Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Omniscient One (3)
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"Am I dead?"
In a space of nothingness, the Omniscient One slapped his own cheek.
*Slap!*
There was no pain, so it had to be a dream, or perhaps one of those life-flashing-before-your-eyes moments people see just before death.
He had lived long enough and had no regrets.
The Black Dragon, the very karma he had shouldered, had met its end in his generation. In a way, it could be considered a blessed death.
Yet for some reason, a deep sense of longing remained.
Was it because a certain young whelp he couldn't just leave behind suddenly came to mind?
"...Ouyang Jue won't get anywhere on his own."
The brat who had forced him into the unfitting role of a nanny.
The Omniscient One recalled Ouyang Jue's sullen expression and let out a soft chuckle.
He was so brazenly arrogant that when they first met, he had considered kicking him out on the spot. To feel this way now, he must have grown fond of him.
"I had so many questions for him, too."
Why was he so attached to a young pup who only asked what he wanted to know and never gave any answers in return?
With a bitter smile, the Omniscient One began to walk forward aimlessly.
*Step, step.*
The sound of his footsteps echoed in his ears, and the simple sensation of his feet touching the ground weighed heavily on his shoulders.
How long would he have to walk?
Just as he forced back the suffocating silence and brushed the goosebumps from his skin.
The nothingness ended, and light appeared.
But strangely, a young boy he didn't recognize appeared before him.
"Hahaha!"
The boy, laughing as a child his age would, scurried off somewhere.
The Omniscient One called out in a flustered voice.
"W-Wait!"
Thinking he might be able to escape this place by following the boy, the Omniscient One hurried after him.
One step, then another.
With each step the boy took, wounds appeared and then healed. For a brief moment, he saw tree branches brushing against him.
The image of a woman who seemed to be his mother scolding him also flashed by.
'Is this showing me the boy's life?'
The Omniscient One slowed his pace and focused on the scenes flashing around the boy.
Fighting with other children, crying in pain, and finally laughing in victory.
He didn't know who the boy was, but he was certainly competitive. The Omniscient One chuckled and continued to follow him.
Then, flames like the fires of hell engulfed the boy.
"...?!"
The Omniscient One, utterly shocked, rushed past the boy, but the flames did not subside.
Instead, they grew larger, consuming all the illusions that had appeared until now.
The scolding mother, the other children, even the large tree.
The boy, left alone and dazed, soon began to follow a man in a martial arts uniform.
He didn't recognize the man, but he immediately knew who he was from the inscription on his sword.
'Profound and Limitless... Isn't that Bai Duanxian's former title?'
He'd heard from Ouyang Jue that, aside from Ha Jin-ak, the three martial brothers had been picked up from a battlefield.
The Omniscient One realized that the boy was the past of a real person.
'They say strange phenomena occur when the Divine Eye reaches its essence. Is this what they meant?'
Recalling the teachings of the Divine Eye's master, the Omniscient One followed the boy and the martial artist.
Many things happened in between.
The boy trained with others, sometimes they argued, and they laughed together in their simple attire.
But that, too, did not last long.
The boy—no, the young man he had become—took off his uniform and left the mountain.
"What in the world...?"
As far as the Omniscient One knew, none of Bai Duanxian's disciples had ever left Mount Hua.
So what was this scene before him?
Though the Omniscient One's expression hardened, the man's journey continued.
Scenes flashed by: getting gravely injured in a fight between wanderers and barely surviving, a martial artist who had always disliked him spitting in his direction.
But the man never despaired, pressing forward and meeting countless people.
What shocked the Omniscient One most of all... was that he himself was among those countless people.
The Omniscient One let out a hollow laugh.
"Are these supernatural forces trying to mock me?"
It seemed his Divine Eye was showing him wicked illusions now that his time had come.
"I must find a way to wake up."
The Omniscient One lost interest in the man and walked in another direction.
But in that time.
The man killed his senior brother and finally fought the Heaven-Bearing Asura.
The moment all the illusions ended, a strange energy enveloped the man.
At the same time, the Omniscient One woke from his dream.
"What in the world was that...?"
The Omniscient One clutched his temple with one hand.
He had only just woken up, and his mind was still groggy. His eyes throbbed.
"What was the Divine Eye trying to show me?"
Muttering to himself, the Omniscient One sat up.
A sudden pain made him look down. His broken arm was in a splint, and a yellowish medicine was applied to his wounds.
Someone must have found him and tended to his injuries.
As the Omniscient One turned his head to express his gratitude, a person emerged from between the trees.
"W-Who are you?"
"...ming."
He was certain the man had stated his name, but it was as if his ears were full of water; he couldn't hear it properly.
Just as the Omniscient One was about to ask for his name again.
"...?!"
He realized an overwhelming energy was emanating from the man.
It was neither the pure energy cultivated through Taoist arts, nor the demonic energy twisted by demonic arts.
The Omniscient One's eyes widened as he questioned the man.
"W-What in the world are you?"
"..."
At his words, the man simply shook his head and moved his lips.
Was he saying something, or was he sending a telepathic message to someone?
Wary of his surroundings, the Omniscient One took out a talisman.
"Reveal yourself! Who are you!"
"Who else? He's my senior brother."
*Rustle.*
Ouyang Jue, emerging from behind the bushes, saw the Omniscient One sweating coldly and smirked.
"I don't know who you fought, but your internal injuries were severe. It was tough stabilizing you."
"...Ouyang Jue?"
"What's with you? Did you hit your head too?"
Ouyang Jue, with a cheerful expression, tossed a cloth soaked in cold water to the Omniscient One.
Catching the cloth, the Omniscient One looked at the man again.
But the energy he had just felt was completely gone.
"...What was that?"
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue thought the Omniscient One hadn't fully regained his senses yet.
"I don't know what kind of arts were used on you, but your head was burning with a high fever. Cool it down."
"Mmm, thank you."
*Thwack.*
Placing the cloth on his forehead, the Omniscient One gestured toward Liu Zhangming with his chin and asked.
"This man is your senior brother...?"
"He is Liu Zhangming, the Plum Blossom Cloud Dragon."
Liu Zhangming replied curtly and averted his gaze.
Ouyang Jue's expression also grew awkward, which surely wasn't an illusion. The Omniscient One spoke carefully.
"Did something happen?"
"Well... since you're a sorcerer from the direct lineage of Mount Mao, it seems my senior brother is trying to keep his distance."
"That's hardly surprising."
Ever since the Heaven-Bearing Asura, sorcerers had always been met with looks of contempt.
The fact that he was only keeping his distance showed Liu Zhangming's moderate nature.
As the Omniscient One let out a small sigh, Ouyang Jue voiced his curiosity.
"Anyway, what happened to you?"
"It seems there's another sorcerer in the world called a Demonic Seed, besides myself."
At those words, Ouyang Jue's eyes widened dramatically, but the Omniscient One didn't notice and continued speaking.
"I ended up like this after fighting him. Your timely arrival saved me from death, but..."
The Omniscient One trailed off, glancing sideways at Liu Zhangming.
"P-Perhaps we should speak privately?"
"If it's about the Eight Evils, it's fine to speak."
"You told him, I see."
In an uncharacteristically chiding tone, the Omniscient One rebuked Ouyang Jue.
"Now that he knows of the Eight Evils, he'll surely become their target. How could you speak of it so carelessly!"
"There's no guarantee we wouldn't become targets anyway."
Ouyang Jue wore a calm expression.
Just as they had before his regression, the Eight Evils would surely neutralize every sect to consume the Central Plains.
If they remained ignorant, they would only end up being attacked without understanding why.
As Ouyang Jue stared at him steadily, the Omniscient One sighed.
"Well, I understand you had your reasons, but please be more careful in the future."
"I will."
"Anyway, to continue what I was saying, the Heaven-Bearing Asura was a member of the Eight Evils."
"A member... Does that mean he's a demon too?"
Ouyang Jue couldn't help but be greatly surprised.
In his past life, the Heaven-Bearing Asura had always acted like a human and had never revealed the demonic energy characteristic of the Eight Evils.
He was the one who always acted as a strategist for the Hebei Peng Clan and never stepped onto the battlefield.
And now he was one of the Eight Evils?
As Ouyang Jue quietly processed his shock, the Omniscient One sighed again.
"I knew how to deal with him, so the damage was limited to this. But a martial artist would be utterly helpless. It would be best to deal with the Heaven-Bearing Asura first if possible."
Hearing that, Ouyang Jue remembered that he hadn't told the Omniscient One about the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon yet.
"Speaking of which, I met another one of the Eight Evils at Shaolin Temple..."
After Ouyang Jue finished his brief explanation of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, the Omniscient One shook his head.
"The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon is a fearsome foe, but thinking of the future, the Heaven-Bearing Asura is many times more dangerous. If he has already extended his claws, some of the masters have likely already lost their minds."
"Lost their minds?"
"Rather than explaining, come here for a moment."
As Ouyang Jue approached, not knowing why, the Omniscient One gathered a sinister energy at his fingertips and poked Ouyang Jue's forehead.
*Pok.*
To Liu Zhangming, it looked as though he had simply poked him with a finger, but Ouyang Jue was seized by a pain so intense it was like thunder crashing inside his head.
"Gaaah!"
"I can only inflict pain, but the Heaven-Bearing Asura can use soul-stealing arts to make his opponent's spirit submit."
At those words, Ouyang Jue showed his intense anger.
"You could have just told me. Why did you do that to me?"
"With arts like these, you have to experience them once for their effect to be halved if you're ever caught in them again."
The Omniscient One continued, his expression serious.
"We don't know where he's based right now, but we must assume that place is our enemy."
"I see."
Ouyang Jue assumed the Heaven-Bearing Asura was currently with the Hebei Peng Clan.
Just as in his past life, he would be acting as the strategist for the Hebei Peng Clan this time as well.
Just as he was about to voice this thought, Liu Zhangming took out a piece of cloth from his sleeve.
"Wait, can you take a look at this?"
"...What is this?"
"I found it while looking around nearby. It seems unusual."
Indeed, just as Liu Zhangming said, the fabric was dyed in a brilliant color that no commoner, peasant, or even an official could use.
Furthermore, it was adorned with gold leaf that seemed to signify the skin of a dragon.
That would mean a high-ranking official with connections to the imperial family, or the imperial family itself.
Ouyang Jue glanced at the Omniscient One.
"Didn't you once mention for fun... that every dynasty in history has had a sorcerer who presides over the Mandate of Heaven ceremony?"
"That's just a possibility."
The Omniscient One examined the cloth carefully and smiled faintly.
"But it's a possibility worth considering. It's truly impressive that you found this, Great Hero Liu."
"It was nothing."
Liu Zhangming replied curtly, as if he found it uncomfortable to continue the conversation, and the Omniscient One also turned his gaze away.
'What is going on with these two?'
Ouyang Jue scratched the back of his head with his right hand.