Chapter 441: Complex Emotions (1)
Tonight, Seol-Hwi decided to sleep in Earth Demon’s room.
Perhaps because it was a house built halfway up the mountain, the room was filled with humidity.
Seol-Hwi wove together straw and twigs he had prepared in advance to make a makeshift bed.
A slightly uncomfortable sleeping place was not an issue for him, in fact.
He had spent countless nights outdoors in the past and had lived in places far more uncomfortable than this for a very long time.
“You said you fought against the Creator in your past life?”
While arranging the sleeping area, Earth Demon casually asked. His tone towards Seol-Hwi had become naturally friendly, as if speaking to an old friend.
“I did.”
“What was I like back then?”
Seol-Hwi paused briefly. Then he laid a rolled-up cloth on the makeshift bed before answering.
“You were impressive. You didn’t shrink back or fear even when facing the Creator, a god.”
Even for Seol-Hwi, who had experienced countless lives, the memory of that time remained very intense.
The calm acceptance of death by Earth Demon.
It felt as if facing a grandmaster of a generation.
In other words, the title of ‘a great master who might be seen once in an era’ was not at all lacking for him.
“So, you must have seen my ability when I manifested the full energy of the Heavenly Killing Star?”
“I did.”
“Did it… work on him a little?”
Just as he finished tidying up his place, Seol-Hwi sat there.
Then, as he gazed at him silently, Earth Demon chuckled awkwardly.
“It’s a bit of a foolish question, right? But it’s quite important to me. It’s a power obtained by risking my life, so no matter how much I fight against the gods, wouldn’t it be frustrating if I just collapsed with a thud?”
Earth Demon laughed awkwardly.
Seol-Hwi answered his question, half serious, half joking, with a calm expression.
“You were strong.”
“Really? Hearing you say that gives me some comfort. Though I couldn’t match the Creator, I did have my own moment…”
“It wasn’t that you couldn’t match.”
“…?”
“If only the stage had been different, you might have been able to kill a god.”
“…What?”
Earth Demon, slightly flustered, looked at him.
Seol-Hwi spoke to him with the same serious expression.
“If the battle hadn’t taken place in the Demonic Cult… If it had been in the Central Plains, even the Creator wouldn’t have been sure of the outcome. At the very least, it seemed you could have forced a draw.”
“No way, to that extent…”
Seol-Hwi nodded.
“The power you used at that time was beyond the demonic realm, it was the primordial energy. That power created cracks in the Creator’s cultivation and even pierced through. The fact that the Creator could use the system to suppress your power was fortunate for him, I suppose?”
“…….”
“Moreover, even while fighting, that Creator said it. Your power of Heavenly Killing Star is…… the highest level a human can achieve.”
At Seol-Hwi’s response, Earth Demon showed a peculiar expression.
Then, when it changed into an awkward smile, he spoke.
“I thought it was a curse on my body my whole life……. Thankfully, it seems to have some use after all.”
At those words, Seol-Hwi’s eyes wavered slightly.
The Heavenly Killing Star that had tormented him his entire life.
It would not suddenly feel like a good thing now.
In the past, Earth Demon lived a life tormented by the curse of the heavens.
Until recently, he lived as a plaything of the heavens, a disciple of the Heavenly Demon.
And now, an absurd situation where he becomes an adversary to the Creator.
A large feeling of self-mockery about his turbulent life.
“Seol-Hwi.”
Earth Demon, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up.
“Do speak.”
“When were you happiest in your life?”
“When huh…”
Despite the sudden question, Seol-Hwi did not ask back.
Rather, he seriously pondered and then replied.
“Honestly… I don’t quite remember.”
“Well, according to you, you’ve lived hundreds, thousands of years.”
“……”
“Perhaps you know when I was happy?”
Seol-Hwi shook his head.
“When was it?”
“When I was the Fourth Disciple of the Heavenly Demon.”
“……!”
For a moment, Seol-Hwi thought he might have misheard.
Even the happiest moments in life were amidst the fiercely competitive power struggles in the history of the Demonic Cult?
“After being abandoned by Wudang and barely surviving, I became of noble status for the first time in the world. The Fourth Disciple of the Heavenly Demon.”
“…….”
“Those who follow me. It might be blind loyalty rather than genuine, but even that was enough for me. Being expected by someone, receiving loyalty, was such a good experience that I would want to try it again.”
Seol-Hwi silently listened to his story.
“But you know, my only happy life was due to someone’s trickery. Does that mean… my original life was meant to suffer and die in agony?”
“Earth Demon…”
Seol-Hwi finally understood the source of his confusion.
It wasn’t just a feeling mixed with self-deprecation.
If one’s entire life has been nothing but suffering and misfortune.
And if someone manipulated such a life to make it more valuable.
Is there really a reason for him to fight against the Creator?
‘Yes. I haven’t thought about Earth Demon’s perspective until now.’
In some ways, thoughts can change depending on one’s environment.
The player from Cheon Wol-seong who appeared earlier.
He was like that.
Having gained both desire and power, he was very grateful to the Creator who had made this environment.
Isn’t what is right and wrong ultimately determined by the situation and environment a person is in?
“Is this the stage for the battle?”
“…What?”
“If we move away from the Demonic Cult’s headquarters, we’ll be less influenced by that ‘system’ thing, won’t we?”
Seol-Hwi, who was seriously contemplating with a stern face, looked up.
“Right. I thought this place would be good for a battle.”
“Then, shouldn’t we move the forces of the Demonic Cult beforehand?”
“We should.”
“…Is there a justification for that?”
“When a living being becomes a devil and the curtains to the world are lifted, they will understand. The order of the Cult Leader will be enough to persuade people.”
“Indeed, if one can see the world clearly… their thoughts may change.”
Seol-Hwi had already decided on the place for the fight.
It might not be completely free from the system’s influence, but at least, he believed it would escape the absolute ability that suppresses all powers.
“Alright. I will follow your suggestion.”
Seol-Hwi’s eyes widened.
Earth Demon had finally made a decision.
“Earth Demon…”
“However, if your plan goes awry or you need assistance, I will step in immediately. How about that?”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you? In the end, you’re just trying to save my own life.”
Seol-Hwi felt conflicted about the attitude of the Earth Demon.
Although he had gained the opponent’s consent, he couldn’t determine if it was the right thing.
Because it felt as if he had forced his own life and values onto another.
‘Life is truly profound.’
That night, Seol-Hwi couldn’t sleep properly.
The conversation he had with the Earth Demon before bed lingered in his mind for a long time.
The next day, Seol-Hwi immediately moved to the Emei Sect.
Directly to the long-standing enlightenment.
It was to meet the two people who had guided him to transcendence.
Meeting her felt as exciting as meeting an old friend.
The good memories of past worries they shared created such emotions.
“What brings you here?”
As he entered the entrance of Mount Emei’s main temple, two novice bhikkhuni approached and asked.
Although a long time had passed, the faces were familiar to Seol-Hwi.
“I’m here to see bhikkhuni Du Myung.”
“Bhikkhuni Du Myung?”
A woman tilted her head, and in the meantime, another woman asked.
“Excuse me, but what is your identity, sir?”
“I have no name, as I am nameless. However, I have a long-standing connection with bhikkhuni Du Myung.”
“Ah. Is that so.”
A subtle expression that was difficult to read. Seol-Hwi felt an inexplicable sense of unease from their demeanor.
‘What is this?’
This was the first time he experienced such reactions.
In hundreds of lives, they would mostly interrogate him intensely, or tell him to come back later because the person wasn’t present.
Or they would guide him to the guest hall and ask him to wait.
But what kind of reaction was this?
“Would you like to come inside for now?”
A few words were exchanged, and they invited Seol-Hwi. And the place was not the guest reception hall, but rather the Fuhu Temple side.
“Did you say you came to see the bhikkhuni Du Myung?”
Seol-Hwi was seated in a nameless hall around Fuhu Temple, following the guidance.
For about two hours, the nuns passing by glanced over.
As he quietly waited for the right moment, a person approached and spoke to him.
‘This woman…’
To Seol-Hwi, she was a familiar woman. Because she was once an attendant of the bhikkhuni Du Myung.
“Yes.”
“May I ask for the reason of this visit?”
Generally, they don’t blatantly ask the reason to those who come as guests.
But Seol-Hwi somehow felt he needed to answer that question.
“Would you call it a companion on life’s journey? I had the opportunity to speak with her a long time ago. We weren’t looking at the same place, but our concerns were similar.”
“Ah… I see.”
At Seol-Hwi’s words, she let out a quiet exclamation.
It seemed she realized that she too was on the path of a seeker pursuing enlightenment.
“Then, will you tell me now? Where is satae1?”
Seol-Hwi pointed out her roundabout way of speaking.
Only then did she, who had been silent, open her mouth.
“She has already left this world.”
“What?!”
Seol-Hwi’s eyes widened—Passed away, what does that mean?
“It’s been about a month, so it hasn’t been long. That day, she refused to eat and sent away those around her. It seems our satae sensed it.”
Seol-Hwi knew that she was capable of achieving nirvana.
The issue was the timing.
Every time he visited her, she was either young or just old enough.
She had never fully entered nirvana.
“Heh. So that was the case.”
Seol-Hwi’s mind was tangled.
He couldn’t easily accept the current situation.
‘What happened? Why did she achieve nirvana so quickly?’
Was it because of the passage of time?
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When he first met her, wasn’t it much later than now?
Then did some unknown variable occur?
“Did she leave anything behind?”
Seol-Hwi asked, holding onto a faint hope. If the seeker had gained great enlightenment and entered nirvana, surely she had seen the world’s corruption.
She must have left something that could aid those who remained.
“That’s why I brought our guest here.”
“Ah!”
She took out a scroll from her bosom.
It seemed like she had reinforced it with cloth, possibly a will or a writing she left behind.
“I didn’t read it for fear it might be irreverent. Would you like to see it?”
Seol-Hwi nodded.
Her final will, or perhaps her teachings.
There was no reason not to examine it after coming this far.