A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 826 Chapter 823: Side Story - Nation Founding (1)

"Nobi-ah. Repeat that once again."

"...Yes...Senior."

"Uhehehe...you're actually addressing me as Senior..."

Makli Nobi, formerly the senior of Makli Hyun-ah, had failed his advancement to the Core Formation stage and remained stuck at the mid Qi Building stage for an entire fifty years.

As a result, ever since their cultivation realms had flipped, Makli Nobi was treated more like Makli Hyun-ah's personal plaything, and he clenched his teeth in frustration.

"You little punk, are you seriously grinding your teeth in front of your Core Formation senior? Do I need to yank out every single tooth to make you behave!?"

"...Please...forgive...me...Senior."

"Uhehehe, just kidding, just kidding. Loosen up that expression."

Makli Hyun-ah messily tousles Makli Nobi's hair.

Even as Makli Nobi shot a humiliated glare at the gesture, an odd feeling welled up inside him, turning his cheeks flushed.

Those cultivators who once surpassed Makli Hyun-ah in realm now lagged far behind him, thanks to his Extreme Ghost Path Body and Wood Heavenly Spiritual Root, allowing Makli Hyun-ah to lord over them as their senior.

Only Makli Hweol consistently maintained a realm above Makli Hyun-ah's, so they stood on equal footing, addressing each other as Daoist.

"Moreover, now that you've received the elder token and the official papers granting governing power over the western sea region—the Makli Clan's domain—head there promptly, pick out a handful of cultivation protectors to carry out Daoist's orders from this point forward, and get moving without delay. You'll need to traverse the vast mountain range, so make sure you're ready."

"Understood, Daoist."

Acting on Makli Hweol's suggestion, Makli Hyun-ah starts choosing his cultivation protectors along with trusted aides.

"To begin with, Makli Nobi, you're my top cultivation slave."

"I-It's protector! Slave? I'm no slave!"

"But aren't you Nobi?"

"Eiik!"

With Makli Nobi in tow—his face burning red—Makli Hyun-ah roams the Makli Clan grounds, scouting and gathering additional members.

"Cultivation protector number two, I select you, Makli Bi-yeol!"

Over the last fifty years,

The one thing that prevented Makli Hyun-ah from losing his sanity during his solitary cultivation was the Talisman War tournament.

Whether competing or judging in various Talisman War events scattered around, Makli Hyun-ah organized tournaments throughout Shengzi—the home of the Righteous Dao Sect Alliance—and traveled far and wide to promote Talisman War everywhere.

And the individual who brought such joy to Makli Hyun-ah was the consistent top performer in Talisman War tournaments, the innovator of numerous advanced Talisman War techniques.

The unrivaled master of Talisman War: Makli Bi-yeol.

"Th-Thank you for choosing me, Senior, but why pick someone like me, who's only at the early Qi Building stage?"

"Because your Talisman War has that special charm. In particular, your spell talisman 'Vile One Reborn' always stirs my emotions whenever I witness it."

"Thank you for the praise!"

Makli Hyun-ah buzzes with anticipation for practicing the Confucian Family Method in the western sea region, while unwinding through sessions with Makli Bi-yeol.

"They allow up to three cultivation protectors...who should be the final one?"

Having appointed Makli Nobi and Makli Bi-yeol as his cultivation protectors, Makli Hyun-ah ponders his third choice.

"If you're having trouble deciding, why not seek a recommendation? Apparently, among the promising juniors who recently entered Qi Building under Cultivation Elder Makli Hye-seo, there are plenty of reliable talents."

Makli Bi-yeol suggests the up-and-coming juniors trained by Makli Hye-seo, and Makli Hyun-ah agrees with a nod.

"Solid plan. Alright, let's visit Elder Makli Hye-seo!"

Soon after, Makli Hyun-ah reaches Makli Hye-seo and observes the fresh Qi Building cultivators, lost in contemplation.

These thirty-six newcomers who advanced to Qi Building in the last decade all appear quite capable.

"Let's see...who does Elder Makli Hye-seo suggest?"

"Hmm...they're all solid options, but if I have to pick, these twelve stand out. Select from them."

Makli Hyun-ah examines the list provided by Makli Hye-seo and considers his options.

—Makli Jegal (Zhuge).

—Makli Namgung (Namgong).

—Makli Murong.

—Makli Sichuan.

—Makli Hwasan (Mount Hua).

—Makli Shaolin.

—Makli Donald.

—Makli Hwangsil (Imperial Family).

—Manli Minrap.

—Makli Makli.

—Makli Emei.

—Makli Cheonma (Heavenly Demon).

"Hmm...time for some interviews."

In this manner, Makli Hyun-ah, practitioner of the Naming Family Method, launches into interviews, prioritizing those with the most peculiar names.

The initial candidate is Manli Minrap, whose name strikes Makli Hyun-ah as the oddest.

"Hey, Manli Minrap. Why aren't you a Makli?"

Manli Minrap, shrouded in bandages with only eyes visible, rubs their head before responding.

"I'm from a far-off tribal land in the East. I journeyed across the Heaven-Treading Desert to reach Shengzi, sought refuge with the Makli Clan, and after wedding a clan member, it's been five years as an affiliate. I haven't taken the Makli surname yet, but I've mastered a distinctive technique that could assist you."

"Is that right...?"

Makli Hyun-ah probes further with a few questions, wraps up the interview, and summons the next odd-named individual.

"Makli Makli—why on earth is your name Makli Makli?"

"As far as I understand, my parents chose it hoping I'd embody the essence of the Makli Clan."

"I see. What technique have you cultivated?"

He continues the interview with Makli Makli, yet beyond the quirky name, there's little to note in terms of uniqueness, so he dismisses him.

Makli Hyun-ah then brings in Makli Cheonma, the third strangest name in his view.

"Makli Cheonma, as you're aware, my cultivation involves names, making me extra attuned to others' names. But a wild one like Makli Cheonma could disrupt my practice. Why bear such a name? And if you do, can you deliver benefits that offset any harm it causes me?"

Since Makli Cheonma dislikes his own bold name, Makli Hyun-ah presses him intensely during the interview.

Makli Cheonma handles the questions adeptly, but Makli Hyun-ah remains irked by the name to the last, rejecting him.

After completing interviews with the rest—who have more normal names—Makli Hyun-ah finally approves Makli Donald.

"Let's get along great, Makli Donald. As my cultivation protector from here on, you'll aid my governance in the western sea region!"

"What an honor! Our entire clan reveres Senior Makli Hyun-ah, the genius behind Talisman War and its tournaments, so I've longed to serve alongside you... Thank you so much once more!"

"Don't celebrate too soon! If your performance falls short, I'll ship you back to the main clan. Oh, and the interview flowed so smoothly I overlooked the name issue. Who named you?"

"Elder Makli Hye-seo did."

 "I understand. Then I'm excited to collaborate, Makli Donald!"

Thus, Makli Hyun-ah assembles three well-suited cultivation protectors and completes his preparations to journey to the western sea region for cultivating the Confucian Family Method.

***

Hwiiiooooo—

Makli Hyun-ah travels with Makli Hweol aboard a flying magic artifact, soaring over the grand mountain range.

"Uuu, this nighttime breeze is freezing."

"Hoho, that's precisely why I urged haste in preparations. Beyond the western great mountain range lies the sea and its scattered islands, bringing icy sea winds... Plus, the Lightning Path sects in the range expel yin energy skyward, making night travel bitterly cold. For Cultivator Makli Hyun-ah, lacking Immortal Family Methods, it's even tougher."

"Uuuuuuu...I wish I'd studied Immortal Family Methods...What a regret."

Shivering fiercely in the chill, Makli Hyun-ah inwardly curses the vulnerabilities of the Naming Family Method.

Non-Immortal Family Methods, unlike their Immortal counterparts, offer limited boosts to lifespan and vitality.

For instance, Immortal Family Methods dramatically extend life upon realm breakthroughs, and even Qi Building grants potent regeneration and resilience via refined spiritual force.

Yet Makli Hyun-ah's Naming Family Method focuses on sealing and appropriating [names], sacrificing such superior defenses and vitality in trade.

"Immortal Family Methods excel in granting long, healthy lives—eternal youth without decay. In terms of sheer vitality, Non-Immortal paths like Daoist Makli Hyun-ah's Naming Family Method can't compete."

"U-u-u-u-u-u-u..."

Aboard the flying magic artifact, Makli Hyun-ah trembles wildly and activates a heat-generating talisman to thaw himself.

Within the carriage-like flying artifact, the Qi Building protectors and Makli Hyun-ah jitter uncontrollably, while Makli Hweol at Grand Perfection Core Formation remains unfazed.

Observing them, Makli Hweol tuts his tongue and offers.

"...The chill seems overwhelming for you all, but if it's unbearable, we could pause in the mortal village below the great mountain range and resume at dawn."

"I-If that's an option...with the protectors freezing too, no choice. Let's descend and rest."

Makli Hyun-ah perks up at Makli Hweol's idea and guides the flying artifact downward.

They land in a modest slash-and-burn farming hamlet nestled within the great mountain range.

***

"Aigo, esteemed Immortals. Welcome to Seogyeong Village. Haha."

The village head of the slash-and-burn settlement, despite the late hour, clasps his hands and beams at the sky-descended cultivators.

"The yin energy over the great mountain range is overwhelmingly potent, so we'll overnight here before departing. In return, for any villagers ailing or diseased, we'll apply healing spells. Plus, some gifts. Sound fair?"

"Aigo, no need to mention it. Hurry inside our home; we'll host you properly."

Makli Hweol directs the protectors to infuse vitality into the village's sick, wounded, and aged for treatment, allowing Makli Hyun-ah and himself to lodge in the chief's guest rooms.

"Ahh, so warm..."

Makli Hyun-ah devours the hot rice cakes offered by the chief, chattering away in the guest quarters.

"The yin energy atop the great mountain range is intensely fierce... Those Lightning Path sects dumping it into the air... Isn't that basically like dumping toxic waste? Doesn't anyone protest? Nomnom..."

He mutters complaints about the Lightning Path sects rooted in the great mountain range, polishes off the rice cakes, and abruptly finds his mouth idle.

'Nomnom...Requesting more rice cakes this late feels rude, doesn't it?'

Right then, Makli Hyun-ah notices a face peeking directly into his quarters.

It's a young lad.

"Hmm? What's up, kid?"

Makli Hyun-ah questions the boy clutching a children's tale book to his chest, and after a brief hesitation, the boy extends it.

"This...my big sister gave it to me before crossing the mountain to work at the wealthy estate, saying to read it alone. But I can't read yet, so...could noona...perhaps...read it to me?"

"I'm no noona...haaah, fine. Hm...alright, first off."

Makli Hyun-ah licks his lips, accepts the boy's storybook, and adds.

"My mouth's a tad empty, so fetch some snacks, and I'll read it for you."

A win-win arrangement for both.

***

After Makli Hyun-ah finishes the dongchimi noodles the boy prepares, he narrates the fairy tales to him.

This collection of tales centers on themes of 'retribution'.

The opening story tells of a child sharing boiled potatoes with an elderly neighbor on a harsh winter day, earning blessings in return.

The next features an elder pleading to the skies for more years, only to gain them through neighbors' aid instead of divine intervention.

The third depicts a puppet mage and a Dragon King committing wicked acts, each punished by their respective spirits of retribution.

The fourth shows a lightning god facing vengeance from the villagers he slaughtered.

The fifth involves a mountain spirit, tormented by the sun, who strikes down the radiant orbs.

The sixth chronicles a villainous senior brother and a benevolent junior brother, meeting contrasting fates.

'Is this truly kids' fare...?'

Makli Hyun-ah squirms at the surprisingly mature and brutal elements in the book, but having enjoyed the dongchimi noodles, he presses on.

"Seventh tale...the legend of Lord Stars and Lord Heavens...huh?"

At the book's close, there's a story titled <The Tale of Lord Stars and Lord Heavens>.

It recounts how the Supreme Deity of the Star Kingdom seeks out the Supreme Deity of the Heavens to restore what the latter lost.

The tale concludes with the Star Kingdom's Supreme Deity finding peace after aiding the Heavens' ruler.

"Mm...a fine narrative. And...huh?"

Makli Hyun-ah flips to the storybook's final page.

On that last sheet of an otherwise solid tale, a single drawing appears.

—The Supreme Deity of the Star Kingdom, in aiding the Supreme Deity of the Heavens, accidentally destroys the cherished face pouch of the Heavens' ruler.

'Face pouch?'

In the story, it's a pouch shaped like a face that the Supreme Deity of the Heavens carries, capable of holding anything.

—Regretful, the Supreme Deity of the Star Kingdom gathers the land once ruled by the Mountain Divine Spirit and fuses it with the broken face pouch, shaping a spherical realm. In this new world, multitudes thrive under the blessings of both Supreme Deities...and they name it Penglai Star.

'Penglai Star...?'

That's the title of their inhabited planet.

This isn't mere whimsy; it's a foundational myth passed down on Penglai Star.

Yet what draws Makli Hyun-ah's gaze isn't the lore, but the 'illustration' on the final page.

'Face...?'

For there, a depiction shows vast hands merging a 'face' with a colossal 'landmass' to form a 'star blending earth and visage'.

Beside the 'landmass', a familiar world map to Makli Hyun-ah emerges.

Opposing it lingers the 'face', a remnant of the Supreme Deity of the Heavens' pouch.

Shiver!

For an inexplicable reason, viewing that image sends chills crawling over Makli Hyun-ah's skin.

It's merely a tale...yet it feels like peering into this world's concealed truth.

'No, it's just folklore. Not some absurd notion like the Earth's far side being a giant face... That's the delusion of flat-earth fanatics.'

Makli Hyun-ah swiftly dismisses the eerie vibe, ushers out the boy with the book, and retires for the night.

'Folks from ancient times sure had vivid imaginations.'

Imagining the world as a fusion of a human face and a landmass.

A captivating origin legend.

***

The following day.

"Hoho, I've been eager to reveal this to you, Daoist."

Upon departing Seogyeong Village, surmounting the great mountain range, and entering the western sea region, Makli Hyun-ah's voice quivers as he gapes at the spectacle Makli Hweol unveils.

"Daoist...Makli Hweol...? What in the world is this...?"

It's a barrier.

This bizarre, aurora-like veil undulates endlessly, even appearing to whirl.

The massive luminous wall encircles the western sea region's border, stretching upward into the heavens.

Confronted by it, Makli Hyun-ah can't shake one particular notion.

A key theory from flat-earth proponents!

"Didn't you mention the World Shield Force...doesn't exist...?"

"Hoho, such shock. Correct, this isn't World Shield Force. Observe carefully—beyond it lies what resembles land. The world extends past this point, and it's undoubtedly spherical."

"Ah, ahh...so what exactly is this barrier...?"

"Well...I'm unclear on the specifics myself, but beyond this wall