The Ghost Realm's Silent Stars
I ground my teeth together with a heavy sigh.
‘Suddenly the Ghost Realm… This damned Seo Hyeul….’
Whether the root cause was Seo Hyeul or not, I scowled at the man and ground my teeth even harder.
But even as anger surged, I knew I could not linger in it forever.
I steadied my mind and turned my thoughts to the days ahead.
‘Since I’ve come to the Ghost Realm, I have no choice but to endure. My first priority must be to return to the Gwanghan Realm as quickly as possible. Next, locate the disciples of the Geumsin Cheonroe Moon. And finally, build up my lifespan axis.’
Since nothing could be undone, it was best to focus on what I could do here.
First, before drafting a plan, I looked up at the sky to read the heavens.
I would gather what information I could and then move accordingly.
‘The Ghost Realm’s sky is an ashen gray….’
Though it was daylight, the sky remained dark and gloomy, and dozens of bright stars still drifted across it.
At that moment, Yeon Wi suddenly recoiled in horror and slapped my cheek.
Slap!
‘You crazy fool! Why are you reading the heavens here in the Ghost Realm?! Close your eyes! Close your eyes and lower your head!’
‘Yes, yes?’
I blinked, startled, then followed her orders and closed my eyes, lowering my head.
‘What in the world is going on?’
‘Damn it. No wonder you’re acting recklessly. I forgot we have no information about the Ghost Realm.’
Yeon Wi spat out a terrified mindset and began to explain slowly.
‘In the Ghost Realm, you must never gaze directly at the sky to read the heavens. Or, more precisely, such an act is only permitted at night.’
‘…Huh? Is there a reason why one cannot read the heavens during the day in the Ghost Realm?’
I opened my eyes and asked, puzzled.
Yeon Wi’s face was pale, and she spoke in a voice transmitted so no one would overhear.
[The stars floating in the sky are not stars.]
[You mean those things are not stars?]
[Correct. What you see drifting in the sky right now are eyes.]
A chill ran down my spine.
I finally understood what Yeon Wi was saying.
The information I had once received from Seo Hyeul.
[Could it be that those eyes…]
[That’s right. You seem to know. The higher-ups, for reasons unknown even to them, have been observing the entire Ghost Realm from outside.]
A chill ran down my spine, then another.
The words Seo Hyeul had spoken about the Gaeyeol Jin-in observing the Ghost Realm in search of shortcuts to the True Immortal Realm still echoed in my ears.
‘The things floating in the sky right now… are not stars….’
They were the gazes of dozens of Gaeyeol Jin-in beings watching this world from beyond the sky of the Ghost Realm.
‘If I had continued staring at the sky, completely unaware, reading the heavens….’
I might have unknowingly become their puppet.
‘…Thank you, Senior Yeon.’
I sincerely thanked her for the warning.
[Don’t mention it. It’s common knowledge among the creatures of the Ghost Realm. And when night falls, the real star constellations rise, and their gravitational pull obscures those gazes. So reading the heavens at night is safe. Besides, the yin energy in the Ghost Realm grows even thicker at night, making it harder to maintain those gazes…]
[So I should read the heavens at night?]
[That’s the idea. Just don’t try reading the heavens during the day and your level is safe. With your monstrous strength that already rivals Integration Grand Completion, there’s nothing down here that would make you fear a True Venerable. Moreover, all the True Venerables of the higher realms are currently on expeditions…]
I nodded and passed the information on to Hong Beom.
‘A terrifying place indeed.’
‘…That aside, why aren’t the others waking up?’
I looked at my unconscious companions who still lay motionless.
The shock of crossing dimensions had been strong, but with their formidable vitality, they should have already awakened by now.
‘Could there be something in that river?’
‘No. Even if the river contained deadly poison, your companions’ lives are strong enough to neutralize it. Their failure to wake… is due to the ghost energy of the Ghost Realm.’
‘…’
When I thought about it, even Yeon-jin had nearly died spitting blood if Yeon Wi hadn’t driven the ghost energy away.
‘If one has not cultivated the Ghost Dao Method, one will be devoured by the Ghost Realm’s energy and fall into a coma. The longer the coma lasts, the higher the probability of death.’
‘No…! Then we have to wake them up, right?’
‘That’s correct. However, because none of them have cultivated the Ghost Dao Method, you must forcibly infuse them with basic Ghost Dao Power from the outside.’
‘Hmm… If one lacks ghost energy, one falls into a coma….’
I glanced at Jeon Myeong-hoon.
‘…Why is this guy sleeping?’
Yeon Wi followed my gaze and seized Jeon Myeong-hoon by the collar, slapping his cheek repeatedly.
Slap, slap, slap!
‘Cough! Aaaah!’
After a moment, Jeon Myeong-hoon spat blood and shot upright.
‘W-where…?!’
‘This guy was just sleeping.’
‘….’
‘To wake the others, you must inject ghost energy into their bodies so they can cultivate basic Ghost Dao Power.’
‘Understood. But before that….’
I gave Jeon Myeong-hoon a rough explanation of the current situation.
‘…The Ghost Realm….’
‘That’s right. We’ll locate the disciples of the Geumsin Cheonroe Moon and find a way back to the Gwanghan Realm.’
‘Wha—?! The disciples of the Geumsin Cheonroe Moon are…!’
Jeon Myeong-hoon’s eyes widened in shock at the news that his seniors were still alive.
He wiped his face.
‘…They’re alive….’
‘Yes. They’re alive.’
‘…That’s a relief.’
Jeon Myeong-hoon wiped his face and offered a faint smile.
After conveying my plan to him, I approached the other two to wake them.
Yeon Wi used the Ghost Dao Method she knew and infused Yeon-jin’s body with ghost energy.
I helped Oh Hyun-seok and Kim Yeon sit up, then placed my hands on their backs and poured ghost energy into them.
Whoosh—
I debated whether to inject the basic Ghost Dao Method I had learned from the previous Seo Lip.
But something told me it would not suit either of them.
‘Hmm, then….’
After a moment’s thought, I decided to create a new Ghost Dao Method on the spot.
I would give Oh Hyun-seok a method that trained the body through ghost energy and Kim Yeon a method that trained the consciousness.
I infused ghost energy into their bodies.
The ghost energy flowed according to my will.
After a while, the energy had perfectly adapted to each of them and they now possessed a foundational Ghost Dao Method that matched their natures.
It flowed seamlessly with Oh Hyun-seok’s Blue Spirit Star Light Five-Color Great Law and Kim Yeon’s Strange Star-Mind Scroll.
After some time, both sat up as their bodies filled with ghost energy.
‘Here….’
‘Hmm? Where are we, Eun-hyun-ah?’
I explained the current situation to the pair and warned them about the dangers of reading the heavens in the Ghost Realm.
Me, Yeon-jin, Hong Beom, Kim Yeon, Jeon Myeong-hoon, and Oh Hyun-seok.
These six discussed our future plans, and our goals were set.
In the Ghost Realm, the primary goal was to return to the Gwanghan Realm.
The secondary goal was for Jeon Myeong-hoon and me to find the disciples of the Geumsin Cheonroe Moon.
‘And since we’ve come to the Ghost Realm, it would be good if we all built up our longevity axes.’
Yeon Wi crossed her arms and explained the true orthodox axis to us.
That is, the Five Elements Axis.
‘…As you can see, the Five Elements Axis is truly the proper axis. It is far stronger than the Five Elements Axis. Therefore, why not accumulate the axis of longevity—the axis that can be built in the Ghost Realm?’
Yeon Wi looked at me and Jeon Myeong-hoon and spoke.
Currently, I was in the Four Pillars realm.
Jeon Myeong-hoon was half a step away from Four Pillars.
Kim Yeon and Oh Hyun-seok were respectively in the Nascent Soul and Core Formation realms.
Hong Beom would soon enter Four Pillars, so we did not need to worry about him.
According to her words, one could only hold the Five Elements Ceremony starting from the Heavenly Person realm or higher, so even if Kim Yeon and Oh Hyun-seok wished to build axes here, it would be difficult.
‘Hmm. Do we really have to build the Five Elements Axis?’
Jeon Myeong-hoon asked Yeon Wi with little interest.
Yeon Wi looked at him as if he were speaking nonsense.
‘You speak the obvious. The Five Elements Axis is overwhelmingly superior to the Five Elements Axis and is the true orthodox axis passed down from ancient times. Moreover, building the Five Elements Axis makes advancing to Integration Grand Completion much easier, and the stability when one forms a domain is on an entirely different level.’
When she finished speaking, Jeon Myeong-hoon fell into thought, then his eyes sparkled.
‘However, Senior… According to your words, building the Five Elements Axis is far slower than the Five Elements Axis, is it not? And without understanding the Five Elements, it becomes much harder to build and is forced to be the Five Elements Ceremony that demands immediate comprehension.’
‘…That’s true.’
‘On the other hand, if the Five Elements Axis is stacked as an external method, it can be completed in less than a week, can it not?’
‘Well… In terms of skill, it’s not impossible, but are you planning to hold the Five Elements Ceremony with the Five Elements Axis?’
Jeon Myeong-hoon nodded.
‘If I can obtain the Five Elements Axis, I will obtain it. But if there’s no need, I plan to stack the Five Elements Axis and quickly raise my realm.’
‘Hmm, why is that?’
Then Jeon Myeong-hoon reached into his robe and pulled out a wooden box.
He stroked the box, eyes shining.
‘Because I must become strong as quickly as possible.’
Crack, crack…
Silver lightning flickered around him, pushing away the surrounding ghost energy.
‘Because I must become strong and raise my realm as quickly as possible… because I must purge this anger.’
Crack, crack…!
‘You said it would be easier to reach Integration Grand Completion? Even if I roughly stack the Five Elements Axis, I am confident I can reach it. Domain stability? That can be stabilized by filling unstable parts with a thousand karmas…!’
Jeon Myeong-hoon’s eyes spat lightning as he swore his resolve.
Yeon Wi understood him, but her tone carried a trace of helplessness.
‘…I understand your feelings. But, first, the fastest way back to the Gwanghan Realm is to open a shortcut, just as the Black Ghost Valley did. And… the easiest way to open a shortcut is to build three or more axes with the Five Elements Axis and enter the late Four Pillars stage.’
I asked, puzzled by her words.
‘Can’t we just ask the Black Ghost Valley for help to return to the Gwanghan Realm?’
‘That would be possible if you had come through the Black Ghost Valley’s shortcut. But you fell here through an accident, did you not? If you had passed through the Black Ghost Valley, you would have had the dream body provided by the Ghost Ship….’
She clicked her tongue and continued.
‘In the Ghost Realm, there are four major powers. Known as the Three Palaces and One Island.’
The first was the Black Ghost Palace, the origin of the Black Ghost Valley. A secretive, hidden group with a reputation for being closed off. While the branch in the Gwanghan Realm was relatively open to grow quickly, the origin was different. Rumors said it harbored many hidden secrets and was extremely closed.
The second was the Nether Ghost Palace.
The most extensive force. The most famous and powerful in the Ghost Realm. The Ghost Dao Method and demonic arts research was active here, and the Ghost Dao Methods and demonic arts that flowed from the Nether Ghost Palace influenced the entire Ghost Realm. At least eighty percent of the methods circulated in the Ghost Realm originated here.
The third was the Flower Picture West Heaven Palace.
Madmen who cultivated the Fasa Hyeonjeong degree method in a realm overflowing with ghost energy. Madmen who drew upon the vitality and Fasa Hyeonjeong power of the Ghost Realm to cultivate, even though it did not suit their nature. The power of Fasa Hyeonjeong was extremely potent for Ghost Realm creatures, making it a formidable group. Rumors linked them to the higher-ups, so it would be best to stay clear of them if possible.
And finally, the Bongrae Island.
‘Hmm?’
I looked at the familiar name with curiosity.
‘The palace name is similar….’
‘…According to rumors, the Bongrae Island also received teachings from the deity of the same mountain as the Bongrae Palace. Though I know the Gwanghan Realm has a Bongrae Palace, the two have no interest in each other. Despite sharing the same name and ancestor, they are an unusual group that pays no attention to the other. Still, I have heard that the Bongrae Island here practices a different demonic art, not the Taesan Yeolje Art. The Bongrae Island here is famous as a force that practices demonic arts rather than the Taesan Yeolje Art….’
‘….’
As I heard the name Bongrae, I recalled the ‘name’ I had seen within Heon-won’s consciousness.
Cheonra.
Some entity named the Heaven’s Net.
I felt that the ‘Bongrae’ name found everywhere in the Central Continent felt like a net.
‘If Bongrae is a net….’
What was that net meant to catch?
I fell into thought for a moment.
Then.
‘…?’
I tried to look up at the sky, but remembered Yeon Wi’s warning and held back.
‘What is it? It feels like something is darkening…’
I was not the only one who felt it. Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kim Yeon, Oh Hyun-seok, and Hong Beom all tilted their heads.
Hong Beom asked me.
‘Master, does it seem like the surroundings are darkening?’
‘…Yes. I felt it too.’
I tried to sense with my consciousness, thinking perhaps dark clouds had gathered, but nothing had appeared above us.
Kim Yeon and Jeon Myeong-hoon also tilted their heads with an uneasy feeling.
‘It feels like this world has become a little darker overall….’
‘Yeah. Maybe it’s just my imagination…?’
Yeon Wi also tilted her head.
‘Hmm… What kind of phenomenon is this? The Water Realm also seems a little darker….’
***
Gwanghan Realm.
The peak of Cheonryeon Great Mountain.
Atop the White Jade Tower, Baek-woon Seongsa cried out in a trembling voice.
Ku gu gu gu gu—
The entire Cheonryeon Great Mountain shook.
At the same time, the spiritual energy of the entire mountain began to flow in disarray.
No, not just the Cheonryeon Great Mountain.
All the ‘mountains’ in the Gwanghan Realm recognized by Baek-woon Seongsa had their spiritual energy thrown into chaos.
Baek-woon Seongsa raised her trembling eyes to the sky and spoke.
‘Has that cruel one finally been sealed? But the heavens have grown slightly darker. Does that mean he suffered a fatal wound…? How… Has that cruel one been hiding such power? This is a sign identical to when he was wounded in the Gwanghan Realm fifty thousand years ago….’
Baek-woon Seongsa gritted her lips in worry, adjusted the gravity of the entire Gwanghan Realm, and her eyes sparkled.
‘If he has suffered a fatal wound and entered seclusion, the Gwanghan Realm blessed by him will also have weakened defenses. We must pay even greater attention.’
After speaking, Baek-woon Seongsa returned inside the White Jade Tower.
Whoiiing—
The light that poured from the tower swept across the entire Gwanghan Realm.
***
‘…Just a heavenly phenomenon.’
No matter how tense I grew, nothing happened, so I finally relaxed.
Yeon Wi’s expression also softened.
‘Well, if it’s a universal heavenly phenomenon, there’s nothing we can do even if we know it. Forget about worrying and return to what we were saying. After all, this Ghost Realm is full of such forces. Each power is extremely wary of the others, and outsiders are automatically suspected of being spies for the opposing force.’
‘In short… you’re thinking of them as enemy spies in the Gwanghan Realm?’
‘Exactly!’
‘….’
‘Therefore, do not think of entering the opposing force to use a shortcut. The best method is for one of us to build up a Five Elements Axis and open a shortcut on our own.’
At those words, Jeon Myeong-hoon looked at me and spoke.
‘Then it would be best if you built the longevity axis.’
‘Huh…?’
‘You have the greatest talent among us.’
Yeon Wi also nodded in agreement.
‘That’s right. Of all of you, the only monster with Integration Grand Completion-level power is you, so it would be best if you built the longevity axis. Even Heon-won took thousands of years to reach Integration Grand Completion, yet you did it in less than a hundred years. Moreover, the gravitational pull you emit… I don’t know when you built it, but you also built the yin axis. You should be able to build a shortcut in a sufficiently short time.’
With expectant eyes, Yeon Wi patted my shoulder.
‘I have great expectations for you! You alone are our hope, Seo Eun-hyun!’
On the first day in the Ghost Realm.
I stood receiving the expectant gazes of Yeon Wi, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, and Hong Beom, becoming the hope of all who wished to return to the Gwanghan Realm.