진공가향(眞空家鄕)

“True Martial Home!”

In that moment, the words of Master of the White Lotus Sect Dokgo Uncheon flashed through my mind.

“[Baek Woong, you might think that the Non-Birth Mother we venerate in our White Lotus Sect is a mere fabrication, but that entity truly exists. The way chosen by Dharma is to realize True Martial Home with the power borrowed from the Non-Birth Mother so that all sentient beings can be saved. I’m simply here to execute His will.]”

“[Baek Woong, if we succeed in realizing True Martial Home, everything will be saved. When that time comes, even the worst cost incurred by the Primordial Spirit or Heavenly Spirit Pill will be alleviated. This is because, at that moment, all worlds will undergo an unparalleled change, leading to the disappearance of the Old Ruler.]”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect had single-mindedly sought to collect and complete the teachings. He had claimed he was merely pursuing the path of True Martial Home that Dharma had chosen. Though the meaning behind those words had been somewhat vague, the true purpose of the White Lotus Sect became clear at last.

True Martial Home – it meant the complete annihilation of this world and the Void.

By borrowing the power of the “Father” called the Non-Birth Mother, it would obliterate the entire existence of this world.

In that case, there’d be no room for the Old Ruler to exist. Literally everything would disappear. God, universe, spirit, and so on, all would vanish as if they’d never been at all.

A normal person would question their sanity in the face of such a goal.

“To save the world by destroying it?!”

Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to deny the ideal of True Martial Home, which the White Lotus Sect upheld.

“……”

Thirty lifetimes… In all that time, I had never managed a proper victory, constantly excavating the secrets of the hidden world. I had to confront the immense darkness and despair lurking everywhere. Even with a wealth of secret knowledge surpassing that of gods, I still couldn’t fathom how to save this world.

It’s only natural. Even if I piled up lifetimes to possess Triad-level power, would I truly be able to bring about an “end” with that power? The world is vast, and terrifying existences lie in wait; at best, I could aim for a mere postponement of the apocalypse or a brief prosperity for humankind.

Indeed, that alone could be heroic enough to be revered in the world…

But not for me.

“That isn’t victory. It’s merely compromise.”

Postponing the end won’t ultimately prevent it. For those living in the current era, I could offer some relief, but there’s still no way to stop their souls from descending into the Old Ruler’s belly after they die. It’d be better if I could, like Empress Wu Zetian, siphon human souls off to ascend into another dimension, but I lacked such capability.

More than anything, employing such pathetic measures wouldn’t vanquish the Old Ruler; it would only lead to my own disgrace. It’d just be like covering the sky with my palm!

Therefore, as a reborn person, I had to establish a foolproof solution that would not only postpone the end but also prevent the Old Rulers from tormenting humans any further. Yet, no such means seemed apparent.

…But Dharma turned that notion on its head.

If salvation is impossible, then let’s abandon pursuit of salvation and annihilate everything.

If everything—living or dead—is only filled with suffering, then the ultimate salvation, the true realization of True Martial Home, was to vanish into everlasting nirvana.

I asked Dharma.

“Elaborate on the plan. How do you intend to destroy this world?”

“[You must have an inkling already… The only entity capable of fully annihilating all realms in true meaning is but one. Only that one entity, with a single wicked word, can bring about the annihilation of a Pure Land.]”

“……”

I pondered for a hot minute before responding.

“That’s vague! When you say so, does that imply we’re meant to offer something to the ‘Father’ to destroy the world? Doesn’t that sound a bit odd?”

“[……]”

With Dharma silent, I raised my voice.

“What can we possibly offer as a price for destroying the universe?! Anything we attempt to give away is ultimately just part of this world itself. If the ‘Father’ is effectively the world itself, how can His own creation provide any sort of payment?!”

“Oh… sharp as a tack…”

Dharma let out a low, admiring sound.

“Such insights akin to a master of demon arts… Impressive.”

In reality, the question I had just posed wasn’t originally mine; it was Zhuge Sa’s insight. From the moment Zhuge Sa heard the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s tale, he seemed to grasp the essence of True Martial Home and shared his thoughts with me.

The ‘Father’ as the world.

Thus, whether mortal or immortal, making sacrifices or offerings to that being would inherently be moot.

That’s because no matter how precious what we offered might be, it’d still only be part of this world. Clearly, even if we sacrificed the bodily form of the Old Ruler, it would bear no real cost.

In a way, He represents the ultimate god—difficult to venerate or be blessed by.

For this reason, Zhuge Sa had liked the idea of True Martial Home while simultaneously deriding it as a route we should not pursue. Having heard such grumbling from Zhuge Sa before allowed me to pose the counter-question to Dharma now.

Indeed, this was a point that needed clarifying.

How could a being tied to the ‘world’ offer something to the ‘world’ itself?

No matter how hard we try to escape, as long as we are mortals occupying a space, we remain bound by the cycle!

Dharma responded after a brief pause.

“[Baek Woong, you speak true… as the ‘Father’ is the greatest being in this world, nothing can truly be offered as sacrifice… even if we try to delineate the universe’s boundary separating the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’… even the multiverse is ultimately part of Him… and as long as transition between the inside and outside is possible, such deception won’t work…]”

Dharma’s words suggested that even if one were to steal items from another multiverse, they’d still belong to the ‘Father.’ For us mere mortals, the ‘outside’ was an unfathomable cycle, yet to such a grand entity, it was merely a lower dimension.

“So then, what is to be done?”

“[Baek Woong… all beings composed within the fabric of time and space… is the nature of their existence predetermined from the start? Or is it subject to change by fate?]”

Such an unexpectedly philosophical question!

I, surprised, recalled the theories I learned from Zhuge Sa and replied.

“From the perspective of the material realm, it’s already established. Yet beyond that, there’s distortion in concepts.”

Indeed.

If we define the continuity of time’s phases as the essence of time, then regardless of the seemingly formless changes occurring across the universe, the fate is predetermined from the very beginning. However, that’s just a basic theory—it’s said that causality operates in ways even gods have difficulty reading. Because there’s something called will and concept that distorts causality, and such ‘forces’ undoubtedly act upon the universe!

Dharma nodded.

“Indeed… The reason gods strive to read causality’s patterns… and why offerings during the Offering Ceremony hold weight is partly due to this… causality can be seen as a mass of concepts… the very foundation that drives the world…”

After a moment of silence, Dharma spoke.

“Then… who created the greatest law that serves as the foundation for those cosmic concepts… that colossal pillar… the beginning and the end of everything, the ‘door’ to all things… who has fashioned that since time immemorial? Could it also have been created by the ‘Father’…? Surely not…”

“……?”

“I’ve managed to deduce the reason… That’s why I’ve attained the right to make wishes to the ‘Father’…”

Oh…

……

I can’t make head nor tail of it. What reason could that be…?

“What are you saying…”

“Huhuhuh…”

Dharma chuckled, seemingly enjoying himself. Then, one of his feeble-looking disciples nearby reacted as if startled.

“The Master is laughing…!!”

It seemed quite unusual for Dharma to laugh in such a manner. After a short while, Dharma said,

“[Baek Woong, come and join us without fear… I will fulfill my intention, and you too will realize your goal.]”

“…You aren’t going to tell me why?”

“[I’ll share it after the ritual is complete…]”

“It’s a promise.”

“[Of course…]”

Swoosh

Dharma extended his hand, and I grasped it. Normally, shaking hands with a demon sorcerer could result in curses, but seeing as the gap in our powers was far too wide, I dismissed such concerns.

Whoa!

‘This is…!!’

In this moment, I felt an undeniable alliance with Dharma. He suddenly carved a mark into my hand and through that mark flowed an immense surge of power! This power filled my body completely, slick and sticky as it spread.

Dharma said,

“[I’ve pre-paid power in the form of a partial contract… If you consent, you may become my apostle.]”

“Apostle?”

“[I had no intention of asking you to guard the ceremony unarmed… I’ll give you the strength fitting of the task.]”

“Umm.”

Dharma appeared quite serious. In fact, at this juncture, Dharma had essentially positioned himself at a loss, as if I betrayed him, I could deal him a significant blow. Contemplating whether or not to strike him from behind, I decided against it.

‘For now, let’s align with Dharma’s plan.’

I still didn’t fully trust him, but at least his passion for saving humanity seemed genuine. In this world, if I were to perish, Dharma was the only one who could possibly stand by my side, so I resolved to maintain this alliance with him. It felt somewhat awkward since he still had many secrets from me, but there was no alternative.

“I agree.”

“[Good. From now on, you are my apostle…]”

Fwoosh!!

At that, the power instilled by Dharma surged within me. It sought to refine my existence instantly, but this sudden upheaval presented a problem.

Gurgle…

“……?!”

The powers of the constellation clashed with the spirit power!

As three distinct abilities clashed chaotically within my body, I felt a torture that threatened to tear my insides apart. I tried to suppress the discomfort, but it felt as if countless needles were trying to jab me within a pigskin ball.

“Gahh…”

My throat was dry, and my limbs prickled painfully. As I shivered, Dharma spoke.

“[I can’t leave you like this… I’ll help.]”

In that moment, the power that Dharma introduced shifted into my lost arm, transforming into a dark clay-like substance. Moments later, a shadowy visage enveloped me, and suddenly, an arm that hadn’t existed reappeared.

Swish

Simultaneously, the torment that had been piercing my whole body washed away. I inspected the new arm, spinning it around, and it felt completely natural.

“What just happened?”

“[The power you originally possessed is also divine… Considering the clash of differing divine forces, it seems I had to solidify your arm and condense it into one side.]”

“…Is that phenomenon just supposed to happen?”

“[I can’t offer an answer… You are but a being of the ‘outside’… I know nothing of the powers that dwell beyond.]”

So when amassed, extraordinary powers like spirit power and constellation can create conflicting phenomena?

I understood the situation loosely, yet it left me feeling a sense of despair.

‘Darn… Does this mean I can’t just frivolously accumulate diverse powers?’

It’d be nice if we could all level up simultaneously, but if clashes occur, then I must tread carefully when it comes to amassing power. It’s likely I’d either have to forgo other abilities or find a way to maintain a balanced harmony amongst them.

Once I acquired my new arm, I turned to Dharma.

“Alright. Now that I’m your apostle, I have something to say.”

“[What is it?]”

Instead of voicing it aloud, I discreetly transmitted my thoughts to Dharma’s mind.

“[One of your disciples here is likely a Divine Thief who crossed over from our world. To flush him out, we may need to utilize somewhat brutal methods. Is that okay if he dies?]”

After pondering my proposal for a moment, Dharma slowly nodded.

He then turned to a scrawny fellow beside him who had lively eyes.

“[Huang Wu, go to Baek Woong.]”

“What?! Master! If that guy tries to kill me…”

Huang Wu looked visibly shaken, yet eventually appeared resigned to step forward. I gazed at Huang Wu, then slowly reached out to grab his head.

Soul Exchange Technique!

Sssss

For now, I’d utilize the Soul Exchange Technique to clearly interrogate his memories and thoughts to uncover the identity of the Divine Thief.

Wooooooo –

As the Soul Exchange Technique took full effect, Huang Wu’s expression became dazed. Gripping Huang Wu by his back, I asked,

“Are you the Divine Thief?”

“No…”

“Have you heard about or encountered the Divine Thief? Or are you secretly taking orders from someone?”

“No…”

Seems Huang Wu isn’t the one.

I resolved to systematically examine each and every person. Dharma seemed to have caught on to what my Soul Exchange Technique entailed but appeared willing to allow it.

Sssss –

“No…”

“No…”

“No…”

After going through all five of the disciples, a problem arose.

“……”

Despite interrogating them all through the Soul Exchange Technique, when I asked if they were the Divine Thief, they all denied it.

Not even a link was confirmed!

Considering that with the Soul Exchange Technique, no one could utter a single lie, one should logically deduce that the Divine Thief, the perpetrator, wasn’t among them.

“[Are we all done?]”

Dharma inquired, yet I couldn’t even muster a reply.

What’s going on?

Surely the Divine Thief is here, yet the Soul Exchange Technique isn’t yielding results…

‘Aha!’

Suddenly struck by an idea, I shook my head.

“No. The Divine Thief is definitely here.”

“[What’s your plan?]”

“I’m going to try my last resort.”

It looks like there’s no option left.