A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 804 Chapter 800: Future King (5)

As I regain my awareness, I realize that I have drifted out of the narrative at some point.

Before my eyes, within the Primordial Chaos, a swarm of insects is seething.

The Blood Insect Demon-Devil Great Method, which he had dispersed across the Head Realm, is manifesting inside the Heavenly Void Furnace as a mass of black insects.

The reason for my exit from the story is clear.

The master of the narrative has granted me leave.

Hong Fan begins to take shape in front of me, gathering the insect bodies to form a physical presence.

In this moment, I finally comprehend why he carries the majestic aura of a sovereign.

"I shall ask you once more."

The Fate Supreme Deity, whose gaze I met within the story, continues his interrogation through Hong Fan's lips.

"Do you refuse to sever our connection because you believe you possess the qualification to remain linked to me?"

A pained smile touches my face.

I am currently within the Heavenly Void Furnace.

Furthermore, this furnace is situated upon the Ascension Path.

Indeed, the Ascension Path itself.

The very place where I have screamed toward the Heavens Above more than anywhere else in my existence.

"It seems you have reclaimed all the memories of your past life, O Heavens."

"Yes. To be precise, it was determined the moment you brought the Radiance Mantra into contact with me."

"You mentioned being bathed in light six times. In the 10th cycle... did you regain your consciousness by touching me, the one who holds the power of regression, while you were still an egg of the mother centipede?"

"Drop the formalities and speak freely. I am well aware of your character, and I foresee that you will eventually speak to me as an equal once you reach the rank of Heavenly King."

...

I am stunned by his ability to instantly see through my deepest habits, yet I have no way to refute it.

"...Fine. Hong Fan."

With a faint smile, I draw upon the clusters of green light to manifest a humanoid form before him.

"To shed the Vestige... does that imply you have departed from the Head Realm?"

I ask this, recalling the words Hong Fan spoke to me during the early stages of this life.

"What you refer to as the Head Realm is merely a storage scroll crafted from the Qi of myself and Hwe-ah. The Absolute of History is preserved there, making it a place where the power of fate cannot easily penetrate. If even fragments of Miracle like yourselves converge there, it creates too many variables for even me to manage. Indeed, it was only after leaving the Head Realm that I slowly regained my reason."

I suspect he could have phrased that better, but perhaps his mind is still unstable since he only recently regained his senses while in an insectile state.

As if reading my mind in real-time, Hong Fan’s gaze grows a bit colder.

"...The one you called Hwe-ah..."

"There is no need for someone like you to know that."

His voice is stern, forbidding any further inquiry regarding Yang Hwe.

"Answer my question."

I...

...I truly resent the Heavens.

How could I have possibly known that Hong Fan was the Heavens themselves?

'No, even if I had known...'

I cannot deny that I was desperate for a scapegoat.

I wanted to project the agony I endured onto someone else, blaming them for my suffering.

I simply didn't realize that the target of my blame was the very connection I hold most dear.

I have been loathing this bond while refusing to let it go.

'Have I... been clinging to this connection all this time just so I had something to resent?'

From Hong Fan's perspective, how pathetic must I seem?

Cursing his face while being unable to release his hand...

But...

"...Even so. I... still do not truly know you."

There are words I must speak.

"Hong Fan. You don't know me either."

Crunch—

Suddenly, my body vanishes, leaving only my head resting in Hong Fan's palm.

I cannot perceive the cause.

I am only left with the result.

"Your past, your present, and your future. I am aware of it all. I know your lineage and every thought you have ever had. I know everything you are destined to do."

"Then... what becomes of me?"

"There are countless futures. Some where you perish this very second, and others where you, as the foremost of the Enders, shatter your own destiny. There is no path I cannot see."

"If that is the case... why do you insist on hearing my answer?"

He remains silent at my question.

"If you truly know and control everything, you could simply force whatever future you desire upon me. Why bother asking for my response?"

"Divine Arts. It is simply a requirement to fulfill the power known as the Great Mantra. Just give me your answer."

"And if I refuse to answer, will the conditions go unfulfilled?"

"That, in itself, is an answer."

"Hahaha."

I find myself laughing, amused by his clever response to my foolish inquiry.

"...Thank you."

I extend my gratitude to Hong Fan.

"For what?"

"For following me."

"I will always follow an Ender like you, whose abilities are enough to influence even me."

"I had an ability!?"

"...Did you really not know?"

"...Regarding your physical form, it is an ability known as the Heavenly Devil Body."

"!?"

The revelation that I possess such a power leaves me stunned.

"What!? For real...? Then why didn't the Black Ghost Valley or the Devilish Immortal Sect Alliance recruit me at the start...?"

Hong Fan stares at me in silence.

Then, he poses another question.

"I will ask this of you again in the future, but I shall ask it now as well. Tell me. Why do you refuse to grasp the power of the Devilish?"

"What?"

"The Heavenly Devil Body requires two conditions to awaken. First, a level of selfishness that views the sacrifice of others as natural. Second, the study of devilish arts."

Remaining as nothing but a head, I blink in confusion at his words.

"Why do you avoid learning devilish arts?"

I remember what Seo Ran told me.

That devilish arts aren't just about absorbing devilish energy; they are built upon the suffering of others.

"Why do you struggle so much to avoid sacrificing others?"

"...Mm."

To be honest, it was never something I consciously decided.

"...Right."

An uncomfortable silence stretches between us.

Hong Fan looks slightly bewildered, perhaps because he cannot read a motive that doesn't exist.

But there’s nothing I can do about it.

If there’s no thought there, I can’t produce one.

I try to come up with a logical explanation.

"Well... since I never ran into devilish arts in my 0th cycle... not using them just became a habit. Later, because of Yuan Li, I grew to loathe them and decided not to learn them, I guess?"

"That is impossible. Many martial arts are essentially devilish arts. In your 0th cycle, there were several opportunities for you to find the Star Draining Great Method in your family's yard, or to stumble upon the Berserk Devilish Art in the market. You could have even learned basic devilish arts by joining the Tuho Gang."

"Ah..."

His words trigger a memory.

In my backyard, near the Ju family's potato patch, I once unearthed a wooden box containing a manual for the Star Draining Great Method.

"I needed capital for my soap business, so I sold it for some pocket change..."

Based on his tone, it seems that manual would have been perfect for me.

'I also remember finding that Berserk Devilish Art in the market...'

But back then, I was too busy being harassed for taxes by Lianshan City officials to care about a book.

I only considered learning martial arts after I started regressing. How was I supposed to think about devilish arts when I was an old man being extorted and slapped by officials?

And as for the Tuho Gang...

Why would I ever join a pack of bandits who stole every grain of rice I owned?

They even took my carefully brewed herbal liquor and my family's seed soy sauce!

Nobody knows the depth of my sorrow on that day.

'No matter how I look at it, there was never a reason for me to learn devilish arts...'

If the world wanted me to be a devil, maybe it should have lowered my taxes first.

Reading my thoughts, Hong Fan lets out a heavy sigh.

"How simplistic."

"Isn't the most precious truth usually simple?"

"You are imperfect and full of contradictions."

Thinking back on my simple life in the 0th cycle, I find a fitting response for him.

"How can a human ever be complete, Hong Fan? To be small, simple, flawed, and contradictory—that is the essence of being a person."

One can love certain parts of something while hating others.

"The Heavens... I didn't spend my whole life just cursing you."

Humans naturally tend to obsess over their worst memories.

But surely...

There are good ones as well.

"There were moments when I was truly grateful to you."

When I first arrived in this world, learned to talk, and found a home.

When my soap business finally succeeded.

When Mrs. Ju got married and had a healthy daughter.

When my liquor and soy sauce fermented perfectly.

When the Ju family threw me a small party for my eightieth birthday before I passed away.

When I first regressed and felt the hope of a new future...

Even after regressing, I have felt sincere gratitude many times.

"A human heart is capable of both love and hate simultaneously... that's how I see it, Hong Fan."

So, I have a heart that treasures Hong Fan as a friend.

And I also have parts of me that despise him as the Heavens.

At the same time, there are moments I want to play a prank on him and shove potatoes down his throat, and...

Times when I am truly thankful to the Heavens.

"So... while I do resent you, I also cherish and trust you. And... that feeling will not fade."

"Then your resentment toward me will not fade either."

"Well... in the world outside, you're currently learning martial arts from me, aren't you? At the very least, the 'you' out there is acting loyal and following my lead."

Hong Fan’s memory spans an eternity.

It has taken trillions of years just to reach this point.

Even the hundred million years that pass in a single day within the Heavenly Void Furnace is an unbearable stretch of time.

Consequently, the version of me outside—the one who doesn't share the furnace's memories—has already lived through several centuries.

That version of me...

Based on the progression of the lightning transformation curse, I likely only have about a hundred years left.

The True Immortal of Heavenly Punishment.

From what I've gathered after merging with the soul fragment of the Torch Candle Heavenly Lord, the 'blessing' placed upon me by the Heavenly Punishment Supreme Deity Do Gon isn't something I can simply break, even with long-term cultivation of the Cutting Principle.

Even with the rapid growth provided by the Heavenly Void Furnace, there are boundaries.

'Unless the version of me inside the furnace, carrying all these memories, goes out to sever it personally... it’s impossible.'

The me on the outside is too insignificant to break the chains of Heavenly Punishment.

Yet, that weak version of me is currently tutoring the Future King and Fate Supreme Deity, Hong Fan Gu Ju.

I am teaching Martial Arts to the Master of Mount Sumeru.

"You said it yourself, didn't you, Hong Fan? That Martial Arts is a tool for killing, while self-improvement and enlightenment are found through Immortal Cultivation?"

"I did."

"There is a proverb: do not be too tight, nor too loose."

A middle path that finds harmony between extremes.

Coming from the Buddha of Earth, it’s likely a profound truth.

"It can certainly be used for killing. But... it can also be a path to self-cultivation, much like Immortal Cultivation. It holds values beyond slaughter. I believe that finding the balance between those values and reflecting on oneself... that is the essence of Martial Arts..."

"My feelings for you follow that same logic. I resent you, and as you said, that won't change. But my trust and affection for you won't vanish either. If we can maintain a balance... sharing a bond that is neither too loose nor too tight, isn't that a good connection?"

"I won't be the one to break this bond. If you decide to cut it, I can't stop you, but I won't be the first to let go. I am just a simple, ordinary man. I don't easily abandon what I've gained."

If this were a toxic connection like Yuan Li, the Makli Clan, or the Tuho Gang—where I was only mistreated—it would be different.

But we have shared both good and bad.

That is the nature of my friendship with Hong Fan, and my relationship with the Heavens.

"What if everything I ever gave you was born of pure malice?"

Hong Fan looks down at me with an expressionless face.

His eyes are void of light, filled only with an infinite emptiness and self-hatred.

"I orchestrated your meeting with Buk Hyang-hwa and made you fall in love. I ordained the exact moment of her death. I am the creator who fashioned you 'Enders' as mere playthings. You are nothing but dolls to me."

Kugugugugu!

Why is this happening?

It feels as though my words have offended Hong Fan.

"After witnessing the entire story, do you still dare to speak of balance in my presence?"

Woo-woooong—

The narrative begins to unfold once more.

However, perhaps fearing I would lose my mind if I saw the Future King's true form again...

He simplifies the history, presenting it in a way a mortal mind can grasp.

The boy who would become the Future King moves into the eleventh chapter of the tale.

Flutterflutterflutter—

The pages of countless books fly past, showing me the condensed chronicle of the Future King's rise.

The Hong Fan who becomes the Future King demands restitution.

From that day forth, he begins to engage in true regression.

He seizes total control over the Radiance Mantra, using his authority as the Future King to dismantle and rebuild it from scratch.

He crafts a mantra capable of truly altering the course of history.

Tsuaaaaat—

He regresses.

As a result, the timeline diverges.

The streams of time flow together, coalescing into a specific form.

It is the physical vessel of the former Creator God.

'I understand now.'

Through this, Hong Fan realizes a truth.

'The predecessor is returning.'

However, it is not a resurrection of the same sentient absolute being.

They will likely return as an impersonal force of nature.

Yet, even as an impersonal god, they will carry the predecessor's will...

Once again, that will shall be imposed upon the Supreme Deities and True Emperors.

All to force them to debate and find the ultimate answer.

"An answer, I see..."

He can no longer evade his duties.

Hong Fan, who once looked to higher beings for answers, has become the ultimate authority who must provide them.

Furthermore, he must honor his vow to the gods of good to guide others and help them ascend as True Emperors.

But he discovers a frustrating reality.

"A True Emperor is forbidden from interfering in the ascension of another True Emperor..."

This appears to be a safeguard left by the predecessor to prevent an established True Emperor from simply manufacturing more Emperors who share their specific ideology.

Of course, Hong Fan sees plenty of ways to circumvent this rule.

"I can fulfill my promise by finding a loophole. But... if I do, who should I choose to support?"

According to the predecessor's will, the candidate must first be someone fundamentally different from himself.

"By whose metric is 'different' measured? I have no need for such a rule."

The predecessor's will speaks again.

It must be someone with whom he shares very little connection.

"Who decides the depth of a connection? In this reality, I am the only standard. That rule is also useless."

The will speaks a third time.

It must be a sacred being, pure enough to be recognized by the Absolute.

"What does it mean to be sacred?"

A brilliance that blinds the eyes, or a depravity that turns the stomach.

That is the definition of sacredness that Hong Fan identifies.

"Does that imply an ordinary soul cannot reach such heights...?"

Hong Fan chooses to ignore the predecessor's will entirely.

"Anyone can become vile enough to cause nausea. Anyone can become noble enough to dazzle the world."

He wants to believe that beings like him aren't born special; rather, everyone carries that potential within them...

"From this moment... I shall begin the process of selecting new Emperors."

Under the title of the Origin Essence of Radiance—a power that flows from him and now serves him—Hong Fan begins to cast his light over Mount Sumeru.

While supporting the members of Heuk Sa Hall, he forms a new organization under his command.

He names it the Radiance Hall.

It is comprised of the remnants of Heuk Sa Hall and the virtuous souls Hong Fan has gathered to find the next True Emperor.

Once the foundation of the Radiance Hall is secure, Hong Fan turns back the clock.

Stepping into a new timeline, he begins to rewrite history itself.

The reason is simple.

'Because I wish to build this world alongside you...'