Chapter 459
Chapter 460 – Transformation
A white training robe.
A plum blossom leaf symbol drawn on the chest. A scar running down the neck, touching the chin.
Eyes sharply slashed and forehead furrowed tight. It’s clear this person isn’t your average righteous faction member or a Taoist.
By far, the scariest-looking person I’ve ever seen.
Though I didn’t have a clue who he was, I recognized him.
How could I not?
He was the one making such a racket in my head!
I cautiously called out to the glaring elder who didn’t seem to like me.
“Noya?”
“Hmph.”
The old man huffed at my call.
I rubbed the still-stinging back of my head.
“Is it really Shin Noya?”
“Tch… How many times have I wiped your poop and cleaned up after your mess? And now you’re asking if it’s really me?”
The old man took a step closer.
He was taller than I expected. About seven feet, maybe?
Is he really Shin Noya? If so, why is he here…
No, should I even understand why I’m seeing Noya here?
“You’re thinking something dumb again.”
“Huh?”
“Should I smack you on the head once more? Get your act together!”
Shin Noya’s scolding made me flinch.
I didn’t understand what he meant by getting my act together.
Yet, the fog in my mind started to clear a bit.
It felt like something significant was happening. Just as I started to notice it, Noya pouted, unhappy as ever.
“Ugh. That dimwitted kid.”
“… Why do you act this way the moment you see me? Can you at least give me a good reason?”
“Right. You need everything spoon-fed to you, huh?”
“…”
“Check your chest very carefully.”
I tilted my head at Noya’s words and looked down. Why should I check my chest all of a sudden…
“…!”
I widened my eyes and reached out as soon as I saw it.
In my panic, I started to frantically pat my chest.
It was no wonder.
There was a significant hole where my heart should be!
“What the heck?!”
What is this? Why is there a hole in my chest?!
As I rolled my eyes around in confusion…
Heheh.
“That’s quite the wind hole you’ve got there.”
Shin Noya burst into laughter at my reaction. It was more of a mocking laugh.
“… Wh-what is this?!”
I asked why my body was like this, and Noya pointed behind me.
Turning around, I saw the colossal egg we were looking at earlier.
It was now surrounded by plum blossom leaves, obscuring its form.
“What’s that…?”
“That’s what was inside your hole.”
“… Huh?”
I let out a breath at Noya’s words.
Was that thing inside my chest?
That…
“Wasn’t it my vessel…?”
Are you saying my vessel hadn’t materialized?!
“The vessel and the heart aren’t so different. They ultimately mean the same thing.”
“… Vessels are usually situated in the lower Dantian. How can you say they’re the same?”
“If either breaks, you die. What’s really the difference?”
“…”
Okay, that’s true…
I fell speechless. Shin Noya sighed deeply upon seeing me.
“A person prevents a blood disaster while causing a major calamity.”
“You were preventing it?”
I grasped at his words. He was saying he was preventing something? From what?
As I pondered, Noya stepped closer to me.
Kaboom-!
“Gah!”
He smashed my head with his fist.
The shock made my body sway.
The pain was so strong I had to sit down and tend to my head.
“Guhhh…”
As I groaned, Noya spoke to me.
“The energy in your body keeps increasing, but the vessel can’t handle it, so something needs to support you.”
“… You mean…”
It reminded me of what the Heavenly Lord had told me about the vessel nearing its breaking point.
Is Shin Noya saying he was preventing the vessel from breaking?
“Since when have you known?”
“You look like you already know. Why bother asking?”
“…”
Noya stopped talking to me after that, specifically after I completed my closed training.
‘Was it from that time?’
It was right after I experienced rapid growth.
The silence I had assumed would last for months had turned into years, starting from that moment.
Could that mean…
“… You mean you’ve been preventing it since then?”
“Your realm reached Transformation Realm, so things improved a bit, but you couldn’t hold on for long.”
“Then, what about when you rescued me at Biwaegun?”
Noya looked at me as if I were ridiculous.
“Should I have just left you to die then?”
“…”
“Good grief! After all I did to help, you still act like a fool!”
I had nothing to say to that.
As I averted my gaze slightly, Noya sighed again and continued.
“Kid, your vessel isn’t small at all. It’s actually quite large.”
Noya was talking again about the egg behind him.
“That vessel has taken in enough energy to the point it’s in this terrible state.”
The notion that there was an excess of energy about to break the vessel referred to something different from the amount of inner strength.
It’s certainly not strange for a vessel to break after having so much inner strength, considering how many times I had shattered it in my previous life.
This had to do with the quantity of energy rather than how much energy there was.
The energy of Technique of the Flame Wheel.
Hwasan’s Taoist Qi.
Demon Energy.
Blood Qi.
Adding in the energy from Tua Pacheonmu at the end.
A total of five different energies were contained in the vessel, which led to its limit being reached.
… Now that I think about it, that’s quite a lot.
For an ordinary person, having two energies is practically impossible.
It was no wonder the vessel was on the brink of breaking.
“But that’s not the only problem right now…”
“Huh?”
“That isn’t the priority. We should discuss other matters first.”
Swish.
Shin Noya reached out toward the plum blossom leaves enveloping the egg. The moment his fingertips touched it—
Whoosh—!
The leaves reacted.
The color of the tightly wrapped plum blossom leaves lightened and turned translucent.
So that the egg inside was now visible.
“…”
Upon further inspection, the egg looked absolutely tragic.
It was covered in cracks, and it seemed it would shatter with just a little tap.
An unknown liquid was still flowing from the cracks.
Fortunately, the plum blossom leaves were barely holding on, preventing it from collapsing.
In other words…
This state had continued without me being aware of it.
“You’re mistaken.”
I was startled at Noya’s words.
“… Are you using mind reading or something?”
I hadn’t said anything, so how did he know?
“I’ve always said it, kid. You wear your heart on your sleeve.”
Noya regarded me with a look of disdain.
“It was trash to begin with.”
A Taoist said trash…? The rhetoric was still hard to describe.
“Given this incident, it would be right to view it as something accelerating your situation.”
“What do you mean by that?”
What is he saying? Did he mean something had happened to me?
Seeing my perplexed expression, Noya looked at me with profound eyes.
“Remember it soon. You don’t have much time left.”
“What do you mean by that…”
“Or, do you want to forget it instead?”
“You show up after a long time, just to say confusing things…”
“I’m telling you to remember why you are here.”
Why am I here?
Come to think of it.
Why is my chest this way, and what does it mean that it’s accelerated?
If Shin Noya is telling me to remember, then he must know.
But I couldn’t recall anything.
It was as if a fog descended over my previously clearer mind.
Seeing me stumbling around, Noya added another remark.
“If you’re just going to keep worrying and regret it after losing, then I’ll respect your choice.”
“Losing?”
Losing…
His words sent a sharp sensation through the empty corner of my chest.
What was I going to lose?
The reason I came here…
“Gah…”
Suddenly, an intense headache hit, and I gripped my temple. It felt like something was about to surface amidst the pain.
And before long…
“Hah…!”
I released a shaky breath and had to feel my chest. The sensation of a sharp sword tip piercing my heart came flooding back.
Only then did fragments start to resurface.
The moment the Heavenly Lord had ambushed me and the helpless way I met death.
Even the sight of the Heavenly Lord releasing killing intent toward the Demon Sword Queen.
A vibration reverberated.
Whoooom—!
It echoed from the colossal egg in front of me.
I turned to Shin Noya and asked.
“… Am I… dead?”
“Not yet. But you will be soon enough.”
“…”
My heart was pierced.
The vessel was in such a state, and it was accelerating due to those recent events.
That meant it wouldn’t be long before it broke.
Having come to that realization, I shifted my gaze to Noya.
“What should I do?”
It was a question about how to survive. Noya’s expression shifted to one of disbelief at my question.
“You’re on the brink of death, and you’re asking me how to find a solution?”
“You’re the one who knows the answer, right?”
“Hah.”
I had no idea what this space was.
It could be the manifestation of my interior, or another realm entirely—none of that mattered.
What mattered was that Shin Noya was here talking to me.
“Have you no shame? Now you’re even asking me to clean up your mess?”
“Yes. Since you’re already helping, please do it once more.”
“Hah.”
I said it as shamelessly as possible since I now understood there wasn’t even time to plead.
Boom!
There was more intense movement from the egg.
It felt like it would break at any second—Noya’s energy was desperately holding it back.
“What should I do?”
“… Why do you think I would know the answer?”
“Because you’re making that kind of face.”
“…”
Noya’s expression scrunched up even more after hearing my words.
“I may have a method, but it’s not particularly useful. But there’s no other option. That’s pretty much my expression.”
“… You might as well be the one reading minds here.”
“Noya, your expressions are pretty obvious too.”
Heheh…
At my words, Shin Noya chuckled.
Though I was seeing his face for the first time, it felt strangely familiar, almost nostalgic, as if he’d always been beside me.
Setting aside those feelings, what I needed to know was far more critical.
“… Please tell me how to get through this situation. Noya.”
If my heart has been pierced and I’m dead, how can I survive in this situation?
Noya looked into my eyes and chuckled softly.
“Just a moment ago, you were looking clueless. Now that there’s a woman involved, your gaze is sharper. Tsk tsk.”
“…”
“A solution… Yes, there is a solution.”
I leaned in, eager for his answer.
What would it be? Expanding the vessel before it breaks?
Or perhaps, it might involve giving me some opportunity.
With a fleeting thought about how adding more might lead to chaos, I felt a bit anxious…
“No matter what you’re thinking, expanding the vessel is impossible.”
Noya seemed to pick up on my expression yet again and answered right away.
“Even if you adjust your unstable state, your vessel won’t be able to handle it.”
“… So what are you suggesting I do?”
With confusion written all over my face, Noya pointed at the egg behind him again.
Why was he pointing at that all of a sudden?
“If it has filled to the point it can no longer hold, just let it flow.”
“What…?”
Are you saying to just let it flow? Does that mean I should let the vessel break without concern?
“If it breaks, I’ll die, right?”
“You would.”
“So then…”
“Your humanity would die.”
“…!”
Noya’s cold words widened my eyes in shock.
He was saying I would die as a human? What on earth does that mean…
“You already know, don’t you? That you’re struggling to remain human.”
“…”
“That thing is the last container keeping you human.”
The last container.
“… That vessel is what allows me to live as a human?!”
“And the fact that it stubbornly refuses to break reflects your stubbornness.”
“Stubbornness…?”
“Yes, your last remnants of wanting to live as a human.”
Clench.
My fists instinctively tightened.
Stubbornness, huh.
You mean that my desire to remain human is attached to that?
The swirling water spilled all over the floor.
That thing, which desperately held on to not spill that water, was all my stubbornness.
“… I can’t wrap my head around this.”
“It doesn’t matter if you understand or not. The important thing is… the choice you must make now.”
“… Noya.”
“The reason I’ve been holding that thing back until now has been purely out of my own desire.”
“Desire?”
“What you call stubbornness in wanting to remain human, I want you to stay human too.”
“…”
There was a faint bitterness in Noya’s voice.
“Now it’s late; it’s time for you to choose.”
What am I being asked to choose? I didn’t hide the turmoil in my eyes as I met Noya’s gaze.
“If you wish, you can die here and now as a human.”
“…!”
As Noya spoke, the plum blossom leaves dancing in the air gathered at his fingertips.
In a handful, they formed the shape of a sword.
The scarlet sword tip pointed straight at me.
“Choose now. Will you end it here, or will you live on, letting go of being human?”
“…”
Life and death.
Being told to choose between them felt like the scales were already tipped to one side.
How could it not? Living encompassed such a burden.
Even knowing that, I couldn’t bring myself to respond.
If I’m not human anymore…
What will I become?
“Do you even know what that means?”
“I don’t. The only thing I know is that if you choose it, you’ll definitely regret it.”
“If I choose this, I can come back to life, right?”
“That, also, is a mystery.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Your physical form would revive, but whether what resides within is still that naïve kid is something I cannot say.”
It was an utterly terrifying thought.
‘What if I’m not myself anymore?’
If I am not me, then what will inhabit my body?
Furthermore, the warning that I would regret this choice filled me with dread.
I thought I could sacrifice anything for the peace I yearned for.
But it seemed that was not the case now.
‘I see.’
As I gazed at the crumbling egg, it hit me.
‘I wanted to live as a human after all.’
Having lived an inhuman existence as a demon in my previous life.
This time, I wanted to live as an ordinary human.
This must have been an unknown desire of mine.
If I were to give this up, it would mean heartfelt regret.
Surely, that would be the case.
Yet still…
I moved forward with a nonchalant expression.
“…”
Noya, who watched me, had no words either; he simply kept his silence.
My destination was where the egg lay.
As I approached, the sight of it was still a wreck, on the verge of collapse.
It was like my own life.
A life mired in confusion and ruin, covered in various colors.
The egg’s shape seemed to mirror my life as a human.
Slowly, I reached out towards it.
Tap.
The texture was coarse, with no softness to be found.
It seemed to resemble its owner’s temperament.
Ignoring that, I pushed deeper.
Crack-!
The surface shattered, and my hand effortlessly plunged inside.
The feeling from within was strangely warm.
“… Kid.”
At that moment, Noya called me with a weak voice.
“Yes?”
“Do you have no regrets about that choice?”
Hearing his question, a chuckle escaped my lips.
Regret?
“Not at all. I want to stop right now.”
“Then…”
“Firstly, there’s far more important things than my puny pride.”
More than the foolishness of wanting to live and die as a human.
The lives of those who want to find peace using my miserable one are far more important.
“If only my death was balanced against the world, it would have been much easier.”
If saving the world were worth more than my pride, I would have chosen that in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, my opponents were simply too strong.
“… Hah.”
Noya let out a sigh of exasperation upon hearing my answer.
“You’ve not changed at all, even after such a long time.”
“And you still haven’t changed, Noya.”
“What am I?”
“You still show your temper.”
“… You brat?”
Before Noya could approach with a grimace…
Snap!
A massive crack erupted from where my hand had penetrated, extending in all directions.
From the deep, long crack, water began to pour out.
“…”
It felt like an immense calamity was about to unfold.
I swallowed the small fear welling within as I spoke.
“Oh, Noya.”
I called out to him.
“What is it?”
“As soon as we meet again…”
“Huh?”
As I continued my sentence, the eggshell shattered, and the liquid inside erupted forth.
Whoooosh—!
Just before the massive wave swept me away, I beamed at Noya.
“I think we have something to discuss about Lady Tang Je-mun.”
“…”
Mentioning Lady Tang Je-mun brought a noteworthy change to Noya’s expression.
That’ll do just fine.
I will tease that old man once I’m through this.
For now, just this feeling was enough.
