"Huuuuh..."
I shake my head.
Now is not the time to be worrying about the Way of Light or the Way of Salt.
'Right now, I need to act my part so that I don't get caught by the light.'
I look at the souls of those sinners, who are living out their ordinary daily lives.
"...Damn it."
Yu Hwi promptly returns the souls to their original owners.
Hearing my explanation, he looks slightly surprised.
"Hmm... Then what do you intend to do, Master? Since they are the souls of sinners, are you thinking of making them into soap without concern?"
"...No."
I reply with a hardened expression.
"That's not it."
"In that case..."
"In the end, it's about interpretation. Everything depends on interpretation."
What I realized in my duel with Hyeon Mu is not simply how to swing the sword better or how to kill people more effectively.
Martial Arts is interpretation.
Therefore, a martial artist is someone who relentlessly pushes forward with their own interpretation.
"How much soap could the Owner of Liberation have possibly made...? What do They even know about soap!? No matter how much of a Supreme Deity They are, Their mind is stuck in the medieval ages because of fate..."
I rummage through the house of 'Seo Eun-hyun of this world' and pull out ashes from the furnace.
"How dare They lecture me about soap and bath products!? Our company's soap has always boasted the highest quality!!!"
Gal!
I let out a roar toward the daily quest written in the status window.
Since this world is so soft, just exerting a little bit of will is enough to alter something as trivial as the status window.
The first life.
In other words, during the 0th cycle before my regression, there were always those like Bong Myeong who had foolish thoughts.
Some stole my soap-making methods, trying to make soap with various oils, and there were even those who killed people to make soap from human fat.
Every single one of them failed.
The most important ingredients in soap-making are lye, aromatic herbs, and oil.
And oil is typically derived from either animals or vegetables.
How well-fed do you think people of this era are? How many of them have enough fat or oil clinging to their guts?
They are all so scrawny that even if you wring them dry, you wouldn't get a drop of usable oil.
The ones who actually have enough fat to produce oil are usually figures of power, great tycoons, or martial artists who trained in unique techniques or cultivators.
And those people tend to be on the 'buyer' side of the soap market.
You can't just kidnap them and turn them into soap.
Naturally, only a minuscule amount of human soap can ever actually be made.
Unless you commit mass murder on the level of that mustached lunatic who started World War II on Earth—who supposedly manufactured human soap and human buttons—
Human soap isn't something you can just make so easily.
'Heavenly Craftsman or whatever, Supreme Deity or whatever...do not look down on Earth's soap!!! You may have built Serving Command Palace, but you never even developed soap!'
I alter the daily mission with my will.
But anything beyond this would be risky.
[Using humans as materials], [Making and selling soap], [Madman].
These major premises must exist.
"Even if you plunder others and squeeze them dry, you still can't easily make human soap. Do not force such foolish methods on me! Even if I make human soap, I will make it my way!"
"M-Master...?"
Yu Hwi stares at me, dumbfounded by the roar I let out.
Pukwak!
I cut open my stomach.
From within me, various Heaven and Earth spiritual energy and Glass True Fire seem to flare forth before substances combine, transforming into oil perfect for making soap.
I pour the oil into a pot, mix it with lye, and swiftly proceed with the soap-making process.
And before long...
The soap, made using the oil extracted from my own body, is completed in an instant.
A subtle scent of Glass True Fire lingers—a product of exceptionally high-quality.
Paaatt!
The moment I finish crafting the soap using my own body,
The daily mission I modified begins to shine brightly, transforming into something called 'experience points' before being absorbed into me.
"Yu Hwi! Ham Jin! Listen up!"
"Yes!"
To me, soap is pain.
An unerasable pain, stained with the regret of the 0th cycle.
In the language of Earth, it is something called 'trauma'.
And Bong Myeong...provoked that trauma in the strongest possible way by associating it with [human soap], something I despise more than anything.
The reason I pour out this near-maniacal passion for soap is for one reason alone.
To face head-on the wounds Bong Myeong has torn open in my heart.
'This too...is a repentant enlightenment towards myself...!'
Confronting the regrets of my first life—
I resolve that at least in this world, I will stand face-to-face and redeem myself against those past wounds, with that past suffering and humiliation.
"If I could just carve away only myself to make human soap, that would be great...but it doesn't seem that this world wants that. It truly wants me to capture others and make soap from their fat... It wants me to become that kind of madman!"
I grit my teeth.
"But...I won't just grab anyone and turn them into human soap. No matter if they are the deceased with the souls of sinners...at the very least, they are still living their own lives...! So, in order to not recklessly squeeze oil from them and risk their deaths, I will only extract oil from those who can be drained to make soap."
Is it perhaps because they meet my wild, glinting eyes, or because they are bewildered by this absurd resolve?
Ham Jin and Yu Hwi seem taken aback for a moment before nodding.
"From now on...find the pigs. Find the pigs who have gorged themselves on mountain and sea delicacies as if devouring animal feed and have grown plump and fat! Wealthy tycoons are fine, powerful men are fine! But the best would be fat cultivators! Find them! Find them and...we will make soap!"
Ham Jin and Yu Hwi are flustered.
But soon, their eyes regain certainty, and they smile.
That smile is the smile of relief.
The relief of followers seeing their master walking the right path.
Seeing that smile, I feel that even if I drown in madness while overcoming this wound, as long as I remember that smile, I will be able to find my way back to sanity.
And so, from that day forward, my Soap Crusade begins.
"Master! I have kidnapped him! The famous man of power, Pyeong Geun!"
"Teacher! I have brought one as well. A Qi Refining 3rd star cultivator, Seong Il!"
"Well done!"
Powerful figures of the mundane world.
Or cultivators of the mundane world who have grown accustomed to worldly power, wealth, and fame.
I bind them upside down to the pillars in the basement of my home, their eyes and mouths sealed shut.
"Yeo Hwi. It's your turn."
"Yes, Master."
Yeo Hwi, in the form of a small crow, opens her mouth and breathes out flames.
It is Glass True Fire.
Huarurururuk!
"Kkeuuuuuugh!"
"Uuuuuuup!"
Since Yeo Hwi has been refined into my Immortal Treasure, she naturally has access to my authority, and this Glass True Fire is one such borrowed power.
"Reflect upon your lives and repentantly enlightenment. Have you truly lived righteously?"
This Glass True Fire is different from ordinary Glass True Fire.
It is a Glass True Fire that maximizes the authority of Retribution from the Impermanence Sword.
Because of this, the inherent pain of Glass True Fire is drastically reduced, while instead, the function of Retribution—the principle of [receiving as much as one has given]—is amplified to the extreme.
If the original Glass True Fire simply inflicts pain to grant repentant enlightenment and realizations—
This Glass True Fire compels one to repentantly enlighten upon their own life. And if, within that repentant enlightenment, they realize they have deceived their own conscience many times over, it delivers unbearable suffering as retribution.
"Kkeuuuuuuuugh!"
"Uuuuuuuuugh!"
One cultivator and one figure of power groan in agony as their fat is extracted and their bodies dry out, eventually withering like dried-up corpses before passing out.
The moment they faint, the Glass True Fire extinguishes.
"They must have deceived themselves quite a bit."
I click my tongue and release the two, their life force nearly drained away.
"Send them back home. Their fat is all squeezed out, but their minds are so weakened they won't live much longer. Let them have their funerals at home."
Not everyone ends up as a dried-up husk like this.
If they have lived without straying too far from the righteous path—
If they have done some wrong but nothing too severe or excessive—
If they have not gleefully committed acts that would earn them the deep hatred of others—
If they have simply lived ordinary lives without committing any great sins—
Then the Glass True Fire, even by mortal standards rather than my own, inflicts only minor pain.
At the same time, their excess fat would be naturally expelled, freeing them from the illnesses that come with it, and through the Glass True Fire, they gain stronger mental fortitude, allowing them to live their lives with greater effort.
"Next."
"Yes!"
Yu Hwi takes the two withered bodies back to their homes, and Ham Jin brings in the next ones.
"Uuuuugh!"
"Kruuut!"
"Oh? You two have lived fairly upright in your own way."
These ones merely have their excess fat naturally expelled and experience only slight plain. There are no major issues.
Rather, their bodies appear sturdier and healthier.
'For Glass True Fire to grant blessings of its own accord... That must mean they have done a considerable amount of good deeds...'
Glass True Fire is influenced by the power of Retribution from the Impermanence Sword.
Thus, those who have caused countless people to shed tears of blood suffer pain akin to shedding tears of blood themselves.
And those who have brought countless people joyous laughter receive equivalent blessings.
These ones have received blessings proportional to the good they have done.
"Excellent! Never forget that heart and live by it! Next!"
"Yes!"
Like this, I capture daily dozens of wealthy tycoons, figures of power, and cultivators from Square Nation who have the most fat, extracting it from them.
As a result—
Before I know it, a considerable amount of 'human soap' has accumulated in my basement.
"Now then, Ham Jin, Yu Hwi! Let's sell these together!"
Through Kim Young-hoon, who works as a spy between Square Nation and Sea Nation, and Jeon Myeong-hoon, infamous as a pyromaniac, I begin searching for buyers of 'human soap'.
Kim Young-hoon, who had once been a director at a mid-sized company, swiftly secures sales channels and smuggles the human soap into Sea Nation, the country designated as his behind-the-scenes support.
The figures of power from Sea Nation become desperate to purchase these rare and exotic toiletries made from the flesh of Square Nation's authorities, and I write the names of the people who had become the raw materials for my soap and sell them.
Human soap sells like wildfire, and before long, I start gaining fame as the 'Human Soap Merchant, Seo Eun-hyun'.
Wo-woong!
The status window provides me with something called experience points, and as they accumulate, I begin to feel as if the world's veil is growing thicker.
'As long as I act according to my role...the light cannot perceive me!'
That truth brings me considerable relief.
With that relief, I continue confronting the wounds I have carried from my first life.
Like so, ten years pass.
Kiiiiing!
Flash!
Having captured and processed so many figures of authority from Square Nation, I eventually expanded to capturing powerful figures and cultivators from other nations as well to turn them into soap. At some point, as my experience accumulated, I suddenly realised that I have reached a peculiar threshold.
"Hut...!"
It is something that lacks nothing to be called 'authority.'
At the same time, it is also a 'privilege' that allows modifications to the world.
Now, I can instantly turn into soap anything as much as the area my hands can touch!
No longer do I need to go through the troublesome process of extracting fat using Glass True Fire!
Excited by this truth, I capture even more people.
I hear that Kim Young-hoon and Jeon Myeong-hoon have each acquired their own authorities as well.
Jeon Myeong-hoon can produce fire from both hands, and Kim Young-hoon has obtained an authority called 'voice transmission'.
It is an ability similar to how martial artists use heart language to communicate, yet instead of relying on internal energy or spells, he can transmit his voice purely through his will.
It is a law of this world distinct from the Heart Tribe's heart language.
Of course, compared to our original powers, these authorities are considerably shallow.
However, these authorities hide us from the light, and the more we use them, the more comfort and security we feel, driving us to continue acting in accordance with our roles.
Another ten years pass.
Year twenty.
My soap ability has grown even stronger.
Now, I am no longer limited to just the area my hand can touch. I can turn anything before me into soap as much as I will it.
The same goes for Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon.
Compared to our original power, these abilities are laughable, but we continue training our authorities and fulfilling our roles with enjoyment.
After all, there are still eighty years left before we can escape from the eyes of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
There is no rush.
Another ten years pass.
Year thirty.
Kudududuk!
Now, I can manipulate the soap I create.
I can shape the soap into whatever form I desire, and I can even use it to launch attacks on par with those of a martial artist.
And at this point, I can tell that my sense of comfort has significantly grown.
'It feels like we're almost there.'
An eerie belief takes root that when authority and experience points reach a certain threshold, this comfort will completely envelop us, and the role of this world will fully protect us.
'...It should be true, right?'
At times, I feel a sense of doubt, but I continue my training without stopping.
After all, my duty is to fulfill my role as the Human Soap Merchant.
Only then can I remain safe from the light.
Year fifty.
Now, I can be said to have grasped powerful soap spells.
Not only can I turn people into soap by touching them, but I can also wield the soap I control like a raging storm.
It feels almost godlike.
The comfort that grew as I trained the authority of soap at some point reached its peak.
And from that moment on, I began to feel not just 'comfort' but a sense of 'belonging' to this world.
Of course, whenever I have time, I constantly reflect upon myself through Glass True Fire and engage in repentant enlightenment.
At the same time, I relentlessly push forward with my interpretation, constantly fighting against the status window's interpretation.
The status window still urges me to capture anyone and turn them into soap, but I continue pushing forward with my interpretation to the end, enforcing my will.
'At least this will alone...I can never give it up.'
Of course, holding onto this will makes me feel as if the sense of belonging this world has granted me might slip away...
But it doesn't matter.
'Because...this is what I have accumulated.'
Thus, I continue making soap and carrying on my life of repentant enlightenment.
Year seventy.
"Hey! Seo Eun-hyun! I really don't get why you're refusing. Why are you rejecting the idea of raiding that village?"
I look at Jeon Myeong-hoon and reply.
"What kind of insane nonsense are you spouting? Setting fire to uninhabited mountains or the hideouts of bandits, or even burning down the houses of corrupt officials—those are acceptable. But that village has nothing to do with anything!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon clicks his tongue and speaks.
"Look here, Seo Eun-hyun. Why are you being like this? We burned down those officials' houses because they were rich, and we wanted to loot their wealth. We burned down those bandit hideouts because we didn't like those bastards. The only reason there haven't been any innocent casualties is because...for the past 70 years we were focusing on properly mastering this power, no!?"
"...What?"
"Have you forgotten, Seo Eun-hyun!!?? You, Kim Young-hoon, and I! The oath we made under the peach tree! To throw this world into chaos! To bring suffering into this world! To make this world groan in pain and disorder!"
He grits his teeth.
"Seventy years ago! Right after we obtained our authority, we made that vow! Young-hoon Hyung-him would become the storm that topples nations.
"I would become the flame that burns the world.
"And you would become the monster that turns people into soap!"
"...Young-hoon Hyung-nim. Is this true?"
"Yes, Eun-hyun."
Kim Young-hoon also looks at me as if something is strange.
"You have been acting weird lately. Just what is going on? Have you forgotten our oath?"
"..."
Only then do I finally realize that something is wrong.
It's because no matter how hard I try to remember, I have no recollection of such a thing.
No...
It feels like I'm on the verge of remembering something.
Maybe it's something I simply forgot.
But no matter what, something about this is undeniably strange.
"Jeon Myeong-hoon. Young-hoon Hyung-nim."
I speak with a sunken expression.
"Something is wrong. Don't you all think so? Why are we even taking this insignificant pretend play so sincerely?"
"What? What are you even talking about!? Do you even realize how precious this power is!?"
"Are you trying to belittle the years we've spent!? Even if it's you, I won't forgive that! Seo Eun-hyun!"
Kim Young-hoon and Jeon Myeong-hoon charge at me in fury.
As if they cannot tolerate any insult toward this 'power.'
The result is decided quickly.
Huarurururuk!
"Wh-What is that, Seo Eun-hyun...!?"
"Why do you have another power besides soap...!?"
"...It's Glass True Fire. Do you not remember?"
My face hardens.
"You...you're talking nonsense! Each person only has one ability!"
"Why do you have two!?"
"...No, that's obviously..."
"I see! You...have you been possessed by an evil god?"
"That's right, Seo Eun-hyun! I heard that's what happens when an evil god from the outside takes hold of you! Do you perhaps have any strange memories or foreign knowledge in your mind? If you do, you need to start doubting yourself!"
"..."
The two of them convulse as if they have seen something impossible, spewing nonsense about an evil god.
But they truly believe their nonsense.
Watching them, I begin to waver.
'What is this...? An evil god...? Could it be true? Am I the one who's actually possessed...and they are the ones who are normal?'
Throb!
A sharp pain stabs through one side of my chest.
'Right...it hurt.'
Soap is pain to me.
A life that achieved nothing.
A regret for that life.
'This pain... Shouldn't I return it to the world that caused me this suffering...?'
If the world took from me,
Shouldn't I forcefully take from the world in return and satisfy my own desires?
"The world has made us suffer!!! With that suffering, let us throw the world into chaos! That is my joy! Don't you remember? This oath!"
"We received pain from the world! Let's return it in kind!! Let's unleash this rage upon the world!! Have you forgotten the oath we made together!?"
As I watch the two of them flailing beneath my Glass True Fire, I fall deeper into confusion.
"...What...is this?"
What is the truth?
Are the words of my two lifelong friends correct?
Or is the voice whispering within me the real truth?
My reason screams that I should believe my friends.
The pet centipede I've been raising for fun crawls out of my pocket and scurries up my wrist.
The centipede climbs onto the back of my hand and stares at me.
I suddenly flinch in shock at the sight.
"...!"
Against the centipede's black shell, my white robe is reflected.
For a moment, I am mesmerized by the sheen that shimmers around the pet centipede.
Within it, I see something pure white.
—Was...what...I...gave...you...
It looks like a white magnolia.
"Hut!"
I hurriedly shove the centipede back into my pocket.
"...Do whatever you want. Whether it's a peach garden oath or whatever, do as you please!"
I break away from my friends as if fleeing.
My chest feels as if it's being torn apart, but I ignore it.
Even I don't know the truth.
Did the centipede bewitch me into pushing my friends away?
Or did it help me regain my senses?
I have no idea.
But one thing is certain.
Whether it is this world or myself,
One of the two is undeniably wrong.
That much is clear.
I continue using Glass True Fire, endlessly making soap as I have always done.
Rather than using the authority to create soap with my hands, I stick to the orthodox method of soap-making with Glass True Fire.
Although my soap sales through Kim Young-hoon have been cut off, I simply sell soap cheaply to the villagers.
Sometimes, I exchange soap for a meal or a sip of water.
In any case, a sale is still a sale.
And so, as I make soap, I continue contemplating this world.
Thus, time flows, and flows again.
Year one hundred.
Paaaatt!
I feel my experience in handling soap has reached its highest point.
The power of my soap reaches its pinnacle, and my authority evolves.
"Ahhh...!"
Pasasasasak!
I clasp my hands over my chest and release the inexplicable surging force within me through my breath.
The breath passes through my hands, transforming into clear bubbles that float into the air.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Watching the bubbles rise in the air, I realize I have become a complete soap human.
After a hundred years of handling soap, I have become soap itself.
I am no longer human, but merely soap wearing a human shell.
It's when I realize this.
"Ah...!"
With a thunderous enlightenment, I realize I have reached the essence of 'soap.'
And the moment I reach the essence of soap, I instantly shed my human shell and become soap itself.
At the same time, the 'memories' that had been sealed beneath my 'persona' for countless years erupt like a breaking dam.
Swaaaaaaaa—
"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!"
At last, I remember everything.
I am the Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun.
Not a resident of this world, but the True Immortal Seo Eun-hyun from outside.
Huarururururuk!
Glass True Fire blazes even stronger, and my pet centipede, my pet crow, and my loyal retainers, Ham Jin and Yu Hwi, all clap their hands.
"You have attained enlightenment, Master!"
"I have never seen Master shine so brightly before!"
"So you have regained your memories!"
Ham Jin, Yu Hwi, and Hong Fan laugh heartily as they embrace me.
Hong Fan, emerging from my pocket and returning to his human form, looks at me with a satisfied expression and speaks.
"Have you realized something?"
"...Yeah. I see it now."
I finally understand the terrifying ordeal I have endured over the past hundred years.
'This...is the Immortal Art of a Supreme Deity...'
Inheriting the lineage of Salt Mountain, my heart and will, tempered for over ten million years—
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections engraved with my Colorless Glass Sword—
All of it was destroyed so easily, nearly fixing me as just another 'character' in this world.
Haven't Kim Young-hoon and Jeon Myeong-hoon already become nothing more than 'characters' of this world!?
The Immortal Art of the Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong is truly a terrifying Immortal Art.
Even if it is to hide me from the light, the experience is so horrifying that I never want to go through it again.
'Thinking back...was it when I lost my reason to soap? Yeah. It was when I lost my reason to soap and revealed my 'pain' about it.'
Perhaps my mind had already been eroded from that moment on.
'It's an experience even more terrifying than Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.'
I will never forget the feeling of changing into something that is no longer myself.
I speak of the realization I have come to.
"Bong Myeong...probably wanted to teach me this. That to escape the bridle, one must first reach its pinnacle."
"Oh?"
It is an enlightenment closely tied to the enlightenment of the Flawless Mantra.
Perhaps it is only natural that Bong Myeong would impart such an enlightenment, considering They are a Supreme Deity from the Underworld.
"For a hundred years, I accumulated karma in this world, and only after reaching the peak of that karma and becoming karma itself did I regain my memories.
"In the same way...to break free from any bridle, one must first reach its pinnacle. That is the realization They were trying to impart."
"Hahaha! Master has attained a great enlightenment. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Hong Fan. If Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon accumulated karma like I did..."
Huarurururuk!
From the distance, Jeon Myeong-hoon, now fire itself, and Kim Young-hoon, now pure voice transmission itself, come flying towards me.
Both of them seem to have regained their memories.
"Seo Eun-hyun!"
"Seo Eun-hyuuuuuun!"
The two land where I stand, eyes glistening with tears.
"Damn it...I'm sorry. I couldn't trust you this time either!!!"
"How shameful, Eun-hyun... In the end, we left you and...committed countless disgraceful acts... It's only due to Myeong-hoon telling me that they were the souls of sinners that I was able to free myself from some of the guilt, but...if not for that, I might have hanged myself."
"Indeed...both Young-hoon Hyung-nim and Jeon Myeong-hoon...have done wrong. However...Bong Myeong...would have given them sufficient recompense. They spoke of guaranteeing their next lives, after all. Of course, that doesn't mean you didn't commit any sins! Please take this experience as a lesson and grow from it, and atone for your mistakes by growing even further."
"Yes...yes...! Your words are right, Seo Eun-hyun...!"
"There is...so much I have come to understand."
I grasp the shoulders of Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon, and look up at the sky.
"The promised hundred years have passed! Your Majesty, the Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong! Please, release us! We have gained sufficient enlightenment within Your arrangements!"
And so,
The sky splits open, and we mount the seven-colored bird that descends from the center of the sky, returning to beyond.
...
That is how I thought it would end.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The sky remains silent.
"Hmm, maybe that Liberation Supreme Deity person is a bit busy? Hahaha!"
Kim Young-hoon lets out a hearty laugh, and Jeon Myeong-hoon also chuckles as he speaks.
"Haha! Yeah. Well, it was said to be a hundred years, but it doesn't have to be exactly a hundred years. There's probably some margin of error. Give it a few more years, and naturally..."
"No."
I speak with a hardened expression.
The two of them are deceiving themselves.
"That's not it."
Both of them already know deep within.
They know exactly what kind of situation we are in right now.
They are just ignoring that ominous possibility.
But I face that ominous possibility head-on.
No...this is not a possibility.
This is...
A 'fact.'
"Wh-What do you mean, Eun-hyun...?"
"Yeah, Seo Eun-hyun. Even a Supreme Deity can make a mistake. When we got here, you explained the words of the Liberation Supreme Deity to us in a way we could understand, didn't you?
"That right now, in the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain...the Owner of Light and several other Supreme Deities are gathered and holding a feast. Even if the feast was said to end in a hundred years, it doesn't mean it absolutely will. Right? When feasts are held, they usually last longer than planned and..."
"Jeon Myeong-hoon."
"Hm?"
"Use an Immortal Art."
"What?"
"I said use an Immortal Art, Jeon Myeong-hoon! Right now! Unleash the Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation at full power!"
At my angry shout, Jeon Myeong-hoon flinches in surprise and asks back.
"I-Is that really okay? If I use the Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation, this entire world will be destroyed..."
"Do it now! Are you not going to trust me [this time either]!?"
"Kugh...!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon raises his hand toward the sky with a tense face.
And the moment he stretches his hand toward the sky!
...
Huarurururuk!
Only the flames he has trained for the past hundred years rise from his hand.
"..."
"...Do you now understand?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon's pupils begin to tremble.
His face gradually starts to contort.
Kim Young-hoon's face also twitches and he draws his saber from his waist.
Then, he swings it towards the air.
At that moment.
Freeze!
Kim Young-hoon's saber stops mid-air.
Cold sweat begins to trickle down his forehead.
Drip...
Tears stream from his eyes.
"...Eun-hyun...Eun-hyun..."
"..."
"What...what is going on...?"
"..."
"...Creation Nature...Brahma Nature...They won't come to me..."
He begins to sob uncontrollably.
"B-Brahma Nature...The martial arts I have trained...suddenly...like I have dementia...I can't remember them...! I still remember the martial arts themselves! I can still use most martial arts! But...martial art techniques requiring the enlightenment of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion and beyond...I can't use them at all...! I can't...remember the enlightenment!"
"..."
I stare blankly at the two of them and smile.
"...Yes. We...have become mere characters in this landscape painting."
It is truly terrifying.
"As mere beings within a drawing...perhaps techniques imbued with transcendent natures...are not permitted..."
"Th-Then...what are we supposed to do...!?"
"Seo Eun-hyun! You know something, don't you!? Wh-What do we need to do!? At least you can still use a portion of Glass True Fire and the retribution of the Impermanence Sword! What do we do!? There has to be a way!!"
However, even I don't fully understand the method of how I am able to activate a portion of the Impermanence Sword.
'Maybe if I study this for a few hundred more years, I might figure it out...'
But right now, there is nothing I know.
And so, it is just when we are about to be completely consumed by panic.
Rustle!
As we are about to collapse from the dread,
In the distant mountain valley, the sight of someone walking particularly catches my eye.
It seems to be someone dressed in a light pink attire.
-x-X-x-
However, that person quickly disappears among the trees, making it impossible to determine who they are.
'Who is that?'
For some reason, I start feeling an intense curiosity about them.
At that moment, Hong Fan strokes his beard and speaks in a very glad tone.
"Oooh...! Did Master see that just now? Just now...I believe I saw Lady Kim Yeon in that mountain valley! Haw haw! So she was in this world within the painting!"
"...!"
At those words, the three of us exchange glances.
Without hesitation, we all immediately soar towards the mountain valley.
I use Glass True Fire, while Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon rely on the powers of fire and voice transmission they have obtained.
Reaching the location where Kim Yeon was sighted, I search for her.
Just then.
"Agio, she's already moved all the way over there?"
Hong Fan looks into the distance and points somewhere.
At the spot he indicates, a woman clad in a light pink attire is walking in the distance.
"Ham Jin, Yu Hwi! Stay here for a moment!"
I leave Ham Jin and Yu Hwi behind and quickly begin pursuing her.
Only a single crow clings to my shoulder, following along.
Once again, we soar towards the mountain.
But in an instant, Kim Yeon disappears from the mountain, and Hong Fan finds her again in the next mountain.
We continue, frantically crossing valley after valley, chasing after Kim Yeon.
How many mountain valleys have we crossed like this?
"Hmm?"
I suddenly notice something strange about the scenery.
Kim Young-hoon and Jeon Myeong-hoon seem to have sensed it as well.
Little by little, we are delving into the depths of the mountain valley.
And the deeper we go, the more the surroundings begin to change.
The contours of the world start to take on an ancient appearance.
The outline of the mountains seems to overlap with something that looks like they've been painted over with ink, and the once three-dimensional world begins to flatten into a two-dimensional plane.
Kim Young-hoon, seemingly understanding the nature of this phenomenon, widens his eyes.
It is the phenomenon similar to when he once transcended dimensions through sheer speed!
"What is this? I'm flying at the speed of voice transmission...in other words, the speed of sound. But can something like this really happen at just this speed?"
"C-Could it be that we are regaining our abilities?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon looks at the doubtful Kim Young-hoon with eyes full of hope.
But Kim Young-hoon, looking startled, widens his eyes further.
"No. This isn't happening because we got faster."
"Huh? Then...?"
"Kim Yeon! Kim Yeon, who is leading us forward ahead of us... She is accelerating us!"
"What?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon furrows his brows in confusion.
But I can feel it.
Unlike the others, I still retain a portion of Glass True Fire and the Impermanence Sword.
'I can roughly feel it through the Impermanence Sword...'
Kim Yeon's will is binding us and dragging us along.
'Where are you taking us? How far are you leading us? Yeon-ah!'
The world gradually transforms into the form of a painting, and we find ourselves flying over an enormous drawing.
Then, all of a sudden!
We feel the 'paper' the painting is drawn on rippling.
'Yeon-ah...?'
Each time Kim Yeon steps forward ahead of us in the distance, the force of her movement causes the paper to ripple.
That force, in a way, could be called attraction force.
Then, at the exact moment when the rippling of the paper reaches a certain threshold—
Paaaatt!
Kim Yeon pierces straight through one of the curved surfaces of the rippling paper.
"Eeoooot!"
"Wait! Let's go together!"
"..."
Shiiiiii!
The part she pierced through vanishes in an instant.
But the rippling remains, and for some reason, I feel like I understand how she broke through the painting.
"Everyone, gather the power of this world that you have trained!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon seem to understand me immediately, gathering flame and the power of sound into their hands.
I gather the power of soap bubbles.
And the moment the rippling surface of the painting blocks our path—
We unleash the power of this world just as Kim Yeon did.
Hwiiiiiiii!
The next moment.
The force we release disperses in the form of [ink].
The ink that forms this world.
That ink seeps into the surface of the painting, causing it to fade, and at a certain moment—
The painting melts away under the 'ink' we have released.
"It's now! Let's go!"
Hong Fan, using his immense strength, pushes us into the melted opening while leaping in himself.
Flash!
With that, we arrive in a new world.
In other words, the reverse side of this Liberation Peach Garden Village.
"Heooook...! Heok...!"
"Huuuuuu..."
Jeon Myeong-hoon collapses onto the ground, gasping for breath, while Kim Young-hoon steadies his breathing.
I scan the surroundings.
"This place is..."
Laughably enough, this is the exact spot where we first departed from.
Nothing is different.
The only noticeable change is that everything in the world appears slightly 'hazy.'
But even that vanishes if I focus my mind, making me wonder if there's simply something wrong with my vision.
Kim Yeon is nowhere to be seen.
"Hong Fan, did you see Kim Yeon?"
"Mm, Master. For now, you should look over there instead."
He points somewhere.
"...!"
Before we realize it, we are surrounded.
'I didn't sense them? Wait...these people!'
The figures encircling us in this hazy world all emit a presence similar to our own.
Like us, they possess the presence of those who have become 'characters' in this world.
And beyond that presence, I can faintly sense...
Cosmic authority and overwhelming power.
That's right, these people are—
"...Junior Crystal Glass Being..."
Without a doubt, they are True Immortals trapped in this world.
"Greet the seniors."
"...Welcome to the back side of the painting. In this world, the front of the painting, Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong's Immortal Art, 'Liberation Peach Garden Village', can be freely observed. Here, if we use the power we gained from Liberation Peach Garden Village, we can even influence it to some extent... We have been watching you all this time."
A True Immortal wrapped in bandages all over their body looks at me with dead eyes and greets me with a forced smile.
"I am Maek Jin, a Great Net Immortal affiliated with Radiance Hall. Formerly one of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals...and once a candidate for Radiance Hall's Envoy of the Final Age of Dharma."
I do not know exactly what an Envoy of the Final Age of Dharma is, but considering that the Purple Gold Heavenly Lord Heuk Am's title in Radiance Hall was the Fallen Guiding Envoy of the Final Age of Dharma, it seems that Maek Jin was at least a candidate for an Immortal Lord.
"You must be a distinguished one."
"...Not since I got trapped here."
They let out a faint chuckle with a gloomy expression.
Looking at their face, I ask,
"...May I ask why such a promising figure like yourself is trapped in this world?"
"You seem to have already guessed judging by your eyes... Do I really need to say it myself? Kukuk..."
But Maek Jin eventually explains kindly despite their gloomy expression.
"When Bong Myeong was still a Heavenly Lord...I had a brief encounter with Them. At the time, a monster known as the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord was attempting to annihilate Radiance Hall, and I was in the midst of fleeing. That bastard made me an offer—to hide me within their Peach Garden Painting for about a hundred years... Needing those hundred years, I hurriedly stepped inside to take refuge, and to avoid being discovered by the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, I took on the 'role' assigned by this world..."
"..."
As their words continue, not only my face but also those of Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon harden.
"And on the day the hundred years were up, I asked Bong Myeong. To let me out! But..."
Their hands tremble violently.
"No answer ever came... On top of that...everything I accumulated as a Great Net Immortal...my Immortal Arts...prophecies...the power of my Immortal Treasures... Huhuhu...I could not use any of it."
Maek Jin stares at me with eyes full of despair.
"I was reduced to nothing more than a mere spirit wandering this world! And in that time, I discovered and entered this 'back side.' Hahaha! It has been 500,000 years since I came here!!! 500,000 years have passed!! No matter what I did, I could never regain my authority! Ahhh, and a couple tens of thousands of years ago, I heard from some newcomers who arrived. Bong Myeong...has become a Supreme Deity?"
Drip...
They shed tears of blood.
Seeing those blood tears, I feel my sinking feeling in my chest.
That...
That is not my story.
'I see...'
But now, we...
"That was the moment I understood...I will never be freed from this place... We have become eternal characters in this painting..."
Their body tremble.
I, too, tremble.
We have become trapped in this world.
I had suspected it ever since I realized neither attraction force, prophecy, nor revision could be used.
Even since Kim Young-hoon's Brahma Nature, the pure 'enlightenment' he accumulated became restricted, it became clear.
This world operates under entirely different rules from the outside.
We are merely being gradually consumed by this world as we conform to those rules.
Far more terrifying and powerful than even the creation of a Small Heavenly Domain once displayed by the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals—that is the Immortal Art of Bong Myeong.
Uguguguk...
I try to exert attraction force.
Just like before, I try to crush and burst the world with my will.
It is impossible.
The world, which once seemed like it would squish and burst so easily...
Has now become an unbreakable prison.
I understand why it has become so solid.
Karma.
In this world, I have accumulated the karma of a human soap merchant.
Over a hundred years, that karma has gradually solidified and thickened, eventually trapping me.
The same goes for Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon.
Kim Young-hoon can't draw forth the enlightenment of the Brahma Nature and martial arts that he once realized because of the same reason.
This prison—
Was built by our own hands.
Because we created it with our own hands, we even lost the power we accumulated.
As we realize this and sink into despair, Maek Jin speaks while watching us.
"At some point...didn't you notice that the Immortal Treasures and subordinates you brought here...simply turned into fools that fit this world's 'perception'...? The crow that's attached to you. That was probably your Immortal Treasure, right? Didn't that crow stop speaking at some point...?"
"..."
Indeed. At some point, Yeo Hwi became nothing more than a foolish, lust-driven crow that could only caw.
Unlike an ordinary crow, she has no lifespan limit, but she is now just a crow that can neither speak nor use spells.
The same goes for Golden Shaking Bird.
Golden Shaking Bird turned into nothing more than a hummingbird that likes to perch on Jeon Myeong-hoon's shoulder.
Ham Jin and Yu Hwi are no different.
At some point, they simply become servants following me around.
They can't recall their past memories.
That's right.
Not just me, but every being that enters this world eventually becomes characters of this world and taxidermized.
"We...within this painting...within this story...taxidermized ourselves with our own hands!!!"
This is...
A true Supreme Deity-level Immortal Art.
The power of the Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong.
"We are..."
Liberation Peach Garden Village.
"Nothing more...than birds trapped in Bong Myeong's cage."
Only then do I deeply realize from whom the Mad Lord's One-Pattern Law Talent originated from.
Just as the Mad Lord made countless beings live together within his [Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress]...
Bong Myeong has made countless True Immortals live within Their [Liberation Peach Garden Village].
'I thought They felt familiar from the start...and trusted too much.'
The Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong is a madman with an abyss far deeper than even the Mad Lord.
-x-X-x-
I clench my fist.
"...I will leave."
"Hahaha, how great would it be if that was possible. Did you not hear what I said?"
Maek Jin looks at me with gloomy eyes and speaks.
"We are trapped here. Unless Bong Myeong lets us out...we can never leave!"
"...I have never given up until the end."
"What...?"
Bubble bubble bubble...
In one hand, I hold soap bubbles.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle...
In the other, I ignite Glass True Fire.
I see the True Immortals simultaneously recoil in shock.
"No matter how many times, how many thousands of times... Even when déjà vu took hold and this world tried to impose its influence on me...I did not let go.
"Even as all my memories blurred and the truths I believed in all this time collapsed...I did not let go.
"Even when the world forced lies upon me and sought to erase my very existence...I did not let go!"
Maek Jin speaks in a trembling voice.
"This is absurd...I remember roughly what realm you were at when you entered. You were definitely an Upper Immortal. Seeing as you lacked winged garments, you must have been an Earth Upper Immortal. On top of that, you hadn't even properly received an Immortal Crown. At best, you were a mere fledgling who had just stepped into the realm of an Earth Upper Immortal..."
Somehow, it sounds as if they cannot accept it.
"It is a Supreme Deity's Immortal Art! The one who borrowed the power of the Underworld as a Heavenly Lord was Bong Myeong. Because They wielded the Underworld's power, They were already at the level of a Supreme Deity even in Their days as a Heavenly Lord. After becoming a Supreme Deity, though They may no longer have been able to draw upon the Underworld's power, The degree of completion of Their Immortal Art must have become even more perfected..."
Maek Jin lets out a roar, their voice shrieking like a scream.
"Are you trying to say that you, a mere Earth Immortal, have defied the will of a Supreme Deity head-on!!??"
"...I am not an Earth Immortal."
Kugugugugu!
Resplendently brilliant morning light begins to shine around Maek Jin.
In an instant, they turn into a black cloud.
Transformed into a massive black cloud, they press down on me with their entire being.
Kuguguguk!
We have both trained our powers in the same Liberation Peach Garden Village.
But is it because Maek Jin has five hundred thousand years of training?
The pressure emanating from them is incomparable to mine.
They are the storm itself.
I, on the other hand, have only trained the mere power of soap.
"Soap, of all things!"
"...I am not soap, either."
Bubble bubble bubble...
I look at the soap bubbles rising from my body.
Then, I blow them away.
'Once, I certainly had the thought...of wanting to dominate the world with soap.'
My first life.
Back in the 0th cycle, when I went senile just before death.
Back then, even soap had been taken from me, leaving me with nothing... It left a wound too deep for me to bear.
'But looking back now...'
The soap bubbles sprouting from my body have dissipated before I knew it.
'I wanted to make soap. I never wanted to become soap itself.'
I completely suppress the bubbles rising from my body.
They are no longer necessary.
Soap is undoubtedly my karma, my authority, and what I have built up, but it is not who I am.
'Soap can never be myself. It was certainly a precious dream...! But I am me! Even if dreaming of soap became a part of me!'
"I am not soap...I am made of everything I have encountered in my life."
Hwarurururuk!
Glass True Fire bursts forth.
Then, its form gradually becomes transparent, until it turns completely formless.
Kwaaaaaang!
I shake off the formless Glass True Fire and shout.
"I AM ME!"
With a tremendous explosion, the colorless and formless flames pierce straight through Maek Jin's black cloud, deflecting them away.
"Kuheok!"
As they return to their human form, Maek Jin lets out a dry cough and glares at me.
They close their eyes.
"...I have no choice but to acknowledge it. You are remarkable..."
Maek Jin, looking strangely enraged, roughly tears away the bandages covering their face.
Beneath them is the face of a rather handsome man.
"You have won! I will not bother you any longer... Rather, with you and that person together, you could complete the plan several hundred million times faster than I could..."
With an expression that somehow conveys a sense of defeat, he looks at me and speaks.
"I envy you, Seo Eun-hyun. To be loved by someone like that..."
Then, I realize that he is not looking at me.
What he is looking at is...
"Treat Kim Yeon well. That one talked about you all day long. As if that wasn't enough...she confidently declared that you would show a far greater miracle than her when you come here.
"In the end, she was forced to the point of even wagering herself...but without a moment's hesitation, she bet that 'you would be greater than her'."
Sarak!
I widen my eyes at the arms gently embracing me from behind.
"The bet is my loss. I had wagered that you were nothing but a bug, but...huhu. It turns out only bugs could be seen from the eyes of a bug. I will hand over the stakes I had placed."
Maek Jin rises from his place and bows deeply before me.
"I, Maek Jin, candidate for the Envoy of the Final Age of Dharma under Radiance Hall, along with the Flying Immortal Alliance under my command, pledge our allegiance to you until we leave Liberation Peach Garden Village."
Following Maek Jin, all the True Immortals who had surrounded us bow towards me and the arms wrapped around me.
I nod, accepting their bows, and speak.
"Please...give us a moment alone."
"As you command."
Maek Jin and those who appear to be his subordinates from the Flying Immortal Alliance vanish in an instant.
I gently place my hand over the arms wrapped around me.
Truly...
Truly...
"Long time no see, Yeon-ah..."
I turn around and embrace Yeon, whom I am meeting again after more than ten million years.
"Hey, Seo Eun-hyun!"
It is Jeon Myeong-hoon.
He strokes the wooden box in his chest and looks at us with weary eyes.
A somewhat bitter smile forms at the corners of his lips.
"That's not the time to be saying 'long time no see,' you dumbass!!"
"..."
"Say 'I missed you' properly!!! It's not like you don't know what kind of feelings she had before your True Immortal advancement!!"
"...Yeah. Thanks, Jeon Myeong-hoon..."
I hold Kim Yeon even tighter and speak.
Jeon Myeong-hoon looks up at the sky, and Kim Young-hoon, too, wears a face filled with yearning.
"I missed you..."
"..."
She still cannot speak.
But I can feel Kim Yeon holding me and exerting strength in her finger.
It is an Immortal Art.
A powerful Immortal Art is being displayed from her.
Kugugugugugu!
A gigantic force so immense it feels infinite gathers at her fingertip.
It is to the point that if it were not her holding me, I would have doubted whether she is trying to kill me.
The power condensed at her fingertip is in no way inferior to the Sword-Guided Star Rain of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
I realize that she awakened to her own fate and discovered her true strength.
And this is...
A fragment of it.
Just as I, in Liberation Peach Garden Village, did not let go of the power I accumulated, allowing me to retain a part of the Impermanence Sword...
She, too, even after falling into this place, never let go of this power.
My Impermanence Sword is my entire life.
However, what she refuses to let go is a far smaller and narrower concept than what I grasp.
Jeeoooong!
If I am trying not to forget All Phenomena (萬狀),
She is trying not to let go of a Single Thought (一念).
I can feel a single portion of the world's force being pushed back by the power gathered at her fingertip.
The will of the Liberation Supreme Deity recedes by a portion.
At the same time, I sense that one of the restrictions covering Kim Yeon, unable to withstand that terrifying power, briefly 'breaks'.
Sururuk...
With the very fingertip that gathered the overwhelming force and pierced through part of her own restriction...
She gently traces my back.
I feel her touch.
Her movements form a character.
—Me.
I realize what she is trying to convey and hold her even tighter.
—Too.
I missed you.
The single thought that wishes to express that small will is a heart she could never let go of.
Kakang!
After conveying that brief will, the power of the restriction covering her once again engulfs her.
It lasts only a fleeting moment, but it is enough.
'Yeon-ah...'
It's been ten million years.
In that dark and empty spacetime of Hyeon Mu, I endured ten million years.
Though loyal subordinates and connections more than I deserve sustained me...
As I embrace her tightly, I understand.
'...Hyang-hwa.'
I chose to carve myself away to build a mountain.
And the sharper I became through carving myself, it became clear.
A sharp blade can never stand alone...
'I still love you.'
She appears before my eyes.
Now that I think about it, I was able to endure the Immortal Art of the Liberation Supreme Deity because she was reflected in Hong Fan's sheen.
'So...'
But here, this child endured a Supreme Deity's Immortal Art while thinking of me.
Even if she borrowed the power of fate.
Even if she was born with the talent of infinity...
She persevered with her own will, thinking of me.
'The love I received from you...'
Buk Hyang-hwa is dead.
Even if that heart still lives within me...she is already gone.
That is why...
I will carry on that heart.
Everything I received from her was a blessing.
The blessing that I can no longer return to her...
I will share it with others and pass it forward.
'I will continue to share it...and remember.'
I do not want to lose anything anymore.
I do not want...to stand alone anymore.
It is a selfish, greedy, and self-indulgent thought.
But...
I need a support now.
The moment I realize that someone wished to see me again,
I feel my legs give out.
'Ah...damn it. This isn't how it should be.'
Tears begin to fall.
Tremble...
Holding her tightly, leaning on her, I begin to cry in silence.
'Crying my heart out...should be something I do after everything is over...'
That is what I swore in front of Yu Hao Te.
But once the tears begin to flow, they do not stop.
I hold her close and speak.
"...Thank you...for wanting to see me."
And as I embrace her, I come to understand.
That I am far lonelier than I thought.
Like that...
For the first time in endless years, I sob in her arms—not as the [True Immortal Seo Eun-hyun], but as the [human, Seo Eun-hyun].
"Thank you, Jeon Myeong-hoon."
"..."
Jeon Myeong-hoon does not respond.
He merely strokes one side of his chest with a sunken face.
"...Ask Kim Yeon if she knows a way out. I think she said she did."
"What? How did you figure that out?"
"Hong Fan told me."
"Ah, I see."
I nod and ask Kim Yeon,
"Yeon-ah, do you perhaps have any clues on how to leave this Immortal Art World?"
Nod, nod.
She nods, and seeing that nod, Hong Fan speaks up.
"There is a way, but it seems we will need the help of those Flying Immortal Alliance people and the Great Net Immortal Maek Jin."
"I see. Then let's head to them first..."
Before I can even finish my sentence, Maek Jin reappears in an instant.
"You called?"
"Hoh, that was fast."
"What Great Net Immortal would not notice when their name is spoken within the same world?"
"I am not a Great Immortal yet, so I would not know."
"No need for formalities. From what I see, you are more than qualified to aim for the position of Supreme Deity. Speak casually."
"Hmm...if you insist..."
"Relax. If my way of speaking is burdensome, I can speak comfortably as well."
Maek Jin looks as if he has sorted out all his emotions regarding our brief exchange earlier.
"Alright. If that's the case, I'll speak freely. It seems that if we want to leave this world, we will need the help of you and the Flying Immortal Alliance."
"Well...even if you call it help, we won't be doing much. Rather, it would be Kim Yeon and you who can use a portion of Immortal Arts that will be doing most of the work."
"I see... By the way, didn't you say you've been talking with Kim Yeon all this time? You also mentioned earlier that she talked about me, but how did you know that?"
"Candidates for Envoy of the Final Age of Dharma are extremely sensitive when it comes to 'wisdom'. Let alone the Envoy of the Final Age of Dharma themselves... That's why figures like them, or those of a position above them, such as the Radiance Eight Immortals, can vaguely perceive even the will of beings who can't communicate. Well...in any case, the peculiar restriction placed on Kim Yeon seems to have been directly imposed by the Liberation Supreme Deity, so it took me quite some time to interpret, and even then, my understanding is not entirely accurate."
"Hm, I see. Anyway, does that mean there is a way to escape?"
"There is."
Maek Jin draws a picture in the air.
"First...there are a few things I've discovered while living in this world for the past five hundred thousand years."
The drawing is a [Black Snake Biting Its Tail].
"The reason the symbol of Radiance Hall is specifically a [Black Snake Biting Its Tail]...aside from it being the form of the Radiance Supreme Deity, is because this symbol intuitively represents fate."
"This represents fate?"
"Yes. Fate isn't necessarily circular, but it operates in the form of a [snake biting its tail]. Birth, aging, sickness, and death repeat endlessly, and the same events occur over and over again."
That is true.
"And...everything is fixed in place. Haven't you ever found it strange? Why do intelligent beings keep waging war, never learning from it, and continuously suffer, unable to break free from the bridle... Why do the ideologies of intelligent beings keep spinning in circles like a rotating wheel? Why do they never develop superior ideologies, develop greater skills, or advance their civilization, only repeating the same level of civilization over and over again?"
"..."
I recall the words of Yang Su-jin.
That everything is aligned according to fate.
"It is fixed in place. So change never exceeds a certain level. So mortal beings cannot escape the bridle beyond a certain point...
"Even when superior ideologies, superior civilizations, or superior cultures are born, it is adjusted according to fate, just like a snake eating its own tail, regulated with just the right amount of change in fate.
"Fate locks the world in this manner. Sure, mortal beings may suffer a little, but this fate structure is incredibly stable, and that's why Mount Sumeru has remained intact to this day."
"..."
A fate where all civilizations, ideologies, and cultural levels eternally repeat.
It is literally a [snake biting its tail].
"But let's consider a hypothesis. Suppose this snake possesses the ability to 'regenerate as much as it consumes' and 'consume as much as it regenerates,' and it has a nature that compels it to 'consume whatever is in front of it,' causing it to eternally spin as it devours its own tail."
He flicks his finger at the drawing of the [snake biting its tail].
Tukwak!
"What would happen if someone were to cut off the snake's tail or a part of its body?"
"...The part it was consuming would be cut off."
"Exactly. But here arises a problem. The snake has a nature that compels it to 'consume whatever is in front of it.' However...what would happen if it is subjected to 'pain'? A snake with a severed tail would trash around...and what is in front of it would no longer be its own tail."
The symbol Maek Jin has drawn begins to shift, forming a spiral.
"Wouldn't the snake's trajectory change? If that happens, instead of simply forming a circle, it would start moving as it pleases, drawing something as it pleases... Instead of staying fixed in one place, it would progress forward in any direction."
"..."
As I watch the snake's movements, something familiar comes to mind.
A [Spiraling Yellow Snake].
The Salt Sea Supreme Deity.
It is the symbol my master once showed me.
"This is the ideology of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, who has relentlessly hindered the path of our Radiance Hall. It is the ideology that most of us call the 'Way of Salt' and utterly despise. And...it was also the ideology advocated by the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord five hundred thousand years ago."
Maek Jin watches the spiraling snake and continues his explanation.
"What is important is this. It may be despised by Radiance Hall, but...it is an ideology that is very widespread. There are plenty of individuals, both inside and outside Radiance Hall, who abuse mortal beings to experiment with this ideology. It is also an ideology very deeply embedded in the Underworld faction that opposes Radiance Hall. The Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong was originally the left arm of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, so They delved deep into this ideology as well. And the result is this world."
"Hm?"
"Weren't the roles assigned to you 'pyromaniac,' 'spy who sows discord between nations,' and 'madman who turns people into soap'?"
"They were."
"Isn't there a pattern?"
"...They're all roles that bring harm to the inhabitants of this world."
"That's right."
Maek Jin nods and smiles grimly.
"Every single member of this Flying Immortal Alliance. Even Kim Yeon. All of us! We were all assigned roles that bring suffering, confusion, and chaos to this Liberation Peach Blossom Village. And even as we were consumed by our roles, we continued to drive this place further into disorder and destruction. We were...predetermined to be characters who bring pain and chaos to this world."
At that moment, I begin to grasp what Bong Myeong is trying to do.
"...Bong Myeong... Could it be...!?"
"That's right. By forcing us to endlessly inflict pain into this world, They...are trying to evolve civilization! They are in the process of experimenting to sprout a new ideology and civilization never seen before in this world.
"If my thoughts are correct...once the seed of civilization's evolution takes root in this world, a natural path of escape will open up!"
"...So They are trying to achieve liberation that way. Evolving civilization to break free from fate..."
Hong Fan, who has been listening to our conversation, interjects.
Maek Jin calmly nods.
"Yes well, something like that."
Hong Fan smirks.
"But it seems evolving civilization is not that easy. Considering how even the soap my master painstakingly created lost popularity the moment he turned it into a spirit."
"That's true. Kukuk... Honestly, it is an utterly foolish idea. But...Bong Myeong truly seems to be a Heavenly Craftsman. Look at this."
Maek Jin turns his gaze to Kim Yeon.
Kim Yeon blinks, then tenses her face.
At that moment, a bird-shaped pattern emerges on her skin.
"An evidence of evolution that transcends civilization... The key to evolution invented by the Liberation Supreme Deity! It seems to be a type of mantra...and it boasts of terrifying capabilities."
"..."
Hong Fan stares at the symbol on Kim Yeon's face with transparent eyes.
"Right now, Kim Yeon is demonstrating an unbelievable level of creativity through the power of that mantra embedded within her. And through that...she is currently in the process of modifying this world itself."
"..."
"From the moment the Liberation Supreme Deity completed the mantra within Kim Yeon and placed her inside Liberation Peach Garden Village...no matter how many hundreds of millions of years it takes, the hope of escaping was born...!
"It didn't matter if it took millions or even billions of years—the mere possibility of escape was created...!"
Kim Yeon nods.
Then, she looks at me for a moment.
Hong Fan sees the look in Kim Yeon's eyes and speaks on her behalf,
"Lady Kim Yeon wishes to show Master the world she is seeing. It seems she is asking you to take her hand."
"Ah. Alright."
I take Kim Yeon's hand.
And immediately after—
I become able to share her vision.
Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank...!
Countless mechanical devices!
A labyrinth moving as if alive!
It is like the body of some living being.
Yet through the flow of this body, I understand that these things are a portion of the world Kim Yeon is interpreting and modifying.
'Interpreting the world...and guiding the flow of fate itself to permit evolution...!'
All those countless mechanisms are threaded together by Kim Yeon's single light pink consciousness thread.
After she interprets the smallest part of the Supreme Deity's Immortal Art as her own mechanism,
She modifies the dust-sized portion.
For now, all she has managed to do is slightly twist the world's providence to accelerate me, Kim Young-hoon, and Jeon Myeong-hoon so we could quickly access the [back side].
But if Kim Yeon succeeds in fully interpreting and modifying this Liberation Peach Garden Village—!
It would be no different from shattering the fundamental structure of fate as asserted by Radiance Hall.
'So that's it. The scene I saw before was this!'
I once saw a vision through Hong Fan of Kim Yeon navigating an endless labyrinth of mechanical devices.
It seems she was in the midst of modifying this Immortal Art of Liberation Peach Garden Village into her own power and breaking through.
Sururuk...
After some time, Kim Yeon lets go of my hand, and as my hand leaves hers, my vision returns to normal.
It feels as if I have witnessed something truly magnificent.
'It's like she is creating something on par with the planes of Fate, Soul, and Qi with her own hands.'
"How was it, Master?"
Hong Fan asks for my thoughts, and I share what I saw and felt.
He smiles faintly and says,
"Then please wish for Lady Kim Yeon's success."
"Don't worry, I was already planning to. So, what exactly is the way out of here?"
Maek Jin draws a circle in the air.
"Think of this circle as the Immortal Art of Liberation Peach Garden Village."
"Alright."
Then, he places a dot within the circle.
"This dot is the part Kim Yeon has currently modified and seized control of."
Perhaps because he is also at the True Immortal level, he draws the circle and places the dot with remarkable precision.
The dot he places is no bigger than a small grain.
"In reality, it's even smaller than this. At this rate, in the worst-case scenario, it could take billions of years. That won't do. Even for us, hundreds of millions of years is a long time."
'...At that rate, Bong Myeong would be crushed to death by Gwak Am long before Kim Yeon finishes.'
"But, watch."
Kwaching!
As Maek Jin clenches his fist, a crack runs through the circle drawn in the air.
Kwaaang!
He shatters the circle.
The part where the dot was placed splinters into fragments, and except for the fragments, the rest of the circle vanishes entirely.
"What Kim Yeon is doing is placing dots on the circle like this. And if you fragment the world like this, the area she has to place dots on decreases significantly. Then...once she has fully seized control of a single fragment, she can trigger a small-scale evolution of civilization within it. If she can bring about evolution in even that way, if she can create the seed of evolution...then the path to escape will inevitably emerge!"
However, I look at the broken circle and ask.
"Does breaking the circle...mean destroying the world? Then choosing a fragment among the splintered world to obtain the seed of evolution within it?"
"How great it would be if it were only that easy. Unfortunately, that's impossible."
Woo-woong!
Following Maek Jin's will, the broken fragments of the circle begin to reconnect naturally.
"The moment there's even a scratch, it sticks back together. When you crossed over to the [back side], you saw the hole in the dimension repairing itself, right?"
"..."
"A powerful restorative force exists in this world. In the end, the fragments will always return to their original form."
Maek Jin brings the fragment with the dot on it back to the restored circle.
"This is where you and Kim Yeon need to work together. And this—this is where we need to intervene."
"Hmm?"
"Even if we destroy the world, the Liberation Supreme Deity's will restores it as if nothing ever happened. But...what if we prevent it from reattaching?"
"...You're not perhaps saying that Kim Yeon and I should work together to prevent it from reattaching, are you?"
That would be absurd.
I am always brimming with confidence, but I have self-awareness.
"It's a Supreme Deity's Immortal Art. We can't even properly use Immortal Arts right now, so fighting against it is nearly impossible."
"Don't worry. I'm not asking you two to do something that unreasonable... All you two need to do is 'briefly' hold out. No, since Kim Yeon has to keep modifying the interior of the fragment, I should say 'you' have to do it."
"If I hold out, will that actually accomplish anything? I doubt I can hold out for long."
"That will be enough. When the time comes, we will step in."
"You?"
"What method is there that can stop the power of a Supreme Deity?"
I think for a moment before answering.
"...Only another Supreme Deity's power."
"Exactly."
He grins.
"If the will of the Liberation Supreme Deity maintains the restorative force, then we just need to borrow the power of another Supreme Deity."
He draws a square over the circle.
The square wedges itself between the fragments that are trying to reattach, blocking their restoration.
"Every member of the Flying Immortal Alliance gathered here...some have spent hundreds of thousands of years, others tens of thousands, sharpening their blades in order to escape this world.
"And what we all have in common is that we each serve a Supreme Deity or a Heavenly Venerable. There are countless of us who revere Governing Immortals and Supreme Deities other than the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, and many among us know how to borrow their power. There is hope!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon listens to his explanation and asks,
"Can you summarize it neatly all at once?"
"Alright. I can break it down into seven stages.
"First, if all of us, who have become spirits and sealed characters in this world, combine our strength, we can bring about the destruction of this Liberation Peach Garden Village world for at least a moment.
"Second, the destroyed world will begin to restore itself by the will of the Liberation Supreme Deity.
"Third, before the Peach Garden Village is completely restored, Seo Eun-hyun will use his Immortal Art to separate the area Kim Yeon has taken control of from the rest of the world.
"Fourth, while Seo Eun-hyun holds on, we will use all our strength to send out calls for salvation to our respective Supreme Deities.
"Fifth, if any Supreme Deity shows us mercy and grants their power, we will use that power to fully separate the space Kim Yeon has seized from the rest of this world.
"Sixth, Kim Yeon will completely dominate that space and guide a small-scale evolution of civilization within it.
"Finally, through that seed of evolution, we will submit the answer that the world of the Peach Blossom Village seeks, and escape."
Maek Jin explains everything clearly to Jeon Myeong-hoon, who clicks his tongue.
"What a flimsy plan."
"What part of it is flimsy?"
"Isn't begging the Supreme Deities to save us the entire plan? If that's the case, why not just start begging here? If begging the Supreme Deities could save you, wouldn't the Supreme Deities you serve have pulled you out of here already?"
"..."
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's remark, Maek Jin's face distorts for a moment.
"...That...is the only way. The only way to leave here without enduring billions of years and leave a little faster...The only...way..."
"Seo Eun-hyun. Is that really the best option?"
"..."
I have no answer.
'If I have about ten million years, I have the confidence to develop an Immortal Art like Sun Shooting and escape, but...'
If I say ten million years, Jeon Myeong-hoon's eyes will probably flip, so I simply nod.
"...As far as I know...this seems to be the fastest method."
"Huuuu... If we fail, we'll just keep praying, bowing, and performing rituals until we succeed. Is this really the best?"
"..."
When I don't respond, Jeon Myeong-hoon lets out a deep sigh and says,
"You owe me for this. Don't forget it."
"...?"
"Your half-baked plan that relies purely on luck and mercy...I'll make it succeed."
Jeon Myeong-hoon steps forward towards the Flying Immortal Alliance.
"This is...truly disgusting, but there's no other choice."
Then, clenching his teeth, he shuts his eyes and shouts.
"Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, Do Gon!!! I know you've been watching me this entire time! Isn't that right!?"
"...!"
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's declaration, the True Immortals of the Flying Immortal Alliance flinch in shock, and Maek Jin, too, shows a look of great surprise.
"F-Friendship with the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity...? Damn it."
Being from Radiance Hall, Maek Jin seems to have an ill-connection with the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.
But it seems his desire to escape outweighs his ill-connection with the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, as he does not try to stop Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"I will aid in your liberation! I will create an opening in the Horse Ear Heavenly Domain! So, in return, get us out of here immediately!!"
Kuuurururung!
Just then.
A bolt of lightning suddenly strikes down from the clear sky of Liberation Peach Garden Village.
The lightning directly hits Golden Shaking Bird, who had been resting on Jeon Myeong-hoon's shoulder. In an instant, Golden Shaking Bird shifts from the form of a hummingbird into something golden and writhing.
For a moment, she seems to have become golden lightning itself.
And from that sphere of golden lightning, a certain [will] resounds.
Through that [will], we understand what the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity is trying to convey.
Direct extraction is impossible.
However, as Maek Jin said, lending power temporarily is possible.
Kurururung—
At the same time, thunder rumbles, and the voice of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity resounds in both Jeon Myeong-hoon's and my mind.
—May you choose wisely...
"...!!!"
"...!!!"
Only now do I fully grasp the situation.
"Even us...being trapped by Bong Myeong's Immortal Art and seeking the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity..."
Even that had been a fate orchestrated by the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, delivered to us in the form of wisdom.
'This is...the power and prophecy of Supreme Deities...'
More precisely, it seems Bong Myeong and Do Gon have joined hands.
Both Bong Myeong and Do Gon...
Are merely using us as pawns to achieve something.
That passing remark, that single phrase of [may you choose wisely], became a prophecy, influencing our countless decisions and ultimately leading us to this moment.
Realizing this, Jeon Myeong-hoon's eyes turn bloodshot.
"Truly...this world...is a piece of shit."
I bite down hard on my lip as well.
Maek Jin watches us and speaks.
"When Kim Yeon fully takes control of this space, some of the strength and Immortal Arts of your main bodies should return. I will help you...so if you have any resentment, grow stronger.
"Whether it's the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens or the cultivation of Upper Immortal, do it. The truth of this world is ultimately attraction force. If you have been toyed with through fate by a being with greater attraction force, then you simply need to attain an even greater mass and attraction force yourself."
"..."
"Grow and grow your attraction force until you reach the pinnacle. That is the only way you can claim even the slightest bit of freedom."
Jeon Myeong-hoon nods heavily, and I take those words to heart.
Hong Fan smiles faintly as he murmurs the word freedom, while Kim Yeon and Kim Young-hoon nod with hardened expressions.
Thus begins our plan to break free from the cage.