Chương 309: For Seo, Towards Seo (4)

320 years have passed.

There are 100 years left until Lofty Dragon True Person's storage scroll opens.

Finally, I have reached the Four-Axis stage.

Kugugugugugu!

Dark ghostly energy engulfs me.

Kurung, Kurururung!

Dark clouds begin to gather in the sky, with Golden Heavenly Tribulation churning within.

Based on the Heavenly Circle, the foundation of the Earthly Bearings is formed.

The Four Realms (四界) flow within the Heavenly Circle that was formed during the Heavenly Being stage.

Then, with the Five Great Mountains formed during the Nascent Soul stage.

The attribute of one's Innate True Method is placed in the center of the Five Great Mountains.

The other four attributes are positioned in the Four Directions.

The mountains thus created serve as pillars connecting Heaven and Earth.

The four pillars connect to the Four Realms in the sky, channeling the power of the heavens.

Wo-woong!

The halo of the Heavenly Circle, floating behind the upper dantian of the Nascent Soul, descends to the lower dantian, forming a similar round circle.

By embedding the four axes into this lower dantian circle, it transforms into a square.

This completes the Heavenly Circle and Earthly Bearings.

That is the practice of the Four-Axis stage.

Kurururung!

As the foundation of the Earthly Bearings begin to form, golden beams of light rumble from the sky.

The Heavenly Tribulation encountered when transitioning from the late Heavenly Being stage to Grand Perfection is 20 streaks.

And the Heavenly Tribulation encountered when rising from the Heavenly Being stage to the Four-Axis stage is generally known to be 25 streaks.

Kwarururung!

The sky pours down a torrential rain of light.

However, I raise my head towards the sky.

Kugugugugu!

Ghostly energy envelops my body.

Ghost King Transformation through Ghost Guiding Kui Devilish Secrets results in just an ordinary Ghost King.

But the Ghost King Transformation made with Great Desert to Dead Sea is different.

It's a method that fully utilizes the power of death covering my soul.

That is Great Desert to Dead Sea.

Kududududuk! Kududuk!

Around my head, skulls made of ghostly energy begin to emerge.

My body gradually transforms into a ghostly body, with ghost claws on my hands and prayer beads on my feet.

My original face also begins to wither and transform into something resembling a skull.

I become an 18-skull-head Ghost King.

That is me.

[Ooooooo―] A ghostly wail scorches the surroundings.

Yin energy surges everywhere, and ghosts in the Black Ghost Valley begin to scream.

Wo-wo-woong!

The framework of the Earthly Bearings formed within my body continuously circulates energy, converting it into life force.

My demon beast senses become more distinct and clear, and my understanding of 'life' is firmly grasped in my hands.

I can more clearly feel the circulation of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, and my consciousness expands and becomes sharper.

Kwarururung!

A golden waterfall descends upon me.

But I am not flustered. I open my 18 mouths.

Ooooooo― Each of the 18 heads begin to sing.

It's the Song of Death.

Dark yin energy surge, weakening the Heavenly Tribulation.

Simultaneously, black lightning begins to emanate beyond the yin energy.

It's the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body.

Kwagijijik!

Beneath my feet, the black lightning converges, and the forms of six ghosts emerge as if they are shadows.

These are not actual ghosts, but symbols of curses, each representing one of the Six Extremes: Violent Death (橫死), Disease (疾病), Anxiety (憂), Poverty (貧), Hatred (惡), and Weakness (弱).

Among them, the ghost symbolizing Violent Death is particularly larger than the others.

The ghosts join hands and begin to circle around me, singing the Song of Death.

Gradually, the lightning generated around the ghosts begin to counter the Heavenly Tribulation.

And finally, Wiiiiiiing― Above my head, the symbol of Taiji appears and begins to absorb the weakened Heavenly Tribulation.

It's the Taiji Quaking Lightning Body.

Although I can't use it openly within the confines of the Black Ghost Valley, refining the Heavenly Lightning in secret while enduring the Heavenly Tribulation is something no one will notice.

An eternity seems to pass, and at last, Kwarururung!

I overcome the last streak of Heavenly Tribulation.

Flash!

Kurururung!

Light bursts from my body, frantically absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

It isn't just because of Great Desert to Dead Sea.

My body, absorbing the nearby Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, gradually harmonizes with the surrounding spiritual veins This is unification with the Great Earth (大地).

In the Minor Realm, rituals have always been made to the heavens.

However, from the Four-Axis stage, the target of rituals is no longer the heavens.

It's not the sky, but the earth.

In other words, it's about offering ceremonies to the plane of Qi.

From this stage onwards, there are at most only slight differences in the methods.

It's said that there is almost no difference between the cultivation methods of the Heaven Tribe and the Earth Tribe.

Of course, the Heaven Tribe aims to influence the plane of Fate by offering rituals to the plane of Qi.

The Earth Tribe, on the other hand, focuses more on the plane of Qi itself, but the methods are almost identical.

The body, harmonizing with the earth, absorbs Heaven and Earth spiritual energy while simultaneously affecting the surrounding area.

Kuuoooo― The surrounding land is dyed black with ghostly energy.

Ghosts howl and cackle everywhere.

Ghostly wails echo between the heavens and earth.

The entire land becomes a place suitable for ghosts to live.

Cultivators at the Four-Axis stage can either leave the land in this transformed state or restore it to its original state.

Now, they have the basic authority to command the natural world.

Kuguguguk― I gather my strength and draw the ghostly energy filling the heavens and earth back into my body.

Huuuu― I stand up, streaming ghost fire from my 36 eyes.

From the Four-Axis stage, the bodies of demon beasts grow stronger and larger.

However, for the Heaven Tribe, their bodies begin to transform according to the ideal state led by their cultivation method.

While brief body transformations are possible during the Heavenly Being stage, they are akin to illusion spells, shallow and superficial.

But it's different in the Four-Axis stage.

The true form (本身) is genuinely transformed.

Of course, one can return to their original body, but the more they draw upon the power of their cultivation method, the more they transform into another form.

Now, my true form is no longer human but that of an 18-headed Ghost King.

After observing my form for a moment, I return back to my human body.

Returning to my original appearance in black robes, I extend my hand towards the void.

Kuguguguk― An attraction force emits from my hand and space begins to twist.

From the Four-Axis stage, the power of Celestial Energy Guidance obtained during the Heavenly Being stage evolves into attraction force.

Attraction arises from the earth, thus it is gained from the Four-Axis stage where one attains enlightenment of the earth.

This attraction force grows stronger and larger as one advances, allowing one to perform techniques like ground-shrinking during the Four-Axis stage.

Furthermore, at the Integration stage, it becomes possible to twist and compress space without interfering with planes, creating subspaces with attraction alone.

At the Star Shattering stage, it enables one to leap distances equivalent to several light years by bending vast spacetime and at the Sacred Vessel stage, attraction can twist the orbits of stars within the Astral Realm and control the flow of the Middle Realm at will.

From the Entering Nirvana stage onward, attraction force rises to the plane of Fate, allowing for the distortion of spacetime and slight interference with fate.

Kuguguk― I generate attraction force as I grasp the air.

At this point, I can't use a very strong attraction force.

Even performing ground-shrinking is possible only from the mid Four-Axis stage, unless one has exceptional talent or has learned unique cultivation methods.

What I can gain from attraction force in the early Four-Axis stage is just one thing.

Kugugugugugu!

As soon as I generate attraction force at the plane of Qi, an enormous amount of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy begins to pour into me.

From the Four-Axis stage, the unit of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy one can handle changes through attraction force.

The Heavenly Being stage merely blurs the boundary between the internal and external, handling external Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

At most, they perform Celestial Energy Guidance.

But from the Four-Axis stage, attraction force allows one to gather and command far more Heaven and Earth spiritual energy than in the Heavenly Being stage.

Kuguguguguk― Life force surges through my entire body.

I read the celestial energy that my lifespan has increased to 10, 000 years and take a deep breath.

'Finally, I've reached the Four-Axis stage.'

Combining the Heaven Tribe's methods with the Mad Lord's circuits, I possess the power of the late Four-Axis stage.

'Losing the Formless Sword weakened me too much.'

At some point, I became unable to reflect heart essence into my energy.

Perhaps it's because I'm completely separated from my main body.

'Or maybe….'

It might also be because Seo Hweol has taken over the main body.

Since Seo Hweol does not understand anything about emotions (heart) or martial arts, the chances are high that he could not properly handle the Formless Sword and might have lost it.

Although I have severed the connection with my main body, we share the same fundamental foundation, so if there's a problem with the main body's heart essence, I can't use the Formless Sword.

If I want to use the Formless Sword again, there's only one way.

'Completely severing the connection with Seo Eun-hyun and being reborn as the entirely separate personality 'Seo Li'….'

If that happens, I'll be able to use the Formless Sword again.

'But that will be meaningless.'

I am Seo Li.

But at the same time, I am Seo Eun-hyun.

There's no need to go out of my way to become an independent 'me' outside of the frame of Seo Eun-hyun.

"…Well, it doesn't matter much."

Regardless, once I obtain useful things from the Lofty Dragon True Person's storage scroll, the gap in power will be bridged.

Moreover, Seo Hweol will need another 600 years to escape the seal, so there's still time.

'I feel like the speed at which I am mastering methods and raising my cultivation is accelerating.'

At this pace, I might be able to aim for the Integration stage within a few hundred years.

If I hadn't wasted time from the beginning and focused solely on devilish arts, I might have already reached the Star Shattering stage by now.

'Not that devilish arts are good…'

Leaving aside the hideous transformation of my true form, I still can't shake off my hatred and anger towards Yuan Li, nor the fury and loathing towards devilish arts.

Even Great Desert to Dead Sea, which had been modified to be less devilish, makes me shudder with disgust at times during cultivation.

Nevertheless, knowing the usefulness of devilish arts, it won't be bad to continue modifying and learning them, and focusing on those that don't require sacrificing others.

While I'm lost in thought.

―Master, congratulations on reaching a new realm.

"Ah, it's Hong Fan."

Upon receiving Hong Fan's message, I take a step forward from my spot.

Above a mountain peak that I am not very familiar with.

The wind howls fiercely below, creating an eerie sound.

This is the Swiftwind Domain.

The Black Ghost Valley is working on opening a side path in Swiftwind Domain to rescue Kang Min-hee, a once-in-a-hundred-thousand-year genius possessing the Ghostly Yin Transformation Immortal Root.

Naturally, I volunteered to help create the side path and aid in Kang Min-hee's rescue.

After absorbing the yin energy of Swiftwind Domain and diligently cultivating for several hundred years, I have reached the Four-Axis stage.

"I'm heading there now. Be prepared."

―Yes, thank you.

Kuguguguk!

Generating attraction force, I stomp my foot on the ground.

Paaang!

I set the target point with attraction and pull myself towards it.

This allows me to fly without using the Flying Escape Technique.

How long have I flown through the sky?

I finally reach where Hong Fan is waiting.

Whiiiiing― The treacherous peaks of Swiftwind Domain.

There's a basin surrounded by those peaks in a circular formation.

Hong Fan is sitting in the center of the basin, stroking his beard with his shriveled body.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Master."

Hong Fan, after 300 years, has transitioned from the Nascent Soul stage to the Grand Perfection Heavenly Being stage and has completed his preparations to rise to the Four-Axis stage.

No matter how talented I am in devilish arts, I don't think I can compare to Hong Fan.

"Then let's begin."

Kuung!

As I stomp my foot, the basin hums and turns into a desert of sand.

Earthen totems appear everywhere, their mouths open towards the sky.

The totems serve as lightning rods to disperse the Heavenly Lightning.

"Please observe the celestial energy."

"Now is the right time. The Ladle, Ox, and Rooftop stars have risen to the sky."

"Thank you... then, I'll begin!"

Kugugugugu!

Hong Fan reveals his true form.

A massive centipede oozing black poison appears before my eyes.

Hong Fan's true form has become so enormous that each segment is comparable to a three-story building.

In his true form, he alone could encircle the entire capital of Yanguo.

Chiiii― The surrounding land becomes contaminated by his poison in an instant.

Knowing the danger of inhaling Hong Fan's poison, I step back.

And then, his breakthrough begins.

Kwarururung!

Flash!

The sky shines as Golden Heavenly Lightning pours down.

Even this time, Hong Fan's Heavenly Lightning is on an unimaginable scale.

Although it doesn't strike with both golden and blue lightning like with the Enders, the lightning that strikes Hong Fan is far greater than that which hits ordinary cultivators of the same realm.

Zzeooong!

Hong Fan endures the tribulation within the pillar of light.

The formation I have set up beforehand slightly scatters the Heavenly Lightning for him, but Hong Fan still appears to struggle.

Kwazizizik!

As the Heavenly Lightning peaks, I operate the Taiji Quaking Lightning Body to trap part of Hong Fan's tribulation within the Taiji.

Kwarururung!

As if angered, more Heaven and Earth spiritual energy gathers.

But I smile, releasing just a thread of the tribulation back to Hong Fan.

As Hong Fan touches the thread of the Heavenly Tribulation, the sky ceases its attempt to strengthen the tribulation.

It's a sort of trick.

While fully assisting with the Heavenly Tribulation isn't allowed, trapping it and releasing it bit by bit is barely within the permissible range.

Of course, there's a set limit, and exceeding it, or if more than one person attempt such a trick, the Heavenly Tribulation will ultimately grow stronger.

But even that is enough for Hong Fan to survive.

He expresses his gratitude to me in that fleeting moment.

Chiiiiiii― Hong Fan spews clouds of poison and gathers energy towards himself, and finally overcomes the tribulation.

And then, at a certain point.

Flash!

The tribulation ends, and Hong Fan finally unifies with the earth.

Kugugugugugug!

Poison fills the ground.

After a while, Hong Fan retrieves his poison and moves his body.

Clack, clack, clack!

Soon, his carapace begins to fall off as he starts shedding his skin.

Chiiiiii― Hong Fan, having shed his skin, transforms into an even darker black centipede exuding thicker poison.

Seeming to savor the poison energy for a moment, Hong Fan then reverts his body back to his human form.

[Hoooo...] I slowly approach Hong Fan, who is inhaling and exhaling poison.

"Are you alright, Hong Fan?"

Having been in the poison for a while, Hong Fan absorbs it completely.

Then, his figure emerges from the poison cloud.

"Mmm…!"

I am slightly surprised at Hong Fan's appearance.

"Hong Fan, your appearance..."

Hong Fan has become younger.

Not as drastic as going from an old man to a young man, but his white hair has hints of black, and his wrinkled skin has improved.

Moreover, his completely hunched back has straightened a bit, making him appear taller.

'Though I felt a slight change when he rose from Nascent Soul to Heavenly Being...'

Back then, his wrinkled appearance improved slightly, and he only looked a bit more vigorous.

But now, the change is evident. If he went from 100 years old to 90 years old when rising from Nascent Soul to Heavenly Being, it now feels like he went from 90 to 80 years old.

'Is he getting younger every time he rises in cultivation...'

His appearance reminds me of a phrase like 'The Curious Case of Hong Fan.'

Hong Fan inhales deeply before replying.

"I feel great. I feel very refreshed. Now that I've reached the Four-Axis stage, my perception has broadened, and I feel capable of creating even more potent and varied poisons."

"Hmm, good. That's fortunate."

Seeing Hong Fan, I feel a strong sense of reassurance.

With the poisons Hong Fan can create, even Integration stage cultivators will find them effective.

Therefore, I'm not afraid even if I have to fight the main body.

'Hong Fan has also reached the Four-Axis stage.'

Now, the remaining task is to stabilize the side path quickly.

'Right now, Heo Gwak and Heo Ryeong have entered the side path to quickly stabilize it…'

Soon, we will be able to contact Kang Min-hee again.

A few days after reaching the Four-Axis stage.

Finally, a message arrives from Heo Gwak and Heo Ryeong.

Tsstsstst!

The newly established base of Black Ghost Valley in Swiftwind Domain.

At the docking port of the Nether Crossing Ship at Black Ghost Valley's Swiftwind Domain branch, Inside my cave residence there, A projection of Heo Gwak appears.

Tsstsstst— A ghostly spirit shaped like Heo Gwak, made of ghostly energy, appears before me.

[Oh, you've really reached Four-Axis. To reach the Four-Axis stage from the Nascent Soul stage in just 400 years…if not for Grand Elder Kang, you would have been hailed as the greatest talent of Black Ghost Valley. It's a pity…if it weren't for the current situation, I would have celebrated such a great achievement for the sect, but…given the circumstances, that seems difficult. I hope you understand.] Heo Gwak expresses amazement at my advancement.

I bow respectfully and reply.

"It's nothing. Given the situation where a fellow Daoist of the sect might be in danger, it's only natural. But, the reason you contacted me is…"

[Yes. The side path has been fully stabilized. Originally, we were going to request support from the Human Race branch, but since you've reached the Four-Axis stage, it's no longer necessary.]

"Understood."

After exchanging a few words, we immediately enter the Nether Crossing Ship.

Within the Nether Crossing Ship.

In the office of the Ghost Soul Hall's Hall Master.

We stand in front of a diagram that leads to the path drawn by the Ghost Soul Hall Master.

[Stand here and operate your ghostly energy as instructed.]

"Understood."

[Alright then…shall we proceed?] I form hand seals and operate my ghostly energy.

In an instant, I transform into a Ghost King with eighteen heads.

As I assume the form of the Ghost King, the side path becomes even clearer.

The diagram drawn inside the Nether Crossing Ship is just for fixing the coordinates.

The 'real' diagram is drawn in the outskirts of the Netherworld, visible through Nether Perception.

As I form hand seals towards the diagram drawn with the power of death, they move to form a gate.

Naturally, I reach out towards this gate.

The structure of the gate, the forces used to create it, and the method to construct it all flows into my mind.

'Now that I've reached the Four-Axis stage…the structure of the side path isn't that complicated.'

I know how to handle attraction force and the Ghost Path Method.

The side path is a way that traverses the outer areas of the Netherworld.

I intuitively feel that by following this way, I can create side paths connecting to the Ancient Force Realm and Purple Gold Realm.

Black Ghost Valley hasn't created side paths connecting to other Middle Realms simply because there's no reason to.

Creeeak— Upon opening the gate, a dense ashen world appears.

I step onto a path seemingly made purely of darkness in this ashen world.

A space with nothing except the path of darkness and the ashen sky.

I walk along the path through this space.

How long have I walked?

Step, step…

After a while, I notice two figures in the distance.

One is a Ghost King with eight spears protruding from its body, and the other has four sails sprouting from its shoulders.

The two Ghost Kings are occupying the space there.

They are standing on the ashen emptiness, not on the path, but black roads extend from where they stand and connect to the path I am on.

[Sir Heo Gwak, Sir Heo Ryeong.] [You've arrived.] [Incredible, truly incredible. Even if you're not as great as Grand Elder Kang, reaching the Four-Axis stage in just 400 years…you are truly a rare genius, one that appears only once in several generations...] The Ghost King with spears is Heo Ryeong.

The Ghost King with sails is Heo Gwak.

Both praise me with pure admiration.

After some words of praise, they point to a spot.

[Focus on your Nether Perception. Find the darkness with the same aura as this 'path'. Grand Elder Kang should be there. We'll give you about seven days and nights, so concentrate on your Nether Perception.] Following their instructions, I sense the aura of the darkness beneath me.

It's a familiar aura.

The familiar energy of the Nether Crossing Ship.

Concentrating my Nether Perception in the ashen world, I find the identical darkness.

Woo-woooong— It's a strange feeling.

As if the ashen world has folded into my hand.

Observing the shrunken ashen world in my hand, I easily locate the side path where Kang Min-hee is.

It's very simple.

Isn't it just a matter of finding the path made of the Nether Crossing Ship's darkness, like where we are standing?

[…I found it.] […?] [Wait, already???] Astonishment spreads across the ghostly faces of the two Black Grand Elders.

Heo Ryeong touches the spears on his body and exclaims.

[Even I need a day of concentration inside the side path to find it…and you found it in mere seconds…?] [Hmm…it must have been a coincidence.] [Whether it was a coincidence or not, we will see. For now, let's use our attraction force to draw the side path together.] [Understood.] We each extend our hands and unique ghostly features.

Heo Ryeong extends the spears protruding from his body.

Heo Gwak adjusts the direction of his sails.

And I extend my eighteen faces.

We focus our consciousness and exert our attraction force towards a single point.

Kuguguguk!

As the three Four-Axis stage cultivators exert attraction force, we feel an immense power bending the space.

[Release ghostly energy!] [Connect the side path!] Simultaneously, we release our ghostly energy.

The black path wriggles as if responding to our power of death, extending from where we stand towards the distant point.

And at a certain moment.

Paaaatt!

I cross space and see another 'side path' beyond where we are standing.

'Is that where I need to connect this side path?'

Thinking so, I supplement my ghostly power.

However, the two elders make bewildering remarks.

[Hmm, do you see Grand Elder Kang's side path?] [No, I don't see it. Let's exert more attraction force.] […?]

'What? Isn't it visible there?'

Feeling puzzled, I point to one side.

[It seems visible there…] [Hmm? I see nothing…?] [Did you see it wrong? I've specifically mastered Ghost Path Methods specialized for detection, so my Nether Perception is even stronger than that of other Ghost Kings. Even I can't see it. If you've mastered power-specialized methods like Ghost Immortal Kui Devilish Secrets or Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body, there's no way you can see it. Let's exert more attraction force.] Heo Ryeong and Heo Gwak shake their heads as they speak, and Heo Gwak, in particular, spreads his detection-specialized sails even wider as he talks.

I don't understand Heo Gwak's words, but I decide to just go along with it and quietly release more attraction force.

After a while.

The side path leading to Kang Min-hee is almost right in front of us.

Only then does Heo Gwak exclaim as if he has discovered the side path, and he connects our side path to it.

And it seems that Heo Ryeong only notices the side path after it's fully connected, nodding his head in acknowledgment.

Heo Ryeong looks at me and says, [I don't know what you saw earlier, but be careful. While this is still the outskirts of the Netherworld. it's even deeper than the usual places we observe with our Nether Perception. For the living, it's too deep, so Nether Perception doesn't function well. It's normal to barely see a foot ahead here. Although it seems quiet now, it's hard to guarantee what kind of beings might be lurking around. In the worst case, you might end up falling into the Nether Crossing River by mistake. Next time, don't be too quick to react just because you see something.] [… Yes. I'll be careful.]

'…I don't think I was mistaken…'

I click my tongue inwardly as I cross over to Kang Min-hee's side path.

[Now, you go that way. We'll go this way.] [Hmm…] I momentarily furrow my brow.

'It feels like Kang Min-hee is in the direction the Grand Elders are heading….'

Instinctively, I feel that way.

I want to go, but knowing they wouldn't like me interfering, I decide to let them handle it for now.

I head towards the Bright Cold Realm, while they move towards the Nether Ghost Realm.

Once the Grand Elders are out of sight, I try to turn back.

It's then.

[Hmm?] What's this?

I feel a strange sensation.

The direction I am heading is definitely towards the Bright Cold Realm.

Then, turning back should mean heading towards the Nether Ghost Realm.

But, even when I turn around, it still feels like I am heading towards the Bright Cold Realm.

The energy of the Bright Cold Realm is unmistakably felt.

'What is this, exactly?'

Feeling confused, I turn back again.

But I fail to understand it.

'This way is also towards the Bright Cold Realm?'

Whichever direction I head, it all leads to the Bright Cold Realm.

In my confusion, I decide to keep walking.

How long have I walked?

In the distance, I see a gigantic presence at the end of the path.

'…That's…'

On the straight and narrow black path.

There's a place where the side path suddenly widens.

No, rather than a side path, it's more fitting to call it a 'basin.'

And, above that basin.

There, like a colossal mountain, is a giant ghostly creature.

It's Kang Min-hee, sitting with her body curled up.

'No way…!'

Feeling my heart tighten with anxiety, I slowly approach Kang Min-hee.