The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable suddenly swells up his body, becoming a flower field worm more massive than all our true bodies combined, and whips at us with his tail as if to create distance.
: Ridiculous. : :
However, Hyun-seok Hyung-nim grabs the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's tail, and the Heavenly Venerable of Time speaks.
.: Stall for time. I shall...tell you the way to seal that one. : :
At those words, Oh Hyun-seok also inflates his size and begins to charge at the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's true body.
:: Is it really possible to seal the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable? : :
:: Yes. If itis from this position where I now stand, it is certainly possible to seal him. : :
I look around this strange world of nothingness called the domain of Cakravada and ask, :: What exactly is here? : :
:: Look carefully, spread your consciousness wide... : :
Following the words of Time, I spread my consciousness as far as I can and survey the surroundings.
And I understand.
"This is...t
This domain of nothingness, compared to the chaos of the Outer Sea, forms a very clean boundary, drawing a peculiar curvature.
If such a domain of nothingness blocks off the entire Outer Sea and Mount Sumeru like this...
ts shape is...almost like an eggshell.
And among those eggshell-like forms, I see something strange.
"The place where the Heavenly Venerable of Time stands...
For some reason, the form of nothingness there isn't as smooth as in other places.
it's as if...
It was "broken and then patched up again'.
I can't help but feel baffled.
"What is this...?"
. © In an unimaginably ancient era...[someone] pierced through the boundary of Cakravada and created a path to the outside without going through a place like the Audience Chamber. : :
Se
My eyes widen at the unbelievable claim.
"Break? This place? Is that even possible? It just looks like endless nothingness...
This strange boundary of nothingness.
This emptiness called the boundary of Cakravada is a realm that exudes a strange power of absolute.
Like the True Immortal Realm where the three planes coexist, it is a mysterious purity where the three absolutes are all felt.
"Putting aside breaking it, I can't even fathom how one would pierce through it... And yet, there exists a being who actually did?"
But now is not the time to ponder over the phenomenon.
:: What must I do? : :
. : This is the boundary of the world. A wall where one can cross over into worlds other than Mount Sumeru. And, in a way, this place could be called the wound on that wall. What you must do is...patch up that wound with the clay called the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable. : :
:: So I just need to throw the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable into this nothingness? : :
:: Yes. More precisely...throw him into this void and fuse his Gandhara with it. : :
:: How do I do that? : :
: Throw him into this place...and with your single strike, cleave Sal Tree. If it's a strike of Martial Pinnacle, it will be enough to fuse Sal Tree's Gandhara with the nothingness of this place. : :
I quickly send a heart message to my companions explaining the situation, then shout,
:: Come, Sal Tree! ::
I provoke Sal Tree to lure him toward me.
Agitated by my provocation, Sal Tree comes flying at me in a frenzy and screams.
:: Aaaaah... ::
Kugwagwang!
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable crashes into me with a body slam.
:tWhy..?::
And then, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's face meets mine.
Within his pupils, I feel an endless emptiness.
:: Why have you still...not awakened to your fate? : :
: : Why do you still not know your fate...!? : :
I receive Sal Tree's strike and meet his gaze.
In Sal Tree's eyes, I am still nothing but the unchanged Seo Eun-hyun who has not grown.
"Why have I still not awakened to my fate...huh?'
Through Indra's Net, I did gain some sense of what my fate is.
But even now...
I still do not truly feel why that fate is mine.
: : Even if your fate and authority...are not currently clinging to you, that fate is meant to guide you, so it should be impossible not to awaken...! Due to the heaven-bestowed nature you were born with, you shouldn't be able to endure not following that fate... How is it possible that you've reached True Immortality, gained strength at the level of a Governing Immortal, and yet still not awakened to your fate!? Why!? : :
:: The reason I haven't awakened to my fate... :
I respond simply.
+1 don't know either. : :
Shukwak!
I shake off Sal Tree and swing the Impermanence Sword in crisscrossing slashes. Jjeoeok!
The sea of chaos splits into a cross, and the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is flung away. At the same time, the flowers that form his body begin to scatter.
The scattered flowers each transform into black butterflies and spread across the entire world.
: : But maybe...if the beginning, development, twist, and conclusion of fate means losing someone precious... :
Kwarururung!
Lightning Tip.
The lightning bursting out from Jeon Myeong-hoon's body wraps around the world of chaos, then shifts into the shape of a net, extending Indra's Net across this world. immediately after, the circle of lawlessness behind Kang Min-hee turns blue, and thousands of ring-like structures appear, overlaying the net.
Each and every one is a law that governs the principles of the world,
Through Kang Min-hee, the laws of Indra's Net revealed by Jeon Myeong-hoon begin to be restructured.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, who tries to escape beyond the chaos by becoming a swarm of butterflies, becomes trapped within the barrier formed by Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kang Min-hee.
Kurung, kurururung!
:: I declare in the name of the Red Pearl Cycling Heavenly King... :
Red light dyes the space around Jeon Myeong-hoon.
:: The pain you gave to us shall now return to you as reality. : :
Jeon Myeong-hoon's authority overturns the principles of the world and begins to impose the causality of annihilation upon the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's existence.
:: I declare in the name of the Lapis Lazuli Flower Heavenly King... :
Kang Min-hee's authority alters the laws within the net, dyeing the area around her in blue.
In an instant, the world inside the barrier is split into a red and blue Taiji, driving the scattered butterflies of Sal Tree toward the center of the Taiji
:: How strange... : :
Eventually, giving up on escaping, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's Gandhara gathers and compresses.
Kuguguguguk!
The countless butterflies transform back into flowers, and the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable transforms into a humanoid figure covered entirely in flowers.
+ Why is it? I took someone precious from the distinguished ones. I separated them from you. And yet...why do none of you...resent me? : :
He looks around at us, asking as if genuinely curious.
Just as he says, everyone present remains composed, with firm yet calm eyes.
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok, Kang Min-hee...
Even Kim Yeon and I as well.
: : ..We do not hate you. Because of you, Seo Ran became unhappy. Because of your prophecy and authority, we were separated from our child... But even so... :
I rise toward the upper boundary of Cakravada and gaze up at Sal Tree, now trapped in the blue-red world.
+ In the end, was it not you who designated Ran to us? : :
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is the divinity of Birth.
And thinking back to when Ran was first conceived, and White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus descended back then using that power as a coordinate...
Smile—
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable smiles.
. : Strictly speaking, it was a transaction between Vast Cold's split soul and me. Vast Cold's split soul whispered to me first. It asked me...to let it be reborn near Vast Cold's successor and Seo Eun-hyun, the one who gave it grace. In return, I gained the authority to interfere in the fate of Vast Cold's split soul—Seo Ran. : :
Indeed, it seemed that Seo Ran coming to us was not merely due to Sal Tree's power, but also due to the innate will of Su In and Hong Yeon themselves.
That is why the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable was able to guide Seo Ran each time she sought an answer from fate while avoiding my gaze entirely.
She herself was the medium that called the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
He laughs as if admitting defeat.
: : Truly fitting for one who seized the Origin Essence of Acceptance at Fate's End... Though life may have been swayed by me, it seems I have overlooked that the form of death, at the very least, is something they can decide by their own will. : :
We silently look at him.
He, too, gradually smiles as he looks at us.
. : Perhaps the reason the distinguished ones do not resent me...is because Seo Ran's Acceptance at Fate's End left something behind for you. Just what did you see in her death, that makes the distinguished ones not resent me? Why do you not suffer? : :
:: What did we see...huh? ::
We all smile gently, as one.
:: A person's life is... :
Through her final Immortal Art, Seo Ran showed us much.
Through that child's fireworks, we all came to understand.
: : Even if one is enveloped by fate and cannot make everything go their own way...the act of dreaming and living within it...is our own responsibility... That is what she taught us.
The Unruly Realm was a play made solely for Seo Ran.
Because that child's fate was a fate that overcomes fate, we wished to create for her a definitive "target point' she must surpass with her own hands.
But...
Watching the child, we instead came to understand.
She sought to overcome the flow we created with our own hands.
And...only after seeing Kim Yeon's sincere heart, and being supported by Kang Min- hee's unwavering persistence, did she finally properly see her path.
And that path was one none of us could have predicted.
. : Fate is chosen by one's own hands. Even if that fate does not belong to oneself...as long as the heart is strong, even if one collapses from exhaustion, choosing by one's own hands is what life is... : :
We wanted Seo Ran to live.
We wanted her to be happy.
But Seo Ran chose to abandon all those paths, and instead chose to reach the domain Kim Yeon showed her.
We tried to determine our child's life with our own hands and bring her happiness,
But she rejected it all and chose, by her own will, what she will overcome.
: : Fate does not need to be decided by another. One can stay by someone's side, cheering them on and supporting the fate they choose..but there is no need to determine it for them. That is what that child taught us. : :
Hearing our answer, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable nods and bursts into hearty laughter.
:: Indeed...s0 that's how it was. You all have never...not even once... : :
:: Been apart from her. : :
Kang Min-hee speaks.
: : Not only I, but even those who abandoned their physical bodies and continued to watch over Seo Ran like Seo Eun-hyun, Kim Yeon...and all of us. Our hearts have always supported Seo Ran together.
: : If the beginning, development, twist, and conclusion of fate means losing someone precious, then we...have never once left that child's side, and always supported her heart. That is why your intention never came through.
: : So...we don't resent you. You couldn't push through any of your intentions onto us. Even though you distorted her life, that final moment—she chose it on her own... : : Kugugugugugu!
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo.
My Immortal Treasures and Song Jin.
And 1, alongside the Heavenly Venerable of Time Cheon Woon, begin to press down on Sal Tree with all our strength.
:: That is why, even if we defeat you now, we will not do so with hatred against you who passed on to us such a precious connection. Because that, more than anything, is the will Seo Ran left us. Even if you try to force upon us some development of fate...the one who chooses it...are us. : :
The will to choose, with one's own hand, a life in which one becomes happy within fate. That is the will Seo Ran left behind for us.
That is why, we will not follow the development of pain as foretold by the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's prophecy.
:: Hahaha...the greatest revenge, indeed. : :
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is without a doubt the enemy who drove our child into a miserable life.
Yet, seeing what Seo Ran showed us in her final moment, we all came to understand. Even if she was born to live a miserable life...
Even if she was made to live a life like a play through our hands...
The one who rejected all of it, who accepted our hearts and chose her own fate, was Seo Ran herself.
Therefore, as the one who even gave her the opportunity—
We will not hate Sal Tree.
We all simultaneously raise our weapons toward the smiling Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, and the smile vanishes from his face.
+ In that case...I will not be able to defeat you. It seems the split soul left behind by Vast Cold was greater than I expected... Very well. The distinguished ones are all fully qualified to subjugate this Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable. Now...come hunt me. : :
After listening to our words until the end, he looks around at us, completely exposing himself without defense.
And seeing that, the Heavenly Venerable of Time widens his eyes.
:: Sal Tree...Gwan Myeong! Not : :
::I...as the first Immortal Beast King, hereby connect cause and effect... :
Kugugugugu!
The body of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable begins to scatter.
His body, which until now has been covered in Annihilation Flowers, turns entirely white and transforms into a swarm of butterflies imbued with the light of all of the heavens' natural colors, beginning to scatter again.
: : Just as the Eastern Sal Tree, Gwan Myeong, has opened his eyes...so too shall the Southern Sal Tree, Cheon Woon. The Western Zero King shall awaken as well... : Tsuahhhhhhht
All of us unleash a full-scale attack on the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
Something feels off.
At this very moment, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable has connected with [something]. Shiver!
Mount Sumeru, Thirty-Three Heaven.
Beyond the Head Realm, at the edge of the [Inverted Cone], the Audience Chamber. There...
A certain [gaze] seems to descend upon this place.
And the moment that [gaze] touches Sal Tree—
Peobeongbeongbeongt
From Sal Tree's body, an immense repulsive force erupts, and the swarm of butterflies begins to break through our barrier and fly off into some distant unknown.
Strangely, the butterflies are completely undetectable, as if they don't exist at all.
:: Ancient force... That is the first form of ancient force. : :
Cheon Woon, dodging the butterflies approaching him, cries out with an urgent expression.
: : The very first Zero King...that bastard Sal Tree is offering up all his power to send ancient force containing the Future King's enlightenment into Mount Sumeru! If that reaches any of the beings in Mount Sumeru whose names contain Heaven, Fate, or Black...they will all become just like Sal Tree is now! : :
:: Are you telling us to intercept them? : :
:: We cannot let a single one get through! Shoot them all down! : :
immortal Art, Sunlight Hunting!
Peong, peobeonng, peobeongbeongbeong!
I fire the Immortal Art of Sun Shooting, but the butterflies made from Sal Tree's body simply pass through the arrows.
"The attacks don't work at all...? That's...
Then all that's left is...
:: Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee! Lend me your hearts! : :
Only the power of the Sword God Dance that has reached Martial Pinnacle!
Just then,
Sal Tree, not yet fully extinguished, with only half his body remaining and still scattering butterflies, smiles.
:: That is a bit dangerous, so use it on this old man instead. : :
Shukwaaang!
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable throws an Annihilation Flower at us.
Kuguaaaaang!
The power of annihilation that causes existence itself to wither crashes down upon us. Kang Min-hee and Jeon Myeong-hoon lend their hearts to my sword, but this single strike has to be used solely to block Sal Tree's Annihilation Flowers.
Kang Min-hee manipulates the rules.
The principle distorts, and the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's butterfly-shaped entities become 'absolutely' unable to leave the barrier.
Only then do the butterflies stop in place.
But when the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable snaps his fingers, the butterflies simultaneously transform into [Transparent Seeds] and once again soar into chaos. Kang Min-hee tries to intervene again, but the countless Annihilation Flowers blooming from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's body shoot toward her.
The clusters of light that had become seeds turn back into butterflies, flapping their wings as they begin to fly beyond the chaos.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable meets my eyes.
: : Thanks to the time you bought for me...I was able to create plenty of Annihilation Flowers, close to the Ganges' sands. : :
"Damn it..."
Defeating the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable himself is easy.
But stopping every single one of those [powers of the Future King] that he launches in acknowledgment of his own defeat is nearly impossible.
Unless one's power is at the level of a Heavenly King or has reached Martial Pinnacle, all immortal Arts simply pass through those butterflies.
"The power infused into the butterfly swarm...
It's the exact same powers of the [absolute] in the realm of Cakravada.
Perhaps because they contain a part of the Future King's power, most of us can't even touch those butterflies.
"The main body is burning his own life to buy time with Annihilation Flowers, and the butterfly swarm, imbued with the power of the absolute, passes through all ordinary attacks. Just one move... Is there a way in just one move...to take them down all at once..?'
it's just then.
immortal Art.
Yeon's Play.
A beautiful melody flows from Kim Yeon, and a familiar Immortal Art begins to envelop the surroundings.
The composed face of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable changes.
1 What...1? ::
And at that very instant, the final moment of Seo Ran—
The past of that time unfolds in this space.
All of us look at Seo Ran within her past.
From the past, Seo Ran locks eyes with Kim Yeon.
Then, Kim Yeon embraces Seo Ran and whispers.
:: Show them, my daughter. Everyone is watching... : :
Feeling Kim Yeon's warmth...
Seo Ran raises her gun.
Sal Tree's face twitches as he charges at her, but Oh Hyun-seok tackles Sal Tree to block him, and Jeon Myeong-hoon's net and spear wrap around Sal Tree's body, restraining him.
:: Hah...Even so, a mere projection of the past could never influence anything beyond its spacetime... : :
It can. Because I will make it so. : :
Kang Min-hee appears next to Kim Yeon.
She raises her hand behind Seo Ran.
Clang!
A new law is added, and Seo Ran's Immortal Art becomes the starting point that stretches beyond the spacetime of the past.
immortal Art
: : A mere Immortal Art made by a mortal being at best... A mere Immortal Art made by one who has not even reached the Immortal Rank... : :
:: Sorry to say, but Yeon's Play is also an Immortal Art made by a mere mortal being. : :
I smile as I look at the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and take my place behind Seo Ran as well.
: © A person's life, by itself, is an Immortal Art more powerful than any other. Therefore...this, which holds our child's life, is never weak. : :
"Era of Fireworks."
Seo Ran's clear voice, this time with everyone behind her, is launched toward the sky. The Immortal Art of Seo Ran fired beyond the past through Kang Min-hee.
Era of Fireworks.
The Era of Fireworks contains Seo Ran herself.
It contains the fate [that overcomes fate.
Taaang!
We all pour our power into Seo Ran,
And the bullet of fate unleashed from her hand touches Sal Tree's butterflies.
And then...
Peobeobeong!
Flames burst forth, and firework-like light brightens the sea of chaos.
:: I shall illuminate the path. Shoot. : :
The Heavenly Venerable of Time Cheon Woon, with eyes that have discovered hope, visualizes the "trajectory' of the butterflies and shows it to us.
Seo Ran smiles and raises her gun toward the butterflies flying away from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
The power of my Impermanence Sword.
The power of Kim Yeon's Full Blossom.
The authority of Kang Min-hee as a Heavenly King.
And...
Seo Ran's Immortal Art, imbued with the fate [that overcomes fate], possessing the nature to resist the absolute, erupts skyward alongside fireworks.
At the edge of the world.
At the boundary of chaos and emptiness...
We grasp the final legacy left behind by our child...
And begin the fireworks show.
-x-X-x-
Peong, peobeong, peobeobeobeobeong!
Fireworks burst above the sky of chaos.
The gunfire containing my Impermanence Sword, Kim Yeon's infinite, and the totality of everyone's hearts embroider the sky into a sea of flowers.
:: Not yet...not yet... :
However, Sal Tree does not give up, and begins to burn the last of his half-body. Chwaaaaaaa—
From Sal Tree's body, faint ancient forces begin to endlessly pour out.
Those ancient forces take the form of faint butterflies, transparent seeds, or Salt Crystals, and dye the surroundings without end.
At the same time, the ancient forces pouring from Sal Tree's body begin to target the Heavenly Venerable of Time Cheon Woon and my Immortal Treasures inside the Nether Treading Ship.
"Is it aiming for the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity?"
Cheon Woon (JE) and Hyeong Ryul (2) both meet the conditions to be eroded by Sal Tree's ancient force, so it seems to be trying to erode my Immortal Treasures.
1 will block this side. Please concentrate. : :
However, under Hong Fan's command, the Immortal Treasures move in perfect coordination, completely evading Sal Tree's ancient force, and even launch a counterattack.
Led by Hong Fan, Ham Jin, Yeo Hwi, and Yu Hwi form hand seals.
+ Sleep (BE). ::
+ Fame (8). : ©
:: Wealth (84). : :
cc Lust (8). 1:
A hazy aura comes from Hong Fan, a bright aura from Ham Jin, a light-absorbing aura from Yu Hwi, and a sticky aura from Yeo Hwi.
The final Immortal Treasure.
All of those auras gather toward the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity.
The Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity does not form a hand seal.
It merely opens its mouth.
And at that moment—
Eat (8)!
Kwadududuk!
Something like massive teeth appears in the void and bites into Sal Tree's half-body. Kudududuk!
Bitten by those teeth made of attraction force, Sal Tree's face contorts and he glares at my Immortal Treasures.
:: The power of Desire (£)...the remnant of Devil Heaven, is it...? Heh, heh heh... I see... : Kuguguguguk!
Sal Tree, who had been raging and throwing Annihilation Flowers without end, can no longer hurl them outward in retaliation.
The attraction force forming around Sal Tree is so strong it could swallow an entire Heavenly Domain by itself.
Now, he can only unleash the power of ancient force, infused with the power of the absolute.
The Heavenly Venerable of Time reveals the trajectory, intercepting the ancient forces, and the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is bound on the spot, completely immobilized.
Now, all that remains is...
"To cut down the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable."
By cutting him down, and pushing him into the crack in this boundary of Cakravada to seal him away, the Heavenly Venerable Battle will end.
:: Lend me your strength. : :
Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok and Kim Yeon.
And the hearts of everyone gathered here settle into my sword.
Chwarararak!
The form of the Sword God Dance changes once more.
The name of the new ultimate technique is...
'I don't know."
Even though the principles of the world can be transcended by a person's heart.
I've come to understand that my heart, too, can become someone else's fate.
If that is the case...
Then perhaps giving names and definitions recklessly may not be the right thing to do. As I infuse into this sword the will of the child who suffocated under the fate I defined too carelessly...
I swing the sword down.
Nameless (4).
Shukwak!
The hearts of those contained in the sword merge into one and become white, and my sword turns into a white line that slashes toward the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
Slice!
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable tries to evade, but in the end, his upper and lower body are severed apart.
If his body now simply reaches the sealing ground where the Heavenly Venerable of Time stands, he will be rendered powerless and sealed within the boundary of Cakravada.
Ca
But in the very next moment, with a single declaration from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, I realize that I have failed to incapacitate him.
+1, designate! : :
itis the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's authority—Life Designation.
Kurururuk—
With a grotesque sound, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's stomach swells.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable has become pregnant.
At the grotesque and revolting sight, I grit my teeth and swing my sword again at Araya speed.
But the next moment, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's stomach bursts, spewing out black liquid and preventing me from slicing him cleanly apart.
"Kuaaaaagh!"
"Aaaaagh!"
What emerges from Sal Tree's stomach is a slightly smaller Sal Tree.
His head is half-split by the sword I unleashed, but each side of the bisected head regenerates into two separate heads.
One head is that of an old man, and the other transforms into a grotesque face covered in Annihilation Flowers. The two heads of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable scream.
And at the following scream from the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, we all flinch. "Enough! I want to stop!! How long—how long must I keep doing this? Please, please release [the me of this generation]! Huaaa! Huaaagh! Huaaaaagh!"
The Sal Tree with the human face screams, while the Sal Tree with the flower face ignores him and endlessly emits black liquid from its body.
That black liquid begins to erode the surrounding space and devour everything.
The flower-faced Sal Tree reveals unwavering malice toward us, and the human-shaped Sal Tree, seemingly gone mad, screams incomprehensibly toward the side where my immortal Treasures are.
"Aah, yes, you were there. You were there all along! Please forgive me! Please kill me! Please end me! Enough, enough, enough, enough, enough, I want to stop! Please choose [the next generation Sal Treel! I know many good candidates BlackDragonAzurePengGlassPeacockGreatMountainSupremeDeityandmanymore! Please! Just end this!"
:: Sal Tree is showing an opening! : :
+ Surround him! : :
Jeon Myeong-hoon and Oh Hyun-seok each strike with a spear and a fist from either side, encircling him.
: : Everyone, receive my strength! : :
Through Full Blossom, Kim Yeon infinitely amplifies her [power] and presses down on the Sal Tree from above, and her power links with all of us, charging our strength to the mit.
Ziling—
My friend... ::
:: Die. :
From below, Oh Hye-seo joins forces with the Heavenly Venerable of Time to begin pulling the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable into the sealing ground.
Song Jin and the Immortal Treasures combine strength and block the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's rear.
"Piece of trash...stay still. It'l be over soon."
Hong Fan glares at the human-faced Sal Tree, pushing him down with the authority of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity.
"Where is Kang Min-hee? No, there's no time to think."
I search briefly for the suddenly vanished Kang Min-hee, but realizing she is gone, I quickly dash toward the front of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and unfold my sword dance.
Chwarararak!
The Impermanence Sword, now turned white, sweeps through the void as if drawing a clean stroke, and cleaves through the body of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, who fails to find any path to escape.
Shukwagak!
However...
11, designate... : :
Once again, from within the belly of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, the power of life begins to stir.
"Is this never-ending...this kind of resurrection...1?"
At this rate, in theory, it might even display a cockroach-like vitality that makes even Yuan Li not worth remembering.
And, just then.
Ziiiing—
Kang Min-hee's voice rings in our ears.
[Listen carefully, you need to strike at Sal Tree's weakness.)
: : Weakness...2 What are you talking about? : :
I haven't just been slashing around for no reason all this time.
I've been attacking the weakness that the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable himself revealed to me.
[If it were the normal Sal Tree, the weakness you know might have worked...but not now. That thing has changed.]
::What..?::
[Being able to create laws...]
From within the darkness of the sea of chaos, Kang Min-hee reveals herself.
[Means one can also perceive them...]
Within her black pupils, a brilliant blue light is burning.
And if one looks closely at her blue gaze, it resembles a flower blooming against a black backdrop.
That flower looks almost like...a firework.
[You have to target all three dantian at once. And for that...not even the slightest error can be allowed. The moment even the slightest deviation occurs, Sal Tree will continue to resurrect.]
Shiver.
At her words, for some reason, an image of [someone with a hole in their three dantians] flashes in my mind.
But at the same time, I understand.
"Kang Min-hee's words...are the truth."
:: Got it. Then I'll take the upper, middle, and lower dantian... : :
—No.
But just then, a powerful heart message flies into me, shaking my consciousness, and I nod as I receive it.
:: Alright. In that case, I leave the middle dantian to you. But in that case... : :
I must strike both the upper and lower dantians simultaneously...
Yet, as I read the hearts flowing through this battlefield, I suddenly realize.
Now, as Sal Tree once again tries to escape through Life Designation, there is no more time to waste.
Even without speaking, one must understand a comrade's intentions.
And in that brief moment, as I read the hearts of everyone gathered here, I come to realize.
I see...I understand.'
I, who intended to cut the upper and lower dantians at once, instead target only the lower abdomen where a new life of the Sal Tree is being conceived.
"I leave the final strike to you!"
In the completely still world of extreme speed.
There, four figures charge toward Sal Tree.
Lapis Lazuli Flower Heavenly King (BEER E).
The moment she saw the Heavenly King's call, she knew.
I see. Is it because I forcibly swallowed the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's Western Heaven Flower Field?"
Kang Min-hee lets out a bitter smile.
She didn't rise to the position of Heavenly King through her own strength.
When she met Seo Ran, for some reason, she thought she didn't want to let go.
Even though she let go of Seo Eun-hyun, she thought she didn't want to let go of that child.
And...
At last, though she couldn't hold on to that child's life, when she managed to protect the child's dream—
She awakened the power of the Lapis Lazuli Flower Heavenly King.
And then, she understood.
'So this was Sal Tree's intention all along."
To progress Seo Eun-hyun's fate, and to complete the fates of the other Enders as much as possible.
That is...the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable who has awakened to the will of the Future King.
No, perhaps the being known as the Future King made their move through the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
That is why she became not the Lapis Lazuli Protecting Heavenly King like the previous generation, but the Lapis Lazuli Flower Heavenly King.
Because it was the Owner of the Flower Field, Sal Tree, who awakened her.
"It can't go on like this."
She clenches her fist.
Tsuaaaaa—
As she awakened as the Lapis Lazuli Flower Heavenly King, countless memories from parallel dimensions rushed in.
Moments where she was always only protected.
Moments where she never managed to protect.
Moments where she was helpless, powerless without strength!
'I can't...keep going like this."
And...
The moments where she destroyed those she loved with her own hands.
As she becomes one with every version of herself from those moments, Kang Min-hee's eyes redden.
"Please watch over me..."
She must transcend.
She must not just carry the name of Heavenly King granted by Fate, but become a being beyond it.
Her head overheats, while her chest grows steadily colder.
And finally, her talent explodes.
Even without the authority of an Ender, she was the fastest to reach the Star Shattering stage in the Black Ghost Valley and comprehend the Underworld's principles to commune with the Underworld. That foremost talent among the Enders glows brightly and guides her into a new domain.
Stripping away the fate and authority of an Ender, she possesses talent equal to the Golden Divine Yang Su-jin. And with a will to squeeze out her very soul, she takes a step forward.
And at last, squeezing out all that talent, her fate, and her heart—she reaches it.
"To comply, but...
She reaches the method to break free from the fate designated by the Future King, from the title of the Lapis Lazuli Flower Heavenly King!
"To take...one step further."
Tsuaaaaaa—
"Every time, I've only ever lost... That's the kind of person I am..."
Seo Ran was—to Kang Min-hee, who had never been able to protect anything until now The fruit of the people she loves that she was able to protect for the first time.
Even if that fruit was not her own, as long as she was able to bring them even a little happiness by being able to protect it, then she is satisfied with that.
'If protecting you meant they could be happy, then maybe I could be content with that. But...you gave me so much more than that. I'm sorry. I was able to protect your dream, but I couldn't protect your life..."
Something settles into Kang Min-hee's hand.
itis a sword.
From a long-past timeline, the heart of someone who once loved Kang Min-hee flows into her.
And following it, the hearts of countless connections from other timelines who once protected her flow into her as well.
Each one is like a flower petal.
Those petals gather and form, in her hand, the Flower Sword (#21).
"But...from now on, I will protect.'
She has let far too many beings go without being able to protect them with her own hands.
That is why she is sorrowful.
Sorrow is like a wall.
A wall that traps a person somewhere, never letting them escape.
But in this moment, she comes to understand.
Just as you abandoned life and moved forward, seeking to reach your dream with your own hands. I too...will not end with sorrow alone."
A wall, when standing in your way, may appear endlessly high...
But once you manage to cross over it, that wall becomes your greatest support.
The same goes for sorrow.
Sorrow is something seemingly impossible to overcome, yet all the sorrow she has felt, endured, and passed through is now ultimately supporting her.
She cannot reach Entering Heavens Beyond the Path.
She is not a martial artist like Seo Eun-hyun or Kim Young-hoon, nor has she stubbornly trained with a spear like Jeon Myeong-hoon.
However...
Though she is no martial artist, she is a genius.
A genius arrives at a different answer through a genius's own method.
The mantra of the Western Heaven Flower Field, which Kang Min-hee has grasped, transforms in her hands.
Mantra (BE).
"A flower that has fallen once does not bloom again (77% F#%/Fallen Flowers Cannot Return to Branches)."
Seo Eun-hyun's eyes tremble for a brief moment upon seeing this, and relief surges in the eyes of the human-shaped Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable who comprehends the truth of it.
:: Now...it can end... : :
"Only before the flowers fall does one remember the Spring (#7 41% /Spring Before the Flowers Fall)."
Anti-Governing Immortal Technique.
Falling Flower (#578).
A blue flower sword slices through the upper dantian of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable,
A straight fist of White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus pierces through the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's chest,
And a white Impermanence Sword cuts open the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's stomach.
Seo Eun-hyun wears a complicated smile, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus sheds tears, and Kang Min-hee closes her eyes.
'I...bring the sorrow to a close."
Unlike herself as the Lapis Lazuli Flower Heavenly King, designated by the will of the Future King, who dealt with sorrow as a mere force,
This answer, found through her own power, begins to embrace sorrow.
The sorrow of Seo Ran, the sorrow of parents, the sorrow of a friend's death, the sorrow of one who lost their teacher, the sorrows of all versions of herself that exist across the timelines.
The sorrow of the Underworld...
Embracing all that sorrow, she accepts the fate bestowed by the God of the Future, yet takes one step further.
Lapis Lazuli Falling Flower Heavenly King (BEESGERE).
Not stopping with just completely devouring the Western Heaven Flower Field with her own talent, alongside her single strike, she evolves herself one step further as a Heavenly King.
The name of her newly risen Heavenly King self echoes nowhere in the world.
Only deep within Kang Min-hee's own heart...
Together with the sorrows she embraces, it evolves quietly.
And finally...
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, at last, smiles and falls into the boundary of Cakravada.
The remnants of the past manifested by Yeon's Play also smile as they gradually vanish, And the Heavenly Venerable of Time, waiting below, sheds tears as he sees the powerless body of Sal Tree.
:: Farewell, my friend. : :
Tsuaaaaaa—
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable smiles, and as a human, gradually begins to close his eyes.
"Is it finally...the end now? The moment I longed for so desperately..."
He speaks with a faint smile.
"Thank you, all of you...for..liberating...me..."
Pasasasasasa—
As he melts into the domain of nothingness, he wears a warm, peaceful smile.
"I..want to...give..a...gift... Hear...this... When I...received the will...of fate...and was... [connected to the causality of the First Immortal Beast King]... was already fated to become the [Last Zero King]...the [Western Zero King], and the [Final Immortal Beast King]... And as such a being, I drew close to enlightenment... Even if I had not reached the [Butterfly]...by that very declaration... would have probably...realized the essence..." "The last...Immortal Beast King...2"
All of us simultaneously gaze at the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, and as he dissolves into the boundary of Cakravada, he lets out one last statement.
"Naming Supreme Deity...Hyeon Rang... The Underworld and..."
His gaze passes between us and lingers briefly where the Immortal Treasures stand. "st
Perhaps due to the power held by the boundary of Cakravada, who he is referring to cannot be heard and is nullified into nothingness.
"...never born...miscarried..."
At those words, Oh Hyun-seok's face twitches.
"...child...they...dreamed of...in their imagination... That child...is..."
And having spoken all those words, Sal Tree fully crosses over into the world of complete nothingness.
"...your...enemy..."
With those last words, Sal Tree vanishes completely.
In the place where he once stood, only a single white flower of unknown identity remains.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable is dead.
The Heavenly Venerable Battle has come to an end.
-x-X-x-
We gaze at the resting place of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
A mere thousand years.
it's only been about a thousand years...
But to us, it was a painfully long thousand years.
Wo-woooong—
The Heavenly Venerable of Time distorts spacetime and speaks aloud.
The surrounding space becomes gentle under his influence, and we ease our tension a ttle.
"...All of you...thank you. At least, my friend seems to have died as a person in the end." Cheon Woon bows his head to us, and we receive him in turn.
He raises his hand, grasps the white flower placed there, and with a slight pull as if plucking it from the void, he breaks it cleanly in the middle.
The white stem-like strand remains at the boundary of Cakravada, and the flower enters Cheon Woon's hand.
"You were asked to bring this to the Underworld, weren't you..? Take it..."
I receive the white flower from Cheon Woon.
A strong power of ancient force brims from it, and the moment I hold the flower, I feel a faint, heartbeat-like throb rising within.
Wo-woooong—
At the same time, I sense faint traces of memories from a distant past within it. "Powerful...
it's something I felt the last time I borrowed power from Sal Tree as well, but once again, the memory is overwhelmingly strong.
So strong, it might swallow me whole if I'm not careful.
t's not that the memory itself is strong... It's the heart inside it...that's strong."
The resentful sorrow and pain that the original owner of this memory must have felt— Those things are endlessly swirling inside.
And...
From within, I feel an unending longing.
The speaker in the memory is ceaselessly yearning for some kind of answer.
—What..is life?
—What is our world?
—...
And within that yearning, I can sense an overwhelming thirst.
—Why dol live?
Why do I live?
To beings living in this world, it is such a primal and distant question.
Aside from the answer "just because,' any answer one can give is an empty one, one nobody can be certain of.
—I... Why am I still..alive..2 Why only me...?
And as I hear that question, I feel an illusion that even I am falling into a void of futility. Yes, this ancient force is like...
"The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.'
A vicious past that would brainwash anyone who sees it, except for me.
Tststststst!
I draw upon the nature of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections embedded in Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens to maintain myself' and push back the memories whispered to me by this "great feat'.
"Seal it for now."
I place the flower briefly upon the head of the deer that appears from Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens, and the pasts held within it seal the power contained in the "great feat."
"As expected, someone of your level is capable of controlling a past of this level on your own, disciple of Salt Sea."
"Thank you for that time."
I recall how the Heavenly Venerable of Time once saved me from Yeong Seung's clutches and offer him my gratitude.
"To have suffered such deep pain at Yeong Seung's hands and yet not bear any resentment toward me—that alone makes me feel gratitude. And more than anything...through you, I now know that the will of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity has not yet perished. It is I who should thank you and the others. Please take this."
The Heavenly Venerable of Time once again offers us a bow.
"There is something I must give to you."
"Something you must give us...you say?"
"Yes. You've likely heard a few meaningful words from Sal Tree... For example, the Eastern and Southern Twin Sal Trees, the Western Zero King, and the Northern Gang... I have matters to speak regarding what I've uncovered about them, and a few more matters you still need to know."
At those words, we listen solemnly.
"First...we Heavenly Venerables are ultimately nothing more than media for the prophecy of the Fate Supreme Deity. Living stars of prophecy, in a sense."
"Among us, however, Hyeon Mu is little different than Sal Tree and I. If Hyeon Mu is a consistent being who has existed since ancient times, then Sal Tree and I are beings who get 'replaced" each time the ages pass. But we ourselves do not know that we've been "replaced. This is because although we are replaced whenever needed, the very history in which the replacement occurs is torn out and becomes ancient force buried deep within the Head Realm, so the fact of the replacement itself disappears."
We exhale a silent sight at these shocking truths.
"The standard for replacement...is probably when the spirits bearing the memories of Sal Tree and Time become unable to endure the long years and desperately yearn for suicide, and that will surpasses a certain limit and begin to erase the spirits themselves...".
He looks at me—more precisely, at the Radiance Mantra slumbering within me.
"Itis likely that the existence known as Heuk Sa edits history and time and replaces us." "Is that 50.2"
I now understand why Hyeon Mu cried out even more sorrowfully than Sal Tree or Time. If Sal Tree and Time are replaced without them knowing, does that mean...Hyeon Mu cannot be replaced at all?'
Even the phenomenon of self-erasure by the spirit seems to be somehow impossible for Hyeon Mu.
"In the end, we are tools. In the distant future...when the Absolute Being is born into this world, we are the media of prophecy meant to prepare for that moment, the beings who are to bless that existence... We are nothing more than well-crafted Immortal Treasures." "Given the realm you have all reached, you must know what the Immortal Crown is." "Yes, we do."
immortal Crown.
Also called Immortal Staff, it refers to the attire and authority of Immortals—ultimately the process by which Immortals walking the pathway of a Supreme Deity invoke the soul and will of the Supreme Deity into themselves and are unknowingly and gradually devoured by that Supreme Deity's soul.
"And...you must also know what the "winged garment' is, worn by those who follow the Fate pathway..."
At those words, we let out silent exclamations.
Indeed.
The winged garment is, in the end, the Immortal Crown of the Future King, his will itself. "The more one draws upon the power of fate..the more often one dons the winged garment...the more we are eaten away by the Future King, becoming his eyes and ears, or his hands and feet.
"And especially those whose names or Immortal Titles include characters meaning Heaven..they are even more deeply affected. Born under the design of the Future King, they live as Supreme Deities and die accordingly.
"Therefore, their circumstances aren't so different from ours. The only difference is that they are slightly less important tools. If the Future King so desires, the "wil of the Future King' embedded within them will awaken and control them whenever he pleases. Of course, each one may have countermeasures, but that is all...In the end, all of us will either become meat for the Future King or his tools someday. However...becoming his tool lets one learn certain things."
The Heavenly Venerable of Time clutches his chest.
"In the distant past...I spoke with the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, and others in various ways, and resolved to accept again the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables. And as a result...I nearly became like Salt Tree and lost myself." ow
"But thankfully, due to the blessings left behind by Salt Sea and Vast Cold, I barely managed to avoid losing myself. And because of that... gained a few pieces of wisdom from within the power of the Future King that tried to consume my being."
He points toward somewhere.
Given the powerful sensation of attraction force, it seems to be toward Mount Sumeru. "Each Gandhara of the Heavenly Venerables in Mount Sumeru. I realized the closer I get to them, the more the blessings of Salt Sea and Vast Cold would collapse, and I would ultimately lose myself..."
"..Then.."
I recall the Gandhara of the Heavenly Venerable of Time still remaining in Mount Sumeru, the Source River.
I had never understood why he left his Gandhara behind and crossed the sea of chaos with only his consciousness, traveling the distant Outer Sea.
Only now do I understand the reason.
'So the Gandhara itself is the medium of prophecy prepared by the Future King...and also his authority...
"By any chance, is the Western Heavenly Venerable, the Netherworld Queen Mother...the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, also part of the Future King's arrangement?"
"You must be thinking so because of the title Western Zero King. But no. Though it may just be the guess of an old man, from now on, let me tell you the true nature of what Sal Tree spoke of."
Then, with a hardened face, the Heavenly Venerable of Time points toward Mount Sumeru and begins his explanation.
"As you know, the Eastern and Southern Twin Sal Trees are Sal Tree and me. As beings who govern "Time' and "Birth,' both of us were born to keep the Underworld in check, each symbolizing the Absolutes of Fate' and "History". And the Northern Gang (&), as you know..."
Wo-woongt
Before us appears the being known as Gang (E), who symbolizes the Northern Dipper Seven Stars.
Behind Gang, seven stars of seven colors appear, and as we feel the power emanating from those seven stars, we come to a realization.
I see. The yellow light radiating from the summit of Mount Sumeru, the authority of the Absolute of History. And the seven-colored light emitting from the summit, the authority of the third absolute. The power of that third absolute...was being devoured midway by Hyeon Mu."
Hwiririririk—
Above the hand of the Heavenly Venerable of Time, the form of the [Blackened Three Great Ultimates] appears and begins to spin wildly.
It looks like a black vortex swirling without end.
"...symbolizes the third absolute. Receiving the Absolute Being with the power of the Three Great Absolutes—that is the fundamental concept of the Heavenly Venerables' Gandhara."
"..That's strange."
I voice my doubt.
Names carry power.
That's why, if something this grand is part of the Future King's plan, even if he names the beings of the East and South as Twin Sal Trees,' there's no need to give the being of the North a different name.
"The Underworld who is the Western Heavenly Venerable is not someone designed by the Future King, so I understand—but why is Hyeon Mu's name different?"
Time hears my question and nods.
"I've wondered the same. But...Hyeon Mu has always been peculiar. As you know, she alone has never been replaced...and the form of her Gandhara, do you remember it?" "Yes, I remember. Hyeon Mu's Gandhara..."
As I'm about to speak, I feel something else that is strange.
"Huh..2"
Come to think of it...
Yes.
The Gandhara of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, the Heavenly Venerable of Time, and the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
Their main bodies are the "Underworld,' "Source River, and "Eastern Heaven Flower Field" respectively, so whenever they move or leave with their Gandhara, their entire Gandhara disappears from Mount Sumeru.
But when I recall the battle with Hyeon Mu...
"Even though the Interdimensional Void and the Plane of Soul were closed off by her and rendered unusable, they still remained in Mount Sumeru. Through this, Young-hoon Hyung-nim managed to overlay the entire Interdimensional Void with his will through the Golden Great Thousand World."
If that's the case...
What exactly was the main body of Hyeon Mu that fought us back then?
For some reason, Hyeon Mu had two Gandhara.
One was the Interdimensional Void.
The other was the [Tangled Mass of Snakes That Resembles a Black Three Great Ultimates] which was revealed during the fight with us...
"Hyeon Mu's Gandhara...is different from those of the other Heavenly Venerables."
I ask, full of doubt, and he nods.
"That's right. The Gandhara you know is probably not Hyeon Mu's main body. It is most likely just a "vessel used to receive the power of Enders..."
"Then...Hyeon Mu's true power is..."
Does that mean, back then, Hyeon Mu didn't use her real Gandhara but just brought along a vessel used for siphoning the power of Enders and fought us with that?
"That's probably not it."
Perhaps reading my doubt, the Heavenly Venerable of Time shakes his head.
"Hyeon Mu's limit is what you have seen. Rather, Hyeon Mu failed to fully seize her own Gandhara, the Interdimensional Void, and couldn't properly use its principle or power." "Pardon? But a Gandhara is no different from one's own body... Is that even possible?"
"I do not really understand that part myself..."
The Heavenly Venerable of Time clicks his tongue and shakes his head at my words, while I find myself taken aback by a sudden rush of questions.
Just then, Hong Fan suddenly squeezes in beside us and begins to speak.
"Perhaps it is not actually their body."
"Mmm...! She received the body of another being instead of her own...so she couldn't properly wield that Gandhara...2"
Thinking of it that way certainly seems to resolve many of the doubts.
"Then the original Interdimensional Void...whose body is it? The Future King's?"
"It's hard to say. If Hyeon Mu is a being necessary for the Future King's plan, and the Future King is the one who made it so that the Interdimensional Void could be seized...then perhaps it once belonged to someone who detested fate..."
Hong Fan strokes his beard as he shares his thoughts, and both I and the Heavenly Venerable of Time nod.
"That's a reasonable deduction...
There are still many puzzling parts, but this much isn't bad.
Cheon Woon continues his explanation.
"Anyway...setting aside who the Gandhara that is the Interdimensional Void originally belonged to...Hyeon Mu is a peculiar existence in such a way. A being who parasitically clings to a Gandhara that is not her own and absorbs the power of the Enders to create a vessel of Heavenly Venerable level, roaming about fighting. She is a unique being who, even after countless generations pass, may feel suicidal urges, but whose soul never vanishes under the will to kill herself. That is why I think she may not be a mere personality-entity at all...but perhaps a kind of "virtual persona' created by the Future King out of necessity."
At those words, we each fall into thought, and Hong Fan strokes his beard as he quietly murmurs.
"...In a way, that's not a bad theory."
Cheon Woon's explanation continues.
The model of Hyeon Mu's Gandhara, still swirling within him, becomes embedded with the seven stars of seven colors, and something begins to appear.
It then flies into the void and takes its place beside the two models of the Twin Sal Trees. "That is probably why, unlike the "Twin Sal Trees' who are designated as the Future King's slaves and tools, a "name' like "Gang (2) of the North' was given instead of "Northern Sal Tree'"
"Then the Western Zero King..."
"Everyone probably knows due to Sal Tree..but the Western Zero King is the Final immortal Beast King. The Naming Supreme Deity Hyeon Rang."
The East and West are the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, who inherited the feat of the First Immortal Beast King, and Hyeon Rang, upon whom the feat of the Final Immortal Beast King is designated.
The North and South are Cheon Woon and Hyeon Mu, who respectively inherited the feats of connecting Six Heavenly Domains to complete Mount Sumeru, and emptying Mount Sumeru entirely.
'So the four directions of East, West, South, North have some shared causality." However, even considering that causality, there's still something I can't understand. "The beings of the East, South, and North all seem to represent the Absolutes, so then what does the Naming Supreme Deity represent?"
If the other Three Heavenly Venerables symbolize the Absolutes, then what does the Naming Supreme Deity stand for?
"...Perhaps, they represent something that is not an Absolute."
At that moment, Hong Fan again interjects.
"There's something that, while not being an Absolute, still stands equal to it?"
At the Heavenly Venerable of Time's words, Hong Fan nods.
"There is one thing. It is not an Absolute, but holds a value equivalent to an Absolute." "What is it?"
"Humaneness."
Hong Fan responds to Cheon Woon's statement with a self-deprecating smile, as if recalling something.
"Perhaps...the Western Zero King is a being who symbolizes humaneness."
"...Then, Hong Fan."
A certain doubt arises in me from those words.
Of course, because of what the remnants of my master told me, I've come to accept, more or less, that the life of a person is something immensely precious.
But even so, there's something I can't understand.
"You're saying that a being who governs fate...values humaneness enough that they would visibly manifest it alongside the birth of an Absolute One?"
"Well, I'm not sure about that."
"Hmm..."
Woo-wooong!
While I am lost in thought, next to the Twin Sal Trees and the model of Hyeon Mu's Gandhara, a model of a [Taiji In The Shape Of A Fetus] appears, and something starts to appear from its center.
squirm, squirm...
Something begins to stir.
And as I gaze upon that something, I see the form of the [baby] I had seen before. "Hmm...is that a seed?"
"Looks more like a sprout."
"No...t's a spring. It's spring water."
However, what appears as a [baby] to me seems to look entirely different to the others as each of my comrades describes it in a different form.
"What is that?"
I also ask the Heavenly Venerable of Time, and Cheon Woon shrugs as he answers.
"I do not know either. But...to my eyes, it appears as [seven stars]. Among them, six are connected to each other, and one is apart from the rest."
"Pardon..2"
"Six stars represent life, seven stars represent death...so a being that possesses death yet remains within the domain of life. Yes...that is the form of a "mortal being."
ow
At Cheon Woon's words, I get a deeply strange feeling.
"A being that shows something different to everyone, and evokes a different feeling in each...? Even though we've reached the domain where we can perceive the essence of all phenomena in near equivalence...
What's more, all of this is just a kind of simulation, constructed by the Heavenly Venerable of Time using models of the Heavenly Venerables and a Supreme Deity—yet even that simulation fools the eyes of us who are of Heavenly Venerable rank. It makes one begin to fathom the rank of the [Absolute One].
Just then, I suddenly become curious and ask Hong Fan a question.
"Hong Fan, what do you see that being in the center of those four symbols as?"
In response to my question, Hong Fan answers without hesitation.
"To my eyes..it looks unmistakably like something that has died but is now resurrecting."
"Resurrection..?"
What kind of perspective is that?
But...
Considering that Hong Fan is a former member of the First Radiance Supreme Deity and, though he has erased his memories, knows more than anyone else in this world—
If his insight is the most accurate one...
"Then is the existence known as the Absolute One not simply being born, but rather a being that died before and is now resurrecting...
As I grow confused amidst many questions,
We all momentarily fall into panic as we gaze at the form of the simulated Absolute One being born under the blessings of the Heavenly Venerables and Zero Kings of the East, West, South, and North.
Then...
In the midst of that confusion, the Heavenly Venerable of Time implants [something] into us.
At the time, we clearly understand what we are receiving, but the Heavenly Venerable of Time warns that continuing to Mount Sumeru with it could be dangerous and tells us to seal it. Hence, within the chaos, we erase our memories of what we received from the Heavenly Venerable of Time, and return once more to Mount Sumeru.
Kugugugugu!
Traveling through the vast sea of chaos, we return to Mount Sumeru borrowing the power of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.
In the distance, the familiar world of the inverted cone comes into view.
"Now there are three Gandhara.'
Feeling each Gandhara of the three remaining Heavenly Venerables within the inverted cone, I ride Song Jin and fly toward Mount Sumer.
"...We're nearly at Mount Sumeru. We'll arrive shortly, but..."
I look toward Oh Hyun-seok and ask,
"Isn't it about time you told me, Hyung-nim? The Immortal Dao of Seven Stars that you are walking..."
"...Yes. I know."
Oh Hyun-seok, who has remained silent until now after hearing the explanation from the Heavenly Venerable of Time and coming all the way to Mount Sumeru, finally begins to speak.
"I'll tell you the truth as it is. The Immortal Dao of Seven Stars...is in fact identical to the immortal Dao of the Mountain that you walk."
At last, he reveals to me the secret he has been keeping all this time.
-x-X-x-
While I'm talking with Oh Hyun-seok, the Nether Crossing Ship enters Mount Sumeru. "Hm? This feeling...
I notice that for some reason, the entirety of Mount Sumeru is shrouded in a faint steam. "Naming Supreme Deity..."
it's Hyeon Rang's power.
Hyeon Rang's power blankets Mount Sumeru, and from within, I read a faint malice directed at us.
: : It seems the Owner of Names is targeting us. I will move us to the Underworld immediately. : :
Perhaps having sensed the malice, Song Jin attempts to make contact with the Underworld. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the entrance to the Underworld gradually begins to open to greet us.
That's when it happens.
Whoooong—
Deep inside the Mount Sumeru covered in steam.
From within, a massive fist of vapor comes flying toward us.
"The power inside is unimpressive."
I draw the Impermanence Sword toward what I presume is Hyeon Rang's single strike, cutting downward then rising up.
Just then.
[No, Seo Eun-hyun! You must not even graze it!]
Oh Hyun-seok shouts in panic.
Wuduk—
The [name] [Seo Eun-hyun] becomes a shackle binding me, rendering me unable to move.
"Damn it, I have no choice but to take one hit...
Just as I prepare to take one blow from Hyeon Rang's strike and counterattack—
Oh Hyun-seok throws himself between me and the fist of mist, knocking me away, and extending his hand toward the first.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
Unable to endure the fist of a Supreme Deity, Oh Hyun-seok is flung back, bleeding from every part of his body.
"Hyun-seok Hyung-nimt"
I hastily catch Oh Hyun-seok, who mutters while coughing blood.
"Keheok, keok... M-Master's strike...must not even be grazed. If you so much as graze t...your [name] will be swallowed by Master, and the ownership of your [name] will pass to him...then Master will gain the authority to rename your original name..."
ow
"For now...you absolutely must not...confront Master head-on. Master is too difficult an opponent to face with sheer strength alone! No matter how strong you are, now is the time to regroup!"
At Oh Hyun-seok's urgent words, I grit my teeth and call out to Song Jin.
"Song Jin!"
::Itis ready. I shall escort you. : :
At that moment, Song Jin's hull melts into Mount Sumeru and returns to its true form, the attraction force toward the Netherworld.
Tchwaaaaaaa—
My comrades and I naturally flow into the Underworld along with Song Jin, and when we regain our senses, we find ourselves at the deepest depths of the Underworld.
We have arrived at the Audience Chamber of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld. However, only I and the Enders Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, and Oh Hye-seo have reached this place. It seems the rest have not made it here. "You have succeeded. On top of that, Hee-ah has awakened as a Heavenly King, and it seems everyone has gained some enlightenment."
At the words of the Underworld, we let out bitter smiles.
"All matters concerning your child have just been conveyed to me through Song Jin. You must have many thoughts...but there's no need for great concern."
Suruk—
Following that, the Underworld points a finger at Kim Yeon.
"The day that child becomes a Heavenly King, you will come to understand everything." "Can't you just refreshingly tell us right now?"
"This is the one thing I cannot reveal to you right now. It is a plan Vast Cold emphasized repeatedly..."
it seems that the power of In and Yeon left behind by Vast Cold is a plan in and of itself. In a way, it might feel as though our bond has been toyed with by Vast Cold, and such a feeling could bring discomfort.
But for some reason, both Kim Yeon and I feel strangely at ease.
Perhaps...
Because the realization the child gave us is about choosing life under fate,
Even if it's a fate left behind by Vast Cold, we've already decided in our hearts to accept that child as our own within it.
"In that case, it can't be helped. I will wait a little longer."
"Thank you for your understanding."
I nod as I face Kim Yeon, and seeing this, the Underworld gives an ambiguous bitter smile.
"Now then, did you bring the 'feat' placed upon Sal Tree?"
"Yes."
Tsuaaaat!
At the Underworld's words, I summon Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens.
On the head of Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens is Sal Tree's sealed feat" that blooms in the form of a flower.
"Reveal your essence."
Woo-woooong!
As soon as the Underworld speaks, the white flower sealed in Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens folds in on itself and condenses into a small shape.
The small, compressed flower soon transforms into a "transparent seed" and flies into the Underworld's grasp.
"The primordial form of ancient force...Zero (%)... The seed of all possibilities, and yet now nothing more than a meaningless lump..."
She holds the transparent seed, gazing at it for a moment.
Then, a little while later, the Underworld throws the seed toward the Wheel behind her. ow
Woo-woooong!
The Wheel seems to suck in the seed, and soon the seed is pulled into the strange rotational force swirling around the Wheel and vanishes somewhere.
I realize what the Underworld has done.
"She...reincarnated the ancient force?"
Woo-wooong!
The seed, guided by the Wheel of the Underworld, travels to a faraway Heavenly Domain and reincarnates as a living being there.
"Wh-What have you just done? What if Sal Tree resurrects...2"
Treating the "feat' branded onto Sal Tree as a soul and reincarnating it into the womb of a living being.
That act could very well lead to the resurrection of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, so I can't help but panic.
"Do not worry. Sal Tree will not revive because of this. Rather, this is precisely the way to seal and slowly extinguish that 'feat"."
The Underworld explains calmly.
"If the ego embedded in this ancient force is made to endure endless lives while having its memories sealed temporarily..then the feat experienced in the past, and the personality derived from that feat, will gradually distort and deteriorate. It is not merely the scale of the thousand past lives you experienced through the Flawless Mantra... Through reincarnations numbering in the tens of thousands, hundreds of millions, reaching even the scale of kalpa, this feat...this ancient force will be transformed into a single soul and severed from the control of the Owner of Fate. If such an independent soul later reads the memory embedded in its past, the memories embedded in the "feat', and interprets them according to its current circumstances, then that alone can be considered to have extinguished the value of the feat."
[Editor: In Hinduism, a kalpa is 4.32 billion years. In Buddhism, there are many types of kalpa. Though it is not standardised, conventionally, a regular Kalpa is ~16.8 million years, a small kalpa is 1000 regular kalpas (~16.8 billion years), a medium kalpa is 20 small kalpas (~336 billion years), and a great kalpa is 4 medium kalpas (~1.344 trillion years).]
"...But what if that soul remembers its past and instead reawakens as the essence of the Future King, as the Eastern Twin Sal Tree?"
"Do not worry. Even then, the self-consciousness formed through reincarnation will remain within that ancient force."
At the Underworld's following words, we can't help but shudder.
"That ancient force will believe it is the true Future King, and in the end, it will fight the currently existing Future King in a struggle for control over mind and sovereignty. "Therefore, if this ancient force awakens as the essence of the Future King, it wil become our ally, and if it does not awaken, it will simply dissolve within the eternity of reincarnation, weakening the power of the Future King..."
"..An impressive strategy. Then, do we also have to seal the Heavenly Venerable of Time's Gandhara in a similar manner and bring back his feat?"
"There is no particular need for that. When the time comes to challenge the Audience Chamber, The Heavenly Venerable of Time will control his own "feat accordingly so it does not become part of the Future King's strength. As for Hyeon Mu, thanks to you and Kim Young-hoon, she has practically been reduced to a near-useless state... In fact, by the time you all challenge the Audience Chamber, most of the potential powers that could become the Future King's strength will have already been sealed."
At the Underworld's continued words, I smile faintly.
"Therefore...thank you for your efforts. Now, rest for a while."
As if there's nothing more to command or concern herself with regarding us, the Underworld praises us and opens the gate of the Underworld's deepest depths, as if to say we may leave whenever we wish.
Now, until Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, and Oh Hye-seo become Heavenly Kings, there doesn't seem to be anything I particularly have to do.
Even if the Naming Supreme Deity is said to have awakened the will of the Future King, just one Naming Supreme Deity can be sufficiently subdued if Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, and Oh Hye-seo join forces, so there's no real concern.
But I do not leave the chamber but instead gaze at the Underworld.
"Thank you. However...there are many things I wish to ask."
I speak aloud the questions I've most wanted to ask.
"Kang Min-hee's Origin Essence...has fundamentally changed in some way from what I knew. Is this, too, the work of the Imperial Venerable?"
it's a matter I've known all along because of her overwhelming presence, but I haven't been in the right state of mind to ask until now.
"Kang Min-hee's Origin Essence has changed.'
More precisely, from the moment she went out to the Outer Sea with us and had a brief conversation with Oh Hye-seo, something about her presence itself seems to have changed.
I believe it must be because of an order from the Underworld.
If not for a command from the Underworld, why else would Kang Min-hee's Origin Essence have changed so completely?
Kang Min-hee answers my question.
"I'll explain. It was Master's suggestion. She told me to divide off the part of my Origin Essence of Vice that governs Evil, and give it to Oh Hye-seo so she could advance." "What...2"
"Because of that, the Immortal Dao Oh Hye-seo is currently walking is..."
Oh Hye-seo cuts in and answers.
"Severing Evil (Bi). It's the Immortal Dao for Severing Evil. If I can reach the position immortal Lord through this, I should be able to rise to Heavenly King."
"Right. And after giving Oh Hye-seo a portion of the Immortal Dao of Vice, what remained of my Origin Essence of Vice became the Origin Essence of Karmic Retribution Huarurururuk!
Above her hand, Karmic Fire blazes fiercely.
Unlike before, this Karmic Fire now burns blue, well suiting Kang Min-hee. Seeing this, I realize she has fully seized the Karmic Fire.
"The Underworld wishes to support us with everything she has, and because of that, she needed an appropriate Immortal Dao for the current Vestige Liberation Immortal, Oh Hye-seo. That is why she ordered me to split my Origin Essence. Also, thanks to splitting t, 1 am now able to control Karmic Fire even more perfectly."
"Hm, certainly..."
indeed, Kang Min-hee, who seized the Origin Essence of Karmic Retribution, seems to handle Karmic Fire more easily than before, and the portion given to Oh Hye-seo also seems to suit her quite well.
Just as the Underworld once recommended the Immortal Dao of Abyss to me, it seems she has long been aware of the optimal Immortal Dao for each of us.
And as I look up toward the Underworld, I bring up the conversation I had with Oh Hyun- seok.
"In that case, there is something I wish to report to the Imperial Venerable. It is a question regarding the Immortal Dao of Seven Stars that Hyun-seok Hyung-nim is currently walking."
"Itis most likely about Oh Hyun-seok's Origin Essence, I presume."
"Yes. Currently..is Hyun-seok Hyung-nim..like how the Imperial Venerable commended Min-hee to split off her Immortal Dao...cultivating in the Immortal Dao split from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's Origin Essence?"
"That is half-correct."
"Half..2"
"Because right now...the seat of the Immortal Dao of Seven Stars that Oh Hyun-seok is cultivating is embedded within the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, being slowly reabsorbed."
ow
At those words, my body trembles as I realize what the Underworld is trying to say.
"By 'reabsorbing' means...you mean the Immortal Dao of Seven Stars was split off from the Immortal Dao of the Mountain..."
"After the death of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, it was done by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am. And the reason Gwak Am went so far as to split his Origin Essence...you already know why."
Her fingertip points toward Oh Hyun-seok's Blue Sky Armor.
"The Immortal Beast Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape. Despite dyeing himself with the Devilish in order to overcome fate, that part of Gwak Am that could not be stained and remained pure...and so, Gwak Am had to cut the part off with his own hands and devour it again from the outside. His Heart Demon and the personality that threatened him the most.
"In order to split off that personality, Gwak Am went as far as severing even his own Origin Essence and created a new Immortal Dao. The result of that splitting from the Seat of Salt Mountain...is the Seat of Sea of Nature (45). It is the Immortal Dao that the Naming Supreme Deity slightly altered under the name of Seven Stars."
At the following words of the Underworld, Oh Hyun-seok bitterly strokes his Blue Sky Armor.
"And the original material of that armor you're wearing..is one of the fragments that formed when the Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape resisted as he was hunted down and killed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity. In other words...you and your sect, the Azure Heaven Creation Sect, have been deeply connected to the Immortal Dao of Seven Stars from the beginning."
"Thank you. That must be the reason, then, why Master...recommended the Immortal Dao of Seven Stars to me."
"More precisely...he was probably trying to reach Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape through you."
"Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape...2"
"Yes. Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape who had split off from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and Hyeon Rang...were friends of a kind that will probably never again exist in this world. Perhaps, through Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape, he was trying to restore the broken Great Mountain Supreme Deity."
Oh m-seok hears those words and asks a question.
"Then, O Imperial Venerable. I must face my master from now on. And... am still merely a Great Net Immortal of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, and I haven't yet completely resolved the personality division problem that True Immortals of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation experience. Moreover, if the Origin Essence I must reach is being reabsorbed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, then what must I do going forward? I beg the imperial Venerable...please help me. Please lend me your wisdom on what I must do..." At Oha's plea, the Underworld's eyes twitch before speaking.
"You already know the answer and yet you ask me."
"Firmly hold a righteous heart and move forward. With the heart that acts for chivalry, keep your faith. I have no words beyond that to offer you."
"...Understood."
I realize what mam has resolved to do.
I see.'
amu intends to reclaim with his own hands the Origin Essence of Seven Stars that is being absorbed into the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
The Seat, or Origin Essence, is not something fixed, but a kind of law that exists in this world.
If one possesses a nature more compatible with that law than even the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, then taking it away is entirely possible.
If it hasn't been completely absorbed into the Origin Essence of the Mountain, then it's of lower difficulty than mine."
He doesn't need to kill the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and take his position of Supreme Deity. He only needs to retrieve the Origin Essence that is ambiguously held in his hands.
"wm Hyung-nim..."
The Naming Supreme Deity has awakened to the essence of the Future King.
And when that news reached us, though he didn't show it openly, the one who had the most intense reaction was was.
Everyone may have remained silent, but they all understood.
Just as White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus ended the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable—their teacher and parent—with their own hands,
So too must the Naming Supreme Deity be ended by mma's hand.
After those words, mm Hyung-nim bows to the Underworld and, without a trace of hesitation, turns and begins leaving the deepest depths of the Underworld.
"wm Hyung-nim..."
"...Eun-hyun-ah."
I call out to him quietly, worried for him, but instead, he calls out to me and speaks. "..Just this once... can't borrow your hands. This is a matter between my master and me, between disciple and teacher. So...even if I...die, just this once, let me...put Master to rest with my own strength alone."
"..22 Pardon? Even so...even if Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, and I can't help...can't at least Kim Yeon—no, at the very least, can't Oh Hye-seo help you?"
I ask, not understanding his words.
"If you must insist, then one thing. Only after I die fighting Master...only then, intervene. It's a request."
"Even White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, who defeated the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, received our help."
I understand that it must be with his own hands that he defeats Naming Supreme Deity, but why must it "only' be his hands?
"I know that too. But there's one reason that I insist on facing Master alone."
mmm turns to look at us and smiles faintly.
"Either way...'m finished now..."
ow
Suddenly, I notice something in mma's gaze.
"wan... What was...his [name] again?"
I can't remember.
Suddenly, I recall that mmm once took a direct hit from Hyeon Rang's strike.
"Has he already retrieved his own disciple's [name] and is now controlling it...
"Either way, once you've been struck by Master even once...even the Underworld can't protect my end. The title of "Owner' of something...means that one really is, within that domain at least, close to "absolute'. Since he has retrieved my [Namel, I'm already...beyond saving."
As the disciple of the Owner of Names, he seems to sense his end.
"Damn it...
I've become strong.
Now, unless it's someone like the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, someone of the Heavenly Venerable rank who has awakened to the essence, it is nearly impossible to kill me.
However, even if I cannot die, I still can't stop the death of my comrades.
I'm still...pitifully weak."
No, it's beyond weak.
it's pathetic.
Even after becoming this powerful, even after becoming this close to omnipotence...
I still can't protect even a single friend.
I grit my teeth tightly, feeling pain and disgust from that fact.
Just what am I...
It is at that moment.
"But even if the me of the present' ends...if I die, then please look after what comes after"
"...Pardon?"
"I won't go into details. You haven't said anything all this time either...so I'll believe there's a reason."
ow
"..Did he...notice...
it's not like with Jeon Myeong-hoon.
But still...
He seems to have noticed that I tamper with time in some way or another, or target what comes after their deaths.
I see. It's Oh Hye-seo.
In this life, Oh Hye-seo hasn't been fully moved by me.
And yet, without any clear causality, she follows me obediently. He must have drawn a clue and made his own deductions from that.
"He read the power of the oath and vow sworn by the Oh Hye-seo of the previous timeline, who was moved by me and swore to follow me."
He is, after all, the disciple of the God of Contracts and Oaths,
My friend...
And Oh Hye-seo's family.
He recognized my change through the change in his family.
—Use my death as nourishment.
I listen to mma's heart conveyed through Indra's Net and grit my teeth.
—And...through it, uncover Master's essence, the 'role' imposed upon the ones known as the Three Heavenly Venerables and the Western Zero King, and the "will of the Future King' that has been imposed upon him... Uncover it all.
He declares his resolve to defeat the Naming Supreme Deity without our help and steps beyond the Underworld.
Seeing him like that, I realize there's absolutely no way to stop him.
—Even if the current me dies, as long as I can someday reach my family...it doesn't matter what I sacrifice. So... ask of you, Seo Eun-hyun. You're a father now too, so you should understand.
Kwaaang!
au= kicks off from the Underworld and soars, rising straight toward the sky...
Toward the massive giant of vapor in the sky.
And so, mmm stands against the vast heavens that is the Naming Supreme Deity.
That is...
The first battle between mam and the Naming Supreme Deity.