Chương 588: Mount Sumeru (1)

Huuuu...

I take a deep breath as I enter the Lightning Sacred Sea.

Only then do I fully awaken my senses.

Inside the Astral Realm of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, a strange instinctual warning kept me from fully awakening, but now, my senses spread throughout my entire body.

I could extend my senses even further, but for now, I focus solely on the inner depths of the Lightning Sacred Sea, preparing for my encounter with Golden Shaking Bird.

"Descend me, Yeo Hwi."

"Yes, Master!"

My Immortal Treasure, Yeo Hwi, instantly becomes the vessel for my true body to descend into the Lower Realm.

The Transformation body I made in the Lower Realm is sucked into Yeo Hwi's body, and I descend my true body into my Immortal Treasure.

Unable to withstand my consciousness, Yeo Hwi's consciousness crumples.

Her body begins to shift, transforming to mirror my own.

First floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea.

There, I reveal a head made of candle flame and a body formed of mist.

The true body of the Immortal Beast, Candle Shadow, has descended onto the first floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea.

Kugugugugugu!

From over a hundred floors above, Golden Shaking Bird senses the intruder. I can feel her manipulating the entirety of the Lightning Sacred Sea to expel me.

But it's useless.

Kudududuk!

I break through the laws of the Lightning Sacred Sea head-on, rising through the floors.

My Upper Immortal senses focused on the Lightning Sacred Sea clearly reveal the intertwined weaving of fate and Yang Su-jin's authority.

I see Golden Shaking Bird adjusting the authority of the Lightning Sacred Sea.

"Hu..."

Through the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique, I can immediately persuade Golden Shaking Bird, but I want to test how far my strength has grown. So, with pure strength alone, I break through Golden Shaking Bird's interference and enter the control space of the Lightning Sacred Sea.

Jjeooooong!

The laws of the Lightning Sacred Sea fail to restrain me and shatter apart, and I finally reach the control floor.

Yang Su-jin's poppy fields emit a hazy fragrance, attempting to brainwash me, but it's useless.

Paaatt!

I sweep away Yang Su-jin's brainwashing Immortal Art with my consciousness and turn my gaze towards the figure glaring at me in fear.

It's Yang Su-jin's pet Thunder Beast, Golden Shaking Bird.

Golden Shaking Bird looks at me with frightened eyes and speaks.

"... What brings the Upper Immortal here? Judging by your form, it seems this is our first meeting. Do you perhaps have a debt with my master?"

Up until my past life, Golden Shaking Bird was at least able to somewhat match me within the Lightning Sacred Sea.

But now that I have become an Upper Immortal...

Even without using the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique, I know I can crush Golden Shaking Bird to death inside the Lightning Sacred Sea.

"Haha, no. Look."

Wo-woong!

I instantly seize control of the Lightning Sacred Sea using the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.

Golden Shaking Bird's wary eyes soften a little.

"Ah...! Were you perhaps Master's disciple? Master did, at times, take in True Immortal disciples."

Golden Shaking Bird's reaction is amusing.

In my previous life, she at least considered me a 'newly advanced True Immortal'.

But in this life, having revealed myself in the form of an Upper Immortal, she now seems to think I'm 'someone Yang Su-jin once took in as a disciple that she did not know of'.

"Well... let's go with that."

After all, I was once a disciple of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.

"By the way... have you come here aiming for Master's vault? If that is the case, even if you are my senior brother, I cannot allow it."

Golden Shaking Bird bows politely, treating me as her senior brother.

"Master's vault is only to be opened to Master's successor who inherited the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique among the mortal beings. So... please do not entertain any reckless thoughts, Senior Brother."

"Ahaha, do not worry. I, too, want the treasures of the Lightning Sacred Sea to go to the rightful heir. And the reason I came to you today is... to tell you that the rightful successor of the Lightning Sacred Sea has appeared once more."

"Pardon...?"

I explain to Golden Shaking Bird about Jeon Myeong-hoon, and her body trembles in disbelief.

"Th-This... I can't believe it. Master... Master has... resurrected?"

"Well... see for yourself. He is currently in the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain. If you ever feel like going there, just let me know."

"... Understood. I... need some time to think."

Golden Shaking Bird, seemingly overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of an Upper Immortal delivering such news, retreats into her dwelling and is lost in thought.

I release the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect into the Lightning Sacred Sea and, with my true body, take a deep breath within its depths.

"Huuuuuu..."

I have become an Upper Immortal.

The power authority of an Immortal Beast fills my entire being.

Until moments ago, I was too focused on immediate tasks to truly reflect on myself.

But now that I set my mind to it and reflect inward, I discover something rather interesting.

'Is it because I regressed to the point in time during my True Immortal advancement, overlapping the power of my Upper Immortal self with my current self?'

Right now, both [myself as a Vestige Liberation Immortal] and [myself as the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow] coexist.

'This... is good.'

It seems there is a way to advance to a Heaven Immortal.

'Currently, my authority is at the level of an Upper Immortal... but in pure weight class, it touches the peak of a Great Net Immortal.'

Of course, it's not truly identical to the peak of a Great Net Immortal.

'Even if I overlay the Wheel to the Three Great Ultimates, at best, I can only rival the authority of a peak Great Net Immortal.'

Reaching the strength of an Immortal Lord is out of the question.

'To reach the level of an Immortal Lord, I'd need to elevate both my Heaven Immortal and Immortal Beast powers to their peak, raise my Martial Arts to an equal height, and then handle the [Wheel].'

At this point, it's absurd to even dare discuss the realm of an Immortal Lord.

After reflecting on my current level, I begin refining the [sense] I've gained upon stepping into the realm of an Upper Immortal.

Wo-woong!

'I can feel it... this is insane...'

A hollow laugh escapes me uncontrollably.

Within the Astral Realm of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, I had hesitated to use this sense due to an eerie foreboding.

But the moment I fully unleash the sense of an Immortal Beast within the Lightning Sacred Sea, a thunderous realization shakes my entire being.

I can feel the Plane of Qi.

I have become capable of perceiving this entire world.

Before, I merely caught glimpses of the Plane of Qi and, during the Entering Nirvana stage, I had only managed to seize the Plane of Qi [belonging to me].

That was the limit.

But now, having become an Upper Immortal and fully drawing on the senses of the Earth Tribe, I am overwhelmed by an indescribable mix of liberation and ecstasy, leaving my mouth agape.

I can see it.

Within this small head, I faintly perceive the Plane of Qi of this entire Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand Worlds (須彌三天大千世界)!

[Editor: This is a correction from the previous translation 'Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds,' as the hanja was not given before and 天 (heaven) and 千 (thousand) are both written as 천 (cheon) in hangul.] Though I can't grasp the finer details, I now understand the structure of this world.

'This is...'

[Inverted cone]!

That's right.

Only now do I truly understand why the True Immortals refer to the Three Heavens Great Thousand Worlds as Mount Sumeru.

This Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand Worlds unfolds in the [form of an inverted cone].

At the [top] of Mount Sumeru lies a circular surface.

At the [bottom] of Mount Sumeru, there is a vertex.

The curvature of all Heavenly Domains traces the shape of this inverted cone, forming the world.

Where the surface of the inverted cone exists, the powerful presence of the Eleven Existences can be felt.

'So that's how it is...'

They must be the Governing Immortals.

Though the Governing Immortals seem to be inside Mount Sumeru, the Seats they have risen to are all at the top of Mount Sumeru!

In other words, they reside at the circular surface.

Perhaps, the [above] and [below] felt within the True Immortal Realm are meant to represent this.

The positions of the Governing Immortals seen from the True Immortal Realm, within the heavenly sky, must be there.

'The Supreme Deities and Heavenly Venerables... They are beings who have transcended Mount Sumeru itself.'

Up to the realms of Great Net Immortal and Immortal Lord, all live within the inverted cone that is Mount Sumeru.

But the moment one is enthroned as a Supreme Deity, they transcend the very world of Mount Sumeru.

'Then, the Immortal Bodies of the Governing Immortals acting within the Heavenly Domains... should I think of them not as their main bodies, but as some kind of projection or incarnation?'

A question stirs within me about the existence of the Governing Immortals.

Now that I've become an Upper Immortal, I can sense the presence of the Governing Immortals dwelling across Mount Sumeru.

In the Underworld, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.

Within the Source River, only a faint will.

In the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.

Within the Interdimensional Void, the presence of Hyeon Mu is felt.

In the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity.

In the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain, the Liberation Supreme Deity.

In the Elephant Nose Heavenly Domain, the Naming Supreme Deity.

In the Horse Ear Heavenly Domain, the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.

And in the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, the power of light is strongly felt.

In the other Good Sight Heavenly Domain, Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain, and Earth Axis Heavenly Domain, no particular power is felt, likely because they have no rulers.

In Good Sight and Bearing Tree, light flickers faintly, while in the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain, only the aura of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea lingers.

Sensing the entirety of Mount Sumeru, my lips part.

'It's vast...'

This world is truly immense.

The space of chaos between the Heavenly Domains.

And the strange world [outside] Mount Sumeru.

All of it converges, striking my mind with a suffocating sense of overwhelming existence.

Though I perceive Mount Sumeru as a whole, it feels like I'm merely gazing at the mountain from afar.

I can only barely sense the vast presences of the Governing Immortals, unable to grasp any finer details beyond that.

What I do know is that even this [rough] sense is enough to leave me breathless at the sheer scale of this world.

Nine universes form the world, layered together with the True Immortal Realm.

All of them merge together to draw an inverted cone.

'What a spectacle.'

I feel somehow crushed beneath the sheer scale of Mount Sumeru.

Simply beholding its size, I can't help but think, 'It's beautiful.'

But...

That isn't all.

Shiver!

A foreboding.

I turn my gaze to the [bottom] of Mount Sumeru.

"Ha... hahaha..."

Why did I only sense Mount Sumeru after entering the Lightning Sacred Sea, and not within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain?

Perhaps it was due to an instinctive sense of foreboding.

And now, I understand the source of that instinctive unease.

The [upper part] of Mount Sumeru.

That is, the lower section of the mountain, near the circular surface of the inverted cone, is where the Twin Holding, Earth Axis, Bearing Tree, Horse Ear, Good Sight, Elephant Nose, and Earth Boundary Heavenly Domains lie.

The [middle part] of Mount Sumeru.

That is, the midsection of the mountain, in the middle of the inverted cone, is where the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain resides.

The Heavenly King Heavenly Domain alone is absurdly massive.

Its size is only slightly smaller than the combined size of the other seven Heavenly Domains.

And then...

The [lower part] of Mount Sumeru.

The summit of the mountain, near the very [vertex] of the inverted cone.

There lies the smallest Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

The Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain that is significantly smaller even when compared to the other Heavenly Domains, seems to be the smallest because it is being [pulled inward] to the vertex of the inverted cone.

And I see something that prevents the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain from expanding.

The [vertex] of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, the very end of Mount Sumeru.

I see what lies there.

'... I see.'

Letting out a low hum, I fully grasp the concept of [above and below] that I felt in the True Immortal Realm.

Above, in the True Immortal Realm, is the Heavenly Sky.

Where the Governing Immortals reside.

And below, in the True Immortal Realm...

A place brimming with ominous dread, where it feels like falling would mean complete annihilation.

The very edge of this Sumeru World!

'That space of Sun and Moon is...'

I now understand what the space of Sun and Moon I saw during my regression truly means.

At the vertex of Mount Sumeru, lies the Head Realm.

'So that is the point of beginning.'

This entire world converges towards the Head Realm.

'The initial stage of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra... The creation of the inverted cone... was about drawing out the structure of Mount Sumeru itself.'

In other words, the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra doesn't merely end with compressing a Heavenly Domain.

'It is also an Immortal Art of observation that maps out this entire world!'

As my understanding of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra deepens, a strange feeling strikes me.

"... Wait."

Come to think of it, I first discovered the starting point of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra in the Head Realm.

By converting the constellations of the Head Realm using the spells I learned from Cheongmun Ryeong, it became the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.

And the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra is also an Immortal Art that observes the entirety of Mount Sumeru.

Then...

'Doesn't that mean the constellations of the Head Realm are observing all of Mount Sumeru...?'

Twitch!

Suddenly feeling as if the eyes of the Head Realm are meeting mine, I hurriedly glance towards it.

"..."

But it's just my imagination.

The Head Realm still floats within the Interdimensional Void as always, its eyes rolled back.

Yet even though its eyes are turned inward, I let out another low hum.

'Whether the eyes are rolled back or not...'

Regardless, the Head Realm is observing all of Mount Sumeru.

That much is certain.

"... Hong Fan."

"Yes, Master."

"Bring Golden Shaking Bird. I... want to leave for another Heavenly Domain as soon as possible."

I no longer wish to linger in this Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, where that ominous Head Realm exists.

Wanting to escape even a second sooner, I order Hong Fan to fetch Golden Shaking Bird.

Now, I finally understand why despite there being plenty of True Immortals in other Heavenly Domains, only Blood Yin and Golden Shaking Bird remained in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain despite Yang Su-jin's ring finger blocking its entrance.

No True Immortal wants to set foot in this ominous edge of Mount Sumeru.

In this Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain where the Head Realm resides.