전생검신 87권 02화

I decided to ask Soeul some more detailed questions. After all, I could never afford to take lightly the matter of the Soul of the Evil God. So, I moved a little closer to Soeul and said.

[You just didn’t finish the process of “changing the soul” properly. To put it differently, you used the technique knowing that the backlash would hit you right back. Am I wrong?]

Soeul looked somewhat stunned by my words and replied, “You mean you figured that out…”

[Just answer me.]

“…That’s correct. This technique, as you say, is half-baked.”

Soeul continued with a bitter expression. “I can unleash the power needed to transition from the Black Moon to the White Moon by burning my true internal energy. But when the soul changes, the backlash overwhelms me… There’s no way to handle that. So, I only use this technique during a mutual destruction with the opponent.”

[What’s the name of this technique?]

“It’s called Reverse Light. I named it this because it feels like light is crashing into me when I use it.”

In that moment, my eyes gleamed sharply.

[You said Jin So-cheong taught you this technique? Did he really teach you to use Reverse Light like that to achieve mutual destruction with the opponent?]

“No.”

[Then?]

After a brief hesitation, Soeul responded, “Jin So-cheong has been tirelessly trying to pass down his absolute state, Jin Cheon, to others. Yet no one has received it or even come close to understanding it. Only Asura has developed his own realm with Jin So-cheong’s help… I too received great teachings from Jin So-cheong but barely understood them, grasping only fragments.”

[So you’re saying you took bits from Jin So-cheong’s teachings and made your own dysfunctional version of mutual destruction?]

“Hmm… That’s right. Jin So-cheong passed down his newly crafted martial art, the Black Night Breaking Heaven Thunder, which fused the Black Night Divine Art with Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique, but once I reached a certain level, I couldn’t even comprehend it. It all felt like smoke and mirrors, completely beyond my realm. I merely took what I understood from it and fashioned Reverse Light, a derivative of Jin Cheon.”

[…….]

So Jin So-cheong didn’t actually encourage this.

‘Did he create a derivative technique in his greed to become stronger…?’

Somehow, I felt relieved, but at the same time, I found it kind of pathetic, so I said to Soeul.

[Didn’t you think you would die using this technique? Whether you kill the opponent or not, if you don’t maintain the ‘vessel’, you’d surely fall into Walking Fire Entering Demon.]

“…I was aware. But I thought I could refine it over time.”

[Did you know how to refine it?]

“……”

[I figured as much. It felt like you just copied the ‘power’ without understanding the ‘vessel’.]

When I criticized him, Soeul seemed a bit choked up and said, “What exactly do you know? Do you understand Jin So-cheong’s insights?”

[I do understand. At least I’ve died dozens of times trying to use such martial arts.]

“……?!”

Soeul was taken aback, but it was the truth. How many times had I died while training in the Training World to change the vessel of the Soul of the Evil God? Thankfully, due to the lack of distinction between life and death in the Training World, or else I’d have already racked up at least 50 rebirths. And having gone through such dreadful experiences, I understood better than anyone how dangerous Soeul’s derivative technique, Reverse Light, was as a self-destruction skill.

For some reason, I found myself really wanting to meet Jin So-cheong.

I said to Soeul, [Anyway, for now, we should regroup with others and head back to our base. Are there others looking for me besides you?]

“There are. The subjugation squad that withdrew from the frontline has been deployed, so the first to join us will likely be Wei Zhi-hun. He was searching the area closest to me.”

[Wei Zhi-hun…?]

Just as I finished my sentence—

Whoooossh.

From far off on the horizon, a flash-like figure flew towards us and gently settled down like a cloud. I instantly recognized the unparalleled light body technique being utilized.

‘Hyuncheon’s Heavenly Cloud Sect Technique!! A secret pass down only to direct descendants of the top Wudang Sect…!!’

Thanks to hearing tales from the former Master Hyuncheon, I knew this was one of the best light body techniques belonging to the Wudang Sect. And there was only one person in the current world who could cast the Heavenly Cloud Sect Technique to its utmost extent.

As the former Master of the Teng Yu Alliance and the leader of the Wudang Sect, Wei Zhi-hun gently landed before us and, upon seeing me, bowed his head.

“You are the legendary genius Baek Woong that I have only heard about. It’s an honor to meet you!”

I shot a glance at Wei Zhi-hun’s one good arm. He had originally been one-armed, and, of course, he still had only one arm now. I found it odd and asked,

[Wei Zhi-hun. This age has advanced to the point where prosthetics are easy to obtain with magical engineering, why don’t you have one?]

“Heh, you were curious about that.”

Chuckling, Wei Zhi-hun replied, “I originally thought about it, but as I became more and more immersed in the profound truths of Muwak, I realized not having an arm is not a huge hindrance. So I decided to do my best in my current condition without attaching anything artificial.”

[…….]

“Now, let’s move together. Once we reach a secure location, I will send a rescue signal to the others.”

[Got it.]

With that, Soeul and I started to move alongside Wei Zhi-hun, but both of us were in such rough shape that we couldn’t really do much, so Wei Zhi-hun cluck his tongue and said,

“Tsk… You’re both too slow. Relax your bodies.”

[Hmm?]

Turning the Wheel of Qi.

Swoosh!!

A massive force flowed from Wei Zhi-hun’s palm and formed a translucent sphere around Soeul and me. Placing his hand on the outer layer, Wei Zhi-hun lifted the sphere with his intent, speeding us up considerably as we began to move.

Swish!

Suddenly, even without us moving, it felt like we were flying with a speed faster than an arrow inside the sphere. I couldn’t help but be astonished at Wei Zhi-hun’s internal energy techniques.

‘Amazing internal energy…!! This must be several dozen times greater than what Wei Zhi-hun originally possessed!’

Normally, creating such barriers requires a massive drain on internal energy, making them impractical unless used temporarily against an enemy technique. But the fact that he could freely move us around using a rotating energy field was no ordinary martial artist’s internal energy.

After approximately half a moment, Wei Zhi-hun spotted a small castle in the distance and seemed relieved, saying, “We’ve arrived. That’s Yunnan Castle.”

I was taken aback by that.

[Wha… Yunnan? Are you saying I ended up so far away?]

“Indeed, I find it hard to comprehend how we ended up this far from Nanjing. We couldn’t have made it here without the aid of the Celestial Realm’s martial arts.”

[…….]

Considering it, I realized the place I was in, Kapira Castle, existed on the Tianzhu continent. After being lifted from Kapira Castle to the stratosphere and dropping down near Yunnan Castle, the locations somewhat matched. But thinking of traveling thousands of li in an instant did not feel real. It felt like I hadn’t moved at all, yet I was zooming around the planet.

Tydaht.

Wei Zhi-hun lightly leaped over the castle wall and, then, released the rotating energy barrier that was engulfing us, ripping apart a piece of paper he had stored away.

“Since I tore the Spirit Puppet of the technique, soon another colleague will come here to take us back using a spatial transport technique. Now you can relax.”

I stared at Wei Zhi-hun for a moment and said, [So, Wei Zhi-hun, you were part of the subjugation squad.]

“It turned out that way.”

[Then you’ve also received teachings from Jin So-cheong?]

When I asked, Wei Zhi-hun let out a hearty laugh.

“Haha. Among all martial artists related to Soeul Castle in the world, is there anyone who hasn’t received Jin So-cheong’s teachings, directly or indirectly?”

[……!!]

“However, Jin So-cheong’s insights are so profound and obscure that I could never grasp them fully. I’m just content to have gained exceptional understanding from only bits of his teachings.”

Just as I thought.

After Jin So-cheong first stepped into the absolute realm, he must have passed his insights onto all human martial artists. For the upcoming great calamity, he probably had no choice but to do so. But I was still bothered by how everyone I met kept saying the same thing.

‘Almost everyone doesn’t fully understand Jin So-cheong’s teachings…? What in the world did he come to understand?’

While lost in my tangled thoughts, Wei Zhi-hun spoke up.

“Elder Bright Dragon said there was a great debt the Wudang Sect owes you, so I want to express my gratitude as the sect leader. Had it not been for you, the Wudang Sect would have perished.”

[Ah… you mean that? Don’t worry about it. I had my own gains from it as well.]

“And, Elder Bright Dragon also had a message for you when you meet him: though he’s at the rear of the subjugation squad right now…”

[……?]

“He asked you to be sure to meet Jang Sam-bong. He’s been looking forward to meeting you.”

I flinched.

At the mention of Jang Sam-bong, I couldn’t help but feel surprised.

Jang Sam-bong!

He was an irreplaceable figure in my Muwak history, clearly a super master beyond comprehension and a master of the Overlay Technique. For him to desperately want to meet me?

After some thought, I replied, [Jang Sam-bong has not been seen in Nanjing Castle or Luoyang Castle, so I thought he’d be with the subjugation squad. Where is he?]

“He’s on a mission in a place called Antarctica with the Male Sword Master Yeodong-bin from Luoyang Castle.”

[Antarctica? What for?]

“I’m not too sure myself. But I have heard there’s something monumental there, and they are on a mission to find it. Reportedly, the existence of humanity depends on whether they discover it or not.”

[…….]

Antarctica?

Was there something that critically important in Antarctica…?

‘Yeodong-bin and Jang Sam-bong, both of whom are probably the strongest in the world purely based on martial arts, are on a treasure hunt in Antarctica that warrants their combined strength…?’

I racked my brain, but it was too vast a past for me to remember right away. While I was contemplating, Wei Zhi-hun suddenly looked up at the sky and said,

“They’re here.”

Pa-at!!

Moments later, a door of martial arts appeared in the sky, and from it, Miho sprang out in haste. As soon as she spotted me, she rushed over and hugged me, saying, “Baek Woong!! You’re safe!”

[Miho…!]

Miho, slightly tearful, said, “I was so scared something might have gone wrong… Please don’t take such dangerous risks…”

[…… Alright, thank you.]

“Now, let’s go back.”

[One moment. Mangnyang might be in Kapira Castle injured and passed out. We need to rescue him too.]

“Don’t worry. Mangnyang is the one who ordered us to save you. He must have already taken care of himself.”

[Ah.]

“Let’s go!”

Pa-at.

Then, Miho opened a dimension door again to move us to Nanjing Castle. Upon arriving at Nanjing, I immediately searched for Mangnyang.

[Mangnyang. Are you okay?]

“Ha ha… Honestly, I’m not okay.”

Mangnyang looked pale. And when I examined his body, I was taken aback.

‘He still has the wound from being pierced by the prayer beads…!’

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say Mangnyang’s body was riddled with holes. A living being shouldn’t be able to survive these injuries, but strangely, there was no blood flowing out of those puncture wounds from the prayer beads, and they weren’t rotting either. When I stared in disbelief, Mangnyang asked,

“What happened with that Ananda guy…? Tell me.”

As I recounted the events of my fight with Ananda, Mangnyang listened silently before speaking up.

“I see… This means my injury isn’t healing because of that.”

[What do you mean?]

“I was taken hostage by Ananda. He said he wouldn’t release the power of the prayer beads unless you confront him within three years.”

[……!!]

“This is pretty much the worst curse you could imagine. As you saw, if a being capable of defeating Vishnu refuses to lift the power of the prayer beads, then probably even the Three Sovereigns can’t break this curse. He must have set this trap, fearing you might run away.”

Damn it… Is it because of me that Mangnyang suffers under this curse?

Does that mean I have to settle things with Ananda for Mangnyang to survive?

‘Ananda, that scumbag… Using such despicable means.’

I felt extremely disgusted. Gritting my teeth, I declared,

[I will definitely take down Ananda.]

“You can do it. But in this state, it’ll be impossible.”

[Impossible…? Once I regain my full strength, I can win!]

“Not in that sense. What I mean is that you need to work hard to regain your strength in the remaining time.”

Mangnyang took a moment to shift his upper body to sit on the bed before continuing.

“Baek Woong. First, you need to fix the arm of the Oreycalcos that you gave to Ananda. In your current state, you’re like a tin can.”

[This isn’t an otherworldly item, so it’s not that necessary. I can just slap on any prosthetic.]

“No. You might think like that now, but there will definitely be situations in the future where martial arts won’t suffice. You must prepare adequate armaments to survive.”

With that resolute statement, Mangnyang said, “Visit Even Sinha in Luoyang Castle and ask him to attach the remaining arms of the Oreycalcos. After that, you should craft the Seven Luminaries.”

[The Seven Luminaries?]

“Yes. To be honest, I’ve brought all the Celestial Reincarnation Jade that Vishnu gave me. Now that trust is starting to build among humans, the speed at which your divine power accumulates will increase severalfold from now on. Using that divine power, you should be able to craft a new set of Seven Luminaries.”

[Hmm… .]

“Regardless of which Seven Luminaries you choose to craft first, that’s entirely up to you. But one thing is certain: the new Seven Luminaries will be much stronger than the previous ones. If you use those properly, you’ll be able to accumulate your power much faster.”

[Got it… But I have one question.]

“What is it? ”

[Ananda, who is the ‘Mask of Coexistence’ summoned Nyarlathotep right in front of me, but Nyarlathotep didn’t recognize him at all. I have no idea why; do you have any guesses?]

“……”

At my question, Mangnyang fell deep in thought. After a moment, he opened his mouth again.

“Baek Woong. Before, you mentioned that [Coming Chaos] and Nyarlathotep seemed alike, but they are actually different beings. [Coming Chaos] is the main entity, while Nyarlathotep should be seen as the strongest mask representing its full power.”

[That’s true, but.]

“Furthermore, Nyarlathotep is an incomplete being who doesn’t even know who he is… So, the reason he can’t recognize Ananda may be due to a [constraint] imposed on Nyarlathotep, preventing him from recognizing Ananda. A constraint even he is unaware of.”

[Hmm. But where does such a constraint come from? It must have a reason for Nyarlathotep to not recognize the Mask of Coexistence.]

“…Perhaps.”

Mangnyang, seemingly curious, continued, “It could mean that ‘Ananda’, not Nyarlathotep, qualifies to be the representative of [Coming Chaos]. They might be in a competitive relationship.”

[……?! What?!]

“Simply put, they could be equals. That’s just my conjecture, but… We’ll only be able to find out the truth after your final battle with Ananda.”

Saying this, Mangnyang urged, “Now hurry up and act. Three years will pass in no time.”

[Understood.]

“To make it easier for you, I will assign Miho as your escort. She’s capable of easily opening dimension doors and is incredibly strong. She’ll be of great help.”

Pa-at.

Eventually, with Miho’s assistance, I reached Even Sinha located in the Heart of Soeul Castle. Upon hearing the circumstances from me, Even Sinha frowned in displeasure.

“What the hell… To think you’d destroy my lifetime work so quickly. How could this be happening?”

[My apologies, but I now really need to grow stronger quickly, and I need the arms of the Oreycalcos that you crafted. Please hand them over.]

“……”

Even Sinha stared at me with a rather annoyed expression before speaking up.

“I’ll attach the arms for now, but you can’t just expect to get away with that!”

[What do you need?]

“Do you remember what I asked of you previously?”

[Um… You’re not saying… ?]

With his arms crossed, Even Sinha spoke in a harsh tone.

“Catch the Dead Dragon of Anatolia within three days!! If you don’t fulfill my request, the arms of the Oreycalcos will just turn into scrap metal.”