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“This is way more chaotic than I thought.”

As I took steps towards Chi You’s spirit, I pondered, “This grayish flow of energy… could it be… that power I felt near the throne?” The color made it an unavoidable conclusion.

After a moment, I stepped further, and as the mist thickened, my suspicion turned into certainty. “No doubt about it… this is the essence of 혼연!”

혼연! This force emerges when chaos and primal void collide in a double annihilation. The space near the throne was saturated with its presence, and Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen used this 혼연 barrier to shield his base. Having inhaled the air of 혼연 before, I recognized it immediately.

So, the Great Race intentionally spread the essence of 혼연 around the sealing site of Chi You’s spirit?

“But why? What effect does 혼연 have?”

I tilted my head. There had to be a good reason to fill the Hall of the Heavenly Demon with 혼연, but I couldn’t quite figure it out. As I walked, I recalled one crucial point. “Right… while in the 혼연 space, chaotic beings suffer damage. That’s part of it…”

Only chaos suffers in 혼연, while order-based divine beings, regular humans, and living creatures can exist peacefully. Remembering this, the reason the Great Race laid out the 혼연 air around Chi You’s seal clicked into place.

They aimed to prevent chaos beings from approaching Chi You’s seal!

This meant those trying to awaken Chi You were likely chaotic beings, right?

“Hmm… Anyway, I need to keep moving.”

There was still some distance until I reached Chi You’s spirit. I strolled at a slow pace, deliberately avoiding any hasty martial movements. Moving quickly in such a suspicious area was too risky.

“Let me think about the words of Shennong…”

The one who taught me about this Hall of the Heavenly Demon, Shennong, might have hinted at something regarding Chi You.

“What you saw is the essence, but it is not the physical body. That is indeed Chi You’s spirit.”

“The Hall of the Heavenly Demon is a place to extract and contain Chi You’s spirit.”

“The existence of the bloodline is merely Chi You’s final move. While Chi You desires to find his physical body and resurrect, the rituals in place ensure that, under certain conditions, he will automatically possess a fake body via his subconscious.” I recalled this detailed advice from the past.

“… Right. That was it.”

Why Shennong taught me the essence of the Hall of the Heavenly Demon was all tied to Seo Mun-hye.

“Chi You placed a ritual for automatic resurrection through his bloodline.”

Both Chi You and Shennong wanted him resurrected properly, but in precarious situations, they’d set it up to allow for resurrection through a fake body tied to the bloodline. Naturally, Shennong wanted Chi You’s resurrection so much that he would willingly lend his powers, but he didn’t want an imperfect resurrection, hence his request for me to hinder Chi You’s forced revival through the bloodline.

As I recalled this previous conversation, I glanced at the massive Chi You’s spirit before me.

“…”

The thought that sprung to mind was something I’d rather keep to myself.

I maintained my silence as I walked forward and finally neared where Chi You’s spirit fully revealed itself instead of just a shadow. Even the eerie mist of 혼연 didn’t obstruct my view, although the closer I came, the more I found my body trembling inexplicably.

Shivering….

I stared at my own shaking hand, well aware of what this phenomenon meant.

“I was instinctively afraid due to overwhelming power.”

Though fear gripped me, my mind remained calm. Nevertheless, my body reacted first as the senses of Absolute Realm and Intent Heavenly Pillar simultaneously warned me. The owner of an unimaginable power stood before me, cautioning me to be careful! Moreover, in this 혼연 space, even my divine powers had been rendered null, sharpening my instincts even further.

But I wasn’t that close yet, right?

“Hah…”

Still over a hundred paces away, I chuckled wryly. If I felt that much fear from a sealed Chi You at this distance, how powerful must he be? I had no doubt I could face the essence of the Three Sovereigns without trembling!

“Looks like I’ve hit a limit here.”

The instinctual warnings intensified, and my tremors grew stronger. Coming any closer, I felt, would surely shatter my composure. I had an innate understanding of how nonsensical that existence was, so I made up my mind to not push my luck.

Instead, I voiced what I’d only been contemplating.

“What would happen if I released Chi You’s spirit from its seal in this world?”

A thought no sane person would entertain!

Still, once I considered it, curiosity built up.

I had known that Chi You’s spirit would naturally break free once all parts of his body were gathered.

And even if they didn’t gather, as long as Chi You’s bloodline existed, he could forcibly possess and resurrect through it.

But if I were to only release the spirit’s seal now?

Clearly, Chi You’s body was nowhere to be found, nor was Seo Mun-hye present in this world.

This kind of situation was a complete unknown.

If only the spirit were released, would that even matter?

“If I could release just Chi You’s spirit and have a one-on-one chat with his soul, that could be quite beneficial.”

Chi You was undoubtedly a major player in the Takrok Era, boasting overwhelming strength in the universe’s decisive battle. He likely knew Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen’s secrets and why he was so powerful. Direct information from Chi You felt immensely valuable.

Normally, advisors would have chastised me for such reckless thoughts. However, this world operated on a premise of death, and this crazy idea might yield great efficiency. After dying dozens of times during my training, death hardly scared me anymore, and it felt worthwhile to at least try.

“Alright. Let’s give it a shot.”

I needed to obtain information about Chi You.

While I’d eventually return to the Takrok Era after my training, I didn’t even know who Chi You was or how he would appear then. Wandering around amidst cunning beings in the Takrok Era would only leave me prey to them without a clue. If I had the chance, I might as well seize it!

“So, shall I break that seal first?”

Millions of chains binding Chi You’s spirit! Tackling those ominous iron chains was the first step to breaking the enchantment holding his spirit.

Whoosh!

I steeled myself, gently lifting the spear I’d brought and infusing it with my Qi. I recalled the information Asura had previously shared with me.

“Let me explain the properties of 혼연 that the Master of the White Lotus Sect informed me about.”

“Once you enter the 혼연 space, all treasures will be annihilated. Furthermore, chaotic beings will suffer severe damage and immediately perish. Even divine artifacts related to chaotic power won’t be an exception. All powers become unusable.”

“And in the 혼연-drenched existence, unless attacked with the same 혼연 properties, no harm can befall them. If you attack with chaos, their strength will be absorbed, making them stronger, the Master speculated. Essentially, even an Old Ruler would be unable to use their power against a Guardian there.”

“For reasons unknown, Dark Night Slash or Ghostly Infinite Slash can bypass 혼연 properties and inflict harm. They aren’t explicitly oppositional but share an equivalent nature. Therefore, should you ever find yourself at the Throne of Chaos, mastering Dark Night Slash or Divine Skill is essential.”

I could confirm his words. I hadn’t brought any treasures, so I couldn’t witness their annihilation firsthand, but now I found myself incapable of utilizing any of my divine powers, just as if they had all perished. Moreover, not even the chaotic powers I could indirectly command were operational. Here, chaos was thoroughly neutralized. Even if I forced the use of chaotic powers, they’d just be absorbed.

However, in this space, only Dark Night Slash and Divine Skill could disregard those attributes and strike anyone.

“I might not be able to use Divine Skill…”

But I could still employ Dark Night Slash, albeit as a workaround.

With a thought, my spear floated into the air. Just like before, I found that my Qi and internal power remained functional in this space. Being human wouldn’t mean feeling significantly weakened within the 혼연 space. After four years of training, my spear techniques had advanced so that I could naturally use it without depending on my intent.

Once my spear was afloat, I focused all my will, thinly cracking my eyes open to cloak the spear in celestial energy.

Swoosh…

I dispelled my intent…

As I envisioned that, the spearhead darkened drastically. Evidently, I couldn’t avoid the blackening side effects from this “workaround.” I cleared my thoughts and concentrated, striving to recognize the “ring.”

Faintly sensing the orbit beyond my consciousness, I felt a clearer access than when training with Asura previously. My focus had advanced significantly in efficiency and fluidity.

“Must be from years of relentless training?”

Thinking so, I turned my concentration towards reversing the wheel. The wheel started spinning backward furiously, and the celestial energy was rapidly sucked inside. In that brief moment, as my consciousness headed towards a blissful zone, the spear I elevated in the air shot forth at horrifying speed.

Boom!

Even from over a hundred paces away, that spear, tainted with darkness, struck the linking section of chains binding Chi You’s spirit with precision. This was the very reason I chose to use this spear.

“If I set my target ahead of time with my intent and fix the spear, even if I momentarily lose consciousness after using Dark Night Slash, it will still hit its mark!”

And, given its nature, applying the power of Dark Night Slash meant equivalent damage to anything, so I figured that using a thrusting attribute like the spear would give me the better edge over simply slashing.

As expected, the tainted spear struck the target, causing the chains to swell bright red.

Bang!

Suddenly, one of the millions of chains broke apart. However, that alone seemed to weaken the binding on Chi You significantly, as I could see the multitude of chains trembling in unison. Watching that, I believed my assumption was correct.

“On the surface, it looks like I need to break every single link, but in reality, each binding is interconnected, so if one gap opens, it takes a big hit!”

This binding style is substantially stronger than usual seals but, when a loophole appears, it becomes considerably weaker. With my expanding knowledge of spells, I could easily discern this principle.

Is this sheer luck?

No matter how fortunate it was to arrive easily in this martial training realm and face Chi You’s spirit, had I not learned how to use Dark Night Slash as a workaround from Asura, I wouldn’t have been able to break Chi You’s binding.

Moreover, the current Dark Night Slash felt like the perfect method to dismantle that seal. What a stroke of luck!

I was pumped and once more shot my spear loaded with Dark Night Slash to smash the chains.

Boom!

Once again, the chain mass trembled. This time, it looked like I struck hard enough that Chi You’s spirit even flinched visibly. But as I went for my second shot, unexpectedly, I felt a sudden drain of energy, leaving me gasping on the ground.

“Hah… Hah… Using it as a workaround drains so much energy…”

The method of shooting it was evidently more exhausting. I took a moment to rest while rejuvenating my strength and internal power before launching another Dark Night Slash.

“Even if I run out of celestial energy, whatever!”

After all, in a world where death was inevitable, what good was saving up celestial energy?

Normally, I’d conserve my powers for fear of encountering a formidable enemy, but that wasn’t necessary now!

Crash!

After smashing a few more times…

“On the fifth shot…!!”

Just as my spear was about to strike the chains, a sudden heavy sound echoed.

Thud!

“…?!”

The spear I’d launched disintegrated!

A dark barrier emerged and obliterated the spear, nullifying the impact as well!

In the midst of my shock, a bizarre entity began to materialize before my eyes.

Swish!

“Intruder confirmed. Species identified as ‘Human’.”

What appeared before me was a strange three-eyed creature resembling a leopard. Its round eyes made it seem cute, but I knew it was a soulless machine. I immediately recognized it and exclaimed.

“Wait! You’re that leopard that showed up when the 17th-grade weapon of the Prophet’s race was used, right?!”

What a familiar sight!

There’s no way I’d forget that leaning character from the intense “Apostle Hunt” incident!

Then, the three-eyed leopard spoke.

“Intruder, please cease your anomalous attacks using the Law of Cause and Effect.”

“…”

“Attempting communication with the King… No response… Please hold on.”

“Hmm.”

What an unprompted statement!

Suddenly mentioning communication with the King left me puzzled, recalling my encounters with the Prophet. It struck me quickly.

“They want to connect regarding any requests I have for the race’s king!”

But since this was merely a training realm, there was no way I would reach the Prophet no matter how long I waited!

Recognizing this, I smirked and spoke to the three-eyed leopard.

“Hey, you know that Prophet’s probably not going to pick up, but how about you just listen to what I want?”

“Please proceed.”

“I want to know all the secrets of the Prophet race, and if you do that, I won’t attack the seal of Chi You.”

This little guy was probably a guardian or an AI placed to protect the seal of the Prophet race. The fact that it was summoned in this lifeless realm indicated that it didn’t count as a “sentient being.” Thus, it would be easier to pry the secrets of the Prophet race out of this fellow.

Sure enough, the three-eyed leopard blinked its eyes, then said.

“What secret do you wish to inquire about?”

Bingo!

I could glean the Prophet race’s secrets so easily!

I internally celebrated but kept a calm demeanor as I officially asked.

“What’s the purpose of the Prophet race? What do they act for?”

I had to uncover this.

After reincarnating thirty times, I’d still been left in the dark about their intentions, so my curiosity grew.

“”

“The eternal prosperity of our race.”

“… Well, of course! But that doesn’t cut it! Why are they using the power of the Void?”

Fuxi recently summoned a Prophet during the Takrok Era and pried into why they relied on the Void’s energy, only for the Prophet to gloss over it. However, I felt that that Void power might be their biggest weakness and secret.

Then the three-eyed leopard blinked again, sitting in a cat-like posture, responding.

“We offer tributes to the 허공록 (Void Record) using Acacia energy. It assists in the historical compilation operations of 허공록. Additionally, we discreetly provide energy to its Apostle when he appears, aiding in the execution of missions on Earth.”

“…?!”

“If you agree to cease your attacks, please exit the sealed area.”

“Wait! Wait a second! I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this!”

I pressed my finger against my temple, ruminating for quite a bit before speaking.

“So… what’s this historical compilation business? Is the 허공록 an external entity?”

“The database records that it is a preliminary operation to enable omniscience to overpower omnipotence, constantly progressing since the first king to the present. When 허공록 provides Acacia energy to our race, we use it for recording and preserving our histories, simultaneously documenting records of every race into the library according to our contract.”

“…!!”

“Moreover, any weapon using Acacia energy can repel all Old Rulers, targeting an ultimate 19th-grade weapon to subdue the forces of doom.”

“Wha— what? 19th-grade?”

I couldn’t help but shout in disbelief.

“Hey! You only claim to go up to 18th-grade! Isn’t 17th grade just for royal privileges, and only kings can wield the 18th grade? You just lent me the 17th grade, didn’t you? You liars!”

“That is not a lie. The 19th-grade weapon is currently under development and isn’t yet complete.”

“… Damn!! What kind of crazy thing is this?!”

That Prophet, seriously?

Were they secretly working on a wickedly powerful weapon?!

“How powerful will that 19th-grade weapon be once completed? Do you have any idea?”

“Its power is unmeasurable, so I cannot comment on it. However, it is a classified matter, and even the royal family cannot speculate on its power when complete. The aim, however, is to instantly suppress all Old Rulers and constellations that might appear at the end.”

“… Where is that weapon located?”

“It is in the deepest vault of the royal family.”

“And how can one access that vault?”

“Only the king possesses the key to unlock the vault’s door.”

“…”

If I had the key held by the Prophet, I could easily get a 19th-grade weapon, huh?

As that thought crossed my mind, an impish idea began to form, though I masked my intentions.

“Alright then, I have another question…”

Right when I was about to continue…

Grugrugrug!

Suddenly, Chi You’s spirit began to writhe violently! This was no mere gentle motion; it looked like it was coiling around in desperate struggle to break free. I couldn’t help but take a startled step back.

“……!!”

What the heck?!

This feeling is unreal?!

The overwhelming pressure I once felt witnessing the complete Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen returned, sending me into a moment of panic. This sense of pressure indicated even more that the seal hadn’t been removed yet. Meaning, once that sealing did break…

Fizzling!

The three-eyed leopard before me blurred as it spoke.

“Danger… the seal… is collapsing… danger… spirit… initiating possession… temporal and spatial sealing trigger… operating…”

At that moment, but from afar, I saw the eyes of the colossal god locking onto me.

Feeling like a mouse frozen in front of a cat, I sensed its gaze paralyzing my mind entirely.

It was pure [power] itself.

That suffocating sense of helplessness washed over me, like a speck of dust standing before a galaxy.

“Here it comes.”

Flash!

As the God’s eye blazed, my consciousness dimmed.

Creeeak!

I felt a gross tearing noise as a stark white screen consumed my vision.

Then, amidst a blurry consciousness, I slipped into unconsciousness.

*

“Baek Woong, snap out of it.”

At Shim Su-ryeok’s voice, I regained my senses and stood up.

“Where… am I?”

“I hastily rescued you from that place.”

“You mean Chi You went berserk?”

“No, he just kept thrashing around.”

“…”

It didn’t seem like Chi You’s seal had fully lifted. My head throbbed painfully, and I shook it, saying, “Good thing I’m not dead or sealed anymore.”

“…”

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“Could you… take a look in the mirror?”

A mirror?

Confused, I summoned a reflective surface with my divine energy and took a glance. Moments later, a scream escaped my lips.

“Aaaaaaaah?!”

“Hmm. Don’t be too shocked.”

“How could I not be?!”

“… I’ve seen far weirder, so I’m unfazed.”

“What the hell… why do I have horns all of a sudden?!”

Indeed, small horns had inexplicably sprouted from my forehead.

 

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