Chapter 562: Earth Immortal (3)
A world of endless darkness.
The Underworld.
A certain will was transmitted there.
It was a will mingled with the scent of thousands, no, hundreds of millions of corpses.
: : I T I S N O W Y O U M U S T A C T : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am, was communicating with the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
From within the deep darkness, a certain gaze extended outward, heading somewhere.
In that place, there was a vision of Hon Won, who was granted his Immortal Title by Gwak Am, and Yeon Wei, whose fate had been toyed with by Them. The twisted history of these two unfolded, and the stars of fate marked by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity collapsed.However, even as the stars of fate crumbled, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity appeared unconcerned.
As if the deaths of Hon Won and Yeon Wei at that moment fulfilled Their plan.
Wo-woong!
The gaze emerging from the deep darkness shifted toward a different place.
It is the place where Oh Hye-seo, who was struck by Hon Won's Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique before his death, was located.
Deep within Oh Hye-seo's soul.
After the Great Mountain Supreme Deity recognized Seo Eun-hyun's plan, They tolerated the collapse of the stars of fate and used Hon Won's Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique as a medium to transfer Their Immortal Title deep within Oh Hye-seo's spirit.
Then, in the moment she was transported to the True Devil Realm by Seo Hweol—
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity activated Their power.
Using the remnant of Yu Hao Te left in the True Devil Realm, They manipulated the Karmic Fire from Cedarwood Painting to converge.
Huarurururuk!
The Karmic Fire clung to Oh Hye-seo, who had fallen into the True Devil Realm.
On that day, Oh Hye-seo died once.
And then...
She revived from death, together with her authority.
To be precise, the Immortal Title of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity fused with her authority, forcibly resurrecting her.
Afterward, using the power of the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, They expelled the Karmic Fire from her body. Thus, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity selected Oh Hye-seo as the new medium to entrust Their Immortal Title.
Taking advantage of the gap created when Blood Yin self-destructed and a hole was torn in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity summoned Oh Hye-seo to Their own domain.
The Karmic Fire left in the True Devil Realm was naturally returned to the Netherworld, and Oh Hye-seo, now in the grasp of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, was utterly crushed and experienced death once again.
In that state, They contacted the Underworld.
: : W H I L E T H E E N D E R S D I V E R T T H E G A Z E O F L I G H T ... W E M U S T P R O C E E D T O T H E A U D I E N C E C H A M B E R . P L E A S E C O M E F O R T H : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity's message caused tension among all beings of the Underworld.
Now, the grand plan their Imperial Venerable has spoken of all this time was about to begin.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, the Liberation Supreme Deity, and others were to collaborate and launch an assault on the Head Realm.
However, at that moment,
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld uttered a statement no one could comprehend.
At first, the Yama True Lord Yan Luo, initially assumed they received the message incorrectly.
But to them, the commands of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld are absolute, so Yan Luo conveyed the response as they received it.
: : The Imperial Venerable states, it is not permissible. : :
: : W H A T ? : :
For a moment, there was no reply from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's side.
Then, after a brief silence, a response filled with wrath arrived.
: : F O R T H I S M O M E N T ... I H A V E S E T T H E B O A R D S I N C E F I F T Y T H O U S A N D Y E A R S A G O . T A K I N G A D V A N T A G E O F B O N G M Y E O N G ' S A D V A N C E M E N T W I T H O U T A N Y O N E N O T I C I N G ... N OT T O M E N T I O N A L L T H E P R E P A R A T I O N S M A D E E V E N B E F O R E T H A T ... A N D N O W , W I T H O U T A N Y P R O P E R E X P L A N A T I O N ... Y O U S A Y W H A T ? : :
: : The Imperial Venerable has deemed the chances of success to be insufficient. Great Mountain Supreme Deity must— : :
: : D O Y O U N O T I N T E N D T O A V E N G E T H E G R U D G E O F M Y M A S T E R ? : :
Then, a will flowed out from the depths of the Underworld, responding personally instead of Yan Luo.
Not permissible.
And then, the overwhelming voice of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, filled with immense wrath, resounded through the Underworld.
: : T H E N ... I T O O W I L L N O L O N G E R H O L D B A C K . I W I L L N O L O N G E R R E S P E C T Y O U , W H O H A S B E C O M E S E N I L E : :
At Their words, all the Reapers and Judges OF the Underworld ignited their flames in fury.
The entire Underworld seemed to hum with their rage.
: : T H E A L L I A N C E S H A L L B E T E R M I N A T E D : :
Kugugugugu!
With that, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's response was cut off.
However, the being in the deepest and darkest depths watched the place where the Great Mountain Supreme Deity resides.
Earth Axis Heavenly Domain.
A devilish world, filled with pain, groans, and darkness.
There, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity raises Their hand.
In Their hand is something new.
It is none other than the Salt Mountain formed of Salt Crystals which Seo Eun-hyun had hurled away into the Interdimensional Void after sending off Baek Rin and Yuk Yo after encountering the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Wiiiiiing!
The light of the Salt Mountain seemed to respond to the will of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, brightly illuminating the surroundings.
: : The shrine of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity shall open its doors and welcome the successor. : :
Flash!
In an instant, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity was sucked into the depths of the Salt Mountain within the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain.
Pasasasa!
The Salt Mountain made of Salt Crystals appeared to shine in the void before completely vanishing.
What remained in the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain were the corpses ruthlessly crushed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's authority,
The malicious spirits that had grown by devouring Their power,
And finally, Oh Hye-seo, who, after being crushed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, was now in the process of reviving by absorbing the surrounding energy.
From the depths of the darkness, the observing being quietly muttered.
: : Did They consume the relic of Their predecessor to reach the Outer Sea...? : :
With that, the vision flooding my mind ends.
'This memory is...'
It is the memory of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld!
The being has shown me where the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has disappeared to and how Oh Hye-seo, who had been far from Blood Yin at the time, ended up in the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain.
Ziiiiing!
As I finish watching the scenes of the past, I sense a will surging into my mind.
It is a deep and vast will.
—They are preparing a mantra that transcends imagination. Keep annihilation in mind.
Paaaatt!
I step back into reality.
At the same time, as I confirm the presence of Ham Jin and Yu Hwi as they pass through the outskirts of the Underworld, I completely withdraw from the Underworld.
'A mantra transcending imagination? Keep annihilation in mind?"
It is a warning from the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
'For now...I understand why the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld abruptly canceled the plan to invade the Audience Chamber.'
That being perceives the regressions and must know that entering the Audience Chamber in the previous cycle resulted in defeat.
Thanks to the regression, the calamity was averted, and so was the event that could have led to the annihilation of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, Liberation Supreme Deity, and Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
'Knowing there is no chance of success, the long-prepared plan was suddenly abandoned. However, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity was not fully informed due to certain reasons. I was also wondering why the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, who occupies the Seat of Repentant Enlightenment and is an existence that is a superior counterpart of myself, was so persistently desiring me but...it was because the alliance was broken.'
I come to understand the truth behind several matters.
'That said...a mantra transcending imagination? Keep annihilation in mind?'
I mull over the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld's warning again.
'If the being that entered the Audience Chamber countless times and always returned alive is referring to a [mantra transcending imagination]...just what could it be? Is there a different mantra other than the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra?'
If someone like Golden Shaking Bird told me to [beware of a mantra transcending imagination], I'd have hung them upside down and beaten them instead.
But...
The words were spoken by none other than the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, known as [the Oldest One].
'If a being who even witnessed the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord says it transcends imagination...If a being who has accumulated immeasurable experience over endless years claims it transcends imagination...'
I swallow my saliva.
At the time of the Wuji Religious Order's annihilation.
Seeing the Great Mountain Supreme Deity gently stroke the Salt Mountain after taking it from me alone made it clear there is something special about it.
Of course, I didn't know that if consumed, it could fly straight to the Outer Sea.
'That Salt Mountain is an artifact that leads to Penglai Island. In that case, is Penglai Island located somewhere in the Outer Sea? When Gwak Am and I properly forged our senior-junior brother bond last time in Penglai Island, was it just a split soul? Or does using the Salt Mountain only allow sending a part of the main body...? In any case, that's not what's important.'
What's important is that the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am, consumed the Salt Mountain made of Salt Crystals to silently fly without a trace towards Penglai Island [with Their main body].
'If even the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld cannot observe the Outer Sea, does that mean the Radiance Hall also cannot observe the Outer Sea? And Gwak Am...in the Outer Sea that no one can observe, are They preparing an Immortal Art that the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld described as a [mantra that transcends imagination]?'
My thoughts become complicated.
It is while I am pondering over the warning given by the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
Kururung!
"What!?"
As I return my split soul to my main body and come to my senses, I notice thunderclouds swirling in the void.
"Th-That is...!"
Kwarururung!
From within the thunderclouds, red lightning flashes.
Then...a deafening roar shakes the entirety of the Divine Thunder Realm.
[KUUUUAAAH!!!]
Kwaaang!
The sound of thunder shakes the ground.
The thunderclouds coalesce into a spherical form.
In an instant, the thunderclouds vanish from the lower realm.
'He's risen...to the Plane of True Immortality! This means...'
I rise to the True Immortal Plane, and as expected, Golden Shaking Bird is witnessing the birth of a new domain of thunder and lightning in the True Immortal Realm.
Kururung!
As Jeon Myeong-hoon's Great Heavenly Rain of the Charged Lightning Veil transforms, it creates a strange world where lightning falls like rain.
I look at that world and smile bitterly.
Within Jeon Myeong-hoon's world, the thunderclouds seem to move endlessly, as if forming some shape.
It is a face.
The cherished faces from the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect are etched into those thunderclouds.
Pajijijijik!
At the center of the thunderclouds, I see the face of Jin So-hae engraved.
Kururung!
As red lightning appears to cascade from Jin So-hae's face, a spirit (精靈) composed of lightning itself seems to emerge beneath her visage.
The lightning spirit, clad in fluttering immortal attire made of crimson lightning, is a man with red eyes who lets his long crimson hair of lightning flow down.
The red-eyed man reaches out towards the face in the sky, but Jin So-hae's face dissipates like a fleeting cloud.
Seeing this, he wears a bitter expression, pulls out a withered hand from his chest, and presses it tenderly to his lips.
Kwarururung!
In an instant, the lightning world compresses around the man and soon takes on the exact same form as him.
Jeon Myeong-hoon has thus succeeded in fully embracing both life and death.
'What the...? The acceptance of life and death that took me three thousand years, he completes it in mere seconds?'
It's just when I stare at him, slightly dumfounded.
Jeon Myeong-hoon looks up at the [sky] of the True Immortal Realm and stares intently at one of the Ten Thrones floating above it.
Just then,
Kwarurururung!!!
A colossal lightning spear, bright enough to illuminate the True Immortal Realm that is only darkness, strikes down where Jeon Myeong-hoon stands.
'This is...!'
The Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, Do Gon, is personally delivering the True Immortal advancement tribulation to Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Just as I once bore the gaze of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, Jeon Myeong-hoon now bears the overwhelming attention of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.
A Heavenly Tribulation so fearsome that even an ordinary True Immortal would melt entirely into a prophecy if struck by it!
Kururururung!
But Jeon Myeong-hoon does not dissolve into nothingness under the Heavenly Punishment.
Instead, he becomes a thundercloud.
The [crimson thundercloud, rippling with countless faces] seems to writhe before beginning to rotate.
The rotating thundercloud consumes the Heavenly Tribulation entirely.
: : AAAAAAAAAH! : :
Kwarururung!
: : HAAAAAAAAAA!! : :
An instant that feels like an eternity.
Jeon Myeong-hoon finally endures that moment...and succeeds in devouring all of the Heavenly Tribulation.
Kururung!
After consuming every last bit of the tribulation, Jeon Myeong-hoon returns to his human form and reaches his hand toward the sky.
Kwaak!
Reaching out, he clenches his hand tightly as if grabbing hold of something.
Perhaps he has chosen his path.
I think I know what path he has chosen.
Because Jeon Myeong-hoon's gaze...
Is so firmly fixed on the Throne of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.
: : Ah, no! Master! You must not choose that path! : :
Golden Shaking Bird cries out as if aware of how unfathomable it is to walk the [path of a Seat Owner], but Jeon Myeong-hoon shows no sign of listening.
Soon, hazy vapour gathers around Jeon Myeong-hoon, enveloping him before dispersing.
He has been granted a name by the Naming Supreme Deity.
With that, Jeon Myeong-hoon, bestowed even an Immortal Title by the Naming Supreme Deity, successfully completes his advancement to True Immortality.
"Jeon Myeong-hoon!"
Woo-woong!
Revealing my presence in the True Immortal Realm, I send attraction force towards him in greeting.
Movement in the True Immortal Realm is exceedingly difficult.
One can move little by little, but it is almost impossible to escape being bound in place like a fixed star.
Although I managed to move from the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain to the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain, my position in the True Immortal Realm itself has barely changed.
'All that changed...is that the location in the lower realm I can descend to has shifted to the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.'
It is a very fascinating feeling.
'This is almost like...yes. It is similar to using one of those rectangular search magic artifacts on Earth, enjoying games within it.'
While the main body remains seated and unmoving in reality, my access to Heavenly Domains changes depending on the Heavenly Domain where I—or those who revere me—move within the lower planes.
'It's a feeling I haven't experienced in a very long time...fascinating.'
I struggle to move within the True Immortal Realm, making my way toward Jeon Myeong-hoon.
How far have I come close? Perhaps his consciousness domain is slightly smaller than mine, as Jeon Myeong-hoon finally spots me and flinches.
Woo-woong!
I laugh heartily as I approach Jeon Myeong-hoon and pat him on the shoulder.
"Congratulations on your advancement to True Immortality, Jeon Myeong-hoon."
Smack!
Then, I get slapped across the face.
"Seo Eun-hyun, you crazy bastard! I almost died! Can't you be a bit more careful?"
It's been a long time since I last got slapped by Jeon Myeong-hoon, so I grab him and give him a little initiation ritual for his True Immortal advancement.
"This bastard...hitting someone like this just because you got slapped a little."
"It doesn't even hurt that much anymore, right?"
"Well, that's true."
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Gold Shaking Bird, and I briefly descended to the Lower Realm, gathering around a campfire in front of the small hut where Jeon Myeong-hoon had been staying, casually chatting.
I, through the Impermanence Sword. Gold Shaking Bird, through Du Hwa's body.
And Jeon Myeong-hoon, by temporarily overlaying himself over his Vestige to lower his plane, making this gathering possible.
"By the way, just how did you manage to accept life and death so quickly? It took me three thousand years..."
"Hmm, I just followed my fate. By following it, life and death naturally fell into place. Don't you already know from when you advanced to True Immortality?"
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's words, I clear my throat.
"Ehem... Sorry, but I don't exactly know what my fate is."
"Hm, is that so? Why don't you take a good look at your fate sometime?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon says this while gazing up at the sky.
Above us in the True Immortal Realm, Jeon Myeong-hoon's fate is shining.
A fate entirely composed of red—a red fate!
That red fate is now completely fused with Jeon Myeong-hoon's Immortal Body, becoming a part of him.
'Hmm, Jeon Myeong-hoon did say before that he realized his fate.'
Apparently, what manifests as [talent] in the Lower Realm takes the form of [fate] starting from the True Immortal Realm.
In other words, while mortals in the Lower Realm live their lives shaped by their talents, starting from True Immortals, the fate they are born with becomes their defining talent.
And in that sense...
'Then what in the world is my fate?'
I have no idea what my fate is.
While Jeon Myeong-hoon's fate is red, mine is [not visible at all].
'Damn it, I have to be able to see it to know whether I have a fate or not... Even after rising all the way to the True Immortal Realm, will I have to suffer from a lack of talent because I have no fate...?'
I let out a sigh.
Even Hong Fan, who's a centipede, knows what his fate is. Why on earth can I not even get a hint on mine?
'Someday, I'll have to consult Hong Fan and tell him I can't figure out what my fate is.'
With such trivial concerns in mind, I begin preparing to resurrect Hong Fan, Ham Jin, and Yu Hwi.