Chapter 586: Hunter, Hunted (2)
Gigigigigigigigik!
I break into cold spiritual energy.
Just facing her makes it feel as if space is twisting and time is compressing.
An overwhelming sense of ominous dread, beyond what words can describe, coils around my entire being.
However, I do not let it show. Instead, I let the momentum flow as naturally as possible, steadying my stance to counter dance, however it may begin.
Seeing me like this, Hyeon Mu smirks.
Then, she suddenly asks,
"Why did you kill Oh Hye-seo?""...Because she accepted it herself."
I recall Oh Hye-seo's final moments.
Ten million years.
Over that immense span of time, it seemed she had come to accept that Seo Hweol could never be revived to some extent.
But she could not fully let it go. That was why she had chosen to settle things with me.
"Her lover died by my hands. But Oh Hye-seo still believed he was alive. However, as time passed, perhaps her heart changed a little. It seemed she had begun to accept, at least partially, the possibility that her lover was truly dead. Maybe the reason she willingly let herself die at my hands was because..."
I let out a bitter smile.
With her death, every last one of my fellow Enders from this era is now gone.
"If she could not meet him by dying, perhaps she thought she could reunite with him through true death."
"Hmm...Although it's an irrelevant answer, it's a good one. Seems your insight is at least somewhat useful."
Hyeon Mu speaks in cryptic words and lets something dangle from her hand.
With just that simple motion, it feels as if my entire body is about to be crushed.
"Well, I suppose it's only normal for someone who's not even a true Great Net Immortal and only in the weight class of one to have not seen it... You failed to notice the weave of fate that had been spun around her. The Radiance Eight Immortals may have formed a temporary alliance, but why do you think they kept Oh Hye-seo, the disciple of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity they so despised, alive all this time?"
"...Are you perhaps saying her death is somehow connected to the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's plans?"
"That is right. The mantra the Great Mountain Supreme Deity seeks to recite would ordinarily take at least one hundred million years—at most, one billion years. However, that one drastically reduced the duration by selectively placing misfortune upon Their own fate. And that 'selective misfortune' was precisely this."
As Hyeon Mu continues, I narrow my eyes.
"Gwak Am used a spell that would consider the death of Their own disciple, Oh Hye-seo, as misfortune, which would drastically accelerate the mantra. A madman. They calculated and positioned Their own disciple as nothing more than a sacrificial piece on Their board. Thus...very soon...Their mantra will be complete."
With gloomy eyes, Hyeon Mu raises her sword towards me.
"It would be best if this ends before that one's mantra activates."
"...Just what exactly is Their mantra?"
"Do I have any reason to tell you? Enough talk—come at me. Let me teach you a move."
"..."
Surung—
My mind sharpens like a honed blade.
Hyeon Mu's casual talk just now was likely an attempt to shake my focus with powerful information before the duel even began.
One could call it cowardly since she tried to subdue me with something beyond mere Martial Arts, but I would not dare utter such words.
'Like a lion hunting a rabbit.'
A lion always hunts with all its might, whether its prey is a rabbit or a deer.
From Hyeon Mu's perspective, I must be nothing more than a 'rabbit' to be hunted with full force.
How long have I been facing the hunter from the prey's perspective?
Surung—
The tip of Hyeon Mu's weapon shifts ever so slightly.
That is the trigger.
Kwaaaang!
I raise my Impermanence Sword and begin executing the Severing Heaven Sword Form.
Severing Heaven Sword Form.
First Form.
Entering Heaven!
Kigigigik!
Hyeon Mu's weapon collides with my Impermanence Sword.
Entering Heavens is, quite literally, the ultimate culmination of basic techniques.
As if we had made a prior agreement, Hyeon Mu also chooses to fight using only the basics.
But the fundamentals of weaponry are not simply about swinging a weapon.
A weapon is, at its core, an extension of the arms and legs.
In other words, an extension of the body itself.
Thus, wielding a weapon depends entirely on how well one utilizes that extended part of the body.
Our weapons clash.
I tilt my Impermanence Sword at an angle, pulling the center of her weapon's balance towards me. With a twist of my wrist, I move to slice Hyeon Mu's throat.
In that fleeting instant—
Hyeon Mu's foot steps in between my feet, closing the distance.
She twists her body as she watches my sword aiming for her neck. Her knee hooks around mine, disrupting my posture.
I reach out with my other hand, seizing her shoulder while bringing my blade down.
But she deflects the Impermanence Sword with an upward strike, then seizes my hand gripping her shoulder and throws me over.
Booong!
Using the momentum, I push off and create distance between us.
And that is when it truly begins.
Hyeon Mu's mysterious weapon starts to extend.
At the same time, my Impermanence Sword also begins extending to my will.
A weapon is an extension of the limbs.
Then, how far can that extension reach?
Shukang!
The emptiness in Hyeon Mu's grasp soars skyward and cleaves a nearby planet in half.
A marvel accomplished through sheer size alone.
I, too, expand my Impermanence Sword and meet her strike head-on. She, in turn, utilizes my force against me, shifting her stance to launch a thrust.
Paaang!
Even as the thrust closes in, its properties shift—
A spear's thrust. A sword's stab.
The piercing of an arrowhead.
The transformations occur multiple times in an instant.
Each movement adheres perfectly to the principles of Martial Arts, to the point it is beautiful.
It is as if she is dancing.
I realize, with a bitter smile, that I am already being drawn into her dance.
Our dance gradually quickens.
Hyeon Mu's single strike grows sharper and more vicious.
Booong!
A simple horizontal slash.
With that slash, the galaxy behind is split in half.
I can feel it.
It is clear that if she exerts her full strength, she can easily annihilate several Heavenly Domains in a single strike.
Before I know it, the dancing her begins to step into a transcendent speed.
In no time, we are moving at the speed of light, swiftly re-entering the Interdimensional Void of the Good Sight Heavenly Domain.
The Vestiges in the Interdimensional Void scatter in terror the moment they sense our presence. I, too, feel the urge to flee like them.
'Damn it...'
Her acceleration continues to increase.
But the faster I go, the more I feel my entire body shattering apart, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.
Transcending light is by no means an easy feat.
Yet, even as Hyeon Mu pushes me with a speed transcending light, she maintains a leisurely expression.
A thrust surpasses a flash of light and pierces my heart.
A vertical slash severs my pinky finger.
With a single step and a spinning motion, my left rib and chest are sliced open in the circle that was drawn.
As she lowers her waist and rises in an upward strike, my fingernails are torn off.
A single kick sends my head ringing.
A single strike that shreds my entire body leaves beads of blood welling all over my body.
With a single sword, my Impermanence Sword shatters, forcing me to reconstruct its form.
I am continuously being pushed back.
Kuguguguk!
To break free from this situation, I momentarily amplify my speed using the body of an Immortal Beast and my martial arts.
If I keep getting caught in her dance, all that awaits me is defeat.
But at that very moment—
Kwaaaaaang!
With a feeling as if I collided with something, I find myself inside the Source River. Hyeon Mu watches me calmly, the corners of her lips twisting upward.
—Let me ask you. What is Martial Arts?
Inside the Source River, where countless scenes of time flow by,
Standing atop one of those drifting visions like a buoy, Hyeon Mu asks.
Paaaang!
Then, in a fleeting instant, she kicks off the Source River and rushes toward me while swinging something dark at me with a nearby vision.
—That...is something I don't think I can define.
—Is that so? Then allow me to define it for you. Martial Arts (武) is [nothing at all].
Before I know it, I begin moving through the Source River at a speed that transcends spacetime.
As I continue to accelerate, time itself starts to move backward, albeit slowly.
—Quite literally, it is nothing more than an ugly power that borrows the strength of Heaven and Earth to struggle against them. All those of Martial Arts are the same, and so are all of the Heart Tribe. In the end, Martial Arts, the manifestation of the Heart Tribe, is merely the insignificant result of picking and choosing the best aspects of the Heaven and Earth Tribes to adopt. That is why, to become a True Immortal through the realm of the Heart Tribe, the realm of the Heaven and Earth Tribes is absolutely necessary.
'This is...'
As my speed transcends certain threshold—
I realize that the entire world appears different.
'This, this is...'
The past and the future.
And their flows are clearly visible.
The past is a narrow, established path of a single possibility, while the future is a labyrinth of countless possibilities spreading outward.
—In the end, the Three Great Ultimates are nothing more than a preparatory stage to Divine Descent the power of Heaven and Earth within our bodies.
—Divine Descent...?
—A temporary acceptance. The only way for the frail Heart Tribe to defeat a beast of prey is to use tools and mimic the movements of the beast. Then, what about the Heart Tribe who have reached the realm of True Immortality? Must we become fate and history itself, or should we wield them as tools?
I am the past.
Since I am walking the history pathway, I begin to block Hyeon Mu's attacks along the narrow path.
Hyeon Mu, as if drawing upon the power of the Heaven Tribe, collides against me within the flow of countless possibilities.
—Do not be dominated. Do not seek to dominate. Simply entrust yourself to the flow and accept its aid. The Heart Tribe is weak. Only by borrowing tools, borrowing appearances, and borrowing movements can we barely defeat other beings.
Kiiiiiiing!
Behind Hyeon Mu, a [Blackened Three Great Ultimates] rises.
—The symbol of the Three Great Ultimates, which appears when a mortal being practices Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation alongside the manifestation of the Heart Tribe, is...a [bowl]. What you choose to fill this [bowl] with is entirely up to you. Whether you fill it with the sky, with life, or with an untainted heart—it is your choice. But what is most important is...
Kugugugugu!
I shiver as I recognize the terrifying divine status of Hyeon Mu.
Great Net Immortal as a Heaven Immortal.
Great Net Immortal as an Earth Immortal.
Reaching the realm of a Great Net Immortal through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation—that is Hyeon Mu.
—One must not dominate, nor be dominated. The Heart Tribe must always borrow. They must utilize or counter-utilize. Even if one is a Heaven Immortal or an Earth Immortal, as long as they properly wield their fate and life...
Kiiiiiiing!
Our battle quickens.
I unleash every form of Severing Heaven Sword Form to resist her, yet against Hyeon Mu's accelerating attacks, it becomes impossible to keep up.
—Then they are a true Martial Artist. Let me ask you. Are you the master of your fate and life?
Kwaaaaaang!
At some point—
After taking another strike from Hyeon Mu, I find myself in an unfamiliar dimension.
A world where Heaven and Earth bloom with fragrant, beautiful flower fields.
"The Western Heaven Flower Field, huh? It's been a while."
Hyeon Mu approaches, trampling over the flowers without hesitation.
"...In this way, by invoking Divine Descent into the [bowl] of the Three Great Ultimates and wielding that power as its master...we eventually come to understand the form of the power. There are three forms in total. When one understands and learns all three forms...it is called Triple Divinity (三神性), and a sign that Udumbara has fully bloomed. And...attaining Triple Divinity is the ultimate of the Martial Arts (武) we have explored. Generally speaking..."
Hyeon Mu shrugs before stepping forward and pressing her foot down on my throat.
"Calling it the seventh stage of Manifestation is the most straightforward term. Of course...in the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, I alone have reached this realm."
If creating a [bowl] through the Three Great Ultimates and attaining Udumbara is the sixth stage,
Then comprehending what is called Triple Divinity within Udumbara and blooming it fully is regarded as the seventh stage of Manifestation.
"It was fun in its own way after a long time. Not many have followed to this realm and listened to my teachings. Now then..."
With an expressionless face, Hyeon Mu raises something in her hand.
"Killing a junior like you the moment they have entered would be utterly boring. Hand over your subordinate. The fact that I am offering this many chances is already a miracle. This is truly your last opportunity."
"..."
As I listen to Hyeon Mu's words, I feel that they are the truth.
It must be true.
For a being like Hyeon Mu to give me this much advice to someone like me is an absurd level of excessive kindness.
But I simply smile.
Booong!
Heavenly Escape!
I attempt to melt into the domain of purity from the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, fleeing.
But then I feel chills all over my body.
'This is insane...'
For me, using Heavenly Escape is a gamble risking my life, yet Hyeon Mu enters the domain of purity as naturally as breathing.
Within the domain of purity, not even Hyeon Mu should be able to perceive things properly or act recklessly.
Yet, she unleashes a wide-range attack, forcefully pushing me out of the domain of purity where I had settled.
Keheok!
Expelled from the domain of purity, I look up at Hyeon Mu, whose divine status is beyond reason, and let out a low groan.
'I can't...win...'
I am defeated.
It is not due to some absolute technique like a special Immortal Art, Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, or Filling the Heavens Sword Rain.
It is simply a difference in pure capability.
She overwhelms me in every aspect.
With the disparity in skill alone, all of my attacks are severed, and my defenses are shattered.
That is all there is to it.
Just as I am about to despair at my defeat to Hyeon Mu—
Kururururung!
The entire Eastern Heaven Flower Field trembles.
Hyeon Mu, who had been staring down at me with a look that seemed ready to kill me at any moment, suddenly shifts her gaze to the distance, as if she has noticed something amusing.
"Oh dear... The Western Heaven Flower Field is shaking like a tattered rag? Kukuk... It has begun. Gwak Am's mantra. That is the precursor phenomenon."
"...!"
Hyeon Mu chuckles and takes a step back from me.
"I will ask you once more. You have lost to me. And yet, will you still refuse to hand over your subordinate?"
"...That is correct."
"Then I suppose there is no helping it."
Kugugugugugu!
The domain of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable shakes violently. Hyeon Mu grabs my hair and takes a single step forward.
Paaatt!
Before I know it, we are back in the Astral Realm, in the Good Sight Heavenly Domain.
"If that is truly your choice, then I will show consideration so you can behold a splendid sight before you die."
Thud!
I collapse onto the surface of a planet within the Good Sight Heavenly Domain and gaze up at the sky.
'This... What is this...!?'
A precursor phenomenon of the mantra.
That is all it is said to be.
And yet—
The Flower Field of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
The Netherworld of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
The Source River of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.
The Interdimensional Void of the Heavenly Venerable of the Void.
All those realms and the Astral Realm are trembling like mad.
"Now, watch..."
Then, as the next scene unfolds, my eyes widen.
It collapses.
The Heavenly Domains are beginning to crumble under a golden light.
Hyeon Mu lets out a small sigh of admiration, followed by a hollow chuckle.
"Perhaps...that light is the closest to the [First Light]..."
I watch in a daze alongside Hyeon Mu as the light annihilates the world, my mouth agape.
I stand there, dazed, watching alongside Hyeon Mu as the golden radiance brings the world to ruin.
Then, at some moment when my mind clears—
'...Huh?'
I suddenly realize that I am dying, crimson energy seeping from my entire body like blood.
The light that destroys the Heavenly Domains has disregarded my entire perception domain, which has reached the realm Severing Heaven and Earth Upper Immortal, and has severed my life.
Hyeon Mu, seeming to have survived by some technique, coughs up a mouthful of black blood and lets out a hollow laugh.
"How aggressive. Even during dual cultivation, it was the same. Damn bastard..."
The light is devouring the world.
As I stare at that sight, I feel my consciousness fading.
Beyond that light, I can sense a familiar aura.
The aura of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra and Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
It is the aura of Gwak Am, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Gwak Am is destroying Mount Sumeru.
It is not just the Good Sight Heavenly Domain that is collapsing.
I get the feeling that all the Heavenly Domains are being swallowed by that light at once.
'...I...see. This is...the end...'
Feel slightly empty for some reason, I gaze at the golden light, more terrifying and oppressive than anything else.
That light is an undeniable tyranny, and yet...
It is beautiful.
Amidst the breathtaking spectacle that brings an end to the entire world, I collapse where I stand.
'...Even so... In this life as well...'
My consciousness grows dim.
Whatever this light is, neither prophecy nor revision can heal me.
It feels as if something fundamental within me has been torn away.
'I did...my best...'
Everything struck by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's light is swept away. All beings, except Hyeon Mu, fail to maintain even their forms and begin to vanish.
And in the final moments of such a life—
I see a certain figure.
It is the face of an old man appearing to be in his late fifties, with strands of white threading through his hair.
His face is a little too young to be called an old man, but regardless, he is unmistakably familiar.
"...Hong...Fan..."
Hong Fan gazes down at my dying self with sorrowful eyes, biting his lips.
"...So you are passing away, Master..."
"It...can't...be...helped..."
Suddenly, I sense Hyeon Mu belatedly recognizing Hong Fan and turning her gaze towards us.
Feeling this, I reach out and grasp Hong Fan's hand, who is gently touching my body with sorrow.
"Go...now..."
Flee.
Please flee from Hyeon Mu, from this destruction, as much as you can.
That is what I want to say.
But my voice does not come out properly, and Hong Fan only looks down at me with bitter eyes.
"...In the end, neither Master nor any of your comrades... None of you ever made it back to your homeland, the Head Realm. Every single one of you...were more bright and full of potential than anyone else, to the point of becoming a True Immortal... I had such hopes...for your achievements... And yet, is this how it all ends..."
Hong Fan exhales a sigh as he rises from his seat.
I should be telling Hong Fan to run away from Hyeon Mu, yet for some reason, Hyeon Mu does not strike him down instantly.
Instead, I hear something strange in Hyeon Mu's voice.
My vision blurs, and soon, I can no longer see ahead.
But my hearing remains sharp, and I can distinctly hear Hyeon Mu's trembling voice right by my ear.
"What...what is this...? Ha, haha... You... You are... Ah, no. No. That can't be. That cannot be... No. No. No..."
It is a voice that is hard to believe belongs to the same Hyeon Mu who toyed with me just moments ago.
Then, I hear Hong Fan's voice.
I hear his footsteps as well.
Hong Fan is, yes.
Ignoring Hyeon Mu.
He is walking towards the golden light.
Towards the direction where the Heavenly Domain is collapsing.
For some reason, he even seems angry.
'Hong...Fan... No...'
He is going to be killed by Gwak Am.
'Don't go...'
"Do...n't...go..."
Please, Hong Fan.
Live.
Do not go there.
"Hong...Fan..."
Hong Fan, perhaps enraged at the Great Mountain Supreme Deity who caused my death, walks into the far distance, radiating intent full of anger.
I barely manage to open my eyes, capturing my last glimpse of Hong Fan.
As expected, he is walking straight into the golden torrent unleashed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Glaring towards the very center of the golden torrent, he mutters,
"...Utterly useless. A worthless bastard who only brings trouble... Whoever taught you, truly...you bring nothing but harm."
He is exuding killing intent towards the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Yet, why is it?
The words that escape my lips are something entirely different, completely irrelevant.
"For...give...Gwak...Am..."
Why did such words leave my mouth?
Maybe death is so close that my thoughts are no longer clear.
Or perhaps, it is because the sight of Hong Fan boldly striding towards Gwak Am...resembles a snake stalking its prey.
As I listen to Hong Fan's final words directed at the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, my consciousness fades completely.
"For trash like you..."
That is my 1003rd return.
Kugugugugugu!
At the heart of the golden torrent—
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gam Am suddenly turns Their gaze towards a distant place.
Kugugugugugu!
The Radiance Eight Immortals, who had agreed to cooperate with Them, are now rising with hostility.
: : B E T R A Y A L I S I T ? W E L L , F R O M Y O U R P E R S P E C T I V E , T H A T I S O N L Y N A T U R A L ... : :
Receiving the enmity of the Radiance Eight Immortals and the ominous aura beyond them, Gwak Am murmurs.
: : T H E S N A K E I S C O M I N G : :
Wearing a snake's mask over Their face, Gwak Am lifts Their head towards the approaching snake.
: : I S H A L L H U N T T H E S N A K E , T R A M P L E I T S B L O O D , A N D R E A C H T H E A U D I E N C E C H A M B E R : :
On this day—
One of the two shall become the hunted.
The Golden Great Mountain and the form of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail] begin to collide.