NOVEL NEXT Chapter 821
Chapter 821: True Martial Home
As Asura extended his hand forward, the Celestial Being swiftly manipulated the lower dual glyph of his three faces and six limbs to form a hand sign. A soundless scream burst forth along with a white breath from the Celestial Being’s mouth, and a spell was unleashed.
<Starting the Mechanism>
Simultaneously, the body of the Celestial Being—void of eyes, nose, and mouth—expanded to hundreds of times its size, growing as massive as a mountain in a single breath, capable of crushing a palace with just one hand. It wasn’t just his body getting bigger; when he pointed his index finger at Asura, a colossal explosion erupted near Asura.
<BOOM!!!>
The explosion was on a different level than just gunpowder blasting. Green and blue lights intertwined, expanding the blast radius like tangled threads. Ultimately, it seemed ready to consume the sky above Moscow, spreading out like clouds, and I couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.
‘What kind of sorcery is that…?’
I had always thought that beings like Tripitaka or the Illusory God Cheon Woo-jin could use techniques beyond the understanding of common sorcerers, but this one technique alone could probably wipe out an entire city.
<Sssss!>
Even if he was Asura, I figured he wouldn’t stand a chance against that explosion, yet a strange light swirled around Asura, repelling the Celestial Being’s spell. Clearly, the hand sign formed earlier was intended to anticipate and counter the opponent’s attack.
With a ferocious glare, Asura charged again at the Celestial Being.
<CRACK!!>
This time, it seemed the Celestial Being focused on defense, as all of Asura’s techniques—including his Nirvana of the Absolute—merely produced thunderous booms without effect. They exchanged blows, but neither gained any real advantage; it felt like a stalemate. The Celestial Being, enveloped in divine clouds, floated upward and spoke.
[You are incomprehensible. With the power of the Demon King, why cling to close combat? Don’t you wield immense power while breathing chaos as though it’s natural?]
[Haha! I suppose a weak monk in life is frightened of a battle of strength?]
[…Hmph.]
In response to Asura’s provocation, the Celestial Being replied irritably.
[With the level of magic we possess, we could settle this with powers alone without being bound by time and space, so why expose our vulnerabilities in close combat?]
Asura slowly lifted the central face among his three visages and retorted.
[Is that fun for you?]
[What?]
[It’s not fun for me. That’s all there is to it.]
<BANG!>
Once again, Asura leaped in and unleashed the Nirvana of the Absolute. The Celestial Being seemed unable to directly defend against it, constantly dodging and unable to use time-space distorting techniques. It appeared that the very essence of the Nirvana of the Absolute contained powers that disrupted time and space.
Outstretching both hands, the Celestial Being summoned a powerful barrier and shouted.
[Have you really been fighting for fun since thousands of years ago? I truly despise your combative nature!]
[What do you care? I fight for fun.]
[You know you’re facing annihilation? For beings like us who embrace the chaos of this realm, ‘next’ doesn’t exist!]
[And what of it?]
[What?!]
[Everything that is born must die, and what flourishes must fade. If you fear the outcome, you cannot seize the process. Isn’t it shameless to expect ‘next’ after losing in the struggle for survival?]
[I have always been a martial artist. Therefore, I merely wished to gain something from the process.]
Asura retorted calmly, directing his essence toward the challenge.
[Don’t interfere! I must meet the Martial God, no matter what happens.]
[What about Changhil? Are you planning to obstruct us while we attempt to rescue him?]
[When did I say I’d meddle in your affairs? All I need is for Yacha to tell me where the Four Great Artifacts are. Is that too much to ask?]
Momentarily hesitant, the Celestial Being finally replied.
[…She cannot meet anyone right now. If you leave today, Yacha will seek you out.]
[I don’t trust that. Why can’t she meet?]
[She is participating in a ceremony to offer herself as a sacrifice, entering the ‘Cocoon’.]
[What? What do you mean?]
[Conducting a Human Sacrifice ceremony is on a level far beyond a mere offering. It requires advanced magical rituals and tremendous offerings, and the spellcaster must sacrifice themselves as well. Yacha volunteered for that role to find Changhil. She transformed herself into a Cocoon to serve as the offering for the external gods.]
[……!!]
[Stop this already! Don’t you realize that Yacha was once Changhil’s biological daughter? She risked everything to find her lord, yet you’re so selfish about your own goals that you abandon your comrades and loyalty!]
The Celestial Being shouted in anger, but Asura coolly replied.
[Is that so? Then it just means I have to cut you down even more. If she becomes a sacrifice, I won’t be able to track down the Martial God again. Yacha won’t be grateful to me for saving her life either.]
[You… you scoundrel!]
[Quit flapping your gums and let’s settle this.]
[Alright!! I’ll eliminate you!]
<BOOM!!>
Once again, Asura and the Celestial Being began their battle, but I felt no need to watch any longer. Instead, I discreetly stepped back, hiding my presence while cautiously looking for the path into the inner palace. Once their fight escalated to where they could no longer concern themselves with me, I quickly used the Soul Removal Technique and Space-Shift Technique to rush inside with great speed.
“Asura! I will secure Yacha!!”
*<Cough!> You filthy insect!!*
*ZHING!*
The Celestial Being reached out with the ring of magic to grab me, but Asura severed it with the Mind Control Technique. He was helping me enter. In one fleeting gap, I managed to slip through the Celestial Being’s defense.
*<CLAP!>*
‘It’s a spiral staircase after all.’
This was unique to the Otherworldly race. I noticed the space itself had been magically restructured, making it wider inside than outside. It was a labyrinthine staircase at least a hundred levels deep. I dashed through the staircase, arriving at the lowest level. There, I discovered horrific, massive organs stretching out, with ‘Cocoons’ scattered everywhere. The organs were incredibly vast, possibly fifty layers wide. I realized there were not just a couple of Cocoons. When I split one in half, it was clear my Sword Thunder didn’t fully cut through it, only slicing halfway.
‘These Cocoons are magically protected.’
Otherwise, there’s no way my Sword Thunder, capable of severing even diamonds, would fail to cut through in one strike.
Half of the split Cocoon oozed out foul-smelling liquid, and after a moment’s disturbance, a human figure suddenly emerged. I was taken aback at the sight of that figure.
“Ugh.”
It looked like a strange fusion of a human, cow, and bee? So grotesque and bizarre that even a normally strong person would be nauseous just from looking at it. It seemed devoid of human reasoning, simply crawling on the ground while making “Aaaah” noises, with black tentacles jabbing out from its brain. I expected the other Cocoons would be the same, and there were more than a hundred of them.
‘Yacha must be inside the organs…?’
A shadow flickered inside the organs. Having studied the Demon Path rituals from the Zhuge Clan, I roughly understood the structure of this ceremony. It was likely that the life force and spirit energy from those hundred ordinary Cocoons were being connected to the organs, and the true offering inside the organs was gradually becoming a great offering by absorbing that power.
Gathering my strength to strike the organs, I unfolded my Sword Thunder.
<SLASH!!>
“Hmm!”
Indeed, the blade only penetrated halfway. Moreover, unlike the ordinary Cocoons, this wound regenerated instantly, almost causing my blade to get stuck within the organs. I swiftly pulled out the blade, pondering what to do, when a brilliant idea hit me.
‘Of course. Let’s imbue the Flame Elemental Sword with Yin Spirit Power.’
Then I’d slice the organs with an attack blending Yin Spirit Power and Sword Thunder! Since it combines physical strength and magical force, I was sure it would be able to break it.
I directed all the Yin Spirit Power into the Flame Elemental Sword and struck the organs once more.
<WHOOSH!>
The organs split effortlessly, gushing forth blood like a tributary.
It worked!
A moment later, as the blood flowed out, a woman’s figure cascaded like a waterfall. The instant I confirmed that the woman was Yacha, I contemplated what to do.
‘I need to subdue Yacha and extract information. But…’
Could torture even work on a member of the Eight Parts of the Divine?
Though the Thunder God’s torture techniques were highly effective, each member of the Eight Parts of the Divine was a being of Demon King caliber. Utilizing the Eight Extraordinary Vessels for torture against such beings likely wouldn’t yield results. Additionally, I needed a way to restrain her during this fainting state.
The conclusion was clear.
The Soul Exchange Technique!!
There was no other option. Using a mere Demon Artifact to contain her, even temporarily, felt risky as her magic was overwhelmingly immense, and the wooden armor could break under pressure.
“……”
I recalled the principle of the Soul Exchange Technique. Essentially, instead of directly moving the soul, it involves manipulating the spirit (魄) to indirectly influence the soul. Therefore, the first step of the Soul Exchange Technique is to first seize control of the opponent’s spirit.
But do the members of the Eight Parts of the Divine truly have a spirit?
In this world, some beings have souls while others do not. Life and soul are distinct; a being can be alive without possessing a soul. The majority of ‘Dolls’ like the Divine Portrait are such beings. A soul is a manifestation that a being with will must possess.
The same is true for spirits. In this world, there are beings that possess souls but lack spirits. I don’t know why that might be the case, but the Soul Exchange Technique would be fundamentally blocked. Both the Zhuge Clan and even the creator of the Soul Exchange Technique, the Demon King of Fengshen War, had no idea what the cause was. They were uncertain why spirits emerge in the first place. The principles behind the axes of life and death, chaos and order cannot definitively determine the existence or non-existence of spirits. Even among humans, occasionally, such beings exist, and similarly for chaotic entities in Otherworldly races.
‘The Ancient Celestial Lord or the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu might know…’
I bit my lip tightly, closed my eyes, and reached out my hand towards Yacha’s face submerged in the blood puddle. It was worth the risk; I had to try. This chance to attempt the Soul Exchange Technique on a member of the Eight Parts of the Divine would not come again after Yacha was offered as a sacrifice and became unconscious.
<WHUUUUU>
I initiated the Soul Exchange Technique, and suddenly, my body started to shake violently.
“WUUUUUUUT!!”
I sensed an immense spirit!
Was this the spirit of a member of the Eight Parts of the Divine?
‘This is the first time I’ve felt such a colossal spirit through the Soul Exchange Technique…’
Typically, a living being’s spirit resembles a yolk floating above, surrounded by the spirit like the egg white. However, a being from the Eight Parts of the Divine had a spirit so large that I could hardly perceive anything besides it. This was the identity of a being from chaos, consumed by chaos itself.
Desperately, I ramped up my spirit energy, searching for the spirit within the shell that encompassed it.
‘Uh… gone…?’
Does the Demon King consist solely of pure spirit?
Despair washed over me, but it was at that moment.
[Oh, Protector.]
Out of nowhere, a voice echoed.
I looked back upon hearing it, and there stood Grand Master Jang in the form of a spirit. He had arrived without my noticing, silently observing the situation around us in the hall before he spoke.
[There is an aura of evil emanating from this place….]
Surprised by the appearance of Grand Master Jang, I exclaimed.
“Grand Master! Did you receive the memories of the Reborn Person I have?”
[I did.]
…As I expected.
Grand Master Jang continued.
[Oh, great reborn person Baek Woong. I have come to understand the reason behind your yearning for the Absolute Realm and your desire to encounter the Divine Warrior. However… I do not believe your thoughts are correct.]
“What?”
[You are in danger. Too much… danger.]
*Sssssssss-*
The spirit of Grand Master Jang gradually began to take on a more tangible form. I recognized he was forcing himself to intervene in the material world to create a physical body.
While the Great Immortals rely solely on their spirit and are limited in their ability to interfere with the physical realm, if they bear restrictions and suffer consequences, it was entirely possible to create a normal body. Finally fully materializing, Grand Master Jang assumed the posture of the Tai Chi Sword.
“Prepare yourself.”
I had no choice but to harden my expression at what came next.
“Your past life will not cease, but at least in this life, out of loyalty, I will personally take your life. Do not create any more tragedies… and vanish….”