Chapter 584: Sunlight Hunting (4)
Eighth Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord flinches and looks somewhere.
It is not just them.
The other Radiance Eight Immortals also seem to sense something unusual, exchanging glances over the countless corpses of divine spirits.
: : Did you feel it? : :
: : Yes. : :
: : Someone...has broken the formula of the Radiance Ten Heavens. : :
: : One of the Vestige Liberation Immortals has begun to escape our domain. : :: : ...That means... : :
: : That someone will soon be free from the restrictions we imposed. : :
: : They will escape our sight! : :
: : Great Mountain...! Salt Sea...! If not for them, no one would have even dared to attempt this...! : :
The Radiance Eight Immortals each reveal their anger, once again directing their fighting will at the divine spirits targeting them.
The First Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord mutters in a voice laced with rage.
: : As infuriating as it is...it does not matter now. Once Great Mountain's mantra is completed, we will have taken another step closer to our goal. : :
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord responds to the Great Forest Heavenly Lord's words.
: : Indeed. No matter who has escaped from us, once Great Mountain's plan succeeds, they will soon be annihilated... For now, let us focus on our collaboration with Great Mountain. : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord and the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord stand as a pair, while the other Radiance Eight Immortals take their positions below them.
Hundreds of True Immortals rush towards them.
: : You lunatic Radiance Eight Immortals!!! : :
: : We trusted you, and yet, what kind of madness is this!? : :
: : Joining hands with that Devil God—what vile act are you committing!? : :
Shockingly, most among them were once members of Radiance Hall.
: : What kind of monsters have we been believing in all this time!? Was that vile and arrogance truly the will of the Radiance Supreme Deity!? If only we had known how mad you truly were! O Radiance Eight Immortals, answer us! Is this truly...the will of the Radiance Supreme Deity!? : :
One of the True Immortals, who had once been a faithful devotee of Radiance Hall, cries out in despair.
: : Even the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals (三十三天玲瓏寶仙) of Radiance Hall understand the grand cause and follow the command with loyalty...yet you fail to grasp it. : :
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord speaks, looking down at the divine spirits with utter disdain.
: : You vermin who mock fate at your whim, tormenting mortals and suppressing the freedom of all beings... : :
The Great Sun Heavenly Lord also mutters, looking down at them as if they are trash.
: : I have long known that you wretched scum used our shared affiliation to oppress and torment mortals... Receive your heavenly punishment, you despicable trash. : :
Woo-woooong!
Light begins to radiate from the Great Forest Heavenly Lord and the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord.
: : Let's finish this, Rain Dew. : :
: : Begin, Great Forest. : :
Flash.
From the Great Forest Heavenly Lord, the form of a [Snake's Head] emerges.
The shape that appears then extends, connecting to the Flower Plant, Great Sun, Torch Candle, Sword Spear, Pearl Jade, and Great Sea Heavenly Lords, drawing the [Snake's Body].
And finally, at the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord, the shape concludes as the [Snake's Tail].
The Radiance Eight Immortals begin to clasp their hands together, and at the very center of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail] that they have drawn, the Seat of Light begins to emerge.
: : Glory be... : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord's eyes gleam as they utter the first words, and the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord follows.
: : To the Radiance Supreme Deity. : :
Light begins to erupt, filling Heaven and Earth, and the Immortal Bodies of countless divine spirits crumble all at once.
No prophecy, no history revision matters...
Before that overwhelming, brutal rampage, no one can resist.
Once again, a great massacre unfolds at the hands of the Radiance Eight Immortals.
A fixed star explodes.
But in that moment, the Immortal Art of Cutting River held in In Ye's hand, and the Immortal Art of Ominous Dragon that forcibly connects the living spirits of the Crystal Glass Realm, begin to wane.
Yeo Hwi shouts in alarm.
"Hey, wait, you two! You can't be serious!? One shot isn't enough! Just help a little more!"
Ha Woon and Jeok Ru sneer at her and speak.
: : Why should we? : :
: : The promise we made with your master was to lend aid with a single use of our Immortal Arts. : :
: : The promise has been fulfilled... : :
Yeo Hwi grits her teeth.
It is absurd to claim that loosing a single arrow has already exhausted their 'one use' of Immortal Arts.
If they want to, they can still grant a lot more mercy.
Had Seo Eun-hyun been the one to summon them, the sisters would have undoubtedly shown him more than enough mercy.
Yeo Hwi understands.
The reason Ha Woon and Jeok Ru are acting this way is because they are dealing with her, not Seo Eun-hyun.
They have something they want from her, and so they are being deliberately difficult.
"...Damn it. Fine. Whatever it is you want...I'll try to give it as much as I can, so please...lend us your strength."
: : Hmm, I have no idea what you're talking about. : :
: : How could someone like you possibly give us what we want... : :
"Damn this! I'll let you use me as much as you want, so just hand over the power! Right now!"
Yeo Hwi shouts furiously, blurting out exactly what the sisters want to hear.
Hearing her declaration, the sisters cackle before responding in a voice filled with delight.
: : The disciple of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity shall bear witness... : :
: : Should the agreement be broken, you will be swallowed by the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity... Ahahahaha! To think the day would come when we can finally take full revenge on the vile enemy who toyed with us! : :
Woo-woooong!
Observing from a distance, Oh Hye-seo's will records Yeo Hwi's words.
Laughing gleefully, the sisters once again bestow their power upon Ye.
Yeo Hwi lets out a deep sigh, her face aged as if she had lived ten million more years.
'...Whatever the case, anything is better...than this cramped spacetime of emptiness. Damn it all...'
Thus, through Yeo Hwi's sacrifice, the connections receive additional aid from the Upper Immortals and once again draw their bowstring toward the sky.
Ye maintains his state of No-Thought, facing the light of Great Sea with a calm expression.
Sun Shooting (射日)!
The heart of No-Thoughts soars to the sky, pierces through Filling the Heavens Governing View, and tears the sun apart once more.
Two suns have crumbled.
Kugugugugu!
With that, the main body of the Crystal Glass Being, which had been seized by the light, begins to move.
Ham Jin grits his teeth and soars into the sky.
"Forgive me, Teacher! Yu Hwi, take over the relay with Oh Hye-seo!"
"Leave it to me."
Chwarururuk!
Unruly Chain (不逞鎖), Ham Jin.
His Immortal Art as an Immortal Treasure is Unruly (不逞).
It is an Immortal Art greatly influenced by the Non-Toppling Non-Standing of the Flattening Heaven Esteemed One, Ham Rak, of the Horned Ox Race.
The ability of Unruly is as follows:
As long as Ham Jin does not give up, all 'force' directed at him is absorbed and 'deviates from its original intention'.
Chwarururuk!
Ham Jin, transformed into chains of black and blue, coils tightly around the Immortal Body of the Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun.
Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View clashes against Ham Jin's Unruly.
Kwarururung!
Ham Jin groans in agony as if his entire body is about to be torn apart.
"Shoot quickly! I can't hold on for more than a moment!"
Ham Jin clenches his teeth, and Yu Hwi begins summoning the authority of Oh Hye-seo's Corpse Mountain Blood Sea through ghost fire stones.
"Forgive me, my master."
Kugugugugu!
Spacetime rips open as Oh Hye-seo's single strike is summoned into the area.
A colossal [arm] formed from Corpse Mountain Blood Sea emerges into the space.
Yet, even while bound by the Unruly Chains and still sealed by the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag, Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body activates Filling the Heavens Governing View.
A hazy mist forms, creating an identical [arm] to the one summoned by Oh Hye-seo.
The two massive arms clash in the void, and despite being restrained, the arm of Filling the Heavens Governing View shatters the arm of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, throwing it aside.
But through this, Ye seizes an opening.
The third Sun Shooting.
———!
Sound is erased, and the Crystal Glass Realm quakes.
The light of Great Forest explodes.
Now, only seven fixed stars remain!
Yu Hwi looks at Ye with eyes filled with hope.
As the Radiance Ten Heavens constructed by Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body collapses,
As Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body weakens,
Seo Eun-hyun's will, intertwined with Ye, grows clearer.
He is gradually regaining his mind and strength.
'Ham Jin was right.'
The more Seo Eun-hyun escapes from the Radiance Ten Heavens, the stronger he becomes.
Kururururung!
But immediately, the Crystal Glass Realm trembles.
All attraction forces in the Crystal Glass Realm begin converging towards Ye's location.
Yu Hwi looks at Yeo Hwi and Ham Jin.
Yeo Hwi has sold her body to the Upper Immortals, and Ham Jin is sacrificing himself, even to the point of enduring fatal wounds, to stop Seo Eun-hyun.
'Now it is my turn.'
Kwadududuk!
"Kkeuuugh... Kuaaaaaaaagh!"
Yu Hwi begins tearing off parts of his own body.
A sacrifice far greater than ordinary prophetic stars, far more potent than any ghost fire stone Yu Hwi has offered, is presented to Oh Hye-seo.
Just as Seo Eun-hyun once offered his desire for a name to Hyeon Rang and ripped out his lust and cast it to Zhengli, Yu Hwi now rips out the material greed clinging to his spirit and burns it as a sacrificial offering to Oh Hye-seo.
Hwarurururuk!
: : Take this, Seo Eun-hyun. : :
Once again Oh Hye-seo’s authority begins to be summoned into this place.
This time, there are two arms of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
Each arm carries both a sacred aura and a wicked aura.
A jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, larger than an entire stellar system, envelops Seo Eun-hyun's main body.
: : Split (裂)! : :
A thunderous roar erupts as if Heaven and Earth are collapsing, and the authorities of Seo Eun-hyun and Oh Hye-seo collide.
Seizing that moment, Ye's arrow bursts apart the light of Flower Plant.
Seo Eun-hyun's authority seems to be pushed back by Oh Hye-seo's Immortal Art.
But even though the formula of the Radiance Ten Heavens bursts apart, Seo Eun-hyun does not fall. Instead, he overwhelms Oh Hye-seo's authority.
Kwagwagwang!
The two arms of Corpse Mountain Blood Sea explode, and Seo Eun-hyun's main body remains unscathed.
Cheok!
And once again, Ye draws his bowstring.
Rain Dew, Great Sea, Great Forest, Flower Plant.
A total of four lights are extinguished.
The moment Seo Eun-hyun's attraction force completely pushes Oh Hye-seo's will out of the Crystal Glass Realm—
Ye releases the bowstring once more.
———!
Jjeoeeeeong!!!
Great Sun splits apart.
Great Sun radiates an immense burst of light before vanishing into oblivion, and Seo Eun-hyun's main body trembles as if struck by an impact.
But immediately after, Seo Eun-hyun's will, filled with Glass True Fire, turns towards Ye.
"Hah... If I had another chance to choose, screw the return of Vast Cold or whatever. I would have just sold you off to Radiance Hall. Damn master."
Twin Constructing Chains Yeo Hwi lets out a tearful sigh as she transforms into a peng and soars into the sky.
Yu Hwi, realizing that Yeo Hwi alone is not enough, follows suit and flies alongside her.
"Twin Constructing Twin Destruction!"
"Flawless!"
Antimatter erupts from Yeo Hwi's entire body, while a very faint black circle takes shape behind Yu Hwi's back.
Kugwagwagwang!
The two Immortal Treasures are struck by the Glass True Fire and sent flying, and Ye's next arrow pierces through that gap.
No-Thought.
From the depths of that No-Thought, Ye infuses his heart as he releases the bowstring.
Countless connections are intertwined within his hands.
Han-ah.
The entire In Clan.
The living beings of the Crystal Glass Realm.
The Three Divine Spirits of the Crystal Glass Realm...
And the will of the Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun!
Yet, for some reason, a strange feeling stirs within him.
'There's...more...?'
Suddenly, he glances back for a brief moment.
Countless silhouettes are gazing at him.
And their numbers are far greater than all the living beings of the Crystal Glass Realm.
Far, far more.
This is...yes...
'I see. These are...your connections.'
They are the connections of the Crystal Glass Being.
As Seo Eun-hyun regains his will and strength, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections begins to infuse into Ye, lending him strength.
Jjeoeeeeong!
The sunlight of Torch Candle explodes.
The lights of Rain Dew, Great Sea, Great Forest, Flower Plant, Great Sun, and Torch Candle have fallen in sequence.
Only four lights remain.
Ye aims at the light of Pearl Jade.
Seo Eun-hyun's Immortal Body, having sent Yeo Hwi and Yu Hwi flying, reveals its fury as it casts its will once more.
A sudden fear creeps into Ye's heart.
But, Seo Eun-hyun's steadily strengthening will begins to support him.
'It's hot.'
Ye's eyes gleam.
Even though the sunlight has diminished, he somehow feels even hotter.
This is not an illusion.
Huarurururuk!
Candle flame!
A massive candle flame, burning through the hazy mist as its medium, rises from within them, shielding Ye.
A fist of hazy mist from Seo Eun-hyun's main body strikes the barrier formed by the candle flame.
Jjeoeeoong!
"I am supporting you."
Seo Eun-hyun's voice reaches Ye's ears.
"Just keep your eyes on the scene you have dreamed of."
At that moment, a transcendent sensation fills Ye's entire being.
It is a divine perception that encompasses Qi, Soul, Fate, and also the Underworld, Interdimensional Void, Source River, and the Flower Field.
Seo Eun-hyun is lending his senses to Ye.
Tears stream from Ye's eyes.
'It's beautiful.'
The history of Seo Eun-hyun, who must have ceaselessly honed himself to build up such a sense, feels overwhelmingly beautiful.
A transcendent perception of divine status that Ye would never have dared to dream of!
Recognizing his natural humility before Seo Eun-hyun, he draws his bowstring.
'Focus.'
Surrendering his body to the senses Seo Eun-hyun has granted him, he releases the bowstring towards his target.
Flash!
Once again, light erupts.
Kwaaaaaaang!
The entire Crystal Glass Realm trembles.
The light of Pearl Jade collapses and explodes.
Now, only three remain.
Castle Wall, Field Garden, and Sword Spear's sun!
Woo-wooooong!
Ye senses Seo Eun-hyun's will growing even stronger.
"Which one should we deal with first?"
"Field Garden first."
Seo Eun-hyun whispers calmly, and Ye takes aim at the light of Field Garden.
Seo Eun-hyun's main body once again attempts to suppress them with brutal Immortal Arts.
But in an instant, from where Seo Eun-hyun's will resides, a resounding dragon's roar echoes, repelling his main body.
Clang!
And at last, Ham Jin, who had been restraining Seo Eun-hyun's main body all this time, is flung away, laughing.
'This dragon's roar...'
He feels it.
His teacher, freed from the seal, is becoming an even greater existence.
Tukwang!
The light of Field Garden explodes.
The lumps of light spread throughout the Crystal Glass Realm, and Seo Eun-hyun's will becomes even clearer, smiling as if feeling refreshed.
"Well done."
"...What comes next?"
Only the suns of Sword Spear and Castle Wall remain.
And Seo Eun-hyun's main body flies forward at great speed before the fixed star of Castle Wall, blocking the way.
As if determined to protect at least that sun at all costs!
Seo Eun-hyun's increasingly vivid will presses down even more firmly on Ye and Hang's hands, overlapping them.
Up until now, the combined strength of all living beings in the Crystal Glass Realm had drawn the bowstring. But now, it feels as if only Seo Eun-hyun and Ye remain in this place.
Seo Eun-hyun's power overwhelms everything, drawing the bowstring with immense force, while Ye feels as though his only role is to pour his heart into the arrow that has been drawn.
He looks at his main body, which stands in the way of the light of Castle Wall.
"It's always better to pierce through what's open rather than what's blocked, isn't it?"
"...No. Piercing that first is the right choice."
Seo Eun-hyun and Ye take aim at the star of Castle Wall and the main body blocking it.
"Can you pierce through them together?"
"If God aids me, then of course."
"Good... Let's pierce them both together."
As he gazes at the ninth sun to be pierced, he murmurs softly.
It is a message to himself.
"Because if it were Master, he would surely...wish for this."
His master was born a snake, yet cast aside the fate of biting its tail with his own hands.
A snake biting its tail.
A pitiable existence that is trapped by itself, forever cycling.
His master broke free from that fate.
Thus, if his disciple were to face such a situation, he would wish for him to break free as well.
"You are already within me."
The attachment to worldly possessions that his master left behind has long been discarded.
There is no need to linger on it.
Tukwang!
A single arrow, released from the hands of Ye and Seo Eun-hyun, pierces the sky.
It tears through the atmosphere, pierces through the stars, and breaks through Filling the Heavens Governing View.
Their heart, even piercing the flesh of Seo Eun-hyun's main body, at last strikes the very center of the sun of Castle Wall, setting forth an explosion of light.
The entire Crystal Glass Realm begins to distort wildly.
The ruler of the Crystal Glass Realm has suffered a fatal wound.
At the same time, the spacetime of emptiness, which had expanded around Seo Eun-hyun, begins to shake uncontrollably.
The will of Oh Hye-seo, which had been expelled beyond the Crystal Glass Realm, once again starts to erode the world.
Seo Eun-hyun's will becomes more distinct than ever before.
The will that had only existed within the bloodline and history of the In Clan now feels more like the main body than the main body itself.
Yeo Hwi lets out a hollow laugh as she witnesses the immense power beginning to surge from Seo Eun-hyun.
Yu Hwi peacefully smiles, as if everything has been resolved.
Ham Jin watches the power beginning to surge from Seo Eun-hyun and breaks into a broad smile.
And...
Ye, who is standing closest to Seo Eun-hyun, hands over the bow and arrow he has been holding.
"Will you not shoot with me?"
"It is beyond my strength. As a mortal being, having shot down nine suns...is enough. I leave the last one to you. And also..."
He smiles faintly.
"Aren't we together anyway?"
Seo Eun-hyun receives Ye's smile and laughs.
"You have realized much."
What Ye hands to Seo Eun-hyun is not just a simple bow and arrow.
His heart.
The will of the entire Crystal Glass Realm is already contained within it.
Even if his hands let go, his heart still shoots alongside him.
If it is Seo Eun-hyun, he will surely be able to shoot forth all of those hearts.
Ye has no doubt.
"Please show me. The history of In Yeon...and my dream..."
"Were you not the one who wished to be free from me? How is it that you entrust your freedom to me?"
"...Did you...not entrust us with life? So...this is merely repaying the grace."
"...In Ye."
Seo Eun-hyun receives Ye's heart and moves forward, asking,
"Let me ask you one thing."
Kiiiiiiiik!
The final light.
All the hearts are aimed at the light of Sword Spear.
"If...you had to define the time we spent together in a single word...what word would you choose?"
"..."
As Ye feels the strength draining from his body, a certain scene that surfaces in his mind leaves his mouth.
Countless lights and shadows flicker through his thoughts.
His life had been divided into two.
The time of emptiness spent in the desert, and the time of effort endured in the burning hell.
"...Twilight (Light and Shadow)."
Recalling the endless cycle of day and night throughout the years, Ye utters that name.
Seo Eun-hyun trembles at the name.
"Wouldn't...Twilight...be fitting?"
"...A fine...name."
Hearing those words, Seo Eun-hyun releases the bowstring.
The last sun remaining in the Crystal Glass Realm.
The light of Sword Spear erupts with an explosion more powerful than any other sun.
Yet even after shattering the final sun, the arrow fired by Seo Eun-hyun continues forward.
As he watches the endlessly advancing arrow, he finally names the energy he has contemplated for millions of years.
The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy that Seo Eun-hyun intended to name Life-and-Death energy, takes on a different name through In Ye.
Twilight True Energy (光陰眞氣).
Life and Death, Light and Shadow.
Is it perhaps because the name carries a meaning similar to Taiji? The [name] Seo Eun-hyun has chosen bestows him with immense power.
Kugugugugu!
The Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment embedded within Seo Eun-hyun's strength begins to tremble.
Seo Eun-hyun half-opens his eyes as he watches his own power explosively amplify.
"Look, Ye."
The final arrow continues forward, tearing through all the mist and attraction force surrounding the Crystal Glass Realm in a perfect circle, reaching the world beyond.
Seo Eun-hyun lends his senses to Ye, allowing him to see the world beyond.
Beyond the Crystal Glass Realm, an endless spacetime of emptiness.
In the void where only eternal darkness seems to exist, the arrow that has pierced through all the suns carves a path.
"That is..."
Immortal Art, Impermanence Sword.
Its ability is Retribution.
And on this very day—
The ability of retribution within the Impermanence Sword is unleashed at its strongest.
The eternal time Seo Eun-hyun spent suffering, trapped in darkness.
Seo Eun-hyun and his subordinates,
And all the time endured by the beings of the Crystal Glass Realm now acts as retribution upon the Heavenly Venerable of the Void.
To give is to receive. That is retribution.
The authority of Hyeon Mu has given Seo Eun-hyun eternal solitude and confinement.
Thus, Seo Eun-hyun holds the rightful claim to receive the price of that solitude and confinement from Hyeon Mu's authority.
The hearts of all carried by the final arrow serve as proof, executing the power of the Impermanence Sword.
"This is the world you will all live in from now on."
Jjeooooooong!!!!
The arrow infused with the power of the Impermanence Sword executes retribution, piercing straight through the spacetime of emptiness.
Boundless distances and emptiness are compressed by retribution, and Hyeon Mu's authority is shattered head-on by the hearts of the connections.
And then—
Beyond the gaping hole in the spacetime of emptiness, endless starlight pours in for the first time in nearly ten million years.
Ye gazes at a world far vaster than the Crystal Glass Realm, a world resplendent with brilliant stars, and smiles brighter than ever before.
Kugugugugu!
With that smile, starlight pours down, and at the same time, the lights of the Crystal Glass Realm begin to spill into the world.
"The Radiance Ten Heavens are not needed."
Seo Eun-hyun faces the world head-on, stepping beyond the spacetime of emptiness.
"The light I shall grant this world...is here."
In Ye's smile.
In Hang's relief.
The wish of the In Clan.
The emotions and hearts of countless beings become a light more radiant than anything else, bursting forth with a brilliance greater than the Radiance Ten Heavens.
Mount Sumeru begins to absorb that light, and an explosion ignites around the will of Seo Eun-hyun embedded in history.
"Hear me, Mount Sumeru."
The explosion engulfs the entirety of the Crystal Glass Realm, yet, like the Formless Sword, it permeates through all those Seo Eun-hyun does not wish to harm, leaving them unscathed.
The only things that collapse are the traces of the Radiance Ten Heavens and the stars of prophecy that led him into madness.
"The name of this light is..."
And within that immense explosion, a new existence begins to spring.
A being breaking free from the egg of Vestige Liberation Immortal.
A life born amidst explosion.
Immortal Beast,
"Twilight (光陰)!"
Candle Shadow (燭陰)!
A massive flame, composed of Glass True Fire, blazes into the form of a dragon's head, while hazy mist and aurora form a serpentine body that spirals in a helix.
A spiraling Candle Dragon.
That is the form of Seo Eun-hyun, breaking free from ten million years of confinement and unleashing a roar.