A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 410: Regressor (回歸者)

Flutterflutterflutterflutter—

The Black Ancient Paper flutters in the wind before my eyes.

I stare blankly at the contract written on the Black Ancient Paper.

The Heavenly Venerable of Time will rewind my time to before my comrades were slaughtered, and in return, I will reveal my fate to the Heavenly Venerable of Time when I realize it.

I can return.

To that time!

To the time when I had not yet lost my connections.

I tremble in the ashen world.

The idea of returning doesn't evoke any emotion in me.

It will fix the uncontrollable death regression time!

Thump, thump—

I clutch my trembling heart.

"Ah..."

I understand.

"Ah..."

I...

Can never refuse this offer.

"Ahhh...!"

My vision blurs.

I am someone who has lived for 190,000 years.

I am someone who thought I tempered myself in pain and nothingness.

Now that the Star Shattering stage is just ahead, I am someone who thought has become stronger than ever.

But now, I finally understand.

"Aaaaah! Aaaaaaah, aaaaaah...!"

From the tips of my fingers to the deepest depths of my chest, I tremble. And from that tremor, and the tears that flow from it, I understand.

Humans, no matter how strong or weak,

In the face of hope, they are beings that become so very fragile.

Both my words and Yeon Wei's were wrong.

This world is neither filled with hope nor only with despair.

Hope itself is the sweetest despair.

How many times have I wished for this?

Again and again, time after time, I have imagined myself returning to my comrades' side.

"C-Can I really return...?"

I prostrate myself.

I bow.

No, if he was human, I would have been willing to lick his feet.

Even if he wasn't a human but a beast, it wouldn't have mattered.

"Can I!? Can I really return to that time!?"

With bloodshot eyes, I ask with a desperation that could never be repeated.

And the answer comes.

[Indeed.]

Deeeeeng—

From somewhere, it rings.

The sound of a giant brahma bell echoes throughout the Heavenly Domain.

Puhak!

At the same time, something rises from beneath my feet, and something descends from above.

In an instant, it's as if Heaven and Earth are being split in two.

Kuung!

It's a giant compass.

No, it also resembles a sundial.

At the same time, it looks like some kind of device that marks the celestial bodies of the universe.

It's a compass that calculates the bearings and coordinates of the universe, a clock that measures time through light, and the Essence (精華) of the Calendar Method (曆法) that determines the calendar of Heaven, Earth, and all phenomena. 

It's as if all things in the universe and the starlight of the cosmos are converging on the center of this bizarre yet sacred structure. 

Before conversing with the Heavenly Venerable of Time, I briefly recall the Throne of Galaxy I saw.

Kugugugugung!

In hindsight, it wasn't a throne.

It's merely one of the countless axes of the celestial globe formed by the river of stars.

Puhak!

My eyes burst, and blood pours down.

Jiiing—

My head is ringing.

At the shock that feels as if my brain is going to shut down, I tremble uncontrollably with my mouth clamped shut.

Pasasasa—

Before me, the ashes that formed from the now-weathered peach blossom spring paradise clump together, and the Heavenly Venerable of Time returns to his human form.

The human figure briefly gazes at me, then bows towards [somewhere].

'Ah...aghh...'

Now, I finally understand.

Paaaat!

The human form of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

In an instant, it transforms into the South Polar Compass and is then absorbed into the gigantic structure before me.

The being I have been conversing with until now is not the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

Isn't it absurd from the start?

If he is the Heavenly Venerable of Time, does it make any sense that the main body of the Heavenly Venerable of Time has been carrying me around on his back throughout all the corners of the universe for 190,000 years to open my Star Vein Eye?

Starlight begins to gradually fill the structure.

My head explodes, and my brain matter spills out.

However, even so, I can not die.

My time is fixed here, as if I can never proceed beyond death, even if my domain, soul, and consciousness all shatter.

At the same time, I am able to understand.

About [the being I have been conversing with until just now].

About [the being who introduced himself to me as the Heavenly Venerable of Time and tested me].

It is not the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

I recall the words of Jin Ma-yeol.

That the [Heavenly Craftsman] created an immortal treasure for the [God of Calendar] to contain the being's strength.

Indeed.

The being I have been conversing with until now is the Immortal Treasure (仙寶) of the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

A proxy of a God.

No, to be exact, it's merely an incarnation of the proxy.

I have never once spoken directly with the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

I have only discussed a contract with the incarnation of their proxy.

As I cling to it, finally, the proxy of the Heavenly Venerable—

The God's Immortal Treasure reveals its true form.

Jiiing—

My head hurts.

Clang, clang, clang...

The moment I gaze upon [Its] true form, I am struck once again with the impact that feels as if my very domain is collapsing.

[Its] true form is a celestial globe forged from the river of stars, a vessel capable of containing an entire Heavenly Domain.

Knowledge, along with [A Name], flows into my mind.

The Immortal Treasure (仙寶) of the God of Time.

The Southern Polar Ritual Treasure (南極寶儀), Yeong Seung (令升).

Unable to die, with my upper body completely obliterated and only my soul remaining, I kneel and scream in despair before the majesty of [Yeong Seung (令升)].

Kiiiiiing—

Gazing upon [It], countless possibilities of time flow into my mind.

Jiiiiiing—

Failing to follow Kim Young-hoon, the possibility of spending a thousand years researching soap and reaching the pinnacle of soap.

Surrendering to Yuan Li and becoming his disciple, the possibility of ascending to the Blood Yin Realm then invading the Bright Cold Realm, tearing out and eating Kang Min-hee's heart to advance to the Star Shattering stage.

Or after believing that the Immortal Treasure of the God of Time is actually the Heavenly Venerable of Time until the very end, the possibility of being mocked until the very end and eventually being forced to stamp the contract under the threat of the Immortal Treasure, leading to my twentieth return.

Countless possibilities flow before me.

But those aren't what's important.

What's terrifying are the [symbols] etched on Yeong Seung's path!

[Black Snake Biting Its Tail]

[Mountain (山) Exuding Darkness]

[Taiji In The Shape Of A Fetus]

[Black Sun]

[Bird Trapped In A Cage]

[Sun And Moon Pair Of Eyes]

[Lightning Spear]

[White Wheel]

[Six Interconnected Stars]

[Transparent Seed]

[Blackened Three Great Ultimates]

Eleven symbols in total are engraved in a grand scale.

Some of them are shining brightly, but the [Black Snake] and [Sun and Moon Eyes] do not emit any light, and although the [Lightning Spear] and [Fetus] are glowing, their light is extremely faint.

Pasasasasa—

The world seems to be turning white.

Through the [symbol], that being [beyond] is watching me!

The [Owner of Great Mountain] is observing me through the mark of the Mountain (山).

: : Are   You   There? : :

With that 'will,' the gaze that is upon me vanishes.

But I can tell.

My entire body breaks out in chills!

They are coming.

Deeeeeng—

Once again, the sound of the brahma bell echoes throughout the entire universe.

It's a sound originating from the center of the structure before me, from where the starlight is converging.

Tststststs—

The elderly figure appears before me once again.

But this is not the same old man who appeared earlier.

With light and shadow rotating around its entire body, it's something trying to clumsily mimic a human.

The body of [something mimicking a human] twists.

It looks as though an existence beyond mortality is awkwardly adjusting its form to communicate with a mere mortal like me.

The incarnation of the Immortal Treasure that has been conversing with me just moments ago, the South Polar Compass.

I realize that It's now ceasing to reveal itself as an incarnation, and instead is preparing to converse with me as the main body of the Immortal Treasure Yeong Seung.

: : On behalf of the Lord, I shall ask you. : :

It asks.

: : Will you make the contract with the Lord? : :

Paaaatt!

My body reverses once more.

My body and domain, which gazed upon the fragments of distant existences, is beginning to recover as if time is turning back.

I want to go insane.

No, I want to lose my mind, drooling saliva, and sob uncontrollably.

But I can't.

The being before me is forbidding even that and is forcing me to answer.

"...I...I..."

With my entire body trembling, I weep.

I must answer.

I must answer.

Isn't the great one before me waiting for an answer?

And then, it happens.

Jiiiiiing—

Once again, something resonates.

And I understand.

This is not a headache ringing in my head.

Rather, it's something resonating deep within my chest.

That's right, this is...

'Ah...'

It's the Colorless Glass Sword I have harmonized with for 190,000 years.

A wave coming from [somewhere] connected to that Colorless Glass Sword!

That wave is awakening my mind.

When the wave reaches its peak, I can momentarily see a vision.

It's a woman in white stroking a jade-colored deer.

No, I am mistaken.

What she is stroking is a jade-colored norigae.

She looks at me and says something.

—Was what I just gave you also a curse?

The memory of that moment soaks my chest.

With that, I snap awake.

For some reason, the overwhelming presence of Yeong Seung, who is intimidating me, no longer seems to matter.

"...O Great One"

: : Speak. : :

"The Great One said if I make the contract, you will turn back time, correct?"

: : That is correct. : :

"One thing, may this lowly one inquire?"

I bow and prostrate myself before It.

"If time were to return, and I were to meet those comrades from that time, will they be the ones I long for?"

: : ...: :

"Please grant me the answer."

It does not respond.

From [Its] silence, I can be certain.

I already knew.

It's something I have known for a long time.

It's a fact I have learned from repeatedly returning back in time.

No matter how many times time reverses, I can never return to the time I wish for.

An ironic paradox.

There is a person who lost someone they love.

They regress and arrive at the point just before losing their loved one.

But is the 'one they lost' and the 'one they loved' truly the same being?

Absolutely not.

The one who returned was together with the 'one they lost' until their death, but the 'one they loved' after returning is someone who has not experienced their own death. 

In other words, unless the 'one they lost' also regresses together with the one who returned, no matter how many times the regressor returns, they can never meet the one they seek.

Even if it is just a matter of seconds difference between whether they were slaughtered or not, as in the proposal from the Immortal Treasure before me, the result is the same.

I think of Kim Young-hoon, who resisted until the very end.

I think of Buk Hyang-hwa, who sought Kim Yeon and also sought my help.

I think of Oh Hyun-seok, who died without even being able to hurl swears.

I think of Seo Ran, who was devoured so absurdly and pointlessly. 

And I think of my dear friend, who promised to watch over me as long as I remember him.

If I were to return to the past, I would be returning to a time before they met those ends.

In that case, just how am I supposed to remember their final moments?

Does that mean they couldn't be with me in their final moments?

Indeed.

It's a matter of just a few seconds.

No, even a difference of one second is the same.

The being one second later is inevitably different from the being one second earlier.

Because I am so painfully aware of this more than anyone else, I had to let her go.

Because I am so painfully aware of this more than anyone else, I couldn't bring myself to ask the one I loved so dearly to come with me, and could only leave her with a norigae.

"If...you truly wish to send me back, then send all my comrades back as well. If not, I will not enter into any contract with you!"

Only now do I understand.

Thanks to the vibration of the Colorless Glass Sword, no.

Thanks to her, with whom I exchanged hearts—no.

Thanks to all the connections that have taken root within me, I am able to realize this.

Including Yang Su-jin's words, all the connections I have accumulated until now are telling me.

The time that has passed can never return.

And the words spoken can never be taken back.

In that case, neither the fate that has been uttered can be reversed.

My fate is my fate, and my connections are my connections.

And my time is my time.

What has passed has meaning in itself.

No matter how painful it may be, I will accept it!

I will not trade my time that has passed as an object of a transaction!

"I will not return to that time."

: : ...: :

After a brief pause, the Solar Polas Compass looking at me, Yeong Seung, speaks to me.

: : That is not allowed. : :

It's just as I am about to say something.

Daeeng—

I hear the third ring of the brahma bell.

Kuung!

Yeong Seung's main body begins to move.

Countless trajectories and symbols on the Celestial Globe undergo myriad transformations as its orbit changes.

I can feel it.

Each time Yeong Seng's main body moves, the star vein of the Heavenly Domain changes in real-time!

At the same time, Yeong Seung, who has been considerately adjusting [Its] level before me, reveals Its full might once again.

I once more go mad and wail.

But I don't simply lose my mind.

Jiiiiiing—

Holding the Colorless Glass Sword and with a desperate will, I manage to prevent myself from stamping the contract in front of me.

I'm going to die now.

That much is certain.

It's only natural, given that I provoked a transcendent being.

I don't leave out the possibility of being tortured for hundreds of millions of years before dying.

But even so!

This one thing, I am sure of.

"I!"

Even amidst the impact that feels as if my entire body is being crushed, I scream.

"Am not wrong!"

Waduduk!

I feel my arm being plucked off.

Then, a colossal will forcibly takes my arm and stamps the black paper with it.

The contract on the black paper has already changed at some point.

—By the authority of the Servant (????) of Time, the Ender is to be regressed by 1 gak (15 minutes).

As I see those words, I lose consciousness within a searing pain that turns my mind blank.

A world shrouded in ashen dust clouds.

There, an old man in white robes is wailing.

Before his eyes, a black piece of paper flutters.

The old man is howling within the dust cloud world, and moves as if obeying the meaning of a voice that resonates throughout the world.

But at a certain moment, the old man ceases his howling.

And with clear eyes, he speaks.

"I will not return!"

Within the dust clouds.

The owner of the voice speaking to the old man falls silent for a moment before driving him to madness.

In that state of madness, the old man is led to stamp the contract.

But in the end, he does not stamp it.

Eventually, the owner of the voice, who has taken the form of an elderly man's appearance,

The God of Time's Immortal Treasure,

Yeong Seung of the South Polar Compass, cuts the old man's hand and forces his seal onto the contract.

The contents of the contract have already been changed at some point.

—By the authority of the Servant (????) of Time, the Ender is to be regressed by 1 gak.

The old man dies.

And Yeong Seung's eyes glow.

Daeeng—

With the sound of the brahma bell ringing, starting from the center of Yeong Seung's main body, the sound of the universe's star vein changing echoes.

Among the countless orbits and needles attached to Yeong Seung's body, the needle labeled 'Reforming Calendar' seems to glow red.

: : Red (赤) is essentially a cycle (循環). : :

As the countless star veins seem to cycle, the time within the space they occupy reverses in an instant.

And, the old man who just died comes back to life once again and wails.

This time, Yeong Seung tries with yet another method to persuade the old man.

But in the end, the old man's eyes clear once more, and he rejects Yeon Seung's offer.

Time reverses again, and the cycle repeats.

In the midst of it all, Yeong Seung mutters with a solemn gaze.

: : Keep refusing. : :

Dong—

The brahma bell rings, and time within the domain of the Heavenly Venerable of Time reverses.

: : This is the Lord's domain. Within this place, we can repeat as many times as necessary. : :

A certain madness seems to flicker in Yeong Seung's eyes.

: : For my Lord's safe return, I will do anything. : :

Dong—

Once again, from the center of the starlight within Yeong Seung's body, the sound of the brahma bell echoes.

Time reverses once more, and this time, another attempt at persuasion is made.

But the result is the same.

At first, Seo Eun-hyun seems to cry and cling to Yeong Seung, but soon he regains his senses and rejects [Its] proposal.

No matter how many times it repeats, the outcome is the same.

Finally, when the number of small-scale regressions within the time domain reaches a hundred, 

Only then does Yeong Seung realize that something is wrong.

It ta