A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 607: Crumbling Cage (3)

'Time is distorted.'

I immediately sense that something is wrong.

Time outside feels slow, while time inside seems to be passing quickly.

'I see. Bong Myeong...'

I realize that Bong Myeong's will is making time flow faster here.

A thousand years in this place would amount to nothing more than a fleeting moment outside.

I can feel it.

To twist time itself, Bong Myeong has suffered an immense loss.

A vision flashes before my eyes.

It is a silver-white light.

Within that light, a seven-colored bird is being swallowed by a massive sword light.

The bird in the vision turns back and looks at me.

—I shall melt away.

Bong Myeong, barely managing to keep just one wing outside the sword light, begins to dissolve within it, turning into a world.

—Until the moment my prophecy is fulfilled, I shall melt my personality, my life, into this world.

I can feel Their resolve to risk Their own life.

—Even if I must dissolve everything...I shall make it happen. Within this oppressed fate...I shall ensure that civilization evolves...! That shall be the key to true liberation!

And so, They melt away.

Into the silver-white radiance.

Into that cold and piercing sword light...

They become the prophecy itself!

A Supreme Deity's prophecy, enacted at the cost of Their own body, personality, and life!

With that prophecy set in motion, unless civilization advances, Bong Myeong can never be revived.

However...

If the prophecy is ever fulfilled, Bong Myeong will unconditionally resurrect through its power.

'I must ultimately revive Bong Myeong, the very being who sealed us away, with my own hands.'

A powerless chess piece caught in the grand game of the Supreme Deities.

That is all our fate amounts to in the end.

'Even after becoming a True Immortal, all I can do is claim the bare minimum of my rights. Being manipulated remains the same...'

I let out a brief bitter smile but quickly compose myself.

'I can't do anything about fate.'

Even Bong Myeong, who rose to the rank of Supreme Deity, struggles about to break free from fate's oppression.

No one in this Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand Worlds can escape fate.

But just because I cannot flee from fate does not mean I cannot decide my own life.

Whether to accept it quietly and die under fate's rule.

Or to struggle madly against it, leaving behind my mark before my death...

That much—

I can choose for myself!

I silently observe the world where the Immortal Cultivation system has vanished.

The world remains unchanged, stuck at a medieval level.

Even after a hundred years, even after two hundred years, nothing changes.

They keep repeating the same actions, replaying the same history.

Whenever a natural disaster occurs, they are easily swept away, driven to the brink of extinction. There is no sign of civilization progressing.

Three hundred years pass.

Just then,

Jjeoeoong!

Tukwaaaaaang!!!

"...!!"

I sense an immense explosion erupting in the outside world.

'Only a fleeting moment should have passed outside. What in the world is happening?'

"That...I understand. I will do as you say, Hyung-nim."

"Good. Right now, all the forces of Radiance Hall within the Flying Immortal Alliance are merely observing Seo Eun-hyun, just as Maek Jin instructed. But those who were never originally part of Radiance Hall are merely watching the situation... The moment they find an opportunity, they will throw themselves headfirst at Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View once more!"

Jeon Myeong-hoon looks down at his hand.

"My responsibility is heavy."

"There is no one here without a heavy burden. You...will create the 'opportunity'."

"Yes. Understood."

"Then, go head in. The deeper you go, the more spacetime seems to be distorted... Inside, it might have already been several days. Centuries might have passed inside Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View."

"Haha, that's..."

At that moment, as Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Young-hoon are talking—

Shururuk!

Splitting through dimensions, a silver-white light appears between them.

It is a woman holding a sword, her entire body wrapped in bandages, wearing a silver mianguan and a silver dragon robe.

"Thank you."

"...!!"

"...!!"

At the woman's appearance, Kim Young-hoon and Jeon Myeong-hoon freeze in place.

"Thanks to you...I was able to pinpoint the location. You are...yes. You are Enders."

The silver-white woman.

She, the Transformation form of the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, glances at Kim Young-hoon and Jeon Myeong-hoon.

"Lead the way, Enders. Where is Seo Eun-hyun now?"

Kim Young-hoon quickly exchanges glances with Jeon Myeong-hoon.

Kwarururung!

Without hesitation, Jeon Myeong-hoon bursts forward at lightning speed towards Kim Yeon's fragment world.

Towards him, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord extends a hand.

"A useless effort..."

From her hand, a silver-white light extends, forming a single sword light that nearly chases after Jeon Myeong-hoon's heels.

Just then,

Jjeoeoeong!

A golden saber radiance intercepts the silver-white sword light.

It is Kim Young-hoon.

"My apologies, but it seems I must be the Immortal's opponent."

"Hm... Judging by the color of your fate, you must be this era's Golden Body Heavenly King designate. You've learned quite a few tricks, but step aside. It's pointless."

Pukwak!

Her words prove true. Even though the sword light has not touched him, the divine blood formed of lightning spiritual energy spills from Jeon Myeong-hoon's body as he flees into the distance.

"I am the Fifth Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals, the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord. I am the owner of light and the executor of fate."

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord gazes at Kim Young-hoon with cold, stern eyes.

"Mere tricks will never defy the fate standing at the peak of the Sumeru Three Heavens Great Thousand Worlds. Look. You may have blocked my sword, but you failed to stop the prophecy, and thus, the wound has been inflicted all the same. I will say it again. Step aside. You will be torn apart and perish."

"...I certainly couldn't stop the prophecy."

Kim Young-hoon grins and takes his stance.

"But I did block the Immortal's sword. And no matter what, Myeong-hoon managed to escape inside."

He feels an overwhelming pressure.

The pressure emanating from the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord is unlike anything he felt from the True Immortals, cultivators, or True Persons he had faced before.

It feels as though he is standing before True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu herself.

His opponent is a sharp sword.

A silver-white sword that cuts and shreds all phenomena, the incarnation of war and violence itself.

Perhaps, that sword may even surpass Seo Eun-hyun.

'An unrivaled, peerless swordsman.'

"For martial artists, being able to cross blades is enough. What more could we possibly need!?"

"..."

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord looks at Kim Young-hoon for a moment before raising the sword in her hand.

"I have pitied you Enders all this time...but for at least this moment, I envy you. A weapon you can wield as your heart desires—how does it feel in your hands?"

"I will show you now."

"...Good."

Tadatt!

Paatt!

A strange space that exists between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional, where countless landscape paintings are drawn.

Within the ancient landscape, a silver-white swordsman and a golden saber wielder collide.

Gold and silver intertwine, unleashing a storm of swords and sabers.

Jjeoeoong!

Tukwaaaaaang!!!

A massive explosion erupts, and years pass.

I simply continue to unfold Filling the Heavens Governing View, worrying about the outside world.

Just then,

Kwarururung!

"...!"

I spring to my feet.

"What the...!?"

The mist of Filling the Heavens Governing View has been pierced!

Though the mist fills back in an instant, in that fleeting moment, 'someone' slips inside.

It is a True Immortal.

Immortal Art,

Sun Shooting!

Tukwaang!

I hastily fire an arrow that extinguishes light, but the True Immortal merely brushes off the attack, barely fazed.

'What...? It's not a True Immortal from Radiance Hall!?'

[Step back at once! Do you truly wish to witness the failure of civilization's evolution!?]

I grit my teeth and shout.

[As there's now a little leeway in time, I can explain. I can explain in detail why I acted so arbitrarily. So at least hear my explanation!]

But the response I receive from the True Immortal is unexpected.

[I already know. I understand why you did this...I even understand your intention.]

[What...?]

[However, I just want to tell you that our way is not wrong either.]

With those words, the True Immortal explodes on the spot.

"Wait!!!"

Kwagwagwagwang!

An Earth Upper Immortal, who had been on the verge of becoming a Great Net Immortal, explodes and perishes.

At the same time, their life shatters into pieces, and fragments of their existence fall towards the 'Earth' I am recreating.

They melt into my Immortal Art world, where the Immortal Cultivation system has been blocked.

I widen my eyes at the sight.

It is the same as Bong Myeong.

Just as Bong Myeong melted Themself, offering Their life as the price to prophesize the evolution of civilization...

This True Immortal has done the same, melting into the world and using their life as the price for revision.

: : Living beings of this world, remember : :

Kugugugugu!

The world has been revised.

: : Remember...that once in this world, there existed myths and Immortal Cultivation... : :

That is it.

A mere revision that instills a yearning for myth and Immortal Cultivation, confirming that they once existed.

It seems trivial.

But an inexplicable ominous feeling creeps over me.

'That explosion...'

It bothers me so much for some reason.

It feels as though something has begun from that explosion.

I have the feeling that the True Immortal's suicidal attack is not an end,

But the beginning.

Chwararararak!

I unfold Filling the Heavens Governing View with even greater force, yet the unease in the corner of my heart does not fade.

'I was confident I could block the True Immortals' attacks. No matter how much they launched an all-out assault, I was sure I could hold them back.'

But...

Even I have no way to stop these acts where they wager their very lives.

The counterattack of the True Immortals has begun.

Kwaaang!

Another True Immortal breaches my Filling the Heavens Governing View.

: : I prophesize... With my personality and entire life as the offering... : :

Kugugugugu!

As the True Immortal falls towards the 'Recreated Earth' where living beings reside like a falling star, their rank diminishes.

That True Immortal, along with their prophecy, becomes a mere [fate].

Having lost their personality and becoming fate, they settle into the body of a newborn child.

I watch over the child.

The child is born as the prince of a kingdom.

I observe the prince's fate.

He has the fate of a prophet who enlightens countless beings and provides a starting point to escape the system of my Filling the Heavens Governing View.

To block that fate, I disguise myself as a seer and approach the king of the nation to deliver a proclamation.

"The prince, if left alone, will one day become a great prophet, bestowing teachings upon the masses instead of ruling from the throne. However, if he firmly holds onto the throne, he will become a ruler who governs the world."

Upon hearing this, the king, desiring to preserve his royal lineage, locks the prince away in a garden like a gilded cage and introduces him to countless pleasures.

He allows the prince to know nothing but countless beauties, mountain and sea delicacies, dazzling jewels, and all things beautiful.

Watching the prince, I feel relieved.

At this rate, the prince seems to be safely deviating from the fate set by the True Immortal.

But one day—

The prince, by accident, catches a glimpse beyond the garden the king has built.

The moment I realize this, I know I have lost.

The world outside the garden's walls.

Having seen a world writhing with all kinds of hunger and suffering, the prince is thrown into turmoil and steps out of the garden created by the king.

Breaking free from the cage with his own hands, he begins to wander the world in search of truth.

Before long, as he travels in pursuit of truth, more and more people start to follow him.

I make every effort to bring him back to the palace, but he remains steadfast, undeterred by countless temptations and failures.

And those who revere him begin to call him a prophet.

In the end, he overcomes all my interference and succeeds in becoming a prophet.

"...It's you."

At the final moment of his life, the prophet, recognizing my presence that has spread across the world, smiles faintly.

"...Yes. It's me."

Looking at him, I begin introducing myself despite no one compelling me to do so.

"I sought to advance the civilization of this world. To do so, I temporarily severed the system of Immortal Cultivation that once flowed through this land. For the world to progress, transcendental power is unnecessary. That is why I stood in your way, who tried to restore such powers."

Only after finishing my explanation do I realize that I had made excuses in front of this prophet out of shame.

But the prophet, as if unconcerned, hears my murmurs clearly despite the hundreds of millions of li between us, and responds.

"Did I seem like I was trying to restore transcendental power?"

"...Was that not the case?"

"The power I restored...is not something like that."

"...What?"

"I simply wandered in search of not power, but truth. I merely wished to reveal the truth to this world...to the people of this world. To spread that truth wide and bring benefit to many."

"..."

From a distant planet hundreds of millions of li away, I gaze at the prophet and ask,

"What is the truth you speak of?"

The prophet smiles.

It is the smile of one at the end of their life.

"The heart...that people naturally pass on...to one another. That is all. Some may call it compassion. Others may call it love. And yet others may call it hope. But one thing is certain. This heart, without a doubt...is a heart that brings warmth to the people. That is all there is to it."

After speaking these words, the prophet closes his eyes.

Watching him, I am overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.

And then, thousands of years pass.

Kwaaaang!

The True Immortals outside continue to stake their lives, breaking through my Filling the Heavens Governing View.

They revise the history of my Filling the Heavens Governing View, or with their prophecies and Immortal Arts, create 'prophets'.

I see a True Immortal melt and dwell as fate within a child born in a manger.

That child, too, is bestowed the fate to become a great prophet.

As the child grows, he comes to understand many things.

Even without being taught, he discerns the traces of past prophets in the actions of people and comprehends their true intent.

The child grows, gathers people, takes them as disciples, and leads them.

He spreads the truths he has realized, the will of the prophets he has come to understand, to countless others.

The king of the land where the child walks finds him displeasing and orders his capture.

In the end, the child is condemned for spreading heretical wisdom and is nailed upside down to a pillar to die.

Yet even as he dies, he harbors no resentment, only embracing everyone.

In his dying state, he perceives my will that fills the world and looks towards me.

"You are the king of this world."

"...Not exactly, but close enough."

He looks at me and smiles warmly.

"O king of the world, why do you suffer so?"

"...Because there is too much resting on my shoulders."

"Is that so...? How truly...pitiful."

The moment I hear those words, I laugh.

"Well...isn't the pitiful one you, who is nailed to a pillar and dying? Your life ends here. There is no next chance. You have no certainty that another life awaits you. And yet...why are you so at peace?"

"Hahaha... O king who bears the world. All my life, I have taught my disciples who follow me that what belongs to a prophet should be returned to the prophet, and what belongs to a king should be returned to the king."

"..."

"Everything received must be returned. My disciples have always returned to you the grace they received from you. Then, O king who bears the world. What is it that causes you suffering...and why do you not return its source?"

"...!"

My eyes widen.

He is nothing more than a mere mortal being.

A fragile creature that could never reach a genuine undying existence that is me.

And yet, this being has pierced straight through my heart.

'...The source of my suffering...'

It is, ultimately, because there were those who loved me.

Throughout my life, I have received the grace of so many, the love of so many.

Had I never received any love...

Had this world treated me with only cold indifference...

I would have become a Devil King who devours the world and bring it suffering. 

But because that is not the case, I now struggle to repay this world with the greatest grace I can offer.

"To give grace to life is good...but do not struggle to give away...even that which you must keep for yourself. Return only what must be returned to life. Excess in all things is never good, O king..."

With those final words, the prophet nailed to the pillar closes his eyes.

I ponder his words for a long time.

"Am I...trying to express the grace I received from the world by putting in excessive effort to the point of suffering too much?'

The words that speak of returning suffering, that excess is never good...

In the end, are telling me not to overexert myself in repaying grace.

I continue to mull over those words.

Time continues