NOVEL NEXT Chapter 692
Dark Heaven Village
“Ugh!”
The first to sense the anomaly was Miyamoto Musashi. Utilizing the Intent Technique, he managed to evade the overwhelming attack of the Heavenly Spirit Pill, seeking a gap while confronting two Dharma Guardians of the Wind Spirit Lineage. Suddenly, a surge of waves erupted nearby, rapidly expanding and consuming his Qi. He quickly realized with his sharp extrasensory perception that something was off.
“Pa-at!”
Miyamoto Musashi swiftly concealed his aura and cut through the fabric of time and space, retreating significantly.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re running off to?”
As Musashi fled into the distance, Dokgo Jun, infuriated, chased after him alongside the Elder of the Su Shin Sect. Normally, Musashi’s Stealth Technique could only be detected by an expert in the Absolute Realm, but he was now in a state of panic, causing his technique to lose its effectiveness.
*Pipipipip!*
While the three experts soared through the air, someone emerged from the cavern halfway up the World Tree. He looked somewhat pale, resting a hand on his head, clearly exhausted. He let out a sigh.
“Hoo.”
He muttered briefly, “Urgent Spirit Command.”
A moment later, he vanished without a trace.
He still had business to attend to.
*Thump!*
“Kugh… Huh!”
The Master of the White Lotus Sect collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed with agony while battling Jin So-cheong. Jin So-cheong had created a massive opening, allowing him to have ended the Master in an instant but instead chose to lower the spear tip, gazing down at him.
“It seems you’ve reached your limit.”
“Finish it.”
The Master replied calmly. Even if he were attacked in that moment, he could still fight for a while, but he was as good as dead. And when facing an expert like Jin So-cheong from the Absolute Realm, that time would certainly diminish rapidly. After a moment of hesitation, Jin So-cheong spoke.
“…The Zhuge Clan asked you a question. If saving this crumbling world is possible, would it be acceptable for someone other than you to do so?”
“Of course. If such a hero exists, I would willingly dedicate and devote everything for him.”
Shaking his head, Jin So-cheong refuted, “Your actions so far have been nothing like that. You’ve deceived others with your cunning, entirely consistent with believing that no one besides yourself could handle it.”
“I won’t deny it. However… I have seen no one I could trust.”
That said, the Master of the White Lotus Sect slowly shifted his gaze upward.
“This current situation… my impending death… is it not proof of the absolute absence of that trust?”
“……”
“In the end, we have only bitten ourselves.”
Indeed.
In the battle of who would stab first, the group led by Baek Woong struck first. Had the order of events been slightly different or the plans warped, by now, it would have been Jin So-cheong lying cold and lifeless at the Master’s feet.
Jin So-cheong said, “I want to know why a weakness has arisen for you concerning the Young Master.”
“What use is it to know now?”
Scoffing, the Master of the White Lotus Sect replied, while Jin So-cheong looked him directly in the eyes and said, “Sect Leader. I am a companion of the Reborn. The Baek Woong we follow is that very Reborn. He will save you someday.”
“……?”
The Master tilted his head as if he had heard something absurd. It was rare for him to react this way. He thought he had grown indifferent to his approaching death, but what Jin So-cheong presented was entirely unexpected.
However, being the brilliant mind he was, he quickly grasped the implications of Jin So-cheong’s words, and his body shivered.
“C-could it be? Are you saying you have my weakness… and while gathering the Seven Luminaries and the Four Great Families, have dragged in the Twelve Joules and Eight Parts of the Divine as well?”
“I do not lie. I beg you, Sect Leader.”
The reason Jin So-cheong disclosed the truth now was to corner the Master to his death. He knew that if the Master had the freedom to escape or act otherwise, he would never have revealed such secrets.
“Kugh… heh heh….”
The Master erupted in maniacal laughter.
“Hah hah hah hah hah!! This is absurd… this can’t be happening. There can’t possibly be such things… such nonsense powers…”
After laughing for a while, he seemed to realize something strange and muttered, “Wait… then… is that being also… could it be…?”
“The being?”
“…….”
For a time, the Master stood still, silent. Then he spoke with a chuckle.
“…Hoh. The reason for having weaknesses… must be due to the blood ties I have. I should have killed them… but I could not.”
“What do you mean?”
The Master continued without elaborating. “In the future, the Baek Woong that will face me, Dokgo Uncheon, will not be swayed by a mere word or two from the Reborn. As you have seen, after learning the truth behind every world in the sanctuary of the Su Shin Sect, I became one who trusts nothing… I can deceive my opponent until the very end…”
“However, I can provide you with a clue.”
“What clue?”
“If you bring the Four Great Families and demonstrate that the prophecy of the Divine Maiden has been fulfilled before me… then Dokgo Uncheon will bow to that person.”
“……!!”
For a moment, the Master seemed to wear a bittersweet smile.
“That has been my lifelong regret….”
*Shshsh!*
The dark aura began to seep from the Master’s body. As he faced death, the darkness would take his soul to the Eternal Throne as per their contract. The Master slowly let his hands fall.
“…I am tired….”
*Rumble…*
The Master’s disguise fell to the earth, leaving only his robes behind. What remained of his physical form disappeared like sand. Watching the futile end of the so-called greatest being of the Central Plains, Jin So-cheong felt a heavy heart.
At that moment, someone spoke to Jin So-cheong.
“Jin So-cheong.”
Jin So-cheong glanced back.
“Cheon Woo-jin.”
“Let’s go. There’s no time.”
“…Did it really happen?”
Jin So-cheong looked at the urged Cheon Woo-jin with surprise. He knew exactly what kind of mission Cheon Woo-jin had been assigned and just how insane it was. Considering Cheon Woo-jin’s duty as a Sorcerer and his sense of justice, he thought it was absolutely impossible.
Cheon Woo-jin replied in a tired voice.
“It did. It was quite exhilarating… smashed it all down. Without a thought for the aftermath…”
“Are you alright?”
Hearing Cheon Woo-jin’s sarcasm, Jin So-cheong finally realized he wore a deeply sunken expression. Though he hadn’t consciously noted it, the fact that he had ambushed and killed the Master of the White Lotus Sect had shattered his pride and belief.
When Jin So-cheong failed to respond, Cheon Woo-jin spoke again.
“You should have prepared yourself for the execution of a villain like him. There’s no choice now but to see this through to the end.”
“…Lead the way.”
“Of course.”
Cheon Woo-jin continued in a resigned tone.
“The World Tree or whatever… it’s all over now.”
*Boom!*
“Ugh… these annoying bastards… how many times are they going to revive?”
The Avatar of the Exploding King spoke irritably, unleashing a tremendous heatwave as he faced the three main bodies of the Eight Parts of the Divine, overwhelming them continuously. Just when he thought he had taken them down, they would suddenly resurrect before his eyes.
A being from the Heavens replied, “Shouldn’t you be ashamed? For a superior [Old Ruler], to stoop to meddling in the trivial quarrels of humans is beneath you.”
“Uh-huh, still flapping your mouth while getting smashed, huh?”
*Zing!*
At that moment, the Avatar of the Exploding King abruptly morphed, vanishing like a drop of water in a pond.
The sudden disappearance left the Eight Parts of the Divine in disbelief.
“Eh?”
“What just happened?”
Garuda of the Eight Parts turned to the being from the Heavens.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
The being from the Heavens replied, seemingly puzzled.
“I’m not sure… is this part of their tactic?”
“Are they planning to cast a big spell?”
“If so, why not do it here?”
Neither of them could comprehend what had just transpired.
“……”
Yet the one watching the battle from a distance, the Master of the Twelve Joules, Ha Eun-cheon, figured it out immediately. Sitting in his chair, cradling his chin, he murmured.
“The Master of the White Lotus Sect has died…”
Since the summoner, the Master of the White Lotus Sect, had fallen, the Avatar of the Exploding King had also returned to the Otherworld.
It was a fundamental principle of summoning magic.
Who killed him?
It was obviously Baek Woong’s forces. At least the Twelve Joules and Manha Spiritual Gate had no plans to take him down immediately; they were situated in their base, preferring to wait for a chance to counterattack.
However, the Master of the Twelve Joules felt unnerved, as he couldn’t fathom their intent.
Why, exactly?
“I thought the Zhuge Clan would most likely ally with the Master of the White Lotus Sect against me,” he pondered.
Among the three major forces, the Twelve Joules boasted the most advantageous position and greatest power, allowing them to easily predict that the two weaker factions might plan to attack the stronger one. Furthermore, from the Zhuge Clan’s perspective, there was no real benefit in eliminating the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Thus, he could not comprehend why Baek Woong’s group would assassinate him first.
“Could they really think they could wipe me out alongside the three masters of the Twelve Joules and Manha Spiritual Gate by their mere strength…?”
Surely that couldn’t be. A strategist of the Zhuge Clan couldn’t possibly be foolish enough to entertain such grand delusions. If rationally analyzing the situation, it was the worst possible move they could make.
As the Master of the Twelve Joules was lost in thought, suddenly—
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
“Ugh…”
“Lord…”
Unexpectedly, all the three masters collapsed one after another beside Master of the Twelve Joules. Ha Eun-cheon stood up, startled, and immediately swung the Cosmic Fragment, unleashing a wave of Spirit Energy.
*Whoosh!*
The temporarily concentrated Spirit Energy from the Cosmic Fragment dissipated, slightly improving the condition of the three masters.
“What’s going on?”
“Lord… something terrible is happening…. The source we are beholden to has… been destroyed.”
Understanding the situation quickly, the Master of the Twelve Joules felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief wash over him, accompanied by rage.
“Madness…”
He finally realized Zhuge Clan’s true intent.
A drowning operation!
But now that he understood, there was virtually nothing that could be done. At this moment, he became fully aware that he had two choices available to him.
To fight to the death.
Or to yield to madness.
He felt a hollow laugh escape him. Even if a hundred members of the Zhuge Clan came at him, they would be no match for him, yet they had forced him into making a choice like that from an unseen location. It was a strategic lunacy that ordinary people would never conceive—a ruthless maneuver executed with incredible audacity.
He noticed the Masters’ fading forms and had to accept the grim reality that there was no saving them. It was akin to having a burst heart. The Master of the Twelve Joules, Ha Eun-cheon, placed his hand over their heads and quietly said,
“I will make good use of your power.”
Yu and Un opened their eyes.
“Please…”
“Save the future for us.”
One by one, they transformed into light and were drawn into the Master of the Twelve Joules’s hand, and even the Wind Spirit, resigned, closed his eyes and murmured, “Great Dan-gun, please… at least the people of Goryeo…”
“…So be it.”
As all three Masters were absorbed, the Master of the Twelve Joules slowly stepped outside. He stood quietly on the vast land where the dark sky was visible, and moments later, someone revealed themselves before him.
“Lord. I’ve subdued them all.”
“Hong Gil-dong.”
Beneath Hong Gil-dong’s feet lay the Extreme Tiger, Bright Dragon, and Cheongwol, all unconscious. It took considerable time, but he had managed to apprehend all intruders alone. The Master of the Twelve Joules felt a mix of bitterness and respect towards Hong Gil-dong’s capabilities.
“It’s meaningless.”
“What?”
“Elder. Follow me. There’s no longer any need to be on the fence in a lost battle.”
“What do you mean…?”
*Boom!*
In the next moment, they felt a massive tremor, and a dark hole ominously formed in the ground where they stood. Surprised by the sudden event, Hong Gil-dong was startled, as the Master of the Twelve Joules seemed to have anticipated it all along.
“It’s begun.”
“What’s happening?”
The dimly conscious Extreme Tiger vaguely heard their conversation as he lay down, catching snippets of the Master’s words.
The core of the World Tree has shattered. The Sacred Altar Tree will soon perish.