Chương 671: Holy Mother (1)

"Now then, let's bring the Great Mountain Holy Mother here..."

Glass Peacock licks their lips and reaches out a hand.

"Wait, hold on."

I briefly bat away Glass Peacock's hand and turn my attention to Oh Hyun-seok.

'Since this is related to Oh Hye-seo, I should let Oh Hyun-seok know as well.'

Just as I am about to tell Oh Hyun-seok about Glass Peacock—

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the connection with the information body over there weakens, and for an instant, through the information body's perspective, it feels like time itself around Oh Hyun-seok and Mount Sumeru slows down.

'This is...!'

"Hmm, what's wrong? What happened?"

Glass Peacock looks at my expression and asks.

"... The flow of time has changed."

"Hm? Is that so? I did notice communication with the main body isn't going smoothly."

"... Aren't you worried? If the connection with the main body is lost, your self could become independent and separate from it..."

"Hmm... you're worried about that kind of thing? Sorry, but I don't really care. In the first place... aren't you kind of similar?"

"Hmm...?"

"You've got quite a fragmented self, don't you? And yet, you still maintain your ego called 'Seo Eun-hyun' quite well."

Glass Peacock creates a throne of glass on the spot, sits on it, and crosses their legs as they speak.

"That's probably because... all your fragmented selves believe they are part of the existence known as 'Seo Eun-hyun', is it not? Even if they're divided, that division itself maintains the identity of 'Seo Eun-hyun'. It's the same for me. I've lived a long time, and my mind has split a few times, but as long as I enjoy dual cultivation with my split selves, they always end up being completely on my side."

"... Hmm..."

"It's simple. Even if I split and become two, I don't obsess over who the main body is, and instead just accept 'both' as members who make up the being called 'Glass Peacock'. There's no point in deciding who's real or fake. All are constituents of what makes the real."

I find myself fully agreeing with that statement.

'Come to think of it, the reason I've remained sane even after starting Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation is also because of that logic...'

My mind has long since been fragmented.

But even with the fragmentation, it only added one or two more egos to the several quadrillion that were already divided in the first place.

But even if they're split, all those egos are still me.

To be precise, each ego is a part that composes me.

In a way, I may already be something akin to a nation or group in and of myself.

"Well, that's also why I want to do it with you. You're a lunatic too, after all."

"You're saying you want to cure me as well?"

"No, there's no need to cure you. You are a being similar to me, you've got a mental state that is either equal to or superior to mine, and the soundness of your mind exceeds even my own. If anything, I should be the one receiving treatment from you. Heheh, just imagining myself being held in your arms, throwing a tantrum while receiving treatment... it's thrilling..."

The lower body of the female-form Glass Peacock begins to swell, and both I and Kim Yeon flinch and step back at the same time.

Tuk, tududuk...

Having completely formed a lower body, Glass Peacock shifts into a male form and, suppressing the swelling, continues speaking.

"Of course, I'm more into giving treatment than receiving... so for now, I just want to make contact with the Great Mountain Holy Mother."

"You mean to heal the scars in Oh Hye-seo's heart...?"

"No. I mean this one's mental illness."

"Mental illness...? You mean being born with faint emotions?"

"No, no. It's not that. From what I can tell, the Great Mountain Holy Mother has... a severe delusional disorder."

"Delusional disorder?"

What in the world does that mean?

Talk of the Lizard Race, Earth's secret organizations, or the soap company's dark dealings all seems quite credible.

"You're saying this one has delusional disorder? In what way?"

"I don't know exactly. But... as someone who has copulated with living beings numbering in the hundreds of millions, trillions, even quadrillions... and shared intercourse with tens of thousands of True Immortals, I can instinctively tell. This one is clearly a 'patient,' a pitiful sentient being in need of treatment and salvation."

Tuk... tudududuk...

Glass Peacock shifts into the form of a Small Green Race like Jang Ik and starts tearing at both their shoulders while laughing.

They don't look like the appearance of the familiar Jang Ik, but more like a Small Green Race version of Glass Peacock, appearing utterly despicable and greedy.

"So... I will personally end the Great Mountain Holy Mother's wandering. Because this is something only I can do!"

"..."

I look at Glass Peacock with a dumbfounded expression, and after maintaining the form of the Small Green Race for a while, they shift into the form of a Half-Human, Half-Spider Race like Yu Hwa and speak.

"Anyway, hurry up and hand over the Great Mountain Holy Mother. I need to connect to her mind and perform a 'diagnosis'."

"... Rather than handing over the physical body, we will use a method to connect to her mind all at once."

If I were to hand over Oh Hye-seo's physical body, she would be turned into a complete mess by Glass Peacock in an instant.

Even though it's Oh Hye-seo, seeing Glass Peacock acting like that makes me worried, so I decide to avoid that.

"Well, what a pity... Without thoroughly examining the body and spirit together, it will be difficult to find a clue for treatment..."

—To think I won't get to fulfill my personal desires. I wanted to try this and that... First, switching the Great Mountain Holy Mother's physical gender back and forth and, while they sleep, all over their body...

I shudder and shake my head as I observe Glass Peacock's inner thoughts through Araya Consciousness.

Glass Peacock is imagining things so terrifying that even ordinary True Immortals wouldn't even fathom it, and just being exposed to those horrific thoughts makes my brain feel like it's burning.

"Absolutely not. Join hands with me and we'll approach Oh Hye-seo together And... the flow of time still hasn't returned to normal. I need to get Hyun-seok Hyung-nim's permission first..."

The flow of time over in the Outer Sea is still accelerated by hundreds of millions of times, so the information body on Oh Hyun-seok's side continues to perceive as if time is frozen.

"Why would you need permission to treat someone? Besides, we have no idea how long it'll take for the time flow to return to normal in the Outer Sea! And this isn't even the full treatment, it's just a 'diagnosis'. Well, fine. I can't wait anymore. I won't touch the Great Mountain Holy Mother's physical body, so just link my consciousness and let me connect to her."

As if they can't delay any longer, Glass Peacock reaches out abruptly to Kim Yeon, who is specialized in connecting consciousness, and I hurriedly intervene between the two.

Tak, tak!

With my left hand grabbing Kim Yeon's and my right hand grabbing Glass Peacock's, I let out a sigh and speak.

"... Fine, but just do a pure 'diagnosis'..."

"Oh, ooooohhhk! Hggk! I'm holding hands! This sensation of the hand, u-uhhk! The movement of the muscles! The history of tempering and refinement! Uuuuuuhhk!"

As soon as they grab my hand, Glass Peacock sobs with overwhelming emotion, and I sigh deeply and focus my mind.

The thought of having to spend hundreds of millions of years in the Outer Sea with this lunatic is already starting to feel overwhelming and distant.

Impermanence Sword.

Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

Kiriririk!

Kim Yeon's consciousness thread connects to mine, and mine connects to Glass Peacock's mental domain.

[Wh-What is this consciousness!? Ahhhh, is this the consciousness of a swordsman, honed to the extreme? A sword is ramming into my consciousness...] [Please just shut up!] I shout at the noisy Glass Peacock, and Kim Yeon does her best to ignore them while connecting to Oh Hye-seo's mind as well.

Thus, using Kim Yeon's consciousness as the medium, we enter into the inner domain of Oh Hye-seo's consciousness.

Hoho...

Hohohohoho...

Hohoho...

I open my eyes to an unpleasant sound.

'Is this... inside Oh Hye-seo's consciousness?'

Within On Hye-seo's mind, an extremely disturbing laughter echoes.

And...

"Hmm...?"

For some reason, I flinch, realizing that the inside of her mind feels incredibly familiar.

It is a vastly different landscape compared to when I connected to Kim Yeon's consciousness through the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.

'Is it because my realm has risen that... I am seeing areas I couldn't before...? This scenery, it's...'

An endless sea of chaos.

That's right.

Oh Hye-seo's mental domain is incredibly similar to the landscape of the Outer Sea.

It is when I glance around with a startled look.

"What do you think? Does something feel strange?"

Glass Peacock and Kim Yeon appear nearby.

Glass Peacock, taking the form of a female human, crosses their arms and smiles.

"... It's like... the Outer Sea."

"Hahaha, right. It really is, isn't it? As you know, a living being's mental domain is generally divided into the surface 'external mental domain' and the 'internal mental domain'. When dividing by the spirit (Hunpo/魂魄), the internal domain is the Hun (魂), and the external domain can be said to be the Po (魄)."

I nod.

This is something I've understood well ever since I entered Kim Yeon's consciousness through the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace during the 14th cycle.

"And just like this, the 'Po' part of a living being, when accessed at a high realm, takes on a form very similar to the Outer Sea. So... True Immortals who walk the Immortal Dao of the mind, or those who refine such Immortal Arts, have proposed such a theory. That this Outer Sea and even Mount Sumeru are all within someone's mental world..."

"..."

"And... in the case of the Heart Tribe, especially someone at the peak like the Northern Heavenly Venerable True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu. In their case, the Hun and Po are completely integrated and begin to influence the world."

That's right.

In the case of the Heart Tribe, their internal heart essence and surface consciousness— In other words, what's called Hun and Po—completely unify to manifest their own heart essence and thereby create their own Entering Heavens.

"And... upon observing Hyeon Mu and the other members of the Heart Tribe, many True Immortals have proposed a certain hypothesis. That this world is someone's mental world... That the Outer Sea is the Hun, the interior of Mount Sumeru is the Po... and that when the two become one, this world will take proper form, and the owner of this mental world that is our world will 'awaken'."

"..."

I let out a silent sigh at those words.

'This world is the inside of that [fetus] I saw...'

Glass Peacock calls it a 'hypothesis,' but I can't help but imagine quite a few things from their words.

'If, just as Glass Peacock says, the Outer and Inner Seas integrate and manifest, and the one who can be called the owner of this world awakens... then could that be considered the 'birth' of that fetus?'

What in the world is this place?

While I'm lost in thought, Glass Peacock sheds their human form and transforms into an appearance closer to their main body.

"Get on for now. In any case, a living being's Po {魄) is far more crude and simple than the actual Outer Sea. Entering the internal heart essence... in other words, the Hun (魂), is much easier."

—As long as they get on my back, while we're flying together, eheh...

After reading Glass Peacock's wicked thoughts through Indra's Net, I transform into the form of a Candle Dragon and place Kim Yeon on my head as I speak.

"We'll fly ourselves. Please guide the way."

"Hmph, to reject goodwill. You're not very male-like."

"Then is it female-like?"

"Foolish! Must the opposite of male always be female!? What a narrow-minded way of thinking!"

"No, I mean... hah, never mind. Let's just go."

I shake my head, unable to follow Glass Peacock's train of thought.

In any case, Glass Peacock takes the lead in front of us and begins to fly through the chaos within Oh Hye-seo's Po.

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord regains awareness.

'Ugh, what was that just now? I saw something incredibly ominous. Something related to the origin of Enders? And... it was definitely something that could be referred to as an [object]. Are the Enders... beings that are artificially created by someone?'

As countless theories and hypotheses flood her mind, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks around within Seo Eun-hyun's memories.

'This place... is the Head Realm! Above the Heavenly Void Furnace.'

Surveying the surroundings, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord spots Seo Eun-hyun and his group still unconscious on the ground.

Before long, Seo Eun-hyun regains consciousness, and after a bit of bickering with Jeon Myeong-hoon, the events on Ascension Path proceed quickly.

Then, the moment when the 'Guides' of the Enders begin to appear.

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks over each of the Guides with a glint flashing in her eyes.

It is already well known among the Radiance Eight Immortals that the Enders are accompanied by 'Guides'.

'The Guide of the one called Jeon Myeong-hoon. Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.'

Perhaps because she has returned to the Head Realm, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord is able to read a portion of the fate imposed upon them, even though it's within Seo Eun-hyun's memory.

'The Guide of the one called Kang Min-hee. Black Ghost Valley. The Guide of the one called Oh Hyun-seok. Azure Heaven Creation Sect.'

A Guide does not necessarily refer to an entity.

It is simply a term for any and all beings upon whom the fate to guide the Enders has been placed.

'The Guide of the one called Kim Yeon...'

And, as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord observes the Enders setting foot in the Head Realm for the first time, she is able to learn many things she did not know before.

'Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent...! Bong Myeong. They've arranged things quite delicately. Do they want to interfere with the Ender no matter what?'

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord clicks her tongue, sighing at the schemes of Liberation Supreme Deity Bong Myeong.

However, if, in the past, she would have coldly analyzed Bong Myeong's plans and formulated a strategy to destroy them...

Now, it is different.

'... But is this 'liberation' Bong Myeong seeks... truly wrong?'

Radiance Hall has long blocked the Supreme Deities' attempts to challenge the Head Realm in the name of 'liberation'.

Because they have believed that a 'world outside' does not exist.

However...

After the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord personally observed 'Earth,' her perspective changed.

'If this world really is nothing more than a fence, and an outside world does exist... then wouldn't suppressing that be contrary to the banner of freedom we claim to uphold...?'

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord finds herself lost in confusion, unable to determine what the truth really is.

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord proceeds to confirm the Guides of the other Enders.

'The Guide of Kim Young-hoon. The entire martial realm of the Head Realm. The Guide of Seo Eun-hyun. The entire devilish path of the Head Realm... is it? And...'

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord turns her gaze toward Oh Hye-seo.

'What... is that?'

It's strange.

The Guide of an Ender always refers to all beings who bear the fate of guiding them.

Therefore, a guide could certainly be an organization or an 'event,' but it can never be an 'individual'.

However, Oh Hye-seo's is highly unusual.

'The Guide... is an individual?'

The Immortal Art, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Or, the being known as Seo Hweol.

Only that being has been assigned the role of Oh Hye-seo's 'guide'.

'Just how could something like that be possible? A Guide that's a single individual?'

It is not simply a matter of the function of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens covering the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

'Fate' itself cannot function that way, and therefore such a phenomenon should not exist in the first place.

'Just how can something like this be possible? An Ender with this kind of Guide... is it the first since Silver Basket?'

If one considers that Silver Basket appeared during the early days of Radiance Hall, when the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld had just risen to True Immortality, then it truly is a distant memory.

'Just what... is to become of this generation's Enders...?'

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, in a complicated mood, continues collecting information about the Enders and begins to follow the life of Seo Eun-hyun.

Seo Eun-hyun's very first life.

The time period he refers to as the 0th cycle.

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord watches Seo Eun-hyun live an ordinary life, grow old toward an ordinary death, and lets out a silent sigh.

'... He didn't even meet his Guide.'

Fate is absolute.

But at the same time, it is not.

Though fate undoubtedly exists, if a being is too weak to endure it, they may die before ever fulfilling it.

Seo Eun-hyun was growing old toward his death as an ordinary mortal before even properly encountering his Guide.

Watching this, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord feels a pang of pity.

'Poor thing. He'll probably go on like this, and eventually meet a proper devilish path practitioner and extend his lifespan.'

Then, one day, On the day the daughter of the Ju family brings over a basket of boiled potatoes, Seo Eun-hyun dies.

'...?'

Seo Eun-hyun's short life ends just like that.

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord is bewildered.

But immediately after—

'... Huh?'

Clang— In the next moment, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord feels as if the sun and moon of the Head Realm are gazing directly at the place where Seo Eun-hyun died.

Light from the Head Realm beams down intensely on the spot of Seo Eun-hyun's death.

Piiing— At the same time, as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord regains her senses, she finds herself transported to a familiar place.

'A-Above the Heavenly Void Furnace...? And if I look at the time point engraved into the Heavenly Void Furnace...'

Sensing the Ascension Path, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord's eyes gleam.

And soon, she feels goosebumps break out all over her entire body.

'Th-This... What is this...? Could it be... Seo Eun-hyun's true ability is...'

In a daze, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord stumbles back and falls to the ground as she sees Seo Eun-hyun getting slapped by Jeon Myeong-hoon.

'This... This is a power superior even to the authority of the Heavenly Void Furnace... An authority more on par with the Wheel of the Underworld...'

Only then does she realize why such strange scenes exist in her mind.

Why emotions she herself doesn't recognize have suddenly emerged within her.

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord instinctively understands.

'It's not just... ten thousand years... Seo Eun-hyun's real age... must be unimaginably more vast...!'

At the same time, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord realizes what kind of trap she has fallen into and descends into confusion.

'N-No. If this is how it is, I won't be able to escape within a hundred years, as I told Pearl Jade. Even conservatively... if Seo Eun-hyun has gone through regressions and is at least a hundred thousand years old... it won't be a hundred years but could be a thousand... Kugh... Rain Dew and Great Forest will go wild. This can't go on.'

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord clenches her fists as she feels Seo Eun-hyun's memories and the vivid emotions contained within them.

'The 'values' Seo Eun-hyun embedded into these memories are abnormal... To the point the characters inside are practically the same as Seo Eun-hyun's own personalities... If I keep watching Seo Eun-hyun's life play out over a hundred thousand years like this, I don't know what kind of influence he might have on me.'

Moreover...

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord grits her teeth as she recalls the vivid 'emotions' surfacing more and more clearly in her heart.

They aren't distinct.

Like an illusionary dream, memories with Seo Eun-hyun along with several 'scenes' rise from within her chest.

'If Seo Eun-hyun is someone who directly shared memories with me... then I... I...'

Stagger— The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord stumbles and collapses on the spot.

'I'll be... consumed by the existence known as Seo Eun-hyun...'

And that's just assuming Seo Eun-hyun's real age is merely around a hundred thousand years.

If, in the worst-case scenario, Seo Eun-hyun's true age exceeds ten million years...

'I might... be brainwashed by Seo Eun-hyun.'

Within the original memories of Seo Eun-hyun that are virtually the same as the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord crumbles in despair.

This is the very function of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections that Seo Hweol once feared the most.

Now, through the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, the possibility of a being who accesses the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections becoming brainwashed beyond even Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, begins to manifest.

Hoho...

Hohohohoho...

We push through Oh Hye-seo's Po that is full of unpleasant laughter, and finally arrive deep within her inner heart essence.

That is, the place where her Hun is visible.

And through this, I come to understand one thing.

'Crossing the Outer Sea... will take at least several billion years, no matter what...'

Even though everything is a world of chaos and every possibility remains open, that in itself means it's essentially a place where nothing can be done.

A place overflowing with possibilities beyond our control.

In such a place, we can only become endlessly powerless.

Just to move within that powerlessness would require billions of years to adapt, so returning to Earth in a short time is impossible.

Oh Hye-seo's Po feels much the same, and the only reason we were able to flail about within her spirit and draw close to her inner heart essence by avoiding her mental defenses is thanks to Glass Peacock.

'Glass Peacock... I have no choice but to admit they're incredible.'

Of course, they are someone I once acknowledged as my master, so it's only natural.

Glass Peacock swims through Oh Hye-seo's Po using physical pleasure as a medium and instantly reaches the depths of her spirit.

"I see it. That's her inner heart essence. In other words, her Hun."

Kugugugugu!

With Kim Yeon riding on my head, I behold the 'world' far off in the distance, enshrouded in a massive dark-red veil.

'Is that the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens left behind by Seo Hweol...?'

Hohohoho...

Hoho...

Unpleasant laughter echoes from within the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Kiiiiing— I connect to Indra's Net inside Oh Hye-seo's mental world,

'The Ender authority and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens are tightly bound together, guarding Oh Hye-seo's mind. But still...'

The Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, just as I saw in my past life, no longer aims to brainwash the opponent. Instead, it implants behavioral principles directly into their heart essence.

But Oh Hye-seo's authority, 'Truth Manipulation,' has changed in some way.

Thump, thump...

It's foreboding.

Should I say it feels ominous?

An unfathomable sense of ominousness radiates from her 'Truth Manipulation' authority.

'This isn't just a simple Ender authority. Why is it... that despite Oh Hye-seo not even having awakened her fate, her authority is stronger and more peculiar than the others?'

Moreover, this strong and distinct sense of foreboding isn't coming from Oh Hye-seo alone.

'This feeling is just like...'

It's the same foreboding I felt when I first heard about the 'Future King' from the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.

'Future King... Is this somehow connected to the Fate Supreme Deity? Is Oh Hye-seo somehow different compared to us? Since when has this been the case?'

Just as I'm growing confused,

"The diagnosis is complete. Let us leave now."

Patzztzt!

Glass Peacock nods knowingly and speaks.

At those words, I grab the hands of Kim Yeon and Glass Peacock and exit back into the Outer Sea.

Tssaaaaaat!

Around us is the familiar sea of chaos.

Glass Peacock crosses their legs in a haughty manner, sits on their glass throne, and looks at us as they begin to speak.

"The Great Mountain Holy Mother's mind is trapped in a powerful firewall formed by that Immortal Art called Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, combined with some other kind of mantra."

"So it seemed."

"And I've identified the nature of that firewall. The Immortal Art interwoven with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens. It appears to be something... born from 'fear'."

"Fear? Fear of what?"

Grin— Glass Peacock smiles with a sly expression.

"Love."

They hug both arms around themselves and tremble with an expression as if they can't stand it.

"Even while shouting that she's realized 'love' with her mouth... in truth, she fears love the most. From the beginning... the reason why that guy Oh Hyun-seok's shout drove her into retreating into her own mind is... likely because she unconsciously realized that Oh Hyun-seok truly cares for her with genuine love."

At those words, I think of Oh Hyun-seok.

'Oh Hyun-seok definitely... sincerely cares for Oh Hye-seo.'

"She deludes herself into thinking she's in love... but in truth, she refuses to acknowledge that what fills her heart isn't love, but purely negative emotion. Therefore, to undo the firewall surrounding Oh Hye-seo's mind, we need a power opposite of that."

"What kind of power exactly?"

"It's not something I can pinpoint precisely. The heart is vast, after all. But if I had to say... the most effective would be 'love,' wouldn't it?"

"Love..."

"The best would obviously be the love of that guy Oh Hyun-seok, who thinks of the Great Mountain Holy Mother more than anyone else. But considering the flow of time is different between Mount Sumeru and the Outer Sea, that might be impossible. Which means, until we reach Mount Sumeru, I guess you two and I will just have to pour lots of love into her, right?"

I make a slightly awkward expression at those words.

"You're saying I should... love Oh Hye-seo?"

"No, that's not what I mean. Just injecting the emotion of love that arises between the two of you... will weaken the nature of Oh Hye-seo's firewall day by day, and even that Immortal Art Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens will start to fade. Tsk. If my main body were here, I could've negated Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens directly and broken through the firewall in one go..."

Glass Peacock clicks their tongue, then continues.

"But since my main body isn't here, in the end, the love of you two is the most needed. And it can't just be ordinary romantic love between man and woman. What's needed is the power of the intrinsic love within your essence."

"Intrinsic love..."

Then what exactly is intrinsic love?

Just as I begin contemplating the question in a philosophical direction— Glass Peacock starts making lewd gestures with their fingers and looks at us suggestively.

"Don't overthink it. Why take the long way around when the answer's right in front of you? The answer is simple. Make a baby!"

"... What?"

At that absurd statement, I forget even the bare minimum of courtesy toward Glass Peacock and ask again.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear. I said make a baby. The two of you!"