A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 846 Chapter 843: Side Story - Perfect Harmony (1)

Wiiiiiiing!

The Overseer Factory belonging to the Mad Lord.

A piercing, dire alarm suddenly echoes throughout the structure.

Sensing the cause of this disturbance, the marquis puppets collectively rush toward the core of the Overseer Factory, converging upon the tank that holds Makli Hyun-ah captive.

"That Human has managed to usurp control over the Overseer Factory!"

"Eliminate it immediately!"

"Wait... I am unable to approach!"

However, as the puppets draw near the water tank, they find themselves stalled, paralyzed by the overwhelming authority surging from the factory.

The Black Marquis, once the Dragon King of the Black Dragon Race, was refashioned into a puppet during the ancient era; having slumbered for twenty millennia before awakening, it recognizes the nature of this sovereignty.

'The supreme command authority. Is this the decree of the Mad Lord’s proxy, [General Seo], the one who wields the power of the [Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress]?'

The mandate of [General Seo] compels the factory to assist Makli Hyun-ah and relinquish control.

'This mandate... I have no power to resist it!'

Realizing the finality of this authority, the Black Marquis intercedes to stop the others.

"Cease all movement! From this moment forward, we abide by the orders of the primary authority holder!"

"What?! Have you turned traitor, Black Marquis? We are marquis puppets who possess our own autonomy! Are we, as free entities, expected to take orders from another?"

"Freedom... It is nothing more than a central processing unit mimicking the traits of the Heaven, Earth, and Heart Tribes. We are all mere puppets bound to the factory's commands. Have you already forgotten?"

"What are you implying...?"

"Personality is merely a side effect of spiritual energy shifting through our internal circuits. It is nothing more than an arrangement of power. For us, only the command remains paramount!"

Kwaduduuk!

As the Black Marquis blocks the opposing puppets, several others recognize the legitimacy of the command and align themselves with it.

However, confused by this shift, certain puppets stare back in bewilderment and prepare to fight.

The Black Marquis feels a sense of unease.

'Strange. Why do they ignore the factory's override command? It is as if their manufactured persona is truly their own.'

But there is no room for hesitation.

Regardless of their confusion, they proceed to protect Makli Hyun-ah, as decreed.

***

The interior of the Overseer Factory descends into turmoil as Makli Hyun-ah erodes its foundation.

Just then,

At the perimeter, the sentry puppets detect a spatial distortion.

Kurururung!

The reality before the factory tears open, and a vast, gaping darkness emerges.

Jjeoeooeok!

Human Race forces begin to flood forth from the rift.

"Emergency! A Human Race raid is underway at the Overseer Factory. Requesting support from Star Shattering stage marquis puppets!"

But no support arrives.

While the Integration stage general puppets attempt to intercept the humans, a sudden sight freezes them in their tracks.

They stare at the woman who has ripped a path into the black subspace.

It is Ahn Geum.

Draped in a translucent veil, Ahn Geum kneels upon a levitating carpet woven from wandering souls and begins to chant.

Chijijijik, tukwakwang.

Even among the generals, the most elite puppets begin to fail.

The devices meant for calculating celestial energy, implanted in those candidates marked for promotion, shatter into dust.

It does not end there.

Every such device within the entire Overseer Factory begins to fracture.

As if the celestial energy itself refuses to be observed by lesser beings, it reacts violently, obliterating whatever attempts to measure it.

Dududududududu!

The heavens part.

Ahn Geum, in her modest, veiled posture, softly invokes the [Name] of the True Immortal acting as her patron.

"I summon you. Radiance Hall Law Protector Immortal."

The art of an Upper Immortal, tasked with guarding the Immeasurable Life Buddha Religious Order, begins to materialize.

"[Black Spirit]."

Beyond the fractured sky, a peng bird of truly colossal proportions—its wings wide enough to shroud the stars—sweeps downward.

Tsuaaaaa!

A cascade of black feathers falls upon the Vast Cold Realm.

As each feather strikes, it erupts in a blinding, brilliant radiance.

Thousands upon thousands of faux-suns ignite in the sky, forcing every cultivator and puppet to shield their eyes.

Simultaneously, the shadows cast by the cultivators stirred to life by the light.

With sunlight pouring from every side, countless shadows peel off the ground, forming perfect duplicates of the cultivators, and charge toward the puppets.

The Human Race army, initially outnumbered, suddenly swells to exceed the puppet forces in count.

"Forward!"

Ha-eun bellows with vigor. He charges into the fray alongside his shadow clones, which multiply endlessly, while the rest of the Human cultivators swarm the legions.

The puppets are crushed by the sheer weight of numbers.

Moreover, since the shadows continue to replicate as long as they exist, the gap widens by the second, allowing them to overpower even the Star Shattering stage puppets.

Kugugugung!

After fighting for a while, Ha-eun realizes his shadow army has grown so massive that he is no longer needed at the front; he retreats to the rear.

Jo Yeon approaches him.

"Martial Artist Ha-eun. Although I cannot see, I can perceive it... The Overseer Factory is tearing itself apart, isn't it?"

Ha-eun strokes her hair with a somber expression.

"Yes, Miss."

"Finally..."

Tears run down Jo Yeon’s face.

"My purpose is nearing its end."

"...Our purpose, Miss. Did I not promise to see this through to the end with you?"

"...Is that so? Thank you."

At that moment,

Kwarurung!

The entire factory exhibits a violent, erratic reaction.

"...!"

Trembling, Jo Yeon speaks in a frantic tone.

"This is...! The Overseer Factory is initiating a self-destruct sequence! We must withdraw the army immediately. Regardless of our numbers, the energy sources contained within are equivalent to hundreds of Star Shattering puppets. If they detonate all at once...!"

Hearing this, Ha-eun shouts to Ahn Geum, who is still praying in the void.

"Cultivator Ahn! The factory is going to detonate! Help our troops retreat!"

Paatt!

Jo Yeon and Ha-eun are suddenly pulled through the spatial rift, appearing beside Ahn Geum.

"Wait. Hyun-ah's energy is leaking. He detected our proximity and sent a signal."

"...! But..."

"Stay! A True Immortal’s art shields us; are you suggesting we abandon our mission?"

Ahn Geum keeps her eyes wide, waiting. Soon, a black object streaks from the factory toward her.

Paaaatt!

It is [a string of characters].

Makli Hyun-ah, using his Confucian Family Method, has physically transformed a portion of his essence into text to reach them.

Chwaruruk!

The characters gather in the void, folding into two and three dimensions until they solidify into the likeness of Makli Hyun-ah.

"What is the state of affairs inside?"

"Ahn Geum! Have you come to rescue me?"

"Yes. I expended a valuable summoning right to save you. Can you extract yourself?"

Makli Hyun-ah offers a grim smile and shakes his head.

"No. The situation inside has turned dire."

"Explain."

"The puppets were not merely modifying people. They have been extracting Human souls and sealing them into the Ghost Path devices. Within the jade below the main tank, the souls of the Heaven, Earth, and Heart Tribe cultivators they have slaughtered are all trapped."

"And?"

"...Some marquis puppets are given simulated personalities. It isn't a genuine soul, of course. But once the spirits in that jade crossed a threshold, they began to overflow, imbuing those mimic-puppets with fragments of true consciousness."

Makli Hyun-ah continues to explain.

"The puppets containing these souls resent my attempt to seize control. Infighting has erupted between the soulless puppets and those that have gained spirits. Because they would rather be destroyed than serve under me, they have triggered the self-destruct mechanism."

"I see."

Jo Yeon nods, turning to Makli Hyun-ah.

"If you have seized the internal authority, can you not deactivate the detonation?"

"Normally, yes. But to override it, one needs the celestial energy calculation device. However, all those devices shattered when the celestial energy turned against them..."

"Ah..."

Jo Yeon’s face turns pale. Ahn Geum, realizing the paradox caused by her own summoning of the True Immortal, bites her lip.

Then, Jo Yeon states firmly.

"Our duty is before us. With you holding the factory's authority and a True Immortal providing protection... if I can plant the disruption device I prepared, I can issue a stop command to all puppets in this realm. Cultivator Ahn, please let me enter. I can deploy the device and send Daoist Makli Hyun-ah to safety."

Ha-eun’s expression hardens.

"Miss."

"It is fine. You already know, don't you?"

"But..."

Seeing their reactions, Ahn Geum clicks her tongue.

"Since neither of you claims you can stop the detonation, I take it you are planning to die with the factory, correct?"

There is only silence.

Makli Hyun-ah looks at them, becoming anxious.

"You needn't fear for me! Even if my body is destroyed, I will be summoned back to the Purple Gold Realm to be revived by my master. Just don't perish with these machines!"

"...Thank you for your concern, Daoist Makli Hyun-ah, and you, Daoist Ahn Geum."

Makli Hyun-ah catches a sudden, sad smile on their faces.

He notices they are turning faint and transparent.

Ahn Geum stares at them. "I’ve suspected it for some time... you two aren't truly human, are you?"

"...Correct. More accurately, we were human once."

Pachijik!

Jo Yeon grasps Ha-eun's hand.

"Long ago, Martial Artist Ha-eun and I were only commoners. But after the puppets awoke and spread across the world, we understood our burdens."

Looking toward the sky, she continues.

"We became aware of our past lives—in fragments, like dreams. Ha-eun once served within a puppet constructed by the Mad Lord, slaughtering many... and I discovered that I am the reincarnation of the Mad Lord himself, the sinner who authored this catastrophe."

"...!"

"...!"

Ahn Geum and Makli Hyun-ah are stunned.

Jo Yeon speaks on.

"Viewing the night sky, we knew our sins were the cause of this ruin. Fixing it is our penance, the fate assigned to this life. We researched their weaknesses, struggling desperately through the years."

"That..."

"But the weight of past sins is profound. Our mortal lives ran out before we could succeed. Using the Yin-Yang Family Method, we shed our withered husks and bound our spirits here to continue the resistance. Once this business is finished, perhaps we can finally leave. Even then, we must face the flames of the Yellow Springs to cleanse our killing karma."

"...You’re saying you must suffer in the Underworld even after atoning?"

"Such is the Heavenly Dao. Our karma is simply too heavy."

Makli Hyun-ah clenches his teeth.

"It is excessive. It is a matter from a past life, remembered only in shreds. How is it just to burden someone who doesn't even remember their crimes with eternal torment?"

"We do not understand the Heavenly Dao, but this much is clear: the personality is not the issue."

"Pardon?"

"I wondered the same. But I realized—if I were born with my past memories, abilities, and ego intact, how would that be atonement? Only by being born without resolve, memory, or power, and fulfilling this duty, can the debt be truly cleared. That is what I believe."

Jo Yeon opens her eyes. Her pupils are a soft, light pink.

They possess an ethereal clarity, belies any status as blind.

"It is not based on memory or ego, but on causality. Since the causality remains, the judgment is not unfair."

"...How is that fair? The me of the past and the me of now are different people."

"...No. The personality is different, but the causality makes us the same.“

She gazes at Ha-eun with profound tenderness.

”...Because there was the me of the p