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“The Apostle of God!”

Though I had already reincarnated, so I was somewhat prepared for this, it seemed different for the rest of them. Dokgo Seong especially looked like he’d just seen a ghost, with his face twisted in shock.

He spoke with a tremor in his voice. “God? You mean their power is like some kind of sorcery?”

“There must be a terminal that channels divine power for them. Think of it like how I can descend upon the Yoon-ja,” Yeodong-bin remarked, glancing at me.

“Yoon-ja, between you and me is the law of cause and effect called fate. I don’t know how it works, but as long as that connection exists, I will respond to your summoning.”

……

The law of cause and effect. It’s an absolute law even the Old Ruler cannot defy.

The summoning magic to call Yeodong-bin is set by the law of causality, and it seems to continue even beyond my past lives. It’s not that something specific is embedded in my body, but rather that a thread of fate, which even the gods can’t meddle with, connects Yeodong-bin and me from the moment of my reincarnation.

‘This causality is fascinating.’

While I was blankly pondering, Dokgo Seong let out a sound of realization. “Could it be… the Master…”

He seemed to be piecing it together. Leaving the bewildered Dokgo Seong behind, I hurriedly turned back to Yeodong-bin.

“Sword Saint, I’m dealing with a chaos in my sword arts. I have too many martial techniques and it’s tough to integrate them all.”

“Hmm, that does seem to be the case.”

Yeodong-bin stared at me for a moment and then said, “It seems it’s a bit early, but we should enter the third stage of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique.”

“The third stage? Is that the last one?”

He nodded in response to my question.

“Your understanding of the essence and intent has matured, so there’s no need to learn any more about faith and comprehension; I’ll just pass along the final aspect, the ‘Escape’.”

“Weren’t there a total of five stages?”

“‘Entering’ and ‘Void’ lead to ‘Escape’, so it’s fine. You need to reach that level to overcome the chaos.”

At that moment, Dokgo Seong snapped out of his daze and shouted, “Wait!”

“What is it?”

“Teach me the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique too!”

All eyes turned to Dokgo Seong. He boldly gazed at Yeodong-bin, seemingly unbothered.

“I want to master the Peerless Sword Technique and pursue the pinnacle of martial arts.”

Confidence was radiating from his expression. After all, Dokgo Seong was a top-notch expert from the Thunder God Lineage, gifted with exceptional talent since he was young. Witnessing the Great Immortal’s martial arts now, he was ready to pay any price to learn.

But Yeodong-bin shook his head incredulously.

“You have no connection with me. The only one who can learn my Heavenly Escape Sword Technique in this realm is this Yoon-ja.”

“But we’ve already had a match and are talking right now. Isn’t this the connection of martial artists?”

Yeodong-bin replied, without a shred of change in his expression, “No. Our encounter was enabled because the Yoon-ja sacrificed ten years of their life. There is no other connection.”

“……!!”

“The Heavenly Escape Sword Technique is just one path. If you cultivate your own martial arts, you will eventually reach the realm of immortals.”

His words were devoid of selfishness or emotion. It was the first time I had seen the usually passionate Yeodong-bin display such coldness. At that moment, I truly felt that Yeodong-bin was a divine being who moved strictly according to the laws of the Celestial Realm.

When Dokgo Seong stopped talking, Yeodong-bin turned his head towards me.

“If you wish to learn the ‘Escape’, you will need the ‘Fuel’. Are you ready for that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You might dissolve within the essence of martial arts.”

……

In that instant, as I mentally connected with Yeodong-bin, I vaguely grasped what the final stage of ‘Escape’ entailed. And I realized just what a gamble this was.

‘Entrusting my entire spirit to Yeodong-bin while absorbing the essence of his swordsmanship…!!’

The final summoning ritual leading to enlightenment! Until now, I had maintained a separate consciousness observing reality while letting Yeodong-bin descend. But at the stage of ‘Escape’, Yeodong-bin would completely devour my consciousness, and the sword skills of the Sword Saint would fully seep into my unconsciousness. This wasn’t a process any average mental strength could endure.

I curiously asked, “Why is the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique divided into five stages?”

“It’s for the purpose of seeking the world.”

Yeodong-bin gazed sorrowfully at the sky and elaborated, “In cases where you need to reach the realm of the Immortal Sword through my teachings, it means the world is in turmoil. It’s questioning whether you truly need power despite preparing for personal sacrifice, Yoon-ja.”

I seemed to understand what Yeodong-bin’s words meant. Those connected to him through a terminal were originally bound by strong fate, worrying about the future of the world. And for such individuals, Yeodong-bin poured all his effort into imparting his knowledge and ability, abilities and memories of the Great Immortal, which were extraordinary.

‘Even just the memory of Ji-seon Mang-nyang would be overwhelming to absorb…’

Any average human’s mental strength might melt away under that pressure. Yeodong-bin seemed to realize this, which made me suspect that he had deliberately refrained from recommending the stage of ‘Escape’ until now. It wouldn’t be common for someone to need great power at the risk of sacrifice.

However, without hesitation, I nodded. “Please do it.”

After all, I would reincarnate even if I died. Besides, there was no predicting when I would overcome this chaos with my own power. Instead of enduring the wear and tear on my mental strength through repeated lives, risking it all this time seemed a hundred times better.

Yeodong-bin reached out his hand toward my heart. Then, he warned me, “Your confusion seems rather special, so the other Eight Immortals may come to your aid. The chances of your mind burning out will increase. Do you agree?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Swish…

Yeodong-bin’s form disappeared.

At that moment, I felt an overwhelming torrent of information pouring into my head, akin to when I accepted Mang-nyang’s Corpse Dissolution Technique. Contrary to the highly specialized knowledge of advanced martial arts, the information was laid out in an intuitive and simplified manner. Yet, as it transitioned to the principles of advanced martial arts, a profound understanding enveloped me.

……!!

Thump!

I felt a massive headache as I suddenly burst a nosebleed. Dizziness struck, forcing one knee to bend. Despite being somewhat immune to pain as a martial artist, this headache was particularly hard to bear. It felt like dozens of moths were flitting about in my skull, and sharp pain was stabbing at my temples.

Beside me, Kamizumi Nobutsuna looked worried. “Are you okay?”

“Ah… ugh…”

Simultaneously, I felt a surge from the depths of my unconsciousness, a colossal force rising upward. It was none other than Yeodong-bin’s genuine spirit, merging with my being by my consent. I realized that if it continued like this, Yeodong-bin would completely descend upon me within moments.

Before losing consciousness, Yeodong-bin’s last words echoed in my mind. [This place is crawling with demon beasts. I will now showcase the power of the Eight Immortals.]

My consciousness sank deeper. Yet, it felt more like looking at the surface of a shallow lake; I could still perceive my surroundings.

It was unclear if Yeodong-bin was aware, but having claimed my body, he seized the sword and charged forward.

Swish!

As Yeodong-bin and my martial experience synchronized, he dashed forward, applying the Soul Removal Technique, leading the way toward the Life Sea. Each time he slashed, the surrounding demon beasts crumbled under his overwhelming pressure, resembling a fish finally set free in water.

Eventually, Yeodong-bin reached the massive earthworm, the guardian of Life Sea. He stared at the gigantic, dozens-of-sheets-thick worm with cold eyes before drawing a line with a finger.

Heavenly Escape Sword Technique

One to Heavenly Sword

Swish!

[Kraaaah!!]

In one strike, the sword formed from intent shattered the guardian, and Yeodong-bin seemed to unleash the Spirit Needle Technique and Spirit Blast a few times, erasing the giant earthworm without a trace.

Having dispatched the guardian, Yeodong-bin entered the dark cave. It was a one-way path leading to ancient ruins. Upon reaching a large cavern with an altar, after observing the surroundings for a moment, an apparition-like figure appeared.

Dressed in pure white Yin-Yang Master robes, the figure sighed and spoke. “I am Abe no Yoshihira, a member of the Life Sea’s governing clan. Are you an immortal?”

Yoshihira immediately recognized that Yeodong-bin was the one dominating my body. Yeodong-bin nodded slowly and replied, “We must move forward.”

“That cannot be permitted. You must gather the Eight Immortals first.”

“Is there a reason?”

“Beyond here lies the domain of the Evil God. If you lose, it will be disastrous.”

Yeodong-bin fell silent for a moment before responding, “This will suffice.”

Shishishih!

In the next moment, the spirits of the Eight Immortals simultaneously merged with my body. It seemed that Yoshihira realized this as he screamed. “Zhongli Quan, Zhang Guo Lao, Han Sang-ja, Lee Cheol-goei, Yeodong-bin, Nam Chae-hwa, He Xian Gu, Cao Guo Jiu!! The Eight Immortals are descending all at once?!”

He seemed knowledgeable enough about the Eight Immortals. They were indeed tremendous figures among sorcerers.

“With the ability of the spiritual vision, you shall see. Open the way.”

“Do you understand? If you lose, your soul will belong to the Evil God!” Yoshihira pondered for a while before sighing.

“Please do not overextend yourself.”

He formed a hand seal. Using the power of the Eight Trigrams, it appeared he was bestowing some sort of blessing upon Yeodong-bin.

Boom!

Soon after, a massive door formed in the air, and Yoshihira’s figure vanished. Yeodong-bin stepped into the door without hesitation.

Revealing the Death Sea, we entered a vast forest filled with an intensely dense magical energy. Yeodong-bin gazed at the Death Sea for a moment before pulling out his sword.

Heavenly Escape Sword Technique

Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram

Wind Cleave

A massive whirlwind erupted, slamming into the forest of the Death Sea. As titanic sword winds swept through, the sounds of demon beasts being torn apart filled the air. Just then, something colossal shot up from the ground with a heavy thud.

Groooowww!

It was the gigantic and amorphous demon beast that had killed me with a body slam before. I knew it too well. The problem was the beast in front of me was ten times larger than the ones I faced before.

No exaggeration, it was monstrous. Not only that, but many others emerged from all directions, each radiating a power far greater than what I’d witnessed before from the Death Sea. It felt like a great calamity was about to descend upon the world.

Grrroowww!

Perhaps sensing the grim atmosphere, Yeodong-bin steeled himself, embedding his spirit into his sword as he shouted, “My comrades, lend me your strength!”

From somewhere, a voice echoed. [Yeodong-bin! I, Han Sang-ja, bestow you a blessing; the poison and acidity of the demon beasts shall not harm you.]

One by one, the blessings of the Eight Immortals started pouring in.

[Yeodong-bin! I, Nam Chae-hwa, bestow you a blessing; curses shall not affect you.]

[Yeodong-bin! I, Zhongli Quan, bestow you a blessing; you shall gain the power to shatter the sacred.]

[Yeodong-bin! I, Zhang Guo Lao, bestow you a blessing; your cloning ability shall become limitless.]

[Yeodong-bin! I, Lee Cheol-goei, bestow you a blessing; your attacking prowess shall increase.]

[Yeodong-bin! I, He Xian Gu, bestow you a blessing; even the might of low-tier evil deities will be meaningless against you.]

[Yeodong-bin! I, Cao Guo Jiu, bestow you a blessing; you shall harness the Moon Spirit’s energy.]

Baam!

The last seven blessings poured into his body. The essence of all the blessings enveloped Yeodong-bin, radiating a holy light reminiscent of the sun, his already formidable presence multiplying several times over.

The demon beasts of the Death Sea shrunk back, seemingly intimidated by Yeodong-bin’s power.

He let out a mighty battle cry. “Haaaaah!!”

From the heavens, gigantic swords, each several hundred in size, fell like rain upon the mountains. Yeodong-bin simultaneously generated hundreds of clones, each radiating incredible fighting spirit. Normally, seeing such magnificence would tire me out to the point of death, but Yeodong-bin now fought with ferocity, seemingly unaffected.

Crack!!

The Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram surged through the land like starlight. Yeodong-bin drifted about in the throng of demon beasts far more powerful than those from before, swinging his giant sword and chopping through them with ease. Despite the demon beasts spewing curses, poison, acid, and magical energy, Yeodong-bin disregarded it all due to the blessings of the Eight Immortals.

In no time, over twenty massive demon beasts were dispatched. Just then, something enormous began to stir beyond the horizon, writhing like a mist.

“Not bad… Eight Immortals…”

Yeodong-bin seemed to recognize that the looming presence was the guardian of the Death Sea, something unlike any demon beast he had faced so far. Gritting his teeth, he declared, “Evil God! I fear you not!”

“How foolish…?”

The entity, shrouded in mist, spoke, its voice a source of terror. Its black, massive tentacles writhed ominously against the horizon.

“The end of this world is inevitable… the constellations will realign… and on the day the ancient existence that has slumbered awakens… the Le Rue will rise and consume the world in chaos… you waste your efforts in meaningless battles for millennia…”

Yeodong-bin paused for a moment.

Then, clenching his fist, he said, “The dignity of humanity gives our battles meaning.”

The strong will of Yeodong-bin and the Eight Immortals resonated within me. They had united as one, gathering courage to defy the power of the Evil God. Though the Evil God was immensely powerful, each of the Eight Immortals working in unison pushed them to the threshold of a manageable fight.

In that moment, I understood; that Evil God appeared to be a being rivaling even the Apostle of God, Daji. The being, amused, smiled and spoke, “At last, an entertaining guest… I await you in the Death Sea…”

With a swift motion, the Evil God’s aura faded as a dimensional door opened beyond the horizon. It seemed that the Evil God acknowledged the power of the Eight Immortals and had opened the gate to the Death Sea. Without hesitation, Yeodong-bin surged forward, fiercely battling through the demon beasts as he headed toward the dimensional door.

Crack!

With a thunderous sound, Yeodong-bin headed for the next Life Sea, and as he entered through the dimensional door, he muttered, “The dimension is warped.”

Was it because this was a place directly influenced by the Old Ruler’s powers?

Chaos in the world! Indeed, the Third Sea was already a realm inhospitable to humans. The land and sky blended together, filled with chaos, and everything floated arbitrarily in the void. The swirling essence danced about restlessly.

In the eerie darkness, roars of demon beasts echoed softly. Unlike the Life Sea or Death Sea, there were no discernible demon beasts, but simply penetrating through this distorted dimension seemed like a tremendous ordeal.

Yeodong-bin seemed to have found the path through the abyss of chaos, breaking through with the Sword Flying Technique. He soon entered a dimly lit area that resembled a cave.

After a short while, he discovered a massive, primordial altar. Unspeakably terrible and dark idols loomed, engraved with incomprehensible runes. Bones and skulls scattered around hinted at countless human sacrifices that had occurred in the past. Yeodong-bin stared at the altar pulsating with immense malevolence, uttering, “Whoever is hiding there, come forth.”

Then, cautiously emerging from behind the altar was an individual, looking at Yeodong-bin with anxious eyes. “Who are you? Did you make it to the Third Sea by your own power?”

Though Yeodong-bin did not answer, the figure seemed to read the aura of Yeodong-bin and recognized him as an otherworldly being. That was to be expected since he had absorbed all the blessings of the Eight Immortals, exuding an incredible divine energy.

The figure knelt in submission, performing a traditional salute. “You are a divine being. Please assist me.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Cheongwol, a Dharma Protector of the Thunder God Lineage.”

Yeodong-bin responded calmly, “Guide me to the Death Sea.”

“I don’t know. I merely hide here, living day by day… To pass through this essence, we must either forcefully twist the fabric of space or discover a hidden door.”

“It seems there’s no option but to eliminate the obstacle.”

Suddenly, Yeodong-bin burst from the cave, spotting a colossal ‘something’ swimming through the abyss like a whale. He launched forward using the Sword Flying Technique. This entity was genuinely gigantic, its shape extending to the very limits of the abyss.

A colossal demon beast! An undulating, formless entity.

“You are the guardian of the Third Sea!”

Grrrrr!

As the demon beast screamed in agony when struck, it rapidly healed its broken form. Yeodong-bin tightened his grip on his sword and yelled, “I will purge the falsehood!”

How many days passed as Yeodong-bin fought against the limits of his power?

In the end, he managed to defeat the colossal demon beast. Moments later, as the beast fell into the abyss, a door to the Death Sea opened.

But Yeodong-bin didn’t look too good himself. Exhausted from pushing his divine powers to the extreme, he showed signs of fatigue despite being an immortal. He sighed, “If not for the Yoon-ja’s strong internal foundation, I would have collapsed along the way. I can’t keep going any further…”

It seemed he was forcing his recovery using the blessings of the immortals.

Yeodong-bin took a step toward the Death Sea to check his surroundings and began the reverse journey while rescuing the Dharma Protector Cheongwol. Cheongwol, having been rescued, cried tears of joy. “Thank you so much.”

Yeodong-bin, who seemed to lack the ability to share blessings, continued on the retreat while engaging in fierce battles against the demon beasts. The spectacle of him unleashing sword qi and sword strength thousands of times was a sight to behold.

I had been quietly observing, until finally, I spoke to Yeodong-bin. “Thank you.”

“……?!”

At that moment, Yeodong-bin’s expression registered shock as he neared the Life Sea. Clearly, he was genuinely astonished. “Yoon-ja… Could it be you retained consciousness while entrusting your entire spirit to me at the stage of ‘Escape’?”

Yes, that’s right.

“This… This can’t be… Such a thing shouldn’t be possible!”

Yeodong-bin ceased his shock upon reaching the entrance of the Life Sea, turning to me with a rather awkward tone. “Yoon-ja, either way, I taught you all the way to the last stage of ‘Escape’. I hope it proves helpful to you…”

With that, Yeodong-bin departed alongside the spirits of the Eight Immortals.

As my consciousness slowly returned…

“Grrraaack!!”

I felt an unrelenting wave of muscle pain and agony wash over me. The wounds and fatigue Yeodong-bin had accumulated returned all at once. It was unbearable pain.

As I lay on the ground writhing, faint voices reached my ears. “Cheongwol, you’re alive!”

“No, Dokgo Seong…”

“Did you find the Lunar Kill Technique?”

“Nothing like that…”

In a dazed state, I thought I had somehow overcome the hurdles of the Life Sea and fainted.

Half-success!

‘Damn it…’

Having broken through the entrances of the Life Sea, Death Sea, and Third Sea, I managed to rescue the Dharma Protector Cheongwol, but the issue lay in my awareness that diminished the absorption effects I had gained from the stage of ‘Escape’.

 

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