Chapter 466: Found It
We began our journey westward.
Starting from Byeokra, we traveled through Yanguo and Shengzi.
The world is engulfed in war.
"The world suddenly became like this thirty years ago. There were often disputes between martial sects or between cultivator clans in the past but...the way the hearts of people themselves have twisted—this started thirty years ago."
As I listen to Oh Hyun-seok's explanation while waiting for the ship heading to the western nation, Penglai Kingdom, I ponder.
'Thirty years ago...'
It was when Cheongmun Ryeong's natural lifespan came to an end.
'Could there be a connection between the two?'I think to myself that it's possible if it's Immortal Arts.
After a few days, we board the ship bound for Penglai Kingdom.
Even aboard the ship, Oh Hyun-seok tirelessly seeks out wealthy individuals, trying to find someone to take in the young girl, a survivor from a destroyed village.
But, perhaps because of the hardening of hearts as he mentioned, no one seems willing to accept Oh Hyun-seok's request.
"Why are you so insistent on finding someone to take the child? With Hyung-nim's capabilities, couldn't you raise her yourself?"
"Hm...that's true, but..."
Oh Hyun-seok replies with a bitter smile.
"I don't know how to raise a child."
"Huh...didn't you say you like children?"
As we engage in casual conversation aboard the moving ship, I hear about Oh Hyun-seok's family that I hadn't known for hundreds of thousands of years.
"You know it, right? That my eldest brother runs an orphanage."
"Ah, yes."
"Hye-seo was from there, you know."
"What...pardon?"
This is the first time I have heard of such a thing.
'Oh Hye-seo was an orphan?'
I am so shocked that I can't find the words to respond.
The company is led by three factions: the Lee family, the Oh family, and the Jeon family.
Among the three, Oh Hye-seo belonged to the Oh family like Oh Hyun-seok. She had quickly risen through the ranks while being close with him, so I had naturally assumed she was part of the Oh family bloodline.
'So, she wasn't part of the Oh family lineage.'
It is quite a surprising revelation.
He scratches his head awkwardly.
"My eldest brother is Hye-seo's 'father,' which is why she carries the Oh surname. But still, I believe I treated that child really well. Even though we don't share the same blood, we share the same family name. I treated her like my real niece ever since I first met her when I volunteered at the orphanage. Back then, she used to follow me around and she was the smartest child there...I even wanted to give my own daughter Hye-seo's name."
"Ah...I didn't know."
It seems the reason Oh Hye-seo referred to Oh Hyun-seok as her 'youngest uncle' was because of this connection.
"Well, it's not something I went around bragging. It's not exactly the kind of thing you boast about. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is...I wouldn't make a good father."
He scratches his head again.
"The real 'good father' is my eldest brother. I'm just the guy who played the gang leader in front of the orphanage kids. No, actually, as much as I grew up watching my eldest brother run the orphanage...I can't help but treat that girl the same way I treated the other orphans."
He smiles bitterly.
"For that child as an orphan, I can be a guardian. But I can't become a 'father' like my eldest brother. That's my limit. So...I'm going to find that child good parents. Better than me, that is."
"..."
'In a time of war like this, where would you find better parents than yourself...?'
The words rise to the tip of my tongue, but I don't speak them aloud.
Thus, after hearing Oh Hyun-seok's concerns and exchanging various conversations with our comrades, we finally arrive at Penglai Kingdom.
Upon arriving in Penglai Kingdom, we explore various parts of the world.
Jeon Myeong-hoon seems to be gradually recovering his memories along the journey, while Seo Ran appears increasingly displeased for some reason.
Penglai Kingdom hasn't changed from before.
No, it's as if the history of the time we entered the last time is still intact. Stories of how the 'King of Demon Spirits Seo Eun-hyun' had invaded the royal family of Penglai Kingdom and caused havoc are widely known.
Oh Hyun-seok continues his attempts to arrange for the girl's adoption with various Penglai nobles, but he fails time and time again. Meanwhile, Kim Young-hoon steadily sharpens his 'senses.'
And so, after three months of staying in Penglai Kingdom...
"You need to come with us for a moment."
"What is going on?"
"A high-ranking individual from Penglai wishes to meet the distinguished persons."
Suddenly, we are led somewhere by government soldiers dispatched from the royal court.
And the place is familiar.
The capital city of Penglai Kingdom.
The city beneath the massive Salt Mountain.
"Who is the person that wishes to see us?"
I ask them, but they don't provide any answers, merely leading the palanquin carrying us up the Salt Mountain in silence.
However, I have a feeling I know who it is that wants to see us.
After a while, at the upper part of the Salt Mountain in Penglai Kingdom.
We arrive at the palace of the royal family of Penglai Kingdom and are escorted somewhere by the palace guards.
'...It's a familiar place.'
"Her Majesty the Queen has arrived!"
We are moved to a guest chamber in the palace, where we await the Queen.
"His Highness, the Prince Consort, has also arrived!"
The Queen of Penglai Kingdom and someone called the Prince Consort enter the guest chamber where we are.
"Everyone, show your respect..."
"Enough, enough. Leave us. These are my friends. Just for today, I wish to be free of formalities for a while.”
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The palace guards leave the room, and I find myself facing my old friends for the first time in hundreds of years.
"It's been a while, Yuk Yo. Have you been well?"
"Yes. Thanks to the Cult Leader's help."
"Baek Rin also seems to be doing well."
"Haha, indeed. Are my friends doing well?"
"Those two are doing well in their own way."
Yuk Yo and Baek Rin.
They were once my subordinates, and a carp and demon spirit in the world of dreams.
"Meeting again after 90 years...truly, you never know how life will turn out."
Yuk Yo and Baek Rin have both aged like Baek Ran.
Both have heads full of white hair, their skin wrinkled, and age spots blooming on their faces.
However, both possess dignity, and there is no fear in their eyes.
'...?'
Seo Ran seems oddly anxious as she looks at Yuk Yo.
Both Yuk Yo and I notice her demeanor, but we pretend not to and continue our conversation.
We talk about what's happened so far.
How Penglai Kingdom has fared, how things have been in our world, and so on...
"From what I hear, coming to this world was indeed the right decision. To think the Blood Yin Realm is devouring the Bright Cold Realm, and great chaos is unfolding..."
"Who knows...from my perspective, it looks like even this world is starting to show signs of war."
"Yes, that's true. The people's hearts are beginning to waver. And more than anything..."
Her expression darkens.
"The color of the 'Hidden Light' has started to change."
"Hm...!?"
I flinch in surprise at her words.
The Hidden Light.
The unique light of Salt Mountain, brought from the domain of Light by the Owner of Salt Mountain!
She says that the color of that light has begun to change.
"It was white before, but now it's starting to take on a reddish hue."
"...Is that okay?"
"It's fine. According to my mother, the light only turned white recently. In fact, for thousands, tens of thousands of years, the light was originally an ominous dark red. It's only recently that it became a clear salt-like color, and now it's just returning to its original state."
'So the light of Salt Mountain was originally an ominous dark red?'
It's a strange thing.
"There's no need to worry too much. The Crown Prince, who will succeed the throne, has vowed to prevent Penglai Kingdom from being swept into chaos, no matter what. With that child's abilities, I trust him."
"...Is that so? If you say so, I'll take your word for it."
I nod and change the subject.
"By the way, could you perhaps take care of this child for a while?"
I point to the child Oh Hyun-seok had brought with him, and Yuk Yo agrees readily.
"As it happens, I was in need of an attendant. I'll take good care of her."
She reaches out to the child with a kind grandmotherly smile.
As expected, Oh Hyun-seok's face brightens, but a problem arises.
The child refuses to leave his side.
"Hmm...what to do about this...?"
Yuk Yo smiles softly.
"In that case, let's do this. Sir Hyun-seok, why don't you stay at the royal palace with the child for a few years? That way, you can help her adapt to this place and she'll be able to comfortably part with you."
"Hmm..."
Oh Hyun-seok glances back and forth between me and Yuk Yo, then looks at the child again.
"...Ha...Eun-hyun, it seems I'll have to stay here a little longer..."
"It's fine. Do as you wish. However, I'll need to continue my journey westward, so it may be some time before we meet again."
"Hmm..."
In the end, after some hesitation, Oh Hyun-seok decides to remain at the royal palace of Penglai Kingdom.
To help the child part from him, he chose to remain with her for a few more years.
We leave that place and continue westward.
"By the way, Seo Ran."
"...Yes, Senior."
I ask her a question.
"Why were you acting like that in front of Yuk Yo earlier?"
I know that Seo Ran used to have feelings for Yuk Yo.
That's why at first, I thought perhaps she was flustered by seeing the woman she once admired standing before her.
But thinking about it again, I realized there was something strange in her gaze.
After stepping away from Kim Young-hoon and Jeon Myeong-hoon for a moment, I ask her the question.
Seo Ran trembles as she opens her mouth.
"...It's because I find myself so ugly."
"Hm?"
I am startled by her following words.
"I wished for her to be unhappy."
"What...?"
"When I first saw her...for some reason, I felt drawn to Yuk Yo. There was an inexplicable sense of kinship. A woman with a temperament like an isolated island, completely cut off from the entire world. Even before she had the Sea Dragon True Blood, it was that unique temperament that drew me in."
Seo Ran continues her explanation.
"But later, after meeting her again, I found out that she actually wanted to return to her 'hometown.' From that moment...I somehow started to hate Yuk Yo."
Covering her face with her hands, she speaks.
"I thought it would be great if she couldn't return to her hometown. When I heard she was captured by a man claiming to be her father and imprisoned, I felt strangely happy. Because she wouldn't be able to return to her hometown. But eventually...on that day when all our comrades were killed by the being known as the [Mountain God], she returned here with Baek Rin. From that day on..."
The eyes visible between her fingers are bloodshot.
An inexplicable hatred glimmers in her gaze.
"I wanted Yuk Yo to be utterly unhappy. That the world she believed to be real is actually a dream, and that she had been trapped in the dream for her entire life, living while seeing only illusions...I wished that one day she would realize this and become unhappy. But...I finally understood after seeing her today. Yuk Yo, she...has been living her entire life happily in this world."
"..."
"I find my own ugliness unbearable. I don't understand why. Why does the happiness of someone I like...fill me with such disgust, such hatred? Why do I wish for her to be unhappy... This heart of mine, it's so ugly and repulsive...I feel like hanging myself and ending it all."
This is the first time I'm hearing about such inner thoughts from Seo Ran.
To me, Seo Ran has always been the half-human, half-dragon who sacrificed her life for her friend, me, served her master Song Jin with utmost devotion, and longed for her mother.
To see such a Seo Ran, harboring such jealousy and hatred toward someone, and at the same time, blaming herself is almost a first for me.
'What should I say...?'
After thinking for a moment, I silently embraced her.
"...That can happen."
"..."
"You can hate and despise someone. I also have people I deeply detest and despise."
For example, Yuan Li, Seo Hweol, and the Mountain God.
Those three are people I can never forgive in my heart.
"And that's fine. It's not your fault."
Seo Ran starts to cry.
"It's okay to blame yourself. It's okay to feel hatred. But before all that...don't forget that I'm by your side."
"What am I...that Senior is doing this for me?"
"What else? Are you not my friend?"
I pat Seo Ran's shoulder and smile.
Wiping her tears, she speaks with a somewhat lightened expression.
"Thank you for saying that."
"Isn't that what friends are for? I can always comfort you, so do not worry."
Why do I keep meeting Cheongmun Ryeong, Seo Ran, and others who change every lifetime and try to maintain my relationships with them?
The reason is simple.
It's a truth I realized through repentant enlightenment under Cheongmun Ryeong.
A heart once exchanged remains within me.
And even if the person I meet again is someone different, even if they have no prior connection with me.
If they are a person I can exchange hearts with, it's simply forging a connection again.
And even if the people I meet again in the next life have become complete strangers, they are just people with whom I can share my heart with.
With that, as I listen to Seo Ran's hidden emotions, I continue heading west.
About two years pass.
"Hmm!"
On the day marking our 92nd year in this world.
I look far to the east.
The time has come for Cheongmun Ryeong to go.
"...Something has come up with my master so I will be leaving for a bit."
I am enjoying a game of mahjong with my comrades in a country west of Penglai Kingdom when I hear the will of Cheongmun Ryeong calling me from afar, and I rise from my seat.
"Alright, go ahead."
After getting permission from my comrades, I immediately use the ground-shrinking technique through Immortal Arts and instantly traverse Penglai Kingdom, Shengzi, Yanguo, Byeokra, and finally reach the Heaven-Treading Desert.
Paaaatt!
The center of the Heaven-Treading Desert.
The place where Ascension Path is located, also called Ascension Forest.
At its center.
I head to the place where the 'Ascension Gate' used to open within the original Head Realm, where a large shrine has now been built.
In front of the shrine, Gwak Am is sitting in lotus position.
"Senior Brother, has the time come for Master to go? Is Master inside?"
It's when I hurriedly try to enter the shrine.
Cheok!
Gwak Am moves their massive body, blocking my entry into the shrine.
"...Senior Brother?"
"...I told you not to call me senior brother."
"...For now, let me see Master."
Gwak Am looks down at me and says,
"No."
"What...?"
"It seems you still haven't grasped a clue regarding Immortal Arts. Isn't that right?"
"...It's embarrassing, but yes."
"Master sent you on a journey to grasp an understanding of Immortal Arts. But if you still haven't even grasped a fragment of it...you cannot go inside."
"What are you saying, Senior Brother!? Even so, how can you prevent me from seeing Master's last moments?"
In my shock, I shout, and Gwak Am growls at me.
"Someone who can't even follow Master's teachings has no right to witness his final moments. If you truly wish to see Master's last moments, bring forth your own Immortal Art as Master instructed. No, even if you can just grasp the beginning of your own Immortal Art, I will let you in."
"What kind of nonsense is this...!?"
I grit my teeth and begin to prepare my Immortal Art.
"If you continue to block me, I will force my way in."
"Ha...someone like you?"
Ududuk!
I use Immortal Arts.
Through the formula of the Immortal Art Examination of Doubts, I begin to vaguely rearrange the laws of this world.
The Immortal Art of Rain, Clearing, Cloudiness, Want of Connection, Crossing, Inner Diagram, and Outer Diagram!
Kiiiiing!
The laws of the world blur, and the authority and principles I had in the original world begin to return.
Wududuk!
'I can't reach the Integration stage, but...with the power of the Four-Axis stage...'
It's when I try to use the attraction force of the Four-Axis stage to move Gwak Am out of the way,
Kwadudududuk!
"...!?"
In the next moment, Gwak Am grabs my shoulder and crushes me.
Simultaneously, I feel my knees sink into the ground, and all of my authority collapse.
"Don't mess around. What, do you want to claim this is your true strength? Do you feel wronged? You're weak. Even if you bring all the strength you've cultivated from the outside world and face me, I can crush you like pulp at any time."
Gwak Am growls as they look down on me.
"The difference in our skill is far greater than anything you can imagine, far beyond what your mind can conceive. I surpassed Master a long time ago, and I only bow to him out of respect. So please don't act out. Don't provoke me. Don't make me want to kill you right here and now."
Crunch!
They tighten their grip on my arm even more.
"Weakness is Vice. Because you're stupid, dull, and weak, you don't even deserve to witness Master's final moments. Get lost this instant! And come back after grasping a starting point on your Immortal Art! Until then, you won't be able to take a single step inside!"
Kuguguguk!
I tremble as I sense the unfathomable power Gwak Am had kept hidden.
"Have you...reached the Entering Nirvana stage...!?"
Such overwhelming power that can't be explained otherwise!
But Gwak Am merely lets out a snort.
"Ha! Are you trying to make me laugh? Get lost."
Thud!
They kick me.
"Keok!"
I feel my insides twist and cough up blood.
Gwak Am stands like a Great Mountain, blocking the entrance to the shrine.
'So distant.'
Just what is the identity of this person?
Just how much power are they hiding...
Facing Gwak Am's immense power, I grit my teeth and speak.
"I will...I will definitely bring back the beginning of my Immortal Art. So, can't you let me in just for today?"
But Gwak Am only looks down at me coldly.
"No."
"..."
Crunch...
I bite down so hard that blood oozes from my gums.
I spit out the blood pooling in my mouth and get up from where I've fallen.
"I'll leave for today."
"It's not just today. Until you grasp the beginning of your Immortal Art, you will never reach this place again!"
Paatt!
With a sweep of Gwak Am's arm, I am instantly thrown outside Ascension Forest.
Bududuk.!
I try to re-enter from one side of Ascension Forest.
But as soon as I take a few steps inside, I find myself outside the forest again.
"...!"
I try to enter once more, but the result is the same.
Gwak Am's Immortal Art has sealed off the forest, making sure I can't set foot inside.
I stand for a long time, glaring inside Ascension Forest, before finally turning away.
"I will...definitely return, Senior Brother!"
My own Immortal Art.
I will definitely grasp the beginning!
The presence of Cheongmun Ryeong's Immortal Art can no longer be felt in this world.
I return to my comrades and speak weakly.
"...Let's continue our journey."
Cheongmun Ryeong told me to journey west and find the beginning of my Immortal Art.
He said the clue lies in the distant western lands.
Even if only to see his remains, I must continue forward.
My comrades and I continue heading west.
Another three years pass.
It has now been 95 years since we arrived in this world.
Hwiiiii—
I set foot once again on the land of the Eastern Manli.
I've circled the world.
We tour the various places in Manli and return the Howling Replesendent Sword to its original tribe.
Then, we once again head west.
But this time, we don't race through the Heaven-Treading Desert, choosing instead to head towards the Great Grasslands.
If we cross the Heaven-Treading Desert again, we'd eventually run into Ascension Forest once more.
And in the Great Grasslands, I encounter a familiar face.
"Pleasure to see you, disciple of the Salt Sea Master. And...Senior Seo."
It is none other than Azure Tiger Saint, Cheongmun Sunwoo, who has regained his memories.
In this world, he is known as one of the Three Powers of the Continent, called the Rising Cloud Saint.
"So, you've regained your memories."
Of course, considering the disciples of the Azure Heaven Creation Sect exist even outside, it's no surprise he recovered his memories so quickly.
'Given that the number of disciples has increased so much after becoming one of the Six Great Sects of the Human Race, it can't even be compared to when it was just in the Head Realm...'
"Nice to see you, Azure Tiger Saint."
I greet Azure Tiger Saint with a smile.
"Haha, there's no need for Senior to be so formal. It is I who should be formal to Senior, who is a human Esteemed One of the Heart Tribe."
"It's fine. I'll reject it myself. Please don't call me senior."
I reject his offer, not wanting to be addressed as senior by Azure Tiger Saint, and we continue our conversation.
"Well, in this world, I may be at a higher realm, but in our original world, you are indeed my senior. Besides, we'll have to return to our original world eventually."
"If that's the case...then call me Daoist or Cultivator."
We sip tea and he asks me.
"In that case does Cultivator Seo happen to have a method to return to our original world?"
"...I'm currently looking for a way. But there is some hope."
I've learned that by learning Immortal Arts, it's possible to twist the laws of this world.
A few years ago, I had even twisted the laws of the world to draw upon the power of my main body and face Gwak Am.
I have expectations that through Immortal Arts, I might be able to open the door back to the outside world.
'Of course...to truly leave, I'll need to fully master my Immortal Art.'
"Haha, it's good to know there's hope. By the way...how is my disciple doing?"
"He's doing well. In fact...he now has a daughter-like child."
At those words, Azure Tiger Saint smiles faintly.
From the face that seemed like it would erupt with bold laughter, a warm smile spreads across his features.
"...That's a relief."
"A relief...why is that?"
"As Hyun-seok's master, I have watched over him. That child always seemed to carry a burden in his heart."
"A burden..."
"Yes. And I, having lost some of my own children while fighting the Jo Clan in my younger years, understand that feeling all too well. It's the sorrow of losing one's child."
"..."
"That boy has always poured himself into training, trying to forget the sorrow of losing his child, that weight on his heart. And he always laughed while following me."
I smile bitterly.
Oh Hyun-seok, when I think about it, laughs quite often.
And he always laughs boisterously like Azure Tiger Saint.
But I don't think he ever laughed truly out of genuine joy.
A forced laugh, one that mimics joy to mask the burden he carries.
That is the person Oh Hyun-seok is.
"If that child...even if it's not his own child, spends time with another child, it might allow him to lighten the burden on his heart, even just a little."
Azure Tiger Saint laughs heartily and downs his tea.
It's a side of him I have never seen before.
'Is he someone who becomes particularly serious when discussing his disciple with a 3rd party...?'
I take in this new side of Azure Tiger Saint into my heart and part ways with him.
We continue heading west.
And finally...we reach Clear River County of Shengzi, where our journey first began.
It is exactly the 98th year since we have fallen into this world.
Creeeeak—
I carefully open the front gate of Baek Ran's house and enter.
The moment I step inside, I am slightly surprised.
Baek Ran is sitting in a wooden chair, waiting for us.
"Have you come, Master Seo."
"...I've returned."
"Oh my..."
From the kitchen, Kim Yeon comes out to greet us.
And so, after several years, we reunite once again.
"She's been waiting for me every day to return?"
"Yes, she's been saying she has something she absolutely needs to tell you."
I glance at Kim Yeon, then turn my gaze back to Baek Ran.
With a faint smile, Baek Ran speaks.
"Yes. I've been waiting because there is something I absolutely must tell you. But before that...let's hear about Master Seo's journey first. How was your journey across the world?"
"...Alright, I'll tell you."
For a while, I sit beside Baek Ran and tell her my stories.
Stories about the various places in this world.
At the same time, memories of that time flash before my eyes.
The memory of the day I toured the western end of the Head Realm with Buk Hyang-hwa...
However, this world extends even beyond the west.
It feels as if I'm telling Buk Hyang-hwa of the tenth cycle about the lands beyond the west.
As if she, who had been trapped by the World Shield Force and unable to head further, is sitting right next to me, listening.
When the tale of my journey over several years comes to an end, I conclude by saying that I have returned to this place after circling the world once.
"...I see. So the world eventually connects again."
"That's right. It's quite an interesting world."
Seo Ran, Kim Young-hoon, and Jeon Myeong-hoon are also present.
Instinctively, I know.
Even in a world where I can't see celestial energy, I can feel it.
She will leave us today, on the day we returned.
Baek Ran's breath grows labored.
"Is that...all you have to say?"
"...I don't think...there's anything else to say beyond this."
"Hu...hu...Master Seo."
She grabs my hand and speaks.
"I had a dream. A very deep dream. Even in that dream, I remember meeting Master Seo. You...called me by a different name, not Baek Ran."
"..."
"Do you know anything about that?"
I realize what she wants from me.
"This is going to be a rather long story."
"That's alright. I can still wait that much longer."
"...Is that so?"
I begin another story once again.
This is not a journey heading west.
It starts from Ascension Path and continues to the present.
Leaving out my regression, it's the entire story of what 'we' and she experienced so far.
As the story progresses, Jeon Myeong-hoon's eyes begin to tremble, and Kim Young-hoon also starts to clutch his head as if something is coming to mind.
The story is long.
Though for me it may seem brief, it covers nearly a thousand years.
It's far too much time to cover in a single day, so the story doesn't end quickly.
We had returned to this house at dawn, but it's already evening by the time I finish the story.
"...And that's how we fled from the being known as Blood Yin and arrived in this world. That is the end of the tale from that dream world."
"I see...thank you."
Baek Ran closes her eyes and smiles.
"So that world...really existed, didn't it?"
"In a way, yes."
"In that case...I should tell you this."
She opens her eyes again.
Her gaze shines brighter than any I've seen before.
"In that dream world, I, who was called 'Buk Hyang-hwa'...before I turned to salt, had something I wished to tell Master Seo."
"Something to tell me?"
"Though it may be lacking since it's not coming from her directly, these are the words from her from the dream conveyed through me. Please, listen."
I nod, seriously listening to her words.
"She, while studying the constellations of the Head Realm, researching the norigae, and investigating the connections between the Black Ancient Paper and the Ancient Force Realm, came to understand the true nature of something called 'Go (古/ Ancient)'."
"True nature of 'Go'?"
"Yes. 'Go' means 'a dream that has ended.'"
From Baek Ran's mouth, the truth that Buk Hyang-hwa discovered flows out.
"People are animals that dream. Especially humans, whose upper dantians have evolved, dream far more than any other animal."
'I see.'
The reason why human-form Immortal Beasts have the word 'Go' in their names.
It is because humans are animals that dream.
"However, all dreams must eventually end when light dawns. The power of such ended dreams is what we call the power (力/Force) of Go (Ancient)."
That's right.
The sensation I felt in this world, similar to the Ancient Force Realm, was because this world is essentially a dimension that is the same as the dimensions within the Dimensional Sea of the Ancient Force Realm.
Her explanation continues.
"And, she came to understand about Ancient Force and realized that an enormous dream was connected to her norigae. So...she made efforts to access that world within the dream. As you might have already noticed, the enormous dream she discovered was...this world."
"...Is that so?"
A True Immortal's dream, even after ending, seems to leave behind such a vast dimension.
"Then, is this world one that really exists?"
Seo Ran listens carefully to those words.
Baek Ran smiles.
"...It does exist."
"Why is that?"
"The dimensions of the Ancient Force Realm she discovered are completely ended dreams. But...the dream of this world has been 'inherited' by someone."
"Inherited?"
"Yes. The original owner of the dream passed it on to someone else. Because it has been inherited by someone, this world exists. It is no longer a mere dream, but a 'will that is being passed on.' Since it is being passed on, it is a meaningful world, not a meaningless one."
"...Is that so?"
As I contemplate the meaning of the Ancient Force Realm, Go, and the existence that inherited the world of Salt Mountain, Baek Ran's words continue.
"And the same applies to you."
"What?"
She grabs my hand.
"If what I saw in the dream is true...then you carry the greatest guilt and pain in your heart, more than anyone else in this world; isn't that so?"
"..."
I remain silent.
That's right.
Everyone was annihilated by the Owner of Great Mountain.
It was agonizing.
The pain and guilt from that time are so severe that even my Karmic Fire went out.
"Do not blame yourself."
"...What?"
"Their hearts still remain within you, don't they?"
Her hand gently brushes over my chest.
"Now, it's time to stop punishing yourself. You can lay down the burden in your heart."
At her words, my body shudders.
"...But, someone must remember."
With a trembling body, I respond to her.
"Someone has to remember this pain, this suffering...and must..."
"Would those who had died wanted you to suffer?"
Sarak—
Baek Ran's hand caresses my cheek.
At her words, I look at her.
From her face and demeanor, the image of her at the end of the 10th cycle flashes by.
"Ah..."
That's right.
In the 10th cycle, she wasn't happy when I brought back Yuan Li's severed head.
She simply...wished for me to overcome the pain and keep living.
"Their deaths were undoubtedly painful. However...please forgive yourself. Because they do not resent you, nor do they wish for you to suffer because of them."
"B-But...I, I..."
"Because their heart...has already been passed down to you...it is not without meaning. Just like how this world truly exists."
Baek Ran's breathing grows heavier.
"So please...learn how to...forgive yourself... Those were..."
She leans her body against the tree trunk and closes her eyes.
"The words...she wanted...to pass..."
"..."
"..."
And then, Baek Ran falls asleep.
Tuk, tuduk, tududuk!
Raindrops begin to fall.
The sky is stained with dark clouds.
Kim Yeon checks Baek Ran's pulse with a trembling voice and shakes her head.
Buk Hyang-hwa...Baek Ran...has left just like that.
"...Let's first move her inside..."
Kim Young-hoon begins to speak, and I rise from my seat.
"I...need to go somewhere for a moment."
"Hm?"
"Please take care...of her body."
I turn around immediately after finishing my words and take a step.
Paaaatt!
Using the ground-shrinking technique, I cross Shengzi, Yanguo, and Byeokra, arriving at the center of the Heaven-Treading Desert.
There, I clutch my chest.
"Senior Brother, can you hear me?"
Tuk, tuduk...
Even in the desert, dark clouds form, and raindrops begin to fall.
"Today, you must let me in."
Woong—
Step.
I take a step forward.
Normally, after taking a few steps, I would find myself outside again.
However, for some reason, I feel as though I understand the distorted principles that Gwak Am has laid out.
Step, step, step...
Piercing through the principles of the Immortal Art, I keep walking deeper into Ascension Forest.
[Someone like you dares to enter this place?]
"Yes. I now believe I can enter."
[Ha. To cross through here, you'll have to face hell.]
Huarurururuk!
Flames begin to ignite all around me.
The scorching Tribulation Fire burns the entire forest, pressing down on me.
Soon, the surroundings transform into a burning hellscape, with smoke rising all around.
Everywhere turns to charcoal, reduced to ashes.
I continue to cross through the fiery hell.
Pasasasasa—
At some point, all of Ascension Forest has burned down, and the surrounding area has transformed into a desert.
In that moment, I realize.
'This desert...'
It's not just an ordinary desert.
It's a familiar one.
But it's not the Heaven-Treading Desert.
This place is...
Yes.
It is the yet-unnamed Integrated Dao Domain of mine.
The manifestation of the Great Desert to Dead Sea, an endless desert world.
Gwak Am's Immortal Art has thrust me into my own desert.
Huaruruk!
I brush against the scorching Tribulation Fire.
This Tribulation Fire is the product of my own guilt.
Monsters made of charcoal wail in agony from all directions.
Those monsters are my own pain.
Step, step...
"Please let me in. This junior brother has grasped the beginning of his Immortal Art."
I begin walking through the desert, paying no mind to any of it.
"Master said that Immortal Arts is the act of twisting the world with the heart. Until now, I've been learning basic Immortal Arts while steadily building my understanding of it."
Huarururuk!
The Tribulation Fire grows even hotter.
"And until now, I have wandered the world, wondering what stronger Immortal Arts are like and what kind of Immortal Art would suit me best."
Huarururuk!
The heat of the Tribulation Fire reaches its peak, and the world seems to turn white for a moment.
At the same time, the desert begins to melt.
The charcoal monsters begin to condense.
"I have pondered about what I could do to not lose anything anymore, about what I could do to protect what is precious to me. But...it is only today that I understand."
The words Buk Hyang-hwa passed to me through Baek Ran.
—Forgive yourself.
The words that Azure Tiger Saint subtly passed to me as if speaking to Oh Hyun-seok.
—Lay down the burdens of your heart.
The clue that Cheongmun Ryeong had given me.
—Effort alone won't do.
Tuk, tuduk...tududududuk—
Swaaaah!
Raindrops begin to fall.
As rain pours down on the endless desert, the heat of the desert cools.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
My body starts to grow larger.
As Immortal Arts twists the principles of the world, the true form of my body begins to reveal itself.
A monster with twenty-one heads.
That monster splits into twenty-two parts.
They are twenty-one corpses and 'myself.'
The corpse of the 0th cycle smiles faintly.
I nod my head.
The flesh of the corpse starts to reform, and color begins to return.
The me of the 0th cycle walks towards me.
Suruk!
The me of the 0th cycle merges with the me of the present.
Following that, the me of the 1st cycle revives and overlaps with me.
The me of each subsequent cycle walks towards me and merges.
The traces of my twenty-one lives are returning to my embrace.
The body that had definitely taken on the form of a monster is now returning to the form of the 'human Seo Eun-hyun.'
At the same time, as the rainwater cools the desert, another sight begins to reveal itself.
It is an endless expanse of glass (琉璃) mountains and seas.
[TL: The Korean word for glass can also mean lapis lazuli, being 유리.]
The charcoal monsters condense and turn into diamonds, and the desert sands melt and cool, forming a glass sea of trees.
The burning desert transforms into a forest of glass.
Then, 'my' twenty-one corpses revive and overlap with myself.
"In the end, in obtaining one's own Immortal Art...while effort is important, isn't it also necessary to look into one's own heart?"
The moment the Glass Forest is completed.
I pass through the Glass Forest once more, arriving at the very center of Ascension Forest.
Before the shrine of the Salt Sea Master.
"I have grasped the starting point of my Immortal Art. If I refine this method I've created, by the time I reach the True Immortal Realm, I will definitely have obtained my own Immortal Art."
Five Surpassing Paths to Cultivation.
Yin Soul Ghost Incantation.
White Orchid Blessing Incantation.
Black Blood Tears Flower.
Five Elements Blood Curse Banner.
Black Ghost Curse Banner.
Extinguishing Realm Demonic Curse Banner.
Silica Earth Great Wall Practice.
Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon.
Taiji Quaking Lightning Body.
Vast Cold Formula.
Devil Legion Terracotta Scroll.
Ghost Immortal Kui Devilish Secrets.
Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body.
Summoning Wind, Dragon Transformation.
Azure Spirit Starlight Quintessence Great Method.
Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique.
Mysterious Bizarre Gu, Spirit Sealing Bodkin, Dragon Form Disguise Method, Hidden Consciousness Technique, Flower Soul Filling the Heavens...
Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique...
And the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Thousand Lusters to Forest Sea.
Great Desert to Dead Sea.
'All' the methods I've learned and seen so far are fully melted and integrated, forming the potential for my own Immortal Art.
"Crystal Glass to Treading Sea (玻瓈蹈海成)."
Seo Eun-hyun's Innate True Method.
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
This is the answer I present regarding my own Immortal Art.
"That should do it, right? I'm going in."
I walk straight towards the shrine that no one is guarding.
Gwak Am doesn't particularly stop me.
Inside the shrine.
At last, I can see the last moments of Cheongmun Ryeong.
He is sitting in a lotus position, his eyes closed.
His corpse is still clean, as if he just died moments ago.
Had I not sensed the absence of life, I would have thought he was still alive.
"...Master..."
I stare blankly at Cheongmun Ryeong for a moment.
And then...I bow.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice...
Nine times...
And finally, when I give the tenth bow—
Paaatt!
A pure white radiance bursts forth from Cheongmun Ryeong's body.
"Heot..."
I take a sharp breath.
It's Cheongmun Ryeong's soul.
Cheongmun Ryeong's soul looks at me warmly from within the radiant glow, then rises up to the sky and scatters.
Tiny particles of light, like grains of salt, fall to the ground.
"...Have you been waiting for me?"
And then, I hear someone's voice from up ahead.
"You fool."
"...Senior Brother?"
"Even after Master took his last breath and his life was severed...he insisted on seeing you complete the first step of your Immortal Art, waiting for you till the very end in that vessel."
[TL: It's not made clear if it means fate or life.]
I look ahead.
Into the darkness of the shrine.
There, stands Gwak Am.
I blink my eyes.
Gwak Am's appearance is one I'm seeing for the first time.
They are no longer dressed in their usual rags and bandages, but in a deep, dark-red robe.
The robe is covered with the faces of countless screaming humans.
Their hair, long enough to reach their waist, has a deep, navy blue hue.
I can't see their face because they're kneeling, facing the other way towards a tablet.
The tablet bears the inscription: Salt Sea Supreme Deity (鹹海上帝).
"There's what I said to you before, and Master's lingering thoughts also requested it, so...killing you will be in the distant future."
"Pardon? What do you mean...?"
"I said let's meet [Above], didn't I? You fool."
"...!"
At those words, my eyes bulge wide.
There's only one person who's ever said that to me.
"...You...could it be...!?"
I realize Gwak Am's true identity, and I feel my eyes reddening with veins of blood.
"Why are you here...!?"
"What do you mean, why? Isn't it obvious? I'm the gravekeeper."
They speak in a gloomy voice.
"I am the gravekeeper who guards the spirit tablet of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, the Owner of Salt Mountain, my master. Rather than someone who dares bring in things like snakes...as his disciple, I am far more devoted. So why is it, Master, that you sought to take in a new disciple...? How could you show such a contradictory stance to the words you spoke to me at the end..."
Kuaduduk!
"...!"
I feel one of my arms being torn off.
The bracelet Hong Fan gave me rolls on the ground along with my arm, then instantly turns into red salt.
"Now scram. You've learned everything there is to learn. Next time you come to the spirit tablet, don't rely on artifacts for shortcuts. Come with your own strength. I will face you then."
Tststststststs!
The space around me begins to distort.
'This is...'
The entire world becomes blurry.
At the same time, I feel a sense of alienation between myself and this whole world.
The world of Penglai is ejecting me.
No, it's not just me.
Kim Young-hoon, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, Azure Tiger Saint...and all the others are being expelled as well.
I realize who the figure was that spoke to me on the first day.
The administrator of Penglai.
The gravekeeper.
The successor to the Owner of Salt Mountain.
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity (太山上帝) is none other than Gwak Am, the administrator who inherited this world.
'...Is that so?'
I can feel it.
That They want to face me 'above'.
And, for that purpose, even though They could have killed me at any time, They chose not to. Instead, They waited until I learned Immortal Arts from Cheongmun Ryeong.
In other words, from the lingering thoughts of the Owner of Salt Mountain.
From Their attitude, I understand that while They despise me, They also acknowledge me.
"I will definitely come find you. I'll find you...and repay my debt to you, Senior Brother."
"...Don't call me senior brother."
Even though They say that, I can sense that They're sparing me because They acknowledge me as Their junior disciple.
Piiiitt!
It feels as if the entire world is receding.
The only clear image is the back of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, kneeling before the spirit tablet of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity.
As the world fades, I glare at my senior brother's back and, one last time, bow to Cheongmun Ryeong, who was also the Salt Sea Supreme Deity.
At that moment, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity speaks to me.
[Because of the gift you received from Master, an enormous misfortune (巨凶) lurks before you. As someone who shares the same master, I will teach you how to desecrate (凌蔑) heavenly fate (天命). Listen carefully, and survive.]
They whisper knowledge into my ear.
As I listen to this knowledge, I also show my respects towards Senior Brother.
Even though we are against each other, They are still my senior brother.
In that way, I finally found the Immortal Art I must dedicate my life to, and the existence I must dedicate my life in order to reach.
And with the method to leave this world, which I have reached after spending all my time here,
I've found everything.
Translator Notes: Changed Thousand Lustrous Forest Sea -> Thousand Lusters to Forest Sea to match the naming style.