1277——————==

Soul of the Evil God

After my words, the Master of Zen stared at me with a profound gaze for a while before responding.

“I don’t know why your sponsor is searching for the Reverse Root Water Mirror, but it was long lost by our sect.”

I calmly replied, “I know. It’s said that a powerful master from the Absolute Realm stole it hundreds of years ago.”

“Ha ha… You know even the secret history of our sect. If Lao Nop knew the whereabouts of the Reverse Root Water Mirror as you say, he would be desperate to find it. I’m curious why you’re asking Lao Nop for it.”

“To be precise, I’m not asking for the Reverse Root Water Mirror right now. The reason I mention this is…”

I looked at the Master of Zen with serious eyes and continued, “I have a clue about the Reverse Root Water Mirror. So I would like all the records of the first founder, Hye Ga, and the second abbot, Dao Xin, who established the Shaolin Temple, to be handed over to me.”

“……!!”

“And if I manage to locate the Reverse Root Water Mirror as a result, it will be mine. How about that?”

“You want the ownership of the Reverse Root Water Mirror that you might find in the future… Is that what you’re saying?”

“Exactly.”

“……”

Though my words were a bit tangled, it seemed the Master of Zen understood my intention right away, perhaps because of his wisdom. I thought to myself.

‘For 500 years, Master Myung-ho has been trying to find the Reverse Root Water Mirror, but the biggest mistake was the loss of Shaolin’s documents during the battle with the Eight Parts of the Divine.’

Even after I went missing, there weren’t immediate problems, but as the chaos caused by the Eight Parts of the Divine escalated, Shaolin was attacked and crucial facilities burned down. At that time, the documents concerning the founding records by Hye Ga and Dao Xin, which could be considered the most significant clues regarding the Reverse Root Water Mirror, completely vanished.

‘After 500 years, Master Myung-ho input his regrets into the Cheon Woo-jin’s data, saying he had to analyze that information all the time. If Hye Ga and Dao Xin could directly use the Reverse Root Water Mirror, they surely left behind some clues….’

And since it’s not long after my rebirth, Shaolin should still be intact, and the records of the first and second abbots would be preserved somewhere in the Shaolin Temple. Knowing this, I decided to apply strong pressure on Master Myung-ho to negotiate.

‘Honestly, I don’t care about the ownership of the Reverse Root Water Mirror in the future…. Regardless, once I master it, it will be passed down to the next life anyway!’

I need to receive the records related to Hye Ga and Dao Xin!

Only with Shaolin’s help can I find the Reverse Root Water Mirror!

After pondering for a long time, Master Myung-ho said, “It seems your martial arts have already reached the heavens…. Even if you obtain the legendary Reverse Root Water Mirror, it doesn’t seem like it will significantly enhance your martial arts. Why are you being so greedy?”

I shook my head at his words.

“Not at all. I have gained this level through numerous fortuitous encounters and spiritual pills, but in fact, compared to true absolute masters, I am lacking. And as I understand it, the Reverse Root Water Mirror is practically the only clue to access the Divine Realm! I know it’s the strongest divine art of Shaolin.”

“……”

“Anyway, as it stands, it’s a legend that you also cannot obtain. However, if you help me, I promise to share all the content of the Reverse Root Water Mirror with you. What do you say?”

At that, Master Myung-ho’s eyes sparkled with interest as he replied, “You speak as if… as if all our sect needs to do is help you, and you’ll immediately get the Reverse Root Water Mirror… What kind of clue do you possess that makes you so sure?”

“If I tell you that, will you accept my offer?”

“I want to hear what the clue is….”

I slowly continued, “I have certain knowledge about the Reverse Root Water Mirror. In fact, I’m searching to verify if it’s true or not.”

“Oho… please tell me.”

“Alright!”

With that, I activated the Thunder Spirit Classic, intensely recalling my memories and began recounting the contents I had seen in the future, without missing a single word.

“The immortal is the inner dan, and the true is the immortal, merging the inner dan and the meridians to attain virtue in hand is the utmost correct essence. Thus, I settled under a waterfall, crossed my legs in meditation, focused deeply on my ancestral thoughts, and one day realized while trying to catch a carp in the waterfall that my fishing line snagged on my foot, suffocating me…”

“……”

“And thus, the violent is the heavy emphasis, gathering the three thoughts and sending it up and down the lower dantian… That day, I had yet to finish my training and came out of my tent to cook instant noodles… ate… and dried my pants in the sun….”

…Umm… It really sounds weird the more I talk about it….

But as I continued, I noticed Master Myung-ho’s confusion, and despite feeling a bit embarrassed, I persisted in reciting what I had seen in the future. That content, approximately twenty thousand characters long, was essentially the only clue I had regarding the Reverse Root Water Mirror.

I couldn’t stop.

One of the 390,000 clues that emerged from the national seal search 500 years later.

The reading of the Great Heart Training Reverse Root Water Mirror of the weary modern man!

After about half a moment, Master Myung-ho finally opened his mouth after listening to my recitation.

“There are many incomprehensible and bizarre words, however… somehow the sensation felt from that content…and the words primarily used remind me of ancient texts I have seen from Lao Nop.”

I solidified and brightened my face at those words.

“Really?!”

Master Myung-ho slowly closed his eyes, rolling the beads in his hands.

“I will accept your clue as genuine…. A person like you, a divine being, has no reason to perform such a shabby act to fool someone so insignificant like me, and somehow, the clue you brought seems likely to be true.”

“……!!”

“In the future, I will join you in the journey of searching for the Reverse Root Water Mirror. Lao Nop and even Shaolin will.”

The fact that Master Myung-ho immediately agreed left me both happy and bewildered.

‘How can I trust a bearded old guy with low martial arts who made silly deeds meditating by a waterfall….’

I didn’t expect my mention of it to resonate with Master Myung-ho’s intuition.

Could this really be a clue!

Just as I was really taken aback, Master Myung-ho said, “Follow me. I will guide you to our sect’s hidden library.”

Master Myung-ho utilized divine techniques and led me to a sheer cliff behind the main hall of Shaolin Temple. After descending down the cliff for a while, a dark spot apparent with a lot of moss appeared, and Master Myung-ho reached out to a massive stone many times the size of a person.

Kuguuguuung

Master Myung-ho, who removed the rock with ease, entered the emerged exit, and I marveled at discovering that Shaolin’s secret library was hidden in such a brutish manner. After walking through a narrow tunnel, I found a well-maintained library, feeling even a chilly air coming from within. I muttered as I realized there were tens of thousands of books here.

“Indeed, they preserved the books this way. So you’re saying the library in the main hall of Shaolin is merely for disguise?”

“Not so much disguise as that place is also a strict archive. Just, here, most of the books are sealed, difficult for ordinary followers to access, and among those books, the heritage of Hye Ga and Dao Xin, the first and second abbots, shall be there as well.”

“There should be… a possibility to find them, right? ”

“True. I, too, manage this hidden library as a continuator of Shaolin, but honestly, there isn’t much that can be properly read here. Because everything is in foreign tongues or ancient texts.”

Flap

“Do you think this is a language of the human world?”

“……”

I couldn’t help but murmur when I saw a strange book with a bizarre black-silver cover that Master Myung-ho had pulled out. Not only was the cover odd, but the writing inside appeared as if it was alive and moving!

At the same time, I realized the identity of the book.

“It’s the Grimoire.”

“Indeed, you recognize the essence of this.”

“Are the forbidden Grimoires or foreign objects sealed here?”

“Yes indeed. Each could drive an ordinary person mad if they had prolonged contact with the malicious entities… Shaolin has long engaged in righteous actions and sealed evil Grimoires, imprisoning them here.”

“I see…. But isn’t the quantity excessive? Tens of thousands of Grimoires?”

“There aren’t many Grimoires among these. Most are mere strange tales from witnessing wicked alien beings or ancient technical manuals. Even those might negatively influence the world if left unchecked, so we seal them indiscriminately.”

“I understand.”

As I comprehended Master Myung-ho’s explanation, something felt strange, prompting me to ask, “Wait. Are you saying the heritage of Hye Ga or Dao Xin would mix with the Grimoires? They are surely enlightened beings who would resist chaos.”

“Of course not. But the surface-level archives have all been analyzed over a long period due to illegal studies. If there are hidden legacies, they remain only in this place.”

“Hmm.”

“I only manage this site and have never specifically sought out the evil Grimoires or foreign techniques… out of fear that I might be affected by the Demon Ki.”

“So that was your reasoning.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

Through Master Myung-ho’s words, I realized why he regretted not having this treasure trove of knowledge after it was lost. Even just looking at Grimoires or wicked techniques could taint the mind, which is why he had intentionally kept his distance.

‘However, there’s a high chance that the true clue to the Reverse Root Water Mirror exists somewhere in this Grimoire reserve.’

Perhaps it was due to the long history of Shaolin resulting in the blending of documents over time?

After pondering for a while, I asked, “Master Myung-ho, if possible, could you grant me this secret library?”

At that, Master Myung-ho’s expression hardened grave.

“That would be unreasonable. A reckless request.”

I figured as much. It made sense that Master Myung-ho would not agree to hand over Shaolin’s secret library, which had been preserved for thousands of years, to someone he just met today. But I thought it best to push a little further.

“One of my companions specializes in Grimoires and book analysis. He can shield himself from any corruption of magic. Is it not better to have him quickly analyze this vast amount of data instead? Surely, you know reading a Grimoire can corrupt the mind.”

“……”

“Hmm… if that’s the case, I will offer a trust token as collateral. I hope to rent the library in exchange for that collateral.”

“A trust token?”

Swish

With that, I pulled out Yusevik from my wooden armor and presented it to Master Myung-ho.

“Here. This is one of the Seven Luminaries, the Yusevik Tri-Artifact.”

“……!!”

“This, this is the true Seven Luminaries you speak of?”

Master Myung-ho, despite his usually composed demeanor, stuttered in surprise. Doubtless, he did not expect me to produce the legendary Seven Luminaries right off the bat. I nodded and replied, “I must find the Reverse Root Water Mirror. Leaving the Yusevik as collateral is proof of my determination!”

After all, carrying Yusevik around might only cause trouble, and it was more prudent to leave it with Shaolin; even if the Celestial Realm came hunting for Yusevik, the chances of them causing trouble came down significantly! Surely, the Celestial Realm would not recklessly seek the ruin of the Shaolin Temple!

“…….”

Master Myung-ho stared at me for a while. After a nap, he uttered, “Amitabha… I wish for you to be the hero who saves this world engulfed in muddy waters….”

“Are you agreeing?”

“I agree.”

“Thank you. When I find the clues about the Reverse Root Water Mirror, I will come back to discuss it.”

With a whoosh

I spent the next half moment stuffing every book from the secret library into my wooden armor. When I finally emerged from the hidden location, I turned to Master Myung-ho and said, “Ah, by the way, I’ll take the Ark too.”

“…….”

“I know how to unlock the hidden functions of the Ark and can handle it. It would benefit the world more if I used it.”

“Baek Woong, what on earth are you….”

Master Myung-ho made a brief incredulous expression. After regaining his composure, he replied, “If you promise not to use it for malicious purposes… then you may keep it.”

“Thank you. I’ll take care of the Ark. Not right now, but later.”

“…Then do as you wish.”

Boom

As I left Shaolin, I thought, ‘To move the Ark, I need to break through to another secret location using the Technique of All Things like last time, but that hurt so much last time.’

My hands felt like they might burst, and there was no guarantee the Technique of All Things would work a second time. If anything went wrong, I could lose my wrist, so I didn’t want to be reckless. Presently, I didn’t urgently need the Ark, and I was the only one capable of operating it at this moment.

“Alright. Time to go.”

After leaving Shaolin, I decided to head to Tianzhu. Because I had someone to meet there.

Whizzing

I flew at breakneck speed to Tianzhu, and when I finally reached the land after crossing the sea of Tianzhu, I struggled immensely to adjust my direction. The place I aimed for now was a spot I had never been to without the Technique of All Things.

I concentrated, trying to recall my memories.

“Ugh…. Where on earth is Bahalassa?”

Without the national seal or the Technique of All Things, it was incredibly inconvenient. I should have just brought the Ark!

However, I quickly set aside my regrets and began inquiring local residents to locate the peculiar mountainous area known as Bahalassa. After wandering around Tianzhu for a while, I finally found the location of Bahalassa after three days.

To the southwest of the continent, a secluded island detached from the mainland.

That was Bahalassa, and instead of flying, I decided to rent a boat. I rented a rickety fishing boat with barely enough space for just two people. After giving them a bit of gold, the locals who lent me the boat said, “I’ve lived here my whole life, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone wanting to go to Bahalassa. It’s just a tiny uninhabited island, what do you want to do there?”

“……..”

I didn’t respond and launched the boat out to sea. Even though it was a fishing boat, I infused my internal energy, achieving a speed greater than that of a bird, and soon reached the fog-covered vast sea.

“Bahalassa is in sight.”

As I spotted Bahalassa’s mountain in the distance, I prepared ahead of time by throwing sardines and mackerel overboard, shouting out.

“I, the great descendant of Kalpa, offer this offering. Please open the path towards Yusevik.”

Whoooosh

Shortly after, I witnessed the mountain of Bahalassa emitting a brilliant blue light into the void.

Swoosh!!

The entire sea transformed into a dazzling white, with a sensation as if salt was filling the boundless ocean. Surprisingly, the sea seemed to solidify, feeling as if it was no longer water but akin to a land of salt. I stepped off the fishing boat, and as I did, it felt more like stepping onto white earth than the ocean.

I walked on the sea of salt for a while, and after taking a couple of hundred steps, the surroundings started to change abruptly, finally unveiling a surreal ancient desert night scene nearby. It was unbelievable that just a moment ago, I was in the middle of a vast sea.

‘There it is.’

I quickly dashed toward the relics I saw in the distance, activating divine techniques as I ran. Entering the relics, I made my way through to a middle gate. Upon opening the gate and stepping inside, I found a serene ancient brick room, within which sat an ancient deity statue.

Grasping the statue, I exited the brick room, only to sense someone standing right ahead of me. That individual emitted a chilling malice towards me.

“Stop.”

I halted about ten steps away from him. At this great Yusevik relic, we both faced each other in silence for a moment, and I could hear him glaring and speaking.

“You, how did you enter this Yusevik? This place is protected by ancient magic, and you can’t enter through physical means.”

I easily replied, “I know. It’s in the Tar Desert of Tianzhu, but passing through the Tar Desert, one cannot reach it. That’s why even thousands of humans pass by and never discover this ancient relic.”

“That’s true.”

“But I also know that when mist gathers around Bahalassa, if fish are offered, it allows you to travel to Yusevik.”

“……!!”

At those words, I saw his eyes widen in shock. He spoke in a trembling voice, “H-how do you know that? Are you saying you came through that hidden path known only to me, the guardian of Yusevik?”

“Exactly.”

“That’s impossible. How can that be!”

I replied with a smirk, “Does it sound impossible? After all, the first person born and raised here knows it, while a stranger suddenly knows it.”

“……”

“But it makes sense. Meeting you in the twenty-ninth time was entirely coincidental, but we were supposed to meet like this, after all.”

I smiled slyly as I continued, “This was information given personally by you, Asura.”

Information directly relayed to me by the future Asura 500 years from now.

After offering at Bahalassa, triggering the ancient deity statue would cause the guardian of the relic, Asura, to come to investigate.