1010——————==

Soul of the Evil God (四神之魂)

Wait, the fragment of Dharma Technique just merged with Sagong Lin?!

“What the heck does that mean?”

“Damn it. Just wait a sec… let’s handle the urgent stuff first. Now that I think about it, I can deal with it easily.”

Cheon Woo-jin waved his hand dismissively.

“Can you help me close that dimension door right now? The longer it stays open, the worse the cracks will get.”

Whoosh

I glanced towards the place where the [eye] that Cheon Woo-jin was looking at had been summoned. Sure, it looked like an ordinary sky at first glance, but with the Fire Eye Golden Spirit, I could feel the dimensional rift lurking beneath. I calmly replied.

“How can I assist?”

“It’s simple. Just summon Agni like you did before and throw him into the center of the rift.”

“Do I just need to toss him over there?”

“Nope! I’ll trick the world and compress the space. As soon as I signal, summon him and throw.”

Cheon Woo-jin stretched out his hand, focusing his energy. Moments later, the scenery in front of me began to warp.

Woohooo

“Depth perception feels like it’s turned real….”

The distant sky rift looked as close as a tiny space before me. Realizing that this was the ‘signal’ when Cheon Woo-jin glanced at me, I quickly summoned Agni and hurled him right into the rift.

Kuhwaaaack!!

Black flames shot up like those from a volcanic eruption. Moments later, the rift began to sizzle and concrete itself, slowly becoming brighter and scattering into dust. At the same time, Cheon Woo-jin retracted his hand, and the bizarre illusion of depth perception vanished.

Cheon Woo-jin said, “Done. With this much, that rift in the dimension won’t reappear in this world until the end time.”

“Cheon Woo-jin, did you just retrieve an illusion technique?”

Cheon Woo-jin nodded.

“Yeah, I can’t do it at my prime, but I can use illusionary techniques now.”

“Just to double-check, have you reached the realm of a 23rd tier sorcerer during your prime?”

I thought back to when Cheon Woo-jin resisted even the Three Sovereigns’ Zhuge Clan’s interference. He smiled wryly at my question.

“No. If that was the case, I’d have crushed the Illuminati with my pinky back then. Even during my prime in this lifetime, I haven’t reached that level. That’s a whole different dimension.”

“You look pretty strong even now….”

“Becoming the apostle of my Master and reaching the Void Record is the divine level itself. No matter how strong I hone my abilities as a mortal sorcerer, it’s just a drop in the ocean compared to that.”

With that, I grasped that just because some time has passed doesn’t mean Cheon Woo-jin’s level is necessarily the ultimate.

Suddenly a thought crossed my mind, and I asked, “Hey, what happened to Master Mangnyang’s village? Is Master Mangnyang still there?”

“… I didn’t mention that, did I?”

Cheon Woo-jin continued, “The village where my master was has disappeared. And my master has integrated with the Great Battle Ground in Luoyang.”

“……?!”

Huh?!

I was so shocked that I nearly forgot about the earlier conversation concerning Sagong Lin and the fragment of Dharma Technique.

Master Mangnyang integrated with the Barrier?!

“What? What do you mean by that?”

“My master said that as the end times draw near, the power of the [worst evil] sealed in the Battle Ground becomes stronger. So decades ago, they briefly revealed their essence and integrated with the Battle Ground, which has made it ten times stronger than when you were last there.”

“……!!”

“The Luoyang you’re seeing has my master seeping into it. However, there’s now no way to meet my master’s persona.”

I was confused and overwhelmed by Cheon Woo-jin’s words.

Integrating with the Battle Ground?

I had never seen Master Mangnyang act like that!

“So, does that mean Master Mangnyang is dead?”

Cheon Woo-jin sighed.

“…Don’t be such a fool. Shouldn’t you already understand that there are no concepts of life and death with true gods? They simply became one with the barrier temporarily, and if they want, they can return at any time. For a god, physical form and identity aren’t important.”

“Hmmm… true but….”

I trailed off.

“Still, only 17 years remain until the end. Isn’t it pointless for Master Mangnyang to seal this worst evil if the apocalypse is approaching? Either way, the end is the same, isn’t it?”

“…….”

Cheon Woo-jin sealed his lips as if he had nothing to say. Feeling a flicker of hope, I asked, “Did my master leave behind some words before integrating with the Battle Ground?”

“Not really anything specific….”

Cheon Woo-jin looked frustrated. Then he abruptly turned away and added, “But I don’t think my master made a foolish choice. If they had to seal such a powerful presence with all their strength, then the moment they’re released in this world, they’d undoubtedly cause chaos. Honestly, I think my master has given us humans a reprieve.”

“Hmm.”

Now that there’s no way to stop the apocalypse, that Master Mangnyang needed to focus solely on sealing that ancient being was quite a heavy burden…

“Anyway, that Agni from the Four Great Spirit Deities is incredibly powerful. It took hundreds of sorcerers months of rituals to close a dimension door, and yet it was incinerated in an instant.”

“Ah!”

I recalled Agni and rummaged through thoughts of the Four Great Spirit Deities. Sure enough, Agni, originally surrounded by lively flames, now looked like ashen debris. When I tried to summon Agni once more from my mental space, it appeared worn down like junk.

“……”

“The cost has been paid. Even the Four Great Spirit Deities have their limits.”

“Damn it… will its powers be replenished over time?”

“I wouldn’t know. That’s something you, as the owner, will need to test.”

With that, Cheon Woo-jin said, “Let’s go find Sagong Lin. It’d be better for her to explain everything about the fragment herself.”

Bam!

When I held Cheon Woo-jin’s hand, we quickly arrived in front of Sagong Lin’s royal court. I then asked Sagong Lin, “Sagong Lin, I heard you merged with the fragment of Dharma Technique; what does that mean?”

Sagong Lin was working diligently, pressing translucent spears into the air. Upon hearing my voice, she closed them and replied, “A lot has happened. When my ancestral return awakened, the actions I took naturally caused the incident. At that time, I had no choice but to consume the fragment of Dharma Technique.”

“……?”

I was taken aback by her words.

“You ate the fragment of Dharma Technique? So it’s in your stomach?”

“No, it’s more fundamental… it’s integrated with my soul.”

I didn’t quite grasp her explanation. I had a rough understanding but wanted to know the process in detail. So, I asked Sagong Lin, “When did you undergo that ancestral return? And how did you find the fragment?”

Sagong Lin touched her temple and sighed.

“Phew… that’s a very complicated and special situation. It can’t be explained in just a few words. I hoped you’d gain the memory through the Sage’s insight since I had to make it long, but I never thought the insight would malfunction.”

“…….”

“First of all, I’ll explain the location and circumstances of how our companions found the fragment since we never know when you might suddenly die.”

“Sure!”

“The fragment of Dharma Technique was found in Antarctica. Deepest in Antarctica… a place even Demon Sorcerers cannot enter. It was sealed in Aiternum Mundi, rumored to be one of the most dangerous places among countless dimensional realms.”

“Aiternum Mundi?”

The answer came from Cheon Woo-jin, who was with me.

“The one who discovered that place was Zhuge Sa. After gambling and contacting the [Ancient Race] several times, they managed to learn about the existence of this dimension called Aiternum Mundi. But it was such a dangerous spot that they needed 20 years of preparation before attempting it.”

“What kind of place was Aiternum Mundi that made it so dangerous….”

Cheon Woo-jin frowned.

“We don’t know much either. Only Zhuge Sa knew the true nature of Aiternum Mundi, but they didn’t explain it properly. That guy.”

“They didn’t explain?”

“They only mentioned that our companions weren’t ready to face Aiternum Mundi. By that time, the Monster War was over, and only those who survived battles against the Eight Parts of the Divine were left. According to him, even the average [Old Ruler] would struggle to challenge that place… and he wasn’t wrong.”

After a moment of silence, Cheon Woo-jin added, “But at that time, with Sagong Lin’s powers awakened, we somehow managed to break through and obtain the fragment… It was a miraculous occurrence. Most of the efforts to conquer Aiternum Mundi were by her alone. Zhuge Sa and I could barely assist, and Seo Mun-hye was injured back then, so she couldn’t join us, but even if she did, it wouldn’t have made much difference.”

“……!!”

When I quickly glanced at Sagong Lin, she said, “Baek Woong, that was just luck brought on by a surge of power. Normally, it’s expected that even an [Old Ruler] wouldn’t break through.”

I was dumbfounded by Sagong Lin’s words.

“Are you… kidding? Is it really that difficult?”

“I can assure you that mere mortals would die within three steps of entering. Cheon Woo-jin nearly met his end there. Even with your full potential, you couldn’t breach the deepest seals of Aiternum Mundi. Maybe if you used the Technique of All Things well, it could be possible, but… that’s not certain. It’s a demon realm comparable to Dark Heaven.”

“…….”

“So I hoped to help you and recorded everything I remembered about Aiternum Mundi in the Sage’s artificial intelligence over a century, but you won’t be able to access that…”

“Ugh….”

Not getting the data from the Sage’s Artificial Intelligence felt like a severe loss. Sagong Lin had jotted everything down from her experience challenging the unknown high-difficulty dimension of Aiternum Mundi, and if I reincarnated without that, it’d be a huge waste!

I grumbled, “Why isn’t that AI sending data to me?”

“Just give it a moment, Baek Woong. We’ll gather all the scientists and engineers of the Great Bear Empire to find the cause.”

“Phew. Understood.”

While I momentarily thought about using the Technique of All Things to extract the fragment, I recalled that I nearly faced disaster by carelessly unraveling Cheon Woo-jin’s curse earlier. It wouldn’t do any good to throw around solutions without knowing the circumstances.

‘In any case, I don’t need the fragment immediately now… knowing its location and how to acquire it is enough. I shouldn’t get greedy.’

If Sagong Lin’s power has increased thanks to the fragment, then I don’t need to take it for myself. It’ll be way smarter to leverage her strength to navigate through challenging situations smoothly.

“More importantly, there’s something I’d like to request…”

“A request?”

Sagong Lin nodded and asked, “Baek Woong, do you know how many of the Seven Luminaries our Great Bear Empire currently possesses?”

“Hmm… I only know I have Xuyou.”

“We have a total of 2. The Fire Spirit and Earth Spirit. Combining your Moon Sovereign and Xuyou makes 4.”

“Fire Spirit and Earth Spirit? How did that happen?”

At my inquiry, Sagong Lin explained calmly.

“The Fire Spirit was obtained by entering Uluru during a total solar eclipse hundreds of years later. There was no other choice but to break in.”

“What about Gong Gong? He was supposed to be the gatekeeper, right?”

“By the time we entered, Gong Gong was already missing. I suspect it’s because the power of the spell they were under weakened with the annihilation of the Three Sovereigns, so they fled and abandoned their duties.”

“Hmm.”

“I tried to obtain the Golden Crow, but the Guardian of the West opposed it fiercely, so I couldn’t get it. However, for the Earth Spirit, Mangnyang succeeded in persuading Empress Wu Zetian, and thanks to Zhuge Clan’s efforts, we managed to acquire it. It’s not a complete transfer but more like an indefinite lease, and that wouldn’t have been possible without Zhuge Yulong.”

“…….”

They managed to obtain two from the Seven Luminaries even without me; I could feel the competence of my companions.

‘So, if I just acquire the Wood Spirit and Golden Crow, I can directly challenge the trial of the Seven Luminaries….’

Even otherwise, with this many gathered, the possibilities are endless.

As I felt my workload decrease more than I expected, Sagong Lin said, “Can I now make a request that only you can fulfill?”

“What kind of request is it?”

With a sharp expression, Sagong Lin declared, “The deadline is 17 years. Before the end approaches, use your Spirit Power to awaken the spirits of the Seven Luminaries as much as possible. This is the last wish left by Mangnyang before going to the divine realm.”