[...Tsk.]
Baek Woon, silently looking down at the Lightning Sacred Sea, extends her hand.
The energy of the Great Sea Heavenly Lord that remains within her body stirs, spreading across the entirety of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Shwaaaaaa!
Just like the spell used by the Salt Sea Esteemed One Yuk Jeung, the entire Lightning Sacred Sea becomes enveloped in water.
Simultaneously, an overwhelming pressure starts pressing down on the entire Lightning Sacred Sea.
However, the Lightning Sacred Sea doesn't show any particular reaction.
[So, they've used the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body. They've sealed it up quite thoroughly.]
Sacred Master Baek Woon clicks her tongue irritably as she speaks.[Esteemed Ones, listen up. There is no longer any point in conquering the Lightning Sacred Sea. Now, there is only one way to endure the End.]
Hearing her next words, I flinch in surprise.
[For the remaining ten thousand year period, we will bind the powers of the five Middle Realms, Sacred Masters, and Esteemed Ones as one to create a space that can withstand the End. There are a total of twenty-seven Esteemed Ones within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. Among them, including the newly-risen Esteemed One Seo, there are twenty-six with us. Five Sacred Masters, twenty-six Esteemed Ones. We will construct a space for only thirty-one individuals to take refuge during the period of the End, and once the End passes and creation begins anew, they will emerge and revive their respective races.]
Some nodded calmly at her words, but a few, including myself, protested.
[Wait a moment, Sacred Master. What do you mean by that? Only we will take refuge?]
[The refuge capable of enduring the End is...a kind of Sub-Immortal Realm formed by intertwining the power of the five Middle Realms. In that space, unless one exists as a conceptual being, it is impossible to survive. Only you Esteemed Ones, who have become stars yourselves and have taken one foot into the realm of conceptual beings, can take refuge there. If I could lead everyone to escape the End, I certainly would do so, but lifeforms cannot survive within the refuge space.]
[Is there...no way to make the refuge more suitable for other lifeforms to survive?]
[Don't be ridiculous. It must be at least this much to ensure survival against the End. Frankly, even this refuge space is one where the conditions have been relaxed to allow you Esteemed Ones to withstand it. Although we Sacred Masters would have to pay a significant sacrifice, there is the possibility of avoiding End through the Middle Realms. We are only extending this consideration solely for your benefit.]
[...Is there no other way?]
Baek Woon clicks her tongue and replies.
[Do you think there could be one? Yang Su-jin blocked off the exit, so we can't escape to other Heavenly Domains. Thanks to Yang Su-jin, even borrowing the power of True Immortals from other domains is difficult. The Entering Nirvana True Persons are too busy worrying about their own survival. In this situation, what else can we possibly do?]
[...]
I let out a faint groan.
[Still, don't worry too much. Once we create the refuge space with the combined power of the five Middle Realms, the five Sacred Masters, and all the Esteemed Ones, we will allow you to place your cherished ones at the outskirts of the refuge. Of course, even then, the survival rate won't exceed one tenth...no, five in a hundred.]
The despairing odds weigh heavily on my shoulders.
[Now then, I'll take my leave. You should all return as soon as possible as well.]
Baek Woon places her hand on my shoulder and, through the sword scar on my left shoulder, returns to the Bright Cold Realm.
I brush off my shoulder irritably as I continue to gaze at the Lightning Sacred Sea.
"...Jeon Myeong-hoon..."
Yeon Wei's request resurfaces in my mind.
Her plea to protect Jeon Myeong-hoon lingers in my thoughts, refusing to fade.
But...
I have failed to protect Jeon Myeong-hoon.
[Hey. Esteemed One Seo. Why don't you return to the Bright Cold Realm for now as well? If even the Sacred Master has no solution, entering the Lightning Sacred Sea is impossible.]
Gyu Wol-jin approaches me with a bitter expression and speaks.
I let out a deep sigh and ask.
[...Is there truly no way?]
[There isn't. The Sacred Master has declared it so.]
[But can't Daoist Gyu draw upon the power of Lofty Dragon True Person?]
[Not just the True Person's power, but even the strength of the [Great One] that the Sacred Master summoned didn't work. So what more can be done?]
Wol-jin sighs and continues.
[If you're really determined to stay, I won't stop you. However...without access to the Path of Stars, just returning to the Middle Realms would take at least a thousand years. That's why we need to return to the Middle Realms even a day faster.]
[...What do you mean we can't use the Path of Stars?]
Since I arrived here by using the Path of Stars, I ask out of confusion.
Wol-jin lets out a long sigh and explains.
[The Path of Stars is ultimately connected to the Ancient Force Realm. And the path into that realm lies at the very end of the Path of Stars, at a Decaying Corpse Realm where the continent known as the Peaceful Cloud Continent resides. For convenience, we call it the 'Peaceful Cloud Realm.']
[Yes, I know of it.]
[Good. Then, have you seen the remnants of the battle between the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One and the Yin Ghost Esteemed One of the Ancient Force Realm that took place on that Peaceful Cloud Continent?]
I recall the mountain that formed from the corpse of that enormous turtle in the Peaceful Cloud Realm and nod.
[When we first set out for the Lightning Sacred Sea expedition, our plan was to travel through the Path of Stars. It's the fastest route. But...the problem was that 'something' possessed the Yin Ghost Esteemed One.]
[What? Something possessed them?]
[That's right. Even though the Yin Ghost Esteemed One was born with the true blood of the Yin Ghost Black Turtle and had considerable resistance to possession and divine descent...for some reason, [that being] possessed them all too naturally and tried to sever the Path of Stars entirely. Then, it tried to kill all of us who set out on this expedition to stop the End.]
[...!]
Before I know it, other Esteemed Ones have gathered around, listening to our conversation.
Among them is Jang Ik.
[We thought it was someone entirely different. The fellow was only at the early Star Shattering stage, and they were an Esteemed One who mainly practiced defensive divine powers, so we all believed we could quickly subdue them even if they charged at us in a frenzy. But...]
Jang Ik shudders with an expression dread.
[They turned into a monster. No, it would be more accurate to say the [something] that possessed them turned them into a monster. After all the Esteemed Ones and I trapped the Yin Ghost Esteemed One within the Peaceful Cloud Realm, we manipulated the laws from outside the realm so that 'the power accumulated through Immortal Cultivation would become as worthless as garbage within the Peaceful Cloud Realm.' Since I hadn't accumulated my strength through Immortal Cultivation, my power wasn't reduced, but since they had reached the Star Shattering stage through Earth Tribe cultivation, we used this spell to seal their powers. After I subdued them, those from the Nether Ghost Realm tried to exorcize the being possessing the Yin Ghost Esteemed One. However...]
As Jang Ik is about to explain further, he suddenly looks at me and says.
[No, wait a moment. Now that I think about it, earlier when I saw you fighting, you've reached the Star Shattering stage through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, haven't you?]
[Yes, that's correct...]
[No, then why am I wasting my breath explaining this to you? See it for yourself!]
[Pardon?]
As I stand there bewildered, Wol-jin clears his throat and adds.
[Come to think of it, Esteemed One Seo...has only recently advanced to the Star Shattering stage, so it's possible you don't know yet. Moreover, most Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation practitioners are far more accustomed to the Heaven Tribe's vision, so there's also that.]
[What do you mean by that?]
[Since reaching the Star Shattering stage, have you ever tried activating the vision of the Earth Tribe to its fullest extent?]
[Hmm, not particularly...]
[Then this is perfect timing. I'll teach you how to use the Earth Tribe's vision effectively. Now, follow my lead.]
Woong!
A Taiji (太極) appears in Wol-jin's eyes.
I follow him and draw forth the vision of the Earth Tribe.
[The vision of the Earth Tribe is often said to be the eye that sees Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. It is the eye that reads the precise flow of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy and draws in information from the surrounding space... To be honest, this vision of the Earth Tribe is nothing more than intensely heightened animal instinct. Up until the Integration stage, at least.]
Woo-woong!
The entire universe is dyed with Taiji.
I see Taiji imbued in everything.
'Up to this point is what I saw in the Integration stage.'
I read the information of Taiji flowing throughout the universe, further enhancing the senses of the Earth Tribe.
Then, Wol-jin's explanation reaches my ears.
[However...from the Star Shattering stage, the Earth Tribe's eye finally blossoms, much like the Heaven Tribe's eye. Just as the Heaven Tribe reads celestial energy through attraction force from the Qi Refining 7th star...the Earth Tribe can go against Taiji through explosion.]
Tstststst!
Gradually, my senses come into contact with the very essence of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.
'This is...'
As I intensify the senses of the Earth Tribe, I begin to perceive the Plane of Qi.
Or as it's also known, I begin to perceive that the entire material world is undergoing a great transformation.
'This is...the essence of the Plane of Qi.'
Kugugugugu!
Explosion!
It is an endless explosion.
All beings within this world are constantly exploding, emitting waves in all directions.
And to the inexperienced senses of the Earth Tribe, these waves had appeared as 'the form of Taiji.'
Woo-wooong!
Through these waves, I come to understand how this entire universe operates and how the laws are established.
At the same time, I realize the Twelve Earthly Melodies of the 3rd star of Qi Refining.
I finally understand the meaning behind engraving the twelve types of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy waves during cultivation.
'So this is...the true meaning of the 3rd star of Qi Refining...'
It is when I am marveling at this world composed of waves.
A familiar wave reaches me.
'Is this Wol-jin's wave?'
I connect my mind to that wave and simultaneously hear Wol-jin's voice.
[You've entered. Now then...try to locate the wave of the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One.]
[...I've found it.]
I sense Jang Ik's wave.
[Connect your mind to that wave. If you understand that you, too, are a kind of wave, it should be entirely possible.]
Woong!
A wave stirs from within my soul.
'So this is the true form of the consciousness domain.'
Moving the wave of my soul, my consciousness domain, I harmonize my mind with Jang Ik's wave.
[How does it feel?]
[It feels as if...I'm sticking my arm into something foreign.]
[Imagine it as a book.]
[A book?]
[That's right...a book. Think of it as placing your finger into a part of the book.]
[I've done so.]
Wol-jin's mind guides me.
Following his lead, I move my consciousness.
[Qi (氣) is, ultimately, explosion. And explosion is the very trace of life itself. Therefore...one who approaches the essence of explosion gains the authority to peruse the traces of life—history.]
'Ah...I understand.'
In truth, even without Wol-jin's help, it's an authority I would have naturally come to understand after living a few years as a Star Shattering stage Esteemed One.
It's a sense that feels that natural to me.
Chwararararak!
As if turning the pages of a book, I move against the grain of the waves.
Dozens, hundreds of scenes flash before my eyes.
I recognize this sight well.
During regression, it's what I see each time I go against the flow of the river of time.
Retracing Jang Ik's history, I reach the scene he intends to show me.
'This is...the true sense of the Earth Tribe...!'
If the Heaven Tribe reads fate, then the Earth Tribe reads history!
Chwararararak!
I arrive at the moment in the past when Jang Ik was fighting against the being known as the Yin Ghost Esteemed One.
The Peaceful Cloud Realm where these two beings clashed comes into view.
And I flinch in surprise.
'Jang Ik...!'
Jang Ik is covered in blood, gasping for breath, while the black figure before him sits calmly atop a rock.
'Yin Ghost Esteemed One...I heard they were born with the Black Turtle True Blood, but an Earth Tribe managed to overwhelm Jang Ik in their transformed state?'
[TL: Transformed state as in human form.]
The Jang Ik of the past opens his mouth.
[Who are you? How...how are you able to suppress me in your transformed state while within this formation that suppresses the power of Immortal Cultivation? And just why are you blocking us from reaching the Lightning Sacred Sea?]
Then, the someone shrouded in darkness replies.
[When do you think an existence truly dies?]
[What?]
[It is said a True Immortal dies when they can no longer dream, and an Immortal Beast dies when they are completely forgotten by all. But both are wrong. In this world, death does not exist.]
[What on earth are you talking about!?]
[Even after dying again and again, being reborn through the Netherworld and living as a slave to fate is what we call life. What I'm saying is, in the end, we are bound in a cage where we cannot die even if we desire for it.]
[I cannot understand what you're saying. How does taking over the body of the Yin Ghost Black Turtle and blocking us have anything to do with that!?]
[True liberation...if you wish to reach the End (終命), the first thing you must overthrow is not Light, but the Underworld.]
The being in the darkness rises from their place.
Their presence causes Jang Ik to take a step back.
An foreboding wave radiates from the figure, dominating the surroundings.
[The true ultimate of the heart is something anyone can attain. Because death is ultimately the heart, we can all reach the extreme of the heart if we die. That is why the Heart Tribe is a futile, utterly useless existence. But at the same time, due to that damn Wheel, we can never truly die, so it is also a resentful existence.]
Kuuung!
They extend a hand.
A simple gesture, with no martial technique or meaning imbued—just a mere stretch of their hand.
Yet Jang Ik, in response to that movement, launches Slaughtering Immortals, Executing Immortals, Severing Immortals, and Collapsing Immortals.
He swings the four Annihilating Heavens Blade and barely manages to hold his ground.
Dudududu!
'Just what...is that?'
They're not using any spiritual power.
They're not using Qi.
Nor is it any kind of Immortal Art.
Yet this unidentified being seems to drive Jang Ik to his limit, wielding some unknown authority with nothing more than an outstretched hand.
[O futile and resentful existence...]
The being looks at Jang Ik, with an oddly sympathetic gaze, and begins to expand in size.
It's a turtle.
The Yin Ghost Esteemed One, who inherited the Immortal Beast True Blood of the legendary Yin Ghost Black Turtle, reveals their true form.
[Can you approach me?]
Puhwak!
Jang Ik slices through the foreboding wave emitted by Yin Ghost Esteemed One, leaps into the air, and merges his four podaos into one.
[Annihilating (滅) Heavens (天)!]
Jang Ik's cleaving strike that's imbued with all his strength plunges into Yin Ghost Esteemed One.
For some reason, Yin Ghost Esteemed One doesn't dodge Jang Ik's attack, allowing their shell to be split apart and die.
However, even in death, they tear a jade plaque that looks like the key to the Path of Stars from Jang Ik's belt and swallow it.
Afterwards, they collapse over the spot where the teleportation array to the Path of Stars is located, closing their eyes.
Jang Ik, still drenched in blood, falls before the Yin Ghost Esteemed One's corpse and cries out as if in agony.
[You...who are you!? I'm asking who you are! Why would you seize the body of our comrade, Yin Ghost, and block us who only wish to live!?]
They slowly close their eyes and respond.
[I am simply myself. And I did not possess your comrade's body, for Yin Ghost Esteemed One was just another personality of mine from the beginning... There is no need for you to know more. And there is no need to fear death, o slave... After all, the beings of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain are...nothing but slaves, living without truly living... Between living while...not truly alive...and death...what difference...is...there...?]
For some reason...
I get the impression that this unidentified being is 'tired.'
'Tired...of dying? Even though they just said they're another personality of Yin Ghost?'
And so, Yin Ghost Esteemed One dies, and all that remains is Jang Ik, covered head to toe in blood, howling up at the sky.
Jang Ik grits his teeth and flies out of the Peaceful Cloud Realm.
This is where Jang Ik's memories end.
'...Just what kind of being possessed Yin Ghost Esteemed One...?'
Then, as I attempt to release the senses of the Earth Tribe, I realize that I can't let go of the senses.
[...Huh?]
For some reason, my mind remains fixed in front of the corpse of the dead Yin Ghost Esteemed One.
And then,
Blink.
The supposedly dead Yin Ghost Esteemed One opens their eyes and meets mine.
[...!]
I feel a shock that seems to freeze my mind completely and gasp.
Blink—
It's because the giant turtle form disappears in front of me, and in its place appears Yin Ghost Esteemed One's transformed body, standing with their hands clasped behind their back.
Unlike when they stood before Jang Ik, they are not cloaked in a foreboding aura, allowing me to see their form clearly.
But seeing their true form only makes my whole body erupt in goosebumps.
Because their appearance...is exactly like that of Hyeon Gwi (玄龜/Black Tortoise) of the Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect.
[You must be this generation's Golden God (金神), I assume. Usually, only they or Silver Basket can master martial arts to this extent.]
[TL: Golden God (金神) has the same Hanja as Golden Divine (金神者). Golden Divine literally means Golden God Person.]
Thump, thump, thump...
Even though I have no heart, I feel as though it is trembling, and I lower my gaze to avoid meeting Hyeon Gwi's eyes.
Ominous.
Ominous, ominous, and even more ominous.
Never before have I encountered such an ominous presence.
[I just asked, didn't I? Whether you could approach in front of me. So, how about it, Golden God? Can you come stand before me? You futile and resentful...leftover.]
In front of Hyeon Gwi who is emanating profound despair for some reason, I unknowingly shake my head.
Instinctively, I understand.
Hyeon Gwi is no different from our natural enemy (天敵).
Hyeon Gwi watches me silent and still, with his hands clasped behind him.
I cannot read any of his emotions at all.
It is a completely empty Void (空虛)!
A bottomless pit that endlessly swallows all that exists!
[Heheok...heok...heok...]
I collapse on the spot, clutching my chest.
'The...the...the authority of Regression...is...shaking...'
Instinctively, I realize.
This being is death.
And, at the same time...
Perhaps...this being is deeply connected to the very origin of us Enders.
...
[So that's it. You are a being connected to our origin, aren't you?]
With that realization, I look up at Hyeon Gwi, grinning so widely it feels like my mouth might tear.
[Hm?]
Hyeon Gwi's eyes slightly squirm.
[Let me...correct myself. I will reach in front of you. I will reach you! I can reach you!]
Overwhelmed with exhilaration, relief, and boundless joy, I stare directly at him and let out a crazed laugh.
[You, you can kill me, can't you!? Right!? Go on, kill me! I'm telling you to kill me right here and now!]
Hyeon Gwi looks at me with an empty gaze.
Then, with a faintly exasperated tone, he speaks.
[...Remarkable. No Golden God in history has dared to even breathe properly before me...given the absolute hierarchy between me and the Golden God. You are a little unique.]
He wipes his face.
At the same time, the appearance of Hyeon Gwi changes.
He transforms into the appearance of a young girl with a ponytail, clad in black martial robes.
[In order to properly surpass the Light, I had intended to steal your strength today, but I've changed my mind. I'll give you a bit more time to ripen.]
Cheok!
The girl takes a stance.
[I will show you the ultimate of Martial Arts. Watch carefully and try to reach it.]
With eyes of endless void, she begins to dance.
'That is...'
It feels as if everything in the world is vanishing.
All that remains is her, and what she is creating.
Every one of her movements flows into the next, drawing a circle.
At the same time, she melds with the circle as she dances.
In the end, all that remains in all phenomena is that single circle.
Within that circle, I can feel an unparalleled sacredness and ominousness simultaneously.
And in the next moment—
Crack—
At the final moment...the circle shatters.
What's left is nothing at all...
An endless void.
The ultimate meaninglessness (無意味) where nothing exists!
'This is...'
The ultimate of Martial Arts.
A fragment of Martial Extreme (武極).
Pasasasasasa—
At the same time, the Peaceful Cloud Realm from Jang Ik's past, which I am observing through the senses of the Earth Tribe, begins to crumble into fragments and disappears into the void.
Watching this sight, I finally manage to escape from the senses of the Earth Tribe and return to reality.
Chak, Chak, Chak!
Someone is slapping my cheek hard.
It's Jang Ik.
[Seo Eun-hyun, are you awake? Stop pretending to sleep and get up!]
[...I'm awake.]
Chak, Chak, Chak!
[I've come to my senses. Please stop hitting me.]
My head shudders as I look into the empty space with a strangely nihilistic expression.
'So that's how it is...'
Blood Yin said that I attained the Five Senses.
Nether Perception that senses the Netherworld.
Star Vein Eye that senses Source River.
Fetal Movement that senses the Flower Realm.
The basic consciousness that perceives the Astral Realm, and the derived senses for distinguishing planes and so forth...
I possess four senses in total.
Since the ability to distinguish planes and similar skills are derived from basic consciousness, they essentially count as one, and I had never understood why I was said to have five senses to perceive the five realms.
But today, I finally understand.
The sense that bestows talent upon Kim Young-hoon.
The ultimate meaning of the Heart Tribe that I attained in my pursuit of Martial Arts.
What I had conveniently called perception is, in fact, a sense that descends from the Interdimensional Void.
It should not be called perception, but Void Perception (虛覺).
Drip...
Suddenly, I feel tears welling up.
Jang Ik flinches in surprise and asks.
[What, why are you crying, you brat? Is your cheek hurting from the slaps? Look at this kid, crying like some girl from the Small Green Race!]
[Leave him be, Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One. Judging by that expression, it seems he's realized that the person he likes has no interest or meaning for him. I know that feeling well.]
Slaughtering Heaven Esteemed One Geuk Gwang makes a face of understanding for some reason, and I wipe away my tears and speak.
[...Just now, I think I met the God of Martial Arts (武神).]
[What!? Then why are you crying? Shouldn't you be happy to have met such a being?]
Jang Ik seems perplexed, but I can't hide the emptiness in my heart.
Because...
[It's because I glimpsed just how empty and horrifying the ultimate of Martial Arts truly is.]
The Martial Arts (武) I have been pursuing.
I've now realized that the ultimate pinnacle of that path is nothing more than complete emptiness.
The God of Martial Arts in this world is the being that governs the void.
And I received a direct affirmation from that Martial God that Martial Arts have no meaning.