A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 836 Chapter 833: Side Story - Being Ban Ta's Disciple (2)

Chapter 836 Chapter 833: Side Story - Being Ban Ta's Disciple (2)

Kugugugu!

Swords descend in a relentless shower.

In the midst of that cascading sword glow, Ahn Geum summons myriad restless spirits, redirects the courses of the sword beams, and just manages to evade them.

"You monstrous old witch... so you truly revealed your true nature at last!"

She clenches her teeth and glances toward the spot where Makli Hyun-ah plummets.

'It appears Lee Hyun-ah is Lee Seo-ah's ultimate taboo. If I meddle with him without cause, it only harms my position. No choice. For now, I must pull back...'

With that thought, she seals away the Penglai Star essence she pulled from Makli Hyun-ah into her Integrated Dao Domain.

'In any case, I've got the tool to locate my brother's path, which was my main aim... so I'll end things here today. Stirring up trouble needlessly won't bring me any advantages.'

After swift deliberation, Ahn Geum clasps her hands and whispers urgently.

"Integrated Dao Domain."

Wo-woong—

A dark energy starts swirling around her, while the wails of vast hordes of restless spirits echo across the skies and lands.

"Million Wandering Souls World Perishing Wind Advancement (千萬幽魂一界毁風進)."

Hwiooooooo!

Suddenly, the landscape of heaven and earth shifts dramatically.

A realm dominated by lost souls, swept by endless chilling gales, overtakes the original scene.

In the heart of this soul-haunted domain, Ahn Geum commands a gale of maledictions potent enough to obliterate a whole world's society, pulling the distant Nether Crossing Ship closer.

Kugugugu!

The onslaught of myriad sword beams shreds the restless spirits, yet for every fragment destroyed, new ones regenerate and surge at Lee Seo-ah.

That's far from the only threat.

As the spirits get ripped apart by the sword light, chilling winds converge on Ahn Geum, morphing into spectral monarchs.

The sharper these spectral monarchs solidify, the more vivid their crimson banners gleam. Those banners slowly shift to a azure hue, exuding a dreadfully ominous curse energy.

And at last, once the banners fully turn blue.

Ahn Geum directs a finger at Lee Seo-ah, who unleashes sword force from atop the Integrated Dao Domain.

"Curse release."

Flash!

Simultaneously, the pent-up curses from Lee Seo-ah's destruction of the spirits explode in unison.

As the curse-laden banners wave, a torrent of azure chilling wind rushes toward Lee Seo-ah.

Lee Seo-ah merely eyes it and scoffs.

"On the contrary, I appreciate it. I've kept suffering Qi Deviation while practicing my technique due to my poor grasp of curses and blessings... and you're aiding my cultivation personally!"

The Three Great Ultimates behind Lee Seo-ah gleam intensely, and she too joins her palms.

"Four-Axis Canopy."

Chwararararak!

Around Lee Seo-ah, four luminous orbs unfurl like blossoms, while endless star clusters and cosmic clouds manifest as sword glow encircling her.

It's as though the cosmos itself guards Lee Seo-ah's vicinity.

Her Three Great Ultimates take in the curses directly, flaring even more vibrantly.

Forming a sword gesture with her fingers, Lee Seo-ah summons an entity from within her Four-Axis Canopy.

Kugugugu!

A colossal blade emerges.

Enormous blades, each stretching beyond three li, invade Ahn Geum's Integrated Dao Domain and rip through the restless spirits.

But that's merely the beginning.

'What... the blades keep coming endlessly?'

Three-li-long colossal blades start plummeting in droves from her Four-Axis Canopy.

Soon enough, each massive blade erupts with crystalline flames and sweeps across Ahn Geum's Integrated Dao Domain.

"Ah, no...!"

Ahn Geum struggles to rally the spirits and curses for maximum defense, yet she fails to halt the assault.

The crystalline flame-wreathed giant blades breach every barrier and wreak havoc freely within Ahn Geum's Integrated Dao Domain.

To compound the peril, Lee Seo-ah, enveloped by her Four-Axis Canopy, charges straight at Ahn Geum.

'Damn it...!'

Ahn Geum twists the space inside the Integrated Dao Domain in a frantic bid to create separation, but Lee Seo-ah's advance outpaces her spatial manipulations.

At this pace, she'll end up seized by Lee Seo-ah, her form and the whole Integrated Dao Domain sliced apart!

Ahn Geum grinds her teeth and resorts to her final measure.

"Radiance Seven Lords, Seventh Seat Rain Dew Heavenly Lord (光明七君第七座雨露天君)!"

The [Name] she invokes takes form in her Integrated Dao Domain, unleashing a vast burst of radiance.

Upon hearing that [Name], Lee Seo-ah's body liquefies and starts dissolving, prompting her to cough up blood and encase herself in Glass True Fire to halt the change.

Kugugugu!

A yin entity like Ahn Geum dispatches an emissary from afar to rescue her follower across dimensions.

Jjeooooeok!

Spacetime ruptures, and a True Immortal-tier emissary from the [Rain Dew Heavenly Lord] reshapes the fabric of reality.

The Light Emissary flings Lee Seo-ah to the distant edge of the Purple Gold Realm and motions to pull Ahn Geum and Makli Hyun-ah into their realm.

That's when it happens.

Gigigigigik—

Time seems to halt.

An absolute temporal pause unnoticed by Ahn Geum or Makli Hyun-ah.

Indeed...

In the True Immortal Realm's sensory field, perceivable solely by True Immortals.

A figure steps forth amid the Light Emissary, Makli Hyun-ah, and Ahn Geum.

A being clad in violet robes with violet gaze.

It is Ban Ta.

: : That suffices. The clash among mortals seems settled, so retreat to your realm. : :

The Light Emissary conveys in a tongue beyond mortal comprehension.

It conveys, in essence, defiance.

To that intent, Ban Ta's eyes shimmer violet as he bares a pale smile.

: : Perhaps because you ascended as a True Immortal in a Heavenly Domain unlinked to the Purple Gold Realm? That explains your audacity to challenge me... : :

Tududuk, tududududuk!

The Purple Gold Realm's essence and spacetime itself yield around Ban Ta.

: : Had you merely rescued your follower, I'd have permitted it, but since you attempted to claim my disciple too, and defied my counsel to confront me, I'll claim one of your limbs for that offense. : :

Kiiiiiiing!

Spacetime and the Purple Gold Realm's dimension recede, leaving only Ban Ta's unadulterated intent to occupy the void.

Ban Ta's intent, saturating heaven and earth, surges back into the light dimension, clashing with the Light True Immortal poised to interfere with his disciple in a higher realm.

Ban Ta's unyielding resolve and dominion, manifesting by repelling the Purple Gold Realm's might, spars repeatedly with the Light True Immortal before severing a portion from the light dimension and withdrawing.

: : Regard it as tuition. Should we cross paths again and you prattle ignorantly about me, it won't stop at a single limb. Begone! Never lay a finger on my disciple! : :

Delivering his icy admonition, Ban Ta expels the one-armed Light True Immortal and seals the fleeting link to the light dimension.

Right after, in the frozen instant, Ban Ta scoops Makli Hyun-ah into his embrace.

"This turns out conveniently. Crafting a Decaying Corpse Realm from a True Immortal's remains will boost your cultivation, disciple."

Reentering the halted flow, he shoves Ahn Geum toward the Purple Gold Realm's Chaos Realm zone and heads back to Ban Ta Castle.

Thus, the crisis sparked by transcendent forces meddling in the Purple Gold Realm concludes swiftly.

***

Purple Gold Eight Regions, Tongue Domain.

Lee Seo-ah, hurled to this spot by the Light True Immortal, surveys her surroundings, clenches her jaw, and pulls a talisman from her robes.

—For times of peril, take this Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Talisman. It's a talisman artifact mimicking part of a mighty Immortal Treasure's power. With it, in your current Heavenly Domain, you can teleport to any remembered location. But wield it wisely.

—Uses are limited, and you can't activate it repeatedly right away. Even for remembered spots, it won't reach everywhere recklessly. Forbidden destinations include a living True Immortal's innards, Penglai Star, Ban Ta Castle in the Purple Gold Realm, the Purple Gold Realm's Manas Domain, the Purple Gold Realm's Araya Domain, severe spacetime chaos zones, Avici, or a dying star's core, so employ it judiciously.

In essence, it's her vital safeguard talisman.

Yet Lee Seo-ah activates the precious talisman without delay, despite its scarce remaining charges.

'Hyun-ah, I must rescue Hyun-ah!'

Paaatt!

Upon activation, Lee Seo-ah reappears on the battlefield of her prior fight.

But despair grips her shortly.

'I-I can't spot him... Did the Light True Immortal drag him to the Radiance Heavenly Domain? No, impossible...'

Kiiiing!

Lee Seo-ah's eyes trace a Taiji pattern as she senses the echoes of prior events.

She can't witness the transcendents' clash directly, but the energy remnants are clear.

And these energy traces here are the most recognizable in the Purple Gold Realm.

It's Ban Ta's aura.

"Sacred Master Ban Taaaaaaaa!"

Lee Seo-ah comprehends her brother has been hauled to the dreaded Ban Ta Castle, famed for stifling realm advancement, and she cries out in anguish.

***

Purple Gold Realm, Chaos Realm region.

Atop a certain isle in the Black Sea.

Ahn Geum, face vacant, uses the extract from Makli Hyun-ah to scry her brother Ahn Gyeong's location.

Her divination reveals Ahn Gyeong hasn't departed Penglai Star yet, requiring Penglai Star's aura as the link to track him.

Yet the instant Ahn Geum discerns Ahn Gyeong's position, she stares skyward in stunned disbelief.

"Hah..."

Exhaling a breath laced with misery, resentment, and grief, Ahn Geum collapses onto the ground nearby.

"...This can't be real."

Somehow, her vitality seems utterly sapped.

***

Purple Gold Realm, Ban Ta Castle.

Makli Hyun-ah stirs awake there.

"Huh...? Where... my quarters?"

"You've roused, my disciple."

"Master...! You rescued me?"

"Naturally. And I've acquired a present for you. It'll enhance your cultivation enjoyment when you advance your realm."

"Wow, thanks, Master!"

Makli Hyun-ah's gratitude momentarily stuns Ban Ta.

"Er... Master? What's the matter?"

Drip...

Then, witnessing Ban Ta's sudden tears, he fears he've erred.

And Ban Ta's following statement leaves Makli Hyun-ah utterly shocked.

"Out of the myriad parasitic scum I've accepted as disciples... you alone, receiving a cultivation-boosting gift, express genuine appreciation..."

"..."

"Thank you, disciple. As I thought, it's just you... Now. Rise quickly, and let's resume cultivation."

Makli Hyun-ah ponders the sort of individuals Ban Ta has mentored before.

Questioning Ban Ta's string of unfortunate disciple choices, he joins Ban Ta in cultivation once more.

***

Months slip by.

Under Ban Ta's guidance, Makli Hyun-ah attains a massive breakthrough.

Kiiiing—

Makli Hyun-ah fully transforms his body's ghostly essence into social authority, solidly establishing the base for the Four-Axis stage realm.

Furthermore, this isn't social authority born from living beings' acknowledgment and faith, but rather a direct conversion of energy into social authority via soul-plane spanning forces.

Thus, Makli Hyun-ah gains profound insight into the plane and each plane's inherent might.

"Master, I feel ready to attempt the Four-Axis stage realm soon!"

"Hahahaha, worthy of my disciple! Very well, I'll now detail the parallels and distinctions between the Immortal Family Method and Confucian Family Method for the Four-Axis stage."

'Master truly excels.'

One lesson Makli Hyun-ah absorbed from Ban Ta's tutelage is Ban Ta's exceptional teaching prowess.

With vast knowledge and sharp discernment, Ban Ta instantly spots Makli Hyun-ah's confusions, dissecting them into simple, comprehensible explanations.

As a result, throughout these months of practice, Makli Hyun-ah encountered no blockages whatsoever.

'Plus, he regularly fortifies my physique with elixirs, and clears my channels via meridian tracing and vessel opening, maintaining perfect equilibrium for my Confucian Family Method body.'

In terms of instruction alone, Ban Ta ranks as the supreme mentor.

Yes.

That far, Ban Ta's instructional approach is unparalleled.

Kwagwagwang!

In Ban Ta Castle's practice area, where Makli Hyun-ah and Ban Ta train.

A section of the wall crumbles, revealing a tiny Small Person Race who brandishes a pin-thin lance and bellows.

"Sacred Master Ban Ta! Today, I'll eclipse you! Face my Heavenly Extreme Spear!"

Kwagwagwang!

The Small Person Race clutches the needle and lunges forward, aiming at Ban Ta and Makli Hyun-ah.

Though the hand-sized Small Person Race appears adorable at first sight, its strike is anything but endearing.

The instant it thrusts the needle-lance, spacetime compresses abruptly, propelling the Small Person Race to their faces. Makli Hyun-ah dodges the attack only due to Ban Ta's intervention.

Kururung!

Makli Hyun-ah watches in terror as the Small Person Race's lance distorts spacetime and hazes plane boundaries.

"You Heart Tribe leeches! At it again!? Stop this madness!"

"Recognize me as Sacred Master! I'll claim the Purple Gold Realm's Sacred Master throne!"

"Cease your lunatic ravings! For you Heart Tribe scum, Sacred Master cultivation holds no value, and you can't even succeed to the seat! And supposing I somehow elevate one of you to Sacred Master, won't you lot twist the Purple Gold Realm into an Asura Realm?"

"An Asura Realm? All envision a realm where everyone battles in martial ecstasy!"

"If you truly seek my Sacred Master position, pick the Immortal Family Method or another Non-Immortal path, cultivate it to the Sacred Vessel stage."

"Hmph, I shun those vile Heaven and Earth Tribe techniques! Beneath the heavens, Martial Arts alone is my ally!"

"This, this...! You Heart Tribe vermin worse than parasites!"

Ban Ta, thoroughly enraged, places Makli Hyun-ah aside, tr