Chapter 540: Vast Cold's Descendant (3)
The beginning is marked by my voice, declaring the start of the battle.
[Stars of the nations, hear me.]
Dudududu!
The star veins of the entire universe begin to twist under my will.
At the same time, starlight begins to rearrange itself around me, who radiates waves of immense power.
Though the actual constellations remain unmoved, the illusions of constellations are projected across the universe, arranged by my will like the projections of True Immortals.
A total of thirty-six projections of fixed stars are arranged around me.
Everything is aligned according to the orientation of the Six Harmonies. Six stars facing upward towards the heavenly direction, six stars facing downward towards the earthly direction.In the four directions—east, west, south, and north—six stars are arranged in a row in each direction.
The distance between each fixed star is 100 light-years.
A spherical star vein formation with a radius of approximately seven hundred light-years centered on me takes shape.
The sheer size of the star vein formation is enough to engulf an entire tidal tail.
[I declare. This place shall be this Immortal's Sword Enclosure, forged in my name and made into a vast battlefield.]
This is one of the basic Immortal Arts of Entering Nirvana True Persons, taught to me by Yeo Hwi, called Opening Enclosure (開垣).
The effect of Opening Enclosure is to assimilate the interior of the star vein formation with one's inner Star Enclosure.
Chiiiiiing!
Within the star vein formation, boundaries of sky and ground begin to form.
At the same time, attraction force emerges on the ground, and the four directions of east, west, south, and north take shape centered on me.
Sword mountains of colorless glass sprout from the earth, filling the world.
The inside of the Colorless Sword Enclosure becomes a world with six stars underground, six stars in the sky dome, and six stars each in east, west, south, and north.
The projections of the fixed stars, forming the foundation of these stars, begin to manifest the Colorless Sword Enclosure.
Hwarururuk!
As I shoot out Star Tribulation and supply star veins to the stars I just projected, the projections of the fixed stars, which serve as the axis of the star vein formation, become even more solidified, beginning to substantially reveal the Colorless Sword Enclosure.
Those countless actions happen in a fleeting moment, and I instantly shift the battlefield to a place advantageous to me as I glance around at the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords and the Entering Nirvana True Persons.
Dududududu!
My gaze alone makes them flinch and step back slightly.
I can feel it.
Right now, I am [absolute].
There is no need to use the Immortal Speech of the True Immortals.
Just a simple mental speech, something any cultivator can use, is enough.
[Come in.]
: : ...In the name of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords. Immortal Treasure Seven Stars Harnessing God Banner (七星借神幡), descend upon this place...! : :
Flash, flash, flash!
Seven beams of light flicker beyond the distant sky, and in an instant, seven clusters of light are summoned to this place.
Jjeooong!
They are banners.
On the surface of each banner, it seems as if one star is sealed within. While the power of an individual banner might not seem significant, the combined momentum of the seven banners is substantial.
On one side of each banner, the words Seven Stars Harnessing God (七星借神) are inscribed, and on the reverse side, Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal (北斗封仙) is written.
Clang, clang, clang!
Between the seven banners, I briefly glimpse an energy akin to chains.
I can feel it.
If I am struck by those seven banners, my power will be bound by those chain-like things.
Wo-woong!
It seems the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banners are not even ordinary Sacred Vessels, but instead operate using the split souls of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords.
While they might not be as convenient as Sacred Vessels, the connection to the main bodies must be incredibly strong if they are activated in such a way.
However, even with such fearsome Immortal Treasures appearing—
Even with the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords abandoning their Transformation states and gradually changing into forms resembling the stars of the universe, pressing down on me—
Even with forty-eight Entering Nirvana cultivators surrounding me, growling—
I do not feel as if I will lose.
The only thing that catches my eye is...the energy emanating from the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banners they hold.
It is the [power of the seven stars] I can sense from them.
That's right. Seven Stars (七星).
That is...
An energy all too familiar to me.
[...It was you all along.]
I grit my teeth and pull up the corners of my mouth.
Truly...
I wanted to see them.
If they had tangible forms, I wanted to face them, even if just once.
To me, the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords are...
Existences with a truly, truly deep connection with me.
[Are you...the divine spirits overseeing the Qi Refining Seven Stars Ritual...?]
No, there is no need to ask.
Because the [wisdom] conveyed to me through the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banners they summoned already says as much.
That the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords are the divine entities presiding over the Seven Stars Ritual of the Qi Refining stage.
Yes.
The twenty-eight stars I had cried out to in the heavens over and over again.
The ones who govern the power associated with those twenty-eight stars are none other than the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords.
[Come. Truly, I have long...wished to compete with you...!]
Then, the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords begin to unleash their power.
Wiiiiiiing!
Their prophecy imprints itself upon the world through sheer will, and stars begin to form.
However, the Colorless Sword Enclosure has already been unfolded.
Boo-woong!
When I swing the form of Treading Heaven, countless rays of light seem to shoot sideways before piercing into the glass sword mountains and reflecting off them like mirrors, crashing into the forming stars and shattering them.
The Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords begin to move.
Wiiiiiing!
In their forms akin to stars, they start to circle around me, summoning their disciples.
Forty-eight True Persons join the battle.
They follow in the wake of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, spiraling around me in a circle.
Then, at some point—
Centered on the rotation of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, some kind of formation is laid out, and that formation is 'overlaid' on the domain of my Colorless Sword Enclosure.
It must be the Star Enclosure of one of the Entering Nirvanas.
All of Heaven and Earth becomes engulfed by a burning tree.
At the same time, a certain will emanates from the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords.
Seven Stars Harnessing God.
Kugugugugu!
The seven banners tremble violently and starlight bursts forth from them, piercing into my body like spears.
Kwaching!
But it's laughable.
The starlight shatters with a single exertion of strength that is amplified by Heaven, Earth, Heart, and Wheel.
Impermanence Sword.
Heavenly Shatter Impermanence (天碎無常).
This is the Impermanence Sword, the Ultimate Will of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.
Naturally, Crystal Glass to Treading Sea Nine Categories Form can also be unfolded through the Impermanence Sword.
Kwarurururung!
For an instant, I enlarge my form and slam my fist into the 'overlaid' reality.
There is no loud sound.
Instead, reality itself seems to shatter like a sheet of glass, and from the point where my fist strikes, hundred millions of streaks of slashes erupt outward.
With that single strike, the groundless domain overlaid by the True Persons is erased, and my Sword Enclosure is revealed once more.
Impermanence Sword.
Sword Sea Impermanence (劍海無常).
Chwararararak!
The Colorless Glass Sword, transformed into Glass True Fire, begins to dance in response to the Impermanence Sword.
Below my feet, a mandala symbolizing Sword Sea Impermanence is drawn, and countless trajectories begin to stretch out from me as the center.
Piiing, piiing, ping, pingpingping!
The trajectories, like rays of light, are absorbed into the glass sword mountains scattered across the Sword Enclosure.
At the same time, the glass sword mountains, imbued with the trajectories, begin to reflect them in all directions like mirrors reflecting light.
Using the effect of retribution that is the inherent property of the Impermanence Sword, the trajectories are 'given and received' between the sword mountains within my Sword Enclosure.
Chwararararak!
The phenomenon of the trajectory reflecting off one sword mountain, illuminating another sword mountain, and then continuously scattering as it passes through yet another sword mountain, endlessly continues.
In an instant, the entire Sword Enclosure fills with sword trajectories under my will.
Flash!
Heaven and Earth become filled with sword trajectories.
Amidst these trajectories, I leisurely observe the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords.
Then, the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord exerts their power.
Kurururururu!
The body of the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord seems to rotate, transforming into a black hole of the universe.
Chwajajajak!
All the trajectories I released are sucked into the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord and nullified.
The Giant Gate Heavenly Lord rapidly devours my trajectories.
I smile faintly.
[What I unleashed is not something as simple as a spell.]
Immediately after, the body of the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord explodes.
Boom!
Naturally, within these trajectories, the principle of Kunlun from the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship is embedded.
The trajectories carrying the principle of Kunlun etch the principle of purity inside the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord's body. Even though they have transformed into a black hole of the universe, they cannot overcome the purity carved within them and begin to collapse.
Kurururu!
The body of the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord seems to boil, rapidly changing form as if trying to regain stability.
At the same time, the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord and the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord rush at me from behind, pressing me down with attraction force and launching an attack using the True Persons.
However, I ignore all those attacks and charge straight at the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord, extending a single sword strike.
With that, countless trajectories once again pour onto the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord.
They attempt to avoid, nullify, or deflect the trajectories...but it's futile.
[I told you. This isn't some mere Immortal Art that casually fires beams from afar!]
Some people occasionally misunderstand.
They think that when one reaches the realms of Qi Commands Sword and Heart Commands Sword, one no longer needs to move their limbs, simply nodding their head to slaughter enemies from afar.
But I can state with certainty—that is wrong.
How could one become lazier as they rise higher in realms?
A true Heart Commands Sword means that one's actions have become perfectly synchronized with the speed of their heart.
Chwararararak!
If observed closely at each trajectory piercing the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord, my forms are faintly reflected within them.
Indeed.
This is not simply a form of firing trajectories.
Just like in the case of Gang Sphere clones, I separate my heart essence clones, and through those separated heart essence clones, I move at the speed of my heart to 'directly' swing my sword at the enemy before my eyes.
The form of Entering Heaven is me moving at the speed of light, completing a predetermined sequence of movements and wielding my sword.
The form of Treading Heaven is me separating my heart essence at speeds faster than light and then having those separated heart essences carry the sword of my heart directly to strike.
That's all it is.
A martial artist who has reached a higher realm does not grow lazy.
Instead, they move even faster and with even greater clarity.
Therefore, as long as one simply considers my attack as some long-range Immortal Art, it is absolutely impossible to devour or deflect them.
The life of a swordsman is ultimately close combat.
Everything visible now is no different from me directly holding and swinging my sword.
It's just...the number of heart essence clones is astronomically high.
Kiiiiiiing!
The trajectories of light, my clones, and the Impermanence Swords begin to draw countless trajectories.
And in an instant.
Flash!
Light explodes.
Within the cradle of light formed by Entering Heaven and Treading Heaven, the projection of the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord completely collapses.
It is then.
Clang!
One of the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banners, held by the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord, flies straight towards my body.
Simultaneously, the characters written on the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banner shine.
Seven Stars Harnessing God.
Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal.
Along with that, the form of the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banner begins to glow within the starlight and transforms.
It takes the form of a flag.
Wisdom floods into my mind, and I recognize the name of this immortal treasure.
Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag (北斗封仙旗).
Kwaaaak!
At that moment, I feel as if a heavy shackle has been placed on my body, and the Seven Stars Harnessing God Banner, now transformed into the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag, embeds itself into me.
'This...is a seal!'
I immediately understand what the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord has done.
'Did they set a condition for a prophecy?'
A condition-bound prophecy that if they were to die, this Seven Stars Harnessing God Flag would reveal another form and fly straight into me.
I had heard from Yeo Hwi that such condition-bound prophecies hold far stronger attraction force.
Especially if the condition is tied to the life of the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord's projection—then even more so!
But...
Regardless, I have finished off the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord.
Kwaaaang!
After utterly crushing the projection of the Giant Gate Heavenly Lord, I stretch my hand towards the approaching projection of the Greedy Wolf Heavenly Lord.
Impermanence Sword.
Ghost-Face Killing Heavenly Order (鬼面戮天常).
In an instant, the atmosphere of the entire Colorless Sword Enclosure changes.
Tattered giants formed from my corpses begin to gather and appear throughout the area, and the power of death fills the heavens.
The body of the Greedy Wolf Heavenly Lord becomes an enormous blue supergiant star.
Kwarurururur!
The massive blue supergiant star grows large enough to cover the entire Colorless Sword Enclosure, pressing down upon me.
Simultaneously, the Greedy Wolf Heavenly Lord's Seven Stars Harnessing God Banner condenses starlight and presses down on me.
Chwarurururuk!
However, I begin scattering the power of death.
[Stop him!!!!!]
[Stop the return!!! Of Vast Cold!!!]
The Entering Nirvana True Persons revolve around me, constructing countless curses, Immortal Arts, spells, and formations.
My body feels heavy, and misfortune clings to me through prophecies.
But it's only for a moment.
Wiiiiing!
Heaven, Earth, Heart, and Wheel rotate behind me, amplifying my power. I add the power of death to this amplified force and launch it towards the blue supergiant star.
Chwarurururuk!
Liquefied death energy envelops the blue supergiant star.
At the same time, the temperature of the blue supergiant star begins to drop.
Blue, blue-white, white, golden, orange, sunset, red...
The gradually cooling supergiant star is soon completely devoured by the aura of death and vanishes.
[Guaaaaaaah!]
The interference of countless Entering Nirvana True Persons weighs down on my body, and the prophecies of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords press upon me.
But they cannot withstand overwhelming [power].
Kwarurururung!
Ignoring the curses, Immortal Arts, and everything else binding my feet to the fate of defeat, I charge directly into the collapsing center of the blue supergiant star, clad in the power of death.
Kwaaaang!
Covered in the Impermanence Sword of death energy, I pierce through the blue supergiant star and burst out to the exterior of the Colorless Sword Enclosure.
The projection of the Greedy Wolf Heavenly Lord, pierced through its center by me, perishes.
At the same time, I feel the persistent will of the Greedy Wolf Heavenly Lord clinging to me.
Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag.
Kwaaang!
Their Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag flies toward me and embeds itself. The second flag resonates with the first already embedded in me, and I can feel some kind of connection forming between the two flags.
Kwadududuk!
The Sealing Immortal Flags press down on me once more.
Next is the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord.
I descend towards the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord and slam their form into a nearby glass sword mountain.
Kwajangchang!
Yet, they seem entirely unscathed. Their countless [arms], having become their very being itself, unfold graceful palm and hand techniques with their hundreds of millions of arms, pressing down on me.
Though grotesque in appearance, their form reveals a certain level of insight into Martial Arts, much like the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
The touch of the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord feels, quite literally, like a song of Martial Arts.
However, that is all.
Impermanence Sword.
Twin Flowers.
Black-White Impermanence (黑白無常).
The power of death transforms into the power of curses and blessings.
With it, two colossal giants appear above and below the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord.
Black Impermanence.
White Impermanence.
The black and white giants draw power from the Source River, the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, the Interdimensional Void, and the Netherworld, crushing countless arms of the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord with death energy itself.
The black and white giants, imbued with the authority of death borrowed from the four dimensions.
The giants' forms begin to change.
In an instant, the giants become Taiji.
They close the distance towards the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord and crush their projection entirely, grinding it to dust.
The projection of the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord is consumed and extinguished within the Taiji.
Flash!
At the same time, another Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag flies towards me and embeds itself.
Clang!
The connection with the two previous flags begins, and I feel my body being pressed down even further.
Giant Gate, Greedy Wolf, Martial Melody.
The projections of the three Heavenly Lords are swept away at once.
In the next moment—
Kwaaaang!
The colossal forms of the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord and the Literary Melody Heavenly Lord crash down upon me.
Strangely, the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord still remains in their Transformation state, while the Literary Melody Heavenly Lord spins wildly in the form of a neutron star, chanting countless invocations.
With every rotation, dozens of invocations burst out from within the neutron star.
Though not Immortal Arts, the countless sealing invocations spread across Heaven and Earth like curses, binding me tightly.
Impermanence Sword.
Wind-Painting Impermanence.
Kwarurururung!
The sword trajectories whirl madly.
Empowered by the strength of interstellar winds, the spiraling trajectories align with the rotation and frequency of the neutron star, finding a gap to pierce through its attraction force waves.
In an instant, my Impermanence Sword shatters the Literary Melody Heavenly Lord in one strike.
Kwaaaang!
Dozens of Entering Nirvana True Persons within its path burst apart, rendered completely incapacitated.
[Kuaaaah!]
[Run away!!!]
[Vast Cold!! If Vast Cold has not returned, how can an Entering Nirvana wield the power of an Upper Immortal...!?]
[What is this!? Just what is this!!??]
The Entering Nirvana True Persons flounder in panic.
I quickly turn around to intercept the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord, but instead, what greets me is the Literary Melody Heavenly Lord's Sealing Immortal Flag.
Kwaaang!
Four Sealing Immortal Flags are pierced into my body.
Kwajijijik!
The Preserving Wealth Heavenly Lord and the Integrity Chastity Heavenly Lord trace the shape of Taiji (太極) as they transform into nebulas and begin to spin in the sky.
Kurururung!
Between the two Heavenly Lords, who govern opposing concepts, a powerful repulsive force is generated, and Heavenly Lightning falls to the ground.
Kwaaaang!
The impact of the Heavenly Lightning shakes the entire Colorless Sword Enclosure, and the manifestation of the star vein formation begins to waver.
At the same time, from the point where the Heavenly Lightning struck, nebulae converge and form several stars that prophesize my fate.
A vision of my sequential defeat is carried within them.
Chiiiiiii—
However, I begin to release the mist of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections from my entire body.
[With just this...you dare capture this Immortal...? Haha, ahahahaha!]
Kwaaaang!
Impermanence Sword.
Torch of Myriad Forms and Connections.
The Impermanence Sword ignites, and the Torch of Myriad Forms and Connections lights up.
At the same time, the Candle Dragon True Blood burns to its extreme, drawing gigantic power from within me.
If the power of the Heaven Tribe is attraction force, then the power of the Earth Tribe is explosion.
Overwhelming explosion.
[B E G O N E!!!]
Simultaneously, an explosion begins from within me.
Though faint, the Colorless Sword Enclosure is still the Colorless Sword Enclosure.
The entire Colorless Sword Enclosure becomes infused with the jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements.
[Great Mountain!]
Dududududu!
The Entering Nirvana True Persons thrash about wildly.
[Huaaaaaah!!!]
[Run away!!!]
[Vast Cold!!! The Vast Cold Heavenly Lord has returned!!!]
The projections of the Preserving Wealth Heavenly Lord and the Integrity Chastity Heavenly Lord merely murmur as they look at me with conflicted expressions.
: : The sprout must be uprooted... : :
: : Are we not enough...? Such humiliation from 500,000 years ago must never happen again... : :
In the next moment.
[Splitting Emperor!]
The power of the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique bursts forth, and everything within the Colorless Sword Enclosure.
Everything existing within a radius of 700 light-years is split into seven parts in the Plane of Qi and vanishes completely.
Then, two Sealing Immortal Flags fly toward me.
Kwang, kwaang!
Clang!
A total of six Sealing Immortal Flags are embedded into my body, and six chains bind me.
Chiiiiii—
I glance around at the dimmed surroundings.
All that remains is the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord.
However, I cannot see victory for the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord.
: : ...The scale of your power is so immense that even with the sealing in progress, it takes time for the seal to fully manifest... To the point where even we, the subordinates of Time, cannot intervene... : :
[...Haha...]
At that moment, I realize what they have been doing all this time.
The subordinates of the Heavenly Venerable of Time, the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, have been continuously casting a specific Immortal Art on me.
It is none other than the Immortal Art of Time Acceleration.
The reason they could create stars in an instant is likely related to this.
While the sealing power of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags are remarkable, the sheer magnitude of the power I've amplified is so enormous that the sealing itself requires an immense amount of time.
However, even in the accelerated time, I possess such overwhelming amplified power that I am not sealed.
No, I will be sealed...but it seems it will take time to reach that point.
: : How regrettable. If only we had a little more time, this might have been a fight worth attempting... : :
The Breaking Army Heavenly Lord finishes speaking, gripping their Seven Stars Harnessing God Banner with gleaming eyes.
: : In the name of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, I prophesize... : :
I extend a single palm.
My palm becomes a mass of [power].
Carrying the power of the Impermanence Sword, it advances, growing so vast it seems as though it could swallow the entirety of Heaven and Earth.
The prophecy the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord was about to utter shatters completely, and my palm engulfs them, even collapsing a corner of the universe.
Kwarurururung!
It is a single palm akin to a single strike from the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord or an attack from Blood Yin with all his might.
Kururururung!
: : ...We will remember you... : :
With those final words, the projection of the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord crumbles beneath my strike.
After the Breaking Army Heavenly Lord vanishes, the prophecy of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag activated with their demise as a condition, strikes me, and the seven Immortal Treasures of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords pierce into my body, crushing me.
Kudududududuk!
A pressure beyond imagination tries to seal my authority.
However...
This power, boiling from Heaven, Earth, Heart, and Wheel, surpassing even volcanic eruptions and like the solar winds, is not so easily sealed.
If given enough time, I would eventually be sealed...
But I see no need for that and instead begin shattering the seal with the authority I still possess.
Kwaching!
With a single exertion of strength, a terrifying wave spreads across the entire universe.
With it, the countless remaining Entering Nirvana True Persons flee completely.
They must have concluded that there is no longer any chance of victory against me.
I ignore them and exert even more strength into my body.
It's then.
Kururururung!
Flinch!
I sense someone approaching me, leaping across vast light-years of distance.
A familiar presence.
A familiar foreboding, a familiar malice...
It is Ja Eum, dressed in a purple robe, and Blood Yin, dressed in a dark-red robe.
[...Blood Yin.]
I stare at him and speak with a complicated expression.
[For aiding me...I offer my gratit—]
But Blood Yin opens his mouth.
[From now on.]
His voice interrupts mine, and his eyes begin vomiting sinister light.
[Prove yourself before me.]
Kugugugugu!
Ja Eum, with a strangely happy expression, is absorbed into Blood Yin. Blood Yin then begins to gradually reveal his main body, spreading thick murderous intent towards me.
: : Are you truly the workings of the Imperial Venerable? If so, you will survive. If not, you will face demise by my hands, your soul extracted and refined into an Immortal Treasure. : :
Kugugugugugu!
I swallow hard as I see this sight.
I had thought the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords were the final and greatest obstacle left before me.
I was wrong.
The final trial of the 999th cycle is none other than Blood Yin, who now demands proof from me.
: : Prove that you are worthy of bearing the Wheel! : :