Mu-rin can last over a hundred seconds against me now. And he has already established his own realm outside of the influence of the Great Dragon of the Reflecting Sun. He would be in the top five among the world.”

“……!!”

“That child is a genius. For a genius, time holds little significance.”

Seong-jin couldn’t believe it.

‘Is it truly possible for someone just past their youth to reach that level?’

But Seong-jin’s worries were indeed meaningless.

Another decade passed, and during the formation and establishment of the Four Great Families, the first Grand Master and deputy sect leader of the Thunder God Lineage, Cho Mu-rin, single-handedly crushed all challenges to the Thunder God Lineage. He proved himself as a master equal to the legendary Great Dragon Monolith Ho-wol and began the legend of the next greatest in the world, the Eight Desolate Thunder God, Cho Mu-rin.

“……”

Watching the series of events unfold in the shadows of the White Lotus Sect, Seong-jin felt a bizarre sense of disbelief. He had never imagined the gap in talent could be so vast. Other martial sect leaders who had once been ranked among the top eight in the old martial world could not defeat Cho Mu-rin and were utterly crushed. Moreover, before he even turned twenty-three, Mu-rin effortlessly reached the Absolute Realm.

‘I wondered why Brother Ho-wol was so fond of the Thunder God Lineage… he was always planning to anoint the next strongest person from the beginning.’

Worrying about the Thunder God Lineage had fundamentally been unnecessary.

After that, Ho-wol completely retired from the martial world, leaving the leadership of the newly established White Lotus Sect and the Thunder God Lineage to the Eight Desolate Thunder God, Cho Mu-rin. Certainly, all experts of the Four Great Families, regardless of lineage, receive the right to challenge for the position of sect leader, and who will become the sect leader of the White Lotus Sect in the future remains unknown. Perhaps, the Four Great Families will take turns in assuming leadership roles.

Feeling somewhat reassured, Seong-jin said.

“Brother. If it’s Cho Mu-rin, he might reach the Martial God seat. If we continue to produce geniuses and supreme martial artists like this, your wishes will surely come true soon.”

“…No. That is a complacent thought, my disciple.”

“What?”

“Cho Mu-rin will find it hard to reach the seat. He will end his life merely as a supreme martial artist.”

“But he is a genius of the highest order in martial arts… Moreover, he is a bona fide master of the Absolute Realm.”

Ho-wol spoke with a melancholic look.

“Reaching [that place] requires more than mere talent. Therefore, it will be a treacherous path… There is another condition that is very difficult to meet. A being with overwhelming [power] will find it hard to satisfy that condition.”

“……?”

“While it will be difficult for anyone stronger than Cho Mu-rin, who can wield the Thunder God Whip freely, to emerge in the future, someone weaker than Cho Mu-rin may well obtain the Martial God seat. And that being could emerge from somewhere other than the White Lotus Sect.”

“What… then what was the purpose of creating the Four Great Families?”

“To have a minimal precaution. Rather than desperately seeking a divine being, it’s about keeping the maximum possibility open.”

“……”

“Recently, I found the location of Huang Wu. I will go fetch him.”

“Safe travels.”

“While I’m gone, please watch over the sect, disciple.”

“Leave it to me.”

Seong-jin bid farewell to Ho-wol. He had no need to worry about him. After all, it was just a matter of bringing his brothers back, and who could harm Ho-wol? Once, he was the strongest human who had managed to withstand the legendary Eight Parts of the Divine alone, even after losing the Apostle’s Power with Dharm’s passing.

However—Ho-wol, who went to find Huang Wu, did not return. As the wait stretched into a year, then three years, and then five years, Seong-jin felt a deep unsettling fear. No matter how vast the Central Plains were, was it really taking this long to locate someone simply by narrowing down the area?

Eventually, Seong-jin sought out Cho Mu-rin and said,

“Sect Leader of the White Lotus. I am going to search for the previous sect leader. Please take care of the sect.”

“Please inform me if you find any news about Master, Ancestor.”

“I shall.”

“Shall I accompany you?”

“No need for that. I can take care of myself.”

“Do be careful.”

Having received his farewell, Seong-jin set off to follow Ho-wol’s last trail. When he arrived at Huang Wu’s base, he felt an unsettling premonition.

‘This is Mount Changbai… Why would Huang Wu, who is the son of the Dragon King of Dongjing, come to such a far eastern place? More importantly, there’s a World Tree here…’

Something feels off. Upon reaching Mount Changbai, while seeking news of Ho-wol, Seong-jin encountered three divine beings known to dominate the Divine City, the Three Masters. The one known as Yun Sa addressed Seong-jin.

“I know nothing of a man named Ho-wol. However, Huang Wu has joined the Dan tribe and is working with us.”

The Dan tribe?

Having never heard this term before, Seong-jin revealed strong displeasure.

“What…?! Who do you think you are to casually accept Huang Wu, a member of the White Lotus Sect?”

“If you desire, we can arrange a meeting with Huang Wu.”

“…Lead the way.”

Following the guidance of the Three Masters, Seong-jin eventually met Huang Wu. And upon seeing him after several decades, Seong-jin doubted his own eyes.

“Brother. How is it… that you’ve become younger?”

Indeed.

Originally, Huang Wu had used the longevity technique to halt aging, but since the progress was slow, he appeared in his late forties. Now, however, the Huang Wu before him looked like a young man in his early twenties. Although there were techniques for youthful revitalization, they were said to be exclusive to a select few great immortals even in the Celestial Realm, making them unattainable for a mere mortal.

The youthful Huang Wu chuckled and addressed Seong-jin.

“Go back. I have become part of the Dan tribe and will live here from now on.”

“That’s not what I meant…!! Surely, Brother Ho-wol came here looking for clues about you. Where did he go?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me!”

Annoyed, Huang Wu replied,

“Should I promise you with a spell or something? I truly have not seen Brother.”

“Please do.”

“What an annoying brat.”

Once Huang Wu magically notarized his [words], Seong-jin was struck with shock. Notarizing one’s words through a command held significant implications, and no one casually did it. There were even unspoken rules that allowed one to kill an imposer in self-defense.

‘Could it really be that Huang Wu has never seen Brother Ho-wol…!!’

If that’s the case, then where did Ho-wol go?

Seeing Seong-jin panic over Brother Ho-wol’s disappearance made Huang Wu say,

“I don’t know what you had going on with Ho-wol, but the moment Master passed, the White Lotus Sect was finished. Wouldn’t you join the Dan tribe too?”

“Stop with the absurdities. If he’s rejuvenating you here, I guess you’re loyally fetching sticks like a dog.”

“Ha. Just rejuvenation… Do you think that as a disciple of Dharm, I’d be satisfied with only that? Once you learn what’s really happening here, you will be flabbergasted.”

Huang Wu, giggling as he left, slowly vanished using his magic.

Of course, Seong-jin didn’t lend an ear to Huang Wu’s nonsense. His heart was full of impatience.

‘I need to find Brother Ho-wol.’

From that day on, Seong-jin began scouring heaven and earth. In the meantime, he had countless dangerous encounters, clashing with demons, otherworldly races, and dragon races, narrowly escaping death repeatedly.

Seventy years went by. Seong-jin said to Baek Woong, who remained at his side,

“That’s the White Lotus Sect.”

Somehow, Seong-jin had ended up marrying the daughter of the Dragon King of Dongjing, Baek Neung-pa, along with forming numerous other bonds. And no matter how much he traveled the world, failing to find Ho-wol led him to decide to visit the White Lotus Sect once more. Baek Neung-pa worriedly said,

“Time has gone by so much. Many may no longer remember your name.”

“It doesn’t matter. Cho Mu-rin will still be here.”

Just as Seong-jin expected. Cho Mu-rin had undergone a complete transformation and still retained his youthful appearance. However, he had long since retired from the sect leadership position and was now secluded in the Elder Council, regarded in the current martial world as the legendary old sage, the Eight Desolate Thunder God.

Seong-jin met with Cho Mu-rin and said.

“I’m sorry… I still haven’t found Brother Ho-wol.”

“……”

“No matter how I think about it… it seems Brother Ho-wol may have met with misfortune while on the way to Mount Changbai.”

“Is that so… It’s a good thing you came.”

“What do you mean?”

With a sigh, Cho Mu-rin replied.

“Seong-jin, I am soon to ascend to the Celestial Realm.”

“What… What do you mean?”

“The great immortal of the Celestial Realm came to invite me for a celestial battle. I have decided to go.”

“……”

“The worldly riches and fame have become unbearably mundane… There are no enemies in the martial world. In the Celestial Realm, there will be many strong individuals, so I can alleviate my boredom.”

“The Celestial Realm is merely an intermediary. You may become a being better than a mortal, but you’ll still meet your end at the time of the apocalypse.”

“It doesn’t matter. I just want to overcome this ennui…”

“……”

Soon after, Cho Mu-rin ascended to the celestial realm. While the term “ascendance” was used, in reality, it was a process of making a contract with the celestial realm to separate body and soul, turning the soul into an immortal entity. Watching the entire sequence, Seong-jin began to feel that something was wrong.

‘Nothing… nothing has been achieved as time passes…’

A sense of powerlessness engulfed him. It was a feeling that couldn’t compare to the helplessness he felt when he was with Dharm, a reincarnator. As a mere mortal, he could do nothing even against the visible worries of the martial world.

Seong-jin was consumed by the idea that he needed to straighten out the White Lotus Sect himself. He feared that more peak experts ascending to the celestial realm would follow. And so he resolved to create.

‘I will form my own new sect. Then, I’ll inject all the techniques and spells I’ve learned while traversing the world to make the White Lotus Sect even stronger!’

The current Four Great Families of the White Lotus Sect focused solely on martial prowess, so Seong-jin wanted to incorporate his own spells. And under the guise of anonymity, Seong-jin took the position of master of the Wind Spirit Techniques and infused his own techniques into them. Also, he stealthily sought a way to merge the Wind Spirit Techniques with the Four Great Families to position himself as the sect leader of the White Lotus Sect.

Seong-jin’s new sect was named the Ghostly Spirit Sect. Now that Seong-jin felt he was the only one left in the White Lotus Sect, he became increasingly impatient to create a more powerful version. Princess Ayuta had died in the past due to the backlash from her prophetic abilities.

However—this endeavor of Seong-jin was thwarted after a decade by a genius in the Four Great Families, the Master of the Subtle. With exceptional mind techniques and martial prowess, the Master of the Subtle noticed the existence of the Ghostly Spirit Sect that was secretly working behind the scenes and continued to keep Seong-jin in check.

In less than a hundred years, inner competition had intensified, swapping leadership twice, proving this was possible due to the inexhaustible talent of the Thunder God Lineage. Finally, the Master of the Subtle uncovered the hidden identity of Seong-jin behind the Ghostly Spirit Sect and challenged him to a duel.

“Seong-jin! You sneakily created the Ghostly Spirit Sect to vie for the sect leader position. What do you plan to achieve by disturbing the White Lotus Sect?”

“What are you babbling about without knowing anything? You know nothing!! I’m not after power…”

Seong-jin shouted angrily, but the Master of the Subtle raised his true weapon, the Judge’s Pen, and said.

“Shut up! If you’re a clueless master, you deserve to get beaten by a green novice!”

“What, what? You dare to challenge a master?”

Startled by the unexpected turn of events, Seong-jin shouted.

“That is precisely the Thunder God Lineage! What’s wrong is the unworthy disciples and masters that need to be wrecked!”

And so began the one-on-one battle.

Boom!

“Ugh…”

Seong-jin ultimately lost to the Master of the Subtle of the Thunder God Lineage. After being struck by the Thunder King Heaven Shocking Wave, he lay on the ground in disbelief, looking up at the sky.

‘I can’t believe it… I lost to a kid who’s barely lived half my age…’

Seong-jin’s skill in techniques had reached a level comparable to great immortals, but the Master of the Subtle managed to evade all of Seong-jin’s techniques with his divine arts and landed effective blows. Realizing the potential of the Thunder God Lineage, Seong-jin trembled.

‘This is no longer the Thunder God Lineage created by me and Brother Ho-wol. As time passes, new geniuses continuously refine its powers, making it even stronger…!!’

The Master of the Subtle had hardly escaped unscathed either; he was covered in blood. He spat the blood-tinged saliva onto the ground and said,

“Just so you know, had I mastered the Soul Removal Technique, I would have won without taking a single hit.”

“Master… why is your Soul Removal Technique no ordinary martial art? How did you learn the method to summon divine energy?”

Seong-jin was incredulous. The Soul Removal Technique had not been part of the original Thunder God Lineage. The appearance of an entirely new technique not only fascinated him, but it also seemed to draw on divine energy without being ceremonial. The Master of the Subtle answered.

“I developed it myself. I’m not exactly sure, but it seems to follow a strong current of inherited power.”

“……”

Is that even achievable with human senses?

‘Tis truly the era where geniuses continue to arise…’

In that moment, Seong-jin perceived a vision that felt like the past geniuses of the Thunder God Lineage were continuing a massive flow through time. He began to understand Ho-wol’s intention in founding the Four Great Families.

‘Divine Martial Arts…’

If it’s really these people, perhaps one day they could obtain the martial arts to defeat the gods?

Could they possibly achieve the tragic wish of Dharm someday?

Tears fell from Seong-jin’s eyes as he contemplated all of this. The Master of the Subtle expressed disbelief.

“Are you crying? I didn’t hit you that hard…”

“……..”

—————————————————————————————

“The important stories end here.”

“Hmm.”

Seong-jin chuckled bitterly.

“Even if I were to tell you about my nine lovers and a patchwork of miserable history over the next few hundred years, it wouldn’t help you, would it, Baek Woong?”

After this, Seong-jin confessed to the Master of the Subtle the truth and added the Soul Removal Technique to the Ghostly Spirit Sect techniques, consequently merging the Illusion and Art to pass on the martial skills to the sorcerers. He also made a promise with the Master of the Subtle to refrain from reappearing in front of the White Lotus Sect or revealing his ambitions.

Once I had heard all of Seong-jin’s past stories, I spoke.

“I now have a general understanding of the past. But what exactly is this divine energy?”

While listening to his history, this was the most ambiguous aspect. I could always look up Ho-wol’s actions later, but the existence of divine energy was paramount. It was the source of the immense potential hidden within the martial arts of the Four Great Families.

Seong-jin spoke.

“To be honest, I don’t know the exact nature of divine energy. However, it’s essentially the last legacy of Hye Ga.”

“Hye Ga, the founder of the Shaolin Temple, was said to have been consumed by the spirits of the Four Divine Deities. Therefore, he suffered greatly without learning the truth…”

“That’s right. However, it wasn’t entirely fruitless.”

Calmly, Seong-jin continued.

“Hye Ga had reportedly reached a stage where he could open his mind and communicate with the spirits. And at that stage, he inherited the conduit of the divine power, along with the methods of connecting to it. But for some unknown reason, while he was passing that knowledge to Ho-wol, his consciousness suddenly got devoured, and he died mentally.”

“Hmm…”

“Though we wanted to infuse the divine energy summoning techniques into the martial arts we crafted, we couldn’t incorporate them into practical martial arts because they were so alien to them.”

But why did Hye Ga die?

What could “unknown reasons” possibly entail?

While this inquiry lingered, I decided to organize my thoughts.

“So… the technique for summoning divine energy within the Four Great Families ultimately extracts the powers sealed away by the ancient gods.”

“Exactly.”

Seong-jin affirmed.

“The ability of divine summoning that occasionally surfaced in your memories stemmed from the powers of ancient deities. They grant the ability to wield the might of powerful beings that influence the entire universe.”

“……!!”

“In particular, the Soul Removal Technique undoubtedly invokes the power of ancient gods. Such capabilities exist not only in the Thunder God Lineage but also in other martial sects.”

Is that what it is!

I felt as though I had drawn closer to understanding the essence of the Four Great Families. As I nodded in acknowledgment of this precious information, Seong-jin regarded me with a perplexed expression.

“However… I’m unsure about what you experienced when you lashed out at the Sea God or the thunder deity of the White Lotus Lord…”

“What do you mean? Isn’t that also a power of the ancient gods, a capability of the Four Divine Deities?”

“I thought so too, but the memory viewed through the obsidian differs from what I know. That power is separate from divine energy. I can’t identify it either…”

“……”

“Perhaps Ho-wol might be aware of more.”

What’s that?

Having pieced together some insights, I still felt like I hadn’t grasped everything.

‘Hmm. I need to investigate a bit more…’

I never thought everything would be clear at once. I shook myself from my thoughts and said,

“Well then, let’s go together.”

“Indeed.”

Seong-jin stood up alongside me and asked,

“What are you planning to do? Are you going to stay idle until you become Emperor?”

“Of course not.”

I replied to Seong-jin.

“Let’s go to the current sect leader of the White Lotus Sect, Dokgo Uncheon.”

He is the bloodline of the Divine Maiden and Priestess and the being who has passed on all the secrets of the White Lotus Sect.

I was certain that if I relayed this information, we would gain something valuable.