'That lunatic Great Mountain Supreme Deity.'
Now that I think about it, all the realms overseen by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity seem to be utterly deranged.
'Back during the Four-Axis stage, They encouraged unorthodox methods so much, and now They're outright pushing for cultivation solely through the Way of Yin Pitch.'
Whether Ho Woon knows about my dilemma or not, they lightly wag their tail and ask,
"So, which system will you cultivate through, Yang Pitch or Yin Pitch?"
"Is there a significant difference depending on which one I use?"
"Naturally there is. If you cultivate through Yang Pitch, you become more specialized in creating things like stars of prophecy or explosions of revisions. If you cultivate through Yin Pitch, you become more specialized in denying the prophecies and revisions of other True Immortals. Of course, you can also mix the two—creating three races through Yang Pitch and erasing another three races through Yin Pitch. Doing so would specialize you in maintaining your own prophecies and revisions."
"Hmm...!"
As I listen to Ho Woon's words, something comes to mind."So Yang Pitch specializes in creation, Yin Pitch specializes in destruction, and mixing them specializes in preservation, is that correct?"
"That's right. Either way, it will greatly aid your cultivation of the Immortal Dao from here on."
"..."
'Triple Divinity... So that's what this is.'
Yang Pitch and Yin Pitch.
The powers granted after completing the True Immortal formula of this Upper Immortal cultivation closely resemble the powers of Brahma Nature, Narayana Nature, and Mahesvara Nature.
'Come to think of it, it makes sense.'
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity is said to have received teachings from Hyeon Mu, and even dual cultivated with her.
That enlightenment seems to have melted into the Upper Immortal realm formula.
"...Is there a particular reason you're asking me this?"
"Of course there is. Up until now, you've forcefully broken through the realms using those brute-force mantras of yours, but from here on, that won't work. You must cultivate the Immortal Dao simultaneously without exception. Meaning, you must create or extinguish entire races solely by using the power of the Immortal Dao."
"...!"
At those words, I let out a silent sigh.
'This is quite difficult...'
Whether it's Yang Pitch or Yin Pitch, how exactly is one supposed to carry it out using the Immortal Dao of accumulating mountains?
I don't even know where to start.
"This...seems more difficult than I expected."
"What obvious nonsense are you spouting? Both Yin Pitch and Yang Pitch are naturally immensely difficult. Yin Pitch may seem easy and convenient at first glance, but do you think erasing an entire race within a Heavenly Domain is simple? A race in a Heavenly Domain includes even the same race within the Middle Realms. Moreover, since those races could survive inside the Middle Realm within a Great Net Immortal's body, you might even have to fight a Great Net Immortal."
"...!"
"Moreover, when you designate a race for extinction, if even a single member of that race worships a True Immortal, you risk offending that True Immortal, making it difficult to casually annihilate a race. Therefore, Upper Immortal cultivation isn't primarily about creating or destroying civilizations, but rather about building relationships with other True Immortals, and obtaining 'permission' to eradicate the races that worship them or can be considered their descendants in that Heavenly Domain."
"In that case, perhaps Yang Pitch seems more manageable."
"Does Yang Pitch seem easier to you? The conditions are indeed far easier compared to Yin Pitch, but you will have to draft a blueprint for a lifeform that has never existed before. Sure, Earth Upper Immortals find this method slightly easier and tend to choose it...but it won't be easy. Going forward, you will never be able to assist the race you create directly, and if established races who serve other True Immortals invade your race to enslave them, you can't directly intervene to stop it."
"...Wait..."
At those words, something dawns on me.
"In that case...the slave races that struggle with Immortal Cultivation itself..."
"Exactly. You must have seen them during your mortal days, correct? The weak, frail slave races for whom Immortal Cultivation itself is impossible... Pitiful beings whose entire existence is either food, pills, or mere trinkets like norigaes... Every one of them is no different from leftovers roughly discarded by Upper Immortals after being used in their Upper Immortal cultivation."
"..."
I let out a faint sigh at those words.
The origin of Jang Ik's Small Green Race and other Heart Tribe...
In the end, they are nothing more than remnants left behind by True Immortal ranked beings after their cultivation.
I realize that even Yang Pitch, though seemingly a bit more humane on the surface compared to Yin Pitch, is no less cruel in its essence.
'...No, but there is still a way.'
Another method comes to mind.
"How about this? As the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow, I have become the progenitor of a race that didn't exist before. Wouldn't it be enough if I just spread my descendants, the Candle Dragon Race, throughout all the Heavenly Domains?"
"Ah, the Candle Dragon Race. I've heard of them."
"Pardon...?"
I ask in confusion.
Why on earth has Ho Woon heard about them?
But I soon understand.
"There are occasionally fellows like you. Mutants who split off entirely from their original race, become Immortal Beasts, and establish new races and civilizations..."
As Ho Woon continues speaking, I feel my face rotting.
"Such fellows are rare, but if any of them happen to oppose Radiance Hall, then Radiance Hall acquires their bloodline factor and scatters them across all the Heavenly Domains. In that process, I've also seen the Candle Dragon Race, said to be your descendants, in the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. It's because doing so fixes the method of Upper Immortal cultivation to Yin Pitch, making it easier for Radiance Hall to track. After all, those who revere the True Immortals of Radiance Hall are spread throughout all the Heavenly Domains...so Yin Pitch won't be easy for you either."
"..."
It turns out that while I was unconscious during my True Immortal advancement, beings like the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord and others who entered the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain had already obtained the bloodline factors of the Candle Dragon Race.
"...So, what is the method you are suggesting, then?"
"Kukuk..."
Ho Woon chuckles softly.
"If you go find Glass Peacock, it'll all be solved. Glass Peacock will transform into all kinds of Immortal Beasts and mate with you. That lunatic possesses the Immortal Beast True Blood of all kinds of Immortal Beasts, after all. It'd be no different from copulating with a myriad of Immortal Beasts. If you copulate with countless Immortal Beasts and keep creating new races, you will breeze through the Upper Immortal cultivation."
"..."
I pull out my six-sided club, and Ho Woon clears their throat at my reaction.
"It was a joke. There's a better method."
"What is it?"
"Return to thee (歸依)."
Ho Woon smiles faintly as they continue.
"Wander throughout the Heavenly Domains, find races and civilizations, and make them face you directly. Then have them return (歸依) to your body. That way, other True Immortals won't feel nearly as offended, and you will have something to say to them too."
"..."
But even after hearing that, my expression remains far from pleased.
"This is the most widely known Yin Pitch cultivation method. Of course, you will have to properly establish the Qi of the living beings who return (歸依) to your body and make sure they worship you, so that no problems arise within you. As long as you manage to persuade the living beings, have them revere you, and convince the other True Immortals who might have grievances over their descendants being returned to thee, it'll only take about two to three million years. Repeat that six times, and you will be able to complete the Upper Immortal cultivation neatly."
Indeed, it is the most straightforward and seemingly acceptable method.
However...
I simply cannot feel at ease.
'Return to thee...'
After learning in the previous cycle that those who returned to thee to the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity are living well, the burden in my heart lightened a bit.
'But even so, Karmic Fire flared from the fact that they had been returned to thee.'
In other words, the very fact of having one's well-lived life taken away is itself a torment to them, and that too is considered a sin.
I recall Jun Jae, who still has not regained his reason inside my body.
Jun Jae has become a spirit of Glass True Fire, but perhaps because of my pain embedded within Glass True Fire, he still has not come to their senses.
This is despite me having lowered the concentration of Glass True Fire as much as possible.
'Maybe not for other True Immortals, but at least within my body...it is too painful a place for living beings.'
The only reason I feel no guilt towards Jun Jae is because he tried to kill my master, Azure Tiger Saint. But I cannot throw completely unrelated living beings into this agonizing hellfire.
Above all...
My comrade is Jeon Myeong-hoon.
I know what kind of suffering Jeon Myeong-hoon carries, and standing alongside him, I cannot commit acts like those of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.
In the end, none of the methods satisfy me.
'Is there no other way?'
I rack my brain.
'The realm overseen by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.'
It was the same during the Four-Axis stage.
The way of advancing through the realm itself is clearly structured to exploit those weaker than oneself, but the hidden method is one where you carve only yourself.
'This may perhaps be...the realm once overseen by my master.'
That means, even through the way of the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, there is a method to undergo the Upper Immortal cultivation.
"...None of the methods please me."
"What?"
"First, I will talk things over with my comrades."
I decide to gather my comrades for a discussion after a long time.
"Oh, Hong Fan. You've grown younger."
I pat Hong Fan on the shoulder as I look at him, who has advanced to the Entering Nirvana stage.
From looking like he was in his late forties to early fifties, Hong Fan now bears the face of a man clearly in his early forties.
'He's taller than before, and his beard's a bit shorter too.'
From the wrinkled old man of the past, he now has the imposing build of a general.
'This guy, he's gotten taller than me?'
Hong Fan, appearing in his early forties, is quite tall, and seems to be a whole head taller than me.
Compared to Oh Hyun-seok, who grew a head or two taller under Azure Tiger Saint's training compared to back on Earth, Hong Fan is slightly shorter. But he seems to have a similar height to Oh Hyun-seok from back then.
However, despite his large build, he does not give off a brutish impression.
Rather, his beard is darker, giving him an old-fashioned air, and his gaze has deepened.
The white hairs that peeked out here and there during the Sacred Vessel stage have now disappeared completely.
Hong Fan has jet-black hair that seems to absorb light, and clad in a black robe, he looks like a dignified Imperial King.
"Haw haw, thank you for the compliment."
Even his tone and voice somehow feel more refined, exuding a weighty atmosphere.
"Hmm..."
And as I look at this Hong Fan, I feel a strong sense of déjà vu.
'What is it, this guy...'
Sure enough, it is a face I've seen somewhere before.
Of course, his height seems much taller than the [someone] I recall, but his overall appearance is far too similar.
'Once he becomes a bit younger from the Entering Nirvana Stage, I think I'll be able to figure it out... Damn, I don't know.'
No matter how hard I try, I cannot remember.
'I've seen someone like this before. But...I just can't figure out who.'
Unable to figure out his identity, I pat Hong Fan's shoulder a few more times and reunite with my comrades after a long while.
"Oh, Seo Eun-hyun. It's been a while."
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, and the others.
Before I realize it, every single one of them seems to have surpassed the Vestige Liberation Immortal-level and reached the Upper Immortal-level.
Especially Kang Min-hee. Who knows what she did, but she is in the late Upper Immortal realm.
She appears to have almost completed her Upper Immortal cultivation and is preparing her Great Net Immortal advancement.
"It's been a long time for me as well. It's only been a mere thousand years, but everyone seems to have made remarkable progress."
"A mere thousand years... To think a thousand years has now become something 'mere'."
Oh Hyun-seok mutters bitterly as he glances around at us.
Then, seeing Hong Fan, he flinches again.
"...Somehow you look even more like my master...I mean, the Naming Supreme Deity..."
"Haw haw, it's an honor."
"Your face shape and eyes are subtly different though."
We gather after a long while and exchange casual conversation.
My Immortal Treasures Yeo Hwi, Yu Hwi, Ham Jin have fully adjusted to their life as my Immortal Treasures, and are outside chatting with the Immortal Treasures of my comrades.
Before long, the friendly conversations die down, and I begin to speak honestly about my problem to my comrades.
"First, I find it difficult to properly perform the Upper Immortal cultivation. As you all know...the Upper Immortal cultivation is none other than..."
I explain to my comrades the methods of Yang Pitch and Yin Pitch, and seek their advice.
"...For these reasons, I cannot bring myself to use such methods. That is why I asked you all to gather after so long in order to discuss it."
"I see..."
Jeon Myeong-hoon's face darkens at the Yin Pitch method of 'extinction'.
"...Golden Shaking Bird recommends creating Thunder Beasts. She says a True Immortal is a unique existence in themselves, and thus can be considered a race and civilization on their own. Therefore, if you create six Thunder Beasts and scatter them, the Yang Pitch cultivation would be completed..."
"..."
It is quite an extreme method.
Hearing this, Oh Hyun-seok's eyes brighten.
"Doesn't that mean killing six True Immortals would also complete the Upper Immortal cultivation? I'm not saying I'll do that, but I thought I'd ask, wondering if it's possible."
Kang Min-hee shakes her head at his words.
"If you want to use a method of killing or creating, ordinary True Immortals won't do. They'd have to be Immortal Beasts. I too, with the help of my master, reached the late stage of Upper Immortal by killing Reapers of Upper Immortal-level in the Underworld. The Thunder Beasts that Golden Shaking Bird mentioned likely also carry certain traits of Immortal Beasts, making Upper Immortal cultivation possible."
"Damn it... Destroying or creating six civilizations...or killing six Immortal Beasts... Either way, the difficulty is the same."
"If you kill Immortal Beasts, then all the races benefiting from that Immortal Beast True Blood would decline as well, so not just the difficulty but the essence itself is the same."
Hearing Kang Min-hee's words, Kim Yeon raises a question.
"Mmm?"
"She's asking if puppet-like dolls can't be considered as a race."
"Well...my master said that kind of method is not possible. It's a method blocked entirely at the level of civilization development apparently."
"Mmm..."
Kim Yeon looks a little sullen, and Oh Hyun-seok asks a question.
"Is there no way to get more help from your master?"
"Well... My master said that just gathering everyone here was already everything They could do for us, so They won't interfere any further."
"They won't interfere with us... Damn it. Then what method is there?"
For a while, we rack our brains, searching for a way to carry out the Upper Immortal cultivation as humanely as possible.
But even after three days and nights of discussion, we are unable to find a proper way of Upper Immortal cultivation.
"Damn it...is creating a slave race or Thunder Beasts the most humane method after all?"
"Or perhaps raising six disciples and raising them to the realm of Earth Upper Immortal could be an option."
"...In that case, I'd rather just hunt six Immortal Beasts."
"But even if you kill Immortal Beasts, their subordinate races would still decline, wouldn't they?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon lets out a deep sigh.
"...In the end, is making them return to thee the most humane method...? Yet that is the one I find least appealing."
Just when we are immersed in gloomy contemplation about the inhumanity of the Upper Immortal cultivation,
Hong Fan steps forward and speaks.
"I have listened carefully to the discussions between Master and elders over the past three days. And as a result...a quite decent method has come to mind. Would you like to hear it?"
"Hmm... What method is it?"
Because Hong Fan has a history of often coming up with brilliant ideas, realizations, or methods that break open an escape route, I look at him with expectant eyes.
"Ultimately, a True Immortal is treated as a unique existence, therefore regarded as a race and a civilization. However, to use a True Immortal for Upper Immortal cultivation, that True Immortal must unconditionally be either an Immortal Beast or a Thunder Beast with some Immortal Beast traits, correct?"
"That's...more or less right."
"In that case, how about this? You could kill Master."
At Hong Fan's words, Kim Yeon, Kang Min-hee, and Jeon Myeong-hoon's faces turn cold, and Oh Hyun-seok's face twitches as he speaks.
"What do you mean by that, Hong Fan?"
"Please hear my explanation. The subordinate race under Master, the Candle Dragon Race, is a race that has continued cultivation even without the Immortal Beast True Blood since before Master's ascension. Therefore, even if Master is gone, they will not decline. So all that needs to happen is for Master to die."
"After killing Seo Eun-hyun...you're telling us to live on with the hands that killed our comrade?"
"Haw haw, there is no need to worry about that. Is there not a good method?"
Hong Fan pats my shoulder and smiles.
"Didn't Elder Min-hee speak it? That the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld has declared They will no longer 'interfere' with the elders. That is to say...it can be interpreted as Them saying They will no longer 'taxidermize' the elders. Meaning...from now on, elders are now free to make use of the Underworld as you please."
At Hong Fan's continued explanation, everyone's eyes widen.
"Be killed and reincarnate. And after reincarnation, once again receive the power and authority Master obtained in Master's previous life, advance to Upper Immortal, then die again. In theory, this way, all of you can carry out the Upper Immortal cultivation in a humane way."
"Doesn't that mean...in the end, we lose the Seo Eun-hyun of the previous life!?"
"That is not the case. The reason I suggest this...is because Master possesses an 'Immortal Art that allows one to remember their previous lives'."
I realize what Hong Fan is talking about.
"Cultivate the Flawless Mantra. If Master continues cultivation while remembering the memories of previous lives, Master will not only complete the Upper Immortal cultivation but also finally and completely acquire the Flawless Mantra, which Master has not fully mastered. More importantly..."
He smiles subtly as he speaks.
"This is the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain where the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity resides, is it not? In the Heavenly Domain of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, who is practically the incarnation of the Flawless Mantra...who knows? Perhaps Master might even gain the authority of the God of Gods who gave birth to the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity in the distant past."
"...Yes, you're certainly right."
It is an excellent idea.
My comrades look at me with worried expressions, but I rise from my seat and speak.
"I will do as Hong Fan says. Because..."
I look at Hong Fan.
He looks at me with eyes filled with trust, and as I meet those dependable eyes, I suddenly flinch in surprise.
'Ah...now I remember.'
Just as I am about to express my will to my comrades, looking at Hong Fan's face, I suddenly recall who he resembles.
'Hong Fan...'
An unforgettable connection from the Head Realm.
'He greatly resembles that person's appearance during their lifetime.'
Song Jin.
The repository keeper who allowed me to browse through devilish arts.
Hong Fan looks excessively similar to the appearance of Song Jin during his lifetime when he died, or when he faced Yuan Li.
With an inexplicable sense of mystery, and with the feeling as if I am dreaming a dream, I stare directly at Hong Fan for a while.