1233——————==

Soul of the Evil God (Concept)

Adam Cadmon?

I had never heard that name before, but there was one familiar word I understood.

‘Kabbalah….’

It was a concept that Zhuge Sa had explained to me when he taught me the basics of magical theory.

Kabbalah, he said, is a sort of otherworldly realm, existing at a distance that can’t be compared to regular worlds. Those who belong to Kabbalah are divided into nine tiers, and their appearances and powers vary according to those tiers. When the Great Bear Empire waged war on the Western world during my absence in the 28th round, the beings summoned by Western demon sorcerers were the angels of Kabbalah.

Also, since Kabbalah is a critical source in the doctrines of landlords magic, the sorcerers tied to landlord doctrines memorize Kabbalah’s marks first, and then learn the language of Kabbalah, known as the Sword, as a proof of their connection. Naturally, this requires years of difficult study, so Zhuge Sa never bothered to teach me. It wasn’t that it was unnecessary; I would probably just end up wasting my time trying to study a complex magical text like the Sword.

I said to Adam Cadmon, “I’m not really sure, but do you happen to know Simon Magus? He’s the only landlord-related character I know.”

[…I don’t know…. I’ve been trapped here for too long.]

“Why are you trapped here?”

[I wandered for eons searching for Aion…. But in this world, some being used Aion as bait to summon me here…. And while summoning me, they took a significant amount of my power…. I’ve become nothing but a shell, left with only my body…. That’s why I haven’t been able to escape until now….]

“Who did such a thing?”

[…I don’t know…. At least, I know that what our Kabbalah beings yearn for the most…. And that whoever summoned me is a powerful sorcerer capable of such magic….]

“……”

After a moment, Adam Cadmon continued.

[Please, when you escape from this hiding place, let me escape too…. I swear on my name that I’ll repay your kindness.]

“How?”

[If you tell me what you desire, I will do my best to fulfill it….]

What I wanted.

‘That guy seems like quite a powerful divine being, but right now he’s lost his strength? So he probably can’t grant me anything too significant….’

But I didn’t know enough about him to take him on as a companion or subordinate. There was too much risk of betrayal to make such a proposal on the first meeting. I thought for a moment and then spoke.

“Let’s think about it after we get out. But you have to promise me you won’t betray me.”

[I’ll do that….]

“Oh! By the way, is there any hidden treasure in here? I’m getting bored sitting still for three days.”

[I don’t know….]

I guess it’s unreasonable to hope for something like that in the disguise of a God of Chaos? Just as I was feeling somewhat disappointed, Adam Cadmon spoke again.

[Please, do not abandon me…. I absolutely must find Aion and return….]

“What is Aion that’s got you so worked up?”

The Demon King Simon Magus used to babble about Aion too; what could it be?

Adam Cadmon slowly said, [Many who follow Kabbalah wish to become the Divine King Demiurge, but… that’s an impossible story…. Becoming Demiurge would allow one to reach Aion, but that lineage is an independent stream and the opportunity will never come to someone like me…. So I was tempted by that person’s words who said he could find Aion by reading the records of Ain Soph Aur….]

“…”

[If I reach Aion, I can create a perfect world…. My own world… Oh…. I don’t even need to become Demiurge; I just need to get there… such shallow thoughts have led me to this predicament…]

Adam Cadmon let out a deep sigh. It seemed he was lamenting his predicament for being caught in the disguise of a distant being, deceived by the bait of Aion. I couldn’t fully grasp his words.

‘So, going to Aion grants you tremendous power.’

Does such a realm exist? I’ll have to find it next time!

I made a rough mental note and said, “Oh right. Can you teleport?”

[I can.]

“I need to learn teleportation separately. If you have any useful techniques, teach me. That’ll help settle part of the debt of your life.”

Since I had three days left of ambiguous time, maybe I should pick up another technique or two?

Though I wasn’t expecting much, Adam Cadmon happily responded.

[Alright…. Then I will plant a [seed] in you…. This will repay your debt of life.]

“Eh? A seed?”

In the next moment, something happened that left me in shock.

Kukwakwaquack!

“Ugh?!”

The colossal giant, Adam Cadmon, suddenly raised his left arm and pulled off his right arm like it was a tree! His detached right arm was larger than a mountain, and as blood gushed from it like crazy, I was overwhelmed with the illusion that a river of blood was forming.

Chwaaaack!

[…This shall be forged…. This flesh… let it transform into the [key] that connects to the great truth…. This is our God… the unity of the Three and the sole existence of the Holy Father.]

While Adam Cadmon spewed an incredible amount of blood, he began chanting as though the whole world could hear it. Moments later, his massive right arm started shrinking at an astonishing speed until it eventually reduced to the size of a large boulder.

Whump whump!

And as his right arm kept shrinking, it flew towards me, and by the time it was three lengths away, it had shrunk to the size of a human forearm. And when it arrived within one length, it had become no bigger than two finger joints, almost feeling like a seed.

What halted in front of my chest was a radiant orb that looked like a plant’s seed. I couldn’t believe that an arm as large as a mountain could shrink down this much and stared wide-eyed. Then Adam Cadmon spoke to me.

[If you embed that key anywhere in your body, you will be able to use teleportation….]

“…Would you do that? How could I just embed something so suspicious in my body!”

[What did you just say…!! If you don’t want it, give it back…. It’s not something I’d offer after much reluctance.]

“Eh?”

[Don’t underestimate me…!!]

Adam Cadmon sounded somewhat offended, and I felt a tinge of suspicion. My intuition from living up until now was screaming at me.

‘Uh…. This feels oddly good…?’

But the Master Mangnyang even described it as something that shattered a jar, and with my magical power inflated beyond control, should I really accept such a dubious ability now? I was in severe contemplation, but shortly after, I spoke.

“Ah! Let’s just do it!”

I grabbed the radiant orb and shoved it into my left hand. The moment I did, the orb glowed brightly before absorbing into my body, and soon after, the light completely vanished.

Hmm…. It doesn’t hurt.

I asked Adam Cadmon, “Alright, I’m set. Now how do I use the teleportation…?”

Just then, Adam Cadmon seemed greatly flustered.

[…No…? Oh no…!! Is it sucking me in?! My, my name….]

Shooosh!!

[Graah!!]

In the next moment, Adam Cadmon let out a dreadful scream as his entire being began to be pulled into my hand.

“Gah!!”

I was shocked, but soon, Adam Cadmon completely vanished, as if his mountain-sized form had been swallowed whole. What remained in my hand was a shining object that was flashing with light.

Drip drip!

Moments later, a name was engraved again on my forearm. I recognized the name written in that strange language as [Adam Cadmon].

“……”

Why does my arm keep getting names engraved on it since I’ve come to this life?

I felt both bewildered and fearful. I couldn’t understand what was happening, and now I had not the slightest idea of what to do.

‘Damn. Either way, to get out of here, I need to stay for three days. Should I just practice for three days?’

Fwap!

I began eliminating all the monsters visible in this chaotic Blood Flame Cloud to create a training space. Then, sitting cross-legged, I started to meditate, revisiting the advanced principles of the martial arts I had learned.

My mind cleared….

Yeah…. This is what martial arts are like….

Spending one day in Dark Heaven Village equals roughly one year in reality….

“……Ehh?! Oh, right!!”

Suddenly, while meditating, I remembered that the flow of time in Dark Heaven Village is different; spending a single day here would mean just over a year would pass in reality! Because of this, when I first challenged the Dark Heaven Village, only a few days had passed, yet a whopping five years had gone by!

‘No! With the chaos that broke out in Luoyang, even three days is tight. If three or five years go by in such a situation…!!’

There’s no way I could cope with that! Especially since I hadn’t even gathered my companions yet, and if the world fell apart again, what would happen?

‘I must find a way to return, even now! If it’s within a year, I might be able to handle it somehow!’

My mind was racing. However, to realistically break through this outer disguise, I would need a level of firepower comparable to the Sabre Sword of Cheon Gong-pyo, and I wasn’t sure if I had that strength.

“Damn it!! Whatever happens, I’m giving this a shot!”

Woosh!

I gathered all my strength and leaped into the air. As I began to fly through the emptiness, I felt my energy rapidly depleting. It seemed like the energy drained much faster in this dark otherworld than in reality.

‘This disguise is at least eight thousand li wide! Last time, I could barely move that incredible distance with Qi alone and ended up calling upon the Ruyi Staff out of sheer desperation… Riding the air for eight thousand li is impossible, even with my internal power!!’

Feeling gloomy, I suddenly thought of a way.

‘Oh, right! That method….’

I felt unexpectedly sharp and invoked the summoning technique.

“Come forth!!”

Vwoom!

[Kiiyuu!]

As a magic circle appeared in the air, a Speed Demon Beast was summoned. Riding the Speed Demon Beast, I activated my Protection Energy Technique all over my body while holding up the National Seal and shouted.

“National Seal! Mark the coordinates of the dead end of this disguise!”

[Searching….]

Beeep!

Once the search by the National Seal was complete and the coordinates eight thousand li away emerged in my mind, I cast Soul Exchange Technique on the Speed Demon Beast. Transmitting the coordinates I had seen into its mind, I spoke telepathically.

[Go here!]

[Understood!]

Whoosh!!

The Speed Demon Beast had moved eight thousand li in the blink of an eye, and I felt my Protection Energy Technique fading while severe pain overwhelmed my body. But forcing myself to endure the agony, after sending the beast back, I concentrated my energy in my eyes.

“Urrrrr…!!”

Just as my eyes began to feel fiery, I shouted.

“Light – Beam!!!”

Kukwakwaquack!

In the next moment, a silver destructive ray surged from my eyes and began striking the outer wall. The illusion of a massive hole opening up in the sky appeared as the dimensions started to rip apart, and I could see the walls of the outer disguise slowly tearing.

‘Kyaaaaaa!! My eyes burn!!!’

It felt like insects were gnawing at my eyeballs!! But I had no choice but to endure this for the sake of making faster progress!!

Crackle crackle!

Before long, I spotted a tiny hole forming in one corner of the outer wall. After some time spent grinding away, I noticed that the outer wall was tougher than I had imagined, realizing that the Sabre Sword of Cheon Gong-pyo was indeed an unimaginably powerful divine treasure capable of breaking through instantly.

‘Or maybe it’s just the outer disguise, and the power of Shao Hao Jin Tian isn’t well-embedded, causing the beam to weaken…?’

Screech!

Regardless, when the hole in the wall grew to about three lengths, I kicked off the air and burst through. As I emerged from the outer disguise, the vastness of space met my eyes, and I already knew that if I traveled along the silver road to the end, I’d find Dark Heaven Village.

“Come forth… um….”

But just as I intended to summon another Speed Demon Beast, I stopped dead.

‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never traveled down this silver road before?’

I remembered having to prioritize going straight to Dark Heaven Village last time. At that moment, I faced an inner conflict.

If I go to Dark Heaven Village via this silver road, I’ll inevitably head to the Palace of Empress Wu Zetian, where I would need to persuade her to return to the real world quickly. But how easy would it be to persuade Empress Wu Zetian promptly? If I’m not careful, I could find myself in battle against the Eight Parts of the Divine she summons and suffer misfortune.

On the other hand, if I carry on down this silver road to its end, I’ve heard that the ‘moon’ of Dark Heaven Village would emerge. Somewhere before reaching the moon, I was told there’s the City of Non-Gods; perhaps I could gather even more information there and use it to arrive quicker?

‘And that moon of Dark Heaven Village… was the last place Chi You had been to before…’

I had gathered that information previously by summoning Peng Zuo through the material offering. Due to that information, I’d felt the need to explore Dark Heaven Village. Although now it seems that Chi You was devoured by the Heavenly Secret and perished, something still felt amiss.

Why exactly had Chi You gone to the moon of Dark Heaven Village in the first place?

“……”

The silver road.

For some reason, I felt a chill run down my spine, sensing that something terrifying would happen if I traveled to the moon of Dark Heaven Village… I could gather much, but that would come with significant risks.

‘Better not to go now….’

I shook my head and quickly flew across the silver road on the back of the Speed Demon Beast.

Whoosh!!

“Gah! Owwww….”

The moment I arrived at Dark Heaven Village, I screamed as I stumbled into a heap. The place I landed was once again the area of the [Bronze Star], a spot without any notable foes. But since my eyes were blind from the aftereffects of the eye ray I had used so severely, I couldn’t see, and I was wracked with the pain as if my eyes were being eaten away.

After a while, as the pain eased slightly, I used my Qi Sense to assess my surroundings and utilized the National Seal to locate the coordinates of the Palace of Empress Wu Zetian, where Shao Hao Jin Tian was. I immediately moved towards it.

Kabang!

“…….”

It hurts so much…. I’d used the Speed Demon Beast thrice now, so despite my Protection Energy Technique, my whole body was drenched in blood. And the spot where I tumbled was right in front of the throne where Empress Wu Zetian sat.

Empress Wu Zetian spoke, seemingly intrigued, [Who are you…? You possess a truly formidable magical power.]

Damn it. The Master Mangnyang had even eliminated so much of my evil qi, and now the divine status of Empress Wu Zetian was making comments like that?

I was dumbfounded, but I shook off the dirt and said, “I’m Baek Woong, the Apostle of Shao Hao Jin Tian! Nice to meet you!”

[Well, I’m not that pleased. How dare the Apostle of the Three Sovereigns intrude upon this palace of the enemy….]

I could feel a powerful magical pressure and killing intent rising from Empress Wu Zetian, and although I couldn’t see, I sensed through my Qi that her strength was much stronger than I had anticipated, at the least akin to a High-Grade technique.

‘Oh?! What the hell!!’

If she summons the Eight Parts of the Divine to attack together, I wouldn’t stand a chance!

Feeling the situation rapidly turning unfavorable, I cautiously stated, “I, I’ve come to propose an alliance!!”

[Alliance…? Shao Hao Jin Tian is talking to us?]

“Indeed!”

I blurted it out.

How on earth would I fix this…?

I felt a sense of despair, but all I could do was say what came to mind.

“Let’s defeat the demon beast that appeared in Luoyang together! I’ve come to form a temporary alliance in exchange for helping you. We both want that thing gone as quickly as possible!”

[What did you just say…?]

“If you don’t want to, just forget it. I don’t really need the alliance.”

The truth was, the moment I decline the alliance, combat would erupt, and I would ultimately be slaughtered by the Eight Parts of the Divine, but I had no choice but to bluff. I knew that showing weakness in such discussions would only arouse suspicion.

Swish!

Suddenly, two divine figures appeared beside Empress Wu Zetian with a teleportation flash. They gazed at me wordlessly, and as I recognized both of their faces, sensing their forms with my Qi, I felt darkness descend before my eyes.

‘Gah! Those guys… they were already here?!’

While I tried to hide my alarm, the stout middle-aged man spoke to the swordsman of the Eight Swords beside him.

“Can you deal with him?”

The swordsman nodded, drawing one of his eight swords silently.

“A formidable expert… This will be fun.”

I felt my perspective plunging into darkness at their reaction.

The negotiations were already in shambles!

‘Shit!’

I quickly grabbed my sword and shouted.

“Wait, I think forming an alliance might be a better option….”

In the next moment, the swordsman of the Eight Swords lunged at me, unleashing a swift strike. The speed of the attack was undoubtedly the highest I’d seen among all the swordsmen I’d encountered, and for good reason. At this moment, that swordsman was none other than Pasun, the world’s strongest warrior!

Explosive Destruction Sword!

It was one of his ultimate techniques, and I knew it well – I had sparred with him several times when receiving his teachings. I also knew that few could counter the strength of Explosive Destruction Sword, so I gritted my teeth and poured all my might into my ultimate strike.

“Haah!”

Infinite Slash!

Kukwang!

The clash of absolute realms echoed through the halls of the Palace of Empress Wu Zetian, shattering them.

‘Damn it!!!’

I never wanted to meet like this!

I silently screamed in my heart, but it was already too late to change what had happened.

For the first time since starting my 29th life, I was going to clash with the Eight Parts of the Divine, against Asura.