1155——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The battle began with the Red Bow of the Reborn. In an instant, his bowstring snapped, releasing hundreds of arrows aimed directly at the Qilin.

‘You’re not going to start with your strongest blow, are you?’

I was taken aback to see that the Reborn was casually starting the fight. I had expected him to use a powerful technique to take down the formidable foe with a single, perfect strike. After all, the principle of striking first for victory is the foundation of combat.

But I soon realized that the Reborn’s approach made sense.

Whoosh

The Qilin’s horn shone brightly, and suddenly, I noticed that the hundreds of arrows released by the Reborn had vanished without a trace. The Reborn, who was staring at the Qilin’s act of nullifying his own attack, said,

[As expected.]

“What do you mean?”

[It’s a defensive barrier created with the power of the Ancient God. If you get caught in that, there’ll be indiscriminate inversion of cause and effect, distortion, annihilation, transference, and shattering. With that level of stature, it always has such a defense. No matter how powerful the arrows are, they won’t penetrate.]

“Hmm….”

[If you don’t resolve that first, a battle with a powerful divine being is futile. Even if there’s a resisting power against the Small Cycle.]

An ancient god’s defense that ignores power and blocks all attacks with conventional methods. So that’s why he didn’t go for a one-hit win.

I asked the Reborn, “So what should we do?”

[We need to evade the god’s attacks and endure until we can make a decisive strike. A decisive shot isn’t meant to crush our opponent head-on, but rather a final blow to pierce through to the god.]

“Got it.”

The original use of the Red Bow was to control the enemy with arrows and finish them off with a decisive blow. However, since sequentially building up power meant that even if a weakness suddenly appeared, you couldn’t stab it, the Reborn seemed to have the ability to suddenly unleash a lethal strike after maintaining that control.

I thought the Reborn had plenty of experience battling powerful gods, so I cautiously said, “I need to gain as much experience as possible in this mock battle. What should I do?”

The Reborn shot me a cold glance before responding,

[Use your skill-thieving technique.]

“What?”

[Your twin harmony technique seems strong, but against an opponent of that level, it won’t deal a fatal blow. Instead, support me by using your skill-thieving technique to break down the enemy’s balance. That would be best.]

“…Alright.”

I thought about breaking the barrier using twin harmony, but then realized I had the useful technique of Technique of All Things. Being a battle-hardened veteran, the Reborn likely understood the utility of Technique of All Things, determining that supporting him with it could turn the tide of battle.

The Sword Demon beside us chimed in, “Sounds good. Then Dokgo Seong and I will create an opening for Baek Woong to use Technique of All Things.”

[With your skills, you won’t be a hindrance. Just support me well. Then I’ll go.]

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the Reborn summoned a massive flying chariot and flapped its wings, soaring high into the sky. His true form could fly, but that chariot itself seemed to be a unique power of his, as its speed was astonishing.

‘Incredible speed!’

It was light-years beyond the planes I’d seen in the world 500 years later! It literally felt like light darting back and forth. As the Reborn began to distance himself, I signaled to the Sword Demon, and soon, he, Dokgo Seong, and I approached Eungui.

Eungui, transformed into a Qilin, tilted his head slightly forward and said,

[The Qilin’s weakness is this single horn on its forehead. Target this.]

It felt odd that he revealed his weakness himself, but this was merely a mock battle to hone our skills against the Qilin! Acknowledging its weakness, we simultaneously drew our swords from afar, unleashing them at the horn with intent.

Whoosh

The horn of the Qilin emanated a mysterious light, causing our blades to vanish in an instant. Given how well the Reborn’s arrows had been deflected, there wasn’t much chance for such a targeting strike to succeed. Dokgo Seong laughed heartily as he charged in with an attack.

“Let’s see you nullify this!”

Thunder Sword!

Clang—

The tremendous power of Dokgo Seong’s fatal Thunder Sword struck directly at the Qilin’s front. However, the Thunder Sword appeared to dissipate without a trace, and as the sword and intent vanished, Dokgo Seong was left dancing with his sword in the air.

“Whoa!”

Dokgo Seong was startled and, realizing his attack had been nullified, quickly retreated while using a cautious expression.

“It doesn’t just get nullified. If you enter that range, it gets completely wiped out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not only your intent but even if we just get close, it will disappear. Naturally, weapons too…”

“……!!”

“Approaching it won’t work.”

What kind of a barrier is that?!

To annihilate everything you come near?!

‘What the hell, that’s just unfair!’

Even the Sea God wouldn’t be able to use such a barrier! My mind started spinning. According to that logic, it was nearly impossible for a mere martial artist like myself to defeat a Qilin.

The Sword Demon said, “I’ll try to control it with the Sword Spirit. We need to gauge the distance of the nullification barrier.”

Swish—

A misty sword spirit flowed out from the Sword Demon’s blade, taking shape. After concentrating for a moment, the Sword Demon opened his eyes wide, and suddenly the sword spirit vanished, piercing the Qilin’s throat in an instant.

Whoosh…

It seemed the Qilin found it difficult to remove the Sword Demon’s spirit, emitting a strange cry as it shook its head. I could see blood trickling from the Qilin’s throat.

‘Did we actually hit?’

It appeared that the spirit had been able to cause damage by bypassing the nullification barrier. But soon, I was startled as I looked at the Sword Demon beside me.

Whoosh!!

“Wha-what happen, Sword Demon!!”

Surprisingly, the Sword Demon’s hand and arm had completely turned pale and stiff!

“Cough.”

The Sword Demon coughed up blood and hastily withdrew his sword spirit. The spirit returned, sucked back into his sword, and the Sword Demon stood still, seemingly focused. His stiff pale arm started to return to normal.

Watching this, Eungui said,

[The Qilin can convert the enemy’s attack into a curse to reflect it back. Even so, it’s quite impressive that you were able to wound the Qilin with human swordsmanship.]

“…Eungui.”

[What is it?]

I sighed and said, “I just don’t have the confidence to get in close. Can I just hit the Technique of All Things once?”

Getting close could mean annihilation for me, and with the added ability to reflect curses, I had even less confidence.

[You could try.]

Damn… this is humiliating.

But no matter how I thought about it, in the current formation, there was no way to successfully land an attack on the Qilin. If I expended all my energy now, I would have far too much left to do today. It would be a complete waste. It’s better to take advantage of this mock battle and preserve my pride at least.

Will Technique of All Things actually work against the Qilin?

‘If I steal, it has to be the horn!’

Wasn’t it just openly said that the Qilin’s weakness was its horn?!

Whoosh!

I approached the Qilin, casting Technique of All Things to steal the horn. I could feel the mass and volume of the “horn” filling my hand, and when the technique was more than halfway through, I smiled triumphantly.

But just then…

Swoosh!

“Graaaah!”

My arm just got blown off!

Blood sprayed everywhere, and my arm flew off into the air before dropping. As I gaped in shock, Eungui commented,

[It wasn’t intended, but it seems you followed the Qilin’s combat style.]

“What the hell…?”

[I can’t stop you from extending with Technique of All Things, but I can intercept you when trying to retrieve an item. The Qilin can manipulate space freely.]

I could grab onto the horn with Technique of All Things, but before I could pull back, it cut off my hand!

“Cough.”

I picked up my severed arm, clenched my teeth, and reattached it. Pushing through the pain, I used my Qi to temporarily attach it and used blood to coagulate it, managing to move my arm again. I calmed my breathing to suppress the pain and said,

“…Then this time, I’ll try to steal the nullification area itself!”

Technique of All Things

Spatial Theft!

In that moment, I felt something being stolen from an empty space with my right hand. Conceptually, I could tell that an intangible thread like a net was pinned to my hand, but in the next moment, I felt my freshly reattached arm begin to dissolve from the tip.

Damn.

I quickly pulled away my reattached arm. Just a few seconds after being thrown to the ground, it vanished without a trace like sand. Seeing this, I felt a sense of dread.

‘While taking the nullification area is possible, it means I also have to be ready for my arm to disappear when I use Technique of All Things.’

This is maddening. Is it really this complicated?

As I mired in complex feelings, a loud roar echoed from the sky.

[Well done! Finish it!]

Boom—!!

A massively powerful arrow struck down from the heavens! The Reborn, who had been waiting for an opening, shot it at the moment I stole the nullification area, truly delivering a lethal blow.

Transformed into a Qilin, Eungui stared straight at the arrow and suddenly unleashed divine light from its horn.

King of Beasts

Gemlike Great Heaven Above

Keek—

The instant the divine light collided with the lethal arrow, I felt countless waves of soul energy emitted from that light. I hurriedly activated the Soul Exchange Technique to analyze the wave, and I was stunned to see the numbers in the billions!

‘What the hell…?’

Boom!!

The light from the horn couldn’t completely withstand the lethal arrow. It was struggling to hold its ground, clearly showing signs of being pushed back.

Roar

Thus, the Qilin engulfed itself in light for a moment before suddenly vanishing into thin air and reappearing in another location, leaving the previously empty space devastated by the lethal arrow.

Kaboom!

‘It’s not enough to completely counter the strongest lethal arrow, but that’s impressive power.’

Regardless, the usual nullification barrier was the exclusive defense of the Four Great Divine Beasts. If it was cleared with Technique of All Things, it’d be like being unarmed, yet it could still withstand the lethal arrow! Considering there could be no stronger attack than the lethal arrow on Earth, it was terrifying.

Eungui said,

[If the Reborn’s lethal arrow is used up, there’s no point in continuing the fight.]

“What? That’s too hasty….”

[It’d be best to end the mock battle here.]

Whoosh

The Reborn landed from the sky on his flying chariot.

[I agree.]

“Reborn! If we use the Seven Luminaries, there might still be a chance!”

[Maybe. If you give me all the Seven Luminaries, we could drag out the battle, but it wouldn’t give a lethal blow to the Qilin. Sure, I can amplify my strength with the Seven Luminaries, but I can’t recharge my techniques as quickly as my optimally chosen one. It would only make it easier to endure.]

“……”

[Since this is just a mock battle, this should suffice. Didn’t we discover the Qilin’s weakness as well as a hidden card? Moreover, you have pressing matters to attend to, don’t you?]

“Hmm!”

The Reborn was right. While mock battles were fine, it wouldn’t be wise to squander too much time and resources. I must have lost my composure amidst the thrill of combat.

‘While using the Four Great Divine Beasts might yield results, this isn’t the place for it.’

I took a moment to calm down and said to Eungui, “Thank you for the mock battle.”

Eungui transformed back into her original young man form and replied, “No problem… I am just worried that the Qilin is harboring too much killing intent toward you.”

“…I’ve been curious about that. Why does it feel that way?”

“I don’t know either. I have no idea what could cause it.”

“Damn it…!”

Complaining, I asked Eungui, “Can you give me a hint about who the Trial Master on the 99th floor is?”

“That won’t do. Nüwa doesn’t want to meddle that much.”

“Hmm. I see…”

It seems Nüwa wouldn’t allow any divine interference or tricks regarding the trials of the tower. I thought this was an annoying restriction.

“Well then, I’ll just open the door to the 98th floor and retreat for now.”

[I’ll heal your arm.]

Thanks to Eungui’s kindness, my vanished arm returned to its original state. It seemed that everyone’s injuries from the mock battle had healed as well.

Whoosh

We all returned to our main base, the Eight Trigrams Pavilion. I explained the general situation to our allies and asked for their opinions.

“What do you think I should do now?”

Then Kamizumi Nobutsuna said, “Your Majesty, it sounds like it would be best to try and recruit Yeodong-bin first.”

“Yeodong-bin?”

“The Asura is a tremendous swordsman. If he felt Yeodong-bin could outperform him in a clash, there must be a good reason for it.”

“Hmm, that makes sense!”

“However, if Yeodong-bin’s whereabouts are unclear and difficult to find, it would be wise to first awaken Zhuge Liang and the Hidden Piece. Zhuge Liang, in particular, is wise beyond anyone present and can offer efficient strategies.”

“Alright, then that’s what I’ll do!”

I descended from the Celestial Realm directly to seek the Asura. After explaining the situation, the Asura seemed stunned.

“The knot has been tied, and is it true that you’ve already made one knot?”

“Exactly.”

“……”

The Asura pressed his temple and said, “It seems there was no way around it, but Baek Woong… you did have another option within that dark space.”

“Huh?”

“You could have just died and started your 29th life.”

“……!! No way! Just look at how much I can gain at the brink of destruction?!”

The unexpected comment made me protest as the Asura replied.

“A knot is a conclusion; once tied, it can always be unraveled. However, Hang-a never told you the method to untie it. She simply said that if you didn’t choose, you’d remain in that space.”

“…Uh….”

“This is almost a trap. A seemingly favorable proposal, but without knowing how to untie the knot, you could end up repeating it infinitely.”

“……”

I fell silent, then turned to the Asura and said, “But as mentioned, if I call out the name of Master Mangnyang, it will grant me the power to end the tyranny. Then it should be fine, right?”

“Do you know the real name of Master Mangnyang?”

“…That is…”

“It seems calling even a pseudonym might be possible, but it can’t help but feel uneasy. Damn it…”

The Asura sighed and said, “Baek Woong, do not even think about endlessly repeating the knot. Instead, consider it a trap, and consider escaping it in the shortest time possible.”

“Got it.”

“Before informing the Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin of the truth, let’s find Yeodong-bin from Mount Ye first.”

Whoosh

I went to Mount Ye with the Asura. I came to find Yeodong-bin because he had been there last time when the area was nothing but a wasteland. However, I couldn’t sense Yeodong-bin’s energy anywhere.

“Perhaps he moved elsewhere.”

“Hmph….”

“Baek Woong, in that case, call for Yeodong-bin using the terminal. You managed to connect last time.”

“Got it.”

Even though I thought he might still be at Mount Ye and that I could just find him directly, if he wasn’t here, I’d have to use the terminal.

“Come forth, Yeodong-bin!”

…….

However, no response came to the call through the terminal. A puzzled expression crossed my face.

“……?”

Why isn’t he responding?

The Asura asked me, “Is Yeodong-bin not responding at all?”

“Not really…. It feels like he is somewhere in this world, but it feels like he’s intentionally not answering.”

“It seems like he might be in a state where he can’t respond to you right now. Perhaps he’s in training or something.”

The Asura thought for a moment and said, “Then we can try again later. If he’s deliberately cutting off contact, there must be a reason for it.”

“Alright.”

We returned to the Asura’s residence.

Whoosh!

As soon as we returned, I summoned Zhuge Mu-hu using the Heavenly Secret Technique. I explained the situation to Zhuge Mu-hu right then.

[…….]

“…That’s how it is.”

[It sounds like a story, but since it’s a truth that only the world and I know, I can’t help but believe it. Nevertheless, it’s a truly tough situation.]

Zhuge Mu-hu pondered for a while before saying,

[First, let’s hastily obtain this Hidden Piece you mentioned.]

Whoosh

I went to the realm of the Hidden Piece and watched as Zhuge Mu-hu solved the riddle. After solving the riddle, I headed to the space where Dr. Faust was, and Zhuge Mu-hu reached out to Faust and firmly said,

[Dr. Faust, don’t hastily supply power to the Hidden Piece. We need your knowledge.]

[Zhuge Mu-hu, what do you mean?]

[You know what you’re trying to do in this Star Realm.]

Zhuge Mu-hu had already revealed Faust’s plans, and Faust looked flustered as he spoke.

[It’s like I’ve repeated time…. Could it be that the Great Cycle has gone once around?]

[Baek Woong tied a “knot” with the power of the Heavenly Secret. Do you understand?]

[This is….]

[Therefore, we need the opinion of the greatest sage in the Western Region. We need to know what must be done for Baek Woong to break through the 98th floor of the Celestial Tower.]

Faust pondered with his metallic doll, then said,

[My thoughts revolve around the Hidden Piece… If we properly utilize the Hidden Piece, the answer will become clear.]

[Indeed. I understand. But it differs somewhat from my proposed solution.]

[Could it be you’re thinking of the Emperor…?]

[You’ve noticed, it seems. Truly, you are wise.]

With a smile, Zhuge Mu-hu said,

[Let’s take it step by step. Then, it’s fine to exhaust everything.]

[Then, until we meet again….]

Whoosh!

Dr. Faust perished, supplying power to the Hidden Piece yet again and sending us back to the real world. Once we returned, Zhuge Mu-hu said to me,

[Baek Woong, you know that even if the Reborn, Sagong Lin, and the Asura all combine their strengths, they cannot defeat Xiang Yu, right?]

“Of course.”

I nodded solemnly and said, “That’s less Xiang Yu and more like Nüwa.”

Most likely during the first challenge, it wasn’t just Xiang Yu’s sheer power; it also had the boon of Nüwa layered within it. The Reborn understood this, which is why he felt hopeless against the Three Sovereigns if his decisive strike couldn’t succeed, leading him to choose to withdraw. No matter how extraordinary the strongmen on the surface are, they’re still powerless against the Three Sovereigns.

[In that case, it’s not the time to gather comrades who can defeat Xiang Yu. That’s a waste of time. Rather, it’s more prudent to utilize today’s hours to experiment with other approaches first.]

“What should we do?”

[It’d be ideal to acquire the treasure Primordial Void from the Celestial Realm quickly to locate Yeodong-bin, but the seal of blood will be formidable, even without Tai Gong-mang. We should postpone acquiring the Primordial Void and prioritize what first….]

Zhuge Liang’s eyes sparkled.

[We should consult Cheon Woo-jin regarding Jin So-cheong first.]

Whoosh

We headed to meet Cheon Woo-jin. Upon explaining the situation to him, Cheon Woo-jin seemed to understand reluctantly.

Zhuge Liang said to Cheon Woo-jin,

[Cheon Woo-jin, Jin So-cheong said that if he wishes for assistance, he must pay a price and that he has become a being caught up in the law of cause and effect, right? Then he must indeed….]

“I think you’re right.”

Cheon Woo-jin grumbled while pondering, leaning on his chin.

“Jin So-cheong has undoubtedly transcended a mortal’s limits to become a god. At least comparable to Miho.”

[Indeed….]

“Unlike Miho, Nüwa will not impose any restrictions on calling Jin So-cheong. Unlike Miho, Jin So-cheong is directly connected to Master Mangnyang, so she wouldn’t exert any pressure.”

[Alright. So can Jin So-cheong defeat Xiang Yu?]

“……”

Cheon Woo-jin seemed to think for a long time before saying,

“I can’t say for sure. We’ll need to summon him before we can determine that.”

[That makes sense. Then what about summoning Jin So-cheong and summoning another being?]

Cheon Woo-jin’s eyes sharpened.

“It seems like you’re concocting something. What do you intend to do?”

A scheme?

As everyone’s gaze fell on Zhuge Liang, he smiled faintly.

[Rather than relying uncertainly on Jin So-cheong’s strength, there is a far more reliable method. This knot should be approached in that way.]

“What method are you suggesting?”

[That, I can’t reveal yet. Someone else is listening over there.]

Zhuge Liang’s gaze rested on a spot where, before I knew it, Sagong Lin had been standing, seemingly out of nowhere. I blinked at Sagong Lin.

“Sagong Lin, did you hear all that?”

“…….”

Sagong Lin looked a bit hurt as she said, “Baek Woong, so you’ve felt that way about me all this time….”

“Ugh….”

Sagong Lin gently caressed the Everlasting Ice Wall where Seo Mun-hye was trapped and then stated, “But I understand the situation. I also guessed Zhuge Liang’s scheme.”

[Oh? What kind of scheme did you think I was hatching?]

Zhuge Liang asked with curiosity, while Sagong Lin gazed into his eyes mildly.

“You intend to use me to summon Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen before Xiang Yu.”