A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Kugugugugu!

The entire Heaven-Earth Palace shatters, and the surrounding Flying Immortal Platforms simultaneously crumble.

Beneath the Flying Immortal Platforms, the Void Spirit Ponds begin to reveal their subtle forms.

It's a scene reminiscent of when Hon Won used the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique nearby.

However, there is one key difference. Hon Won used the divine power of the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, while I simply grabbed Hon Won by the face and slammed him down.

[You...bastard!]

He growls, beginning to gather power.

Spatial waves reverberate from within his body, and gradually, his size starts to swell.

Hon Won reveals his true form.

Kugugugugu!

In the next instant, he becomes a mountain.

Rocks, soil, and trees sprout from his body.

Streams and creeks emerge from his form, with veins of minerals buried in its depths. Deeper within, lava bubbles up as a colossal mountain soars.

The mountain imbued with the Five Elements transforms into a giant, glaring at me.

This Mountain Giant is Hon Won's true form.

[Integrated Dao Domain. Great Mountain Great Dust Chariot Tearing Wind Bird (太山大塵車裂風鳥)!]

[TL/N: Chariot Tearing/Chariot Dismemberment is also known as dismemberment by five horses, an ancient Chinese death penalty where a person's four limbs and neck are tied to chariots/horses and pulled apart.]

Kugugugugu!

His body transforms into a domain, and at the same time, his domain begins to engulf the surroundings.

Hon Won's domain is a desolate island.

Within his domain, countless islands float in the void.

In that void, countless dust storms rage, turning into sharp blade winds that shred everything excluding Hon Won.

Rising from the center of these dust-bladed gales, the Mountain Giant exudes a fierce momentum towards me.

[Let's settle the score that we couldn't before, Seo Eun-hyun! If you want to deal with me, you'll have to step over my corpse...]

And in the next moment.

Kwakakakwang!

With a single strike, Hon Won's upper body explodes and is sent flying, while the shockwave from my punch obliterates his entire domain in an instant.

"You seem to be under some kind of delusion."

I glare at Hon Won, my eyes blazing, as I move at an extremely high speed.

"You won't last even ten moves against me now, Hon Won!"

Without revealing my true form or drawing the Colorless Glass Sword or my domain, I simply let the Three Great Ultimates float behind me.

[That was the first move.]

Bo-oong!

I move above Hon Won's head, bend my legs, and then forcefully stomp down, smashing into his regenerating stomach.

Rumble!

[Second move.]

Hon Won's body is completely pierced through, and the shockwave from the impact slices through various parts of the domain.

He uses the Flying Escape Technique and unleashes the full power of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation within the light to counter me.

Our bodies collide.

[Third, fourth.]

After two clashes, both of Hon Won's fists are severed, and his upper body is once again greatly slashed.

The way to subdue those in the Integration stage is to smash their domain to pieces.

For the Heaven Tribe, you destroy the domain. For the Earth Tribe, you destroy the domain and the body that is fused with it, and the Grand Cultivator dies.

But what about Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation?

'How troublesome.'

In the case of these guys, even if you slice through their domain, their domain regenerates as long as their body remains. If you cut through their body, as long as the domain is intact, they resurrect.

Both the domain fused with the body and the manifested domain have to be eliminated simultaneously.

Quite a hassle.

But that's all there is to it.

[Fifth, sixth, seventh.]

With the first strike, his domain. With the second, his body. With the third, I attack his soul and subdue him completely. 

[You bastard...!]

However, perhaps not a complete waste even if rotten, the bastard quickly covers the entire surrounding area with the barrier of Yin-Yang and Five Elements.

His will is to blast the area around him with the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique 

But it's useless.

I grip a black banner in my hand.

Wriggle, gurgle!

This isn't just any banner.

From the shadows of the banner's reverse side, pitch-black, eye-like things squirm, and terrifying entities within seem desperate to escape.

Wriggle, wriggle—

The object in my hand continuously squirms, trying to grow.

'If I plant this, he'll probably die.'

The Yin Soul Ghost Incantation, which instinctively expresses my rotting, decayed insides, has long since surpassed its limits.

Pain and agony so condensed that even my Heart Demons wail for escape—that is the current Yin Soul Ghost Incantation.

If I stab Hon Won with this, no matter how strong an Integration Grand Cultivator he is, it's certain he will fall into madness with his soul evaporating.

I dare say, even Sacred Master Baek Woon wouldn't remain sane if hit directly by this.

'Let's tone it down a bit.'

Tstststst—

After draining a significant amount of venom from the banner, I plunge the now hollowed Black Ghost Curse Banner straight into Hon Won's chest.

Pook!

And that's the end of it.

[...!!!!!]

Hon Won, who intended to detonate the area with the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, starts trembling violently, unable to even scream.

As his focus scatters, his domain disintegrates, and he returns to his human form.

Shuuu—

Fearing that leaving the Black Ghost Curse Banner in him any longer would drive Hon Won mad, I disperse it.

However, the phantom pain seems to linger, tormenting him as he foams at the mouth, tears of blood streaming from his eyes.

Pak, pak!

I slap Hon Won's cheek.

"Eighth, ninth."

Paaak!

"Tenth move."

"Keheok! Gu-gugheoh. eoghh...!"

Only then does Hon Won come to his senses and groan in pain.

I look down at him and chuckle softly.

"Ten moves. Do you understand? That's already...the difference between you and me."

"..."

I look down at him.

He clenches his teeth and speaks.

"...What's with...this bullshit...you bastard? You don't even like me. Whether I live or die, what does that have to do with you...? Did my provocation irritate you? Are you acting like this because something scratched your nerves?! Just why won't you leave me alone! Why!!!"

"..."

I quietly look down at his outburst.

After raging for five seconds, he exhales and begins to speak.

"...Do you think I didn't want to live with hopes and dreams like everyone else? I wanted to have something called hope in my life too. But...after witnessing my lover being devoured alive, I had no idea what to do anymore. Even if I live, I'm not truly alive. So why are you doing this to me...?"

"...I don't intend to argue with someone like you either. Whether you live or die isn't my concern, and I'd be glad if you did die. I'm well aware it's pointless to keep telling people who want to die to 'live' thousands of times over."

"Then why...?"

"The part that enrages me...is your irresponsibility."

I gaze down at him with eyes as cold as ice and spit out my words as if I'm chewing them.

"Aren't you a father? Even if they were born from concubines, how many children do you have? How many people follow you...a man burdened with the weight of a group on his shoulders shouldn't irresponsibly and meaninglessly abandon everything just because he's in pain...!"

Bang!

I stomp on Hon Won's chest.

He coughs up blood.

Knowing he would regenerate anyway, I mercilessly stomp on him again and again, grinding my teeth.

And as I speak those words, I begin to understand why I am suddenly so angry with Hon Won.

No matter how much he said things that deserved my anger, and no matter how much he provoked me, the reason why my rage surged and driven me to torture him so suddenly...

Perhaps it's because I see myself reflected in this bastard.

When he mentioned the 'Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect,' what came to my mind was Yeon Wei.

Yeon Wei and Hon Won.

And the inner emotions of Yeon Wei that I saw in Penglai Island.

She claims to hate Hon Won with her words, but deep inside, there is still a longing for him.

And when I remembered that, someone else came to mind.

Hon Wei, who spent her entire life desperately seeking Hon Won's attention, and her siblings.

Hon Won's children.

The disciples of Penglai Palace who follow him.

Even if Hon Won himself doesn't realize it, he is someone who is loved.

He is someone who is noticed, revered, and respected.

And in him, I see a reflection of myself.

The one I am trampling on is not just Hon Won.

Perhaps, I am taking out my anger on him because I am reminded of my past self—someone who was loved and revered by countless people but failed to protect that.

"Move. For the sake of those who care about you. Even if the End is inevitable, don't give up..."

I direct my anger towards both Hon Won and myself.

He remains silent, and I, seeing that he still seems listless, toss him a suggestion.

"It's not perfect, but if you really want it, there's a way for you to see the face of the person you loved. Get up and at least just help."

"...!!!"

At my words, his eyes change, and he suddenly grabs my shoulder.

"...W-Wh-What...do you mean...?"

"There's something called the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress that can be used...get your hand off my shoulder. I'll explain later."

I push Hon Won away and look at Kang Min-hee, who is now almost within reach.

"Seo Hweol."

[Hoho, to what do I owe the pleasure, Daoist Seo?]

"Take this guy and fly to the skies above the Bright Cold Realm."

[Ahah, I understand what you mean.]

He approaches Hon Won, coaxing and calming him as they both fly up into the sky above the Bright Cold Realm according to my request.

And I wait for Kang Min-hee on the now completely ruined Flying Immortal Platform, where the original form of the Void Spirit Pond is fully exposed.

Kugugugugugugu—

Ghostly wails fill Heaven and Earth as she finally arrives at this place.

Deep darkness.

Crackle, crackle...

Within that deep darkness, I immediately identify Kang Min-hee's location.

'Compared to the darkness I saw when [The Oldest One] was chasing me during that regression process...'

The darkness surrounding her is quite distinguishable.

Kiiiiing—

After charging up a single strike in the All-Heavens Sword, I launch it directly at Kang Min-hee.

Flash!

The All-Heavens Sword, transformed into a thin line, shoots towards Kang Min-hee at the speed of light, and just before reaching her,

It strikes something like a barrier.

'As expected, I can't penetrate it in one go.'

She stops and stares at me intently.

I meet her gaze and smile faintly.

Paaaatt!

The All-Heavens Sword, lodged in front of her, begins to shine and transforms into a Seated Detachment, Standing Oblivion avatar.

Through the Standing Oblivion avatar, I launch another single strike at her once again right in front of her face.

The avatar, lacking energy, morphs into a Gang Sphere.

Kuagwangwangwang!

Her upper body explodes, and in that brief moment when she can't regain her senses, Hon Won, who rose up with Seo Hweol, covers the entire area with the barrier of Yin-Yang and Five Elements at Seo Hweol's command.

'Is this how it was done?'

I clasp my hands together and focus my consciousness.

Silently reciting the formula of the 'twisted' mantra without connecting with [Them] through attraction force, I simultaneously start to use the mantra that [They] 'taught' me.

The location where the Standing Oblivion avatar struck Kang Min-hee.

The Gang sphere clone that remains there.

Centered around that Gang Sphere clone, the barrier of Yin-Yang and Five Elements begins to close in.

Though it's far from being a true Immortal Art, its form is close enough!

[Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra!]

Kugugugugugu!

The barrier of Yin-Yang and Five Elements that covers the area begins to constrict around the Gang Sphere before Kang Min-hee.

Though the mantra is twisted, its effectiveness is undeniable.

The density of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy within the barrier begins to increase, filling the surroundings with light.

[Aaaaaah!]

Kang Min-hee lets out a ghostly wail, attempting to shatter this prison that has now turned into a prison of light, but it's futile.

No matter how powerful she is, even she can't break the barrier that was created by enduring my disgust to combine strengths with Hon Won.

Before long, the barrier gradually shrinks smaller and smaller until it's narrower than the range I occupy, finally forming a sphere that imprisons only Kang Min-hee.

Of course, that's the limit.

I can't make it as smaller than dust, like what I saw back then.

This is my own limitation.

Wiiing!

Before the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra sphere can dissolve, I immediately summon the Three Great Ultimates and charge in, forcefully smashing the sphere containing Kang Min-hee down towards the Void Spirit Pond.

Kugwagwagwagwang!

A tremendous resistance is felt from within.

It feels like she's about to burst out in an instant, but she's an instant too late.

She has already been expelled through the Void Spirit Pond.

Of course, it's impossible to block the Void Spirit Pond, so she will eventually return.

But for at least a month, she shouldn't be able to climb back up, dealing with the Vestiges of the Interdimensional Void.

"...See you later, Kang Min-hee."

I look down, trying to calm the goosebumps that have risen from my disgust.

I really didn't want to use it.

Even though the twisted Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra doesn't form an attraction force with the Owner of Great Mountain, it still touches upon my most painful memories.

But there was no other choice.

Just as I shouted at Hon Won just moments ago, with Penglai Palace weighing on his shoulders.

Now, I have my remaining comrades weighing on mine.

I had to stop Kang Min-hee, no matter what.

'If it's just my own disgust that's the problem, I'll ignore it as many times as necessary.'

No matter how agonizing and painful the memory is, I will bring it out and use it.

If that is the means to protect the deceased followers of the Wuji Religious Order.

And to protect the comrades who are still alive.

[Splendid, Daoist Seo.]

"Shut up."

I glare at Seo Hweol and Hon Won as they descend from the sky.

"From now on, we're going to regroup with my comrades and head to the Mad Lord. In the meantime, explain in detail the method you mentioned to bring the Mad Lord back to his senses."

[Understood. I'll explain as we go. First...]

And so, after temporarily driving away Kang Min-hee, we set off toward the Mad Lord Jo Yeon.

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