A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 823 Chapter 820: New Fate and Upheaval (1)

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Makli Hyun-ah's 'Talisman War Great Death Mausoleum' draws to a triumphant end.

"The ultimate victor is Makli Nobi, the promising star of the Makli Clan!"

Makli Nobi and Makli Bi-yeol, the pair of standout youths from the younger generation, endure until the climactic showdown in the Talisman War Great Death Mausoleum, unleashing a brutal contest, until Makli Nobi edges out a slim triumph in the finish.

"Ugh...such a pity. If only that final Bi-yeol Slash had landed...!"

Makli Bi-yeol weeps while hardening his determination to wait for the right moment and retaliate later, as Makli Nobi strikes a triumphant stance amid the roaring applause from the audience.

"Until this point, we've savored the thrilling Talisman War Great Death Mausoleum event! Now, to kick off the prize-giving, we'll unleash the restrained Heaven and Earth spiritual energy from the formation, so everyone watching, stay alert to avoid qi deviation from the abrupt flood of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy!"

Tududududu!

With his announcement complete, Makli Hyun-ah relinquishes the social authority forged by the Small Demon Pacifying Heaven Formation.

The subtle dark aura cloaking Makli Hyun-ah disperses into nothingness, the Small Demon Pacifying Heaven Formation unravels, and the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy within the arena starts to erupt fiercely.

'No matter how I ponder this Confucian Family Method...it strikes me as a kind of broad-range 'mana burn'...'

When social authority gets generated via the Small Demon Pacifying Heaven Formation, it quells the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy anywhere within the sight and perception of the bearer holding that social authority.

To put it differently, the Small Demon Pacifying Heaven Formation's scope isn't limited to the formation's boundaries, but extends to the user's 'field of vision,' mimicking aspects of the Confucian Family Method's might through the array.

This allows the Small Demon Pacifying Heaven Formation to influence areas beyond its own confines.

'Naturally, that's because this isn't your typical Immortal Family Method...'

Having mulled over these insights regarding the Confucian Family Method, Makli Hyun-ah prepares to hand out the spirit stones and prizes set aside for the tournament's champions.

That's when it happens.

"Daoist Makli Hyun-ah, get out of the way!"

Kugwagwagwang!

A shadowy slicing attack hurtles from an unseen direction straight at Makli Hyun-ah, but Makli Hweol, positioned close by to protect him, lunges forward and intercepts the shadowy slicing attack.

"D-Daoist Makli Hweol, what's going on...?"

"I mentioned I'd handle counterintelligence, yet...it looks like a spy from the Seogyeong Makli line slipped in. Am I right, Daoist 'Lee Cheop-ja'?"

Makli Hweol positions himself ahead of Makli Hyun-ah and glares down at the Talisman War Great Death Mausoleum contender who unleashed the shadowy slicing attack.

The cultivator known as 'Lee Cheop-ja'.

"Haha, so you're Makli Hweol, the branch family's top young prodigy. The tales don't lie—you're remarkable. An old-era divine technique dug up by the main family...for you to fend off 'Black Blade Slash,' the hidden move from the Black Blade Severing Secrets."

"Black Blade Severing Secrets...I've come across mentions of it. The legendary divine skill dubbed 'Black Blade Maturing Secrets' that the mythical 'Black Blade Star Lord' granted to mortals in the lower realms! And this is one variant from the seven splintered original branches, isn't it?"

"Indeed, the claim that you're a master of both scholarly and martial pursuits holds true! You know your stuff. Then you must realize that once I unleash the Black Blade Severing Secrets, nothing can halt me, right?"

"Heh, I'm well aware. Without doubt, the ancient Black Blade Severing Secrets stands as the wildest technique, rumored to surge without bounds once ignited and linked to the dragon vein. Due to its perilous might, it's even deemed a devilish art."

"Spot on. To halt me in my current state, you'd need at least a Core Formation Elder. I could unleash a blood catastrophe here and now, but I'll show some leniency. Provided you fulfill my requests. They're straightforward..."

"However, that's solely for the Black Blade Severing Secrets in perfect form. From what I've gathered, the version uncovered by the Seogyeong Makli Line remains incomplete...and it's still undergoing repairs..."

Makli Hweol offers a subtle smile, steadily slips a hand to his lips, and draws forth a lone sword.

Tsaaaaaat!

Vigorous vapor erupts from Makli Hweol's sword.

In a flash, the Talisman War Great Death Mausoleum arena grows steamy, saturated with water energy.

"Am I mistaken, Daoist 'Makli Cheop-ja'?"

Hoo-woong.

The instant Makli Hweol swings his sword down!

Kugugugugugugu!

The water energy permeating the arena swiftly morphs into a massive cloud ocean.

Right away, the cloud ocean shapes into a colossal cloud dragon, which seizes Makli Cheop-ja with its talons and jaws, starting to crush him relentlessly.

Makli Cheop-ja launches shadowy slicing attacks from his palm in an effort to break free from the cloud dragon, but the cloud dragon's head ignites like a blazing wick and bears down on Makli Cheop-ja with intensified force.

Makli Cheop-ja spews blood and cackles.

"Impressive as always...now I see why you're hailed as one of the Ten Excellences in the Qi Refining stage, Makli Hweol. Even amid restoration, for someone like me versed in ancient devilish arts to fail against you...in the Qi Refining stage, no one matches you!"

As though grasping the vast divide between Makli Hweol and himself in a heartbeat, Makli Cheop-ja wears a tangled look.

Yet moments later, he bellows like a beast and ignites every ounce of his hidden power.

"Still...why, with such immense talent and promise...why don't you branch family fools embrace the Devilish Path over some trivial righteousness!? Why defy the main family's desires!?"

Makli Hweol, seemingly deeming a response unworthy, wordlessly overwhelms the erupting power of Makli Cheop-ja—who's bursting with untapped strength—with an even fiercer surge.

Wo-woong!

Makli Hyun-ah abruptly detects a trace of demonic energy emanating from Makli Hweol's whole form.

Even upon double-checking, it's unmistakably the aura typical of demon beasts.

Kwarurung!

The cloud dragon gleams as if adorned in the sky's vivid hues, then abruptly grows several times denser and commences pulverizing the arena's surface.

"Demon ability, Three Hundred Million Jin Sweet Water Peach."

The tiny water beads composing the cloud dragon double in density, pushing the cloud dragon's total mass toward three hundred million jin.

"Kuaaaaaaah!!"

Makli Cheop-ja gets crushed beneath Makli Hweol despite his explosive outburst of potential, and he erupts into a warped, maniacal laugh.

"Heh, kuhahahaha! So the rumors hold—you practice human-demon dual cultivation? Without relying on any Beast Taming method, your raw body alone summons demon arts this potent... But this concludes now. The main family didn't unearth just the Black Blade Severing Secrets... It's beyond your wildest dreams!

"A Shaman Family Method that shatters conventional Immortal Family Methods...! An power derived not from mortal toil, but simply by sacrificing to entities far superior and inconceivable...! You, branch family's prodigy for the moment, will one day grovel at the main family's feet!"

Kwaaaaaang!

Makli Cheop-ja's frame appears to balloon, then his body detonates in a gruesome rupture.

Dozens of shadowy slicing attacks whirl like a tempest from the site of his exploded flesh, yet Makli Hweol reshapes the cloud dragon into a misty barrier, enveloping the strikes in a dome-like shield that prevents further serious harm.

Makli Hyun-ah reels in horror witnessing a man detonate before him, but he can't afford to linger in shock.

Makli Hweol declares with a grim face.

"That explosion wasn't his choice. Via that Shaman Family Method or whatever...he got 'linked' to something else. Based on the spiritual energy ripples, it's probably the Seogyeong Makli Line's Nascent Soul Grand Elder...! If that entity compelled the self-destruction...it highly suggests they've already gleaned all intel from the connected Makli Cheop-ja's spirit...!"

He swiftly clutches a voice transmission talisman, infuses it with his intent, and reaches out to a contact through it.

Shortly thereafter, Makli Hweol gets a response via the voice transmission talisman and announces with pressing urgency.

"All of you! Get to safety! Word is, the Seogyeong Makli line is launching an immediate assault on the main family!"

His words plunge the entire arena, Makli Hyun-ah included, into immediate turmoil.

Cultivators from other families and the Mountain and Seas group panic and flee the arena, while the Makli Clan's young members stay behind, rallying around Makli Hweol.

"Makli Hweol Hyung-nim! What's our move?"

"Make for the main hall. I'm not meant to trigger it yet, but...contingency measures await in the main hall for crises like this!"

"Understood!"

"Daoist Makli Hyun-ah, move out!"

"Ah, uuaah, hold on!"

Makli Hweol scoops up Makli Hyun-ah, summons a flying magic artifact on the spot, and soars away from the arena.

Makli Hyun-ah flails in alarm and hastily draws Makli Badger and the rabbits into the beast scroll.

***

Makli Clan main hall.

Dozens of Elders and Grand Elders assemble there, their expressions grave as they dive into urgent deliberations.

"You're claiming the Seogyeong scum have abruptly declared war?"

"Wooo! Striking without warning or formal declaration breaks the treaty!"

"Hmph, since when do Devilish Path scum honor such things? Quit complaining—we've got bigger issues!"

"Does anyone grasp why those fiends kicked off this war out of nowhere?"

As the Grand Elders frantically debate, the Cultivation Elder Makli Hye-seo speaks up softly.

"From Hweol's report, it appears they glimpsed the technique acquired by that Extreme Ghost Path Body youth. Spotting the Small Demon Pacifying Heaven Formation he deployed must have sparked massive alarm in them."

"Keuuek...alarmed by the Upper Realm method the youth secured!? But how did they plant a spy in the first place...? We also use the ancient-era formation Lord Makli Cheon-sa established before departing to screen everyone entering the clan for 'malice'!"

The Lianshan Makli Line members aren't fools who let a spy infiltrate carelessly.

They hosted the tournament inviting rogue cultivators and folks from other families, but only those with long-standing ties.

Furthermore, upon reaching the tournament venue within the clan, each undergoes thorough checks, and finally, the ancient-era formation Makli Cheon-sa set up and bequeathed before ascending weeds out anyone harboring malice or foul motives.

Hearing this, Makli Hye-seo remembers the details from Makli Hweol's voice transmission talisman and explains.

"You all likely know from Hweol's voice transmission talisman...but the Seogyeong Makli Line apparently unearthed an ancient-era Shaman Family Method. I'm no expert, but it seems this Shaman Family Method draws strength from god-like beings in higher realms...so by tapping that superior entity's power through the Shaman Family Method, they managed to insert a spy."

"Kugh...those Seogyeong scum. They've clutched something truly troublesome...!"

The Makli Clan's family head, Makli Hong, heaves a deep sigh. Yet soon, determination flares in his gaze.

"Regardless, if they strike first out of fear, we won't stand idle. The prep time is brief, but we activate now. Rally the clan's prodigies! Instruct the branch members to hop on the teleportation formations and converge at the main family immediately! Without delay. Our Lianshan Makli Line will launch the 'Heavenly Transfer Plan'!"

Following Makli Hong's command, innumerable Elders and Grand Elders spring into action, powering up the arrays scattered across the Lianshan Makli Clan.

Teleportation formations ignite throughout the Lianshan Makli Clan, and from branch locations, hordes of Elders and outer disciples flood into the central base.

As he observes the arrays humming to life, Makli Hong addresses Makli Hye-seo.

"Elder Makli Hye-seo. I regret asking, but...could I request aid from your contracted demon beast? At present, only your contracted demon beast can unleash Nascent Soul stage battle prowess."

In response to his plea, Makli Hye-seo glances at her shadow.

Her shadow writhes where her eyes land.

Makli Hong gulps and fixes his stare on Makli Hye-seo's shadow.

Her shadow has silently transformed into a creature bearing a fox's head and three or four tails.

Makli Hye-seo glances at the shadow and gives a casual shrug.

"...That entity isn't one I control freely...so who knows. If its curiosity piques, it emerges; if not, it shields just me till the end."

"...I see. Got it...for the moment, we'll endure with our own forces alone."

Makli Hong nods solemnly, his face weighted, and as the arrays continue activating, he dashes swiftly to the Clan Head hall.

Kugugugugugu!

With the Makli Clan's overarching formation engaging, anxiety etches across every clan member's features.

***

"Uh, uuaak, Daoist Makli Hweol—uuuuwoop! Wh-What's all this—uuup!?"

Hurled over Makli Hweol's shoulder during their rapid flight, Makli Hyun-ah battles the nausea from motion sickness with ironclad endurance.

Makli Hweol eyes the Makli Clan Headquarters visible not far from the arena, his face set in resolve as he hurtles forward at breakneck speed, managing to reach the headquarters just before the protective formation over the Makli Clan Headquarters seals completely.

"Woop, uuuwoop!"

Upon landing, Makli Hyun-ah heaves outside the formation, and Makli Hweol yanks him inside promptly.

"Stay within the formation. The main family's Heavenly Transfer Plan is underway."

"H-Heavenly Transfer Plan...what's that?"

"Yes...first off, could you employ your talisman art to mask that foul breath somewhat. After all that retching, it's a tad pungent."

Makli Hyun-ah mutters complaints, conceals his bad breath, and presses Makli Hweol again on the Heavenly Transfer Plan.

"What's the Heavenly Transfer Plan?"

"That...you'll understand soon enough. It's starting right now."

Kugugugugugu!

The glow from the formation enveloping the Makli Clan Headquarters intensifies.

"Th-This is...!"

Kuoooo!

Lianshan Makli Clan Headquarters.

The whole terrain beneath them lifts skyward, encased in the formation.

At the formation's eight cardinal points, eight Qi Building Elders execute hand seals, channeling refined spiritual force into the ground to fuel the activation, while the Core Formation Grand Elders and the Lianshan Makli Line's Clan Head oversee the core pivot of the formation from the Clan Head hall.

Woo-wooong!

Makli Hyun-ah's eyes widen like saucers, his jaw dropping at the awe-inspiring spectacle of the main family and segments of the manor ascending heavenward.

Before long, the Clan Head Makli Hong's spirit voice thunders from the Clan Head hall, resounding across the clan.

[Destination: beneath the western great mountain range. Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance's headquarters! Initiate Heavenly Transfer!]

Kugugugugu!

The soil bearing the Lianshan Makli Clan's manor reshapes under the Elders and Grand Elders' hand seals.

Kuuung!

Quickly, the full expanse morphs as if into a colossal face, spiritual energy propels from the rear of that face's skull, and the landmass propels westward.

"Heavenly Transfer Plan. It's a scheme advanced steadily since Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa uncovered an ancient-era flying formation. Designed to relocate the main family's entire territory close to the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance's headquarters, thwarting meddling from the Seogyeong Makli Line."

Makli Hweol gazes at the earthen chunk sculpted into a facial form and murmurs in awe.

"I've reviewed it in proposals a handful of times...but it's undeniably an ancient-era formation. Seeing it firsthand is a debut for me, and it's far grander than anticipated. They say that formation's visage draws from some long-lost ancient general puppet's features..."

"Hmm...yet that formation face seems awfully comical, puhaha! Oh, what was that, Daoist Hweol?"

"...I'm detailing the Heavenly Transfer Plan. Pay attention!"

"Got it..."

"