My mouth gapes at the astonishing truth.
'The Vast Cold Heavenly Lord...is alive?'
If so...
"This Bright Cold Realm is...still alive?"
"Isn't it a plausible truth to consider? Why do you think the [Ones Above] had to forcibly rename the Vast Cold (廣寒) Realm to the Bright Cold (光寒) Realm 500,000 years ago? Why is it that the Bright Cold Realm has the most abundant spiritual energy of all the Middle Realms, and why do those who come here have a fate filled with more blessings than those in other Middle Realms? Why is it that the Bright Cold Realm is always referred to as the strongest and most supreme of the six Middle Realms? Other Middle Realm Esteemed Ones can propose their own titles and the Sacred Master accepts them as such, but why must the Esteemed Ones of the Bright Cold Realm have titles that include 'Heaven (天)' or 'Light (光)' that the Sacred Master imposes...? There's much more, but this is the gist of it."
"...Sacred Master Baek Woon said the reason for the Sacred Masters in the Middle Realms is because if they neglect these realms, powerful Vestiges will be born. And...as far as I know, Vestiges only come from corpses. But if what you're saying is true, doesn't that create a contradiction?"
I look at Seo Hweol with suspicion, and he smiles faintly, placing his hand over his chest.
"I swear upon the name of Immortal Beast Hyeon Go. Everything I, Seo Hweol, have just said is the truth."
Wo-woong!
Along with his words, the balance seems to tremble, and a pure white vapor brushes past Seo Hweol's body."In this place, one cannot speak lies. The moment one utters a falsehood, they are immediately 'punished'."
"...."
"If what I'm saying is true, then the other side must be lying."
"...That means..."
Seo Hweol smiles faintly.
"Sacred Master Baek Woon, other than her abhorrence for her race's acts of pollination, has always been famous for spewing lies. No, more accurately...while she 'doesn't lie', she is notorious for deceiving others with her words. Her words of preventing the birth of Vestiges is not wrong, since the corpse of Vast Cold Heavenly Lord will eventually truly die. Whether that's in ten billion years or a hundred billion years, who knows."
"..."
It seems Baek Woon is a far more sinister existence than I initially thought.
"In any case...since it seems you've accepted the truth, let me tell you an old story."
He begins his tale.
"The leftover of Nether Devil True Lord Yu Hao Te couldn't accept that he has died. Truly believing they are still Yu Hao Te, having forgotten his kind character and noble disposition, and remembering only the authority he wielded, they hoped to be reinstated in their seat. However, in the eyes of his comrades of the Underworld, this 'Yu Hao Te of Evil', who barely grasped a fraction of the authority Yu Hao Tie wielded in his prime, was unworthy, and even their character and disposition fell far short."
This is the hidden backstory of the Bright Cold Realm I have long wondered about.
"If only their character had remained intact, they could have easily returned to their old position. But instead, they foolishly fell into the delusion that their authority is the problem. And so...Yu Hao Te of Evil came to a certain decision.
'As the body of my old comrade, Vast Cold, is still alive, I will make it mine. Vast Cold's soul has left on a distant journey, with no telling if it will ever return. If I take control of Vast Cold's body, I can once again fully seize my seat, and those old comrades who dismissed me will welcome me once more.'
"Ah...truly, what a vile and filthy decision it was. To covet the body of another in order to regain a seat that was never rightfully theirs...even worse, they still remembered that Vast Cold was once their friend. Hoho..."
I tremble with rising disgust.
"However, that vile plan was never realized. I'm talking about the successor of Ancient Force True Lord, 'Lofty Dragon' and Yu Hao Te's Immortal Treasure, 'Sae Eum'. Unable to watch their former superior's corruption any longer, the two joined hands. Lofty Dragon quickly entered the Vast Cold Realm before Yu Hao Te of Evil could seize the body, accepting the loss of cultivation to become a Sacred Master to halt Yu Hao Te of Evil. Sae Eum, from within Yu Hao Te of Evil's body, bound their mind. However, the corrupted Yu Hao Te of Evil could not suppress their desire and eventually invaded the Bright Cold Realm."
From his lips flows the truth about the great war between the True Devil Realm and the Vast Cold Realm that took place 500,000 years ago.
"It was a terrifying war. To the point those below the Integration stage had to be protected in Lofty Dragon's animal pen... Though Yu Hao Te of Evil's physical body was dead, it was still the body of the Chief Judge Yu Hao Te. The Nether Devil Realm itself invaded the Vast Cold Realm. In the end, Sae Eum emerged from the Nether Devil Realm and temporarily assumed the Sacred Master position of the Vast Cold Realm, while Lofty Dragon recovered to the Entering Nirvana stage and faced Yu Hao Te of Evil. After several years of war...Lofty Dragon finally used the Serving Command Axe to decapitate a portion of Yu Hao Te of Evil's head. Then, Sae Eum burned their life force to transfer Yu Hao Te of Evil's true soul into that severed head portion."
The mural I saw on Cherry Blossom Dragon Island comes to mind.
"Lofty Dragon and Sae Eum sacrificed their lives. Lofty Dragon squeezed out all of their own blood and Sae Eum tore away their own essence. The blood of Lofty Dragon and the essence of Sae Eum mixed, inscribing a 'new name' onto Yu Hao Te of Evil, who had been completely severed from their main body."
I finally understand the creation myth of the Blood Yin Realm.
"The blood of Lofty Dragon and the essence of Sae Eum. The authority of these two divine beings became shackles, binding Yu Hao Te of Evil. Thus, they became Blood Yin (血陰). The Nether Devil Realm became the True Devil Realm, and all the turbid energy and malevolent energy that once belonged to the True Devil Realm was carried away by Blood Yin. Within Blood Yin's body, a filthy, repugnant Middle Realm opened up. That is the Blood Yin Realm (血陰界)."
"...I see."
The truths of the world, which I have been curious about all this time, are engraved into my mind.
"Blood Yin's desire for the living body of Vast Cold. That...is the truth behind why the Heavenly Fiends of the Blood Yin Realm have been targeting the Bright Cold Realm all this time?"
"Yes. But that's not all."
A sneer spreads across Seo Hweol's lips.
"Blood Yin, stripped of their original name and forcibly given the new name of [Blood Yin], fell into despair. Burdened with the new name, they could no longer reunite with the True Devil Realm and return to their original form. The hope of being reinstated became ever more distant. Therefore, they adjusted their goals slightly. From merely 'coveting the living body of Vast Cold'...to devouring 'both Vast Cold's body and the Seat (座) they ruled.' With the authority of the Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, who once shook the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, Blood Yin believed they could merge it with the Seat of Vice they already seized and be bestowed a 'New Seat'."
"A New Seat? Is something like that necessary?"
"It is. The Seat of the original Yu Hao Te became unusable after they were forcibly renamed, and they knew they couldn't handle the Seat of Vast Cold on their own."
Through Seo Hweol's words, I come to understand Blood Yin's true objective.
"To usurp Vast Cold's body and authority, merge it with the seat they already seized, and conduct a ritual to obtain a New Seat—the Seat of Abundant Offspring (子孫衆多). With that authority, they seek to be reinstated in the Underworld. That is Blood Yin's ultimate goal."
I let out a quiet sigh.
It's a ridiculous story, but since 'Seo Hweol cannot lie,' my trust goes in the opposite direction.
With the flood of information from Seo Hweol, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed.
It's shocking enough to learn that the Bright Cold Realm is, in fact, alive, albeit in a comatose state, let alone the truth from 500,000 years ago and the true nature of Baek Woon.
Moreover, now knowing Blood Yin's ultimate goal, I feel a surge of shock and try to calm my mind.
'So the name Blood Yin was created by Lofty Dragon's blood and the essence of Sae Eum, the first Sacred Master of the True Devil Realm...'
I immediately understand why Blood Yin created the Black Dragon Race and the Sea Dragon Race.
For an Immortal Beast, the more descendants they have, the more power they channel to those descendants.
Of course, to a genuine Immortal Beast, the authority passed on to their mortal descendants would be insignificant, like a drop in the ocean, so they wouldn't pay much attention to it.
As long as they are alive, they can endlessly replenish that power anyways.
But what if the Immortal Beast is dead?
'If the Immortal Beast is dead...the dead Immortal Beast's power wouldn't replenish, and if their descendants continue to siphon off it, the Immortal Beast's power will eventually be depleted, leaving the entire bloodline powerless.'
This means Blood Yin created countless Black Dragon and Sea Dragon descendants in an effort to escape the shackles of their own name.
'It's suspicious that the leaders of the Black Dragon Race and Sea Dragon Race all have names like Hyeon Eum and Ja Eum. Could it be an attempt to disperse the power contained in the name 'Eum'? That seems plausible...'
[TL/N: In case you forgot, Eum means Yin.]
A faint smile.
Seo Hweol continues speaking with a clear smile.
"The current situation is quite dire. If left unchecked as they are, the worst True Immortal with the body of Vast Cold—Blood Yin—will be born. At the very least, a being surpassing a Great Net Immortal will emerge. If that happens, the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain will be finished at that moment. That's why I sincerely wish to join hands with you, Daoist Seo."
Seo Hweol extends his hand towards me from the opposite side of the scale.
I look at Seo Hweol for a moment.
Indeed, the current situation is terrifying.
I still remember the power of the Owner of Great Mountain.
With a single mantra, They compressed and annihilated an entire Heavenly Domain.
It's a moment terrifying enough to send chills down my spine, a memory both fearful and awe-inspiring.
'That wasn't even the main body, just a projection.'
In that case, if I assume Blood Yin manages to get their hands on Vast Cold's body, then the power of Blood Yin with Vast Cold's body might not fall too short of what I saw from the Owner of Great Mountain.
The weight of the name Vast Cold is that heavy.
It is, without a doubt, a serious situation.
However, I look at Seo Hweol and ask.
"So what's your goal, Seo Hweol?"
Blood Yin's objective is resurrection through Vast Cold's body.
But I still don't know what Seo Hweol's genuine goal is.
In response to my question, Seo Hweol smiles and says,
"To reunite with my family. Is Seo Ran doing well?"
"...He's fine. I feel much more at ease without you by his side."
I glare at him and ask.
"To reunite with your family? Is that really your goal? What are you going to do when you meet Seo Ran?"
"I'll pat him on the shoulder and tell him he's been through a lot. Above all, Ran and I...we share the same blood."
"..."
I try to read Seo Hweol's intent or attack him with the Sub-Heart Sword, but it seems that such things don't work in this space.
'What is he planning to do to Seo Ran...?'
I speak while looking at him.
"Sorry, but if you intend to endanger Seo Ran through this incident, I cannot cooperate with your plan."
"I understand. Anyway, given the severity of the situation, I have no intention of getting into a verbal battle with Daoist Seo. Limited to this plan, I will cause no harm to Daoist Seo and his comrades and will only focus on my own path."
"The comrades affected by your Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens must not be included in the 'path' you speak of."
"Agreed. I will focus solely on myself, and 'for this matter alone,' I will unconditionally cooperate with Daoist Seo without betrayal. I will not pull wordplay like last time, saying, 'we weren't on the same side, so it's not betrayal'."
I nod.
"Good. In that case, although I'm not happy about it...let's join hands."
"Hoho...A wise decision, Daoist Seo."
In front of Hyeon Go, we form a temporary alliance contract.
Kuung!
I feel the authority of a transcendent being binding us together.
This is, quite literally, an action in the Plane of Fate.
Since fate guarantees our contract, even if we want to break it, the very act of breaking it becomes impossible as celestial energy moves.
Paaaaat!
Seo Hweol's scale and my scale draw closer.
I glance at Seo Hweol and take his hand.
Seo Hweol and I, though temporarily, have formed a 'true' alliance.
===
Author's Note: Seo-Seo Alliance.