"First, I will hear how you came to walk the Immortal Dao of the Mountain. Go ahead, speak."
Ho Woon asks me why I have chosen the Immortal Dao of the Mountain.
I answer while eating the boiled potato that Hong Fan brought.
"I am...in a senior-junior brother relationship with the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am."
"What...!?"
As expected, Ho Woon's eyes widen in shock.
"To be precise...Gwak Am is the formal disciple, and I was acknowledged as a disciple through my master's lingering thought."
I give them a rough explanation of our relationship.
"...And so, Gwak Am later told me to settle things between us, and I too, to prove that I am also my master's disciple by defeating Gwak Am, and to soothe the souls of my compatriots killed by Gwak Am, have chosen the Immortal Dao of the Mountain."
After hearing the entire story, Ho Woon's mouth drops open as they mutter.
"...A madman... You're a madman. Well, if you said you would defeat an Immortal Lord as a Great Net Immortal, I could understand. It's rare but not without precedent. But a Supreme Deity! You're saying you will defeat a Supreme Deity who has reached the pinnacle of the same Immortal Dao while still as a Great Net Immortal? And not just any Supreme Deity, but that Great Mountain Supreme Deity who has lived for over seven hundred billion years, accumulating endless power and authority!?"
"Seven hundred billion years old... That guy's way older than I thought."
Ho Woon trembles as if frightened.
"...You are truly insane. They are not even someone like Bong Myeong who just reached Supreme Deity. The one who can be compared to the being known as the God of Gods twenty billion years ago is the current Great Mountain Supreme Deity... Madman. You're going to fight the Great Mountain Supreme Deity as a Great Net Immortal and seize the Seat...? Kukuk... Kuukukukuahahaha!"
As if they find it too absurd, Ho Woon bursts into laughter.
"Damn it. I've gotten tangled with a lunatic worse than I thought... Your madness is comparable to Glass Peacock."
"...I don't think it's quite that bad..."
"Kukuk... You don't even realize how mad you are."
"..."
"Well, fine. I understand. It's a goal that makes me shudder just thinking about it. Good then... Since you possess the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and have even risen to Heaven Earth Upper Immortal, I suppose it's fine if I just teach you the techniques and tips I know? First, show me your Immortal Crown."
Ho Woon, wearing an oddly amused expression, tells me to display something called an Immortal Crown.
However, I ask with a troubled expression.
"What exactly is this Immortal Crown?"
"...?"
It's a term I had heard in my past life from Maek Jin and the other True Immortals of the Flying Immortal Alliance.
However, I've never managed to figure out what exactly an Immortal Crown is.
At my words, Ho Woon clears their throat and says,
"The Immortal Crown, I'm talking about the Immortal Crown! Did they call it something different in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain? It's also called Immortal Clothes, Immortal Robe, Immortal Staff, and so on... No, if you properly cultivated the Immortal Dao, there is no way you wouldn't know what an Immortal Crown is. Why do you not understand what I'm saying!?"
"Ummm..."
But I scratch my head with a really troubled look, and Ho Woon speaks as if frustrated.
"I'm not going to run away, so release your winged garment. I feel like I'll kill myself from frustration otherwise. I'll show you my Immortal Crown, so you follow and take yours out too."
"Well, alright..."
Surururuk...
I release the winged garment that has been restraining Ho Woon's power.
Ho Woon rises from their seat.
Shurururuk!
Behind Ho Woon, a winged garment similar to mine appears.
Kurururung!
At the same time, Ho Woon begins to reveal their essence and descend their true body.
Kugugung!
Above the landmass I created, Ho Woon's main body emerges.
A humanoid divine spirit whose face is obscured by light.
This divine spirit wears a robe of light, resembling the Radiance Eight Immortals but appearing slightly lower in rank.
: : Behold. This is the Immortal Crown. : :
Simultaneously, a familiar energy spreads outward from around Ho Woon.
It is the power of the Mountain.
Along with it, a headpiece in the form of a fujin (幅巾) is placed upon their head.
That fujin exudes a strange feeling, and I sense it itself is a single mountain.
Countless mountain peaks come together to form the fujin.
As I gaze upon that fujin made of mountains, radiating an inexplicable divine aura, I suddenly notice that countless mountain ranges have sprouted behind Ho Woon's back.
'The mountains in the fujin...have Manifested in the surroundings!?'
Moreover, their size defies the laws of physics or any sensible notion within the Lower Realm. They are mountain ranges literally the size of fixed stars.
Kugugugung!
Ho Woon grabs one of the nearby mountains with their hand, plucks it out, and hurls it at me.
Kwarurururung!
The massive fixed star-sized mountain range flies towards me, and I draw the Impermanence Sword as I face it.
Woo-wooong!
Severing Heaven Sword Form.
Second Form.
Treading Heaven, Counterstrike.
I use a move containing the principle of Echoing Valley from the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, overlaying the power of the Impermanence Sword, and naturally redirect the mountain back towards Ho Woon.
Kwaaaang!
Ho Woon gets struck by the mountain they threw themself and collapses with a scream.
: : Kkuuuugh! : :
Kururururung!
The temporary landmass I created shakes violently, and I once again bind Ho Woon tightly through my winged garment.
Bound by the winged garment imbued with Filling the Heavens Governing View, Ho Woon returns to their Transformation form.
The sprawling mountain ranges surrounding us vanish, and the fujin floating above Ho Woon's head disappears as well.
"Was that just now the Immortal Crown?"
"That's one way to put it."
"You were planning to kill me with it and run away, weren't you?"
"...That's one way to put it."
"You're very honest."
I decide to hang Ho Woon upside down.
"If you keep doing that, we'll both get tired. If you do it next time, I'll bring out a six-sided club."
"Hah! Ridiculous. A club, of all things..."
"Well, think whatever you like. So...was that just now the Immortal Crown?"
"Yes. The terms Immortal Crown and Immortal Staff are the most widely used."
Ho Woon, suspended upside down by my winged garment, begins explaining.
"When one's understanding of the Immortal Dao they walk reaches a certain level, certain Immortals can draw out an even more fundamental power of the Immortal Dao."
"You're saying 'certain Immortals,' so there are Immortals who can't draw it forth at all. Is there some standard?"
"That's right. Do you know why so many True Immortals, even after realizing that at the end of the path they walk lies a Supreme Deity or Heavenly Venerable, knowing that no matter how hard they try, they won't rise beyond Great Net Immortal, still stubbornly refuse to change paths and continue walking an Immortal Dao that has a Governing Immortal?"
"Hm...I've never really thought about that."
Come to think of it, it is indeed curious.
Why are there True Immortals who deliberately choose to cultivate an Immortal Dao that already has an owner?
Unless one, like Jeon Myeong-hoon and myself, is insane enough to attempt to challenge a Supreme Deity as a Great Net Immortal and seize their Seat...
Wouldn't it be more reasonable to walk an Immortal Dao whose Seat is vacant or whose Seat Holder is only an Immortal Lord?
"The reason is precisely this Immortal Crown."
"...About that power called Immortal Crown, could it be...?"
"That's right."
Ho Woon nods and tells me.
"The Immortal Crown is a power drawn from a Supreme Deity. It is not a power that can be drawn simply from a vacant Seat or Origin Essence. It emerges only under the Seat of Supreme Deities or Heavenly Venerables who have fully made the Seat their own and succeeded in increasing the Seat's power. The stronger the Supreme Deity's power, the stronger this Immortal Crown becomes."
"Hoh..."
"If it's a Supreme Deity at the level of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, then the Immortal Crown of those walking the Immortal Dao under that Seat...as long as they can properly draw forth its power, would be enough to contend with an Immortal Lord even as a Great Net Immortal.
Woo-woooong!
Ho Woon opens their eyes wide and begins to focus their consciousness.
Above their head, a faint shape of a fujin begins to appear.
"And, for particularly powerful Supreme Deities...or Heavenly Venerables...yes... For Governing Immortals of the so-called 'Heavenly Venerable rank', they even 'bestow' such Immortal Crowns to those who worship them."
"Huh...?"
Woo-wooooong!
Other than the fujin over Ho Woon's head, their consciousness focuses to form another faint image.
It is a belt in the form of a thin strip (細條帶; a type of sash worn with robes).
From it radiates a feeling reminiscent of sunlight, exuding the same sensation of light felt when facing the Radiance Eight Immortals.
"So, the True Immortals affiliated with Radiance Hall, through this Immortal Crown of Radiance Hall, can draw upon the power of Radiance to some extent even without walking the Immortal Dao of that Seat. Of course, the Reapers of the Underworld or subordinates of other Heavenly Venerables similarly receive and use power in this manner."
"In short, there are Immortals who walk an Immortal Dao under a Governing Immortal simply to receive power from the Governing Immortal."
"That's one way to put it. Additionally, it also serves as a measure within the same Immortal Dao of how much one has cultivated. After all, the amount of power one can draw from the Immortal Crown differs depending on how far they've cultivated along that Immortal Dao."
"..."
I recall the power of the Immortal Crown of the Mountain I just felt.
Then I think of the power of Light used by the True Immortals affiliated with Radiance Hall, and the power of the Underworld used by the Reapers.
As I think of such things, I ask,
"...Then in the end...isn't that power merely borrowed from the Supreme Deity?"
"In a way, you could say that."
"If so, wouldn't it eventually have to be returned when facing the Supreme Deity one day?"
"Hmm?"
Ho Woon scratches their head, then speaks.
"...Well, sane folks don't entertain the idea of challenging the Supreme Deity of their Immortal Dao, so who knows. But it shouldn't necessarily be the case. Why do you think I walked the Immortal Dao of that madman Great Mountain Supreme Deity and cultivated hard to obtain the Immortal Crown?"
They point at the fujin on their head with their tail.
"This is certainly power borrowed from the Supreme Deity, but because it is the same power as the Supreme Deity's, it also protects us from the Supreme Deity. For example...even if you use the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, I am confident I won't be caught up in it. The Immortal Crown neutralizes the Supreme Deity's power. From the start, though the Immortal Crown originates from the Supreme Deity, it is not simply 'loaned'. It is more like opening up a new system of power, and we cultivate that system with our own strength."
"Is that so...?"
If that's the case, it's rather welcome news for me.
'Only by having the Immortal Crown would it be easier to confront the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.'
"Then please teach me how to obtain the Immortal Crown. I must acquire one."
"..."
Upon hearing my words, Ho Woon looks at me as if I've said something completely nonsensical.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...I mean, I showed you, didn't I? Even though I had impure intentions mixed in and ended up hanging like this...once you've seen it, shouldn't you be able to bring it out too? What do you mean, obtain an Immortal Crown?"
"..."
"You...don't tell me..."
Ho Woon stares at me with confused and flustered eyes and says,
"Even after reaching Heaven Earth Upper Immortal, you still haven't obtained an Immortal Crown?"
I avoid Ho Woon's gaze and clear my throat.
"...It appears so."
"...This is crazy."
Ho Woon sighs deeply.
"Lower me for a moment. If you haven't obtained an Immortal Crown, it's probably one of two reasons...I need to check."
"What are the two reasons?"
I lower Ho Woon and ask, and they explain.
"You've chosen the Immortal Dao of the Mountain, but haven't actually cultivated it at all. Or...the power of the Mountain Immortal Dao isn't being provided to you. Release the winged garment. I really won't pull any nonsense this time."
I release Ho Woon, and they circle around me, inspecting me here and there.
Then, with a face as if they cannot understand, they speak.
"Just by looking like this, I can't figure out what the problem is. I'll need to look more closely."
"Is there something I need to do?"
"Take off your clothes."
"How much do I need to take off?"
"All of it. I'm going to examine your body thoroughly."
Ho Woon flicks their nine tails and orders me with a confident expression.
-x-X-x-
"Take off my clothes, you say...? Why is that necessary?"
I ask while eyeing Ho Woon's swaying tails suspiciously.
"Come now, are you so shy? There are hardly any among True Immortals who properly wear clothes anyway, so what is there to be embarrassed about? I need to examine your body, so stop talking nonsense and strip!"
"...Understood."
I have no choice but to comply with Ho Woon's order and begin removing the clothes draped over my Transformation body one by one.
Pasak, pasasak...
Each time I wave my hand, my white robe evaporates, exposing my upper body.
Just then.
Ho Woon, seemingly dumbfounded, flushes red in the face and shouts aloud.
"No! What are you doing right now! I told you to take off your clothes, so why are you just peeling off the outer shell bit by bit!"
"Pardon...? You told me to take off my clothes."
"No! Don't you know what clothes are? I mean the [shell]! Honestly, is it because you're some bumpkin from the backwater Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain that you know none of the common sense of the True Immortal Realm!?"
Ho Woon beats their chest with their fist in frustration, and as I listen to their explanation, I finally understand.
"For True Immortals, clothes refer to the kind of Transformation where you force your essence into the appearance of mortal beings! I'm telling you to discard that artificially adorned Transformation form and reveal your true body!"
"...!"
"Just what were you even thinking, you lecherous fool!?"
'That wasn't even included in Blood Yin's common knowledge...'
It seems it was too basic to be deliberately included.
Suddenly called lecherous out of nowhere, I feel somewhat wronged, but I let out a deep sigh and begin to reveal my true body.
'Come to think of it, is this the first time I'm revealing my true body as a Heaven-Earth Upper Immortal?'
Kugugugugugu!
My physical form distorts, surpassing the form of a mortal.
Woo-woooong!
The essence of a Heaven-Earth Upper Immortal bursts forth.
However, perhaps because the power of Heaven innately holds an advantage over the power of Earth, the essence of Heaven Upper Immortal emerges first.
As an Earth Upper Immortal, my body is composed of mist and the candle flame of Glass True Fire.
But as a Heaven Upper Immortal, my body is composed of swords and white light.
I am a Sword Mountain.
Kugugugugugu!
My size expands, gradually growing comparable to an entire stellar system.
At the same time, the symbol of a Pure White Three Great Ultimates naturally forms behind my head.
It feels as though the very shape of the Pure White Three Great Ultimates clings to my essence as a Heaven-Earth Upper Immortal.
My entire being is familiarly composed of sword mountains made of glass.
Those glass sword mountains gather to form a round collar robe (團領), and due to the Pure-White Three Great Ultimates, it appears like a white round collar robe.
Beneath the white round collar robe of glass sword mountains, a faint aurora covers me, making my form difficult to discern, and the same applies to my face.
On the chest area, a large white quince flower is prominently drawn, while at the shoes, a divine aurora swirls, supporting me.
Once my Heaven Upper Immortal essence fully emerges, my Earth Upper Immortal essence follows.
Beneath the white round collar robe of glass sword mountains, a dragon's tail made of hazy mist grows, my hands and feet become even more jagged, and on the bare flesh and face that had been only aurora, Glass True Fire begins to blaze.
Atop my head, the horn of Candle Shadow sprouts, and emitting a much fiercer presence than before, my body, once the size of a stellar system, grows even larger, to the point where I can hold an entire stellar system in one hand.
Puhwak!
As the powers of Heaven and Earth unite, my body grows so immense that I pierce straight through the purple nebula of the Purple Lotus Realm.
Finally, the recently acquired winged garment naturally settles upon my shoulders, and I reveal my complete true form as a Heaven and Earth Upper Immortal.
A half-human, half-beast giant god clad in a white round collar robe made of glass sword mountains!
That is the current me.
Woo-woong!
Ho Woon also casts off their Transformation form and reveals their true body before me.
A True Immortal of pale light, wearing a pale round collar robe with a fujin made of mountains and a sash of light.
Mortal beings would likely return to thee on the spot just by perceiving us, and the space where mortals reside would be swept away and destroyed.
Ho Woon's true body is only the size of my palm.
"Your weight class is terrifying. Damn it...I should've realized it back then and fled..."
Ho Woon, seemingly aghast, circles around me and inspects various parts of my Immortal Body.
"Let's see... The flow of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy seems stable, the internal world appears healthy, and the powers of prophecy and revision are at appropriate levels. For an Immortal Beast, you seem to have almost no Salt Crystal, but considering you've just advanced and have the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, I suppose it doesn't matter... Hmmm..."
Ho Woon circles around me, occasionally shooting small energies into my body, inserting planets, and even briefly entering my internal world to look around.
After some time, they let out a long sigh and speak.
"...It's done. I've found the cause."
"What is it?"
"...It's you..."
Ho Woon sighs so deeply it seems the ground itself sinks.
"You've been cultivating the Immortal Dao of the Mountain...in an utterly inefficient manner. For a being who has reached Heaven and Earth Upper Immortal, to think your cultivation of the Immortal Dao is this poor...I would never have imagined it."
"...Pardon?"
I, who had vaguely assumed something was blocking the distribution of the Immortal Crown, am taken aback at the unexpected words and mouth hang open.
At my request, we return to our Transformation forms and begin a brief lesson.
"First of all, you're in an extremely malformed state right now. I don't know how you became an Upper Immortal, but I can only assume you advanced through the most unorthodox of unorthodox methods."
"..."
"And this is just my guess, but...you. Aside from the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, you know other mantras too, don't you?"
"Yes..."
The Wheel, the Flawless Mantra, and the Impermanence Sword.
"Including the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, I am cultivating about four mantras."
"...You lunatic... You absolute lunatic..."
Ho Woon rubs their forehead as they speak.
"Most True Immortals usually take around ten million years to obtain just one mantra, and you've got four... Then, by any chance, what's the rank of your mantras? No, never mind. Forget it. There's no way you'd understand if I ask like that... Have you ever felt as though the mantras are 'alive and moving'?"
"Pardon...? Of course, I feel that every moment."
"...Do the mantras ever speak to you on their own?"
"Since mantras are innate True Immortals, isn't it natural for them to speak to their master?"
"...Then have your mantras ever moved on their own without your command?"
"Hmm...not every moment, but quite often."
"..."
Ho Woon looks up at the sky with a dumbfounded expression.
"...You...madman."
"Pardon...?"
"Mantras that even after millions of years of groveling beneath Supreme Deities or Heavenly Venerables would be difficult to obtain...you have four of them..."
"Hmm... Judging by the characteristics you've mentioned...they sound like indicators of rather exceptional mantras...?"
"...It's beyond exceptional, you backwater bumpkin from the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain!! Right now, you're carrying four mantras at the level of a Supreme Deity! Moreover, that wave I feel from your body..."
Ho Woon points at me, their hand trembling.
"You've already made two of those four Supreme Deity-level mantras completely your own...!!"
"Yes, well, something like that. And, there seems to be a misunderstanding. One of them is actually my Natal Immortal Art that I created myself."
"...!!"
The 'mantras I made my own' that Ho Woon speaks of are the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and the Impermanence Sword.
From the very beginning, the Impermanence Sword is no different from my own clone, and the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra is something I have used with the recognition from its original owner, the Salt Sea Supreme Deity. Moreover, after receiving violent teachings from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and continuously subjecting myself to repentant enlightenment, I have now made more than ninety percent of it my own.
However, no matter how hard I try, the Flawless Mantra and the mantra of the [Wheel] do not seem to completely permit me.
In the case of the Flawless Mantra, it feels like my proficiency is lacking, while the mantra of the Wheel seems to simply not acknowledge me yet.
'Someday, I'll have to properly master both of them...'
As I am thinking this—
Ho Woon stares at me with their mouth agape.
"Y-You made it...? One of them...?"
"That's correct, but...?"
"..."
Ho Woon stares at me dumbly for a long while.
Then, regaining their senses after some time, they smile bitterly.
"No wonder Radiance Hall called you the return of Vast Cold and put out a bounty on you... You monstrous bastard... Undoubtedly, you'll become an enormous obstruction to Radiance Hall's future..."
Killing intent flickers in Ho Woon's eyes.
"...It's making me wonder if it would be right to sacrifice my life right here and now and scatter into ash in order to deal you a fatal blow."
"Hmmm..."
Woo-wooong!
I reassemble the surrounding particles and create a solid six-sided club.
Tak, tak!
Tapping the club a few times in my hand, I glance at Ho Woon.
'Are all foxes the type that only listens after being beaten a little...?'
Just then,
"...Well, whatever. What could I possibly accomplish by fighting you? Given the difference in weight class I saw earlier, I wouldn't even be able to inflict decent damage and would just die. Just make sure you properly reveal the true will of Radiance Hall someday."
"Of course, you need not worry about that."
"Then fine. Anyway, continuing the explanation... Normal Immortals grow by following the Immortal Dao they have chosen and using the power aligned to that Immortal Dao. Through their chosen Immortal Dao, they use Immortal Arts to construct the Radiance Ten Heavens, and through the Radiance Ten Heavens, they rise to Upper Immortal..."
"I see."
"But you...you must have either practiced the Radiance Ten Heavens cultivation itself in a strange way, or perhaps you simply brute-forced through the cultivation using the power of your mantras alone; isn't that right?"
"...That's right."
Both are true.
I didn't cultivate the Radiance Ten Heavens in the orthodox manner, and I did push through with the power of my mantras.
"The power of the mantras you possess is so overwhelming that it has led to this disaster... Any ordinary prophecy, even if it wasn't part of the Immortal Dao you walk, would have been overwhelmed just by your sheer weight class, and there wouldn't have been any need to use the ordinary power of the Immortal Dao as just roughly forcing through with the mantras alone would have been enough. As a result, there would have been no reason to look back on your own Immortal Dao. On top of that, since it's said there's hardly any True Immortals in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain...there would have been no one to tell you what's gone wrong."
"Ummmm..."
I let out a low murmur.
Indeed, I have been walking the Immortal Dao of the Mountain, but unlike before, I often felt that I wasn't following the proper method of Understanding before Breakthrough.
'So it was because of this.'
"Haah...damn it. Thanks to my promise to teach you 'with utmost sincerity and wholeheartedness,' I can't even pretend not to notice this."
Ho Woon lets out a deep sigh and speaks to me.
"The power of your Immortal Dao itself is currently...at the early Vestige Liberation Immortal-level. You've simply climbed to this realm by brute force thanks to the overwhelming strength of your mantras. From now on, while undergoing the cultivation of Heaven and Earth Upper Immortal together with me, you will focus solely on cultivating the power of your own Immortal Dao. You need to solidify your fundamentals; understood?"
"Yes, thank you. I will learn diligently."
"Good, then... Huu, damn it. I don't even know where to start teaching you. The future is dark."
Having my problem diagnosed by Ho Woon, from that day on, I begin earnest cultivation alongside Ho Woon to accumulate the Immortal Dao of the Mountain.
"First...what do you think the Immortal Dao of the Mountain is?"
"I believe it is the Immortal Dao of the 'power of accumulation'."
"That's right. Slowly accumulating to create something. That is the Mountain Immortal Dao. Then, what do you think is the most necessary thing to accumulate the Immortal Dao of the Mountain?"
"It would be to accumulate something, I suppose."
"Correct. You know well. Then you understand what you need to do from now on, don't you?"
"So you're telling me to accumulate a great mountain."
"No, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Ho Woon shakes their head repeatedly.
"Don't talk about flying when you can't even walk yet. You're in the position of crawling...no. Of an infant who needs to flip over."
They point to the ground.
Kwaduduk!
At the spot they point, a circle with a diameter of ten cun is drawn.
"Starting today, regardless of what material you use, accumulate a mountain inside that circle. Well, rather than a mountain...it would be more fitting to call it a sandcastle."
"That's really simple."
I crush nearby stones into powder and pour the sand into the circle.
But at that moment, Ho Woon swings their tail.
Cheolpeok!
Their thick, soft tail swiftly strikes and scatters the sand lump I made.
"...What are you doing?"
"Who told you to accumulate a sandcastle by moving directly yourself? Do you think you're some six-year-old mortal brat? Even if you're a baby now, you're still a baby at True Immortality."
Cheok!
Ho Woon points to the sky.
"If you are a True Immortal, control attraction force. Raise stars, and use the power of prophecy to accumulate the sandcastle. Of course, since you are an Upper Immortal, you can use revision instead of prophecy. However, you are absolutely forbidden from directly interfering with reality. Understood?"
"...So, you're telling me to use prophecy and revision...to accumulate a mere sandcastle? One that fits inside that circle?"
When I ask back, incredulous, Ho Woon's face contorts at once.
"What...? A mere sandcastle...? Have you lost your mind?"
Ho Woon's eyes flip, and they snatch the six-sided club from my hand and start beating me like crazy.
"Kuugh! Wh-What are you—"
"Shut up! No matter how strong you are, right now, I am standing here as your Immortal Realm senior who is helping you!"
Peok! Pak!
They strike me fiercely with the six-sided club, lecturing me.
"There is no such thing as 'mere'! I don't know how arrogantly you strutted about during your mortal days. But as we cultivate the Immortal Dao and raise our realms, there is something we all come to realize. That in this world, there is nothing that is insignificant!
"Every single speck of dust beneath our feet, every single grain of sand, is a foundation that forms the world! From the True Persons who reached the pinnacle of mortal beings to the Vestige Liberation Immortals, there are plenty of arrogant ones. Why? Because they lived thinking they were the best, and entered the Immortal Family that way. To them, everything in this world looks trivial, like mere grains of sand!
"However! At the very least, we must not be like that. Because the Immortal Dao of the Mountain, all the mountains in this world, are ultimately formed by the accumulation of the grains of sand we deem trivial!"
Peok! Peok! Peok!
"Once you accumulate grains of sand into a mountain, then you may be arrogant. Because having accumulated a mountain means you have learned how to cherish each grain of sand. After that, it's fine to look down on mountains lower than yours! You'll have no choice but to look down on them anyway.
"But! Someone like you, who has nothing besides mantras, must not be arrogant! Lower your head! Get down and observe each grain of sand! That! That is the task you must do right now! Throw away your conceited heart and prepare yourself to properly accumulate!"
Peok!
Ho Woon's six-sided club is sharp.
By my standards, that strength feels like a child smacking me with a reed leaf, but the truth within it is sharp, so I respectfully kneel on my knees.
"...I have misspoken. Please withdraw your anger."
"Hmph! If you understand, hurry up and start."
Kugugugugung!
I immediately rise and make a prophecy.
: : I prophesize...In this place, a sand mountain one chi high shall be accumulated. : :
Kugugugugu!
A star is born within my body, and the newborn star emerges into the cosmic space, beginning to alter reality.
Kugugugung!
I can sense the time when the prophecy of fate will be realized.
"Four hundred years..."
For piling a single sand mountain, the time is overwhelmingly long.
"Fate, without exception, tries to guide reality in the most natural way possible. Therefore, to avoid disturbing that divine providence, it takes considerable time for a prophecy to come true. If you want to shorten the time it takes, scatter prophecies frequently and lay the groundwork, aligning the branches of the future so it doesn't deviate from divine providence."
"I see..."
Until now, I've only used prophecy in combat, so a prophecy that takes this long feels somewhat unfamiliar to me.
"However, since you are in the position of cultivating now, I'll impose restrictions on you. For each mountain you accumulate, you may use prophecy and revision only twice each. If you use both prophecy and revision together, only one of each is allowed."
"Understood."
Woo-woong!
I gather a Taiji in both hands.
In the next moment, I detonate the Taiji.
Since the Taiji explodes in a place within the Plane of Qi far away from even the material realm, no explosion occurs in reality.
History revision.
: : The soil around where the sand mountain will be accumulated has been, since the time this Immortal created this land, the optimal soil for accumulating a mountain. : :
Since I am the one who created this land, revision regarding the landmass is easy.
Woo-woong!
Divine providence becomes natural by my revision, and the likelihood of the prophecy being fulfilled rises.
As a result, I perceive that the time needed for the prophecy to be realized has shortened to two hundred years.
"Alright, then enough observing here. Let's rise to the True Immortal Realm. Even just having your main body observe causes enormous influence. If you really want, you can leave one incarnation behind."
"Understood."
Woo-woong!
I leave one incarnation behind, making it face the circle Ho Woon has drawn, and rise together with Ho Woon to the True Immortal Realm.
Kugugugung!
The familiar True Immortal Realm greets me.
'Something is different from before.'
But as I look around the True Immortal Realm, I realize the scenery has somehow changed compared to before.
'It's not just darkness!'
It resembles a night sky.
Just as stars are densely embedded in a dark night sky, within the attraction force of the endlessly vast Mount Sumeru, lights are twinkling.
They are probably all True Immortals.
Having risen to Heaven and Earth Upper Immortal, my senses have strengthened, and I seem to perceive True Immortals more clearly.
When I first rose to the True Immortal Realm—
I thought the True Immortal Realm was truly desolate.
I thought it was a cold and empty place.
But I was wrong.
'Here and there...scattered throughout the True Immortal Realm, scattered all across Mount Sumeru, everyone is living.'
Nearby, a red light.
A little farther away, a dark blue light.
Then again, nearby, purple light and pale pink light shine.
They are all comrades who have each reached True Immortality or realms corresponding to it.
I do not see the light that appears to be Kim Young-hoon, but since his physical body is near us, I can feel his presence.
'His mind, I heard, is wandering outside Mount Sumeru...in the Outer Sea.'
However, since there is the guarantee of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, we will meet again eventually.
'Having risen in realm...it looks a little more beautiful than before.'
I smile as I look around at the approximately ten thousand True Immortals scattered like stars across the darkness-covered Mount Sumeru.
'Let's continue moving upward.'
Our goal can only be attained by advancing upward.
It is when I am taking in the scenery of the True Immortal Realm after a long time.
"Truly, the True Immortal Domain is comfortable. The Saha World is far too restrictive."
"...!"
I flinch in surprise as I glance at the main body of Ho Woon standing right beside me.
"Hm!? I heard that originally in the True Immortal Realm, even if we are close in the Lower Realm, we would be distanced due to our respective domains..."
"Isn't that obvious? What do you think is the root of domains, internal worlds, and Immortal Bodies in the first place? Ultimately, our Immortal Bodies and domains are greatly influenced by the Immortal Dao we walk. Since we are walking the same Immortal Dao, if we are close together in the Saha World, we end up staying close together in the True Immortal Realm as well."
"Hooh..."
"Now then, from now on, watch the Saha World quietly from the True Immortal Domain and you see whether your prophecy is fulfilled while practicing repentant enlightenment. That is the surest way to develop your fundamentals."
Kugugugung!
At that moment, Ho Woon suddenly places their hand on my arm.
Paaatt!
Ho Woon's Immortal Body connects with mine, and in an instant, our worlds touch.
"Is this your world?"
I blink as I gaze at Ho Woon's internal world.
An endlessly stretching Snow Mountain!
A night world where eternal blizzards blow through endlessly connected snow mountains, and stars densely fill the sky—that is the interior of Ho Woon's Immortal Body.
Woo-woong!
Ho Woon appears at the boundary of my world in their Transformation form, clicking their tongue as they observe my world.
"What a crazy world... A world of glass sword mountains. I had suspected it ever since I saw that your true body had no face, but just what kind of painful life have you lived?"
"Haha, who knows. But I couldn't see a face on Senior Ho Woon's true body as well?"
"Hmph. That's none of your business. Anyway, show your Transformation form."
I emerge my Transformation form inside my Immortal Body, facing Ho Woon at the boundary of my world.
"Since we'll be idle for a few hundred years anyway, how about we play some Go to pass the time?"
Kuuung!
A go board flies in from somewhere and spreads out between the boundaries of Ho Woon's and my Immortal Body.
Ho Woon gathers their energy to form go stones and speaks.
"Sit down. Do you play some Go?"
"Mm... Actually, I don't know the rules."
"What!? How can someone who is a True Immortal not know how to play Go!? Truly, you are a fellow who lacks elegance!"
"Emm..."
As I'm flustered, Ho Woon clicks their tongue and clenches the go stones.
The go stones change shape, transforming into octagons and growing larger.
The grid lines on the go board change as well.
"Then surely you know how to play Janggi, right?"
The shapes and patterns of the janggi pieces differ from those of our world, and the design of the janggi board is also slightly different as well.
Of course, janggi is something one becomes accustomed to after a few games, so even if the appearance differs and the rules vary slightly, it wouldn't be a problem—but there is another issue.
"...Actually, I don't know the rules of Janggi either."
Indeed.
Even back on Earth, I have never played Janggi.
So how could I possibly play Mount Sumeru's Janggi?
Ho Woon's face turns bright red.
"You ignorant fool! To think you don't even know how to play Janggi. You truly know not a single way to enjoy elegance! Fine, then surely you know how to play Seven Stones?"
"If it's Seven Stones..."
Listening to Ho Woon's explanation, I realize it's a game quite similar to Five Stones (오목; gomoku) from Earth.
[Editor: Gomoku involves taking turns placing stones on a 15x15 grid. The winner is the one who is first to get a five-in-a-row, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.]
However, unlike Earth's version, it seems to be a game where one aligns seven stones instead of five.
"I'm at the level of understanding the rules."
"Good! That's something at least. You're of some age, so surely you've played quite a bit of Seven Stones. For someone our age to say they understand the rules means they can play decently, right?"
"...Actually, I've never played Seven Stones before, and even with Five Stones, which lowers the number of stones, I've only played it exactly five times in my life."
Five Stones wasn't interesting, so after learning it during school days, I never played it again.
At my words, Ho Woon speaks with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
"...What in the world do you know how to play, then?"
"Uhmm..."
I feel a little embarrassed but suddenly think of a good idea.
"I've played a lot of Alkkagi. How about Alkkagi?"
"..."
And I get to see Ho Woon's face twist up completely.
[TL/N: It's a game played on the go board where you flick your stones to knock the opponent's stones off the board.]
Two hundred years have passed.
"My territory is bigger. This is my victory."
For two hundred years, I learned Go, Janggi, and Seven Stones from Ho Woon, and while continuing my personal cultivation, advanced my skills rapidly.
Before I know it, after two hundred years, I have reached the level where I can beat Ho Woon in Go.
"...You madman. In just two hundred years...against this Immortal with three hundred thousand years of experience..."
Ho Woon trembles, their nine tails quivering.
"It's an area where I have more talent than I thought, so I'm a bit surprised myself. Haha!"
Games like Go, where one destroys the opponent's territory and captures their stones, and Janggi, where one kills the opponent's pieces and captures the king, turn out to be areas where I possess overwhelming talent.
Especially in Go, where I destroy the opponent's territory, plunder their domain, and devour their stones, I seem to bloom with talent as if possessed by a god.
At first, I always picked up the black stones, but at some point, I began playing white stones against Ho Woon.
The one game I lack talent in is Seven Stones, but Ho Woon actually finds Seven Stones crude and dislikes it, so for two hundred years, we only played Janggi and Go without end.
'How fascinating. To discover unexpected talent in something like this...'
Whenever I play Go, every time I plunder the opponent's territory and domain, an indescribable thrill surges within me, and it feels as if someone is whispering the correct moves in my ear.
'So it's this enjoyable to plunder the opponent's domain...'
Through playing Go, I come to understand the true fun of Go.
Amidst countless possibilities, picking the moves most favorable to me, progressing step by step, snatching what belongs to the opponent, and devouring it—this pleasure!
It delivers a powerful exhilaration to me.
And as I feel it, I come to a realization.
'Ah, I see. Maybe my fate and abilities as an Ender...have been specialized in playing Go all along.'
Suddenly, I think that if I had become a Go player instead of a martial artist, I might have realized my fate much sooner.
'But the problem is, I can't become stronger through Go alone.'
Feeling a tinge of regret, I conclude the game with Ho Woon.
"Anyway, it's finally been two hundred years."
"...Right."
I focus my mind on the Saha World, in other words, the Lower Realm, that I have been looking downwards at even while playing Go.
Hwiiiiiiiii!
Wind is blowing over the landmass I have created.
And at the center of that landmass.
Around the spot where Ho Woon drew a circle, several clumps are gathered together.
There are chunks of stone, and heaps of soil piled up like small hills.
This is the result of two hundred years of twisting divine providence with a prophetic star to fulfill the prophecy.
At last, the wind blowing over the landmass carries a few grains of sand, dropping them inside the circle Ho Woon has drawn.
Woo-woooong!
At that moment, I feel something growing within my chest.
Chiiiii—
In reality, somewhere within my Colorless Sword Enclosure, a mound of sand identical in form to that mound of sand manifests.
My prophecy has been realized.
My revision has succeeded.
Finally...
After two hundred years, a tiny sand mountain has been completed.
"...It's done now. What should I do next?"
Ho Woon, who is tidying up the Go stones, speaks as they gaze down at the Saha World with me.
"You've taken your first step. Congratulations. You've managed to flip over as a baby."
Giving me a short compliment, Ho Woon proceeds to explain what I must do next.
"Because of the achievement just now, that sand mountain itself has become your Immortal Art. It is a sand mountain you accumulated yourself, after all. From now on, you can use that sand mountain as your Immortal Art at anytime without needing prophecy."
"Hmm...!"
Indeed, it is so.
That small sand mountain manifested inside my body is now a part of my strength.
"Then, the next stage. The Immortal Art of that sand mound is now the power of your Immortal Dao. The prophecies of True Immortals can only be imbued into the source of attraction force. That's why True Immortals usually imbue their prophecies into stars. And...since that sand mound has now become your Immortal Art, it has become a source of attraction force. In the Saha World, it's just a pile of sand, but because it originates from you, it is pulling you."
Ho Woon points at the sand mound as they speak.
"Pour in your strength, whether it is prophecy or revision, into that sand mound. Then, next to that sand mound, accumulate an even bigger sand mound. Once the larger sand mound is completed, repeat the same process again."
Hearing Ho Woon's words, I come to understand what it truly means to cultivate the Immortal Dao.
I understand why this is called solidifying the 'foundations'.
"Keep repeating this 'accumulation' over and over again. Gradually grow your mountain in this way. And one day, when you create a mountain that covers the entire land, that will be the foundation of the Immortal Dao of the Mountain."
I bow my head at Ho Woon's advice and continue cultivating my Immortal Art.
Like so, around eight hundred years pass.
Kururururung!
Hong Fan advances to the Entering Nirvana stage, and before I realize it, I have created an Immortal Art that builds mountains the size of neighborhood hills.
As I watch Hong Fan conducting his Entering Nirvana advancement ritual, I gather together the continents where I have accumulated numerous mountains and compress them into a small star.
Far away, the suns of the Radiance Ten Heavens, created by Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok, and others, shine down upon this star.
Kurururung!
The star vein emitted by Hong Fan pierces into the star I have created.
The dragon vein across the entire star activates, and life begins to sprout on the surface of the star.
It will not be long before the lifeforms evolve, and civilization and intelligence begin to emerge.
"A bit slow, but you are steadily growing, I see."
"That seems to be the case."
"Then, starting today, cultivate both the Immortal Dao of the Mountain and the Upper Immortal cultivation together."
"Ohoh, may I do that now?"
Originally, I had intended to pursue Upper Immortal cultivation alongside the Immortal Dao cultivation much earlier.
However, Ho Woon scolded me, saying it was far too soon to attempt both at once, so I refrained.
"...Well, now that your Immortal Art has grown this much, it's about time you learn to gaze down upon mortal beings. Besides, the cultivation ahead aligns well with the Upper Immortal cultivation."
"Is that so...?"
I recall the contents of the Upper Immortal cultivation and smile bitterly.
The formula of the Upper Immortal cultivation consists of two methods: Yang Pitch (陽律) and Yin Pitch (陰呂), and one can cultivate by following either method.
The formula of Yang Pitch is simple.
It involves either flourishing six different races and civilizations within a single Heavenly Domain, or flourishing a single race across six different Heavenly Domains.
However, the problem lies with Yin Pitch.
Yin Pitch entails erasing six different civilizations and races within a single Heavenly Domain entirely, or erasing one civilization and race from six different Heavenly Domains.
And in the case of Yang Pitch, there is an additional condition: the race and civilization must be [races and civilizations that have never existed before].
A malicious way of cultivation designed to be easier to advance one's realm through destruction alone.
That is the formula of the Upper Immortal cultivation—Yang Pitch and Yin Pitch.
-x-X-x-
'That lunatic Great Mountain Supreme Deity.'
Now that I think about it, all the realms overseen by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity seem to be utterly deranged.
'Back during the Four-Axis stage, They encouraged unorthodox methods so much, and now They're outright pushing for cultivation solely through the Way of Yin Pitch.'
Whether Ho Woon knows about my dilemma or not, they lightly wag their tail and ask,
"So, which system will you cultivate through, Yang Pitch or Yin Pitch?"
"Is there a significant difference depending on which one I use?"
"Naturally there is. If you cultivate through Yang Pitch, you become more specialized in creating things like stars of prophecy or explosions of revisions. If you cultivate through Yin Pitch, you become more specialized in denying the prophecies and revisions of other True Immortals. Of course, you can also mix the two—creating three races through Yang Pitch and erasing another three races through Yin Pitch. Doing so would specialize you in maintaining your own prophecies and revisions."
"Hmm...!"
As I listen to Ho Woon's words, something comes to mind.
"So Yang Pitch specializes in creation, Yin Pitch specializes in destruction, and mixing them specializes in preservation, is that correct?"
"That's right. Either way, it will greatly aid your cultivation of the Immortal Dao from here on."
"..."
'Triple Divinity... So that's what this is.'
Yang Pitch and Yin Pitch.
The powers granted after completing the True Immortal formula of this Upper Immortal cultivation closely resemble the powers of Brahma Nature, Narayana Nature, and Mahesvara Nature.
'Come to think of it, it makes sense.'
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity is said to have received teachings from Hyeon Mu, and even dual cultivated with her.
That enlightenment seems to have melted into the Upper Immortal realm formula.
"...Is there a particular reason you're asking me this?"
"Of course there is. Up until now, you've forcefully broken through the realms using those brute-force mantras of yours, but from here on, that won't work. You must cultivate the Immortal Dao simultaneously without exception. Meaning, you must create or extinguish entire races solely by using the power of the Immortal Dao."
"...!"
At those words, I let out a silent sigh.
'This is quite difficult...'
Whether it's Yang Pitch or Yin Pitch, how exactly is one supposed to carry it out using the Immortal Dao of accumulating mountains?
I don't even know where to start.
"This...seems more difficult than I expected."
"What obvious nonsense are you spouting? Both Yin Pitch and Yang Pitch are naturally immensely difficult. Yin Pitch may seem easy and convenient at first glance, but do you think erasing an entire race within a Heavenly Domain is simple? A race in a Heavenly Domain includes even the same race within the Middle Realms. Moreover, since those races could survive inside the Middle Realm within a Great Net Immortal's body, you might even have to fight a Great Net Immortal."
"...!"
"Moreover, when you designate a race for extinction, if even a single member of that race worships a True Immortal, you risk offending that True Immortal, making it difficult to casually annihilate a race. Therefore, Upper Immortal cultivation isn't primarily about creating or destroying civilizations, but rather about building relationships with other True Immortals, and obtaining 'permission' to eradicate the races that worship them or can be considered their descendants in that Heavenly Domain."
"In that case, perhaps Yang Pitch seems more manageable."
"Does Yang Pitch seem easier to you? The conditions are indeed far easier compared to Yin Pitch, but you will have to draft a blueprint for a lifeform that has never existed before. Sure, Earth Upper Immortals find this method slightly easier and tend to choose it...but it won't be easy. Going forward, you will never be able to assist the race you create directly, and if established races who serve other True Immortals invade your race to enslave them, you can't directly intervene to stop it."
"...Wait..."
At those words, something dawns on me.
"In that case...the slave races that struggle with Immortal Cultivation itself..."
"Exactly. You must have seen them during your mortal days, correct? The weak, frail slave races for whom Immortal Cultivation itself is impossible... Pitiful beings whose entire existence is either food, pills, or mere trinkets like norigaes... Every one of them is no different from leftovers roughly discarded by Upper Immortals after being used in their Upper Immortal cultivation."
"..."
I let out a faint sigh at those words.
The origin of Jang Ik's Small Green Race and other Heart Tribe...
In the end, they are nothing more than remnants left behind by True Immortal ranked beings after their cultivation.
I realize that even Yang Pitch, though seemingly a bit more humane on the surface compared to Yin Pitch, is no less cruel in its essence.
'...No, but there is still a way.'
Another method comes to mind.
"How about this? As the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow, I have become the progenitor of a race that didn't exist before. Wouldn't it be enough if I just spread my descendants, the Candle Dragon Race, throughout all the Heavenly Domains?"
"Ah, the Candle Dragon Race. I've heard of them."
"Pardon...?"
I ask in confusion.
Why on earth has Ho Woon heard about them?
But I soon understand.
"There are occasionally fellows like you. Mutants who split off entirely from their original race, become Immortal Beasts, and establish new races and civilizations..."
As Ho Woon continues speaking, I feel my face rotting.
"Such fellows are rare, but if any of them happen to oppose Radiance Hall, then Radiance Hall acquires their bloodline factor and scatters them across all the Heavenly Domains. In that process, I've also seen the Candle Dragon Race, said to be your descendants, in the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. It's because doing so fixes the method of Upper Immortal cultivation to Yin Pitch, making it easier for Radiance Hall to track. After all, those who revere the True Immortals of Radiance Hall are spread throughout all the Heavenly Domains...so Yin Pitch won't be easy for you either."
"..."
It turns out that while I was unconscious during my True Immortal advancement, beings like the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord and others who entered the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain had already obtained the bloodline factors of the Candle Dragon Race.
"...So, what is the method you are suggesting, then?"
"Kukuk..."
Ho Woon chuckles softly.
"If you go find Glass Peacock, it'll all be solved. Glass Peacock will transform into all kinds of Immortal Beasts and mate with you. That lunatic possesses the Immortal Beast True Blood of all kinds of Immortal Beasts, after all. It'd be no different from copulating with a myriad of Immortal Beasts. If you copulate with countless Immortal Beasts and keep creating new races, you will breeze through the Upper Immortal cultivation."
"..."
I pull out my six-sided club, and Ho Woon clears their throat at my reaction.
"It was a joke. There's a better method."
"What is it?"
"Return to thee (歸依)."
Ho Woon smiles faintly as they continue.
"Wander throughout the Heavenly Domains, find races and civilizations, and make them face you directly. Then have them return (歸依) to your body. That way, other True Immortals won't feel nearly as offended, and you will have something to say to them too."
"..."
But even after hearing that, my expression remains far from pleased.
"This is the most widely known Yin Pitch cultivation method. Of course, you will have to properly establish the Qi of the living beings who return (歸依) to your body and make sure they worship you, so that no problems arise within you. As long as you manage to persuade the living beings, have them revere you, and convince the other True Immortals who might have grievances over their descendants being returned to thee, it'll only take about two to three million years. Repeat that six times, and you will be able to complete the Upper Immortal cultivation neatly."
Indeed, it is the most straightforward and seemingly acceptable method.
However...
I simply cannot feel at ease.
'Return to thee...'
After learning in the previous cycle that those who returned to thee to the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity are living well, the burden in my heart lightened a bit.
'But even so, Karmic Fire flared from the fact that they had been returned to thee.'
In other words, the very fact of having one's well-lived life taken away is itself a torment to them, and that too is considered a sin.
I recall Jun Jae, who still has not regained his reason inside my body.
Jun Jae has become a spirit of Glass True Fire, but perhaps because of my pain embedded within Glass True Fire, he still has not come to their senses.
This is despite me having lowered the concentration of Glass True Fire as much as possible.
'Maybe not for other True Immortals, but at least within my body...it is too painful a place for living beings.'
The only reason I feel no guilt towards Jun Jae is because he tried to kill my master, Azure Tiger Saint. But I cannot throw completely unrelated living beings into this agonizing hellfire.
Above all...
My comrade is Jeon Myeong-hoon.
I know what kind of suffering Jeon Myeong-hoon carries, and standing alongside him, I cannot commit acts like those of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.
In the end, none of the methods satisfy me.
'Is there no other way?'
I rack my brain.
'The realm overseen by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.'
It was the same during the Four-Axis stage.
The way of advancing through the realm itself is clearly structured to exploit those weaker than oneself, but the hidden method is one where you carve only yourself.
'This may perhaps be...the realm once overseen by my master.'
That means, even through the way of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, there is a method to undergo the Upper Immortal cultivation.
"...None of the methods please me."
"What?"
"First, I will talk things over with my comrades."
I decide to gather my comrades for a discussion after a long time.
"Oh, Hong Fan. You've grown younger."
I pat Hong Fan on the shoulder as I look at him, who has advanced to the Entering Nirvana stage.
From looking like he was in his late forties to early fifties, Hong Fan now bears the face of a man clearly in his early forties.
'He's taller than before, and his beard's a bit shorter too.'
From the wrinkled old man of the past, he now has the imposing build of a general.
'This guy, he's gotten taller than me?'
Hong Fan, appearing in his early forties, is quite tall, and seems to be a whole head taller than me.
Compared to Oh Hyun-seok, who grew a head or two taller under Azure Tiger Saint's training compared to back on Earth, Hong Fan is slightly shorter. But he seems to have a similar height to Oh Hyun-seok from back then.
However, despite his large build, he does not give off a brutish impression.
Rather, his beard is darker, giving him an old-fashioned air, and his gaze has deepened.
The white hairs that peeked out here and there during the Sacred Vessel stage have now disappeared completely.
Hong Fan has jet-black hair that seems to absorb light, and clad in a black robe, he looks like a dignified Imperial King.
"Haw haw, thank you for the compliment."
Even his tone and voice somehow feel more refined, exuding a weighty atmosphere.
"Hmm..."
And as I look at this Hong Fan, I feel a strong sense of déjà vu.
'What is it, this guy...'
Sure enough, it is a face I've seen somewhere before.
Of course, his height seems much taller than the [someone] I recall, but his overall appearance is far too similar.
'Once he becomes a bit younger from the Entering Nirvana Stage, I think I'll be able to figure it out... Damn, I don't know.'
No matter how hard I try, I cannot remember.
'I've seen someone like this before. But...I just can't figure out who.'
Unable to figure out his identity, I pat Hong Fan's shoulder a few more times and reunite with my comrades after a long while.
"Oh, Seo Eun-hyun. It's been a while."
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, and the others.
Before I realize it, every single one of them seems to have surpassed the Vestige Liberation Immortal-level and reached the Upper Immortal-level.
Especially Kang Min-hee. Who knows what she did, but she is in the late Upper Immortal realm.
She appears to have almost completed her Upper Immortal cultivation and is preparing her Great Net Immortal advancement.
"It's been a long time for me as well. It's only been a mere thousand years, but everyone seems to have made remarkable progress."
"A mere thousand years... To think a thousand years has now become something 'mere'."
Oh Hyun-seok mutters bitterly as he glances around at us.
Then, seeing Hong Fan, he flinches again.
"...Somehow you look even more like my master...I mean, the Naming Supreme Deity..."
"Haw haw, it's an honor."
"Your face shape and eyes are subtly different though."
We gather after a long while and exchange casual conversation.
My Immortal Treasures Yeo Hwi, Yu Hwi, Ham Jin have fully adjusted to their life as my Immortal Treasures, and are outside chatting with the Immortal Treasures of my comrades.
Before long, the friendly conversations die down, and I begin to speak honestly about my problem to my comrades.
"First, I find it difficult to properly perform the Upper Immortal cultivation. As you all know...the Upper Immortal cultivation is none other than..."
I explain to my comrades the methods of Yang Pitch and Yin Pitch, and seek their advice.
"...For these reasons, I cannot bring myself to use such methods. That is why I asked you all to gather after so long in order to discuss it."
"I see..."
Jeon Myeong-hoon's face darkens at the Yin Pitch method of 'extinction'.
"...Golden Shaking Bird recommends creating Thunder Beasts. She says a True Immortal is a unique existence in themselves, and thus can be considered a race and civilization on their own. Therefore, if you create six Thunder Beasts and scatter them, the Yang Pitch cultivation would be completed..."
"..."
It is quite an extreme method.
Hearing this, Oh Hyun-seok's eyes brighten.
"Doesn't that mean killing six True Immortals would also complete the Upper Immortal cultivation? I'm not saying I'll do that, but I thought I'd ask, wondering if it's possible."
Kang Min-hee shakes her head at his words.
"If you want to use a method of killing or creating, ordinary True Immortals won't do. They'd have to be Immortal Beasts. I too, with the help of my master, reached the late stage of Upper Immortal by killing Reapers of Upper Immortal-level in the Underworld. The Thunder Beasts that Golden Shaking Bird mentioned likely also carry certain traits of Immortal Beasts, making Upper Immortal cultivation possible."
"Damn it... Destroying or creating six civilizations...or killing six Immortal Beasts... Either way, the difficulty is the same."
"If you kill Immortal Beasts, then all the races benefiting from that Immortal Beast True Blood would decline as well, so not just the difficulty but the essence itself is the same."
Hearing Kang Min-hee's words, Kim Yeon raises a question.
"Mmm?"
"She's asking if puppet-like dolls can't be considered as a race."
"Well...my master said that kind of method is not possible. It's a method blocked entirely at the level of civilization development apparently."
"Mmm..."
Kim Yeon looks a little sullen, and Oh Hyun-seok asks a question.
"Is there no way to get more help from your master?"
"Well... My master said that just gathering everyone here was already everything They could do for us, so They won't interfere any further."
"They won't interfere with us... Damn it. Then what method is there?"
For a while, we rack our brains, searching for a way to carry out the Upper Immortal cultivation as humanely as possible.
But even after three days and nights of discussion, we are unable to find a proper way of Upper Immortal cultivation.
"Damn it...is creating a slave race or Thunder Beasts the most humane method after all?"
"Or perhaps raising six disciples and raising them to the realm of Earth Upper Immortal could be an option."
"...In that case, I'd rather just hunt six Immortal Beasts."
"But even if you kill Immortal Beasts, their subordinate races would still decline, wouldn't they?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon lets out a deep sigh.
"...In the end, is making them return to thee the most humane method...? Yet that is the one I find least appealing."
Just when we are immersed in gloomy contemplation about the inhumanity of the Upper Immortal cultivation,
Hong Fan steps forward and speaks.
"I have listened carefully to the discussions between Master and elders over the past three days. And as a result...a quite decent method has come to mind. Would you like to hear it?"
"Hmm... What method is it?"
Because Hong Fan has a history of often coming up with brilliant ideas, realizations, or methods that break open an escape route, I look at him with expectant eyes.
"Ultimately, a True Immortal is treated as a unique existence, therefore regarded as a race and a civilization. However, to use a True Immortal for Upper Immortal cultivation, that True Immortal must unconditionally be either an Immortal Beast or a Thunder Beast with some Immortal Beast traits, correct?"
"That's...more or less right."
"In that case, how about this? You could kill Master."
At Hong Fan's words, Kim Yeon, Kang Min-hee, and Jeon Myeong-hoon's faces turn cold, and Oh Hyun-seok's face twitches as he speaks.
"What do you mean by that, Hong Fan?"
"Please hear my explanation. The subordinate race under Master, the Candle Dragon Race, is a race that has continued cultivation even without the Immortal Beast True Blood since before Master's ascension. Therefore, even if Master is gone, they will not decline. So all that needs to happen is for Master to die."
"After killing Seo Eun-hyun...you're telling us to live on with the hands that killed our comrade?"
"Haw haw, there is no need to worry about that. Is there not a good method?"
Hong Fan pats my shoulder and smiles.
"Didn't Elder Min-hee speak it? That the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld has declared They will no longer 'interfere' with the elders. That is to say...it can be interpreted as Them saying They will no longer 'taxidermize' the elders. Meaning...from now on, elders are now free to make use of the Underworld as you please."
At Hong Fan's continued explanation, everyone's eyes widen.
"Be killed and reincarnate. And after reincarnation, once again receive the power and authority Master obtained in Master's previous life, advance to Upper Immortal, then die again. In theory, this way, all of you can carry out the Upper Immortal cultivation in a humane way."
"Doesn't that mean...in the end, we lose the Seo Eun-hyun of the previous life!?"
"That is not the case. The reason I suggest this...is because Master possesses an 'Immortal Art that allows one to remember their previous lives'."
I realize what Hong Fan is talking about.
"Cultivate the Flawless Mantra. If Master continues cultivation while remembering the memories of previous lives, Master will not only complete the Upper Immortal cultivation but also finally and completely acquire the Flawless Mantra, which Master has not fully mastered. More importantly..."
He smiles subtly as he speaks.
"This is the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain where the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity resides, is it not? In the Heavenly Domain of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, who is practically the incarnation of the Flawless Mantra...who knows? Perhaps Master might even gain the authority of the God of Gods who gave birth to the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity in the distant past."
"...Yes, you're certainly right."
It is an excellent idea.
My comrades look at me with worried expressions, but I rise from my seat and speak.
"I will do as Hong Fan says. Because..."
I look at Hong Fan.
He looks at me with eyes filled with trust, and as I meet those dependable eyes, I suddenly flinch in surprise.
'Ah...now I remember.'
Just as I am about to express my will to my comrades, looking at Hong Fan's face, I suddenly recall who he resembles.
'Hong Fan...'
An unforgettable connection from the Head Realm.
'He greatly resembles that person's appearance during their lifetime.'
Song Jin.
The repository keeper who allowed me to browse through devilish arts.
Hong Fan looks excessively similar to the appearance of Song Jin during his lifetime when he died, or when he faced Yuan Li.
With an inexplicable sense of mystery, and with the feeling as if I am dreaming a dream, I stare directly at Hong Fan for a while.