NOVEL NEXT Chapter 629
Chapter 629 – Dark Heaven Village
Yeodong-bin suddenly found himself in a mysterious space, filled with an infinite spiral that dominated his vision. The number of spirals was unimaginable, surpassing any count he could conceive.
Yet, each spiral appeared distinct, whirring and spinning in place, emitting subtly different vibrations.
In addition, countless weapons floated between the infinite spirals.
What in the world is this scene? Yeodong-bin felt a sense of bewilderment as he searched for the owner of this space, but no credible being appeared even as time passed. With no other choice, he decided to explore the area, reaching out towards the closest spiral.
Whoosh!
The spiral unraveled at an astonishing speed and enveloped Yeodong-bin.
Trapped within the spiral, Yeodong-bin felt his consciousness expand at an alarming rate, overwhelming him with terror, prompting a scream to escape his lips.
[ Aaaah!]
How many times had the realms of despair and paradise repeated?
At the end of his hopelessness, he heard someone calling him.
[ Can you hear… me…?]
The voice,
The pulse,
Grew louder.
The resonance, as if emanating from the heart of the universe, tangled him in confusion for some time.
He saw an illusion of a massive, pure-white giant extending its hand toward him.
[ We… meet… again… ]
And then Yeodong-bin lost consciousness.
[ …Honestly, I hardly remember our first meeting. I committed my name yet sadly recall little, and it ended rather hazily.]
Yeodong-bin continued speaking.
[ However, I clearly remember our subsequent encounters.]
[ Then why…?]
[ It is because I cannot fully trust you yet, Dharma Protector. As mentioned before, this memory is the key directly linked to significant secrets, and thus cannot be rashly disclosed.]
[ ……]
It seemed that the secret Yeodong-bin was guarding about the Martial God was far weightier than expected. If the existence of the Martial God was at the level of an [Old Ruler], it was understandable. Ultimately, if Yeodong-bin didn’t know my secret, he wouldn’t reveal his own.
Swoosh.
While I was deep in thought, the scene shifted dramatically.
“… Ugh.”
Yeodong-bin found himself kneeling in a corner of the shrine. Having just had a profound encounter with the Martial God, he felt a barrier previously impeding his martial journey had been broken. However, with the massive mental fatigue settling in, he felt as if he could faint with the slightest misstep.
Back in reality, the dark avatar of Master Mangnyang appeared before Yeodong-bin. The avatar had a cold expression, yet this time did not exude any aura of malice or chaos. It looked down at Yeodong-bin and spoke.
[ What did you think of meeting ‘him’?]
“… I cannot say.”
[ As expected. The law of cause and effect has been established.]
Master Mangnyang replied as if it were anticipated, picking up a lizard’s tail that was resting in the shrine. The tiny tail was merely the length of a fingertip, but as he fiddled with it, Master Mangnyang suddenly asked Yeodong-bin a question.
[ Yeodong-bin. If you could choose again, would you kill the Imugi?]
“No.”
Yeodong-bin wiped the redness from his bloodshot eyes and stood up. Though any ordinary human would have fainted several times over due to fatigue, he endured it as a master of the Absolute Realm.
“I would save the Imugi and leave Master Mangnyang’s side.”
[ I see. Now that you’re connected with the Martial God, I suppose my power is no longer necessary?]
When Master Mangnyang asked with a teasing tone, Yeodong-bin shook his head.
“You know that’s not true.”
[ Really?]
As Master Mangnyang pressed for clarification, Yeodong-bin fell silent for a moment before responding.
“Master Mangnyang, you said that there is no good or evil among gods. Therefore, likewise, something transcending good and evil must exist for a human to bring down a god. However… the further that standard moves away from humanity, the more it ultimately becomes a broad concept of evil. It must be an existence incomprehensible to humans anyway.”
[ Hmmm.]
“There may not be a single person in history who hasn’t chosen the opposite of the opposite. However, I just realized that path is not one I can choose.”
Master Mangnyang seemed to ponder deeply over Yeodong-bin’s words. After a while, he spoke.
[ Excellent. You have attained enlightenment; you are truly worthy of being called the Sword Master.]
“Master Mangnyang.”
[ Thus, one who was destined to ride the mythical beast and walk the path of the Sword Demon has now overcome their fate.]
If anyone else had said such a thing, Yeodong-bin would have inwardly scoffed, regardless of how skilled that person was. Who dares to judge Yeodong-bin or evaluate his renown? Even the emperor of the great Daedang Empire would find it impossible. Yet, Yeodong-bin felt a tremendous fulfillment from the recognition bestowed by Master Mangnyang in front of him.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the lizard’s tail on Master Mangnyang’s avatar’s hand gleamed and vanished. Moments later, a dull sound echoed from outside the shrine.
Boom!
Yeodong-bin turned around. Since Master Mangnyang showed no reaction, he hurriedly dashed outside, only to be met with an unbelievable sight.
“……!!”
The Imugi!
Surely, the gigantic 2,000-year-old Imugi he had just beheaded stood in front of the shrine. There wasn’t even a trace of its severed neck, and no matter how he looked, it was unmistakably real. Seeing the Imugi alive took Yeodong-bin’s composure away in an instant.
How could the Imugi he had slain be miraculously alive?
Stunned for a moment, the Imugi gazed up at the heavens.
Oooooooh!
Its body began to rise into the void, ascending toward the sky. The rough, fierce scales attached to its body started to shed one by one, quickly replaced with new scales. These were smooth, beautiful scales of a Fire Dragon, resembling the scene of a new dragon being born.
Simultaneously, the heavens split open. The clouds disappeared, revealing the majestic gates of the celestial realm. Numerous Earth Immortals and celestial beings gathered, as if to bless the new dragon’s birth, eagerly waiting for the Imugi’s ascension!
As Yeodong-bin stared entranced at the spectacle, the Imugi turned its gaze towards him.
[ Thank you, Sword Master. Because of your enlightenment, Master Mangnyang has allowed me to ascend.]
The tone was filled with utmost respect.
“… I am.”
The moment he heard those words, Yeodong-bin felt his face flush and comprehended the gravity of what he had just done. He realized he would not have felt this way if the Imugi had merely expressed anger.
The celestial melodies resonated throughout the village. The Imugi had completely transformed its body into a Heavenly Dragon, successfully converting all the demonic powers it had previously held into divine power. gazing upon the flawless Heavenly Dragon, Yeodong-bin understood that even if he were to fight such an existence, he had no guarantee of victory. There was an undeniable chasm between a true dragon and an Imugi.
[ Sword Master! Please fulfill your wishes. I will support you from the heavens.]
Paaaat!
Moments later, the ritual of ascending the dragon concluded, and the gates of the celestial realm closed. Yeodong-bin was engulfed in both relief and exhilaration, gazing vacantly at the sky. Slowly, Master Mangnyang approached him and said,
[ I read the law of cause and effect and foresaw that you would come to visit.]
“If so…?”
[ I had a bet with that Imugi. No matter how hard it trained, it was clear it would struggle to ascend in this state, so it accepted the bet. The terms of the bet were to determine its ascent based on your response after visiting it.]
“……”
[ That thing was lucky. It won the bet; thus, although it was one that could never become a dragon by the standards of Queen Mother, I managed to pressure her to make it a dragon.]
Yeodong-bin felt a burning desire to question Master Mangnyang.
So, was cutting it down the right choice? Or was sparing it the right choice?
Why was his decision deemed correct?
‘… No, there’s no need to question.’
Yeodong-bin simultaneously realized the choice itself bore no great significance; ultimately, it was a matter of whether he could provide his own answer regarding righteousness and sacrifice. Had Yeodong-bin met the Martial God only to argue that minor sacrifices were unavoidable for the greater cause, that would have been the true failure. It was explicitly evident in Master Mangnyang’s words.
And this fact signified yet another possibility. Yeodong-bin, forgetting his mental fatigue, looked straight at Master Mangnyang.
“Master, you had not thought I would change my mind.”
Indeed.
A bet meant placing opposing choices against one another. In this case, the Imugi’s gain from the choice of ascension was obviously its own. Thus, standing on the opposite side, Master Mangnyang naturally had to bet on Yeodong-bin’s failure.
At Yeodong-bin’s words, Master Mangnyang merely smiled subtly, yet Yeodong-bin felt a chill. He realized the being before him truly had no interest in good or evil, viewing the world with detached coldness. Master Mangnyang tended to harbor no expectations from humanity.
Suddenly, Yeodong-bin felt something off and spoke.
“Yet that Imugi should have been slain by my hands. How could it possibly have come back to life?”
[ ……]
“Did you forcibly bring its soul back from the afterlife to resurrect its body?”
In response to Yeodong-bin’s question, Master Mangnyang replied.
[ I wouldn’t go through such cumbersome measures. I merely brought forth the possibility of its existence and materialized it. No matter how low the possibility, the crux is whether it can be observed or not.]
“……?”
[ If the law of cause and effect has been established between it and me, I can do anything. The universe’s laws will automatically align with the possibility I brought. In this universe, souls and bodies are not that special…]
Master Mangnyang spoke in a tone imbued with futility.
[ You must be tired, so off you go. I will send you to someone who can assist you.]
“Thank you for your help.”
[ Since you have the merit of having ascended that Imugi, a shrine for you will be established in this village.]
Paat!
In the next moment, Yeodong-bin realized he had been transported to a place he had never seen before. He remained cautious, but after a brief moment, someone approached him.
“Are you Yeodong-bin, the Sword Master?”
In the location Yeodong-bin appeared, five mysterious figures stood. No—in this context, it could be said that Yeodong-bin had carelessly intruded into their space. The moment he encountered their energy, he realized that four of them were peerless masters, beings who were simply impossible for him to face.
Only one did not radiate overwhelming power, seemingly untrained in martial arts, but instead possessed a beautiful woman holding a mystical tool. Yeodong-bin glanced at them and, upon spotting a familiar face, said,
“You are the Dharma Guardian of the Thunder God Lineage.”
The one whose gaze met Yeodong-bin’s smiled brightly.
“I have now become the Master of the White Lotus Sect. I won the recent competition to decide the leader.”
“Is this the main base of the White Lotus Sect?”
“Yes. To appear suddenly before the Hall of the Sect Leader, you truly are the Sword Master. I, Lee Gun-ak, am impressed.”
The place where Yeodong-bin had unexpectedly appeared was the Hall of the Sect Leader of the White Lotus Sect. Time had passed since their last encounter on Mount Ye, and the Dharma Guardian of the Thunder God Lineage, Lee Gun-ak, had ascended to the position of Master, with the others lined up beside him as Dharma Guardians of the Thunder God’s Four Great Families.
‘ Why has Master Mangnyang sent me here?’
Normally, Yeodong-bin wouldn’t have been intimidated even by the White Lotus Sect, but now, after the impact of meeting the Martial God, he was significantly drained in both mental and physical strength. If he wasn’t careful, he could end up battling the experts of the White Lotus Sect and meet his demise. However, since Master Mangnyang had sent him to those who could assist him, he couldn’t recklessly guess his intentions.
While pondering what to do, Sect Leader Lee Gun-ak looked toward the woman beside him and said.
“Priestess, can you determine what kind of mystical technique he utilized to come here?”
The woman referred to as the Priestess responded hesitantly.
“I just did a divination, and it seems we must entirely heed the Sword Master’s request.”
“What is it?”
She, trembling in fear, spoke.
“An unimaginable tremendous being is continuously overturning the results of the divination. It insists we assist whoever appears before us. Yeodong-bin is under that being’s blessing. I never thought there would be such a presence that could so easily overturn the heavenly secrets…”
“Hmm… Is that so!”
Lee Gun-ak of the White Lotus Sect pondered for a moment before saying,
“Sword Master, whether you knew or not, I sincerely apologize for the previous refusal when the Eight Immortals requested assistance from our sect. However, I never anticipated you would come to pressure us directly with such tremendous support behind you. There is no ill intent, so please, quell your wrath.”
“…….”
Something felt amiss.
Understanding the situation, Yeodong-bin nodded.
“No, there is no wrath. Rather, I hope that you will join us in subduing the great dragon for the sake of saving the world.”
“Ha… There’s no helping it.”
Lee Gun-ak chuckled bitterly.
“The Priestess’ divination skills are absolute. If she says so, then we must assist…”
“Can you provide a place to rest, as I am weary from my long journey?”
“Immediately, we will accommodate the noble one.”
It was a gift from Master Mangnyang to Yeodong-bin, who was about to face the great battle. Since the strength of the Eight Immortals alone wouldn’t be sufficient to face the great dragon, Master Mangnyang had directly pressured the leader of the White Lotus Sect, the strongest force in the Martial Arts World, to lend their strength.