1330——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I made my way straight to the place where Dae Jo Young mentioned.

Boom!

Whoosh—

The chilly sea breeze roared at the cliffside. I turned to Dae Jo Young and said, “This must be where you mentioned King Munmu’s royal tomb, but all I see is the sea and no tomb in sight.”

Then Dae Jo Young, who was behind me, replied with a clatter as he handled the horse. “The tomb of King Munmu is under the sea. Specifically, it’s that central rock over there.”

“What?! What kind of king puts his tomb… Oh!”

In that moment, memories of wearing the mask of Haedong Milcheon flashed back to me.

‘Now that I think about it, King Munmu offered himself to the East Sea Dragon, transforming into a dragon! So that means…’

I realized the significance of the rock in the distance and spoke up. “It’s more of a place for divine offerings than an actual tomb!”

“Exactly! And right there resides the Wood Element.”

With that, Dae Jo Young looked disturbed. “King Munmu. You must know we’ve come, so show yourself!”

Whoooooo!!!

In the next moment, from the rock that was supposedly King Munmu’s royal tomb, a divine multicolored light shot up, creating the form of a dragon that was three lengths long. It didn’t look like a solid dragon but appeared to be made of spirit energy.

The dragon, holding a precious orb in its mouth, spoke:

[Dae Jo Young! Why have you come before me after fourteen hundred years?!]

“It means it’s time to repay the debt you owe me.”

Dae Jo Young said this while crossing his arms.

“Back when the current emperor Hyunjong raised the Great Army to attack Silla, it was I who stopped him from Liaodong. You promised as a king to repay me somehow before you died, didn’t you?”

[…….]

“Even as a spiritual being, that promise still stands.”

[Are you demanding the Wood Element?]

“Indeed, oh King Munmu.”

The dragon identified as King Munmu sighed. [Oh… I struggle to suppress the infinite evil qi that looms over this land with the power of the Wood Element… If I hand it over to you, all those in the East Sea will be tainted by the otherworldly race! Please don’t proceed.]

“What do you mean evil qi? Where does it come from?”

[From a very distant ocean… An ominous ‘something’ stirs, and even its waves send shivers through the world. The island nation Dongyoung is already tainted, giving birth to half-demons among humans and the otherworldly!]

“…A malign god.”

Dae Jo Young muttered, “The world is doomed anyway. Life on this peninsula will end sooner or later; it doesn’t matter if they die a bit earlier. Just pass the Wood Element’s power to the new hope.”

[A new hope?]

In response to King Munmu’s inquiry, Dae Jo Young pointed at me. “Here stands Baek Woong, a disciple of Fuxi. He has already gathered four of the Seven Luminaries, and he may soon save the world by collecting all seven!”

[……!! A disciple of the Primordial Dragon Fuxi…!!]

King Munmu seemed shocked and gazed at me with the dragon’s radiant eyes. I greeted him and said, “Pleasure to meet you, King Munmu. I am Baek Woong, disciple of Fuxi.”

[Oh….]

“Please, hand over the Wood Element to me.”

King Munmu yelled in despair. […Baek Woong! It’s not that easy to hand it over… What will become of the unfortunate humans in the East Sea? I cannot bear to watch the terror of the otherworldly race once again engulf the lives of the common folk suffering at the hands of Dongyoung’s Hae-jok!]

“……”

[This is not the path of my people… At the very least, present me with a method to save them!]

I realized that King Munmu was a king who truly cared for his people. After pondering his words, I replied, “Okay. I promise I’ll deal with this malign god and prevent them from making a fuss.”

[……?! Are you saying you can suppress the transcendent demon from beyond the ocean?!]

I confidently struck my chest with my fist and said, “I can do it! If need be, I can also stake my master Fuxi’s name on it!”

Since Fuxi was already dead in this world, it wouldn’t matter!

[……!! Amazing!! Take this.]

Koooon—

Seemingly deeply moved by my spirit, King Munmu spat out his precious orb toward me. It wasn’t coming at me fast, and it slowly floated in front of me, transforming into a ball that fit perfectly in my palms. As I gazed at the orb, King Munmu explained,

[To retain the power of the Wood Element, I’ve been consuming the power of my orb all this time. If you break the orb, you’ll be able to use the Wood Element instantly!]

“Hm…?! You’re giving me your orb as well?”

[Since you promised to protect the people, I no longer need the power of the dragon.]

“Whoa…”

[And take this too.]

As King Munmu shone his eyes, something long and flute-like emerged from the sea, flying toward me. I quickly recognized the identity of the flute and gasped.

“The Manpa Shikjeok!”

[Oh! You recognize the Manpa Shikjeok at a glance!]

Of course I do! In my past life, I beat up Haedong Milcheon, wore his mask, and then stole the treasure that contained the Manpa Shikjeok!

“I understood that Haedong Milcheon had it. Why is it here…?”

[Haedong Milcheon? I don’t know about that. Since I became a dragon, I’ve kept it safe all along.]

“……?”

Huh? What’s going on?

According to Haedong Milcheon’s memory, it had been passed down through his sect for ages, yet it seemed it had never left King Munmu’s possession in this world?

‘So does that mean someone from our world raided King Munmu’s tomb… and then gave the Manpa Shikjeok to Haedong Milcheon?’

I tilted my head, but there was no point figuring it out right now.

After a moment, King Munmu spoke again. [Using the Wood Element alone has been exhausting, making it hard to utilize the Manpa Shikjeok… but you might be able to use both!]

“Use both together?”

[Yes. The Wood Element and the Manpa Shikjeok have been in the same place for so long, their spiritual energies have synced, so combining them will create a synergistic effect. In fact, the Manpa Shikjeok was created as a supplementary treasure for the Wood Element…]

As he said this, King Munmu began to close his glowing eyes.

[Please… save the people… ]

Shuush—

King Munmu’s spirit completely vanished. Looking on from the side, Gong Gong said, [Giving his orb, the source of spiritual energy, to another is akin to giving away his heart. That dragon has essentially chosen death.]

“……”

[Baek Woong, with this you’ve acquired the Five Stars (五曜), so now only the Gold Star and Sun Star remain. Do you have any idea where they might be?]

I gazed mistily at King Munmu’s last moments and opened my mouth. “The Sun Star can’t be obtained in a conventional manner. To get it, I’d have to collect the other six first and then pass the trials of the Seven Stars. Thus, the Gold Star is essentially our last chance for acquiring the Seven Stars.”

[The trials of the Seven Stars, huh… Don’t you think we could handle it with the three of us?]

“No. The trials of the Seven Stars must be at least ten times stronger than we are right now to pass.”

[……!! Is it really that difficult?]

“……”

When I faced the Celestial Sage, along with Chi Gong-pyo and the full power of the Seven Stars in their prime, with Cheon Woo-jin, the Absolute Realm comrades, and the Portrait Immortal Jin’s strength, we barely scraped through to the last Sun Star trial and almost faced total annihilation.

‘I somehow managed to gather five stars already, but the Seven Star trial is out of the question. It’s too tough, and I have neither the time nor the power…’

Having experienced that cruel level of difficulty before, I was well aware that merely challenging it with the strength of me, Dae Jo Young, and Gong Gong was a fool’s errand. Thus, I resolutely declared, “My original goal was not to pass the trials of the Seven Stars. I’m giving up!”

“What? Then you won’t be able to obtain the Sun Star, so you won’t gather all seven!”

“I still don’t care. It’s merely a trap set by Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen! I’m not falling for that nonsense!”

Once was enough for foolishly fighting while trashing planets, tangled up with the Shenglong and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens!

[Hmm… So for now, the plan is to head for the Gold Star next, right?]

“Exactly. I have a rough idea of the location, so just trust me and follow my lead.”

As I spoke again, both Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong stared at me blankly as if they’d just eaten something sour.

[…….]

“…….”

“…Huh? What’s with you all?”

Dae Jo Young responded, looking confused. “Well… you talk like someone who’s been through all that. I never even thought about an emperor’s plot, and you seem so certain about the trials of the Seven Stars being a trap… No one else has had a clue about the apocalypse, but you seem to know everything.”

Gong Gong nodded. [I feel the same. How could you know so much about that sly emperor’s schemes? And the location of the Gold Star, too…?]

Moments later, I proclaimed loudly, “It’s all thanks to the prophecies of Fuxi. Don’t doubt me; just follow, and everything will work out!”

Now that we were at this point, I figured it could all be explained with Fuxi’s prophecy!

“Hmm… Quite impressive.”

[That’s some confidence you’ve got there.]

“Let’s go!”

Boom!

I took them both and headed for Paliyas, where the Gold Star awaited us. To break through the dimensional barrier leading to Paliyas, normally, you’d need a crystal orb from Merlin, but as I stood before the dimensional barrier, I focused my divine power while intertwining the energies of fire and water.

Whoooo—

Dual Star Resonance!

Kwah!

Moments later, the powerful wave of divine energy I emitted shattered the dimensional barrier of Paliyas. I realized that unlike before, using the Dual Star Resonance didn’t deplete much of my strength.

‘Have I improved so much since the old days? Or… is it largely because the Seven Stars themselves have weakened?’

Swish—

In any case, slipping through the opening in the barrier and entering Paliyas, I noticed signs of the Giant Race’s seal. As we ventured in, an overwhelming stench of dark magical power hit our noses.

Hoo—

“Ugh. This is….”

Gong Gong stared at the shattered statues of the Giant Race scattered around and sighed. [Someone from the dark forces has completely demolished this holy site. Even my kin were turned to stone and killed without waking up…!!]

“……!!”

[This place has been abandoned. Are you sure the Gold Star exists here?]

“Let’s go deeper and find out.”

I led them further inside and soon discovered a beautifully shattered statue of a stunning woman. Approaching the remnants of her face, I quickly recognized who she was.

“The Lake Witch Vivian….”

It seemed she died after being petrified by a curse.

‘The battle must have ended hundreds of years ago.’

Vivian was known as the greatest sorceress from the West, and seeing her in such a horrible state suggested that this holy site, Paliyas, collapsed many centuries ago. Other human sorcerers and spirit practitioners were also found petrified and dead here.

Even the faces of the members of the Zodiac could be identified among them. Though they were all statues now, I had seen most of their faces at one time or another. They likely fell in the final battle at this holy site.

“King Arthur. Merlin… Hmm.”

I picked up Excalibur, which lay on the ground. King Arthur’s limbs had turned to stone and broken apart, but it seemed his treasured weapon had survived. Merlin also appeared petrified, as if blocking in front of King Arthur.

“Batori. Hans Talhoffer.”

The blood magic master who had lived for thousands of years and the strongest swordmaster in the West were also turned to stone.

Dae Jo Young, who was following me, looked confused. “They seem like powerful figures from the West; did you know them?”

“Just by face…”

I roughly brushed it off.

‘…What incredible power.’

As I observed the remnants of the battle, I couldn’t help but be amazed. Vivian, along with countless human sorcerers, must have perished without resisting, completely petrified. All the members of the Zodiac must have fought against the invaders, yet they hadn’t been able to resist, meaning the assailants’ power was overwhelmingly greater.

Clearly, the intruder must have had the ability to petrify.

‘…That’s some serious power. If I stay in this world much longer, they’ll definitely pose a concern.’

One possible suspect sprang to mind about who might have done this.

And if that person turned out to be an enemy—well, I really didn’t want to fight them.

After all, they had previously defeated even my former compatriots, who were stronger than me, after a fierce struggle.

‘Damn it. I hope that guy finishes his business and leaves this world already….’

I gritted my teeth. Then I walked into the narrow, dark room where I had previously communicated with the [Western Guardian]. After waiting for a while, however, there was no sign of the [Western Guardian]. Dae Jo Young followed me inside and commented, “There are traces of a powerful presence here, but it seems no one is around now. It might be best to give up on this place.”

“……”

From his words, I could feel the stark reality: the current human resistance forces in the West had completely collapsed. The holy site Paliyas was destroyed, the Gold Star was missing, and even the Western Guardian had returned to the Divine Realm in a truly disastrous situation.

“No… there are still places worth checking.”

“And where would that be?”

I responded with a look full of determination. “Astana!!”

By trading with a prophet, I might learn the Gold Star’s location and also figure out what Nailatop’s scheme is!

Boom!

I took both of them with me to Astana. After setting them outside, I strode into the little chapel of Astana.

Creak—

I was about to shout, “Prophet!! I’ve come for a trade… huh?!”

However, the moment I stepped inside, I stopped in my tracks. Because there stood a woman in a white robe, dressed like something out of an ancient Han Dynasty.

Her face was hidden. Yet, just from the silhouette, I could tell she was an extraordinarily beautiful being, and when she turned around, my hunch came to fruition.

Swoosh—

“I’ve been watching you flit about using teleportation spells from all directions, making it rather difficult to get a read on your location. But I managed to get ahead of you and wait here.”

The moment I saw her face, I gasped as if my breath had been stolen away.

“……!!”

Such a familiar face.

An uncanny beauty that was beautifully distant, reminiscent of Miho, as if they were sisters.

As I stood dumbfounded, that woman spoke. “I’ve heard you refer to yourself as Fuxi’s disciple. I see you’re imitating the appearance of that previously encountered figure.”

“……”

Of course… she knew what Fuxi looked like.

Just as I began to feel tense, she asked me, “Disciple of Fuxi, what brings you to this desolate place?”

“Aren’t you here to find the prophet?”

“The prophet…? Hehe, that’s a name I’ve never heard before.”

“……”

Something feels off.

Thud thud

As that eerie feeling settled in me, the woman in the white robe approached me with a mischievous smile. And behind her, an Eastern European furnace exploded with strange flames, simultaneously revealing a large, fluffy white fox tail moving behind her.

“Anyway, it’s of no concern to me.”

Whoosh—

The nine tails moved as if they were alive. As I gazed in daze at their grandeur, she addressed me.

“If you truly are Fuxi’s disciple, then I must offer my assistance to you.”

Daji was right before my eyes.