A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 313: Have You Been Well? (3)

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Chapter 313: Have You Been Well? (3)

I glance once more at the movement of the dragon depicted in the Taenghwa Painting, then step out from the top floor.

The ancient palace mainly houses water attribute methods, among which the method called Salt Sea Returning Dew Jade (鹽海歸露玉) is so powerful that it even stirred my heart.

However, to practice it requires either drinking seawater or having water and salt available, so there's no way to practice it at the moment. I simply stored it in my storage scroll.

Besides that, a few other water attribute methods caught my eye, but none of them stood out.

After exiting the ancient palace, I harvest the Sea Orchid Fruit I had noted earlier and store it before dashing off to the Human Offering Altar area where I'm supposed to meet up with the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect.

The surrounding heat is intense, so I transform into a Ghost King to cool my body as I fly.

The Human Offering Altar area is also vast, similar to the Sea Offering Altar, with spiritual energy waves emanating from various houses and stone buildings, indicating that there are still many things left.

[There seem to be spiritual energy waves emanating from all over the place, but it looks like you didn't gather everything?]

"Haha, it seems that everyone's storage scrolls are quite full. To get what we want on the third floor, we need to leave some space."

[Hmm, I see. Then shall we get going?]

"Sounds good."

Hyeon Gwi smiles and leads us onward.

We arrive at a narrow path covered with crimson flames.

"Hmm..."

Hyeon Gwi frowns as he peers into the path.

Having experience in tracking people before, I understand why.

'Someone has already passed through. The tracks are recent.'

Hyeon Gwi's nose wrinkles slightly. 

"Everyone, it seems that a prior traveler has passed through. We should hurry. These footprints likely belong to..."

[The Demon Race.]

I remark, looking at the various footprints.

Hyeon Gwi nods.

"Gyo Yeom, who leads the Demon Race, is from the Blood Shark Race, and they know how to temporarily satisfy the Calamity Flame by offering blood. We must hurry."

We quicken our pace.

Soon, we see thick blood mist ahead.

'Blood Sacrifice?'

I frown.

Due to Yuan Li, I loathe and utterly detest human sacrifice rituals like Blood Sacrifice.

As we move further towards the blood mist, we see Gyo Yeom and the group of Demon Race members I encountered earlier.

'Hmm...the number of Demon Race cultivators hasn't changed...so...'

Upon closer inspection, Gyo Yeom is drawing blood from his followers and offering it as a blood sacrifice.

Seeing this, Hyeon Gwi is startled and speaks urgently.

"Damn it, senior, everyone! It looks like these Demon Race bastards are trying to tame the Calamity Flame! If they manage to control the Calamity Flame, it will be a huge problem. We need to hit them from behind now!"

Hyeon Gwi gathers energy in the form of a black dragon and sends it flying into the blood mist.

Boom!

An explosion resounds, and Gyo Yeom's voice echoes from within.

[You damn Human Race bastards...I heard everything. Yes, it's not the first time we've been ambushed by you Human Race so I'll let that pass. But it seems there's a misunderstanding. I'm not taming the Calamity Flame to attack you but to ensure our safety when we rise to the third floor and back. So why don't we avoid this unnecessary fight?]

'Hmm, if he's not trying to harm us, there's no need to fight...'

"Shut up, filthy Earth Tribe scum. We humans don't listen to the nonsense of your kind!"

"What nonsense are you spouting to this elder!? Die, you Earth Tribe trash!"

"How dare you speak to this elder like that! Die, garbage Earth Tribe!"

"Daring to block the way of the mighty Human Race, it's been a while since I've tasted Earth Tribe flesh!"

Despite Gyo Yeom's words, the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect cultivators taunt him and exude fierce fighting spirit. Gyo Yeom, appearing enraged within the blood mist, shouts back.

[Arrogant and self-righteous Human Race scum. Then I will show you the power of the Calamity Flame...! Even if you are a hedonistic murderer, you can't ignore it!]

[Hmm?]

Gyo Yeom mocks someone as a hedonistic murderer.

'Is there such a person among the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect?'

They are people one really can't let down their guards around.

If there's someone with a strong tendency towards hedonistic murder, it wouldn't be bad to eliminate them here.

Huarururuk

A black flame tinged with blood bursts out from the blood mist towards us.

The massive black flame, like a living wave of fire, surges to engulf us.

[Is that the Calamity Flame?]

Sensing the pain and resentment within the black flames, I unleash ghost fire.

"Yes, it's a flame born of curses...that's what makes it terrifying. It's neither purely a curse nor purely a flame, so to suppress it, you need a curse sorcerer, a fire cultivator, and yin energy."

Kugugugugu!

The Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect cultivators step forward and erect a wall of yin energy.

I observe the Calamity Flame and let out a sigh of admiration.

At the same time, I notice the Demon Race manipulating the Calamity Flame with blood from behind.

'Interesting. They control the Calamity Flame by feeding it blood. The spiritual energy in the blood must be the key.'

I notice a similarity in their manipulation to how Yuan Yu had his Blood Body taken over by Oh Hye-seo.

Controlling the blood with Taiji to manipulate the body.

After observing their techniques for a while, I extend my left hand.

[I've seen it well.]

Huaruruk!

Ghost fire spouts from my 36 eyes.

[Then I should repay the favor.]

I raise my left hand and mutter.

[Yin Soul (陰魂).]

Kuguguguhu!

Curses pour out from my seven orifices.

Though I say seven orifices, since my skulls lack nasal bones, all merging together, it's actually only six orifices.

In total, 108 holes spew forth curses.

My curses had already surpassed the limits of numbers like 108 or even thousands at the time of Qi Building.

Since then, my curses have essentially needed to be judged more by their [density] and [range] rather than by their count.

During the Qi Building stage, my curses filled a radius of 30 zhang.

During the Core Formation stage, my curses filled a radius of 300 zhang.

At the Nascent Soul stage, my curses filled a radius of 30 li.

And at the Heavenly Being stage, my curses filled a radius of 3000 li.

Then, what about now that I have reached the Four-Axis stage?

[Huuu—]

I exhale.

Even the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect cultivators, excluding the enemy Demon Race members, have looks of astonishment on their faces, their eyes bulging.

Even Hyeon Gwi, who always subtly looks down on and ignores me, can't help but show a look of interest at this moment.

[Ghost Curse (鬼呪).]

Chuaaaaaa―

The entire Dao Departure Layer of the second floor of Lofty Dragon True Person's storage scroll turns pitch black.

The few other Heaven Tribe groups except the Human Race, Demon Race, Tall Tree Race, and Paired Wings Race,

The Cold Spirit Race, Spirit Scale Race, and Leaf Race cultivators have just reached the end of the Water Flow Layer and are at the entrance to the Dao Departure Layer.

"Huu, there's nothing of value aside from the Turbid Devil Liquid inside the Fire Corpses."

"Since none of us are devilish cultivators, it's best to sell it to a cultivator who practices devilish arts later."

"Well, Turbid Devil Liquid isn't bad, but it's quite disappointing considering we risked our lives fighting the Fire Corpses."

"Haah, aside from the Fire Corpses, everything on the first floor was taken by the Human Race, Demon Race, and Four-Axis stage seniors, making it hard to find anything worth taking..."

They all sigh in unison.

"Well, it's to be expected from the Peach Garden Painting-like Water Flow Layer. Let's keep our spirits up. The real treasures are in the Dao Departure Layer. We don't need to go to the third floor; just grabbing some dharma treasures, method scriptures, or spiritual elixirs from the second floor will be worthwhile."

"That is true...the first floor was never meant for storing items. Then, let's head to the second floor!"

The group of ten Heaven Tribe cultivators, now cheerful, prepare to ascend to the Dao Departure Layer.

At that moment.

Chiiiiiie—

"...?"

"Hu-Huaah! What, what is that...!"

The faces of the 10 cultivators twist in shock, fear, and despair.

"W-What in the world is happening on the second floor!!!"

The second floor, the Dao Departure Layer.

From the upper floor, a massive amount of curses cascade down like a waterfall.

They flee in terror without even looking back.

The world turned into a land of darkness.

Even the Calamity Flame, which had been displaying its might before me, froze in place.

I scrutinize the Calamity Flame.

Considering the level of the entity that created it, it must have been much stronger when it was first made.

If it had been at its full strength, not even I could have dealt with it.

'But its venom has weakened over time.'

Over tens of thousands of years, the Calamity Flame has significantly weakened.

I reach out towards the Calamity Flame.

It whimpers like a puppy needing to relieve itself, and as soon as my hand touches it, it begins to tremble violently.

Chiiiie—

I start converging the curses scattered across Heaven and Earth into a single point.

Kuarururuk!

The curse formed this way exudes a venom comparable to the curse previously created by me and other curse sorcerers at the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect.

While it took combined efforts to create such a curse during the Nascent Soul stage, I can now do so alone at the Four-Axis stage.

The Calamity Flame, overwhelmed by the venom of my curse, shrinks completely, its enormous size reduced to smaller than a fist.

Having consumed the blood of the Demon Race, it can neither escape nor take any other action, freezing in place.

Watching this, Hyeon Gwi shouts.

"It's now! Extinguish it!"

The Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect cultivators, snapping out of their daze, unleash their spells to extinguish the Calamity Flame.

Chiiiie—

In truth, the Calamity Flame had shrunk so much from the venom of my curse that spells weren't even necessary; a simple stomp would have sufficed, rendering their water-attribute spells meaningless.

Hyeon Gwi gestures to them with a meaningful gaze.

"How is it? Wasn't it worth following my suggestion?"

The Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect cultivators breathe a sigh of relief.

"As expected of Daoist Hyeon Gwi."

"I believed in you. Hehe..."

On the surface, it seems like they are celebrating my recruitment, but I remain vigilant, sensing their uneasy intent.

I turn my gaze to the Demon Race.

[Ho, fast indeed.]

To my surprise, Gyo Yeom has already escaped to the third floor.

If he hadn't fled after witnessing the curse, he'd either be a bold hero or a madman.

The other Demon Race members begin to notice Gyo Yeom's escape belatedly.

The faces of the Heavenly Being demon beasts turn pale as they meet my eyes.

I, exuding the lingering venom of the curse from my 36 eyes, speak.

[Come here. I have a few questions. Once I've satisfied my curiosity, I'll let you rest peacefully, so don't worry.]

I'm not a hedonistic killer with a pleasure for slaughter, nor do I have a reason to kill those who have lost their will to fight, so I speak to them as kindly as possible.

I intend to let them rest peacefully on the second floor as long as they don't interfere with our objectives on the third floor.

However, for some reason the Demon Race cultivators start screaming in terror.

"Haaah!"

"Elder, please spare us!"

"Damn it, I need to get out of here!"

"Run! If we get caught by the old monster, we're dead!"

They all scream and scatter in all directions in a frenzy.

Seeing them transform into their true forms and flee frantically, I feel a sense of absurdity.

[...I won't kill you...]

It seems they misunderstood that I was going to kill them, probably due to their harsh lives.

Considering the nature of the Human Race, it's a reasonable misunderstanding.

Or they might have been scared because of the infamous hedonistic killer among the Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect.

'In times like this, they're no help. These Mystical Scaled Fish Commanding Sect guys...'

Bringing someone with such a bad reputation along on this storage scroll journey just draws unwanted attention.

However, letting the Demon Race go here isn't an option. I need to ask them about the control technique they used on the Calamity Flame.

'I might find a way to completely free Yuan Yu's body from Seo Hweol's influence, so it's crucial.'

[All of you, stop right there...!]

Oooooooh―

Duk Duduk Dukdududuk!

I operate my spell.

Under the influence of my death aura, the surroundings start to turn into a desert.

Dust and sand flies everywhere.

Great Desert to Dead Sea.

Cross-sectional Divergence (断面開散)

Kugugugugu!

The 'manifestations of death' attached to my shoulders begin to pull away from my body.

The deaths of my 18 lives.

Those manifestations...

As soon as they are drawn from my body, they each form a physical body with their ghostly energy.

Eighteen clones, each as powerful as a Ghost King who has mastered the Ghost Immortal Kui Devilish Secrets to the extreme, appear.

In return, I lose everything above my neck, but it doesn't matter.

Losing my head isn't something new to me anyway.

[Capture them.]

Ooooooh―

Oooooh―

Oooooooh―

The manifestations of death, each a Heavenly Being Ghost King, scatter in all directions and fly toward the Demon Race.

Each one could use Ghost Immortal Kui Devilish Secrets, Great Desert to Dead Sea, Six Extremes Yin Thunder Body, Yin Soul Ghost Incantation, and even some martial arts, so capturing them won't be difficult.

Bone-chilling ghostly wails echo in all directions.

Dudududududu

A Swift Horse Race demon beast of the Horse Race, Ju Ma.

Ju Ma transformed into his true form and ran on all fours like mad.

'Please don't chase me! Please! Heaven and Earth Divine Spirits, please protect me!'

His mind is filled with the fear that the mad Four-Axis old monster would chase him.

He knew at a glance that this being is insane.

From the first moment he saw that wicked old monster who proudly wore 'achievements' on his shoulders like trophies, he vowed never to cross paths with him.

'Gyo Yeom, that damned shark head. It's all because of his stupidity!'

But everything went wrong.

That old monster is now going to capture and slaughter them to satisfy his desires.

Perhaps it's remarkable that the mad old monster had restrained himself for so long.

However, Ju Ma has seen a few such maniacs in his 2000 years of life.

They were all unable to easily suppress their lust and would vent their dirty desires once every few days.

And when they happened to hold back their lust, the intensity was much stronger when it finally exploded.

The old monster has been quiet until now.

But now that he has no reason to hold back, anyone caught by the old monster will become a part of his grotesque 'hobbies.'

Ju Ma curses Gyo Yeom madly as he runs.

Fortunately, Ju Ma is quite the fast runner.

In the interior of the storage scroll, where flying through the air techniques like the Gliding Technique and the Flying Escape Technique are restricted, Ju Ma's speed is probably the fastest.

As long as the Four-Axis old monster doesn't deliberately chase after him, he can likely escape.

Then it happens.

Bang-pabang-bang!

Ju Ma notices strange noises coming from behind him.

Shivers run down his spine.

He turns around, trying to calm his pounding heart.

And Ju Ma's eyes bulge in shock.

"H-How...!?"

One of the old monster's victims, attached to his shoulders.

What is presumed to be a ghost creature controlled by the old monster is flying through the air, chasing after him.

"F-Flying Escape Technique and the Gliding Technique, and even flight using attraction force are 'forbidden' here, so how are you flying!!!"

[Oooooooh―]

The old monster's ghost creature emits a spine-chilling ghostly wail as they fly towards Ju Ma.

Ju Ma strengthens his entire body and runs even faster.

For a moment, it seems as if he's gaining distance, but when he looks back again, he can't believe his eyes.

Woowooong―

The ghost creature appears to be creating a spherical orb above its hand.

And as it absorbs the orb, the ghost creature's speed suddenly increases more than tenfold, closing the distance.

'If I get caught, I'm dead! If I get caught, I'm dead, IfIgetcaughtI'mdeadIfIgetcaughtI'mdeadIfIgetcaughtI'mdeadIfIgetcaughtI'mdead!'

Ju Ma's breathing becomes ragged.

But the ghost creature behind him, inscribed with circuit-like patterns all over its body, is steadily closing the gap.

"H-Heeek...! Don't come! Don't coooooommme!!"

'N-No...!'

He cries out in fear.

Ju Ma's pupils shake wildly.

'I'm so scared...that I'm losing strength...!'

He realizes his legs are giving out.

But he can't let that happen!

He has to run faster!

'Even if it means burning my life force...!'

However, Ju Ma clearly hears it.

The voice of the ghost creature forming hand seals and reciting an incantation.

"Ah, ahh..."

The ghost creature is preparing to cast a curse.

The same one he had seen earlier...!

[Yin Soul (陰魂).]

"Haaaaaaaaah!!!"

And so, Ju Ma, who had managed to run the furthest, the fastest, and for the longest, is finally caught.

Chuaaaaaa—

Swimming