Chapter 535: Severing Heaven (斷天) (3)
Kugugugugu!
The starlight of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begins to shift.
The scene of Seo Hweol brainwashing the stars through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens first appears, followed by the Entering Nirvana Persons and Blood Yin.
And then, it's the ability that Yeo Hwi had displayed.
As I control the starlight connected to me, I realize one thing.
'The range of the star vein formation I can control...is overwhelmingly greater than other Entering Nirvanas.'
Indeed.
If the range of a star vein formation that an average Entering Nirvana Quasi-Immortal can construct were said to be 10, the range I can construct reaches about 60 or 70.Far more stars submit to my command.
'Good, let's go.'
Carrying the hope on countless stars, I project that scene onto the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
From the moment Seo Hweol's plan was formulated in the past life, to the scene where he brainwashes the Head Realm.
The scene Seo Ran tragically perishes, empowered by Seo Hweol's plan.
And immediately after, the scene where Seo Hweol's history is rewritten and he meets a miserable end!
Yeon's Play assists me as I once again unfold the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.
Ururung!
I deceive the world within Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens and draw upon the power of the fiercely rotating Wheel.
The star vein formation supports me.
With more caution than in any previous rewrite, I offer my past as a sacrifice to Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens and begin to twist history.
: : I, rewrite... : :
Dududududu!
Even as a Quasi-Immortal, using an Immortal Art targeting the Head Realm requires utmost caution.
After all...in the previous cycle, I saw three Governing Immortals that had been crushed and turned into Middle Realms.
Someone like me could not dare use anything excessive against such a terrifying existence.
'I must not overreach.'
I must not hope for Seo Hweol's grand plan to succeed and for him to 'return alive' after conversing with the Head Realm.
Nor can I blindly hope for Seo Hweol to 'fail' within the Head Realm.
All I must do is create the utmost justification for Seo Hweol's 'failure.'
If I interfere with the Head Realm beyond that...
Even I don't know what might happen to myself.
: : O Seo Hweol. : :
I do not interfere with the fate of the 'Head Realm.'
Instead, I rewrite the history of the being known as 'Seo Hweol.'
: : May thee realize the heart within thyself. : :
Thump!
In the depths of Seo Hweol's grand plan.
The arrangements that [Seo Ran] and I had [planted] until now begin to awaken.
'Now, realize it, Seo Hweol.'
What I interfered with is neither Seo Hweol's fate nor the fate of the Head Realm.
Rather...
I twisted history just enough so that Seo Hweol can properly see the sincerity (眞心) hidden deep within his own heart.
Just when the brainwashing wave reaches the Sea Dragon Palace.
Flash!
From one point within Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave, a resplendently brilliant beam of light bursts forth.
The beam of light takes the form of a six-tailed fox and howls atop the brainwashing wave.
The spirit body of the Four-Axis stage Shi Ho begins to howl fiercely, disrupting Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave.
Shattered and scattered across the universe through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Shi Ho gained the justification to return through Seo Eun-hyun's history revision.
However, Seo Hweol doesn't care and continues pushing the brainwashing wave forward.
After all, to someone born as a Sacred Vessel, Shi Ho is nothing more than an insignificant creature he can kill at any time.
That's how it should have been.
Shi Ho shouts with all his remaining strength.
[Remember, remember! ■■!]
Hearing those words, Seo Hweol feels an inexplicable churning sensation in his body.
[■■!!!!]
Shi Ho calls the name of that person, now erased.
The pronunciation is muddled beyond recognition, and even Shi Ho himself doesn't know whom he's calling, but he calls nonetheless.
[■■!!!]
Someone begins pulling Shi Ho who is within the Head Realm.
It is Seo Eun-hyun, who is outside the Head Realm.
As if Shi Ho's role has ended the moment he called out ■■'s name once.
Seo Eun-hyun is summoning Shi Ho back.
If he were to return, Shi Ho would likely be given a new body by Seo Eun-hyun, resume cultivation, and continue to live.
However, Shi Ho rejects even Seo Eun-hyun's call and continues to scream towards Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave until the very end.
Even as he detonates his own spirit body, he shouts into the depths of Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.
As if begging, pleading for even just a single moment to reach through.
He becomes a pure white beam of light.
[■■! Remember! I, you...we...I!]
Shi Ho's spirit body exhausts all its strength above Seo Hweol's brainwashing wave before disappearing entirely.
[I loved you! Not Seo Hweol, but ■■! You!]
Without even being able to save ■■.
Shi Ho, despite receiving another chance at life, vanishes.
Seo Hweol completely hurls Shi Ho's spirit into the afterlife, then settles into the Sea Dragon Palace, arriving at the southern end of the Head Realm's sky.
At the [Forehead] of the Head Realm.
'Finally...I've arrived.'
Through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol's soul arrives directly at the edge of the Head Realm brainwashing wave.
All that remains is to pierce through this forehead and exit the Head Realm.
By doing so, the Head Realm will awaken, and Seo Hweol will gain a brief opportunity to gaze upon the Akashic Records stored within the depths of the Head Realm.
He recalls the first time he saw the Akashic Records.
Back then, the Akashic Records granted him the knowledge he [desired].
This time as well, the Akashic Records will surely grant Seo Hweol the knowledge of his origin that he desires.
Then, Seo Hweol will be absorbed into the Akashic Records and, in turn, absorbed into his origin.
In doing so...he will influence the origin that gave birth to him.
At long last, Seo Hweol's goal will be complete.
At that moment—
'...?'
Seo Hweol inexplicably feels something strange.
Something is [twisted].
For some reason, he doesn't want to go beyond this forehead and be absorbed into the Akashic Records.
Seo Hweol's [heart] is rejecting him.
'What is this, why...?'
He looks at his abruptly unmoving heart, taken aback.
This isn't some peculiar spell.
There isn't any trace of an Immortal Art.
It's just...simply, his heart refuses to move his body.
'A mere heart...how dare it...!?'
Bududuk...
Seo Hweol grits his teeth.
Tormenting him all throughout his life has always been the heart.
From the very beginning, it was because he had a heart that he suffered.
'A mere heart!'
Seo Hweol ignores his heart and forcibly raises his hand towards the southern end of the Head Realm.
"A mere heart!!!"
Finally, he grips the southern end of the Head Realm and tightly shuts his eyes.
"...Just what have you done to me this time, Seo Eun-hyun...?"
Just one step forward, and his goal is within reach.
However, that single step.
His heart refuses to let him take it.
The history that Seo Eun-hyun rewrote for Seo Hweol is only one single thing.
The manifestations that Seo Eun-hyun imprinted into Seo Hweol's heart through beatings.
Those hearts were not just simple hearts of the Heart Tribe.
They were strikes infused with the hearts of every person who had been harmed by Seo Hweol throughout Seo Eun-hyun's life.
From Seo Eun-hyun himself, to Gyu Ryeon, Gyu Baek, Yu Hwa, Baek Yeom, slave races, Su In and Hong Yeon, and countless other living beings of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain...
And even [Seo Ran]'s heart!
Seo Eun-hyun engraved all those hearts, even if only in the form of manifestations, into Seo Hweol's heart.
And what Seo Eun-hyun rewrote is this.
To make the will of [Seo Ran], which should have completely melted into Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, remain intact, however [faintly].
If even the faintest trace remains, [Seo Ran] will reawaken through the countless hearts Seo Eun-hyun engraved.
And [Seo Ran] will hold back Seo Hweol's footsteps.
That is the history of Seo Hweol, rewritten by Seo Eun-hyun.
Seo Hweol realizes this fact immediately.
"...I see. So you're still...alive within me, ■■!"
Staring at the Head Realm where Seo Hweol resides, I bite my lip tightly.
'Please, [Seo Ran]. Please...come out.'
The odds are fifty-fifty.
[Seo Ran] will undoubtedly push aside Seo Hweol and emerge through my arrangements.
But the problem is...that place is the Head Realm.
I have no idea what kind of variables might occur.
"Damn it... Damn it... Damn it...!"
For the first time in his life, Seo Hweol spits out crude curses and grits his teeth.
"Just what is...a heart...supposed to mean!?"
Despite everything being right before his eyes, Seo Hweol cannot move because of the aching presence of [Seo Ran]'s heart within his chest.
He remembers Seo Eun-hyun's punches.
He recalls every time Seo Eun-hyun swung his fist, an unknown 'pain' was engraved into him.
Among those pains, there was one that felt familiar.
He remembers Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View.
He remembers the 'gazes' that shone through the hazy mist of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.
Those 'gazes' were undoubtedly familiar.
He remembers Shi Ho's call.
In truth, Shi Ho was an insignificant being who had no connection to him.
However, Shi Ho's 'call' undoubtedly resonated within the depths of Seo Hweol's heart.
And...Seo Hweol realizes the cause of those feelings of déjà vu.
'...Is it you? ■■...'
The words that he will never disappear.
His gaze is reverberating within Seo Hweol's chest.
'I...'
Suddenly, everything feels futile to him.
What if he just lets go...and watches to see what answer [Seo Ran] came up with?
That's how much...
[Seo Ran]'s heart, resonating within Seo Hweol, is overwhelmingly powerful.
Based on [Seo Ran]'s heart, the countless hearts Seo Eun-hyun embedded within Seo Hweol are trying to turn his steps around.
At that moment, Seo Hweol suddenly sees the Sun and Moon of the Head Realm.
He gazes into the light of the Sun and Moon.
Within that light, he recalls his [first parents].
Seo Hweol remembers being loved by them when he was born.
His parents from back then...
"...N...o..."
Seo Hweol grits his teeth as he stares at the light of the Head Realm.
[Seo Ran]'s heart is undeniably intense.
The hearts Seo Eun-hyun arbitrarily implanted within him are also overwhelmingly strong.
However...
Seo Hweol remembers that he, too, possesses a heart.
A fierce hatred begins to rise.
In truth, if it were only hatred, Seo Hweol might not have been able to overcome [Seo Ran] and the other 'hearts.'
But...
Today, Seo Hweol realizes what lies on the other side of this hatred.
He realizes that he's been wanting to see his first parents once again.
Just as the darkest shadows are born from the brightest light, the source of Seo Hweol's hatred is ultimately the hollow existence of his [first parents].
Therefore...
Seo Hweol carries not only hatred but also a faint glimmer of hope.
At least his first parents were real, existing beings.
He has come all the way here for the faint [hope], for the faint light, that he might have once been loved by those real, existing beings.
Seo Hweol's hatred rivaling that of Great Mountain cannot overcome the hearts Seo Eun-hyun has built.
However...
That tiny spark of hope Seo Hweol has discovered deep within his heart!
It allows Seo Hweol to stand against the hearts of Seo Eun-hyun and [Seo Ran]!
"...I..."
Seo Hweol breaks the restraints Seo Eun-hyun has embedded in his chest and slowly reaches his hand towards the southern end of the sky.
The light of the Head Realm is awakening Seo Hweol's hope.
"Must...confirm...!"
At last.
Seo Hweol, still under Seo Eun-hyun's numerous suppressions, reaches out towards the edge of the Head Realm.
Transforming entirely into a mental wave, Seo Hweol directly moves and exits through the Head Realm's forehead.
Or rather, he tries.
Clench!!!
Seo Hweol, whose upper body had been passing through the forehead, is yanked back by a firm hand grabbing his ankle.
That hand grips Seo Hweol tightly and restricts his body with countless demon abilities.
However, that being soon vomits blood under the countless waves surging out of Seo Hweol's body.
The being throws Seo Hweol somewhere far away.
A dimensional gate of the Head Ream is opened and Seo Hweol is sent flying somewhere in the Astral Realm.
The one who threw Seo Hweol sinks beneath the sea of the Head Realm, vomiting blood.
That being is Hong Fan, who has lowered his cultivation to the Four-Axis stage to enter the Head Realm.
"Well done, Hong Fan..."
In the end, I failed to turn Seo Hweol back.
However...
Hong Fan had volunteered to stop Seo Hweol himself.
I explained the dangers of the Head Realm, but Hong Fan insisted he would go, even if it meant lowering his cultivation realm.
And Hong Fan seized a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to pull Seo Hweol out.
'He didn't awaken the Head Realm...'
I let out a sigh of relief.
If Seo Hweol awakened the Head Realm, there would have been no way to deal with the consequences.
I look at the place where Hong Fan threw Seo Hweol.
There, Seo Hweol floats aimlessly in space with a blank expression.
Woooong!
At the same time, Seo Hweol's body inexplicably flickers with the powerful energy of Taiji, growing faint before reappearing in flashes.
'Even if he didn't awaken the Head Realm...that reaction...'
It seems as though he had glimpsed something deep within the Head Realm.
Hong Fan's success in pulling Seo Hweol out was truly thanks to impeccable timing.
If he had grabbed Seo Hweol just a little earlier, Hong Fan himself would have been brainwashed by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens while Seo Hweol was still conscious.
If he had been just a little later, perhaps only Seo Hweol's pants would have remained.
At the exact moment Seo Hweol pushed his head into the secrets of the Head Realm, glimpsed [something], and lost consciousness, Hong Fan had pulled him out.
It was truly an extraordinary decision.
"Rest for now. If it's only the Four-Axis stage, you'll be safe even in the Head Ream... Once you return, I will spare no effort to ensure you reach the Star Shattering stage immediately..."
Woo-woong!
Feeling gratitude towards Hong Fan, I prepare to leap towards Seo Hweol location.
Though Seo Hweol is flickering wildly across the surrounding space, the frequency of his flickering is gradually decreasing.
It seems the effects of the [something] he witnessed in the Head Realm are fading with time.
'...Now, everything is over. Seo Hweol...'
I reach my hand towards Seo Hweol, who for some reason still wears a dazed expression.
When his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens activated, all the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens across the universe disappeared.
Now, the only remaining Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is the one flickering over there.
And because of having witnessed something in the Head Realm, Seo Hweol seems unable to activate Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens any longer in his current state.
In other words, there is only one chance to eradicate Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and awaken Seo Ran—and that is now!
Kugugugugugu!
My hand leaps across the universe and reaches towards where Seo Hweol is.
Just as I am about to seize Seo Hweol,
Paaaatt!
Taiji seems to ripple around Seo Hweol, and Oh Hye-seo appears, snatching his body away.
She quickly begins to flee somewhere.
'It's not Oh Hye-seo's main body...Is it a clone created through Immortal Beast True Blood? Hoo...'
I observe her clone with interest.
As her clone absorbs the Taiji rippling out of the dazed Seo Hweol, she grows faster and stronger.
I immediately grasp the principle behind it at a glance.
'Seo Hweol's body is currently filled with the ancient force he gained from witnessing the Head Realm. And...Oh Hye-seo is able to absorb that ancient force for herself?'
She accelerates more and more, soon leaping light-years away like someone in the Star Shattering stage.
Of course, this isn't true Star Shattering-level power, but rather a massive amplification of power through the Immortal Beast True Blood due to the ancient force emanating from Seo Hweol.
It's quite a bold act.
Despite the fear of being caught by me, daring to come here to rescue Seo Hweol...
It seems that she, too, has undergone a slight change of heart.
But that's all there is.
Wo-woong!
I clench my fist.
From thousands of light-years away, Oh Hye-seo begins to be drawn into my grasp.
I have the confidence to reverse-track her clone's energy and pull her main body here in one go.
[Come, Oh Hye-seo. Come here...]
Struck with horror, she seems to be trying to escape my attraction force while holding the dazed Seo Hweol.
But it's useless.
Even if she somehow gained the power of the Star Shattering stage through luck, it doesn't matter.
Between her and me lies an insurmountable wall.
She is already nothing more than an insignificant being (微物).
And that...applies to Seo Hweol as well, who has now consumed all of his Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and is now half out of his mind.
[You two can no longer escape this Immortal's grasp.]
I have already decided how to deal with Oh Hye-seo.
I gave her countless chances. The number of opportunities alone I gave her to correct her nature as she lived as a Candle Dragon surpassed thousands.
Yet she kicked away every chance and even attempted to kill Shi Ho.
Now, there will be no more chances.
Her flesh will be modified into a living puppet by Kim Yeon, her soul refined into a Ghost King by Kang Min-hee, and she will be turned into a puppet dharma treasure that practices the Ghost Path Method—eventually becoming one of our Immortal Treasures.
And Seo Hweol will never be able to come back to life.
All that will remain in this world will be [Seo Ran]...
It's just when I think so,
Deeeng—
A faint sound of a brahma bell rings, and I realize the stars around me have stopped moving.
At the same time, the flames of the nearby fixed stars freeze.
The Sacred Masters and True Persons who have been communicating with me fall silent.
My comrades, who have been raising a celebratory toast, freeze in place.
'This is...'
Time in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain has momentarily stopped.
And then—
A familiar old man appears before my eyes.
The Immortal Treasure of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.
South Polar Ritual Treasure, Yeong Seung.
I no longer feel the same fear as before and calmly ask,
[What brings you here, Agent of Time?]
Yeong Seung asks me with a dry expression.
[You have tampered with providence. Did you stop the End of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain?]
Seeing Yeong Seung's demeanor, I feel relieved.
The fact that he chooses to speak through mental speech in consideration for me means he holds some goodwill towards me.
[That is correct.]
[...Your recent actions have disrupted providence, resonating and spreading widely with the beings who govern 'Death,' 'End,' and 'Restart.' Moreover...it caused a powerful vibration impossible for us gods of the Time lineage to overlook.]
Yeong Seung continues speaking with an indifferent face.
[In particular, it directly resonated with me, the agent of the Lord, and with the Lord's direct disciples. And...while I do not care, one faction among the Lord's direct disciples have been deeply angered by you. They will soon descend upon the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain to judge you and your associates.]
[...Who are they?]
At my words, Yeong Seung lowers his voice and responds.
[Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords (北斗七天君). Comparable to the Underworld Ten Kings of the Netherworld, they will soon descend using their pawns within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.]
I let out a low hum at his words.
[Why are you telling me this? Are you not on the same side?]
[They differ in opinion from me. More importantly...the Lord has shown you respect. That alone is far more than enough of a reason enough for me to aid you.]
Wo-woong!
Yeong Seung clenches his fist and extends something towards me.
It is a small celestial sphere, resembling the main body of the South Polar Ritual Treasure Yeong Seung.
[The Great Desolate Path of Golden Divine is an imitation of me. Because of that, I can intervene to some extent. If you go to the Lightning Sacred Sea and use this celestial sphere, you'll be able to activate the Great Desolate Path once. Use it to escape to another Heavenly Domain.]
I look at him and ask one question.
[Can my comrades move with me as well?]
[If you force them in, one other person could accompany you. But anymore is difficult. I have no interest in your comrades]
[...Then I refuse.]
If I leave my comrades behind and they are all torn apart by enraged True Immortals, as happened during the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra incident, what would I do then?
At my words, Yeong Seung furrows his brow.
[That is foolish. They will not descend in their main bodies but rather project themselves through their pawns in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. But even so, their projections are strong. Each and every one of them can annihilate all the mortal beings in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. If all seven descend, even killing Blood Yin would not be impossible for them.]
[...If they are such beings, then all the more reason for me to bring my comrades along. If I cannot go with them, I will not go at all.]
[...Foolish. Unless you are at the level of Vast Cold in their youth, you cannot stop them.]
[That may be true. However...]
I calmly convey my will to Yeong Seung.
[Running away alone, without doing anything...is something I hate more than death.]
I've already experienced such pain deep in my bones under the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
I will not endure such suffering again.
Even if we all have to die together!
Yeong Seung stares at me silently for a moment, then lets out a small sigh. He hands me the celestial sphere and turns around.
[Do as you wish. If this is your will, I will not stop you.]
Wo-woong!
With those words, Yeong Seung disappears from sight.
And from where he vanishes, a brief echo of his voice lingers, breathing hope into me.
[Among your subordinates, the one called Yeo Hwi is a pawn of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords. Originally, their descent requires the power of forty-nine Entering Nirvana beings. With one missing, their descent will be incomplete. To the point where even with seven, they probably will not be able to catch Blood Yin. This is the only aid I can offer you.]
[I will accept it gratefully.]
I take the celestial sphere and store it within my domain for now.
It is said receiving something from True Immortals brings misfortune, but this is a time where I must accept it.
This is, quite literally, the final bastion.
Kigigigik!
I turn my gaze towards a point in the universe.
As Yeong Seung said, somewhere in the sky, familiar figures are at work.
They are all too familiar.
[Truly, you all share such a sickening ill-fate with this Immortal.]
The nearly fifty Entering Nirvanas who have been bothering me since the Nether Ghost Realm!
Now reduced to forty-eight with Yeo Hwi's absence, these Entering Nirvana True Persons are linking their star veins together, drawing some kind of star vein formation in the cosmic space.
I glance between them and Seo Hweol before extending my hand towards Seo Hweol.
Woo-woong!
A Gang Sphere clone extends from my hand and flies towards Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo.
[Capture Oh Hye-seo and witness Seo Hweol's conclusion.]
At this point, that is the extent of their significance to me.
To prepare to face the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, who are said will appear to threaten me, I begin flying towards the star vein formation.