Chapter 467: Laugh. Only You Will Be Laughing
Tstststststts!
The world begins to blur.
Kim Yeon bites her lip as she sees Baek Ran in front of her becoming hazy.
As the whole world distorts, she realizes that her own body is also becoming blurry.
The world blurs because she is being expelled from it.
However, the reason she herself appears blurry is because her eyes are filling with tears.
"Hyang-hwa. Do you know?"
She speaks to Buk Hyang-hwa, standing before Baek Ran's dead body."I don't want to lose anyone. I don't want anyone to leave my side. The person known as Vast Cold said that this heart of mine is also love. But..."
She holds on to Baek Ran's increasingly blurry corpse as she continues.
"You told me, didn't you? To just bury you in this world and that I should fly away."
As the laws of the world return, her strength gradually returns, and the image of a bird is engraved on Kim Yeon's face.
"But...what should I do? I don't think I can leave you here and fly away. I came all the way to save you but...what should I do with you? I... I..."
Sarak—
Just then.
A soft hand brushes Kim Yeon's cheek.
It is the soul of Buk Hyang-hwa, bathed within the pure white light.
Her soul, reincarnated in this world using Baek Ran's body, appears as she did in her youth, during the most beautiful time of her life.
[Do you know?]
As if she had regained all the memories of her past life, Buk Hyang-hwa's soul looks warmly at Kim Yeon and speaks.
[They say a person is made up of three things. The Qi of the flesh, the Soul of the spirit, and the Fate bestowed by the heavens.]
Her eyes meet Kim Yeon's.
[Before I became salt, I prayed to the heavens. Even if I died, I wished for something of me, even the smallest thing, to remain with you. I even earnestly prayed to the bird that formed my Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent. That my heart would be passed on to the one who remembers me... And...]
The bird on Kim Yeon's cheek.
That bird touches Buk Hyang-hwa's hand.
[It seems my heart was not in vain.]
Kim Yeon recalls Buk Hyang-hwa's words.
The Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent is, in truth, 'a single fate manifesting as talent in multiple people.'
If so, the essence of the talent she holds and the talent that the Mad Lord holds—their fate—is the same.
Kim Yeon caresses her own cheek.
Why did the Mad Lord's Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent transfer to her?
Previously, she simply thought it was because the Mad Lord was her master.
But now, she finally understands.
Buk Hyang-hwa's heart, so earnest and desperate, had momentarily touched the heavens and was passed on to Kim Yeon.
[It may be difficult for you to understand just yet.]
Buk Hyang-hwa hugs her tightly.
[To you, and to the one you love. And...to everyone. I will give you the greatest gift I can...before I leave.]
A pure white light surrounds both of them.
Buk Hyang-hwa, who had come to this world while researching the norigae connected to the world of Salt Mountain.
To that Buk Hyang-hwa, the entirety of her body becomes enveloped in a pure white light, like salt.
As the light gathers, a single white orchid (白蘭; Baek Ran) blooms in that place.
The mark of the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent that Buk Hyang-hwa carried in her previous life briefly appears on her face before burning completely in the white light of salt. The ashes drift and merge into Kim Yeon's mark.
Then, Buk Hyang-hwa's soul completely whitens, scattering into the void.
Jing—
A vast resonance echoes, and Kim Yeon suddenly finds herself in a certain space.
As the laws of the world of Salt Mountain blur and Kim Yeon's consciousness is transported to an entirely different dimension, she sees a massive bird sitting before her.
In a trembling voice, Kim Yeon asks,
Just who are they?
The bird answers,
It is a key.
The Law Talent for Liberation.
A Saint (聖子) comparable to your kind, created by a Great God.
The bird continues speaking.
That though it has been passed down to them, for those slaves of death to accept it, a price must be paid.
That she, the successor of the Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly King among the slaves of death, must choose whether to accept it.
Kim Yeon stares at the bird for a moment before finally opening her mouth.
"I will accept. Because thy art...no, you are..."
She approaches the bird and embraces it.
"...The fate...Hyang-hwa left behind..."
Before she knows it, the bird has transformed into the figure of Buk Hyang-hwa.
The bird, now in the form of Buk Hyang-hwa, smiles faintly and merges into Kim Yeon.
At the same time, a message from the bird, in the form of Buk Hyang-hwa, echoes in Kim Yeon's mind.
That, as the Jo Clan was cursed with mental regression, and Buk Hyang-hwa was cursed with full-body paralysis, she, having chosen it, will inevitably suffer sudden misfortune as the price...
"I will accept any misfortune. I will carry it in my embrace."
Then, someone laughs from within the darkness.
: : Not knowing the heart your master left behind, nor the heart of the child who handed you the key, you dare to claim the brilliance of Vast Cold and accept the masterpiece I've dedicated my life to? : :
"It's not because of Vast Cold's brilliance that I carry this. And...I do understand their hearts."
Kim Yeon's eyes glow a light pink.
Around her, threads of soft light begin to glow.
Pasasasasa—
Around her, light pink quince flowers begin to bloom one by one.
"Of course, I don't know everything yet. Just a speck. However...having received Hyang-hwa's heart, I will keep thinking about it as I live on. I don't know who you are, but..."
A wave of light pink flower petals over floods around Kim Yeon.
"I will accept it. And even if it's later, I will figure it out!"
: : Is that so? : :
Someone laughs again from within the darkness.
: : I've heard your resolve. Then, as the creator of the key and the master of the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent, as the creator of the [Pseudo-Ender Liberation Law Talent], I will bestow upon you sudden misfortune as the price for receiving the key. : :
From deep within the darkness, something massive flies towards Kim Yeon.
: : Until the day you reach the Thirty-Third Heaven, as long as you borrow the power of the Liberation Law Talent, you shall never speak a single word. Your tongue, other than being used for tasting, may convey no meaning, and your will shall only be expressed through your actions. Through no means with your mouth shall your meaning ever be expressed. : :
Paaaatt!
Something is pulled from Kim Yeon's mouth and is bound in the darkness.
She instinctively realizes.
That was her Word Spirit (言靈).
From now on, she will not be able to communicate with anyone—neither through her mouth, voice transmission, her consciousness domain, nor through heart language.
That is the price for accepting the Liberation Law Talent, having accepted Buk Hyang-hwa's heart.
Though it is a wretched misfortune, Kim Yeon closes her eyes and accepts it.
Because even if she can never speak to her loved one again, even if she can never say the words 'I like you' from her lips again, the fate that her most dearest friend left behind is now embedded deep within her as well.
Because the traces of Jo Yeon and Hyang-hwa have been passed down to her.
With firm resolve, Kim Yeon completely leaves the space within the darkness.
To continue moving forward, to continue reflecting on the hearts of Jo Yeon and Hyang-hwa...
And within the darkness.
The one who bestowed upon Kim Yeon the Liberation Law Talent and the sudden misfortune smiles faintly.
: : I have kept my promise. Obsidian, Vast Cold, Golden Divine...and my old master. : :
They curl their body into an even deeper part of the darkness where no light reaches, and closes their eyes.
: : I have protected one of them... : :
Oh Hyun-seok looks at the child gradually fading before his eyes.
It has been several years since he began staying at the royal family of Penglai Kingdom.
Before he knew it, the child he had picked up had overcome her gloomy past, and now considers Oh Hyun-seok as her true father.
"...Haha..."
He laughs.
"Ha, haha... Ahaha..."
He continues to laugh.
Memories from another time flow into his mind.
Memories spanning approximately 700 years.
Memories of another world.
And he understands.
That the world opposite from him is the real one.
Thus, he also understands.
Over the past few years.
The child he had tried so hard not to get attached to has already become his real child.
Oh Hyun-seok finally understands the true purpose of this world.
For those who enter this world, each is given a role that brings discomfort.
Yeon Wei was placed in the situation she feared most, and Jeon Myeong-hoon too was confronted with the things he longed for the most.
Oh Hyun-seok himself, during his last visit to this world, experienced life with the daughter he had lost, and this time it was no different.
'The true purpose of this world is...to show a person the possibility they've tried hardest to ignore.'
Kim Young-hoon was a passing scholar with no family or ties.
Oh Hyun-seok was a father with a miscarried daughter.
Jeon Myeong-hoon lived in a world where his lover was alive.
Yeon Wei was in a world where she truly ended up with her lover.
Seo Eun-hyun...it's unclear what, but from beginning to end, he remained a dirty charcoal maker.
This world is one that unearths the most secret hopes people have hidden and creates the possibility for them to come true.
Oh Hyun-seok realizes that the essence of this world is a dream.
Because a person's hopes can only be fulfilled in dreams.
And as he realizes that this world is a dream, he understands.
'I...I missed my child this much.'
He is able to look into the heart he had been ignoring all this time.
'I...wanted to become a father.'
Salt, when sprinkled on a wound, brings hellish pain, but it also cleanses the wound.
This world is like salt being sprinkled on a wound.
Oh Hyun-seok embraces his new daughter who is gradually becoming blurry before him.
"Dad...where are you going? Dad...?"
"Don't worry...child."
He smiles through his tears.
It is only at the moment of parting that he realizes.
He had thought of this child as an orphan, and himself as the orphan's guardian.
But in truth, this child is already his own.
Oh Hyun-seok is already a father.
And...
All fathers show their children a smiling face.
"I'll be back soon."
Chiiiiii—
A purple light swirls around him.
As the laws of the world blur, the power of his main body begins to return.
Seo Eun-hyun had once taught him something called Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.
He said that Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, which holds the potential for the evolution of all living things, would align well with the Bone Armor Treasured Origin Art Oh Hyun-seok had begun to learn.
And today, on this very day,
As Oh Hyun-seok realizes his fate, he comes to understand the true meaning of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.
'A message of inheritance to pass on to someone.'
Sururuk...
Within the world of Salt Mountain, the law of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens enters.
That law becomes a single flower bud, which is placed in the hands of Oh Hyun-seok's daughter.
"So...just sleep for ten more nights."
Sarararak—
Oh Hyun-seok's Purple Soul Filling the Heavens turns into a China aster flower and is placed in his daughter's hand.
Oh Hyun-seok's daughter looks into his eyes and smiles.
"You have to come back, Dad."
"Of course. You trust Dad, right?"
Her figure gradually becomes fainter, and finally, she completely disappears.
And then, Oh Hyun-seok cries.
He wanted to be a good father.
But because he was just a few minutes late to the hospital, the child was lost.
That's why he always lived with self-blame.
However...
In this world, he became a father.
And at last, as he is able to lay down that self-blame, even if only a part of it...
Oh Hyun-seok vigorously stops crying and laughs.
"Life is...!"
His comrades are gathering again. The 'guests' who came from the outside are all heading back together.
"Pleasure!"
Let's laugh with pleasure.
Let's laugh at any time.
For the daughter he will meet again someday.
That's the resolve he makes.
'Someday, I will definitely reunite with my entire family, and together...we'll laugh.'
Reuniting with his entire family and laughing together.
From that day on, that became Oh Hyun-seok's goal.
"The method to desecrate fate...?"
The image of Great Mountain disappears.
At the same time, I realize that I am gathered together with my comrades, being expelled somewhere.
Paaaatt!
The Salt Crystal norigage follows me and lands in my hand.
Oh Hyun-seok shouts 'pleasure', Kim Yeon has a pure white bird drawn on her cheek, and everyone else is making their own expressions.
But my face darkens.
'That Great Mountain Supreme Deity said an enormous misfortune lurks before me.'
If even a madman who grinded the entire universe to dust says it’s an enormous misfortune, then just what kind of misfortune is it?
'Of course, it wouldn't be from Their perspective.'
They are the Owner of Great Mountain, one of the most revered divines in the entire universe.
Among the words Yeong Seung spoke while I was trapped in the cycle of infinite regression,
Only the [Oldest One] and the [Owner of Light] could suppress the Great Mountain Supreme Deity by force, meaning They must be within the top five in the entire Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds.
If even by Their standard it’s a misfortune, then there's no solution except suicide, so there's no point in thinking about it.
'It must be a great misfortune from my perspective.'
Then what exactly is the misfortune?
I grit my teeth.
'Whatever it is, this world has always been unimaginably cruel to us.'
There is nothing more I can afford to lose.
Woo-wooong!
Gradually, my strength returns.
I draw forth my will, and together with attraction force, I begin to use Immortal Arts.
Kuguguguk!
The world distorts, and I feel us being nearly completely expelled from Salt Mountain.
What comes into view is the Interdimensional Void.
It is the domain of infinite Vestiges, and the Middle Realms area.
Uduk!
As soon as I enter the Interdimensional Void, I immediately draw forth attraction force and Immortal Arts, joining my palms together.
"Hm...!"
Paaaatt!
I first try to evacuate my comrades to the nearest Middle Realm!
I sense the closest Middle Realm.
The two closest Middle Realms possessing devilish energy!
Paaatt!
I send my comrades flying directly toward the True Devil Realm!
Before they even have a chance to speak,
And after I send them to the True Devil Realm, I try to follow them by bending space with attraction force.
That's when it happens.
"...Huh?"
Space...doesn't bend.
Attraction force does not occur.
No, it feels like the entire surrounding Qi has dried up.
'What is this...?'
Suddenly, I feel a chilling sensation in my head.
'Wait. When I sensed the Middle Realms just now...'
I felt [two] Middle Realms with devilish energy.
One was the True Devil Realm.
Then what was the other one...
With a chilling feeling, I turn my gaze towards the other Middle Realm, the one that isn't the True Devil Realm.
There, a red world resides.
: : I have been waiting. : :
"Heot..."
In an instant, I activate Immortal Arts.
But right after, an overwhelming force squashes my entire body, soul, Integrated Dao Domain, and the Immortal Arts I activated, killing me.
That is my twenty-second return.
.
.
.
Time rewinds.
I open my eyes.
'Did I die again?'
The last thing I saw in my final moment was the True Immortal (眞仙) Blood Yin (血陰), filled with malice directed at me.
'Even though I've learned Immortal Arts, I can't stand against a True Immortal who truly possesses their own Immortal Art...'
Then, I feel something strange.
"...Huh?"
It's the Interdimensional Void.
But that's not the issue.
"Uh, uh?"
My comrades are around me.
And Oh Hyun-seok is shouting 'pleasure', while a pure white bird is drawn on Kim Yeon's face.
My mind freezes, and I immediately repeat what I had just done.
I send my comrades to the True Devil Realm, and I quickly try to follow.
But my attraction force and spells are rendered useless.
Then, I once again notice the red world, staring at me from behind.
: : I have been waiting. : :
Crunch!
Once more, everything about me is crushed, and I die.
That is my twenty-third return.