Ancient Force Realm, Wi Jeong Sea Domain.
Governing Dragon Palace.
The Deep Sea Island beneath it, known as Cherry Blossom Dragon Island.
There, the half-human, half-fish Nascent Soul demon beast, Wi Yun, takes a deep breath.
"Huu...damn."
Having reached the Nascent Soul stage, the transformed her eventually gained the ability to take on a fully human form for both her upper and lower body.
She shivers as she looks up at the Sea Dragon statue before her.
Her head is spinning.
She has lost count of how many times she has done this.
'But I must do it.'Wi Yun bites her lips as she remembers her village burning at the hands of ghosts on Governing Dragon Island.
Splurt!
She draws her own blood and offers it to the Sea Dragon statue before her.
The Sea Dragon statue absorbs her blood and her life force.
A light flickers in the eyes of the Sea Dragon statue.
[State your desire.]
"More power...! Please grant me power!"
[Understood.]
Immediately, a dark crimson energy emanates from the statue and is infused into Wi Yun's body.
She absorbs the crimson blood devilish energy.
Her eyes turn black, her pupils glowing a vivid red.
Her cultivation, which had been at the early Nascent Soul stage, surges to the mid Nascent Soul stage.
[Offer more blood sacrifices. In return, I will grant you more power.]
"I...cannot do that."
[Understood.]
Wi Yun closes her eyes tightly.
To save her parents, she has been cultivating devilish arts on Cherry Blossom Dragon Island for over a hundred years.
By offering her blood and lifespan to the Sea Dragon statue, it granted her immense power and advancement in her cultivation.
Of course, the Sea Dragon statue desires more than just that.
"Do not ask for blood sacrifices. I will carry out your commands. Give me your orders."
Occasionally, the Sea Dragon statue gave Wi Yun tasks.
Most of these tasks involved eliminating followers of the Wuji Religious Order or ambushing key figures of the order.
Performing these tasks was treated the same as offering blood, and the Sea Dragon statue would bestow her with power.
Since these missions were what Wi Yun always desired, she happily carried them out, achieving rapid progress in her cultivation over the past century.
'If I can just advance a little more, I can break through the ghostly creatures guarding Governing Dragon Island and rescue my parents, who are forced to work at the center!'
"Give me my mission!"
At that moment.
The Sea Dragon statue, which had been silent for a moment, emits a red light, and a massive amount of devilish energy flows into Wi Yun's body.
"H-Huh?"
While she is in a daze, her cultivation level forcibly rises.
Kuguguguk!
Her initial mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation skyrockets to the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul stage.
Despite feeling her Nascent Soul being shaken and her lifespan being reduced by the forced advancement, she laughs instead.
'With this level of cultivation...'
The day to rescue her parents is not far off!
Just as she rejoices, a voice addressing her comes from the Sea Dragon statue.
[Power has been granted in advance. Go immediately to Cherry Blossom Dragon Sea Domain and perform the spell I will teach you. In return, I will bestow upon you a Heavenly Being Pill.]
"Th-thank you!"
Wi Yun bows deeply to the statue and, intoxicated by the devilish energy, stumbles out of Cherry Blossom Dragon Island.
Stumble, stumble...
Spurt!
Wi Yun coughs.
Her cough is mixed with blood.
'I probably...won't live long.'
She feels her lifespan has been drastically shortened as a result of the rapid increase in her cultivation in such a short period.
'But it's okay...as long as I can...save my parents...'
Her long-sought goal is now within reach.
Staggering, she walks through a massive cave, heading towards the entrance that leads to the sea surface from Cherry Blossom Dragon Island.
The walls of the cave she passes through are adorned with murals.
They depict a gigantic, dark crimson something battling a dragon.
In the subsequent mural, the dark crimson something's head is cut off by an axe-like weapon hurled by the dragon, but for some reason, the dragon's head is also severed simultaneously.
It's an implausible sequence.
Clearly, the dragon had beheaded the dark crimson something's head with the axe, yet inexplicably, the axe was embedded in the dragon's neck, and the dragon lay dead on the ground with the axe lodged in its body with its neck severed.
Despite having part of its body severed by the axe, the dark crimson something did not die and reached out to the dragon, obtaining something from it.
The dark crimson figure then created a small worm-like creature.
It was a black worm.
The black worm created another worm identical to itself and threw it somewhere.
The identical worm, thrown into a place depicted with countless ocean waves, settled there, scattering tiny egg-like things beneath the sea.
Beneath the sea, there were stars, moons, and suns, human fingers and thighs, some beast's horns, livers, body parts, and even someone's head lined up.
The mural ends there.
Wi Yun passes through the cave adorned with murals and rises to the sea surface.
"...In any case, Father will soon regain his senses."
Yuk Yo continues.
"That person values himself very highly. Moreover, since there is a perfectly aware version of himself outside, he will quickly regain his identity if he synchronizes with the mind outside with the mind here."
I wear a cold expression.
"...So should I just cut off his head?"
Whether he regains his awareness or not, as long as he sticks close to the ground, I am confident I can cut off his head.
"I don't know if that will work..."
"...Well, I understand. You're saying he might have something more hidden up his sleeve?"
"...Yes. I apologize, but that's all I know and I can't provide any more information."
"It's fine. I intend to do what I can for now. By the way, are you alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"I will kill your father."
At those words, Yuk Yo's expression turns bitter but soon becomes resolute.
"Please kill him."
"...."
"That person...betrayed my siblings...my mother...this world. Not killing him would be a disservice to everyone who has died or been deceived by him."
"...Understood. In that case, I will use some harsh methods starting today to take over Penglai Kingdom and ascend to the throne. I have to seize the throne to resist him. Is that acceptable?"
"As long as you don't kill the royal family, it's fine."
"Understood."
I nod and speak to Seo Ran.
"Let Yuk Yo rest."
"Yes, follow me for now."
Seo Ran takes Yuk Yo to the best house in Taiyi Village, which is Nolbu's house.
I fall into deep thought.
'Yuk Rin...does that mean he is also learning Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens?'
It doesn't feel that way.
I don't feel the same ominous and endless malice that I felt when I was infected by Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
From the beginning, it doesn't seem like Yuk Rin could perform the torturous acts of dismantling one's mind like Seo Hweol.
Just when I am pondering the connection between Yuk Rin and Seo Hweol.
"...Kyaaaaah!!!"
I hear a scream.
"...?"
Surprised, I run towards Nolbu's house and see a shocking scene.
A sea of blood!
Old Gentleman Nolbu's house has become a sea of blood.
And inside Nolbu's house, Yeon Wei is sitting in the hall with a kitchen knife and vacant eyes.
Blood is dripping from her kitchen knife.
I look at Yeon Wei and ask.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
"...Seo Eun-hyun, is it you?"
She speaks with empty eyes.
"...You've regained your memory."
"That's right."
I look around Nolbu's house.
There is a particularly strong smell of blood coming from the master bedroom.
In one corner, Yeon Jin is sitting with hollow eyes, too shocked to speak.
"So I asked what is the meaning of this?"
"Ah...I thought if I stayed here any longer, I might go mad in reality too, so I adjusted the situation to be similar to reality."
She looks at me with gloomy eyes and gives a bitter smile.
Gone is Yeon Wei, who used to giggle and act cute at Old Gentleman Nolbu's apologetic words.
What remains is an old monster who had gouged out the eyes of her betrothed and harbors a 40,000-year-old grudge.
"It was such a sweet dream. But humans cannot live in dreams. They shouldn't. If they get drunk on dreams, they'll go mad."
"...But did you really have to go this far? Yeon Jin is now..."
"What's the problem? Yeon Jin will wake up soon. And you, right now..."
Hearing Yeon Wei's next words, I feel a heavy weight on my chest.
"Are you hoping I'd wake from this dream and commit suicide in reality?"
"...."
I can't say anything as I look into Yeon Wei's vacant eyes.
But Yuk Yo, who is behind me, cries out with tears streaming down.
"What, what is the meaning of this!? These...these people are my subjects!"
Yeon Wei looks at Yuk Yo as if she is spewing nonsense, and I relay the truth I have heard from Yuk Yo in a heavy voice.
Then, Yeon Wei spits out her words as if she is chewing them.
"Don't talk nonsense. She's gone mad, this carp girl...this world is just a world within an illusion formation. You've been brainwashed by your father."
"No, it's not...these people are my subjects. It's not just an illusion! It's you...it's you people who are illusions!"
"Don't be ridiculous. Are you saying this is real? And we're fake? That's insane! My 40,000 years! Are you saying it's fake!? Say one more word. I'll rip out your tongue."
Yeon Wei stands up, holding the kitchen knife.
Even without any spiritual power or qi, her 40,000 years of combat experience are enough to certainly carry out her threat.
Though she usually plays around and jokes with us, this is her true nature.
I draw my sword and cut through Yeon Wei's kitchen knife.
Ting—
The kitchen knife is cut in half and embedded into the wall.
"Stop!"
My killing intent neutralizes Yeon Wei's.
However, at Seo Ran's words, Yeon Wei's eyes flip.
"P-Please calm down. Can't you consider that both might be real? For example...like different possibilities of oneself..."
"...You, right now..."
Bududuk...
Blood vessels pop in Yeon Wei's eyes.
"Are you saying...that this is my other possibility...?"
She clenches her hand.
Blood flows from her hand as her nails dig into her flesh.
"Living intimately with Hon Won...raising children in a normal way...waking up early in the morning to prepare his breakfast, managing the servants, helping with his work, having lunch together, feeding our son, handing our son to Hon Won, welcoming relatives who visit occasionally, following Hon Won's words and sometimes getting scolded and feeling down, laughing like a courtesan when receiving praise or an apology, having a full dinner at night, lightning a warm fire, putting our son to sleep, and then being intimate with Hon Won again. That life...You're saying that's my other possibility...?
"...."
Baduduk...
Yeon Wei clenches her teeth. Blood flows from her gums.
"Fine, if this world is such a possibility, then what is with the entity that created this world and brought us here? For what reason did that existence bring us here and show us such possibilities? Why to me? Particularly? To make me more miserable? Huh? Don't make me laugh...if this world is real...then it's an Evil (惡) that mocks me completely! Say it again! Is this world an illusion, or is it the Malice (惡意) that is endlessly pushing us?"
Yuk Yo tries to say something, and Yeon Wei rushes at her, as if trying to gouge out her eyes.
"I said stop!!!"
I shout loudly and swing my sword.
Bo-oong!
In one stroke, Yeon Wei's neck is cut.
Exuding murderous intent, I speak.
"As the cult leader of the Wuji Religious Order and the successor of the Secret Immortal Art of Yang Su-jin, founder of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, I command Yeon Wei, the military strategist of the Wuji Religious Order and disciple of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, to take Yeon Jin outside and meditate against the wall!"
Under my killing intent, Yeon Wei calms her own killing intent and wears a dazed expression, taking the seemingly mute Yeon Jin outside.
I also speak to Yuk Yo.
"Princess Yuk Yo of Penglai Kingdom! As the King of Demon Spirits who has taken you hostage, I ask you not to provoke Yeon Wei. Do not impose your thoughts on her."
"...Understood."
I resolve the situation with a stern expression and ask Seo Ran to ensure that Yeon Wei and Yuk Yo do not encounter each other. Then, I hurriedly run to Jeon Myeong-hoon's house.
'If Yeon Wei has regained awareness...perhaps Jeon Myeong-hoon has regained awareness as well.'
I quicken my pace, worried if Jeon Myeong-hoon is doing the same as Yeon Wei.
I can see Jeon Myeong-hoon's house in the distance.
A sense of foreboding washes over me.
"Jeon Myeong-hoon!"
From inside the house, the smell of blood drifts.