Together with Everyone (3)
Song Jin’s death had come suddenly, yet it had not come unexpectedly.
Earlier, he had spoken of his own lifespan, and he had rejected both my surgery and the puppet bodies I offered. Therefore, dying now was only right.
He had lived out his lifespan—indeed, even past it.
Seo Ran poured Song Jin’s ashes into the Seopmyeong Ship.
The Seopmyeong Ship that Buk Hyang-hwa had repaired became Song Jin’s tomb and his gravestone.
We held a grand funeral for Song Jin.
Seo Ran sat atop the Seopmyeong Ship that Song Jin had left behind and gazed at the sky.
I sat beside him and asked,
“Is it… painful?”
“Master told me something just before he left.”
“What was it?”
He stroked the Seopmyeong Ship as he spoke.
“My mother was afraid of death when she lived in the Water Realm. She used to clutch her life tightly, as though she suffered from some mental illness, and sometimes she would scream from terror of dying.”
“…”
“Yet the same mother, when carrying me, would risk her life and give birth despite the danger.”
I listened in silence.
“Master said that anyone who gives birth to something precious can never fear death. He cherished me, watched me grow up as a disciple, and was therefore content.”
He wiped away his tears while gazing at the sky.
“He never looked afraid or sorrowful when he left. So I will not be sorrowful either.”
Tears streamed from his eyes.
Yet I could read his emotions.
Not merely read them—I could not understand what they truly were.
Although the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin allowed one to perceive all emotions, in reality perceiving every emotion at once was impossible.
One only reached that stage by accepting the impossibility.
That was why I could not truly grasp Seo Ran’s emotions.
Kim Young-hoon once said that to be a warrior one must pour one’s will into one’s weapon.
Then was a master who poured all his will into his disciple truly a warrior?
After comforting Seo Ran, I rose into the void to give him time alone. As I looked down and saw him still seated on the Seopmyeong Ship, I realized something.
Seo Ran had more in common with Song Jin than with Seo Huel.
He had entrusted even his own appearance to his master.
If pouring one’s will into a weapon made one a warrior, then were all masters in this world the highest warriors?
Humans entrusted themselves to one another, creating bonds that crossed lifetimes.
Wasn’t the very nature of human connection a form of martial power?
I mulled over that question and left Seo Ran behind, returning to the battlefield.
And then I realized that tears were falling from my eyes because of Song Jin’s death.
“Ah…”
I was not particularly sad.
Song Jin had been a good man. I had received many favors from him, yet I had also been deceived and nearly killed by him more than once.
I had gained a few techniques from him, but I had never thought of him as a true master like Cheongmun Ryeong.
I was not sad.
But like Seo Ran…
I was crying.
And from those tears I finally understood why my Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram had surged.
Pouring one’s will into a weapon—that was martial power.
And the connection between humans that exchanged will—that was affinity.
When discord arose between such affinities, one could no longer control one’s emotions.
Because the dead could no longer be repaid.
Because I had received far too much from the dead, it had leaked out as emotion.
My Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram was the same.
I had received too much in my past lives.
But there were things I could never repay now.
I had succeeded in pouring my will into my weapon.
Yet the will had overflowed like an overflowing torrent.
Too many favors received had made my sword surge and explode.
On that day I did not grasp my sword. I mourned Song Jin quietly.
Even if the things I had received from him were few and the bond between us shallow, he had clearly been my affinity.
And several dozen years passed.
* * *
KUGUGUGUGU!
Heavenly Tribulation swept across the Light Sound Realm.
KWASJJIK!
Seo Ran had transcended his realm.
After several hundred years, he stood proudly in the mid-stage of the Cheonin realm.
“Congratulations, Seo Ran.”
I, now fully transformed into a human form with no trace of beastly traits remaining, smiled at him.
After my praise came the others’ congratulations.
In the prosperous Goryeok Realm, Song Jin’s death had granted Seo Ran the seed of madness.
In the end, with that seed he climbed quickly to the mid-stage of the Cheonin realm.
Yet Seo Ran did not seem particularly pleased at reaching the mid-stage.
“I am not that great. The truly great one is… Siho.”
Before the words left his mouth, a monstrous Heavenly Tribulation crashed down far away.
And beneath its shadow, Siho’s roar echoed.
Only recently Siho had swallowed an enormous spiritual energy pulled from the Deep Sea of the Goryeok Realm, causing his cultivation to surge. Now he was climbing toward the Four Pillars realm.
How many waves of Heavenly Tribulation had he weathered?
A short while later we flew to the spot. Siho was barely standing, coughing blood.
Hong Beom laughed beside him and said,
“During the Heavenly Tribulation I nearly died… yet Siho has indeed reached the Four Pillars realm splendidly.”
Siho saw us and, weeping, rushed to Seo Ran.
“Wahaaa! Seo Ran! I almost died!”
Seo Ran’s expression was nearly deranged, but whether he had given up or accepted it, the old disdainful look was gone.
I laughed heartily and congratulated the two of them who had safely passed the Heavenly Tribulation.
“You both passed the Heavenly Tribulation safely. We of the Mugeuk Sect shall rejoice.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you, Lord Cultivator. And… please remain unharmed by the Heavenly Tribulation yourself!”
“Hm.”
I turned my head and looked back.
At the heart of the Mugeuk Sect stood the roof of the Mugeuk Sword Pavilion.
There my true body prepared to face the Heavenly Tribulation.
“Very well… shall we begin?”
A hundred and sixty years had passed.
I had finally completed the Gangnyeong Axis.
Unlike before, I had accumulated it far faster. This time I had received lifespans in one-hundred- and two-hundred-year units without relying on the lower worlds.
“Then… I will head to complete the Axis.”
FAASH!
I absorbed the Zwalipmang clone back into my true body.
UUUWEUNG!
I drew the Goryeok Realm’s Long Vein through the Light Sound Realm.
Enormous power swirled around me.
I stacked twelve flames made of the Goryeok Realm’s energy around me and closed my eyes.
I offered the Goryeok Realm as a sacrifice.
[Oh mighty world of Goryeok.]
I tore away my ten-thousand-year lifespan as it was!
KUGUGUGUGU!
And all ten thousand years of that lifespan were converted into the Gangnyeong Axis!
FAASHAA!
And the Gangnyeong Axis I had accumulated over the past hundred and sixty years was returned through the Goryeok Realm.
UUUWEUNG!
With the Gangnyeong Axis properly stacked, my footsteps’ shadows danced as though alive, and I felt the Void of the Six Extremes.
Thus I had stacked the three Axes of Longevity, Wealth, and Peace.
I felt the Six Extremes with even greater clarity than before.
Previously they had been nothing but shadows beneath my feet; now they rose around me and drifted like somber ghosts.
Previously the Yin Thunder Spirit had spat Black Thunder, but recently these shadows no longer spat Yin Thunder.
They merely drifted somberly around me, as though hungry and famished.
Yet I paid them no mind and embraced the three Axes in my arms.
Thus I had reached the late stage of the Four Pillars realm.
KURUNG, KURURURUNG!
Azure Lightning and Golden Lightning crackled in the sky.
Heaven had not appeared, yet Heavenly Tribulation still fell here.
A Heavenly Tribulation of terrifying power descended upon me!
But the moment I moved my hand, the rain clouds that had been gathering the Tribulation tore a hole and dispersed, and the Tribulation scattered away.
Countless ghosts of the Mugeuk Sect roared in joy at the sight.
KYAAAAAAA!
KYYAAAA!
“A Heavenly Tribulation at the Four Pillars level is no longer that frightening.”
Honestly, it had been quite some time since Heavenly Tribulation had become nothing more than celebratory fireworks for realm advancement.
Yet from the Integration realm onward it had grown progressively harder, and from the Star Shattering realm it had become a level that simply told one to die. One could not afford to fear it.
WIIING—
I closed my eyes and lifted the three Axes around me.
The Six Extremes Axis had yet to take on any form or spiritual power; in truth it was still nonexistent.
“The Six Extremes Axis seems to require the completion of the Five Blessings Axes to become whole.”
As if the darker the light, the denser the shadow.
Three Axes formed a plane.
Anyway, I could now unfold the Qi Axis Veil.
I reached out and touched the plane.
UUWUNG—
Because I had mastered the Four Pillars technique Daemaksa-haeseong, my Qi Axis Veil was already largely predetermined.
CHWA AAAAA!
A boundless, desolate ash-gray desert appeared on the plane.
Sky and earth alike were gone; only ash-gray remained. The desert looked like the outskirts of the Underworld.
This was the interior of my Qi Axis Veil.
But here I could add a few things I desired.
UUUUWUNG!
I floated the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram above the desolate desert.
Countless affinities from the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram rose into the sky and painted the world in light.
The affinities of the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram radiated light, and those rays—brighter than extreme auroras—illuminated the interior of the desert.
Of course, to outsiders it merely looked like a duller ash-gray desert covered in faint clouds. But I did not care.
Anyway, inside this Qi Axis Veil was now my world.
UUUUWUNG!
I unfolded the Qi Axis Veil.
The endless desert stretched across the surrounding lands.
A normal Four Pillars cultivator could never cover even one-tenth of the Light Sound Realm with a Qi Axis Veil. Yet thanks to the Gwang-han Heavenly Yuan and the Six Extremes Axis—or perhaps thanks to the Triple Taiji—
I enveloped the entire Light Sound Realm with my Qi Axis Veil just as if I were a master at the Integration realm.
[Listen up, everyone! Today this lord will make a crucial announcement.]
Every ghost of the Sect listened.
Why, on exactly this day, had every cultivator who could reach the realm through the Heavenly Tribulation already held their ascension ceremony?
[This lord has someone I wish to save and a secret I wish to uncover. Moreover, the techniques I have mastered are related to that secret. And this lord learned, a hundred and sixty years ago, that a certain ruin would open in the not-too-distant future!
The power of some artifact inside that ruin is what this lord wishes to save for that person. Also, this lord’s secret and the techniques this lord has mastered can both be aided by that artifact’s power!
Therefore this lord shall head toward that ruin. But inside the ruin the cultivator will fall to the level of a beast that has not even gained spiritual energy or a low-grade ghost. Therefore this lord wishes for your help in the ruin. Help this lord, and save those who will follow me into the ruin.
This is not something related to the Sect but a purely private matter between this lord and you. It is not a demand. Those who wish to come may come, and those who do not need not.
This lord is not the Cultivator of this Sect but a fellow cultivator of the Mugeuk Sect asking you. Will you help me?]
Three days later.
According to Yuk Rin, the Bongrae Island would open.
A salt mountain existed within the Bongrae Island, along with countless treasures and the Qi Axis Ritual Texts for cultivation, including Yu Ho-deok’s Ritual Text among them.
There was far too much to gain.
According to Yuk Rin’s information, the place was extremely dangerous.
Even if cultivation was restricted, it would not matter to me or Kim Young-hoon, but restrictions that even my or Kim Young-hoon’s power could not break existed.
Therefore I announced it to the entire Mugeuk Sect as their “stock” to resolve the matter.
And right after my announcement,
the ghosts and the beastmen who had joined the Mugeuk Sect from the Goryeok Realm roared in unison.
[I believe!!!]
[Cultivator-nim! Of course we will follow! ]
[We believe you will show us another miracle!]
[You have never forced us before. Even if you ordered us, it would not be forcing!]
They roared together and declared they would come with me. I smiled at them.
[…Thank you.]
With them here, this life would be one unlike any before.
I would definitely save Cheongmun Ryeong, unravel the secret of the Taesan Yeolje Art, and complete my preparations for the next step.
Definitely!
After my declaration,
new beastmen disciples poured into the other branches of the Mugeuk Sect and declared they would accompany us to the Bongrae Island expedition.
And three days later.
“Here it is.”
“Correct.”
We followed Yuk Rin to a small sea area.
No modest palace remained; the area’s name was the Eungryong Sea Area, ruled by a Four Pillars-level boss.
“It will only appear at night. Today is a special day.”
KUGUGUGUGU!
Night had already fallen and Yin Qi filled the sky.
The “Light Rings” that announced daytime in each sea area had dimmed, and darkness blanketed the surroundings.
Normally the Light Rings should have been shooting out moonlight, but for some reason today they did not.
Yuk Rin said,
“Today is the day when the Sea God Seongsa stops supplying light to every sea area once every hundred years. It is a day when only darkness remains. Because the God has tied up the Goryeok Realm’s dimensional veil and forbidden ‘light’ itself, no sea area can shine.”
KUGUGUGUGU!
Of course, everyone here was a cultivator who did not mind the absence of light, so each extended their consciousness to survey the surroundings.
And the Deep Sea ahead suddenly began to “split.”
“An island that only appears on days when light does not shine. That is Bongrae Island.”
I guided the Light Sound Realm toward the spot where the Deep Sea split.
“Just as the Jeungryong Jinin’s pocket dimension and the hidden ruins all open on days without light…”
I mulled over some trivial thoughts and finally moved the earth of the Light Sound Realm directly above the fully split Deep Sea.
“Can you see it down there?”
KUGUGUGU!
Below the Deep Sea, something resembling a huge array was caught in consciousness.
“That array is Bongrae Island. Inside it the Sea God’s rules do not apply, so there is its own light. If it suddenly brightens, you may assume that is the case.”
“Thank you for the detailed information.”
Following Yuk Rin’s explanation, I sent the Light Sound Realm down toward the array.
After all, the entire Mugeuk Sect was participating in the Bongrae Island expedition, so I had brought the whole Light Sound Realm.
In other words, the gains of the entire Mugeuk Sect rode on this expedition.
“My shoulders feel heavy.”
Because I thought of the Mugeuk Sect as riding on my shoulders, my shoulders felt tense.
KUGUGUGUGU!
The Light Sound Realm finally came very close to the array.
CHWA AAAAAAK!
From the wall of the split Deep Sea, a familiar ship suddenly appeared!
“That’s…!”
The Yeomgol Ship of the Tumha Pirate Band!
Yuk Rin’s face twisted at the sight.
“Damn it! What are they doing! Block them! The ones who enter the Bongrae Island first always gain the most!”
I answered sternly and shot Sword Qi downward.
But at that moment, a huge shadow emerged from behind the Yeomgol Ship and dozens of Deep Sea monsters burst forth.
The Tumha Pirates had brought a swarm of Deep Sea monsters.
While we fought the Deep Sea monsters, the Tumha Pirates entered the array of Bongrae Island slightly faster than our Light Sound Realm.
CHWA AAAAAAK!
And our Light Sound Realm also entered the array, but Yuk Rin grumbled,
“What now. The thieves have gotten a head start!”
“Quiet.”
KUGUGUGUGU!
The Light Sound Realm finally entered the array completely, and I widened my eyes at what lay ahead.
It was a gigantic salt mountain.
On the summit of the salt mountain stood a pure-white palace made entirely of salt crystals. The salt mountain suddenly erupted in pure white light.
And we all lost consciousness.
* * *
Flicker!
I opened my eyes.
“Where am I?”