Chương 733: Hidden (隱) (2)

Chwaaaaak!

The first thing I do in Twin Holding Heavenly Domain is perform Heavenly Escape.

Heavenly Escape, the transcendental technique of the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, can be used in the same way as the Record, and I use it to cast Heavenly Escape inside a nebula in the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, hiding us from the world.

Even light cannot find us.

'Moreover, the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain is currently in a state where many True Immortals are preventing its collapse, so it'll be that much difficult to detect traces of Heavenly Escape due to the remnants of that collapse.'

There's absolutely no way we'll be discovered within a mere 110, 000 years.

Kururung— I construct a suitable stellar system inside the nebula where I deploy Heavenly Escape.

I configure the star to possess the attribute of Gyeong, so even if the Radiance Eight Immortals notice, the first to receive the signal would be the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord Ji Hwa, allowing for sufficient countermeasures.

First, I create a suitable planet within the stellar system along with my comrades and descend there.

As soon as the Great Desolate Path arrives at the planet, a blue bird flees from its interior. But immediately after, the now larger Glass Peacock chases after it. Clicking my tongue, I stop concerning myself with where they go and divert the planet's spirit vein to my companions.

Tsuat!

Soon after, those who have spent considerable power in the Naming Supreme Deity Battle begin regaining their strength one by one, and I, too, recover enough for my mind to work properly.

"Fuuuu..."

As a bit of energy returns, the internal ecosystem of my Immortal Body begins functioning properly again, and twilight true energy starts generating in greater quantity.

'First... I need to do something about my race, which is still in the form of a parrot.'

Since Hyeon Rang renamed my race as Immortal Beast Parrot and left without undoing it, I'm still not a Candle Dragon, but a parrot.

Since the one who renamed me, the Naming Supreme Deity, had died, the renaming effect is gradually wearing off. However, much of my Earth Immortal powers will remain sealed as long as I remain a parrot, so removing the renaming as soon as possible would aid my recovery.

Woo-woong—

'History revision.'

I imbue the moment in history when I was renamed a parrot with my own interpretation and will.

By adding the interpretation that I had already prepared a countermeasure for the renaming at that time, Before long, the renaming is undone.

Tststststs!

☯ As Taiji dyes the surroundings, I return from being the Immortal Beast Parrot to the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow.

The power and authority of the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow begin to return, and the authority of the Immortal Beast King connected to it also comes back.

'And...'

I sense the Pangu True Blood Hyeon Rang left to me.

'Since it's come to this.'

I begin fusing the Candle Shadow True Blood and the Pangu True Blood.

Urung, urururung!

The Candle Shadow True Blood is one that deviated from the original bloodline of the Human Race, transforming due to regression and the Radiance Mantra. Hence, it isn't difficult to fuse with the True Blood of Go that Human Race cultivators gain upon becoming an Immortal Beast as they share the same root.

Woo-woong— The innate authority of Candle Shadow True Blood is Glass True Fire and mental awakening.

And the innate authority of Pangu True Blood is dreams and the link to Primordial Chaos (混元).

'Through dreams, one can reach the original Primordial Chaos, and through it, either summon the power of dreams into reality or forcibly drag someone in reality into the dreams.'

Even Hyeon Rang's Immortal Arts, such as Pangu's Genesis, which create Heavenly Domains through the power of dreams, are based on such a principle.

I begin to mix the two True Bloods within my heart essence.

Something rises before my eyes.

[A Taiji In The Shape Of A Fetus] [A Spiraling Dragon] Each is a symbol of the Immortal Beast Pangu and the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow.

Uduk, udududuk!

As the two True Bloods merge, I feel an immense power boiling within my body, and at the same time, I sense that a significant amount of my energy is recovering.

'I can feel it. The power of the Immortal Beast True Blood... is flowing into me.'

I realize that immense strength is being infused into my body, and simultaneously, I sense that the form of the Immortal Beast Candle Shadow is changing.

Kurururung!

Thunderstorms roar, and I transform into the form of Candle Shadow.

In an instant, I exit the planet, taking on the form of a body of mist with a head of candle flame. Then, the Candle Shadow form, now fused with the Pangu True Blood, begins to change as if undergoing complete transformation.

'This is...'

Uduk, udududuk!

As the Human True Blood and Candle Shadow True Blood intermingle, the original form of the Candle Dragon, which only had a humanoid head, now transforms, with the entire upper body becoming humanoid.

Hwarurururuk!

The Glass True Fire that formed the candle flame head flows downward, forming arms and a torso on the upper body of the Candle Dragon.

:: Huuuuuu...:: I exhale Glass True Fire and twilight true energy, gazing upon the transformed Immortal Beast body.

My face remains completely shrouded in candle flame and cannot be seen, but the humanoid upper body is fully exposed.

The face burns with candle fire.

The upper body has transformed into a mysterious form made of aurora, while the lower body is that of a snake's tail made of pale mist.

Thus, my Immortal Beast form has changed into that of a Half-Human, Half-Snake God.

Woo-wooong!

At that moment, I also become aware of the fragments of my power spreading from me.

I sense that the forms of the Candle Dragon Race, who inherited my Candle Dragon True Blood and are scattered throughout all of the Heavenly Domains, are also changing.

'Hoo...'

Originally, the Candle Dragon Race had only human heads, and only after reaching the Transformation stage could their upper bodies become somewhat human. But now, their default form is that of the humanoid upper body and serpent lower body.

Moreover, with the added power of the Pangu True Blood, Candle Dragons can now reproduce with the Human Race even without reaching the Transformation stage.

[Author's Note: In this work, the minimum realm for interbreeding between different races to produce half-blood offspring is the Nascent Soul stage, aka Transformation stage.]

'Additionally, the Candle Dragon Race now possess much stronger illusion-type powers, and their raw physical strength has increased as well.'

At this level, they have essentially become a superior race on par with the actual Dragon Race, the Fighting Ghost Race, or even the direct descendants of Immortal Beasts.

'And they are not even direct blood descendants, but ones derived from the fragments of my power...'

If a child were to be born with the power of my direct bloodline, that child would possess strength sufficient to match beings at the Four-Axis stage who weren't born with special talents, just with the power of the Immortal Beast True Blood alone.

As that realization crosses my mind, a faint, constricting pain squeezes my chest, and I shake my head.

'... Someday.'

Time has already passed, so even the fact that that child once existed disappeared beyond the timeline...

But that timeline still exists somewhere.

So...

'Someday, I will return to that timeline... and give you life once more.'

Whether I let them be born as my direct descendant through my bloodline in Mount Sumeru, or I go to Earth and let them live a peaceful life in a world without monsters, beasts, spirits, and gods...

'I will gift you a happy life once more.'

To my child who exists in that distant timeline, I make a vow I will never forget, and in doing so, I complete the unification between the Immortal Beast True Bloods.

"Looks like everyone's regained some strength."

Before I know it, several years have passed, and we've all more or less regained our strength.

"Yeah, I've become pretty capable again. I might not be able to bring out the full power of a Heavenly King yet, but if Radiance Hall shows up, I can at least hit them a few times."

Oh Hyun-seok opens and closes his fist with a grin, and I nod as I look at him and the others.

"The reason I asked you all to gather today... is just one."

Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo.

I look at the two of them and speak.

"We have to become Heavenly Kings. Enders can't become Supreme Deities... so at the very least, we need to become Governing Immortal rank Heavenly Kings to increase the chances of surviving the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Battle. At minimum, Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo—you two must become Heavenly Kings. I've already become an Immortal Beast King and have seen the Ultimate of Martial Arts, so I'm essentially between Supreme Deity and Heavenly Venerable...

but you two, at best, are still a bit short of barely qualifying as Supreme Deity."

Of course, if Kim Yeon manifests the power of Vast Cold, draws upon the power of the Bright Cold Realm, or controls it, she instantly grows strong enough to reach at least the level of Supreme Deity.

But that power comes with too many weaknesses.

Yeon's Play is a broadly applicable and versatile Immortal Art, but it's not at the level of a Supreme Deity-rank Immortal Art or mantra. If an Immortal Art or mantra that counters Yeon's Play appears, it could be neutralized completely without resistance.

The same goes for drawing upon the power of the Bright Cold Realm or controlling it.

It's a power that becomes entirely powerless in the presence of Immortal Arts or laws that disable the use of True Immortal remains.

She now needs to reach Heavenly King with her own power and be able to confront Governing Immortals with her own strength.

At that moment, Oh Hye-seo raises her hand in response to my words and speaks.

"How exactly do you reach Heavenly King?"

At that, I nod.

"I don't know either."

"..."

"But... the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld once said this generation is one that all the gods are paying close attention to."

In all of history, much less a generation in which this many Enders survived, a generation where this many reached Heavenly King is unprecedented.

In fact...

"The Imperial Venerable said that a generation where more than three Enders reached Heavenly King can be counted in less than ten fingers."

Even though we can't meet him right now...

If we count Kim Young-hoon, then four of us Enders have reached Heavenly King.

'This must be one of the handful of golden generations.'

"So... if Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, and Hyun-seok Hyung-nim share their experience with you, the difficulty should drop considerably."

"Hm..."

Oh Hye-seo nods as if somewhat convinced, and I, too, place some hope on them.

'If even Kim Yeon and Oh Hye-seo reach Heavenly King safely...'

Then I'll have five teachers who can help me reach Heavenly King myself.

'Honestly, even though I've learned what my fate is, I still can't grasp the power of the Absolute at all... I have no idea how to retrieve my authority from Hong Fan, and I don't even have the slightest clue how to become a Heavenly King...'

Still, if five people reach Heavenly King ahead of me and teach me, then no matter how much of a fool I am, I'll surely be able to understand it.

"Alright, got it."

Oh Hye-seo nods in agreement, and then Kang Min-hee speaks up.

"By the way, Seo Eun-hyun."

"Yeah?"

"You seem like you've got something to say, but you're hesitating over whether to say it or not, aren't you?"

"..."

At her words, I laugh awkwardly.

She's right.

Besides the matter of awakening to Heavenly King, there's something else I need to tell them.

"... Let me ask again. At the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Battle... are you willing to stake your lives?"

At my words, no one answers.

Silence.

And in that silence, I feel the emotion that this is so obvious, it doesn't even require an answer.

"... Yeah. Thank you. For placing your hands on my grudge..."

Everyone currently here is prepared to fight and die with me against the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.

If that's the case, there's something that must be said here and now.

"If you are ready to die... then there's something I need to say to you."

The attention of my comrades focuses on me, and to these friends who are prepared for death, I let out a bitter statement.

"Everyone... prepare yourselves to die, to be defeated, to disappear—and leave behind a final will."

At my following words, my comrades all fall into thoughtful expressions.

"Someday... if we are defeated and dead, and the next generation of Enders arrives, let's leave behind arrangements that can help them, even if it's only a little."

Thus, from that day on, we begin preparing arrangements for the next generation of Enders.