Chapter 308
Kang Min-hee was staring at me.
Or rather, her gaze was fixed precisely on my soul.
“What in the world happened to you…?”
“…”
Through the connection of the Soul-Sealing Awl, she and I were linked in this moment.
Of course, the link would soon be severed, but thanks to it, Kang Min-hee’s Underworld Sense could now perceive my true essence more clearly.
“Huuu…”
She created a chair of ice and collapsed into it as if her strength had given out.
Her face looked terribly exhausted.
“You bastard… If you were going to come find me… you should’ve done it properly…”
Kang Min-hee closed her eyes and cursed.
Yet the corner of her mouth curved upward.
And then she fell asleep.
It was the work of the Soul-Sealing Awl.
* * *
Kang Min-hee dreamed.
It was a dream of events that had taken place on Earth.
In that dream, she stood before a vanity mirror, staring at the shadow within it.
The shadow spoke.
―You are me. I am you. I am the shadow you created to protect yourself. Your talent was so immense that I was born of it on my own.
Kang Min-hee bit her lip.
She gave the shadow no answer.
Instead, she quickly applied a simple layer of makeup and left the room at once.
The shadow was part of Kang Min-hee’s talent.
It was a fragment of her power.
And she understood now.
Her talent had fully absorbed the ghost-path techniques she learned from Heo Gwak on the very day she entered Black Ghost Valley.
It was a truth she had long ignored.
The shadow was her own power.
And that shadow already existed inside her…
Therefore, the shadow could never appear before her again.
She had unconsciously devoured it long ago, the moment she awakened her talent.
The memory she had sealed away with her own hands resurfaced, mending her mind.
Yet perhaps it was the price.
Or perhaps a side effect of the Soul-Sealing Awl.
Or maybe the meddling of someone who had lost their mind.
In exchange for liberating one memory, Kang Min-hee had to seal another.
The memory of seeing Seo Eun-hyun’s soul inside Seo Lip.
That brief recollection was buried once more by the Soul-Sealing Awl embedded in her soul.
Kang Min-hee opened her eyes again.
Her last memory was of herself rampaging for some reason, only for Seo Lip to step in and stop her.
She had sensed that something had been sealed away in return, but her distorted recollection convinced her that the sealed memory itself had been the cause of her rampage.
Therefore, Kang Min-hee resolved that she would not touch this seal until the day she grew strong enough to overcome her own outbursts.
* * *
“What is it, Seo Lip?”
I greeted Yeon Wi and spoke as I returned to Heavenly Mountain.
Seo Lip’s protests came flooding in.
―Did you seal Kang Min-hee’s memories?
“It would do no good for her to learn your true identity.”
―Tampering with someone’s memories so carelessly was wrong!
“She can undo it herself once she grows strong enough. She’ll think she can release it when she advances, and she’ll do so later.”
―Why push the truth so far into the future?
“I don’t see why she needs to know it right now. Sending Jeon Myeong-hoon to the Myeonggwi Realm is far more urgent. There’s no need to shake Kang Min-hee’s mind.”
―This isn’t about necessity.
“Everything in this world is ultimately a matter of necessity.”
―…
For a while, no further messages came from Seo Lip.
I clicked my tongue, wondering if I should treat Seo Lip’s delusions as well.
That was when I arrived at Cheonin-do.
“Master, it’s been a long time.”
“Hm. Hong Beom, is it?”
“Yes. The client in the Jijok Domain canceled the poison commission, saying something had gone wrong. Still, I obtained everything I wanted. The dispersal poison and the antidote—everything. Heh heh…”
“Good. As expected, you’re useful, Hong Beom.”
Hong Beom bowed his head in thanks at my words, then looked up at me.
“By the way, Master. You seem different from before.”
“Hm? Different, you say?”
“Yes. Are you unwell?”
“Hmmmm… Do I look unwell?”
“Perhaps there is a problem with your consciousness. I placed the formless poison I developed inside your upper dantian so I could detect any abnormalities in your mind. Yet the fluctuations of your consciousness are not the same as before.”
“…”
I furrowed my brow.
At those words, irritation suddenly surged within me, and the urge to kill Hong Beom rose violently.
At the same time, I suppressed the emotion with reason and thought.
‘Not only Seo Lip, but Hong Beom also judges me strange. Then the probability that something is truly wrong with me is high.’
I considered using the Soul-Sealing Awl on myself.
But I felt my mind was not suffering from simple dissociation.
‘Well. Fine. In the first place, the reason I visited Tae Yeol-jeon was to obtain an immortal art that would aid my consciousness.’
As I returned to Heavenly Mountain, I took out the immortal art manuals I had received from Tae Yeol-jeon.
Once I mastered them, I would be able to clearly discern what was wrong with my consciousness.
But at that moment—
Hong Beom looked at the immortal arts with a puzzled expression and asked,
“Master, what are those?”
“Hm. Immortal arts. They are a category of techniques that incorporate the conceptual beings known as the Seven Flower Kings…”
After hearing my explanation, Hong Beom’s eyes lit up brightly.
“Oh? Master, I find myself greatly intrigued. Might I not study these arts as well?”
“Hmm, Hong Beom. These are immortal-race techniques.”
“Ah… I see. In that case, since I wish to learn more about the immortal race itself, please tell me where I should go to study immortal arts.”
I felt a strange sensation as I watched Hong Beom suddenly take such interest in the immortal arts.
‘Well, it shouldn’t matter.’
I tore open space and arrived beneath Cheonin-do, at Tae-yeol Temple.
“You can find a person named Tae Yeol-jeon here at Tae-yeol Temple. She is one of the immortal-race’s great cultivators, so treat her with care, Hong Beom.”
“Of course.”
I entered Tae-yeol Temple to introduce Hong Beom to Tae Yeol-jeon.
Tae Yeol-jeon was sweeping the courtyard.
Even though, as a Core Formation cultivator, she could have finished the task instantly with a spell, she deliberately used her body to sweep.
“Another welcome guest has arrived. What brings you here, Seo Susa?”
Tae Yeol-jeon greeted me warmly.
I introduced Hong Beom and said,
“Greetings, Tae Dou. This is my subordinate named Hong Beom. He has great interest in immortal arts, so…”
And then I suddenly noticed something strange.
An intent that should never have been present in this place was rising beside me.
“…???”
The moment Hong Beom saw Tae Yeol-jeon, golden and pale-pink intent began flowing from his entire body.
Hong Beom’s cheeks flushed red as he stammered.
“M-Master. Who in the world is that beautiful lady?”
“…?? I just told you. She is the immortal-race cultivator Tae Yeol-jeon…”
“Ah, ah…”
As if entranced, Hong Beom approached her and abruptly uttered a bolt from the blue.
“P-Please marry me. I fell in love at first sight.”
“…???”
“…!?”
I blinked in utter incomprehension, while Tae Yeol-jeon looked visibly flustered.
Her face, usually filled with perfect composure, now held bewilderment, disbelief, and a hint of panic.
Hong Beom’s confession was so sudden and absurd that even she, who always maintained a tranquil mind, felt panic.
“Hmm, my apologies, Tae Dou. My subordinate has suddenly committed a discourtesy. Hong Beom, for now…”
“Be quiet!!!”
“…???”
Hong Beom raised his voice in a tone he had never once used toward me before.
“No matter who you are, Master, I will not tolerate any interference between this lady and myself!!!”
I had never seen the usually calm Hong Beom so enraged, so I stepped back in surprise.
Hong Beom turned back to Tae Yeol-jeon, dropped to his knees before her, and began his assault of confessions.
“Ah, beautiful lady. Please marry me. I have never met anyone as beautiful as you. When I look at you, it feels as though my heart is coming back to life. Please…”
What was truly bewildering was that, amid this farce, a pale-pink intent was blooming within Tae Yeol-jeon’s chest.
Though her face remained flustered, a blush had also risen on her cheeks.
“N-No… I am ashamed to say it, but I am a nun. I cannot engage in relationships so freely.”
“If you were to give up being a nun, would you be willing to enter a relationship with me?”
“That is impossible. After attaining my path, I swore I would never exchange affections with anyone.”
“…Ah… Then there is no chance for me? Please, at least give me a chance.”
“Please support me in completing my path. Then would there not be a way for us to meet?”
“Even if you complete your path, you will become complete as yourself. How could I possibly meet you then? Only the incomplete can share love. Please give me a chance…”
Hong Beom prostrated himself before her and began to sob loudly.
Tae Yeol-jeon, her usual serenity and mystique shattered, sweated profusely as she tried to soothe him.
“Why must you think that way? You have not even seen me complete my path. No one but the Future King knows what lies at the end of the path, so we cannot jump to conclusions.”
“Even without seeing it directly, if one possesses intellect, one can infer the ultimate of the path. Existence and existence, connection and connection—can they not love only while remaining incomplete? Do you not know that the more one cultivates immortality, the higher one’s realm, the more heartless one becomes?”
“…Calm yourself. Only connections and fate are decided by the Future King. Seek your connection from him.”
“What nonsense is that! I don’t know what the Future King does, but even if that fellow is omnipotent, why would I confess my love if I were going to ask him for a connection? Would I be satisfied with a connection he throws at me? I don’t want a connection from the Future King or whoever—he is not the one I wish to ask for love with my own hands!!!”
Hong Beom clung to Tae Yeol-jeon, eyes bloodshot with excitement, while she sweated and gently pushed him away.
Contrary to expectations that he would cling endlessly, Hong Beom was surprisingly pushed back without resistance when she softly repelled him.
Tears streaming down his face, Hong Beom cried out.
“I… am not allowed…?”
“…Please forgive me. I ask that you leave now.”
“…Understood. If you ever have occasion to preach, please let me know. I will watch from afar.”
When his confession assault proved ineffective, Hong Beom shed tears and withdrew.
Tae Yeol-jeon, thoroughly rattled by the confession, wiped her sweat and, still unable to calm her panic, bowed her head to me.
“I am sorry, Seo Susa, but I seem to be in poor condition today, so let us meet again another time.”
“…Ah, yes. Please go inside.”
Though I said that, I had an instinctive feeling that Tae Yeol-jeon would no longer meet with me.
So long as Hong Beom remained my subordinate, she would likely never approach me again.
‘Because of the confession, I’ve lost my advisor on immortal arts…’
Feeling somewhat dumbfounded, I looked at Hong Beom.
Yet seeing him collapsed on the floor like the protagonist of a tragic romance, swallowing his tears, I decided to remain silent for now, fearing he might feed me formless poison if I questioned him.
Some time later—
After calming Hong Beom, I ascended to Cheonin-do together with him.
“…Hong Beom.”
“Yes, Master.”
“May I ask why you suddenly made such a… confession?”
“I told you. It was love at first sight.”
“Hmm…”
‘Does the standard of beauty held by the Terminating Ones differ greatly from that of humans…’
While I stood dumbfounded, Hong Beom seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.
“And also… the moment I saw her, something came to mind.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“…In truth, it seems ‘love at first sight’ is not the correct expression. I apologize. For some reason, the moment I saw her, emotions I had forgotten came rushing back. I don’t know why, but I feel as though I met her somewhere in the past.”
“Hmm…”
I turned the matter over in my mind and arrived at one possibility.
‘Hong Beom’s previous life…?’
Hong Beom was an ancient soul.
That was why he wore the appearance of an old man and spoke in an aged manner.
If so, it was possible that Hong Beom had met Tae Yeol-jeon in a past life.
While I organized my thoughts, Hong Beom suddenly spoke to me.
“Master, you still possess the immortal arts given to you by that lady, correct?”
“Ah, yes. I do, but…?”
“Give them to me. I want them. Hah, even the scent… Please, at least let me smell her scent.”
At Hong Beom’s plea, I handed over the immortal arts I had received from Tae Yeol-jeon in a daze.
Hong Beom gathered all the manuals she had given me, clutched them to his chest, and closed his eyes with an expression as though something was about to surface in his mind.
“…Well, I’ll need those arts myself later, so bring them back to me.”
“…”
Hong Beom gave no reply.
‘I thought he was a useful fellow, yet he’s so swayed by mere emotions.’
Feeling an inexplicable disgust toward Hong Beom, I returned to my eastern palace.
And there I frowned at the sight of someone standing before my eastern palace.
“…What? Why are you here?”
It was Seo Lip.
The fellow had used a spell to change his face into mine and was waiting for me.
Seo Lip looked at me and said,
“You’re in a bad mood, main body.”
“…Yeah. Hong Beom’s sudden action caused me some losses.”
“Then shouldn’t you be wearing a displeased expression?”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
Seo Lip glared at me and spoke.
“Aren’t you smiling?”
“…I’m smiling?”
Tsutsutsut!
Seo Lip conjured a mirror with a spell and showed it to me.
Reflected within the mirror was me, wearing a gentle smile so kind that even I was startled, despite my foul mood.
“Main body, at this point don’t you think something is wrong? Both I and Hong Beom sensed something off about you. And even though I have never once smiled while in a bad mood, you are smiling despite feeling displeased.”
“…They say smiling brings good fortune.”
Yet even I could tell how feeble the excuse sounded.
‘Why… am I like this?’
Even I was bewildered.
Seo Lip spoke to me with a cold expression.
“Main body. I will seal you inside your eastern palace.”
“…What?”
Chwarureung, chwareung!
Around Seo Lip floated sealing arts he had only recently learned—Bong-ryeong-hyu, the Ohaeng Hyeoljubeon, the Black Ghost Curse Banner, and others.
“Since you’ll need to enter secluded cultivation to reach the Four Pillars realm anyway, consider it seclusion inside your eastern palace. I’ll handle your external activities as your clone. I’ll also reach the Four Pillars realm first at Black Ghost Valley and pass on the enlightenment, so from now on, don’t move about.”
“…Who are you to order me around?”
“I am you yourself.”
“…”
I pondered for a long while.
Indeed, I had been acting strangely of late.
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to move about and search for consciousness arts?”
“I don’t know. I think it would be better for you to observe yourself while sealed.”
“Hmmm…”
I rationally turned the matter over in my head.
Indeed, Seo Lip’s words were correct.
Rationally, that was the right course.
But for some reason, I disliked it.
Yet…
‘If I dislike it, then what? The heart is… in the first place…’
After organizing my thoughts, I smiled gently and spread both arms.
“Very well. That seems good. Seal me. Carry out the plans I originally intended to execute with this body in my stead.”
“…Understood.”
“Then I’ll go inside now.”
I obediently entered the eastern palace, and from behind, Seo Lip called out to me.
“Main body.”
Buuuung—
Seo Lip drew the Invisible Sword, performed a sword dance once, and said,
“Draw the Invisible Sword.”
Smiling faintly, I drew the Invisible Sword just as he had and performed a simple sword dance.
“…Understood. Then remain sealed for about a thousand years.”
“As you wish.”
Cheolkeong, cheolkeong, cheolkeong!
Bong-ryeong-hyu, the Ohaeng Hyeoljubeon, the Black Ghost Curse Banner, and various other sealing arts formed from demonic techniques covered my eastern palace.
Before the sealing was complete, I rationally handed over the proof that I had delegated full authority to my clone, then was sealed away.
Judging by the composition of the seal, the time until it would be released was a thousand years.
During those thousand years, I could slowly attempt to reach the Four Pillars realm.
In the darkness, I smiled faintly and sat in lotus position.
* * *
After sealing him away, I used a spell on my robes and changed my clothes entirely to white.
Only after seeing that damned expression of his did I understand.
He was no longer the main body.
“Seo Hyoel, what have you done?”
That fellow was Seo Hyoel.
Now, for the next thousand years, I would have to find a way to properly kill Seo Hyoel.