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Chapter 700: Annihilation and Flower (1)
Cheon Woon lets out a sigh at my question.
[...I don't know either. I just vaguely guess that it might be so...]
"...And what does 'Southern Sal Tree' mean? Also, about sharing the same essence as Sal Tree..."
At my continued questions, the face of the Heavenly Venerable of Time stiffens.
He speaks again with a gloomy expression.
[We are...not mere beings who exist as complete individuals, but a kind of [prophecy]...]
"...!"Realizing what he means, I let out a stifled groan.
"The Heavenly Venerables... You yourselves...are a kind of 'prophecy medium'...something like a 'star of prophecy'?"
[That's right...We were created as 'Sal Trees' that will take root somewhere in this world and spread our branches, to become tools that pray for the descent of the Absolute One, and prophetic mediums that realize the fate of that advent.]
"..."
I click my tongue at that outrageous truth.
'They're using Heavenly Venerables as mere stars of prophecy...?'
[Since long ago, Gwan Myeong has been second only to Hyeon Mu in reflecting upon his own essence. Because of that, he realized that his essence is the Sal Tree, and gave himself the title of Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable... It's hard to rank the Three Heavenly Venerables, but if one must, then in the order of self-awareness of their essence, it would be the Northern Heavenly Venerable, then the Eastern Heavenly Venerable. Only at the end would I stand. But perhaps because I am the farthest from my essence...]
Cheon Woon gazes downward bitterly.
[Only I have seriously questioned our very lives and deeply pondered our dignity. As a result...I alone have been able to best preserve my ego and, while staying a step apart from my essence, prepare for liberation.]
He gazes far off into the direction of Mount Sumeru.
[...The Underworld is always outside the discussion, and both Void and Sal Tree went insane upon realizing their essence due to a definite flaw in their own Gandhara. But only I...placed my ego into my projection, entrusted my Gandhara to Yeong Seung and the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords...and reached the edge of this world. The 'boundary of Cakravāda (鐵圍)'. And through reaching the boundary of Cakravāda...I understood.]
The Heavenly Venerable of Time turns his gaze toward me.
[This world...is a kind of egg. No, perhaps it is more accurate to say it's a womb or a gestational realm... It is such a place. And everything that happens in this world ultimately exists [to give birth to something].]
"...!"
[The being we Heavenly Venerables, including myself, will welcome as prophetic mediums... The one called the Absolute One or the Perfectly Enlightened One... Everything in this world functions for the sake of receiving that being. In other words...when that being is someday born, we will be like the egg white and yolk inside the shell, nutrients for that birth, and we will vanish.]
Cheon Woon's eyes have deeply hardened.
[The boundary of the world... It was only after observing the Outer Sea and Mount Sumeru from the reverse of Cakravāda that I realized it. Why do you think Mount Sumeru, which originally had the shape of a [cone], is now overturned into the shape of an [inverted cone]?]
At Cheon Woon's continued words, not just me, but also Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo—who have been struggling to follow the conversation—seem visibly shaken.
[All life...must flip over once in order to be born... Only by looking inward from the boundary of the outer world did I finally understand.
[The flow of all attraction force in this world is becoming a flow that 'seeks to birth' some existence. No matter what sacrifices that process may entail.]
"...So what you're saying is, you don't know?"
[Correct.]
Are the 'great feats' imposed upon Time and Sal Tree that of the Future King, or is it of the [Absolute One] that is to be born someday?
Are the Future King and the Absolute One the same being?
If there is a hierarchy between them, who stands higher?
Do the Future King and the Absolute One oppose each other, or are they allies?
'Is it simply that no judgment is possible because we know nothing?'
Despite having all reached the peak of the world, all we still possess are fragmented, scattered pieces of information.
'The ones who probably know the most are...the First Radiance Supreme Deity Heuk Sa. Hong Fan...and maybe Hyeon Mu, who is presumed to have been part of the First Radiance Supreme Deity.'
But none of them seem to have any thoughts of sharing that information with me.
'In the end...is the truth something that can only be learned by challenging the Audience Chamber?'
As I organize my thoughts in various ways, I look toward the Heavenly Venerable of Time.
He wears a face twisted in pain.
[Even after going this far...there's nothing I know... I know absolutely nothing... But one thing is certain.]
Bududuk...
Then, I flinch at Cheon Woon's next muttered words.
[Without knowing anything...I don't want to become a tool for the birth of some existence I know nothing about... I don't...want to become a sacrifice as a mere Southern Twin Sal Tree for the Absolute One's descent. I...want to live. I'm saying I want to live! Without the flow of any fate, without anyone's constraints, I want to roam endlessly vast worlds, enjoy the worlds with joy...and after an endless voyage, die as a wanderer. I hate living a life trapped in this cramped egg, just to become the mere nutrients for someone's birth!]
Bududuk...
Cheon Woon grits his teeth.
[I...want to live. That's all it ever was. And so...because I want to live, I will help you all. Especially you.]
Tap!
He grabs my shoulder and speaks.
[Even if Sal Tree has been pushed into chaos, a Heavenly Venerable...can never be taken lightly. No, in fact, now that he will start making remote prophecies from afar in order to determine the victor, it's even more dangerous than close combat... From now on, he will start sending 'whispers' to the other Supreme Deities, coaxing them and attempting to bring you harm.]
"...You are saying you will help us?"
[Yes. Come to where I am. If it's with your newly sublimated Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, the Ultimate of Martial Arts, and your power as the Immortal Beast King...you will surely be able to reach the boundary of Cakravāda, where I reside.]
"What will change if I go there?"
[The battlefield will change. Just to capture you...are you truly fine with Sal Tree turning all the living beings of Mount Sumeru into a single flower?]
"..."
[Aside from the change of the battlefield, there is much I can give you in this place. And if Sal Tree chases you even this far, then I too can draw him in and try something of my own...so please...]
Tststststs—
The projection of the Heavenly Venerable of Time pleads with me as it gradually melts away into the chaos.
[Reach me.]
With that final plea from the Heavenly Venerable of Time, I finally return to Mount Sumeru.
"Yo, Seo Eun-hyun."
Upon returning to Mount Sumeru, what I see is Jeon Myeong-hoon, now holding the Heavenly Lightning Banner, having turned the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals into prayer beads.
Kurururung!
The path he has walked crackles with red lightning, and from him emanates a sacred aura strangely reminiscent of the Heavenly Venerables' Gandhara.
"The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's move was a bit sudden, but what's up with just dying like that? I thought I'd die from the panic."
Jeon Myeong-hoon chuckles as he speaks.
I look at him and grin widely.
Now...
I truly have a friend among my comrades who is aware of the regression.
"...By the way, what did you do...with the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals and Zhengli?"
"Through my authority, I revived the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals in this timeline using the prophecy I made to them in the previous timeline as a medium. Zhengli was originally directly tied to the Origin Essence of Heavenly Punishment, so after I pushed out Do Gon and became the Owner of Heavenly Punishment in this timeline, she naturally became mine. No one seems to fully grasp the situation yet...but they'll figure it out slowly. And when they do, well, things will play out just like in the previous life."
"...Isn't it heavy?"
I ask with a bitter smile at Jeon Myeong-hoon's words, as he once again bears the anger of the Lightning Immortals in one body and strives to revive Heavenly Punishment, just like in the last life.
However, Jeon Myeong-hoon only slowly shakes his head.
"Even if it's heavy, it's my karma, so I'm the one who should carry it."
"...You've grown well."
"Don't talk like you've seen through everything, you punk. Makes me feel weird for no reason. Anyway...the Underworld is calling for both you and me."
"Yeah, I was about to head there anyway."
After exchanging a few casual words with Jeon Myeong-hoon, I cross into the deepest depths of the Underworld in a single stride.
Paaat!
Before I knew it, my ground-shrinking technique had reached the level where I can arrive at the Underworld's deepest depths in a single step.
I briefly leave Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo in the care of White Eunuch, then head with Jeon Myeong-hoon to pay an audience to the Underworld.
Kuuung!
The familiar gate to the deepest depths of the Underworld opens and welcomes us.
"We greet the Imperial Venerable."
"We greet the Imperial Venerable."
Even though I have become of Heavenly Venerable rank, I stick out my tongue, feeling the ever-ferocious power of the Underworld that makes my flesh tremble.
Kuuuung!
The gate behind us closes, and the Underworld looks down at us and speaks.
"First, Red Pearl Cycling Heavenly King. Congratulations on rising to Heavenly Venerable rank. From now on, I shall no longer address you as 'the rug of Seo Eun-hyun's group' but as the complete 'Red Pearl Cycling Heavenly King Jeon Myeong-hoon'. I swear to give you my full support and protection."
Jeon Myeong-hoon too, has now fully reached the standards of the Underworld.
"It is an honor as vast as the sea."
"Good. Enough with the formalities. And Seo Eun-hyun."
"Yes, Imperial Venerable."
"Truly...much has happened, but regardless, for returning from the Outer Sea...reaching the ultimate of Martial Arts, and being enthroned to the position of Immortal Beast King, I congratulate you."
"Thank you."
Only upon hearing the Underworld's words do I truly feel the reality of having become the Immortal Beast King.
"Now, just with Martial Pinnacle and the status of Immortal Beast King alone, you already rival the top ranks of Supreme Deities, and stand equal to the lower tier of Heavenly Venerable ranks. If you divine descent the authority of Jeon Myeong-hoon or other Heavenly Kings, you will roughly match even Hyeon Mu... It is proper to see you as practically of Heavenly Venerable rank."
As the Underworld says this, she stares at me intently for a moment.
"To be of Heavenly Venerable rank at merely the realm of Great Net... If you gain an Origin Essence and become a Heavenly King—no. Just becoming an Immortal Lord makes me have great expectations as to what level you could reach."
"Haha, since I've come this far, I'll aim for at least Supreme Deity."
"Hmm..."
But at my words, the Underworld slightly shakes her head.
"That is impossible, for you are an Ender."
"Pardon...?"
"You, who are essentially an innate Heavenly Venerable...cannot become a Supreme Deity. Even if you obtain an Origin Essence, it is entirely impossible for you to become one with it."
She points toward us.
"The fragment of the third Absolute you possess is, in itself, such a vast piece, and since you are practically that fragment itself, you are treated as one who has already merged with something that is a higher form to the Origin Essence. In other words...you are already, in essence, like a Supreme Deity of another Immortal Dao. It is no different from trying to consume another Origin Essence to become a Supreme Deity who holds two Seats. It is an absurd notion."
I let out a silent sigh at those words, and Jeon Myeong-hoon, seemingly not understanding, asks a question.
"But if you eat two Origin Essences, wouldn't you just be holding two Supreme Deity Seats? Why can't you hold both? It's not like eating two Devil Fruits where you explode and die or something."
"I do not know what fruit you are talking about, but I will tell you this. It is not an issue of rejection. It is a matter of the fluidity of the Seat."
The Underworld points at her face.
"If you have only one mouth but get two meals you absolutely must eat, do you perhaps grow another mouth? Or do you eat them in order?"
"I usually just stuff them in all at once."
"Right. No matter how many favorite foods you have and how greedily you shove them in, there is only one entryway.
"Holding multiple Supreme Deity Seats is similar. You, as a being, are still only one, and if you try to dominate more than one Origin Essence, there is a high probability that the Origin Essences, like the food you greedily stuff into your mouth, will mix together and birth a new Origin Essence."
"Then wouldn't that make you twice as strong anyway?"
"When you eat two meals at once, does your mouth perhaps double in size?"
"Umm..."
"If you consume and merge two Origin Essences, you may become slightly stronger for a short while due to the residual force, but once the Origin Essence stabilizes, it ends up the same. You Enders already possess the powerful Origin Essence known as the fragment of the Absolute from birth, so even if you gain an Origin Essence, you do not become Supreme Deities.
"The authority of the Origin Essence merges with the authority of your Absolute fragment, and you do become a Heavenly King of Heavenly Venerable rank, but that is all. You can never become a Supreme Deity. Nor do you particularly need to."
With the Underworld's following explanation, Jeon Myeong-hoon seems fully convinced.
"If ordinary True Immortals follow their Immortal Dao, seize the Origin Essence, become Supreme Deities, and afterward divine descent the Absolute to become Heavenly Venerables, you Enders follow the power of the Absolute, awaken your fate, seize the power of the Absolute, become Immortal Lords, and finally divine descent the power of the Origin Essence to become Heavenly Kings.
"It is the direct opposite of ordinary True Immortals, but in a way, it is a more efficient method that reaches Heavenly Venerable faster without waste.
"Therefore, you are in truth already no different from Supreme Deities, and there is no need for you to become one, nor can you."
"Mm, I understand."
"..."
But I look at the Underworld and let out a forced laugh.
"So in the end, even if I obtain my Senior Brother's Origin Essence, I still need to awaken to my fate and master the authority to the extreme in order to become a Heavenly King..."
"That is not really an issue for you anyway, is it? You are already of Heavenly Venerable rank. If you just obtain an Origin Essence from this state, you will practically rival the peak battle strength of Obsidian or Silver Basket at their prime. Just becoming an Immortal Lord would make you worthy of being called the God of Gods."
"Above all...you've got plenty of time anyway."
Jeon Myeong-hoon taps me on the shoulder as speaks.
"If realizing your fate is hard, just pour time into it. Sooner or later, you'll realize it."
"...Strictly speaking, I already know what my fate is. It's just...I haven't embodied it yet."
To begin with, though the Absolute fragment is with me, it's a crazy situation where the authority has gone with Hong Fan. So honestly, I can't even grasp what kind of ability my authority is.
'I really do need to retrieve it someday...'
Clicking my tongue, I organize my thoughts and nod.
"Alright. I now understand well why I cannot become a Supreme Deity. That aside...it seems you had a different reason for calling us?"
"Yes, we went off-topic for a moment. The reason I called you is simple."
Flinch!
At the Underworld's following words, not only Jeon Myeong-hoon, but even I am taken aback.
"Hunt down the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable. If he has already awakened as the Twin Sal Tree of the East, there is no way he will ever be on our side. In that case...now, when he is at his weakest and his essence and openings are exposed. Subdue the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable and steal the 'great feat' imposed upon him."
Kugugugugugu!
Behind the Underworld, a massive abyss opens.
And from that abyss, something terrifying begins to descend.
It is a colossal 'ship'.
'A ship...is floating above Indra's Net...!'
That ship is made entirely of darkness and is itself an attraction force of shadows that swallows all lights.
It is the attraction force of the Netherworld that pulls in the deceased.
The ship, ferryman, and river that call forth all of the dead.
"Of course, if you are defeated, the world may be revised and everything erased as if it never happened. Still, seizing his great feat right now will be of immense help. It is with a high chance to be of the Future King's history...so let us bring that history into our own hands, and pre-emptively suppress a portion of the Future King's power."
Kiiiiiiik—
The gate to the deepest depths of the Underworld opens, and beyond it are familiar faces.
"Hyun-seok Hyung-nim...! Kang Min-hee!"
Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo, and the others.
All of my comrades have gathered.
"I watched the conversation you had with the Heavenly Venerable of Time. I shall lend you Song Jin, the original Nether Crossing Ship. Ride Song Jin, and reach the Heavenly Venerable of Time Cheon Woon. Then together with Cheon Woon, defeat Sal Tree."
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