Chapter 577: Radiance Ten Heavens (光明十天) (6)
Endless darkness.
I try to bend space with attraction force to escape from this empty void.
Gigigik...
But even after warping space and moving thousands of light-years, even after traveling for days,
Nothing in my surroundings changes.
How many days have I been moving like this?
"Master."
"...Hong Fan?"Hong Fan speaks to me.
"I lost consciousness for a moment due to the presence of some immense being. What happened?"
"Hmm..."
I hesitate for a moment.
Hyeon Mu's words about how if Hong Fan regains his memories, he would abandon our family play lingers in my mind.
But I shake my head and tell him.
I recount everything that happened between me and Hyeon Mu.
"...Master. Please offer me."
Hong Fan grits his teeth as he speaks.
"Rather than being shackled by someone like me, it is far more important for Master to advance in realm by sacrificing me."
"It's not happening."
"Master!"
"Silence! It is already a decided matter. Even if I must wander this void for ten million years...no, a hundred billion years...what cannot be done cannot be done."
"Master..."
As if sensing my resolve, Hong Fan lets out a quiet sigh.
Then, nodding, he speaks.
"...Understood. If that is Master's will...then within the boundaries Master set, I will find an escape route for Master."
Hong Fan settles within my body and begins drawing something on the ground.
They are formulas and diagrams.
"There must be a way. This place has turned into something like the Interdimensional Void, but it is still the Astral Realm. If that is the case, then there may be a way to escape by passing through the Interdimensional Void, Source River, the Underworld, or the Eastern Heaven Flower Field. I will calculate every possibility and method with all my strength."
With a solemn expression, he continues with determination.
"I will exhaust all my talents to ensure that Master escapes this place and walks your rightful fate!"
"Hong Fan..."
Feeling his loyalty, I suppress the surge of emotion rising in my chest.
Yes.
He is my family.
How could anyone carelessly doubt someone who believes in them so completely?
"...I will trust you as well."
"I will not disappoint you. I will find a way out!"
From that day on, Hong Fan devotes himself to analyzing the Astral Realm's attraction force, spatial currents, and the flow of the planes of Qi, Soul, and Fate, searching for a way to escape this empty spacetime.
Thanks to that, we uncover a new truth.
"This space is unfolding with Master at its center."
“With me at its center?"
"Yes. An immense region of space moves with Master as its core. Because this empty space shifts whenever Master moves, Master will never be able to leave it and arrive at another location through ordinary movement."
"Hmm... Then what must I do?"
"There are a few methods. The first method is to commit suicide. If Master takes your own life, the space structured around Master will collapse. However...this is absolutely not an option, so please do not even think about it."
"Yeah. I don't commit suicide so easily"
"The second method is to approach the brink of death 'as close as possible' then revive abruptly.
Hong Fan's explanation is as follows.
This space unfolds with me at its center, influenced by my actions and state.
So, if I die, the space collapses. If I become weak enough to be close to death, the space contracts.
And if I revive abruptly after reaching that near-death state, my restored presence will surpass the shrunken space, allowing me to escape.
"...However, as this is far too dangerous, I do not recommend it. I suggest the third method instead."
"The third method...?"
"Yes. The third method is to create a substitute."
"Hmm? A substitute?"
"Yes. I recalled a memory from my past life... Have you ever heard of a way to desecrate fate?"
"I know it well."
"Then there is no need for a lengthy explanation. The method is to elevate the Immortal Treasure or devotees within your body—like Yeo Hwi, Ham Jin, or Yu Hwi—to the True Immortal Realm. Then, Master transfers the spacetime of emptiness affixed to you onto them."
I frown at Hong Fan's words.
"That...that is far too cruel. I have no desire for such a method of desecrating fate."
"Once Master passes this space onto them, Master can seek out the existence known as the Owner of Void and either negotiate or fight to unravel this spacetime. That will resolve the issue."
"But..."
Hong Fan watches my hesitation, then suddenly slaps me across the face.
Jjaak!
"...!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Seo Eun-hyun! Do you really think you can escape this place without any sacrifice!? The only things you can obtain without sacrifice are empty ones like words and hearts! This world is built upon sacrifice, and you yourself have made it this far because of sacrifice! What you must do is not to whimper at those sacrifices but to step upon them and move forward towards a better future! You must walk your path of rightful fate!"
With a furious expression, Hong Fan continues his outburst.
"Are you planning to sit around here for thousands, tens of thousands years? A hundred billion years!? Have you not even thought about the people waiting for you outside? Right now, you need to get out of here no matter what method it takes!"
"..."
I meet Hong Fan's gaze.
He appears furious, but his eyes hold not anger, but concern.
He is only pretending to be angry for my sake.
"...A sharp rebuke. I appreciate it..."
Accepting his words, I give a bitter smile.
"Fine. If you insist this much, I will accept it to a degree. But!"
I look directly into his eyes.
"Aren't you still hiding another method from me? Tell me that first."
"...Understood. There are two more. The fourth method. Master advances to the realm of a Great Net Immortal. If you do, Master will be free from the attraction force of the True Immortal Realm and will be able to properly move through it. That will make escaping to other dimensions, such as the Source River or the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, incredibly easy."
"And the last method?"
"The fifth method...is to observe every flow that composes this spacetime of emptiness and dismantle the gaps within it. If that can be done, even without a high cultivation realm, Master will be able to escape to other dimensions like the Source River, the Flower Field, or the Underworld."
Having finished his explanation, Hong Fan sighs and speaks.
"But to be honest, given the current situation, I will speak realistically. Master, you are a dullard. You have yet to even grasp your own fate, so your talent as a True Immortal is the worst. At your current state, I estimate it would take Master about a billion years to become a Great Net Immortal."
His blunt criticism feels like a nail being driven into my chest.
'A...a billion years...'
No matter what, could it really take that long?
"And the last method is the same. This space has a specific flow, and it can be analyzed, but the problem is...Master must have felt it too, right?"
"...Yeah. This space...has a will."
"Yes. It is likely the will of the Northern Heavenly Venerable, as you mentioned. The moment I attempt to analyze this space, that will most certainly will begin chaotically scrambling all the flows of this vast space that stretches beyond comprehension to obstruct me. To analyze this space from complete ignorance while being obstructed by a Heavenly Venerable, even for me, would take fifty million years. Well...it is certainly a far faster option than waiting for Master to advance to Great Net Immortal, but...fifty million years is still an unfathomable length of time."
"..."
"Realistically, the quickest method is to raise Yeo Hwi back to the Entering Nirvana stage and then kill her to aid her advancement to True Immortality. Afterward, handing over this spacetime to her as a True Immortal would be the quickest course of action. In that case, it would take at most ten million years, and at the fastest, around four thousand years...but..."
Hong Fan and I turn our gaze in the same direction.
Clank, clank...
At some point, Yeo Hwi awakened and began eavesdropping on our conversation.
The moment our eyes meet, Yeo Hwi quickly escapes from my body and tries fleeing towards a distant void outside this spacetime.
Kwaadeudeuk!
But as my Immortal Treasure-bound entity, she cannot escape the attraction force between us, and she is caught and pulled back to me.
"What exactly is the problem? We were discussing aiding your advancement to True Immortality."
"H-Haha...Master. Are you joking right now?"
"What?"
Yeo Hwi, seemingly forgetting that she is bound as my Immortal Treasure, starts raging at me, even while stricken with fear.
"This spacetime of emptiness. There is no trace of any dimension of death here! No Source River, no Eastern Heaven Flower Field, no Underworld, no Interdimensional Void! C-Can't you feel it? That a great being has sealed off the domain of death? How can I advance in a place like this?"
"Do not worry. There is one domain even a Heavenly Venerable cannot seal."
Indeed.
Currently, this spacetime of emptiness is tightly sealed by Hyeon Mu to prevent our escape.
From the Underworld to the Source River, all spacetimes of death are severed within this Astral Realm.
However, even if it is Hyeon Mu, there is one thing she cannot seal.
The domain of purity.
'Even now, I can feel that I can use Heavenly Escape.'
The true world of death.
If it is there, advancing to True Immortal is definitely possible.
"If you advance in the same manner I did, there will be no issue."
"Damn it! Damn it all! I already know, Master! I know what you are saying! That so-called purity or whatever. Given my age, I've heard the rumors passed down among the Entering Nirvanas!
"In ancient times, advancing to True Immortality was practically a brutal and horrific ritual no difference from suicide. But after the rise of the Four Heavenly Venerables—Underworld, Sal Tree, Time, and Void—the success rate for True Immortal advancement skyrocketed! That means there is a method to advance without passing through the conventional dimension of death. But the probability is just too low! I will definitely die!"
"I will pass down my own advancement experience without reservation. And if I teach you martial arts—"
"I refuse!"
Even as an Immortal Treasure-bound entity unable to escape my attraction force, Yeo Hwi lashes out at me before suddenly breaking into tears.
"I...I don't want to! I don't want to die. I...I'm so terrified of dying, so terrified of my life ending, that even with the easier True Immortal advancement, I was nothing but a voyeuristic piece of trash lingering in the Nether Ghost Realm! I'm afraid of dying. The thought of losing everything I have enjoyed and simply vanishing into a lump of nothingness terrifies me to my core!"
She wails, sobbing uncontrollably.
"This... This is too much! If it's being imprisoned with Golden Shaking Bird for a hundred billion years to be tortured and refined, I would nod and agree! But forcing me to advance is too much. I...I don't want to die!"
"..."
She does not want to die.
She wants to live.
That desperate, grief-stricken cry resonates deeply with me.
Hong Fan glares at Yeo Hwi with a furious expression and shouts.
"What a disgraceful... How in the world did you even reach the Entering Nirvana stage? Do you not understand that some things cannot be obtained without being resolved to face death? From the Star Shattering stage onward, one must always be ready to risk their life! How are your previous advancements any different from advancing to True Immortality?"
"Shut up! How is certain suicide the same as an advancement ritual where I can prepare and avoid death? I don't want to die! That's all there is to it!"
"Do you not understand that there are values greater than life? Even after surviving this long?"
"Shut your mouth, you bug bastard. How dare a mere Star Shattering stage argue against me? I have already heard everything. As long as you are sacrificed, we can easily escape from here and even obtain a blessing, so why are you not slitting your own throat and offering yourself? If there really are things more important than life, prove it with your actions right now!"
"...Truly..."
Despite facing Yeo Hwi, who, being at the Sacred Vessel stage, is practically at the level of an Entering Nirvana True Person, Hong Fan, who has only just reached the Star Shattering stage, does not falter in the slightest. Instead, he grits his teeth as if looking down on her.
"...Pathetic insect."
"Ha! Say whatever you want. I...don't want to die. I just want to live. That is all."
"...You..."
I cut off their conversation.
"Enough. That is enough."
"Master..."
"That's enough, Hong Fan. I understand your loyalty, but I also fully understand Yeo Hwi's feelings. Because..."
I, too, absolutely loathe dying.
"Not wanting to die is only natural, isn't it?"
"..."
"Then there is no other way. Hong Fan, you have a total of five plans, correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"We will carry them all out simultaneously."
"Pardon...?"
Wo-woong!
Kugugugugu!
I raise my hand, drawing power from my true body.
My chest pain flares up again.
At the same time, a star begins to form above my hand.
"I will ask Ham Jin and Yu Hwi as well. And perhaps they will refuse, too. If that happens...I will ask others."
In the darkness, a single star is born.
It is not a fixed star, but a rocky planet. Still, a star is a star.
I begin to breathe life into the surface of that star.
"Either way...to cultivate the formula of the Radiance Ten Heavens, I will need living beings. I will ask them, and I will elevate my own realm as well. Hong Fan...I am sorry, but however long it takes, analyze this spacetime. Meanwhile, I will raise the cultivation of the lifeforms that will be born. I will raise them, raise them, and raise them even more...until one day, someone among them reaches True Immortality. Then, I will entrust it to them."
"..."
"Does that not settle everything?"
Kugugugugugu!
The pain in my chest intensifies.
I begin forming a fixed star using Immortal Arts and glance at Hong Fan with a smile.
"I do not know how many years this will take...but since things have come to this, let us think of it as an extended cultivation session. What do you think, Hong Fan? It may be a bit slower than you expected, but..."
I turn to Yeo Hwi.
"I cannot break the will of someone who wants to live, can I? And more than anything..."
I recall the words I spoke to Gwak Am.
A sharp rebuke to not force your ways upon those who refuse them.
'I...cannot be like Gwak Am.'
I despise Gwak Am.
As my senior brother, I grant Them the respect due, but Their methods, Their words, and everything about Them repulses me.
So, even as I move forward, I will never follow Their way.
I will never force my path upon another.
Even if, by my own standards, it is a blessing.
"After all, you, too, respect my way. That is why, as Yeo Hwi said, you are not immediately slitting your own throat to offer yourself, is it not?"
"..."
Hong Fan lets out a deep sigh and speaks.
"...Do as you wish. Now that Yeo Hwi has refused, my proposal no longer holds any meaning...I will follow Master's will."
Thus, from that day onward, within this completely void spacetime of emptiness, I begin to place stars one by one.
Like that, one million years pass.
Kugugugugu!
The cultivation of the Radiance Ten Heavens formula.
The creation of a fixed star finally takes its first step.
At last, within the small world of stars I have formed, a fixed star is born for the first time and scatters its light.