The first thing we see is a massive chunk of information.
"This is..."
I understand what this is.
This thing, constantly writhing in a dark-red state, is a type of massive computation device.
Oh Hye-seo and I are immersed in the massive waves of dimensional flow, and the thing closest to us is this dark-red fog-like mass.
Wo-woong!
"..."
Oh Hye-seo, her eyes trembling, brings her hand toward the dark-red mass.
Ttstststsst!
'A virtual world, huh...'
Inside the dark-red mass before my eyes, I see thousands of 'worlds'.
And within those virtual worlds, virtual realities filled with countless possibilities are being processed.
'This must be...
The legacy of a previous Agate.
'The current time is forty thousand years ago. And this place is...'
Within the Head Realm, the space where the Akashic Records exist.
Located in that space, it seems to be a virtual world computation Immortal Art within the remains of the previous Agate.
'This place is...'
"Seo Hweol's...homeland."
Oh Hye-seo smiles bitterly.
Dreamlike mists of every hue cover the surroundings.
At the center is the dark-red mist, and within that mist, thousands of virtual realities are visible.
The ego of the artificial computation device that is the previous Agate's legacy—Agate's persona—seems to have detected our reaction, as it begins to scan the surroundings.
However, perhaps because the rank of Oh Hye-seo, who is currently linked to me, and I, is far too high, Agate's persona fails to even perceive us.
'This point in time is forty thousand years ago. Deep inside the Head Realm's Akashic Records...I guess we can't exit this place.'
I try to look around this point in time we've reached, but my whole body feels like it's sinking deep into an ocean, unable to move.
'If I get used to it, I might be able to move...but for now, it's difficult. Is it the resistance of a world existing in the past? I suppose I should see it as a kind of corrective force.'
The ancient history formed by the layered webs of Indra's Net, the principle of the world, presses down on us with immense weight, minimizing our interference.
For now, all we can do within this misty world inside the Head Realm's Akashic Records is observe the traces of Agate.
"Anyway, Seo Hweol can't be seen. Oh Hye-seo, about your predecessor Agate's—"
"He's here..."
"What?"
But Oh Hye-seo seems to have found something.
"He's...here..."
Heaven and Earth spiritual energy flows from her eyes.
Reflected in her tears is a single dot of violet mist, mingled with the dark-red legacy of Agate.
"...I see."
I can sense the familiar scent of the Underworld from that violet mist.
The loyal retainer of Bong Hwa who upheld the power of the Underworld, the former Chief Judge of the Netherworld, the Nether Devil True Lord Yu Hao Te.
His leftover Blood Yin.
The fragment of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens imbued with Blood Yin's will that submerged into Agate's legacy and was born was—
That ancient Seo Hweol.
In silence, I begin to watch Seo Hweol with Oh Hye-seo from outside the mist.
Countless time passes.
Oh Hye-seo watches as the fragment of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, which can be called the essence of Seo Hweol, gradually awakens within Agate's legacy.
I, meanwhile, within the past, contemplate the Radiance Mantra and research ways to observe the past more closely, in search of power that transcends time.
'Even if we go to the past, if we can't escape the Head Realm, it's meaningless. We must be able to leave the Head Realm.'
Through Immortal Arts, through mantras, through martial arts, I seek every method to minimize the resistance imposed by the power of the past within this space.
And, within that time...
The existence that can be called the essence of Seo Hweol gradually gains more spiritual energy and expands the root of its existence...
Eventually, for the first time, it comes to possess what is called 'an ego'.
Then, at last, I am able to see the faces of Seo Hweol's [parents].
"Father, Mother. Must I also marry for the purpose of intercourse with a female or male?"
Within Agate's virtual world, Seo Hweol, having obtained an ego for the first time, asks his parents.
Oh Hye-seo tilts her head, unable to recognize the [parents].
Perhaps, for someone like Oh Hye-seo, they are beings of far too high a rank to perceive.
And...
As I perceive Seo Hweol's [parents], I barely endure the pain that feels as if my eyes are about to burst.
Hong Fan taps my shoulder and speaks with concern.
"Master, please do not overdo it. They seem to be existences beyond rank. You could be harmed if you push too hard."
"..."
I glance at Hong Fan, who has at some point succeeding in transforming the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity into an Immortal Treasure and bestowing the Supreme Deity's power to the other Immortal Treasures, and has come as one of the five Immortal Treasures, and speak.
'How strange.'
Even if the power of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity was distributed among the Immortal Treasures so that each reaches the level of a Great Net Immortal and, together, they reach the level of a Supreme Deity...
Their own realm, excluding the power granted, is at best that of Vestige Liberation Immortal.
And yet, despite being such beings, though he accelerated for a shorter duration than Hyeon Mu, Hong Fan still managed to follow me with the speed of Undying and clung to me up to here.
The issue is, I have no way of knowing 'how he managed to do that'.
Even when I read the history, the result is the same.
He 'simply' followed along.
At this bizarre situation where there is no process, only the result, I feel a chill wash over me.
'It's as if...as long as we are inside Mount Sumeru, there's some kind of law that dictates Hong Fan to be by my side, regardless of causality.'
Just what exactly is Hong Fan?
Is he simply the first Radiance Supreme Deity, or...
Is there another secret hidden beyond that?
"...It's fine. You just go over there and eat boiled potatoes or something."
Seeing Hong Fan's expression that seems to worry for me, I let out a faint chuckle and turn my head away.
"If it's the current me...even if I look directly, it's not enough to make me return to thee."
And so, turning away from the worried-looking Hong Fan, I begin to perceive [Seo Hweol's parents].
: : Everything under Heaven and Earth follows the principle of Taiji, pairing as it should. : :
Tingle, tingle...
'I see...'
That is something someone like Oh Hye-seo cannot possibly perceive.
Because that being is a monstrosity that transcends all simply through its very existence, one of the fundamental laws that exist in this world.
That being is the one who bears the name Fate.
Kiiiiiiiiing!
Immortal Beast True Blood bursts out from my eyes.
But I look at the phenomenon clearly.
Within Seo Hweol's memories, only that one line is heard, but I am able to hear the other words spoken by that being.
: : Guide. Draw forth hatred. And so...through death, complete the new Agate... : :
Kugugugugugu!
I momentarily hide Hong Fan within my body, guard Oh Hye-seo from any potential attack, and simultaneously fix my glare on [that] inside the dark-red virtual world and on [that] which reveals itself from deep inside the Head Realm.
The one within the virtual world that is Seo Hweol's homeland, is merely a black surface (面/face).
The black wall-like thing emerging with the dark-red mist faces Seo Hweol.
And...
That is only a part of it.
I see a massive [black hand] revealed behind the dark-red mist.
That hand is pitch black, and part of its palm protrudes into the dark-red world, appearing as a black wall.
I focus all my senses on that [hand].
Yet the owner of the [hand] seems utterly uninterested in someone like me and instead exerts attraction force upon Seo Hweol.
Wo-woong!
Then, on the surface that reveals itself before Seo Hweol, colors begin to appear.
The colors intertwine and tangle together to form a [scene].
—Say! That you love me!!!
It is...
A scene where 'something' painted in dark-red embraces Seo Hweol's bones and weeps uncontrollably.
As I watch the scene, I grind my teeth.
: : Your existence...shall be for the sole purpose of realizing this future... : :
Tststststststss!
Soon, the black wall that appeared before Seo Hweol and showed him the future scene begins to dissolve and absorb into him.
Ptstststststst—
At the same time, the [hand] vanishes in the blink of an eye...and Seo Hweol regains his senses.
Immediately after...
I can tell that Seo Hweol, who was once nothing more than a small spirit fragment containing Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, now truly possesses fate.
He now has both soul and fate.
All that remains is Qi to form the physical body.
However...
Even with just that, the existence of the innate Sacred Vessel Seo Hweol is now more than halfway complete.
From that point on, Seo Hweol, now fully possessing fate, begins to walk the path of fate as I know it.
'Is that...the process of a [Guide] being born...?'
Beings born to awaken the fate of Agate, who must internalize everything about Agate's fate through their very flesh.
In order to teach hatred, those who must inscribe hated into their bodies deeper than anyone else.
That is precisely...
Those chosen to become the Guides of Agate.
Oh Hye-seo continues to observe such a Seo Hweol and trembles.
"Seo Eun-hyun...please...I beg you...save Seo Hweol... With your Wheel...rewrite the past..."
She begins to cry as she watches Seo Hweol in his pain.
"If it's you...you can do it, right...? I can't...I can't watch him...tear his own heart apart like that anymore..."
"..."
"Please! Seo Eun-hyun! I'll beg like this! I'll devote my body and heart to you from now on! I will never betray you again. I'll educate Seo Hweol myself. If you tell me to lick your feet, I'll do it. If you tell me to shove my head into the toilet, I will. Even if you cut my throat and sip and eat my skull, I'll smile and accept it! Please...please save Seo Hweol!!"
I look at Oh Hye-seo like that, then look at the Seo Hweol suffering in the past.
Seo Hweol is seizing the legacy of Agate in this time point and is completing Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
What would happen if I intervene at this moment?
If the past is rewritten...
Will the Seo Hweol who had toyed with us until now disappear?
What if...
Seo Hweol could have been a true friend instead of an enemy?
Woo-woooong!
Hong Fan, who has entered my body, shouts.
—Do not over do it, Master. That one was an enemy until very recently. Just because she became an ally, there is no need to go that far. More than anything...to rewrite the past is to shatter the causality of the present story...
As his explanation continues, my hesitation deepens.
—If you help the Seo Hweol of the past, what becomes of us of the present? If he is rewritten, won't our very existence cease to exist?
"..."
I bite my lip at Hong Fan's completely reasonable words.
—For the sake of someone who was our enemy, do not throw away our present, our connections! Master!
"..."
I grit my teeth.
Not a single part of Hong Fan's argument is wrong.
There is no reason for me to sacrifice myself for someone like Seo Hweol.
Therefore, I ask Oh Hye-seo.
"Cut the emotional act. Explain it to me."
I explain to her the fundamental contradiction that Hong Fan has pointed out and ask her.
"What reason do we have to help the Seo Hweol of the past...even at the cost of our present?"
"...That's..."
"You're mad, but you've always been calculative. There's no way someone like you would make such an emotional plea without a reason. The one who possesses the legacy of the previous Agate is the current you. So in the most logical way possible...convince me, Oh Hye-seo."
"..."
If it had been someone other than Seo Hweol, I might've at least tried to play along with her emotional act.
But the one I am being asked to help...is Seo Hweol.
Before being my fellow Daoist, the one who was my enemy.
"Why should I make a choice that endangers the me of the present for the sake of an ill-connection?"
Upon hearing my question, Oh Hye-seo bites her lip for a moment.
But soon, a firm resolve rises on her face.
"My authority blurs the boundary between the 'truth' present in this place and the 'thoughts' I have. But...'truth' does not change. My uncle, and Seo Hweol taught me that. That's right...history can never be changed. If you try to change something unchangeable, just like you said, we might all end up in danger. But...you know it too..."
"..."
"The past...cannot be changed...because it is time that has already passed... No matter how much you try to rewrite it, it won't change."
"..."
"The moment I saw your Wheel, I knew. The power of your rewriting is probably almost the same as my authority."
Only after reaching this realm and perceiving the Radiance Mantra did I understand how the Wheel rewrites the past.
If I compare it to the form of the [infant] I saw...
The Radiance Mantra is the principle of returning to the ends of the blood vessels and forming new ones,
While the rewriting of the Wheel creates a new, smaller blood vessel next to the existing one.
In other words, the ability of rewriting is a kind of parallel dimension creation.
It does not change the actual past, but instead transfers the beings that existed in that past into a parallel dimension that possesses the same reality as the original past, and lets them live there.
In that sense, the Wheel and the Radiance Mantra are equivalent in that they [possess an ability to form the infant's body].
That is to say, when I dealt with the children of In and Yeon during my battle with Seo Hweol, I did not truly rewrite the past.
I merely sent their spirits into a parallel dimension and allowed them to live out their lives once more within it.
For the time that has passed [absolutely] does not disappear.
"But...even if the past never disappears, within that past...I want to insert even a little bit of happiness between those moments. For Seo Hweol...I want him to have not just a history of pure hatred, but also a trace of happy history. So please...please, Seo Eun-hyun. Lend me your Wheel. If your power and my authority combine...we can give Seo Hweol even a sliver of happiness..."
"..."
"History...is [absolutely] unchangeable anyway... So what you're afraid of, the danger to our present caused by changing the past, will never happen. So..."
—Absolutely not, Master. What this woman says only applies to a typical case... But now that we've reached the real past through the Akashic Records, this is no longer an ordinary case and could very well lead to the actual rewriting of the past! Therefore...
"Just once...give us a chance...!!"
—If the predetermined fate is twisted, everyone may be destroyed!
"..."
I rise from my seat and gently close my eyes.
And then, I realize something.
No, more precisely, it would be accurate to say that the 'enlightenment came to me' through Oh Hye-seo's desperate 'wish.'
[If you were to realize that you've already died in the future, and that your current self is nothing but a reenactment of the past, what would you do?]
"...Are you asking what I'd do if I'm just a memory or a lingering thought?"
I hear Oh Hye-seo's shout, and I turn to look at the person in white who has come to me.
Come to think of it, this person, too, has experienced the exact same thing through me in the past.
"You accepted it with such calm composure. How were you able to do that, exactly?"
[I was the one who asked first. You dare turn it around with a question of your own, you brat? Do you want to taste the club?]
"Kugh..."
If I am nothing more than a remnant of the past, and all I'm doing is repeating my history, and if my end is a pitiful defeat, making everything I do from now on meaningless—then what would I do?
"If that's the case...then I must struggle harder."
Though I ponder the question for a moment, the answer is simple.
From the very beginning...
It is something I've embodied again and again with my own flesh and body after all.
If I were to regress multiple times and face enemies I cannot resist, making everything meaningless—then what would I do?
Struggle harder.
That is the only answer I can give.
"Even if the future is meaningless...as long as the me who struggles exists, my 'present' is still alive."
If I were to die tomorrow, and if that can never be changed—then what would I do?
Struggle.
Keep struggling.
Struggle like mad.
That is all there is to it.
Because even if I were to die tomorrow, if I struggle more, then that struggle will be remembered by someone.
"If this moment is nothing more than a reenactment of the past, and my ending is already determined...then isn't that all the more to live like mad? Only then, will those who one day read my past be able to gain something from me."
As I answer my own questions while looking at the presence before me,
I find the answer to the question I asked the Salt Sea Supreme Deity.
Just why and how did the lingering thought of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity so calmly accept that it is a being of the past and that its end is only defeat?
It is simple.
Even if the future is set, the past, in itself, conveys the heart to those who will exist in that future.
As long as those of the future fumble through and try to read the past...
No matter how fixed the future may be, the things we do are not meaningless.
The heart never disappears.
Even if I die, someday those who follow after me...
They will surely receive that heart, and understand it.
That is enough.
"...Take your stance, Oh Hye-seo."
—M-Master?
I stand beside Oh Hye-seo and take the stance of the Sword God Dance.
"I absolutely don't expect you to follow along. Just try to clumsily mimic the movements. You're insane...but since you're a genius too, you should at least be able to imitate the form, right?"
Perhaps sensing some kind of will in my words, Oh Hye-seo follows my stance.
"Activate your authority at full power."
—Master!!!
"Originally, it's a dance meant to 'borrow'...but this time, I'm going to activate it as one that 'lends.' I will lend you everything of mine, and everything of the Wheel...so try mixing it with your authority, and rewrite with your own hands."
—You mustn't!!! The Wheel will be harmed!!
Hong Fan begins to panic.
It might seem suspicious at a glance, but Hong Fan's heart is filled with genuine concern for me, so I accept his shouting and nod.
"Do not worry."
This is a story of the past.
Therefore, if the fate of the past is twisted, the fate of the present may also be twisted and affect us all.
If so, then why am I trying to influence a story of the past?
"Fate cannot be changed anyway."
I, who had set my goal on shattering fate, now paradoxically acknowledge it.
The Absolute of Fate cannot be overturned.
Because this is a story that has already passed.
Because we cannot rewrite a story that has already passed.
"However...I can assign a different meaning to it."
What I can do is simply try to give a different meaning to the past.
Even if I try editing the past as Oh Hye-seo says, the past itself never changes.
And fate twisting and bringing harm to us of the present, like Hong Fan fears, will not happen.
Because no matter how much the past is rewritten, no matter how many parallel worlds are created...what originally existed will never disappear.
If the Radiance Mantra creates an additional 'crosswalk,'
Then the rewriting the Wheel is like creating a 'skywalk' or 'underground passage' above or below that crosswalk.
No matter how large the temporarily-created underground path becomes, the original crosswalk never vanishes.
But...to those who had always used that road, a different possibility may arise.
What Hong Fan fears is that the side road created by the Wheel will erase the original path, and a completely different path will extend from that side road.
But as I come to understand the power and meaning of the Immortal Beast King...
I realize that such a thing can never happen.
"Even if a new past is created and rewritten...fate cannot be changed. Only now do I understand that."
Woo-woooong!
Mimicking the form of my Sword God Dance, Oh Hye-seo becomes connected to me.
And to her, my power is lent.
At the same time, the Wheel shifts momentarily—not behind me, but behind her.
"Keheok!"
Oh Hye-seo vomits a mouthful of blood under the pressure and weight of the wheel.
She doesn't even draw power from it properly. Merely having the Wheel placed upon her back, which I am turning for her, causes her to suffer a fatal wound.
She likely won't recover anytime soon.
But she, as if it doesn't matter, fuses the Wheel with the authority of Truth Manipulation and creates a new side road—
A new 'blood vessel.'
A small-scale parallel dimension is created.
And then...
Oh Hye-seo descends into the world of Agate that exists within it, and approaches the newly born Seo Hweol there.
She crushes all of Agate's rules, and becomes one of Seo Hweol's connections of that time.
She becomes Seo Hweol's wife.
As Seo Hweol's life continues and he dies, she even becomes Seo Hweol's husband.
At times, she becomes the madam of the brothel where Seo Hweol lives, or becomes Seo Hweol's disciple.
Sometimes she becomes Seo Hweol's friend, and even Seo Hweol's superior.
But in all those lives, she becomes someone who understands Seo Hweol.
Dudududududuk!
Is it because she is touching the past of an Ender's Guide?
Is it because she is directly rewriting the Akashic Records of the Head Realm?
I can feel an overwhelming burden being pressed upon the Wheel.
However, it does not collapse.
Even as she shares a portion of the Wheel's burden, Oh Hye-seo never gives up.
She helps Seo Hweol's past, aiding the young Seo Hweol to acquire an Immortal Art similar to Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens with his own strength, and take control of the world of Agate.
Kugugugugung!
And within the collapsing world...
Seo Hweol, having at last fully realized his identity as an innate Sacred Vessel, recognizes Oh Hye-seo's identity.
And perhaps it is because they are inside the Akashic Records.
He receives his 'circumstance' from the Akashic Records and speaks to her.
[Who are you?]
Dudududu!
The Wheel overheats.
[Only now do I remember...]
Seo Hweol gives a bitter smile.
[I had...another reality. In that reality, I repeated a painful life according to the calculations of 'Agate', completely fragmented myself to complete Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, and seized Agate. And when I came to my senses...I had repeated a happy life with you once more. Who are you, to give me this kind of happiness?]
This is the true nature of the power that rewrites the past.
Not actually editing the past, but creating a small-scale parallel dimension and throwing the target one wishes to edit into it, gifting them another life.
Rather than history rewrite, it's more accurate to say it provides 'a chance to live one more life in a parallel world'.
The Underworld likely amplified this ability to the peak and developed it into the power of 'reincarnation'.
And Seo Hweol, in the process of having transformed himself into an Immortal Art, awakened the past of the being called [Seo Hweol of the original history], who was also his past life.
[Who are you to have gifted me this life?]
Dudududuk!
Beneath the overburdened Wheel, Oh Hye-seo hears Seo Hweol's question and smiles sadly.
"...The one who will,"
Kwadududududuk!!!!
The Wheel undergoes insane pressure.
"Continue to love you."
Jjeojeojeojeok!
And finally, cracks begin to form in the world.
"I will not forget you."
C-C-C-Crack!
At the same time, the parallel dimension that Oh Hye-seo and I created begins to collapse.
The correct flow of fate extracts the world that was falsely rewritten.
The history rewrite for In and Yeon, the parallel dimension created for them, was not a large rewrite and it was carried out in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
But this time, the history rewrite involves the Guide of an Ender and takes place inside the Head Realm.
Perhaps that is why history is being [extracted].
"So..."
As I witness the process, a question embedded deep in my mind becomes resolved.
Kududududuk!
The parallel world Oh Hye-seo and I created for Seo Hweol.
That side path gets extracted and shattered, turning into fragments of ancient force.
"You too...don't forget me."
The fabricated world of history vanishes, and the original history of Seo Hweol is revealed.
Suffering for lifetimes within the calculation device of Agate, devouring Agate through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens...
The history of Seo Hweol's spirit collapsing after perceiving the Akashic Records of the Head Realm and meeting the [being bearing the Wheel on their back] unfolds before us.
All of Oh Hye-seo's history that until just moments ago gave Seo Hweol happiness vanishes, and every word and heart she had conveyed to him turns into chunks of ancient force and disappears.
The current Seo Hweol is simply the Seo Hweol meeting [Oh Hye-seo bearing the Wheel on her back] for the first time.
"Seo Hweol (瑞鷸)."
Seo Hweol simply stares blankly at her, as he is dragged by the flow of fate into the body of a Sea Dragon in the Head Realm.
Originally, that is as far as the fate I remember goes.
However, for some reason, I give the Wheel one more push of power.
—Seo Eun-hyun!!!
Hong Fan cries out madly within heartache and anguish.
By my strength and the pressure of the past...
C-C-C-C-Crack!
A crack forms on the Wheel.
But because of that single decision, Oh Hye-seo gains just a fleeting moment more to say her final farewell to Seo Hweol.
She approaches Seo Hweol's spirit and quietly presses her forehead to his.
That brief warmth passes onto Seo Hweol.
Paaaatt!
That is the end.
Oh Hye-seo and I are ejected from this reality.
The Wheel no longer bears any pressure, and Oh Hye-seo, with a wistful expression, reaches out toward the time Seo Hweol existed in.
Whether the warmth Oh Hye-seo passed in that final moment is part of the original flow of fate or not, I do not know.
Perhaps even that final warmth may be 'extracted'.
But even if history is plucked out by fate...
Even if that 'truth' becomes ancient force!
It will never disappear!
Pasasasasasa!
The time of Oh Hye-seo and Seo Hweol becomes ancient force and flies toward Oh Hye-seo.
"Thank you...thank you..."
Oh Hye-seo sobs, accepting the shards of ancient force flying into her.
Those fragments of ancient force are absorbed into her, beginning to merge with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Her Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, once black, begins to turn white as it accepts the power of the pure white ancient force.
"Thank you...Seo Hweol... Thank you...! Seo Eun-hyun...! Thank you... Truly, thank you...!"
The moment I realized that we were 'intervening' in Seo Hweol's past, I understood that fate does not necessarily flow from past to future—its reverse can also hold true.
That is why I deeply felt the power of the Future King.
And that is why I acknowledged that fate is absolute.
And...
Precisely because I know it is absolute, I acknowledged it and granted Oh Hye-seo's plea.
For no matter how fixed fate may be,
That desperate struggle to seek even a sliver of happiness within it...
I simply cannot ignore it.
In that process, I also came to understand one of the ways in which fate asserts its absoluteness.
'When a timeline of the future interferes with the past...and if the past is rewritten by the future that interferes with time, then the history that hinders the narrative of fate is [extracted].'
It is extracted, and becomes ancient force.
Seo Hweol, through this history extraction, will remember only the 'original history' that exists in my memories.
And...
If one day, we return to the present time and Oh Hye-seo gets Seo Hweol's reincarnation to remember his past life and returns the extracted crystallized lump of ancient force...
Seo Hweol will be able to remember even the history that was extracted.
In other words—
'My 16th cycle...was [extracted] by the flow of absoluteness due to a [being of the future] interfering with the past. And the history that was extracted in such a way...'
Somewhere in this world—
Exists in the form of ancient force.
In other words, if I can find that ancient force, I can reclaim the memories of my 16th cycle.
"From now on...I am your follower."
As I organize this truth, Oh Hye-seo bows before me.
Leaving Seo Hweol's time point and returning to the present, to the time we were originally in, I flinch as I see Oh Hye-seo bowing to me.
Her Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, which was once in the form of a [shadow with Seo Hweol's horns], now shines pure white.
And...
I vividly feel her heart, which I hadn't been able to before.
Among the Enders, beings that originally have no soul and thus no true heart, Oh Hye-seo and I have found ours.
However, Oh Hye-seo's soul was so faint that I never felt a real 'heart' from her.
But at this very moment, her soul grows wildly, and her 'heart' can be properly felt.
The ripple of that heart is one I know all too well.
"From now on, use me as your tool. In return...if one day you find Seo Hweol's reincarnation, let this heart be conveyed to him. If you promise this...I will obey your command...and entrust everything to you. Without any resistance, my body and heart...all of it...I will give to you. So please...promise me. That you will deliver this past and this heart...to him...!"
'...Because it is the heart of one who never had a heart, is that why it feels so new...?'
I nod.
At the same time, I realize why the Great Mountain Supreme Deity spoke such hollow words to me.
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity must have known that everything is within the ring of fate, and in order to desecrate fate, declared himself as the owner of it.
The moment I nod, Oh Hye-seo's white Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens begins to connect with my Flower Soul Filling the Heavens.
She splits her spirit in half and breathes the divided Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens into my Flower Soul Filling the Heavens.
Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is inherited as a heart is passed down to another heart.
That is the nature of both Flower Soul Filling the Heavens and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
And...
As the gratitude within Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is passed down to me, a change occurs in my Flower Soul Filling the Heavens.
Upon the head of the [White Deer Without Antlers], the whitened [Horns of Seo Hweol] sprout, illuminating the cradle of history.
The horns of the Sea Dragon King magnificently adorn the head of the Flower Soul Filling the Heavens, transforming the Flower Soul Filling the Heavens into an entirely different power and reshaping its form.
At last...
My Flower Soul Filling the Heavens becomes the [White Deer With Antlers], and begins dashing through the Akashic Records once more.
On the verge of being ejected into the original time point, I gradually realize that the new Flower Soul Filling the Heavens is rolling its hooves.
The [White Deer] stamps its hooves and pierces through the force trying to eject us with its antlers, beginning to go against time again.
Oh Hye-seo, seemingly lacking the power to follow the reversal, gradually begins to be pushed out into reality. But even as she returns to the original timeline outside the Head Realm, she does not rise from her bowed posture before me.
"...Your heart."
Feeling the half of Oh Hye-seo's spirit contained within the new Flower Soul Filling the Heavens, I nod.
"I have received it, without a doubt."
—This grace...I shall never forget it... I will honor you not as the yoke of hatred, but as the yoke of gratitude...
To the new Flower Soul Filling the Heavens,
To the one that has now inherited the power of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens,
I give a new name.
"Run forth, Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens."
Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens, carrying the heart of grace Oh Hye-seo has given, leads me into a new domain...
And so, we are taken far into the past, into a deep, ancient time no one knows.
The Interdimensional Void.
Now a deep darkness where a few paper flowers drift, and faint golden energy shimmers
There, a girl dressed in black martial attire smiles bitterly as she gazes toward somewhere.
"Because he acknowledged the absoluteness of fate...he managed to seize the starting point to defeating it... It's as if I am seeing Salt Sea...haha. Gwak Am may insist without doubt that denying fate is the condition for victory...but what now? It is rather Seo Eun-hyun who has discovered the dagger that can defeat fate."
The girl in black martial attire who endlessly sheds black tears, Hyeon Mu, lets out a pained laugh.
"If the unchangeable fate and heavens are [absolute]...then the traces of struggling that never vanish, and the will to struggle, are also [absolute]... Haha, Hong Fan... Even if you convulse in disgust without understanding anything...with your memories sealed, there is nothing you can do... Either retrieve your memories and ruin this round, or suffer in disgust with your memories sealed..."
Still gazing off somewhere, Hyeon Mu strangles herself again, cackling as she kills herself.
"Until the Enders you've cherished so much...grow to the point they can completely overcome that disgust...until they reach the level where they can sink their teeth into fate..."
Wududuk.
Hyeon Mu strangles and breaks her own neck in suicide, closing her eyes with a face mixed in pain and madness.
"Grow well...Seo Eun-hyun...and I pray...that you may reach the point where you can read the greatest ancient force... Push aside Sal Tree, who awakened to his essence while unable to endure suffering...and go forth..."
Pustststss—
The dying Hyeon Mu dissolves into the Interdimensional Void and disappears.
At the same moment, in the Inner Sea of Mount Sumeru.
There, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, who had been knocking on the dimensional gate to enter the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, finally succeeds in shattering the gate.
[Old Man!!!]
Kugugugugu!
Flapping their wings, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus charges into the Eastern Heaven Flower Field.
Then their eyes widen.
[O-Old Man...?]
Hwioooooooo—
[What is this...? Old Man...?]
In the space White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus reaches, there is no Eastern Heaven Flower Field—only a vast emptiness remains.
The Eastern Heaven Flower Field, which should have existed beyond the dimensional gate, has vanished somewhere.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, with their Gandhara...
Has gone off somewhere.
[Did it...sink into the ground or something...?]
-x-X-x-
Kugugugugu!
As I push forward through the flow of time, the lingering thought of my master grows ever clearer.
—The Immortal Beast King advancement ritual is...to reach the Origin Essence of Life through the double helix, and thus uncover even deeper histories.
Was he summoned here from the beginning for the Immortal Beast King advancement ritual?
The remnant of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity clings to me and continues speaking, and I listen quietly as I follow behind Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens into a distant, ancient past.
—The method to advance as the Immortal Beast King is simple. Just delve deeper into the Origin Essence of Life than the previous Immortal Beast Kings did.
Tssaaaa—
The Origin Essence of Life, Omniscience.
The world also known as the Akashic Records.
Through this world as a medium, I dig into the deep past and read the traces of the previous Immortal Beast Kings.
"...What exactly is the Immortal Beast King?"
I ask my master's remnant.
"It doesn't seem to be the Heavenly Venerable of Life, yet it's the being who receives the power of Omniscience the best... And a title that calls itself King (王) of the Earth Immortals while leaving aside the Underworld... I still cannot fully grasp what exactly the Immortal Beast King is."
—Haha, of course you wouldn't.
The remnant of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity Ryeong laughs.
—Originally, it would be best to let one become enthroned as the Immortal Beast King and realize it for themselves...but you seem to have already realized it on your own, so I'll tell you directly.
Then, from Ryeong's mouth, the truth about the Immortal Beast King begins to spill forth.
—You know about the Immortal Cultivation system of the Primordial Origin, correct?
"...Not exactly."
I meant to ask Kim Yeon, but amidst everything that happened, there was never a chance.
—Hmm, if you're at the level to undergo the Immortal Beast King advancement, the Underworld must've sided with you...
"They did."
—Did the Underworld not tell you?
"There wasn't exactly an explanation about the Primordial Origin Immortal Cultivation system..."
—Still the same bad habit of talking around in circles and not saying the important parts, that foul-tempered old hag.
"...Pardon?"
—Let me explain the Primordial Origin Immortal Cultivation system to you.
Though I feel I just heard something strange, I listen even more intently to the intriguing truths coming from Ryeong's mouth.
—The Primordial Origin Immortal Cultivation system is simple. Through the Qi Refining formula you know of, you strengthen the body a bit, make sure you won't die from being hit by a rock, learn a few miscellaneous techniques...and from there, you begin grasping Immortal Arts. That was the cultivation system of Origin that existed before the Immortal Art Immortal Cultivation existed.
"...!"
My mouth opens in shock at that overwhelming cultivation method.
"How can such a thing be possible...? With just a person's will, with just the frail will of a human, to overturn the principles of the world, grasp Immortal Arts, and reach True Immortal, reach Supreme Deity... Are you saying that is the Primordial Origin Immortal Cultivation system?"
I gain an understanding about Kim Yeon's cultivation method.
After cultivating up to the Heavenly Being stage to obtain the bare minimum of lifespan, from there she uses only her will to learn Immortal Arts and reach True Immortality.
Only then do I realize that I, too, have followed the Primordial Origin cultivation system.
'It was only possible because, with your help, I reached the state where I could wield Immortal Arts through will alone.'
But that was only possible because it was me.
After going through endless adversity and hardship, with pain that shatters limits, and being thrown again and again into the swamp of life that burns the heart to ash...
It was possible only because I became stronger from it and continued in the Immortal Cultivation system.
'To think...that ordinary people with no power at all could use Immortal Arts through will alone...? Is that even...'
—It's not only when you overturn the world that it becomes Immortal Art.
"Pardon?"
—With a body refined endlessly, the will to slay the enemy even after death is Immortal Arts. To seize one last chance to strike the enemy down for one's disciples even in death is Immortal Arts. To twist the fate of death in order to bow in honor of one's master is also Immortal Arts.
"..."
—To remain in the nine heavens for a lover driven mad by revenge and deliver one final word is also Immortal Arts. To ceaselessly pursue someone you love and move their heart is also Immortal Arts. To explode oneself and become a star to save one's disciples—that too is Immortal Arts.
Ryeong looks at me and smiles.
—A person's life, in and of itself, is many times—no, immeasurably more noble than Immortal Arts or Origin Essence. The very act of 'being born yesterday, breathing today, and looking toward tomorrow'...that alone is the overwhelmingly superior form of all Immortal Arts in this world...
"..."
—To dream of what one desires, to live while moving toward it—that is life. Therefore, fate and history and all such things are merely components that compose life, and Immortal Arts are just a power that twists fate and history. Thus, life itself is the strongest Immortal Art in the world.
—But among all the people of this world, those who truly understand that are just me, that old hag, the Future King, and a few snake brats... That is why most Immortal Arts merely seem as if they toy with a person's life.
He continues.
—When observed properly, our life is stronger than anything else. It is the power to 'dream and vow'. If one continues to dream, yearn, and wish...then one day it will certainly manifest as reality, and that reality itself is Immortal Arts. Therefore, Immortal Arts can essentially be called 'dreams'.
"Dreams..."
A dream.
Or something one wishes for.
I turn those words over in my mind, reflecting on life once more from a new perspective.
—The power of fate and history is, in truth, a rather common power. The prophecies and revisions made by True Immortals merely operate on a larger scale and with greater accuracy... In fact, everyone in this world can perform prophecy and revision.
—For instance, if one makes a resolution to 'start training the sword tomorrow'—and then picks up a sword the next day, that is prophecy.
—If one remembers something that happened yesterday, but chooses to remember it in the way they wish, then that is revision.
—And...the cultivation method of the Primordial Origin is, based on these facts, a practice of learning about the 'dreams' more deeply and in more detail.
He is a being who has already died, a being who can no longer influence reality in any way.
Yet I cannot help but nod along to the profound truths in each word he speaks.
—To observe one's inner self, to understand one's dreams more and more, and finally to amplify the power of that dream to its peak—that is how the practitioners of the Primordial Origin cultivated.
"...I understand the feeling well."
For example, it seems to be a system where one attentively observes the will expressed in daily life, and then develops them to such an extreme degree that they could even distort the fundamental principles of reality—that was the ancient cultivation system.
—Good. Then you must already understand what I'm trying to say.
"...If everything begins from the manifestation of will—in other words, 'dreams'—and that is the Primordial Origin cultivation system, then when applying that system to the present...each and everyone of the forgotten dreams called ancient force...could be seen as lumps of Immortal Arts. Regardless of whether they are large or small."
—That's right. Though they are called forgotten histories, in truth, they are forgotten 'lives' themselves... And for that reason, they are Immortal Arts themselves. Therefore, the Immortal Beast King is...
Ryeong speaks with a solemn gaze.
—Standing at the apex of all Immortal Arts that exist in this world, the being who represents Immortal Arts. They can be called the being who 'can borrow power from the greatest number of Immortal Arts'. To use a comparison, a kind of 'Immortal Arts Immortal Lord' or 'Immortal Arts Supreme Deity.' There is no separate Origin Essence for Immortal Arts...but if I were to make a comparison, the realm called the 'Ultimate of Martial Arts' that Hyeon Mu attained is closest to the position of Immortal Beast King.
"So I can think of the Immortal Beast King as someone who seized a vast number of ancient forces instead of Triple Divinity..."
—It's not seizing.
He points to my chest.
And in that gesture, I realize he isn't pointing at my chest—but within it.
At the Impermanence Sword nestled in the depths of my heart.
—It is borrowing. You become the being who can borrow the power of Immortal Arts better than anyone else. And in exchange for borrowing the power of Immortal Arts...you must 'acknowledge' those Immortal Arts—the forgotten dreams known as ancient force—and release them through that recognition.
"..."
I begin to fully understand the role of the Immortal Beast King.
—The Immortal Beast King is both a realm and position. No, strictly speaking, it was originally a realm the same as the Ultimate of Martial Arts...but the [Black Snake] imposed the restriction that there can be 'only one' Immortal Beast King, so it effectively became a position.
As I listen to Ryeong's words, I quietly observe the reactions within my body.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Hong Fan seems unable to perceive Ryeong's presence.
'Seems like only I can see and hear him. In a way, it's a huge relief.'
Kugugugugu!
I pass through the countless spacetimes of the Akashic Records alongside Ryeong's remnant.
And then...
I uncover innumerable ancient forces and truths of the world that the past Immortal Beast Kings have excavated.
'I see... The reason the legacies of the past Enders aren't so abundant is because, whenever a generation of Enders falls into decline, the Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon, the Head Realm, moves and devours everything that the generation's Enders left behind.'
It seems that in this Mount Sumeru, an unimaginable number of Enders have once come and gone.
Starting from demi-gods like Obsidian, to existences like Silver Basket—who, from the very beginning, secretly invaded Mount Sumeru by seizing an Ender's absoluteness from the outside world and died—a being that was virtually a god. There were also beings from civilizations I can't even comprehend.
Some left behind their own Heavenly Domains, others their authorities, and some even left the foundations for the advancement of new civilizations.
But even the Heavenly Domains and universes left behind by the Enders, their authorities, and the possibilities of worlds with new civilizations—
Were all were devoured by the Head Realm.
As I read through the records that remain in the Origin Essence of Life, I can read the traces of the Radiance Mantra among them.
'So originally, Heuk Sa would reverse time when the Enders die, retrieve their spirits, and simultaneously nullify the very worldline in which the Enders made progress or left massive traces on...'
And so, the 'parallel dimension' that is created.
In other words, the [blood vein of the infant] is entirely torn away, devoured by the Head Realm, and buried as ancient force.
And that buried ancient force sleeps for eternity as a single mass, until someone appears to release its grudge.
Hwooooo—
As I travel through the past, I come to feel just how terrifying a being the Salt Sea Supreme Deity Ryeong was.
'The Supreme Deity who came closest to the third Origin Essence...is it? Is that why, even in a state like this where only ancient force remains, he can still leave behind this many messages for me...?'
Wooo-wooong!
And finally, I discover what appears to be the 'end' of this long journey through the past.
—That place over there is the grave of forgotten dreams reached by my successor Immortal Beast King, Hyeon Rang. Hyeon Rang was too afraid to dig deeper into the truths beyond that point and fled from the position of Immortal Beast King...but you will be able to go farther.
"..."
—Go forth. Dig deeper than where Hyeon Rang once reached...and ascend as the new Immortal Beast King.
Tak!
Ryeong's fragment pushes me forward, then scatters into Omniscience as a pure white ancient force fragment.
After briefly glancing back at that scene, I reach my hand toward the massive 'wall of mist'.
Upon closer look, it is a mass of fog-like Salt Crystal clumps.
I reach out toward those Salt Crystals.
Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens thrusts its antlers forward, and in the next moment—
—————!
An indescribable bizarre sound echoes all around, and begins to excavate new dreams.
They are forgotten truths, torn-out histories, and dreams that have died.
And then...
Those bitter, salty tears, clumped together because no one ever acknowledged them, begin to speak to me all at once the moment I reach them.
—Acknowledge me...
—Recognize me...
—Listen to my dream...
Countless beings come to me, seeking resolution.
I absorb Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens into my body.
The hearts of countless people, including Oh Hye-seo's, contained within it react and resonate with the surrounding ancient forces.
Woo-wooooong—
My countless past lives, numbering over two thousand.
Even those past lives—
Are now a kind of ancient force to me.
The me of the present, possesses more ancient force than anyone else.
And the moment that resonance begins...
Countless ancient forces begin to resonate with me as well.
—You too...are a being filled with resentment.
—Or perhaps, a being who endlessly embraces a resentment like ours.
—You are a being who can acknowledge us.
Those histories resonate with the sorrow of 'regression' in my chest that cannot be spoken aloud to another, and amplify the resonance.
'Normally, this would be the part where one borrows their hearts, grants them release, realizes that their identities were Immortal Arts all along, and ascend as the Immortal Beast King.'
I realize why Ryeong's remnant told me all of this ahead of time.
'This is...a feeling I already know.'
Tak—
Right then and there, I begin to dance a sword dance.
A sword dance that integrates all martial flows I've ever learned.
From within it, my life flows out.
At the same time, the Ultimate of Martial Arts I attained pours forth.
A Martial Art that holds all connections within my sword.
As the Sword God Dance unfolds from my hands...
It weaves a melody within the resonance of countless ancient forces.
'Just as I once held Jeon Myeong-hoon's heart...'
I forge the will of my Martial Pinnacle, and just as I once borrowed Jeon Myeong-hoon's, I begin to imbue my sword with the grudges bound within the countless ancient forces and let them unfold.
'Unfold it.'
Chwaaaa—
The life of a being flashes before my eyes.
My sword dances endlessly, becoming a sword dance for that one being alone.
It becomes a requiem offered to the forgotten existence, a ritual to release its sorrow.
When one ancient force ends, the next one comes. And when that ends, another follows...
Endless 'lives' gather upon my sword, each unfolding in a different form.
Pasasasasa—
As my sword swings, the surrounding ancient forces and the world of mist splits apart, becoming dyed in resplendent colors.
Each time a new color is born, a new movement of the sword dance is created and connects.
Each movement is so complete that they all could be called supreme martial techniques in their own rights.
'How ironic.'
It feels like only yesterday I admired Kim Young-hoon for effortlessly creating new techniques before my eyes...
And yet now, I've risen to stand at the same height as him, doing the exact same.
My Martial Arts is perfectly unified with Immortal Arts, so everything I perform is both a sword dance and martial technique—and also Immortal Art.
I am manifesting forgotten lives in the form of Immortal Arts and martial techniques.
Pasasasasa—
The form of the Impermanence Sword changes, reading the countless ancient forces and creating new martial techniques and Immortal Arts tailored to them.
I melt all those sword dances into a single sword, and the clumps of ancient force in the surroundings gradually begin to gather toward me.
Before long, those clumps of ancient force begin to spiral into me like a waterspout, and I smile as I create sword dances suited to each of them without the slightest difficulty.
The way the Salt Sea Supreme Deity uncovered ancient forces in a completely different way from me long ago enters my eyes.
He expressed the ancient forces through the combination of countless basic spells and gave them acknowledgement.
And Hyeon Rang, who came after him, gave each ancient force its own 'name', defining them.
It's when I come to realize all of this.
'Ah...!'
Kugugugugu!
Within the raging waterspout, I suddenly recognize that all the ancient forces have fully accepted me into their hearts.
Deeeeng—
For some reason, the sound of a brahma bell rings forth, and from within the tornado, a massive resonance spreads out.
That vibration spreads outward from us to countless other ancient forces, and I feel it expanding even beyond the Head Realm.
Whisperwhisperwhisperwhisper...
Countless ancient forces come to know who 'I' am, and that I am the one who will grant them release. This knowledge spreads to every ancient force.
And in that moment, I feel that I have been 'acknowledged' by the ancient forces present across the entirety of the Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand World.
Deeeeng—
Kugugugugu!
As I feel myself reaching the pinnacle of Immortal Arts and ancient force...
I come to know that I now possess the authority to command and the authority to define all ancient force in this world.
Deeeng—
The third bell tolls.
With that sound, I take the form of the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow and become the incarnation of the Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens, the [White Deer With Antlers] itself, and I feel as though I now hold the entire world in the palm of my hand.
Paaaaaaat!
I return beyond the Head Realm, back to the timeline where we once had been, and I come to realize.
'Now...I can access and view any ancient force at any time, anywhere, and I now have the qualification to swim in the depths of the Origin Essence of Life within the Head Realm to excavate forgotten truths.'
Moreover, if I resolve the information of the ancient forces I access through using techniques like my Sword God Dance, I can draw out the power contained within the ancient force.
: : Thank you, everyone...! : :
The Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand World.
My voice resounds brilliantly throughout.
Everyone, including Jeon Myeong-hoon, turns to look at me.
: : It's thanks to all of you that I have reached this place. : :
Kugugugugu!
Now fully expelled from the Head Realm, I feel it even more clearly.
The 'trace of the double helix' I left behind upon my enthronement now feels as though it is my body itself.
I now seem to envelop the entirety of Mount Sumeru, with my head resting atop the Head Realm, gazing down from the summit of Mount Sumeru.
In the legends of the countless Candle Dragons bearing my Candle Dragon True Blood,
It shall now be recorded that the Candle Dragon 'coils Mount Sumeru, resting its head at the summit, and gazes down upon the mountain from above'.
As the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow, I recognize myself as one encircling all of Mount Sumeru and cry out.
: : I, the new Immortal Beast King, Seo Eun-hyun...shall not forget those who showed me grace! : :
Kururururung!
I am the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow, Seo Eun-hyun.
The new Immortal Beast King, and the Immortal Beast who symbolises repaying grace (報恩)
Pukwak!
Just then, at the very moment I declare my enthronement as Immortal Beast King, a [hand made of flowers] erupts from the Head Realm and pierces through my neck.
: : ...? : :
Before I can even react, though the concept of death should hold no meaning for me anymore, the concept of [annihilation] is forcibly driven into me—and without even a moment to flee through Heavenly Escape, I am destroyed.
Wooooong!
Amidst this absurd annihilation...
I look toward the owner of the hand that suddenly struck out.
'Was it because he was hiding among the ancient forces of the Head Realm...that I couldn't perceive him...!?'
Tststststst!
With my fall, the Radiance Mantra activates, and my eyes meet with his.
That being is, for some reason, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable who burst forth from the Head Realm with the entirety of their Gandhara.
Kwarururung!
I see Jeon Myeong-hoon rushing across the Heavenly Domain toward the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, and I see the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable fighting him, emitting emotionless intent.
And at the very end of this life, so short yet filled with so many events, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable looks at me and speaks a single line with an expressionless face.
: : For awakening my essence...I offer deep gratitude. As compensation, I shall now grant the distinguished one the opportunity to proceed toward the proper fate as well. : :
Jjeoooook—
The flower-formed face of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable contorts into a grotesque smile as he looks at me.
'...Damn it.'
Seeing his appearance, I can tell.
The current Sal Tree is now capable of properly wielding the overflowing 'power' of a Gandhara Heavenly Venerable at the same level as Hyeon Mu.
The power remains the same as when the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable was normal...
But his danger level has now risen to that of Hyeon Mu.
From this point on, I must face the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable who poses a threat on par with Hyeon Mu, and has become our enemy.
As I come to that realization, I close my eyes.
That is my two-thousand-and-eleventh return.
-x-X-x-
Hwiooooo—
Time rewinds.
I feel slightly dumbfounded at the absurdity of my death.
'That strike from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable...was quite literally fate.'
The secret blow unleashed at me by the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable hiding within the Origin Essence of Life with their Gandhara.
Because it was the power of the Annihilation Flower that forcibly imposes [Annihilation] upon its target, it was capable of reducing me to ruin regardless of whether I have established a new Immortal Cultivation system or reached Martial Pinnacle.
'No...if it had been Hyeon Mu, maybe she wouldn't have died even from that.'
In truth, it may simply come down to a difference in Martial Pinnacle proficiency.
'And in the first place, my Martial Pinnacle activates only when someone else is with me, so it's unstable on its own...'
Of course, I have succeeded in becoming the Immortal Beast King.
Jeon Myeong-hoon also awakened as a Heavenly King, so even if I regress now, there shouldn't be a problem.
Having acquired the Seat from the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, even with regression, resurrection shouldn't be possible for the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.
But...
'All of that is just an excuse.'
I grit my teeth.
These are unconscious excuses for dying such a futile death.
'I could have done so much more...'
The connections I formed with countless others, the time I spent with them—all of it has faded away.
Of course, I now know those timelines haven't been erased...
But I still can't help feeling bitter.
Hiding that bitterness, I feel the presence of 'half of Oh Hye-seo's spirit' mixed with Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens inside my body.
'Right now, Oh Hye-seo is like the lingering spirit I asked Song Jin to attach to my body during the first regression point.'
Since regression through the Radiance Mantra is something that is only possible for me alone, those below the Heavenly Venerable rank have their souls torn away if they come along with me.
'But...for some reason, this time feels a little different.'
Now, I have reached the ultimate of Martial Arts, and have even become the Immortal Beast King.
'At least a single spirit...!'
Woo-wooong!
I merge Oh Hye-seo's soul with my Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens and conceal it.
'I can bring with me...!'
Kugugugugu!
Then, the power of the Radiance Mantra collides with the law of causality that forms this world—Indra's Net.
The Radiance Mantra accepts me without issue and attempts to regress me, while Indra's Net, perhaps sensing that I'm bringing Oh Hye-seo's spirit along, tries to forcibly tear her spirit away from me.
Oh Hye-seo's spirit in my embrace is pulled between the two sides and suffers in pain, and seeing her like that, I use the power I've attained through Martial Pinnacle and as the Immortal Beast King.
Tssaaaaaah!
'I'll sever it.'
The Impermanence Sword appears to shine pure white.
In the next moment, I unfold the Sword God Dance and slash at the web of causality attempting to tear Oh Hye-seo away.
I cut off a part of Indra's Net.
Shukak!
Jjjjeeeong!
The world quakes, and the principle of Indra's Net that tries to pull away Oh Hye-seo's spirit gets rebounded.
'So this is how it's done. Restructuring the laws...'
I recall the time when the Underworld partially restructured the law concerning Enders, and I gain some insight into how to alter the laws of the world.
Thus, Oh Hye-seo's spirit, writhing from the pain caused by Indra's Net, begins to regress with me from within my embrace.
And just when I complete the verification of this regression with Oh Hye-seo's half spirit as a test subject,
'Hm?'
I see something wriggling toward me from the very edge of the river of time.
And soon, I realize what it is.
'...! Sal Tree...!'
It is the Gandhara of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, appearing like a massive wriggling worm made entirely of flowers.
At the very end of that worm-like Gandhara—
A human-shaped face of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable blooms in the direction facing toward me.
That appearance even seemed to resemble the Candle Dragon Race that received my True Blood.
Seeing how they bothered to take that form, it seems to have been intentionally done to establish an attraction force between us.
'Still...the Candle Dragon Race wasn't this grotesque...'
As I watch the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable writhing and crawling up the river of time with their entire body covered in flowers and only their head taking human form, I frown.
Is it because those of Heavenly Venerable rank have become aware of regression?
Or is it because he has awakened some essence unknown even to himself?
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, like the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld in the past, now chases me by directly going against the river of time and opens his mouth.
: : Please come. This old one shall allow you to understand your fate, and carry out the beginning, development, twist, and conclusion of that fate...I shall let you, too, properly wield the power of fate...! : :
'At this rate, am I going to arrive at the regression point together with the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable?'
My regression point is the front courtyard of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, and around it are Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo of that time point.
'Saying he will carry out my beginning, development, twist, and conclusion...is he saying he will harm the Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo of that time? No, even if he doesn't harm them, just 'separating' them from me would be enough to advance the progression.'
I quickly finish my calculations and look at the grotesquely transformed Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
'While regressing, the pressure of reversing time makes it hard to exert power properly. So...right after regression, I should blast the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable far away, grab Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo, and escape in one go to Mount Sumeru...all the way to the Underworld. That's probably the best move.'
In any case, like with Hyeon Mu, if someone like Hong Fan interferes with death, even if one has the power to slay a Heavenly Venerable, killing the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable would be impossible.
'If I can't kill, I'll avoid. There's no need to fight head-on.'
Having decided how to deal with the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, I quickly wait for the regression.
And shortly after—
Paaaat!
At last, the regression to the 2,011th cycle is complete.
Flash!
As I look around, familiar chaos spreads before me.
Immediately after, I thrust the Impermanence Sword toward the massive 'flower-covered worm with an old man's face' that appears in the void.
'That thing is...'
All of a sudden, the colors of the flowers blooming on the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's body change.
The flowers that were a multitude of vibrant colors just moments ago, have all simultaneously turned black.
'All the flowers in the flower field have turned into Annihilation Flowers...!'
Then, aiming for this greatest vulnerable moment right after regression, he unleashes a bombardment of Annihilation Flowers.
'That was close.'
Had I not reached the ultimate of Martial Arts, I wouldn't have been able to block it. I would've been forced to infinitely regress again and again, like during the events with Great Mountain or Blood Yin.
But now is different.
Tssaaat!
'I am now the Immortal Beast King.'
The one who has the authority to access and borrow all ancient force.
And my Martial Pinnacle is a Martial Pinnacle that reaches the peak when borrowing another's heart.
'Here and now...I will borrow your ancient force.'
Woo-wooong—
I attempt to read the ancient force of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, who has suffered through near-eternity across over a thousand cycles.
Tssaaaaaah!
Then, a portion of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's history reveals itself to me.
'This is...!'
As I witness the 'great feat' of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, my eyes open wide.
[I] delved into Immortal Arts and explored the world, and during that pursuit, I discovered a new domain of Immortal Arts.
That domain was one where forgotten dreams—the dreams of marginalized existences—were sublimated into Immortal Arts, breathing life even into those forsaken dreams.
[I] reached that domain, listened to the stories held within the countless dreams, communed with them, and resolved the regrets they bore.
Numerous Emperors and Venerables called [my] method shamanism, and in the cultivation system that was originally divided into the Buddhist Family, the Immortal Family, and the Confucian Family, the Shamanic Family was established thanks to me.
[I] referred to these powers as Immortal Arts of endless potential—dreams that are merely yet to bloom, simply forgotten and forsaken—and refined them into the form of [Transparent Seeds], naming their power as Zero (零).
The Imperial Venerables praised [me] as the Namer of Zeros, the one who has reached the apex, and they called this realm of mine the Scenery of the Zero King.
It later became the realm known as the Immortal Beast King.
[I],$&$EasternHeavenlyVenerableFlowerMonarchOwnerofSalTreeGwanMyeong—&*%, thus fulfill the feat required, and became a Heavenly Venerable.
Flash!
From the Impermanence Sword, the history of the ancient force read from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable settles within, and collides with the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable alongside the Sword God Dance.
'This is...'
I am taken aback by the ancient force I read from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
Originally, I only intended to read the ancient force born from his encounter with me and the resulting regressions, but I ended up reading his fundamental 'memory'.
And, I realize that this memory too is a form of ancient force.
'The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable... These aren't his own memories. [Someone] tore out their own history, refined it into ancient force, and forcibly stuffed it into the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable... That is the current Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable...!'
It is the same truth I previously confirmed.
And, I cannot help but be appalled upon realizing what the [great feat of the being] embedded into the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is.
'The First Immortal Beast King...! Did the very being who created the concept of the Immortal Beast King insert their own great feat...?'
The one who excavated the realm known as Immortal Beast King, named that realm, and created the new concept of the Shamanic Family.
Such a great feat alone is enough to rival the achievement of [Mount Sumeru Extermination] that was pasted on Hyeon Mu.
I cannot help but feel overwhelmed.
'There's a high chance...that the original owner of the achievements imposed on Hyeon Mu and the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable are one and the same... And most likely, that one is...the Future King...'
The first Martial God and the first Immortal Beast King.
'No, back then, was it called the Zero King... In any case, even one of these great feats is overwhelming, yet this is a being who has stacked up [several] such feats...'
Kugugugugu!
Borrowing the power of the ancient force overlaid on the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, I clash against him and grit my teeth.
'No, there's no need to despair.'
What's important is the present.
I decide to stop staring at the door to a future I can't yet comprehend, and as I confront the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, I glance at a corner of the world of chaos.
'The Great Mountain Supreme Deity...still hasn't reacted. Or perhaps, after seeing my Sword God Dance, he judged that there's no point in shooting Annihilation Advancement Mu.'
But I can't let my guard down.
Chwarararara!
At that moment, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable begins to 'scatter', blooming Annihilation Flowers across his entire body.
Within the world of chaos, the Annihilation Flowers that form the body of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable start scattering petal by petal, swirling violently.
I realize what the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is aiming for.
'He's targeting Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo.'
Chwarararak!
I immediately transform into spiraling light and collide with the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
'Not a chance.'
Sea of chaos.
Within it, a tornado of white light continuously strikes against the tide of dark petals, completely blocking all of the grasping hands of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
Kugugugu!
The white whirlwind and the wave of petals entwine, pushing away the surrounding chaos.
In our clash, the surrounding chaos is forced into a spherical boundary, forming an immeasurable space.
And as I strike away the power of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, I understand.
'Evenly matched...'
The level of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, who has awakened and descended with their Gandhara, and my own, are completely equal.
At this rate, this won't be a battle of a thousand days, but might become a battle of a thousand years.
'No, I'm at a disadvantage.'
I have something to protect, and unlike me, who still retains the concept of [death], the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is a being to whom the very concept of [death] is not permitted.
'I need help. Just a little...'
It is at that moment.
Hwiooooooo!
Something suddenly appears at the center of my being, which has become a white whirlwind.
That being bears a familiar face, and their entire body scatters gentle starlight.
: : Time...? : :
I see that being.
As I look at the Owner of Time, the Southern Heavenly Venerable, the True Ultimate Eternal Life Great Emperor, I shout out in confusion.
The Owner of Time, Cheon Woon, has sent a projection to this place.
And soon, the Heavenly Venerable of Time looks at the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and speaks with a gloomy expression.
: : Activate the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag. I will link it with my Gandhara... : :
: : ...! : :
The moment Time finishes speaking, I feel my Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags resonate, and I sense a connection forming between me and the Source River that spans Mount Sumeru.
The Source River.
The main body of the Heavenly Venerable of Time. From the deep depths of his Gandhara...
I feel a powerful ancient force, as strong as that of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
Cheon Woon looks bitterly at the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and murmurs.
: : O pitiful friend. Please escape from fate... Even if our essence has been imposed upon us, what chose that essence is our personalities that have lived until now. : :
And the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable only smiles grotesquely at Cheon Woon.
: : O Southern Sal Tree. We are merely the Twin Sal Trees. Know that we are to linger only until the arrival of the Perfectly Enlightened One (正覺者). You and I are not friends, but originally the same being. The East is mine, the South is yours, the North is Gang's (罡), and the West is the Zero King's. Have you forgotten that we are to take root in the four directions and bless that day? : :
: : My friend... : :
With each word from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, pain fills Cheon Woon's face.
: : I...am not a Sal Tree... None of us...want to live like this... : :
Tsuwaaaaaaah!
The power of ancient force surging from the Heavenly Venerable of Time fills into my sword.
At the same time, the ancient force of the great feat imposed on the Heavenly Venerable of Time begins tempering my mind, strengthening the Sword God Dance.
As I read the history of the great feat imposed upon Time, I strongly grip my sword.
The first [world] was nothing but a pile of unstable trash scattered here and there.
Heavenly Domains...
The worlds called universes were all scattered throughout chaos, each becoming a different time and dimension, creating their own separate realities.
The Imperial Venerables who ruled each universe...
Or the cultivators called Chief Gods, each governed their own universe, yet they were merely lost children of chaos endlessly drifting.
None ever thought of connecting with one another, nor had the slightest interest in each other...
No...they didn't even care that the universes they ruled were being crushed and destroyed within the chaos.
That is why, [I] decided to link them. Because [I] hoped that even without the governance of the Chief Gods, the worlds they ruled would stabilize.
[I] journeyed and sailed across all of chaos.
And finding all the Heavenly Domains that existed in this world of chaos, I began connecting them with attraction force.
After [I] was born, during my mortal days, I split in half and killed the Chief God who ruled this place. Then, centering around the universe I named the 'Bright (明) Universe', I linked the five Heavenly Domains governed by the Chief Gods of the Five Elements.
Thus, six nearby Heavenly Domains were gathered and linked, uniting six universes into one, stabilizing them.
The [Six Interconnected Universes] each shined like bright stars.
[I] then began adjusting the attraction force of the six Heavenly Domains to trace the curvature of a [cone].
I wanted to make a mountain.
Be^%#cause%$only@%@[promise]$&^^I$#must$#kept.
&#%%%%$^&&(^)(&*)
#@!$^...
...
...
...I decided to name the mountain Sumeru.
[I],through#$^$#greatfeatbecame%^^$OwnerofTimeSouthernHeavenlyVenerableTrueUltimateEternalLifeGreatEmperorCheonWoon$*&%.
Bududuk...
Just a simple viewing of the history contained within the [great feat] causes my mind to shudder and my soul to overload.
For a moment, I nearly mistake myself for the narrator who exists within that ancient force.
The history is so overwhelming that had it not been me, but someone of ordinary True Immortal level, they would have likely have been brainwashed the moment they accessed this history, completely convinced they are that narrator inside the ancient force.
Simply focusing my mind so I don't lose myself while reading the ancient force's history brings me a level of exhaustion comparable to when I fought with all my strength against Hyeon Mu's Gandhara.
The hearts contained within the ancient forces of Sal Tree and Time settle into the Dance of the Sword God.
Sword God Dance, Revised.
The enlightenment of Martial Pinnacle that borrows the hearts of connections and rebirths the sword anew.
The dance of the half-baked Martial Pinnacle that divine descends all of phenomena unfolds in my hand.
Six Stars Zero King (六星零王).
Devil Sword.
For an instant, I become a Devil God.
The moment I infuse the hearts of the great feats imposed upon the two Heavenly Venerables into the Impermanence Sword, it becomes the apex of the ominous and the devilish—comparable to the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
It becomes the extreme of the Killing Star: one that slaughters all, cuts and rends, severs flesh and bone, and even tears a Supreme Deity apart with just human flesh and blood—unleashing a heart of endless suffering with a single sword.
Nameless Rending.
The Impermanence Sword becomes a savage fang, a venomous tooth, and violently crashes toward the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
Jjeoeeok!
One strike.
That is all.
However, the instant that devilish sword is unleashed, the grotesque monstrous god resembling a wriggling worm that is the Flower Monarch fails to endure the furiously sweeping power of the devilish sword and becomes trapped within the sword's momentum.
At this rate, I will grind down the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and gift him every pain before killing him.
'No...!'
But I barely manage to restrain the sword's killing nature, knocking the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable away with the flat of the blade.
Tukwang!
Jjeoooeeoook!
The sea of chaos splits wide open, and the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is flung far beyond the distant chaos.
: : Wait for me... I shall return to see you once more... : :
With a grotesque appearance, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable gives a slight smile and simply disappears.
Chiiiii—
And I, unable to even pay attention to the vanishing Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, turn into my Transformation form and gasp for breath.
It isn't difficult to drive away the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, but what's troubling is the devilish sword unleashed from my hands.
And...the original owner of the heart that allowed me to wield that devilish sword.
The presence of the one who overlaid the great feats onto the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Heavenly Venerables fills my mind completely, and I must expel it by any means.
"Keheok... Huk... Heok... Wueeegh..."
I descend into the Flower Soul Filling the Heavens of this time point where Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo are in, and the Flower Soul Filling the Heavens merges with my Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens.
Oh Hye-seo, perhaps connecting with her spirit of another timeline, is unable to recall her memories but seems to have inherited the 'heart,' as the way she looks at me suddenly changes, and Kim Yeon hastily rushes over and infuses me with an Immortal Art to stabilise me.
Kugugugugu!
I begin returning to Mount Sumeru through Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens, which transcends spacetime and pierces even the Origin Essence of Life, and strangely, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has not even once cast a single glance at me all this while.
Then...
To me, who is emptying the presence that has dwelled within me, the projection of the Heavenly Venerable of Time approaches and speaks bitterly.
[You saw it, didn't you.]
"...Yes."
Thinking of the monstrous being who pioneered the realm of the First Immortal Beast King, created Mountain Sumeru, and massacred all beings within it, I nod heavily.
"Is that being...the Heavens?"