Chapter 514: Go (古)
At the beginning of this life,
My goals were simple: advancing in cultivation, protecting my comrades, and surviving the End.
However, as I became a Sacred Master and began reshaping the world, I gained a new perspective and witnessed new sights.
In the process, I revised my original goals.
Escaping from Blood Yin, rescuing Kang Min-hee, and neutralizing Seo Hweol.
Having achieved all three, the only remaining task is survival in the face of the End.
I decided to revise the goal of 'surviving the End.'
The Sacred Masters of the Middle Realms, including Baek Woon, became able to secure the Middle Realms from the End after regaining the [symbols].Unlike the previous life, where the Esteemed Ones and Sacred Masters had to gather and set up a formation, simply strengthening the absoluteness of the Middle Realms will ensure their survival.
However...
What about the remaining living beings of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain?
What about the residents of my Cedarwood Painting, that lacks the absoluteness of the Middle Realms?
What about the people of the Head Realm?
What about the people of Peaceful Cloud Star?
The people of the Middle Realms may survive, but the rest of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain will perish—that is the End.
To them...
I want to give them a chance in my own way.
And at the same time, I want to save my beloved comrades.
That's why I transported Oh Hye-seo into the dream world and, while toying with her, devised a certain plan.
When my comrades heard my plan, they were all utterly shocked.
And understandably so, as my plan is outrageously unrealistic.
In particular, the Entering Nirvana True Person Yeo Hwi, whom I had captured previously, laughed so much upon hearing my plan that she practically flipped over.
Did she say that no matter how much of an incredible genius I am, such a thing is impossible?
...So I flipped her over and smacked her.
No matter what anyone says, I am determined to make my plan succeed.
Since the plan would proceed much more smoothly with Seo Hweol's help, I set aside the memories of what he had done to me and demanded his loyalty. But he seemed unwilling to lower his head to me.
With no other choice, I bound Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo to my world and began to carry out my plan.
Though I lost Oh Hye-seo's split soul before the plan could truly start, it doesn't matter.
Ever since I achieved the Sacred Vessel stage through the Three Great Ultimates, set my location as a Sacred Master, and broke free from the pressure imposed on me by the Owner of the Void, regaining my Martial Arts, Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo were no longer my match.
If Oh Hye-seo had listened to Seo Hweol from the start and scattered her soul into thousands of fragments, it would have been a bit troublesome...
But out of fear of losing her identity, she created only one fragment.
One is more than manageable for me, and I attached Seo Ran's split soul onto that body.
Oh Hye-seo probably thinks the fragment is afflicted by Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, but that isn't the case at all.
It is merely something I arranged to help Seo Ran achieve enlightenment more easily.
Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo are now completely within my palm.
And so, to save my comrades and overcome the End, I devote myself entirely to executing my plan.
With an emotionless face, Seo Hweol opens his eyes in the darkness.
Inside the heart essence of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
It is a space of pitch-black, sticky malice.
A place where only those who are 'Seo Hweol' can enter.
In that space, he speaks.
[Oh Hye-seo is beyond recovery.]
[That being has removed Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens from her split soul and attached Seo Ran's split soul to it.]
[It's likely meant to help Seo Ran achieve enlightenment so he can control Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.]
[We can no longer oppose that being. Everything we have prepared up until now, all of our grand plans, have crumbled.]
[That being surpasses even Mad Lord. Even though the Mad Lord twisted 'my' history by cultivating the power of the Bright Cold Realm, he has never held me in his grasp so completely.]
[In that case, would it not be better to take that being's hand and achieve our goal?]
At one Seo Hweol's suggestion, the other Seo Hweols sink deep into their own thoughts.
[...That being is suspicious. A being who has reached the Sacred Vessel stage through the three pathways of Heaven, Earth, and Heart in less than a thousand years. A being who has already rewritten the legend of the Golden Divine. It isn't just Heaven, Earth, and Heart as well.]
[That's right. That being possesses Immortal Arts of unknown origins and connections to [Great Beings].]
[Perhaps that being descended to fulfill the prophecy of a [Great Being], either as an Immortal Treasure or backed by a True Immortal.]
[Not just perhaps. The probability of that is 99 out of 100.]
[Are we to repeat...the pain of that time?]
At the words of one Seo Hweol, the other Seo Hweols fall silent.
The phrase 'the pain of that time' seems to unsettle many of the Seo Hweols.
[...If only the main body were in its normal state, this decision would have been easier.]
[Everything started to twist since the main body was contaminated by Yu Oh's maternal nature.]
[When will we be able to recover the main body? It has been far too long since the main body was contaminated and forgot the 'vow of that time'. If another twenty or thirty thousand years pass, we may collapse entirely.]
[We must quickly recover the main body before that happens.]
[Should we join hands with that being? Should we reveal our goal and seek cooperation?]
Countless opinions are exchanged among the Seo Hweols.
And, after endless deliberation, the Seo Hweols manage to reach a conclusion.
[For now, joining hands with that being must not be done.]
[That being cherishes Seo Ran. Yet, in this state, they casually claim they will help us with our goal.]
[For our purpose to be realized, 'Seo Ran' must be annihilated. Only that will bring us closer to our goal.]
[However, that being does not know this and seeks to take us in.]
[Thus, we can neither join hands with nor pledge loyalty to that being.]
Ssssssss—
Within the dark space.
Countless red eyes open.
The red eyes gather and form the figure of a man dressed in a dark-red robe.
[In conclusion, I can never join hands with 'Seo Eun-hyun'. For what he cherishes and what I seek are in complete opposition. However, opposing him directly is impossible. In the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, the only beings capable of defeating him in direct combat in his main body are Blood Yin and the True Immortal of the Lightning Sacred Sea, just two. Thus, I abandon the notion of directly opposing him.]
The man in the dark-red robe wears a faint smile, as though donning a mask.
With that seemingly gentle smile, he steps out of the space of darkness while quietly repeating his goal to himself.
[However...though he is certainly a powerful existence, he is definitely not a True Immortal. Therefore, instead of defeating him directly, I will avoid his gaze...and kill Seo Ran.]
The man in the dark-red robe.
Seo Hweol steps beyond the space of darkness and glances back.
The depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
The place shrouded in the deepest darkness.
Hidden within its depths, unseen even by Oh Hye-seo, are Seo Hweol's 'childhood memories,' which reflect in his eyes.
And then, a voice whispers to him from within the darkness.
—Isn't that just a gamble? Instead, if you corrupt the Sacred Masters of the Middle Realms, borrow the absoluteness they command, and anchor your identity there, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens could endure for at least ten millions years even if the connection with Seo Ran is severed... Why risk such a bold move so hastily?
Seo Hweol looks at the entity lurking beyond his 'childhood memories' and speaks.
[...The current Seo Eun-hyun is a being I cannot face without taking a gamble. Plan for ten million years, manipulate history, and only then take Seo Ran to achieve my goal? Do you think a being who reached the Three Great Ultimates Sacred Vessel stage in just 800 years would wait that long?]
The being behind Seo Hweol's 'childhood memories' laughs.
Kik... Kikikikikikikik...
A demeanor that suggests it has seen through all of Seo Hweol's inner thoughts.
However, Seo Hweol remains entirely unshaken.
That existence is not even a leftover—just a configuration.
It reacts solely in response to the patterns Seo Hweol exhibits, producing corresponding reactions—a mere computational response.
Of course...even the Celestial Energy Calculation Device that the Mad Lord attached to the Star Shattering stage [Her] is considered primitive compared to it, so it is undoubtedly impressive.
But even so, its essence is emptier than Seo Hweol, who possesses Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
There is no need to be shaken by the mocking laughter of that existence.
—Wrong. The you I know would never gamble. For you, the concept of gambling shouldn't even exist. And yet, you speak of taking a gamble? It's such a 'twisted' response. Isn't that so, Seo Hweol?
Seo Hweol emotionlessly gazes beyond the darkness.
—As expected. Like the main body Seo Ran, you have been 'contaminated.'
[That is not so. It is simply that I have matured enough and the time has come to make my own judgments without your measurements. By my own judgement, I am not contaminated. 'Contamination' only occurs in maternal or paternal natures. And having already been 'contaminated', I have previously transferred every speck of maternal nature remaining in my fragments to Seo Ran. Therefore, this is a rational decision.]
—Heh...Seo Hweol, who denies the heart yet knows nothing about it. You remain still a child, just as you were back then. Do you know you seem younger than even Seo Ran? The parental heart you speak of. Do you know that love itself is entirely different from what you think? You...are failing to understand even a fragment of my words...
[In my judgment, it is you who has been engulfed by the uncertainty of emotions. I will have to halt your operation.]
—Isn't the reason you insist on gambling because you've already, without even realizing it yourself, been engulfed by that emotionless existence? Foolish...
In the next moment, the voice vanishes at Seo Hweol's gesture.
Within the depths of his childhood memories.
There, he puts to sleep the remaining powers of Go (古; ancient).
He turns back again as he steps out of the darkness and thinks to himself.
Because there is no need to listen to the 'irrational' voice of ancient force (古力) he has possessed since birth.
'Seo Eun-hyun is currently scheming something ominous. And the scope of that ominous scheme encompasses the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. Taking advantage of that scheme, I must avoid Seo Eun-hyun's gaze and eliminate Seo Ran.'
Seo Hweol steps out of the dark space and opens his eyes in one of his bodies, which is confined within Seo Eun-hyun's Cedarwood Painting on Glass Cedarwood Mountain.
The laws of the Cedarwood Painting bind Seo Hweol, almost entirely restricting his ability to manipulate his other fragments.
As a result, every time he operates Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens to transform the world, Seo Eun-hyun essentially monitors him.
'Oh Hye-seo used Pangu's power. Ultimately, that ancient force was completely nullified by the Candle Dragon power Seo Eun-hyun possess. However, that process allowed me to confirm something. Seo Eun-hyun's Candle Dragon power is a type of ancient force.'
[TL: Pangu is Ban Go in Korean.]
[Editor: Additionally, Pangu is written 盤古, which comprises of the characters 盤, meaning disk/vessel, same as in Sacred Vessel (聖盤), and 古, the 'ancient' in ancient force (古力). Interpret this as you will.]
Ancient Force (古力).
According to the information in Seo Hweol's mind, ancient force is essentially 'unfulfilled dreams.'
The dreams of True Immortals, left unfulfilled as they perished, remaining behind as corpses that took the form of 'power.'
Although the true method of using ancient force is known only to genuine Immortal Beasts, Seo Hweol can at least discern its origin.
'All ancient force ultimately originates from the Head Realm.'
Thus, one could say the King of Immortal Beasts is essentially chosen as the being best capable of borrowing the power of the Head Realm.
'The strength, authority, and 'dreams' of deceased True Immortals—that is ancient force. And...the being who reached the pinnacle of that power was the previous King of Immortal Beasts, Pangu. The fact that the power of Pangu was nullified by Seo Eun-hyun's Candle Dragon authority means...the Candle Dragon True Blood Seo Eun-hyun possesses is even more compatible with the essence of the Head Realm than Pangu's. In other words, through Seo Eun-hyun's Candle Dragon True Blood, I can make contact with Seo Ran even more easily than by borrowing Pangu's power.'
Seo Hweol opens his eyes and kneels toward the upper reaches of Glass Cedarwood Mountain.
Because Seo Eun-hyun dislikes his face that smiles while going 'hoho', Seo Hweol dons an expressionless mask instead of a smiling one and speaks.
"...I have thought deeply. As a result, I have judged that cooperating with you is the most rational decision. I will join your plan."
'This is a gamble.'
Seo Hweol prostrates himself before Seo Eun-hyun and declares,
"It is impossible for me to share the story of my childhood, even if I wish to. This is a restriction imposed by my main body itself. If you wish to break this restriction, you will have to give me Seo Ran, but...you wouldn't want that. In that case, there is only one option. You must rise to True Immortality and use the authority of an Immortal Beast as well as the terrifying authority of your Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections to shatter my Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and forcibly read my past."
'Entrust everything to Seo Eun-hyun. Cooperate with him fully. And...through whatever means, gain access to the Candle Dragon authority he possesses. Then, the moment he shows an opening, through the Candle Dragon authority, an ancient force compatible with the essence of the Head Realm...contact Seo Ran...and erase him.'
To prevent Seo Eun-hyun from reading his true thoughts, Seo Hweol fills his surface thoughts with distractions, such as the recipe for flame-grilled sea cucumbers from the Purple Gold Realm, while solidifying his plan.
"I will do my utmost to assist the Sacred Master in rising to True Immortality. I swear upon my 'childhood' before the name of the High Spirit Grand Dao Nine Heavens Overseeing Fate Preserving Life Celestial Great Emperor."
'The key to this gamble lies in whether I can prevent being swallowed by that monster Seo Eun-hyun's terrifying Immortal Art called Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections and...erase Seo Ran's essence through the Candle Dragon authority. It's a gamble, but...only by doing this can I even attempt to resist that being.'
Seo Hweol fully lowers his head before Seo Eun-hyun, presenting his gamble.
There is only one chance.
He must find an opening to exploit.
Seo Eun-hyun, watching Seo Hweol swear loyalty before the Owner of Names, summons him closer and blesses him with a smile.