A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Chapter 298: Taenghwa (幀畫)

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Chapter 298: Taenghwa (幀畫)

Sreung―

The willow leaf blade stirs.

"Junior, how many moves would be appropriate for you?"

She asks.

After all, since it's only a clone, engaging in a prolonged battle would overwhelmingly disadvantage her.

Thus, a short bout to gauge each other's capabilities is best.

After a moment's consideration, I reply.

"Ten moves? Are you sure you can handle that?"

"What?"

"Ten moves might be enough to kill junior..."

"Haha..."

Her wildly overconfident words involuntarily make me chuckle.

Indeed, isn't this the confidence one would expect from someone at the Integration level of the Heart Tribe!

"Let's see you try."

"Fine, if you wish..."

Wo-woong―

Her willow leaf blade cleaves through the void.

It's familiar.

It's exactly like the style of Jang Ik.

It seems no exaggeration to say she is his disciple. She is attempting to demonstrate the same level of precision that borders on insanity.

Exactly like his.

'But different.'

Heaven Tribe's foresight.

Earth Tribe's spiritual energy tracking.

Heart Tribe's intent.

Kim Young-hoon's perception and the Ghost King's Nether Perception.

Only by using all these senses can I barely follow the trajectory of the Fighting Spirit she is about to unleash.

And by following that trajectory, I understand.

Her's is the same as Jang Ik's, but different.

Ting—

In the frozen world, her words seem to echo.

Heart language, clearer and more ringing than any I'd ever heard before.

[You, you've seen Fighting Spirit before, haven't you? From master?]

[I will not deny it.]

She notices that I am familiarly tracking her trajectory while preparing a countermove, and her eyes light up with recognition.

Lines connected.

Following the trajectory of her willow leaf blade, spiritual veins connect like blood vessels.

But unlike Jang Ik's Four Treasures Annihilating Heavens Blade, Tae Yeol-jeon's willow leaf blade doesn't draw in the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual energy even as it connects these spiritual veins.

The magnitude of the energy neither amplifies nor increases.

Yet, somehow, I have a dreadful premonition that her decisive move will be far more sinister and terrible than anything Jang Ik had shown.

'If I can't properly block it, at the very least my body will be torn to shreds.'

Overwhelming 'power'!

A force beyond mere strength, a dominating force!

Originally, I had intended to compete only in pure martial skills.

But in the next moment, I discard such leisurely thoughts and immediately summon the Three Great Ultimates.

At the same time, I take the initial stance of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

This is because of the sense of crisis that if I don't counter the attack, my upper body will simply disappear.

And then, she begins her attack.

Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting (心天幀畫圖).

Seven Brilliance Kings (七華王).

The First Brilliance, Golden Body Heavenly King (第一華 金身天王).

Shiver!

In an instant, the trajectory of her willow leaf blade that she created.

The spiritual veins within that trajectory suddenly shine brightly in gold.

'That's…!'

The next moment, she soars toward me like a golden peng, dancing in flight.

Compared to Kim Young-hoon's insane speed, the strike is considerably slower.

Yet, despite knowing it's slow, I find it impossible to dodge.

Kuaduduk!

"Kuhuk!"

I spit out blood violently, suddenly realizing I have suffered burns all over my body.

'What, what is this…!!'

Kugugugugu Kuang!

Behind me, the shockwave belatedly erupts.

I quickly assess my surroundings.

'Where, where is this!? This is crazy…!!!'

This place is Temporal Fate Island.

With one strike from Tae Yeol-jeon, I was flung from the central area of the Human Race territory on Heavenly Cauldron Mountain to the outermost Temporal Fate Island.

Kugugugugu!

The atmosphere is torn apart, and the area rumbles with shockwaves.

Though my skin burns regenerated quickly, it feels like my internal organs are thoroughly shaken.

Considering that Hon Won's attacks caused severe external injuries but hardly any internal ones, Tae Yeol-jeon's is the exact opposite.

Contrary to Hon Won, there is almost no visible external injuries, but the accumulated internal damage is horrendous.

'It's coming!'

I immediately prepare my stance and ready for a counterattack against the killing intent coming from Heavenly Cauldron Mountain.

Seven Brilliance Kings.

The Fourth Brilliance, Silver Basket Heavenly King (第四華 銀籃天王).

It's pure chaos (混沌).

Gray pure chaos swirls before my eyes at one moment, boiling into primordial chaos (混元).

The sphere of chaos appears both a mixture of white and black, resembling gray, and a mixture of blue and red, resembling purple.

What is clear is that Yin and Yang are so intermixed that they are difficult to discern.

'Ah, now I see why Hon Won was so submissive to Tae Yeol-jeon.'

Putting aside the Heart Tribe's Heavenly Tribulation, if Hon Won were to face this, his Yin-Yang energy, twisted by Yeon Wei, would have gone berserk.

I operate the demon beast methods with all my might.

Adding the aspect of lightning to the demon beast methods,

I reverse the flow of the method.

The exchange of Yin and Yang ceases, and they begin to scatter within my body.

I systematize the dispersing flow of Yin and Yang within me into the Mad Lord's circuits, making it follow my control.

As I take my stance in that state, I suddenly feel the sphere of chaos approaching me.

Swoosh―

The sphere of chaos is absorbed into my body.

It should have been a strike that twists and kills me, but instead, it interacts with the reversing flow of Yin and Yang in my body, neutralizing it and returning the flow in my body to normal before it dissipates.

This is a disintegration method that only I, possessing demon beast methods, the Lightning Path Method, and the circuits of the Mad Lord, can perform.

[Impressive. You're the first to dispel it in such a manner.]

Before I know it, Tae Yeol-jeon has reached in front of me.

[Then can you block the next one as well?]

The Second Brilliance, the Third Brilliance.

Continuous strikes.

Red Pearl Extinguishing Heavenly King (赤珠滅天王).

Lazis Lapuli Protecting Heavenly King (瑠璃護天王).

Red flower flares and blue ghost fire shines from Tae Yeol-jeon's two hands.

'Each carries its own destructive power.'

Crack!

If hit, it will physically separate flesh and bone.

However, I am more wary of the other moves she has hidden than the attack in front of me.

'The willow leaf blade has disappeared. I don't know where it will strike from.'

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace!

Tsststsst!

My Nascent Soul turns into a sword.

But this time, it's not for the purpose of infusing it into the Colorless Glass Sword and swinging it.

The essence of Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace is not the 'Heart Sword' but 'fusion of power.'

I literally push 'all' my power into the sword-turned Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.

At the same time, all the power within my body drains away, leaving my body in a state no different from a scarecrow.

Because this happens within me, even Tae Yeol-jeon doesn't immediately notice, and her two palms strike me.

However, as soon as the blue and red palms touch my powerless body, they immediately swirl around my meridians and fuse inside the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.

[What?]

I can feel her astonishment through heart language.

Crack!

I immediately grab her arms.

[Impressive. You solved this? How much combat experience does one need to have to solve this upon first seeing it?]

Tae Yeol-jeon bursts into admiration and laughs as if delighted, while I, feeling the ominous energy from behind, grip my hands harder.

Cut!

Her arms are severed as if cleanly cut by a sharp sword.

Without hesitation, I initiate Boundless Dao to the Other Shore from within my Nascent Soul, exploding the fused power and begin performing a sword dance.

A sword dance that will kill me if the power is not released!

Nothing less than this level of technique will suffice.

My sword dance sweeps away her upper body, and at the same time, I block the incoming willow leaf blade from behind.

As I see the willow leaf blade, I recall the time I fought with Jang Ik and choose not to unleash further attacks on Tae Yeol-jeon but instead swiftly exit from the spot.

Paatt!

I escape from Temporal Fate Island and once again take the initial stance of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship from outside the Human Race territory.

And, in that brief moment.

A regretful heart message echoes.

[Did you say you fought with Master? You were not fooled.]

A dense pinkish web expands in all directions, entangling the spot where I had just vacated.

Had I foolishly thought I gained the upper hand and continued to attack her, I would have been crushed within the spiritual vein realm created by the willow leaf blade.

Gradually, as I clash with her, I come to understand the feel of the Fighting Spirit she has realized.

'Her use of the willow leaf blade is simply because she learned it from Jang Ik.'

Most of her opponents would likely mistake the willow leaf blade as her weapon and focus solely on it.

But having clashed with her, I realize that it's not the 'willow leaf blade' saber method that makes her a member of the Heart Tribe.

'Was it called Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting?'

I shudder, recalling the name she resounded through heart language.

'If I'm right... Tae Yeol-jeon has likely risen through the Heart Method itself.'

In other words, it's like focusing only on the Dragon Vein Qi Method and reaching the First Step Before the Throne.

Then manifesting and using whatever techniques suit the internal energy cultivation method as needed.

The essence of her supreme method is the Qi Method itself.

Wo-woong!

In the distance.

The pinkish light rising from Temporal Fate Island begins to compress.

It turns into a crimson light.

At the same time, her heart essence starts echoing again.

[Master wants to be the Strongest (最强) to protect the weak, but I want to be the Highest (最高). His Four Treasures Annihilating Heavens Blade can absorb Heaven and Earth spiritual energy to indefinitely increase its force, but mine is the opposite.]

Suddenly, as I face her, I realize another thing.

'So that's it... The secret of her power was there all along.'

No matter how overwhelming the power one possesses, if it doesn't hit the target, it is meaningless.

Hitting the opponent and knocking them down.

That is one of the essences of martial arts and combat.

I use the Formless Sword of infinite freedom that ignores defense and evasion.

Kim Young-hoon uses the Surpassing Radiant Saber, which is too fast to react.

Jang Ik uses the Four Treasures Annihilating Heavens Blade, which renders defense meaningless with its destructive power, stabbing the attack directly into the opponent.

But her way is completely different.

Certain Hit (必中).

Anyone facing her attack can never evade.

They must block it head-on.

I recall that I couldn't evade her attacks.

It was much slower than Kim Young-hoon's attack, but the reason I couldn't dodge it and had to block it,

The reason I couldn't evade even once during the battle,

It was due to the properties of her Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting.

[I, on the contrary, connect my heart and spiritual veins to draw strength from within my heart. It's about tapping into the potential inherent in the human soul.]

Those facing the Heart Path Method she cultivated would see their own potential reflected in the clarity of her heart.

It isn't merely a brute force attack with destructive power, but one that makes the opponent confront their own potential using her heart as a mirror.

That is the essence of her Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting.

'It isn't that one can't evade, but if one does, their heart would gradually break, increasing the chances of Qi deviation and Heart Demons during the battle.'

An absolute technique that forces a head-on confrontation.

That is her Fighting Spirit.

That is her martial way.

Crack, crack-crack!

As I infuse my sword with the exploding energy within me, I look at her.

She looks back at me.

Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting.

The Sixth Brilliance, Agate Hatred Heavenly King (瑪瑙憎天王).

A wave of crimson light unfolds like a sea of blood,

I can feel it.

If even a drop of this blood sea touches me, the skin of my entire body will be peeled off.

The skin might regenerate, but the essence of the blood sea is 'to peel.'

It might not just strip away the skin, but also the surface layer of my soul.

My consciousness would disintegrate, falling to the plane of Qi, and my Nascent Soul would scatter and perish.

It's a strike boasting the worst compatibility for cultivators who analyze information through their domain of consciousness.

'Hm? What's this?'

I suddenly realize that I have analyzed the opponent's move too quickly.

Unlike other attacks, this one feels strangely familiar.

‘Why does it feel like I've seen this before...?’

But I can't remember from where.

'Enough. This is not the time to think about such things.'

I think of a way to counter the attack from Tae Yeol-jeon.

'If it's an attack that disintegrates consciousness, then I will counter it with something that cannot be disintegrated.'

If the previous chaos sphere is the worst match for Hon Won,

This attack is one where Hon Won can actually hold the upper hand in compatibility.

Of course, it'd be different if it hits, but Hon Won can easily nullify this attack before it can strike.

Qi cannot be disintegrated.

Qi, containing all attributes, is complete in itself, and it's impossible for its attributes to exist separately.

Rather, Hon Won's Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique is a strange and bizarre method that forcibly disassembles such Qi.

'Qi is Life, Life is History…'

The history accumulated by one's existence can never be changed!

Tssstssstssstsss!

A white mist begins to envelop my sword.

The power of the immortal beast mixes with the other Heaven and Heart forces inside the Boundless Dao to the Other Shore.

I take a step forward.

Simultaneously, a sword scatters in a stopped world.

Boom!

With a single slash, a person recorded in the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections raises their hand.

A drop of the blood sea bursts.

First sword.

Another person raises their hand.

Two drops of the blood sea burst.

Third sword.

Fourth sword.

Fifth sword.

My sword scatters beams like rays of lights.

The white sword strikes extend in all directions like the hands of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, emitting streaks of light.

Countless beams clash with the sea of blood, and with each clash, a connection from the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections raises their hand.

Each drop of the blood sea bursts decisively.

In a sea of white mist, countless connections reach out, erasing the sea of blood.

How many times has it been?

I unleash an uncountable number of sword strikes.

And finally, I can sense that all the power I had fused and ignited within the Boundless Dao to the Other Shore has been completely spent.

Paaang!

But at the same time, as I burst the last drop of the blood sea.

Chiiiieee…

I have no strength left in my body.

The Boundless Dao to the Other Shore has to be used until all the strength in the body is completely exhausted, and as a result, I am utterly powerless.

Tae Yeol-jeon clicks her tongue as she looks at me.

"Other than Master and Hon Won, no one else has ever blocked the Sixth Brilliance in such a way... Impressive."

I laugh amidst the pain that squeezes my lungs.

"It seems, this is not the usual way to solve it."

It feels like my mind is shaking.

I have wrung out so much energy that I feel like I might vomit blood and die at any moment.

Whoooosh...

Floating in the air, I begin to fall as I can't maintain my energy any longer.

Outside the Human Race territory’s cloud islands, in the rugged mountainous region.

If I fall, I will undoubtedly be shattered to pieces.

But I squeeze the last bit of energy I have and activate the Mad Lord's circuits laid out beforehand in my body.

Although my body is in no condition to move, it forcibly moves like a puppet, amplifying the remaining drop of energy to protect itself.

Koong!

I completely collapse and struggle for breath.

Fortunately, I didn't shatter to pieces upon falling, but I really don't have the strength to even hold a sword.

It's hard to even breathe.

Taatt!

Tae Yeol-jeon lands on the opposite mountain peak where I had fallen and speaks.

"Typically, one does not use such a brute-force approach, but faces it head-on and endures the disassembly of the soul. By making one's consciousness as close to nothingness as possible and reaching emptiness, one can pass the Sixth Brilliance as if ignoring it. Master could pass it that way, but he felt that using the technique on him was too outrageous and destroyed it completely. Cultivator Hon's Great Mountain Emperor Splitting Technique…the compatibility is too malicious, so it inevitably got blocked. The method of bursting every single drop of the blood sea... You're the first one. I can't even grasp how you did it..."

"...Tha...nks..."

I struggle for breath, unable to continue speaking.

It's difficult to even utter a single word.

It feels as if I have aged a thousand years in a moment.

And at the same time, I realize something.

An absolute technique that forces the opponent to face themselves.

'So that's it…'

The Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting is...

"...Those...techniques..."

Having gained insight into her method, and with the thought that I must express my understanding, I squeeze out the strength.

Using heart essence subtly squeezes my upper dantian, so it's better to speak normally for now.

"Are not...intended...to kill..."

Techniques that separate bones from flesh, flay the skin, or twist the entire body's meridians to cause death—although terrifying in outcome, having directly experienced them, I understand.

'Nothingness... All of them, if you make yourself into nothingness, all attacks become nullified.'

An absolute technique that forces the opponent into a state of emptiness to impart enlightenment.

Indeed, her Entering Heavens is a supreme technique intended to 'teach enlightenment' to the opponent.

I speak to her about what I have discovered while coughing up blood.

Tae Yeol-jeon seems genuinely amazed.

"Impressive... No one, not even the geniuses of the Heart Tribe, has figured that out in a single duel. Only Master recognized the essence and I got beaten up for being disrespectful.... Hehe, fascinating. You..."

A sparkle flickers in her eyes.

"How much asceticism have you endured? It takes insight that can't be gained without focusing on a single thought for at least a thousand years, enduring pain like a madman. What single thought have you been pursuing so vehemently?"

Clank, clank, clank...

I feel my body rattling as I stand up.

It isn't by my will.

'Ah… yes.'

My body is essentially just awake in consciousness; it's no different from being in a coma.

Yet, my body stood up.

Chiiieng!

In this moment, I feel an indescribable sense of unity with the emptiness (空).

A true sense of unity with the Formless Sword that I have never felt before.

Everything within my emptied body fills up with the spirit of the Formless Sword, moving my body.

I remember what Young-hoon Hyung-nim had said.

Before I acquired the Formless Sword.

That is, during the time of the Ultimate Pinnacle.

When I was training at Shattered Heaven Peak.

He said he saw me continue training as per my daily routine even after I had fainted.

But I couldn't remember training when my memory lapsed.

Then, who had moved my body at that time?

'I see. You... have been with me since then.'

Even martial arts have a spirit.

What I did upon reaching Tribulating Heavens wasn't bestowing a spirit but merely awakening it.

And this spirit's origin is something very familiar to me.

For the first time, the Formless Sword says something other than 'cut.'

―Hear the Dao in the morning, Die content in the evening.

"...If I obtain the Dao in the morning, I am content dying in the evening"

Transmitting the words of the Formless Sword through my mouth, I smile.

"In life, I have merely strived to grasp even one more Dao."

"What is your Dao?"

"The causes and connections of all phenomena (萬象因緣, Myriad Forms and Connections)."

"..."

Tae Yeol-jeon stands still for a moment, then starts forming seals after sticking the willow leaf blade into the peak.

Wo-woong!

The poorly formed clone, which had not been able to form a proper shape, gradually begins to take a clearer form.

Tae Yeol-jeon's main body far away is consuming her own power to reveal herself more distinctly.

Her appearance is that of a shaven-headed monk in a robe.

She clasps her hands in a prayer gesture towards me.

"I apologize for trying to teach you rashly. Please accept it."

"Thanks to you, I've gained great enlightenment. No apology is necessary."

Thanks to her, I have learned the true usage of Tribulating Heavens.

Unified with the Formless Sword, I move to accept her gesture, entirely depleted of strength in the state of Emptiness (虛空).

The Heaven Tribe and Earth Tribe at the Heavenly Being stage eliminate the boundary between the internal microcosm and the external natural world, drawing upon the boundless power of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

However, the third stage of Manifestation of the Heart Tribe, my Tribulating Heavens, is the opposite.

Allowing oneself, who has gained a heart from within the soul, to summon infinite power through their martial path.

That is the proper use of Tribulating Heavens that I fully realized today.

She shakes her head and says,

"Given your level of self-cultivation, you would have realized it soon even without me. I respect the strength of that will."

Huuu...

I take a deep breath.

With my intent as a conduit, I feel 'power' rising from the depths of my heart essence.

The source of this power is unknown.

Perhaps the day I discover the source of this power will be the day I understand what the heart truly is.

Originally, this force could only be used for my martial arts, that is, Manifestation.

A typical Heart Tribe member would only be able to use their Manifestation to fight against an enemy, even if their body is being destroyed.

However, due to my Formless Sword, the 'force' that had only stayed at the plane of Soul descends to the plane of Qi, becoming a life force that invigorates my entire body.

Seeing this, Tae Yeol-jeon chuckles.

"Truly astonishing. That power isn't meant to be used like that. To transcend planes and make it possible… Your enlightenment is indeed fascinating."

She waits for me to recover.

"We've clashed with the first six moves. Shall we try the remaining four?"

"Sounds good."

She throws up into the air the willow leaf blade she had set beside her.

Simultaneously, the area around her seems to darken.

Heart and Heaven Taenghwa Painting.

The Seventh Brilliance.

"Obsidian Demon Heavenly King."

As if to express respect for me, instead of making the name of the move resound through heart language as before, she begins to unleash the move by voicing it directly.

It feels like black glass is filling the space between Heaven and Earth.

Smooth obsidian surfaces cover everything, and I see numerous reflections of myself in the black glass.

Each reflection of mine has eyes shimmering with wicked emotions.

It's a move that more blatantly invokes heart demons than the sixth move.

'A kind of a final test.'

Through the previous six absolute techniques, she made the opponent experience emptiness, and if they can’t embody emptiness (空) while being hit at the plane of Soul, their soul will shatter like glass.

I immediately grasp the essence of this move and calm my mind.

This move is purely an attack at the plane of Soul, without involving the plane of Qi.

Likely, even Hon Won can't dismantle this attack with the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique.

It's a kind of illusion.

Yet, realizing this is an illusion, I suddenly feel strange.

'An illusion shouldn't affect me...'

But upon reflection, I feel confused.

'...? What's this thought? No. There's no basis for saying illusions don't affect me. But what is this feeling...?'

I feel a strange dissonance lingering in my mind, but even observing myself with the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections and the Formless Sword reveals no abnormalities.

'I'm not sure. For now, let's break this illusion.'

I calm myself and call forth my heart essence.

Though it's baseless confidence saying that illusions won't affect me, I am sure enough not to be swayed by heart demons.

Tsutsutsutsu!

Soon, the scene reflected inside the black glass begins to change.

Instead of myself harboring wicked emotions, it's a mountain.

A mountain made of blades.

The place where I am drawing 'power'.

I am at the core of this blade mountain.

Drawing power from someplace even I can't reach.

‘Perhaps... finding where this power is drawn from is the path I need to take.'

Within the black glass, a glass mountain is reflected.

The glass mountain again reflects the black glass, initiating an endless cycle of reflections.

And at the end of these reflections, I can see the owner of the black glass.

Tae Yeol-jeon.

The black glass and the colorless glass look at each other.

'This is her heart essence…'

Inside her is a Taenghwa Painting.

The seven colossal Heavenly Kings are seated inside an enormous Taenghwa (幀畫, a Buddhist painting), forming a circle beneath a white lotus and wearing benevolent smiles.

Each of them appears to be a giant deity capable of supporting the sky, yet none move recklessly from their seats, all sitting quietly cross-legged.

Below the lotus is not a well but a scorching hellfire, yet strangely, no one seems to be suffering within it.

The bizarre Taenghwa looks utterly sacred.

Oddly, above the lotus seems to be a spot where someone could sit, but it's currently unoccupied.

Tsutsutsutsu!

Before I know it, I have left her heart essence and am facing her again.

"Amazing, owner of colorless glass."

"That is something I should be saying. Compared to the beings within you, I am lacking."

Although it's clear she had entered my heart essence, she seems not to have suffered any pain, unlike those who had entered before.

"Hon Won was most terrified of the Obsidian Demon Heavenly King, but you, on the other hand, are the least afraid. Those who have never deceived themselves are free from its gaze. There seems to be no point in exchanging moves any further. Please pull yourself together. I concede defeat."

Tae Yeol-jeon sits down with a faint smile.

Taking a deep breath, I begin to draw in the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth to seriously heal my injuries and recover from my internal wounds.

At the same time, I ask her about the beings I had seen in her heart essence.

"…Those beings…who are they?"

Having felt the gaze of True Immortals before, I know.

They are certainly transcendent beings, undoubtedly existing deities.

Tae Yeol-jeon is essentially venerating these gods within herself.

"Did you say you ascended from the Lower Realms? Then it's understandable you wouldn't know. They are fictional characters from the mythology of the Buddhist Path Method, only found in the large Middle Realms. The Lower Realms, which only have the Immortal Path, especially those from the Decaying Corpse Realm, wouldn't know about the Buddhist Path Method. These individuals are known as the Seven Brilliance Kings (七華王) and are said to descend to the Saha World to bring enlightenment."

"Buddhist Path Method…?"

"Yes, it is occasionally found in the Astral Realm and, though it lags behind the Immortal Path Methods in the Middle Realm, it is a lineage that has been intermittently maintained. The foundation of the Buddhist Path Method originates from the Seven Brilliances Kings."

"What kind of beings are the Seven Brilliances Kings?"

She explains slowly.

"Exactly as it sounds. They are fictional characters created by patching together various myths and legends. However, they themselves are examiners who come to test the secular world and simultaneously beings that bring enlightenment. This is the personification of fictional concepts as entities rather than real deities."

"Are you saying they do not exist?"

"That's correct. They are merely fictional concepts. As proof, there are no rituals or ceremonies that can be dedicated to the Seven Brilliances Kings. Thus, the Buddhist Path Method incorporates the concept of the Seven Brilliances Kings into its methods, but the actual cultivation of spiritual power is borrowed from existing Immortal Path Methods."

'They don't exist?'

What does that mean, then?

When I faced the Owner of Heavenly Punishment.

Or the feeling when I encountered the Heavenly Venerable of the Netherworld.

That sensation was undoubtedly the feeling of real gods.

"Anyway, to recite their names, they are as follows:

The Golden Body Heavenly King, symbolizing the instant.

The Red Pearl Extinguishing Heavenly King, symbolizing the cycle.

The Lazis Lapuli Protecting Heavenly King, symbolizing protection.

The Silver Basket Heavenly King, symbolizing infinity.

The Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly King, symbolizing unity.

The Agate Hatred Heavenly King, symbolizing pain.

The Obsidian Demon Heavenly King, symbolizing filth.

These seven beings are known as the Seven Brilliances Kings, the personifications of certain concepts. And…"

While speaking, she looks at her own body and then says,

"If you wish to discuss further, there is a temple named Grand Nirvana Temple beneath Heavenly Human Island, at the bottom of the Cloud Island Archipelago. My main body is there, so please come to that place."

After finishing her words, Tae Yeol-jeon's avatar disperses, her energy scattering and vanishing.

It seems she had exhausted all her energy maintaining the avatar while sparring with me.

Reflecting on our recent spar, I ponder.

'The Buddhist Path Method…'

I felt that it greatly stimulated my consciousness..

Maybe, the Buddhist Path Method which stimulates consciousness might have a way to treat the abnormalities in my mind.

Thinking I should visit with Yeon, I get up from my place.

Wo-duk, Wo-duk-duk

Kugugugu…

A collapsed mountain range.

From beneath it, a dark massive body emerges.

Hyeon Eum, the Black Dragon King, turns his eyes filled with fury towards the one who had destroyed his cave residence.

[What kind of vermin dares…]

And then, the Black Dragon King's eyes catch the sight of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

Wooooo-woong!

Looking at the fully activated Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, the Black Dragon King's eyes narrow in an instant.

[Vast Cold Heavenly Lord …? How, how…]

But the next moment, he shakes his head.

[No, no. It can't be. Just who in the world are you? Who are you to have even slightly cultivated a speck of Vast Cold's power? I have already gathered even those to myself. How is it possible in Bright Cold Realm?]

Glaring at the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress for a moment, Hyeon Eum smirks.

[Yes, that's it. If it's impossible in the Bright Cold Realm, then it must be the power left by Vast Cold in another Heavenly Domain. Then you must be an incarnation of a True Immortal of another Heavenly Domain. Haha, the place where we were annihilated is this Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, yet, how dare you. who is neither a Heavenly Venerable or Light, dare to step foot here. There's only one reason I can think of. Those above must need my power! Do you have a message for me? What message do those above want to convey to me? Speak quickly.]

And then, a bewildered voice is heard from the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

[…? I came looking for Seo Hweol, but what kind of nonsense is he babbling about? Die.]

Click!

Flash!

Along with the sound of something being pressed, six beams of bizarre light shoot out from the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and strike Hyeon Eum's mouth.

Hyeon Eum is hit by the strange light and flung backward, his neck snapping in the opposite direction.

***

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