Chương 694: Red Pearl Cycling Heavenly King (赤珠轉天王)

'Victory, huh...'

Jeon Myeong-hoon looks at his spear as he listens to Do Gon's words.

Just as Do Gon says, Jeon Myeong-hoon is no longer consumed by anger.

To be consumed by rage now, the will of the Romance of the Golden Divine supporting him is far too steadfast.

Since he has already offered Do Gon's life to their spirits, Jeon Myeong-hoon can no longer shroud himself in anger.

To continue to be angry and suffer even after completing his revenge would only burden the hearts of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect family who accepted Do Gon's death before their spirits.

Even for the sake of the dead, he can no longer allow himself to be angry.

Pasasasasa— Jeon Myeong-hoon looks at the arm of So-hae beginning to scatter beside the golden spear.

The arm of his ancient love, which he held in his embrace for tens of thousands of years, now completely melts into the world along with Jeon Myeong-hoon's resentment.

"... Goodbye. So-hae."

As he fully parts from his old lover, he slowly closes and opens his eyes.

"Farewell, everyone..."

He glances back for a moment, looking at the hearts of his old family who seem to be boiling behind him, then turns his gaze forward again.

It is now time to graduate from his own anger.

'... Have I won...?'

However, Jeon Myeong-hoon replays the words he spoke to Do Gon, deciding to bind himself once more to the ring of rage.

'I... have not won.'

Even if Do Gon has admitted defeat, Jeon Myeong-hoon has no thoughts of accepting victory.

[The fight is still not over.] As the domain of Heavenly Punishment enters Jeon Myeong-hoon's grasp, it feels as if all the Heavenly Punishments of Heaven and Earth fall into his hand.

At the same time, Jeon Myeong-hoon feels his own fate resonating more clearly than ever.

[No... from the very beginning, this was a battle that could never end...!] He feels it.

Through this battle, his fate has finally reached completion.

And perhaps because of that, once-indiscernible memories now pour into Jeon Myeong-hoon's mind, completing him.

Memories numbering over two thousand.

No matter how diligently he had trained with his spear, he now understands why the memory of practicing thrusts eighty quadrillion times is ingrained within him.

'All the versions of me across spacetime... were of one heart.'

Pachil, pachijijijik!

As his fate approaches completion, it begins to transcend all spacetime, linking him with the versions of himself that exist across different space and time.

He becomes aware of the many 'selves' across countless timelines, and begins to realize that this timeline is one spawned from Seo Eun-hyun's regression.

He fully understands now how many times Seo Eun-hyun has regressed, and how desperately and fiercely he fought to protect them all.

And at the same time...

He realizes just how pathetic he was across so many timelines.

[I... was truly a pathetic fool.] Jeon Myeong-hoon mutters as he looks at the fading spirit fragment of Do Gon.

[Starting from suggesting that Seo Eun-hyun be thrown away as fox fodder... to becoming the Lightning Harbinger and losing my mind, wandering around mindless. Even up to the moment I killed you, I was unable to come to my senses... How truly pathetic and miserable. But...] He grips the golden spear of lightning.

Kurururung!

As the Seat of Heavenly Punishment, where rain of lightning falls, unites with Jeon Myeong-hoon himself, it becomes one with his fate.

At the same time, Jeon Myeong-hoon's fate and Origin Essence unite, and a fundamental change begins to take shape.

At the presence of Jeon Myeong-hoon, all beings across the Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand World look up to the sky.

Countless True Immortals, sensing a new entity of Heavenly Venerable rank, are thrown into chaos. The Radiance Eight Immortals all look at Jeon Myeong-hoon with uneasy expressions, and the Underworld smiles gently from within the darkness.

[Because that pathetic fool is me, all of you who once incurred my wrath... will not be released so easily.] Kwarurururung!

Flash!

From Jeon Myeong-hoon's body, resplendently brilliant red rays of light burst forth.

Those rays form a net, enveloping the entirety of the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.

Within that net, red collars fasten around the necks of countless Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals, and even around the neck of Zhengli, who had been vanishing with Do Gon. As the collar latches on to her, she begins to revive, receiving the infinite power of Heavenly Punishment.

Kwarururung!

Within the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain, the body of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity in the form of a wall that once covered the domain disintegrates, and in its place appears a massive Lightning God with eight arms, three heads, and nine eyes, roaring out.

That Lightning God now bears Jeon Myeong-hoon's form perfectly.

Kwajijijik!

Immediately after, Jeon Myeong-hoon returns to a human form and stretches out his hand toward somewhere.

Clench!

Something is caught in his grasp.

"Wh-What just happened...? W-Wait... you... you...!"

It is Zhengli.

Jeon Myeong-hoon lifts Zhengli by the neck with one hand and glares at her, and she begins to tremble as she feels everything about herself beginning to submit to him.

"You, you...! What have you done to the Lord!? You...!!!"

[From now on, I am your master.] A Taiji appears in Jeon Myeong-hoon's eyes.

The Seat of Heavenly Punishment partially encompasses the domain of Taiji, and through it, Jeon Myeong-hoon rapidly reads through Zhengli's history.

As he briefly reads Zhengli's history, he tightens his grip on her neck and shouts toward the Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals.

[Listen well. The Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity Do Gon was slain by my hand. I killed Do Gon and...] Jeon Myeong-hoon slowly closes his eyes.

[... from them, I seized your control authority, and took their Immortal Treasure, their clone, and their daughter—Zhengli.]::...!!!::::!!!::::...!:: From the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals, an immense wave of enraged intent bursts forth, beginning to engulf the entire Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.

The eyes of the Lightning Immortals spin wildly as they attempt to charge at Jeon Myeong-hoon all at once, but they are caught in the power of Seo Eun-hyun's Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, unable to move freely and only barely managing to hold themselves together.

Then Jeon Myeong-hoon speaks again.

[I bore personal resentment toward Do Gon. I killed them and stole what was dear to them to exact my revenge. Whether they had grand ideals, whether they held someone precious, whether they carried regret... I cared for none of it as I exacted my revenge. And... as such a man of vengeance, I say this to you!] All beings within the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain simultaneously turn their gazes toward Jeon Myeong-hoon.

[You too, take revenge upon me. Rage at me. To the one who killed your master, stole what was precious to them, and shackled you with collars, direct your anger at me!] Anger is a cycle.

And thus, grudges formed from anger never end.

Kururururung!

Zhengli's hair, gripped in Jeon Myeong-hoon's hand, turns red.

At the same time, red threads begin to spill from her reddened hair, connecting to the collars of the resurrected Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals within the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain.

'If anger is something that cannot be severed... then I shall accept it.'

[Follow me. Slay me with your own hands, and from my grip, rescue Zhengli, the daughter of your former master.] Kwarurururung!

From Jeon Myeong-hoon's body, red lightning erupts, making the entire Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain rumble with thunder.

[I prophesize.] As Jeon Myeong-hoon's words continue, his will imprints itself upon all 'lightning' across the Three Heavens Great Thousand World, becoming a prophecy.

As long as the concept of lightning exists in this world, his prophecy shall remain eternal.

[The day those who once served the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity Do Gon steal Zhengli from my hand—on that day, in some form or another, Do Gon shall be resurrected...!] The prophecy of the Heavenly King who has grown to Heavenly Venerable rank echoes and resounds throughout the entirety of the Three Heavens Great Thousand World.

'Do Gon... your method was wrong.'

Jeon Myeong-hoon clenches his teeth, firmly denying Do Gon's will with all his strength.

'You're saying that shedding the fate of anger is the greatest revenge one can take against fate?'

What a joke.

'Escaping anger... isn't up to the heavens—it's up to us. Why can't you understand that!?'

Do Gon said this.

That from the very start, all grudges and resentment are the fault of the heavens.

In a world where fate truly exists, that statement might be accurate. But even if the heavens decree, it is still the people living in this world who carry it out with their own hands.

'The method you speak of to soothe my anger—to strip away my rage—is nothing more than entrusting my wrath to the heavens.'

He chooses not to entrust this ring of anger to the heavens.

Since it began from the hands of people, it should end by the hands of people.

'So, Do Gon. I will resurrect you.'

If Jeon Myeong-hoon bears the anger of the subordinates who once loved Do Gon, if those subordinates reclaim Zhengli from his hand and bring about Do Gon's resurrection— If Do Gon is revived at that moment— Then, and only then, will Jeon Myeong-hoon reveal the whole truth, and only then will he truly cast off this ring of anger.

As it is a ring started by the hands of people, it will end by the hands of people.

'I will endure the anger of your subordinates with everything I have... and I will wait. Wait for the day their anger reclaims your precious being from my hand...!'

Though he himself has escaped the ring of anger— Jeon Myeong-hoon willingly casts upon himself the ring of anger of Do Gon's subordinates and proclaims: [This is...] Kwarurururung!

Feeling the red lightning kneel before him, Jeon Myeong-hoon pushes his interpretation of what he has become onto the world.

A being who takes upon himself the never-ending, endlessly circling and rolling ring of anger with his own hands.

That is Jeon Myeong-hoon.

'Heavenly Punishment is... a ring between one another.'

From now on, Heavenly Tribulation shall not merely serve as a reflection of the world's heart upon cultivators—it shall also remind them that they stand within a vast 'ring'.

It shall make one reflect on the rings of countless grudges and connections, and contemplate how to resolve them.

[... a command in the name of the Red Pearl Cycling Heavenly King, Jeon Myeong-hoon!] Kwaaarurururung!

By Jeon Myeong-hoon's will, a new law is engraved upon the world.

The name of that law is the Red Bead Cycling Heavenly King (赤珠轉天王).

The moment that name is inscribed— Jeon Myeong-hoon tightens his grip around Zhengli's neck.

"... What... do you plan to do... with me...!?"

[... You are mine.] He murmurs quietly, gazing at the face-less face of Zhengli.

[You are not allowed to die without my permission. You are not allowed to leave me without my permission. You are not even allowed to suffer without my permission.]

"...!"

[Zhengli.] Kwarurung!

At Jeon Myeong-hoon's touch, Zhengli's form begins to change.

Once in human form, she transforms again into the form of the Heavenly Lightning Banner, and the part of her Jeon Myeong-hoon holds becomes Zhengli's banner pole.

[All you can do now is to pour your anger at me—the one who stole your master and claimed you—and hope your old master's subordinates will come to rescue you.] Woo-woooong— A sorrowful tremor pulses from the Heavenly Lightning Banner.

Each time the sound echoes, the faces of all the Lightning Gods twist into that of evil spirits.

Kwarurururung!

[And starting today, I will make you apologize to me. For killing the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect family, I will make you show your face and apologize to me.] Jeon Myeong-hoon recalls the memory of reading Zhengli's history, and with it, the reason why she lost her face.

A True Immortal who harbors too many resentments in their chest loses their face.

Therefore, in order to one day face Zhengli's true face and receive a proper apology...

He resolves to do everything he can to restore her face.

Jeon Myeong-hoon remembers the two rings Zhengli always wears on her ring finger.

One ring belongs to Zhengli herself.

The other belonged to Yang Su-jin.

Long ago, when Yang Su-jin felt betrayed by Heavenly Punishment and removed his ring in front of Zhengli, it was Zhengli who picked it up, placed it on her own finger, and kept it...

Regardless of whether it was fate or a design of Heavenly Punishment, it was a trace of Zhengli's feelings to accept his heart.

'I don't know how to heal pain. I'm not Seo Eun-hyun or Kim Yeon. But... I will make you pour out your resentment onto me.'

He will make it so Zhengli curses Jeon Myeong-hoon every day, pouring out all of that resentment...

So that one day, when Do Gon returns, She will be able to face them with her own face.

'Because that is the greatest revenge that I, not the heavens... can give to you, Do Gon.'

Thus, Jeon Myeong-hoon grabs the Heavenly Lightning Banner and begins to swing it.

Just like he did long ago, when he had once wielded it as a late-stage disciple of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.

[Now then, this place shall be the ground where our grudges are settled. So, all of you begone, you dogs of fate!] Kugugugugugu!

Once again transformed into a Three-Headed, Three-Eyes, Eight-Armed Lightning God, Jeon Myeong-hoon draws upon the power of the Heavenly Lightning Banner.

Kururururung!

The entire Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain becomes engulfed in thunder and lightning, and golden lightning-tipped spears counting eighty quadrillion begin to appear around Jeon Myeong-hoon, aiming at the True Immortals of Radiance Hall.

'With this, I'll repay a little of my debt to you, Sword Spear!'

In the eyes of Jeon Myeong-hoon, who has reached Heavenly King, he can see the distrust the other Radiance Eight Immortals hold towards the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.

To not give Radiance Hall any chance to raise the issue of that distrust, Jeon Myeong-hoon launches an all-out assault with all his strength.

:: I shall show you, the power of a Heavenly King!:: Kwarururung!

The authorities of causality induction imbued in the lightning-tipped spears crash down upon the True Immortals of Radiance Hall like a tidal wave.

The authority of the Red Pearl Cycling Heavenly King sweeps through all of creation.

Kurururung!

Jeon Myeong-hoon begins to unleash his power.

I shudder, sensing the rank in Jeon Myeong-hoon that I never felt during Young-hoon Hyung-nim's time.

The current Jeon Myeong-hoon exudes a feeling of a Gandhara, akin to those belonging to Time and Sal Tree, and his power is virtually indistinguishable from that of the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity.

:: Form ranks!:: Ji Hwa commands the Radiance Eight Immortals in preparation for Jeon Myeong-hoon's assault.

And I step forward, standing side by side with Jeon Myeong-hoon before those Radiance Eight Immortals.

Kugugugu!

A Lightning God of Three Heads, Three Eyes, and Eight Arms.

A Mountain God clad in a White Round Collar Robe of Sword Mountains.

With the arrival of these two divine spirits, the alert status of Radiance Hall spikes to its peak, and the Jade Pivot Forty-Eight Lightning Heavenly Great Immortals, who had been preparing to attack Jeon Myeong-hoon after his declaration, seem to realize his intention and begin roaring from all directions.

Kugugugugugu!

The form of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail] appears.

It is the reappearance of that authority of light that had once crushed the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity in a single blow.

This time, however, the light seems to be particularly overexerting the Radiance Eight Immortals. Within the symbol of the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail], the shadows of ten beings can be seen.

'They're pushing themselves to draw out the power from the time of the Radiance Ten Heavens.'

This is the reason Jeon Myeong-hoon provoked the Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals to always follow him.

From now on, no matter what kind of battle unfolds, Jeon Myeong-hoon will always stand at the most dangerous vanguard.

The Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals will continue to follow him, but at the same time, Jeon Myeong-hoon will always charge forward ahead at enemies and other factions who are not the Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals.

That means, in the end, the Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals will have no choice but to protect him.

Jeon Myeong-hoon's prophecy as a Heavenly King is that the Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals will steal Zhengli away from him with 'their own hands'.

If Jeon Myeong-hoon falls to someone else, or Zhengli is taken by another existence, then the possibility for Do Gon's resurrection will disappear.

Thus, the Jade Pivot Lightning Immortals will become both the wild dogs aiming for Jeon Myeong-hoon's throat and the loyal hounds protecting him.

A double-edged sword in the truest sense.

In some ways, it is an incredibly reckless decision.

But as I watch him, I smile.

'You've grown, Jeon Myeong-hoon.'

Because I know that decision came from his growth.

And more than anything else...

[Seo Eun-hyun.] Jeon Myeong-hoon's message echoes at me.

[... I'm sorry.]

"For what?"

[... The fox.] He lets out a bitter smile, unable to meet my gaze directly. I chuckle and raise my sword.

"If you remember, that alone is more than enough compensation."

Following Kim Young-hoon and Ji Hwa, he is now the third among my 'friends'.

I now have three friends who truly know my secret.

And with that, whatever lingering resentment I had toward Jeon Myeong-hoon until now...

Even the tiniest trace of it, I can let it all go.

[Now then.]

"Yeah."

Jeon Myeong-hoon gives me a signal with his eyes, and I, having already read the situation through Indra's Net, raise my sword toward the Radiance Eight Immortals with a smile.

Since Ji Hwa is on the verge of being suspected...

I will become such an overwhelming threat that suspicion itself becomes impossible, and pressure the Radiance Eight Immortals.

'No, even if it's not for Ji Hwa...

Seven of the Radiance Eight Immortals have, for some reason, been directing an abnormal amount of mad killing intent at me from the moment I appeared here.

Through Indra's Net, their killing intent pours into me vividly.

To the point that their primary target is no longer Jeon Myeong-hoon, who has become a Heavenly King, but me, who has just arrived at Mount Sumeru.

'I don't know what's going on, but I no longer have a reason to avoid you anymore.'

[I shall show you the power of a Heavenly King.]

"I shall show you the sword of Martial Pinnacle."

We each aim our sword and spear at the symbol of Heuk Sa, sharpening our will.

Even if I die here, my half-baked Martial Pinnacle is complete. Even in my next life, I can return from the Outer Sea at any time. And...

From the moment Jeon Myeong-hoon seized the Origin Essence of Heavenly Punishment and became a Heavenly King, even with regression, he will still be the Red Pearl Cycling Heavenly King.

Even with regression, the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity can no longer revive.

'I've settled everything important.'

So...

Even if I die here, I can squeeze out every last drop of power I haven't been able to bring forth.

And thus, preparing for death with our own wills, we aim our weapons toward the Radiance Supreme Deity.

:: Sword Spear.:::: I know. We must give it our all... to slay Seo Eun-hyun.:: The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord smiles bitterly as she looks at Seo Eun-hyun, now fully summoned to Mount Sumeru and drawing in [Purple Soul Filling the Heavens] from the Outer Sea with immense attraction force.

Seo Eun-hyun and Jeon Myeong-hoon only mean to stand against Radiance Hall for the sake of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, but now, the Radiance Eight Immortals must devote their full strength into killing Seo Eun-hyun.

The will of Seo Eun-hyun, who has reached the ultimate of Martial Arts, summons [Purple Soul Filling the Heavens] to Mount Sumeru— And if the proof of the Salt Sea Returning Dew Jade that wandered the Outer Sea, Seo Eun-hyun's Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, the [White Deer Without Antlers], reaches Mount Sumeru...

Soon, a new Immortal Beast King shall be born upon the mountain.

Without knowing each other's circumstances, the battle of the Governing Immortals thus restarts with full force.