1212——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I knew exactly why the Master of the White Lotus Sect was here. It was “in the Knots,” the world of dreams, but Asura had explained the situation to me already.

[Let me tell you about the time I encountered the Master of the White Lotus. Listen carefully.]

I understood that even though it was all like a “Knot,” the characters inside still possessed thoughts and memories not so different from reality. Thus, I didn’t think Asura’s words back then were a lie. I reminisced about that moment and spoke up.

“I heard from Asura that in order to fight here, one must either master the Dark Night Slash and the Demonic Infinitum Slash or learn the Divine Skill. Is that true?”

[That is true. He transmitted the message accurately.]

“Well… I wouldn’t say accurately; it’s a bit complicated.”

[No need to explain further. The moment you came here, it was decided that you must fight with martial arts.]

“That’s true.”

As I nodded, the Master of the White Lotus continued speaking slowly.

[Baek Woong, what do you think the Heavenly Demon Martial Art is?]

“It’s the ultimate martial art in the universe…. capable of cutting through even the Divine Skill.”

[You got half of it right.]

“Huh?”

[It’s the strongest, but it’s not a martial art….]

Wait, what?!

“Then, is it a power?”

[No… even that’s ambiguous. That’s the truly tricky part of the Heavenly Demon Martial Art.]

“……!!”

As my eyes widened, the Master spoke.

[Baek Woong, if you remember, you must know that I couldn’t even land a blow against Sagong Lin’s Eternal Dance. Back then, I had somewhat realized the essence of Eternal Dance, but I also knew that I had no means to break it.]

“Right. What on earth was that about? Why couldn’t an absolute master like you contend against Eternal Dance?”

[A dance of chaos that shakes the laws…. I lacked the Heart of Heaven’s Abundance to grasp its essence.]

Woah!

Suddenly, the Master of the White Lotus amplified his mandala, making it even larger. With the mandala like a mountain hovering behind him, he kept his hands together and said to me,

[A single experience will be more valuable than a hundred words. Come at me.]

“What?! You mean you can use Eternal Dance?!”

[You can give it a shot. If you experience this, even with your dull talent, you will gain a crucial understanding.]

“……”

[You won’t gain enlightenment through mere words.]

Aah, could you please choose your words delicately?

Although I grumbled inwardly, this was for my own benefit, so I readied my stance and aimed my sword at the Master.

“Here I go!”

[From the start, come at me with your full power. No need for half-hearted attempts.]

“I was planning on that!”

Rwarrghgh!

I fully maxed out my internal power. Even though the effect of Great Destruction was still active, I noticed its efficacy had greatly diminished.

‘Previously I had a hundredfold increase, but now it’s probably just about fivefold…. The effect has dropped significantly.’

At this point, it felt just slightly better than the Decisive Enlightenment’s Thunderclap. However, if I were to use Thunderclap in this space, its effect would surely diminish like Great Destruction. Perhaps this situation with Great Destruction might be the maximum enhancement a mortal could achieve.

And the strongest attack I could muster at this moment was obvious.

Absolute Thunder Sword

Infinite Slash

A dazzling stream of light briefly skated across the Master of the White Lotus’s mandala. In the past, I had even used this Infinite Slash to cut through his layered defenses, making the Master take flight.

Moreover, the mastery of this Infinite Slash had drastically improved since my 28th rebirth, thanks to Asura. The “shakiness” that once existed with Infinite Slash had significantly improved, meaning it had greater cutting power! The Master I knew from my initial reincarnation wouldn’t have stood a chance against this Infinite Slash.

As expected, Absolute Thunder Sword cleaved through the Master’s mandala effortlessly, like chopping cabbage with a famed sword. Could this truly be called my True Body Technique at this point? Yet, just when the Infinite Slash had cut through about seventy percent of the mandala, something extraordinary happened.

Swish!

‘What?!’

Suddenly, the Heart of Heaven’s Abundance’s defensive barrier completely vanished, leaving only an empty space right up to the Master’s neck! His move suggested he had completely abandoned defense, and in a split-second of hesitation, I didn’t recoil but struck at his neck. I knew hesitation in real combat meant only death, so my instincts took over and I cut with almost automatic precision.

And when my blade reached the Master’s neck – something truly astounding happened.

Bam!

“……!!”

Unarmed and unyielding!

My Infinite Slash’s Absolute Thunder Sword was precisely caught between the Master’s two fingers. Despite lacking a fixed form, my free-spirited swordplay seemed as if it had been trapped in will.

Could this even be real? The blade of lightning birthed by my mind could actually be caught by mere flesh and bone!

While wide-eyed in astonishment, I heard the Master’s calm voice.

[Do you see? The vast Heart of Heaven’s Abundance I had so greatly expanded has vanished.]

And indeed, he was right. The usual Master of the White Lotus felt like a giant surrounded by his mandala, but now, that halo-like mandala had completely disappeared, and an ethereal green light flowed over his entire body. I thought that green light might be Protection Energy, but it felt like something was amiss.

“How did you do that?”

[I compressed all the potential of my mandala into my fingers, providing the defense to stop your Infinite Slash. However, this is merely a preparatory step, and the real surprise lies elsewhere.]

“…yeah, you’re right. How could you possibly read the pathway of my Infinite Slash so accurately? Could it be that you’re like Asura…?”

[I didn’t read it. Since I, like Asura, didn’t have a terrifying thousand years of martial arts training, I can’t process inner thunders like Infinite Slash that way. That’s a divine skill only Asura could possess.]

“Then how…?”

[I just knew.]

With a flick, the Master of the White Lotus released my blade. He extended his two fingers toward me and continued.

[Where you wished your slash to land, my fingers happened to be that end point. According to my will, the probabilities of your ultimate techniques were altered…. That’s the secret to how I just blocked your attack.]

“……!!”

[See? It’s subtly different.]

And it was true!

I gasped, astonished.

“This is impossible! This isn’t martial arts…”

[Correct. It’s not martial arts. But one could argue it is, because despite casting a power, the results manifested as martial arts.]

“……?”

[This is the nature of the Eternal Dance. An arbitrary martial art that manipulates the possibilities of the world. Normally, one could never break through it.]

Confused and trying to piece it all together, the Master of the White Lotus said,

[It might be better to feel it once again. This time I’ll initiate the attack, so try to block it.]

“Alright!”

I took a defensive posture and prepared to block the Master of the White Lotus’s attack. He then manifested a small mandala behind his back; under normal conditions, I understood that a fearsome wave of energy would come from there, so I felt slightly tense.

Creeeek!

However, the blow the Master eventually delivered was merely a regular Su Shin Sect’s Water Dragon Palm. Though it was a technique of Su Shin, it bore relatively ordinary power, characterized by its versatility, which under usual circumstances between masters like us meant it was little more than a troublesome technique.

I realized the speed of the palm technique wasn’t very rapid and thought that I could counterattack without a worry, but something felt off.

‘Should I just dodge using the Three Treasure Technique…?’

As I spun and stepped once, landing on the positions of Heaven’s Defense and Earth’s Defense, the Water Dragon Palm completely missed me and struck air. I understood that stepping on the last of the Earth Defense meant both attack and defense were entirely in my control, and this inspired a relaxed mindset.

Crack!

“…….”

[Under normal circumstances, this would be the end.]

However, the moment I stepped on Earth Defense – the Master of the White Lotus’s hand suddenly gripped my head.

‘Uh…. What is happening…?’

It felt as though I was ensnared by some phantasm.

How could such a perfect dodge fail against this Water Dragon Palm?

‘This isn’t about speed or power! Even at light speed, wouldn’t an absolute realm master in the domain of will detect it!’

As I stood there dazed, with his grip still on my head, the Master of the White Lotus let go and spoke.

[Just so you know, I also used the Three Treasure Technique to dodge in my battle against Sagong Lin. But I met the same fate as you, receiving a critical hit.]

“What on earth is possible here?”

[As I just explained, it’s a manipulation of ‘possibilities.’ And earlier, while you were laser-focused on casting the Three Treasure Technique, I unleashed the Water Dragon Palm. In the meantime, a fusion of chaos and primordial energies developed within me. I harnessed that power to manipulate the possibilities of time and space and released it in the form of martial arts.]

“…So, if chaos and primordial energies fuse, that sort of thing is possible?”

[Indeed. That’s the secret of the Heavenly Demon Martial Art, only usable by the Heavenly Demon.]

Woosh!

The Master raised his hands, forming a transparent, enormous sphere in the air, as if holding it, then two spheres of black and white emerged between them. The two orbs spun round and round before suddenly blending into one, transforming into something perpetual and swirling.

[It’s a power I couldn’t use in life, but having become a Guardian, I can utilize something similar.]

“……”

[Maybe the power I used when I transformed into the Apostle of the Old Ruler in your past life is somewhat similar to this power…. However, there’s little doubt that afterwards, I was consumed by that very strength and met my doom.]

Mumbling to himself, the Master continued.

[Do you understand now? The power born from the fusion of chaos and primordial energies…. The ability to casually manipulate possibilities is akin to performing a chaotic dance that disregards laws. If the power of chaos were to do something like this, it would easily attract the extremes of the law of cause and effect; but while disguised as martial arts, even that risk of reverting the laws of cause and effect is minimal.]

“……!!”

[A manifestation with the strength of a Heavenly Demon might be rather common in the grand cosmos. However, a Heavenly Demon can minimize the consumption of cause and effect through the Heavenly Demon Martial Art, allowing him to unleash force at will, which is why all the Old Rulers feared clashing with the Heavenly Demon.]

I was left stunned.

‘To freely use a power that surpassed martial arts without consuming the laws of cause and effect… An arbitrary martial art….’

It felt utterly invincible.

This means that even when the Master of the White Lotus clashed with Sagong Lin, it hadn’t been a fight but essentially a massacre. No matter how destructive his transformation and Dialogue Total held, using Eternal Dance would allow him to effortlessly achieve Absolute Evasion and Absolute Accuracy. Despite being unable to attack, defend, or evade, the Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin could just knock out his opponent with ease.

No doubt about it.

The Heavenly Skill Masters would also have lost because they couldn’t overcome the absoluteness of the Heavenly Demon Martial Art.

As I wore a look of understanding about the Heavenly Demon Martial Art, the Master spoke.

[Now do you grasp it?]

“…What should I do? How can I defeat the Heavenly Demon Martial Art?”

My voice trembled as I asked, and the Master replied.

[I told you from the start. Winning is impossible. Can you take a single blade to defeat one of the Three Sovereigns? Absolute no protection against any abilities or martial defenses…?]

“…I probably can’t.”

Even with the strongest weapon, the strongest armor, and the strongest allies piled on, it would still be tough.

[It’s the same. Standing before a Heavenly Demon is essentially a situation akin to that. Even with Divine Skills, attempting to target the Heavenly Demon Martial Art is nearly impossible.]

“……”

The Master noticed the despair on my face and spoke.

[However, as I mentioned earlier, ways to avoid losing do exist.]

“What’s that?!”

[Baek Woong. If the Heavenly Demon Martial Art were truly the strongest, the Emperor wouldn’t bother cooking up trouble with us. He could have just thrown out the Heavenly Demon and smashed down all the Old Rulers opposing him to force them onto his side and become the Ruler of the Universe instead.]

I nodded at the reasonable argument.

“Uh…. That’s true….”

[In other words, even the Heavenly Demon Martial Art has limitations, and the Emperor could never carelessly send down the Heavenly Demon into the world.]

What on earth was that reason?

As I stared intently at the Master’s face, he took a long time before finally speaking.

[It’s because the Heavenly Demon Martial Art also has a ‘consumption’ aspect….]

“Consumption? You just said there’s no consumption for the laws of cause and effect earlier.”

[Until I came to this “Throne,” I thought that too. I was under the illusion that the Heavenly Demon Martial Art was an infallible source of infinite power. However, after becoming a Guardian, I realized that there is indeed a clear consumption associated with the Heavenly Demon Martial Art. It’s not the consumption of cause and effect, but something else.]

“What could that be…?”

[…….]

The Master began.

[Do you remember the Heavenly Secret Technique? Using that technique you learned, the souls you wish to save ascend to the Divine Temple.]

“Yeah. Why?”

[The Heavenly Secret Technique is recorded in the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate, built by the Celestial Realm’s Purple House Immortal. However, the true creator of the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate and the Yin Fu Classic is none other than Guang Chengzi – one of the Emperor’s trusted aides and a powerful divine being residing at the Divine Temple.]

“…No way.”

[Why do you think Guang Chengzi created the Heavenly Secret Technique? Why would he select the souls of outstanding mortals among mankind and grant them the opportunity for salvation? Those who are saved by the Heavenly Secret Technique go into the golden crown at the Divine Temple.]

I felt a sense of realization, and my face hardened.

And my instincts told me my intuition was correct, as the Master’s eyes sparkled with intensity.

[The ones who are saved through the spells left behind by the Emperor all ascend to the Divine Temple, serving as the empowerment for the Emperor’s Heavenly Demon to use the Heavenly Demon Martial Art, converting to the laws of cause and effect. That is the truth.]

“……!!”

The shocking truth!

I struggled to believe it, widening my eyes, but quickly rebutted.

“No way! And the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate was barely found by Mangnyang as a treasure, existing in Guang Chengzi’s ruins until then! There’s no way so many souls could be gathered for a Heavenly Demon to wield power freely….”

[It’s just that we’re ignorant. There’s no way the Emperor would just cook up schemes only regarding the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate or the Yin Fu Classic.]

“What….”

[He surely interfered indirectly at any point during the Middle Plains’ 5,000-year history to repeatedly gather human offerings capable of serving as fuel for the Heavenly Demon. At times, he may have selected from Earth Immortals or Immortals…. It’s merely part of a grand plan.]

“……”

It was far too massive.

As I trembled in awe at the Emperor’s colossal scheme and its magnitude, the Master continued.

[So, the Heavenly Demon Martial Art cannot be defeated. But if you wish to avoid losing, there is but one method…. Wait until the source of that power runs dry.]

“…You mean the answer is just to endure as long as possible?”

[Exactly.]

I pondered over the Master’s words thoughtfully. And then I said.

“No way…. When Sagong Lin became a Heavenly Demon, the Emperor pierced through Jang Sam-bong’s Peerless Technique as well! If the Heavenly Demon Martial Art can pierce even the Peerless Technique, then enduring with the Peerless Technique on infinite display seems impossible.”

I witnessed Yeodong-bin and Jang Sam-bong’s collaboration being obliterated by a single strike from the Heavenly Demon. Even if I unleashed the Peerless Technique, the Heavenly Demon would easily shred it apart.

[If it’s merely the Peerless Technique, then yes… If the strength of the Heavenly Demon exceeds the limits of the Peerless Technique, that may be the case. That’s why…. You need to acquire one more thing…!]

“What is it?”

[The essence of the White Lotus Sect.]

The Master clenched his fist with fervor.

[Using the fusion of primordial and chaotic energies to unleash the Immortal Sword is the only way to unravel this…!!]