Chương 585: Hunter, Hunted (1)

I can feel it.

Jjeoooeooeong!

The countless hearts residing within the arrow that pierces the final sun.

The power contained in those hearts collides directly against the will of the Heavenly Venerable of Void.

Then, it utterly shatters the will of the Heavenly Venerable of Void.

Perhaps it is due to the damage inflicted by Radiance Hall, or perhaps it is because the long-cherished wish, forged over tens of millions of years of history, is that powerful.

The execution of retribution by the Impermanence Sword unfolds with immense power.

Kugugugugu!

I scatter the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens and step forward with eyes wide open.

The spacetime of emptiness tears apart, allowing the starlight from outside to seep in. At the same time, the inner rays of light leak outward.

A smile of freedom, passed down from the past.

A smile of relief, passed down from the harbor.

The smiles of countless beings, each carrying their own meanings.

Even though the Radiance Ten Heavens have been scattered, my dominion over light has not disappeared.

Because of that, I interpret these smiles with my own will.

Holding dominion over light, I perceive their smiles as light itself.

Stepping forward, I unleash the light of history that I have cultivated, illuminating it across all of Mount Sumeru.

'... I am sorry.'

Holding back the tears threatening to spill, I continue forward.

'I have... broken my vow.'

As I think of Seo Li, I engrave the light born from the history of In Yeon onto the world.

'Forgive me, Seo Li.'

I swore never to leave behind a split soul again.

But I have broken that vow.

Because the In Yeon that Ham Jin encountered was, from the very beginning, a split soul imbued with the aura of my Vast Cold Heavenly Circle.

Like Su In and Hong Yeon, or like Seo Hweol.

A split soul that barely inherited the will and authority of the original body, merely a leftover spirit body.

Lacking even my memories, it's ambiguous to even call him myself, but... that child was undoubtedly born with my heart.

'I will engrave you upon this world.'

In Yeon.

The entire In Clan.

And all the memories and history that unfolded in this Crystal Glass Realm—I will engrave them.

Steeling that will, I bestow light upon this world.

At that very moment, I feel my entire being turning into photons.

As the world absorbs my light, it is imposing a tribulation upon me.

Ordinarily, a True Immortal who fails to accumulate a sufficient amount of light is devoured by the Radiance Supreme Deity.

But I radiate my light with confidence.

'Take as much as you want. The enlightenment of the Radiance Ten Heavens that I have cultivated over ten million years. And the light of In Yeon that shattered it. Not a single one is lacking!'

The moment I firmly acknowledge this truth, I realize that I now stand at the crossroads of choice.

Condensation or dispersion.

Attraction force or explosion.

Yin or yang.

The choice is simple.

'Let's go!'

Flash!

Light begins to explode from my body.

From the moment I chose to detonate the Radiance Ten Heavens, the path was already decided.

If I must rise to Upper Immortal, then I shall first advance to the position of Immortal Beast!

The path of explosion!

Jjeoooeooeong!

My explosion is an explosion imbued with the Impermanence Sword.

That explosion permeates through those who are not meant to be harmed while sweeping away everything that is.

Not a single living being in the Crystal Glass Realm is injured.

But the planets of the Crystal Glass Realm— The remnants of the Radiance Ten Heavens, my true body that had been briefly controlled by the [Snake] and filled with its venom— All of it is swept away by the explosion.

And within that explosion, everything begins to melt together.

The stars of prophecy, the planets, the history lived by the inhabitants of the Crystal Glass Realm, my true body that had been consumed by the venom of the Radiance Ten Heavens— All of it fuses into one.

But it does not end there.

'The final gateway to the Upper Immortal advancement.'

Woo-woong!

Before my eyes, an Immortal Dao connected to a Seat unfolds.

A Vestige Liberation Immortal is a kind of egg.

And advancing to Upper Immortal is the process of breaking that egg.

'The most important aspect of the Upper Immortal advancement is... relinquishing one's omnipotent potential.'

In the state of a Vestige Liberation Immortal, one can dip their feet into countless Immortal Daos.

But from Upper Immortal onward, it is different.

One must forsake all Immortal Daos except for the one they have chosen.

It is a process of becoming even more specialized in one's own Immortal Dao.

'Immortal Cultivation is repentant enlightenment!'

Swaaaaaaa— Somewhere, it sounds as if waves are crashing.

'Like tiny grains of salt gathering to form a sea...'

Accumulate repentant enlightenment to build a mountain.

Accumulating.

'This is... the Immortal Dao of Great Mountain (太山).'

[The accumulation of small things into something great]—this is the Immortal Dao I walk, and the true nature of the Immortal Dao that Gwak Am has seized.

However, whereas the Salt Sea Supreme Deity interpreted the Seat through the [accumulation of self-contemplation]— I can sense that Gwak Am has interpreted the Seat in a far more cruel and devilish manner.

Wooo-woooong!

At that moment, as I fully enter into my Immortal Dao, I realize that the breadth of my omnipotence is diminishing even further.

As a Vestige Liberation Immortal, I could make prophecies about anything without restriction.

But from now on, it is different.

From this moment forward, I can only make prophecies and revisions about [the accumulation of small things into something great].

Upon reaching Upper Immortal, while one's dominion over their Immortal Dao strengthens, their omnipotence as a Vestige Liberation Immortal is restricted to prophecies and revisions related to that Immortal Dao alone.

But that does not matter.

After all, my entire life has been nothing but an endless accumulation of my own efforts.

Upper Immortal is the realm where one gains genuine authority and interpretation of their Seat, as well as the ability to push forward with their interpretation.

"Repentant enlightenment is..."

Holding the enlightenment I have just attained in my heart, I succeed in fully stepping into my Immortal Dao.

"Accumulating one's own life."

It is somewhat different from that of my master, the Salt Sea Supreme Deity— And vastly different from that of Gwak Am.

I push forward with my interpretation, and within the explosion, I begin to be reborn as a new life.

Kugugugugugu!

'Ah... that is...'

It is Taiji (太極).

The power of the history pathway I have chosen.

And the power of the Immortal Dao I have begun to walk.

These two forces draw a Taiji within me, achieving harmony.

'I see now. Immortal Cultivation in the realm of True Immortality is... moving forward while balancing fate, history, and the Immortal Dao one has chosen...!'

At the very moment the Immortal Dao and the Taiji of the history pathway align— Kugugugugu!

My form begins to take shape.

Is it perhaps because I was poisoned with the venom of the [Snake] for nearly ten million years during the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens?

My body resembles a snake made of hazy mist.

My head, much like when I was a Vestige Liberation Immortal, takes the form of a massive candle flame of Glass True Fire.

However, the candle takes on a grand shape of a dragon's head, and I feel the existence of [me] as an Immortal Beast being engraved upon this entire world.

At the same time, the Candle Dragon Race, which I have maintained through Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, formally connects with me, and I perceive their Immortal Beast True Blood awakening.

Recalling the symbol of my master, the Salt Sea Being, I draw a helix and roar as if ascending to the heavens.

Kugugugugugu!

Spacetime trembles, and at last, I break free from the egg—becoming the Immortal Beast, Candle Shadow (燭陰).

Or, as some would call it, Candle Dragon.

Jjiiiiing!

Simultaneously, I feel something being ejected from my soul.

Clang, clang, jjeooong!

It is the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag.

One of the seven flags is pulled away from me.

It seems that inflicting fatal damage upon myself by forcefully shattering the cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens, then advancing to Upper Immortal in that state, left the flag momentarily unable to bridge the gap in power.

At the same time, I feel a profound enlightenment imprint itself upon my mind, and the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag that was drawn out is immediately reabsorbed, becoming one of my Immortal Treasures.

Though having one of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags extracted should be cause for celebration, I let out a low groan.

'... Damn it.'

Chwaaaaaaaa!

Simultaneously, I sense the countless living beings of the Crystal Glass Realm dying en masse.

For a fleeting moment, as the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag was pulled away, I failed to control my power. In that state, I fully revealed my true body, causing them to vaporize.

The souls of the Crystal Glass Realm's living beings, perhaps influenced by Ye, find freedom and move towards an even vaster world.

Watching this, I turn back.

From where I resided just moments ago, only the corpses of Ye and Hang remain.

They used an Immortal Art that squeezed their very lives and have fallen into slumber.

It's when I gaze upon them with sorrow.

Kugugugugu!

Beyond the collapsing spacetime of emptiness, the dimension distorts as something emerges.

The familiar aura of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.

It's Oh Hye-seo.

"It's been a while, Seo Eun-hyun."

"It's been a while, Oh Hye-seo."

I lower my head slightly towards her.

"And... in any case, I appreciate the help. I was able to survive thanks to your aid as well. Really... thank you."

"... Hah. You're ridiculous. For now... take this."

She glares at me with gloomy eyes, then pulls something from her sleeve and tosses it toward me.

They are five scrolls.

As they draw closer, the scrolls gradually enlarge. By the time they reach me, they expand to the scale of a massive nebula.

Immediately after— Kugugugugugu!

The nebula-sized scrolls begin to unfurl.

It feels as if a nebula is cascading down like a waterfall before my eyes.

But more than that, I flinch upon seeing what is drawn inside the scrolls.

"... This is..."

It is a taenghwa.

And within that taenghwa, I see faces that are all too familiar.

Kim Young-hoon, gripping a golden saber and poised to strike.

Jeon Myeong-hoon, taking the form of three heads and eight arms.

Kang Min-hee, her figure barely visible within pitch-black darkness.

Oh Hyun-seok, boiling amidst the vapor of primordial chaos.

And...

"... It was you."

Only now do I understand why In Ye's fate was [Seeking Freedom].

In the final taenghwa, there is a noble figure draped in palace attire, resembling a light pink bird.

It is Kim Yeon.

Kim Yeon's power had seeped more subtly than even Oh Hye-seo's into the spacetime of emptiness, intertwining with In Yeon's family.

And in the end, it had lodged itself within In Ye's mind, shaping the conclusion.

She had been with me all along.

At the same time, I grasp the meaning behind these paintings and cover my face with one hand.

If I don't, I feel as though I might break down and weep right now.

These taenghwa are portraits.

Nearly ten million years have passed.

To be precise, about 9. 6 million years.

And in all that time...

Only Oh Hye-seo and I remain.

The moment I realize these taenghwa are the portraits of my comrades— Paaaatt!

The taenghwa.

Among them, Kang Min-hee's taenghwa in particular surges with powerful energy, unveiling a miracle so astonishing my eyes widen.

Chwaaaaaa!

The spirits of the Crystal Glass Realm, who had just died due to me.

And...

In Ye.

Those whose fates have ended are now granted the [right to remember this life and reincarnate].

I can tell who drew these taenghwa.

It is Kang Min-hee.

The taenghwa she painted while pleading with the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, imbuing it with the miracle I need most when I finally emerge from the spacetime of emptiness.

That is the consideration she left behind.

"... Thank you... Min-hee."

I am able to be freed from the immense guilt of the debt I owe to In Ye and the countless other living beings.

My heart feels at peace.

Chwararararak!

And as if fulfilling their purpose upon sensing my peace of heart— The taenghwa scrolls, depicting my comrades, fold themselves up and rush towards me.

Paaatt!

Immediately after— The scrolls are absorbed into my soul, connecting with me just like the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner and the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag. As I feel their presence, I turn to face Oh Hye-seo.

"These are..."

"Kang Min-hee painted them. And she told me to give them to you when you escape from that emptiness. I don't know much, but judging by how even Kang Min-hee wasn't sure of the reason, it must have been advice from the God of Death."

"... Thank you. For bringing this to me... Truly, thank you, Oh Hye-seo...!"

I sincerely bow to Oh Hye-seo with a heart full of gratitude.

However, she only lets out a small scoff.

"Don't misunderstand. It's not for you. I just... couldn't refuse the request of Oh Hyun-seok, my paternal uncle (季父)."

"..."

"..."

I quietly gaze at her, and she, having finished speaking, looks back at me.

My gratitude has been conveyed enough.

However, I notice that the madness lurking within her gloomy eyes has not subsided even after ten million years.

"Then, now that I've fulfilled my paternal uncle's final wish, I have nothing else holding me back."

"... Oh Hye-seo."

"Shut up. I have nothing more to say to you. There's only one thing left for me to do now."

Kugugugugugu!

At that moment, multiple mountains of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea begin to appear around her.

"There was a great war. A war waged by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and the Radiance Eight Immortals holding hands. Of course, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity abandoned me here and disappeared to Penglai Island or who-knows-where, so the war was fought only by the Radiance Eight Immortals. Anyway, during that time... I was sealed within the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain, gathering every last trace the Great Mountain Supreme Deity left behind there."

Woo-wooooong!

Oh Hye-seo continues speaking.

At the same time, from somewhere far away, I begin to sense the presence of the Thirty-Three Exalted Upper Immortals.

"The Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals. They are some of the few fanatics who didn't betray Radiance Hall during the great war. Anyway... I've now become a being that... cannot be sealed unless the Upper Immortals who are the Thirty-Three Exalted do not combine their strengths. Even then, as an Ender, I can use my authority to escape like this. Of course... the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals are incredibly powerful and troublesome fanatics."

With eyes clouded with madness, she briefly glances at the direction where the beings of the Thirty-Three Exalted are approaching.

"You get what I'm saying, Seo Eun-hyun? I don't want to be interrupted by those bothersome guys. Before they interfere... let's settle this."

The energy of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea begins to gather entirely towards her.

She seems to be both a Heaven Immortal and an Immortal Beast.

Her form changes into a monstrous amalgamation of bizarre symbols and shapes of numerous Immortal Beasts.

In contrast, I return to my human form from that of an Immortal Beast and take my stance.

"Come at me, Seo Eun-hyun. Let us end this ill-connection."

For a moment, I read the look in her eyes.

Then, swallowing a silent breath, I soar.

Kugugugugugu!

In the midst of all this, the presence of the Thirty-Three Exalted continue to draw closer.

I think I understand the way she wants to settle this.

Short. Swift. A single decisive clash.

"Immortal cultivation is repentant enlightenment."

"Immortal cultivation is repentant enlightenment."

Almost simultaneously, the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra bursts from both our lips.

Gik, gigigigik, gigigigigigik!

Centered around Oh Hye-seo, who has reached the realm of a Great Net Immortal, an immense attraction force begins to form.

At the same time, centered around the weight class that has reached the peak of Great Net Immortal of my Upper Immortal true body, an attraction force that transcends imagination begins to emerge.

Pure white light gathers in each of our hands.

In Oh Hye-seo's hands, the seven energies of Yin-Yang and Five Elements converge, forming the core of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.

In my hands, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections gathers, becoming Impermanence.

Kugugugugugu!

Centered around her Yin-Yang and Five Elements, stars begin to be drawn in.

The place we stand is the Good Sight Heavenly Domain, which I have just emerged into after shattering the spacetime of emptiness.

The attraction force of the Good Sight Heavenly Domain reaches its peak.

As the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra of she and I resonate, their power steadily increases. Before long, the attraction force grows to a level just shy of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra demonstrated by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity in the 19th cycle.

Kugugugugu!

The river of stars is being pulled in.

At first, it is a galactic group.

Then, an entire galaxy. Next, a galaxy cluster is swallowed.

Thus, seventy or so galaxy clusters are compressed within Oh Hye-seo's grasp, while in mine, only an increasingly transparent energy continues to gather.

Then, in an instant.

Though much slower than the Great Mountain Supreme Deity of the 19th cycle, the eyes of Oh Hye-seo, who compresses the entirety of a space the size of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain into a single point of light within her hands, meets mine.

No words are exchanged.

But that alone is enough.

:: Splitting (裂)!:::: Emperor (帝)!:: She and I shout in unison.

The seventy galaxy clusters concentrated in her grasp explode all at once, surging towards me.

The way they are launched somehow resembles the Salt Sea Returning Dew Jade.

And I, in response, swing the transparent energy I have continuously gathered.

The Impermanence Sword, refined to the extreme limit through the power of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.

To face her, this alone is enough.

Clutching the sword of impermanence, I rush forward in a proper stance, thrusting.

The closer I get to her, the greater the pressure of the rays condensed from the galaxy clusters, threatening to crush my entire body.

Yet, I do not falter, and I embed a prophecy into my sword.

I prophesize: What I have accumulated shall never bend.

That alone is enough.

Flash!

I pierce through the explosion of countless galaxies and reach beyond, where Oh Hye-seo stands.

I feel the clash between the Immortal Art imbued in my Impermanence Sword and the Immortal Art that forms the foundation of her being.

Impermanence and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens collide.

And then, my sword shatters.

Kwaching!

But my sword is Impermanence (無常).

A divine weapon that infinitely changes shape even if it breaks once.

Thus, I grip the fragmented end of the sword, press forward, and pierce through her abdomen, simultaneously cleaving through the upper half of her body.

"... It's quite cruel. That Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens of yours..."

Recalling what I felt when clashing against Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, I let out a silent sigh.

Though it ultimately became a tool for passing down love in the Crystal Glass Realm, the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that she inherited from Seo Hweol... became an Immortal Art far more violent and agonizing than ever imagined.

In the Crystal Glass Realm, it had merely undergone a slight change in property under the influence of Kim Yeon's power, which had seeped in unnoticed.

"You have made an Immortal Art that is... far too cruel to yourself, Oh Hye-seo."

Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens functions as the most cruel and agonizing Immortal Art upon herself.

Oh Hye-seo lets out a twisted laugh.

Gradually, her body begins to break apart, fragmenting piece by piece.

It seems she had poured all of her prophetic stars and ancient force into that true body.

She is undergoing complete annihilation.

Turning to look at me, she gives a distorted smile.

"You're really strong. You... your Filling the Heavens Governing View contained in your Impermanence Sword. That... wasn't even meant to fight me in the first place, was it?"

With eyes filled with pain, she looks upon the trajectory I had taken as I tore through her ray of light.

There, under the effects of my Filling the Heavens Governing View and history revision, the galaxies that Oh Hye-seo had crushed and obliterated with the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra are all returning to their rightful places.

The civilizations numbering in the thousands, tens of thousands, hundred of millions, that had been moments from unjust destruction at Oh Hye-seo's hands, are granted [one more chance] as [the price of destruction] through the 'retribution' of the Impermanence Sword.

Then, by utilizing the 'failure' of Filling the Heavens Governing View, it makes [destruction itself fail] through that [one more chance].

And by using my history revision as an Immortal Beast, I naturally weave these events together, so that no being suffers any harm from the battle that just took place between her and me.

Of course, those civilizations must have felt horrifying pain and terror from experiencing destruction even once, but there is nothing I can do about that, so I choose to move on.

"A Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra that does not crush and compress others to unleash its might, but one that forges your own Immortal Art to unfold... You're truly... strong. I envy you... envy... so... much..."

With those final words, Oh Hye-seo crumbles into dust within the void.

"... Before, you once asked me."

I mutter to the empty space where Oh Hye-seo has scattered.

"You asked what I know about life."

No reply comes, but I let out a bitter smile as I speak my response.

"Trapped in the Crystal Glass Realm, living alongside the connections there, I've come to understand it a little. From In Yeon's family... I have learned so many things. Life is..."

Recalling the arrow of In Ye that pierced through the sun and continued soaring endlessly, I voice their enlightenment.

"Moving forward."

Even if no answer is in sight, Continuing to move forward.

Yearning for freedom and striving towards a wider world, moving forward.

Perhaps that is what life is.

That thought settles within me.

Of course, moving forward is not the entirety of life.

But surely, it is one of the important perspectives through which to view life.

"... Now it really seems... the end is approaching."

I let out a bitter smile as I gaze at Hyeon Mu, who has appeared like a midday phantom in the spot where Oh Hye-seo had scattered.

"I will say this for the last time. Hand over your subordinate."

"... So you were waiting for my rise as an Immortal Beast."

Once one becomes an Upper Immortal, they can only enact prophecies and revisions related to their own Immortal Dao.

I can no longer use the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld as leverage to threaten Hyeon Mu as I did before.

I give a bitter smile and raise my Impermanence Sword.

"For the one called Martial God... it is truly cowardly."

"You are speaking strange words. Martial Arts is simply Martial Arts. There is no such thing as cowardly. Do you think piercing an opponent's weakness is cowardly?"

"... I apologize. It was just a childish complaint."

Kugugugugu!

Beyond, I sense the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals, who were said to have sealed Oh Hye-seo, on the verge of descending. However, with a mere wave of Hyeon Mu's hand, they are cast away into a distant space without resistance.

"Now then. Shall we see how much you have grown in ten million years?"

"..."

I silently raise my Impermanence Sword.

Perhaps, this is the final moment of the 1002nd cycle.

Resolving to pour everything I have, I anticipate my final dance with the True Martial Great Emperor.