Chương 650: Owner of Wisdom (4)

I take my stance.

[Show the possibility.] I die.

I come back to life.

I take my stance again.

I die.

I come back to life.

No sound is heard, nor is any attack perceived.

It is just that at some moment, when I come to my senses, I find myself dead and reviving again.

It simply feels as if the already dark surroundings grow a little darker, then a little brighter again.

'How many times has it been.'

I have already died more than ten times.

'I can't even perceive that attack at all.'

Nor is there even a chance to use Mahayuga.

It simply feels impossible to perceive anything.

'I died again.'

When I spend a moment thinking, I am already dead and coming back to life again.

In this sense of helplessness, I don't even dare to let out a sigh.

'What on earth am I supposed to do?'

How on earth can I even perceive this strike?

In the face of this helpless sensation, I dare not even think about resisting, and I merely keep dying while gripping the Impermanence Sword.

Even if one resists, resistance requires at least perceiving something.

If I cannot even perceive it, what am I supposed to do?

Before I know it, I have experienced more than a hundred deaths.

Within the pain and lamentation of these deaths, I scream inwardly and begin wringing out my mind.

'Perception. I must perceive first. If so...'

I must refine the mind even further to perceive the strike of the Underworld.

'After becoming a True Immortal, physical fatigue and mental fatigue are practically nonexistent.'

It becomes possible to maintain the best mental state at all times.

And the foundation that allows True Immortals to use Immortal Arts also stems from this clear mental state.

For us, the size of the consciousness domain no longer holds any meaning.

What holds meaning is the clarity of the consciousness domain.

'I must clear my consciousness.'

The clearer the consciousness becomes, the more time splits, and the world comes to a halt.

And by splitting time over and over, at some point, the consciousness enters a place where time has stopped.

This is the realm walked by those among the True Immortals whose consciousness is especially powerful.

The time domain of the instant.

It is also the mental realm I briefly entered when I developed the thirty-third move of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship and temporarily broke into the True Immortal Realm.

However, that is not enough.

My mind continues to clear.

The mind continues to clear endlessly, passing through the time of a snap of a finger (彈指) and entering the time of a fleeting instant (刹那).

Now, simply by clearing the mind, it feels as if the principles of the world, and the planes of Qi, Soul, Fate, and Immortality are being separated.

This is the mental domain of an ordinary Upper Immortal.

'Keep going!'

Even this is not enough!

Before I know it, I have died over a thousand times.

Since regression is forbidden, the 1005th cycle keeps progressing.

However, death has been experienced more than a thousand times in an instant.

'I must go beyond this!!!'

Realizing that this is not enough, I begin wringing out my consciousness even further.

To the point of completely scattering my mind!

Like so, my consciousness continues to endlessly clear and accelerate.

Now, my mind has entered the realm of six virtues (六德).

Now, it is no longer merely at the level where time stops. The events and possibilities of the past and future begin to be seen with the naked eye.

But perhaps because I am caught by the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, my past and future are all painted entirely black, and cannot be seen.

This is the mental domain of a Great Immortal (大仙).

Kiriririk!

Now, my mind goes beyond merely becoming clear. It feels as though everything inside it is being emptied.

Beyond six virtues, into the domain of void (虛空).

'It is done.'

Now, my mind itself connects directly to the past, present, and future themselves and touches the Akashic Records.

From this level onward, it becomes a realm that even most Immortal Lords struggle to reach. Only the highest Immortal Lords or the Supreme Deities can reach this mental domain.

And at the same time that I realize my mind has connected to void, I realize I can now move at Spirit Speed.

Kiriririk!

The surrounding environment seems to slightly distort.

Had this place been Mount Sumeru, I might have felt an illusion of the dimension flattening, but perhaps because I am inside the Gandhara, the surrounding objects remain unchanged.

Mind in the domain of void.

And speed reaching the domain of Spirit Speed.

This is the highest state and mental domain that I can currently achieve.

However,

'Again...!'

Even now, I still cannot perceive the attack of the Underworld.

I grit my teeth.

I can tell.

Simply reaching void is not enough.

'I must surpass untainted (淸淨)... and reach Araya (阿羅耶識)!'

Only when I reach the mental domain that I momentarily touched upon with the help of Kim Young-hoon can I even hope to perceive the attack of the Underworld.

'Since my mind has reached void, time has vanished.'

The moment I realize this, I realize death has become meaningless.

Now, death merely means losing my body and soul.

Only my will remains, connected to the Akashic Records, calmly observing the Underworld grinding away my body and soul.

Originally, a being who has lost their body and soul should either die or reincarnate, with all memories being buried beyond the Akashic Records, but since the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld has bound my mind and kept me in place, my memories are neither buried beyond the Akashic Records nor do I regress.

I have merely obtained a time of calm observation.

'How can I further refine my mind?'

Passing through the instant, six virtues, void, and untainted, I must reach Araya.

Araya.

The mental domain also called Araya Consciousness.

In other words, it is also a domain called Purity (純粹).

'Purity. My mind itself must become completely identical to the domain of purity.'

What is the method?

Perhaps it is to empty the mind so completely that not even the slightest speck remains, creating true Emptiness (空).

'I must empty it.'

It is not enough simply to reach the level of emptiness of Void Shattering.

'I must empty everything of myself with the resolve to melt it all in an instant.'

How can one do such a thing?

In the case of the Heavenly Venerable of Void, she severed all meaning life held, and emptied her heart by retaining only the heart of emptiness.

In the case of Kim Young-hoon, he realized that the heart can become anything, thus emptied his heart with the enlightenment that his own heart can also become anything.

'In my case...'

The answer is already there.

'Impermanence!'

When will gathers, it becomes Impermanence.

I unite all the meaning of my life into one.

My past, future, present...

I begin to converge all my possibilities existing in this world into one.

Pain and joy, blessings and curses, everything I have believed to be meaningful until now begins to merge and approach the domain of purity.

Kiriririk—

'Untainted (淸淨)...'

The domain of purity starts to almost assimilate with my consciousness.

'When my consciousness fully assimilates with purity, I will reach Araya.'

But just then.

Shwiriririk— As I merge all the emotions existing within me, I begin to realize that the structure of my mind starts to fit into the palm of my hand.

'This is...'

It is a phenomenon unlike any Ghost Path Method, any consciousness method, or anything I have ever heard of from anyone else.

'Perception (知覺)... five layers... six layers... seven? No, it is divided into eight layers...?'

The first five layers of perception are all the same type of perception.

Sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, and all other senses that can be gained as a mortal.

These are the senses obtainable through a mortal's body.

The sixth layer of perception refers to what we generally call the sixth sense.

When the sixth sense emerges instinctively, it becomes the sense of the Earth Tribe that perceives the Plane of Qi.

When the sixth sense emerges through endless insight and self-discipline, it becomes the sense of the Heart Tribe that perceives the Plane of Soul.

When the sixth sense emerges through divine energy and foresees the future, it becomes the sense of the Heaven Tribe that perceives the Plane of Fate.

The senses like Nether Perception and Star Vein Eye, gained through the Gandhara of the Four Heavenly Venerables, also originate from this.

And then, at some point, I suddenly perceive all these senses converge into one, becoming a single unified sense.

'Void (虛空)...'

In the end, all senses expand and connect to the Akashic Records.

This is the seventh sense.

Inside the Akashic Records, I read what someone once named this sense.

They are a massive abyss, a devourer of all things, and a being who was half-divine from birth.

It is the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King.

They named this seventh sense that reaches the Akashic Records, in other words, this sense that is close to the domain of purity, like so: Manas Consciousness (末那識/Manas-vijnana).

'Will (意)...?'

This consciousness (識/vijnana) that the existence called Manas (末那), when translated into the language mainly used in Mount Sumeru, corresponds to the word 'Will (意)'.

This is not simply intent.

Kiriririririk!

'...!'

When I clearly perceive Manas Consciousness, the entirety of Mount Sumeru starts appearing to my eyes as circles.

Countless circles form Mount Sumeru.

'I see. Is this Mahayuga...? No. I have not activated Mahayuga. This is... I see.'

Touching the Akashic Records, I immediately find the answer.

'Mahayuga itself, from the beginning, has been touching the truth of this world, and I have refined my mind enough to touch that truth.'

Mahayuga is an Immortal Art that perceives these circles as countless 'Wheels', allowing one to manipulate the principles of the world roughly even without fully understanding them.

When the whole world starts appearing as circles— Kigigigigik— The world narrows, and the two-dimensional world that had been a flat plane shrinks into one dimension.

However, the forms of the 'circles' filling the world do not completely disappear but start clinging stickily to the threads of the world, which has narrowed into one dimension.

The world looks like a spider web, filled with threads and circles caught here and there on the web.

When I perceive this scene, I realize that these spider web-like principles are woven with a certain pattern.

'This is...'

A net.

It is a net.

'I see. Previously, because of Kim Young-hoon and his unorthodox method, my mind could not be refined, so I could not properly perceive this scene.'

I stand above on a knot of this endlessly vast net.

And then it happens.

Puhwak!

Jjeoeoeong!

Along with a certain vibration, I hear a 'sound'.

'Ah...!'

That's right.

Only after forcibly refining my mind to this level do I barely manage to hear the sound of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld swinging her arm.

[It is called the Net of Indra. What do you think?] As I realize that my body and soul have died again, I flinch at the voice of the Underworld echoing from somewhere.

'...!!!'

Before my eyes.

Above the net, the Underworld sits in a lotus position.

Even after refining my mind to such a degree that everything in all of existence turns into a net named 'Indra's Net'...

'And yet, the Underworld still maintains that form.'

The Underworld seems to exist above all principles themselves.

The moment I think this, The vibration generated from the knot I am standing on moves toward the part of the net where the Underworld sits.

[You think I exist above the principles? You are wrong. I, too, am one with this net. In this world, not a single being has broken free from this net. Even the Future King could not completely escape from it. Of course, they possess the power to burn and tear apart the net itself...] Only then do I understand how the Underworld had been reading our thoughts so instantaneously all this time.

[You are seeking to reach Araya Consciousness, correct? Trying to read my actions first, and then trying to receive my strike.]

'... That is correct.'

[I will tell you the method to reach Araya Consciousness.] The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld extends a hand toward me and continues speaking.

[Reflect. As your master once told you, repentantly enlighten yourself... and at the same time, reflect well upon your heart. Then, the truths of the world will begin to reveal themselves one after another.]

'Thank you.'

Have I gone mad?

The being who killed me, killed me again, and continues to kill and inflict pain upon me, is right before my eyes.

Yet, I naturally offer thanks to the Underworld and follow her words.

'No, I am not mad.'

I begin conversing with my own negative emotions, turning my gaze inward.

'From the beginning, it was meant to be a teaching... It is only natural to be thankful.'

As I engage in self-repentant enlightenment, the world begins to reflect inwardly toward me.

I am simultaneously one of the knots of the net, and a circle, a wheel, and a mirror.

Within this mirror, all other knots— Circles, wheels, and mirrors begin to reflect and project all information of all phenomena.

It feels as though the Akashic Records have temporarily settled into my mind.

Following the teachings of the Underworld, when my mind completely assimilates with the Akashic Records, and assimilated to the utmost with the domain of purity, it happens.

A certain information passes before my eyes.

It is the Seven Brilliances Kings.

In other words, it is the names of the Heavenly Kings we must reach.

Golden Speed Heavenly King (金迅天王) Kim Young-hoon.

Red Pearl Extinguishing Heavenly King Jeon Myeong-hoon...

...

It seems those names simply inform of the former generation's names, except for those who have directly advanced to Heavenly King.

'Unless one directly advances to become a Seven Brilliances King and pushes their name forward through their own interpretation, only these names are recorded into the Akashic Records...'

And it feels like I am briefly reading the information recorded in the Akashic Records that way.

I continue reading down the names of the Seven Brilliances Kings.

'Which... Heavenly King am I...?'

Perhaps, by reading through the names of these Heavenly Kings, finding the Heavenly King I am, and discovering what emotion they preside over, I might be able to grasp what my own fate is.

Lapis Lazuli Protecting Heavenly King Kang Min-hee.

Silver Basket Heavenly King Oh Hyun-seok.

Tridacna Vast Cold Heavenly King Kim Yeon...

And when I reach the information about Kim Yeon— I frown as I read the name of the being listed beneath.

Ma88*^(&%(%^**Heavenly King Oㅎㅔㅅㅓ The names are all tangled up, not even properly surfacing.' Ah... I see.' Is it because I am connected with the Akashic Records? Along with the question, the answer immediately becomes clear. Oh Hye-seo seems to be the current successor of the Agate Heavenly King. And now, she is on the verge of fully awakening her fate as the Agate Heavenly King, with only a trigger needed for complete awakening.' The fate of the Agate Heavenly King is almost here, but because she has not fully awakened it, is that why the name appears like that...?' Only then do I realize what my own fate is.' I see. I am the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King...' Only now do I understand why I was able to so naturally master the Flawless Mantra, the legacy of the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King. Why the lingering thought of the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King approached me so naturally. Why the Swallowing Heaven Supreme Deity, the relic of the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King, felt so familiar to me—everything makes sense.' The emotion overseen by the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King was... desire, wasn't it?' As I connect to the Akashic Records, it feels like I can finally understand my fate. I begin reading the name of the Obsidian Devil Heavenly King beneath Oh Hye-seo, and start to look into my fate.' My fate is des...' It is then. Obsidian Devil Heavenly King (黑曜摩天王). Hong Fan (洪範). In that moment, my concentration breaks, and I snap my eyes open, ejected from the Akashic Records and returning to my original state of mind. [W-Wait, O Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld! Just a moment! Just a moment...] Kwaang! Panicking, I plead with the Underworld, but the Underworld pays me no mind and crushes me down, killing me. Perhaps because I have perceived Indra's Net, I can now at least hear the sound of the Underworld swinging her arm, but I am in no situation to care about such things. [Wait! O Underworld Please wait just a moment!] [Nonsense.] Kwaaang! Once again, I die amidst terrible pain. Perhaps because my consciousness can now perceive Indra's Net, the pain, which was once tolerable, now feels excruciating. [Kkuuuuugh!] I scream as I vividly feel my very principle being torn apart by the Underworld. Yet even amidst the agony, I hold onto only a single question.' Just what is this? What is this? What is this? What is this? What is this?' I feel like I'm going to vomit. I can't tell what is what, and a fundamental doubt about my own identity rises and confuses me.' What in the world is this!? I am Seo Eun-hyun! I came from Earth along with the other Enders! Together with the others from Earth...' Overwhelmed by an immense shock, I die again before the Underworld, gasping in confusion. What in the world is Hong Fan? And... Am I truly the Seo Eun-hyun I have always known? Am I really an Ender? Such doubts begin to dominate my entire being.