Chapter 477: Divine Being Huan Hou

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An unexpected reunion had taken place.

The meeting of Bai Chu, Cho-hui, and Huan Hou, separated by an immensely long period of over a thousand years.

In the space where the afterimage of light had faded, only silence flowed.

Amidst that, Cho-hui deeply calmed her gaze.

As if she had guessed the divinity’s identity from early on…

Huan Hou’s appearance was exactly the same as in life.

To be precise, it was the same figure as on the day he met his end.

If there was something different from then, it was a certain bright light emanating from behind his body.

A halo.

A mysterious radiance proving he was one of the divinities of the Heavenly Realm.

Soon, Huan Hou turned his head and gazed at Bai Chu dwelling within Cheol Ryu-heun’s body.

Their gazes intertwined.

There were no words exchanged.

Thus a peculiar silence continued for a while.

Then one side parted his lips first and spoke.

“It’s been a long time.”

It was Huan Hou’s greeting.

The expression of the divine Huan Hou was indifferent.

Also.

Cheol Ryu-heun, accepting the greeting with a wordless nod, was the same.

It was an apathetic attitude from which even a fragment of emotion couldn’t be felt.

Of course, this wasn’t a novel reaction for him.

‘Yes, now I understand. Why I was connected to that divinity…’

The law of cause and effect originating from a past life.

That’s right.

That was exactly it.

Suddenly, yesterday’s conversation flashed through his mind.

—Not bad.

—What, did you think I would fail?

—Ha, if I had, would I have sent him down?

—It was unexpected. To think the master of this body would appear.

—It’s the law of cause and effect. Connected to the body you obtained…

—That sounds plausible.

At that time, the divinity had briefly mentioned the law of cause and effect.

Then, Cheol Ryu-heun had also vaguely intuited.

That perhaps the divinity itself was somehow connected to him…

Thus, at the end, they had exchanged these words.

—Is that also the case for me?

—What do you mean?

—Playing innocent. You’re quite sly for a divinity.

—…

—Cheol Ryu-heun said earlier, didn’t he? That your side considers me a threatening existence and element.

—There is nothing more I will tell you. Take it as you will if that’s the case.

—It’s probably because of the divine energy. Perhaps there’s also some connection to a life before I was the Divine Martial Sword.

—…

—Did I hit the mark?

—Impudent fellow…

—Shall I say one more thing?

—You talk too much. I shall withdraw now.

—You and I seem connected by something. Well, like a thread of fate, perhaps.

—What nonsense are you…

—Among the many divinities up there, why was it you specifically who was connected? Isn’t that an entirely reasonable suspicion? You mentioned the law of cause and effect. Perhaps my past life…

—If there is something you’re curious about, figure it out yourself. I have nothing more to say. I shall quietly watch the outcome from this sky.

At that time, the divinity had vaguely evaded the answer.

However, that instead brought something like certainty.

And tonight, he came to realize that his intuition and guess were not wrong.

As the divinity’s true identity was revealed to be Huan Hou, an old connection.

But… was he really the same as before?

No, he couldn’t be.

Because becoming a divinity of the Heavenly Realm also meant settling the past.

He must have become a different existence through some kind of process.

And as a result, he would have obtained the qualification to ascend to a divine seat.

If the current Huan Hou were the same as before, the very status of being a so-called divinity would be nonsensical.

Huan Hou spoke again in a low voice.

“I have received a separate divine name… but just call me whatever is comfortable.”

The moment those words ended, Cheol Ryu-heun tossed out a matter-of-fact voice.

“Very well. Traitor.”

A single word with barbs in it.

Being spoken with an expressionless face made it feel even colder.

But Huan Hou didn’t mind at all.

“It’s an undeniable fact.”

Then he even wore a barely visible hint of a smile.

Seeing that, Cheol Ryu-heun bluntly asked.

“Then, is it still the case now?”

His languid voice still contained barbs.

Immediately after.

Huan Hou showed a meaningful look for the first time.

“If that were so… there would have been no occasion to face you two like this again. Heaven would not have permitted it from the start.”

“You’re saying you paid for your sins sufficiently while staying in heaven? And as a reward, you finally became a divinity?”

“You know well. But the word ‘reward’ is inappropriate. If I had desired something… the heavenly punishment given to me would only have become heavier.”

He looked alternately at the two people standing before him and continued speaking.

“I simply… spent the long ages in nothing but repentance and punishment. Then finally, my sincerity was recognized by the highest deity of the Heavenly Realm, and I sat upon a divine seat. In other words, I am Huan Hou… but not the Huan Hou of old. Do you want me to explain that entire process?”

“No need. After all, the grudge was all washed away when we killed you that day. However…”

“However?”

“The ending is a bit regrettable. Considering our relationship, I mean.”

“…”

“Anyway, it was a splendid revenge, wasn’t it?”

“Indeed, without a doubt… I never dreamed you would sacrifice your own body to become a sword. Thanks to that, I completely let my guard down…”

“Well, to make you feel at ease and divert your attention, I had no choice but to kill myself.”

“Yes… that’s right. Anyway, if I had repented sooner, none of these unfortunate events would have occurred… Cho, using this opportunity, will you accept my long-overdue apology?”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you were a divinity who just put on airs.”

“At that time… I couldn’t readily reveal who I was. Because that too falls under a great sin of leaking heavenly secrets, which violates the absolute laws of nature. That’s also why I deliberately acted arrogant toward you.”

“Well, understood. There’s no point in constantly bringing up the past.”

While listening to their conversation, Cho-hui suddenly recalled something from the time of reincarnation.

While staying somewhere in that sky, when she woke up from a long sleep, a large, hazy, pure white mass of light suddenly appeared and spoke thus.

—Your loving heart has finally connected to that land below. Now stop sleeping… and go to his side. While retaining the memories of your past life.

—What?

—Down there, Bai Chu waits for you.

—…!

—Your expression shows complex emotions. Don’t worry. This is a good thing. Reincarnation is a special reward and opportunity given to good spirits, you see.

—Wait, who are you…?

—Me?

—The feeling somehow seems familiar. It’s hard to explain in exact words, but… something like déjà vu…

—I am one of the many deities here. You only need to know that much.

—Di… vinity…

—The spiritual energy containing Bai Chu’s ego has reincarnated through the body of a young man named Cheol Ryu-heun. Now I shall send you to his side.

—Ah… Y-you mean he has come back to life as a person, not a sword?

—That’s right. The sword that was like his body was broken by someone’s hand.

—What? That’s…!

—Your Heavenly mandate is said to be an assistant. So go and help the reincarnated Bai Chu with his work. That’s why I’ve arranged for you to retain your past life memories.

—Then whose body will I…?

—A horse.

—Ah… As an animal…

—Do you dislike it? But there’s nothing even I can do about that. It was decided by the highest council of the Heavenly Realm.

—No! Whether beast or whatever, as long as I can see him again…!

—You won’t be able to speak with him immediately either. Only when Bai Chu transcends a certain stage and awakens will complete spiritual communication be possible.

—I see. Yes, I understand.

—I shall share the spiritual power I possess. Remember well. You are, in effect, a proxy sent by a divinity.

—But… what exactly is that work?

—An existence that disturbs order… stopping that great calamity.

—Why don’t you act directly…?

—As much as we’d like, all the deities here wish to step forward. But we cannot. Under the absolute order of nature, the Heavenly Realm is only permitted minimal intervention. That’s why we’re sending a proxy. Of course, everything depends on… Bai Chu’s enlightenment.

—That means…

—Yes, if he fails to reach enlightenment, eventually the Heavenly Realm will have to step forward at the risk of danger. If things flow that way, the calamity will somehow be prevented, but… as the price for defying the laws of nature, the natural order composing earth and heaven will collapse, putting the world itself in peril… and total destruction will be unavoidable.

—Who is this calamity-like existence?

—What I can convey ends here. From now on, you must find that out for yourselves. However… if it’s Bai Chu, he will surely obtain the answer.

Having cleared her thoughts, Cho-hui quietly looked at Huan Hou.

‘As I thought, that light was… you. I had a feeling it was.’

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke in a dry voice.

“Shall I hear the reason you’ve revealed yourself now?”

“It’s killing two birds with one stone. There happens to be something I must do, and since your enlightenment has reached the Great Universe, I judged that it would be fine not to hide my identity anymore. Of course… I obtained permission from the supreme deity of the heavenly realm in advance. I also reported the results of what you did…”

At those words, the conversation he’d had with the Black Tortoise’s soul suddenly flashed through Cheol Ryu-heun’s mind.

—Human… are you close to a divine being?

—Does it seem so? Then I’ve succeeded.

—You are certainly a vessel capable of handling my power. But excessive greed invites disaster.

—This is not divine energy that I need.

—Those words… what do you mean?

—This world needs it.

—Indeed, the Constellation of World-Destruction… you have sensed its omen.

Having recalled that, Cheol Ryu-heun immediately asked.

“It’s not over, is it?”

Thereupon, the divine Huan Hou nodded.

“That’s right. Even after blocking the summoning of the otherworldly Demon God… ominous signs have been detected.”

“The Constellation of World-Destruction.”

“Did the divinities who went to that Great Universe tell you?”

“They did. I suspect it’s probably an omen related to that.”

“Hmm, that’s something we cannot yet give a definite answer about. For us…”

“If we dig into the true identity of the Heaven Emperor Society Lord, it will become clear as day in the future. By the way, what is this task that happens to need doing?”

The moment Cheol Ryu-heun’s question ended, Huan Hou’s gaze quietly went to two swords.

The Gan Jiang and the Mo Ye Sword.

He then opened his mouth again and spoke softly.

“I received orders to guide those married couple’s spirits to the Heavenly Realm.”

Simultaneously, white haze gently emerged from the two swords.

Hiss hiss, hiss hiss hiss…

That soon wriggled and gathered into two masses, then transformed into the appearances of an old man and old woman with benevolent impressions.

It was the soul energy of the married couple, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.

Like in Cho-hui’s case, it seemed they had naturally been drawn out by the mysterious spiritual power that divine Huan Hou possessed.

Gan Jiang soon expressed his respects toward Huan Hou and asked.

“Is it now time to ascend to heaven according to the natural order?”

“It is.”

At Huan Hou’s brief answer, Gan Jiang briefly held the hands of his wife Mo Ye beside him, then turned his gaze to Cheol Ryu-heun.

“There isn’t much time. Before I depart, I should tell you everything about the old days.”