While heading to the Elven Forest, Lee Sungmin was in his head quite a bit, ruminating on the several thoughts he had.
Lee Sungmin naturally became less talkative thanks to the death of the Crazy Heavenly Demon, the disappearance of Rubia, and Wijihoyeon staying with Sima Ryunju.
Perhaps because Heoju was conscious of his thoughts, he talked to Lee Sungmin more than usual.
Of course, most of the things that Heoju talked about were lame. Just his past stories and the names of his favorite liquors. However as lame as it was, Lee Sungmin’s depression had been greatly reduced thanks to Heoju’s company.
“Thanks.”
Late at night, Lee Sungmin murmured as he stared at the bonfire.
Usually, he would be with Rubia and The Crazy Heavenly Demon around the bonfire at this time of night. Rubia would generally be complaining about how they had to wander like homeless people all the time, and the Crazy Heavenly Demon would soothe her worries and laugh every now and then at her childish antics. Come to think of it…… In their late night conversations, Lee Sungmin was mostly on the sidelines, quietly observing them.
It wasn’t that he didn’t fit in or anything. He was just still trying to get used to his mind settling in the present after spending two thousand years alone.
[What do you mean by ‘Thanks’?]
“For comforting me.”
[Quit talking so childishly. Don’t be such a downer and eat your food already.](T/N : 10/10 tsundere moments with Heoju)
Heoju murmured. Lee Sungmin smiled and took out a piece of meat and put it on a skewer to roast.
Heoju felt a bitter and sour feeling whenever he looked at Lee Sungmin these days.
He could notice Lee Sungmin’s unstable state. Recently, Heoju had started to become more and more aware of it.
Although he was already mentally unstable when they first met, his state had improved a lot as Rubia, the Crazy Heavenly Demon and Heoju had all traveled together.
But now after being alone again, Lee Sungmin’s mind was threatening instability once more.
‘He’s quite an odd and mysterious fellow.’
To be honest, Heoju couldn’t understand the man known as Lee Sungmin. This guy had been stuck in a mental world for over two thousand years!
Sure maybe some existences could reach that level of endurance, but it didn’t apply to other beings, Heoju included.
That’s why despite feeling somewhat close to Lee Sungmin, he felt that the man was quite mysterious and interesting at the same time.
‘And he says thanks.…just how is he connected to that being?’
Heoju recalled the monstrosity of an existence that he saw deep within Lee Sungmin’s consciousness.
That being that was hidden deep within Lee Sungmin’s consciousness had given Heoju, who had hunted dragons back in his days, and was an unparalleled monster when alive, the immediate imprint of fear. If Heoju tried to even go against that being, he would die within a millisecond.
Heoju vaguely knew what that being was, but he couldn’t figure out why such a being was in Lee Sungmin’s consciousness.
At the end of the path in the mysterious consciousness of Lee Sungmin, that being asked Heoju a question. Would Heoju follow suit and also go down that path?
Heoju could go if he decided to. If he had walked that path, Heoju would have left Lee Sungmin’s body and not exist in the material world anymore.
If one could find that path and was offered the opportunity to walk down it, who wouldn’t be greedy? If one walked that path and somehow reached the end of it, they would be able to become an absolute existence. Even without a body, Heoju could walk that path as a soul and have that same opportunity to stand toe-to-toe with that being that was hiding in Lee Sungmin’s consciousness and observing him.
But Heoju decided not to walk down that path. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want the opportunity to become an absolute existence, or have no greed.
He had lingering attachments to the material world. Thinking this, Heoju looked back at Lee Sungmin who was sitting near the fire, roasting a piece of meat.
[Ungrateful bastard..], Heoju grumbled.
“Huh, What am I?”
[That’s enough moping around you idiot, More than that… are you prepared?]
“What do you mean?”
Lee Sungmin repeated the question at Heoju to clarify, but he actually already knew what Heoju meant. It was time to enter the Elven Forest.
He had to kill Qian Zun. If he was maintaining the curse on Wijihoyeon, he would be very weak. Perhaps it would be as easy as snapping a toddler’s neck depending on how weak Qian Zun had become from inflicting the curse. Even if Qian Zun was in a perfect condition, it might be possible.
Technically speaking, Lee Sungmin has not reached a level of complete Transcendence.
Even if he had reached the realm of transcendence within his mental world, it was useless if his body and heart couldn’t keep up.
In order to reach the Realm of Transcendence, it was necessary to reach it with all 3 aspects : the heart, mind and body. However for Lee Sungmin, what was quite impressive was that even in the mental world, Lee Sungmin practiced against other imaginary transcendent beings, and had an incredible winning percentage against them. He was in a realm of high transcendence with his techniques and mind.
Lee Sungmin’s body had already started to mutate and become stronger than before, and he had become capable of releasing even stronger attacks that he had been able to reach within the mental world.
Did Wijihoyeon say Qian Zun was the weakest among the Six Divinities in ‘Beyond the Heavens’? If he was weaker than An Zun, there was a good chance that Lee Sungmin might have the upper hand, even if Qian Zun was in full condition.
Of course he couldn’t be sure of anything yet. A fight at that level could be decided by the smallest of gaps shown.
[Let’s say that in theory you successfully kill Qian Zun. But if you do…… You will be the enemy of the other 5 transcendent masters in their little organization. An Zun had backed down because Sima Ryunju had intervened, but if you kill one of their own, they will surely not leave you alone any further.]
“I can’t help but go through with it, even if it means making an enemy out of those stronger than me right now.”
He had to resolve the curse inflicted on Wijihoyeon. Lee Sungmin had a terrible memory because of how weak she had become. Because of that bastard Qian Zun, Lee Sungmin had to see Wijihoyeon desperately trying to survive, telling him to leave her behind.
Wijihoyeon, was someone Lee Sungmin had made as his goal, she had given him a purpose. However, to see such an influential person that he cared for, looking so pitiful and weak because of this bastard? He couldn’t sit still.
[It’s not just a matter of killing him. Since Qian Zun is in the Elven Forest, you must invade the Elves’ territory. If you kill him, there’s a good chance you’ll be marked as an enemy to all the elves, due to their small numbers and tightly-knit community.]
“I already have too many enemies to count.”
Lee Sungmin murmured.
“I don’t know why. The Orthodox Factions want me dead. You know what happened too. In the Forest of Temptation…… their group set me up and framed me. I didn’t kill Zhuge Taeryong, but they spread news that I somehow murdered them in cold blood. Now that the power of the forest doesn’t have much saturation of fear, it’ll be easier to traverse in the South and they’ll soon resume their pursuit anyways.”
[That’s a lot of people who want you dead, are you sure you don’t care if it gets longer?]
“It’s nothing to worry about for right now.”
Lee Sungmin spoke with a smirk.
“I’m going to finish my work here in the South and go see the forest where Sima Ryunju lives. I’ve heard where it is.… maybe Wijihoyeon will also be waiting there.”
If he went under the wings of the Sama Order, the pursuit and pressure from the Orthodox Factions could be lessened a decent amount.
He would be completely branded as a rogue, but it was a relatively safer alternative. But would Sima Ryunju really go out of his way to protect both of them? Lee Sungmin wasn’t too sure about him either.
However, considering the reaction of the An Zun when he saw Sima Ryunju, as a master of the Transcendent Realm, and the Master of the Murim Orthodox Alliance, were reluctant to collide with the Sama Order as a whole.
Then, was Sima Ryunju a man that stood even higher than the Transcendent Realm? Was there actually a realm even higher than that?
‘There didn’t ever seem to be a limit even when I reached transcendence in the mental world.’
Lee Sungmin thought so. When he was a C-class mercenary, he was amazed by those who could even reach the Peak Realm. Reaching Transcendence was something that was too incredible and only deserving for those who were blessed with talent.
They said that even when you stand at the top, there will always be others stronger than you. That applied even for those who stood atop the top.
Perhaps there was an even higher realm from where Sima Ryunju was standing atop, that even he couldn’t reach just yet.(T/N *squeals in excitement at the hinting of realm of mystical beingssss*
The thought of going that high gave Lee Sungmin goosebumps. Honestly, he couldn’t even begin to fathom their power if those masters really were somewhere in Eria.
In the morning, Lee Sungmin started to get his belongings together and get moving again. He continued to circulate the breathing technique and stimulate the balance between his pure internal energy and the yokai powers during the journey, as well as coordinate his overall power distribution.
When he first entered the central square where he faced Frescan and Aine, Lee Sungmin could not properly coordinate his attacks and power and ended up becoming unable to control his sheer output of power.
It was too strong, so he couldn’t control it properly and when he tried to use specific and controlled techniques that required finesse, he would end up completely missing the target or having uneven power distribution, causing the technique to ultimately fail.
Luckily, his condition and coordination had improved a lot. It was the result of accidentally receiving large amounts of magical power along with Aine, on top of the fight with the monster version of himself.
‘I don’t know if I can truly acknowledge it as my own power and hard work.’
It was still difficult to control if he increased the sheer output of power, but it was much easier than before due to his body getting stronger.
This was due to his body mutating further into a monster’s, allowing him to grow a much sturdier base of bodily strength. However it worked as a double-edged sword, since if he relied on the power too much, he would struggle to keep the monster within his mind in check.
Despite being hard to control, it really was a decent card to have since it could more or less save his life in certain situations. But, there was also the problem of attacking those close to him if he was not careful with it.
Lee Sungmin looked into the distance.
Tall trees and forestry were visible, whilst being covered in a fog.
—
The man was sitting in a comfortable position. He had his eyes closed in a lotus position, circulating his copious amounts of internal energy. The only problem was that he could make people around him very uncomfortable.
Qian Zun laid his body down to rest and stared at the man.
“So…”
The man’s silence was too long, and Qian Zun was feeling uneasy because of it and spoke out.
Qian Zun wanted to raise his body and move it around, but his body was not moving properly. Qian Zun grit his teeth at the helpless state he was in.
He wanted to get rid of this problem several times already and had predicted that he would have been able to uplift the curse within the year. But, the problem was that he couldn’t.
It had been over a year already, and Wijihoyeon had still not tried to join their organization, so Qian Zun was left bitter and in resentment at the situation. The worst part was that Sima Ryunju, the Lord of the Sama Order, was protecting her directly.
To protect his helpless body, he had returned to his home, one of the safest places in the world, the Elven Forest.
Life here itself was not something that would ever make him dissatisfied, but compared to the power he had previously and the freedom he could have whilst roaming freely, constantly ate at his mind since he truly wished to at least move properly.
” How much longer am I supposed to keep doing this?”
“Sima Ryunju. That man is protecting The Minor Heavenly Demon.”
The man said without opening his eyes.
“We can’t help it, since that guy has entered closed training, we don’t have anybody that can go against Sima Ryunju.”
“That doesn’t make sense…… what if the rest of the Divinities all attacked him at the same time? It should only take a few days at most…”
“Do you really think that even with all of us in our best conditions, we could stand a chance against that man?”
The man smirked and retorted with another question. Qian Zun’s body shook at the words.
“Sima Ryunju is a man that is recognized as a mystical being that is on an even higher level than those of us in Transcendence. In his own right, he may as well be the most powerful entity that our organization would have to ever face, if we went against him directly. Hence why we must remain low for now.”
“Damn it! If only I bought a horse with me that day to take her with me……!”
“As for her , She gave me an order, so even if we wanted to, we couldn’t go out for a direct confrontation.”
“I don’t understand her at all, sure she can communicate with the Divine Spirit that we worship, but how do we know that those orders she gives us are the orders of the Divine Spirit or her personal orders?!”Qian Zun asked irritably at the fact he felt like a chess piece for the Organization right now.
“You shouldn’t doubt him. And if it was just to retrieve her body, why would they bother sending anyone other than you? You are the only one amongst us who can maintain such a high level curse. The Minor Heavenly Demon is essential for the Divine Spirit. I am not sure how yet, but we must not question it.”
“But….”
“Do not doubt the orders. Doubting the Divine Maiden’s orders are the same as abandoning your faith with the Divine Spirit. Are you sure you want to continue this argument?”
The man opened his eyes that he had kept closed up until now. The piercing blue eyes slowly turned their fierce gaze towards Qian Zun.
Qian Zun’s body trembled after his eyes met with those blue eyes. It had only been a few years since they had first met, but the man in front of him had become much stronger than before. Enough to a point that the pace of improvement was frightening.
Qian Zun bit his lower lip in anxiety. This was the other reason he was desperate to finish the curse.
While Qian Zun maintained the curse, the other 5 Divinities were able to continue improving their power and worth while he stayed stagnant, unable to even move properly.
“……I won’t…I don’t doubt the orders.”
“I know you’re in a bad condition. The other Divinities know this as well. That’s also the reason I came here in person.”
“Why? Are you afraid that I’ll stop the curse out of my own volition?”
Qian Zun grinned. The man just shook his head in response.
“That’s not what I came here for. Also, we know well that if you’re not a fool, so you know better than anybody, that you will not lift the curse under any circumstances.”
Qian Zun’s face contorted and his grin completely disappeared at the words. He was well aware of the power of the other 5 Divinities, like himself, and how dangerous they were.
They were 6 individuals that had reached the Transcendent Realm. They were the 6 individuals that were representative of Beyond the Heavens. Since Predator’s Elders were known as the 5 Black Stars that represented the monsters and other beings in Eria.
Their 6 individuals like himself from Beyond the Heavens represented humanity and their Divine Spirit that they worshipped.
Qian Zun, an Elf, had lived for a long time and had thoroughly devoted his life’s practice to martial arts. Although he also dabbled in sorcery and attained a high level in that as well, it was due to the long life expectancy and sturdy bodies that elves had compared to humans, that allowed him to become so powerful. The existence of such a master at the Transcendent Realm was still just a fish in the pond when compared to all of humanity however.
The other four Divinties, except for the two exceptionally strong Divinities, Kang-Seok and Wolhu, had a distinct surname of Zun, and the gaps of power even between the four were quite wide despite being masters of the same Realm.
Qian Zun stared at the man. He was the one who was powerful among the Four holding the title of Zun. He was the Transcendental Master who was known as the most powerful with those who carried the surname of Zun within the 6 Divinities.
“The reason why I’m here….”
Guan Zun glanced at Qian Zun with a serious expression and spoke.
“The Divine Maiden told me personally. You might die.”
“……what?”
“I don’t know why the reading said you are going to die. The reading from the Divine Maiden didn’t give a set time, so we don’t know whether the threat is coming to you soon or in the distant future.”
He grinned as he spoke to Qian Zun.
“That’s why I’m here… To prevent your death.”