969——————==

사신지혼(四神之魂)

What on earth is that?

“Ugh… I’m dizzy…!!”

Seong Jin couldn’t bear to look at the dark entity in front of him. He was using magic to shield his mind, but he just couldn’t open his eyes properly. You’d think someone who had reached the level of a Grand Sorcerer wouldn’t have such trouble, but it was a rare occurrence—even against high-level Otherworldly Beings, this hadn’t happened. Just moments ago, even facing the Eight Parts of the Divine, his eyes hadn’t hurt.

Then, a moment later, Seong Jin realized why this was happening.

Out of the ordinary.

It was because a true deity had manifested right before him.

The gap was so vast that he not only couldn’t bear to look but also realized that if he didn’t act, he’d soon go mad and die. Rational thought was terrified deep in his unconscious mind, recognizing that overwhelming presence.

“Aaaaah…”

Thud

He silently screamed and fell to the ground. Seong Jin’s eyes had gone vacant, and tears pooled in them. Words tumbled out of his mouth involuntarily.

“Hehe… Everyone’s going to die… Hehe…”

He had completely lost his mind. Seong Jin could see but could not comprehend; he realized that his senses weren’t even truly his anymore. His rationality was succumbing to the magical poison seeping into his very soul. How could he have ever thought that merely looking at his opponent would result in such an outcome?

“Ah, ugh. Ugh.”

He felt a phantom, intangible tentacle invading his nostrils and ears. As his brain twisted under its influence, Seong Jin’s eyes slowly rolled upward.

However, just before he sank into madness, Master Dalma’s thunderous voice rang out.

“Gaah!”

“……!!”

In that moment, his shattered mind began to recover, and he regained his wits. The divine power was annihilated just before it devoured his soul! How it happened was a mystery, but Master Dalma had saved him. Dalma sent him a secret communique.

[Seong Jin! Get Ayuta out of here!]

[Mas… Master. You don’t think Ayuta would betray us…??]

With tears streaming down his face, Seong Jin barely managed to ask before Dalma spoke sternly.

[Don’t jump to conclusions! We are fighting the very essence of the universe’s madness. So many laws of cause and effect are intertwined that one concept alone cannot define our current situation! The only thing that can stand against the Demon Path is an unwavering will.]

[Th-the Four Great Spirit Deities…]

[I’ll handle that. Now, go!]

[Understood!]

Pa-at

Seong Jin clenched his teeth and performed a spell, quickly picking up the collapsed Ayuta and escaping the location.

The presence of darkness didn’t attack Seong Jin as he fled. And Seong Jin knew exactly why.

As it passed him by, he caught a glimpse of the gaze—of infinite indifference.

To that being, Seong Jin was less than a bug.

Seong Jin realized that his existence was being neglected, merely focusing on Dalma.

He felt like he was less than air, unworthy of acknowledgment.

That cold, indifferent feeling made Seong Jin’s heart sink, but he bore that harsh emotion and took Ayuta with him out of the hall.

“Master…!!”

Can you really defeat such a monster?

It’s utterly impossible.

Even the Three Sovereigns wouldn’t be able to conquer that thing.

How do you even…

Seong Jin knew that his Master’s power surpassed even that of the Three Sovereigns, yet he couldn’t shake this overwhelming feeling of hopelessness about the situation. His own strength was too weak to gauge the caliber of those divine beings, but that primal darkness he had just witnessed was far beyond comprehension. He felt that nothing in this world could touch it.

Tydaht

Tadaht

“Haah. Haah. Haah…”

Panting hard, Seong Jin realized that he had somehow broken free of the barrier and arrived near a castle. Just as the sun began to set, painting the skies with a sunset glow, he walked into an inn while carrying Ayuta over his shoulder. It was all too much; he collapsed from weakness right there.

“……”

He had run away.

He had said he wouldn’t give up, only to flee from the True Martial Home’s barrier.

Once out, there would be no getting back in. He could already sense that the Old Rulers had sent intangible avatars to encircle him, charged with malevolence. The ceremony for the destruction of the world was in session, and they were aiming to eliminate the overseer. Trying to go back in would end badly; he would be captured by the God and subjected to unspeakable torture, his very soul shredded to bits.

Seong Jin soon knelt, weeping uncontrollably.

“Uaaaa… Uaaaaa…!!!!”

He could only scream in despair.

“Uaaaaaaa!! Master!!! Please… Please!!”

Die for me!

For a new beginning!

‘End this despair and pain…!!’

His master, Dalma, was a Reborn Person. Even if he died, he’d have the chance to start anew. If Dalma were to perish, the world would be destroyed at that moment, and Seong Jin wouldn’t have to carry this excruciating misery. It would be a good thing for Dalma too, as he would get to start anew.

It would be better if it just ended gently.

Who knew the True Martial Home would be this terrifying?

Rumble

The eastern sky began to turn red. The innkeeper on the first floor stared in bewilderment at the dark crimson sky and muttered to himself.

“That’s strange. The Huizu people were heading toward the White Lotus Sect but ended up fleeing toward the Central Plains. Has something happened at the White Lotus Sect?”

Seong Jin knew the reason. The Huizu, often tied to the Demon Path, must’ve received grave omens about this. And they were hurrying to escape the disaster that was the True Martial Home per the Prophet’s directive.

“Hmm… Older Brother… What’s going on? Why are we outside…?”

Just then, Ayuta began to stir. Seong Jin, lost in thought, asked in a ragged voice.

“Did you betray Master?”

“What do you…”

“The presence of darkness and its subordinates broke through the barrier set up to stop the God of All. The Eight Parts of the Divine showed themselves, and yet avoided the restrictions of the laws of cause and effect. For that to happen, someone had to intrude beforehand and sow chaos in the barrier to set up favorable magic for them. Which means the culprit has to be one of the disciples who was closest to the Master: you. Not the rest of us, since Ho-Wol and I left before the plan started.”

“……”

“How… could you do such a thing…”

Ayuta looked confused even after hearing Seong Jin’s accusations.

“What are you talking about, Brother…”

Seeing Ayuta’s bewilderment only fueled Seong Jin’s anger, and he shouted, clenching his fists.

“Traitor! I’ll kill you!!”

Crackling

Summoning the powers of the Thunder God, Seong Jin wrapped his hand in energy and lunged at Ayuta. A single strike from that attack would obliterate any mid-tier monster. However, Seong Jin was taken aback as he expected Ayuta to either block or counter but instead, she closed her eyes.

‘Oh no…’

Thud!

Seong Jin’s attack pierced Ayuta’s heart due to her failure to defend. Blood gushed from her body, and crimson liquid streamed down her lips. Seong Jin thought she was a manifestation of chaos and unleashed a spell so strong that he couldn’t possibly cancel during the attack.

“Uagh! Murder!”

Trembling

As the innkeeper below screamed and fled, Seong Jin’s mind went blank, unable to think. He was shocked by the realization that in his rage, he had killed a priest. Ayuta, with sad eyes, looked at Seong Jin.

“Brother… In the end, we’ve all fallen into the God’s scheme… haven’t we?”

“… Ayuta…”

Ayuta, who coughed blood, continued to speak.

“It’s my foolishness… I don’t blame you…”

Plop

Moments later, Ayuta lost color and slowly fell to her death. Seong Jin gazed down at his blood-soaked hand that had just burst the heart of a priest, and he nearly lost his mind.

“Ugh… Uaaaaa…!!!”

It hurts.

Life is too painful.

Isn’t death the end?

‘Let’s die…!!’

Seong Jin could no longer bear the guilt and despair, gathering magic in his hand to strike his psychic points in a gesture of self-termination.

Crack!

In that moment, someone leaped in and grabbed his hand, as though to stop him. As Seong Jin struggled, the other person sighed and said,

“Is it finally playing out as the prophecy stated… Haah…”

“Hye Ga?!”

Recognizing that the person who stopped him was Hye Ga, Seong Jin was horrified. Hye Ga, who was supposed to be at the Shaolin Temple, was here!

With a bitter look, Hye Ga locked eyes with Seong Jin, before quickly using a finger technique to subdue him.

Golden Diamond Great Vigor Technique

Golden Diamond Law Wheel Finger

Thud thud thud

In an instant, thirty-six acupoints were sealed, rendering Seong Jin stiff. He realized there was no room for resistance; Hye Ga must have been hiding her true power beyond what Seong Jin had perceived. His martial skills were at their peak, and although he was an expert, he couldn’t even resist Hye Ga’s Golden Diamond Law Wheel Finger.

After staring at the frozen Seong Jin for a moment, Hye Ga knelt beside Ayuta’s lifeless body and cast a spell.

Reverse Root Water Mirror

*

The moment came.

Would it be too much to say reality distorted? A formless energy surrounded Ayuta’s body, and then, in an instant, it reverted to its original state. Ayuta, seemingly dazed, stood up.

“Ah…!!”

Even she couldn’t believe she was alive again, and Seong Jin could only gawk, especially since he vividly remembered the moment the Thunder God’s spell obliterated her heart and organs.

It was a certain death, yet here she was resurrected! Not a scratch on her, she seemed even more vigorous than before.

Hye Ga chanted a spell.

“Amita Buddha.”

“Brother… what on earth is happening…?”

“Seong Jin. Don’t blame yourself too much. Ayuta…”

Hye Ga spoke kindly to the stunned disciples.

“Seong Jin. Ayuta. Until now, you two have been engulfed in the chaos of divine schemes and sunk into despair. Mortal beings cannot entirely avoid the traps of such existences. I anticipated this, which is why Master sent me ahead.”

“……”

“If you want to know everything, follow me.”

Hye Ga turned slowly and continued.

“Master will also rescue Ho-Wol. Wait for him at the Shaolin Temple…”

What on earth was going on?

But in this situation, they had no choice left. There was no way they could return to the Altar of Heavenly Darkness, entangled with the chaos of the deities. It was a choice made out of desperation.

Soon enough, they arrived at the Shaolin Temple with Hye Ga and began to meditate in the temple in a daze. After a day had passed, just as Hye Ga had forecasted, Ho-Wol arrived at the temple, and they could see him.

“Ho-Wol…”

Ho-Wol said nothing. Although he wasn’t injured, his face was filled with gloom and despair. With a heavy heart, he sat down across from Hye Ga and began to speak.

“Hye Ga, Master has passed away.”

“Amita Buddha.”

“Before he died, he told me to seek you out…”

A trace of sorrow crossed Hye Ga’s face.

“… Amita Buddha.”

“I still don’t know what transpired. After taking the Master’s command, I fought against the Eight Parts of the Divine. However, those Eight Parts suddenly retreated, and I went to the Altar of Heavenly Darkness to assist the Master. But there, he had collapsed.”

“……”

“Even in a state of exhaustion, the Master continued the ritual and summoned the Four Great Spirit Deities, successfully completing the Dharma Technique, but… eventually, the barrier was breached, and the curse of the Old Rulers poured in, leaving no trace of him. That is where my memory ends.”

As Ho-Wol clenched his fists and spoke, he relayed his despair.

“Brother. What happened? If Master has gone, why isn’t the world in ruin?”

“……”

“We all acted under the premise that the world would collapse with Master’s death, did we not?”

Taboo!

Even in a state of shock, Ho-Wol earnestly posed the question that had been lingering in everyone’s minds up until now, breaking through the silence. That was something only Ho-Wol could do among the brothers.

After a moment’s pause, Hye Ga spoke.

“Just as you might suspect.”

“Could it be…?”

“The Master’s reincarnation has concluded.”

In that instant, the atmosphere in the hall froze completely.

His reincarnation concluded!

That statement meant that the life of the Reborn Person Dalma, who possessed the memories of countless past lives seeking to save this world, had reached its end. At that moment, all the disciples wept in despair.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Ugh…”

“Ma-Master…”

Even stoic Ho-Wol couldn’t suppress his grief and sobbed, while Seong Jin and Ayuta were the same. Hye Ga seemed to hold back tears, yet his body trembled with uncontainable emotion.

However, being enlightened, Hye Ga quickly regained control and spoke.

“You must have two questions. One is why Master undertook the risky endeavor of the True Martial Home. The other is who could possibly have brought an end to his reincarnation.”

“Clearly.”

Wiping his tears, Ho-Wol’s fierce eyes gleamed.

“I barely held on to my desire to follow him here because I thought you held the answer! What do you know?”

“… I know much. But simultaneously, I know nothing.”

Hye Ga said bitterly.

“Let me address your first question. The reason Master risked everything to promptly attempt the True Martial Home is that he judged further reincarnations to be pointless.”

“Pointless?”

“Indeed.”

Nodding, Hye Ga proceeded.

“If Master had reincarnated a hundred times, or even a thousand, do you think he could have gained enough strength to take on the united might of the Three Sovereigns?”

“Is that not so?”

“In the end, what he sought was not the righteous path, but the Demon Path. And pursuing the Demon Path means to be constantly exposed to demonic forces and corruption… Master has maintained the powers acquired through incredible mental strength, but he ultimately judged that this could go no longer.”

“……”

“It might be possible to achieve a power far exceeding the current one. However, with that power, an absolute demon would emerge in the universe, and the Dalma who sought to try the True Martial Path for the sake of humanity would cease to exist.”

“You mean he reached the limit of mental strength.”

“That’s correct. A normal human would’ve gone mad before even nearing fifty lives. Master’s willpower was truly superhuman.”

“How do you know such things?”

“Master often consulted me about these matters. He wondered whether he could manage longer… And each time, we would chant sutras together, training our minds.”

So that was the case.

It was something only Hye Ga, being of the highest mental training level, could comprehend.

As other disciples contemplated this, Hye Ga continued.

“Master concluded that there were no more causal ties or clues to collect from any further reincarnations. He faced his final challenge, only to fail.”

“But… even so, how could his reincarnation end…”

“Exactly as you’ve said, it’s strange. And this strange occurrence was artificially created.”

Hye Ga said gravely.

“… [Coming Chaos]. That existence has likely targeted Master from the very beginning. The moment he confronted that entity, his reincarnation was sealed.”

“That’s the most malignant and terrifying Demon God in the universe, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Ah… Looks like challenging a god was a mistake. If a supreme deity is involved, even reincarnation can be…”

Before Seong Jin could finish his lament, Hye Ga firmly denied it.

“No! That’s not the case. It’s not because the god is too powerful that it can end a reborn person’s reincarnation, which is something Master said. The Outer Gods can’t achieve that.”

“What? Then…”

Hye Ga’s eyes lit up.

“[Coming Chaos] was set from the beginning as the archenemy to the Reborn Being. It can only be explained as such. Master has always understood this.”

“……”

The atmosphere took on a chilling quality.

An archenemy for the Reborn Being!

Did even a being who felt invincible have such foes?

And why was that despicable Outer God set as the foe for the Reborn Being?

“Then Ayuta, tell us about what happened back then.”

At Hye Ga’s request, Ayuta quietly recounted the events.

“I was with Master. He suddenly told me, ‘It’s time to reveal your true self’ and began chanting something. At that moment, I lost consciousness…”

“I see.”

“Hye Ga, did I become possessed by [Coming Chaos]?”

“How could we possibly be aware of the Outer Gods’ techniques? You bear no blame. Even if you were possessed, an entity of that strength attempting possession was inevitable.”

“……”

“Nevertheless, that doesn’t matter. I made another hypothesis.”

“Another hypothesis?”

Creak…

Hye Ga was one-armed. He began rolling a long rosary in his hand as he spoke.

“When the True Martial Home was in progress, all kinds of Demon Gods clustered around the barrier, but only Changhyi’s followers, the Eight Parts of the Divine, directly attacked the interior barrier. This means that Changhyi and the Eight Parts are under the command of [Coming Chaos].”

“……!!”

“Even [Coming Chaos] doesn’t command all the Old Rulers. Therefore, it must have contained the strength of the Three Sovereigns to prevent their intervention and only its minions entered the barrier.”

“Indeed!”

“Changhyi and its minions are the servants of chaos. They will be our enemies moving forward.”

The insight from Hye Ga astonished the other disciples. Their enemy’s identity had now become clear.

The absolute evil, [Coming Chaos], was behind the scenes manipulating the situation, and Changhyi, now a divine being, along with its Eight Parts were lurking within. Hye Ga spoke bitterly.

“Disciples, the situation is now clarified… From now on, we need to find a way to carry on Master’s legacy of survival.”

“Brother, wasn’t the creation of the Shaolin Temple intended for something? Was it not created because Master foresaw this moment?”

“That’s right…”

Amita Buddha, Hye Ga recited.

“Master prophesied that even if he were to vanish, a new Maitreya would arrive in the world.”

“……!!”

“That was another reason Master could make this last attempt.”

Maitreya!

As those words echoed, Dalma’s disciples sharpened their gazes. They had been indirectly or directly involved with the True Martial Home and were somewhat aware of the world’s truths, thus comprehending the implications of that term.

Ho-Wol clenched his fists and spoke.

“Brother, does that mean a new Reborn Being who follows after Master will soon emerge?”

“That I cannot know.”

“What do you mean? Maitreya must ultimately be a Reborn Being.”

Ho-Wol spoke as if he couldn’t fathom it. It was a sentiment shared by the other disciples who looked at Hye Ga. For those who had trained under Dalma, the idea that a Maitreya could exist without being a Reborn Being seemed unfathomable.

Hye Ga said.

“… Master once mentioned that he was not ‘the first’. He also stated that Maitreya could be a being greater than a Reborn Being.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I’m saying is we might be living in a world where new laws are actively at work without us even realizing it.”

“……?”

None of the disciples understood Hye Ga’s words. Hye Ga regarded each disciple and stated.

“After going through such turmoil, it’s time to rest… Everyone, for now, stay at the Shaolin Temple. Ho-Wol, come with me.”

“Understood.”

Hye Ga took Ho-Wol and disappeared somewhere.

“Phew. What should I do…”

In accordance with Hye Ga’s words, Seong Jin worked hard to recover his mental strength, clearing his mind of unnecessary thoughts. Ayuta did the same. After losing their revered master and having lost all objectives, coming to terms with how to live was a challenge for anyone.

Perhaps that’s why?

For over three years following that day, Hye Ga and Ho-Wol were missing, but Seong Jin didn’t question it. He was too overwhelmed trying to regain his mental strength to focus on anything else. He stood guard over the Shaolin Temple with Ayuta, caring for the monks while practicing magic.

Then one day, three years later, Ho-Wol returned to the Shaolin Temple.

“Brother. Didn’t Hye Ga come back with you?”

Ho-Wol’s face was ashen.

As he continued, Seong Jin and Ayuta froze solid.

“I… killed him.”