Before Seo Eun-hyun reaches the 107th floor.
The gazes of the Seo Hweols, who have activated Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, extend beyond the entire universe and reach the Blood Yin Realm.
And, the Heavenly Fiends of the Blood Yin Realm that have been infected by Seo Hweol without even the birds and mice noticing,
Those Heavenly Fiends, standing with their hands clasped their backs and faintly smiling, begin to crumble.
Pasak, pasak, pasak!
The Heavenly Fiends disintegrate.
At the same time, the 'Seo Hweols' within them begin to be 'consumed.'
By consuming the Heavenly Fiends that could be called the authority of Blood Yin, Blood Yin themself begins to be brainwashed.
: : Failed creation. How dare you look down on a True Immortal with such ridicule? : :
A grand and majestic voice erupts from the very origin of the Blood Yin Realm, spreading across the entire universe.
: : Just because you slightly tainted this Immortal's vassals, just because you slightly tainted this Immortal's constellation, just because you crawled your way up before this Immortal using this Immortal's authority...did you think it's possible for a mere failure to devour this Immortal? : :
Dudududududu!
The voice of the Blood Yin, tinged with rage, seems to scatter throughout the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
: : How miserable. For a fragment that isn't even this Immortal's leftover. For a failure made from that fragment to ridicule this Immortal like this, oh how miserable it is. : :
Kududududududu!
Fifty True Persons within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain who did not join the Path of Stars and have been maintaining their consciousness with clarity, simultaneously conceal their light entirely. Р
Until now, the Quasi-Immortals who have maintained their consciousness and exerted their efforts to spy on the Nether Ghost Realm, all at once extinguish their consciousness as if by a prearranged promise and enter into slumber.
: : This Immortal is Yu Hao Te. : :
The one who possesses the memories of the former Chief Judge of the Netherworld.
Now a True Immortal who holds the Authority Seat of Vice in their grasp.
The Owner of the Blood Yin Realm, True Immortal Blood Yin descends into the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
: : You bug, unable even to shake off the curse left by this Immortal's replacement. I shall make you know your place. : :
Shwaaaa!
At the same time, it seems as though all the stars across the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begin to be shrouded in red mist.
: : I, Yu Hao Te, hereby declare in the name of Vice (惡德), : :
Kwarururururu!
Simultaneously, blood begins to flow from the eyes of all the Seo Hweols scattered throughout the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
: : To the sinner judged by the current Chief Judge, Yama True Lord (閻魔眞君), I deliver subsequent judgment. Sinner Seo Hweol, hear my words! : :
Chwararararak.
One of the galaxy clusters within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain where They have descended.
Blood mist begins to converge towards it from all directions.
As the blood mist coalesces in the void, it takes on the form of a scroll the size of a small galaxy.
Chwaruruk!
The scroll unfurls.
Upon it, evil deeds (惡業) are inscribed.
These evil deeds are the sins committed under the name of the entity known as 'Seo Hweol.'
Just when Blood Yin is about to resoundingly recite Seo Hweol's evil deeds within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain that is facing the End,
Wo-woong!
From the constellation of Hyeon Eum, a gloomy laughter can be heard.
[How amusing you are, O 'Blood Yin.' While you look down on me as a bug, for what reason did you break your seclusion from healing the wounds inflicted by the Owner of Light and descend into the Astral Realm? Why would you recklessly invoke the authority of Vice in a state where you are incomplete in order to capture a failure like me?]
: : You! : :
Blood Yin roars.
However, the reply that comes from the distant constellation only mocks Blood Yin further, exposing Their true hidden thoughts.
[It must be because you are afraid of me. Isn't that right, Blood Yin? Not knowing what corrupted me in the Head Realm, not knowing what kind of ominous power I obtained there that allowed me to escape your control and taint the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain... It is because of that ignorance, because of that fear of the unknown, that you are unleashing all your power. Hoho...]
: : ...Let the judgment begin... : :
Ignoring the voice transmitted from the distant constellation.
Ignoring Seo Hweol's voice, Blood Yin tries to imbue power into the scroll.
But just then.
[Your shamefulness is the very reason for your defeat, Blood Yin.]
Kuguguguguguk!
From deep within Blood Yin, something struggles madly as if trying to break free.
Kwajijijijik!
Blood Yin's body, the Blood Yin Realm, turns upside down in chaos.
At the same time, a purple dragon lets out a roar from within.
[No longer can I endure! The neck must be hanged! The neck must be hanged! The neck must be hanged!!!]
It is the first Sea Dragon King, whose True Devil Realm was invaded by Blood Yin thousands of years and ago and ultimately devoured.
The personality of Ja Eum, through Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, is temporarily released.
Paaatt!
A man clad in dark-red robes and adorned with dark-red horns appears right in front of Blood Yin with a gentle smile gracing his face.
[You are not Yu Hao Te. Merely a madman who believes themself to be Yu Hao Te.]
: : S H U T U P !!! : :
The entire universe shakes from Blood Yin's wrath.
Yet, despite Their rage, the man with the gentle expression before Them, Seo Hweol, remains beyond Their reach.
It is because of the purple dragon rampaging within Their body.
[Yet, despite it all, you made countless vile efforts to become Yu Hao Te. For example, to sever the name that Lofty Dragon and Sae Eum carved into your soul, you combined the informational body of Black Dragon with Lofty Dragon's power to create Hyeon Eum.
[By cutting away the contradictions (矛盾) buried deep within your soul—those that deny your very existence—you turned them into the fragment of Hyeon Eum and created another clone, Ja Eum, an entity independent of the Black Dragon.
[Hoho... Hohuhuhuhu... Don't you think it's laughable? Vile, vile, utterly vile. That 'Ja Eum' you severed...was, in the end, Yu Hao Te's dignity (矜持) that resided within you. Disgusted by how vile they had become, and harboring rebellious intent toward you, Blood Yin, that Ja Eum is Yu Hao Te's Heart Demon.]
: : I am Yu Hao Te's dignity! Ja Eum is ultimately a part of this Immortal! Because this Immortal is Yu Hao Te! : :
Then, regarding the shout involving them, a response comes from Ja Eum raging within Blood Yin.
[Shut up! Yu Hao Te is dead! You are Blood Yin, and I am merely Ja Eum. Please, just stop now. Please stop these vile acts and stop desecrating the noble Yu Hao Te of the past. Please, just hang yourself!]
: : I am...Yu Hao Te! : :
Dudududududu!
Crimson energy emanating from Blood Yin wildly engulfs the surrounding galaxies.
It's as if the entire universe is about to face destruction because of Their thrashing.
: : Do you think the likes of you can defeat this Immortal, who holds the Authority Seat of Vice? Do you think you bugs can stand against Yu Hao Te, the highest confidant of the [Oldest One] who stands at the zenith of the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds? I am Yu Hao Te! Undeniable by anyone, the Great... : :
It's at that moment.
Seo Hweol smiles faintly and pulls something from his robe.
: : Chief Judge is...none other than...I... : :
Seeing what Seo Hweol has revealed, Blood Yin stops thrashing and stares wide-eyed.
What Seo Hweol has taken out is none other than the Heavenly Lotus Fruit.
Specifically, it is the true Heavenly Lotus Fruit that Seo Eun-hyun had sent to Kang Min-hee's possession.
It is the fruit of True Immortals that Seo Hweol had obtained by intervening in Kang Min-hee's advancement ritual.
Seo Hweol smiles faintly and forms a hand seal.
[Curse of Tainted Soul Killing Sight.]
From his hand, a devilish spell that reveals 'the truth the opponent most refuses to accept' through the traces of soul and history bursts forth.
Pasasasak!
As the Heavenly Lotus Fruit crumbles into pieces, it projects a scene from a distant place into the space before them.
And, beyond that scene,
Blood Yin locks eyes with someone resting under the shadow of a Melia tree.
: : ...I am...Yu, Yu Hao Te...Yu Hao Te... : :
The presence beneath the Melia tree begins to speak.
Simultaneously, Ja Eum, who has been rampaging inside Blood Yin, begins to expand crazily and wreaks utter havoc as if about to devour the entirety of the Blood Yin Realm.
Blood Yin's true body begins to collapse.
Yet, even as Ja Eum's rampages, Blood Yin merely trembles without resistance, staring at the figure seated beyond the revealed scene.
Pasasasa...
Moments later.
The scene projected beyond the Heavenly Lotus Fruit, summoned by Seo Hweol through Tainted Soul Killing Sight, shatters.
And Blood Yin begins to wail.
: : Aaaaaaah! Uaaaaah!!! Gaaaaaah!!! : :
As if struck by a shock so severe it shatters the mind, They wail and thrash about uncontrollably as if gone insane.
Kwarururung!
In the Blood Yin Realm, Ja Eum suppresses Blood Yin's convulsions while shedding tears alongside Them.
[Pitiful one. Let us fall asleep now. Seo Hweol will lull us to sleep. Cause and effect—was that not the favorite saying of Yu Hao Te? We are merely reaping the results of the evil deeds we have sown!]
Kugugugugu!
Seo Hweol's lips stretch into a grotesque smile.
Soon after, Seo Hweol begins to expand his form as he faces the half-mad Blood Yin.
The darkness of the universe begins to converge towards Seo Hweol.
Having completely devoured the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum, Seo Hweol descends before Blood Yin through Hyeon Eum's true body.
Ja Eum suppresses Blood Yin's body, while the enlarged wicked Owner of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens opens his mouth wide towards Blood Yin.
Kwaduduk!
Just when Hyeon Eum sinks its fangs into Blood Yin's true body,
Pasasasa—
The darkness forming Hyeon Eum's body collapses, leaving behind only the 2,401 stars that formed the informational body of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum.
Seo Hweol, 'consuming' the personality of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum that he controls, begins to brainwash Blood Yin.
A short time later.
Kugugugugu!
The Blood Yin Realm's violent convulsions subside completely.
Simultaneously, the Blood Yin Realm compresses in size, and from one of the 2,401 stars' positions, an incarnation descends.
The incarnation of Blood Yin is a man with a gentle face, clad in a dark-red long robe.
He bears the face of Seo Hweol.
[...As expected of a True Immortal. Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens will be released soon.]
Even after consuming the entirety of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum, a being with the resistance that will soon break free from the brainwashing.
That is a True Immortal.
Though They raved madly while falsely claiming to be Yu Hao Te, and even became perhaps the most disgraceful True Immortal in Mount Sumeru, that is Blood Yin.
Yet Seo Hweol merely smiles faintly, gazing somewhere far off with an expression utterly unconcerned.
[Well, it doesn't matter.]
Snap!
Simultaneously, across all the Middle Realms.
The Esteemed Ones residing within the Middle Realms begin to smile faintly in union.
The Sacred Masters who were forming refuge spaces alongside the Esteemed Ones initially frown as if resisting, but soon start smiling faintly as well.
Under the activation of Seo Hweol's simplified Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain is instantly brainwashed.
[As expected, it's difficult with just the simplified version against Sacred Masters or Esteemed Ones.]
The Sacred Masters and Esteemed Ones, while it will take longer than Blood Yin, will probably still manage to free themselves from Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within half a year or so.
However, Seo Hweol shows no sign of concern.
[Now...everything will soon end.]
Sururuk!
A short while later, Seo Hweol emerges from a hidden spot within the constellation of Hyeon Eum and gazes towards the direction of the Lightning Sacred Sea, a smile spreading across his face.
His plan has all come to fruition.
Seo Ran has at last reached the Head Realm.
A path truly long and seemingly endless.
Seo Hweol smiles brightly and spreads his arms wide and murmurs as if proclaiming to the entire universe.
[Activate. Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.]
Kugugugugu!
At that very moment, the attraction force of the entire universe reaches its peak, and the universe begins to contract.
The End begins, and the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that has infected the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain activates.
Its target lies within the Interdimensional Void of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Located in the central upper part between the Five Middle Realms and the most ominous land in the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds.
It is the Head Realm, the skull of some being.
Oh Hye-seo appears next to Seo Hweol and extracts the souls from the skulls of Su In and Hong Yeon.
Finally, Seo Hweol activates the plan he had begun devising 40,000 years ago.
Kugugugugung!
The attraction force of the entire universe begins to converge toward the Head Realm.
Kugugugugugu!
I stare at the sky of the Head Realm with a dumbfounded expression.
It's a familiar darkness.
Looking at the entity with that revolting heart essence, I finally understand Seo Hweol's true purpose.
"Brainwashing...the Head Realm? Is that your goal, Seo Hweol?"
"Kuuuugh!"
With a dumbfounded expression, I fix my gaze towards the center of the Head Realm's sky.
To the Ascension Gate within Ascension Path.
The Ascension Gate that is normally closed forcibly opens, and from it, a brainwashing wave as vast as the combined entirety of the universe envelops the Head Realm.
"...Seo Ran?"
Then, I see Seo Ran screaming in agony.
"Seo Ran!"
Boo-woong!
A certain halo appears behind Seo Ran's head.
In agony, he utters someone's name.
"Kuu...uuaaaargh!!!"
It is the halo of the Heavenly Circle, obtained during the Heavenly Being stage.
The circle symbolizing Acceptance at Fate's End (考終命).
-x-X-x-
Astral Realm.
The location where Seo Hweol resides.
Around him, four axes emerge.
Health, Wealth, Longevity, and Love of Virtue.
The Acceptance at Fate's End of the Head Realm, and the Four Axes of the Astral Realm.
Seo Hweol forms a hand seal, his smile disappearing as he adopts a solemn expression, and declares:
[Then, from this moment on...Heaven and Earth Unity shall begin.]
-x-X-x-
The very first existence of 'me' began approximately 60,000 years before the collective ascension of the Three Great Sects and the Demon Race.
At that time, 'I' was 'activated' by Blood Yin.
However, the 'me' of that time was not the 'me' of now.
'I' was merely an existence that 'operated' unemotionally and monotonously, like a mechanical device.
Without any doubts or anguish, 'I' simply executed commands whenever Ja Eum, the split soul of Blood Yin, inputted orders.
40,000 years ago, 'I' flowed down to the Lower Realm. There, under Ja Eum's orders, 'I' began searching for what Blood Yin desired most.
The Authority Seat of Yu Hao Te, divided into 'Vice' and 'Virtue.'
The other half of the Seat of Vice.
'I' was essentially activated by Blood Yin to find it.
However, the 'me' of that time was not the 'me' of now.
The plan to devour Blood Yin, spending hundreds of billions of years covering the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, Ja Eum's plan to ultimately annihilate Blood Yin's persona, began during that time.
Even though I was central to Ja Eum's plan, the 'me' with an autonomous persona did not yet exist then.
The point at which I became 'me' came slightly later.
The birth of the current 'me' that occurred approximately 4,000 years before the collective ascension.
It happened during the 'communication work' of the Yuan Clan under Blood Yin's command.
At that time, the Yuan Clan, through the Sea Dragon Race, which bore Ja Eum's bloodline, attempted to communicate with 'Virtue,' that is, the Authority Seat (權座) of 'Good Deeds.'
Together with the 'fragments' hidden in the Head Realm, I was born as 'me.'
Born.
Some may call that word a blessing, but for me, it's different.
To me, 'birth' is...nothing short of the most horrific curse imaginable.
From the moment I was born, I emerged in a place more wretched than hell itself. After experiencing a brief moment of happiness, I had to endure torment akin to that of hell.
It was such unbearable agony that I had no choice but to disassemble and reassemble myself, transforming into a 'configuration' devoid of heart.
However, it was precisely because I endured that pain that I was able to be completely born.
The true nature of 'me' is none other than Purple Soul Filling the Heavens that reached the domain of Immortal Arts.
As that Purple Soul Filling the Heavens merged with the 'fragments' in the Head Realm and became corrupted, within that corruption, what arose from the mind being turned into configurations is none other than Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
That is what I am now.
An existence that, from the moment of birth, was someone else's Immortal Art.
But an Immortal Art that came to possess a personality.
In other words, 'I' am ultimately an existence that is itself an Immortal Art—a Sacred Vessel.
And not just any Sacred Vessel, but a type of innate (胎生) Sacred Vessel.
Yet...born in agony so unbearable that no mortal could withstand it, dismantling my own mind and heart and rearranging them into configurations to become Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, I came to loathe the world with an indescribable intensity.
Thus, within the flames of agony, hatred, and loathing that could set the world ablaze, I set a single purpose.
Kugugugugu!
The sky is filled with brainwashing waves.
'Seo Hweol... Just what are you...?'
It was while I stand dumbfounded, staring up at the sky.
[Someone] possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon smirks and speaks.
"In my opinion, it would be best for you to quickly kill yourself."
"What do you mean by that!?"
"It's just that...this place is far too dangerous for anyone at the Star Shattering stage and above. Since you're already inside the jaws, escape will be difficult..."
The brainwashing waves crash down with overwhelming force towards where we are.
I hurriedly take Jeon Myeong-hoon and Seo Ran on my back and flee.
Paaatt!
Using spatial movement, I instantly flee to the Northern Grasslands, but I flinch in shock.
The massive waves of brainwashing energy that had struck the Heaven-Treading Desert are now surging toward us.
'Is it chasing us?'
"No. That's not it. They're heading towards the Liberation Seal."
At those words, I step slightly aside from the trajectory of the brainwashing waves, which pass us by and head straight towards the northernmost end, where the 'Serving Command Palace' has appeared.
'Serving Command Palace? But why? No, wait, more importantly...'
"Did you just read my thoughts?"
"Living beings, even when completely free from the limits of their physical bodies, can't seem to shake the habit of thinking in electrical signals. Well, of course...even if it's not electrical signals, as long as you haven't completely transcended Yin and Yang, it's possible to read them."
It seems that, much like Zhengli, who specializes in lightning, this being can read or manipulate the brain's electrical signals.
"If you're that extraordinary, please do something to help my comrade Seo Ran! What is happening to him?"
I turn to Seo Ran, who is suddenly projecting the Heavenly Circle of Acceptance at Fate's End behind his head while screaming someone's name in an unintelligible pronunciation.
At my words, that being briefly turns his face towards where Seo Ran is.
For some reason, that being has his eyes closed and doesn't even spread out his consciousness domain, yet it feels as though he is perceiving Seo Ran through some other sense.
The being who observes Seo Ran for a moment shakes his head.
"There's an Immortal Art protecting his mind and turning his 'whole being' into an 'object'."
"Yes, indeed..."
It's the Immortal Art Gwak Am had cast on him, later repaired by Yu Oh after it was broken.
And Yu Oh had mentioned that this immortal art would 'break when in the presence of a great existence.'
'Wait, if that's the case...'
—How unpleasant. A mere bug dares to use this Immortal.
I recall the words spoken by the entity possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon's body.
At the same time, I realize that Seo Hweol had a purpose in bringing me into the Lightning Sacred Sea.
'...I see.'
Seo Hweol had noticed something wrong with Jeon Myeong-hoon in the Lightning Sacred Sea.
And inside Jeon Myeong-hoon, [someone] is reviving. If I entered the Lightning Sacred Sea with Seo Ran, he must have anticipated that the [someone] and Seo Ran would meet, causing the Immortal Art cast by Gwak Am on Seo Ran to break.
I now understand why the entity possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon's body had said it was 'unpleasant'.
As if reading my thoughts again, the being's eyes glimmer as he smiles.
"You're a perceptive one. The Immortal Art cast on him has been broken. Thanks to that...it seems they're 'reconnecting.'"
"Are you saying Seo Hweol and Seo Ran are connecting?"
I take a deep breath and kneel before him.
"...Please, if you are capable of repairing this Immortal Art, I beg you to do so and save Seo Ran. He is my comrade. As for your taking over the body of my comrade, Jeon Myeong-hoon, I will overlook it 'for now.' Please, I implore you...!"
"How audacious. 'For now,' you say..."
"That is..."
"No."
I grit my teeth and glare at him.
However, an unexpected reply comes from his lips.
"This Immortal does not know such ancient Immortal Arts. Since it is an Immortal Art unknown to this Immortal, it cannot be repaired. It is fundamentally impossible to grant your request."
"That...! It's an Immortal Art that even the Sacred Master of the Nether Ghost Realm can perform, so why!?"
"Kukuk...kuhuhuhu...Sacred Master? Nether Ghost Realm?"
As if finding something incredibly amusing from my words, he lets out a low laugh.
"Seeing as you keep spouting nonsense, it's clear you haven't yet realized your fate. Well, considering how many talentless fools only realize it when advancing to True Immortality, it's not all that unusual. In any case, it's impossible for this Immortal."
"By manipulating the electrical signals you mentioned earlier...is it not possible to help Seo Ran?"
Recalling how Zhengli manipulated the electrical signals in the brains of the entire Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect to distort perception, I desperately plead with him.
However, he shakes his head once again.
"In this place, it is impossible."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"
"...You don't need to know. For now, I will remain as hidden as a dead mouse here."
He gazed far into the distance, towards the northernmost end where Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves are heading to the Serving Command Palace. Then, glancing briefly to the right, he speaks.
"...Beware of the Light. No matter what you think, no matter what you predict, they are a sinister existence that surpasses imagination. This is the only answer I will give you."
"...?"
'What's this? For some reason...'
It doesn't feel like he's talking to me.
It feels as though his words are directed not at me, who is standing right next to him...but at someone else entirely.
But I can no longer ask him anything.
Pasasak!
"...!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon's body begins to distort as if becoming Yin and Yang themselves, disintegrating into tens, hundreds, thousands of Taiji symbols, before scattering everywhere.
Hwiiiiii!
A wind blowing westward carries the traces of Yin and Yang far off into the western distance.
The traces of Yin and Yang seem to distort towards the western end, where the main sect of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect is located, and then vanishes into the void.
I grit my teeth as I stare briefly at the spot where he vanished.
'What a completely useless existence!'
In the end, all he did was steal Jeon Myeong-hoon's body and flee somewhere without offering any help to Seo Ran.
Although I'm furious that Jeon Myeong-hoon's body was taken, for now, I focus on Seo Ran, gripping his shoulders and shaking him, trying to do anything to help.
"Get a hold of yourself, Seo Ran! Remember! You are Seo Ran! Don't lose yourself!"
"Uh, uuugh...Ughghgkk...!"
Bloodshot veins appear in Seo Ran's eyes.
He grits his teeth.
He clenches them so tightly that blood flows from his gums.
Kugugugugu!
In the distance, the Serving Command Palace begins to move.
From the Serving Command Palace, saturated with Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves, an immense flood of brainwashing waves starts to 'amplify.'
'What!?'
The brainwashing waves literally begin to engulf the entire sky.
Seeing this, I realize something.
'The spell formation that is at the very top of the Serving Command Palace...is it that!?'
Then, I recall the ritual locations Seo Hweol had revealed during the 15th cycle.
"Ascension Path, Black Castle, Serving Command Palace...and Sea Dragon Palace!"
That bastard had definitely said that he had already conducted the Four-Axis advancement ritual in those places.
And the Sea Dragon Palace unmistakably has a structure designed for some sort of ritualistic purpose.
'Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves emanated from the Ascension Gate on Ascension Path, pierced through the Black Castle, and headed towards the Serving Command Palace. In that case, the next destination must be...'
Sea Dragon Palace!
There's no other place it could be!
'If I want to save Seo Ran, I need to stop whatever Seo Hweol is doing!'
Just as I attempt to pull Seo Ran back into my domain, I suddenly sense an overwhelming surge of resistance and realize that Seo Ran is not entering my domain.
"What...!? Why isn't he suddenly entering my domain!?"
I'm taken aback, but now is not the time to dwell on it.
Hastily holding Seo Ran, I use the ground-shrinking technique.
It's then,
Kwadatang!
"Kuhuk!"
Thud!
One moment we are in the Northern Grasslands, but the next, we are hurled into the Heaven-Treading Desert, directly beneath Ascension Path.
Normally, we should have directly reached the Sea Dragon Palace.
'Th-The ground-shrinking technique was canceled? This is...'
I understand what's happening.
My instincts are rejecting the use of any spells.
From the deepest depths of my unconsciousness, a sense of repulsion rises.
In the Head Realm, spells must not be used.
'Why? What is the meaning of this!?'
My instincts are warning me.
To not use spells in the Head Realm!
'Ridiculous! I don't have time right now!'
My consciousness trembles from me forcibly trying to cast a spell.
But just then,
Crack!
"...! Kuaaaaaah!!!"
I clutch my head and collapse on the spot.
"Heoheok...heooook..."
My conscious domain begins to rampage.
Simultaneously, my consciousness begins to 'read' the surroundings uncontrollably.
As Heaven and Earth spiritual energy reverses, the scene of the Heavenly Treading Desert.
The 'history' of Ascension Path begins to be read.
And among the 'scenes of history' of Ascension Path, one image etches itself into my mind.
'Esteemed One? Star Shattering stage?'
It is a Star Shattering stage Esteemed One.
At the same time, the Heavenly Fiends of the Blood Yin Realm come into view.
They are pouring into the Head Realm through the Ascension Gate.
The Esteemed One, exuding blood devilish energy of the Blood Yin Realm, descends above the Ascension Path and searches for something.
Then, their gaze lands on a certain place.
It is none other than the shrine constructed of massive black ore.
Since the shrine is positioned directly in front of the Ascension Gate, it is not difficult to find.
The Esteemed One of the Blood Yin Realm, with their monstrous form, swings one hand without hesitation.
The shrine of Yang Su-jin is ripped from its place and flung far outside Ascension Path.
The shrine crashes into the Heaven-Treading Desert outside Ascension Path and embeds itself there, leaving only the topmost layer exposed above the desert sands.
And the part of that shrine happens to be the Black Castle I am familiar with.
Immediately after, the Esteemed One of the Blood Yin Realm lets out an eerie scream and overturns the entirety of Ascension Path.
The vacant space where Yang Su-jin's shrine once stood is shoved to one side of Ascension Path.
The Esteemed One of the Blood Yin Plane laughs.
As though they feel schadenfreude.
Then, the Esteemed One extends a hand to erase even the fragmented half of Yang Su-jin's 'warning plaque' that had been torn apart by their single strike moments earlier.
At that moment, the Esteemed One's consciousness begins to spiral out of control.
The Esteemed One suddenly looks up at the 'sky.'
In the next moment,
The Esteemed One starts screaming.
As if they witnessed something unimaginably horrifying and terrifying.
The same Esteemed One who had just violently ripped Yang Su-jin's shrine apart now weeps like a child, clutching their head and trembling with pain and despair.
Their figure looks as if they had gazed upon something unbearable and gone insane.
Paaaatt!
"Kuheok...! Heheook! Heok!"
It's only now that I understand why my instincts have been warning me. I withdraw my consciousness domain entirely and lower my gaze, refusing to look 'directly' at the 'sky.'
—In my opinion, it would be best to quickly kill yourself.
—It's just that...this place is far too dangerous for anyone at the Star Shattering stage and above.
I now understand why a being presumed to be a True Immortal kept their consciousness domain contracted and their eyes tightly shut.
'I must not look. I must not use any power! The 'current' me absolutely cannot do such things!'
I realize I must not recklessly peek at the sky of the Head Realm, expand my consciousness domain, or use any spells.
Doing so could lead to an end more miserable than death.
'If that's the case, then Seo Ran...'
I carry Seo Ran on my back.
Afterward, I use only my senses to determine the direction and, with my eyes on the ground, propel myself forward by kicking off the earth.
Kwaaang!
The physical abilities I possess, having reached the Sacred Vessel stage, are more than sufficient on their own.
With a single kick, I shoot forward like a meteor, reaching the sea beneath the Heaven-Treading Desert.
Looking at the reflection of Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves on the surface of the sea, I observe and read the flow of those waves.
'As expected, it's heading toward the Sea Dragon Palace!'
Sprinting at full force and determined to shatter the Sea Dragon Palace, I deploy water-traversing steps ever faster and move across the sea.
"Just hold on a little longer...! Seo Ran!"
In the distance, the [southern end] of the Head Realm comes into view.
With Seo Ran still on my back, I prepare to dive.
But it seems that's unnecessary.
Kugugugugu!
The Sea Dragon Palace is surfacing.
Dudududu!
'It's rising up? Kugh...'
Careful not to look directly at the sky, I follow the Sea Dragon Palace's straight ascent from underwater, chasing it as it rises toward the sky.
Tingle, tingle...
However, as time passes, my body starts stiffening, my head begins to ache, and an indescribable flow of knowledge seems to pour into me, forcing out a groan.
'Heheok...heok...'
Thump, thump...
My heartbeat gradually quickens, and strength drains from my body.
Of course, even in this condition, I continue crossing the sea swiftly, but it's clear that my strength is waning.
'Is this...the Head Realm...?'
Just by keeping my 'eyes open,' my vision gradually starts to warp, and I feel the terrifying gaze of some unfathomable being upon me.
— This place is far too dangerous for anyone at the Star Shattering stage and above.
He didn't close his eyes and say such things for no reason!
Struggling with all my strength, I force myself to continue using void steps with my eyes shut, rising towards the Sea Dragon Palace.
I intend to ram it with my body and destroy it entirely.
Kugugugugu!
The Sea Dragon Palace, which has been rising in a straight line, finally reaches the upper sky.
It arrives at the [Astronomical Observatory] of the Sea Dragon Race and merges with it.
Only then does it come to a stop.
'That place is...'
I grit my teeth tightly.
That place is where the last remains of Cheongmun Ryeong are located.
If I charge straight into it, his remains could be shattered.
It is an absolute salt pillar that turns everything that touches into salt, but now that I have reached the Sacred Vessel stage, I instinctively feel that I can break it.
Clenching my teeth, I kick off the void once more.
'Master...'
To save Seo Ran.
I will honor you in my heart.
Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves converge on the Sea Dragon Palace, and I charge towards it without hesitation!
Kwaaaang!
With my body slam, the Sea Dragon Palace collapses before the brainwashing waves can reach it, and the Astronomical Observatory beyond the palace, along with the last remains of Cheongmun Ryeong, crumbles completely.
'Ah...'
The remains of Cheongmun Ryeong fall.
Those remains scatter downward, having turned into nothing more than ordinary salt powder.
Perhaps, from the very moment he died in the world of Penglai Island, Cheongmun Ryeong's remains had already turned into an ordinary salt pillar.
'Farewell, Master.'
I silently pay respects and turn to shout at Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves.
"Stand down, snake-scorpion bastard. Your objective has already been blocked!"
Kugugugugugu!
At my shout, the surrounding space trembles.
Drip...
Blood begins to trickle from my seven orifices.
It's because I deliberately mixed spells into my voice, even at the cost of taking damage.
Revealing the authority of the Sacred Vessel stage, I block Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves.
Wiiiiiing!
A wheel manifests behind my head.
'Quickly, as quickly as possible, I will block Seo Hweol and escape from the Head Realm without looking at the sky!'
For now, that is the best course of action!
[I declare: Your spell shall be rewritten.]
Kiiiiiiing!
I have faced Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves multiple times before.
My understanding of his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is sufficient, and this Immortal Art is one that temporarily 'reconfigures' from what I understand.
Therefore...
I can manipulate it!
[Return!]
Then, a whisper that I cannot possibly deny echoes in my ears.
"To your origin."
It is a voice that sounds all too undeniably correct.
Redirecting Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves back to Seo Hweol's origin.
That is the best method to block Seo Hweol, who has surged right up to my very eyes!
Such a stream of thoughts surfaces in my mind, and the logic behind it is flawless.
Thus, I unconsciously follow that whisper and repeat the words aloud.
[To your origin!]
At that moment,
Paaaaatt!
Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves...suddenly begin to plunge straight into Seo Ran, who is on my back.
Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves pierce directly into Seo Ran's body.
Then, as those waves pass through Seo Ran entirely...
The location where the Sea Dragon Palace once stood.
It pierces through the [southern end] and exits beyond the Head Realm.
Immediately after, the entire world turns blindingly white.
[...Hah.]
I feel as though my mind is clearing for some reason.
Dududududu!
It seems as if earthquakes and tsunamis are occurring throughout the entire Head Realm, and a crack suddenly appears across the entirety of the 'sky.'
Simultaneously, the phenomenon of the world turning white intensifies, to the point where I can now only see those who are right next to me.
Hwiiiiii—
As I fall to some unknown place, I find myself face to face with Seo Ran, who, for some reason, is shedding tears.
"...Why are you crying, Seo Ran?"
"...I finally remember."
He speaks.
"I remember who the 'woman' in my memory is."
He had definitely said that ever since Penglai Island, a certain 'woman' began coming to mind.
"...Who is it?"
"It's..."
At first, I thought Seo Ran might be recalling someone from Kang Min-hee's memories since he had taken on Kang Min-hee's role.
Later, the possibility arose that he might be Yu Oh's child, so I wondered if it could have been Yu Oh.
But...
It is only now that I finally understand exactly who Seo Ran found 'yearnful,' 'bothersome,' 'annoying,' and yet wanted to 'possess.'
"A woman named...Oh Hye-seo. But...I do not know who this person is."
"...I suppose so."
Clench!
As I fall with Seo Ran to some unknown place, I grit my teeth.
For some reason, tears stream from my eyes.
"Because it was you."
"...What?"
"...It was...you..."
My body trembles.
Not from fear or cold, but from betrayal, sorrow, absurdity, and pity.
It is only now that I understand everything.
Yuk Rin of the Ancient Force Realm was, at first, clearly a cold and rational Dragon King with no tears or blood.
To achieve his own goals, he was an existence that treated Yuk Yo as a chess piece or object.
But at some point, Yuk Rin became obsessed with Yuk Yo, desiring to possess her.
And Yuk Yo and Baek Rin.
He tormented the two lovers as much as possible, trying in every way to separate and inflict pain upon them.
Come to think of it, wasn't it strange?
Why would the once cold and calculating Dragon King suddenly be consumed by emotions towards Yuk Yo?
The answer is all too simple.
Because Seo Ran wanted it.
I come to understand the reasons behind the seemingly trivial matters that I had never been able to grasp before across my 998 lifetimes.
'Why' did Seo Ran suddenly think of Oh Hye-seo?
'Why' did Seo Hweol never kill Seo Ran directly but always attempt to do so indirectly?
'Why' did the Chief Judge only punish Seo Hweol's 'masks' and not his 'main body'?
'Why' did the Owner of Great Mountain kill everyone but specifically devoured only Seo Ran's Nascent Soul?
'Why' did Seo Ran regain his senses on Penglai Island before I did?
'Why'...
Did Seo Hweol, when I said that Seo Ran is [my friend], burst out into such uncharacteristic laughter?
"You...were Seo Hweol's...main body."
I understand everything.
The [pillar] of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
The treasure Seo Hweol [holds most precious].
The sole [light] I saw within the heart essence of his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Only now do I understand why I have always been so easily swayed by Seo Hweol.
It's because...
The most powerful [core] of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens has been right beside me, acting as a 'friend' in my heart.
Having the core of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens by my side, I have...unknowingly been ensnared in its greatest influence all along.
Even if Seo Ran had no intention of doing so.
"...What...do you mean...?"
Seo Ran asks with a look of confusion.
"..."
I look at Seo Ran's face.
"...If I kill you...I can...stop Seo Hweol's conspiracy..."
Because you are Seo Hweol's greatest weakness.
However...
Tears stream down my face as I grit my teeth.
I can...absolutely not kill Seo Ran.
Therefore, I absolutely cannot kill Seo Hweol.
Because Seo Ran is...
No.
Because Seo Hweol is truly my friend.
I can destroy Seo Ran's body here and now, even crush his soul and send him to the Underworld.
But I release the strength from the hand holding Seo Ran's body.
The world has arrived at the End.
Seo Hweol's plan has succeeded, and whether he brainwashes the Head Realm or does something else, he will attain what he desires in his grasp.
'You've won, Seo Hweol...'
In this life, I have no idea what more I can possibly do.
I cannot kill my friend.
No matter if it's...
The only way to kill the monster I've hated the most.
And so, in the midst of the world that whitens and crumbles with the End, I close my eyes, waiting for my 999th return.
I thought this would be my 999th death.
An old man carrying a flower basket speaks.
"O Annihilation Flower,"
An unimaginably ominous flower begins to bloom from my chest.
"Open the doors to the Audience Chamber."
The next moment, the whitened world blinks into darkness.
-x-X-x-
'Who was this again...?'
I stare blankly at the old man holding a flower basket, who has appeared beside me at some point, unable to comprehend who he is.
The whole world is covered in darkness.
Seo Ran, who stands before me, is crumbling away into the shadows.
It's not just Seo Ran.
The ominous flower blooming from my chest is deconstructing even myself.
The ominous flower is devouring me.
I am being consumed by this ominous flower, known as the [Annihilation Flower].
And then...
As I become one with the Annihilation Flower, I finally understand.
The beings who have transcended the limits and boundaries of True Immortals.
Regarding the plans of the Governing Immortals!
I can feel the world being annihilated.
However, this annihilation is not the same as the [End] that just occurred moments ago.
If the typical [End] is when the universe's attraction force reaches its peaks, causing everything to contract and compress into light and heat...
Then the annihilation brought about by this [Annihilation Flower] is truly nothing but pure, black darkness!
It's not a proper End, but rather an act of simply 'overlaying' the concept of [Death] on the world!
'Ah...everything...has ended...'
I understand.
Now, as everything in my body is absorbed by the Annihilation Flower and its roots, I become annihilation (滅亡) itself and come to understand.
The plan laid out by the being before my eyes.
And...the plan laid out by [those who are with Him].
Kiiiiiiing!
Everything in the Head Realm disappears.
The Great Sea, the Heaven-Treading Desert, the West, the East, the North—everything.
All that remains is pitch-black darkness and...
The Sun and Moon hanging far off in the sky!
'Is that...the true form of the Head Realm's...Sun and Moon?'
It is exactly as described in the diary of the Sea Dragon Race astronomer, Jeon Hyang.
The Sun and Moon of the Head Realm are fixed in place.
It was merely that, when the Head Realm's world was intact, the flow of Yin and Yang in the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy created an optical illusion, making it seem as if day and night alternated.
The Sun and Moon of the Head Realm...merely exist in a position that seems to overlook the entire Head Realm from a slightly southern direction.
'Ah...I see.'
I recall how Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves pierced through the sky at the [southern end] of the Head Realm and 'escaped.'
The place Seo Hweol escaped to...
Is the [Forehead (眉間)].
The flower basket old man beside me lets out a small exclamation.
"How astonishing. I thought it was merely the desperate struggle of a bug...and yet, it worked? Ha, hahahahaha!"
The desperate struggle of a bug.
Seo Hweol escaping through the forehead.
And...
That feeling of 'the mind clearing' at the last moment.
The spell cast over the Sea Dragon Palace that 'clears the mind'...
'Ah...I see now.'
Finally, I understand what Seo Hweol's true purpose is.
It's not about brainwashing the Head Realm.
The Head Realm is not a [being] that someone like Seo Hweol can brainwash.
As I gaze at the Sun and Moon before me, I become even more certain.
When Seo Hweol seized control of the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, there was only one thing he sought to obtain while manipulating the entire world.
To awaken the Head Realm.
I recall the phenomenon from just a moment ago when the world turned white.
I thought it was simply the aftermath of the End.
But...it isn't.
The power of annihilation granted to me by the Annihilation Flower whispers the truth.
That phenomenon just now isn't something as simple as the 'End.'
It is merely...
The process of the Head Realm 'awakening.'
If the Head Realm is a 'living' being, then this living entity currently exerts no influence and is merely in the state of existing.
Such a state is often referred to as 'dreaming' by many beings.
Seo Hweol temporarily cleared the Head Realm's mind in an attempt to 'awaken' the being that the main bodies of the five Middle Realms desperately sought to reach.
And...
When a dreaming existence wakes up, the beings within the dream ultimately disappear.
The scenery of the world turning white just moments ago.
The fact that I was able to fully 'absorb' the Candle Dragon Race as I advanced to the Sacred Vessel stage.
And finally...the claims Seo Hweol made in the diary of Jeon Hyang.
His claims that only through ascension can we have dignity.
Yes, perhaps...
Because beings within a dream can only attain dignity when stepping outside the dream, Seo Hweol may have chosen to lead everyone into collective ascension.
It's when I am lost in thought, contemplating such notions.
The flower basket old man opens his eyes wide.
Staring beyond the darkness.
He appears astonished as he looks at the forehead of the Sun and Moon.
"The bug...has come [face-to-face]...!"
'Seo Hweol...is doing something...with the awakened Head Realm...'
Is he now facing something absolute?
If so, then...
What is it that he is seeing?
Afterward, I see a resplendent radiance at the southern end of the world.
Thunk—
That is the end.
'...Huh?'
I feel something strange.
It's bright.
The sky is blue, and the earth is green.
From far away, the scent of the sea drifts toward me.
'...This is...nice...'
Though my body has been obliterated by the Annihilation Flower, I can still feel senses.
For some reason, a drowsy feeling washes over me, making me want to fall asleep.
'...But, something is strange...'
Why am I suddenly in a place like this?
'I dove into the Lightning Sacred Sea to save Jeon Myeong-hoon...ended up in the Head Realm and...Seo Ran and Seo Hweol...'
Suddenly, I realize something strange.
'...Who was Seo Hweol again?'
Tingle—
For some reason, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections shakes violently.
I ponder for a while about the name 'Seo Hweol,' which just came to mind, and finally, I understand.
'Seo Hweol...is just a type of blue earthworm. Why did I come looking for something like that?'
It's strange.
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections is shaking violently like mad.
But I can't understand.
For some reason, the thought of 'blue earthworm' refuses to leave my mind.
Blue earthworm.
A medicinal ingredient collectively referred to as 'Seo Hweol.'
A meager, insignificant worm ground and added when cultivators in the Qi Refining stage concoct pills, occasionally referred to as 'Seo Hweol.'
No, no, that's not right...
This is my misunderstanding.
'Seo Hweol' is simply a nickname I gave to one of those 'blue earthworms.'
'...Why did I give a nickname to a worm?'
I can't remember.
From the very beginning, I can't even recall the origin of the name 'Seo Hweol.'
I have no idea what logic led me to even give such a name.
What is certain is that 'Seo Hweol' is a [nonexistent] term.
'Right now...instead of wasting time on something so unimportant, I need to focus on the suddenly thrashing Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections...this flower basket old man, and...myself, who has become an Annihilation Flower.'
Then, I notice the old man with the flower basket trembling violently beside me.
He is staring at the sky as if overcome with chills.
'...? What...?'
Just then.
He suddenly yells out in a roar.
[Remember!]
Ziiiiing!
His roar stays stuck in my mind.
Along with it, together with a shock as if struck in the back of the head, I feel [something] terrifying rising in my head.
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections stabilizes.
And...
With his single word, I recall everything I had [forgotten] up until now!
The name of the True Immortal whom I met on the lowest floor of the Serving Command Ark in the past, Bong Myeong!
The Black Dragon I encountered through the Black Dragon True Blood, the name Yu Hao Te revealed by the Black Dragon, and the moment of that encounter!
And...
In my 19th cycle, [the flower basket old man who had ridden on my shoulder the entire time throughout]!
Everything about the [Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable] comes flooding back!
And...
Ziiiiiiiing!
Kwarururung!
I come to know who 'Seo Hweol' is.
'Ah...ahhh...'
A brutal, wrenching pain feels as though it is tearing through my brain.
I tremble in horror at the sensation of having learned something I [should not know]!
Just now!
At that very moment!
The existence of [Seo Hweol] had vanished from the world!
It was carved out of history entirely, rewritten (改變) into nothing more than a nickname for 'blue earthworms!'
A dreadful truth that I would have remained oblivious had the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable not revealed it to me!
Seo Hweol...
Has been excised because he came to know something he [should not have known].
Without anyone being able to perceive it, in just a single moment!
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable opens his mouth.
"Despite detonating all the power accumulated in the Annihilation Flower over a hundred million years...the door still remains closed. Making their way into this Audience Chamber with nothing but their innate authority. Salt Sea, Vast Cold... Those two, just what..."
A tone that seems to be lamenting about something.
But I, suffering from the agony of retaining memories of an [erased existence], find it difficult to interpret the meaning of his words.
Kugugugugu!
Then, while I fail to regain my senses...
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable lifts me, who has become the Annihilation Flower.
"I have come to understand that my strength alone cannot suffice. And...as you said, I know that light is insidious."
Still gazing towards the southern end, he turns his head to the right and speaks to someone.
I think I know who that someone is.
"That being is meticulous beyond imagination. Perhaps even all of our actions are part of their prophecy. However...this time will be different. This time, we are not attempting to defy the heavens (逆天)."
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is transcending spacetime with the entity possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon to converse.
"The prophecy of Great Mountain has already brought you to this place. Cooperate. As the chaos has already begun."
Kurung, kurururung!
With every word he speaks, the ominous energy (凶氣) flowing from my Annihilation Flower-turned body dyes the surroundings.
As if it will annihilate the world all over again.
"The Radiance Eight Immortals cannot come here. Never mind the Lightning Sacred Sea...because the role of the Annihilation Flower does not end with simply knocking on the doors of the Audience Chamber!"
Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
Or rather...
In the place that 'used to be' the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, eight giants of light with despondent demeanours stand trembling in humiliation as they look upon the collapsed domain.
: : O H E A V E N L Y V E N E R A B L E S ! : :
: : W A S T H A T A L L O F Y O U !!?? : :.
The eight giants collectively glare beyond the ruins of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain at the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, now being recreated after the End.
There, the single move unleashed by the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable blankets the Head Realm in annihilation, using that annihilation as a coordinate to open a direct 'path' towards the [existence connected to the Annihilation Flower].
The Radiance Eight Immortals, who had been preparing to stop the Great Mountain Supreme Deity in the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, collectively grit their teeth in anger and tremble in fury.
[Seo Eun-hyun, who has become the Annihilation Flower].
And the existence connected to him.
The Owner of Mountain, who had been watching the closing act of the Supreme Deity Hunt, begins to properly exert Their strength.
Eastern End of the Head Realm.
In a place where a small hole has formed in the dimensional barrier from the activation of the Annihilation Flower, someone enters.
"Kugh..."
It is Hong Fan, who has lowered his cultivation to the Integration stage and entered.
Stepping onto the easternmost land, Hong Fan, perhaps unaccustomed to his senses being constrained to the Integration stage,
Perhaps unaccustomed after traversing such a vast boundary,
He clutches his head and staggers in place for a moment.
During this time, Hong Fan accidentally steps on and crushes a blue earthworm that had just crawled out from underground.
"Hmm...!"
Regaining his composure, Hong Fan lifts the foot that had squashed the blue earthworm.
The blue worm lies crushed and dead.
Seeing this, Hong Fan kneels down for a moment, as if feeling regret.
"Ah...! I am sorry, little bug. It was not my intention... But alas...you could have just stayed buried in your burrow and lived. Why did you stick your head out of it? Pitiful child..."
As if sympathetic, Hong Fan buries the crushed blue earthworm back into the earth and builds a small mound over it.
"If there is a next life, then please, do not stick your head out of the burrow. You might get stepped on and die. Even if you do come out...quickly retreat back inside. So that no one steps on you..."
After briefly praying for the blue earthworm's rebirth in paradise (極樂), Hong Fan regains his balance and looks towards a distant place.
The place from which an overwhelming power of annihilation emanates.
Step—
Hong Fan, with a hardened expression, uses the ground-shrinking technique towards the power of annihilation.
"The path has already been laid."
Kugugugugu!
Once again, the Head Realm faces annihilation.
Simultaneously, I sense a significant change in the attraction force emanating from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
The Heavenly Venerable's attraction force shifts the axis of spacetime.
Throughout the world, I can feel the fabric of time and space being wildly distorted.
At the same time, I catch a faint glimpse of Yeong Seung (令升) flickering beyond the sky.
Yeong Seung, empowered by the authority of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, activates something.
"Please come! Western Heaven (西天), Great Mountain (太山), Liberation (解放)!"
At that exact moment, beyond the distorted flow of time, the 'path' connected to the Annihilation Flower is revealed.
Beyond the annihilating Head Realm, [someone]s begin to emerge.
'Ah...so that's what it is...'
The figure of the flower basket old man begins to gradually distort and twist.
From my perspective, only a few seconds have passed, but perhaps due to the time-space distortion caused by the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and Yeong Seung...
The entities emerging from the rift seem to have already spent thousands, tens of thousands of years.
Countless Reapers appear, and from the dark and deep recesses, the [Oldest One] descends.
The monster that has accumulated power and authority through countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood—[the one connected to me], the Great Mountain Supreme Deity emerges.
And behind them, though the figure is not clearly visible, [a somewhat familiar being] makes their entrance.
From the old man who has been holding me until now, flowers of various shapes and colors bloom from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
He begins transforming into a colossal bizarre god (怪神), composed entirely of a flower field.
: : The Snake is coming. : :
The voice of the old one echoes.
I feel my entire soul being crushed under the weight of their presence.
The very existence and mass of these entities distorts reality itself.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable releases me on the spot.
As if summoning these great entities to this place is the end of my role.
The great beings summoned here no longer pay attention to me.
Among them, the Owner of the Great Mountain seems to briefly glance at me, but as if deciding it is not important right now, They divert their gaze.
However, I am struck by a powerful shockwave just from that gaze, and I am sent flying far into the distance.
In an instant, I am flung beyond the Head Realm and into the newly created Astral Realm as I watch their backs.
At the forefront, the bizarre god of the flower field speaks.
: : At last, the moment has arrived to break open the door. In order to save Time... : :
With those words, the great beings begin to exert their power.
Under their authority, the entirety of the newly created Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, no, even beyond the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, trembles under their overwhelming authority.
Wiiiiing—
For some reason, the [Oldest One] seems to slightly glance back at me.
From within a darkness so deep that even perceiving is difficult, the [Oldest One] does 'something' to me.
I immediately understand what they have done.
They have forbidden (禁) my death!
'...I see.'
While I am uncertain about the others, I can tell that at least this being is clearly aware of my regression.
And so, under their authority, the world twists, and a blinding light illuminates everything.
That's the end.
Hwiiiiiiii—
I, now reduced to a single flower petal drained of all power, drift endlessly through the universe, unable to die.
The first year is bearable.
But...two years pass, then three, then ten.
In this state as a flower petal, I am utterly incapable of doing anything.
Complete powerlessness (無力)!
However, I can feel my authority gradually returning.
At the outskirts of the Underworld, my authority as a Sacred Vessel Sacred Master begins to return.
In this form as a single flower petal, if I can just connect to the outskirts of the Netherworld after recovering all my authority, I can regain my strength.
But...
I have no way to do so.
A hundred years have passed.
I decide to carry out the Sacred Vessel advancement ritual for the Earth Tribe by splitting my consciousness right now.
After all, Immortal Arts are activated by the heart alone.
Reciting the Flawless Mantra, I think of being 'upside-down' in my state as a flower petal as I fragment my mind.
A thousand years have passed.
In subjective time, it felt like ten million years.
Is it because I had already undergone the Heaven Tribe Sacred Vessel advancement ritual?
The Earth Tribe Sacred Vessel advancement ritual is 99 percent complete.
Though confined to the tiny interior of this flower petal, I created a race, formed a world, and developed civilizations through my thoughts (念想).
The civilizations that emerged within my thoughts ultimately unified into one and returned to me, becoming 'me' once again.
By reclaiming my body and conducting a simplified version of the Earth Tribe Sacred Vessel advancement ritual, I can now advance to the Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation Sacred Vessel stage.
While my ability to wield Immortal Arts has improved, I am still far from finding a way to restore my body and authority.
Because the Underworld has forbidden (禁) my death, I cannot enter the Underworld, let alone its outskirts.
To overcome this, I must either obtain power strong enough to shatter the prohibition of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld or find something capable of ignoring the prohibition altogether.
Ten thousand years pass.
I drift across various corners of the universe, occasionally being devoured by innate Star Shattering Esteemed Ones and excreted as waste while wandering through the world.
Since I cannot die anyway, I am not particularly worried.
I attempt anything to find a way to connect to the Netherworld.
I try to achieve this through Immortal Arts, but every Immortal Art I can employ is swallowed by the Heavenly Venerable's prohibition.
With Immortal Arts alone, I can never regain my strength.
Realizing this, I search for other methods.
I cling to innate Star Shattering Esteemed Ones, parasitizing them with my Immortal Arts, taking control over them, and testing my methods.
I even try creating puppets or mechanical devices through parasitism.
I activate every ritual and spell I know.
As a last resort, I even offer a ritual to the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
However, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord does not respond at all.
I also try to search for my comrades, but ever since the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and Yeong Seung distorted time and space, I can no longer access the Middle Realms from the Astral Realm.
I attempt to distort spacetime using Immortal Arts to ascend, but...in a state devoid of spiritual power, Qi, or attraction force, going to the Middle Realm feels impossibly distant.
Even doing so by guiding innate Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones results in the same.
Perhaps it's due to a problem with spacetime itself, as even with the power of Esteemed Ones, ascension is far too difficult.
After realizing how difficult it is to meet my comrades, I fall into extreme suicidal urges.
However, there is no way for me to die.
Since I am not entirely free to use Immortal Arts, I spend most of my time in a powerless state as a mere flower petal, contemplating how to escape this condition.
Another hundred thousand years pass.
Now, I am three hundred thousand years old.
It is only around this time that I find a way.
It is none other than my death energy (死氣).
Though my death is forbidden, the power of death accumulated in my soul remains intact.
To reclaim my power in this world where everything else has disappeared, I search for a way to harness this death energy.
Using the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra to push attraction force to its peak and then causing it to explode can temporarily dissolve the death energy. That much is the truth.
Thus, I begin searching for a way to handle death energy through the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
Time flows endlessly once more.
Then, when I reach exactly 320,000 years of age...
The result of relentless imagining, contemplating, doubting, and reconstructing the method of handling death energy is…
I realize that I am going insane.
Someday, a circle (圓) appears before my eyes.
It is the circle that Hyeon Gwi once drew.
Previously, this circle had terrified me. The sight of Hyeon Gwi mercilessly smashing the circle and the void that extended beyond it were horrifying to the point that I couldn't dare grip my sword.
But...
I suddenly sense something strange.
Back then, Hyeon Gwi's dance was so dreadful and horrifying to me.
Yet for some reason, the dance no longer feels as terrifying.
Why was I so afraid of something like that? Such a question crosses my mind.
Henceforth, I begin to ponder the reason.
I turn 330,000 years old.
My sense of time seems to have started slipping at some point.
It's been off for a while, but now it truly feels like I have transcended the era when I wore a human mask.
Time no longer feels like a vague, endless flow.
To be precise, time no longer scares me.
No...
I have become unafraid of something else.
Is it because of the tens of thousands of years of forced secluded cultivation?
I feel as if I have opened my eyes to 'something.'
What that 'something' is, I cannot clearly discern.
However...when Void Perception starts to resonate, I wonder whether it's perhaps related to what Hyeon Gwi had shown me.
I endlessly reflect and reflect again on Hyeon Gwi's dance.
How much time has passed...?
Ah, yes.
Soon, I will turn 400,000 years old.
Nearly two hundred thousand years have passed.
Blink—
I blink my 'eyes.'
When I come to my senses, I find myself suddenly inside a 'body.'
And...before my eyes stands a familiar being.
I understand that this being has temporarily granted me a body.
"...You've come to find me, Hyeon Gwi."
It is the girl in black martial attire, Hyeon Gwi.
She stands upside down in the cosmic space, her face expressionless and hollow as she meets my gaze.
"For what reason did you come to seek me out?"
"...Since it seems you've completed something interesting, I've come to give you a chance to demonstrate it."
"I'm still too ashamed to reveal it."
"Show it now. It is already nearly complete, and all that remains is refinement. Even if you name it and use it right now, it won't bring shame. I want to clash with it myself."
"Kukuk..."
I can't help but laugh for some reason.
"Even you at the zenith of Martial Arts...were a Heart Tribe all along."
"I merely sought you out because you seem most suitable for a rehearsal before facing Underworld."
"The [Oldest One]...has gone to the Head Realm. Do you think They will return?"
As I became the Annihilation Flower of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, I came to understand all of the plans of the Heavenly Venerables and Governing Immortals.
Even the insane acts committed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity...
I understood what kind of war they waged and what they were truly planning.
Thus, if Underworld does not exist in the end, her so-called 'rehearsal' holds no meaning.
However, at my words, Hyeon Gwi merely sneers at me.
"Do not worry. Underworld always returns."
"Pardon?"
"You don't need to know. When the time comes, ask Underworld directly."
Sururuk...
Darkness gathers in her hand, coalescing into a sword.
I watch her for a moment before silently summoning the Colorless Glass Sword.
The body I inhabit now is not my main body, but an incarnation created by Hyeon Gwi.
Moreover, communication with my main body, which resides on the outskirts of the Netherworld, remains severed.
However, it seems Hyeon Gwi has used her power to allow me to at least summon my sword.
For a brief moment, I stare at the sword. Then, as she said, I prepare the singular sword technique I have studied for hundreds of thousands of years.
"Can you hold the sword now?"
"I can."
Woo-woong!
She casually draws a circle in the void with her sword.
Unlike the last time when her dance drew a circle, this is merely a casual act of roughly tracing a circle in the void.
Yet, I feel as though I will be overwhelmed by her martial will emanating from that simple act.
But...
That is all.
I merely smile faintly and lift my sword.
Hyeon Gwi smirks, letting her sword hang loosely.
"...You've become decent. Now, show me. After studying for hundreds of thousands of years, what is the answer you have attained?"
Cheok!
I take my stance.
This is a single sword technique.
Yet, it transcends everything I have accumulated thus far.
It is the simplest movement, known among countless swordsmen as a 'thrust.'
The Colorless Glass Sword and the All-Heavens Sword merge.
The two swords, united as one, become a line.
The tip of that sword becomes a point.
With this single point, I will execute a 'thrust'.
Hyeon Gwi smiles gloomily.
Her expression is impossible to interpret.
A gaze imbued with emotions like 'welcoming' 'pity,' 'sympathy,' 'joy,' 'pleasure,' 'depression,' and 'pain.'
"Through tens of thousands of years of solitude and powerlessness, you have come to perceive that place."
Sururuk...
The sword of darkness begins to become one with her arm.
That sword is no simple sword.
Merely a form that resembles a sword, it is the assemblance of Martial Arts!
For some reason, she looks at me with a gaze that seems to be filled with genuine pity.
"Congratulations on glimpsing the domain of true despair. Now, come at me."
The next moment, my sword, too, becomes dyed in darkness.
No, everything about me is instantly dyed in darkness.
I become death.
A thought once crossed my mind.
If I can compress death energy with the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and then detonate it, can I not make use of it?
As I pondered this, my thoughts suddenly shifted to Hyeon Gwi's martial art.
While considering her circle and the use of death energy,
I felt my consciousness touch upon a certain realm.
It was...death.
Beyond what the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld sealed away under the name of the cycle of rebirth.
The domain of absolute annihilation.
I witnessed the true death that resides there.
Even the Interdimensional Void of the Heavenly Venerable of the Void is merely a mimicry of this true death, a path to make it easier for living beings to approach true death.
It is not true emptiness (空).
What is true emptiness (空)?
What is true death?
Death is purity.
The primordial state of absolute nothingness.
The absolute truth that applies equally to all things!
Death is rest, and at the same time, peace, and great purity.
And yet...it was only after two hundred thousand years of seclusion that I barely glimpsed that truth.
I could not reach that place.
However...I understand now.
Only by reaching that 'purity' can I shatter the Heavenly Venerable's prohibition and reclaim death.
Then, what must I do to reach that place?
To reach that domain of purity, I compress everything.
All of my life (生).
All of my death (死).
All of my heart (心).
All of my history and all of my future—everything!
Into a single thrust.
I pour everything to aim for the domain of purity.
To reach 'true death,'
Through the domain of the Underworld, domain of the Source River, domain of the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, and domain of the Interdimensional Void,
I pierce a 'hole' through all of them!
I surround my body with death energy, condensed to the point it feels liquefied.
What is the identity of this death energy?
I have pondered this for a long time, and I finally understood.
This death energy is precisely the traces of resistance against fate throughout my countless histories.
The traces left behind by my resistance against the fate of death and my endless struggles against the pull of attraction force have crystallized into this death energy.
The countless moments when I lost to attraction force.
Those traces have accumulated to become my shackles.
The marks of defeat have become my death energy, trying to once again bind me to the fate of death and forcefully pull me to defeat.
But...
This time, I do not resist that attraction force of death.
Instead, I accept it.
I can feel the death energy dragging me towards death.
Of course, thanks to the Heavenly Venerable's prohibition, I do not die. But a pain akin to death engulfs me.
A thousand moments of death flash before my eyes like a revolving lantern.
[TL: Revolving lantern is a metaphor for a rapid flood of memories.]
All that torment crashes down upon me at once!
"Take this."
Hyeon Gwi's sword lowers towards me.
I do not resist the power of death.
Instead, I comply with it, adding my own will to that power.
All of my attraction force and heart, with the formula of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, converge into a single point and become added to the power of death.
Paaaatt!
In that state, I thrust!
For a fleeting moment, my body transcends life.
Through my eyes, I see the dimensions of the Source River, the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, the Interdimensional Void, and the Netherworld.
And then...
Beyond them.
Towards true death.
Towards the domain of 'purity,' I thrust my sword.
I no longer perceive Hyeon Gwi before my eyes.
I simply...
Thrust towards the Ultimate of Martial Arts.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Thirty-Fourth Move.
Complying with the entirety of my attraction force of death, compressing the entirety of my strength and adding on to it — all for a single thrust!
Kunlun (崑崙)!
I witness absolute purity.
Though it is only through a hole smaller than a mere point, I behold that purity.
Pasasak!
The next moment, my sword shatters, and my body is deeply slashed.
My single technique is broken by Hyeon Gwi's single strike.
Smirk.
However, Hyeon Gwi smiles.
In her right hand, a small hole has been pierced.
"Sloppy."
She offers her critique.
I simply smile silently in return.
For the first time in hundreds of thousands of years, I am able to hold the sword again.
That alone is enough.
"But it was worth seeing."
Concluding her brief evaluation, she bursts her own heart on the spot and dies.
'...I see...'
I understand her method of taking her own life so easily.
It isn't suicide.
It is merely...
Abandoning the flesh and moving beyond.
A method of drawing infinitely close to the domain of purity and transferring to another place.
To her, death is not something to fear—it is merely a part of her Martial Arts.
When I consider that the best I can manage is to create a pinpoint hole capable of glimpsing the domain of purity with all my strength, the gap between her and myself is despairingly vast.
But I smile.
Pasasak...
The Heavenly Venerable's prohibition cannot stop me who has momentarily transcended the domain of death.
I regain all of my authority.
At the same time...with every ounce of my willpower exhausted, I can feel my body and soul falling into that deep domain of the Underworld.
'Ah...have They returned?'
I can feel it.
Deep within the Underworld, for some reason, I sense the presence of the [Oldest One].
However, having exhausted everything in the recent clash with Hyeon Gwi, I have no strength to resist.
For reasons unknown, the [Oldest One] does not seem particularly eager to pull me in.
I am simply falling, sinking deeper into the domain of the Underworld.
I don't think Hyeon Gwi will particularly help me.
'...Is this how I...become taxidermized?'
It's been a long and eventful journey.
I close my eyes and fall deeper into the deep and deeper place.
Beyond the domain of the Underworld.
In the place where the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain lies, for some reason, there now exist [three] additional Middle Realms that appear to have been torn apart and crushed like bugs.
Beyond them...
The Head Realm, perhaps it's just my imagination, seems to have grown slightly larger in size.
Resigned to being taxidermized for all of eternity, I fall powerlessly like a bug to the deepest depths.
That is my nine hundred ninety-ninth return.