"Now then, let's bring the Great Mountain Holy Mother here..."
Glass Peacock licks their lips and reaches out a hand.
"Wait, hold on."
I briefly bat away Glass Peacock's hand and turn my attention to Oh Hyun-seok.
'Since this is related to Oh Hye-seo, I should let Oh Hyun-seok know as well.'
Just as I am about to tell Oh Hyun-seok about Glass Peacock—
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, the connection with the information body over there weakens, and for an instant, through the information body's perspective, it feels like time itself around Oh Hyun-seok and Mount Sumeru slows down.
'This is...!'
"Hmm, what's wrong? What happened?"
Glass Peacock looks at my expression and asks.
"...The flow of time has changed."
"Hm? Is that so? I did notice communication with the main body isn't going smoothly."
"...Aren't you worried? If the connection with the main body is lost, your self could become independent and separate from it..."
"Hmm...you're worried about that kind of thing? Sorry, but I don't really care. In the first place...aren't you kind of similar?"
"Hmm...?"
"You've got quite a fragmented self, don't you? And yet, you still maintain your ego called 'Seo Eun-hyun' quite well."
Glass Peacock creates a throne of glass on the spot, sits on it, and crosses their legs as they speak.
"That's probably because...all your fragmented selves believe they are part of the existence known as 'Seo Eun-hyun', is it not? Even if they're divided, that division itself maintains the identity of 'Seo Eun-hyun'. It's the same for me. I've lived a long time, and my mind has split a few times, but as long as I enjoy dual cultivation with my split selves, they always end up being completely on my side."
"...Hmm..."
"It's simple. Even if I split and become two, I don't obsess over who the main body is, and instead just accept 'both' as members who make up the being called 'Glass Peacock'. There's no point in deciding who's real or fake. All are constituents of what makes the real."
I find myself fully agreeing with that statement.
'Come to think of it, the reason I've remained sane even after starting Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation is also because of that logic...'
My mind has long since been fragmented.
But even with the fragmentation, it only added one or two more egos to the several quadrillion that were already divided in the first place.
But even if they're split, all those egos are still me.
To be precise, each ego is a part that composes me.
In a way, I may already be something akin to a nation or group in and of myself.
"Well, that's also why I want to do it with you. You're a lunatic too, after all."
"You're saying you want to cure me as well?"
"No, there's no need to cure you. You are a being similar to me, you've got a mental state that is either equal to or superior to mine, and the soundness of your mind exceeds even my own. If anything, I should be the one receiving treatment from you. Heheh, just imagining myself being held in your arms, throwing a tantrum while receiving treatment...it's thrilling..."
The lower body of the female-form Glass Peacock begins to swell, and both I and Kim Yeon flinch and step back at the same time.
Tuk, tududuk...
Having completely formed a lower body, Glass Peacock shifts into a male form and, suppressing the swelling, continues speaking.
"Of course, I'm more into giving treatment than receiving...so for now, I just want to make contact with the Great Mountain Holy Mother."
"You mean to heal the scars in Oh Hye-seo's heart...?"
"No. I mean this one's mental illness."
"Mental illness...? You mean being born with faint emotions?"
"No, no. It's not that. From what I can tell, the Great Mountain Holy Mother has...a severe delusional disorder."
"Delusional disorder?"
What in the world does that mean?
Talk of the Lizard Race, Earth's secret organizations, or the soap company's dark dealings all seems quite credible.
"You're saying this one has delusional disorder? In what way?"
"I don't know exactly. But...as someone who has copulated with living beings numbering in the hundreds of millions, trillions, even quadrillions...and shared intercourse with tens of thousands of True Immortals, I can instinctively tell. This one is clearly a 'patient,' a pitiful sentient being in need of treatment and salvation."
Tuk...tudududuk...
Glass Peacock shifts into the form of a Small Green Race like Jang Ik and starts tearing at both their shoulders while laughing.
They don't look like the appearance of the familiar Jang Ik, but more like a Small Green Race version of Glass Peacock, appearing utterly despicable and greedy.
"So...I will personally end the Great Mountain Holy Mother's wandering. Because this is something only I can do!"
"..."
I look at Glass Peacock with a dumbfounded expression, and after maintaining the form of the Small Green Race for a while, they shift into the form of a Half-Human, Half-Spider Race like Yu Hwa and speak.
"Anyway, hurry up and hand over the Great Mountain Holy Mother. I need to connect to her mind and perform a 'diagnosis'."
"...Rather than handing over the physical body, we will use a method to connect to her mind all at once."
If I were to hand over Oh Hye-seo's physical body, she would be turned into a complete mess by Glass Peacock in an instant.
Even though it's Oh Hye-seo, seeing Glass Peacock acting like that makes me worried, so I decide to avoid that.
"Well, what a pity... Without thoroughly examining the body and spirit together, it will be difficult to find a clue for treatment..."
—To think I won't get to fulfill my personal desires. I wanted to try this and that... First, switching the Great Mountain Holy Mother's physical gender back and forth and, while they sleep, all over their body...
I shudder and shake my head as I observe Glass Peacock's inner thoughts through Araya Consciousness.
Glass Peacock is imagining things so terrifying that even ordinary True Immortals wouldn't even fathom it, and just being exposed to those horrific thoughts makes my brain feel like it's burning.
"Absolutely not. Join hands with me and we'll approach Oh Hye-seo together And...the flow of time still hasn't returned to normal. I need to get Hyun-seok Hyung-nim's permission first..."
The flow of time over in the Outer Sea is still accelerated by hundreds of millions of times, so the information body on Oh Hyun-seok's side continues to perceive as if time is frozen.
"Why would you need permission to treat someone? Besides, we have no idea how long it'll take for the time flow to return to normal in the Outer Sea! And this isn't even the full treatment, it's just a 'diagnosis'. Well, fine. I can't wait anymore. I won't touch the Great Mountain Holy Mother's physical body, so just link my consciousness and let me connect to her."
As if they can't delay any longer, Glass Peacock reaches out abruptly to Kim Yeon, who is specialized in connecting consciousness, and I hurriedly intervene between the two.
Tak, tak!
With my left hand grabbing Kim Yeon's and my right hand grabbing Glass Peacock's, I let out a sigh and speak.
"...Fine, but just do a pure 'diagnosis'..."
"Oh, ooooohhhk! Hggk! I'm holding hands! This sensation of the hand, u-uhhk! The movement of the muscles! The history of tempering and refinement! Uuuuuuhhk!"
As soon as they grab my hand, Glass Peacock sobs with overwhelming emotion, and I sigh deeply and focus my mind.
The thought of having to spend hundreds of millions of years in the Outer Sea with this lunatic is already starting to feel overwhelming and distant.
Impermanence Sword.
Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
Kiriririk!
Kim Yeon's consciousness thread connects to mine, and mine connects to Glass Peacock's mental domain.
[Wh-What is this consciousness!? Ahhhh, is this the consciousness of a swordsman, honed to the extreme? A sword is ramming into my consciousness...]
[Please just shut up!]
I shout at the noisy Glass Peacock, and Kim Yeon does her best to ignore them while connecting to Oh Hye-seo's mind as well.
Thus, using Kim Yeon's consciousness as the medium, we enter into the inner domain of Oh Hye-seo's consciousness.
Hoho...
Hohohohoho...
Hohoho...
I open my eyes to an unpleasant sound.
'Is this...inside Oh Hye-seo's consciousness?'
Within On Hye-seo's mind, an extremely disturbing laughter echoes.
And...
"Hmm...?"
For some reason, I flinch, realizing that the inside of her mind feels incredibly familiar.
It is a vastly different landscape compared to when I connected to Kim Yeon's consciousness through the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.
'Is it because my realm has risen that...I am seeing areas I couldn't before...? This scenery, it's...'
An endless sea of chaos.
That's right.
Oh Hye-seo's mental domain is incredibly similar to the landscape of the Outer Sea.
It is when I glance around with a startled look.
"What do you think? Does something feel strange?"
Glass Peacock and Kim Yeon appear nearby.
Glass Peacock, taking the form of a female human, crosses their arms and smiles.
"...It's like...the Outer Sea."
"Hahaha, right. It really is, isn't it? As you know, a living being's mental domain is generally divided into the surface 'external mental domain' and the 'internal mental domain'. When dividing by the spirit (Hunpo/魂魄), the internal domain is the Hun (魂), and the external domain can be said to be the Po (魄)."
I nod.
This is something I've understood well ever since I entered Kim Yeon's consciousness through the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace during the 14th cycle.
"And just like this, the 'Po' part of a living being, when accessed at a high realm, takes on a form very similar to the Outer Sea. So...True Immortals who walk the Immortal Dao of the mind, or those who refine such Immortal Arts, have proposed such a theory. That this Outer Sea and even Mount Sumeru are all within someone's mental world..."
"..."
"And...in the case of the Heart Tribe, especially someone at the peak like the Northern Heavenly Venerable True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu. In their case, the Hun and Po are completely integrated and begin to influence the world."
That's right.
In the case of the Heart Tribe, their internal heart essence and surface consciousness—
In other words, what's called Hun and Po—completely unify to manifest their own heart essence and thereby create their own Entering Heavens.
"And...upon observing Hyeon Mu and the other members of the Heart Tribe, many True Immortals have proposed a certain hypothesis. That this world is someone's mental world... That the Outer Sea is the Hun, the interior of Mount Sumeru is the Po...and that when the two become one, this world will take proper form, and the owner of this mental world that is our world will 'awaken'."
"..."
I let out a silent sigh at those words.
'This world is the inside of that [fetus] I saw...'
Glass Peacock calls it a 'hypothesis,' but I can't help but imagine quite a few things from their words.
'If, just as Glass Peacock says, the Outer and Inner Seas integrate and manifest, and the one who can be called the owner of this world awakens...then could that be considered the 'birth' of that fetus?'
What in the world is this place?
While I'm lost in thought, Glass Peacock sheds their human form and transforms into an appearance closer to their main body.
"Get on for now. In any case, a living being's Po {魄) is far more crude and simple than the actual Outer Sea. Entering the internal heart essence...in other words, the Hun (魂), is much easier."
—As long as they get on my back, while we're flying together, eheh...
After reading Glass Peacock's wicked thoughts through Indra's Net, I transform into the form of a Candle Dragon and place Kim Yeon on my head as I speak.
"We'll fly ourselves. Please guide the way."
"Hmph, to reject goodwill. You're not very male-like."
"Then is it female-like?"
"Foolish! Must the opposite of male always be female!? What a narrow-minded way of thinking!"
"No, I mean...hah, never mind. Let's just go."
I shake my head, unable to follow Glass Peacock's train of thought.
In any case, Glass Peacock takes the lead in front of us and begins to fly through the chaos within Oh Hye-seo's Po.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord regains awareness.
'Ugh, what was that just now? I saw something incredibly ominous. Something related to the origin of Enders? And...it was definitely something that could be referred to as an [object]. Are the Enders...beings that are artificially created by someone?'
As countless theories and hypotheses flood her mind, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks around within Seo Eun-hyun's memories.
'This place...is the Head Realm! Above the Heavenly Void Furnace.'
Surveying the surroundings, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord spots Seo Eun-hyun and his group still unconscious on the ground.
Before long, Seo Eun-hyun regains consciousness, and after a bit of bickering with Jeon Myeong-hoon, the events on Ascension Path proceed quickly.
Then, the moment when the 'Guides' of the Enders begin to appear.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks over each of the Guides with a glint flashing in her eyes.
It is already well known among the Radiance Eight Immortals that the Enders are accompanied by 'Guides'.
'The Guide of the one called Jeon Myeong-hoon. Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.'
Perhaps because she has returned to the Head Realm, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord is able to read a portion of the fate imposed upon them, even though it's within Seo Eun-hyun's memory.
'The Guide of the one called Kang Min-hee. Black Ghost Valley. The Guide of the one called Oh Hyun-seok. Azure Heaven Creation Sect.'
A Guide does not necessarily refer to an entity.
It is simply a term for any and all beings upon whom the fate to guide the Enders has been placed.
'The Guide of the one called Kim Yeon...'
And, as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord observes the Enders setting foot in the Head Realm for the first time, she is able to learn many things she did not know before.
'Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent...! Bong Myeong. They've arranged things quite delicately. Do they want to interfere with the Ender no matter what?'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord clicks her tongue, sighing at the schemes of Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong.
However, if, in the past, she would have coldly analyzed Bong Myeong's plans and formulated a strategy to destroy them...
Now, it is different.
'...But is this 'liberation' Bong Myeong seeks...truly wrong?'
Radiance Hall has long blocked the Supreme Deities' attempts to challenge the Head Realm in the name of 'liberation'.
Because they have believed that a 'world outside' does not exist.
However...
After the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord personally observed 'Earth,' her perspective changed.
'If this world really is nothing more than a fence, and an outside world does exist...then wouldn't suppressing that be contrary to the banner of freedom we claim to uphold...?'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord finds herself lost in confusion, unable to determine what the truth really is.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord proceeds to confirm the Guides of the other Enders.
'The Guide of Kim Young-hoon. The entire martial realm of the Head Realm. The Guide of Seo Eun-hyun. The entire devilish path of the Head Realm...is it? And...'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord turns her gaze toward Oh Hye-seo.
'What...is that?'
It's strange.
The Guide of an Ender always refers to all beings who bear the fate of guiding them.
Therefore, a guide could certainly be an organization or an 'event,' but it can never be an 'individual'.
However, Oh Hye-seo's is highly unusual.
'The Guide...is an individual?'
The Immortal Art, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Or, the being known as Seo Hweol.
Only that being has been assigned the role of Oh Hye-seo's 'guide'.
'Just how could something like that be possible? A Guide that's a single individual?'
It is not simply a matter of the function of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens covering the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
'Fate' itself cannot function that way, and therefore such a phenomenon should not exist in the first place.
'Just how can something like this be possible? An Ender with this kind of Guide...is it the first since Silver Basket?'
If one considers that Silver Basket appeared during the early days of Radiance Hall, when the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld had just risen to True Immortality, then it truly is a distant memory.
'Just what...is to become of this generation's Enders...?'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, in a complicated mood, continues collecting information about the Enders and begins to follow the life of Seo Eun-hyun.
Seo Eun-hyun's very first life.
The time period he refers to as the 0th cycle.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord watches Seo Eun-hyun live an ordinary life, grow old toward an ordinary death, and lets out a silent sigh.
'...He didn't even meet his Guide.'
Fate is absolute.
But at the same time, it is not.
Though fate undoubtedly exists, if a being is too weak to endure it, they may die before ever fulfilling it.
Seo Eun-hyun was growing old toward his death as an ordinary mortal before even properly encountering his Guide.
Watching this, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord feels a pang of pity.
'Poor thing. He'll probably go on like this, and eventually meet a proper devilish path practitioner and extend his lifespan.'
Then, one day,
On the day the daughter of the Ju family brings over a basket of boiled potatoes, Seo Eun-hyun dies.
'...?'
Seo Eun-hyun's short life ends just like that.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord is bewildered.
But immediately after—
'...Huh?'
Clang—
In the next moment, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord feels as if the sun and moon of the Head Realm are gazing directly at the place where Seo Eun-hyun died.
Light from the Head Realm beams down intensely on the spot of Seo Eun-hyun's death.
Piiing—
At the same time, as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord regains her senses, she finds herself transported to a familiar place.
'A-Above the Heavenly Void Furnace...? And if I look at the time point engraved into the Heavenly Void Furnace...'
Sensing the Ascension Path, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's eyes gleam.
And soon, she feels goosebumps break out all over her entire body.
'Th-This... What is this...? Could it be...Seo Eun-hyun's true ability is...'
In a daze, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord stumbles back and falls to the ground as she sees Seo Eun-hyun getting slapped by Jeon Myeong-hoon.
'This... This is a power superior even to the authority of the Heavenly Void Furnace... An authority more on par with the Wheel of the Underworld...'
Only then does she realize why such strange scenes exist in her mind.
Why emotions she herself doesn't recognize have suddenly emerged within her.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord instinctively understands.
'It's not just...ten thousand years...Seo Eun-hyun's real age...must be unimaginably more vast...!'
At the same time, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord realizes what kind of trap she has fallen into and descends into confusion.
'N-No. If this is how it is, I won't be able to escape within a hundred years, as I told Pearl Jade. Even conservatively...if Seo Eun-hyun has gone through regressions and is at least a hundred thousand years old...it won't be a hundred years but could be a thousand... Kugh... Rain Dew and Great Forest will go wild. This can't go on.'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord clenches her fists as she feels Seo Eun-hyun's memories and the vivid emotions contained within them.
'The 'values' Seo Eun-hyun embedded into these memories are abnormal... To the point the characters inside are practically the same as Seo Eun-hyun's own personalities... If I keep watching Seo Eun-hyun's life play out over a hundred thousand years like this, I don't know what kind of influence he might have on me.'
Moreover...
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord grits her teeth as she recalls the vivid 'emotions' surfacing more and more clearly in her heart.
They aren't distinct.
Like an illusionary dream, memories with Seo Eun-hyun along with several 'scenes' rise from within her chest.
'If Seo Eun-hyun is someone who directly shared memories with me...then I...I...'
Stagger—
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord stumbles and collapses on the spot.
'I'll be...consumed by the existence known as Seo Eun-hyun...'
And that's just assuming Seo Eun-hyun's real age is merely around a hundred thousand years.
If, in the worst-case scenario, Seo Eun-hyun's true age exceeds ten million years...
'I might...be brainwashed by Seo Eun-hyun.'
Within the original memories of Seo Eun-hyun that are virtually the same as the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord crumbles in despair.
This is the very function of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections that Seo Hweol once feared the most.
Now, through the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, the possibility of a being who accesses the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections becoming brainwashed beyond even Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, begins to manifest.
Hoho...
Hohohohoho...
We push through Oh Hye-seo's Po that is full of unpleasant laughter, and finally arrive deep within her inner heart essence.
That is, the place where her Hun is visible.
And through this, I come to understand one thing.
'Crossing the Outer Sea...will take at least several billion years, no matter what...'
Even though everything is a world of chaos and every possibility remains open, that in itself means it's essentially a place where nothing can be done.
A place overflowing with possibilities beyond our control.
In such a place, we can only become endlessly powerless.
Just to move within that powerlessness would require billions of years to adapt, so returning to Earth in a short time is impossible.
Oh Hye-seo's Po feels much the same, and the only reason we were able to flail about within her spirit and draw close to her inner heart essence by avoiding her mental defenses is thanks to Glass Peacock.
'Glass Peacock...I have no choice but to admit they're incredible.'
Of course, they are someone I once acknowledged as my master, so it's only natural.
Glass Peacock swims through Oh Hye-seo's Po using physical pleasure as a medium and instantly reaches the depths of her spirit.
"I see it. That's her inner heart essence. In other words, her Hun."
Kugugugugu!
With Kim Yeon riding on my head, I behold the 'world' far off in the distance, enshrouded in a massive dark-red veil.
'Is that the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens left behind by Seo Hweol...?'
Hohohoho...
Hoho...
Unpleasant laughter echoes from within the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Kiiiiing—
I connect to Indra's Net inside Oh Hye-seo's mental world,
'The Ender authority and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens are tightly bound together, guarding Oh Hye-seo's mind. But still...'
The Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, just as I saw in my past life, no longer aims to brainwash the opponent. Instead, it implants behavioral principles directly into their heart essence.
But Oh Hye-seo's authority, 'Truth Manipulation,' has changed in some way.
Thump, thump...
It's foreboding.
Should I say it feels ominous?
An unfathomable sense of ominousness radiates from her 'Truth Manipulation' authority.
'This isn't just a simple Ender authority. Why is it...that despite Oh Hye-seo not even having awakened her fate, her authority is stronger and more peculiar than the others?'
Moreover, this strong and distinct sense of foreboding isn't coming from Oh Hye-seo alone.
'This feeling is just like...'
It's the same foreboding I felt when I first heard about the 'Future King' from the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
'Future King... Is this somehow connected to the Fate Supreme Deity? Is Oh Hye-seo somehow different compared to us? Since when has this been the case?'
Just as I'm growing confused,
"The diagnosis is complete. Let us leave now."
Patzztzt!
Glass Peacock nods knowingly and speaks.
At those words, I grab the hands of Kim Yeon and Glass Peacock and exit back into the Outer Sea.
Tssaaaaaat!
Around us is the familiar sea of chaos.
Glass Peacock crosses their legs in a haughty manner, sits on their glass throne, and looks at us as they begin to speak.
"The Great Mountain Holy Mother's mind is trapped in a powerful firewall formed by that Immortal Art called Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, combined with some other kind of mantra."
"So it seemed."
"And I've identified the nature of that firewall. The Immortal Art interwoven with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens. It appears to be something...born from 'fear'."
"Fear? Fear of what?"
Grin—
Glass Peacock smiles with a sly expression.
"Love."
They hug both arms around themselves and tremble with an expression as if they can't stand it.
"Even while shouting that she's realized 'love' with her mouth...in truth, she fears love the most. From the beginning...the reason why that guy Oh Hyun-seok's shout drove her into retreating into her own mind is...likely because she unconsciously realized that Oh Hyun-seok truly cares for her with genuine love."
At those words, I think of Oh Hyun-seok.
'Oh Hyun-seok definitely...sincerely cares for Oh Hye-seo.'
"She deludes herself into thinking she's in love...but in truth, she refuses to acknowledge that what fills her heart isn't love, but purely negative emotion. Therefore, to undo the firewall surrounding Oh Hye-seo's mind, we need a power opposite of that."
"What kind of power exactly?"
"It's not something I can pinpoint precisely. The heart is vast, after all. But if I had to say...the most effective would be 'love,' wouldn't it?"
"Love..."
"The best would obviously be the love of that guy Oh Hyun-seok, who thinks of the Great Mountain Holy Mother more than anyone else. But considering the flow of time is different between Mount Sumeru and the Outer Sea, that might be impossible. Which means, until we reach Mount Sumeru, I guess you two and I will just have to pour lots of love into her, right?"
I make a slightly awkward expression at those words.
"You're saying I should...love Oh Hye-seo?"
"No, that's not what I mean. Just injecting the emotion of love that arises between the two of you...will weaken the nature of Oh Hye-seo's firewall day by day, and even that Immortal Art Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens will start to fade. Tsk. If my main body were here, I could've negated Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens directly and broken through the firewall in one go..."
Glass Peacock clicks their tongue, then continues.
"But since my main body isn't here, in the end, the love of you two is the most needed. And it can't just be ordinary romantic love between man and woman. What's needed is the power of the intrinsic love within your essence."
"Intrinsic love..."
Then what exactly is intrinsic love?
Just as I begin contemplating the question in a philosophical direction—
Glass Peacock starts making lewd gestures with their fingers and looks at us suggestively.
"Don't overthink it. Why take the long way around when the answer's right in front of you? The answer is simple. Make a baby!"
"...What?"
At that absurd statement, I forget even the bare minimum of courtesy toward Glass Peacock and ask again.
"Don't pretend you didn't hear. I said make a baby. The two of you!"
"A baby... Why, why something like that...?"
Kim Yeon and I both turn bright red and attempt to ask Glass Peacock again.
However, Glass Peacock unexpectedly turns serious and says,
"You two, are you going to treat that one or not?"
"We'd like to..."
"Don't mess around with someone's mind! Are you going to or not? Speak clearly!"
"...We must."
As Glass Peacock grows stern and yells with a furious tone, I, too, have no choice but to answer seriously.
We must do it.
Yes, this is a matter of necessity.
Because Oh Hyun-seok wants it.
And also because Kim Young-hoon's True Attainment envisions a future where all of us reach the Audience Chamber.
If we want to grant Oh Hyun-seok's wish, and if we want to meet Kim Young-hoon again, we must save Oh Hye-seo.
"...If it felt like we were playing around, I'm sorry. I apologize. However, bringing up a baby was too sudden. Please explain."
"Hmph... Fine. Then I'll explain it properly."
Glass Peacock rises from their seat and sweeps their hand through the void.
Though it is a simple motion, perhaps because it is done by Glass Peacock, it looks as if they are caressing the void itself.
Then it happens.
"...!"
Tssaaaah!
The chaos of the Outer Sea separates and order is born.
The planes of Qi, Fate, and Soul emerge, and above Glass Peacock's hand, a minimum space where living beings can dwell is created.
Inside that tiny, droplet-sized space, it looks like a miniature universe.
"As you know, all beings possess Qi. The same goes for Fate. Their origin is unknowable, and they can only be said to be this world itself. Therefore, although all laws in the world have Origin Essences, only the two absolute laws—Qi and Fate—are without."
"..."
"But...do you know this? The true secret of the Plane of Soul."
"...I do. The domain of the Northern Heavenly Venerable True Martial Great Emperor. The Interdimensional Void is actually the reverse side of the Plane of Soul."
"Yes, that's right. Then let me ask you one thing."
At Glass Peacock's next question, I let out a low hum.
"Then in this world, are 'souls' something created by the Heavenly Venerable of Void?"
"..."
Souls.
Spirits.
That which we call by those names...
They certainly exist in this world.
"...I don't know."
But I mutter quietly in thought at the topic Glass Peacock has thrown.
Where do our souls come from?
What is the origin of our spirits?
"What's certain is, it is not the Plane of Soul. That place is merely where souls linger..."
"Right. The spirit is truly bizarre. Something like Heaven and Earth spiritual energy is produced once one reaches the Star Shattering stage. Fate is produced upon becoming a Great Net Immortal. But spirit? It just suddenly appears all at once one day, then disappears after passing through reincarnation. And though you can crush the spirit or absorb spiritual energy from it, no matter what you do, you can't completely annihilate the soul itself. Of course, the reason souls can't be destroyed is mostly because of the power of the Underworld… Regardless, the spirit cannot be 'artificially' produced by anyone."
Indeed, with Qi or Fate, once you reach a certain realm, you can create them at will.
But with Soul, no matter what methods are used, it cannot be created artificially.
Therefore, when True Immortals perform Yang Pitch cultivation and create races, even if they may manipulate the bodies or fate of the race with their own hands, they still acquire the spirit through the Underworld and the Eastern Heaven Flower Field.
"The spirit is thus extremely unstable. Its cycle of creation is unclear, and we don't even know under what conditions it arises. But among the older True Immortals, a few know one method by which the spirit is created."
"What...is it?"
"Emotion."
"Emotion...?"
"That's right. What is called the heart of an existence. Among those, when positive emotions like 'joy (喜)', 'love (愛)', or 'pleasure (樂)' reach their peak...that is when the spirit is created. Occasionally, there are beings born into this world by chance who were never granted life by the Eastern Heaven Flower Field. Such beings are usually children whose parents were not originally granted a child, but their love and joy became so intense that it surpassed fate, causing spirit to be born from them."
"...!"
"Of course...creating a spirit through mere love is not easy. After all, the positive emotion must surpass the power of fate, even if just for a moment, for a spirit to be created. But if the creation succeeds, that spirit exists in a pure state that has never undergone reincarnation and is incredibly clean. In other words...it becomes a spirit full of positive emotions."
Glass Peacock smiles faintly and continues.
"In fact, when I laid an egg in Azure Peng, I saw a spirit being born in Azure Peng's womb with my own eyes. That spirit...was truly a clean spirit. Others don't have such a strong surge in emotional power when they feel joy, but that child...they possessed such a positive heart that when they felt joy, the intent of that joy was strong enough to cover a thousand li in diameter. In other words..."
They point toward Oh Hye-seo's sealing sphere.
"A 'pure spirit' that has not undergone reincarnation greatly amplifies emotion by its very nature. Especially positive emotions. To break through that Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and the unknown Immortal Art within the Great Mountain Holy Mother, the best method is for you two to copulate and create a spirit, then use the 'emotion-amplifying power' of that pure spirit to melt away Oh Hye-seo's fear and negative emotions."
"...But even if we do create a spirit...how do we know whether that spirit would want to be created?"
"...What?"
"Oh Hye-seo definitely needs to be healed. But that doesn't mean it's okay to create a child just to use them as a tool to heal her! I can not accept creating or producing my child to use as a tool! That child would never have wanted to be created just to serve as a tool either!"
But at my words, Glass Peacock scoffs and replies.
"You're talking nonsense. Don't delude yourself. That's not something for you to decide!"
"...What?"
"To be born is, in itself, an event of immeasurable value. No matter how hellish or painful life is, the very act of living has value! Born as a tool, you say? You think I'm not the same? Being bought right after being born because one of those Heaven Tribe freaks with deviant lusts wanted to use a peacock as a masturbation tool is me! So does that mean the meaning of my life is nothing more than a tool for self-pleasure?"
"...That's..."
"Life can be born as a tool, as a sex object, even as someone's meal... But still, good things exist. If you grit your teeth and keep going, there will come a day when you find your value. Don't you dare judge the value of someone's birth with that petty little head of yours!"
They are right.
No matter how difficult it is, life certainly has value.
Being born has value.
However, one thing is clear.
"You are right. But that still doesn't mean it's okay to have a child to use as a tool."
"The problem lies in your perception of them as a tool. Isn't your child capable of saving the Great Mountain Holy Mother? They are a means of healing her!"
"...Well, I don't love Oh Hye-seo, so that doesn't really resonate with me.
"You..."
At that moment.
Kim Yeon tugs on my back.
"Hm? What is it, Yeon-ah?"
"..."
She silently stares at me, then points to the sealing sphere holding Oh Hye-seo.
—Please, open it for a moment.
"You need to examine something?"
Reading her meaning through Indra's Net, I temporarily release the seal on Oh Hye-seo's body.
Due to Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens sealing her consciousness, Oh Hye-seo remains lying still with her eyes closed even after her body exits the sphere.
Sararak—
Kim Yeon's consciousness thread enters Oh Hye-seo's mind.
Then a short moment later—
Flash!
Kim Yeon's consciousness seems to connect directly into Oh Hye-seo's spirit, and a gleam of light pink blazes in eyes.
Huarurururuk!
"...! Y-Yeon-ah? Kim Yeon! What's happening!"
Kigigigigigik—
"...!"
At the same time, an imprint of a bird flying through the sky appears over her face.
That imprint seems to blaze in soft pink light, then after slowly detaching from Kim Yeon's body, flutters its wings as if it's alive.
Then.
"...I finally...understand. Thank you, Glass Peacock."
"...!"
I realize what has happened to Kim Yeon.
'What? Did she gain some enlightenment from what Glass Peacock said?'
Kim Yeon has just obtained enlightenment from Glass Peacock and taken one step closer to awakening as a Heavenly King.
'Th-This feeling...'
It's incredibly similar to the power I once felt from Kim Young-hoon.
She is now closely approaching the Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly King.
"You said Oh Hye-seo is carrying life, didn't you, Eun-hyun Orabeoni?"
"...I did."
The near infinite power radiating from her pushes away the restrictions of her Liberation Law Talent and grants her partial freedom of speech.
Normally, she would have to fully draw out her power to its utmost limits to break those constraints, but it seems the current Kim Yeon can now free herself from them just by thinking.
"Now I finally understand. Only after entering Oh Hye-seo's heart again and confirming it did I realize. The life inside Oh Hye-seo...it has the feeling of a 'created soul,' just like what Glass Peacock spoke of."
"...!"
At those words, I feel as if I've been struck in the head.
"And...what I just confirmed is the identity of the being who breathed that soul into Oh Hye-seo."
Huarurururuk—
Her eyes flare blaze in a light pink hue, and she tells me the truth.
"The Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that Seo Hweol passed on to Oh Hye-seo. It is undoubtedly formed from endless hatred and yoke, but...somewhere deep within it, there is undoubtedly a very small amount of love. And that power...it breathed a spirit into Oh Hye-seo and is currently creating. It's certainly a faint and unstable spirit, but just as Glass Peacock said, it's a 'pure spirit'."
"...!"
Hearing this shocking truth, I realize something.
"Maybe...that spirit is the child of Oh Hye-seo and Seo Hweol..."
"...No. That's not it."
"Pardon...?"
'Seo Hweol's heart toward Oh Hye-seo...created a soul. And that means...'
Oh Hye-seo is in a state where she now possesses a soul.
That soul likely isn't a child between her and Seo Hweol, but rather Oh Hye-seo's own soul.
Built upon Seo Hweol's heart, she has partially escaped the bridle of an Ender.
And through this, I arrive at yet another realization.
'Triple Divinity... Creation, Preservation, Destruction... A person's heart is truly Triple Divinity itself...'
As I hear Glass Peacock's insight and Kim Yeon's revelation, I finally gain a deeper understanding of Triple Divinity.
The Brahma Nature of Creation: joy, love, pleasure.
The Narayana Nature of Preservation: anger, sorrow, pleasure.
The Mahesvara Nature of Destruction: hatred, desire, pleasure.
As I firmly grasp the relationship between the basic intents of the Seven Emotions and Triple Divinity, I come to yet another realization.
'If the Absolute within us is split into joy, anger, sorrow, love, hatred, desire, and pleasure...into the forms of the Seven Emotions...and those Seven Emotions correspond to Triple Divinity...'
"...Kim Yeon. Listen carefully. And Glass Peacock, you too, know this."
"What...?"
"We are not going to have a child together."
"You..."
"Instead. If a 'pure spirit' is the starting point to saving Oh Hye-seo...then Kim Yeon will create one."
"...?"
Glass Peacock looks at us like we're speaking madness, but I shrug and continue.
"She can do it. Because Kim Yeon...is a girl with a lot of love."
The Heavenly King who governs love.
The Ender connected to the Triple Divinity of Creation.
The successor of the Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly King, and my love.
If it's her, then surely...
"You said there's a newly forming soul inside Oh Hye-seo, right? But it's unstable due to the small amount of love. Then Kim Yeon can infuse power into that spirit and let it be born as a complete soul."
We may be able to awaken a new existence—not just within Oh Hye-seo, but within all of us.
Having a child with Kim Yeon comes after we escape the Outer Sea.
So, the soul we will create to save Oh Hye-seo should simply be her own soul.
There's no need to create a baby's spirit just to use it as a tool to save her.
Glass Peacock looks at us in disbelief, as if asking whether such a thing is even possible, and I calmly embrace Kim Yeon from behind with my eyes gleaming.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord watches Seo Eun-hyun's sixth cycle, where Seo Eun-hyun and Cheongmun Ryeong search in a library for a way to overcome the 'Heavenly Rejection Phenomenon'.
'Hm? What was that just now?'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks at Seo Eun-hyun reading a book in the library, and feels as though some other existence is going to awaken from within his body.
But that sensation is so faint it's closer to déjà vu, making it hard to judge clearly.
'Is it because I'm inside Seo Eun-hyun's memories that my judgment is warping, or is something really...'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord glares at Cheongmun Ryeong.
'The last Castle Wall Heavenly Lord. The trace of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity Ryeong...I can't tell what it's doing to Seo Eun-hyun...'
She looks at the trace of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity.
What remained after the Salt Sea Supreme Deity entered the Head Realm and disappeared is this being, Cheongmun Ryeong.
In a way, one could even say this is the reincarnation of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, who met a pitiful end.
But where once she might have felt satisfaction toward the downfall of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity who betrayed Radiance Hall, now, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord only lets out a silent sigh as she looks at Cheongmun Ryeong.
'Seo Eun-hyun's... There was a world of Enders outside Mount Sumeru! The Supreme Deities were right. Radiance Hall was wrong. The banner of Radiance Hall is harming itself. And...'
By watching Cheongmun Ryeong, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord can see the contradiction of Radiance Hall.
'Why is it...that Radiance Hall is able to interfere in the Head Realm, but never once tried to 'investigate' what lies beyond it? If Radiance Hall truly wanted to shut the Supreme Deities up, couldn't they have just investigated and refreshingly given evidence that definitely proved nothing exists outside Mount Sumeru? Why didn't they even try...?'
It's strange.
The more she thinks, it's not just one or two things that are strange.
'In the first place...is pursuing freedom for all living beings while sacrificing the few for the sake of the many truly justice?'
The fact that they've never once doubted their own justice—that itself feels unnatural.
'Isn't it far too strange? This is as if...[someone]...has set our fate so we can't even form such doubts or try to challenge them...'
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord shivers.
The more she looks at Cheongmun Ryeong, the more she thinks...
The truth points toward one thing.
'The Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeon Woon. The Head Realm. Beyond the place that the Supreme Deities and Heavenly Venerables call the Audience Chamber... There...[someone] exists.'
And that [someone], without even Radiance Hall's knowledge, has determined Radiance Hall's fate, commands the Radiance Supreme Deity as their subordinate, and orchestrates all things and all phenomena.
As soon as she forms this hypothesis, an unspeakable terror floods the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
The Cheongmun Ryeong before her eyes feels like her own future.
'...Now I understand. O Salt Sea Supreme Deity, the last Castle Wall Heavenly Lord...'
The last Castle Wall Heavenly Lord.
The betrayer of Radiance Hall, the Salt Sea Supreme Deity Ryeong, must have discovered the truth through whatever means.
That the freedom that Radiance Hall cries out for is nothing more than a noble cause tossed out by [someone] who tightens the leash around Radiance Hall, and in the end, Radiance Hall itself is nothing more than the [someone]'s slave.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord fears delving any deeper into Seo Eun-hyun's memories.
But...
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord persists and continues on.
And when she sees the Cheongmun Ryeong of the sixth cycle burying Seo Eun-hyun beneath a quince tree—
When she sees something leave Seo Eun-hyun's body and head west—
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord makes a resolution.
Even if the Cheongmun Ryeong before her is her own future, she must suppress this fear and move forward.
If it truly is the case that a transcendent [someone] toys with the values of Radiance Hall from behind the scenes and orchestrates the fate of the world...
If it truly is the case that unlike the Radiance Eight Immortals, who castrate their own emotions and balance each other through mutual power, the unchallengeable power of the Absolute that is Fate rests solely in the hands of a single [someone]...
Then, for the sake of true freedom for all living beings in the Three Heavens Great Thousand World, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord knows that she must make the same choice as the Castle Wall Heavenly Lord.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
No—
Yang Ji-hwang continues to read through Seo Eun-hyun's memories, seeking ever more clues to the truth of the world.
-x-X-x-
Chwarararak!
Above Oh Hye-seo's head, Kim Yeon's countless consciousness threads are sucked in.
Tstststss—
At the same time, I feel another flow of time take place as we make our way through the chaos.
'This time, it's slowed down.'
The time flow toward Mount Sumeru speeds up by hundreds of millions of times.
Fortunately, if I reach Araya Consciousness, there's no major issue in communicating with Oh Hyun-seok, but the problem lies on this side.
'The distortion of time within the sea of chaos is far too erratic. At this rate, there's no way to predict when we'll reach Mount Sumeru again...'
For now, I relay the current situation to Oh Hyun-seok and ask for his opinion.
"...For these reasons, I'm planning to release Oh Hye-seo's mental restriction. What are your thoughts, Hyung-nim..."
"..."
Oh Hyun-seok lets out a sigh and speaks.
"...If it's necessary for Hye-seo, then do so. But, I have one request."
"What is it...?"
Cheok!
Oh Hyun-seok thrusts his fist toward me.
Wo-woong!
A violet aura ripples from his fist.
It is the Purple Soul Filling the Heavens I once passed on to him.
"This is my Purple Soul Filling the Heavens. Through the Celestial Lord Incense Burning spell, I wish to transfer it to you. Is that possible?"
"..."
I hesitate for a moment at those words.
To receive something through the Celestial Lord Incense Burning spell requires me to endure a significant loss on my end.
'I'll probably have to burn away ten thousand years' worth of fortune and virtue.'
But after a brief moment of thought, I extend my fist toward Oh Hyun-seok and meet his.
Tsuaaaaat!
With that, Oh Hyun-seok's heart seeps into mine.
It is his heart toward Oh Hye-seo.
—Please, Oh Hye-seo...talk to me.
His desire to break through the wall surrounding Oh Hye-seo's heart begins to surge within my own.
At the same time, I feel like I understand a bit about Oh Hyun-seok's fate, 'pleasure'.
I also begin to understand why Oh Hyun-seok has grasped the authority of 'Primordial Chaos'.
'Breaking down...boundaries.'
Just as purple is formed by the merging of blue and red.
Perhaps the fate of 'pleasure' that Oh Hyun-seok possesses signifies the act of 'mixing' something.
That might also be why the intent of pleasure appears sometimes as violet, and other times as silver.
Silver, made from the mixing of black and white.
Purple, born from the blending of red and blue.
Either way, it's a color that 'mixes' two extremes and brings them into harmony.
The power to break down boundaries between polar opposites and make them unify.
That must be the color and power of pleasure.
It is at that moment.
'...Huh?'
As I hold Oh Hyun-seok's heart within my chest, a strange sensation stirs.
'H-Huh? W-Wait...'
Shiver!
Shiver!
Shiver!
Goosebumps begin to rise all over my body.
It is not from fear or terror.
This is...
'A lead...is forming.'
Goosebumps rise from an overwhelming ecstasy and hope.
The moment I receive Oh Hyun-seok's Purple Soul Filling the Heavens—
It feels as though Jang Ik's decisive move is unfolding in front of me.
The ultimate technique of Jang Ik, that created countless artificial souls and drew power from them.
The final form of Hyeon Mu's Dance of Emptiness, which wielded the full power of the Plane of Soul.
And the final ultimate technique of Kim Young-hoon's Surpassing Radiant Genesis Form, that brought the authority of an Absolute to its peak.
Somehow, the three all pursued the ultimate of Martial Arts in a similar way.
Soul (魂).
Kim Young-hoon's likely possession of the 'fate of joy' appears to correspond to the Triple Divinity of 'Creation,' just like Kim Yeon's.
Kim Young-hoon's power is likely one that creates souls.
The Interdimensional Void of Hyeon Mu is, to begin with, the Plane of Soul, and Hyeon Mu herself has long accumulated substantial power related to the soul by devouring portions of power from countless Enders.
Jang Ik, too, created artificial souls similar to the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Which means, the ultimate of Martial Arts is a power rooted in the strength of a person's soul.
'Glass Peacock clearly said that souls are born from powerful positive forces.'
Then are positive forces the best way to reach the Martial Pinnacle?
'No...that's not quite right. It's not about being positive.'
My mind clears.
'Borrowing the heart... Perhaps...that is what truly matters...'
What is a person's heart?
I suddenly realize that I still don't fully understand it.
'Yeon-ah... If I'm with you, maybe I wilI be able to understand it a little...'
Within the sea of chaos, all is frozen except for me, who activates Araya Consciousness.
Because we've entered a region of the Outer Sea where time slows, only Mount Sumeru's time flows rapidly.
Only someone like me can move within this frozen world.
I wrap my arms around Kim Yeon from behind and feel her warmth.
"Just what exactly...is the heart?"
It's warm.
'Is this...the heart?'
If so, then the ultimate of Martial Arts might be something warmer than I thought.
For some reason, that thought comes to me.
Within Seo Eun-hyun's memory.
The 10th cycle.
Yang Ji-hwang sees Buk Hyang-hwa designing the 'Colorless Glass Sword' for Seo Eun-hyun.
And as she watches, she flinches.
She can't help it.
'A soul...was created?'
The very design of that Colorless Glass Sword contains a soul within it.
Buk Hyang-hwa believes the 'emotion amplification' function of the Colorless Glass Sword is something she intentionally added, but to Yang Ji-hwang, who understands the principle of the world, that emotion amplification function is not something she designed at all.
Through ten years of sharing hearts between Seo Eun-hyun and Buk Hyang-hwa, their emotions that have amplified to the peak have imbued the design with a soul (魂).
That's right.
In a way, the Colorless Glass Sword could be called the child of Seo Eun-hyun and Buk Hyang-hwa.
A pure spirit without reincarnation.
It's just that it is still so faint that it can't yet be called a true spirit—perhaps only a weak spiritual body.
Soon, Yang Ji-hwang watches Buk Hyang-hwa's death, Yuan Li's appearance, and Seo Eun-hyun's centuries of cultivation in preparation to face Yuan Li—and for the first time, she feels her chest tremble.
'Why? Why is this happening?'
Why?
It is a resonance she has never felt since donning the 'mask'.
No—even before wearing the mask, to her who had only ever felt dry and indifferent except in war and combat, this is an overwhelming impact.
'Get a hold of yourself, Sword Spear Heavenly Lord. Even if I admit that we were wrong, it doesn't mean our method was wrong. Emotions are still poison, and they are still useless. I am the god of iron, war, and victory. I am one of the True Immortals who govern the Martial Dao. In the path of martial cultivation, something like a person's heart...is unnecessary.'
"...Listen closely, Seo Eun-hyun."
Yang Ji-hwang, trying to revive her persona as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, raises her voice toward Seo Eun-hyun's memory.
"Even if your memories manage to brainwash me, they cannot fully stain me. I am...a being born for war, blood, iron, sword, victory, and freedom. I care for nothing else. True freedom is born only under emotionless, impartial rulers. You cannot...force emotions, a heart, onto me! I will reject it!"
Saying this, she continues delving into Seo Eun-hyun's memories.
"I will never be completely broken by your memories. Never..."
However, for some reason, her final words sound weak.
How much time has passed?
At some point, we reach an area where the flow of time between Mount Sumeru and the Outer Sea balances.
Tsstsstst!
Together with Kim Yeon, I inject the power of love she holds into Oh Hye-seo, further developing Oh Hye-seo's soul.
Glass Peacock, from behind us, sometimes offers advice like a seasoned senior.
And at other times, they spout lewd and indecent jokes.
Regardless, Kim Yeon and I continue to hold hands and approach Oh Hye-seo's heart.
I am also passing on the Purple Soul Filling the Heavens that Oh Hyun-seok transmitted to me, back into Oh Hye-seo.
The hearts of Kim Yeon, myself, and Oh Hyun-seok flow into the depths of Oh Hye-seo.
How many days do we spend flowing our hearts into Oh Hye-seo?
Suddenly, I discover a strange phenomenon in Oh Hye-seo's heart and in the Outer Sea.
The sea of chaos overlaps.
'What is this?'
It is not a mere illusion brought on by fatigue.
For some reason, I feel like I've experienced this strange phenomenon before.
'Just what is this...?'
Kugugugu!
But before I can investigate further—
I suddenly find myself able to peer all the way into the depths of Oh Hye-seo's heart in one go.
Oh Hye-seo's soul is veiled by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, and within it, her consciousness is visible.
And within that, something is happening.
The more her spirit takes form, the more she appears to suffer pain.
'Why is it? Why is she suffering more as she gains a soul?'
A soul is a collection of positive energy.
Yet, for some reason, even though we are infusing her with the power of love, Oh Hye-seo only continues to suffer.
Normally, I would try to find the cause of that pain, but for some reason, I know instinctively that I must not intervene now.
I only observe.
For some reason, curiously, the instinct of a martial artist stops me.
This time, I must absolutely not intervene.
'Why not?'
—Because...soon, the way to reach the ultimate of Martial Arts will unfold before your eyes.
"...!"
I flinch in surprise and look at the Impermanence Sword within my heart.
'What was that? Just now?'
It felt like the Impermanence Sword whispered to me.
I throw a couple questions toward the Impermanence Sword again and read through history a few times.
But not only does the Impermanence Sword give no answer, even when I read through history, I can't find the history in which the Impermanence Sword spoke to me.
It feels like I've been possessed by a ghost.
But since there's no way I've been possessed, this must be a kind of martial artist's intuition.
'Oh Hye-seo's heart...is related to the Martial Pinnacle? Why? How? What is?'
Yet no matter how much I ponder, I cannot find the answer, so I choose to follow my intuition and observe.
How many years have passed?
Within the erratic time flow of the Outer Sea, a thousand years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years pass.
And then, one day.
Paaaaaaatt!
The 280,000th year of Kim Yeon and I holding hands, growing affection for each other, and injecting it into Oh Hye-seo.
Our hearts pass through Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, and at last, Oh Hye-seo's spirit is fully born.
Had it not been for the authority of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and Truth Manipulation, it might have been possible in just a few years. But because those powers and Immortal Arts interfered, it ended up taking hundreds of thousands of years.
And then, just when her spirit is completely born.
[Stop it already!!]
An overwhelming scream bursts forth from Oh Hye-seo's spirit and begins to distort the surroundings.
'This place is...'
Her authority, Truth Manipulation, activates, transforming the environment of the Outer Sea into the form of the Sea Dragon Palace.
[Leave me alone! Please! Please!!]
It seems to be a type of illusion technique. I can feel that if I concentrate my mind, I can exit this illusion immediately.
But I do not exit the illusion, and instead continue to observe.
Just then,
Kwaaaang!
The space beside me collapses, and someone appears next to me.
It is Oh Hyun-seok.
'No, this is...'
Oh Hyun-seok's heart.
The Purple Soul Filling the Heavens that he passed on to me, and I to Oh Hye-seo, has appeared taking on the form of Oh Hyun-seok.
Since this is a world of illusion, perhaps it is easier to take form.
[Oh Hye-seo.]
Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.
No...Oh Hyun-seok's will, speaks.
[I have something to say to you.]
[Don't come!]
Kkiriririk!
From the center of the Sea Dragon Palace where Oh Hye-seo resides, an immense repulsion force arises and pushes us back.
However, Oh Hyun-seok moves forward as if unaffected.
Thud!
Under Oh Hyun-seok's momentum—
Under his advance, the Sea Dragon Palace collapses.
Ignoring the complex structure of the Sea Dragon Palace, smashing through it as he approaches Oh Hye-seo, Oh Hyun-seok rather resembles a rhinoceros.
[Don't come! I said don't come! As if that damn reptilian bastard wasn't enough—now even you, who tormented me without knowing you were a puppet of some Immortal Life Soap company! I hate it! I hate all of it! Seo Hweol! I'm going to live here with Seo Hweol forever! All of you, get lost! All of you!!]
Kugugugu!
The repulsion force from Oh Hye-seo only grows stronger, and we are forced to stop in place.
Even the rhinoceros-like Oh Hyun-seok halts momentarily.
But then, wings begin to emerge from Oh Hyun-seok's back.
It is Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter.
One wing, two wings, three wings...
Surpassing the ten wings of Azure Tiger Saint, thirteen wings seem to unfold, and those wings appear to wrap entirely around one of Oh Hyun-seok's arms.
Chiiiiik!
The form of a purple dragon engraves itself onto Oh Hyun-seok's body.
Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter is activated to its limit.
[Hye-seo.]
At that moment, smiling more warmly than any expression I've ever seen from him, Oh Hyun-seok speaks.
[I'm sorry.]
Kwaaaang!
At the same time, Oh Hyun-seok thrusts his fist forward, and the Sea Dragon Palace created within Oh Hye-seo's illusion collapses.
The Sea Dragon Palace crumbles, and where it once stood, only a massive crater remains.
And at the center of that crater, familiar faces appear.
It is Oh Hye-seo.
And...
Seo Hweol.
"Hoho...fellow Daoists. Let's not be like this. Come share a cup of tea."
Oh Hyun-seok and I both watch the scene and smile bitterly.
Within Oh Hye-seo's illusion, he is alive, but in our eyes, we see the truth.
Oh Hye-seo is embracing the bones of a massive dragon.
Even Oh Hye-seo herself knows Seo Hweol cannot be brought back.
But because she cannot accept that truth, she continues to hold on to those bones and flee from the truth.
I look at Oh Hye-seo.
The spirit of Oh Hye-seo, that I and Kim Yeon completed together, begins to collapse the moment it is fully formed.
[Oh Hye-seo.]
Oh Hyun-seok takes a step toward Oh Hye-seo and speaks.
[Wake up now. Seo Hweol is dead. Seo Eun-hyun isn't a reptilian, and our company never made something like Immortal Life Soap. And...that day, big brother definitely took you to a psychiatric hospital. I saw with my own eyes when they prescribed you medication.]
Jjeoooong!
At Oh Hyun-seok's words, Oh Hye-seo's eyes begin to tremble.
[When I drew upon my Ender authority and checked, only then did I truly confirm it. It was probably because of your authority, wasn't it? Hye-seo-ah. Do you still not understand? No matter how much you manipulate the truth, the truth remains the truth. You can never escape it, and you can never run away.]
[Don't make me laauuuugh!! Then...just what do I have left? What!? In my life...what is even left...!?]
[...When you face it instead of running away, that too becomes something that lets us move forward.]
Oh Hyun-seok raises his fist and approaches Oh Hye-seo.
But the closer he gets to her, the more his hand gradually opens.
And then, when he reaches right in front of her—
Oh Hyun-seok spreads both his arms as if to embrace her.
[Come here, Hye-seo-ah. Even in reality, there are people who love you...]
[I said don't make me laugh! Seo Hweol! H-Help me! Please don't let these lunatics destroy us! Seo Hweol! Seo Hweol! Deny the lies of those lunatics, please!]
'Damn...'
I click my tongue as I look at the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens in the form of Seo Hweol.
If it's the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens Seo Hweol left behind, then surely, it will lure her in with sweet words.
"Hoho..."
Then, the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens left behind by Seo Hweol opens its mouth.
The Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens erases the smile from its face and speaks.
"...Get a hold of yourself, Oh Hye-seo."
[...Huh?]
'...?'
At those words, not only Oh Hye-seo, but I also widen my eyes.
"Have you forgotten what I gave you? Back then, I gave you my life."
[...Ah...]
"Don't live meaninglessly with the life I gave you, Oh Hye-seo."
'That's...!'
"Turn around! Oh Hye-seo! Aren't there people waiting for you? Don't look this way! Don't turn your eyes away from the truth!"
With those words, Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens shouts powerfully toward Oh Hye-seo.
Then, the form of the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens changes.
The form that had maintained the appearance of Seo Hweol inside Oh Hye-seo's illusion returns to the shape of massive dragon bones.
It reveals the corpse of the Sea Dragon, forcing her to face the truth.
And upon seeing that form, Oh Hye-seo begins to weep, shedding tears of blood.
[N-No, no...! No! Seo Hweol! No! No! No! Noooooooo!! Seo Hweol!]
Oh Hye-seo grabs and shakes Seo Hweol's bones, then collapses as she screams.
[Seo Hweol! Please get up! Seo Hweol! Seo Hweol! Seo Hweol! Don't leave me alone! Please tell me this isn't real! Seo Hweol! Please!]
Her continuing desperate cries.
The true will of Seo Hweol that was hidden inside the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
And the heart of Oh Hyun-seok.
Seeing it all...
I finally fully realize how to reach the Marital Pinnacle.
[Tell me!! That you love me!!]
It has truly been a long time.
Oh Hye-seo's Truth Manipulation authority is ironically an authority that 'cannot forget that the truth exists'.
Through that power, all the distorted and manipulated realities she has twisted until now begin to shatter.
From the large, like how she distorted our past, to the small, like my obsession with shoulders.
'Ahh...'
Across the long and longer time—
I smile as I watch the will of Seo Hweol within the dissolving Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens beside Oh Hye-seo.
My fellow Daoist.
The existence known as Seo Hweol has, at last, truly attained Buddhahood.
I have finally overcome Seo Hweol.
Now, even if someone touches my shoulder, I don't think I'll have a seizure.
-x-X-x-