My mouth gapes at the astonishing truth.
'The Vast Cold Heavenly Lord...is alive?'
If so...
"This Bright Cold Realm is...still alive?"
"Isn't it a plausible truth to consider? Why do you think the [Ones Above] had to forcibly rename the Vast Cold (廣寒) Realm to the Bright Cold (光寒) Realm 500,000 years ago? Why is it that the Bright Cold Realm has the most abundant spiritual energy of all the Middle Realms, and why do those who come here have a fate filled with more blessings than those in other Middle Realms? Why is it that the Bright Cold Realm is always referred to as the strongest and most supreme of the six Middle Realms? Other Middle Realm Esteemed Ones can propose their own titles and the Sacred Master accepts them as such, but why must the Esteemed Ones of the Bright Cold Realm have titles that include 'Heaven (天)' or 'Light (光)' that the Sacred Master imposes...? There's much more, but this is the gist of it."
"...Sacred Master Baek Woon said the reason for the Sacred Masters in the Middle Realms is because if they neglect these realms, powerful Vestiges will be born. And...as far as I know, Vestiges only come from corpses. But if what you're saying is true, doesn't that create a contradiction?"
I look at Seo Hweol with suspicion, and he smiles faintly, placing his hand over his chest.
"I swear upon the name of Immortal Beast Hyeon Go. Everything I, Seo Hweol, have just said is the truth."
Wo-woong!
Along with his words, the balance seems to tremble, and a pure white vapor brushes past Seo Hweol's body.
"In this place, one cannot speak lies. The moment one utters a falsehood, they are immediately 'punished'."
"...."
"If what I'm saying is true, then the other side must be lying."
"...That means..."
Seo Hweol smiles faintly.
"Sacred Master Baek Woon, other than her abhorrence for her race's acts of pollination, has always been famous for spewing lies. No, more accurately...while she 'doesn't lie', she is notorious for deceiving others with her words. Her words of preventing the birth of Vestiges is not wrong, since the corpse of Vast Cold Heavenly Lord will eventually truly die. Whether that's in ten billion years or a hundred billion years, who knows."
"..."
It seems Baek Woon is a far more sinister existence than I initially thought.
"In any case...since it seems you've accepted the truth, let me tell you an old story."
He begins his tale.
"The leftover of Nether Devil True Lord Yu Hao Te couldn't accept that he has died. Truly believing they are still Yu Hao Te, having forgotten his kind character and noble disposition, and remembering only the authority he wielded, they hoped to be reinstated in their seat. However, in the eyes of his comrades of the Underworld, this 'Yu Hao Te of Evil', who barely grasped a fraction of the authority Yu Hao Tie wielded in his prime, was unworthy, and even their character and disposition fell far short."
This is the hidden backstory of the Bright Cold Realm I have long wondered about.
"If only their character had remained intact, they could have easily returned to their old position. But instead, they foolishly fell into the delusion that their authority is the problem. And so...Yu Hao Te of Evil came to a certain decision.
'As the body of my old comrade, Vast Cold, is still alive, I will make it mine. Vast Cold's soul has left on a distant journey, with no telling if it will ever return. If I take control of Vast Cold's body, I can once again fully seize my seat, and those old comrades who dismissed me will welcome me once more.'
"Ah...truly, what a vile and filthy decision it was. To covet the body of another in order to regain a seat that was never rightfully theirs...even worse, they still remembered that Vast Cold was once their friend. Hoho..."
I tremble with rising disgust.
"However, that vile plan was never realized. I'm talking about the successor of Ancient Force True Lord, 'Lofty Dragon' and Yu Hao Te's Immortal Treasure, 'Sae Eum'. Unable to watch their former superior's corruption any longer, the two joined hands. Lofty Dragon quickly entered the Vast Cold Realm before Yu Hao Te of Evil could seize the body, accepting the loss of cultivation to become a Sacred Master to halt Yu Hao Te of Evil. Sae Eum, from within Yu Hao Te of Evil's body, bound their mind. However, the corrupted Yu Hao Te of Evil could not suppress their desire and eventually invaded the Bright Cold Realm."
From his lips flows the truth about the great war between the True Devil Realm and the Vast Cold Realm that took place 500,000 years ago.
"It was a terrifying war. To the point those below the Integration stage had to be protected in Lofty Dragon's animal pen... Though Yu Hao Te of Evil's physical body was dead, it was still the body of the Chief Judge Yu Hao Te. The Nether Devil Realm itself invaded the Vast Cold Realm. In the end, Sae Eum emerged from the Nether Devil Realm and temporarily assumed the Sacred Master position of the Vast Cold Realm, while Lofty Dragon recovered to the Entering Nirvana stage and faced Yu Hao Te of Evil. After several years of war...Lofty Dragon finally used the Serving Command Axe to decapitate a portion of Yu Hao Te of Evil's head. Then, Sae Eum burned their life force to transfer Yu Hao Te of Evil's true soul into that severed head portion."
The mural I saw on Cherry Blossom Dragon Island comes to mind.
"Lofty Dragon and Sae Eum sacrificed their lives. Lofty Dragon squeezed out all of their own blood and Sae Eum tore away their own essence. The blood of Lofty Dragon and the essence of Sae Eum mixed, inscribing a 'new name' onto Yu Hao Te of Evil, who had been completely severed from their main body."
I finally understand the creation myth of the Blood Yin Realm.
"The blood of Lofty Dragon and the essence of Sae Eum. The authority of these two divine beings became shackles, binding Yu Hao Te of Evil. Thus, they became Blood Yin (血陰). The Nether Devil Realm became the True Devil Realm, and all the turbid energy and malevolent energy that once belonged to the True Devil Realm was carried away by Blood Yin. Within Blood Yin's body, a filthy, repugnant Middle Realm opened up. That is the Blood Yin Realm (血陰界)."
"...I see."
The truths of the world, which I have been curious about all this time, are engraved into my mind.
The weight of the name Vast Cold is that heavy.
It is, without a doubt, a serious situation.
However, I look at Seo Hweol and ask.
"So what's your goal, Seo Hweol?"
Blood Yin's objective is resurrection through Vast Cold's body.
But I still don't know what Seo Hweol's genuine goal is.
In response to my question, Seo Hweol smiles and says,
"To reunite with my family. Is Seo Ran doing well?"
"...He's fine. I feel much more at ease without you by his side."
I glare at him and ask.
"To reunite with your family? Is that really your goal? What are you going to do when you meet Seo Ran?"
"I'll pat him on the shoulder and tell him he's been through a lot. Above all, Ran and I...we share the same blood."
"..."
I try to read Seo Hweol's intent or attack him with the Sub-Heart Sword, but it seems that such things don't work in this space.
'What is he planning to do to Seo Ran...?'
I speak while looking at him.
"Sorry, but if you intend to endanger Seo Ran through this incident, I cannot cooperate with your plan."
"I understand. Anyway, given the severity of the situation, I have no intention of getting into a verbal battle with Daoist Seo. Limited to this plan, I will cause no harm to Daoist Seo and his comrades and will only focus on my own path."
"The comrades affected by your Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens must not be included in the 'path' you speak of."
"Agreed. I will focus solely on myself, and 'for this matter alone,' I will unconditionally cooperate with Daoist Seo without betrayal. I will not pull wordplay like last time, saying, 'we weren't on the same side, so it's not betrayal'."
I nod.
"Good. In that case, although I'm not happy about it...let's join hands."
"Hoho...A wise decision, Daoist Seo."
In front of Hyeon Go, we form a temporary alliance contract.
Kuung!
I feel the authority of a transcendent being binding us together.
This is, quite literally, an action in the Plane of Fate.
Since fate guarantees our contract, even if we want to break it, the very act of breaking it becomes impossible as celestial energy moves.
Paaaaat!
Seo Hweol's scale and my scale draw closer.
I glance at Seo Hweol and take his hand.
Seo Hweol and I, though temporarily, have formed a 'true' alliance.
===
Author's Note: Seo-Seo Alliance.