Woo-woong!
I briefly close my eyes as I observe the Entering Nirvanas who are summoning the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords through the star vein formation.
'Can I do it?'
Logically, there's no way I can face the seven True Immortals known as the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords with my strength alone.
From what Yeong Seung said, they seem to be quite high-ranking even among True Immortals.
If such beings descend as projections, they would already possess the might of True Immortals.
On top of that...
I am now in the Entering Nirvana stage.
That means I am currently the most vulnerable existence to True Immortals in this world.
Why are those in the Entering Nirvana stage the most vulnerable to True Immortals?
It is related to the True Immortal advancement method.
True Immortals are also divided into realms and stages.
[TL: Stages as in Early, Mid, Late, etc.]
According to Yeo Hwi, the first realm one steps into after becoming a True Immortal is called Vestige Liberation Immortal (尸解仙).
The meaning of the name itself reveals how one advances to that realm.
Vestige Liberation (尸解).
It refers to beings who shed their physical bodies and ascend entirely into the world above the Planes of Qi, Soul, and Fate.
In short, the True Immortal advancement ritual is liberation from the physical body.
That is, one must abandon all their 'lifespan,' 'physical body,' and 'everything' one has pursued in the mortal world up until now to reach True Immortality.
Simply put,
We call this suicide (自殺).
Death.
Such a simple yet terrifying ritual is the only way to advance to become a True Immortal.
Why do the Nether Ghost Realm Entering Nirvanas not challenge the True Immortal advancement ritual but instead spend countless days staring at the corpse of Reincarnation Judge Yu Soo Ryeon, who holds the secret of resurrection? ŖάΝƟβĚŜ
Why did the remnant of the Golden Divine tell me, 'We all eventually have to go to the Netherworld'?
It is because the True Immortal advancement ritual is, at its core, suicide.
This is precisely why it is nearly impossible for those in the Entering Nirvana stage to resist True Immortals and why they must 'clump together' to stand a chance against them.
True Immortals, who have completed Vestige Liberation and obtained their immortal Rank, already embody both life and death within themselves.
Furthermore, once cultivators reach a certain stage, they can gain 'knowledge' simply by directly facing the other person.
Thus, when Entering Nirvana True Persons behold a True Immortal, they behold death itself.
And True Persons who behold death are said to immediately undergo the True Immortal advancement ritual on the spot.
In short...Entering Nirvanas die just by directly facing a True Immortal.
If they are lucky, they might survive and become a True Immortal. But in the situation of suddenly facing a True Immortal and suddenly performing the advancement ritual, who knows how high the success rate is.
For an Entering Nirvana cultivator who is not mentally prepared, directly facing a True Immortal is unimaginably dangerous.
In fact, the difference in rank between Entering Nirvana True Persons and Vestige Liberation Immortals is said to be almost negligible.
However, the life and death that Vestige Liberation Immortals hold within them boasts an 'absolute' counter against Entering Nirvana True Persons. This is why it is said that True Persons must group together to face a Vestige Liberation Immortal.
When True Persons gather together, they can, in their own way, use fate prophecies to strike at a Vestige Liberation Immortal without directly facing them.
But...honestly speaking, where in this Heavenly Domain would I find someone willing to join forces with me to fight seven True Immortal rank beings?
Just facing one Vestige Liberation Immortal alone requires at least fifty Entering Nirvana True Persons.
However, the ones descending soon are beings of an even higher rank than Vestige Liberation Immortals, and it is unfathomable how deep their experience as True Immortals runs.
Each one of them is likely stronger than an ordinary True Immortal.
Furthermore, Yeong Seung said that if their projections fully coverage, they could even capture Blood Yin.
'Blood Yin...'
Blood Yin serves as the benchmark.
Yeong Seung said that originally, forty-nine True Persons are needed to draw the star vein formation to divine descent the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords. But since Yeo Hwi is missing, making the count forty-eight, the divine descent will not be perfect.
Therefore, the projection of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords summoned this time will not be able to defeat Blood Yin.
Yeong Seung himself doesn't seem to have any intention of directly helping me, and considering his words, it seems he's subtly suggesting that I go seek out Blood Yin and beg for help.
'But...that's far too dangerous.'
Having subdued Seo Hweol to near perfection,
The greatest threats right now are the soon-to-be-summoned Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords and Blood Yin.
Especially since Blood Yin sees me as a follower of Light, I have no idea what he might do to me if I fall into his hands.
Thus, going to Blood Yin isn't the worst option, but it's still the next worst choice.
'But given the current situation, the next worst choice is the only option left.'
If that's the case, I need to turn that next worst choice into at least the second-best choice.
'I must become stronger.'
I contemplate as I gaze at the All-Heavens Sword.
I have reached the pinnacle of Void Shattering.
Now, all that remains is to reach the next realm.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have had the slightest clue to reach that next realm...
...If I hadn't met Jang Ik.
However, through Jang Ik's final strike...
I obtained a clue to the next realm.
"I will show you. This is the Fighting Spirit to cut down the End!"
Kiiiiiing!
Jang Ik's green light fills Cedarwood Painting.
I, observing Jang Ik's green intent, silently imbue the All-Heavens Sword into the Colorless Glass Sword.
The Colorless Glass Sword melts into the All-Heavens Sword, transforming into something akin to a pure white line.
Then, I draw out the single technique I've been perfecting all this time.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Final Decisive Move.
As the thirty-sixth technique, this is the last move that stabilizes the flow of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Kiiiiiing!
Pure white light begins to gather into the All-Heavens Sword.
Seeing this, Jang Ik chuckles softly.
"Such brute force. What do you intend to cut with that?"
I can't help but cough embarrassingly at his words.
As Jang Ik said, brute strength is indeed being condensed, but there is a lack of sharpness.
At this rate, it is nothing more than a club, not a sword.
"...This technique is not yet complete. For it to be perfected...it might take tens of thousands of years. Perhaps...hundreds of millions of years."
The conception of the technique itself has been finalized.
However, the time required to 'train' the technique I envisioned is so long that it's impossible to predict when it will finally be completed.
Jang Ik clicks his tongue and says,
"Hurry up and get rid of it. If that's the case, just confront me with your authority instead."
It's quite a disrespectful thing to say to a fellow Heart Tribe.
But I accept his words.
To attempt to withstand Jang Ik's lifetime-honed single strike with an incomplete technique would instead be me who is being rude.
I adjust my stance, preparing the linkage between the 33rd Sumeru and the 34th Kunlun.
"Now that's better! A much more impressive momentum."
"...Yes. Even if it's Master...you'll have to be on guard for this one."
I'm not simply talking about the power of Sumeru Kunlun.
"...So it appears. Regardless, now that you've conceptualized the final decisive move of your martial arts, the flow of your Martial Arts (武) itself has stabilized."
He's right.
I've conceptually completed all thirty-six moves of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
And over time, I have stabilized them with the goal of linking all 36 techniques seamlessly from start to finish.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship serves as a stable foundation for unleashing the 36th and final decisive move, reorganizing previously somewhat disjointed and lacking techniques into a cohesive and unified whole.
Thus, the move of Sumeru Kunlun I am unleashing now is not the same as before.
This ultimate beyond the end thrust, which once pierced through Blood Yin's hand and temporarily sealed Yeo Hwi's cultivation, can now be performed up to three consecutive times.
'If it hits, it's a technique capable of helping an Entering Nirvana undergo the True Immortal advancement ritual in a single go.'
However, even though I have prepared such a Sumeru Kunlun, I feel I cannot possibly muster the courage to face Jang Ik.
Jang Ik looks at me and grins.
"For reference, if your technique gets shattered...block it, even if you have to use your authority."
"Pardon?"
"As I said, I reached this decisive technique to cut down the End. And right now, you are the one causing the End. Therefore...I will cut down the End from you."
"But..."
"When your master tells you to do something, just do it."
Sururung—
The green light overflowing around Jang Ik begins to grow denser.
"If not...just die here."
An ominous green light spills from Jang Ik's two eyes.
I remain silent for a moment before nodding.
We each assume our stances to collide with our most confident decisive techniques.
'I wanted to face him with the 36th move...but it would take too long to train to the point where I could face Jang Ik... It can't be helped.'
Kiiing!
The green intent erupting from Jang Ik's body flares brightly.
The colors of intent are diverse.
For example, joy is gold.
Anger is red.
Sorrow is dark blue.
Pleasure is purple, though for some, it is said to be silver.
Love is light pink.
Hatred is dark red.
Desire is colorless.
These are the seven fundamental colors of intent.
Numerous intents branch from these basic colors, mixing, splitting, darkening, or lightening to form unique hues.
Then...what does green intent symbolize?
Green intent has the meaning of consolation (慰安) and soul pacification (鎭魂).
From Jang Ik's intent flows the story of his life.
It is the life of him who was once of a slave race.
He was born 45,000 years ago during the chaos of the Bright Cold Realm.
In the midst of endless turmoil, Jang Ik discovered he has a talent for wielding the podao. As a member of a slave race, he was dragged around by his master as a clown performing with the podao.
But one day, his master got caught up in the war of the Bright Cold Realm and died. Jang Ik, in an attempt to protect the youngest member of the performance troupe and his fellow kin from one of the Heaven Tribe who sought to hunt them, picked up his podao.
From that day forward, Jang Ik's talent began to shine.
He slaughtered countless cultivators with his podao.
Qi Refining stage, Qi Building stage, Core Formation stage, Nascent Soul stage.
Numerous cultivators fell under Jang Ik's podao like autumn leaves swept by the wind.
However, Jang Ik always felt a sense of inadequacy.
—Have they died again today?
His kin, his friends from the slave races.
They were all slaughtered with ease, their stamina depleted quickly, they grew exhausted and died, or were eaten and killed.
—I will...remember you all.
Thus, Jang Ik remembers them.
Though he cannot recall everything through a brute force method like the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, he honors them through his Fighting Spirit.
The brief moments in their lives that carried value.
He manifests the intent of those moments with his Fighting Spirit.
Jang Ik's podao technique becomes increasingly refined and beautiful.
Because Jang Ik's dance is a dance created to honor the lives and hearts of the deceased, Jang Ik always honors and remembers those who have died.
In this way, Jang Ik establishes his Fighting Spirit through comforting, honoring, and soul pacification.
To honor the painful past of his kin...
To ensure such tragedies never happen again, he pursues ultimate destruction within his requiem.
Soul pacification is a vow.
When facing those who have died in suffering, it is a promise to remain vigilant so such suffering will never happen again. That is soul pacification.
Jang Ik seeks the meaning of that soul pacification through destruction.
I tremble as I stare at the green light that contains Jang Ik's entire life.
Dudududududu!
'...This...can't be blocked with my martial arts alone.'
Perhaps if I use Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain, it might be possible.
But Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain relies on the power of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, and I cannot use that in this situation.
That leaves only one option...
To use my authority, just as Jang Ik instructed.
Jang Ik raises his podao and swings it down.
A simple, straightforward, yet overwhelmingly powerful technique.
[Downward Strike]!
I have no confidence to block that technique.
So...
I will block it.
Paaang!
Through the Sumeru Sword Dance, I borrow the power of the world, and with Kunlun, I thrust forward.
The first thrust is merely a probing attack.
Kunlun clashes against Jang Ik's massive podao and rebounds.
But since I can now thrust up to three consecutive times, I have two thrusts remaining.
So I imbue the second thrust with my authority.
Immortal Art Various Omens, Immortal Art Examination of Doubts, Immortal Art Five Epochs, Three Spirits, and Eight Paths.
I pour every Immortal Art I can currently use to reinforce this thrust.
Jang Ik's podao collides with my single strike combined with Immortal Arts, slowing its descent and chipping away at its edge.
But the podao still continues its descent towards me.
I even realize that Jang Ik's podao is now emanating an even more overwhelming force.
'Intent...I see.'
I uncover the secret behind Jang Ik's immense power.
I prepare my final thrust.
'This is the third thrust. If I falter here...I will suffer a fatal wound from Jang Ik.'
That cannot happen in this situation.
In that case, I must add the most destructive spell I have to this thrust.
Wiiiing!
At the tip of my thrust, the jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements rises.
'It's been a while since I've used this.'
Immediately, my final thrust collides with Jang Ik's podao.
Flash!
The world fills with green light.
"Splitting Emperor!"
Kwaaaaaa!
My thrust, combined with the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, seems to pierce through Jang Ik's slash, shatters his podao, and then pulverizes his body into a bloody mess.
Shukang!
My body is also split in two in an instant, but I borrow the power of Cedarwood Painting to restore myself.
Shiiiiiii-
"...Master."
I look at Jang Ik with sorrowful eyes.
I saw it.
Through Jang Ik's strike, I glimpsed the starting point of the [next realm] he has attained.
"...Isn't it sad?"
Jang Ik speaks as his entire body, turned into pulp, approaches death.
"First, let me treat you. You are dying."
"Don't. As you've seen...I am reaching the ultimate pinnacle of my Fighting Spirit."
He sincerely warns me not to heal him, his gaze filled with murderous intent.
"...Master..."
"Do not grieve. Among the Heart Tribe who have died by your hand, was there anyone who regret being killed by you? There is none. I feel the same...there is no regret."
Shiiiiiii—
From Jang Ik's body, pure white souls begin to drift out.
Their number gradually increases, and Jang Ik's body begins to wither.
But those are not real souls.
Then what are they...?
Yes.
They are artificial souls, similar to those of the Mad Lord.
But unlike the Mad Lord's, these artificial souls were created not through circuits but through Jang Ik's own Fighting Spirit.
The reason Jang Ik could unleash an 'even stronger' explosive power than before.
It is because he remembers the intent of those he once fought alongside in life, making them into artificial souls and preserving them in his body.
From those artificial souls, he drew upon the intent they had during life...
And because he endlessly dances a requiem to honor for his comrades, the artificial souls accepted Jang Ik's heart and lent him their strength.
"It is a technique called Heart Field (心田)."
Jang Ik slowly explains about the artificial souls.
"It's something I created a long time ago...but I never really used it. However, I needed it to face you, so I brought it out today."
"...It's extraordinary."
"Hah...! It can't help but be extraordinary. It's a method where, not just the dantian, but an independent energy-generating organ is created in the Plane of Soul, and after embedding the intent of my former comrades into that organ...I drew upon their strength with a heart that honors them. Your Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections can likely do something similar. Perhaps even more efficiently than mine."
"..."
"...You saw it too, didn't you? The starting point of the next realm that I discovered..."
"Yes, I did."
My face twists with bitterness.
Jang Ik's single move undoubtedly contained the next realm.
"...I had enough confidence to reach the next realm. But...I deliberately chose not to. The Heaven and Earth Tribes that slaughtered, devoured, and enslaved my kin...I didn't want to understand their heart and worldview. That's why...I only showed you the Heart Field just now, as a demonstration..."
As Jang Ik approaches death, he slowly closes his eyes.
"...But...if it's you...you will surely be able to reach it. The same goes for Kim Young-hoon...that kid..."
"..."
"Promise me...one thing."
"Please, tell me."
"You...one day...when you reach the ultimate of Fighting Spirit. In your terms...Martial Pinnacle. If that time comes...when your strength has grown...strong enough...please create a world where...the strong...cannot so...easily oppress...the weak..."
With those words, Jang Ik closes his eyes.
To use that technique, he had to cut away his pride and cut away his own life force, utilizing the reckless and demanding Heart Field.
All for the sake of showing me that technique.
I kneel before Jang Ik and bow ten times.
I may hold the status of Sacred Master, and Jang Ik may have been an intruder, but none of that matters.
Because until the end, he was my master.
Taatt!
The Entering Nirvana True Persons are constructing a star vein formation right before my eyes.
It looks as though the star vein formation will be completed shortly.
No, in truth, it seems that simply entering the activation command would cause the star vein formation to function, allowing the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords to descend.
I already understand that there is no point in interfering.
Even if I destroy this star vein formation, the attraction force between the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords and the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain has already been established.
Therefore, instead of recklessly charging in to destroy the formation and the 48 True Persons, I calmly raise the All-Heavens Sword.
The next realm Jang Ik revealed to me.
The enlightenment of the Third Step Before the Throne.
This is it.
Wiiiiing!
The All-Heavens Sword gradually begins to shine brightly, dancing within the Plane of Soul.
The condition to rise to the Entering Nirvana stage ultimately lies in controlling a plane.
Whether it's the Plane of Fate or the Plane of Qi, it's the same.
If so, the Third Step Before the Throne, capable of opposing the Entering Nirvana stage,
Does this next realm require controlling the Plane of Soul?
That is incorrect.
The Plane of Soul is not a 'dimension' as is commonly thought.
It is a far different concept.
In fact, the 'flowers' of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's Eastern Heaven Flower Field align more closely with the concept of the Plane of Soul.
The heart essence assigned to each individual!
That is the Plane of Soul.
In other words...
The Plane of Soul is not a single vast world like the Planes of Qi or Fate. Instead, every living being's 'heart' in this world is individually referred to as a Plane of Soul.
Thus, the Heart Tribe is entirely opposite to the Heaven and Earth Tribes.
The Heart Tribe completely controls the Plane of Soul 'assigned to them' from the very beginning.
Something the Heaven and Earth Tribes need to enter the Entering Nirvana stage to accomplish, the Heart Tribe achieves as their very first step as a Heart Tribe.
From there, the differentiation in realms simply depends on how one draws power from the Plane of Soul they control and how one influences other Planes of Soul beyond their own.
The pinnacle of controlling and wielding a single Plane of Soul is Void Shattering.
Or, as it is also called, the Second Step Before the Throne, or Mandala.
What Jang Ik showed is, quite literally, the ultimate will he can demonstrate through his life and his heart essence.
At the same time, Jang Ik created 'other' artificial souls within his body to significantly increase his output.
Artificial souls are remarkably similar to the Heart Tribe's techniques, to the extent that they could even be classified as one, much like the Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon.
However...
That is merely classification.
The artificial souls Jang Ik showed are clearly more akin to the consciousness methods of the Heaven and Earth Tribes.
As the realms of cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Tribes who train in the planes of Qi and Fate become higher, the more they can interfere with other planes to a certain extent.
At the Nascent Soul stage, they can perceive other planes, and by the Sacred Vessel stage, as a Sacred Master, they can even extend their hand into planes other than their own.
Now, at the Entering Nirvana stage, it feels as though even a Heaven Tribe cultivator who cultivates in the Plane of Fate can utilize the powers of the Plane of Qi at the Star Shattering-level.
That's right.
As cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Tribes continue their Immortal Cultivation, they gain the ability to interfere with other planes.
Then what about the Heart Tribe?
The Heart Tribe does not attempt to understand any plane.
Even a glance at how the Manifestations of the Heart Tribe are all distinctly named reveals that they are a people with an incredibly strong sense of self in how they live.
And...
Jang Ik's enlightenment taught me this.
[Well, look who it is. Is this not the madman who twisted providence and shook the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain?]
The Entering Nirvana True Persons begin mocking me.
Perhaps they are speaking with such confidence because they believe in the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords they are about to summon.
[What brings you here? Ah, are you perhaps here to serve us? Whether in a male or female form, serving one's seniors in any form is indeed a noble act.]
[Hahaha, go ahead and undergo transformation. Or have you come here to settle old grudges with us?]
[Why don't you go wild? You seem quite confident after delaying the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain...]
[We will show you the Heaven Beyond Heavens.]
I do not respond to their words, silently continuing to compress the All-Heavens Sword.
The Colorless Glass Sword imbued with the All-Heavens Sword as well continues to compress thinner and thinner along with it.
Jang Ik's enlightenment is ultimately this.
To reach the Third Step Before the Throne, in other words, the realm corresponding to the Entering Nirvana stage, it is necessary to understand other planes.
In regards to the Planes of Qi and Fate, it is crucial to control their chosen plane because one begins understanding other planes from the beginning.
But on the other hand, for the Plane of Soul, because one controls their own plane first, it becomes difficult to reach the ultimate realm without understanding other planes.
Heaven, Earth, and Heart eventually become similar as they approach the pinnacle.
Woo-woooong!
It thins.
My All-Heavens Sword thins further and further, becoming a sword capable of cutting through anything in the world.
[Hey, didn't I ask you as a senior? Are you preparing to use the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra? Hah, why don't you try using it again!?]
The True Persons begin to direct killing intent at me.
If I continue to remain silent, they seem ready to attack.
But I have no interest in such things.
'Come to think of it, I was curious.'
If Immortal Arts change the world with the heart, just how does it differ from martial arts unfolded with the heart or the techniques of the Heart Tribe?
Perhaps...Immortal Arts and Martial Arts (武) share the same origin.
No, rather, they might need to complement each other to be completed.
Because...the Three Great Ultimates itself is a circle completed by the union of three extremes.
Kiiiing!
[Do you truly dare to mock us this much? If you do not immediately kneel and beg while returning our junior sister Yeo Hwi...]
And finally.
The All-Heavens Sword, compressed to the point of a single line, completely loses its balance and dissolves into the void.
Pakang!
The Colorless Glass Sword, which had been thinning alongside the All-Heavens Sword, snaps in the void.
I look at this and let out a sigh of admiration.
[...I see.]
The True Persons glare at me and shout in rage.
[You truly dare to ignore us!!??]
I can feel countless Immortal Arts activating.
The malice of the True Persons begins to target me.
But I pay no attention to them and swing the Void held in my hand.
In my hand, there is neither the All-Heavens Sword nor the Colorless Glass Sword.
However, in the next moment.
[—————!!!]
[———]
[!!!!!]
[——————!]
The True Persons scream in unison and the Immortal Arts they were preparing simultaneously come to a halt.
I firmly face the True Persons and smile softly.
[At last, I have attained it. The Heart Sword.]
Martial Arts cannot be completed in isolation.
Perfect Martial Arts cannot exist.
Just as a person's dream is not completed by the dream alone but by countless other events and dreams along the way.
The ultimate of Martial Arts is the same.
Yes.
Third Step Before the Throne.
The condition to reach that place is through Land and Will Dual Cultivation, or Heart and Heaven Dual Cultivation.
And Jang Ik, unwilling to learn the techniques of the Heaven and Earth Tribes that had oppressed him, had only hinted at it to me through a shallow consciousness method that he had learned solely for mourning purposes.
'Jang Ik must have realized this only recently...'
He must have reached the pinnacle of the Second Step Before the Throne, sought all kinds of methods, learned the Earth Tribe method, and only then realized that he must understand the hearts of the Earth Tribe to reach the Third Step Before the Throne.
And then...he must have realized deep in his heart that it was impossible for him to forgive the Heaven and Earth Tribes and set the nonsensical goal of challenging the End.
'...Even so, I...will carry on your will.'
I do not hate the Heaven and Earth Tribes.
But I can at least shoulder the will to protect the weak that Jang Ik carried on his shoulders.
That must have been why Jang Ik entrusted me with such a request in his final moments.
Wiiiing!
I recall the name of my new realm.
For the Owner of Void, it is Udumbara.
For the golden monster, it is Dragon Flower.
They both named their realms of Martial Arts with the meaning of life.
Only now do I understand.
'Martial Arts alone can never attain life.'
A sword by itself holds no meaning.
Just as it needs something to cut and someone to wield it.
Just as a flower needs bees, soil, the light of the sky, rain clouds, and wind to bloom!
Life in this world cannot exist in isolation.
That is why those who named this realm combined Heaven, Earth, and Heart, giving it names of living flowers and trees to naturally imbue the meaning of life.
However...
I decide to give this realm a slightly different name.
The True Persons see me lost in thought, urgently notice my skills, and begin summoning the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, while I watch their summoning unfold.
I watch their summoning ritual unfold.
Scenes from my past flash before my eyes.
Third rate.
Second rate.
First rate.
Peak...
This was the result of my struggle to escape the despair of my lack of martial talent and my martial incompetence.
Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.
Five Energies Converge to the Origin.
Ultimate Pinnacle.
This was the result of my struggle to break free from the oppression of cultivators who saw me and ordinary humans as nothing more than pills.
Entering Heavens Beyond the Path.
Treading Heavens Beyond the Path.
Shattering Heavens Beyond the Path.
This was the result of my struggle to escape not from cultivators, but from fate itself, and of my own inherent lack of talent from birth.
Seated Detachment, Entering Hope.
Void Shattering...
This was the result of my struggle not just to escape from fate but to confront and accept it.
It has been long.
For a long and longer time, I have fought against fate, against those who oppressed me, and against myself.
I gaze into the cosmic space before me.
The vast emptiness, and the sky.
Perhaps I...
Perhaps I have wanted to cut down this sky.
To cut apart this world itself and become free.
That is why I think of a name that symbolizes freedom.
The first thing that comes to my mind is a passage from a literary work back on Earth.
A bird breaks out of its egg.
To the bird, the egg is the world.
Those who wish to be born...
[They must all break the sky they have lived under.]
As I envision a life breaking free from the egg that is myself, I finally speak the name of the final realm.
[Severing Heaven (斷天).]
The All-Heavens Sword melts entirely into the void, blending with my cultivation.
Cultivation, Immortal Art, attraction force, explosion.
They all become one within this heart.
At the same time, the completed Three Great Ultimates finally rise again behind my head.
This is the Three Great Ultimates unleashed after reaching the Entering Nirvana stage.
Simultaneously, only now do I realize that the Immortal Art of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea has at last been completed.
From the beginning, it was never a Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation method but a method of the Three Great Ultimates, and completing it required raising all three to the same realm.
As I gaze at the Crystal Glass to Treading Sea fully melted into the void, I call the name of my Immortal Art.
My Immortal Art, and the new name of the All-Heavens Sword.
It is...
Something that has already been passed down long ago.
[Like combing all intents turns them colorless...]
As I look at the pure white Heaven and Earth spiritual energy rising around me like salt, I look up at the seven summoned giant gods before me.
[Embrace all connections and become impermanence.]
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea (玻瓈蹈海成).
Ultimate Intent (極意).
Immortal Art (仙術).
[Impermanence Sword (無常劍).]
Having attained the Three Great Ultimates and obtained my own Immortal Art, I face the projections of the seven deities without retreating with a smile.
Translator Notes: The literary work is referencing the novel "Demian," written by Hermann Hesse
-x-X-x-
"Haah...Haah...! Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol...! Get a hold of yourself...!"
Oh Hye-seo pants heavily as she glances back at the ominous [something] chasing from behind.
Kugugugugugu!
A moon!
A mass of Gang Qi the size of a small moon is pursuing her and Seo Hweol.
It is Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone.
Just from the aura it radiates, it feels equivalent to the Quasi-Star Shattering level. If it were to borrow Seo Eun-hyun's power, it could easily reach the mid to late stage.
Oh Hye-seo grits her teeth and drags Seo Hweol along as she flees.
However...
The distance between Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone and Oh Hye-seo continues to shrink.
'I-I can't shake it off...'
Oh Hye-seo's pale complexion shows as she bites her lip tightly.
But she cannot allow them to be caught.
So she thinks of another plan.
Wo-woong!
Pabababatt!
The light of the Glass Peacock seems to radiate from her body endlessly. Then, Oh Hye-seo splits into dozens of figures, scattering in all directions across the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Whether fortunate or not, as she predicted, the moon-sized Gang Sphere fragments into dozens of smaller pieces, each chasing after her afterimages.
The once moon-sized Gang Sphere has suddenly shrunk to the size of China as it continues to pursue her.
'Good, its speed has slowed...!'
Oh Hye-seo exhales in relief and starts moving even faster.
With her increased speed, the Gang Sphere clone gradually falls behind. Eventually, Oh Hye-seo successfully shakes off the Gang Sphere clone and manages to return to Lofty Dragon Star with Seo Hweol where her main body is.
Underground of Lofty Dragon Star.
There, as she waits for Seo Hweol, her face brightens upon seeing Seo Hweol and her clone return.
"Seo, Seo Hweol...! You're back! Th-The plan...how did it go...?"
Oh Hye-seo cautiously asks Seo Hweol.
The Taiji ripples flickering around Seo Hweol have also shrunk in size, and he gazes at Oh Hye-seo with increasingly vacant eyes.
Seo Hweol stares blankly at the woman babbling in front of him.
It feels as if he cannot understand a single word she is saying.
No, it's noise he doesn't need to hear.
Because it's meaningless.
Seo Hweol...remembers what he just witnessed.
Though he did not [completely] witness it...he once again succeeded in glimpsing the Akashic Records.
And...he saw it.
The [answer] he had been seeking.
"Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol?"
Slap, Slap!
Oh Hye-seo lightly smacks Seo Hweol's cheek with her palm, and Seo Hweol stares at her with vacant eyes.
"Seo Hweol, are you okay?"
Is he okay.
That's the meaning of her words.
And Seo Hweol smiles as he replies.
"...I'm fine, Hye-seo. Please...don't worry about me."
But Oh Hye-seo continues to look at Seo Hweol with uncomfortable eyes.
Oh Hye-seo is someone who grew up constantly reading others from a young age.
For her, observing Seo Hweol, who has regained his emotions but lost all his strength, is not difficult.
"...You're not okay."
"...Hye-seo. What are you saying?"
Seo Hweol clutches his chest tightly as he speaks.
"I am fine. I'm fine, so don't worry about me. Don't worry about me! You don't need to know!!"
Flinch!
At Seo Hweol's sudden outburst, Oh Hye-seo flinches momentarily, but that's all.
She continues to stare at him with a confused expression.
"Ah..."
Seeing this, Seo Hweol clears his throat and smiles again.
"I apologize...for getting emotional. Just...please give me a little time to think. For now, the plan...has failed. We need another strategy. A new plan to escape from Seo Eun-hyun's grasp..."
At Seo Hweol's words, Oh Hye-seo nods.
"Got it. But...Seo Eun-hyun's clone? There was a massive sphere that seemed like one chasing after us."
Seo Hweol flinches slightly at her words.
"...We'll likely be pursued again soon. If it's Seo Eun-hyun's clone, it will soon find Lofty Dragon Star."
"What? Th-This place isn't safe?"
"It is safe. There's an escape route here that leads directly to a distant dimension. In the core of Lofty Dragon Star, there's a dimensional teleportation formation that connects to the True Devil Realm. Even if Seo Eun-hyun's clone follows us, as long as we activate the teleportation formation and destroy the formation on the opposite side in the True Devil Realm...it will be impossible for even Seo Eun-hyun to follow."
"Ah...! I see. Th-Thank goodness...thank goodness..."
Oh Hye-seo buries herself in Seo Hweol's embrace, trying to steady her breathing.
Seo Hweol looks down at Oh Hye-seo, and while her gaze isn't on him, the smile fades from his face, leaving behind an empty expression.
'...What have I...been pursuing...?'
He recalls the 'answer' shown to him by the Akashic Records.
Kuuuung!
Just then, the entire Lofty Dragon Star begins to shake violently.
Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone has arrived at Lofty Dragon Star.
Oh Hye-seo quickly wraps herself and Seo Hweol in the light of the Glass Peacock, erasing their presences, before digging deeper underground.
Seo Hweol, despite still maintaining cultivation around the Four-Axis stage, knows he can't help her in his current state, so he silently follows her underground.
Meanwhile, on the surface of Lofty Dragon Star.
Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone lands softly, surveying the charred remains of the palace on the surface of the ground. As it slowly walks towards the ruins, it transforms into a human form.
Seo Eun-hyun clears away the palace ruins.
Traces of familiar spiritual energy remain.
And...beneath the palace debris.
There, lying charred and fused together, are the ash clumps of Hon Won and Yeon Wei.
Seo Eun-hyun looks at them and, with a deep sigh, kneels on the ground to mourn his fallen friends.
Oh Hye-seo's presence on this star is already confirmed.
Since it is clear that escape is impossible anyway, it is only right to pay respects here and then go after them.
Meanwhile, deep underground, as Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo approach the core, Seo Hweol predicts Seo Eun-hyun's actions.
'By now...he must be mourning over Hon Won and Yeon Wei's corpses on the surface. He probably thinks he can capture us anytime...which means we have enough time to activate the teleportation formation...'
Dozens of schemes arise in Seo Hweol's mind.
However, suddenly, Seo Hweol sees himself no longer wanting to think of such schemes.
He understands what kind of situation this is.
'So that's it. I...can no longer find a reason to live...'
He recalls the answer.
Seo Hweol gazed at the Akashic Records and wished.
He wished to know who his origin is, where it lies, and with what intentions he was born.
The Akashic Records, though it couldn't fully answer due to him being pulled away by Hong Fan, still revealed what Seo Hweol needed to know.
The truth is horrifyingly hollow and agonizing for Seo Hweol.
Seo Hweol's origin does not exist in this world.
The Akashic Records judged on the 'soul', basing it on 'who gave him their heart', But in this world, there is no such existence who gave Seo Hweol their heart.
Therefore, Seo Hweol, who was loved only by virtual personas in Agate's dream from the very beginning, has no meaning behind his existence.
And by that logic...
The first being to ever give Seo Hweol their heart was...
The very Yu Oh who Seo Hweol believed had corrupted his main body.
Therefore, Seo Hweol's name carries no meaning, as no one had ever given him their heart.
What holds meaning in this world is—
The name [■■], which Seo Hweol himself erased in collaboration with Oh Hye-seo.
That's right.
The answer to the meaning of himself that Seo Hweol had sought all his life is something he personally annihilated and erased with his own hands.
'...The name...■■'s name...I can't remember it...'
As Seo Hweol moves towards the core with Oh Hye-seo, he realizes he has been shedding tears without even himself knowing.
'...I am ...■■. In truth, I was essentially the same being as ■■ from the very beginning.'
Seo Hweol separated himself and ■■, thinking of himself as the victor and ■■ as the loser.
But...from the start, the two were 'two different Seo Hweols, split into two possibilities.'
Because of that, if they wished to become one, they could merge into a single personality at any time.
It's not a matter of who takes dominance—it's simply returning to being one.
After all, they were one from the start.
However...
Seo Hweol erased the name and existence of ■■, the only one in his life who had received love and could proudly speak of their worth of existence, with his own hands.
He destroyed his own dream with his own hands.
Seo Hweol unknowingly asks Oh Hye-seo a question.
"Hye-seo. There's something I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"...Do you think there's any reason for us to be alive?"
"Aha..."
Oh Hye-seo looks at Seo Hweol and speaks.
"Do you want to kill yourself, Seo Hweol?"
"You're sharp. Yes."
"That makes sense. I used to think about suicide almost every day back on Earth. If I had managed to take control of everything in the company...I probably would have killed myself because there'd be nothing left to do."
"And yet, you are still alive. Why haven't you killed yourself?"
"Hmm... The reason I didn't kill myself back on Earth was because I...wanted to sit in the CEO's chair of my company at least once. That's it. Pretty modest, right? But after coming to this world, things changed a bit. In that world, no matter how much I struggled, the highest position I could reach with the time and resources given to me was limited. But this world is different, isn't it? Here, with enough effort, lifespan, resources, and life itself increase dramatically. I became curious about how far I could go, and what I could see. So...I haven't killed myself yet, Seo Hweol."
"...Hye-seo. You..."
Seo Hweol asks with a hollow expression.
"What meaning does any of that have?"
At those words, Oh Hye-seo stops and looks directly at Seo Hweol.
She is acting as if she is 'a little tired but holding onto hope,' but upon closer inspection, one can see that she also possesses emotionless eyes.
"I don't know."
"...What?"
"So I'm searching. I've been searching for a long time. I enjoyed finding out how many teeth people I know have, their illnesses, their records, their lives, and everything about them. It was because I wanted to know—what is the meaning of it all?"
"Then, have you found it? That meaning?"
"No. I'm still searching."
"What clue are you searching with?"
"You."
Oh Hye-seo points at Seo Hweol.
"It used to be coworkers back in the company...but now, I'm searching using you as the clue. For that meaning..."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"When I'm with you..."
Oh Hye-seo finally arrives at the core of Lofty Dragon Star.
She arrives at the teleportation formation area.
The teleportation formation zone is built from solid, pitch-black rock, with skulls embedded throughout that emit an icy chill, creating an incredibly ominous feeling.
Faint devilish energy wafts through the air, and grotesque life forms grow in various places, making it a truly terrifying sight to an unfamiliar observer.
And there, in that chilling and dreadful atmosphere, Oh Hye-seo's face flushes red without her realizing it.
"When I'm with you, there's never a dull moment. My suicidal urges decrease, and there's rarely a moment where I feel like my life is in danger. You take care of my basic needs, assist with my cultivation, and somehow, though I can't fully explain it, there's a softening feeling deep in my chest. When I'm away from you, it's the opposite. My suicidal urges grow, I get scared, and I want to lean on you. The inside of my chest feels cold and hollow."
As her explanation continues, Seo Hweol lowers his eyes coldly.
"Meaning... Back on Earth, I read countless psychological and philosophical books and came up with my own definition. I think 'meaning' is something that has a positive influence on oneself. You...are a presence that positively influences me, Seo Hweol. So...I will find meaning through you."
"..."
Seo Hweol slowly caresses Oh Hye-seo's cheek.
Then, his pupils slit vertically.
"You've gained emotions, Hye-seo..."
"It seems that way. Though I still don't fully understand the definition of emotion..."
"...Hye-seo."
Seo Hweol looks directly into Oh Hye-seo's eyes and asks.
"It seems you love me."
Love.
Seo Hweol doesn't fully understand its meaning.
To be exact...
In Agate's dream.
In his first life, he thinks he vaguely understood it.
But in the lives that followed, he could no longer feel any resonance with the word love.
Especially now, after realizing through the Akashic Records that his entire life has no meaning.
Thus, with his vertical pupils narrowing further, Seo Hweol thinks.
'This works out well.'
Until now, Seo Hweol has been racking his brain over how to shake Oh Hye-seo off while descending underground.
'Seo Eun-hyun wants both me and Oh Hye-seo. And we both seem quite important to him.'
Therefore, if Seo Hweol leaves Oh Hye-seo behind in Lofty Dragon Star and heads to the True Devil Realm, Seo Eun-hyun will capture Oh Hye-seo and temporarily put his pursuit of Seo Hweol on hold.
If Seo Hweol can plant 'false information' about himself into Oh Hye-seo's mind on top of all that, all the better.
When Seo Eun-hyun interrogates Oh Hye-seo or uses his senses of Earth to read history, he will be misled about Seo Hweol's whereabouts.
'I must abandon Oh Hye-seo here to survive.'
Seo Hweol frantically begins establishing dozens of plans once again.
Just moments ago, he had dismissed these plans as meaningless...
But why?
Seo Hweol began devising plans again after hearing Oh Hye-seo's words.
'Yes. That would indeed be best.'
After quickly turning the gears in his mind, Seo Hweol forms the optimal plan.
It is to seize Oh Hye-seo's body.
Beyond simply using her body as bait, but using Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens to turn it into a configuration and putting it into his own body. One part of Seo Hweol will flee to draw Seo Eun-hyun's attention, while the main body, inhabiting Oh Hye-seo, will be dragged beneath Seo Eun-hyun.
Seo Eun-hyun will certainly conduct an inspection, but it doesn't matter.
If it's the few possibilities he discovered in the Akashic Records regarding Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, hiding even under Seo Eun-hyun's eyes is feasible.
Seo Eun-hyun will likely attempt to refine Oh Hye-seo.
If she is captured and refined, Oh Hye-seo's personality will surely collapse. But Seo Hweol is confident he will endure.
In this way, he will hide indefinitely under the lamp known as Seo Eun-hyun, waiting silently and unnoticed.
And...someday, when Seo Eun-hyun dies or becomes a great being.
When Seo Eun-hyun stands at the crossroads of those two outcomes.
Seo Hweol will emerge into the world once again and infect the universe with himself.
'Yes, that will do.'
Suddenly.
A question surfaces in Seo Hweol's mind, saying 'If I infect the universe, what meaning does that have?'
But Seo Hweol forcibly ignores the question and grips Oh Hye-seo's shoulders, asking,
"If you love me, good. Then I will ask for one favor. First, with my blood—"
"Seo Hweol. Before that, wait a moment."
From the moment he woke up from the dream, Seo Hweol has worn a mask his entire life. Oh Hye-seo suddenly holds Seo Hweol's cheek and speaks.
"There's one thing I'm curious about."
"Hmm, what is it?"
"I..."
At her following words, Seo Hweol narrows his eyelids.
"I'm curious about your real face."
"...What?"
"I'm talking about your true heart, Seo Hweol. You said you've regained your main body now, right? So...show me your true heart."
Seo Hweol suddenly realizes he's heard this question somewhere before.
'Was it Jeon Hyang...?'
—Your Majesty the Sea Dragon King. I love you. Kiss me.
—If you don't want to kiss me, Your Majesty, then show me your true face.
—Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty...Seo Hweol. I want to see your true heart. Please...show me... If you don't, I will detonate what I received from [Heaven] right here.
Seo Hweol recalls the moment he ambushed and killed her.
Even as she was dying, she clung to him and begged.
If he didn't show her, she seemed ready to lose her mind completely and lash out with suspicious spells. In the end, Seo Hweol had no choice but to reveal his true face to Jeon Hyang.
The devilish spell Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze.
It's a devilish spell that forces the target to witness the 'reality they can least accept' and amplifies the emotions tied to that denial.
Of course, this only works when what is shown isn't an illusion but 'real.'
After a brief hesitation, Seo Hweol reveals Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze to Oh Hye-seo.
At the same time, he shows her that horrifying pain, the hatred that 'Seo Hweol least wants to admit'.
'...How strange of me. Is it because of Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View? Why did I show her such a thing?'
Seo Hweol remembers Jeon Hyang's final moments.
Jeon Hyang, who claimed to love Seo Hweol, saw his pain.
The moment she saw the horrifying loathing and hatred embedded in Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, she wept and ran away from Seo Hweol.
Just moments before, she had asked for a kiss, but upon witnessing his monstrous face, she couldn't endure it. Trembling in agony, she ultimately took her own life.
That was Jeon Hyang's end.
'Oh Hye-seo...won't be able to accept it either...'
It's just when he thinks so.
The next moment, Oh Hye-seo presses her lips against Seo Hweol's.
Their lips meet.
After a while, Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze naturally fades away, and Oh Hye-seo pulls her head back from Seo Hweol.
"It must have been hard, Seo Hweol."
"..."
"My stepfather used to do this for me when I was little. He said this is what you do when someone is struggling. Of course, my stepfather kissed my forehead, not my lips...but I thought you'd prefer lips. It's okay, right?"
Seo Hweol stands there blankly.
Then, for some reason, his face distorts like an evil spirit.
Crunch.
Seo Hweol's grip digs into Oh Hye-seo's shoulders.
"You...what are you..."
His eyes are completely bloodshot.
'Why am I like this...?'
Even he doesn't understand.
'This is strange. My mouth...it's moving on its own. I can't control it. What is happening!?'
"Why are you doing such a thing for me...! You love me? Get rid of your bullshit! It's just your breeding instincts awakening! Get away from me! Don't come any closer! Don't give me these half-hearted comforts!"
'I can't be like this. I need to win Oh Hye-seo's heart. I need to nest within her and take over her body. I must remain composed.'
"I hated you. From the moment I first saw you, I hated everything about you! You keep trying to figure me out, digging into the deepest depths of my Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that I deliberately kept hidden. Just why do you keep trying to know? Stop digging into me!"
'Calm down, Seo Hweol. Smile like you always do. Make the silly hoho laugh and apologize to her. Say that Seo Eun-hyun's vile devilish arts briefly made you lose your mind and sweetly whisper into her ear.'
"You pry into others' pasts without permission, expose their hidden parts without permission, spread them, and distort them. Your very essence is so vile, so disgusting, I can't bear it anymore. And why are you so obsessed with exposing even the filth in my heart!? Why!? Just what part of any of this could possibly be good!!??"
'Put the mask on, Seo Hweol. The mask... Put...the mask...'
And then, the thinking Seo Hweol realizes something.
'Ah...'
The mask.
The gentle, smiling mask.
The mask that spoke warm words and captivated others.
The mask he used to make anyone want to follow him.
That...was the 'role' he believed belonged to the Sea Dragon King, and Seo Hweol had done everything he could to play that role.
But suddenly,
For the first time in his life, Seo Hweol, who is hurling unreasonable and illogical abuse at the being before him without wearing his mask, finally understands.
'...I see.'
"I...really hate this..."
Seo Hweol lowers his head, gritting his teeth.
"I...hate...myself..."
'To this woman...I...'
"So...the fact that you are...digging into this...terrifies me so much. The fact that this is all I have to show you is so horrifying, so pathetic, and so painful..."
'Did I want to show her my true face, without wearing the mask...?'
It is the first confession Seo Hweol has ever uttered in his life.
A confession.
Yes, it is a confession revealing his true feelings.
And...
Seo Hweol's sincerity is nothing but this hatred built upon hatred since birth.
Only hatred and loathing remain.
Thus, the 'sincerity' Seo Hweol can show without a mask is, in the end, just hatred and loathing.
Clench...
The hand gripping Oh Hye-seo's shoulders tightens violently.
Kuduk, kudeudeudeuk...
At the same time, Seo Hweol's shadow begins to change.
From the depths of the dark corridor, his shadow morphs from Seo Hweol's form into that of a black dragon (龍).
Seo Hweol, with blood tears streaming down his face, locks eyes with Oh Hye-seo.
His pupils, which had always slit vertically when he regained his cold composure, are now completely dilated and round.
'Why do I want to show this woman my true face...?'
Only now does Seo Hweol realize it.
And at the same time, he understands how terrifying a poison ■■ had left inside him.
—Will never disappear!!
■■'s voice seems to linger in Seo Hweol's ears.
It is true.
■■ still exists within Seo Hweol.
Though the artificial manifestations Seo Eun-hyun had engraved into Seo Hweol had melted away within the Akashic Records, ■■'s will, faint as it may be, remains and continues to awaken him.
Existence is defined by 'whose heart you have received.'
This is the enlightenment ■■ had screamed within Seo Hweol, and...
It is also the truth Seo Hweol directly confirmed within the Akashic Records.
Because of that...
Seo Hweol realizes.
"...But...you accepted...that me..."
He has been loved.
Even if Oh Hye-seo's heart is light, uncertain, and faint.
Seo Hweol received her heart.
Believing she loved only his 'mask,' he used the Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze to show her even his 'true face,' yet she still kissed him.
Yes.
Only today has Seo Hweol truly been 'born.'
On this very day.
He obtained meaning born through Oh Hye-seo.
Drip, drip, drip.
Before Oh Hye-seo can say anything, Seo Hweol presses his forehead against hers while still shedding tears of blood.
"...There's something I need to give you."
It's miserable.
Seo Hweol is feeling an agony more horrifying than any other moment since his birth.
"When I first opened my eyes, I made an oath. To my origin, I swore to deliver my 'story'..."
Budududuk...
It's miserable.
To the one who has given him a heart of love, what Seo Hweol must give in return...
...Are the remnants of a painful and agonizing past, remnants so suffocating even Seo Hweol himself can barely endure them.
It is an oath sworn upon his very existence, and thus, it must be upheld.
The fact that the only thing he can give to the other is hatred feels unbearably miserable.
Seo Hweol sincerely resents his past and is full of torment as he presses his lips against Oh Hye-seo's.
And through Oh Hye-seo's lips, everything about Seo Hweol begins to be sucked in.
His Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
The techniques and knowledge he has obtained.
The spells he has learned, the fragments of ancient force he obtained in the Head Realm.
The [fragment of Agate's Dream], nearly broken after gazing into the Akashic Records twice with Seo Hweol.
And beyond that...
Seo Hweol's entire life.
And Seo Hweol's hatred.
As he transfers all of it to Oh Hye-seo, Seo Hweol's form begins to change.
Like his shadow, Seo Hweol transforms into the form of a Sea Dragon.
Huarurururuk!
From Seo Hweol's sea dragon-formed body, flames erupt.
It is Seo Hweol's true origin.
Seo Hweol is transferring all his life force and lifespan to Oh Hye-seo.
It is to return the lifespan she had sacrificed to make the ritual dedicated to the Owner of Names.
Seo Hweol's body begins to wither.
Gradually, his flesh and skin fade away, his blood and organs dry up and crumble into dust.
And all that remains in that spot are Seo Hweol's massive bones.
"..."
From within his bones, Seo Hweol speaks to her with the last remnants of his will.
[Everything...of mine has been passed to you. Within you, I will wait. And...I will be reborn as you meet others. Go to the True Devil Realm and...stay...there...]
Hearing those words, Oh Hye-seo staggers, as if still overwhelmed by everything she has received from Seo Hweol.
Then, she clutches her chest tightly.
"Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol...So you're saying...you're inside my heart...right? Isn't that so? So...if I go to the True Devil Realm and spread Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens among its inhabitants...you'll come back, right...?"
For some reason, Oh Hye-seo's chest begins to ache.
A pain she had never known starts to spread from her chest.
But she has no time to dwell on it.
Kuuuuung!
Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere fragment is destroying the entirety of Lofty Dragon Star.
The subterranean world shakes, and the teleportation formation trembles violently.
"Seo Hweol, so you'll come back, right? Hm? There's no answer... Usually...when you settled Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within me...you'd answer... Okay...I understand... For now...I'll go. I'll go and use my strength so you can revive. And...just in case, I'll take these with...me."
Oh Hye-seo reaches out, collects Seo Hweol's bones into her Integrated Dao Domain, and rushes towards the teleportation formation, activating it.
Flash!
Oh Hye-seo sets off to the True Devil Realm.
The teleportation formation area where Oh Hye-seo vanished.
In that place, something begins to form where Seo Hweol once stood.
It is the naked body of a man.
The naked man rises with a faint smile.
"Hoho... Did I become a leftover? The memories of my life are quite vivid."
But for some reason...
The face that once bore the weight of hatred is now no longer visible.
"But...why is it? Why does my chest feel...so light?"
After pondering briefly, Seo Hweol smiles.
"...I see. I entrusted everything to her."
Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is a secret art completed through inheritance.
And its variant, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, is the same.
Simply...Seo Hweol never knew because he had never passed it on to anyone.
Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens has been passed down to Oh Hye-seo, and through that inheritance, it has been completed.
"...In that case, to ensure she can escape...shall I devise every possible scheme?"
Seo Hweol smiles faintly, gathers some emergency clothing from a corner of the teleportation formation area, and steps onto a teleportation formation leading to the surface.
Kugugugugugug!
Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone is crushing the entirety of Lofty Dragon Star, waiting for Oh Hye-seo and Seo Hweol to emerge.
Just then.
"Hmm!?"
Something is caught in Seo Eun-hyun's senses.
It is a spatial ripple.
"This... Did they use a teleportation formation? In that case..."
At that moment—
Paaatt!
Someone appears before Seo Eun-hyun's eyes.
It is Seo Hweol, not wearing a dark-red robe, but a blue one.
It is exactly the same appearance as when Seo Eun-hyun first encountered him.
"Hoho, greetings, Daoist Seo..."
Kwajik!
But before Seo Hweol can finish his sentence—
Seo Eun-hyun summons the Black Ghost Curse Banner and pins Seo Hweol's arms and legs to a nearby rock wall.
Intense pain washes over Seo Hweol, but he does not even flinch.
Seo Eun-hyun asks Seo Hweol,
"Are you alright, [Seo Ran]? I will pull you out... Wait."
Then, his eyes tremble violently.
Seo Eun-hyun seems taken aback.
"You...! You're...! Leftover!? Seo Hweol left behind a leftover?"
"That is correct. I took my own life just moments ago. I am merely...the leftover left by Seo Hweol's final lingering thought. I plan to carry out the mission he gave me, and then I, too, will end myself."
"...Then, what happened to [Seo Ran]?"
"What are you talking about, Daoist Seo?"
Seo Hweol laughs cheerfully and speaks.
"He was, from the beginning, just one of my other possibilities. I only realized that today."
"...You..."
"I was surprised by your scheme. You must have known. That's why you forcefully embedded [his] heart into me, no? Back then, I felt pain because I didn't understand...but now I do. [He] is I. I am [him]. Therefore...distinguishing between me and ■■ is meaningless; isn't that right?"
Seo Eun-hyun grabs Seo Hweol by the collar.
[Seo Ran] is no longer visible.
However...
Seo Hweol realized that he himself is another possibility of [Seo Ran].
This is because Seo Eun-hyun's main body accepted [Seo Ran]'s proposal in order to merge the two personalities into one and rehabilitate Seo Hweol.
Seo Hweol is now in the exact state Seo Eun-hyun had intended.
"...Where is Oh Hye-seo, [Seo Ran]?"
"Hoho, she...escaped. To another Heavenly Domain."
"...[Seo Ran] would never tell such a lie."
"I am also Seo Hweol, after all. A leftover where the two hearts have mixed."
"...Fine."
Seo Eun-hyun opens his Earth Tribe senses and places his hand on Seo Hweol's head.
"I will see for myself. Stay sti—"
At that moment.
Kwajik...
"What...!?"
Seo Eun-hyun is horrified.
Blood pours from Seo Hweol's seven orifices.
"You... You...!!!!"
Seo Eun-hyun shakes Seo Hweol in shock.
However, Seo Hweol does not respond.
Seo Eun-hyun realizes.
Seo Hweol has erased his own personality and memories using one of the secret arts he learned from the Akashic Records.
Through this, he has prevented his history from being read even by the Earth Tribe senses.
Seo Hweol dies with a smile.
While holding Seo Eun-hyun with a few words, he kept him occupied until the spatial ripple that Oh Hye-seo used completely vanished, making it impossible for Seo Eun-hyun to track her.
Seo Hweol's life force begins to fade away.
As he is merely a leftover left by Seo Hweol's lingering thoughts to complete this one mission, it is only natural for him to die this way.
Seo Eun-hyun looks at the being before him with a complicated expression.
When he observed with the newly awakened Heart Tribe senses at the Severing Heaven realm, he saw that Seo Hweol's claim of 'him himself being [Seo Ran]', were not lies.
Indeed.
The being before him is Seo Hweol, yet also [Seo Ran].
Seo Eun-hyun finally understands the full story.
"...I see. [Seo Ran]. Your heart...remained with him. You made Seo Hweol...learn what love is. That's what drove him to take his own life..."
It is the insight of Seo Eun-hyun, who has risen to the Quasi-Immortal realm.
He ignored causality and approached the truth in an instant.
"...Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was passed down to Oh Hye-seo? Did you really...decide to live on within her in the form of a heart, Seo Hweol?"
Seo Hweol does not answer.
He merely smiles.
Seo Eun-hyun senses that this is Seo Hweol's final conclusion.
That long, tiresome ill-fate with Seo Hweol that spanned from the early cycles.
And...the connection imbued with memories of [Seo Ran].
That connection has finally been severed today.
Seo Eun-hyun decides to honor the being who is both Seo Hweol and [Seo Ran].
Recognizing that he has brought the long battle with the Sea Dragon King to its conclusion, Seo Eun-hyun turns around.
"...Goodbye."
Seo Eun-hyun suddenly ponders what to call the one left behind.
The thought does not last long.
The one left behind is...
"Daoist Seo."
Because he was simply his fellow Daoist.
And so, Seo Eun-hyun leaves Lofty Dragon Star.
In the collapsing Lofty Dragon Star, the leftover who is both [Seo Ran] and Seo Hweol.
All that is left is the corpse of that leftover.
Even until the end, the one who carried Seo Hweol's will and toyed with Seo Eun-hyun continues to smile.
Thus...
Seo Hweol—born mocked by life, mocked the world, and in the end, mocked even himself— closes his eyes.
Yet, on this day, his smile appears to be sincere.
Perhaps it is because, for the first time in his life, he mocked not for himself...but for the sake of another.
At the age of 9,000 years,
Seo Hweol found rest.
-x-X-x-