Chapter 392: Drink (4)

Wo-woong!

As soon as I operate Purple Soul Filling the Heavens' formula, the Nascent Soul within me trembles.

Then, my Nascent Soul seems to tinge with purple for a moment before transforming into something alien.

'What is this...?'

I can feel it.

Right now, my Nascent Soul has taken a form 'most suitable for seizing another's body.'

'Is Purple Soul Filling the Heavens a secret art for seizing someone's body...?'

I frown as I explore Purple Soul Filling the Heavens further.

And just as I am about to continue operating the formula, it happens.

Wo-woong—

Pachichit!

"...!"

My Nascent Soul, which has turned purple, suddenly convulses and releases spiritual power.

Soon after, the Nascent Soul, which has released all the spiritual power stained by the purple of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, returns to its original state.

The properties of the Nascent Soul altered by Purple Soul Filling the Heavens has reverted.

'What the...?'

However, I focus on a different phenomenon rather than the release of the secret art.

'The formula of the secret art. It resisted as if alive when I tried to activate it.'

It's a very bizarre occurrence.

'Is this why Jin Ma-yeol said we cannot obtain Purple Soul Filling the Heavens?'

To activate a technique, one must infuse spiritual energy into the formula and trigger it.

However, when spiritual energy is infused into the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, it acts as if it's alive, disobeying my command and then dispersing.

'Formulas cannot be alive. Even if you infuse spiritual energy into them, they're just a mass of spiritual energy, not a soul. But something that isn't a soul moves as if it's alive?'

Interestingly, I know of something similar.

'It's like a deep-sea monster.'

In the depths of Ancient Force Realm's Deep Sea.

Monsters born from the amalgamation of various memories and histories of a perished world.

That is the deep-sea monster of the Ancient Force Realm.

'Is this why Jin Ma-yeol put so much effort into mimicking the body of the Sea Dragon Race and transforming into a Sea Dragon using the Dragon Form Disguise Method?'

The Sea Dragon Race is a race that can find the path in the Deep Sea of the Ancient Force Realm.

He likely hoped that for the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, which is akin to a deep-sea monster born from the memories of the Deep Sea, the Sea Dragon Race could potentially find a way to control it.

However, after experiencing the formula, I shake my head.

'Can the Sea Dragon Race really control a method no different from a deep-sea monster?'

Honestly speaking, it seems highly unlikely.

'But Yuk Rin is using it. That's why Jin Ma-yeol is trying to approach Yuk Rin to ask about how to use Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.'

This would mean that Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is related to the Sea Dragon Race for now.

'The Purple Soul Jade Seal of Ja Eum...'

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.

Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Sea Dragon King Seo Hweol.

Possessing the body of a Sea Dragon, Yuk Rin.

Salt Sea Returning Dew Jade.

Yuk Yo.

Penglai Island and Salt Crystal.

Ancient Force Realm.

...

'All of these feel like they're connected in some way.'

Yet, I can't grasp exactly what criteria connects them.

It's exceedingly frustrating.

While pondering like this, unable to find an answer, I decide to move my Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion avatar.

It's then,

"...Wait."

I suddenly stop trying to move the Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion avatar and recall the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.

"Wait, wait, wait...!"

Something, something seems to come to mind.

Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion avatar.

And the Purple Soul Filling the Heavens formula.

And the incident of Yuk Rin's clone using Purple Soul Filling the Heavens to hide in the Plane of Soul, evading the eyes of both Kim Young-hoon and myself!

That's it!

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, just like the single strike of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion, is entirely within the Plane of Soul!

Wo-wooong!

I focus my consciousness and chant the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, dyeing my Nascent Soul.

Immediately after, I infuse my Nascent Soul into the All-Heavens Sword and swing it towards the void!

Single strike of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion!

Chuaaat!

The Nascent Soul, through the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens and the single strike of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion, begins to rise to the Plane of Soul.

Bo-ooong!

'I can see it.'

Upon rising to the Plane of Soul, I can see it clearly.

The structure of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens!

'It binds Qi to follow the soul.'

Qi carries history.

In other words, Qi is information.

Seeing from the Plane of Soul, it's comprehendible.

Wo-woong—

'The formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens gathers Qi on its own and accumulates data internally, functioning similarly to a human soul.'

And the artificially created quasi-soul moves like a deep-sea monster, attempting to escape my control.

Kuguguk!

Together with my Nascent Soul and the Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion avatar, I seize this deep-sea monster-like data entity on the Plane of Soul.

Kugugugugugu!

The data entity generated by the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens struggles madly, wriggling to escape from me and the avatar's grasp.

However, while it might not have been possible with just my Nascent Soul, combined with my realm of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion, the data entity is eventually subdued by us.

Kuaduduk!

I concentrate my consciousness and clutch the barely subdued data entity tightly.

And upon reopening my eyes, I find myself with a Purple Soul Filling the Heavens that seems somewhat out of my control but still more or less obedient.

'Ha...that Jin Ma-yeol guy.'

If Jin Ma-yeol were to know of this fact, his eyes would probably flip.

'For someone who has reached Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion, the structure makes it incredibly easy to learn Purple Soul Filling the Heavens. But...'

Of course, I am still merely holding the reins of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens and haven't completely mastered it.

To be honest, Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is so violently rampant that I wonder if it's impossible to control it entirely.

It feels like I'm just forcibly making it move crudely with the power of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion from the Plane of Soul.

'If you don't possess the power to reach the Plane of Soul, is it even possible to learn it?'

I operate Purple Soul Filling the Heavens and move the purple-tinged Nascent Soul in the void with my eyes closed.

Wo-woong—

The Nascent Soul in the void smoothly melts into the darkness and suddenly appears ten zhang away.

"...I see!"

Only now do I understand the principle that allowed Seo Hweol to infuse Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens into my 'shadow' last time.

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is capable of moving through darkness in a form similar to the heart language of the Heart Tribe.

Assuming Purple Soul Filling the Heavens and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens share the same root, Seo Hweol must have hidden Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens in the darkness and attached it to my shadow like heart language.

'And as soon as I sat on the throne of the Penglai Kingdom, Yuk Rin could invade my mind using the same principle.'

Most likely, Yuk Rin had hidden his Purple Soul Filling the Heavens clone in the shadow of the Penglai Kingdom's imperial throne.

And when I sat on the throne, the moment my shadow and the throne's shadow became one, he invaded my mind.

'He didn't just walk out from behind the throne looking sly for no reason.'

Suruk, suruk, sururuk...

Penglai Island is currently submerged in the depths of the Deep Sea, so it's quite dark around.

Thanks to this, I am able to experiment with a movement technique using the Nascent Soul activating Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, appearing and disappearing like teleportation across Penglai Island.

'Within the darkness, a secret art that allows movement anywhere in a form similar to the heart language of the Heart Tribe.'

This is part of the power of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.

'I think I've understood one more principle of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.'

In the deep darkness of Seo Hweol's heart essence.

It is clear why Seo Hweol's heart essences, which must be located far apart in distant places, could communicate over vast space-time and exchange Five Blessings Axes.

This is because, like Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens also has the ability to move anywhere within the darkness in the form of heart language.

After retrieving my Nascent Soul back to myself, I activate Purple Soul Filling the Heavens again.

Surururu—

My physical body does not completely disappear as it's not in the Plane of Soul, but I manage to hide myself instantly as if melting into the darkness.

'And in this state.'

I swing the All-Heavens Sword towards the void.

Bo-oong!

Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts!

In the darkness where no gazes can reach.

Within that space, I unleash Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, severing even the perception of those belonging to the darkness.

"...Heh, hehahahahahah!"

I laugh.

It isn't laughter without reason.

With Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, I have managed to enter the same darkness as Seo Hweol.

If we can both stand in the same darkness, then all that is left is to identify each other within that darkness!

And I have Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts!

"Hahahahaha!!!"

Seo Hweol,

Now, even if you find your eyes, I am not afraid!

I have gained an important weapon to face him.

It is an incredibly valuable experience.

Pasaak—

Of course, if there is a downside, it's that the Purple Soul Filling the Heavens struggles frantically like mad, requiring a considerable amount of mental strength to restrain it.

'Using Purple Soul Filling the Heavens might restrict my martial arts a bit.'

Perhaps the number of times I can unleash the single strike of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion would decrease.

'But when facing Seo Hweol, there's nothing as effective as this.'

I briefly experiment with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, taking it a step further from moving through the darkness.

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is a method that gathers energy in the Plane of Qi, forming a data entity with that energy, and elevating it to the Plane of Soul.

And thanks to this data entity elevated to the Plane of Soul, the color of my Nascent Soul turns purple.

'And if I gather and mold this data entity...'

Woo-woong!

Kugugugu!

Around the Nascent Soul activating Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, something like a purple mist appears

The purple mist growls fiercely like a wild beast, struggling to break free from my control.

"Stay still."

I control the mist with the power of Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion and launch a single strike beyond the barrier of Penglai Island to send an avatar outside.

Kugugugu!

Through the avatar, I tear through several dimensions of the Deep Sea.

Kuang, flash!

With every exertion of the avatar's power, dimensions begin to collapse one by one.

Dimensions with deep mountains and secluded valleys reminiscent of Peach Blossom Gardens, dimensions with fire prisons and blazing flames, dimensions where pitch-black oil flows, and dimensions filled with toxic gas.

Kugung, kugugung!

How many dimensions similar to the domains of Integration stage cultivators did I push through?

Kururung!

Within a dimensional fragment, I sense something resonating throughout the entire Deep Sea.

Shortly after, the space above the dimension I am smashing with the avatar shatters, and a bizarre creature resembling a catfish roars.

[Biiiiiii-]

It's a deep-sea monster.

I send data entities of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens that I control through the Plane of Soul to the avatar.

Kugugugu!

A purple mist arises around the avatar.

[Biiiiiiiiii—]

"Be quiet."

Tadak!

In an instant, I fly through the void and slice the deep-sea monster in half, then unleash the power of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens that's roaring like mad towards it.

Chwaak!

The mist of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, as if it had been waiting, breaks free from my control and swiftly envelops the corpse of the deep-sea monster.

'I can feel it.'

The purple mist begins to dismantle the information of the deep-sea monster.

The boundless information and historical knowledge that made up the deep-sea monster starts being reconstructed within the purple mist.

And in the next moment,

Pasasasasa—

As the purple mist subsides, the deep-sea monster in the form of a catfish, somehow shrouded in purple, glares at me from within.

The wound I had inflicted is gone.

[Kaeeeeeeeeeek!]

Kugugugu!

It charges at me once more.

As I roughly counterattack the creature, I realize.

'It's gotten stronger than before.'

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens had entered its body, taken over the deep-sea monster, discarded its bad parts, and compacted the good parts, resulting in its evolution.

After a brief confrontation with the creature, I split it in half once again.

Kuuuung!

Where the deep-sea monster fell, an ancient stone the size of a fist remains, and the purple mist seems to drift in the void before adhering to the ancient stone as if absorbed.

'This is...'

Then, the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens begins to emerge over the ancient stone.

Wo-woong—

I shudder as I read the formula of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens that rose above the ancient stone.

The formula has changed.

I recite the changed formula and activate it once more.

And I realize.

'Purple Soul Filling the Heavens has evolved!'

Of course, it isn't a massive evolution; it's merely an additional line about 'how to deal with slashes,' but evolution is still evolution.

A method that disassembles and absorbs the soul and information of the opponent to evolve.

'So, this is Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.'

Originally, it isn't a mist but rather a method where my Nascent Soul is completely assimilated with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, allowing me to erode and devour my opponent to evolve.

However, I have not yet fully assimilated my Nascent Soul with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, so I can't erode opponents yet.

'With this, I've somewhat grasped Purple Soul Filling the Heavens.'

"It's a pity I can't evolve by eroding the opponent, but that's not what I wanted in the first place. More importantly, being able to move freely in the darkness means...I can quickly find Daoist Baek Rin."

Smiling faintly, I try to transfer the newly acquired power of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens to the avatar on the sea surface.

And then, I shudder.

"...Wait."

Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind.

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is a secret art that disassembles and absorbs the opponent to erode and evolve.

And Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is a secret art that disassembles oneself to infect the opponent.

If that's the case, can't I absorb Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens configurations with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens?