1223——————==

Soul of the Evil God

So, you’re Gun?

“I think I’ve heard of it in some ancient myth.”

I couldn’t quite figure out the identity of this guy. I wasn’t exactly a mythology expert, and Mangnyang wasn’t around to help. But right now, what mattered more than Gun’s identity was whether he had any hostility towards me, so I focused on that.

“It’s ambiguous.”

It’s as if there’s a mix of hostility and curiosity in the air. Somehow, I sensed that this guy wasn’t just a plain enemy but wanted to see something from me.

Looks like it’s better to solve this with words rather than fighting.

Trusting my intuition, I spoke to Gun.

“You seem like an ancient great being. Did Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen imprison you, and did you break free from that seal to leap into this world?”

[Indeed.]

“So, what are you planning to do now? Are you out for revenge against the Three Sovereigns?”

[…….]

Gun looked at me with empty eyelids. Even without eyeballs, his gaze had a ghostly blue flame swirling ominously within it. After a moment of silence, Gun spoke in a deadpan manner.

[You seem to be an apostle of the Three Sovereigns. You bear the cursed symbol of Shao Hao on your arm, and yet you don’t come at me?]

Definitely not an ordinary guy. He likely noticed the invisible apostle’s symbol tattooed on my arm where the wings of Shao Hao used to be. That meant this Gun wasn’t just any being; he once had powers on par with the apostles of the Three Sovereigns in his lifetime.

‘Considering he’s trapped by the Emperor’s seal, he must have been anything but normal…’

His abilities could be over that of a Demon King. I wanted to avoid a bloody fight against such a powerful being right at the start of my rebirth.

I calmly responded to Gun’s question.

“My mission given by Shao Hao is completely different. Depending on your cooperation, we might not need to fight at all.”

[Oh? The apostle of that fighting cock, Shao Hao, is calm and not aggressive…]

Gun stroked his chin, seemingly intrigued. After a moment’s thought, he continued.

[I have no immediate plans for revenge against the Three Sovereigns. I need to grow stronger and intend to enjoy some freedom for a while. If you don’t interfere, we could cooperate.]

“Great! You understand me!”

[You may be a noble being with the rank of emperor, but your speech seems rather lowly.]

Gun muttered something with a hint of contempt.

[I’d like to know if there’s any point of compromise. What do you want?]

I told Gun.

“I’m in the process of scouting the existence of Yu Shun. If you know anything about his whereabouts or information, please share it with me.”

[…….]

It seemed I’d touched on something unexpected, as the blue flames in Gun’s eyes flickered wildly.

Huh? Did I just bring up a sensitive topic?

After a short pause, Gun spoke up.

[I might know a bit about that. I don’t know the location, but I do have some significant information regarding him…]

“Is that so?”

[If I share this information with you, what will you give me in return? You wouldn’t be so shameless as to offer a paltry false freedom for releasing me from this spot, would you?]

“Haha, there’s no way I’d do that….”

Sharp guy.

I muttered under my breath.

“I’ll offer you a treasure I possess. According to the law of cause and effect, your chances of recovering your power will also increase… Seems like a trade that benefits us both.”

[What kind of treasure are you talking about?]

“Hmm. I don’t really want to pull it out right now with so many eyes around.”

I glanced around. Earlier, when Gun came out of the blade, there was just a shockwave, so there were no casualties, and every Taoist from Maoshan was currently watching our conversation. Pulling out all my treasures in this setting might as well be a death wish.

Then, Gun casually remarked.

[What’s there to worry about? Let’s team up and kill them all first, then we can talk.]

“…….”

[Humans of this worldly realm are not my subjects.]

Whoa!!

As Gun raised one hand, a dark sphere appeared in his palm along with a mysterious Ghost Valley sound, and it looked like it was compressing immense magical power. My experience battling Demon Kings told me that if that dark sphere burst, this Maoshan would be blown away easily.

Murmur, murmur…

The Taoists from Maoshan seemed uneasy, beginning to murmur amongst themselves, and the leader of Maoshan, who was nearest to me, turned pale and knelt down, pleading.

“O great being!! Please stop!! We’ll do anything!!”

“…….”

“Please, please stop that fellow for us! Ugh….”

I had actually intended to hold Gun back, but after the leader of Maoshan said that, my mischievous side kicked in. So, I jokingly said.

“How about you Maoshan folks become my subordinates in exchange for stopping Gun?”

“…Yes!! Of course! Please accept us as your subordinates.”

The elders of Maoshan looked utterly shocked upon hearing this.

“Leader!!”

“How could we place the fate of our sect in the hands of such a child….”

But despite the elders’ criticism, the leader of Maoshan hit his head hard against the ground, desperately appealing to me.

“O great being!! I beg you!! Please accept us as your subordinates….”

I felt a bit guilty for making him seem so pathetic, so I quickly tapped his bloodline to stop him. I lifted the leader of Maoshan and sighed.

“Alright, alright. Just stop now….”

Damn… I was secretly hoping for a reaction that wouldn’t be so serious, but instead, here I am, totally flustered by their eagerness to serve me.

Receiving such a response was not something I was used to, and I suddenly felt bad for the leader of Maoshan. He probably didn’t actually see me as a lord but viewed me as a demonic existence on the level of Gun, squeezing out courage to save his fellow sword masters.

I told Gun.

“I apologize for not being able to show my treasure right now. But as an apostle, I promise to make an offering that will not disappoint you.”

[Is that so? You’re not going to run amok?]

“Yes.”

[It would be simpler to just annihilate everyone and talk after. You’re weaker than I expected, despite appearing more than a human…]

“Damn. Aren’t you supposed to be an ancient emperor? Why are you so cruel?”

I said bluntly, and Gun replied.

[My people have perished under the treachery of the Three Sovereigns. There isn’t a hint of warmth left in this world, so don’t speak to me like that.]

“…I hope you’ll tell me that story later. Anyway, have we established a deal?”

[…….]

Gun seemed to ponder something before speaking up.

[I’ve become more interested in what kind of being you are. I’ll return to the Wu Blade, so wake me if you want to trade later.]

“What?”

[I will rest a bit longer….]

Whoosh!!

In the next moment, Gun’s form seemed to get sucked back into the blade. When the dark aura dissipated, Gun’s presence vanished. I approached the Wu Blade, still in confusion, and when I took it into my hands, I couldn’t feel the same magical energy from it as before.

“What’s happened?”

I asked the leader of Maoshan standing next to me.

“Leader of Maoshan, what did Gun just do?”

The leader bowed his head and answered.

“It seems he sealed himself back into the blade. Rather than a seal, it’s likely more about him taking an additional rest period to recover his power….”

“A rest?”

“Perhaps the Gun that just appeared was not fully recovered… Divine beings can recover their spent power through slumber, so he went to rest in the divine Wu Blade.”

“Hmm.”

So, they call this blade the Wu Blade.

I stared at the Wu Blade for a moment and then said to the leader of Maoshan.

“It seems we have some talking to do. Let’s head inside.”

“Your Honor….”

After the room was organized, a space was made for me to converse with the leader of Maoshan. The elders also wanted to listen, but once we entered the leader’s chamber, it seemed like eavesdropping wouldn’t work. The leader of Maoshan spoke to me in an extremely polite manner.

“Thank you for saving our sect, O great being.”

I was annoyed, so I replied.

“Can we please skip the whole great being thing? You seem very knowledgeable about the inner world, but I’m just a pure human, not some otherworldly race or monster.”

The leader of Maoshan looked astonished.

“What? You claim to be an apostle of the Three Sovereigns, yet how could a human become such a being… and how could one have such formidable power… If Gun is as legendary as you mentioned, no mere human could negotiate with such an existence.”

I thought it pointless to go into explaining my past, especially since offering up my identity as a reborn person didn’t seem necessary. So, I decided to play it casual.

“Oh, I don’t know. Due to my circumstances, I ended up digging through the ruins of the Three Sovereigns and got a few stroke of luck along the way, so keep that in mind and treat me like a human.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, can you explain more about the Wu Blade and Gun?”

Nodding at my question, the leader of Maoshan replied.

“The Wu Blade is a treasure from the Mythological Age, it was used by Emperor Yao to behead Gun when he failed at controlling the floods. After Gun was sealed in the Wu Blade, Emperor Shun took over and stabilized the world with the help of the Northern Sovereign, Jeon Wook, as legend says.”

“…Controlling the floods? Jeon Wook?”

Does this connect back to Jeon Wook somehow?

I was surprised to respond when the leader of Maoshan continued.

“Didn’t you know? Gun was originally the son of the Northern Sovereign, Jeon Wook, and was a being who ascended to godhood.”

“……!!”

Son of Jeon Wook?!

‘So, Gun is a genuine divine being!’

I was taken aback, and the leader of Maoshan added.

“I too do not know precisely what transpired during the Mythological Age. All I know is that Gun was killed by being sealed within the Wu Blade, and at that time, a being called the Dragon of Regulation was born. Our first founder, the Upper Clear God, descended from the Celestial Realm to the mortal realm holding the Wu Blade, and since then, we have maintained the seal.”

“Hmm, complicated.”

I think I’ve heard a bit about this when studying myths with Mangnyang, but reading it in the history books is nothing compared to encountering a living memory firsthand.

As I diligently absorbed the words of the leader of Maoshan, he spoke with an unusually excited tone.

“Apparently, Gun was a proud and strong ruler who would not bow to Emperor Yao and Shun… To think he would chat calmly and choose to reseal himself with a noble person like you… Truly great being indeed.”

“Could you stop with the ‘great being’ stuff…? I’m not that great.”

“I, I apologize.”

“By the way, who is this Upper Clear God? Another being of the Celestial Realm?”

“…….”

“I’ve never heard of that Great Immortal.”

The leader of Maoshan looked at me as if I were a little insane.

“Though not widely known, he was not an ordinary Great Immortal but an avatar of a great being. When he established the Maoshan sect, he became the right-hand of Mount Kunlun and instructed us always to cooperate with the Celestial Realm in times of crisis.”

“…….”

“I take pride in that fact.”

The leader of Maoshan replied with a remarkably proud voice, but I caught the real implications behind his words.

‘… The Upper Clear God must be an avatar of someone of equal stature to the Three Sovereigns. He probably came down to make life easier for the Celestial Realm in governing Earth by establishing the Maoshan sect. In other words, he must facilitate the actions of the Great Immortals of Kunlun Mountain in emergencies.’

It all made sense why the Maoshan sect had a relatively rich understanding of the hidden world and why their magic was at quite a high level. In a way, they were the watchdogs or sentinels of the Celestial Realm.

Curiosity made me ask the leader of Maoshan.

“Do you, by chance, pass on any information you obtain here to the Celestial Realm?”

“No, we do not.”

“You’re not lying, are you?”

The leader of Maoshan shook his head vigorously.

“The connection Maoshan had with the Celestial Realm was during the Mandate Era. When the Dragon of the Apocalypse descended, the world fell into chaos, and at that time, many Taoists of our sect were lost to the Great Demons, and we lost every means to reconnect with the Celestial Realm. We became an independent sect researching techniques for nearly a millennium.”

“…….”

“The Celestial Realm has long since become a legend.”

During the Mandate Era, the Dragon of the Apocalypse.

Could the fallout from that moment have influenced the Maoshan sect as well?

‘After all, if they were a sect connected to the Celestial Realm, there should be at least one Great Immortal level being among them, but it seems there isn’t. Considering their power level is low, what they said is probably true.’

At any rate, since it didn’t look like they were lying, I decided to let it go and said to the leader of Maoshan.

“From now on, do not contact the Celestial Realm. If you disobey my orders, I won’t just sit on my hands.”

“Of course.”

“Hmmm, the son of Jeon Wook, huh….”

It feels like I’ve unexpectedly encountered someone connected to a big story. I couldn’t shake off the impression of Gun’s bizarre form from earlier.

‘Why was he devoid of eyes and dressed like a prisoner?’

It seems there’s a hidden story from the Mythological Age tied to Gun. I organized my thoughts and got to the point.

“Anyway, leader of Maoshan… uh… what’s your alias?”

“Call me Taoist Master Dosan.”

“Taoist Master Dosan. Look at this.”

I pulled out the Spirit Needle and showed it to him. His eyes widened in surprise.

“This… this is?”

“One of the Seven Luminaries, the Spirit Needle. I obtained it from a sealed place, and due to the ripple effects, a powerful Qi is currently swirling nearby. Soon, this Qi will bring about a calamity.”

“So, that’s why you said you wanted to offer the Qi.”

“Yes. Is there a technique or sorcerer to gather and offer that Qi?”

After a brief moment of thought, Taoist Master Dosan replied.

“I’ll go and handle it personally.”

“Are you sure you can do it?”

“It requires quite a bit of advanced technique, but it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

I decided to give the leader of Maoshan a chance to prove himself.

“Very well, let’s go.”

Whoosh!!

Soon, I arrived at the vicinity of the sealed place of the Spirit Needle along with Seo Mun-hye and Taoist Master Dosan. We scaled the highest peak nearby, where Taoist Master Dosan made a temporary altar out of stone and sat down to begin chanting spells for a while.

Rumbling…

Shortly thereafter, the sky darkened, and storm clouds rolled in. Taoist Master Dosan sweated buckets as he desperately recited his incantations, and after a while, he gasped for breath.

“Huff…. Huff…. I’ve gathered… the Qi….”

“So now we just offer it?”

“Pl-please wait a moment for the offering spell….”

“Huh? We have to do it separately?”

“Yes…. It will take a full moment to chant the incantations….”

“…….”

Something feels off. Why is it taking so long?

And judging by the effort he’s putting in, gathering the Qi seems to be a real challenge, making it look nearly impossible to summon the Great Immortals of the Celestial Realm. The gap in our capabilities was glaringly obvious, so I shook my head.

“Cheon Woo-jin did it in no time.”

As I mumbled in disappointment, Taoist Master Dosan reacted with wide eyes.

“Y-You mean the Illusory God?”

“You also know Cheon Woo-jin?”

“How could I not know the absolute master of the Left Taoist Sect, the disciple of Master Mangnyang… Once upon a time, he was a part of our Maoshan sect….”

Taoist Master Dosan seemed to stop himself mid-sentence, looking bashful as he glanced away.

“That individual is not a subject I can compare myself to. Please don’t compare me to someone who has transcended humanity….”

“…….”

Wow, Cheon Woo-jin is even more significant than I thought.

After waiting for about a moment and then some, finally, Taoist Master Dosan, who was drenched in sweat, called out.

“Qi of the Seven Luminaries…!! It shall belong to Lord Baek Woong as an offering!!”

Woo-oo-oo!!!

A massive three-meter droplet emerged in the heavens moments later. The droplet slowly approached me, stopping right before my eyes. Realizing this was the gathered Qi of the Spirit Needle, I looked at Taoist Master Dosan, who was panting heavily.

“Huff… Huff…. After you extend your hand to this droplet, you can perform the offering as you desire….”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“Ugh….”

Thud!

Taoist Master Dosan collapsed, exhausted from physical and magical exertion. I was taken aback, never having expected the offering of Qi to be such a strenuous task, and when I looked at the fainted master in disbelief, Seo Mun-hye said beside me.

“Lord Baek Woong. Even if he seems collapsed, Taoist Master Dosan is one of the most elite magical practitioners among the humans of the Central Plains. But the sorcerers you’ve met so far reached superhuman levels, making him seem lacking.”

“Is that so….”

“Well, hurry and offer it….”

I nodded, then reached out towards the droplet.

Swoosh!

I felt the droplet seeping into my arm. Simultaneously, I closed my eyes, and as four circles emerged in my mind, I wished for the flow of water to glide into the circle featuring Varuna.

Woo-oo-oo…

Just as the Qi of the Spirit Needle flowed into the circle of the Four Great Spirit Deities Varuna, a sound reverberated in my head.

[Baek Woong! What are you doing right now?]

Whoosh!

In my consciousness, the form of water Varuna manifested as an elemental figure appeared before me. I found myself losing my bodily senses and blending into this visionary realm, naturally standing before Wasser Varuna. I spoke to Wasser Varuna.

“Varuna, it seems like your Spirit Deities are refusing me. Must it be so? Even accept the Qi of the Spirit Needle and let some anger dissipate.”

[…….]

Varuna remained silent, crossing his arms before finally responding.

[So, you’re implying bribes.]

“Well, in a way, yes.”

[What a rather pathetic idea. Did you think I would be happy to accept such a thing?]

Crap, is it not working?!

As I gritted my teeth, Varuna suddenly spread his arms and shouted.

[Of course, I would be happy to accept!!]

“…….”

[Make sure to offer me more in the future!]

This guy’s messing with me!

[However, your magical energy is annoying, so while you can use the divine techniques of water, I will erase your magical power in proportion to the usage. Do you agree?]

“……?!”

[The erased magical power will be permanently made unavailable.]

I was taken aback by Varuna’s unexpected statement.

“Wait, how is that allowed?! My power is still my own!”

[This is something I cannot yield on. We inherently despise magical power, and given your current state, instead of loaning you any, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to confuse you to death on the spot. Consider this the utmost concession I’m making, lucky for you I’m feeling lenient today.]

“… Hmm.”

[Furthermore, other beings are still craving to kill you, so be cautious.]

Hearing those words, I quickly glanced around me, and lo and behold, from the other three circles swirled faint glimmers of killing intent. It was evident Varuna wasn’t lying, and I gulped in anxiety as he added.

[As a piece of advice, you should avoid using that magical power excessively.]

“Do you know something?”

[Well, I did warn you.]

“… Fine. I’ll accept those terms.”

[The deal is now established.]

Whoosh!!

In the next moment, I had returned to the real world.

‘I did it.’

I seemed to have regained the permission to use the power of the Four Great Spirit Deities Varuna. As I preened in satisfaction, Seo Mun-hye, who was by my side, asked.

“Lord Baek Woong, you’ve put out the immediate fire. What will you do now?”

“Hmm… for now….”

I mumbled while gazing at the sky.

“I’m planning to go get some more valuable things.”

“`

 

---