1278——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Ssssssss

In the next moment, I sensed Asura’s fighting spirit erupting.

‘This guy has no intention of listening to me anymore; he just wants to fight!’

If it had been another expert facing me, I might have thought he was just trying to intimidate me, but I knew better.

This dude would not bother talking if he wanted to fight—no chance!

That’s because I’ve lived through a few of his other lifetimes and know how he operates.

There was a surprise at the unexpected appearance, and although he had asked me for a little chat about the secret path, fundamentally, Asura was someone who liked to just leap into battle and figure things out later. He wasn’t the type to patiently converse and strategize to understand his opponent.

I needed to halt this now.

Sure, I could use all my divine energy and powers, and he probably couldn’t beat me, but if I did that, my peaceful life in this lifetime would turn to shambles. I absolutely had to avoid a fight with Asura here!

Thinking that, I quickly spoke up.

“Asura! Don’t you want to reach the Divine Realm and meet the Martial God?”

“……!!”

He flinched.

Even Asura, who was utterly reckless, couldn’t simply overlook such a proposition. He looked like he had been hit right in the gut and responded.

“…Who the hell are you?”

That question must have reflected his shock at my identity as the strange being who had pierced through centuries of solitude in his martial struggles that he had never shared with anyone, not even his lord, Chi You.

But… of course, I knew that.

Because it was a story that the Asura from five hundred years in the future had honestly told me.

“I am Baek Woong, Chief of Soeul Village.”

“Chief…?”

“Yeah. You better listen to what I’m about to say carefully. If you draw your sword and charge at me, you’ll lose your chance.”

“…….”

As I put the pressure on him, Asura hesitated. Having effectively blocked whichever move he would try, I chuckled slightly and continued.

“I was asked for a favor by you, Asura. You insisted that I must make you my companion.”

Asura twitched his eyebrows in disbelief.

“Are you crazy? I never said such a thing.”

“Sure, you wouldn’t say that now. But it was your past self who did in your previous life.”

“……?”

Asura looked dazed. It was evident he was struggling to understand my words. So, I explained.

“The reason you asked to be accepted as a companion is simple. You obtained the key to mastering martial arts that could take you beyond your current realm and ventured onto the path of the Absolute Being, but you tossed it away due to arrogance in your previous life. That’s why in this life, you declared you’d get your act together and train seriously.”

“…….”

Asura’s hand on the sword trembled. He looked like he wanted to strike me, but thankfully, he couldn’t act rashly due to my earlier command. His eyes glinted with killing intent as he glared at me.

“You really are a crazy guy. You expect me to believe all that?”

“Asura. Do you know what path you found when your journey to the Divine Realm was thwarted?”

“Ugh. What nonsense… I am here. Where could I find another me?”

“I figured out how to kill a god without the help of a Martial God. Do you know what that means?”

“……!!”

I drew my sword and continued.

“I’ll demonstrate what you’ve created, and what I’ve learned from you!”

Focusing my spirit on the sword, I recalled the essence of Dark Night Slash. I overlayed the Immortal Sword technique onto it, and just like before, I could feel the sword turning pitch black.

Whoa

I’m getting anxious. This isn’t something I can just pull off whenever I want. I only succeeded last time due to luck; this is basically an unfinished cheat. I’m not in a state to use it properly; I’m merely trying to materialize the power of the Immortal Sword!

But to pull Asura in without fighting, I had to show him my insight.

‘I need to eliminate the intent.’

To do that, I had to recognize the ‘cycle’ first. Then I needed to proceed through the reverse wheel process.

…….

In deep concentration, a small circle shimmered like heat waves. Knowing it was the wheel, I started turning it backward ever so slightly. Simultaneously, the aura of my Immortal Sword was being sucked into the wheel, accelerating its rotation until it formed a monstrous shape, greedily sucking in the light like darkness would.

Finally, prepared, I yelled, lunging at the nearby temple pillar.

“Haah!”

Swish!!

The pillar was cut cleanly in half, the surface gleaming sharply. As the pillar slid down, it left behind a resounding crash.

Boom boom boom…….

‘Tsk….’

The physical destructive power was less than I expected. Although that’s the nature of Dark Night Slash, the Thunder God Lineage has much flashier techniques; I felt a bit underwhelmed by my efforts. I turned to Asura and said.

“This is your technique, Dark Night Slash.”

“…….”

Asura stared at my sword technique, not saying a word for a while. He seemed far less interested in the cut surface. After a moment, he spoke.

“It’s clearly become a sword void of intent. Yet… somehow, it seems capable of cutting through chaos… Being a being of chaos myself, I can sense it!”

“…Hah. You figured it out.”

I pretended to chuckle nonchalantly, but inside, I was actually a bit sweaty.

‘Wow… I’m relieved he noticed…’

In truth, the manifestation of Dark Night Slash was so underwhelming for a world-class martial skill that I feared he might not recognize it and get mad instead. But all things considered, Asura was one of the current strongest warriors in the world, so it seemed he recognized the value of Dark Night Slash.

Asura now wore a completely calm expression as he spoke.

“Baek Woong! I no longer doubt you. But there’s one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“How did you conceive the idea of eliminating intent? Intent is the foundation of the Absolute Experts, allowing for transcending reality through martial skills. Why would you want to eliminate it?”

Since I already had the answer he had given himself prepared, I replied lightly.

“Because I thought of intent as assistance from a Martial God. Hahaha!”

“What? The Martial God giving intent? Hmm…”

Asura looked perplexed by that sudden topic. Sensing I needed to swiftly shift the conversation, I hurriedly spoke.

“I honestly don’t quite understand that either…”

If it kept going, it’d become troublesome. I mentioned to the pondering Asura.

“Asura, will you take this?”

“What is it?”

I offered him a piece of obsidian held in my palm.

“It’s an obsidian imbued with some of my memories. If you use the magic of this obsidian, all my memories will be transmitted to you. Within those memories is all the answers to your current doubts.”

“Hmm….”

“I believe as a chaos being and a Demon King, you can withstand the effects of the obsidian. Will you accept it?”

Without hesitation, Asura nodded vigorously.

“Give it!”

“Great!”

Pa-at

I transmitted the memories to Asura. This was the first time I had done so in this lifetime.

Fizzizz

‘Huh?! What in the world…?’

Then something unexpected happened. As Asura was receiving my memories, the names on my forearm twisted and squirmed like worms, and a sharp pain coursed through me. Then a surge of energy erupted from my arm, emitting a dark force.

Whoosh

The dark mist that poured out looked absolutely magical in nature. In that moment, I was astonished and flustered.

“T-This…”

Sszzzz

As the mist’s energy gradually got absorbed by the obsidian, Asura let out a low groan.

“Gooooo…”

It seemed that the energy was trying to reinforce the obsidian’s memory. In that moment, I gritted my teeth and seized the one name that was trying to drift the farthest away from its original place and pulled it back.

“Return!!”

Pa-at

At that moment, an image surfaced in my mind.

[Oooooo!! Oh mighty God!!]

It was a skull.

In the dark tentacled confines of a cave, a mysterious figure resembling a legal official was moved to tears, rattling its face.

[I, Myo Cheong, shall serve the commands of the mighty God!!]

Huh?

Swoosh swoosh

The moment that video ended, the magical energy that had been emitting from me returned back into the names, seemingly having finished the memory transfer to Asura, who momentarily swayed unsteadily.

A moment later, Asura opened his mouth.

“…Reborn Person Baek Woong. So you mean you’ve come to fulfill the request of my 29th lifetime?”

“Exactly. How’s the memory?”

“Phew. I was surprised to suddenly become stronger, but I’m alright…. Hah… heh.”

After a short while, Asura let out a chuckle.

“What a funny thing… If I look at myself objectively, I never thought I’d be so ugly.”

“……”

“I need a moment to think.”

Swish

Asura suddenly entered the room where the Ancient deity statue was. He didn’t come out for quite some time, and I continued to wait for him siting in the temple.

Asura emerged from the room half a moment later. He appeared calmer, and he spoke to me.

“Baek Woong. It seems you were set on living a peaceful life in your 30th lifetime. The fact that you came looking for me despite that means the clues you obtained from Jin So-cheong are extremely significant, huh?”

I nodded.

“Even if it’s a leisurely life, I can never give up the enlightenment of martial arts.”

“Why? You’ve become stronger in divine power already. With Heuk Woong and the Four Great Spirit Deities, you might even stand a chance against the Three Sovereigns. If you continue developing divine powers, you could potentially face off against all the Old Rulers. Why are you so obsessed with martial arts?”

“That’s….”

I balled my fists tightly.

“I feel like I can’t beat Nyarlathotep without martial arts!”

“……”

Asura looked slightly flabbergasted.

“Y-You feel? You’re obsessing over something with no solid reason?”

“Yeah. Since I don’t know how many more times I can be reborn, is it wrong for me to do what I want?”

“That’s true, but…”

“I love martial arts. Isn’t that enough reason?”

Asura’s expression softened, seemingly amused by my words. He broke into a smile and said.

“That’s really nice. You’ve won me over, Baek Woong.”

“…You liked me enough to want to fight me, right?”

“Not at all. Once I get stronger, we’ll fight.”

“Hey!”

“Anyway, lead the way.”

Asura nodded.

“I shall become your deterrent in this 30th life, while also aiding you in your martial arts training.”

“Thank you!”

I gained Asura as my companion!

I was secretly overjoyed and said to Asura.

“Oh, right. You know I can’t use the golden lamp right now, so I have to fly. But it’s too far here…”

“So?”

“I’m too lazy to jump all the way back to the Central Plains, why don’t you transform into the Demon King and give me a ride?”

Asura crossed his arms and said firmly.

“Why didn’t you mention that before? Not right now.”

“What?! Why?”

I was shocked by Asura’s subsequent statement.

“I’m disappointed in my 29th self and disillusioned, so I sealed away all my powers like my 28th life!”

“…….”

“Right now, I’ve become a human left with only the power of the Absolute Realm.”

I was stunned and then exploded with anger.

“Hey you!! Don’t tell me the reason you just went into the room…”

“To seal my power.”

“Ugh, damn it!!”

What the hell is this?!

My plan to smash through those guys of Palbu Sinjung with the strength of Demon King Asura has been ruined!

As I pulled my hair in frustration, Asura said.

“You go to the Central Plains first. I have a place I need to stop by, so I’ll catch up later at Soeul Village.”

“Just get into the Wooden Armor already! Where are you stopping by? You owe me the insight into martial arts.”

“I need time to sort my thoughts. It’s not urgent.”

“No, but still…”

“Asuhyeol Merchant Sect was a sect I created long ago, and the Lord of Asuhyeol is like a distant disciple to me.”

“…….”

Huh?

Seeing my confusion, Asura continued speaking.

“I don’t hold any grudges against you. You’re just a mere human disciple anyway. It seems the Asuhyeol Merchant Sect has fallen under the rule of Brahmanism since it’s become independent of my control.”

“I see.”

“However, from your memories, it looks like Parvati wants to interfere in the world through the will of the Divine Temple.”

“So?”

“For a while, I will act as the ruler of the Heavenly Realm, Pasun, to reorganize the martial world here.”

Asura’s eyes gleamed brightly.

“Though I’ve lost the power of the Demon King, my influence in the martial world remains quite strong. Once I find out the divine puppet’s whereabouts, I’ll relay any useful information to you.”

“…Got it.”

This seems beneficial in its own way? I nodded and said to Asura.

“Take your time. I don’t plan on rushing anything in this life anyway.”

“I know. See you later.”

Pa-at

I turned my back to Asura and decided to head back to the Central Plains. Upon reaching Soeul Village, I immediately sought out Dokgo Seong and said.

“Dokgo Seong, older brother.”

“Where did you suddenly run off to when you left the village?”

“I’ve come to find out why Jin So-cheong easily achieved 100,000 rankings.”

Since Asura had been delayed with his personal affairs, I had to ask out of sheer curiosity despite how awkward it felt!

Dokgo Seong widened his eyes.

“What? You came to ask me that because you didn’t know?”

“Exactly. I’m not skilled in the delicate manipulation of intent, so I couldn’t grasp the principle that day. And I hope you understand I had no intention of messing with you, older brother.”

“Hmm… If that’s the case…”

Dokgo Seong seemed to accept that and said.

“Jin So-cheong has turned his own actions into intent while maintaining his Natural Body.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s hard to explain in words, but Jin So-cheong must have trained countless times in Ranna Chul. Based on that experience, he would envision his most perfect Ranna Chul posture and then repeatedly implement that posture as intent. Since the qi and intent would circulate inside while repeating the fixed posture, it makes sense that intent becomes merely a whip and that his body and qi remain in a prime state without exhaustion.”

“……!!”

Is that even possible?!

I asked further.

“Is there any reason you can’t do it like Jin So-cheong?”

“Oof. Are you genuinely asking that? It’s because I never had the experience of training Ranna Chul perfectly like Jin So-cheong. At the very least, it would require years of severe training and experience to achieve such intent; it can’t be realized overnight. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Then can’t you use it in battle?”

“Of course not. It’s just the intent representing a fixed posture. If an enemy attacks with a different stance, you can’t change your posture. It’s literally just intent spinning for a single stance, so it would fail in a fight…”

“I see…”

After a while, Dokgo Seong added.

“It seems you’re trying to test me with all these silly questions. Is the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique that precious to you?”

“…….”

It seems like if I could persuade Dokgo Seong in a somewhat ambiguous manner, he might do something unexpected.

Scratching my chin and scheming, I said.

“Older brother, let’s do this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thinking about it, it seems a bit much to impose that standard on you as well. So as a senior in the sect, please step in to maintain discipline.”

“Discipline?”

I smiled slyly and said.

“If Lee Kwang achieves 100,000, I’ll pass it down to you that day too. So please monitor Lee Kwang’s training from now on.”

Dokgo Seong appeared slightly startled. He then visibly took offense.

“It’s unlikely he’ll do that; are you playing with me…?”

“Wait!”

I interrupted Dokgo Seong’s words and added a condition.

“If Lee Kwang declares he’s giving up and quitting, the day he makes that statement will also be the day I pass the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique on to you.”

“…….”

Dokgo Seong quickly grasped my implication. He looked at me with a slight suspicion, but eventually, he regained his composure and replied.

“Well, Lee Kwang was never particularly likable. After understanding my wishes as his master, you needn’t worry.”

“Thank you very much.”

I seemed to have smoothly navigated that complaint.

Now, Dokgo Seong will diligently train Lee Kwang behind my back!

“`

 

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