사신지혼(四神之魂)

I hesitated at the words of the Master of the White Lotus Sect and said, “The other diviners have already told me that my pursuit of negotiation isn’t bad! Didn’t they say it’s still the right path, even if it’s a roundabout one?”

That’s right. This has been a problem I’ve been grappling with for ages!

As such, I have been in constant discussions not just with the diviners, but with my other comrades, most of whom were supportive of my will to pursue a negotiation. It baffled me that the Master of the White Lotus Sect would bring this up again.

The Master then stared at me for a moment and said, “[The negotiation itself isn’t bad. I genuinely believe that your preservation of humanity while sustaining an infinite life holds significant meaning. If I didn’t acknowledge that, I wouldn’t have become your subordinate in the past.]”

“So then, why…”

“[But look at the current situation!]”

Boom!

“[Is this truly the way of the righteous? Can we even call this a semblance of justice?!]”

The Master abruptly thrust his hand forward, continuing with a slightly heightened tone. “[In the name of sustaining the life of the Village Chief of Soeul, your inefficient and clumsy negotiations have resulted in an even more chaotic world than before you intervened! Am I wrong?]”

“Th-that…”

“[I didn’t come here for nothing. As the Master of the White Lotus Sect, I’ve come to you with a sincere heart because I see no other way to overcome this chaos without teaming up or negotiating with you. Do you understand my feelings?…]”

“……”

“[Even if the destination isn’t wrong, if the method is wrong, then any sage’s scheme can be criticized. Moreover, you have been wandering aimlessly without even knowing your goal, and the very spirit of negotiation has turned into chains for you. You attempted to follow the path of negotiation, yet all you ended up with is confusion.]”

The Master’s words were astoundingly logical. As I fell silent, he slowly continued.

“[If only you had severed all ties and lived freely, I would have wept for you. My own life may be sacrificed, but the life of a reborn person cannot be compared to mine. But… what is this? You have become neither here nor there.]”

“I-I apologized. Didn’t I just ask for forgiveness?”

“[Don’t get it twisted, Baek Woong. This isn’t about whether I forgive you or not.]”

A strange light flickered in the Master’s eyes.

“[Did you believe that by foreseeing history and avoiding minor sacrifices, you wouldn’t be violating the true path of negotiation you’re pursuing? You are currently lost in self-indulgence, not in enjoyment of the negotiation and the journey.]”

“……!!”

“[Have you examined each tiny butterfly effect? Despite knowing that avoiding minor sacrifices would lead to great calamities, you’ve merely been mired in self-contradiction!]”

Am I caught up in self-indulgence?

As my pupils dilated, the Master spoke again.

“[I am not suggesting, like Dharmic and I used to, to cast aside all trivialities and focus on efficiency. That’s a failed path according to your words, so I cannot impose that on the new king of humanity. However, if it’s just self-satisfaction, neither a great desire nor a righteous path…]”

The hint of madness in the Master’s Six Harmonies Assembly thundered in my ears.

“[Then I can no longer acknowledge you.]”

It stung deeply.

With a feeling of being crushed in my chest, I realized the Master, whom I had only perceived as an embodiment of overwhelming power until now, was genuinely upset with me.

‘He’s disappointed.’

Not truly in me, but in my current state of neither giving my life up nor holding onto it properly!

I fell silent for a while, then said, “I understand. That’s why I’m trying to improve.”

The Master crossed his arms.

“[I see. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given me Obsidian. You would have taken the easy way and used me as a subordinate. So how are you planning to improve?]”

“Right now, it’s true that I’m still not fully ready to throw myself into this life with all my might. So, I want to refine myself a bit more and prepare.”

“[Is that while sparring with Yeodong-bin?]”

“Yeah.”

“[That’s just too clumsy. Do you think such a thing will satisfy me?]”

“I may not satisfy you, but I don’t care. I believe the route I’ve chosen is right, and I will push through!”

“…….”

A silence fell between us. The two Dharma Protectors looked a bit confused, not knowing what our conversation was about. After a moment of sorting my thoughts, I spoke.

“Dokgo Uncheon. Did I say that I’m the king of humans?”

“[Yes. Regardless of what anyone says, you are surely the undeniable king of humans.]”

I clenched my teeth and continued, “Then watch your king rise from the ruins and maintain the will to regenerate! After that, reevaluate me!”

“……!!”

“Right now, yes, it’s a mess… a complete disaster, but I will never give up just like this!”

My eyes locked with the Master of the White Lotus Sect for a moment. After a while, he gazed into my eyes and said, “[Good. I wanted to hear that determination directly.]”

In that moment, without uttering another word, both the Master and I realized one undeniable fact.

We were bound once again through the connections of our past lives!

A trust that couldn’t even compare to the blood alliance or sworn brothers I had just mentioned had formed.

And then it happened.

“Baek Woong. Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but may I say something?”

“Uh….”

Mangnyang strode into the hall. Seeing him, I went, ‘Oh no! He must have heard everything!’

Sure enough, Mangnyang grinned and continued, “It’s time to fulfill the request I mentioned earlier. Give me Obsidian.”

“…….”

“I want to know what kind of being I was in my past life.”

This… so this is how it turns out?

With promises that I previously made hanging overhead, I found myself flustered, and the Master of the White Lotus Sect stared at Mangnyang for a moment before saying,

“[Mangnyang, I can say this in the name of the Master of the White Lotus Sect. The moment you receive Obsidian, you will become far more unfortunate than you can imagine.]”

“Hmm.”

Mangnyang seemed taken aback. Did he realize the Master wasn’t speaking idly? The Master slowly continued.

“[With your brilliant mind, you must have already guessed that Baek Woong didn’t send you his memories not because he doubted your abilities, but out of consideration, so as not to draw you into his life.]”

“…I suspected as much.”

“[To enter now, you’re stepping into a realm beyond imagination. The heaviness you’ll feel will be incomparable to the ease of meeting a quirky guy like me and spending human life lightly. Are you sure you can handle it?]”

“…….”

“[I can confidently say that, given I just attempted to kill you, it would feel like a kindness now.]”

Having taken in the Master’s words, Mangnyang, after a moment of silence, spoke.

“And what would change if that were the case?”

“[What?]”

“Eventually, whether it’s now or later, I’m going to pledge loyalty to that Baek Woong fellow. If life is indeed cyclic, it simply means I’ve found reasons to remain loyal to Baek Woong through eternity.”

“…….”

“It’s just a matter of time. Regardless, I’m stepping into this game. Since things have come to this, I need to know the details to devise a plan.”

Mangnyang grinned.

“Do you understand? I trust myself. The past version of me, Mangnyang Zhuge Hyun, would never make such a foolish choice… that’s the faith I have in myself!”

“[There’s some merit in what you say… Heh.]”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect smiled bitterly and then stared at me intently. It was clear he was applying silent pressure, questioning how I would proceed.

……

Oh darn…

Realizing I had no other option, I sighed.

“Fine. Don’t blame me. In that case, transferring the memories….”

At that moment, the Master halted me.

“[Wait. This can’t go on like this.]”

“What? Don’t tell me….”

“[That’s right. While it was a minor amount I could handle, some of my magical power had once again imbued itself into Obsidian.]”

Hearing that made my expression crumble.

‘Damn it! I thought I had drained all the magic power while using the Four Great Spirit Deity Agni earlier, but how did it recharge in such a short time…?’

Is it just me, or is magic power regenerating faster and faster?

As I pondered this, the Master suggested, “[This time, dedicate your magic to the Spirit of Wind, Vayu.]”

“Why’s that?”

“[Try negotiating with Vayu this way.]”

Wuuuu

A moment later, I stepped into the domain of the Four Great Spirits and shouted, “Vayu, Spirit of the Wind! I wish to offer my magic to you!”

And then, Vayu appeared with a poof in front of me, crossing his arms.

“[Alright, what do you want in return for that?]”

I opened my mouth just as the Master said. “Vayu! Can you manipulate the flow of time? Seeing as you can send me to the future….”

“Hmm. My inherent power utilizes the attributes of wind. If I were to send you to the future, I’d summon a wind that rides the flow of time to leap across the [Small Cycle].”

“Just as I thought. Then is there no way you could blow your wind into the past instead of the future?”

“…….”

“I want to go back to the past. Just to the extent of the magic I’ve just offered.”

Vayu looked at me in disbelief.

‘Just as the Master predicted.’

A wave of admiration hit me for the Master’s wisdom.

Previously, the Spirit of Wind Vayu had used his ability to send me 500 years into the future to escape from the danger of the Evil God and the Five Greats meeting their demise in the same space-time. At that moment, it didn’t strike me as particularly extraordinary, but now considering it, it seemed he wasn’t simply manipulating time but using the property of “wind” creatively.

And lo and behold, that hypothesis turned out to be true. If I were to use Vayu right, time travel would become feasible!

‘If I can ride the winds of the Four Great Spirits Vayu to travel back to the past….’

Going to the future seems like a loss, but I could reap massive rewards going back to the past!

But then Vayu spoke up.

“[No.]”

Twist

My body limped in disappointment in an instant. I couldn’t help but yell out in disbelief.

“Why can you go to the future but not to the past?!”

In human-form, Vayu propped his chin in perplexity.

“[Hmm… Are you still at a level where you don’t understand how reincarnation flows?]”

“……? What’s reincarnation got to do with this?”

“[You seem a bit dim, so let me explain.]”

Wuuuu

Vayu summoned a spherical wind formation in the air. He then touched the top of the sphere and began to spin it with effort. As it started spinning round and round, he opened his mouth.

“[Look closely. The reincarnation of the entire universe flows from top to bottom. What do you think this ‘direction’ is heading from where to where?]”

“Um… I don’t know….”

“[From the past to the future. And mortals refer to this ‘direction’ as ‘time.’ So, you express time as ‘flowing.’]”

“…….”

“[The ability to manipulate [Small Cycle] is akin to finding and pointing out the dot above from the rotation of this reincarnation. However, you don’t necessarily have to resist the rotation to identify that dot; as long as you are aware of a moment of the rotating sphere from the outside, that’s sufficient. That’s how the [Old Ruler] manipulates the cycle with their powers.]”

“W-wait. I still don’t get it… so why can’t we ride the wind back to the past?”

Vayu replied with a hint of pride in his voice.

“[I, Vayu of the Wind, don’t manipulate the cycle in such a manner. The winds of the universe are purely bound to the reincarnation of the [Great Cycle], which means I can ride the winds of reincarnation without needing to point at any dots. This allows me to travel to the future from the past at minimal cost in terms of causality, unaffected by other rulers. No one can interfere with me if I choose to manipulate the [Small Cycle]! But instead….]”

Zzzz

As Vayu’s finger touched the rotating sphere, it vanished as if ground down. He continued to speak.

“[You cannot go in reverse direction. Because the direction of the universe is from past to future, I cannot go against that supreme direction.]”

“…….”

“[The winds of reincarnation blow towards the future.]”

Hearing those words made me dumbfounded. “So you mean I can only go from the past to the future?!”

“[That’s right. Even with the Four Great Spirits, I can’t go against the direction of the Great Cycle. I can momentarily allow you to face opposing winds, but that’s not the time travel effect you’re after.]”

How is it even useful if I can just sit there and let time carry me into the future?!

Of course, I had been saved once by Vayu, but there’s no guarantee I could use that escape again, meaning Vayu could be rated the least versatile among the Four Great Spirits at this point. Sensing my expression soured, Vayu huffed indignantly.

“[You fool! It’s just that you’re too dim to make use of me; my powers are undeniably great.]”

“No, that’s not what I meant….”

“[And someday, when a reborn person reaches the journey of reincarnation, my powers might very well turn out to be among the most powerful of the Four Great Spirits! So why the long face? I could easily bring about the end of the universe!]”

“Oh, I’m sorry….”

Knowing that offending the Spirit of the Four Great Spirits would be disastrous, I hurriedly apologized. Vayu represented a spirit that seemed to grit his teeth in suppressing his irritation.

“[Regardless, if you can manipulate the winds of the universe, I will assist you in any way possible.]”

“Um….”

I pondered whether it would be possible to travel to the past, but with that being ruled out, what could I use the properties of the wind for?

While deep in thought, a peculiar idea popped into my head, and I said, “Wait… could you send someone else flying instead of me?”

“[Why wouldn’t I be able to? I never said I couldn’t.]”

Seeing his voice gain a bit of determination gave me a sudden idea. I smirked and said, “Heh heh heh… send the Master of the Twelve Joules as far into the future as you can.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules!

I will make sure you suffer, no matter what!

“[Fine. I’ll send him as far as your magic can take him.]”

Boom!

Moments later, light radiated from Vayu’s entire being, and then the incandescent phenomenon died down as he spoke.

“[He will appear three days from now in human time.]”

I felt disappointed, replying, “Eh… is that all you could send him?”

“[As a Spirit of Wind, my ability to send someone into the future is limited if it’s not done right in front of the person. And the amount of magic power you provided isn’t exactly vast…?]”

“Hmm.”

I took a moment to contemplate that statement.

‘If I gather magic power as much as possible and use Vayu right in front of that guy, it could be effective!’

It seems I’ve discovered an opportunity to send the Master of the Twelve Joules flying into the future, preventing him from interfering!

“Then that’ll do.”

Regardless, three days is hardly something to expect much from. What change could happen in a world with a monster that has been holed up in the East for thousands of years over just a delay of three days? There would be no impact.

Still, I felt satisfied just knowing I had exhausted some magical power, cracking a smile.

Boom!

I returned to reality from the realm of the Four Great Spirits and once again imbued Obsidian with memories. Being fresh from offering magic to the Four Great Spirits, I was confident it would be immaculate without memories clashing, so I presented the Obsidian to Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang. Here it is.”

Mangnyang hesitated for a moment before reaching out for the Obsidian as if steeling himself.

Wuuuu!!

Mangnyang shook his body and slowly rose from his seat with misty eyes, seemingly having accepted the memories. He then said, “…So that’s what it meant to get tangled in the life of a reborn person and be unhappy….”

I felt a pang of guilt but sighed and said, “Actually, Mangnyang, you’ve suffered just as much as I have. You worked so hard for me without the luxury to develop your own powers. That’s why I didn’t want to drag you in this time if I could help it….”

“Heh. It’s alright. As I said, I have no regrets.”

Mangnyang had regained his mental strength and smiled, but then his expression darkened slightly.

“However…. I feel like I’ve done something troublesome again.”

“Eh?”

“You sent the Master of the Twelve Joules three days into the future.”

“What of it? A monster that has been holed up in the East for thousands of years is not going to cause trouble over three days….”

“Hmm. Well, let’s believe nothing will happen.”

Then Mangnyang happily exclaimed, “I’m not going to be gloomy in this life! Because it’s actually going to be an easy game this time, I’m going to enjoy it my way!!”

I noticed that he had changed since receiving his memories. Perhaps he had grown significantly on his own without using Obsidian for quite a while?

“An easy game, you say?”

“Heh heh. The moment I received the memories, I caught on.”

Mangnyang said without losing his merriment, “Right now, you still have the strongest card left up your sleeve.”