chpater 21

…

The shaman, who seemed to call for the manager more often than the General they served, changed their attitude when Kang Min-hee became a high school freshman.

―Hi, hiiiek! Ah, I understand. Yes. It wasn't a ghost. It wasn't a big ghost that possessed you! You! You yourself! You were the shadow I saw! You were never human, but a ghost born borrowing a human body! Hi-hihik…! W-wait. If the shadow is you, not a ghost that possessed you, then what's attached to you? The divination clearly showed something was attached…! That, that, that, that, that…! G-General, where are you going! General!!!!! Don't leave me…kururrrk…!?

The shaman, who had said that a big ghost possessed Kang Min-hee, suddenly started foaming at the mouth and collapsed.

And after being taken to the emergency room, the shaman, upon regaining consciousness, lost all their memories and became mentally incapacitated.

It was said they only retained the intelligence of a three-year-old.

Kang Min-hee's mother, already doubtful of the shaman's ability to exorcise the ghost supposedly possessing her daughter, finally lost interest in shamanism after such an incident.

Instead, she became a Christian and started going to church for prayers, but Kang Min-hee didn't go with her.

Instead, she started learning judo.

Despite being weak, it didn't matter.

She wanted to believe that being born weak had nothing to do with something like a ghost.

Even if she was weak, she wanted to become strong.

However, it seemed that the shaman's words about a ghost possessing her weren't entirely unfounded.

From the moment they stopped visiting the shaman, Kang Min-hee started seeing something like a shadow following her.

She didn't tell her mother.

If she did, she would be dragged to church as well.

Instead, Kang Min-hee exercised even more diligently and focused on her studies.

She firmly believed that the black shadow was a psychological issue stemming from anxiety, and she became interested in psychology and neuroscience.

However, nothing could shake off the black shadow.

At some point, the black shadow gradually became more distinct.

Sometimes it took the form of her mother, sometimes an acquaintance, sometimes the shaman, and sometimes it transformed into the father she had never met.

As she progressed through high school, the shadow became so distinct that it became hard to differentiate from a person.

And one day.

The shadow spoke to her.

―Hello?

Kang Min-hee ignored it.

And from that day on, strange things began happening around her.

They weren't major incidents.

Things like frequently getting bird droppings on her, her umbrella disappearing on rainy days, or narrowly avoiding accidents.

Strangely, her luck seemed to have taken a turn for the worse.

Especially those who were close to her suffered even greater misfortunes.

Soon, rumors spread at school, and people started to avoid her.

The shadow spoke to her.

―If you hold a knife in your mouth and look in the mirror at midnight, you'll see your future husband. Let's try it. You'll succeed. You have the talent.

Kang Min-hee ignored it.

―Let's draw the talisman the shaman used. I'll help you draw it. The talisman you draw will be effective. I guarantee it.

―Aren't you interested in the magical potions witches use? I'll tell you how to make them.

―Aren't you curious about the power and wisdom contained in the Reversed Pentagram?

Oddly enough, the shadow, which had always whispered occult and sinister knowledge and curses to Kang Min-hee, started to use that power directly.

―I did it for you. I held a knife in my mouth and looked in the mirror at midnight, and I saw your future husband. Surprisingly, you're not fated to marry. You're meant to be alone.

It foretold Kang Min-hee's fate on its own.

―I drew the talisman for you. Give it to someone you don't like as a gift. It'll be effective.

One day, when she woke up, the entire room was covered with talismans made of A4 paper.

―You know that boy who said he liked you? I got his hair, put it in a doll, and stabbed it. He won't be able to come to school for six months.

Watching the shadow grow stronger, clearer, and able to speak like a person.

Kang Min-hee finally had to admit it.

A ghost was indeed attached to her.

And this ghost…

―No one can match up to you. They don't deserve you. Even you don't realize how amazing you are. Don't worry. I'll keep away anyone who doesn't measure up. I'll make sure they can't get close to you.

The ghost scattered misfortune around her to keep anyone from approaching her.

Kang Min-hee couldn't make friends.

After realizing this, she put up walls to prevent anyone from getting close to her.

She always smiled in front of others but discarded all emotions behind their backs.

The people she kept at a distance didn't suffer as much misfortune.

Instead, she immersed herself in dramas and movies.

The fictional characters in them allowed her to love without bringing misfortune.

That's why she dreamed of a secret office romance while watching dramas.

Her attitude remained the same until she got a job at a bath products company.

'...Where did it go?'

At some point, the shadow was no longer visible.

She felt like she could fly.

The shadow that had always recited ominous prophecies seemed to have been washed away by the soap water produced by the bath products company.

'I should stay at this company.'

She felt like she was soaring.

A feeling of liberation.

Her first job.

Superiors who took care of the new employees.

And a colleague who subtly looked after her during her first company dinner.

Coincidentally, they shared the same commute, and both had a longing for office romance.

With everything aligning, including the post-dinner intoxication, she started dating Seo Eun-hyun.

At first, it felt like she was flying.

But all those thoughts reversed when Seo Eun-hyun spilled coffee.

It was coffee that should never have spilled.

But when Kang Min-hee saw it, 'someone' pushed Seo Eun-hyun's back.

Seo Eun-hyun bumped into Oh Hyun-seok, spilling coffee on his documents, and strangely, the usually good-natured Oh Hyun-seok was particularly enraged that day.

As if possessed, he lectured Seo Eun-hyun for 90 minutes after work, during which Kang Min-hee broke out in a cold sweat.

It hadn't disappeared.

She wasn't freed.

It had just been temporarily invisible.

The day after Seo Eun-hyun gave her an umbrella and caught a cold.

Kang Min-hee made a decision.

Before Seo Eun-hyun could come further into her heart.

She would drive him away in advance.

After that, Kang Min-hee did everything she could to break up with Seo Eun-hyun.

She deliberately took him for a drive and smoked cigarettes heavily in the car.

When Seo Eun-hyun tried to pour sauce over his food, she overturned it in anger.

When Seo Eun-hyun ordered sauced chicken, she insisted on fried.

She force-fed Seo Eun-hyun mint chocolate, and so on.

Eventually, the two broke up.

In her memory, she was the one who suggested the breakup.

In fact, she couldn't remember the exact details of the breakup.

They babbled nonsensically to each other and somehow ended up parting ways.

However, Seo Eun-hyun's misfortune continued.

Jeon Myeong-hoon kept getting annoyed with Seo Eun-hyun, and Seo Eun-hyun kept wasting away, as if something was wrong with him.

So she decided to resign.

She went to Seo Eun-hyun, making excuses that weren't really excuses, saying she would resign.

Even then, she babbled nonsensically, so she didn't remember the details.

But the company president saw her project proposal and raised her salary.

And then, she saw the shadow again, next to the president.

―Stay here. I checked the fortune, and it says staying here will bring a limitless future.

She tried to ignore the shadow's words, but it climbed onto Seo Eun-hyun's neck and spoke to her, holding his throat.

―Stay. The fortune is good.

"…"

Kang Min-hee had no choice but to stay.

At the company, she was always praised, and her promotions came quickly.

But she never felt at ease.

The shadow always followed her, and the thought that she could never escape it made her feel suffocated.

Then,

One day,

A landslide occurred, and she ended up on Ascension Path.

Arriving at the Ascension Path, she noticed something unusual before anyone else.

The shadow that had followed her all her life was gone.

It was no longer visible.

And, after being kidnapped to Black Ghost Valley.

She began to learn the Ghost Path Method.

She guessed that her shadow was a kind of Ghost King.

A very powerful Ghost King.

At the very least, a Ghost King at the Nascent Soul stage.

So she raised her cultivation realm with all her might, so that she could someday overpower that Ghost King if they ever met again.

She truly gave it her all.

In this way, she was able to become a Black Grand Elder.

On the day she rose to the Four-Axis stage.

She felt a sense of anticipation, thinking, 'maybe.'

Maybe that Ghost King would never appear again.

But then.

A disciple named 'Seo Li' arrived.

Seeing Seo Li for the first time, Kang Min-hee felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

She was certain she had seen him somewhere before.

Definitely.

Since this kind of déjà vu had never been wrong, she believed he was a person she had definitely seen before.

No, she 'used' to think he was a person.

There was an unusually thick aura of death surrounding Seo Li.

It was something only a ghost could possess, not a human.

Moreover, Seo Li unknowingly acted similarly to Seo Eun-hyun.

'What is this, really?'

She considered the possibility that Seo Eun-hyun had deliberately sent a clone to Black Ghost Valley.

But Seo Eun-hyun wouldn't do that.

Why would he secretly send a clone to Black Ghost Valley where she resided?

If it were Jeon Myeong-hoon or Oh Hye-seo, it might be possible, but Seo Eun-hyun had no reason to do such a thing.

Furthermore, Seo Li would occasionally give her massages or comb her hair in ways she had only taught Seo Eun-hyun.

It wasn't Seo Eun-hyun's clone.

Then there was only one other possibility.

The shadow.

The being that had been following her.

It had finally reappeared.

This time, in the form of a disciple of Black Ghost Valley.

It seemed visible to others as well.

Therefore, she could not hastily conclude anything.

Since the shadow was visible to others, it might not be the shadow she knew.

Hence, Kang Min-hee decided to see it directly with her main body.

And only after seeing it with the Ghost Eyes of her main body, could Kang Min-hee make a judgment.

That is the shadow.

The darkness as thick as the shadow, no, even surpassing that shadow.

The form of death, as if it had crawled up from the depths of the Netherworld!

And.

The subtle aura reminiscent of Seo Eun-hyun.

Finally, she could understand.

The Seo Li before her eyes was the wretched shadow that had relentlessly followed her.

No, at the very least, it was related to that shadow.

After feeling Seo Eun-hyun's touch through the shadow for a while, Kang Min-hee made a decision.

In that case.

'I will kill you and uncover your true identity.'

It was time to rid herself of the shadow that had been tormenting her.

Chapter 304: Protection (護) (6)Chapter 304: Protection (護) (6)

Kikiging―

A pitch-black claw tears through the air.

I roll backward swiftly, evading Kang Min-hee's attack.

Shukang―

In an instant, her attack brushes past where I had been, slicing through the terrain of the Cold Yin Marsh.

A chilling blue aura rises visibly where her attack passes.

'Damn it.'

If it hits, I die.

I can feel that clearly.

Even using the Formless Sword and the Mad Lord's circuits with this body only brings me to the Heavenly Being stage.

There's no way I can block someone at the Four-Axis stage.

'Did she realize that I'm Seo Eun-hyun?'

It doesn't seem like that.

I glance at her intent.

'The dark crimson intent of hatred...is deeply submerged.'

If she knew I came as a clone, anger would have flared up rather than hatred.

That means only one thing.

'Did she mistake me for someone else?'

That is the only possibility.

I hurriedly retreat and shout at Kang Min-hee.

"Grand Elder, why are you doing this? Could it be a misunderstanding?"

Kang Min-hee sneers.

"It can't be a misunderstanding. That darkness...this sense of déjà vu...and those familiar actions... You are that being."

"What do you mean by 'that being'?"

"Well, did you ever have a name? I don't really know. I always called you the shadow. Sometimes you mimicked my mother, sometimes my father, sometimes a friend, and sometimes a complete stranger. Isn't that your identity? This time too, you're mimicking someone I don't know."

'Damn it.'

It's clear.

She's mistaken me for someone else, not Seo Eun-hyun.

Someone who bears a darkness as thick as the form of death I wield.

'She's smart, but she sometimes trusts her intellect too much and jumps to strange conclusions. That's Kang Min-hee's flaw.'

Hence, a year and a half before we arrived at Ascension Path.

We fought because of that, and she ended up pushing a project that caused considerable losses for the company.

'Well, thanks to that, I ended up memorizing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so it wasn't entirely a loss…'

Anyway.

Occasionally, she would make mistakes by relying too heavily on her genius.

This seems to be one of those times.

'Judging by her state, she won't listen even if I explain.'

Kwagwagwagwang!

The slash from her attack flies over Cold Yin Marsh's horizon, exploding in a burst of blue light that dyes the sky.

Ghostly energy and the cold freezes my entire body.

My movements begin to slow.

Kang Min-hee approaches me for close combat, extending her claws to stab my right arm.

At the same time, she shortens the length of her claws, grabs my collar with her right arm, and yanks me towards her.

'This is, leg sweep!'

She seems to grasp the flow of force, and I begin to fall under her force.

Kang Min-hee was capable of everything.

Work, exercise, foreign languages, you name it.

She was a jack-of-all-trades, excluding interpersonal relationships and morality.

One of the famous anecdotes about Kang Min-hee was this:

When Jeon Myeong-hoon was a Deputy, he once visited Oh Hye-seo's apartment where she was hosting a small party with female colleagues.

He tried to subtly sexually harass Kang Min-hee while flirting with her, and the story goes that Kang Min-hee immediately grabbed Jeon Myung-hoon and threw him to the ground.

After that, Jeon Myeong-hoon ended up with a broken ankle and was prescribed six weeks of recovery.

There was a time when that guy hobbled around on crutches and couldn't even glance in Kang Min-hee's direction, making it an undeniable incident.

'Oh Hye-seo told me about this, I think?'

According to Oh Hye-seo's testimony at the time, after breaking Jeon Myeong-hoon's ankle, Kang Min-hee casually smoked a cigarette while hailing a taxi to send him to the hospital.

Jeon Myeong-hoon, embarrassed, claimed he needed crutches because of a car accident, but thanks to Oh Hye-seo, everyone in the department knew the real story.

Kim Young-hoon and Oh Hyun-seok considered reporting it, but since neither side said much, the incident was quietly swept under the rug.

'As expected, she's strong.'

Kang Min-hee is strong.

Before coming to Ascension Path, although couldn't use internal energy as a mortal, she already possessed the skills of a first-rate martial artist..

I twist my body in midair, plant my feet into the ground, and then propel myself towards Kang Min-hee with a double palm strike.

As the Blood Demon Suppressing Sea Light activates, a vast sea of blood begins to form between my double palms and her, allowing me to break away from her.

And then, I realize something.

'Kang Min-hee….'

Tsstss

A thread of her intent aims for my neck.

I break into a cold sweat, hastily evading the following strike of her attack.

At some point, she has reached the peak through her own efforts using the judo she learned back on Earth and her combat experiences involving her ghost claws.

Unlike Kim Yeon, who received my help through Tribulating Heavens Beyond the Path, or Oh Hyun-seok, who has the Unique Holy Body and trained while being beaten into a meatball by Azure Tiger Saint, or Kim Young-hoon, who has a talent specialized in martial arts, she reached the pinnacle realm purely through her own efforts and aptitude.

'Indeed, a genius.'

'This is driving me crazy.'

I click my tongue internally, focusing my consciousness on Seo Li.

An immense situation is unfolding on Seo Li's side, and shocking revelations are pouring out in front of me.

"Are you saying you were engaged to Hon Won?"

"Yes. We were engaged for mutual benefit rather than affection. Although Hon Won has withered since, he was quite handsome when he was younger, so I didn't mind. He also seemed to have considerable affection for me."

Yeon Wei continues her story.

"At first, it was more friendship than affection. Or rather, we realized we shared a comrade's bond after capturing the Black Dragon King. Our compatibility was quite good…. If our relationship had continued, our comradeship might have developed into romantic feelings. Until Hon Won fell in love with another woman."

A bitter expression crosses her face.

"Hon Won told me he fell in love with another woman from the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect and apologized. I was a bit disappointed but accepted it. After all, a marriage of affection would bring more benefits to the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect than a political one, so I was willing to break off the engagement. And…I wanted to see who this bold disciple was that stole his heart."

In front of me is the shocking past of Hon Won and Yeon Wei.

On the other side, the relentless chase between Kang Min-hee and Seo Li.

I quickly analyze the situation, trying to understand who Kang Min-hee mistook Seo Li for.

Strangely, my thoughts become unusually clearer, and I feel like I can see the web of relationships among people.

How can I twist these relationships to gain the most benefit?

Such thoughts and plans seem to pour out endlessly.

'A strange feeling.'

I wonder if I always possessed this talent.

I examine this web of relationships and begin to trace back the 'shadow' figure Kang Min-hee kept mentioning.

Then, while backtracking through this network, I feel something strange.

The person she calls the shadow is something that has been with Kang Min-hee since 'Earth.'

That means it's one of the Enders.

But the characteristics she described match 'Seo Eun-hyun.'

Yet, Seo Eun-hyun is different from the 'shadow.'

'What is this? Who exactly is the shadow?'

I instruct Seo Li to ask Kang Min-hee a few questions.

Following my command, Seo Li delivers the lines I had written on the spot to Kang Min-hee.

"Huhu, Colleague Kang. Why are you doing this? Wasn't it just a joke? I guess you disliked the prank I pulled when we first joined the company?"

[You…you really are that bastard. It wasn't just the company. Throughout my entire life! If it weren't for you! By now, I would have…I would have gotten along well with that person!]

Kang Min-hee transforms into a 8-foot ghost and attacks me even more ferociously.

'Judging by Kang Min-hee's reaction, it's someone who influenced her even before the company. Kang Min-hee lost her father, so her mother? No, I once met her mother, and she wasn't the type to say such things. In that case...'

I quickly run through my thoughts and reach a conclusion.

'Kang Min-hee has some kind of mental illness that even I wasn't aware of. Due to this mental illness, she constantly sees hallucinations and tries to explain her misfortunes through them. She's now mistaking Seo Li for her hallucination.'

Until now, I thought I was the one who needed to be treated.

Looking back, it seems like an overreaction, but there must have been a reason for my judgment.

However, now it appears that the one needing treatment is not me, but Kang Min-hee.

Then, I am startled by Yeon Wei's next words.

"The name of the disciple loved by Hon Won from the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect was Cheon Ra (Heavenly Net). There is no female disciple with the name Cheon Ra in our Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. I even checked among male disciples who had learned gender transformation methods, but there was no one. I even contacted the main sect in the Head Realm at that time. However, there was no such person in the Head Realm either. Hon Won...had developed a mental illness, creating and loving a non-existent woman."

"…!?"

The shocking revealed truth leaves me dumbfounded.

'So, because of a mental illness, he fell in love with a nonexistent woman from the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, and due to this mental illness, he tried to kill me and Jeon Myeong-hoon, claiming we failed to protect the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect?'

For a moment, I feel a surge of irritation towards Hon Won, but then I sense something strange.

A cultivator at the Integration stage is not simply a powerful monster.

Having a vast and expanded consciousness means perceiving, understanding, and growing mentally just as much.

Reaching the Integration stage means it's not easy to go mad.

Their minds have grown too strong for that.

So, what could cause someone like Hon Won to develop a mental illness?

"Why did he develop a mental illness?"

Yeon Wei looks up at the sky for a while.

From her intent, I sense a hint of bitterness, a trace of regret.

And a touch of fear.

"I searched far and wide to find out why. The process of finding out was so arduous it's hard to describe... But to cut a long story short, I discovered the reason for Hon Won's mental illness when I went to the Nether Ghost Realm."

'Hon Won, who created a nonexistent woman and fell in love with her.'

I feel a strange sense of overlap between him and Kang Min-hee, who is currently fighting Seo Li.

She, too, is hating something nonexistent.

'Maybe there's a clue to solving Kang Min-hee's issue?'

I focus on Yeon Wei's words.

"Why did he develop it?"

"…God."

"God...?"

"Hon Won developed a severe mental fracture by directly facing a great higher being that could be called a god (神). Facing such an overwhelmingly powerful existence, even in a dream, can cause mental issues."

A great higher being.

A True Immortal.

In other words, just like Hon Won, Kang Min-hee's mental illness might be related to a True Immortal.

"And...whether it was due to the influence of that higher being, I'm not sure, but the Bright Cold Realm tried to erase any traces of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect and some others. Under the orders of Baek Woon, I erased the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect with my own hands. Then, using the sacred artifact of the Yin Soul Ghost Sect and the secret arts I learned in the Nether Ghost Realm, I forcibly sealed and treated Hon Won's mind."

From Yeon Wei's mouth, the secret history from 40,000 years ago flows out.

"And the cured Hon Won came to firmly believe that I had killed his true love. His memory was distorted during the treatment process. You know what happened afterward. I used the sacred object of the Yin Soul Ghost Sect to weaken Hon Won's realm and inflicted a fatal wound, forcing him to recuperate at the Heaven-Earth Palace."

This is the truth from 40,000 years ago.

Under the orders of Sacred Master Baek Woon of the Bright Cold Realm, Yeon Wei destroyed the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect with her own hands and attempted to treat Hon Won.

Although the treatment succeeded, the cost was that Hon Won's memory was distorted, leading him to believe that Yeon Wei had killed his true love and attempt to kill her.

I watch Yeon Wei, whose intent is tinged with bitterness, and think,

'How tragic.'

Then suddenly, a bizarre thought comes to mind.

'Is Hon Won the tragic one, or is Yeon Wei the tragic one?'

For some reason, I feel that Hon Won, whose mind was toyed with by a great existence, to be the more tragic one.

'Damned main body. Kang Min-hee is going even crazier!'

After I said Colleague Kang whatever, Kang Min-hee's eyes completely turned and she charged at me.

'Speaking of which, is Hon Won the tragic one? I feel that Yeon Wei, betrayed by her lover, is more tragic...'

This is a bizarre difference of opinion between the main body and me.

Bo-oong!

Chwaaaak!

Kang Min-hee's ghost claws tear into my belly, gouging out a deep wound.

'This won't do.'

If this continues, I will die.

Dying isn't the problem, but losing the identity I had established in the Black Ghost Valley will be painful.

'I even made an agreement as Seo Li to go to Lofty Dragon True Person's storage scroll. I can't let this opportunity slip away…!'

Absolutely not.

I quickly think.

Yuan Yu's Blood Body is practicing Heaven Tribe methods.

It's possible to use Entering Heavens Formless Sword and the Mad Lord's circuits.

But it hasn't mastered Earth Tribe methods.

'Without the harmony of Heaven, Earth, and Heart, overcoming the two-realm difference is impossible.'

In this situation, how can I win against Kang Min-hee, who is not open to any persuasion?

How

As I ponder this,

I suddenly observe the Ghost King-transformed Nascent Soul within my body.

'Wait, is that possible?'

It seems like a crazy idea, but I somehow feel it might be possible with Seo Li's body.

If overcoming a two-realm difference is impossible, I just need to make it a one-realm difference.

In other words,

'While escaping from Kang Min-hee, I will immediately elevate this body to the Heavenly Being stage!'

Wo-wo-woong!

Absorbing the yin energy around me and the ghostly energy from Kang Min-hee, I quickly begin refining my mind with the formulas for the Heavenly Being stage.

'I'll rise to the Heavenly Being stage!'

Right now, immediately!

Translator Notes: 8-foot ghost (팔척귀신) is a term referring to a ghost from a Japanese ghost story. Basically, the ghost has long hair, wears a wide-brimmed hat, and has twisted joints.

Editor Note: If you're curious, the original Japanese name is 八尺様 (hasshaku-sama). Funnily enough, it looks like it isn't actually from ancient Japanese folklore or anything but rather a thread on 2chan's occult board made in 2008, which I did not expect at all.

Chapter 305: Protection (護) (7)Wo-wo-woong—

I feel my mind suddenly snap awake.

How should I put it?

Though I am being chased by Kang Min-hee, I am simultaneously seeing another 'path.'

And I feel as if the knowledge of what I need to do to walk this path is flowing directly into my mind.

I understand.

At this very moment.

I can see how to walk this path.

What needs to be done to walk this path.

I understand it all.

This path is made of death and more death.

And a river of blood and life.

'Purple Yang Madness Devilish Art, Expending Soul True Devil Method, Yama Hidden Inheritance Will, Corpse Devouring Secret Ritual Tome, Serene Soul True Secrets…'

I connect to Bi Yul's consciousness with the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon and ask for knowledge of the devilish arts.

While receiving complete memories is impossible, I can grasp rough fragments.

The devilish arts like Expending Soul True Devil Method, Yama Hidden Inheritance Will, Corpse Devouring Secret Ritual Tome, and Serene Soul True Secrets that Bi Yul had seen.

These are scenes from Bi Yul's memory where he had only 'seen' these arts.

I integrate these 'scenes' and the Ghost Immortal Kui Devilish Secrets to consolidate the devilish arts.

The integration is swift.

All the devilish arts, except for Silver Basket Devil Technique and Yama Hidden Inheritance Will, merge into the formulas floating in my mind.

Expending Soul True Devil Method and Corpse Devouring Secret Ritual Tome are absorption-type methods.

Purple Yang Madness Devilish Art is a discharge-type method.

Serene Soul True Secrets is a consciousness-type method.

All these methods, based on the Ghost Immortal Kui Devilish Secrets and Bi Yul's memory scenes, are realized within me, consolidated, and newly integrated.

I can devour all the Ghost Kings that Kang Min-hee is releasing before me and immediately convert them into power.

If I desire, I can weaken my opponent's strength to elevate my own realm.

However.

'Is this path right?'

Before stepping onto the path, I wonder if this is truly the right path for me.

I don't know why.

'No, it's not this…'

But upon reflection, it's obvious.

'As expected, I…'

I don't want to sacrifice others.

Taking away from Kang Min-hee indiscriminately.

Devouring Ghost Kings that have already died once.

The Dao is something that can only be obtained by growing stronger and rising higher on one's own.

Something only achieved through self-cultivation and self-sacrifice, with the resolve to die in the evening if attained in the morning. That is the Dao.

So how can something obtained by sacrificing others become my power?

What belongs to others remains theirs.

Taking it by force will never make it mine.

'Indeed.'

Zziiiing—

Using the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, I extend my consciousness.

And I send a signal to the living beings within a thousand li radius of Cold Yin Marsh.

Dududududu!

The living beings of Cold Yin Marsh who receive my consciousness signal begin to flee in terror.

In fact, most had already fled when Kang Min-hee began to exert her power, and those remaining are at least at the Core Formation stage, able to withstand the aftermath of her power.

They use the Flying Escape Technique or Gliding Technique to swiftly flee beyond a thousand li, and I use the technique I have just created.

'Then, let's not covet what belongs to others.'

I will not steal from others.

Instead, I will borrow.

And the ones I will borrow from are not others, but Heaven and Earth.

From this ownerless world.

Kugugugugugu!

The land of the Cold Yin Marsh within a thousand li radius.

The land of the Cold Yin Marsh, where plants tenaciously grow even in the cold, begin to wither.

Due to the devilish art I created, the life force of Cold Yin Marsh begins to dry up.

Devilish Art,

Great Desert To Dead Sea (大漠死海成).

Beoseok—

In an instant, the thousand li radius of Cold Yin Marsh dries up and turns into a desert.

At the same time, the life force and energy that flows from Cold Yin Marsh surges within me.

A devilish art that sacrifices no one becomes my power within me.

While I gained power by gazing at the 'path,' I realize that I have not entered the 'path.'

'Main body.'

I cool my head and convey my will to the main body.

'Receive the secret art of the Nether Ghost Realm from Yeon Wei. From now on, I will heal Kang Min-hee.'

The secret art that Yeon Wei used to heal Hon Won.

After a while, the main body receives the secret technique formula from Yeon Wei and transmits it to me.

The secret art of Spirit Sealing Bodkin (封靈觿).

It's the name of a spell that forcibly drives a wedge into the torn spirit of the opponent to suture it.

'Main body, complete the Spirit Sealing Bodkin and transfer it to me. I will receive the technique after challenging the Heavenly Being stage and heal Kang Min-hee.'

After conveying my intentions to the main body, I begin converting the energy gathered by Great Desert to Dead Sea into spiritual power to prepare for the Heavenly Being stage.

Piiing—

Kang Min-hee's line of intent aims at me.

I quickly evade using Mountain Lord's Soaring Flight.

'As expected, her skills are well beyond the first-rate level.'

She has always been like that.

Suddenly, I feel a surge of emotion towards Kang Min-hee.

'First-rate…'

Receiving Seo Li's sentiments, I scoff.

'Is it the influence of becoming a Ghost King? Seo Li has become too sentimental.'

An overreaction.

Kang Min-hee was first-rate?

Absolutely not.

Clang, clang!

While preparing the Spirit Sealing Bodkin received from Yeon Wei, I recall past memories.

A translucent silver chain forms between my palms.

Just like the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner, the Spirit Sealing Bodkin is a spell that is half-completed in the plane of Soul.

Therefore, I can complete it here and transmit it through consciousness to Seo Li.

However, I do not convey my cynicism for Seo Li to Seo Li.

'Sentimental Seo Li is overestimating Kang Min-hee.'

Useless emotions are distorting memories.

A sober evaluation of Kang Min-hee would state that she barely scraped the level of a second-rate martial artist on Earth.

Seo Li is simply raising his evaluation because he can't control his emotions.

'I'll pass the Spirit Sealing Bodkin to you, Seo Li. Get a grip. Don't you think something is wrong with you right now?'

'Something wrong? With me?'

Certainly, the evaluation of Kang Min-hee's skills might have been embellished in my memories.

But I think the main body has become unnecessarily cold.

As if a chunk of ice has lodged in his head.

'...Understood. I will keep it in mind.'

Accepting that there's something suspicious, I receive the Spirit Sealing Bodkin from the main body.

Simultaneously, I half-close my eyes while evading Kang Min-hee's intent.

Tsutsutsutsutsu—

I cover my surroundings with my consciousness domain.

There is a difference between a martial artist's consciousness domain and a cultivator's consciousness domain.

The cultivator's domain is transparent.

Though clear, it can only sense but do nothing more.

However, the martial artist's domain is vividly colorful.

All colors can be seen.

Among them, the areas where the red lines and blues line form.

The 'red domain' and 'blue domain' are important areas in combat.

The red domain is where all the paths from which the opponent can attack intersect and overlap.

The blue domain is where all the paths from which I can attack intersect and overlap.

Red and blue.

And these red and blue are most similar to the two colors of intent that I know of.

The anger and sorrow of the Seven Emotions.

Anger is easy to understand.

The hostility the opponent directs at me is most similar to anger.

Then, in what way are the dark blue color and the blue color of my optimized path similar?

'Protection (護).'

The essence of sorrow is self-protection.

Therefore, the intent extending from oneself is expressed as blue intent, optimized to protect and safeguard oneself.

For some reason, a conversation I had with Tae Yeol-jeon comes to mind.

While discussing the Seven Brilliances Kings with her, she explained the Lapis Lazuli Protecting Heavenly King as follows.

―The Lapis Lazuli Protecting Heavenly King, adorned in armor made of lapis lazuli, is a king who protects and safeguards humans from pain and suffering. Because of his presence, humans may be wounded and fall, but under his protection, they will eventually rise again from their injuries. Thus, he symbolizes protection.

Why is it?

Seeing Kang Min-hee clad in piercing blue ghost fire, she appears fragile as if he sharpened her edges to protect herself.

Just like glass (glass is written and pronounced the same way as lapis lazuli in Korean).

Her consciousness domain is entirely red.

However, from her perspective, that red light is all blue light meant to protect herself.

I have to pierce through that blue armor and drive the Spirit Sealing Bodkin into her soul.

Can I pierce it?

No, is it right to pierce it?

Under this dilemma, I begin to step through the ghost storm towards Kang Min-hee, one step at a time.

At the same time, my cultivation begins to rise.

Kiiiiiiing—

The Blood Soul embedded in Yuan Yu's body begins to integrate internally and externally under my influence.

Heaven and Man Unity!

Spring, Will to Become an Immortal Established.

The formula of the Heavenly Being stage swiftly flashes through my mind.

Simultaneously, my Nascent Soul gradually transforms into a massive Ghost King.

Along with it, Yuan Yu's Blood Body.

I feel Seo Li's body surpassing the plane, gradually becoming ghostly.

As my skin becomes more translucent, blue ghost fire swirls around me.

The immense power of Heaven and Earth, gathered from Great Dessert to Dead Sea, transforms through my enlightenment.

Early Heavenly Being stage.

Summer, Unswayed Amidst the Heavenly Mandate.

Mid Heavenly Being stage.

Autumn-Winter, Heavenly Compliance, Heart's Governance.

Late Heavenly Being stage!

I assimilate every bit of the immense Heaven and Earth spiritual energy within my body without losing a single drop.

The more I absorb, the more I transform into a complete ghostly being, allowing me to approach Kang Min-hee.

As my body grows larger, skulls made of ghostly energy emerge from various places, forming heads like General Seo.

I stand before Kang Min-hee as a Ghost King with eighteen heads.

Bo-wooong!

Her ghostly storm targets me, tearing through the air.

I hold the Spirit Sealing Bodkin with half-closed eyes burning with ghost fire.

[Perhaps, Kang Min-hee.]

Grand Perfection Heavenly Being.

Heavenly Circle, Acceptance at Fate's End.

[When we liked each other, it wasn't just a joke.]

With each step I take.

Her intent.

And my own intent seeps out.

As I contemplate myself, I become increasingly aware of why Kang Min-hee had always been uncomfortable to face.

How long has it been since I faced her so openly?

Perhaps we were more sincere back then than we realize.

Perhaps it's because we were sincere that it's been uncomfortable all this time. Because we were sincere, we treated each other all the more so as if it was just a game.

'I can't fully understand what is causing you pain.'

But, before our awkward relationship.

As evil friends (frenemies), can't I offer at least this much comfort?

With sincerity, I drive the Spirit Sealing Bodkin into her.

A move made fully predicting that her ghostly storm will pierce through me.

However, surprisingly, the Spirit Sealing Bodkin penetrates directly through her blue domain.

Whether it's due to her lack of martial prowess, or her permitting me, I don't know.

But certainly.

It connects.

Kuaduduk!

When there is a significant difference in cultivation, like with Yeon Wei and Hon Won, one side must lower their realm to successfully achieve spiritual suturing.

But between a Grand Perfection Heavenly Being and an early Four-Axis,

It isn't that difficult.

At that moment.

Wiiiiiiing—

Amidst the blue intent, I spot a faint pink hue.

And, with a clear mind, I can finally hear the whispers of the pink intent.

'Ah…'

Previously, I had received a gift from those children.

The children of Cause and Connection whose wedding I had blessed flash before my eyes, and simultaneously, the voice of a dignified being implants a certain formula into my mind.

Jiiiiiing—

It's the formula for the Grand Perfection Heavenly Being stage.

Not Fate's Fulfillment, but a completely different formula.

'Is this what I received as a reward for blessing them….'

Why hadn't I received it until now?

Why only now, using Seo Li's body, did I receive it?

It makes me incredibly curious.

Chiiiiii—

Before I know it, the Spirit Sealing Bodkin has entered Kang Min-hee, suturing part of her spirit.

Before I know it, we have returned from our ghostly forms to our human bodies.

In the center of Cold Yin Marsh, which has become a desert, we look at each other as morning dawns.

"...You aren't the shadow."

Kang Min-hee looks at me briefly and then gives a bitter smile.

"Then, you must be Seo Eun-hyun."