Chương 686: Imperial King (1)

"L-Lightbulb...?"

Jeon Myeong-hoon ponders over the word for a long while before he finally recalls its meaning and flinches in shock.

"How could the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity have a lightbulb...?"

"Hmm... you don't know? I thought you were close to becoming a Heavenly King... Then again, you haven't even obtained an Origin Essence, so becoming a Heavenly King while still a Great Net Immortal would be difficult."

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord nods and continues speaking.

"Anyway, now that they have obtained the lightbulb, they will soon be released from the seal."

"Wait, I don't understand. What does a lightbulb have to do with the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity?"

Jeon Myeong-hoon, puzzled, asks Ji Hwa.

She nods and slowly explains.

"The lightbulb isn't just some simple object like you're thinking."

Wo-woong!

A pure white light bursts forth above her hand.

"Inventing things or creating new magic artifacts, dharma tools, or Immortal Treasures are all completely possible once someone becomes a True Immortal. True Immortals have almost infinite time, which gives them plenty of opportunity and time to come up with new things. However... those new inventions almost never reach the Saha World to be used by its people. Even the lightbulb or the steam engine aren't entirely new concepts, but they have practically never been used by the humans of the Saha World."

"Then..."

"Do Gon obtaining the lightbulb means that a significant group of mortals in the Saha World has begun evolving a 'new civilization' centered around the lightbulb, partially breaking free from the suppression of fate that had long hindered the development of the Saha World. And that means..."

Kugugung!

Jeon Myeong-hoon suddenly feels a tremor echoing throughout the Three Heavens Great Thousand World.

It is a disturbance in fate.

The fate of Mount Sumeru is shaking.

'Insane...'

And Jeon Myeong-hoon, who can hear the voice of lightning, hears it even more distinctly.

All the electromagnetic forces in the Heavenly Domain are in upheaval.

"The seal of the Radiance Eight Immortals, placed upon the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity with the attraction force of fate and the power of light... has become meaningless."

Kwa-chijijijijik!

"Kuheok! Kuuugh!"

"Most likely, the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity intended to resurrect by borrowing your body, stealing the authority and fate of an Ender. That's how it was during Yang Su-jin's time too. But now... there's no need for that anymore."

"Kuaaaaaaaagh!"

Jeon Myeong-hoon clenches his teeth as he feels the rampaging lightning begin to surge within him.

Having always been beloved by lightning, calling upon it like a servant, Jeon Myeong-hoon groans in extreme helplessness and fatigue.

The lightning that once fawned over him now struggles to escape his command.

As if their true master is calling.

"Most likely... they will break free of the seal, capture you, and directly refine you into an Immortal Treasure. After all, an Immortal Treasure forged from an Ender is terrifyingly powerful."

"Kuuuuuuugh...!"

"If things were as they were before, I wouldn't have cared whether they turned you into an Immortal Treasure or not... But now it is different. I have become Seo Eun-hyun's friend, and you too are his friend. A friend of a friend is also my friend."

She extends her hand toward Jeon Myeong-hoon and speaks.

"You seem to be the one who enjoys Seo Eun-hyun's deepest friendship. Is that correct?"

"Kuuuughh... That's... right."

"And you are waiting for him to come. Is that also true?"

"... Ye... ah..."

"In that case, I will tell you the method to call him."

"What...!?"

Jeon Myeong-hoon opens his eyes wide at Ji Hwa's words.

"You... know how to summon Seo Eun-hyun? Seo Eun-hyun is currently in the Outer Sea..."

"He is not in the Outer Sea."

"... What?"

"He is currently... temporarily asleep, having merged with the world to escape from the grasp of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity. In other words, he exists everywhere and nowhere in this world."

"What in the world does that even mean?"

When Jeon Myeong-hoon asks with a dumb look, she laughs as if amused.

"If you are Seo Eun-hyun's comrade, you'd have understood. Are you putting on a stupid act just to entertain me? Now I see why Seo Eun-hyun holds his friends in such high regard. Huhu."

"..."

Jeon Myeong-hoon's face twitches at Ji Hwa's words, but the sharp sword energy radiating from her body makes him unable to open his mouth.

"Anyway, Seo Eun-hyun has become a component that exists everywhere in this world... something like a law. In other words... he is currently with us as well. So, as long as we perform a summoning ritual, we can divine descent his law and make Seo Eun-hyun's existence return to Mount Sumeru. And... the one most necessary for that is you."

"What...? M-Me...?"

"Yes. The thoughts of you Enders... are thousands, hundreds of millions of times stronger than that of other living beings and True Immortals. You are beings that bring about miracles. Whatever you desire is made to inevitably find its way into your hands. That is why, among all in Mount Sumeru, you, who are most strongly thinking of Seo Eun-hyun's return, are needed."

At those words, Jeon Myeong-hoon blinks and then nods.

"Well, fine. I don't quite get it, but in any case, you're saying I'm the only one who can call Seo Eun-hyun. Then we should do it fast, before the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity descends..."

"That's impossible. The Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity will fully break from the seal and descend within three days. Slowly summon him while fighting the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity."

"What...!? Is that even possible?"

"Once the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity appears, we Radiance Eight Immortals will have to reseal them anyway. We will be fighting them again. Join us in the battle and summon Seo Eun-hyun in the midst of it."

"Even so, will I have time for something like a Seo Eun-hyun summoning ritual in the middle of battle with a Supreme Deity?"

"It is not a simple summoning ritual. Your body will become the altar, and the components of Seo Eun-hyun that have become a law and dispersed throughout the world, will be 'invoked' into your body. The more of Seo Eun-hyun's components that gather within your body, the more his true body will be summoned to Mount Sumeru. If he regains consciousness, he will be able to resurrect in Mount Sumeru."

At those words, Jeon Myeong-hoon nods.

"Good. Then teach me the summoning ritual."

"Very well. Strictly speaking, it's not a ritual but more like a cultivation method... No, calling it a heart method (心法) would be better."

She hands over an information entity to Jeon Myeong-hoon.

"This is the Sword Extreme Heart Method (劍極心法). It's a heart method created to summon Seo Eun-hyun, so learn it well. Once you do, you'll be able to communicate with me as well, so we'll discuss the rest of the plan after you've mastered it. Well then..."

Paststs!

With that, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord turns into light and disappears.

Jeon Myeong-hoon skims through the Sword Extreme Heart Method he received, then flicks his finger.

Ttak!

"Golden Shaking Bird, come out. Sorry, but... do you know anything about this heart method?"

Kururung!

At that moment, the Great Desolate Path appears beside Jeon Myeong-hoon, transforms into the form of a hummingbird, and perches on his shoulder, reading the information entity given by the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord together with him.

After a while, Golden Shaking Bird speaks with a stunned expression.

"... Uh, uhhh... Master. This is... that. That."

"What...?"

"I-Isn't this... the cultivation system Master kept searching for in your past life?"

"You're saying this is the cultivation system I searched for in my past life...?"

"Yes! That's right! This is... the method to become a Heart Tribe True Immortal!"

Golden Shaking Bird jumps up and down on Jeon Myeong-hoon's shoulder, staring at the Sword Extreme Heart Method in shock.

"In... that past life, didn't I judge that there was no such thing as a Heart Tribe True Immortal?"

"Yes! But this is definitely a method that allows one to become a Heart Tribe True Immortal! If Master learns this, Master will obtain the countermeasure Master always wanted to oppose the Owner of Heavenly Punishment!"

"Hmm... well, thanks. But... there's a problem."

"Yes! Give me any command, Master!"

"This... I definitely won't be able to learn it within three days."

"... Pardon...?"

Golden Shaking Bird becomes puzzled at Jeon Myeon-hoon's words, then starts laughing loudly.

"Ahaha, truly, Master's jokes are really amusing. Ahahahaha! Aren't you a genius, Master? Though your personality has changed from crossing over multiple lives and there may be slight difficulties, you awakened your own fate and succeeded in reaching True Immortality. A genius like you can surely master a mere cultivation method like this at any time!"

"..."

At those words, Jeon Myeong-hoon begins to sweat coldly without even parting his lips.

'Damn it... How am I supposed to say I only grew stronger because Seo Eun-hyun spoon-fed everything to me...?'

As he continues to sweat cold spiritual energy for quite some time, he decides to follow the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's words and try learning the heart method.

'For now, I need to at least try to communicate with that guy.'

He sweats coldly as he recalls the Sword Extreme Heart Method.

The minimum entry requirement for the Sword Extreme Heart Method is the first stage of Manifestation.

In other words, one must have reached Entering Heavens or have grasped a sense of Triple Divinity.

If not that, then one must be a person extremely proficient in a single weapon, practically no different from a member of the Heart Tribe.

And Jeon Myeong-hoon is someone who meets none of those conditions.

'I'm going to go insane. Anyway, I think I'll be able to quickly learn the initial section that accumulates spiritual power, so I'll learn this right away and resolve the misunderstandings with the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.'

With that decision, Jeon Myeong-hoon informs the other comrades of the current situation and begins to learn the Sword Extreme Heart Method.

Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, Radiance Hall.

There, the Great Forest Heavenly Lord and Rain Dew Heavenly Lord suddenly rise from their seats.

:: Sword Spear!:::: Just where had you been imprisoned!?:: Paaatt!

After a long stretch of time, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord has reappeared before them.

Then, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord Ji Hwa slowly opens her mouth.

:: The Ender Seo Eun-hyun... I was caught by his bizarre and ridiculous authority and ended up traveling through the otherside of spacetime. The extreme suddenness of the authority attack left me with no choice but to waste more time than expected. I apologize for that.:::: Yet another Ender with authority related to spacetime... How troublesome these ones are.:::: That aside, Sword Spear. Did you feel it as well?:::: Are you speaking of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity?

:: At the sudden question from the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord, Ji Hwa asks back with puzzlement.

The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord nods and explains.

:: Who knows what happened, but the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity obtained something and is attempting to escape from our seal. The Radiance Eight Immortals will soon be convened. And... though I do not know what exactly happened, the current Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity seems to have acquired some kind of special authority or fate, so if we rely only on the power of the Radiance Supreme Deity, we may suffer heavy damage. Therefore, we shall call upon the divine spirits of Radiance Hall.

In particular, I intend to call upon the Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma. As you are the vanguard of the Radiance Eight Immortals, I ask of you to quickly visit them and return.:::: Understood.:: The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord Ji Hwa nods and momentarily disappears from inside Radiance Hall. Watching this, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord turns to the Great Forest Heavenly Lord and speaks.

:: You must have sensed something strange just now, didn't you, Great Forest?:::: Indeed, Rain Dew.:: The eyes of the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord gleam with black-blue from behind their mask.

:: There has been a disturbance in the Immortal Cultivation system we manage. It is the same kind of disturbance that only appeared when a new Immortal Cultivation system was born, like during the time of Vast Cold. When I asked Sword Spear whether they sensed it, they definitely should have brought up that disruption along with the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.:::: Indeed... it seemed Sword Spear had no awareness of it whatsoever.

:::: Failing to perceive the disturbance in the Immortal Cultivation system means one of two things. Either they are not in their right state of mind after being struck by the Ender's authority... or they violated our rules and learned the new Immortal Cultivation system, thus having grown too accustomed to notice the disturbance. Either way... it is a major violation that warrants disposal or replacement.

:: The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord mutters as they stare with a chilling gaze at the spot where the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord vanished.

:: For now, since the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity has awakened, we will allow them to maintain their duty temporarily. But immediately after resealing the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, we will open a hearing on the current Sword Spear Heavenly Lord... and if it turns out it is not a misunderstanding and they truly violated the regulation... we will carry out the 'execution'.:::: Understood, Rain Dew. I shall inform the other Eight Immortals as well.

:: Thus, the two Heavenly Lords who oversee the beginning and end of the Radiance Eight Immortals decide the verdict of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.

Kururururung— Horse Ear Heavenly Domain.

Above that place, a white-haired girl in flower shoes appears.

:: It has been long...:: Kurung, Kurururung!

The only remaining comrade and vassal of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, and at the same time, their Immortal Treasure.

It is Zhengli.

:: A long and longer time of humiliation...:: Kwa-jijijijik!

Around her, an overwhelming storm of lightning begins to rage.

The thunder and lightning engulfs the entire upper region of the Horse Ear Heavenly Domain.

:: Now is the time to reclaim the former authority and might...!:: Kururung!

Zhengli smiles as she begins to pull the presence within the Heavenly Domain from outside the domain through attraction force.

:: Come now, O Mount Sumeru, tremble in fear. The Nine Heavens Origin Responding Thunderous Sound Universal Transformation Great Emperor (九天應元雷聲普化天帝). The Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity Do Gon!!!:: Kurururung!

And immediately after, Jjjeooong!

An enormous arm of lightning, vast enough to blanket the entire Heavenly Domain, bursts forth from the Horse Ear Heavenly Domain.

:: The Namer of Indra's Net is descending!:: The Owner of Heavenly Punishment.

The God of all lightning.

At the emergence of the being who was once called by the alias Indra, all the Indra's Nets of Mount Sumeru quake in response.

Though not of Heavenly Venerable rank, the only entity among the Supreme Deities who can properly connect to Indra's Net begins to rise.