A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 543: 1000th Cycle's First Day. And Her

Chapter 543: 1000th Cycle's First Day. And Her

Ttok—

A sound of a water droplet falling echoes from somewhere.

In a dark, pitch-black space, I stand rendered powerless, beside the candle of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld wearing the guise of Kim Yeon.

Everything about the situation feels suffocating.

Sarak, sarak...

Behind the guise of Kim Yeon, the being that seems to be the main body of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld is doing something.

Ttok—

[TL: Basically a small vessel to hold ink-stone water.]

It seems like water is being poured into a water dropper.

A posture suggesting preparation for redrawing something.

Ttok—

Once again, the sound of water falling into the water dropper echoes.

Then, the figure of Kim Yeon opens their mouth.

"To refer to yourself merely as one of the Human Path...your confidence is too low. Now that you have properly set foot into the Immortal Family, you can afford to hold yourself in a higher regard."

"..."

"Immortal Seo Eun-hyun. Has your journey thus far been satisfactory?"

I swallow hard.

It feels like I can't carelessly let any words slip from my mouth.

What if I foolishly answer, 'It was satisfactory,' only to be eternally taxidermized?

"An amusing thought."

"..."

'Is it impossible to even hide my thoughts...?'

"What are you trying to hide before me? The one who has existed even before Eleven Governings, Heavenly Venerables, two powers of Mount Sumeru, and such systems existed is I. Simply by observing the flow of history, I can read most things. Speak whatever comes to mind. It is fine."

I close my eyes tightly.

"So, has your journey thus far been satisfactory?"

"...Ever since I learned from the Mountain Divine Spirit that recklessly opening one's mouth can lead to grave consequences, I have refrained from speaking careless words. I beg for your understanding, O Imperial Venerable."

Recalling the tales I heard on Penglai Island, rumors and legends from here and there, the titles spoken by Blood Yin, I address Them with the most fitting title.

One of the two thrones of the Buddhist Family Twin Venerables. 

Wheel Imperial Venerable (車輪帝尊)!

The Owner of the [Wheel] is surely the being before me.

The [White Wheel] I glimpsed behind the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld in my past life still lingers vividly in my memory.

At my words, They nod and smile.

"You've learned well from the Mountain Divine Spirit. But haven't I told you before? Silence is golden, yet silence out of place...can sometimes summon a blade."

"...I do not fear blades, for I, myself, wield a blade. How can one swing a blade without the resolve to be struck by one."

I clear my throat and gaze at the being beyond Kim Yeon's visage.

Deep and vast darkness.

Yet, the main body of this being undoubtedly lies beyond there.

"And, the Imperial Venerable has instructed me to speak. Even when They have said that They are already reading everything about me. However, I am currently speaking not with the Imperial Venerable's true face, but to the shadow cast by a candle. How can I possibly offer the Imperial Venerable proper words under such circumstances?"

"Hoho..."

Wearing Kim Yeon's face, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld smiles.

"Do you not realize I am protecting you? Those who have not yet reached the rank of Lord (君) suffer tremendous shock from merely gazing directly at me. I am offering consideration for your sake. Yet, you reject even this kindness and instead reach to drink the punitive wine."

Sararak—

At that moment, the figure of Kim Yeon begins to blur, and the presence of the [Darkness] behind becomes slightly clearer.

In that moment, I feel as though my breath stops and my head is about to shatter.

'Heok... Heheok...!'

Kim Yeon's form wavers, and I can now directly see the [Shadow] of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.

The outline of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld comes into view.

But just from that, my eyeballs start to decay and melt, and I feel my entire being filling with death.

'Th-This is...'

The difference in rank between the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and I.

As I feel this incomprehensible gap, I realize that even if I were to bring forth my entire main body and activate Heaven, Earth, Heart, and Wheel completely, the difference in rank between me and the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld would not narrow much further than it feels right now from my mortal state.

However, I grit my teeth.

'Truly remarkable.'

But I have something I have accumulated.

Even if what is stolen is eventually taken back...

What I have accumulated will remain even if I die!

Pasasasasak!

The pure white light of the candle begins to resonate with my will.

"Immortal Cultivation is repentant enlightenment..."

Like tiny grains of salt gathering to form a sea.

"Build mountains...through repentant enlightenment!"

Strengthening my will, I firmly uphold my spirit.

Paaaatt...!

"My life is the mountain built from everything I have accumulated. It will not crumble easily...!"

Pakang!

At that moment, I resist the pressure of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and realize [something].

Paaaatt!

As soon as I realize it, I feel my cultivation and authority, once bound by the possibilities of the past, returning to me.

Kududuk...

When I exert strength, a [Wheel] emerges behind my head, and I can feel the authority of Heaven, Earth, Heart, and Wheel.

But I realize something far more important than any of that.

'So that's it. Even though I used Kunlun and reached the domain of purity...the reason I arrived in the Underworld...!'

I am not truly in the Underworld right now.

Through the authority of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, only half of my consciousness has been dragged into the Underworld.

The other half remains overlapping in the domain of purity.

The moment I realize this, I see a glimmer of hope—a chance to escape before the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.

Just then,

"Hoho...Ohohohoho..."

The Underworld begins to laugh.

Kurururung!

Kurururung!

The entire darkness trembles.

Even though I have regained the authority of Heaven, Earth, Heart, and Wheel, I feel as though my breath is cut off again and my heart is being tightly squeezed.

'Th-This is...'

I thought wrong. 

Escape seems utterly impossible.

What was shown to me was merely the tip of the iceberg.

A mere speck of dust from a great mountain.

The Wheel behind my head feels as though it is about to be crushed under the laughter of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.

It is then.

Ttok—

The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld stops laughing.

And the illusion of Kim Yeon before me becomes clear again.

"Hear me, Judges. From this moment on, I shall have a private audience with this distinguished guest. All Judges are to leave, manage your respective domains, and continue judging the deceased."

At the words spilling from Kim Yeon's mouth, ten shadows flicker from beyond the darkness before disappearing somewhere.

'J-Judges...? Like the Yama True Lord...? I had no idea...'

Darkness completely concealed their presence, making it impossible to detect them.

'Escape? What nonsense...'

I click my tongue at my own misjudgment.

If I had attempted to escape, the Judges would have likely intervened and dragged me back.

While I am sunk in my own self-deprecation, Kim Yeon smiles faintly and offers me a bow.

"Indeed, you are worthy of inheriting Salt Sea's will, O Distinguished One. As I have reaffirmed that the distinguished one is not someone to be treated carelessly, I offer thee this bow. However, while I may bow to thee as one individual to another, I ask for thee understanding that I cannot do so while I am the leader of my group."

"...Please, lower the speech. How can the Imperial Venerable address a mere Immortal with such respect?"

I break into a cold sweat, feeling burdened by the respectful tone of the being wearing Kim Yeon's face.

If this were from the perspective of Tae Yeol-jeon or the girl from Seoak Village, it might be different, but being addressed so formally by the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld feels so burdensome I might choke.

It feels as though a king of a nation is showing respect to an ant.

"Even if one is no different from an ant, if they possess an enlightenment worthy of respect, they must be respected. What use is the status of a king in the face of enlightenment? And besides, you all are not ants, but rather existences no different from imugis..."

"...By 'you all,' is the Imperial Venerable referring to the Enders?"

"Rather than Enders, I prefer the title Seven Brilliances Kings. As the title suggests, you all are kings. If the domains of Immortals are considered territories, then you all are already rulers who have inherited a kingdom."

The eyes of [Darkness] wearing Kim Yeon's face meet mine.

I feel burdened under that gaze.

"...How much do you know about us? How long...have you been watching me?"

"I know enough. As for the distinguished one...I became aware of thee when you faced your second death."

"..."

'When the first cycle ended and transitioned into the second...they've been watching since then?'

Goosebumps rise on my skin.

I realize I have been within this being's grasp from the beginning.

I feel a fleeting sense of kinship and comfort towards a being who knows my past, but the sheer difference in rank between us drowns out such thoughts almost instantly.

"...Do you...know of my ability?"

"The distinguished one meddles with history so frequently, how could I not know? After me, Time has also noticed, and the other Heavenly Venerables should be sensing déjà vu. The Supreme Deities, after about a thousand more deaths, will start feeling déjà vu as well. Except for one, that is."

"Who might that one be?"

"I cannot say. Even if we are in the deepest depths of the Underworld...if I speak of them, they will notice."

"..."

Cannot say.

But even with that, I can deduce some possibilities.

'Is it...the Light Yang Su-jin spoke of? Even here, in the deepest depths of the Underworld, They will notice when mentioned?'

It is truly a fearsome authority.

I'm glad I managed to avoid being caught by the Great Yang Heavenly Lord.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure about that. They are indeed insidious, but..."

"...?"

I flinch at the subtle reaction of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.

'It's not Light? The being They're referring to, who noticed my ability...? Is there [another] existence besides Light?'

Yet, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld only spoke evasively, avoiding speaking directly.

'...Let's not press further.'

For now, it's not something I am meant to know.

Quickly grasping the situation, I shift the topic.

"Previously, I encountered the lingering thought of the Golden Divine, who told me this. I heard that you capture and taxidermize us before we reach a certain level, but once we do, you instead support us. Then, does that mean I..."

Gulp—

Swallowing, I face the darkness.

"...have reached a level worthy of your support?"

But at my words, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld smiles faintly.

"Indeed, the distinguished one possesses remarkable enlightenment. As I said, thy rank is already akin to a ruler of a kingdom. However...in the end, the distinguished one is still no different from a newborn."

Chills!

Her two eyes seem to flicker dangerously.

The darkness within them glistens.

"The distinguished one as he is now, holds no value to me other than being captured and taxidermized. Who would offer support to a worthless stone?"

"...But wasn't it...the Imperial Venerable who helped me obtain the Wheel?"

"Hoho..."

She lets out a chilling laugh.

"Even after I gave it to the distinguished one, he only managed to use it to such a limited extent. Why should I offer the distinguished one any more assistance?"

"..."

The more I speak, the deeper I feel myself sinking into a swamp.

With an unreadable smile, she reaches out her hand.

"By the way, only the distinguished one has been asking questions thus far."

"I apologize. However..."

"The distinguished one still hasn't answered my question. No matter how subtly the distinguished one tries to avoid it, it cannot be done. So, answer me—has the distinguished one's journey thus far been satisfactory?"

Tingle, tingle...

I can feel it.

I still cannot grasp the true extent of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld's rank, but Heaven, Earth, Heart, Wheel—

Having reclaimed the power of my main body, I can now understand the [intention] behind that question.

Yes.

From the very beginning...

She has only been thinking of capturing and taxidermizing me,

If I answer, 'It was satisfying', I feel certain that my life will be eternally severed, and I will be imprisoned here in the deepest depths of the Underworld.

But even so, I cannot lie.

Not because I fear the punishment that comes after the lie, but because I cannot deceive myself.

My life...

Because I have truly lived to the best of my ability, it cannot be anything but satisfying.

"...I will ask a few more questions."

I look around at the surroundings and open my mouth.

"What time period am I in? What is the current point in time?"

"The distinguished one has recently experienced his 1000th death. And when the distinguished one was returning, I pulled the distinguished one from the domain of purity, and we are now having this private conversation."

"Then, the current point in time is after Blood Yin and my..."

"After the battle. After that child annihilated himself, scattering the distinguished one and the other Heavenly Kings to your respective Heavenly Domains, it is the point in time after the distinguished one sent his will into the Interdimensional Void to advance to True Immortality."

"...Excuse me?"

For a moment, I cannot comprehend.

"What do you mean by that?"

That would mean...

"Does the distinguished one not understand? It means that it has been [fixed]."

"..."

A splitting sensation pierces my head at those words.

I feel sick, like I'm about to vomit.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, wearing Kim Yeon's face, sharply glares somewhere.

After staring intently for a while, she relaxes her expression and looks back at me.

"The distinguished one still has much to study. You don't even know what the 'condition' is yet..."

"..."

My head feels dizzy.

'So the return point has been fixed again...'

And on top of that, the 'condition'...

Somehow, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld seems to know the conditions for the fixation of the regression point.

"Could the Imperial Venerable...perhaps tell me about the conditions for fixing the regression point?"

"If you answer my question first, I will answer yours as well."

"...Then I will ask a different question. Why is the Imperial Venerable trying to capture and imprison us?"

"Hm... How precarious."

"...?"

What does she mean by precarious?

She seems to hesitate for a moment at my words before opening her mouth as if she made a big decision.

"Since failure is inevitable anyway, I am merely trying to stop the process from advancing. That is the best answer I can give you at this point in time. If the distinguished one wishes to know more, then, at the very least, reach Great Net (大羅) and ask me then."

"..."

It doesn't seem like much, but her words carry an ominous weight.

Failure is inevitable anyway.

Then, like Vast Cold, Yang Su-jin, and the other Enders before us...

Does it mean such a miserable future awaits us as well?

'If that's the case...wouldn't it be better for me to simply be taxidermized by the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld?'

Perhaps, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld doesn't intend to just taxidermize me.

She might appoint me as a Reaper or a Judge of the Underworld and train me.

'As for my comrades...I thought I wouldn't be able to see them again... But if they are killed and brought to the Underworld, wouldn't we be able to be together again?'

It's a thought that seems more fitting for a devil of the Devilish Path, but after facing the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld and realizing that death itself isn't so frightening, my perspective has shifted slightly.

As if noticing my change, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld smiles warmly with Kim Yeon's face and asks again.

"Now...can you answer my question?"

If, even in death, I can retain myself, how is that any different from merely moving to another Heavenly Domain?

Even if this realm of death is entirely different from the realm of life,

If one lived life satisfactorily, wouldn't they also be able to spend death satisfactorily?

After contemplating for a while, I open my mouth.

"...I..."

☯

"..."

"As expected...I will answer the question later."

However, after deliberation, it doesn't seem right to be taxidermized in the Underworld right this instant.

I still have the unresolved debt with the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, and things I must still accomplish in the realm of life.

It is not an issue that needs to be immediately decided hastily.

Even if I am to be taxidermized, it wouldn't be too late after I've done everything I can in life.

Thus, I firm my resolve and answer accordingly.

However, I notice something different in her expression.

The kind expression Kim Yeon wore just moments ago has stiffened, and she is now looking at me with a blank, expressionless face.

'...Was delaying my answer...that much of an offensive act?'

At that moment, the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld speaks with a rigid voice.

"It's something I feel every time, but it's deeply unpleasant."

"I deeply apologize. May I ask one final question?"

"..."

She remains silent wit