Chapter 660: Devil God
Chapter 660: Devil God
Oh Hye-seo blinks.
'What is this, really?'
What in the world is going on.
What in the world happened for that lunatic Seo Eun-hyun to have mastered the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra so completely?
It's simply too baffling.
It is simply too bewildering.
However, the sword mountain spirit standing before her gives her no time to think about such things.
: : I S H A L L T E A C H Y O U P R O P E R L Y : :Why does the opponent's will feel so distorted?
Why did the opponent's rank suddenly soar so dramatically?
There's no time to think about any of it.
Only the voice that resounds through Heaven and Earth and all above spreads across the world.
: : P H E N O M E N A E X T I N G U I S H I N G M A N T R A !!! : :
Thus, Seo Eun-hyun, the monster wearing a human mask that Oh Hye-seo knows of, begins to truly exert his power.
The Corpse Mountain Blood Seas of the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain begins to resonate.
'So that's how it is.'
As I scatter my consciousness throughout the entire Heavenly Domain in order to unfold the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, I come to an understanding.
'Great Mountain Supreme Deity... So that's why you tried to feed me the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.'
Truly unexpectedly, the act of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity trying to make me consume the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea was nothing more than a goodwill gesture, given by one who walks ahead on the Immortal Dao of Repentant Enlightenment.
Because the remnant of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity that fills this Earth Axis Heavenly Domain,
The essence of his Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, is quite literally, lumps of repentant enlightenment.
The beings the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has consumed until now remain neither dead nor alive, half-forced to undergo repentant enlightenment.
In endless suffering.
'So that's why the Judges reacted that way when speaking of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's crimes.'
That strange reaction—saying they could not tell whether the crimes of Great Mountain are great or not.
Back then I couldn't understand, but now I finally do.
'Yes... It's laughable and absurd, but what the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is doing is forcibly injecting enlightenment into others.'
If a master were to beat a disciple with a club to teach a lesson, would that master be guilty of assault?
If a parent punishes a child for stealing or admonishes a child for lying, is that abuse?
If someone higher gives pain in any form for the sake of the future of someone lower, is that higher person a heinous criminal?
Even the Judges probably could not dare to measure the boundary between sin and punishment.
Though the Great Mountain Supreme Deity may be known as a Devil God, they haven't captured and killed by the Heavenly Venerables of the Underworld like the Five Cruels Supreme Deities.
As much as how the Judges could not determine if Great Mountain is guilty or not...
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity, with pure goodwill, forces pain and despair upon the living beings of all phenomena to implant enlightenment.
'I see...'
Placing their accumulation upon others so that others too may enjoy the enlightenment they have achieved—a violent, yet certain principle of repentant enlightenment.
That is precisely the repentant enlightenment of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
The Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra engraves one's heart across the entire universe, turning the whole universe into one's ally.
And the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea is created by filling the universe with the pain of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and the enlightenment they gained through the hearts of those souls.
'Back then...on Penglai Island too, it was the same.'
They sincerely thanked the marine creatures and humans who allowed them to perform their spells.
It must have been true.
Though insane, they truly felt gratitude, which is why the lingering thought of the Salt Sea Being at the time did not harshly reprimand them.
—Do you dare reject my principle?
Wo-woong—
Oh Hye-seo, who tries to borrow the power of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, does not even register in my eyes.
Only the will left behind by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity through the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea clearly shouts before me.
—Life is suffering. The greatest teaching in this world is pain, and only through pain can enlightenment be gained.
It feels as if Gwak Am is sneering in front of me.
As if asking whether someone like me dares to deny this principle.
—Do you dare deny this truth? The heart of a teacher who strikes with love for an unworthy disciple. My enlightenment of inflicting pain on worthless living beings with the heart of a senior—can you dare to deny that? Will you say there exists something in this world that can grow without suffering?
Kiiiiiiing—
The jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements gathered in my hand begins to shine.
At the same time, my consciousness instantly soars into the domain of untainted, and once again draws near to Araya Consciousness.
'Gather.'
I begin to connect the hearts of all beings in this Earth Axis Heavenly Domain with myself.
I gather the existences of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, who endlessly groan within the principle of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, and begin to pull at the principle that has bound them in a state of neither life nor death.
—Answer me, Seo Eun-hyun!
And then...
I lift my head toward the voice of Gwak Am shouting at me.
"A long time ago, someone once said this."
Life is suffering.
It's true.
It's also true that there is no growth without pain.
But...
The absolute teaching of one person within my heart has allowed me to step aside from that absolute proposition.
"That even if life is suffering, that's not all it is."
Just like how even if life is a curse, when you look at it from another angle, it's also boundless blessing,
"What we give and receive is not just suffering alone."
Indra's Net begins to bend around me.
The principle left behind by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity begins to be torn away under my will.
"Suffering can surely be called a teacher of life that gives enlightenment. But...that's not the end. For life isn't made of just that."
Just as blessings and curses combine to form the light called life.
"If one wishes to live in this world, learning only suffering is meaningless."
As I speak these words, I realize why, after becoming a True Immortal, the powers of the Immortal Dao and the pathways of Fate and History intertwine to form a Taiji.
Because perhaps the Taiji contains the true principle of this universe.
Through Indra's Net, I begin pulling in the spirits of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea that are trapped within the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's principle toward me.
'Let's not pull...too tight, nor too loose.'
The Corpse Mountain Blood Seas,
The entire Earth Axis Heavenly Domain begins to converge around me.
"I will show you, Gwak Am. This is...the Mountain Dao I am accumulating!"
At the same time, the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra erupts in brilliant light and begins to activate properly.
Oh Hye-seo opens her mouth.
The jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements encases and entraps her.
Not only her, but Glass Peacock fleeing in the distance—
And Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, and Kim Yeon also become trapped within Seo Eun-hyun's jade.
And then...
It begins.
In front of Seo Eun-hyun, who has been constantly whispering something toward the void.
Something begins to gather.
At first, she thinks it is simply the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy of Yin-Yang and Five Elements.
After all, it follows the same flow as the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra she learned from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
However, she gradually realizes something.
Something is steadily gathering more and more.
No, beyond that.
The attraction force of the world is going berserk.
The authority over the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, which the Great Mountain Supreme Deity granted her ownership of, leaves her hands and is caught up in Seo Eun-hyun's attraction force.
Oh Hye-seo recalls the utmost completion of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra she heard from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
When the attraction force of the Heavenly Domain reaches its peak—
The End begins.
Kugugugugugugu!
The entire world outside the jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements that confines her begins to intensify in attraction force.
Centered around the sphere of Yin-Yang and Five Elements energy in front of Seo Eun-hyun, the attraction of the entire Heavenly Domain starts converging.
The universe begins to contract.
Are those...stars? A Decaying Corpse Realm?
Ah, it's a galaxy.
Amidst this surreal spectacle, as she watches countless stars, Decaying Corpse Realms, and galaxies all pulled toward a single point, she forgets even to scheme and simply stares blankly.
The Heavenly Domain begins to narrow.
Gradually, the world heats up, becoming filled with light and heat.
Oh Hye-seo opens her mouth wide as she watches countless Decaying Corpse Realms being dragged to the front of the Great Mountain.
Someone's toe, leg bones, soles, grotesque eyeballs, various blood vessels, flesh, toenails, and more—
Countless Decaying Corpse Realms enter inside, and galaxies and galaxies collide.
And then—
"...!"
Oh Hye-seo widens her eyes, trying to confirm what she is seeing.
'Th-The Corpse Mountain Blood Seas...!'
The Corpse Mountain Blood Seas that Oh Hye-seo had barely been managing until now are following Seo Eun-hyun's lead and being sucked toward him.
Some beings seem to try fleeing into the distance, but without exception, they are pulled in.
That is not all.
[——————!]
[—————————————————!]
[——!——!——!——!——!——!]
[——————!!!!!!!!!!!]
Devils.
The devils that resisted her and fed off the energy of the Corpse Mountain Blood Seas, as well as the Entering Nirvana-level devils that had been shapeshifted into planets and quietly slumbering, all awaken and try to flee in the opposite direction of the attraction force. However, not a single one succeeds and they are all drawn in.
The situation is so surreal it feels like a dream.
Soon, the world filled with light and heat contracts down to the size of that sphere in front of the Sword Mountain.
That is, all galaxies, Corpse Mountain Blood Seas, Decaying Corpse Realms, and devils contract into the size of that sphere.
No, the contraction doesn't end there.
The Heavenly Domain continues to contract even further, finally becoming a single point of white light.
The being clad in the white round collar robe of sword mountains looks at that point and seems to ponder for a moment, then brings both hands together as if in prayer and firmly compresses it.
The point of light that is the compressed Heavenly Domain is thus—
In the grasp of the terrifying mountain divine spirit wearing a white round collar robe of sword mountains, caught and destroyed.
There is no light, nor anything left, so nothing can be seen clearly anymore.
Standing before the Seo Eun-hyun who has become so strong that she no longer even feels the will to resist,
All Oh Hye-seo can do now is despair.
: : T H I S I S T H E T R U E F O R M O F W H A T Y O U U S E D : :
Yes.
The Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
The Immortal Art that gathers all things of Heaven and Earth, of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, to bring about the End.
It is the true power and enlightenment of the Immortal Art she learned from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
And she has believed only the Great Mountain Supreme Deity could perform such a feat.
Of course, it is only because the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra is unfolded by someone of Supreme Deity weight class that it holds such power.
That's what she thought.
But now, as she watches Seo Eun-hyun perform the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra on the same level as the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, despite not being them himself, she realizes amidst shock, panic, and fear.
'I see... That is...the true Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.'
A terrifying secret art that compresses everything, refining it into a single pill and devouring the Heavenly Domain.
That is the teaching the Great Mountain Supreme Deity had given her.
"...How enviable, Seo Eun-hyun...to just somehow stumble into such power by sheer luck."
In the total darkness where nothing can be seen, Oh Hye-seo sneers at the vast mountain spirit she knows is standing ahead.
She knows, too.
Now, she will never be able to get revenge on Seo Eun-hyun.
The difference in power has become absurdly vast.
'But...I can't give up.'
She grits her teeth as she recalls Seo Hweol's bones, which she has refined into a dharma treasure and stored within her body.
"To have cultivated the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra like this, just how many people have you killed by now? A hundred? A thousand? No, sorry. It's a massacre so massive that something like that couldn't even begin to measure it, right? Isn't that right? Kukuk... You really are...beyond saving..."
The gap in power no longer holds meaning.
So the only resistance Oh Hye-seo can muster is to irritate Seo Eun-hyun's mind a little to plant Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within him.
After inheriting it from Seo Hweol, her Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens has changed.
It no longer seizes any target and brainwashes them into identifying with her.
Instead, it implants a yoke into the heart of the one she chooses.
A yoke that never changes, one that becomes a rule etched into that being's life.
That is how her Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens has twisted since she inherited it.
'I will leave a yoke in your heart.'
Even a faint yoke is fine.
Even a sound that very slightly unsettles his mind is fine.
Because someday, Seo Eun-hyun too will face a formidable enemy—and in the midst of that battle, at the final moment, this faint yoke she implants will obstruct him.
'Even if revenge is meaningless, I'll survive within you as a Heart Demon...and struggle to the very end.'
That is Oh Hye-seo's resolve.
But then...
Oh Hye-seo widens her eyes as radiant light that blinds the eye begins to burst from within Seo Eun-hyun's clasped hands.
"You're really a vil—huh?"
Crystal Glass to Treading Sea
Twin Flowers Reaching the Heavens.
The power of curse and blessing that has reached the domain of Immortal Arts dwells within my two hands.
Now, curse and blessing go beyond mere curse and blessing, becoming the power of negation and affirmation themselves.
And as I manifest that Yin-Yang Taiji within my joined palms, I begin reversing the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
My Twin Flowers Reaching the Heavens draws a Taiji, within which countless principles of the Five Elements begin to rotate.
Starting from the principle of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, endless transformations unfold from within.
This is not a power like the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique that tears an opponent apart.
This is...
'A power to tell all beings of the world—that there is a way to live that is not just suffering!'
My Immortal Dao.
It is that itself.
'Rise.'
: : My connections of all phenomena. : :
Paaaaaatt!
I spread my palms wide from their prayer position, unleashing a massive explosion of light before my eyes.
At the same time, the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain, which had been compressed into a single point and met the End, begins expanding outward with the explosion.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
A massive explosion erupts.
Jeon Myeong-hoon gazes at the scene as if entranced, Glass Peacock sheds streams of tears both up and down, and Kang Min-hee utters a word as if in a daze.
"Big Bang...?"
Kwagwagwagwagwag!
An overwhelming surge of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy bursts forth, and the universe begins expanding at the speed of light.
At some point, it is bound to surpass even the speed of light.
Kaaaaaaaaang!
At that time, I sense that the name of the Earth Axis Heavenly Domain is changing.
No longer Earth Axis (地軸), but Axle (車軸).
It's not something I changed. It feels like this was the 'original' name of this Heavenly Domain all along.
And...
As the Heavenly Domain is recreated, we all can't help but shed tears.
Ah.
Aaaah.
Aaa.
Ah.
Aaaah...
Souls drift across the Heavenly Domain.
These spirits who were devoured by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, turned into Corpse Mountain Blood Seas, and suffered without being able to live or die while repeating repentant enlightenment—now rejoice.
Joy and happiness overflow throughout the entire Heavenly Domain.
—Thank you.
—Thank you so much...
—Truly, thank you...
They all express deep gratitude and begin to lay their bodies down as they fall into the Underworld.
The sight of these spirits—far surpassing millions or billions, nearing six hundred sextillion in number—trembling in ecstasy as they all head toward the Underworld in unison...
...is indescribably beautiful.
"It's true that life is suffering. I acknowledge that suffering is a profound enlightenment and great teacher. But though suffering may be a great teacher, it is not the greatest teacher."
This, is my Dao.
Paaaaaat!
And at that moment.
The lingering scents of joy left behind by the spirits turn light pink, and those scents begin to connect with Kim Yeon.
I check to see what is happening.
'Vast Cold Heavenly Lord...'
It is the 'Law of Heavenly Domain's End' that the previous Ender, Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly King, overturned.
Through the process of destroying and recreating a Heavenly Domain, I come to understand exactly what law Vast Cold has changed.
The law before Vast Cold's alteration enters my mind through the whispers of the Heavenly Domain.
Long ago,
Before Vast Cold appeared, the Heavenly Domains were like sandcastles that could be collapsed at any time as long as its owners willed it.
But after the emergence of Vast Cold,
The condition for the End of the Heavenly Domains changed, such that only when the hearts of the living beings within the Heavenly Domain reach their peak does it bring about the End.
Back when Hyeon Mu or the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld collapsed a Heavenly Domain, it was because their power momentarily surpassed Vast Cold's.
Ordinarily, Supreme Deities or Heavenly Venerables cannot destroy a Heavenly Domain directly without using something like the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.
Vast Cold essentially placed a powerful shackle around the necks of all Governing Immortals and left the stage.
Kim Yeon, seemingly aware of this truth, gently caresses the light pink lingering scents gathering around her.
Tuuung—
Along with a cool sensation, I feel a Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag being extracted, and I realize.
'...I see'
Kuuuuung!!
The scene before my eyes shifts, and before I realize it, I arrive once more in a space filled with Corpse Mountain Blood Seas.
'I've really arrived so quickly to the point it's absurd.'
This is the sanctuary of the Mountain.
The Origin Essence of Repentant Enlightenment.
The sacred ground of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Yes...
What stands before me now is the essence of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity themself.
"First, let me offer congratulations. You've reached the reference point."
Through the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra just now, I have pierced through the gate leading to the Origin Essence of Repentant Enlightenment.
Yes.
I have finally reached the late stage of Great Net Immortal.
And now, I see for the first time the bare face of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, who has taken on a human form before me.