Kurung, kurururung!
A storm is brewing.
—Seo Hweol, how long will it take to draw in the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother?
[...That...since it was originally planned to pull her in from the designated coordinates, now that the coordinates have suddenly changed, it will take more time to adjust them.]
—...How much time do we need?
[...It will take at least a day...]
At those words, I grit my teeth and shout.
"You useless thing..."
[Wait, please calm down, Daoist Seo. If there's a way to fix the coordinates, we can drastically reduce the time.]
"...What do you want me to do?"Seo Hweol, smiling from a distance, responds to my words.
[If you have the blood of a Sea Dragon Race like me, or the main soul, you can quickly locate the coordinates. As I understand, one of your comrades is my descendant...if you send me a handful of that child's blood or even a fragment of their soul, I can modify the coordinates within one shichen.]
'So he's asking for Seo Ran's blood or a fragment of his soul.'
It's when I'm in deep thought.
Kugugugugu!
The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress finally succeeds in fully settling at its destination.
Pushiiiii—
The Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation installed in the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress releases its heat, and I, along with my comrades, can once again see the Human Race Grand Alliance on the deck of the Nether Crossing Ship.
On the deck of the Nether Crossing Ship.
Jun Jae and the other leaders of the Human Race Grand Alliance look back and forth between me and the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, clearly bewildered, and I say to them and everyone else present.
"As the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother is trying to descend here, all of you should move to the coordinates I've provided!"
At my words, Heo Gwak shouts.
"It's not ready yet! The energy hasn't accumulated enough!"
"Damn it..."
Then, the Mad Lord steps forward.
"Black Lord!"
Kugugugugu!
A massive darkness emerges from the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
An overwhelming power of darkness begins to flow from the puppet made from the corpse of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum.
The black seawater originally contained within his Integrated Dao Domain begins to resonate with the power sources of the Nether Crossing Ship.
Woooo-oong!
The power source of the Nether Crossing Ship possessed by [Her] as its core, along with the two Nether Crossing Ships, begin to rise rapidly.
"What...no, what in the world...?"
Heo Gwak, seeing that the Mad Lord is helping them, looks up at him in confusion, and I turn around and shout.
"If it's charged, activate it!"
At my words, Heo Gwak snaps back to his senses and shouts.
"Activate the Nether Crossing Ship!"
[Activate the Nether Crossing Ship!]
[Release the hawsers!]
[Raise the anchor!]
Upon Heo Gwak's command, thousands upon tens of thousands of ghosts start to boil up from the top of the Nether Crossing Ship, rising into the air.
The Nether Crossing Ship begins to prepare for a spatial leap.
[Daoist Seo, there's no time. You must send it quickly.]
Ahead of us, I can see Kang Min-hee breaking through the dimensions and descending, while Seo Hweol urges me to send a piece of Seo Ran's soul.
But I frown.
'Is he perhaps planning on doing something to Seo Ran?'
There's no worry if it's just Seo Hweol as a single entity, but Seo Hweol is a multitude, a plague in himself.
If I give him Seo Ran's trace, who knows what he might do.
'He said he wouldn't betray us, but...'
It's when I'm agonizing to the point of madness,
"Master!"
Hong Fan flies over to me.
"Master should board the Nether Crossing Ship as well!"
"...I must stop Kang Min-hee here."
"Kuhm...I understand. Is there anything you need?"
I briefly explain the current situation to Hong Fan, who nods and says.
"There's no time to bring Sir Seo Ran, so I'll create the coordinates myself and send them to the person called Seo Hweol."
"What, is that even possible...?"
Tstststts!
At that moment, Hong Fan instantly pulls out an alchemical furnace and begins tossing in strange medicinal ingredients, starting to refine something.
After a while, when Hong Fan places the herbs and poisonous liquid into the alchemical furnace, it heats up, and a deep red liquid starts to ripple inside.
"Using the leftover and peels of the Sea Orchid Fruit left behind by Sir Seo Ran last time, I've created a liquid with properties almost identical to the true blood of the Sea Dragon Race. I've carefully combined the ingredients, adjusting their proportions and blending the Qi of the herbs to perfectly mimic that of the Sea Dragon Race. Master can use this to stabilize the coordinates!"
"Got it!"
I relay Hong Fan's words to Seo Hweol, who accepts my proposal with a hint of disbelief.
[...Understood. I never imagined something like that was possible. Then, I'll connect the coordinates!]
Paaaatt!
At the same time, a fragment of Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens emerges from my shadow and seeps directly into the liquid Hong Fan has created.
Hong Fan carefully adjusts the energy of the liquid, working hard to send the coordinates to Seo Hweol. After a while, the liquid turns even more crimson and begins to shine brightly.
[Blood Sacrifice Ritual: Blood Yin Returning Home.]
Woo-wooong!
The liquid, now infused with Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, begins to boil as if it's burning crimson red.
I squint my eyes and take a step back to avoid the attraction force emanating from the liquid.
Soon, Seo Hweol's voice echoes.
[Once that entity returns, please pour the liquid onto it.]
"Got it."
Kugugugugu!
Once again, space distorts, and Kang Min-hee, who was temporarily expelled to the Interdimensional Void by Seo Hweol and I, returns.
Chills!
I feel a shiver run through my entire body as I look at Kang Min-hee.
'This crazy...'
Previously, her power was unstable, fluctuating at the early Star Shattering stage, but now that she descends again, her strength has clearly stabilized at the mid-Star Shattering stage.
'Did she undergo a Heavenly Tribulation in the Interdimensional Void and advance...?'
From within the darkness, I can feel her gaze passing over me, directed at the Nether Crossing Ship as it prepares for a spatial leap.
The next moment, I quickly swing the Colorless Glass Sword.
I sense Kang Min-hee launching an attack toward the Nether Crossing Ship at a speed that I can barely perceive.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Echoing Valley!
Emptying all the strength in the sword, I channel Kang Min-hee's strike into the blade and deflect it towards the sky.
Toong!
Her single strike, deflected towards the heavens.
Jjeeoook!
The sky splits open.
Chwaaak!
From the southern end of the horizon to the northern end.
A black line is drawn across the sky, reminiscent of the scene of Split-Sky Kim Young-hoon once showed by cleaving the sky of a sea domain in the Ancient Force Realm.
The difference is that while Kim Young-hoon's feat only cleaved the sky of a sea domain at most equivalent in size to the Human Race territory, Kang Min-hee's strike has torn open the far vaster sky of the Bright Cold Realm.
Kugugugugu!
Watching the black chasm that has formed in the void, I shout at Hong Fan.
"Pour it! Hong Fan! Depart! Black Ghost Valley!"
Flash!
Two Nether Crossing Ships from the Black Ghost Valley leap through space, and I turn to look at Hong Fan.
'Huh?'
But for some reason, Hong Fan, showing a blankness he has never shown before, is staring in a daze beyond the darkness that Kang Min-hee has cloaked herself in.
"Hong Fan! Quickly—"
Kuaang!
Suddenly, I am struck with such force that I almost lose consciousness.
"Kuh...ughhh!"
Something massive and powerful slammed into my body.
And that something is none other than a barrier formed by hundreds of Ghost Kings.
'What is this? What just happened...? This, this is...!'
I realize what is happening and widen my eyes.
Kang Min-hee, using the ground-shrinking technique, is distorting space and leaping through dimensions to chase after the Nether Crossing Ship heading toward the Chaos Realm.
And I, who was between her and the Nether Crossing Ship, am now being swept away by her charge, slammed into the barrier she's created and carried along with her.
'So this is the ground-shrinking technique of the Star Shattering stage...'
If the ground-shrinking technique of the Four-Axis and Integration stage cultivators merely folds space to move a bit faster than the Flying Escape Technique, then the ground-shrinking technique at the Star Shattering stage is on a completely different level.
Piiiiiit!
Everything around appears as a blur of light.
Similar to when I ascended from the Head Realm to the Bright Cold Realm, the entire space is pressing down on me with immense pressure, and everything around me appears like thin lines.
And far behind me, I can see the Nether Crossing Ship making a dimensional leap to flee into the Heart Tribe territory.
'Damn it! She's going to catch up!'
I grind my teeth as I watch Kang Min-hee catching up to the dimensional leap of the Nether Crossing Ship, which is traveling through the infinite space-time, using nothing but the ground-shrinking technique.
'Hong Fan missed the timing.'
While he was distracted by something, she initiated the ground-shrinking technique, preventing Seo Hweol from forming the coordinates needed to pull her back. At this rate, the plan won't even begin.
'I can't let that happen.'
Kududududuk!
I raise the Three Great Ultimates behind my back, envelop myself with my domain, and transform into my true form.
[Guuuaaaagh!]
Kugugugugu!
In my true form, I exert all of my strength to resist Kang Min-hee's attraction force.
But I realize that the force of 'pushing' is not really compatible with me from the start.
'All of my cultivation and combat techniques are specialized in cutting and piercing.'
Everything I have researched and realized until now is overwhelmingly based on the sword.
But the essence of the sword is ultimately about cutting, piercing, and blocking.
'Pushing' itself is not an essence that can be achieved with a sword.
If the opponent had a will, I could perhaps momentarily stop them by tearing or gouging out vulnerable spots like the eyes or genitals. But my opponent is Kang Min-hee, the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother.
Leaving aside the fact that I can't do such things to her, even if I could, her current ghostly transformation makes such weaknesses meaningless.
'Curses are useless too.'
I launched a few weak curses into the darkness, but the pain from the curses dispersed among the countless quadrlilions of spirits, rendering it practically useless.
If it's a curse created by putting forth all my efforts, it might make even the vengeful spirits that number in the quadrillions flinch, but that's about it.
Woo-woong—
Through the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, I sense the Mad Lord leading the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and activating the Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation, closely following Kang Min-hee with Hong Fan.
Mad Lord's heart message flies to me.
—Hold on for just a moment! Then, I'll send the puppet army to spill that scorpion-snake bastard's blood! Just slow down her movements even a little, and it'll be possible!
Sensing the area behind me, I notice that the Mad Lord's Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation is gradually falling behind both Kang Min-hee and me.
It seems that, having been used once, it's no longer functioning as effectively.
'Slow her down for a moment?'
But seeing Kang Min-hee who continues without any hesitation despite my best efforts to stop her, I feel a growing sense of despair.
Just what can I do to stop her?
How?
Just how?!
Sarararak—
It's then.
Something soft brushes against my fingertips as I'm trying to stop Kang Min-hee.
[...You...!]
It's Kim Yeon.
I widened my eyes, seeing Kim Yeon's figure appear beside me.
Harururururu—
She was burning.
The one beside me is not her main body, but a consciousness form.
She appears as a flame, dense with pure white consciousness.
And I have seen this form of hers before.
In the 15th cycle.
When Kim Yeon presided over Gyu Ryeon's Vast Cold Oath.
However, unlike back then, her form is considerably more unstable, and instead of the pale pink hue at that time, now it's merely a pure white light that came from densely concentrated consciousness.
However, I can feel that she is trying to reach that state from back then, even if only for a moment.
Kim Yeon is focusing her mind with an intensity I have never seen before.
[It's now.]
In a state that is practically the manifestation of pure consciousness, Kim Yeon,
As her hand touches mine, I instantly understand what she wants.
It transcends mere thoughts and is directly transmitted.
As if hypnotized, I follow Kim Yeon's command and thrust the All-Heavens Sword into her.
[Everyone, come!]
And with the All-Heavens Sword's adjustment of planes, all my comrades connected through Kim Yeon's Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon simultaneously reveal themselves.
Chuarararak!
Oh Hyun-seok, Azure Tiger Saint, Kim Young-hoon, Jeon Myeong-hoon, and other comrades manifest their consciousness from the Plane of Soul, descending to the Plane of Qi, guided by the All-Heavens Sword.
Kim Yeon has temporarily allowed everyone to reach a state with clones that are almost as good as their main bodies.
At the forefront are Oh Hyun-seok and Azure Tiger Saint.
[Hahaha! Amazing! To think we could create a body with our consciousness and manifest it in the Plane of Soul, then lower the plane to create clones almost identical to our main bodies...!]
Azure Tiger Saint laughs heartily as he shouts.
[We can test this legendary technique! Hyun-seok-ah!]
[Yes, Master!]
[Let’s show them our sect’s history!]
Wings begin to sprout from the backs of Azure Tiger Saint and Oh Hyun-seok.
One wing, two wings, three wings...
Gradually, their bodies start to grow larger, boiling with starlight.
The wings emit the azure light of the Azure Heavens, making their bodies shine as if they are formed from both day and night, as if they are the sky itself.
Seven wings, eight wings, nine wings...
Their auras continue to intensify.
In an instant, the auras of Azure Tiger Saint and Oh Hyun-seok surpass the Grand Perfection Four-Axis stage and soar to the early Integration stage.
Then, the armor that Azure Tiger Saint is wearing begins to glow.
[Behold, this is the essence of the two-thousand-year history of the Great Azure Heaven Creation Sect...!!!]
Chiiiiiing!
And beneath the ninth wings, a tenth set of wings begins to emerge.
These are red wings.
Wings of life, forged from the blood and sweat of Azure Tiger Saint and Oh Hyun-seok.
As the auras of the Azure Heaven Wings and the Wings of Life mix, the bodies of Oh Hyun-seok and Azure Tiger Saint are dyed in purple.
'That's...'
The final Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter of Azure Tiger Saint that I witnessed in the 14th cycle.
The form of Ten Wings.
The purple giants that Oh Hyun-seok and Azure Tiger Saint have transformed into charge at Kang Min-hee all at once and 'push' her!
[Your specialty is cutting, Seo Eun-hyun!]
Oh Hyun-seok shouts as he looks back at me.
[Leave this type of work to us! These clones created by Kim Yeon's ability won't be a problem even if they're destroyed!]
Azure Tiger Saint, drawing upon the power of the Clear Sky Armor, demonstrates the strength that once briefly blocked the Black Dragon King when he was combined with the Esteemed One.
Oh Hyun-seok, combining the abilities of the Unique Holy Body and the power of Ten Wings, amplifies his strength to a level comparable to Azure Tiger Saint.
The two giants stand firm as a shield in front of me.
[Indra's Net!]
Kwa-jijijik!
Jeon Myeong-hoon transforms into a Two-Headed, Six-Armed Lightning God, casting a net made of lightning.
Soon, the net catches both the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and us, and I can feel the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress being pulled even faster toward us with the help of Jeon Myeong-hoon's power.
[I heard we need to pour something on Kang Min-hee!]
Kim Yeon is connected to my consciousness, and since our comrades are connected to Kim Yeon's consciousness, most of the situation, excluding demon beasts, has been shared with our comrades in real-time.
Kim Young-hoon, understanding our plan due to this connection, speaks up.
[I'll join forces with Hong Fan to scatter it together!]
[Please d...]
Then, Kang Min-hee begins to struggle.
Kuuung!
Kugugugugugu!
With just one thrash of her body, the Nether Crossing Ship ahead is shaken, the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress following behind trembles wildly, and all of us blocking her cough up blood from our seven orifices.
'If Kang Min-hee keeps moving, it will be difficult even with Hong Fan and Kim Young-hoon joining forces.'
I make a decision.
[Go ahead! Even if only for a moment, I will restrict Kang Min-hee's movements!]
[I trust you!]
Paaatt!
Kim Young-hoon vanishes, and I grip the Colorless Glass Sword, focusing my consciousness for a brief moment.
'The opponent is an entity that cannot be cut.'
What works now is not the slashing or piercing of the sword but pushing or blocking.
Does that mean my sword is currently useless?
'No.'
How many times have I despaired before the heavens, before fate?
How many times have I cried out in helplessness against overwhelming force that cannot be resisted?
Is it not my sword that I have honed so it can be used even in moments like this?
'There's still something left that can be cut.'
If it's against an entity where cutting has no meaning, and even if they are cut they cannot feel pain, what should I cut?
Tstststststs!
I imbue my consciousness into the sword.
Originally, it was a move imbued with the Nascent Soul and swung. But now that the Nascent Soul has evolved into a domain, it has become a technique that envelops the world within it.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Twenty-fifth Move.
Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.
All my power merges into the sword, and the power completely ascends to the Plane of Soul.
'The curse was scattered among the vengeful spirits.'
Tststststststs—
The Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace darkens black.
'In that case, if I embed the curse and reverse it the moment the pain is dispersed, it will lead to a 'concentration of blessing' instead of a 'dispersion of the curses'.'
I will concentrate the blessing solely on Kang Min-hee, stopping her even if just for a moment.
'The Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace alone isn't enough.'
Though she has no consciousness, she is no different from the Star Shattering stage.
Even if the speed of the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace is comparable to the single strike of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion, it won't be enough against her.
Chances are it will be blocked by her mid-way.
'I must strike with a speed that can't be blocked.'
Along with the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace, I combine another technique.
Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.
And...
Deep Mountain, Emerging Dao!
Application Technique.
Deep Grace, Shining Dominance (恩深皎皎霸).
The black sword energy extends in the shape of a crescent moon.
The sword energy of the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace flies at the speed of Deep Mountain, Emerging Dao, quickly piercing Kang Min-hee's chest and scattering the curse within her.
In the next moment, the curse, along with my will embedded inside, reverses.
The pain does not disperse. Instead, the blessing concentrates entirely on her.
Paaaatt!
A clear crescent moon seems to bloom on Kang Min-hee's chest.
It's as if a bright, radiant moon has risen in the middle of the night.
Paaaaat!
The next moment.
I enter Kang Min-hee's heart essence.
Inside, I momentarily push out the torment of the ghosts wailing within her and confront her consciousness.
A pure white space.
Facing each other, now clear-headed in this brief moment, we look at each other and smile bitterly without needing words.
"...It's so embarrassing, I could die."
Kang Min-hee brushes her face.
"I didn't expect you to come this deep inside...you must have seen everything in my heart."
"I didn't see everything."
"Don't lie. You saw it. Tell me what you saw."
Ssss—
The space I briefly created in Kang Min-hee's heart essence through the blessing is being dyed in darkness.
With her face still covered by her hands, she asked.
I answer with a gentle smile.
"...[That time]."
No special explanation is needed.
In here, we understand each other's hearts.
The evening of the day we dated for the second time, and broke up for the last time.
The scene in the smoking area.
I saw the longing and regret that Kang Min-hee had hidden at that time.
Kang Min-hee lowers her hand.
She's crying.
The surroundings are being consumed by darkness.
The short time gained by the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace is coming to an end.
"Do you know, Seo Eun-hyun?"
I look at Kang Min-hee calmly, and she speaks while shedding tears.
[It's now that I finally realize.]
Paaatt!
Once again, my consciousness returns outside of Kang Min-hee's heart essence.
And the voice of Kang Min-hee, who briefly regained her consciousness due to me, quietly echoes amidst the ghostly wails.
[Life is...sorrow.]
Shooosh!
Then, Seo Hweol's red liquid is scattered above her.
Flash!
The coordinates connect, and the gate to the Astral Realm where Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo are opens.