Chapter 168 – The Neungwol Gongheo

The god of war’s eyes narrowed. It was as if he had guessed that he would ask such a question.

[The world is not one. The performer should already know.]
“Yes, it is.”

Now, even Kim Moo-gong did not think of this world simply as a ‘world inside a game’. Perhaps it was Moorim Electric that modeled this world? I even thought so. Of course, some parts, including the status window, were heterogeneous.

[It is said that there is no law for any life form or any world to accept destruction lightly. If there is a destiny of destruction, there is also a destiny against it. It is not a mere coincidence that the speaker came this far.]
“I don’t really.”

Until now, Mu-gong Kim had not been fighting for a grand destiny. He fell into an unfamiliar world and twisted his whole body to survive the midsummer and only ended up like this.

[Of course, it is true that the performer’s destiny was pioneered by the performer himself. You can be proud of that.]
“⋯It is meaningless only if it fails at the end.”
[Don’t fret. The performer has not failed ‘yet’. And let me tell you.]

The god’s voice continued slowly.

[Don’t pay too much attention to things like heaven and fate. In fact, it doesn’t matter that much whether or not the Yanja has the fate of an adversary against destruction.]
“Isn’t that what you emphasized? It must have been fate earlier…”
[The speaker must have seen the form of destruction.]
“Are you talking about the gate incident and the monsters?”
[That’s not all.]

There was a guessing part. Kim Moo-gong immediately opened his mouth.

“You mean the demon king?”
[That’s correct. Ruler of the sixth heaven, the essence of the demon king is to give trials. They fixed the fate of other worlds as destruction, and merely acted according to their essence. Even though he has reason and emotions, the demon lord doesn’t try to escape his fate. Have you ever heard of the demon king who dares to send his subordinates to a warrior to finish the job right away if he himself steps forward? It looks really stupid, but demon kings are the things that were created and eaten that way in the first place. Even though you understand that the hero who overcomes that will become stronger, he acts according to his essence. And finally, even he himself becomes the ‘last ordeal’. But humans are different. You should know.]

Kim Moo-gong knew of a great warrior who tried to overcome his destiny with a human body. He has even seen it as an illusion. Kim Mu-gong muttered blankly.

“Sicheonma (始天魔).”

The god of war’s eyes drew a low arc.

[The demon king born among the gods is already a long time ago. He was defeated by the demon of the sky, who transcended fate in the body of a mere human, and withdrew. Humans are beings who can carve out their own destiny and transcend limitations. Fate, destiny. Don’t get too hung up on those things. Even if Yeonja was destined to prevent destruction. Will the life of a person end if only destruction is prevented? Does the performer’s fate end there? Can’t you go further? Not so. Destiny is, after all, a matter of consequence. It’s a very trivial thing with no need or reason to obsess.]

The reason why the transcendent being who descended to Hyukriak harbored hatred and fear after seeing the reign of the Heavenly Demon. The Demon King had already been defeated. To the Sicheonma too.

I now knew the story of the adversary and fate. Kim Mu-gong asked a question that suddenly came to his mind.

“To defeat the demon king… Isn’t it necessary to reach Yeonheohapdo? I keep thinking that Yeonsinhwanheo, or Hyungyeong, is not enough.”
[Hyeongyeong isn’t enough.]
“As expected.”

Right now, even the Hyungyeong is far away, but there is a possibility to overcome that. Mu-gong Kim vaguely guessed it, but it felt far away to receive a definite answer from the god of war.

[However, Yeonja. Is Yeonheohapdo really the answer?]
“I don’t know what you mean. Didn’t the god of war consider it the answer?”

Musin clearly called the state after Hyungyeong as Yeonheohapdo.

[We call those who have refined their thoughts to the limit to the extent that they can handle Kanghwan and the sword. Hyungyeong is a reference point to some extent.]
“I know.”
[But what did they call after Hyungyeong? Did you consistently call it Yeonheohapdo?]
“⋯No.”
[Yeonheo Hapdo, Mind Geomji-gyeong, Life and Death, Life and Death, Absolute Ji-gyeong, Shinhwa-gyeong, Shinhwa-gyeong, Chomaji-gyeong, Fabled Deungseon, Tear-gak, etc. Everyone is different. Some say it is only necessary to get started with the mind sword, some say that the heart sword is not necessary, and some think that the heart sword is not enough. Transcending the borders also means transcending the limits of mortals. It is similar to the size of the universe, which is difficult for humans to realize. Some levels may even be the product of pure imagination. So, there is no reason why my answer will be the same as the one given by the speaker.]

Mu-gong Kim, who was lost in thought, continued his speech slowly.

[Do not worth the way 不可致. Dogado nonsangdo 道可道不常道 Myeonggamyeongbisangmyeong 名可名不常名. This is what the ancestors of Taoism emphasized countless times. In the first place, the extreme state cannot be expressed in words.]
“I understand that…”
[Thousands of dharmas 萬法歸一 一歸何處. What is the essence of the terms such as Aroya consciousness (阿賴耶識), infinite energy (無極), great power (太虛), and root source (根源), which were expressed in different words by enlightened people in the past? What was he saying to emphasize? It’s a very simple problem.]
“⋯I don’t know.”

Suddenly, the image of the god of war began to blur. He laughed mischievously.

[Oops, it’s time to go.]
“⋯No. I still need instruction.”

To Kim Moo-gong, Mu-sin was like another teacher. Even though I didn’t teach them in detail through words and actions. He was always with his heart. That’s why it was more desperate. Now he was sure that if he sent Mu-sin, he would never see him again.

Musin smiled softly at Dowonhyang, where peach petals were scattered.

[Since the speaker already knows the answer. I have nothing more to teach you. Believe in yourself so.]

A dreamy voice passed my ear for the last time.

[Please pray for good fortune.]

The world shattered like a broken window, and my consciousness sank into infinite darkness again.

***

How much time has passed

1 year, 10 years, 100 years, 1000 years. He didn’t realize He still had no sensation in his body.

Even the last conversation with God of War slowly faded into memory.

He forgot who he was, and repeated endless thoughts that followed and then disappeared like bubbles. One topic that Musin had spoken kept running through his mind.

One of the ten thousand dharmas.

All laws return to one, where does that one return?

While the years continued like eternity. A bright light exploded in my head. A lightning-like realization shook my inner self.

One heart.

Even in a world where everything is lost, the heart remains.

Kim Mu-gong saw a red thread connected to his heart.

Even in the pitch-black void, it was very clear.

Several other threads were entangled around one thread.

Even in a world where everything else has been forgotten, one thing has never been forgotten.

Its name was karma.

In selflessness, Kim Mu-gong climbed back up on the thread of fate.

Step by step.

Lost and forgotten things permeated Kim Mu-gong’s mind again. Eventually, all the time was connected as one.

Consciousness gradually rose. Kim Mu-gong slowly lifted his eyelids. The universe was contained in black eyes.

Don Oh頓悟.

It was also accompanied by a supreme realization. Since the void was the state of the beginning, it was a place where all possibilities were open. Therefore, Kim Mu-gong could become anything now. God or whatever. God definitely existed. Although it was not omnipotent like the Bible. To put it bluntly, it would be close to a kind of race.

‘No.’

Denied I didn’t want to become a god. Kim Mu-gong wanted to be human. As a human being, he transcends the fate of destruction with martial arts created by humans. That was the answer Kim Moo-gong gave. At this moment, Kim Mu-gong realized what had happened to him. He knows what he must do to get out of here.

It was the door to emptiness that could only be opened at the cost of tens of millions of lives, so of course it was impossible with Hyungyeong.

Does not matter. Enlightenment is already in your hands. With his eyes half-open, he walked seven steps.

Cheonmajibo (天魔之步) Under heaven under heaven under heaven.
The steps of the Heavenly Demon put the whole world under it.

The Heavenly Horse Exhibition.
There is nowhere that the Heavenly Demon’s wings cannot go.

不一不二也.
Not the same, but not different either.

Kim Mu-gong’s gaze went somewhere beyond the void. He gave a name to his realm in honor of another teacher who left everything and left across the Great Sea. An intense suspicion crept into his steps.

The realm of godlessness
Heavenly Demon Goddess
Neungwol Gongheo

A bright halo of light cuts through the space.

Finally, the luminous path was opened.