NOVEL NEXT Chapter 826
True Martial Home
“Future humans, you say?”
I looked at the Master of the Twelve Joules, utterly baffled by his words.
Assuming a hopeful tone, I asked, “Are you saying you traveled through time?”
Time travel! Moving to the past or future on a different time axis! That was a skill most people merely dreamed of, placed in the realm of theory.
If you could rewind time to manipulate it as you wished, wouldn’t that make you akin to a deity?
However, the only beings I learned of that could actually do this were the Prophets; the otherworldly races had yet to accomplish it, no matter how advanced their technology or magical powers were.
Once, while learning about the Demon Path from the Zhuge Clan, I had dared to ask if I too could time travel, but the Zhuge had firmly responded.
“Your rebirth cannot be simply explained as a common regression. While there are no certainties, definitively categorizing your abilities as regression would logically lead to a major contradiction. You still need to accumulate more experience.”
In other words, I was led to believe that my past-life abilities were unlikely to be mere regression and might not involve time travel either. I wasn’t quite sure what the Zhuge was trying to convey, but I had indeed picked up a few hints while studying the Demon Path.
It seemed the Master of the Twelve Joules was smirking at me.
“That’s impossible.”
“…….?”
“You’ve heard of the contradictions of time travel, right? If someone were to develop the technology to travel back in time, they would change the past, thus altering the present, which leads to an endless contradiction.”
“I know.”
Only the Prophets and their races can truly understand what happens when time travel takes place.
The rest of us can only speculate, but it’s certain that tampering with time creates a massive loop of contradictions that encompasses the present, past, and future.
The Master of the Twelve Joules continued, “The principle of time travel humans envision is essentially about touching ‘The Great Cycle.’ Despite the ancient rulers possessing immense magical power and divine authority, why can’t they freely toy with history?
That’s because ‘The Great Cycle’ is a colossal law they themselves cannot alter. Once a moment has passed, even gods cannot affect it.”
“But the Prophets…?”
“They are the exception. The most advanced race in science and magical technology throughout the cosmos, and their kind has transcended to the realm of ‘Master.’ The reason they are the only ones capable of time travel is…”
The Master of the Twelve Joules fell silent for a moment before pivoting the conversation elsewhere.
“Anyway, I am indeed a future human, but I did not travel through time.”
“Then did you manipulate ‘The Great Cycle’ to arrive here?”
“…Not exactly. Hmm, how should I put this…”
A sudden spark seemed to ignite in the Master of the Twelve Joules’ mind as he snapped his fingers.
“Ah! I have been granted a new opportunity! And a chance to face the Last Supper.”
“The Last Supper?”
“I call the gathering of the ancient rulers ‘The Revelation.'”
My eyes sharpened at his words.
“You indeed know something about the apocalypse or the revelation. Please share what you know about the revelation.”
“I don’t know much, to be honest. What I know is… it’s the phenomenon that begins when the revelation commences.”
“What phenomenon are we talking about?”
“All the lands destroyed are transformed into the throne of the god. More precisely, the entire earth is moved to the edge of the universe. Assuming survival, all humans are invited to the throne of the ultimate absolute god, ‘The Father.'”
“……!!”
“Naturally, the rulers who had gathered on earth would all head there as well, just like guests at a banquet. The rulers on earth are there to acquire the ‘invitation’ to the throne.”
What?!
I exclaimed in shock, “That’s impossible! What happens next?”
“I don’t know.”
“…….”
“I can’t tell you what happens afterward because I never made it that far.”
“You never made it?”
“Yeah… I couldn’t go… I just had to watch from the sidelines.”
His voice was laced with despair and lament. The painful emotion radiated so intensely that even beyond the veil of time, I could feel his fervor.
After a brief silence, the Master of the Twelve Joules continued, “The force that will bring about the destruction of future humanity is the ‘Incipient Chaos,’ the Outer God…”
“……!!”
“It’s not a direct destruction, but one of its apostles and avatars led the whole process. At first, I thought it started moving just before the revelation, but that isn’t the case.
It has been manipulating this world for a long time… hundreds, no, thousands of years. It merely revealed its name and began acting in the end.”
“And do you know what form its avatar takes, or its identity?”
“It’s human.”
“Excuse me?”
“The avatar always disrupts the world in human form. And as an Outer God, akin to the ancient rulers, it rarely uses its overwhelming power but instead manipulates everything with shrewd wisdom and a silver tongue.
It possesses overwhelming magic that leans toward catastrophe but chooses not to employ it. It can even deliberately allow itself to be killed by powerful humans. That’s what makes it even scarier.”
A piercing aura reminiscent of frost seeped from behind the Master of the Twelve Joules.
“And what it loves most is to drag humans into despair the moment they overcome their struggles.
It is the ancient ruler that understands humanity best. More human than humans themselves, it can exploit their strengths and weaknesses.”
“You speak as if you’ve met it directly.”
“…….”
The Master of the Twelve Joules didn’t respond to my remark. Instead, he said, “Initially, I had doubts that you might be the avatar of the ‘Incipient Chaos.’ However, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Was it because you saw the memories of the obsidian?”
“Exactly, you cannot be the ‘Incipient Chaos’ or its avatar. The existence of the Heavenly Secret, the movement of ‘The Great Cycle,’ and all subsequent events do not align with its ‘preferences.’ At least, it wouldn’t be its proactive doing.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Everything you do might cause chaos, but on the other hand, it seems you are merely pliable. This is entirely opposite to the nature of one who would be the core of a conspiracy, playing with mortals or ancient rulers at whim. That’s why I believe you aren’t it.”
“That’s a pretty definitive statement. There’s no saying the ‘Incipient Chaos’ wouldn’t develop new preferences.”
“It doesn’t. It plays only by its own rules. I can say that much with certainty.”
“Hmm.”
His assertions were so firm that they left me at a loss for words.
What kind of experiences had the Master of the Twelve Joules endured in the future?
I continued asking questions, feeling curious.
“Then what were you in the future? And how did you come to cross over into the past?”
“Before I answer that, would you mind answering my question first?”
“What question is that?”
The Master of the Twelve Joules spoke as if mocking me, “Why didn’t you remain in seclusion for 500 years until the revelation and the apocalypse approached? Why didn’t you seek knowledge about the future?”
“……”
“Why is it that while you say you want to know what the apocalypse and the revelation are, you’ve never tried to explore that possibility? A reincarnate like you could easily acquire the techniques to live for 500 years if you put your mind to it.”
Taken aback by his unexpected question, I gathered my thoughts before replying.
“If you received the memories from the obsidian, you should know. I couldn’t leave my companions, who are living in this era, behind. Furthermore, if I watched the revelation unfold without the capacity to see it through to the end, it would have been too much of a waste of time.”
“So, you intended to try once you had sufficient power?”
“Yes.”
“Ha ha… how enviable. I truly envy your situation. You, who only have this opportunity once, will be able to try until you succeed… Rebirth… truly the ultimate ability.”
Muttering with longing, the Master of the Twelve Joules said, “Alright, follow me.”
“Where to?”
“I’ll show you how I arrived in this world.”
“Understood.”
Finally!
I was thrilled at the prospect of uncovering the Master of the Twelve Joules’ secret. What further mysteries did this being from the future hold? And after hearing his testament that he had witnessed the ‘apocalypse,’ I couldn’t help but recall some old memories.
“Master of the Twelve Joules, you know of the apocalypse and yet have no thoughts about it?”
“Ha ha… thoughts? What thoughts?”
“Are you saying you can foresee the moment when the ancient rulers rise and obliterate everything, burying the living and the dead in an abyss of chaos?”
“Hahaha! How hilarious!!!”
“The night sky boiled over with the seat of the master is not far off. The day will come when everything is parched in madness and despair… I have been preparing for it for quite some time.”
“Now, quit your nonsense and let’s come to an agreement. I have no strength to waste here.”
At the meeting set by the strategists regarding the discussions for a temporary peace among the three great powers, the topic of ‘apocalypse’ had arisen, and both Vermilion Bird Zhuge Yulong and the Master of the White Lotus Sect had agreed that the apocalypse must be prevented.
However, the Master of the Twelve Joules alone had remarkably cynical reactions, which had made me suspicious at the time.
But he had every right to be cynical.
The night sky boiling over with the seat of the master.
That was the very landscape of destruction the Master of the Twelve Joules, Ha Eun-cheon, had witnessed himself.
As a ‘future person’ who directly saw the ‘apocalypse’… it must have seemed quite ridiculous to him for those from 500 years ago, who hadn’t experienced it, to discuss the matter.
Only now did I start to understand the Master of the Twelve Joules’ demeanor and actions bit by bit.
But I couldn’t yet say I understood everything.
The Master of the Twelve Joules was still wary of me and clearly hiding something. I did not relax my guard as I followed him.
With a whoosh!
The silver dish from earlier soared into the air, and we climbed aboard. To my amazement, the dish moved at astonishing speed, yet strangely, those riding on it felt not a single jolt.
As I boarded, I curiously asked the Master of the Twelve Joules, “What’s this dish?”
“I could say it’s a dish equipped with a recoil-less propulsion control device from future technology. It was a technology born from the fantastical illusions of silver dishes back in the days when people faintly believed in alien existence.
In reality, unidentified flying objects are simply monitoring devices produced by Dr. Faust, but it’s still fortunate that they can reach speeds up to fifty times the speed of sound.”
“….?”
“We have arrived.”
I’m not sure what that meant, but it seemed we had reached our destination.
After alighting from the dish along with the Master of the Twelve Joules and Master Yun, I looked around. The Master of the Twelve Joules walked ahead and reached out into the empty space before us.
Soon after, a colossal tree appeared in a holographic projection before us, one I recognized all too well. I involuntarily murmured, “The Sacred Altar Tree.”
“Yes, it’s the Sacred Altar Tree you’re familiar with.”
“What’s this projection for?”
“It shows the growth process of the Sacred Altar Tree, no, the World Tree.”
Soon enough, the hologram began to expand slowly, cracking as it did.
The massive roots of the Sacred Altar Tree grew more robust, appearing to consume the very continent, and the trunk, originally stretching to the stratosphere, seemed almost ready to reach the moon.
After a moment, the Sacred Altar Tree, which looked like it was absorbing power from the continent, suddenly began to emit bright white light.
Boom!
As the light burst forth, tiny fruits started to emerge at the ends of the branches of the Sacred Altar Tree. Observing the fruits, the Master of the Twelve Joules said,
“What do you think those fruits are?”
“Seeds of the World Tree, I suppose.”
“No.”
“Not so?”
“The World Tree doesn’t self-generate or reproduce no matter how much nutrients it absorbs, for it exists as a complete chaos itself.
Although it may appear like a living being, those fruits aren’t life but rather failed reincarnations of the ancient rulers. Thus, the seeds of the World Tree randomly manifest in the universe according to quantum laws.”
Is that so?
It seemed that even if it fed on planets, the World Tree could not reproduce.
I stared at the fruits with wonder as I asked, “What, then, are those fruits?”
As the Sacred Altar Tree grew even larger, it eventually engulfed the entire earth, and suddenly, its trunk expanded with incredible force.
The tree itself grew immeasurably large, locking within its trunk the planets of the Seven Luminaries.
Then another branch extended from the trunk, appearing ready to swallow the entire solar system.
While observing all this, the Master of the Twelve Joules remarked, “The Wisdom Fruit that traverses the Multiverse, the Eventual Fruit of Good and Evil.”
“The Eventual Fruit?”
The Master of the Twelve Joules nodded. “The Norse legend of the World Tree Yggdrasil stretching across nine worlds describes the phenomena that occur when the World Tree has fully grown.
Those nine worlds represent the number of dimensions humans can traverse in the multiverse by taking the Eventual Fruit. It was the last desperate struggle of myself and Dr. Faust…”
Soon after, the Master of the Twelve Joules reached out to the illusion of the Eventual Fruit. As he touched it as if it were real, he said, “I believe your reincarnation is similar to utilizing the Eventual Fruit to traverse the multiverse. Because when this method is used, qi gets passed down. It’s the continuation of the primordial flow.”
“……..”
“You might even be able to extract your reincarnation ability. If so, then not only you but also your companions could possess reincarnation abilities. Of course, I’d need to obtain it first.”
“Then how will you extract it?”
At the Master of the Twelve Joules’ next words, I flinched.
“Hand over the Demon Book and the Heavenly Secret.”
“What will you do with them?”
“I will conduct an experiment to fire off the wave just before it becomes pure primordial energy. As long as I can clarify its nature, the rest will be simple…
As long as it’s confirmed that the Heavenly Secret is a device that controls the multiverse.”
“…….”
Could this be real?
I hadn’t expected to be asked for the Heavenly Secret, so I felt a little flustered.
Thus, I intended to use the Suspicious Fishhook to discuss with the Zhuge Clan, but strangely, the Suspicious Fishhook wasn’t responding.
It was as if communication had been completely severed.
“What’s happening?”
Could it be that the seals of this Old Continent base are blocking all chaotic relics?
Realizing I couldn’t consult the Zhuge Clan at such an important juncture left me greatly flustered.
However, this type of crisis was not new to me, so I regained my composure and reflected deeply.
So that was it.
Having concluded my assessment of the situation, I stated firmly, “I refuse.”