I quickly trace the remaining memories of Seo Hweol.
After awakening from sleep, reaffirming his oath that pierces through his identity, and establishing his goal,
He gradually seized control of the Yuan Clan from his state as an experimental subject.
Without even using Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens much, he captivated the people of the Yuan Clan with his unique eloquence and charm, collapsing the clan solely through schemes and strategies.
Afterward, he branded the direct blood descendants of the Yuan Clan with the mark of slavery, making them the first sacrifices of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens in the real world.
Having destroyed the Yuan Clan, Seo Hweol embarked on a long and arduous journey, striving to get even slightly closer to the identity of the 'voice' that awakened him in Agate's dream.
He returned to the base of the Sea Dragon Race while wearing the body of one of them.
Gradually mastering Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, he eventually succeeded in ascending to the throne of the Sea Dragon King.
However, his identity is not inherently tied to the Sea Dragon Race.
After all, he was originally a character in a dream in the form of a human.
In fact, reflecting upon the hazy yet happy memories of his 'childhood'...he is neither male nor female.
Yet he deliberately maintained the form of a Sea Dragon male, focusing his efforts on controlling the Sea Dragon Race.
The first reason for wearing the guise of the Sea Dragon Race is simple.
The body he [first] possessed upon awakening was that of a Sea Dragon male.
Thus, Seo Hweol considers this 'Sea Dragon male' identity to be connected in some way to the mysterious 'owner of the voice.'
No, even if he is entirely mistaken, maintaining this form would still provide an advantage when attempting to reach the 'owner of the voice' by eliminating potential unknown variables.
The second reason lies in his essence.
Having devoured Agate, consumed Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, and directly observed the Akashic Records hidden within the Head Realm, Seo Hweol had drawn in and merged several hidden powers and authorities of the Head Realm into his 'configuration.'
The power born from the collected ancient forces of the Head Realm became Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Ultimately, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was created by absorbing and rearranging the ancient forces of the Head Realm with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens as the central axis and merging them with Agate's authority.
The most suitable medium for Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, at present, is the bloodline of the Sea Dragon Race.
Seo Hweol read the split soul of Blood Yin he dominated, gaining insight into ancient records and fragments of Blood Yin's memories.
Thus, Seo Hweol learned of the lineage of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, which flows through Blood Yin, Hyeon Eum, and Ja Eum.
In order to overturn that lineage and gradually reverse-dominate Ja Eum, Hyeon Eum, and Blood Yin, he requires the body of the Sea Dragon Race.
These two main reasons, along with numerous other intertwining factors, solidified Seo Hweol's identity as a [Sea Dragon male with a gentle smile.]
Having seized control of the Sea Dragon Race, Seo Hweol hunted down the escaped fugitives of the Yuan Clan, gradually becoming more proficient in the operation of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Eventually, the position once held by the Yuan Clan was claimed by the Jo Clan amidst countless power struggles, and Seo Hweol began to extend his influence into the Jo Clan as well, finding their origins peculiar.
He schemed and sowed chaos across the world, spreading Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens far and wide, manipulating all civilizations and societies of the Head Realm.
As the entire world gradually filled with Seo Hweols, he delved deeper into researching the Head Realm itself, uncovering the various powers intertwined within it.
One prominent example was the Black Castle, the former home of the Yuan Clan.
By studying the underground laboratory beneath the Black Castle, he discovered that it was connected to the Lightning Sacred Sea.
At the same time, Seo Hweol read ancient records related to Ascension Path and, through the techniques engraved upon Ascension Path, learned 'what' is sealed at the center of the Sky Island.
Simultaneously, he investigated the origins of the Jo Clan, and to experiment with [In and Yeon] found within Blood Yin's split soul, he manipulated the connection between Jo Yeon and Ha Eun.
Of course, in that process, something even Seo Hweol could not have anticipated—his lifelong greatest adversary, the Mad Lord—was born.
Nevertheless, Seo Hweol witnessed the destruction of the Jo Clan and traced back the flow of their life and death, the origin of their attraction force.
Through this, he came to learn of something far more significant than the destruction of the Jo Clan or the birth of his greatest adversary. He discovered where the Jo Clan originally came from.
Serving Command Palace!
The Jo Clan was nothing more than a lineage of mortals who lived within Serving Command Palace under the orders of cultivators, managing spiritual medicine on their behalf.
At 'some point' while living in the depths of Serving Command Palace, the emergence of something called the [Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent] led them to leave Serving Command Palace and form the Jo Clan.
Seo Hweol began investigating Serving Command Palace and gained a certain amount of understanding about the existence known as [Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent].
Afterward, while being pursued by the Mad Lord, he managed to enter Serving Command Palace.
At the center of Serving Command Palace,
After discovering an Immortal Treasure called the [Serving Command Seal], he realized—
[Who exists] within the [Serving Command Seal]...
The Mad Lord, observing the structure of the Serving Command Palace and the Immortal Treasure Serving Command Seal, gained inspiration about the relationship between the world's attraction force, fate, and the method to summon history.
The Mad Lord began laying the foundation for the [Yeon's Play] plan, while Seo Hweol discovered a critical clue about the Head Realm.
The fragment of a [True Immortal's dream], discovered within the Serving Command Seal.
Through it, Seo Hweol obtained the clue that [the Head Realm is actually alive].
Although he had seen the Akashic Records, he only understood [the origin of his birth] and could not uncover the various truths he was unaware of. Therefore, this realization terrified Seo Hweol.
He thought he had escaped from the dream...
But what if this world they live in is the inside of someone's living head?
If so, then what difference is there between this entire world and the dream world?
After learning this truth, Seo Hweol became even more ruthless, abandoning all hesitation in his methods and means.
As he infiltrated the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, the records of the existence known as the [Golden Divine Yang Su-jin], which he discovered there, gradually solidified his conviction.
Golden Divine realized that the beings of the Head Realm are nothing more than entities confined within a dream and even coined the term [Non-Human].
Non-Human.
Yes, everything in the Head Realm is non-human.
They are nothing but supporting characters in a dream, like Seo Hweol.
Therefore...
Seo Hweol became even more ruthless.
Everyone in this world is a supporting character in a dream.
They are just characters in a dream.
Playthings of True Immortals, born only to be mocked and toyed with.
Yes, they are...
Nothing more than pieces on a stage.
For this reason, Seo Hweol resolved to become even more ruthless and even more meticulous.
He had to focus on his 'role.'
Even those infected by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens had to maintain their 'roles.'
Although he infected the entire Head Realm with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, he left everyone's personalities intact, allowing them to live according to the roles suitable for their lives.
Because the True Immortals must not notice anything strange...
Because the Head Realm must not detect the anomaly known as Seo Hweol and erase him.
At the same time, to explore the identity of the Head Realm as 'naturally' as possible, Seo Hweol created the Sea Dragon Race astronomers.
He did not birth many of them.
The astronomers created by Seo Hweol numbered around three.
His direct descendants, Seo Yun and Seo Heon, a father and son.
And Jeon Hyang.
If there were too many astronomers, they might glimpse the truth of the Head Realm and witness something so dangerous that it could shake Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Seo Hweol, having created only as many astronomers as he could control, diluted the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within them as much as possible before allowing them to observe the Head Realm.
Seo Hweol also revealed to them vague truths about the celestial phenomena of the Head Realm.
One of the memories from the split soul of Blood Yin, the truth that the Sun and Moon of the Head Realm are actually 'eyes'.
By simply informing them in a roundabout way that 'the Sun and Moon are fixed,' he hoped they would yield results more quickly.
However, during astronomical observation...
Seo Yun, Seo Hweol's descendant and Seo Heon's father, had his very personality sucked into the sky.
If the concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens had been higher, Seo Hweol himself might have been sucked in as well.
Shuddering at the terror of the Head Realm, Seo Hweol transferred his main body into Seo Yun, whose soul had been entirely pulled from his body, and passed on the position of 'Sea Dragon King Seo Hweol' to Seo Yun.
In any case, since the original soul had already been completely removed, transferring his main body was relatively easy.
From the beginning, the first Sea Dragon Race body he had obtained belonged to an experimental subject from the Yuan Clan and thus did not have a long lifespan. Seo Hweol's very first body was nearing the end of its life.
Seo Hweol modified his original main body and turned it into a building for the Sea Dragon astronomers.
He then floated the initial body above the 'southernmost sky of the Head Realm,' allowing the remaining astronomers to more easily observe celestial phenomena while also laying the foundation for his plans.
The remaining Sea Dragon astronomers were only Seo Heon and Jeon Hyang.
Fearful of his soul being ripped away in the Head Realm, Seo Hweol diluted the concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within them as much as possible.
But perhaps because of that—
Seo Heon began to slip out of Seo Hweol's control.
Suddenly, he started saying he wanted to quit the dull life of an astronomer and become a Sea Dragon warrior instead.
Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was so diluted that it barely had any effect, and perhaps because Seo Hweol's body originally belonged to Seo Heon's father, Seo Heon frequently ignored Seo Hweol's words.
After all, Seo Heon was Seo Yun's only child, and he seemed to believe that Seo Hweol would not dare to threaten his sole heir too severely.
To drive Seo Heon back to the comfortable life of an astronomer through the fear of death, Seo Hweol sent him to the front lines of conflict and war stirred by the Sea Dragon Race.
He sent him to the battlefield against Black Ghost Valley.
In any case, most of those in Black Ghost Valley were also Seo Hweols, so they would not actually kill Seo Heon.
Seo Hweol planned to manipulate them carefully, driving Seo Heon to the brink of death, utterly crushing his dreams, and plunging him into miserable despair before dragging him back to his role as an astronomer.
At first, the plan seemed to proceed smoothly, as if carried by fair winds.
However, the problem arose with the birth of a being named 'Yu Oh' in the Head Realm.
Seo Hweol immediately realized that Yu Oh was a fragment of a split soul of the Nether Ghost Realm Sacred Master.
Because the vast majority of those who ascended to the Upper Realm from the Head Realm already carried Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens after Seo Hweol opened his eyes...
Every ascendant from the Head Realm was practically a carrier after the blooming of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
He had already sent numerous clones to ascend to the Upper Realm.
It was only natural for him to have identified Yu Oh.
Thus, Seo Hweol decided to erode Yu Oh.
Yu Oh is not just an ordinary Sacred Master.
Baek Woon comes from a True Person background.
Ja Eum is the split soul of Blood Yin's split soul.
Ban Ta and Hae Lin can be said to be typical examples of the Sacred Vessel stage, but Yu Oh is a [fragment] of the Reincarnation Judge Nether Ghost True Lord Yu Soo Ryeon.
The Reincarnation Judge is said to know the secret of resurrection.
Because she is the fragment of such an entity, the sooner he could obtain her, the more momentum Seo Hweol's plan would gain.
Although Seo Heon, like Jeon Hyang, carried only a faint concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol still began to have Seo Heon interact with Yu Oh.
Lest Yu Oh, who is of the same Sacred Vessel stage, sensed the aura of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol deliberately used Seo Heon, who carried only a faint trace of it, to make contact with her.
It began when Yu Oh was still young.
From that time, Seo Hweol consistently facilitated contact between Seo Heon and Yu Oh, attempting to erode Yu Oh through Seo Heon with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
That's where the problem arose.
At first, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens began to gradually seep into Yu Oh, but at some point—
Specifically...after Yu Oh came of age.
Yu Oh, who continued making contact with Seo Heon, stopped being affected by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Instead, Seo Heon, who already had a faint concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, started ignoring Seo Hweol's orders.
At that time, Seo Hweol suspected Yu Oh.
He speculated that she had used some unknown Immortal Art to pull Seo Heon away from his grasp.
Eventually, a child was conceived between Yu Oh and Seo Heon.
Seo Hweol grew extremely wary of Yu Oh, focusing all his attention on her attitude.
He believed that Yu Oh intended to wield some dreadful Immortal Art through her child with Seo Heon.
This is because after conceiving the child, for some reason, there were individuals around Yu Oh who began to break free from the influence of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Seo Hweol could no longer leave Yu Oh unchecked.
Thus, he made the big decision and resolved to erode Yu Oh with the 'power of the main body'.
The heart of the main body.
And the accompanying Oath of Hatred.
The pain created by the fusion of these two was something even Yu Oh would not be able to endure.
Seo Hweol trapped Seo Heon and Yu Oh in a scheme that led them to their deaths.
Seo Heon was executed by decapitation at Seo Hweol's hands on charges of treason, and Yu Oh felt immense pain and guilt because of it. Seo Hweol took advantage of that vulnerability and secretly sent [himself] into Yu Oh's fetus.
In this way, Yu Oh lost her child to Seo Hweol.
What entered in its place was Seo Hweol, masquerading as Yu Oh's child, intending to erode her directly from within her body with his power.
Then...
The real problem began from there.
The connection with the main body became distorted.
The main body, containing the 'heart,' began to break down.
Instead of receiving the rightful name 'Seo Hweol,' it took the name [Seo Ran] and began to act independently.
Seo Hweol realized it.
Between the main body and himself, an impurity named 'Seo Ran' had wedged itself.
And before Seo Hweol could even begin to erode Yu Oh...Yu Oh gave all her life force to Seo Ran, grew weaker and weaker, and eventually died.
Seo Hweol brought the Seo Ran left behind by Yu Oh to the Sea Dragon Palace and searched for a way to repair his broken main body.
In the end, the only way to repair the main body was to destroy the 'impurity' that is Seo Ran that existed between it and himself.
Resetting Seo Ran's personality by forcing him to commit suicide.
That was Seo Hweol's plan.
Another problem emerged here.
Jeon Hyang, who had thus far obeyed Seo Hweol's orders relatively well, finally lost her mind while observing the celestial phenomena of the Head Realm.
At some point, she began spreading insane words like, 'the Sea Dragon Race's astronomers are disappearing one by one.'
This was even though after Seo Heon left, she had been the only remaining astronomer of the Sea Dragon Race.
It seemed that in exchange for seeking the celestial phenomena of the Head Realm, madness had taken root in her mind.
That madness was reminiscent of the Mad Lord, making it very unpleasant, but Seo Hweol did not kill her directly but instead let her be.
After she became consumed by the madness that, 'there are many astronomers of the Sea Dragon Race, but their numbers are decreasing because of Seo Hweol,'
For some reason, her achievements began to skyrocket insanely.
The Head Realm may have given her madness, but it seemed to have also bestowed some kind of special ability upon her.
Though she was mad, she accomplished 'achievements that would require multiple people working together' entirely on her own.
And within a few years, she brilliantly proved several facts and hypotheses about the Head Realm that Seo Hweol had been wanting.
The structure of the Head Realm, the flow of the Head Realm's power, the fact that the Head Realm is asleep, and the phenomena that would occur when the Head Realm [awakes from its slumber].
Jeon Hyang proved all those hypotheses and deductions, and even revealed secrets about the Head Realm that Seo Hweol himself was unaware of. She delivered not only everything Seo Hweol desired but even more.
However, at that point, Seo Hweol began to sense danger from Jeon Hyang.
Her madness was gradually worsening.
Starting from the nonsensical delusion that 'the astronomers of the Sea Dragon Race are decreasing one by one,'
Each time one of these imagined astronomers 'disappeared' in her delusions, her madness grew stronger and more entrenched.
The moment that madness reached its peak was precisely when she was 'under the delusion that she was all alone.'
Fortunately, Jeon Hyang often stayed with Seo Ran, which greatly reduced the frequency of her 'thinking she is all alone.' However, the very act of keeping such a lunatic by Seo Ran's side was an immense gamble for Seo Hweol.
Thus, Seo Hweol decided to separate the dangerous 'monster' Jeon Hyang from Seo Ran as quickly as possible.
Seo Hweol sent Seo Ran to a distant corner of the Sea Dragon Palace as if exiling him.
Afterward, he planned to kill Jeon Hyang, whose madness was increasingly resembling that of the Mad Lord.
And so, on the day of the mass ascension.
Seo Hweol finally succeeded in ambushing and killing Jeon Hyang, who seemed on the verge of transforming into a second Mad Lord. Then, after burning and crushing her remains, which had already begun turning into strange stone,
He found the traces of her madness that she had hidden away.
He discovered her diary and implanted Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens there, ensuring it could affect Seo Ran in case of an emergency.
Having resolved all these issues, as Seo Hweol meticulously crafted his future plans without leaving room for a single error within the deepest depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens,
He headed for Ascension Path.
This is the past of Seo Hweol that I have seen until now.
"...Only now can I seem to understand you."
I engrave Seo Hweol's memories into my heart.
This is his past.
The life of Seo Hweol, who was born as a worthless supporting character in a meaningless dream and spent his entire life striving to prove his worth.
Through Seo Hweol's memories—
Through the suffering (苦痛) contained within those memories, I can feel the Seo Hweol currently fleeing away.
He is wailing like an evil spirit, pouring out dreadful resentment towards the already-vanished Seo Ran.
At this very moment,
The mysterious smile that wrapped Seo Hweol is stripped away.
Everything about him, in the end...has been recorded in my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Only today, at last...
Have I torn away all the mysterious veils that shrouded Seo Hweol.
"...Finally..."
Wo-woong!
The candle flame of the Torch of Myriad Forms and Connections blazes even more fiercely.
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, scattered across the universe, reveals itself more clearly.
The starting point of the Immortal Art I have attained.
My Innate True Method, Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, is something I imbued my entire life into.
Within my life, everything I have learned, everything I have experienced, mastered, and observed—[all of it] has been melted down, refined, and forged into this Innate True Method.
That is Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea possesses a total of nine abilities and forms.
'Why' Crystal Glass to Treading Sea was refined into nine forms within my heart is something even I am not entirely certain of.
However, the only assumption I have is the name Gu Ju (九疇).
Nine (九) kinds of Categories (疇).
Nine ups and downs.
I don't know who first told me the term Nine Categories.
Nor can I recall its exact meaning.
The only thing I can remember is that perhaps Nine Categories...
'...Symbolizes the suffering inherent to life...'
Gu Ju.
I wonder if the unknown events of that sixteenth cycle may have influenced Crystal Glass to Treading Sea to be refined into nine forms.
First Form, Twin Flowers (雙花).
Second Form, Sword Sea (劍海).
Third Form, Heavenly Shatter (天碎).
Fourth Form, Avīci (無間).
Fifth Form, Mysterious Bizarre (奇怪).
Sixth Form, Wind-Painting (風塗).
Seventh Form, Ghost-Face Killing Heaven (鬼面戮天).
Eighth Form, Myriad Forms and Connections (萬狀因緣).
The suffixes such as Reaching the Heavens, Star Body, Furnace, and Torch are just other ways of saying 'combat form'.
The true names of these Nine Categories Forms (九疇形) are as they are.
And today, I have completed the final form of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
The form that had remained incomplete until now.
The final form forged with Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens as its raw materials.
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
Ninth Form.
Filling the Heavens Governing View (滿天御覽).
Translator Notes: Filling the Heavens Governing View is 만천어람 which is probably wordplay on 청출어람, which is from the idiom 青出于蓝而青于蓝 that means blue comes from indigo but is better than indigo, figuratively meaning that the student surpasses the master.
-x-X-x-
Somewhere in the distant Astral Realm.
Fleeing from Seo Eun-hyun's relentless pursuit, Seo Hweol smooths his previously twisted expression that was distorted like an evil spirit back into an expressionless face and firmly grips Hon Won and Yeon Wei on both sides.
Within them, he begins to seize the souls of In and Yeon.
'Even if it's agonizing, there's nothing that can be done right now.'
Seo Hweol begins to open the [Eye] he has regained.
Bulge, bulge, bulge, bulge...
[Eyeballs] begin to sprout all over his body.
A dark-red aura engulfs him, and eyes emerge not only on Seo Hweol's arms, legs, and body but also across his face and even on his clothes, covering him entirely.
Chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk!
'What must be done now...is to use the authority of the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, which I seized in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and push my original plan forward in one decisive sweep.'
Wiiiiiing!
The attraction force between Hon Won and Yeon Wei begins to grow stronger.
But they cannot reach each other.
Seo Hweol's [Eye] distorts their attraction force, transmitting it across the Seo Hweols scattered throughout the universe and twisting its direction.
As a result, while the attraction force grows stronger, the misaligned direction prevents them from meeting, causing the force to grow endlessly without resolution.
The Seo Hweols scattered throughout the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain relay the attraction force of In and Yeon, gradually guiding its direction astray.
Gradually, the attraction force grows stronger.
This attraction force originates from the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, once known as the strongest Heavenly Lord!
When the attraction force of the universe reaches its peak, the universe meets the End.
Woo-wooong!
The End of the universe, which has been advancing little by little under the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, begins to accelerate rapidly.
Immortal Cultivation is progress...
The will of someone reverberates across the entire universe, and the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begins to 'progress' rapidly towards the End.
Empowered by the attraction force of the End, the countless Seo Hweols scattered across the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begin to laugh in unison.
"Hoho..."
"Hohohoho..."
"Hohoho."
Chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk!
The Seo Hweols simultaneously place their hands behind their backs, look up at the sky, and laugh.
'It's a shame I couldn't obtain Blood Yin...but there's no choice. I'll have to gamble.'
Bulge, bulge, bulge, bulge!
And then...
Countless [Eyeballs] burst forth from the bodies of Seo Hweols.
It's a chilling, dark-red gleam.
[Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.]
Wiiiiiing!
Immediately after.
The Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begins to be dyed a dark red.
[Complete Release (完全開放).]
Seo Hweol recalls one of the truths about the Head Realm he learned through Jeon Hyang.
When the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain meets the End.
At the moment of the End, the place where everything compresses is the Head Realm.
Although the place of 'restart' lies somewhere far away in the Interdimensional Void...
Still, at the conclusion of the universe, everything is inevitably drawn toward the Head Realm.
Therefore, the occurrence of the End ultimately means:
Everything can be absorbed into the Head Realm.
The In and Yeon of Vast Cold exchanges an increasingly intense and strong attraction force and accelerates the End.
Seo Hweol recalls the legend of the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord.
The Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, who is said to have altered the conditions for the End of an entire Heavenly Domain.
The most respected and beloved friend in the memory of Blood Yin's split soul, yet also the most terrifying existence...
Perhaps it is because such a being's power resides within the spirit bodies.
When it comes to the End, it seems to react even faster than Seo Eun-hyun's Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
'Such an ominous thing must be why Blood Yin hurriedly sealed it away in the True Devil Realm.'
Regardless, precisely because it is the Head Realm!
If Seo Hweol accelerates the End of the world with attraction force, it will be solely Seo Hweol's feat!
Through that achievement, Seo Hweol plans to dye the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, even if only for a fleeting moment.
And the Head Realm, having absorbed the world stained with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, will ultimately...consume all of Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and will complete Seo Hweol's plan.
Seo Hweol will finally...
Meet the [truth] he desires.
Just when the attraction force of In and Yeon, held tightly in Seo Hweol's grasp, reaches its peak,
Seo Hweol suddenly hears something echoing in his ears.
Kidukidukiduk...
It's Agate.
The existence that, after being swallowed by his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, remains in the deepest depths within it, serving only as his computational mechanism.
That Agate now laughs hysterically as if driven mad.
—I've been deceived too. This is...the strength of your adversary. Seo Hweol. That is what has been...contaminating you all this time...
And then,
Seo Hweol,
Sees it.
The sight of something beginning to fill the entire universe.
No...
A faint, hazy mist that has 'already been filling the entire universe.'
And Seo Hweol sees it.
The [gazes] visible within that mist.
Countless silhouettes seem to flicker within the mist.
And those silhouettes, like starlight, pierce through the mist and meet Seo Hweol's [gaze].
The [eyeballs] of Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and the [gazes] beyond the mist collide.
Seo Hweol shudders unconsciously.
Only now does he understand.
Only after witnessing it with his own eyes can he 'understand.'
[...I, from the very beginning...]
The countless eyeballs of Seo Hweols scattered across the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain lose their dark-red light before the hundreds of billions of gazes shining through the pale mist.
From those gazes, Seo Hweol feels a strangely familiar sensation.
'That's definitely...'
—The truth that I was loved—that alone—will never disappear!
—So! My heart, too!!!
—Will never disappear!!
Yes.
Those gazes...
Somehow resemble the gaze of ■■ at that final moment.
It will not disappear.
Even if it vanishes right before the eyes, somewhere deep within the heart, it will definitely remain.
Seo Hweol somehow feels as if such a will is being conveyed from those [gazes].
At the same time, the pale white light begins to overwhelm the dark-red light.
[...Was bound by a leash...]
Whether Seo Hweol seizes Seo Ran or not,
From the very beginning, unless he escapes the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, he cannot escape from him.
Finally, a voice as solemn as that of a god reverberates throughout the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
[Filling the Heavens Governing View (滿天御覽).]
Kugugugugu!
Seo Hweol understands.
At some point, he entrusted himself to a gamble, acted arrogantly, and naturally threw himself into hollow hope.
Agate calculated while observing such a Seo Hweol and informed him that he is 'mad.'
Seo Hweol ignored Agate's words.
Because he had no reason to go mad.
Because he had no reason to be contaminated.
Madness or contamination only occurs due to related causality.
Nothing happens without a reason.
And within the knowledge and logic Seo Hweol possessed, there existed no causality by which he could go mad or be contaminated.
Thus, he one-sidedly dismissed Agate's words.
However...
Facing the origin of his contamination, Seo Hweol must now admit it.
He has become contaminated.
He has become mad.
From the very beginning...
Yes, precisely from the moment he first laid eyes on Seo Eun-hyun's Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
[Complete Release (完全開放).]
The final form of Seo Eun-hyun's Crystal Glass to Treading Sea Nine Categories Form, which has been subtly contaminating Seo Hweol since long before, spreads across the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain and finally begins to reveal its full power.
"Just when...did you start to mistake Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens as being above the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections?"
A life of failure upon failure upon failure upon failure upon failure upon failure. My life is one where I have repeatedly experienced failure.
My soul is a mountain built upon failure.
And my failures are not just tools for repentant enlightenment.
Can't the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections be used to attack an opponent?
The result of such research, repentant enlightenment, and training is this secret art that has only been completed today.
Filling the Heavens Governing View!
However, even before its completion, it has already been scattering across the entire universe...slowly.
So slowly that even Seo Hweol himself didn't realize it and it has been eating away at him.
If Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is an Immortal Art that brainwashes the entire world into becoming himself, taking over every role, and turning himself into the favorable protagonist, mine is the opposite.
I fill the heavens by exposing my failures, causing others to be unconsciously influenced by my experiences of failure.
By watching my life filled only with failures, they unknowingly learn from it.
And naturally, the first thing someone influenced by this Immortal Art learns is...
My own failure.
Seo Hweol unknowingly learned and used the failures deeply stacked within my history.
I did not create a path for myself to become the protagonist.
What I created is a secret art that turns everyone in the world into failures.
A secret art that makes everyone a failure, and amidst failure and despair, enables them to understand the world anew.
That...is Filling the Heavens Governing View, now finally completed today.
After fully blooming Filling the Heavens Governing View,
I rise from my seat as I watch Seo Hweol fleeing with Oh Hye-seo, Hon Won, and Yeon Wei.
Wo-woong!
In the next moment, I split apart.
The me sitting down, and the me rising from my seat.
The me who rises looks back at me and speaks.
"I'll protect them and come back."
I smile and reply,
"Go and show them."
Nod—
The me who nods puts strength into the legs and briefly closes the eyes.
Kuguguguk!
As a martial artist, the power of Heaven and Earth begins to concentrate on 'my' legs.
The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy from all of Cedarwood Painting gathers and surges into my legs.
Paaatt!
For an instant, my lower body seems to turn translucent, and countless muscles in my lower body become visible to the naked eye.
Each muscle burns fiercely, filled entirely with Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.
And at the moment when the spiritual energy concentrated in my legs reaches its peak—
I unfold the body movement technique that has accompanied me for hundreds of thousands of years.
Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Dragon Vein Qi Method, and other martial arts have evolved across the ages, integrating with Earth Tribe Methods, merging within the Three Great Ultimates, and have repeatedly transformed, transcending upon transcending.
But this one fact has never changed.
Remaining unchanged, this martial art of mine refined with utmost dedication and passion to master the foundation.
The foundation of a martial artist is the lower body.
The foundation I have forged over hundreds of thousands of years now roars with might as it unleashes the fruits of all those efforts.
Not the ground-shrinking technique that uses attraction force, nor teleportation arts, nor dimensional leaps—this is purely a body movement technique achieved through Martial Arts.
Mountain Lord's Transcending Peaks Flight!
Kururururu!
As a Martial Artist, I begin to leap thousands of light-years in a single step.
As a Heaven Tribe, I stop myself from reaching out my [arm] to grab Seo Hweol.
Seo Hweol begins to flee even faster, but I do not lose him.
Seo Hweol uses every possible secret art to distance himself from me, yet the more he struggles, the narrower the gap between us becomes.
Kurururururu!!
As my body rapidly displaces the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy of the universe, it generates waves of spiritual energy that sounds like the roar of a tiger.
The Mountain Lord (山君) surpasses great peaks (越岳) and begins to soar (飛).
Let its momentum fill the heavens (滿天下).
A colossal tiger crosses the horizon of countless starlights, relentlessly pursuing Seo Hweol.
Finally, I leap across the long years and arrive behind Seo Hweol.
Seo Hweol turns around, startled.
He must be surprised.
He must be wondering how I could catch up to him so quickly when even the power of a Heaven Tribe Sacred Master could not.
I kindly forego explanations, keeping my mouth shut, and instead prepare my ultimate technique to strike Seo Hweol.
The Mountain Lord merely reigns silently, spreading its will.
Those who fear the master of the mountain do not even attempt to flee. They simply freeze in place as the distance closes on its own.
For the past five thousand years...
No...ever since the 15th cycle when Seo Hweol began to properly toy with me.
To punish a being like Seo Hweol whose heart has rotted away, I have studied and researched tirelessly for this single move.
Inside Cedarwood Painting, to the Cedarwood Mountain etched inside the mandala.
To Cedar Wood Grove, where I have stood alongside countless others of the Heart Tribe.
To the innumerable cedars that have supported me for millennia...
I stretch my arm with a mighty roar.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship (斷岳劍法),
Thirty-Fifth Move (第三十五招),
Cedarwood (杉木).
Bo-oong!
Though it is swordsmanship, what is unleashed is a single fist.
No, since the sword has long become one with my soul, it doesn't matter whether it is a fist or a sword.
It is merely that its visible form takes the shape of a fist.
And my fist slams directly into Seo Hweol's face.
Paaaaaak!
The sound of flesh colliding with flesh.
That simple yet lively sound reverberates and spreads across the airless cosmic space as a heart essence.
Immediately after,
Across the entire universe, every face of Seo Hweol infected by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is thrown back as if they were struck in the same way by me.
"KKUUAAAHGK!"
And...
For the first time, Seo Hweol's genuine scream bursts forth before me.
Translator Notes: Mountain Lord's Transcending Peaks Flight was previously translated as Mountain Lord's Soaring Flight.
-x-X-x-
Seo Hweol's flustered appearance makes me smile faintly.
Pak!
Once again, my fist strikes Seo Hweol's nose bridge.
Pak, pajik, pajijijik!
Then, I begin pummelling Seo Hweol once more.
"Th-This, what is...?"
The words he had been speaking through mental speech are now uttered aloud.
Seo Hweol tries to melt into the darkness to escape, but I headbutt him right in the face.
Kwaang!
A dull ringing fills my skull.
A look of shock blooms across Seo Hweol's face.
He reverts from his shadowy form back into his original appearance.
Seeing this, I grin.
"That's a good look."
He is no longer the emotionless Seo Hweol from before.
Now, after dissolving Seo Ran, he has completely regained his heart.
Previously, I had only barely managed to provoke a reaction from him by eroding his empty heart with Filling the Heavens Governing View, but this time it's different.
This time, he's truly flustered.
Seeing the genuine bewilderment on Seo Hweol's face makes me feel strangely satisfied.
How should I put this...
Yes.
It's pure.
The pure, genuine face of this guy is making me smile.
Paaak!
My fist smashes into Seo Hweol's jaw again.
His face seems to cave in for a moment before he hurtles towards a nearby planet.
Paaatt!
I chase after him in an instant and grab his head as I slam him down onto the planet's surface.
Kwaaaang!
In the next moment.
Seo Hweol is glaring up at me with dark-red eyes.
"...How did you do it?"
"What do you mean? Are you asking me to lecture you on 'our' theories and techniques, even though you're neither a martial artist nor a warrior?"
"...I, too."
Seo Hweol looks up at me with dark-red eyes and a hardened expression from beneath my foot.
"Understand the principles of the Heart Tribe's techniques."
"Hahahahaha!"
I let out a hearty laugh.
"The Plane of Soul. That uncertain, indeterminate dimension between the Plane of Qi and the Plane of Fate. Projecting your ideology and thoughts into that uncertainty and fixing it in the direction you desire. That technique, and the beings capable of wielding such a technique. That is what the Heart Tribe is, is it not?"
"Hm..."
From what I hear, it seems he doesn't understand anything from our perspective, but he has his own insights. I nod in acknowledgment.
"For now, let's say that's true. Then what don't you understand? That you're weak?"
"...That's not it. What I'm curious about is..."
Seo Hweol looks up at me with confused eyes.
I smile bitterly at that gaze and remove my foot from his chest.
"...Why...your attacks...'hurt'."
I smile softly.
"...Isn't it obvious, Seo Hweol? Lifeforms, originally...get hurt when hit."
I understand what he's trying to say.
"...Don't...speak bullshit."
Seo Hweol's face contorts.
"It must...be some secret art of yours. Because you've seen my memories. Because that bastard exposed all my truths to you. Did you not cast some secret art on me based on what you saw from my past!?"
"...Unfortunately, I'm not using any special secret art on you."
I look down at the contorted Seo Hweol with a peaceful smile.
"As expected, you're curious. Regarding just how it is that you're able to feel [pain], I mean. Isn't that right, self-proclaimed 'Incarnation of Pain,' Seo Hweol?"
The reason for his confusion is obvious.
He's bewildered by the very fact that he is feeling pain.
At a glance, it might sound like utter nonsense to anyone overhearing.
But having seen Seo Hweol's memories, I immediately understand the reason for his confusion.
'Because he became pain itself. He became Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens precisely to avoid suffering and yet he's feeling pain... It must be bewildering.'
Until now,
Seo Hweol has never felt 'pain'.
Even in the 15th cycle, when he was forced to drink a potion that multiplied pain sixty thousand times, he revealed the essence of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and overcame it in an instant.
Of course, there were moments when Seo Hweol 'appeared' to feel pain.
For example, when hearing the true names of True Immortals or Governing Immortals, or when failing to withstand the rank of an entity too far above his level.
But even in those moments, he didn't truly experience 'pain'.
He merely received a 'shock'.
Shock is nothing more than a powerful stimulus.
And...
'Pain' and 'stimuli' are fundamentally different things.
Making himself into a configuration and becoming Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is Seo Hweol.
For someone like him, it's only natural to be unable to feel pain.
Whether he gained Seo Ran, his main body, or his heart, it's still the same.
Even if he's reclaimed his soul, a being arranged into such a configuration shouldn't be capable of feeling pain.
Can letters feel pain?
Can drawings feel pain?
Can this mass of configurations, whose personality has been fragmented into information and configured, feel pain?
It might feel shock, but it cannot feel pain.
And yet...
I clench my fist and continue pummeling Seo Hweol.
My punches gradually become lighter and faster.
And at some point.
'...As expected. I see it.'
A certain illusion begins to form before my eyes.
It is a Mandala.
One of the named realms of the Owner of Void.
The form of the Mandala that I've seen every day on the reverse side of Cedarwood Painting.
But this isn't the Mandala depicting the life of the golden monster.
This is...a Mandala depicting the life of Seo Hweol.
A Mandala is completed through Emptiness (空).
Just as the life of a being is concluded through death.
A Mandala can also be described as an art meant to teach that there is nothing at the end of that life.
The one who draws a Mandala ultimately scatters their Mandala at the end, realizing impermanence.
However, this happens only when the Mandala is 'completed' and then scattered to gain enlightenment on Emptiness.
In other words...
Completing a Mandala means first drawing the most splendid Mandala one can create.
Paaak!
Once again, my fist strikes Seo Hweol's solar plexus.
The sight of Seo Hweol's face contorting into a kaleidoscope of expressions unlike anything seen before is quite an amusing spectacle.
But at the same time, my eyes see another scene.
Within the Mandala named Seo Hweol, sections bearing the name 'Seo Eun-hyun' are being added.
No, it isn't just Seo Eun-hyun.
Everything Seo Eun-hyun experienced throughout his life!
The countless lives of the Heart Tribe perceived in Cedar Wood Grove!
Not just the Heart Tribe, but the Earth Tribe, the Heaven Tribe.
And the lives of humans as well!
With every single strike, those lives are being added one by one.
The 33rd move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship is named after Mount Sumeru.
And starting from there,
The moves named after Mount Kunlun (崑崙山) and Cedarwood Mountain (杉木山).
Among these moves, Sumeru and Kunlun are, in a sense, techniques that can only be completed with the assistance of Heaven and Earth Tribe methods.
In other words, they are not purely Martial Arts in nature.
However, Cedarwood is different.
'This is...'
The essence of my Martial Arts.
No, to be precise...
The quintessence of my life's martial path!
The principle of Cedarwood is as follows:
Based on the memories of endlessly observing the Mandala in Cedarwood Painting...
I meticulously draw my life.
And through the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections that records my life, I meld everyone within the canvas into my life's Mandala.
At a glance, it might seem as if I'm receiving assistance from Heaven Tribe methods, but this process is not all that important.
It can even be substituted with mere recollections of the past.
The more important part comes next.
Manifestation.
In the 15th cycle, just as I had dragged projections of the past through Yeon's Play and struck Seo Hweol with all the Entering Heavens of those at Entering Heavens and above that I had encountered so far...
I dissolve my All-Heavens Sword to its utmost limit into the Void (虛空), manifesting within my body all the Entering Heavens I have encountered in my life.
In short, this can be described as me manifesting Yeon's Play with my willpower alone.
In other words, countless Entering Heavens reside within my body at this very moment.
Viiiiing!
Gradually, my fist begins to move faster.
Dududududu!
Sparks begin to fly from my body.
The pure white flames, surpassing simple Heaven and Earth spiritual energy or the aftermath of techniques, are the purification of my willpower.
Seo Hweol, continuously pummeled without respite, is savoring 'pain' for the first time in a truly long while.
Just like with the Sub-Heart Sword, this move of Cedarwood engraves me into the opponent's heart essence,
And going beyond that, it engraves all the manifestations I've encountered within my life,
This isn't merely reflecting myself into the opponent's heart essence like the Sub-Heart Sword does.
This is truly, albeit temporarily, 'bestowing' those manifestations upon them.
In other words, if Seo Hweol understands martial arts even slightly, he can now fight me on equal footing.
Because what I'm doing now is bestowing upon him hundreds, thousands of extremes of martial arts.
Cedarwood is ultimately...
To recall the lives of others and all the martial arts in my life, unfolding Yeon's Play limited to 'martial arts' solely through my willpower.
And through such a Yeon's Play, to embody into reality the manifestations I have seen or the 'hearts' with the potential to reach manifestation.
By doing so, after bestowing even a portion of the embodied extremes of martial arts upon the opponent, fighting them honorably on equal footing!
This is the ultimate martial technique I have refined to face people like Seo Hweol, whose heart has been shattered.
Cedarwood, as a formless ultimate technique, is not particularly restricted by movements or forms.
This is the same reason I'm not wielding a sword.
I am not confronting an enemy.
I am merely wielding my heart towards Seo Hweol, and thus, something like a sword is unnecessary.
Seo Hweol tries to counterattack me, but covered in pure white flames, I burn as I unleash an unending barrage of attacks towards him.
Amidst the pure white flames, countless figures of others overlap.
The Entering Heavens of Gyu Baek, the Entering Heavens of Yu Hwa, of Baek Yeom, of Kim Young-hoon, of Hong Fan, of the Mad Lord, of Kim Yeon, of Ryeo Hwa, of Gyeong Chang, of Jang Ik...
The silhouettes of all the Heart Tribe.
They reside in every single one of my punches, driving Seo Hweol back.
The cultivation of the Heaven and Earth Tribes emphasizes breadth.
They gradually expand and stretch themselves outward, becoming an ocean.
In contrast, the cultivation of the Heart Tribe seeks depth.
They become wells, endlessly digging downward until they reach the extreme.
That's why the power of the Heaven and Earth Tribes approach omnipotence as they grow.
However, conversely, the power of the Heart Tribe becomes capable of only one thing as they grow.
Of course, they can still use that 'one thing' to display a variety of techniques, like Jang Ik.
But the essence of the Heart Tribe is depth.
However...
What happens if the Heart Tribe gathers together?
When the ocean meets the well, the well will inevitably lose.
The difference in sheer mass is overwhelmingly one-sided.
But what if the wells gather together?
If the wells cluster and mix in one place, and they expand their breadth purely as wells—what then!
Woooooong!
Starting with Gyeong Chang, Ryeo Hwa, Jang Ik, Yu Hwa, and others, the Entering Heavens of Kim Yeon, Kim Young-hoon, Hong Fan, and the Mad Lord all mix together.
Their powers overlap within me, approaching an omnipotent power not at all inferior to that of the Heaven and Earth Tribes.
This omnipotence is even stronger than the Immortal Cultivation and Immortal Arts of the Heaven and Earth Tribes.
Because when wells gather in one place enough to fill the entire earth, it naturally becomes a deep sea (深海).
Countless manifestations overlap, and Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is suffering unprecedented damage.
The entirety of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is shaken by the Auspicious Exchange of Emotional Expression, is unable to dodge because of the Surpassing Radiant Saber, cannot escape as the heart is bound by the Heart of Love, and is being maddeningly shaken by Collapsing Immortals Annihilating Heavens.
Seo Hweol is gradually crumbling.
Of course, there is still the possibility that he can fight against me.
Cedarwood, after all, is about bestowing the ultimate will I have realized onto my opponent.
However...regardless of whether he understands martial arts or not,
He cannot accept my manifestations.
Because these are not simple manifestations—they are hearts.
If it's someone who has accepted and understood the hearts of others, it might be a different story.
But for an existence that has closed their eyes and ears, turned themself into a configuration, deliberately closed their eyes from pain, and escaped from it for thousands of years...
They will never be able to accept these hearts.
Kwaaaang!
A pure white fist strikes Seo Hweol's face once again.
At the same time, as I imbue my manifestation into the Mandala of Seo Hweol, enriching it further, I experience the sensation of seeing myself reflected in Seo Hweol's Mandala for a brief moment.
In that moment, I understand.
Mandala (曼茶羅).
Jang Ik calls it the Second Step Before the Throne, while Kim Young-hoon and I share the name Void Shattering for this realm.
Today, I have finally reached the pinnacle of Void Shattering.
Hwarururuk...
The more I use the ultimate technique of Cedarwood, the more my body seems to transform into white flames.
Seo Hweol is flung far away.
The countless Seo Hweols scattered across the world follow suit.
Overwhelmed by the power of Cedarwood, the overlapping of countless manifestations, they all collapse.
I slowly approach Seo Hweol.
Seo Hweol staggers and barely manages to lift his upper body.
His face is drenched in blood.
"...I see. I should stop trying to understand. It's better to treat you as nothing more than a natural disaster."
Seo Hweol spits blood and glares at me.
Then, pulling at the muscles of his face, he forces a smile.
"But...haven't you forgotten something?"
At Seo Hweol's words, I look around.
Come to think of it, Hon Won and Yeon Wei...
And Oh Hye-seo and others have at some point disappeared from sight.
"You snuck them away; is that it?"
"I couldn't stop you, but you won't be able to stop me either."
"Did you forget that my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections has spread across the entire universe?"
"That only means your focus is that much scattered and there are that many gaps. Escaping through one of those gaps isn't that difficult."
Seo Hweol smiles as he speaks.
"If you had combined all of your powers of the Heaven and Earth Tribes and even drawn upon the power of Cedarwood Painting, I definitely wouldn't have been able to escape. But...you are foolish, and this is the result. I merely used one of my countless selves as bait to tie down your feet."
"Indeed, as you said, I am foolish."
Seo Hweol is right.
Right now, I cannot immediately chase after Hon Won, Yeon Wei, Oh Hye-seo, and the others who have escaped.
Furthermore, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections is merely a projection of my history, not my consciousness domain, so it doesn't have any sensing functionality.
Of course, it might gain such a feature if it develops further, but for now, it's impossible.
Thus, even though Seo Hweol is in front of me, it's no different from him being able to escape at any time.
"I've lived my entire life foolishly."
I am not an imbecile.
I am...a fool.
"A dullard with no wit, a clueless stupid retard who only cares about eating. That is the Seo Eun-hyun before your eyes."
But...
Even so, I've survived.
Bearing the weight of life, I've stubbornly climbed my way here.
And because I climbed here as a dullard, I possess strengths that others do not.
Woo-woong!
The world begins to distort.
"It seems it's finally complete."
Seo Hweol's pupils tremble.
He must know what this distortion signifies.
Among the 'me's temporarily split as Heaven, Earth, and Heart, the part of the Earth,
The me of the Earth pathway has successfully completed the Entering Nirvana advancement.
"I knew I would fail from the beginning...because I am foolish, slow-witted, and steeped in failure. So...I have no choice but to always prepare for failure."
Kugugugugu!
: : I, borrowing the power of the End...twist the predetermined fate... : :
The 'me's of the Heaven and Earth Tribes in Cedarwood Painting overlap, and their voices engulf the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
The universe begins to distort.
"I've failed countless times. So...it's only natural that preparing and bracing for failure has become second nature, isn't it?"
At the same time, through the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and the attraction force of In and Yeon in Seo Hweol's grasp, the endlessly contracting Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begins to rapidly contract.
The universe begins to heat up.
"This is...the fight of a fool."
In the next moment,
Seo Hweol and I lock eyes, then quickly begin moving towards our respective goals.
Woo-woong!
I, attempting to twist fate through history revision,
And Seo Hweol, trying to move the world to reach the Akashic Records.
The powers we individually possess.
The Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and the attraction force of In and Yeon begin to collide with ferocity.
-x-X-x-
Oh Hye-seo is flying towards a certain place under Seo Hweol's arrangement.
Seo Hweol has completely drawn Seo Eun-hyun's attention, buying time for her to escape.
At the same time, through the final arrangement prepared for her, Oh Hye-seo, Hon Won, and Yeon Wei are being transferred to a faraway place.
'That place...'
Oh Hye-seo's spirit body.
The eyes of that spirit body shine.
The place she is heading to is familiar.
At the beginning of Seo Eun-hyun's 999th cycle, it is the main body of 'Hyeon Eum (玄陰),' that was crushed by toying with Blood Yin.
It is the last remaining place among the countless constellations.
Flying quickly towards the star named 'Lofty Dragon Star (嶒龍星),' Oh Hye-seo's eyes gleam.
'I can feel it. Over there...my reserve body for resurrection is waiting!
It is the place where her second body, cultivated from her extracted blood, resides.
Wo-woong!
Lofty Dragon Star gradually grows closer.
Seeing the royal palace Seo Hweol built on Lofty Dragon Star, Oh Hye-seo's face brightens.
It is a palace Seo Hweol built specifically for her.
From deep within it, a familiar energy is felt.
"...Huh?"
Oh Hye-seo stares blankly at someone walking out from inside the palace.
One of the contingency plans Seo Eun-hyun prepared in case he failed to capture Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo, and to rescue Yeon Wei and Hon Won.
It is...
Seo Hye, who has taken over Oh Hye-seo's original body and is walking out holding the severed head of the reserve body Oh Hye-seo had been awaiting.
Seo Hye smiles up at her, in a manner very similar to Oh Hye-seo.
"Hello, main body. Do you remember me?"
"..."
"I want to become me."
Crunch!
Crushing the head of the reserve body she is holding, Seo Hye smiles brightly.
"Of course, it'd be difficult. But...it's okay. Over thousands of years, I searched the entire universe, combing through every corner to find where your reserve body was hidden. I thought it would be impossible, but look, didn't do it?"
Seo Hye spreads her arms wide with a wicked smile.
"So, I will take on the challenge too. To become the real one. No matter how impossible it seems...I will defeat you."
Oh Hye-seo looks at Seo Hye and sneers.
"...You don't know your place."
Seo Hye looks up at Oh Hye-seo and smiles faintly.
"I will kill you and take over you who's the main body. And with your authority...I will revive the perished ■■."
With a determined expression, Seo Hye stands before Oh Hye-seo.
"Because I...was loved by him. Because I gained independence from his love for me...Before, I couldn't properly convey my heart to ■■ because I was being controlled by you. But this time, I will eliminate you both and properly convey my heart to ■■."
In the next moment, Seo Hye lunges at Oh Hye-seo.
Chwararararak!
A red blood robe wraps around her.
A black mask covers Seo Hye's face, and all sorts of bizarre things pour out from her storage scroll.
The first to emerge are four pagoda dharma treasures.
The dharma treasure pagodas position themselves in the four directions of Seo Hye, forming a barrier.
Next, forty-nine scrolls appear.
Chwarararak!
The forty-nine scrolls unfurl in formation behind Seo Hye.
Inside the scrolls, countless demon souls of demon beasts are refined, and as the demon souls escape from the scrolls, they begin to merge into one.
Squirm, squirm...
Before long, a monster formed from the combined demon souls of countless demon beasts emerges in front of Seo Hye.
The monster, emanating an aura at the Integration stage, looks down at Oh Hye-seo and lets out a roar.
That is not the end.
From the palace Seo Hweol built for Oh Hye-seo, countless blood corpses made from the carcasses of the Sea Dragon Race begin to crawl out.
These are not ordinary blood corpses.
Circuits glowing with an ominous light are shining on their bodies.
From Seo Hye's shadow, a cloud of blood begins to billow out and transforms into a massive Ghost King wielding a scythe.
From the center of all these ghostly creatures, Seo Hye's crimson eyes flash.
Chwararararak!
A blood-red leaf fan appears in her hand.
[Summon the stellar winds. Wind Path Blood Fan (風途血芭).]
Kugugugugugu!
A storm of blood begins to whirl around Lofty Dragon Star.
Oh Hye-seo glares at Seo Hye and sneers coldly.
"The Ghost King and demon souls come from Black Ghost Valley. The blood corpses were refined using Kim Yeon's technique after hunting the Sea Dragon Race on Lofty Dragon Star, and...that leaf fan along with the method to wield it. It seems to be a method that blatantly borrows Seo Eun-hyun's power."
Oh Hye-seo laughs mockingly at Seo Hye.
"You've willingly made yourself Seo Eun-hyun's slave. Ahaha, aren't you afraid of what that monster wearing a human mask will demand from you in return?"
"A monster wearing a human mask, you say..."
At those words, Seo Hye's crimson eyes flare as she speaks.
"Isn't that actually referring to you, main body...?"
With those words, the two collide.
The monster formed from countless demon souls charges at Oh Hye-seo.
The Ghost King, formed by condensing the blood cloud, drains the dragon vein on Lofty Dragon Star while swinging its scythe behind Oh Hye-seo.
Each of the blood corpses, all at least at the Grand Perfection Four-Axis stage, rush toward Oh Hye-seo in unison.
And Oh Hye-seo, wearing a chilling smile, summons the forms of countless Immortal Beasts.
Kugugugugugu!
The light of the Immortal Beast Glass Peacock engulfs the demon souls.
The demon souls writhe in agony, losing their reason and beginning to scatter.
The form of the Immortal Beast Yin Ghost Black Turtle appears.
The Ghost King, upon seeing the Yin Ghost Black Turtle, seems entranced and stares blankly at it before being devoured by the Yin Ghost Black Turtle's form.
The form of the Immortal Beast Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape descends from the sky and smashes into the earth of Lofty Dragon Star.
Kwaaaaang!
The entire dragon vein of Lofty Dragon Star trembles and the blood corps collapses.
Then, the wingbeats of the Immortal Beast Azure Roc sweeps away the blood wind of the Wind Path Blood Fan.
"I command, in the name of the Immortal Beast Lofty Dragon."
Kugugugugu!
Behind Oh Hye-seo, the colossal form of a dragon appears.
Lofty Dragon Star begins to resonate.
"Foul thing. How dare you, a mere split soul, covet the main body? The branch shall obediently...be reabsorbed by the main stream."
Kurururung!
Seo Hye begins to resist.
Countless Blood Path Methods, Ghost Path Methods, and Curse Methods are unleashed as she pours all her strength into resisting Oh Hye-seo.
But gradually, her soul begins to waver.
As a split soul of Oh Hye-seo, Seo Hye struggles to resist her.
And finally.
Chwarururuk!
Oh Hye-seo's body, at last, reclaims her former physical body.
Within Oh Hye-seo's heart essence.
In that place that resembles a barren wasteland, Seo Hye and Oh Hye-seo stand facing each other.
"Ahaha, is this the end?"
Oh Hye-seo sneers at Seo Hye, reaching out her arm towards her.
Gradually, Seo Hye begins to transform into particles of light and is absorbed by Oh Hye-seo.
However, Seo Hye instead smiles faintly.
As if...
This was her intention from the start.
"Do you know, main body? You're such a pitiful person."
"Ahaha, what?"
"I was born loved by ■■ and born from you. But...what about you? You've never received anything like that, not even once. Isn't that right?"
"..."
"You've been abandoned since birth. And you'll probably never receive love in the future either. But I did! Even if it was just once! So...even if I die today, I can die with a smile."
Oh Hye-seo cannot understand Seo Hye.
All she knows is her primal survival instinct.
Any emotion beyond that is so faint that she cannot empathize.
However...at Seo Hye's words, Oh Hye-seo somehow feels unpleasant.
She dislikes what Seo Hye is saying.
It's irritating.
Therefore, Oh Hye-seo absorbs Seo Hye even faster.
As Seo Hye is absorbed into Oh Hye-seo, she smiles meaningfully.
"You must have...chosen this as well, right? Hoho...I'll follow you. Someday, we...will meet again."
It's a cryptic statement.
But in any case, the victor is Oh Hye-seo, and the loser is Seo Hye.
After completely subduing Seo Hye in the heart essence world, she opens her eyes in his main body.
"Ahaha, finally. I've finally returned to my original body. Now, all that's left is..."
It's then.
"...Huh?"
Oh Hye-seo feels chills running across her entire body.
'T-This is...'
Oh Hye-seo is one who draws upon authority by retracing history.
Because of this, she can understand better than anyone present just what is happening in this universe right now.
Feeling chills run over her body, Oh Hye-seo looks up towards the sky in the direction of Cedarwood Painting.
'Seo Eun-hyun...That monstrous bastard...Just what in the world are you doing...!'
Seo Eun-hyun's history revision...is beginning to twist fate.
I've been thinking.
Since long ago until now.
Why must mortals suffer under fate?
In cases like Yeon Wei and Hon Won, why on earth did they have to endure such pain?
Therefore...
I want to save them from fate.
Fears me, lies often, is vicious, never says anything right, is exhausting because of her paranoia, and yet isn't even particularly helpful in battle is who Yeon Wei is.
But...
Despite all that, she is our comrade.
Therefore, for my dear Yeon Wei.
And for the living beings who can't ascend to the Middle Realms and will die because of the End, I devised a plan.
When the End approaches, I will borrow the power of the End with the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra to twist the power of fate with the power of history.
I aim to twist the calamity of fate placed upon Yeon Wei and Hon Won, save the two of them, and prepare for the day I will face Great Mountain and crush the Great Mountain calamity.
Yeo Hwi laughed mockingly.
She said the plan is nearly impossible, and someone like me meddling with history is essentially impossible.
And so, I decided to use the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
Nine Categories Form.
The Ninth Form.
Filling the Heavens Governing View.
When I showed Yeo Hwi Filling the Heavens Governing View and explained its effects, she obediently hung herself upside down.
Filling the Heavens Governing View is a form created by melting Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens together with the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.
Gwak Am said this.
To escape the fate of the universe's destruction, one must find a sacrifice equivalent to the universe itself to ward off the misfortune.
Of course, They also said it would be difficult to find a sacrifice matching the universe.
However, for those I wish to save, there exists a sacrifice that fits perfectly.
[Let's go, Kim Yeon.]
Kim Yeon nods and activates the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
Click, click, click, click, click...
Along with that, Yeon's Play activates.
On top of Yeon's Play, I manifest the Heart of Love using Cedarwood.
And then...
The remnant shadow of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, which had been destroyed in a previous life by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, rises and is manifested through Yeon's Play.
The fate of Hon Won and Yeon Wei, who had died miserably in the past life, is manifested through Yeon's Play.
The fate of Su In and Hong Yeon, who had died like discarded trash, is once again manifested.
Additionally, the fates of everyone else I sought to save begin to manifest again today.
Filling the Heavens Governing View is a form that turns the entire world into a failure like myself and delivers enlightenment.
At the same time, it gathers countless past fates into one, and...
It manifests misfortune, forcing one to endure the same pain from that time and then twists the fate of reality.
That is what Filling the Heavens Governing View is.
Dududududu.
The In and Yeon within Seo Hweol's grasp.
The Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra that I possess.
The culmination of these two attraction forces resonates, accelerating the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Through Filling the Heavens Governing View, I begin to gather the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections that has spread across the entire world.
Amid the hazy mist of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, painful memories from the past resurface.
At the same time, those pains are manifested by Yeon's Play, forming an artificial misfortune.
Through the misfortune thus created, I begin to perform the ritual of the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.
The hazy mist compresses into dark clouds and begins to cover the sky.
The first to be shrouded are Hon Won and Yeon Wei.
Filling the Heavens Governing View and Yeon's Play manifest the two people who had died painfully in the previous cycle.
Simultaneously, I begin to turn the Wheel.
[I rewrite.]
The power of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, the power borrowed through the Sumeru Sword Dance, and the power of the Earth Tribe pathway's Entering Nirvana stage are combined.
I interfere with history.
And, through the Wheel, I rewrite!
[O attraction force of Great Mountain! Thy attraction force is thus fulfilled!!!]
Kururururung!
By my proclamation, the fate in which Hon Won and Yeon Wei die miserably is now considered 'already fulfilled'.
But at the same time, Hon Won and Yeon Wei do not die.
Thus, Great Mountain has no reason to rampage.
Patstststststststst!
In front of my eyes, I see a [constellation] in a distant place.
That constellation is bound by an ominous attraction force, and that attraction force is also connected to Hon Won.
[Begone, O misfortune of Hon Won!]
At my resounding cry, the stars of the constellation connected to Hon Won from the distant world begin to explode all at once.
Kwaaaang!
The prophecy of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has been fulfilled, yet not fulfilled.
Unable to withstand that contradiction, Their prophecy explodes as is.
At the same time, I feel a chilling, ominous gaze sweeping over me.
It must be Gwak Am's gaze.
However, I withstand Their gaze firmly and continue my consciousness.
Next are Su In and Hong Yeon.
They are the children sacrificed by me.
Just then, I sense from Seo Hweol, who is confronting the Heart Tribe me, beginning to properly unleash his strength.
Desperately, he operates Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens for his goal.
Cheok, cheok, cheok, cheok, cheok!
Every Seo Hweol in the universe begins to laugh simultaneously and starts to 'consume' themselves.
Wiiiiiing!
At the same time, the brainwashing waves of the consumed Seo Hweols, empowered by the attraction force of the End, begin heading towards the Head Realm.
Although, unlike Seo Eun-hyun's 998th cycle, he was unable to brainwash everything in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, including the Blood Yin...
Seo Hweol trusts in the attraction force of Vast Cold and pours everything he has into the Head Realm.
Martial Artist Seo Eun-hyun remains before him, glaring at Seo Hweol who is overseeing his plan.
As the End draws near, the attraction force of Vast Cold surrounding Seo Hweol grows so powerful it feels like an entirely different dimension, to the point Martial Artist Seo Eun-hyun can no longer interfere.
However, Seo Eun-hyun does not appear tense.
As if he still has a move left.
He simply sits there, observing Seo Hweol's actions.
Seo Hweol appears like a conductor.
It's as if he rules over all the stars of the universe, pouring his everything solely into the Head Realm.
And finally.
All of Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves eventually reach the Head Realm.
Wiiiing!
Flash!
[Ascension Path.]
Following Seo Hweol's command, the brainwashing waves tear apart the Ascension Gate and pour directly into the Head Realm.
Seo Eun-hyun's gaze also focuses on the Head Realm from the outside.
The form of the Head Realm resembles a decaying, tattered skull of someone long dead.
Chunks of flesh are stuck haphazardly on the skull, making it difficult to see inside, and it seems as though a pair of overturned eyeballs are staring inward.
The neural networks of the two eyeballs grotesquely flow down outside the skull.
That is the form of the Head Realm.
And the brainwashing waves driven into the Ascension Gate become embedded into the Baihui point of the Head Realm.
Seo Eun-hyun understands why Seo Hweol had taken control of the powerful cities or regions within the Head Realm that uses Immortal Treasures.
Ascension Gate.
Baihui point.
[Black Castle.]
The brainwashing waves, drawn by the attraction force of Yang Su-jin's stele at the Ascension Gate, amplify significantly due to that attraction force and descend beneath Ascension Path, embedding themselves into the Black Castle.
Once again, the brainwashing waves amplify.
Black Castle.
The center of the Upper Dantian, the pituitary gland.
[Serving Command Palace.]
Simultaneously, under Seo Hweol's will, the Serving Command Palace reveals itself in the Head Realm.
Serving Command Palace begins operating at maximum output, quickly moving from the northern end of the Head Realm.
Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves are embedded in the Serving Command Seal at the center of Serving Command Palace.
Once again, Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves amplify.
And...
The Serving Command Palace, carrying Seo Hweol's brainwashing waves, begins moving across the Head Realm.
It seems to be rotating around the Head Realm once.
Serving Command Palace.
The circulation within the Upper Dantian.
"Then, the Sea Dragon Palace would be the forehead. Isn't that right?"
A spell that enters through the Baihui point, circles through the Upper Dantian, and exits through the forehead.
A method that clears the mind.
A spell Seo Hweol has planned since a long time ago to 'awaken' the Head Realm.
It is a spell Seo Eun-hyun had seen across the Head Realm and also experienced firsthand under Seo Hweol.
This simple yet powerful mind-clearing spell begins activating within the Head Realm.
Seo Hweol remains silent.
He seems to be manipulating the brainwashing waves with a once-in-a-lifetime focus.
And the Heart Tribe Seo Eun-hyun begins to disappear from Seo Hweol's sight.
He is returning to his main body.
After all, with Filling the Heavens Governing View activated and history revision already underway, there is nothing more he can achieve through Martial Arts.
He beat up Seo Hweol as much as he desired.
And he has already completed [planting] within him everything that is needed.
There is no longer any need for him to remain here.
Martial Artist Seo Eun-hyun looks back at Seo Hweol and smiles.
"...I will return soon. Let us meet again, [Seo Ran]."