Chapter 325: Farewell (7)

Chapter 325: Farewell (7)

As he approaches the ghost with a body length of about 30 meters, blue eyes sprout from its body.

Upon meeting those eyes, Seo Li feels his body stiffen.

[Kurrrgh...]

Seo Li's body freezes, unable to move any further.

It's the Great Desert to Dead Sea he has mastered.

The entirety of the Ghost Path Method within his body solidifies, forbidding any movement.

It feels as though his ghostly energy was seized control of by the entity before him.

However, it's different from the last time when he met this entity's gaze and was dragged into its domain to encounter Kang Min-hee.

Seo Li grits his teeth and shouts.

[Kang Min-hee! Kang Min-hee!]

But the ghostly entity shows no reaction.

It simply stares at Seo Li with its completely transformed piercing blue eye, doing nothing else.

Seo Li clenches his teeth.

Chuaruru—

Ghostly energy moves, sealing off the path Seo Li had come through.

Now, only Seo Li and Kang Min-hee remain in this space.

But Seo Li gradually realizes that his body is moving on its own against his will, trying to expel him from the space.

'No, no!'

He can't move.

The ghostly energy moves on its own accord.

[Kang Min-hee! Get a hold of yourself! I'm here! I'm...]

Suddenly, the speaking Seo Li is startled.

The me that Kang Min-hee knows is the me that's 'Seo Eun-hyun's clone.'

In other words, the one she needs to be facing might not be me but Seo Eun-hyun.

I am Seo Li.

Not Seo Eun-hyun.

[I...]

I don't know by what right I have to be calling Kang Min-hee, so I briefly fall silent.

[...Damn it.]

I grit my teeth.

And then,

Wududuk—

Forcefully,

Using all the circuits of the Mad Lord and all my willpower,

Forcefully, forcefully!

Kudududuk!

I move one of my arms and tear off one of the heads attached to my shoulder.

Kuadududuk!

[Kuuuuughh!]

It's painful.

But Seo Eun-hyun wouldn't even bat an eye.

The torn head is condensed into a Gang Sphere and thrown into the void.

Then I tear out another.

Kuadududuk!

[Aaaaraaagh!]

It hurts.

But Seo Eun-hyun wouldn't even twitch.

Budududuk!

"Kuaaaargh!"

How many heads have I torn out? Before I knew it, my Ghost King Transformation had significantly loosened, and my voice had returned to its human form.

However, simultaneously, the ghostly energy in my body is gradually decreasing.

I condensed the very essence of my Ghost Path Method into Gang Spheres and released them into the void.

Kuaduduk!

I tear out the last head.

And I completely return to my human form.

However, as a human, I am only at the Heavenly Being stage at best.

Having also temporarily extracted other techniques like the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body, I am in a severely weakened state.

"Keugh, kugh..."

I gasp for breath, expelling 'Seo Eun-hyun's' death from my body.

Of course, I feel like my heart might burst and kill me at any moment.

Not just from the pain, but from the pressure emitted by Kang Min-hee, who is at the Star Shattering stage!

It feels like I am about to be crushed by that terrifying power.

But!

"...I am...Seo Li...!"

At this moment.

I become complete as myself.

And I am no longer affected by the ghostly energy!

I muster all my remaining strength and reach out to Kang Min-hee.

Kuadududuk!

My body feels like it's being crushed and torn apart.

But it doesn't matter.

'I can reach her.'

With every step forward, my body breaks down.

The darkness enveloping Kang Min-hee is pierced bit by bit by the power gathered in one hand.

But in exchange, I have to give up everything.

Yet I move forward.

'I can reach her.'

Looking back, 'I' was born the moment I didn't convey Kang Min-hee's words to Seo Eun-hyun.

'I' came into existence because of her.

Even though her heart might have been directed at Seo Eun-hyun, not me.

Even though I might have been just a bystander.

Even though it might not have been a heart originally meant for me.

Her feelings reached me, and I was born.

Therefore, Kang Min-hee,

I must,

Return my heart to you.

Kuadududuk!

Even the flesh of Yuan Yu's body begins to rot, unable to withstand the death energy pervading the space.

'Kang Min-hee...'

I like you.

It isn't because of Seo Eun-hyun's memories.

The moment with her, when we were together even if brief.

Combing her hair.

Trying to kill me because of a misunderstanding.

All those brief moments together...

They were truly wonderful.

Step, step...

As I approach her, I feel that the 30m tall figure I see of her is not her true form.

Inside the ghostly body composed of ghostly energy, I feel 'her' presence.

Without caring that my flesh is freezing solid, I enter the ghost body made of ghostly energy, taking steps towards the center where she lies.

'Ah...'

I can't withstand this.

I can feel it.

Even if the original Yuan Li came back and resurrected seventy times, he wouldn't be able to go any further.

My body starts to freeze and crumble into powder.

Maybe just as Jeon Myeong-hoon is loved by lightning,

Kang Min-hee might be loved by all the ghosts and spirits of the world.

I might be a ghost born from Seo Eun-hyun's deluded thoughts (妄念).

Kuaduduk—

My whole body begins to scatter into the aura of death.

'No...'

Even if I am to die, I want to reach her.

And then.

Clench!

A warm hand grabs my shoulder from behind.

"You fool. Why did you abandon the Ghost King's body and face this with your bare body?"

It's Seo Eun-hyun.

Somehow, he had thrown the Nether Crossing Ship outside, saved everyone in Black Ghost Valley, torn apart the sealed space, and reached here.

'It's...warm...'

Why is that?

As Seo Eun-hyun grabs my shoulder, I feel my body, which seemed about to freeze in the ghostly energy, start to thaw.

'Is it that?'

For a moment, I see the flame burning inside Seo Eun-hyun.

It's a fire that scorches Seo Eun-hyun's soul.

"Though I can't hurt others with the Karmic Fire, it seems to have a warming effect."

He explains with a faint smile, attributing it to the effect of the Karmic Fire.

He too seems exhausted, spitting blood from the effort of coming this far.

'The pain of Karmic Fire...must be unimaginable...'

How can he stand so calmly?

He smiles as he holds my shoulder.

"Go forward, Seo Li."

"Wouldn't it be better if you went? Maybe..."

"Do you think Kang Min-hee needs me?"

"..."

"Maybe so."

Seo Eun-hyun nods calmly.

But his next words make me clench my fists.

"But I think you need Kang Min-hee."

"What do you mean...?"

"Did you forget I'm a cunning Heart Tribe spy? Don't think you can deceive my eyes. Look ahead and walk. If there's something you desperately want to convey, you do it yourself!"

At Seo Eun-hyeon's sharp words, my mind feels like it snaps into place.

"...Yeah."

I look ahead.

From behind, Seo Eun-hyun's voice echoes.

"Form the Gang Sphere."

Wo-woong!

I form a Gang Sphere on my hand.

I can't use Entering Heavens Beyond the Path, but I can manage Ultimate Pinnacle.

"Divide the Gang Sphere into nine."

"What's the point of..."

"Just do as I say!"

I obediently divide the Gang Sphere.

"Circulate the Gang Spheres."

I think I understood what he's trying to do.

He might be trying to help me reach Entering Heavens.

But it's a ridiculous idea.

'I haven't been able to use Entering Heavens for hundreds of years.'

"...The path of the sword you walked isn't mine."

When I thought I was Seo Eun-hyun, I believed I could use the Formless Sword with his memories.

But knowing I am Seo Li, I realized it clearly.

These aren't my experiences, nor my insights.

Therefore, I can't use the Formless Sword.

Even if I try to infuse my insights into the Gang Sphere, it's impossible.

However, Seo Eun-hyun's next words go beyond my imagination.

"For the past 500 years, what have you done?"

"What?"

"I asked what you've been doing for 500 years."

"...Didn't you observe it through heart essence?"

"Just answer."

"...I cultivated through the Great Desert to Dead Sea, through the Black Blood Tears Flower, and through the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body."

"Then you should know what you like best, right?"

"..."

"When I fought Tae Yeol-jeon, you were also connected to me. Have you forgotten how she reached Entering Heavens?"

That's right.

Tae Yeol-jeon reached Entering Heavens by sublimating her insights from the Buddhist Family Methods she practiced.

But could I do it too?

Could I do it with the cultivation methods I practiced?

Could I really...?

...

...

"Seo Eun-hyun, do you know?"

"What?"

I look back at Seo Eun-hyun and smile.

Really, he's annoyingly similar to Kim Young-hoon.

Why can't he just tell me straightforwardly?

"You're really...an annoying guy. Can't you just tell me directly?"

"It's only meaningful if you figure it out yourself."

Seo Eun-hyun receives my smile with a laugh.

He's the one who's been observing me through heart essence for 500 years.

He is a grandmaster of martial arts and the original owner of my talents.

Seo Eun-hyun is not a madman, and there is no reason for him to suddenly force an awakening on me.

Which means...

"I've already said it's within you. Swing it."

"Come to think of it, that's plagiarized from Young-hoon hyung-nim."

It's already within me.

At the moment of realization, I move forward, believing in myself.

'Ah...'

This is, [Me].

The result of abandoning all Ghost Path Methods, forsaking the death that isn't mine, believing in what I have cultivated, and becoming whole as 'me', is this.

My own Manifestation.

The Gang Spheres cycle at my fingertips.

They draw a circle.

Within that circle, I see my own Three Great Ultimates.

The Great Desert to Dead Sea, the Black Blood Tears Flower, the Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body that I have all practiced.

'Entering Heavens Beyond the Path.'

At my fingertips, a flower begins to bloom.

"Fallen Flowers Cannot Return to Branches (落花難上枝)."

What emerges from my hand is neither the White Orchid Blessing Incantation nor the Black Blood Tears Flower, but something black.

Using the enlightenment of martial arts from Seo Eun-hyun's memories, I dissolve devilish arts and curses to create my own Entering Heavens.

What initially had the form of the White Orchid Blessing Incantation gradually changes shape and transforms into a different flower.

Black Lily (黑百合).

What appears to be a single Black Lily blooming, quivers and spreads in all directions.

The black lily petals envelop my surroundings.

Step.

I become able to take another step.

Absorbing pain while straddling the Plane of Soul and Plane of Qi and transforming it into pure energy that scatters upon the ground - this is my Entering Heavens.

Through Fallen Flowers Cannot Return to Branches, I scatter the pain and sorrow filled in this darkness and move forward.

And, I feel Seo Eun-hyun smiling behind me.

"Let's go."

He stands not behind, but beside me.

"It's impressive."

Seo Eun-hyun draws his sword of light from the void.

"I said I reforged the Formless Sword. Can you now hear its name?"

Wo-woong―

I can hear it.

In my ears, which have completely entered a new Entering Heavens, I hear the hum of the Formless Sword.

"Since it resembles its owner, your Entering Heavens also seems to like plagiarism."

"Plagiarism? It's a name she gifted me."

I burst into a hearty laugh at Seo Eun-hyun's words.

Chualalalak!

The black lily petals gather to form a Flower Sword in front of me.

Just like when we first entered the sphere, we each hold the Flower Sword and the Formless Sword.

'No, that's not the Formless Sword now.'

I utter the name the Formless Sword conveyed directly to me.

"All Heavens Sword is the final form of the Colorless Glass Sword."

"Since the Colorless Glass Sword was created to contain the Formless Sword, it's not strange to attach its form to the Formless Sword's name."

"Try coming up with a cool name like Young-hoon hyung-nim."

After a brief exchange of banter, we assume our stances without anyone needing to say more.

Seo Eun-hyun's intent echoes, and his absolute technique engraves itself into my mind.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

Thirtieth Move.

Deep Mountain, Emerging Dao (山深然後道).

—I will rip through. Strike and enter.

Only deep within the mountain does the path emerge (山深然後道).

A faint forest scent seems to spread.

It feels like entering a deep mountain.

Through Seo Eun-hyun's consciousness, I understand what the thirtieth move of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship he has newly attained is about.

In an instant, Seo Eun-hyun's All Heavens Sword becomes completely transparent.

He has risen to the much deeper and higher Plane of Soul.

The basic technique of the sword is a downward slash.

Lifting the sword high and then slashing downwards.

Using precise muscle movements, raising the sword high, and accelerating it downwards with gravity to strike the opponent.

It looks very simple, but in reality, it is an immensely powerful technique.

And, I can feel it.

Seo Eun-hyun's All Heavens Sword advancing to a much higher plane than 'can be seen.'

The sword moves.

From a higher plane, the sword slashes downward and descends lower.

From a high position to a low position.

From a high plane to a low plane.

As the sword tip lowers, it accelerates, and as the plane lowers, the cultivation of the Heaven and Earth Tribe is added to the sword.

And finally, his sword descends completely to the material plane.

Shukak!

The last moment is beyond the speed my eyes can follow.

For just a moment, it seems as if his downward slash surpasses the Surpassing Radiant Saber's speed, but is that just an illusion?

And when his downward slash finishes.

Chwaaak!

I witness Kang Min-hee's darkness, having reached the Star Shattering stage, split open like a valley.

A path to Kang Min-hee opens.

Tadat!

Without hesitation, I charge towards her with the Flower Sword.

Holding the sword made of black petals, I concentrate.

The center of the ghostly energy forming the eight-foot ghost monster.

I see her, completely blackened, crouching.

After entering deep within the mountain and attaining the Dao, one contemplates the spring before the flowers fall (山深然後道 花落以前春).

Fallen Flowers Cannot Return to Branches.

Application technique.

Spring Before Flowers Fall (花落以前春).

Kwaak!

The Flower Sword made of black lily petals pierce Kang Min-hee's body.

At the same time, the Flower Sword starts to reverse and turn pure white.

The white lily petals push away the darkness that envelops Kang Min-hee.

Originally, Fallen Flowers Cannot Return to Branches absorbs pain and scatters it by converting it into energy.

The reversed Spring Before Flowers Fall absorbs my power and conveys my emotions to the opponent.

Though it seems similar to the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts's ultimate technique, Endless Paths Within Paths, it's a technique several levels higher!

Towards the immense sorrow enveloping Kang Min-hee, I burn everything.

My cultivation.

My life.

My soul!

Kwadudududuk!

A pillar of light seems to penetrate Kang Min-hee.

Reaching.

Reaching.

Kugugugugu―

An immense repulsive force rebounds from Kang Min-hee.

As if telling me not to approach.

It's an overwhelming repulsive force.

It feels as if it will tear the space apart.

But, I can't lose.

'Please, please...!'

Just for a moment, reach!

Seo Eun-hyun comes up behind me and pushes my back.

Together, we thrust the light.

And, the light explodes.

Shuaaaaaaa—

It's raining.

I look around what became the ruins of the Swiftwind Domain.

Nothing remains.

Everything has been ground down by Kang Min-hee's power, turning into a desert like the Dead Earth Domain.

It was originally a place with only valleys and mountain peaks, but now there is truly nothing left.

"...Are you satisfied, Seo Li?"

I sit cross-legged, gazing at Seo Li who lays beside me.

No, saying he is lying down isn't accurate.

Seo Li's body is entirely torn into pieces and scattered somewhere, with only his head remaining.

Only his head is left, barely clinging to life thanks to the tenacious vitality of Yuan Yu.

Seo Li's attack, which burned everything he had, succeeded.

I close my eyes and recall the situation just moments ago.

My All Heavens Sword overlapped with Seo Li's Fallen Flowers Cannot Return to Branches, creating an immense piercing force in an instant.

We narrowly succeeded in embedding Seo Li's Spring Before Flowers Fall into her.

Seo Li's heart was conveyed.

But regardless, she has reached the Star Shattering stage.

Kang Min-hee has already become the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother.

Kang Min-hee opens her eyes.

In her eyes, burning with blue ghost fire, blue tears are streaming down.

Kang Min-hee.

No, the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother swings her arm at us.

That is the end.

The overwhelming difference in power crushes any will to resist.

With that, we are thrown away, and the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother screams a terrifying ghostly wail and flies off somewhere.

'Kang Min-hee...'

But I know.

Seo Li's feelings have been conveyed.

And for a very brief moment, she regained her sanity.

[Seo Eun-hyun...]

Kang Min-hee called my name as she looked at me, then lost her reason again and flew away.

"...Are you alright?"

She called my name at the last moment.

To her, 'Seo Li' does not exist.

Kang Min-hee always thought of Seo Li as just a 'clone of Seo Eun-hyun.'

In a way, Seo Li's expectations were betrayed.

However, Seo Li is smiling.

"...I'm...fine..."

"...What do you mean, fine?"

Blurgh.

Suddenly, I feel a tightness in my chest and try to breathe, but pieces of my innards flow out with blood.

My sturdy Earth Tribe body is utterly shaken.

Death energy has permeated my body in such a way that even resurrection seems impossible.

Seo Li must feel the same.

"Even after reaching the Four-Axis stage after all that effort, we die without a chance to even resurrect."

I sigh with a bitter smile, breathing heavily.

"Are you really fine, Seo Li...?"

"...Seo...Eun-hyun..."

Seo Li, with lungs crushed, vibrates the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy with his remaining consciousness and continues speaking.

"I'm...really...fine..."

"...What is fine...?"

Chiiiii—

The ghostly energy left by the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother gradually invades my body.

It's the power of the Star Shattering stage.

No matter what, I can't resist.

The path of resurrection in the plane of Soul is distorted by the attraction force, preventing our resurrection.

But, using all my strength, I try not to collapse in front of Seo Li, to hear his last words.

I will regress.

But Seo Li will not.

Facing death, I instinctively feel it deep within my soul.

This guy is now a different being from me.

A kind of familiar born from me.

Yet, even so, he is a different entity.

Therefore, he will not return.

Thus, I have a reason to listen to his final words.

Seo Li continues speaking with a bright expression.

"My...heart has...been conveyed... It's all...fine..."

"...Even if it wasn't reciprocated?"

"...Yes."

He smiles.

"I did my best. And by reaching and conveying it...what I wanted to do was completed."

"..."

"Rather...you..."

Seo Li looks at me.

He has a face as if he's about to cry.

Yes, Seo Li is pitying me.

"I will...be buried here. But you...will continue to live. Right...?"

"..."

I see.

You feel it too.

That you won't regress...

At the end of our lives, we speak slowly.

It's hard to talk.

It's too painful.

But still, I feel at ease.

Death is imminent.

Not the death I felt through Seo Eun-hyun's memories.

Neither the death felt through the Ghost Path Method, nor the death felt on the side path, but 'true death.'

And now, standing before 'true death,' I seem to understand.

I will not regress.

My life ends here.

Only then do I unravel a few mysteries.

The reason I was a bit more cautious with my body than before.

The reason I felt life was more precious than before.

And...the 'real' reason Seo Eun-hyun helped me against Kang Min-hee.

It was because we both vaguely sensed that I will not regress.

"Seo Eun-hyun..."

"..."

"The reason you helped me...aside from helping me to become independent of my own will, there was one more reason, wasn't there...?"

He nods heavily.

For some reason, his voice is trembling.

Seo Eun-hyun, who always seemed like a giant in this life, looks very small now facing death.

"...You are me."

It's the exact opposite of what he had always said.

From the mouth of Seo Eun-hyun who always distinguished between Seo Eun-hyun and Seo Li, an interesting truth flows.

"You are another possibility of mine. The possibility of me loving Kang Min-hee, the possibility of me learning devilish arts. And..."

"The possibility of entering eternal rest?"

"..."

"Ha...ha..."

I laugh.

I feel light.

But at the same time, I feel pity.

I will die on this land.

I will enter eternal rest.

But the connections I made on this land won't disappear over time.

I will be buried in this land.

Even if I decay into a handful of fertilizer and become soil, I will remain on this land.

The connections I have made will remember me.

Even if Kang Min-hee does not know me, the fact that I conveyed my feelings to her—this history will remain unchanged.

Kim Yeon, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, the Mad Lord, Azure Tiger Saint...

The Integration stage Grand Cultivators, the people of Black Ghost Valley, those I met on this journey, and even Seo Hweol, despite being annoying.

They will not forget me, and I will remain in this land as a handful of soil, remembered by those who recall me.

Even if this time is annihilated by regression, I will vanish with the others.

Whether the timeline remains after regression or not.

I am now with them.

But what about Seo Eun-hyun?

He will regress after he dies.

Even if his body becomes soil, his soul will regress and endlessly repeat life.

Even if his body remains here, his soul will move to another time, and he will no longer be able to reminisce about those connections that remember him.

Only the records stored in the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections will comfort Seo Eun-hyun, warmly but sorrowfully.

I am the possibility that Seo Eun-hyun wants the most.

To die and be buried in this land, in this world, in this time.

I cry.

Crying loudly like a child, and laughing with joy at fulfilling one of my deepest wishes, I pity Seo Eun-hyun.

"I...will stay here. But you...will leave, right?"

"...Yes."

What words can I leave him?

Feeling my consciousness fading, I leave my final words to Seo Eun-hyun.

"...Live well. And..."

Crying and laughing, enjoying this life that was like a fleeting dream, I peacefully bury myself in this land.

"Farewell, Seo Eun-hyun."

"Stay well, me."

That is my final death.

Seo Eun-hyun closes his eyes and looks at the peaceful expression of the dead Seo Li.

The beautiful face left by Yuan Li, whom he detests.

A face he loathes so much that he often smashes it out of boredom.

But at this moment.

Seo Eun-hyun finds Seo Li's face to be extremely beautiful.

"I have...to bury...him..."

Thud―

But Seo Eun-hyun can no longer hold out any longer and collapses on the spot.

Seo Eun-hyun, dressed in white, and the corpse of Seo Li, covered in black fragments, lay facing each other under the falling raindrops.

Wo-woong―

Is it the will left behind by Seo Li?

The Gang Spheres hidden all over, left behind by Seo Li, enter Seo Eun-hyun's body.

Gang Spheres containing the spiritual power of the Ghost Path Method.

Of course, since it's filled with the energy of death, it does not help Seo Eun-hyun recover from his injuries.

But that power settles within Seo Eun-hyun, harmonizing the Three Great Ultimates.

Seo Eun-hyun closes his eyes.

On the land where two incarnations of life, cultivators of the Four-Axis stage, have died.

Is it the spirits of the two cultivators, unable to resurrect, creating harmony?

At some point, the rain stops, and a quince tree and a lily tree grow on that land.

Someone approaches the two trees, and a wind blows from somewhere.

The petals of the lily tree cling tightly to its branches without scattering, but the petals of the quince tree scatter and fly far away.

The branches of the white lilies sway in the wind, but the petals do not scatter, almost as if they are waving goodbye.

To say farewell.

That is Seo Eun-hyun's nineteenth return.

Author's Note: First, I apologize if you were expecting a lot from the Christmas consecutive chapters and found them a bit dull. However, upon finishing the cycle, I felt it was right to conclude here.

If I had pushed forward to the today, it might have felt even more unresolved, so I decided to stop at these three consecutive chapters. I will try to bring a bit more for the New Year's consecutive chapters.

As for the story, Seo Li represents another possibility for Seo Eun-hyun and directly showcases Seo Eun-hyun's objective. This is also a kind of return to the original intention, intended to clearly remind readers of Seo Eun-hyun's purpose.

Seo Li may seem distinct, but he is another protagonist and another version of Seo Eun-hyun. Although they appear different, both deeply fear regression and the emptiness of disappearing connections in their hearts.

In a way, Seo Li represents the Seo Eun-hyun who achieved what he most desired.

Being buried in the land. Being remembered in history. Ensuring that his connections do not fade into emptiness—this is Seo Eun-hyun's ultimate goal.

It's a slightly more concrete goal than simply breaking the cycle of regression or committing suicide.

With lots of foreshadowing and numerous stories, the 18th cycle has ended. I am deeply grateful to all readers for appreciating this somewhat complex and sometimes unfriendly story. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas for the remaining time!

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