1016——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I was taken aback by Cheon Woo-jin’s words.

“You’re saying we should hatch it?”

Cheon Woo-jin tapped his electronic cigarette against the table as he replied.

“Well, it’s an egg, so of course it should hatch. It probably has the attributes of chaos, which means it will respond to your Spirit Power. Can’t argue with that logic.”

“But isn’t that dangerous?”

I scratched my head and said.

“The reason we didn’t use that method when we got the egg before was that we had no idea what would happen when it hatched.”

That’s right. What Cheon Woo-jin said wasn’t something the other strategists hadn’t thought of. Naturally, there was a plan to hatch it from the moment we got the egg, but it was just too mysterious, and the potential fallout was something we couldn’t handle. Plus, the timing of getting the egg was crucial; if I had died suddenly because of it back then, it would have been a massive setback.

And it was the same now. The events of 500 years in the future were not something that happened every day, and dying now would be an enormous loss. Was it really worth the risk to hatch the egg?

Cheon Woo-jin said.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter?”

“Considering the value that egg contains, sooner or later it’s something we have to do. Besides, at this point, you can safely say the human side has no chance of overcoming the apocalypse, so if you die, you can’t blame anyone but yourself.”

“……!!”

“By the way, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. After all, you’re a Reborn Person; what’s the big deal if you die once?”

I stared at Cheon Woo-jin, who wore a bored expression as he puffed on his e-cigarette amidst the smoke. Then, something hit me, and I said to him.

“You’ve changed.”

“In what way?”

“A bit… I think you’ve become more cynical.”

For a moment, I felt like I was talking to Zhuge Sa. It felt more like talking to an old man who had been through a lot rather than someone like Zhuge Sa.

“Heh.”

With a bitter smile, Cheon Woo-jin stared into the void with the e-cigarette between his fingers.

“I was always like this. After hundreds of years and all sorts of experiences, I just don’t want to stress myself out like young folks do. By the standards of this era, I’m a relic from the medieval times. Being 500 years old isn’t exactly common, you know.”

“…….”

“But it’s true that there’s no chance for the human side. According to our strategists, you should have returned after defeating the Sea God and had integrated the human race, growing your power for hundreds of years. But with your disappearance and the chaos of war against all those lowly beings, it all went to hell.”

“Isn’t there any gain from the disappearance of the Three Sovereigns?”

“Well… it’s doubtful that the loss from your disappearance can be compensated. In my opinion, it’s a situation with no gains or losses. Sagong Lin is clever enough to try and keep you alive, which is why she said that, but the situation isn’t really optimistic.”

Clack!

Cheon Woo-jin put the electronic cigarette back in his case and said.

“…Anyway, do whatever you want. If you don’t take any risks, the end will come just like we planned, and the results are all too predictable. Your older brother and the strategists have prepared a lot of stuff, but to be honest, we don’t have a chance against the divine beings that will show up at the end.”

“Um…!!”

“I think hatching the egg as part of that adventure is something we can definitely do.”

“I got it.”

I nodded.

‘Maybe that’s my role…’

The proportion of my pure combat power in this current era might not be all that significant. However, I wasn’t smart enough to navigate using my wisdom alone. So, maximizing the advantages I have as a Reborn Person to expand the unexpected seems to be the best strategy. Cheon Woo-jin seemed to be emphasizing that point to me.

I rolled up my sleeves and said.

“Alright, then right now….”

“Wait a moment.”

“Why?”

“I’ll create a space for you.”

Whoooooo!

“Illusion Fog summon.”

As Cheon Woo-jin closed his eyes and recited a strange incantation, the scenery transformed into what resembled a celestial mountain. The modern backdrop vanished, and we found ourselves standing in a green plain filled with grass and flowers. Knowing that this was a combination of illusion and reality, I was secretly impressed.

‘This was only half of his power?’

Cheon Woo-jin, who had dominion over this space, was almost like a god here. But judging by his magical knowledge, creating this kind of barrier should require a sorcerer at least of the Golden Crow Island’s ten generals level. It seemed Cheon Woo-jin had grown stronger over the five hundred years as well. After creating the illusion space, Cheon Woo-jin said.

“Even if it explodes, I can nullify it once with my power.”

“Isn’t this an illusion space controlled by your will? Why say once?”

“The potential hidden in that egg is beyond measure… the powers of chaos are not something I can just dream away.”

“…I’ll start.”

I took a deep breath and brought my hand to the egg.

‘Well, if I die, I die…’

If I waited too long while overthinking, an unexpected event would surely happen, preventing me from acting. Theoretically, this seemed like a reckless venture at this moment, but strangely enough, I felt like now was the right time to do it. I settled my mind and cautiously channeled my Spirit Power into the egg.

Kuwahhh…

The Spirit Power poured in like water filling an empty bottle. I felt as if my palm was sticking to the egg, and eventually, even the blood vessels in my arm felt like they were being pulled in.

“Ugh….”

W-What is up with this massive consumption?

I felt a wave of dizziness. In just ten breaths, thirty years’ worth of Spirit Power had already flowed in, and the absorption rate was increasing. My arm felt like it was going to burst, and trying to pull my palm away seemed impossible. I felt my stamina draining and took a deep breath.

“Hah, hah, ugh….”

This is absurd…

It was way worse than when I poured in Spirit Power to awaken my potential not long ago! Feeling that fifty years’ worth of power had already drained away made me acutely aware of the crisis looming on the horizon. At this rate, I would be out of Spirit Power soon.

Kuwahhh!

Kuwah!!

The egg absorbed more jealously, and I lost even the strength to speak, becoming as if I were plastered to the egg. Soon, the Spirit Power that had been absorbed reached over a hundred years, rapidly surpassing any limit felt like I was at rock bottom.

Kugugu…

In that moment, I experienced that extraordinary recovery I felt when awakening my potential.

’Here it comes!’

I felt the Spirit Power filling back to the brim, like a string being untied, and a wave of jubilation washed over me, but my expression soon hardened again.

Kugugu!!

“Ugh… aaaah.”

Before I knew it, I screamed. Despite my Spirit Power recovering entirely, the rate of absorption surged, quickly draining me by half. This level of absorption was unprecedented for me, and I desperately tried to disengage my palm from the egg, but it was stuck firm. Feeling a surge of panic, I focused on my arm, but I felt nothing there.

Kuwahhh – !!

‘Aaaah. I’m completely drained again….’

The egg again devoured all my Spirit Power, and once again, I recovered with that extraordinary recovery. However, it began to absorb even faster than before, and my complexion turned pale.

“Nooooo….”

Kugung…

Suddenly, the egg ceased its absorption. Finally able to wrench my hand away, I slumped backward.

“…….”

Crrack!

Suddenly, a breaking sound broke the quietness as the shell of the egg began to shatter. The cracks spread until it collapsed entirely, revealing a bright red egg once more.

Thud…

It’s the Blood Egg!

“…What the heck…!!”

I was dumbfounded as I stared at the newly revealed red egg. I had naturally expected something to come out of the egg once it broke, but another egg inside it?! Are you kidding me?! As I stared incredulously, Cheon Woo-jin, who was watching from the side, said.

“Seems like we have to do it again. We need a second liberation.”

“What?!”

“My intuition suggests it will devour Spirit Power even more aggressively than before. Baek Woong, how much Spirit Power did you consume?”

I gritted my teeth at Cheon Woo-jin’s words and replied.

“Damn! It sucked down 400… no, 500 years’ worth!! And it still isn’t fully broken, what gives!!”

It could be even more than five hundred years worth. It was hard to gauge divine power simply by quantity, but I was certain that without that bizarre recovery ability, I would have run out of Spirit Power and died long ago in this ridiculous situation. In my stunned state, Cheon Woo-jin said.

“This egg seems to be a special one that only the gods can unseal. If even your Spirit Power can only achieve the first phase of liberation, then the actual required divine power must be at the level of the Old Ruler’s capabilities. In the first place, human beings or even higher alien species would have to gamble their very race to break the seal.”

“This… this doesn’t make sense! How can such a thing exist? Even the legends of the Seven Luminaries or treasures would awaken with this much Spirit Power….”

“Think simply. You’ve consumed more Spirit Power than what would typically be needed for the Seven Luminaries awakening—easily multiples of their standard.”

“And?”

Cheon Woo-jin took a drag from his electronic cigarette and continued.

“Then, awakening from this egg means it’s a being that surpasses the caliber of the Seven Luminaries. Wouldn’t you agree? I may not know for sure, but even the Three Sovereigns would probably expend considerable power to liberate this egg to its final stage.”

“…….”

“It’s a being beyond all expectations, a cosmic treasure. For mortals, even knowing of its existence is calamity, a being that can only be dealt with at the level of the Old Ruler. That’s why the prophets covet it.”

“What on earth is this egg….”

I thought the only thing greater than the Seven Luminaries was the Four Great Spirit Deities, but to think there was something like this too. As I gazed at the egg in awe, Cheon Woo-jin said.

“…Baek Woong. I have a proposal.”

“What? I’m refusing any more Spirit Power infusion into that egg. No way, not now….”

I hesitated, considering the unknown recovery ability might activate again…

I was lucky just now. If that recovery ability didn’t activate again, I’d be left hollowed out and dying. No matter how bold I was, I couldn’t risk pouring more Spirit Power into the red egg.

Cheon Woo-jin shook his head.

“With your current state, no matter how much power you expend, it seems impossible to liberate the egg. But since phase one has been achieved, doesn’t that increase its value?”

“Value?”

“Yes. The egg is now worth much more than it was before. Since you’ve drained some of your power to achieve phase one liberation, it means anyone wishing to fully liberate the egg will expend less power than if they attempted it from scratch.”

“That’s true.”

“Let’s offer this directly to Pangu. You have his statue in your case, right?”

“Uh… yeah, I do.”

I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

“You want to offer it to Pangu?”

“Yes. The blessing we can get from him… the Law of Cause and Effect of True Direction. With that, it would be possible to shift the axis of a great nation toward humanity. You did feel its effect last time, didn’t you?”

“…Yes! That could work.”

“I’ll prepare the Heavenly Altar and the magical setup. Your older brother has already done all the groundwork to connect with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. We’ll get right on it.”

Bang!

Alongside Cheon Woo-jin and Liu Ha, I headed to the Heavenly Altar of Songshan. I confirmed that the Heavenly Altar of Songshan was set up similarly to how Mount Hua was.

Scratching my head, I said.

“Hmm… Shaolin Temple, huh? Master of Zen Myung-ho must be dead by now. Is the Ark still operational?”

“Of course. Master Myung-ho is a different story, though….”

Briefly responding, Cheon Woo-jin walked towards the altar.

“Using the Heavenly Altar in succession will deplete the divine energy accumulating on the altar, reducing its efficiency. Once you use one, you must go to another location’s altar.”

“What? What does that mean? In our times, there were no such restrictions.”

As I questioned, Cheon Woo-jin explained.

“It’s a restriction that formed because the Celestial Realm grew distant from our dimension. When the Celestial Realm was close, using the altars continuously wasn’t an issue, but now they’re far apart, so the replenishment of divine energy has slowed. Likewise, sorcerers in this world now find their spells charging more slowly.”

“…Hmm. That’s a bit of a pain. But isn’t sorcery derived from Fuxi and thus unrelated to the Celestial Realm?”

“True, but the Celestial Realm also acts as a conduit of pure power. The closer it is, the more favorable it is for sorcerers in this world.”

“I get it.”

“We’re almost there.”

“Hey? What’s that?”

I spotted a humanoid machine standing in front of the Heavenly Altar of Songshan. It had a silver exoskeleton and seemed to be wearing the robe of the Shaolin Temple on its emaciated frame. One hand held a chanting device, resembling a monk’s attire perfectly.

‘A machine dressed like a monk?’

As I stared in confusion at the monk machine, it slowly brought its palms together toward Cheon Woo-jin and bowed.

[Master Cheon Woo-jin. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Have you come to use the Heavenly Altar?]

“Yes, Master Myung-ho.”

[Please wait. I will activate the device.]

……Huh?

Did I misunderstand something?

Seeing the monk machine move startled me, and I said to Cheon Woo-jin.

“Hey… said Master Myung-ho? What gives? How can that be Master Myung-ho?”

Cheon Woo-jin responded irritably.

“The real Master Myung-ho passed away after exhausting his life force due to the limitation of rebirth after the Spirit War. However, he left behind some relics, and a few decades later, when the Great Bear Empire fused his relics with an android, his memories and abilities transferred into it.”

“……!!”

“You could say he was reborn as a machine. He postponed his journey to the afterlife by embedding his soul in the relic.”

I couldn’t help but be flabbergasted.

“Why… why would he do that? He could’ve been revived into a Portrait Immortal with his memories intact.”

“Master Myung-ho himself rejected the notion of becoming a Portrait Immortal. He left behind a request that he preferred to be reborn in a mechanical form instead of extending his life with the power of demons. The Great Bear Empire granted his wish a few decades later.”

“…….”

“He is also the first android created by the Great Bear Empire.”

I was left speechless, staring at the [Master Myung-ho] before me.

Clank!

Clank!

The mechanized Master Myung-ho activated all its devices, and noticing my gaze, it brought its palms together.

[Baek Woong, disciple. It has been a while since we last met.]

It really was Master Myung-ho. With my skill in the Soul Exchange Technique, I could keenly sense his soul, even through the mechanical voice. Despite being in a machine’s body, that was definitely Master Myung-ho.

’I never thought a mechanical body could house a soul…’

I let out a breath.

“Why would you choose such a path instead of returning to the Celestial Realm…?”

[For the same reason as Han Baek-ryeong… Had I gone to the Celestial Realm, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything until the appointed time. I wanted to stay in this world and protect the Shaolin Temple.]

“…….”

[You have returned eventually… my long wait hasn’t been in vain.]

Master Myung-ho bowed his head in prayer.

[Amitabha…].

I stood dazed for a moment before joining my hands in prayer too.

“Amitabha.”

What exactly is a soul?

I couldn’t help but ponder that as I looked at Master Myung-ho. Even after mastering the Soul Exchange Technique for so long, the concept of a soul was still a profound mystery.

At last, I placed Pangu’s statue and the first-phase liberated Blood Egg onto the Heavenly Altar. Then, Cheon Woo-jin stood in front of the altar, chanting incantations, starting the offering ceremony to Pangu.

Whoooooo—

After a moment, the specter of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman was summoned above the altar. Cheon Woo-jin, who summoned her, said.

“Heavenly Mysterious Woman, we wish to offer this statue of Pangu and the Blood Egg to him. We seek to gain the True Direction of Cause and Effect in this world to prepare for the apocalypse, please assist us.”

[Ah, it’s Master Cheon Woo-jin.]

“You have already awakened the duty of Guardian from your older brother, so surely you can fulfill our request?”

[Of course…. Offering to Pangu will not prove to be difficult. Let’s assess the offerings necessary for the True Direction of Cause and Effect…. Just remember, it may only be done once.]

“Of course.”

It appeared that Mangnyang had conveyed all the information regarding the Guardian’s duty to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, preparing her to display goodwill toward our side. That’s likely why Cheon Woo-jin could directly request to offer to Pangu.

Whoooooo

[Hmm…? This energy… where have I felt it before…?]

As the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, who had been utilizing the Corpse Dissolution Technique, observed the Blood Egg with a suspicious gaze, her expression suddenly shifted to one of realization.

[Then I will proceed….]

At that moment.

Kuguguoo!!

With a tremendous sound, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the scales of a Great Dragon emerged. The moment I saw the golden scales, I recognized what it was.

‘Shenglong!’

So, Shenglong was trying to interfere again?

Crackle crackle.

Crackle….

But as only the edge of the scales was summoned with some flashes of lightning, the dark clouds soon dissipated. As the attempted summoning of Shenglong abruptly halted, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman sighed and said.

[As expected, the power of the Divine Temple has weakened significantly since that day….]

“Is that why Shenglong failed to come into this world?”

[Correct. The curse of God’s Destruction that accompanied the self-destruction of the Evil God… that must have affected the Divine Temple as well.]

Typically, Shenglong would interfere in the offering ceremony for the True Direction of Cause and Effect, but it seemed the remnants of the Evil God’s demise had inflicted consequences on Shenglong too. While that was a relief, it was a moment to vividly feel that the Three Sovereigns’ influence had truly waned in this world.

‘Even if it had intervened, there was no justification for Shenglong, so I could have dealt with it through sheer will… but it still stings.’

Whooooo—

As the specter of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman faded, a tremendous whirlwind formed, and the statue of Pangu along with the Blood Egg were drawn into the center.

Then, moments later, I heard the familiar [voice] from beyond the eternal realm of silence.

The giant that held up the ceiling of the world spoke.

[It’s excessive… I shall return the remaining price.]

Kuwah!!

After a short while, the offering ceremony came to an end, all transcendent phenomena faded, and silence enveloped the Heavenly Altar of Songshan. Knowing that receiving the True Direction of Cause and Effect wouldn’t normally have any effect, I stood up, licking my lips.

‘Maybe there’s some hope now… eh?’

What’s that?

To my astonishment, I noticed something new atop the altar. I approached and picked up the newly appeared item, and upon inspecting it, I spoke.

“Rope? No… it’s a cord, isn’t it?”

It was definitely a cord.

It seemed like a typical cord made from twisted straw, and I felt no divine energy emanating from it. It looked well-used, and it definitely seemed like an ordinary cord used in the daily lives of lowly commoners.

“…….”

Why would the Creator God give me something like this?

I was curious as to why Pangu presented me with such an item, but tilting my head in confusion, I decided to show it to Cheon Woo-jin first.

“I’m not sure what this is either….”

“What should we do with it?”

“For now, let’s just set it aside. If it was a offering’s payment from Pangu, it surely isn’t ordinary.”

I placed the cord into my case.

“Got it.”