Chapter 396: Final Realm (2)
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“Ah. That was truly splendid.”
The Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult offered praise to me. It was genuine praise without the slightest affectation or mockery.
“I truly express my respect to you. I wonder if you might become my one and only empathizer.”
“An empathizer of the Heavenly Demon. Not a particularly enticing position.”
“Are you not also the Heavenly Demon?”
“That is the blind spot of words. Both you and I are the Heavenly Demon, but we are different.”
“Because we are different, we can actually become empathizers. For if we were identical, we would detest each other instead.”
The Heavenly Demon chuckled merrily.
“Do you remember the conversation you had when you met the Prime Minister and the Emperor in the past? At that time, you said the Emperor was your empathizer. No. A beast who is the incarnation of such base desires and you must be clearly distinguished. Saying the Emperor is your empathizer would be a great discourtesy and disgrace toward you.”
I pondered briefly. Because he spoke as if he had been right there on the scene, for a moment I almost mistook that the Heavenly Demon had sat in during the Grand Zhengzhou Conference with the Emperor and the Prime Minister. Yet no matter how I recalled, the Heavenly Demon had not been there.
“Did you eavesdrop again during that time?”
“Just as you can see what I cannot see, I too can see what you cannot see.”
It was ambiguous whether the Heavenly Demon’s words were rhetorical expressions or literally true. However, there was no need for me to scrutinize that.
Just as I had killed the Immortals, it was enough to kill this Heavenly Demon as well.
“Killing intent is flowing from your body. No. I wish to converse more with you. Regardless of how the conclusion unfolds—whether you kill me or I kill you.”
“I don’t know about that either. But I don’t want to converse with you.”
“Do not act so closed-off. Because we are looking at different places, can we not complement each other’s vision? We can become existences like watchtowers to each other.”
“I don’t particularly desire that.”
“I assert with certainty: Once I vanish, you will feel empty.”
I snorted. I did not know what meaning the Heavenly Demon attached to me, but I had already given up on attaching any meaning to him.
Of course, regarding whether the foundation of life was wrath or love, I too had reached no conclusion and found no answer. I was insanely curious about that as well. But that was not something to be found by conversing with the Heavenly Demon.
“Let me explain the difference between you and the Emperor. Since you seem unaware of how remarkable you are yourself, I shall elaborate. Both the Emperor and you are honest with yourselves. However, that alone cannot make the Emperor your empathizer. In truth, is not every existence except humans honest? Trees do not feign humility before sunlight, and water does not turn away from open paths. What about beasts? When thirsty, they seek water, and when hungry, they seek food. When eating, they do not care how they appear to other beasts. If we reckon by that standard, should your empathizer not rightfully be beasts rather than the Emperor?”
The Heavenly Demon’s words finally elicited my interest. Noticing that, the Heavenly Demon grew even more excited and continued speaking.
“In the end, what is the difference between such beasts, plants, and you? Ultimately, it lies in the pursuit of truth. Rather, the Emperor’s empathizers are things like beasts or nature. Nature and living beings excluding humans do not place any reason for existing. Yet humans alone set reasons and purposes for themselves. And the highest humans explore what lies in the most intimate depth. That is precisely the difference between you and the Emperor.”
Though I did not particularly wish to admit it, I could not help but agree with the Heavenly Demon’s words, so I nodded.
“I admit that I am curious about truth and possess an exploratory mind. But what does that have to do with you?”
“Because I am the same. Ah. Truly seeking truth is exceedingly noble, and in troubled times like these, it is even more difficult. In such a world, to have a fellow explorer of the same truth, do you not know what good fortune that is for both of us?”
“I don’t think it is good fortune at all.”
“That is your thought. At any rate, I hold deep affection for you.”
“Once this fight ends, I should wash my ears first.”
The Heavenly Demon laughed out loud. Not a trace of momentum exuded from the Heavenly Demon’s body. Truly as if he had simply come to exchange jokes with me.
“I don’t want to chatter back and forth any longer. May we begin now?”
“If that is what you desire.”
In a single breath, I appeared before the Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon’s eyes were distinctly following me, and his smile remained unwithdrawn.
Boom!
My invisible sword cleaved through where the Heavenly Demon stood. Before I knew it, the Heavenly Demon had widened the distance and stood far behind.
“It seems you made a bit of a mistake.”
I said.
Tremendous energy erupted from where the invisible sword had cleaved. At a glance, one might think it was astral force, but if one could perceive that energy, one would know it was an unknown energy reborn from countless layers of overlapping astral force.
Divine energy completely engulfed the place where the Heavenly Demon stood. Behind the Heavenly Demon lay the ruins of the collapsed Forbidden City, and it was enough to cover even all those ruins.
Inwardly, I expressed brief gratitude toward the Immortals I had killed. Because had they not evacuated people from the Forbidden City in advance, I could not have launched such a massive and wide-ranging attack.
However, even after the dust settled, the Heavenly Demon was still in that spot. Even though the ruins of the Forbidden City behind him had turned into a handful of dust, the Heavenly Demon stood upright.
“As expected, you are strong. For an instant, I was nearly suffocated to death by the pressure of qi.”
The Heavenly Demon said such words without a change in his complexion. Whether it was a provocation tactic to get on my nerves or his true feeling was unknown.
Paying no mind, I immediately prepared my next move.
I, too, could move and use the energy of nature like other Immortals, but I had just witnessed the end of that through Zhu Jung-sik. I could not commit such an error again.
Solely through my enlightenment and my talents, I had to resolve everything. And because the Heavenly Demon, who had eavesdropped on the Grand Zhengzhou Conference when he wasn’t present, could not have missed that battle, he too did not attempt to mobilize the energy of nature.
I continued to pour forth an offensive. It possessed such power that the surroundings vanished, were gouged out, and hills turned into flat plains. Even I had never felt such overflowing power in my entire life. The talent of the Martial God was that limitless.
Yet why was it? The Heavenly Demon continually dodged this way and that, and even when entering my attack range, he easily defended.
“Are you perhaps intending to fight a battle of attrition?”
I asked. I sincerely wished to tell him it was a futile thought. Because the talent of the Martial God was infinite when displaying martial arts.
The Heavenly Demon shook his head.
“That is not it. I am merely not opposing you.”
“Why? Out of affection for me?”
“No. Because I know that if I oppose you, I cannot win.”
The Heavenly Demon spoke.
“Let us look around while catching our breath. That vast Forbidden City has become truly nothing but a flat plain.”
Following the Heavenly Demon’s words, I looked around. Perhaps because I had poured forth so many attacks, the Forbidden City had truly vanished without leaving a trace. The surrounding mounds were entirely blown away, to the point that the horizon was visible.
“Is it not magnificent? Such a land of nothingness. Truly as if standing at the end of the world.”
Though I had no intention of agreeing with the Heavenly Demon’s words, that was certainly something to affirm. This nature of nothingness was mysterious to the point of inspiring wonder.
Even I knew the Central Plains were not the whole of this world and had never traveled beyond the Western Regions, yet it was to the extent of wondering if the Final Realm might look like this.
“I do not possess the power to level that massive Forbidden City into a plain like this. No matter how much I sought enlightenment, I could not catch up with your overwhelming talent for martial arts. It was not particularly despairing. Because in the world, things that cannot be chosen—like being tall, short, handsome, or ugly—clearly exist from the start. In that sense, there is no perfect person. If I lack talent where I desire it, it is merely regrettable. That is all.”
The Heavenly Demon continued speaking.
“However, humans can try their best. Unlike beasts. Because among the people who are born and die right now, those who live while properly gaining insight into themselves do not amount to a fraction of a percent. One could call that foolish, or one could call it shining.”
“What about you?”
I asked.
“Are you doing your best right now?”
“I am doing my best. I tried to hone martial arts to the very end, and did my best in that, but I fell short of you. Then I simply acknowledge it and exit the stage.”
“That sounds like you intend to die obediently by my hand.”
“Haha. That is not so. Is there not more than one method in the world? Of course, having handsome and pretty looks makes it easy to meet the opposite sex, but that doesn’t mean one cannot meet them at all.”
“You have suddenly returned to an overly realistic example.”
“Is that not what truth is like?”
I acknowledged that. Truth was not far from reality. Rather, one should say it was closely intertwined. I knew that as well.
Though somewhat displeasing, I could not deny that we understood each other’s words. It seemed the status of empathizer that the Heavenly Demon spoke of could be somewhat accepted.
“Is it not truly marvelous? This world has such definite balance. I cannot possibly think such a beautiful world was created by coincidence. In that regard, would martial arts not fail to be the one and only key to the world? If so, why would people in the world do other things instead of all becoming martial artists?”
“That is also true.”
“That is why I decided to boldly give up on competing with you through martial arts. Rather, I have come having discarded martial arts. Right now, I harbor no intention to attack you, nor do I have the power to attack. That was, conversely, the only way to face you.”
I was amazed. At that, I had no choice but to marvel. He did not know my talent of Martial God. Yet he had displayed such insight.
“I must acknowledge this. Facing martial arts with nothingness rather than martial arts, you say.”
“Receiving your acknowledgment makes me far happier than being revered by countless cultists until now.”
The Heavenly Demon beamed with smiles. It seemed he was truly delighted by my single word of acknowledgment.
“Now we will clash person to person, soul to soul. Excluding all talents. I will hold out until the end. It will be a battle of spear and shield.”
Saying so, the Heavenly Demon chanted something. Simultaneously, the Heavenly Demon’s field of vision entered my mind.
The border between the Great Desert and Hebei. In that place, countless soldiers were slaughtering one another while brandishing their blades. Wailing sounds of agony and terrified screams filled my mind completely.
I was able to grasp it intuitively. This was not an illusion, but a situation actually occurring right now.
The Heavenly Demon could truly see another world that I could not see. Just as I possessed the Heavenly Eye, he possessed the divine power of Clairvoyance.
It was a battle between the soldiers of the Wise King and the imperial soldiers. Though it was a war I had instigated, it was my first time directly witnessing the tragedy.
“Do you see it? The people struggling in wrath. The more people die, the greater wrath will become, and that will soon govern the Central Plains. Then the world of survival of the fittest that I envision will arrive.”
The Heavenly Demon withdrew his smile and spoke solemnly.
“Now, this world is filling with wrath. What will you do?”
I did not answer. Both the Heavenly Demon and I already knew my answer.