A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 844 Chapter 841: Side Story - Mythical Relic (6)

Splash!

Hyeon Rang lifts her into the air, flying away rapidly before tossing her directly into the hot spring located behind the mountain.

"Kuaagh! It is boiling!"

"Hahaha, you are far too dramatic! Just wash yourself thoroughly, Junior Sister Tae! I am already late for the Jegyo Dharma Assembly, so I'm off!"

Once he finishes speaking, he streaks away into the distance, leaving Makli Hyun-ah splashing and flailing in the scorching water, completely disoriented.

"Kuaaagh! S-save me! Please, help! This isn't even a proper hot spring! Kkeuugh!"

Makli Hyun-ah attempts to channel the power of the Confucian Family Method and the Naming Family Method with all his might, but regardless of his efforts, the energy refuses to manifest.

At that precise moment,

Flash!

Unexpectedly, he senses a dormant energy surging within his Dantian which he has never encountered before; he promptly draws upon it to reinforce his physical state.

Paaatt!

Makli Hyun-ah is instantly enveloped in a golden radiance, and as his body begins its rapid recovery, he escapes the suffocating heat.

"Whew... I survived. Is this... the Buddhist Family Method?"

Makli Hyun-ah ponders while sensing the mysterious spiritual power circulating through his meridians.

This sensation is undoubtedly the mark of the Buddhist Family Method.

The Buddhist Family Method possesses a warm, gentle essence, yet it also acts like a strange, perpetual wheel spinning endlessly through his spirit veins.

"A truly unique Cultivation technique, hmm..."

He cycles the Buddhist Family Method for a while, slowly absorbing the fragmented memories of Tae Yeol-jeon, the host of this body.

"Let me see. This girl is Tae Yeol-jeon... raised from a young age by the nun Bong Hwa, the head of the temple. She shares a senior brother-junior sister bond with Hyeon Rang, who is Bong Hwa's successor. While it resembles a Cultivation Sect, it lacks any real prestige. Neither Tae Yeol-jeon nor Hyeon Rang receives any visitors; the place is effectively a forgotten ruin..."

Hyeon Rang, the temple's true successor, works himself to the bone following the passing of the former Abbess, while Tae Yeol-jeon seems content to rot away in her quarters, perfectly aware that her lack of effort is meaningless to the temple's survival.

Her only apparent amusement is squandering the spirit stones accumulated by previous generations, remaining locked away in her bedroom to devour new novels and scrolls.

"...There is almost no knowledge of the wider world here, just endless fairy tales and fiction cluttering her mind."

From classics like <The Story of the Old Man Who Pierced the Heavens After Failing to Improve His Realm> to <The Saga of Lord Heavens and Lord Stars> and <The Tale of the Mountain Divine Spirits>, her mind is consumed by trivial fables.

"Both Hyeon Rang and Tae Yeol-jeon are at the Qi Building stage... No, wait, even while lazing about, her realm is comparable to Hyeon Rang's? Hah, damn it, she is wasting her talent. More importantly..."

Makli Hyun-ah feels an overwhelming sense of frustration; there is virtually no actionable intelligence hidden within Tae Yeol-jeon's mind.

"Eighty percent of her miserable life has just been roasting chestnuts and reading stories in that room! Why on earth does Senior Brother Hyeon Rang keep her around? If it were me, I would have tossed her out long ago! Where is the information about the world that actually matters!?"

Lacking meaningful data from the host, he vents his annoyance, realizing he must secure reliable information swiftly.

"Fine. I will clean up, head outside, and gather intel from the locals. Let's see..."

After refreshing Tae Yeol-jeon's physique, Makli Hyun-ah becomes accustomed to the flow of the Buddhist Family Method and makes his way toward the nearby village he glimpsed during his flight.

'The Innate True Methods. I cannot access the Naming Family Method or the Confucian Family Method, yet... when I focus, my consciousness responds. Curiously, I see signs that the Innate True Methods are attempting to manifest again.'

Woong!

He scans the villagers to find a suitable subject for his consciousness to inhabit, eventually settling on one.

Just then,

Shururuk!

Makli Hyun-ah possesses the mortal instantly.

'Wait, is body-swapping this effortless? No, even more shocking is... the sheer discomfort.'

He feels an immense, repulsive force radiating from within the mortal's frame.

'Why is this vessel rejecting me!? It is utterly incompatible. This is useless. I need to harvest the memories and return to Tae Yeol-jeon's body immediately.'

Choosing his path quickly, he extracts the necessary information and vanishes from the mortal, snapping back into Tae Yeol-jeon's body.

"Heheok... heok..."

Makli Hyun-ah experiences a sudden wave of comfort and ease upon returning to Tae Yeol-jeon.

'Why does this feel so natural? Is it even more comfortable than my original body?'

Puzzled, he reviews the stolen knowledge.

'This world is the Chained Light Realm (鎖光界)... Similar in scale and conditions to the average Decaying Corpse Realms, I see.'

It earned its name because by day, a pale, blue-white radiance known as sunlight bathes the world, while at night, a moon appearing like a jagged chain dominates the sky.

The defining feature of this realm is its religious fervor.

'The three dominant religious orders...'

The most powerful is the Star Moon Religious Order, which worships the Chained Moon.

Next is the Great Forest Religious Order, which pays tribute to the sun.

The third is the Jegal Religious Order, serving a deity named Mikhail.

These three orders constantly skirmish for dominance, while minor Buddhist and Immortal sects like the Grand Nirvana Temple cling to the neutral zones in between.

Upon realizing the existence of the Jegal Religious Order, Makli Hyun-ah sighs deeply.

"...Found you, Jegal Mikhail. So you were playing god here of all places..."

The identity of the 'Fourth Earthling' Ahn Geum has been hunting is finally exposed.

'At least now, Ahn Geum should stop pestering me about it.'

He still has to verify Mikhail's existence formally.

"Right. I'll locate the Jegal Mikhail shrine and offer a prayer myself."

Determined, Makli Hyun-ah heads toward the site of the Jegal Religious Order.

***

Human Race territory.

Deep within the Ghost Mother's Tomb.

Inside the shrine of the Immeasurable Life Buddha Religious Order, Ahn Geum successfully negotiates a pact; a True Immortal has promised to land a single, devastating strike on her behalf.

However, because the Vast Cold Realm is a unique domain, they cannot eradicate the puppet legion with a direct blow; they will instead provide support via an Immortal Art.

Even so, the assistance is enough to alleviate Ahn Geum's anxiety regarding Makli Hyun-ah.

Even with this certainty, her expression remains grim.

She draws a divination bowl and several sticks from her storage scroll to gaze into the future.

This skill wasn't learned here; it was a rough trick taught by her shaman mother back on Earth, honed and elevated by the laws of this world.

This method of divination, far more precise than the standard Heaven Tribe's celestial calculations, is the primary reason she survived after defecting from the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order and Black Ghost Valley.

Clack!

As she casts the sticks and interprets the omens, her features tighten.

The portents of the near future are disastrously ominous.

It has nothing to do with the puppets. The threat is someone hauntingly familiar.

Lee Seo-ah.

It appears Lee Seo-ah is closing in on her location.

'That monster. I never imagined a Three Great Ultimates cultivator could reach such heights.'

The intensity of the omen suggests Lee Seo-ah has become significantly more fearsome than before.

'She must have ascended to the Integration stage.'

Previously at the Grand Perfection Four-Axis stage of the Three Great Ultimates, she has undoubtedly hit the Integration stage now.

With her constitution and inherent talent, her power likely eclipses Ahn Geum's, whose own strength hovers exactly at the cusp of Integration.

'If she possesses strength beyond the Integration stage, combined with her innate Wind-Painting Sword Sea Impermanence Body... she is likely at the Quasi-Star Shattering level.'

If Lee Seo-ah corners her in the Vast Cold Realm, Ahn Geum will be dismembered without a chance to fight back.

'If I want to survive, saving Hyun-ah is secondary to my own existence.'

While Ahn Geum serves as the Saintess of the Immeasurable Life Buddha Religious Order, Lee Seo-ah fills the unofficial role of Saintess for the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order.

The True Immortals who favor Lee Seo-ah dote on her, meaning their political status cancels out effectively.

Ahn Geum won't stand a chance if they cross paths.

'There must be a way to break through this.'

She remembers her master, Gongmyo Min-hee of Black Ghost Valley.

—Some day, travel to the Vast Cold Realm. Deep in its Human territory, there lies a Ghost Path inheritance left by a legendary figure from antiquity known as the Ghost Mother.

Her master had always cherished her.

Because her teacher offered the maternal affection she lacked due to her own mother's confinement in a psychiatric ward, she had felt a deep bond.

‘Master…’

Gongmyo Min-hee was like a parent to her.

Ultimately, Ahn Geum had been forced to abandon her.

She feared if she stayed, she would overwrite the memory of her real mother with Min-hee.

Perhaps that was why Min-hee let her flee during her betrayal—the master had understood the girl's inner conflict.

"Huuu..."

Recalling the teachings passed down, Ahn Geum begins to attune herself to the vibrations of the Ghost Mother's Tomb.

This sanctuary is likely an alternate dimension constructed by the locals to refine the 'inheritance' Gongmyo Min-hee once described.

Inner access should be significantly easier here.

"I will survive."

Ahn Geum stares into the void, determined to change the future where Lee Seo-ah carves her apart.

"I will survive... and return to my mother once more."

Gongmyo Min-hee’s words surface clearly.

—Geum-ah. Your talent is legendary, much like the Ghost Mother’s. I have studied her legacy extensively. If my research is combined with your potential, you are sure to obtain her inheritance. Use this formula when you arrive.

Ahn Geum whispers the complex formula, resonating perfectly with the Tomb.

Tststststs...!

Her mind merges into the depth of the Ghost Mother's Tomb.

Darkness swallows her consciousness, and she finds herself in a liminal space.

'Where is this...'

Chwaruruk!

A spectral vision flickers across her periphery.

A figure clad in midnight robes weaves laws within the void.

—Through [Bridle Creation], I shall carve out a space where inheritances may be preserved for those who follow...

The voice carries a strange familiarity... it sounds like her mother.

—Hidden from the prying eyes of the [Heavens]... so that their stories may endure.

'So this place is...'

A sanctuary designed to safeguard the legacies of past scholars.

—This is a space of inheritance. Take what we leave behind, and pass it onward.

The figure in the illusion glances at her, eyes locking onto hers.

A soft, warm smile touched their dark blue eyes.

—This is also a place of memory. Leave your own traces here. Let your story be remembered for ten thousand generations.

The gaze feels incredibly comforting.

—I, too, shall leave my story within these walls...

Paaaatt!

The vision dissolves as Ahn Geum falls into a boundless, pitch-black chasm.

'This is the Ghost Mother's inheritance. An alternate dimension for storage and heritage? But is this all? Do you just enter and wait...'

Suddenly,

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

A chill runs down her spine; she whirls around.

In the distance, an entity swathed in overwhelming [death] is approaching.

'Th-this is...!'

Terror grips her heart, and she gulps in fear.

As the being draws closer, her physical form, scarred by the Ghost Path and the souls she has absorbed, begins to shudder. The ghostly entities within her revolt, panicked by the sheer density of death.

Even her half-ghostified body reacts with visceral, primal dread.

Thud!

The source of the footsteps becomes clear.

A maddened Ghost King, displaying the severed heads of eighteen peers embedded into his own shoulders as a trophy.

The Ghost King speaks.

[I am Seo Li.]

She realizes with mounting horror that she cannot possibly endure this.

This being IS death itself.

The millions of souls residing within her wail, and Ahn Geum is paralyzed by the instinctive reaction of a ghost facing its ultimate nemesis.

[Young student who seeks this legacy. If you desire Madam Ghost Mother's inheritance, you must surpass me, the examiner.]

Ahn Geum and the restless spirits within her scream in unison.