Painting a Canvas

Right after coming to his senses. Eun-hyun goes to Kim Yeon and tells her he likes her. He tells the Mad Lord he intends to become stronger so as to let Kim Yeon puppet a powerful General Seo. The Mad Lord agrees to wait for him. Eun-hyun then goes to the Azure Tiger Saint and asks to be admitted to his sect. The Saint accepts.

Same as last cycle, the Mad Lord throws a fit, killing the Four-Axis wood-man. The Azure Tiger Saint protects Eun-hyun and approves his resolve to protect his comrades. Eun-hyun attempts to warn Sir Byuk-ho about the Heavenly Lightning Banner, but Sir Byuk-ho strikes him with lightning. They then go to register themselves at Kunlun Castle. They meet Hyeo Ryeong, ancestor of the Black Ghost Valley, who guides the Human Race to Temporal Fate Island. Hyeo Ryeong tells them about the Tribes in the Bright Cold Realm. The ascenders are stunned to see the island is the size of the Heaven-Treading Desert. After registering themselves, the Azure Heaven Creation Sect, Black Ghost Valley, and Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect separate and head to separate floating islands. The Azure Heaven Creation Sect defeats the major sects of Azure Cold Island and establishes themselves in the spot with most spiritual energy. During the battle, Eun-hyun obtains a storage scroll from an early Nascent Soul enemy.

Six months later, Eun-hyun and Oh Hyun-seok meet again. While talking to him, Eun-hyun realises he remembers very little of the past. Little bits of information resurface in his mind. The Azure Tiger Saint, Cheongmun Sunwoo arrives. He says he will take them both as direct disciples and says they are about to do full-day sparring. During the spar, Eun-hyun realises Sunwoo has reached Three Flowers Gather at the Summit. Sunwoo continues to pummel the two for the day, healing them at the same time.

When Eun-hyun gains consciousness, the Azure Tiger Saint gives him the scroll for Starlight Protecting Void Body. He tells Eun-hyun this is usually learnt after mastering the Five Elements Enduring Origin Scripture, while Hyun-seok is directly learning the Azure Spirit Striking Origin Technique. Eun-hyun decides to learn the Enduring Origin Scripture before the Void Body. He goes to the library and is stunned to discover a senior brother using the entire library for weight-lifting. The librarian tells him he can take the Enduring Origin Scripture, but for other texts, he must ‘wrestle’ with the librarian. Eun-hyun takes the scripture and goes to the Training Hall. He is stunned by the extreme method, which include being burned on a stake, swimming in lava, and being attacked by metal fish. He tries to escape, but is captured and tied to a stake before being set aflame. While burning at the stake, Eun-hyun realises he was afraid of pain since he hadn’t felt any when he was a puppet. What he truly fears is dying without accomplishing anything. He decides to train with his life on the line.

Soon, rumours of a newbie who trains in all five Training Halls spread in the Sect. While training in the Water Hall, Eun-hyun studies a technique he got from the storage scroll. He realises the technique, Three Spirits Technique, is highly compatible with the Devil Legion Terracotta Scroll. Terracotta Scroll creates an Artifact Spirit for the dharma treasure, while Three Spirits creates ‘avatars’ to enable resurrection. He decides to merge the techniques into the Three Thousand Colourless Glass Swords to store cultivation through regressions. He has, meanwhile named the Blood Body Yuan Yu, and is taking care of the centipede he picked up. He also worries about merging the power of the Formless Sword so that it is undetectable.

A year after entering the sect, Hyun-seok comes to Eun-hyun and tells him they are to train together after Qi Building. Sunwoo calls them and says he will watch over their advancement to Qi Building. Eun-hyun uses this opportunity to ‘carve’ the Gang Sphere of Ultimate Pinnacle into his body using the Mad Lord’s circuits. The Formless Sword then manifests as the circuits inlaid within his body. Before Eun-hyun can complete his advancement, blue lightning strikes Hyun-seok, which he ‘punches’ apart. Eun-hyun follows him, breaking his own tribulation with a Nascent Soul strike. Sunwoo is delighted and proceeds to pummel them. After both of them faint, Sunwoo drags them to a training field, the Five Elements Supreme Response. The field can shift between state of elements. In five years, Eun-hyun reaches Core Formation. In ten years. Hyun-seok reverse engineers the Supreme Response and reaches Core Formation. Hyun-seok is worried about Eun-hyun, who has suddenly become cold. He decides to get strong enough to give Eun-hyun a decent fight, so as to elicit emotions from him. He has also mastered the First Wing of Azure Spirit Starlight.

Once Eun-hyun and Hyun-seok have grown strong enough, Sunwoo gives the two a choice between two missions. Either keep surveillance on the Mad Lord, or capture a devil from the True Devil Realm. Eun-hyun takes the Mad Lord mission as Kim Yeon is there. Hyun-seok and a few others accompany him.

Five years after the surveillance begins, Hyun-seok breaks through to Three Flowers and finally manages to defeat Eun-hyun. Eun-hyun confesses to having dementia, and says he has forgotten everything from the past. Hyun-seok promises to help Eun-hyun regain his memories. He later tells Eun-hyun on reaching Nascent Soul, he saw a swift review of his life. Eun-hyun ponders on this while succeeding in contacting Kim Yeon within the Fortress. He tells her to come outside the Fortress. Hyun-seok accompanies him. However, the Mad Lord sees Kim Yeon’s happy intent and follows her. He is ecstatic to see Eun-hyun, who he thinks has come to fulfill his “promise”. Eun-hyun reveals True Origin General Seo, a puppet based on his last life’s body. He then reveals the spear arts he had decoded from the Twin Immortal’s Dance. Mad Lord regains his sanity and tell Eun-hyun to run. Eun-hyun takes Kim Yeon with him, promising to finish Yeon’s Play. He escapes from the relapsing Mad Lord with the disciple of the Azure Heaven Creation Sect.

After Kim Yeon is investigated, Sunwoo tells Eun-hyun and Hyun-seok that Yeon may have to go to either the Black Ghost Valley or Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. She can only stay with the Sect for fifty more years. Sunwoo also tells them the devil attempted to summon a Star Shattering Heavenly Fiend from the Blood Yin realm. The Human Grand Alliance plans to invade the True Devil Realm. Kim Yeon, Oh Hyun-seok and Seo Eun-hyun are to go support them. Eun-hyun feels uneasy, as the purpose of the invasion is to establish “pill farms” of devils.

During the journey to the entrance to the True Devil Realm, Kim Yeon tells Eun-hyun about himself. They soon arrive at the entrance. Hyeon Woon, Chief Advisor of the expedition force, gives them the Vast Cold Jade, required for changing the spiritual energy of the True Devil Realm to that of Bright Cold, and tells them to wait while they prepare to break the barrier. Eun-hyun then befriends Yeon Jin, a disciple of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. A month later, Eun-hyun attempts the advancement to Nascent Soul. However, the memories he has lost flash by too quickly for him to see. His distress gives rise to a Heart Demon, so he bursts his head. Hyeon Woon punishes him for attempting an advancement without informing his superiors. Meanwhile, Eun-hyun works on the combination of the Spirits Technique and Terracotta scroll, using the formers ability of recording artifacts spirits to store his memories.

The invasion soon begins. Eun-hyun follows Yeon Jin as his 10-man commander. In the first battle, he successfully defeats a Nascent Soul devil and captures it. As a result, his punishment is lifted and he is made a 100-man Commander. However, he also has doubts over his actions.

After his promotion to 1000-man commander, Eun-hyun remains shocked by the actions of the Human Race. He is awarded the position of provincial governor of the eighth occupied territory. Yeon Jin declares his intent to follow him. Eun-hyun tells Gyeon Shin, the Nascent Soul devil he had captured, about his assignment and promises to release him then. The eight territory also has a Void Spirit Pond, which can be eventually developed into a Flying Immortal Platform. While visiting the Pond, Eun-hyun meets two devil children, Su In and Hong Yeon, who regularly play there. He has Gyeon Shin send them away, who praises Eun-hyun for not harming the kids. Eun-hyun has mixed feelings about Shin’s praise.

Su In and Hong Yeon

Eighteen years later, Eun-hyun witnesses the engagement of In and Yeon. Gyeon Shin has also remained behind, as he required a beast to parasitise to travel safely. A messenger from the Human Race arrives and tells Eun-hyun about the annihilation of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, and the injuries the Integration Cultivators suffered. This means the Integration Cultivators of the True Devil Realm are free to act.

While Eun-hyun ponders this situation, Yeon Jin comes out and studies the celestial energy, Eun-hyun realises someone is possessing him. That person is his ancestor, Yeon Wei, who crammed their living soul into Yeon Jin. She had ascended to Bright Cold, betrayed the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, and was nearly killed by Jin Byuk-ho. She tells him both she and Jin have only twenty years to live. Yeon Jin packs and leaves with some puppets to meet Jeon Myeong-hoon, sole survivor of the Sect. A messenger from the Human Alliance arrives and tells Eun-hyun they intend to abandon all territories beyond the fourth. They will set up the Realm Annihilation Heavenly Void Formation, turning their lands into wastelands, severely weakening the True Devil Realm. They will also convert all the devils on the occupied lands into pills.

Eun-hyun refuses to do so. He proceeds with the evacuation orders. He nominates Gyeon Shin as the leader of the tribes. However, before the evacuating tribes can leave, Wi Ryeong-seon, an integration stage cultivator creates a massive barrier, trapping them inside. He reveals all the messengers of the Human Race are his avatars.

An inspector is to arrive in seven days. Eun-hyun decides to use those seven days to record his entire life. While he records, he comes across the memory of “being brought into this world” before forgetting it.

Eun-hyun manages to record his entire life until his birth. He realises then the Nascent Soul takes the form of a baby, as ‘birth’ is the purest era. He realises he had lost his most important memories-those of being absolutely unconditionally loved. He names his technique as the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections. He then successfully advances to Nascent Soul. As he prepares to break the barrier with his new strength, Jeon Myeong-hoon appears, with the head of the inspector.

Myeong-hoon is extremely unstable. He says he is chasing after Yeon Jin, one of the last surviving disciples of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. Eun-hyun tells him he just missed Yeon Jin. This drives Myeong-hoon into a fit, as he begins attacking Eun-hyun. During the battle, Eun-hyun realises Qi is intent and also why there are three tribes. The vision of the Earth Tribe merges into that of the Heart Tribe. As Myeon-hoon regains his senses, he tells Eun-hyun to kill him. He tells Eun-hyun all those connected to the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect are fated to die in twenty years. Eun-hyun tells Myeong-hoon he can contact Yeon Jin using his puppets. Myeong-hoon faints from exhaustion.

Eun-hyun goes to the fleeing devils stuck in the barrier. Gyeon Shin expresses his respect for Eun-hyun and gives him the Mysterious Bizarre Gu. Eun-hyun tells Shin they may have to wait for a while as a calamity will soon envelop the area. He also receives news of Yeon Jin’s death and decides to conceal it from Myeong-hoon.

Cultivators from the Human Alliance arrive to arrest the both of them. Hyeon Shin lets slip Jeon Myeong-hoon is the last survivor of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. Myeong-hoon goes insane. Shin temporarily allies with Eun-hyun to restrict him, and dies to Myeong-hoon. Black Dragon King, Hyeon Eum uses the death of Hyeon Shin to enter the True Devil Realm. He kills the point of contact at the entrance to the Bright Cold Realm and summons an Esteemed One of Blood Yin.

Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace

Eun-hyun wakes up after his battle with Myeong-hoon. Gyeon Shin tells him the Void Spirit Ponds were in fact left by the Esteemed Ones of the Blood Yin Realm. Since Eun-hyun did not overly exploit his territory, the Esteemed Ones were unable to connect. The Human Race arrives at Eun-hyun’s territory to escape the Left Foot and Left Hand of the Esteemed One. Kim Yeon has suffered a massive consciousness restricting method during the escape. While awaiting the arrival of the Esteemed One, Hyun-seok reaches Five Energies Converging to the Origin. Hyun-seok takes three days to complete his transformation. To Eun-hyun, he feels more like a demon beast.

Soon, the Left Hand of the Blood Yin Esteemed One arrives. During the fight, the Hand unleashes an attack that causes Heart Demons within the target to awaken and controls them. Eun-hyun escapes its control and is forced to fight the other cultivators. During the fight, Eun-hyun realises he has leached off others his entire life. He creates the twenty-fifth move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace, based on Jang Ik’s single strike, and breaks the Esteemed One’s control. Meanwhile, the Mad Lord arrives, in response to a letter sent by Eun-hyun. Myeong-hoon breaks his seal and joins the battle. The Human Alliance uses this as an opportunity to flee.

Eun-hyun goes to the Void Spirit Pond, where the devil tribes are hiding. He is stricken to see they also succumbed to the Esteemed One’s attack, and attacked each other. Gyeon Shin, Hong Yeon and Su In are all on the brink of death. As a last request, he blesses In and Yeon’s marriage before they die. Eun-hyun then uses the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace to break Kim Yeon’s restraints. Within Kim Yeon’s heart essence, Eun-hyun sees himself as a “glorified someone”. As he delves deeper he sees the memory of a “giant jade something” right before their transmigration. He forgets about this as well.

Kim Yeon recovers. She carries the now weakened Eun-hyun outside. They activate Yeon’s Play. The completed form of Yeon’s Play reveals itself; a golden tree with pink ribbons. Kim Yeon takes control of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress. Myeong-hoon has been reduced to his Golden Core once more. As they go towards the Bright Cold Realm, they realise the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum is chasing them. They hurry to the first occupied territory, where they realise the portal has been closed. Meanwhile, they continue to flee from the Black Dragon King. Hyeon Eum eventually catches up. He says an Entering Nirvana cultivator is hiding in the Fortress and demands to see them. He then realises it was an ‘inherent’ property of the fortress. He then begins his attack and calls forth the Esteemed One’s Left Foot. Hyeon Eum opens his Integrated Dao Domain.

The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress manages to hold Hyeon Eum off for a short while. As Hyeon Eum is about to release a fatal strike, the Azure Tiger Saint arrives and blocks his strike. He releases the Tenth Wing of Azure Heavenly Shatter, burning his life for his disciples. During the battle, Hyeon Eum merges with the Left Foot of the Esteemed One, and begins to use the power of “Vice”. Cheongmun Sunwoo punches the Fortress towards the gate, while sacrificing himself to defend his disciples. Eun-hyun manages to connect to Sunwoo, who tells him he has committed to sacrificing his life, and gives him his last words. He then self-destructs. The Fortress manages to return to the Bright Cold Realm. The Esteemed One, now possessing Sunwoo’s hand, attempts to get them to open the gate once more. Eun-hyun conveys Sunwoo’s last word to Hyun-seok. The Black Dragon King uses the power of Vice to suppress all the cultivators. Eun-hyun creates the twenty-sixth move, One Annihilation to the Near Shore. As Eun-hyun dies, Hyun-seok listens to Sunwoo’s last words. After Eun-hyun's death, the Canvas briefly manifests, consoling Hyun-seok and Kim Yeon.