Kurung, kurururung!
A storm is brewing.
—Seo Hweol, how long will it take to draw in the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother?
[...That...since it was originally planned to pull her in from the designated coordinates, now that the coordinates have suddenly changed, it will take more time to adjust them.]
—...How much time do we need?
[...It will take at least a day...]
At those words, I grit my teeth and shout.
"You useless thing..."
[Wait, please calm down, Daoist Seo. If there's a way to fix the coordinates, we can drastically reduce the time.]
"...What do you want me to do?"
Seo Hweol, smiling from a distance, responds to my words.
[If you have the blood of a Sea Dragon Race like me, or the main soul, you can quickly locate the coordinates. As I understand, one of your comrades is my descendant...if you send me a handful of that child's blood or even a fragment of their soul, I can modify the coordinates within one shichen.]
'So he's asking for Seo Ran's blood or a fragment of his soul.'
It's when I'm in deep thought.
Kugugugugu!
The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress finally succeeds in fully settling at its destination.
Pushiiiii—
The Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation installed in the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress releases its heat, and I, along with my comrades, can once again see the Human Race Grand Alliance on the deck of the Nether Crossing Ship.
On the deck of the Nether Crossing Ship.
Jun Jae and the other leaders of the Human Race Grand Alliance look back and forth between me and the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, clearly bewildered, and I say to them and everyone else present.
"As the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother is trying to descend here, all of you should move to the coordinates I've provided!"
At my words, Heo Gwak shouts.
"It's not ready yet! The energy hasn't accumulated enough!"
"Damn it..."
Then, the Mad Lord steps forward.
"Black Lord!"
Kugugugugu!
A massive darkness emerges from the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
An overwhelming power of darkness begins to flow from the puppet made from the corpse of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum.
The black seawater originally contained within his Integrated Dao Domain begins to resonate with the power sources of the Nether Crossing Ship.
Woooo-oong!
The power source of the Nether Crossing Ship possessed by [Her] as its core, along with the two Nether Crossing Ships, begin to rise rapidly.
"What...no, what in the world...?"
Heo Gwak, seeing that the Mad Lord is helping them, looks up at him in confusion, and I turn around and shout.
"If it's charged, activate it!"
At my words, Heo Gwak snaps back to his senses and shouts.
"Activate the Nether Crossing Ship!"
[Activate the Nether Crossing Ship!]
[Release the hawsers!]
[Raise the anchor!]
Upon Heo Gwak's command, thousands upon tens of thousands of ghosts start to boil up from the top of the Nether Crossing Ship, rising into the air.
The Nether Crossing Ship begins to prepare for a spatial leap.
[Daoist Seo, there's no time. You must send it quickly.]
Ahead of us, I can see Kang Min-hee breaking through the dimensions and descending, while Seo Hweol urges me to send a piece of Seo Ran's soul.
But I frown.
'Is he perhaps planning on doing something to Seo Ran?'
There's no worry if it's just Seo Hweol as a single entity, but Seo Hweol is a multitude, a plague in himself.
If I give him Seo Ran's trace, who knows what he might do.
'He said he wouldn't betray us, but...'
It's when I'm agonizing to the point of madness,
"Master!"
Hong Fan flies over to me.
"Master should board the Nether Crossing Ship as well!"
"...I must stop Kang Min-hee here."
"Kuhm...I understand. Is there anything you need?"
I briefly explain the current situation to Hong Fan, who nods and says.
"There's no time to bring Sir Seo Ran, so I'll create the coordinates myself and send them to the person called Seo Hweol."
"What, is that even possible...?"
Tstststts!
At that moment, Hong Fan instantly pulls out an alchemical furnace and begins tossing in strange medicinal ingredients, starting to refine something.
After a while, when Hong Fan places the herbs and poisonous liquid into the alchemical furnace, it heats up, and a deep red liquid starts to ripple inside.
"Using the leftover and peels of the Sea Orchid Fruit left behind by Sir Seo Ran last time, I've created a liquid with properties almost identical to the true blood of the Sea Dragon Race. I've carefully combined the ingredients, adjusting their proportions and blending the Qi of the herbs to perfectly mimic that of the Sea Dragon Race. Master can use this to stabilize the coordinates!"
"Got it!"
I relay Hong Fan's words to Seo Hweol, who accepts my proposal with a hint of disbelief.
[...Understood. I never imagined something like that was possible. Then, I'll connect the coordinates!]
Paaaatt!
At the same time, a fragment of Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens emerges from my shadow and seeps directly into the liquid Hong Fan has created.
Hong Fan carefully adjusts the energy of the liquid, working hard to send the coordinates to Seo Hweol. After a while, the liquid turns even more crimson and begins to shine brightly.
[Blood Sacrifice Ritual: Blood Yin Returning Home.]
Woo-wooong!
The liquid, now infused with Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, begins to boil as if it's burning crimson red.
I squint my eyes and take a step back to avoid the attraction force emanating from the liquid.
Soon, Seo Hweol's voice echoes.
[Once that entity returns, please pour the liquid onto it.]
"Got it."
Kugugugugu!
Once again, space distorts, and Kang Min-hee, who was temporarily expelled to the Interdimensional Void by Seo Hweol and I, returns.
Chills!
I feel a shiver run through my entire body as I look at Kang Min-hee.
'This crazy...'
Previously, her power was unstable, fluctuating at the early Star Shattering stage, but now that she descends again, her strength has clearly stabilized at the mid-Star Shattering stage.
'Did she undergo a Heavenly Tribulation in the Interdimensional Void and advance...?'
From within the darkness, I can feel her gaze passing over me, directed at the Nether Crossing Ship as it prepares for a spatial leap.
The next moment, I quickly swing the Colorless Glass Sword.
I sense Kang Min-hee launching an attack toward the Nether Crossing Ship at a speed that I can barely perceive.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Echoing Valley!
Emptying all the strength in the sword, I channel Kang Min-hee's strike into the blade and deflect it towards the sky.
Toong!
Her single strike, deflected towards the heavens.
Jjeeoook!
The sky splits open.
Chwaaak!
From the southern end of the horizon to the northern end.
A black line is drawn across the sky, reminiscent of the scene of Split-Sky Kim Young-hoon once showed by cleaving the sky of a sea domain in the Ancient Force Realm.
The difference is that while Kim Young-hoon's feat only cleaved the sky of a sea domain at most equivalent in size to the Human Race territory, Kang Min-hee's strike has torn open the far vaster sky of the Bright Cold Realm.
Kugugugugu!
Watching the black chasm that has formed in the void, I shout at Hong Fan.
"Pour it! Hong Fan! Depart! Black Ghost Valley!"
Flash!
Two Nether Crossing Ships from the Black Ghost Valley leap through space, and I turn to look at Hong Fan.
'Huh?'
But for some reason, Hong Fan, showing a blankness he has never shown before, is staring in a daze beyond the darkness that Kang Min-hee has cloaked herself in.
"Hong Fan! Quickly—"
Kuaang!
Suddenly, I am struck with such force that I almost lose consciousness.
"Kuh...ughhh!"
Something massive and powerful slammed into my body.
And that something is none other than a barrier formed by hundreds of Ghost Kings.
'What is this? What just happened...? This, this is...!'
I realize what is happening and widen my eyes.
Kang Min-hee, using the ground-shrinking technique, is distorting space and leaping through dimensions to chase after the Nether Crossing Ship heading toward the Chaos Realm.
And I, who was between her and the Nether Crossing Ship, am now being swept away by her charge, slammed into the barrier she's created and carried along with her.
'So this is the ground-shrinking technique of the Star Shattering stage...'
If the ground-shrinking technique of the Four-Axis and Integration stage cultivators merely folds space to move a bit faster than the Flying Escape Technique, then the ground-shrinking technique at the Star Shattering stage is on a completely different level.
Piiiiiit!
Everything around appears as a blur of light.
Similar to when I ascended from the Head Realm to the Bright Cold Realm, the entire space is pressing down on me with immense pressure, and everything around me appears like thin lines.
And far behind me, I can see the Nether Crossing Ship making a dimensional leap to flee into the Heart Tribe territory.
'Damn it! She's going to catch up!'
I grind my teeth as I watch Kang Min-hee catching up to the dimensional leap of the Nether Crossing Ship, which is traveling through the infinite space-time, using nothing but the ground-shrinking technique.
'Hong Fan missed the timing.'
While he was distracted by something, she initiated the ground-shrinking technique, preventing Seo Hweol from forming the coordinates needed to pull her back. At this rate, the plan won't even begin.
'I can't let that happen.'
Kududududuk!
I raise the Three Great Ultimates behind my back, envelop myself with my domain, and transform into my true form.
[Guuuaaaagh!]
Kugugugugu!
In my true form, I exert all of my strength to resist Kang Min-hee's attraction force.
But I realize that the force of 'pushing' is not really compatible with me from the start.
'All of my cultivation and combat techniques are specialized in cutting and piercing.'
Everything I have researched and realized until now is overwhelmingly based on the sword.
But the essence of the sword is ultimately about cutting, piercing, and blocking.
'Pushing' itself is not an essence that can be achieved with a sword.
If the opponent had a will, I could perhaps momentarily stop them by tearing or gouging out vulnerable spots like the eyes or genitals. But my opponent is Kang Min-hee, the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother.
Leaving aside the fact that I can't do such things to her, even if I could, her current ghostly transformation makes such weaknesses meaningless.
'Curses are useless too.'
I launched a few weak curses into the darkness, but the pain from the curses dispersed among the countless quadrlilions of spirits, rendering it practically useless.
If it's a curse created by putting forth all my efforts, it might make even the vengeful spirits that number in the quadrillions flinch, but that's about it.
Woo-woong—
Through the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, I sense the Mad Lord leading the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and activating the Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation, closely following Kang Min-hee with Hong Fan.
Mad Lord's heart message flies to me.
—Hold on for just a moment! Then, I'll send the puppet army to spill that scorpion-snake bastard's blood! Just slow down her movements even a little, and it'll be possible!
Sensing the area behind me, I notice that the Mad Lord's Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation is gradually falling behind both Kang Min-hee and me.
It seems that, having been used once, it's no longer functioning as effectively.
'Slow her down for a moment?'
But seeing Kang Min-hee who continues without any hesitation despite my best efforts to stop her, I feel a growing sense of despair.
Just what can I do to stop her?
How?
Just how?!
Sarararak—
It's then.
Something soft brushes against my fingertips as I'm trying to stop Kang Min-hee.
[...You...!]
It's Kim Yeon.
I widened my eyes, seeing Kim Yeon's figure appear beside me.
Harururururu—
She was burning.
The one beside me is not her main body, but a consciousness form.
She appears as a flame, dense with pure white consciousness.
And I have seen this form of hers before.
In the 15th cycle.
When Kim Yeon presided over Gyu Ryeon's Vast Cold Oath.
However, unlike back then, her form is considerably more unstable, and instead of the pale pink hue at that time, now it's merely a pure white light that came from densely concentrated consciousness.
However, I can feel that she is trying to reach that state from back then, even if only for a moment.
Kim Yeon is focusing her mind with an intensity I have never seen before.
[It's now.]
In a state that is practically the manifestation of pure consciousness, Kim Yeon,
As her hand touches mine, I instantly understand what she wants.
It transcends mere thoughts and is directly transmitted.
As if hypnotized, I follow Kim Yeon's command and thrust the All-Heavens Sword into her.
[Everyone, come!]
And with the All-Heavens Sword's adjustment of planes, all my comrades connected through Kim Yeon's Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon simultaneously reveal themselves.
Chuarararak!
Oh Hyun-seok, Azure Tiger Saint, Kim Young-hoon, Jeon Myeong-hoon, and other comrades manifest their consciousness from the Plane of Soul, descending to the Plane of Qi, guided by the All-Heavens Sword.
Kim Yeon has temporarily allowed everyone to reach a state with clones that are almost as good as their main bodies.
At the forefront are Oh Hyun-seok and Azure Tiger Saint.
[Hahaha! Amazing! To think we could create a body with our consciousness and manifest it in the Plane of Soul, then lower the plane to create clones almost identical to our main bodies...!]
Azure Tiger Saint laughs heartily as he shouts.
[We can test this legendary technique! Hyun-seok-ah!]
[Yes, Master!]
[Let's show them our sect's history!]
Wings begin to sprout from the backs of Azure Tiger Saint and Oh Hyun-seok.
One wing, two wings, three wings...
Gradually, their bodies start to grow larger, boiling with starlight.
The wings emit the azure light of the Azure Heavens, making their bodies shine as if they are formed from both day and night, as if they are the sky itself.
Seven wings, eight wings, nine wings...
Their auras continue to intensify.
In an instant, the auras of Azure Tiger Saint and Oh Hyun-seok surpass the Grand Perfection Four-Axis stage and soar to the early Integration stage.
Then, the armor that Azure Tiger Saint is wearing begins to glow.
[Behold, this is the essence of the two-thousand-year history of the Great Azure Heaven Creation Sect...!!!]
Chiiiiiing!
And beneath the ninth wings, a tenth set of wings begins to emerge.
These are red wings.
Wings of life, forged from the blood and sweat of Azure Tiger Saint and Oh Hyun-seok.
As the auras of the Azure Heaven Wings and the Wings of Life mix, the bodies of Oh Hyun-seok and Azure Tiger Saint are dyed in purple.
'That's...'
The final Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter of Azure Tiger Saint that I witnessed in the 14th cycle.
The form of Ten Wings.
The purple giants that Oh Hyun-seok and Azure Tiger Saint have transformed into charge at Kang Min-hee all at once and 'push' her!
[Your specialty is cutting, Seo Eun-hyun!]
Oh Hyun-seok shouts as he looks back at me.
[Leave this type of work to us! These clones created by Kim Yeon's ability won't be a problem even if they're destroyed!]
Azure Tiger Saint, drawing upon the power of the Clear Sky Armor, demonstrates the strength that once briefly blocked the Black Dragon King when he was combined with the Esteemed One.
Oh Hyun-seok, combining the abilities of the Unique Holy Body and the power of Ten Wings, amplifies his strength to a level comparable to Azure Tiger Saint.
The two giants stand firm as a shield in front of me.
[Indra's Net!]
Kwa-jijijik!
Jeon Myeong-hoon transforms into a Two-Headed, Six-Armed Lightning God, casting a net made of lightning.
Soon, the net catches both the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and us, and I can feel the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress being pulled even faster toward us with the help of Jeon Myeong-hoon's power.
[I heard we need to pour something on Kang Min-hee!]
Kim Yeon is connected to my consciousness, and since our comrades are connected to Kim Yeon's consciousness, most of the situation, excluding demon beasts, has been shared with our comrades in real-time.
Kim Young-hoon, understanding our plan due to this connection, speaks up.
[I'll join forces with Hong Fan to scatter it together!]
[Please d...]
Then, Kang Min-hee begins to struggle.
Kuuung!
Kugugugugugu!
With just one thrash of her body, the Nether Crossing Ship ahead is shaken, the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress following behind trembles wildly, and all of us blocking her cough up blood from our seven orifices.
'If Kang Min-hee keeps moving, it will be difficult even with Hong Fan and Kim Young-hoon joining forces.'
I make a decision.
[Go ahead! Even if only for a moment, I will restrict Kang Min-hee's movements!]
[I trust you!]
Paaatt!
Kim Young-hoon vanishes, and I grip the Colorless Glass Sword, focusing my consciousness for a brief moment.
'The opponent is an entity that cannot be cut.'
What works now is not the slashing or piercing of the sword but pushing or blocking.
Does that mean my sword is currently useless?
'No.'
How many times have I despaired before the heavens, before fate?
How many times have I cried out in helplessness against overwhelming force that cannot be resisted?
Is it not my sword that I have honed so it can be used even in moments like this?
'There's still something left that can be cut.'
If it's against an entity where cutting has no meaning, and even if they are cut they cannot feel pain, what should I cut?
Tstststststs!
I imbue my consciousness into the sword.
Originally, it was a move imbued with the Nascent Soul and swung. But now that the Nascent Soul has evolved into a domain, it has become a technique that envelops the world within it.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Twenty-fifth Move.
Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.
All my power merges into the sword, and the power completely ascends to the Plane of Soul.
'The curse was scattered among the vengeful spirits.'
Tststststststs—
The Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace darkens black.
'In that case, if I embed the curse and reverse it the moment the pain is dispersed, it will lead to a 'concentration of blessing' instead of a 'dispersion of the curses'.'
I will concentrate the blessing solely on Kang Min-hee, stopping her even if just for a moment.
'The Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace alone isn't enough.'
Though she has no consciousness, she is no different from the Star Shattering stage.
Even if the speed of the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace is comparable to the single strike of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion, it won't be enough against her.
Chances are it will be blocked by her mid-way.
'I must strike with a speed that can't be blocked.'
Along with the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace, I combine another technique.
Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.
And...
Deep Mountain, Emerging Dao!
Application Technique.
Deep Grace, Shining Dominance (恩深皎皎霸).
The black sword energy extends in the shape of a crescent moon.
The sword energy of the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace flies at the speed of Deep Mountain, Emerging Dao, quickly piercing Kang Min-hee's chest and scattering the curse within her.
In the next moment, the curse, along with my will embedded inside, reverses.
The pain does not disperse. Instead, the blessing concentrates entirely on her.
Paaaatt!
A clear crescent moon seems to bloom on Kang Min-hee's chest.
It's as if a bright, radiant moon has risen in the middle of the night.
Paaaaat!
The next moment.
I enter Kang Min-hee's heart essence.
Inside, I momentarily push out the torment of the ghosts wailing within her and confront her consciousness.
A pure white space.
Facing each other, now clear-headed in this brief moment, we look at each other and smile bitterly without needing words.
"...It's so embarrassing, I could die."
Kang Min-hee brushes her face.
"I didn't expect you to come this deep inside...you must have seen everything in my heart."
"I didn't see everything."
"Don't lie. You saw it. Tell me what you saw."
Ssss—
The space I briefly created in Kang Min-hee's heart essence through the blessing is being dyed in darkness.
With her face still covered by her hands, she asked.
I answer with a gentle smile.
"...[That time]."
No special explanation is needed.
In here, we understand each other's hearts.
The evening of the day we dated for the second time, and broke up for the last time.
The scene in the smoking area.
I saw the longing and regret that Kang Min-hee had hidden at that time.
Kang Min-hee lowers her hand.
She's crying.
The surroundings are being consumed by darkness.
The short time gained by the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace is coming to an end.
"Do you know, Seo Eun-hyun?"
I look at Kang Min-hee calmly, and she speaks while shedding tears.
[It's now that I finally realize.]
Paaatt!
Once again, my consciousness returns outside of Kang Min-hee's heart essence.
And the voice of Kang Min-hee, who briefly regained her consciousness due to me, quietly echoes amidst the ghostly wails.
[Life is...sorrow.]
Shooosh!
Then, Seo Hweol's red liquid is scattered above her.
Flash!
The coordinates connect, and the gate to the Astral Realm where Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo are opens.
-x-X-x-
Clang—
It's called a 'door' for convenience, but in reality, it's a type of branded mark.
A red dragon's branded mark is imprinted on Kang Min-hee's body.
'That's...'
It's the same spell formation I've seen on the topmost floor of the Serving Command Palace.
The spell formation imposed on her body and the Ghost Kings around her begins to bind her, becoming a passage to the Astral Realm.
Zuuuuung!
A faint image of the Astral Realm begins to emerge behind Kang Min-hee.
The branded mark on her body is summoning a scene of the universe filled with stars.
And through that scene, I understand the reason Seo Hweol's curse of blindness, which was originally a thousand years, extended to a span of two billion years.
'Seo Hweol, you crazy bastard...'
The scene of the Astral Realm.
Beyond it, true to its name, an endless sea of stars stretches out.
And within that sea of stars.
Countless beings live among the fixed stars and planets.
From flame whales living within fixed stars to civilizations on blue planets, to insect-like species dwelling on planets filled with toxic clouds.
Filled with all kinds of civilizations and all forms of life, the Astral Sea (星海).
Seo Hweol is there.
Thud!
On a planet inhabited by a species resembling humans.
One of the members of that species stands there with hands behind their back, smiling faintly.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
[Hoho...]
Then, all the members of the race around them begin to laugh in the exact same manner.
[Hohohohoho...]
Thud thud thud thud thud thud!
Their alien, mask-like laughter spreads across the entire planet.
It's the same for other stars as well.
On the toxic cloud-covered planet, the poisonous insects that had been spewing venom stand up, twitching their antennae as they begin to laugh.
Even the flame whales living in the fixed stars stop swimming and begin to laugh in place.
All the life forms on every star visible behind Kang Min-hee are already infected by Seo Hweol.
Their numbers, even with a simple calculation, easily reach hundreds of billions.
No, it might even be in the trillions.
'This insane bastard. He caused all this mess while blind?'
Once fully consumed by the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, one essentially becomes identical to Seo Hweol.
Even if trillions of Seo Hweols just casually litter the streets or bump into people once a day, all those evil deeds would certainly accumulate to easily fill two billion years.
It's when I'm struck in shock.
'Wait. Seo Hweol, that bastard, could it be...?'
Somewhere far off in the Astral Realm.
From that place, I sense a familiar presence, and I understand what Seo Hweol is trying to do.
Oh Hye-seo is exerting her power.
Just like how Kim Yeon and I are connected through the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, allowing us to sense each other's intentions and share power back and forth,
Oh Hye-seo is connected to Seo Hweol and the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, exchanging authority between them.
Woo-woong—
By her authority, a Taiji appears above the inhabitants of countless stars infected by the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
The Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens stirs their souls.
Oh Hye-seo's authority, linked with the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, begins to move their Qi.
Tap!
All the Seo Hweols simultaneously form a hand seal.
The insects use their antennae, the demon beasts use their paws, tails, or fins, all forming the same hand seal.
My jaw drops at the following scene.
'The star veins...are changing.'
Chills!
Though Seo Hweol roughly explained it to me, I didn't know the exact method. Now that I understand what he's doing. I'm left utterly dumbfounded.
'By infecting the inhabitants of the planets with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol is seizing control of the dragon veins by linking their corrupted souls to the Plane of Qi through Oh Hye-seo's authority, and with that...'
He is brainwashing the stars.
Kugugugugugu!
Stars also possess souls, but those souls are completely different from those of intelligent beings or living creatures.
The will and reason within those souls is minimal.
However, Seo Hweol has temporarily brainwashed all life forms on the stars and, through those beings, is overlaying his personality onto the stars whose reason are weak.
Puhwak!
Finally, the Nether Crossing Ship makes a dimensional leap and briefly reaches the Interdimensional Void outside the Bright Cold Realm.
Despite the brand of Seo Hweol still being on her, Kang Min-hee also follows the Nether Crossing Ship and leaps out of the dimension.
I can sense the Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, which had been pursuing us, suddenly come to a stop.
[Seo Hweol!!!]
The Mad Lord is crying out in tears of blood from within the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
[Did you!? Erase my most important memory?!]
The Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens placed on the Mad Lord is unraveling.
'Damn...!'
He begins to go berserk, and Kim Young-hoon moves quickly, taking Hong Fan from the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress onto the Nether Crossing Ship.
[Seo Hweol! Seo Hweol! Seo Hweooooool!!!]
The Mad Lord's consciousness grows unstable, and as he rages, the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress that has been following us begins to descend back into the dimension.
Though the Mad Lord is cursing Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol continues his spell without paying any attention.
'The star veins...are moving.'
The attraction force of the stars brainwashed by Seo Hweol begin to move freely, causing changes in the star veins.
Deeeng—
With the senses given by the Star Vein Eye, I hear a sound like a brahma bell being struck from some distant place as the star veins move.
As the star veins shift, they sketch out a massive formation in the universe.
Deeeng—
The sound of the brahma bell rings once more, and above the formation drawn across the universe, the light of divine immortal beasts such as the Black Dragon, Lustrous Glaze Peacock, and Azure Peng appears.
It's Oh Hye-seo's authority.
Then, the forms of the immortal beasts begin to cry out in unison.
Wuuuuuuuu—
Kugugugugu!
As the immortal beasts howl, an attraction force begins to emerge from the center of the formation.
Kang Min-hee's speed slows.
Now, all that's left is for Seo Hweol to pull and for me to push.
But with the Mad Lord out of the picture...
'I have to do this alone.'
Even if Kang Min-hee struggles, there's no choice.
I have to push her out!
"Sorry, Kang Min-hee."
As I gaze upon Kang Min-hee, with tears of dark blue streaming from her eyes in the darkness, I summon the Three Great Ultimates and press both palms forward.
"Goodbye."
Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo pull, and I push.
Kugugugugu!
Kang Min-hee slowly begins to be pushed backwards.
She starts moving toward the scene of the universe.
It's then,
Flash!
A blue light seems to flicker from Kang Min-hee's hand, and she reaches out toward the two Nether Crossing Ships ahead.
Kuguguguk!
Attraction force of a cosmic level pulls towards her, summoning the Nether Crossing Ships.
It isn't her will.
The countless vengeful souls harbored within Kang Min-hee are demanding the blood debt of humanity aboard the Nether Crossing Ships.
Of course, aside from the grudge against humanity, the ghostly energy of the Nether Crossing Ships is similar to the energy Kang Min-hee has cultivated, making the attraction force even stronger.
[Aaaaaaah!!!]
Kang Min-hee's scream echoes through the Interdimensional Void.
'I'm sorry, Kang Min-hee.'
There are still so many things I haven't been able to say to her.
I can't imagine how much she's suffering.
Though I've endured hellish experiences, I don't even dare to imagine how her suffering compares, burdened with the pain of vengeful souls numbering in the quadrillions within her...
But now is not the time to comfort her as I did back then.
I have already lost far too much.
Losing more would wear down my heart too much.
The Human Race facing calamity, my comrades, and my own life...
Now, I will protect them.
Wo-woong!
However, as I sense the overwhelming power of Kang Min-hee, I break out in a cold sweat.
'She's...too strong.'
My prediction was wrong.
It isn't just that her strength is immense.
Kang Min-hee and the Nether Crossing Ship share the same ghostly energy.
As a disciple of Black Ghost Valley, she possesses the attraction force of Black Ghost Valley itself.
In other words, as long as the Nether Crossing Ship of Black Ghost Valley is advancing ahead, shaking her off completely is a nearly impossible task.
'This isn't the time to hold back!'
Kugugugung!
Watching the Nether Crossing Ships being pulled by Kang Min-hee's attraction force, I make my decision.
'I must to do everything I can to push her away!'
I draw out the Colorless Glass Sword and focus my sword intent.
Just then,
Bo-oong!
Kwagwagwang!
Suddenly, an explosive force erupts from within Kang Min-hee and throws me back completely.
"Keheok!"
I am flung back solely by the slash of a ghost claw and crash straight into one of the Nether Crossing Ships.
Kwagwagwang!
My mind feels like it's going blank.
The impact has caused the Nether Crossing Ships midsection to be half-destroyed.
Fortunately, it didn't split completely and remains barely connected.
I shout to Heo Gwak.
"Overdrive the Nether Crossing Ship! As much as you can..."
And then.
Flash!
Along with a blue light, Heo Gwak and several of the Heavenly Being stage Elders and Ghost Kings of Black Ghost Valley rush in and completely shatter the half-broken midsection of the Nether Crossing Ship.
I'm taken aback.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The Elders of Black Ghost Valley, including Heo Gwak, push the remaining half of the Nether Crossing Ship towards the other advancing Nether Crossing Ship, while the Ghost Kings of the opposite Nether Crossing Ship pull the half with their attraction force.
The half of the Nether Crossing Ship they are pushing is filled with young cultivators whose cultivation realms are lower.
Kugugugugu!
On top of the collapsing Nether Crossing Ship that is being pulled by Kang Min-hee, Heo Gwak and the other Elders of Black Ghost Valley pay their respects in the unique manner of the Black Ghost Valley towards the Nether Crossing Ship fleeing in the distance.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
As the Elders pay their respects by striking their chests, the Elders on the other Nether Crossing Ship, led by Heo Ryeong, reciprocate in the same manner.
I ask Heo Gwak.
"...Why did you stay behind? You could have escaped with your ancestors."
Heo Gwak gives a bitter smile.
"...As you may recall, Min-hee is the child I brought here."
He turns his head to look at Kang Min-hee, who is stretching her hand towards us.
Heo Gwak and the Elders all transform into Ghost Kings.
Sails sprouts from Heo Gwak's body.
He transforms into the form of a Ghost King with sails.
[The captain must share the fate of the ship. Being in a position of leadership means bearing the responsibility. I was responsible for Min-hee, and I am also responsible for this Nether Crossing Ship.]
Heo Gwak and the Ghost Kings of Black Ghost Valley calmly look at Kang Min-hee from atop the Nether Crossing Ship, drawing forth their ghostly energy.
[Therefore, we will not flee from our responsibilities!]
Paaaatt!
All at once, they throw themselves into the darkness where Kang Min-hee is, without hesitation.
Heo Gwak, until the very end, controls the split Nether Crossing Ship, charging the remaining half of it towards Kang Min-hee.
I separate from the Nether Crossing Ship, committing their final moments to memory.
Kwagwaggwawang!
The Nether Crossing Ship self-destructs, and Kang Min-hee, who has embraced its energy, momentarily pauses in the face of the familiar explosion of energy.
All the Elders of Black Ghost Valley who had ascended from the Head Realm perish without exception.
Watching them, I take out an item from my domain.
Wo-woong!
A spiritual body the size of a head, covered in pure white light.
It's the Heavenly Lotus Fruit.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
Just consuming it could turn an ordinary mortal into a Four-Axis stage cultivator—an insane spiritual fruit.
A snack enjoyed by True Immortals.
The fruit of the Melia tree nurtured by Hae Nyeong. As the true Heavenly Lotus Fruit enters my stomach, a tremendous storm of spiritual energy begins to whirl within my domain.
How much spiritual power does it take to turn an ordinary person into a Four-Axis stage cultivator?
At the very least, it would require enough spiritual energy to forcibly create the Axes of the Heavenly Circle and Earthly Bearings.
And if it's that much spiritual energy...
'Early, mid, late...Grand Perfection!'
In any case, my cultivation reached the Grand Perfection stage before regression.
It only dropped a little while regressing.
Kwarururururung!
A rumbling sound echoes from around me as lightning flickers.
'With the momentum to carve out my cultivation...'
I will unleash the single strike that severed the misfortune of the Entering Nirvana True Persons.
The Star Shattering stage is a star.
Just as Integration stage Grand Cultivators or Demon Kings develop domains within their bodies, Star Shattering Esteemed Ones form stars within their bodies.
Although it's the size of a moon, it's still large enough to be considered a star from a mortal's perspective.
In other words, to land a meaningful strike against a Star Shattering stage being, one must be able to sever a star.
'That's why you gave me the task of cutting a star, Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One.'
I charge at Kang Min-hee, unleashing my sword move.
And at some point.
'Ahh...'
I realize that I have entered what feels like a pure white space.
I must have reached the stage of awakening in the midst of facing this formidable adversary of the highest level.
In this pure white space, I clearly perceive the path I must take.
I can feel it.
The immense force to cut down a star is boiling within me.
The spiritual nature contained in the Heavenly Lotus Fruit is refining my mind.
If I take just one step forward, I will attain supreme enlightenment and cut down Kang Min-hee!
A new realm begins to unfold before my eyes, and as I stretch my hand towards the resonating enlightenment, I begin my sword dance.
In the next moment, I realize that I have been performing Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain completely wrong all this time.
A new horizon begins to open.
-x-X-x-
Inside the cluster of pure white light.
I gaze at the new horizon as if spellbound.
However, I hesitate in swinging my sword.
"...No."
Instinct whispers.
This moment of enlightenment is now or never.
If I miss this moment, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
Memories of when I failed to achieve enlightenment to the pinnacle during my first-rate martial artist days flashes through my mind.
Am I going to repeat that same regret again?
Gradually, the brilliant white light surrounding me begins to fade.
Instinct warns me more urgently.
Something whispers in my ear, shaking my heart violently.
Is this not the realm I've longed for all my life?
How can I stop here?
Has the belief that if I attain the Dao in the morning, I'm content with death in the evening faded within me?
Then, I shout back at the questions echoing inside my heart.
"It's not right after all"
Kwachang!
At that moment, the white world around me shatters.
I shout at the voice that has been whispering in my ear, trying to lead me somewhere.
"This is not my way!"
Tstststststs—
Simultaneously, the power that was boiling within me, as if ready to explode, begins to subside.
It might seem like a foolish situation where I've just missed a chance at enlightenment.
But only after overcoming this deadly temptation can I be sure.
Something is wrong.
'What went wrong?'
I ask myself.
'You could have reached a higher realm. You missed that opportunity! Just as you lost your chance to the pinnacle from first-rate and had to sacrifice a lifetime, you will waste this life as well!! It seems you'll have to endure another 190,000 years of suffering to wake up!'
I spit harsh words at myself.
But only after escaping the light and locking eyes with Kang Min-hee in the darkness do I understand.
The reason I suddenly kicked away my enlightenment.
It's...
"...Because she's not something I should cut down."
What I failed to cut down when I missed the enlightenment to the pinnacle was a leaf.
If I had cut that leaf, I would have reached the pinnacle.
But now, what I have to cut down is Kang Min-hee.
'What nonsense. Don't you have to sever all connections to rise to the Second Step Before the Throne?!'
I shout at myself.
'Cut it! Sever it! Cut off all attachments and regrets, and rise to the next realm!''
"...Wrong."
I answer my own questions and raise my sword.
What torments me the most is that, even though I've escaped the space of white light, the effects of the awakening I gained there linger, making countless possibilities of martial arts that start with the trajectory of Kang Min-hee's attack appear before my eyes.
If I keep unfolding the Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain based on these possibilities, I can surely cut her down.
I might even advance to the Second Step Before the Throne and kill the mindless Star Shattering stage Kang Min-hee.
But I don't do that.
Instead, I ignore the enlightenment descending from the domain of instinct and charge at Kang Min-hee.
'Cut it down, Seo Eun-hyun!'
"I will not cut."
'Isn't what you hold in your hand a sword?'
I look at my sword in response to my own shout.
The Colorless Glass Sword has become a Refining Void Dharma Treasure.
What are the characteristics of a Refining Void Dharma Treasure?
It is precisely that a Refining Void Dharma Treasure is partially assimilated with one's heart essence. Hence, even if it shatters or flies far away, as long as the form of the dharma treasure remains within the heart essence, it can be revived and retrieved through it.
The dharma treasure itself spans two planes, just like a cultivator's Nascent Soul.
And this means that it can transform freely, just like an axis.
My Colorless Glass Sword has already fully fused with the All-Heavens Sword at some point, transforming into a thin line.
A line is the optimal form for cutting.
It's as if I am holding the very concept of 'cutting' in my hand.
But is a line truly only meant for cutting?
Ignoring the voice in my heart urging me to cut down Kang Min-hee, I begin to enter into repentant enlightenment.
When Azure Tiger Saint and Oh Hyun-seok bought me time just moments ago,
I thought I needed their help because I found it hard to exert my full strength except by cutting.
When Heo Gwak and the Ghost Kings of Black Ghost Valley from the Head Realm self-destructed in front of Kang Min-hee just moments ago,
I thought there was no other way but to perform a sword dance.
But isn't it absurd?
Even if a sword is made for cutting and stabbing, shouldn't a true swordsman also know how to hit, block, and deflect?
The limits of the sword are not the limits of cutting.
'But it is a weapon made for cutting and stabbing.'
That is also true.
This is an instrument designed for cutting, stabbing, and killing.
However, cutting, stabbing, and killing all differ depending on the purpose.
Being able to slice vegetables or meat to make fried rice, cut through the air to perform a sword dance, and even sever through one's own limits for training—that is the sword.
In the end, even if the sword is meant for cutting, stabbing, and killing, it is the person who wields it.
As the person holding the sword, I declare.
"I do not sever my connections!"
Paaatt!
And with those words, I feel something inside me shatter.
'Is that so...?'
It's the Heavenly Lotus Fruit.
What I just mistook for enlightenment is, in fact, the Heart Demon created by the fruit of True Immortals, the Heavenly Lotus Fruit.
The insidiousness of this Heart Demon is so deep that while most other Heart Demons would be devoured by me, the one from the Heavenly Lotus Fruit is so intricate that it's indistinguishable from my own thoughts.
Intricate and powerful.
The Heart Demon from the Heavenly Lotus Fruit is shocked upon hearing my response.
However, instead of disappearing completely, it displays the possibility of a new realm right before my eyes.
The increasingly certain power of Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain.
The increasingly liberated potential of Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain!
It's a possibility so undeniably certain.
But I ignore the possibilities presented by the Heavenly Lotus Fruit and completely let go of what I hold in my hand.
'A swordsman letting go of his sword? Have you gone mad, Seo Eun-hyun!'
"It's already within me. I have never let it go even once."
The Heart Demon shakes my heart powerfully.
Letting go of the sword just now feels incredibly foolish and stupid.
But I don't care and continue advancing towards Kang Min-hee, swordless.
'You let go of your sword, so how will you block Kang Min-hee!'
Yet, as I ignite Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain around me, I speak.
"It's already within me. I can block her with this."
The hazy cloud of Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain, which manifests the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, covers the area around me.
'Wrong...letting go of the sword means abandoning the act of cutting. Your Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain will not be able to cut through anything!'
Indeed. Without the sword, the unfolding technique's sharp energy has disappeared.
Originally, this is a technique that manifests the mist of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections through the cloud of sword energy.
But this time, what unfolds seems to be just a simple ashen mist.
Half-closing my eyes, I realize as I plunge into the cloud of vengeful souls enveloping Kang Min-hee.
This is no longer just a conflict between Kang Min-hee and myself.
Now, my actions have become a battle between me and my Heart Demon.
Realizing that all the connections with Kim Yeon, which were tied by the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, have been severed by the Heart Demon, I speak to it.
"Did you sever the connections?"
'The one who severed it is you. Because you need to cut off all connections and ties and become emotionless to advance to the next stage, you unconsciously detached Kim Yeon's consciousness yourself!'
"...Severing is not the only way to reach Emptiness."
I start to fend off the vengeful spirits rushing toward me.
The hazy cloud begins to part as I carve a path towards Kang Min-hee at the center.
"Embrace all connections and become impermanence. This is the enlightenment of a being who reached the pinnacle of the world."
'Aren't you just reciting words that you yourself haven't truly understood? That's not enlightenment, it's just a chant (呪文)!'
"...You're right. I don't fully grasp the meaning of the mantra."
Thud!
I repel another vengeful soul.
Since I'm only repelling and not cutting them down to destroy them, the number of vengeful souls attacking me is gradually increasing.
As the ones I fend off return, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold my ground.
"But one thing is certain."
Attaining the Dao in the morning, content with death in the evening.
The Dao is ultimately a path.
It signifies the road I must travel.
And the meaning of 'If I attain the Dao in the morning, I am content with death in the evening' is that finding the path I must travel is of greater value than even life itself.
"My path is one where I cannot sever connections!"
Therefore.
"If it's for my connections to not be severed, I don't care about the next realm!"
Pasasak-
With that, I stop listening to the Heart Demon's words and charge forward.
Instead, I begin to feel.
I feel the connection I have at this moment.
I feel the essence between Kang Min-hee and myself.
She is someone with deep feelings and great empathy.
Although she might appear prickly and unsociable, her heart is always warm.
When something irritating happens, she may act tough on the outside, but in private, she softens.
It's precisely because she is like this that she embraced the resentment of countless vengeful spirits into her heart.
In the end, it's Kang Min-hee who has a heart so broad that she can embrace the pain of these resentful ghosts.
However, if she carries the pain of others herself...
Who, then, will bear her own pain?
Kurung!
I finally break through the vengeful spirits and reach the barrier enveloping Kang Min-hee.
A barrier formed by the gathered souls of Ghost Kings.
To cross through this barrier, I must ultimately cut it.
But perhaps due to the influence of the Heart Demon, the sharp energy in my attack has vanished.
I must break through this wall without cutting or stabbing it.
It seems like an impossible task.
Yes, just like...
The task Jang Ik gave me, to cut through a star.
I recall the All-Heavens Sword that I threw into the sky.
At any time, I can summon the All-Heavens Sword.
And if I were to slash with the All-Heavens Sword, I would be able to break through the barrier.
But I don't do that.
'You fool. Are you just going to stand here and die a meaningless death without doing anything?'
"It's not a meaningless death."
I respond to the Heart Demon, my eyes gleaming.
Kang Min-hee's ghost claw flies toward me.
Dodging the slash, I shout.
"No matter who, how, or for what reason someone dies, there's no such thing as a meaningless death in this world!"
All deaths have meaning.
Because the life that led to that death holds meaning.
Why does life have meaning?
A life that seems empty and hollow. What meaning is there in a life that from the perspective of death, is so transparent that neither blessings nor curses can be seen?
—Like combining all intents turns them colorless, embrace all connections and become impermanence.
Perhaps, life is not something empty but something full, and that fullness gives it meaning.
Perhaps, there's no fundamental difference between emptiness and fullness.
Just as the combining of all intents creates the meaning of colorless.
Perhaps, combining connections creates the meaning of impermanence!
Therefore,
I will not die here.
Paaaatt!
Light begins to emanate from my body.
The faint mist of Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain, the hazy mist that manifests the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, shines brightly.
That light expels all the light of the Heavenly Lotus Fruit from my body.
Ironically, the Heavenly Lotus Fruit was only ever a hindrance to me, apart from replenishing my energy.
The nourishment of True Immortals became a calamity for me, turning the Heavenly Lotus Fruit into a terrifying Heart Demon mass.
Twitch, twitch...
I identify the true nature of the Heart Demon within the Heavenly Lotus Fruit.
More precisely, I realize the 'cause' that gave birth to the Heart Demon.
It's a small, dark-red mist.
Thinking about it, no matter how ancient and miraculous the Heavenly Lotus Fruit is, it's still the fruit of a tree that sealed the authority of Blood Yin, the leftover of Yu Hao Te, for tens of thousands of years.
There's no way it could have remained untouched by the aura of Blood Yin.
Thinking back, I should have been suspicious from the moment Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens slipped out from my shadow and activated the 'Blood Sacrifice Ritual,' forming an attraction force with Blood Yin.
Before I knew it, I was led by Seo Hweol to eat the Heavenly Lotus Fruit, which has been contaminated by Blood Yin.
That must have been what created the Heart Demon.
But it doesn't matter.
In the end, I found the answer after overcoming the Heart Demon.
Flash!
Light swirls, and the next moment, I rise to the Plane of Soul along with the clouds!
My entire body.
My entire domain!
Steps fully into the realm beyond the First Step.
This, is the stage that some call the Second Step Before the Throne.
Within the radiant light, standing firmly in the Plane of Soul, I draw the sword from within my heart.
Without cutting anyone, the sword forms a sword veil (劍幕), sending Kang Min-hee's barrier and the countless vengeful spirits surrounding it flying away with a powerful burst of light.
Tststststststs!
Finally, I charge towards the chest of Kang Min-hee, who has grown to the size of a Sky Island after absorbing the energy of the ghosts within the barrier.
Chwak!
Inside Kang Min-hee's chest.
The darkness formed by ghostly energy is thick and sticky.
This darkness is connected to the Plane of Soul, making it even more of an obstacle for me, who has fully entered the Plane of Soul.
But I pay no mind, piercing through all the obstacles in a straight line and diving deep into her depths.
And finally.
Paaatt!
I arrive at a familiar place, shrouded in misty clouds.
Kang Min-hee's domain.
Pure white clouds amidst a boundless sunset.
At the center of those clouds, Kang Min-hee's true form is crying.
She, having turned into a dark shadow, is shedding blue tears.
I slowly approach her.
—Don't come.
I hear Kang Min-hee's inner voice.
—I don't want you to get hurt.
With my eyes having already entered the realm of the soul, I can perceive even the thoughts she wishes to hide within her heart.
—Please, just go.
Paat!
As Kang Min-hee swings her hand, a powerful repulsive force surges towards me.
I continue approaching, undeterred.
She unleashes an attack against me.
I advance, enduring the assaults.
And when I stand just three zhang away from her.
Paaatt!
A thorn extending from her body pierces my chest.
Pukwak!
This thorn, drenched in the energy of death and deeply anchored within the Plane of Soul, pierces my chest and penetrates through my back, tearing apart my domain and leaving a massive scar.
—Don't come!
And yet, I begin to walk forward.
Step, step...
Even with the thorn embedded in my chest, even as the thorn sinks deeper into my body.
Even as she pushes me away, even as she causes me greater pain.
Finally, standing before her, I kneel and tightly embrace Kang Min-hee.
Paaaatt!
Having reached the realm of the soul, I use only my will to fill Kang Min-hee's heart with the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.
She momentarily regains consciousness and cries.
"What are you doing...stupid?"
Instead of answering, I hug her even tighter.
If there is someone who can embrace all the pain and resentment of every departed soul in the world, who will embrace that person's own pain and resentment?
"Kang Min-hee."
The phrase 'Attaining the Dao in the morning, content with death in the evening' does not simply mean using any means necessary to become stronger.
"Stay still."
"...Don't do it, Seo Eun-hyun."
It means having the courage to throw away one's life, or even something more precious than life, to find one's own path.
If you have already found your path, then risking everything to achieve it is 'Attaining the Dao in the morning, content with death in the evening.'
The pain of one who embraces the suffering of all, can be given to the embrace of the connection they hold.
My path is connection.
'I'm sorry, everyone.'
I feel it.
Ever since I expelled the Heart Demon from the Heavenly Lotus Fruit, the being that was trying to take over my body through the Heart Demon has been overtly exerting its attraction force and trying to come over to this side.
The remnants of the Heart Demon are forming an attraction force between that being and myself.
It's highly likely that it's the [Being Who Governs the Blood Yin Realm].
At this rate, not only me but Kang Min-hee and our comrades will all be swept away.
To prevent a repeat of the Owner of Great Mountain incident.
And...to protect Kang Min-hee from suffering, at least in this lifetime...
I activate the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens.
As I offer myself as a sacrifice, the surrounding clouds darken and storm clouds envelop us,
Smiling as I hold her, I whisper.
"Come down."
The next moment.
"All-Heavens."
Pukwak!
The All-Heavens Sword, which I threw into the sky, pierces through the vengeful spirits, the barrier, Kang Min-hee's domain, and the storm clouds of the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens, descending from the heavens towards her.
Beyond Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion, in the realm Jang Ik calls Second Step Before the Throne, my first single strike becomes a pillar of light that pierces us both simultaneously.
Holding her, I collapse. With my sword, along with Tribulating Heavens, I sever the connection felt deep within her soul that reaches the depths of the Netherworld, filling the void within her.
I smile even amidst the pain.
She said life is sorrow.
But what does a person live for?
A person lives to attain the Dao in the morning.
What is the Dao that the person can attain?
The name of that Dao is connection.
Even if life is full of sorrow, as long as there is connection, it won't be completely sorrowful.
That is my twenty-first return.
-x-X-x-
The familiar river of time.
The familiar seats.
Familiar scenes flash before my eyes.
And in the next moment.
'Huh?'
Paaaatt!
I return.
"...What?"
Kugugugugu!
The Nether Crossing Ship crumbles, and at the moment I just grabbed the Heavenly Lotus Fruit.
In other words...
'What is this!?'
To the very moment just before!
I feel my pupils shaking violently.
The point of return has been fixed once again.
Kugugugugu!
Up ahead, Kang Min-hee, having completely swallowed the Nether Crossing Ship, is leaping towards me again.
'Why? Just why?'
My head feels like it's going to explode from the absurdity and strangeness of the situation.
Just why has the return point been fixed now?
It's so strange and incomprehensible.
'What exactly are the conditions for this fixation?'
Can it be that the condition isn't simply ascending from the Head Realm?
'More importantly, there's never been a fixation in the Interdimensional Void until now.'
Whether it was the Flying Immortal Platform in the Vast Cold Realm or within the Vestiges, fixation had always occurred within entities that could be called worlds.
However, this time's return fixation was so sudden and bewildering.
But this time, the fixation feels so abrupt and bewildering.
"Ugh..."
'What's this?'
For a moment, I feel a disgusting sensation, as if something is thoroughly scanning my body. But when I look around, all I see is Kang Min-hee and the last remaining Nether Crossing Ship moving off in the distance.
Amidst confusion and bewilderment, I steady my nauseous stomach and focus my mind.
'There's a lot to think about, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.'
I grab the All-Heavens Sword.
Tststststst!
The faint clouds of Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain rise from the sword.
I focus all my consciousness on the sword and unleash the single strike gained from rising to a new realm.
The faint clouds shine.
The clouds softly, yet powerfully, push Kang Min-hee away.
Seo Hweol pulls her from the other side, and as I push, her body begins to gradually cross over towards the Astral Realm.
[As expected of Daoist Seo. I had faith in you!]
Seo Hweol smiles faintly from the other side, praising me.
And I, too, smile back at him, raising the Heavenly Lotus Fruit in my hand.
In my previous life, I didn't notice the malice hidden inside this spirit fruit but this time it's different.
I won't provoke the fragment of Blood Yin within it.
Woo-woong!
The Heavenly Lotus Fruit flies toward Kang Min-hee, naturally embedding itself into her bosom.
[...Daoist Seo?]
"If you try anything in the Astral Realm against Kang Min-hee, the fragment of [Their] split soul within the Heavenly Lotus Fruit will erode you."
[...]
Kang Min-hee is now being separated from us and is reaching the Astral Realm, filled with Seo Hweols.
Who knows what Seo Hweol might do to her once she's there.
That's why I planted the fragment of Blood Yin that Seo Hweol finds so uncomfortable within her bosom.
I have no worries about Kang Min-hee being consumed by the Blood Yin fragment.
The Chief Judge of the Netherworld who appeared within Kang Min-hee during the last cycle!
As long as that entity is connected to Kang Min-hee, the fragment of Blood Yin will remain dormant, without causing any trouble in her possession!
[...]
I can sense Seo Hweol silently watching me beyond the voice transmission without saying a word in response to my statement.
It was Seo Hweol who nonchalantly joined hands with me and led me to eat the Heavenly Lotus Fruit imbued with the fragment of Blood Yin.
If I hadn't achieved enlightenment and driven out the Heart Demon, if I hadn't expelled Blood Yin's split soul, I might not have regressed, but rather have become a mere puppet of Blood Yin.
Clearly, I was backstabbed, but I don't feel entirely bad about it.
Because of that situation, I gained enlightenment. But more importantly, by expelling the fragment of Blood Yin, I became able to speculate about the relationship between Blood Yin and Seo Hweol.
Blood Yin perceives Seo Hweol to be on the same side.
However, it seems that Seo Hweol finds Blood Yin extremely uncomfortable, and perhaps even somewhat fearful.
"Isn't that right, Seo Hweol? The something born from Blood Yin."
I realized that Seo Hweol is one of the branches extended from Blood Yin.
Thanks to my contact with Blood Yin's fragments, some knowledge flowed into me, and I could finally understand the mural I saw back on Cherry Blossom Dragon Island.
Blood Yin used Purple Soul Filling the Heavens to give birth to Hyeon Eum, and Hyeon Eum's Purple Soul Filling the Heavens gave birth to Ja Eum, and through Ja Eum, the endlessly spread-out Sea Dragon Race was born.
Thus, the Sea Dragon Race are essentially branches that extend from the tree that is Blood Yin. [Branches of Blood Yin].
And among those [Branches of Blood Yin], something twisted, and the very being born from that is Seo Hweol.
Much like the relationship between me and Seo Li, it's fair to say he's a clone that came to have self-consciousness.
Since a clone can very easily be reabsorbed by the main body if it wishes, it makes sense that Seo Hweol finds Blood Yin and the Blood Yin Realm so uncomfortable and even fears being reabsorbed against his will.
Seo Hweol stands silently on the side of the Astral Realm, staring directly at me in response to my words.
He no longer lets out his unpleasant 'hoho' laugh like before.
Beyond the scene of the Astral Realm, Seo Hweol, who has become a star, and all the inhabitants of that star stare up at me with expressionless faces, a sight that's rather a chilling sight.
However, I don't feel bad at all.
"Can you even offer an excuse for what you intended by planting the fragment of Blood Yin inside me?"
At my words, all the Seo Hweols reach out their hands toward me in silence.
Blink!
From the hands of the Seo Hweols, a single eyeball appears.
The bastard is clearly trying to brainwash me.
"You said you wouldn't betray me until the alliance is broken. Every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie."
Seo Hweol replies to my accusation.
[This time, it wasn't a lie. It was a vow sworn on my very essence.]
"Then..."
[If we were never on the same side in the first place, how could it be called betrayal, Daoist Seo?]
"Haha...O Seo Hweol..."
I raise the All-Heavens Sword.
Hwiiiiiiiii!
Having pushed away Kang Min-hee, the recoil propels me towards where my comrades have gone.
I am flying back to the interior of the Bright Cold Realm, falling into the Heart Tribe territory.
Having just risen to a new realm, I can currently use about three Second Step Before the Throne moves.
But since I used Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain once to push Kang Min-hee away, I have only two left.
Two is sufficient.
'No, sufficient isn't quite right.'
Zuuuuung!
'It's excessive!'
In the Astral Realm, Seo Hweol joins forces with Oh Hye-seo and seizes control of the power of the stars.
The bastard's attraction force that pulled Kang Min-hee completely into the Astral Realm is now binding me as well.
At the same time, the eyes in the hands of those reaching out to me burn bright red.
I imbue my heart into my sword.
What is the ultimate meaning of swordsmanship?
Ask any martial artist from the Head Realm, Kim Young-hoon, or even cultivators like Hong Su-ryeong who have mastered sword divine powers, and their answer will be the same.
The Dao of the Heart Sword (心劍之道)!
The realm where one moves the sword of the heart!
Because that is the ultimate realm every sword practitioner dreams of.
When it comes to imagining the highest realm, there is no distinction between martial artists and cultivators. Sword practitioners devote their entire lives to reaching that realm through the sword.
I obtained the Formless Sword after rising from Entering Heavens Beyond the Path, taking a step closer to the Heart Sword, and obtaining the All-Heavens Sword brought me even closer.
Yet, even after reaching Seated Detachment, Entering Hope, the Dao of the Heart Sword seemed endlessly distant.
But the moment I rose to this realm called Second Step Before the Throne, I finally realized.
'The Heart Sword is truly right before my eyes.'
The peak of the seemingly endless towering mountain begins to reveal itself.
Sword practitioners who pursue the Heart Sword must each find their own answer to reach it.
And my answer is this.
What is the Heart Sword?
The Heart Sword is a sword that cuts with only the heart.
How can there be such a thing in this world that can cut with only the heart?
The answer is simple.
To cut a heart, all you need is the heart itself.
The will to [cut], whispered to me by the Formless Sword and the All-Heavens Sword, becomes one with me completely.
I pierce through Seo Hweol from the Plane of Soul with the will to [cut].
Chwak!
Beyond the scenery of the Astral Realm.
One of the countless Seo Hweols' eyes returns to normal.
His Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was cut.
But that isn't the end.
Chwak, chwak, chwak!
Starting with the first Seo Hweol who was cut, like how his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens spreads contagiously, the Heart Sword begins to infect him.
The single strike of Seated Detachment, Entering Hope is a form of heart language that conveys one's own heart to the opponent.
Condensing one's own heart to influence the opponent is the very essence of the Seated Detachment, Entering Hope single strike.
Once one becomes accustomed to delivering their heart to the opponent, they can unleash single strike after single strike of this realm.
Then, what kind of attack can one unleash from the realm beyond, where the heart can fire endlessly?
"Try to escape, Seo Hweol."
People exchange hearts and change at every moment.
Therefore, the me from one second ago is inevitably different from the me a second later.
"You won't escape so easily."
The Heart Sword I've displayed is based on the concept that 'when people meet, they change,' engraving my Heart Sword into the opponent's heart. With the sword energy, the opponent's heart is endlessly cut.
There's only one way to escape from this Heart Sword.
By calming the 'change created by meeting me,' only then can one escape from the Heart Sword.
To put it simply in one sentence,
From the moment you're struck by this Heart Sword, the structure is such that if you even 'think of me,' your heart will be cut by sword energy.
To escape from the Heart Sword, you must completely forget me, the one who shot the Heart Sword, and maintain a pure, empty heart.
Of course, the difficulty of that is akin to being told, 'Don't think of an elephant,' and immediately not thinking of one. Even the Heart Tribe, who dedicate their entire lives to training the heart, would find this far from easy.
This is my answer for reaching the true Dao of the Heart Sword.
The peak of the heart grows more rugged the more one thinks of it.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Thirty-Second Move.
Sub-Heart Sword (亞心劍)
This is Transcending Mountain Ridge Embedment (嶺踰越嵌).
'They say when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.'
The Heart Sword I created while thinking of Seo Hweol is eerily similar to his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
[...!!!]
Kugugugugu!
Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, numbering in the hundreds of millions, begins to be slashed apart all at once.
His brainwashing wave is certainly dangerous.
Dangerous enough to even brainwash me.
But what if I cut down that very will before he can even release those waves?
The sword of my heart that I send forth cuts through the Seo Hweols who think of me.
Like the 'shocks you the moment you recognize it' gaze or name of a True Immortal.
Akin to such entities, the more Seo Hweol thinks of me, the deeper my Heart Sword pierces into his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Gradually, the scenery of the Astral Realm fades.
With a final glimpse of Kang Min-hee, who has fallen into the Astral Realm, and Seo Hweol writhing in agony from the Heart Sword, I smile as I fall into the dimensional veil of the Bright Cold Realm.
Thunk—
I sense that Seo Hweol, through some means, has escaped my Sub-Heart Sword.
But I do not worry.
Because undoubtedly, the form of the Sub-Heart Sword's Transcending Mountain Ridge Embedment is a fatal blow he will never recover from.
'Next time, pray you don't meet me, Seo Hweol.'
Using the Sub-Heart Sword and Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, I now have confidence that I can uncover Seo Hweol's main body.
Chwak!
Following the traces of the Nether Crossing Ship that my comrades have passed, I enter the dimensional barrier of the Bright Cold Realm, and as I fall towards the 'Heart Tribe territory' below, I let out a hollow smile.
The sudden fixation of this moment in time.
Though I still don't fully understand the incomprehensible laws of regression, deep inside, I feel immense gratitude.
Because I have drawn even closer to those I wish to protect.
'Next time, I will be able to save Kang Min-hee.'
There's nothing standing in my way now.
In the span of three hundred years, I will undoubtedly reach the Star Shattering stage and save her no matter what!
Cough!
Blood mixes with my cough.
Perhaps it's because I unleashed a fairly excessive single strike shortly after reaching this realm, but my entire body starts to lose strength.
Yet, even though I can't move a single finger, a faint smile spreads across my face.
'I've finally reached it...'
I've finally reached the realm that Jang Ik calls the Second Step Before the Throne.
The Entering Heavens Beyond the Path Martial Arts, created by Kim Young-hoon, is a formula that sings of hope.
It's a formula that proves life is joy and expresses the joy of training in martial arts.
Feeling the deepest sense of overwhelming joy among all the emotions I've felt throughout my endless years of training martial arts,
And resonating with the formula of Entering Heavens Beyond the Path Martial Arts more than ever,
I fall towards the Heart Tribe territory.
Translator Notes: I should've translated it as Seated Detachment, Entering Hope since a while back but I completely forgot about it :P.
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