The Weight of Immortality

"Thanks to you, hunting has become so much easier. I can eat my fill far more easily than before, so I'm definitely the one benefiting from you."

"But I get to eat meat thanks to you too, don't I?"

"Then let's just say we're both benefiting from each other."

"Something feels a bit off about that... but I think I get what you mean."

Cheongo's eyes sparkled as it scanned Jekyeong, who had just emerged from the water. The scales covering his entire body, which looked incredibly sturdy at a glance, reminded Cheongo of a rock monster it had seen in the past. Back then, Cheongo had thought that having such a massive, hard body would leave one with nothing to fear in the world. Looking at Jekyeong now, it felt a similar sensation. Fluttering its wings in envy, Cheongo suddenly looked down at its own wings—which felt so small even when fully spread—and let out a deep sigh.

Thud!

A door opened, and a magnificent bridge manifested. Though invisible to the naked eye and appearing almost like an illusion, it possessed a distinct physical reality. Jekyeong could perceive its presence through his **Spiritual Awareness**.

Jekyeong cast his consciousness toward the mysterious, grand bridge. The moment his consciousness precariously landed upon it, Jekyeong stepped into **Bulmangwon** once more.

Strictly speaking, when Jekyeong had first visited Bulmangwon, he had merely lingered around the entrance before returning. Having been invited on a whim, all he had seen was the kind Guide, **Yu Jeonggyeom**. Though he had heard various explanations, they were ultimately nothing more than stories.

Thus, entering Bulmangwon now under his own qualifications, Jekyeong could only stare blankly at the spectacle unfolding before his eyes.

A sub-world—a miniature realm. When he had first heard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the term, it hadn't left much of an impression, but seeing it in person now, he finally understood what those words truly meant.

An endless blue sky stretched overhead, and beneath it lay an equally boundless earth. Countless mountains rose so high they seemed to touch the heavens, and even higher than those peaks flowed a vast, sweeping river.

A river flowing through the sky?

He had believed that after adapting to his second life, nothing could surprise him anymore. Yet, a sight like this was still profoundly shocking.

While Jekyeong stood frozen, utterly absorbed in the view, a voice suddenly reverberated, shaking the entire world.

This single sentence, originating from an unknown source, instantly captivated Jekyeong's entire mind. Though there was no intentional display of pressure, the moment those words echoed, Jekyeong's heart trembled uncontrollably.

He is strong.

The owner of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice had not even revealed his identity, yet Jekyeong was absolutely certain that this was a powerhouse beyond his wildest imagination. With just a single spoken sentence, a massive, gentle wind swept across the pristine blue sky. It was as if the entire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠world had turned its attention to him.

"Who was that?"

"Gwanghanlim? Then it must be Senior Buun."

"A sermon! But ten years from now?"

"They are different from us. To a great power like Senior Buun, ten years is like ten days."

Suddenly, pillars of light shot up here and there. No, looking closer, they were not pillars of light but clusters of light rising rapidly. Even the closest light appeared at least dozens of kilometers away, and Jekyeong could barely recognize them as **Spiritual Bodies**.

I figured as much, but I really can't make them out.

In Bulmangwon, all cultivators could only exist as Spiritual Bodies. A Spiritual Body was literally a cultivator's mind taking shape, and that shape reflected how the cultivator perceived themselves. This was why Yu Jeonggyeom had recognized Jekyeong's true form as a snake the moment he saw him. Because Jekyeong perceived himself as a snake, his Spiritual Body took on the form of one.

However, recognizing another's Spiritual Body was far from easy. To a lower-stage cultivator, the Spiritual Body of someone with a higher cultivation stage appeared as nothing more than a blurry cluster of light. If the difference in realm was too vast, attempting to peer into their Spiritual Body could cause one's own Spiritual Body to shake or even collapse.

Conversely, those with higher cultivation could easily peer into the Spiritual Bodies of those below them. Even then, they could only see a vague outline; completely stripping away their secrets to inspect them thoroughly was no simple task.

Yet, Jekyeong harbored some doubts about this. After all, those had been comforting words added by Yu Jeonggyeom. Jekyeong couldn't gauge just how deeply Yu Jeonggyeom had peered into him.

Back then, I was merely a snake who had accidentally opened his Spiritual Awareness.

At the time, Yu Jeonggyeom had asked half-doubtingly, as if unsure whether Jekyeong was a snake or not. But thinking back on it now, that was likely a considerate lie on his part.

Every single one of them... is at a level I cannot even fathom.

Dozens of light pillars had appeared, but Jekyeong could not look directly at any of them. Staring for even a few seconds made his mind uneasy, filling him with an urge to flee. This feeling was similar to, yet different from, the pressure he had felt from the two Yao beasts before. It was likely because this was a world where only the mind, not the physical body, existed.

If he were to encounter them in the **Changram Realm**...

Terrifying.

Even though he knew they were not enemies, his mind remained anxious. Was this how an ant felt when looking at an elephant? Jekyeong could not view them as the same kind of beings as himself. No matter how much he tried not to think about it, he instinctively shrank back. This was the oppressive weight of cultivation realms.

Reminding himself that they were not enemies and would not harm him, Jekyeong slowly floated upward. This was possible because he existed here as a Spiritual Body. Even though no one had taught him how, he naturally grasped the method.

"Hm?"

As Jekyeong flew to a certain height, the cluster of light closest to him reacted.

"Your aura feels unfamiliar. I do not believe I have seen you before. Are you a cultivator of the **Beast Race**?"

"I am," Jekyeong replied calmly.

The other party approached him at a moderate pace. As the distance closed, Jekyeong could finally observe him slowly. Although he felt a sense of discomfort, it was manageable. This suggested that while the other party's cultivation was higher than his, the gap was not so vast that he couldn't even look at him.

"A cultivator of the Beast Race. How rare. Furthermore..."

The other party trailed off, letting out a soft exclamation of admiration.

"Pardon my rudeness upon our first meeting. I am **U Do-baek**."

"Greetings, Senior. I am Jekyeong."

Jekyeong speculated that this man, U Do-baek, was at least a cultivator of the **Foundation Establishment** stage—equivalent to a **Great Demon** among Yao beasts.

He's likely not at the late stage. Probably early or middle Foundation Establishment.

Cultivators of the **Human Race**, who loved categorizing everything in detail, divided their cultivation system into multiple stages. While major realms like **Qi Refining**, Foundation Establishment, and **Golden Core** were naturally distinct, they further divided each realm into three sub-stages. For instance, Foundation Establishment was split into early, middle, and late stages.

According to their classification, those at the peak of late Foundation Establishment were essentially standing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before the wall of the Golden Core stage, ready to form their core at any given opportunity. Naturally, such individuals could not be compared to those lingering in the early or middle stages, even if they shared the same major realm.

If the U Do-baek before him were a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, Jekyeong would have exhausted a significant amount of mental energy just by exchanging a few words with him. Since he felt no such strain, Jekyeong assumed he was in the early or middle stage.

Could U Do-baek be intentionally suppressing his aura?

Jekyeong recalled his meeting with Yu Jeonggyeom. Looking back, Yu Jeonggyeom's Spiritual Body had remained as stable as a raging fire contained behind an invisible glass wall. That was likely what an intentionally suppressed aura felt like.

In contrast, U Do-baek gave off no such feeling. He didn't flaunt his aura, but he didn't forcefully suppress it either.

"And that name?"

"It is the name from my past life."

"Ah, as I thought."

U Do-baek did not hide his surprise. Intrigued, he conversed with Jekyeong a bit more and soon realized that this was practically Jekyeong's first proper visit to Bulmangwon.

"Pardon me, but your cultivation does not seem particularly high. Could it be..."

"To my shame, I have not yet become a Great Demon."

A Great Demon. The second realm of Yao beasts, corresponding to the human Foundation Establishment stage. Jekyeong had only recently become a **Yo-beast**, but he spoke as if he simply hadn't reached the Great Demon stage yet. It was a bluff, calculated on the assumption that U Do-baek couldn't see through him completely, meant to avoid appearing too weak. Although he knew conflict was forbidden in Bulmangwon, he still couldn't let his guard down entirely.

"Yet you are already here. You are a junior of remarkable talent."

"You flatter me, Senior."

"Ho."

Following the soft murmur of admiration, Jekyeong felt an observant gaze wash over him.

"You mentioned you were guided here. May I ask which senior led you?"

"Senior Yu Jeonggyeom guided me."

"Ah... I see."

"Do you know him?"

"Well, I know of him, but I doubt he knows me."

It seemed Yu Jeonggyeom was quite well-known even within Bulmangwon.

"Then you must have heard all about this place from Senior Yu."

"No. At the time, I had urgent matters to attend to and had to return quickly, so I could not hear everything."

"Ah, what a pity."

"I would be deeply grateful if you could enlighten me, Senior."

"Hmm. There is not much to 'enlighten' you on. These are things you would have naturally figured out before long anyway."

Despite his modest words, U Do-baek readily began to explain.

"You know that Bulmangwon is an independent sub-world, yes? But do you know the origin of this sub-world?"

"I do not know the details."

"In the unimaginably distant past, a senior created this place. I cannot even begin to comprehend what kind of **Divine Ability** could bring an entire world into existence."

Jekyeong completely agreed with U Do-baek's sentiment. Creating a world? This wasn't a metaphor; it was literally the creation of heaven and earth. What kind of existence could achieve such a feat?

"And that senior?"

"I do not know either. As I said, it happened in the unimaginably distant past. At least tens of thousands of years ago."

"Tens of thousands of years..."

Though he had already heard this from Yu Jeonggyeom, the sheer scale of it made him feel dizzy once more. Tens of thousands of years? In his past life, the entire history of human civilization didn't even span ten thousand years. Yet here, they spoke of at least tens of thousands of years. How long would it be if one were to estimate generously?

It sounded absurd, but in this world, it was entirely plausible.

For human cultivators, the lifespan of those in the Qi Refining stage was roughly 120 years. This was merely an average; those at the late Qi Refining stage could expect to live a few decades longer.

Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, one's lifespan extended to at least 300 years. From this stage onward, the concept of a natural lifespan limit supposedly lost much of its meaning. This was because cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage rarely died of old age. Most met their ends through unexpected accidents or by failing to break through to higher realms; almost none accepted their limits and died of natural causes.

As for the Golden Core stage and beyond, Jekyeong did not know, as Yu Jeonggyeom hadn't told him. But thinking about it now, perhaps Yu Jeonggyeom hadn't known either? Or perhaps he simply thought such discussions were meaningless to a beginner.

Regardless, if the lifespan of the Foundation Establishment stage was at least 300 years, the Golden Core stage would surely be at least double that.

While comparing it to his past life was ultimately meaningless, if he had to make an analogy, a single person's lifespan was longer than the entire history of a nation.

Honestly, at that point, it's hard to even call them human.

If this was the case for Foundation Establishment, what about the Golden Core stage and beyond? What about a level of cultivation capable of creating an entire world?

A span of tens of thousands of years was no longer a joke.

And this was merely the standard for the short-lived Human Race.