A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 639: Heavenly Venerable's Power (1)

Chapter 639: Heavenly Venerable's Power (1)

Dududududu!

I grit my teeth.

An overwhelming force constricts me, draining strength from my body.

Every moment I have resolved problems through the Plane of Soul.

Every moment I have gazed upon intent...

All the moments I have pursued martial arts through intent!

From those very moments, strength flows out of me.

Behind my back, the Pure-White Three Great Ultimates spins fiercely, pouring power into Hyeon Mu.

However, no matter how much energy is given to Hyeon Mu, this endless suction force remains impossible to resist.

Kim Young-hoon is the same.

No, his situation looks even more dire than mine.

He seems to barely be enduring through the cultivation of a Heavenly King, but even that feels like a candle flickering in the wind, about to go out.

At least for the other Enders, whose main powers don't lie in Martial Arts, things are a little better.

But Kim Yeon and Kang Min-hee, whose primary authorities are connected to the spirit, are being drained significantly, and the other Enders are also having a portion of the power they've accumulated as Enders sucked away.

As for the other True Lords and Heavenly Lords, perhaps because they've been regularly drained by Hyeon Mu whenever something like this happens...

They are being drained at a far lesser degree than we are.

'Thanks to Hyeon Rang, at least we're not getting immediately sucked into Void and devoured.'

The only reason we're still holding on is because the Naming Supreme Deity Hyeon Rang divine descent into Oh Hyun-seok's body and is suppressing Hyeon Mu's suction force.

Without that, we wouldn't just be drained of strength—we'd be getting pulled in and annihilated entirely.

'Is this...why the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld warned to beware of the North...!?'

The authorities of the Enders.

All the powers we awakened seem closely tied to death, or to the heart itself.

And Hyeon Mu is the founder of the Plane of Soul, which governs those powers of the heart.

That is why, to us, Hyeon Mu is the worst possible matchup.

Kugugugugu!

As I have such thoughts, I suddenly see the massive body of Hyeon Mu, which Hyeon Rang had been suppressing, begin to swell.

'Crazy...!'

The vortex of black snakes expands, pushing back Hyeon Rang, and begins spinning faster and faster to devour us.

Hyeon Mu's suction force shows no sign of weakening; it only grows stronger.

Despair settles into my eyes.

'How...are we supposed to defeat this...? No, can we even escape...?'

Perhaps, when we first heard that Hyeon Mu was descending, we shouldn't have thought of confronting her—but instead should have sought a way to escape.

'There's...no answer in sight...'

Just as everything before my eyes begins to darken—

Tuk—

"...?"

It feels as if someone pushes my back.

I turn around, wondering who it might be.

But there is no one behind me.

All that's behind me is the Pure-White Three Great Ultimates, and the [White Deer Without Antlers] I created to draw out my full power.

In other words, only the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections I temporarily restored for this time.

'Just now...who...?'

But just as I begin wondering who pushed me, I realize who it was.

'...You...'

Someone is extending their fist toward me.

It is—

My disciples, from when I was reaching Five Energies Converging to the Origin.

It is—

Kim Young-hoon, who has taught me countless martial arts until now.

It is—

My teachers, including Cheongmun Ryeong and Buk Hyang-hwa, who've taught me countless matters of the heart.

Within the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, all those countless people look at me and extend their fists.

How can this be?

The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections is supposed to only reflect my heart...

Unless I desire it, they should only repeat their predetermined actions...

'Ah...'

Only now do I realize.

'They...haven't died.'

From them, I feel an undeniable sense of life.

Because they are a part of me.

And the reason they pushed my back is simply because I subconsciously wished for it.

'I...already knew the answer.'

I just hadn't recalled it immediately.

'The answer was already there!'

Kuduk!

My foot steps into space as I begin to move toward Hyeon Mu, who spews out suction force.

Kugung!

My physical body grows larger as my true form begins to reveal itself.

A white round collar robe made from glass sword mountains begins to shine clearly within the domain of emptiness.

: : O Owner of Void. You have said that we borrowed your strength. That you Heavenly Venerables cover this world with Immortal Crowns and lend us principles. : :

Kugugugugu!

The suction force from the spinning Three Great Ultimates only intensifies, but Hyeon Mu does not directly respond.

But even that is enough for me to feel as if I've received an answer.

Hyeon Mu looks upon me with interest.

: : Then, you Heavenly Venerables...are you not those who have taken the entire world as your disciple, and become the teachers of Mount Sumeru itself? : :

I press my palms together and bow before the enormous suction force before me.

: : O great teacher of the world. You have bestowed upon us teachings and principles. However, this disciple dares to ask you something. : :

The hissing snakes all turn their eyes to me.

: : My teacher. May this disciple, as your student, now offer teachings to the teacher in return!? : :

When Hyeon Mu first appeared to us, she called herself the creditor and us the debtors, taking strength from us.

But now, I begin to reinterpret that relationship in my own way.

Not as creditor and debtor, but as teacher and disciple.

Clang!

Outside the Pure-White Three Great Ultimates, the Wheel overlays itself.

The Wheel that absorbs the pure-white light begins to spin, radiating starlight.

At the same time, the power of rotation centered around me spreads out, repelling the suction force from Hyeon Mu that is bearing down on the surrounding Enders.

Kugugugung!

Simultaneously, a message flies forth from Hyeon Mu as if amused.

[Excellent. I have seen many Golden Bodies and Heavenly Kings, but you are the first to fight through interpretation in this way.]

Hyeon Mu praises me.

[...But that is merely a deferment of your debt. In the end, unless you show enlightenment greater than the moments you borrowed power from the Plane of Soul...the debt shall be enforced once again...!]

That's right.

In the end, what I have done is not erase the debt.

I have simply replaced the price of that debt—not by giving strength, but by 'showing the enlightenment' we have gained.

If the enlightenment we show does not satisfy Hyeon Mu, then we must once more repay that debt at the end.

Kigigik!

Compressing my body, I speak.

[I will show you now.]

At the same time, a powerful repulsion from Hyeon Mu flings away the Naming Supreme Deity and Oh Hyun-seok.

[Very well. Come at me.]

Shushushuk!

The True Lords and Heavenly Lords also step into the rotational force centered around me, evading Hyeon Mu's suction.

Then, all of us charge at Hyeon Mu at once.

The true Heavenly Venerable Battle begins.

Kururung!

An instant.

Hyeon Mu's body swells massively.

[...!]

Asaṃkhyeya, Ganges sand...no.

Black snakes numbering in quantities closer to the incomprehensible rampage and lash out like whips.

A fleeting instant. 

Slashes formed from the bodies of the black snakes begin to overturn the entirety of the Inner Sea.

The Heavenly Domains existing in the faraway spacetime...

Corners of the Bearing Tree Heavenly Domain, Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, and Heavenly King Heavenly Domain are visibly shaved away by Hyeon Mu's single strike.

[Restrain Hyeon Mu's main body!]

With my shout, Jeon Myeong-hoon unfolds Indra's Net.

A net of lightning originating from him spreads and covers Hyeon Mu's body.

Kim Yeon, now moving the body of the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, crashes down from afar and slams into Hyeon Mu's massive form.

Oh Hyun-seok and the Naming Supreme Deity also transform into a giant god and push Hyeon Mu upward from below.

Kiririk—

Kang Min-hee forms a hand seal from a distance.

At that moment, countless 'laws' begin layering over Hyeon Mu.

Numerous laws carve themselves across Hyeon Mu's entire body, beginning to restrain her true form.

Kururung!

The Underworld Ten Kings begin to move.

The Blade Mountain True Lord and the Corpse Saw True Lord slice through the snakes' bodies with their blade and saw, while the Sword Tree True Lord and the Wind Path True Lord stretch out twin palms from both sides, cutting down Hyeon Mu's slashes as they press forward.

The Martial Melody Heavenly Lord moves countless arms, exchanging continuous palm strikes with Hyeon Mu's snakes.

And at the center of the whirling vortex Hyeon Mu is dancing—

There, Kim Young-hoon, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, and I land.

[So you're from the Brahma Nature side after all.]

Having compressed to a size close to that of an ordinary human like us, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus asks Kim Young-hoon.

Kim Young-hoon gives a brief nod.

Seeing that, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus speaks.

[There's only one way to kill Hyeon Mu. Hyeon Mu's Interdimensional Void is ultimately the result of her own interpretation of the domain of purity. Therefore...to kill Hyeon Mu, or at least inflict a fatal wound, our interpretation of the domain of purity must surpass Hyeon Mu's principle.]

[You're saying it's an interpretation battle? That we must deny Hyeon Mu's Martial Arts system through interpretation...?]

At my question, Kim Young-hoon shakes his head.

"No. Denying the Martial Arts system Hyeon Mu has built through interpretation...that's just the 'minimum' condition. To kill Hyeon Mu...we must deny the principle she has accumulated until now across the time of the Ganges sands."

[You're saying we have to deny her principle?]

"Yeah. To put it simply..."

He speaks with solemn eyes.

"We must cut through the emptiness."

At those words, my eyes widen.

[Wh-What are you...]

There's a reason why Hyeon Mu's Interdimensional Void is called the Interdimensional Void.

It's because it is, quite literally, empty.

There is nothing.

You can cut what has form.

You can cut souls.

You can cut space.

Even fate, and even history—my Impermanence Sword has cut through all of them.

However...

You cannot cut what does not exist.

Hyeon Mu's Interdimensional Void is literally emptiness.

The world closest to the domain of purity.

There is nothing there—thus, there is nothing to cut.

In truth, the current Interdimensional Void is the empty domain of purity, overlaid with the principle of 'nothing exists'.

Can you imagine it?

It's like painting white paint over a white wall.

Even if one tries to slash through the will that fills the Interdimensional Void, the domain of purity itself is a world no different from the Interdimensional Void, so cutting it would be meaningless.

The domain of purity itself supports principle of the Interdimensional Void, so cutting it would be pointless.

However, Kim Young-hoon laughs.

"Eun-hyun-ah. Is it meaningless to draw a picture on a black canvas?"

[Pardon...?]

"If all that lies before your eyes is darkness, then what must you do to dispel that darkness?"

Surung—

Kim Young-hoon lifts his saber with a bitter smile.

"Is not the way to dispel darkness, shining light!? If Hyeon Mu's interpretation of purity is 'nothingness,' then mine is different."

Kim Young-hoon's meaning is conveyed through the heart.

"Purity...is the possibility to become anything! That is...my will!"

If Hyeon Mu interprets a blank canvas as 'something empty'—

Then Kim Younghoon interprets that canvas as 'something on which anything can be drawn'.

And from Kim Young-hoon, the Triple Divinity of Creation begins to emanate.

White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus also creates numerous flower-shaped clusters of Gang Qi in the surroundings and laughs.

[Alright! Now then...everyone is ready for battle, right? From here on...let's go kill a Heavenly Venerable!]

Tadatt!

We scatter in three different directions.

I receive wills from Kim Young-hoon and White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, and realize what I must do.

'The Underworld Ten Kings are blocking damage from Hyeon Mu's main body, the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord is clashing against one of Hyeon Mu's sides to test themself, and the Enders are doing everything they can to suppress an aspect of Hyeon Mu's authority.'

That means in the end, we are the ones who must wound Hyeon Mu.

Recalling the words of Kim Young-hoon and White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, I recognize what must be done.

'If there is nothing I can cut...then overlaying something becomes the act of cutting.'

Countless snakes of emptiness rush toward me.

I fend off the snakes and land on the edge of the vortex—on the head of one of the snakes.

Kim Young-hoon and White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus also spin, landing on the heads of the snakes at the edges of the Three Great Ultimates that is creating the vortex.

Without needing to decide who goes first, we each unleash our martial arts toward the snake heads.

Heavenly Pegasus Divine Art (天馬神功).

[Heavenly Pegasus Sovereign Step (天馬君臨步)!]

Kugwagwagwang!

White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus lets out a powerful cry and stomps on the snake's head.

At the same time, the light of creation bursts forth, blowing apart the snake's head.

As the snake's skull bursts apart, a spacetime belonging to White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus is created.

Kim Young-hoon's will resounds through the world of emptiness.

Surpassing Radiant Genesis Form.

First Form.

Golden Wing Defiles the Light.

Shwikak!

From the single swing of Kim Young-hoon's saber, a golden river is created.

That golden river erases the head of the snake of emptiness.

Having overlaid their powers onto their respective snake's head, Kim Young-hoon and White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus charge from the edge of the Three Great Ultimates toward the center, heading into the eye of the vortex.

And everywhere they pass, the principles of Triple Divinity they've overlaid carve into Hyeon Mu's true form, beginning to erase it.

Watching them, I raise my Impermanence Sword.

Shwishwishwik!

Countless snakes rush toward me.

—Someone like you dares?

It feels as though Hyeon Mu's voice resounds.

'Unlike those two, I'm not specialized in creation.'

But I possess the Triple Divinity that can specialize in anything.

Tuk, tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk!

I begin to strike acupuncture points all across my body.

The Immortal Art Mahayuga activates.

The principle of Mahayuga is to interpret the entire world as wheels.

And likewise, my body—whether it is the Immortal Body of a True Immortal or a human's flesh—is interpreted as a part of the wheel.

Countless wheels gather to form the body, and Mahayuga accelerates the wheel-like body by borrowing the power of the wheel called 'world'.

Wheels that govern strength, speed, agility, creativity, endurance, and destructive power begin to rotate fiercely.

Every time I strike a point on my body, the cycling power spreads out, drawing rotational power from the wheel that is the world.

Kiiiiiiiiing!

At the same time, Mahayuga begins to resonate with the Flawless Mantra.

Behind my back—

On the outer edge of the starlight wheel, a [white circle] appears.

'Rotation is, ultimately, a bridle...'

The rotational power of Mahayuga causes my Pure-White Three Great Ultimates and the Immortal Art of 'Wheel' to spin even faster.

'At the pinnacle of the bridle, is the mantra that obtains the strongest power. Flawlessness.'

The power of the Flawless Mantra amplifies, supporting the cycle of my Triple Divinity.

Thus, the Triple Divinity cycles, spinning the Three Great Ultimates, and that spinning strengthens the Flawless Mantra.

Then, the Flawless Mantra again assists the cycling of the Triple Divinity...

The amplification of rotational force that begins from Mahayuga grows endlessly as it meets my Immortal Arts.

'At this level...could I use the thirty-sixth move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship?'

I recall the final secret art of Severing Mountain I've studied endlessly.

But I soon shake my head.

'That wouldn't suit the current situation.'

That is a decisive technique meant solely for the Great Mountain Supreme Deity who forces power against power.

It falls short when facing the True Martial Great Emperor, who has reached the peak of skill even without relying solely on strength.

'What I must do now...'

I recall the connections that had reached their fists toward me inside the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

'...is leave behind a footprint!'

Shikagak!

The Impermanence Sword is swung.

Severing Heaven Sword Form.

First Form.

Entering Heaven!

A pale mist settles over the Impermanence Sword.

It is the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

I dance a sword dance atop the body of Hyeon Mu.

It is a sword dance of failure that fills my life.

Tukwang!

Snake heads burst open, and my footprints are engraved upon the places where the snakes of emptiness once were.

Step by step, I become a storm.

White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus used the Heavenly Pegasus Divine Arts to create a spacetime of their own.

Kim Young-hoon used the Surpassing Radiant Genesis Form to create his own passage of time.

And I, through the Severing Heaven Sword Form and the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, carve my own footprints.

The three of us thus each advance toward the center of the swirling Three Great Ultimates.

From the edge of the vortex to its center, we encounter countless snakes.

Each of those snakes is the pinnacle of a weapon's technique. 

Bian methods, claw techniques, swordsmanship, saber arts, chain techniq