A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 825 Chapter 822: Side Story - New Fate and Upheaval (3)

Amidst the enveloping shadows.

Makli Hyun-ah drifts in a foggy haze, wandering far inside his subconscious mind, lost in thought.

'What's happening out there...? How much longer must I linger in this deep unconsciousness? Isn't there any escape...?'

Right then,

All of a sudden, something draws near to the realm of his subconscious...

Makli Hyun-ah senses an entity closing in.

Chwarak, chwararararak!

Before long, flooding into Makli Hyun-ah's vision come endless 'chains'.

"Who are you...?"

Makli Hyun-ah startles, recoiling as he stares at the chains.

Just prior to passing out, he vaguely recalled witnessing something akin to this.

And as a voice, buzzing like it's infested with bugs, resonates from the chains' core,

Makli Hyun-ah shudders with chills crawling across his skin.

[I go by ■■, and from this day forward, I shall dwell in the same abode as you. Pleased to make your acquaintance. So this is the Extreme Ghost Path Body...? Should the realm and prerequisites align perfectly, I could even manifest my true form in the lower realm...!]

"Wh-Who exactly are you? How did you invade my subconscious?"

[I am...a servant of the Lord. One capable of granting you power.]

For some odd reason, Makli Hyun-ah detects a mocking chuckle from the presence lurking behind the chains.

[Should you crave strength, embrace me. My Lord commands every form of power... He can bestow upon you all your desires. Come now...grasp my hand. In doing so, everything shall be yours...!]

The words carry an enchanting allure that pulls one under, and Makli Hyun-ah, yearning for the might to vanquish the bear and a cultivation level to reunite with his sister Lee Seo-ah, finds himself extending his hand toward the chains despite himself.

That's precisely when it strikes.

—Snap out of it, Makli Hyun-jok!

Makli Hyun-ah regains clarity amid Jegal Mikhail's urgent cry.

[Ahahaha... Can mere traces of insanity achieve that? Excellent. It'll be intriguing once you ascend to the Heavenly Being stage!]

—Makli Hyun-jok, retreat! You must flee! Escape and regain control!

Jegal Mikhail's apparition grips Makli Hyun-ah's awareness and soars away to safety, while the entity past the chains observes their flight and unleashes a barrage of chains in pursuit.

[Such folly. O bearer of fresh destiny, do you truly believe that innate potent fate and wonders alone suffice to defy me...? Surrender to power and dominion without resistance. That is my Lord's will!]

Chwararararak!

Makli Hyun-ah glances at the pursuing chains, steadies his racing pulse, and turns his eyes to Jegal Mikhail's apparition guiding him onward.

"Mister Jegal Mikhail...what...is truly unfolding here? Is this vision of you born from the trauma of watching you perish before me, or are you genuinely...existing within my mind...?"

An apparition far too lifelike.

A stare brimming with distinct sentience leaves Makli Hyun-ah compelled to voice such doubts.

Jegal Mikhail dodges the chains and guides Makli Hyun-ah to the subconscious's edge.

To the distant area where a brilliant white glow shines.

—...Perhaps...

Jegal Mikhail, oddly enough, offers a melancholic grin.

—Upon attaining the Heavenly Being stage, you'll uncover the truth.

Jegal Mikhail's apparition, aiming for the light shimmering ahead.

Hurtles Makli Hyun-ah's awareness toward the mind's frontier with utmost force.

Makli Hyun-ah cries out while beholding that scene.

"Mister Jegal Mikhail, reveal it! Why do you persist within me!?"

—Haha...uttering such lines isn't suave or alluring.

Jegal Mikhail's apparition regards Makli Hyun-ah as he fades into the distance, and curiously, wears a poignant smile.

—Discover it on your own. This Penglai Star might prove a harsher realm than you imagine.

"Mister Jegal Mikhail!!"

Tsuaaaaaat!

Makli Hyun-ah beholds Jegal Mikhail's apparition blurring into remoteness, and at last, breaks free from the shadowy void of unconsciousness.

***

"Heok!"

Yet again, a unfamiliar ceiling looms above.

"...It's as if I just emerged from a dream..."

Makli Hyun-ah believes he glimpsed Makli Cheon-sa and Jegal Mikhail in that dream.

It resembles a dream, yet the details evade clear recall.

He senses an exchange of grave dialogue with Jegal Mikhail occurred, but all memory has slipped away.

"Aish, you thick-headed fool...haaah, never mind. What significance does a mere dream hold?"

With that in mind, Makli Hyun-ah cautiously surveys his surroundings.

"Where might this place be...? Don't say we fell to the Seogyeong Makli Clan, got merged, and I was seized and dragged here."

Yet luckily, that worry dissipates swiftly.

"Ah, Makli Hyun-ah. You're awake?"

It's due to Makli Nobi entering the chamber and inquiring.

'Thank goodness, from his look and vitality, things don't appear dire:'

As Makli Hyun-ah has possessed an uncanny talent since childhood for gauging others' emotions, he discerns from the atmosphere that the present circumstances aren't dire.

"Oh, Senior Makli Nobi. How much time has elapsed since I blacked out? Did the Heavenly Transfer Plan succeed?"

"Yes, the Heavenly Transfer Plan wrapped up without issues, and we've integrated into the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance, officially affiliating ourselves. The Devilish Path scum won't dare assault us lightly now. However..."

Makli Nobi proceeds with a faintly troubled visage.

"You...awoke after 14 years."

Makli Hyun-ah jolts, but quickly reads his expression and grasps the jest.

"Hmph, spare me the fibs. After 14 years, Senior Makli Nobi would show clear signs of aging!"

"Cultivators hardly age, you know. Wrinkles only creep in after halfway through their lifespan."

"Uh...really...? Still, don't underestimate my sharp perception. It's a falsehood, right?"

"Tch...you're no sport. Fine, 14 years was a tall tale. That said, your collapse lasted quite a while. You lay bedridden for 14 months, teetering on death's door."

Makli Hyun-ah eyes Makli Nobi, but 14 months strikes him as no prank.

"Wait, my body feels this robust? How can I be so invigorated after 14 months of dormancy and just rising now?"

"That stems from...the clan's restorative array automatically purging toxins from your system over 14 months, while boosting your digestion and bodily processes. The primary factor, though...is your acceptance of Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa's consciousness, allowing her possession."

"Ah..."

Makli Hyun-ah nods, recalling Makli Cheon-sa's appearance from the dream.

'Thus, the part with Makli Cheon-sa wasn't illusory.'

"Her potent consciousness and spiritual energy inflicted divine fever upon you for 14 months. Your improved state results from assimilating a Heavenly Being stage cultivator's spiritual essence and mental force into your frame over that period, enhancing your aptitude."

"S-Such a..."

Makli Hyun-ah struggles to accept that a brief descent by a Heavenly Being stage entity into him caused such prolonged unconsciousness and fever.

"For the moment, rise. If you can walk steadily, I'll recount the events of the last year as we stroll."

"Uh, alright..."

Makli Hyun-ah rises alongside Makli Nobi and exits the structure.

The edifice Makli Hyun-ah departs is the Makli Clan's freshly built healing facility.

"After your slumber began, the Seogyeong Makli Clan faced the backlash of their accumulated sins. Warriors at the Blooming realm harboring deep vendettas against the Devilish Path fiends, along with another devilish sect, and orthodox clans they had ravaged...even prior righteous forces that clashed with them, all united to assault the Seogyeong Makli Clan, leading to its utter downfall and annihilation.

"During that chaos, employing some Shaman Family Method or the like, they invoked monstrous powers from foreign realms and an Upper Realm Four-Axis stage cultivator, inflicting severe, lasting harm on their assailants in turn. It amounted to near annihilation for both sides. In any case, with our origins toppled...our Lianshan Makli branch now stands as the sole Makli Clan."

"Ohhh...so now, when differentiating, without specifying Lianshan Makli or Seogyeong Makli, mentioning Makli Clan points straight to our Lianshan lineage?"

"Precisely, with the primary house fallen, we become the primary. Henceforth, across the continent, Makli Clan will refer to us."

"Distinctions were always muddled, so this simplifies matters."

"I agree."

Makli Hyun-ah scans the altered structures of the Makli Clan's 'primary house,' modified in various spots.

Not just the healing center, but the Beast Stable's position and others have shifted too.

"In essence, we've evolved into the legitimate Makli Clan, and subsequently aligned with the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance. We're firmly part of the righteous side now."

"Ohhhh...got it."

'Yet in the assessment, I leaned toward Devilish tendencies...,'

As Makli Hyun-ah senses a touch of sarcasm, Makli Nobi presses on with a mildly remorseful glance.

"Moreover...I lack words to justify it, but for the Makli Clan's entry into the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance, we shared portions of your Innate True Method, the Naming Dao Conferring Gods Canon, with the Alliance. Through that, they learned of the 'Naming Family Method'... On the clan's behalf, I offer apologies for appropriating your technique without consent."

"Ah, it's fine. Wasn't it the Makli Clan's to begin with?"

"From accounts...it's an Upper Realm technique you directly obtained from Elder Makli Cheon-sa?"

"Pardon?"

It's as Makli Hyun-ah starts to feel baffled.

"At that time, when you seized the three white-bound volumes from the archive, you vanished into an eerie alternate dimension."

A graceful figure in azure robes draws close.

She rests her palms on Makli Nobi and Makli Hyun-ah's shoulders, seamlessly picking up the thread.

"What you acquired there was undoubtedly Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa summoning you to that alternate space and bestowing a silent boon."

"Pardon? Uh...is that the case?"

"Indeed."

Makli Hye-seo, arriving to partake in the discussion, addresses Makli Nobi.

"I'll cover the recompense, so proceed. You've toiled diligently tending to Makli Hyun-ah throughout."

Upon hearing that, Makli Nobi's cheeks flush crimson as he coughs uneasily and inclines his head toward Makli Hye-seo.

"Ah, it was trivial. Then, I'll take my leave!"

"Very well."

Makli Hyun-ah observes the exchange and queries Makli Hye-seo.

"Uh...has Senior Makli Nobi been caring for me all along?"

"Not quite caregiving. Merely, whenever the healing center's array extracted impurities via your pores, Makli Nobi handled the cleanup of your form in those areas."

"Ah, understood. I ought to thank him soon."

"A fine intention."

Makli Hye-seo regards Makli Hyun-ah and continues.

"Primarily, I must elaborate on your physique, the Extreme Ghost Path Body. Hweol-ah briefed you on it previously, correct?"

"Ah yes, she mentioned it's a vessel apt for mighty ghosts or spirits to inhabit."

"Correct. Standard 'Ghost Path Bodies' function that way. Yet yours, an 'Extreme Ghost Path Body' of pinnacle purity among them, draws not just ordinary divine entities or specters. Phenomena, laws...lost histories...even primordial forces grow inexplicably drawn to you and seek you out."

"...?"

"Simply put...those tomes you claimed from the library aren't the Makli Clan's possessions."

Makli Hyun-ah quivers, comprehending the odd dissonance he sensed upon selecting those tomes.

"Th-Then, precisely what..."

"They're obscured powers that took a shine to you. This truth is known solely to the clan head and me. To the rest, they appear as Upper Realm arts from Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa, so regard and describe them accordingly. Public knowledge of forgotten powers brings no benefit."

"Uh...wouldn't widespread awareness be advantageous?"

"I once believed so, but...learning by whom such forgotten powers were obscured can drive one to madness from the ensuing dread."

To [whom] it was forgotten? Does that imply some entity caused the Naming Family Method or Confucian Family Method to fade from memory?'

"Th-There exists such a being?"

"Who can say. Rumors point to the architect of the Immortal Cultivation system...I'm ignorant of specifics myself. Regardless, that's beside the point... Circulate the narrative of Upper Realm methods henceforth. Understood?"

"Uh...yes."

"Splendid. Now...in essence, that tome came to the Makli Clan via your unique physique. And during your coma, we disclosed the technique you legitimately secured through your serendipity and skill to external powers. In compensation, the Makli Clan, as a whole, vows to fulfill your desires. Anything you desire?"

"Um..."

At that, Makli Hyun-ah rubs his scalp.

'My desires...'

Primarily, his utmost wish is ascension to reclaim his sister Lee Seo-ah, yet unattainable by the Makli Clan, so he shelves it.

Next, vengeance against the bear that devoured Jegal Mikhail and the guild, perhaps stewing it into bear broth. But per Makli Hweol, that bear dwells in the Ascension Forest on Ascension Path, reaching it a challenge, and as a Grand Perfection Core Formation stage demon beast, slaying it now borders on impossibility.

Ultimately, fulfilling those aims demands Makli Hyun-ah's own cultivation advancing further.

'Thus, my optimal path to power lies in...'

Makli Hyun-ah realizes that to fell the bear, he must exceed the Core Formation stage.

For even after decades of cultivation to Core Formation,

By then, the bear, already at Grand Perfection Core Formation, would have progressed to at least half-step Nascent Soul, or worst, full Nascent Soul.

'Meaning...I need a way to surge past Core Formation and higher.'

Among arts cultivable from Core Formation onward, foremost is the Confucian Family Method, Pacifying Myriad Demons under the Heavens Survey.

And to practice that Confucian Family Method, one element proves essential.

"High-intelligence demon beasts...and a vast domain to lead such demon beasts is required."

"Hmm...if it's intelligent demon beasts, do you mean akin to that raccoon-dog?"

"Such a creature works, but I prefer even more astute ones."

"Hmm...then demon beasts with Immortal Beast lineage fit. Prime examples include the Sea Dragon Race, Sacred Peng Race, and Great Tiger Race. They boast human-level intellect from the Qi Refining stage onward."

"Hm?"

Makli Hyun-ah recollects the Makli Clan's Sea Dragon Race demon beasts.

"Yet the Blue-Eyes Sea Dragons don't utter human speech like my Badger...nor do they seem communicable..."

"That's because...though they hold human intellect, being juveniles, they converse solely in Demon Speech, rendering human tongues as arduous foreign dialects to them. Even humans falter at mastering alien languages from youth, let alone the Demon Race?"

"Ah...foreign languages are tricky, indeed."

Makli Hyun-ah scratches his head and poses a query.

"Then, I suppose I need to master the Demon Race tongue."

"I inquire out of interest, but...why these requirements? I'm probing your intent, and knowing it allows the clan to aid you more effectively and precisely."

He affirms with a nod, opting to disclose his ambition promptly.

'The practice of the Confucian Family Method, Pacifying Myriad Demons, proves intricate.'

"Nation establishment."

Founding a nation.

Initially, the Confucian Family Method begins as a territorial overlord in a modest domain, or a commanding landowner of influence.

Gradually, by extending sway and enlarging holdings, one advances amid reverence and acclaim from every creature.

Thus, upon reaching feudal lord or warlord status, one achieves Nascent Soul, and finally, upon nation-founding and self-proclaiming as sovereign...

Only then attains Heavenly Being.

'Progress to Heavenly Being spans considerable time...but to claim the bear, I must at minimum hit a realm matching Nascent Soul.'

"Is that the practice of the Confucian Family Method you uncovered?"

"Indeed."

"Hmm...excellent. If it's land, one oceanic territory under the Righteous