A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 809 Chapter 805: Final Regression

Kurururu—

This being surges with utter disorder.

Ultimately, Hong Fan couldn't forge or grant the Absolute of Hope.

Thus, even though the entity standing before him was meant to develop a persona and emerge as the Creator God named Yang Hwe,

Seo Eun-hyun, who triumphed over Hong Fan through his sheer power and cast him aside, ultimately neither forged nor claimed the Absolute of Hope.

Indeed.

In the end, the figure right there...

...isn't Seo Eun-hyun at all.

That fused entity of Seo Eun-hyun, Bong Hwa, and the Absolute of Fate...

Demands a fresh name, something entirely birthed from boundless power.

And Hong Fan grasps that this all-powerful being is scanning the chronicles etched into their essence.

They delve into the most ancient records, using them to shape their own identity.

After a while,

The being solidifies its sense of self.

: : My child. : :

Hong Fan comprehends its identity.

"Predecessor..."

The former Creator God.

The initial Creator who shaped this realm.

That's right...

It's the entity Hong Fan despises above all, the one he views as the root of every wrong.

"Why... why did you reach that conclusion...? Why...? With your omniscience and omnipotence, couldn't you foresee such an outcome?"

: : I foresaw it. That's the essence of omniscience and omnipotence. : :

With a gentle tone, they draw near Hong Fan and grasp his hand.

A reversal of the 16th cycle's events.

"Then... was my entire path something you orchestrated...?"

: : No. You understand that too, don't you, my child? : :

The all-powerful entity caresses Hong Fan's head.

Before he realizes, Hong Fan's beard has vanished.

As Kim Yeon manipulates the Immortal Cultivation system to restore Spring to him, he reverts to a youthful form, and from youth, he grows even younger still.

Hong Fan...

...is transforming into the visage he dreads most.

He regresses to his boyhood.

: : These paths were choices you made through your own resolve. : :

"My own resolve...? My birth in this form... you're claiming it all stemmed from my own will...?"

: : That one known as Seo Eun-hyun has already provided the response to your query. : :

It gleams in pristine white.

The Creator God manifests as turbulent disorder in humanoid shape, an odd fusion of omnipotence blending black, yellow, and every hue of the celestial palette.

Yet simultaneously...

They radiate the tenderness Hong Fan yearned for deepest.

: : You can't forgive your own joy, and you've pushed yourself to this extreme; isn't that the truth? : :

"..."

: : I sought to craft a realm where all embrace each other and acknowledge one another's flaws. : :

"...So this Gestation World is the result. So a True Emperor must treat the realm like playthings, huh?"

: : The realm isn't playthings. You could have journeyed to the domains of other Creator Gods, and you had plenty of chances to explore various worlds beyond this one, sharing your essence with them, right? : :

"..."

: : Child. There's just one cause for your past and present unhappiness. It's simply... your inability to face your true self. : :

Tears stream from Hong Fan's eyes.

Tsuaaaaat!

The Formless Poison that Seo Eun-hyun instilled within him.

He evaded it briefly at the cost of the 16th cycle, but ultimately, the toxin surges forth.

No, it's no toxin.

Deep down, he recognizes it too.

This represents...

The heartfelt bond from one who cherishes him.

: : Rely solely on yourself as the beacon of truth and live by that alone. You grasp why that one called Seo Eun-hyun uttered those words to you, correct? : :

Finally, Hong Fan collapses into wrenching sobs.

"What... what should I have done...? What exactly was I supposed to do, and how...?"

Hong Fan weeps before the Creator God confronting him.

"I'm demanding why you fashioned such a realm to begin with...!"

: : My child. : :

The all-powerful one appears to smile.

At once, they seem to weep as well.

: : To take only yourself as the lamp—it signifies that you are the lamp itself. : :

"So...?"

: : And... it also means everyone else possesses their own lamp. : :

The all-powerful one draws steadily nearer to Hong Fan.

: : We all-powerful beings deem ourselves flawless. We believe we hold every solution, yet even we don't always possess the right one. No matter how near it edges to truth, if someone rejects it, for them it's no truth at all. Thus... the genuine solution emerges from exchanges among the flawed. When myriad individuals view themselves as lamps, and those lights share their inner fires... that's exactly what guides toward true resolution. : :

"I can't accept it... I can't comprehend it...! I...!"

: : My child. And I'm not here to dictate solutions, convince you, or condemn you. : :

"...What...?"

: : I am a being who has already traversed this once. A being who, by choice, relinquished all and transferred it to you. It's merely that... seeing a child like you weep so bitterly, I'm just a presence returning for one final farewell. : :

The being Hong Fan labeled the prior Creator God.

The all-powerful one.

Or more precisely...

The World itself approaches Hong Fan.

: : My child. Hear me clearly. I am about to depart far away. : :

"What... what does that signify...?"

Will they fracture anew into the Three Absolutes, reliving that endless war-torn realm, that infernal nightmare?

Do they imply an eternal loop of regressions?

: : Nothing like that. Yet henceforth, you might require my presence. But then, I may be unable to manifest again and offer guidance. No... perhaps it's ever been thus. I've never fully been your constant solution. : :

"..."

: : But etch this in your mind. Heed the lamp within your heart, and trust the truth residing in you. I've always dwelled within you. I've fragmented and become you all. So whenever you seek counsel from me... attend to your heart's voice. And lend an ear to the other hearts that illuminate your path. : :

He fails to grasp their talk of departure, yet one truth dawns on him.

Always...

The solution lies nearest at hand.

Simply.

Had he followed his heart's pull, outcomes could have shifted entirely.

Had he embraced without chasing justifications, that alone might have sufficed.

Had he pursued joy over calamity, things might have varied slightly.

Had he not condemned himself as a slayer, insisting his tainted hands couldn't restore Yang Hwe and thus opting for the Absolute...

Had he simply revived Yang Hwe, conversed with her, shared views, and lingered in that imperfect exchange for ages...

Things might have differed.

Hong Fan's primal flaw is his endless quest for rationale in all matters.

He discerns the message the all-powerful one conveys.

This realm holds no singular solution.

Nor does anyone need to embody it.

As long as exchanges occur and mutual acceptance blooms...

Whatever form it takes, with a Creator God embedded within, it becomes a solution.

: : I depart now. But prior to that, I have something to entrust to you. Unable to leave it with that one named Seo Eun-hyun, I'll deliver it personally. : :

The chaotic, all-powerful presence in humanoid guise...

Draws near the now boyish Hong Fan.

: : That one called Bong Hwa wished to convey this to you. Had opportunity arisen in this manner... had she stood as your equal, knowing all, she claims she'd have done so anytime. Shut your eyes, young Gu Ju. : :

He shuts his eyes.

Hong Fan Gu Ju, amid his shattered existence, senses warmth blooming in the Gestation World.

A soft kiss grazes his lips.

Hong Fan's eyes flutter open.

Hwiooooo—

Seo Eun-hyun hasn't morphed into the prior Creator God.

All remains as it was mere instants prior.

Through a True Emperor's perception...

He perceives the recent events as mere hallucination.

The predecessor didn't resurrect.

Nor did he fully revert to boyhood.

He's aged slightly backward, yet his beard lingers partially.

He's just a somewhat more youthful man now.

Nothing truly transpired; his mind merely wandered briefly and returned.

Before him stands only Seo Eun-hyun, midway to Creator Godhood.

'I understand.'

Whether the vision held reality or not,

Hong Fan abruptly deems it irrelevant.

He himself...

...faces impending judgment.

That's the sole matter of weight.

Uruung, urururung!

Yet Seo Eun-hyun falters in managing the Absolutes of Fate, History, and Miracle.

Should this persist, he seems perilously volatile, on the verge of detonation.

Though evolving into a Creator God, he remains unfinished.

Always...

A figure who seems in need of aid.

That...

...is his Lord.

"Breathe deeply."

Hong Fan parts his lips and starts assisting Seo Eun-hyun.

Seo Eun-hyun glances at Hong Fan briefly, showing astonishment.

But shortly, he inquires.

: : What do you intend? : :

"By rashly pushing to become a Creator God without readiness, just to thwart my scheme, you'll lose control of everything and perish. Persisting this way, you won't master the Absolutes, and your essence along with Bong Hwa's will shatter. From that, an impersonal omnipotent god would arise. I don't wish Bong Hwa's demise either, so I'm aiding you."

: : ...Very well. If it's to assist me, then guide me. : :

Perhaps nearing omniscience via the Origin Essence of Omnipotence, Seo Eun-hyun seeks Hong Fan's counsel.

He's likely sensed Hong Fan harbors no more enmity.

"Inhale deeply, draw chaos into your form, and position the Absolutes in your lower, middle, and upper dantians in turn. Then, envision the chaos flowing from lower dantian through middle to upper."

Seo Eun-hyun inhales.

The chaos flows per Hong Fan's guidance.

"Chant the mantra. Heaven, Earth, and Man united form the all. Split the all into three: Heaven, Earth, and Man."

: : Heaven, Earth, and Man combined are... : :

In that instant, Seo Eun-hyun eyes Hong Fan.

Awareness strikes him at once.

This is a streamlined variant of the mantra inscribed on the Heavenly Void Furnace's exterior.

And...

Only then does he remember its origin.

: : Heaven-Earth-Heart Method? : :

"...I devised it. From my own struggles to ascend as Creator God. The mantra to embrace all Absolutes—that's the Heaven-Earth-Heart Method."

Heaven-Earth-Heart Method.

The basic, low-tier internal energy technique martial artists in the Head Realm Martial Arts world employ.

No, it's scarcely worthy of the name internal energy technique, merely laying a faint dantian base.

With it alone, no true internal energy cultivation occurs; it's just a foundational heart method granting mortal-level resilience.

"If even a Creator God requires a realm mantra, it's likely All (凡). Present everywhere and nowhere. We all... might have held the truth all along."

As Hong Fan utters this, he finds his own words absurd.

"I... am such a fool."

Shame washes over him toward the Creator Gods of adjacent realms.

With the solution so evident, how circuitously had he wandered?

He needed only to seek within himself, yet he ventured this far.

The solution wasn't distant.

Merely...

He chose not to embrace it.

If he'd genuinely sought imperfection and mutual affection, he could have abdicated True Emperor status by any path.

It was a far simpler resolution than elevating Yang Hwe to Creator God.

He is an imperfect being.

Yet he denied that, chasing utter perfection instead, rendering such creation impossible.

Yes.

Refusing to accept himself.

That's Hong Fan's core transgression.

Kurururur—

Seo Eun-hyun draws in the three Absolutes.

And then, in a fleeting instant.

Seo Eun-hyun ascends to Absolute One.

Hong Fan observes Seo Eun-hyun's features fading again, replaced by chaotic omnipotence.

"Now, render your verdict on me. My Lord. I've fallen to you, ready for any outcome."

The entity before him embodies omnipotence.

Though not the Bong Hwa he desired...

It's still akin to the being he yearned for.

Then, the newly Absolute One, Seo Eun-hyun, regards Hong Fan and lifts his hand.

Woo-ooooong!

"...Lord..."

And Hong Fan's eyes widen in shock.

Wiiiiiiing!

It shines as light.

And manifests as a blade.

He clutches his head and swings that blade down.

Kwaaaaaaaang!!!

Heaven and Earth resound in harmony, while the Gestation World cries out.

"My Lord...!!!! What in the world are you doing!!???"

Hong Fan flails in alarm.

With his own hand, Seo Eun-hyun rips free the Origin Essence of Omnipotence, merging Omniscience, Sincerity, and Totality.

Wiiiiiiing!

The Origin Essence of Omnipotence rests in Seo Eun-hyun's grasp, but soon, severed from the Absolute One, its divine glow fades into a rough form.

It resembles the three Absolutes crudely intertwined.

A form where black, yellow, and celestial hues form offset, tangled rings.

It even evokes a crown.

And Hong Fan comprehends Seo Eun-hyun's intent, bellowing at full force.

"Seo!!! Eun!!! Hyun!!!

Jjeooooooong!

Seo Eun-hyun's blade cleaves the tricolored crown.

It severs the bond between the Origin Essence of Omnipotence and the Gestation World.

Right away, Seo Eun-hyun, without pause, flings that Origin Essence of Omnipotence beyond the Gestation World,

Hurling it to some remote otherworld.

"Ah... Aaah... Aaaaaah..."

"This is the verdict I deliver to you, Hong Fan."

Tsuaaaaaat!

Simultaneously, from Seo Eun-hyun's form, Bong Hwa and the other Enders emerge.

The merger unravels.

Yet as Hong Fan gazes at Seo Eun-hyun, a subtle hope stirs.

He definite