1107——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Fuxi replied to the Emperor’s words.

“I refuse.”

[…….]

Such a firm answer. As the golden beast stared at Fuxi with a blank gaze, Fuxi continued with a slight smile.

“It feels good, you know? Rejecting the hand you offered.”

[Is that all?]

“Or what do you intend to do? The refusal doesn’t change.”

[That’s true….]

They both didn’t reveal their inner thoughts or strategies.

They just confirmed their intentions.

Creeeak—

The golden beast let out an incomprehensible sound. In an instant, the beast’s eyes turned into a deep darkness, and it spoke as if to warn Fuxi.

[I have realized. If I defeat you, the rest will be easy opponents!]

Bang!

With those words, the golden beast vanished along with the Dimension Door. As the traces of the Five Emperors faded entirely from the hall, Fuxi finally stretched out his shoulders and yawned.

“Every time we meet, it feels like he tosses me a bone. What a nuisance.”

“Tosses you a bone?”

“Yeah.”

Fuxi replied with an impassive expression.

“The Emperor always does that. We’ve had countless encounters, and each time he drops some ambiguous info or tempting fact to pique interest. I call it ‘bait,’ like he’s treating his opponent like a fish to reel in.”

“…….”

“Of course, I could just ignore the bait he throws. The problem is, it’s always tough to ignore.”

“What exactly is this ‘One Who Destroys the Gods’?”

“Who knows? Whether it’s real or not, he just threw out bait to use me for his intentions. I figured this time it’s better to ignore his words.”

“But….”

I felt uneasy about Fuxi’s light-hearted dismissal.

‘The “One Who Destroys the Gods” must be… something I remember from my past life with Tai Gong-mang.’

I recalled memories from long ago.

[What was sealed in ancient times was not just human power. That’s merely a trivial matter. The truly important thing is that the “One Who Destroys the Gods” was also sealed. If that person is released, it’ll be the end for everything…. We laid many layers of seal. Even if there is no hope with this method, we are risking everything for a threadbare peace. It’s better than immediate destruction.]

[The One Who Destroys the Gods?]

[Yes…. Only Nüwa and the Three Sovereigns know that this Primordial Void is the key to the first seal. Even the Five Emperors don’t know that.]

Tai Gong-mang guarding the Primordial Void and Blood Pillar in the Peach Garden had said that what was sealed in that place was the “One Who Destroys the Gods.” The Blood Pillar of the Primordial Void was merely the first seal, and the real deal was the second seal.

Since I went alongside Xiang Yu, I didn’t hear the details as an enemy, but it was definitely mentioned. The fact that the Emperor deliberately referred to that existence felt unsettling.

Fuxi made a peculiar expression.

“Come to think of it, the Emperor’s methods are quite similar to yours. Isn’t it?”

I was taken aback by the unexpected comment.

“Wha—?! No way!”

“Really similar. You’ve also been providing me with intriguing tidbits while concealing the crucial information, haven’t you? Just like the Emperor. Hahaha.”

“……”

“You’re just better at it. The Emperor couldn’t bait me, but you’re managing to hook me.”

I had no words left, and Fuxi suggested in a teasing voice.

“Now, if you came from the outside world, share what you know. You surely said that because you know something about the ‘One Who Destroys the Gods,’ right?”

“Uh, well….”

“If you don’t answer, I might consider expelling you from this dimension. Just like Jeon Wook or Shao Hao.”

“Gah…!!”

Fuxi smiled slyly.

“Don’t worry. With a life tougher than iron wire, you’d somehow cross dimensions and cling to me, desperately trying to provide bait.”

“…….”

“Haha. You can do it. Don’t worry too much and just spill it all.”

“Y-yes….”

What am I going to be able to do, damn it!

I realized I had no choice against Fuxi’s threat. If I were to be expelled just now with Tai Long’s howling, I wouldn’t even guarantee my survival. The likelihood was that for someone like the Five Emperors, expulsion would be the end, but for a mere mortal like me, it could mean utter destruction.

“What I know is….”

I spoke of the time I broke into the Peach Garden with Xiang Yu to confront Tai Gong-mang and how I dealt with him, unlocking the Sealing Blood of the Divine or facing the Tai Chi. I also spoke about the “One Who Destroys the Gods,” and as Fuxi listened, he casually rubbed his neck with a fan.

“Hmmm.”

“That’s all there is to it.”

“You’ve lived through some enormous adventures. It’s clear you’re no ordinary human just by how far you’ve come.”

Fuxi marveled.

“So, you’re saying that the “One Who Destroys the Gods” truly exists, safeguarded by Tai Gong-mang, who can be considered my descendant? Also, that it heavily involves my blood relation, Nüwa.”

“Correct. Tai Gong-mang mentioned that only Nüwa knows the true nature of the Sealing Blood of the Divine.”

“Is that so.”

Fuxi paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts before speaking.

“The Emperor’s words carry some credibility and imply that the “One Who Destroys the Gods” indeed exists. But doesn’t something seem off?”

“Huh? What seems off?”

“Today’s meeting with you and the Emperor was almost a foregone conclusion. I wouldn’t have avoided meeting the Emperor and the Five Emperors whether you were there or not, and the Emperor likely intended to meet me to discuss the ‘One Who Destroys the Gods.’”

“……?”

“In other words, an inherent event proceeding without regard to your ambivalent presence. To put it another way, if this world is ‘history from the past,’ then it is ‘events that happened in reality.’ The same speech would have been given by the Emperor in our historical reality. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Uh… It appears so.”

Fuxi made a sharp expression.

“However, just a moment ago, the variable had an impact. That’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s you.”

Me?

As I was startled by the unexpected words and looked at Fuxi, he continued.

“Even I sometimes can’t always avoid the Emperor’s bait. Truth be told, I was slightly tempted by the Emperor’s words. But upon hearing you came from the ‘outside world,’ I thought I’d ignore the Emperor’s words and verify through you. In the end, your existence significantly influenced my choice of refusal.”

“Ah…!!”

“This suggests that the reality might already have deviated from history. No, perhaps that is indeed the case.”

Hearing that from him, it seemed Fuxi might have originally accepted the Emperor’s proposal.

“This, in the language of the Gods, is called [Branching].”

As I swallowed hard, Fuxi continued.

“When such branching occurs, editing it with the [Small Cycle] doesn’t present a problem. The one manipulating the Cycle can just navigate against the flow to edit the past, altering even the memories of related mortals. And since the influence a small current can exert on a grand current is limited, grand events are bound to happen as a principle of time.”

“Is it problematic now?”

“Exactly. As you may know, we cannot use the [Small Cycle] to edit events that occur among deities like myself or the Emperor. Because we possess the ability to manipulate time and space, if we attempt to revert the past, we would inevitably engage in endless conflicts, wasting our energy. Thus, there’s an unwritten rule among us that we cannot manipulate the Cycle in our matters.”

“Hmmm….”

“Just as battles among gods rarely come to a clear conclusion, reverting history is likewise implicitly prohibited. It ends up being meaningless, plus gods can recognize the altered time’s Cycle, making it impossible to unilaterally assault each other.”

That’s true.

If both sides have the ability to change the past, they would try to adjust it in their favor, and such actions would undoubtedly repeat indefinitely. And since both you and I can exert such influence, a paradoxical agreement inevitably arises: that we shouldn’t alter the Cycle. Hence, the powerful divinities capable of freely altering the [Small Cycle] inadvertently find themselves unable to revert events that transpired among themselves.

“The fact that a significant branching has been twisted by a single interference… that suggests the possibility that the ‘One Who Destroys the Gods’ might not even exist. At least, unless an existence surpassing the Three Sovereigns you speak of intervenes.”

“…….”

“Exactly. You’ve created a lethal contradiction in time yourself. Yet despite that contradiction, Nüwa’s memories continue to advance…. It’s a true contradiction. Is this even possible?”

Fuxi placed the fan against his temple.

“According to your assertion, if this world is merely a painting within the Land and Earth Diagram and just a memory, can such progression occur? The contradictions of time and space are only widening, and we can’t restore branching? Is the identity of these memories truly [Nüwa’s memories]?”

“What’s the problem with that?”

“It’s strange. Don’t you see why that’s a problem? Something done at the level of a mere treasure could never be the case.”

“I don’t understand what you’re implying.”

“It suggests that what you perceive might completely differ from the true nature of this world.”

After responding like that, Fuxi spoke slowly.

“First, Baek Woong, I want to hear what you wish to achieve. What do you want?”

“Huh? Uh… that is….”

What do I want to achieve?

‘Naturally, to escape….’

Wait!

I was about to say I wished to escape this world immediately, but suddenly, I couldn’t continue my words. Was getting out of this world right now the best option? Considering the information I had obtained since entering, it might actually be wiser to stay a little longer, causing me to hesitate.

“Damn it. I shouldn’t be this greedy….”

With no certainty whether I would reincarnate if I died in this world, was it worth the risk to ruin everything by being overly ambitious? As I hesitated, Fuxi chuckled softly.

“It seems you’re rather greedy. What is this greed for?”

“…I want to gain more information.”

“What a funny thought. For an ordinary human, one’s life goals are usually centered on survival and growth. Humans are beings that desire to ‘become something.’ Yet you, Baek Woong….”

Fuxi leaned closer, staring deep into my eyes.

“It feels like you’re living to ‘do something,’ doesn’t it?”

“…….”

“In this perilous situation, merely trying to obtain information while weighing your life isn’t something a human would think of. How is that even possible?”

“I guess I’m somewhat fearless….”

“No. It doesn’t seem that way. You seem to comprehend the pain of death and its burdens quite well. The response to death isn’t something that would come from a divine being who doesn’t acknowledge death. So is death the turning point? From my perspective, you may….”

“…….”

“Hm. Your face has gone pale. Should we leave it at that?”

Watching Fuxi’s smirk made sweat trickle down my back. It felt like he knew everything about me, and I found it impossible to counter him with intellect.

Fuxi spoke.

“Let’s take a dive into the main points for once.”

“The main points?”

“Let’s go, shall we?”

Bang!

The moment Fuxi waved the fan, I found myself teleporting alongside him. And the place I ended up was a bizarre otherworld filled with giants.

Kugugugugu….

Giants! Those beings surpassed simple giant status, possessing powerful sorcery throughout their bodies and were laden with transcendental knowledge and experience. They typically lived for hundreds of thousands of years and were practically immortal, often becoming deified, exceeding any mortal’s limits.

Seeing countless giants casually floating about this otherworld was completely absurd. My presence here rendered me insignificant.

‘Is this truly the early history, the domain of the Giant Race?’

Each of those giants could very well be on par with a Demon King, and I felt breathless thinking about it. The saying that the Giant Race is the top race in the universe wasn’t mere fluff. However, Fuxi, seemingly unfazed, navigated smoothly among the giants until he finally met Shennong.

“Shennong. Here we are again.”

[Fuxi! You’ve come back rather quickly. Have you named that child yet?]

“No. I’m not planning to.”

[What?]

Fuxi then made a shocking statement.

“That child is likely the ‘One Who Destroys the Gods.’ Hence, I can’t dare name them.”

[…….]

Shennong seemed to scrutinize Fuxi carefully from his throne, clearly assessing him as if trying to discern his intentions. Then he spoke.

[What nonsense you’re spouting. Have you fallen for the Emperor’s ridiculous raving?]

“It seems the Emperor has recounted that to you too.”

[Just now, the Emperor came and rambled. I brushed it off as gibberish, but friend, have you gullibly swallowed it all?]

With a lamenting tone, Shennong murmured, and Fuxi retorted.

“Shennong, I’ll let you know.”

[What do you intend to reveal?]

Fuxi smiled broadly.

“You’re the fake. And this world is a fake world.”

[……?!]

“I would also be a fake, you see.”

Shennong, astonished, swirled the divine flames surrounding himself. Then, in a low voice, he spoke.

[I can’t believe you’ve gone mad…. The Emperor must be manipulating you.]

“No. I’m merely believing and following the words of my precious disciple.”

[Disciple? That human?]

“Hoho.”

Fuxi casually fanned himself as he continued.

“The method to prove the true nature of this world is straightforward. It’s merely about revealing ‘whose’ memory this truly is. But, from my perspective, I can assert that it cannot possibly be Nüwa’s memory. If it were truly Nüwa’s memory, the protagonist of this tale would have to be her based on the cause-and-effect framework, don’t you think? Yet I’m the one conducting it, am I not?”

[What nonsense you speak.]

“It’s a kind of process of elimination. If one recognizes oneself as false, the way forward is to discard everything one by one.”

At that, the room gasped in shock.

“Shennong. I’ll cooperate with you to hastily form an alliance among the Three Sovereigns. Then we shall inject our power into the ‘One Who Destroys the Gods,’ awaken them, and together assault the Emperor to slay him.”

[……!!]

“Without delay, if we kill the Emperor with our strength, we can ascertain the true nature of this world, no?”

Murmurs filled the air.

At Fuxi’s proposal, the mighty giants nearby mumbled excitedly. Among them were figures I had seen previously, like Zhu Rong and the likes, giving a fresh vibe. Upon hearing Fuxi’s words, Shennong pondered for a moment, propping his chin on his throne, then nodded.

[Fuxi. It seems you’ve gone a bit mad. But your offer of assistance feels genuine, so I’m pleased with your resolve.]

“You understand.”

[Though I don’t fully comprehend, we can unite our strength.]

Kugung….

Shennong rose from the throne, eyes radiating powerful divine energy.

[Can you summon Nüwa?]

“I’ll summon her now.”

[Can you truly trust she’d lend her strength? Did you get her agreement?]

Fuxi chuckled.

“My blood relation usually complies when I insist.”

[Very well.]

Shennong took a heavy step forward.

[Then follow. It may feel somewhat rushed, but we shall awaken the child.]