1112——————==

Soul of the Evil God

When Shennong suddenly asked me to take off his mask, I was taken aback.

“Shit!”

What a mess this is!

I really didn’t think he would actually want to remove the mask! I just thought I’d keep pushing until something happened, and now look where we are!

“Can I even do it? But….”

I swallowed hard.

Well, I guess I might be able to. After all, I’ve already taken off a mask from what I assumed was a ‘god’ before.

“[Coming Chaos].”

It’s just a guess, but it’s almost certain. Once, when Dalma sacrificed himself to achieve True Martial Home, I managed to remove a mask from a chaotic being that followed the Divine Thief. That guy was also a divine being, so it should be possible to take off a divine being’s mask using the Technique of All Things.

But back then, I was in a state of intense focus and extraordinary ability. I can’t say for sure I could do it again even if asked to twice. My anger at the miserable fate of the Divine Thief was what led me to succeed back then, so I don’t know if I can do the same from scratch.

After all, didn’t I get the Law of Cause and Effect from the Divine Skill and one of its techniques, One Hand Seizing the Soul? Could I really steal a god’s mask without that?

I hurriedly steered the conversation away.

“Shennong! Wouldn’t it be problematic to take off the mask right now? We’re in the emperor’s stronghold, so if we act rashly, who knows what could happen….”

“It doesn’t matter. If I wear the mask, I might get caught by the emperor. If I can take it off, I’d want to do it right now.”

“Huh? Caught….”

“Didn’t you say that yourself? Wearing a mask is a bad thing. I merely decided to trust your words.”

“…….”

“Hurry up. If it’s Nüwa and Fuxi, they could hold on, but we can’t delay.”

Shennong urged me, and I realized I couldn’t dodge this situation. He wasn’t just impulsively asking me; he genuinely believed that taking off the mask would benefit him greatly. And if the Three Sovereigns’ Shennong was focused, then no scheme I could come up with would work.

“Ugh… Damn it… I could try, but what if I fail?!”

Then Shennong would immediately think of me as a liar, and my standing as Fuxi’s disciple would be in jeopardy since I wouldn’t be able to show that I could take off the mask. Not to mention, I could end up being punished by Fuxi for deceiving him.

Facing a more desperate situation than when Jeon Wook was just in front of me, I desperately racked my brain. But no matter how I thought about it, it was a dead end.

Looks like I have no choice.

But before I risked dying trying to take off the mask, feeling it was unfair, I decided to gather more information first.

“Shennong, if I may ask, if you take off your mask, you won’t go insane or lose control, right? That’s actually what I’m worried about.”

“Go insane? Why?”

“Ah… Well, masks allow you to disguise your appearance and persona as a human, so if that goes away….”

Knowing that Fuxi might go insane and transform into the primordial dragon, that’s why I said it, but Shennong shook his head as if it was absurd.

“It’s true that the mask appears human to make it comfortable, but its real purpose is manipulation of traits and priority of cause and effect. For now, the chaotic beings like Jeon Wook or Jeogok could manipulate the balance of the universe like our gods. And while wearing the mask, we gain a priority of cause and effect here on Earth.”

“Huh?”

“Going insane… I suppose that if we were to act solely based on our essence as divine beings, humans might see it as madness. However, gods don’t have concepts of ethics or morality.”

Shennong said that while staring at me.

“For example, if I use the power of my true form, I could cook up this planet in the blink of an eye. I could kill every living thing above it. If that were to happen, would you say I’m insane?”

“W-well, I guess so. That’s pretty insane! Why would you….”

“Because I want to. And it’s because you guys are nothing more than bugs. This is just being true to the nature of a god; it’s not madness at all. Can you easily label someone who stepped on an anthill as a cruel villain? Killing an ant is a major sin in human morality?”

“……!!”

“Of course, my true self also cares for humans like Fuxi, so that won’t happen. But this is an unchanging law of the universe, whether chaos or order. You suffer from this because you are such insignificant beings in this universe.”

I could understand Shennong’s words. After pondering, I said:

“So… it’s true that when wearing a mask, one becomes more true to their nature and can wield power at will.”

“Exactly. Well understood.”

“Is it the same for the Three Sovereigns?”

“Three Sovereigns?”

“Oh, I mean, I call them the Three Sovereigns.”

After explaining my general categorization of the Three Sovereigns, Shennong understood and responded.

“We originally weren’t violent or destructive beings, so it makes little difference. But the ones you call the Three Sovereigns are somewhat different. They are likely to undergo even more dramatic changes.”

“What kind of dramatic changes…?”

“They will revert to the forms they had from the very beginning, and several chaotic powers that were sealed while wearing the mask will be revived.”

“……!! Huh? Are you saying the Three Sovereigns’ powers have been sealed?”

What does that even mean? As I widened my eyes at this unexpected information, Shennong said:

“The emperor placed those restrictions on them by making them wear masks. Originally, they were much more powerful beings.”

“B-but they are already super strong!”

“The ones you call the Three Sovereigns were among the most notorious chaotic beings in the entire universe, known as the strongest among them. If you ranked them solely by power, they stood at the absolute top. The emperor’s intention to gather such beings and bring them to Earth is quite obvious. Hehe.”

Shennong muttered with a bitter taste, but at that moment, memories of the past sprung to my mind.

“That’s what I hoped for. After all, power lacks constraints. We don’t like this mask.”

“But there are advantages to that mask.”

“The fun is over.”

I recalled the words Jeon Wook had said during his 22nd death at the gathering of the Three Sovereigns.

“Do you really think I am going to destroy mankind just for that one act?”

“…What?”

“It’s an opportunity. A chance to take off this mask and regain my freedom… This has been my long-held desire that I couldn’t accomplish. Whenever it may be, I would have conquered you to fulfill my will! Your actions were merely a trigger, so don’t blame yourself, Baek Woong.”

Ever since that moment, I had always wondered why the Three Sovereign Jeon Wook was so obsessed with taking off the mask. I had no credible answers since asking him would yield no satisfactory response, only various guesses without clarity.

But now, the reason seems to have become clearer.

Those beings wore masks to gain precedence in cause and effect over other old rulers during the chaotic battle on Earth, but in the process, they had parts of their original universe-level chaos power sealed! Naturally, it makes sense that the absolute beings would want to take off their masks to regain their powerful abilities.

“…….”

“On the contrary, us on the order side gained nothing by wearing masks. It was nice to have priority in cause and effect, but ultimately it tied us to a troublesome agreement with the emperor. However, in a situation where countless old rulers have flocked to Earth due to the apocalypse and revelation, we had no other choice.”

“So that’s why you want to take off the mask.”

“That’s right. I can’t wait to take off this mask, which the emperor might have tampered with. Especially in such a crucial decisive moment!”

Shennong looked at me intensely.

“Are you saying you won’t be able to take it off after boasting like that?”

“Uh….”

“I could skin your face off.”

“Ah, no! I can do it.”

“Then do it.”

Feeling the pressure of being in a hopeless situation thanks to Shennong’s urging, I realized there was no turning back.

“Well, I’ve learned a lot, so if I die, I have no regrets!”

Muttering that internally, I slowly began to activate Technique of All Things.

Sssss –

I chanted the essence of the Technique of All Things, “I imagine what to steal.” First, by firmly establishing in my mind what I wanted to steal, even if it was the soul of a god, I could steal it—that’s the Technique of All Things! And I imagined taking off Shennong’s mask as “what I want to steal.”

But –

“……?”

Huh…? Where’s the mask?

His face like that of a silver titan is right in front of me, but there’s no sign of a mask anywhere. Even trying to use the Technique of All Things, unlike when I moved and manifested the Soul of the God with the Soul Exchange Technique, the mask simply did not manifest.

“Why?”

Is there some reason this is impossible?

I soon had a thought that struck me.

“…I guess without the help of Divine Skill level techniques, I can’t reach the god’s mask directly.”

Since the condition wasn’t met, I had no choice but to ask Shennong.

“Shennong… I can’t see the mask. I’m sorry, but could you make it visible?”

“A mask doesn’t originally have a tangible form. It can be considered a cause and effect bound by divine contracts. While it could be possible between me and the emperor as the parties of the contract, you can’t make that request right now for that reason.”

“…….”

“Are you saying you don’t have the ability to see the mask?”

“I-I can! It’s just….”

Should I use Palace Examination Technique? As I thought about that, I realized a crucial fact.

“Ah! I pledged the National Seal to Shao Hao….”

The Palace Examination Technique needed the National Seal as a medium, so without that, I couldn’t use it!

“Then….”

I felt troubled, but I soon realized there were other options.

“This command has the ability to gaze directly at the opponent’s mask and awaken them. Once the command is mastered, I’ll be able to visualize the mask existing behind the opponent and see the scene of that mask awakening.”

This was the second stage of the Divine Skill taught by the Divine Thief!

Specifically, if I chanted the 108-character incantation, I should be able to awaken the opponent’s abyss and steal their mask! However, I wasn’t sure if it would work against someone at the level of the Three Sovereigns, but I felt I had no choice but to give it a shot.

Mumble mumble….

I began to chant the incantation slowly. As the incantation continued, Shennong showed displeasure.

“You… What in the world is that incantation?”

Feeling the clear presence of his strong displeasure, I hurriedly stopped chanting and answered.

“Uh, it’s, it’s the second stage of the Heavenly Face Prince. It’s to awaken the opponent’s mask….”

“What…? To awaken the mask? What do you mean?”

I explained the second stage of the Heavenly Face Prince to Shennong. After listening quietly, he suddenly stood up.

“That’s enough! If it’s like that, you don’t even need to take it off!”

A sudden shift in attitude!

I was puzzled since just a moment ago, Shennong was pressing me hard to take off the mask.

“Huh? If I chant 108 characters, the mask will be awakened….”

“Do you not understand what you just said? To awaken the mask is an extremely heinous act.”

“……?”

“Evil, evil, so evil… This incantation is one of the most evil in the world!”

It was a voice steeped in lamentation. Shennong seemed genuinely horrified by the wickedness of the incantation and fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“I have a guess as to who created that incantation. If I had to choose between using that incantation to take off the mask or not, I’d rather not do either. I can’t even begin to imagine the catastrophe that would occur if my mask were to awaken.”

Shennong muttered bitterly and cautioned me.

“Baek Woong, do not use that ability in the future! Absolutely not!”

“……?! Huh?! Why?”

“If the chaos that treats destruction as nothing matters, then fine. But you, as a mere human, couldn’t possibly shoulder the consequences of that incantation. Take my warning seriously.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Is Shennong overreacting?

“Well, it’s good that I’m not dead right now….”

I felt bewildered, but since I managed to get past this situation, I let it go. A moment later, Shennong opened a Dimension Door and vanished while leaving me with one final remark.

“I’ll leave the path open, so follow me.”

Boom!

The Dimension Door left open by Shennong was radiating a white light. What he meant by opening the path probably indicated that this Dimension Door would be the only way for me to avoid getting lost in this chaotic Divine Temple.

“Alright. Let’s go, brothers.”

“…….”

“Brothers?”

I looked at the Primordial Heaven Master and Taishang Laojun, but their faces were as stiff as lead.

What’s up with that?

A moment later, the Primordial Heaven Master opened his mouth first.

“Disciple. This is where we part ways.”

“Huh?”

“The divine power is too strong, so the moment we cross that Dimension Door, we will disintegrate. Those without divine nature cannot step over that threshold. It seems the emperor has placed restrictions to prevent lower beings from invading the inner palace.”

“But you guys are demigods, right? Are you saying you lack divine nature?”

“That’s just an expression. We haven’t truly transcended or become ultimate divine beings either.”

“……”

“However, since you possess tremendous divine power, you should be able to cross that door.”

Swoosh

The Primordial Heaven Master then shrunk his Primordial Void to the size of a palm and handed it to me. Seeing that, my face crumpled.

“Ugh. No way….”

“You’ll receive the first treasure, the Primordial Void. Now go in and assist your Master.”

“I can’t accept something like this! More importantly, I have no idea how to use the Primordial Void.”

At my protest, the Primordial Heaven Master smiled warmly.

“If you don’t know how, just put your divine power into it and throw it. That will be enough.”

“…….”

Can I really use the very first divine-grade treasure so blindly?

While I was in disbelief, Taishang Laojun slowly approached me and said.

“Extend your hand.”

Whoosh!!

As I extended my hand, Taishang Laojun met it, and a peculiar sound erupted as a small Taiji symbol engraved itself onto my palm. Taishang Laojun then withdrew his hand and said:

“I have spent my power so that you can use the Divine Arts, Tai Chi.”

“Huh?! Is that even possible?!”

“Only once, though.”

“……”

“Make good use of that one opportunity.”

“Understood.”

It seemed that the Three Sovereigns of the Celestial Realm were placing their hopes on me. I looked at my brothers with determined eyes and said:

“I’ll go see that emperor’s face!”

Boom!

The moment I stepped into the Dimension Door, I felt as though I had just stepped into the vast chaos of the universe. And as I was continuously drawn into a white curve and spiral, I suddenly regained my senses to see the immense universe filled with crimson clouds blooming.

No, this wasn’t the dark universe I knew. It was an incomprehensible space, packed with fog-like nebulae. An inexhaustible expanse of infinite space—

In that distant space, I could see two beings floating in the void.

The Great Dragon and Nüwa!

Whoooosh

Fuxi, revealing his giant form, had created millions of dragon balls around him. Meanwhile, Nüwa was perched upon Fuxi’s head, floating five jade orbs, channeling her power. The moment I saw that, I realized what Nüwa was summoning.

“Five Element Divine Orbs!”

The work of the Creation God!

The Five Element basics that Nüwa had brought out to face three of the Sovereigns simultaneously in the past had emerged in the world. This could be called the embodiment of [Laws] itself, possessing immense power, so much so that even the Sovereigns feared Nüwa wielding the Five Element Divine Orbs.

Ping ping ping

Nüwa gathered the Five Element Divine Orbs to form the Five Stars and reached out forward to attack.

Boom—

That dazzling beam of light from the Five Elements struck at the dark sky, but after a heavy sound of destruction, there was no response. Seeing this, Nüwa exclaimed.

“Emperor! Are you hiding behind your throne like a coward? Come out this instant!!”

There was no response. An irate Nüwa called out even more strongly.

“This place is filled with the harmonious song of the great universe!! I don’t know what your intentions are in creating a throne in a place like this, but as descendants of order, we are unaffected by this harmony! It’s meaningless to delay, Emperor!”

Harmony?

When I turned to look around, I felt an odd sense of déjà vu in this place. As I pondered what that feeling was, Fuxi, upon whom Nüwa was perched, spoke.

“The universe of the Divine Temple is expanding.”

Whoooosh

With that simple statement, I witnessed their forms instantly diminished to points, and I realized an enormous distance had formed. I suddenly felt as if I didn’t even know where I was and became a lost soul in the universe.

“……!!”

Damn it! I need to reunite with Fuxi. What should I do?

While I felt a headache coming on, suddenly, I heard Fuxi’s voice from the other side of the universe.

“Disciple, come here.”

Boom!!

In that instant, I traversed an immense distance and instantly found myself beside Fuxi. As I scratched my head in confusion, Fuxi said:

“The emperor is creating star clusters with his powers, trying to scatter us so that we can’t approach the throne of the Divine Temple.”

I gasped.

“C-clusters? Even for an emperor, can he create something like that?”

“This isn’t a physical universe, so it’s possible. This place is a world created by the emperor.”

Fuxi murmured.

“While the emperor might perhaps do such a thing in a physical universe as well….”

Just then.

Whoosh!!

Shennong suddenly appeared beside Fuxi. He too seemed to have magnified his true form as his size was no less than that of the Great Dragon. with his arms crossed, Shennong proclaimed.

“Fuxi! We need to enter that throne to subdue the emperor.”

“Hmm, good. Then it’s time to have some fun.”

Fuxi quietly spoke to Nüwa.

“My twin sibling, Nüwa! There is only one way.”

Nüwa responded, startled.

“You don’t mean….”

“Exactly.”

Fuxi declared firmly.

“Let’s summon Pangu.”

“`

 

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