Chương 534: Severing Heaven (斷天) (2)

[Don't... make me laugh...] Seo Hweol mutters with an unusually angry expression, staring at where I stand.

[Who do you think you are... to do such a thing to me...!?] Wiiiiing!

Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens begins to operate even faster and more vigorously.

Finally, Serving Command Palace completes a full orbit around the Head Realm.

Woo-woong!

Once again, Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave amplifies.

However...

It hardly constitutes a speck compared to what I witnessed in my past life.

The amplified brainwashing wave heads straight to the southern end of the Head Realm.

Towards the Sea Dragon Palace.

[Sea Dragon Palace!] Sea Dragon Palace.

The forehead!

Seo Hweol's entire Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens begins rushing urgently towards the forehead of the Head Realm.

Even though he knows that it is impossible with this level of brainwashing wave, he forces himself to operate Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

He is feeling it too.

It's not just because he's lost his judgment due to my Filling the Heavens Governing View's erosion.

It's because an intense sense of crisis is driving him to bet everything on an unwinnable gamble.

Even though what is inside my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connection can be manifested through Yeon's Play, others cannot see it.

They can only vaguely sense that something 'is there'.

Yes.

It cannot be seen, but it can be roughly felt.

Seo Hweol can feel the rewriting of history itself that will lead to the ominous history of his existence being reduced to a worm.

'Your defeat was inevitable from the start, Seo Hweol.'

So, the only thing I can do for him is...!

Paaaaaaatt!

:: I, rewrite...:: This grim future.

To sever it with my own hands.

The image of Seo Hweol that appears on the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections shines brightly as it begins manifesting through Yeon's Play.

Simultaneously, the manifested spacetime condenses, and once again, I manifest the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique based upon that misfortune.

Wiiiiiing!

I begin to turn the Wheel.

'This is the last time.'

So far, I have invoked rewriting a total of three times.

Hon Won and Yeon Wei.

Su In and Hong Yeon.

And the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

Why was it in this specific order?

If urgency was the priority, shouldn't the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain have been prevented first?

The reason is that there is a limit to the history I can rewrite with my own hands.

Twisting the fate of Hon Won and Yeon Wei to grant those two even a slightly better conclusion was the maximum extent of rewriting I could achieve.

However... history is fundamentally an explosion.

It is also life and the foundation that forms what we know as Qi.

That's why, once the first explosion occurred, history had no choice but to 'shake'.

I used that tectonic shift of history to trigger a chain explosion to rewrite the fate of Vast Cold's attraction force, which is on a completely different rank than Hon Won and Yeon Wei.

Then, through the tectonic shift caused by the rewrite of Su In and Hong Yeon, I rewrote the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

And... through the tectonic shift caused by delaying the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain itself, I now aim to rewrite an even grander history.

Woo-wooong!

'The Head Realm...'

I stare at the place where the Head Realm lies.

Unlike when my cultivation was lower, looking at the Head Realm no longer feels painful or overwhelming.

Though I still feel an indescribable and ominous sense of dread, it doesn't make me lose consciousness like before.

While it's difficult to clearly observe the inner situation, the Heavenly Being Grand Elders of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect within the Head Realm have been reporting the situation to Jeon Myeong-hoon and me. Hence, I know.

'To shake the Head Realm, it must at least match the aftermath of shaking the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.'

Still, I honestly feel uneasy.

Will this kind of rewrite even work on the Head Realm...!?

Will it really be enough...!?

'When my Wheel becomes able to rewrite history through the change in history, I develop a sense to recognize it.'

I can roughly tell whether it will succeed or fail.

However, even as I directly feel the aftermath of saving the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, I realize that such a 'sense' isn't forming.

Even now...

The Head Realm feels so vast and distant that my strength alone seems difficult to rewrite it.

But suddenly, at that moment, Paaatt!

Kugugugugugu!

The formula of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle begins to surge as if alive, rampaging madly.

'Wh-What is this...!?'

I am stunned by the power of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle boiling within me as if trying to explode, and I try to suppress the explosive force.

But it cannot be suppressed.

The power of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle surges terrifyingly.

I understand why this is happening.

'Vast Cold's blessing...!'

It's the blessing I received from Vast Cold's lingering will when I saved In and Yeon.

And in accordance with that blessing, the goodwill I showed to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain is now being returned to me.

'W-Wait...!'

But I can't help but feel horrified.

'This is... too much...!'

My cultivation realm begins to rise uncontrollably.

The Grand Perfection Sacred Vessel stage cultivation of the Heaven Tribe begins to pierce through the ceiling.

'At this rate, either Cedarwood Painting will suffer damage, or my body will just explode.'

Now, there is only one way to prevent that from happening.

'I must perform the Entering Nirvana advancement ritual... right now!'

Of course, advancing to the Entering Nirvana stage usually takes some time.

However, seeing my realm surge like this, I realize I can ignore the usual procedures and time constraints to advance directly to Entering Nirvana.

Although advancing means I will become separated from Cedarwood Painting...

It doesn't matter.

The power of a Sacred Master was only necessary for the situation moments ago when I had to save the entire universe.

I originally needed the power of Cedarwood Painting to resonate my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections with the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

Currently, when I only need to focus the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections on the Head Realm, the power of Cedarwood Painting is no longer essential.

Instead, what I need now might be an even higher realm.

Woo-wooong!

As I rise to the Grand Perfection Sacred Vessel stage, I realize that the Eight Paths have been fully completed.

And...

Above the Eight Paths, I add one more.

The average success rate for Sacred Vessel Sacred Masters advancing to the Entering Nirvana stage is forty percent.

This is because the advancement to the Entering Nirvana stage is that straightforward.

The formula for the Entering Nirvana stage is Royal Perfection.

By adding Royal Perfection to the Eight Paths completed during the Sacred Vessel stage to form the Nine Palaces (九宮), one achieves the Entering Nirvana stage.

Chwararararak!

I recall the formula of Royal Perfection.

What is Royal Perfection?

It can be interpreted as a virtue a ruler must possess, or perhaps the disposition of a ruler.

It determines the ruler's direction.

And when Royal Perfection is added to the Eight Paths—the authority that has manipulated fate and life up until now—the cultivator completes their very own Immortal Art!

I half-open my eyes.

I have already determined the direction I must take.

Therefore...

All that remains is to complete Crystal Glass to Treading Sea!

Paaaatt!

As I begin to operate Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, an immense sea of glass swords emerges around Cedarwood Painting from the aftermath.

Chwaaaaaa!

The blessing of goodwill given by Vast Cold aligns perfectly with what my Crystal Glass to Treading Sea has been pursuing, allowing it to grow rapidly and gradually shed the framework of a mere cultivation method.

Through Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, which was once merely the starting point of an Immortal Art, I now obtain a true Immortal Art.

Paaaatt!

Crystal Glass to Treading Sea becomes clearer, clearer, and clearer still, until it suddenly reaches a state so transparent that even a cultivator's consciousness domain would struggle to perceive it.

And at last, when my authority reaches its peak— Flash!

I finally complete the Immortal Art of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea once more.

My Immortal Art, which had roughly taken shape during my advancement through the Earth Tribe pathway, becomes even clearer and more cohesive as I advance through the Heaven Tribe pathway.

At the same time, a volcanic surge of momentum erupts within me.

The advancement tribulation of the Entering Nirvana stage begins.

Kururururung!

By the time one reaches the Entering Nirvana stage, the level of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy generated within one's body surpasses imagination.

Thus, from the Entering Nirvana stage onward, the form of Heavenly Tribulations completely transforms.

Whereas before, one would [withstand] Heavenly Tribulations, Starting from the Entering Nirvana stage, one must [cast down] Heavenly Tribulations.

Kurururung!

It feels as though the dragon vein within me is boiling over, and the laws of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begin to extract something from within me.

It is a Star Tribulation.

Completely opposite from the Star Shattering stage, the advancement tribulation for the Entering Nirvana stages involves extracting the Star Tribulation from within oneself and embedding it into all the stars across the entire Heavenly Domain.

I am being squeezed dry!

Some law governing the Heavenly Tribulation is wringing me like crazy!

As the Star Tribulation is squeezed and squeezed, eventually, all the true origin within a True Person's body becomes hollowed out, leading to death.

Enduring this process is the advancement ritual for Entering Nirvana, and because of the Star Tribulation bestowment ritual, those advancing to Entering Nirvana take thousands of years to complete the advancement ritual.

They shoot out Star Tribulation in intervals of years.

But I have no need for that.

Kugugugugu!

It's because the wave of volcanic authority stemming from Vast Cold's blessing surges out from my entire being, spreading wildly to the stars of the universe.

The law of Heavenly Tribulation is relentlessly wringing out my power.

It squeezes me so fiercely that, for a fleeting moment, I see the illusion of a soft foot before my eyes.

'I must not lose consciousness!'

I focus my mind and take out the Dusk Talisman I received from Ban Ta.

Wo-woong!

A powerful contracting force controls my Star Tribulation, preventing the power within me from instantly dissipating into emptiness.

Of course, despite this, the terrifying power inside me continues to be squeezed outwards.

However...

The blessing of Vast Cold withstands this immense wringing and widely scatters the Star Tribulation across the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

As trillions, quadrillions of Star Tribulations are wrung out of me in an instant...

I finally reach the realm of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation of the Entering Nirvana stage.

Kugugugugu!

The entire universe is connected to the Star Tribulation extracted from my body.

The reason beings at the Entering Nirvana stage can manipulate starlight across thousands of light-years is precisely because the Star Tribulation drawn from their bodies remains connected to the stars of the world.

Wo-woong!

I smile at the flow of Immortal Art coursing through my body.

This Immortal Art does not yet have a name.

However, it is clear that the Immortal Art obtained through Crystal Glass to Treading Sea suits me well.

I gaze upon my body, now separated from Cedarwood Painting.

Kugugugugu!

My body has become a complete white dwarf star.

Although it is said that in the Sacred Vessel stage, one creates fixed stars, red giants, and white dwarfs, Sacred Vessels fundamentally lack any substance.

The stars they create are merely 'effects granted by their realm' and cannot truly be called physical bodies.

The main bodies of Sacred Vessels are better described as the 'attraction force' orbiting stars, red giants, white dwarfs, and other celestial bodies.

However, now that Immortal Art resides within my body, the white dwarf star I had created has become my physical body.

No, to be precise...

Wo-woong!

I spin the white dwarf star.

As it rotates, its form begins to change.

It would instantly return to being a fixed star, then transform into another planet, sometimes becoming a black hole in the universe, and at other times taking the form of a blue giant, or even a black dwarf or a brown dwarf.

Wiiiiing!

I can now also project my main body and create planetary clones.

This is what Yeo Hwi calls Troubled Star, and is the foundation for her spells.

Kugugugung!

In the vast expanse of space, I transform my body in the combat technique form.

The Glass True Fire of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea wraps around my body, forming winged garments.

I look at Cedarwood Painting before me and at the planets and stars surrounding it.

My combat technique form is now so massive that its sheer size approaches that of a fixed star.

With the brute force of my physical body alone, I can now shatter stars and kill Star Shattering stage cultivators.

Wiiiiing!

A halo of Taiji appears behind my head.

During the Heavenly Being stage, the alignment of Heaven, Earth, and Heart was required for the Three Great Ultimates to appear.

[Editor: 'Three Great Ultimates' is literally written as 三 (three) 太極 (Taiji).] But now at the Entering Nirvana stage, the form of Taiji seems to manifest simply through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation.

However, this form of Taiji doesn't seem to produce the overwhelming amplification of power achieved by the Three Great Ultimates.

Of course, it doesn't really matter.

I briefly savor the sensation of reaching the Entering Nirvana stage.

Cultivators, in fact, harbor many misconceptions.

They believe that accumulating the cultivation of Heaven and Earth to reach the Plane of Fate is the method to becoming a True Immortal.

However...

This is a massive misunderstanding.

Reaching the Plane of Fate actually refers to the realm of Entering Nirvana.

More specifically, the Entering Nirvana for Heaven Tribe cultivators.

Earth Tribe cultivators in the Entering Nirvana stage do not reach the Plane of Fate but instead gain control of the Plane of Qi.

Controlling a plane!

This is the very precursor to becoming a True Immortal—the Quasi-Immortal.

From there, advancing to the True Immortal Realm through a specific ritual and attaining an Immortal Rank is what is known as True Immortality.

For this reason, many already consider those at the Entering Nirvana stage to be part of True Immortality.

This is what defines the Entering Nirvana stage.

Wo-woong!

With the halo of Taiji shining behind my head, I extend my finger towards Seo Hweol, who is rushing towards his goal in the distance.

The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections spreads across the Head Realm.

'It's possible...'

As an Entering Nirvana, I can vaguely 'sense' that it is possible to alter Seo Hweol's history.

Yet, because this is the Head Realm, the odds remain fifty-fifty.

'Will you succeed, or will I save you? Today, the ill-fated connection between you and I will find its resolution.'

I issue a command to the stars connected to the star vein emanating from me.

[In the name of a Quasi-Immortal, I declare: [Let the stars of the nations hear me!]