1181——————==

Soul of the Evil God

What does the King of Hell mean?

I asked him because I didn’t quite get it at first.

“The Old Ruler who devoured souls from the Underworld? What does that mean?”

“As I mentioned… When the Underworld was paralyzed, there existed a being that absorbed the souls of mortals who came to the Underworld through a vile deal with the Three Sovereigns. That being was also the Old Ruler.”

Ah, now that I think about it!

The souls of the dead were indeed headed to that guy’s belly!

When I showed that I understood, the King of Hell continued.

“That being connected dimensions so that the souls of the dead would fall directly into its belly… However, once you were resurrected and the King of the Underworld reclaimed his position, that connection was severed on its own.”

“Hm. What does that have to do with not being able to resurrect?”

“Perhaps it was angry due to the loss of its food. It created a barrier surrounding the entire Underworld, disrupting our work.”

“……!!”

“Normal reincarnation and transmigration are unaffected, but because of that, special powers like resurrection cannot be triggered.”

That happened!

I panicked and said to the King of Hell.

“So, to lift that barrier, we have to negotiate with that Old Ruler?”

“Exactly. That guy is probably dissatisfied with the current situation….”

The King of Hell trailed off for a moment.

“If your power were in a perfect state, it might be possible to defeat that being without needing to negotiate. However, facing that being directly right now will be tough. It’s only been a short while since you were resurrected, so we can’t lend you much help.”

“I’ll use the Book of Life and Death to annihilate that being!”

“That won’t work.”

“Why?”

“That being, unlike ordinary divine beings, is also derived from Death, so the effect would be negligible…”

Damn. This sounds like a troublesome situation.

A being that even the powers of the Divine Book can’t touch!

Normally, in such a troublesome situation, I would have just given up and left rather than negotiate with a strong being like the Old Ruler. But right now, I couldn’t afford to do that.

“If I give up, the souls will continue to linger in the Underworld… I might not be able to reincarnate them, but eventually, they’ll progress to their demise without power.”

Zhuge Liang, originally a Great Immortal with soul powers, could just shift his position back to this world and create a body with his abilities again. But not everyone has such capabilities. Characters like Jeong Do-ryeong and the Tactical Forces Agents, as well as the Ancient People, couldn’t just escape the state of souls.

As I closed my mouth feeling troubled, Zhuge Liang spoke up.

“Baek Woong. Just leave them in the Underworld. I will also stay here without going to this world.”

“What? You can’t do that…”

“If you are the Wheel King, you should be able to preserve the souls in the Underworld. After all, our powers have little meaning in the end times, so causing friction with the Old Ruler because of us would be foolish. To be blunt, we aren’t important companions.”

“……”

“No, perhaps being in this world might be even more dangerous for us. It’s better for you to take a few years to recover the power of the Wheel King and then try negotiating again. That’s the best suggestion I can give.”

Zhuge Liang seemed to think it was dangerous to clash with the Old Ruler who had been devouring souls from the Underworld. After all, if you fight a strong opponent with the power of the Wheel King diminished, it could be disastrous.

I thought for a moment and then asked.

“Then why do you want to stay in the Underworld, Zhuge Liang?”

“There’s something that has been weighing on my mind. So I want to investigate it in the Underworld, and besides, it seems like you don’t need any brilliant strategies in your current situation.”

“Something weighing on your mind?”

“It’s about the circumstances surrounding the sealing of the Wheel King. Grant me the authority to roam freely in the Underworld to gather data. There’s a secret I wish to find out by connecting with the library of the Giant Race.”

“…I see.”

I sighed and addressed the others.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to save you, but due to circumstances, I can’t do that right now. But I’ll ensure your safety in the Underworld.”

“Haha. So a dead person can’t die again, huh?”

The Tactical Forces Agent ranked third, Yoo Seong-gak, chuckled.

“Then please tell Deputy Commander Zhu Xian not to be too sad.”

“I got it.”

Pa-at

After processing everything, I attempted to return to the surface. However, the moment I used the Golden Lamp technique, I realized I was being sucked into an unexpectedly dark space.

“…….”

Damn it… Did I just get kidnapped to another dimension while using the Golden Lamp technique?

And as a bad feeling gripped me in silence, something from the darkness spoke to me a moment later.

“New Wheel King…. Nice to meet you….”

A chilling and dark voice.

A voice that mixed terrifying madness and demonic energy, one that could drive any ordinary mortal insane upon hearing it. I could see a horrifying figure writhing as if momentarily reflected in the moonlight from behind the darkness.

Without a doubt, it was the Great Being.

I could hazard a guess about my opponent’s identity.

‘This is a serious problem!’

The very opponent Zhuge Liang had warned me to avoid.

Despite trying to escape, it seemed like it came to find me instead.

Suddenly, a recent remark echoed in my mind.

“Congratulations on becoming the Wheel King once more, but let me warn you…”

“Soon, a Great Being will come to visit you.”

“You will encounter a threshold that you must cross as the King of Death…”

The Prophet’s advice as he received the Great Master.

Could he have been talking about this situation?

Oh!

So I immediately summoned the Book of Life and Death, holding it tightly in my hand as I spoke.

“…Are you the one who was devouring souls in the Underworld all this time?”

My question was met with a slow response from the figure.

“Indeed…. Until you returned….”

“Was it angry that I resurrected the cycles of the Underworld?”

“If your question is whether I’m angry, then no…. I’ve grown curious about you….”

Slithering

The figure seemed to transform into a viscous mass, like a blob of oil. It shifted into a form reminiscent of a human yet was distinctly oily, with green flames softly flickering all over its body.

The being that revealed this peculiar avatar seemed to be grinning.

“Are you planning to challenge Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen…?”

“…….”

“Do not fear…. I am merely filled with joy to see a rare being called a Reborn Person….”

“Damn!!”

In that moment, I let out a curse without realizing it.

How is it that every Tom, Dick, and Harry knows I’m a Reborn Person!

Considering how I used to madly try to hide this identity, it felt absurd. It seemed every divine being I met knew about it naturally. Grabbing my throbbing head, I spoke.

“Who said that?! Why is it a rumor in every corner?!”

“A fellow from the Divine Temple spread the word….”

“…….”

Oh, those bastards…!!

“Upon finding out this truth…. I originally set a trap to devour you…. However…. I decided to create an opportunity to converse carefully…”

Now I see that, even if I tried to avoid this confrontation, it seemed like it was a given. Knew it beforehand, the Prophet must have warned me on purpose.

“What do you want to talk to me about?”

“As I said…. I want to know if you’re thinking of fighting the Emperor…”

The being continued.

“By resurrecting the cycles…. quickly accumulating the law of cause and effect in the current world…. It seems you wish to overturn the situation, which is akin to the Emperor’s victory… That is an excellent scheme….”

“…….”

To be accurate, that was a plan devised by Mangnyang. But I figured it wasn’t necessary to share that. The being said.

“Thus, I have grown interested… If you…” If you were to defeat Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen, what would you want to do…?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“If you don’t tell me…. I might just invade the Underworld and wage war…. I could first capture you or severely injure you…. Making things deeply difficult for you….”

“You punk….”

“Speak…. Satisfy my curiosity….”

It seemed the being had already grasped my discomfort. I reluctantly answered.

“If I can eliminate Gong Sun Xuanwen… well, then I will postpone the end.”

“So, you’re saying it’s for humanity’s sake…. But you, if you wanted, wouldn’t even need to spare humanity…. You could look down upon the world from the ranks of the Rulers… Why must you save humanity…?”

“I don’t know, damn it! I just feel like doing it, so what’s the problem!”

I didn’t like being dragged around, so I glared at the being as I spoke.

“If we’re going to fight, let’s fight! But I won’t go down easily!”

I’ll manage somehow! If things go wrong, I’ll just kill myself!

After all, there’s the [Knot] to think about, I won’t bend anymore!

The being began to laugh.

“Khahaha… Truly a Reborn Person…. The defiance of someone who is human yet not quite… I like it….”

Then the being proposed something strange.

“Then… Will you not join hands with me…? Reborn Person.”

It was an unexpected proposition, so I widened my eyes.

“What?!”

“You have the right to join hands with me…. No… I want to see your end up close… Hehe….”

I was a bit flustered and replied.

“W-wait. Didn’t you get angry at me for taking your souls, and now you want to join me? I will never give you my soul…”

“That is merely a diversion… No matter how much I devour the soul chunks generated by the Three Sovereigns, it won’t significantly help elevate my status… Such trifling mortals…. It doesn’t matter, you don’t have to give them…”

“…….”

“I merely wished to eat souls until the end comes, while observing from the sidelines…. Do you understand…?”

There were indeed such beings among the Old Rulers!

Knowing what the being meant made my face contort as it continued.

“However, if you are a Reborn Person, it’s a different story…. I will assist you…. I want to take the foremost seat in the [Revelation] because of you…. To achieve that, I shall fully cooperate with you….”

“Don’t make me laugh. Do you really think I can cooperate with a Demon God like you?! How many souls have you devoured until now?”

“Kuk… Is that your trivial reason…? Such aren’t even worth mentioning; they are merely inconsequential soul chunks created by the Three Sovereigns….”

Feeling the absolute arrogance unique to divine beings, I was severely annoyed.

“Get lost!”

I glared at it with fiery eyes and continued.

“At the very least, if you’re going to say that, then spit out every soul you’ve eaten so far!!”

[…….]

“There’s no negotiation with scum like you!”

Is this the end of this knot? If I end up fighting the Old Ruler directly, I have no chance of winning in my current condition.

“Damn…. Next time, I have to handle it better….”

I thought the battle would start and braced myself for death, but unexpectedly, the being didn’t attack immediately. Instead, it suddenly said.

“If you really spit them out, will you join hands with me…?”

“……?!”

“Can you promise that…?”

W-what situation is this?

But I pulled myself together and said, “If you spit out all the souls suffering in your belly, then I’ll consider it.”

[…Very well…. I will trust that promise….]

Hoooom!!

And the next moment, the oily humanoid avatar of the Old Ruler began to blaze up massively, with green flames flickering, filling the dark space. The being transformed into a gigantic green candle, suddenly widening its mouth and puffing out something enormously.

Guugugugu

I realized I was floating in the skies of the Underworld. The Old Ruler, now enormous enough to fill the heavens, started to spew forth something from its gaping mouth into the dark void.

Kwahhkwahh

“Grrrrrrr….”

Waves of light!

I saw waves of brilliance bursting from that being, lighting up the entire Underworld in an instant. Realizing that the waves of light were indeed the souls themselves, numbering in the hundreds of trillions, set my heart racing.

“……!!”

Is it really spitting out every single one?!

All the souls it has devoured since ancient times!!

Kwahhkwahhkwahh

The waves of light poured out for about an entire meal’s duration, and soon enough, the dark Underworld was filled with the brightness of souls, blinding me. An unimaginable number of souls were floating in the air.

Moments later, as if it had spat out all the souls, the Old Ruler reverted back to its earlier avatar and spoke to me.

“I can’t return what the being at the center of this planet has eaten…. But at least the ones I consumed have been returned…”

“What exists at the center? What does that mean?”

“I was not the only one who had the right to eat souls…. That being contributed greatly to weakening the Wheel King directly… That being was also consuming souls…”

“……”

“Reborn Person… Keep your promise…. ”

I was unexpectedly surprised that the Old Ruler would keep such a promise. I couldn’t believe such a vicious and cruel being would comply with such a demand? But a promise is a promise, so I had no choice but to nod.

“…Alright. I’ll think about joining hands with you. But only as a consideration!”

“Fufu… That’s good enough…”

Even though I didn’t give a definitive answer, it seemed pleased, chuckling.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“I am a being born from the haunted universe…. A dragon that flowed into this world following Fuxi…”

Swoosh

Green flames began to stir. The Old Ruler vanished, leaving behind its last words with the lingering green light.

“Mortal beings have called me the God of the Chulu Dragon…. I shall appear to assist you in your [Revelation] when the end draws near!”