Chapter 666 - Witness of Eternity (1)

"Livestock...you say...?"

[...]

The projection of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable simply gazes past the chaos with sorrowful eyes.

[... The Underworld. And Salt Sea, who is now dead but in life once cast aside their Immortal Title. Except for those two, everyone else is no different from livestock or clay dolls. We just...couldn't bring ourselves to accept that truth...]

The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable continues in a gloomy voice.

[Keep the promise... White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus will tell you my weakness. Strike my Gandhara...and make me faint...]

"... Understood. I will...do so without fail."

Upon hearing my words, the projection of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable immediately collapses on the spot and vanishes.

Only the projection of the Heavenly Venerable of Time remains within the hall.

"... It has been a long time, O God of Time."

[... God of Time, you say? That is excessive. I am merely...a lunatic who has deluded himself into believing he was the Owner of Time.]

The Heavenly Venerable of Time speaks, clutching his head with a tormented gaze.

[I have come here because there is something I must tell you.]

"What...is it?"

[Back then, I did witness it...but in the midst of panic, I had no time to think, and the moment I saw the truth, I sealed it away, so I had forgotten a critical clue until now. I want to share that with you.]

"A critical...clue, you say?"

The Heavenly Venerable of Time nods.

[First...have you heard why the Underworld, despite countless Enders passing through, never once tried to challenge the Audience Chamber, no matter what hope appeared?]

"Pardon...?"

I am startled by those words.

'What is this about now?'

It is different from what Hyeon Mu said.

But it doesn't seem like a joke, either.

"What do you mean by that...? Hyeon Mu clearly said...the Underworld 'returned every time'..."

[...? You're saying strange things. Do not put too much faith in Hyeon Mu's words. Her mind is filled with suicidal urges, making her extremely unstable. She spouts nonsense quite often.]

"Pardon...? B-But..."

[Regardless... Even if I am someone who merely clung to and misunderstood my position, I am one who has still set the calendar (曆法) and observed the passage of time in my own way. Even if I trace back through time and examine every timeline, I cannot find a single 'history' where the Underworld ever challenged the Audience Chamber.]

"...!"

'Whose words am I supposed to believe...?'

If it had been just Hyeon Mu's words, I might have believed the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

But the problem is...

'The Underworld never exactly denied that she 'returned every time' either...'

[It seems like you are inclined to believe Hyeon Mu's side. But what I am telling you is the truth... I am someone who can observe time. In no timeline I have observed has the Underworld ever truly challenged the Audience Chamber.]

"... I understand for now."

[Hmm...it does not seem like you are fully convinced...but just know this. Everyone in Mount Sumeru, myself included, understands it that way.]

"... Yes."

[Anyway, continuing from before... The reason the Underworld has never attempted to challenge the Audience Chamber is partly because they want to preserve their life until their true objective is fulfilled...but it's also because while the Enders challenge the Audience Chamber, they want to assist the Enders from the outside.]

"From the outside...you say?"

Time nods.

[All fate in this world flows from the Absolute of Fate. It flows from the Fate Supreme Deity, but conversely, it can also be reversed the other way around. If the Fate Supreme Deity could be driven into a corner...it's possible that the Fate Supreme Deity could instead draw power from the 'fate' that envelops all of Mount Sumeru.]

"If that is the case..."

[Yes. The Underworld's very existence, by remaining within Mount Sumeru, serves to obstruct and restrain the power of fate that would otherwise gather to empower the Fate Supreme Deity when they are driven to the brink.]

"Is that the truth that the True Ultimate Eternal Life Great Emperor uncovered through the Head Realm?"

[No. Such things can be known simply by sharing a few cups of tea with the Underworld. What I have discovered is this.]

The eyes of the Heavenly Venerable of Time grow serious.

[The Immortal Cultivation System that supports this Mount Sumeru all originates from the Radiance Supreme Deity.]

"... So it really was 'all' of it."

[Seems you had some inkling. That will make the explanation easier.]

[Let me ask you one thing. If the Immortal Cultivation system originates from the Radiance Supreme Deity, then if the Radiance Supreme Deity so wills it, could all cultivators lose their cultivation ability?]

"..."

I ponder over his words for a long moment.

Then I answer.

"All Immortal Cultivation systems except Immortal Arts would lose their power if the Radiance Supreme Deity so desires."

[Then, do you think losing power is the 'end'?]

"... No."

I speak in a heavy voice.

"If the Radiance Supreme Deity is truly the Owner of Immortal Cultivation...then they could collect a 'debt' from every being who followed the Immortal Cultivation system."

[Yes...exactly. That is why every being in Mount Sumeru has their very existence mortgaged to the Radiance Supreme Deity. And that is also why all living beings and True Immortals in Mount Sumeru unconsciously act 'in favor of Radiance Hall'. For that behavior itself is the only way they can repay the cost of their mortgaged existence to Radiance Hall, even if just a little at a time...]

"..."

[Immortal Cultivation is wisdom. And wisdom is light. That is why, even though the Radiance Eight Immortals are incompetent and not all-knowing, Radiance Hall does not bow to the Underworld and continues to reign as the foremost faction in Mount Sumeru. Because...the 'light' of the Radiance Supreme Deity does not merely refer to literal 'light'...but also to the radiance of Immortal Cultivation. The 'light' of the Radiance Supreme Deity permeates throughout all of the Three Heavens Great Thousand World.]

"... I see."

I let out a silent sigh.

That is the truth.

Why, even when the Radiance Eight Immortals are imperfect in their duties, do True Immortals always flock to Radiance Hall, and they always maintain their place as the number one faction in Mount Sumeru?

It is because the very Immortal Cultivation system they possess influences every being of Mount Sumeru.

"... I have a question... Isn't the Immortal Cultivation system the Radiance Supreme Deity possesses that of the 'Heaven Dao'?"

[... No. The Immortal Cultivation system of the Radiance Supreme Deity is the Heaven-Earth Immortal Dao.

[It is all Immortal Cultivation systems. It is just that their grip on the Heaven Dao is particularly strong.]

"... If that is true, does it not mean that all beings, starting from the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, cannot go against the Radiance Supreme Deity?"

[The Judges under the Underworld perhaps not...but the Underworld is an exception. Their Immortal Cultivation system is different. They follow a Primordial Origin (始原) Immortal Cultivation system not created by Radiance.]

"Pardon...? Are you saying such a system exists?"

When I express my confusion, the Heavenly Venerable of Time points at Kim Yeon.

[... That child is following the Immortal Cultivation system of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld. If you are curious, ask her.]

"...!"

I am startled by his words and look at Kim Yeon.

So the mysterious cultivation system Kim Yeon has followed all this time turns out to be that of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.

[And...perhaps it is because you are a disciple of Salt Sea? It seems you, too, are practicing the Immortal Cultivation system of Primordial Origin beneath that of Radiance, though you are not aware of it yourself. Ask that child later so you can awaken to it.]

"...!"

I tremble at the words of the Heavenly Venerable of Time and nod.

[Anyway, to continue what I was saying. You asked, 'Can one dare to go against the Radiance Supreme Deity while following their Immortal Cultivation system?', no?]

"That's right."

[There is no need to go against them.]

"Pardon...?"

A smile forms on the lips of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

[From the start...do you believe the Radiance Supreme Deity is your enemy?]

"... Is that not obvious? The Radiance Supreme Deity is known as the being who hunts us down as the pawn of the Future King. Even now, Radiance Hall constantly tries to capture and annihilate us."

[Hahaha... I suppose that is the only way you could see it. But can't you consider a different perspective?]

"...?"

[The possibility that the so-called Owner of Light...also has a leash tightened around their neck, forced to obey the Fate Supreme Deity.]

"...! Was that what you saw in the Akashic Records?"

[No... What I saw back then was a different truth. But from that truth, I was able to infer this.]

The Heavenly Venerable of Time continues speaking.

[What I saw in the Akashic Records is first, the disgrace of us Heavenly Venerables, the truth of this miserable world. And the reason for our existence.

[But aside from that, I discovered 'other truths' as well. The second thing I saw in the Akashic Records is...]

He speaks with a solemn face.

And at the words of the True Ultimate Eternal Life Great Emperor Cheon Woon that follow, my eyes widen.

[The Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon. In other words, the being we call the [Head Realm]...is made of the 'same substance' as the [First Radiance Supreme Deity].]

"...!"

Once one becomes a True Immortal, they become a world unto themselves, so things like genetic information are meaningless.

Instead, when investigating True Immortals, it is not their genetics, but the 'history' and 'composition' within them that is analyzed.

And Cheon Woon's words mean—

"The First Radiance Supreme Deity and the Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon...that is, the Head Realm, are made of the same substance?"

[That is right. That is how it was recorded in the Akashic Records. In other words...the First Radiance Supreme Deity and the current Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon are highly likely to be the same being.]

"..."

[And the third truth I learned from the Akashic Records. The Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon is not in a living state. Like the case of the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, it was originally just an inanimate object, but as the Akashic Records were forcefully embedded into the Head Realm, 'life' took root, and it became a Supreme Deity. In other words...it is an entity with no personality. No, beyond personality or lack thereof, it is more accurate to say it is a lump of information with the rank of Supreme Deity.]

"Wait...'forcibly embedded'?"

[... That is right. The result that was born someone forcibly embedded the Origin Essence of Life, Omniscience, into what appears to be the corpse of the First Radiance Supreme Deity, the Head Realm, is the Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon. And that someone is highly likely to be the Future King.]

'The current Emptiness Supreme Deity Myeong Woon was born from the corpse of the First Radiance Supreme Deity by shoving in the Origin Essence of Life, Omniscience...and the one who created the Emptiness Supreme Deity is highly likely to be the Fate Supreme Deity...huh.'

Only then do I understand why the Emptiness Supreme Deity's Seat is in a state of [a ring without a throne].

'The ring is a symbol of Divine Descent. The Seat is a symbol of the self. But the Emptiness Supreme Deity is merely a Decaying Corpse Realm divine descending the power of the Akashic Records, so only the ring was visible, not the seat. However, even in the state of only having a ring, the power and rank itself reached the level of 'Supreme Deity', because it accepted an Absolute.'

[The fourth truth learned from the Akashic Records.]

I organize the information received from the Heavenly Venerable of Time and listen attentively.

[The current Radiance Hall. That is, the 'Seat of Radiance' on which the Radiance Eight Immortals sit upon, is receiving power from the Fate Supreme Deity. In other words, the current Radiance Hall is practically an Immortal Treasure of the Fate Supreme Deity.]

"..."

This, too, is something I had expected.

'To the Future King, the Radiance Supreme Deity is just an Immortal Treasure...'

I let out a low breath at the overwhelming power of the Future King, and continue listening to Cheon Woon's words.

[Up to here is all the information I discovered from seeing the Akashic Records back then, but sealed away along with the memory of our disgrace. If you put all this information together...doesn't a rather interesting conclusion emerge?]

Cheon Woon smiles faintly as he begins to compile the pieces of information one by one.

[The First Radiance Hall, as you know, had a different goal compared to the present one. Back then, they were not merely slaves to fate. But at some point, the First Radiance Supreme Deity died, leaving only their head. Into that corpse, someone embedded the Akashic Records, and it became the Emptiness Supreme Deity. And now, the current Radiance Supreme Deity has become the Immortal Treasure of the Future King. When you put all this together...it is highly likely that the First Radiance Supreme Deity was an enemy of the Fate Supreme Deity.]

"... I see, is that how it is?"

[Yes. Furthermore...the Origin Essence embedded into the Emptiness Supreme Deity is the Origin Essence of Life. The source of all birth and resurrection, history and Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. That means...if someone were to seize control of the Akashic Records and ascend to the position of 'Life Supreme Deity' that rivals the Fate Supreme Deity...then using the Head Realm as a medium, it might be possible to resurrect the 'First Radiance Supreme Deity'!]

"...!"

[If that happens, and we can resurrect the First Radiance Supreme Deity, then we could bring the Radiance Supreme Deity, who is the 'Owner of the Immortal Cultivation System', over to our side, and together with all of the Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand World, stand against the Fate Supreme Deity.]

Clench!

The Heavenly Venerable of Time grabs my hand.

Wo-woong!

Something flows into me through his hand.

'This is...!'

It is the coordinates of the edge of the Outer Sea, where the Heavenly Venerable of Time currently resides.

[If you take this to the Northern Dippers or Yeong Seung, you will be able to release a Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag. Now, go. Go and tell the Underworld that I support them. Tell them that now is finally the time to challenge the Audience Chamber together and seize the Origin Essence of Life. If it is you...you who ripped the Radiance Mantra from the envoy of the Fate Supreme Deity, the Underworld will surely stand with you!]

"...!"

Kwaduk!

The next moment.

I realize that my entire body is being crushed at a speed I cannot even perceive.

'My, my prophecies...'

All my prophecies and histories vanish, and I begin to die.

'Th-The Heavenly Venerable of Time...!'

The projection of the Heavenly Venerable of Time is using the most extreme method to immediately return me back to Mount Sumeru.

To kill me and make me regress.

That, perhaps, is the best method in his mind.

[Once the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag is completely undone...you will surely be able to remember. The 'promise' from back then... I will be waiting, counting the days in anticipation for the moment you remember...]

"...!"

At Time's words, I realize that even the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags being embedded in me was part of his plan.

'Remember? When the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags are fully released? Remember what? Could it be...'

I realize what the Heavenly Venerable of Time is referring to.

'Once all my Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags are undone, he has arranged a prophecy so that the memories from the 16th cycle will return!'

As I perceive my death approaching at rapid speed, I am swept away in the flood of countless information and meet my death in confusion.

Like that, I am struck down by the single strike of the Heavenly Venerable of Time without a chance to resist and fall into death.

That, is my 1006th ret—

: : Don't make me laugh! : :

Kwaduduk!

I roar, raining the Wheel behind my back.

: : You're telling me to die now just so information gets delivered faster? Don't talk nonsense, Time! No matter what happens, I will make my way through the Outer Sea with my own strength. My life...is not some message service for the sake of all of you! : :

[Hmm...]

The eyes of the Heavenly Venerable of Time harden coldly.

[You fail to grasp the greater cause. But in time, you will understand.]

Kiriririk!

Time begins to flow rapidly.

At the same time, my death accelerates even more, and as I feel it, I grit my teeth and begin to resist.

The Outer Sea.

The place where the disgrace of the Heavenly Venerables lie.

There, to avoid becoming a messenger for the Heavenly Venerables and being pushed into the next cycle, I begin to desperately resist the Heavenly Venerable of Time with everything I have.