A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 501: Kang Min-hee

Chapter 501: Kang Min-hee

Kururung!

The sky seems to roar.

From the hole within Kang Min-hee's heart essence, a terrifying rumble echoes forth.

At that moment, I catch a glimpse of [something] beyond.

Flicker, ficker, flicker...

It is fire.

A crimson flame blazing fiercely!

The Flame God (炎神) clad in the tribunal robes glares directly at me.

: : Do you dare stand in the way of the workings of the Imperial Venerable? : :

Dududududu!

For some reason, despite recognizing the existence of that being, my soul does not become corrupted.

No substantial wisdom flows into me.

The little wisdom I do receive is limited to the title and name of that being.

Beyond that, no further knowledge invades to corrupt or erode me.

It feels as if that being is intentionally showing me mercy.

: : To close the door of that child is to obstruct not only this Lord, but the workings of the Imperial Venerable. I will consider it an act of defiance. Step back. : :

Chijijijik!

My eyes begin to feel increasingly dry.

Even with this act of consideration, I feel that if I continue to gaze directly at Them, my eyes will be scorched.

Before me is the Tribunal Chief of Flames.

The foremost among the Underworld Ten Kings.

The current Chief Judge, Yama True Lord Yama, speaks, and in that instant, a future flashes before my eyes.

It is a vision of myself being dragged into the depths of the deep Underworld and endlessly tortured under Yama's authority.

This is no mere illusion.

The celestial energy shifts, fixing my future into that outcome.

If I reject Yama True Lord's words here and continue trying to close the gate to save Kang Min-hee, that future will inevitably become my fate.

However...

The searing pain of my body burning away is not particularly frightening.

What I fear more is the pain of failing to save Kang Min-hee now and later living with the self-reproach that will follow.

It is the torment I would inflict upon myself.

'Can I do it?'

No.

Doubt is unnecessary.

I must do it.

'I will!'

Kiiiiing!

Behind my head, a wheel rises like a halo.

Yama True Lord, as if enraged, erupts into a furious blaze that engulfs Their entire body.

Closing my eyes momentarily, I recall the scene I witnessed just moments ago.

The white wheel I had seen from the [Oldest One].

I bring to mind that wheel.

How that wheel reversed.

How that wheel operated.

What sort of attraction force operated within it, and what authority surged through it...

Wiiiiing!

The wheel begins to reverse.

Yama True Lord invokes Their authority.

Before I know it, the surroundings have shifted entirely.

It seems that Yama True Lord momentarily distorted reality with Their authority, creating a new dimension.

From the distant sky, something massive resembling a jade seal (imperial seal) begins to fall.

Kwaaang!

I am instantly crushed to death beneath the jade seal.

Kiiiiiing!

However, even though I die, the wheel continues to reverse.

Paaatt!

With that, I raise myself up and glance to the side.

There is a blazing stamp of fire, and beneath it lies what appears to be the remnants of 'me.'

But 'I' am not dead.

: : Audacious thing. You dare face this Judge while performing the advancement ritual for Earth? : :

Kwadudududuk!

The next moment, a flaming hand thrusts into my mouth.

The fiery hand grips my tongue from within and pulls it out entirely.

Starting with my tongue, the nebula within my body, my inner core, my outer core, my attraction force, and even the explosions—all of it is ripped out, leaving me dead on the spot.

[TL: Core as in planetary core.]

The wheel reverses.

I find myself standing once more, staring at the figure of my own corpse lying beside me, lifeless, with everything within me ripped out.

Immediately after, I am sliced to death by a saw.

The wheel reverses.

I am frozen within ice, my soul itself freezing solid, and I die.

The wheel reverses.

I am...

The wheel...

...

...

How many times have I died, and died, and died, and died over again?

Kwa-jijijik!

I find myself in a Blade Mountain Hell (刀山地獄), my entire body impaled, fully aware of my impending death.

[TL: Blade Mountain Hell is the seventh layer of the 18 levels of hell in Chinese myth.]

Yet, I remain indifferent to the pain, steadying myself in place. 

Slowly, I kneel.

Though my entire body is pierced through, it is bearable.

Slowly, in that state.

I bow towards the Yama True Lord.

"I thank the great Yama True Lord for their mercy."

I know.

They are killing me with consideration.

If They truly used the full authority of Their original body, crushing me completely along with the wheel and taxidermizing me would be a trivial feat. Yet, They spare the wheel, granting me permission to resurrect and repeat the meaningless deaths.

I glance behind me.

Already, hundreds of my corpses lie in view.

I suspected it from the start.

According to the words of Blood Yin, I must have stolen something that is called the Immortal Art of the Wheel.

However, the Yama True Lord, rather than unleashing fury against me, shows consideration, merely allowing me to know Their name without inflicting unbearable torment.

Therefore, the countless deaths They inflict on me here and now are...

Nothing more than a kind of trial.

Woo-woong—

I am forcibly lifted to my feet by an overwhelming force.

Yama True Lord, Their towering body blazing with flames, briefly looks down at me.

: : Do not kneel. One who bears the Wheel does not kneel recklessly. : :

The Wheel.

The Immortal Art that combines the Flawless Mantra and the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.

The recent trial, it seems, was entirely Their way of teaching me how to properly wield this Wheel.

Following the simple 'resets,' I grasped the abilities of this Wheel a little more clearly.

The ability of the Wheel is to rearrange causality (因果/cause and effect).

To be precise, it is more accurate to say it organizes causality.

At present, I do not die easily.

My main body itself has become a kind of Immortal Art, and I have transcended life halfway, becoming a being too immense to be considered merely a living creature.

Such a being as I cannot simply die from trivialities like having a stamp pressed onto my body, being frozen, having my tongue and entrails torn out, or being burned alive.

What Yama True Lord did is 'overlay' death upon me through the form of death.

By reversing the Wheel, I returned myself to the state before the 'overlaid' death, restoring it as it was.

It is the act of restoring to my original state before any history or prophecy overlaid on me by True Immortal and above entities through organizing casualty!

In other words, this is a means suitable for resisting the power of True Immortals, similar to the Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens Technique.

: : ...Impressive. : :

Yama True Lord lets out a small exclamation of admiration as They watch me firmly maintain the Wheel.

: : Do you truly intend to save that child, who has received the support of the Underworld? Do you truly seek to save the child who will become the vessel for the Imperial Venerable's descent? : :

"Yes."

: : Even if your path becomes a thorny road fraught with hardship? : :

"...Compared to the thorny road before me,"

I speak as I stare resolutely at Yama True Lord.

"The Sword Mountain within me is far more agonizing!"

Paaaatt!

At that moment.

The world became clear in an instant.

The inner depths of the dimension created by the Yama True Lord, filled with only darkness and flames, is rewritten.

It transforms into a Glass Sword Mountain.

The flawless and clear Glass Sword Mountain is piercing me.

At the same time, the Yama True Lord's body is pierced all over by my glass swords within this Sword Mountain.

It is clear.

Flawlessly clear.

And...it hurts!

"I have witnessed the ultimate extreme of pain. The extreme of pain surpasses even the Karmic Fire of the former Chief Judge. That pain is none other than...oneself."

The Wuji Religious Order evaporated, and my Karmic Fire was extinguished.

Though I learned of this only later, the condition for extinguishing the Karmic Fire is for one's own pain and remorse to surpass the pain of the Karmic Fire itself. When that happens, the fire naturally goes out.

From that, I came to understand one fact.

No matter how painful and terrifying external pain may be,

It cannot compare to what lies within oneself.

Enduring one hundred lashings is not as effective as repenting to oneself even once.

Therefore...

"I do not want to do anything that I will regret."

I do not wish to suffer.

Having reached the pinnacle of pain, I dislike pain even more.

And because I have realized that the greatest pain is my own regret...

I seek to live a life free of regret.

"If I were to die tonight, I would commit nothing in the morning that I would regret! Please, return her to me!"

Yama True Lord gazes at me for a moment, then looks around at the colorless Sword Mountain.

: : Good. : :

Even though They are pierced through by the Sword Mountain, They show no sign of pain and, instead, seem to be in a good mood.

: : I permit it. : :

"...!"

At those words, I feel a tingling sensation coursing through my entire body.

The Chief Judge has granted permission to save Kang Min-hee.

: : However, as for what is binding that child...judge it for yourself. : :

Having finished speaking, Chief Judge Yama True Lord raises one hand.

: : O Karmic Mirror (業鏡), close your eyes. Return the distinguished one to his place. : :

Simultaneously, the small dimension transformed by my will begins to tremble and distort.

Soon after, I find myself facing the Yama True Lord sitting in a lotus position, along with a massive, mirror-like object behind Them reflecting the both of us.

Wo-woong!

In an instant, I return to my main body with them.

'This place is...'

Just before.

It is the very moment when I was holding Kang Min-hee's arm and peering into the hole within her heart essence.

'I see. Was that small dimension something created by Yama True Lord's Immortal Treasure...?'

It seems to be something that reflects a person's essence, history, or similar concepts.

Tingle, tingle...

I feel a tingling sensation as something flows into my mind.

It is wisdom bestowed by the Yama True Lord.

The method to fill the hole in Kang Min-hee's heart essence.

Wo-woong!

As I enter the depths of her heart essence, I raise both hands and begin chanting the Flawless Mantra.

Wo-woong!

Between my hands, a black circle formed by attraction force rises.

Wiiiiiing!

I feel the circle rotating.

Along with it, the black hole in front of me begins to resonate.

Sssssss—

Using the wisdom granted by the Yama True Lord, I reduce the size of the Flawless Mantra.

Although it is wisdom received from Them, it feels like something I might have eventually discovered through further study of the Flawless Mantra.

As the circle of the Flawless Mantra shrinks, the black hole simultaneously begins to decrease in size.

Tstststststs!

Then, at a certain moment—

Paaatt!

The circle condenses to a single point and vanishes, and the black hole likewise becomes a tiny dot before scattering away entirely.

'It's done...'

At last, I am able to save Kang Min-hee.

Paaaatt!

I roam through Kang Min-hee's heart essence, searching for her main consciousness.

How much time has passed?

Eventually, I find her main consciousness lying dormant at the center of a mass of dark clouds.

Paaatt!

Twin Flowers Reaching the Heavens.

White Orchid Flower!

The energy of blessings dispels the surrounding darkness.

I approach her main consciousness, grab her by the shoulders, and shake her.

"Wake up, Kang Min-hee."

At this, Kang Min-hee half-opens her eyes.

A somewhat dazed gaze.

She is dreaming.

I use the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace to enter her dream.

'This place is...'

This is my house.

The home I miss dearly.

The splendid house where I could always enjoy a comfortable life, equipped with magical artifacts like the one called a computer, as well as light fixtures, an air conditioner, and a boiler.

And this is currently a scene where I am sitting on the bed, saying something to Kang Min-hee, whose face is slightly flushed.

'This...is that day.'

It was the day Kang Min-hee drank too much and passed out and I had no choice but to bring her to my house and let her rest in my room for a while.

Kang Min-hee and I are talking about something.

She says, 'Can't you even take what's given to you?' while letting out a deep sigh, and I seem to be laughing, saying, 'Just buy me a meal.'

After some time, we begin to bicker about something. Then, leaning close to her ear, I whisper something.

Hearing my words, Kang Min-hee briefly shows a blank expression. She stays still for a long moment before quietly leaning her head on my shoulder.

This was the day we began our brief romance again.

"Stop watching."

Pasasasasak!

The dream begins to blur, and Kang Min-hee appears beside me.

"What are you doing here? Get out."

Holding a smoking pipe in one hand and dressed in a black robe, she looks at me with cold eyes.

"I was just reminiscing about old dreams in my sleep, but here you are, spying on me like a pervert...As always, you're the worst. Get lost. It was just a memory, and I have no intention of getting together with you again."

"I know."

"If you know..."

Without saying anything else, I take Kang Min-hee's hand.

"Let's go. For now, let's leave, and then we'll talk."

"L-Let go."

As I hold her hand, Kang Min-hee seems flustered and tries to pull her hand away.

But I don't let go. Holding her hand, I move forward.

Deeper into her heart essence.

There, countless ominous and foreboding energies are lurking.

"Let go! Let me go! Hurry! Do you want to die?"

Kang Min-hee starts to get angry.

However, I somehow sense a tremble in her voice.

I reply.

"I won't die."

"Don't talk nonsense! What would you know...what would you know...!?"

Hwiiiiuuuuu

I can see dark clouds around us.

Within Kang Min-hee's heart essence.

No, this place isn't exactly her heart essence. It's filled with resentful spirits nested within her soul.

"Stop pretending to be strong, Seo Eun-hyun! Let go of me already!"

Before I know it, her voice has become tearful.

She is worried about me.

I begin reading her past with the vision of the Earth Tribe.

Since I already roughly heard about what happened to her in Black Ghost Valley, it isn't difficult to read.

I come to understand what has happened in that time.

Though I can't properly read anything about the [Hole of the Underworld], I can read about the 'ghosts.'

'I see. So this...is what the Chief Judge meant...'

—However, as for what is binding that child...judge it for yourself.

Kang Min-hee acts strong on the outside, but in truth, she is fragile inside.

Despite that, she carries an enormous sense of responsibility.

'The ghosts...'

Kang Min-hee, having entered Black Ghost Valley, learned the Serene Soul True Secrets to console the souls of ghosts.

The reason was simple.

She pitied the ghostly souls, who, even in death, were being enslaved within Black Ghost Valley.

She began to embrace the ghosts, one by one.

She started to hold them, comfort them, and console them.

And gradually, ghosts began to gather around her.

It wasn't due to some innate constitution like the Ghostly Yin Transformation Immortal Root.

It was her attitude—her genuine efforts to understand the emotions of the ghosts, to console them, and to embrace them.

That attitude was what drew the ghosts to her.

During the Seven Stars Ritual, a group of ghosts who obeyed her command burst forth and punched a hole through the thick black clouds.

Even during her advancement to the Qi Building stage, she didn't require Qi Building Pills.

The ghosts willingly offered their ghostly energy to help her advance.

Unlike Jeon Myeong-hoon, who required devouring Heavenly Tribulations to grow, her growth wasn't restricted before reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Without any hindrance, from the day she learned the Serene Soul True Secrets, she steadily grew with the help of the ghosts, advancing all the way to the Four-Axis stage.

However, there was a side effect.

Kang Min-hee began to sense her mind being gradually eroded by the ghosts.

The pain of the ghosts.

Their lingering resentment.

The terror of not wanting to die.

The fear of death...

These horrifying emotions gradually consumed Kang Min-hee's mind.

To endure this, Kang Min-hee tried recalling the happy days of her life.

...Strangely, the first memory that came to her was the scene of watching the sunset through clouded skies with her ex-boyfriend at an observation deck.

Although she wasn't pleased with that memory, to retain her sanity, she continued her cultivation while recalling it.

Then, one day.

She felt that [something] beyond herself was 'calling' to her.

That [something] said...

It would help her.

That embracing the ghosts' resentment alone must be agonizing, and if she sought its aid, it would share the burden with her...

Kang Min-hee refused.

However...at some point, the [call] grew stronger.

The [call] began teaching her a formula.

At first, she ignored the formula, but as time passed, the [call] intensified.

Then, one day,

Kang Min-hee met Seo Eun-hyun again.

The day she reunited with Seo Eun-hyun, who had become a Grand Cultivator.

On that day, she was thrown somewhere by the power of Oh Hye-seo, and before s