The contract is sealed, and we return once again to the place where we had been wrestling just moments before, stepping out from the sacred sanctuary of contracts and oaths.
Squelch, squelch...
I can feel Seo Hweol, who is borrowing Yuan Yu's body, seeping unpleasantly into mine.
[For now, I need to pretend to have control over you, so please understand.]
—...Leave Yuan Yu's blood body behind, take your Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens out, and get lost.
[Hoho...very well for now. However, as we'll need to stay in contact, please leave me a mark, Daoist Seo.]
—Fine.
I feel Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens withdraw from my body.
'...How surprising.'
Surprisingly, Seo Hweol did 'truly' remove Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens from my body.Even after checking my shadow, there is no trace of Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Having reached Void Shattering, I would have immediately sensed Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Forming an alliance before Hyeon Go seems to be quite effective.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of reassurance, I begin communicating with Seo Hweol through the heart essence avatar I implanted in his heart essence.
—So, do you have a plan, Seo Hweol?
[Hoho...Blood Yin began eroding the Bright Cold Realm somewhat recklessly. They mentioned they will be having a conversation with Baek Woon, but it seems Baek Woon has scratched their reverse scale.]
He continues explaining.
[Due to this reckless erosion, a gap has formed. Normally, there would have been about a thousand years grace period left, but due to Sacred Master Baek Woon having stepped down from her rank and overexerting her powers, this situation has occurred. All we need to do is strike at what Blood Yin fears the most within that gap.]
—What do they fear?
I can sense Seo Hweol chuckling from beyond the darkness.
It's clearly a mocking laugh.
[They fear the dead coming back to life the most. Specifically...the resurrection of Vast Cold.]
—Resurrecting Vast Cold...? Are you saying that we're going to do that? Do you think that makes sense?
[Of course, people like us cannot resurrect Vast Cold. However, we can stir up the energy, enough for Vast Cold's living body to react.]
—What? How...?
[Mad Lord.]
"...!"
I flinch in suprise, and Seo Hweol gives additional explanation.
[I heard this directly from Blood Yin. The Black Dragon King, Hyeon Eum, was modified after being defeated by the Mad Lord, and during that process, the Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress was confirmed to contain the [Power of Vast Cold]. I am aware that the Mad Lord also has his own agenda. If you activate the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress according to his purpose, the Power of Vast Cold he has cultivated will emerge. That power...if it can be released at the location where Blood Yin's invasion began, we can delay Blood Yin's plan.]
—Delaying the plan...is there no way to completely stop it?"
[Unless Blood Yin suffers a fatal wound, it's impossible. The best we can do is grant the Bright Cold Realm about fifty years of reprieve.]
Ziiiiiiing!
Feeling the heavy weight of responsibility, I fly towards the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
I can see the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress in the distance.
—Alright, I get it for now. So where exactly did Blood Yin's invasion begin?
[It's a place Daoist Seo knows well. Heavenly Lotus Mountain. It's the place where the Sacred Master resides.]
It seems Baek Woon was the first to encounter Blood Yin.
—Then I just need to bring the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress to Heavenly Lotus Mountain...
Just as I think that,
Kung!
"...!"
An inexplicable foreboding arises from the Plane of Soul.
Through the Plane of Soul, all the way beyond.
From the far edge of Bright Cold Realm, I can sense exceedingly ominous and sinister beings descending upon the realm.
'This is...'
[Ah...oh dear.]
I can feel Seo Hweol clicking his tongue.
Hwoong!
Space distorts, and colossal projections begin appearing near the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
Esteemed One Swae Ryeong (碎玲/Shattered Bell).
Esteemed One Gyeok Hal (擊轄/ Controlling Strike).
Esteemed One Wi On (僞穩/False Stability).
Esteemed One Yuk Nyeong (毓濘/Nurturing Mud).
Esteemed One Gwi Ryuk (壞陸/Ruined Land).
Esteemed One Hill Gi (犵技/Wild Skill).
Esteemed One Gyu Cheon (圭踐/Jade-tablet Trampling).
[TL/N: These are the names, not the titles of the Esteemed Ones]
The projections of the Seven Esteemed Ones Of An Era (七代尊者) from the Blood Yin Realm have descended here to suppress the power of Vast Cold that Seo Hweol mentioned.
Kugugugugugu!
A giant covered in red coral.
Esteemed One Swae Ryeong chants an incomprehensible Blood Yin Realm incantation as they approach the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
—Hey, Seo Hweol. We need to stop them. Do you have any methods?
[...I did already say I will take over, but it seems they don't trust me enough. Hmm, what to do...]
Seo Hweol speaks after a moment of pondering.
—You have no solution either, do you?
[...Hoho, just wait a little longer. I have a decent pla—]
—Forget it.
Without listening to Seo Hweol, I flauntingly tear the Blood Body from within myself beneath the sky.
[Guaaaahhhh!!!]
As I rip out my Blood Body, I let out a howl, instantly drawing the attention of all the Esteemed Ones toward me.
'The fact that they're trying to use the Esteemed Ones to suppress the Mad Lord must mean Blood Yin is still in the midst of corroding Bright Cold Realm and is yet unable to fully exert their power.'
In that case, there's a simple solution.
—I'll break through the Esteemed Ones, take the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress to Heavenly Lotus Mountain, and have the Mad Lord activate Yeon's Play within it. Wouldn't that do the trick?
[Hoho...do you think that's possible?]
I respond curtly.
—Yes.
Kuung!
I become a giant of starlight.
Seeing the giant with 21 heads appear before them, the Esteemed Ones of the Blood Yin Realm seem momentarily confused, unable to grasp the situation and staring blankly at me.
I calmly walk through their midst.
The pressure from the Star Shattering stage Esteemed One is something I can easily disperse with my Void Shattering attainments, so I remain unburdened by it as I walk past them and grab hold of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
Kuuung!
Then, without a care, I lift the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress with one arm and begin heading towards Heavenly Lotus Mountain, walking right through the middle of the Esteemed Ones.
Only then do the Blood Yin Esteemed Ones who were slow to react finally begin attacking me.
The emerging coral Esteemed One Swae Ryeong opens their mouth.
[—!]
As they shout a lion's roar accompanied by the Blood Yin Realm incantation, red coral burst from the ground, trying to trap me.
[TL/N: Lion's roar as in the Buddhist technique in martial arts novels.]
Esteemed One Gyeok Hal, whose entire body is covered in eyes, stares at me, causing my body to freeze.
Esteemed One Wi On, whose entire body is made of rattling bones, scatters into pieces and forms a cage around me.
Esteemed One Yuk Nyeong, a giant made of red clay, lifts the ground beneath my feet.
Esteemed One Gwi Ryuk, in the form of an insect covered in dark-red scales, releases hideous shadows from each of their scales and shoots them at me, while Esteemed One Hill Gi, resembling a mantis, swings their forearms and sends slashes my way.
Kwarurururung!
The entire area collapses.
The aftermath of the Blood Yin Realm Esteemed Ones' authorities spread in all four directions.
Kurururung!
The place we are standing is a Chaos Realm region in the northwest part of the Bright Cold Realm.
It is a region adjacent to the Heaven Tribe territory.
The aftermath of the Esteemed Ones' combined assault, which began in this Chaos Realm region, shakes the entire Heaven Tribe territory.
As the red light fades, I let out a smile.
[Assuming I am of a lower realm, it seems you attacked too half-heartedly.]
Cheok!
I dodged all of their recent attacks.
Since the attacks were thrown half-heartedly by the Esteemed Ones in an attempt to crush a cultivator at the Integration stage, they were easy to avoid.
I chuckle and ask towards the interior of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
[Is everyone alright?]
Taatt!
However, no specific response comes, and only Hong Fan, burning on fire, appears above the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
"Everyone else is currently unconscious! And all the puppets of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress have strange coral-like things sprouting from them, preventing them from moving!"
[What, everyone's unconscious?]
Kugugugugugu!
From behind, I sense the intense momentum of the seven Esteemed Ones from the Blood Yin Realm.
They now recognize me as an equal and are preparing to attack seriously.
But I ignore them and continue questioning Hong Fan.
"Sir Young-hoon and Lady Yeon, as well as the Mad Lord, are holding on. But no one is in good condition."
I release my consciousness and quickly scan the inside of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
As Hong Fan said, Kim Yeon seems to be conscious but is sitting cross-legged, completely motionless.
Kim Young-hoon is gripping his saber and focusing intensely with an appearance of barely holding on, while the Mad Lord is conscious, but his condition seems serious.
[Guaaagk! Kuaaagh! Heok, ugheok! Kueook!]
Countless Heart Heavenly Demons are pouring out of the Mad Lord's body.
Heart Heavenly Demons are formed when negative energy temporarily gains a personality.
Heart Heavenly Demons are not living creatures but rather things like characters in a novel or pieces in a chess game.
As long as there is a target to grant them a personality, Heart Heavenly Demons can be endlessly generated.
And, due to the whispers of the artificial souls in the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, the Mad Lord is no different from someone possessing hundreds of millions upon trillions of personalities.
In other words, he is practically the ideal state for Heart Heavenly Demons to envelop him.
'Damn...for the catalyst to activate Yeon's Yeon to be in this state...'
I approach the Mad Lord using a heart essence avatar.
As my avatar gets closer, the Heart Heavenly Demons that have already 'emerged' flee in terror, but those still being created inside cannot be stopped.
I can see the Heart Heavenly Demons endlessly torturing the Mad Lord's soul.
'This isn't a problem that can be solved by purification through blessings.'
It might offer a temporary solution, but that's it.
Eventually, this state will return.
'What should I do...?'
As I ponder, it happens.
"...Seo...Eun-hyun...is it...?"
"...!"
I approach the Mad Lord through my heart essence avatar.
"Are you conscious?"
"...It's...difficult..."
The Mad Lord, having his soul tortured by countless Heart Heavenly Demons, struggles to his feet.
Drip, drip drip...
"Has...some misfortune...arisen...?"
"...The Bright Cold Realm is being destroyed."
"Is that so..."
The Mad Lord sheds tears of blood.
"It seems...you have a solution..."
"Yes. If you bring the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress to Heavenly Lotus Mountain and attain Buddhahood, that should do it."
The Mad Lord's eyes glint, as if he instantly understands what I mean.
"I see...I...will...do so..."
Step, step...
The Mad Lord, burdened with innumerable Heart Heavenly Demons, barely manages to grasp the controls of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and speaks.
"Saying that...must mean...my disciple...has been 'completed'...right...?"
I look at the Mad Lord.
Then I glance down at Kim Yeon, sitting cross-legged below.
And I answer honestly.
"I do not know."
"You...do not...know?"
"Yes. I am not qualified to judge whether Yeon is complete or not. If she gave it her all, she would be complete. If not, she wouldn't be complete. If she is truly sincere, then she absolutely will be complete."
Kugugugugu!
The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress begins to move.
I stop carrying the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, reducing the size of my main body, and climb to the top of the fortress.
The Mad Lord, his hands trembling, grips the controls and asks. Even amidst the torture of the Heart Heavenly Demons, what drives him is nothing but his sheer willpower.
"You...for some...reason...seem to believe that child...has been completed..."
"...At least..."
Kugugugu!
The Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation activates.
I look at Kim Yeon.
Inside her Nascent Soul, the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle is spinning fiercely.
The essence of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle is to give meaning to life.
The fact that it's spinning means that she is doing everything in her power to find that meaning.
"There's no way she isn't sincere."
After saying this, I move my avatar to the floor where Kim Young-hoon and Kim Yeon are.
I approach Kim Young-hoon and exchange a glance with him.
Focusing his consciousness, Kim Young-hoon barely manages to nod.
In an instant,
I reach out towards Kim Young-hoon's heart essence.
The green podao embedded in his heart essence comes into my hand.
I retrieve the heart essence avatar.
Paaaatt!
The heart essence avatar, holding the green podao, reaches me at the peak of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
The moment before the Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation activates.
I see the Blood Yin Realm Seven Esteemed Ones Of An Era preparing to unleash their power.
Led by the fallen Yellow Dragon Race member, Gyu Cheon, I can feel the seven Esteemed Ones combining their strengths to obliterate us.
With that level of authority, even if we move using the Ground-Shrinking Formation, it will likely follow us and destroy the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.
At least,
If they can follow.
Booong—
I raise the podao.
It feels as though Jang Ik is shouting beside me.
"Collapsing Immortals Annihilating Heavens!"
Kwarururung!
The green blade light intercepts the combined strike of the Esteemed Ones, and the Realm Annihilation Ground-Shrinking Formation activates.
Our destination is Heavenly Lotus Great Mountain.
Blood Yin's corroded land!
Flash!
The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress leaps through space, and I can see the Blood Yin Realm Seven Esteemed Ones Of An Era crossing space to follow us.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
I recall Gyeong Chang, Yu Yeon, Ryeo Hwa, Dok Yeong, and Jae Hu who died in my hands.
Jang Ik's podaos I received from them before their deaths.
And the podaos given to me by the entire Heart Tribe Supreme Council before Operation Exorcise the Mad Lord.
A total of 22 green podaos are embedded around me.
"Collapsing Immortals!"
Kugugugugu!
I pull out one of the podaos and shout.
"Annihilating Heavens!"
At last, the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress reaches Heavenly Lotus Great Mountain.
I look at the remaining Esteemed Ones of the Blood Yin Realm.
The Blood Yin Realm Seven Esteemed Ones Of An Era have now become the Blood Yin Realm Two Esteemed Ones Of An Era.