"...Why do you think that?"
"I once heard someone mention that They have died."
It's something I had heard from Seo Hweol.
However, upon reflecting, there's no need to trust anything Seo Hweol has said.
'No, even without Seo Hweol, there are pieces of evidence suggesting that being is dead.'
The biggest evidence is the 'will' I felt from the voice when I first performed the reversed Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique.
'That will was definitely a legacy.'
It felt like a being that seemed to have turned into a corpse, miraculously rising and barely grasping my arm, whispering its will to me.
It's a meaning that can only be thought of as a legacy.
"And I have my own evidence as well.""Hmm..."
Upon hearing my words, she seems to be choosing her words carefully before speaking.
"They do not die. Just as light does not die, They are the personification of the concept of repentant enlightenment. One can say that the personified concept has scattered and spread throughout the world, but...the word 'died' is not quite the correct term."
"Is that so...?"
Indeed, at the level of a True Immortal, it seems possible to exist in such a manner.
"...Then let's assume that's the case for now. Do you know how to restore someone who was turned into a salt pillar by the Imperial Venerable?"
She gives a wry smile at my question.
"It's a story from mythology. There is a myth that has been passed down about those who glimpsed the true form of the Imperial Venerable and turned into salt pillars."
"Was the way to save them also passed down?"
She looks at me and asks in response to my question.
"Let me ask you one thing. How did you come here?"
"I crossed over by using the formula left by the Imperial Venerable."
"When you used that formula, did your body not turn into salt?"
"When I wasn't used to it, it did. But now that I am accustomed to it, I only generate a little salt around me, and my body doesn't change."
"Hoh...so you don't change anymore. But that's not what's important. Why do you think the palace of Penglai Kingdom is on top of the Salt Mountain?"
"I don't know."
At the Queen's ensuing words, I am taken aback.
"The Salt Mountain supporting the palace is not just common rock salt. They are those who once glimpsed the wisdom of the Imperial Venerable."
"...!!!"
I am surprised, standing up involuntarily.
That means...
'Even the Salt Mountain where my main body resides is also...'
It's a chilling revelation.
This Salt Mountain is also a result similar to Cheongmun Ryeong.
As I am shocked, she continues speaking with an entirely calm expression.
"Do not fear. Those who witnessed the wisdom of the Imperial Venerable may have had their bodies turned into salt mountains, but their souls went to the world of dreams and became Their disciples."
"Pardon?"
"And the opposite is true as well. Those who sought Their wisdom in the world of dreams had their bodies turned into salt pillars and crossed over to our world to inherit the Their wisdom. I am one of those descendants."
At her following words, I let out a low sigh.
"It's not about becoming a salt pillar. It's merely waking up from a dream and moving to another world. In our case, it's about falling into a dream. So if you want to awaken someone who has become a salt pillar, you should also go to the world where they went and bring them back."
"...Does that mean Cheongmun Ryeong is in Penglai Kingdom?"
"That, I do not know. I do not know how many worlds the Imperial Venerable has created. It could be our world, or it could be an entirely different world."
Her words remind me of something.
My memory of traveling through the dream world while I was turning into a salt pillar.
According to her, that dream world is the 'real world.'
Throb, throb...
I look at her and Yuk Yo and ask,
"Is there evidence that this world and the world accessed through the salt pillars are real?"
By my standards, this world is indeed an unstable world.
It feels like a model garden created by the Owner of Salt Mountain with the help of other divine beings.
Yet, the inhabitants of this world treat our world as the world of dreams.
And...the world I visited from the Head Realm definitely had a strong sense of being a 'dream.'
The sensation when I woke up from the 'dream' by Hong Fan was so very vivid.
That world is indeed a dream.
However, according to the Queen, that world is not a dream.
Everything is confusing and unpleasant.
I take a deep breath.
"...May I step out for a moment?"
"Do as you please. But when you return, you will have to enter from the beginning again."
I stop inwardly reciting the formula of the reversed Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique.
My vision blurs, and I find myself standing in front of the pure white Salt Crystal Palace.
"...I'm back."
I look back at the Salt Crystal Palace.
A world where my actual existence (實存) is in question.
It was an extremely unpleasant experience.
I exit the space where the palace is located.
Kugugugugu!
Cherry Blossom Dragon Island, where the palace of Salt Crystals stands, is speeding across the Deap Sea.
"Baek Rin."
At my call, Baek Rin appeared.
"Yes, Cult Leader."
"How many years have passed?"
"Five years."
"..."
I am speechless, closing my mouth.
Indeed, that world is strange.
'They say that in fresh leisure, one doesn't notice the axe hand rotting. It's exactly the same.'
We had exchanged just a few words, yet such an absurd amount of time has passed.
A world where each claims the other to be a dream.
Which side is correct?
I let out a low sigh and organize my thoughts above Cherry Blossom Dragon Island.
In the midst of this, Baek Rin asks me a question.
"...Is Princess Yuk Yo doing well?"
"...In Penglai Kingdom, I wouldn't know if even a shichen (two-hour period) has passed."
"I see..."
I ask Baek Rin a question.
"Why didn't you follow when you wanted to?"
He flinches at my words and then gives a bitter smile.
"...Is the Cult Leader asking even when you know how many friends I have here?"
"Is that so? But it seems like you're afraid of something else."
He flinches at my words and speaks.
"...Cult Leader has seen the truth. I am...afraid of confirming the truth."
"The truth...?"
"Yes. If I enter that world and realize it's the real reality, then what should I consider our original home? But if I say that world is a dream, I won't be able to endure it there."
'...'
Listening to Baek Rin's worries, I speak,
"...What if both are real?"
What if the two worlds are just places you can travel between through a peculiar teleportation array?
What would he do then?
However, Baek Rin shakes his head as if he can't understand my words.
"Cult Leader. This world and that world can never coexist. One of them must be a dream."
"Why is that...?"
"A simple example. If both worlds are reality...hasn't Strategist Yeon Wei already shattered her hopes in both worlds?"
'...'
Hearing of Yeon Wei, my heart feels heavy.
"It's the same for all of us, Cult Leader. Every one of us had to endure heart-wrenching pain in that world. It felt like the very purpose of the world was to inflict suffering on us. Of course, reality is no different, but the world within Penglai Island is even more relentless in that regard. As a result, the vast majority of our fellow followers had to endure painful experiences there."
"..."
"Even Princess Yuk Yo herself. Being born in that world, she came to this world and lost all her siblings, growing up being abused by Yuk Rin. If we were to tell her that all the misfortune she's faced in this world is real, it would be too much for her to bear.'
Listening to Baek Rin's words, I let out a small sigh.
"...I see."
I think I understand why it feels unpleasant and why I feel my identity is being shaken.
Whether this world is a dream or that world is a dream isn't the important part.
What does it matter if it's a dream or not?
'If I think about it that way, am I not already dreaming my 19th dream?'
The pain and the scars experienced in each world are too great?
I understand that feeling all too well.
My life has been nothing but pain.
Over the course of 19 lives, I've truly experienced too much.
Crying out to the heavens because I couldn't become a peak master.
Crying out to the heavens because I couldn't break through the 7th Star of Qi Refining.
Losing my mind and experiencing hallucinations.
Seeing someone I trust and consider my brother falling into despair.
I even witnessed that friend take their own life.
I saw the lover I thought I could give everything to, whom I met for the first time in this world, die, torn in two before my eyes.
I even have memories of my loved ones being massacred and living in madness.
There was a time I once committed suicide to avoid being turned into a puppet by an old monster.
There was a time I experienced an unjust death.
And there was a time I had to watch someone who liked me for a thousand years go insane while my soul was preserved in a puppet.
I've seen my master explode to death.
I've watched my friends and benefactors be brutally murdered.
I've even removed my own testicles by my own will.
I've witnessed the connections I gave my heart to be annihilated by Heavenly Punishment.
And I've memories of having to end a loved one who went against that fate by my own hands.
I experienced being taken over and eroded by a sinister snake, confirmed that what I wanted most is to die and be buried in the ground, and had the amusing experience of dying while being pitied by my alter ego.
So many things have tormented me.
After all of that...how can I not say that life is a curse?
However...despite that, all of it is my reality.
None of it can be considered a dream.
"Baek Rin."
"Yes."
"You said one of the two worlds must be a dream?"
"...For me, yes."
Seeing the enraged Yeon Wei and Jeon Myeong-hoon in Penglai Kingdom and watching the others, I thought something was strange.
Why not just consider both as reality?
But it seems others can't endure having two realities.
In that case, it's simple.
"Consider them both dreams."
"Pardon...?"
"Don't try to find the reality in this world. After all, whether this place is real or not cannot be proven by any means."
"But..."
"There is only one thing that remains in this world anyway."
A being who once taught me said:
The heart never disappears.
Even if it is regarded as false.
Even if it is mocked as a mere function of the lungs, or of the metal attribute.
The heart does not disappear.
Baek Rin appears puzzled as if he doesn't understand the meaning of my words.
Well, after all, this kind of contemplation can only be truly understood by someone like me who has endured at least 19 realities.
I chuckle as I leave Baek Rin behind and return to the palace with a clear mind.
"Let me know if you change your mind. I'll take you to Yuk Yo's world anytime."
Baek Rin did not respond.
After entering the palace, I returned to my original position through the library passage that the Queen had shown me.
"Have you sorted out your complicated feelings a bit?"
"Something like that. Now, I'll ask the final question."
"What is it?"
I ask the Queen.
"You said that becoming a salt pillars means crossing over to another world, right?"
"Correct."
"Then, I'm curious about the exact criteria for crossing over to another world, regaining awareness there, and coming back. For example, in this world, you can leave by seizing the crown. Does something similar exist in the other worlds as well?"
She chuckles at my question.
"You're a bit mistaken. The way that dreamers escape this world isn't like that. Of course, regaining awareness is as Yuk Yo explained. I was the one who told her before. However, the proper way to exit this world was never about seizing royal power or such. I heard something changed long ago, which turned this world into what it is now.
"...?"
"I'll tell you how dreamers can properly leave our world. Once you find out, it will be easy to leave."
I listen intently to her explanation.
After hearing it all, I nod.
"Thank you for the explanation."
"Is there anything else you're curious about?"
"The most urgent matters have been addressed. I do have more questions, but..."
For instance, regarding Ancient Force.
"It seems time is running out."
A consciousness is poking me.
Kim Yeon is calling for me from outside.
It must mean that time is running out.
I stand up from my seat.
"Thank you for your answers. I will take my leave now."
As I stand up, Yuk Yo stands up as well.
"...Cult Leader. I have something to say."
"What is it, Princess Yuk Yo?"
"Please take me with you as well."
"What...?"
She speaks with a determined look in response to my question.
"I wish to deliver my final words to Sir Baek Rin."
"That would be great. But are you sure?"
Yuk Yo nods, and I exchange a glance with the Queen.
The Queen nods as if she has discussed it with Yuk Yo.
"Very well. Then let us go."
Grabbing Yuk Yo's shoulder, I leave Penglai Kingdom.
Wo-woong!
When I open my eyes, I see Penglai Island right in front of Cherry Blossom Dragon Island.
The two Deep Sea Islands are facing each other, enveloped in barriers like air bubbles.
"Sir Baek Rin!"
As Yuk Yo enters this world, she calls for Baek Rin, and I see Baek Rin hastily flying over.
Stepping aside to let them talk, I manipulate attraction force.
Kugugugugu!
The air bubbles of Cherry Blossom Dragon Island and Penglai Island merge.
Cherry Blossom Dragon Island moves inside Penglai Island.
Kuung!
Simultaneously, the Salt Mountain and Salt Crystal Palace begin to resonate.
I lift the Salt Crystal Palace and slowly bring it over the Salt Mountain.
Pasasat—
Releasing the Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion avatar, I take hold of the palace with my main body and gently place the palace back in its original position.
Salt Crystal Palace and the Salt Mountain become one.
Simultaneously, I can feel a force within Penglai Island growing increasingly stronger.
Although we aren’t immediately falling into an illusion, it feels like the power within Penglai Island is pushing against the laws outside.
'So it was this.'
I compare the power inside Penglai Island to the mantra of my reversed Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique and try to mimic that power.
I have been trapped within Penglai Island, constantly attempting to grasp and mimic the power of the Salt Mountain.
And it is only after returning Penglai Island to its original state that I can finally bring this power into my hands.
Wo-woong—
Around me, the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy is surging like grains of salt.
I direct the surging Heaven and Earth spiritual energy towards some form of attraction force surrounding Penglai Island.
The attraction force dissipates into nothingness.
'Finally...'
I have obtained the power to escape my misfortune.
'Now, I just have to wait.'
The day to leave the Ancient Force Realm is not far off.