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“This feels more chaotic than I expected.”

Trying to dig out the ‘method’ I heard from that barbarian hero back in the days was like pulling a tooth. My memory was as hazy as a foggy morning, but thanks to some decent recall skills, I managed to piece together the puzzle.

“He was a hero of the Horse-drawn Yagyu tribe…”

That barbarian hero taught me how to meet the Spirit of Death as a payment for taking care of that giant toad. Meeting this spirit meant I could eventually meet the Rainbow Snake. Score!

Time to channel my inner barbarian!

Shushushushu

“Am Ru-chuta Hulta… La Munda Otsira…”

As I started reciting the vague incantation I learned from the southern barbarians, it felt ridiculous. What on earth was I doing all the way out here?

But while I was in the midst of this hilarious ritual, something weird started happening.

Shushushook

From the pit of a blackened volcano, a ghostly gray mist began to blow out like it had a mind of its own, swirling and morphing until suddenly—

A gray figure appeared right next to me.

“……!!”

No way, is that really the Spirit of Death?!

As soon as I glimpsed the divine status, I could feel the power radiating from it.

Carefully stepping back, I braced myself as the gray figure slowly approached, stopping just six paces away. A booming voice echoed in my head.

[ Warrior, do you wish to meet the god?]

“……”

After hesitating for a moment, I asked, “Are you… the Spirit of Death?”

[ Yes.]

“And if I meet the god… what happens then?”

[ You will earn the right to be reborn because you have accomplished great feats.]

“Hmm!”

Right on the money!

What the barbarian hero said turned out to be true!

Memories of past conversations came rushing back, still a bit hazy but overall intact.

[ Rainbow Snake… what do you gain from meeting it?]

[ You will receive the privilege of rebirth. You can pass on the wisdom and experience from your last life to your next.]

[ When reborn, the mark of rebirth will be removed as evidence. The Rainbow Snake erases the marks from the souls of reborn warriors, allowing them to inherit memory and experience.]

[ Is there a condition to be eligibly reborn?]

[ I can’t say. But the high priest of the secret god who revealed this to me said that the Spirit of Death chooses who to resurrect.]

So right! Rebirth!

Surprisingly, the Rainbow Snake has the unique privilege of granting rebirth. If I were to be reborn, I could carry over my past knowledge and experiences for a leg up in life!

But in my case, I had already experienced rebirth, so I wasn’t really keen on that. I mean, in a life full of relentless adventures that barely lasted a decade, longevity or immortality didn’t even matter, let alone rebirth!

Fortunately, it seemed the Spirit of Death considered me eligible for rebirth. Clearly, I was in a position to gain an audience with a god. Cautiously, I asked, “Spirit of Death, does rebirth mean I have to die right now?”

After all, I figured dying was probably a prerequisite for rebirth. The Spirit replied:

[ Not at all. When your time comes, the god will prioritize your soul, granting you the power of rebirth.]

“I see. So, does that mean rebirth leads to becoming a divine avatar or an apostle?”

[ … By the look of your potential, it seems you may have some significance. You appear well-informed about divine statuses.]

The Spirit of Death observed me, before continuing, “[ Not at all. Rebirth functions entirely separately from divine rankings. The god places no restraints, merely offers an opportunity.]

“Okay…”

Having gathered my thoughts, I declared, “I want to meet the god. Please grant me the opportunity to ask my questions.”

[ Very well. I shall send you to the god per your oath.]

Uuuuuuuh!

Moments later, the world around me began to twist, warping into a dimension I couldn’t identify. Nature flourished everywhere, teeming with all kinds of snakes, spiders, and creatures, and the sheer size of the verdant forest was overwhelmingly massive.

Suddenly, a voice boomed in my head.

[ One who holds the law of order and causality, how did you come to connect with the creator god?]

Order of causality?

As the words struck me, I quickly responded, “I sacrificed the Seven Luminaries to Pan-gu and gained the alignment of causality, O Rainbow Snake.”

It was unmistakably the divine being known as “Rainbow Snake” speaking to me now.

What it referred to as “order of causality” was surely the alignment of causality I had from the offerings made to Pan-gu. The Rainbow Snake went silent for a moment, as if pondering something, before asking, “[ What are the Seven Luminaries?]

“……?”

Wait, why is it asking that?

‘Surely the Rainbow Snake must be among the ranks of the Old Rulers…’

How could it not know of the Seven Luminaries, the most significant secret treasure in this world? I cocked my head, feeling puzzled, but I answered, “The illustrious Three Sovereigns struck a truce with the Old Rulers and created seven treasures as proof of that truce. It relates to the revelations of the apocalypse.”

This should have made sense, right?

As I thought I had explained well, the Rainbow Snake replied, “[ I don’t understand. What are the Three Sovereigns?]

“……?”

[ Who made a truce with whom? I am one of the oldest entities in this star, versed in the principles of the universe, yet the deities and events you speak of are entirely foreign to me.]

“Um… what?”

Confusion filled me as the Rainbow Snake continued its mystifying dialogue.

How could it not know about the Three Sovereigns?

No matter how remote the southern continent might be, divine power isn’t bound by physical distance. The fame of the Three Sovereigns spreads across galaxies, so I never thought a being residing on Earth might not be aware of it.

Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed my mind.

‘Could it be?’

The Three Sovereigns and the Seven Luminaries don’t exist in this world!

Making this assumption snapped everything into place. Without the Three Sovereigns, there wouldn’t have been a divine war, and without that war, the Seven Luminaries wouldn’t even exist! It dawned on me that this world was twisted beyond my imagination.

‘So that’s why Jeon Wook didn’t respond to my call…’

Yet, things were getting weird.

Whatever the figure before me was, it was definitely an Old Ruler. And considering Dalma made pacts with all sorts of rulers, those beings still existed here. But what was it about the Three Sovereigns that made them an exception? They, too, were fundamentally Old Rulers… So why wouldn’t they be present in this world?

I felt a sense of bewilderment inside, but I quickly recognized that dragging this discussion further would yield no answers. I shifted gears and decided on another question.

“… I might have misunderstood something. Has that figure known as the Divine Thief ever visited this place?”

Capturing the secrets of the universe was thrilling, yet I needed to address pressing matters first.

When I posed the question, the Rainbow Snake responded, “[ Yes. Someone who referred to themselves as such has certainly been here. Whether they were human or not is unclear.”]

“……!! Did they embody rebirth?”

[ Yes. They sought rebirth, and I granted it.]

“Argh!”

I clenched my teeth.

‘The Divine Thief! He came to this world and snatched up rebirth?!’

But what could have possibly driven him?

I wasn’t particularly curious about how the Divine Thief managed to learn the art of rebirth. After all, he was a legendary grand thief who could delve into dark secrets and reach the Absolute Realm without breaking a sweat. No doubt he had the information he needed. But I never grasped his motives for seeking it.

‘The Divine Thief wanted to find the Xuanyuan Sword in this world… so then…’

I pondered and eventually asked the Rainbow Snake, “Rainbow Snake! Did they ask about the whereabouts of the Xuanyuan Sword?”

[ Hoho… impressive. What was the name again?]

“Baek Woong.”

Suddenly, a giant serpent emerged from a nearby colossal tree, morphing into a fair maiden with silvery-white hair and eyes. The Rainbow Snake manifested into voice.

“It seems that Baek Woong and the Divine Thief both hail from the [Outer Realm].”

“……”

“What a peculiar situation. Even a god would consider crossing such boundaries a monumental risk, yet here are two humans managing to breach the universe’s greatest divides. Is this something the [Observant One] would approve of?”

Clearly, the Rainbow Snake was aware of ‘outer realms.’

Seeing that the Divine Thief and I both came from the same realm, the reality started to dawn on me. I stayed silent while the Rainbow Snake continued, “Indeed, the Divine Thief inquired about the Xuanyuan Sword’s location, yet I had never laid eyes on such a being. If I cannot comprehend it, no one could. Thus, if it doesn’t exist in this world, it might as well not be here. He then requested rebirth, which I granted.”]

“I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“After being reborn, if they wished for another chance at rebirth, would they need to return here and ask again?”

“Indeed. But each time, they would have to accumulate achievements worthy of rebirth to offer unto me.”

“Offer, huh?”

My mind began racing as I pieced together the implications.

‘So it is essentially offering achievements!’

While people often think of human sacrifices, in this instance, the Rainbow Snake uniquely seemed to accept [achievements] as a form of offering in the causal stream. Therefore, requesting rebirth transformed into a way of providing achievements as offerings for causality.

After finally grasping the situation, I stated, “O Rainbow Snake! I don’t particularly need rebirth. Instead, I’d like to offer my achievements to find the whereabouts of the Divine Thief!”

“Would that wish suffice?”

“Um… there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“A curious human, indeed.”

“Do you happen to know about the Dharma Technique of the Non-Birth Mother?”

Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have posed such a question if I were back in my own world because it was just too obvious. Even the Giant God, trapped in the Mythical Age, would have known about it, as these techniques were intertwined with the fate of the universe.

But the ensuing answer was predictable, and it shed clear light on how different this world was from my own.

[ I do not know. What is this Non-Birth Mother?]

“……”

It was evident that the divine beings in this realm still weren’t aware of the existence of the Non-Birth Mother or the techniques. How could they? The title refers to a great Father revered by a religion humans whimsically concocted in the White Lotus Sect.

This meant that the upheaval caused by Dalma hadn’t transpired in this world yet. The legendary event of creating the doctrines and scattering them throughout the world had yet to occur! I realized I must have traveled back to an era when Dalma was plotting his movements.

‘Ugh… this is gonna be a hassle.’

There had to be a significant reason why I ended up in this exact moment. Because the greatest universal law is causality—every cause has a result. Results without reasons do not exist.

I figured I might as well ask another question since I was at it. “O Rainbow Snake! How many times has the Divine Thief been reborn? And just how powerful is he?”

The Rainbow Snake replied, visibly bemused, “[ So suddenly asking trivial things, are you? Do you want to compare the strength of ants with the god?”]

“I need to subdue him and gain information!”

The Rainbow Snake blinked and said, “Hmm… He has been reborn a total of 19 times, living for 2154 years. In terms of power, both you and he are rather equivalent, but he is still significantly stronger.”

“……”

Wha… what?!

19 times? 2154 years?

I was stunned by the Rainbow Snake’s words, exclaiming incredulously, “Two… two thousand years?! Are you saying the Divine Thief has been reborn since that long ago?!”

“Indeed. Do you find something strange about that?”

“Ah, no, but…”

He’s been reborn too many times!

Moreover, wasn’t the Divine Thief originally from before this era?! If he has lived since before the Spring and Autumn period, that was practically the Mythological Age! He had been reborn nonstop since then?!

What could possibly explain that?!

[ You may leave now.]

Uuuuuh…

As I stood there, dazed, the figure of the Rainbow Snake began to fade. The dimension around me turned murky, and the Rainbow Snake spoke once more.

[ When you open your eyes, you will find yourself at the place where the Divine Thief currently resides.]

Pop!

In a flash of pure light, I regained my senses. Quickly scanning my surroundings, I muttered, “Where is this…?”

Noticing the architectural style and terrain felt oddly familiar, I turned to look down the hill. It dawned on me where I was.

Four settlements were divided by borders, and in the distance, I spotted a castle-like fortification. While it was certainly much smaller and drabber than I remembered, I recognized this scenery from somewhere. Staring blankly, I whispered, “Main Hall of the White Lotus Sect.”

No doubt about it. I had arrived back in the place where the White Lotus Sect followers were gathered tightly in Gansu.

I… I’ve come back here, and that means…

‘Could it be…’

A sense of foreboding washed over me as a powerful presence suddenly emerged from inside the building.

[ Well, you’ve come right to where you need to, anomaly.]

Dalma appeared from the Hall of the Sect Leader alongside five other figures.

 

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