NOVEL NEXT Chapter 842
**The True Martial Home**
I returned to Zhuge Sa with the soul of a dragon. Zhuge Sa then said.
“Good job.”
“Should I consume it?”
“Wait a moment. I want to take a look at the essence of that soul.”
Zhuge Sa connected with the soul of the Evil Dragon Dracula hovering above my hand and began to use the Soul Exchange Technique to examine it. With eyes closed, it seemed like Zhuge Sa was stirring something.
“I can’t eat this as it is.”
“Why?”
“This soul contains countless vengeful spirits within. It seems that during his life, he sacrificed the souls of the enemy soldiers he impaled with thorn stakes to create Dracula’s dragon form through human sacrifice. If you consume it as is, the essence of those vengeful spirits will transfer to you, Baek Woong.”
“Ugh… Can’t we remove the vengeful spirits?”
“I could peel them off like skin, but that would be pointless. The terrifying resentment of those spirits is the source of the dragon’s power; if the source of their grudge disappears, the power will vanish too.”
“……”
“This dragon’s soul can either be used to create a powerful demon artifact, or you’ll have to swallow it knowing it might corrupt you.”
At that, Zhuge Sa flashed a grin.
“… I would recommend the latter. If you can fully absorb this soul, you’ll gain the power of the Evil Dragon. You could materialize the dragon’s magical power, physical body, and blood, becoming a superhuman without even using martial arts.”
“Forget it. I’m already overwhelmed.”
I firmly rejected the idea. I was already struggling to utilize the power I possessed, and on top of that, I couldn’t digest the unknown dark power I had absorbed from Seo Mun-hye. If I devoured the corrupted power of the Evil Dragon in this state, it would surely lead to a disaster.
Zhuge Sa spoke.
“Then let’s talk about Dr. Faust and the Old Continent…”
“Umm.”
“Baek Woong. Even though Dr. Faust and Mephistopheles can provide you with all the information, they’ve intentionally passed on only very limited details. Why do you think that is?”
“Well…”
“They are emotionally backing Ha Eun-cheon, the last hope of future humanity, the Master of the Twelve Joules. If they were to give all his information to the Reborn One, that would strip Ha Eun-cheon of every opportunity. So, they provided you with minimal information, hoping you’d find a way to collaborate with him.”
“That’s annoying.”
I frowned. No matter what was said, the fact remained that I had been dealt a heavy blow by the Master of the Twelve Joules. Zhuge Sa continued speaking.
“You don’t seem all that angry considering what you just said.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that right? If the pain from being double-crossed was significant, you’d have been desperate to ask me for ways to take care of the Master of the Twelve Joules right from the start of this life. But you’ve never asked me how to do that.”
“……”
“What do you think of the Master of the Twelve Joules now?”
After a moment’s silence, I replied to Zhuge Sa’s question.
“Someday, I will bring him under my wing. He’s useful.”
“Oh.”
“In any case, I’ve seen his limits. It has been proven that, no matter how hard the Master of the Twelve Joules tries, he can’t match my Reborn abilities. So there’s no need to unnecessarily foster a grudge against him.”
It’s true that I had taken a thorough beating from Ha Eun-cheon, but conversely, the fact that he had no way to steal or seal the Reborn capabilities drawn from the Heavenly Secret meant that I had an undeniable advantage. For him, the Reincarnation Cannon would be a last resort against a Reborn being, but even using it led only to an outcome that transcended the multiverse.
If it were someone who couldn’t eliminate or seal me by any means, the advantage would overwhelmingly lie with me, the Reborn one. The more layers of rebirth I accumulated, the more I could leisurely and methodically chip away at the Master of the Twelve Joules. After all, with twenty-six lifetimes of experience under my belt, I could objectively assess my superiority.
Zhuge Sa chuckled.
“Looks like you’ve really broadened your perspective. Even so, you still wouldn’t be able to match him in direct combat.”
“But Dr. Faust passed along a very important piece of information in the end.”
I mumbled.
“The AI design blueprints for Mephistopheles, which will develop over the next 500 years! If I can give that memory to Dr. Faust, reviving the ultra-intelligent Mephistopheles won’t be far off.”
Exactly.
Dr. Faust never explained why Ha Eun-cheon could summon the phoenix, or why he could resurrect the World Tree, what he was that wasn’t human, nor why he could resurrect after dying, and so on. Instead, he sent me the design blueprints for the complete Mephistopheles as quantum data.
With a peculiar glint in his eyes, Zhuge Sa said.
“But right now, you can’t share that. You’re aware of that fact, aren’t you?”
“…Yes.”
At the moment, trying to pass it to Dr. Faust using obsidian would be meaningless. Even if Dr. Faust were an alchemist with a sorcerer background, there would be limits to his mental defenses.
It could easily cause his psyche to collapse or corrupt him into a terrible sorcerer. It’s quite rare to find someone like Zhuge Sa, who piled up malevolent intent even the Otherworldly Races would be afraid of.
“This round contains information that might be hard to use. Normally, you could only utilize Mephistopheles’s design in the next round… or so I would like to say, but there is a way.”
What?!
I must have looked shocked at Zhuge Sa’s words, as he leisurely continued.
“I can grasp a certain level of science based on the realms of the demonic path that I’ve studied. After all, it’s a lower discipline. I’ll study it whenever I have time, understand it to the baseline of AI, and make contact with Faust to pass on the blueprints for Mephistopheles.”
“…Is that possible? Science has advanced to unimaginable levels over hundreds of years, and AI can be seen as its pinnacle…”
I spoke with concern. The science of future humanity had advanced to the point of realizing neutron cannons, creating nuclear weapons and antimatter fields, and even developing faster-than-light spaceships. They had even succeeded in terraforming planets and making strides towards the basics of warp technology. Standing at the pinnacle of this scientific prowess was the god of machinery and the ultra-intelligent AI, Mephistopheles. How could one simply recreate such a being?
“If it’s about conveying clues to Faust, it would be no problem at all. When it comes to science, it’s just the lower truths that the Old Rulers have casually scattered about the world. It’s an academic pursuit trying to delineate the universe in the dry material sciences without discussing metaphysics. But the funny thing is, in this world, the transcendental beings of metaphysics play around with billions of laws.”
“Oh…”
“An extraterrestrial, high-level civilization developed through a sorcery system based on commands and human sacrifices can outright deny all science. Compared to the demonic path that has advanced over millions of years, science is merely a weak experiment. Science poses no challenge at all to sorcerers or alchemists.”
“Is that really true?”
“Even the memories I’ve passed on to you, if you’re a genius, you could easily catch up within ten years. There are numerous shortcuts using the demonic path. Moreover, all formulas have been carefully laid out.”
“……”
Come to think of it, this guy was a genius…
I said to Zhuge Sa.
“Got it. I’ll leave that to you. So, what should I do now?”
“You have two tasks. One is to become an apostle of Jeon Wook again, and the other is to offer treasures to the Prophet in exchange for information.”
“……!!”
An apostle of Jeon Wook!
The Prophet!
Both tasks were significant, and I tensed upon hearing them. Zhuge Sa said.
“Becoming an apostle of Jeon Wook would greatly shorten your path. It’s practically a shortcut. Rapid mastery of Yin Spirit Power would be possible. But this isn’t something you should rush into. You know why, right?”
“Because Jeon Wook would limit my movements.”
“You blockhead. Did you learn the suicide method in a clueless way? If Jeon Wook’s upset, he can just off himself, can’t he? That’s the problem.”
“……”
“The issue is that you still don’t understand the current situation of the Celestial Realm. Jeon Wook could become a wild card. Especially with the situation where Yu Shun might have perished, the risk is high. If you become his apostle, there wouldn’t be a problem, but right now, there’s no guarantee you can earn his favor to get into that position.”
“Um… I see.”
If my ally, the Three Sovereigns, had suddenly perished, Jeon Wook would probably be in a state of extreme tension. Gaining his favor this time could be harder than in my previous life.
“Then the top priority is to investigate the current situation with the Prophet while offering him treasures to obtain critical information.”
“What should I ask the Prophet?”
“That’s already decided.”
Pa-at!
I headed straight for the Prophet. And I shouted.
“Prophet! It’s a trade!”
Whoosh!
The Prophet emerged from the darkness and spoke to me, tentacles swaying.
[What is it…?]
“I want to know some information!”
[Oh… is it information you wish to know? Are you confident you can cover the price of that information…?]
I nodded in response to the Prophet’s words and said.
“What I want to know is… the current situation in the Celestial Realm!”
[What kind of situation are you referring to…?]
“I want to know the current status of the top Celestial Immortals, the Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, Primordial Void Ruler, Celestial Sage, and Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens.”
[That’s high-level information… First, state your conditions.]
“Alright.”
I immediately presented the Nine Stars Main Capital. As soon as I offered the supreme demon book, the Prophet let out a sound of intrigue and said.
[You’re quite a negotiator… I like it.]
“Then teach me.”
[Receive it.]
Beeeeep!
The Prophet raised a tentacle and shot a beam of tentacle light at me. As I was struck by the beam, it felt as though all the information regarding the Celestial Realm was being absorbed into my mind like a memory. There was no confusion in that memory or information, as if I had lived through it directly.
“……!!”
What is this?! He knew how to use such a technique too!
It was the perfected higher-level variation of the obsidian techniques I used. Just firing the beam didn’t create any confusion in memory or seem to have any capacity limitations. Well, considering he was the original owner of the technique and the King of the Demonic Path, this might very well be expected.
I couldn’t help but be somewhat shocked by the current situation in the Celestial Realm.
“Hmm… It’s indeed chaotic.”
The Queen Mother of the West had prohibited the Celestial Immortals from descending to Earth and seemed to be desperately searching for something. And all the Overlays were deployed along the outskirts of the Celestial Realm in preparation for invaders. The Celestial Sage was on guard, and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens was protecting her disciples on Baek Neung Mountain. It clearly seemed that they had taken defensive postures in light of impending danger.
Moreover, the Jade Emperor and Primordial Void Ruler had gone missing. This disappearance was likely the primary reason behind the chaos in the Celestial Realm.
“In such a situation, even if I performed the Seven Luminary’s Ritual, the Celestial Immortals likely wouldn’t respond to the summoning…”
After absorbing all the memories, I said to the Prophet.
“Alright. Let’s trade once more.”
[What trade do you wish for…]
“Before that, I should mention something.”
[What is it?]
I reached out my arm. The Prophet seemed to have recognized the markings of a Reborn one and flinched.
[Hmm…!!]
“As you can see, I am a Reborn one. This is my 27th reincarnation, and this isn’t my first trade either. I’ll put this out there for trust.”
[…I see.]
“What I want to know is how to defer or eliminate the singularity of the Law of Cause and Effect.”
[…….]
As the Prophet fell silent, I continued speaking.
“My fateful singularity was advanced due to the contract with Master Mangnyang. Because of that, I stand on the brink of an unknown destruction. Therefore, I want to defer that singularity as much as possible or, if possible, eliminate it.”
[Just a moment…]
The Prophet seemed to be staring intently at me. Then, with a voice full of suspicion, he said.
[That can’t be… It shouldn’t be possible just yet. At that level of weakness… already at the baby-steps level? You should at least be a king who has mastered this world…]
“……?”
[Has someone intervened to change the flow of the game…? Could it be that one…?]
What on earth was he saying?
When I tilted my head in confusion, the Prophet shook his head and said.
[Never mind… Indeed, a singularity certainly exists… Approaching to the point that it could take your life away at any moment.]
“Right. Is there no way to deal with this? I’m anxious and don’t know what to do!”
[…Hmm…]
The Prophet seemed to be deep in thought. Then he spoke.
[Offer as much of the price you have as possible… While I want to help emotionally, a very significant chain of causality is tied to this, so I cannot assist without a sizable price… My clan’s survival may depend on it…]
“Wait.”
I used the Suspicious Fishhook to communicate with Zhuge Sa. After explaining the current situation, Zhuge Sa said.
[Offer everything you can. There’s no need to hold back. I will take care of what is necessary.]
[Understood.]
[Even if I have to rush through this life, this is information I must obtain. I don’t need to live long, so I’ll put everything on the line.]
I pulled out every treasure I had acquired in this life.
Then the Prophet was startled.
[No way… The soul of an apostle-level dragon?! How did you acquire something so precious?]
“I caught it.”
[With your own strength…? Hmm… You used some sorcery, didn’t you?]
“……”
How did he know?
[Wait a moment… I will assess the value.]
The Prophet appeared to be fiddling with each treasure using his tentacles. After a while, he spoke.
[I have measured the total value of the payment. I will give you advice that matches that value.]
“Great, give it to me quickly! How can I delay the singularity?!”
[The way for you to escape from destruction is…]
I became anxious. It felt like I hadn’t achieved anything yet, but the threat of annihilation was looming closer each moment! I wanted to at least push back that impending disaster.
After a brief pause, the Prophet opened his mouth.
[Find the Four Great Artifacts of the White Lotus Sect…]
What?
“…What? Wait, wait a moment. What do you mean by that?”
[Don’t you understand what I mean?]
The Prophet continued speaking in a slow manner.
[Reborn One. If you find the Four Great Artifacts, you will be able to discover the Dharma Technique of the Non-Birth Mother. That technique alone can reverse the singularity.]