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“The Soul of the Evil God”

As I returned from the bizarre realm of Cheon Woo-jin, my mind gradually cleared, yet the thought struck me that the truth was trapped within a cloud.

‘Everyone seems suspicious.’

Should I really trust Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen like Cheon Woo-jin suggested? Doubts swirled as every thought seemed to arise out of suspicion.

Nailatop seemed suspicious.

Hermes felt suspicious too.

Who would have guessed that I’d find myself in a world where trusting anyone would be impossible? I sat bewildered in this outrageous situation and muttered.

“…I should ask Zhuge Hyun… no….”

I shook my head vigorously. Then muttered with a clearer tone,

“I shouldn’t rely on anyone anymore.”

Not that I knew why I said that. But my instincts were clearly telling me something.

It was time to forge my own path.

Even though Zhuge Hyun was undeniably smarter than me, I slowly rose from my seat after concluding that myself. I turned to Dr. Faust, who was staring at me blankly, and said,

“Dr. Faust. I want to meet Commander Yi Hon. Please guide me.”

“Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing serious.”

I followed Dr. Faust to meet Yi Hon, the Supreme Commander of the Human Alliance. Yi Hon was originally a clone of the powerful expert Kwon Seong Yi Hon from the Absolute Realm and had sparred with me not too long ago.

Facing Yi Hon, I shot straight to the point.

“Let me ask bluntly. What’s your relationship with Major Lee Hwan-woong?”

“……?”

Yi Hon looked puzzled. Vladimir, the Vice Commander behind him, looked equally perplexed. Maybe they thought I asked an oddball question, as Yi Hon paused before answering.

“I don’t understand why you’d want to know. Is it really something you need to know?”

“I’ve exterminated numerous aliens for the sake of your Human Alliance. Is it too much to ask just one question as a form of my contributions?”

“Well….”

“Now I’m curious about why you’re hesitating.”

As I snapped back, Yi Hon, seemingly flustered, glanced sideways at Vice Commander Vladimir, who nodded while grimacing. Vladimir then strode out of the room.

Wiying

Once Vladimir left, Yi Hon clasped his hands atop the table and spoke in a heavy voice.

“Major Lee Hwan-woong… his real name is Lee Hwan-woong. He’s a disciple of Nailatop and, in fact, my son.”

“……”

“It might be difficult to call him my son since I’m a clone of Yi Hon. The child I had before I became a clone is Lee Hwan-woong.”

Was it really bloodline?

I sensed the mysterious link beginning to connect and said,

“I thought it was strange. I figured there had to be some kind of relationship between you and Lee Hwan-woong, but I’ve been so out of it since coming to this world that I never found the chance to ask. More so, I thought it was unimportant.”

“So, suddenly it seems important to you to know our relationship?”

“Indeed. Because of this country called Joseon.”

“Joseon? Why does it concern you…?”

“……”

I couldn’t explain that to Yi Hon. It was a discomfort I could feel solo.

‘A kingdom named Joseon doesn’t exist in my original world. Only the Goryeo Kingdom persists. Yet, here in this otherworldly realm, it exists as if it were natural….’

To think something like that could matter was quite tough. After all, I was feeling immense urgency to return from this otherworldly realm, wrestling with gathering the Seven Luminaries and confronting the Three Sovereigns, leaving me a bit scatterbrained.

My focus on Joseon had stemmed precisely from Seo Mun-gbaek. Seo Mun-gbaek vaguely discussed the history of the Gwanggeum Demon and gave me a rough overview of modern history, and within that history, a tremendous discomfort lingered.

Every other history remained the same, yet Goryeo hadn’t transitioned into Joseon, which was the difference.

That difference implied that someone intentionally altered the history of the world I came from, right?

‘I might not know who it is, but if that’s the case, it’s best to dig up information on Kwon Seong Yi Hon, who is closely related to Joseon and made a name for himself amongst the Ten Great Masters in my world.’

And as for the link between Yi Hon and Nailatop, that all led back to Lee Hwan-woong.

Believing there had to be some sort of relationship, I became compelled to consider this.

‘Oh? Why do I feel like my brain is working really well right now…?’

Curiously enough, after meeting Cheon Woo-jin, my thought process sped up, making me feel oddly strange and tilt my head.

Shortly afterward, Yi Hon sighed.

“Hoo! The fact that Lee Hwan-woong is the son of Kwon Seong Yi Hon is a top-secret matter. I also keep my being a clone hidden from him, so please cooperate.”

“Top-secret? Why hide such a fact?”

“The first reason is to prevent giving Lee Hwan-woong a major shock. Although he’s mature for his age and an excellent warrior, he’s still just a kid. The second reason is because of Heavenly Gate.”

Huh?

Upon hearing a word I’d never come across before, I asked back,

“Heavenly Gate? What’s that?”

“You don’t know Heavenly Gate?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I did! Is it renowned enough for me to certainly know?”

“Ah…. That makes sense. Heavenly Gate is an ancient martial sect originating from Dangun faith with a history spanning thousands of years. Within the annals of the peninsula’s history, the greatest warriors spring solely from Heavenly Gate, and their expertise didn’t fall behind that of the best in Central Plains Martial World.”

“……?”

Such a sect existed? I racked my brain trying to recall and asked,

“Doesn’t it also go by the name of the Twelve Joules? As far as I know, the strongest sect on the peninsula is the Twelve Joules.”

“……? The Twelve Joules refers to the twelve pitches of traditional scale as far as I know. I haven’t heard of any sect with such a ridiculous name.”

“Oh…. Then you wouldn’t know of the Dan Clan or the Manha Spiritual Gate?”

“I’ve never heard of them. First time I’ve heard that name. The martial lineage of the peninsula, from Goryeo and Joseon, has always been inherited by Heavenly Gate. The inheritor would occasionally descend to share martial arts teachings.”

“…….”

No Dan Clan, no Manha Spiritual Gate in this world.

Then, naturally, Master of the Twelve Joules must not exist either.

But still, Kwon Seong Yi Hon exists as he is, huh?

‘There must be a reason….’

While I pondered over the strangeness gnawing at my thoughts, Yi Hon continued speaking.

“In fact, Heavenly Gate was annihilated shortly after the first invasion from the aliens. The sole survivor, Heavenly Gate Leader Ha Seorin, perished alongside her husband, Kwon Seong Yi Hon, on the same battlefield, effectively leading to its end. If it’s revealed that Yi Hon has died, all martial artists from Heavenly Gate would be cast into despair.”

“Huh…? Is that really that important? Is it going to bring down morale if it’s known Yi Hon has died?”

No matter how much of an expert from the Absolute Realm he was, he was just one person. Could his death really plunge the world into immense despair? Yi Hon smiled wryly.

“The world isn’t so simple that a single expert from the Absolute Realm could make a dent in morale. However, Yi Hon was viewed as another successor from Heavenly Gate and a spiritual leader for martial artists across the peninsula. The significance of his death has far-reaching implications, irrespective of his martial prowess.”

“Hmm….”

“Anyway, I’m sharing this secret with you because you’ve achieved mythical feats that render such secrets meaningless. Still, please keep in mind that I’m a clone and that Yi Hon is Lee Hwan-woong’s father.”

“Well, I didn’t really care that much, to be honest…”

I scratched my head.

‘It really didn’t seem that important either…. Why did my instincts kick in to ask about this?’

Whether it was Yi Hon or Lee Hwan-woong, these issues didn’t matter to me as I was about to return to my original world. Yet, the nagging feeling urging me to figure this all out wouldn’t leave me alone. I pondered over why this was until I suddenly realized

“Oh, but there’s one more thing I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“You mentioned Dangun faith, so does Heavenly Gate Master equate to Dangun?”

“……?”

This time, Yi Hon had the most bewildered expression.

“What are you talking about? Dangun is just a traditional legend! Any sane sect wouldn’t dare to claim Dangun as one of their own.”

“Huh? So, then the Three Masters weren’t part of Heavenly Gate?”

“Th… Three Masters? Are you referring to Wind Master, Sorcerer, and Yu?”

“Yes! They were incredibly powerful sorcerers!”

“That too is merely a legend. To think you speak of them as if they’re real… ha ha.”

Yi Hon laughed as though he found it utterly absurd. Yet I couldn’t join in on his laughter.

“…….”

What?

The Twelve Joules surely fought under the sacred powers of deities like Dangun or the Three Masters, but here, Heavenly Gate treats it merely as folklore?

And in that moment, I felt that the peculiar discomfort clawing at me had coalesced into a single term, seemingly linked to the acceleration of my thought process right after visiting Cheon Woo-jin.

“Hwanin….”

I muttered absentmindedly.

“Do you know of Hwanin?”

The term Hwanin seemed to concentrate all that discomfort with it.

Memories I had heard from Jeong Do-ryeong, Master of the Twelve Joules, and King Dae Jo Young all merged into one incomprehensible flow of thought leading to that word.

“……!!”

Startled!

Suddenly, Yi Hon’s demeanor became serious. His expression appeared tense, the gravity on his face growing visibly stronger.

Silence loomed briefly, and Yi Hon spoke, seemingly probing me.

“Are you perhaps involved in the ‘plan’ on behalf of Nailatop…? Is that why you inquired about my relationship with Lee Hwan-woong?”

Huh?

What’s that supposed to mean?

What plan are we even talking about here?

‘Not entirely sure, but I guess I should play along.’

However, having honed my negotiation skills over time, I quickly caught the vibe and decided to nod slightly while lying.

“Nailatop told me to inquire with you. After dispatching the aliens, he asked if I had nothing else to do, so he suggested it.”

“Hmm…. Indeed… If it’s you, perhaps you could leapfrog the plan considerably….”

Yi Hon looked at me with a gaze filled with admiration and glow and suddenly sprang to his feet.

“Follow me! I’m about to make significant decisions today.”

Wiying –

Yi Hon passed through several automatic closing doors and began walking elsewhere, with me trailing behind. The place he was heading wasn’t the research facility where Dr. Faust was; instead, it was in the completely opposite direction. With every door we passed, the lighting dimmed, and it felt like we were descending deeper underground. I already knew this base was the heart of the Antarctic, so I had no real grasp of how deep it ran.

‘We’re going down a lot… But it’s not hot.’

The common knowledge was that the deeper you go, the hotter the geothermal heat becomes, but that wasn’t the case here. Instead, it felt chilly, and if you stood still, it might feel quite cold.

After going down for a while, Yi Hon stopped in front of a peculiar iron door where black and purple intersected and said,

“Only I and Dr. Faust know of this place among all humanity. Once you see this, there will be no turning back.”

“Turning back is the least of my worries. I’ll take worse than death if it comes to that!”

“Ha ha. You’re certainly a heroic figure!”

Yi Hon laughed cheerily and pulled out a card, activating the iron door.

Wung –

With a heavy sound, the iron door began to open. And as the door swung wide, I found myself staring at something in front.

A colossal space!

This was undeniably not the depths of Antarctica but a separate void space.

Beyond the verdant, expansive oceanic forest loomed an enormous tree of terrifying size.

The tree was truly massive. It felt wrong to even call it a tree, as it surpassed the idyllic beauty of an ordinary tree and seemed to fill the horizon.

Yet, I was not amazed by the sheer size of the tree.

It was because I had seen it before.

“……!!”

What…?! Why is that here?!

While I stood, mouth agape in shock, Yi Hon walked ahead and said,

“Unlike the outside base, this space is unfathomably vast, created by ancient magic from another realm. To reach that tree visible from here, you’d have to travel at least fifty li.”

“Wait a minute… Who made this space and that tree?”

In response to my question, Yi Hon replied,

“The space was created by the pioneers from another realm who used nine roots to reach this world. Dr. Faust mentioned that this space first appeared in Antarctica around 500,000 years ago… many eons prior to human history.”

“Nine roots….”

“…Well, the tree itself wasn’t made by those pioneers. It just happened to appear at a desired location, and coincidentally, it happened to be our world. The pioneers merely reached this world in search of that tree.”

“500,000 years ago….”

That was a monumental stretch of time, yet I could believe it. After all, Zhuge Sa mentioned that grimoires could span even longer. If it were such a mysterious relic, I’d believe in it being over a million years old.

Shortly afterward, Yi Hon pointed at the massive tree, which seemed to pierce the heavens, and said,

“Right there will be the beginning of our ultimate plan to reverse the End Times! Our Hwanin Plan!”

“……”

“Follow me now.”

Yi Hon, using Light Body Technique, jumped ahead while I remained fixated on the tree, unable to tear my gaze away.

‘This is unbelievable….’

A gigantic tree.

Well, compared to the ‘Original Tree’ I had once seen, this one looked relatively smaller –

‘No doubt about it.’

That tree resembled the Sacred Altar Tree.

 

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