Chương 389: Drink (1)

Chuaaaaaa— A sound reminiscent of waves, the sound of dimensions flowing, can be heard.

I look around with vacant eyes.

After Yuk Rin uprooted the Salt Crystal Palace, the illusion formation collapsed.

And, for some reason, the various ritual worship scriptures and treasures I was aiming for were all inside that palace, making them impossible to find.

In other words, the Axis of Love of Virtue is beyond reach.

Of course, due to what Yuk Rin said at the end, I suspect there might be a trap involved in obtaining treasures from the palace, but being denied even the chance to confirm the trap is quite disheartening.

"......"

We look at the sky with empty eyes, and then, after organizing the Twilight Domain and the followers that have fallen on one side of Penglai Island, we gather in one place.

Or rather, not everyone gathers.

There's also missing persons.

Wei Shi-hon reports a missing person in a gloomy voice.

"The Thirteenth Guardian Ghost King, my friend, Baek Rin... has disappeared."

"At the last moment, I believe he was seen flying towards Princess Yuk Yo inside the palace. Since the palace itself was taken by Yuk Rin, perhaps Baek Rin is now... captured by Yuk Rin."

Baek Rin has gone missing.

From what was said, it seems he got caught by Yuk Rin while trying to rescue Yuk Yo.

I let out a deep sigh.

The journey to Penglai Island has cost us too much.

In addition to the missing persons, we try to discuss the details of the incident.

Shaaaaaaa— The meeting room is silent.

Yeon Wei, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok and the others seem dispirited by the unpleasant and gloomy dreams they had on Penglai Island.

Or, some are so dumbfounded or frustrated by the current situation that they can't even open their mouths...

It seems like no one is in the mood to open their mouths.

However, I force myself to speak.

We can't just sit down and wallow in our gloom.

Perhaps Yeon Wei knows this too, as she and I exchange opinions.

"What are we going to do now?"

"... For now, we have to try to escape."

"Do you have any plans?"

"Young-hoon Hyung-nim and I left avatars at the sea surface. They're Heart Tribe avatars that can communicate with us in real-time."

Yeon Wei strokes her chin as if pondering before asking.

"Not escaping with it immediately means there's a problem, right?"

"Yes. First... the Heart Tribe avatars itself have exhausted a lot of energy in the battle with Yuk Rin. Currently, they're hiding for fear of being discovered by Yuk Rin and aren't in a state to do anything. Moreover, even if we use attraction force on both sides to pull us up..."

"We've come in too deep."

"Yes. The attraction force won't reach."

The Deep Sea of the Ancient Force Realm is a collection of dimensions.

Even though it seems like we haven't actually descended that far, between the sea surface and our current position is not seawater but 'dimensions.'

To escape, we have to extend attraction force through countless dimensions...

Only those in the Star Shattering stage can emit such attraction force.

Yeon Wei looks at Kim Young-hoon and speaks.

"I heard the Surpassing Radiant Divine Demon is currently... communicating with the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One, no? Can't we get some help from the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One?"

Kim Young-hoon shakes his head awkwardly.

"I apologize, but what I'm doing right now is 'communing' with the enlightenment of that Esteemed One, not 'communicating.' In terms of communication, perhaps Seo Eun-hyun might be better."

Yeon Wei's gaze shifts back to me.

However, I also shake my head.

"To help us, an avatar of the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One would have to come here personally. But from what I know, it will take the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One more than several hundred years to get here."

"Several hundred years... hmm, that's worth waiting for."

She nods.

However, my expression is dark.

'In just a hundred years or so from now, Kang Min-hee will go berserk...'

Furthermore, the day when Seo Hweol regains his 'eye' is also only a few hundred years away.

Being trapped here until then is the worst choice possible.

"There's no way to get out a bit faster... is there?"

"If we create a Thunder Beast, it might be possible right away."

"... No, thank you."

"Yeah, I don't like that idea either. So, is there another method?"

"......"

I sigh.

There's no method that comes to mind immediately.

"... For now, since things have come to this, I will try to contact the Grand Cultivator Association."

Even if we are stuck in the Deep Sea and unable to rise to the surface, there might be a way to somehow escape the Ancient Force Realm entirely.

"Contacting the Grand Cultivator Association to have us all escape to the Bright Cold Realm might be a solution."

Yeon Wei nods, saying it's a good idea, and then asks us if anyone has gained anything from Penglai Island.

"Even though we're trapped now, according to Seo Eun-hyun, there's hope since the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One might come in a few hundred years. In that case, rather than despairing and sitting down, we should see if we've gained anything from Penglai Island. Has anyone gained anything from investigating Penglai Island?"

Everyone shakes their heads at her words.

Seo Ran clicks his tongue and speaks.

"I thought there might be some secret on the Salt Mountain of Penglai Island, but it's just a real salt mountain. A literal lump of salt, nothing more."

"Hm... So it's not a special mineral like Salt Crystals? Then what about the ritual worship scriptures we primarily aimed for when we came here?"

I let out a deep sigh and say,

"From what I can see, those ritual worship scriptures are..."

It's then.

Kim Yeon, with a bitter expression, pulls something from her bosom.

It's a copy of the Ritual Worship Scripture of Love of Virtue.

"When the formation broke, Hyang-hwa and I hurried to the library to gather the ritual worship scriptures, but for some reason, the only one left in my hands is this Ritual Worship Scripture of Love of Virtue. The rest of the scriptures disappeared like smoke."

"...!"

I widen my eyes at the Ritual Worship Scripture of Love of Virtue, and Yeon Wei sighs with regret.

"Ah... it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to arm all our order's leaders with the Five Blessings Axes!"

"There's nothing we can do. At least the Cult Leader can build the Five Blessings Axes, so we should take comfort in that."

Kim Yeon floats the Ritual Worship Scripture of Love of Virtue towards me, and I catch it.

Although the Ritual Worship Scripture of Love of Virtue has clearly entered my hands through Kim Yeon, I can't shake off a lingering unease.

This is due to what Yuk Rin's clone said to me after escaping from Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.

—I advise you to go and quickly gather the ritual worship scriptures you wanted. Once the barrier breaks, the scriptures will remain in this illusory world forever, never to be obtained again...!

Surprisingly, that was a lie.

And when I think about which part of that statement is false, it seems the whole thing is a lie from start to finish.

'The bastard was certain that even if I went to the library to gather the scriptures, I would never be able to obtain them.'

Yet Kim Yeon has acquired a ritual worship scripture.

Is there some secret to this?

'I should observe the Ritual Worship Scripture of Love of Virtue Kim Yeon obtained for now, rather than hastily practicing it.'

After publicly commending Kim Yeon, I tuck the Ritual Worship Scripture of Love of Virtue into my bosom.

We continue to discuss a few escape methods before adjourning the meeting and returning to our respective places.

I return to the basement of the Wuji Religious Hall and try to activate the Flying Immortal Formation.

'There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the Flying Immortal Formation connecting to the lower realms.'

After fiddling with the Flying Immortal Formation for a while, I wrack my brain while pondering over the Grand Cultivator Association.

'Will they really let me return?'

It'd be fortunate if they don't throw a party celebrating the confinement of the Heart Tribe spy.

"Here is the Supervisory Mirror, Master."

I receive the Supervisory Mirror from Hong Fan.

It's a Supervisory Mirror I obtained along with a Salt Crystal at Yuk Rin's palace when I conquered Governing Dragon Island.

I infuse spiritual power into the Supervisory Mirror.

As the spiritual power flows in, the Supervisory Mirror begins to emit light.

A tool that can re-establish contact with a world with which one has formed connections in - that is the Supervisory Mirror.

Wiiiiiing— The Supervisory Mirror shines brilliantly, projecting a multitude of light clusters inside.

The moment I sense the aura emanating from these light clusters, I immediately know which worlds they symbolize.

'This is the Nether Ghost Realm, this is the Lightning Sacred Sea, this is Ham Jin's world, and these are the Astral Realms where I had sent my consciousness while building the Axes...'

Among them, a familiar light catches my eye.

I reach out toward that light.

Woo-woong— A familiar, clear sky is reflected beyond the Supervisory Mirror.

'Bright Cold Realm!'

It's a familiar scene from the Bright Cold Realm.

The name of the world, Bright Cold (光寒), appears above the Supervisory Mirror.

I spend some time manipulating the Supervisory Mirror, learning to infuse my consciousness and adjust it to observe specific locations.

Woo-woong— After manipulating the Supervisory Mirror for a while, I am able to project the Heavenly Cauldron Mountain of the Human Race Grand Alliance.

Wiiiiiiiiing— The Supervisory Mirror flickers as it quickly shows the front of Jun Jae's cave residence at the edge of Heavenly Cauldron Mountain.

From inside his cave residence, a heavy voice emerges.

[Which Daoist is spying on this Alliance Leader?] I infuse my consciousness into the Supervisory Mirror and greet him warmly.

"Daoist Jun, it's me! Seo Eun-hyun!"

[...?] I laugh heartily and briefly explain the situation to him.

I tell him that due to some complicated matters, I ended up in the Ancient Force Realm and request the Grand Cultivator Association to provide coordinates and attraction force to pull us back.

After listening to my explanation, Jun Jae seems to mutter in a low voice before speaking.

"Hmm, I understand, Grand Cultivator Seo. Please wait a little while. I will contact you again soon."

"Haha, I'm really grateful, Daoist! I won't forget this!"

However, I'm not entirely in a good mood.

'I can't tell what he's thinking.'

Since intent isn't reflected in the scene seen through the Supervisory Mirror, I can't be sure if Jun Jae's words are genuine or if he's secretly cheering.

After expressing my gratitude to Jun Jae, and just as I am about to make a few more requests, the screen suddenly distorts, and the connection with the Bright Cold Realm is severed.

"... This is..."

I immediately realize what happened.

Jun Jae had shaken the space with attraction force, abruptly severing the connection of the Supervisory Mirror.

"... This..."

I am so dumbfounded that I clench my teeth.

Jun Jae is the head of the Grand Cultivator Association.

His will is the will of the Grand Cultivator Association.

I realize that the Grand Cultivator Association has not even the slightest intention to rescue me, and I grind my teeth.

'Damn it... what am I supposed to do now that it's come to this!?'

Although the Supervisory Mirror is operated through consciousness, it only transmits a few voices and scenes, so I can't send a Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion avatar through it.

I grab my throbbing head and contemplate for a long time.

While doing so, I feel a peculiar energy above the Supervisory Mirror and turn my gaze toward it.

'This is...?'

For some reason, a familiar aura is shining from above the Supervisory Mirror.

'Of course, it would be familiar since it only shows places I've been to... but it's strange. This is like...'

The light seems to resonate subtly with the Ancient Force Realm.

From within the light, I can faintly hear the sound of waves.

Woo-woong— For some reason, one of my axes, the Health Axis, vibrates and resonates intensely.

I forget my irritation about the Grand Cultivator Association ignoring me and reach out to the light as if entranced.

And then.

Woo-woong!

"...!"

I can see a very familiar scene.

Huarurururu— A burning world.

The endlessly burning monsters within, the remnants of collapsed civilizations scattered around.

Rivers and basins that were once thought to be full of water.

And the name of the great world embracing it all.

The scroll of Lofty Dragon, Envoy of Health and Care appears above the Supervisory Mirror.

"The storage scroll of Lofty Dragon!"

Clench!

I grab the Supervisory Mirror and shout.

Tremble, tremble!

I feel a shiver run through my body from an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

Once one reaches a realm that can handle attraction force, a cultivator's intuition is akin to foresight.

I infuse the Supervisory Mirror with consciousness, wearing a dumbfounded expression.

Woo-woong!

The screen of the Supervisory Mirror appears to distort, and then the Supervisory Mirror enters the altar of the Care Layer.

In other words, it goes up the altar connecting with the Xiezhi Worship Layer.

Wiiiiiing— I feel the vibration of the Health Axis resonating with the aura of the storage scroll of Lofty Dragon reach its peak.

In my memory, Seo Hweol's actions come to mind.

I lift the Health Axis above my hand as Seo Hweol did, and twist the attraction force as Seo Hweol had done.

Flash!

The power of Health is reflected in the Supervisory Mirror.

"Health Axis, Release."

Kuung, Click!

Simultaneously, the sound of a latch or lock being opened spreads out from above the Supervisory Mirror, echoing throughout Penglai Island.