Chapter 220: After the Performance (2)

Chapter 220: After the Performance (2) Join the Discord for chapter updates donations! "Hmm..." Seo Hweol stares at Gyu-baek with an expressionless face. His demeanor seems as if he is merely observing Gyu-baek in front of him. "Sincerity... I believe Elder Jeon Hyang said something similar at the end, you're alike in that regard." Step, step... Seo Hweol approaches Gyu-baek. "Do you really want to see my sincerity?" "Of course." "You'll regret it." With an expressionless and empty face, Seo Hweol flicks his finger. Snap! As he flicks his finger, the characters of Love of Virtue that were pressing on my body return to Seo Hweol. In other words, Seo Hweol is more urgently concerned about the Vast Cold Oath than me currently being connected to the owner of the Heavenly Lightning Banner. Crackle, crackle! Watching my body rapidly turn into lightning, I witness the conclusion between Seo Hweol and Gyu-baek. Wo-woong! Around Seo Hweol. Four axes rise in all four directions. Longevity, Wealth, Health, Love of Virtue. The four axes form four pagodas around Seo Hweol. "Huh?" The appearance, similar to the four protective pagoda dharma treasures protecting the Yuan Li, makes me frown. Kugugugu! And just as the protective pagodas of Yuan Li spread a barrier to protect the Yuan Li, Seo Hweol's Four Axes connect to each other, forming a canopy. "Curse of Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze." Wo-woong! Above Seo Hweol and Gyu-baek, a blood-red eyeball emerges, creating a ceiling above the Four Axes. The completed canopy covers Seo Hweol and Gyu-baek in the blink of an eye. Wo-woong At the same time, I feel a sinister, revolting, and indescribably nauseating sensation from within. 'That is...' As if its a representation of Seo Hweol's heart essence inside! Kim Yeon's figure remains calm, still reaching out her hand inside, and the Vast Cold oath is activated without any problems. However, I can't shake off a foreboding feeling. In a way, this is one of Seo Hweol's hidden cards. This is one of the first tricks Seo Hweol reveals after removing the smile from his face. What will happen? Wo-woong That's when I feel a strange sensation from the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections. 'Why, is there something else?' But while contemplating the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, I realize something. 'Thats...!' The curse used by Seo Hweol, Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze. I realize that it, for some reason, greatly resembles the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections. 'So it is...' The misty thing Oh Hye-seo saw when she was reading me was likely the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections. The only thing that she could describe as 'misty' when looking at me was that. Then, the reason she tried to shake my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections might have been to test if she could find a way to target Seo Hweol, assuming Seo Hweol had learned a similar method to mine. 'If Oh Hye-seo couldn't completely read me using the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections... Seo Hweol couldn't completely read me either.' Crack, crackle... I manage to hold myself together, preventing my body from fully transforming and vaporizing into lightning. Wo-woong! The power contained in Black Dragons True Blood pulls me from the opposite direction from the power attempting to return me to the owner of the Heavenly Lightning Banner. Crack, crackle! It is only at the brink of death that I understand. The power of the Black Dragons True Blood is not a blessing or a powerful force. It is a calamity. Gulp, gulp... The power of the Black Dragon is trying to engulf me. It isn't doing something kind like preventing me from turning into lightning and returning. It is merely pulling me because it doesn't want to lose its prey. If I hadn't faced the situation of dissolving into lightning by directly confronting the owner of the Heavenly Lightning Banner, I might have been slowly consumed by the Black Dragons True Blood. However, I manage to maintain my form, balancing the forces of True Immortal level beings pulling me from both sides. Creak, creak... My body, transforming into lightning, takes on a half-human, half-dragon form and emits black lightning. 'If I lose balance even slightly, the power of the Black Dragon or the lightning will immediately devour me.' Wriggle, wriggle... I take out the White-Red Wine from my storage bag and drink it. The Colorless Glass Swords become directly connected to me. 'The power of the Black Dragon...' Wriggle, wriggle... Through the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, I discover the sticky, wriggling power of Taiyin. Gulp... Cold sweat runs down my face. I can feel it. Even if I don't know about the curse of becoming lightning, the power of the Black Dragons True Blood will continue into the next life! Because I can feel all too clearly through the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections that the power of the Black Dragon is eroding my history. 'It's more dangerous than becoming lightning.' I've decided. Since the end of my life is near, at the very last moment, I must purify my whole body with the power of the owner of the Heavenly Lightning Banner, shaking off the power of the Black Dragon. To me, a regressor who has built a long history, the power of the Black Dragon is an even greater calamity. Hoo-woong Maintaining a balance between the power of lightning and the Black Dragon, I grab one of the 3,000 Colorless Glass Swords floating around me. Thanks to being refined in the Golden Core for nearly a hundred years, each of the Colorless Glass Swords have become as hard and sharp as a bronze sword or an iron sword sold in a village forge. "Colorless Glass Sword, combine." Wo-woong! 3,000 Colorless Glass Swords overlap ten at a time. 300 Colorless Glass Swords each rise from the level of inferior to a fairly good iron sword. The Colorless Glass Swords overlap again, ten at a time. 30 Colorless Glass Swords reach the level of iron swords made with the highest refining techniques. The Colorless Glass Swords overlap once more, and 3 Colorless Glass Swords each become as hard and sharp as a famous sword. And the last 3 Colorless Glass Swords combine again. Ssssst! When the 3 famous swords combine, a treasure sword is born. The final stage of the Colorless Glass Sword. All Heavens. When spiritual power is injected into the treasure sword-level Colorless Glass Sword, 3,000 circuits activate, and the power begins to amplify due to the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections. 'The power is sufficient.' All that remains is to help Gyu-baek and witness Seo Hweol's end. I reinforce the Colorless Glass Sword once again by overlaying it with the Formless Sword. Jjeong! The Colorless Glass Sword swings, shaking Seo Hweol's canopy. However, there isn't even a scratch on the barrier. 'Continue.' Again and again! Koong, koong, koong! I use Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains to gradually amplify the destructive power. My power, mixed with the three forces of Heaven, Earth, and Heart, gradually increases, reaching the level of the Four-Axis stage. Jjeong! Jjeong! Gyu-baek steps back in surprise at Seo Hweol's approach. Seo Hweol says with an empty face. "...Emotions are quite interesting, aren't they? You talk as if you could accept my sincerity depending on the emotions but after confirming those emotions, you are instead afraid." He looks at Gyu-baek and commands. "That's your sincerity, Gyu-baek. With the witness of the Vast Cold Oath gathered, if the caster wishes, it's possible to undo it. Undo the Vast Cold Oath, Gyu-baek. Aside from me giving you my sincerity, I know you can undo it if you wish." "Ah, ahh..." Gyu-baek attempts to form a seal with trembling hands. At that moment, I shout powerfully. "Don't do it, Senior Gyu-ryeon!!!" "...!" At those words, Gyu-baek looks at me in shock. "I... I am..." "I'm well aware of how disgusting, how filthy Seo Hweol's true nature is, and I understand the shock you must have received, Senior Gyu-ryeon." Imagine thinking about proposing to Buk Hyang-hwa only to find out it was Yuan Li. The mere thought makes one dizzy and nauseous. Gyu-ryeon's feelings must be similar. "But! Didn't Senior Gyu-ryeon want to take revenge on Seo Hweol!" "...I am not Gyu-ryeon." Gyu-baek, significantly weakened, steps back from Seo Hweol and speaks. What has she seen in Seo Hweol? It wasn't just a glimpse of Seo Hweol's heart essence. Perhaps something much deeper. Something even I hadn't seen, something even more grotesque. "How ironic, Daoist Seo. Emotions are like that. One moment you like someone, and the next, seeing another aspect of them, everything falls apart. That's what emotions are. To an object, emotions are like the amount of air in the lungs. That alone is sufficient. That's all there is to emotions." "Are you still spouting the logic that the lungs correspond to metal, so emotions are metallic?" I coldly spit words at Seo Hweol and look at Gyu-baek. I don't know what she saw. Therefore, I can't understand Gyu-baek. But I can understand Gyu-ryeon. "Certainly, you are not Senior Gyu-ryeon. You are an independent entity. However, you are precisely what was born from Senior Gyu-ryeons will, shaped into form. You're not just some leftover, you are one of the countless aspects Senior Gyu-ryeon possessed!" Therefore, she is indeed Gyu-ryeon as well. "Let me ask you one thing." "How pointless." Seo Hweol extends his finger towards me. The entire space twists, and a tremendous gravitational force presses down on me. Then, Yu Hwa stands in front of me. "Stop, Baek Nyeong. The gravitational force in the space lightens, and a green light wriggles in the darkness. Baek Nyeongs figure emerges next to Seo Hweol. "...Master..." Yu Hwa protects me and Gyu-baek from Seo Hweol and begins conversing with Baek Nyeong. The master and disciple begin their separate conversations. I briefly look at them before focusing on Gyu-baek's eyes. "Senior Gyu-ryeon wanted to return what she received from Seo Hweol, didn't she? That's why, on the day you were born from Senior Gyu-ryeon, you said you would 'kill Seo Hweol,' right?" "...Yes. But..." Gyu-baek hesitates with trembling lips. I nod at her. "Has it become difficult to kill Seo Hweol?" "...Im sorry. The moment I confirmed his sincerity... I lost the confidence to accept it, from him." "I understand" I nod. "Then, may I take on that role for you?" "What...?" "Upon my hands, would you entrust me with your feelings towards Seo Hweol? "Is that, possible?" "I'll try." "...Alright." Gyu-baek slowly approaches and hugs me. I hug Gyu-baek tightly in return. Gyu-baek forms a seal. Tssss... The golden chains emanating from her chest fades away. Shes undone the Vast Cold Oath herself. It isn't a foolish mistake to throw away the chance to bind and take revenge on Seo Hweol. I feel her heart entrusted to me. "Hmm? This ends rather anticlimactically." Soon, Gyu-baek's body grows cold. Without a heart, Gyu-baek had been forcibly circulating Qi to extend her life. Now, she dies. I, too, am barely holding on between the power of the Black Dragon and lightning. But soon I will be completely consumed. Yu Hwa, as well, can not possibly handle Seo Hweol alone in this space. What should be done then? Before dying. I will muster the last of my strength and deliver a strike to Seo Hweol. Swoooosh The Colorless Glass Sword, having reached the stage of Total Heavens, shines in all of heavens colors. The misty Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections unfolds in Seo Hweol's darkness. Tststst! Contemplating my body transforming into lightning, I close my eyes. Using the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace daily on Kim Yeon, I continually reflected on my body transforming into lightning and martial arts. And while watching my body disperse into lightning, I reflected on what lightning is, gaining insight into it. From now on "I return to thee..." Merely saying 'Return to thee' isn't enough to summon the True Immortal. But perhaps it can attract their 'attention.' Seo Hweol, too, might have blocked me because he feared receiving that attention. But there's something I fear more than the attention of True Immortals. Therefore, risking the attention of True Immortals, I strongly recall the 'eyes' I saw then and accelerate the electrification of my entire body even further. Crackle! 3rd stage of Manifestation. When reaching the stage beyond Treading Heavens, the nature of the attack changes, becoming akin to Heavenly Tribulation. Then. If I, already transforming my entire body into Heavenly Tribulation, use Treading Heavens Beyond the Path, would that be the same as 'the next stage'? The answer is. Crackle! 'Over 90% similar!' The lightning wrapping my body and the Formless Sword of Treading Heavens naturally merges, and the color of the lightning turns colorless. Kurung, Kururung! The essence of lightning is the instant (, sattva). Our lives are also instant. Therefore, beyond Treading Heavens, which maximizes life, it bears a trait similar to Heavenly Tribulation. But to be more precise, I can only know once I've 'truly' reached the next stage. "Let's pose a problem." I smirk and aim the Colorless Glass Sword at Seo Hweol. "From now on." For now, this is sufficient. Kururung "How many Heavenly Tribulations will be added to you?" Translator Notes: Sattva () in Chinese and Japanese, originally derived from Sanskrit, refers to an extremely brief moment or instant. In Buddhist philosophy, it is often used to describe the smallest unit of time, emphasizing the transient nature of all things where each moment is fleeting and quickly gives way to the next, the constant flux of the universe. *** Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried Link to donations in the discord!