Chapter 647: Owner of Wisdom (1)
Future King (未來王).
The moment I hear that term, my mind goes blank, and I feel a dull congestion building deep inside my chest.
At the same time, one of the tanghwa that the Underworld once showed me through the body of Tae Yeol-jeon comes to mind.
The protagonist of the enormous taenghwa, clad in a black kasaya, seated upon a lotus, and looking down upon all sentient beings.
Kuuung—
Somehow, as I recall that taenghwa, an unsettling feeling seizes my chest, nausea wells up, and a wave of disgust washes over me.
[...Future King... Just what kind of existence is that being? Is that being...the final trial we must overcome...?]
[...Well. That, even I do not know. Whether that being truly exists, or is nothing more than an illusion or a law...]
[Pardon...?]
[However, one thing is certain. The Future King undoubtedly exists in some form. All of us Governing Immortals, myself included, always feel that heavy presence pressing from beyond the Audience Chamber of Mount Sumeru.]
Underworld continues to speak.
[And there is one more thing that is clear. Whether the Future King is currently a sentient being or a non-sentient one, that being was certainly once among those who truly existed as a person.]
[...!]
'Krrgh...!'
I realize that every time the word 'Future King' is mentioned, my head feels as if it is about to split apart.
'This is...!'
Something begins to surface within my mind.
'M-Memory...?'
The very first life.
The events between being caught in the landslide and falling into Ascension Path.
[The events right before reaching this world]...
It feels like those memories are pushing through the cracks, trying to resurface.
'I...'
I am looking at the symbol of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail].
And before that symbol of the snake, [something] seems to have appeared.
[It] conveyed some unknown will to us, and we were there, receiving that will.
And then...
Jiiiiiing!
[Kuurgh!]
I clutch my head and gasp for breath.
An intense headache torments my mind.
[Heok...heheok...]
[Did something come to mind?]
[...It is nothing. I just realized...that there is one more hidden memory.]
Yes.
Besides the 16th cycle, there are still memories I have yet to recall.
The memories from right after the landslide!
The memories before reaching Ascension Path!
Those memories, like the memories of the 16th cycle, seem submerged in pitch-black darkness.
And the moment I become aware of this, I come to understand another fact.
'It's the same.'
The memories of the 16th cycle.
The memories of just before reaching Ascension Path.
They both feel the same.
If someone sealed my memories, then I sense that the being who sealed these two memories is 'the same being'.
[...As expected, it is still a very poisonous wisdom to you...]
[Pardon...?]
I flinch at those words and ask.
'Are they judging that the wisdom regarding the Future King...is poison to me?'
I begin to wonder if, once again, I won't be able to hear all the information I need.
[Then must I grow even further...]
[No, do not worry. Unless it is truly beyond what you can bear, I will tell you as much as I can. At your current level, even if it may be poison, it is still at a level you can digest.]
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld speaks on.
[In the end, the Future King is...a being whom all Governing Immortals must unite their strength to fight against. They currently block the gate beyond the Audience Chamber that is the Thirty-Third Heaven of Mount Sumeru, imprisoning all of Mount Sumeru. They hold the fate of all existence in their hands, halt the advancement of this era's civilization and the growth of living beings, and endlessly fix the flow of time to a single era, forcing it to repeat.]
The more the explanation continues, the dizzier my head becomes.
Wisdom.
It feels exactly like wisdom itself is alive, clawing at my head.
'Damn...'
Tuk, tududuk!
I suddenly shudder as I see something like a salt pillar sprouting in real time from my head.
It is Salt Crystal.
Salt Crystal, the condensation of ancient force, begins to grow and fill my brain just from hearing that information.
The knowledge about the Future King alone causes ancient force to surge wildly within my head.
It is clearly a dangerous situation, yet the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld does not particularly stop and continues speaking.
[Why they do this, we cannot know. We can only speculate... But one thing is certain. That being is currently deeply distorted somewhere. They are not fulfilling the role given to them at all. Therefore, either that distorted part must be corrected...or that being must be killed, and another must become the Future King.]
[...The role assigned to that being is...]
[Fate (運命).]
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld raises one arm.
Huarurururuk!
Flames rise from it, and like will-o'-the-wisps, they flutter through the darkness.
Those will-o'-the-wisps sketch out a diagram of Mount Sumeru before my eyes.
Countless stars, True Immortals, and Heavenly Domains come together to form Mount Sumeru.
[Hm?]
At that moment, I feel as if I see the illusion of a [baby].
'What...is that supposed to be?'
Perhaps it is just my imagination.
Perhaps my mind is not in the right state due to the wisdom concerning the Future King.
[Harmonizing the fate of all existence of the Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand World in order to find the ultimate 'answer'...that is the role of the Future King.]
[The ultimate answer...what is that supposed to be?]
[That, I do not know. It is merely a piece of information discovered from the Akashic Records. However, I do know that the answer is related to you Enders.]
[The ultimate answer related to us... The Future King is supposed to harmonize fate and seek out that answer, but they are refusing to do so?]
[Yes. More precisely, should I say they have already arbitrarily decided on a different answer...? Whether that is intentional or not, I cannot say... But they are harmonizing the fate of all existence for a purpose completely opposite to their calling.
[They have sealed off all other possibilities, making it so that no one else can ever reach the true ultimate answer aside from the one they have chosen. Not only beyond the Audience Chamber, but they are restricting all possibilities everywhere.]
[...Kugh...]
Splurt!
I vomit a handful of Immortal Beast True Blood.
From the Immortal Beast True Blood I spit up, crystals of salt begin to sprout.
They are Salt Crystals.
[I-I apologize...It seems I am still too lacking...I cannot bear the wisdom of such a great being. Please, grant me just a little time before continuing the explanation...]
[Do not worry.]
Wo-woong!
Thump, thump, thump...
My chest pulses faintly.
The Taiji in the deepest depths of the Underworld spins and explodes.
At the same time, I feel as though my heart pounding, warmth returning to my body, and my collapsing frame being forced upright.
I feel my consciousness forcibly sharpen in an instant, and I notice the thick scent of plums spreading throughout the area.
'Ah, ahhh...this is...!'
The Immortal Art of deferring death that I learned from Cheongmun Ryeong is spreading through this space and forcibly stabilizing my body.
It is the act of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.
After forcibly stabilizing my body, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld continues the explanation.
[W-Wait...]
[What you must learn today must be learned today. You cannot keep delaying this. I will tell you wisdom up to the level you can bear, so do not worry.]
[...]
I understand.
Up until now, the reason the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld treated me so carefully is simply because I had been like a glass doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.
But now, I have grown considerably larger and stronger.
There is no longer any need to treat me so delicately as before.
[In that case...there is one thing I would like to ask.]
The moment I realize this, I grit my teeth and brace myself.
'Even if I refuse, it's clear the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld is going to force this wisdom into me while locking down my body.'
If that is how it is going to be, then so be it.
Since it has come to this, I will accept as much wisdom and information as I can endure with all my strength!
Resolving my mindset in an instant, I begin to arrange and compress the ancient force within my body, listen closely to the words of the Underworld, and decide to actively engage in this transmission of wisdom.
[What is the source of that being's power, that they are able to harmonize fate? I understand that the Imperial Venerable has met that being and yet returned alive each time. How has the Imperial Venerable managed to come back alive, and what would be the best method to confront that being going forward?]
At my question, the corners of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld's lips faintly twitch.
It seems she finds my attitude commendable.
[Your mindset is good. Indeed, worthy of being chosen by Salt Sea... Very well. I shall tell you. After all, for existences at the level of Governing Immortal, everyone knows except for the Radiance Eight Immortals.]
Then, as the words of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld continue, I feel as if my eyes are about to pop out.
[The Future King. The source of that being's power is...Fate (運命). They...killed all cultivators of Mount Sumeru at the level of Supreme Deity and Heavenly Venerable, shattered all Gandharas, trampled the dignity of all Imperial Kings, annihilated and destroyed all of the Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand World, and by being recognized for that achievement...reached the Origin Essence of Fate.]
[...Pardon?]
[And even after that, by accumulating achievements comparable to such a feat, they completely seized the Seat of Fate (運命).
[The Owner of Fate. The God of Heaven. If they are considered an individual...then they are an existence older than a lowly being like me. The true owner of the future...that is the Future King. The Fate Supreme Deity (運命上帝).]
[...]
[All other Supreme Deities (上帝; Supreme Emperors) of this world...are nothing but imposters claiming the title. They alone are truly qualified to be called Emperor (帝).]
Splurt!
A wave of Salt Crystal surges from my seven orifices.
Not only that, but salt pillars begin to sprout wildly around me.
Wisdom is pulling me in.
And, perhaps in resistance to that wisdom.
I instinctively try to dismiss and deny the words of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld as 'false'.
This is the greatest resistance that I, a mere Great Net Immortal, can muster against the 'wisdom' trying to devour me.
[F-F-False...no, those are absurd words.]
I know that the being before my eyes can crush the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain with a single strike, and tear apart the laws of Mount Sumeru.
If she unleashes her full power, she could likely destroy Mount Sumeru entirely.
However, rather than fear toward this being, I begin to deny the words of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, crushed by the pressure and suffocation that this wisdom brings.
[Fate, history, and the third absolute law cannot possess Origin Essence! A-And even if such a thing exists, no one can seize it! Is it not, as it is called, [absolute]! The Origin Essence is the mountain, and the Immortal Dao is the mountain path. But if such an Origin Essence truly exists, then where on earth is the Immortal Dao of Fate! I have never once heard in any account or history of any True Immortal walking the Immortal Dao of Fate.]
[...As expected. You are peculiar. When the truth is told to those born of this world, they all, without exception, deny it and try to forget, just like you. But when the same is told to Enders, though they tremble in fear and suffer, they still accept it. You, however, are like someone from Mount Sumeru.]
[Pardon...?]
It is at that moment.
Kugugugung!
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld reaches her hand toward me.
Tuk—
At the same time, that massive, pale jade hand firmly grips my shoulder and presses down upon me.
[If so, then I have no choice but to use the same method as when revealing the truth to my Judges.]
Kugugugugu!
An overwhelming pressure crushes down upon me.
At the same time, neither my body nor any of my authority can move at all.
'Th-This is...'
Fear.
The fundamental fear that all living beings of all phenomena feel—death.
True Martial Arts (眞武).
Triple Divinity vibrates, informing me that the being before my eyes is about to exert power.
Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting (心天幀畫).
Along with that, while neither my body nor my authority can move, the upper part of my head explodes.
Peong!
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld forcibly 'pries open' my head.
[Do not avert your gaze and face the truth clearly. For Governing Immortals, it can be directly felt, but for those like you who cannot sense it, it may be too much to handle. Therefore, I will open it myself and put it inside.]
Huarurururuk!
At the same time, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld begins to drive into my head the diagram of Mount Sumeru, made from will-o'-the-wisps.
[...Kkuuuuaaaaaaaagh!!!]
'M-Master's...six-sided club. This hurts as much as Hyeon Mu's single strike!!!'
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld is touching the principles that make up my existence.
[The Origin Essence of Fate truly exists.]
[B-But...!!]
[Because...the Origin Essence of History exists at this very moment]
[...Pardon...?]
At that shocking revelation, my eyes widen.
[The Origin Essence...of History...what exactly...]
[It is something you already know. The record of countless beings and the sanctuary of truth that knows all thoughts. The complete compendium of all history and information.]
At those words, a certain place surfaces in my mind.
[The place where all history and life gather as one. The Origin Essence of Life, Omniscience (全知). In other words...that which is also called the Akashic Records (虛空錄), is the Origin Essence of Life.]
[...!!!]
'Th-That means...'
The Head Realm.
In other words, the true identity of the Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeon Woon is the Origin Essence of Life, Omniscience.
Only now do I realize the truth behind what I saw before in the diagram of Mount Sumeru, where the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and the other Heavenly Venerables were absorbing a [yellow light] at the summit of Mount Sumeru.
The yellow light they were absorbing was not that of the Radiance Supreme Deity.
Rather, it was the light of the Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon.
In other words, Hyeon Mu, Time, Sal Tree, and the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld are beings who divine descent power from the Origin Essence of Life, Omniscience, which is why they devour that yellow light.
[There are three absolute laws. If one of their Origin Essences clearly exists before your eyes...then naturally, would the other two absolutes not also have Origin Essences?]
[Gugh...kkurururuk...]
Unable to withstand the pain and the 'calling' brought by this information, I begin to foam salt at the mouth.
I desperately resist this pain and the pressure of the wisdom, starting to deny the words of the Underworld.
[E-Even...so...the Akashic Records...and the other absolutes...absolute is absolute. They are absolutely...not what an individual...can seize...!]
[You still deny it? Do not worry. I will make you understand by force if necessary...]
Kugugugugu!
The diagram of Mount Sumeru driven into my head begins to explode.
[...!!]
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld forcibly expands my head.
It feels like my body is going to break apart.
[Those who practice Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation begin to grow 'winged garments' from the Star Shattering stage. On their planets, something like 'rings' also appears.]
That's right.
I reached the Star Shattering stage through Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, and I definitely obtained winged garment and something like a 'ring'.
[That winged garment. And the winged garments possessed by Heaven Immortals. Finally, the Gandhara of those of Heavenly Venerable rank... The 'ring' that we possess. All of these are of the same nature.]
[Pardon...?]
[It is the power of Divine Descent.]
As the words of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld continue, I feel logic forcibly hammered into my mind, and I groan.
[During the Star Shattering, Sacred Vessel, and Entering Nirvana stages, one is still far too frail, a mere mortal being...so Mount Sumeru lends its power during those realms. And that lending of power is only partial, allocated according to one's pathway. However, in the case of those who practice Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, since there are two pathways, the power they receive is overwhelmingly greater than that of other cultivators. Thus, it is no longer simply borrowing a part of Mount Sumeru's power, but Divine Descent. In other worlds, it is practically soul summoning (招魂) directly into one's body.]
'Ah...'
The truth of the Underworld is painful, but at the same time, it strikes clearly at parts I had not known before.
Only now do I fully understand why the thirty-third move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Sumeru, Divine Descends power by forming circles.
Back then, without even fully grasping the principle, I half-instinctively recreated a 'winged garment' through the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
[The reason why our Gandhara has the same 'ring' that Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation practitioners at the Star Shattering stage possess is the same. In the end we too are Divine Descending power. That is precisely the qualification of a Heavenly Venerable, and the true reason that distinguishes a Heavenly Venerable from a Supreme Deity.
[There are, in fact, only two proper methods to advance to Heavenly Venerable.
[The first is when a being who has reached Supreme Deity succeeds in Divine Descending power from Fate, History, or the third Origin Essence solely through their own strength.
[The second is when [someone] Spirit Descends into one who has reached Supreme Deity and lends their strength.
[Only these two are the legitimate methods of Heavenly Venerable advancement. Any other so-called methods are all nonsense.
[Now do you understand?]
At the words of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, I have no choice but to fully accept this truth.
[The winged garment is proof of divine descent, a mark of soul summoning. In other words...it is a kind of Immortal Crown. If so, then whose power is it exactly that is being lent for the winged garments worn by current Heaven Upper Immortals?]
'Ah...ah...'
[Listen carefully. In the distant past, within the depths of history that even I do not know its truth or its existence, [someone] rose to the position of Fate Supreme Deity. And because of that existence, even Vestige Liberation Immortals became able to use fate prophecy, and Earth Upper Immortals also became able to interfere with a portion of fate without following the fate pathway. And Heaven Upper Immortals also gained winged garments by soul summoning that being's power.]
I realize why I—no...
Why all those from Mount Sumeru find it difficult to grasp this 'truth', as the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld said.
If it is someone capable of learning this 'truth' from the Underworld, then they must be at least of Great Net Immortal or higher...
And any existence at Great Net Immortal or higher must surely have at some point drawn upon the power of fate, which is the domain of the Owner of Fate.
That is why we instinctively reject even the act of knowing the truth that is unwanted by the Owner of Fate.
[...Are they...]
Forced to accept this truth by the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, I sob in pain and shock as I ask.
[...the Owner of Immortal Cultivation...?]
My mind grows hazy.
Now, even the power of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld cannot stop my collapse.
Perhaps because I have come to know the wisdom concerning an existence far too immense, I am unable to endure the Salt Crystals bursting from within me and begin to shatter.
It is shocking, and it is painful.
And...
It is despairing.
Just how in the world is one supposed to defeat something like the Owner of Fate?
Just what could I possibly do to win against fate?
Just what kind of act must one commit to overcome the creator of the Immortal Cultivation system...?
[No.]
[...Pardon?]
[Radiance Hall predates even me, so even I do not know the truth. I have not fully grasped the relationship between the Radiance Supreme Deity and the Fate Supreme Deity. It is possible, perhaps, that the Radiance Supreme Deity was created to keep the Fate Supreme Deity in check.]
[...Pardon?]
[But what is certain...is that the power of Immortal Cultivation was created by the First Radiance Supreme Deity.]
[Th-The Radiance Supreme Deity...?]
Yet, I still feel as if I cannot breathe.
In the end, though the First Radiance Supreme Deity may have kept the Fate Supreme Deity in check...
Is it not true that the current Radiance Supreme Deity—at least of the era of Yang Su-jin—is merely a subordinate of the Fate Supreme Deity?
Just how am I supposed to defeat the Owner of Immortal Cultivation?
[They are not the Owner of Immortal Cultivation. They are merely the administrator who manages the foundation of Immortal Cultivation that the first left behind. No one can use the Immortal Cultivation system entirely according to their own will. More importantly...have you not already torn away two-tenths of the Radiance Supreme Deity's total power?]
At those words, my voice trembles with a question so intense my eyeballs feel as if they might pop out.
[...Pardon?]
[The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord. You...taught the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord the heart, and as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's heart crosses over cycles following your authority...it will eventually belong to you.]
[But...is the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord not still merely a subordinate of the Radiance Supreme Deity? And yet to say two-tenths of the Radiance Supreme Deity's power...]
[...You are already a Great Net Immortal now, so it is time for you to know.]
Tuk—
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld lifts her hand from my shoulder and points toward the sky.
That place is the lower part of Mount Sumeru.
The place where the Seats of the Supreme Deities can be felt.
[Let me tell you the ridiculous and chilling truth of the Radiance Supreme Deity...]
The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld looks up at the sky as she speaks.
[An entity like the Radiance Supreme Deity...does not exist in this world. All the Seats of the world allow only one Immortal Lord to sit upon them...but the Seat of Radiance alone is different.
[The Seat of Radiance alone is so bloated and overwhelmingly powerful compared to other Seats...that instead of one Immortal Lord, [ten Immortal Lords] can sit upon it.]
[...!!!]
I open my mouth wide at this shocking truth.
[The Radiance Ten Heavenly Lords...yes. In this era, the beings who are called the Radiance Eight Immortals refer to themselves as part of the Eleven Governings, calling themselves the Radiance Eight Immortals. The 'Radiance Supreme Deity Heuk Sa' is in fact another name for the Radiance Eight Immortals, and when they always say, 'glory to the Radiance Supreme Deity,' it is no different from giving glory and praise to their own predecessors and to the violent justice passed down to them.]
[...Are you saying...Seats can become...bloated like that...?]
I ask with a stunned expression, and the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld replies.
[It is impossible. Not under normal circumstances. No matter how many Seats you merge, only one Immortal Lord can sit upon them.
[However...the reason their Seat has bloated like such is due to another reason. Right now, someone is 'lending' power to that Seat.]
[...That means...]
[Yes. It means that the Fate Supreme Deity is lending power to the Seat of Radiance. And that means...even with only a portion of the power the Fate Supreme Deity lends out, those beings are able to stand on par with me.]
I am so utterly shocked at the truth about the Radiance Supreme Deity I learn today that I begin to lose consciousness.
That's right.
The truth of the Radiance Supreme Deity is that the so-called 'Supreme Deity' does not actually exist.
It is the Radiance Eight Immortals playing the role of the Radiance Supreme Deity, pretending to be a Supreme Deity—a ridiculous and pathetic truth.
But at the same time, the fact that there exists a being lending them power is, in itself, terrifying.
Truly, the truth of the Radiance Supreme Deity is both ridiculous and chilling.
'So that's...how it is...'
As I come to understand this truth, I finally cannot endure the flood of wisdom the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld whispers to me and collapse into unconsciousness.
Each and every wisdom given to me by the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld is so monstrous, so shocking...
In this moment, it feels as if I am undergoing my one thousand and sixth return.
'...This place is...'
"Master, are you all right?"
When I come to my senses, I find myself lying inside a large chamber in my true form, and beside me, the tiny Hong Fan watches me with worried eyes.
Although Hong Fan is also in his true form at the Entering Nirvana stage, perhaps due to the overwhelming difference in rank, he looks as small as a fingernail as he worries over me.
"...I am fine."
I collect myself and sit up.
The truths I have just learned are far too shocking.
And...
'The Radiance Supreme Deity does not exist...and the Radiance Eight Immortals themselves are the Radiance Supreme Deity...?'
In the wake of this shocking revelation, I stare blankly down at Hong Fan.
"How was Master's private audience with the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld...?"
Hong Fan looks up at me and asks, seemingly curious.
But I do not answer. I simply stare at Hong Fan for a long while.
Because in my head, only one question fills my mind.
'...So this guy...wasn't the Radiance Supreme Deity...?'