"What lesson shall I give today?"
Glass Peacock still has not caught me.
However, my comrades also have not yet sent a signal that they escaped from the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.
They smile slyly and once again impart teachings to shake me.
"Do you want to know the difference between fate and history? Ah, I see. From the look on your face, it seems like you're curious about something else."
Over the past years, Glass Peacock had read portions of my past with eyes that perceive history.
"You...have you not seized both the Plane of Qi and the Plane of Fate? Huhu... You rose to True Immortality through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, so why is prophecy so easily performed, while the authority over history requires the special use of Immortal Arts? Are you not curious about that?"
For decades, they read through my history little by little, discerned my doubts, and taught me in an attempt to shake Filling the Heavens Governing View.
Of course, they have not been able to read all of my history hidden behind the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
But without a doubt, they have read my Qi and discerned the actions I have taken.
Even if they do not know the secret of my regression, they have to some extent read the fixed flow of my history caused by it.
"It is simple. Even if you took control of the Plane of Qi and advanced to True Immortality through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation...Vestige Liberation Immortal is still Vestige Liberation Immortal. It does not clearly control fate or history."
"..."
"The wise True Immortals all say the same thing. Under normal circumstances, a Vestige Liberation Immortal should not be capable of prophecy. They should only be able to practice cultivation using Immortal Arts and only freely wield prophecy after reaching Heaven Upper Immortal. However...strangely enough, all Vestige Liberation Immortals use prophecy."
Hearing their continuing words, I flinch.
"Even those who rose through the Plane of Qi, not the Plane of Fate, those who were Earth Tribe cultivators during their Entering Nirvana stage, are still able to use prophecy. Even if they are entities who transcend planes...isn't that strange? Therefore, the sages of the Immortal Realm have proposed these hypotheses.
"The first hypothesis: fate and history are actually one and the same. While it may seem like only fate can be prophesied, in reality, history can also be touched upon—we just do not know the method.
"The second hypothesis: Fate is the greatest law of the heavens, and so its power surpasses all other absolute laws. That is why prophecy is possible.
"The third hypothesis: Among the existing Supreme Deities, [someone] has obtained the authority over Fate (命運), or at the very least, the authority closest to it. This is why Vestige Liberation Immortals find it [easier] to use prophecy...or so they claim.""
"...!"
"Hrmm... You really are quite the knowledge-hungry one."
Glass Peacock pushes further into my Filling the Heavens Governing View, brushing through its mist.
Once I regain my composure, Glass Peacock's attempts at further intrusion once again end in failure.
"Of course, I have a different perspective. That is why I am forming a fourth hypothesis. Are you curious? If you are, then come within my arms. I shall whisper it to you within my embrace."
"..."
"Hehe, such a feisty one. I will embrace you, no matter what."
Glass Peacock licks their lips before continuing their explanation.
"All three hypotheses have flaws. The first hypothesis—fate and history are one? That doesn't hold up. Heaven Immortals and Immortal Beasts, Radiance Hall and the Underworld. The mere fact that these irreconcilable opposites exist disproves it. Fate is [convergence], while history is [diffusion]. The two can never be the same. They are fundamentally opposing forces."
Slowly, they reveal shocking truths as they come closer to me.
"The second hypothesis—fate is the greatest? That's impossible. If that were the case, Radiance Hall would have long since crushed the Underworld. In the Underworld, the number of Heaven Immortals who cultivate prophecy is so small they can be counted within ten fingers. And the Heavenly Venerables! Even though the Heavenly Venerables, as Heaven Immortals, rose to their positions to pursue the power of history, they still devote themselves to cultivating in the authority of historical observation. The only one who rose to Heavenly Venerable purely from the Earth Tribe or as an Earth Immortal is the Underworld."
I calm my heart and listen to Glass Peacock's words.
"And the last one. Honestly, it is the most nonsensical of them all. Fate, history, and what...the first light? Those three laws are, quite literally, [absolute]."
"..."
"They are in a completely different dimension from the typical Immortal Dao, Seat, or Origin Essence, which require an imperfect interpretation. Fate, history, and the third law are absolutely incapable of possessing a Seat."
I raise a question in response to their words.
"Is it not possible for there to be a Seat?"
"Haha! Absolutely not. That is impossible. It seems you don't understand what a Seat truly is."
Glass Peacock, excited by my question, pushes further into Filling the Heavens Governing View and continues their lecture.
"If I were to explain as someone who has once achieved a Seat myself...a Seat is like a mountain. Reaching the summit of the mountain can be said to be akin to seizing a Seat. It is, in a way, an apex."
Listening to Glass Peacock's explanation of Seats and the Immortal Dao, I steadily accumulate wisdom.
And so, 300 years pass once more.
"The Immortal Dao is like the path up a mountain. The Immortal Dao that descends from a Seat holds countless paths, and how one reaches the peak of the mountain is what it means to 'interpret the Seat.' Just as one can climb from the south, but also from the north, a Seat can be interpreted in reverse. So long as one pushes through with that interpretation, they will eventually reach the peak."
Before I realize it, only about thirty zhang remain between Glass Peacock and me.
Perhaps in a hundred years, only a barrier as thin as glass will separate us.
Kwa-ching!
Glass Peacock shatters another barrier and takes another step closer to me.
"Your comrades still have not escaped from the spatial labyrinth that this Immortal has cast. Give up. I will embrace you warmly."
"I refuse. I cannot give up. No matter how many times I failed...it is because I never gave up that I stand here now. So...I will not give up."
"..."
Glass Peacock trembles upon hearing my words.
For some reason, they lick the barrier with an even more excited expression.
"Good... That heart, I hope it remains unshaken even after enduring three million years with me. In any case, have you finally grasped why a Seat cannot exist for the Three Great Laws?"
"...I think I understand a little."
Yes.
A typical Seat is like a mountain.
And climbing that mountain is walking the Immortal Dao and the method by which True Immortals cultivate.
However, if a Seat is a mountain, then fate, history, and the third law are akin to [nature] itself.
A person can reach the summit of a mountain, but they cannot reach the summit of the Earth.
Because the Earth is round, and there is no such thing as a summit.
The sun, the moon, the Earth—celestial bodies!
These are the metaphors often used to describe the Three Great Laws.
Since they have no end, one cannot reach their apex—such are the three absolute laws!
"You've only grasped it now? You are more dimwitted than you look."
"I hear that often."
"Well, it does not matter. This Immortal likes people like that too..."
Glass Peacock wears a dangerous expression as they look up at the sky, perhaps reminiscing about the past.
"The Immortal Lord of the Seat of Addiction. The way Azure Peng interpreted the Seat was [being lost]. Within the countless natural order and wisdom of the world, we cannot help but be lost. Perceiving the world as a labyrinth, and navigating that labyrinth was Azure Peng's way of interpretation. When one becomes addicted—to drugs, to relationships, to something else—just as they must wander through an endless abyss, Azure Peng defined [wandering] as addiction."
I listen carefully to Glass Peacock's words.
"But...I didn't like that. So...for fifty million years, I laid a trap and created a cage to imprison Azure Peng. As a result, I caught Azure Peng and was able to form a relationship."
A distant look crosses their face.
"I wanted to show Azure Peng...that one can live in this world not just by wandering, but by forming relationships. That by continuously forging relationships, exchanging knowledge and wisdom with many others...one can also navigate through this world."
"..."
"And so, after twenty million years of forming a relationship with Azure Peng, pushing through this Immortal's interpretation...I finally had Azure Peng lay this Immortal's egg and managed to acquire the Seat."
Glass Peacock looks at me again and continues speaking.
"You...from what I have observed, also seem to cling to relationships; isn't that so?"
"You could say so."
"That is why...I wish to form a relationship with you as well. I want to exchange relationships, and want to contemplate what a relationship means to you."
They extend a hand toward me and speak.
"Form a relationship with me, Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun. I want to show you the happiness that can be found through relationships. For all the pain, suffering, and failures you have endured, I want to give you compensation even if small."
For three hundred years, we exchanged Filling the Heavens Governing View and other Immortal Arts, conversing all the while.
Before long, they came to learn my name and information to some extent.
And I, too, have come to understand Glass Peacock a little more.
Glass Peacock is one of the Immortal Beasts somewhat close to Radiance Hall.
However, since they are not officially affiliated with Radiance Hall, it seems they have no intention of reporting me even after discovering me.
They extend a hand, speaking with a serious expression.
"If before, I just wanted to form a relationship because I saw a new face, now, I am serious. I sincerely want to give and receive with you."
"If that is the case, would it not be fine to exchange through words?"
"There are things one cannot understand unless flesh meets flesh, unless dimension intertwines with dimension. You know this, do you not? If you have grasped not only Qi and Fate...but the Plane of Soul as well."
"..."
There are indeed things one cannot know without crossing blades, without matching breaths.
One way to understand another is through the clash of Martial Arts.
That is why the Heart Tribe duels their opponents in order to understand them even at the cost of their lives.
In that sense, though Glass Peacock does not belong to the Heart Tribe, they display aspects of one.
With this level of dedication, perhaps it would be fine to form a relationship with them.
I might even be able to properly explain the matter regarding the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, move to a safer location, and then engage with them.
However...
"I have lived while going through countless failures. Yet, even as I experienced failure, there is something I never let go of."
"And that is?"
"That in this world, there are many things that cannot be undone. Time will never turn back."
Woo-woooong!
A clear light bursts forth from my body.
The attraction force of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra intensifies, and something resembling salt begins to accumulate around me.
It is Salt Crystal.
"That is why...I cannot engage with you without deep resolve. I do not want to form a relationship for mere pleasure. Because...I do not want to regret it."
"..."
"I have failed endlessly. But without a doubt, it is because I refused to choose the choices forced upon me that I deemed wrong. Even if it meant failing, I chose not to walk that path. Senior Glass Peacock. I respect and admire you. However, I do not love you. That is why...I cannot form a relationship with you. My apologies."
"..."
At my words, Glass Peacock's face shifts strangely.
I feel an eerie sensation creeping in.
Chiiiiii—
Glass Peacock's form changes once more.
It is that of a white-haired woman.
"What an insolent brat... Spouting such irritating words...and yet, amusingly enough, you brush against the enlightenment of history."
Kuguguguk!
"...!"
Glass Peacock glares at me with a woman's face, generating Salt Crystal around them.
"...Until now, I refrained because I did not want to form a relationship with your body injured. But...I have changed my mind. Even if I have to hurt you, I will seize and copulate with you."
"...!"
Kurururung!
"I've taught you many things so far. From now on, I will teach you properly, so learn well."
Kiiiiiiiing!
Glass Peacock begins revising history in earnest.
And so, time flows once more like a rushing stream.
Chiiiiiiii!
Once again, Glass Peacock bombards the barrier today.
'How many years has it been now?'
Why is there still no news from Jeon Myeong-hoon?
Could it be that he was already captured by Glass Peacock, left without even the chance to send a signal, and is now being relentlessly violated?
I shake my head, dispelling the ominous thoughts.
'He wouldn't go down so easily. He's...grown. Right now, all I need to do is withstand Glass Peacock's assault.'
For the past several hundred years,
I have received countless teachings from Glass Peacock firsthand.
"What lesson shall I give you today?"
Kugugugung!
Glass Peacock shifts into their Immortal Beast true form, sweeping their massive wings and breaking apart the barrier.
"It seems you've finally started to realize, judging by the accumulation of Salt Crystal..."
Before I know it, the Salt Crystals originating from the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections have grown in number around me.
That's right.
As I resist Glass Peacock's history revision, my talents and traits as an Immortal Beast are awakening even more powerfully.
"Now, try resisting me."
Kwaaaaaa!
As Glass Peacock beats their wings, countless Salt Crystals explode, spreading history across the star veins.
Within that history is a scene where I have long since suffered a mental defeat at the hands of Glass Peacock.
'I will not give up.'
But I enshroud myself further in the mist of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, rejecting the [truth] Glass Peacock attempts to impose.
"I have not been defeated. That is a [false history]!"
Kwaching!
The false history before me shatters at my declaration, crumbling away.
Yet, Glass Peacock flaps their wings and questions me.
"Is that truly so? Are there no hidden emotions that you yourself are unaware of within you? Can you truly make that claim with certainty?"
"...Yes."
I declare with a hardened expression.
"I have spent my entire life in repentant enlightenment."
Kiiiiiiiing!
Through my resistance against Glass Peacock, I have learned much.
I have come to understand how to oppose history with fate, and at the same time, I have fused my own Immortal Dao—the Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment—into both history and fate, allowing me to fight back.
A vision of a Salt Mountain accumulating within me appears before my eyes.
"With my repentant enlightenment—!"
Kurururung!
It accumulates.
Everything I have done, every connection I have formed—
Every step I have retraced!
"There has been no defeat!!"
Kwachangjang.
Glass Peacock's history revision shatters.
At the same time, a powerful shock ripples through their body, and a torrent of Immortal Blood erupts forth.
It is Immortal Beast True Blood.
Now, only a single barrier remains between Glass Peacock and me.
The distance between us—one zhang.
But at last, after a thousand years, I have succeeded in shattering Glass Peacock's history revision head-on.
Paaaaatt!
Glass Peacock shifts into their female Transformation form, gazing at me with sorrowful eyes.
"...You have won."
-x-X-x-
Jiiiiiing!
Along with Glass Peacock's sudden declaration of defeat,
Something feels as if it is being released, and I am finally able to receive Jeon Myeong-hoon's 'signal.'
His signal had actually arrived about 300 years ago.
—We succeeded in escaping from Glass Peacock. Seo Eun-hyun. For now, we'll wait outside the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain for 500 years. If you don't show up by then, we'll come to rescue you. So hurry.
"...Ha..."
So that was it.
Jeon Myeong-hoon had actually escaped long ago, but I hadn't been able to receive his signal because Glass Peacock had been blocking it.
'Well, I had somewhat expected this...'
There had always been some suspicion that Glass Peacock might block or alter the signal before letting it reach me.
However, there is something I don't understand.
"...You could have just kept blocking the signal instead of letting it through... Why suddenly acknowledge defeat and let me hear it?"
"...Did you think I wouldn't know? This immortal has lived as an Immortal Beast for 1.4 billion years... With the experience honed through countless battles, I could tell. The fact that you remain this calm even after this Immortal has come this far means you must have a technique that allows you to escape right in front of me. And one you have absolute confidence in at that... Isn't that right?"
"..."
As expected of Glass Peacock.
'I've been hiding Heavenly Escape...'
Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts' transcendent technique, Heavenly Escape.
A technique that allows one to momentarily hide within the domain of purity and vanish from this world entirely.
Of course, since it requires reaching the domain of purity, it's a technique that risks one's life...
But I am more than confident that I can use Heavenly Escape and survive.
Glass Peacock, separated from me by a single layer of barrier, speaks with a sorrowful expression.
"Do you truly have no intention of forming a relationship with this Immortal?"
"...I apologize."
"For over a thousand years...of exchanging words with you, you are the 162nd person I have met with whom I felt we matched so well. Among the over 9,000 True Immortals, and the countless hundreds of millions, trillions of mortals and more, you are one of only 162."
Glass Peacock gazes at me with lingering emotions, as if unwilling to let me go.
But, upon confirming that my gaze does not waver in the slightest, they let out a bitter smile and step back.
"Fine. Go. Leave. Disappear, and never appear before my eyes again. If you ever come into this Immortal's sight again...ten million years may not be enough."
"..."
I gaze at Glass Peacock for a moment before bowing deeply in place.
"I cannot accept your feelings...but I will cherish the grace of your teachings. Thank you...Master."
At my words, Glass Peacock turns their back on me entirely, their body trembling.
Regardless of everything, Glass Peacock had been my teacher who taught me history.
Wo-woong!
I focus my heart, energy, and body, raising the Colorless Glass Sword.
'Here I go.'
Even a moment of lost concentration, and I will be dissolved within the purity itself, dying instantly.
Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.
Transcendent technique,
Heavenly Escape (天遁)!
Sarararak!
Just as I am about to enter the domain of purity—
Kwaaang!
Glass Peacock shatters the barrier and rushes at me as I begin to vanish, pressing their lips against my cheek.
"Did you think I would give up? This Immortal does not give up. With a will that does not give up, through countless efforts and failures, I even violated Azure Peng, the Seat Holder of Addiction, and took the Seat for myself!"
Kiiiiing!
My left cheek. There, an eye pattern from the tip of Glass Peacock's tail is engraved.
"I will never give up! I don't care about the others, but you! You, Seo Eun-hyun, I will form a relationship with you no matter what!!"
Glass Peacock's eyes gleam with madness and obsession as they roll their eyes wildly.
"You say you have no feelings for me!? Don't be ridiculous! I have them, so why don't you!? If you don't have feelings, then I'll carve them into you myself... Just wait. I will make you mine!"
Pasasasasa!
With that final declaration from Glass Peacock—
I completely enter the domain of purity.
Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Head Realm.
There, a pure white light bursts forth, and a being at the Heavenly Being stage ascends and escapes beyond the Head Realm.
Wrapped entirely in bandages, clad in a silver robe, and wearing a silver-white mask, this being is the one Seo Eun-hyun once called [Gyeong-i], the one who governs Gyeong (庚) among the Ten Heavenly Stems.
The god of war and steel—Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
Woo-woooong!
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord does not ascend to the Bright Cold Realm but instead begins to transform within the Interdimensional Void.
Kudududuk!
Light seeps through the gaps between the bandages covering the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's body.
And then—
Flash!
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's body expands, growing to a size comparable to five Middle Realm areas.
They have transformed into such a size that they rival a Middle Realm alone.
Now a giant god of light wearing a silver-white mask, they gaze into the distant cosmos.
: : Are you there, Rain Dew? : :
Wo-woong!
In response to the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's words, someone emerges from the darkness of the Interdimensional Void.
It is another giant god, equal in size to the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
This one is a being of light wearing a black-blue mask.
Radiance Eight Immortals, the Eighth Seat—Rain Dew Heavenly Lord.
: : I have been waiting, Sword Spear. What happened? You were supposed to emerge within ten days at most, yet it took you a thousand years. : :
: : Myeong Woon toyed with me. : :
: : Then it couldn't be helped... Did you acquire the information? : :
: : I did. The Enders of this generation...all succeeded in ascension. : :
: : Horrifying. Just what kind of great chaos is approaching...Have you determined their location? : :
: : I have. These are the Heavenly Domains where the Enders currently reside. : :
Woo-woong!
A sphere of light rises from the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's palm and drifts towards the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord.
: : Received. Then we will dispatch the Great Immortals of Radiance Hall in each Heavenly Domain to eliminate them. : :
: : ...Regarding one, I will eliminate them with my own hands. : :
: : Is that necessary? Even if they are Enders, right now they are nothing but bugs below Upper Immortals at best...There is no need for you to act. : :
: : ...One of them...saw my face. To that Ender...I have developed feelings. : :
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's body trembles, and the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord watches them before speaking slowly.
: : ...Once you kill that Ender... : :
: : I know. Since I have formed feelings...the position of Sword Spear must be passed on. I will entrust my execution to you. : :
: : Understood. I will send you off without pain. : :
Woo-wooong!
As they move from the Interdimensional Void into the Astral Realm, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord raises a sphere of light in their hand.
The silver-white light transforms into the shape of a silver-white sword.
: : Where is that Ender right now? : :
: : Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain. He is there right now... : :
: : Do you know the exact location? I will open the gate. : :
: : I do not. Aside from knowing he is in the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain...it seems the Naming Supreme Deity interfered with his Immortal Title. : :
: : I see...Hyeon Rang. They, too, should be discussed for imprisonment. If we cannot pinpoint the exact location, what do you intend to do? : :
: : ...I will take a slightly more forceful approach. : :
Woo-woong!
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord arrives in the Astral Realm and presses both hands together in a prayer gesture.
At that same time, an illusion of the Seat of Light shimmering faintly appears behind the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
Paaaatt!
Behind the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's head,
The form of a [silver-white snake biting its tail] rises like a halo, amplifying their power.
Upon witnessing this, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord flinches and sends their will somewhere.
It is as if they are transmitting a message to various True Immortals affiliated with Radiance Hall, warning them to prepare for the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's power.
: : Open the gate, Rain Dew. : :
As the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord forms a hand seal, the void sinks deeply like a well before forming a gateway leading to the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.
From behind the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's mask, a murderous gleam radiates.
: : I will end everything. : :
The first Heavenly Escape was used when I underwent True Immortal advancement.
Entering the domain of purity and accepting life and death took three thousand years.
During that time, I could not even properly keep my mind clear.
But the second Heavenly Escape is different.
Is it because I have already accepted life and death as a True Immortal? Or is it because I have grown accustomed to the power of Heavenly Escape?
I naturally blend into the domain of purity, moving while reflecting on the Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment.
How long have I been shifting my will within this domain of purity?
Just when I begin to feel that I can no longer endure...
I finally emerge from the depths of its domain.
Puhwak!
"Heheok...! Heok..."
I gasp for breath and scan my surroundings.
Before I realize it, I have escaped from Glass Peacock's dimensional space and reached a distant galaxy cluster.
'Dangerous.'
Had I stayed even a little longer in the domain of purity, the balance of life and death within my body would have collapsed, killing me instantly and forcing my regression.
'Now, all that remains...is escaping to the Heavenly Domain where Jeon Myeong-hoon fled!'
Kugugugu!
I can feel it.
From afar, Glass Peacock has pinpointed my location and is soaring towards me.
'If I get caught now, there will truly be no mercy.'
I must move immediately!
The moment I make up my mind and try to flee at full speed—
Hwioooooo.
Glass Peacock's true form is already visible in the distance.
'What...!? That fast!?'
The speed is so overwhelming that I am left dumbfounded.
I grit my teeth and throw myself to the Impermanence Sword.
Paaaaaatt!
Riding the Impermanence Sword, I flee at full speed.
Yet, Glass Peacock only draws closer and closer.
'No, no! I'm going to get caught!'
However, something feels off.
'But why... Why are they only chasing me with pure speed instead of using history revision or other authorities against me?'
Something is strange.
That sense of discord grows stronger the closer Glass Peacock gets.
Huarurururuk!
Glass Peacock is burning their own body.
They are exploding their own true form to chase after me.
'Why? Why are they doing this? Instead of using authority to hold me down, they are exploding their own life to amplify their physical strength...'
At that moment—
My eyes meet Glass Peacock's.
There is a deep resolve within Glass Peacock's eyes.
Reading their resolve, I realize the reason they are chasing me to this extent.
'They're...trying to save me...?'
Glass Peacock's eyes hold an unshakable will to protect me.
'What...'
And then—
Kwarururung!
Glass Peacock tears through countless spacetime and soars above me, spreading their wings.
At a glance, it looks as if they are about to pounce on me from above.
Yet, an inexplicable and strange premonition keeps me rooted in place.
They are not simply trying to pin me down.
The moment that thought crosses my mind—
——————!
The universe trembles.
A powerful wave seems to shake the universe itself before a colossal shockwave erupts from the back of Glass Peacock's neck.
"...!"
I recognize the source of the shockwave.
A silver-white sword!
A towering radiance of silver-white in the form of a sword is lodged deep into Glass Peacock's back.
'That's...!'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's technique.
Sword-Guided Star Rain.
Struck by the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's single strike, Glass Peacock looks down at me and speaks.
"Before we are even bonded...I cannot let you die."
They incinerate their entire being, unleashing a blinding white light as they shatter the silver-white sword.
However, the force of Sword-Guided Star Rain must have been immense. Glass Peacock gasps for breath, their wings trembling.
"You called me Master. Why?"
"...Because I received your teachings."
"...Is that so. Then, since I have already once received a bow as your master..."
Glass Peacock burns even more fiercely, gazing up at the distant sky of the Astral Realm.
I can feel the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's will from there.
A will to annihilate me no matter what.
"I shall teach you properly. Watch closely..."
Kugugugugugu!
From far above, something begins to descend once more.
They are two swords forged of silver-white light.
Sword-Guided Sword Rain, two consecutive strikes!
Kurururu!
"This...is the true history revision of Immortal Beasts...!"
The will to protect me.
That resolve reverberates across the whole world.
At the same time, Glass Peacock's will erupts, and I witness the clash between the wills of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord and Glass Peacock.
Before the battle between two Immortal Lord-level beings, the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain begins to quake.
-x-X-x-
Time seems to stop.
No.
Time is not stopping.
Everything in the world is slowing down.
I am becoming a fool.
Everything grows hazy and sluggish, as if addicted to the light of Glass Peacock.
And within that blurred time, only the will of Glass Peacock resounds clearly within me.
: : The past that has already passed never changes. Reversing history that has already progressed is absolutely impossible. : :
Wo-woong!
A certain diagram unfolds before my eyes.
It is an explosion.
A certain [force] is continuously exploding, advancing toward somewhere.
And the remnants of that explosion spiral backward in a helix.
: : That is the absolute axiom engraved upon all beings who handle history. The First Law. You are correct... Time that has passed can never return. : :
Kugugugugugu!
Each time Glass Peacock flaps their wings, the light streaming from the edges of their feathers spirals, winding around me.
: : Even the being who calls Themself the Owner of Time...must stake Their very existence to defy history. Because [the past that has passed does not return] is the absolute law of history. A being under an absolute law cannot defy that law... Not even if they are a Heavenly Venerable... : :
Kugugugugu!
Something begins to stir.
: : That is why what those called Immortal Beasts perform as history revision...can never be a convenient authority like reality manipulation that freely edits history. The authority of history revision is mere deception that takes place under the absolute axiom that [the past does not change]... : :
The light of Glass Peacock grows stronger, and it feels as if the entire world is being dyed in their radiance, frozen still.
In this world, only three remain unfrozen.
My consciousness.
Glass Peacock's body.
And the technique of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, Sword-Guided Star Rain.
In this suffocating moment, I feel as though I am thrashing within an inescapable abyss.
Like struggling to escape from underwater.
Within that sensation, I come to understand a fragment of the Immortal Dao of [Addiction].
Why is it that Glass Peacock's authority, which turns opponents into fools, and Azure Peng's space labyrinth divine power both walk the Immortal Dao under the same Seat?
How can a space labyrinth and turning an opponent into a fool be classified under the same system?
'Wandering...'
A thought suddenly crosses my mind—Glass Peacock, too, is a being that wanders.
Perhaps the light of Glass Peacock does not turn others into fools...
Perhaps it merely draws out the foolishness that was already within them.
If Azure Peng is a being that wanders within an endless labyrinth...
Then might Glass Peacock be a being that wanders among fools?
That thought arises in me.
: : The past ultimately does not change. The only thing that changes is the 'perspective' of those who look upon the past... Our revision is merely an extension of such perspectives. : :
Finally, Glass Peacock and the two silver-white swords align on the same level.
Glass Peacock spreads their tail feathers and begins to rotate.
Their figure resembles the sun itself.
: : Though the past does not change, the [past remembered by an individual] can change as much as one desires. Just as one person may remember a ruler as a wise king, while another sees them as the worst of tyrants... Just as one woman may cherish the time spent with her beloved as the most affectionate moments, yet by the other as a tedious extension of work... The [truth] of what happened in the past is absolute, but its [interpretation] belongs solely to the individuals...! : :
In an instant, Glass Peacock's rotating tail feathers explode.
Within that explosion, I witness a certain scene.
Kwarurung!
That [scene] is a kind of story.
Within the tale of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's technique, [Sword-Guided Star Rain], Glass Peacock has now added this 'background setting'.
The tale of the Sword-Guided Star Rain now contains a new premise of [from the moment it enters Glass Peacock's sight, the 'foolish aspect' within it increases to an extreme degree].
Jjeoooong!
And the moment that tale is added, Sword-Guided Star Rain, struck by Glass Peacock's tail feathers, is foolishly and helplessly sent flying.
Pasasasasa!
The sword of Sword-Guided Star Rain turns into silver-white light, crumbling away without having any effect.
I widen my eyes at Glass Peacock's power, which has now neutralized not one but two strikes of Sword-Guided Star Rain—an attack that, in a single blow, could suffocate Blood Yin and collapse a corner of the universe.
: : Interesting. [I don't want to hurt them]... Such a sentiment coexists within the sword. Normally, deflecting this technique would have been impossible, but because such a foundation existed, I was able to amplify the contradiction and nullify the attack. : :
Glass Peacock lifts their gaze toward the direction where Sword-Guided Star Rain had flown.
: : Immortal Beasts are, in the end, beings who read stories and add background settings to them. That is why it is called history revision (改竄), not history rewriting (改變). Even if one reads history through the eyes of the Earth Tribe, the history they perceive is inevitably narrow and limited. Within that limited perspective, they impose their [own thoughts], force them upon history, and create connections between historical events. That is...what history revision truly is. : :
Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Astral Realm.
There, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord stands atop an entire galaxy, their eyes gleaming coldly.
Beyond their mask, a murderous glint surges.
: : A mere beast...dares to block the path of Radiance Hall. Has Radiance Hall ruled Mount Sumeru too leniently since the era of Vast Cold? : :
: : Wait, Sword Spear... : :
: : I cannot allow this insult... Do not forgive me...Rain Dew. Since I am fated to die, I shall leave behind a precedent ensuring that no one dares question the workings of Radiance Hall. : :
At the dreadful aura emanating from the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord flinches and hastily sends their intent somewhere.
Wo-woong!
: : All True Immortals under Radiance Hall, hear me. Especially those within the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain, listen carefully. Immediately withdraw from the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain, taking all devotees, Immortal Treasures, and supported Sacred Masters with you. I repeat, those inside the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain... : :
Kiiiiiiing!
As the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord repeats the warning, the form of a [silver-white snake biting its tail] behind the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord grows even more distinct.
It is as if the entire world is being dyed silver-white.
: : Furthermore, this is a message to all True Immortals near the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain. Enter the nearest Heavenly Domain and take shelter. Evacuate from the surroundings of the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain at once. Right now... : :
With tense eyes, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord stares at the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord and delivers the final warning to all of Radiance Hall.
: : The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord...is about to unleash their power. : :
At those last words, every True Immortal within and around the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain begins moving frantically.
Kuaooooooo!
After Glass Peacock fended off the two Sword-Guided Star Rains through history revision,
I let out a small breath of relief and glance up at the sky.
But it's at that moment.
"...!"
Something else is flying in from above.
It is [three] more Sword-Guided Star Rains.
'E-Each one is a single strike capable of slaying a Great Net Immortal, and now there are three...'
Seeing this, Glass Peacock spreads their wings and takes flight once more as if exhausted.
: : All the way here...I can feel waves of fury. Has the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord grown enraged...? Ahaha, I'm sorry, Seo Eun-hyun. I'm sorry... : :
For some reason, Glass Peacock is in despair.
They take flight, shedding tears for me.
All the while burning themself ever brighter.
However, I am struck with overwhelming shock as I witness that appearance.
'They are riding it...?'
Glass Peacock is not merely soaring into the void.
They are carrying themself upon some kind of 'current.'
And, receiving the force of that 'current,' they begin to fly with a 'different speed' that no one can comprehend.
Seeing that 'speed,' my eyes widen.
I have seen that 'speed' before.
It was from Kim Young-hoon.
His saber was so fast that, in an instant—
Even if only for the briefest moment, I had seen him go into the [past].
Just like Kim Young-hoon.
No... The order is wrong.
Rather, it would be more accurate to say that back then, Kim Young-hoon had approached the authority of an Immortal Beast with his martial arts alone.
And as I witness this, I realize that, without even being aware of it, I am following Glass Peacock's 'speed.'
'It is rotating.'
Before my eyes, the Three Great Ultimates rotate, refining my mind.
Just as I had once refined my mind briefly to the True Immortal Realm by endlessly drawing circles with Sumeru Sword Dance,
This time, the Three Great Ultimates are refining my mind, following Glass Peacock into the past.
Glass Peacock glances back at me.
Seeing me keeping up with their speed, their eyes widen slightly in surprise, but they soon smile.
That smile, for some reason, looks sorrowful.
But they no longer look at me and instead gaze [upward].
It is the direction where the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's Sword-Guided Star Rain had flown from.
And within that direction lies the [branch of history] that led the Sword-Guided Star Rain to reach this place.
Glass Peacock flies towards that [branch of history] of the Sword-Guided Star Rain and collides with it.
Then, they explode.
There is no sound.
Only an explosion.
Inside, a scene appears.
The branch of history is [interpreted] in a slightly twisted direction.
Glass Peacock moves once more within the explosion.
They search for an even earlier point in history.
They resist an even earlier branch.
Then, they explode.
In the brief moment when the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord launched Sword-Guided Star Rain,
Within that fleeting instant, they find the turning point of history.
Then, they explode.
Within the explosion, they [interpret] history through their own perspective.
They search for history.
They resist it.
They explode.
They search for history again...
Countless times, Glass Peacock explodes their own body, resisting history—
Yet, in the end, they cannot rewrite history itself.
However, by applying subtle 'interpretations' to the great river known as history—
Those faint currents merge, and merge again...
Until at last, they become a massive wave that twists the flow of history.
The interpretation of history that Glass Peacock accumulated and accumulated again has...
Kugugugugu!
...At some point, reached reality, and is reflected according to the interpretation.
Pasasasa!
The three Sword-Guided Star Rains, which had fallen to just above my head, crumble just like that right before they can strike me.
Hwiiiiiii!
"Master!"
I fly towards Glass Peacock, who has become battered and broken after blocking three strikes of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's Sword-Guided Star Rain.
Glass Peacock transforms into the form of a frail woman and falls into my embrace.
"Master, are you all right? Master!"
"...Huu. At last, I...find myself...in your arms."
Even in such a moment, they tightly embrace me as they speak.
"...At last...I get to hug you."
"Why say such things, Master?"
"...Sorry."
"No, Master, you saved me..."
"You are going to die."
Glass Peacock is crying.
Holding me, clinging to me, they tremble uncontrollably.
"Perhaps...I only provoked their wrath. Regardless of the process, this is the result. The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord is about to sincerely take action. This is the end for us. Even my main body will likely be captured by Radiance Hall and annihilated, sent into reincarnation...I'm sorry...I am sorry...I am sorry...! For failing to protect you, I am sorry!"
She bursts into tears, gripping my back and burying her face in my chest.
Kugugugugu!
I lift my gaze toward the distant starry sky.
From there, another silver-white sword streaks toward us.
It even seems larger than the last.
'That makes seven...'
I hold Glass Peacock a little tighter, then gently set her down and rise, facing the Sword-Guided Star Rain.
A technique capable of cleaving a Great Net Immortal in half in a single strike.
Under normal circumstances, I would never even dare to counter it.
But after witnessing Glass Peacock's move just now, I understand.
'I can do it.'
I, too...can do it!
"I will return, Master..."
Glass Peacock is dying.
Of course, even if this world's Glass Peacock perishes, her true body still survives in another Heavenly Domain.
But she said that even her true body will be captured by Radiance Hall and destroyed.
'In that case...this might be the last image I can show to Glass Peacock in this life...'
Let's show her the best version of myself.
So that I am not ashamed in front of the one who is my master!
"Don't... No... You cannot face it... Come back... Foolish... You must not stand against the light... The light...is absolute...!"
"In front of one who has become my master, I can never show a shameful side."
I go.
I kick off into the void, drawing the Impermanence Sword, and fly towards the Sword-Guided Star Rain.
"Come, Gyeong-ah...!"
Thump... Thump...
I feel as if my heart is pounding.
In an instant, the dreadful chest pain sweeps over me again.
The pain spreads throughout my entire body, filling me with agony.
But this time, it is even more excruciating.
Yet within the pain, I smile.
For I have found the clue to this suffering.
For a mere being's will to defy the storm known as the world, to twist fate and history—
Is that not, in itself, a contradiction and an impossibility?
That is why I suffer.
Glass Peacock spoke in passing about what the Way of Salt is.
If ordinary True Immortals use limited blessings or ancient force to rewrite the world—
Then I am trying to break the world with nothing but my own willpower.
A single being attempting to overpower the whole—naturally, I am crushed under the weight of the whole, writhing in agony!
That is the true nature of the pain I have endured all this time.
The moment I realize this, I feel the rotation of the Three Great Ultimates before me reaching its peak.
Paaaatt!
'Ah...'
Such a thought has crossed my mind before.
If the Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation during my mortal era becomes useless in the realm of Vestige Liberation Immortal, then why did the Three Great Ultimates appear, and what purpose do they serve?
Now, I finally understand.
'The Three Great Ultimates...are ultimately Martial Arts.'
In the end, all martial arts of people are—
The degraded behavioral patterns of the Earth Tribe.
The degraded cultivation methods of the Heaven Tribe.
There is nothing people can purely do on their own; everything is borrowed from Heaven and Earth.
Yet, even if borrowed, it develops, is inherited, and is passed down, growing over time.
As it takes the name of 'Martial Arts', it embeds itself into the bodies and hearts of people, becoming the [spirit].
I had understood the Three Great Ultimates as a special 'phenomenon' that occurs when Heaven, Earth, and Heart combine.
But I was wrong.
The Three Great Ultimates itself is Heart.
In other words, a symbol subordinate to Martial Arts.
There is no such thing as pure martial arts.
What exists is only something borrowed from Heaven and Earth, patched together piece by piece.
But that something is shaped by a person's will.
In [the beginning], it could never have been comparable to Heaven and Earth. At the dawn of creation, humans were not even microorganisms, only mere clumps of particles that had not even become carbon...
But at [the end], we will surely stand alongside Heaven and Earth.
That is Martial Arts. That is the heart.
With the Impermanence Sword, I reach the True Immortal Realm, momentarily glimpsing the domain of purity.
Unlike with Heavenly Escape, I do not enter.
I can only see it.
And within that domain of purity, I see a certain [shadow].
That shadow mirrors my stance exactly, exuding the momentum as I do.
Reflecting me like a mirror, the face of that shadow for some reason belongs to Hyeon Gwi.
With empty eyes, Hyeon Gwi gives a faint smile and mutters from within the dark void.
"At last, you've fully stepped upon it. Upon Udumbara (優曇婆羅)."
As her next words follow, I feel chills running through my entire body.
"Welcome to hell."
But those are chills of ecstasy.
'So that's how it is...'
We are still—
Still in a place where the road stretches endlessly ahead, so far that we can call it hell.
So Martial Arts can go even beyond the domain of Immortals!
I laugh within ecstasy and madness.
Hyeon Gwi.
The Heavenly Venerable of the Void, the True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu (玄武) also laughs with me within the void and madness.
I raise the Impermanence Sword and take my stance to swing it towards the Sword-Guided Star Rain.
Hyeon Mu moves exactly as I do, allowing me to grasp, with perfect clarity, every single flaw in my stance.
But I cannot correct them just yet.
'What I must do right now is...'
Rather than Hyeon Mu's, engrave the teachings of Glass Peacock.
Kiiiiiiiiing!
I begin to swing my sword.
In an instant, the speed of my sword starts to transcend reality.
Just as Kim Young-hoon once did.
Just as Glass Peacock had shown just moments ago.
I transcend time, capturing in my eyes a trajectory that reaches into the past.
'I see it...!'
It is familiar.
I have seen it countless times upon every regression.
The endlessly spiraling Taiji.
The [river of scenes] flowing within it.
I clearly defy the course of that [river of scenes] with my will.
I cannot overturn an overwhelming expanse of time like the Underworld or the Heavenly Venerable of Time, but I can reverse a single fleeting moment.
Enduring the pressure of defying time, I set my eyes on my objective.
Among the countless moments within the river of time—
[The moment Sword-Guided Star Rain is created]!
I swing the Impermanence Sword toward that scene.
"Immortal Cultivation is repentant enlightenment..."
Kwaaaaaaaang!
My sword crashes into that scene, exploding beyond spacetime.
And within the eruption, I impose my own interpretation.
My own direction upon the fixed flow of history.
"Like tiny grains of salt gathering to form the sea..."
Like countless failures accumulating to form success.
"Build mountains through repentant enlightenment..."
Within this moment, I shall embrace failure.
Jjeoooooong!
At my strike, the [scene] of the Sword-Guided Star Rain's creation trembles.
Yet history itself neither vanishes nor changes.
Only now, this history carries my own interpretation, my own direction.
Even if history itself does not change, the perspective of those who witness it does.
Paaaatt!
As I return to the original spacetime, I gaze at the starry sky.
Pasasasasa!
Sword-Guided Star Rain is crumbling.
"Haa...haa..."
Pain courses through my entire body.
Is it because I briefly transcended spacetime? Or is it because I forced a history revision with the body of a Vestige Liberation Immortal?
Or is it perhaps because the gap in rank between the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord and me is simply too overwhelming.
Maybe it is all of the above.
'I feel like I'm going to die.'
But I laugh.
Because, regardless,
"Look, Master. Your disciple...has not kneeled."
Floating in the vast cosmos, Glass Peacock looks at me.
Her face carries pride and admiration.
And also, pain and regret.
"...Master...?"
Just at that moment.
: : I am sorry. : :
Pasasasasak!
Beyond the crumbling silver-white sword fragments, a certain will reverberates.
The owner of this will is a presence far too familiar to me.
"...Gyeong-ah?"
Gyeong-i.
Yes, it is the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
: : This Immortal taught you the breathing of Radiance Hall. And with it, this Immortal made you my slave and took pleasure in it. However...you aided in fulfilling this Immortal's purpose. With that, this Immortal shall consider the debt settled. : :
Wo-woong!
"...Wai...t..."
I,
can only stare,
blankly,
at that distant,
starry sky.
: : And you once caught a glimpse of this Immortal's face. That is an unforgivable sin. However...at the same time, you taught this Immortal...the heart. It was a hellish heart, but there was also joy that transcended the teachings of Radiance which I had followed all my life. Therefore...the debt of seeing this Immortal's true face shall also be considered settled for teaching this Immortal the heart. In that case, no debts remain between us. : :
Laughter,
escapes.
"This is..."
From behind, I sense Glass Peacock closing her eyes.
All the beings in the world hold their breath.
: : However, now this Immortal must kill you. I must take your life. Thus...now, in turn, this Immortal shall be indebted to you. I cannot think of any way to repay this debt. Therefore... : :
How...
How utterly arrogant is this?
Thinking that the mere act of someone like me swinging a sword a few times...
Could block the sincere authority of a Heavenly Lord?
Only now do I realize why Glass Peacock had sobbed and apologized to me.
And I come to another realization.
'I am sorry, Master.'
Once targeted by the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord,
Perhaps those intertwined with me are inevitably doomed to destruction.
: : As compensation for your life, this Immortal shall tell you my true name. It is...far too insufficient...but it is the price for your life. Accept it. : :
"A Heavenly Lord's authority...?"
With a blank expression, I look up at the starry sky.
There, filling the starry sky, is a vast silver-white sword.
Kugugugugu!
It is the same as that time.
—Phenomena (滅) Extinguishing (法) Mantra (眞言)!
It is the same as when I witnessed the Heavenly Domain being destroyed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's piercing voice fills all of the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.
[Filling (滿) the Heavens (天) Sword (劍) Rain (雨)!!!]
Sword-Guided Star Rain. Each one can inflict a fatal wound upon a Great Net Immortal, and each one can collapse the corners of the universe.
It descends, blanketing the universe.
With each strike of the Sword-Guided Star Rain, the edges of the Heavenly Domain begin to collapse.
Not as a metaphor, but as a direct reality.
The Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain is collapsing.
A different kind of End from the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
'This is...the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord...'
A being who can rule an entire Heavenly Domain with the sword alone.
The Fifth Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
"Ha, haha...!"
And yet, I laugh.
Because even so, Gyeong-i is still Gyeong-i.
Laughing, I raise the Impermanence Sword and advance towards her destruction.
'I once swore an oath.'
To never show a shameful appearance before my master.
'Gyeong-i is also my master.'
Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
Glass Peacock.
Even the Heavenly Venerable of the Void...
All those who have imparted their teachings to me in one way or another are watching me.
Before them, I cannot die disgracefully!
Even if I die—
I will not give up!
Before the destruction of the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain, I charge towards the Filling the Heavens Sword Rain that is tearing it apart.
: : My name is... : :
The world collapses, and as I am engulfed in pain, I swing my final sword.
Even the Impermanence Sword shatters before the apocalyptic sword that destroys the universe.
But...
My heart alone remains in this place.
: : Ji-hwang (地黃). : :
[Editor: Literally means 'Yellow Earth,' from the famous line 天地玄黃 ('Black Heaven Yellow Earth').]
I send my Heart Sword embedded with my heart towards the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord as my final act before closing my eyes.
: : Yang Ji-hwang (洋地黃). That was...my name in my mortal days. : :
That, is my one thousand and second return.
Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
There, struck by Seo Eun-hyun's Heart Sword and facing his heart, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord trembles, sobbing uncontrollably.
: : I am sorry... I am sorry... If...if there is a next life... : :
Having destroyed the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain along with Seo Eun-hyun, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord kneels upon the galaxy in a posture unbecoming of a Heavenly Lord, clutching their mask.
: : I beg...to the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld... I beg thee... Let me be born...to be by his side once more. : :
Watching this unfold before them, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord calmly clasps their hands together.
: : Truly terrifying are emotions...that they hold such power to make us beg before our greatest enemy... : :
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord gazes down at the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord as they begin radiating power.
: : I shall execute you. O god (神) who has come to possess emotions. : :
Paaaaatt!
Behind the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord's head, the form of a [black-blue snake biting its tail] emerges like a halo.
And so, on that day—
A Heavenly Lord who came to love another falls to a state lower than even that of a mere mortal.
-x-X-x-
Kikikikikik!
A sound like something is being forcibly moved.
I barely regain consciousness within that sound.
'This is...'
Yes.
Right after I died in the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.
The world has begun to turn.
'I see...'
I let out a faint sigh as I look around, experiencing regression for the first time since advancing to True Immortal.
Everything seems to be reversing.
Soon, this reversing world transforms into the shape of a river.
After a while, I enter that river of familiar scenes and begin to regress once more.
'I see...'
Suddenly, I understand one of the principles of regression.
At first, it just feels like the world is reversing, but then I am [bounced] into a world I call the river of time.
'This space of regression is similar to the True Immortal Realm. But it's not the True Immortal Realm. Still, it's certainly similar. This place is...'
It's a space that transcends the original world itself.
I can feel it is so.
Thanks to that, I realize that regression isn't simply about turning back time.
Rather, it's one of the methods of [transcending the world].
'Time and space... A power that transcends fate and history... No, this regression is at the level of toying with fate and history... What on earth is it...?'
As I reflect on the power of regression, I faintly grasp what kind of power is granted to the Enders.
'Are all the authorities granted to the Enders powers that either toy with fate and history or transcend them...?'
Perhaps this regression belongs to that category as well.
And I come to realize another fact.
'Death... Death is what draws out the power of regression to its extreme.'
That's right.
In truth, my real authority doesn't seem to be something like [Death Regression].
Rather, the reason I cannot wield the authority to control regression or time at will is because I haven't realized my own fate.
Because I haven't realized my fate, I am forced to bear the risk of death to trigger the authority to defy time.
'Now that I've reached the realm of True Immortal...I can see much more than before.'
Hwiiiiii!
I look up at the [sky] as I go against the river of history.
In the past, I had to be extremely cautious not to look at that sky.
After all, seeing Governing Immortals during regression could have driven me mad.
But now, it's no longer a problem.
Instead, I observe the [Ten Seats] floating beneath the black sky.
So far, I've identified the emblems of two out of the ten Seats.
[Mountain Exuding Darkness].
[White Wheel].
In other words, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
'Shall I try to identify the other Seats as well?'
While regressing, I examine the Seats and manage to read three more located at the center.
[Transparent Seed].
[Six Interconnected Stars].
[Blackened Three Great Ultimates].
That's what they are.
As I recognize those seats, I come to know who their owners are, along with their names.
Eastern Heavenly Venerable, Flower Monarch, Gwan Myeong (官命).
Southern Heavenly Venerable, True Ultimate Eternal Life Great Emperor, Cheon Woon (天運).
Northern Heavenly Venerable, True Martial Great Emperor, Hyeon Mu (玄武).
'These are the names of the Heavenly Venerables... Then the other Supreme Deities and the Underworld are...?'
Just as I am about to look at the other Seats—
Paaaaatt!
'Damn...'
Unfortunately, the time for regression ends here.
I close my eyes, aware that I am about to reach reality once more.
A new life begins.
The first moment of my one-thousand-and-second life is there.
'I see...this place is...'
It's the very moment right after I used Heavenly Escape from the Interdimensional Void to the domain of purity, declaring my intention to advance to True Immortality before the Great Sun Heavenly Lord.
'Damn...I need to focus...'
Perhaps it's because I've regressed to right after the True Immortal advancement ritual.
Even though there are many things I need to think about, I can't focus my mind within the domain of purity.
Despite having grown accustomed to Heavenly Escape, I realize my consciousness is fading and understand why.
—History repetition.
'Damn...'
A repeating history becomes an Immortal Art in itself.
It was the teaching of Glass Peacock.
'Kk...uuuuugh...'
Despite having grown used to Heavenly Escape in my previous life, my True Immortal advancement ritual lasted three thousand years.
Because that history has been 'fixed,' it cannot be twisted with ordinary power.
'No...I have to...regain...consciousness...faster...'
And so, I fall asleep once more within the domain of purity.
I end up having to undergo the True Immortal advancement ritual again.
Life and death are accepted.
At the same time, I snap my eyes open, regaining consciousness directly at the True Immortal Plane.
'This place...I see.'
In the end, the regression point has been fixed.
'What determines the fixing of the regression point...?'
It's clearly something that is beyond my comprehension.
'One thing is certain.'
The Interdimensional Void.
'I once thought it was the Head Realm that served as the standard...but it wasn't. The regression point has always been fixed whenever I passed through the Interdimensional Void.'
True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu!
Recalling her hollow laughter, I can't shake the thought that the Heavenly Venerable of Void is somehow connected to regression.
'Sooner or later, I'll inevitably have to clash with her. Now then...should I wait for Great Mountain Supreme Deity's True Immortal advancement ritual?'
Just as I prepare to receive the gaze of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity,
"...?"
Something feels off.
I look up at the distant sky of the True Immortal Realm.
The Ten Seats located there.
None of them pay attention to me.
No, that's not true.
I can feel that each of them is giving me a bit of attention.
They are curious.
But that's all.
'What...is this?'
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity does not impose tribulation upon me, nor does the Naming Supreme Deity appear for some reason.
'Something...something is strange.'
While feeling this strange sense of déjà vu, I realize that my True Immortal advancement has somehow been completely 'completed.'
"Hmm? What is this...? I see. The body from my past life..."
The body that had been entirely destroyed by the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord in my past life has followed me through regression.
And the potential of that body has now merged with my current body in this life.
'Has the advancement ritual become unnecessary because the Immortal Body that completed the True Immortal advancement in my previous life has fused with the Immortal Body of this life? This is...good. For now, let's descend to the Lower Realm and assess the situation.'
Wo-woong!
I slowly descend to the lower plane using the Impermanence Sword.
Once fully descended, I observe the positions of the stars and the flow of attraction force, realizing something.
'Wait...this is different!? It's different... Th-This is...'
Indeed.
In my past life, I regained consciousness three thousand years after advancing to True Immortality.
But in this life, I regressed to the point right after beginning my True Immortal advancement and awakened after approximately two thousand nine hundred and sixty years after completing my advancement.
'The time taken for the True Immortal advancement...is faster than before!?'
It's a slight difference, but faster nonetheless.
Is it because I've experienced advancing to True Immortality one more time?
I seem to regain consciousness faster in the domain of purity.
'Haha...'
That's right.
Though history repeats itself, through regression, small changes can be made little by little even within those subtle repetitions.
'Well, good. For now...'
Just as I become aware of the shift in the timeline and begin to move swiftly—
Paaaatt!
A flash of light bursts forth.
At the same time, time itself seems to come to a halt.
I widen my eyes at the presence before me.
The being that has appeared before me.
That being is...
Yang Ji-hwang.
Yes, it is the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord who revealed their true name in my past life.
The giant god of light wearing a silver-white mask radiates silver-white light before me.
For a while, I stare at the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
'I was foolish...'
It is my fault.
Perhaps it's because of the traumatic memory of being torn apart along with the Heavenly Domain in my past life that my mind is momentarily frozen.
'So, this is how I'll die immediately after regressing...'
I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the death that is soon to come, or perhaps the sadistic torment of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
However, at that moment, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks around, then disappears while speaking words similar to those from my past life.
: : There was foresight that you would appear here...I see. Since you are of the Heart Tribe, you might have moved through the Plane of Soul. : :
After finishing their words, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord disappears before my eyes just like before, mentioning they will go somewhere I might visit.
Seeing this, I realize something.
'Th-That reaction is...!'
Whiiiii!
I descend and sit at the altar created by Hong Fan, observing my inner self.
Within me, something very familiar illuminates me, and something that [should have been] inside me has [disappeared].
'A part of my soul is missing, and in its place...is an Immortal Title.'
Immortal Title, Crystal Glass.
Indeed.
The Immortal Title 'Crystal Glass Being' granted to me by the Naming Supreme Deity, Hyeon Rang, still remains within me.
And from that, I come to realize a terrifying truth.
'Does that mean...[what has been exchanged directly with Governing Immortals] remains even after regression!?'
I can't fully understand the exact principle.
Considering that memories aren't directly passed to the Governing Immortals, and only one of them can follow regression, it might just be speculation.
However, one thing is certain—they are beings capable of resisting, to a significant extent, the authority of the Enders.
"Master, here you are."
"Ah, Hong Fan. Yes. It's been a while..."
I smile as I lock eyes with the familiar face of Hong Fan.
Facing Hong Fan, I set aside my complicated thoughts for a moment, starting a new life as I briefly look up at the sky.
'...Regardless of the outcome, I've regressed again...'
My head starts to ache.
Glass Peacock, who threw herself to save me in the final moment.
And the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, who destroyed me with the technique called Filling the Heavens Sword Rain, yet, to the very end, failed to suppress the warmth held for me.
Now, both of them...
Have become beings beyond regression.
'...It was a good life.'
Drip—
"Master, what is wrong?"
As I recall the final moments of my past life, tears flow down my face. Hong Fan, flustered, hands me a handkerchief, and I wipe my tears as I speak.
"It's nothing. I just...thought of those I'm grateful for."
Since the words have already come out, I bow in the center of Hong Fan's altar, offering my respects to my masters of my past life.
'Thank you.'
Not just to my masters, but to that past life itself.
And so, my 1002nd life begins with gratitude towards the life before.
"Alright, Hong Fan. I was just sorting out my emotions over something that troubled me... Let's move on."
This time, I probably won't be able to visit the Head Realm.
I'll likely have to send Hong Fan or some others there instead.
'I'll tell them to bring the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect out from the Head Realm, and for the connections in the other Middle Realms...'
It seems I'll have to bid farewell through dream manifestation (現夢).
'And this time, I'll directly take Golden Shaking Bird with me to find Yeo Hwi.'
There's probably no need to fight Golden Shaking Bird this time.
After all, she'll know our purpose.
And by visiting Yeo Hwi with Golden Shaking Bird, there won't be any unnecessary history of betrayal. It'll be good for both sides.
'That's right. Now that I think about it, I paid less attention to the Candle Dragon Race in my past life.
In this life, I should check how the Candle Dragon Race is faring.
'Good. Now then, shall we move quickly to meet Jeon Myeong-hoon?'
With that resolve, I soar into the sky alongside Hong Fan.
"Let's go, Hong Fan."
"Yes. Then, I'll dispose of that altar."
"Hmm?"
At those words, I glance down at the altar Hong Fan created.
It's a stone altar on a desolate planet, but beneath it, I see small creatures squirming that appear to be bugs, and snake-like beings.
Among them, a silver snake particularly catches my eye, stirring memories of Gyeong-i from my past life. For some reason, it feels wrong to just let it die.
"Don't do that. It seems to have become a habitat for many creatures."
"Hmm, I am not sure. They are utterly useless life forms. No different from trash. Besides, the altar has served its purpose, so disposing of it seems appropriate..."
"..."
"Well, if it is Master's wish, I will show some mercy."
Seeing the look in my eyes, Hong Fan nods and waves his hand.
Kurururung!
The altar sinks deep into the ground, and the nearby creatures are gently pushed underground along with it.
Not a single life, not even a bug is harmed. They'll continue living beneath the surface.
"I did not destroy it. Just buried it. Will this suffice?"
"Yes, that's enough. There's no need to kill innocent living beings."
"Haw, haw. Merciful as always, Master. Listen well, you creatures. I intended to discard you along with the altar...but Master has spared you. Know your place, and live without ever attempting to surface above the ground again."
With those parting words, Hong Fan and I swiftly move into the Interdimensional Void of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
As we travel, I reflect on the teachings of my past-life master—
The final lesson from Glass Peacock.
'The past never returns. And history revision is merely a difference in the perspective through which we interpret the unchanging past...'
Yet, amidst these thoughts, a strange feeling creeps in.
'...Wait. If that's the case...'
What exactly is my [Wheel]?
'How is it performing something like rewriting (改變) rather than a mere revision (改竄)!?'
My eyes widen at the terrifying truth I've just uncovered.
Just how, and by what principle, does the [Wheel] produce miracles that directly violate the absolute axiom of history?
-x-X-x-