The preparations to destroy Liberation Peach Garden Village do not take long.
What takes longer is constructing the ritual to temporarily Divine Descent the authority of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity onto Jeon Myeong-hoon's body.
Since the greatest possible power must dwell within Jeon Myeong-hoon, some among the True Immortals of the Flying Immortal Alliance who are knowledgeable about Heavenly Tribulations, as well as a few who have encountered Yang Su-jin, inscribe the ritual across various parts of Jeon Myeong-hoon's body using the blood of beasts.
As I watch, I ask Maek Jin.
"By the way, Maek Jin, aren't you affiliated with Radiance Hall?"
"That's right."
"Then, aren't you helping with releasing the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, whom the Radiance Hall sealed, since we made a contract? Is that really okay?"
"Hmm...I suppose I'll earn some resentment from the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity once I leave. After all, I helped the Radiance Eight Immortals imprison Them back then."
"...Are you saying you helped annihilate the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity's Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals and other forces?"
Then isn't this a much bigger issue than I thought?
'They wouldn't attack us the moment we free Them, saying They are sealing us in return, right?'
But unexpectedly, Maek Jin just scoffs.
"Ridiculous. All I did back then was oversee the blockade of the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain. My role was to monitor and prevent any of the prominent Great Immortals or True Immortals who worshipped the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity from escaping. Even then, none of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity's subordinates even attempted to flee. In the first place..."
His expression turns somewhat bitter.
"...The true power of Radiance Hall is essentially the Radiance Eight Immortals. They alone account for six tenths of Radiance Hall's total strength. Back then, the other Great Immortals and the Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma merely sealed off escape routes like I did. None of us directly participated in the war. The entire war was waged by the eight members of the Radiance Eight Immortals, who borrowed the Radiance Supreme Deity's profound wisdom to wipe out the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals and the forces of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, before ultimately imprisoning Them."
"..."
I feel overwhelmed by the sheer power of the Radiance Hall that is more than I had imagined.
'Even Bong Myeong, who doesn't feel stronger than the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, is able to completely overpower and toy with us like this... But those eight alone managed to subjugate the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity and Their entire faction?'
The further I learn about the Radiance Eight Immortals, the more I feel a creeping sense of dread.
From the beginning, the Sword-Guided Star Rain unleashed by the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord that I witnessed at the end of my past life was a secret art terrifying enough to make my skin crawl.
'And that was from a distance... If they had used it up close, it might not have just torn apart a single Heavenly Domain...'
As I remember the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, a chill spreads through my shoulders.
'Yang Ji-hwang...'
I always thought I understood people's hearts fairly well.
Such things are easy to see with the vision of the Heart Tribe after all.
But...
After accepting Kim Yeon's heart, I began to see things I hadn't before.
'She...loved me.'
Memories of our time together resurface.
That brief period we spent in the Head Realm.
I recall how she was dyed by emotions.
'...This makes me feel a little guilty.'
I had removed her bandages, gazed at her face, taught her about emotions...
And then, I irresponsibly died.
'I'm sorry, Yang Ji-hwang...'
I recall Yang Ji-hwang's unmasked face from my past life and offer a silent, heartfelt apology.
Suddenly, a question comes to mind, and I ask Maek Jin.
"By the way, do all members of your Radiance Hall wrap their Transformation bodies in bandages?"
"Hmm? No. That only applies to the Radiance Eight Immortals, who must not reveal their bare faces, physical characteristics, or true names."
"Then why did you do it?"
"For a True Immortal, the face is a means of communication. Covering the face means concealing one's true intentions. Unless it's a True Immortal whose faces have been lost due to suffering too much pain, most interpret it that way. And...I wanted to possess that one called Kim Yeon."
"..."
"A fate similar to the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord...but with an entirely different nature... At the same time, unlike the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, a heart directed towards only one being. I wanted that. But...I felt so shameful for desiring such a thing that I covered my face for a while."
Feeling puzzled, I ask,
"I can't forgive you for targeting Yeon-i, but I do want to correct one thing."
"...?"
"Desire isn't necessarily shameful. Desire is the source of all possibilities."
"Master must be tired. Allow me to massage your shoulders."
Hong Fan, concerned that my shoulders might be sore, approaches to massage them.
"Ah, thank you, Hong Fan. You're really good at this. Uuuuh! This is what it means to be alive. You could say life is essentially a massage."
"Haw haw haw haw haw! If Master is pleased, then I am truly delighted as well."
"Good, good. Anyway, Maek Jin, there's no need to be ashamed of your desires. While losing yourself to desire is a problem...as long as you don't let it consume you, it's fine."
"...How strange. Radiance Hall considers desire to be the greatest of sins. We are taught that desire is Evil. I believe that as well. Everything in the world has its own rightful place and fate. Desire is a heaven-defying attempt to overstep one's place and fate. It's best if it doesn't exist at all."
"Heaven-defying, huh...? Then in the end, doesn't that mean you should accept your fate of being trapped in Bong Myeong's Immortal Art?"
"..."
Maek Jin lets out a subtle smile.
"In Radiance Hall...all desire is considered the most disgraceful of things. That is why I wrapped my face in bandages for a time to avoid revealing such disgraceful desire. However, there is one single desire that even Radiance Hall permits."
"A desire permitted by Radiance Hall...?"
"It is the desire for freedom."
He finally answers the question I had asked earlier.
"You asked why, despite being part of Radiance Hall, I am helping in a plan to release the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity whom Radiance Hall sealed away, didn't you? This is the answer. Because it helps me become free."
"Freedom...?"
"There is a common misconception many have. But in truth, the ultimate value pursued by Radiance Hall is freedom."
Maek Jin sweeps her hand through her silver hair, shaking the strings of her silver mianguan.
Her silver dragon robe gleams with a silver-white light.
"Because freedom is our foremost value, we have always acted with everything on the line for its sake. Though this seems to come across as a misunderstanding to those outside Radiance Hall."
"...Someone I know once told me that Radiance Hall places importance on the Way of Light, in which selection is determined by fate with a distinction of good and evil. If everything is filtered through selection, then what freedom exists in that?"
"...It's the opposite."
"The opposite?"
"The ones who are selected are indeed not free. For that is the purpose of being selected."
"What do you mean?"
"Sacrificing a chosen few, and having those few eradicate the great evils that torment and oppress mortal beings in order for the vast majority to be free. That is the truth behind the selection you speak of."
I sit in silence with her for a while.
"...If we follow the Way of Light, in the end, the overwhelming majority will become happy and free. As long as everyone properly follows us."
"..."
"...Seo Eun-hyun."
"What is it?"
"When we leave this place...come to Radiance Hall. I will take you as my disciple. If you desire, I can also grant you a position as a candidate for the Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals or the Envoy of the Final Age of Dharma."
"You were in a position more impressive than I thought, Maek Jin."
"..."
"Why are you offering me this?"
"...You are a free person. But...your freedom has no direction. Freedom needs a bridle to some extent. I simply don't want you to stray down the wrong path."
I recall what Maek Jin said.
"Are you talking about the [snake biting its tail] and the [spiraling snake]?"
"..."
"Are you saying I'm dangerous because I don't bite my own tail? Haha... Are you worried I might go in the wrong direction?"
"..."
"I appreciate your concern, Maek Jin. But that won't happen."
"Why? How can you possibly think that unrestricted freedom isn't dangerous? Isn't freedom without any bridle or constraints chaos itself?"
I suddenly realize that my conversation with Maek Jin has taken a rather philosophical and profound turn.
'How did it end up like this?'
I think it started when Hong Fan began massaging my shoulders.
"Well...to you, it might seem like chaos, but I do have my own kind of bridle."
"You have a bridle? What is it?"
"If even one person worries about me like you did before, or wants to see me, and thinks about me...then doesn't that become a bridle? A signpost guiding me toward a safe path?"
"..."
"Thanks for worrying about me, Maek Jin. But...judging from the way you speak, you seem like the kind of person who sacrifices yourself for others. That's fine and all...but Maek Jin, if you're always thinking about everyone else...then who is thinking about you?"
"...!"
Her silver hair trembles.
"...That's..."
"Well...don't worry about it. Since you thought of me, I'll think of you from now on too."
I smile faintly and continue speaking.
"Even if we become enemies after leaving this place...just as you worried about me, I will worry about you too."
For that too, is retribution.
I swallow my last words and glance towards Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Then, suddenly curious, I turn back to her.
"By the way, Maek Jin. Have you always had silver hair?"
"...? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Maek Jin rips off the bandages from his body and glares at me with a fierce expression.
Hong Fan's massage comes to an end, and Maek Jin is shaking his black hair.
"...Hmm..."
Now that I think about it, Maek Jin has a male Transformation form. I have no idea why I kept perceiving him as a woman.
'Was I possessed or something?'
For some reason, my shoulder aches as if stabbed by a sword.
Kwachijijijik!
In the distance, an immense surge of lightning erupts from Jeon Myeong-hoon's body.
"Are you ready?"
Maek Jin rises from his seat.
The True Immortals of the Flying Immortal Alliance all nod in unison.
"Seo Eun-hyun. Stand beside Kim Yeon and prepare your Immortal Art. We will begin the plan."
Kurururung!
Maek Jin's body becomes a storm.
The other True Immortals of the Flying Immortal Alliance also begin transforming their bodies into spirits.
With the spirit bodies obtained from Liberation Peach Garden Village, their bodies start to change.
[Now...let us break this world apart...and prepare to leave!!!]
Kugugugugugu!
Maek Jin's body swells dramatically.
Dozens of True Immortals also expand their own unique forms.
Smoke, lava, lightning, light, darkness, swamp, vines, curses, plagues, screams, pain, corrosion...
Countless True Immortals inflate the spirit bodies they obtained from this world and head east.
"It's beginning."
I walk towards Kim Yeon.
Holding her hand firmly, I look towards the east.
The Eastern Sea Nation.
The sky above it darkens, and with a thunderous explosion, the entire space where the Sea Nation exists is torn apart.
The Sea Nation is annihilated.
Kugugugugugu!
From the east, countless spirit bodies emerge and move westward.
The Western Square Nation is eradicated.
Kurururung!
The spirit bodies turn southward.
The Southern Center Nation is wiped out.
Finally, the spirit bodies head north.
At last, the Circle Nation is destroyed.
The entire world is torn apart at the spatial level and is obliterated.
Kigigigik!
I unleash Glass True Fire, encircling the space where Kim Yeon and I stand.
Just then.
Chwararararak!
A colossal will descends upon the world, and in an instant, time seems to rewind as the world begins to restore itself.
As beings who have become spirit bodies, there are no problems even if we kill the individual inhabitants of this world.
They do not resurrect or anything of the sort.
However, when the world itself is destroyed, it seems the annihilated inhabitants are revived all at once.
Kurururung!
The space we stand in begins restoring itself to its original state.
But I block the process using Glass True Fire.
"Guaaaaaaaaah!!"
Kugugugugugu!
An overwhelming will violently crushes my own.
It is the will of the Liberation Supreme Deity.
Among the Supreme Deities, They are the most recently enthroned and should be the weakest.
Moreover, as a being who grew as a magic artifact craftsman, Their combative willpower should not be that formidable.
But the rank between a Supreme Deity and myself is immeasurable.
Even a mere fragment of the Liberation Supreme Deity's will makes my entire body feel as though it is about to explode.
I now understand just how gentle Hyeon Mu was when dealing with Kim Young-hoon and I.
'If Hyeon Mu...had fully revealed her authority as a Governing Immortal, we would have been dismantled on the spot that day.'
We would have had no chance to resist.
Kugugugugugu!
I muster every bit of my strength into resisting, directly facing against the restoration will of the Liberation Supreme Deity.
Jjeojeok, jjeoeeoeok!
My body begins to crack apart.
'Crazy...!'
This is the backlash of blocking the will of a Supreme Deity.
Just resisting the will is enough to put my life in danger.
'If I keep...resisting...I might be annihilated...!'
Even with my power sealed, I am an Immortal Beast.
I am an Earth Upper Immortal.
I have stepped onto the pathway of overseeing life and explosion, yet I instinctively feel that no trace of life will have any effect on this will.
"Jeon Myeong-hoon...hurry...!"
And.
The time finally arrives.
Kwarurururung!
All of Heaven and Earth begin to be engulfed by lightning.
Kururururung!
From behind me, Jeon Myeong-hoon unleashes an overwhelming golden lightning.
'This...isn't his lightning!'
His lightning is always a bright, vivid red.
But this time, it is different.
This light is a brilliant gold.
I gaze at the being residing within Jeon Myeong-hoon's body.
Having taken control of Jeon Myeong-hoon's body, he gives a deep, meaningful smile.
"Y-You...!"
: : Worry not. : :
But Do Gon only smiles, unfazed by my concern.
: : For the promise shall be kept... : :
Kwachijijijik!
The lightning forms a net.
And that net separates this alternate space and me from the will of Liberation Peach Garden Village.
: : You, too, shall honor your promise with this Immortal... : :
With those final words, Do Gon's presence vanishes from Jeon Myeong-hoon's body.
Jeon Myeong-hoon soon opens his eyes, gritting his teeth in a humiliated expression.
"Damn it...I can...feel it inside! That bastard's trace is here! Damn it all!!!"
His face flushes red as he shouts.
"That bastard left a terminal inside me. As long as this remains...in the end, am I also just being played by that bastard!?"
"Jeon Myeong-hoon..."
At that very moment.
Kigigigigik!
It feels as if the world itself stops to a halt.
Immediately after, in this space filled with golden lightning, a golden radiance far more brilliant than anything else bursts forth.
Behind Kim Young-hoon, a golden Peng is spreading its wings.
For a brief moment, the space is no longer affected by the restorative force of Bong Myeong, and Kim Yeon has canceled Bong Myeong's Immortal Art within this place she has seized control of.
I feel my Immortal Arts, prophecy, and the authority of revision awakening once more.
Behind Kim Young-hoon, the symbol of Brahma Nature emerges.
However, it flickers out the moment it appears.
"...? Hyung-nim. What are you..."
But in the next instant.
Clang!
As soon as Kim Young-hoon sheathes his blade—
A deep slash is carved across Jeon Myeong-hoon's chest.
"Kkeuuuuuuuugh!"
At the same time, something golden that had wrapped around Jeon Myeong-hoon's body can be seen being severed.
Kim Young-hoon, drenched in cold sweat, smiles.
"Don't worry, Jeon Myeong-hoon. I've severed the terminal of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity."
Despite bleeding, Jeon Myeong-hoon grins, and I, too, exhale a sigh of relief at the sight.
The first half of the plan has succeeded.
Now, all that remains...
Is for Kim Yeon to completely seize and modify this space within a ten-zhang radius centered on herself.
And to propel the civilization of this world forward.
Shiririririk!
Within the space controlled by Kim Yeon, Maek Jin and the True Immortals of the Flying Immortal Alliance return.
Kugugugugugu!
Unleashing proper cosmic power, they distort space with their own Immortal Arts.
To Kim Yeon, it registers as no larger than a washbasin, but for the living beings of this world, an entire space the size of a solar system forms in an instant.
: : Ahahahaha! This is it! This is what I'm talking about! This omnipotence! I wanted to reclaim this feeling of omnipotence... : :
Maek Jin and the divine spirits of the Flying Immortal Alliance soar through the modified, solar-system-sized space with their Immortal Arts, savoring their little freedom.
'Now...it all depends on Kim Yeon.'
I let out a faint sigh as I gaze at the washbasin-sized distorted space that appeared before Kim Yeon.
The originally estimated time of several hundred million years has now been reduced to mere hundreds of thousands of years.
'Please, let our plan succeed!'
I fervently hope for our plan to proceed safely until the very end.
Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain.
The Palace of Bong Myeong that stands at the very center.
At the heart of that palace lies a throne of light composed of seven-colored light, and upon that throne sits the main body of Bong Myeong in the form of a bird of light.
Crowned with a mianguan and clad in a dragon robe woven from light, Their arms take the form of massive wings of light.
From the very center of the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain, They exude a presence of solemnity, as though surveying not only the depths of the Heavenly Domain but everything beyond it in a single glance.
As They are sitting upon the throne...
Step. Step. Step.
Someone approaches the throne where Bong Myeong is seated.
Compared to the vastness of Their wing, the approaching [figure] appears minuscule, barely the size of a single feather.
This figure, wearing a silver-white mianguan and a silver-white mask, dressed in a silver-white dragon robe, is a Heavenly Lord.
Radiance Eight Immortals.
Fifth Seat.
It is the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
: : I regret that I could not properly receive an honored guest. : :
Bong Myeong speaks with a tone of apology, yet the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord merely looks up at Them as if showing no interest.
: : During the Governing Immortal Assembly, the distinguished one deceived all the Governing Immortals and Radiance Hall with mere tricks. You pretended to execute the Enders while secretly spiriting the real ones away. Is that not so? : :
: : I have no idea what you mean. Why are you suddenly trying to frame me, Sword Spear? : :
: : Frame? Then how does the distinguished one explain that this Immortal just witnessed it through the eyes of a Great Net Immortal from Radiance Hall who was trapped within your Immortal Art, Liberation? : :
: : Invading my personal space? No matter our alliance, this is quite unpleasant. State your business. : :
: : Very well. I will not speak in circles. Hand over the Crystal Glass Being Seo Eun-hyun and the other Enders. : :
: : Hm... : :
Bong Myeong tilts Their head slightly before asking in return.
: : Is this the profound wisdom of the Radiance Supreme Deity, or a threat from the Fifth Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord? : :
: : The meaning of this Immortal is always connected to the profound wisdom of the Radiance Supreme Deity. : :
: : Then why is it that the Radiance Eight Immortals, who have received the profound wisdom of Heuk Sa, have not all come together? : :
: : Because it was deemed unworthy of such a response. : :
At those words, Bong Myeong's body quivers slightly as if amused.
With each movement of Their body, the entire Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain trembles.
: : You must be mad. For you all, is eliminating the Enders not a more urgent matter than dealing with even Gwak Am? And yet 'it was deemed unworthy'? It seems your intellect is not functioning properly, so even your excuses are inadequate. : :
Stretchhhh!
Bong Myeong's neck extends to an incredible length, reaching in front of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord in an instant.
: : Speak honestly. Have you come for the Enders, or have you come for Seo Eun-hyun? O Sword Spear of this generation, who is corrupting from emotions and becoming broken... : :
: : ...Words seem to be pointless. : :
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord meets Bong Myeong's eyes, their anger evident.
: : You asked why all of the Radiance Eight Immortals did not come, Liberation? : :
Kugugugugugu!
In the distant space above the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain,
A silver-white sword appears.
And that silver-white sword is not alone.
Two, four, eight...
The growing number of silver-white swords soon begins to densely fill an entire side of the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain's universe.
Wiiiiiiiiiiing!
Behind the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's head, the symbol of [Silver-White Snake Biting Its Tail] emerges.
: : Because against an opponent of your level, I alone am more than enough. : :
Kururururung!
The entire Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain surges violently.
Bong Myeong rises from Their seat.
Their true form, composed of seven-colored light, ripples ominously and boils upward.
: : I greeted you with the courtesy befitting an envoy of the Radiance Supreme Deity. But you are increasingly crossing the line, Sword Spear. : :
Wuuuuuuuuu—
The entire Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain hums, connecting with Bong Myeong.
Countless star veins connect to Bong Myeong, drawing a strange pattern across the entire Heavenly Domain.
It resembles something like a [circuit].
: : Even if it is you, this Immortal is a Supreme Deity. Do not overstep and violate this Immortal's limits. You are nothing more than a mere component of Light... : :
Flinch!
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's body jerks at Bong Myeong's words.
Then, words laced with fury burst forth from their lips.
: : I...am not a component. : :
: : ...You have fallen, Sword Spear. Entangled with the Ender, you have gone utterly mad... If I were to deliver this sight of yours to the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord, would this dispute not be over? : :
: : ...This is the final warning. Spit out the Enders you have concealed in secret in order to use when desecrating Radiance Hall. : :
Bong Myeong ignores the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, only intensifying the absorption of the universe's star veins.
The [circuit] of star veins covering the entire Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain burns brightly.
: : Will you drink the punishment wine? O newly hatched Supreme Deity who has yet to pass one hundred thousand years since your enthronement... You are neither Great Mountain nor Heavenly Punishment. : :
Responding to those words, the snake symbol behind the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord ignites with even greater intensity.
: : You will not be able to endure this Immortal's power... : :
A bird that scorches Heaven and Earth spreads its wings, and a rain of swords that divides the cosmos begins to fall.
The battle of Imperial Kings begins.