Chapter 412: The 20th Regression - A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

I could not tell from where. A great temple bell rang, shaking the entire cosmos. Fwoosh! Something rose from beneath my feet and something descended from above. In an instant the heaven and earth split in two. Kwoong! It was a colossal compass, or perhaps a celestial clock. It seemed to mark every heavenly body in the universe at once. It calculated the coordinates and azimuths of the cosmos, measured time through light, and purified the calendar that governed all phenomena. Every star in the universe gathered at the center of this eerie and sacred structure. I remembered the galaxy throne I had visited before meeting the Heavenly Venerable of Time. Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung! Upon reflection, it had not been a throne. It had been one of countless axes on a celestial sphere made of the Milky Way. Fwoop! My eyes burst and blood streamed. Jing—My head rang as though struck. I trembled violently, mouth sealed, as if my brain had stopped working. Fasa-sasa—Before me, the ash dust that had once been the Murim Alliance clumped together and transformed into the human form of the Heavenly Venerable of Time. The figure briefly looked at me, then bowed toward “somewhere.” ‘Aah… aah…’ Now I understood. Paaah! The Heavenly Venerable of Time’s human form changed instantly into the form of the South-Pointing Plate and was absorbed by the colossal structure ahead. The being I had conversed with until now had not been the Heavenly Venerable of Time. How ridiculous. If he had truly been the Heavenly Venerable, his true body would have been riding on my back for 190,000 years, circling the universe, and ringing bells to grant me the Star Vein Eye. The structure gradually began to fill with starlight. My head exploded. Brain matter poured out. Yet I could not die. My time was fixed here; my realm, my soul, my consciousness—nothing could cross into the afterlife. At the same time I understood. [The being I had conversed with moments ago.] [The being who had introduced himself as the Heavenly Venerable and tested me.] He was not the Heavenly Venerable. Jin Ma-yeol’s words returned. The Heavenly Artisan had offered his power to the God of the Calendar and received a [true name] in return. Yes. The being I had spoken with was the [true name] of the Heavenly Venerable. A god’s deputy. Or rather, only a manifestation of the deputy. I had never truly conversed with the Heavenly Venerable of Time. I had only discussed the contract with his manifestation. When I clung to him desperately, the god’s deputy finally revealed himself. The god’s true name had manifested. Zheeng—My head ached. Clang, clang, clang… The moment I ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠faced [the true body], the realm itself collapsed once more. [The true body] was the celestial sphere forged from galaxies and could contain an entire heavenly domain. Knowledge and [the name] poured into my mind along with the shock. The Heavenly Venerable’s [true name]. The Ling-sheng of the Namgeuk-boi Yeong-seung. I knelt with only my soul remaining after my upper body had vanished, screaming before the Ling-sheng. Kiiing—When I looked at him, countless possibilities of time flowed into my mind. Ji-ing-ing—My possibility of reaching the peak of soap refinement through research for a thousand years after failing to follow Kim Young-hoon. My possibility of becoming his disciple, entering the Hyeol-eum realm, raiding the Gwanghan Realm, devouring Kang Min-hee’s heart, and advancing to Star Shattering. Or the possibility of believing the Ling-sheng to be the Heavenly Venerable until the very end, enduring endless torment, finally signing the contract under threat, and experiencing the twentieth regression. Countless possibilities flowed before me. But they were not important. More terrifying were the [symbols] engraved on the Ling-sheng’s path! [The black snake biting its tail.] [The mountain spewing darkness.] [The Taiji shaped like a fetus.] [The black sun.] [The bird trapped in a cage.] [A pair of eyes of sun and moon.] [The spear of lightning.] [The white chariot wheel.] [Six stars connected by lines.] [The transparent seed.] [The three Taiji stained black.] Eleven symbols were carved largest. Some glowed brightly, but the [black snake] and [sun-and-moon eyes] emitted no light at all. The [lightning spear] and [fetus] glowed faintly. Fasa-sasasa—Everything turned white. Through the [symbols], the being beyond peered at me! The Lord of Taishan looked upon me through the mountain’s mark. : : Where is it? : : With that “will” gone, the gaze vanished. But I understood. Goosebumps rose across my entire body! He was coming. Boom—Again the temple bell rang throughout the universe. The sound came from the center of the structure ahead, the source of the gathered starlight. Tzuzuzuz—An old man’s form reappeared before me. It was not the old man who had appeared moments ago. Light and time revolved across his body. Something that clumsily imitated a human. [The thing that imitated a human] twisted. It looked as if something beyond mortal realm was forcing its level down to converse with me, a mortal. The manifestation of the Ling-sheng that had conversed with me until now. I realized he had stopped revealing the manifestation and was now speaking as the true body of the Ling-sheng. : : I speak in the name of the Lord. : : He asked. : : Will you contract with the Lord? : : Paaah! My body reversed time. The flesh and realm that had stared into the edges of distant existences recovered as though time itself had turned back. I wanted to go mad. No, I wanted to go completely insane, drooling and sobbing. But I could not. The being before me forbade even my madness and forced an answer. “I… I…” I wept while my whole body shook. I had to answer. I had to answer. The great being before me wanted an answer, did he not? And then. Ji-ing-ing—Something rang again. I understood. This was not the headache ringing in my head. It was something ringing inside my chest. Yes, this was… ‘Aah…’ The colorless glass sword I had matched for 190,000 years. The vibration coming from [somewhere] connected to the colorless glass sword! That vibration awakened my mind. At the peak of that vibration I glimpsed something. It was a woman in white gently stroking a jade-like deer. No, I had mistaken. What she stroked was a jade-like ornament. She looked at me and spoke. “Was what I gave you just now a curse?” The memory of that moment stained my chest. Along with that I woke with a start. The presence threatening me from ahead no longer bothered me for some reason. “Great being…” : : Speak. : : “If I contract, you will return my time, yes?” : : [Yes.] : : “One thing, this humble one would like to ask.” I kowtowed at his feet and said. “If you return my time, will my companions of that era be the same people I miss so dearly?” : : … : : “Please answer.” He did not answer. From that I understood. I had known it all along. As someone who had regressed many times, I knew. No matter how much I reversed time, I could never return to the time I desired. A bitter irony. There was someone who had lost a loved one. That person regressed and reached the moment just before losing that loved one. Then were the “lost” and “loved” the same person? Never. The regressor had died along with the “lost” one, but after regression the “loved” one was someone who had not died with him. Therefore, unless the “lost” person themselves regressed with the regressor after death, the regressor could never meet the one he sought no matter how much he reversed time. Even if the moment were only seconds before slaughter. I remembered Kim Young-hoon, the last one I had resisted returning. I remembered Buk Hyang-hwa who had come to me for help while searching for Kim Yeon. I remembered Oh Hyun-seok who had died without even cursing. I remembered Seo Ran, devoured so emptily. And my beloved friend who had said he would watch over me as long as he remembered. If I returned to the past, I would return to before they died that way. Then how should I remember their final moments? Were those final moments not spent with me? Yes. Only seconds. Or even one second would be the same. The being one second later was completely different from the being one second earlier. Because I felt it so keenly, I had to let her go. Because I felt it so keenly, I had to give her only the ornament and not say “come with me.” “If you want to regress me, regress all my companions too. If you do not, I will not contract with you!” Only now did I understand. Thanks to the vibration of the colorless glass sword. Or thanks to her who had shared my heart. Or thanks to every connection that had rooted itself in me. Including Yang Su-jin’s words, all the connections I had accumulated spoke to me. The past never returns. And the words spoken can never return. Then my fate itself could never be reversed. My fate was my fate, my connections were my connections, my time was my time. The past held meaning as it was. No matter how much it hurt, I would accept it! I would not trade my past time! “I will not regress to that time.” : : … : : The Namgeuk-boi Yeong-seung who had been watching me for a moment spoke. : : You cannot. : : I was about to speak. Boom—For the third time the temple bell rang. Kwoong! The Ling-sheng’s true body moved. Countless trajectories and symbols of the celestial sphere twisted and changed orbits. I felt it. Every time the Ling-sheng’s true body moved, the star veins of the heavenly domain changed in real time! At the same time the Ling-sheng who had kindly adjusted my level until now revealed his true level again. I howled in madness once more. But I was not merely mad. Ji-ing-ing—Grasping the colorless glass sword, I used sheer will to prevent myself from stamping the contract ahead. I was going to die. That much was certain. It was only natural for one who had defied a transcendent being. I had even thought I might die after suffering for hundreds of millions of years. But even so! This one thing was certain! “I!” Despite the crushing shock, I screamed. “I was wrong!” Wuduk! I felt my arm being torn out. And a vast will forcibly stamped the black paper by pulling my arm. The contract’s contents had already changed. “By the authority of the Time Bell, the Terminus One regresses one step into the past.” With that content I lost consciousness in agony so intense my mind boiled white. * * * An ashen dust storm raged across the world. In it an old man in white howled. Before him the black paper fluttered. The old man howled within the dust storm and moved as if obeying the meaning of the voice ringing across the entire world. But at some point he stopped howling. With clear eyes he said, “I will not regress!” In the dust storm the voice’s owner who had spoken to the old man fell silent for a moment, driving him insane. While sinking into madness the old man was forced to stamp the contract. Yet he refused to stamp it. In the end the voice’s owner, wearing the old man’s appearance, cut the old man’s hand and stamped the contract with that blood. The contract’s contents had already changed again. “By the authority of the Time Bell, the Terminus One regresses one step into the past.” The old man died. And the Ling-sheng’s eyes glowed. Boom—Along with the temple bell ringing, the sound of star veins changing from the center of the Ling-sheng’s true body echoed across the entire universe. Among the countless orbits and needles attached to the Ling-sheng’s body, the needle labeled “Gaeryeok” glowed red. : : Red means circulation. : : Countless star veins circulated, and in an instant the space they stood on reversed time. And the old man who had just died rose again and howled once more. The Ling-sheng now lured the old man with another method. Yet again his eyes cleared and he rejected the proposal. Time reversed again and he regressed. Inside it the Ling-sheng whispered with solemn eyes. : : Keep refusing. : : Boom—Again the temple bell rang and time reversed inside the Heavenly Venerable’s domain. : : This is the Lord’s domain. You may repeat as many times as you like inside. : : Even madness flashed in the Ling-sheng’s eyes. : : For the safe return of the Lord, I will do anything. : : Boom—Again the temple bell rang from the center of starlight inside the Ling-sheng. Time turned back once more and he tried another method of luring. But the result was the same. Seo Eun-hyun had first wept and clung to the Ling-sheng, then regained his sanity and rejected the proposal. It happened every time. And finally, when small-scale regressions inside the time domain reached one hundred times, the Ling-sheng finally realized something was wrong. He took a mortal’s flesh and glared at the Seo Eun-hyun before him. […Who are you.] “Yes…?” I had sent the Namgeuk-boi Yeong-seung manifestation, observed Seo Eun-hyun for 190,000 years, and believed I had learned everything about him. For him a companion was everything. From the Ling-sheng’s eyes, looking at the Heavenly Venerable who had reached the extreme of the universe, Seo Eun-hyun was a being who could never reach Star Shattering. He was the very embodiment of a greedy man who refused to give anything up. Yet it was strange. The greedy man observed for 190,000 years always acted in ways that missed his predictions at crucial moments. “…I will not regress!” One hundred times. “The past time does not return.” One hundred and fifty times. “Even if you are the Heavenly God.” Three hundred times. “The life that has already passed…” Five hundred times. “…is already inside me.” One thousand times. “So I will never return.” Repeating like a parrot, a recording device, over and over. And only then did the Ling-sheng understand. [So… he receives external help.] It was not Seo Eun-hyun’s strength alone. How dare a mere mortal maintain sanity before the Ling-sheng who lent the Heavenly Venerable’s power! [Someone] helped Seo Eun-hyun at every decisive moment. [Who?] The Ling-sheng glared at Seo Eun-hyun. There was nothing strange. His realm, the colorless glass sword as a law treasure, or his power as a heart beast. Nothing was special. Nothing could be sensed. In truth, everything was as colorless as Seo Eun-hyun himself. Yet I understood. By witnessing him fail to be convinced no matter how many different methods I tried, I realized he was not enduring alone! The Ling-sheng tortured Seo Eun-hyun. Sometimes offering pleasure, sometimes hope, sometimes irresistible proposals. Yet he was always blocked. And always the same words came out. “I will never go to that time!” […Damn.] When five thousand attempts failed, the Ling-sheng finally caught a clue. The colorless glass sword he had ignored. The ordinary, insignificant sword that seemed made of sand. The image of Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram inside it. From inside it, a vibration connected to [somewhere] flowed. [Who are you.] The Ling-sheng approached the shredded Seo Eun-hyun and snatched the colorless glass sword. [I know many beings cling to this person, but this is the Heavenly Venerable’s domain. Stop spying and get lost!] Boom—Along with the temple bell ringing, time began to reverse. Clang-clang-clang-clang— The Ling-sheng’s true body rotated, weaving star veins, reversing time inside the domain, and chasing the being connected to the colorless glass sword— Kwak! […] The Ling-sheng suddenly realized a phenomenon inside the time domain had stopped. His face turned deathly pale. The time domain had been forcibly stopped by a force that seemed to seize it roughly. The Ling-sheng’s orbits and needles stopped moving. He looked toward the edge of the time domain. […Light should be watching… but…] Hesitating for a moment, he quickly sent the Namgeuk-boi Yeong-seung manifestation to the edge of the time domain. Patzutzut— The one who reached the edge of time through the Namgeuk-boi Yeong-seung looked up at the being blocking his path from outside the time domain. An enormous, oppressive Taishan that seemed to trample heaven and earth and the entire universe filled the Ling-sheng’s eyes. The Ling-sheng changed his manifestation into human form and bowed with utmost respect. “Lord of Taishan, I know why you were provoked. However, this is the time domain…” : : Shut up. : : And a voice that shook heaven and earth echoed everywhere. : : The Ten Emperors. : : In the next instant the time ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠domain itself was torn away up to the Ling-sheng’s true body, and all phenomena vanished. Clang-clang-clang— The Ling-sheng’s true body, surrounded by countless orbits, needles, and symbols, moved. Countless calendar symbols rose around him and the star veins of the entire universe resonated— Flash! Half of the Ling-sheng’s body was torn away by the touch of the being on Taishan’s peak. : : If my Lord returns, I will not forgive you. : : Even with his body torn, the Ling-sheng spoke dispassionately toward the Taishan that seemed to trample the universe. And an answer came from the direction of Taishan. Ahahaha— Kihihihi— Uhehehehehe! It was not the voice of the mountain god. It was a contemptuous laugh spewing from countless corpses, skeletons, and dead faces on every part of ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the mountain where he sat. Countless skeletons and corpses, and the dead, gathered their mouths and laughed, delivering the mountain god’s intent instead. [If you do not shut up, you will rot here for eternity like a true name of heavenly punishment!] [Shut up!] [Shut up!] Uhehehehehehe— Kihihihi— Khrhaaaaaa— Ahahaha— The chilling screams of the dead who could not even compare to the cries of hell’s bottom. The Ling-sheng quietly moved the orbits encircling his body while looking at him. : : Are you really going to wage war against time and eternity? : : In the next instant half of the Ling-sheng’s remaining body was torn away. Speaking only to those of lower level than himself. So shut up and get out of the way. A tyrannical demon god looked down arrogantly at the Ling-sheng. The Ling-sheng briefly looked up at the demon god in his manifestation’s form. Beside him was a tiny salt mountain emitting faint light. : : Do you think you escaped light with that little thing… arrogant god… you will regret it. : : And with the Ling-sheng’s words, crimson lava began to flow from the entire Taishan. No, it was not lava. It was red blood as hot as lava. Boom—Again the temple bell rang. And the time domain vibrated greatly. The entire great boundary trembled from their collision. * * * Boom—How many times? I did not know. Inside some unknown ashen pit I seemed to have heard the temple bell many times through my ears. ‘What is this?’ A strange unease swept my entire body. Many times something felt “repeated.” Perhaps that was the feeling Yeon Wi had when looking at me. Had many who had witnessed my horror felt the same? The only certain thing was… ‘Something is happening.’ Somehow the voice of the Heavenly Venerable I had conversed with until moments ago was missing. I closed my eyes while tightly holding the colorless glass sword. ‘Can I really… return?’ I would be able to. He was the Heavenly God himself! The master of time and also the God of the Calendar. Such a being should surely return me. But I felt something—one side of my chest empty. “Heavenly Venerable of Time, please answer. Can you really return me to that time?” To hide that emptiness I asked while feeling another emotion bubbling inside my chest. And… no answer. “…?” The Heavenly Venerable who had spoken until moments ago as if he would change my time to ash at any moment suddenly fell silent. I stroked my chest. The contract asking for my fate seemed suspicious. Yang Su-jin had said I must not reveal my fate. And according to his words that there was only one trustworthy person among the Six Emperors, the Heavenly Venerable’s proposal was too suspicious. But… ‘I… cannot refuse this proposal…’ That was Seo Eun-hyun. Even if I eventually understood my fate and informed the Heavenly Venerable and died miserably like Yang Su-jin, I would not hesitate to tell my fate if I could meet those companions of that time today. ‘I want to… meet them.’ Hong Beom, Buk Hyang-hwa, Kim Yeon, Kim Young-hoon, Kim Young-hoon, Seo Ran, Jeon Myeong-hoon… I recalled all my companions as they came to mind. I had run for 190,000 years only to remember them. Why would I not want to meet them! If I could see them again… I clutched my chest while recalling them. “Heavenly Venerable of Time… please answer!” If returning was certain, I would not hesitate! I had thought that. Yet the sky of the dust storm still gave no answer. “…” I waited for one jjak. I waited for one shijin. I waited for a day. Suddenly the Heavenly Venerable seemed to have left his seat and gave no response. I observed my own body. ‘The lifespan of my flesh is already over.’ He had only kept it from moving with his power. ‘What exactly does he intend?’ Why, while wanting to contract with me, does he remain silent? I waited a long time. And when the Heavenly Venerable still gave no answer, I picked up the colorless glass sword. Thinking that if the Heavenly Venerable abandoned me, I would refine the colorless glass sword during that time. Zuuuung— The colorless glass sword was refined inside my dantian and the cracks were filled. Paaah! The state of the colorless glass sword recovered and it returned to my inner world. I began refining the colorless glass sword again in that state. ‘Never again will I lose it.’ A law treasure of Integration stage perfectly unified with the center of the realm. Uuung! The colorless glass sword was refined inside my dantian and flowed toward the center of the star. And when it finally reached the center of the star, the energy of the star and my soul fused together. A law treasure that has unified with the center of the realm is called Lianxu Law Treasure. Why is it called Lianxu? Like the word Manryu Gwijong, the system of every realm ascending upward has boundaries that gradually break. A law treasure that has unified with the center of the realm becomes a channel connected to the heart of the Integration stage master. From Integration stage, even the power of a heart beast can be faintly imitated. Lianxu by refining the emptiness of the heart empty. Hapdo by harmonizing heaven and earth. Lianxu Hapdo by harmonizing heaven, earth, and heart. That was the origin of the power wielded by Integration stage masters. Of course, Lianxu Law Treasure was generally very difficult to refine. Even an ordinary Integration stage master had to spend at least ten thousand years of single-minded spirit to fuse the law treasure with his own soul and obtain Lianxu Law Treasure. But in my case the path of the heart had already been opened and I had simply added the colorless glass sword to that path naturally, so there was no need for that time. When the colorless glass sword was opened to the heart, it naturally became Lianxu Law Treasure. ‘With this…’ The colorless glass sword and Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram would no longer ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be separate from me. I half-closed my eyes and unfolded the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram through the colorless glass sword that had unified with my heart domain. If the Heavenly Venerable would not meet me, I would remember my companions during this time. Yes, that must have been it. Boom—Somehow a familiar sound came from inside the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram. ‘What is this?’ I moved from the starting point of the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram. The starting point was always my parents’ welcome. And gradually the welcome of my life unfolded. My welcome flowed behind me endlessly, creating a regression welcome. 1st loop, 2nd loop, 3rd loop… 17th, 18th, 19th loop… Countless loops of time passed behind me. And this loop’s companions. The welcome of our sect brushed me. I gazed at them and fell into memory for a while. Then. Tok— A sound of water droplets fell. And I discovered something inside the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram and opened my eyes wide. Far away. Beyond the hazy fog, a jade-green deer ran. I reached out my hand stupidly toward the deer. But the more I approached, the farther the deer moved from me. ‘What is that…?’ At first I thought it was a welcome. But it was the [second] time I saw it. If it were the second seeing, it could not be a welcome. It was real! I ran toward the deer even as it receded. I kept running, passing through the hazy fog inside the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram! And at some point. Boom— I opened my eyes wide with the familiar sound. Nothing. Scenes of space and time that had never appeared in my memory existed inside the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram. Boom— A crisp yet somehow eerie temple bell rang. And countless [me] appeared. I had endlessly rejected the Heavenly Venerable’s proposal. And the Heavenly Venerable had regressed me to moments ago. It seemed he had not reversed the entire universe’s time, but only the space around me. Yet while endlessly reversing me to the past, when the words “I contract” left my mouth I opened my mouth wide at his insane obsession. But when the scene finally came out I was again shocked. The Ling-sheng of the Heavenly Venerable’s true name. The Namgeuk-boi Yeong-seung! He was the true identity of the old man who had called himself the Heavenly Venerable until now. “…Ha, hahaha, hahahaha!” Only now did I understand. The Heavenly Venerable had not come himself to meet someone like me. All the ridiculous miracles until now had been caused solely by the existence called the Ling-sheng, the true name of the Heavenly God. Watching the small-scale regressions that numbered about five thousand times, I laughed bitterly. Inside it I had tasted endless torment, tasted hope, tasted despair. The memory of that time flowed to me. Dduk, dduk-dduk… I felt something flowing from my eyes. What was this. Red. Tears of blood. It was the frustration and pain I had felt inside countless small-scale regressions that had been toyed with by the Ling-sheng, bursting out at once. I looked up at the sky and laughed emptily. Look. This is the difference between a Six Emperor and me. Even with only the power of a great being’s true name, we had to watch our companions being tortured and I had to endure torture through countless small-scale regressions. How long was this to continue? How long! Until when! Enough already. I stood up. Before my eyes the figure of a woman in white gently stroking a jade-like ornament appeared. I smiled at her. She had helped me. But it was not her alone. Through her, [someone] from beyond had helped me. I understood. Someone had helped me from somewhere connected to the colorless glass sword, which was connected to the jade ornament. “Who are you?” I asked in a solemn expression toward the hazy fog beyond. No answer came. Yet instinctively I understood. The power felt from beyond was similar to the Lord of Taishan but possessed the completely opposite temperament. Somehow I felt the being beyond faintly smiling. Next moment. Paaaah! The Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram began to whiten intensely. “…! Why…” I had not moved yet the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram moved as though alive and operated the Dharma-Destroying True Word. I panicked and tried to stop it. The Lord of Taishan might appear here! But the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram’s outburst could not be stopped. It ran away from my hand like a mad thing. And I understood the reason. One of the final verses of the Dharma-Destroying True Word I had not yet uttered. It was because it was too similar to the Dao of my Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram. Perhaps that was why the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram was thrashing. I groaned and struggled to control the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram. If I did not, the Lord of Taishan would come again. Just remembering the nightmare from 190,000 years ago already made me dizzy. But a faint voice brushed my ear while I controlled the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram. “Do not trap your connections.” “How? If I do not, the Lord of the Mountain will come here!” My cry was met with a strangely amused smile from the voice’s owner. “Even if he comes, he cannot interfere with you now.” It was an ambiguous tone. My chest trembled at his words. “What do you mean?” “If you approach, you will be close…” And his words continued. “Approaching means getting closer to the essence of all phenomena… do not fear the external pressure that has not yet come and focus on yourself now.” Somehow every time his words continued, the threads in my mind unraveled. “The mountain of contemplation opens only to those who look back at themselves…” Yet even as the threads unraveled I gained nothing. What exactly did that mean in this situation? But somehow I naturally closed my eyes and looked back at myself, believing the hollow voice. I closed my eyes in reality, closed my consciousness in the realm, closed my perception in the heart domain, and closed the very knowledge of the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram inside it. “What is felt.” “Nothing is felt.” I answered with a voice full of despair. But suddenly I realized one thing. Nothing. One thing—was I not existing? The voice no longer came. But it was fine. Even without the voice I seemed to know the next path. Everything was not gone. The [me] remained. Then where had [me] come from. Obvious. I opened my eyes. The Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram was no longer before me. Of course. [Me] had been born from the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram. Born from countless graces and graces, that was me who had come this far. Even if I did not recognize it, I had already been inside the graces. No, I had not needed to recognize it. It was already inside me. Therefore there was no need to cling. It was already inside me. I opened my mouth. The final two verses of the Dharma-Destroying True Word I had not yet uttered outside my mouth danced wildly inside my chest. As if begging to be let out at once… I held the colorless glass sword refined with Lianxu Law Treasure. Then I began sword dancing. This sword dance contained my history. Now I finally understood why the 31st form of Dan-ak Sword Art had gone wild. Many gathered their mouths and said, “Approaching is merciless.” “To reach a realm you must abandon connections.” But they were wrong. The approach itself was wrong from the beginning. There was no need to abandon. There was no need to cut. “Dan-ak Sword Art, 31st Form.” Just as my heart was like the sky and would never disappear, “Accumulating Dust to Form a Mountain!” Because connections already existed inside me without my recognition, there was no need to cling. Clinging is done to things I do not possess. Since it was already inside me, why cling? Boom—Temple bells rang. I felt the Lord of Taishan’s gaze from somewhere. Yet without lowering my level I shot out the first form of Dan-ak Sword Art. And the final verse of the Dharma-Destroying True Word I had not yet uttered outside my mouth finally came out. “As if gathering all intention into colorless…” Paaaah! The hazy fog that flowed from the colorless glass sword drew the three Taiji. And the three Taiji merging into pure white light became the one cut that split the sky! “Embracing all connections until they become impermanence.” Boom—Temple bells rang. And a furious shout covered the universe. Time reversed and the things I had done became things that had never been done. But without turning my heart to any external pressure I embraced all the graces that had formed me. Paaaah! The reason my sword cut had exploded was because my clinging had blocked the sword path of pure mind. Now there was nothing to block. Therefore what remained was simply to fully unfold this realization! The slash of Dividing Heaven cut a portion of time as I finally escaped from inside the Ling-sheng’s palm inside the space of the dust storm. And I finally understood. Everything was already inside me. I was made of them. Therefore there was nothing to cling to. What I had to do now was not clinging but resolve. As I escaped the sky of dust, what appeared was the true body of the Ling-sheng and the projection of the Lord of Taishan. Looking at the will of the great beings who had overturned heaven and earth, I resolved. No, it was more accurate to say I had finally accepted a fact I had known from before. “I probably cannot go home.” I knew. My goal was to cut regression. I had come to investigate the Ascension Gate for that. But since meeting Yang Su-jin’s remnant I had unconsciously sensed it. Perhaps even investigating something like the Ascension Gate could not take me home. Even Yang Su-jin who had reached the peak of Jinseon could not. How could I? Yet the truth I had avoided until now because I feared facing it myself was that. But now that I knew the truth was inside me and I did not need to fear external pressure, I accepted the fact. ‘I cannot return home.’ When I accepted it, I corrected my goal instead. ‘Then let me correct the goal of returning home and cutting regression.’ The method of cutting regression was uncertain. The possibility of returning home was already slim. Then what should I do? Simple. No longer regress. Rise to the extreme of this world. Become strong. As Goe-gun had said, the force of destiny can only be overcome by strength that surpasses even force. Become strong and stronger until no one can mock me. Until I become a being who no one can regress. Yes. Become an existence of eternal life! Boom—Temple bells had tried to trap me in this time and yin-yang-five-element jade had surrounded me, but I closed my eyes calmly and smiled. “Embrace all connections until they become impermanence.” I had found the answer I had been seeking. The essence of contemplation already existed inside me. No matter what pain external pressure gave, I did not waver. Even if I was imprisoned for a hundred billion years, confidence that I would never waver had grown inside my heart. No, it had always been there. And. Boom—Temple bells rang and time stopped. “?” When I looked around I saw the stopped Hunchentian. In a stopped world where even lower beings could not recognize the essence of the Ling-sheng or Taishan, I could see nothing. But I felt it. Even though the world had stopped, my own time flowed properly. ‘Aah…’ Time flowed. The lifespan of my body was ending. Finally. After tens or hundreds of thousands of years, I finally closed my eyes. But I forcibly opened my closing eyes and politely greeted the being that had appeared before me. “I greet a great being.” [He] briefly looked at me. And smiled gently. : : Have you tied the threads of his destiny? : : “…” I answered with only a faint smile. He laughed heartily while looking at my smile. : : Excellent. I apologize on behalf of my subordinate. : : The being wearing a solemn dragon robe with Taiji embroidered bowed respectfully to me. And he muttered while looking at me. : : If that is your true resolution, we must also be resolute… to truly become free I will also prepare myself. : : He reached his hand toward me while muttering incomprehensible words. Perhaps stimulated by his power, light poured from my body and thousands, hundreds of millions of white grains spurted out. And a welcome as if someone from inside my Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram pushed my hand away with a kind smile surrounded my body. The being who had stopped time laughed while looking at him. : : As a sign of apology I will give you a gift. : : “It is fine. I have already gained much.” : : This is also my resolution. : : His expression strangely looked resolute. : : If truly wanting liberation, one must gamble. : : Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu! The pattern of Taiji drawn in the center of his dragon robe flickered. In the next instant the being transformed into an eerie and sacred existence whose countless starlight orbits overlapped inside the Taiji. His size seemed about palm-sized next to the size of the Ling-sheng who had taken the Milky Way as part of his body. Boom—Again temple bells rang. This time it was not the unpleasant temple bell the Ling-sheng had rung. It was an extremely clear and crisp bell that washed the mind. : : In a distant future. I will wait for you in the domain of emptiness. : : At the same time I realized my lifespan had ended. Consciousness vanished. I squeezed out my last strength and opened my mouth. “I am grateful for your excessive kindness…” Yet even until the end I could not utter his honorific. Perhaps because time was insufficient, or perhaps because it was fate, I did not know. In the end his honorific only lingered inside my mouth. ‘Heavenly Venerable of Time…’ Boom— The last temple bell rang. The time that had stopped began to flow again. And the Ling-sheng’s gaze that seemed unable to believe looked at me, and another gaze full of unreadable emotion was nailed into my salt mountain. I buried myself in the salt mountain and finally discarded the clinging to myself I had held onto all this time. The long, long life of the nineteenth regression was felt ending. I would regress again. Yes… I hate regression. But if regression was an inescapable fate’s chain, I would accept it. And inside this chain I would find my own answer. Just as I had embraced connections today and discarded clinging! After eternal life I would find an answer I myself would accept! I was not Seo Eun-hyun the Earthling from the civilized society. I was Seo Eun-hyun the Regressor. From the end of a life as hellish as this I would shed all clinging and further solidify my identity and goal regarding myself. I closed my eyes that way. That was my twentieth regression.

The 20th Regression

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