전생검신 87권 07화

I, Zhuge Yulong, went to find Mangnyang, who was at his place along with Zhuge Bu and others. When Mangnyang heard the circumstances, he looked genuinely shocked.

“Is that so?”

[Seems like it’s a relief that Shiva has decided to help us.]

“Hmm….”

Mangnyang glanced at Zhuge Yulong, who also had a knowing look. The advisers exchanged glances, deep in thought, and shortly after, Zhuge Yulong spoke up.

“Baek Woong. If what Shiva said is true, we need to completely revise our plan.”

[How do you propose to revise it?]

“Initially, we aimed to grow your power quickly to suppress the earthly forces and expedite the enhancement of your divine power. But considering the uncertainty of when the Queen Mother might strike, and the plan to subjugate Susanoo being thrown out the window, we have no choice but to postpone the suppression of earthly forces.”

[Then?]

The one who answered my question was Mangnyang, sitting on the bed.

“We should gather strength as quickly as possible and head directly to my master.”

[If we’re going to your master….]

“It means we have to return to the past of the [Great Cycle] to obtain a connection (缘起). I thought this timing wouldn’t be critical, and gathering enough strength would ensure stability, but now we have the variable of the Queen Mother’s surprise attack on our hands.”

[Hmm.]

“Go to my master within a month. After that, create a new variable through the connection, and it would be best to return to the present.”

[Got it. I don’t mind that. But I have a question.]

“Is there something you’re curious about?”

[Shiva mentioned that the Queen Mother wouldn’t appear alone but with ‘companions.’ But did the Queen Mother have any companions worth mentioning?]

“…….”

Mangnyang shuddered slightly in fear before speaking.

“……To be honest, I can’t even fathom it with my wisdom… However, if such beings exist, when they make their appearance, the forces here at Nanjing Castle won’t be able to withstand them. Even if you lend your strength now, it’d be the same.”

[Are you saying even with the power of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, it won’t work?]

“The Queen Mother is merely an avatar. Do you not know who the real puppet master is pulling her strings?”

[……!!]

“That means once the Queen Mother attacks, colossal foes that even the Heavenly Mysterious Woman struggles against will emerge simultaneously… The more I think about it, the more it seems hopeless.”

Gulp!

As Mangnyang said this, he took my hand with one of his and earnestly implored.

“Baek Woong… Please, create some sort of variable! If this continues, absolute annihilation is assured… I can’t bear it out of fear anymore.”

I found Mangnyang’s demeanor surprising. The usually composed and strong Mangnyang was showing such vulnerability. Perhaps that’s why I felt slightly flustered and retorted.

[Why be so afraid? No matter how strong the Queen Mother is, think about how many divine beings we’ve encountered until now. There’s no need to be this terrified…]

“……During those twenty years without you… surely we humans had countless battles against numerous divine beings, aliens, supernatural abilities, and magic. It’s true we’ve grown accustomed to it… but… but…”

I felt the tremor at the tips of Mangnyang’s fingers.

“No matter how much mental strength we’ve gained and how superb our techniques are, we are fundamentally human… Knowing the existence of Reborn Persons lessens our fear, but they remain endlessly terrifying beings… To be honest, most of us are desperately suppressing our fears, wearing ourselves down in the process.”

[……!!]

“Strength… the mere fact of possessing power to counter them has allowed us to overcome fear to this point… but we never know when our mental strength might hit a limit. It’s not just me… We need hope.”

Mangnyang gripped my hand even tighter.

“A Reborn Person must show that they are greater than gods and can lead this world to salvation.”

[…….]

I stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to say. I had rarely seen Mangnyang like this, weakened.

‘Originally, Mangnyang never had moments of weakness due to his immense martial prowess and expertise in the Corpse Dissolution Technique. Is it possible that he returned to a human-level mental strength after being affected by Ananda’s rosary…?’

No, those were all trivial reasons. The fact that ordinary humans could face beings with such power as the divines was utterly nonsensical. And then I heard Zhuge Yulong’s words.

“Indeed, as Hyun said. I didn’t mention it to you, but the morale of the humans is at an all-time low, and our leadership is equally weary. If you hadn’t established the Soeul Village as a focal point, everyone would have lost their minds and fallen into despair long ago.”

[Was it that serious…?]

“I don’t know what you’re hoping to gain from revisiting the past of the [Great Cycle]. I also don’t understand what opportunity Mangnyang’s offering truly entails. However, as Hyun said, there’s currently no element that could overturn this situation, so I hope you take advantage of that opportunity to create a variable.”

[…… Hmm.]

I pondered for a moment before speaking decisively.

[Leave it to me! I’ll come up with something.]

After concluding the meeting with the advisers, I headed toward where the Asura and the Subjugation Squad were. Upon sharing the situation with them, Asura raised an eyebrow.

“What exactly does gaining a connection even mean?”

[Honestly, I’m not quite sure myself. I’m just trying to follow what Mangnyang says is good to do.]

“That’s rather curious….”

Asura, who had been muttering, suddenly seemed to have an idea and said.

“Then will you train with us for a month?”

[Train together?]

“Yeah. Sparring with me would be beneficial. And during the remaining time, teach us that new Soul of the Evil God technique.”

[Hmm, the Soul of the Evil God…?]

Asura surveyed the surroundings briefly before saying.

“I may not be the one to say this, but everyone has reached a certain level. If they can become stronger with the Soul of the Evil God, wouldn’t they be able to hold their own against divine beings to some extent?”

[Sure, let’s do it.]

“Then let’s begin.”

After that, I began teaching the Soul of the Evil God to the martial artists of the Subjugation Squad, while in my spare time, I sparred with Asura and researched ways to suppress the dragon’s power lingering within me. Originally, sleep wasn’t my forte, and with my mechanical body, I trained relentlessly, and just like that, a month flew by.

Buzzzz

A month later, I gathered my internal power throughout my body. Asura, who was observing the energy of the Thunder Spirit Technique enveloping my body, commented.

“No. This isn’t enough.”

[Yeah, I figured as much.]

“The bloodline of the dragon holds immense capacity, doesn’t it? Even though it’s only been a month, your rate of cultivation is many times that of an ordinary martial artist, yet you still haven’t reached the threshold of the dragon’s rejection….”

[If I try to use the Soul of the Evil God, I still hit a wall.]

“That just shows how remarkable the Soul of the Evil God is. It’s not a martial art that can be easily accepted in the human world.”

Asura, who replied, stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Above all, your comprehension of the Divine Realm is evidently lacking.”

[…… Damn it. I don’t even totally understand what you mean.]

“Hmm… The fact that you’ve only grasped the concept through the Dark Night Slash implies that the high-level practitioners in the Divine Realm cannot treat you as an equal.”

[Are you mocking me?]

“Not mocking. In fact, you know that with just that, you can stand toe-to-toe with most high-level practitioners in the Divine Realm.”

[But while I can negate the opponent’s attack with the Dark Night Slash, I still can’t retaliate….]

Precisely. This was the dilemma I felt during my month of sparring with Asura.

Whenever Asura used Natural Sword or other techniques, I would immediately respond with the Dark Night Slash to nullify the attack. However, it always ended there, and I couldn’t launch a counterattack at all. So, it eventually turned into a passive situation where Asura would attack first, and I could only nullify it.

This can’t go on. If I can’t retaliate, how the heck am I supposed to win?

As if reading my mind, Asura spoke.

“Baek Woong. To be honest, I’ve figured out how you can move to the next stage.”

[What?! Hurry up and tell me!]

“But I won’t tell you.”

[Why not?]

“Because it has to be something you realize on your own.”

[…….]

Here we go again… It would be so much easier if he just told me!

While I couldn’t argue against his wisdom based on experience, I still felt frustrated. When I made a discontented expression, Asura chuckled and said.

“Alright, alright. If you’re insistent, then try this.”

[What?]

“You’ve built up enough divine power to challenge the connection, right? That means you need to fight Ajidahaka as soon as you travel back to the past of the [Great Cycle].”

Mercenary King Ajidahaka!

He’s a master of the Divine Realm and now the Mercenary King. In the past of the [Great Cycle], he’s the one I’m supposed to face in battle.

[……? I’ll just summon Ajidahaka for a sparring session right now.]

“No, that won’t work. You wouldn’t gain anything from fighting him under your current circumstances.”

[What? What do you mean by that?]

“You’ll understand if you try. Fighting him now would be detrimental to you.”

[……?]

I couldn’t decipher what Asura’s vague statement meant. However, I thought he must have a valid reason for saying it and nodded along.

[Got it.]

“Then go well.”

[You bet!]

Fwooooosh

Finally, I set off with Miho via a teleportation technique to the village where Mangnyang was located. Upon entering the village, Miho soon vanished behind a veil of mist, and I quickly felt myself drifting off to sleep.

When I opened my eyes in a dream-like path, I could hear Mangnyang’s voice.

[Have you come to gain a connection?]

“……Yeah.”

Once I regained my physical form in Mangnyang’s dream, it felt miraculous. Curious, I asked.

“I’ve wanted to ask, but what does it mean to gain a connection? And why do we have to go through all this trouble?”

[It’s a remarkably simple reason. It’s simply about obtaining the [Process].]

Mangnyang began patiently explaining.

[The entity that has tangled this situation has, in fact, suspected it even before you returned the [Great Cycle] to the past. Therefore, you cannot confront that entity in your current state. To oppose them, a new causality is needed that cannot be measured by them, and what you obtained from the past must be passed on to the present.]

“……?!”

I couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

“What? That puppet-master predicted I’d go back to the past of the [Great Cycle]?”

[Correct.]

“How could ‘that’ know? It only happened by pure chance, with the help of the Reborn Person! How on earth would they know about reversing time? Even the gods can’t perceive the [Great Cycle]!!”

[…….]

“Why does that bastard want to trap me in the first place? Just tell me!”

[I cannot.]

“Why?!”

[Because they always maintain the upper hand. If you uncover the details, they can exploit that knowledge to ensnare you deeper.]

“……!!”

Is that even possible?

I couldn’t believe there was such a formidable being in existence. Even Mangnyang, who was wary of his abilities, couldn’t hastily divulge information! Mangnyang stared at me intently before hopping over the fence and saying.

[Because of the trick you performed last time, you will return to a much more advantageous position. However, you need to make a significant choice, so think carefully.]

“Is it one of those significant choices? You won’t answer even if I ask?”

[…….]

“Alright, just hurry up and send me.”

I clenched my fist and replied.

“Let’s give this a shot!!”

[You’re brimming with confidence. So go ahead and try as much as you can….]

Swooooooosh

Shortly after, a mist began to envelop me, and I found myself falling asleep once again.

*

“…….”

Huh?

What’s this?

I suddenly realized I was in the middle of a massive expanse of space and rubbed my eyes. Somehow, the scenery seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I was. After a moment, hearing a voice nearby, I finally figured out where I was.

[Master, what’s wrong?]

“Heuk Woong.”

He was standing beside me, and hearing his voice made me look back to see a dimension gate vaguely open behind me, with the bodies of countless slaughtered monsters beyond it.

As soon as I saw that, I realized what moment I had entered.

“……Huh!!”

N-No way…….

Was it the moment after I had just entered the lair of the Evil God after slaughtering the monsters in the underground cave of the Lemuria Empire?!

Upon realizing that, my body stiffened in shock.

‘Crap!!’

This was bad.

If only I hadn’t crossed that boundary from the start, but now, I was already beyond it.

In other words, I had already invaded the lair of the Evil God!!

And that meant……

‘The evidence to break our “non-aggression pact” with me has already been granted to the Evil God!!’

At this point, depending on the Evil God’s mood, the same scenario could easily unfold again.

While I had gained a slight advantage, nothing had materially changed from before!

What the heck am I supposed to do now?

Turning back through that gate, would the likes of the Evil God show any mercy?!

They’d surely chase me to the ends of the universe. Even if I tried to escape to the underworld, they’d still follow me, and the exact same situation would repeat again!

I stood dazed for a moment before realizing what I needed to do.

“……Alright.”

[Why, Master?]

I steeled myself and said.

“Now that it’s come to this… There’s no choice but to change the future.”

I’m going to use everything I know to persuade the Evil God!

 

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