857——————==

True Martial Home

Knowing I had a bit of time before meeting Musashi, I decided to test the Technique of All Things a little more. So, after escaping from the Lord of Iron Blood Gate, I headed back to the Twelve Joules’ headquarters at Haedong Milcheon.

Wiying wiying

But the moment I entered, it felt like I set off an alarm, and suddenly, secret school sorcerers from Haedong Milcheon appeared everywhere with a racket.

The sorcerers shouted at me, “That guy attacked the Lord not long ago!”

“Get him!”

KABOOM

As the unique attacks and illusion techniques of the secret school flew at me from various directions, I simply dodged them with ease. I could have easily nullified those low-level attacks with my Spirit Power shield, but honestly, they were slow enough that I didn’t even need to bother. Just using the Soul Removal Technique allowed me to dodge all their spells before they even fired off. Occasionally, if an auto-tracking spell came my way, I would just activate my Spirit Power to nullify it.

While I was detecting auras, I picked up a faint killing intent directed at me and realized it came from the Lord of Haedong Milcheon.

Clap

I dashed towards the Lord of Haedong Milcheon, aiming a kick, but his incredibly tough gloves stopped me from taking him down in one hit. Upon closer inspection, he had transformed into a three-headed creature resembling an ancient illusionary beast.

‘Is that one of the sorcery techniques?’

The Lord of Haedong Milcheon roared in his transformed state.

[I knew you’d come back! Time to pay me back for that beating you gave me not long ago!]

KABOOM

The Lord spewed out a mist-like poison from his illusionary dragon head, while two other heads unleashed flames and thunder, looking absolutely powerful. While transformation techniques are strong, it seemed his sorcery was especially potent. If given time to cast his spells, he could very well be the strongest among the Twelve Joules leaders.

But I simply went for the Soul Removal Technique, and in what felt like a pause in time, I unleashed a shield of Protection Energy Technique and Spirit Power, dove into the dragon’s mouth, and unleashed a flurry of Thunder Sword strikes. All three heads fell off simultaneously, the scales shattering, and with a horrifying scream, his transformation was undone.

[KRAAAK!]

The Lord of Haedong Milcheon returned to his human form, covered in blood, and I walked over to him, pinpointing his acupoint to subdue him. With a look of resentment, he said, “Gu…gh… why do you have such a grudge against me… you bastard…”

Having decided how to handle the Milcheon Lord before me, I calmly replied, “I certainly warned you before. You’ll regret insulting me.”

“No matter how I think about it, I never insulted someone like you… After you left, I kept thinking about it and I still don’t recall… This is the first time I’ve seen you… What on earth…?”

“Don’t worry, we still have plenty of time.”

I mumbled coldly and pulled out the Lord’s mask. The grudge was one thing, but I was also here to test the Technique of All Things.

Technique of All Things activated.

Shhhh-

Just like before, I experienced a moment of identity confusion, but I finally managed to seamlessly transform into him. While I was adapting to the Lord of Haedong Milcheon’s body, his subordinates came rushing over, calling out.

“Lord!!”

“That strange person is coming your way, are you okay?”

Slowly nodding, I said, “I’m fine. More importantly, we need to head to the treasure vault, so remove all seals.”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden…?”

“I’ve expelled the intruder using my transformation, but he’s stronger than I thought, so I need to pull out the final treasure.”

“Oh… understood.”

KABOOM

The subordinates of Haedong Milcheon unsealed everything leading to the treasure vault, which could be said to be everything concerning Milcheon. The Milcheon Lord, having inherited the vault from his predecessors, had kept the basic seals to his subordinates while managing only the central seal himself.

I approached the treasure vault alone and, confirming that no one was watching, began fiddling with the Lord’s mask, recalling my memories.

‘Hmm… So there’s a treasure-grade flute passed down from the original secret school within.’

The Lord of Haedong Milcheon seemed to have planned to offer this to the Twelve Joules in case of emergency. However, for some reason, he viewed it as a life-threatening act, which made him reluctant.

‘It’s way easier to keep and lasts longer than during the time of the Lord of Iron Blood.’

The rejection I felt earlier had lessened.

The more I practiced, the smoother it became.

I recited the incantation using the Lord’s knowledge and opened the treasure vault. As I stepped inside, I could see a mysterious flute radiating a strange aura, floating in mid-air.

Thwack

As I grabbed the flute and pulled it towards me, it spoke into my mind.

[Who are you?]

[I’m the Lord of Haedong Milcheon.]

[I am the Manpasikjeok… the final treasure crafted with the powers of the Dragon King of the East Sea and King Munmu! I won’t respond to the mere unsealing by a human! How dare you, a mere sorcerer, try to release me for personal gains, you arrogant scoundrel!]

Huh?!

Crackle!!

“Khhhhh!!”

In that moment, an immense mental shockwave emanated from the Manpasikjeok, burning through my mind. As the electrical energy surged up from the flute, it started physically bending my body. Even as I screamed in agony, I didn’t let go of the Manpasikjeok, and it jolted up as it said.

[No… this can’t… you are wearing the Mask of the Abyss? What on earth is beyond a human’s essence… Aaaah! You’re a Divine Being!]

Zap

As the lightning swept over me, the mask was torn off, revealing the unconscious Lord of Haedong Milcheon. As my true self emerged, I began to infuse the Manpasikjeok with Spirit Power to subdue it.

[Kraaah…! Surely this is Divine Power….]

The Manpasikjeok, while a strong treasure, didn’t seem capable of resisting my Spirit Power. As the lightning from the Manpasikjeok gradually diminished, I spoke to it.

“Manpasikjeok. I am Baek Woong. What do you know about the Mask of the Abyss?”

[Oh… If you’ve worn the mask, then there’s no doubt you’re a descendant of the great Divine… You are worthy to wield me.]

“Descendant of the Divine? What does that have to do with the mask?”

[According to the Dragon King of the East Sea’s memories who created me, in the pre-historic era, direct descendants of the gods wore the Mask of the Abyss to either be on par with the existence of others or mock them… Moreover, this power is derived from the Three Sovereigns… ]

“……”

[I merely upheld my pride according to the Creator’s will, so please show mercy and do not destroy me.]

Descendants of the Divine wore the Mask of the Abyss?

‘So this Technique of All Things is related to the Divine Age…’

Since the Divine Thief also said this technique has been passed down since the Three Sovereigns era, it all makes sense. I thought I had gained an unexpected boon and said to the Manpasikjeok, “Do you have the ability to unseal other treasures?”

[I have no such ability. However, I can suppress the magic coming from Dongyoung, heal all things, and enrich the earth. I can also heal curses.]

“You suppress the magic from Dongyoung? You play the same role as the Moon Sovereign’s Three Divine Tools?”

[I dare not compare myself to the legendary Seven Luminaries or the Three Divine Tools, but I’ve been playing a role of protecting the Gyeongju and Namhae areas from evil demon ki, infused with King Munmu’s will. I can also block the sorcery of the fallen Yin-Yang Masters from Dongyoung.]

So that’s how it is.

Feeling I’d picked up a decent treasure, I asked the Manpasikjeok, “So, the Dragon King of the East Sea and King Munmu created you, right? But how did the human king create an object of power?”

[After King Munmu offered himself to the Dragon King, he was granted the divine status of a dragon. Immediately afterward, combining the powers of both beings, I was created.]

“Are they still around?”

[Sadly, the Dragon King of the East Sea was killed by an evil entity from the Otherworld, and King Munmu is still guarding the sea of his homeland.]

“Got it…”

It seems that the creation of the Manpasikjeok happened around a thousand years ago, before the showdown between the Dragon of the Apocalypse and Yeodong-bin. Back then, the Dragon King of the East Sea, Gwangdeok-king Owogwang, became a dragon deity after offering himself to King Munmu of Shilla. He wished to become a guardian protecting his homeland and created the Manpasikjeok. However, tragically, the Dragon King was instantaneously killed by a single breath from the Dragon of the Apocalypse, leaving only King Munmu behind.

I said to the Manpasikjeok, “You’re not really a combat treasure, are you? Do you happen to know of any powerful treasures, divine objects, or spiritual pills?”

[I don’t know well.]

“Got it.”

I felt a bit disappointed, but anyway, I had no intention of relying on the treasures to take down Musashi. The Manpasikjeok was just an unexpected gain, so I immediately pocketed it into the wooden armor.

BAM!

Leaving the Lord of Haedong Milcheon behind, I headed for the Four Talents Sect this time.

Upon reaching the Four Talents Sect, I quickly found Tang San, rescued him and his mother from the sect, and took him to a nearby inn to get him something to eat. Tang San eyed me suspiciously while munching on dumplings, and I said to him.

“Tang San. I can’t tell you the whole story, but I freed you from the sect because I need your talent.”

“Talent?”

“You have a natural gift. So, I want to borrow that talent.”

“You mean to take me on as a disciple?”

I shook my head.

“No. I mean literally borrowing your talent.”

I explained to Tang San about the Divine Thief’s Techniques of the White Lotus Sect and the Technique of All Things. As he listened, his expression of surprise grew increasingly visible, and he said.

“I have a question.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“After you used the Technique of All Things on me and turned me into a ‘mask’, do I lose that talent and memory afterward?”

“That’s not the case.”

“So you mean you want to borrow my natural talent to practice martial arts?”

“Exactly. I just want to verify this and then see how the Life and Death Decision goes. I’ll also give you and your mother enough money to live on. It’s not really a bad deal, right?”

Since fighting Musashi might get me killed, at least I wanted to verify the Technique of All Things up to this point.

‘If I could borrow the talent of a genius, I might reach the Absolute Realm much faster.’

Understanding my words perfectly, Tang San responded with his typical genius clarity.

After a while of thought, he said, “You know, something feels off about your proposal.”

“What’s off?”

“If what you say is true, the Technique of All Things is not ‘stealing’. It’s just ‘borrowing’. Even if you steal a personality, it will eventually return to its owner after a while right? No one loses anything.”

“……”

“Even so, if it’s the ultimate technique of the number one thief, isn’t it about ‘stealing’ something? A robbery that doesn’t leave a gap would just be child’s play.”

“Hmm.”

“Are you absolutely sure you know everything about this ultimate technique?”

That was an unexpected point.

I showed a puzzled expression at Tang San’s observations. As I fell silent, Tang San stood up.

“Sorry, but I have to refuse. Strike me down if you will; do as you please.”

Such remarkable audacity and resolve. He must have realized that he was no match for my power, yet he wouldn’t back down from his beliefs. Knowing Tang San was a highly capable and shrewd individual, I could only smile bitterly and say.

“Fine.”

I handed Tang San a considerable sum of money, taught him some simple martial arts, and then took my leave.

As I pondered over Tang San’s words, I thought.

‘That’s definitely risky…’

Just like he said. I’d tried it on the Lord of Iron Blood Gate and the Lord of Haedong Milcheon, but I hadn’t paid attention to any changes they underwent after. The Divine Thief hadn’t exactly mentioned side effects, but I had to consider that he might be hiding the truth from me. If so, taking the Mask of the Abyss with the Technique of All Things would require more thorough practice and verification. It could lead to an enormous backlash.

I decided to end the practice with the Technique of All Things for now. And so I continued to meditate, refining my own heart, before heading to the Dragon Cloud Palace, timing it just right for the confrontation with Musashi.

Ssssss

Upon arriving at the Dragon Cloud Palace, I was met with the scent of blood. I could tell that the bodies of Wind Spirit Sect members were piled up in a hidden location. After passing through the main gate of the Dragon Cloud Palace and reaching the inner estate, I spotted a severed head rolling about.

“……”

It was Tuma, one of the Eight Demons of Martial Daos.

He lay dead, transformed into a dragon person.

I kicked Tuma’s head away and approached the human figure about twenty feet away. When I was about six feet away, I called out to him.

“You arrived early, Musashi.”

“The ones hiding here were consumed by demonic energies, right? You wanted me to clean them up in their place?”

“Well…”

That thought had crossed my mind. Honestly, I hoped that the sorcerers and dragon people lurking in the Dragon Cloud Palace would chip away at Musashi’s strength a little. However, they hadn’t even managed to scratch him, and Tuma had died despite transforming into a dragon person.

Of course, it was still the early stages of reincarnation, so the royal family’s research on demonic cultivation hadn’t progressed as much as before, but even so, the fact that Musashi had effortlessly killed one of the Eight Demons and a dragon person meant he was a monster in his own right. Still, the task at hand remained unchanged. I took a deep breath and drew my sword. Then I spoke to Musashi.

“Here I come.”