The Heir of Gwanghan (2)
Within the Heaven-Severing Sword Form lay three distinct forms. The words capable of describing the sword intent contained in those forms were as follows. First Form: Ipcheon. It was also called Hand-Command. Sword threads were called Hand-Command swords, and it was possible to say that Ipcheon’s sword intent was the free manipulation of swords in one’s hands. Chwaaah!
I, having taken up the Colorless Glass Swords, began to swing them. At this point, the speed of motion and the preparation time had become comparable to the speed of light. Starting from Danak Sword Art and including every sword technique I had witnessed from the martial artists of my murim days, the divine sword arts of the Su-du-ja, natural disasters witnessed in the Gwanghan Realm, and the principles of the universe I had observed while roaming the Star Realm… everything burst forth in a single hand. Chwarararar!
At first, it looked like nothing more than meaningless lines and dots carelessly scribbled by a child. However, the dots and lines soon began to gather around me, devouring the surroundings alongside countless trajectories. It was rather an explosion. Chwarararar!
It seemed as though the explosion of martial might was devouring the surrounding space. Countless storms of slash strikes appeared to swallow the surrounding space in an instant. The projections of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords retreated in a single moment. I quickly prepared the next form. Second Form: Dapcheon. It was also called Eye-Command. Since ancient times, this had been a sword technique in which martial artists or divine sword masters freely manifested swords within their field of vision or consciousness domain. Paaaat!
It was light. No, precisely trajectory. Thousands and tens of thousands of light trajectories split between the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords. Countless curves and straight lines tore through the Heavenly Lords and spread out, bursting nearby planets and stars. At the same time, the trajectories moved freely, changing shape at their points of origin, twisting the paths of the trajectories. Perhaps, if the second form of the Heaven-Severing Sword Form I had just completed was considered, it could be compared to the ability of the capable in terms of pure speed alone. I gazed upon the trajectories stretching out according to my will, returning, splitting, overlapping, bending, twisting, and flowing smoothly. The trajectories chased after the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords as if alive, relentlessly pursuing their projections. At the same time, the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords’ eyes sparkled. : : How sacred. : : : : One… that’s all. : : : : I shall end it gradually. : : : : I prophesy in the name of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords… : :
In a state where the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords had scattered to different positions, they extended their arms toward me. Kugugugug! Stars began to appear in the outer space. At the same time, scenes were reflected inside those stars. : : O regressor, after you have taken three deep breaths, you will behold us. : :
A simple and straightforward prophecy that in approximately three seconds I would “behold” them. However, because it was a simple prophecy, I realized that the power contained in this prophetic star was far stronger than any prophetic star those they had made until now. However, I remained silent and revealed the third form. Third Form: Beolcheon. It was also called Heart-Command or Heart-Command Sword, the form capable of properly drawing out the power of the Impermanent Sword. At the same time…
‘If Dapcheon is the extreme that can only be achieved by pursuing martial might alone, then Beolcheon must pursue not only martial might but something beyond.’ The Impermanent Sword was my Ipcheon—both an implementation and my sword intent at once. And until now I had only swung it as an intangible sword. However, the ‘true’ ability of the Impermanent Sword had yet to be revealed. All sword intents possessed their own unique abilities. With a single deep breath, countless sword mountains appeared around me. The true ability of the Impermanent Sword. It was precisely retribution. Retribution, also called cause and effect. The meaning of this concept was very simple. ‘You receive as you give.’ ‘You receive back as you have done.’ That was the meaning contained in the word retribution. I had repeatedly sought freedom. I had worried how to escape the oppression carried by the power of fate. And in the midst of that, my thoughts reached ‘giving and receiving.’ You receive as you have given. Wouldn’t that truly be freedom? I thought: Is it not because the beings of this world cannot be free that they do not receive back as they have given or do not give as they have received?
That was why everything must be returned as one has given. If I give as I have received, there will be no burden on the heart and it will become light. If I receive as I have given, there will likewise be no worry and it will become light. Perhaps humans could become free beings simply by upholding giving and receiving. Chwarararar! At the moment I gave my heart…
Countless sword trajectories began to rotate around me. The trajectories soon drew circles, and mandalas began to appear in those circles. And the faces of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords who beheld the shape of those mandalas changed. : : What is that… : : : : Bastard…! : :
Kiriririr… The mandalas rotated and began to glow like halos behind my head. I looked up at the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords while “beholding” them. However… nothing happened. I did not die. The mandalas depicted were the Ilwol Cheonyeok. A mandala symbolizing the entire world. “Giving and receiving” was also said to mean “forming connections.” My sword intent, the Impermanent Sword, as a sword that had truly pursued freedom, could “give and receive” power not only in the three realms but also in the outer space overlapping the Star Realm, the Underworld, the East Heaven Flower Garden, and the Origin River. In short, it could be said that the formless sword that had freely moved across the three realms had now crossed all of the three realms and the five dimensions. I could now borrow the power from the Underworld, the Origin River, or the East Heaven Flower Garden to “not ascend” while beholding true immortality. This was a miracle and a divine art possible only for me, who had repeatedly died beyond counting and had understood the nature of death to its ultimate limit. The quasi-true immortal capable of beholding true immortality was only me. […] Has your task been completed…?
Of course, the power of the Ilwol Cheonyeok I was borrowing now was not merely the power of the Underworld or the Origin River. I smiled meaningfully and raised my hand. The sword trajectories danced in ever-changing ways and altered the shape of the mandalas. The mandalas began to bloom even more. Actually, there had been no need to draw mandalas. Mandalas had only provided slight help when using magic, but since my Impermanent Sword could already wield the very ability of “giving and receiving,” the mandalas themselves had no great characteristics. However, this was etiquette. Etiquette toward those who lent me power and received the power I gave. Therefore, although it had no use in battle itself, I began to summon power by drawing the mandalas. The power of the entire Ilwol Cheonyeok began to gather toward me. Kiiiiing!
Power surged wildly from my entire body. Because I had shown goodwill toward the entire Ilwol Cheonyeok, the entire Ilwol Cheonyeok showed goodwill toward me. Although the Gwanghan blessing that had temporarily raised my grade by the amount of that goodwill had been consumed, this was a different force gathering separately. The reason I did not die despite borrowing the power of the Ilwol Cheonyeok rather than the Underworld’s power was that, since I had also prevented the end of the Ilwol Cheonyeek, the Ilwol Cheonyeek did not wish for my end either. I… had formed a connection with this world. : : I am… not immortal in this moment alone. : :
Looking up at the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords, I opened half of my eyes centered on the immortal power I had obtained. ‘If it’s like this… I should be able to give it a try…’ Kugugugug!
Behind my head, the Triple Taiji began to “rotate” violently. Until now, it had only been suspended, sometimes rotated just a little, but it had remained in a suspended shape. The reason was simple. ‘I had become too strong.’ Here, if the power of the Triple Taiji excessively amplified my power, I might reach the quasi-true immortal state on my own and skip the ascension to true immortality. However, the price of postponing the end of the Ilwol Cheonyeek had pushed my own death back, so I had obtained immortality. Therefore… even if I properly drew out the power of the Triple Taiji, I would not ascend. Paaaaat!
The Triple Taiji rotated, and the boundary between the Triple Taiji vanished. At the same time, I felt my entire body flood with pure white. Paaaat! : : …Huuu… : :
My entire body felt as if it were burning. No, my entire body was already burning because of something pure white. White! I was drenched in pure white light, having become the very thing called [Power]. ‘This… is the Triple Taiji properly amplified from the Gaeyeol stage…!’
Feeling the explosive power surging within me, I beheld the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords. The faces of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords had completely changed. : : Were we mistaken? : : : : Rather, it is a force of such cruelty… still far short of the Gwanghan in the quasi-true immortal era, but perhaps enough to resemble him… : : : : Regardless of the size of the power, the scale of what is being done is on the level of the Golden Immortal. : : : : With the size of this power, causing a disturbance on the scale of the Golden Immortal and disrupting the order of the entire Sumi Mountain is something we cannot allow. : : : : Today, must we cut the sprout here…? : :
They looked at me with genuine intent and began to raise their grades. And I collided with them once more. : : I prophesy in the name of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords… : :
Stars were born once more. I rushed toward the Heavenly Sovereign who was creating stars, but immediately switched paths and charged toward the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign. The target was the prophetic star inside the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign who was still fixing my future through [beheading] at every moment! The Parasol Heavenly Sovereign and I, who had become the very [Power] itself, collided. ‘I see it.’ The Parasol Heavenly Sovereign instantly generated a star inside his own body. Inside that star, the scene of the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign fighting without falling behind against me was reflected. He received my attacks while calmly generating small planets and storing them inside his body. The planets he created granted light fortune to him and suitable misfortune to me. Although his own martial might was far below mine, he calmly received my attacks through appropriate prophecies, set up counterattack opportunities, and tied my feet. ‘This man… is not a warrior or a madman, but a general.’ As a general commanding the battlefield, it felt as though he had used himself as bait to catch me and was systematically hunting me. Bwoong!
His single strike struck my chest from the outer space. I leaped over enormous space and was knocked away, and he quickly closed in before me and clenched his fist. Ujijijik!
My entire body was crushed by the power. He raised his twin blades toward the entire region of my body that had become the very pure white power and fired countless golden immortal blades. Tuwoong, tung, tung, tung! Although his golden immortal blades did not deal meaningful damage, they struck me directly and, thanks to the sword form, generated planets or satellites that grew larger and stabbed into the parts of my body. Each of those was a negligible misfortune and prophecy, and I gradually began to be pushed back by the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign. ‘The other Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords are also a problem.’ I faced the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign one-on-one and looked around. The Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords were creating stars endlessly while prophesying toward me who faced the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign. My shoulders gradually grew heavy and my throat felt choked. Unlucky misfortunes continued to pile up, pushing me into a desperate situation. Heaven-Severing Sword Form Second Form Dapcheon! Chwarararar!
Countless curves and straight lines struck nearby. And those trajectories of straight lines and curves shot out swiftly like the universe was folding, beginning to shatter stars. The stars collapsed and the fates that had been cast upon me gradually collapsed as well. The Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s twin blades flew back again. I fought the nearby Parasol Heavenly Sovereign through the first form of the Heaven-Severing Sword Form, Ipcheon, and continued to intercept and drop the prophetic stars through Dapcheon. ‘This… is the projection of a high-level quasi-true immortal…!’ If it were only one-on-one with them, there would be a chance of victory. However… I could not block the full coordination of the seven Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords. Absolute desperation! Overwhelming defeat! The opponent camp in which the chances of victory were thickening. No more future was visible. ‘…Still.’ I smiled faintly. ‘Despair is already too familiar.’ How many times had I been driven into desperation, felt defeat, suffered pain, and felt despair while living? How many times had I felt the sensation of “it’s over” while living? It was not just a couple. Which was greater, the despair felt when I had been robbed of my stall while running a soap business and chased away by gangsters, or the despair of being driven into desperation with the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords before me now? There was none of that. They were the same despair. Only the scale and situation had changed slightly. For the weak, there is the despair of the weak; for the strong, the despair of the strong. Those born as strong do not experience such despair much. Therefore they train themselves so they will not fall into despair. But those born as the weak, life itself is despair. Therefore we nurture the heart to rise again even after falling into despair. I had always been the weak. ‘Therefore…’ : : I will not fall. : :
The ultimate of the sword’s basics I had grasped and swung for a lifetime and sought. The strikes of Ipcheon gradually reached the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign. Pakang! The planet generated on the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s shoulder collapsed. One fortune acting on him fell away. The trajectories of Dapcheon shot up and destroyed the newly created prophetic star. One fate of doom applied to me collapsed. One step. Twuk! A powerful strike to the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s waist area tore at his hips. Planets were torn away once more. Small misfortunes gradually fell from my shoulders. Two steps. Ipcheon and Dapcheon combined and began to madly press the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign. Finally, the arms of the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s projection were severed. Of course regeneration would occur, but a gap was created in that moment. Three steps. The form of Beolcheon following Ipcheon and Dapcheon danced within my embrace. The mandalas seemed to bloom, and my Impermanent Sword instantly passed through the outer space, the East Heaven Flower Garden, the Origin River, and the Underworld, rapidly reaching the Star Realm. The single sword filled with the power of the five dimensions pierced straight through the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s chest and split his upper body in half. Kwaaah!
Countless starlights burst from the Heavenly Lord’s projection and dyed the entire sky. ‘I’m going!’ Through Beolcheon, the function of the Impermanent Sword began to display maximum light. Until then, the hearts of those who had “given and received” with me. The hearts of all those beings began to burst out in the form of implementation. Retribution was not simply giving and receiving power with the world. Receiving and giving between hearts was also… it could be called a sort of retribution. Green, crimson, sunset, white, black, pastel pink, azure… Countless rays of light of various colors headed toward the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s abdomen that had been torn apart. Flash! Light exploded. With that, it was over. The prophecy inside the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign that he would behead me was thus shattered by my hand. Twukwahg!
Along with him, the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s projection exploded. Chiiiiiiii- I looked at the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign’s projection that had exploded and turned into starlight, scattering, and continued to gaze at the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords who were preparing prophecies from behind. : : How amazing. : : : : Even while receiving our interference with only a Gaeyeol body… you have attained true immortality. : : : : Although it is a projection, you are a sprout that has defeated a true immortal one-on-one… a dangerous talent. : : : : Possessing such talent and such a fate, yet you are looking down on the order of the Heavenly Realm… we cannot allow it. : :
Wiiiiing! The light spewing from the bodies of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords began to grow stronger. Zzit, zzit…
I felt goosebumps on my body from the very power they were spewing. However, it did not end there. Tamlang Heavenly Sovereign sent a message somewhere. And familiar figures began to gather. ‘…Damn it… is it really going to turn out like this.’ Chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk! Following the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords, forty-eight Gaeyeol true immortals summoned them and began to surround me. : : When hunting wild beasts, they exert full power. : : : : We apologize for having underestimated you. : : : : To that extent, we shall now use every means we can to trample you underfoot with full power… : :
At the same time, I saw the form of the Parasol Heavenly Sovereign, who had scattered as starlight behind me, returning. Of course, his condition among them looked the worst, but… in the end, it was a return to the origin. ‘Can I defeat all of these…’ I, no matter how well I did, was only one true immortal’s worth. However, these were true immortals of seven, plus Gaeyeol true immortals who could take on the role of one and a half more true immortals. It was essentially the same as fighting nine true immortals. I let out a groan and intensified the rotation of the Triple Taiji even more. ‘…There is no choice.’ I could not despair. Despairing did not change anything. I would not give up. As always! Thus, Tamlang, Guemun, Nogjon, Mungok, Yeomjeong, Mugok, Parasol… Seven true immortals extended their hands toward me at once. : : I prophesy in the name of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords… : :
At that moment. Paaaaat! From somewhere. From a distant place, someone sent will to me. ‘…Eh?’ That place was Jeungryongseong. Jeungryongseong where Seo Hyul had met his end. From there, [someone] was looking at me. And that person spoke to me. -Think about what you have. The chill was immense! I felt goosebumps across my entire body while gazing at the gaze of that person and the traces of Seo Hyul that person was stroking. The being wearing a blood-red long robe that covered the entire Jeungryongseong in red coral looked at me with bloodshot eyes and opened its mouth. -Heaven, Earth, Heart. Those things are the end, right? Do you not have something even more precious? ‘Precious thing…!’ However, regardless of the fear toward that being, I listened carefully to the advice of that being. And I immediately understood. ‘What that person is saying…’ Kwarung! It felt as though lightning struck my head. I had never thought to use it for such a purpose. But the moment I heard that, I felt it was possible to use it for such a purpose as well. I calmed my chest that was trembling as if with electricity and thanked him straight on. : : Thank you for the advice. : :
The projections of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords seemed puzzled, but I could not help laughing. Why had I not thought of something so simple… Of course, I had only just reached the Gaeyeol stage with the Triple Taiji less than two days ago. There had simply been no time to try various things. Wiiiiiiing!!! The Triple Taiji rotating violently. And I added one more thing according to [his] advice to that Triple Taiji. : : Heaven, Earth, Heart. And… Trajectory (Wheel Tracks). : :
A cartwheel overlaid the rotating Triple Taiji. Of course, it still felt as though I had not completely added the [cartwheel] to the Triple Taiji. It seemed as though adding a [cartwheel] to the Triple Taiji would bring forth something enormous, but for now, the only thing I could obtain by adding them was one. Another amplification of power through a new path. Just as I had amplified power through the puppet circuit of Goe-gun, I could now perform it through the power of the [cartwheel]. Wiiiiing! The [cartwheel] that was completely overlaid and somewhat clumsily overlaid with the Triple Taiji. However, regardless, at the moment the two combined… I exploded. The universe vibrated. It was not a metaphor or a simile, but a literal direct analogy. I felt the entire Ilwol Cheonyeek vibrating with my power. The faces of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords before me changed urgently, and the Gaeyeol true immortals began to panic by scattering their bewildered minds. At the moment when Heaven-Earth-Heart-Trajectory combined… I intuitively felt that I had obtained power comparable to a god. The amplified power and senses through the Triple Taiji and [cartwheel]. Beyond that, a faint voice of Baek-woon came from the far middle realm. […Gwanghan…? ]
Following her words, Tamlang Heavenly Sovereign opened his mouth with a trembling voice. : : …The reincarnation of the Gwanghan Heavenly Sovereign!!! : : : : …Unbelievable. How could such a cruel thing happen. How did you obtain such power…! : : : : In the end, after fifty thousand years, a great chaos is about to come to the world!!! : :
The Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords began to act violently and spewed ominous killing intent toward me. I swallowed my energy and looked at the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords. They were lowering their true intent. ‘Can I do it…?’ And the prophecy of etiquette flew to me once more. -Raise your head. The thing you bear is something no one who bows their head can bear. Jeungryongseong. From there, blood-red light was blooming. I felt it. The being that had been in the outer space was descending in its true body to the Ilwol Cheonyeek. -Your current self is of the same level as the main body. The incomplete projections of the Northern Dipper like this, you could crush them now. : : …Why give me such advice…? : : -You do not know. One thing, while opposing them, I will support you… you must not make the name of the thing you bear shameful. : : …Thank you. Yu… : : -Blood Yin. As long as you bear it, I am Blood Yin in front of you. : : …Thank you. Blood Yin! : :
That was it. It was Hyeol-eum who had advised me to overlay the cartwheel and Triple Taiji. The being also called the black lotus of evil deeds had begun to support me. * * * All beings in the entire universe were trembling. In particular, beings who had lived for more than fifty thousand years were trembling as if in the grip of fear, recalling the terrifying being from fifty thousand years ago. That terrifying being, having captured High Immortals in the Gaeyeol era, there was no doubt that traces of that terrifying being could be overlaid on Seo Eun-hyun. And among them, the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords, including Baek-woon and other middle realm saints, were literally writhing in agony. The forms of the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords began to change. Until a moment ago, if their projections had taken a moderate shape to send Seo Eun-hyun, this time their projections themselves began to reveal cosmic true faces. They seemed to say they must cut off the sprout of that unbelievable being from this place today. Yes, they were clearly… afraid of Seo Eun-hyun. The nightmare from fifty thousand years ago. Because they had seen the possibility of the Cold Lunar Heavenly King. However, while all the rulers of the Ilwol Cheonyeek were trembling, there was one being who stood calmly, gazing at Seo Eun-hyun without trembling. It was Hyeol-eum who had descended to Jeungryongseong, eroding the entire Jeungryongseong, and descending to the Ilwol Cheonyeek. Next to Hyeol-eum stood Jinyin wearing a purple long robe, standing with a very bright and clear face. [Have you finally come to your senses…! Blood Yin…! Oh, perhaps… the neck…] […Shut up.] Hyeol-eum cut off Jinyin’s words with a mysterious face and muttered while gazing at the place where Seo Eun-hyun was fighting. [I just want to see.] Thus, the four power systems of Heaven, Earth, Heart, Trajectory. The true battle between Seo Eun-hyun who had obtained the possibility of the Gwanghan Heavenly Sovereign from fifty thousand years ago by mixing the four power systems and the Seven Northern Dipper Heavenly Lords who were lowering their true intent in agitation from that nightmare began. The entire Ilwol Cheonyeek began to shake.