Chương 652: The First Light

"Hoho... That's an interesting thing to say."

The Underworld smiles faintly and asks me.

"In the end, are you saying that you are Heuk Sa... or Seo Eun-hyun?"

"Both."

I smile while suppressing my essence.

"Now I finally understand the truth. Perhaps even the Underworld did not know this" Even upon reaching Araya Consciousness, this is something only I—who is connected to both the Enders and the Radiance Supreme Deity—can know.

"The truth of the Enders... is originally the third law itself."

I begin speaking of the truth I've come to know through Araya Consciousness, connecting to part of the essence of the Radiance Supreme Deity and the Enders.

"In this world, there exist three Absolutes. Fate, History... and the Third Law. But for some reason, that third law is not only unnamed but also unknown to anyone.

"That is why I had thought that the Third Law might be something like the 'heart' or 'death,' and that the domain of purity, as the extremity of the heart, might in fact be the Third Law.

"Just as the Imperial Venerable is said to be the 'Heavenly Venerable of History,' I heard that the domain the Salt Sea Supreme Deity could have reached is called the 'Heavenly Venerable of Purity' after all."

I continue my explanation slowly.

"But after hearing from Hyeon Mu about the Salt Sea Supreme Deity, I began to feel something strange. If they were qualified to become a Heavenly Venerable, why had they not risen to the position of the 'Heavenly Venerable of Purity'...? The reason, it was said, was because of us, the Enders. At the same time, Hyeon Mu's 'Plane of Soul' and the 'Interdimensional Void' carry properties very similar to the domain of purity."

All these facts are pointing toward one truth.

"The domain of purity... is literally emptiness. That's right. It is currently [empty]. And that means there was originally something [filling] that position."

"..."

"Now I finally understand. The Enders... are beings who are the seven fragments divided from the Third Absolute. Because the Absolute was no longer in its rightful place and instead split into seven Enders, no one could know the name of the Third Absolute, and no one could become a True Immortal through the third pathway."

Then the Underworld responds.

"I already knew that."

"... Pardon?"

"Why do you think I humbled myself before you Heavenly Kings in the first place? Why do you think I treated you all as kings of nations? Unlike us, who Divine Descent the Absolute, you all are the Absolute itself. That is why I acknowledged your rank as higher than ours."

"..."

At those words, I cough awkwardly.

"Well... it's a relief that you knew. In any case... along with that truth, I came to understand another one as well."

This, indeed, is the truly astounding truth.

Is it perhaps because I've awakened to the essence of Heuk Sa?

I came to realize a new truth.

The memory from [that moment] returns faintly.

Right after Seo Eun-hyun was caught in the landslide.

Their souls were dragged into an unknown, bizarre world.

At the same time, the emblem of the [Black Snake Biting its Tail] appeared, and before it, [something] emerged.

That [something] is none other than the soul of them who died.

And...

From [my] point of view, I began to infuse their souls with something.

It is fate (命).

But not merely fate, the very essence of life itself was newly bestowed.

I do not remember the exact details.

But afterward...

The Enders fell into Ascension Path within Mount Sumeru.

Then, the history I know unfolded.

Kim Young-hoon became a martial artist, Jeon Myeong-hoon became the Lightning Harbinger and fell into madness, Kang Min-hee failed to withstand the presence of the Underworld and went insane, becoming the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother. She committed a great massacre and was dragged into the Underworld to be taxidermized. But at the very moment the taxidermy succeeded, she perished, in spirit and all, for unknown reasons.

Oh Hyun-seok, after the death of Azure Tiger Saint, lived in decadence steeped in alcohol, drugs, women, and men, and was eventually killed by Seo Hweol.

Kim Yeon was eventually hunted down and miserably killed alongside the Mad Lord by Jang Ik.

Only Oh Hye-seo seemed to live happily with Seo Hweol for a time, but in the final moment, Seo Hweol lost in a battle of personality against Blood Yin. Seo Hweol perished, and Oh Hye-seo was ripped apart and killed by Blood Yin's hands.

Numerous final moments of the Enders flash before my eyes.

And...

The final moment of 'Seo Eun-hyun' flashes as well.

Seo Eun-hyun, who died pitifully without accomplishing anything.

And [I] murmured as I watched it unfold.

—How pitiful. This time as well...

And [I], from a place beyond time, began to move while looking down upon them.

In the order of time...

I moved to [retrieve] them starting from the 'ones who died first.'

The death order of the 'Enders' in the 0th cycle is as follows.

First, Seo Eun-hyun.

Died of illness from a cold.

Second, Kim Young-hoon.

Seemed to succeed in ascension after piercing through the Interdimensional Void in a battle against cultivators, but died in combat against Vestiges.

Third, Jeon Myeong-hoon.

Lived rampantly as the Lightning Harbinger, but was surrounded and killed by the Heaven Tribe coalition.

Fourth, Kim Yeon.

Followed the Mad Lord, and was killed by being hunted by Jang Ik.

Fifth, Oh Hyun-seok.

While doing drugs, was caught in Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and, while struggling violently in resistance, was killed directly by Seo Hweol due to excessive struggle.

Sixth, Kang Min-hee.

After committing a mass slaughter as the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother, was dragged into the deepest hell of the Underworld and successfully taxidermized, but then suddenly died for an unknown reason.

Last, Oh Hye-seo.

After Seo Hweol's miserable defeat, was torn to pieces by Blood Yin and died like a bug.

[I] moved into the time point of Seo Eun-hyun who was the first among them to die.

The retrieval method is simple.

[I] dwell within the life granted to them, and reclaim the authority that was 'bestowed'.

Thus, [I] reversed through time, and briefly settled in Seo Eun-hyun's body at the moment of his death.

Originally, Seo Eun-hyun's life and authority should have been 'retrieved' without issue.

"That's where the error began."

Only now do I understand what my true authority is.

The authority of Enders grows stronger with each experience of death.

Just like how Oh Hye-seo awakened her true authority after dying hundreds of times at the hands of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity despite not realizing her fate, Seo Eun-hyun too, upon experiencing his first death, had his true authority activated.

The true authority I gained as an Ender.

It is Ātmagrāha (我執; ego-clinging).

Ego-Preservation.

That is the authority of 'Seo Eun-hyun'.

To retrieve Seo Eun-hyun's authority, [I] entered his corpse as usual, but was struck by that very authority and became 'Seo Eun-hyun'.

[I] struggled in every way to resist Seo Eun-hyun's authority, but since ■■■ was ■■, I could not perfectly resist the authority of an Ender.

An impossible miracle occurred.

And, [I] became Seo Eun-hyun.

"... These are the memories I obtained. Of course, due to my essence resisting, some information is obscured, so I could not recover everything... but the essence of my existence is Heuk Sa. More precisely... the mantra of Heuk Sa. The source of infinite regression... what one could call the Radiance Mantra (光明眞言)."

The moment [I] entered him, the power of [Ego-Preservation] that belonged to Seo Eun-hyun imprinted his ego onto the power of Heuk Sa, who traversed spacetime to retrieve the Enders.

In other words...

I am, in the end, Heuk Sa wearing the face of Seo Eun-hyun.

Upon hearing my explanation, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld smiles and asks.

"Then, how do you explain that?"

The Underworld points somewhere.

In the past, I wouldn't have understood, but having reached Araya Consciousness for a brief moment, I immediately read the Underworld's intention and grasp the meaning.

"Are you asking why Hong Fan possesses my authority?"

That's right.

Hong Fan, too, as one of the Enders of this era, possesses the authority of [Ego-Preservation].

Seo Eun-hyun's authority is called [Ego-Preservation], but more precisely, it is something closer to [Self-Preservation].

No matter what spacetime one falls into, no matter what illusions or phantasms one experiences...

It is the authority to absolutely preserve one's self.

That is the authority Hong Fan possesses, and why his cultivation remained intact even when I regressed.

Though retaining memory is difficult, his cultivation stage never regressed.

It was because Hong Fan used Seo Eun-hyun's authority.

"Doesn't the Imperial Venerable not already know the answer?"

I smile faintly and continue.

"The tenth cycle. No... perhaps even earlier..."

Yes, I don't know the exact moment, but perhaps even before I first met Buk Hyang-hwa...

The personality of Heuk Sa succeeded in escaping from me.

However, leaving behind the Radiance Mantra that once belonged to them to me, they took the authority of [Ego-Preservation] that was mine and made a dramatic escape.

I am unable to read how that became possible.

Nonetheless, Heuk Sa's personality escaped from Seo Eun-hyun's and entered the belly of a centipede in the great mountain ranges on the western end of the Head Realm.

There, Heuk Sa clashed with the Ender authority they took with them in an effort to recover their memories.

Heuk Sa's memories and the authority of [Ego-Preservation] clashed violently.

And as a result...

Heuk Sa succeeded in erasing the personality of 'Seo Eun-hyun' engraved into the authority of [Ego-Preservation], but in exchange, they also lost their own memories and became a blank fool.

As my regressions continued and life repeated, they matured far beyond other centipedes and grew stronger in accordance with their essence—but without ever knowing their true identity... they only waited endlessly.

Until at last, The time arrived.

[I] and the amnesiac Heuk Sa met.

Heuk Sa instinctively clung to me, and I carried them with me, bestowing upon Heuk Sa their 'true name' in order to have something to call them.

The main personality of Heuk Sa (黑蛇), Hong Fan (洪範).

That is Hong Fan's true identity.

And...

I fully define my existence and laugh bitterly.

"In the end, Seo Eun-hyun after the 0th cycle... is nothing more than a personality of the name 'Seo Eun-hyun' that clings like a Heart Demon to the Radiance Mantra that causes infinite regression."

Indeed.

I myself am stronger than any Heart Demon.

The reason why back when I was undergoing advancement, the Heart Heavenly Demons who entered my internal world mistook me as a 'Entering Nirvana stage Heart Demon Senior'.

The reason why when I became an Immortal Beast, I didn't become a 'Human Immortal Beast', but rather a 'bizarre Immortal Beast fused with a snake'.

It is because the essence of the being known as [me] is, in the end...

A Heart Demon clinging to the Radiance Mantra of Heuk Sa.

"Is your essence nothing more than a Heart Demon, then?"

"You could see it that way."

"Then why did you call yourself 'the human Seo Eun-hyun'?"

"Well..."

I smile brightly at the Underworld's words and completely suppress my 'essence'.

"I may be nothing more than the leftover of Seo Eun-hyun and Heuk Sa, but... by receiving hearts... I have truly become human."

By inheriting the will of Kim Young-hoon.

By engraving the teachings of Cheongmun Ryeong in my heart.

By receiving a kiss from Buk Hyang-hwa and the enlightenment of blessings.

By confirming Kim Yeon's heart.

By carrying on the will of Azure Tiger Saint.

By receiving the hearts of Gyu Ryeon and Gyu Baek.

By receiving the heart of an unknown existence called Gu Ju.

By receiving grace from all of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.

By receiving the heart of Seo Li.

By receiving the heart of the Wuji Religious Order...

Like so, I've come this far through giving and receiving hearts with countless beings.

"Even if I was born a Heart Demon, as long as birth means nothing... I am human. Though what I am may have changed slightly from the 0th cycle, I am Seo Eun-hyun."

Yes.

My origin is just as lowly as that of Seo Hweol.

Just as Seo Hweol was nothing more than an 'error' born of an Ender's legacy, I too am a lowly being—merely a Heart Demon originating from the existence called Seo Eun-hyun.

However, just as Seo Hweol received a heart and died as a person— I, too, have come to this place by endlessly giving and receiving hearts.

'If I hadn't confirmed my connections with whom I gave and received with after reaching Araya Consciousness... the Radiance Mantra might have gone berserk and erased my personality.'

But that will not happen.

Had Heuk Sa's personality remained within me and aimed for this moment, perhaps they would have succeeded...

But they already attempted to escape in the form of Hong Fan, and became a blank fool, becoming Hong Fan.

The Radiance Mantra, with no personality remaining, can no longer escape my control now that I have fully comprehended Araya Consciousness.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. Though I was born a mere Heart Demon, I am one who is now human... I am Seo Eun-hyun (瑞恩現; Manifestation of Auspicious Grace)."

At my clear smile, the Underworld smiles brightly, then suddenly begins to shake her head.

"Wrong."

"... Pardon?"

"You figured out everything else, but you didn't know this, did you? Well, I suppose if the personality escaped, you couldn't have read all the memories."

"What do you mean by that...?"

"It's simple. From the beginning, none of you had something like a soul."

"... Pardon...?"

At the Underworld's continuing words, I gape in shock and confusion.

"Splitting Heaven... is not just a phenomenon. It is truly a type of mantra. Those below Supreme Deity must not know this, so they are only told it is a 'Splitting Heaven phenomenon'. But now that your mind has truly reached the realm of a Supreme Deity, I shall tell you."

"Th-That is..."

"Someone beyond the Audience Chamber... used the Splitting Heaven Mantra to split the [Third Absolute] into seven pieces. Those pieces are you all, the Enders. And... someone then takes those shattered Absolutes outside and breathes them into beings of another world. Those shattered Absolutes are then born in the form of those inhabitants, and eventually, on the same day, at the same time, in the same place—they all meet the end of their fates in that world."

"..."

"Afterwards, someone retrieves you and scatters you into this world again. That is your true nature. That is the reason why each of you awaken a different authority every time. The form of your authority changes depending on the life you lived in your original world.

"That being the case... there is no room for anything like [your original soul] to even exist. None of you ever had a soul or spirit from the beginning. You were simply fragmented Absolutes that happened to form personalities."

"..."

"In short, you never possessed any essence to begin with. That is why Salt Sea despised you, and why when Salt Sea challenged the Audience Chamber, they did so by fusing the seven Enders of that era into the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra without hesitation. That is why their disciple, Great Mountain, did not acknowledge you at first."

"..."

And, at the Underworld's warm words that follow, I shed a single tear.

"If so, then what does it mean that the lingering thought of Salt Sea acknowledged you as a disciple, and that Great Mountain acknowledged you as a junior brother? You are now... though you received some help from the Radiance Mantra, the first among all Enders to have obtained something called a soul (魂) on your own."

"..."

"You were merely a fragment of Origin Essence with personality, but that personality temporarily moved into the Radiance Mantra, expelled the original personality, exchanged connections... and awakened a true soul. Now, in this very moment, by fully obtaining Araya Consciousness, you have truly become [yourself]."

Looking at the Underworld's smile, I finally realize who it is that Yang Su-jin referred to as the [sole Governing Immortal I can trust].

There is no doubt.

I now understand why the Underworld is referred to as one of the Twin Venerables of the Buddhist Family, and before the great compassion and great mercy emanating from her, I cannot help but bow.

This person before my eyes, holds the same heart as my master...

No, perhaps even a greater heart.

Therefore, if I trusted my master, then I can trust this person as well.

Though I have no concrete evidence, I can tell for sure that this is someone I can trust.

"Therefore, Seo Eun-hyun. You have always been Seo Eun-hyun from the beginning. You have never changed. Rather, you are someone who built connections through your own strength and completed yourself. That is who you are. You are, among all Enders across generations... a being no different from the First Light."

Drip... drip, drip...

"At first, you called yourself 'a being who can never escape from the Future King'. Perhaps you believed your essence was insignificant, and that you were just something clinging to the Radiance Mantra. But that is wrong. You completed your soul with your own hands, and now it is the Radiance Mantra that clings beneath you.

"So... as long as you possess a heart, you can defy the Future King however much you want. Just as all beings with a heart in this world have the right to resist fate."

I can no longer hold back my tears and begin to cry on the spot.

Once again, a surge of emotion rises from my chest, and within that swelling emotion, I completely subdue the Radiance Mantra that rages inside me.

Just as the Underworld says, I now feel the Radiance Mantra clinging to my soul.

Kiriririk...

With that, I manage to browse a few more memories of Hong Fan left inside the Radiance Mantra.

They concern the true identity of Hong Fan.

"... I have one question to ask."

"What is it?"

"The someone who used Splitting Heaven. The someone who scattered the Third Absolute across Earth. The someone who brought us here... isn't that ultimately the Future King? If they are beyond the Audience Chamber... I mean."

"Who knows. The reason I use 'someone' rather than the Future King... is because I believe Heuk Sa and the Future King are not the same being."

"... But I just felt it. The Radiance Mantra... it feels subordinate to the Future King. If that is the case... doesn't that essentially mean the one who brought us is the Future King? Isn't Heuk Sa simply carrying out their command?"

"... The reason you are saying this must be because, while fully seizing the Radiance Mantra, you saw something. What did you see?"

At the Underworld's question, I speak with a hardened expression.

"Heuk Sa... In other words, I saw the identity of Hong Fan's 'first life'."

"What is it?"

"... Hong Fan's identity is..."

As I read the memories retrieved from within the Radiance Mantra, I open my mouth heavily.

"One of the founders of Radiance Hall."

A vague memory flashes before my eyes.

Twelve cultivators at the level of Immortal Lords are conversing within the light.

Among them, I see a familiar face.

A divine spirit with the dignity of an Imperial King (帝王), leading what appear to be the initial twelve Immortal Lords of the Radiance Ten Heavens, discussing something.

That figure wears Hong Fan's face.

"One of the first Radiance Supreme Deities."

Hong Fan speaks in that scene.

The other voices are too muffled to hear clearly, but that one voice comes through loud and clear.

—From now on, we shall be called... after my epithet, Heuk Sa (黑蛇).

The one who gave the name 'Heuk Sa' to the Radiance Supreme Deity.

That is Hong Fan's true identity.

"The Imperial Venerable said that the original purpose of Radiance Hall was to keep the Fate Supreme Deity in check, was it not? But is that really the truth? Could it be... that from the beginning, Radiance Hall was nothing more than a puppet of fate?"

With a foreboding feeling about Hong Fan's identity, I ask the Underworld my deepest question.