1299——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I couldn’t make heads or tails of Yeodong-bin’s words. It was all completely foreign to me. After glancing at the immortal sword in my hand, I spoke up.

“…There’s only one sword, so how can it be two?”

“In your memories of Yanja, you have summoned me multiple times. Among those, you sought the sword’s teachings and, just like now, you learned up to the fifth step of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique in order to quell the chaos of the Sword Family.”

“That was the case.”

Yeodong-bin simply looked at me with a blank stare. I felt flabbergasted for a moment, then suddenly realized something and spoke.

“Wait, could it be?”

“Indeed, the teachings you received back then became the basis for your immortal sword.”

“……!!”

No way?!

I began recalling the memories of yore.

[Yanja’s understanding of faith and insight has matured to the point where there’s no need to learn the teachings of faith and understanding further, so I will pass on the final escape.]

[Entering Nirvana, Void, and Heavenly Escape will follow, so it’s of no concern. You should be able to overcome confusion with that level of understanding.]

[Yanja has already started with faith, followed that with understanding, realized void through Nirvana, and learned all five steps of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique. Thus, you must reach the original level of the immortal sword!]

[But for some reason, the teachings of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique have only been used to heal the contradictions within you, preventing you from attaining the true level of the immortal sword. I cannot teach you the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique any further.]

That’s right. With my lack of talent and the shallow breadth of martial arts I had learned, the chaos of the Sword Family had emerged, and rather than progressing, I could have easily fallen prey to the Heart Demon’s grasp. With Yeodong-bin’s help, I had accepted the fifth step of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique, which quelled my inner turmoil. Reflecting on those memories, I said.

“Zhang San-bong told me afterwards that to break through the limitations present in my martial capacity, I needed to strengthen the sword thrusting through my soul, and in the next life, I used the Offering Ceremony to enhance the immortal sword.”

“It was indeed so.”

“Then Yeodong-bin, you transformed into the immortal sword itself to help me, and I was able to directly cultivate the immortal sword technique afterward.”

I continued with a perplexed expression.

“I naturally believed I was still using the immortal sword that had been strengthened and had pierced my soul all this time. Was I wrong?!”

“The fundamental misunderstanding seems to stem from the astounding singularity of you being a reborn person.”

“What?”

“The confusion that existed within your Sword Family has settled, and the immortal sword enhanced through the Offering Ceremony is still quietly resting in the depths of your heart.”

Yeodong-bin calmly stated.

“What you are holding now, that black and white immortal sword, is something completely different from the Heavenly Escape Sword I bestowed upon you.”

“……!!”

What?!

I widened my eyes in surprise at this unexpected revelation. Stumbling over my words, I exclaimed.

“Wait, so that immortal sword didn’t strengthen my sword skills, and that’s why I can’t use its powers in my sword techniques?!”

I had thought it was that simple all this time?!

He replied coolly but firmly.

“That’s correct. No. The immortal sword cannot awaken your sword skills that way, nor can it be used in that manner. The sword embedded in your soul is already exerting its powers, so how could it extend its influence externally? You must have learned the immortal sword technique by now, but hasn’t it felt like such an almighty and versatile technique?”

“……!!”

“What I have failed to point out to you all this time is due to your identity as a reborn person being completely unknown to me, and I was entirely unaware of the process through which you learned the immortal sword technique. I only learned this now, so there’s no help for it.”

“Then…?”

Glancing nervously at the black and white immortal sword in my hand, I asked.

“What exactly is this?”

“……”

Yeodong-bin stayed silent. As that silence stretched out endlessly, Asura beside me broke the tension.

“Sorry to interrupt a serious topic, but I sense some presence nearby. Looks like four or so people are approaching.”

He casually glanced at Jecheon Dae-seong, who scratched his head and replied.

“They’re probably the divine generals on their regular patrol. It’ll be a hassle if they find us, so follow my lead.”

Whoosh

Soon we led by Jecheon Dae-seong, ventured deeper into the mountainous obscurity. After a while of traversing the serene landscapes, we finally stumbled upon a disconcertingly clear pond, and upon reaching it, Jecheon Dae-seong said.

“This is a place outside the patrol range, so you can relax.”

I intended to ask Yeodong-bin another question.

“Yeodong-bin, regarding the true identity of this immortal sword…”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“That’s right…. I shared your memories and while reflecting upon them all the way here, I can’t explain its existence with my knowledge and experience. Nevertheless, it’s also true that your immortal sword carries the nature of an immortal sword, just like mine.”

“……”

“Also, the fact that a signal goes to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman the moment you attempt to activate the immortal sword only indicates that its cause-and-effect is properly linked to her. It’s an undeniable immortal sword for sure.”

“Damn….”

I clenched my teeth. My head was spinning, and before I knew it, I exclaimed.

“So it’s false but at the same time a real immortal sword?! How does that even make sense?!”

“That’s an apt expression. However, what I’ve been trying to convey to Yanja since earlier wasn’t to sift through the identity of the immortal sword.”

“Huh?”

“From the beginning, you asked me to teach you the ways of martial arts to elevate your immortal sword skills. You are now aware that your immortal sword isn’t one but two, and one of them has a dubious identity. So what will you do now?”

“……”

“Will you stubbornly cling to the dubious one?”

“Uh… I’m not sure…”

What exactly is Yeodong-bin getting at?

I felt anxious, having lost the flow of the conversation. I couldn’t grasp what Yeodong-bin was trying to communicate. At that moment, Asura, leaning against a tree with arms crossed, chimed in.

“It seems you have to extract the ‘real’ immortal sword embedded within Baek Woong’s spirit.”

“What!”

“Baek Woong. Yeodong-bin’s words aren’t that complicated, so take a moment to think it over.”

As I turned to Asura in shock, he continued casually.

“Think it through. You’ve diligently worked to raise your immortal sword skill level, yet you’ve only improved a tad, but you haven’t understood in any capacity how to elevate its cause-and-effect. The training period has been short, but if you’ve achieved so little, there’s one thing to be suspicious about.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“That the black and white immortal sword you’re currently using is merely a fake, masquerading as a sword, which is why your achievements have stagnated.”

“……”

“Given that, it might be proper training to draw out the true, genuine blessing of Yeodong-bin, the Heavenly Escape Immortal Sword.”

“You mean I should ditch this black and white sword and use the real immortal sword?”

“Correct. That’s precisely it.”

It finally clicked; Yeodong-bin was telling me to draw forth my true immortal sword buried deep within me!

This wasn’t some highbrow philosophical statement but genuine, practical advice. Realizing this, I bowed deeply to Yeodong-bin.

“Thank you! Such a simple method….”

I grinned and continued.

“Then, please help me extract the immortal sword residing in my spirit!”

“……”

“……”

A long silence followed. Yeodong-bin gazed at me without blinking, his expression still as stone, and he didn’t respond at all. I carefully broke that awkward silence.

“Uh… Is that a no?”

“Yanja, this is a classic case of the chicken and the egg dilemma.”

“Huh?”

“The ability to materialize the immortal sword that calmed the chaos residing in you to manifest your resolve is precisely the state of understanding the Formless Sword. This is something others cannot grant you; you must reach that enlightenment yourself.”

“……”

As I grasped Yeodong-bin’s words, my face turned pale.

“What?! I’m training to reach the state of the Formless Sword to…!”

“Exactly. The beginning and end are entwined with each other.”

I was so staggered I felt like I might just keel over.

“Groan…!!”

I was supposed to achieve the peak of immortal sword training, yet to do that, I had to master the Formless Sword!? What ridiculousness is this?!

Just then, Jecheon Dae-seong, who had been perched on a rock listening to us, blurted out bluntly.

“Yeodong-bin! Aren’t you being a bit too lofty? You don’t have to struggle so much; a fundamental solution exists.”

“……”

It felt like seeing a light pierce through the darkness, and I shouted excitedly.

“Jecheon Dae-seong! You mean there’s a way?!”

Yeodong-bin remained silent while I pressed Dae-seong with a question. Then he nodded and replied.

“If that black and white sword is fake, then its cause-and-effect is still connected to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, right? And since the immortal sword technique is a method relying on the powers of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, why not just go ask her to help?”

“……!!”

“Don’t worry about the formality of heart and technique; with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, she could likely just pull it off with the Corpse Dissolution Technique. Isn’t that a pretty straightforward deal?”

“That makes sense!”

I felt a rush of joy. Then Asura, stifling a laugh, doused my enthusiasm.

“Heh heh… You said you wouldn’t sweat the small stuff. But convincing the Heavenly Mysterious Woman to extract your inner immortal sword is quite literally reaching out for the balance of the world!”

“Ugh.”

Though I hesitated at those words, Jecheon Dae-seong chimed in.

“Since you’ve come to the Celestial Realm, Baek Woong needs to clarify that he’s not linked to the Sea God Clan before you can avoid further annoyance in the Heavenly Realm. So, just meet the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and ask for security on your identity. Yeodong-bin has been meaning to summon you for that reason from the start.”

“Ohh…!!”

“Can I play the role of the strategist here?”

As Dae-seong turned toward me with a swagger, I quickly waved my hand.

“Of course you can!”

Asura seemed to try teasing me but ultimately failed, making an annoyed sound.

Finally, Jecheon Dae-seong walked up to Yeodong-bin and said,

“You’re still hiding something, aren’t you? You must’ve known what I was talking about, but you still haven’t explained things to Baek Woong.”

“……”

“Probably something related to the secrets of the Martial God Council. I get it, but is there really any need to hold onto that here? Unless you’re a complete fool, anyone would know that this reborn guy is your only hope.”

Then Yeodong-bin responded without a trace of emotion.

“The principle does not change. Even if he is a reborn person… He must formally enter the Divine Realm before I can share its secrets. That is the will of the Martial Gods.”

“You’re quite strict, aren’t you, Dong-bin?”

Jecheon Dae-seong shrugged, but I couldn’t help but look at Yeodong-bin with a slightly disappointed expression.

‘Still…’

Even the Martial God Council holds secrets that they can’t disclose to one another, and that those secrets are intimately tied to the fate of the world. Yet, to think they wouldn’t even trust a reborn person… What on earth could justify such a closed-off attitude?

Jecheon Dae-seong laughed heartily.

“Alright everyone, hop on the Kunlun cloud! Let’s get you to Baek Woong’s base with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”

Whoosh -!!

Riding on the Kunlun cloud, we arrived at Baek Woong’s base with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. Just like before, silk-like white sands danced up, forming a silver pathway, and at its end, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman appeared amidst a divine glow.

As the Heavenly Mysterious Woman appeared, she spoke to me.

“Are you Baek Woong?”

“Yes, I am, Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”

I bowed and said,

“I have come here to reveal a truth and to make a request.”

“What is it?”

“I have not allied myself with the Sea God Clan and am in an enmity with their chieftain. Please make this known in the Celestial Realm. Additionally… please help me bring forth the immortal sword that exists in my spirit.”

“……”

“Also, in an effort to prove that I do not rebel against the Celestial Realm, I brought the Fire Dragon Incarnate to rescue his disciple, Yeodong-bin, from the seal in Dark Heaven Village.”

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman remained silent, and then Yeodong-bin stepped closer, bowing respectfully.

“I, Yeodong-bin, assure you that Baek Woong speaks the truth.”

“Yeodong-bin. I didn’t expect you to go this far… It seems this existence called Baek Woong isn’t evil after all.”

“Please grant his request. I am convinced he is destined to dispel the darkness of the Celestial Realm in the future.”

“…Is that so?”

As Yeodong-bin lowered his head, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman extended a glowing hand towards me, placing it on my heart.

Swish

Then the Heavenly Mysterious Woman said,

“Quite a significant cause-and-effect is required. Can you pay the price of cause-and-effect to me?”

“You need cause-and-effect, you say?”

“That’s correct.”

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman continued.

“While it is undoubtedly possible to extract the immortal sword residing in your spirit, it will affect all that you’ve accomplished thereafter. If you ignore that impact, I could pull it out instantly without cause-and-effect consumption, but that’s probably not something you wish to pursue.”

“……?”

What does that mean?

While I was baffled, Yeodong-bin rose to his knees and spoke.

“Baek Woong. You must pay the price of cause-and-effect to draw out the immortal sword.”

“Why?”

At Yeodong-bin’s subsequent words, my eyes widened.

“Your current achievement of the Absolute Realm is the result of restraining the chaos of the Sword Family at that time. Should the sword that maintained that chaos be drawn out, the chaos will resurge, and your martial skills may regress. That is the nature of cause-and-effect.”

“……!!”

Damn, is that so?!

‘It’s like using a dam to hold back a flood while removing the sword that serves as the dam, thus causing the chaos to flood back in!’

Even now, my progress is stagnant enough to make my head spin, and if that happens, I’ll truly be in a state of walking fire entering demon!

But after a moment, I gritted my teeth and said.

“…Alright. I’ll pay it. But not right now; I’ll come back soon to settle this, so please help me extract the sword.”

“Understood.”

This was something that I had to undergo at least once!

If I have to do it, it’s better to get it done swiftly!

Didn’t I decide to do whatever it takes to see success in my immortal sword cultivation?

I absolutely needed to extract my inner immortal sword!

The Heavenly Mysterious Woman looked at me with transparent eyes.

“I wanted to ask how you came to learn the immortal sword technique, but it seems like now isn’t the time. When the day comes to extract the sword, I hope to hear your story then.”

“Thank you.”

“Then return to where you came from, bearer of Fuxi’s form… For the next time, I would like to hear that backstory as well.”

“……”

I was momentarily flustered but bowed again.

“I’ll see you next time.”

I stepped back from the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. As Jecheon Dae-seong once again transported me on the Kunlun cloud, I found myself back at the earlier pond, feeling bewildered.

“How does the Heavenly Mysterious Woman know that?”

“Are you talking about how you’re in Fuxi’s form?”

“Yes.”

Naturally, that revelation made Jecheon Dae-seong confused.

“She’s bound to know. When she guided Fuxi through human forms to teach primitive men, he was a war god and the king of spirits, the deity of wisdom. She even participated in the Takrok Grand Battle; there’s no way she wouldn’t know.”

“……”

“Wow…. I didn’t see it before, but you really aren’t the brightest bulb in the box? You might have a vague idea of what you’ve experienced, but it’s not exactly a strong grasp.”

“Ugh…. I know.”

“Hehe.”

Jecheon Dae-seong chuckled.

“The Heavenly Mysterious Woman isn’t pressing any issues because Yeodong-bin vouches for your status and skill. For the time being, you can consider her an ally.”

“Phew. That’s a relief.”

“Actually, I’ve been pondering whether to ask you a favor since a while back.”

Swish

Jecheon Dae-seong pulled out his Ruyi Staff and continued.

“I figured you could unlock the seal on Cheon Gong-pyo, and thought maybe I should try asking you to do that, but I’ll pass.”

“What? Why not…?”

“You won’t be able to control it anyway. With Cheon Gong-pyo at your disposal, you could wipe out the Eight Parts of the Divine, but then Cheon Gong-pyo would end up becoming even more dangerous than combining all the Eight Parts of the Divine together.”

“……”

“I’m a bit bummed that we met only in this lifetime. If we were both able to use any means necessary to fight the enemy, it could have been a lot more fun.”

With a contemplative mumble, Jecheon Dae-seong put his Ruyi Staff away and added.

“By the way, Yeodong-bin, what are you planning to do now?”

Yeodong-bin locked eyes with Dae-seong, a quiet determination in his gaze. When he remained silent, Dae-seong chuckled and continued teasingly.

“It seems like your Martial God Council is about to wipe the floor with the Emperor’s Heavenly Demon Martial Art in 500 years. Are you still feeling up to training?”

“Y-Yecheon Dae-seong!”

I was taken aback by Jecheon Dae-seong casually poking at sore spots. I had referred to it earlier just to raise a warning, but now he sounds like he’s dismissing the entire Martial God Council as a bunch of fools! I worried that Yeodong-bin might take that personally, but my caution was unwarranted as he responded.

“Yes. The task of overcoming the attributes of Chaos has simply been added.”

“Overcoming Chaos? How can you beat something you can’t even grasp?”

“The Emperor, using his past experiences from fighting Chi You, created a solution for the Divine Skills. It’s not forbidden to create a solution for a solution. And since he revealed the secrets of the Heavenly Demon Martial Art to Yanja, it’s entirely feasible…”

“Oh.”

Yeodong-bin slowly turned his gaze toward me.

“Yanja, your immortal sword training will begin only after you pay the cause-and-effect price and extract the immortal sword. Until then, I’ll assist you with everything I have. What are your plans?”

“……”

I pondered for a moment, then spoke up.

“In three months, the conclusion will be reached at Aokigahara Sea. Please join me then.”

“Joining means you plan to wipe out the Eight Parts of the Divine?”

“Yes.”

I clenched my fist as I declared.

“They must surely have fragments of the Crystal Stele. If there are any members who aren’t ensnared in Mangnyang’s scheme, I’ll fight them to seize what they have! Or I could storm the Imperial Palace and steal the research on the Crystal Stele!”

Now it was clear what I needed to do.

‘I will ensure Mangnyang’s scheme succeeds, no matter what!’

Not only would I remove the obstacle that is the Eight Parts of the Divine, but we would also acquire all the necessary cause-and-effect pieces embedded in the Crystal Stele they hold, allowing training in the immortal sword technique and crafting my own Demon Artifacts.

It was truly killing three birds with one stone!

As we prepared to return from the Celestial Realm, Jecheon Dae-seong said.

“I’m keeping tabs on Queen Mother of the West, so if you need help, just come here and ask.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Oh, and one more thing…. There’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“……?”

“That’s right.”

As Jecheon Dae-seong stroked his chin, looking slightly uncomfortable, he said.

“I think that other guy who wasn’t Yacha might have seen right through my essence when we invaded Luoyang. I was feeling the tension from that look earlier, and that’s what made me hurry you guys. But before, I didn’t realize who he was, but now that I think back, I suspect I have an idea.”

“Wait, so there was another powerhouse besides Yacha?”

“Yeah. In my estimation, that one is probably even stronger than Yacha.”

Jecheon Dae-seong’s continuously building warnings sent a jolt of disturbance through my heart.

“It’s probably that Hermes guy or whatever. I think he’s going to be the most annoying adversary moving forward.”