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Once a mere human, Chang-hee, who had ascended to the status of the [Old Ruler], found himself reflecting after learning about the Reborn Person’s information.

“I should use him.”

His reasoning stemmed from the realization that during the divine moment that would arrive just before the apocalypse, he wouldn’t be guaranteed to get what he desired even with all his strength. Although he had devised many plans, the competition for the celestial throne was fierce. While his ability to easily manipulate the Eight Parts of the Divine and interfere with the human realm was an advantage, it wasn’t enough to survive amidst the [Old Ruler]’s schemes.

Thus, Chang-hee decided to kidnap the Reborn Person, Baek Woong, utilizing the power of the Eight Parts of the Divine. After checking Baek Woong’s will, he intended to suppress his mind and extract all the information he possessed.

However, something strange occurred. No matter how hard Chang-hee tried, he couldn’t penetrate the mental barrier of Baek Woong, a mere mortal, to unlock his memories. While scraping together bits of instinctual memory was possible, fundamentally, Baek Woong’s mind exhibited terrifying defensive capabilities. Chang-hee was shocked, never anticipating that he would fail to read the mind of a mortal.

He hypothesized that this defensive ability came from the Heavenly Secret Baek Woong carried, so he attempted to separate the two, yet Baek Woong remained unreadable. It felt as if the very definition of the unfathomable had materialized.

Could this guy be the avatar of the [Old Ruler]?

Chang-hee, doubting this fact, investigated the connection to the Law of Cause and Effect but found it to be otherwise. While connected to various divine beings externally and internally, at the core, Baek Woong remained a human.

Still, he couldn’t recklessly harm or dissect him. He had no idea how someone who couldn’t even read a mortal’s mind would react. As Chang-hee persistently studied what kind of being Baek Woong was, he reached one conclusion.

The Reborn Person is a being who spins the [Great Cycle].

He couldn’t determine where that power came from. He even considered the possibility that he might be the avatar of his ‘father,’ but that theory fell flat—it was too weak. Thus, it seemed more logical to use that fact without clinging excessively to the unfathomable.

However, the [Great Cycle] was no ordinary phenomenon. It was an absolute flow that no being in this world could resist! Even if Chang-hee possessed the divine power of the [Old Ruler], he wouldn’t be able to bear its overwhelming recoil. With his mind racing, Chang-hee ultimately chose the most extreme method.

[That method was to dissolve myself.]

As I drifted in the world of the unconscious, absorbing the memories of the things Chang-hee had done over the past fifty years, I found myself in a place where only my mind remained, in the vast void. I continued to hear Chang-hee manifesting earlier and speaking to me.

“You cannot even imagine the magnitude of my decision. I discarded the absolute power and corporeal form of the [Old Ruler], converting all of myself into a conceptual being with fate.”

“…I don’t understand…”

My mind was hazy, but I managed to utter a few words. A severe headache threatened to shatter my thoughts, and I couldn’t fully grasp the situation. What was clear was that my consciousness had been expelled from the mental realm, and Chang-hee had taken control of my body.

Why hasn’t he eliminated me?

As I pondered, Chang-hee lifted a chaotic face and said:

“Baek Woong, the time it took for me to transform the ruler’s flesh with fate was exactly fifty years. It was no coincidence that you awakened fifty years later in your last life.”

…

“I was confident you would turn the [Great Cycle]. That’s why I took the gamble… and just as I predicted, you faced death, leaping into a new world, marking the start of a new rebirth… I have been watching you from the darkness right from the beginning. It wasn’t possession, but a conceptual form of fate, making it impossible for anyone in this world to easily recognize me.”

“Contradiction…”

“What kind of contradiction do you feel?”

I stumbled and pressed against my temple, struggling to speak.

“Instead… wouldn’t it have been easier for you to just take my body right after I started my 24th rebirth? Or just take the Heavenly Secret back then… what’s with this convoluted approach…”

“Good. You have some basic wits about you.”

Chang-hee replied amiably and continued at ease.

“First, don’t you see the situation? Even though I completely inhabit you, you’re still in the mental world, and I can’t eliminate you. I conducted countless physical abductions while studying you from the moon of Dark Heaven Village, but I couldn’t withstand the unknown backlash and was expelled. You possess not only incredible mental defense but also the ability to reject the [Old Ruler] himself. A permanent usurpation is therefore impossible.”

“I… didn’t know that.”

“Secondly, I had no way to confirm if the Heavenly Secret was the origin of your rebirth.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The [Small Cycle] leaves editing records regardless of who manipulates it, but the [Great Cycle] is a massive tide that all beings in this world are swept into. Even when the [Great Cycle] moves, no being recognizes it. You, as the Reborn Person, know this best. That’s why I couldn’t just use the Heavenly Secret or hand it to anyone else to confirm your rebirth ability from the very start.”

…

That was true. The reason my companions didn’t attempt to betray me by stealing the Heavenly Secret was precisely that. If worse came to worst and the Heavenly Secret had already granted rebirth ability in the first run, it could now merely exist as decoration—leaving me frustrated in this lifetime while they couldn’t reincarnate. Of course, I hadn’t dwelled on that too deeply, but it was a fact that verifying the ability of the Heavenly Secret was nearly impossible.

“However… you didn’t consider it, but… coming over in this form to attach yourself to me has its great advantages.”

“What advantages?”

“Hehe… accumulation of the Law of Cause and Effect. If equal beings have simultaneity, it would normally mean both are judged by the Law. However, this time Chang-hee has disintegrated, and I’ve grown stronger instead.”

“…accumulation? What does that mean?”

“When moving from the old world to the new, it’s usually meant to go through end and revelation in line with ‘father’s’ intention. Just bypassing that judgment process accumulates a level of Cause and Effect that a mortal level can hardly imagine… and for a divine being like me, the Law equals power…”

Suddenly, Chang-hee burst out in laughter.

“Hahaha… you, trapped in the mental world right now, wouldn’t realize how much power I could wield… But at my current level, I could even resurrect my past flesh.”

“…!!”

The mere fact of riding onto the rebirth through the Heavenly Secret could amplify a divine being’s power?!

Seeing Chang-hee’s confidence, I knew it wasn’t empty bravado. After all, there would be no reason for him to deceive me like that.

This was bad. The situation was genuinely dangerous.

Sure enough, Chang-hee casually began to lay out the dangers I was fretting over just now.

“I don’t plan to mentally kill you… It might be possible if I poured all my strength into it, but that’s unnecessary… As long as I cannot interpret what kind of being you are, sealing you here for eternity is the best option. In that time, I can achieve my goals.”

…

“What do you think… about your rebirth being blocked… and disappearing helplessly in the void?”

My face went rigid. This was, after all, the situation I had dreaded the most since acquiring the Heavenly Secret.

Sealing away the power of rebirth!

No matter how many times I died, I could always assume I would reincarnate infinitely, so despite the possibilities with the Three Sovereigns or whatever, I had always played it safe. If someone aimed to kill me, that was one thing; but trapping me away in some sealed place would spell disaster. Although it hadn’t played out as planned, Chang-hee had ultimately succeeded in sealing me within the mental realm.

Could this really be the end…? But as the effect of the Seal of the Supreme King still lingered, I found my composure intact as I surveyed the current situation. I glared at him and declared,

“That’s… not gonna happen!”

“Why do you think that?”

I shouted in frustration.

“You came looking for me!”

…

“If you truly believed that, you could have let me feel thousands of years of perceived time in the wasteland of the void… and then should’ve picked up my mentally shattered remains… But instead, you kindly showed me your experimentation memories… directly came to provoke me…”

I clenched my teeth.

“You still want something from me! What is it?!”

I had a gut feeling that Chang-hee wasn’t the type to destroy and mock someone for no reason. Every action he had taken toward me definitely had a purpose. This thought made me feel that it wasn’t over yet.

“…Oh ho…”

Chang-hee’s visage gazed at me with a bemused expression, arms crossed. Then he said,

“Correct… being pushed to this point and still maintaining your composure… truly a Reborn Person.”

“What exactly do you want? This would count as your win if we were playing a game.”

“No… not at all… It’s not a win… because this game hasn’t even begun.”

“Huh?”

“As you said, I could’ve made you feel thousands of years of time in this mental realm… but that wouldn’t help us get anywhere, because you need to retain your sound mind.”

Suddenly, Chang-hee extended a hand toward me.

“Reborn Person… swear upon your name. Promise to transfer the Heavenly Secret and Seven Luminaries, along with all your rebirth abilities to me.”

“Ugh…!!”

“Then, not only would this life guarantee wealth and glory, but a comfortable end as well…”

So that’s what he’s after!

I scoffed and said,

“To come now with such a threatening deal, you really aren’t the sharpest tool in the shed! You should have done this back when you kidnapped me last life…”

“I did.”

“Huh?!”

“At that time, I inflicted considerable pain upon you to force compliance… However, the moment you capitulated not by your will but out of coercion, I suffered significant backlash. Clearly, you don’t remember, since the ability wasn’t transferred…”

…

“It must’ve been the protection of the Heavenly Secret… After that incident, I couldn’t attempt it again.”

Wait, wait, so this guy already tortured and blackmailed me once before?!

And I don’t even remember it?!

“So, at that time, I resolved to overcome your unavoidable situation… to truly persuade you to willingly make the transfer agreement. It’s a legitimate transfer that the Heavenly Secret couldn’t obstruct.”

“You crazy bastard.”

As a shocked expression crossed my face, Chang-hee continued speaking.

“To be clear, I’m offering very generous conditions… If you swear to transfer everything to me upon your name… I, Chang-hee, will indeed keep that promise… making you the Emperor of the World with the right to rule everything apart from me… yes… even making the Eight Parts of the Divine your subordinates. But the throne of humanity will remain mine.”

“Ugh…”

“Worried about your companions? Naturally, I won’t harm them. Once I ascend to become a celestial being, they too will become my retainers, so there’s no reason to kill them… Your subordinates will also meet with peace.”

…

“Reborn Person… aren’t you tired of suffering from rebirth abilities you can’t handle? If you listen to me, everything will turn out fine. Moreover, I’ll lead the rescue of the human race, just as I’ve been planning since the Yin Dynasty, so entrusting you to me is a perfect fit.”

Chang-hee’s tempting words were sweeter than honey.

It had been his goal all along to rescue humanity, so why not just entrust everything to him?

On top of it all, it even promised safety for my companions while making me the Emperor of the Continent, ensuring unlimited wealth and glory. I could command the Eight Parts of the Divine, living freely for centuries.

Normally, under these conditions, everyone would likely readily comply with Chang-hee’s words. But I vehemently shouted back.

“No, that’s not gonna happen! You still haven’t told me something important.”

“What is it?”

“You said you would save humanity, but how do you plan to do that? On the Day of the Apocalypse and Revelation, the Underwater City will rise, and the [Old Ruler] will awaken, causing the world to collapse all at once! How on Earth are you going to save anyone?!”

…

“…Hehe. Is that what you’re asking?”

Chang-hee laughed mockingly and continued.

“As luck would have it, although it’s a bit early, I’ll show you what I originally planned…”

Boom!

At that moment, a massive screen, perhaps three spans large, manifested before me. What it displayed was Luoyang Castle, currently engulfed in chaos, with battles raging left and right. Techniques and the Eight Parts of the Divine, along with the Three Sovereigns and Jeogok, were fighting like madmen.

The situation was drastically unfavorable for the Eight Parts of the Divine. With Daji, who should have supported them, having retreated, and the Guardian, the Black Serpent, being subdued, there were no further reinforcements. Thus, they had to face the main body of Jeogok as well as powerful entities from the Celestial Realm. Not surprisingly, the Eight Parts of the Divine were visibly engulfed in injuries even as they exerted their main strength.

“Ha, serves them right. Picking a fight they can’t win from the get-go…”

“Baek Woong, why do you think I created characters from the beginning?”

As Chang-hee unexpectedly posed this question, he reached toward the screen.

Before long, the screen transformed into a colossal perspective that looked down upon the entire world, continents, and oceans.

“Just for this!”

 

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