1055——————==

True Martial Home

The Celestials were facing off against the Eight Parts of the Divine and the Portrait Immortals, who were forming the 108 Arhats Formation. Suddenly, one of them noticed the surrounding situation and flinched in shock.

‘The Garuda has disappeared… and the Yacha isn’t moving either. Even the Thief Gang is out of the game.’

Looks like the only one still standing in this battlefield is the Celestial.

‘Everyone’s down for the count.’

Despite the grim circumstances, the Celestial never once thought about his own mortality—though his spirits were dampened. How could powerful Demon Kings gather in one spot and yet lead to such a disaster? Normally, even one of the Eight Parts of the Divine could destroy an entire kingdom, so to be facing annihilation from just a single human empire was beyond belief.

[Ugh… damn it….]

The Celestial ground his teeth in frustration. The Eight Parts of the Divine had been splitting into factions, bickering back and forth until the Gin Nara faction was obliterated, and then they finally got their act together. But by then, they had already exhausted a lot of their power and failed to wipe out the Great Bear Empire all at once. Running away now wouldn’t leave the Celestial with a single option.

Seemingly calm from controlling the True Martial Home, Zhuge Yulong gestured to stop the attack and spoke to the Celestial.

“O, Celestial! How about we call a truce at this point?”

[……]

“You’ve probably realized it by now, but today’s battle has been a victory for us. However, I admit we lack the resources to capture you in your cornered state. We’d rather not waste our energy trying to catch you, and I doubt you’d want to meet your end here either.”

[What a sly one.]

The Celestial’s gaze sharpened.

[So you’ve been planning this from the start.]

“…Tch. If you figured it out, then what’s the delay? Whatever decision you make, the outcome is predetermined, so do as you please.”

[……]

The Celestial understood why Zhuge Yulong and his clan were targeting him. Their strategies using the True Martial Home and the Corpse Dissolution Technique were fearsome, but they lacked the offensive combo needed to deliver a decisive blow against a Celestial. Thus, as time went on, it seemed increasingly difficult to beat him, and that’s when it clicked—they were just playing a waiting game from the start.

No combination would ensure victory against the strongest of the Eight Parts of the Divine, a Celestial. Even if the Master of the White Lotus Sect fought with all his might, he couldn’t guarantee a win against a Celestial. Therefore, it was wise to pit the Master against a comparatively weaker member of the Eight Parts of the Divine to secure a sure victory for at least one side, while weathering the storm elsewhere until the rest came out on top.

That was a strategy the Celestial hadn’t even considered. Even if he were aware, he wouldn’t pay it much mind. Did weak human sorcerers really think they could hold their ground against a Demon King like him? Well aware of their limitations, he hadn’t even entertained the thought of a delay tactic. And unexpectedly, the combination of the Zhuge clan and the Portrait Immortals turned out to boast formidable defensive capabilities and sustainability.

Feeling frustrated, the Celestial ultimately made a calm judgment.

[Fine. I’ll agree to a truce.]

Zhuge Yulong replied without a twitch.

“I cannot trust sweet talk. You must swear an oath with your command.”

[How cocky!! This is hardly the time to talk!]

“I’m just saying, we are being accommodating as well. If we really wanted to settle things with you, I assure you there were better ways than rolling in here like this.”

[What do you mean by that?]

“For instance… Zhu Rong.”

[Ugh.]

The mention of an unexpected entity caught the Celestial off guard. It struck him suddenly that the nemesis of the Eight Parts of the Divine was being casually referenced. As the Celestial floundered, Zhuge Yulong thought to himself.

‘Since there’s no way to control Zhu Rong now, I never imagined this would be a viable strategy, but it certainly serves as a deterrent. The advantages of a reincarnator’s knowledge never disappoint.’

Zhu Rong’s current whereabouts were unknown. His master, the Sovereign of the Three Sovereigns, Jeon Wook, had perished, causing the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace to collapse and pinging Zhu Rong out of dimensional existence. Of course, a being like Zhu Rong wouldn’t simply cease to exist merely from that, but it didn’t really need to linger in the human realm, making its absence a logical conclusion.

There could’ve been ways to summon Zhu Rong if they tried hard enough. Yet without Jeon Wook around, forcibly summoning Zhu Rong would only lead to mutual self-destruction alongside the world. Finding it impossible to control him added to the complexities. Thus, Zhuge Yulong’s earlier words were bluster, but they felt like a genuine threat to the Celestial.

With the silence hanging in the air, Zhuge Yulong continued.

“Through this war, we have proven our ‘strength.’ If you truly wish to do something about your impending doom, wouldn’t it be wiser to topple our Great Bear Empire and seek your master, Chi You, instead of carelessly engaging in human sacrifice?”

[Don’t overreach. I can agree to a truce, but imagine a mere human daring to…!]

The Celestial gnashed his teeth, on the verge of saying something, when he suddenly spotted something that amazed him.

[You, why didn’t you mention this sooner….]

Whoosh!!

The attention of everyone in the room turned to one spot. There stood a man walking in, sporting eight swords and an air of confidence that revealed no hint of apprehension.

The mysterious figure casually regarded the floating Celestial and said, “You idiot. Acting all high and mighty and you’ve messed it all up.”

[……!!]

With that one line, the Celestial trembled with anger and yelled out.

[Shut it, Asura!! If you’d even helped us once, we wouldn’t have landed in this mess!!]

Indeed.

The being that appeared was, without a doubt, Pasun, the Asura of the Eight Parts of the Divine!

He was an entity who, throughout the entire War of Monsters, had never made an appearance on the field until now. And Zhuge Yulong couldn’t help but curse under his breath at the sudden arrival of the Asura.

‘Hmm…’

The Celestial’s words were undeniably true.

The actual combat power of the Asura was likely stronger than the Celestial’s, and the Asura excelled at combat against people. Unlike the other Eight Parts of the Divine, who were often clumsy against a Celestial due to being too accustomed to slaughtering humans with magic, the Asura was the only one capable of showcasing overwhelming superiority against the same Celestial.

If the Asura had joined the fray earlier and stirred things up for the allied forces, the Great Bear Empire would never have survived this long. Therefore, the Asura’s absence had indeed been a godsend for them.

Then, the Asura scoffed with a “hmph.”

“Sure, I had the intention to step in at first. But after facing off against the Three Hundred Fifty-Six Celestials from the Great Bear Empire, I realized cooperating with you guys was just plain stupid…”

[What…? What nonsense are you spouting?]

The Asura crossed his arms.

“Seriously, what’s the point of fighting the Great Bear Empire? I don’t need human sacrifice that badly; if I run low on magical power, I could just hunt and eat some ancient beings from another dimension. It seemed so ridiculous to boil over fighting humans like this.”

[This jerk…!! Didn’t I explain several times? The Great Bear Empire definitely knows something about the disappearance of Lord Chi You, and devouring them will elevate us beyond Demon Kings to the level of Rulers!]

“Not for me. Received a rude awakening, I did.”

The Asura’s eyes shone intensely.

“These fools defeated even Krishna’s strongest avatar, the Divine Avatar Arjuna, and could summon the Eight Parts of the Divine. Continuously fighting against them is sheer madness. No matter how arrogant a Demon King might be, it’s just ridiculous. Were we all merely pawns in someone else’s designs?”

[What… are you saying….]

“Too late to say this now, but I left because I didn’t want any association with you.”

[Ugh… Are you just rambling?]

The Celestial ground his teeth at the Asura’s words but was suddenly aware of just how much he actually agreed with him.

Looking back, it was strange.

When did they become so blindly hostile towards the Great Bear Empire?

Just as with the Great Ming Empire, they were initially just passing through the history of the Ancient Middle Kingdom, but somehow, they morphed into the belief that they had to destroy the Great Bear Empire. There were valid reasons, of course, but if he thought about it clearly, those reasons were definitely not as inevitable as they seemed.

As the Celestial fell into confusion, Zhuge Yulong eyed the Asura and asked.

“Asura, you’re clearly not here to help the other Eight Parts of the Divine. Why did you come?”

“Nothing special. I simply want to do what I want to do.”

Swish….

The Asura slowly drew one of his eight swords and pointed it forward. Then he declared, “Bring the Master of the White Lotus Sect here. I want to duel him one-on-one.”

It was a challenge to a duel. Zhuge Yulong’s expression turned as pale as a ghost.

“Are you serious?”

“The strongest warrior from your Great Bear Empire is the Master of the White Lotus Sect. An equal would likely be Seo Mun-hye, but she isn’t a worthy opponent—she lacks martial prowess. Only the Master of the White Lotus Sect will be a worthy match for me.”

“……”

“Forget about the other Celestials. For some reason, none of them have the capability to provide me with any amusement. Their potentials are all more or less on the same level.”

The Asura’s chaotic words froze the atmosphere around them. And at that moment, Zhuge Bu interjected in disbelief.

“What on earth are you thinking? The Master of the White Lotus Sect is currently our Emperor. We have no reason to even consider that proposal!”

It was madness to agree to such a duel. Though the Master wasn’t guaranteed to lose, fighting someone as powerful as the Asura could leave them dead or severely injured, which would be a massive loss. They had just barely held off against the Eight Parts of the Divine, so there was no way they could entertain the Asura’s nonsense.

“No reason?”

The Asura smiled wickedly.

“If there’s no reason, I’ll just make one!”

Boom!!

In an instant, the Asura lunged forward and decapitated one of the True Martial Home warriors in one swift motion. It was such incredible speed that even the warrior couldn’t react to block or dodge. Despite being a demon beast, the True Martial Home warrior had undergone a rapid transformation into five elements and attempted to recover immediately.

But at that split second, the Asura cast a technique.

Flying Heaven’s Vitality Jewel

Dragon Crying Light

Piying—

With a sound that was like the fabric of space trembling, thousands of holes punctured through the True Martial Home’s body. Then, a violet jewel began to radiate from within it, expanding into a massive orb of light.

Boom, Boom, Boom

“……!!”

It was astonishing. The True Martial Home, which had withstood all manner of powerful sorcery until now, was reduced to rags, having barely any remains left after undergoing the Asura’s consecutive techniques! This was likely because, unlike before, his monstrous recovery capabilities were completely locked down, leaving its flesh incapable of moving.

[H-how did he do that?]

The Celestial was bewildered by the scene unfolding, unable to comprehend it, but the Asura, lowering his blade, retorted.

“I don’t kill the ones specialized in magical resistance when hitting them with sorcery. Finding the flow of the Five Elements’s transformation through intent and cutting it off with the Intent Heavenly Pillar is easy.”

[……]

“Of course, you’d understand this but can’t do anything about it.”

[What an arrogant brat….]

And as he watched the True Martial Home’s demise, the warrior Mangnyang murmured under his breath.

“This is dangerous.”

The Asura truly was dangerous!

In fact, combining the True Martial Home with the Corpse Dissolution Technique should’ve allowed them to somehow withstand any Eight Parts of the Divine member. The primary mode of attack for the Eight Parts involved pouring out powerful magical energy or casting sorcery, which the True Martial Home could enhance its defenses against. If the core essence of the Five Elements were supplemented by the Corpse Dissolution Technique, no matter how strong the Eight Parts of the Divine were, they wouldn’t be able to dismantle the True Martial Home with just magic.

But not with the Asura. He was the only one among the Eight Parts of the Divine equipped with mastery over the Absolute Realm, possessing six of them, making him uniquely dangerous. Thus, he could easily toy with the True Martial Home, which specialized in magical resistance. The True Martial Home, for all its might, was merely a slightly tougher doll against the Asura.

The rock-paper-scissors dynamic was completely flipped.

It also meant that the absolute difference in capability between humans and Demon Kings had reverted to its origin. The hunters had suddenly become the hunted.

Mangnyang hastily transmitted a message to Zhuge Yulong.

“Even now, let’s throw the True Martial Home into a berserk state.”

At that moment, Mangnyang’s suggestion formed the best plan in his head. If they didn’t do something, all three members of the Zhuge clan would be wiped out alongside the True Martial Home and the Portrait Immortals right here. Sacrificing the True Martial Home in return for survival seemed like a good deal, as they could always recreate it if they were still alive.

[……]

However, Zhuge Yulong was contemplating something and replied.

[Hyun Ah, I’ll hold the line here with Bu. You need to rush to seal the Yacha immediately.]

[What are you saying? That’s important, but the two of us can’t possibly stop the Asura!]

[Listen to me. This is our best shot. If you don’t manage to seal the Yacha with the Corpse Dissolution Technique in time, it will escape. Then the war will be prolonged by another century.]

[But….]

Suddenly, Zhuge Yulong looked at Mangnyang and voiced his words. There was a fiery emotion in his eyes, which was unusual for someone so practical.

“Son. Can you listen to your father for once?”

“……”

Mangnyang bit down hard on his lip.

He could sense something in his father’s words that made it impossible to defy him.

Whew!

In the blink of an eye, he activated instant movement and disappeared from the hall.

Seeing that, the Celestial exploded with laughter in the air.

[Hah! Fine, it’s not a perfect setup, but from this moment on, we can annihilate these humans! Let’s team up, Asura!]

Zoom

Maybe it was the overwhelming advantage he felt? The Celestial casually teleporting right beside the Asura. He leaned his slick voice towards the Asura, saying, “You deal with the True Martial Home. I’ll take care of those scheming bastards one by one….”

But just then.

Absolute Realm

Nirvana of the Absolute

In that moment—like time and space being ripped apart—the Asura’s body returned to its original form, and his arms flailed about wildly as he unleashed countless sword strikes through the warped dimensions. As the light accelerated more and more, the Asura’s sword received the power of the Intent Heavenly Pillar, growing faster and stronger, and only those not on the same level of Absolute Realm could hope to discern the attacks.

Moon Blade, Eternal Dragon Wave

Thousand Hands Guanyin

Self-Reliant Crane Dance

Flying Heaven’s Vitality Jewel

Explosive Destruction Sword

Asura Against Heaven

Boom, Boom, Boom!!

With a horrifying sound, both of the Celestial’s arms were severed, and a cross-shaped blade embedded itself in his forehead. And with a sound reminiscent of a Go board, marks of lethal strikes were imprinted on his torso as his head neatly separated from his body, accompanied by a dull thud.

Thud

“……”

Zhuge Yulong and Zhuge Bu opened their eyes wide in surprise at the sudden turn of events. It was an unexpected occurrence that even the brilliant brains of the Zhuge clan couldn’t fathom. Before them stood Asura, who had transformed into his main form, bearing six arms, each wielding a sword, speaking in a cold voice.

[Crazy fool. I had no intention of teaming up with you. Yet here you are standing beside me, just begging to die.]

Zhuge Yulong realized in that moment.

The being before him was not only a Demon King but an insane creature.

A being completely consumed by endless battles and conflicts.

Strategies would not work against such a character.

And even though defeating the Celestial would be effortless for him, the true reason he devastated the Celestial was due to his confidence in overpowering the human forces entirely single-handedly.

Zhuge Bu swallowed his saliva as he felt the intense aura emanating from the Asura.

“Father… we have no choice but to proceed with ‘that method.’”

“Right, it seems that way.”

The two Zhuge strategists understood that there was only one solution to navigate this precarious situation. And it was best to eliminate Mangnyang from the picture, as he would only be a hindrance.

“Are you certain about this?”

“I have to try. If the Zhuge clan is as obsessed with the fate of this war as they claim, then now is this war’s defining moment.”

“…I’m going.”

With a swift motion, Zhuge Bu placed his hand on Zhuge Yulong’s back and began chanting a spell slowly.

Immortal Summoning Technique

Sharing Life Force

Sssss

As he cast the spell, a white circle formed above both their foreheads, slowly sinking into them. At the same time, a titanic aura erupted intensely from Zhuge Yulong, filling him with immense power, leaving him aware of the overwhelming burden weighing down on him. Enduring the pain, Zhuge Yulong slowly drew a needle from inside his robe and pierced it into a designated point.

Phew

The gate slowly opened. While Zhuge Yulong completed that sequence of actions, the Asura watched uncrossed arms, giving a smirk.

‘Truly, just like Baek Woong’s memories. If one can fight strong individuals, they ought to be left alone to grow stronger…’

But with that, the Asura was undoubtedly a vastly powerful entity.

In that moment, Zhuge Yulong felt he had fully harnessed his power and drew the sword from his waist.

“It’s been precisely one meal’s time.”

Swish

Zhuge Yulong’s internal power had already surpassed the level of a Master of Zen and was leagues ahead of what a Dharma Guardian could hope to reach in such a short time. He unleashed a fierce white light from his eyes as he continued to gather strength.

The Asura laughed like it was all quite amusing.

[Hehe… that’s good.]

Great Destruction was rising to the level of the Six Doors.

‘Just one slip, and… I won’t be able to switch to a Dummy Body in time.’

The Great Destruction posed an absolute risk, one that even Zhuge Yulong’s spells could not withstand. He was painfully aware that at the end of his one meal’s time, even the Dummy Body wouldn’t be able to save him from absolute demise.

“…I’m going.”

He wasn’t merely twiddling his thumbs all these years, waiting for the moment to strike.

He had polished himself, sharpening his potential—no longer abandoned—through a synergy of combat and sorcery. That was made possible by the glimmer of hope instilled in him by the potential victory suggested by the reincarnator, Baek Woong.

And thus, the fruits of his labor bore a new possibility in the world.

Absolute Realm

Celestial Wolf and Northern Big Dipper

In the next instant, Zhuge Yulong’s sole sword pierced through the Asura’s shoulder.