Chapter 308 - For Seo, Towards Seo (3)

I stand in front of Kang Min-hee.

It's been five years since Jeon Myeong-hoon left for the Nether Ghost Realm.

Bi Yul, who had been serving to me, has returned to the Grand Tomb Domain, and the time has come for Kang Min-hee to head back to the side path she manages.

"You know, I always feel like time flows faster in this world. When I first saw you, you were only at the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul stage, and now you're an Elder at the late Heavenly Being stage."

Currently, I have carved away the Grand Perfection Heavenly Being stage cultivation base built with the original formula to rebuild it with the newly discovered formula.

Thus, my current cultivation is late Heavenly Being stage.

However, despite deliberately reducing my cultivation base, I have confidence that this won't pose a significant problem.

"Next time you see me, I will be in the Four-Axis stage."

"When I come out next time, it will probably be...50 years from now? Do you think you can reach the Four-Axis stage in 50 years?"

"Well…won’t it be possible if I work really hard."

"Who knows. No matter how talented you are, the Four-Axis stage isn't a game of poker."

"Poker?"

"There's something like that."

Kang Min-hee gives a wry smile and pats me on the shoulder.

By now, I have grown quite close to her as Seo Li.

Not because she suspected me of being the Ghost King and was pretending to be close, but she genuinely is opening her heart to me.

And the closer I get, the more guilty I feel towards her.

"Well, then. I'm off. Do your best, Elder Seo."

Kang Min-hee waves at me and turns around, walking towards the red pattern.

Kugugugugu—

Transforming into the form of a 2.4m tall ghost spewing dark ghostly energy, she descends beneath the pattern.

I watch her for a moment before forming a hand seal to close the door of the pattern.

In fifty years, Kang Min-hee will emerge once again.

'Let's train. Earnestly.'

I take out the token given to me by the main body, the storage scroll.

From within the storage scroll, I pull out a pitch-black skull.

It's the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body method.

Inside the skull resides a minor spirit, and as a Ghost King, I command it.

[Recite the technique formula!]

Startled by my command, the minor spirit crawls out of the skull and begins reciting the technique formula of the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body.

Though the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body seems to be quite effective, I have been suspicious since Seo Hweol had hinted about it to Heo Gwak, so I haven't practiced it.

But now, having familiarized myself with the methods of Black Ghost Valley, I can immediately detect any suspicious points if there are any.

Returning to my cave residence, I listen to the entire technique formula of the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body, and finally understand Heo Gwak's intention behind passing it to me.

'Heo Gwak, that person is also subtly malicious.'

The Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body can be practiced starting from the Core Formation stage and is divided into seven stages.

However, it’s only from the second stage at the Nascent Soul that one can truly exert its power. In the first stage at Core Formation, one can only accumulate Yin Lightning but cannot control it.

Furthermore, as time passes, the amount of Yin Lightning will increase. If one does not rise to the Nascent Soul stage in time to control the Yin Lightning, they will either explode from their Golden Core or succumb to Qi Deviation, making it a dangerous method.

And Heo Gwak had given me only the first stage technique formula of the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body.

'If I had recklessly practiced the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body, I'd have been in for some trouble by now…'

It's structured in a malicious way such that one has no choice but to join the Black Ghost Valley to receive the latter stages of the technique formula.

It seems this was also Seo Hweol's intention when he whispered to Heo Gwak back then.

'That damn Seo Hweol, as disgusting as a beggar’s foot cloth.'

After cursing Seo Hweol, I head to the Method Repository to find the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body.

Hearing the merit points required for the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body from the repository keeper, Song Gil, I feel like my eyes might pop out.

"…A thousand merit points, you say?"

"Indeed. The Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body is an outstanding method developed ambitiously by the geniuses of the Black Ghost Valley to counter the Taiji Quaking Lightning Body of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. It provides resistance against the power of thunder and lightning, which is almost the antithesis of the Ghost Path Method and offers considerable resistance against Vanquishing Evil and Upholding Righteousness methods. It also provides immense benefits when dealing with other ghostly entities using Yin Lightning. Theoretically, it's a method without weaknesses."

"..."

'In the records of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, it's harshly criticized as a paper tiger that crumbles before the Taiji Quaking Lightning Body…'

Honestly, Seo Li's body has already mastered the Taiji Quaking Lightning Body.

Originally, it was Yuan Yu's body, and it had once been forcibly elevated to the Heavenly Being stage by Yeon Wei with the Taiji Quaking Lightning Body.

So is it necessary to bother learning the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body, which supposedly crumbles before the Taiji Quaking Lightning Body?

After some contemplation, I decide to give it a try.

'A thousand merit points, it better be worth it.'

Having completed many missions after becoming a Heavenly Being stage Elder, I have accumulated a considerable amount of merit points.

I receive the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body and begin practicing it, merging it with Great Desert to Dead Sea.

'... How much time has passed?'

I ponder quietly while focusing within my heart essence.

Thinking about it, I have never sat in meditation for such a long time before.

'This feels unfamiliar.'

I have always practiced dynamic cultivation.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Formless Sword, and various other methods.

I have always trained in motion, growing stronger.

In contrast, I rarely practiced static cultivation.

How long has it been since I forced myself into deep contemplation within my heart essence?

I focus my consciousness and sense my heart essence, feeling the Formless Sword.

My body has already opened the path to the Formless Sword.

Martial arts cannot be separated from the physical body, and because of that, Seo Hweol could use the Formless Sword through my body.

Of course, this will become impossible as I solidify my heart essence.

'I will completely take over the Formless Sword and my heart essence.'

No one else can touch it.

It belongs to me alone.

Only I achieved it, and only I can wield this sword.

This is my sword.

As I expanded this concept, I realized I can connect my heart essence to the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections and regain control over my physical body.

But I chose not to.

'Let's not be hasty.'

Reflecting on my life, I realized I had always been in a rush.

There was always too much to do!

To keep up with geniuses, to claw out even the smallest of gains amidst a harsh fate.

Taking even a moment's rest was a luxury.

Thus, I had to be in a hurry.

For me, effort meant urgency.

Not being urgent, taking a rest was a great luxury and a sin.

'It's not a sin.'

It isn't evil either.

Humans are neither inherently good nor evil at birth.

What humans should seek is not good or evil, but growth.

Is it fine to die in the evening if one discovers the Dao in the morning?

Humans always live this way.

They die in the evening and are reborn in the morning, progressing step by step every day.

Living life itself teaches us many things.

The notion that only through relentless effort can one achieve something might be my arrogance.

The belief that only I, who put in the effort, can improve might deny everyone else who doesn't strive as hard as I do.

So...

'Let's not be hasty.'

Slowly but surely, I will grasp what I can.

I solidify my control over the Formless Sword and my heart essence.

Connecting with its essence, I gradually aim to fully grasp the Formless Sword.

Fifty years pass.

Kwa-rung, kwarururung!

Enduring the Heavenly Tribulation, I finally reach the Grand Perfection Heavenly Being stage anew.

'A strange feeling.'

The new formula for the Grand Perfection Heavenly Being stage is quite long.

And very simple as well.

Yet, its simplicity makes it feel just as powerful as it is long.

However, I feel a peculiar sensation.

'If I were to attain a True Orthodox Axis Foundation, it might be incompatible with this formula.'

I wonder if this really is the correct formula.

Though curious, it isn't odd enough to dwell on, so I stabilize my cultivation.

Now, the only thing left is advancing to the Four-Axis stage.

'I can definitely reach it before the storage scroll of Lofty Dragon True Person opens...!'

With confidence, I continue my cultivation.

'... Speaking of which.'

I suddenly feel something is amiss.

'Kang Min-hee should have come out of the Side Path by now, shouldn't she?'

But Kang Min-hee hasn't emerged yet.

Feeling strange, I head to her office at the Ghost Soul Hall to question her clone.

"Do you know what happened to your main body?"

Kang Min-hee's clone, puffing on a pipe, replies.

“Seems you don’t know…being secluded for 50 years."

"What?"

I'm startled by her continued words.

"There were attackers from the Nether Ghost Realm and the Blood Yin Realm. Those who were outside and active knew about it, but you didn't, I see."

"I had no idea."

"Stop staying locked up in cultivation all the time and make some friends."

"Hmm..."

'To hear that from Kang Min-hee.'

She’s advising me despite only having one friend, Kim Yeon, back on Earth.

It's quite amusing.

"So, the Grand Elder is currently...resting in the Side Path?"

“That’s right. Normally, she’d have to come out to the Bright Cold Realm once every 50 years to get some fresh air…Well, listening to the other Black Grand Elders, with my talent, I can stay sane in the Side Path for not just 50 but 100 years. I think so too."

"... I see."

I feel a slight unease.

"Even so, wouldn't it be better to come out to the Bright Cold Realm to rest? If someone from the Nether Ghost Realm were to attack the Side Path..."

"Ah, it's fine. The Nether Ghost Realm attacker last time came through a different side path to the Bright Cold Realm, then re-entered our Side Path in the Bright Cold Realm to attack me. Normally, there's no way for an attacker from the Nether Ghost Realm to come through our Side Path."

"... But the Grand Elder isn't a deceased."

"That's true, but I'm more accustomed to ghostly energy than most deceased".

I grow worried as I watch her brush everything off with a nonchalant 'I'm fine.'

'Ghost Guiding Holy Mother…'

I still remember vividly.

Her appearance, leading a horde of millions of ghosts, screaming madly, wielding her ghost claws and splitting the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress in half.

"When will your main body return?"

"Hmm, she'll probably be back in the Bright Cold Realm in about thirty years."

"I see."

'Then, I should help take care of her mind with the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace at that time.'

Although I used the Spirit Sealing Bodkin to mend her spirit, lessening my worries about the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother compared to my previous life, I still can't completely shake off the ominous feeling.

Deciding to wait for her return, I return my cave residence.

"…Wait"

Suddenly, I feel a strange sensation and adjust my stance.

Wo-wooong!

I conjure a Gang Sphere in the void, rotating and merging it.

I attempt to create the Formless Sword, but at some point, the Formless Sword that is forming above my hand disintegrates back into natural energy.

"…?"

'What's happening?'

For some reason, the Formless Sword is no longer manifesting.

The Formless Sword is created by shaping the Gang Sphere into a form and reflecting my heart essence to manifest it into existence.

But oddly, my heart essence is no longer reflecting.

'Damn it, what's going on…?'

Sweating, I try several times to manifest the Formless Sword again.

And I fail every time.

Whiiiiing―

Lying halfway up Glass Sword Mountain, I close my eyes and focus my will on my hand.

Above my hand, the Three Great Ultimates are rotating.

Curiously, the more I grasp the Formless Sword and make my heart essence more solidly mine, the more I begin to witness a certain phenomenon.

My will (의/意) naturally divides into three parts, forming the Three Great Ultimates.

'Three (三)…'

With a martial artist's intuition, I feel that the number 'three' is more significant than the concept of the Great Ultimate (태극/太極, Taiji).

Recalling the feeling of being ‘completed as myself' when I first formed the Three Great Ultimates, I focus my consciousness even more.

The Formless Sword, the plane of Soul.

I approach the essence of myself.

Grasping the essence of the heart (心).

More.

More!

Piiiiitt—

Rotating the Three Great Ultimates transformed from the Formless Sword above my hand, I feel like I am beginning to understand something.

'Did the separation from my main body cause this?'

But I can't jump to conclusions.

After much deliberation, I decided to use Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.

Since the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace is part of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, not the Formless Sword, there's no issue in using it.

'Yes, this should work.'

As long as I can use the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace, I am confident I can stabilize Kang Min-hee's mind.

That's what I thought.

Thirty years pass.

Kang Min-hee, who was in the Side Path, did not return.

And at some point, her clone also vanished from her office.

"What do you mean!?"

At my outburst, Heo Gwak and the other Black Grand Elders cough awkwardly.

"The Side Path is blocked? Isn't managing the Side Path the main objective?"

Heo Gwak clears his throat and speaks.

"It seems Grand Elder Kang Min-hee did something inside the Side Path, Grand Elder Seo."

I, too, have earned the title of Grand Elder of Black Ghost Valley over the past 80 years.

Being a talent on the verge of reaching the Four-Axis stage in less than a hundred years since entering the Black Ghost Valley, I was recognized as a significant asset.

"Is it impossible to open the Side Path?"

"We've tried using our sect's spells and artifacts, and even cooperated with the senior Four-Axis Ghost Kings in the Grand Tomb Domain and the Black Grand Elders of the sect. However, all our attempts failed. It's not a matter of strength but a structural issue. It's firmly sealed from the inside, making it impossible to open.

"So...there really is no way?"

I ask, feeling a deep sense of unease.

"Hmm…there is one method we can try."

At Heo Gwak's words, I look at him with bright eyes and ask,

"What method is that?"

"There's a place far from the Human Race territory in the Bright Cold Realm…called the Swiftwind Domain. It's said to be a place where the yin energy is so strong that it can create another side path. If we create another side path there and then cross from side path to side path, we might be able to pull out Grand Elder Kang."

"Is it possible to cross from one side path to another?"

"Yes, if they are created with the same power. Both the side path here and the one we create there will be based on the power of the Nether Crossing Ship, so we should be able to cross."

"I see… By the way, did you say Swiftwind Domain?"

"Yes."

'Swiftwind Domain…'

I feel like I heard that name somewhere before.

'If I use the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, I could remember right away, damn it…'

The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections is imprinted on the Colorless Glass Sword, which is currently with my main body as it's transforming into Seo Hweol.

As I rack my brain, I get the feeling I heard the name Swiftwind Domain somewhere before.

"Ah, Swiftwind Domain."

It's next to the Dead Earth Domain, where the storage scroll of Lofty Dragon True Person is hidden.

'It's the place I'm supposed to meet with the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect members in 420 years, before heading to the Dead Earth Domain.'

This is actually good news.

I can create a side path in the Swiftwind Domain and meet up with the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect members at the promised time before heading to the Dead Earth Domain.

Moreover, since the Black Ghost Valley's fleet is nearby, I can receive help in case of an emergency.

'But what is this feeling?'

I feel an inexplicable sense of foreboding about the Swiftwind Domain.

I can't pinpoint why.

Wo-woong―

Within the darkness.

Inside Seo Eun-hyun's cave residence.

A gentle smile graces Seo Eun-hyun's face as he is surrounded by the faintly rising misty fog of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

With a warm smile, Seo Eun-hyun—or rather, Seo Hweol, who has taken over his body—prods at the mist.

"Hehe, it's a technique similar in principle to my Tainted Soul Killing Life." (This is subject to change as it's not clear if it's fate or life)

He strokes his chin thoughtfully, looking at the misty fog.

"As expected…this is dangerous. If I delve in recklessly, I might get brainwashed by Daoist Seo in reverse. Haha…it must be frustrating for Daoist Seo to have created such a terrifying technique and not be able to use it properly, only to suffer from me. Daoist Seo… Now, then…"

Kuguguk―

Seo Hweol's finger pierces the misty fog of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

"Let's find the pillar of this technique, shall we? If it's similar to my Tainted Soul Killing Life, finding the source pillar should reveal the hidden secrets."

With a sly smile, he speaks to Seo Eun-hyun, who should be listening inside his body.

"I'll borrow a bit of your body's talent, Daoist Seo. With the talent of your body, finding the pillar of this spell should be an easy task."

A technique to trace the source of another technique using their physical talent.

"Art of Tainted Soul Killing Sight (濁魂煞目)."

By Seo Hweol's standards, someone with talents capable of producing Integration stage strength at the Heavenly Being stage should be able to find the pillar in one go.

"To use your own talent to reveal your biggest secret… how pitiful. Hahaha…"

Seo Hweol laughs.

And Seo Eun-hyun, deep in concentration within his heart essence, doesn't pay attention to his words.