Kurururung—
Thunder rumbles.
And within that thunder, a war of gods unfolds.
:: Pangu's Genesis. : :
In the fog of illusion, as Hyeon Rang opens his fist, a new Heavenly Domain forms once again.
This is the Supreme Deity.
Beings with the authority and power to freely create and extinguish entire universes.
'To be honest..."
I don't really understand how the Creator Gods of other worlds, like Silver Basket, are different from Supreme Deities.
'I guess I'll have to meet them someday to know.
Hwoong—
And then, I cut down the Heavenly Domain Hyeon Rang creates with a single sword, splitting and annihilating it as I close in on him.
Hyeon Rang is, quite literally, a giant god capable of splitting Heaven and Earth.
With his sheer size alone, he exudes a pressure that seems as though he could flatten the world.
Even within the world where Kang Min-hee has restricted the laws, Hyeon Rang unleashes his full strength, revealing his true form and confronting me head-on.
But it is futile.
:: Descend unto me. : :
[Since earlier...]
I bloom a cursed flower field upon Hyeon Rang's skin, beginning my transformation into the Immortal Beast form.
[What is it you've been so desperately seeking?]
Hyeon Rang hows in the torrent of pain I've endured, and I transform into a half-human, half-dragon form. With the Five Desires Chains, I coil around Hyeon Rang's body and forcibly compress his physical body.
Wudududuk!
Hyeon Rang's body instantly shrinks to the size of a mountain range, and we rise into the sky, clashing above the clouds.
Paaat!
: : Close your eyes and drift off. : :
Just as I extend my sword to slash at Hyeon Rang, he begins to wield the authority of Pangu.
Hyeon Go (ZX).
Innate Immortal Art.
A Fleeting Spring Dream (—5%&%).
:: There is no difference between life and a dream... : :
Tsuaaaat!
At the sound of Hyeon Rang's words, I briefly fall asleep and fall into a dream world.
In the dream world, I live an ordinary life.
Born into an ordinary family, growing up ordinarily, falling in love ordinarily, having ordinary children, growing old in an ordinary way, and dying just as ordinarily.
And then, buried in a sunny place, I begin to gradually forg...
[..As if I would ever forget.]
Tstststst—
From within that ordinary life, I pull out the heart I had kept buried deep in my chest throughout that entire ordinary life and open my eyes.
Adliteral fleeting instant.
Before Hyeon Rang could strike me with his fist after casting the Immortal Art Fleeting Spring Dream, in that fleeting instant—
I experienced an entire lifetime within a dream.
Itis a truly terrifying Immortal Art.
Yet, even in that dream, I never forget the hearts I've received and given.
Tststststst!
For I could never forget Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, the hearts that scattered through the world to form connections.
[The heart alone will never disappear! The heart...]
And then—
Kwaaang!
In that fleeting instant, I take Hyeon Rang's punch to the jaw who pierced through during the haze between dream and reality, and I'm launched straight into the sky. Shukwaaang!
When I come to my senses, I find myself beneath the eaves of the Palace of Radiance, outside the mantra of Falling Flower.
+: That incessant talk about the heart. Are you not sick of it yet? : :
After knocking me upwards, Hyeon Rang speaks to me with a sneer.
: : You keep parroting that the heart never disappears—is that the Dao you speak of? How absolutely laughable. You are no longer the Immortal Beast Candle Dragon. I have renamed you the Immortal Beast Parrot now : :
Tststst!
After being hit by Hyeon Rang's punch, I, once a half-human, half-dragon, now turn into a colorful parrot Immortal Beast.
[How...?]
+ I am the Progenitor of Humans. The God of the Human Race. As long as you are human, I can read and interpret your history as much as I like. I have read your history...and you seem less like a human and more like a parrot. Cherishing the heart is fine. Treasuring the connections born from the heart is also fine. So let me ask you this. : At Hyeon Rang's following words, I slightly flinch, my body stiffening.
: : Are the connections you made in dreams also precious to you? : :
Booong!
Hyeon Rang charges at me again, unfolding his Immortal Art Fleeting Spring Dream.
I try to resist the Immortal Art, but for some reason, by the time I regain awareness, I'm already pulled back into another dream.
In the dream, I am born as a mosquito.
Living as a mosquito, I spend my entire life sucking the blood of humans and beasts, building relationships with countless mosquito friends.
I form connections even as a mosquito, and together with those many mosquito friends, I attempt to feed on the human Jin Man-jae, only to get caught and crushed to death. That is my life as a mosquito...
[Galt]
I quickly awaken from the dream, but once again, I am struck by Hyeon Rang's fist who drills into the boundary between dream and reality, sending me flying.
Kwaaang!
Inside the Palace of Radiance, the space expands further under Hyeon Rang's authority, and even Kang Min-hee's mantra can no longer restrain him.
"He's getting stronger by the moment."
:: Descend unto me. : :
"That something he keeps summoning is giving Hyeon Rang power. Most likely...
I glance subtly toward the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
"With a high chance, it's the Heavenly Void Furnace... Even if it's not coming directly, because he keeps calling for it, is it granting him power?"
Hwoong—
Before I can even gather my thoughts, Hyeon Rang closes in and throws a punch right in front of me.
[Tsk...]
Twooong!
I deflect Hyeon Rang's fist with the Impermanence Sword.
Still, the gap between his ability and mine is significant.
As the Progenitor of the Human Race and the Owner of Names, the one who has awakened to the position of the Western Zero King, I can't stop from being dragged into his Fleeting Spring Dream by his authority. But no matter how strong he becomes, he cannot compare to me, who has forged strength with the goal of reaching the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
: : Do you enjoy close combat? Even swordsmen find it hard to respond once you are inside their range... : :
Without knowing his place, Hyeon Rang dares to rush into my inner zone and throw a punch, and I transform the Impermanence Sword.
Impermanence Sword.
Heavenly Shatter Star Body!
The Impermanence Sword overlays itself onto my body.
Tukwaang!
I strike directly into Hyeon Rang's body, driving him into close combat.
[You don't really think a swordsman only wields a blade, do you?]
In an instant, I slam Hyeon Rang all the way to the northern wall of the Palace of Radiance, pinning him against it, then gather energy into one hand as I speak.
A strike sharing the same roots as Oh Hyun-seok's Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter. Tsuaaaaat!
From my back, pure white lines emerge like wings, and those lines spiral and converge into my fist.
"Martial Arts and I are one.'
In an instant, my fist, flaring up in pure white, drives straight into Hyeon Rang's abdomen.
Because the Impermanence Sword overlaps with my physical body as I thrust my punch, what appears on Hyeon Rang's belly is not a bruise, but a sword wound.
Hyeon Rang's abdomen is pierced as if stabbed by a sword, but even while writhing in pain, he grabs hold of my arm and smiles.
: +1 still have not heard your answer. Go on, answer me. : :
Paatt!
I am instantly sucked back into the Fleeting Spring Dream and experience six thousand reincarnations, living six thousand lives within it.
Flash!
Opening my eyes after six thousand deaths, I find Hyeon Rang slipping free from my grasp once more, having just fully recovered his wounds.
Confused by the memories gained from six thousand lives, I press him hard, and he laughs.
: 1 If the heart does not disappear, and connections do not fade, then if you draw a line on a blank canvas and claim that line as your child, then does your connection to that line also not vanish? : :
[..]
+ If you paint a nightmare upon the canvas of dreams, and in that nightmare you slaughter ten billion humans, are you then forever bound by ill connection to those ten billion lives within the dream? : :
Though Hyeon Rang cannot surpass me in skill, he endures against me using authority and Immortal Arts.
With Pangu's Authority, he pulls the opponent into a dream; with the authority of the Western Zero King and the Heavenly Void Furnace, he weaves history and narrative within that dream; and with the Immortal Dao of Names, he bestows a name upon me, assigning me a role within the dream.
Though he isn't skilled in battle as a Supreme Deity, the combination of authority and Immortal Arts at that level of Supreme Deity is incredibly troublesome.
"Whenever I try to press him, he instantly pulls me into a dream.'
Itis a rather annoying tactic.
: : The difference between dream and reality is omnipotence. Within dreams, all are omnipotent, but outside dreams, they are not—this is the difference between dream and reality... Yet those who rise through the Immortal Cultivation system to this level, draw ever closer to omnipotence both inside and outside the dream... : :
Impermanence Sword.
Twin Flowers.
Mysterious Bizarre.
A White Orchid Flower and a Yin Soul Flower bloom in each of my hands, resonating with the curse I've implanted in Hyeon Rang's body.
Simultaneously, those curses forcibly carve circuits into Hyeon Rang's flesh, and his body begins to transform into my puppet.
: : Those who have reached the pinnacle of Immortal Cultivation draw close to omnipotence in both dream and reality...thus, no difference remains between the two. In that case, you—do you truly believe the connections and hearts even within dreams do not disappear? : :
[Isn't that obvious?]
+: Then...::
Kugugugugung!
Hyeon Rang's eyes of Sun and Moon (E53) gaze down at me and ask.
:: If the heart never disappears, then what, truly, is the difference between the heart and fate? : :
Kugugugung!
At that very moment, the rooftop of the Palace of Radiance shatters.
As Hyeon Rang lifts his hand toward the sky, something familiar enters my sight.
Itis Ascension Path.
That tiny Ascension Path, as soon as Hyeon Rang sends his will into it, begins to collapse, revealing what has been sealed inside.
itis a colossal three-legged furnace, the Heavenly Void Furnace.
Kugugugu!
The Heavenly Void Furnace enlarges as it lands in Hyeon Rang's hand, and I can feel his power surging immensely.
: + It has descended into my hand. : :
Holding the Heavenly Void Furnace, Hyeon Rang bears down on me, his Sun and Moon eyes glowing.
: : Answer me, you who believe in the miracle of connections and hearts. What is the difference between the heart and fate? If the heart never disappears and binds and restrains humans, then how is the heart any different from fate, which likewise oppresses and binds humans? : :
Kugugugung!
Hyeon Rang's strength, holding the Heavenly Void Furnace, continues to grow ever stronger, and I begin to be crushed into the ground beneath his power.
No...
it's not that I'm being crushed by his strength.
I simply cannot raise my head, ashamed by the words of the God of Humans who pinpoints precisely at my weakest point.
What is the difference between the heart and fate?
Indeed.
I came to understand as I raised my child.
I realized that my heart could become the fate of someone beneath me.
To help that child carry out the fate of overcoming fate in the least painful way, I drove them into the most agonizing fate.
Crushed by my own shame, I cannot rise.
: + You, who have spent your entire life trying to escape the heavens—answer me. In the end, have you not become yet another heaven? You fought against the oppression of fate your entire life, but did your heart not also become someone else's fate? : :
[dt]
I answer with difficulty.
[...has...]
Perhaps...
Fate, History, and perhaps the Third Absolute which seems to be 'Heart'...
Maybe they are not all that different after all.
No, they are not different.
Because from the beginning, Qi, Soul, Fate...Heaven, Earth, Heart have always been one. Since those three must have always been one, they are a power not all that different. Just as drawing three boundaries within a single circle forms the Three Great Ultimates, Heart too must be Fate and History.
Therefore, I have no choice but to fully accept Hyeon Rang's words.
Before irrefutable logic, the strength of my heart begins to waver.
Hyeon Rang continues to grow his strength and press down on me.
: : If even the empty connections and fates within dreams are real, then even if your heart does not disappear, is it not, in the end, merely another chain binding you? : :
To those words, spoken by Hyeon Rang whose body is bound in black chains, I cannot respond.
: : When you proclaim that the heart does not disappear, are you truly demonstrating your strength, or are you simply boasting of the chains of anguish that bind you? : : Pangu's Genesis!
Hyeon Rang's authority births a Heavenly Domain within the Primal Chaos, and that Heavenly Domain is immediately sucked into the Heavenly Void Furnace, igniting its fire. Huarurururuk!
The Heavenly Void Furnace, using an entire universe as fuel, begins to blaze, and Hyeon Rang's eyes shine as he speaks.
: 1 If the heart does not disappear, is that truly a righteous thing? Or is it merely another form of absurdity, like fate? : :
Kurung, kururururung!
As Hyeon Rang lifts the blazing Heavenly Void Furnace, it begins to spew out overwhelming smoke from within.
That smoke mixes dream and reality, pulling me into a fleeting dream once more.
: : Immortal Beast Parrot. In a world filled with the connections and hearts you so desire...dream, and indulge in your beloved repentant enlightenment all you want. Let us see if the heart is truly only ever righteous... : :
Thus, I begin to fall into an inescapable dream and start to lose consciousness.
I believe that it is over.
Clench!
Until someone's large, powerful hand grabs my shoulder.
[..Hyung-nim...]
itis Oh Hyun-seok, who has concentrated all the forces of Heaven and Earth into his right arm.
[You've bought enough time.]
Oh Hyun-seok, having become one with the Primal Chaos itself, blended into Hyeon Rang's spring dream and pulled me out, his eyes gleaming.
Kugugugugu!
Behind Hyeon Rang, a massive glass-colored peacock begins to spread its wings. Above the head of Glass Peacock, Azure Peng, in human form, is screeching noisily.
"I'm not cooperating because I like you, so don't misunderstand, you vulgar thing..." [Uhuhuhu, how adorable you are. Don't worry, I like you like this even better...]
Soon, Azure Peng flips in the void and reveals their true form.
Two gigantic birds flap their wings and begin to cry out.
: : Fleeting Spring Dr— : :
Hyeon Rang tries to drop us into a dream and seek an opening, but Oh Hyun-seok's authority drinks Hyeon Rang's authority whole, and Hyeon Rang's Immortal Art begins to get sucked into Oh Hyun-seok.
As if Oh Hyun-seok has become the Primal Chaos even deeper than a spring dream.
The cries of Azure Peng and Glass Peacock explode, drawing a Taiji, and the light of that massive Taiji splits the space and restrains Hyeon Rang's lower dantian.
The energy of Heaven and Earth gathered in Oh Hyun-seok's hand turns into a direct fist, shooting toward Hyeon Rang's chest,
And I, too, swing my sword with all my strength and split Hyeon Rang's head in two. Once again, Hyeon Rang's three dantians shatter, and once more, his physical body begins to regenerate.
Wriggle, wriggle...
Meanwhile, Kang Min-hee, Kim Yeon, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hye-seo, and the Radiance Eight Immortals reinforce the seal from outside, shrinking Hyeon Rang's body once more from that of a giant to an ordinary human size.
Tststs—
At the same time, it seems the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord have activated their authority, as the Heavenly Void Furnace begins to shrink with the surrounding earth piling up and re-sealing it.
In an instant, the Heavenly Void Furnace returns to the form of Ascension Path, and we find ourselves standing just slightly west of its very center.
Yes...
Ironically, it's the very spot where we first fell onto Ascension Path.
Hyeon Rang, now in the form of a child, regains consciousness immediately and exhales from his mouth.
: : Foolish. So all you have managed to do is to drop me atop the Heavenly Void Furnace? You are helping me instead. : :
Tsuuaaaaah!
Hyeon Rang's breath turns into fog and once again begins to drag us into a dream, and through the authority of Names, we are instantly forced into roles within the dream, becoming different beings.
However, at that moment, Oh Hyun-seok steps forward again.
Kururung—
Transformed into a body of Primal Chaos, Oh Hyun-seok absorbs all of Hyeon Rang's fog.
it's as if Oh Hyun-seok's authority stands in a perfect superiority over Hyeon Rang's. [Master. Let's stop now. Your mind...has returned as well, hasn't it?]
And at Oh Hyun-seok's words, I finally realize that something about Hyeon Rang is different from before.
I see. Ever since he transformed into a young man, Hyeon Rang's humanity had taken considerable control.!
With each strike from Oh Hyun-seok, Hyeon Rang's humanity gradually returned.
But then...
Why is it?
Even though his mind has fully returned, Hyeon Rang continues to exhale fog with a sorrowful smile.
+ ..I am sorry. My mind has returned, but... can no longer stop myself. My fate has already been fixed... : :
[Master...!]
+ 1am sorry. Kill me. : :
Hyeon Rang, in the form of a child, tells us to kill him. But for some reason, he is boasting a proud attitude more than any other being.
© : My prophetic star, history revision, even the power of the Names have been momentarily severed with the power of curses... If you kill me now, you can truly kill me. This is your chance! : :
Huuuuuu—
Even as he speaks, Hyeon Rang continues to exhale fog with his breath, trying to drag us into dreams, and Oh Hyun-seok blocks it while shedding tears.
: : I cannot simply die. Fate commands me. So...I will not go down easily. Come at me with everything you have! : :
With those words, we all charge at Hyeon Rang at once.
Paaat!
Glass Peacock and Azure Peng try to transform into their true bodies, but perhaps because Kang Min-hee reconstructed the rules with the mantra of Falling Flower, they transform only into forms of ordinary demon beasts instead.
still, Glass Peacock and Azure Peng pay it no mind and, in their demon beast forms, whip their tail feathers to strike at Hyeon Rang.
Tukwang!
Hyeon Rang throws out his fist, deflecting their blow as he speaks.
: : I remember you two now. Was Azure Peng a descendant of Glass Peacock? : :
"...In a past life, we once lived as siblings."
[You were my older sister in that past life. So what? A past life is just a past life.]
Hyeon Rang looks at them with an amused expression and, drawing a Taiji with both hands, flicks the two of them away.
As expected of the Progenitor of the Human Race, he seems to have his own level of mastery over martial arts.
: : That is right. When you were siblings, you were part of the Human Race, so I remember as well. I remember how your mother, who went out to get rice cakes, was eaten by a tiger, and both of you were pleading to become the sun and moon while being eaten too. : :
[..]
: + The wish I could not grant you back then—I shall grant it now. Take it, brother and sister. From this moment, the sun and moon belong to you. : :
Hyeon Rang plucks out both his eyes and they enter into the chests of Azure Peng and Glass Peacock.
The two birds, now bearing the energies of the Sun and Moon, stare at Hyeon Rang with bewildered eyes.
Hooong—
I seize that moment to strike at Hyeon Rang from behind with the Impermanence Sword, but he turns around and meets my sword with his palm.
Kugugugugu!
The Heavenly Void Furnace, sealed beneath Ascension Path, begins to lend Hyeon Rang its power.
An overwhelming explosive force emanating from Hyeon Rang's body flings away the Five Desires Chain that had been binding him.
Hong Fan and the other Immortal Treasures all return to their original forms and cough up blood, while the shape of Taiji formed by Hyeon Rang's explosion becomes a protective barrier that blocks my advance.
That's not the end.
The power of the Heavenly Void Furnace, through Hyeon Rang, begins trying to erase my very existence through history revision.
'This...I have to block it with the Wheel!"
I take out the Wheel to resist Hyeon Rang's history revision, but it immediately begins to overheat.
: : The power of the Heavenly Void Furnace is not something your Wheel can overpower. itis an object that predates even the Future King. : :
[17]
: : Before the Future King...the Creator God who created this world...it is that being's artifact. And what the very first Radiance Supreme Deity refined from it is the current Heavenly Void Furnace. That is why, through the Heavenly Void Furnace, one can go anywhere and glimpse any history that unfolds within this world. : :
Kugugugugu!
Drawing endless power from the Heavenly Void Furnace, Hyeon Rang smiles.
Jjeok, jjeojeojeojeok!
Cracks spread further across the Wheel.
: : The Heavenly Void Furnace is directly connected to the Salt Sea... If you go to the sea of chaos through the Furnace, you can even glimpse the secrets hidden beneath the Salt Sea. ::
Kugung!
At those words, I realize the déja vu regarding the 16th cycle.
In the 16th cycle...l...
I went to the Outer Sea through the Heavenly Void Furnace and glimpsed a certain "past' in the Outer Sea.
And I remember meeting even the Heavenly Venerable of Time and making a certain [promise].
"..In the 16th cycle, what in the world did I..."
As I waver in confusion, Hyeon Rang speaks.
: : The question I asked you was asked while I was in my right mind. You, the True Emperor candidate. The disciple who has inherited the will of Salt Sea. Can you truly contemplate for yourself the difference between Heart and Fate? : :
I cannot speak, buried once more in the rising shame.
itis then.
[Even if Heart and Fate are the same...this one thing, I do not believe will ever change.] Oh Hyun-seok begins to walk slowly toward us.
In Oh Hyun-seok's hand, a silver brilliance more vivid than anything in this world condenses.
Futter, flutter, flutter, flutterrrri!
From Oh Hyun-seok's back, wings begin to burst forth.
Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen pairs of wings...
Even after that, they continue to burst forth.
Flutter, flutter, flutter!
When Oh Hyun-seok's wings reach one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand pairs.
I come to understand something.
'In that dream...
Oh Hyun-seok's authority stands in a hierarchical relationship with Hyeon Rang's Fleeting Spring Dream, as another dream authority.
Because of that, Oh Hyun-seok continuously borrows wings and strength from the dream beings within the dream.
[Whatever the case. We must face it. Just as I faced my own cowardice!]
Flutter, flutter!
Oh Hyun-seok's wings that continue to bloom without end.
I now understand the true nature of those wings.
Those wings are the cowardices that Oh Hyun-seok avoided until now.
[Fate, History, Heart...whether they are the same or different, the need to acknowledge and face them does not change!]
And within those words, I feel my mind brighten.
"Ah...
That's right.
To acknowledge and to face.
The heart is not what matters.
Fate is not what matters.
—To accept fate, but to take one step further.
The voice of my master, Ryeong, brushes past my ears, and from that, I take one step forward and come upon another realization.
'I acknowledge my heart..."
But it must not end with just the heart.
"But let's take one step further.'
So what if fate is absolute, and the heart never disappears?
In the end, what matters is taking one step further.
Tststststss—
A change occurs in my Impermanence Sword.
I see it!
Only now do I begin to grasp the final form of the Severing Heaven Sword Form.
I become able to conceive the fourth form beyond Escaping Heaven.
Once more, I begin to pour confidence into the heart that was lost in the face of Hyeon Rang's argument, and I begin to maximize the power of the Impermanence Sword.
Jjeok, jjeojeojeojeok!
Hyeon Rang's power, drawn up from the Heavenly Void Furnace, begins to split from the Impermanence Sword.
+: .Good. To you, I shall give you my heart. Together with my heart, take all of my blood. Tsuaaaaat!
Hyeon Rang smiles brightly and places something into my body.
: : You are the next Pangu. You...become the God of Humans. : :
The Pangu True Blood merges with the Candle Dragon True Blood, and a power of an unfathomable degree settles throughout my entire body.
Kuguguguk!
Gradually, the Impermanence Sword pierces through Hyeon Rang's fleeting dream, and Glass Peacock and Azure Peng, having regained their senses, begin flying toward Hyeon Rang, targeting his lower dantian.
Oh Hyun-seok sheds tears.
:: To you, I shall give you my will. Hyun-seok-ah... : :
Tempering his will to face the self who killed his master, and facing that very will,
Oh Hyun-seok steels his resolve and takes his stance.
A stance to deliver a single direct punch.
:: Someday... : :
Oh Hyun-seok's wings vanish for an instant.
Hundreds of billions of wings scatter into the void in a flash, and for a brief moment, the world once again becomes a silver world where all color has disappeared. Within that silver world, Hyeon Rang conveys something to Oh Hyun-seok.
Hyeon Rang's lips move.
Seeing the movement of those lips, Oh Hyun-seok casts away his tears and thrusts his fist forward.
Within that straight punch,
I glimpse the ultimate will that belongs to Oh Hyun-seok alone, who has unceasingly unfolded Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter.
Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter.
Transcendent Technique.
"The soul...!"
Within that single punch, Oh Hyun-seok's own soul, transcending even the Absolute, begins to form.
Zero Wing (£2).
Nameless (44) One Fist (—%5).
The single punch of the Nameless, meant to kill the Owner of Names—
Cuts through all space and time, piercing through the chest of his master.
The attack of Glass Peacock and Azure Peng becomes the Sun and Moon and strikes Hyeon Rang's lower dantian.
My Impermanence Sword cuts through Hyeon Rang's neck.
Thus, assaulted simultaneously on his three dantians, Hyeon Rang, even as his head flies off, wears a peaceful smile.
Tsuaaaaah—
Perhaps, through the power of dreams, Oh Hyun-seok has allowed Hyeon Rang to dream in that fleeting instant of death.
Though the content of that dream is unclear...
Perhaps it is a dream where the first Hyeon Rang was not burned to death by his father, but rather lived a happy life, born under the love of his parents and showered in affection before departing in peace.
For in front of our eyes, the image of a young Hyeon Rang being embraced in the arms of the father who once killed him emerges as a fragment of that dream—
From it, we can only guess at the dream's content.
"...As one who knows the heart of a father...I will...bless you. Master..."
Having exhausted all of his strength, Oh Hyun-seok sheds tears with those words and loses consciousness. I too collapse in place, overcome by such intense exhaustion that I can no longer sense my consciousness domain, my Qi sense, or even Indra's Net. Bitterly, I recall the memories of my own child.
"Couldn't I...have also done a little better?"
In the dream fragment that blooms before our eyes, the image of Hyeon Rang, appearing as a child in his father's arms, looks so overwhelmingly happy.
Soon, the dream fragment disperses and vanishes, and the severed head of Hyeon Rang rolls to the feet of Hong Fan, who has returned to his original form.
What thoughts could Hong Fan be thinking? He picks up Hyeon Rang's severed head and gazes down at it for a while.
What kind of expression Hong Fan wears at that moment, we cannot know, because he stands with his back to the light of the Radiance Supreme Deity, which begins to descend over the Palace of Radiance now that the battle has ended...
Hong Fan's face is shrouded in shadow and cannot be seen.
-x-X-x-
"..Master."
Hong Fan speaks as he throws Hyeon Rang's head to me.
I catch the head Hong Fan throws.
From within it, I sense the powerful force of Origin Essence.
"Right now, the head is the passageway to the Seat. It would be best if you dealt with it." "...Yeah, thanks."
I place Hyeon Rang's head inside my body and look around.
Glass Peacock, Azure Peng, Oh Hyun-seok...
Right now, all of them have collapsed in exhaustion after killing Hyeon Rang.
"For now...we've won, so come on in now."
I draw Hong Fan and the Immortal Treasures into my body and then look up at the sky. Kugugugugu!
The Immortal Arts spread inside the Palace of Radiance unravel, and familiar presences begin to emerge from the rooftop of the Palace.
itis the Radiance Eight Immortals.
"I didn't expect deep camaraderie...but still, betrayal right after the battle, is it?" Dudududut
The space around me quakes from the presence of the Eight Immortals, and the power of the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord resonates with the Heavenly Void Furnace, beginning to suppress me.
While I am not in as bad a state as the others, my energy is still significantly depleted. If they launch a full-scale assault, I'll likely die.
.: Surrender. O Immortal Beast King. If you become a captive obediently, there will be no need for bloodshed. : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord looks down at me and speaks, and I shrug my shoulders.
"Don't delude yourself. As long as I abandon my comrades, I can escape whenever I want."
itis the truth.
, who can resonate with every domain of purity in this world, can quite literally go anywhere.
"Killing me is as difficult as killing a Heavenly Venerable who placed their Gandhara outside Mount Sumeru. Whether blood is shed or not, it doesn't concern me."
:: That is precisely the reason. We intend to capture you and seal you within a galaxy of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. : :
"Hah...2"
© We will not kill you. As long as you remain quietly within the galaxy as per our command, we will treat you as a distinguished guest. : :
"Why?"
. : The reason Enders are dangerous is because they constantly introduce errors into fate and cause troublesome incidents. And these beings endlessly emerge in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, each time with different powers, making them hard to get fid of... But even you Enders have a rule. Unless the direct previous generation is annihilated, the next one does not appear. : :
: : We have verified your ability. As long as you do not die, it does not activate, nor does it add strange variables. Therefore...we have decided to preserve your existence in the same way the Underworld does. Still, inside an entire galaxy, you will be able to roam freely, so you will be able to enjoy yourself. It is not a complete seal, and if you wish, we can even create a small Heavenly Domain and gift it to you. If you feel stifled, we wil allow you to travel to places outside the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain through a projection. : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord reaches a hand toward me, as if bestowing great mercy. : : So you, Ender, Immortal Beast King Seo Eun-hyun, do not make a foolish choice. Join hands with us and preserve your life. If you accept, Radiance Hall shall guard and protect you for all eternity... : :
After listening for a while, I grin.
"I refuse."
:: For what reason? : :
"You think I don't know your true purpose? To eliminate Immortal Cultivation and maintain only your eight Heavenly Lord positions while ruling the entire universe. Do you really expect me to believe you'll never try to get rid of me?"
:: We swear on our lives that such a thing will never happen. : :
"Do you swear on the Origin Essence of Light?"
"Kukuk... See?"
I click my tongue and speak.
"You think I don't know that you Radiance Eight Immortals are replaced every few trillion years? Maybe it won't be in your lives, but who knows about the next generation of Eight immortals?"
:: Then we swear to have up to ten future generations of the Radiance Eight Immortals bind themselves to this oath. Ten generations of us would require up to one hundred trillion years to pass. Among those who are not Heavenly Venerables, few would even exist for such a length of time. And if by that point, the Immortal Cultivation system stil has not been eradicated, then even the Eight Immortals of that era will have no choice but to keep you alive. Even if the elimination of the Immortal Cultivation system succeeds by then, a hundred trillion years is surely enough time for you to find a way to survive on your own, is it not? : :
"Hmm..."
I sense that while pretending to persuade me, the Radiance Eight Immortals are having the Heaven Immortals outside the Palace of Radiance form a formation.
In the end, I grin and speak.
"So, are you going to let me and my comrades live forever, or not? If you don't answer yes or no clearly..."
Kuguguguguk!
I draw out the Immortal Art of Sunlight Hunting and sneer.
"I'll shoot."
Then, the Eight Immortals begin to form hand seals.
The symbol of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail] begins to strike down upon me and everyone present.
"Kim Yeon!"
Kududududuk!
Crushed under the light of the Radiance Supreme Deity, I call out to Kim Yeon.
:: It is useless. We have already severed the authorities of beings outside the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. : :
: : Foolish. You likely thought if she were summoned within the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, she would be captured alongside you. : :
. : But that is a miscalculation. Instead, you and the current Enders will be taken down one by one. : :
Tstststs—
I raise the Impermanence Sword and slash through the void.
"Kim Yeon!"
As I slash through the void, I attempt to move at least outside the Palace of Radiance, but I realize my body doesn't move.
When I look toward the sky, I see the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord gripping half of my Nascent Soul.
—Ji Hwa
I send a heart message to the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, but she doesn't respond. Instead, she only squeezes my Nascent Soul even tighter.
"Kuughh...Yeon-aht"
Helpless, I have no choice but to call Kim Yeon again.
: Even if she is the successor of the Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly King, there is nothing you can do this time. : :
: : No matter if one is a successor of Vast Cold, if the one who wields that power is of such a level... : :
: : Even if she manifests the past of Vast Cold for a fleeting instant like last time, it is useless. : :
:: Did you think we would just sit and watch while the Heavenly Void Furnace fell here? : Through the winged garment, I sense the authority of the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord engraved upon the Heavenly Void Furnace.
I see. When Hyeon Rang called the Heavenly Void Furnace here, the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord infused it with a prophecy.
it seems the prophecy that the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord embedded is one of [manifestation of the dead is forbidden].
The past of those already dead or annihilated can no longer be projected here.
itis both a prophecy to ensure Hyeon Rang is thoroughly Killed and one that forbids the power of Vast Cold, who died here, from being manifested to rescue us.
:: You will regret rejecting our offer. : :
"Do I have to use that?'
I grip the Impermanence Sword while looking up at the Radiance Eight Immortals.
I didn't want to use it anywhere other than the Great Mountain Battle...
If Kim Yeon is delayed, this single sword might still be able to break through the current situation.
"I've refrained from using it because the Great Mountain Supreme Deity could devise a countermeasure from seeing it even once...but is there no other choice now?" Tstststststs—
Just as the Impermanence Sword begins to glow white-hot—
Click—
Se
The corpse of Hyeon Rang, whose three dantians have been lost, rises from where it lay. At that moment, the Radiance Eight Immortals flinch in shock, but soon, they glare at me as if in disbelief.
: : Have you turned the body of a Supreme Deity into a puppet? Foolish. Do you truly not understand why puppets were abandoned in the world of True Immortals? : :
However, I simply smile faintly.
"...t's done now."
Kim Yeon begins to exert her power.
Kurung, kururururung!
The "circuit' I had first implanted into the Naming Supreme Deity to turn him into a body through Mysterious Bizarre Star Body gradually begins to shift control over to Kim Yeon. And now,
Kang Min-hee overlays laws onto Hyeon Rang's corpse, lending power so that Kim Yeon can take control, and the moment Kim Yeon connects the navy-blue threads of law from Kang Min-hee to Hyeon Rang's body and turns it into a Supreme Deity puppet, she begins her play.
That play is a reenactment of the scene from just moments ago.
Simultaneously, hastily assembled puppets from the inorganic materials in Ascension Path begin to appear around us and act out the previous scene.
Click, click, click, click-click—
An Immortal Art that summons a moment from the past using a puppet play as the medium.
Yeon's Play activates.
Spacetime reverses, and Oh Hyun-seok's unconscious body recovers, while energy surges back into the bodies of Glass Peacock and Azure Peng.
The Naming Supreme Deity cannot be manifested due to the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord's prophecy of "manifestation of the dead is forbidden', but we are all restored. Though more precisely, it's merely that the power of the past is being overlaid onto reality.
"I expected you'd betray us from the start."
Though to be exact, it's thanks to Ji Hwa's discreet warning.
And in any case, the one who prepared in order to escape immediately after dealing with Hyeon Rang, based on Ji Hwa's tip, is none other than Kim Yeon.
"Since the preparations are all complete...'m not particularly afraid of you."
Though the overwhelming power sent from Kim Yeon is no longer present, the Immortal Art Yeon's Play, activated by the combined powers of both Kim Yeon and Kang Min-hee, is activated to some extent.
And within that Immortal Art, Oh Hyun-seok rises with ragged breaths.
He is able to once again prepare the fist he had manifested just moments ago to strike down Hyeon Rang.
The silver momentum gathered in Oh Hyun-seok's fist causes the Radiance Eight immortals to fall silent.
: : Even so, it is but a single strike. And even if you roughly stitched the past and manifested over reality...you cannot erase the fatigue as if it had never occurred. : :
The Radiance Eight Immortals simultaneously extend their hands toward us.
:: Light-Speed Enforcement. : :
Clang!
Our speed is forcibly capped at the speed of light.
:: You will not be able to hit us. : :
"If you do get hit, it seems you understand it'll be dangerous for you as well." Tstststststss—
in both my hands, the jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements begins to gather. Tududududu—
My true body emerges, and attraction force activates.
Kugugugugu!
The Heavenly Domain contracts.
Numerous Heaven Immortals try to prevent the contraction of the Heavenly Domain through prophecy, but none can stop it.
"Since I'm standing atop the Heavenly Void Furnace...I feel it even more clearly.'
I think I now understand the original purpose of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra. .:PHENOMENAEXTINGUISHINGMANTRA::
The Immortal Art that brings about the End compresses the Heavenly Domain, pulling the Radiance Eight Immortals toward us.
Now, they can no longer escape.
:: Foolish. : :
But the Radiance Eight Immortals show no panic, and instead even more calmly prepare their attack.
The light of the Radiance Supreme Deity grows ever stronger.
As the Heavenly Domain contracts further, the universe becomes filled with light and heat, reverting to its primordial state—thus, the power of light also strengthens.
:: Filling the Heavens Azure Arrow. : :
+ Filling the Heavens Flower Garden. : :
From behind the Great Forest Heavenly Lord, a rain of azure arrows capable of destroying the universe falls. From in front of the Flower Plant Heavenly Lord, flowers of light that can devour the cosmos begin to take root and surge toward me.
+ Filling the Heavens Great Sun. : :
+ Filling the Heavens Torch Candie. : :
Huarurururuk!
A blazing fire that could burn Heaven and Earth spreads throughout the world and begins to scorch me.
Hundreds of billions of stars are born through the Great Sun Heavenly Lord, and quintillions of explosions crash over us like a tidal wave under the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord.
:: Filling the Heavens Sword Rain. : :
The familiar downpour of Sword-Guided Star Rain begins to fall from the sky.
And then...
+ Filling the Heavens Shattered Pearls. : :
Jjeok, jjeojeojecjeok!
At the Immortal Art of the Pearl Jade Heavenly Lord, the ultimate techniques of the Eight immortals begin to shatter all at once.
The rain of blue arrows, the garden of flowers, the suns and explosions, even the downpour of Sword-Guided Star Rain—all scatter into pieces.
And then, they begin to mix together.
.: Filling the Heavens Returning to One. : :
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord reconfigures the intermingled fragments of light, creating a new ultimate technique woven from the ultimate techniques of the Eight Immortals.
It takes the form of a spear.
"This is dangerous.'
Cheok, cheok, cheok, cheok!
The Radiance Eight Immortals each grasp eight spears in both hands.
The spears of divine light, forming a spear array, are aimed directly at us standing above Ascension Path at the center of the Palace of Radiance, and as I see the massive force condensed within those spear tips, cold sweat trickles down my back.
"This is really dangerous.'
This isn't the usual attack from the Radiance Eight Immortals, where they simply toss out the symbol of Heuk Sa or shoot a few light beams when things get tough.
This is a properly formed Immortal Art linked attack.
It should be considered a proper mantra at the level of Supreme Deity.
Whoooong—
Then, beginning with the Great Forest Heavenly Lord, all eight Heavenly Lords simultaneously throw their spears of light.
"I have to dodge this no matter what..."
+ Filling the Heavens Annihilation Sea. : :
The Great Sea Heavenly Lord creates the form of rain across the sky surrounding the falling spears of light.
The Immortal Art of "Hiding in the Rain', which I had obtained when I once perceived them, begins to conceal those spears of light within the downpour.
The torrential downpour of indigo light, created by the Great Sea Heavenly Lord, lashes down upon us, making the true attack of the Radiance Eight Immortals impossible to see. I want to dodge, but because I am in the middle of compressing the Heavenly Domain with the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, the rain is all being drawn toward me—and perhaps because the mantra originates from the Radiance Eight Immortals, I don't even believe I could avoid those spears.
The rain made of light begins to pierce into my body.
And the eight spears of light hidden within the rain...
This is."
I let out a bitter laugh at the immense force engraved upon those spears.
If I dodge, Oh Hyun-seok and the others will definitely die.
Even if I halt the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and deflect them, the residual explosion will kill my comrades.
I can't cancel it out.
Each of these spears is an unimaginable and deranged strike at least on par with the Annihilation Advancement Mu of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, my own Sword God Dance, or the Void Dance of Hyeon Mu.
And then, I hear one of the spears of light speaking to me.
—It is the decisive strike that brought down the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, leaving the Supreme Deity in a near-death state and sealing them in the Horse Ear Heavenly Domain.
it's Ji Hwa's heart language.
She is speaking to me through the light spear she had thrown.
—Even if it couldn't Kill the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, this mantra was created to inflict a fatal wound upon the Gandhara if landed directly... The decisive reason the Radiance Eight Immortals were able to escape from Vast Cold during the Vast Cold Great War even though only one member survived... It is the mantra of the Radiance Supreme Deity, God-Killing Spear. (#3818).
God-Killing Spear Mantra!
It is the terrifying pinnacle of attacks that links and amplifies the greatest ultimate techniques of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
—If it's your conceptual Severing Mountain Swordsmanship Thirty-Sixth Move, the strength might exceed this, but you won't be able to sweep all eight spears at once. It's better to continuously unleash Sword God Dance.
The spear of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, who has given me a counter-strategy in her own way, pierces into my chest in an instant.
At the same time, I smile.
Because the spear she threw doesn't contain the power of destruction, but is filled with my Nascent Soul and her own heart.
"While maintaining the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra...
I raise the Jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements above my head and swing the impermanence Sword.
Ji Hwa's heart divine descends.
Sword God Dance!
The sword glows white-hot and connects with Ji Hwa's heart.
And as I connect with her heart, I am able to detect all the hidden spears of light within the Immortal Art of the Great Sea Heavenly Lord.
The spear of Great Forest.
Whoooong—
The spear of the Great Forest Heavenly Lord and my Sword God Dance collide and cancel each other out before my eyes.
Next, the spear of the Flower Plant Heavenly Lord targets me.
I can do this."
Sword God Dance.
Second Strike.
Shukwak!
I use the authority of the Immortal Beast King to re-summon Ji Hwa's heart that I had just spent, and I cancel out the second spear of light.
"Please!'
The third spear of light.
The spear of Great Sun.
Sword God Dance.
Third Strike.
Tsuaaaat—
Light infuses into my sword.
With the reckless and forceful consecutive slashes of Sword God Dance, the blood veins all over my body burst, and the Pangu True Blood I received from Hyeon Rang begins to spray wildly.
And I finally succeed in blocking the third spear.
[Heheok... Heok...]
Erupting with mental speech, I gasp and exhale Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.
My Twilight True Energy is completely dried up.
My entire body trembles.
In a state already completely exhausted from facing Hyeon Rang, I forced out three consecutive strikes of Sword God Dance!
It feels like my soul is being shaved away."
I can't endure to the fourth strike of Sword God Dance.
"The fourth one is...
Kurung, kurururung!
The scattered Pangu True Blood around me begins to resonate with my will.
Pangu's Genesis.
The innate authority of the Pangu True Blood stirs Primal Chaos and Primordial Chaos, beginning to create an immense space.
Though at my current rank of still a mere Heaven-Earth Great Net, forming a Heavenly Domain is difficult...
I am also the Immortal Beast King.
With the authority of the Immortal Beast King added to Pangu's Genesis, a small Heavenly Domain is formed.
The explosive force of that domain launches with precise direction, guided by my Martial Pinnacle-level senses.
Tukwaaang!
A massive black waterfall blasts upward toward the sky, colliding head-on with the spear of the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord.
Three spears remain.
They are the spears of Torch Candle, Great Sea, and Rain Dew.
If it's only three..."
Having exhausted all strength from maintaining the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, I lose the last of my energy. In the end, I have no choice but to be struck by the remaining three spears.
Tukuaaang—
The spears of Pearl Jade, Great Sea, and Rain Dew pierce through my face, chest, and lower dantian respectively.
Is this also Retribution?"
For some reason, ever since I came to wield the Impermanence Sword...
It feels as if the Retribution of the Impermanence Sword applies to me as well.
With all three dantians pierced by the spears of light, I throw my entire body into blocking the shockwaves of the spears.
The spears of light explode.
Flash!
With the explosion of light...
I grit my teeth and use every bit of my strength to postpone death.
Tstststst—
It feels like all of Heaven and Earth is engulfed in radiance.
"I blacked out for a moment.'
The explosions of the spears of light were so immense that even I, who is used to pain, briefly lost consciousness.
"But even so, it's just a fleeting instant within Araya's speed.'
Though the time wasn't enough to be a threat, it's certainly a deadly ultimate technique. itis quite literally, a mantra made solely for destruction.
"..If Ji Hwa wasn't on my side...this would've been the end of this cycle."
Trying to block all eight of those would have torn my body apart with nothing left. Tuaaaaaa—
As the light fades from the sky, the arrogant figures of the Radiance Eight Immortals appear above the sky.
They have every reason to be arrogant.
Because...
The God-Killing Spear Mantra is activating once more.
Grasping the eight spears of light again, the Radiance Eight Immortals look down at me and speak.
. : This is our final warning. Immortal Beast King who bears the lineage of the Mountain Divine Spirit, heed our counsel. : :
Then, I grin.
"...As I've said again and again, but..."
I now have only enough energy left to maintain the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, but it doesn't matter.
"I will not join hands with you."
This isn't simply a matter of my own safety and self-preservation.
To follow them would mean throwing away all hope.
"For the sake of your so-called ideals, you treat everything in between like garbage. In the end, even those ideals are hollow. I will never bow beneath something so empty." ::Sobeit.::
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord nods—and that is the end of it.
The eight God-Killing Spears come flying once again.
"Radiance Hall...truly a powerful group.'
Having exhausted myself from fighting Hyeon Rang, I stand no chance against them within the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, the territory of Radiance Hall.
But thankfully, it seems I have bought enough time.
"...Yeon-ah."
"Yes, Eun-hyun Orabeoni."
As I collapse in my Transformation form, Kim Yeon approaches and pours energy into me.
My three dantians regenerate, and I glance around.
immortal Art Yeon's Play.
Due to the Yeon's Play spread across Ascension Path, the past of when we first arrived in Ascension Path is manifested.
Even though our main bodies have not all arrived in the dangerous Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, we have all been able to gather here through Yeon's Play, using that scene from the past as a medium.
Me, the projection of Kim Young-hoon,
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo.
All of us have gathered in this place, gazing up at the sky.
Kwarururung!
Jeon Myeong-hoon swings the Heavenly Lightning Banner, activating his authority.
The causality of Zhengli, who has previously been struck by the God-Killing Spear, begins to forcibly invoke judgment upon the God-Killing Spear and block it.
However, perhaps because even that causality—which once caused the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity and the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great immortals to suffer a major defeat—is still only a part of the God-Killing Spear's might, the attack is blocked but not canceled, and the spear merely halts in the sky.
And the Radiance Eight Immortals, unconcerned, begin forming a third God-Killing Spear.
Once again, the eight Heavenly Lords grasp their spears of light.
"Do something before that one flies. That one can't be blocked."
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's words, I nod and look at Oh Hyun-seok.
"Hyung-nim, are you ready?"
[Yeah]
Oh Hyun-seok, having completed all preparations, raises his arm, and I release the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra I was using to restrain the Radiance Eight Immortals until everything is ready.
:: How pitiful. The strike that felled Hyeon Rang was strong, but if it doesn't hit, then it is meaningless. A mere thrust slower than the speed of light... : :
Then, Kang Min-hee pulls something out from her bosom.
Chwarak, chwarak, chwarak, chwarak!
itis taenghwa.
A total of seven tanghwa rise behind Kang Min-hee.
Tsuaaaaaaatt!
Mantra.
Unorthodox True Martial Arts.
Heart and Heaven Taenghwa.
Shiver!
The enlightenment of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld activates through Kang Min-hee.
And among the attributes of the Heart and Heaven Taenghwa, the strongest attribute— The attribute of Certain Hit imbues into Oh Hyun-seok's fist.
Tsuaaat!
The world turns silver, and Oh Hyun-seok stretches out his arm.
Regardless of speed, it hits without fail.
Zero Wing.
Nameless One Fist.
Hwooong—
Oh Hyun-seok's One Fist!
The fist pressure released from the silver world burns through the sky and directly strikes the giants of light.
Tukwaang!
With that blow, the Great Forest Heavenly Lord explodes.
Because the star of prophecy exists, resurrection will surely occur, but in the immediate battlefield, the Great Forest Heavenly Lord instantly drops out, and the Radiance Eight immortals visibly falter.
: : Do not be shaken. At best, it is a single fist... It cannot be used more than once in succes—::
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord tries to calm the Radiance Eight Immortals, but Oh Hye-seo sneers.
The authority Truth Manipulation and my Wheel move simultaneously.
The truth where Oh Hyun-seok just used his One Fist and squeezed out all his strength is undone, and Oh Hyun-seok regains his energy.
Once more, Oh Hyun-seok loads up his Nameless One Fist.
Hwoooong—
Next is the Flower Plant Heavenly Lord.
ENDER:
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord screams, and again, Truth Manipulation and the Wheel turn as Oh Hyun-seok loads his fist.
Nameless One Fist, Third Strike.
Tukwaaang!
The Great Sun Heavenly Lord dies.
Nameless One Fist, Fourth Strike.
Kwagwaaaang!
A torrent of silver fist pressure crashes forward, and the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord dies.
Nameless One Fist, Fifth Strike.
Next is the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord.
Their gaze, filled with blazing light, continues to pierce through us until the very end. Nameless One Fist, Sixth Strike!
The Great Sea Heavenly Lord bursts apart.
With each strike released, Oh Hyun-seok's eyes grow ever clearer.
Then, at some point—
Tsuaaaaaa—
I begin to see something.
itis the dharma form of a colossal warrior.
Behind Oh Hyun-seok, the taenghwa of a giant Benevolent King rises.
I feel as if I finally understand the condition to awaken as Heavenly King.
To risk one's life in order to truly feel one's fate.
To avoid becoming cowardly.
To face oneself head-on.
Even while forcibly squeezing out his strength through my Wheel and Oh Hye-seo's Truth Manipulation, he is throwing his whole body forward.
The realm only those with the courage to burn away everything of themselves can reach.
That is—
The domain of Heavenly King.
Seventh Strike!
Only then do the third set of God-Killing Spears begin to fall, but even so, Oh Hyun- seok's One Fist is faster.
In an instant,
Oh Hyun-seok tears apart the Immortal Art of Light-Speed Enforcement with his very body and begins to "fully' enter a new domain.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
The Pearl Jade Heavenly Lord bursts apart and dies, reaching toward the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, but vanishes entirely in the end.
Across the Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand World—
The name of a new Heavenly King begins to resound.
However—
Kwaaaaaaaang!
Oh Hyun-seok slams his fist into his own chest, blocking the spreading resonance of that name from within himself.
"... don't need some grand name."
Is it an enlightenment gained from killing the Owner of Names?
With a bitter expression, Oh Hyun-seok suppresses his new Heavenly King name and begins to rename it by his own will.
Is it an Immortal Art he learned from the Owner of Names, or something Hyeon Rang gifted him in his final moment?
Oh Hyun-seok's Heavenly King name rings out in a low voice from his own lips, so only we can hear.
"A Silver Heavenly King without a name is enough."
Silver Nameless Heavenly King (REESE TE).
Thus, the nameless Silver Heavenly King, who erased his own name, is newly born in the stillness after all the turmoil has subsided.
-x-X-x-
In the midst of silence,
I gaze at the ceiling of Radiance Palace.
Above Radiance Palace, blown open by the fierce battle between the Radiance Eight immortals and us, only the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord Ji Hwa remains, floating loftily and alone.
—Thank you.
I send a heart message to her, and Ji Hwa answers by nodding.
Wo-woooong!
Then, by her will, the God-Killing Spears flying toward us all explode in the void, and the explosive force doesn't reach us at all.
—Go. Within this explosion, not even the Resplendent Treasure Immortals or Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma will be able to see inside.
Amid the explosion, I lay the bodies of the other comrades over the shoulders of Oh Hyun-seok, who is still unconscious while standing, and meet eyes with Jeon Myeong- hoon.
"I had them wait at the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain."
"Alright."
Kwachijijikt
Jeon Myeong-hoon begins to activate the Returning Lightning Strike spell of the Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation, and we begin to be transported to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain from where he came.
Kurururung!
Turning into lightning alongside Jeon Myeong-hoon, I lock eyes with the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
—Kill me once before you go.
I understand what she means.
—Got it.
In our current state depleted of energy, if we leave her behind without killing all the Resplendent Treasure Immortals or the Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma, it could leave suspicion that the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord harbors treason.
Anyway, as long as a prophecy remains, death for a True Immortal is nothing more than falling into a temporary sleep.
I can just think of it as putting her to sleep for a while.
While heading toward the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain inside Jeon Myeong-hoon's lightning bolt, I swing the Impermanence Sword and send a heart message.
—Well then, farewell. Let's meet again later.
—Weren't we always together?
—A wise answer to a foolish question.
Tsuaaaaaat!
impermanence Sword.
Twin Flowers Reaching the Heavens.
White Orchid Flower!
Paaaaatt!
The Impermanence Sword becomes a blessing imbued with the power of White Orchid, ending her painlessly and in an instant within the blessing.
At the same time, we begin to move properly toward the faraway Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Kwarurururung—
:: They are escaping! : :
:: Intercept them! : :
The Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals and the Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma begin bombarding us with all sorts of prophecies and Immortal Arts. However, as Oh Hye-seo's Truth Manipulation and my Wheel begin to turn simultaneously, their Immortal Arts and prophecies start flying off in completely wrong directions, and we arrive at the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain in an instant.
Chiiili—
I glance at the overloaded Wheel.
"Maybe I've been overworking it recently.'
Now that I've become the Immortal Beast King, the Wheel has granted me almost all of its authority, and only now is it possible to properly draw out or overexert its power.
But starting from the Sal Tree Battle to the Naming Supreme Deity War...
Perhaps due to excessive overuse lately, I can see signs of cracks or fractures.
"I need to treat the Wheel too."
I store the Wheel away again and look around.
We've returned safely to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, and overwhelming presences can be felt from the direction of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
"They will be following us soon enough... Do you have a plan?"
Glass Peacock weakly licks and tastes Oh Hyun-seok's shoulder as they ask, and Jeon Myeong-hoon replies.
"Don't worry."
Kwachijijikt
Soon, red lightning bursts forth from Jeon Myeong-hoon's body, and something begins to appear in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
A mechanical device resembling a celestial sphere, scattering countless lightning bolts as it activates.
itis the Immortal Treasure, Great Desolate Path.
Glass Peacock licks their lips as they see the spirit of Golden Shaking Bird inside the Great Desolate Path, and Golden Shaking Bird trembles at the sight of Glass Peacock.
:: M-Master. No matter what, are you really going to bring that...thing in here...? : : "Quiet, Golden Shaking Bird. Everyone, get on for now. If we stay in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, we'll just be hunted down... First, we move beyond the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain."
We enter the Great Desolate Path, and under Jeon Myeong-hoon's guidance, we begin to teleport to another Heavenly Domain.
Pachijijik!
The Great Desolate Path becomes enveloped in lightning and starts to stir Indra's Net, seeming to ripple it as we begin to shift to another place.
Cheolpeok, cheolpeok!
Upon arriving inside the Great Desolate Path, all of us collapse onto the floor in exhaustion.
Then, as Glass Peacock crawls across the floor toward the fallen Azure Peng, Azure Peng flinches and pulls away from them.
"...Would it not be better to go to the Underworld?"
Azure Peng asks, avoiding the sticky gaze of Glass Peacock who is clinging to her, and Jeon Myeong-hoon answers instead.
"No. Soon...the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is said to descend."
At those words, Azure Peng breaks out into a cold sweat and speaks.
"Right, well, I know the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is reciting the Splitting Heaven Mantra. And... haven't heard your detailed plans after the Naming Supreme Deity War, but...why in the world are we going deeper inside Mount Sumeru if the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is descending? Rather, would it not be better to gather strength inside the Gandhara of the Imperial Venerables outside Mount Sumeru?"
"There's that too. But we have our own tasks to complete as well...and it was agreed that the best method for Seo Eun-hyun to intercept and strike down the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is when they are activating the Splitting Heaven Mantra."
"W-Wait, then...we are really not going to the Underworld? Not even stopping by at all?" "Hm, there's no real reason to go. And we probably can't even if we wanted to. The Radiance Hall bastards are all furious now and will probably seal off the borders of the Underworld completely... If you wanted to go, that last moment was likely your final chance."
"N-No..."
"Don't worry too much. Me, Kang Min-hee, Hyun-seok Hyung-nim, and even Seo Eun- hyun... With beings of Governing Immortal-level combat strength gathered in one place, if we just hide and recover our strength for a bit, even Radiance Hall won't really be much of a threat anymore. You don't need to worry about threats to your life or being captured, sealed, and tortured by Radiance Hall."
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's casual words, Azure Peng's face gradually turns pale. Kwarurururung!
We move once again inside the world of lightning, and this time, the destination is somewhere inside the Inner Sea of Mount Sumeru.
"W-Wait... Then what, what about me...2"
Azure Peng, now completely white and pale, begins to struggle to get away from Glass Peacocks proximity. Glass Peacock grins from ear to ear and crawls over to Azure Peng, wrapping their arms around Azure Peng's waist.
"Ehehe, since His Majesty the Supreme Deity helped recall our past lives...shall we start with the sibling setting, sister?"
Hileeek! G-Get away from me, you crazy bastard... W-Wait...right, L-Lord Judge!" Azure Peng looks at Kang Min-hee and reaches out her hand.
"Lord Judge! Please save me! Ah, no—if it is a Lord Judge, then you surely possess the authority to ignore the power of Radiance Hall and move to the Underworld! Lord Judge!"
However, Kang Min-hee meets Azure Peng's eyes, and after a brief moment, she awkwardly smiles and averts her gaze.
"Yes, have a beautiful love."
Azure Peng's face becomes blank with despair, and whether it's from drawing on strength they don't have through lust, Glass Peacock pounces on Azure Peng's body and sinks their teeth deep into her nape.
Soon after, under Glass Peacock's power, the two Immortal Beasts transform entirely into animal form.
Glass Peacock becomes a pure white peacock, while Azure Peng turns into a small blue bird.
The white peacock crushes the pigeon-sized blue bird beneath its massive body, then uses its large beak to prod all over the blue bird's feathers, plucking out the wing feathers to keep it from flying away. Then, it grabs the blue bird in its beak and, tottering away, disappears into the depths of the Great Desolate Path.
Faced with the absurd scene, we are left speechless. The spirit of Golden Shaking Bird, perhaps sensing the passionate mating of the two birds coming from one side of the Great Desolate Path, awkwardly blushes.
"...S0, what are you going to do?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon asks me, and I, trying to break the awkward atmosphere, once again speak of our next course.
"First...if we keep drifting around the Inner Sea, the Radiance Hall bastards will catch on. So, let's go to any of the Heavenly Domains and hide."
"There aren't many Heavenly Domains left at this point..."
"There's still the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain."
"Hm..."
At those words, Jeon Myeong-hoon makes a strange expression, then teleports the Great Desolate Path toward the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain.
Kururung!
it's been a long time since I came to the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, and it's not in a normal condition.
"What...should I even call this?"
Starting from the recent extraction and refinement of the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain's Supreme Deity, the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, to the light that once covered the whole world being condensed by Radiance Hall to seal the Naming Supreme Deity, to the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable disappearing and the Naming Supreme Deity rampaging, many events have happened...
Now, the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain is collapsing, and countless unaffiliated True immortals are gathering there, supplying power to keep the Heavenly Domain from crumbling entirely.
Even so, the collapse of the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain continues, and it seems it will likely be completely destroyed in the next few hundred million years.
Wo-woong—
As the Five Desires Chain enters the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, the power of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity seems to activate, slowing down the collapse.
If a typical Supreme Deity were to see their Heavenly Domain in such a state, they would rush in to fix it. But the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity seems uninterested and leaves the domain to collapse without intervening.
"Well, anyway, the rate of collapse has slowed. It'll probably take several billion years before this Heavenly Domain completely falls apart.'
And...
[look up at the sky.
I can feel it.
From the moment the Great Mountain Supreme Deity became able to follow my regressions...
While I was trapped in the Radiance Mantra and repeated regressions a thousand times, he took control of practically all of the Splitting Heaven Mantra.
"And...having seized control over the entire Splitting Heaven Mantra, he's planning something.'
As one who became the junior brother of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, I immediately understood after hearing from Oh Hyun-seok about Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape.
"Completely subduing Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape. That's what the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has been waiting for. And now that Oh Hyun-seok has come over to our side, he must have nearly subdued and reabsorbed Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape... What remains now is to activate the Splitting Heaven Mantra, descend upon this Mount Sumeru, sweep everything away, and challenge the Audience Chamber.
And by tracing back the remaining will of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape lingering on Oh Hyun-seok, I calculate the time until the Great Mountain Supreme Deity fully reabsorbs Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape and descends here.
"110,000 years."
At my words, everyone's eyes, including those of Oh Hyun-seok, who is finally coming to his senses, turn to me.
"From now...in 110,000 years."
By my measure, it is a span as long as eternity.
And by the measure of Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo, and the others who still do not perceive the regression, it is the year that marks 330,000 years since we fell into Mount Sumeru. "The Great Mountain Supreme Deity will descend."
I bow my head to my comrades and ask with sincerity.
"It's shameless...and saying something like this might make me seem like a madman, but..."
I hate being in a situation where I have to say this.
But I must, and they are likely expecting it too.
"...Please...will you risk your lives and join me in killing the Great Mountain Supreme Deity?"
At my words asking them to stake their lives, Jeon Myeong-hoon smiles faintly. "Obviously."
Kang Min-hee neatly ties her hair, straightens her robes, and gleams her blue eyes before me.
"As many times as needed."
Oh Hyun-seok, still barely coming to his senses, manages to raise his body and smiles. "Of course."
Kim Yeon speaks with a gentle smile.
"There's no way we wouldn't."
Oh Hye-seo, too—perhaps because I've been attaching the fragment of her spirit to Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens, gradually helping her recall past cycles—gives a bitter smile and nods.
Then, the Five Desires Chains that burst forth from within me all kneel before me and cry out.
"Give us your command!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo.
Hong Fan, Ham Jin, Yeo Hwi, Yu Hwi, Swallowing Heaven.
At this moment, a total of ten comrades nod in unison and give their consent before me. That their lives...
May be staked as many times as needed.
"...Yeah. Thank you."
The time remaining until the Great Mountain Supreme Deity arrives is 110,000 years. Now that Oh Hyun-seok has fully seized the Origin Essence of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape, even if I regress again, that time will continue to decrease identically.
'So what remains is...
In the remaining 110,000 years, to prepare to the utmost and face the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
-x-X-x-
Chwaaaaak!
The first thing I do in Twin Holding Heavenly Domain is perform Heavenly Escape. Heavenly Escape, the transcendental technique of the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, can be used in the same way as the Record, and I use it to cast Heavenly Escape inside a nebula in the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, hiding us from the world.
Even light cannot find us.
"Moreover, the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain is currently in a state where many True immortals are preventing its collapse, so it'll be that much difficult to detect traces of Heavenly Escape due to the remnants of that collapse.'
There's absolutely no way we'll be discovered within a mere 110,000 years.
Kururung—
I construct a suitable stellar system inside the nebula where I deploy Heavenly Escape.
I configure the star to possess the attribute of Gyeong, so even if the Radiance Eight immortals notice, the first to receive the signal would be the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord Ji Hwa, allowing for sufficient countermeasures.
First, I create a suitable planet within the stellar system along with my comrades and descend there.
As soon as the Great Desolate Path arrives at the planet, a blue bird flees from its interior. But immediately after, the now larger Glass Peacock chases after it. Clicking my tongue, I stop concerning myself with where they go and divert the planet's spirit vein to my companions.
Tsuat!
Soon after, those who have spent considerable power in the Naming Supreme Deity Battle begin regaining their strength one by one, and 1, too, recover enough for my mind to work properly.
"uuu..."
As a bit of energy retums, the internal ecosystem of my Immortal Body begins functioning properly again, and twilight true energy starts generating in greater quantity. First... need to do something about my race, which is still in the form of a parrot.'
Since Hyeon Rang renamed my race as Immortal Beast Parrot and left without undoing t, I'm still not a Candle Dragon, but a parrot.
Since the one who renamed me, the Naming Supreme Deity, had died, the renaming effect is gradually wearing off. However, much of my Earth Immortal powers will remain sealed as long as I remain a parrot, so removing the renaming as soon as possible would aid my recovery.
Woo-woong—
"History revision."
I imbue the moment in history when I was renamed a parrot with my own interpretation and will.
By adding the interpretation that I had already prepared a countermeasure for the renaming at that time,
Before long, the renaming is undone.
Tststststs!
J
As Taiji dyes the surroundings, I return from being the Immortal Beast Parrot to the immortal Beast Candle Shadow.
The power and authority of the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow begin to return, and the authority of the Immortal Beast King connected to it also comes back.
And...
I sense the Pangu True Blood Hyeon Rang left to me.
"Since it's come to this."
I begin fusing the Candle Shadow True Blood and the Pangu True Blood.
Urung, urururung!
The Candle Shadow True Blood is one that deviated from the original bloodline of the Human Race, transforming due to regression and the Radiance Mantra. Hence, it isn't difficult to fuse with the True Blood of Go that Human Race cultivators gain upon becoming an Immortal Beast as they share the same root.
Woo-woong—
The innate authority of Candle Shadow True Blood is Glass True Fire and mental awakening.
And the innate authority of Pangu True Blood is dreams and the link to Primordial Chaos (RT).
"Through dreams, one can reach the original Primordial Chaos, and through it, either summon the power of dreams into reality or forcibly drag someone in reality into the dreams.'
Even Hyeon Rang's Immortal Arts, such as Pangu's Genesis, which create Heavenly Domains through the power of dreams, are based on such a principle.
I begin to mix the two True Bloods within my heart essence.
Something rises before my eyes.
[A Taiji In The Shape Of A Fetus]
[A Spiraling Dragon]
Each is a symbol of the Immortal Beast Pangu and the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow. Uduk, udududuk!
As the two True Bloods merge, I feel an immense power boiling within my body, and at the same time, I sense that a significant amount of my energy is recovering.
I can feel it. The power of the Immortal Beast True Blood...is flowing into me."
I realize that immense strength is being infused into my body, and simultaneously, I sense that the form of the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow is changing.
Kurururung!
Thunderstorms roar, and I transform into the form of Candle Shadow.
In an instant, I exit the planet, taking on the form of a body of mist with a head of candle flame. Then, the Candle Shadow form, now fused with the Pangu True Blood, begins to change as if undergoing complete transformation.
"This is...
Uduk, udududuk!
As the Human True Blood and Candle Shadow True Blood intermingle, the original form of the Candle Dragon, which only had a humanoid head, now transforms, with the entire upper body becoming humanoid.
Hwarurururuk!
The Glass True Fire that formed the candle flame head flows downward, forming arms and a torso on the upper body of the Candle Dragon.
:: Huuuuuu... ©
I exhale Glass True Fire and twilight true energy, gazing upon the transformed Immortal Beast body.
My face remains completely shrouded in candle flame and cannot be seen, but the humanoid upper body is fully exposed.
The face burns with candie fire.
The upper body has transformed into a mysterious form made of aurora, while the lower body is that of a snake's tail made of pale mist.
Thus, my Immortal Beast form has changed into that of a Half-Human, Half-Snake God. Woo-wooong!
At that moment, I also become aware of the fragments of my power spreading from me.
I sense that the forms of the Candle Dragon Race, who inherited my Candle Dragon True Blood and are scattered throughout all of the Heavenly Domains, are also changing. Hoo..."
Originally, the Candle Dragon Race had only human heads, and only after reaching the Transformation stage could their upper bodies become somewhat human. But now, their default form is that of the humanoid upper body and serpent lower body.
Moreover, with the added power of the Pangu True Blood, Candle Dragons can now reproduce with the Human Race even without reaching the Transformation stage. [Author's Note: In this work, the minimum realm for interbreeding between different races to produce half-blood offspring is the Nascent Soul stage, aka Transformation stage.]
"Additionally, the Candle Dragon Race now possess much stronger llusion-type powers, and their raw physical strength has increased as well.
At this level, they have essentially become a superior race on par with the actual Dragon Race, the Fighting Ghost Race, or even the direct descendants of Immortal Beasts.
"And they are not even direct blood descendants, but ones derived from the fragments of my power...
If a child were to be born with the power of my direct bloodline, that child would possess strength sufficient to match beings at the Four-Axis stage who weren't born with special talents, just with the power of the Immortal Beast True Blood alone.
As that realization crosses my mind, a faint, constricting pain squeezes my chest, and I shake my head.
\..Someday.
Time has already passed, so even the fact that that child once existed disappeared beyond the timeline...
But that timeline still exists somewhere.
So...
"Someday, I will return to that timeline...and give you life once more."
Whether I let them be born as my direct descendant through my bloodline in Mount Sumer, or I go to Earth and let them live a peaceful life in a world without monsters, beasts, spirits, and gods...
"I will gift you a happy life once more.'
To my child who exists in that distant timeline, I make a vow I will never forget, and in doing so, I complete the unification between the Immortal Beast True Bloods.
"Looks like everyone's regained some strength."
Before I know it, several years have passed, and we've all more or less regained our strength.
"Yeah, I've become pretty capable again. I might not be able to bring out the full power of a Heavenly King yet, but if Radiance Hall shows up, I can at least hit them a few times."
Oh Hyun-seok opens and closes his fist with a grin, and I nod as I look at him and the others.
"The reason I asked you all to gather today...is just one."
Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo.
I look at the two of them and speak.
"We have to become Heavenly Kings. Enders can't become Supreme Deities...so at the very least, we need to become Governing Immortal rank Heavenly Kings to increase the chances of surviving the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Battle. At minimum, Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo—you two must become Heavenly Kings. I've already become an Immortal Beast King and have seen the Ultimate of Martial Arts, so I'm essentially between Supreme Deity and Heavenly Venerable...but you two, at best, are still a bit short of barely qualifying as Supreme Deity."
Of course, if Kim Yeon manifests the power of Vast Cold, draws upon the power of the Bright Cold Realm, or controls it, she instantly grows strong enough to reach at least the level of Supreme Deity.
But that power comes with too many weaknesses.
Yeon's Play is a broadly applicable and versatile Immortal Art, but it's not at the level of a Supreme Deity-rank Immortal Art or mantra. If an Immortal Art or mantra that counters Yeon's Play appears, it could be neutralized completely without resistance.
The same goes for drawing upon the power of the Bright Cold Realm or controlling it.
it's a power that becomes entirely powerless in the presence of Immortal Arts or laws that disable the use of True Immortal remains.
She now needs to reach Heavenly King with her own power and be able to confront Governing Immortals with her own strength.
At that moment, Oh Hye-seo raises her hand in response to my words and speaks.
"How exactly do you reach Heavenly King?"
At that, I nod.
"I don't know either."
"But...the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld once said this generation is one that all the gods are paying close attention to."
In all of history, much less a generation in which this many Enders survived, a generation where this many reached Heavenly King is unprecedented.
In fact...
"The Imperial Venerable said that a generation where more than three Enders reached Heavenly King can be counted in less than ten fingers."
Even though we can't meet him right now...
If we count Kim Young-hoon, then four of us Enders have reached Heavenly King.
"This must be one of the handful of golden generations.'
"So...if Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, and Hyun-seok Hyung-nim share their experience with you, the difficulty should drop considerably."
"Hm..."
Oh Hye-seo nods as if somewhat convinced, and I, too, place some hope on them.
If even Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo reach Heavenly King safely...
Then I'l have five teachers who can help me reach Heavenly King myself.
"Honestly, even though I've learned what my fate is, I still can't grasp the power of the Absolute at all... I have no idea how to retrieve my authority from Hong Fan, and I don't even have the slightest clue how to become a Heavenly King...
Still, if five people reach Heavenly King ahead of me and teach me, then no matter how much of a fool I am, I'll surely be able to understand it.
"Alright, got it."
Oh Hye-seo nods in agreement, and then Kang Min-hee speaks up.
"By the way, Seo Eun-hyun."
"Yeah?"
"You seem like you've got something to say, but you're hesitating over whether to say it or not, aren't you?"
At her words, I laugh awkwardly.
She's right.
Besides the matter of awakening to Heavenly King, there's something else I need to tell them.
"...Let me ask again. At the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Battle...are you willing to stake your lives?"
At my words, no one answers.
Silence.
And in that silence, I feel the emotion that this is so obvious, it doesn't even require an answer.
"...Yeah. Thank you. For placing your hands on my grudge..."
Everyone currently here is prepared to fight and die with me against the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
If that's the case, there's something that must be said here and now.
"If you are ready to die...then there's something I need to say to you."
The attention of my comrades focuses on me, and to these friends who are prepared for death, I let out a bitter statement.
"Everyone...prepare yourselves to die, to be defeated, to disappear—and leave behind a final will."
At my following words, my comrades all fall into thoughtful expressions.
"Someday...If we are defeated and dead, and the next generation of Enders arrives, let's leave behind arrangements that can help them, even if it's only a little."
Thus, from that day on, we begin preparing arrangements for the next generation of Enders.