전생검신 81권 13화

I have a decent grasp on formation techniques.

“I learned from Mangnyang and gained insights through plenty of experiences and training…”

I wasn’t exactly an expert, but I at least knew the basics and principles. And as soon as I saw the Eight Trigrams carved on the pillar, I got the picture.

“An Eight Trigrams-based formation technique. This type involves separate life and death gates.”

I could be wrong, but according to what I learned from Mangnyang, setting up life and death gates was fundamental for the Eight Trigrams formation. This was because, rather than just trying to completely eliminate the opponent, one might need to subdue or safely release them depending on the situation. It featured little killing intent, but on the flip side, if one couldn’t find the designated life gate, the Eight Trigrams technique displayed a much stricter form of power.

I wondered if Brahma was also aware of this as he opened his mouth.

“We need to find the life gate. Can you manage that?”

I replied honestly.

“To be frank, I’m not confident. Until I understand how formidable and precise this formation is, moving rashly could lead to more trouble.”

“That makes sense. Then let’s use divine power to try and solve it.”

“Divine power? Are you saying we just smash everything?”

“Using force would be meaningless. But perhaps we should give it a shot.”

As Brahma spoke, he raised his index finger and pointed forward, gathering an enormous black light on it in an instant.

Crack! Crack!!

“……!!”

It was obvious for anyone to see the sheer power coalescing there; even I felt chills for a moment. As I stood on guard, Brahma spoke.

“I’ve packed enough power to easily dismantle a planet by material world standards. Let’s fire this off.”

Zoom!

A ray shot from his finger, slamming into the pillar ahead. A massive sound of destruction echoed.

KABOOM!

Thud…

One pillar broke, but that was where it ended. It wasn’t even completely demolished; merely a small section was pierced, resulting in a crack. It was a stretch to say the pillar was utterly destroyed. Seeing this, Brahma shrugged.

“Just as I anticipated. The power dynamics in this inheritance site compress the units of strength so I’m relatively weaker.”

“Compressed units of strength? What does that even mean?”

“As the universe approaches its end, everything converges into a point. During this process, all matter and non-matter in the vast universe experiences massive annihilation, simultaneously pumping the units of power to infinity. Consequently, the divine entities originally possessing overwhelming strength in the material realm gradually diminish in existence.”

“……?”

“To put it simply, this inheritance site minimizes the power gap between existences. In the human realm, the gap between me and a regular human would be billions of times, but here it feels like merely a hundred times. Hence, the divine might that wreaks havoc in the material world is considerably diminished here.”

As I pondered Brahma’s words, I replied.

“So you’re saying that as the colossal universe, which felt like a celestial realm, gets compressed, even the strongest divine beings are made equal to lower beings?”

“Oh, that’s a perfect analogy. You seem to have grasped it quite easily; have you experienced something similar?”

“……Just once.”

Only one time.

That memory of the vast universe abruptly shifting to a different unit structure while I was on my way to the Throne when the Old Ruler shrank down like a passing squid! Thanks to that experience, I understood Brahma’s words effortlessly. I told him.

“Your strength remains intact, but within this formation, you’re forced to balance against beings that were originally weaker than you.”

“Not ideal, but what can I do? It seems the creator of this trial wanted it that way.”

“Wait a second……”

Zzzzz

I levitated my sword into the void. With my eyes gleaming, I unleashed a sword strike toward the intact pillar ahead.

Sword Flying Technique!

Swish!

The sword’s power sliced one pillar like tofu and didn’t stop there, swiftly cutting through another five pillars.

“……?!”

As Brahma stared in shock, I retrieved my sword, and moments later, the pillars began crashing down with a grumbling sound.

Boom boom boom!!

“Martial arts still function just fine?”

“W-What is this?”

Brahma, who appeared momentarily dumbfounded, seemed to grasp something soon after.

“I see… Is this the intention of the Martial Gods? This place is…”

Just then, a strange voice echoed from the opposite side.

“Welcome to the Palace of Martial Gods. You can only pass through by using martial prowess.”

Bang!

Brahma and I turned our gazes toward the source of the unfamiliar voice.

The one who appeared wore a sizable bamboo hat that obscured their face and held a Three Refined Rod in one hand. They were surprisingly small in stature, dressed in black to the point where age or gender was indistinguishable.

Pointing the Three Refined Rod at us, the figure spoke.

“If you defeat me and two other martial artists, you will meet the Martial God.”

“Three, huh… I’ve got a question: why is the formation laid out here?”

“If you follow the right path, you can meet the Martial God without defeating the martial artists laid out.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

Brahma seemed intrigued and contemplated before asking.

“So the only way to get out of here is to meet the Martial God?”

“No. You can leave if you lose or die.”

“How simple. But that means I can take it that even in defeat, there’s an understanding not to kill?”

“Some martial artists in the Palace of Martial Gods won’t necessarily kill their opponent.”

“And you?”

“I will kill.”

“Hahaha…”

Brahma burst into laughter.

Rumble…

Suddenly, the ground and pillars here trembled all at once. The overbearing Qi even startled me, let alone the martial artist in black, and Brahma’s eyes glimmered with bloodlust as he stated.

“I’m Brahma. The Creator God, Brahma. Reveal your name!”

No doubt about it.

What Brahma had unleashed earlier lacked even the tiniest trace of strength.

Brahma standing before me was an existence rivaled only by the Three Sovereigns! Regardless of how the units of power are compressed in this Palace of Martial Gods, if he unleashed his full strength as a Deity, the order would be completely different.

The martial artist in black assumed a base stance of the Three Refined Rod technique.

“The Martial God Council’s Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong! I ask for a match.”

“……!!”

The Martial God Council?!

Did I hear that right?!

I quickly wanted to ask something, but at that moment, Brahma waved me off, blocking me.

“Baek Woong. Leave this to me.”

“Brahma.”

“My fate and the causes behind my brother’s choices are riding on this first trial. If I, Brahma, fail to pass this initial hurdle, it would bring shame upon my brothers.”

That line radiated Brahma’s pride. Hearing Brahma’s words, Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong didn’t budge from his stance.

“It’s fine if you come at me together. In the Palace of Martial Gods, challengers can perform a joint attack.”

Brahma chuckled softly.

“The mysterious group of martial artists that follow the Martial God… I was already aware of that from ‘The Eye That Sees Heaven and Earth.’ However, even if you achieved excellent martial skills in life, you are still a mere human.”

“……”

“I’ll unleash my full power. Let’s see if you can maintain such arrogance against true divine might!”

Zaaaah

An aura engulfed Brahma as overwhelming divine power erupted like a storm. Simultaneously, his form shifted like before into that of the Three Faces Six Arms, and a bow manifested in his grasp.

‘Had it been the outside world, this level of divine power would already have sent shockwaves through stellar systems…!!’

Having faced multiple divine beings, I understood.

‘Brahma is harmonizing three souls to unleash peak power!’

Combining the powers of destruction and preservation held by Shiva and Vishnu with his creative authority to manifest a competency above the Three Sovereigns, even if for a moment! I grasped what power Brahma was wielding. If Brahma had remained in the mortal realm, he would undoubtedly be an entity that could intimidate Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen himself.

Gooooo

As Brahma’s divine energy reached its zenith, he slowly aimed his bow at Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong.

[Even if limited, it seems that the unique abilities can still shine here in the Palace of Martial Gods. You shall pay for your insolence against the highest god.]

“Come.”

[Take this!!]

Zoom – !!

In that moment, I saw it. The instant Brahma’s arrow left the bowstring, Vishnu’s Qi enveloped the arrow, ensuring that no external attack would harm it. Simultaneously, the arrowhead was charged with Shiva’s destructive force, and Brahma manipulated the law of cause and effect to ensure it would strike true.

‘It’s an inescapable arrow of destruction!!’

There’s no way to dodge this!!

And then, in that timeless moment, Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong quietly spoke.

“You shall pay for your arrogance in the Palace of Martial Gods by not utilizing martial prowess!”

Divine Skill

Canghuashen Rod

Clang!!

In the next instant, Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong swiftly moved his Three Refined Rod and hooked the arrowhead between the links of his rod. Just as the arrow, infused with the power of the God of Destruction, attempted to explode, Jo Hwan-ryong’s rod emitted a massive flame, incinerating it.

‘Did he just defend against that?!’

He’d definitely manipulated cause and effect to strike, so how did he manage that?!

Ignoring my shock, Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong harnessed the immense flame power to counter the God of Destruction’s energy and conveyed the power downwards. That exquisite and flawless transformation reminded me of a particular technique.

‘Borrowing the Path to Exchange Power!’

When the method reaches its peak, it converts the technique itself into force without losing a thing!

Tai Chi also pursued this ideal, but throughout history, only the legendary Jang Sam-bong reached this stage, and here I was, nowhere near that level yet. It was practically an impossible concept, and only the greatest experts had a shot at executing that technique’s limits.

Zoom!

Having withstood the divine arrow through the art of Borrowing the Path to Exchange Power, Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong let loose a swift Three Refined Rod attack toward Brahma. Brahma, unsurprisingly, erected a protective barrier with his divine power, blocking it. However, just as the rod was about to hit the barrier, I witnessed an unbelievable sight.

Dragon Capture!

The Ultimate Technique tore through the protective barrier as if it hadn’t been there from the start, and Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong’s strike connected squarely with Brahma’s solar plexus!

“Ugh.”

As soon as Brahma took the hit, his divine form unraveled, and he coughed up blood. Following that, Jo Hwan-ryong lunged forward, delivered a flying kick that rattled Brahma’s head, then struck his neck with the end of his rod.

“Haap!”

It was one single move, but every transition had zero waste.

Crack!

Thud!

As Brahma fainted on the spot, Gonshin Jo Hwan-ryong retrieved his Three Refined Rod and returned to the base stance, facing me.

“Are you the next challenger?”

“…….”

I was momentarily speechless, having just seen Jo Hwan-ryong take down Brahma in under three seconds, but eventually pulled myself together and spoke.

“I have one question: how strong is the Martial God?”

“You’ll find out once you face him.”

“Now that’s a fine answer….”

With a grin, I picked up my sword.

“Let’s have a go.”