Oh Hye-seo understands that the history of the entire world is being twisted and that Seo Eun-hyun has severed [something] entangled with Hon Won and Yeon Wei.
And in that moment, she feels an overwhelming killing intent engulf her.
Shiver!
'Th-This is...'
The place she looks at in shock.
There, Hon Won is standing.
Kuduk, kudududuk...
Hon Won clenches and unclenches his fist, as if confirming something.
Seeing this, Oh Hye-seo realizes that her instincts are sounding a fierce alarm.
However, she doesn't show it outwardly and raises several Immortal Beast forms around her.
At the Grand Perfection Integration stage, with her sights already set on the Star Shattering stage, she smirks.
"Grand Cultivator Hon, what are you doing? Grand Cultivator is a hostage, so you should quietly..."
In the next moment.
Kwadududuk!
Hon Won's fist is suddenly right in front of her, striking her head directly.
Kwaaaang!
Oh Hye-seo screams in agony, as if her Integrated Dao Domain is being torn apart, and she is sent flying several zhang away.
With an expression close to panic, she stares at Hon Won.
'I was defending myself using the power of the Yin Ghost Black Turtle, and yet...the form of an Immortal Beast. The form of the Immortal Beast Yin Ghost Black Turtle that is specialized in defense at that, was shattered in one strike, and I was sent flying?'
Hon Won cracks his knuckles as he speaks.
"I thought you were just some mongrel bitch, but this is unexpected. I intended to kill you with that blow, yet you endured it."
Oh Hye-seo, feeling a strong instinctive warning, opens her mouth.
"...You've...regained your cultivation...!?"
"Would it just be that?"
Hon Won sneers.
Kugugugugu!
"Forgotten memories. Twisted spiritual veins. The pride of the Penglai Palace Lord. I've reclaimed them all."
However, despite having regained everything, he does not look happy.
Instead, Hon Won grits his teeth and sheds tears of blood.
"It's so miserable that I can't even speak..."
Oh Hye-seo's eyeballs dart around.
'If I lose him, Seo Hweol's plan will fall apart.
Because the soul inside him needs to create attraction force!
If I lose him, and Seo Hweol fails...
...Then Seo Eun-hyun will come to devour me again, right? No! I can't endure being trapped in something as horrifying as Seo Eun-hyun's stomach again!'
Oh Hye-seo grinds her teeth and raises several Immortal Beast forms around her.
"Enough with the bothersome words and just obediently become a captive!"
Huarurururu!
The wingbeats of the White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus engulf all phenomena in flames.
The royal palace Seo Hweol built on the Lofty Dragon Star begins to burn, and flames ignite on Hon Won's body as well.
"This is the fire of an Immortal Beast! Now then, let's..."
At that moment,
Hon Won takes a stance.
At the same time, the prison of Yin-Yang and Five Elements envelops Oh Hye-seo.
"...Huh?"
Good-Devil energy surges in both of Hon Won's hands.
Viiiiing!
'N-No!'
Oh Hye-seo feels an intense threat of death and realizes she must escape the Prison of Yin-Yang and Five Elements as quickly as possible.
Woo-wooong!
A Taiji symbol begins to spin around Oh Hye-seo.
However, despite the Taiji's rotation, the Prison of Yin-Yang and Five Elements created by Hon Won does not break.
Not just the Five Elements, but even Yin and Yang itself!
She immediately understands the cause of this phenomenon.
'Resonance! Hon Won's method is resonating with the entire universe!? Why!? This, this is...'
Seo Eun-hyun's Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra is currently being unfolded on a universal scale.
That mantra is resonating with Hon Won's Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, elevating Hon Won's power to his peak state.
"Great Mountain (太山)!"
Kugugugugugu!
Oh Hye-seo's body begins to assimilate with the Yin-Yang and Five Elements.
With a sensation of her mind going blank, she pushes the power of the Immortal Beasts to their utmost with all her strength.
"Splitting Emperor (裂帝)!"
Countless forms of Immortal Beasts rise to protect her.
However, with a sinking feeling in her chest, she realizes the truth about Hon Won's attack.
'...This attack...is at the Quasi-Star Shattering stage...'
She cannot block it.
In the next moment, every Immortal Beast form surrounding her is shredded apart. Oh Hye-seo's body is torn into seven pieces, and her Integrated Dao Domain is violently ripped apart as she is hurled deep into the underground depths of the Lofty Dragon Star, unconscious.
Hon Won, having rendered Oh Hye-seo unconscious, slowly turns around.
Splurt!
Blood gushes from his mouth.
"...Damn it..."
The single strike just now cost him all his cultivation and every drop of his true origin vital energy.
Hon Won, too, is now on the verge of death.
For someone who still has a significant amount of lifespan left, an observer might call him insane.
But Hon Won doesn't care and steps into the burning palace of the Sea Dragon Race.
There lies Yeon Wei's body, thrown aside by the aftermath of the battle between Oh Hye-seo and Hon Won.
Is it perhaps because it's the body used as a vessel to contain the attraction force of Vast Cold?
Yeon Wei's soul has already been drawn by that attraction force to the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect's shrine and placed into the body crafted by Seo Eun-hyun.
Hon Won,
Slowly,
Approaches Yeon Wei,
And embraces her.
"...Wei-ah."
"...What is this, Hon Won."
Yeon Wei slowly looks up at Hon Won and speaks.
"Have I also gone senile?"
At those words, Hon Won gently strokes Yeon Wei's black-and-white hair.
Huarururu!
The royal palace of Seo Hweol, engulfed in the flames of an Immortal Beast, begins to collapse.
Burning debris from the building falls above Hon Won.
However, Hon Won neither uses spells to block it nor heals his body.
Instead, he simply endures the collapsing building with his body while focusing all his efforts on extending Yeon Wei's fleeting lifespan by even a few more seconds using the Immortal Art Sunshine of the Immortal Art Various Omens.
"...The one who went senile...was I."
"...You trash bastard."
Yeon Wei spits out venomous words.
"You are trash. So vile and rotten that it was impossible to feel satisfied with you."
Yeon Wei glares at Hon Won and unleashes a torrent of curses.
"When I heard I was to enter into a political marriage with you, I felt so nauseated that I even considered suicide. It was an engagement devoid of emotion, made solely for the safety of my Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. When I betrayed you, I thought it actually turned out great. The sense of liberation was so overwhelming I felt like I could fly. Rather than marrying an idiot and ugly man like you, I preferred to bring in brighter and more handsome children to have relations with. My descendant, Yeon Jin, is one of the offspring from such men. Do you remember when I plucked your eye out last time? Your eye, I boiled it into a tonic and drank it. It wasn't even tasty... Why are you still here? Get lost, you retard. What, if I die here, will you turn my corpse into some kind of pill...?"
"I'm going to die here today as well, Wei-ah."
Hon Won smiles warmly as he continues to embrace Yeon Wei.
"I detonated my true origin vital energy and crushed the subordinate woman of the bastard who captured us. I, too, after tonight...will die from the extinction of my true origin."
"...As if someone who can resurrect..."
"All the life force and soul force I have for resurrection are being spent on the Immortal Art to extend your lifespan. Once I die, likely not even a leftover will remain."
"What kind of insane nonsense are you spewing? Why are you doing such a thing!? Someone like you can't defy the celestial energy to extend someone else's lifespan. That's something only a Sacred Master can do. Even if you extend it, do you think my lifespan will increase by even a moment? What is your reason for this!!!"
At Yeon Wei's furious shout, Hon Won gently strokes her hair.
A single tear falls from Hon Won's eye.
"Because...even if it's just a little longer...I want to hold you."
"...Hah..."
At those words, Yeon Wei tightly shuts her eyes.
Then, with trembling hands, she raises them to cover her face.
Slowly, she begins to sob.
Hon Won also sheds tears.
"I'm sorry, Yeon Wei. The one existence I've loved all this time...yes. Cheon Ra...in the end, was you."
I'm sorry.
A short and insincere apology.
Yet, with those short and insincere words, Yeon Wei feels the resentment of the past forty-five thousand years gently melt away.
Kwarururung!
As the royal palace collapses, one of its main beams falls onto Hon Won's waist.
Flames spread across Hon Won's body.
Yet, Hon Won continues to use protective spells and the lifespan-extending Immortal Art solely on Yeon Wei.
Yeon Wei slowly rises from her spot.
Both are drained of energy, their lifespans nearly depleted, but now it is Hon Won who is lying down.
Even as he lies down, he holds onto Yeon Wei's body, infusing Immortal Art, energy, and protective barriers into her.
"Wei... Wei-ah..."
Surururk...
Hon Won's rough hand brushes against Yeon Wei's cheek.
"At last, I've found you. Wei-ah... My Wei-ah..."
Hon Won's eyes gradually lose focus.
Death is approaching.
However, neither of them shows any sign of sadness.
Yeon Wei sheds tears while smiling.
"Just why...did you come all the way here? If it's you, you could have just left me behind and lived...
"...You foolish person."
"I wanted to see your smiling face...one last time...before I die..."
"So..."
"And, with you...I wanted to go...together, on the same day, same time. Long ago...we even exchanged the Vast Cold Oath...didn't we?"
"...I've told you so many times. That was just a forgotten, useless tradition. It was just a joke..."
But even as Yeon Wei sheds tears, she does not lose her smile.
Because Hon Won said he wanted to see her smile.
And that is enough.
"...You're the one who could pray to Seo Eun-hyun for help and live... Why aren't you doing that...?"
"...I've lived long enough. And..."
Yeon Wei hugs Hon Won tightly and closes her eyes.
"There's nothing more...that I wish for in my life."
She smiles.
It is the most peaceful and liberated smile she has ever worn.
Hwarurururu!
Kwaaang!
Finally, the palace completely collapses.
Yeon Wei and Hon Won burn together amidst the ruins.
The two whose lifespans have come to an end hold hands as they turn to ashes in the flames.
A pair of lovers had their fate toyed with by the will of a True Immortal.
But through one move by Seo Eun-hyun, they finally broke free from fate.
There might have been ways for them to live longer, but neither chose such methods.
Perhaps...it's because they don't expect a moment more precious and rare than this one to ever come again in their lifetime.
The separated lovers, thus reduced to ashes by the flame, become one as they turn into soil.
Hon Won and Yeon Wei, having reached the conclusion they desired most, die overwhelmed with happiness.
And...from within the ashes, two clumps of light rise.
Kugugugugu!
The Serving Command Palace is rotating around the Head Realm.
Having already completed half a rotation around the Head Realm, the Serving Command Palace is spreading immense brainwashing waves across the entire world.
And all of a sudden,
Paaaatt!
Around those brainwashing waves, a single clump of light rises.
At the same time, on a planet within the Astral Realm, another clump of light appears before Seo Hweol who is commanding all the brainwashing waves.
The souls of Su In and Hong Yeon.
It is the legacy of Vast Cold within Seo Hweol's grasp.
With his eyes gleaming, Seo Hweol grips tightly the attraction force that fills all of Heaven and Earth.
The attraction force of the End completely envelops Seo Hweol.
[You cannot stop me, Seo Eun-hyun.]
Seo Hweol also witnessed the recent history revision and the liberation of Hon Won and Yeon Wei through it.
But he is not concerned.
"Such a revision is impossible again."
Even history revision has its limits.
"One is in the Head Realm. The other is in my hand. Yet you dare interfere with the Head Realm and believe you can seize both souls?"
Wo-woong!
Seo Hweol even more violently squeezes the attraction force from the spirit bodies of the two souls and declares.
"This is my victory!"
Meanwhile, the three aspects of Seo Eun-hyun, gathered on Cedarwood Painting, unite into one.
Heaven, Earth, Heart.
Now that one has become Entering Nirvana, there is a difference in their cultivation realms, making it impossible to use the Three Great Ultimates.
But Seo Eun-hyun doesn't concern himself with such things.
He recalls a scene from the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Wo-woong!
The children called Su In and Hong Yeon.
It is the scene of them dying tragically that day.
-x-X-x-
—Do you both swear to love each other from now on?
It's an old vow.
Yet, it still remains vividly in my heart.
Because that was the day when my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections was completed.
—Yes, from now on, I will be Yeon's legs.
—From now on, I will be Su In's eyes.
As they were dying, the two children who had asked me to officiate their union because I had treated them a little kindly are now being toyed with in Seo Hweol's grasp.
I begin to bloom a flower of consolidation filled with sincerity for those children.
Pasaasasasak—
Across the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain scattered with the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, the White Orchid Blessing Incantation begins to bloom.
—In the next life as well, may the love between the two of you continue.
—Yes, thank you.
—Really...truly...
The figures of the two lovers who smiled brightly at me.
—Thank you for your kindness.
Then...from that image, light bursts forth.
As the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections trembles, the pain I and those children felt at that moment surges around Seo Hweol.
At the same time.
[I, rewrite.]
Flash!
The reality of that time, when I had blessed the two, once again manifests in this world.
The reality manifested by Yeon's Play covers the sky, and my Wheel turns, twisting history.
At the same time, the two souls extracted by Seo Hweol, one in the Head Realm and the other in Seo Hweol's grasp...
Their misfortune distorts.
Flash!
[You were not caught by Seo Hweol... You lived happily together for a hundred years, and as you lived as such, you died as such. Wasn't that so!?]
Kwagwagwagwang!
A massive explosion erupts in the Plane of Fate.
History is being rewritten.
At the same time, immense pain washes over me, but I endure.
And...
The expression on Seo Hweol's face is quite a sight to behold.
[Seo!! Eun!! Hyun!!!!]
Has there ever been a time when my name burst so urgently from Seo Hweol's mouth?
Probably not.
I see a single light pink clump of light emerging from the center of the explosion.
Wiiiiiing!
One soul from the Head Realm, due to the rewriting of history, is spinning and soaring away from Seo Hweol's grasp.
The reality that has already been 'connected' by me becomes engraved upon the world.
Simultaneiously...
I realize an overwhelming [power] is enveloping the universe.
The souls of Su In and Hong Yeon become one.
As if they had been one from the beginning.
From somewhere distant...
The scent of peach blossoms begins to drift.
In an instant, I arrive at a place resembling a peach garden paradise filled with peach blossom trees.
And from behind a massive peach blossom tree, I hear [someone] laughing.
Sarak—
From behind the peach blossom tree, someone's finger emerges.
Immediately after, I feel chills running across my entire body.
'This is...Vast Cold...!'
In such a situation, the only being likely to appear is the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord.
However, I cannot help but tremble, not at the being itself, but at the authority on an entirely different level emanating from them.
—Someday...let's meet...
I hear something like the voices of children in my ears.
It is a voice that seems to combine the voices of Su In and Hong Yeon.
Is it because their souls have been one from the beginning, or is it because I blessed them this time?
For some reason, I feel as though the next time I meet them, they will be as a 'single' entity.
It's then,
"I shall answer your goodwill with goodwill."
A voice so moving that it stirs my heart just by hearing it flows rapidly into the depths of my chest.
And I perceive an immense power welling up from within my dantian.
'This is...!'
Vast Cold Heavenly Circle!
The Vast Cold Heavenly Circle I acquired before is resonating madly.
The Vast Cold Heavenly Circle, imbued with the enlightenment that all is due to the Four Seasons and Four Cycles, that the Four Seasons and Four Cycles are alive, and that through them, the entire world is alive, envelops me with dazzling rays of light.
'This is...'
Heavenly Circle!
In front of my eyes, I briefly see a sky filled with peach blossom petals.
"Mm, mm-mm!"
I feel Kim Yeon shaking my shoulder urgently.
It seems I momentarily fainted, unable to withstand the blessing of Vast Cold.
I understood the nature of Vast Cold's blessing.
The blessing is simple in its effect.
It's merely...
—I shall answer your goodwill with goodwill.
The goodwill I have shown this world is returned to me in the form of an equivalent 'rank.'
Kurung, Kurururung!
Heavenly Tribulation begins to gather around me.
Not the Earth Tribe pathway, but the cultivation of the Heaven Tribe pathway begins resonating with the power of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle.
At the same time, I feel the red giant star of the Heaven Tribe pathway being compressed.
In an instant, the star transforms into a white dwarf, and I can feel it continuing to rise in rank.
'To have goodwill returned as equivalent in rank...'
I smile faintly.
'Truly, the strongest Heavenly Lord.'
My plan begins to enter its latter half.
Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave, no longer supported by the attraction force of Vast Cold, visibly weakens and begins to falter.
At this level, awakening the Head Realm seems utterly impossible.
But I can't afford to let my guard down.
'Wait for me. After completing the final ritual...I will save you.'
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections illuminates the universe.
The true reason for scattering the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections across the entire universe is not merely to erode Seo Hweol, but this.
To this universe,
To all the living beings of the universe,
To all the pitiful souls who cannot even ascend to the Middle Realms...
To give them a chance.
Woo-woooong!
The universe rising within the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections begins to compress gradually.
—Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
The End of the universe I had once witnessed now begins to unfold before my eyes.
The attraction force of Vast Cold has disappeared, but the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain already stands on the verge of cosmic contraction, saturated with Vast Cold's attraction force.
If left alone, the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain will be completely annihilated.
The countless living beings who have not ascended to the Middle Realms will face the ends of their lives here and now.
Yeon's Play manifests the spacetime of that moment.
The manifested spacetime is visible only to me.
Because if ordinary people were to witness this...they would have no choice but to go mad.
The sight of the universe collapsing into a single point and perishing!
I use that sight entirely as the misfortune for the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique, spinning the Wheel furiously.
Though the scene is invisible to everyone but me, perhaps the aura can still be felt.
The Sacred Masters and Esteemed Ones, led by Sacred Master Baek Woon, are unleashing an unprecedentedly fierce attack on Cedarwood Painting.
Kururururung!
Heaven and Earth tremble, and the entire Bright Cold Realm moves, striking Cedarwood Painting.
It's not just the Bright Cold Realm.
Ancient Force Realm, True Devil Realm, and Purple Gold Realm.
The four Middle Realms [themselves] are moving, violently shaking Cedarwood Painting as if driven mad.
Even if it's an artificial Middle Realm, if the real Middle Realms themselves continue to launch attacks, it won't take long before it shatters.
Moreover, I notice a presence infiltrating Cedarwood Painting and brightly bare my white teeth.
"It's been a while, Master."
"Good."
It's Jang Ik.
Jang Ik smiles with eyes blazing like ghost fire.
"The preparations are complete. Come at me."
"Apologies, but right now..."
Without another word, Jang Ik immediately launches an attack.
Kwaaaang!
Collapsing Immortals Annihilating Heavens strikes directly at my head.
But I simply smile and look at Jang Ik.
Jang Ik wears an overwhelmed expression.
"...You blocked that with your teeth? This crazy bastard..."
That's right.
Now, even Jang Ik's greatest decisive technique, Collapsing Immortals Annihilating Heavens, is something I can casually block by biting down with my teeth.
"Well, fine."
Jang Ik's gaze sharpens as he floats four podaos into the void.
"Since petty techniques don't seem like they'd work, I'll just show you directly."
Kiiiiiiing!
The four podaos merge into one.
In an instant—
Paaaatt!
I understand why Jang Ik hadn't shown this decisive technique until now.
[The End. It was a technique meant to face the End itself.]
Everything in front of me turns green.
Yes.
Jang Ik intended to test his Fighting Spirit against the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
I honor his madness-filled fighting will and face him with the ultimate decisive move I have been perfecting all this time.
In the next moment, a green flash engulfs the entirety of Cedarwood Painting.
The Sacred Masters grit their teeth and continue hammering Cedarwood Painting with the Middle Realms as if driven mad.
"Jang Ik has gone in. Since that one has decided to risk his life, an opening will appear!"
Baek Woon shouts frantically with a pale white face as she continues to strike Cedarwood Painting.
But suddenly,
Flash!
A green light seems to briefly fill Cedarwood Painting, and then silence falls within.
Seeing this, Baek Woon's face lights up.
'Did Jang Ik succeed!?'
"Is it over!"
Immediately after.
The faces of Baek Woon and the Sacred Masters distort once again.
Woo-woooong!
It's because from within Cedarwood Painting, Seo Eun-hyun emerges with a pale and uneasy complexion.
Baek Woon grits her teeth and begins drawing upon the power of the Bright Cold Realm.
[Fine, you monstrous bastard. Since it has come to this, we will stake our lives as well!]
Seo Eun-hyun spreads his arms wide with a mocking smile.
[It's already...too late.]
At that moment—
Paaaatt!
Brilliantly resplendent rays of light erupt from around Seo Eun-hyun's body.
Jang Ik's single strike was truly terrifying.
However, he could not surpass me.
It wasn't purely because of my Martial Arts realm.
But...
This time, I don't feel ashamed to have lost purely in Martial Arts.
Because upon these shoulders rests the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
'Go, go!'
Kugugugugugu!
The Wheel spins faster than ever before.
Drawing upon all the authority of Cedarwood Painting, I shout,
: : I, rewrite: :
At the very moment when the scene of the universe contracting into a single point and perishing appears here in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain!
With all my strength, I collide with the fate of the End.
: : O fate of the End. Thy coming is already fulfilled! : :
Deeeeng—
From where could it be?
The sound of a brahma bell rings out.
At the same time, an overwhelming light explodes across the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, which had been accelerating towards the End under my Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
The entire world seems to shake violently.
Instinctively, I realize that I have twisted the very providence of the universe itself.
[Ha...hahaha...]
Seo Hweol stares at the result of my efforts with a dumbfounded expression.
My comrades read the celestial energy and wear bright expressions.
The Sacred Masters, in shock, send me transmissions like crazy.
[At last...]
It has been achieved.
The End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain has been deferred.
The attraction force that had been contracting the universe reverses as providence has overturned, and expansion begins anew.
Not a single living being in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain has been sacrificed to the End. We have succeeded in saving them all.
Now, only one task remains.
I look at Seo Hweol, who is clutching the Head Realm and squeezing out every last bit of his strength, and begin the final phase of my plan.
[...I will save you, too. Seo Hweol.]
Woo-woooong!
With that, Seo Hweol's image appears within my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
It's the Seo Hweol who, in the past life, charged into the Head Realm, achieved his goal, and turned into a blue earthworm.
-x-X-x-
[Don't...make me laugh...]
Seo Hweol mutters with an unusually angry expression, staring at where I stand.
[Who do you think you are...to do such a thing to me...!?]
Wiiiiing!
Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens begins to operate even faster and more vigorously.
Finally, Serving Command Palace completes a full orbit around the Head Realm.
Woo-woong!
Once again, Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave amplifies.
However...
It hardly constitutes a speck compared to what I witnessed in my past life.
The amplified brainwashing wave heads straight to the southern end of the Head Realm.
Towards the Sea Dragon Palace.
[Sea Dragon Palace!]
Sea Dragon Palace.
The forehead!
Seo Hweol's entire Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens begins rushing urgently towards the forehead of the Head Realm.
Even though he knows that it is impossible with this level of brainwashing wave, he forces himself to operate Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
He is feeling it too.
It's not just because he's lost his judgment due to my Filling the Heavens Governing View's erosion.
It's because an intense sense of crisis is driving him to bet everything on an unwinnable gamble.
Even though what is inside my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connection can be manifested through Yeon's Play, others cannot see it.
They can only vaguely sense that something 'is there'.
Yes.
It cannot be seen, but it can be roughly felt.
Seo Hweol can feel the rewriting of history itself that will lead to the ominous history of his existence being reduced to a worm.
'Your defeat was inevitable from the start, Seo Hweol.'
So, the only thing I can do for him is...!
Paaaaaaatt!
: : I, rewrite... : :
This grim future.
To sever it with my own hands.
The image of Seo Hweol that appears on the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections shines brightly as it begins manifesting through Yeon's Play.
Simultaneously, the manifested spacetime condenses, and once again, I manifest the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique based upon that misfortune.
Wiiiiiing!
I begin to turn the Wheel.
'This is the last time.'
So far, I have invoked rewriting a total of three times.
Hon Won and Yeon Wei.
Su In and Hong Yeon.
And the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Why was it in this specific order?
If urgency was the priority, shouldn't the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain have been prevented first?
The reason is that there is a limit to the history I can rewrite with my own hands.
Twisting the fate of Hon Won and Yeon Wei to grant those two even a slightly better conclusion was the maximum extent of rewriting I could achieve.
However...history is fundamentally an explosion.
It is also life and the foundation that forms what we know as Qi.
That's why, once the first explosion occurred, history had no choice but to 'shake'.
I used that tectonic shift of history to trigger a chain explosion to rewrite the fate of Vast Cold's attraction force, which is on a completely different rank than Hon Won and Yeon Wei.
Then, through the tectonic shift caused by the rewrite of Su In and Hong Yeon, I rewrote the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
And...through the tectonic shift caused by delaying the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain itself, I now aim to rewrite an even grander history.
Woo-wooong!
'The Head Realm...'
I stare at the place where the Head Realm lies.
Unlike when my cultivation was lower, looking at the Head Realm no longer feels painful or overwhelming.
Though I still feel an indescribable and ominous sense of dread, it doesn't make me lose consciousness like before.
While it's difficult to clearly observe the inner situation, the Heavenly Being Grand Elders of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect within the Head Realm have been reporting the situation to Jeon Myeong-hoon and me. Hence, I know.
'To shake the Head Realm, it must at least match the aftermath of shaking the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.'
Still, I honestly feel uneasy.
Will this kind of rewrite even work on the Head Realm...!?
Will it really be enough...!?
'When my Wheel becomes able to rewrite history through the change in history, I develop a sense to recognize it.'
I can roughly tell whether it will succeed or fail.
However, even as I directly feel the aftermath of saving the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, I realize that such a 'sense' isn't forming.
Even now...
The Head Realm feels so vast and distant that my strength alone seems difficult to rewrite it.
But suddenly, at that moment,
Paaatt!
Kugugugugugu!
The formula of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle begins to surge as if alive, rampaging madly.
'Wh-What is this...!?'
I am stunned by the power of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle boiling within me as if trying to explode, and I try to suppress the explosive force.
But it cannot be suppressed.
The power of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle surges terrifyingly.
I understand why this is happening.
'Vast Cold's blessing...!'
It's the blessing I received from Vast Cold's lingering will when I saved In and Yeon.
And in accordance with that blessing, the goodwill I showed to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain is now being returned to me.
'W-Wait...!'
But I can't help but feel horrified.
'This is...too much...!'
My cultivation realm begins to rise uncontrollably.
The Grand Perfection Sacred Vessel stage cultivation of the Heaven Tribe begins to pierce through the ceiling.
'At this rate, either Cedarwood Painting will suffer damage, or my body will just explode.'
Now, there is only one way to prevent that from happening.
'I must perform the Entering Nirvana advancement ritual...right now!'
Of course, advancing to the Entering Nirvana stage usually takes some time.
However, seeing my realm surge like this, I realize I can ignore the usual procedures and time constraints to advance directly to Entering Nirvana.
Although advancing means I will become separated from Cedarwood Painting...
It doesn't matter.
The power of a Sacred Master was only necessary for the situation moments ago when I had to save the entire universe.
I originally needed the power of Cedarwood Painting to resonate my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections with the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Currently, when I only need to focus the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections on the Head Realm, the power of Cedarwood Painting is no longer essential.
Instead, what I need now might be an even higher realm.
Woo-wooong!
As I rise to the Grand Perfection Sacred Vessel stage, I realize that the Eight Paths have been fully completed.
And...
Above the Eight Paths, I add one more.
The average success rate for Sacred Vessel Sacred Masters advancing to the Entering Nirvana stage is forty percent.
This is because the advancement to the Entering Nirvana stage is that straightforward.
The formula for the Entering Nirvana stage is Royal Perfection.
By adding Royal Perfection to the Eight Paths completed during the Sacred Vessel stage to form the Nine Palaces (九宮), one achieves the Entering Nirvana stage.
Chwararararak!
I recall the formula of Royal Perfection.
What is Royal Perfection?
It can be interpreted as a virtue a ruler must possess, or perhaps the disposition of a ruler.
It determines the ruler's direction.
And when Royal Perfection is added to the Eight Paths—the authority that has manipulated fate and life up until now—the cultivator completes their very own Immortal Art!
I half-open my eyes.
I have already determined the direction I must take.
Therefore...
All that remains is to complete Crystal Glass to Treading Sea!
Paaaatt!
As I begin to operate Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, an immense sea of glass swords emerges around Cedarwood Painting from the aftermath.
Chwaaaaaa!
The blessing of goodwill given by Vast Cold aligns perfectly with what my Crystal Glass to Treading Sea has been pursuing, allowing it to grow rapidly and gradually shed the framework of a mere cultivation method.
Through Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, which was once merely the starting point of an Immortal Art, I now obtain a true Immortal Art.
Paaaatt!
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea becomes clearer, clearer, and clearer still, until it suddenly reaches a state so transparent that even a cultivator's consciousness domain would struggle to perceive it.
And at last, when my authority reaches its peak—
Flash!
I finally complete the Immortal Art of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea once more.
My Immortal Art, which had roughly taken shape during my advancement through the Earth Tribe pathway, becomes even clearer and more cohesive as I advance through the Heaven Tribe pathway.
At the same time, a volcanic surge of momentum erupts within me.
The advancement tribulation of the Entering Nirvana stage begins.
Kururururung!
By the time one reaches the Entering Nirvana stage, the level of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy generated within one's body surpasses imagination.
Thus, from the Entering Nirvana stage onward, the form of Heavenly Tribulations completely transforms.
Whereas before, one would [withstand] Heavenly Tribulations,
Starting from the Entering Nirvana stage, one must [cast down] Heavenly Tribulations.
Kurururung!
It feels as though the dragon vein within me is boiling over, and the laws of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begin to extract something from within me.
It is a Star Tribulation.
Completely opposite from the Star Shattering stage, the advancement tribulation for the Entering Nirvana stages involves extracting the Star Tribulation from within oneself and embedding it into all the stars across the entire Heavenly Domain.
I am being squeezed dry!
Some law governing the Heavenly Tribulation is wringing me like crazy!
As the Star Tribulation is squeezed and squeezed, eventually, all the true origin within a True Person's body becomes hollowed out, leading to death.
Enduring this process is the advancement ritual for Entering Nirvana, and because of the Star Tribulation bestowment ritual, those advancing to Entering Nirvana take thousands of years to complete the advancement ritual.
They shoot out Star Tribulation in intervals of years.
But I have no need for that.
Kugugugugu!
It's because the wave of volcanic authority stemming from Vast Cold's blessing surges out from my entire being, spreading wildly to the stars of the universe.
The law of Heavenly Tribulation is relentlessly wringing out my power.
It squeezes me so fiercely that, for a fleeting moment, I see the illusion of a soft foot before my eyes.
'I must not lose consciousness!'
I focus my mind and take out the Dusk Talisman I received from Ban Ta.
Wo-woong!
A powerful contracting force controls my Star Tribulation, preventing the power within me from instantly dissipating into emptiness.
Of course, despite this, the terrifying power inside me continues to be squeezed outwards.
However...
The blessing of Vast Cold withstands this immense wringing and widely scatters the Star Tribulation across the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
As trillions, quadrillions of Star Tribulations are wrung out of me in an instant...
I finally reach the realm of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation of the Entering Nirvana stage.
Kugugugugu!
The entire universe is connected to the Star Tribulation extracted from my body.
The reason beings at the Entering Nirvana stage can manipulate starlight across thousands of light-years is precisely because the Star Tribulation drawn from their bodies remains connected to the stars of the world.
Wo-woong!
I smile at the flow of Immortal Art coursing through my body.
This Immortal Art does not yet have a name.
However, it is clear that the Immortal Art obtained through Crystal Glass to Treading Sea suits me well.
I gaze upon my body, now separated from Cedarwood Painting.
Kugugugugu!
My body has become a complete white dwarf star.
Although it is said that in the Sacred Vessel stage, one creates fixed stars, red giants, and white dwarfs, Sacred Vessels fundamentally lack any substance.
The stars they create are merely 'effects granted by their realm' and cannot truly be called physical bodies.
The main bodies of Sacred Vessels are better described as the 'attraction force' orbiting stars, red giants, white dwarfs, and other celestial bodies.
However, now that Immortal Art resides within my body, the white dwarf star I had created has become my physical body.
No, to be precise...
Wo-woong!
I spin the white dwarf star.
As it rotates, its form begins to change.
It would instantly return to being a fixed star, then transform into another planet, sometimes becoming a black hole in the universe, and at other times taking the form of a blue giant, or even a black dwarf or a brown dwarf.
Wiiiiing!
I can now also project my main body and create planetary clones.
This is what Yeo Hwi calls Troubled Star, and is the foundation for her spells.
Kugugugung!
In the vast expanse of space, I transform my body in the combat technique form.
The Glass True Fire of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea wraps around my body, forming winged garments.
I look at Cedarwood Painting before me and at the planets and stars surrounding it.
My combat technique form is now so massive that its sheer size approaches that of a fixed star.
With the brute force of my physical body alone, I can now shatter stars and kill Star Shattering stage cultivators.
Wiiiiing!
A halo of Taiji appears behind my head.
During the Heavenly Being stage, the alignment of Heaven, Earth, and Heart was required for the Three Great Ultimates to appear.
[Editor: 'Three Great Ultimates' is literally written as 三 (three) 太極 (Taiji).]
But now at the Entering Nirvana stage, the form of Taiji seems to manifest simply through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation.
However, this form of Taiji doesn't seem to produce the overwhelming amplification of power achieved by the Three Great Ultimates.
Of course, it doesn't really matter.
I briefly savor the sensation of reaching the Entering Nirvana stage.
Cultivators, in fact, harbor many misconceptions.
They believe that accumulating the cultivation of Heaven and Earth to reach the Plane of Fate is the method to becoming a True Immortal.
However...
This is a massive misunderstanding.
Reaching the Plane of Fate actually refers to the realm of Entering Nirvana.
More specifically, the Entering Nirvana for Heaven Tribe cultivators.
Earth Tribe cultivators in the Entering Nirvana stage do not reach the Plane of Fate but instead gain control of the Plane of Qi.
Controlling a plane!
This is the very precursor to becoming a True Immortal—the Quasi-Immortal.
From there, advancing to the True Immortal Realm through a specific ritual and attaining an Immortal Rank is what is known as True Immortality.
For this reason, many already consider those at the Entering Nirvana stage to be part of True Immortality.
This is what defines the Entering Nirvana stage.
Wo-woong!
With the halo of Taiji shining behind my head, I extend my finger towards Seo Hweol, who is rushing towards his goal in the distance.
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections spreads across the Head Realm.
'It's possible...'
As an Entering Nirvana, I can vaguely 'sense' that it is possible to alter Seo Hweol's history.
Yet, because this is the Head Realm, the odds remain fifty-fifty.
'Will you succeed, or will I save you? Today, the ill-fated connection between you and I will find its resolution.'
I issue a command to the stars connected to the star vein emanating from me.
[In the name of a Quasi-Immortal, I declare:
[Let the stars of the nations hear me!]
-x-X-x-
Kugugugugu!
The starlight of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begins to shift.
The scene of Seo Hweol brainwashing the stars through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens first appears, followed by the Entering Nirvana Persons and Blood Yin.
And then, it's the ability that Yeo Hwi had displayed.
As I control the starlight connected to me, I realize one thing.
'The range of the star vein formation I can control...is overwhelmingly greater than other Entering Nirvanas.'
Indeed.
If the range of a star vein formation that an average Entering Nirvana Quasi-Immortal can construct were said to be 10, the range I can construct reaches about 60 or 70.
Far more stars submit to my command.
'Good, let's go.'
Carrying the hope on countless stars, I project that scene onto the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
From the moment Seo Hweol's plan was formulated in the past life, to the scene where he brainwashes the Head Realm.
The scene Seo Ran tragically perishes, empowered by Seo Hweol's plan.
And immediately after, the scene where Seo Hweol's history is rewritten and he meets a miserable end!
Yeon's Play assists me as I once again unfold the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.
Ururung!
I deceive the world within Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens and draw upon the power of the fiercely rotating Wheel.
The star vein formation supports me.
With more caution than in any previous rewrite, I offer my past as a sacrifice to Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens and begin to twist history.
: : I, rewrite... : :
Dududududu!
Even as a Quasi-Immortal, using an Immortal Art targeting the Head Realm requires utmost caution.
After all...in the previous cycle, I saw three Governing Immortals that had been crushed and turned into Middle Realms.
Someone like me could not dare use anything excessive against such a terrifying existence.
'I must not overreach.'
I must not hope for Seo Hweol's grand plan to succeed and for him to 'return alive' after conversing with the Head Realm.
Nor can I blindly hope for Seo Hweol to 'fail' within the Head Realm.
All I must do is create the utmost justification for Seo Hweol's 'failure.'
If I interfere with the Head Realm beyond that...
Even I don't know what might happen to myself.
: : O Seo Hweol. : :
I do not interfere with the fate of the 'Head Realm.'
Instead, I rewrite the history of the being known as 'Seo Hweol.'
: : May thee realize the heart within thyself. : :
Thump!
In the depths of Seo Hweol's grand plan.
The arrangements that [Seo Ran] and I had [planted] until now begin to awaken.
'Now, realize it, Seo Hweol.'
What I interfered with is neither Seo Hweol's fate nor the fate of the Head Realm.
Rather...
I twisted history just enough so that Seo Hweol can properly see the sincerity (眞心) hidden deep within his own heart.
Just when the brainwashing wave reaches the Sea Dragon Palace.
Flash!
From one point within Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave, a resplendently brilliant beam of light bursts forth.
The beam of light takes the form of a six-tailed fox and howls atop the brainwashing wave.
The spirit body of the Four-Axis stage Shi Ho begins to howl fiercely, disrupting Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave.
Shattered and scattered across the universe through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Shi Ho gained the justification to return through Seo Eun-hyun's history revision. ŘâN𝙤𝐛ΕȘ
However, Seo Hweol doesn't care and continues pushing the brainwashing wave forward.
After all, to someone born as a Sacred Vessel, Shi Ho is nothing more than an insignificant creature he can kill at any time.
That's how it should have been.
Shi Ho shouts with all his remaining strength.
[Remember, remember! ■■!]
Hearing those words, Seo Hweol feels an inexplicable churning sensation in his body.
[■■!!!!]
Shi Ho calls the name of that person, now erased.
The pronunciation is muddled beyond recognition, and even Shi Ho himself doesn't know whom he's calling, but he calls nonetheless.
[■■!!!]
Someone begins pulling Shi Ho who is within the Head Realm.
It is Seo Eun-hyun, who is outside the Head Realm.
As if Shi Ho's role has ended the moment he called out ■■'s name once.
Seo Eun-hyun is summoning Shi Ho back.
If he were to return, Shi Ho would likely be given a new body by Seo Eun-hyun, resume cultivation, and continue to live.
However, Shi Ho rejects even Seo Eun-hyun's call and continues to scream towards Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave until the very end.
Even as he detonates his own spirit body, he shouts into the depths of Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
As if begging, pleading for even just a single moment to reach through.
He becomes a pure white beam of light.
[■■! Remember! I, you...we...I!]
Shi Ho's spirit body exhausts all its strength above Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave before disappearing entirely.
[I loved you! Not Seo Hweol, but ■■! You!]
Without even being able to save ■■.
Shi Ho, despite receiving another chance at life, vanishes.
Seo Hweol completely hurls Shi Ho's spirit into the afterlife, then settles into the Sea Dragon Palace, arriving at the southern end of the Head Realm's sky.
At the [Forehead] of the Head Realm.
'Finally...I've arrived.'
Through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol's soul arrives directly at the edge of the Head Realm brainwashing wave.
All that remains is to pierce through this forehead and exit the Head Realm.
By doing so, the Head Realm will awaken, and Seo Hweol will gain a brief opportunity to gaze upon the Akashic Records stored within the depths of the Head Realm.
He recalls the first time he saw the Akashic Records.
Back then, the Akashic Records granted him the knowledge he [desired].
This time as well, the Akashic Records will surely grant Seo Hweol the knowledge of his origin that he desires.
Then, Seo Hweol will be absorbed into the Akashic Records and, in turn, absorbed into his origin.
In doing so...he will influence the origin that gave birth to him.
At long last, Seo Hweol's goal will be complete.
At that moment—
'...?'
Seo Hweol inexplicably feels something strange.
Something is [twisted].
For some reason, he doesn't want to go beyond this forehead and be absorbed into the Akashic Records.
Seo Hweol's [heart] is rejecting him.
'What is this, why...?'
He looks at his abruptly unmoving heart, taken aback.
This isn't some peculiar spell.
There isn't any trace of an Immortal Art.
It's just...simply, his heart refuses to move his body.
'A mere heart...how dare it...!?'
Bududuk...
Seo Hweol grits his teeth.
Tormenting him all throughout his life has always been the heart.
From the very beginning, it was because he had a heart that he suffered.
'A mere heart!'
Seo Hweol ignores his heart and forcibly raises his hand towards the southern end of the Head Realm.
"A mere heart!!!"
Finally, he grips the southern end of the Head Realm and tightly shuts his eyes.
"...Just what have you done to me this time, Seo Eun-hyun...?"
Just one step forward, and his goal is within reach.
However, that single step.
His heart refuses to let him take it.
The history that Seo Eun-hyun rewrote for Seo Hweol is only one single thing.
The manifestations that Seo Eun-hyun imprinted into Seo Hweol's heart through beatings.
Those hearts were not just simple hearts of the Heart Tribe.
They were strikes infused with the hearts of every person who had been harmed by Seo Hweol throughout Seo Eun-hyun's life.
From Seo Eun-hyun himself, to Gyu Ryeon, Gyu Baek, Yu Hwa, Baek Yeom, slave races, Su In and Hong Yeon, and countless other living beings of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain...
And even [Seo Ran]'s heart!
Seo Eun-hyun engraved all those hearts, even if only in the form of manifestations, into Seo Hweol's heart.
And what Seo Eun-hyun rewrote is this.
To make the will of [Seo Ran], which should have completely melted into Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, remain intact, however [faintly].
If even the faintest trace remains, [Seo Ran] will reawaken through the countless hearts Seo Eun-hyun engraved.
And [Seo Ran] will hold back Seo Hweol's footsteps.
That is the history of Seo Hweol, rewritten by Seo Eun-hyun.
Seo Hweol realizes this fact immediately.
"...I see. So you're still...alive within me, ■■!"
Staring at the Head Realm where Seo Hweol resides, I bite my lip tightly.
'Please, [Seo Ran]. e out.'
The odds are fifty-fifty.
[Seo Ran] will undoubtedly push aside Seo Hweol and emerge through my arrangements.
But the problem is...that place is the Head Realm.
I have no idea what kind of variables might occur.
"Damn it... Damn it... Damn it...!"
For the first time in his life, Seo Hweol spits out crude curses and grits his teeth.
"Just what is...a heart...supposed to mean!?"
Despite everything being right before his eyes, Seo Hweol cannot move because of the aching presence of [Seo Ran]'s heart within his chest.
He remembers Seo Eun-hyun's punches.
He recalls every time Seo Eun-hyun swung his fist, an unknown 'pain' was engraved into him.
Among those pains, there was one that felt familiar.
He remembers Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View.
He remembers the 'gazes' that shone through the hazy mist of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Those 'gazes' were undoubtedly familiar.
He remembers Shi Ho's call.
In truth, Shi Ho was an insignificant being who had no connection to him.
However, Shi Ho's 'call' undoubtedly resonated within the depths of Seo Hweol's heart.
And...Seo Hweol realizes the cause of those feelings of déjà vu.
'...Is it you? ■■...'
The words that he will never disappear.
His gaze is reverberating within Seo Hweol's chest.
'I...'
Suddenly, everything feels futile to him.
What if he just lets go...and watches to see what answer [Seo Ran] came up with?
That's how much...
[Seo Ran]'s heart, resonating within Seo Hweol, is overwhelmingly powerful.
Based on [Seo Ran]'s heart, the countless hearts Seo Eun-hyun embedded within Seo Hweol are trying to turn his steps around.
At that moment, Seo Hweol suddenly sees the Sun and Moon of the Head Realm.
He gazes into the light of the Sun and Moon.
Within that light, he recalls his [first parents].
Seo Hweol remembers being loved by them when he was born.
His parents from back then...
"...N...o..."
Seo Hweol grits his teeth as he stares at the light of the Head Realm.
[Seo Ran]'s heart is undeniably intense.
The hearts Seo Eun-hyun arbitrarily implanted within him are also overwhelmingly strong.
However...
Seo Hweol remembers that he, too, possesses a heart.
A fierce hatred begins to rise.
In truth, if it were only hatred, Seo Hweol might not have been able to overcome [Seo Ran] and the other 'hearts.'
But...
Today, Seo Hweol realizes what lies on the other side of this hatred.
He realizes that he's been wanting to see his first parents once again.
Just as the darkest shadows are born from the brightest light, the source of Seo Hweol's hatred is ultimately the hollow existence of his [first parents].
Therefore...
Seo Hweol carries not only hatred but also a faint glimmer of hope.
At least his first parents were real, existing beings.
He has come all the way here for the faint [hope], for the faint light, that he might have once been loved by those real, existing beings.
Seo Hweol's hatred rivaling that of Great Mountain cannot overcome the hearts Seo Eun-hyun has built.
However...
That tiny spark of hope Seo Hweol has discovered deep within his heart!
It allows Seo Hweol to stand against the hearts of Seo Eun-hyun and [Seo Ran]!
"...I..."
Seo Hweol breaks the restraints Seo Eun-hyun has embedded in his chest and slowly reaches his hand towards the southern end of the sky.
The light of the Head Realm is awakening Seo Hweol's hope.
"Must...confirm...!"
At last.
Seo Hweol, still under Seo Eun-hyun's numerous suppressions, reaches out towards the edge of the Head Realm.
Transforming entirely into a mental wave, Seo Hweol directly moves and exits through the Head Realm's forehead.
Or rather, he tries.
Clench!!!
Seo Hweol, whose upper body had been passing through the forehead, is yanked back by a firm hand grabbing his ankle.
That hand grips Seo Hweol tightly and restricts his body with countless demon abilities.
However, that being soon vomits blood under the countless waves surging out of Seo Hweol's body.
The being throws Seo Hweol somewhere far away.
A dimensional gate of the Head Ream is opened and Seo Hweol is sent flying somewhere in the Astral Realm.
The one who threw Seo Hweol sinks beneath the sea of the Head Realm, vomiting blood.
That being is Hong Fan, who has lowered his cultivation to the Four-Axis stage to enter the Head Realm.
"Well done, Hong Fan..."
In the end, I failed to turn Seo Hweol back.
However...
Hong Fan had volunteered to stop Seo Hweol himself.
I explained the dangers of the Head Realm, but Hong Fan insisted he would go, even if it meant lowering his cultivation realm.
And Hong Fan seized a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to pull Seo Hweol out.
'He didn't awaken the Head Realm...'
I let out a sigh of relief.
If Seo Hweol awakened the Head Realm, there would have been no way to deal with the consequences.
I look at the place where Hong Fan threw Seo Hweol.
There, Seo Hweol floats aimlessly in space with a blank expression.
Woooong!
At the same time, Seo Hweol's body inexplicably flickers with the powerful energy of Taiji, growing faint before reappearing in flashes.
'Even if he didn't awaken the Head Realm...that reaction...'
It seems as though he had glimpsed something deep within the Head Realm.
Hong Fan's success in pulling Seo Hweol out was truly thanks to impeccable timing.
If he had grabbed Seo Hweol just a little earlier, Hong Fan himself would have been brainwashed by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens while Seo Hweol was still conscious.
If he had been just a little later, perhaps only Seo Hweol's pants would have remained.
At the exact moment Seo Hweol pushed his head into the secrets of the Head Realm, glimpsed [something], and lost consciousness, Hong Fan had pulled him out.
It was truly an extraordinary decision.
"Rest for now. If it's only the Four-Axis stage, you'll be safe even in the Head Ream... Once you return, I will spare no effort to ensure you reach the Star Shattering stage immediately..."
Woo-woong!
Feeling gratitude towards Hong Fan, I prepare to leap towards Seo Hweol location.
Though Seo Hweol is flickering wildly across the surrounding space, the frequency of his flickering is gradually decreasing.
It seems the effects of the [something] he witnessed in the Head Realm are fading with time.
'...Now, everything is over. Seo Hweol...'
I reach my hand towards Seo Hweol, who for some reason still wears a dazed expression.
When his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens activated, all the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens across the universe disappeared.
Now, the only remaining Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is the one flickering over there.
And because of having witnessed something in the Head Realm, Seo Hweol seems unable to activate Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens any longer in his current state.
In other words, there is only one chance to eradicate Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and awaken Seo Ran—and that is now!
Kugugugugugu!
My hand leaps across the universe and reaches towards where Seo Hweol is.
Just as I am about to seize Seo Hweol,
Paaaatt!
Taiji seems to ripple around Seo Hweol, and Oh Hye-seo appears, snatching his body away.
She quickly begins to flee somewhere.
'It's not Oh Hye-seo's main body...Is it a clone created through Immortal Beast True Blood? Hoo...'
I observe her clone with interest.
As her clone absorbs the Taiji rippling out of the dazed Seo Hweol, she grows faster and stronger.
I immediately grasp the principle behind it at a glance.
'Seo Hweol's body is currently filled with the ancient force he gained from witnessing the Head Realm. And...Oh Hye-seo is able to absorb that ancient force for herself?'
She accelerates more and more, soon leaping light-years away like someone in the Star Shattering stage.
Of course, this isn't true Star Shattering-level power, but rather a massive amplification of power through the Immortal Beast True Blood due to the ancient force emanating from Seo Hweol.
It's quite a bold act.
Despite the fear of being caught by me, daring to come here to rescue Seo Hweol...
It seems that she, too, has undergone a slight change of heart.
But that's all there is.
Wo-woong!
I clench my fist.
From thousands of light-years away, Oh Hye-seo begins to be drawn into my grasp.
I have the confidence to reverse-track her clone's energy and pull her main body here in one go.
[Come, Oh Hye-seo. Come here...]
Struck with horror, she seems to be trying to escape my attraction force while holding the dazed Seo Hweol.
But it's useless.
Even if she somehow gained the power of the Star Shattering stage through luck, it doesn't matter.
Between her and me lies an insurmountable wall.
She is already nothing more than an insignificant being (微物).
And that...applies to Seo Hweol as well, who has now consumed all of his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and is now half out of his mind.
[You two can no longer escape this Immortal's grasp.]
I have already decided how to deal with Oh Hye-seo.
I gave her countless chances. The number of opportunities alone I gave her to correct her nature as she lived as a Candle Dragon surpassed thousands.
Yet she kicked away every chance and even attempted to kill Shi Ho.
Now, there will be no more chances.
Her flesh will be modified into a living puppet by Kim Yeon, her soul refined into a Ghost King by Kang Min-hee, and she will be turned into a puppet dharma treasure that practices the Ghost Path Method—eventually becoming one of our Immortal Treasures.
And Seo Hweol will never be able to come back to life.
All that will remain in this world will be [Seo Ran]...
It's just when I think so,
Deeeng—
A faint sound of a brahma bell rings, and I realize the stars around me have stopped moving.
At the same time, the flames of the nearby fixed stars freeze.
The Sacred Masters and True Persons who have been communicating with me fall silent.
My comrades, who have been raising a celebratory toast, freeze in place.
'This is...'
Time in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain has momentarily stopped.
And then—
A familiar old man appears before my eyes.
The Immortal Treasure of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.
South Polar Ritual Treasure, Yeong Seung.
I no longer feel the same fear as before and calmly ask,
[What brings you here, Agent of Time?]
Yeong Seung asks me with a dry expression.
[You have tampered with providence. Did you stop the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain?]
Seeing Yeong Seung's demeanor, I feel relieved.
The fact that he chooses to speak through mental speech in consideration for me means he holds some goodwill towards me.
[That is correct.]
[...Your recent actions have disrupted providence, resonating and spreading widely with the beings who govern 'Death,' 'End,' and 'Restart.' Moreover...it caused a powerful vibration impossible for us gods of the Time lineage to overlook.]
Yeong Seung continues speaking with an indifferent face.
[In particular, it directly resonated with me, the agent of the Lord, and with the Lord's direct disciples. And...while I do not care, one faction among the Lord's direct disciples have been deeply angered by you. They will soon descend upon the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain to judge you and your associates.]
[...Who are they?]
At my words, Yeong Seung lowers his voice and responds.
[Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords (北斗七天君). Comparable to the Underworld Ten Kings of the Netherworld, they will soon descend using their pawns within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.]
I let out a low hum at his words.
[Why are you telling me this? Are you not on the same side?]
[They differ in opinion from me. More importantly...the Lord has shown you respect. That alone is far more than enough of a reason enough for me to aid you.]
Wo-woong!
Yeong Seung clenches his fist and extends something towards me.
It is a small celestial sphere, resembling the main body of the South Polar Ritual Treasure Yeong Seung.
[The Great Desolate Path of Golden Divine is an imitation of me. Because of that, I can intervene to some extent. If you go to the Lightning Sacred Sea and use this celestial sphere, you'll be able to activate the Great Desolate Path once. Use it to escape to another Heavenly Domain.]
I look at him and ask one question.
[Can my comrades move with me as well?]
[If you force them in, one other person could accompany you. But anymore is difficult. I have no interest in your comrades]
[...Then I refuse.]
If I leave my comrades behind and they are all torn apart by enraged True Immortals, as happened during the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra incident, what would I do then?
At my words, Yeong Seung furrows his brow.
[That is foolish. They will not descend in their main bodies but rather project themselves through their pawns in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. But even so, their projections are strong. Each and every one of them can annihilate all the mortal beings in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. If all seven descend, even killing Blood Yin would not be impossible for them.]
[...If they are such beings, then all the more reason for me to bring my comrades along. If I cannot go with them, I will not go at all.]
[...Foolish. Unless you are at the level of Vast Cold in their youth, you cannot stop them.]
[That may be true. However...]
I calmly convey my will to Yeong Seung.
[Running away alone, without doing anything...is something I hate more than death.]
I've already experienced such pain deep in my bones under the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
I will not endure such suffering again.
Even if we all have to die together!
Yeong Seung stares at me silently for a moment, then lets out a small sigh. He hands me the celestial sphere and turns around.
[Do as you wish. If this is your will, I will not stop you.]
Wo-woong!
With those words, Yeong Seung disappears from sight.
And from where he vanishes, a brief echo of his voice lingers, breathing hope into me.
[Among your subordinates, the one called Yeo Hwi is a pawn of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords. Originally, their descent requires the power of forty-nine Entering Nirvana beings. With one missing, their descent will be incomplete. To the point where even with seven, they probably will not be able to catch Blood Yin. This is the only aid I can offer you.]
[I will accept it gratefully.]
I take the celestial sphere and store it within my domain for now.
It is said receiving something from True Immortals brings misfortune, but this is a time where I must accept it.
This is, quite literally, the final bastion.
Kigigigik!
I turn my gaze towards a point in the universe.
As Yeong Seung said, somewhere in the sky, familiar figures are at work.
They are all too familiar.
[Truly, you all share such a sickening ill-fate with this Immortal.]
The nearly fifty Entering Nirvanas who have been bothering me since the Nether Ghost Realm!
Now reduced to forty-eight with Yeo Hwi's absence, these Entering Nirvana True Persons are linking their star veins together, drawing some kind of star vein formation in the cosmic space.
I glance between them and Seo Hweol before extending my hand towards Seo Hweol.
Woo-woong!
A Gang Sphere clone extends from my hand and flies towards Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo.
[Capture Oh Hye-seo and witness Seo Hweol's conclusion.]
At this point, that is the extent of their significance to me.
To prepare to face the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, who are said will appear to threaten me, I begin flying towards the star vein formation.
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