The Venerables’ Path (1)
The sound of tearing flesh and bone rang out.
How long had it been since we fled the Thunder Star Sea on the starry path? Finally, Goldfinch’s arm gradually lost strength and collapsed.
‘I can’t exit the Thunder Star Sea on my own. When I try to exert power from this trapped state, it seems my strength simply runs out.’
Hwaaat!
The starry path had reached its end. The Star Realm finally came into view far ahead.
A vast, paddle-shaped sea floating in the void of space.
‘One more crossing and we’ll reach the Goryeok Realm.’
The Goryeok Realm’s Deep Sea was terrifying for Integration stage experts, but Venerables could cross it through universal attraction. Even upon entering, they could return with relative ease using their own power.
However, I did not return to the Goryeok Realm immediately. I had already escaped the Star Realm.
By now, we could have traveled across the Core Realm over several months. There was no need to rush the starry path.
Instead, I carefully observed the Star Realm from outside.
‘I’ve thought about it before. What exactly is this paddle sea?’
No, it wasn’t a paddle sea at all.
The stars connected by the starry path were all incarnations of the True Persons. Therefore, this Star Realm must also have been incarnated by a Fissure-Opening True Person. Why did this particular entity choose to manifest as a paddle sea?
‘If I wake it, the living beings inside will all flip out. And honestly, I can’t say it’s friendly to me…’
I had doubts, but I decided to set them aside for now. I flew to a suitable nearby star, settled down, and asked my shadow.
“For the past few days you’ve been following me, so I couldn’t ask… but you did say you would help me find Kang Min-hee, the Ghost Dao Holy Mother, didn’t you?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you find her as well.”
A figure emerged from my shadow, smiling faintly.
“Tell me the location.”
“Um… I don’t know yet either. I can only have the ‘me’s scattered across the universe and the Star Realm search. Still, don’t worry. For the Holy Mother, I can track her in about ten years with my wife’s help.”
“What? Have you cast some spell on her too?”
“Have you forgotten what you put inside her?”
“Ah… then fine. Once I find her, tell me her location. And Oh Hye-seo.”
I looked at Seo Hyoel and said.
“I know you’re taking on Seo Hyoel’s eyes right now. You’ve been watching our conversation too. If you later find Kang Min-hee, record everything she did after she entered the Star Realm and pass it all to me. Understand?”
“Hmm… my wife asked, ‘What kind of order is this?’”
“Since Seo Hyoel is right in front of me and you’re connected to him… I can locate you and strike anytime through him.”
Hwaa…
I ignited my glass transformation and said.
This wasn’t a joke.
Using the Asim Sword and Hwahonmancheon to go through Seo Hyoel’s Takhonmancheon, I could pinpoint Oh Hye-seo’s location. I could send her an Asim Sword infused with glass transformation.
“My wife says she’s sending it.”
“You’ve been planning this from the start.”
I released my glass transformation and crossed my legs into the lotus position.
Ten years was more than enough time to wait.
‘Kang Min-hee’s location… is of immense importance to me as well.’
Originally I had planned to dash through the entire universe without mercy, but now I could remember the location and return immediately whenever I wanted.
“Then I’ll come back after I obtain the location of the Ghost Dao Holy Mother and her movement records from the past hundred years. Goodbye.”
Seo Hyoel vanished from his spot.
I stood on the desolate star for a moment, gazing at the universe, then attempted to communicate with the Asim Swords I had left with my companions.
The Thunder Star Sea was too far; even with Asim Swords they could only resonate, not connect. But near the Star Realm, connection was definitely possible.
‘For now, returning to the Gwanghan Realm through my main body is impossible.’
I had no face to show Yeon Wi.
‘If Yeon Wi was really my body, I could hold on to it… but Jeon Myeong-hoon’s abduction… I’ll say nothing for now.’
Therefore, I would greet my companions through the Asim Swords and share what news I could.
That was when…
“Um…?”
Piiit!
It felt as if something had flashed, and my Asim Sword connection cut off.
‘What…?’
I tried to reconnect through the soul rank. The next instant another flash appeared and the connection cut again.
‘What the…’
Anger flared. I tried to reconnect the Asim Sword once more.
‘I’ll force a connection from the soul rank.’
Hwaaat!
That was when my consciousness reached out toward my companions.
Flash!
I saw it.
Only when I raised my spirit to the full soul rank did it become clear!
A golden flash blazed from the soul rank, severed my will in an instant, and vanished.
“Ha…”
I let out a soft laugh and began focusing all my strength.
“So that’s what it was.”
Was it a blessing from the heavens?
Jeon Myeong-hoon had been in pleasure cultivation for ten thousand years, but it seemed someone else had grown during that time.
“So fast…”
I hadn’t noticed it at all.
Probably Hyeon-gwi.
After seeing the extreme of the void owner, my understanding had become scattered. Still, even accounting for that, the speed was impossible to perceive!
Only one being possessed such speed and golden light.
I prepared to reconnect with my companions again.
‘To penetrate this speed, there’s only one way.’
I had to pierce through it.
No matter how fast his will was severed, I would send overwhelming power strong enough to crush his intent intact and pierce straight through.
Kugugugugu!
I briefly dragged my main body up to the soul rank.
Then, on the soul rank, I overlapped my own light and my main body’s appearance in the exact same spot.
The stars on the soul rank became one.
And at the same time, infinite power surged from that spot.
[I’m coming. This time, you won’t be able to stop me…!]
Dwadwadwadwadwa!
The entire surrounding soul rank shook.
I focused my consciousness through the soul rank and struck.
Kwaaang!
Immediately after, my consciousness collided with something.
Once more, something incredibly fast tried to sever my consciousness, but the difference in magnitude made it feel as if something had “snapped.”
At the same moment, my consciousness finally reached the Gwanghan Realm.
Chwalarak!
The place I opened my eyes was the Three Wood Grove of the Gwanghan Realm.
On top of a mountain.
At the summit.
Before my eyes, a familiar figure smiled with a sword in his hand.
“You’ve come.”
The man in black martial robes.
Kim Young-hoon showed a delighted expression and immediately took his stance.
“Come on. Today I’ll teach you exactly who is the senior.”
At those words I smiled faintly and raised both hands.
I felt Kim Young-hoon tense as he infused his entire body with intent.
The moment of life and death!
I spread both hands wide and laughed.
“I surrender.”
“What…?”
Kim Young-hoon frowned and asked.
“What crazy talk is this? How can you say that without understanding why?”
“Yes, I understand. Congratulations, Senior Young-hoon.”
I looked at his soul through the soul rank.
He currently existed as a star radiating brilliant light, the clouds of the soul rank gathering together.
He too had reached the Void Shattering realm.
Kim Young-hoon unleashed killing intent as if he were about to cut me down immediately and shouted.
“If you know, then why are you doing this? Before I cut you down…”
The instant he was about to swing his sword in rage.
Tat!
“You’ve arrived, Seo Eun-hyun!”
Someone jumped between me and Kim Young-hoon.
“How is it? Have you mastered emotional control?”
It was Jang Ik.
“…I haven’t mastered it yet. That’s why my path is currently unstable.”
I looked past Jang Ik at Kim Young-hoon and raised the All-Heaven Sword above my palm.
Uuwuung!
The Invisible Sword compressed, and a sword infused with colorless light appeared above my palm.
This was my sword that had reached the Sitting Liberation and Standing Death realm.
And here, the sword I had reached the Void Shattering realm with was this very one.
Kiiing!
The compressed All-Heaven Sword compressed once more.
Like a line of intent, I gazed at the All-Heaven Sword itself as if it were the concept of “cutting.”
This was my sword.
At first glance it looked utterly plain—a mere thin line.
Yet it was my sword that had turned the very concept of “cutting” into a flame.
“I just came back from the Thunder Star Sea. There, I experienced an incident… and I had to witness something terrifying.”
“Terrifying?”
Kim Young-hoon looked puzzled, and I tried to move the compressed All-Heaven Sword.
However, the thinned sword simply wavered in the air, then snapped like a reed and scattered into the void.
“A terrifying martial skill that negates the very meaning of martial arts. We had to witness the very illusion of meaninglessness we had trained to overcome. After that… I developed doubts about my own martial skills. And that’s why my current path is unstable. I can still use the basic functions of the Asim Sword and Void Shattering, but as a proper warrior I can’t fight properly.”
Jang Ik supplemented my explanation.
“This guy faced some [transcendent being] in the distant universe. Since then he has remained in this state.”
“I see… I understand for now.”
Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik already seemed quite natural with each other, as if they had exchanged names.
“Then since things have come to this, we should drink and vent our resentment.”
Kim Young-hoon smacked his lips, vanished for a moment, then reappeared.
In his hand was a cloth bundle containing a small table, a bottle, and side dishes.
Kim Young-hoon, Jang Ik, and I sat at the mountain summit and began our drinking contest.
“By the way, even here in the Three Wood Grove they use chopsticks.”
“In emergencies I can use a dagger instead, so I distributed them.”
Kim Young-hoon had distributed chopsticks and spoons throughout the Three Wood Grove. Jang Ik, having completely mastered them, used them with great skill and ate the side dishes.
The side dish was something like white radish kimchi, yet it had a taste that made it seem as though the bark had been peeled from a tree.
Every time I ate, my consciousness itself became clear and the infinite heaven-and-earth qi surged inside my body. It felt like a monstrous elixir.
‘Even in my current separated state, if I transmit qi through the soul rank to my main body, it would be a tremendous gain…’
An elixir that could even pass to the Star Shattering realm. What on earth was this?
As I put the liquor and side dish in my mouth and showed a puzzled expression, Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik opened their mouths.
“The liquor is Baekhongju. I prepared it because I knew you like it.”
“Oh, thank you. But what is this side dish? It’s incredibly delicious.”
Jang Ik put a side dish in his mouth and explained.
“It is the body of Baek-woon the Saintess.”
“…!”
I was happily eating the radish kimchi that looked like tree bark when I froze in place.
“After I came back from the Thunder Star Sea and suffered, she begged me for a tonic. She said to cut any part of her body she wanted and eat it. So I cut some.”
“That… wasn’t it meant as a token of gratitude? Something like ‘since you suffered, let me cut my own body and share it’… right?”
“I don’t know. You should have been more careful.”
I felt suddenly uneasy and pulled the Saintess Baek-woon’s body kimchi from my mouth.
Jang Ik clicked his tongue and said.
“In any case, the bodies of the Heart Tribe are originally elixirs traded everywhere. The Heart Tribe are half-plant, so cutting and selling pieces of their bodies causes no problem. Moreover, the Heart Tribe themselves trade their own bodies to eat or use as nutrients. To begin with, for Fissure-Opening stage and above, the body itself isn’t that valuable. Why all the fuss? Besides, I did receive permission.”
“…Yes. If that’s how you feel…”
It was a little unsettling, but since the owner of the body, Saintess Baek-woon, had given permission, I ate it.
It was different from a simple gift; it was as if she had personally cut her own fingernails and toenails. I felt no great guilt eating it.
Only a slight unease.
As I ate, curiosity struck me.
“By the way, which part of Saintess Baek-woon’s body did you cut?”
“Hehe, curious, are you? If you knew, neither of you would be able to put it in your mouths…”
“…Fine.”
It became even more unsettling, but since the taste was truly like the finest heavenly delicacies, I decided to eat it.
The body of Saintess Baek-woon was especially delicious to Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon. I gave them some and simply nibbled at my own portion.
And when the Saintess Baek-woon’s body had been reduced to three pieces.
Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon quickly grabbed their pieces, bit, and swallowed. I slowly reached for the last one.
‘It’s a bit unsettling, but it’s still an elixir… it shouldn’t be bad to eat.’
That was when I picked up the last piece with my chopsticks.
Ttak!
Kim Young-hoon’s chopsticks fiercely flicked my chopsticks aside and snatched the piece of Baek-woon with lightning speed.
“What…?”
I was dumbfounded.
Tung!
It looked as if green light flashed, and Jang Ik’s chopsticks struck Kim Young-hoon’s chopsticks back.
Cheok!
Thanks to that, the last remaining side dish fell back onto the plate.
Kim Young-hoon glared at Jang Ik with glittering eyes.
“What kind of thing is this?”
“Who are you calling ‘this’? You should know how to give your precious items to your senior.”
“Isn’t it the senior’s job to give to the junior?”
“Then why aren’t you giving to Seo Eun-hyun? You’ve always hung around him like senior and junior.”
“Since Seo Eun-hyun reached the realm before me, in the words of the Central Continent he is my senior.”
“This guy is drunk or his nonsense is unbearable.”
I sighed and said.
“When the three pieces were left, the two of you each took one. This is mine. I’ll take it. Stop fighting.”
“Nonsense! How did I get this from Baek-woon? Of course I should eat it!”
“Neither Senior Jang nor Seo Eun-hyun needs it, right? I’m eating it because the very nature of the light inside this elixir suits my dao path best!”
Ting, ti-tick, ting-ting-ting-ting!
We clashed chopsticks and made sounds.
‘Why are they acting like this?’
The piece of Saintess Baek-woon’s body was indeed a great elixir, but I hadn’t expected them to fight over it like this.
Moreover, they were fighting with greed that had suddenly appeared, making the scene oddly awkward.
As I watched them, I suddenly saw the expressions on Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon’s faces.
And only then did I understand.
‘At this level, both hide their intent and thoughts perfectly. I couldn’t sense it just now.’
I smiled faintly and moved my chopsticks.
‘I should have noticed when Kim Young-hoon brought the table. So that was the plan.’
Paaang!
A powerful qi exploded from my chopsticks and pushed the two of them away.
“Both of you, step back for now. In any case, I’m the one who should eat this.”
“This greedy Heaven race! He’s showing his true colors!”
“Get out! How dare you try to steal the senior’s side dish!”
Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon raised their chopsticks to seize my side dish.
Kim Young-hoon’s chopsticks turned golden and rushed at me.
Jang Ik’s chopsticks turned green, then unleashed monstrous power and began suppressing my momentum.
Ting—
Kim Young-hoon’s chopsticks flicked the side dish caught between my chopsticks into the air.
The side dish flew into the void, and Jang Ik kicked off his feet and leapt up.
Kim Young-hoon and I simultaneously grabbed Jang Ik’s legs with our chopsticks and slammed him into the ground.
Jang Ik quickly stood again, grabbed his chopsticks, and swung them.
Slash after slash rained down in all directions.
Both my and Kim Young-hoon’s chopsticks broke.
However, we each created golden and colorless chopsticks to confront him.
Jang Ik rushed at us, grabbed our chopsticks, and struck like a bell.
Tuok!
At best it was just a chopstick, yet one strike cut the mountain behind us cleanly.
Kim Young-hoon dodged, and I passed through the sword and let it fall, then slowly reached for the side dish falling from above.
‘If both of them don’t go all out… they’ll be disappointed.’
Heaven, Earth, Mind.
The Triple Taiji rose behind my chopsticks.
I shrank the size of the qi to the Qi Condensation level, but the Triple Taiji remained the Triple Taiji.
I unleashed tyrannical power that overwhelmed Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik, who had revealed qi of the same Qi Condensation level.
I began accelerating my consciousness around the qi of the Qi Condensation level.
Ting, ting-ding!
As my consciousness accelerated, the surroundings grew darker and the speed of our chopsticks clashing increased.
‘Kim Young-hoon’s speed now seems… to have reached transcendence.’
It was no longer just speed.
When I looked closely, he was already moving his chopsticks.
It wasn’t even just crossing space.
This was…
‘Time… reversal…? This crazy…’
0.1 seconds?
No, perhaps it was shorter than 0.1 seconds divided by a hundred million.
But clearly his chopsticks, though short, had reversed time.
The speed had temporarily transcended time.
Tuok!
Kim Young-hoon’s chopsticks blocked mine.
Jang Ik’s chopsticks tore my formed chopsticks apart in space and pressed me.
We were fighting inside the dish, yet three Heart Tribe members were engaged in fierce combat within.
And that battle had long since evolved from a three-way fight to a two-force battle between Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik, and me.
‘My field of vision… is different!’
Heavenly Path, Earthly Path, Mind Path.
I raised all three fields of vision to the Star Shattering realm.
I read history and fully understood the ultimate techniques and intents they had prepared against.
At the same time I foresaw every possible future outcome and completely blocked their actions in advance.
‘Even if the speed is fast enough to temporarily transcend time…’
To me who read both past and future, speed was useless.
Everything was read.
Tidi-ding-ding!
Kim Young-hoon’s speed was indeed fast enough to partially transcend time.
But it was useless.
I gradually began predicting and blocking every action of Kim Young-hoon with a sense approaching omniscience.
The tyrannical power gained from the Triple Taiji suppressed Jang Ik’s destructive force.
The omniscience gained from the Three Realms suppressed Kim Young-hoon’s speed.
Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon gradually began increasing their coordinated attacks.
It seemed they had understood that only by combining their strength could they face me.
The storm inside the dish gradually grew fiercer.
We were not just arguing over a side dish with chopsticks.
After realizing that my Void Shattering had become unstable, Jang Ik and Kim Young-hoon had decided to compete in their own chopstick techniques without using full power, each to show their respect for me.
Inside the chopstick fight, one was also dancing, so it was clearly a contest of martial skills.
At some point I gradually began to match both of them and fell into a state of ecstasy.
My chopsticks became the All-Heaven Sword, and theirs became the Four Treasures Heaven-Destroying Saber and the Saber of Extreme Light, confronting me.
Inside my ecstasy I recalled the circle Hyeon-gwi had shown me.
‘Ah…’
Could I approach that circle?
The fact that Hyeon-gwi would instantly shatter that circle the next moment did not come to mind.
The extreme light of the Heart Tribe was undoubtedly a madman in the eyes of humans.
But not everything he said was wrong.
‘I should judge after reaching that realm.’
Even if the ultimate was the nihilistic destruction, I would still have to judge after reaching that realm.
‘Can I reach it?’
It was so distant.
Yet beautiful.
The sacred realm that all who train martial arts should reach.
‘Can I reach it…?’
It was so distant it was despairing, and even terrible.
But…
‘I will reach it.’
Even if that place was truly terrible.
I made up my mind to confirm that peak with my own eyes and moved my hands greatly.
Paak!
The dish shattered.
And in the end the last side dish flowed from my hands and fell toward Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik.
However, neither of them looked like the victors.
“That’s it? The extreme of the formless that you saw?”
Jang Ik seemed to have seen something through me just now and wore a pained expression.
I smiled bitterly.
Kim Young-hoon smiled as if slightly empty.
“We got the side dish, but our understanding fell behind.”
But soon he recovered his expression and laughed heartily.
“What? The side dish of the Saintess’s body doesn’t matter. We saw something even better. That’s more than enough for a side dish.”
He threw the stir-fried Saintess’s body away as is, and Jang Ik no longer clung to the side dish. He simply drank Baekhongju straight from the bottle.
Jang Ik asked.
“Can’t you even catch a sword yet?”
I smiled bitterly and nodded.
“I can still spar a little with the formless arts like before, but I can’t pick up a sword yet.”
If I picked up a sword, it would still vanish in an instant.
The circle Hyeon-gwi had shown was that terrifying, sacred, and terrible.
“Fine. One day we’ll properly spar. For today, I’ll let it go.”
Jang Ik clicked his tongue and drank the liquor. Kim Young-hoon closed his eyes and recalled my intent from just now, his face flushing as if he were drunk with it.
Thus,
our short chopstick contest disguised as a drinking contest ended.
No one knew the result if they had actually drawn real swords and fought with full power, but…
At least while holding chopsticks, my judgment had been the victory.
***
After a short greeting with my companions, I contacted Yeon Wi and the others.
In other words, I told only the Terminating Ones the situation of Jeon Myeong-hoon.
“So Kang Min-hee is suffering a horrific punishment from Goldfinch…”
“Yes. But… I plan to rescue her by temporarily allying with that Seo Hyoel guy.”
“Hmm. Hmm… hmm.”
Kim Yeon looked worried and said something.
“Sorry. You probably couldn’t understand.”
“Um…”
I would have to find a way to interpret her body language too.
After discussing Jeon Myeong-hoon’s situation, Kang Min-hee’s location tracking, and future plans with my companions, I briefly returned to the Three Wood Grove.
‘…So many things happened.’
I had ascended to the Star Shattering realm, begun to be obsessed with Geomgeukcheongun, driven out Ham-jin, met Goldfinch, and Jeon Myeong-hoon had been abducted, ending the Thunder Star Sea expedition.
I had also met Hyeon-gwi, suspected to be a Heavenly Venerable of the Void, and witnessed the extreme of the formless.
I had joined hands with Seo Hyoel and made a contract.
And now I had briefly sparred with Kim Young-hoon and Jang Ik who had reached Void Shattering.
Really…
It felt as if too many monstrous things had happened that were hard to summarize.
‘Now… after finding Kang Min-hee, I need to find a way to reach her spirit, and I should begin training in the Star Shattering realm myself.’
I couldn’t rescue Kang Min-hee right now.
Her soul had a hole connecting directly to the deepest part of the Underworld.
I would have to close that hole or find a way to escape the influence of the Underworld.
Until then she would have to be… sealed after being found.
‘For ten thousand years… I will train while finding ways to rescue my companions from doom, rescue Kang Min-hee, and rescue Jeon Myeong-hoon.’
I returned my consciousness to the Star Realm.
For now I would wait for news from Seo Hyoel about Kang Min-hee, and then seal her.
And a few years later.
News about Kang Min-hee arrived from Seo Hyoel.
“Did I hear wrong?”
“No, you heard correctly, Seo Dou.”
“What… what happened to Kang Min-hee?”
“She died. And she was reborn.”
“What kind of…?”
Seo Hyoel said no more and handed me a crystal orb containing recording magic.
When I activated the crystal orb, inside it was Kang Min-hee, now a baby, babbling.
Kang Min-hee had been separated from us for one hundred and eighty years.
Short or long, during that time she had died and been reborn.
“First… explain. My head hurts… please make it understandable.”
“To explain this, I must first speak of the Star Plate Ascension Ritual.”
From Seo Hyoel’s mouth came an explanation of the Star Plate Ascension Ritual.