1331——————==

Soul of the Evil God

With the appearance of Daji, I didn’t quite get the whole situation, but one thing was clear: Daji had a purpose in coming to find me.

‘And I can definitely talk to someone with a purpose….’

If the goal was just to outright kill me, Daji wouldn’t have started the conversation so casually. But Daji was still a high-ranking Demon King, not someone to take lightly, so I spoke with an underlying tension.

“Help me, huh? What do you want help with?”

Daji replied with a calm and expressionless demeanor.

“Don’t be so tense. Your companions outside can already feel your killing intent and have rushed in.”

Whoosh!!

As Daji finished speaking, Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong, who had been waiting outside, suddenly appeared in the hall like a teleportation. They were powerful beings too, sensing something amiss immediately.

“Impressive presence.”

[Is he a Demon King?]

They were eyeing Daji warily as well. Things escalated into a 3-on-1 situation, but Daji didn’t seem fazed at all. Looking at me, Daji spoke.

“You’re Fuxi’s disciple. I don’t know what you’re hoping to do at the brink of extinction, but helping this maiden might not be a bad idea.”

“…….”

I pondered for a moment before responding.

“Let’s hear it.”

A tense atmosphere descended as we faced off, unsure if an attack could come at any moment. We decided to temporarily put the fight on hold, and it was Daji who broke the silence.

“Help me enter the Realm of the Moon.”

“……?”

“If you do, this maiden will grant you a favor in return.”

Realm of the Moon?

I had no clue what that was, so I glanced at Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong, but they didn’t seem to know either. Daji, noticing our confusion, seemed slightly irritated as she said.

“…You’re Fuxi’s disciple but don’t know about the Realm of the Moon? How can that be?”

Uh-oh!

That reaction felt like I made a blunder!

I panicked a bit but decided to play it cool.

“I don’t know of anything by that name. But it could just be called something different. Isn’t it a letdown to assume and be disappointed?”

Daji raised an eyebrow and pressed on with a probing question.

“Hmmm… so do you know about the spirit of the Sun and the spirit of the Moon?”

“…….”

“You should know this since you’re Fuxi’s disciple.”

Goodness… there’s no way I would know….

‘What on earth are those?!’

But if I displayed ignorance or showed weakness, I sensed that Daji would lose interest in negotiating and would either attack or flee. Plus, Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong, who had been trusting me, would lose faith as well.

‘Let’s wing it!’

In that split second, I managed my expression and said.

“Oh, that! I remember my Master mentioning it. Are you trying to steal something significant from the Realm of the Moon?”

I didn’t know what the Realm of the Moon was, but if she wanted to enter it, she probably wanted to steal something! That was my instinct as a great thief.

Daji smiled mysteriously at my words.

“…Maybe?”

“…….”

I took a gamble and it seemed to pay off….

I decided to act annoyed.

“Daji! You know I, Fuxi’s disciple, wouldn’t help with that! What are you scheming?”

I might not know the full story, but pretending to be on point seemed to have some effect. Daji replied to my outburst with an icy expression.

“Your situation isn’t much different from mine, yet here you are, relaxing right before the end.”

“What do you mean?”

“This maiden is the abandoned yin spirit of Nüwa. You, too, have been reduced to something akin to a lost ember since Fuxi’s obliteration. With our masters gone, do you intend to accept an eternal demise just because of minor rules?”

“…….”

“In any case, our creator has abandoned us and returned to the divine throne. Now is the time for each of us to fend for ourselves. Doesn’t that have you wandering in search of the Seven Luminaries?”

“So you’re saying you’re going to the Realm of the Moon to fend for yourself? How ridiculous.”

“It’s not that ridiculous.”

Daji then flashed a captivating smile.

“If we gain the powers of both the Realm of the Sun and the Realm of the Moon, we can leap directly to where the Dharma Techniques exist.”

“……?!”

Dharma Techniques?!

What do Dharma Techniques have to do with this all of a sudden?!

“Now that I’ve said this much, you should’ve understood….”

“Oof.”

Honestly, I had no clue what she meant, but as I pretended to comprehend, Daji stretched out a delicate hand towards me.

“You seem to have gathered quite the Seven Luminaries; let’s unite our powers to acquire the force of the Dharma Techniques at once. Then, we can escape this world altogether.”

“Escape this world?”

“Why do you keep pretending not to understand? The world’s end is inevitable, so we must flee to another universe. It’s a big advantage to start anew in a different world, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“With the power of Dharma Techniques, you could easily subdue the [Guardian] and cross to another world.”

My head is spinning, but one thing was clear.

‘Daji knows the location of the Non-Birth Mother’s Dharma Techniques!!’

And it’s not just reaching that Dharma Technique but entering those special realms – the Realm of the Sun and the Realm of the Moon – to acquire some ‘power’!

However, it wasn’t just that. Though I’m not the sharpest, I sensed that Daji was hiding something. But as I struggled to figure it out, Dae Jo Young, standing beside me, finally spoke up.

“I don’t understand what you mean, but do we really have to seek personal gain this hard? If this world falls, everything will vanish; what makes you think casting off this cycle to jump to another cycle will mean anything?”

Then Daji flashed an eerie smile.

“Wait a minute, you’re the one who visited my sealed place back then. Such a human with divine power, Dae Jo Young, was it?”

“Indeed. I’m Dae Jo Young. It’s the first time seeing you as a human.”

Huh?

Looks like those two knew each other.

“Hohoho. You’ve been foretelling the end, preaching to the strong across the lands. But what happened? Every hero is dead, and now only the Emperor’s victory and the return of the Evil God remain. How pitiful that you dare to give advice to this maiden while being a failure.”

“…….”

When Dae Jo Young fell silent, Gong Gong interjected.

[Daji, I’ve heard from my lord. The outer universe is not just beyond this cycle, but a massive [boundary]…. No god of chaos would dare to transcend the outer universe. Simply defeating the Guardian wouldn’t allow anyone to cross into a completely different realm.]

“That’s the story when there are no Dharma Techniques. I won’t talk to someone who knows nothing.”

[Excuse me?]

Gong Gong seemed a bit annoyed, but Daji provocatively smiled at us.

“How amusing. You truly think this maiden is unable to do anything to you just because I’ve lowered my head a bit? Ahahahaha…!!”

Kugugugugu!!

Kuoohhh

For a moment, an immense aura erupted from Daji, swirling like a storm, causing not only me but also Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong to stumble and struggle to maintain our stances.

Crackle! Crackle!!

Daji’s human form began to overlap with an illusion, shifting to something half-human, half-demon. She was clearly slightly unleashing her mana but hadn’t revealed her full power yet. The sight of her made me realize the extent of her strength.

‘Shit… she’s insane!!’

This level of power would effortlessly overpower each member of the Eight Parts of the Divine. In fact, she was stronger than what I had faced before with the Master of the White Lotus Sect! Even the legendary strongest being of the Eight Parts of the Divine, the Celestial, couldn’t last long against Daji in her current state.

Gulp

I found myself involuntarily swallowing. The thought dawned on me: Daji could easily wipe out the Eight Parts of the Divine alone when she revealed her true self. Even if I unlocked all my seals and fought with the Four Great Spirit Deities and the Seven Luminaries, I couldn’t count on winning. Even with Heuk Woong’s help, that was uncertain due to his unpredictable abilities.

It’s clear.

Daji now stood as a Super Demon King, rivaling the Old Ruler!

Whatever she did, she was much stronger than she had been while hidden away amongst the Old Ruler’s pawns, now showing herself at the world’s end.

Suddenly, I felt something click in my mind, and I spoke up.

“Daji… don’t tell me… you’ve… eaten Miho….”

“……?”

Suuuu

Daji, who had been flexing her strength, paused at my unexpected question, giving me a surprised look.

“Fuxi’s disciple. Did you personally know about my ‘tail’?”

“……!!”

What the…!!

I instinctively tightened my grip on Xuyou. For a moment, I forgot about Daji’s power, consumed instead by a wave of rage and passion, my voice boiling over.

“Did you… eat Miho!!”

“Uhuhuhuh…. Eat her? Ahahahaha.”

Daji suddenly burst into manic laughter.

“Is there anyone crazy enough to eat their own tail? Ahahahaha!!”

“What did you do to Miho?”

“Hmph. From your questions, it seems you’re completely unaware of the events when Fuxi and Nüwa were erased.”

With an almost pitying look, Daji spoke in a slightly melancholic tone.

“Nüwa used my tail as a spare life to expend while fighting against the Queen Mother. This maiden will never retrieve that tail again.”

“…….”

“It was already maddening that my tail was taken in the ancient times, and now because of that tail, you dare to reveal killing intent toward me… you truly are intolerable….”

Tsk tsk tsk

As a crimson aura began to glow in Daji’s eyes, I snapped back to reality.

It’s obvious why Miho is absent from this world.

‘Right, this universe is ultimately the outer universe. It’s a universe unrelated to ours…. Miho being used as the Queen Mother’s spare life has already been determined in history.’

Could that mean our world’s history is off?

Originally, Miho wouldn’t have awakened independently, but perhaps there has been a twist in the wheel of karma?

Dae Jo Young, watching me with an unhappy expression, said.

“What will you do? Will you fight, or will you accept Daji’s proposal?”

“…….”

“We need to decide quickly. This isn’t a situation where delays are wise.”

Kugugugu

Dae Jo Young was right. Daji’s patience was clearly wearing thin. She initially seemed rational, but being a wicked Demon King at heart, she might unleash her deadly force, thinking she held the upper hand.

‘…Daji knows the location of the Dharma Techniques. Naturally, I should accept this proposal.’

If I could find out the new location of the Dharma Techniques through Daji, it would definitely be advantageous for me. And if I could learn of the third Dharma Technique’s location, but I sensed that—beyond those thoughts—a gut feeling born from my countless negotiation experiences whispered to me.

Just accepting the proposal would only end with me being used till the end.

‘Don’t underestimate her. I need to test the waters first.’

After contemplating briefly, I spoke up.

“I’ll accept. But I have conditions.”

“Conditions?”

At Daji’s question, I nodded and said.

“First… you’re not going to say the location of the Dharma Techniques is in Antarctica, are you? Answer this honestly.”

This was something I needed to confirm.

If I were to accept Daji’s proposal, only to discover I already knew the locations of the two Dharma Techniques, it would all be for nothing.

Daji, however, smiled as if pleased.

“Uhuhuh. No.”

“…….”

I understood her glee.

‘Damn it… she didn’t know about the Dharma Technique in Antarctica. Now that I mentioned it, she’s become aware of a new Technique’s location.’

So unintentionally, I handed her free intel, but I didn’t care. Regardless, the one in Antarctica required immense power to obtain, so there was no worry about it being snatched away.

I continued.

“Also, we can’t work for free, so we’ll need some compensation. How did you know where I was and what made you follow me?”

“You’ve got a lot of demands… Don’t you know I could easily annihilate you right now?”

“You could, sure. But in that case, you’d be the only one unlocking the Realm of the Moon.”

“Hoho… are you feeling that way?”

“It shouldn’t be hard, right? I’m just asking for an equal negotiation. I don’t think it’s going to be a huge loss for you.”

“…….”

Daji paused for a moment, then said.

“I heard your information from Jeogok.”

“……!! What did you say?”

The Jeogok of the Three Sovereigns?!

I was taken aback by the sudden revelation. I wasn’t the only one surprised; Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong looked equally shocked, and Gong Gong turned to me, saying.

[Baek Woong… did you perhaps incur the wrath of Jeogok?]

“Uh, no way. That’s impossible.”

I’ve been here for just a few days; how could I have made an enemy??

More importantly, why did Jeogok pass my info to Daji?

“How could Jeogok have heard about me?”

“I just offered some treasures for my purposes. Not to mention, Jeogok is the only one among the apathetic Four Spirits to wander around with some spirit left.”

“Jeogok…?”

While all the others like Jeon Wook, Yu Shun, and Shao Hao were stuck in despair from defeating the Emperor, Jeogok still had the will to fight?

“And for helping this maiden, this is the price.”

When I tilted my head at her statement, Daji swiftly threw something at me.

Thump

As I caught it instinctively, it turned out to be a glaring red earring radiating fiery energy. Staring in astonishment at the earring, Daji said.

“This is the centerpiece of the Absolute Teachings, the Pear Blossom Bell. It belonged to the Golden Light Saint.”

“Centerpiece….”

“I can assure you it’s an elite centerpiece. Isn’t that enough compensation for helping?”

I felt a bit dizzy since it was rare for me to receive compensation. Gazing again at the Pear Blossom Bell, I suddenly sensed something was off and turned to Daji.

“The Golden Light Saint, right? One of the Ten Heavenly Generals? Are you saying she just gave you this centerpiece?”

“…….”

Daji simply smiled back, keeping her secrets close.

In that moment, a chill crept up my spine as I began to piece together what this all meant.

So Daji’s power increase, and the reason the Pear Blossom Bell of the Golden Light Saint was in her possession, suddenly made sense.

‘This… this bastard….’

Dazed, I bit my lip as I replied.

“…Lastly, you need to swear on your name that you’re not acting on any orders from Jeogok or any other [Old Ruler]. If you’re just someone’s puppet, we’re in danger too.”

“Alright. I, Daji, promise to act solely on my own will.”

Woong

I could feel the promise of her [name] shining for a moment. With Daji not hesitating to invoke her name, it seemed she really was not being manipulated by anyone but was planning her escape to the outer universe on her own terms.

“The alliance has been established.”

As I spoke those words, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease.

‘Damn… what a monstrous bastard.’

There’s no doubt about it.

Daji must have consumed all the Ten Heavenly Generals to amplify her strength.

Is it alright to be allied with such a brutal and powerful being?