Chapter 392: Will of God (1)
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Setting aside the Heavenly Demon’s uncomfortable escape, meaningful changes occurred in my body as well. Because I possessed a highly developed mind, it seemed my mind directly influenced my physical body.
As I defined myself as human, the human emotions and sense of kinship that had once vanished began to return.
In the end, I had merely distanced myself from humanity because I thought I was positioned in between gods and humans. It was definite proof that essence, qi, and spirit were not separate, but constantly influenced one another.
From intense emotions to detailed sensations that I could not notice unless I paid conscious attention. And in that process, I came to acquire a new wrath.
The Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult, who targeted Peng Chae-hyang with insane intentions and methods, and the Emperor, who was the current enemy. It was wrath toward them.
There was certainly something worth listening to in the Heavenly Demon’s words as well. That was precisely the nature of the emotion called wrath.
Love, which grows weaker as time passes.
Wrath, which grows greater as time passes.
However, thinking about it, trivial wrath blazes up at first and then cools down. Conversely, is there not also love that is lukewarm at first and blazes up late?
In truth, that was not particularly important. The important thing was the question of what one viewed as the foundational emotion of humanity.
Of course, even if one asked whether that was objectively important…… one would reach the answer that this was not the case either. That, too, was merely a variable perception. Just as I regained my emotions by changing my perception of myself.
Ultimately, the most important thing was that I had to kill the Emperor and the Heavenly Demon. In fact, that had been a firm goal even when I was distanced from emotions. Thinking back now, because wrath was also an intense emotion like love, it seemed to have operated even when I was distanced from humanity.
The clue was thankfully left behind by the Heavenly Demon. Since he said the old folks of the Immortal Realm had taken him away.
Though I did not know the location of the Immortal Realm, I figured that an Immortal Realm would ultimately reside in a place abundant with spiritual qi. Probably hiding its appearance with formations so ordinary people could not enter.
For now, I decided to return to the Forbidden City. Since that was the place where the Emperor vanished, even if I tracked him, I had to start from there. Because the Immortal Realm had been controlling the imperial palace, I also guessed that no matter how far they tried to stay away, it would not be that distant.
Since the Hebei Peng Clan and the Forbidden City were not far apart, I was able to arrive quickly. Also, because the Heavenly Demon might play strange tricks on my acquaintances, I was in a state of mind wanting to end this as quickly as possible.
“……?”
From the exterior of the Forbidden City, I sensed an anomaly.
I soon realized the reason. For some reason, the guards who should have been guarding the outside of the Forbidden City were nowhere to be seen.
To think that the absence of fighting soldiers would feel this strange.
Although the Imperial Guard, who had to act as guards, were nearly wiped out, not only was the target to protect the Emperor, but was it not currently wartime? Leaving the front of the castle empty like this made no sense.
In the end, until I cautiously opened the gates of the Forbidden City and entered, not a single guard showed themselves. Opening the gates of the Forbidden City with my own hands was another wondrous experience.
Astonishingly, not a single person was visible inside that massive Forbidden City. Not the common soldiers, court ladies, or officials.
I could not tell what on earth had happened. As I expanded my sensory perception and examined the surroundings, indeed no human presence was felt.
“What bizarre deed are they doing now?”
Muttering to myself, I inspected the desolate Forbidden City.
As the palace governing the Central Plains, there were countless halls and palace buildings. Even so, there was no reason to search them one by one. It was enough to roughly project my sensory perception to see if people were present or if there were spaces I did not know about.
Truly, there was no one inside the Forbidden City. There were so many traces of daily life used until just moments ago, yet let alone a human, not even a rat was visible, which was eerie. Nor were there any corpses.
Even so, I could not lower my guard. Because sensory perception could not detect Immortals. Since it was based on grasping pulsations, it was difficult to detect those who knew how to melt into nature. Thus, I moved my steps while remaining fully vigilant with all five senses.
“Grand-disciple. Have you been well?”
Before long, my expectation proved correct, and Immortals appeared before me. Not the Immortals of the Immortal Realm, but the Immortals of the martial world. I immediately observed etiquette and bowed to Hyeon-wol.
“It has been a long time. Grandmaster.”
“Haha. It seems you have gained some enlightenment again in the meantime.”
“I was lucky.”
“Luck, you say. You still use such superstitious words. Everything in the world is inevitable. Even a single leaf falling is nothing other than necessity.”
Hyeon-wol looked at me with warm eyes. The other Immortals also wore smiles. In a way, I was the youngest from their perspective.
“Why have you traveled to such a distant place?”
“Ah. Just wait a moment. You will find out soon enough.”
Hyeon-wol spoke. And truly not long after, other Immortals began descending from the sky. At a glance, they were not the martial world’s Immortals, but the imperial palace side—that is, the Immortals of the Immortal Realm.
The person at the very front of the Immortal Realm’s Immortals had a face brimming with majesty, and anyone could tell that he was the leader. In fact, the energy exuding from his body was the most refreshing among the Immortals of the Immortal Realm.
“I have only heard much of you, but this is my first time seeing you in person.”
The leading Immortal spoke.
“I am the Domain Master of the Immortal Realm who leads these Immortals. Pleased to meet you.”
“I see. I did not expect to meet you so suddenly like this.”
“Were we not in positions bound to meet inevitably?”
“That is true, but I did not know we would meet so early.”
Before me stood the Immortals of the Immortal Realm, and behind me were the Immortals of the martial world.
“Did you bring it?”
Hyeon-wol abruptly asked. He was asking the Domain Master, not me. The Domain Master nodded and took something out from his sleeve. That was something that even I could not help but be quite startled by.
“Did you drain all the blood?”
“I have at least that much consideration.”
Speaking as if referring to the carcass of some beast, what the Domain Master brought out was none other than the Emperor’s head. The head I had so desperately wished to find. The key to the final talent had appeared right here.
“Could you pass it to that fellow over there?”
Coincidentally, standing in the middle, I became the transporter of that head. It was not brought in any casket; without the slightest respect, it was simply a human head handed over by grabbing the hair. I lifted it as if supporting both cheeks of the Emperor and looked at it.
As the blood Hyeon-wol worried about was all drained, the skin had turned dark and dull. The Emperor’s eyes were open. Furthermore, without harboring any fear. It was a tranquil gaze, as if he had not realized his own death until his life came to an end.
“Grand-disciple. Does this situation feel like a coincidence to you right now?”
From behind, Hyeon-wol asked. I looked back.
“The fact that we are here right now, that you are in between, and that you are holding the Emperor’s head is an entirely inevitable matter.”
“Is that so?”
“Naturally so.”
“If it is inevitable, it should be clearly explained.”
“That too is possible.”
Hyeon-wol smiled.
“First of all. Too many people died, far too quickly. In the war, that is. It must be because you prepared so well.”
I listened quietly.
“We have accumulated sufficiently satisfying karma. Therefore, war is no longer necessary. That is why we thought it necessary to stop the war.”
“Is that the reason you killed the Emperor?”
“Indeed. In any case, if it is a war, someone must take responsibility and bring it to an end. The Immortal Realm also agreed with that, which is why they promptly severed the Emperor’s head.”
Come to think of it, the Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult had merely said that the old folks of the Immortal Realm took the Emperor away. I had simply jumped to the conclusion on my own that they took him away to protect him. In reality, it was to kill him.
Indeed, the Immortals of the Immortal Realm had said that killing humans was virtuous karma. Did they say that the more one influenced the number of people killed, the more virtuous karma accumulated? Once one accumulated virtuous karma beyond a certain level, one became able to ascend to immortality.
The reason they stopped the war and killed the Emperor now could also be interpreted as having accumulated enough virtuous karma to satisfy everyone.
“The only variable was that reckless fool of the Demonic Cult. But in truth, there was no great need for us to mind him. In any case, he too was a fellow engrossed in killing people, so though our purposes differed, he was one whose results aligned with ours. Of course, their killing will also soon cease. Because we will intervene directly.”
“Why do you intervene? Was it not the case that the more people killed, the better it was for the Immortals?”
Hyeon-wol blinked his eyes, then smiled again.
“Ah, you knew about that. If you know that, the conversation will be even easier. We must kill as many humans as possible. That means if too many die beyond a certain limit, it becomes troublesome. If they are exterminated, there will be no humans left to kill, will there not?”
Hyeon-wol spoke in a gentle, melodious voice. I narrowed my eyes.
“However, have you not accumulated enough virtuous karma to ascend to immortality? Why are you not ascending?”
“Each had their own purpose. That fellow Zhu Jung-sik could not do so out of fear of what comes after ascension, and I did not wish to create a slightly better world for the masters of the world.”
I turned my head and looked at the Domain Master. It seemed the Domain Master’s name was Zhu Jung-sik. However, because there were still things I did not understand, I looked at Hyeon-wol again.
“A better world?”
“Yes. In truth, we are beings who have already transcended human lifespan. Then are you not curious about that? Where did all the Immortals before us go? Right now, are not all those remaining here merely the previous generation at best?”
I quietly rolled my thoughts. It was content I had already thought about several times. I had assumed they ascended on their own. Seeing that there were those who feared ascension, it seemed that was not the only reason.
“Though you transcended human lifespan, you could not transcend life itself. Because life is a law of nature.”
“As expected, you are clever. It means that we, too, are bound to decline and perish in the end.”
“Then can you not simply ascend before that?”
“That is the terrifying part. When one ascends, do they not vanish from everyone’s memories? That is why I speculate.”
Hyeon-wol spoke as if whispering.
“Ascension is, perhaps, complete death.”
“However, do gods not exist?”
“They exist. But that is not a being possessing my consciousness and vitality. Then can one truly say that I am alive?”
“However, are there not also gods who sufficiently influence the mortal world?”
I recalled the Emperor of Great Ming whom I had met beneath the sea.
“Then he failed to ascend. He is a phantom. Without even knowing for sure, he is undoubtedly someone who remains in records and memories. That is merely lingering thought.”
“I certainly have never thought of it that way.”
Come to think of it, Uncle Zhu Mun-hwan remembered that deity. Even mentioning the Emperor’s posthumous title.
Since those who ascended vanished from memory and record, he was certainly not someone who had ascended. Why did this come to mind only now?
Then what about me? What about myself? There was no entity currently influencing this world as much as I did. Yet if someone like me had come this far through divine arrangement.
……It meant that I, too, was a phantom.