A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 825 Chapter 822: Side Story - New Fate and Upheaval (3)

Amid the enveloping gloom.

Drifting in a haze inside his own depths of unawareness, Makli Hyun-ah ponders hazily.

'What's happening out there...? How much longer must I linger in this unconscious void? Isn't there any escape...?'

Right then,

All of a sudden, something draws near to the realm of his unawareness...

Makli Hyun-ah senses an approach invading his territory.

Chwarak, chwararararak!

Before long, flooding into Makli Hyun-ah's vision come endless 'chains'.

"You are...?"

Makli Hyun-ah startles in shock while staring at the chains.

Prior to blacking out, he vaguely recalled glimpsing something akin to this.

And as a voice, buzzing like it's infested with bugs, resonates from the chains' core,

A chill erupts across Makli Hyun-ah's entire form, raising goosebumps everywhere.

[I go by ■■, and from this day forward, I'll share your dwelling. Pleased to make your acquaintance. So this is the Extreme Ghost Path Body...? Should the level and prerequisites align perfectly, I might even bring my true form down to this lower world...!]

"Wh-Who are you? How did you breach my unawareness?"

[I am...a servant of the Lord. One who offers you strength.]

For some odd reason, Makli Hyun-ah detects a mocking laughter emanating from the entity behind the chains.

[Crave power? Embrace me. My Lord commands every form of might... He grants whatever your heart desires. Come...grasp my hand. In doing so, all shall be yours...!]

The words carry an enchanting allure that draws souls inexorably, and Makli Hyun-ah, yearning for the might to vanquish the bear and a cultivation level to reunite with his sister Lee Seo-ah, finds his hand extending toward those chains against his will.

That's precisely when it strikes.

—Snap out of it, Makli Hyun-jok!

Jegal Mikhail's yell jolts Makli Hyun-ah back to clarity.

[Ahahaha... Can a mere spark of insanity achieve that? Excellent. It'll be a spectacle once you hit the Heavenly Being stage!]

—Makli Hyun-jok, retreat! Flee now! Escape and regain your composure!

Jegal Mikhail's apparition grips Makli Hyun-ah's awareness firmly and soars away to some distant place, while the being past the chains observes their flight and unleashes a barrage of chains in pursuit.

[Such folly. Oh fledgling destiny, do you truly believe that innate robust fate and wonders alone suffice to defy me...? Submit to power and dominion without resistance. That's my Lord's will!]

Chwararararak!

As the pursuing chains close in, Makli Hyun-ah steadies his racing pulse and glances at Jegal Mikhail's apparition guiding him onward.

"Mister Jegal Mikhail...what...is happening? Am I hallucinating you because of the trauma from watching you perish before me, or are you genuinely...existing within my mind...?"

An apparition far too lifelike.

A stare brimming with unmistakable sentience forces Makli Hyun-ah to voice that query.

Elevating Makli Hyun-ah beyond the chains' reach, Jegal Mikhail's form carries him to the edge of the unawareness.

Toward the remote zone where a brilliant white glow shines.

—...Perhaps...

Jegal Mikhail, oddly enough, offers a melancholic grin.

—Upon attaining the Heavenly Being stage, you'll uncover the truth.

With the light shimmering just ahead, Jegal Mikhail's apparition hurls Makli Hyun-ah's awareness toward the consciousness's frontier with utmost force.

Witnessing this, Makli Hyun-ah cries out.

"Mister Jegal Mikhail, explain! Why do you persist within me!?"

—Haha...uttering lines like that isn't suave or alluring.

As distance grows, Jegal Mikhail's apparition regards Makli Hyun-ah and, curiously, curves into a poignant smile.

—Unravel it on your own. This Penglai Star might prove harsher than you imagine.

"Mister Jegal Mikhail!!"

Tsuaaaaaat!

Makli Hyun-ah beholds Jegal Mikhail's apparition fading into obscurity and at last breaks free from the shadowy expanse of his unawareness.

***

"Heok!"

Yet again, an unfamiliar ceiling looms above.

"...It's like I just emerged from a dream..."

Makli Hyun-ah recalls spotting Makli Cheon-sa and Jegal Mikhail in that dream.

Though it seems dreamlike, the details slip from his memory.

He senses a grave exchange with Jegal Mikhail occurred, yet every bit has vanished.

"Aish, you thick-headed fool...haaah, never mind. What's the point of such a dream?"

With that thought, Makli Hyun-ah cautiously surveys his surroundings.

"Where am I...? Don't say we fell to the Seogyeong Makli Clan, got merged, and I was seized and dragged here."

Thankfully, that doubt clears up swiftly.

"Ah, Makli Hyun-ah. You're awake?"

Makli Nobi enters the chamber and inquires.

'From his look and hue, it appears nothing too grave happened:'

Having possessed an uncanny knack for sensing others' vibes since childhood, Makli Hyun-ah discerns from the atmosphere that things aren't dire.

"Oh, Senior Makli Nobi. How much time elapsed since I passed out? Did the Heavenly Transfer Plan succeed?"

"Yeah, the Heavenly Transfer Plan wrapped up without issues, we've integrated into the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance, and we've formally affiliated. The Devilish Path scum won't dare strike us freely now. However..."

Makli Nobi presses on with a faintly troubled visage.

"You...awoke after 14 years."

Makli Hyun-ah jolts but quickly reads his expression and spots the jest.

"Hmph, quit fibbing. After 14 years, Senior Makli Nobi would look far older!"

"Cultivators don't show much aging. They only wrinkle after crossing half their lifespan."

"Uh...really...? Still, don't dismiss my sharp gaze. It's a falsehood, right?"

"Tch...such a spoilsport. Fine, 14 years was a fib. Yet even so, your collapse lasted ages. You lay bedridden for 14 months, teetering on death's edge."

Makli Hyun-ah eyes Makli Nobi, but 14 months rings true, not a prank.

"Wait, my form feels this robust? How can I be so invigorated after lying dormant 14 months and rising now?"

"That's due to...the clan's restorative array, which over 14 months purged toxins from your frame on its own and boosted your digestion plus metabolisms. The chief factor, though...is your acceptance of Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa's awareness, letting her possess you."

"Ah..."

Makli Hyun-ah nods, linking it to the Makli Cheon-sa vision from his dream.

'So the part with Makli Cheon-sa wasn't imagined.'

"Her potent awareness and spiritual force caused you divine fever for 14 months. Your fine state stems from soaking up a Heavenly Being stage cultivator's spiritual energy and awareness power over that time, enhancing your aptitude."

"S-Such a..."

Makli Hyun-ah struggles to grasp how a brief descent by a Heavenly Being stage entity into him triggered such prolonged collapse and fever.

"For the moment, rise. If you can move without trouble, I'll recount the year's events as we stroll."

"Uh, sure..."

Makli Hyun-ah rises alongside Makli Nobi and exits the structure.

The edifice they depart is the Makli Clan's fresh healing facility.

"After your slumber began, the Seogyeong Makli Clan crumbled under the backlash of their past sins. Blooming realm martial artists harboring deep resentments against the Devilish Path fiends, plus another devilish sect, and orthodox clans they'd ravaged...even prior righteous forces that clashed with them, all banded together to assault the Seogyeong Makli Clan, leading to its total downfall and annihilation.

"During that chaos, using some Shaman Family Method or such, they invoked monsters from alien realms and an Upper Realm Four-Axis stage cultivator's might, inflicting severe, lasting harm on their assailants in return. It was near annihilation for both sides. Thus...our origins toppled, leaving our Lianshan Makli lineage as the sole Makli Clan."

"Ohhh...so now, without splitting into Lianshan Makli or Seogyeong Makli, just saying Makli Clan points straight to our Lianshan branch?"

"Exactly, with the primary house fallen, we stand as the primary. Across the continent henceforth, Makli Clan will signify us."

"Distinguishing was always a hassle, so this simplifies things."

"I agree."

Makli Hyun-ah scans the altered structures of the Makli Clan's 'primary house' in various spots.

Beyond the healing facility, even the Beast Stable's position has shifted.

"In any case, we've emerged as the legitimate Makli Clan, and subsequently aligned with the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance. We're firmly righteous now."

"Ohhhh...got it."

'Though in the poll, I picked Devilish leanings...,'

As irony tinges Makli Hyun-ah's thoughts, Makli Nobi proceeds with a touch of remorse in his gaze.

"And...I've no defense for you, but to secure the Makli Clan's entry into the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance, we shared portions of your innate true art, the Naming Dao Conferring Gods Canon, with them. This revealed the 'Naming Family Method' to the Alliance. On the clan's behalf, I regret appropriating your art without consent."

"Ah, no worries. Wasn't it the Makli Clan's to begin with?"

"Word is...it's an Upper Realm technique you got directly from Elder Makli Cheon-sa?"

"Pardon?"

As puzzlement stirs in Makli Hyun-ah,

"That time, grabbing those three white-bound manuals from the archive, you vanished into an odd extradimensional realm."

A striking woman in azure robes draws close.

Resting hands on Makli Nobi and Makli Hyun-ah's shoulders, she seamlessly picks up the talk.

"What you claimed there was unmistakably Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa summoning you to that extradimensional void and bestowing a silent boon."

"Pardon? Uh...is that the case?"

"Indeed it is."

Makli Hye-seo, arriving to partake in the discussion, addresses Makli Nobi.

"I'll cover the recompense, so head off. You've toiled plenty tending to Makli Hyun-ah."

At her remark, Makli Nobi's cheeks flush crimson as he coughs uneasily and dips his head to Makli Hye-seo.

"Ah, mere trifle. Then, I'll take my leave!"

"Very well."

Makli Hyun-ah observes this and queries Makli Hye-seo.

"Uh...has Senior Makli Nobi been caring for me throughout?"

"Not quite caring in that sense. Whenever the healing center's array extracted impurities via your pores, Makli Nobi stepped in to cleanse your form in those areas."

"Ah, understood. I'll convey my gratitude soon."

"Wise idea."

Gazing at Makli Hyun-ah, Makli Hye-seo continues.

"To start, let me delve deeper into your frame, the Extreme Ghost Path Body. Hweol-ah already briefed you on it before, correct?"

"Ah yes, I got the gist that it's a vessel suited for mighty ghosts or spirits to possess."

"Precisely. Standard 'Ghost Path Bodies' function that way. Yet yours, an 'Extreme Ghost Path Body' at peak purity among them, doesn't just attract basic divine entities or phantoms. Odd occurrences, or principles...lost chronicles...even primordial forces naturally find themselves drawn to you and seek you out."

"...?"

"Simply put...those manuals you secured in the archive aren't the Makli Clan's property."

A shiver runs through Makli Hyun-ah as he pinpoints the eerie mismatch he sensed upon selecting those manuals.

"Th-Then, what exactly..."

"They're obscured mights that grew intrigued by you. Only the clan head and I hold this truth. To everyone else, view them as Upper Realm arts from Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa, and respond accordingly. Public knowledge of forgotten mights brings no benefit."

"Uh...wouldn't widespread awareness help?"

"I once believed so too, but...learning by whom such forgotten might was erased drives one to madness from the sheer dread."

To [whom] it was forgotten? So something exists that caused the Naming Family Method or Confucian Family Method to fade?'

"Th-There exists such a being?"

"Hard to say. Rumors point to the architect of the Immortal Cultivation system...I lack the specifics myself. Regardless, that's beside the point... Circulate that they're Upper Realm arts from here on. Clear?"

"Uh...yes."

"Splendid. Now...in essence, your frame earned the Makli Clan those manuals. While you lay unaware, we disclosed the art you rightfully claimed via your talent and serendipity to outsiders. In compensation, the clan, as a whole, will fulfill your desires. Anything you seek?"

"Um..."

Makli Hyun-ah rubs his head at her query.

'What I seek...'

Primarily, his deepest wish is ascension to reclaim his sister Lee Seo-ah, but the Makli Clan can't provide that, so he shelves it.

Next, vengeance against the bear that devoured Jegal Mikhail and the guild folk, reducing it to stew. Per Makli Hweol's account, that bear dwells in the Ascension Forest along the Ascension Path, reaching it a challenge, and as a Grand Perfection Core Formation stage demon beast, slaying it currently borders on unattainable.

Ultimately, fulfilling those aims demands Makli Hyun-ah's own cultivation surging higher.

'So the optimal path for my strengthening is...'

Makli Hyun-ah grasps that surpassing the bear requires exceeding the Core Formation stage.

For even after decades of cultivation to Core Formation,

That bear, already at Grand Perfection Core Formation, would advance to at least half-step Nascent Soul, or worst, full Nascent Soul.

'Thus...I need a way to advance to Core Formation and further.'

Among arts learnable from Core Formation upward, foremost is the Confucian Family Method, Pacifying Myriad Demons under the Heavens Survey.

And to cultivate that Confucian Family Method, one essential remains.

"High-intelligence demon beasts...and vast lands to lead such demon beasts are required."

"Hmm...for highly intelligent ones, do you mean akin to that raccoon-dog?"

"That sort works, but I prefer even wiser specimens."

"Hmm...then Immortal Beast bloodline holders fit. Prime examples include the Sea Dragon Race, Sacred Peng Race, and Great Tiger Race. From Qi Refining, their wits rival humans"

"Hm?"

Makli Hyun-ah thinks of the Makli Clan's Sea Dragon Race demon beasts.

"Yet the Blue-Eyes Sea Dragons don't utter human speech like my Badger...nor do they communicate easily..."

"That's because...though they hold human-level intellect, being younglings, they use only Demon Speech, rendering human tongue as alien and tough as any foreign dialect. Even humans struggle with fluency in other languages from youth—imagine for the Demon Race?"

"Ah...foreign tongues are tricky, fair enough."

Makli Hyun-ah scratches his head and poses a question to her.

"Then I ought to master the Demon Race tongue."

"I inquire out of interest, but...why pursue those? I'm probing your intent, and knowing it lets the clan aid you more aptly and swiftly."

He affirms with a nod and opts to disclose his ambition promptly.

'The Pacifying Myriad Demons cultivation isn't straightforward.'

"Nation establishment."

Building a realm.

Initially, the Confucian Family Method builds from ruling a minor domain as a local power or influential landowner.

Gradually extending sway and enlarging holdings, one evolves amid reverence from every creature.

Thus, achieving warlord or overlord status propels to Nascent Soul, and ultimately, founding a nation to claim kingship...

That crowns the Heavenly Being stage.

'Reaching Heavenly Being demands ages...yet to fell the bear, I must at minimum match Nascent Soul.'

"Is that how your unearthed Confucian Family Method advances?"

"Indeed."

"Hmm...fine. For territory, one oceanic domain under the Righteous