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Chapter 685: 2010th Cycle's First Day
Kurururung—
Heaven and Earth hum, and chaos recedes.
Beyond it, something like a planet comes into view.
That planet is strange. Instead of orbiting around a star, what appears to be a fixed star and a moon revolve around the planet.
It seems to be because some colossal being at the planet's core, possessing an immense mass, is making the fixed star revolve around itself.
I quietly mutter the name of that world.
"Penglai..."Also known as the world of Penglai Island.
The place where my master's spirit hall is located.
"It's been a while."
And...
My Senior Brother and nemesis.
The world where the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am dwells is precisely that place.
I look up at the 'black background' behind Penglai.
That black background appears like a massive cross-section of the universe, yet in truth, it is a 'mountain peak' so vast it appears to flatten the universe beneath it.
'There are so many of them...'
Looking closer, the mountain peak is composed of a dark-red Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, but because of its enormity and the distance, it appears black.
And it is not just one black mountain peak.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of black mountain peaks are visible, forming what looks like someone's 'belt'.
Above and below that belt is a massive royal insignia, and around that insignia exists a giant dragon robe.
Wearing that dragon robe is a colossal giant god, its entire body covered in Corpse Mountain Blood Seas.
"Is this...the first time we're meeting in our main bodies?"
That's right.
Until now, he and I have only met through clones, projections, split souls, incarnations, and the like.
Not once have we met directly with our main bodies.
Therefore, I can rightfully say that this is my first direct encounter with that impossibly massive mountain divine spirit that exists over there.
The giant god made of a mountain range of darkness slightly lowers its head toward me.
Its staggering size seems enough to envelop an entire Heavenly Domain.
'It's a size that reminds me of Hyeon Mu's Gandhara... No, no. Compared to that, Hyeon Mu's seems small.'
I am overwhelmed by its sheer magnitude and click my tongue.
The only time I've ever seen a mass of this magnitude was when I stood before the presence of the Underworld.
'It's smaller than the Underworld, but outside of the Underworld, there's nothing in the current Mount Sumeru bigger than that guy...'
While thinking miscellaneous thoughts while gazing at the mountain spirit before me—
Tststst—
Suddenly, I glance at the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's chest.
Grin—
There, countless traces numbering in the thousands are etched in, and faintly visible among them is the scar from when I shattered the Annihilation Advancement Mu with my last Sword God Dance.
'The scar is faint since the main body's mass is so far beyond standard, but still...'
There is undoubtedly a wound.
And besides that wound, there are thousands of other marks.
'Those are traces I left behind during the previous cycles.'
My Sword God Dance transcends spacetime.
That's why, even with regression, the scars remain.
"How's the taste of my blade, Senior Brother? By the way, I showed the taste of a blade to a mountain divine spirit, so shouldn't there at least be a gold sword or silver sword in return?"
It's when I look up at the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and say this.
: : After all that time spent toying with time, is this all that you've achieved? : :
"...!"
I flinch in surprise, then quickly realize the meaning.
"...Yeah, I suppose you noticed. Since when?"
: : You spout idiocy. Didn't the Underworld tell you that those of Heavenly Venerable rank already perceived your mantra? : :
"...What?"
But at the next words from Great Mountain, I can't help but make a face like I've just taken a punch.
: : The moment my future self intervened, all those of Heavenly Venerable rank, including myself, already noticed. The Underworld must've told you. Then again, a dull thing like you wouldn't remember that. : :
"...!"
I can't help but recoil in shock at those words.
"A-Among the Heavenly Venerable rank that the Underworld said had noticed...you—"
: : If it were only the Heavenly Venerables who noticed, they would have said clearly, 'Heavenly Venerables and Heavenly Kings'. But since I'm included, they must've said 'Heavenly Venerable rank'. Am I really dealing with such a dull fool that I need to explain this myself? : :
"Wh-What do you..."
I reel from the confusing words of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, but I suddenly recall something that catches my attention.
"Wait. There's something I'm curious about. What do you mean, [future you]? You said the [future you] interfered? How do you know that? How exactly did he interfere!?"
That 'deer'...
Don't tell me...is he saying that was the Great Mountain Supreme Deity?
: : Kukuk... There's no reason to tell someone like you. But one thing is certain. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity looks down at me mockingly.
: : In the future, you lose to me. I absorb everything of yours, even that so-called mighty mantra that interferes with spacetime. I master it more perfectly than you, and use it to send a messenger from the future into the past. That is...the true identity of the 'deer' you've been seeing all this time, and the proof that my victory is already assured. : :
He extends a hand toward me.
: : O pitiful Ender. Stop clinging to the delusion that you're my master's disciple. Abandon the illusion that you can stand against me...and kneel before me and obediently beg. Then, though I may absorb all your power, I shall allow your personality to reincarnate in Penglai Island and grant you eternal life. The future is already decided. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity's arrogant gaze bears down on me.
: : I am the victor. In this world, fate is real, and that fate is an existence that resolves even the paradoxes and contradictions of time. As long as the future where the 'future me' completely suppresses the future you exists, you will never be able to win against me. Accept fate, and submit to me. For I shall defeat the Future King and release even the fate binding all you Enders...so entrust all your worries and anguish to me. : :
"..."
I lower my head before the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's voice.
And after a while, I respond slowly.
"...First, I want to ask why, even after realizing my secret all that time ago, you've continued this tedious repetition until now. You couldn't have not realized that your repeated use of Annihilation Advancement Mu has been the greatest stepping stone for my cultivation."
After all, if he really detected my regression that quickly, he could've simply killed me before I ever reached Great Net Immortal.
Even if he had left Mount Sumeru, he had more than enough power to do that.
So then, why hasn't he crushed me until now?
: : In front of Master's spirit hall...I swore I'd fight you after you climbed up properly. That is all. : :
That, at least, seems to be sincere.
It's because of that oath he made in front of Master's spirit hall that he has been allowing me to grow until now.
"...Thank you. During all those long repetitions...just like the other Heavenly Venerables, you must have maintained your awareness throughout..."
: : For those at my eye level, time is no more than distance. : :
I understand what he means.
Time and space are one.
That's why the Great Mountain Supreme Deity endured this endless span with me, experiencing it simply as a slight shift in distance.
'Time no longer holds meaning for me either.'
Cultivating through pouring in time now means little.
To me, time is now merely another word for distance.
: : I don't need your thanks. Thank only Master's honor. It was for his honor's sake that I refrained from killing you, and gave you the cultivation necessary to earn even the minimum qualifications to face me. : :
"Right. I am thankful for him too. No, I've always been grateful."
: : Good. But...there's no need for that anymore. You now possess the minimum qualifications to stand before me. There's no longer any reason for me to hold back. : :
Kugugugugugu—
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity begins to rise from his seat.
The flow of chaos where he had been sitting trembles, and a terrifying wave of energy pushes back the surrounding chaos.
A Heavenly Domain forms in an instant, spreading outward.
: : Now then. If you won't kneel, come at me. I will show no more hesitation, no more mercy. I will seize you, dissolve you into my Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, steal your mantra, and reach the end of all stories. : :
A being that creates a universe in an instant through sheer will alone.
That is the being standing before me, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
And as I face him, I smile.
"Sorry, but let's stop here for today. A true battle between us comes next time."
: : How foolish. You cannot escape. : :
Kuuuuuuung!
An immense attraction force begins to gather around the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
An attraction force powerful enough to be reminiscent of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity arises centered around him, and begins to pull me in along with the newly-created Heavenly Domain.
The newly formed Heavenly Domain compresses again, and as I enter it, I begin to be pulled toward him.
Hwoooong—
I hurl the Flower Soul Filling the Heavens, where Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo are in, even farther away from the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, then smile.
"I'm not running away."
I begin to disassemble my body.
My body begins to scatter, turning into paper flowers of light.
"For I...am now everywhere."
The peak of Heavenly Escape.
The method of traveling through the domain of purity to move anywhere, just like Hyeon Mu.
It is the method of momentarily assimilating oneself with the domain of purity, then activating one's principle at the desired location to emerge from the assimilated domain.
And now, that method is possible for me as well.
For I too...
Just like Hyeon Mu, have scattered myself across the world.
I have scattered myself, become a system, overlaid the domain of purity, and stepped one foot into Martial Pinnacle.
The domain of chaos doesn't mean that the planes of Qi, Soul, and Fate don't exist. It means they are all intermixed and entangled.
Therefore, even in this Outer Sea, the domain of purity exists.
After all, when Hyeon Mu incarnated before us, it was also through that domain.
Chwararararak!
I scatter in the same way as Hyeon Mu and smile.
"Try to catch me all you want. For as I am now...unless you devour the entire world, you won't be able to."
: : ...Kukuk... : :
I begin to escape from the attraction force of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, scattering before his eyes.
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity throws his head back and bursts into wild laughter.
: : Kuhahahahaha!! Hyeon Mu may have moved anywhere through the principle of emptiness, but do you think you can do the same? You cannot imitate Hyeon Mu. You will lose yourself in the domain of purity and eventually reverse time to once again appear before me... : :
"Yeah. This method is undoubtedly dangerous."
A dangerous movement technique that risks completely losing oneself, blending with the world and vanishing entirely.
However...
"As long as there are those who call for me, I will never die."
: : Merely calling you requires immense thought. Do you think the mere thought of a single Sword Spear Heavenly Lord will suffice? : :
"...Who knows? We will see. After all, there are many who want to call for me."
I look at the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
I see the countless beings embedded within him, suffering.
And I smile.
"For unlike you, I have many friends, not slaves."
With those final words, I scatter once again into the world.
By receiving Ji Hwa's heart, I regained my reason as I was transforming into a 'law' itself, and placed one foot at the ultimate of Martial Arts.
If I scatter that reason again, it'll require even more earnest wishes to recover myself, but it doesn't matter.
'There are many...who will call for me.'
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity truly is remarkable.
He noticed in an instant that I have created a new cultivation system, and immediately recognized Ji Hwa as its greatest practitioner.
But even he doesn't know one thing.
'Those who share a connection with me, who hold me dear...'
Each has bloomed their own flower within.
And those flowers are all voices calling out to me.
'From everyone...I can feel at least one paper flower each.'
I have now become a law in and of myself.
Therefore, every heart that thinks of me becomes a cultivation under my command.
Thus,
I will not die.
Never!
Remembering this, I begin to listen to the countless voices calling out to me.
Among them, the loudest voice starts to reach me.
It is Jeon Myeong-hoon's.
"Seo Eun-hyun...when is he coming back?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon grits his teeth.
It's already been 90,000 years since Seo Eun-hyun went out to the Outer Sea.
In that time, Jeon Myeong-hoon has advanced all the way to the peak of Great Net Immortal, and his authority as an Ender has been honed to the utmost.
Yet, even in such a powerful state, he remains endlessly anxious.
"Hurry up...Seo Eun-hyun."
Lately, for some reason, the state of the Governing Immortals have become strange.
The Naming Supreme Deity and the Liberation Supreme Deity suddenly retreated into seclusion, and the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, 'in a single instant', transformed into an Immortal Treasure by Seo Eun-hyun's subordinates.
Even the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, where the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable resides, expelled all the Immortal Seats inside and sealed itself off.
White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, the direct apostle and Immortal Treasure of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable, keeps knocking on the door from outside the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, but it seems to be of little effect.
'Damn it...'
But the movement that troubles Jeon Myeong-hoon the most is none other than the prison where the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity is sealed.
It is the movement of the Horse Ear Heavenly Domain.
'Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity...!'
Jeon Myeong-hoon senses it clearly.
He too has climbed the Immortal Dao of the Supreme Deity he seeks, just like Seo Eun-hyun, so he understands what state the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity is in.
Just as the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity suddenly transformed into an Immortal Treasure.
Just as the Liberation and Naming Supreme Deities suddenly retreated into seclusion.
Likewise, the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity, at some point, acquired [something].
And from what Jeon Myeong-hoon feels, that [something] obtained by the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity is extremely dangerous.
It is something that must never be left alone.
'Seo Eun-hyun! When are you coming back!? Don't tell me this life too is just another life thrown away...'
It is as he thinks this, while cultivating in the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain.
Paaatt!
"...!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon flinches in surprise at the presence that suddenly appears behind him, and erupts with lightning.
"Y-You're...!"
That being is a silver-white giant god made of light.
It is the Fifth Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
'One of the Heavenly Lords of Radiance Hall, said to be on the level of Governing Immortals...! Even with the Underworld's protection, I have to escape...'
But the moment he makes that decision, his entire body is pierced with swords of light and is smashed into a star.
Kugwaaang!
"Kuaaaaaaaagh!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon screams in agony, and the nearby galaxy is entirely engulfed in lightning.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks at Jeon Myeong-hoon and speaks softly.
[Don't be dramatic, comrade of Seo Eun-hyun.]
"Kurgh...! Radiance Hall...! But we should be under the Underworld's protection..."
[Shhh.]
"...!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon shuts his mouth at the presence of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, who now suddenly stands right before him with a finger to her lips.
'Ahh, it's overwhelming...'
Then, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord opens her mouth.
[Aren't you curious why the Underworld doesn't stop me, even after I attacked you?]
"Wh-What! Don't tell me they abandoned—"
[It's because I'm now on your side.]
"...Huh?"
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks down at Jeon Myeong-hoon and continues.
[I too have decided to become a friend of Seo Eun-hyun. So, with the meaning of having become Seo Eun-hyun's friend, I've come to tell you something.]
"Tell me something...?"
Perhaps she thinks Jeon Myeong-hoon is prepared to hear it.
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, Ji Hwa, at last reveals a shocking truth to him.
[The Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity Do Gon has regained their old memories and reacquired the lightbulb. Soon...they will be released.]