The Unyielding Resolve
I gripped the remaining blade I had.
To dispel Jang Ik's projection, I had consumed nineteen blades, leaving me with only three.
Since it was a saber forged for destruction itself, it seemed there was no superior option for wiping out dozens of Venerables.
Boom!
At that moment, the Wonder Castle reached Cheonryeon Mountain.
If anything was fortunate, it was that all five Venerables had been completely eradicated.
Jang Ik's blade attacked beyond the soul's rank, so once it recognized something, it struck the true body itself.
That was why, even though only the projections had been hit, the actual bodies probably had to focus solely on healing for years.
I stared at the remaining Venerables.
The leading blood ghost of the Blood Ghost Realm, the Shuaeng Venerable.
And the strongest Venerable of the Blood Ghost Realm, the Gyeoncheong Venerable.
*Damn it. Only the most troublesome ones are left.*
I looked at the Shuaeng Venerable.
A red giant whose entire body was covered in coral.
Blink!
On the red giant's body, countless eye-like things poked out and stared back at me.
Just like when I faced the Venerables before, my intent didn't read well.
Previously I had thought it was due to the Blood Ghost Realm's unique weirdness, but now that I reached this realm, I understood otherwise.
*Not the characteristic of Blood Ghost Realm spirits, but the feature of Venerables above that level.*
Boom!
The Shuaeng Venerable collapsed where he sat.
He assumed the lotus position and began a hand seal.
*The fool is using his power!*
In the Gwanghan Realm, I had investigated the appearances and names of Blood Ghost Realm Venerables, along with their abilities, in preparation for the invasion.
All High Venerables had already left for the Thunder Star Sea, but only the Blood Ghost Realm had them left behind.
Because of that, anyone above Taesu received information about the Blood Ghost Venerables.
The Shuaeng Venerable's ability was curse, inner demon, and summoning plus environment control.
Curses and inner demons, things like that, weren't particularly scary.
What was most terrifying about that existence was the summoning ability!
The Shuaeng Venerable was famous for summoning and commanding the power of the Blood Ghost Realm itself.
Crack!
At the spot where the Shuaeng Venerable sat in lotus position, coral with many protrusions burst forth.
Ooooooooo-
Negative forces gathered around him, and countless inner demons were born.
Then the inner demons began swirling around the Shuaeng Venerable, forming some kind of formation.
Once that completed, part of the Blood Ghost power would fully descend onto the Shuaeng Venerable and unleash its authority.
*If I cut it off in the middle, it's fine, but the real problem is...*
I looked at Gyeoncheong, who was staring back at me.
He hadn't rushed over when he saw I still had Jang Ik's blade, but his momentum was ready to strike anytime I moved toward the Shuaeng Venerable.
Even without being strong, the Yellow Dragon race was famous.
And that Yellow Dragon race had become a Venerable of the Blood Ghost Realm after mastering vicious demonic arts.
*He must be an absolute monster compared to Yuk Rin...*
Even though he was only a projection, thanks to the support from the Blood Ghost Realm, his momentum matched the true body.
*Can I do it?*
I had to face two Venerables.
I sharpened my mind to the extreme.
*I can do it.*
No, I *had* to.
Whoosh!
My entire body began expanding again.
I released my twenty-one heads and the starry giant body.
Even while looking at me, Gyeoncheong and Shuaeng didn't seem particularly cautious.
Their focus was still on the saber of Jang Ik.
*This thing has no value to worry about?*
I'll make you worry.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
[Kyaaaaaaa!]
Eyes began sprouting across my entire body.
Just as the Shuaeng Venerable's body had coral and eyes, my body sprouted flags and eyes.
The eyes wiggled and watched my movements, while the flags let out endless screams of pain.
The Myeolgye Yojo Beon sprouted from my body and scattered vicious momentum around.
Kiyaaaaaaa!
Kyaaaa!
Hwaaaaaaaa!
A terrifying ghost howl echoed, and half of the inner demons that had sprouted around the Shuaeng Venerable went mad and fled from me.
The remaining half also wanted to flee, but they were bound by the Shuaeng Venerable's curse and couldn't move.
The eyes of the Shuaeng Venerable and Gyeoncheong, who had felt my curse and pain's aura, changed.
Although intent couldn't be read, the eyes conveyed emotion.
Surprise.
*Is it only surprise so far?*
I'll make it tension instead.
I pulled out the power of Precursor Blood Thunder.
Chiiii-
White mist from the Mansang Inyeondo spread across the surroundings.
My fleshly power expanded even more.
Since all of Jang Ik's blades had been used up, these two Venerables were now purely my accumulated power to settle the matter.
I would use all the Heavenly Origin, Earthly Axis, and the foresight of the Future I had accumulated to fight them!
I took in the full view from Myeong-gak, Jigak, Seongmaekan, and the Three Worlds of Heaven and Earth.
Although the realm didn't match and Triple Taiji couldn't be unleashed, the circuit of the Strange wrapped around my body.
It was no longer the circuit of General Seo.
It could no longer amplify my power to the Four Pillars level of General Seo.
The circuit engraved in me was the one of [She] that I had stirred up earlier.
Since I had analyzed [She] while fighting, transforming my entire body into [She] for an instant was no problem.
When the Heaven-Earth Strange circuit was overlaid on my body, an enormous power began exploding from my body.
Only then did Gyeoncheong and Shuaeng's eyes show caution.
I pulled out the Colorless Glass Sword.
Each one was a level beyond Four Pillars law treasure.
Tssssss!
Three thousand Colorless Glass Swords began merging.
Three thousand became three hundred.
The law treasure beyond the standard became the standard level law treasure of Four Pillars.
Three hundred became thirty.
The standard level law treasure of Four Pillars became an indisputable fusion law treasure of the Integration stage.
Thirty became three.
The Integration stage law treasure became a law treasure of the Integration Grand Completion stage.
Three completely merged.
The Integration Grand Completion stage law treasure transformed into the Transcendent stage.
Thus, the completed Chongcheon!
Wiiiing!
I held the Colorless Glass Sword and lit up forty-two light eyes.
*I've hardly ever relied on law treasures until now.*
The Colorless Glass Swords I've used so far were honestly refined from glass hardness to danfire.
So rather than borrowing the power of the Colorless Glass Sword, I had always reinforced the Colorless Glass Sword with the formless sword or Chongcheon sword to fight, which actually reduced my focus.
However, it was different now.
Flash!
The Colorless Glass Sword that had opened the form of Chongcheon began to shine brightly.
It felt like the breath of her from the tenth loop.
The three forms existing in the Colorless Glass Sword.
The first form, color, had the ability to convert the energy of the Colorless Glass Sword.
The second form, connection, had the ability to link the energy of the Colorless Glass Sword.
And the final form, Chongcheon, had the ability to convert my mind into power using the Colorless Glass Sword.
The Colorless Glass Sword with the Chongcheon form was covered by the Chongcheon sword.
Over the Colorless Glass Sword that had become a fusion law treasure and fused with my mind, the Chongcheon sword was layered.
Whoosh!
*This is... the Colorless Glass Sword?*
After countless years, the Colorless Glass Sword that finally let me wield power from my hand.
Since I obtained the Colorless Glass Sword in the tenth loop, this was the first time I smiled while fully releasing the output of Chongcheon to ten points.
It felt like the stars were in my hand.
The sword pressure that didn't fall behind the oppression given by Baek-woon's Rechenxing flowed from my sword.
*Thank you.*
You from the tenth loop.
The Chongcheon sword that was amplified on the Colorless Glass Sword spewed pure white light from my right hand, becoming a pillar that connected heaven and earth.
It was visible that caution was added to Gyeoncheong and Shuaeng's eyes.
But this wasn't the end.
I took out "another sword" from my domain.
A pure white sword body.
A replica of Seonbo made from Salt Crystal.
Gaeryeok!
The replica of Seonbo Namgeukboi's Yeongseung.
Gaeryeok, the part of the South-Pointing Plate!
The spiritual artifact I had always thought uncomfortably since my regression.
But now was not the time to be uncomfortable.
The Gaeryeok sword was held in my left hand, the Chongcheon sword in my right, and I took the stance of double swords while continuously raising the possibility of the two swords.
Even from the Gaeryeok side, power comparable to the Chongcheon side began exploding.
And finally.
I saw the tension in the eyes of the two Venerables.
The eyes of the two Venerables and mine collided.
Immediately after, I rushed toward the two Venerables.
*Quickly, activate Yeon-ui Yeon!*
Goe-gun, and Kim Yeon!
* * *
Kugugugung!
The sky roared.
Chak!
"Ha... ah..."
Kim Young-hoon was covered in cold sweat from his entire body as he swung at something in the air.
Thud!
But he collapsed where he sat, that being the end.
He had succeeded in cutting the inner demons tormenting him.
But now he had no strength left and couldn't even move.
"...Damn it."
Bang!
He slammed his fist into the ground.
His hand was shaking.
Seo Eun-hyun had reached the realm called Void Shattering.
I had put in tremendous effort to reach that realm.
But that realm alone wasn't easy.
Even reaching the ultimate of Sitting Liberation and Standing Death, the same.
I had no idea how he reached there at all.
I knew it wasn't something simple effort could accomplish.
It required a will to burn oneself to destruction.
But...
*What was I supposed to do!*
He had to go back.
But to climb above that realm, he had to comprehend emptiness.
And he couldn't comprehend emptiness without forgetting everything precious to him.
*Give up training my power!*
Kim Young-hoon was a normal person.
He had spent his school days normal, his military life normal, graduated from an appropriate capital university, entered an appropriate company, and given his life to it.
He met Oh Ye-rin, daughter of Oh Young-cheol, one of the company chairmen, and married her, living a normal married life.
Sometimes they fought, sometimes they were harmonious, sometimes they were happy.
Normal days.
He was a person who had lived normally his whole life.
And a person who had given everything to protect that normalcy.
Kim Young-hoon was the head of the family.
*How! Are you supposed to give up!*
He pounded the floor of the Wonder Castle and shouted.
He grabbed the saber with his trembling hand.
*I can't give up...*
Seo Eun-hyun had suggested hugging your fate, but Kim Young-hoon hadn't accepted it.
Because it wasn't his own realization.
He couldn't accept everyone like Seo Eun-hyun.
He couldn't push one thing to break like Jeon Myeong-hoon.
He couldn't solve problems easily like Kang Min-hee.
He didn't have good stamina like Oh Hyun-seok.
He didn't have good specs like Kim Yeon,
and he didn't have good instincts like Oh Hye-seo.
That's why he had always wanted to gather with everyone,
to return home.
And by watching Seo Eun-hyun and the two Venerables' battle, which was more than just "reaching heaven and earth," he could understand.
Seo Eun-hyun was being pushed back.
The corrupted Yellow Dragon, Gyeoncheong, was too strong.
If it were one-on-one, Seo Eun-hyun would have had the advantage,
but the one-to-one situation was pushing Seo Eun-hyun into a corner.
If this continued, Seo Eun-hyun would lose, and they would all be exterminated.
Of course Kim Young-hoon had the confidence he would survive.
The Wansuigungmurok, the Nae-gwang.
It was really a good martial art for running away.
But he couldn't.
*I can't give up...*
Even family, even comrades like family.
Since he had deeply realized the preciousness of fate, he couldn't give up even one thing.
Clang!
He gripped the saber and stood up, crying.
And he began focusing his mind on the martial arts he had accumulated.
He couldn't give up either side.
But he couldn't stay sitting and crying forever.
Because he was an adult.
*Seo Eun-hyun, I don't know how he did it!*
After all, I can't easily understand someone else's realization!
Then I'll use my own method.
*I'll reach the next realm with my own method!*
Paaaaat!
Countless connections began disappearing from Kim Young-hoon's mind.
He instantly concentrated all his attention only inside his own dao.
Everything in this world except his martial arts disappeared.
He realized emptiness in his heart and his eyes gleamed.
*I don't need next time or tomorrow. Now!*
Paaaaaaa!
Golden light began erupting.
*Now! At this very moment! I must reach it!!!*
Under the red sky.
A golden sun rose.
*Neung-gwang Gaeyeok-hyeong*
*Second form*
*Geum Hyo-wi-gaek!*
The golden dawn opened.
Kim Young-hoon's body burned.
Golden light blazed across his entire body.
A moment.
It was only one moment, but he entered emptiness.
His rank rose.
*This is... the world you see?*
With that thought, the existence known as Kim Young-hoon disappeared from the world.
What remained was a sharp golden flash!
The flash split the giant of red coral that was summoning the power of blood ghost to intercept Seo Eun-hyun!
[------!]
An enormous scream covered the area.
Pasasasa-
And from behind the coral giant, Kim Young-hoon, golden light dispersing, reappeared.
*Are you watching, Seo Eun-hyun.*
He looked at Seo Eun-hyun, who was fighting the Yellow Dragon one-on-one, and extended his fist.
*I took one step too.*
With that thought, Kim Young-hoon passed out.
* * *
Kwarurung!
While confronting Gyeoncheong, who was suppressing me with immense power, I looked below.
*I believed.*
He had finally found his own answer and taken one step.
He hadn't solidified his realization and hadn't fully reached, but he had roughly grasped it.
Then what remained was on my side.
I looked at Gyeoncheong, who was fighting me equally, and smiled with twenty-one mouths.
*Now what. There are no more people to curse for you.*
[...!]
I smiled as I saw the Shuaeng Venerable, who had been moving my Myeolgye Yojo Beon's curse elsewhere, collapse.
Twitch!
The Myeolgye Yojo Beon embedded in my entire body twitched.
At the same time.
Kiyaaaaaa!
The screaming flags, taking advantage of the gap where I approached Gyeoncheong, pierced inside his body.
Myseong.
Flash!
Gyeoncheong's eyes popped wide open.
*A little tingle.*
The next moment, Gyeoncheong's eyes turned upside down.
Resist it.
The Myeolgye Yojo Beon that had even stirred Baek-woon's Saintess's mind!
I madly began driving the Myeolgye Yojo Beon spurting from my entire body into Gyeoncheong's body.
Blood was spurting from Gyeoncheong's seven holes.
But as a Venerable, he endured the pain without killing himself.
But he couldn't move.
That alone was enough.
I held Gaeryeok and Chongcheon and smiled.
*Disappear, you ghost of the Yellow Dragon race!!!*
Danak Sword Art
Secret Art
Danak!
The cutting intent of twenty-two seconds unfolded through two swords and separated Gyeoncheong's bones and flesh.
Even though it was only a projection, it was useless.
I simultaneously cut his soul and flesh from the soul's rank.
The moment I recognized, the true body was cut no matter where it was.
That was the attack of the Heart Tribe that reached Void Shattering!
My sword strike passed beyond the soul's rank to the place where Gyeoncheong's true body was.
As long as I could identify the true body, I could always cut it!
A while later, Gyeoncheong's projection was completely sliced and vanished.
I turned my twenty-one heads 180 degrees and looked at the Shuaeng Venerable who had been hit from behind by Kim Young-hoon.
*A long, evil connection.*
From the snake and red lotus, through countless connections made in the Demon Realm.
Many people killed by the Shuaeng Venerable's hand...
*Now it's time to end it.*
I remembered them, grabbed Gaeryeok and Chongcheon, and jumped at the Shuaeng Venerable.
Jeeong!
The entire Cheonryeon Mountain shook with my single blow.
The Shuaeng Venerable, who had briefly lost consciousness from Kim Young-hoon's attack, completely lost consciousness from me.
That's what I thought.
[...!]
I trembled from the vicious oppression felt in the Shuaeng Venerable's projection and took one step back.
: : Do not interfere. : :
Chiiing!
My head whitened.
The next moment, I felt a momentary dizzying sensation from part of the Blood Ghost authority that the Shuaeng Venerable had summoned at the last moment.
Kurrurung!
Red lightning struck from the sky.
Not Jeon Myeong-hoon's, but the sign that the Blood Ghost authority was gradually taking over the world.
Kwung, Kwarurung!
Seven streams of blood thunder fell to the ground.
At the same time, dimensional gates began opening from where the blood thunder fell.
*Ha, ha...*
The seven high Venerables of the Blood Ghost Realm.
Their true bodies began to be summoned.
I swung my sword to crush the dimensional gates, but it was useless.
The Blood Ghost authority seemed to be protecting them, and my single sword didn't even budge.
I saw that the sensed aura was all weak, so it seemed they had been shocked by Jang Ik's blade and my attack.
However, even if we fought considering fatal injury, their seven's full power...
*Enough to be three Venerables...*
Since they were around Venerable level, it seemed summoning took quite a while because of the resistance to crossing the dimensional gate.
But the problem now wasn't that.
The reason my head had become dizzy earlier.
*Blood Ghost's clone soul had launched a mental attack!*
I hurriedly returned to the Wonder Castle and checked on my comrades' conditions.
All comrades were having seizures, and only Kim Yeon, Seo Ran, and Hong Beom were fine.
The others were all bleeding from the seven holes and their brains were being destroyed by mental attack alone, dying.
Even Seo Ran, who was fine, was just peacefully sleeping.
Kim Yeon was sitting in lotus position, still doing something.
I connected to Kim Yeon with Gimyoseongsimjeon and asked.
- Kim Yeon, can Yeon-ui Yeon be activated?
Fortunately, Kim Yeon replied that it was possible.
But the problem was Goe-gun's side.
I went to the upper floor of the Wonder Castle.
Where Goe-gun was, he was dying with his brain destroyed.
For us at this level, regenerating the brain wouldn't be difficult, but since the mental attack had struck the soul itself, regeneration seemed impossible.
I looked at Goe-gun's body with a dazed expression and blew in vitality while shouting.
"Damn it! No way!"
Yeon-ui Yeon had to be unfolded by two puppet masters with powerful consciousness.
One from outside, one from inside.
And the method of activating Yeon-ui Yeon from the "inside" was something only Goe-gun knew.
While I was pondering how to find a way.
Jereok-
"...!"
I was startled to see the in-yeong that appeared beside me.
It was Seo Hyoel.
He smiled as if it were ridiculous and said.
*...I never thought I'd treat Goe-gun in my lifetime. Well... if it's urgent, there's no helping it.*
Blink!
When he reached out to Goe-gun, eyes sprouted from his hand.
*Takhon Mancheon...?*
"The one Blood Ghost just used is an application of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens. You know Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, don't you? It's a secret art of inheritance. Now Blood Ghost is trying to occupy this world by 'transmitting' himself to the Gwanghan Realm as 'himself.' And during that process, he has infused part of his consciousness into you, who are 'part of the world.'"
His explanation continued.
*In other words, those among the ones who suffered Purple Soul Filling the Heavens from Blood Ghost, whose brains are currently destroyed, will become Blood Ghost in a while.*
"...!!!"
I looked at Goe-gun.
But I said to Seo Hyoel.
*Seeing your face, it seems there's a way.*
He was still smiling as usual.
*Seo Doo also obtained Purple Soul Filling the Heavens in the Goryeok Realm, didn't he? And this time I see he has completely made it his own. Using my Takhon Mancheon and Doo's Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, I'll prevent Goe-gun's spirit from being invaded by Blood Ghost. And after awakening the spirit with powerful consciousness, I'll restore the memories with my wife's authority. Do you remember what I did before?*
Before.
Seo Hyoel meant the moment when he, Kim Yeon, and Oh Hye-seo combined their strength to peek at Goe-gun's memories to deal with Kang Min-hee.
*At that time I erased the memories for a while, but this time I have to revive them. To do that, I need the strength of Seo Doo, the Five-Step Implementation Heart Tribe. I'll sweep Goe-gun's history with my wife's authority, and then Kim Yeon's Gimyoseongsimjeon will stimulate Goe-gun's spirit to bring the memories back to life. I'll block Blood Ghost's invasion with Takhon Mancheon, so Doo, you inscribe Goe-gun's memories back into his soul with your Asim-geom.*
*Good. Cooperation.*
*It feels good, doesn't it. Then...*
Tadak!
When Seo Hyoel snapped his fingers, a curse formation drawn with blood appeared around Goe-gun.
Kim Yeon and Seo Hyoel stood facing each other, each blocking Blood Ghost's invading power with Hwahonmancheon and Takhon Mancheon.
While doing that, I also poured Hwahonmancheon's power to my comrades and temporarily blocked Blood Ghost's Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.
Tadak!
Seo Hyoel snapped his fingers again, and Oh Hye-seo's projection appeared from his shadow.
She stood between me and Seo Hyoel with gloomy eyes.
I briefly looked at Oh Hye-seo and sent a signal to Kim Yeon.
Tssssss!
Kim Yeon's consciousness clone appeared opposite Oh Hye-seo.
We four surrounded Goe-gun and each formed a hand seal.
*Well then... let's begin.*
I took out Asim-geom, Kim Yeon took out Gimyoseongsimjeon, and Oh Hye-seo took out authority.
And we connected again to Goe-gun's spirit.
In Oh Hye-seo's two hands, the Tai Chi floated and began to reverse.
Parak parak parak parak...
The sound of pages turning came, and I saw pure white light.
When Kim Yeon's Gimyoseongsimjeon stimulated Goe-gun's consciousness, Goe-gun's first memory appeared before Kim Yeon.
His first memory.
The memory from when he was born.
The past of Goe-gun (Strange Monarch) Jo Yeon unfolded before me and Kim Yeon's eyes.
---