Glass Peacock, Oh Hyun-seok, and I.
It doesn't take long for the three of us to gather.
Glass Peacock, who always giggles with a crazed look in their eyes as if perpetually in heat, appears before us for the first time with a serious expression.
No, rather than serious...
They seem displeased.
"...To stab using the most painful memory—though I agreed because there was no other choice...frankly, I'm not fond of this."
Having a faint concept of gender, they've violated countless beings and wandered about, at times impregnating others, at times becoming pregnant themself.
As such, they are both a mother and father.
Having an enormous number of children and descendants, I've heard that Glass Peacock has had to watch offspring numbering at least in the quadrillions that died as they couldn't outlive Glass Peacock, or who were swept up and killed in the currents of fate.
And perhaps because they carry the grief of a father, the very idea of killing Hyeon Rang through that sorrow seems very unpleasant to them.
"If I weren't granted the chance to carry out an operation with Azure Peng, I would never have agreed, even if it was a summons from Radiance Hall."
Glass Peacock initially declared they would never join the operation. But when the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld said that Glass Peacock, in their state of a Great Net Immortal, lacks the output alone and offered the chance to cooperate with Azure Peng, only then did they finally accept.
"Where is Azure Peng? I feel like I need to bury my face in their tail feathers to feel at ease."
"Don't worry. They're in the Underworld for now out of concern you might pounce on them, but once the operation starts, they'll come."
"Damn it! Just where did my Azure Peng's tail feathers go!?"
Glass Peacock grumbles while throwing a fit, as if the entire situation bothers them, and I exchange glances with Oh Hyun-seok as we begin to take our positions.
Eventually, even the complaining Glass Peacock gradually takes their position.
"I'll take Heaven (天)."
“Then I can take Earth (地).”
I take the upper dantian, symbolizing Heaven. Glass Peacock takes the lower dantian, symbolizing Earth.
And naturally, Oh Hyun-seok takes the middle dantian, symbolizing Man (人).
For some reason, the Sal Tree Battle comes to mind and I smile bitterly.
'One way or another, it ends up with the disciple piercing the master in the chest.'
Perhaps this, too, is history repetition.
A short while later, the daughter Oh Hyun-seok brought from Penglai Island is sent down to the Underworld.
"Is everyone prepared?"
Oh Hyun-seok nods.
Seeing that, I signal to our comrades waiting outside the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
Outside the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
In the direction of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain are Jeon Myeong-hoon and Oh Hye-seo.
On the opposite side, where the other Heavenly Domains lie, are Kang Min-hee and Kim Yeon who receive the signal and begin forming their respective seals.
Kururung!
Pachijijijik!
Jeon Myeong-hoon swings the Heavenly Lightning Banner.
With that, thunder and lightning seem to engulf the entire Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, revealing the form of Indra's Net.
[I'll be the wick. Burn the Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation.]
Woo-woong!
Oh Hye-seo seems to be using the authority of Truth Manipulation as she gradually blurs before applying attraction force on each of the three of us—me, Oh Hyun-seok, and Glass Peacock.
She, like me, is a disciple of a mountain spirit and has studied the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, allowing her to wield attraction force through it.
She shares the same surname as Oh Hyun-seok, so she holds attraction with him too.
As for Glass Peacock, since her mortal being days, she frequently used the True Blood granted by Seo Hweol, so there is an attraction with them as well.
She shares a common thread with all three of us, making her an indispensable figure in this operation.
In cases of an emergency, she will become our escape route.
Kugugung!
Immediately after, Kang Min-hee begins to exert power.
Dozens, hundreds of black threads seem to appear in the void before spreading across the Palace of Radiance.
Mantra (眞言),
[A flower that has fallen once does not bloom again, only before the flowers fall does one remember the Spring.]
Falling Flower!
Tsuaaaaaaa!
From those black threads, dark blue flower buds begin to bloom, gradually pulling Hyeon Rang, who is sealed inside the Palace of Radiance, down from the category of 'nonstandard being' to a 'standard being'.
Under Kang Min-hee's manipulation of rules, Hyeon Rang, who had been quite literally a 'Taiji in the shape of a fetus,' now begins to form a shape somewhat closer to that of a [fetus].
And Kim Yeon, as if resonating with Oh Hye-seo on the opposite side, begins to channel power to us through her connection with Oh Hye-seo.
It may appear that she has no other role beyond acting as an additional power source, but in truth, her part is more focused toward what comes after this, so it is of little concern.
The role she has taken on will shine even more after Hyeon Rang is defeated.
Woo-woooong!
In any case, even just receiving power from her causes our energy to begin to surge.
[V-Vast Cold's power...? Haha, back when Vast Cold was around, I burned myself chasing that scent...only now can I finally smell it.]
Glass Peacock trembles with arousal, and within this overwhelming torrent of power, Oh Hyun-seok regenerates his right arm in one go.
Originally, his right arm bore an injury that even a Great Net Immortal of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation would need tens of thousands of years to recover from, but Vast Cold's power ignored all of that and regenerated it entirely.
Woo-wooooong!
Within this immense amplification of power, I half-close my eyes and send a signal to Radiance Hall.
: : Great Sun, Torch Candle! : :
The Great Forest Heavenly Lord receives my signal and shouts, and the two Heavenly Lords symbolizing Yang energy within Radiance Hall begin to form hand signs.
Kwarung, kwarururung!
Soon, Jeon Myeong-hoon's Indra's Net, scattered nearby, begins to transform, boiling red.
Kwajijijik!
At last, the boiling Indra's Net begins drawing in nearby lightning to each of its threads, forming them into spears.
Thousands, tens of thousands of Lightning-Tipped Spears illuminate the area.
Immediately after, the Lightning-Tipped Spears shoot toward the interior of the Palace of Radiance under Jeon Myeong-hoon's command.
Shukwagagak!
: : -------! : :
The universe hums and trembles.
Hyeong Rang's screams burst from within the Palace of Radiance, scraping the conceptual fabric of every noun existing in this world for a moment.
But the Radiance Eight Immortals begin to act.
: : In the name of the Owner of Light, we command... : :
The Owners of Light, who govern the life of all existence in Mount Sumeru, begin to grasp the fate of the domain of life.
Wooo-woooong!
The brightness of all 'lights' seem to brighten then dim, and the entirety of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain becomes bright.
Fate has been embedded within light itself.
: : Within the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, among all the Immortal Daos, light is foremost, and no law may overcome light. : :
The Power of Names spoken by the Naming Supreme Deity begins to bow before the Power of Light.
Then, at the command of the Great Forest Heavenly Lord, the Great Sun Heavenly Lord and Torch Candle Heavenly Lord raise their hands, having prepared something.
Hwarururuk!
: : In the name of Great Sun, Regulator of the Heavenly Domains, I command... : :
: : In the name of Torch Candle, Administrator of the Heavenly Void Furnace, I command... : :
The attraction forces of several Heavenly Domains within Mount Sumeru all converge under the Great Sun Heavenly Lord and engulfs the Palace of Radiance.
The Torch Candle Heavenly Lord connects with the Head Realm and summons something.
It is the power of explosion.
The authority of explosion, beginning from the Head Realm and the Akashic Records, gathers in the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord's hands and is imbued into the Palace of Radiance.
Jeon Myeong-hoon's Lightning-Tipped Spear becomes the wick, latching flames onto the Naming Supreme Deity. The Great Sun Heavenly Lord's attraction force becomes the furnace, blocking the heat from escaping.
: : Enter. : :
And we become the wind, carrying out the role of the bellows.
Chok, chok, chok!
Glass Peacock, Oh Hyun-seok, and I form the Three Powers Formation and land at one corner of the Palace of Radiance.
Oh Hye-seo connects our minds using herself as a medium, so there's no need for further strategy explanations or coordination.
[Azure Peng! It's time to bring out Azure Peng!]
Glass Peacock, eyes bloodshot, transforms into their true body and shouts, and from deep within the Underworld, the deep sigh of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld is heard as the gate of the Underworld opens here.
Kugugugung!
Immediately, from the deepest depths of the Underworld, three Blue Birds appear.
They are the attendants of the Underworld, Dae Ryeo, So Ryeo, and Blue Bird.
And upon seeing Blue Bird, Glass Peacock's eyes roll back.
: : Oooooooooh!!! : :
Azure Peng looks like they're about to go into a seizure the moment they see Glass Peacock, but they don't even get the chance.
Glass Peacock stretches their neck out long like Bong Myeong, and in an instant, swallows Azure Peng whole.
Azure Peng seems to try resisting by using the power of Origin Essence, but Glass Peacock instead absorbs that very power with eyes full of ecstasy.
: : Uh, uuuuught! Azure Peng, struggle more. Uuuuht! Yes, scrape my innards! Uuuught! Oooooooohk! : :
In their main body, Glass Peacock begins twisting their body in ecstatic joy, and Dae Ryeo and So Ryeo, the siblings of Azure Peng, sigh at the sight and begin flapping their wings.
: : Once the Naming Supreme Deity is defeated, we will retrieve Azure Peng. Do not overfeed the Glass Avidyā Advancement Light. : :
: : Hehe, the Underworld is someone who respects life, so they wouldn't care about my relationship with Azure Peng, but you lackeys are the ones throwing a tantrum. Sorry, but now that Azure Peng is back in my hands, it's over! Azure Peng is mine! If you interfere, I'll capture you as well and let you know sensual pleasure! Ahahahaha! : :
With hardened faces, Dae Ryeo and So Ryeo just flap their wings and generate wind for us, and I, Oh Hyun-seok, and Glass Peacock reveal our true forms and ride that wind.
Jjeooooooong!
Finally, a gate within the Palace of Radiance opens.
Kugugugugugu!
We ride the wind created by the Blue Birds and enter the palace.
Hwiooooooo!
The inside of the Palace of Radiance is bright.
It's because the power of light is pouring in in abundance, but also because Hyeon Rang is burning.
Hwarururururu!
The vast plain Kang Min-hee created inside the Palace of Radiance through Falling Flower can be seen.
And at the center of that plain, something massive is burning.
It is Hyeon Rang.
He burns in the form of a giant infant, and the closer we get to him, the more our essence begins to distort in a strange way.
My body stretches like rubber, Glass Peacock suddenly turns into wood and stone, and Oh Hyun-seok's presence—which had been blooming uncharacteristic of him—completely disappears again.
: : Hyeon Rang is distorting us through the use of names. : :
: : True forms with free shapes are even more easily swayed. : :
Glass Peacock and I quickly analyze the phenomenon, quickly share our thoughts, and simultaneously transform into out Transformation forms.
Oh Hyun-seok and I transform into our usual forms, while Glass Peacock transforms into the figure of a beautiful woman with a dangling lower body. On her back is a massive bundle, and something inside it endlessly squirms.
It seems to be Azure Peng.
[Uhehe, stay still, you little thing.]
Glass Peacock makes a lecherous expression with a woman's face and slaps the bundle with a smack, and at the same time, an immense 'distortion' emerges from the bundle and begins to twist the surrounding space.
Azure Peng's Spatial Labyrinth divine power distorts the space of the plain, instantly closing the distance between us and Hyeon Rang.
Hwarurururur—
'It's hot.'
Perhaps because we have taken on our Transformation forms but Hyeon Rang still remains in his true body, the size difference between us and Hyeon Rang is immense.
'Even this is only because Kang Min-hee adjusted the size of the form. If it were Hyeon Rang's real main body, our Transformation forms wouldn't even be able to leave a scratch on him.'
Of course, as long as Hyeon Rang is drawing upon the power of the Head Realm, our attacks aren't really effective anyway.
Therefore, what we need right now is...
[Hyun-seok Hyung-nim!]
[I know!]
Kugugugugu!
...the presence of Oh Hyun-seok.
There's no need to attack Hyeon Rang's three dantians right away.
It wouldn't work right now anyway.
What we need to do now is have Oh Hyun-seok launch a strike imbued with his heart, and just like at the end of the past life, awaken Hyeon Rang's humanity.
Kururururung!
Wings seem to form behind Oh Hyun-seok's back, and a purple dragon coils around his arm.
'Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter...! No, that's...'
I can tell that Oh Hyun-seok has broken through his limits in the Outer Sea.
Oh Hyun-seok's Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter merges with his arm.
The purple dragon etches itself into his skin, turning into a tattoo.
The form of a dragon that symbolizes Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter becomes imprinted directly onto Oh Hyun-seok's body.
Hwoooong—
A single straight punch!
At that strike, Hyeon Rang opens his eyes wide and begins to scream.
: : -------! : :
In that monstrous scream, deadly even to True Immortals, we all simultaneously feel reality and illusion shake.
And within Hyeon Rang's scream, we begin to see something.
No, it's more accurate to say we 'hear' it.
It is the sound of burning.
—Hwarurururuk!
'This is...'
It is the history of a distant ancient past.
Most likely the history from the time of Hyeon Rang's birth.
It's hot.
The pain Hyeon Rang felt, and the cries of what seem to be his parents, ring out like buzzing vibrations.
Then, [someone]'s voice strikes my ear.
—...I've...brought a name... They said the name...Hyeon Rang (玄朗) would be good for the child... I've brought your name too...Yang Hwe (楊回). It's Yang Hwe. Isn't it nice? So...Hwe-ah. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Forgive me. I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry... One day, if there is a next life...I'll make you happy then.
Thump, thump...
Why is it?
It seems like I'm the only one hearing this voice.
Oh Hyun-seok, and Glass Peacock as well, seem to be hearing something else within Hyeon Rang's scream.
As I listen to this scream, feeling the pounding of my heart, I sense a powerful déjà vu, and as the realm of Immortal Beast King resonates with the being called Hyeon Rang, it allows me to [recall] something.
—If there's a next life...I'll make sure something like this never happens again.
—In the next life...I'll dress you in cloth made from the fire mouse said to live on the western mountain.
—I'll gift you an entire orchard of immortal peaches that the gods themselves are said to eat.
—I'll give you clothes made of tiger and leopard hides.
—I'll gift you beautiful hair ornaments.
—I'll dig a spring and a stream that overflows with elixirs of immortality just for you.
—I'll make sure the blue birds you like so much attend to your every need.
—I'll bring you as much cheese as you want, and let you listen to beautiful music as much as you please.
—So please, Hwe-ah.
The owner of that voice speaks in a voice so sorrowful it feels like one's chest is collapsing.
Just hearing that voice alone makes my chest sink, and pain wells up just as much as when Hyang-hwa died.
—Forgive me... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry...for making you meet someone like me...for making you unhappy... I'm sorry. I'll go and meet the Lord of Heaven who rules the Heavenly Kingdom...and request so that I can meet you again someday. I'll meet the Lord of Heaven who rules the Heavenly Kingdom and receive blessings, and make you happy again...
—If the Lord of Heaven does not allow it, then even if I must kill him...I will gain that permission. So one day...when we meet again...I'll make you happy... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry...
Thump—
Within the voice that crushes the chest, I begin to remember something.
It is an old memory.
A memory from the 16th cycle.
'Ah...'
I think I traveled out into the Outer Sea through the Heavenly Void Furnace during the 16th cycle.
And in the Outer Sea, I once glimpsed [the memory of the owner of this voice now being heard].
That must be why only I, unlike Oh Hyun-seok or Glass Peacock, can hear this voice.
'Back then...I was definitely with Hong Fan...'
Beneath Hyeon Rang's scream, I unknowingly try to recall more of the 16th cycle's memories.
But just then, I feel a sharp headache and realize I can remember no further.
Still, within that pain, I understand something.
'...Hyeon Rang is the Western Zero King. The Final Immortal Beast King and the one fated to become the Final Owner of Ancient Force.'
If I face him, perhaps I might be able to recover these memories that became lost at some point and turned into ancient force.
Because of Hyeon Rang's scream, the interior and exterior of the Palace of Radiance is sealed off.
With vision from the outside and reinforcements blocked, Hyeon Rang's energy continues to swell, growing in size, strength, and life.
[That won't do.]
And I, seeing such a Hyeon Rang, reach out my hand.
[Come forth, Five Desires True Treasures (五慾眞寶).]
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Primal Chaos Chain, Hong Fan.
Twin Constructing Chains, Yeo Hwi.
Unruly Chain, Ham Jin.
Obsidian Chain, Yu Hwi.
Swallowing Heaven Chain, Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity!
The five Immortal Treasures, who each carry a portion of the power of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, leap out at my call.
[In the name of your master, I command you. The Five Desires Chains shall bind and seal the Owner of Names!]
[We obey!]
Hong Fan answers on their behalf, and they turn into five long chains, endlessly extending and wrapping around Hyeon Rang.
Clang!
The five chains begin to coil tightly around Hyeon Rang's body, and the Hyeon Rang who had been growing in power and size now begins to shrink under the binding of the Five Desire Chains.
[Once more, please, Hyung-nim!]
Hyeon Rang tries to attack Oh Hyun-seok again, but Glass Peacock uses the Spatial Labyrinth divine power to divert the attack, and Oh Hyun-seok once again exerts his power, gathering his strength and heart into his fist.
Woo-woong—
And then comes Oh Hyun-seok's second strike!
With that second strike, Hyeon Rang's scream spreads to the upper heavens, shaking Heaven and Earth once more.
Along with it, I can feel Hyeon Rang's humanity awakening more and more with each blow delivered by Oh Hyun-seok.
'It's working!'
Hyeon Rang's heart is awakening.