The Ghost Monarch and the Lord
I opened my mouth wide in shock at the disturbing truth.
‘Hwanghan Cheonjun… is alive?’
That meant…
“This Gwanghan Realm is… actually alive right now?”
“It’s a rather plausible truth, isn’t it? Why did the [Higher-ups] have to forcibly rename the Gwanghan Realm as Gwanghan Realm fifty thousand years ago? Why does Gwanghan Realm possess the richest and most abundant qi among the Six Heavenly Realms, and why does the fate of those who come here brimming with blessings unlike the mortals of other realms? Why has Gwanghan Realm always been called the strongest of the Six Heavenly Realms? Why do the other realm lords receive names they submit to the Saintess, but the lords of Gwanghan Realm are restricted from using words containing ‘Heaven’ or ‘Light’ in their titles… and there are many other reasons.”
“…Baek-wun Saintess said that the reason there are Saintesses in the Six Heavenly Realms is because leaving them alone would cause powerful corpses to be born. And… as far as I know, corpses are born only from corpses. But then wouldn’t that create a contradiction with what you just said?”
When I looked at him with suspicion in my eyes, he smiled faintly and placed his hand on his chest.
“Before the honorable Seon-su, I swear that everything I said just now is the absolute truth.”
Uuuuuuung!
As he spoke, the scale seemed to sway, and new white steam swept over Seo Hyoel’s body.
“In this place, you cannot lie. If you speak a lie, you will immediately receive punishment.”
“….”
“If my words are true, then the opposite side must be a lie.”
“…That means…”
Seo Hyoel smiled faintly.
“Baek-wun Saintess has, since ancient times, been famous for her disgust toward the corpses of her fellow disciples, and for speaking only lies. Or more precisely… she was famous not for ‘lying,’ but for using words to lure others in. It’s not entirely false to say she was trying to prevent the birth of corpses. After all, Hwanghan Cheonjun’s corpse will eventually die. Whether it takes a hundred billion years or a trillion, who can say?”
“….”
It seemed Baek-wun was even more sinister than I had imagined.
“Anyway… Since you seem to have accepted the truth, let me tell you an old story.”
He began to speak.
“The remains of Myeongma Jinjun Yu Ho-deok could not accept his death. And believing himself to be truly Yu Ho-deok, he had forgotten the noble character and pure nature that defined him, remembering only the power he wielded. He longed to restore his old position using only that power.”
The hidden backstory of Gwanghan Realm that I had wondered about all this time.
“But if his nature had been normal, he could have returned to his old post. Instead, he fell into a foolish illusion that his power was the problem. Therefore… Evil Yu Ho-deok made a single resolution.
‘Since the body of my old comrade Hwanghan is still alive, I shall take that body as my own. Hwanghan’s soul has already departed on a distant path and may never return. If I seize his flesh, I will completely control the throne, and those old comrades who ignored me will once again welcome me back.’
Ah… truly a filthy and abominable resolution. To seek revival in a position that is not even his own… Even though he remembered that Hwanghan had been his comrade. Hahaha…”
I trembled with rising disgust.
“However, that abominable plan never came to fruition. It was due to the successor of Goryeok Jinjun, ‘Cheong-ryong,’ and the ‘Seum’ that Yu Ho-deok had once presented. Unable to watch his old superior’s corruption, the two joined hands. Cheong-ryong quickly entered Gwanghan Realm before Evil Yu Ho-deok could take possession and endured the weakened realm to become the Saintess, blocking Evil Yu Ho-deok. Seum bound his mind within Evil Yu Ho-deok’s body. Yet the corrupted Evil Yu Ho-deok could not contain his desire and eventually invaded Gwanghan Realm.”
From his lips, the truth of the Gwanghan Realm and Jinma Realm Great War fifty thousand years ago spilled out.
“It was a terrifying war. Below Integration, everything must be protected in Cheong-ryong’s animal realm… Evil Yu Ho-deok, even in death, possessed the highest-ranked judge of Myeongma, Yu Ho-deok. The very Demon Realm itself invaded Gwanghan Realm. Ultimately, Seum stepped outside Myeongma Realm and temporarily took the Saintess position of Gwanghan Realm, while Cheong-ryong recovered Fissure Opening realm to confront Evil Yu Ho-deok. After years of war… using Bongmyeong-chul, Cheong-ryong beheaded part of Evil Yu Ho-deok’s head. Then Seum burned her life force and transferred Evil Yu Ho-deok’s regret into that severed head.”
The mural I had seen in the An-ryong Island flashed before my eyes.
“Cheong-ryong and Seum burned their lives. Cheong-ryong squeezed every drop of his blood, while Seum tore out her essence. The blood of Cheong-ryong and the essence of Seum mixed, and from the original body they created a ‘new name’ for the separated Evil Yu Ho-deok.”
I had finally learned the creation myth of the Blood Yin Realm.
“Cheong-ryong’s blood. Seum’s essence. The powers of two divine beings became shackles that bound Evil Yu Ho-deok. Thus he became Blood Yin. Myeongma Realm became Jinma Realm, and with it came all the turbid qi and evil spirits of the original Jinma Realm, along with an even filthier and more abominable Heavenly Realm opened within the body of Blood Yin. That was the Blood Yin Realm.”
“…So that’s how it was.”
The truths of the world I had wondered about all this time now etched themselves into my mind.
“So it was Blood Yin who had come to steal the flesh of the living Hwanghan. That explains why the Heavenly Demons of the Blood Yin Realm have always targeted only Gwanghan Realm.”
“Exactly. But that is not the whole story.”
A mocking smile touched Seo Hyoel’s lips.
“Blood Yin, stripped of his original name and forcibly given the new name ‘Blood Yin,’ despaired. Once he had accepted this new name, he could never return to Jinma Realm as his original self, nor could he restore his old position. Therefore he modified his goal. From ‘seeking the flesh of Hwanghan’ to ‘consuming both Hwanghan’s flesh and the throne he rules.’ That is, to swallow the Cold Lunar Heavenly King’s power that shook the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds and merge with the Evil Throne he had seized to receive a ‘new throne.’”
“A new throne? Is that even necessary?”
“It is necessary. The original throne of Yu Ho-deok was forcibly renamed and rendered unusable, and Hwanghan’s throne is one he knows he cannot handle.”
Through Seo Hyoel’s mouth, I finally understood Blood Yin’s true purpose.
“By stealing Hwanghan’s flesh and power and merging them with the throne he has seized, he will hold a ceremony for a new throne. Obtaining the throne with countless descendants and using its power to restore the Underworld. That is Blood Yin’s ultimate goal.”
I let out a sigh.
It was a ridiculous story, but if Seo Hyoel was not lying, his words carried genuine credibility.
And with the wave of information from such a Seo Hyoel, I was left in utter bewilderment.
Gwanghan Realm was alive, even in a coma, and that alone was astonishing. The truths of fifty thousand years ago and the true face of Baek-wun.
And now I learned Blood Yin’s ultimate goal.
‘Blood Yin… named after Cheong-ryong’s blood and Seum’s essence as the first Saintess of Jinma Realm…’
I immediately understood why Blood Yin had created the Black Dragon Clan and the Sea Dragon Clan.
The more descendants a True Monarch had, the more power was distributed to them.
Of course, the power True Monarchs gave to mortal descendants was as insignificant as spit, so True Monarchs rarely cared about it.
After all, as long as they themselves were alive, such power could be endlessly replenished.
But what if a True Monarch died?
‘If a True Monarch dies… the power of the dead True Monarch cannot be replenished. Even if his descendants steal it, it will never be filled, and eventually the True Monarch’s power will be exhausted, and his clan will lose all power.’
Blood Yin had created countless Black Dragon Clans and Sea Dragon Clans to free himself from the shackles of his name.
‘The names of the leaders of the Black Dragon Clan and Sea Dragon Clan being all ‘Hyeon-eum’ or ‘Ja-eum’ are suspicious too. Was that also an attempt to disperse the power of the ‘eum’ name within Blood Yin? That might be possible…’
He smiled gently once more.
“The current situation is quite grave. If left as is, the worst Jinseon possessing Hwanghan’s flesh—Blood Yin—will be born. Even without reaching Dae-ra-seon, an entity beyond that will appear. At that moment, Ilwol Cheonyeok will be over. Therefore, I earnestly wish to ally with Seo Do-woo.”
Seo Hyoel extended his hand from the opposite pan of the scale.
I stared at him for a moment.
Indeed, the situation was terrifying.
The power of the Lord of Mount Tai still lingered in my memory.
The sight of compressing an entire Cheonyeok into nothingness with a single incantation.
It had been horrifyingly awe-inspiring.
‘That was not even the original body, but a projection.’
If Blood Yin obtained Hwanghan’s flesh, he might not be greatly inferior to the Lord of Mount Tai.
The weight of the name Hwanghan carried was immense.
The situation was indeed grave.
But I looked at Seo Hyoel and asked.
“Then what is your true goal, Seo Hyoel?”
Blood Yin’s goal was revival through Hwanghan’s flesh.
Yet I still did not know what Seo Hyoel himself truly desired.
At my question, Seo Hyoel smiled and replied.
“To reunite with family, of course. How is Seo Ran doing?”
“…He is well. With you by his side, I felt far more at ease.”
I glared at him and asked.
“Reunite with family? Is that truly your goal? When you meet Seo Ran, what will you do to him?”
“I must pat him on the back and say he worked hard. More importantly, Ran and I… share the same blood, after all.”
“….”
I tried to read his intent or launch an Asim-geom attack, but it seemed impossible in this space.
‘What does he intend to do to Seo Ran…’
I looked at him and said.
“I’m sorry, but if your aim through this matter is to endanger Seo Ran, I cannot join your plan.”
“Understood. After all, the situation is grave now, so I have no intention of arguing with Seo Do-woo either. For this plan alone, I will harm no one among Seo Do-woo’s allies and will only consider my own path.”
“The companions of the Muddy Soul Filling the Heavens on my path must not be included.”
“Very well. I will only concern myself with my own core and, for this matter alone, unconditionally cooperate with Seo Do-woo without betraying him. I will not use the same old ‘I wasn’t on the same side, so it’s not betrayal’ excuse.”
I nodded.
“Fine. Then, though I dislike it somewhat… I’ll shake hands with you.”
“Hahaha… A wise thought, Seo Do-woo.”
Before Seon-su, we concluded a temporary alliance contract.
Kwoong!
The power of a transcendent being linked us together.
In truth, this was an effect within the law of destiny.
The very fate itself guaranteed our contract, making it impossible to break it even if we wanted to.
Faaaah!
The pans of Seo Hyoel’s scale and mine drew closer.
After gazing at Seo Hyoel, I shook hands with the man.
Seo Do-woo and Seo Hyoel had formed a temporary—yet ‘real’—alliance.