A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 830 Chapter 827: Side Story - Nation Founding (5)

'Miracle...?'

Paaaatt!

The meaning of those words eludes Makli Hyun-ah, yet as they fade away, the elderly man sporting a goatee beard glows with a pristine white light and vanishes instantly from his sight.

Makli Hyun-ah stretches out his divine sense in an effort to locate the elder, but there's no trace of him anywhere.

'M-My goodness... He slipped away from my divine sense range in a mere instant. Did he traverse through space? Truly befitting of an Integration stage expert!'

Astounded by the might of the Integration stage cultivator, Makli Hyun-ah bows deeply toward the spot where the old man had stood, paying his homage.

"Mister Jegal Mikhail, do you think we might one day attain such heights too?"

—...? What do you mean by that.

Jegal Mikhail, merely an inner presence within him, appears puzzled, yet Makli Hyun-ah pays it no mind.

Soon after, Makli Hyun-ah spots a muted glow streaking in from the far reaches of Ascension Forest, originating from the Heaven-Treading Desert's direction.

A fellow cultivator from the Makli Clan approaches.

Within that subdued light, Makli Hweol, now advanced to the peak of Nascent Soul stage, makes his descent.

"Ah, Daoist Makli Hweol, you've arrived to assist. But rest assured, there's no need for concern. I've settled my vendetta personally, and my followers are seamlessly securing control over Ascension Forest."

"Hoho, that's a relief. I trust in your capabilities. My visit isn't to aid you, Daoist, but simply to catch sight of a familiar face after so long."

"Uh... well..."

Makli Hyun-ah rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. Upon reflection, he realizes that since the conflict with the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance, he hasn't encountered the other much.

"I'm intending to erect a majestic palace close by and summon mortals to establish the capital here, but since you're present, why not share a drink in this picturesque spot before the building commences?"

Makli Hyun-ah retrieves a storage scroll and pulls out the special wine he's reserved for Makli Hweol, who glances about as though seeking something specific.

Makli Hweol surveys the area briefly before releasing a soft sigh and nodding in agreement.

"My thanks. Haha..."

In this way, the pair settles at the heart of Ascension Forest, right where they had first landed, exchanging the wine jug while taking in the beauty around them.

***

Time drifts onward without pause.

In no time at all,

Makli Hyun-ah earns recognition for the merits of the Confucian Family Method from numerous cultivation sects, and with the stipulation that he adapts the Confucian Family Method for the branch families of various sects to practice, he secures unanimous approval from all sects across the four cardinal directions, as well as from the myriad Demon Races.

Makli Hweol aids Makli Hyun-ah by his side in developing these Confucian Family Methods.

To be precise, as Makli Hyun-ah imparts the core principles of the Confucian Family Method's formulas, Makli Hweol builds upon them to craft the methods step by step.

In return for these Confucian Family Methods, Makli Hyun-ah establishes a kingdom at the core of the Heaven-Treading Desert and ascends the throne as its rightful sovereign.

At last, he breaks through to the realm akin to the Heavenly Being stage.

Kururung!

Swaaaaaah!

Luckily, the Heavenly Tribulation for the Heavenly Being stage manifests as a standard heavenly phenomenon.

Nevertheless, relentless rain cascades over the vast desert for forty-nine days straight, leaving Makli Hyun-ah to lament from the nation's inaugural year as the sands transform into an ocean.

As Makli Hweol explains, the tribulation's mildness stems from the broad endorsements by nations and powers before founding the realm. With lesser prestige and influence, he would have faced a much fiercer ordeal.

In its initial phase, the Heaven-Treading Desert remains purely arid wasteland...

Yet, upon attaining the Heavenly Being stage equivalent, Makli Hyun-ah wields vastly enhanced control over aberrant energies and unruly spirits, capturing uncooperative demon beasts or fiendish cultivators, binding them into terracotta figures, subduing them through strikes, channeling terrestrial vitality from diverse locales, and summoning rainfall.

Furthermore, thanks to the traits of Pacifying Myriad Demons Under Heaven Survey, the populace of Makli Hyun-ah's kingdom consists largely of Demon Race members, whose physiques surpass those of humans in resilience, enduring the desert's severe conditions with mere discomfort rather than fatal peril.

Dozens of years elapse.

Through Makli Hyun-ah and his Demon Race subordinates harnessing the earth's vitality across the whole desert, stirring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and restoring the terrain, the Heaven-Treading Desert soon evolves from barren sands into expansive plains.

Sprigs of grass emerge sporadically, shifting the ochre dunes to a subtle verdant expanse.

Admittedly, with the planet's vitality and spiritual veins not yet fully restored, excavating just below the grass reveals underlying sand layers, rendering it a partial plain at best.

To address this issue, Makli Hweol suggests a strategy.

"Your Majesty, from what I see, the lack stems from the absence of true mountains and waterways in the land. Thus, I recommend forming mountains and rivers within the kingdom to naturally enrich the soil over time."

"Hm... that sounds like a massive undertaking... But setting mountains aside, we lack even a reliable water source for rivers, don't we?"

Makli Hyun-ah contemplates Makli Hweol's proposal, but he swiftly devises a remedy via a heirloom artifact from the Makli Clan's main lineage.

"This is the hidden treasure of the primary family, the Clear Scale Armor. Legend holds it as a tear from the mythical Immortal Beast Xiezhi. As a vessel brimming with profound water essence, stacking mountains and cascading the Xiezhi's tear from their peak should birth a river spanning the entire nation."

"...! How could I possibly accept such a invaluable item...?"

"The main house has decreed it so. Kindly receive it."

"...Very well."

Makli Hyun-ah accepts the Xiezhi's tear from Makli Hweol and commands the erection of a mountain at Ascension Forest's center, directly before the royal palace.

Subsequently, myriad demon beasts, obeying Makli Hyun-ah's directives, elevate the grounded Ascension Forest to forge a colossal peak.

From that summit, Makli Hyun-ah releases the Xiezhi's tear, unleashing a massive surge of water that cascades down the slopes.

This deluge extends boundlessly, weaving through the former Heaven-Treading Desert that now forms the nation.

Countless aquatic demon beasts,

Especially the Sea Dragon Race, claim the channels, shaping defined rivers, directing their courses to facilitate farmland development, and guiding the flow toward the ocean.

As eras unfold, the region once dubbed the Heaven-Treading Desert, now the 'Heaven-Treading Plain,' blooms with fertility.

Seated upon the vast central mountain chain of the Heaven-Treading Plain, Makli Hyun-ah proclaims a new name for the realm.

No longer the 'Sea Demon Nation' inhabited by marine demon beasts, but the grandest dominion on Penglai Star.

The preeminent kingdom embodying all of Penglai Star.

He christens it 'Penglai Kingdom'.

Penglai Kingdom emerges as the wealthiest and mightiest state across Penglai Star, a haven where humans and myriad monsters coexist peacefully, and with the Confucian Family Method disseminated throughout, cultivators refrain from harming ordinary folk.

Makli Hyun-ah gathers the finest youths from the clan's branch lines as potential heirs, pits those with superior administrative talents against one another, and commences arrangements for his ascension.

This unfolds in the year signifying two centuries since Makli Hyun-ah's arrival on Penglai Star.

***

Penglai Kingdom Royal Palace.

From a secluded pavilion deep inside Makli Hyun-ah's palace, voices echo forth.

"Daoist Makli Hweol's cultivation progress leaves me far behind. Even after selecting a successor post-nation founding, I can't aspire to match the Daoist who's stepped into half-step Four-Axis stage..."

"Hoho, don't lose heart too much. In any case, once Your Majesty Makli Hyun-ah settles on a proper heir, you'll advance to half-step Four-Axis stage yourself."

"Feel free to address me as Daoist once more. I'm gradually relinquishing the throne. And since I'll ascend to the heavens (昇天) prior to finalizing the successor anyway, it looks like half-step Four-Axis stage awaits me only in the Upper Realm."

"Hoho. Incidentally, who do you reckon will be the successor, Daoist?"

"Hmm..."

Makli Hyun-ah glances at the prospects assembled in one corner of the pavilion.

"The frontrunners appear to be Makli Donald's son, Makli Potter; Makli Bi-yeol's son, Makli Seong-in; and... Makli Seo-hye from a branch of the clan. Those three stand out. Regarding talent, Makli Seo-hye excels the most."

"Indeed... but will Daoist truly abstain from choosing definitively among them before departing?"

"Hm... regrettably, they're all so exceptional that selection eludes me. Thus, post-ascension, I've resolved to entrust it to the elders' assembly. Grand Council Lord Makli Hye-seo has pledged her support."

"Grand Council Lord Makli Hye-seo is nearing the end of her lifespan too... I hadn't anticipated her stagnation. It's a pity."

"Tsk... yes."

Makli Hyun-ah offers a wry smile, thinking of her stalled at Core Formation stage, her life ebbing away without Nascent Soul breakthrough.

"Once in the Upper Realm, it'd be ideal to acquire a potent technique or elixir for prolonging life and dispatch it below, but... that won't be straightforward."

"True. Interfering from the Upper Realm into the Lower Realm proves challenging. The greater one's cultivation, the harder it becomes. Even Senior Makli Cheon-sa, after surpassing a threshold, struggled to enact divine descent for Daoist bearing the Extreme Ghost Path Body."

"Tsk..."

Makli Hyun-ah rubs his head and clicks his tongue.

"Why do Upper Realm Grand Cultivators face such barriers in influencing the lower realm? What causes this occurrence...?"

"Well... perhaps the cosmos ordained it to curb excessive dominance. Hoho..."

"Hm..."

"By the way, has Daoist settled on an ascension date?"

"The earlier, the better. I must rescue my elder sister. Hence, I've scheduled it for ten days hence."

"Excellent. The Avīci space storm will soon calm, making it an opportune moment."

"The Confucian Family Method's limitation... lies in scant assistance during ascension, so I'll depend on Daoist Makli Hweol."

"Naturally. Rest easy. I've arranged everything for Daoist Makli Hyun-ah's ascension."

"My gratitude. With Daoist's aid, confronting Avīci's monsters won't prove arduous."

Ascending to the Upper Realm demands traversing Avīci, a realm along the path thereto.

This domain, once termed the Interdimensional Void in antiquity, presents an enigmatic expanse of utter clarity teeming with oddities.

Accordingly, Makli Hyun-ah formulates strategies against Avīci's denizens and, over ensuing days, tours Penglai Kingdom to compose his thoughts.

He plummeted into an arcane locale, encountered diverse individuals, and forged bonds.

He mastered esoteric arts, embraced the Confucian Family Method, claimed kingship, and governed for two hundred years.

Denying any sentiment would ring false, yet oddly, as departure looms, it all resembles a fleeting dream.

"Life is but transient..."

Makli Hyun-ah reflects on the prior two centuries and cherishes the final ten days.

***

Ten days thereafter.

To imprint his ultimate decree of authority, Makli Hyun-ah convenes all officials major and minor, alongside sages, elders, and monsters from every district, assembling them before the palace.

"After reigning two hundred years as Penglai Kingdom's sovereign, this king, Makli Hyun-ah, now returns to the heavens to safeguard the realm from above. Thus, you officials and subjects, bid this king farewell with utmost reverence, strive diligently in your lives. This king shall eternally oversee you from the celestial heights, bestowing blessings upon the kingdom!"

In Makli Nobi's eyes, as he proclaims Makli Hyun-ah's edict, a torrent of feelings flickers.

Ere long, Makli Nobi has aged into an elder himself.

Unable to transcend Qi Building stage, his own lifespan draws to a close soon.

"Farewell eternally! With this, my final decree to you, the myriad subjects! This one now ascends to the heavens!"

The instant Makli Nobi utters Makli Hyun-ah's concluding edict.

Flash!

Light envelops Makli Hyun-ah's form, lifting him skyward.

The ascension of a Confucian Family Method practitioner unfolds straightforwardly.

Harnessing the 'expulsion' power inherent to the Confucian Family Method, he banishes even himself—the ultimate aberrant force and spirit lingering in the kingdom—and rises by purging all such anomalies from the land.

Makli Hyun-ah gazes down upon the upturned faces of officials great and small, and the throng of elders and monsters at the palace, raising his hand in salute.

And far beneath, Makli Nobi mirrors the gesture, waving back.

Behind Makli Nobi, innumerable officials and citizens wave toward Makli Hyun-ah.

"May health be yours!"

"Your Majestyyyy!! Safeguard your noble form...!!!"

"Stay well, Your Majesty!"

Enshrouded in radiance while expelling his own essence, Makli Hyun-ah bestows a smile upon them before turning away.

With that, Makli Hyun-ah's silhouette fully merges with the light, soaring beyond Penglai Star.

Thus, Makli Hyun-ah ascends.

Post-ascension, a successor king bestows upon him the posthumous title Taehyeon Great King (太顯大王), with chronicles noting his abrupt ascent to the heavens (昇天) in the 200th year of Taehyeon, etching him eternally in the souls of Penglai Kingdom's descendants.

[TL/N: Ascend to the heavens (昇天) is a phrase that also signifies passing away.]

***

Kugugugugu!

Makli Hyun-ah arrives in Avīci, navigating through surreal dimensional barriers aglow with every hue of the celestial spectrum, drawing near to Makli Hweol, who preceded him there.

"Damn... arriving in this domain beyond Penglai Kingdom's influence, it feels as if death looms."

The Confucian Family Method's culmination involves ascending via self-expulsion as the final aberrant force and spirit.

By 'ascending to the heavens' in this manner and enduring as an everlasting legend among one's subjects, sustaining social authority until the tales fade from oral tradition, marks the pinnacle of Lower Realm cultivation in the Confucian Family Method.

Success grants a prolonged influx of social authority, though it incurs the penalty of diminished personal power right after self-expulsion.

‘One ought not ascend without an Immortal Family Methods cultivator's support. This truly is...’

Makli Hyun-ah chuckles dryly at the Confucian Family Method's flaws and boards the vessel-like magical treasure Makli Hweol has readied.

"Let us depart, Daoist Makli Hyun-ah. You've toiled relentlessly thus far."

"No, not in the least. I rely on you for the ascension, Daoist Makli Hweol."

"Think nothing of it. In truth, when Avīci's Vestiges assail us, Daoist Makli Hyun-ah's powers like expulsion, oppression, negation, and sealing will prove invaluable."

Offering mutual encouragements, they propel straight through Avīci, heading toward the purple-gold