842——————==

True Martial Home

I returned to Zhuge Sa with the soul of the dragon. Zhuge Sa then said,

“Good job.”

“Should I eat the soul?”

“Wait a moment. I want to take a look at the essence of that soul.”

Zhuge Sa connected to the soul of the great dragon, Dracula, hovering above my hand and began to examine it using the Soul Exchange Technique. With his eyes closed, he seemed to be rummaging around and finally spoke up.

“I can’t eat this as it is.”

“Why not?”

“This soul contains countless lingering souls. It seems that the souls of the enemy soldiers he pierced to death with spikes in life were offered as a human sacrifice through a demon ritual to create Dracula’s dragon form. If you eat it as is, the essence of those lingering souls will transfer directly to you, Baek Woong.”

“Ugh… Can’t we remove the lingering souls?”

“I can peel them off like skin, but that would be pointless. The terrifying resentment of those lingering souls is the source of the dragon’s magical power, so if the grudge’s essence disappears, the magical power will disappear too.”

“……”

“This dragon’s soul can either be used to create a powerful demon artifact, or if you’re willing to descend into corruption, you can devour it.”

Zhuge Sa said with a sly grin.

“… Personally, I recommend the latter. If you can absorb this soul as it is, you’ll gain the dragon’s power. You could manifest the dragon’s magical power, physical body, and blood. You’d become a superhuman being without even using martial arts.”

“Forget it. I’m already overwhelmed.”

I flat-out rejected it. I wasn’t even using all my power right now, and more importantly, I was still having trouble digesting the unknown dark power I absorbed from Seo Mun-hye. If I consumed the corrupt power of the dragon now, I’d definitely end up sick.

Zhuge Sa said,

“Then let’s talk about Dr. Faust and the Old Continent…”

“Yeah.”

“Baek Woong. Dr. Faust and Mephistopheles can give you all the information you need, yet they purposely provided only extremely limited information. Why do you think that is?”

“Well…”

“They emotionally support Ha Eun-cheon of the Master of the Twelve Joules, who is humanity’s last hope. If they fully disclosed all information to the reborn person, then Ha Eun-cheon would be deprived of all chances, so they provided minimal information hoping that you might collaborate with him.”

“That’s frustrating.”

I frowned. No matter how you looked at it, I had been thoroughly blindsided by the Master of the Twelve Joules. Zhuge Sa continued.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re that angry, considering what you just said.”

“What?”

“Isn’t that true? If the pain of being blindsided had been great, you would have asked me by any means necessary how to eliminate the Master of the Twelve Joules right from the start of this life. Yet, you’ve never asked me about that scheme.”

“……”

“What do you currently think of the Master of the Twelve Joules?”

After a moment of silence, I responded to Zhuge Sa’s question.

“I’ll make him my subordinate one day. He’s useful.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve seen his limits anyway. It’s been proven that even at his best, the Master of the Twelve Joules can’t match my rebirth ability. So, there’s no need to unnecessarily nurture a grudge.”

It’s true that he had delivered a heavy blow to me, but conversely, it also meant that no matter how much he struggled, he wouldn’t be able to steal or seal away the rebirth power that comes from the Heavenly Secret. For him, the Reincarnation Cannon was likely the last resort against a reborn person, yet even that led to results that transcended the multiverse.

If there’s an opponent who can’t destroy or seal me no matter what, then as a reborn person, I have a significant advantage. The longer my previous lives accumulate, the more I can take my time to handle the Master of the Twelve Joules steadily. Having reincarnated twenty-six times has given me an objective view of my edge.

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“You’ve grown quite a bit. Still, you cannot match him in direct combat yet.”

“But there was one very important piece of information Dr. Faust passed on at the end.”

I muttered.

“The AI blueprint that will form Mephistopheles 500 years in the future! If I can provide this memory to Dr. Faust, I can soon resurrect the powerful AI Mephistopheles.”

That’s right.

Dr. Faust never taught me why Ha Eun-cheon could summon the phoenix, why he could resurrect the World Tree, what he was that wasn’t human, or why he could revive after death, and so on. Instead, he transmitted to me the completed AI blueprint of Mephistopheles in quantum data form.

Zhuge Sa, looking at me with peculiar eyes, said,

“But for now, you cannot provide it. You know that too, right?”

“…Yeah.”

If I transmitted that memory now with the Obsidian, it would be meaningless to Dr. Faust. Because even if Dr. Faust was an alchemist from the school of demon sorcerers, he still has limits when it comes to mental defense.

There’s a possibility that his mind could collapse or degenerate into a horrifying demon sorcerer. Cases like Zhuge Sa, who gathers enough evil to strike fear even in the Otherworldly Races, are quite rare.

“This information is hard to utilize this time around. Originally, the blueprint of Mephistopheles would be usable next cycle… but there’s a method.”

What?!

I showed an expression of surprise at Zhuge Sa’s words as he casually continued.

“I can understand science to a certain extent within the realm of the demon arts I’ve studied. After all, it’s a lower discipline. Whenever I have time, I will study to grasp the basic level of artificial intelligence and contact Faust to provide him with the design of Mephistopheles.”

“…Is that even possible? Science has developed over hundreds of years to a level unimaginable, and AI could be considered its pinnacle…”

I said anxiously. Future humanity’s science has advanced to such a degree that it has achieved the realization of neutron bombs, created nuclear weapons and antimatter fields, and even developed faster-than-light spacecraft. They’ve even succeeded in terraforming planets and establishing the basic stages of warping. Standing at the peak of that scientific prowess is none other than the god of machinery and the strong AI Mephistopheles, who transcends humanity; how could it be created easily?

“If it’s just to convey hints to Faust, it’s not a problem at all. Science is ultimately just a lower truth planted by the Old Rulers as a joke. It’s a study that aims to illuminate the universe through dry metaphysics while avoiding discussing metaphysics. Funny enough, the truth is that this world is governed by the hyperdimensional existence of metaphysics with billions of laws.”

“Ah…”

“An advanced civilization from another world that evolved through a system of sorcery based on commands and human sacrifices can outright deny all science. Therefore, compared to the demon path that has developed over millions of years, science is nothing more than a weak experiment. For a demon sorcerer or alchemist, science poses no difficulty.”

“Really?”

“The memories I received from you could be caught up with in ten years by a genius, no matter how difficult it may seem. There are countless ways to take shortcuts using the demon path. Moreover, all the methods are kindly laid out.”

“……”

Come to think of it, this guy is a genius too…

I said to Zhuge Sa.

“Fine. I’ll leave that to you. So what should I do now?”

“You have two tasks. One is to become Jeon Wook’s Apostle again, and the other is to offer a treasure to the Prophet to obtain information.”

“……!!”

Jeon Wook’s Apostle!

The Prophet!

Both were significant tasks, and I tensed immediately upon hearing them. Zhuge Sa said,

“Becoming Jeon Wook’s Apostle will shorten your path greatly. It’s practically a shortcut. Quick mastery of spirit power will be possible. But this is not something to rush into. You understand the reason, right?”

“That my movements would be limited because of Jeon Wook.”

“Idiot. Did you learn the method of suicide in vain? If Jeon Wook’s mad, he can just commit suicide; that’s the problem!”

“……”

“The issue is that you don’t yet understand the current situation of the Celestial Realm. Jeon Wook could become an unexpected variable. Given that Yu Shun may have perished, the risk factor is high. If you become an Apostle, there wouldn’t be a problem, but there’s no guarantee you can curry favor to become his Apostle in the current situation.”

“Um… That makes sense.”

If my ally, the Three Sovereigns, suddenly vanished, Jeon Wook would likely be in a state of extreme tension. Gaining his favor could be more challenging than in a previous life.

“Then exploring the current situation with the Prophet and sacrificing a treasure to obtain crucial information is the top priority.”

“What should I ask the Prophet?”

“The question is settled.”

Paat

I soon headed straight to the Prophet and shouted,

“Prophet! It’s a deal!!”

Whoooosh

The Prophet emerged from the darkness. With its tentacles writhing, it spoke to me.

[What is it…?]

“I want to know some information!”

[Oh…? Information you seek. Are you confident in bearing the cost of that information…?]

Nodding in agreement, I replied.

“What I want to know is… the current situation in the Celestial Realm!”

[What sort of situation are you referring to…?]

“I want to know the current status of the highest-ranking immortals in the Celestial Realm, the Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, Primordial Void Ruler, Celestial Sage, and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens.”

[Now that’s advanced information… First, present your conditions.]

“Fine.”

I laid down the Nine Stars Main Capital. As I presented the supreme demon grimoire in an instant, the Prophet hummed in approval.

[You sure know how to trade… I like it.]

“Then teach me.”

[Receive it.]

Beeeeee

The Prophet lifted one of its tentacles and shot a beam of tentacle light at me. As I got hit by the beam, it felt as if all the information of the Celestial Realm was instantly absorbed into my mind. The memories and information were perfectly clear, as though I had directly experienced everything myself.

“……!!”

What?! You could use such a technique too!

It was the perfect superior technique of the Obsidian technique I utilized. Just firing a beam of light without any memory confusion or apparent capacity limitation. Well, considering it was the original owner of the technique and the king of demon arts, maybe that was to be expected.

I couldn’t help but be astonished by the current situation of the Celestial Realm.

“Hmm… It really is great chaos.”

The Queen Mother of the West had prohibited the celestial immortals from descending to the earth, seemingly searching fervently for something. The Twelve Joules had all been stationed on the outskirts of the Celestial Realm to prepare for any intruders. The Celestial Sage was on guard, and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens was protecting her disciples on Baek Neung Mountain. It was clear they had all entered a state of vigilance to be ready for danger.

And the Jade Emperor and Primordial Void Ruler were missing. Their disappearance was likely the biggest reason for the turmoil in the Celestial Realm.

“In this situation, even if the Offering Ceremony had been conducted, the immortals likely wouldn’t have responded to the summons…”

After obtaining all the memories, I said to the Prophet.

“Alright. Let’s trade one more time.”

[What kind of trade do you desire…]

“Before that, I need to tell you something.”

[What is it?]

Swoosh

I extended my forearm. The Prophet flinched as if it recognized the mark of the reborn one.

[Hmm…!!]

“As you can see, I’m a reborn person. This is my 27th life, and I’ve made deals before, so I’ll reveal this for trust.”

[…I see.]

“What I want to know is how to either delay or eliminate the singularity of the Law of Cause and Effect.”

[…….]

As the Prophet fell silent, I continued.

“The singularity of my destiny has been brought forward due to the dealings with Master Mangnyang. Because of that, I’m currently in a state facing an impending doom, so I wish to delay that singularity as much as possible, or preferably eliminate it.”

[Wait a moment…]

The Prophet seemed to be looking at me intently. Then, in a voice filled with suspicion, it spoke.

[That can’t be… It shouldn’t be possible already. At such a weak stage… already at the level of a newborn taking their first steps? At least you should be a king who conquers this realm…]

“……?”

[Has someone interfered with the flow of the game… Could it possibly be that person…]

What is it talking about?

As I tilted my head, the Prophet shook its head and said.

[Never mind… I see. There is indeed a singularity… And it is approaching quickly enough to potentially take your life.]

“Right. Is there no method available? I’m feeling anxious and don’t know what to do!”

[…Hmm…]

The Prophet seemed to be deep in thought. Then it spoke.

[Offer as many tributes as you have… I want to help you, but… the ties to the Law of Cause and Effect are too strong, so I can’t help unless you pay a great price… My kind’s very existence is on the line… ]

“Wait.”

I used the Suspicious Fishhook to communicate with Zhuge Sa. After explaining the current situation, Zhuge Sa said,

[Offer everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back. I’ve already collected everything you need.]

[Understood.]

[Even if it means quickly passing this life, the information I must obtain is paramount. I don’t need to live long, so just risk it all.]

I took out all the treasures I’ve gathered this life.

At that moment, the Prophet was taken aback.

[No way… The soul of an apostle-level dragon?! How did you come to possess such a rare item?]

“I caught it.”

[Is it really by your own strength…? Hmm… You used a demon art, didn’t you?]

“……”

How does it know?

[Just wait… I’ll assess the value.]

It seemed the Prophet was touching each treasure with its tentacles. After a while, it finally spoke.

[I’ve measured the values of all the tributes. I will give you advice commensurate with that offering.]

“Alright, please tell me quickly! What should I do to delay the singularity?!”

[To avoid destruction…]

I felt an uneasy tension rising. It seems that danger loomed closer with every moment, and I wanted at least to push that doom further back.

After a moment of deliberation, the Prophet spoke.

[Seek out the Four Great Spirit Deities of the White Lotus Sect…]

Huh?

“…What? Wait, hold on. What do you mean by that…”

[Do you not comprehend the meaning?]

The Prophet began to explain languidly.

[Oh reborn one. If you can find the Four Great Spirit Deities, you will be able to locate the techniques of the Non-Birth Mother. That technique alone can turn back the singularity.]