Chapter 438: Her (10)

Chapter 438: Her (10)

Whiiiiii—

I observe the Divine Powers of Time and Wind.

At the same time, I feel the wind blowing due to the Divine Power of Wind.

'...The Heart Tribe. How troublesome.'

Even if I want to offer my condolences, they left behind nothing, nor entrusted me with anything.

All I can do is keep the memory of them in my heart.

In Gyeong Chang's case, I attended the funeral and mourned, but in her case, even finding the body is impossible, so whether a funeral can even be held is doubtful.

Therefore, I simply mourn her through the Divine Power of Wind, sending her off with the wind.

I turn to the voice I hear from the side.

It's Kim Young-hoon.

He seems to have been watching our fight.

"...Do you happen to know about her?"

"Of course. She was one of the opponents I've sparred with for the past ten years."

Kim Young-hoon, taking out a bottle of liquor from who knows where, opens it in front of me, pours it on the spot where Yu Yeon had stood, and then hands it to me.

I, too, pour some liquor on the place where Yu Yeon stood, and then sit with him on a nearby rock.

"I'll tell you a bit about Yu Yeon."

He pours me a drink as he starts to talk about Yoo Yeon.

It turns out she was the last of the Shrimp Shell Race in Cedar Wood Grove.

The title of 'Strongest of the Shrimp Shell Race' might have been simply because there were no other members of the Shrimp Shell Race left.

From what I hear, she wasn't able to save her fellow race and bring them to Cedar Wood Grove.

The Shrimp Shell Race is so fragile that even sunlight would burn their skin, and they are a race that needs the care of higher races.

The few Shrimp Shell Race members she managed to rescue all had their skin burn away in Cedar Wood Forest, unable to receive the care they needed.

I hear she saved her people who had been abused, but they resented her and burned to death.

Her parents and siblings were all abused and killed by the superior Giant Race, and her friends all died under the sunlight in Cedar Wood Grove.

The only one left for Yu Yeon was Gyeong Chang who came with her, and now that Gyeong Chang is gone, she simply left with him.

"Both she and Gyeong Chang had a unique view of the afterlife. They had somewhat entered the Plane of Soul, and they claimed to have caught glimpses of 'Sukhavati' while hovering on the verge of a breakthrough into the realm of Second Step Before the Throne."

[TL/N: Sukhavati is the pure land of Amitābha, also known as Western Pure Land or Land of Bliss.]

"Sukhavati...?"

"Yes. Beyond the clouds...a place higher than even the sky."

"..."

"Those two followed the religion of the Giant Race. While they were of the Small People Race who fought against the Giant Race all their lives...perhaps they were influenced by the Giant Race's beliefs. The Giant Race worships the [Serpent of Wisdom], and according to their doctrine, those who die fighting bravely will go to a world beyond the clouds where they can fight eternally. Hearing about them, apparently the Giant Race holds such beliefs of the afterlife."

He takes out his glass and pours me another drink.

"For the two of them, death isn't the end but a new beginning."

"A new beginning..."

I drink with a bitter smile.

"I sincerely hope that's true."

Gyeong Chang and Yu Yeon.

May they both find happiness beyond...

I stayed with Kim Young-hoon through the night, offering my condolences to Yu Yeon.

Since she has no kin, I conducted Yu Yeon's funeral.

I gathered the soil from where she fell and placed it next to Gyeong Chang's grave.

A small burial mound was formed.

Day and night, I unleash my sword energy across the entire Bright Cold Realm.

Kugugugugugu!

The Heart Tribe Supreme Council and masters at the 3rd stage of Manifestation, who have all become no different from my terminals, transmit my power and sweep away the Vestiges that have invaded every corner of the Bright Cold Realm.

Chwaaaaak!

As I continue to protect the entire Bright Cold Realm day and night, no one dares to easily challenge the Heart Tribe anymore.

I hear that even the cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Tribes, who abused slave races, are refraining from massacres or other violent acts, unsure of when my sword energy which is wiping out the Vestiges might turn towards them—everyone but one person.

That person is the Mad Lord.

'The Mad Lord must be dealt with as well.'

I now possess the strength to do so.

Of course, the sword energy I'm sending from afar won't be enough to defeat the Mad Lord, who's at the Quasi-Star Shattering stage.

I'll have to find him and finish things personally.

Though for now, I can't leave, as I am busy exterminating the Vestiges...

On the day Baek Woon recovers, I plan to go after the Mad Lord immediately.

‘Though he gave me much, in the end, he is both a mass murderer and a madman.'

I can't leave him be, even with all the power I have.

I sit in Cedar Wood Grove, repelling the Vestiges and waiting for the day Baek Woon recovers.

Time passes quickly.

It has been ten years since I started sending sword energy flying across the entire Bright Cold Realm from Cedar Wood Grove.

It has been twenty years since we arrived at Cedar Wood Grove.

Kim Young-hoon has been continuously striving to reach Void Shattering.

Jeon Myeong-hoon has been devoting himself to training in order to manifest the lightning spear that pierced the Sacred Master's stomach back then. Meanwhile, Oh Hyun-seok and Hong Fan have finally reached the Integration stage!

Especially Oh Hyun-seok, who, after receiving all that Azure Tiger Saint could teach, was then guided by Gol Maek, who has mastered a Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation method. Gol Maek passed on her Innate True Method to Oh Hyun-seok.

Gol Maek frequently visited Kim Young-hoon, as she hoped to raise Oh Hyun-seok to the level of Five Energies Converging to the Origin or Ultimate Pinnacle, realms connected to the Demon Race. However, Kim Young-hoon didn't seem to engage with her much.

In any case, thanks to her, Oh Hyun-seok has recently been diligently practicing the Bone Armor Treasured Origin Art.

Kim Yeon hasn't left the workshop lately, staying inside with Buk Hyang-hwa.

On the days she occasionally comes out, it's usually for walks with Buk Hyang-hwa.

Buk Hyang-hwa's condition has visibly worsened with each passing day.

Her eyes have become clouded, and it's clear that her senses are gradually fading.

Yet, even after ten years, we haven't found any way to deal with the curse of the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent.

And, during these circumstances,

I meet Ryeo Hwa, who has come to find me.

"Please teach me a move, Esteemed One."

"...Have you lost your mind?"

I glance at her as I continue to unleash sword energy from the tallest cedar tree in Cedar Wood Grove, where I am standing that day.

Ryeo Hwa smiles faintly and shakes her head.

"I've left the position of Vice-leader to Jae Hu. You can rest easy."

"...That's not the problem."

"What is the problem then?"

She smiles faintly again and spreads her arms wide.

"One can't move forward unless they risk something precious. That's the way of this world."

It's been 20 years since we arrived at Cedar Wood Grove.

Facing Vice-leader Ryeo Hwa's earnest fighting will, I let out a deep sigh.

"Let's have a match."

"...You could die."

"Do you still not understand? Even after sending off Gyeong Chang and Yu Yeon, those two senior disciples..."

Her eyes are ablaze.

"Do you think one can reach this realm while remaining sane? The Heart Tribe...is nothing but a group of lunatics. One can't rise to this realm with a sane mind. Aside from Sir Young-hoon, everyone I've seen has been out of their mind."

Tststststststs—

A cold chills begins to emanate from her body.

"Aren't you the same, Esteemed One Seo? We are all madmen, and we even have a 'reason to die.' Isn't that right!?"

At her fierce declaration, I let out a low hum.

"Many cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Tribes view us as madmen who throw away our lives like moths chasing a higher realm, or as lunatics who take the lives of others. But that's wrong."

Woo-woong!

A chill flows from her shriveled body, seeping into my bones.

"Gyeong Chang sacrificed himself for everyone, and Yu Yeon threw away her life because she had no one left. From the moment we climbed to this realm...it means each of us found a reason to throw away our lives!"

Kugwang!

As she stomps her foot, the ground around her sinks deeply.

I look at her for a moment before speaking.

"...In the past, I once took under my care those who had abandoned life and were consumed by revenge, those who sought to die...as those dear to me."

"Is that so?"

"Even though I could do nothing for their thirst for revenge, how many times did I tell them to live...? Somehow, I did manage to save them, but later...when I myself was burning with revenge after losing my beloved, I realized. That sometimes, even if it means throwing away your life, you must quench that desire."

"You've come to your own understanding."

"In a way, yes. But...ever since I came to the Heart Tribe territory, I've been thinking."

I meet Ryeo Hwa's eyes and ask.

"Does staking everything, grinding away your life to pursue the 'higher,' really...have meaning?"

I look at her with bitter eyes.

"And...if I end up killing you, how will those left behind feel...?"

Gyeong Chang, it was for those left behind.

Yu Yeon, it was because there was no one left behind.

They burned their lives away like that.

But there's something they misunderstood.

Aren't I, the one who killed them, the one they left behind?

In the end, we shared hearts in the last moments, and they became deeply etched within mine.

And those who deeply etched into my heart are now dead.

Because of me.

"Can't we just...have a spar, or perhaps exchange enlightenment through words? Is it not possible to have a 'sparring match' with some room for leisure instead of an all-out 'death match'?

At my words, she hesitates for a moment, then smiles.

"I haven't had many encounters with you, Esteemed One. This is only our third meeting. The first was when you arrived at Cedar Wood Grove and awoke. The second was after you emerged from seclusion. And the third is now."

"That's right."

"Let me tell you a secret that even our master didn't notice until I told him. This is a secret that other than our master, only Esteemed One Seo...no, only Junior Brother will know."

Her next words leave me stunned.

"The natural lifespan of us Flower Plant Race is only three months. Even if we raise our cultivation, ten years is the limit...Only by consuming a large amount of spiritual elixirs can we barely live for about twelve years."

"What...!?"

"Allow me to introduce myself again, Junior Brother. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ryeo Hwa. I was born just nine years ago."

"..."

I stare at her in disbelief.

What on earth is she saying?

Nine years ago?

A lifespan of three months?

Then...

"...So, the first, second, and third Ryeo Hwa...they were all different people?"

"In a way, yes. Shall I explain the origin of our Flower Plant Race?"

She begins her explanation.

"Our Flower Plant Race is not exactly a slave race. We are simply flowers in a flower field, enhanced by spells to be gifted by Heaven Tribe cultivators to their beloved. Through spells, we bloom into the most beautiful flowers for three months before we die."

I look at her hair.

A very beautiful flower is blooming on her head.

"Among those flowers, we are the ones whose spirituality has been stimulated by spells, gaining sentience. Our lives are very short, so when it's time to die, we find another suitable plant and pass on our memories, spirituality, and life before we die. All of those beings are collectively called the 'Flower Plant Race,' and one of those beings is 'Ryeo Hwa.'"

"..."

I gaze at Ryeo Hwa for a moment.

The story is somewhat familiar.

'Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens...'

"...All those Ryeo Hwas...are the same individual?"

"No."

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

Twenty-fifth move.

Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace!

The sword infused with my everything and my very soul pours out towards her winter from the Plane of Soul.

A sword of starlight clashes with a winter bloomed from flowers.

Chwaaaaaa!

The starlight sword, carrying the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, pierces through the flower-born winter.

My sword pierces Ryeo Hwa, but at the same time, a coldness remains on the blade and on the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

I look behind me after piercing through her with the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.

Tstststststs—

What follows the winter is an incredibly beautiful spring.

Flower Soul.

That is the name of the moment when Ryeo Hwa's accumulated heart is passed on to the next Ryeo Hwa, following the winter.

Chararararak!

Her story enters my heart.

From the first Ryeo Hwa to the present Ryeo Hwa.

All Ryeo Hwas were beings who wanted to give love.

However, the average Flower Plant Race dies after only a few months of life, and even their survival rate is not high, making their lifespan short.

For this reason, there were no members of the Flower Plant Race who could truly converse with her from Ryeo Hwa's position.

Even other members of the Heart Tribe couldn't understand her.

The will of the Ryeo Hwas, who lived for ten years before being passed down to the next, was not something that could be easily understood by anyone.

She wanted to take a disciple, even if they weren't a plant.

Through a disciple, she wanted to pass down the will, emotions, and love that had been carried on since the first Ryeo Hwa.

She even tried kidnapping members of the Tall Tree Race and teaching them.

But the Tall Tree Race are fools whose heads are filled only with pollination and Sacred Master Baek Woon.

They couldn't even understand her teachings.

She couldn't love anyone.

It was impossible to convey through speech.

Was it said 'Truth cannot be established through words (不立文字)?'

How could she possibly convey this heart, passed down from the first Ryeo Hwa, through mere words?

Perhaps Jang Ik's Fighting Spirit could have made it possible.

If it were Jang Ik's Fighting Spirit, at the Second Step Before the Throne, he could have received and 'taught' this heart.

For this reason, Ryeo Hwa had also challenged Jang Ik.

But Jang Ik subdued her without injuring her and refused her offer.

He said it's because the entire Heart Tribe is riding on his shoulders.

He rejected her request, saying that if his mind became unstable from receiving Ryeo Hwa's memories, he wouldn't be able to protect the Heart Tribe.

She had no choice but to kneel.

Thus, she was lonely.

Because her heart...

The heart, inherited from the first Ryeo Hwa, the heart that 'wanted to pass love to someone'... She knew she could never pass it on to anyone other than the next Ryeo Hwa.

So she waited, and waited.

And after endlessly passing on Ryeo Hwa, one day,

Hope appeared before her.

"...Are you satisfied?"

I ask Ryeo Hwa, who is dissolving into the snow, turning into powder.

She smiles.

"Thank you."

"..."

The existence known as 'Ryeo Hwa' is now over.

However, her will...

I will be able to transform it into martial arts and carry it forward.

This generation's Ryeo Hwa has given me her memories and her life.

With this, Ryeo Hwa has come to an end.

However...

Within me, she will be reborn in the name of Martial Arts.

And one day, she will be passed down again within the person who inherits this martial art.

I watch Ryeo Hwa's final moments.

Embracing her loneliness, I awaken the Divine Power of Cold.

This is my third divine power.

Huarurururk!

Her Flower Soul burns fiercely within me.

At the same time, I flinch.

'Purple Soul Filling the Heavens...'

The formula for Purple Soul Filling the Heavens suddenly begins to rampage.

Kugugugugugu!

A purple mist surges towards the memories of all the Ryeo Hwas within the Flower Soul.

I try to control it, but the Flower Soul, like a fish meeting water, leaps towards Purple Soul Filling the Heavens and is absorbed into it.

It's as if they have always been one, naturally coming together.

"...!"

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens begins to change.

'This is...'

The purple mist of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens begins to shine brilliantly.

At the same time, I realize that the formula inside Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is transforming.

It's a formula concerning Ryeo Hwa's life.

Simultaneously, I realize that Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, which I had never fully controlled, is now completely melding with me.

"So this...is Purple Soul Filling the Heavens..."

I let out a hollow laugh as I feel the true nature of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.

From the beginning, Purple Soul Filling the Heavens was never something I could master just by learning it.

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is a secret art completed through inheritance.

Just as the nature of heart language and Purple Soul Filling the Heavens are similar, Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is a secret art meant to be 'passed on' to someone.

'It's not about evolution...'

It isn't a secret art for evolution, but something that someone in the past had created to convey their heart to someone in the distant future.

And now, as the past Ryeo Hwa's heart is passed on to me, Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is completed.

'In that case, I should change its name.'

This is no longer Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.

This is a secret art completed with the heart of Ryeo Hwa.

Flower Soul Filling the Heavens (華魂滿天) is the proper name.

Chwararararak!

I absorb Flower Soul Filling the Heavens.

The purple mist of Flower Soul Filling the Heavens is naturally absorbed into the mist of the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

Pararararak!

As Flower Soul Filling the Heavens enters the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, moments from the past begin to flicker as if the pages of a book are being turned.

'Is this my past...?'

Through the power of Flower Soul Filling the Heavens, I realize that I can summon the 'hearts' of my past into the present and 'inherit' them to others.

"Ahh..."

Tears fall from my eyes.

I can now recall the heart of the past Cheongmun Ryeong.

I can even pass on the heart of Azure Tiger Saint, who became a star, to Oh Hyun-seok of the present.

While passing down my memories themselves would require me to sacrifice my life, just like with Ryeo Hwa...

The 'heart' accompanying those memories can now be passed down freely.

I summon the hearts of the past through Flower Soul Filling the Heavens and reflect on them as I look up at the sky.

'Now...I won't forget anymore.'

With the ability to remember not only information but even the hearts, I will never forget anything again!

"My heart alone...will never! Ever! Be forgotten!"

And then, Flower Soul Filling the Heavens illuminates a moment from the past.

A corner of Seoak Village.

It's the moment when I had spoken with the [Child Waiting for Her Sister].

"...Huh?"

Thud!

When I regain my senses, I am in Seoak Village.

I have returned to the moment where I was reading a storybook to the little girl who had lost her sister to Hong Fan's mother.

"...What?"

My brain refuses to comprehend the situation.

At that moment, the girl smiles and runs towards somewhere behind me.

"Ah! My sister's here! I will go see my sister now!"

The girl is so happy to run towards her older sister that she even throws aside the fairy tale book she usually cherishes.

"...Sister?"

Didn't she get eaten by Hong Fan's mother?

Swallowing nervously, I ask the girl who's running to meet her sister behind me.

I don't turn around.

"...Child, didn't you say your sister went over the hill?"

In response to my question, the girl shouts back, as if I asked something weird.

"What are you talking about, mister? I told you, my sister just went to work for a while at the big house down the mountain!"

"..."

Something is wrong.

Through Flower Soul Filling the Heavens, I [clearly remember].

The girl's sister had gone to the place where Hong Fan's mother lived and died there.

Gulp...

I observe my inner body.

My domain is still the same.

In other words, this isn't some illusion of an arduous journey brought on by a mental illness.

I've been pulled into the past.

"It seems the traveler must have had a dream."

The [sister] says to the girl.

"Go home and play for now."

"Okay, sister~"

I feel [her] approaching me.

Sweat starts to form on my forehead.

Now, I [remember].

I had forgotten about her existence in the next cycle.

From behind me, [she] speaks.

"Could you please pick up the book?"

I pick up the fairy tale book and, without turning around, hand it over.

"Thank you, for playing with that child... If you have any questions, feel free to ask. For example, something like why 'those who gaze too deeply into the heart' eventually crave for suicide..."