I gaze entranced at the scenery beyond the Supervisory Mirror.
'This, this is...'
Wo-woong—
As I reach out my hand beyond the Supervisory Mirror, it feels as if my consciousness is being drawn towards the altar of the Care Layer inside the storage scroll of Lofty Dragon True Person.
Tsutsutut—
And after some time, when I open my eyes, I realize I am standing on the altar of the Care Layer with a 'Dream Body'.
"...Hah, hahahah!"
I let out a hollow laugh at the unexpected situation.
Without hesitation, I aim a Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion single strike into the air to form an avatar.Wiiiiiing—
Pasak!
No, to be precise, I try to form one.
However, due to a strange force within the storage scroll, the clone tries to form before crumbling away.
'There seems to be some inherent restriction within this otherworld.'
In that case, there's nothing to be done.
I reach out my hand into the air, attempting to emit attraction force.
Wo-woong—
However, both attraction force and other abilities cannot be properly exerted with the Dream Body.
'My power has weakened to about one ten-thousandth.'
Of course, even this much is equivalent to the power of Qi Refining or Qi Building, but that's all.
After contemplating for a moment, I recall the characteristics of the Dream Body and, using the power of Qi Building, gather the surrounding water energy to form water, freeze it, and create an ice puppet.
Then, I overlay my Dream Body onto the body of the ice puppet.
Tsutsutut—
It's possession.
While inside the ice puppet body, I try to exert my power.
'It's a bit easier to use my power now.'
The Dream Body is a result of temporarily refining my consciousness to have the traits of a Ghost King.
It's essentially a consciousness entity that exists only in the outskirts of the Nether Ghost Realm, so to manifest power in reality, possessing an entity in the present world is the best method.
Kuguguk—
Borrowing the body of the ice puppet, I try to exert attraction force.
'It works, the space is warping!'
Now, by using the body of this ice puppet as a coordinate, I just need to create attraction force between the storage scroll of Lofty Dragon True Person and the Deep Sea of the Ancient Force Realm to escape!
Just then,
Pasasak—
"..."
The puppet's body crumbles instantly.
Apparently, something as fragile as ice can't withstand my power for long.
'This is a bit troublesome.'
Clicking my tongue, I try various methods, such as growing trees using wood attribute spells or creating earth golems using earth attribute spells.
However, the results are all the same.
'Damn it. The main body's power has grown too strong, resulting in the puppets often breaking when emitting attraction force.'
There's only one solution.
'I need to create a General Seo.'
But there's a problem.
In this storage scroll, there are surprisingly no materials available.
That's because everything that could be used as material had been burned away in the blazing storage scroll.
There are some stone buildings that don't burn easily, but that's all. Even if I make a puppet from such material, the best result would only be equivalent to around the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul level.
'Can a Nascent Soul level puppet bridge the space between the far distant Ancient Force Realm and this storage scroll and let us escape?'
No matter how I think about it, it's impossible.
However, as I ponder for a moment, one thought comes to mind.
'...In about a hundred years, they will come.'
In about a hundred years, it will be around the 500th year since I regressed.
And around that time, two cultivators of the Four-Axis stage from the Heaven Tribe and one from the Earth Tribe will enter the storage scroll.
'The Tall Tree Race, Paired Wings Race, and...the Blood Shark Race's Gyo Yeom.'
My eyes brighten as I recall them.
'I will...seize their bodies!'
If I possess one of them, I can properly use attraction force to use this storage scroll as coordinates and pull the Twilight Domain into the Bright Cold Realm.
I recall Gyo Yeom, who had his limbs severed and died at Seo Hweol's hands in my previous life.
'In any case, even without Seo Hweol, Gyo Yeom is fated to die at the hands of the Tall Tree Race and the Paired Wings Race.'
Gyo Yeom's actions to find the Heavenly Lotus Fruit to cure his wife's illness left a strong impression on me.
'I hope he can live in this life if possible.'
I make my decision.
'In the expedition team that will come to the storage scroll in about a hundred years, I will help Gyo Yeom and give him the Heavenly Lotus Fruit he desires, and with his help, return to the Bright Cold Realm...!'
Clench!
I clench my fist with even my main body and smile.
I thought there was no hope.
But hope appeared!
"Until the storage scroll expedition team arrives, I should gather the treasures within the storage scroll."
Gyo Yeom will hardly be inclined to trust a stranger like me at first glance.
Therefore, to receive his help, it will be ideal to have the treasures in the storage scroll in my possession to offer him for a deal.
At the end of the day, a contract is something that can only be made if I have something to offer.
"Don't pluck the Heavenly Lotus Fruit in advance."
"Ah, thanks for the advice."
It is said that the Heavenly Lotus Fruit has the trait of immediately being absorbed upon touching an illusion.
In short, if I picked it ahead of time thinking I was gathering treasures, it would be absorbed into my Dream Body and I wouldn't be able to offer it to Gyo Yeom in a transaction.
I nod and look around the interior of the storage scroll.
Only I am inside the storage scroll.
In other words, all the treasures within this storage scroll are solely mine!
I smile, shifting my main consciousness back to my main body.
I see hope.
Now, within decades, the possibility of returning to the Bright Cold Realm has emerged.
I return with satisfaction and convey this joyous news to everyone.
________________________________________
"That's very good! So all we have to do now is wait?"
"As long as nothing particularly disruptive occurs...that is."
In the conference room.
I continue speaking with a bitter smile to Yeon Wei.
"But as I have mentioned before, it is true that some kind of misfortune is surrounding us."
I look up at the sky.
Even if Gyo Yeom were to pull us out, and despite being trapped in the Deep Sea, the attraction force of misfortune still clings to me.
That misfortune is tightly coiled around Penglai Island.
When I speak seriously, Yeon Wei also asks with a hardened face.
"...Saying you see misfortune even in the Ancient Force Realm...wasn't a joke?"
"I always speak the truth."
"Ancestor, it seems you need to learn to trust your juniors."
Jeon Myeong-hoon says with a smirk, and Yeon Wei clicks her tongue and shakes her head.
"I don't believe anything unless I've seen it myself. I've never heard of such a thing being possible. It might be possible if it were a Sacred Vessel stage that can extend their consciousness or sight beyond the Middle Realms, but...that's absolutely impossible."
"Huh...was the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect turning to ashes overnight something possible?"
"..."
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's gloomy words, Yeon Wei is rendered speechless, her expression becoming somber.
"Well...I understand for now. So, you're saying that some higher existence has marked you, and because of the attraction force of that misfortune, everyone here, including the Wuji Religious Order, could be trapped on Penglai Island?"
"That's about right."
Yeon Wei seems to contemplate for a moment before speaking.
"Then you should leave Penglai Island."
"...!"
"What the...!?"
Her words suddenly cause an uproar in the conference room.
"Strategist Yeon Wei! Do you know that going outside Penglai Island means becoming lost in the Deep Sea!"
"I'm speaking with that understanding. Once we receive the coordinates from those Four-Axis cultivators who enter that storage scroll or whatever otherworld, Seo Eun-hyun staying in the Ancient Force Realm while we escape first seems to be the best course of action."
At her words, Kim Yeon, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Young-hoon, and even Jeon Myeong-hoon show fierce expressions.
However, Yeon Wei glares at everyone unperturbed and growls.
"Did I speak incorrectly? Seo Eun-hyun is the leader and the person in charge of this group. If the leader is the problem causing the group to be stuck, then the person who must take responsibility should do so. Just like when I received the Sacred Master's command and annihilated the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect in the Middle Realm 40,000 years ago with my own hands to save at least the main sect in the Lower Realm and bore the stigma of being a monster!"
Kuang!
Yeon Wei slams the table with bloodshot eyes.
"If you've taken on the position of leader and elder of the group, it's only right that you act accordingly!"
Kugugugugu!
With her words, a chilling killing intent begins to fill the conference room.
Jeon Myeong-hoon's eyes twitch as he speaks.
"...If that is the case, then instead of Seo Eun-hyun, a Four-Axis without even the Integrated Dao Domain, I, at the Integration stage, will remain."
At that, Yeon Wei's eyes flip.
"What kind of nonsense is that!? Didn't you hear Seo Eun-hyun's words? He claimed that only he is entangled with misfortune!"
"By combining my Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation Method and Seo Eun-hyun's Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique, it will be possible for me to take on Seo Eun-hyun's misfortune through a sacrificial offering. After all...Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation and Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens are techniques based on someone's sacrifice, so it's not an impossible idea."
"Don't speak such nonsense! You are the current highest Elder of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect! Seo fellow and I are outsiders, stripped of the Jin surname by the Founder's Command! But you are also Jin Myeong-hoon! If you stay here, what will become of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect in the Lower Realm?"
However, after uttering her words, Yeon Wei glances around as if startled by her own words.
The killing intent has intensified.
Kugugugugu!
At the center of the Twilight Domain.
The entire Wuji Religious Hall is being violently shaken by the killing intent of the beings gathered there.
Jeon Myeong-hoon speaks softly.
"...So it seems the Ancestor's words mean that although I, Jin Myeong-hoon, born with the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body, must not stay, Seo Eun-hyun, who is already an outsider, can remain. Seo Eun-hyun...is he not someone who has been with the Ancestor all along, and a comrade who contributed to the survival of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect!? Wasn't it thanks to the Wuji Religious Order established by Seo Eun-hyun that we could save the disciples of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect in the Nether Ghost Realm!?"
Yeon Wei's pupils seem to shake at Jeon Myeong-hoon's retort. However, she grits her teeth and instead shouts at Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"What nonsense are you spewing!? Have you become engrossed in playing this cult leader and religious order act that you've forgotten the essence? This ridiculous pseudo-religious cult is just a means to accumulate the Five Blessings Axes, and you are a disciple of the great Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect! Even if Seo Eun-hyun and I are expelled, we should have a sense of belonging to the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect! What's with this cult leader game? What's with this absurd pseudo-religious cult act?"
"Why does the Ancestor not trust Seo Eun-hyun? Have you forgotten that he worked together with Senior to save the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect? In the end, Seo Eun-hyun's words were proven right! I heard about Senior's actions even in the Ancient Force Realm. I heard about Senior's past while interrogating Yuk Rin with the Ascetic Lightning Curse Banner! Why can't Senior trust in human loyalty and always resort to betrayal? We are the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, not the Betrayal Heavenly Thunder Sect!!!'
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's heated words, Yeon Wei momentarily has a dazed expression on her face.
With her voice choked and her chest trembling, she bites her lip.
"...Yes! It's about Seo Eun-hyun and I! And sealing the Heavenly Lightning Banner was my claim! It wasn't Seo's! Why can't I trust him? Want me to tell you my honest feelings?"
Yeon Wei's voice is trembling.
Left with only bitterness in her emotional struggle with Jeon Myeong-hoon, she grinds her teeth and shouts.
"How can I possibly trust that guy!!?? It's understandable for someone like you with the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body to progress rapidly in cultivation, but what about him!? He ascended from Ascension Path alone with a mortal body and within 500 years, with ordinary Five Elements Spiritual Roots, reached the Five Blessings Four-Axis stage!? Do you think that even makes sense?"
"Why not!? With talent..."
"Such talent is only possible with a Heavenly Golden Thunder Body! A Ghostly Yin Transformation Immortal Root! I'm saying that it's impossible without such mythical qualities! He's not even like that Oh fellow with a Unique Holy Body. His talent isn't good, and his understanding doesn't even seem exceptional. Yet, he's learned Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation and the Heart Path Method! On top of that, he's learned Hon Won's Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique! All within 500 years! Even the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum, who advanced at a similar speed, did so with the support of the Dragon Race and countless opportunities. But what about him! I've heard he resisted the temptation of the unsealed Heavenly Lightning Banner with a clear mind. Do you think that's possible? It's a power that no mortal mind can withstand, yet he thrives after being exposed to such transcendent power? Now, there's a possible explanation for everything I said. It's that he's not human!"
Yeon Wei points at me and shouts.
"Without a Heavenly Golden Thunder Body, he mastered lightning attribute methods faster than Jeon Myeong-hoon. Without a Ghostly Yin Transformation Immortal Root, he possesses insane talent in the Ghost Path Methods. Not only has he learned all Five Elements methods and even demon beast methods along with the Heart Path Method, he even has remarkable insights into consciousness methods. And what about that Mysterious Bizarre Gu secret art similar to what those Blood Yin Realm spies use! Moreover, he resisted the power of the transcendent Heavenly Lightning Banner with a clear mind? For that to be possible, he must be an entity hiding his cultivation and wearing human skin, pretending to be human. I'm saying he must be a True Immortal!"
With Yeon Wei's words, the conference room falls silent.
She looks at me with gloomy eyes and speaks to Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"...Did you ask why I always betray? Because if I don't betray, I might be betrayed instead! Always! If you can't determine right now whether that guy is human or a monster, it wouldn't be surprising if one day he reveals himself as a transcendent's incarnation and exterminates us all. If that's the case, isn't it rational to separate him from us here?!"
"..."
"...Life never goes as you wish...never. The very essence of evil is the bastard called life itself. This world is...yes. It's a world filled with the Six Extremes. Dreaming for something or hoping for blessings is a luxury in itself. You must never hope for anything. You must always prepare for the worst and be ready to survive. That's...what I'm saying."
She is hurling harsh words at me, yet ironically, I am the only one in this room who genuinely empathizes with her.
The followers like the Guardian Ghost Kings who are loyal to me seem ready to tear Yeon Wei apart at any moment, and none of the executives of the order are giving Yeon Wei a kind glance.
With a bitter smile, I speak.
"...So what is the reason for saying all that in front of me? If I were a transcendent like a True Immortal, it would be nothing to drag your soul and torture it for a thousand years, wouldn't it?"
Yeon Wei flinches but doesn't respond to my words.
"...Jeon Myeong-hoon. Briefly return the strategist's main consciousness to the Lower Realm."
"Alright."
Jeon Myeong-hoon immediately approaches Yeon Wei, strikes her at the back of her neck to make her unconscious, and sends Yeon Wei's consciousness down to the Lower Realm.
Yeon Jin, who awakes after Yeon Wei faints, seems unable to grasp the situation and just shivers in the tense atmosphere.
I smile gently and say,
"Don't hate her too much. She is only worried about all of our safety in her own way..."
Yeon Wei feigns malice, but in reality, her intentions are always rooted in goodness.
'It's just...she was influenced by the dream she had on Penglai Island, which seems to have made her emotions flare up a bit.'
There's no need for Jeon Myeong-hoon or Yeon Wei to push each other excessively like that.
However, whatever it is, the dream she had on Penglai Island seems to be the problem.
"For now, let's adjourn today's meeting here. Now that there's hope of leaving the Ancient Force Realm in about a hundred years, everyone should keep that in mind."
I adjourn the meeting and rise from my seat.
________________________________________
Step, step...
After leaving the conference room, I walk towards the Salt Mountain on Penglai Island.
The Penglai Island, without the illusion formation, is desolate.
In the illusion, Penglai Kingdom flourished around Salt Mountain, but outside the illusion, only hinges can be seen around it.
Thud!
I climb to the top of Salt Mountain, where the Salt Crystal Palace once stood, and sit down, gazing at the upper part of Penglai Island.
The misfortune that is entwining me does not enter inside Penglai Island.
Of course, it will surely have a terrifying effect when we go outside. But at least it can't enter here.
'Within Penglai Island, all contracts and oaths are nullified.'
It's the explanation given by Yuk Rin and Yuk Yo.
Perhaps that misfortune, too, falls into a similar category as contracts and oaths.
Furthermore, the reason I told everyone there's hope of leaving despite still being entangled in misfortune is because of Penglai Island.
The fact that some power on Penglai Island is blocking the misfortune means that if we can just find that power, we can avoid the misfortune and go to the Bright Cold Realm.
'And the source of that power is...most likely this Salt Mountain.'
Everyone believes the true source is the Salt Crystal Palace.
After all, this Salt Mountain is merely a large chunk of rock salt.
However, the formation of Penglai Island still functions.
Even though the illusion formation broke when the palace and Salt Mountain separated, a certain force blocking external contracts, oaths, and misfortune remains.
In other words,
'If the power of this Salt Mountain is harnessed, there's a high probability that everyone can leave.'
I adjourned the meeting for now because the atmosphere was too bad today.
I plan to inform everyone of this fact during a later meeting when Yeon Wei returns with a cool head.
Wo-woong—
Sitting at the top of Salt Mountain, I close my eyes, operating the Purple Soul Filling the Heavens obtained from Yuk Rin, the Salt Sea Returning Dew Jade obtained from Lofty Dragon True Person's storage scroll, and the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique and its reversed secret art.
Why did Yeon Wei, other than the dream on Penglai Island and because of Jeon Myeong-hoon, fail to control her emotions and reveal uncomfortable truths despite the possibility of me being the incarnation of a True Immortal?
It's simple.
Even though she said with her own mouth that nothing in this world should be hoped for, she is hoping.
Hoping that I, who has been with her for so long, is actually human.
Tststststst—
White grains begin to swirl and shine around me.
Everytime I recite the formula of the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique and its reversed method, the entire Salt Mountain begins to glow little by little.
The time left is about a hundred years.
Within that time, I will obtain the power of Salt Mountain and definitely overcome the misfortune to return to the Bright Cold Realm.