NOVEL NEXT Chapter 832
Chapter 832: True Martial Home
“What am I supposed to do?!”
I decided to focus more on what I should do right now rather than the fact that Jeon Wook had disappeared.
“Hmm, maybe I should try using the Golden Lamp…”
I quickly took out the Golden Lamp from my inventory and rubbed it. However, strangely, the technique didn’t activate, and while I was puzzled about why that was the case, I soon realized the answer as I saw a dark mass floating in the air.
“CCLF Type 2 Magical Distortion Spore.”
I recognized this from the knowledge Dr. Faust had shared with me.
It was one of the greatest scientific advancements created by future humanity to counter the Otherworldly Races!
The effect was to disperse CCLF Quantum Nanomachines into the air, which would annihilate the distinctive magical power of the Otherworldly Races and halt all Demon Artifacts that relied on that power. Without the Magical Distortion Spores, humanity stood no chance against the attacking Otherworldly beings using powerful magic. It seemed that Dr. Faust and Mephistopheles had created a magical distortion field covering the World Tree to resist the [Old Ruler].
That was the reason my Golden Lamp wasn’t activating.
“Hmm… could this be the technique the Master of the Twelve Joules used to block the space movement of my Golden Lamp before?”
I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. It was still a crisis situation; I couldn’t just dwell on the past. While calmly assessing what I had, the sudden thought struck me that maybe I could escape this situation using the Summoning Technique. I quickly recited the incantations I learned from Zhuge Sa and summoned a Demon Beast with whom I made a contract.
“A Beast as swift as light! If I use this fellow…”
Even if I couldn’t travel to another dimension, I could move through any physical space, no matter how vast! This beast could travel at light speed! And it knew that the Magical Distortion Spores couldn’t block the Summoning Technique!
Beeeeep!!
As a bee-like Demon Beast appeared before me with a slight gust of wind, I mounted it while saying [let’s go to the moon!]. Of course, it wasn’t human speech but the special language of Demon Art.
Whoosh!
In that moment, my surroundings transformed into a golden beam of light, and I felt searing pain as if my body was being torn apart.
“AAAAAAAH!!”
Blurp! Blurp! Blurp!
It felt like my entire body was exploding.
In the blink of an eye, I was left bleeding all over my body, and I finally managed to land on the airless surface of the moon.
Thud!
As I collapsed onto the ground, I soon realized why I had sustained such damage, and I regretted it.
“Oh… ugh… that’s right… I should have had the special potion before using it….”
I needed to drink a potion made from a specific magic to remain unscathed when traveling on this summoned beast, but I totally forgot about it. However, even if I had remembered, there was no way to brew a potion in this dire moment.
Fortunately, the injuries weren’t fatal, so I gathered my strength and treated myself temporarily.
At that moment, I abruptly noticed something strange.
‘…Is there air…?’
Normally, the moon would lack any breathable air, or if it had any, it would be extremely thin. I had braced myself for that, but I strangely realized that I could breathe comfortably.
In other words, it meant there was enough air for humans to breathe, which was clearly odd.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As I staggered and looked towards the World Tree, I could see it spewing fire from a distant star in interstellar space. Apparently, the World Tree had been terraforming near Mars.
“Phew, phew…”
What should I do now?
After a moment of contemplation, I resolved to either live or die and made up my mind.
“Let’s head to the Banwang Hall where Jeogok is on the moon.”
Given the circumstances, I had no choice but to confront the Three Sovereigns. Even if they intended to use me and then kill me, I still had value, so they wouldn’t dispose of me easily. The Three Sovereigns might even know how to cross the multiverse back!
I quickly recalled the location of the former Banwang Hall and moved there.
Tydaht!
Upon arriving in the village on the far side of the moon inhabited by the alien race, I was confronted with a scene of utter devastation: everything was in ruins, and all the numerous extraterrestrial beings had turned into cold corpses. Every single one was crushed or exploded, a terrible sight indeed.
At the end of the pile of corpses, there was a large dimensional gate leading to Jeogok’s Banwang Hall, vibrating ominously.
Wooong – Wooong –
I steadied myself and jumped into the Banwang Hall.
And as I was drawn into the dimensional gate, I found myself in a massive royal court. The interior seemed quite similar to Jeon Wook’s Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, but with the distinction of a stronger white hue.
As I walked through the hall, a shocking sight suddenly appeared before me.
“…….”
Shabi God.
The Apostle of the Eastern Supreme Jeogok, once an upper being even the immortals of the celestial realm would look down upon, lay there like a dried-up corpse, as if all moisture had been sapped from its body.
A human face with dog ears and an indiscernible, desiccated beast body—this was dreadful. I approached cautiously to check if it was alive, but sensing no aura at all confirmed its death.
‘Why is Shabi God dead in such a pitiful state?’
It didn’t make sense. Although I hadn’t fought him directly, Shabi God was a powerful existence equivalent to the Eight Parts of the Divine, not something to be taken lightly. How many beings could have inflicted this kind of fate on Shabi God? I felt a foreboding sensation as I ventured deeper into the Banwang Hall.
Silence.
There was no living presence.
No, in fact—there was not a single moving entity.
In this Banwang Hall permeated with cold death, I was the only one in motion.
As I faced the indescribable mass of dark light, I stood in front of the final door of the royal court, sensing that the Three Sovereigns were waiting just beyond it. This structure had been the same during my visit to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace.
Creeeek….
As I opened the massive door and stepped inside, the first thing that caught my eye was an empty throne. I approached the throne but felt no signs of anything unusual. I could tell this place had lost its monarch.
“Has Jeogok also vanished…?”
In their respective Divine Temples, the Three Sovereigns’ true forms were always seated on their thrones. They only sent avatars or apostles into the world, but their true selves never moved easily from their main bases.
Yet here, not a single minister existed, and the king had disappeared.
As I recalled how the powers of Jeon Wook hadn’t functioned earlier, I couldn’t help but fall into a moment of fearful imagination.
“Could it be that the Three Sovereigns have perished?”
If the Three Sovereigns had indeed perished, it would explain the eerie stillness of the Banwang Hall.
But why?
Why had the eight divine beings among the [Old Rulers], who had once displayed overwhelming power, disappeared overnight? Even Dr. Faust had conveyed that the Three Sovereigns still existed, even if they didn’t respond during the time of the apocalypse.
Thus, the answer must lie in the ‘revelation.’
Something must have happened during the revelation that caused the Three Sovereigns to go missing.
“Hmm…”
Still, there was something I didn’t understand. Shabi God hadn’t just died; he lay in a pitiful state, as if he’d been drained. Who could have reduced the apostle of the Three Sovereigns to such a sorry sight? I felt more questions piling up, but I knew I wouldn’t resolve them immediately.
“Damn it. I’ll have to use the Golden Lamp to go somewhere else, but where to…? Earth has perished; where am I supposed to go…?”
I managed to arrive at the Banwang Hall, but I couldn’t linger here either. This alternate dimension, having lost its master, could collapse any moment.
Besides, going to Mars or Venus wasn’t ideal either since those planets too were inhospitable to human life. Maybe the best option was to live on the moon’s surface with an actual atmosphere, but even that didn’t seem like a great solution. What could I possibly do alone on the dead lunar surface?
“Sigh….”
I sighed and sat on Jeogok’s throne. I thought I’d rest a moment and recover my strength before making any moves. At that moment,
Kuuuuuuuwaaaaaaahh!
“……?!”
It’s… hot!!
Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming heat seeping through the throne, as if my entire body was on fire. Pain seized each blood vessel as I trembled and struggled not to scream while the Yin Spirit Power within me reacted instinctively to prevent the heat from incinerating me.
Sssssssshhhh….
Once my Yin Spirit Power activated fully, I could finally regain my composure. And before long, I noticed multiple fireballs bouncing out from the throne and floating in the air.
Eventually, the fireballs stopped erupting, and I squinted to see that they numbered ten.
‘Ten…, fireballs?’
Kiiiiiirrck!
Just then, I heard a strange bird cry, and something flew swiftly from behind the throne, embracing those fireballs. I looked at whatever was cradling the fireballs and saw a massive bird, its body spanning three meters in length—an awe-inspiring Five-Color Bird!
‘The symbol of the Eastern Supreme and a legendary divine bird!’
Also revered as the ancestor of all birds in this world!
I was stunned to see the Five-Color Bird, and then it spoke to me, its brilliant eyes staring into mine.
[Though the end approaches, it surprises me that a human still lives…. And to release the seals of the Ten Suns on the throne, you are no ordinary being.]
“I am Baek Woong. Are you the Five-Color Bird?”
[Indeed.]
“What has happened in the Banwang Hall?”
[…….]
The Five-Color Bird stared at me intently before speaking.
[The end was a great lie…. Now that the Three Sovereigns have all collapsed, this Banwang Hall will not hold for long, either.]
“What do you mean by a lie? Where has Jeogok gone?”
[He became a offering.]
“……?!”
[He was a precious offering for the end of the universe….]
The Five-Color Bird continued in a voice that wavered between a cry and a lament.
[Oh, you… do not cling to existence. After all, everything will soon come to an end…. This is the finale…. Even the god cannot escape the absolute destruction.]
“…….”
[I shall die here with my children. You too may choose your place for the final moment of your life.]
“Final moment….”
Somehow, the Five-Color Bird seemed like the parent of those Ten Suns. I couldn’t grasp the relationship between the Five-Color Bird, Jeogok, and the Ten Suns, but one thing was clear: Jeogok had perished.
As I pondered deeply, I finally spoke.
“O Five-Color Bird, I cannot give up on life just yet. If this palace has lost its master, I want to acquire its treasures and techniques.”
[…….]
“Please tell me the location of the treasure vault.”
If I was going to die, I might as well take some treasures with me!
[Such futile actions….]
The Five-Color Bird fell silent momentarily, then spread its immense wings and pointed to the right.
[At the place where the blue light crosses three times, follow the yellow light. There, all the treasures that Jeogok collected will be found.]
“Thank you.”
[To pursue material desires even before the end, how foolish….]
With those words, the Five-Color Bird bowed its head and embraced the ten fireballs without moving. This seemed to be resignation from life, prompting me to lose interest in the Five-Color Bird and head toward the location of the treasure vault as instructed.
Tydaht!
I arrived at the inner chamber of the palace where the treasure vault was located and flung open the door. It opened effortlessly, as there were no seals or restrictions remaining due to Jeogok’s demise.
Upon opening the door, I found heaps of gold and silver treasures stacked high, with various treasures overflowing. Its size was colossal, reaching the horizon; it was utterly astounding.
‘Wow, the Palace Examination Technique!’
I activated the Palace Examination Technique to quickly identify items among them with high magical and spiritual power. I rapidly stashed away high-quality items into my Wooden Armor. I scooped up gold and silver treasures as much as I could manage.
Thinking I had gathered enough, I dashed outside. Leaving the Five-Color Bird behind, I exited through the dimensional gate, only to suddenly feel a massive tremor on the lunar surface.
Kugugugugugu…!!
The ground started shaking and cracking.
I jumped up into the air, realizing that the scale of the fissures was serious. When I surged about ten leagues above the surface, I noticed the entire moon beginning to disintegrate.
‘The moon is… exploding…!!’
I had seen planets shatter during the trials of the Seven Luminaries, but feeling such impending destruction up close was overwhelming.
I swallowed hard as I prepared to use the Golden Lamp to escape.
“…….”
Where will I go with the Golden Lamp?
Both Earth and the moon, the terraformed core, would soon meet their doom; where could I possibly go…?
With the Golden Lamp, I could only travel to places I had previously been. Now, there were no viable locations left to visit. I could perhaps use the summoned beast to cross into the Blood Realm or Phantom Realm, but with the end approaching, those worlds wouldn’t fare any better. If the Mortal Realm collapsed, the neighboring dimensions would end too.
I had no place I could escape to within this universe.
At this rate, I was about to become a cosmic drifter.
Cuugugugu!
“Ah….”
Kooom!
Just as I stayed indecisive, the moon shattered before my eyes, unleashing a surge of scorching heat and flames.
I was swept away by the shockwave, and the word ‘death’ was vividly imprinted in my mind.
“AAAHHHH!!”
I felt an immense force pushing me back, my body turning into a wreck. I was left with no hope of recovery. Regardless of how much energy I had to heal, there was always a limit. Without a capacity like Ha Eun-cheon’s Wood Element, I was definitely facing certain death this time.
…….
How long did I drift through the cosmos?
I had expanded my energy shield to protect myself from the dangers of space, but I could feel my body stiffening slowly. Floating in the dark void, I was destined to meet an nameless end in this boundless existence.
My physical strength and spiritual energy had completely faltered.
As I stared into space with blurry eyes,
“…….”
Light cascaded down.
Hundreds of radiating light orbs spun and swirled, appearing uniformly from a distance.
As I watched that spectacle, I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the cold corpse of a human drifting nearby. I glanced at the corpse, then shifted my gaze back to the sky.
To my dismay, it wasn’t just one corpse. I couldn’t tell where they originated, but seemingly numerous human corpses floated gently within the expanses of space, all bearing expressions of sheer despair and terror. I realized that the light emitted was some kind of excretion from these human corpses.
Ssssssss!
Regardless of gender or race, the corpses floated endlessly through space. Soon, their number swelled from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, eventually reaching an unfathomable count—too many to tally.
Woooooong!
The layers of light thickened, and from the dead human bodies, spirits began to emerge, becoming silent wanderers like shooting stars in the cosmos. The sight felt like humanity itself was howling in despair in a broken cycle of reincarnation. Millions of spirits decorated the dark universe like a Milky Way of despair.
Without a doubt.
They must have been regarded as interlopers and expelled from the thrones.
‘The revelation.’
This was the finale faced by billions of human beings who took part in the universe’s great event.