Clang!
Her gaze alone feels like it is slicing through my skin.
Breathing is difficult.
I know it too.
Right now, the Heavenly Venerable of Void, Hyeon Mu, is not even being serious.
She is acting as if she came across a cute wild animal on the road and decided to give it a belly scratch.
I can tell that saying she killed Kim Young-hoon is just a way to tease me.
Of course...the statement that she 'killed' him is the truth, but I can see that there is some kind of trap in her words meant to mock me.
That is how openly and without reservation she is revealing her emotions and intent.
As if someone like me is not even worth hiding them from.
However...
Even knowing that, I feel like collapsing at her feet and vomiting right this moment.
Even after reaching True Immortality...
No, rather, precisely because I have reached True Immortality!
I can see the disparity between she and I even more clearly.
In terms of realm, she is exactly one step ahead of me.
However, I realize that one step is an absolutely insurmountable, nauseatingly horrific gap, to the point that I want to kill myself.
I do not want to do anything.
I want to immediately run away somewhere or throw myself to the ground and beg for my life.
But...
'I must do what must be done.'
I must protect those behind me.
No matter how terrifying it is, no matter if my body refuses to move...
That much, I must accomplish.
With that single conviction, I push through Hyeon Mu's overwhelming pressure and extend my palm towards Golden Shaking Bird and Jeon Myeong-hoon, sending them flying across several light-years. Then, I quickly pull Hong Fan and Yeo Hwi into my body and draw out the Colorless Glass Sword.
Huarurururuk!
The Colorless Glass Sword, synchronized with Glass True Fire, flickers into existence in my hand, aimed at Hyeon Mu.
Then immediately after—
"...Wait."
Hyeon Mu furrows her brows as she withdraws her momentum and weapon.
"Heok...! Heheok...! Heok..."
The moment Hyeon Mu retracts her presence, I finally exhale in a frenzy, sucking in spiritual energy.
I just experienced death.
Only now do I realize how precious this inhaled breath of spiritual energy is.
Hyeon Mu's aura is so profound and terrifying that I even feel grateful to her for withdrawing it.
I quickly steady my breathing and look at Hyeon Mu.
She narrows her eyes, a hint of confusion in her expression.
As if she has something to ask me.
"...What is the meaning of this? Were you not trying to kill us?"
"I intended to let you experience death. But you...just now, what exactly did you just take into your body?"
"Pardon...?"
I ask back in confusion.
'I pulled in Hong Fan and Yeo Hwi, but is there a problem?'
"What do you mean?"
"That Immortal Treasure of yours, which seems to be a descendant of Azure Peng...and [something else]. Did you not take them into your body?"
"Yes, that is correct. They are my subordinates."
"...Bring them back out."
I steady my stance at Hyeon Mu's words and ask.
"Do you have business with my subordinate? If there is a reason, please state it."
"...I failed to perceive it. At first, I thought it was simply because I had turned my attention away while focusing on you...but when you absorbed it into your body, I could tell. That thing was outside of my perception...I need to check again. I will be able to discern its identity if I see it directly, so bring it out before me.
'The Heavenly Venerable of the Void couldn't perceive Hong Fan?'
How could that be?
'A Heavenly Venerable failing to perceive an existence at the Star Shattering stage...This is far too strange...'
I clearly sense something strange.
And I read the intent that Hyeon Mu is not even trying to hide.
She undoubtedly harbors killing intent.
'She intends...to kill Hong Fan...!'
"...You plan to kill my subordinate."
"If necessary."
"In that case, I cannot show you my subordinate's face so carelessly. No matter if you are a Heavenly Venerable, that one is my subordinate. At the same time, he is someone like my family, one whom I have cared for since the moment he emerged from his egg. Even if it is you..."
Facing Hyeon Mu's killing intent, I release my own in response, tightening my grip on the Colorless Glass Sword,
"I cannot forgive anyone who lays a hand on my family!"
"..."
Hyeon Mu gazes at me in silence.
That dreadful emptiness!
Just seeing the emptiness in her eyes alone makes me feel as if my strength is being drained away.
She continues to stare at me for a moment before raising one hand.
I flinch and take a defensive stance, but she does not attack.
However, I realize what she is doing.
Ziiiiiing!
The Taiji begins to rotate.
She is reading the history of this place.
"...If you do not wish to show me, then that is fine. I can simply see for myself. Let's see... If I follow the flow of Qi backward and trace the events..."
I tense up even further at the sight of Hyeon Mu's actions and strengthen my guard.
'I cannot escape.'
I have seen her travel through the domain of purity before.
An ultimate technique that surpasses my Heavenly Escape by several levels.
If she uses that, no matter where I flee, I will never get away.
'So, if she finds Hong Fan displeasing...I must counterattack.'
That is the only way to extend both my life and Hong Fan's, even if just by a little.
I prepare myself to unleash the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, or Filling the Heavens Governing View at a moment's notice, raising my tension.
Then—
Sururuk...
Hyeon Mu lowers her arm.
The Taiji that had been spinning vanishes into the void.
'She finished reading the history...!'
I brace myself, expecting Hyeon Mu's next attack.
But her following words are entirely unexpected.
"...Interesting. It cannot be read..."
"...!?"
I widen my eyes, unable to comprehend the situation.
With empty eyes, Hyeon Mu gives a chilling smile.
She starts to glare at me.
"...It could not be seen. However, I clearly read the Qi of that so-called subordinate of yours. That aura... That faint trace of history I felt from it... Huhu, huhuhuhuhu..."
"...?"
I grit my teeth as I watch her start to laugh.
She begins to conceal her intent.
I can no longer read her intent, but somehow, I feel like I know what it is.
The True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu, for some reason...is filled with rage right now.
"Hand over your subordinate. Then I will revive the dead Kim Young-hoon immediately, grant you all a great enlightenment, and send you on your way unharmed."
"By 'hand over' you mean..."
"Leave it here and disappear."
"...If I give you my subordinate...will you return him?"
"I will decide that. Give me just one Star Shattering stage, and I will bestow upon you an unparalleled blessing and grace. I am also well aware of the nature of you Enders, so I will make every effort to ensure it does not bring misfortune upon you. So...hand it over to me right now."
I glare at Hyeon Mu and answer.
"I refuse. He...is my subordinate and my family."
Absolutely not.
Just like that time...
—Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra!
Just like that time when I lost everything to the Great Mountain Supreme Deity...
I will not easily hand my family over to another.
Kiiiiiiiing!
A tremendous pain surges within my body.
: : I prophesize... If the Northern Heavenly Venerable True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu harms me, Hyeon Mu will face the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and inevitably be obstructed by the Judges...! : :
The power of a prophecy depends on how strong the probability of it coming true is.
For example, [the apple hanging from the tree falls to the ground] is an overwhelmingly powerful prophecy.
Because that apple [is bound to fall eventually].
The stronger its natural inevitability, the more powerful the prophecy becomes, reinforcing its absoluteness.
Conversely, [the apple hanging from the tree soars upwards] is a prophecy whose inevitability approaches zero, making its absoluteness weak and causing it to consume an excessive amount of power.
In other words, since it is only natural that the Judges would aid the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld when Hyeon Mu confronts Them, the absoluteness of my prophecy deepens.
This will be troublesome for Hyeon Mu.
No matter how strong she is, even she would find it difficult to battle the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld with all the Judges gathered. She would need to fight one-on-one for any chance of victory.
Thus, she would have to lure the Underworld into a place where the Judges are absent...
But with my prophecy in place, such lures or traps would be exceedingly difficult to establish.
However, I add one more thing to it.
: : This is...a prophecy I stake my life upon! : :
Kugugugung!
The pain sharpens further, turning into hooks that latch onto something fundamental within me.
A True Immortal's life-bound prophecy.
And not just any prophecy, but one that reinforces the absoluteness of an already [inevitable] truth.
I see Hyeon Mu's face contorting into that of an evil spirit.
Starting from True Immortality, even the lowest Vestige Liberation Immortal can impose such a 'restriction' upon a Heavenly Venerable by staking their life.
That is why we are able to assert our rights even against celestial beings.
With her face twisted in fury, Hyeon Mu speaks to me.
"...You are a bold one. To stake upon yourself the very prophecy I would hate the most... Is that subordinate of yours truly so precious to you?"
"I have already told you. He is my family."
"...Family, you say. Hahaha...! Very well. If that is your resolve...then I, too, shall tell you something."
The Heavenly Venerable of Void, Hyeon Mu, points at me with a gloomy expression.
More precisely, she points at Hong Fan within me.
"I could not read its existence. However, by reading its Qi, I discovered something...A rather unamusing truth."
"What would that be?"
"Disgust."
"...Pardon?"
"When I sensed its presence, I felt an unbearable disgust. A revulsion that surpassed the feeling of bugs crawling all over my body, a visceral nausea and disgust that made me want to vomit from deep within my chest..."
Hong Fan's presence caused such a feeling in Hyeon Mu?
I feel puzzled and ask again.
"Are you trying to kill my subordinate just because of disgust?"
"Listen until the end... This is not the first time I have felt such disgust. Do you know what transpired between the former Deputy Judge of the Underworld Hae Nyeong and the Three Heavenly Venerables?"
"Yes, I happened to hear about it before."
"That one, in a fragment of some ancient force...exposed the disgrace of us Three Heavenly Venerables. Yes...disgrace."
Hyeon Mu's gaze turns toward me.
No, more precisely, she seems to be using me as a medium to peer into my body in the True Immortal Realm.
"The disgust I felt when Hae Nyeong exposed our disgrace...it is the same feeling from then. The being you are hiding within your body is, by its very existence, an immense disgrace to the Heavenly Venerables. Let me ask you one thing... That one. Was it born in the Head Realm?"
"...Yes."
"...Of course... The totality of all ancient force... The secret wonder of hidden history. It is because it was born in the Head Realm that it carries this feeling."
Hyeon Mu grips her own face, contorting it into a bizarre expression that teeters between laughter and weeping.
"...Now you understand the causality. Hand it over. That one is a disgrace to the Heavenly Venerables. It is one of the traces of ancient force that we deemed as [wisdom that even we ourselves must not know], that we severed from history and sealed away... Even if it is not by my hand, the other Heavenly Venerables except the Underworld will seek to annihilate it by any means the moment they lay eyes on it."
"..."
"You called it your family? How could that be? Do you think such a dangerous entity, tied to the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables, would truly consider you as family? Even if it follows you now, it must surely be hiding its true intentions... Ah, did you say you hatched and raised it from an egg? Then is it in the process of regaining its memories? That could be the case... The moment it fully remembers everything, it will care nothing for its connections to someone like you and will kill you without hesitation..."
Between the fingers of the Heavenly Venerable of Void, her menacing gaze gleams.
'This is dangerous...'
"Hand it over. It is fated to die by our hands anyway. It is dangerous to you as well. Your so-called pitiful notion of family means nothing to it. Offer it to me. That is the only path for everyone."
'Hong Fan is the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables...?'
But I do not want to agree with that statement.
And more than anything, Hyeon Mu's words are wrong.
"This child is not the disgrace of you all. There seems to be a misunderstanding. I hope this misunderstanding can be resolved."
"A misunderstanding...?"
"You claim him to be the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables...yet this one has met the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable before!"
Back in the Ancient Force Realm.
At that time, I had no recollection, but I later recalled everything within the Annihilation Flower upon hearing the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's cry.
I'm referring to all the moments spent together with the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable in the Ancient Force Realm.
'Back then, I'm certain Hong Fan accidentally pushed the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable. And I remember the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable looking at Hong Fan with a displeased expression.'
But that was all.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable did not go berserk like Hyeon Mu, trying to kill Hong Fan.
"This child is not some disgrace of the Three Heavenly Venerables."
I recount what happened back then and try to persuade Hyeon Mu.
"Perhaps because he grew up in the Head Realm, he may have become entangled with some aura from that place? If so, I will extract it for you, so please, do not be angry and resolve this misunderstanding!"
"..."
Hyeon Mu, having listened to everything I said, nods and speaks.
"Understood."
"...! Truly, thank you..."
"That one...among all the Heavenly Venerables, is the one most deeply tied to the disgrace of my origin. It is undoubtedly...the one closest to me...!"
"Pardon...?"
At that shocking statement, I grit my teeth and press on.
"What do you mean by that? In the first place, even when the Northern Heavenly Venerable took their own life before me as a member of the Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect, Hong Fan was present!"
"Well...sorry, but I don't remember much about the inside of Lofty Dragon's storage scroll. Those at your level might not have noticed, but fate and history are interwoven in a tangled mess over there, and for beings of a certain level, both authority and perception are immensely restricted.
"Think about it. Why do you think that bootlicker of Radiance Hall, Baek Woon, didn't rummage through the treasure trove that is Lofty Dragon's storage scroll? It's because she knows it's impossible for someone like her to break through the fate and history woven by Lofty Dragon True Person."
"That's..."
"Enough."
Hyeon Mu glares at me with a truly angered expression.
"Enough talk. Hand it over. There can be a few reasons why only I am feeling discomfort. For example, it could be because I have the sharpest intuition and the most delicate senses among the Four Heavenly Venerables, meaning that this is a discomfort only a being of my level can perceive.
"Or, as I said, that one is the disgrace tied to my origin... Either way, it is a highly dangerous and ominous existence, and only by killing and erasing it right now will I not be afraid of future consequences."
Sarak—
"...!"
In an instant, Hyeon Mu closes the distance, stopping just short of touching the tip of my nose. My body trembles as I stare at her.
'When she moves...I can't perceive it...!'
This isn't some trick or deception.
It was purely the result of an insane speed that far surpassed light, erasing the distance between us.
"I will say this one last time. Hand it over. Before I kill you."
"..."
I smile.
"Try killing me."
Hyeon Mu looks up at me, her eyes filled with emptiness and rage.
"...Are you not afraid of pain?"
"The one who has inflicted the greatest pain upon me...is my senior brother."
I meet her gaze without looking away.
"I state this with certainty. The Northern Heavenly Venerable could never bring me pain greater than my senior brother has."
"..."
At my declaration, Hyeon Mu narrows her eyes.
"...I see. From Gwak Am...that's how it was. Kukuk."
Hyeon Mu takes a step back and chuckles.
"But it seems you don't quite understand. In this world, torture isn't limited to the kind of brutal and oppressive suffering that Gwak Am inflicted."
Sarak!
Hyeon Mu moves her hand.
I flinch in surprise at her movement and quickly glance at my surroundings.
Space and time distort.
The place beneath my feet has turned pitch black.
The starlit depths of the Good Sight Heavenly Domain are swallowed by darkness.
It is as if the entire world has transformed into the Interdimensional Void.
'This is...'
Distance!
In this world with me as the center, the distances between me and the countless stars have become endlessly distant.
"I will not bring you harm. As I dislike interference in my battle against the Underworld...I will simply make you hand it over yourself."
Sururuk...
Melting into the darkness, the Heavenly Venerable of the Void lets out a chilling laugh.
"Endless eternity. You will never escape the Good Sight Heavenly Domain, nor will you ever communicate properly with anyone else. No matter where you move, only darkness will welcome you, and you will never reach another star... Feel the weight of solitude for all of eternity."
Sarararak—
The voice of Hyeon Mu who has fully dissolved into the darkness echoes through my mind.
: : Until you hand over my disgrace, you will sail through darkness within horrifying solitude for all of eternity... : :
By Hyeon Mu's authority, I am imprisoned in a spacetime cage where no light can reach.
'Hong Fan...is Hyeon Mu's disgrace?'
One day, if he regains his memories, he will betray me?
'It doesn't matter.'
At least in this moment.
Hong Fan follows me.
As long as he follows me, I will trust him.
For that is retribution (應報), and at the same time, connection (因緣).
And at the same time...
"...He is family."
Hong Fan is already my family.
"Even if you imprison me for ten million years, I will never hand over my family's life to another."
I stare into the terrifying void that has become my prison and shout.
"Let's see who wins...!"
Thus, with Hong Fan between us, the long battle between Hyeon Mu and I begins.
-x-X-x-
Endless darkness.
I try to bend space with attraction force to escape from this empty void.
Gigigik...
But even after warping space and moving thousands of light-years, even after traveling for days,
Nothing in my surroundings changes.
How many days have I been moving like this?
"Master."
"...Hong Fan?"
Hong Fan speaks to me.
"I lost consciousness for a moment due to the presence of some immense being. What happened?"
"Hmm..."
I hesitate for a moment.
Hyeon Mu's words about how if Hong Fan regains his memories, he would abandon our family play lingers in my mind.
But I shake my head and tell him.
I recount everything that happened between me and Hyeon Mu.
"...Master. Please offer me."
Hong Fan grits his teeth as he speaks.
"Rather than being shackled by someone like me, it is far more important for Master to advance in realm by sacrificing me."
"It's not happening."
"Master!"
"Silence! It is already a decided matter. Even if I must wander this void for ten million years...no, a hundred billion years...what cannot be done cannot be done."
"Master..."
As if sensing my resolve, Hong Fan lets out a quiet sigh.
Then, nodding, he speaks.
"...Understood. If that is Master's will...then within the boundaries Master set, I will find an escape route for Master."
Hong Fan settles within my body and begins drawing something on the ground.
They are formulas and diagrams.
"There must be a way. This place has turned into something like the Interdimensional Void, but it is still the Astral Realm. If that is the case, then there may be a way to escape by passing through the Interdimensional Void, Source River, the Underworld, or the Eastern Heaven Flower Field. I will calculate every possibility and method with all my strength."
With a solemn expression, he continues with determination.
"I will exhaust all my talents to ensure that Master escapes this place and walks your rightful fate!"
"Hong Fan..."
Feeling his loyalty, I suppress the surge of emotion rising in my chest.
Yes.
He is my family.
How could anyone carelessly doubt someone who believes in them so completely?
"...I will trust you as well."
"I will not disappoint you. I will find a way out!"
From that day on, Hong Fan devotes himself to analyzing the Astral Realm's attraction force, spatial currents, and the flow of the planes of Qi, Soul, and Fate, searching for a way to escape this empty spacetime.
Thanks to that, we uncover a new truth.
"This space is unfolding with Master at its center."
"With me at its center?"
"Yes. An immense region of space moves with Master as its core. Because this empty space shifts whenever Master moves, Master will never be able to leave it and arrive at another location through ordinary movement."
"Hmm... Then what must I do?"
"There are a few methods. The first method is to commit suicide. If Master takes your own life, the space structured around Master will collapse. However...this is absolutely not an option, so please do not even think about it."
"Yeah. I don't commit suicide so easily"
"The second method is to approach the brink of death 'as close as possible' then revive abruptly.
Hong Fan's explanation is as follows.
This space unfolds with me at its center, influenced by my actions and state.
So, if I die, the space collapses. If I become weak enough to be close to death, the space contracts.
And if I revive abruptly after reaching that near-death state, my restored presence will surpass the shrunken space, allowing me to escape.
"...However, as this is far too dangerous, I do not recommend it. I suggest the third method instead."
"The third method...?"
"Yes. The third method is to create a substitute."
"Hmm? A substitute?"
"Yes. I recalled a memory from my past life... Have you ever heard of a way to desecrate fate?"
"I know it well."
"Then there is no need for a lengthy explanation. The method is to elevate the Immortal Treasure or devotees within your body—like Yeo Hwi, Ham Jin, or Yu Hwi—to the True Immortal Realm. Then, Master transfers the spacetime of emptiness affixed to you onto them."
I frown at Hong Fan's words.
"That...that is far too cruel. I have no desire for such a method of desecrating fate."
"Once Master passes this space onto them, Master can seek out the existence known as the Owner of Void and either negotiate or fight to unravel this spacetime. That will resolve the issue."
"But..."
Hong Fan watches my hesitation, then suddenly slaps me across the face.
Jjaak!
"...!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Seo Eun-hyun! Do you really think you can escape this place without any sacrifice!? The only things you can obtain without sacrifice are empty ones like words and hearts! This world is built upon sacrifice, and you yourself have made it this far because of sacrifice! What you must do is not to whimper at those sacrifices but to step upon them and move forward towards a better future! You must walk your path of rightful fate!"
With a furious expression, Hong Fan continues his outburst.
"Are you planning to sit around here for thousands, tens of thousands years? A hundred billion years!? Have you not even thought about the people waiting for you outside? Right now, you need to get out of here no matter what method it takes!"
"..."
I meet Hong Fan's gaze.
He appears furious, but his eyes hold not anger, but concern.
He is only pretending to be angry for my sake.
"...A sharp rebuke. I appreciate it..."
Accepting his words, I give a bitter smile.
"Fine. If you insist this much, I will accept it to a degree. But!"
I look directly into his eyes.
"Aren't you still hiding another method from me? Tell me that first."
"...Understood. There are two more. The fourth method. Master advances to the realm of a Great Net Immortal. If you do, Master will be free from the attraction force of the True Immortal Realm and will be able to properly move through it. That will make escaping to other dimensions, such as the Source River or the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, incredibly easy."
"And the last method?"
"The fifth method...is to observe every flow that composes this spacetime of emptiness and dismantle the gaps within it. If that can be done, even without a high cultivation realm, Master will be able to escape to other dimensions like the Source River, the Flower Field, or the Underworld."
Having finished his explanation, Hong Fan sighs and speaks.
"But to be honest, given the current situation, I will speak realistically. Master, you are a dullard. You have yet to even grasp your own fate, so your talent as a True Immortal is the worst. At your current state, I estimate it would take Master about a billion years to become a Great Net Immortal."
His blunt criticism feels like a nail being driven into my chest.
'A...a billion years...'
No matter what, could it really take that long?
"And the last method is the same. This space has a specific flow, and it can be analyzed, but the problem is...Master must have felt it too, right?"
"...Yeah. This space...has a will."
"Yes. It is likely the will of the Northern Heavenly Venerable, as you mentioned. The moment I attempt to analyze this space, that will most certainly will begin chaotically scrambling all the flows of this vast space that stretches beyond comprehension to obstruct me. To analyze this space from complete ignorance while being obstructed by a Heavenly Venerable, even for me, would take fifty million years. Well...it is certainly a far faster option than waiting for Master to advance to Great Net Immortal, but...fifty million years is still an unfathomable length of time."
"..."
"Realistically, the quickest method is to raise Yeo Hwi back to the Entering Nirvana stage and then kill her to aid her advancement to True Immortality. Afterward, handing over this spacetime to her as a True Immortal would be the quickest course of action. In that case, it would take at most ten million years, and at the fastest, around four thousand years...but..."
Hong Fan and I turn our gaze in the same direction.
Clank, clank...
At some point, Yeo Hwi awakened and began eavesdropping on our conversation.
The moment our eyes meet, Yeo Hwi quickly escapes from my body and tries fleeing towards a distant void outside this spacetime.
Kwaadeudeuk!
But as my Immortal Treasure-bound entity, she cannot escape the attraction force between us, and she is caught and pulled back to me.
"What exactly is the problem? We were discussing aiding your advancement to True Immortality."
"H-Haha...Master. Are you joking right now?"
"What?"
Yeo Hwi, seemingly forgetting that she is bound as my Immortal Treasure, starts raging at me, even while stricken with fear.
"This spacetime of emptiness. There is no trace of any dimension of death here! No Source River, no Eastern Heaven Flower Field, no Underworld, no Interdimensional Void! C-Can't you feel it? That a great being has sealed off the domain of death? How can I advance in a place like this?"
"Do not worry. There is one domain even a Heavenly Venerable cannot seal."
Indeed.
Currently, this spacetime of emptiness is tightly sealed by Hyeon Mu to prevent our escape.
From the Underworld to the Source River, all spacetimes of death are severed within this Astral Realm.
However, even if it is Hyeon Mu, there is one thing she cannot seal.
The domain of purity.
'Even now, I can feel that I can use Heavenly Escape.'
The true world of death.
If it is there, advancing to True Immortal is definitely possible.
"If you advance in the same manner I did, there will be no issue."
"Damn it! Damn it all! I already know, Master! I know what you are saying! That so-called purity or whatever. Given my age, I've heard the rumors passed down among the Entering Nirvanas!
"In ancient times, advancing to True Immortality was practically a brutal and horrific ritual no difference from suicide. But after the rise of the Four Heavenly Venerables—Underworld, Sal Tree, Time, and Void—the success rate for True Immortal advancement skyrocketed! That means there is a method to advance without passing through the conventional dimension of death. But the probability is just too low! I will definitely die!"
"I will pass down my own advancement experience without reservation. And if I teach you martial arts—"
"I refuse!"
Even as an Immortal Treasure-bound entity unable to escape my attraction force, Yeo Hwi lashes out at me before suddenly breaking into tears.
"I...I don't want to! I don't want to die. I...I'm so terrified of dying, so terrified of my life ending, that even with the easier True Immortal advancement, I was nothing but a voyeuristic piece of trash lingering in the Nether Ghost Realm! I'm afraid of dying. The thought of losing everything I have enjoyed and simply vanishing into a lump of nothingness terrifies me to my core!"
She wails, sobbing uncontrollably.
"This... This is too much! If it's being imprisoned with Golden Shaking Bird for a hundred billion years to be tortured and refined, I would nod and agree! But forcing me to advance is too much. I...I don't want to die!"
"..."
She does not want to die.
She wants to live.
That desperate, grief-stricken cry resonates deeply with me.
Hong Fan glares at Yeo Hwi with a furious expression and shouts.
"What a disgraceful... How in the world did you even reach the Entering Nirvana stage? Do you not understand that some things cannot be obtained without being resolved to face death? From the Star Shattering stage onward, one must always be ready to risk their life! How are your previous advancements any different from advancing to True Immortality?"
"Shut up! How is certain suicide the same as an advancement ritual where I can prepare and avoid death? I don't want to die! That's all there is to it!"
"Do you not understand that there are values greater than life? Even after surviving this long?"
"Shut your mouth, you bug bastard. How dare a mere Star Shattering stage argue against me? I have already heard everything. As long as you are sacrificed, we can easily escape from here and even obtain a blessing, so why are you not slitting your own throat and offering yourself? If there really are things more important than life, prove it with your actions right now!"
"...Truly..."
Despite facing Yeo Hwi, who, being at the Sacred Vessel stage, is practically at the level of an Entering Nirvana True Person, Hong Fan, who has only just reached the Star Shattering stage, does not falter in the slightest. Instead, he grits his teeth as if looking down on her.
"...Pathetic insect."
"Ha! Say whatever you want. I...don't want to die. I just want to live. That is all."
"...You..."
I cut off their conversation.
"Enough. That is enough."
"Master..."
"That's enough, Hong Fan. I understand your loyalty, but I also fully understand Yeo Hwi's feelings. Because..."
I, too, absolutely loathe dying.
"Not wanting to die is only natural, isn't it?"
"..."
"Then there is no other way. Hong Fan, you have a total of five plans, correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"We will carry them all out simultaneously."
"Pardon...?"
Wo-woong!
Kugugugugu!
I raise my hand, drawing power from my true body.
My chest pain flares up again.
At the same time, a star begins to form above my hand.
"I will ask Ham Jin and Yu Hwi as well. And perhaps they will refuse, too. If that happens...I will ask others."
In the darkness, a single star is born.
It is not a fixed star, but a rocky planet. Still, a star is a star.
I begin to breathe life into the surface of that star.
"Either way...to cultivate the formula of the Radiance Ten Heavens, I will need living beings. I will ask them, and I will elevate my own realm as well. Hong Fan...I am sorry, but however long it takes, analyze this spacetime. Meanwhile, I will raise the cultivation of the lifeforms that will be born. I will raise them, raise them, and raise them even more...until one day, someone among them reaches True Immortality. Then, I will entrust it to them."
"..."
"Does that not settle everything?"
Kugugugugugu!
The pain in my chest intensifies.
I begin forming a fixed star using Immortal Arts and glance at Hong Fan with a smile.
"I do not know how many years this will take...but since things have come to this, let us think of it as an extended cultivation session. What do you think, Hong Fan? It may be a bit slower than you expected, but..."
I turn to Yeo Hwi.
"I cannot break the will of someone who wants to live, can I? And more than anything..."
I recall the words I spoke to Gwak Am.
A sharp rebuke to not force your ways upon those who refuse them.
'I...cannot be like Gwak Am.'
I despise Gwak Am.
As my senior brother, I grant Them the respect due, but Their methods, Their words, and everything about Them repulses me.
So, even as I move forward, I will never follow Their way.
I will never force my path upon another.
Even if, by my own standards, it is a blessing.
"After all, you, too, respect my way. That is why, as Yeo Hwi said, you are not immediately slitting your own throat to offer yourself, is it not?"
"..."
Hong Fan lets out a deep sigh and speaks.
"...Do as you wish. Now that Yeo Hwi has refused, my proposal no longer holds any meaning...I will follow Master's will."
Thus, from that day onward, within this completely void spacetime of emptiness, I begin to place stars one by one.
Like that, one million years pass.
Kugugugugu!
The cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens formula.
The creation of a fixed star finally takes its first step.
At last, within the small world of stars I have formed, a fixed star is born for the first time and scatters its light.
-x-X-x-
Inside the spacetime of emptiness.
Ten years pass.
After coming to their senses, Ham Jin and Yu Hwi swear proper allegiance to me and begin their cultivation atop the stars I have created.
I continue forming planets in the void of nothingness.
It's a little lonely, but bearable.
Woo-woong!
Whatever Hyeon Mu has done, this original space of the Astral Realm is completely devoid of even a single dust cloud.
Because of this, I must personally create matter to form planets, which drains my strength even more than before.
In the darkness,
I generate Heaven and Earth spiritual energy through my main body, filling the surroundings.
The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy that fills the surroundings soon settles into the Plane of Qi, gradually descending to the floor of the Plane of Qi and transforming into heavy matter.
Kurururung!
Using the matter I create, I slowly form planets.
Ham Jin and Yu Hwi also steadily grow as they absorb the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy of the planets.
In particular, Ham Jin shows truly remarkable growth.
Even when Yeo Hwi constantly chases after him, trying to mate with him at every opportunity, he indifferently brushes her off and continues his cultivation, making him seem like an entirely different person.
During the three thousand years I was asleep, it seems he has achieved an astonishing level of mental growth.
Ham Jin's current cultivation is at the Four-Axis stage.
It is merely the Four-Axis stage built with the Five Elements Axes, yet for some reason, he is far stronger than others of the same realm, possessing combat strength equivalent to the Integration stage.
Observing Ham Jin, I uncover the reason.
'So that's it. Ham Jin, that brat...'
After receiving a severe scolding from me, he spent three thousand years grasping a portion of Immortal Arts.
'He has...partially comprehended Filling the Heavens Governing View.'
It is not a complete Filling the Heavens Governing View.
In fact, it has undergone some modifications, becoming quite different from its original form.
But there is no doubt. Ham Jin exudes the aura of an Immortal Art similar to that of Filling the Heavens Governing View.
'An Immortal Art that manifests purely through the heart.'
Perhaps without even realizing it, Ham Jin has, while being influenced by my Filling the Heavens Governing View, begun awakening an Immortal Art of his own.
I watch as Ham Jin fleeing from Yeo Hwi, Yu Hwi burrowing through the planets I have made, and Hong Fan analyzing spacetime,
A smile spreads across my face.
Hyeon Mu had claimed that no one would be able to communicate with me.
Yet Hong Fan, through his own Immortal Art, converses with me without issue. Yeo Hwi, being my Immortal Treasure, is half-fused with my being and has no trouble conveying messages to me.
While it is true that I cannot communicate with Ham Jin and Yu Hwi directly as Hyeon Mu said, I can simply relay my messages through Yeo Hwi or Hong Fan, so it doesn't matter.
'Are you watching, Hyeon Mu?'
Without losing my smile, I prepare an Immortal Art to create a fixed star in the darkness.
'I...am not so lonely.'
No matter how much Hyeon Mu tries to imprison me here, I will never submit to her, I will never bow.
And so, ninety years pass in the darkness.
The hundredth year arrives.
Wo-woong!
As I produce Heaven and Earth spiritual energy and create planets, I come to a realization.
'This is...astonishing.'
Indeed.
Back when I had just become a True Immortal, I had no time to calmly reflect, which is why I failed to notice it before now.
"What I have been generating...is not Heaven and Earth spiritual energy."
At my murmuring, Yeo Hwi, who had been meticulously planning her strategy to bring down Ham Jin, tilts her head in confusion and asks.
"Eh? Wait, Master didn't know that until now?"
"...What?"
"That's strange. Since Master advanced to True Immortality and grasped fate, there's no way you wouldn't know. To think you only figured it out now... Those in the Star Shattering stage generate ordinary Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, but True Immortals and beyond don't actually produce Heaven and Earth spiritual energy at all."
I sit atop the tallest mountain on one of the glass planets I have created, frowning.
"What do you mean by that? And why are you only telling me this now?"
"Ah, my apologies, Master. Honestly, I just never imagined that a genius like Master, hailed as the return of Vast Cold, wouldn't know something so basic..."
It seems that because the energy I generate being unusual is such common sense, no one has ever thought to mention it to me.
"From the moment one becomes a True Immortal, the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy they produce is altered depending on their inner world and the type of Immortal Art within it. Take the Middle Realms of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain as an example.
The Bright Cold Realm generates Heaven and Earth spiritual energy that is purer and clearer than anywhere else.
The True Devil Realm produces devilish energy.
The Blood Yin Realm generates blood devilish energy.
The Nether Ghost Realm creates ghostly energy.
The Ancient Force Realm produces spiritual energy infused with ancient force.
Purple Gold Realm produces light-black true energy, and the living beings within each realm cultivate using the energy unique to each realm."
"Hm...! I see."
Now that I think about it, that was indeed the case.
Each Middle Realm produces a different type of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.
"When one reaches True Immortality, the energy they produce changes based on the Immortal Dao or Seat they follow, as well as the Immortal Art they have cultivated and the state of their inner world. In other words, all True Immortals gain the authority to create their own unique energy within this Sumeru World, establishing a new system of power. And ultimately...that is the true nature of the cultivation methods that mortal beings use."
As I listen to Yeo Hwi's explanation, I observe the energy forming within me.
"Those who practice devilish arts convert Heaven and Earth spiritual energy into devilish energy for use, while those who cultivate Ghost Path Methods transform it into ghostly energy. Conversely, those who follow orthodox Daoist Family methods accumulate pure Heaven and Earth spiritual energy within their bodies.
"The very act of altering energy into a different form of power through cultivation methods is, in essence, an imitation of the authority systems of True Immortals. In the end, every method of transforming energy—whether it belongs to the Heaven Tribe or the Earth Tribe—points back to the framework of True Immortals."
Huarurururuk!
Yeo Hwi lifts a cluster of antimatter above her hand as she speaks.
"Even the method I cultivated up to the Four-Axis stage was a demon beast method derived from the ancestor of my bloodline, Glass Peacock. That's why dual cultivation was a mandatory part of my cultivation, and also why I have such a fondness for dual cultivation."
"...Wait, then your distant ancestors are Azure Peng and Glass Peacock...?"
"Yes, something like that. But because the generational gap is too vast, my Immortal Beast True Blood has almost completely dried up. As a result, aside from a few demon beast methods, I have primarily cultivated Heaven Tribe methods."
'Wait. In my past life...Glass Peacock even went as far as Yeo... No, never mind. Let's not think about it.'
I shake my head, erasing my thoughts of Glass Peacock's absurd actions.
Even now, despite having become a True Immortal, just recalling Glass Peacock's behavior feels mentally polluting.
"Anyway, thanks. So...this is my own unique energy."
"I recommend giving it a name, if possible."
"A name?"
"Yes. The moment you name your energy, it will become properly established, and it will provide a much more helpful path for Master's Immortal Dao."
"Hmm..."
'Is this, too, an influence of the Naming Supreme Deity?'
With that thought in mind, I contemplate my energy.
Chijijijik...
Poignant Pain is embedded in the very nature of my spiritual energy.
Not a physical pain, but a mental one.
If absorbed passively, it induces sorrow, loneliness, and heartache for no particular reason. However, when observed calmly, the sorrow fades, leaving behind clarity and gratitude.
'Until now, I thought my mood was just like this...'
It seems that this energy has been influencing me all along.
I gaze at the energy carrying these characteristics and smile.
'Come to think of it, the reason I have been able to come this far is all because of...'
The countless connections of my past lives.
All are precious to me, but among them, the one who supported me the most is, without a doubt...
'Hyang-hwa...it was thanks to you.'
—Was what I just gave you...also pain?
If not for my meeting with her, I surely...
Would have become a monster no different from Yuan Li.
Every time I regressed, I would have consumed my comrades, extracting their essence to enhance my own talent, and turned their corpses into jiangshi or dharma treasures to wield as I pleased.
I would have done whatever it took, by any means necessary, to enforce what I believed was right through sheer tyranny, protecting those dear to me through only my own ways.
I would have become a pathetic madman, no different from my senior brother.
So in truth, the only reason I have not become a crazed devilish cultivator is entirely because of her.
Hwiiiiiii—
I stir up an interstellar wind, scattering the energy generated from within me into the surrounding space.
It's not just Hyang-hwa.
The days I spent training in martial arts with Kim Young-hoon.
The kiss I shared with Yeon.
The sight of Azure Tiger Saint becoming a star.
The will of Gyu Ryeon and Gyu Baek, who never gave up their hearts even under their hatred for Seo Hweol.
The heart of Hong Su-ryeong, who chose to die by my hand of her own will.
The smile of Seo Li, buried in the past in my place.
The legacy of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, who chose me in the Nether Ghost Realm.
The love of Mad Lord, who clung to his last shred of humanity even after becoming a monster.
The final moments of Yeon Wei and Hon Won.
The last, sincere heart of Daoist Seo.
The unwavering loyalty of Blood Yin towards the Imperial Venerable.
The emotions of Gyeong-i towards me...
All of these have made me who I am now.
Therefore, the name of this energy is...
"...Life (生)."
But then, I suddenly feel the cold murmur of someone striking my mind.
—You don't know either, Seo Eun-hyun...why you live. Why others live... What it even means to be alive... What life even is...
—Don't speak so carelessly when you know nothing.
"..."
I know nothing.
That's right.
Just as those words say, I do not know what life is.
Then, how dare I name something with the word Life (生)?
'...What is life?'
I know nothing.
"The name of this energy...I will decide later. Even if I were to gain the help of the name, the increase won't be significant."
"Hm, well...I'm not a True Immortal, so I wouldn't know for sure. Do as you please."
With those words, Yeo Hwi flies off to capture Ham Jin in the distance.
Even after Yeo Hwi disappears, I continue to mull over the question Oh Hye-seo threw at me for a long time.
'What is...life...?'
A new question has been given to my lonely and monotonous existence.
Because of this, this darkness remains bearable.
In this way, about nine hundred years pass after I realize that my energy is different from Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.
It is now the thousandth year.
Wo-woooong!
On the planets filled with my Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, proper dragon veins and star veins have begun to flow.
At the same time, the overcompressed energies clump together, and spirits (靈) begin to be born on countless planets.
It's the energies accumulating and merging, rising to the Plane of Soul.
Then, at a certain moment, I confirm that life (命) is taking root in those spirits.
'So all the souls in this world are born in such a way.'
That day, I come to understand the secret of the birth of souls and spirits.
At the same time, I realize that I have become a being capable of mass-producing souls and spirits as I please.
'...This is a little terrifying.'
I have felt it to some degree since the Sacred Vessel stage, but this power is truly excessive.
'If this is the kind of power True Immortals possess...then to ordinary True Immortals, life must really be nothing more than a toy.'
Moreover, it is possible to bestow fate upon mortal beings, allowing endless adjustments to their lives.
Truly, everything in the lower realms is nothing more than the toys of True Immortals.
Wo-woooong!
As I watch spirits being born on the planets, I sense that before long, living beings will actually come into existence in this world.
At the same time, I realize that I can freely create and mass-produce the blueprints of life for the living beings that are born through me.
During the Sacred Vessel stage advancement ritual, one usually creates the race to which they belong. But after becoming a True Immortal, it becomes possible to freely edit the blueprint of life and create any living being or race one knows of.
'Perhaps it might even be possible starting from the Entering Nirvana stage.'
If it's an Entering Nirvana from the Earth Tribe who has mastered the Plane of Qi, it would take much longer than a True Immortal, but it should still be possible.
As I watch this unfold, I sink further into confusion.
'...What is life? What exactly is living?'
If something that can be so easily stamped out, mass-produced, modified, and edited is life and fate...
Then just what exactly is this world?
What meaning are we supposed to seek in this world...?
In this lonely, monotonous, and silent world, I ponder that question for a long time.
And so, another nine thousand years pass.
The ten thousandth year.
The planetary system I have created revolves around me.
Once I create a fixed star, I will be able to place it where I stand and form a proper star system.
Wo-woooong!
Within the darkness, I condense Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, steadily preparing to create a star.
During the Entering Nirvana and Sacred Vessel stages, I did not understand it well.
Back then, I completed my understanding of suns simply by mindlessly smashing apart fixed stars and planets.
But now that I stand in the position of creation, I finally understand.
Creation is billions of times harder than destruction.
Entering Nirvanas can create planets, but they struggle to craft the prophecies corresponding to those planets.
True Immortals can imbue planets with prophecies, but they find it difficult to create proper Middle Realms.
'Now I understand. A fixed star itself...is essentially a Middle Realm.'
Of course, in terms of rank, it lacks the absoluteness of a true Middle Realm which makes it difficult to destroy.
It is lower in rank to Cedarwood Painting, which Kim Yeon and I created from the patchworked corpses of True Immortals.
However, a fixed star can certainly fulfill the 'role' of a Middle Realm.
The role of providing light to living beings.
The role of nurturing life with Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.
The role of offering a foundation for life with proper attraction force.
A fixed star is, itself, akin to the Sacred Master of a Middle Realm.
I am not simply creating a massive, scorching ball of fire.
'Now I finally understand... You were all, in truth, alive.'
I smile as I look upon the planets I have made.
All stars are living beings, differing only in structure from organic life forms.
And among them, the fixed stars that generate light...
They are beings no different from Sacred Masters.
As existences that grant life, they are beings filled with immense love and compassion.
Yes...
They are existences with a heart.
The sun is, by its very nature, a True Immortal.
An existence that possesses a heart but lacks will—an innate True Immortal.
That is what a fixed star is.
The cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens only ends upon the creation of ten innate True Immortals.
Huarururuk!
Even without anyone telling me, I understand.
In the previous realms, I always learned cultivation methods from others, but in the realm of True Immortality, the Immortal Dao itself whispers [wisdom] to me.
Huarururururuk!
Before I know it, blazing flames begin to form between my hands.
Throughout this time, I have created countless planets and imbued them with prophecies.
Those prophecies have accumulated and accumulated, now forming an innate True Immortal.
Huarururuk!
Watching the burning seed of a fixed star take shape within my hands, I feel a sense of wonder.
Within it, I sense a [heart] stronger than anything else.
I gaze at it with a subtle smile.
A faint light, gradually expanding within my hands.
On the day this light is born—
The spirits that had merely drifted across the surfaces of planets, stirring celestial phenomena, are now 'born' into the world.
The power of light caresses the particles on the planetary surfaces, and true life begins to emerge.
Microorganisms have appeared.
It is different from the Sacred Vessel stage advancement ritual.
Back then, the beings that appeared were already present in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. But this time, these beings have truly come into existence from the empty nothingness.
Before I know it, Ham Jin has reached the Integration stage, gradually grasping the essence of Immortal Arts.
Yu Hwi melts planetary surfaces with his Dan Fire, experimenting with the creation of new minerals and materials.
Yeo Hwi still waits for the perfect opportunity to form a relationship with Ham Jin, constantly searching for the right moment.
Hong Fan, on the other hand, has all but severed contact with the outside world, slipping into a semi-dormant state.
It seems he is calculating this spacetime while in hibernation.
'Already...ten thousand years...'
As I observe their circumstances, I reflect on the time that has passed.
Ten thousand years have already gone by.
In a span long enough for Yang Su-jin to reach an ending three times over, I let out a quiet sigh.
Perhaps by now, some of my comrades have already reached Great Net Immortal.
For some reason, a sense of frustration stirs within me.
But I steady my heart.
'With my talent, the result is the same whether I am inside or outside.'
In that case, what I must do is not waver over meaningless facts but continue walking this path.
'Steadily... Let's walk steadily.'
There is no need to waver.
Because...
'My family is my life. To abandon my family...is to abandon my life!'
I deeply understand Yeo Hwi's words.
I do not want to die.
I want to live.
I want to enjoy life.
This applies not only to Yeo Hwi but also to me.
So...
'I will never abandon life.'
Never will I abandon my family, who are a part of my life.
In this lonely, monotonous, silent, and colorless emptiness.
I strengthen my resolve and continue my efforts to create fixed stars.
Ninety thousand years pass.
The hundred thousandth year.
Kurururung!
Ham Jin and Yu Hwi have finally reached the Star Shattering stage.
They become two moons, attaching themselves to one of the planets.
That planet, now with two satellites, is currently experiencing the most rapid evolution of microorganisms.
Under the guidance of the fate I have designated, living beings who will become the ancestors of humanity, along with countless other creatures necessary for human survival, are appearing.
Now that Ham Jin and Yu Hwi have become meaningful existences in my plan, Yeo Hwi can no longer pursue Ham Jin in an attempt to violate him.
Instead, Yeo Hwi only sends fervent signals of courtship towards Ham Jin.
Ham Jin's surface is covered in a hazy mist.
Whenever the mist catches the light, it scatters it in all directions, creating a profoundly mystical atmosphere.
It seems to be the influence of an altered Immortal Art derived from Filling the Heavens Governing View.
Yu Hwi's surface is extraordinarily dazzling.
All kinds of gems and glass cover the ground.
With his love for creating new minerals, Yu Hwi constantly blends and melts new materials or adorns his surface with beautiful minerals and treasures.
Is it perhaps because of this?
Recently, Yeo Hwi has also started sending courtship signals to Yu Hwi.
Though faint to the point of near disappearance, the remnants of Glass Peacock's blood still seem to boil within her.
Hong Fan has, at some point, transformed into his true form inside me, coiling into hibernation.
I can sense his consciousness accelerating within his lucid dream as he analyzes the spacetime of emptiness.
With his tail and head touching to form a perfect circle, Hong Fan in hibernation gives off an oddly blurred sensation.
It may have something to do with the fact that he is considered the disgrace of the Three Heavenly Venerables.
As for me, I am gradually grasping a clear sense of the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens.
Tstststststststs...
"Immortal Cultivation is repentant enlightenment..."
Endlessly reciting the mantra, I gaze up at the massive clump of fire above my head as I repentantly enlighten upon myself.
"Like tiny grains of salt gathering to form the sea."
The energy I generate, when absorbed, induces depression, discomfort, immense mental exhaustion, and pain.
But when observed calmly, it induces tranquility, clears the mind, and a deep sense of gratitude wells up.
This is the result of my interpretation of my Immortal Dao that is repentant enlightenment.
"Build mountains through repentant enlightenment..."
One hundred thousand years.
Only after a hundred thousand years do I grasp it, the cultivation method of True Immortals.
As a mortal being, cultivation was simply absorbing energy, refining the will, and struggling to grasp the foundation of Immortal Arts.
But it is different for True Immortals.
'Continuously pushing through one's Immortal Dao with the Qi formed by their Immortal Dao, or by their fate or soul.'
I constantly observe and repentantly enlighten upon my Qi, continuously carrying through my Qi upon the Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment.
If the cultivation method of the Lower Boundary is accumulating energy, and the cultivation method of the Middle Boundary is accumulating will...
Then the cultivation method of the Great Boundary can be said to be the act of imprinting one's will upon the world itself.
The more I push through repentant enlightenment, the more my energy moves according to my will, beginning to form a sun on its own.
'I can feel it.'
I gain an even deeper understanding of the origin of the chest pain.
Previously, I only knew that the pain stemmed from trying to change the world purely with my will, but as I continue creating the sun, I come to understand the principle behind it.
Jiiiiiiiing!
This world is composed of attraction force.
The entirety of this world that is Mount Sumeru, is formed through the attraction force emitted by the Heavenly Domains and those who exist within them.
[Prophecy] is the act of adding one's own attraction force to the existing attraction force, subtly twisting the direction of the world.
Ordinary True Immortals consume the fortune they are born with to shift the world's flow, its attraction force.
But I had long since exhausted my own fortune.
At the end of the 0th cycle, all of my fortune vanished.
In other words, I was born without any fortune. Therefore...I can only twist the world through my own faith and willpower.
'So that's what the Way of Salt is...'
The orthodox Immortal Art of twisting the world with the heart alone I learned from the Salt Sea Supreme Deity Cheongmun Ryeong.
While ordinary True Immortals use their innate fortune or plunder the fortune of others to perform natural prophecies, I use it in the form of Immortal Arts—hence the pain.
"...It hurts."
I place my hand over my chest and gaze up at the gradually expanding sun.
No prophecy comes without a price.
True Immortals are not omnipotent.
To achieve the goals they desire,
To attain their own happiness,
They must seize another's fortune and bring calamity upon someone else.
For every existence in this world, one cannot become happy without another falling into misfortune.
In my case, the one suffering misfortune to achieve my will is none other than myself.
The repentant enlightenment of carving away myself to build a mountain.
That is my repentant enlightenment.
In this solitude, in this monotonous, silent, colorless, and empty space-time.
In this lonely, monotonous, silent, colorless, and meaningless spacetime.
I continue my repentant enlightenment while understanding Severing Mountain Swordsmanship's thirty-sixth move from a new perspective.
And so, time continues to flow once more.
I drift through darkness.
A darkness where no one exists.
Hong Fan has long abandoned the pursuit of cultivation, focusing solely on analyzing spacetime.
And...
After countless eons, Ham Jin and Yu Hwi have finally reached the Sacred Vessel stage!
They voluntarily become my Immortal Treasures, allowing me to properly communicate with them.
The fixed star is nearing completion.
However, my heart has been long worn away.
'How many years have passed?'
Yeo Hwi says that about a million years have gone by.
A million years.
It's a million years...
It is a span of time longer than my entire combined lifetimes.
Of course, cases like this have occurred quite frequently.
I'm referring to spending a time longer than all my lives combined in strange places.
During that time, I have nearly completed a fixed star and pushed my understanding of the Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment deeply into the world.
And as a result, the fixed star I created has begun to hold a fate.
That fate is a fate that assists the Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment.
'Interesting.'
Building upon oneself is repentant enlightenment.
But in the end, I receive the assistance of fate.
Yes.
That is it.
That is all there is.
What I have gained,
In this stale darkness,
Is only that.
"HUUAAAAAAAA!!!"
I let out a scream, feeling as if my mind is about to break apart.
Ham Jin, Yu Hwi, and Yeo Hwi flinch in shock and rush over to comfort me.
But I feel no solace at all.
"U-U-Until when!?"
Badududuk...
"Until when!? Until when do I have to keep being like this, powerlessly!?"
It is not the fear of crouching in this darkness like an idiot that terrifies me.
What is most terrifying, horrifying, and unbearable is...
That my comrades, after all this endless time, I have no idea of knowing whether they are dead or alive.
That the connections I hold dear, I have no idea of knowing what has become of them or what they are doing beyond this pitch-black darkness.
That is what is driving me mad.
What is life?
Oh Hye-seo's question still haunts me.
I thought that through repentant enlightenment, I might find the answer.
But no!
"No one is here, and yet how long am I supposed to keep carving away at myself to build this mountain!? Until when!?"
"Master, please calm yourself!"
"Master!"
"Teacher!"
Yeo Hwi, Yu Hwi, and Ham Jin fly to me, trying to restrain me, but I clutch my head as I violently shake the surroundings using attraction force as if I've lost my mind.
"...What am I...supposed to do...? Hong Fan...I can't wake him and disturb him. My precious people—I don't even know if they are alive or dead. I have no way of knowing what's happening outside. If only... If only I could be tortured instead! I would rather be tortured! Please! Please!"
Just what!?
Just what is the difference between this and being taxidermized by the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld!?
Only now do I begin to understand, with crushing clarity, the words 'endless eternity' that came from Hyeon Mu's mouth.
'If there were others, equal others, many precious others... If I could exchange connections with them...I could definitely endure even ten million years.'
But in this spacetime, there is nothing.
Yeo Hwi, Ham Jin, and Yu Hwi do not share a relationship with me.
They simply revere me.
To be the object of worship can never create an equal relationship.
The only one with whom I have formed a certain relationship with, Hong Fan, chose to forsake advancing his own cultivation and is in deep hibernation, putting forth immense effort.
I cannot wake him in this state.
The stellar system is nearly complete, yet the microorganisms within it can never be subjects of communication.
No, even if they were to evolve into humans...
Would they be able to communicate with me?
Would they be able to understand even a fraction of my worries, my suffering?
"...Ah... Aaaaaah..."
In this dark and stale silence, just who could possibly understand me?
I raise my hand towards the nearly completed fixed star.
Kugugugugu!
My will is imbued into the fixed star, and so is my Immortal Dao.
Flames with higher temperatures burn blue.
Thus, the fixed star glows blue-white.
Hwarurururur!
I blankly stare at the burning fixed star in this spacetime of emptiness, marking the conclusion of the first stage of the Radiance Ten Heavens cultivation.
Flash!
The fixed star settles in the place where I stand, pulling entire planets with its attraction force and forming a stellar system.
Woo-woooong!
"...Yes. At the very least, you...are my only understanding companion..."
I let out a quiet murmur and sit cross-legged on the surface of the fixed star.
A sphere of light, no different from my own child.
Tsuaaaaaaat!
I sense the Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment resonating with the sphere of light and blankly gaze into its depths.
For a brief moment, the image of a [deep-blue snake biting its tail] seems to flash within the light.
The moment my first fixed star is completed,
Among the fourteen planets I created, the seven with the most living beings undergo a tremendous evolution.
Everywhere, vegetation begins to flourish.
The power of Wood, drawing nourishment from the light, breathes life and fully blooms.
Vast forests take root upon the planets.
Watching this unfold, I gently caress the fixed star I have created with care.
"...For now, I just want to be alone with this one."
At my command, my three Immortal Treasures—Yeo Hwi, Ham Jin, and Yu Hwi—exchange slightly concerned glances before disappearing from sight.
But they have no need to worry.
The moment the fixed star was completed, my heart gained great peace.
Something about this light feels as if it might pull my very mind into its depths.
The millionth year.
In this lonely, monotonous, silent, colorless, meaningless, dark, stale, and desolate spacetime—
As I see the light completed after a million years, my heart begins to gradually lose to its radiance.
-x-X-x-