Chapter 635: Heavenly Venerable Hunting (1)
Kugugung!
Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, the Palace of Radiance at the center of the universe.
There, the Radiance Eight Immortals are gathered.
The First Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals, the Great Forest Heavenly Lord, speaks in a heavy voice.
: :Did you all feel it? : :
: : Yes. : :
: : It is still being felt in real time... : :
They all simultaneously gaze toward the space that exists between Heavenly Domains.They look into the Inner Seas of Mount Sumeru.
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord mutters in a hardened voice.
: : The Northern Heavenly Venerable True Martial Great Emperor, the Heavenly Venerable of Void, is... : :
The Eight Immortals, each with hardened expression, tremble as they watch something descending deep within the depths of the Inner Seas.
"They are drawing in Gandhara (犍陀羅) into the inside of Mount Sumeru."
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord asks at those words.
: : Should we not block Void immediately? : :
: : It is impossible. When the Heavenly Venerables confront us inside Mount Sumeru only with their incarnations from outside, it requires Time, Void, and Sal Tree to combine their strength just to oppose us... But if they drag Gandhara (犍陀羅), which is outside Mount Sumeru, into the interior and descend... : :
To the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's question, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord explains with a hardened voice.
"Each one of the Heavenly Venerables is on par with Great Mountain. On top of that, they are practically undying. In a long-term battle, we must assume they would overwhelm the Great Mountain Supreme Deity."
: : Then that means... : :
: :Yes. If it is the current Hyeon Mu who is descending Gandhara, then we Radiance Eight Immortals must give it our all to stop Them. And this, just when our long-cherished wish is right before our reach... : :
: : ... : :
: : Anyway, as you all know, the only times when the Heavenly Venerable of Void descends Gandhara are when facing off against the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld or hunting the Enders. Since we are not the target, let us simply observe and hope for the mutual destruction between the two. There is no need to worry, Sword Spear... : :
At the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord's words, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord nods as if understanding and leans back in their seat.
However, watching Sword Spear in that moment, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord feels a sense of déjà vu.
For some reason, when the Heavenly Venerable of Void was said to be hunting the Enders...there seemed to be a strong emotional wave from the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
'...Well, it must be a misunderstanding. With the Heavenly Venerable of Void descending, the Plane of Soul won't be functioning properly...so I must have felt it that way because emotions are warping strangely. At any other time, maybe, but at least right now, this is no time to be suspecting one another over something like this.'
This is a time when all must gather and give their all for the destruction of the Immortal Family.
Pointless division must be avoided.
Thinking so, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord shifts their gaze away from the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
Kugugu!
Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, the Bright Cold Realm.
Cedar Wood Grove.
There, countless Heart Tribe members are rampaging wildly.
Some Heart Tribe members, rather pleased, begin actively 'greeting' other Heart Tribe members, while several with weaker will powers fail to endure the fear and end up taking their own lives.
The Supreme Council of the Heart Tribe tries to bring the Heart Tribe under control, but no one listens to their words anymore.
This is because all within Cedar Wood Grove are finding it difficult to sense intent and are beginning to lose their own manifestations.
It is a phenomenon similar to when the Enders disappear, plunging the Cedar Wood Grove into utter chaos.
Fortunately, the Bright Cold Martial Alliance, which once worshipped Kim Young-hoon, values the righteousness he taught and begins contributing to the stabilization of Cedar Wood Grove.
Bright Cold Realm, Heavenly Lotus Mountain.
There, the newly appointed Sacred Master of the Bright Cold Realm constantly offers prayers to Radiance Hall, watching the twisting Plane of Soul.
Yet, not a single response comes from Radiance Hall.
As if to say it is none of their concern...
Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand Worlds.
Those who cultivate consciousness methods, or those who cultivate the Ghost Path Method simultaneously perceive that something has gone wrong with their cultivation methods.
Because one of the Three Planes intricately tied to their methods—the entire Plane of Soul—is beginning to twist under the influence of something.
At the same time, the entire Interdimensional Void where the Middle Realm zones are located starts to ripple and shake.
The Heavenly Venerable of Void Hyeon Mu.
The very act of Them trying to descend Their true body inside Mount Sumeru is affecting the entirety of the Three Heavens Great Thousand Worlds.
Elephant Nose Heavenly Domain.
There, we immediately realize something is wrong.
'The Plane of Soul...’
Forget the fact that the Interdimensional Void, one of the dimensions, is rippling.
But the Plane of Soul, one of the Three Planes, is beginning to surge wildly, becoming blurry and then distinct, over and over.
At the same time, the intent and consciousness domain, excluding Triple Divinity, is shaking violently.
Even my own spirit is being affected.
"What in the world...?"
As I'm taken aback, Kim Young-hoon speaks with a hardened expression.
"...Hyeon Mu is descending Their main body. This phenomenon will likely repeat for a few months..."
"...Then shouldn't we deal with Them before They fully descend?"
Kim Young-hoon starts moving somewhere, and we follow him.
The place Kim Young-hoon arrives at is within the palace of the Naming Supreme Deity.
It is before the empty jade throne that lies there.
"That is impossible. Rather, we must wait for the moment Hyeon Mu descends—then act."
"Why is that?"
"Look."
Kim Young-hoon points.
Behind Hyeon Rang's jade throne is a scroll.
Upon that scroll, made of Black Ancient Paper, are a total of eleven names.
It's a hanging scroll written with names starting with the Heavenly Venerable of Void Hyeon Mu, and ending with the Radiance Supreme Deity Heuk Sa.
Oh Hyun-seok explains to me.
"That is Master's Immortal Registry. Based on the Immortal Titles given to the Supreme Deities, it roughly indicates their current state and location. At the same time, it also bestows the power of names upon the Supreme Deities."
"Is that so...? Then, why bring us here...?"
"Regardless of how they are inscribed, Heavenly Venerables and Supreme Deities are always marked separately."
Indeed, that is the case.
The four Heavenly Venerables are placed slightly apart at the top of the registry, and the seven Supreme Deities are placed slightly apart at the bottom.
"That is because the Heavenly Venerables are beings who have attained undying. One of the major reasons for their undying lies in the fact that their main bodies exist 'outside' of Mount Sumeru, where, unlike inside, the concept of life and death does not apply."
Kim Young-hoon's words continue.
"According to the diagram of the True Immortal Realm, the presence of the Supreme Deities clearly resides at the bottom of Mount Sumeru. However, while they may exit Mount Sumeru, they cannot completely escape it. Because of this, they are not entirely free from life and death, and although they might move freely to the lower part of Mount Sumeru, they can not climb beyond its midpoint while outside."
"To be precise."
While Kim Young-hoon is explaining, a familiar face appears among us.
Song Jin, no...
It is Hyeon Rang, who has the exact same face as Song Jin.
Looking at Hyeon Rang, I suddenly feel confused, and I summon Hong Fan and the rest of my Immortal Treasures from within my body so we can all listen to the current explanation together.
Hong Fan stares intently at Hyeon Rang, and for a brief moment, their eyes meet.
Hyeon Rang blinks, then speaks in a tone of curiosity.
"Hmm, seems to be from the Head Realm... What did I do in the Head Realm before I ascended? Does his Transformation body resemble mine because he was influenced by my power? Interesting."
And that's all.
Hyeon Rang turns his attention away from Hong Fan and tries to continue explaining, while Hong Fan continues staring at Hyeon Rang as if entranced.
Hong Fan's gaze seems almost...deeply affectionate.
As if seeing a yearned-for brother or friend. Or maybe...someone even deeper.
But in the next moment, Hong Fan erases all emotion from his eyes as he looks at Hyeon Rang.
Rather than looking as if he is 'hiding' emotion...
It's as if Hong Fan feels he 'isn't worth caring about'.
Without bothering to be troubled over Naming, Hong Fan simply focuses on what Naming is saying.
'...What is that reaction...? Strange...'
I take note of Hong Fan's odd response, then turn my attention to Hyeon Rang's words.
"After True Immortals rise to the Immortal Realm, they come to seize a domain there. That domain gradually expands over time, and when they become a Great Net Immortal, they completely take control of that domain. Furthermore, when they become an Immortal Lord, they obtain the source of their Immortal Dao that serves as the origin of their domain, giving the domain an immense independence... And so, it starts to separate from Mount Sumeru.
"Finally, upon becoming a Supreme Deity, their domain completely transcends to outside Mount Sumeru. In short, the presence of Supreme Deities who exist in the [lower part] of Mount Sumeru is proof that they have transcended Mount Sumeru. Their jade thrones are the materialization of their domains.
"A Supreme Deity is one who has established a jade throne with their domain outside of Mount Sumeru, and as long as that throne exists, the Supreme Deity can, no matter where in the Heavenly Domains of Mount Sumeru they are, even if they are blocking the entrance of the Audience Chamber at the vertex, always head toward the lower part of Mount Sumeru. Toward the entrance of the Salt Sea."
Kim Young-hoon, who is still only at the Heavenly Being stage within the Immortal Cultivation system, doesn't seem to know this well and listens quietly to Hyeon Rang's explanation.
"But just as Kim Young-hoon here, as Golden Speed has said...they have merely established a seat in the lower part of Mount Sumeru and have not fully transcended it. Thus, they are still subject to the principle of life and death and, if slain, can indeed be annihilated. But the Heavenly Venerables are different. They are beings who have truly transcended Mount Sumeru..."
"Are they not beings...who have merged with Mount Sumeru...?"
I recall the words of Black Dragon and ask, and Hyeon Rang shakes his head.
"That would be the Supreme Deities. I don't know who you learned from, but it seems there's a slight misunderstanding of the concept."
"..."
"In any case, they are beings who have transcended Mount Sumeru, and thus possess the qualification to [climb] it."
"...!"
"Therefore, they began their ascent from the outside of Mount Sumeru, and now, each of them is halted at the highest point of Mount Sumeru they can reach—its midpoint. The inner counterpart of this location corresponds to the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain. That's where they now stand. Because of this, though they have transcended life and death of Mount Sumeru, they linger near the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, and are able to intervene across Mount Sumeru's entirety."
From Hyeon Rang's words, I understand what Kim Young-hoon is trying to say.
"Then, the talk about needing to wait for Hyeon Mu's main body is..."
"Yes. Hyeon Mu is now...descending Their own true body, which has transcended life and death, back into the interior of Mount Sumeru in order to hunt down the Golden Speed Heavenly King. When that happens, since the body that had transcended life and death has returned to the Saha World, life and death will come into existence again."
"...So, you are saying we can only kill Hyeon Mu once They summon Their true body...?"
Indeed.
What Kim Young-hoon is trying to say is that only by waiting for Hyeon Mu to summon her true body can we see the possibility of killing her.
However, Kim Young-hoon shakes his head.
"That's not what I mean. Even setting aside the matter of not having fused with Mount Sumeru...Hyeon Mu will not die easily."
"Pardon...?"
"Such are the existence of Heavenly Venerables. Even if they cross back over the boundary of life and death, they are effectively undying. With our strength, we cannot kill Hyeon Mu. And...even though I said we need to kill Hyeon Mu, it will be rather difficult..."
He continues with a hardened expression.
"That's why, rather than killing Hyeon Mu, our goal must be to inflict as fatal a wound as possible."
"You mean..."
"Yes. Even if we don't kill Them, if we can at least render Hyeon Mu unable to interfere with us for the next few thousand years...then our chances of returning home will increase."
"...!"
Among my Immortal Treasures listening to our conversation, Yeo Hwi laughs as if delighted at those words.
"Hahaha! Even if They are a Heavenly Venerable, if we're not killing Them but just turning Them into a half-cripple, it won't be that hard. Besides, isn't Hyeon Mu the weakest of the Heavenly Venerables?"
At those words, Hyeon Rang looks at Yeo Hwi with sorrowful eyes.
"...What in the world are you saying, descendant of Glass Peacock...?"
"Pardon...? Haha, I am familiar with that Immortal Registry."
Yeo Hwi points behind Hyeon Rang's jade throne and speaks.
"Is that not the Immortal Registry that denotes the authorities of the current Supreme Deities and Heavenly Venerables, of the Governing Immortals? From what I know, the lower a name appears on the Immortal Registry, the stronger the Supreme Deity or Heavenly Venerable, while the higher names are the weaker Governing Immortals. Isn't that why the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and the Radiance Supreme Deity are each at the very bottom of the Heavenly Venerable and Supreme Deity groups, and right above them are the Heavenly Venerable of Time and the Great Mountain Supreme Deity?"
At those words, Oh Hyun-seok sighs and responds.
"...There's a misunderstanding, Twin Constructing Chains. The order on Master's Immortal Registry is indeed arranged with the lower positions being stronger."
"Pardon...? Then does that not mean I am right?"
"The issue is...that strength is not based on authority. The Immortal Registry isn't sorted by the order of the true authorities of the Heavenly Venerables and Supreme Deities. It's arranged based on 'how strongly they influence the fate of Mount Sumeru'."
"..."
"At the top of the Supreme Deity and Heavenly Venerable columns, the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity and the Heavenly Venerable of Void are listed there because one is imprisoned, and the other is emptiness itself, completely uninterested in all matters of the world. On the other hand, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and the Radiance Supreme Deity are placed where they are because they exert powerful influence over Mount Sumeru..."
Oh Hyun-seok lets out a sigh and mutters.
"The Heavenly Venerable of Void is by no means one of the weaker Heavenly Venerables in terms of might. It is only because They have no interest in anything other than suicide that They have no faction, making Their influence weak.
"In fact, according to Master, in terms of might...They are one of the only three Governing Immortals—alongside Great Mountain and Underworld—who can resist something called the [Calling] of Radiance Hall."
Hyeon Rang nods.
"The 'belt' of Mount Sumeru where the Four Heavenly Venerables reside is known to higher beings as Gandhara (犍陀羅). Originally, this name was something created by this Immortal and Radiance Hall combining our strengths to restrain the Four Heavenly Venerables...but a certain Ender from the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King's generation used Obsidian's power and changed it."
Wo-woong!
Above Hyeon Rang's hand, the structure of Mount Sumeru appears.
"Gandhara refers to the deepest depths of the Underworld, Source River, Interdimensional Void, and Eastern Heaven Flower Field... At the same time, they are the locations of each Heavenly Venerable's jade throne, and can be said to refer to the main bodies of the Heavenly Venerables themselves."
With a solemn expression, he continues speaking.
"When Hyeon Mu descends into Mount Sumeru dragging along her own Gandhara...the expected power level will be, excluding the current Great Mountain, just below the Radiance Supreme Deity and the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld."
"...!"
"But precisely because of that, if Hyeon Mu starts rampaging at this moment...all the fates of Mount Sumeru will be thrown into disarray, and history will be twisted. Moreover, the plans of this Emperor will be ruined as well."
Hyeon Rang reaches a hand out to us.
"It may seem like I am intervening out of nowhere, but to this Emperor, this matter is also grave. Therefore...this Emperor will aid you Enders. The estimated time for Hyeon Mu's Gandhara to descend is about 108 days. Until 108 days from now, before you begin the Heavenly Venerable Battle...this Emperor promises to fully support you without reservation...!"
And so, we end up gaining Hyeon Rang's support.
'There's no avoiding it.'
The clash with the True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu is something that must take place.
Thus, bolstered by Hyeon Rang's support, we begin preparations for the Heavenly Venerable hunt that is to come in 108 days.