Chapter 495: Seo Hweol's Main Body (1)
Boom!
I look at the Thunder Beasts that handed over the key to the next floor and showed absolutely no reaction to me as they were slaughtered.
'...Ominous.'
It hasn't just been one or two times when things have been ominous when I'm with Seo Hweol, but this time, the level of ominousness is on another level.
If Seo Hweol's schemes feel like a suffocating grip tightening around my throat, this ominousness is akin to being thrown to the bottom of the deep sea with nothing but my bare body, watching the oxygen in the tank diminish in real-time, while some colossal entity slithers towards me through the dark abyss.
'More than anything...no matter how extraordinary Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens might be, this is already the 80th floor of the Tower of Trials...and yet, there's no response from Golden Shaking Bird?'
It's just when I'm thinking this.
"...!"Chills!
As soon as I step into the 81st floor, I feel chills spreading across my entire body.
Pajik, Pajijijik.
The lightning of Heaven and Earth trembles, and an ominous feeling flashes through my brain.
At the same time, I suddenly feel an uncontrollable desire to create banners (幡) and admire them. A primal urge towards banners surges maddingly within me.
'Suddenly, banners seem so lovely... This is...'
Crunch...
Lightning, banners, and a primal urge for banners.
There is only one entity associated with those terms.
Heavenly Lightning Banner, Zhengli!
The moment I think of her, I feel an insane urge to shout 'Zhengli', and I clamp my hand over my mouth.
'Did Zhengli who descended upon the Lightning Sacred Sea last time do something!? Damn it...I absolutely must not call that name!'
Suddenly, an image flashes through my mind of the Thunder Beasts who were just moments ago quietly in a posture of prayer, offering devotions toward something.
'It wasn't because they were controlled by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens... Could it be...?'
Recalling the nightmare of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, I decide to rise even faster to the higher floors.
Regardless of this or that, what I must do remains the same.
Instantly rising to the 98th floor while shattering through the Thunder Beasts, I, stepping on to the 99th floor,
Arrive at the place where the Thunder Bee Queen should be and look around.
In the far distance, I see a planet-sized tree with a hive hanging from its branches.
I quickly head inside the hive, and as soon as I enter, I see Thunder Bees in the same prayer posture as the other Thunder Beasts.
I head towards the center of the hive.
The place where the Entering Nirvana Stage Thunder Bee Queen resides.
And immediately, I confirm her condition.
Pajijk, pajijijijik...
Her pupils are devoid of light and she endlessly mumbles prayers towards some direction.
With each and every line of her blasphemous ritual prayer, the surrounding space ripples.
'This is...!'
I realize the nature of the prayer that this Entering Nirvana stage Thunder Beast is endlessly reciting while half-bewitched.
It is a ritual prayer of Returning (歸依).
Murmurmurmurmurmurmurmurmurmur...
We return to thee...
We return to thee...
We return to thee...
A prayer-like sound, akin to the cacophony of countless roaring voices, is flowing from her mouth!
Crunch!
I immediately paralyze the part of my soul responsible for hearing.
If I keep listening, I too will be eroded, transformed into a Lightning Sacred Body and forced to suffer a curse that follows me through regression like before.
"...Seo Hweol..."
I grind my teeth and realize where that bastard has led me.
'I don't know when, but at some point, Lightning Sacred Sea started being eroded by the Owner of Heavenly Punishment...'
And Seo Hweol must have known about this and still sent me here!
'As expected, I can't trust that snake-scorpion bastard!'
Grinding my teeth, I briefly contemplate.
Then, I come to a conclusion.
'For now, I'll still continue rescuing Jeon Myeong-hoon.'
Regardless, the End is coming soon.
I have to try something before that happens.
Moreover, the fact that Golden Shaking Bird kidnapped Jeon Myeong-hoon and showed no concern for the End might mean it's possible to avoid it in the Lightning Sacred Sea!
Therefore, preparing to flee from here recklessly would only be a poor move.
'Retreating now would be the worst decision. I need to push through and find Jeon Myeong-hoon! Even...in the worst-case scenario, I can always call upon the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord!'
Resolving myself firmly, I reach out towards the Thunder Bee Queen.
Piercing into the area where her heart should be, I pull out the key to the 100th floor from within her body.
Pasasasasa!
In an instant, the door to the 100th floor opens, and a familiar scene comes into view.
It is the Great Desolate Path.
A massive celestial sphere like Yeong Seung floats in the sky, moving about.
'This is the 100th floor... And...'
Woo-woooong!
I close my eyes and expand my consciousness.
At the same time, a halo appears behind my head.
It is a Wheel-shaped halo.
'Through rotation, I'll locate the entrance to the hidden space.'
Up until the Star Shattering stage, one is still a star or constellation. In other words, a tangible object. But from the Sacred Vessel stage, one begins to transcend tangible objects.
Now, my main body is the rotating [Flow].
I have become a part of the universe's flow itself.
Kiiiiiing!
[Are you there!?]
Unleashing mental speech, I throw a fist towards a point in the void.
Kwaaang!
The space crumples, shaking the entirety of the 100th floor.
Crack!
In an instant, I create an entrance leading to the 101st floor and step through.
Paaatt!
'This place...I see.'
I realize I'm now outside the Tower of Trials.
Below me lies the enormous Tower of Trials, and further below stretches an endless blue Great Sea. Above, the sky unfolds like an infinite blue Dome Sky.
This is the 101st floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
'Though it's called the 101st floor of the Tower of Trials...in reality, it's just a space that gradually grows 'further away' from the tower's center. It's not really a 'next floor' in the traditional sense.'
I scan my surroundings, staying on high alert in case Golden Shaking Bird ambushes me.
Fortunately, Golden Shaking Bird doesn't make any moves against me.
She might already be busy, preparing against the erosion of Heavenly Punishment.
'If that's the case, onward to the next floor!'
Kwaaang!
I break through the door to the 102nd floor again.
When I reach the 102nd floor, the Tower of Trials appears even smaller.
From its previous towering size, it seems to have shrunk to the size of a two-story building.
And the endless Great Sea that had stretched to infinity now seems to reveal its distant edges.
'Not here either?'
Crack!
103rd Floor.
The Tower of Trials has now shrunk to the size of an adult man's body, and the Great Sea where the tower once stood has become a small pond.
The surroundings are shrouded in strange mist, and nothing beyond the mist can be sensed.
Step, step...
'Beyond the mist lies the 104th floor.'
Recognizing this, I walk towards the mist, trying to move through it.
Yet, no matter how far I walk, I realize that I am not distancing myself from the Tower of Trials at all.
'I see. It may seem like a trivial space, but...in reality, is it compressing a distance spanning hundreds of millions of light-years?'
However, I have no intention of struggling over such trivial matters.
Wiiiiiiiing!
I activate the Wheel floating behind my head.
The name of this wheel (輪) is still unknown to me.
However, what's certain is that this wheel is a type of a powerful Immortal Art.
And the ability of this wheel is precisely [Rewrite (改變)].
The power to temporarily 'reset' phenomena as I perceive them.
Of course, this is only a fragment of the true authority wielded by the wheel, but for now, it is more than sufficient.
[I declare: rewrite the space before my eyes.]
Kiiiiriririk!
The Wheel begins to spin.
Simultaneously, the mist before me dissipates, and I instantly arrive at the 104th floor.
'As I thought, this is the 104th floor.'
Emerging from the mist, I find myself in a familiar garden.
Looking back, I see the small stone pagoda in the shape of the Tower of Trials, situated in a small pond.
This is the management space of the Lightning Sacred Sea, where Golden Shaking Bird had first brought me.
Remaining cautious of Golden Shaking Bird, I examine my surroundings.
'Not here either...'
She is not here.
I rise to the pavilion where Golden Shaking Bird once guided me.
'I don't sense her presence anywhere in this entire garden. That must mean she's on the next floor...!'
Closing my eyes briefly at the center of the pavilion, I am able to perceive the entirety of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
'I see. Are these the methods to proceed to the next floors?'
Within the pavilion, I discern the methods to proceed to the 105th floor, 106th floor, 107th floor, and finally the 108th floor which Seo Hweol mentioned.
After grasping these methods, I exit the pavilion and draw forth attraction force.
Kuguguguk!
With attraction force, I tear open a crack in the void and leap into it.
The method to proceed to the 105th floor is to 'ascend' from the 104th floor.
Just like ascending to the Middle Realms, I grab hold of a massive attraction force from within the crack in the Lightning Sacred Sea and cling to it.
Unlike true ascension, the ascension within the Lightning Sacred Sea is brief.
Paaaatt!
'This place is...'
Looking below, I see a vast continent stretching beneath me.
Fields of red poppies are blooming profusely throughout the land.
And in the center of that continent lies the garden where I had just been moments ago.
Turning around, I see a sacred Immortal Palace floating in the air with faint lightning flowing around it.
The lightning consists primarily of two colors: red and gold.
What's peculiar is that the red lightning blooms into the shape of poppies in the void before vanishing.
'This palace isn't the end.'
I see stairs at the back of the palace, leading to an even farther and higher sky, and confirm what lies at the end of those stairs.
At the very end of the stairs is another Immortal Palace where only red lightning courses.
I recall the knowledge I acquired about each floor in the 104th-floor pavilion, the management space of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
'That place is the 106th floor. And it was said that Yang Su-jin's treasure vault can be reached by passing through the Poppy Fragrance Labyrinth (罌香迷宮) within the 106th floor.'
I step into the 105th floor, the Immortal Palace of red-gold lightning.
This palace of red-gold lightning feels strangely familiar.
'I see. The layout is identical to the structures of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.'
To be precise, the arrangement of the halls, rooms, and furniture in this Immortal Palace matches perfectly with those of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.
Observing the subtle flow of attraction force and fate throughout everything within the Immortal Palace, I deduce that it is likely some kind of altar designed to attempt replacing one's fate.
At the same time, I notice a stone tablet inscribed with extremely familiar writing.
'English!?'
For some reason, the entire text is written in uppercase letters. As I roughly interpret the phrases, I come to understand their meaning.
'This is...'
It is a method to wield one of the authorities possessed by the Lightning Sacred Sea and the Tower of Trials.
And the authority described here is none other than the way to 'completely grind Golden Shaking Bird to dust.'
'If this method is used...Golden Shaking Bird will be shredded into hundreds of millions of tiny Thunder Beasts and utterly annihilated. No matter what, she was practically your subordinate... Yang Su-jin...why would you leave behind such instructions for future generations to push her this far?'
Feeling bitter, I commit the formula written in English to memory.
At that moment, as I read the very last sentence of the formula, a message left by Yang Su-jin, I involuntarily flinch.
The message is short and concise.
But for some reason, it stirs a strange feeling within me.
—May they find peace.
"...Wait."
Although I need to rise to the 106th floor to confirm Golden Shaking Bird's condition, I find myself unable to take my eyes off the message.
Because within that brief message lies the hidden underside of Yang Su-jin's cruelty.
'By 'they'...could it mean.'
I feel like I somewhat understand why Yang Su-jin had embedded Golden Shaking Bird, who had followed him so faithfully, into the Lightning Sacred Sea, grinding her down for uncountable years and tearing her into hundreds of billions of pieces.
After staring at the stone tablet for a moment, I leave the Immortal Palace of red-gold lightning and head to the Immortal Palace of red lightning.
I rise to the 106th floor.
Pajik, pajijijijik...
As I approach the 106th floor, the ominous feeling weighing heavily on my shoulders grows even stronger.
Pajijijijijijijijijik...
In front of the Red Lightning Immortal Palace.
I hesitate for a long time, debating whether or not to open the palace door.
'Beyond this door...I feel an inexplicable and overwhelming sense of foreboding.'
It's possible that Zhengli has descended here directly.
Golden Shaking Bird may have been captured by her, which would explain why she has been unresponsive to me until now.
After regulating my breathing for a while in front of the Red Lightning Palace, I push the door open.
'Even if Zhengli herself is really here...I must...save Jeon Myeong-hoon!'
Kwa-jijijijik!
The door opens.
Then the very next moment.
I see a terrifying monster bursting out from within.
: : KYAAAAAAA!!! : :
It is a monster with thousands, no, hundreds of millions of bird heads.
The monster with bird heads and erupting lightning scrambles out of the Red Lightning Palace in a panicked frenzy, fleeing somewhere as if consumed by terror.
'Th-That just now!?'
I shudder as I realize the identity of the monster that just burst out.
The aura emanating from that creature unmistakably belongs to Golden Shaking Bird.
'What's this? Golden Shaking Bird turned into a monster and ran off as if she had seen something she shouldn't have?'
Tension builds within me as I cautiously step further inside.
Then, I see it.
Within that place...
Jeon Myeong-hoon is present.
"...Hmm?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon, sitting calmly in a lotus position with his upper garment removed, meets my gaze.
His hair has grown even longer than before.
In fact, his hair half-covers the inside of the Red Lightning Palace, which looks like a bed chamber.
"Jeon Myeong-hoon, are you alright? Are you unharmed?"
At my words, he smiles faintly.
That serene smile, uncharacteristic of Jeon Myeong-hoon, makes me feel an unsettling foreboding.
Usually, this kind of expression only appears when infected by Seo Hweol...'
"...Have you perhaps been possessed by someone? Who are you?"
At my question, he smirks and rises from his seat.
Pajijijik!
The surrounding lightning surges around him, and his long hair shortens.
"Is this okay now? If it's the image from the memory, isn't this the most appropriate? I am Jeon Myeong-hoon.”
"...Then, what is it that you treasure most?"
"What I treasure most...That would be the Heavenly Lightning Banner of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect that Golden Divine stole and set up as the divine artifact, wouldn't it?"
"...Even nonsense has its limits."
Bududuk...
Grinding my teeth, I glare at the figure before me.
"What Jeon Myeong-hoon treasures the most is Jin So-hae's hand, not something like the Heavenly Lightning Banner! Who are you? Are you an Entering Nirvana True Person? No, that's not it. Are you a comrade Thunder Beast of Golden Shaking Bird? Get out of Jeon Myeong-hoon's body immediately!"
Even as the sense foreboding from the entity in front of me feels like it's paralyzing my mind, I resist with all my might and shout at him.
"A comrade Thunder Beast of Golden Shaking Bird, huh...I've heard it here and there, but you truly have a talent for entertainment."
"What...?"
Pajijik!
In the next moment, Jeon Myeong-hoon appears right in front of me, gripping my mouth roughly and lifting my body off the ground.
I struggle about to escape his grasp, but I quickly realize it's impossible to break free.
Golden lightning crackles from Jeon Myeong-hoon's eyes as he smiles faintly.
"How unpleasant. A mere bug dares to use this Immortal."
'Just what is he.?'
I'm taken aback, but one thing becomes clear.
The being before me is, at the very least, at the rank of True Immortal!
Kuguguguguk...
'This...isn't Jeon Myeong-hoon's grip strength!'
It's when I'm shocked and desperately trying to come up with a way to escape this predicament.
Thud!
The entity possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon's body suddenly lets go of my face.
I collapse to the ground in front of him, coughing violently as I kneel.
'His rank...i-it's too vast. To the point I can't possibly resist...!'
Yet the most terrifying thing is that the rank this entity just displayed wasn't even a fraction of his full power.
The entity possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon briefly looks down at his own hand, then smiles faintly.
"...I've been had. That one...in the end, orchestrated it so that this Immortal would arrive at that place. Their prophecy surpassed this Immortal. Haha...with their strength alone, it would have been impossible. They must have borrowed the strength of the [Oldest One]."
Muttering these cryptic words, he clicks his tongue and speaks.
"As the resurrection is still incomplete, This Immortal's fate shall be left in your hands for now. Do as you please. I will find my own way out."
"...Who is...the distinguished one? And what do you mean by...what you just said?"
"There's nothing to be curious about. That grotesque thing lodged in your chest will soon tell you everything anyway. Just do as you please."
After finishing those words, he sits in a lotus position before me, closes his eyes, and completely hides its aura.
I watch him for a moment before speaking.
"...I must save my comrade, Jeon Myeong-hoon. I don't know who the distinguished one is, but...you are probably a True Immortal similar to the Heavenly Lightning Banner or Golden Shaking Bird. It seems you intend to take over my comrade's body, but I cannot allow that. Therefore, no matter what it takes, I will reclaim my comrade's body!"
Thud!
I place both hands on his shoulders.
Surprisingly, he does not resist.
No, it seems he doesn't even have the energy to resist.
'Did he say being in the middle of resurrection? He must be unable to use his strength temporarily while resurrecting inside Jeon Myeong-hoon's body! Being unable to resist...was the 'do as you please' genuine...? I can't tell. But regardless of whether it is or isn't...what I must do is already decided!'
After observing him for a moment, I hoist Jeon Myeong-hoon's body over my shoulder and head towards the Red Lightning Immortal Palace.
I make my way to the center of the red bed chamber.
The closer I get to the center, the stronger the scent of poppies becomes.
'They said that passing through the Poppy Fragrance Labyrinth would lead to the treasure vault of Yang Su-jin.'
Because entering was not allowed for Golden Shaking Bird, she never reached there before.
But the moment I arrive at the entrance to the Poppy Fragrance Labyrinth, I immediately realize that I have the 'qualification' to enter.
'So it opens incredibly easily for one who has mastered the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique...!'
Pasasasasa.
Before me, a labyrinth-like space fleetingly reveals itself.
But the moment the space comes into contact with the power of my Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique, it instantly distorts, transforming into a straight passageway stretching forward.
I sprint quickly through the passageway.
The scent of poppies wafts from all around, and beyond the scenery, I see some kind of illusion.
A figure resembling Yang Su-jin and a white-haired woman are walking through a field of poppies.
The two of them, standing at the center of the poppy field, exchange what looks like rings.
'...I see.'
I grasp the purpose of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Aside from the Tower of Trials, the spaces here consist entirely of a bed chamber, a garden, and a flower field.
This place...was a space created by Yang Su-jin to be with the person he treasures the most.
How long do I soar through the Poppy Fragrance Labyrinth where the illusions of Yang Su-jin and the white-haired woman reside?
I finally arrive at a new space.
Paaaatt!
'That's it!'
In a bizarre space that feels like a mix of an illusory dream and being underwater, I reach out towards the familiar auras floating through that space.
Paaaatt!
The Five Symbols of the Middle Realms quickly enter the world within my soul.
'Now, I just need to get out...'
But when I turn around, the path through the Plum Fragrance Labyrinth that I came through has disappeared completely.
"What...!"
It's when I'm taken aback.
The being possessing Jeon Myeong-hoon offers advice.
"You cannot return to the previous floors from the 107th floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea. That Yang Su-jin created the Poppy Fragrance Labyrinth and this 107th floor to steel his resolve. In other words, it's a structure where you can only move towards the so-called 108th floor from the 107th floor."
"...!"
I already sensed the path leading to the 108th floor.
'Damn it...I hesitated because I don't know what scheme Seo Hweol is up to, but...'
It seems I'm not in a position to choose anymore.
Grinding my teeth, I have no choice but to throw myself towards the 108th floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Paaaatt!
A blinding white light engulfs my vision.
"...Huh?"
I look around with a dumbfounded expression.
It's familiar.
This place...is far too familiar.
I swing my hand.
Kwaaaang!
The ceiling of the familiar underground basement is torn away, revealing the surrounding scenery.
"...Ha, haha, hahahahaha!"
At last, I realize where the 108th floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea is.
And I think I understand why Seo Hweol once told me to investigate Yang Su-jin's shrine if I wanted to conquer the Lightning Sacred Sea.
"...So that's how it is. It was here."
The 108th floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
That place is none other than the Heaven-Treading Desert of the Head Realm.
Beneath Yuan Li's Black Castle.
Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Astral Realm.
At one location within the Astral Realm, in the constellation of Hyeon Eum.
There, Seo Hweol opens his eyes wide.
"...It's done."
He rises from his seat, spreading his arms with a smile.
"Finally, Seo Ran has returned to the Head Realm."
Cheok!
With a faint smile, he forms a hand seal.
Cheok, cheok, cheok, cheok!
All the Seo Hweols scattered throughout the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain simultaneously begin to form hand seals.
At the same time, the same phrase bursts forth from the mouths of all the Seo Hweols in unison.
[Activate. Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.]