Chapter 369
CHAPTER_TITLE: Grasping Hands (4)
The interrogation of Yuk Rin had finally concluded.
Yuk Rin had plotted to betray us in exactly two ways.
The first was the peculiar property of Bongrae Island: upon entering it, every oath and contract would vanish.
And the second was an even more insidious trait hidden within its depths.
LT__strong>Truly wondrous...
According to Yuk Rin, the interior of Bongrae Island was nothing less than a colossal illusion array.
Whoever stepped inside it would find the world inside reconstructed to match them perfectly, transforming the participants into characters within that realm.
Only the powers and abilities of those characters would allow them to explore the array.
LT__strong>As he put it, the strength granted to each 'character' was simply the innate power of their original race...
He and the others would have been human, while Siho and Yuk Rin would receive the strength of foxes and dragons alike.
In short, he had intended to use Bongrae Island's own ability to nullify oaths and contracts together with the array's property that would erase the original powers of the corresponding species, rendering all strength useless.
LT__strong>We almost fell into a rather pathetic trap...
Yet even if he had succeeded in luring us in as planned, Kim Young-hoon and I would not have been in any real danger.
We would simply be unable to use the martial arts we had originally inherited from humanity.
LT__strong>But anyway, I would still have been able to wield them, wouldn't I?
Kugugugu!
Right now, it was nighttime in the Goryeok Realm.
Unlike the Ghost Realm, where the day-night divide was decided solely by the presence or absence of constellations, the Goryeok Realm clearly had distinct days and nights.
A massive ring of moonlight stretched across the sky above the Goryeok Realm, casting a dim, eerie atmosphere over the night.
After subjugating Jeongryong Island, we were heading toward another sea area to link up with the Buk Hyang-hwa Fleet patrolling the nearby waters, having taken Yuk Rin captive.
Song Jin would probably appear before long.
I gazed at the night sea of the Goryeok Realm from the edge of the Gwanghan Realm, then turned my head.
Ghosts in the Ghost Realm had far greater vitality at night than during the day, and they were currently enjoying a full-fledged ghost festival.
They had just returned from performing meritorious service on Jeongryong Island, and their hearts were clearly swelling with pride.
I watched them and fell into thought.
LT__strong>If the fixed condition of my regression was truly the act of returning from the Water Realm...
Would I go back one more time?
The Water Realm was an extraordinarily terrifying place.
Merely sensing the trace of salt-mountain authority there had been enough to plunge me into boundless terror and despair.
That world was overflowing with endless malice and calamity.
But...
LT__strong>If even these people were to disappear...
I could scarcely imagine how my chest would ache.
At first it had been nothing more than a cult built to accumulate regressions, yet now they had become a part of me.
Uwoong―
My consciousness swept through the Gwanghan Realm.
Ghosts who had just returned from meritorious service on Jeongryong Island were boasting loudly while holding their ghost festival.
Yeon Wi, who had temporarily vacated Yeon-jin's body, together with the protective ghost kings who were showering her with extravagant praise.
Wishi-hun and Umwa, utterly absorbed in creating a second son.
Baek Rin, tending to Yuk Yo's wounds.
Siho giving an oil massage to Seo Ran.
Jeon Myeong-hoon and Yeon-jin alone, practicing their techniques in a room.
Oh Hyun-seok, training the ghosts who wished to become stronger through the method of Daichheon-gaebyeokmun.
Kim Yeon and Buk Hyang-hwa, drunk and passed out after fighting over whose head of hair to grab.
LT__strong>Peaceful...
Even if the Water Realm remained as calamitous as ever,
If I could return there and continue sharing this life with them, I would never hesitate to go again.
LT__strong>First, investigate the salt-mountain of Bongrae Island. Discover a way to heal Cheongmun Ryeong. Only after that...
I would descend into the Water Realm and, if possible, stabilize my regression.
LT__strong>Yes, if I can return to the Water Realm in this life, I will go back again.
I made that vow and looked once more at the night sea of the Goryeok Realm.
Uwoong―
The night sea of the Goryeok Realm was truly mysterious.
Swaaaa―
It sounded almost like the crashing of ocean waves.
Inside that sound, the voices of countless people could be heard.
At the same time, beyond the voices of many, the entire sea of the Goryeok Realm glowed faintly.
Sog-soong-sog-geun...
Countless human figures rose and fell above the rippling water.
How long had I been watching?
LT__strong>Eun-hyun-ah, you must not watch the deep sea for too long on the night of the Goryeok Realm.
LT__strong>...Young-hoon Hyung...
I turned around and met the gaze of Kim Young-hoon, who had called me.
A bruise had bloomed under his eye, and his clothes were torn in several places.
Chiii―
Kim Young-hoon was using a healing talisman on his body.
LT__strong>When you fought Yuk Rin, you did not seem to have been injured?
LT__strong>Ah, this wound came from Oh Hyun-seok.
LT__strong>Eh?
LT__strong>Oh Hyun-seok and I were drinking together. When I saw the martial arts he had inherited, it reminded me of the path I had briefly pursued earlier. I asked how he was training, and he said he would teach me. So I told him to try. That crazy bastard tied me to a pillar...
LT__strong>...That is astonishing.
It seemed he had been training for a time using the Daichheon-gaebyeokmun method.
Earlier, during his training, Kim Young-hoon had discovered that his martial arts were compatible with a beast-forging method and had attempted to cultivate it.
This loop's Kim Young-hoon had apparently considered following that same path.
LT__strong>However, you did not escape while he was busy reprimanding Hyun-seok?
LT__strong>A close younger brother is allowed to give a beating once in a while. If I had used the "getting beaten and then escaping" method, it would have been over in an instant.
LT__strong>Then why did you not do it to me...
LT__strong>Because if I did, you would have died.
Kim Young-hoon laughed, and once the talisman had completely healed his wounds, he tore it off and placed his hand on his sword sheath.
LT__strong>You want to try it again?
LT__strong>Haha, my treasured blades are all destroyed, and if I fight you again, I will not even be able to resist and will simply get beaten senseless. The reason I came is different.
Buwoong―
He drew his sword from the sheath and swung it through the air.
He did not aim a cutting strike at me or deliver any attack.
Not a trace of killing intent could be felt, yet I saw a vision as if the entire world before my eyes was splitting.
LT__strong>We fought, and you surpassed your next realm.
LT__strong>...!
I shuddered at those words.
If what he had reached was the next realm, there was only one possibility.
LT__strong>Wh-what? The throne-sitting step? The same realm as Jang Ik?
I was shocked beyond belief, but then I remembered Kim Young-hoon's abilities and let out a soft laugh.
LT__strong>Then in about fifty years, I will be able to receive instruction from Young-hoon Hyung?
LT__strong>...Well, that is not the case.
LT__strong>Ah, then in a hundred years?
LT__strong>That is also not the case.
LT__strong>I can wait a few hundred years.
...
Yet Kim Young-hoon only looked gloomier in response to my expectant question.
LT__strong>Hyung?
LT__strong>...For now.
He spoke with a bitter expression.
LT__strong>Even with my talent, there is only a slight chance I will reach the next realm after several hundred years of tribulation.
LT__strong>Haha, Young-hoon Hyung still has not grown accustomed to the time sense of the cultivation world.
LT__strong>But...
Yet he bit his lip and looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
LT__strong>I will not be able to reach the next realm.
LT__strong>Eh...?
I looked at Kim Young-hoon for a moment before bursting into genuine laughter.
LT__strong>Ahahaha!!!
It was not mockery, but an honest, amused laugh.
How many times had I heard those exact words from Kim Young-hoon?
LT__strong>Hyung! Believe in yourself! You can do it!
It was now as good as a promise that Kim Young-hoon, who had spoken those words, would reach the next realm.
Of course, in the past he had been greatly shaken by his lifespan issues, but with an additional ten thousand years of life after reaching this realm, he was more than enough!
Yet Kim Young-hoon’s expression did not brighten.
He simply raised his sword in silence.
I watched him for a moment, then drew out the Colorless Glass Sword and let it hang loosely.
LT__strong>Let us simply compete purely in martial arts.
LT__strong>Very well.
The next instant, Kim Young-hoon and I rushed at each other and exchanged martial techniques.
We did not use excessive internal energy or law power.
We simply flowed our natural vitality that flowed through human bodies into our swords and competed in artistry.
After exchanging blows for a while, our movements gradually grew fiercer.
Kim Young-hoon spun from right to left while swinging his sword in a wide arc.
His blade edge grazed my cheek.
My sword lifted him from above my right foot and slashed, carving a vertical gash beneath his eye.
Tadak!
Tadadak!
We used only basic vitality, yet the amplification rate of power when used by masters at our level was astonishing.
Kim Young-hoon and I danced as if we were cutting through each other’s shadows while moving instantaneously from one end of the Gwanghan Realm to the other.
He was too fast to follow, and I was too free to block.
After we had flown across the entire Gwanghan Realm, I suddenly realized I had left the realm and arrived above the vast sky.
The night sea of the Goryeok Realm.
Of course, since I could step on the sky and move, there was no problem with the duel.
Kugugugu!
The Gwanghan Realm had long since passed us by as we fiercely cut through the sky and were gradually approaching the horizon of the sea area.
The edge of the sea area, where we had to exit the jurisdiction of the Goryeok Realm.
We were heading toward the “wall” made of open sky.
Tadak!
After exchanging blows with him, I lost my balance due to Kim Young-hoon’s attack and nearly fell into the deep sea.
Chwaaak!
Luckily, just before I fell, the All-Heaven Sword had enveloped my entire body, so I was able to float safely in the air.
But at that exact moment...
I saw something unbelievable.
Togong―
It sounded almost like a clear bell, and Kim Young-hoon was simply standing on the “top” of the deep sea.
LT__strong>How did you do that?
LT__strong>It is not difficult at all. This is not real water but a kind of dimension, so you simply step on the dimension and stand.
LT__strong>...So how do you do it?
LT__strong>Just step on the dimension and stand. You only need to balance well.
...
I gave up on understanding and simply floated near the surface of the deep sea.
A moment later, as Kim Young-hoon was laughing softly, phantoms suddenly appeared around him.
The phantoms I had seen from the edge of the Gwanghan Realm earlier.
Their faces were not visible, only faint, hazy shadows.
Yet while I was watching the shadows, I felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
At that moment, Kim Young-hoon pointed his sword at one of the phantoms that had approached him and said,
LT__strong>The sea of the Goryeok Realm does not reflect the past of the viewer. So sometimes when I look at the night sea, I think of Earth. Of course, it does not always show the faces I like. There are times when I get annoyed...
LT__strong>Ah...
LT__em>So that was the source of the familiarity...
I finally understood the true identity of the feeling I had sensed in the night sea of the Goryeok Realm.
The Goryeok Realm was reflecting the Ten-Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram to me.
Kim Young-hoon, who had been pressing his sword against the approaching phantom, warned me with a serious expression.
LT__strong>Be careful. Sometimes ordinary phantoms of the Goryeok Realm appear, and deep-sea monsters imitate them.
He slashed the phantom with his sword without hesitation.
Sreung―
The phantom simply dissolved.
The phantom that had dissolved around Kim Young-hoon had been swinging a whip-like thing that protruded from his arm before vanishing.
Kim Young-hoon cut it down and asked me,
LT__strong>Let me ask you, Seo Eun-hyun. What do you think martial arts is?
LT__strong>...I do not know.
It was not something that could be defined simply and plainly, yet not so difficult to guess either.
That was precisely the meaning of martial arts.
LT__strong>Perhaps I am not a martial artist at all.
Although martial arts was a part of my life, it was not everything.
At the same time, it was one of the many techniques I had mastered, so I could not claim with certainty what martial arts truly was.
Yet Kim Young-hoon laughed softly and said,
LT__strong__You are definitely a martial artist. I guarantee it.
LT__strong>But you use not only martial arts but also cultivation techniques and beast-forging techniques, right?
LT__strong>Well... If you were to judge me as not a martial artist simply because I use those, I have already seen people who are not martial artists, and that only makes me more certain that you are.
Uwoong―
The phantom I had just cut by Kim Young-hoon reappeared and attacked him again.
Kim Young-hoon, who had been slightly irritated, no longer paid it any mind and ignored it.
The phantom simply passed through Kim Young-hoon, and I realized I had seen its outline somewhere.
LT__strong>That guy...
Jin Ma-yeol, the captain of the Tuma Pirate Clan and the one who had fought Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Kim Young-hoon glanced at the phantom and said,
LT__strong>When I first came to the Goryeok Realm, I fought the captain of a notorious pirate clan. Surprisingly, he was a person who had lived in the Entering Heaven realm for thousands of years. At first, I thought he was a martial artist and treated him with respect. But after several exchanges, I realized he was not a martial artist.
LT__strong>Not a martial artist...
It was a strange coincidence.
He had clearly ascended to the throne-sitting step.
Perhaps he had reached there after gaining enlightenment from fighting Kim Young-hoon.
So why was he not considered a martial artist?
LT__strong>That is why I took his weapon. The blade was too good for a hand that was not that of a martial artist. The Dao Sword that moved as if it were alive was what he had fused with my broken sword and brought into existence.
LT__strong>Ah, I remember now.
It had been a tough blade, so it had taken me a little time to tear it apart completely.
I asked in puzzlement,
LT__strong>Then why was he not a martial artist?
Yuk Rin had even obtained a law array to protect his gaze, which meant he had perfectly hidden the gaze of the Heart Tribe.
Moreover, since he was a Integration cultivator who had reached the throne-sitting step, his effort was unthinkable.
Yet why did Kim Young-hoon refuse to acknowledge him as a martial artist?
Kim Young-hoon remained silent for a moment, then raised his sword.
LT__strong>I will show you why I cannot reach the next realm. Then you will understand.
Togong, tong―
He began to dance while stepping on the dimension.
The phantoms and remnants around him were cut down exactly as they were by his dance.
Yet strangely, his movements left no remnants at all.
In other words, only Kim Young-hoon existed in this moment.
It was a metaphysical description, but it was the truth.
His Heaven-Earth vitality could not be read, and his next action could not be predicted.
He was a presence that could not be seen from the boundaries of history or fate.
His sword dance ended within the strange emptiness of “being and not being,” and I let out a gasp.
With a talent of a thousand, yet someone who had held a sword for thousands of years, I knew...
LT__strong>Because of Cheongmun Ryeong Daeja, you did not give a name to the next realm, did you?
LT__strong>Yes, that is right.
LT__strong>In reality, you had already given it a name.
I quietly uttered the name that had echoed from his dance.
LT__strong>The throne-sitting step.
What name had Kim Young-hoon given to this realm?
LT__strong>Is it not Sitting Liberation and Standing Death?