Chapter 528: Filling the Heavens (滿天) (2)
I quickly trace the remaining memories of Seo Hweol.
After awakening from sleep, reaffirming his oath that pierces through his identity, and establishing his goal,
He gradually seized control of the Yuan Clan from his state as an experimental subject.
Without even using Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens much, he captivated the people of the Yuan Clan with his unique eloquence and charm, collapsing the clan solely through schemes and strategies.
Afterward, he branded the direct blood descendants of the Yuan Clan with the mark of slavery, making them the first sacrifices of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens in the real world.
Having destroyed the Yuan Clan, Seo Hweol embarked on a long and arduous journey, striving to get even slightly closer to the identity of the 'voice' that awakened him in Agate's dream.
He returned to the base of the Sea Dragon Race while wearing the body of one of them.
Gradually mastering Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, he eventually succeeded in ascending to the throne of the Sea Dragon King.However, his identity is not inherently tied to the Sea Dragon Race.
After all, he was originally a character in a dream in the form of a human.
In fact, reflecting upon the hazy yet happy memories of his 'childhood'...he is neither male nor female.
Yet he deliberately maintained the form of a Sea Dragon male, focusing his efforts on controlling the Sea Dragon Race.
The first reason for wearing the guise of the Sea Dragon Race is simple.
The body he [first] possessed upon awakening was that of a Sea Dragon male.
Thus, Seo Hweol considers this 'Sea Dragon male' identity to be connected in some way to the mysterious 'owner of the voice.'
No, even if he is entirely mistaken, maintaining this form would still provide an advantage when attempting to reach the 'owner of the voice' by eliminating potential unknown variables.
The second reason lies in his essence.
Having devoured Agate, consumed Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, and directly observed the Akashic Records hidden within the Head Realm, Seo Hweol had drawn in and merged several hidden powers and authorities of the Head Realm into his 'configuration.'
The power born from the collected ancient forces of the Head Realm became Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Ultimately, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was created by absorbing and rearranging the ancient forces of the Head Realm with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens as the central axis and merging them with Agate's authority.
The most suitable medium for Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, at present, is the bloodline of the Sea Dragon Race.
Seo Hweol read the split soul of Blood Yin he dominated, gaining insight into ancient records and fragments of Blood Yin's memories.
Thus, Seo Hweol learned of the lineage of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, which flows through Blood Yin, Hyeon Eum, and Ja Eum.
In order to overturn that lineage and gradually reverse-dominate Ja Eum, Hyeon Eum, and Blood Yin, he requires the body of the Sea Dragon Race.
These two main reasons, along with numerous other intertwining factors, solidified Seo Hweol's identity as a [Sea Dragon male with a gentle smile.]
Having seized control of the Sea Dragon Race, Seo Hweol hunted down the escaped fugitives of the Yuan Clan, gradually becoming more proficient in the operation of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Eventually, the position once held by the Yuan Clan was claimed by the Jo Clan amidst countless power struggles, and Seo Hweol began to extend his influence into the Jo Clan as well, finding their origins peculiar.
He schemed and sowed chaos across the world, spreading Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens far and wide, manipulating all civilizations and societies of the Head Realm.
As the entire world gradually filled with Seo Hweols, he delved deeper into researching the Head Realm itself, uncovering the various powers intertwined within it.
One prominent example was the Black Castle, the former home of the Yuan Clan.
By studying the underground laboratory beneath the Black Castle, he discovered that it was connected to the Lightning Sacred Sea.
At the same time, Seo Hweol read ancient records related to Ascension Path and, through the techniques engraved upon Ascension Path, learned 'what' is sealed at the center of the Sky Island.
Simultaneously, he investigated the origins of the Jo Clan, and to experiment with [In and Yeon] found within Blood Yin's split soul, he manipulated the connection between Jo Yeon and Ha Eun.
Of course, in that process, something even Seo Hweol could not have anticipated—his lifelong greatest adversary, the Mad Lord—was born.
Nevertheless, Seo Hweol witnessed the destruction of the Jo Clan and traced back the flow of their life and death, the origin of their attraction force.
Through this, he came to learn of something far more significant than the destruction of the Jo Clan or the birth of his greatest adversary. He discovered where the Jo Clan originally came from.
Serving Command Palace!
The Jo Clan was nothing more than a lineage of mortals who lived within Serving Command Palace under the orders of cultivators, managing spiritual medicine on their behalf.
At 'some point' while living in the depths of Serving Command Palace, the emergence of something called the [Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent] led them to leave Serving Command Palace and form the Jo Clan.
Seo Hweol began investigating Serving Command Palace and gained a certain amount of understanding about the existence known as [Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent].
Afterward, while being pursued by the Mad Lord, he managed to enter Serving Command Palace.
At the center of Serving Command Palace,
After discovering an Immortal Treasure called the [Serving Command Seal], he realized—
[Who exists] within the [Serving Command Seal]...
The Mad Lord, observing the structure of the Serving Command Palace and the Immortal Treasure Serving Command Seal, gained inspiration about the relationship between the world's attraction force, fate, and the method to summon history.
The Mad Lord began laying the foundation for the [Yeon's Play] plan, while Seo Hweol discovered a critical clue about the Head Realm.
The fragment of a [True Immortal's dream], discovered within the Serving Command Seal.
Through it, Seo Hweol obtained the clue that [the Head Realm is actually alive].
Although he had seen the Akashic Records, he only understood [the origin of his birth] and could not uncover the various truths he was unaware of. Therefore, this realization terrified Seo Hweol.
He thought he had escaped from the dream...
But what if this world they live in is the inside of someone's living head?
If so, then what difference is there between this entire world and the dream world?
After learning this truth, Seo Hweol became even more ruthless, abandoning all hesitation in his methods and means.
As he infiltrated the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, the records of the existence known as the [Golden Divine Yang Su-jin], which he discovered there, gradually solidified his conviction.
Golden Divine realized that the beings of the Head Realm are nothing more than entities confined within a dream and even coined the term [Non-Human].
Non-Human.
Yes, everything in the Head Realm is non-human.
They are nothing but supporting characters in a dream, like Seo Hweol.
Therefore...
Seo Hweol became even more ruthless.
Everyone in this world is a supporting character in a dream.
They are just characters in a dream.
Playthings of True Immortals, born only to be mocked and toyed with.
Yes, they are...
Nothing more than pieces on a stage.
For this reason, Seo Hweol resolved to become even more ruthless and even more meticulous.
He had to focus on his 'role.'
Even those infected by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens had to maintain their 'roles.'
Although he infected the entire Head Realm with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, he left everyone's personalities intact, allowing them to live according to the roles suitable for their lives.
Because the True Immortals must not notice anything strange...
Because the Head Realm must not detect the anomaly known as Seo Hweol and erase him.
At the same time, to explore the identity of the Head Realm as 'naturally' as possible, Seo Hweol created the Sea Dragon Race astronomers.
He did not birth many of them.
The astronomers created by Seo Hweol numbered around three.
His direct descendants, Seo Yun and Seo Heon, a father and son.
And Jeon Hyang.
If there were too many astronomers, they might glimpse the truth of the Head Realm and witness something so dangerous that it could shake Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Seo Hweol, having created only as many astronomers as he could control, diluted the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within them as much as possible before allowing them to observe the Head Realm.
Seo Hweol also revealed to them vague truths about the celestial phenomena of the Head Realm.
One of the memories from the split soul of Blood Yin, the truth that the Sun and Moon of the Head Realm are actually 'eyes'.
By simply informing them in a roundabout way that 'the Sun and Moon are fixed,' he hoped they would yield results more quickly.
However, during astronomical observation...
Seo Yun, Seo Hweol's descendant and Seo Heon's father, had his very personality sucked into the sky.
If the concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens had been higher, Seo Hweol himself might have been sucked in as well.
Shuddering at the terror of the Head Realm, Seo Hweol transferred his main body into Seo Yun, whose soul had been entirely pulled from his body, and passed on the position of 'Sea Dragon King Seo Hweol' to Seo Yun.
In any case, since the original soul had already been completely removed, transferring his main body was relatively easy.
From the beginning, the first Sea Dragon Race body he had obtained belonged to an experimental subject from the Yuan Clan and thus did not have a long lifespan. Seo Hweol's very first body was nearing the end of its life.
Seo Hweol modified his original main body and turned it into a building for the Sea Dragon astronomers.
He then floated the initial body above the 'southernmost sky of the Head Realm,' allowing the remaining astronomers to more easily observe celestial phenomena while also laying the foundation for his plans.
The remaining Sea Dragon astronomers were only Seo Heon and Jeon Hyang.
Fearful of his soul being ripped away in the Head Realm, Seo Hweol diluted the concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within them as much as possible.
But perhaps because of that—
Seo Heon began to slip out of Seo Hweol's control.
Suddenly, he started saying he wanted to quit the dull life of an astronomer and become a Sea Dragon warrior instead.
Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was so diluted that it barely had any effect, and perhaps because Seo Hweol's body originally belonged to Seo Heon's father, Seo Heon frequently ignored Seo Hweol's words.
After all, Seo Heon was Seo Yun's only child, and he seemed to believe that Seo Hweol would not dare to threaten his sole heir too severely.
To drive Seo Heon back to the comfortable life of an astronomer through the fear of death, Seo Hweol sent him to the front lines of conflict and war stirred by the Sea Dragon Race.
He sent him to the battlefield against Black Ghost Valley.
In any case, most of those in Black Ghost Valley were also Seo Hweols, so they would not actually kill Seo Heon.
Seo Hweol planned to manipulate them carefully, driving Seo Heon to the brink of death, utterly crushing his dreams, and plunging him into miserable despair before dragging him back to his role as an astronomer.
At first, the plan seemed to proceed smoothly, as if carried by fair winds.
However, the problem arose with the birth of a being named 'Yu Oh' in the Head Realm.
Seo Hweol immediately realized that Yu Oh was a fragment of a split soul of the Nether Ghost Realm Sacred Master.
Because the vast majority of those who ascended to the Upper Realm from the Head Realm already carried Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens after Seo Hweol opened his eyes...
Every ascendant from the Head Realm was practically a carrier after the blooming of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
He had already sent numerous clones to ascend to the Upper Realm.
It was only natural for him to have identified Yu Oh.
Thus, Seo Hweol decided to erode Yu Oh.
Yu Oh is not just an ordinary Sacred Master.
Baek Woon comes from a True Person background.
Ja Eum is the split soul of Blood Yin's split soul.
Ban Ta and Hae Lin can be said to be typical examples of the Sacred Vessel stage, but Yu Oh is a [fragment] of the Reincarnation Judge Nether Ghost True Lord Yu Soo Ryeon.
The Reincarnation Judge is said to know the secret of resurrection.
Because she is the fragment of such an entity, the sooner he could obtain her, the more momentum Seo Hweol's plan would gain.
Although Seo Heon, like Jeon Hyang, carried only a faint concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol still began to have Seo Heon interact with Yu Oh.
Lest Yu Oh, who is of the same Sacred Vessel stage, sensed the aura of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol deliberately used Seo Heon, who carried only a faint trace of it, to make contact with her.
It began when Yu Oh was still young.
From that time, Seo Hweol consistently facilitated contact between Seo Heon and Yu Oh, attempting to erode Yu Oh through Seo Heon with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
That's where the problem arose.
At first, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens began to gradually seep into Yu Oh, but at some point—
Specifically...after Yu Oh came of age.
Yu Oh, who continued making contact with Seo Heon, stopped being affected by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Instead, Seo Heon, who already had a faint concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, started ignoring Seo Hweol's orders.
At that time, Seo Hweol suspected Yu Oh.
He speculated that she had used some unknown Immortal Art to pull Seo Heon away from his grasp.
Eventually, a child was conceived between Yu Oh and Seo Heon.
Seo Hweol grew extremely wary of Yu Oh, focusing all his attention on her attitude.
He believed that Yu Oh intended to wield some dreadful Immortal Art through her child with Seo Heon.
This is because after conceiving the child, for some reason, there were individuals around Yu Oh who began to break free from the influence of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
Seo Hweol could no longer leave Yu Oh unchecked.
Thus, he made the big decision and resolved to erode Yu Oh with the 'power of the main body'.
The heart of the main body.
And the accompanying Oath of Hatred.
The pain created by the fusion of these two was something even Yu Oh would not be able to endure.
Seo Hweol trapped Seo Heon and Yu Oh in a scheme that led them to their deaths.
Seo Heon was executed by decapitation at Seo Hweol's hands on charges of treason, and Yu Oh felt immense pain and guilt because of it. Seo Hweol took advantage of that vulnerability and secretly sent [himself] into Yu Oh's fetus.
In this way, Yu Oh lost her child to Seo Hweol.
What entered in its place was Seo Hweol, masquerading as Yu Oh's child, intending to erode her directly from within her body with his power.
Then...
The real problem began from there.
The connection with the main body became distorted.
The main body, containing the 'heart,' began to break down.
Instead of receiving the rightful name 'Seo Hweol,' it took the name [Seo Ran] and began to act independently.
Seo Hweol realized it.
Between the main body and himself, an impurity named 'Seo Ran' had wedged itself.
And before Seo Hweol could even begin to erode Yu Oh...Yu Oh gave all her life force to Seo Ran, grew weaker and weaker, and eventually died.
Seo Hweol brought the Seo Ran left behind by Yu Oh to the Sea Dragon Palace and searched for a way to repair his broken main body.
In the end, the only way to repair the main body was to destroy the 'impurity' that is Seo Ran that existed between it and himself.
Resetting Seo Ran's personality by forcing him to commit suicide.
That was Seo Hweol's plan.
Another problem emerged here.
Jeon Hyang, who had thus far obeyed Seo Hweol's orders relatively well, finally lost her mind while observing the celestial phenomena of the Head Realm.
At some point, she began spreading insane words like, 'the Sea Dragon Race's astronomers are disappearing one by one.'
This was even though after Seo Heon left, she had been the only remaining astronomer of the Sea Dragon Race.
It seemed that in exchange for seeking the celestial phenomena of the Head Realm, madness had taken root in her mind.
That madness was reminiscent of the Mad Lord, making it very unpleasant, but Seo Hweol did not kill her directly but instead let her be.
After she became consumed by the madness that, 'there are many astronomers of the Sea Dragon Race, but their numbers are decreasing because of Seo Hweol,'
For some reason, her achievements began to skyrocket insanely.
The Head Realm may have given her madness, but it seemed to have also bestowed some kind of special ability upon her.
Though she was mad, she accomplished 'achievements that would require multiple people working together' entirely on her own.
And within a few years, she brilliantly proved several facts and hypotheses about the Head Realm that Seo Hweol had been wanting.
The structure of the Head Realm, the flow of the Head Realm's power, the fact that the Head Realm is asleep, and the phenomena that would occur when the Head Realm [awakes from its slumber].
Jeon Hyang proved all those hypotheses and deductions, and even revealed secrets about the Head Realm that Seo Hweol himself was unaware of. She delivered not only everything Seo Hweol desired but even more.
However, at that point, Seo Hweol began to sense danger from Jeon Hyang.
Her madness was gradually worsening.
Starting from the nonsensical delusion that 'the astronomers of the Sea Dragon Race are decreasing one by one,'
Each time one of these imagined astronomers 'disappeared' in her delusions, her madness grew stronger and more entrenched.
The moment that madness reached its peak was precisely when she was 'under the delusion that she was all alone.'
Fortunately, Jeon Hyang often stayed with Seo Ran, which greatly reduced the frequency of her 'thinking she is all alone.' However, the very act of keeping such a lunatic by Seo Ran's side was an immense gamble for Seo Hweol.
Thus, Seo Hweol decided to separate the dangerous 'monster' Jeon Hyang from Seo Ran as quickly as possible.
Seo Hweol sent Seo Ran to a distant corner of the Sea Dragon Palace as if exiling him.
Afterward, he planned to kill Jeon Hyang, whose madness was increasingly resembling that of the Mad Lord.
And so, on the day of the mass ascension.
Seo Hweol finally succeeded in ambushing and killing Jeon Hyang, who seemed on the verge of transforming into a second Mad Lord. Then, after burning and crushing her remains, which had already begun turning into strange stone,
He found the traces of her madness that she had hidden away.
He discovered her diary and implanted Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens there, ensuring it could affect Seo Ran in case of an emergency.
Having resolved all these issues, as Seo Hweol meticulously crafted his future plans without leaving room for a single error within the deepest depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens,
He headed for Ascension Path.
This is the past of Seo Hweol that I have seen until now.
"...Only now can I seem to understand you."
I engrave Seo Hweol's memories into my heart.
This is his past.
The life of Seo Hweol, who was born as a worthless supporting character in a meaningless dream and spent his entire life striving to prove his worth.
Through Seo Hweol's memories—
Through the suffering (苦痛) contained within those memories, I can feel the Seo Hweol currently fleeing away.
He is wailing like an evil spirit, pouring out dreadful resentment towards the already-vanished Seo Ran.
At this very moment,
The mysterious smile that wrapped Seo Hweol is stripped away.
Everything about him, in the end...has been recorded in my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Only today, at last...
Have I torn away all the mysterious veils that shrouded Seo Hweol.
"...Finally..."
Wo-woong!
The candle flame of the Torch of Myriad Forms and Connections blazes even more fiercely.
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, scattered across the universe, reveals itself more clearly.
The starting point of the Immortal Art I have attained.
My Innate True Method, Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, is something I imbued my entire life into.
Within my life, everything I have learned, everything I have experienced, mastered, and observed—[all of it] has been melted down, refined, and forged into this Innate True Method.
That is Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea possesses a total of nine abilities and forms.
'Why' Crystal Glass to Treading Sea was refined into nine forms within my heart is something even I am not entirely certain of.
However, the only assumption I have is the name Gu Ju (九疇).
Nine (九) kinds of Categories (疇).
Nine ups and downs.
I don't know who first told me the term Nine Categories.
Nor can I recall its exact meaning.
The only thing I can remember is that perhaps Nine Categories...
'...Symbolizes the suffering inherent to life...'
Gu Ju.
I wonder if the unknown events of that sixteenth cycle may have influenced Crystal Glass to Treading Sea to be refined into nine forms.
First Form, Twin Flowers (雙花).
Second Form, Sword Sea (劍海).
Third Form, Heavenly Shatter (天碎).
Fourth Form, Avīci (無間).
Fifth Form, Mysterious Bizarre (奇怪).
Sixth Form, Wind-Painting (風塗).
Seventh Form, Ghost-Face Killing Heaven (鬼面戮天).
Eighth Form, Myriad Forms and Connections (萬狀因緣).
The suffixes such as Reaching the Heavens, Star Body, Furnace, and Torch are just other ways of saying 'combat form'.
The true names of these Nine Categories Forms (九疇形) are as they are.
And today, I have completed the final form of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
The form that had remained incomplete until now.
The final form forged with Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens as its raw materials.
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
Ninth Form.
Filling the Heavens Governing View (滿天御覽).
Translator Notes: Filling the Heavens Governing View is 만천어람 which is probably wordplay on 청출어람, which is from the idiom 青出于蓝而青于蓝 that means blue comes from indigo but is better than indigo, figuratively meaning that the student surpasses the master.