HBWnovel Chapter 487: Esteemed One's Path (1)
Chapter 487: Esteemed One's Path (1)
Pajijijijijik...
How many days have I spent fleeing through the Path of Stars, evading the grasp of the Golden Shaking Bird? As I travel, the strength in the arm gradually fades, and eventually it finally vanishes.
'It seems it's impossible for it to emerge directly beyond the Lightning Sacred Sea. It must have exhausted its strength trying to reach out from within its confinement.'
Paaatt!
Now, the end of the Path of Stars is in sight, and the Peaceful Cloud Realm comes into view in the distance.
A massive thigh-shaped Decaying Corpse Realm floats in the cosmic space.
'Just one more crossing from here, and I'll be in the Ancient Force Realm.'
The Deep Sea of the Ancient Force Realm might be daunting to cultivators at the Integration stage and below, but for Esteemed Ones and above, one can easily break through the depths and rise back up, relying on attraction force at a cosmic level. Even if they enter the Ancient Force Realm, they can emerge with their own power without issue.
However, instead of returning straight to the Ancient Force Realm, I exit the Peaceful Cloud Realm.
By now, I've come far enough that I could reach the Middle Realm within a few months if I chose to travel there, so there's no pressing need to rush along the Path of Stars.
Rather than that, I take a moment to carefully observe the Peaceful Cloud Realm from the outside.
'I've wondered about this before, but what exactly is this Decaying Corpse Realm?'
No, it's probably not even a Decaying Corpse Realm.
The stars that connect the Path of Stars are all just True Persons in disguise.
Therefore, this Peaceful Cloud Realm is likely also the disguise of an Entering Nirvana True Person, but why would this particular being choose to disguise themself as the Decaying Corpse Realm?
'If I awakened them to ask...the living beings inside the Peaceful Cloud Realm would probably be thrown into chaos. And honestly, I can't assume they would be a friendly presence towards me...'
Though curiosity stirs within me, I decide to leave it be for now, flying to a nearby suitable star and settling myself there. I then turn to my shadow and ask,
"Over the past few days, I couldn't ask because I was busy shaking off Golden Shaking Bird, but...didn't you also say you'd help me find Kang Min-hee, the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother?"
"Rest assured. I will help Daoist locate the Ghost Mother as well."
Seo Hweol emerges from my shadow with a faint smile.
"Tell me her location."
"Hmm...I don't know yet myself. I'm simply having 'myself' scattered across the cosmos and Hyeon Eum to search for her. But please don't worry. In about ten years, I'll be able to trace the Ghost Mother with my wife's assistance."
"What, so you haven't tried any tricks on her?"
"Has Daoist Seo forgotten what he planted in the bosom of the Ghost Mother?"
"Well...just inform me of her location once you succeed in finding her. And, Oh Hye-seo."
I look at Seo Hweol as I speak.
"I know you're acting as Seo Hweol's eyes right now. You're probably watching our conversation as well. If you find Kang Min-hee in the future, you're to retrieve every 'record' of her movements since she arrived in the Astral Realm and deliver them to me. Understood?" R
"Hmm, my wife is asking Daoist Seo, 'Who do you think you are to be giving orders?'"
"Since Seo Hweol is right in front of me, and you're connected to Seo Hweol...I can locate you at any time through Seo Hweol and launch an attack."
Huaruruk...
I speak, letting Glass True Fire rise from my body.
It's not a joke.
By using the Sub-Heart Sword and Flower Soul Filling the Heavens to pass through Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, I can pinpoint Oh Hye-seo's location.
Using this method, I can send her the Sub-Heart Sword imbued with Glass True Fire.
"My wife says she 'accepts the terms'."
"She should have done so from the start."
I release the Glass True Fire and assume a lotus position.
I can afford to wait ten years.
'Kang Min-hee's location...is immensely important to me as well.'
Originally, I thought I'd have to fly aimlessly around the entire universe searching for her...but with this method, I'll be able to memorize her location and find her directly later on.
"Once I've found the Ghost Mother's location and gathered her movement records over the past hundred years, I'll see Daoist again. Farewell."
With those words, Seo Hweol vanishes from the spot.
I gaze into space from atop the desolate star, then attempt to connect with my comrades' Sub-Heart Swords that are linked to their souls.
The distance to the Lightning Sacred Sea is too great, so while the Sub-Heart Swords can resonate with each other, they can't maintain a connection from that far. However, near the Peaceful Cloud Realm, connecting with the Sub-Heart Swords is entirely possible.
'For now, returning to the Bright Cold Realm with my main body...would be difficult.'
I feel a sense of shame towards Yeon Wei.
'Yeon Wei might actually hang herself... No, I won't tell her that Jeon Myeong-hoon has been kidnapped...just yet.'
For now, let's just greet my comrades and update them on recent events through the Sub-Heart Sword.
Just as I think this,
"...Em?"
Peett!
Something like a flash of light flickers, and my connection through the Sub-Heart Sword is cut off.
'What was that?'
Curious, I attempt to reconnect to the Sub-Heart Sword through the Plane of Soul, and in the next instant, a flash appears and the connection is broken once more.
'What the...?'
Determined, I reconnect the Sub-Heart Sword.
'Fine. I'll establish a solid connection through the Plane of Soul.'
Paaatt!
Just as my consciousness is about to reach my comrades,
Flash!
I see it.
When I elevate my mind fully to the Plane of Soul, I finally see it!
The scene of a golden radiance flashing in the Plane of Soul and severing my very will in an instant before disappearing.
"...Hah."
I let out a small chuckle and begin concentrating my mind with all my strength.
"So that's how it is?"
Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.
Although Jeon Myeong-hoon is doomed to endure ten thousand years of pleasure training, it seems there are those who have grown in power during that time.
"You sure are fast."
I hadn't even noticed.
It's probably because of Hyeon Gwi.
Ever since witnessing the pinnacle of martial arts shown by the Owner of the Void, my enlightenment has become scattered, which might explain my lapse in perception. But...even with that in mind, the speed is astonishingly hard to even perceive!
There's only one being with both this speed and this golden radiance.
I prepare to reconnect with my comrades.
'If I am to break through this speed and reconnect, there's only one way.'
I must pierce through.
No matter how quickly my will is cut off, I need to crush his very intent moving at that speed with enough powerful force, and pierce directly through.
Kugugugugu!
I pull my main body up momentarily to the Plane of Soul.
Then, within the Plane of Soul, I overlay my shining light with the appearance of my main body.
On the Plane of Soul, the forms of stars become one.
At the same time, boundless power begins surging from that spot.
[Here I come. This time, you won't stop me...!]
Dududududu!
The entire Plane of Soul nearby begins to shake.
I focus my consciousness directly through the Plane of Soul.
Kwaaang!
Immediately, my consciousness collides with something.
Once again, something incredibly fast attempts to sever my consciousness, but due to the difference in weight, I feel something 'breaking.'
And at that very moment, my consciousness finally reaches the Bright Cold Realm.
Chwararak!
The place where I open my eyes is the Cedar Wood Grove in the Bright Cold Realm.
Above a mountain.
On the mountain peak.
In front of me stands a familiar figure, gripping a saber and grinning.
"You're here."
The man in black martial attire.
Kim Young-hoon, wearing a bright expression, immediately readies himself.
"Come at me. Today, I'll show you who the real hyung-nim is."
I smile faintly at his words and raise both hands.
I can feel Kim Young-hoon tensing as he envelops his entire body in sharp energy.
At the edge of the imminent clash!
I spread both my hands wide and laugh.
"I surrender."
"...What?"
Kim Young-hoon frowns and asks again.
"What kind of crazy talk is this? Are you doing this because you don't understand why I'm acting this way?"
"Yes, I understand. Congratulations, Young-hoon Hyung-nim."
Through the Plane of Soul, I gaze into Kim Young-hoon's soul.
Currently, he exists within the Plane of Soul as a radiant star, with clouds gathering around him and emitting a brilliant light.
He too has reached the realm of Void Shattering.
Kim Young-hoon, brimming with sharp energy as if he's about to cut me down at any moment, shouts.
"If you know, why are you acting like this? Before I cut you down right now..."
Just as he grows excited and prepares to swing his saber,
Tadatt!
"You're here, Seo Eun-hyun!"
Someone jumps in between me and Kim Young-hoon.
"So, have you managed to control your emotions?"
It's no longer just fast.
When I regain my senses, he's already moved his chopsticks.
But it's not simply a matter of surpassing space.
This is...
'Time...reversal? This crazy...'
0.1 seconds?
No, perhaps even shorter than slicing 0.1 seconds into ten billion parts.
Yet undeniably, his chopsticks briefly reversed time.
His speed transcended time itself, even if only momentarily.
Tukwang!
Kim Young-hoon's chopsticks pin me in place.
Jang Ik's chopsticks tear apart the chopsticks I formed, ripping through the space itself as he corners me.
It's just above a small plate, yet within that space, three Heart Tribe members are fiercely battling.
And at some point, this three-way duel between me, Kim Young-hoon, and Jang Ik,
Has turned into a battle between two factions—Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik against me.
'The vision...is different!'
Heaven Path, Earth Path, Heart Path.
I elevate all three visions to the level of the Star Shattering stage.
I read their history, fully grasping the techniques and intent Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon are preparing.
At the same time, I foresee every possible outcome and block each of their moves in advance.
'Even if the speed can momentarily transcend time...'
For someone like me, who can read both the past and the future, speed is meaningless.
Everything is read.
Tidididing!
Kim Young-hoon's speed is indeed fast enough to transcend time, if only for a fraction.
But it's useless.
With an almost omniscient sense, I begin to predict and counter every move Kim Young-hoon makes.
The tyrannical force granted by the Three Great Ultimates overpowers Jang Ik's destructive power.
The omniscience (全知) gained from the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Heart suppresses Kim Young-hoon's speed.
Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon gradually start increasing the synergy of their combined attacks.
It seems they realize they have to join forces to match me.
The storm above the plate grows more intense by the moment.
We aren't simply bickering over a side dish with our chopsticks.
Aware that my Void Shattering realm is unstable, Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon have chosen to display their skills through a chopstick duel in a way to compete without having to use their full power for my sake.
Dancing within the movements of chopsticks—this too is undeniably a martial contest.
At some point, as I fend off their increasingly synchronized attacks, I slip into a state of ecstasy.
My chopsticks transform into the All-Heavens Sword, while theirs become the Surpassing Radiant Saber and the Four Treasures Annihilating Heavens Blade, clashing against me.
In this trance, I recall the circle that Hyeon Gwi once showed me.
'Ah...'
Can I reach that circle?
The moment when Hyeon Gwi shattered that circle without hesitation does not come to mind.
Geuk Gwang of the Tall Tree Race may be, by human standards, utterly deranged like a mad dog in heat.
But what they said isn't entirely wrong.
'I should reach that realm first before making my judgment.'
Even if the end of that path leads to Wuji shattering meaninglessly.
I, too, will need to reach that realm before I can make my judgment.
'Can I reach it?'
It feels distant.
Yet it's beautiful.
A sacred realm that all those who practice martial arts strive to attain.
'Can I reach it...?'
So distant that it's despairing, even ominous.
And yet...
'I will reach it.'
Even if that place turns out to be truly ominous.
I resolve to witness that summit with my own eyes as I make a grand movement with my hand.
Crack!
The plate shatters.
And in the end, the last side dish slips from my grasp and falls towards Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik.
However, neither of them wear the expression of a victor.
"Is that it? That so-called Ultimate of Martial Arts you claimed to have seen?"
It seems Jang Ik saw something through me just now, as he makes an anguished expression.
I give a bitter smile.
Kim Young-hoon lets out a slightly drained laugh.
"I won the side dish, but I've lost in enlightenment."
Yet he quickly regains his composure, laughing more heartily as if delighted.
"Well, what does some side dish from a Sacred Master's body matter compared to Martial Arts? Seeing something that great is far more fitting as a side dish."
He tosses away the fried fragment of Baek Woon's body, and Jang Ik, no longer fixated on the side dish, grabs the White-Red Wine and drinks directly from the bottle.
Jang Ik asks.
"Still can't pick up the sword?"
I nod with a bitter smile.
"I might be able to contest a bit in martial arts skills like we did just now, but I still don't have the confidence to wield the sword."
If I were to hold the sword, it still feels like it will simply vanish.
The circle that Hyeon Gwi showed me was that terrifying, that sacred, and also that ominous.
"Well, so be it. There'll come a day when we can truly duel. I'll let you off for today."
Jang Ik clicks his tongue and drinks, while Kim Young-hoon closes his eyes and replays my intent earlier, his face flushed as if intoxicated by it.
And so,
Our brief martial contest under the guise of a drinking party comes to an end.
No one knows what the result would have been if we had used real swords and weapons and given our all...
But at least with chopsticks, the judgment was in my favor.
After a brief exchange of greetings with my comrades, I share information about Jeon Myeong-hoon's situation only with my fellow Enders, excluding Yeon Wei and the others.
"So, he's undergoing terrible torture at the hands of Golden Shaking Bird...?"
"Yes. However...I've formed a temporary alliance with the Seo Hweol bastard to rescue him."
"Em. Emmm...emm."
Kim Yeon looks at me with worried eyes, trying to say something.
"...Sorry. I can't understand you."
"...Emm..."
I realize that I'll need to find a way to interpret her gestures and language at some point.
After discussing Jeon Myeong-hoon's situation, Kang Min-hee's location tracking, and our future plans with my comrades, I step out of Cedar Wood Grove for a moment.
'...A lot has happened.'
I rose to the Star Shattering stage, attracted the obsession of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, scolded Ham Jin, encountered Golden Shaking Bird, and as Jeon Myeong-hoon was kidnapped, it marked the end of the Lightning Sacred Sea expedition.
Then, I met Hyeon Gwi, who is presumed to be the Heavenly Venerable of the Void, witnessed the Ultimate of Martial Arts, and joined hands with Seo Hweol, entering a contract.
And now, I briefly exchanged moves with Kim Young-hoon who has risen to Void Shattering, and Jang Ik.
Truly...
It feels like an overwhelming number of absurd events have happened, so much so that it's difficult to summarize.
'Now...after finding Kang Min-hee, I need to find a method to reach her mind, and I also need to begin my Star Shattering cultivation.'
I can't rescue Kang Min-hee immediately.
Inside her soul, there's a hole directly connected to the deepest part of the Netherworld.
I need to either close that hole or find a way to break free from the Netherworld's influence.
Until then, she...will have to be sealed temporarily once I find her.
'For ten thousand years...while finding ways to save my comrades from the End, rescue Kang Min-hee...and rescue Jeon Myeong-hoon, let's cultivate.'
I return my consciousness to the Astral Realm.
Now, I just need to wait for news about Kang Min-hee from Seo Hweol and seal her once she's found.
A few years later.
News of Kang Min-hee comes from Seo Hweol.
"...Did I hear that wrong?"
"No, you heard correctly, Daoist Seo."
"...What...exactly happened to Kang Min-hee?"
"She died. And then, she reincarnated."
"...What is this bullshit that only you would..."
Without another word, Seo Hweol hands me a crystal orb containing a recording spell.
When I activate the crystal orb, inside, I see an infant Kang Min-hee babbling incoherently.
A hundred years and some decades since Kang Min-hee parted ways with us.
In that period of time—short if short, long if long—she has died and reincarnated.
"...First, explain. My head hurts... Please, make it understandable."
"To explain this...I must first tell you about the advancement ritual for the Sacred Vessel stage."
From Seo Hweol's mouth comes an explanation about the Sacred Vessel advancement ritual.