:: Lunacy. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity speaks one single sentence.
That is the end.
Pukwak!
Oh Hyun-seok dies.
:: Lunacy. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity speaks one single sentence.
That is the end.
Pukwak!
Oh Hyun-seok cannot withstand his single strike and dies.
SITIES
And only then in the third repetition does the Great Mountain Supreme Deity finally sense the déja vu.
::...I see. So that is your authority. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity realizes Oh Hyun-seok's authority.
: : A power that breaks the boundary between dream and reality, is it? Well, those who possess the Absolute of Pleasure have always used powers that collapse boundaries. : : Pleasure is the breaking down of boundaries and the mixing together.
Therefore, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity realizes that he is trapped in a dream interwoven with reality by Oh Hyun-seok's authority.
And the Great Mountain Supreme Deity knows all too well what to do when caught in a dream like this.
He has battled and devoured True Immortals who reached the pinnacle of illusion and dream arts thousands and tens of thousands of times—this much is but a minor trial for him.
:: Even if everything is a dream...pain alone is reality. : :
Kurung, kururururung!
[Kuaaaaaaaagh!]
[Aaaaaaagh!]
[Uaaaaaaaagh!!]
[Kkiiiiaaaaaghtt!]
From the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, red blood lie a volcanic eruption begins to surge violently.
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity is torturing the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea and synchronizes that pain with himself.
:: Pain alone surpasses all and exists. Pain alone is not a dream... : :
Kugugugugugu!
The God of Great Mountain pushes himself into agony and begins to separate reality and illusion once again,
Resisting the authority of the Absolute, he starts tracking Oh Hyun-seok's location.
: : Where did you run off to, you bug? : :
Calling an Ender who has reached the Heavenly Venerable rank a bug, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity senses the sea of chaos.
Yet, he cannot find the existence called Oh Hyun-seok anywhere.
Tsuuaaaaa!
As Oh Hyun-seok temporarily rises to Heavenly King, he becomes aware of his authority.
Authority: Primal Chaos World (JB).
Manifesting the very first chaos where everything was vague through his own body.
He becomes the Primordial Chaos.
And as he transforms into that very Primordial Chaos, he understands.
"Perhaps dream and reality were never different to begin with."
This world is someone's mental world.
No, perhaps all worlds including Earth are merely the mental world of certain beings. "The Creator God...
Oh Hyun-seok recalls that vast space of nothingness he encountered when he met Silver Basket, and remembers that existence with a divine rank of Creation.
A being omnipotent in both dream and reality, having no distinction between the two. That is the feeling Oh Hyun-seok got from the Silver Basket.
At the same time, he realizes something.
Is the soul (%)...born from the union of Qi, Soul, and Fate?"
Only when the Absolute of Fate, the Absolute of History, and the fragments of the third Absolute faintly come together can a soul (£2) be birthed.
Among them, the power of the Third Absolute holds the most weight, but what defines the soul is not merely that Third Absolute alone. Fate and History are also necessary. "Then...if the Absolute of Fate, the Absolute of History, and the third Absolute were to merge completely...
It would be possible for [someone]'s soul to be born.
And Oh Hyun-seok is certain.
"Right now...I am the closest possible state to [someone]'s soul.'
He has become the true Primordial Chaos itself that breaks the boundary between dream and reality.
"I understand now why Silver Basket took my Absolute and entered Mount Sumeru. This Absolute fragment is the piece closest to the Creator God..."
Kururururung!
Oh Hyun-seok becomes Primal Chaos (i8i%) itself and assimilates with the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
As he briefly drags the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's consciousness into Primal Chaos, he swiftly enters into the depths of his being.
"Wait for me...child."
He quickly heads toward the world of one of the Immortal Arts nestled within the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
The name of that world is Penglai Island.
Tsuaaaaatt!
instantly arriving at Penglai Island, Oh Hyun-seok closes his eyes.
"Where are you?"
His consciousness spreads across the entirety of Penglai Island, sweeping over every living being within it.
But Oh Hyun-seok cannot find his daughter inside Penglai Island.
"She's not in Penglai Island!? What in the... wait.
He realizes something.
"There!
By using History Induction, he reads his daughter's history and locates her, and soon, he finds where she has gone.
itis somewhere deep within the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
I see. So Penglai Island originally...exists to temporarily reincamnate the worn-down spirits of those who have become the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea to prevent their collapsing and to help them recover."
And once a spirit that lived life within Penglai Island recovers, it is reassigned back into the depths of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
Now aware of the cruel truth of Penglai Island, Oh Hyun-seok opens his eyes wide. "Within that Corpse Mountain Blood Sea my child. How painful it must have been for you."
He reads it.
Through History Induction, his daughter's history becomes visible to him.
Having found her location, Oh Hyun-seok takes his stance right then and there.
Flap, flap, flap!
Ten pairs of purple wings that have sprouted from his back flutter strongly, focusing all his energy into his fist.
But Oh Hyun-seok's eyes gleam.
"Not enough."
it's not enough.
More.
To rescue his daughter, he must squeeze out even more.
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity is already regaining his senses within the Primal Chaos World and beginning to search for him.
"There's only one chance.'
A slow method like finding his daughter, waking her up inside the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, sharing a tearful reunion, preparing to escape, and then escaping, will not work.
What is needed now is not a tearful reunion, but swift and decisive action.
Flash!
[Kuaaaaaaaagh!]
[Aaaaaaaaaght!]
The Corpse Mountain Blood Sea hows as it sheds blood-red tears like lava.
immediately after, the consciousness of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity awakens and scatters across the entire Outer Sea to detect Oh Hyun-seok.
Perhaps because he has not fully awakened from the Primal Chaos, he fails to recognize Oh Hyun-seok who resides within him, but that too is only a matter of time.
"Twelve seconds. If I don't finish this within that time, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity will detect met"
Bududuk...
Oh Hyun-seok feels rage.
He rages at the fact that he must pour all his focus into fleeing, without even taking proper revenge on the Devil God who tortured his daughter.
"But for now, let's think of only this.
Eleven seconds.
Oh Hyun-seok pours his entire mind into his fist.
Kururururung!
The power of Primal Chaos gathers entirely into his body, and with the power of the ten pairs of wings, the form of a purple dragon wraps around his right arm.
"Not enough."
Originally, Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter is meant to be unleashed with both fists in succession.
But Oh Hyun-seok condenses the full potential of both fists into only his right hand.
Ten seconds.
"More.
Wuduk, wudududuk!
Oh Hyun-seok's right arm begins to fracture under the excessive compression of power. The body he reconstructed with every method he had ever learned begins to crack instantly.
"Moret!
But Oh Hyun-seok pays no mind and draws forth even more power.
Being inside the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, Oh Hyun-seok can feel the Supreme Deity's power the most vividly.
Something like this is not enough.
He must squeeze out more.
"Moret'
Chwaaak!
Another pair of wings bursts forth from Oh Hyun-seok's back.
In addition to ten wings, an eleventh pair forms.
"Moret'
Oh Hyun-seok begins to burn his life.
His life force, which has reached the level of a Heaven-Earth Great Net Immortal, the power of fate and history, the strength of his Immortal Dao and Origin Essence—all of it ignites and condenses into his right arm.
Another pair of wings bursts from his back.
Twelve wings!
"Please, O Gods. O Lord of Heaven, Buddha, the One God, the Underworld, Heavenly Venerables, Seo Eun-hyun! Please grant me strength! Just once! A tremendous strength!
Tudududududu!
Oh Hyun-seok's hair begins to turn white as he burns through his very life as an Undying.
His hair now looks like the ashes left behind after something has burned away.
— Astounding. Though it is only one fist...a [sprout]...
And as he hears the awed voice of Silver Basket in his ear, Oh Hyun-seok throws a single punch with all his might and prays.
"Please give me! The strength to save my family!"
Flash!
Oh Hyun-seok's now-ashen hair begins to shimmer faintly and starts to even emit a silver-like glow.
The area around Oh Hyun-seok, which had been shrouded in purple, now becomes enveloped in silver.
One punch!
With just one punch, the world around Oh Hyun-seok becomes dyed in ashen light.
All the colors of this world vanish, leaving behind only silver like ashes.
And within that colorless, silver world, Oh Hyun-seok sees a path pierced open before his eyes.
One second remains until the Great Mountain Supreme Deity awakens.
"Can I make it in one second?"
Oh Hyun-seok ponders for a fleeting moment.
But then he shakes off the thought.
I'm going!'
Whether he can or not—he will make it happen!
Oh Hyun-seok stomps his foot.
And it is at that moment.
Tsuaat!
A sword overlays Oh Hyun-seok's body.
itis a sword bearing the form of impermanence, a colorless sword.
With a tingling feeling rising from his chest, Oh Hyun-seok senses a paper flower blooming from his heart. With the sword of Impermanence that surpasses the Heavenly Principle, he flies through the gaping path at the speed of Araya, embracing the spirit at the end of that path as he continues traversing through the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea. And at last!
In the world where all color has vanished, Oh Hyun-seok hugs a spirit groaning in the echoes of pain, recalling a promise from long ago.
[Ten nights... Did you wait well?]
Oh Hyun-seok's child, whom he gained from Penglai Island, answers with a faint smile.
[I stayed awake...every night for ten nights, Dad...]
With those words, the silver world scatters. The paper flower in Oh Hyun-seok's chest that had lent him the strength of the Impermanence Sword loses its power, and his right arm shatters into pieces.
And then, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am regains his senses.
:: Phenomena... : :
Kugugugung!
A colossal mountain divine spirit of darkness stretches out a black hand formed of corpse-mountains.
From within his grasp, a jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements takes shape, and an overwhelming attraction force begins to pull Oh Hyun-seok in.
Oh Hyun-seok smiles while holding the spirit in his arms.
[Don't worry, my child.]
Though the situation is dire, he shines his eyes once more, desperately comforting his child.
[No matter what I have to do, I will save you.]
He will no longer evade.
He will no longer flee.
For he has faced his own shame.
"No matter what I must do, I will save you!"
Oh Hyun-seok once again stakes his life and existence.
If he draws out power again, it may certainly kill him.
But he does not care.
"I won't die. No matter what it takes, I will return.'
Truly, no matter what he must do, he will return.
Because to protect what is precious, no matter the injustice, no matter the impossibility That is what it means to be a father.
+ ..Extinguishing... : :
To fight against the impossible—this is a father's privilege!
Flap, flap, flap!
Wings burst forth again from Oh Hyun-seok's back.
Thirteen pairs of wings.
And it is at that moment,
Chwaaahhht
:.Man—::
A clear energy gushes forth from the chest of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
itis a blue energy.
The blue light draws a circle around the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, beginning to form a kind of formation.
The light clusters at the outer edge of the blue energy form white clouds, and at the center of the energy, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am becomes trapped in the midst of a bright and clear sky.
"Azure Scenery Heavenly Net...?'
Oh Hyun-seok finches as he feels the wave emanating from the energy.
The domain of the Azure Scenery Heavenly Net that had confined Oh Hyun-seok not long ago begins to bloom from within the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, trapping the Supreme Deity instead.
And from within that blue sky, a familiar will resounds.
:: Go, child who carries on our Buddha-Nature. : :
itis the will of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape Cheong Min.
: : My Buddha-Nature has been passed on to you. Thus, what remains of me no longer has a reason to struggle pathetically to avoid being absorbed by the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea. So, child. One day, pass on that Buddha-Nature and remind Ra Cheon of what he has forgotten. : :
Hwaaaaagh!
The domain of the Azure Scenery Heavenly Net begins to temporarily seal the cultivation of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
:: 0 Cheong Min, my disgrace. Do you sacrifice yourself to save a bug? : :
.: Sacrifice is what Master emphasized. Is there a reason to mock it, my self? : :
. : He emphasized sacrifice and ended up sacrificing himself, believing his will would be inherited... : :
The will of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape desperately suppresses the will of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Kugugugung!
Centered on the domain of the Azure Scenery Heavenly Net, another ring of light begins to circle.
itis the halo of the Five Elements.
A massive flash of the Five Elements becomes the Five Elements Mountain that presses down on the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, sealing him.
At the same time, Oh Hyun-seok is pushed away by the repulsive force emitted by the ring of light and is flung beyond the Outer Sea.
Within that repelling force, he flies toward Mount Sumeru, gazing at the will of Mountain- Destroying Demon Ape standing against the Great Mountain Supreme Deity. Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape's will smiles brightly, as if feeling lighter than ever before.
—Go, child. A father is strong.
Thus, within the connection he has formed, Oh Hyun-seok finds an escape and returns to Mount Sumeru.
-x-X-x-
Kurung, kurururung!
Oh Hyun-seok crosses the sea of chaos, holding his daughter's spirit in his arms.
He senses the aura of Mount Sumeru in the far distance, and it seems he is not far from reaching it.
Oh Hyun-seok's daughter, perhaps due to all the accumulated fatigue from being tortured by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity pouring out at once, has not awakened since their first reunion and remains in a deep sleep.
"How do I wake her?"
Oh Hyun-seok is so worried that perhaps something is wrong with his daughter, or that the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has done something to her, that he cannot bring himself to do anything.
"All 1 can do now...is take her to my comrades or to where the Underworld is."
At the very least, if he asks the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, they may demand a price, but they will surely give him a solution.
Damn it...
However, even though he knows it's nothing serious and she is simply exhausted from prolonged torture and has fallen asleep, he still cannot bear it.
No, it feels like his chest is burning.
'I'm...sorry...for not coming sooner..."
Oh Hyun-seok hugs the sleeping child's spirit even more tightly.
Then, as he embraces her, he feels something.
"This is...
It hurts.
ls it because he has awakened the authority of the Primal Chaos World, an authority closest to chaos?
For some reason, Oh Hyun-seok can feel a faint pain in the chaos of this Outer Sea. "No...this isn't faint pain...
[Someone]'s pain is buried beneath this chaos, and it is only because it has pierced through this immeasurable and boundless chaos to reach Oh Hyun-seok that, he perceives it as faint pain.
"What is this? Beneath this chaos...someone's pain is hidden!?'
Oh Hyun-seok, for some reason, feels as though the "pain' beneath this chaos is resonating with him.
Just what is this...?"
Just who could have buried such "suffering' within this immense chaos?
And what could that person have gone through, that it resonates with the pain of Oh Hyun-seok, who suffers from his child's pain?
"Whoever it is...they must have suffered.'
He hugs the child's soul even tighter and feels the pain within the chaos, and soon after Tsaaaat!
Oh Hyun-seok finally enters the enormous world shaped like an inverted cone.
Co
And suddenly, he feels a sense of déja vu.
"Something's strange."
itis dark.
The entire world is shrouded in blackness, as if covered in pitch-black darkness.
"The light disappeared? No, the light hasn't disappeared. This is..."
He soon realizes what the problem is.
"The light...is dim? Yes, this is..the power of light isn't spreading throughout Mount Sumeru!?'
And just as Oh Hyun-seok is confused—
"Two hundred and twenty thousand years."
ow
"It has been two hundred and twenty thousand years since we came to this world...as calculated by the standard flow of time."
Oh Hyun-seok finches in surprise at the white-clad figure who suddenly appears by his side.
But soon, he smiles warmly.
"It seems quite some time has passed since I was abducted."
"For True Immortals, that much is hardly anything. Have you been well?"
"Hahaha, of course. After all..."
Oh Hyun-seok speaks while sensing the sleeping child's spirit in his chest and the paper-flower-shaped cluster of light deep within.
"Haven't you been watching all along, Seo Eun-hyun?"
At Oh Hyun-seok's words, Seo Eun-hyun smiles softly and gently nods.
"Thank you for saving me."
"The matter with Senior Brother is not unrelated to me either."
"You cold-hearted one. If you were watching, you should've saved me from the start." "It's because you've grown, Hyung-nim, and reached the minimum threshold that could open a "path' where my power could reach you. Before you awakened on your own, I couldn't help recklessly. In the first place, even though we were together, it was only after you began suffering in the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea. Before that, my power within you was too weak, so I couldn't perceive anything."
"Is that s0...2 Then there's a lot I need to tell you myself."
"For now...let's talk as we head to the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. Listening along the way will be just right."
"Heavenly King Heavenly Domain... Right. You formed an alliance with Radiance Hall." "Pardon? How did you..."
"I'll tell you on the way. First..."
Oh Hyun-seok heads toward the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain with Seo Eun-hyun, and begins to tell him everything that has happened until now.
I listen to everything that has happened to Oh Hyun-seok and cannot hide my astonishment.
"The Creator God of another world was Silver Basket? They stole the Absolute of an Ender? The Absolute Fragment that Hyun-seok Hyung-nim possesses is the authority most similar to the very first chaos at the beginning of the world...2 The pain felt deep within the Outer Sea...and what even is the [sprout] mentioned by Silver Basket...?'
Each and every piece of information is enormous and significant enough to leave my mind reeling, and I can't afford to let any of it slip by.
If that's the case...
I begin to piece together the information I've heard from Oh Hyun-seok with what I already know.
"Hyung-nim realized that when Qi, Soul, and Fate are united, it becomes the spirit, and when all connections to the spirit are severed, that power becomes Origin Essence. And when all three Absolutes are combined, it will become someone's soul.'
From that, I can infer one thing.
[The baby]... The owner of the body whose blood vessels are being created using an entire timeline each time I regress... The one Hong Fan called a [being undergoing resurrection]..."
If there exists a body that uses the whole world as a single blood vein,
And if the Three Absolute Laws that transcend the world unite to become someone's soul, then the correlation is clear.
"Long ago...there was [someone]. The owner of the spirit composed of Fate, History, and the Third Absolute. And at some point, that being's spirit was split into three, and that being died.
Otherwise, there's no way Hong Fan would have said, upon first seeing i, that it was "resurrecting'.
If they haven't died, then there would be no need to speak of resurrection at all.
'And...if I compare it to the being called Silver Basket, who is the Creator God of another world...perhaps that being...is the Creator God."
The one who created this world.
Not merely the Future King who created Mount Sumeru, but the absolute being who created the six Heavenly Domains that became materials for Mount Sumeru, and even chaos itself.
"And the Future King is said to have an obligation to find a certain [answer]. But it's also said that the Future King has arbitrarily chosen a different answer. If there's a being who could have predetermined the answer the Future King must seek, then it can only be the Creator God.
If that's the case, then the Creator God and the Future King are separate individuals. The Creator God once existed but died, and upon death, their soul was split into three Absolutes, and they set a directive for the inheritors of their soul to find a certain answer. As I form various hypotheses from the information Oh Hyun-seok has brought, I guide him toward the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
"...I've listened well. I, too, would like to meet that being called Silver Basket." "Well...they seem to view you quite favorably. So if you delve into Purple Soul Filling the Heavens deeply someday, you might get to meet them as well."
"Hmm...I'm not so sure. I don't want to meet them through Purple Soul Filling the Heavens."
"Hm? Is there a reason?"
"..Well, for one, my current altered "Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens' has become entirely separate from the original. It's something completely different now."
I see..."
Oh Hyun-seok seems to accept that easily enough, but in truth, even if Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens had completely retained the original attributes of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, I never had any thoughts of using this Immortal Art to contact Silver Basket.
"Silver Basket...
The first time I encountered Purple Soul Filling the Heavens was within the throne of Penglai Kingdom in the Ancient Force Realm.
it was when Yuk Rin seized control of my body.
itis through Yuk Rin taking my body that I came into contact with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.
In the end, the essence of it is an Immortal Art that steals the body."
Though it is also an Immortal Art that symbolizes the [will] passed from past to future, there is no denying that it is specialized in stealing bodies.
There's no need to look too deep into it. After all, the Immortal Art used by Blood Yin to seize Vast Cold's body was Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.
Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, which originated from Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, is also an Immortal Art that replaces others with oneself.
The Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, which evolved after being passed to Oh Hye-seo, is an Immortal Art that makes others into one's slaves.
Even Flower Soul Filling the Heavens, which evolved after combined with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, is an Immortal Art that transmits one's emotions to another.
Although it is called transmission, if abused, it is an Immortal Art extremely convenient for brainwashing others.
Only when Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and my Flower Soul Filling the Heavens met and evolved, gaining entirely different attributes, did it become an Immortal Art that transcends space and time to reach a chosen coordinate. But the original Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is a power specialized in enslaving others and seizing their bodies.
Above all, the strongest evidence is...
..Only now when I hear Oh Hyun-seok's words and try to perceive it do I finally notice it.
itis the desire of Silver Basket that I sense through Oh Hyun-seok as a medium.
Is it because I can reach even into the domain of Undying beyond Araya Consciousness through Martial Pinnacle?
I can sense the faint desire of [some being] emanating from Oh Hyun-seok as a medium. It is so faint that, if I hadn't deliberately focused my mind after hearing Oh Hyun-seok explain Silver Basket in detail to detect this being, I might have missed them at all. That is how faint the presence is.
Even then, had that being not held some kind of desire toward me, I might not have sensed it at all, and even now, I have no idea where that being actually is.
"Silver Basket...is perhaps a being who desires the bodies of those who have developed what they call a [sprout].
I grow wary of Silver Basket's goals.
However, since Oh Hyun-seok seems to have received grace from Silver Basket, I refrain from speaking ill of them in front of Oh Hyun-seok and instead explain the current situation.
"Currently in Mount Sumeru..we have barely succeeded in sealing the Naming Supreme Deity inside the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. Right at the center of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, in the Palace of Radiance."
Once the Naming Supreme Deity awakened and realized that Oh Hyun-seok, who he tried to use as his hostage, had vanished from his body, he immediately tried to head to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, to the Head Realm.
it was only natural.
As nothing more than an ordinary Supreme Deity, the Naming Supreme Deity would have known that without a hostage, he would be instantly killed by me, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, and the Radiance Eight Immortals, beings of Heavenly Venerable rank. "He must have intended to obtain the Heavenly Void Furnace in the Head Realm that he used in his past life as well to subdue the Radiance Eight Immortals, and then borrow the power of the Head Realm to endure against us as long as possible."
And in the end, while attempting to pass through the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain in pursuit of the Heavenly Void Furnace, he was captured by the Radiance Eight Immortals. In truth, if it's the Radiance Eight Immortals in their original state, they would be able to subdue someone like Hyeon Rang in an instant, but...
"It turns out, the authority Hyeon Rang wields as the rightful heir of the Head Realm is something not even one of the Heavenly Venerable rank can stop. In the end, to seal the power of history revision that Hyeon Rang uses as the heir of the Head Realm, the Radiance Eight Immortals imprisoned him where the power of fate is most potent, in the Palace of Radiance within the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. Then they formed a formation gathering the light of the entire Heavenly Domain to seal him."
"...f it were you, you could've stopped Master before the damage became that severe..." "Well...that is certainly true."
However, I shake my head.
"If it had been before he was confined in the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, then maybe so. But after he entered the Palace of Radiance..after he began using history revision like mad to escape from within the palace...from that point on, even I could no longer Kill him."
"What...2"
Taking the confused Oh Hyun-seok with me, I arrive at the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
In an instant, we reach the center of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, where the Palace of Radiance stands. There, we witness the Eight Immortals applying pressure from eight directions, forming hand seals and binding the palace tightly with the power of prophecy.
Tens, hundreds, thousands of prophetic stars form constellations, sealing the center of the palace.
And at the very center of the palace, something familiar comes into view.
itis a Taiji
"That's..."
Oh Hyun-seok's eyes tremble.
I gaze at the Taiji and let out a bitter smile.
That Taiji resembles the form of a fetus.
"Continuously drawing on the power of the Head Realm...he lost his reason and became such a bizarre being. Should we call it a second awakening? No, perhaps it's not an awakening at all but that he simply returned to his essence"
"Kang Min-hee, the Radiance Eight Immortals, and I...we've found a way to defeat that thing."
Kang Min-hee reads its laws, I read the flow and heart emanating from it, and the Radiance Eight Immortals read the histories recorded in Radiance Hall to discover a way to kill Hyeon Rang who has transformed into that form.
"In the end, the conclusion is this: to kill Hyeon Rang, we must draw out the [human heart] he holds."
And the most important part is my regression.
Even if we kill Hyeon Rang, he could come back to life if I regress, so after killing him, we must completely seal his Origin Essence.
"And the sealing method...is History Repetition.'
While observing the Hyeon Rang who has turned into that form, we arrived at one conclusion.
Hyeon Rang is the spirit of a being who, in the distant past, was miscarried by [a certain existence], lost all connections, and became an Origin Essence.
Therefore, the only way to kill Hyeon Rang who became a monster that recklessly borrows the power of the Absolute of History is but one.
itis to use the absolute law exercised by that same Absolute of History to kill him.
"To kill Hyeon Rang..."
Just as we killed the awakened Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, we must simultaneously extinguish the three dantians.
And in Hyeon Rang's case, two additional conditions are required to annihilate him using the power of History Repetition.
First,
Draw out Hyeon Rang's humanness from within that monstrous form.
Second,
In the state where his humanity has been awakened, the one to kill Hyeon Rang and the method used must resemble the manner in which the very first Hyeon Rang was miscarried.
Upon hearing my following words, Oh Hyun-seok's expression twists into bitterness. "...Hyeon Rang...must be burned to death by the hands of his [Father."
More precisely, by the hands of a [Father who carries the pain of losing his child].
This is something we learned from the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord, who serves as the archivist recording the histories of Radiance Hall.
Even they do not fully understand the reason, but the original Hyeon Rang was aborted by the hands of his father and was born as Origin Essence.
And among all True Immortals, those strong enough to face Hyeon Rang,
Those whose enlightenment is deep enough to maintain consciousness within the history revision he wields,
And those who carry the history of being a [father who carries the pain of losing a child], can be counted in one hand.
Me.
Oh Hyun-seok.
Glass Peacock.
Only the three of us among the True Immortals carry the identity of a parent, the grief of having lost a child, as well as the strength and enlightenment to face Hyeon Rang.
The method to kill the maddened Hyeon Rang.
itis for us, in the role of a father, to burn to death the Hyeon Rang who has become an infant.
-x-X-x-
Glass Peacock, Oh Hyun-seok, and I.
It doesn't take long for the three of us to gather.
Glass Peacock, who always giggles with a crazed look in their eyes as if perpetually in heat, appears before us for the first time with a serious expression.
No, rather than serious...
They seem displeased.
"...To stab using the most painful memory—though I agreed because there was no other choice...frankly, I'm not fond of this."
Having a faint concept of gender, they've violated countless beings and wandered about, at times impregnating others, at times becoming pregnant themself.
As such, they are both a mother and father.
Having an enormous number of children and descendants, I've heard that Glass Peacock has had to watch offspring numbering at least in the quadrillions that died as they couldn't outlive Glass Peacock, or who were swept up and killed in the currents of fate.
And perhaps because they carry the grief of a father, the very idea of killing Hyeon Rang through that sorrow seems very unpleasant to them.
"If I weren't granted the chance to carry out an operation with Azure Peng, I would never have agreed, even if it was a summons from Radiance Hall."
Glass Peacock initially declared they would never join the operation. But when the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld said that Glass Peacock, in their state of a Great Net Immortal, lacks the output alone and offered the chance to cooperate with Azure Peng, only then did they finally accept.
"Where is Azure Peng? I feel like I need to bury my face in their tail feathers to feel at ease."
"Don't worry. They're in the Underworld for now out of concern you might pounce on them, but once the operation starts, they'll come."
"Damn it! Just where did my Azure Peng's tail feathers gol?"
Glass Peacock grumbles while throwing a fit, as if the entire situation bothers them, and I exchange glances with Oh Hyun-seok as we begin to take our positions.
Eventually, even the complaining Glass Peacock gradually takes their position.
"I'll take Heaven (5)."
"Then I can take Earth (i)."
I take the upper dantian, symbolizing Heaven. Glass Peacock takes the lower dantian, symbolizing Earth.
And naturally, Oh Hyun-seok takes the middle dantian, symbolizing Man (A).
For some reason, the Sal Tree Battle comes to mind and I smile bitterly.
"One way or another, it ends up with the disciple piercing the master in the chest." Perhaps this, too, is history repetition.
A short while later, the daughter Oh Hyun-seok brought from Penglai Island is sent down to the Underworld.
"Is everyone prepared?"
Oh Hyun-seok nods.
Seeing that, I signal to our comrades waiting outside the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
Outside the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
In the direction of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain are Jeon Myeong-hoon and Oh Hye-seo.
On the opposite side, where the other Heavenly Domains lie, are Kang Min-hee and Kim Yeon who receive the signal and begin forming their respective seals.
Kururung!
Pachijijijik!
Jeon Myeong-hoon swings the Heavenly Lightning Banner.
With that, thunder and lightning seem to engulf the entire Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, revealing the form of Indra's Net.
[I'l be the wick. Burn the Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation.]
Woo-woong!
Oh Hye-seo seems to be using the authority of Truth Manipulation as she gradually blurs before applying attraction force on each of the three of us—me, Oh Hyun-seok, and Glass Peacock.
She, like me, is a disciple of a mountain spirit and has studied the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, allowing her to wield attraction force through it.
She shares the same surname as Oh Hyun-seok, so she holds attraction with him too. As for Glass Peacock, since her mortal being days, she frequently used the True Blood granted by Seo Hweol, so there is an attraction with them as well.
She shares a common thread with all three of us, making her an indispensable figure in this operation.
In cases of an emergency, she will become our escape route.
Kugugung!
immediately after, Kang Min-hee begins to exert power.
Dozens, hundreds of black threads seem to appear in the void before spreading across the Palace of Radiance.
Mantra (E5),
[A flower that has fallen once does not bloom again, only before the flowers fall does one remember the Spring.]
Falling Flower!
Tsuaaaaaaal
From those black threads, dark blue flower buds begin to bloom, gradually pulling Hyeon Rang, who is sealed inside the Palace of Radiance, down from the category of "nonstandard being' to a "standard being'.
Under Kang Min-hee's manipulation of rules, Hyeon Rang, who had been quite literally a "Taiji in the shape of a fetus,' now begins to form a shape somewhat closer to that of a [fetus].
And Kim Yeon, as if resonating with Oh Hye-seo on the opposite side, begins to channel power to us through her connection with Oh Hye-seo.
It may appear that she has no other role beyond acting as an additional power source, but in truth, her part is more focused toward what comes after this, so it is of little concern.
The role she has taken on will shine even more after Hyeon Rang is defeated. Woo-woooong!
In any case, even just receiving power from her causes our energy to begin to surge. [V-Vast Cold's power..? Haha, back when Vast Cold was around, I burned myself chasing that scent...only now can I finally smell it.]
Glass Peacock trembles with arousal, and within this overwhelming torrent of power, Oh Hyun-seok regenerates his right arm in one go.
Originally, his right arm bore an injury that even a Great Net Immortal of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation would need tens of thousands of years to recover from, but Vast Colds power ignored all of that and regenerated it entirely.
Woo-wooooong!
Within this immense amplification of power, I half-close my eyes and send a signal to Radiance Hall
:: Great Sun, Torch Candle! : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord receives my signal and shouts, and the two Heavenly Lords symbolizing Yang energy within Radiance Hall begin to form hand signs.
Kwarung, kwarururung!
Soon, Jeon Myeong-hoon's Indra's Net, scattered nearby, begins to transform, boiling red.
Kwajijijikt
At last, the boiling Indra's Net begins drawing in nearby lightning to each of its threads, forming them into spears.
Thousands, tens of thousands of Lightning-Tipped Spears illuminate the area. immediately after, the Lightning-Tipped Spears shoot toward the interior of the Palace of Radiance under Jeon Myeong-hoon's command.
Shukwagagak!
.
The universe hums and trembles.
Hyeong Rang's screams burst from within the Palace of Radiance, scraping the conceptual fabric of every noun existing in this world for a moment.
But the Radiance Eight Immortals begin to act.
: In the name of the Owner of Light, we command... : :
The Owners of Light, who govern the life of all existence in Mount Sumeru, begin to grasp the fate of the domain of life.
Wooo-woooong!
The brightness of all 'lights' seem to brighten then dim, and the entirety of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain becomes bright.
Fate has been embedded within light itself.
: + Within the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, among all the Immortal Daos, light is foremost, and no law may overcome light. : :
The Power of Names spoken by the Naming Supreme Deity begins to bow before the Power of Light.
Then, at the command of the Great Forest Heavenly Lord, the Great Sun Heavenly Lord and Torch Candle Heavenly Lord raise their hands, having prepared something. Hwarururuk!
: In the name of Great Sun, Regulator of the Heavenly Domains, I command... : :
: + In the name of Torch Candle, Administrator of the Heavenly Void Furnace, I command... :
The attraction forces of several Heavenly Domains within Mount Sumeru all converge under the Great Sun Heavenly Lord and engulfs the Palace of Radiance.
The Torch Candle Heavenly Lord connects with the Head Realm and summons something.
itis the power of explosion.
The authority of explosion, beginning from the Head Realm and the Akashic Records, gathers in the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord's hands and is imbued into the Palace of Radiance.
Jeon Myeong-hoon's Lightning-Tipped Spear becomes the wick, latching flames onto the Naming Supreme Deity. The Great Sun Heavenly Lord's attraction force becomes the furnace, blocking the heat from escaping.
Enter. ::
And we become the wind, carrying out the role of the bellows.
Chok, chok, chok!
Glass Peacock, Oh Hyun-seok, and I form the Three Powers Formation and land at one corner of the Palace of Radiance.
Oh Hye-seo connects our minds using herself as a medium, so there's no need for further strategy explanations or coordination.
[Azure Peng! It's time to bring out Azure Peng!]
Glass Peacock, eyes bloodshot, transforms into their true body and shouts, and from deep within the Underworld, the deep sigh of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld is heard as the gate of the Underworld opens here.
Kugugugung!
immediately, from the deepest depths of the Underworld, three Blue Birds appear.
They are the attendants of the Underworld, Dae Ryeo, So Ryeo, and Blue Bird.
And upon seeing Blue Bird, Glass Peacock's eyes roll back.
: : 000000000! : :
Azure Peng looks like they're about to go into a seizure the moment they see Glass Peacock, but they don't even get the chance.
Glass Peacock stretches their neck out long like Bong Myeong, and in an instant, swallows Azure Peng whole.
Azure Peng seems to try resisting by using the power of Origin Essence, but Glass Peacock instead absorbs that very power with eyes full of ecstasy.
:: Un, uuuuught! Azure Peng, struggle more. Uuuuht! Yes, scrape my innards! Uuuught! 00000000hK! : :
In their main body, Glass Peacock begins twisting their body in ecstatic joy, and Dae Ryeo and So Ryeo, the siblings of Azure Peng, sigh at the sight and begin flapping their wings.
: : Once the Naming Supreme Deity is defeated, we will retrieve Azure Peng. Do not overfeed the Glass Avidya Advancement Light. : :
: : Hehe, the Underworld is someone who respects life, so they wouldn't care about my relationship with Azure Peng, but you lackeys are the ones throwing a tantrum. Sorry, but now that Azure Peng is back in my hands, it's over! Azure Peng is mine! If you interfere, I'l capture you as well and let you know sensual pleasure! Ahahahahat : :
With hardened faces, Dae Ryeo and So Ryeo just flap their wings and generate wind for us, and I, Oh Hyun-seok, and Glass Peacock reveal our true forms and ride that wind. Jieooooooong!
Finally, a gate within the Palace of Radiance opens.
Kugugugugugu!
We ride the wind created by the Blue Birds and enter the palace.
Hwio000000!
The inside of the Palace of Radiance is bright.
It's because the power of light is pouring in in abundance, but also because Hyeon Rang is burning.
Hwarururururu!
The vast plain Kang Min-hee created inside the Palace of Radiance through Falling Flower can be seen.
And at the center of that plain, something massive is burning.
itis Hyeon Rang.
He burns in the form of a giant infant, and the closer we get to him, the more our essence begins to distort in a strange way.
My body stretches like rubber, Glass Peacock suddenly turns into wood and stone, and Oh Hyun-seok's presence—which had been blooming uncharacteristic of him— completely disappears again.
: : Hyeon Rang is distorting us through the use of names. : :
:: True forms with free shapes are even more easily swayed. : :
Glass Peacock and I quickly analyze the phenomenon, quickly share our thoughts, and simultaneously transform into out Transformation forms.
Oh Hyun-seok and I transform into our usual forms, while Glass Peacock transforms into the figure of a beautiful woman with a dangling lower body. On her back is a massive bundle, and something inside it endlessly squirms.
It seems to be Azure Peng.
[Unehe, stay still, you little thing.]
Glass Peacock makes a lecherous expression with a woman's face and slaps the bundle with a smack, and at the same time, an immense "distortion' emerges from the bundle and begins to twist the surrounding space.
Azure Peng's Spatial Labyrinth divine power distorts the space of the plain, instantly closing the distance between us and Hyeon Rang.
Hwarurururur—
It's hot."
Perhaps because we have taken on our Transformation forms but Hyeon Rang still remains in his true body, the size difference between us and Hyeon Rang is immense. "Even this is only because Kang Min-hee adjusted the size of the form. If it were Hyeon Rang's real main body, our Transformation forms wouldn't even be able to leave a scratch on him."
Of course, as long as Hyeon Rang is drawing upon the power of the Head Realm, our attacks aren't really effective anyway.
Therefore, what we need right now is...
[Hyun-seok Hyung-nim!]
[1 know!]
Kugugugugu!
..the presence of Oh Hyun-seok.
There's no need to attack Hyeon Rang's three dantians right away.
It wouldn't work right now anyway.
What we need to do now is have Oh Hyun-seok launch a strike imbued with his heart, and just like at the end of the past life, awaken Hyeon Rang's humanity.
Kururururung!
Wings seem to form behind Oh Hyun-seok's back, and a purple dragon coils around his arm.
"Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter...! No, that's...
I can tell that Oh Hyun-seok has broken through his limits in the Outer Sea.
Oh Hyun-seok's Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter merges with his arm.
The purple dragon etches itself into his skin, turning into a tattoo.
The form of a dragon that symbolizes Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter becomes imprinted directly onto Oh Hyun-seok's body.
Hwoooong—
A single straight punch!
At that strike, Hyeon Rang opens his eyes wide and begins to scream.
.
In that monstrous scream, deadly even to True Immortals, we all simultaneously feel reality and illusion shake.
And within Hyeon Rang's scream, we begin to see something.
No, it's more accurate to say we hear' it.
itis the sound of burning.
—Hwarurururuk!
"This is..."
itis the history of a distant ancient past.
Most likely the history from the time of Hyeon Rang's birth.
it's hot.
The pain Hyeon Rang felt, and the cries of what seem to be his parents, ring out like buzzing vibrations.
Then, [someone]'s voice strikes my ear.
—..I've...brought a name... They said the name...Hyeon Rang (%#) would be good for the child... I've brought your name too...Yang Hwe (#3[E). It's Yang Hwe. Isn't it nice? So...Hwe-ah. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Forgive me. I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry... One day, if there is a next life...I'll make you happy then.
Thump, thump...
Why is it?
it seems like I'm the only one hearing this voice.
Oh Hyun-seok, and Glass Peacock as well, seem to be hearing something else within Hyeon Rang's scream.
As I listen to this scream, feeling the pounding of my heart, I sense a powerful déja vu, and as the realm of Immortal Beast King resonates with the being called Hyeon Rang, it allows me to [recall] something.
—If there's a next life...I'll make sure something like this never happens again.
—In the next life...ll dress you in cloth made from the fire mouse said to live on the western mountain.
—I'll gift you an entire orchard of immortal peaches that the gods themselves are said to eat.
—I'll give you clothes made of tiger and leopard hides.
—1'll gift you beautiful hair ornaments.
—I'll dig a spring and a stream that overflows with elixirs of immortality just for you.
—I'll make sure the blue birds you like so much attend to your every need.
—I'll bring you as much cheese as you want, and let you listen to beautiful music as much as you please.
—So please, Hwe-ah.
The owner of that voice speaks in a voice so sorrowful it feels like one's chest is collapsing.
Just hearing that voice alone makes my chest sink, and pain wells up just as much as when Hyang-hwa died.
—Forgive me... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry...for making you meet someone like me...for making you unhappy... I'm sorry. I'll go and meet the Lord of Heaven who rules the Heavenly Kingdom...and request so that I can meet you again someday. I'll meet the Lord of Heaven who rules the Heavenly Kingdom and receive blessings, and make you happy again...
—If the Lord of Heaven does not allow it, then even if I must kill him...I will gain that permission. So one day...when we meet again...!'ll make you happy... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry...
Thump—
Within the voice that crushes the chest, I begin to remember something.
itis an old memory.
A memory from the 16th cycle.
An...
I think I traveled out into the Outer Sea through the Heavenly Void Furnace during the 16th cycle.
And in the Outer Sea, I once glimpsed [the memory of the owner of this voice now being heard].
That must be why only I, unlike Oh Hyun-seok or Glass Peacock, can hear this voice. "Back then...I was definitely with Hong Fan...
Beneath Hyeon Rang's scream, I unknowingly try to recall more of the 16th cycle's memories.
But just then, I feel a sharp headache and realize I can remember no further.
Still, within that pain, I understand something.
.Hyeon Rang is the Western Zero King. The Final Immortal Beast King and the one fated to become the Final Owner of Ancient Force.'
If I face him, perhaps I might be able to recover these memories that became lost at some point and turned into ancient force.
Because of Hyeon Rang's scream, the interior and exterior of the Palace of Radiance is sealed off.
With vision from the outside and reinforcements blocked, Hyeon Rang's energy continues to swell, growing in size, strength, and life.
[That won't do.]
And I, seeing such a Hyeon Rang, reach out my hand.
[Come forth, Five Desires True Treasures (EAXEE).]
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Primal Chaos Chain, Hong Fan.
Twin Constructing Chains, Yeo Hwi.
Unruly Chain, Ham Jin.
Obsidian Chain, Yu Hwi.
Swallowing Heaven Chain, Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity!
The five Immortal Treasures, who each carry a portion of the power of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, leap out at my call.
[In the name of your master, I command you. The Five Desires Chains shall bind and seal the Owner of Names!
[We obey!]
Hong Fan answers on their behalf, and they tum into five long chains, endlessly extending and wrapping around Hyeon Rang.
Clang!
The five chains begin to coil tightly around Hyeon Rang's body, and the Hyeon Rang who had been growing in power and size now begins to shrink under the binding of the Five Desire Chains.
[Once more, please, Hyung-nim!]
Hyeon Rang tries to attack Oh Hyun-seok again, but Glass Peacock uses the Spatial Labyrinth divine power to divert the attack, and Oh Hyun-seok once again exerts his power, gathering his strength and heart into his fist.
Woo-woong—
And then comes Oh Hyun-seok's second strike!
With that second strike, Hyeon Rang's scream spreads to the upper heavens, shaking Heaven and Earth once more.
Along with it, I can feel Hyeon Rang's humanity awakening more and more with each blow delivered by Oh Hyun-seok.
"It's working!"
Hyeon Rang's heart is awakening.
-x-X-x-
Thump—
I smile at the pulsing sound rising from deep within Hyeon Rang.
"He's awakening."
Now, as long as Hyeon Rang fully awakens, the advantage will be ours.
[Five Desires Chains]
At my command, the Five Desires Chains begin tightening around Hyeon Rang even more, and Oh Hyun-seok starts wringing every bit of strength into his fist.
Tudududuk—
Oh Hyun-seok's hair, which had turned ashen gray, begins taking on a purple hue once again and glows.
Then, Oh Hyun-seok's fist extends along a single, very natural path.
Whoooong—
Third Strike!
The third straight punch.
Oh Hyun-seok's heart, embedded in that strike, resonates deeply with the heart of Hyeon Rang.
And I feel Hyeon Rang, bound by the Five Desires Chains, constricting even faster.
"No, he's not just tightening faster. It's more than that..."
Hyeon Rang's is starting to shrink.
Chwararararak!
"D-Did the sealing succeed?"
Yeo Hwi shouts in a voice as if she is taken aback, and Glass Peacock licks their lips as they speak.
impossible, descendant of mine. Do not take a Supreme Deity lightly. This is only the beginning.]
Kugugugugu—
Soon, we see Hyeon Rang, having shrunk in size, transform from the shape of an infant into another form.
::...Disciple. : :
itis Hyeon Rang in the form of an old man.
A form most similar to Hong Fan's earliest form.
And that elderly Hyeon Rang looks at Oh Hyun-seok with a warm smile, as if possessing reason.
:: You have grown well. : :
The appearance looks so rational and wise that everyone present momentarily believes Hyeon Rang has returned to sanity.
But I instinctively know.
No
That thing over there is not Hyeon Rang.
it's merely "something' imitating Hyeon Rang's personality.
: : As you have now reached a realm befitting a Heavenly King...as your teacher, I must give you a gift. I shall give you a name. The name I bestow shall dwell in you as strength. Tstststs—
The elderly Hyeon Rang gestures swiftly into the void, then writes an enormous name before us.
That name is Silver-Black Heavenly King ((8%%E).
:: Receive it. As the Owner of Names, I bestow it upon you... : :
And then,
Tukwang!
Oh Hyun-seok directly strikes the name hurled at him by the Naming Supreme Deity with his fist and sends it flying.
Jjeoooongt
That name made of light is sent hurtling far beyond the sky by Oh Hyun-seok's strike, and I smile at the sight.
[No need.]
Uduk, udududuk!
Clenching his fist tightly, Oh Hyun-seok continues speaking.
[I will find my name through my own strength. Though I appreciate Master's goodwill, I wish to seize my name for myself. Please...forgive this disciple's rudeness.]
::..You will regret it. : :
Hyeon Rang's eyes narrow.
However, Oh Hyun-seok shakes his head as if he doesn't care in the slightest, and begins to unfurl wings from his back.
itis a total of thirteen pais of wings.
Purple Primordial Chaos seems to surge around Oh Hyun-seok before the color of the world begins to vanish from his fist.
it feels as though all of Heaven and Earth has turned silver.
And in this ashen world where color has disappeared, Oh Hyun-seok laughs loudly and shouts.
[Even if I end up regretting it—if we can face each other and laugh...isn't that what life is all about!?]
it feels as if all the attraction force in Heaven and Earth gathers into Oh Hyun-seok's fist. [Glass Peacock!]
[Hng, don't get impatient.]
Reading Oh Hyun-seok's heart, I send a signal to Glass Peacock, and in the next moment, we all rush at the Naming Supreme Deity at once.
[Moreover...]
:: I prophesize... : :
Hyeon Rang tries to use the power of prophecy and names, but Oh Hyun-seok and we are faster.
Severing Heaven Sword Form.
Third Form, Punishing Heaven!
A Candle Dragon of starlight bursts apart Hyeon Rang's head.
Azure Peng Immortal Art.
Eternal Labyrinth.
Glass Peacock Immortal Art.
Glass Avidya Advancement Light.
Linked Technique.
Wine Lake Meat Realm Avidya Labyrinth (Z5tPIREEEKE).
The combined powers of Azure Peng and Glass Peacock draw a Taiji, and waterfall of fragment liquid melts away Hyeon Rang's lower dantian.
Whooong—
Oh Hyun-seok's straight punch digs into Hyeon Rang's chest.
With our simultaneous strikes, Hyeon Rang's three dantians shatter, and he dies.
At that very moment, something soft and formless surges from Hyeon Rang's blood and scatters into the surroundings.
itis fog.
Within the fog, we are able to see something.
itis the days of Oh Hyun-seok and Hyeon Rang.
—Master, how long are you going to fish? When is the Immortal Arts lesson...?
—You fool, this is Immortal Arts. Hup!
—You haven't caught anything though...
—I caught you, so I landed a big one. Tsk tsk, don't make that face. The essence of immortal Arts isn't something described with grand words like attraction force or whatever... It's when a being with will acts toward a goal and achieves it. That is the essence of Immortal Arts. Immortal Arts is...
Tsuaaaaaa—
The time Hyeon Rang fished with Oh Hyun-seok, the time Hyeon Rang played Go with Oh Hyun-seok.
The time Hyeon Rang made Oh Hyun-seok steal, the time he threw Oh Hyun-seok into the domain authority of Glass Peacock's clone and forced him to escape, the time he turned into a younger form and beat Oh Hyun-seok senseless...
—Immortal Arts is simply the power to fulfill dreams.
All those memories rise around Oh Hyun-seok like a dream and then vanish.
And within that dreamlike fog, Hyeon Rang, whose three dantians have been damaged, begins to regenerate them.
Tsuaaaat—
The elderly Hyeon Rang transforms, reviving into a form resembling the middle-aged Hong Fan.
:: 1 am the God of Names. As long as the concept of names exists in this world, I am undying. : :
"As expected. When one reaches the level of a Supreme Deity, there certainly are many ways to resurrect.'
W000-Wo0000Ng—
I feel it.
As long as the concept of [names] exists in this world, Hyeon Rang will continue to resurrect.
'So a mere strike to the three dantians is not enough."
But it doesn't matter.
We quickly exchange thoughts and once again form the Three Powers Formation. Shukwak!
In the instant of Araya Consciousness, I slice through Hyeon Rang's neck.
But Hyeon Rang only smiles faintly and regenerates swiftly.
:: A name, to me, is a star of prophecy. If you wish to kill me, you must erase all names from this world. Can you do that? : :
I see it.
Through Indra's Net, the innumerable life threads connected to him.
As long as even one of those lifelines remains, killing him is impossible.
But it doesn't matter.
[To be a Supreme Deity, and yet be so complacent.]
I sneer as I gulp down a single drop of his Immortal Beast True Blood, which I collected as I sliced Hyeon Rang's neck with the Impermanence Sword.
[Well, it figures. A Supreme Deity probably wouldn't have much occasion to fight a curse sorcerer.]
I am not someone like Kim Young-hoon, a true martial artist who stakes everything on Martial Arts.
I am both a martial artist and a cultivator, and also a sorcerer.
Even among those, a being who specialized in spells of pain and curses.
The color of the Impermanence Sword turns black.
Through Hyeon Rang's blood, I connect to the countless lifelines linked to him.
Every [name] that exists in this world falls within the range of my curse.
:: Poison, is it? : :
[That just happens to be the area of expertise I was always good at, you see.]
Since my days as the Infinite Fighting Monster, endlessly repeating duels to reach the peak, I've never had the nature of someone who insists on fighting fair and square.
I'm more like those unorthodox martial artists who, after battling with unorthodox sects, learned to be capable of using underhanded tricks when needed.
That's who I am.
And Hyeon Rang, smiling as always, responds.
: : What I mean is, you have swallowed poison. Do you not understand why no curse sorcerers at the level of True Immortal ever use the opponent's body as a medium for curses? : :
Thump—
The Immortal Beast True Blood I swallowed begins to corrode me from within.
My [name] connects directly with Hyeon Rang, and it feels like my very existence is being transferred to him.
But I smile back and activate an Immortal Art.
impermanence Sword.
Ghost-Face Killed Heaven.
Avici Hell.
The Immortal Art of the Impermanence Sword, specialized in curses and pain, activates, and I begin to mutilate myself.
[Pain is indeed a truth that precedes any other truth.]
From all over my body, thousands, hundreds of millions of faces of 'me' erupt, struggling to escape from within me.
Though I've suppressed them through merging them with Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, an uncountable number of Heart Demons still exist within me, and they squirm madly in desperation to flee from the pain.
And as a result, the presence of Hyeon Rang, which was trying to consume me from within, melts away in that pain and vanishes.
::...Vile mountain spirits, the lot of you. : :
Hyeon Rang clicks his tongue as if it's absurd, and that is the end of it.
Boo-0ong—
My Impermanence Sword, now dyed black, severs my neck, Oh Hyun-seok's arm penetrates through my chest, and Glass Peacock's feather pierces my lower dantian.
At the same time, Hyeon Rang's neck, chest, and lower dantian—connected to me by attraction force through the curse—are all simultaneously torn apart. Furthermore, all the [names] linked to Hyeon Rang and the prophetic stars he possesses are ripped away as well.
I, having long since discarded the Immortal Title of Crystal Glass Being bestowed by Hyeon Rang, and Oh Hyun-seok, who never received one in the first place, suffer no shock at all. But the Ignorant One Glass Peacock, suffering the most, collapses on the spot with their eyes rolling back and frothing at the mouth.
Though the Glass Peacock is a being who can accept even considerable pain as pleasure, the shock from the loss of a fundamental [name] seems to exceed even their mits.
And then, Hyeon Rang's three dantians, which had been pierced, are filled once more. [You just keep coming back. Is your hidden name perhaps something like Hyeon Li or the like?]
:: That name drips with malice. It seems 'Li" is the name of someone you hate? : : Chwaaaaagh!
Hyeon Rang's body regenerates again, and his appearance changes.
itis the form of Hyeon Rang as a beautiful young man.
[I don't necessarily hate him.]
I strike down every means of resurrection in one go, and yet he revives again. Judging by how his face changes each time...
The number of times Hyeon Rang can revive is four.
In other words...
"The next is the last"
But perhaps Hyeon Rang catches on to my thoughts. He smiles with a beautiful face and speaks.
. : Glass Peacock is in no condition to join the fight, and you will not be able to even strike the three dantians. How do you plan to bring me down? : :
Tsuaaaat—
From around Hyeon Rang, color begins to reappear in the world.
2 As I am now, apart from prophecy or revision, unless you directly attack the three dantians, I am undying and unperishing. : :
The ashen world that had unfolded around Oh Hyun-seok is pushed away.
I glance toward Glass Peacock.
Behind the unconscious Glass Peacock, a woman in blue robes—carried in a bundle by Glass Peacock—emerges and trembles as she breathes something into them.
"Get up, get up, you vulgar thing... I-It's not like I'm doing this because I like you. The imperial Venerable commanded it... I can't let the Imperial Venerable be disappointed. So get up...! You vulgar thing..."
Azure Peng pours all their strength into healing Glass Peacock, and I smile faintly as I watch.
[With the Imperial Venerable's attendant being so devoted in healing them, it seems they will wake up soon enough.]
: : Ahaha, do you truly believe that? They received the shock of names, yet do you really think they wil rise so easily? A mountain spirit like you might manage, but for Glass Peacock, it is impossible. Do you speak so confidently because you know when they will awaken? : :
[Because it doesn't matter when they wake up.]
I respond briefly, then lower my sword for a moment and tie back the hair that has grown a bit long recently.
In my true form it wouldn't matter, but now that I'm in my Transformation form, it's just in the way.
With my hair tied in a ponytail, I grip the Impermanence Sword again and smirk.
[it seems like you're misunderstanding something, Hyeon Rang. The only reason I've let you run around this long is out of respect for Hyun-seok Hyung-nim...not because I can't handle the likes of you.]
Tsaaaaaa—
The world created by Kang Min-hee's mantra of Fallen Flower becomes stained by my killing intent.
I gaze down coldly at Hyeon Rang and twist my grip on the Impermanence Sword.
[If you won't die no matter how many times I kill you, well, that's fine too. Then...that just means I'l kill you again and again until Glass Peacock wakes up.]
After meeting my eyes in silence for a moment, Hyeon Rang immediately raises his hand toward the sky.
:: Descend unto me. : :
Pukwak!
I sever Hyeon Rang's neck.
The killing intent blanketing all of Heaven and Earth condenses into the Impermanence sword.
Pouring all my strength into the sword, I begin the hunt for Hyeon Rang.
"Shall we begin...the Supreme Deity hunt?"
I am not a martial artist.
But I am a swordsman.
And because I am a swordsman, even if I have just this one sword...
I have the confidence to kill a god.
Hyeon Rang and I begin to clash.
Kugugugugugu!
Hyeon Rang reveals his true body.
Even now, his true form remains bound by my Five Desires Chain and is burning in the flames of the Great Sun and Torch Candle Heavenly Lords.
But even so, he is massive.
Kurururung!
:: Descend unto me. : :
With one hand, Hyeon Rang endlessly summons something forth, while swinging his fist at me.
Hwoong!
With just a single punch, reality distorts, and the boundary between illusion and reality blurs.
"This is the power of Go (25/Ancient).'
When a Human Race Immortal Beast ascends, they are called by the name Go.
In Kang Min-hee's case, she accepted the Immortal Beast True Blood of the Underworld and became another kind of Immortal Beast known as Mother (8), so she isn't a Go. But surprisingly, I, the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow, am a kind of "mutated Go,' thus I am well aware of the abilities of Go.
immortal Beasts of the bird type, like Pengs or Peacocks, command storms with their wings.
Glass Peacock commands the storms of the mind, and Azure Peng commands the storms of space.
immortal Beasts of the reptilian type, like Dragons or Snakes, command the power of rivers with their scales.
Lofty Dragon commands the river of Health, and Black Dragon commands the river of Taiyin.
In this way, all Immortal Beasts have their respective domains, and among them, the domain that Human Race Immortal Beasts control is this—
Dreams.
Distorted by Hyeon Rang, reality and illusion twist and entangle, warping the surroundings into chaos.
The Owner of Names Hyeon Rang, ironically drives us into a world where names mean the least—dreams.
The entire world changes into Hyeon Rang's chaos, and all of Heaven and Earth becomes dyed in nightmares.
And, I slice through the nightmare.
Tsaaaaaat!
Hyeon Rang's fist comes flying at me.
Transcending all, his fist destroys dream and reality in a single strike. As I witness his punch, I thrust my sword forward to meet it.
Pukwaang!
Hyeon Rang's arm explodes.
Kugugugu!
The power of the Immortal Beast Pangu meets the Immortal Dao of the Owner of Names, and within the dream of chaos, a name is affixed, and definition is set.
Kurung, kurururung!
Within Hyeon Rang's hand, a Heavenly Domain is being born.
I see thousands, hundreds of millions of galaxy clusters being formed inside a black sphere.
:: Pangu's Genesis. : :
The ultimate technique of the Immortal Beast Pangu unfolds, and an entire universe begins to pour forth from Hyeon Rang's hand.
Billions of galaxy clusters forming inside the black waterfall rush toward me.
And I, focusing my mind, let my sword cry ring out.
Too-wooong—
That sword cry resonates with the new universe, and within that resonance, I find a gap in the Heavenly Domain and narrow my eyes.
Then, I cleave.
Jjeooook!
The Heavenly Domain splits in half, and I open my mouth.
[it's useless.]
Uduk, udududuk!
The Five Desires Chain, empowered by my strength, tighten around Hyeon Rang even more, and he only glares at me.
[The power of a mere inferior Supreme Deity...cannot reach me.
Cheok—
Sensing Oh Hyun-seok and Glass Peacock gathering strength behind me, I raise my sword.
[Undying, you say? Be undying as much as you want. I'l kill you over and over again. I shall show you...the power of a mountain spirit.]
Thus, the true Supreme Deity hunt begins.