Ширүүн шуурга (4)

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"Demon...?"

I asked in bewilderment.

"I am aware that I possess a Demon Core, as informed by the Sea Dragon King. However, he called me a demi-human. Why then do you say I am a disguised demon?"

[What I'm referring to isn't the physical aspect. It's more about the mental part. It is from your consciousness that I deduce you are a demon.]

'My consciousness?'

It was such an unexpected answer that I looked at him, puzzled.

[It seems you don't understand. First, look at my consciousness with the eyes of your consciousness. If you have opened the divine consciousness, you should be able to do that, right?]

"Yes, that's within my capability."Whoosh-

I entered the world of intent and looked at Seo Ran's consciousness.

I couldn't help but flinch.

'The form of the consciousness domain... it's entirely different?'

In the case of someone like Seo Hweol, the size of consciousness was too vast to even determine its form.

But with Seo Ran, the consciousness domain was not spherical but thinly wrapped around the upper part of his body, manifesting in the same form as himself.

'What is this...!'

I observed the peculiar form of Seo Ran's consciousness domain and simultaneously noticed the colors emanating from various parts of his body.

His horns shone with a color that symbolizes pride.

His hind legs, for some reason, were tinged with a hue of sadness.

It was while I was observing his consciousness and colors.

[Indeed, that 'eye'. You possess a completely different vision from ordinary human cultivators. Human cultivators merely get surprised by seeing the form of my consciousness.

But you, you are definitely seeing something else. Aren't you?]

"Yes, that's true but..."

[You have observed the areas that I have always been most concerned about. There are slight differences in vision depending on the race, but fundamentally, the demon race sees a tremendous difference in vision from human cultivators.]

Seo Ran continued his explanation.

[The difference in divine consciousness between the demon and human races is mainly in the aspect of heaven and earth.

Your human race receives the celestial energy of the heavens, allowing you to read one's lifespan and basic celestial phenomenons when looking at the sky. You can also somewhat read fate.

But we, the demon race, cannot read fate just by looking at the sky. Occasionally, some unique demons find ritual methods suited to them and read heavenly phenomenons like humans.

Generally, the vast majority of us can't read the heavens but instead read the spiritual energy flowing over this land.]

'Spiritual energy?'

[There are many different tribes within the demon race, so not all are the same. But fundamentally, all of us in the demon race read the Yin and Yang of spiritual energy.]

Seo Ran continued his explanation.

[Unlike humans, we can't observe celestial energy. But the heaven and earth spiritual energy continuously circulates according to the principle of Yin and Yang. Aren't we visualizing and observing this circulation of Yin and Yang? By reading and understanding this circulation, we can obtain information different from human cultivators.

Typically, animals can detect danger and flee quickly because of this reason. We might not have the ability to read grander flows like humans, but in terms of intuition, visualizing this Yin and Yang is the biggest difference between demon and human consciousness.]

'What?'

The more I heard, the more I felt a strange sense of dissonance.

What I was seeing was not the scene described by Seo Ran.

What I was seeing was countless hues based on seven colors, visualizing the intent of countless beings.

I had never saw the circulation of spiritual energy as described by Seo Ran.

[That's why I judge you as a disguised demon. The unique temperament of your consciousness, which only appears among demon beasts when detecting the circulation of Yin and Yang, exists in your consciousness...]

What could it be?

Is the world of seven colors I've entered the circulation of spiritual energy Seo Ran speaks of?

But no matter how I look, this scene seemed far too removed from the circulation of Yin and Yang.

[Why did the King judge you as a demi-human? You don't seem to be lying, and it's impossible for the King to be mistaken... Hybrids of humans and demons typically follow human consciousness, specialized in reading celestial phenomenons, not the flow of Yin and Yang.]

According to Seo Ran, why then did the Sea Dragon King consider me a demi-human?

Shouldn't he have seen me as a disguised demon, like Seo Ran did right away?

Thinking about it, a thought struck me.

‘When I met Seo Hweol... was my consciousness just like a typical human's?’

Perhaps, it was after meeting Seo Hweol that my consciousness underwent a transformation.

The biggest change to my consciousness was….

Yin and Yang, Heaven and Earth, the Three Talents!

Realizing the principle of the Three Talents and creating... the division of the Gang Sphere!

That was the most significant event that changed my consciousness in this life!

I felt like I had grasped a clue.

I focused more on that sensation of splitting the Gang Sphere, not creating it, but as an axis where Heaven and Earth revolved!

Buzzing!

As I concentrated on that sensation, my head started to hurt unbearably.

[Ah, you didn't know your true identity? By realizing now, your consciousness has become more firmly established.]

Despite the headache, I knew I was on the right track and focused even more on that sensation.

It felt like breaking through something that was blocked.

But this kind of sensation...

‘I've felt this when reaching the peak and when I reached the Five Energies Converging to the Origin!’

Break through!

Break through!

I, as Man.

The two Gang Spheres, as Heaven and Earth.

When I realized this, I was able to split the Gang Spheres stably.

That sensation, just a bit more.

"Argh!"

My head felt like it was going to split open.

But I clenched my teeth, enduring the pain, and focused even more on the sensation.

Blood dripped from my nose and eyes.

My ears were buzzing.

My senses seemed to fade away.

And then.

Boom!

The sensation I felt when reaching the Five Energies Converging to the Origin and being connected to heaven and earth spiritual energy.

Similar, yet a new sensation completely settled in.

No, it wasn't just settling. It was more like awakening the senses that I always had.

"Ah..."

Heaven and Earth are endlessly flowing.

Or should I say, Yin and Yang? Heaven and Earth?

No, it should be Taiji.

The spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth is flowing everywhere, drawing Taiji.

In the leaves, in the water droplets, even in Seo Ran's body.

Everywhere, Yin and Yang is circulating, stabilizing Heaven and Earth.

At that moment, I instinctively raised my hand.

A Gang Sphere rose from my palm.

The Gang Sphere split into two, following the principle of Yin and Yang circulation of Heaven and Earth.

But why?

When I see the circulation of Yin and Yang, why did I evolve the Gang Sphere through the principle of Three Talents?

The Taiji of Yin and Yang circulating in Heaven and Earth.

They are not always in a perfect shape.

Sometimes they circulate not in a circle but in an ellipse, a flattened shape, indescribably changing.

And these changes originate from 'beings' with spiritual power.

I then seemed to understand why my realization was connected to the Three Talents.

In the world, there are Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, but within them, beings are born and the living change Heaven and Earth.

They are the essence of Man

Born between Heaven and Earth, all beings change the world.

Change itself is the circulation of Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang.

Whizz!

As the two Gang Spheres were rotating, tailing each other.

A faint aura connected them.

From the two Gang Spheres, a third one split.

The three Gang Spheres were rotating above my heart, following the principle of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

I had gained enlightenment on the Ultimate Pinnacle realm.

Zing-

At the same time, I could no longer cling to the senses of Yin and Yang and withdrew from it.

Akin to when I first entered the world of intent, staying any longer felt like my brain would burn out.

However, thanks to the gained insights, the three rotating Gang Spheres remained.

Seo Ran looked at the Gang Spheres with interest.

[Ho, what's that? A trait of your race?]

"Well, let's just say so."

Among humans, Kim Young-Hoon and I were the first to reach the Ultimate Pinnacle, so I decided to just go with that.

"Thanks to Sir Seo Ran for clearly identifying my identity, I could more firmly see the world of Heaven and Earth. Thank you."

[Haha, sure. If the Dragon King sent you, I should help this much. Seeing you now, it seems you hadn't fully awakened your demon consciousness when you met the King. Now you really have no difference from a demon beast.

But it's strange. How come a demi-human has a demon's consciousness and not a human's? It's really rare and hard to understand."]

"Hmm, isn't it not an absolute rule?"

Seo Ran shook his head.

[Sorry, but it's indeed an absolute rule. The fact that human cultivators can read Heaven's will means that humans found a ritual method suitable for them and became a race that communicates with the heavens.

If the consciousness of human cultivators is attuned to the heavens, then the consciousness of a demon beast is aligned with the circulation of spiritual energy, symbolizing the earth. Since heaven suppresses earth, the mixed blood of a demi-human always inherits the divine consciousness of the human race.

But what about you? Are you some kind of anomaly where heaven and earth are reversed? How did a hybrid awaken the consciousness of the demon race?]

"Aha..."

While listening to Seo Ran's explanation, I realized something again.

Originally, cultivators specialized in reading the celestial energy with their consciousness, and the demon race in reading the circulation of spiritual energy. But those who reach the Five Energies Converging to the Origin base their consciousness on the seven colors of intent.

According to Seo Ran, the world of seven colors I've seen so far is completely different from both human cultivators and demon beasts.'

What does the vision of consciousness I perceive signify?

'Human? Is it just a racial characteristic inherent to humans?'

But what if it's not? What if it follows the logic of the Three Talents, the perspective of Man?

However, the concept of heaven, earth, and man in the Three Talents is a very human-centric principle.

Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Are humans comparable to heaven and earth?

It's not just humans who live in this world.

'...I'm not sure.'

For now, I decided to think of it as a racial characteristic of humans.

Even if I find other reasons later, this is the only hypothesis I have now.

I organized my thoughts and, after dispelling the Gang Spheres, gave Seo Ran a fist salute.

"Thank you for helping me open my eyes."

[What nonsense are you spouting? You were the one who established your identity after listening to me. Why are you thanking me? It's like thanking someone else for opening your eyes that you rubbed awake yourself.

...And anyway, since the King sent you to me, it means he wants me to teach you the demon language. I'm fluent in both human culture and language.]

His words continued.

[Since you've awakened the same consciousness as the demon race, it will be much easier to teach you. A typical demi-human hybrid would normally need to learn special powers to learn the demon language.]

"...?"

I need to learn some kind of power to understand the language?

[Come with me. Being out in the open at the altar, I can feel the mortals of Utmost Chaos Island approaching. They might offer tributes again if they see me, so let's go to my place first.]

Whoosh!

Seo Ran turned around and started swimming towards the sea.

I also leaped off the cliff.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

I stepped on the waves and continued to follow Seo Ran.

After following the dragon  across the sea for some time,

"My place is below here. Follow me down."

Whoosh!

Seo Ran stopped swimming on the surface and dived down.

"......"

I sighed lightly, looking down at the dark sea below.

'I should definitely learn up to a certain stage in the Water Surpassing Path in my next life.'

I took a deep breath and jumped into the sea.

With my experience in feeling the patterns in the air, I now sensed the patterns in the water currents, swimming as fast as I could to catch up to Seo Ran.

Seo Ran seemed to be going slow enough for me to follow, but in the water, it was still hard to keep up.

After feeling the increasing water pressure and descending further, I saw countless coral reefs below.

Like a garden underneath the sea.

In a gap of the coral garden, there was an underwater cave.

Seo Ran entered the underwater cave, and I followed him in.

The underwater cave went down and then up again. After swimming up for a while in the cave,

Whoosh-

"Phew!"

I was able to finally breathe in the fresh air.

'The air is surprisingly refreshing?’

I evaporated the water on me using my internal energy as I climbed onto the ground inside the cave, feeling the remarkably fresh air.

[Welcome to my abode. There's a special coral here called Clear Coral that always keeps the air clean. Even ordinary terrestrial beings can live here.]

"The air is as refreshing as in some deep mountains."

Hmm-

As Seo Ran activated his spiritual power, the round spirit stones embedded in the ceiling began to emit light.

Seo Ran's cave was incredibly large and spacious, with tunnels leading to other places here and there.

He laid his massive body in the cave and spoke.

[If the king commanded you to find me, then it would be better for me to quickly and comfortably teach you. Besides, since you have awakened the consciousness of the demon race, you don’t need to learn the special powers I mentioned. First, I should explain a bit about the demon race's language.]

I listened intently to Seo Ran’s explanation.

[Your human race produces sounds using vocal cords and conveys words by vibrating the air, turning them into language, correct?']

‘'Yes, that's right.’’

[We of the demon race can also make sounds with our voice. However, most of us were animals before gaining spirituality through cultivation. So, even if we talked using the sounds we made as animals, other races wouldn’t understand no matter what.

But, there's a reason why we, the demon race, are collectively known as 'Demon.’ There's something common among us. Notably, the Demon Core unique to our race and the consciousness that perceives the circulation of spiritual energy.]

Whoosh!

As Seo Ran raised his forepaw, spiritual energy whirled above it.

Realizing he was about to show something important, I reawakened the senses from before.

It felt like my head was burning up, but once again, I could see the circulation of Taiji in the flow of heaven and earth.

Above Seo Ran’s forepaw was the circulation of Yin and Yang.

[Many demons have agreed upon this common point. Our common language, from now on, shall be based on this consciousness.]

Whoosh, whoosh!

Seo Ran opened his mouth.

Spiritual energy burst from his mouth, drawing numerous Taiji patterns in the air.

I heard no sound, nor did I perceive any reaction from the spiritual energy.

To an unknowing observer, it would seem like just a slight release of spiritual energy from the mouth.

However, I could see it.

The spiritual energy whirled and transformed into something.

[If human speech is conveyed through air as a medium, the demon race's speech is conveyed through spiritual energy.]

Focusing more on the sense of seeing the circulation of spiritual energy, it seemed like I could hear its sound in my ears.

Well, it wasn’t exactly hearing or seeing, but more of an 'intuitive feeling'. Strictly speaking, this wasn’t visualization at all.

"&%%^^$^..."

I couldn't understand the meaning, but through it, I was able to hear Seo Ran's 'voice'.

[It seems you roughly understand. Now, it won't be a problem to teach you some demon language.]

Seo Ran, realizing I heard his voice, grinned and began teaching me the demon language.

Half a year has passed.

I earned numerous words and vocabulary in the demon language, as well as the method of speaking it.

I became completely familiar with the sense of perceiving the circulation of Yin and Yang.

"Now you can probably read most books without any problems.'"

‘'Thank you. I owe it to you, Seo Hyung.'’

I expressed my gratitude to Seo Ran, who spoke to me using his voice.

I had just finished reading a basic cultural book about the demon race given by Seo Ran today.

"Now you should be able to read the demon beast method given by the King without any problems. There won't be any more confusing vocabulary, so it's safe to read the manual."

‘'Thank you.”

‘'Haha, no need. I'm glad I could fulfill a favor for the King.'’

We exchanged a few words of gratitude.

During the conversation, Seo Ran asked me.

‘'...Actually, fulfilling the King's request was partly because it was from him, but also because I have a favor to ask of you. Would you be willing to help me?'’

‘'Well, if it's Seo Hyung who taught me the demon language, I'll help as much as I can.'’

‘'Thank you. In fact, maybe the King sent you to me because of the issue I'm currently contemplating... About 30 years ago, I discovered a large barrier deep in the Black Wind Sea.

Inside that barrier, I found something crucial for my cultivation. However, the barrier can only be broken by combining the powers of the human and demon races, and I haven't met a trustworthy human cultivator to attempt it.'’

He politely asked for my help.

‘'If you help me, I’ll assist with the method you received from the King. Your bloodline definitely contains that of the human race, so it will be helpful in breaking the barrier.'’

I readily nodded.

‘'If you need my help, I should naturally assist. I'm also happy to repay the teachings I received from Seo Hyung.'’

‘'Good. Thank you. Then shall we start learning the method right away?'’

I took out the demon beast method I received from Sea Dragon King Seo Hweol.

The manual was bound in the hide of some beast.

According to Seo Ran, it seems to be the hide of a creature called crystal beast.

I read the title of this demon beast method.

The manual was called ‘Summoning Wind, Dragon Transformation ‘(呼風應龍變)."