A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 831 Chapter 828: Side Story - Purple Gold Realm (1)

At the heart of the Purple Gold Realm.

Within Ban Ta Castle, in the central pavilion.

A figure there slowly opens his eyes.

"Such a powerful fate... incredible. Has another individual with such potent fate risen from the Lower Realm? Could this be the New Fate that's been the talk among True Immortals in recent rumors?"

A bitter smile crosses his face as he chuckles softly in the shadows.

'...This round is for sure. Three fates of this magnitude. I've prepared meticulously, and I've even erected barriers over the whole realm to ensure no Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones can slip away... This time, success is mine. This time...!'

Gripping his shaking right fist tightly and gnashing his teeth, a savage spark ignites in his eyes amid the gloom.

"I've lingered in this spot for 40 billion years. Failure cannot happen once more. This marks the final attempt...! Should I fail yet again...I won't stand for it. Yield the chance to me, One Qi of the Primordial Chaos...!"

Deep within Ban Ta Castle.

In the pavilion's core, the shadowed man gazes upward at the starry expanse and balls his hand into a fist.

***

Across numerous Middle Realms exists a location known as the Void Spirit Pond.

This Void Spirit Pond functions as the Flying Immortal Platform linking to the Lower Realm, and legends claim that in ancient times before the Flying Immortal Platform existed, the Void Spirit Pond itself acted as that vital conduit.

And hovering over a particular Void Spirit Pond in the Purple Gold Realm.

A burst of light erupts, unveiling two figures alongside a shattered boat-like flying magic artifact.

"Keheok!"

"Kieeek!"

These are Makli Hweol and Makli Hyun-ah, fresh from their ascension out of Penglai Star.

Makli Hweol coughs up blood and scans the surroundings, realizing upon sight that they've emerged above a Void Spirit Pond; he swiftly seizes Makli Hyun-ah, activates escape light, and dashes away from the pond while cradling him.

"Isn't this the Flying Immortal Platform of the Purple Gold Realm? How come no one's present?"

Bewildered, Makli Hweol surveys the area with a confused look and assesses the circumstances.

'In that final instant, did we collide with the Purple Gold Realm's barrier and get deflected from our intended destination? Tsk... No signs of people nearby for the moment, so we ought to conceal ourselves until we sort this out.'

With the limp Makli Hyun-ah slung over his back, Makli Hweol employs the Flying Escape Technique to soar through the vicinity.

Before long, Makli Hweol reaches a village over a thousand li distant and scowls.

'Is war raging here? Why does it all lie in devastation?'

As he ponders the state of the Purple Gold Realm, Makli Hweol enters a forsaken house in the destroyed village and gently places Makli Hyun-ah down.

Once settled, he retrieves Makli Hyun-ah's beast scroll and summons the demon beasts that had ascended alongside him.

"Come out, Badger. Rabbit Seven Heavenly Lords!"

Flash!

In a flash, a single raccoon and seven rabbits emerge from Makli Hyun-ah's beast scroll.

The raccoon now stands as tall as a human, radiating a subtle aura of demonic energy.

Both the raccoon and rabbits have advanced to the Core Formation stage.

Makli Hweol requests assistance from the raccoon demon beast, Badger.

"Miss Badger. Would you mind scouting the nearby region?"

"Count on me, my lord!"

Badger grins with a 'hehe,' gathers the rabbits, and darts off to explore the area.

After a while, Makli Hweol receives the report Badger returns with.

"I questioned minor Demon Races such as mouse demon beasts or pigeon demon beasts in the vicinity. They mentioned that just days prior, Demon Race and Human Race cultivators clashed in battle and then departed, leaving the area empty. They noted that mighty powers smashed into one another, ravaged everything, and headed southward...so it appears they won't return anytime soon."

"Hm, understood. Thanks, Miss Badger. This fellow needs to restore his body and spirit...so please serve as my Law Protector for a few days."

"Yes, entrust it to me!"

With his instructions complete, Makli Hweol pulls out formation flags and plates within the derelict house to establish a safeguarding formation, then fetches bedding and fire attribute spirit stones from the storage scroll, heats the interior, consumes a healing pill, reclines, and drifts into slumber.

He appears to be easing the exhaustion accumulated from the ascension process.

Observing this, Badger positions herself by Makli Hweol and regards him with an intrigued gaze.

"Hm...odd. He behaves like he retains zero memories... Has he truly sealed them away entirely...?"

Badger hoists Makli Hyun-ah roughly, tucks the blanket securely around him, and turns her eyes to Makli Hweol.

"I hope you recover your memories soon..."

Her soft tail gently sweeps over Makli Hweol's cheek, and for a time, she vigilantly guards the pair as they rest.

***

Amid the shadows.

Suddenly, a blue glow materializes before Makli Hyun-ah's vision.

"You are..."

He recognizes it instantly.

The entity that, during ascension, prompted Makli Hyun-ah to glance back...

It's the radiance from a voice echoing the same vibe as Guildmaster [Silver Snake] Ji Hwa.

"Who are you? What connection do you share with Guildmaster Silver Snake?"

At his query, a laugh erupts from the blue glow's core.

For some reason, it rings hollow.

[Silver Snake? Silver Snake, eh? Ha, haha...hahahahaha...! Ah, I get it. So they ventured to your realm...]

"What...?"

The voice carries familiarity with Guildmaster Ji Hwa.

Makli Hyun-ah's eyes narrow sharply, and he addresses the blue light.

"What exactly do you mean? Do you...know Guildmaster Ji Hwa?"

[Ji...Hwa... A name I haven't heard in ages upon ages... They wander about, so recklessly sharing their identity that even a commoner like you from that realm knows it. Have they utterly abandoned our mission and essence...? How tragic...!]

Tststststststs...

As though furious,

The blue light flickers more intensely.

Makli Hyun-ah senses a sting in his eyes.

His skull throbs as if expanding.

It mirrors the sensation from viewing the [Hand of Starlight].

[Kukuk... Sufficient. What use is the grief of the vanquished? Indeed. How fares she? From the mere fact that you, once a mere mortal granted mere talent, know her name, she must have risen to prominence in that realm... Did she topple a nation? Devastate it? Ignite conflicts? Reestablish harmony?]

"Uh..."

Makli Hyun-ah stammers, unsure how to respond without discomfort.

He isn't Guildmaster Ji Hwa, yet oddly, he hesitates to reveal the unvarnished truth.

[If she's the sort who upended this realm and bartered her flesh and spirit to a malevolent deity, then without doubt...she wrought similar upheaval in that realm...for she embodies that very essence...!]

"Um...th-that's..."

Cold sweat beads on Makli Hyun-ah as he offers an uneasy chuckle and chooses to recount Ji Hwa's guild exploits.

"She tackled the [Guardian Dragons of the Fallen Nation] over twenty times...put simply, mass farming runs. She also pulverized the [Black Sorcerer] a solid seven times. As for [Devil Hunter], she soloed and demolished them countless times beyond tally. Moreover, her guild ranks in the world's top three for accomplishments overall."

[Is that the case...? I'm unfamiliar with the details, but those titles alone scream mighty feats... Thus, she carved her legend in that realm too... She hasn't forsaken her honor entirely. Though the protected have shifted, she remains a sentinel of order...]

"..."

To safeguard Ji Hwa's reputation, Makli Hyun-ah opts for silence thereafter.

"Th-Then, wait...who exactly is Guildmaster Ji Hwa?"

Gulping, Makli Hyun-ah questions the blue light.

"In that closing moment...I witnessed her steering a truck right into us. After the truck impact knocked me out, I awoke already in this realm. Why did she hurl us here? What ties bind you to her? Do you grasp her true nature?"

His words cause the blue light to surge as if detonating.

The dark void tints azure, engulfed by the expanding blue.

[I do. For she was once among our ranks.]

Tsaaaaaaat!

From the blue light's origin, Makli Hyun-ah beholds a [Blue Snake Biting Its Tail].

The sight forces his eyes wide open.

For it matches the emblem of their guild, [Loot Farming Heavenly Lord].

The sole variance: Ji Hwa's version gleams silver.

That emblem dissolves soon after, and from the light's heart, a presence manifests.

At the blue light's center, the entity dons imperial robes, a majestic crown, and conceals their features behind a luminous mask.

Upon that mask, a subtle 'Gab' (甲) character appears.

[I am the First Seat of the Radiance Seven Heavenly Lords...Great Forest. I lead the Heaven Immortals who defied the world-ruling evil god...]

"...!"

True Immortal?

Makli Hyun-ah grasps the immense stature of the being before him, his form going rigid.

[In a bygone ancient era...when we were known not as the Radiance Seven Lords but the Radiance Eight Immortals.

[One evil god arose. That deity rejected every law and structure of this cosmos, forging a fresh heaven, and...through vile heresies and plots, ensnared and tainted the Fifth Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals, our former ally. And...that is the comrade you name Ji Hwa...]

'B-Brainwashed and corrupted?'

Only then does Makli Hyun-ah comprehend why Ji Hwa, in boss raids, would screech 'Keeeek' while pounding keys and cursing guildmates.

'Ah, so that explains it...residual corruption effects!? No surprise she's so ferocious!'

[Once that evil god ascended to unfathomable might...they spawned fates sowing turmoil and woe across this world, summoning souls from alien realms to bear those fates, plotting fresh atrocities anew...]

"C-Could it be...!?"

[Precisely. You and your allies are none other than...that evil god's machinations. The New Fates...!]

"Th-That...so what should I do!?"

[That evil god overthrew the light and clutched every possibility and chance across the universe... Evade their scrutiny, build your power, elevate your cultivation. Upon attaining True Immortality, we of the Radiance Seven Lords shall liberate you from the evil god's clutches...!]

The imperial True Immortal dubbed Great Forest extends a hand toward Makli Hyun-ah.

[We...shall stand as your allies. Never forget us...and labor to escape the evil god's hold...]

Drip...drip...

Makli Hyun-ah startles at the crimson essence trickling like liquid from beneath Great Forest's mask.

Blood tears?

Though uncertain, he senses profound fury and anguish in their quaking form.

[Until you attain that level, remain ever vigilant and cautious. Every [star] serves as their minion. Shun the [stars]...the celestial bodies are all their [eyes]...]

Shiver!

[Your talents extend beyond the Extreme Ghost Path Body. Yet heed this.

[Shun overreliance on gifts and fortunes... The evil god's webs span the firmament, rendering their designs inscrutable in scope...]

Tsaaaaat.

With their message delivered, Great Forest's glow dims in place, veiling their presence.

In the boundless dark, Makli Hyun-ah reflects on his initial entry into this void long past.

Having attained the Heavenly Being stage, his recollections from birth to present burn clear, making recall effortless.

'How many entities dwell within my subconscious...?'

From Makli Cheon-sa onward, then Jegal Mikhail, that eerie chain beast.

Now even Great Forest, First Seat of the Radiance Seven Lords, joins them.

Makli Hyun-ah grows bitter toward his Extreme Ghost Path Body constitution.

'Come to think of it, Jegal Mikhail mentioned that at Heavenly Being stage, I'd uncover his true self...yet even now, I can't quite pinpoint it... Who in the world is Mister Jegal Mikhail...?'

Perplexed, Makli Hyun-ah begins emerging from his subconscious.

Since reaching the Nascent Soul-equivalent realm, navigating his inner mind has grown straightforward, allowing him to probe for Jegal Mikhail and others.

Yet he uncovers only Makli Cheon-sa's fragmented soul.

'Tsk... Is Mister Jegal Mikhail merely a facet of my PTSD, or does he truly reside within?'

Makli Hyun-ah exhales deeply, mulls over his concerns, departs his subconscious, and rouses from slumber.

***

"This spot is..."

Makli Hyun-ah glances about and rubs his eyes.

Close by, Makli Hweol assumes a lotus position, circulating his qi to mend his wounds, while Badger and the Rabbit Seven Heavenly Lords stand watch over the duo.

"Hey, Badger. What's happening?"

Makli Hyun-ah inquires of Badger regarding events, and upon hearing the full account, he nods in acknowledgment.

"Ascension went through, but...we're still unclear on our exact location? Daoist Makli Hweol tends to the internal wounds from ascension... Hmm..."

Mid-thought for Makli Hyun-ah,

Kugugung!

A tremendous blast echoes nearby, prompting Makli Hweol, in the midst of recovery, to snap his eyes open and sigh.

"Looks like a skirmish is unfolding close by. The energy suggests Nascent Soul or Heavenly Being tier... Let's venture out together and investigate for now."

Makli Hweol exits with Makli Hyun-ah, furrows his brow, and traces the explosion's origin.

Some distance from the ruins, a diminutive green figure, a black-robed human, and a blue-garbed cultivator wielding hordes of ghosts clash in a chaotic melee.

"Wail, Ghost Devil Banner!"

Kieeeeeee—

Myriad ghosts unleash eerie shrieks from the banner's depths, and at those cries, the green figure and black-robed one pale dramatically.

But the instant after,

"Hmph, all prerequisites are satisfied now. You Immortal Family cultivators can't possibly wield your might against the Confucian Family!"

Tudududududu!

The black-robed figure jabs a finger with a malicious grin, sending the blue-robed Ghost Devil Banner wielder crashing to the earth.

"Kuuugh...! Kuaaaaaa!"

Tumbling amid swarms of ghosts and dropping to his knees, the man clenches his jaw and howls.

"Don't...make me laugh...! I...do you believe I, Heo Yak-ham of the Great Azure Ghost Valley, will yield...!?"

[TL/N: The Hangul for Heo Yak-ham means weakness/frailty.]

"Kukuk...behold the Confucian Family Method! You Heaven-Earth Tribe cultivators dare not raise your gaze before a Confucian scholar...huh?"

The black-robed man, flashing a conceited and wicked smirk, aims to taunt the green figure and blue-robed cultivator fully, but confusion strikes as the green figure remains upright.

"Wh-What's this...? I ought to have blocked not just spiritual power but demonic power too... How does a yaoguai scum stay on its feet? You claiming you're no demon beast?"

To that, the green figure draws twin podaos from behind and sneers.

"Hehe... Have you never even