Eighth Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord flinches and looks somewhere.
It is not just them.
The other Radiance Eight Immortals also seem to sense something unusual, exchanging glances over the countless corpses of divine spirits.
: : Did you feel it? : :
: : Yes. : :
: : Someone...has broken the formula of the Radiance Ten Heavens. : :
: : One of the Vestige Liberation Immortals has begun to escape our domain. : :
: : ...That means... : :
: : That someone will soon be free from the restrictions we imposed. : :
: : They will escape our sight! : :
: : Great Mountain...! Salt Sea...! If not for them, no one would have even dared to attempt this...! : :
The Radiance Eight Immortals each reveal their anger, once again directing their fighting will at the divine spirits targeting them.
The First Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord mutters in a voice laced with rage.
: : As infuriating as it is...it does not matter now. Once Great Mountain's mantra is completed, we will have taken another step closer to our goal. : :
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord responds to the Great Forest Heavenly Lord's words.
: : Indeed. No matter who has escaped from us, once Great Mountain's plan succeeds, they will soon be annihilated... For now, let us focus on our collaboration with Great Mountain. : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord and the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord stand as a pair, while the other Radiance Eight Immortals take their positions below them.
Hundreds of True Immortals rush towards them.
: : You lunatic Radiance Eight Immortals!!! : :
: : We trusted you, and yet, what kind of madness is this!? : :
: : Joining hands with that Devil God—what vile act are you committing!? : :
Shockingly, most among them were once members of Radiance Hall.
: : What kind of monsters have we been believing in all this time!? Was that vile and arrogance truly the will of the Radiance Supreme Deity!? If only we had known how mad you truly were! O Radiance Eight Immortals, answer us! Is this truly...the will of the Radiance Supreme Deity!? : :
One of the True Immortals, who had once been a faithful devotee of Radiance Hall, cries out in despair.
: : Even the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals (三十三天玲瓏寶仙) of Radiance Hall understand the grand cause and follow the command with loyalty...yet you fail to grasp it. : :
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord speaks, looking down at the divine spirits with utter disdain.
: : You vermin who mock fate at your whim, tormenting mortals and suppressing the freedom of all beings... : :
The Great Sun Heavenly Lord also mutters, looking down at them as if they are trash.
: : I have long known that you wretched scum used our shared affiliation to oppress and torment mortals... Receive your heavenly punishment, you despicable trash. : :
Woo-woooong!
Light begins to radiate from the Great Forest Heavenly Lord and the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord.
: : Let's finish this, Rain Dew. : :
: : Begin, Great Forest. : :
Flash.
From the Great Forest Heavenly Lord, the form of a [Snake's Head] emerges.
The shape that appears then extends, connecting to the Flower Plant, Great Sun, Torch Candle, Sword Spear, Pearl Jade, and Great Sea Heavenly Lords, drawing the [Snake's Body].
And finally, at the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord, the shape concludes as the [Snake's Tail].
The Radiance Eight Immortals begin to clasp their hands together, and at the very center of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail] that they have drawn, the Seat of Light begins to emerge.
: : Glory be... : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord's eyes gleam as they utter the first words, and the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord follows.
: : To the Radiance Supreme Deity. : :
Light begins to erupt, filling Heaven and Earth, and the Immortal Bodies of countless divine spirits crumble all at once.
No prophecy, no history revision matters...
Before that overwhelming, brutal rampage, no one can resist.
Once again, a great massacre unfolds at the hands of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
A fixed star explodes.
But in that moment, the Immortal Art of Cutting River held in In Ye's hand, and the Immortal Art of Ominous Dragon that forcibly connects the living spirits of the Crystal Glass Realm, begin to wane.
Yeo Hwi shouts in alarm.
"Hey, wait, you two! You can't be serious!? One shot isn't enough! Just help a little more!"
Ha Woon and Jeok Ru sneer at her and speak.
: : Why should we? : :
: : The promise we made with your master was to lend aid with a single use of our Immortal Arts. : :
: : The promise has been fulfilled... : :
Yeo Hwi grits her teeth.
It is absurd to claim that loosing a single arrow has already exhausted their 'one use' of Immortal Arts.
If they want to, they can still grant a lot more mercy.
Had Seo Eun-hyun been the one to summon them, the sisters would have undoubtedly shown him more than enough mercy.
Yeo Hwi understands.
The reason Ha Woon and Jeok Ru are acting this way is because they are dealing with her, not Seo Eun-hyun.
They have something they want from her, and so they are being deliberately difficult.
"...Damn it. Fine. Whatever it is you want...I'll try to give it as much as I can, so please...lend us your strength."
: : Hmm, I have no idea what you're talking about. : :
: : How could someone like you possibly give us what we want... : :
"Damn this! I'll let you use me as much as you want, so just hand over the power! Right now!"
Yeo Hwi shouts furiously, blurting out exactly what the sisters want to hear.
Hearing her declaration, the sisters cackle before responding in a voice filled with delight.
: : The disciple of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity shall bear witness... : :
: : Should the agreement be broken, you will be swallowed by the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity... Ahahahaha! To think the day would come when we can finally take full revenge on the vile enemy who toyed with us! : :
Woo-woooong!
Observing from a distance, Oh Hye-seo's will records Yeo Hwi's words.
Laughing gleefully, the sisters once again bestow their power upon Ye.
Yeo Hwi lets out a deep sigh, her face aged as if she had lived ten million more years.
'...Whatever the case, anything is better...than this cramped spacetime of emptiness. Damn it all...'
Thus, through Yeo Hwi's sacrifice, the connections receive additional aid from the Upper Immortals and once again draw their bowstring toward the sky.
Ye maintains his state of No-Thought, facing the light of Great Sea with a calm expression.
Sun Shooting (射日)!
The heart of No-Thoughts soars to the sky, pierces through Filling the Heavens Governing View, and tears the sun apart once more.
Two suns have crumbled.
Kugugugugu!
With that, the main body of the Crystal Glass Being, which had been seized by the light, begins to move.
Ham Jin grits his teeth and soars into the sky.
"Forgive me, Teacher! Yu Hwi, take over the relay with Oh Hye-seo!"
"Leave it to me."
Chwarururuk!
Unruly Chain (不逞鎖), Ham Jin.
His Immortal Art as an Immortal Treasure is Unruly (不逞).
It is an Immortal Art greatly influenced by the Non-Toppling Non-Standing of the Flattening Heaven Esteemed One, Ham Rak, of the Horned Ox Race.
The ability of Unruly is as follows:
As long as Ham Jin does not give up, all 'force' directed at him is absorbed and 'deviates from its original intention'.
Chwarururuk!
Ham Jin, transformed into chains of black and blue, coils tightly around the Immortal Body of the Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun.
Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View clashes against Ham Jin's Unruly.
Kwarururung!
Ham Jin groans in agony as if his entire body is about to be torn apart.
"Shoot quickly! I can't hold on for more than a moment!"
Ham Jin clenches his teeth, and Yu Hwi begins summoning the authority of Oh Hye-seo's Corpse Mountain Blood Sea through ghost fire stones.
"Forgive me, my master."
Kugugugugu!
Spacetime rips open as Oh Hye-seo's single strike is summoned into the area.
A colossal [arm] formed from Corpse Mountain Blood Sea emerges into the space.
Yet, even while bound by the Unruly Chains and still sealed by the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag, Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body activates Filling the Heavens Governing View.
A hazy mist forms, creating an identical [arm] to the one summoned by Oh Hye-seo.
The two massive arms clash in the void, and despite being restrained, the arm of Filling the Heavens Governing View shatters the arm of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, throwing it aside.
But through this, Ye seizes an opening.
The third Sun Shooting.
———!
Sound is erased, and the Crystal Glass Realm quakes.
The light of Great Forest explodes.
Now, only seven fixed stars remain!
Yu Hwi looks at Ye with eyes filled with hope.
As the Radiance Ten Heavens constructed by Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body collapses,
As Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body weakens,
Seo Eun-hyun's will, intertwined with Ye, grows clearer.
He is gradually regaining his mind and strength.
'Ham Jin was right.'
The more Seo Eun-hyun escapes from the Radiance Ten Heavens, the stronger he becomes.
Kururururung!
But immediately, the Crystal Glass Realm trembles.
All attraction forces in the Crystal Glass Realm begin converging towards Ye's location.
Yu Hwi looks at Yeo Hwi and Ham Jin.
Yeo Hwi has sold her body to the Upper Immortals, and Ham Jin is sacrificing himself, even to the point of enduring fatal wounds, to stop Seo Eun-hyun.
'Now it is my turn.'
Kwadududuk!
"Kkeuuugh... Kuaaaaaaaagh!"
Yu Hwi begins tearing off parts of his own body.
A sacrifice far greater than ordinary prophetic stars, far more potent than any ghost fire stone Yu Hwi has offered, is presented to Oh Hye-seo.
Just as Seo Eun-hyun once offered his desire for a name to Hyeon Rang and ripped out his lust and cast it to Zhengli, Yu Hwi now rips out the material greed clinging to his spirit and burns it as a sacrificial offering to Oh Hye-seo.
Hwarurururuk!
: : Take this, Seo Eun-hyun. : :
Once again Oh Hye-seo's authority begins to be summoned into this place.
This time, there are two arms of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
Each arm carries both a sacred aura and a wicked aura.
A jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, larger than an entire stellar system, envelops Seo Eun-hyun's main body.
: : Split (裂)! : :
A thunderous roar erupts as if Heaven and Earth are collapsing, and the authorities of Seo Eun-hyun and Oh Hye-seo collide.
Seizing that moment, Ye's arrow bursts apart the light of Flower Plant.
Seo Eun-hyun's authority seems to be pushed back by Oh Hye-seo's Immortal Art.
But even though the formula of the Radiance Ten Heavens bursts apart, Seo Eun-hyun does not fall. Instead, he overwhelms Oh Hye-seo's authority.
Kwagwagwang!
The two arms of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea explode, and Seo Eun-hyun's main body remains unscathed.
Cheok!
And once again, Ye draws his bowstring.
Rain Dew, Great Sea, Great Forest, Flower Plant.
A total of four lights are extinguished.
The moment Seo Eun-hyun's attraction force completely pushes Oh Hye-seo's will out of the Crystal Glass Realm—
Ye releases the bowstring once more.
———!
Jjeoeeeeong!!!
Great Sun splits apart.
Great Sun radiates an immense burst of light before vanishing into oblivion, and Seo Eun-hyun's main body trembles as if struck by an impact.
But immediately after, Seo Eun-hyun's will, filled with Glass True Fire, turns towards Ye.
"Hah... If I had another chance to choose, screw the return of Vast Cold or whatever. I would have just sold you off to Radiance Hall. Damn master."
Twin Constructing Chains Yeo Hwi lets out a tearful sigh as she transforms into a peng and soars into the sky.
Yu Hwi, realizing that Yeo Hwi alone is not enough, follows suit and flies alongside her.
"Twin Constructing Twin Destruction!"
"Flawless!"
Antimatter erupts from Yeo Hwi's entire body, while a very faint black circle takes shape behind Yu Hwi's back.
Kugwagwagwang!
The two Immortal Treasures are struck by the Glass True Fire and sent flying, and Ye's next arrow pierces through that gap.
No-Thought.
From the depths of that No-Thought, Ye infuses his heart as he releases the bowstring.
Countless connections are intertwined within his hands.
Han-ah.
The entire In Clan.
The living beings of the Crystal Glass Realm.
The Three Divine Spirits of the Crystal Glass Realm...
And the will of the Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun!
Yet, for some reason, a strange feeling stirs within him.
'There's...more...?'
Suddenly, he glances back for a brief moment.
Countless silhouettes are gazing at him.
And their numbers are far greater than all the living beings of the Crystal Glass Realm.
Far, far more.
This is...yes...
'I see. These are...your connections.'
They are the connections of the Crystal Glass Being.
As Seo Eun-hyun regains his will and strength, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections begins to infuse into Ye, lending him strength.
Jjeoeeeeong!
The sunlight of Torch Candle explodes.
The lights of Rain Dew, Great Sea, Great Forest, Flower Plant, Great Sun, and Torch Candle have fallen in sequence.
Only four lights remain.
Ye aims at the light of Pearl Jade.
Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body, having sent Yeo Hwi and Yu Hwi flying, reveals its fury as it casts its will once more.
A sudden fear creeps into Ye's heart.
But, Seo Eun-hyun's steadily strengthening will begins to support him.
'It's hot.'
Ye's eyes gleam.
Even though the sunlight has diminished, he somehow feels even hotter.
This is not an illusion.
Huarurururuk!
Candle flame!
A massive candle flame, burning through the hazy mist as its medium, rises from within them, shielding Ye.
A fist of hazy mist from Seo Eun-hyun's main body strikes the barrier formed by the candle flame.
Jjeoeeoong!
"I am supporting you."
Seo Eun-hyun's voice reaches Ye's ears.
"Just keep your eyes on the scene you have dreamed of."
At that moment, a transcendent sensation fills Ye's entire being.
It is a divine perception that encompasses Qi, Soul, Fate, and also the Underworld, Interdimensional Void, Source River, and the Flower Field.
Seo Eun-hyun is lending his senses to Ye.
Tears stream from Ye's eyes.
'It's beautiful.'
The history of Seo Eun-hyun, who must have ceaselessly honed himself to build up such a sense, feels overwhelmingly beautiful.
A transcendent perception of divine status that Ye would never have dared to dream of!
Recognizing his natural humility before Seo Eun-hyun, he draws his bowstring.
'Focus.'
Surrendering his body to the senses Seo Eun-hyun has granted him, he releases the bowstring towards his target.
Flash!
Once again, light erupts.
Kwaaaaaaang!
The entire Crystal Glass Realm trembles.
The light of Pearl Jade collapses and explodes.
Now, only three remain.
Castle Wall, Field Garden, and Sword Spear's sun!
Woo-wooooong!
Ye senses Seo Eun-hyun's will growing even stronger.
"Which one should we deal with first?"
"Field Garden first."
Seo Eun-hyun whispers calmly, and Ye takes aim at the light of Field Garden.
Seo Eun-hyun's main body once again attempts to suppress them with brutal Immortal Arts.
But in an instant, from where Seo Eun-hyun's will resides, a resounding dragon's roar echoes, repelling his main body.
Clang!
And at last, Ham Jin, who had been restraining Seo Eun-hyun's main body all this time, is flung away, laughing.
'This dragon's roar...'
He feels it.
His teacher, freed from the seal, is becoming an even greater existence.
Tukwang!
The light of Field Garden explodes.
The lumps of light spread throughout the Crystal Glass Realm, and Seo Eun-hyun's will becomes even clearer, smiling as if feeling refreshed.
"Well done."
"...What comes next?"
Only the suns of Sword Spear and Castle Wall remain.
And Seo Eun-hyun's main body flies forward at great speed before the fixed star of Castle Wall, blocking the way.
As if determined to protect at least that sun at all costs!
Seo Eun-hyun's increasingly vivid will presses down even more firmly on Ye and Hang's hands, overlapping them.
Up until now, the combined strength of all living beings in the Crystal Glass Realm had drawn the bowstring. But now, it feels as if only Seo Eun-hyun and Ye remain in this place.
Seo Eun-hyun's power overwhelms everything, drawing the bowstring with immense force, while Ye feels as though his only role is to pour his heart into the arrow that has been drawn.
He looks at his main body, which stands in the way of the light of Castle Wall.
"It's always better to pierce through what's open rather than what's blocked, isn't it?"
"...No. Piercing that first is the right choice."
Seo Eun-hyun and Ye take aim at the star of Castle Wall and the main body blocking it.
"Can you pierce through them together?"
"If God aids me, then of course."
"Good... Let's pierce them both together."
As he gazes at the ninth sun to be pierced, he murmurs softly.
It is a message to himself.
"Because if it were Master, he would surely...wish for this."
His master was born a snake, yet cast aside the fate of biting its tail with his own hands.
A snake biting its tail.
A pitiable existence that is trapped by itself, forever cycling.
His master broke free from that fate.
Thus, if his disciple were to face such a situation, he would wish for him to break free as well.
"You are already within me."
The attachment to worldly possessions that his master left behind has long been discarded.
There is no need to linger on it.
Tukwang!
A single arrow, released from the hands of Ye and Seo Eun-hyun, pierces the sky.
It tears through the atmosphere, pierces through the stars, and breaks through Filling the Heavens Governing View.
Their heart, even piercing the flesh of Seo Eun-hyun's main body, at last strikes the very center of the sun of Castle Wall, setting forth an explosion of light.
The entire Crystal Glass Realm begins to distort wildly.
The ruler of the Crystal Glass Realm has suffered a fatal wound.
At the same time, the spacetime of emptiness, which had expanded around Seo Eun-hyun, begins to shake uncontrollably.
The will of Oh Hye-seo, which had been expelled beyond the Crystal Glass Realm, once again starts to erode the world.
Seo Eun-hyun's will becomes more distinct than ever before.
The will that had only existed within the bloodline and history of the In Clan now feels more like the main body than the main body itself.
Yeo Hwi lets out a hollow laugh as she witnesses the immense power beginning to surge from Seo Eun-hyun.
Yu Hwi peacefully smiles, as if everything has been resolved.
Ham Jin watches the power beginning to surge from Seo Eun-hyun and breaks into a broad smile.
And...
Ye, who is standing closest to Seo Eun-hyun, hands over the bow and arrow he has been holding.
"Will you not shoot with me?"
"It is beyond my strength. As a mortal being, having shot down nine suns...is enough. I leave the last one to you. And also..."
He smiles faintly.
"Aren't we together anyway?"
Seo Eun-hyun receives Ye's smile and laughs.
"You have realized much."
What Ye hands to Seo Eun-hyun is not just a simple bow and arrow.
His heart.
The will of the entire Crystal Glass Realm is already contained within it.
Even if his hands let go, his heart still shoots alongside him.
If it is Seo Eun-hyun, he will surely be able to shoot forth all of those hearts.
Ye has no doubt.
"Please show me. The history of In Yeon...and my dream..."
"Were you not the one who wished to be free from me? How is it that you entrust your freedom to me?"
"...Did you...not entrust us with life? So...this is merely repaying the grace."
"...In Ye."
Seo Eun-hyun receives Ye's heart and moves forward, asking,
"Let me ask you one thing."
Kiiiiiiiik!
The final light.
All the hearts are aimed at the light of Sword Spear.
"If...you had to define the time we spent together in a single word...what word would you choose?"
"..."
As Ye feels the strength draining from his body, a certain scene that surfaces in his mind leaves his mouth.
Countless lights and shadows flicker through his thoughts.
His life had been divided into two.
The time of emptiness spent in the desert, and the time of effort endured in the burning hell.
"...Twilight (Light and Shadow)."
Recalling the endless cycle of day and night throughout the years, Ye utters that name.
Seo Eun-hyun trembles at the name.
"Wouldn't...Twilight...be fitting?"
"...A fine...name."
Hearing those words, Seo Eun-hyun releases the bowstring.
The last sun remaining in the Crystal Glass Realm.
The light of Sword Spear erupts with an explosion more powerful than any other sun.
Yet even after shattering the final sun, the arrow fired by Seo Eun-hyun continues forward.
As he watches the endlessly advancing arrow, he finally names the energy he has contemplated for millions of years.
The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy that Seo Eun-hyun intended to name Life-and-Death energy, takes on a different name through In Ye.
Twilight True Energy (光陰眞氣).
Life and Death, Light and Shadow.
Is it perhaps because the name carries a meaning similar to Taiji? The [name] Seo Eun-hyun has chosen bestows him with immense power.
Kugugugugu!
The Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment embedded within Seo Eun-hyun's strength begins to tremble.
Seo Eun-hyun half-opens his eyes as he watches his own power explosively amplify.
"Look, Ye."
The final arrow continues forward, tearing through all the mist and attraction force surrounding the Crystal Glass Realm in a perfect circle, reaching the world beyond.
Seo Eun-hyun lends his senses to Ye, allowing him to see the world beyond.
Beyond the Crystal Glass Realm, an endless spacetime of emptiness.
In the void where only eternal darkness seems to exist, the arrow that has pierced through all the suns carves a path.
"That is..."
Immortal Art, Impermanence Sword.
Its ability is Retribution.
And on this very day—
The ability of retribution within the Impermanence Sword is unleashed at its strongest.
The eternal time Seo Eun-hyun spent suffering, trapped in darkness.
Seo Eun-hyun and his subordinates,
And all the time endured by the beings of the Crystal Glass Realm now acts as retribution upon the Heavenly Venerable of the Void.
To give is to receive. That is retribution.
The authority of Hyeon Mu has given Seo Eun-hyun eternal solitude and confinement.
Thus, Seo Eun-hyun holds the rightful claim to receive the price of that solitude and confinement from Hyeon Mu's authority.
The hearts of all carried by the final arrow serve as proof, executing the power of the Impermanence Sword.
"This is the world you will all live in from now on."
Jjeooooooong!!!!
The arrow infused with the power of the Impermanence Sword executes retribution, piercing straight through the spacetime of emptiness.
Boundless distances and emptiness are compressed by retribution, and Hyeon Mu's authority is shattered head-on by the hearts of the connections.
And then—
Beyond the gaping hole in the spacetime of emptiness, endless starlight pours in for the first time in nearly ten million years.
Ye gazes at a world far vaster than the Crystal Glass Realm, a world resplendent with brilliant stars, and smiles brighter than ever before.
Kugugugugu!
With that smile, starlight pours down, and at the same time, the lights of the Crystal Glass Realm begin to spill into the world.
"The Radiance Ten Heavens are not needed."
Seo Eun-hyun faces the world head-on, stepping beyond the spacetime of emptiness.
"The light I shall grant this world...is here."
In Ye's smile.
In Hang's relief.
The wish of the In Clan.
The emotions and hearts of countless beings become a light more radiant than anything else, bursting forth with a brilliance greater than the Radiance Ten Heavens.
Mount Sumeru begins to absorb that light, and an explosion ignites around the will of Seo Eun-hyun embedded in history.
"Hear me, Mount Sumeru."
The explosion engulfs the entirety of the Crystal Glass Realm, yet, like the Formless Sword, it permeates through all those Seo Eun-hyun does not wish to harm, leaving them unscathed.
The only things that collapse are the traces of the Radiance Ten Heavens and the stars of prophecy that led him into madness.
"The name of this light is..."
And within that immense explosion, a new existence begins to spring.
A being breaking free from the egg of Vestige Liberation Immortal.
A life born amidst explosion.
Immortal Beast,
"Twilight (光陰)!"
Candle Shadow (燭陰)!
A massive flame, composed of Glass True Fire, blazes into the form of a dragon's head, while hazy mist and aurora form a serpentine body that spirals in a helix.
A spiraling Candle Dragon.
That is the form of Seo Eun-hyun, breaking free from ten million years of confinement and unleashing a roar.
-x-X-x-
I can feel it.
Jjeoooeooeong!
The countless hearts residing within the arrow that pierces the final sun.
The power contained in those hearts collides directly against the will of the Heavenly Venerable of Void.
Then, it utterly shatters the will of the Heavenly Venerable of Void.
Perhaps it is due to the damage inflicted by Radiance Hall, or perhaps it is because the long-cherished wish, forged over tens of millions of years of history, is that powerful.
The execution of retribution by the Impermanence Sword unfolds with immense power.
Kugugugugu!
I scatter the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens and step forward with eyes wide open.
The spacetime of emptiness tears apart, allowing the starlight from outside to seep in. At the same time, the inner rays of light leak outward.
A smile of freedom, passed down from the past.
A smile of relief, passed down from the harbor.
The smiles of countless beings, each carrying their own meanings.
Even though the Radiance Ten Heavens have been scattered, my dominion over light has not disappeared.
Because of that, I interpret these smiles with my own will.
Holding dominion over light, I perceive their smiles as light itself.
Stepping forward, I unleash the light of history that I have cultivated, illuminating it across all of Mount Sumeru.
'...I am sorry.'
Holding back the tears threatening to spill, I continue forward.
'I have...broken my vow.'
As I think of Seo Li, I engrave the light born from the history of In Yeon onto the world.
'Forgive me, Seo Li.'
I swore never to leave behind a split soul again.
But I have broken that vow.
Because the In Yeon that Ham Jin encountered was, from the very beginning, a split soul imbued with the aura of my Vast Cold Heavenly Circle.
Like Su In and Hong Yeon, or like Seo Hweol.
A split soul that barely inherited the will and authority of the original body, merely a leftover spirit body.
Lacking even my memories, it's ambiguous to even call him myself, but...that child was undoubtedly born with my heart.
'I will engrave you upon this world.'
In Yeon.
The entire In Clan.
And all the memories and history that unfolded in this Crystal Glass Realm—I will engrave them.
Steeling that will, I bestow light upon this world.
At that very moment, I feel my entire being turning into photons.
As the world absorbs my light, it is imposing a tribulation upon me.
Ordinarily, a True Immortal who fails to accumulate a sufficient amount of light is devoured by the Radiance Supreme Deity.
But I radiate my light with confidence.
'Take as much as you want. The enlightenment of the Radiance Ten Heavens that I have cultivated over ten million years. And the light of In Yeon that shattered it. Not a single one is lacking!'
The moment I firmly acknowledge this truth, I realize that I now stand at the crossroads of choice.
Condensation or dispersion.
Attraction force or explosion.
Yin or yang.
The choice is simple.
'Let's go!'
Flash!
Light begins to explode from my body.
From the moment I chose to detonate the Radiance Ten Heavens, the path was already decided.
If I must rise to Upper Immortal, then I shall first advance to the position of Immortal Beast!
The path of explosion!
Jjeoooeooeong!
My explosion is an explosion imbued with the Impermanence Sword.
That explosion permeates through those who are not meant to be harmed while sweeping away everything that is.
Not a single living being in the Crystal Glass Realm is injured.
But the planets of the Crystal Glass Realm—
The remnants of the Radiance Ten Heavens, my true body that had been briefly controlled by the [Snake] and filled with its venom—
All of it is swept away by the explosion.
And within that explosion, everything begins to melt together.
The stars of prophecy, the planets, the history lived by the inhabitants of the Crystal Glass Realm, my true body that had been consumed by the venom of the Radiance Ten Heavens—
All of it fuses into one.
But it does not end there.
'The final gateway to the Upper Immortal advancement.'
Woo-woong!
Before my eyes, an Immortal Dao connected to a Seat unfolds.
A Vestige Liberation Immortal is a kind of egg.
And advancing to Upper Immortal is the process of breaking that egg.
'The most important aspect of the Upper Immortal advancement is...relinquishing one's omnipotent potential.'
In the state of a Vestige Liberation Immortal, one can dip their feet into countless Immortal Daos.
But from Upper Immortal onward, it is different.
One must forsake all Immortal Daos except for the one they have chosen.
It is a process of becoming even more specialized in one's own Immortal Dao.
'Immortal Cultivation is repentant enlightenment!'
Swaaaaaaa—
Somewhere, it sounds as if waves are crashing.
'Like tiny grains of salt gathering to form a sea...'
Accumulate repentant enlightenment to build a mountain.
Accumulating.
'This is...the Immortal Dao of Great Mountain (太山).'
[The accumulation of small things into something great]—this is the Immortal Dao I walk, and the true nature of the Immortal Dao that Gwak Am has seized.
However, whereas the Salt Sea Supreme Deity interpreted the Seat through the [accumulation of self-contemplation]—
I can sense that Gwak Am has interpreted the Seat in a far more cruel and devilish manner.
Wooo-woooong!
At that moment, as I fully enter into my Immortal Dao, I realize that the breadth of my omnipotence is diminishing even further.
As a Vestige Liberation Immortal, I could make prophecies about anything without restriction.
But from now on, it is different.
From this moment forward, I can only make prophecies and revisions about [the accumulation of small things into something great].
Upon reaching Upper Immortal, while one's dominion over their Immortal Dao strengthens, their omnipotence as a Vestige Liberation Immortal is restricted to prophecies and revisions related to that Immortal Dao alone.
But that does not matter.
After all, my entire life has been nothing but an endless accumulation of my own efforts.
Upper Immortal is the realm where one gains genuine authority and interpretation of their Seat, as well as the ability to push forward with their interpretation.
"Repentant enlightenment is..."
Holding the enlightenment I have just attained in my heart, I succeed in fully stepping into my Immortal Dao.
"Accumulating one's own life."
It is somewhat different from that of my master, the Salt Sea Supreme Deity—
And vastly different from that of Gwak Am.
I push forward with my interpretation, and within the explosion, I begin to be reborn as a new life.
Kugugugugugu!
'Ah...that is...'
It is Taiji (太極).
The power of the history pathway I have chosen.
And the power of the Immortal Dao I have begun to walk.
These two forces draw a Taiji within me, achieving harmony.
'I see now. Immortal Cultivation in the realm of True Immortality is...moving forward while balancing fate, history, and the Immortal Dao one has chosen...!'
At the very moment the Immortal Dao and the Taiji of the history pathway align—
Kugugugugu!
My form begins to take shape.
Is it perhaps because I was poisoned with the venom of the [Snake] for nearly ten million years during the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens?
My body resembles a snake made of hazy mist.
My head, much like when I was a Vestige Liberation Immortal, takes the form of a massive candle flame of Glass True Fire.
However, the candle takes on a grand shape of a dragon's head, and I feel the existence of [me] as an Immortal Beast being engraved upon this entire world.
At the same time, the Candle Dragon Race, which I have maintained through Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, formally connects with me, and I perceive their Immortal Beast True Blood awakening.
Recalling the symbol of my master, the Salt Sea Being, I draw a helix and roar as if ascending to the heavens.
Kugugugugugu!
Spacetime trembles, and at last, I break free from the egg—becoming the Immortal Beast, Candle Shadow (燭陰).
Or, as some would call it, Candle Dragon.
Jjiiiiing!
Simultaneously, I feel something being ejected from my soul.
Clang, clang, jjeooong!
It is the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag.
One of the seven flags is pulled away from me.
It seems that inflicting fatal damage upon myself by forcefully shattering the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens, then advancing to Upper Immortal in that state, left the flag momentarily unable to bridge the gap in power.
At the same time, I feel a profound enlightenment imprint itself upon my mind, and the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag that was drawn out is immediately reabsorbed, becoming one of my Immortal Treasures.
Though having one of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags extracted should be cause for celebration, I let out a low groan.
'...Damn it.'
Chwaaaaaaaa!
Simultaneously, I sense the countless living beings of the Crystal Glass Realm dying en masse.
For a fleeting moment, as the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag was pulled away, I failed to control my power. In that state, I fully revealed my true body, causing them to vaporize.
The souls of the Crystal Glass Realm's living beings, perhaps influenced by Ye, find freedom and move towards an even vaster world.
Watching this, I turn back.
From where I resided just moments ago, only the corpses of Ye and Hang remain.
They used an Immortal Art that squeezed their very lives and have fallen into slumber.
It's when I gaze upon them with sorrow.
Kugugugugu!
Beyond the collapsing spacetime of emptiness, the dimension distorts as something emerges.
The familiar aura of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
It's Oh Hye-seo.
"It's been a while, Seo Eun-hyun."
"It's been a while, Oh Hye-seo."
I lower my head slightly towards her.
"And...in any case, I appreciate the help. I was able to survive thanks to your aid as well. Really...thank you."
"...Hah. You're ridiculous. For now...take this."
She glares at me with gloomy eyes, then pulls something from her sleeve and tosses it toward me.
They are five scrolls.
As they draw closer, the scrolls gradually enlarge. By the time they reach me, they expand to the scale of a massive nebula.
Immediately after—
Kugugugugugu!
The nebula-sized scrolls begin to unfurl.
It feels as if a nebula is cascading down like a waterfall before my eyes.
But more than that, I flinch upon seeing what is drawn inside the scrolls.
"...This is..."
It is a taenghwa.
And within that taenghwa, I see faces that are all too familiar.
Kim Young-hoon, gripping a golden saber and poised to strike.
Jeon Myeong-hoon, taking the form of three heads and eight arms.
Kang Min-hee, her figure barely visible within pitch-black darkness.
Oh Hyeon-seok, boiling amidst the vapor of primordial chaos.
And...
"...It was you."
Only now do I understand why In Ye's fate was [Seeking Freedom].
In the final taenghwa, there is a noble figure draped in palace attire, resembling a light pink bird.
It is Kim Yeon.
Kim Yeon's power had seeped more subtly than even Oh Hye-seo's into the spacetime of emptiness, intertwining with In Yeon's family.
And in the end, it had lodged itself within In Ye's mind, shaping the conclusion.
She had been with me all along.
At the same time, I grasp the meaning behind these paintings and cover my face with one hand.
If I don't, I feel as though I might break down and weep right now.
These taenghwa are portraits.
Nearly ten million years have passed.
To be precise, about 9.6 million years.
And in all that time...
Only Oh Hye-seo and I remain.
The moment I realize these taenghwa are the portraits of my comrades—
Paaaatt!
The taenghwa.
Among them, Kang Min-hee's taenghwa in particular surges with powerful energy, unveiling a miracle so astonishing my eyes widen.
Chwaaaaaa!
The spirits of the Crystal Glass Realm, who had just died due to me.
And...
In Ye.
Those whose fates have ended are now granted the [right to remember this life and reincarnate].
I can tell who drew these taenghwa.
It is Kang Min-hee.
The taenghwa she painted while pleading with the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, imbuing it with the miracle I need most when I finally emerge from the spacetime of emptiness.
That is the consideration she left behind.
"...Thank you...Min-hee."
I am able to be freed from the immense guilt of the debt I owe to In Ye and the countless other living beings.
My heart feels at peace.
Chwararararak!
And as if fulfilling their purpose upon sensing my peace of heart—
The taenghwa scrolls, depicting my comrades, fold themselves up and rush towards me.
Paaatt!
Immediately after—
The scrolls are absorbed into my soul, connecting with me just like the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner and the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag. As I feel their presence, I turn to face Oh Hye-seo.
"These are..."
"Kang Min-hee painted them. And she told me to give them to you when you escape from that emptiness. I don't know much, but judging by how even Kang Min-hee wasn't sure of the reason, it must have been advice from the God of Death."
"...Thank you. For bringing this to me...Truly, thank you, Oh Hye-seo...!"
I sincerely bow to Oh Hye-seo with a heart full of gratitude.
However, she only lets out a small scoff.
"Don't misunderstand. It's not for you. I just...couldn't refuse the request of Oh Hyun-seok, my paternal uncle (季父)."
"..."
"..."
I quietly gaze at her, and she, having finished speaking, looks back at me.
My gratitude has been conveyed enough.
However, I notice that the madness lurking within her gloomy eyes has not subsided even after ten million years.
"Then, now that I've fulfilled my paternal uncle's final wish, I have nothing else holding me back."
"...Oh Hye-seo."
"Shut up. I have nothing more to say to you. There's only one thing left for me to do now."
Kugugugugugu!
At that moment, multiple mountains of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea begin to appear around her.
"There was a great war. A war waged by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and the Radiance Eight Immortals holding hands. Of course, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity abandoned me here and disappeared to Penglai Island or who-knows-where, so the war was fought only by the Radiance Eight Immortals. Anyway, during that time...I was sealed within the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain, gathering every last trace the Great Mountain Supreme Deity left behind there."
Woo-wooooong!
Oh Hye-seo continues speaking.
At the same time, from somewhere far away, I begin to sense the presence of the Thirty-Three Exalted Upper Immortals.
"The Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals. They are some of the few fanatics who didn't betray Radiance Hall during the great war. Anyway...I've now become a being that...cannot be sealed unless the Upper Immortals who are the Thirty-Three Exalted do not combine their strengths. Even then, as an Ender, I can use my authority to escape like this. Of course...the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals are incredibly powerful and troublesome fanatics."
With eyes clouded with madness, she briefly glances at the direction where the beings of the Thirty-Three Exalted are approaching.
"You get what I'm saying, Seo Eun-hyun? I don't want to be interrupted by those bothersome guys. Before they interfere...let's settle this."
The energy of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea begins to gather entirely towards her.
She seems to be both a Heaven Immortal and an Immortal Beast.
Her form changes into a monstrous amalgamation of bizarre symbols and shapes of numerous Immortal Beasts.
In contrast, I return to my human form from that of an Immortal Beast and take my stance.
"Come at me, Seo Eun-hyun. Let us end this ill-connection."
For a moment, I read the look in her eyes.
Then, swallowing a silent breath, I soar.
Kugugugugugu!
In the midst of all this, the presence of the Thirty-Three Exalted continue to draw closer.
I think I understand the way she wants to settle this.
Short. Swift. A single decisive clash.
"Immortal cultivation is repentant enlightenment."
"Immortal cultivation is repentant enlightenment."
Almost simultaneously, the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra bursts from both our lips.
Gik, gigigigik, gigigigigigik!
Centered around Oh Hye-seo, who has reached the realm of a Great Net Immortal, an immense attraction force begins to form.
At the same time, centered around the weight class that has reached the peak of Great Net Immortal of my Upper Immortal true body, an attraction force that transcends imagination begins to emerge.
Pure white light gathers in each of our hands.
In Oh Hye-seo's hands, the seven energies of Yin-Yang and Five Elements converge, forming the core of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
In my hands, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections gathers, becoming Impermanence.
Kugugugugugu!
Centered around her Yin-Yang and Five Elements, stars begin to be drawn in.
The place we stand is the Good Sight Heavenly Domain, which I have just emerged into after shattering the spacetime of emptiness.
The attraction force of the Good Sight Heavenly Domain reaches its peak.
As the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra of she and I resonate, their power steadily increases. Before long, the attraction force grows to a level just shy of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra demonstrated by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity in the 19th cycle.
Kugugugugu!
The river of stars is being pulled in.
At first, it is a galactic group.
Then, an entire galaxy. Next, a galaxy cluster is swallowed.
Thus, seventy or so galaxy clusters are compressed within Oh Hye-seo's grasp, while in mine, only an increasingly transparent energy continues to gather.
Then, in an instant.
Though much slower than the Great Mountain Supreme Deity of the 19th cycle, the eyes of Oh Hye-seo, who compresses the entirety of a space the size of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain into a single point of light within her hands, meets mine.
No words are exchanged.
But that alone is enough.
: : Splitting (裂)! : :
: : Emperor (帝)! : :
She and I shout in unison.
The seventy galaxy clusters concentrated in her grasp explode all at once, surging towards me.
The way they are launched somehow resembles the Salt Sea Returning Dew Jade.
And I, in response, swing the transparent energy I have continuously gathered.
The Impermanence Sword, refined to the extreme limit through the power of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
To face her, this alone is enough.
Clutching the sword of impermanence, I rush forward in a proper stance, thrusting.
The closer I get to her, the greater the pressure of the rays condensed from the galaxy clusters, threatening to crush my entire body.
Yet, I do not falter, and I embed a prophecy into my sword.
I prophesize:
What I have accumulated shall never bend.
That alone is enough.
Flash!
I pierce through the explosion of countless galaxies and reach beyond, where Oh Hye-seo stands.
I feel the clash between the Immortal Art imbued in my Impermanence Sword and the Immortal Art that forms the foundation of her being.
Impermanence and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens collide.
And then, my sword shatters.
Kwaching!
But my sword is Impermanence (無常).
A divine weapon that infinitely changes shape even if it breaks once.
Thus, I grip the fragmented end of the sword, press forward, and pierce through her abdomen, simultaneously cleaving through the upper half of her body.
"...It's quite cruel. That Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens of yours..."
Recalling what I felt when clashing against Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, I let out a silent sigh.
Though it ultimately became a tool for passing down love in the Crystal Glass Realm, the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that she inherited from Seo Hweol...became an Immortal Art far more violent and agonizing than ever imagined.
In the Crystal Glass Realm, it had merely undergone a slight change in property under the influence of Kim Yeon's power, which had seeped in unnoticed.
"You have made an Immortal Art that is...far too cruel to yourself, Oh Hye-seo."
Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens functions as the most cruel and agonizing Immortal Art upon herself.
Oh Hye-seo lets out a twisted laugh.
Gradually, her body begins to break apart, fragmenting piece by piece.
It seems she had poured all of her prophetic stars and ancient force into that true body.
She is undergoing complete annihilation.
Turning to look at me, she gives a distorted smile.
"You're really strong. You...your Filling the Heavens Governing View contained in your Impermanence Sword. That...wasn't even meant to fight me in the first place, was it?"
With eyes filled with pain, she looks upon the trajectory I had taken as I tore through her ray of light.
There, under the effects of my Filling the Heavens Governing View and history revision, the galaxies that Oh Hye-seo had crushed and obliterated with the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra are all returning to their rightful places.
The civilizations numbering in the thousands, tens of thousands, hundred of millions, that had been moments from unjust destruction at Oh Hye-seo's hands, are granted [one more chance] as [the price of destruction] through the 'retribution' of the Impermanence Sword.
Then, by utilizing the 'failure' of Filling the Heavens Governing View, it makes [destruction itself fail] through that [one more chance].
And by using my history revision as an Immortal Beast, I naturally weave these events together, so that no being suffers any harm from the battle that just took place between her and me.
Of course, those civilizations must have felt horrifying pain and terror from experiencing destruction even once, but there is nothing I can do about that, so I choose to move on.
"A Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra that does not crush and compress others to unleash its might, but one that forges your own Immortal Art to unfold... You're truly...strong. I envy you...envy...so...much..."
With those final words, Oh Hye-seo crumbles into dust within the void.
"...Before, you once asked me."
I mutter to the empty space where Oh Hye-seo has scattered.
"You asked what I know about life."
No reply comes, but I let out a bitter smile as I speak my response.
"Trapped in the Crystal Glass Realm, living alongside the connections there, I've come to understand it a little. From In Yeon's family...I have learned so many things. Life is..."
Recalling the arrow of In Ye that pierced through the sun and continued soaring endlessly, I voice their enlightenment.
"Moving forward."
Even if no answer is in sight,
Continuing to move forward.
Yearning for freedom and striving towards a wider world, moving forward.
Perhaps that is what life is.
That thought settles within me.
Of course, moving forward is not the entirety of life.
But surely, it is one of the important perspectives through which to view life.
"...Now it really seems...the end is approaching."
I let out a bitter smile as I gaze at Hyeon Mu, who has appeared like a midday phantom in the spot where Oh Hye-seo had scattered.
"I will say this for the last time. Hand over your subordinate."
"...So you were waiting for my rise as an Immortal Beast."
Once one becomes an Upper Immortal, they can only enact prophecies and revisions related to their own Immortal Dao.
I can no longer use the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld as leverage to threaten Hyeon Mu as I did before.
I give a bitter smile and raise my Impermanence Sword.
"For the one called Martial God...it is truly cowardly."
"You are speaking strange words. Martial Arts is simply Martial Arts. There is no such thing as cowardly. Do you think piercing an opponent's weakness is cowardly?"
"...I apologize. It was just a childish complaint."
Kugugugugu!
Beyond, I sense the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals, who were said to have sealed Oh Hye-seo, on the verge of descending. However, with a mere wave of Hyeon Mu's hand, they are cast away into a distant space without resistance.
"Now then. Shall we see how much you have grown in ten million years?"
"..."
I silently raise my Impermanence Sword.
Perhaps, this is the final moment of the 1002nd cycle.
Resolving to pour everything I have, I anticipate my final dance with the True Martial Great Emperor.
-x-X-x-
Gigigigigigigigik!
I break into cold spiritual energy.
Just facing her makes it feel as if space is twisting and time is compressing.
An overwhelming sense of ominous dread, beyond what words can describe, coils around my entire being.
However, I do not let it show. Instead, I let the momentum flow as naturally as possible, steadying my stance to counter dance, however it may begin.
Seeing me like this, Hyeon Mu smirks.
Then, she suddenly asks,
"Why did you kill Oh Hye-seo?"
"...Because she accepted it herself."
I recall Oh Hye-seo's final moments.
Ten million years.
Over that immense span of time, it seemed she had come to accept that Seo Hweol could never be revived to some extent.
But she could not fully let it go. That was why she had chosen to settle things with me.
"Her lover died by my hands. But Oh Hye-seo still believed he was alive. However, as time passed, perhaps her heart changed a little. It seemed she had begun to accept, at least partially, the possibility that her lover was truly dead. Maybe the reason she willingly let herself die at my hands was because..."
I let out a bitter smile.
With her death, every last one of my fellow Enders from this era is now gone.
"If she could not meet him by dying, perhaps she thought she could reunite with him through true death."
"Hmm...Although it's an irrelevant answer, it's a good one. Seems your insight is at least somewhat useful."
Hyeon Mu speaks in cryptic words and lets something dangle from her hand.
With just that simple motion, it feels as if my entire body is about to be crushed.
"Well, I suppose it's only normal for someone who's not even a true Great Net Immortal and only in the weight class of one to have not seen it... You failed to notice the weave of fate that had been spun around her. The Radiance Eight Immortals may have formed a temporary alliance, but why do you think they kept Oh Hye-seo, the disciple of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity they so despised, alive all this time?"
"...Are you perhaps saying her death is somehow connected to the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's plans?"
"That is right. The mantra the Great Mountain Supreme Deity seeks to recite would ordinarily take at least one hundred million years—at most, one billion years. However, that one drastically reduced the duration by selectively placing misfortune upon Their own fate. And that 'selective misfortune' was precisely this."
As Hyeon Mu continues, I narrow my eyes.
"Gwak Am used a spell that would consider the death of Their own disciple, Oh Hye-seo, as misfortune, which would drastically accelerate the mantra. A madman. They calculated and positioned Their own disciple as nothing more than a sacrificial piece on Their board. Thus...very soon...Their mantra will be complete."
With gloomy eyes, Hyeon Mu raises her sword towards me.
"It would be best if this ends before that one's mantra activates."
"...Just what exactly is Their mantra?"
"Do I have any reason to tell you? Enough talk—come at me. Let me teach you a move."
"..."
Surung—
My mind sharpens like a honed blade.
Hyeon Mu's casual talk just now was likely an attempt to shake my focus with powerful information before the duel even began.
One could call it cowardly since she tried to subdue me with something beyond mere Martial Arts, but I would not dare utter such words.
'Like a lion hunting a rabbit.'
A lion always hunts with all its might, whether its prey is a rabbit or a deer.
From Hyeon Mu's perspective, I must be nothing more than a 'rabbit' to be hunted with full force.
How long have I been facing the hunter from the prey's perspective?
Surung—
The tip of Hyeon Mu's weapon shifts ever so slightly.
That is the trigger.
Kwaaaang!
I raise my Impermanence Sword and begin executing the Severing Heaven Sword Form.
Severing Heaven Sword Form.
First Form.
Entering Heaven!
Kigigigik!
Hyeon Mu's weapon collides with my Impermanence Sword.
Entering Heavens is, quite literally, the ultimate culmination of basic techniques.
As if we had made a prior agreement, Hyeon Mu also chooses to fight using only the basics.
But the fundamentals of weaponry are not simply about swinging a weapon.
A weapon is, at its core, an extension of the arms and legs.
In other words, an extension of the body itself.
Thus, wielding a weapon depends entirely on how well one utilizes that extended part of the body.
Our weapons clash.
I tilt my Impermanence Sword at an angle, pulling the center of her weapon's balance towards me. With a twist of my wrist, I move to slice Hyeon Mu's throat.
In that fleeting instant—
Hyeon Mu's foot steps in between my feet, closing the distance.
She twists her body as she watches my sword aiming for her neck. Her knee hooks around mine, disrupting my posture.
I reach out with my other hand, seizing her shoulder while bringing my blade down.
But she deflects the Impermanence Sword with an upward strike, then seizes my hand gripping her shoulder and throws me over.
Booong!
Using the momentum, I push off and create distance between us.
And that is when it truly begins.
Hyeon Mu's mysterious weapon starts to extend.
At the same time, my Impermanence Sword also begins extending to my will.
A weapon is an extension of the limbs.
Then, how far can that extension reach?
Shukang!
The emptiness in Hyeon Mu's grasp soars skyward and cleaves a nearby planet in half.
A marvel accomplished through sheer size alone.
I, too, expand my Impermanence Sword and meet her strike head-on. She, in turn, utilizes my force against me, shifting her stance to launch a thrust.
Paaang!
Even as the thrust closes in, its properties shift—
A spear's thrust. A sword's stab.
The piercing of an arrowhead.
The transformations occur multiple times in an instant.
Each movement adheres perfectly to the principles of Martial Arts, to the point it is beautiful.
It is as if she is dancing.
I realize, with a bitter smile, that I am already being drawn into her dance.
Our dance gradually quickens.
Hyeon Mu's single strike grows sharper and more vicious.
Booong!
A simple horizontal slash.
With that slash, the galaxy behind is split in half.
I can feel it.
It is clear that if she exerts her full strength, she can easily annihilate several Heavenly Domains in a single strike.
Before I know it, the dancing her begins to step into a transcendent speed.
In no time, we are moving at the speed of light, swiftly re-entering the Interdimensional Void of the Good Sight Heavenly Domain.
The Vestiges in the Interdimensional Void scatter in terror the moment they sense our presence. I, too, feel the urge to flee like them.
'Damn it...'
Her acceleration continues to increase.
But the faster I go, the more I feel my entire body shattering apart, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.
Transcending light is by no means an easy feat.
Yet, even as Hyeon Mu pushes me with a speed transcending light, she maintains a leisurely expression.
A thrust surpasses a flash of light and pierces my heart.
A vertical slash severs my pinky finger.
With a single step and a spinning motion, my left rib and chest are sliced open in the circle that was drawn.
As she lowers her waist and rises in an upward strike, my fingernails are torn off.
A single kick sends my head ringing.
A single strike that shreds my entire body leaves beads of blood welling all over my body.
With a single sword, my Impermanence Sword shatters, forcing me to reconstruct its form.
I am continuously being pushed back.
Kuguguguk!
To break free from this situation, I momentarily amplify my speed using the body of an Immortal Beast and my martial arts.
If I keep getting caught in her dance, all that awaits me is defeat.
But at that very moment—
Kwaaaaaang!
With a feeling as if I collided with something, I find myself inside the Source River. Hyeon Mu watches me calmly, the corners of her lips twisting upward.
—Let me ask you. What is Martial Arts?
Inside the Source River, where countless scenes of time flow by,
Standing atop one of those drifting visions like a buoy, Hyeon Mu asks.
Paaaang!
Then, in a fleeting instant, she kicks off the Source River and rushes toward me while swinging something dark at me with a nearby vision.
—That...is something I don't think I can define.
—Is that so? Then allow me to define it for you. Martial Arts (武) is [nothing at all].
Before I know it, I begin moving through the Source River at a speed that transcends spacetime.
As I continue to accelerate, time itself starts to move backward, albeit slowly.
—Quite literally, it is nothing more than an ugly power that borrows the strength of Heaven and Earth to struggle against them. All those of Martial Arts are the same, and so are all of the Heart Tribe. In the end, Martial Arts, the manifestation of the Heart Tribe, is merely the insignificant result of picking and choosing the best aspects of the Heaven and Earth Tribes to adopt. That is why, to become a True Immortal through the realm of the Heart Tribe, the realm of the Heaven and Earth Tribes is absolutely necessary.
'This is...'
As my speed transcends certain threshold—
I realize that the entire world appears different.
'This, this is...'
The past and the future.
And their flows are clearly visible.
The past is a narrow, established path of a single possibility, while the future is a labyrinth of countless possibilities spreading outward.
—In the end, the Three Great Ultimates are nothing more than a preparatory stage to Divine Descent the power of Heaven and Earth within our bodies.
—Divine Descent...?
—A temporary acceptance. The only way for the frail Heart Tribe to defeat a beast of prey is to use tools and mimic the movements of the beast. Then, what about the Heart Tribe who have reached the realm of True Immortality? Must we become fate and history itself, or should we wield them as tools?
I am the past.
Since I am walking the history pathway, I begin to block Hyeon Mu's attacks along the narrow path.
Hyeon Mu, as if drawing upon the power of the Heaven Tribe, collides against me within the flow of countless possibilities.
—Do not be dominated. Do not seek to dominate. Simply entrust yourself to the flow and accept its aid. The Heart Tribe is weak. Only by borrowing tools, borrowing appearances, and borrowing movements can we barely defeat other beings.
Kiiiiiiing!
Behind Hyeon Mu, a [Blackened Three Great Ultimates] rises.
—The symbol of the Three Great Ultimates, which appears when a mortal being practices Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation alongside the manifestation of the Heart Tribe, is...a [bowl]. What you choose to fill this [bowl] with is entirely up to you. Whether you fill it with the sky, with life, or with an untainted heart—it is your choice. But what is most important is...
Kugugugugu!
I shiver as I recognize the terrifying divine status of Hyeon Mu.
Great Net Immortal as a Heaven Immortal.
Great Net Immortal as an Earth Immortal.
Reaching the realm of a Great Net Immortal through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation—that is Hyeon Mu.
—One must not dominate, nor be dominated. The Heart Tribe must always borrow. They must utilize or counter-utilize. Even if one is a Heaven Immortal or an Earth Immortal, as long as they properly wield their fate and life...
Kiiiiiiing!
Our battle quickens.
I unleash every form of Severing Heaven Sword Form to resist her, yet against Hyeon Mu's accelerating attacks, it becomes impossible to keep up.
—Then they are a true Martial Artist. Let me ask you. Are you the master of your fate and life?
Kwaaaaaang!
At some point—
After taking another strike from Hyeon Mu, I find myself in an unfamiliar dimension.
A world where Heaven and Earth bloom with fragrant, beautiful flower fields.
"The Western Heaven Flower Field, huh? It's been a while."
Hyeon Mu approaches, trampling over the flowers without hesitation.
"...In this way, by invoking Divine Descent into the [bowl] of the Three Great Ultimates and wielding that power as its master...we eventually come to understand the form of the power. There are three forms in total. When one understands and learns all three forms...it is called Triple Divinity (三神性), and a sign that Udumbara has fully bloomed. And...attaining Triple Divinity is the ultimate of the Martial Arts (武) we have explored. Generally speaking..."
Hyeon Mu shrugs before stepping forward and pressing her foot down on my throat.
"Calling it the seventh stage of Manifestation is the most straightforward term. Of course...in the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, I alone have reached this realm."
If creating a [bowl] through the Three Great Ultimates and attaining Udumbara is the sixth stage,
Then comprehending what is called Triple Divinity within Udumbara and blooming it fully is regarded as the seventh stage of Manifestation.
"It was fun in its own way after a long time. Not many have followed to this realm and listened to my teachings. Now then..."
With an expressionless face, Hyeon Mu raises something in her hand.
"Killing a junior like you the moment they have entered would be utterly boring. Hand over your subordinate. The fact that I am offering this many chances is already a miracle. This is truly your last opportunity."
"..."
As I listen to Hyeon Mu's words, I feel that they are the truth.
It must be true.
For a being like Hyeon Mu to give me this much advice to someone like me is an absurd level of excessive kindness.
But I simply smile.
Booong!
Heavenly Escape!
I attempt to melt into the domain of purity from the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, fleeing.
But then I feel chills all over my body.
'This is insane...'
For me, using Heavenly Escape is a gamble risking my life, yet Hyeon Mu enters the domain of purity as naturally as breathing.
Within the domain of purity, not even Hyeon Mu should be able to perceive things properly or act recklessly.
Yet, she unleashes a wide-range attack, forcefully pushing me out of the domain of purity where I had settled.
Keheok!
Expelled from the domain of purity, I look up at Hyeon Mu, whose divine status is beyond reason, and let out a low groan.
'I can't...win...'
I am defeated.
It is not due to some absolute technique like a special Immortal Art, Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, or Filling the Heavens Sword Rain.
It is simply a difference in pure capability.
She overwhelms me in every aspect.
With the disparity in skill alone, all of my attacks are severed, and my defenses are shattered.
That is all there is to it.
Just as I am about to despair at my defeat to Hyeon Mu—
Kururururung!
The entire Eastern Heaven Flower Field trembles.
Hyeon Mu, who had been staring down at me with a look that seemed ready to kill me at any moment, suddenly shifts her gaze to the distance, as if she has noticed something amusing.
"Oh dear... The Western Heaven Flower Field is shaking like a tattered rag? Kukuk... It has begun. Gwak Am's mantra. That is the precursor phenomenon."
"...!"
Hyeon Mu chuckles and takes a step back from me.
"I will ask you once more. You have lost to me. And yet, will you still refuse to hand over your subordinate?"
"...That is correct."
"Then I suppose there is no helping it."
Kugugugugugu!
The domain of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable shakes violently. Hyeon Mu grabs my hair and takes a single step forward.
Paaatt!
Before I know it, we are back in the Astral Realm, in the Good Sight Heavenly Domain.
"If that is truly your choice, then I will show consideration so you can behold a splendid sight before you die."
Thud!
I collapse onto the surface of a planet within the Good Sight Heavenly Domain and gaze up at the sky.
'This... What is this...!?'
A precursor phenomenon of the mantra.
That is all it is said to be.
And yet—
The Flower Field of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
The Netherworld of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
The Source River of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.
The Interdimensional Void of the Heavenly Venerable of the Void.
All those realms and the Astral Realm are trembling like mad.
"Now, watch..."
Then, as the next scene unfolds, my eyes widen.
It collapses.
The Heavenly Domains are beginning to crumble under a golden light.
Hyeon Mu lets out a small sigh of admiration, followed by a hollow chuckle.
"Perhaps...that light is the closest to the [First Light]..."
I watch in a daze alongside Hyeon Mu as the light annihilates the world, my mouth agape.
I stand there, dazed, watching alongside Hyeon Mu as the golden radiance brings the world to ruin.
Then, at some moment when my mind clears—
'...Huh?'
I suddenly realize that I am dying, crimson energy seeping from my entire body like blood.
The light that destroys the Heavenly Domains has disregarded my entire perception domain, which has reached the realm Severing Heaven and Earth Upper Immortal, and has severed my life.
Hyeon Mu, seeming to have survived by some technique, coughs up a mouthful of black blood and lets out a hollow laugh.
"How aggressive. Even during dual cultivation, it was the same. Damn bastard..."
The light is devouring the world.
As I stare at that sight, I feel my consciousness fading.
Beyond that light, I can sense a familiar aura.
The aura of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
It is the aura of Gwak Am, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Gwak Am is destroying Mount Sumeru.
It is not just the Good Sight Heavenly Domain that is collapsing.
I get the feeling that all the Heavenly Domains are being swallowed by that light at once.
'...I...see. This is...the end...'
Feel slightly empty for some reason, I gaze at the golden light, more terrifying and oppressive than anything else.
That light is an undeniable tyranny, and yet...
It is beautiful.
Amidst the breathtaking spectacle that brings an end to the entire world, I collapse where I stand.
'...Even so... In this life as well...'
My consciousness grows dim.
Whatever this light is, neither prophecy nor revision can heal me.
It feels as if something fundamental within me has been torn away.
'I did...my best...'
Everything struck by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's light is swept away. All beings, except Hyeon Mu, fail to maintain even their forms and begin to vanish.
And in the final moments of such a life—
I see a certain figure.
It is the face of an old man appearing to be in his late fifties, with strands of white threading through his hair.
His face is a little too young to be called an old man, but regardless, he is unmistakably familiar.
"...Hong...Fan..."
Hong Fan gazes down at my dying self with sorrowful eyes, biting his lips.
"...So you are passing away, Master..."
"It...can't...be...helped..."
Suddenly, I sense Hyeon Mu belatedly recognizing Hong Fan and turning her gaze towards us.
Feeling this, I reach out and grasp Hong Fan's hand, who is gently touching my body with sorrow.
"Go...now..."
Flee.
Please flee from Hyeon Mu, from this destruction, as much as you can.
That is what I want to say.
But my voice does not come out properly, and Hong Fan only looks down at me with bitter eyes.
"...In the end, neither Master nor any of your comrades... None of you ever made it back to your homeland, the Head Realm. Every single one of you...were more bright and full of potential than anyone else, to the point of becoming a True Immortal... I had such hopes...for your achievements... And yet, is this how it all ends..."
Hong Fan exhales a sigh as he rises from his seat.
I should be telling Hong Fan to run away from Hyeon Mu, yet for some reason, Hyeon Mu does not strike him down instantly.
Instead, I hear something strange in Hyeon Mu's voice.
My vision blurs, and soon, I can no longer see ahead.
But my hearing remains sharp, and I can distinctly hear Hyeon Mu's trembling voice right by my ear.
"What...what is this...? Ha, haha... You... You are... Ah, no. No. That can't be. That cannot be... No. No. No..."
It is a voice that is hard to believe belongs to the same Hyeon Mu who toyed with me just moments ago.
Then, I hear Hong Fan's voice.
I hear his footsteps as well.
Hong Fan is, yes.
Ignoring Hyeon Mu.
He is walking towards the golden light.
Towards the direction where the Heavenly Domain is collapsing.
For some reason, he even seems angry.
'Hong...Fan... No...'
He is going to be killed by Gwak Am.
'Don't go...'
"Do...n't...go..."
Please, Hong Fan.
Live.
Do not go there.
"Hong...Fan..."
Hong Fan, perhaps enraged at the Great Mountain Supreme Deity who caused my death, walks into the far distance, radiating intent full of anger.
I barely manage to open my eyes, capturing my last glimpse of Hong Fan.
As expected, he is walking straight into the golden torrent unleashed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Glaring towards the very center of the golden torrent, he mutters,
"...Utterly useless. A worthless bastard who only brings trouble... Whoever taught you, truly...you bring nothing but harm."
He is exuding killing intent towards the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Yet, why is it?
The words that escape my lips are something entirely different, completely irrelevant.
"For...give...Gwak...Am..."
Why did such words leave my mouth?
Maybe death is so close that my thoughts are no longer clear.
Or perhaps, it is because the sight of Hong Fan boldly striding towards Gwak Am...resembles a snake stalking its prey.
As I listen to Hong Fan's final words directed at the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, my consciousness fades completely.
"For trash like you..."
That is my 1003rd return.
Kugugugugugu!
At the heart of the golden torrent—
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gam Am suddenly turns Their gaze towards a distant place.
Kugugugugugu!
The Radiance Eight Immortals, who had agreed to cooperate with Them, are now rising with hostility.
: : B E T R A Y A L I S I T ? W E L L , F R O M Y O U R P E R S P E C T I V E , T H A T I S O N L Y N A T U R A L ... : :
Receiving the enmity of the Radiance Eight Immortals and the ominous aura beyond them, Gwak Am murmurs.
: : T H E S N A K E I S C O M I N G : :
Wearing a snake's mask over Their face, Gwak Am lifts Their head towards the approaching snake.
: : I S H A L L H U N T T H E S N A K E , T R A M P L E I T S B L O O D , A N D R E A C H T H E A U D I E N C E C H A M B E R : :
On this day—
One of the two shall become the hunted.
The Golden Great Mountain and the form of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail] begin to collide.