In the midst of silence,
I gaze at the ceiling of Radiance Palace.
Above Radiance Palace, blown open by the fierce battle between the Radiance Eight Immortals and us, only the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord Ji Hwa remains, floating loftily and alone.
—Thank you.
I send a heart message to her, and Ji Hwa answers by nodding.
Wo-woooong!
Then, by her will, the God-Killing Spears flying toward us all explode in the void, and the explosive force doesn't reach us at all.
—Go. Within this explosion, not even the Resplendent Treasure Immortals or Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma will be able to see inside.
Amid the explosion, I lay the bodies of the other comrades over the shoulders of Oh Hyun-seok, who is still unconscious while standing, and meet eyes with Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"I had them wait at the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain."
"Alright."
Kwachijijijik!
Jeon Myeong-hoon begins to activate the Returning Lightning Strike spell of the Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation, and we begin to be transported to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain from where he came.
Kurururung!
Turning into lightning alongside Jeon Myeong-hoon, I lock eyes with the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
—Kill me once before you go.
I understand what she means.
—Got it.
In our current state depleted of energy, if we leave her behind without killing all the Resplendent Treasure Immortals or the Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma, it could leave suspicion that the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord harbors treason.
Anyway, as long as a prophecy remains, death for a True Immortal is nothing more than falling into a temporary sleep.
I can just think of it as putting her to sleep for a while.
While heading toward the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain inside Jeon Myeong-hoon's lightning bolt, I swing the Impermanence Sword and send a heart message.
—Well then, farewell. Let's meet again later.
—Weren't we always together?
—A wise answer to a foolish question.
Tsuaaaaaat!
Impermanence Sword.
Twin Flowers Reaching the Heavens.
White Orchid Flower!
Paaaaatt!
The Impermanence Sword becomes a blessing imbued with the power of White Orchid, ending her painlessly and in an instant within the blessing.
At the same time, we begin to move properly toward the faraway Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
Kwarurururung—
: : They are escaping! : :
: : Intercept them! : :
The Thirty-Three Heavenly Resplendent Treasure Immortals and the Envoys of the Final Age of Dharma begin bombarding us with all sorts of prophecies and Immortal Arts.
However, as Oh Hye-seo's Truth Manipulation and my Wheel begin to turn simultaneously, their Immortal Arts and prophecies start flying off in completely wrong directions, and we arrive at the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain in an instant.
Chiiiiii—
I glance at the overloaded Wheel.
'Maybe I've been overworking it recently.'
Now that I've become the Immortal Beast King, the Wheel has granted me almost all of its authority, and only now is it possible to properly draw out or overexert its power.
But starting from the Sal Tree Battle to the Naming Supreme Deity War...
Perhaps due to excessive overuse lately, I can see signs of cracks or fractures.
'I need to treat the Wheel too.'
I store the Wheel away again and look around.
We've returned safely to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, and overwhelming presences can be felt from the direction of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
"They will be following us soon enough... Do you have a plan?"
Glass Peacock weakly licks and tastes Oh Hyun-seok's shoulder as they ask, and Jeon Myeong-hoon replies.
"Don't worry."
Kwachijijik!
Soon, red lightning bursts forth from Jeon Myeong-hoon's body, and something begins to appear in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
A mechanical device resembling a celestial sphere, scattering countless lightning bolts as it activates.
It is the Immortal Treasure, Great Desolate Path.
Glass Peacock licks their lips as they see the spirit of Golden Shaking Bird inside the Great Desolate Path, and Golden Shaking Bird trembles at the sight of Glass Peacock.
: : M-Master. No matter what, are you really going to bring that...thing in here...? : :
"Quiet, Golden Shaking Bird. Everyone, get on for now. If we stay in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, we'll just be hunted down... First, we move beyond the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain."
We enter the Great Desolate Path, and under Jeon Myeong-hoon's guidance, we begin to teleport to another Heavenly Domain.
Pachijijik!
The Great Desolate Path becomes enveloped in lightning and starts to stir Indra's Net, seeming to ripple it as we begin to shift to another place.
Cheolpeok, cheolpeok!
Upon arriving inside the Great Desolate Path, all of us collapse onto the floor in exhaustion.
Then, as Glass Peacock crawls across the floor toward the fallen Azure Peng, Azure Peng flinches and pulls away from them.
"...Would it not be better to go to the Underworld?"
Azure Peng asks, avoiding the sticky gaze of Glass Peacock who is clinging to her, and Jeon Myeong-hoon answers instead.
"No. Soon...the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is said to descend."
At those words, Azure Peng breaks out into a cold sweat and speaks.
"Right, well, I know the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is reciting the Splitting Heaven Mantra. And...I haven't heard your detailed plans after the Naming Supreme Deity War, but...why in the world are we going deeper inside Mount Sumeru if the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is descending? Rather, would it not be better to gather strength inside the Gandhara of the Imperial Venerables outside Mount Sumeru?"
"There's that too. But we have our own tasks to complete as well...and it was agreed that the best method for Seo Eun-hyun to intercept and strike down the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is when they are activating the Splitting Heaven Mantra."
"W-Wait, then...we are really not going to the Underworld? Not even stopping by at all?"
"Hm, there's no real reason to go. And we probably can't even if we wanted to. The Radiance Hall bastards are all furious now and will probably seal off the borders of the Underworld completely... If you wanted to go, that last moment was likely your final chance."
"N-No..."
"Don't worry too much. Me, Kang Min-hee, Hyun-seok Hyung-nim, and even Seo Eun-hyun... With beings of Governing Immortal-level combat strength gathered in one place, if we just hide and recover our strength for a bit, even Radiance Hall won't really be much of a threat anymore. You don't need to worry about threats to your life or being captured, sealed, and tortured by Radiance Hall."
At Jeon Myeong-hoon's casual words, Azure Peng's face gradually turns pale.
Kwarurururung!
We move once again inside the world of lightning, and this time, the destination is somewhere inside the Inner Sea of Mount Sumeru.
"W-Wait... Then what, what about me...?"
Azure Peng, now completely white and pale, begins to struggle to get away from Glass Peacock's proximity. Glass Peacock grins from ear to ear and crawls over to Azure Peng, wrapping their arms around Azure Peng's waist.
"Ehehe, since His Majesty the Supreme Deity helped recall our past lives...shall we start with the sibling setting, sister?"
"Hiieeek! G-Get away from me, you crazy bastard...! W-Wait...right, L-Lord Judge!"
Azure Peng looks at Kang Min-hee and reaches out her hand.
"Lord Judge! Please save me! Ah, no—if it is a Lord Judge, then you surely possess the authority to ignore the power of Radiance Hall and move to the Underworld! Lord Judge!"
However, Kang Min-hee meets Azure Peng's eyes, and after a brief moment, she awkwardly smiles and averts her gaze.
"Yes, have a beautiful love."
'...'
Azure Peng's face becomes blank with despair, and whether it's from drawing on strength they don't have through lust, Glass Peacock pounces on Azure Peng's body and sinks their teeth deep into her nape.
Soon after, under Glass Peacock's power, the two Immortal Beasts transform entirely into animal form.
Glass Peacock becomes a pure white peacock, while Azure Peng turns into a small blue bird.
The white peacock crushes the pigeon-sized blue bird beneath its massive body, then uses its large beak to prod all over the blue bird's feathers, plucking out the wing feathers to keep it from flying away. Then, it grabs the blue bird in its beak and, tottering away, disappears into the depths of the Great Desolate Path.
"..."
"..."
Faced with the absurd scene, we are left speechless. The spirit of Golden Shaking Bird, perhaps sensing the passionate mating of the two birds coming from one side of the Great Desolate Path, awkwardly blushes.
"...So, what are you going to do?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon asks me, and I, trying to break the awkward atmosphere, once again speak of our next course.
"First...if we keep drifting around the Inner Sea, the Radiance Hall bastards will catch on. So, let's go to any of the Heavenly Domains and hide."
"There aren't many Heavenly Domains left at this point..."
"There's still the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain."
"Hm..."
At those words, Jeon Myeong-hoon makes a strange expression, then teleports the Great Desolate Path toward the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain.
Kururung!
It's been a long time since I came to the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, and it's not in a normal condition.
"What...should I even call this?"
Starting from the recent extraction and refinement of the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain's Supreme Deity, the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, to the light that once covered the whole world being condensed by Radiance Hall to seal the Naming Supreme Deity, to the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable disappearing and the Naming Supreme Deity rampaging, many events have happened...
Now, the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain is collapsing, and countless unaffiliated True Immortals are gathering there, supplying power to keep the Heavenly Domain from crumbling entirely.
Even so, the collapse of the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain continues, and it seems it will likely be completely destroyed in the next few hundred million years.
Wo-woong—
As the Five Desires Chain enters the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, the power of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity seems to activate, slowing down the collapse.
If a typical Supreme Deity were to see their Heavenly Domain in such a state, they would rush in to fix it. But the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity seems uninterested and leaves the domain to collapse without intervening.
'Well, anyway, the rate of collapse has slowed. It'll probably take several billion years before this Heavenly Domain completely falls apart.'
And...
I look up at the sky.
'I can feel it.'
From the moment the Great Mountain Supreme Deity became able to follow my regressions...
While I was trapped in the Radiance Mantra and repeated regressions a thousand times, he took control of practically all of the Splitting Heaven Mantra.
'And...having seized control over the entire Splitting Heaven Mantra, he's planning something.'
As one who became the junior brother of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, I immediately understood after hearing from Oh Hyun-seok about Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape.
'Completely subduing Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape. That's what the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has been waiting for. And now that Oh Hyun-seok has come over to our side, he must have nearly subdued and reabsorbed Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape...'
What remains now is to activate the Splitting Heaven Mantra, descend upon this Mount Sumeru, sweep everything away, and challenge the Audience Chamber.
And by tracing back the remaining will of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape lingering on Oh Hyun-seok, I calculate the time until the Great Mountain Supreme Deity fully reabsorbs Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape and descends here.
"110,000 years."
At my words, everyone's eyes, including those of Oh Hyun-seok, who is finally coming to his senses, turn to me.
"From now...in 110,000 years."
By my measure, it is a span as long as eternity.
And by the measure of Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo, and the others who still do not perceive the regression, it is the year that marks 330,000 years since we fell into Mount Sumeru.
"The Great Mountain Supreme Deity will descend."
I bow my head to my comrades and ask with sincerity.
"It's shameless...and saying something like this might make me seem like a madman, but..."
I hate being in a situation where I have to say this.
But I must, and they are likely expecting it too.
"...Please...will you risk your lives and join me in killing the Great Mountain Supreme Deity?"
At my words asking them to stake their lives, Jeon Myeong-hoon smiles faintly.
"Obviously."
Kang Min-hee neatly ties her hair, straightens her robes, and gleams her blue eyes before me.
"As many times as needed."
Oh Hyun-seok, still barely coming to his senses, manages to raise his body and smiles.
"Of course."
Kim Yeon speaks with a gentle smile.
"There's no way we wouldn't."
Oh Hye-seo, too—perhaps because I've been attaching the fragment of her spirit to Gracious Soul Filling the Heavens, gradually helping her recall past cycles—gives a bitter smile and nods.
Then, the Five Desires Chains that burst forth from within me all kneel before me and cry out.
"Give us your command!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo.
Hong Fan, Ham Jin, Yeo Hwi, Yu Hwi, Swallowing Heaven.
At this moment, a total of ten comrades nod in unison and give their consent before me.
That their lives...
May be staked as many times as needed.
"...Yeah. Thank you."
The time remaining until the Great Mountain Supreme Deity arrives is 110,000 years.
Now that Oh Hyun-seok has fully seized the Origin Essence of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape, even if I regress again, that time will continue to decrease identically.
'So what remains is...'
In the remaining 110,000 years, to prepare to the utmost and face the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.