A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 364: Holding Hands (1)

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Chapter 364: Holding Hands (1)

Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon seem to show some uneasy symptoms, but after a while, they return and rejoin us.

Seeing that their intent seems a bit more stable, it doesn't seem necessary to worry too much.

After enjoying a reunion with old friends, we gather the next day in the conference room of the Wuji Religious Hall.

"...First of all, I would like to thank everyone for gathering here today."

As the cult leader of the Wuji Religious Order, I sit on the main seat and address them.

If yesterday was about reconnecting with old comrades, today is a more solemn occasion as we are meeting with the 'leaders of the Buk Hyang Fleet that invaded the Twilight Domain.'

It's somewhat expected that the representative of the Buk Hyang Fleet would be, true to the name, Buk Hyang-hwa.

"Let's all start by having a cup of tea."

I instruct the servant ghostly creatures of the Wuji Religious Order to bring tea.

Shortly after, a pot of honey is placed in front of each of us, and plum tea, a specialty of the Nether Ghost Realm, is served.

"It's a bit sour for the average palate, so I recommend adding some of the honey in front of you."

Interestingly, the ghosts of the Nether Ghost Realm particularly like sour fruits like plums.

Thus, those among the ghosts who practice wood attribute methods had modified such fruits to make them even more sour.

As a result, the plum tea, a specialty of the Nether Ghost Realm, is much more sour than plums from other realms.

Kim Young-hoon, with a face that seems to say 'how sour can it be,' takes a sip of the plum tea and disappears in a flash of gold, reappearing shortly after.

It seems he had gone outside the Twilight Domain to spit out the tea.

"Ahem, I'll just have some water."

After seeing Kim Young-hoon's reaction, the others pour honey into their tea generously before drinking it.

I order just honey tea instead of plum tea myself, and after lightening the mood after everyone has taken a sip, we begin the meeting.

"First, I would like to hear about the reason the Buk Hyang Fleet invaded our Twilight Domain."

Although I heard the reason last night, it's good to hear it officially again.

Buk Hyang-hwa points calmly at Seo Ran and explains.

"First, we deeply apologize for the Buk Hyang Fleet's involvement in the destruction of the Twilight Domain. However, I would like to clarify that there was a significant misunderstanding regarding our reasons for coming here. We hastily concluded that Seo Ran, one of our comrades and a member of the Buk Hyang Fleet's leadership, was being held here, leading us to enter without considering the consequences. Once again, we sincerely apologize."

She bows her head deeply, expressing sincere regret.

"I accept your apology. However, merely a verbal apology alone won't suffice."

"Yes, you are right. Therefore, after internal discussions, the Buk Hyang Fleet proposes..."

Despite her words, we already discussed everything amongst ourselves the night before.

"The Buk Hyang Fleet will be affiliated with the Wuji Religious Order for a thousand years as mercenaries to compensate for the damages."

"Ho...very well. Excellent."

"However, we also have some conditions."

Buk Hyang-hwa presents the documents she discussed with Kim Young-hoon, Seo Ran, and Shi Ho in our presence yesterday.

The document outlines terms to prevent any unfavorable treatment, unilateral discrimination, or termination of the contract without notice.

Of course, given that Kim Young-hoon was originally one of our colleagues, such concerns are unnecessary.

I sign the clauses with a smile, and the Buk Hyang Fleet side indicates they will return to their sea domain to discuss with Song Jin before signing.

I laugh heartily and grant permission.

After all, Song Jin only acted out of a minor misunderstanding, thinking Seo Ran was threatened.

He also owes me a favor, so he will surely agree.

'Moreover, Song Jin and Seo Ran's current goal is related to Seo Hweol, so they will naturally have to ally with me who opposes Seo Hweol.'

In this way, I can naturally rejoin forces with the Buk Hyang Fleet, including my old comrades Kim Young-hoon, Song Jin, Seo Ran, and Buk Hyang-hwa.

Thus, the Buk Hyang Fleet joins the Wuji Religious Order, and I call Yeon Jin before them.

"Yeon Jin, have you perhaps re-established contact with Yeon Wei?"

Yeon Jin nods at my question.

"Yes, my ancestor has recently sent a part of her split soul to me again."

"Good, in that case..."

Woo-woong!

I infuse Yeon Jin's upper dantian with my consciousness using the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, allowing Yeon Wei to emerge from Yeon Jin's consciousness.

Shortly after, Yeon Wei opens her eyes through Yeon Jin's body and looks around, sighing.

"...I've already heard a bit while inside Yeon Jin's body. So, we're in the Ancient Force Realm?"

"Yes, that's how it turned out."

"...Haaah."

Yeon Wei sits down, pressing her temples as if she has a headache.

After informing Yeon Wei that we have joined forces with the Buk Hyang Fleet, a power established here, I ask her two questions.

"For now, there are two things I want to ask Senior about. The first is regarding the Health Axis now that we are in the Ancient Force Realm."

Yeon Wei sighs before starting to explain.

Since it's their first time hearing about the Five Blessings Axes, Buk Hyang-hwa and Shi Ho listen with great curiosity.

"Well, as you already know, building an axis here in the Ancient Force Realm is not much different from doing it in the Nether Ghost Realm. However, there is a difference in the Void Spirit Pond here."

She continues her explanation.

"There is no Void Spirit Pond in the Ancient Force Realm. The Void Spirit Pond is originally a small hole connected to a dimension's surface, but the Ancient Force Realm has no such holes. The [Deep Sea] of the Ancient Force Realm envelops the entire realm like scale armor, resulting in no Void Spirit Ponds being present in this world."

'The Deep Sea envelops the world like armor...'

The Deep Sea of the Ancient Force Realm suddenly reminds me of the Clear Scale Armor.

"However, there are indeed people who ascend, and there are ways to build an axis. The most notable example is the 'Supervisory Jade.'"

"Supervisory Jade...?"

I recall the jade I received from Seo Ran before.

Certainly, the Supervisory Jade allows a strand of consciousness to descend to the Lower Realms.

"Most of the 'islands' in the sea domains of the Ancient Force Realm are mostly large chunks of ancient stone. Occasionally, under the pressure of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, unique stones are formed within these ancient stone veins. These are the Supervisory Jades."

Seo Ran appears to be hearing about this for the first time as well, listening with fascination.

"The Supervisory Jade is a device that allows a strand of consciousness to descend to the Lower Realms. If you collect hundreds or thousands of such Supervisory Jades and refine them through compression, they are reborn as a new ore called Salt Crystal (鹽晶)."

"Salt Crystal...?"

"Yes. Honestly, even someone at the Integration stage might not know about this unless they are the palace lord of a sea domain. The transparent Supervisory Jade, under pressure, mixes with many other Supervisory Jades, turning snow white like salt and gaining new abilities. Unlike the Supervisory Jade, which only allows a single consciousness to descend, a Salt Crystal can send dozens of strands of consciousness, and can also be used as the core for the Flying Immortal Formation that acts as a Flying Immortal Platform."

"...I see."

I'm amazed by the wondrous properties of Salt Crystal.

"It functions just like a Void Spirit Pond, but as an ore, can it be used in other realms?"

"Haha, you want to carry solid Void Spirit Ponds to other Middle Realms? Sorry, but Salt Crystals are effective only in the Ancient Force Realm. If you use it elsewhere, it instead acts like an 'Ancient Force Pathway' that returns you to the Ancient Force Realm instead of descending to the Lower Realms."

"I see..."

I click my tongue in disappointment.

However, the fact Salt Crystals can't be used in other realms does not diminish its value.

According to her, Salt Crystals are the only way to build an axis in the Ancient Force Realm.

"So where does one usually find Salt Crystals?"

"Typically, Supervisory Jades are born one or two at a time in islands with dense ancient stone veins. But to gather hundreds or thousands of them to make a Salt Crystal, one almost always needs to be the palace lord of a sea domain. Of course it's not easy for even palace lords to make, so there are those that don't have it. The proportion of palace lords with a Salt Crystal is about half."

Finishing her explanation, Yeon Wei turns her gaze towards the Buk Hyang Fleet.

"Didn't you say your Buk Hyang Fleet conquered three sea domains? Haven't you found any Salt Crystals?"

At her words, Kim Young-hoon makes a troubled face.

"...We saw Salt Crystals in two of the three sea domains we conquered."

"Two...?"

"However, the palace lords of those two sea domains fled with the Salt Crystals in their possession, so we missed them. At that time, we didn't realize how valuable they were..."

Tak!

Yeon Wei lightly taps her forehead and sighs softly.

"...Well, it's no wonder. If you have a Salt Crystal, you can set up a Flying Immortal Formation to recruit talents from the Lower Realms and establish your own force again. For the palace lords, it's as important as their lives..."

She clicks her tongue and sighs softly before asking me.

"You can only build the Health Axis if we have a Salt Crystal. So if you don't have one, you need to find a way to get one no matter what."

"Understood. And the second question is...how do we leave the Ancient Force Realm?"

As I speak, I lightly distort the space with attraction force.

Tooong!

I use attraction force to create a hole in the void and try to extend my hand out of the dimension.

However, unlike when I entered, my hand is rebounded back into the Ancient Force Realm.

Seeing this, Yeon Wei speaks.

"The Ancient Force Realm is surrounded by layers of [Deep Sea] that emit attraction force. Therefore, those with 'entry qualifications' are drawn into the Ancient Force Realm by this force...but once inside, they must break through all of the Deep Sea's attraction force to leave, making leaving much harder than entering."

"Hoh, so it's like the Azure Heaven Creation Sect."

Oh Hyun-seok makes a perfect analogy that's easy to understand, and I understand immediately.

"But since Senior obtained the Health Axis and returned, there must be a way to escape."

"Correct. First, you can escape from the shallow depths of the Deep Sea if you know how to use attraction force and have coordinates at the surface."

Kim Yeon nods at those words.

"Escaping the Ancient Force Realm is similar to escaping the shallow depths. With immense attraction force and another attraction force pulling from outside, you can leave. Back then, I escaped the Ancient Force Realm through the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect...but it will be difficult for you now."

Both Jeon Myeong-hoon and I wear bitter expressions at those words.

'The Grand Cultivator Association will probably not help me either.'

Even if I, the one they accuse as a Heart Tribe spy, were to ask them for help, they will probably do nothing but wish me a happy life.

"...Is it possible to open a side path within the Ancient Force Realm?"

However, she shakes her head at my words.

"If that were possible, the Black Ghost Valley would have established a branch here. It's possible to enter through a side path, but impossible to open one to leave. The Deep Sea prevents the formation of side paths. The Ancient Force Realm is the only Middle Realm where the Black Ghost Valley couldn't establish a foothold."

Then Seo Ran, looking at Yeon Wei as if she's talking nonsense, speaks.

"...That's not true?"

Yeon Wei frowns at Seo Ran, then is startled upon seeing him in the black robes of Black Ghost Valley.

"What, what is this? There wasn't a Black Ghost Palace in my time?"

"Haha, my master and I founded a branch here over 200 years ago."

"Ack."

Yeon Wei, flustered, bursts into anger.

"That's not the point! How dare you interrupt an elder! Be quiet!"

Seo Ran closes his mouth and steps back at Yeon Wei's rebuke.

"Well, anyway. It's extremely difficult to leave the Ancient Force Realm. Even Grand Cultivators and Demon Kings need external help to have a fifty percent chance of escaping. The other fifty percent of the time, the result is failing and becoming lost in the Deep Sea."

"Umm..."

I immediately cancel my plan to send Jeon Myeong-hoon, an Integration stage cultivator, to try and pull us out.

"So, Senior, are you saying we can't leave the Ancient Force Realm right now?"

"Well...for now, yes. But wait 2,000 to 3,000 years! By then, I'll have ascended a few people in the Head Realm Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder and risen them to the Four-Axis stage. Then they can pull you out."

"..."

In other words, there's no way but to wait.

'No, it's not even certain that Yeon Wei will have raised cultivators at the Heavenly Being stage in the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.'

The Head Realm has already become barren due to mass ascensions.

Even with Yeon Wei's grand efforts, it's likely they will only reach the Heavenly Being stage.

They won't reach the Four-Axis stage like Jin Byuk-ho, Heo Gwak, or Azure Tiger Saint immediately after ascension.

'So, it could be at least 2,000 to 3,000 years at best, and 5,000 to 6,000 years at worst.'

I sigh deeply.

A regular cultivator might be able to wait, but it's too long for me.

'In just 1,000 years, Kang Min-hee will transform 1/50th of the Bright Cold Realm's Stable Realm into something like the Nether Ghost Realm, and the Mad Lord will reach the Quasi-Star Shattering stage. Jang Ik will also return and kill Kang Min-hee.'

That can't be allowed.

"...Isn't there a faster way?"

"There is. By using the forbidden technique created by the Founder Golden Divine, you can combine the soul and flesh of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples into a monster called Thunder Beast (雷獸). Though it has no intelligence, in its initial immature state, it possesses the attraction force of a Four-Axis stage monster. If I take control of the Thunder Beast's body and ascend, I can pull you all out to the Bright Cold Realm within a month."

"...It's an obvious question, but the disciples merged into the Thunder Beast cannot be reverted, right?"

"That's correct."

Jeon Myeong-hoon glares at Yeon Wei and asks.

"Ancestor, you wouldn't be considering such a thing, would you?"

"Am I crazy? Even the Founder only used that dreadful forbidden technique five times in his life. After using it, he even decreed, 'Unless I personally permit it, this forbidden technique must never be used again.' So, no, I can't do such a thing."

"...That's a relief."

I sigh.

If Yeon Wei had considered it, I would have had Kim Young-hoon's avatar in the Head Realm kill Yeon Wei to stop it, so it's a pointless method anyway.

"...Can't we descend to the Lower Realms through the Flying Immortal Formation made with the Salt Crystal and then ascend again?"

"Oh, if you descend to the Lower Realms with a Salt Crystal, you are 'guaranteed' to ascend back to the Ancient Force Realm."

"...Hooh."

I sigh again.

This won't do.

"For now...I'll try to contact the Grand Cultivator Association of the Human Race Grand Alliance."

If necessary, it's time to even undergo verification by insulting Jang Ik’s ideology to return.

I have to return, save Kang Min-hee, and somehow seal off Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo before Seo Hweol finds his 'eye' again.

I ask Yeon Wei.

"Aside from escaping, is there a way to contact other dimensions?"

"Contacting itself isn't difficult. You use an artifact called a Supervisory Mirror. It's made from Supervisory Jade and it allows you to send your will to other worlds you've visited and are connected to through attraction force. It also has a function like voice transmission to communicate with known individuals..."

"Where can I usually get a Supervisory Mirror?"

She looks at Buk Hyang-hwa and her party.

"Usually, lords of sea domains have it. Ask if they obtained one while conquering a sea domain. Though the Supervisory Mirror is rare, it's not as rare as Salt Crystals, so they probably didn't destroy it."

But Kim Young-hoon smiles awkwardly at those words.

"...That...the palace lords seemed to be requesting support using the mirrors, so I smashed them all and threw them into the Deep Sea."

"..."

"Ah, If I hadn't blocked their requests for support, we would have had a hard time."

I sigh softly.

There's only one way left.

"...Is there anyone out there? Bring Yuk Yo here."

We need both the Salt Crystals and the Supervisory Mirror, and since both are in the hands of palace lords, it makes sense to meet one nearby.

I, to meet the ruler of the Wi Jeong Sea Domain.

To meet the Governing Dragon Palace Lord, Yuk Rin, I call for his daughter, Yuk Yo.

"Ah...are you saying you'll send me back to my father?"

Yuk Yo, with a blank expression, kneels before me under Shi Ho's glare and asks.

"Yes. I plan to return you and the hostages from Governing Dragon Palace, and after receiving some compensation, establish friendly relations."

Despite being a koi, she gapes like a goldfish.

Kim Yeon, Kim Young-hoon, and I read her intent.

'She's only thinking about escaping.'

However, I have no intention of letting Yuk Yo go.

I don't know what kind of trouble this scoundrel fraudster of a carp caused to be on bad terms with the Governing Dragon Palace Lord, but judging from her actions, it's likely to be her fault rather than the Governing Dragon Palace Lord's.

'The reason we even ended up hostile to the Governing Dragon Palace in the first place is because.'