Clang!
Her gaze alone feels like it is slicing through my skin.
Breathing is difficult.
I know it too.
Right now, the Heavenly Venerable of Void, Hyeon Mu, is not even being serious.
She is acting as if she ca across a cute wild animal on the road and decided to give it a belly scratch.
I can tell that saying she killed Kim Young-hoon is just a way to tease .
Of course...the statent that she 'killed' him is the truth, but I can see that there is so kind of trap in her words ant to mock .
That is how openly and without reservation she is revealing her emotions and intent.
As if soone like is not even worth hiding them from.
However...
Even knowing that, I feel like collapsing at her feet and vomiting right this mont.
Even after reaching True Immortality...
No, rather, precisely because I have reached True Immortality!
I can see the disparity between she and I even more clearly.
In terms of realm, she is exactly one step ahead of .
However, I realize that one step is an absolutely insurmountable, nauseatingly horrific gap, to the point that I want to kill myself.
I do not want to do anything.
I want to imdiately run away sowhere or throw myself to the ground and beg for my life.
But...
'I must do what must be done.'
I must protect those behind .
No matter how terrifying it is, no matter if my body refuses to move...
That much, I must accomplish.
With that single conviction, I push through Hyeon Mu's overwhelming pressure and extend my palm towards Golden Shaking Bird and Jeon Myeong-hoon, sending them flying across several light-years. Then, I quickly pull Hong Fan and Yeo Hwi into my body and draw out the Colorless Glass Sword.
Huarurururuk!
The Colorless Glass Sword, synchronized with Glass True Fire, flickers into existence in my hand, aid at Hyeon Mu.
Then imdiately after—
"...Wait."
Hyeon Mu furrows her brows as she withdraws her montum and weapon.
"Heok...! Heheok...! Heok..."
The mont Hyeon Mu retracts her presence, I finally exhale in a frenzy, sucking in spiritual energy.
I just experienced death.
Only now do I realize how precious this inhaled breath of spiritual energy is.
Hyeon Mu's aura is so profound and terrifying that I even feel grateful to her for withdrawing it.
I quickly steady my breathing and look at Hyeon Mu.
She narrows her eyes, a hint of confusion in her expression.
As if she has sothing to ask .
"...What is the aning of this? Were you not trying to kill us?"
"I intended to let you experience death. But you...just now, what exactly did you just take into your body?"
"Pardon...?"
I ask back in confusion.
'I pulled in Hong Fan and Yeo Hwi, but is there a problem?'
"What do you an?"
"That Immortal Treasure of yours, which seems to be a descendant of Azure Peng...and [sothing else]. Did you not take them into your body?"
"Yes, that is correct. They are my subordinates."
"...Bring them back out."
I steady my stance at Hyeon Mu's words and ask.
"Do you have business with my subordinate? If there is a reason, please state it."
"...I failed to perceive it. At first, I thought it was simply because I had turned my attention away while focusing on you...but when you absorbed it into your body, I could tell. That thing was outside of my perception...I need to check again. I will be able to discern its identity if I see it directly, so bring it out before .
'The Heavenly Venerable of the Void couldn't perceive Hong Fan?'
How could that be?
'A Heavenly Venerable failing to perceive an existence at the Star Shattering stage...This is far too strange...'
I clearly sense sothing strange.
And I read the intent that Hyeon Mu is not even trying to hide.
She undoubtedly harbors killing intent.
'She intends...to kill Hong Fan...!'
"...You plan to kill my subordinate."
"If necessary."
"In that case, I cannot show you my subordinate's face so carelessly. No matter if you are a Heavenly Venerable, that one is my subordinate. At the sa ti, he is soone like my family, one whom I have cared for since the mont he erged from his egg. Even if it is you..."
Facing Hyeon Mu's killing intent, I release my own in response, tightening my grip on the Colorless Glass Sword,
"I cannot forgive anyone who lays a hand on my family!"
"..."
Hyeon Mu gazes at in silence.
That dreadful emptiness!
Just seeing the emptiness in her eyes alone makes feel as if my strength is being drained away.
She continues to stare at for a mont before raising one hand.
I flinch and take a defensive stance, but she does not attack.
However, I realize what she is doing.
Ziiiiiing!
The Taiji begins to rotate.
She is reading the history of this place.
"...If you do not wish to show , then that is fine. I can simply see for myself. Let's see... If I follow the flow of Qi backward and trace the events..."
I tense up even further at the sight of Hyeon Mu's actions and strengthen my guard.
'I cannot escape.'
I have seen her travel through the domain of purity before.
An ultimate technique that surpasses my Heavenly Escape by several levels.
If she uses that, no matter where I flee, I will never get away.
'So, if she finds Hong Fan displeasing...I must counterattack.'
That is the only way to extend both my life and Hong Fan's, even if just by a little.
I prepare myself to unleash the Phenona Extinguishing Mantra, Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, or Filling the Heavens Governing View at a mont's notice, raising my tension.
Then—
Sururuk...
Hyeon Mu lowers her arm.
The Taiji that had been spinning vanishes into the void.
'She finished reading the history...!'
I brace myself, expecting Hyeon Mu's next attack.
But her following words are entirely unexpected.
"...Interesting. It cannot be read..."
"...!?"
I widen my eyes, unable to comprehend the situation.
With empty eyes, Hyeon Mu gives a chilling smile.
She starts to glare at .
"...It could not be seen. However, I clearly read the Qi of that so-called subordinate of yours. That aura... That faint trace of history I felt from it... Huhu, huhuhuhuhu..."
"...?"
I grit my teeth as I watch her start to laugh.
She begins to conceal her intent.
I can no longer read her intent, but sohow, I feel like I know what it is.
The True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu, for so reason...is filled with rage right now.
"Hand over your subordinate. Then I will revive the dead Kim Young-hoon imdiately, grant you all a great enlightennt, and send you on your way unhard."
"By 'hand over' you an..."
"Leave it here and disappear."
"...If I give you my subordinate...will you return him?"
"I will decide that. Give just one Star Shattering stage, and I will bestow upon you an unparalleled blessing and grace. I am also well aware of the nature of you Enders, so I will make every effort to ensure it does not bring misfortune upon you. So...hand it over to right now."
I glare at Hyeon Mu and answer.
"I refuse. He...is my subordinate and my family."
Absolutely not.
Just like that ti...
—Phenona Extinguishing Mantra!
Just like that ti when I lost everything to the Great Mountain Supre Deity...
I will not easily hand my family over to another.
Kiiiiiiiing!
A trendous pain surges within my body.
: : I prophesize... If the Northern Heavenly Venerable True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu harms , Hyeon Mu will face the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and inevitably be obstructed by the Judges...! : :
The power of a prophecy depends on how strong the probability of it coming true is.
For example, [the apple hanging from the tree falls to the ground] is an overwhelmingly powerful prophecy.
Because that apple [is bound to fall eventually].
The stronger its natural inevitability, the more powerful the prophecy becos, reinforcing its absoluteness.
Conversely, [the apple hanging from the tree soars upwards] is a prophecy whose inevitability approaches zero, making its absoluteness weak and causing it to consu an excessive amount of power.
In other words, since it is only natural that the Judges would aid the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld when Hyeon Mu confronts Them, the absoluteness of my prophecy deepens.
This will be troubleso for Hyeon Mu.
No matter how strong she is, even she would find it difficult to battle the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld with all the Judges gathered. She would need to fight one-on-one for any chance of victory.
Thus, she would have to lure the Underworld into a place where the Judges are absent...
But with my prophecy in place, such lures or traps would be exceedingly difficult to establish.
However, I add one more thing to it.
: : This is...a prophecy I stake my life upon! : :
Kugugugung!
The pain sharpens further, turning into hooks that latch onto sothing fundantal within .
A True Immortal's life-bound prophecy.
And not just any prophecy, but one that reinforces the absoluteness of an already [inevitable] truth.
I see Hyeon Mu's face contorting into that of an evil spirit.
Starting from True Immortality, even the lowest Vestige Liberation Immortal can impose such a 'restriction' upon a Heavenly Venerable by staking their life.
That is why we are able to assert our rights even against celestial beings.
With her face twisted in fury, Hyeon Mu speaks to .
"...You are a bold one. To stake upon yourself the very prophecy I would hate the most... Is that subordinate of yours truly so precious to you?"
"I have already told you. He is my family."
"...Family, you say. Hahaha...! Very well. If that is your resolve...then I, too, shall tell you sothing."
The Heavenly Venerable of Void, Hyeon Mu, points at with a gloomy expression.
More precisely, she points at Hong Fan within .
"I could not read its existence. However, by reading its Qi, I discovered sothing...A rather unamusing truth."
"What would that be?"
"Disgust."
"...Pardon?"
"When I sensed its presence, I felt an unbearable disgust. A revulsion that surpassed the feeling of bugs crawling all over my body, a visceral nausea and disgust that made want to vomit from deep within my chest..."
Hong Fan's presence caused such a feeling in Hyeon Mu?
I feel puzzled and ask again.
"Are you trying to kill my subordinate just because of disgust?"
"Listen until the end... This is not the first ti I have felt such disgust. Do you know what transpired between the forr Deputy Judge of the Underworld Hae Nyeong and the Three Heavenly Venerables?"
"Yes, I happened to hear about it before."
"That one, in a fragnt of so ancient force...exposed the disgrace of us Three Heavenly Venerables. Yes...disgrace."
Hyeon Mu's gaze turns toward .
No, more precisely, she seems to be using as a dium to peer into my body in the True Immortal Realm.
"The disgust I felt when Hae Nyeong exposed our disgrace...it is the sa feeling from then. The being you are hiding within your body is, by its very existence, an imnse disgrace to the Heavenly Venerables. Let ask you one thing... That one. Was it born in the Head Realm?"
"...Yes."
"...Of course... The totality of all ancient force... The secret wonder of hidden history. It is because it was born in the Head Realm that it carries this feeling."
Hyeon Mu grips her own face, contorting it into a bizarre expression that teeters between laughter and weeping.
"...Now you understand the causality. Hand it over. That one is a disgrace to the Heavenly Venerables. It is one of the traces of ancient force that we deed as [wisdom that even we ourselves must not know], that we severed from history and sealed away... Even if it is not by my hand, the other Heavenly Venerables except the Underworld will seek to annihilate it by any ans the mont they lay eyes on it."
"..."
"You called it your family? How could that be? Do you think such a dangerous entity, tied to the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables, would truly consider you as family? Even if it follows you now, it must surely be hiding its true intentions... Ah, did you say you hatched and raised it from an egg? Then is it in the process of regaining its mories? That could be the case... The mont it fully rembers everything, it will care nothing for its connections to soone like you and will kill you without hesitation..."
Between the fingers of the Heavenly Venerable of Void, her nacing gaze gleams.
'This is dangerous...'
"Hand it over. It is fated to die by our hands anyway. It is dangerous to you as well. Your so-called pitiful notion of family ans nothing to it. Offer it to . That is the only path for everyone."
'Hong Fan is the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables...?'
But I do not want to agree with that statent.
And more than anything, Hyeon Mu's words are wrong.
"This child is not the disgrace of you all. There seems to be a misunderstanding. I hope this misunderstanding can be resolved."
"A misunderstanding...?"
"You claim him to be the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables...yet this one has t the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable before!"
Back in the Ancient Force Realm.
At that ti, I had no recollection, but I later recalled everything within the Annihilation Flower upon hearing the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's cry.
I'm referring to all the monts spent together with the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable in the Ancient Force Realm.
'Back then, I'm certain Hong Fan accidentally pushed the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable. And I rember the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable looking at Hong Fan with a displeased expression.'
But that was all.
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable did not go berserk like Hyeon Mu, trying to kill Hong Fan.
"This child is not so disgrace of the Three Heavenly Venerables."
I recount what happened back then and try to persuade Hyeon Mu.
"Perhaps because he grew up in the Head Realm, he may have beco entangled with so aura from that place? If so, I will extract it for you, so please, do not be angry and resolve this misunderstanding!"
"..."
Hyeon Mu, having listened to everything I said, nods and speaks.
"Understood."
"...! Truly, thank you..."
"That one...among all the Heavenly Venerables, is the one most deeply tied to the disgrace of my origin. It is undoubtedly...the one closest to ...!"
"Pardon...?"
At that shocking statent, I grit my teeth and press on.
"What do you an by that? In the first place, even when the Northern Heavenly Venerable took their own life before as a mber of the Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect, Hong Fan was present!"
"Well...sorry, but I don't rember much about the inside of Lofty Dragon's storage scroll. Those at your level might not have noticed, but fate and history are interwoven in a tangled ss over there, and for beings of a certain level, both authority and perception are imnsely restricted.
"Think about it. Why do you think that bootlicker of Radiance Hall, Baek Woon, didn't rummage through the treasure trove that is Lofty Dragon's storage scroll? It's because she knows it's impossible for soone like her to break through the fate and history woven by Lofty Dragon True Person."
"That's..."
"Enough."
Hyeon Mu glares at with a truly angered expression.
"Enough talk. Hand it over. There can be a few reasons why only I am feeling discomfort. For example, it could be because I have the sharpest intuition and the most delicate senses among the Four Heavenly Venerables, aning that this is a discomfort only a being of my level can perceive.
"Or, as I said, that one is the disgrace tied to my origin... Either way, it is a highly dangerous and ominous existence, and only by killing and erasing it right now will I not be afraid of future consequences."
Sarak—
"...!"
In an instant, Hyeon Mu closes the distance, stopping just short of touching the tip of my nose. My body trembles as I stare at her.
'When she moves...I can't perceive it...!'
This isn't so trick or deception.
It was purely the result of an insane speed that far surpassed light, erasing the distance between us.
"I will say this one last ti. Hand it over. Before I kill you."
"..."
I smile.
"Try killing ."
Hyeon Mu looks up at , her eyes filled with emptiness and rage.
"...Are you not afraid of pain?"
"The one who has inflicted the greatest pain upon ...is my senior brother."
I et her gaze without looking away.
"I state this with certainty. The Northern Heavenly Venerable could never bring pain greater than my senior brother has."
"..."
At my declaration, Hyeon Mu narrows her eyes.
"...I see. From Gwak Am...that's how it was. Kukuk."
Hyeon Mu takes a step back and chuckles.
"But it seems you don't quite understand. In this world, torture isn't limited to the kind of brutal and oppressive suffering that Gwak Am inflicted."
Sarak!
Hyeon Mu moves her hand.
I flinch in surprise at her movent and quickly glance at my surroundings.
Space and ti distort.
The place beneath my feet has turned pitch black.
The starlit depths of the Good Sight Heavenly Domain are swallowed by darkness.
It is as if the entire world has transford into the Interdinsional Void.
'This is...'
Distance!
In this world with as the center, the distances between and the countless stars have beco endlessly distant.
"I will not bring you harm. As I dislike interference in my battle against the Underworld...I will simply make you hand it over yourself."
Sururuk...
lting into the darkness, the Heavenly Venerable of the Void lets out a chilling laugh.
"Endless eternity. You will never escape the Good Sight Heavenly Domain, nor will you ever communicate properly with anyone else. No matter where you move, only darkness will welco you, and you will never reach another star... Feel the weight of solitude for all of eternity."
Sarararak—
The voice of Hyeon Mu who has fully dissolved into the darkness echoes through my mind.
: : Until you hand over my disgrace, you will sail through darkness within horrifying solitude for all of eternity... : :
By Hyeon Mu's authority, I am imprisoned in a spaceti cage where no light can reach.
'Hong Fan...is Hyeon Mu's disgrace?'
One day, if he regains his mories, he will betray ?
'It doesn't matter.'
At least in this mont.
Hong Fan follows .
As long as he follows , I will trust him.
For that is retribution (應報), and at the sa ti, connection (因緣).
And at the sa ti...
"...He is family."
Hong Fan is already my family.
"Even if you imprison for ten million years, I will never hand over my family's life to another."
I stare into the terrifying void that has beco my prison and shout.
"Let's see who wins...!"
Thus, with Hong Fan between us, the long battle between Hyeon Mu and I begins.
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