I sense the Immortal Title of Crystal Glass Being within me shortly after Sword Spear Heavenly Lord disappears.
'The Immortal Title of Crystal Glass Being...'
This Immortal Title shines from within me, masking and concealing my presence.
'If I use Heavenly Escape, I might escape the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's gaze... But Heavenly Escape requires reaching the domain of purity, and using it is practically a life-or-death gamble, consuming an immense amount of energy... To avoid the gaze of light, the title of the Crystal Glass Being is just right.'
I let out a sigh of relief and look around at the surrounding altar.
'By the way, this altar...'
While wondering, I inject spiritual energy and consciousness into the future to discern what kind of altar it is.
Just then,
Puhwak!
Something dark wriggles from beneath the altar and crawls upward.
"Master!"
"...!"
My face brightens at the sight of a long-missed familiar face.
Paaat!
The dark something emits light and transforms instantly into a human form.
It's Hong Fan, who has recovered his cultivation to the Grand Perfection Integration stage.
"Haw haw! I knew you would return."
"It's good to see you, Hong Fan! By the way, did you create this altar?"
"Yes, I did. I resonated it with Master's energy and prepared it to make it more comfortable for Master's descent into the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain in the future." 𝙧ἈŊő₿ĘṠ
"Hmm, a function to make it more comfortable to descend...?"
"Yes. From what I remember from my past life, lower-level True Immortals who have just reached the True Immortal Realm cannot descend to lower dimensional planes at will. To interfere with lower dimensional planes, an appropriate medium is required. Therefore, I created this altar using Master's aura."
Hearing Hong Fan's explanation, I feel slightly puzzled.
'What's this? Descending to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain was incredibly easy for me...'
At that moment, I realize that I possess the authority of the Impermanence Sword.
'I see. The authority to freely traverse planes... That must have allowed me to descend directly from the True Immortal Realm to the lower plane.'
Judging from Hong Fan's knowledge from his past life, it seems True Immortals cannot easily descend to lower planes.
"Hmm, well, thank you. But what are you looking at, Hong Fan?"
"Ah... It's currently a bit difficult for me to perceive Master. Honestly, if Master hadn't settled on the altar, I might not have even noticed."
"Ah... Is that so? Wait a moment."
It seems that due to the difference in our rank, Hong Fan cannot properly perceive me.
'If Hong Fan is to perceive me properly...'
While pondering what to do, a bright light seems to flash in my mind and I immediately separate a portion of energy from the Immortal Title of Crystal Glass Being and infuse it into Hong Fan.
Woo-woong!
Simultaneously, the energy of the Crystal Glass Being attaches itself to Hong Fan's eyes like tinted lenses, allowing him to perceive me without being overwhelmed by the difference in our rank.
Only then does Hong Fan 'see' me and smile brightly.
"Ah! Now I can finally see you properly, Master."
"Good, that's a relief. I was worried for a moment that you might not be able to see me at all, but I guess that concern was unnecessary."
"Haw haw, as if I could ever lose sight of you, Master. If this method hadn't worked, I would have found another way. I will never lose sight of Master, so please do not worry."
"Reliable as always."
I laugh heartily and begin to share with Hong Fan, who I haven't seen in a long time, the events I experienced during my True Immortal advancement.
"By the way, during my advancement to True Immortality, I realized my fate."
"Pardon...? Is that true? Congratulations! What is this Fate?"
With a face full of awe, Hong Fan claps his hands and asks me, and I nod as I speak.
A story about my ordinary life on Earth.
"That was my fate. And...regarding that..."
I look at Hong Fan.
"You mentioned that you realized your fate at a very young age; isn't that right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"What exactly is your fate?"
"To assist, follow, and watch over Master and his comrades, ensuring they walk the right path. That is my fate."
"Hmm, I see..."
I nod and ask.
"By any chance, have you still not recovered all of your past-life's memories?"
"Unfortunately, no... However, something did surface after Master advanced to True Immortality, though it's only fragments of information. Proper memories of my past life are still..."
"I see... There's something I felt when I realized my fate. Realizing one's fate is one of the conditions for becoming a True Immortal."
That must be why those among my comrades who have 'realized their fate' rapidly see their talents rise and their authority grow stronger.
"And...for an ordinary mortal being to realize their fate, it requires an incredible hardship."
Ordinary living beings usually need to spend considerable time in the Entering Nirvana stage, enduring intense training and refining their Immortal Arts before they can realize their fate.
Even among us Enders, those who realized their fate usually did so only after enduring immense suffering and trials.
But Hong Fan instinctively realized the reason he was born into this world at a very young age and, with overwhelming talent, followed us and assisted us.
Seeing that, perhaps Hong Fan...
"You might have already reached the stage of Vestige Liberation Immortal in your past life. Perhaps you were already beyond the Entering Nirvana stage even back then."
"..."
Hong Fan remains silent for a while after hearing my words, then opens his mouth.
"...Ohhh... Thank you...very much. I think it will be a great help in regaining my memories."
"Haha, no need to thank me. It's me who would benefit if you recover your memories, so focus on recovering them as soon as possible."
"Haw haw, I understand. By the way...hearing Master's words makes me even more curious about the enlightenment Master gained during the True Immortal advancement. Could Master share more of your realizations with me?"
"Hmm...I also realized something about life."
"Oh...That must be a tremendous realization. What is life?"
"Life is..."
I look at Hong Fan, who eagerly awaits my teaching, and share the answer I have come up with.
"Life."
"..."
Hong Fan looks up at the sky briefly at my words, then back at me.
It seems my joke wasn't very amusing, judging by his slightly baffled expression.
"Ahem, sorry. That was a joke. In truth, what I realized about life is...'I don't really know.' I mean...how much could I possibly understand about life? Now, let me tell you my proper enlightenments from advancing to True Immortality."
I pass on the phenomena and enlightenments I experienced during my True Immortal advancement to Hong Fan.
After carefully listening to my enlightenment, Hong Fan expresses his deep gratitude.
"Thank you, Master. This will serve as a great milestone for my future advancement."
"It's me who is proud to have you under my command. Grow strong and become a great strength for us."
At my praise, Hong Fan smiles faintly and bows to me.
"I shall accept the command (命; fate/life)."
"Good, good. By the way..."
I ask Hong Fan a question.
"How much time has passed since [then]?"
Having caught up with Hong Fan who I haven't seen in so long, it's now time to discuss more constructive matters.
How much time has passed since my battle with Blood Yin?
"Three thousand years. Three thousand years have passed."
"Three thousand years..."
A time that could be considered long if long, or short if short.
'Has enough time passed for one Yang Su-jin to reach a conclusion?'
"What is the current situation in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain?"
"Hmm, I am not entirely sure, but several True Immortals from the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain are roaming the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain with their main bodies. It looks like they are searching for Master or other things. Also, Cedarwood Painting is currently being overseen by one of the disciples of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, Sacred Master Yeo Hwi, who reduced her cultivation to the Sacred Vessel stage and took on the Sacred Master position."
"Oh...good. What about the other Entering Nirvana True Persons?"
"Most of them are currently in a dormant state, recovering their bodies."
"Have there been no other brats who advanced to True Immortality besides me?"
"There seems to be no one."
"Tsk, even though I personally assisted them in their True Immortal advancement, they still failed. How pitiful."
Clicking my tongue, I extended my hand towards Hong Fan.
"Come inside. For now, I must observe the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain."
"Yes, but Master must be cautious not to be detected by the True Immortals of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain."
"I understand. Don't worry about that. Now then..."
Sururuk...
After tucking Hong Fan into my sleeve, I prepare to use the ground-shrinking technique to leap towards Cedarwood Painting.
"Let's go."
Paatt!
In the next moment.
"...?"
I have moved just one step.
[Master, have we arrived at Cedarwood Painting?]
"Hmm, I haven't used the ground-shrinking technique yet. Wait a moment."
After finishing my words, I attempt to use the ground-shrinking technique again.
Step—
But it's the same.
"...?"
The ground-shrinking technique does not activate.
"No, what is this...?"
Frowning, I begin to draw out attraction force to properly use the ground-shrinking technique.
"I'm going!"
And then!
Clang!
Crash!
I leap from where I stand, only to be thrown down by some strong force tightly binding me.
"Kugh, this is..."
I can understand falling because my body still isn't accustomed to the Plane of Qi.
However, the ground-shrinking technique not activating like this seems to have another cause.
'Something's strange...?'
I firmly adjust my posture and grip the void with my hand again.
I try to twist spacetime with attraction force, but instead of space distorting, all I hear is the faint sound of dust blowing in the wind.
'Attraction force...is not wavering...?'
Wududuk...
"Hong Fan. Something is strange."
I flick Hong Fan out from my sleeve and ask a question.
Hong Fan seems to recall something as he listens to me and informs me.
"Master. Before Master advanced to True Immortality...I remember there were certain banners embedded in Master's body."
"...I have a guess."
At Hong Fan's words, I begin drawing out attraction force with all my strength.
It's at that moment.
Clang, Clang!
Translucent chains of starlight appear over my body.
And between those chains, faint shapes of banners begin to emerge.
On the surface of the flags, the words Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal (北斗封仙) are inscribed.
"Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag...!"
Wududuk...
The Immortal Treasures of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords are still embedded in me.
'It's fine. If it's only this much... If I unleash the power of the Three Great Ultimates...!'
I attempt to unleash the power of the Three Great Ultimates and summon their form.
Clang!
However, the moment I try to release my energy, the power of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag constricts me even more tightly.
'What's this? The power of the seal has become even stronger than before!? This...this is...'
I understand what is happening.
The authority of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag has partially fused with me who has advanced to True Immortality, and its restraining power is now even stronger than during the Entering Nirvana stage.
'This, this is...! Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, those bastards...!!!'
In the Plane of True Immortals, my power remains intact.
However, upon descending into the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, my power is instead severely restricted.
In short, I can now barely exert my authority in the lower realms.
Wooong!
I inspect the authority remaining within me.
"..."
Qi Refining 7th star.
Except for strength equivalent to the 7th star of Qi Refining, I can't use any other power.
"...It seems I won't be able to use the ground-shrinking technique, Hong Fan."
"Ah, in that case..."
"I will set up a summoning formation at the place I am heading. Use that as a coordinate to follow me. Instead of the ground-shrinking technique, I'll have to move through planes."
Feeling a surge of discomfort, I quickly move to the True Immortal Plane using the ability of the Impermanence Sword.
Then, from the True Immortal Plane, I observe the lower planes, slightly adjust my position towards my intended coordinates, and descend.
Paaat!
The place I arrive at through the True Immortal Plane is Cedarwood Painting.
In a corner of Cedarwood Painting, I set up a summoning formation for Hong Fan and sweep the area with my consciousness domain.
Fortunately, although my power is sealed, my consciousness domain remains unaffected.
However, using the Impermanence Sword to descend the power of my consciousness domain to a lower plane and exceed the strength of the Qi Refining 7th star is impossible.
'This is so inconvenient I'm going mad. Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, those bastards...'
Grinding my teeth, I wait briefly for Hong Fan.
Soon, light emerges from the summoning formation, and Hong Fan is summoned.
"Hong Fan, let's head to Glass Cedarwood Mountain in Cedarwood Painting. Use the ground-shrinking technique in my stead."
"Understood."
Paaatt!
In an instant, Hong Fan and I stand at the center of Cedarwood Painting.
We have arrived at Glass Cedarwood Mountain.
There, we see a familiar face.
"Yeo Hwi. I'm here."
She, who has been managing the authority seat in my stead, has her eyes light up upon seeing me.
"Ah, it has been a while, Cultivator Seo. No, now you're my senior. I made a mistake, Senior Seo. Congratulations on advancing to True Immortality."
"I heard you've been managing Cedarwood Painting in my place. Even at the cost of lowering your realm..."
"Hehe, fortunately because I took this position, Radiance Hall did not sweep away Cedarwood Painting. After all...I am [a True Person under the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords who was captured by the wicked devil Seo Eun-hyun, who sought to destroy the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain]. At least nominally, that is."
"I am deeply grateful to you. So, is the vow you made back then still valid?"
Yeo Hwi once made an oath after hearing about my Filling the Heavens Governing View and my plan.
That if my plan succeeds and I grow into an existence worthy of serving, she would become my follower even if she has to lower her realm.
'With my power bound in the lower realms, I am in desperate need of someone's help right now. If I can secure Yeo Hwi as my follower, she will be an immense assistance.'
She is a True Person who had indeed stood on my side during the great war.
Because of that, she is quite a reliable talent, and I plan to borrow her strength to overcome the difficulties ahead.
However, Yeo Hwi looks at me with a peculiar meaningful gaze and speaks.
"By the way, Senior Seo..."
"Hmm?"
"You still have the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag planted."
"Ah, that's right. You said you were a disciple of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords... Do you happen to know a way to release the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag?"
"Hoho, I don't. But what I do know is that the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag is an Immortal Treasure with clear strengths and weaknesses. After their master and lord was defeated by the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, the Immortal Treasure created by the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords while weeping is the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag, also known as the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banner. It is an Immortal Treasure that seals the power of a mighty being, fuses with them, and suppresses them with an even stronger seal as that being grows stronger."
"Hmm..."
"I don't know the exact way to release it either. However, it's said that by connecting with the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag and communing with it, one might discover the method to remove it. What I am not entirely sure, the method the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag reveals is said to be incredibly demanding. However, in exchange for the demanding release method and the sealed being's power being restricted to the Qi Refining 7th star...once sealed, the being becomes nearly impossible to detect with the authorities of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords or any other beings related to time."
"..."
"Moreover, in exchange for the seal of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag being powerful, it supposedly grants special enlightenment to the sealed being each time a layer is undone... Though that's just a rumor, so I don't know if it's true."
I nod as I take in the information from Yeo Hui.
Then, I ask her a question.
"Why is your speech getting shorter and shorter?"
[TL: Meaning why is she getting more informal.]
"Hohoho... Compared to three thousand years ago, you seem pathetically weak. Do I really have any reason to respect you as my senior?"
"..."
"Back then, I was thinking of siding with you...but if the seal of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag has become this strong, the story changes... While beings tied to time cannot find you, you coming right up to me in the dimension I oversee as a Sacred Master changes things again... It rather seems more beneficial to capture and offer you to the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, who is currently searching for you... Tell me, am I wrong?"
Kugugugugu!
Yeo Hwi's presence begins to grow.
[With your current pathetic level of power which barely reaches the 7th star of Qi Refining, do you dare think you can resist me...? Ahaha... Now then. Shall I repay the humiliation of that day...?]
Her face changes into that of a goblin, her arms unfolding while morphing into bird-like wings as she starts to draw upon the authority of Cedarwood Painting.
She is a Sacred Master who was once a True Person like Baek Woon.
As long as she remains within Cedarwood Painting, she is effectively a True Immortal.
And I...
Am simply a True Immortal.
: : For managing Cedarwood Painting, I had intended to make you my vassal. But it seems even that grace is unnecessary. What an insolent thing. : :
Dududududu!
I cannot use my authority in the lower realm because of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag.
However, the story is different for my true body, located in the True Immortal Realm.
: : I prophesize. : :
At some point, Hong Fan seized Kim Yeon's artificial stars remaining within Cedarwood Painting and dragged them outside.
And upon the artificial stars Hong Fan pulled outside, the [scene] I envision is embedded.
: : Cedarwood Painting Sacred Master, Yeo Hwi, will be refined within this Immortal's body and become an Immortal Treasure, serving for countless ages. : :
Yeo Hwi's fate obeys the prophecy I have spoken and begins to be pulled towards it.
At the same time, I raise the artificial star imbued with my prophecy to the True Immortal Plane with the Impermanence Sword and absorb it into my body.
If Yeo Hwi wants to break this prophecy, she must escape from Cedarwood Painting, advance to True Immortality, rise to the True Immortal Plane, and enter my body.
-x-X-x-
A cold drop of spiritual energy trickles down Yeo Hwi's forehead.
[ForbutmanagingitCedarwoodseemsPaintingevenIthathadgraceintendedistounnecessarymakewhatyouanmyinsolentvassalthing!]
'Even though he's sealed, an Immortal Rank is still an Immortal Rank, huh. I lowered my cultivation from True Person to Sacred Master to overcome the natural disadvantage against True Immortals, but...kugh.'
While feeling the overwhelming difference in their fundamental rank distort the will emanating from her opponent, Yeo Hwi silently begins drawing on the authority of Cedarwood Painting.
'Still...there's no need to cower unnecessarily! I, as the disciple of the Northern Dippers, know the true power of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag better than anyone!'
An entity of the Source River.
No, rather than calling her an entity, it would be more accurate to say she is treated as a slave, a mere pawn. Yet, having once learned under the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, she knows.
There is something all entities of the Immortal Family who learn time methods feel.
Whenever the Lords of the Time lineage employ their powers, one can feel the Source River being influenced by their authority.
And Yeo Hwi, 500,000 years ago...
She felt the colossal entity, who could be called the God of Time, a being that could even be considered the origin of the Source River, being utterly defeated by the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord.
After that incident, which weakened the energy of the Source River, every Immortal associated with the Time lineage, including Yeo Hwi, noticed something.
The seven immense wills that had arisen from the depths of the Source River.
The absolute will to protect, determined to preserve the peace of the world by standing against any overwhelmingly powerful being that might be born.
The vow that their Master would never again suffer pain, humiliation, or disgrace!
What was created by the combined powers of the seven streams of the Source River was the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag.
Even if it was Vast Cold in their youth, it would be impossible to properly use their strength if struck by the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag during the Entering Nirvana stage.
Thus, Yeo Hwi had been waiting for Seo Eun-hyun to return.
Just in case Seo Eun-hyun turned out to be stronger than she anticipated, or if he had an unexpected trump card, she properly maintained Cedarwood Painting.
After all, Radiance Hall once tried to sweep away Cedarwood Painting that can be considered Seo Eun-hyun's achievement back to its original form.
Had Yeo Hwi not petitioned, claiming, 'I have suffered severe torment at the hands of the vile Seo Eun-hyun, and my cultivation has regressed to the Sacred Vessel stage. I need a place for my Sacred Vessel cultivation,' Cedarwood Painting would surely have been dismantled.
And by now, even Radiance Hall would have forgotten about something as trivial as Cedarwood Painting.
'If he turns out to be stronger than I anticipated when he returns, I'll simply show him Cedarwood Painting and join his side as originally planned, living comfortably and proudly under his protection. If I go under him, I won't have to worry about others' judgments and can indulge in ponds of wine and forests of meat.
'However...if he is as weakened as I expect after facing the Sealing Immortal Flag...'
Yeo Hwi feels a dull ache in her shoulder.
That humiliating defeat at the hands of Seo Eun-hyun, who at the time had only been at the Sacred Vessel stage!
'I'll capture him...pin him beneath me, and have my way with him to the point his rationality dissipates. It'll feel like I'm sitting atop the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord...! Just thinking about it makes my spine tingle, doesn't it? That being who is compared to the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord being beneath me...! Hehe...I'll sell him off to the Radiance Hall after breaking his mind, and with that achievement, my advancement to True Immortality will practically be guaranteed.' ř𝐚Νο𝖇ĚS
With a future that fills her with thrilling pleasure just imagining it, Yeo Hwi reveals her combat technique form, pressuring Seo Eun-hyun who is emitting the aura at most at the Qi Refining 7th star.
'What use is a high rank when he's been reduced to the power of leftover scraps after being struck by the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag!? Now...it's time for retribution...'
Just when she has this thought.
: : I prophesize : :
'...What?'
A prophecy becomes imbued in one of the artificial stars of Cedarwood Painting, which had been secretly taken out by someone claiming to be a subordinate of Seo Eun-hyun.
The prophecy depicts a scene where Yeo Hwi is captured and drawn inside Seo Eun-hyun's body where she is refined and reborn as his Immortal Treasure, hanging upside down for endless eons.
[What is this!?]
Kurururururu!
The entire Cedarwood Painting trembles violently under Yeo Hwi's will.
She widens her eyes as if she has been struck on the head.
'Wh-What is the meaning of this!?'
She cannot comprehend.
How is it possible for someone struck by the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag to use prophecies?
And not just anyone, but someone who has only just advanced to True Immortality and only recently gained their consciousness afterward?
'This makes no sense! Anyone struck by the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag shouldn't be able to use attraction force or explosion! Just how on earth did this happen!? The Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag seals the authority of the Three Planes, leaving even True Immortals to wither and die! Just how is something like this even possible!?'
Yeo Hwi reels, overwhelmed by a sense that the common sense she knows is being overturned.
'Just how...is it possible to use prophecies? Are you telling me he is transcending the Three Planes and drawing forth the power of prophecies from somewhere else!?'
But she is even more horrified by what happens next.
'Wh-What!?'
The artificial star containing Seo Eun-hyun's prophecy transcends the Plane of Fate and rises to a higher plane.
'...'
At that moment, she begins to grasp the situation.
'Damn it... The artificial star...entered his body at a higher plane...!?'
Yeo Hwi glares at Seo Eun-hyun with cold spiritual energy trickling down her body.
'He's cunning. Just where did someone who only recently advanced to True Immortality learn how to wield prophecies like this? This kind of precision is impossible unless he received personal one-on-one guidance from someone like a Great Net Immortal!'
Kurururung!
Her attraction force begins to be subordinated and drawn towards Seo Eun-hyun.
'N-No! This can't happen!'
Gritting her teeth, Yeo Hwi stretches out her arm towards Seo Eun-hyun.
Wudududuk!
The spacetime around Seo Eun-hyun appears to warp and collapse.
But that's all.
Paaatt!
Seo Eun-hyun so very effortlessly 'permeates' her attraction force, curses, and binding spells as he approaches her.
[Y-You! You! How dare you!? What kind of sorcery are you using!?]
Seo Eun-hyun draws closer.
The entire Middle Realm is swept into a storm under Yeo Hwi's authority.
Countless bolts of lightning rain down on Seo Eun-hyun.
Ten billion antimatter bombs simultaneously detonate in front of Seo Eun-hyun, dyeing the area with light.
[S-Stay back! Don't come closer!! Y-You bastard! You bastard! W-Wait! Daoist Seo, Senior! Elder! Please listen to what I have to say for just a moment!]
It's useless.
No matter what attack she throws, Seo Eun-hyun, despite only emanating the aura at the 7th star of Qi Refining, 'passes through' everything and continues approaching her with an unbothered demeanor.
Yeo Hwi realizes what is happening.
'This...this insane...! He's freely crossing planes!? Sure, Sacred Vessels can somewhat freely move across the Three Planes of Qi, Soul, and Fate, but...how is a True Immortal able to move up and down from the True Immortal Plane at will!?'
This is the pinnacle of absurdity!
Confronted by the power to freely traverse planes, Yeo Hwi feels like her mind is about to collapse.
Finally, when Seo Eun-hyun arrives in front of her and grabs her shoulder—
She realizes.
'...I see. The Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords...made a mistake.'
Recognizing the despairing truth, she lets out a hollow laugh.
'For sealing Vast Cold, who wielded the authority of the Heaven Tribe and a strange power of unknown origins...the Northern Dipper Sealing Flag was probably sufficient. However...the authority possessed by this being is completely different from the authority of Vast Cold. It's an entirely separate type of authority, so how could a seal created to target Vast Cold work properly against him...?'
Huarurururuk!
Seo Eun-hyun's form begins to change.
His aura still remains no higher than Qi Refining 7th star.
However, his appearance alone transforms into something bizarre.
[Something in the form of a candle flame, where glass and auroras writhe as if alive], flickers in front of her.
The mysterious light, seemingly a combination of Glass True Fire and auroras, conveys its will to Yeo Hwi.
: : C O M E : :
She lowers her gaze.
'...There is no...way.'
She cannot escape.
The fate prophesied by Seo Eun-hyun has already arrived right before her eyes.
She cannot escape.
"...I beg thee to remember that this junior protected Cedarwood Painting from Radiance Hall for three thousand years..."
After finishing her words, Yeo Hwi steps into the enormous light that has approached her.
Hwarurururuk!
The intense Glass True Fire greets her, and the massive world at the level of a Middle Realm swallows Yeo Hwi whole.
Inside that world, she picks a suitable spot, hangs herself upside down, releases her combat technique form, and faces the Glass True Fire rushing in to refine her.
Hwarururuk...
I revert to my human form and observe Yeo Hwi, who now resides within my main body.
Yeo Hwi is currently undergoing refinement within the True Immortal Plane, housed in my true body.
I temporarily raised her to the True Immortal Plane.
'In the past, Zhengli also did something similar to me.'
At the time when I called Zhengli's name, she summoned me into a strange space and bestowed her blessing upon me.
After receiving that blessing, I was cursed with lightning transformation and had to spend the entire 16th cycle roaming with Hong Fan, focusing on breaking the curse.
'Now that I think about it, the strange space where Zhengli summoned me and gave her blessing must have been the True Immortal Plane.'
Of course, just rising to the True Immortal Plane doesn't mean one automatically advances to True Immortality.
For those at the Entering Nirvana stage, entering the True Immortal Plane would result in instant death, prompting them to undergo the advancement ritual. But for those at the Sacred Vessel stage, I can preserve them within my body, preventing them from directly facing the True Immortal Plane.
After all, the internal structure of a True Immortal's body isn't a form that transcends Qi, Soul, or Fate, but rather a form suited to the Three Planes.
Tingle, tingle...
I take a deep breath, overwhelmed by the immense chest pain that follows after making a prophecy.
'Pain... Is it always this painful when using the authority of the Immortal Family...?'
It is the same pain I felt when enduring under the authority of Hyeon Rang.
The inside of my chest aches terribly, and when I begin to act sincerely, the pain spreads through my entire body to the point of making my head feel numb.
'Other True Immortals...Blood Yin didn't show any signs of pain when making prophecies.'
This is not a matter of realm but of essence.
'I can tell because I'm well-versed in pain. This pain... This is something Blood Yin definitely didn't experience. I am...'
Yes.
The authority of the Immortal Family that I use feels different from that of other True Immortals.
Hwaruk, huarurururuk...!
I ignite the Glass True Fire even more intensely to further refine Yeo Hwi, then extract the artificial stars within my main body and store them in my body within the Plane of Qi.
Woong!
Simultaneously, I finally gain the ability to use the ground-shrinking technique for now through the attraction force of the artificial stars.
"Let us head to the next destination, Hong Fan."
"Yes, understood. The next destination is...?"
"Lightning Sacred Sea."
Wo-woong!
Through the ground-shrinking technique, I leap across the universe and fly towards the Lightning Sacred Sea.
"I will...liberate Golden Shaking Bird, seize control of the Lightning Sacred Sea, and activate the Great Desolate Path to assess the current situation of my comrades."
I take out the small celestial sphere given to me by Yeong Seung from inside my body and fiddle with it.
'If we cram in, he said one more person can come along.'
Indeed, it seemed appropriate to take Hong Fan with me.
"Hong Fan. Are there many True Immortals of Radiance Hall in the Lightning Sacred Sea?"
"There are none. I heard that even those who initially entered the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain forced their way in by creating gaps."
With that, we head towards the entrance of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain,
The place where the Lightning Sacred Sea is located.
Upon arriving at the Lightning Sacred Sea, I frown.
Kugugugugu!
The Lightning Sacred Sea, in the form of Yang Su-jin's ring finger.
One corner of the Lightning Sacred Sea is crushed and mangled to such an extent that it is difficult to even discern its original shape.
Normally, when something is damaged to this extent, a gap or a breach would be visible. However, it seems that Golden Shaking Bird has taken measures from the inside, as no gaps are visible within.
From one corner of the crushed area, a faint light radiates.
It seems to be the light of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
'If I pass through that light, will I reach the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain?'
However, the light is trapped behind the endlessly surging lightning bars of the Lightning Sacred Sea, making proper passage appear difficult.
'What incredible lightning. This is almost like...'
The moment when I faced the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity flashes through my mind.
It is the same lightning that appeared when Zhengli destroyed the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.
'As expected, Yang Su-jin must have swallowed lightning like Jeon Myeong-hoon and left it in his body for use.'
After gazing at the Lightning Sacred Sea for a moment, I begin operating the formula of the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.
Before I know it, I find myself in the management layer of the Lightning Sacred Sea, the place where Golden Shaking Bird's garden is located.
A familiar voice greets me.
"Oh my, who might this be? An Immortal who operates the Immortal Art of Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens..."
Step, step...
From amidst the crimson poppy fields, Golden Shaking Bird appears with a polite expression.
"You must be the owner of the Lightning Sacred Sea whom my master once spoke of before. It is truly a pleasure to meet you. This girl is the attendant concubine of my master, the Golden Divine, and..."
"I already know, Golden Shaking Bird. I've heard about you from the will of the Golden Divine."
At my words, Golden Shaking Bird blinks, then covers her mouth with a face full of emotion.
"F-From Master's...will? About me...? Truly? Wh-What did Master say about me...?"
"Step aside for now. I must fulfill the final request left to me by your master."
Wo-woong!
I walk past Golden Shaking Bird and enter the pavilion from which the entire Lightning Sacred Sea can be managed. Then, I stretch out my hand to take control of the Lightning Sacred Sea and carry out the task Yang Su-jin entrusted to his successor.
Outside the pavilion, Golden Shaking Bird waits in a submissive posture, looking up at me with a face filled with excitement.
"Did Master...speak of me often?
"Could you tell me what Master said about me?
"Where can I go to meet Master's will?
"What is Master's final wish?
"What is Master's hometown, the Head Realm, like? I heard it's a truly magnificent place..."
I glance briefly at Golden Shaking Bird.
It's different.
Compared to when I visited just at the Star Shattering stage, everything is different starting from her attitude towards me to her posture.
'However, this isn't courtesy born from the cultivation realm.'
The reason she is like this is solely because I mentioned having 'heard about Golden Shaking Bird from Yang Su-jin'.
Her incessant chatter makes her seem like...
A girl utterly smitten with love.
Seeing her like this, I cannot help but feel a pang of pity for her.
'...Poor thing.'
However, I know her true identity.
Thunder Beast, Golden Shaking Bird.
She is a massive patchwork abomination created by sacrificing the entirety of the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect under Yang Su-jin's command, fusing their bodies and souls.
Even now, the countless cultivators of the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect likely exist within her, unable to live or die, yearning solely for Yang Su-jin.
'Your request...I will fulfill it.'
The purpose of the Lightning Sacred Sea's Tower of Trials is ultimately to gradually disassemble Golden Shaking Bird and liberate the countless souls and bodies of Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect's cultivators that are intertwined within her.
Moreover, Yang Su-jin stated that if one knows the method, it is possible for his successor, after taking control of the Lightning Sacred Sea, to disassemble her instantly and release her from her status as a Thunder Beast.
Save Golden Shaking Bird.
That was Yang Su-jin's will.
'Farewell, Golden Shaking Bird.'
Closing my eyes, I lift a sphere of lightning before me to carry out the final act of disassembling her.
The lightning sphere has a beautiful form composed of six colors, and once I add one final hue and bring it into contact with Golden Shaking Bird's body, it will all be over.
Pajijijijik...
Following the formula Yang Su-jin gave me, I focus my consciousness to create black lightning.
However, creating black lightning proves far from easy, and what forms instead is, uncomprehendingly, transparent lightning.
'Damn it. Is it the Immortal Title of Crystal Glass Being, or my world interfering with the lightning?'
It's just when I'm engrossed repeatedly trying to make the black lightning.
Golden Shaking Bird, who had been chattering incessantly, faintly smiles and speaks.
"Shall I assist you, Sir?"
"Oh ho, can you help?"
"Yes, it's a simple matter. Seven-colored lightning was something my master frequently created. Here, please watch carefully."
Chijijijijik...
In Golden Shaking Bird's hand, pitch-black lightning blossoms.
"Here it is. Please use it as you please."
Pajijijijijik!
Golden Shaking Bird compresses the black lightning into a sphere and slowly sends it my way.
"...Thank you."
Receiving the black lightning sphere, I smile bitterly.
Now, all I need to do is combine this sphere with the others and let it touch Golden Shaking Bird.
At least, that should have been the case.
Kwajijijijik!
"...Huh?"
The six-colored lightning sphere in my hand suddenly enters Golden Shaking Bird's hand.
It all happens in the blink of an eye.
Immediately after, I hear the sound of a [prophecy] in my ears.
: : I prophesize. Those who have mastered the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique will exchange their lightning spheres with one another. : :
"...!"
I widen my eyes in disbelief at the incomprehensible situation.
'She...[fulfilled the prophecy first] and then spoke the prophecy afterward!? No, this is...'
Golden Shaking Bird looks at me with a gloomy smile.
"It is a simple application of prophecy. If what is to come in the future is prophecy, then one can reverse Taiji, force the inevitability onto the present, and then declare the prophecy of the future afterwards."
Pajijijijijik...
Dark blue lightning begins to surge around Golden Shaking Bird.
"...I will ask one question. Please answer truthfully."
"...What is it?"
"The matter Master told you about me...was, after all, to kill me, wasn't it?
"..."
"...All I wanted was Dear... Just Dear's attention alone would have been enough..."
Golden Shaking Bird smiles gloomily as she glares at me.
"Well. If that's the case, it can't be helped, can it? I will follow you. I will chase you to the Head Realm where you have gone, chase you to your homeland, and kill every person precious to you. Until the only person you have left to look at is me!"
Along with her agonizing determination, the battle between Golden Shaking Bird and I begins.
-x-X-x-
She opens her mouth.
: : I prophesize. : :
I furrow my brow and begin to exert my strength.
A deep pain in my chest starts tormenting me.
: : I prophesize. : :
Kururururung!
Above the sky of the Lightning Sacred Sea, one of the artificial stars inside my body begins to rise again.
'I can use 28 prophecies.'
If I imbue all 28 artificial stars under my control with prophecies, I would be left unable to do anything beyond that.
'I must settle this within 28 prophecies.'
Pajijijik!
I further solidify my control over the Lightning Sacred Sea and attempt to confront the Golden Shaking Bird.
However, the power of the Lightning Sacred Sea starts to tilt even further toward Golden Shaking Bird.
It seems her countless millennia of experience in controlling the Lightning Sacred Sea cannot be ignored.
Golden Shaking Bird's prophecy emerges.
: : You will step forward, revealing your symbol. : :
I take a step forward and reach out towards the sky, embedding a future scene into one of my artificial stars.
Simultaneously, a portion of my essence reflects in Golden Shaking Bird's eyes.
"Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun. Is that your name?"
"...You will rise to the True Immortal Plane and be crushed within this Immortal's body."
As soon as my prophecy is infused into the artificial star, it is immediately sent into my main body in the True Immortal Plane by the Impermanence Sword.
However, Golden Shaking Bird sneers while rising into the void.
"Break (破)."
Kwaaaang!
With those words, the prophetic star of Golden Shaking Bird that had just risen into the sky shatters, scattering into the flower fields below.
"I prophesize."
I flinch in surprise and look up at Golden Shaking Bird.
'She isn't one of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, yet she's using another prophecy this quickly? This is...'
"Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun, when he leaves the pavilion, shall feel as if his heart is pounding."
Kurururung!
My consciousness extends to the first layer of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
In the sky there, another planet is rapidly forming.
I discover the Golden Shaking Bird's secret.
'As long as she has control over the Lightning Sacred Sea, she can borrow the power of each layer of the Tower of Trials to unleash prophecies without limit?'
"I prophesize again."
Golden Shaking Bird's prophecy materializes once more.
This time, it's in the sky of the second layer of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
"You, when your heart pounds three times, will have your body flush with color, and you will feel as if you are alive, clothed in human flesh."
'Is the number of prophecies she can use borrowing the power of the Tower of Trials...one prophecy per layer? That means...'
Golden Shaking Bird can roughly use 108 prophecies.
'I need to block 108 prophecies with only 28, huh. But more importantly...'
From within the pavilion, I glare at Golden Shaking Bird.
"I prophesize..."
In the third layer of the Tower of Trials, a prophetic star rises.
"You, when your body flushes with color and your face turns as red as these poppy petals, will truly gain vitality akin to that of a human, possessing a human metabolism and a human courage."
A conditional blessing directed at me is prophesied by her.
'Why is she...wasting her prophecies like that? Even if she can use a large number of them...'
On the fourth floor of the Tower of Trials, a star rises.
"You, to fight against this Immortal, will gain courage and come out to engage in battle."
"..."
With a hardened expression, I step outside the pavilion.
At this point, the control over the Lightning Sacred Sea has practically been handed over to Golden Shaking Bird.
There is no use clinging to it any longer.
When I step out of the pavilion, is it because of my tension? My heart begins to race.
Thump, thump, thump...
My heart seems to beat three times, then color starts flushing over my body.
My form, which had merely been imitating a human, begins to change.
I gradually feel as if I possess the fleshly body I had during my human body era.
At the same time, courage seems to surge up suddenly.
Hwarururuk!
I draw the Colorless Glass Sword and aim it at Golden Shaking Bird.
"Come. Show me what you got."
Let us fight properly.
Dukung!
And, right at that moment.
[Dammit. O my master.]
Yeo Hwi's voice rings out.
She, having been significantly refined through the Glass True Fire, calls out from within me with a tone as if she would die from frustration.
[I feel like I'm going to die from frustration. It seems you've learned from some high-ranking Great Immortal, but...having no real combat experience, you are walking right into their setup. May I offer some guidance?]
Flinch!
I tremble for a moment, and Hong Fan also speaks from within one of the artificial stars in my body.
[Master, this is your first real fight against a proper True Immortal since your advancement. Perhaps it would be worth listening to the advice of a seasoned True Person.]
"...Understood."
At those words, I release another artificial star into the sky and, following Yeo Hwi's advice, softly utter a prophecy into it.
"I prophesize. When Golden Shaking Bird raises ten prophetic stars, the planes of the Lightning Sacred Sea will distort."
Chwararararak!
Simultaneously, Golden Shaking Bird's body begins to grow larger.
Soon, a colossal hummingbird appears before me.
Made of thunder and lightning, the hummingbird flaps its wings forcefully, gradually revealing bird faces across its body.
The bird faces quickly open their mouths and begin spitting out prophecies.
I leap into the air with this body, which is only at the 7th star of Qi Refining, and quickly swing Glass True Fire.
Hwarururuk!
The Impermanence Sword, which transcends planes and cuts its target, slices through the heads of Golden Shaking Bird without regard for the difference in power.
However, each time a head is severed, the prophecies pour forth endlessly.
[Your sword strikes will become faster and stronger.
[The stronger your power, the stronger your human body will become, developing accordingly.
[The developed flesh will age as much as you swing your sword. Yet, its sharpness will not fade easily.
[You will succeed in inflicting a severe wound on this Immortal with a powerful strike.]
Kurururung!
With a single slash, my sword splits Golden Shaking Bird's body in half.
But Golden Shaking Bird merely smirks before collapsing on the spot.
Her body, formed of lightning, shatters into countless fragments and dissipates into the surrounding environment.
I succeeded in destroying Golden Shaking Bird's physical body.
However...I frown.
[I prophesize. The aged you will feel death drawing closer and closer.]
Thump, thump, thump...
My Transformation body, aged completely due to Golden Shaking Bird's prophecy, hears the thumping of a heartbeat.
At the same time, I feel as though I could die at any moment.
[Once again, I prophesize. You will find this Immortal's presence, deliver your final strike, and half your fate will be complete (命).]
Paaatt!
Through my sense of Qi, I detect the presence of Golden Shaking Bird.
Dragging my decrepit and aged body, I move swiftly like the wind and find a lump of flesh 'growing' in a corner of the poppy field. I grip the Colorless Glass Sword tightly.
'Even after killing the body and cutting off the escape route for the soul, she revives so easily.'
A simple sword strike will not suffice.
Tsuahhh—
The Impermanence Sword is infused with a black aura.
Impermanence Sword.
Twin Flowers.
Black Impermanence.
A colossal curse giant emanating black aura emerges from the Impermanence Sword and slams its palm towards Golden Shaking Bird.
Jjeooong!
The overwhelming aura of curses and pain is absorbed into Golden Shaking Bird, and her screams echo across the entire Lightning Sacred Sea.
: : KIYAAAAAAAAH!!! : :
'Once again. I killed her physical body and completely crushed her soul. I even prevented her from moving to a new body for resurrection, but...'
[Once again, I prophesize...]
Once again, a lump of flesh writhes behind my back, and Golden Shaking Bird begins to grow anew.
Thousands of lightning spells blanket the sky of the flower fields.
A rain of lightning begins to fall.
I permeate through the rain of lightning entirely and approach Golden Shaking Bird.
From her body, dozens of talismans emerge, transforming into a golden wave that divides the space between her and me.
Chwaak!
As I cut through the wave, she, fully revived once again, utters a prophecy.
[This Immortal will live, and the Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun will die.]
A ridiculous prophecy demanding immediate death.
However, I am someone whose body has grown old, death has drawn near, and has received the prophecy that my fate will be complete after delivering my final strike.
'So has the groundwork been sufficiently laid...'
Thump—
I can feel death encroaching upon me.
'Using restricted prophecies to gradually lay the groundwork, then guiding the opponent into the [scene] they desire...'
This, is what battles amongst True Immortals are.
Then,
Kuuung!
Raising my dead body that is collapsing on the ground, I stare at Golden Shaking Bird.
There is panic in Golden Shaking Bird's eyes.
"What...!? Your fate has been completed, so how...!? Through the prophecy, you should have been forcibly dragged into the domain of the Underworld...!"
"...Death. Death, huh..."
I grin and lift the Colorless Glass Sword.
It feels as though a plum is in my mouth.
At some point, chest pain has completely overtaken my entire body.
Twisting the principles of the world with my heart, I let out a grin.
"I'm rather good at enduring, you see."
A prophecy laid out with this level of groundwork doesn't scare me at all.
If anything, the time when Cheongmun Ryeong stuffed a plum into my mouth and withered my body to the brink of death over numerous days was far more painful and grueling.
A death brought about by this kind of groundwork can never send me to the Underworld.
"Ha!!!"
The prophecy bestowed upon me by Golden Shaking Bird is outright negated.
Kwaaaang!
As the prophecy twists, the star of prophecy that Golden Shaking Bird conferred to me explodes.
"Kuheokk! Kuheoheok!"
Golden Shaking Bird staggers backward, coughing up a handful of crimson spiritual energy.
It seems the negation of her prophecy brought an overwhelming shock.
Kugugugugu!
I perceive that the planes around me have become distorted.
'Golden Shaking Bird's prophetic stars now number ten.'
The prophecy I laid as groundwork has been fulfilled.
"I prophesize."
Wo-woong!
Another artificial star begins to rise into the sky.
[Wait, Master. It's still a bit early!]
'It's fine.'
"If Golden Shaking Bird returns the sphere of lightning she received from this Immortal, the distortion of the planes shall be normalized. However, should she refuse, the distortion of the planes shall accelerate even further."
A choice is forced upon Golden Shaking Bird.
As I utter another prophecy, the chest pain intensifies. Yet, since the 'choice' has now passed to Golden Shaking Bird, the pain feels considerably lighter.
'So this is what it feels like to enforce a price.'
True to the teachings I learned from Blood Yin, Golden Shaking Bird distances herself from me and chooses the 'latter.'
'This should do it, right?'
Through Golden Shaking Bird's 'choice,' my prophecy is realized.
The planes of the Lightning Sacred Sea's management layer begins to distort wildly and bizarrely.
[...Yes, well...fine. Master's adaptability is great.]
Yeo Hwi clicks her tongue and grants her approval, while I utter the two prophecies I had prepared in advance.
Two artificial stars rise into the sky.
[I prophesize.]
[The Lightning Sacred Sea shall properly welcome the descendant of the Golden Divine, who has mastered the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.]
[The Lightning Sacred Sea, where two Immortals are currently dancing, shall for a brief moment become like the True Immortal Domain!]
Kurururururu!
The already distorted planes completely lose their function.
Simultaneously, for the briefest instant, the battlefield between Golden Shaking Bird and I transforms into the True Immortal Realm.
[Do you really think your desperation will allow you to defeat me?]
Golden Shaking Bird charges at me.
A monstrous entity that flows like a river with thousands of bird heads.
That seems to be Golden Shaking Bird's true form.
She spews out countless prophecies from her thousands of heads as she swiftly closes in on me.
I, gazing at Golden Shaking Bird who is rushing towards me, raise the Impermanence Sword.
As the Impermanence Sword overlays onto the Colorless Glass Sword, which has changed into Glass True Fire, the Colorless Glass Sword begins to blaze even more fiercely.
I slash downward.
That alone will be sufficient.
[In this battle, I prophesize for the last time.]
With calm eyes, I watch Golden Shaking Bird's true form rushing at me.
The countless prophecies she utters weigh down my body and gradually sap away my strength.
But it doesn't matter.
From the moment I laid the groundwork up to here based on Yeo Hwi's advice, Golden Shaking Bird was already defeated.
[Forget the Golden Divine entirely and achieve enlightenment, spirits of the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect. Otherwise, this Immortal's true body shall descend upon this land.]
A choice is given to her.
However, the first option is undoubtedly one she can never accept.
Thus, the choice she will make is...
[Descend if you dare! I fought not in the True Immortal Domain but here in the Lightning Sacred Sea because I cherish my master's land. Yet, you think someone like you, who has clearly just recently advanced, can defeat this Immortal with your...]
My true body descends!
[...true...]
And with that, this battle ends.
[...body...?]
A single downward slash.
That is all it takes.
My true body stands behind me and adds its power to the strike.
The true body of Golden Shaking Bird.
And the countless prophecies spoken from her lips.
Her prophetic stars.
All of them burst apart simultaneously.
Golden Shaking Bird frantically regenerates her body.
However, she no longer dares to reveal her true body.
Her true body shrivels under my presence, leaving only her Transformation body behind.
Golden Shaking Bird looks up at me as if in disbelief.
Huarurururuk!
A milky-white candle flame that burns as if alive, fused from glass and aurora.
My human form is absorbed into that candle flame.
Yeo Hwi snickers within me, mocking Golden Shaking Bird, while Hong Fan is already celebrating my victory.
Golden Shaking Bird only stares up at me with a blank expression.
"...H-How...? To someone who just advanced..."
I transform into my combat technique form.
"...The size of this Vestige Liberation Immortal...is Great Net..."
Before she can finish her words.
I throw a punch.
Kwaaaang!
Golden Shaking Bird's body bursts apart.
But that is not all.
The entirety of the management layer.
This entire world, filled with poppy flowers, collapses.
Kwarururung!
There is no longer any need for Martial Arts to deal with Golden Shaking Bird.
Though I am at the level of Qi Refining 7th star after descending into the lower realm, my true body in the True Immortal Domain is feared enough to be called the return of the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, striking terror into the Radiance Hall.
Kwaaaang!
Once again, I approach Golden Shaking Bird and throw another punch.
With just that, she is miserably flung away and crashes straight into the location of the Tower of Trials.
The layer where the Tower of Trials resides.
I carefully avoid touching the Immortal Treasure Great Desolate Path, grabbing Golden Shaking Bird by the face and smashing her into the 99th layer of the Tower of Trials.
The Thunder Bee Queen senses her mother's danger and charges toward me.
However, as soon as the Thunder Bee Queen, still at the Entering Nirvana stage, locks eyes with me, something resembling both a candle flame and a blade begins to sprout all over her body, transforming her into a mountain made of glass right where she stands.
Since she is not a true Entering Nirvana, she narrowly avoided advancing to True Immortality. However, unless I permit her to regain her original form, she will live out countless eons neither dead nor alive, existing forever as a glass sword mountain.
[I prophesize...]
Golden Shaking Bird casts a star of prophecy on the lower layers.
A prophetic star rises on the 30th floor, revealing a scene.
I lift her by the face and momentarily hold her up before slamming her back down onto the floor of the 99th layer.
Kwaaaaang!!!
The Tower of Trials splits in half.
I slam Golden Shaking Bird's body into the ground of the first layer of the Tower of Trials, shattering all of the prophetic stars she created.
As the stars of prophecy are destroyed, she again pours out crimson spiritual energy, trembling.
Chiiiiii—
: : It's over. : :
I look down at Golden Shaking Bird.
Now, it seems she no longer has the strength to even lift a single finger. With a blank expression, she sheds tears while staring up at the sky.
Pajijijijik...
With a flick of my hand, the lightning sphere she took is drawn back into my hand.
I take out the black lightning sphere she created.
For some reason, the black lightning sphere in my possession has turned more than 90 percent colorless.
I scatter the colorless portion and absorb the black lightning into the lightning sphere, completing Yang Su-jin's secret art.
Pasasasasa—
The body of Golden Shaking Bird, which has been utterly wrecked by me, begins to gradually collapse.
: : You are dying, Golden Shaking Bird. Make your choice... Will you simply perish, or will you liberate...the souls of the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect within you? : :
She is dying.
She, who revived without issue even after her true body was cleaved in half, her spirit annihilated, and her repeated resurrections blocked, is now truly on the verge of death.
Through her, I finally understand how True Immortals die.
And how they revive.
True Immortals.
To be precise, True Immortals who deal with fate—must constantly prophesize fate.
If an Entering Nirvana True Person offers a ritual to the Heavenly Domain to receive their lifespan,
A True Immortal gains lifespan each time they speak a prophecy.
Having transcended both life and death, only prophecies become the milestones that bear witness to our existence.
Even if our spirit is completely obliterated, as long as our prophecies remain in this world!
Even if reduced to a pill and consumed by a Qi Refining 3rd star cultivator, we can resurrect within their body alongside our prophecy.
As long as we dream towards the future, we can never truly die.
And that also means—
If all prophecies are denied, we are ultimately destroyed.
Thus, Golden Shaking Bird, who has been trapped in the Lightning Sacred Sea and had no chance to leave prophecies elsewhere, now finds every one of her prophecies shattered and obliterated by me.
"...I will die like this. The vengeful spirits of the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect...I will not release them."
Chijijijik...
I lower my rank slightly and sternly question her with my physical voice.
"Why? Yang Su-jin wanted this."
And then, she screams.
"I too!!! Wanted it!!!"
Tears flow from Golden Shaking Bird's eyes.
"I...we too...wanted him... We...knew..."
Golden Shaking Bird sobs bitterly.
"We knew...that Master went to die. We...wanted him to live. If not that, then at least to die together with him... But until the end...until the very end, he acted as he pleased. Even after death, he still does so! You must already know, don't you? Since if someone other than Master's direct disciples or Thunder Beasts learns the Extinguishing Divines Tribulating Heavens Technique, they can meet Master's lingering remnant. And, the condition for meeting his lingering remnant is...for Master to have completely perished from this world..."
She cries.
"From the moment you appeared with the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique, I suspected it. I just wanted to go to the Head Realm and throw myself to die. But why...? Why...would he make it so that I, who yearns for Master this much, could not even die...!? Why...!!??"
Golden Shaking Bird wails.
"Why did you abandon me!!?? My Master!!!"
Golden Shaking Bird is not the only one weeping.
Every being of the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect.
Every spirit that once followed the Golden Divine wails sorrowfully from within, yearning for him.
"...Please, kill me like this. He always acted as he pleased to the very end. So, at the very least, I don't want my final act to go according to his will. Please...grant me...this one last mercy..."
Pajijijik...
I look at the lightning sphere and let out a low sigh.
Then, letting out a deep groan, I scatter the sphere of lightning.
"Are you...granting mercy?"
"This is not mercy."
I step closer to Golden Shaking Bird.
'I am sorry, Yang Su-jin.'
"I will give you a chance."
'I will deceive your subordinate.'
This is the least I can do as someone from the same Earth.
"I don't need it. I..."
"A chance to witness the return of the Golden Divine."
It seems the Heavenly Domain I will head to after finishing matters in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain has already been decided.
The first Heavenly Domain I will visit is the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.
The place where Jeon Myeong-hoon resides.
"Take my hand."
At my words, Golden Shaking Bird blankly stares at me.
"I will take you to where your dream lies."
"..."
Tears begin to fall from her eyes.
For a True Immortal who deals with fate, they die when they can no longer dream.
So that a True Immortal who has lost all her dreams can hold on to one, I decide to hand over a faint glimmer of hope.
-x-X-x-
Kurururung!
The sky above the Lightning Sacred Sea momentarily darkens with storm clouds before the authority over it completely falls into my grasp.
After taking control of the Lightning Sacred Sea, I use the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique to prove my status as the [successor of the Golden Divine] and release Golden Shaking Bird.
Pasasasasak!
It seems she had been borrowing quite a bit of strength from the Lightning Sacred Sea.
The aura of the Golden Shaking Bird weakens slightly.
She, while weakly slipping on soft socks and floral shoes to cover her delicate feet, speaks.
"If you've lied to me, I will bestow upon you the greatest misfortune I can muster and then self-destruct. Crystal Glass Being Old Man."
'An old monster that's lived for 120,000 years dares to call me, who's lived barely over 10,000 years, Old Man?'
Clicking my tongue at her choice of address, I reply.
"Try coming up with a different form of address other than Old Man."
"Understood, Elder Crystal Glass Being. In any case, I mean what I say. We Thunder Beasts were originally created to curse our opponents. I am confident in my curses, so do not give me a reason to hold a deep grudge."
"Elder... Fine, I understand. But there's nothing to worry about. I swear upon the Owner of Names, the name of the Immortal Beast Pangu. He is an entity who came from the same homeland as Yang Su-jin, carries the same fate as Yang Su-jin, and inherited Yang Su-jin's techniques."
"...I will choose to believe you."
"Then, first, after finishing a few matters in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, we will head to the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain to meet that brat."
At my words, she asks with a puzzled expression.
"By the way, the Great Desolate Path cannot currently be activated. It lacks the main soul (魂) required to function."
"That's fine."
I show her the celestial sphere given to me by Yeong Seung.
"I know that the Great Desolate Path is an Immortal Treasure modeled after the South Polar Ritual Treasure. This artifact was personally given to me by the South Polar Ritual Treasure himself. With this, I can activate the Great Desolate Path."
"The South Polar Ritual Treasure... So it's Yeong Seung's split soul. If this is consumed, it could allow two individuals to leap across a Heavenly Domain. However, knowing Elder's personality, it seems likely that you'll bring all of those within you along."
Golden Shaking Bird glances at the Hong Fan and Yeo Hwi residing within my body and asks.
I nod.
"Hmm, that's true. But even so, Yeo Hwi is my Immortal Treasure, and Hong Fan is merely at the Integration stage—surely they can fit in between you and me?"
"Hah, as if that's possible. The standards for crossing the Heavenly Domain using the Great Desolate Path are strict. Each activation strictly allows [one person].
"When the main soul of the Great Desolate Path existed, it could accommodate up to three people at most. The rank of the beings traveling doesn't matter. After all, it was originally an Immortal Treasure designed to escape the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.
"It was specifically designed to identify distinct [existences], preventing crossing the Heavenly Domain without proper [seats]. This was to prevent any possibility of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity from slipping in and squeezing among the seats."
"Hmm..."
After some thought, I speak.
"In that case, leaving Yeo Hwi behind temporarily might—"
"Hehe, are you seriously suggesting leaving behind Yeo Hwi, one of the disciples of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, the allies of Radiance Hall, in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain? If we leave, she'll surely throw the doors of the Lightning Sacred Sea wide open, inviting the True Immortals of Radiance Hall wandering the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain to host a grand tea party. Isn't that what's bound to happen?"
"..."
Kurururung!
Indeed, the one who tried to betray me just a short while ago is Yeo Hwi.
'If I don't tighten her leash properly, leaving her behind would definitely be unsettling.'
"Then what should I do? Do you have a method?"
"There's a very simple method. Kill her. No, rather than simply killing her, why not offer her as a living sacrifice to the South Polar Ritual Treasure, delighting him while enhancing the celestial sphere—or perhaps even obtaining another one?"
At Golden Shaking Bird's words, Yeo Hwi, who is in the process of being refined, starts to convulse and desperately begs me.
"...She may be frustrating, but she is still someone I've decided to use as my Immortal Treasure. I do not wish to casually discard someone I've accepted. Besides, she's a disciple of the Northern Dippers, so wouldn't offering her to Yeong Seung displease him? Isn't she practically one of his own?"
"The South Polar Ritual Treasure does not get along with the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords. He would actually be delighted. During my master's lifetime, there were 70 disciples of the Northern Dippers in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. However, my master captured 21 of those disciples, offered them to Yeong Seung as living sacrifices, and received blessings from him in return."
"..."
As soon as Yeo Hwi hears about Yang Su-jin's deeds within me, it's as if unpleasant memories resurface. She falls into immense terror and starts convulsing.
Hearing about Yang Su-jin's headache-inducing actions, I shake my head.
"...In any case, no. What about simply sealing her or borrowing the Naming Supreme Deity's power to enforce an oath and leaving her behind?"
"Seals and oaths can easily be undone. If she prays to Radiance Hall, they can request their allies, the Liberation Supreme Deity or the Naming Supreme Deity, to nullify them. However, since Elder seems to prefer a moderate approach, I'll suggest a method that, while slightly painful, leaves no aftereffects, keeps Yeo Hwi intact, and causes no problems. It's a very good method."
At Golden Shaking Bird's words, Yeo Hwi begins sobbing from within and pleas desperately, begging me not to listen to Golden Shaking Bird.
Though I do feel sorry for her, she is, after all, a traitor. Thus, I lend my ear to Golden Shaking Bird's words rather than hers.
"Go on, speak."
"Since her refinement as an Immortal Treasure is nearly complete, I will enter Elder's body and add a small extra process during the later stages of refinement. That way, once the refinement is complete, not only will her rank as an Immortal Treasure increase, but she'll also radiate magnificent golden lightning"
"Oho... What exactly are you planning to do?"
"It's nothing complicated. Among the methods for refining Thunder Beasts, there's a process where you gather the targets' spirits and mix them together. Inside Elder's body, I will mix that thing being refined with a portion of Elder's spirit body, temporarily making that thing treated as a [part of Elder]."
"What!? Wouldn't that cause her to be destroyed?"
"There's no need to worry about that. I will take measures to ensure that even after mixing, it can later be separated again."
Pajijijijik!
As she speaks, she forms a lightning banner in her hand.
"This is the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner, a Thunder Path spell. Since Elder acquired the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique, you must have seen it before."
"Oh, I know of it."
"As you know, the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner is both a torture spell and a spell that 'protects' the target's mind."
"That's true."
The Five Elements Blood Curse Banner, a variation of the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner, works the same way.
It protects the mind with the energy of the Five Elements and helps concentrate one's consciousness—that is the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner.
"If this is elevated to the Plane of Fate, the realm of Immortal Arts, even if the target is mixed, it can protect the consciousness and later undo the mixing, returning them to normal."
"I see... So what you're saying is that after planting the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner into her mind, you'll mix my spirit body with Yeo Hwi's, temporarily making her a part of me to reduce the headcount?"
"Exactly."
"Hmm, what about Hong Fan? Are you perhaps planning to implant the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner in Hong Fan as well?"
"That won't be necessary. That one may be a disciple of the Northern Dippers and an ally of Radiance Hall, but that Integration stage...is Elder's loyal devotee, is he not? I think it would be fine to simply leave him in the Lightning Sacred Sea or some appropriate lower realm."
At those words, I nod.
Indeed, unlike the traitor Yeo Hwi, Hong Fan is my loyal subject, so leaving him in the Lightning Sacred Sea would be fine.
However, at that moment, Hong Fan cries out.
[Master, I too wish to follow you. Please allow it!]
"Hmm... Can you endure the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner?"
[That much is no problem. I will endure with the single-minded determination to follow Master!]
Feeling slightly moved by Hong Fan's words, I ask Yeo Hwi.
"Can you include Hong Fan in the process as well? In the least painful way possible..."
"It's possible, but if it's just an Integration stage bug...isn't there an even simpler and less painful method?"
"Oho, such a method exists? What is it?"
Hearing there's a simpler method, I brighten and ask with interest.
If such a method exists, I too would prefer to avoid causing Hong Fan pain.
However, as I listen to Golden Shaking Bird's following words, it feels as though I've been struck on the head.
"Just kill him painlessly, and before his soul gets dragged into the Underworld, go to the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain and use a prophecy to resurrect him in the Heavenly Domain. Then his soul will cross over along the outskirts of the Underworld and revive cleanly in the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain."
"..."
"Regarding the devotee of Time who reached the Entering Nirvana stage... If we try to kill and resurrect her, there's a high chance she'll pass through the Source River during the process and confess everything to her master or Radiance Hall, making it impossible. If we were to pass through the outskirts of the Underworld, our presence would be too big and we would be immediately detected by the Reapers or the Heavenly Immortals of Radiance Hall. Therefore, it's a method only possible for that Integration stage bug."
"..."
"Is there some issue with this as well?"
"...No...there isn't. It's just..."
I let out a bitter smile.
Before I knew it, I've become a being who can freely preside over the lives and deaths of others.
Killing the living and resurrecting the dead has become possible.
I clearly feel I've risen to an unfathomable height, but for some reason, a thought crosses my mind.
Is it truly right for a single being to wield such immense authority?
Suddenly, the words of Salt Sea Cheongmun Ryeong come to mind.
His words about cultivators obtaining 'excessive power'...
'Though I intend to restrain myself with such authority...if just one of the True Immortals harbors malice, couldn't they torture beings of lower ranks endlessly, killing and resurrecting them for eons?
"...It's just that I realize once again I've become a True Immortal."
"I see."
"Indeed. However, since Hong Fan might find it unpleasant, I'll ask for his opinion."
'Truly...is granting such power to a single existence...right? Can it really be right for beings to possess such authority?'
I click my tongue deeply in thought.
"What's the point of asking the opinion of such a bug?"
"...Don't call Hong Fan a bug."
"Then is Elder saying to refer to the centipede as an insect?"
"...If you're going to argue like that, just call him an arthropod. Referring to him simply as a bug doesn't feel right."
"Elder is quite particular, I see."
I stick out my tongue at the unexpected rebuttal and turn to Hong Fan to ask for his opinion.
"Hong Fan, I plan to momentarily kill you and then resurrect you in the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain. Would you find that unpleasant?"
Even if it's a master-servant relationship, no one would like their master killing and resurrecting them at will.
Worried about this, I carefully ask Hong Fan for his opinion.
If there's even the slightest hint that Hong Fan feels bad about it, I'll have no choice but to accompany him myself and use another method like summoning Golden Shaking Bird.
However, Hong Fan gives an entirely unexpected response.
[That's fine, Master! For some reason, thinking about briefly visiting the Netherworld makes me feel quite pleased!]
"...Hmm?"
Slightly taken aback by the unexpected situation, I ask again.
"Aren't you...afraid of dying?"
[Not particularly. I'm not sure why, but...I actually feel extremely excited and happy! For nearly three thousand years, I haven't felt this good... Even I find it curious.]
Hearing Hong Fan's response, a certain scene suddenly flashes through my mind.
'Come to think of it, in a previous cycle, the nun Tae Yeol-jeon was the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.'
And as soon as Hong Fan saw her, his eyes turned upside down, and he began clinging to her immediately.
It looked as if he completely threw away his role as my aide that he considered his fate.
'Yet, in the very next cycle, he showed disgust and contempt, calling the lazy Tae Yeol-jeon smelly and repulsive...'
If I consider the fact that Tae Yeol-jeon's true identity turned out to be the Owner of the Underworld...
'Could Hong Fan's welcome attitude towards visiting the Underworld be related to that in some way? Perhaps Hong Fan was...'
"Hong Fan, perhaps you were one of the Reapers of the Underworld in your past life."
[Oh...is that what Master thinks?]
"It's just a guess. Just consider it something to keep in mind as you try to recall your past life."
[Understood. Thank you for the consideration.]
I nod after giving advice to Hong Fan.
"Alright. Since Hong Fan has agreed, we'll proceed as you suggested. For now, while I take a look around the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, help with the refinement inside my body. How long will the refinement take?"
"It should be completed by the time you've made a round around the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. Once I enter, please spare a portion of your spirit body to be merged with that thing."
"Understood. Then I'll leave it to you."
I accept Golden Shaking Bird into my body, and she approaches Yeo Hwi, who is undergoing refinement inside me.
"Ahahaha! Ahahahahaha!!!"
Golden Shaking Bird laughs madly with her eyes blazing red as she stares at Yeo Hwi who is trapped in the prison of Seo Eun-hyun's Glass True Fire.
"Who do we have here!!?? It's been so, so long. Truly...it's something worth living all this time for. To think there would come a day when the vicious Evil God of the Black Bird Star True Sect (黑鳥星眞門) would lie beneath our feet..."
Yeo Hwi trembles all over, her body shaking with humiliation and fear, as she looks up at Golden Shaking Bird.
"...Y-You lowly spirits of a minor sect that once offered me sacrifices... Do you dare defy your god (神)?"
"God? You mean 'old god'! Master saved us from your tyranny and changed our sect to the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect. Now, you're nothing more than our 'former master'."
"You lowly creatures...to dare speak to your former master like—"
Kwang!
Before Yeo Hwi can finish her sentence, her head is slammed into the ground with a single nod from Golden Shaking Bird.
With a face full of ecstasy, Golden Shaking Bird steps on Yeo Hwi's head with her soft foot.
"To think I can do whatever I want to my former master... Back when Master hunted you all down and offered you all as sacrifice, I regretted not being able to catch you. But now...such a thing has actually come to pass."
"You...you dare...? You dare, to me..."
"Consider this retribution, Yeo Hwi. You took living sacrifices from us...violated and killed them, and then pretended to show generosity while bestowing us nothing but calamities. The grudge of the Black Bird Star True Sect...has finally come back to you."
Sneer—
A massive banner crackling with lightning appears in Golden Shaking Bird's hand.
"W-Wait! Though I killed them, they died experiencing pleasure! I'm saying I killed them after making them happy! S-Senior, please listen to my words for a moment!"
The lightning banner, named the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner, rises to the Plane of Fate and becomes an Immortal Art.
Smiling to the point her mouth threatens to tear, Golden Shaking Bird tramples Yeo Hwi underfoot as she looks down at her.
"The time Elder will take to circle the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain won't be long. At most ten days? Ahaha... But for you...it will be a long ten days."
Licking her lips, Golden Shaking Bird presses the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner, along with countless other dharma tools made of lightning, towards the tightly bound Yeo Hwi.
"Let's have a delightful time together, our...former Evil God..."
On the vast expanse of the colorless glass sword mountain.
In that place, one laugh and one scream echo across the land.
Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Interdimensional Void.
I arrive at the five Middle Realms located there.
'Directly entering the Bright Cold Realm would be too dangerous.'
First of all, the Sacred Master of the Bright Cold Realm, Baek Woon, is a devotee of Radiance Hall, and the Bright Cold Realm has long been renamed as the Bright (Light) Cold Realm.
'It's practically the stomach of Radiance Hall. If I go there, regardless of the Crystal Glass Being Immortal Title, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord could come chasing after me.'
Thus, I decide to save the Bright Cold Realm for last and send in a puppet clone instead.
'Then, where should I go first? Ancient Force? Nether Ghosts? True Devil?'
It's when I am deliberating.
Suddenly, one location comes to mind.
'...Come to think of it, the place I'm most curious about right now...is that place.'
I gaze far into the distance.
Towards a certain world located at the center of the Middle Realms.
No, to be precise, it's not exactly at the center, but rather slightly deeper into the Interdimensional Void than the Middle Realms.
It is the Head Realm.
Perhaps because I have become a True Immortal, simply gazing at the outer surface of the Head Realm no longer brings any significant shock.
It just makes my eyes ache slightly.
Wo-woong!
I select a suitable puppet remaining inside an artificial star and overlay a powerful illusion onto it.
Then, I blow my split soul into the puppet and temporarily seal the split soul's memories.
Now, the split soul within this puppet is no different from an ordinary mortal.
Even if it looks up at the sky of the Head Realm, it will sense nothing.
"Go."
Tuk—
I push the puppet clone, overlaid with the illusion of [Seo Eun-hyun], towards the Head Realm.
"Golden Shaking Bird, Hong Fan, Yeo Hwi. I'm sorry, but it seems it will take a little more time. Please just wait another 30 or 40 years."
[Haha, for beings of our level, that amount of time is no different from a fleeting instant, Master.]
[Yes! I am fine with it, Elder.]
[Eup, eup, eup! Uhuuueup, uuueup...huk...]
Three responses reach me. Seeing that everyone seems to agree, I smile faintly and look at the puppet clone I sent to the Head Realm.
It will meet the factions I yearn to see on my behalf.
"Heok!!!"
[I] snap my eyes open and rise from where I was lying.
"This, this place is..."
Looking around, I find myself in some strange cave.
I get up in a panic.
My head hurts.
"Where is this...? And why am I..."
Suddenly, [memories] surface.
'I was definitely driving my coworkers in the car to our destination...when we were caught in a landslide...'
Throb!
That's right!
I was caught in a landslide!
But for some reason, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in this strange place!
'While I was unconscious...it feels like I had a very long dream.'
However, I cannot clearly recall the details of the dream.
I stagger and, for now, head outside.
"Where the hell is this? Where are my coworkers?"
It's then.
Some 'knowledge' suddenly surfaces in my mind.
Ascension Path.
The name of this place is Ascension Path.