1271——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The wedding of the Extreme Tiger spanned about three days. Normally, a commoner’s wedding wouldn’t last this long, but since a noble lady personally visited the groom’s house, it was said to have been simplified. While Extreme Tiger was tying the knot, I spoke to the Thunder God Lineage experts, including Lee Kwang.

“We might be fired up, but let’s hold off on our enthusiasm until Extreme Tiger finishes his honeymoon. We wouldn’t want to embarrass ourselves just to learn a secret technique, right?”

“Of course not.”

Thus, it was tacitly agreed that my suggestion would be postponed for about a month. Although the wedding wrapped up in three days, Extreme Tiger needed some time to settle in the village and enjoy his newlywed life. Thinking that this was a perfect opportunity, I started to leisurely prepare for fun times ahead.

Days passed, and after Extreme Tiger’s wedding ended, the Mo Yong Clan bid farewell. Just then, Miho came down from the mountain, where she had been training, and approached me.

“Lord Baek Woong, I thank you so much.”

I noticed that Miho’s aura was more potent than before and asked, “Did you absorb all the energy from the statue of Jeon Wook?”

Up until now, Miho had been using the training method of Cheon Woo-jin to absorb the Spirit Power from Jeon Wook’s statue. It seemed that she had made some progress and finally came down to the village.

“I couldn’t absorb it all. Maybe about half… Even so, my demon power has improved greatly compared to before.”

“Seems so.”

Miho cautiously continued, “…I hadn’t planned to come down until my absorption training was complete, but I felt something strange while training and thought I should inform you.”

“Something strange?”

“The absorption of divine power reached a peak, and the Divine Ability awakened, allowing me to glimpse distant scenes. I sensed an ominous presence sealed on an unknown giant island trying to break free…”

After hesitating, Miho opened up, “It looked like a fox… a fox that seemed even bigger than the mountains.”

“……”

At that moment, my face stiffened. Miho, sensing my reaction, quickly added, “I’m sorry. I might have seen something that wasn’t there.”

I shook my head in response to Miho. “No, what you saw isn’t an illusion. A creature like that probably exists.”

“Are you saying such a monster actually exists?”

“Hmm… that…”

I quickly understood what Miho meant because it matched one of the pieces of information I had acquired during my past life. I muttered to myself, ‘It seems Daji, sealed on Golden Crow Island, is about to awaken.’

She is one of the ancient demon kings, extremely powerful. Even the Eight Divine Beings had a tough time dealing with Daji, especially considering she is backed by the Old Ruler as her disciple. Even I could not confidently claim I could defeat her with sheer martial prowess alone.

No, fighting her with only martial arts would make it a tough battle. I would likely be forced to endure while using unique artifacts or powers to find her weak points. If I were to die alongside Daji, it wouldn’t be too hard, but once dead, there would be no going back, so it was pointless to consider.

Daji, a demon king strong enough to shake the world! Knowing her sheer destructive power, I couldn’t help but take Miho’s warning seriously.

‘Why does Miho have such foresight…? Hmm, it must be because she is Daji’s tail.’

I wasn’t entirely sure of the connection, but Daji was essentially the dark spirit cast out by Nüwa, and Miho was indeed one of her tails. Given their kinship, it wouldn’t be surprising that Miho tapped into their connection while absorbing divine power.

But should I reveal that fact to Miho right now?

‘Damn… I should just go to Luoyang and fight the Eight Divine Beings instead of dealing with this, it’s tougher…’

Disclosing this past life information to Miho would also mean I’d have the obligation to help her find her origins. And that would ultimately lead to hunting down Daji or the Queen Mother of the West, not to mention the enormous trials of dealing with Nüwa’s seal. After experiencing that thoroughly in my previous life, I hesitated to reveal the truth to Miho.

After some contemplation, I spoke up.

“Miho, that monster will probably have a hunter descend from the Celestial Realm soon. It’s not our business, so let’s avoid it until disaster strikes.”

Oh well. I’ll just put it off for now, and if Daji causes chaos, I’ll just let the Celestial Realm deal with it! I keep trying to stop disasters, and all I get is bad luck!

“Y-yes, let’s do that.”

“Right. For now, trust me and focus on getting stronger!”

“Thank you.”

Swish

Miho returned to the mountain to continue her training. I scratched my chin as I watched her go, my head feeling tangled.

“Normally, advisors would be figuring out how to deal with the seal-breaking of Daji, and why she’s being released, but this time, I can’t get that kind of help… Hmm, what’s the best way for me to handle Daji alone?”

Daji is a creature that can’t be dealt with based on experience alone. She’s still a tough opponent to take down one-on-one, and honestly, I’d still be under-equipped even if I fought alongside well-grown allies who know how to gather the Seven Luminaries or Divine Qi. I pondered how to tackle this situation and complained.

“Damn it… the Golden Crow Ten Heavenly Generals keep breaking seals and causing chaos. If Daji escapes, their Golden Crow Island will likely be doomed too… huh?”

At that moment, something clicked in my mind, and I snapped my fingers.

“That’s it!!”

I hurried to find Mangnyang and said, “I’ll be stepping out for a bit. If enemies invade, protect the village well.”

“Huh… where are you going?”

“To Golden Crow Island!”

“……?!”

Smack

I dashed out of the village and flew to Arasa. I checked on the seal of the Black Dragon, and fortunately, it seemed that the expeditionary forces hadn’t pulled it out to fight Ivan IV yet, so the ice seal was still intact. I let out a sigh of relief and pretended to inject my divine power to extract Black Dragon Dracula.

Grrrrr

[Stop! Don’t unleash disaster upon the world!]

[Huh… huh… Are you trying to free me?]

In that moment, I yelled towards Merlin amidst the two voices.

“Merlin, the Master of the Holy Grail!! I need the Crystal Sphere that can break through Golden Crow Island’s barrier and cross dimensions, hand it over to me!”

[……!!]

Merlin seemed taken aback by my sudden specific request. Then he said,

[How do you know about Vivian’s Crystal Sphere… How do you know that I have it…?]

Vivian? Are you talking about the Divine Being in the Western Regions, Paliyas?

‘What’s her connection with Merlin?’

I was puzzled by this unexpected fact tied to the Crystal Sphere, but since it wouldn’t be useful to dwell on, I focused on what I needed to say.

“Hand it over to me. Then I’ll refrain from unleashing the Demon King Dracula’s seal.”

[Hmm… were you originally planning to negotiate like this?!]

“What are you going to do? Just shut up and hand me the Crystal Sphere!! I can’t be bothered to pick it up, so summon it here right now.”

As I growled in pressure, Merlin seemed resigned and replied.

[…Understood.]

Swish!!

A moment later, the Crystal Sphere I received earlier appeared before me. This was a sphere that Merlin had previously given me after I crushed the group of demon sorcerers stationed at the British Empire’s Governor’s Office to reclaim the Golden Lamp. I had heard that this sphere could destroy magical barriers and even dimensional barriers. I had successfully used it to win against Peng Zuo, which is why I called Merlin here to retrieve it.

‘Usually, you’d have to ride the Spirit Beast Four Great Spirits to reach Golden Crow Island, but if I want to get it now, I’d need to mess with the Celestial Realm drastically. This is my best shot.’

Alright, is this the first step of my plan?

“Hehehe….”

I grinned while holding the Crystal Sphere. Then, I heard the voice of the Demon King Dracula, filled with bitterness.

[You… despicable one… you acted as if you’d free me but ended up using me!]

“Huh? I’ll let you out later.”

[What…?]

“Instead, the condition is you have to obey me for life, Dracula.”

Then I heard Dracula grinding his teeth in my head.

[Get lost…!!]

“Yeah, whatever.”

I cheerfully left the scene and decided to head towards Golden Crow Island.

“Hmm. I can’t use the Golden Lamp, but… given how close it is, I’ll just sneak into Moscow.”

Since it wasn’t very far, I quickly escaped from the expeditionary forces’ campsite and infiltrated Moscow, where Ivan IV’s castle was. I concealed my aura as I entered the Kremlin’s secret library. There were a few seals around, but for some reason, they didn’t seem to pose a threat to me. Plus, the mechanical devices were simple enough to navigate through without a sweat.

Creeeak….

Descending the spiral stairs and opening the door to the ancient library, I grimaced at the musty smell.

“Ugh. It’s been a while.”

Thanks to the knowledge I acquired from this library, I learned the true identity of Chi You. Of course, since then, I hadn’t felt the need to come back for more knowledge, so I stayed away.

But…

“Hm. Is it here? No, is it…?”

I slowly traced others’ memories as I looked around the ancient library. Shortly after, I found a small talisman inscribed with unfamiliar alien characters under a desk.

“This is it…!!”

I had never personally obtained such a talisman before. However, memories of another person finding this talisman while searching through the library lingered in my mind. So, without trial and error, I snatched it up instantly.

Recalling the memory, I grasped the talisman and slowly recited the spell to translate the alien language into ancient Cyrillic.

“…La Prolt Egmarsu… Laeja Retos Azatos.”

Whooooosh—

In the next moment, the spatial movement talisman in the library activated, and my body transferred from the ancient library to a familiar location. It was indeed an otherworldly realm existing very far away.

Wham!!

A place I had once seen only once. Numerous alien gazes turned towards me. In front stood a massive transparent mirror that seemed to ripple like water, reflecting a face I was very, very familiar with.

The face spoke to me.

[Fuxi…?]

I chuckled at his question.

“No, I’m Baek Woong, a Reborn Person.”

[……!!]

Seeing him jump back in surprise, I pulled out the spatial movement talisman to show him.

“Back in my past life, Zhuge Yulong found one of your race’s talismans and journeyed directly to your home planet. He assumed there would naturally be such a talisman at an ancient library connected to you.”

[Hooh. Indeed, a Reborn Person.]

“I was considering visiting Astana directly, but I thought I might attract too much attention if I flew around too often. So, I managed to end up here without meaning to.”

[I understand your situation… So why have you come to find me, Reborn Person?]

I smiled slyly and said, “Prophet, it’s a deal! Get me to Golden Crow Island.”

That’s right.

The place I currently stood was the home planet of the prophet! Using the spatial movement talisman, I could come here, which was the clue Zhuge Yulong desperately sought when he wanted to negotiate with the prophet while I was lost in my 28th life. When Zhuge Yulong was around, the prophet didn’t particularly want to meet the companions of Reborn Persons, so he had to resort to this method.

This spatial movement talisman was a means of travel connecting the prophet’s home planet and the library on Earth. While it could traverse vast spaces, it only allowed round trips between the two predetermined locations, which was a major downside.

The prophet, reflected in the giant mirror, stepped out a moment later.

Swish

With that, he had leaped incredible cosmic distances and revealed himself. The prophet spoke.

[What’s the price…?]

“Sorry, but I can’t give you anything right now.”

[What?]

I crossed my arms and answered.

“Actually, it seems like I’ll have plenty of uses for it in the future, so if you just give me something important now, I’ll end up losing out. Don’t you think so? You’re just taking everything that looks good.”

[…….]

“So, I’ll set up a tab for now.”

Seeing the prophet’s curt reply, I pressed on.

[Don’t joke with me… you’re a Reborn Person, a universal freeloader… a tab is absolutely impossible.]

“Which side do you think shouldn’t be joking?”

[What?]

I confidently pointed at the prophet.

“Did you know that Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen is sealed?”

[No way… that can’t be true…]

However, as expected, the prophet began to chant a spell, and soon after, he stiffened as if he sensed something.

[You’re not lying…?]

He seemed reluctant to spy on the Divine Temple but didn’t doubt my words. I grinned and said, “It’s the truth. Aren’t you curious about why he was sealed?”

[…….]

“This is the collateral for my tab. If you send me to Golden Crow Island, I’ll tell you why the emperor was sealed.”

[I don’t need that… why should I know about that?]

“Really don’t need to know? It’s a simple task of letting me move to that location; you’re going to pass on a great opportunity to learn something so useful?”

[…….]

Sensing the prophet was wavering, I waved my arms, mimicking how he had acted previously.

“Do it~ do it, where else can you hear such high-class information~”

[Huh….]

“If I were you, I’d definitely do it~!!”

The prophet began to flinch. Moments later, looking resigned, he let out an exasperated sigh.

[Fine…. I’ll accept a tab just this once… but be sure to let me know the reason.]

“Ha ha. That’s the spirit.”

I successfully secured a tab with the prophet!

[Then I’ll send you to Golden Crow Island….]

“Oh, wait. You can send me right to the location I’m thinking, right? And when I signal, send me back to the human world.”

[Sure….]

Boom!!

The moment the prophet waved his staff, I found myself in a dark space.

‘Just as I thought! Thanks to having the Crystal Sphere, I didn’t get bounced off the dimensional barrier of Golden Crow Island.’

I knew where I was and could sense my remaining time through instinct.

‘The Golden Light Saint will likely come to hunt me down in about thirty breaths…’

That should be plenty of time!

Running quickly, I scanned my surroundings with intent and rolled towards the egg. I couldn’t see an inch ahead, but having been here twice before, I relied on my instincts. After about twelve breaths of holding my breath, I was able to grasp the egg, and as soon as I grabbed it, I shoved it into my wooden armor.

Instead of running away immediately, I waited quietly for the Golden Light Saint to appear in the corridor. The moment the Golden Light Saint sensed the intruder and emerged, I dashed toward her with a surprise attack and executed the Technique of All Things.

Technique of All Things: Steal Sight!

[Hack!]

As I cast the technique to steal the enemy’s sight with a surprise attack, the Golden Light Saint let out a short scream and tumbled. Glancing back at her as I zipped past, it seemed she had no physical injuries but had definitely lost her sight.

‘Great! She didn’t see me.’

Just to be safe, I should probably make sure she can’t identify the intruder either!

However, after just about ten seconds, I felt the intent of the sight I stole dissipate from my hand, and the Golden Light Saint shouted angrily.

[You little rat!!]

Boom bang bang

I dodged the Golden Light Saint’s frenzied talisman barrage with divine techniques as I ran for my life, waving my hands and shouting.

“Prophet, I’m counting on you!!”

Boom

In the next moment, I found myself falling into a deserted mountain area. I stood up, catching my breath, and shouted triumphantly.

“I did it!!”

I successfully managed to fetch the egg from Golden Crow Island before Daji could make a mess of things.