NOVEL NEXT Chapter 843
Chapter 843: The Gathering of the Four Great Artifacts
“Gather the Four Great Artifacts?!”
I was so taken aback by that statement that I exclaimed, “What?! You’re saying that the Dharma Technique can reverse singularities and that the Four Great Artifacts can find the Dharma Technique… What on earth is your basis for that?”
[…….]
“Explain! What connection do those three have?”
The Prophet fell silent for a moment before responding.
[The Dharma Technique, if completed, holds the power to destroy all [Old Rulers]…. And that fragment possesses immense magical power, being not only a part but an absolute entity’s seal without rival in the universe.]
“A seal?”
[Indeed…. What do you think a singularity is?]
The Prophet’s eyes spun wildly.
[An existence that, by destiny, causes the law of cause and effect to revert to nothingness…. If you are a Reborn Person, then even gods in this world would struggle against you, but your own destiny, the singularity, is different…. A singularity is an existence that can complete the Reborn Person’s past lives.]
“……!!”
[To suppress and postpone the emergence of that singularity requires… tremendous magical power… or vast cause and effect…. The only source of such power is…. the Dharma fragments. By sacrificing that Dharma as an offering, the singularity can be postponed.]
“I get that. But what I’m curious about now isn’t that. What’s the connection between the Dharma Technique and the Four Great Artifacts?”
[When Dharma was perishing… the ultimate weapon he used to protect himself from the curse was precisely the Four Great Artifacts….]
“What?!”
What is this all about?!
As I looked at the Prophet in shock, he continued.
[I was watching the scene when Dharma was destroyed by the curse of the gods…. And when Dharma was attacked by the rulers, he used the Four Great Artifacts simultaneously to ensure the birth of the Dharma Technique….]
“……”
[He truly was an extraordinary being…. Of course, he was the strongest Demon Sorcerer capable of creating the Dharma Technique….]
So, Dharma could manipulate the Four Great Artifacts simultaneously.
[But in the end, he was outnumbered…. Just before Dharma was torn to death, he bound the cause and effect of the Dharma Technique and the Four Great Artifacts together…. I witnessed that.]
“Bound together?”
[Like brothers born of the same umbilical cord…. They were made to circulate within the same fate’s ring…. If close enough, they would resonate together….]
“…What does that mean?”
[I don’t know what it means…. Only Dharma would know that….]
“Hmm….”
[The Dharma has scattered across the whole world, but since the Four Great Artifacts are bound by cause and effect to the Dharma, I can assert that finding the Four Great Artifacts is the only clue to finding the Non-Birth Mother’s Dharma….]
Dharma intentionally bound the cause and effect of the Dharma Technique and the Four Great Artifacts.
For what purpose?
Even after pondering, I found it impossible to deduce the answer, but ultimately, it wasn’t a matter I could clarify through mere thought.
After hearing the backstory, I glared at the Prophet.
“Prophet. You have deceived me.”
[What deception do you speak of….]
“Accept the memories of my 23rd life. It’s encoded, but that won’t be an issue, right?”
[Encoding doesn’t matter….]
Whoosh.
As I packed my memories into a small obsidian and threw it to him, the Prophet flinched in surprise.
[…Hmm.]
“Right? You definitely told me, ‘I have no idea who has what fragments!’”
[So it was….]
I was annoyed.
“Isn’t that a deception? To say you ‘have no idea’ while concealing valuable information that finding the Four Great Artifacts leads to the Dharma Technique? You scammer! At that time, I laid everything I had on the table!!”
Those treasures had immense strategic value to me back then. With the battle at Mount Ye being significant and urgent, putting those crucial treasures at stake was a huge loss. Yet, the Prophet hid information from me!
[…….]
“You either cough up what you received back then or give me more valuable information!!”
As I berated the Prophet, he flicked his tentacles and said.
[Unfair trade is acknowledged, but it’s a bit unfair for me….]
“What’s unfair about it?”
[Wasn’t that an issue from your 23rd life…. I met you for the first time in your 27th life…. I have no reason to be scolded for something I neither did nor remembered.]
“What?”
[If you want to know, then go find the Prophet from your 23rd life….]
What a brazen bastard?!
Just as I was about to yell, the Prophet flicked his tentacles and continued.
[…As I say that, I’ll acknowledge some of the responsibility….]
“Damn, don’t talk like you’re doing me a favor! You’ve been conning me for ages!?”
I wouldn’t back down, even if it meant my teeth would grind away!
I’d catch the god without his help and take him down!
[…Hmm….]
Then the Prophet suddenly seemed startled and spoke submissively.
[Hey… will you not buy any information then…. Hehe….]
“……”
As I glared silently at the Prophet, he flinched for a moment. Then hurriedly said.
[Ah… I get it. I’ll return the Dragon’s Soul, and I’ll tell you how to find the Four Great Artifacts….]
“……”
Even after receiving the Dragon’s Soul back, as I continued to glare, the Prophet seemed to grow anxious and said.
[Uh… okay. I’ll throw in a free piece of information as well. Would that help ease the anger?]
“Free information?”
[Later on, ask me something else you want to know…. I’ll answer as far as I can….]
“Agreed.”
[Understood….]
With my facial expression freezing over, the Prophet said.
[The location of the Four Great Artifacts I am aware of is in the chaos of the outer dimension…. But if you just open a door to that outer dimension using magic, you will never find them…. That dimension itself is boundless; if a single being attempts to search for it, no matter how much time passes, they won’t find it…. It’s a space larger than several galaxies combined….]
“Then how should I find it?”
[You need to properly open the true [Gate]…. Then, the ‘Observer’ from the outer dimension behind that [Gate] will greatly assist you in searching for the Four Great Artifacts.]
“A Gate? Observer?”
The Prophet responded to my inquiry.
[The outer dimension is the primal chaos that arose when this universe was created by the will of the [Father]…. It exists as a separate dimension, unrelated to the universe’s expansion…. Yet, within that chaos, there exists a managing entity known as the Observer, revered as the Great Eye that penetrates the entire universe…. He is worshiped as an Outer God.]
“……!!”
Outer God Observer!
A being revered even by the [Old Rulers] as a Divine Being?
Focusing on the Prophet’s words, he continued.
[The Outer God Observer shows no interest in those who enter through other means but offers respect and assistance to those who come through a formally created [Gate]. If you wish to seek the Four Great Artifacts in the outer dimension, you must go through the official [Gate].]
“What? So, what’s this Gate exactly?”
[It’s a hell gate that leads to the chaos of the outer dimension. If you pass the Guardian protecting that Gate, you can enter.]
“Hmm… Where is this Gate?”
[You already know it….]
“What?“
I stiffened at the Prophet’s next words.
[Aokigahara Life Sea. That place is the [Gate] to the outer dimension. Did you not know it until now?]
“……!!”
[Perhaps the accumulation of immense chaotic density summoned that outer dimension’s [Gate]…. It may be a coincidence, but still…. Once you open all the gates of the Life Sea, you can officially enter the outer dimension and receive the Observer’s assistance.]
Aokigahara Life Sea!
‘N-No way…’
I thought it was a suspicious location, but to think it was a proper entrance to the chaotic hell of the outer dimension?! This was information I had never heard before in my life, leaving me utterly bewildered. But in that case, it also explained why such extraordinarily powerful chaotic Demon Beasts surged within Aokigahara Life Sea.
The Life Sea itself was the chaos within chaos — a door that tests those who would enter the outer dimension.
Suddenly, I recalled a past event.
[Yan Emperor Shennong…. I am merely an entity fulfilling my duties! Do not recklessly draw the cause of another world into this one.]
[I don’t care…. Soon, the Seven Luminaries will gather, you must restrain yourself and not show your face again. Before that filthy hole is sealed!]
It was when Yan Emperor Shennong resurrected at the end of my 24th life and summoned the heavenly fire to cleanse the world. Back then, he had instantly defeated the Sea God and burned Aokigahara Life Sea, while receiving complaints from a mighty entity known as the ‘King of the Life Sea.’ As a true peer of the Three Sovereigns, Shennong had ignored the entity’s complaints, but what that King of the Life Sea said likely held such meaning.
I am merely an entity fulfilling my duties.
I thought deeply before speaking.
“Prophet. So that King of the Life Sea is the Guardian who protects the entrance to the outer dimension?”
[Correct. In fact, he is an existence no human can defeat….]
“Hmm….”
I had heard before that crossing over the Living Sea, Death Sea, and Entering Sea leads to a space of nothingness filled with light known as the Extinction Sea. Was entering the Extinction Sea akin to challenging the King of the Life Sea to officially enter the outer dimension and gain the right to receive the Observer’s blessings?
If so, my course of action was clear.
To obtain the Four Great Artifacts, I need to receive the Observer’s blessing, and to achieve that, I must pierce through Aokigahara Life Sea, where life and death lead to extinction, and defeat the King of the Life Sea. After that, I could search for the Dharma Technique in the outer dimension.
“Ha…. ”
The difficulty had me feeling overwhelmed.
‘This is going to be ridiculously hard…. Damn it…. I’d just as soon die….’
But I had no other choice. Now that it had been revealed that even the Seven Luminaries would not provide substantial assistance in this crisis, the fact that there was at least a glimmer of hope was something. Even if it took over a thousand years, I had to obtain the Dharma Technique. And I needed to postpone the singularity to extend my past life period.
“What’s the King of the Life Sea’s weakness?”
[Well…. I’ll give that as free information…. How’s that?]
“Uh… one moment.”
Though I had nothing to lose, I hesitated. It felt like a risk to waste the opportunity this way.
‘No, the King of the Life Sea is likely a being who exceeds humanity and stands at the level of the [Old Rulers], so hearing about his weakness might not have much meaning….’
Would knowing the weaknesses of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors be a significant help in defeating them? If that were the case, I wouldn’t have needed to undergo so many past lives. It was impossible to bind an [Old Ruler] simply with a single weakness. It’s merely information that could assist in the strategy.
After thinking that far, I shook my head.
“No… I withdraw my request. I want to hear another piece of information as my free piece.”
The intuition of a Reborn Person was whispering that knowing the King of the Life Sea’s weakness would ultimately be pointless.
[What do you wish to know?]
“Master Mangnyang said that Nüwa has the Mask of Fuxi.”
[Oh…. Quite impressive of Master Mangnyang to possess such top-tier information….]
“What I want to know is the significance of the mask to God, and what it means that the gathering of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors can postpone the impending [Cataclysm] and [Revelation] for this world.”
“……”
“Why did Fuxi lose his sanity and go crazy simply by losing the mask?”
The Prophet, eyes rolling, replied.
[The mask of God can be seen as another self—another role.]
“Another self?”
[It’s like how a person wears different masks in society depending on their roles…. Originally, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were the supreme beings of this universe, unbound by any constraints or destinies. However, by granting them masks, the Emperor instilled within them a new role and formed separate selves and intellect. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors wearing the masks are entirely different in nature than when they do not wear them.]
“That seems odd.”
I spoke to the Prophet.
“Emperor Jeon Wook desperately wanted to take off the mask. But even when he does so, he’ll end up like Fuxi, losing his sanity and becoming bestial. Why would he want to take it off? Why would he seek unhappiness on his own?”
The Prophet regarded me with a strange expression and asked.
[Reborn Person. Do you think Fuxi is unhappy?]
“Of course. He’s gone mad.”
[He’s not mad…. That perspective is overly humanistic…. If you hold such views, it might be better not to mask Fuxi at all.]
“……?”
[You might as well wear the mask yourself…]
What on earth is he talking about?
I couldn’t grasp the Prophet’s meaning.
‘Without reason, that’s madness!’
As I was puzzled, the Prophet continued.
[Moreover, the statement about the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors gathering to postpone destruction is likely based on a precedent.]
“A precedent?”
[The current human civilization is proof of that…. The human world was destined for destruction ten thousand years ago when the ancient races relinquished their dominance and hid away…. However, upon the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors stepping forth to manage humanity…. They created a postponement of roughly ten thousand years.]
“Hmm.”
[However, I cannot ascertain the exact method…. No matter how great the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors may be, mere claims cannot delay universal events…. I believe the Three Sovereign Shennong knows the methods.]
“That makes sense.”
[There must be some potent spell or ritual only they can utilize when gathered….]
A definite precedent – the very existence of current civilization was proof of that.
If the Three Sovereigns know how to postpone the cataclysm, it was probably a certainty.
I nodded along while beginning to speak.
“Okay. And just one more piece of information….”
[One more piece…? You’ve already received two pieces…?]
“Not much use, really.”
[…….]
“What I want to know is the location of the Xuanyuan Sword.”
Xuanyuan Sword!
The legendary sword wielded by Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen when battling Chiyou!
A privilege to perform the Offering Ceremony even without rights!
A powerful boon bestowed upon humanity by the Emperor!
Perhaps even more formidable than the combined efforts of the Seven Luminaries — an unmatched treasure!
The mere thought of my 24th life, where I perished without figuring out where the Xuanyuan Sword was hidden, grated on my nerves.
I wanted to extract that information while I still could.
[Xuanyuan Sword…? What’s that?]
Why is he reacting as if he’s hearing about it for the first time?
I offered the Prophet my obsidian, transferring the relevant memory.
[…What are these fools….]
Once he received the memory, the Prophet muttered something and twitched his tentacles.
[Oh, right…. The Xuanyuan Sword….]
“Do you know it?”
[I don’t know much, really…. I don’t know where the Xuanyuan Sword is….]
“…If you lie, I’ll sever our dealings.”
[It’s the truth…. I genuinely don’t know the location of the Xuanyuan Sword…. I would stake my name and existence on it….]
“……”
Given that he staked his name and existence, I had to take that seriously.
But why such a suspicious reaction?
I felt dissatisfied but ultimately excused myself from the place.
Bang!
I returned to Zhuge Sa and relayed the conversation with the Prophet through the obsidian. Zhuge Sa then said.
“Baek Woong. Go find Miyamoto Musashi, who is lurking in the Imperial Palace right now.”
“Huh? Why him?”
“Everything ultimately converges to a single path. To defeat the King of the Life Sea. In that case, hearing from Miyamoto Musashi, who has met the King of the Life Sea, is the best course of action.”
“Understood.”
“However…. There’s no need to become companions with Miyamoto Musashi.”
“……”
“Cough, cough, cough.”
Zhuge Sa let out a wicked laugh.
Then he shared his scheme.
“Baek Woong, do whatever it takes to ensnare Miyamoto Musashi with the Soul Exchange Technique. Turn him into a puppet and obtain the Lunar Kill Technique.”