'Now, I'll go to the Mad Lord to rescue Kim Yeon, block the Black Dragon King and save Oh Hyun-seok with Jeon Myeong-hoon, and finally, kidnap Kang Min-hee from the Side Path.'

After formulating my plan, I step onto the teleportation array to move to the area where the Mad Lord is currently located.

Paaaatt!

Arriving at the teleportation array of a foreign race, I head towards the Mad Lord.

Paaaatt!

Using the ground-shrinking technique, I reach the Mad Lord's location far faster than before.

At this rate, I won't need Jeon Myeong-hoon's returning lightning spell to escape.

'...I wonder how long it would take to win in a direct confrontation with the Mad Lord.'

Pondering, I calculate my strength against the Mad Lord's.

'...At this point, the Mad Lord's power is already on par with the Human Race Grand Alliance's Grand Cultivator Association.'

Not the injured and weakened Grand Cultivator Association, but the fully powered one.

'I should avoid a direct confrontation.'

I don't want to be captured and become General Seo for another thousand years.

'Being Emperor Seo is one thing, but being General Seo is a bit much...'

With these idle thoughts, I arrive near the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and gather my spiritual power.

Chuarak, chuarurung!

The Spirit Sealing Bodkin spell wraps around my hands.

Silver chains appear between my hands.

'Can this heal him?'

It had a temporary effect on Kang Min-hee.

But somehow, I feel it would be useless.

'Can the Mad Lord's madness be compared to Kang Min-hee's?'

Of course, the cracks in Kang Min-hee's mind might grow larger and turn her into the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother in the future, but at this point, the cracks aren't significant, so I can suppress them with the Spirit Sealing Bodkin.

But the Mad Lord's madness is already at an advanced level.

It could never be treated with just the Spirit Sealing Bodkin.

Of course, now that I can use heart essence, I have confidence that I can temporarily halt the Mad Lord's madness by striking at his heart essence.

But that's all.

It might have been more effective than the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace for Kang Min-hee, but for the Mad Lord, it's even less useful than the latter. That is the Spirit Sealing Bodkin.

'Tsk, it's a shame.'

Feeling slightly regretful, I disperse the Spirit Sealing Bodkin spell.

Then.

Revealing my concealed presence, I move to the front of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and shout.

"Greetings, elder. I am the one named Seo. I have something I wish to present to the elder, hence I have come here."

A familiar voice responds.

[Oh~ my, have you come to become General Seo? How admirable!]

I cover my left hand with the White Orchid Blessing Incantation and my right hand with the Yin Soul Ghost Incantation.

[Great Mountain!]

Flash!

[Splitting Emperor!]

Kuaguaguaguagua!

Light explodes brilliantly.

A massive hole is torn in one side of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

The Mad Lord's circuits operate on the outside of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, using spiritual energy to set up multiple defensive formations.

But the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique scatters Qi itself into seven parts.

No matter how the energy is used for defense, it will just be dispersed.

Perhaps it's because the Mad Lord's circuits and the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique are so incompatible.

Thanks to that, I can see the Mad Lord inside the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, holding [Her] hand and staring at me with a stunned expression.

"...You...you bastard!!!!!! Howdarehowdarehowdarehowdare...!"

The Mad Lord's eyes roll back and he begins to tear at his fingers wildly.

[She] and other Grand Cultivator level puppets start crawling out of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

But I, with a blank expression, grasp the Starting Form with my eyes gleaming.

All-Heavens Sword.

Single strike!

Not even [She] can stop it.

This strike, fully immersed in the Plane of Soul, penetrates the Mad Lord's heart essence, momentarily suppressing his madness.

'This...won't hold for long.'

I sense the sorrow, anger, pain, and love dormant inside the Mad Lord.

The emotions are boiling chaotically, making it impossible to calm his heart essence through any means.

All I can do is temporarily help him regain his sanity.

While feeling this, I notice something strange in the Mad Lord's heart essence.

'Wait, this is...'

It's strange.

Is it because I have reached this realm and entered his heart essence?

I can discern 'something'.

'The Mad Lord...could it be...?'

I grit my teeth as I sense the clue to the Mad Lord's madness.

I also understand why Seo Hweol couldn't cast the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens on the Mad Lord.

"...Have you entered within me?"

The Mad Lord, now rational, sits in the control room and senses my heart essence.

"...Yes. But it won't last long."

"I figured...and if you've entered my heart...you must be feeling it now."

"...Yes."

Until now, I thought the Mad Lord was suffering from madness due to the influence of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

Indeed, the Mad Lord was confirmed to be influenced by the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress to some extent.

But today, I found out.

"Elder...isn't suffering from madness...because of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress."

The Mad Lord gives a bitter smile at my words.

"It's merely my karma. You need not concern yourself...anyway, what's the reason for all this commotion you caused to come here?"

"To take your disciple with me."

At my words, the Mad Lord nods.

"I see. She seemed to be meeting someone in her dreams whenever she sleeps. That turned out to be you."

The Mad Lord seems to know I met Kim Yeon in her dreams before, nodding his head.

"Take her. But be careful. I will eventually try to find that child again. Because...my life's goal can only be realized through her."

"I will keep that in mind. And..."

Looking into the Mad Lord's eyes, I speak.

"Until Yeon can achieve your goal with her own strength, I will nurture her."

The Mad Lord's goal was Yeon's Play.

Kim Yeon operating the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon with her vast consciousness to control the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress to activate Yeon's Play is the Mad Lord's purpose.

The Mad Lord nods and says,

"Good, I entrust her to you. And..."

The Mad Lord takes out something resembling a magic artifact from his bosom and swiftly modifies it.

'That is...'

Just like when the past life's Mad Lord imbued [Her] arm with enlightenment, he is engraving enlightenment into that magic artifact.

This is possible now because my higher realm allows the Mad Lord to remain sane for a longer period.

The bee puppets bring Kim Yeon over.

"Eu-Eun-hyun...Oppa?"

"Kim Yeon."

As Kim Yeon looks at me in surprise, the Mad Lord speaks to her.

"This is something I can only say now that my mind is clear, so I will say it now."

She seems bewildered, finding strange the sight of the sane Jo Yeon's appearance.

Jo Yeon hands her the magic artifact imbued with enlightenment and says,

"I'm sorry for everything until now. From now on...be happy."

No more words are needed.

He is already relapsing into madness, and everything necessary is contained in that magic artifact.

I approach Kim Yeon, put my arm around her shoulders, and bow to Jo Yeon.

"Thank you. Now then..."

Before Kim Yeon can fully grasp the situation, I use the ground-shrinking technique to leave the place.

Jo Yeon is reverting to the Mad Lord.

There's no more time to waste.

Paaaatt!

Using the ground-shrinking technique, the Flying Escape Technique, All-Heavens Sword, Gliding Technique, and every other movement technique I know of, I flee from the Mad Lord.

Covering thousands of li in an instant, I feel the heart essence avatar I implanted in the Mad Lord being torn apart by his raging mob-like madness.

The Mad Lord has completely returned.

But the distance is too great for him to continue pursuing.

'Out of all the times I rescued Yeon before, this is the safest rescue.'

Kim Yeon, still slightly bewildered by the sudden turn of events, blinks her large eyes.

"Yeon-ah, are you confused?"

Finding her expression somewhat amusing, I chuckle and ask.

"Ah...is this a dream...?"

I gently pinch the still dazed Kim Yeon's cheek, and together board the teleportation array to Heavenly Human Island.

"This isn't a dream. Now then...shall we go to Black Ghost Valley and take a look at the Side Path?"

Having rescued Kim Yeon, it's time to save Kang Min-hee.

Earth Tribe, True Dragon Alliance, Serving Command Ark.

The hidden layer of the Serving Command Ark.

There, a kindly smiling Sea Dragon cultivator and a woman in white clothes with a smile are playing a game of Go.

"So, what is it that you want me to help with?"

The woman in white, Oh Hye-seo, asks with a smile to the Sea Dragon cultivator, Seo Hweol.

"It's nothing much. I just need you to investigate the past of a person I'm monitoring."

"Oh my, wasn't the only person you've asked for something like that the one called the Mad Lord?"

"Hoho, it's because something beyond my control was born, so I'm curious about what went wrong."

"Ahaha. Well, it figures. From what I've heard of the person called the Mad Lord, there is no one as invincible as him. To the point even our Grand Prince can't handle him."

Oh Hye-seo giggles cheerfully and places a stone.

Seo Hweol blocks her move with a smile.

"So, will you grant my request?"

"Hmm, well, sure. Who is it?"

Seo Hweol smiles gently at her words and forms a hand seal.

Woo-woong―

Someone's face appears before Oh Hye-seo's eyes like an illusion.

"It's a terminal attached to that person. It's in a rather risky location, so it could scatter at any time, but it seems he hasn't noticed it yet. Please look into his past through this."

Oh Hye-seo's eyes widen upon seeing the face.

"Oh my, isn't this someone I know? You want to know about his past?"

"Yes."

"Hmm...Seo Eun-hyun...is someone you fear?"

Oh Hye-seo explains Seo Eun-hyun to Seo Hweol.

She outlines roughly what kind of person he is, his past, his likes and dislikes, his medical history, how many times he visited the dentist, his military service role, the schools he attended, and what was written in his student record.

Seo Hweol inquires about the unfamiliar concepts and learns about Seo Eun-hyun.

"...Well, anyway, that's the kind of person he is. Just an ordinary guy, nothing worth paying much attention to. He's just a mortal who is really serious about eating..."

"Hoho, I see. This has been very helpful."

Seo Hweol concludes after listening to Oh Hye-seo's story from beginning to end.

"Most likely, the 'Seo Eun-hyun' you know is already dead."

"Oh no. How unfortunate."

Oh Hye-seo clicks her tongue and blocks Seo Hweol's path, who then captures Oh Hye-seo's stone and continues speaking.

"His body was most likely taken over by some high-ranking entity. Perhaps his memories, soul, and fate have all been seized. The current 'Seo Eun-hyun' that exists...is not your colleague but an unknown anomaly. Be careful, Miss Hye-seo, as you are not yet aware of the true existence of such mythical beings. Be cautious, and be cautious again."

"Oh, come on. You say that, but you're secretly hoping I mess with the anomaly and get ruined, right? Since that would make it easier to brainwash me, wouldn't it?"

"Hoho, I hold no such thoughts at all."

"Hm, I think I'm starting to understand your way of speech, Grand Prince..."

Oh Hye-seo rolls her eyes at Seo Hweol, and Seo Hweol seizes the opportunity to completely block her path while she's distracted to seize her territory entirely.

"By the way, didn't you say you were colleagues? You seem to know an excessive amount of information about this Seo Eun-hyun. Is Miss Hye-seo's hometown originally a place where information flows so freely?"

"Oh my, you know me, Grand Prince. That I'm quite thorough. I know everything about my colleagues. Especially a younger junior I doted on—I even found out how many wisdom teeth they had pulled, the shape of those teeth, and the exact length of their toenails when they cut them."

"Hoho. As expected, it's one of your personal hobbies."

"Yes, well, something like that. But it's quite sad that it's so hard to get to know you, Grand Prince. Could you share some of your past with me?"

"I told you last time, didn't I? Born as the son of the previous Sea Dragon King, Seo Hwi..."

"Come on, I know all of that is a lie. And you're not even Seo Hwi's son. That body isn't even your original one. Aren't you much older?"

Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo continue their chat with friendly smiles, and Oh Hye-seo at some point reaches her hand into the illusion Seo Hweol has shown her.

A Taiji symbol appears in her eyes.

'Hmm?'

Suddenly, Oh Hye-seo smiles inwardly.

'Oh my, you just rescued Yeon! And what's this? Those actions...aren't they exactly the same as before? Every small habit, mannerism, way of speaking, and the way the corners of his mouth lift when he laughs are all the same. And yet, possessed by an anomaly?'

She places another stone in Seo Hweol's territory while cutting off his path, her eyes shining.

'What nonsense. That's definitely Seo Eun-hyun. I don't know why he became something like an anomaly, but since all seven of us gained strange powers, it must be due to that.'

She smiles inwardly.

'Seeing he rescued Kim Yeon, and there's no way that dull guy will know Kim Yeon's thoughts, he must be planning to gather all his colleagues.'

Oh Hye-seo forms a plan.

'I need to look for an opportunity and make contact with Seo Eun-hyun. Seo Eun-hyun also seems to be against Seo Hweol, so if I say I was captured by Seo Hweol, he'll rescue me, right? Should I maybe play a double agent between Seo Eun-hyun and Seo Hweol? Both sides look fun...'

She decides to approach Seo Eun-hyun soon, choosing to align herself with whoever piques her curiosity the most.

And Seo Hweol, observing her, smiles faintly.

"Ah, Grand Prince. I won. You didn't see that move coming, did you?"

"Hoho, indeed, I can't match you, Miss Hye-seo."

After returning to Heavenly Human Island with Kim Yeon, I register her at Temporal Fate Island and head with her to the entrance to the True Devil Realm.

I plan to either wait for the Black Dragon King to arrive or for Oh Hyun-seok to be rescued before heading to Black Ghost Valley to take Kang Min-hee.

Kim Yeon looks at me for a moment and then asks.

"Eun-hyun Oppa."

"Yes, what is it, Yeon?"

"You said...you're going to Black Ghost Valley...right?"

"Mhm."

"Black Ghost Valley...that's where Min-hee Unnie went, isn't it?"

"And?"

Kim Yeon hesitates for a moment as if gathering courage, then asks resolutely.

"Are you going to see Min-hee Unnie?"

I think for a moment about how to respond, then realize what she means.

"You...already know."

"Ah...that's because...when Min-hee Unnie said she supports me..."

Kim Yeon, having been caught immediately, lowers her head slightly in embarrassment.

I shake my head and say,

"I'm not going because I miss Kang Min-hee. I just have something to do there. She's just...an ex-girlfriend."

"Is that so...?"

"Yes."

"...Eun-hyun Oppa."

"Yes?"

"You're rescuing Min-hee Unnie and me for the same reason, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

I feel a slight sense of foreboding as I ask.

Kim Yeon gives a bitter smile and says,

"When you said you were going to rescue Min-hee Unnie, you showed the same intent as when you rescued me."

"Ah..."

It seems that I, thinking I already rescued Kim Yeon, relaxed a bit and let my intent show.

"But if you showed the same intent when rescuing Min-hee Unnie as you did when rescuing me, and if you think of Min-hee Unnie as just an ex-girlfriend..."

Her next words hit me like a blow to the back of my head.

"Are you treating me with the same feelings as you would an ex-girlfriend?"

"Uh, uh?"