1128——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Jin Guk-jun?

I was racking my brain, trying to remember where I’d heard that name before, but it was eluding me. It sounded familiar, but my memory was hazy. Just then, Jin Guk-jun chuckled as if reading my thoughts.

“Of course you wouldn’t remember. When the Great Bear Empire invaded the Great Moon Kingdom, I fought against the Master of the White Lotus Sect. We were sworn enemies.”

“Ah…!!”

“You and I were never comrades to begin with. This is our first meeting.”

At that moment, a flash of memory hit me.

The Southern Invasion of the Great Bear Empire!

Not long after I went missing, the Great Bear Empire struck Goryeo, beheaded the Goryeo king, stabilized the East, and swiftly turned towards the Southern territories, including the Great Moon Kingdom. It was during this conquest that the Master of the White Lotus Sect unexpectedly faced the formidable Jin Guk-jun, and after a fierce battle, defeated him.

‘No wonder I had a fleeting memory of it.’

Since I had been thinking in terms of “comrade,” it was hard to immediately connect with the absolute master from an enemy nation. Now that I remembered Jin Guk-jun, I felt bewildered and asked, “What are you doing in the Celestial Realm…?”

Jin Guk-jun glanced at Mangnyang and replied, “That guy summoned my soul after I died and convinced me to forget my grudge and join the quest to save the world.”

“So that’s why you became our ally?”

“Heh… let’s just say so. You can thank Master Dokgo Uncheon for that.”

“Master of the White Lotus Sect?”

Jin Guk-jun nodded.

“He was the second emperor of the Great Bear Empire and didn’t oppress the Great Moon Kingdom, instead guaranteeing its autonomy. He could have ravaged it, but he upheld the knight’s honor, which made me think of cooperating with you.”

“Is that so?”

If the Master of the White Lotus Sect hadn’t shown mercy to the Great Moon Kingdom, it might have been hard to recruit Jin Guk-jun afterwards…

I felt relieved inside. Jin Guk-jun standing in front of me was remembered as one of the world’s top powers, a master of fist techniques! Also, having lived for over 300 years, he had been the guardian of the Great Moon Kingdom. If he had been provoked, he would never have submitted to us. By sparing the very kingdom he cherished, he had inadvertently helped my journey in my previous life.

But it was puzzling. The words “mercy” and “Master of the White Lotus Sect” didn’t seem to match, yet he had upheld the virtues of humanity. Had he undergone some heart change since meeting me?

Just then, another familiar voice rang out.

“Wow! Emperor Baek Woong! I was wondering if it was really you, and it turns out it is! You look just like back then!”

“Geuk-ho!!”

Geuk-ho walked into the Hall of the Trigram. Holding the Ruins Physique, he had shed his youthful appearance and now exuded the vibe of a seasoned warrior in his 30s. Geuk-ho laughed heartily.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty! What took you 500 years to show up?”

“Let’s just say I had my share of adventures. Good to see you again, Geuk-ho.”

“Can I drop the formalities?”

“Go ahead.”

“Great! Welcome back, buddy!”

Geuk-ho quickly came up and patted my back with a loud clap.

“Ugh. How dare you…!”

I replied in a disgruntled tone, causing Geuk-ho to chuckle.

“Come on, we’ve all died in the human realm and ended up in the Celestial Realm. It’s not like I’m going to treat you differently just because you’re an emperor.”

“…….”

He was incredibly casual, a clear sign that Geuk-ho hadn’t changed one bit. Even without directly receiving the obsidian this life, he dismissed any sense of distance! But strangely enough, I didn’t dislike that trait of his.

Finally, Mangnyang spoke up.

“All the waiting personnel have arrived.”

Geuk-ho, who was playfully messing with my neck from behind, suddenly looked up.

“But two are missing!”

“Taeyul God Lord Kwak Jeong-mu and the Heavenly Demon U Su-baek. Kwak Jeong-mu went out earlier, but he’ll be back soon.”

As Mangnyang said, two people soon entered the Hall of the Trigram. Kwak Jeong-mu and U Su-baek, absolute masters raised in the Great Bear Empire after my disappearance, were unfamiliar at first glance, but I quickly recognized them. Mangnyang appeared to be meticulously keeping track of our personnel.

“Now, let’s begin the assault meeting.”

“You mean to say that everyone not here is already inside the tower? It feels like there’s a much larger exploration team…”

“That’s correct, Baek Woong. Typically, we limit the number of waiting personnel and deploy a large number of people.”

A huge round table engraved with the Tai Chi symbol materialized in the center of the Hall of the Trigram, and everyone took their seats. Mangnyang began.

“We’re currently conducting the assault on the 76th floor. As everyone knows, with each floor we conquer, a door to the next level opens, and that door stays open for 12 days.”

I was surprised by this unexpected information and asked Mangnyang a question.

“Are you saying that after 12 days, the door to the next floor closes?”

“Yes. You would need to re-conquer that floor to reopen it.”

“Hmm! But once the floors open, couldn’t we just go straight up? Why not allow the door to remain open?”

Before Mangnyang could reply, it was Muyeong Geomje who answered.

“In cases of difficult trials, we had many injuries and casualties, Your Majesty. If we moved on to the next floor without treating them, we risked annihilation.”

“I see!”

“That’s why we’ve kept separate exploration and waiting personnel. If we have to temporarily give up ascending to a higher floor, splitting into two groups means that if one group suffers significant losses, the other can immediately step in.”

I quickly grasped the situation from Muyeong Geomje’s explanation. I pondered for a moment and replied.

“Even so, wouldn’t attempting the difficult trials again just lead to even greater casualties? It feels like unnecessary suffering…”

“No. Each floor’s trial has a set method for conquering, and once you go through it properly, you can usually conquer the next layer without suffering any injuries. This is quite efficient…”

“Aha.”

“Moreover, since only absolute masters are present, they can skillfully respond to previously exposed weaknesses or strategies.”

It seemed that Muyeong Geomje’s words held truth. Absolute masters had reached the highest levels among the martial artists on the earth, and once they’d defeated an opponent, they hardly lost to the same tactics again. Finally, I felt like I was understanding how to conquer the tower’s trials.

I asked again, “I’ve never been to the tower before. How difficult are its trials?”

“Well, how should I put it….”

Muyeong Geomje seemed puzzled explaining and stroked his beard. Just then, Jin Guk-jun commented.

“Baek Woong. All the individuals here have each held a title of supreme being in the martial arts realm, but they’ve been humbled by the trials of the tower. That should explain it well enough.”

“…….”

“You’ll understand once you experience it. No matter how strong someone is, they can’t clear it alone—unless they’re on the level of Yeodong-bin.”

Is it really that tough?

‘Jin Guk-jun, that guy was an absolute master for hundreds of years and the top in the Southern Martial Arts world, and yet, he shows no arrogance at all.’

Moreover, his high regard for Yeodong-bin was palpable.

As I was processing the tower’s difficulty, Mangnyang spoke.

“The progress of the exploration team inside the tower cannot be known from outside. Unless we return and one of the survivors reports, we’ll have to wait to find out how far they’ve advanced. Originally, that is.”

Mangnyang unfolded a map as he continued speaking.

“But this time, since Baek Woong and Miho are participating, we’ll go with the strategy of deploying all waiting personnel at once to push forward the frontlines.”

“Isn’t that too dangerous? Sure, it strengthens our power, but if everyone gets wiped out, there won’t be a future…”

“Baek Woong. You came here to personally resolve things with Fuxi in a short time, didn’t you? Miho probably doesn’t have much time either.”

“Um…”

I flinched at those words and looked at Miho. Sitting quietly and listening, Miho replied.

“We don’t need to rush. Since I’ve subdued Daji once before, the risk of her going berserk seems lowered. However, using my full power in this Celestial Realm is off the table.”

“Miho, why can’t you use your full power?”

“Staying in the Celestial Realm consumes less cause-and-effect, but still, I am a divine being and bound by cause-and-effect. This body is more of a manifestation overlapping with my true form summoned to the Celestial Realm.”

“Oh? Is that how it is?”

“Yeah. So I can only use powers equivalent to a manifestation that doesn’t bind me by cause-and-effect. Unless you guys take some offerings for me.”

“Hmm. In that case, I could offer you some offerings…”

“I don’t mind, but the Heavenly Mysterious Woman won’t view it favorably.”

“Why would the Heavenly Mysterious Woman care?”

“…….”

As Miho fell silent, Mangnyang stepped in to explain.

“If Miho, a divine being, accepts offerings to intervene in the trials of the Celestial Realm, it’s similar to the invasion of the Old Ruler from the otherworldly realm. From the perspective of the Celestial Realm, it would feel like an invasion by an ‘Old Ruler,’ and even without malicious intent, there’s a high risk of destabilizing the realm’s dimension. It’s understandable that the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, who’s currently using all her strength to maintain the Celestial Realm, would disapprove. This is also why even that powerful Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin, who is stronger than ten absolute masters combined, can’t tackle the trials directly.”

“Oh, I see!”

“Even so, Miho’s power would significantly aid in conquering the tower, so she can’t be entirely excluded. Therefore, if it’s just once, I’ll try to mitigate any backlash with the Corpse Dissolution Technique.”

“Thanks, Mangnyang.”

As we continued our conversation, I realized just how remarkable Miho had become.

‘Could she be considered a low-tier ‘Old Ruler’?’

Simply by accepting offerings, she had become a high-level entity capable of shaking the Celestial Realm. There were reasons that Miho had managed to defeat Bi-ryu in the past.

Mangnyang resumed speaking.

“Back to the main point, when we reach the 99th floor, we will undoubtedly encounter Fuxi. This tower expedition is bound to be our last.”

“Do you have any reasons to be so certain?”

Mangnyang’s next words were unexpected.

“There have already been two trials: the trial of the Sea and the trial of the Labyrinth. And when the third trial of the tower appeared, a spirit turtle appeared on the first floor and told us directly that this tower’s trials would conclude.”

“Y-you mean the Spirit Turtle?! Really?”

I was taken aback; I had never heard this before.

“Yes. Furthermore, when we ascend the 99th floor, it was declared that a trial prepared directly by the gods awaits us. This was already decades ago.”

“…….”

I lost my words.

The Spirit Turtle!

That entity was revered as a divine being among the Four Divine Beasts, alongside the Shenglong, Phoenix, and Qilin. I had encountered it during my past life journey. The Spirit Turtle had helped me master the Mask Art easily and I had also received omens through it. Moreover, it had even become an offering to Shennong to borrow power for this world. And now, the spirit being known for its kindness and virtue had appeared in the trials of this Celestial Realm?

I turned to Mangnyang and said, “Such crucial information should have been recorded for the analysts back on earth… I’m surprised to hear it only now.”

Mangnyang replied nonchalantly, “I assume they got the gist, but there are traitors at play on the surface. So if we casually leaked information about the Celestial Realm’s assault, who knows what kind of conspiracy would find its way here? I wanted to wait until you arrived in the Celestial Realm to share it with you.”

“Um.”

“Once you breach the Heavenly Altar, coming to the Celestial Realm is child’s play.”

Traitors.

That word reminded me of Yong Junil. He was definitely affiliated with the Great Bear Empire but had vanished while carrying the Seven Great Techniques! If I ever crossed paths with Yong Junil again, I would settle things with him.

‘That makes sense. There are so many who would oppose the Great Bear Empire…’

As I was deep in thought, Mangnyang said,

“For decades, many have struggled to reach the 76th floor. However, we intentionally operated more conservatively, even though we could have made quicker advances. It was because, as the Spirit Turtle advised, the trials awaiting us on the 99th floor would undoubtedly be overwhelming.”

“A trial prepared directly by the gods.”

“Yes. Even the masters hardened by decades of exploring the Sea and the Labyrinth had no certainty of overcoming such trials. Thus, we chose to advance at a brisk pace while focusing more on building our allies’ strengths.”

Upon hearing that, I responded, “So why not just ask absolute beings from the Celestial Realm like the Heavenly Mysterious Woman or even the Celestial Sage for help? Surely it wouldn’t hurt to request just the 99th floor?”

“That’s something we haven’t discussed.”

Mangnyang continued, calm as ever.

“Of course, we requested help from the divine beings right from the outset, but the divine beings haven’t been able to enter this starry realm. While some lesser god may enter, the higher-tier ones can’t.”

“……?! Why is that?”

“It appears to be intentional. They likely wish to see our pure capabilities.”

As Mangnyang hesitated, he continued, “The Heavenly Mysterious Woman is exerting most of her strength to maintain the Celestial Realm, so she doesn’t have the luxury to intervene carelessly in the trial of the Three Sovereigns. That’s why we have no choice but to rely solely on our capabilities.”

“I understand.”

“But now that you’re back, Baek Woong, I’m determined to push forward with all our might. With your strength, you will be recognized as one of the upper-tier powers within the expedition team, and your potential exceeds that.”

Hearing that made me a bit proud, but also somewhat miffed. I thought I was the strongest in this world, and now they were telling me I was merely “upper-tier”? I grumbled somewhat defensively.

“I’m probably the strongest here…”

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere grew awkward. The reason for the discomfort was that the absolute masters around me were looking at me with a mix of curiosity and competitive spirit. The meaning behind those gazes was something I could sense without being told.

With that in mind, I thought, might as well have a match!

Especially in the eyes of Jin Guk-jun and Muyeong Geomje, there was an eager intensity. It felt like they wanted to unsheathe their swords and have a duel right there.

“Ah, well, it might not be like that. Anyway, that’s not the important issue…”

I stumbled through my words. I had a strange feeling that if we began a tournament to determine the strongest, I might fall short. It was a peculiar intuition, fueled by the pressure emanating from the divine beings gathered here. Although I had weathered countless trials, I still sensed it would be tough to match their aura.

What kind of hell had these guys faced during those hundreds of years?

As I was lost in thought, Miho rested her chin on her hand, voicing her concern, “I’ve listened to all the explanations, but there’s one thing I don’t understand, Mangnyang.”

“What is it?”

“You’re saying divine beings can’t enter the Starry Realm. But it seems like Yeodong-bin was able to come here in the past and assist the exploration teams. Why is he an exception?”

“…That’s a mystery for us too. The Celestial Sage and Lee Rang-jin-gun were also barred from entering the Starry Realm, but Yeodong-bin managed to slip in without any resistance through the secret passage of the shrine. We don’t know why.”

Just then, as if a thought struck him, Mangnyang added:

“And another individual, Jang Sam-bong, was also able to enter.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Miho appeared to understand something.

“Mangnyang, I think I now grasp why you spoke to Minglong like that earlier. You know something, don’t you?”

“…….”

“Anyway, enough wasting time. Let’s head to the tower.”

We all stood up and exited the Eight Trigrams Pavilion. As we stepped onto the Eight Trigrams Teleportation Circle drawn in front of the pavilion, Mangnyang recited a command.

Whoa!

Moments later, it felt like we had landed in an entirely different world. I had imagined the interior of the tower, and was shocked to find we were in the vastness of outer space. The pitch-black, expansive void of space was sparkling with starlight.

“Huh?! Why are we in space?”

“The inside of the tower is an infinite space. It wouldn’t be strange if it resembled outer space.”

“That sounds crazy! So we should be flying through space now?”

“No. Pay attention.”

Mangnyang pointed his finger to high above. A sizable path, made of soft starlight, was connected to the far side of the galaxy. Mangnyang explained,

“If you follow the designated path, you’ll confront the trials.”

Boom!

As we began to ascend along the path made of starlight, I felt a peculiar sense of direction twist and turn, as though no matter how steep the climb felt, I was merely strolling on flat ground. Although we had just begun, it felt like we were walking thousands of miles away from the ground.

As I walked on the path of starlight, I pondered,

‘Is Fuxi truly insane?’

Something felt off. If he were genuinely mad, would he go through the trouble of setting up such trials to test humanity? But it seemed like Fuxi had a spirit turtle under his command, which made it hard to chalk it all up to madness.

Was he putting on an act?

‘No way. But when Nüwa sent me to Fuxi’s realm back then… back then, he appeared to be completely irrational. He could wipe me out with just a breath.’

That was something one couldn’t fabricate. At that moment, Fuxi truly embodied the essence of madness. But along with that insanity, I sensed a thinking presence in these trials. There was a striking resemblance between him and the supreme dragon I had felt in the Land and Earth Diagram.

Can madness and reason coexist?

Is Fuxi’s unmasking related to this?

Just then, a colossal sound came forth.

Rumble…

In the distant expanse of space, there was a tremendous roar, as if something explosive erupted in the northern sector of the great celestial body.

[Grrroooaaaar!!]

In that realm, a massive eagle-like creature with enormous wings was seen flapping wildly while unleashing countless beams of light from a distance.

Boom!

As I watched that fiery battle scene from afar, awe washed over me.

“Wha—what is that? Could that possibly be the trial?”

“Indeed. That’s the trial on the 76th floor, the guardian monster. Its estimated size is akin to a small country’s area—basically, a gigantic raven. We’ve been informed that our exploration team has been engaged in combat with it for over 200 days now.”

Talk about monstrous! Watching such a creature roasting the surface and unleashing beams in unpredictable trajectories in a cosmic battlefield was majestic. I stood there, dumbfounded.

“It’s way too huge… I can’t see the exploration team. Oh!”

Crash!

I saw the gigantic raven sustain heavy damage in space. Soon after, it let out a mighty gust that dispersed the celestial clouds and sent waves of scorching light rippling out to the flat horizon. The shockwave spread for miles.

Grrrr…

“…….”

They’re actually fighting that thing?

As I was incredulous about the scale of this battle, I felt the absolute masters around me begin drawing their weapons one by one. Muyeong Geomje, Geuk-ho, Jin Guk-jun, among others, presenced their respective will as they prepared to retaliate.

“That raven is incredibly strong, Your Majesty. Brace yourself.”

“Even with the Heavenly Radiant Blood Wave, it still doesn’t penetrate well.”

“Right. Whenever we struck with full force, it miraculously endured without even losing an eye.”

Their readiness to fight sent clear messages.

“…Have you guys faced that thing before?”

I felt bewildered and asked the three absolute masters, who nodded simultaneously. I was left speechless, and Mangnyang spoke.

“From the 70th floor onward, the difficulty has skyrocketed to a level reminiscent of a high-tier Demon King. That’s why everyone has acclimated to it.”

“Are you telling me that each floor gets tougher?”

“Until now, yes. That’s why we’ve been waiting for you.”

Boom!

Mangnyang flaunted blue spirit energy from his eyes as he drew his Baek Woong and leapt forward. In low tones, he muttered the Corpse Dissolution Technique.

“If this trend continues, we will undoubtedly be facing something of the ‘Old Ruler’ tier on the 99th floor!”