A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 471: Divine Descent (降神)

Chapter 471: Divine Descent (降神)

All the divine spirits ruling this world know one thing.

That is, while the realm after death may belong to the Heavenly Venerables, life before death is spent entirely under the gaze of light.

As such, countless spirits fear, revere, and simultaneously worship the [Light].

And, for that reason, they also despise it. 

Among them, Blood Yin particularly hates the light.

No, to be precise, they have hated it ever since the days when they were still Yu Hao Te.

When they learned the truth about the light and its ugly purpose from [The Oldest One], they began to despise the light.

With the added matter of their old friend, Vast Cold, the light became even more loathsome.

Thus, they cannot forgive Baek Woon, the devotee of the light who manages Vast Cold's corpse.

Moreover, they cannot forgive Seo Eun-hyun, the one who brought light into that world.

While they might not be able to touch Baek Woon, who is assimilating with the Bright Cold Realm, Seo Eun-hyun is different.

At most, Seo Eun-hyun only became an Esteemed One by handling discarded old power like the Heart Tribe or whatever it's called.

He isn't particularly intimidating, and even if he raises the realm of his Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation to the Star Shattering stage, it wouldn't be scary.

There's no need to mention the Entering Nirvana stage, and even Sacred Masters are not frightening unless they are assimilated with the Middle Realms.

How much less so would someone at the mere Star Shattering stage be!?

However, Blood Yin feels something strange.

It's Seo Eun-hyun, with whom they reunited due to their own prophecy.

The moment Seo Eun-hyun saw them, he immediately began advancing to the Star Shattering stage, as if desperately trying to resist.

Originally, Blood Yin planned to kill him and extract and torture his soul for tens of thousands of years. But now, Blood Yin watches with amusement, as if Seo Eun-hyun is saving them the trouble of killing him.

After all, the probability of advancing to the Star Shattering stage isn't high, and even if by some miracle he succeeds, it would only make him more vulnerable to a True Immortal after reaching the Star Shattering stage, so there's nothing to worry about.

Even if he doesn't become more vulnerable, it's just a single Star Shattering stage.

An early Star Shattering stage at that. Compared to a True Immortal, the difference is as extreme as that between a human and a long-tailed tit or perhaps a chick. 𝐑�

: : Surely, it must be like that. : :

But as Blood Yin watches Seo Eun-hyun advance before their eyes, and the star he completed, they are shocked.

: : What are you? : :

Normally, a star created during one's first advancement to the Star Shattering stage is about the size of a satellite.

However, the star that appeared before Blood Yin's eyes...

It's clearly the size of a planet.

This is definitely not a normal situation.

Wiiiiiiiiing!

Moreover, Blood Yin can't help but be astonished by the 'ring' that begins to form around Seo Eun-hyun.

: : Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation! How!? : :

No matter if it's someone who cultivated Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation during the Integration stage, they cannot undergo the Star Shattering advancement all in one go.

From the Star Shattering stage onward, if one wants to cultivate Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, they must perform the absurd advancement ritual 'one more time.'

In the state where they've already formed a star, they must explode the star once again to comprehend attraction force through the insane process. Otherwise, Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation at the Star Shattering stage is impossible.

Yet, for some reason, Seo Eun-hyun is wearing the 'ring,' the proof of a Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation practitioner.

: : Child, what kind of sorcery have you used? Reveal the truth before this Chief Judge. : :

I failed.

I failed.

I failed, and failed, and failed again.

I exploded myself in front of Blood Yin dozens, hundreds of times.

And...through that process, I delved deeper and deeper into the nature of attraction force.

In a state where my star was complete, I repeatedly caused it to explode and continually improved.

And after enduring the strikes of a True Immortal hundreds of times with my body, I came to understand True Immortals even more.

A True Immortal is a world itself.

Not a fake world like the small worlds formed in the Integration stage or the satellites made in the Star Shattering stage, but a [true world] itself—this is what a True Immortal is.

In the body of a True Immortal, real living beings can grow, possessing true birth, aging, sickness, and death, with cultivators who advance toward Immortal Cultivation emerging from within.

They are no different from Gods (神) who dominate from above, regulating the fates of all phenomena under the heavens like invincible rulers.

After enduring the power of a [world] hundreds of times, I finally found a way to counter the [world].

A mere mortal cannot withstand a world's power.

Therefore, one must borrow it.

If I cannot defeat the world with my own hands, I, too, must borrow the world's power.

Woo-wooong!

Once again, I soar towards the Heavenly Tribulation that Hong Fan shot at me.

And I see it.

Blood Yin's attraction force, moving in the Plane of Fate...

'I too must soar into the Plane of Fate, if only for an instant.'

Paaatt!

In an instant, the star I created shrinks and enters my body.

How many times have I created a star, self-destructed, and regressed?

At some point, a 'ring' had appeared around me.

'This 'ring' is drawing in the surrounding power.'

Much like the Heavenly Circle formed during the Heavenly Being stage that draws in Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, the power of the 'ring' seems to draw in the power of the 'world' itself.

Blood Yin attempts to strike Hong Fan.

I push my main body, which is now encircled by the ring, inside my incarnation and transform into human form, charging towards Blood Yin's single strike.

The Colorless Glass Sword is grasped in my hand.

Though brief, in this short period, I regressed hundreds of times, and the Colorless Glass Sword, which had been 'overlapped' hundreds of times, evolved into a dharma treasure at the Star Shattering-level.

Holding the now more fearsome Colorless Glass Sword, my eyes gleam as I begin to draw a circle.

Blood Yin's attack seems about to strike Hong Fan at any moment, but I pay it no mind and continue drawing a circle with my sword on the spot.

Kiiiiing—

This is the Sub-Heart Sword, Transcending Mountain Ridge Embedment.

Simultaneously, it is also Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain.

Within the hazy mist, a colorless circle is being drawn.

Just as Kim Yeon's Paired Wing Dance had, for a brief moment, reached the realm of true infinity due to the puppets of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress,

Each time my sword draws a circle, my consciousness accelerates more and more.

Boong—

Boong boong—

Boong, boong, boong, boong!

...

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

At first, the rotation seems a bit slow, but before I know it, I feel like I've entered a realm where the world has come to a halt.

'Up to this point, this is a state that can be reached with normal mental acceleration.'

I accelerate further.

My sword moves faster.

'More.'

Kiiiiiiing—

'More!'

Kiiiiiiing!

'More!!!'

Piitiiiitt!

At some moment.

I feel as if the world has completely stopped.

I feel as if I have become light itself.

No, perhaps I might even be faster than that.

In this frozen world, I look up at the Plane of Fate.

Even now, Blood Yin is still moving within this frozen world.

And They're moving so naturally.

Blood Yin meets my gaze.

: : How astonishing. To reach this realm with the body of a mortal. : :

Their eyes gleam.

: : I see. Do you possess all Five Senses? : :

Five Senses?

What does that mean?

: : I was wondering how a mere mortal could push his mind into the realm of the Immortal Family, but for you to use such a method... Astonishing, truly astonishing. : :

I don't understand what They're saying.

But one thing is clear.

At this moment, my mind has, even if only briefly, risen to a level equal to those beings called True Immortals.

By endlessly drawing circles and accelerating my mind, I have reached this realm.

Blood Yin seems to grasp my intention and mocks me.

: : Are you perhaps struggling to block my strike? : :

I can't answer.

To remain in this realm, even temporarily, I must desperately keep drawing the circle.

: : It's useless. Do you think raising your mind to our level will solve anything? Hahaha... : :

Then, the next moment.

Blood Yin's attack strikes me, standing in front of Hong Fan.

'I must maintain the circle...'

A red wave from the Plane of Fate engulfs me.

I grit my teeth as I feel my entire body evaporating under the overwhelming force.

'No. Endure. Continue maintaining the circle. If I do, I can succeed. If I keep, keep maintaining it...the move of Sumeru...!'

But in the end, I fail to maintain my balance before this immense force.

Half my body, including my main body, is flung away, breaking my balance, and the circle I was drawing shatters.

At the same time, my mind returns to the realm of mortal beings.

'...Damn it.'

As I feel my consciousness fading, I stretch out my hand toward Hong Fan and Jeon Myeong-hoon.

My attraction force surges toward them, pushing them far away.

The next moment, an immense Star Tribulation swallows me, and I lose consciousness.

That is my 986th return.

986th cycle.

Once again, I unleash the move of Sumeru and charge at Blood Yin.

Blood Yin repeats the same situation as before.

Everything is the same.

But one thing is different.

Kugugugugugu!

Blood Yin's power of immense force becomes a wave that engulfs me.

But I do not stop drawing the circle.

Even as half of my body is destroyed, even as my main body is shattered, I don't stop.

In the final moment!

Paaatt!

At the end of drawing, drawing, and drawing the circle again, I finally feel my power reach a certain realm.

The circle I have been drawing now surrounds me like a ring of light.

I feel the endlessly drawn circle solidify, and I compress it.

The compressed circle enters my body.

At the center of my shattered star body.

At the very core, the circle I had been drawing becomes a single point.

I let out a bitter smile.

'Is this the limit?'

Jjeeeooong!

The moment right after I complete the point, I am hit and killed by Blood Yin's single strike.

Before my star is completely destroyed, I must complete this point.

But...it's too late.

'It's fine, though.'

Next time, I will make sure I succeed.

That is my 987th return.

987th cycle.

Paaatt!

I draw the circle, push my mind into the realm of True Immortals, and successfully compress the circle into a point.

'Now it really begins.'

Fortunately, I completed the point before my body was completely destroyed.

What remains is to split the point!

The formula for creating the Gang Sphere!

Using that formula, I duplicate the point into three.

'With this...'

Paaatt!

Three points split again into nine.

Then, the nine points split into 27, and the 27 into 81.

With each split, the speed of the process grows faster.

But the next moment.

Waduk!

I die again.

'Faster...'

988th cycle.

The points created through rotation could be counted in the hundreds.

But once again, I failed to reach the target.

'More...!'

989th cycle.

990th cycle.

991st cycle...

At some point,

I started to feel as though the 'circle' I am madly drawing is being internalized within my mind.

'This is...'

Finally, I understand.

This act of 'drawing a circle' has, at some point, become completely one with me, just like the Sub-Heart Sword's Transcending Mountain Ridge Embedment.

Flash!

The moment I realize this, I draw a circle at the start of the cycle and immediately condense it into a point.

Paaaatt!

Then, the point generated within my body instantly splits into dozens, hundreds, and begins to scatter in all directions.

Soon after, I realize that three thousand lights have appeared around me.

'Now it's enough.'

: : What petty trick is this? : :

I can sense Blood Yin mocking me.

Silently, I raise my sword.

In the next moment, the 'original point' inside me emits light.

Simultaneously, the light erupting from the original point begins to connect with the other three thousand 'points.'

It looks like a constellation formed of three thousand stars.

: : Hoh, is that what it is? : :

As expected of a True Immortal. Despite being rotten, Blood Yin quickly realizes what I am trying to do.

The constellation that starts from me continues to spread out, even though the 'points' have all disappeared.

The lines of the constellation reach the far side of the Interdimensional Void.

They connect to the Vestiges there.

Chijijik!

The constellation continues to connect.

Once the constellation connects with one Vestige, it extends further, linking with more and more Vestiges.

In an instant, the entire Interdimensional Void begins to shine because of the constellation connected to me.

: : You momentarily push your mind into the Immortal Domain (仙域), replicate that mind, and connect those replicated minds to the Vestiges... Do you intend to grant those Vestiges the mind of an Immortal Being? You intend to flail about before me with that? Even if you temporarily grant the mind of an Immortal to those waste materials, what do you think will change? : :

They chuckle, seemingly amused.

: : You're better than most Quasi-Immortals. It's not a true Immortal Art, but it can be considered a Sub-Immortal Art. : :

: : ...Wrong. : :

I speak as I look up at Blood Yin.

: : I didn't connect the minds to the Vestiges. : :

I can sense Blood Yin flinch in surprise as They look down at me.

Speaking in the domain of True Immortals consumes an immense amount of mental power, so without saying more, I continue to activate the move of Sumeru.

The lines of the constellation created from Sumeru finally extend beyond the Interdimensional Void and reach the Astral Realm.

The Vestiges are merely a medium.

What I truly aim to reach is...the universe itself.

Through the constellations, I connect directly to the universe and feel a sudden tremor in my being for an instant.

'This is the universe...'

It is so grand that even trying to express it in words feels blasphemous.

An infinite space of a divine level!

That is what the Astral Realm, the universe, truly is.

Hwiiing—

Starting from Transcending Peaks, I begin to unfold every move in Severing Mountain Swordsmanship up to Transcending Mountain Ridge Embedment.

My Severing Mountain Swordsmanship had already begun to merge into one when I created Accumulating Dust Forms a Mountain.

But today, I have made up my mind to meld Severing Mountain Swordsmanship even further.

Moves connect to moves.

Simultaneously, the 'star ring' within my body rotates fiercely, starting to absorb the world itself.

The moves connecting to moves of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship draw a circle, and as the circle overlaps with the star ring within me, it happens.

Chwaaaack!

At last, through the constellation connected to the entire universe, the power of the entire world begins to be drawn into me.

It's as if the universe itself is being sucked into my sword form.

Blood Yin had said this.

How dare someone reach Their level of power through a mere mortal's mind?

They are right.

Even if I momentarily connect my mind to the domain that transcends all speed and spacetime, they are beings who exist so comfortably in this realm.

I, alone, cannot defeat them.

'That's why I won't rely on just my mind.'

I connected the Vestiges to me.

Then, I connected to the 'worlds' inside those Vestiges and imbued my mind into them.

Using those Vestiges as mediums, I imbued my mind into the universe.

The dust in the far reaches of the universe.

The starlight, the cold, the heat, the workings of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

In this brief moment, 'my mind, which has reached the Immortal Realm,' is briefly embedded in them all.

Of course, I'm not truly borrowing the power of the entire universe.

But...

I earnestly pray to this whole world as I swing my sword.

'Please, lend me your power.'

After countless rotations, I thrust my sword towards Blood Yin's single strike.

The power of the entire world stretches out to meet the force of another world that is charging at me.

The next moment.

———!

I explode along with the red wave rushing towards me.

'Ah...'

Finally.

On the 991st cycle, I successfully achieve mutual destruction with a True Immortal's single strike.

That is my 992nd return.

992nd cycle.

"Once more!"

Mutual destruction is not enough.

I must block this single strike, survive, and...!

After blocking the Heavenly Tribulation that Hong Fan and Jeon Myeong-hoon gathered for me!

After fully entering the Star Shattering stage, until I can completely defy Blood Yin, continue to advance this sword!

I perform a sword dance.

It is a sword dance composed of endless circles.

I draw a circle, create a point, and scatter that point to form a constellation.

After borrowing the power of the universe through that constellation, I perform a sword dance that integrates the entirety of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship and unleash the final strike.

That is...

'Severing Mountain Swordsmanship. Thirty-Third Move.'

"Sumeru (須彌)!"

Jjeong!

Once agai