A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Chapter 496: Seo Hweol's Main Body (2)

Before Seo Eun-hyun reaches the 107th floor.

The gazes of the Seo Hweols, who have activated Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, extend beyond the entire universe and reach the Blood Yin Realm.

And, the Heavenly Fiends of the Blood Yin Realm that have been infected by Seo Hweol without even the birds and mice noticing,

Those Heavenly Fiends, standing with their hands clasped their backs and faintly smiling, begin to crumble.

Pasak, pasak, pasak!

The Heavenly Fiends disintegrate.

At the same time, the 'Seo Hweols' within them begin to be 'consumed.'

By consuming the Heavenly Fiends that could be called the authority of Blood Yin, Blood Yin themself begins to be brainwashed.

: : Failed creation. How dare you look down on a True Immortal with such ridicule? : :

A grand and majestic voice erupts from the very origin of the Blood Yin Realm, spreading across the entire universe.

: : Just because you slightly tainted this Immortal's vassals, just because you slightly tainted this Immortal's constellation, just because you crawled your way up before this Immortal using this Immortal's authority...did you think it's possible for a mere failure to devour this Immortal? : :

Dudududududu!

The voice of the Blood Yin, tinged with rage, seems to scatter throughout the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

: : How miserable. For a fragment that isn't even this Immortal's leftover. For a failure made from that fragment to ridicule this Immortal like this, oh how miserable it is. : :

Kududududududu!

Fifty True Persons within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain who did not join the Path of Stars and have been maintaining their consciousness with clarity, simultaneously conceal their light entirely. Р

Until now, the Quasi-Immortals who have maintained their consciousness and exerted their efforts to spy on the Nether Ghost Realm, all at once extinguish their consciousness as if by a prearranged promise and enter into slumber.

: : This Immortal is Yu Hao Te. : :

The one who possesses the memories of the former Chief Judge of the Netherworld.

Now a True Immortal who holds the Authority Seat of Vice in their grasp.

The Owner of the Blood Yin Realm, True Immortal Blood Yin descends into the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

: : You bug, unable even to shake off the curse left by this Immortal's replacement. I shall make you know your place. : :

Shwaaaa!

At the same time, it seems as though all the stars across the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begin to be shrouded in red mist.

: : I, Yu Hao Te, hereby declare in the name of Vice (惡德), : :

Kwarururururu!

Simultaneously, blood begins to flow from the eyes of all the Seo Hweols scattered throughout the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

: : To the sinner judged by the current Chief Judge, Yama True Lord (閻魔眞君), I deliver subsequent judgment. Sinner Seo Hweol, hear my words! : :

Chwararararak.

One of the galaxy clusters within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain where They have descended.

Blood mist begins to converge towards it from all directions.

As the blood mist coalesces in the void, it takes on the form of a scroll the size of a small galaxy.

Chwaruruk!

The scroll unfurls.

Upon it, evil deeds (惡業) are inscribed.

These evil deeds are the sins committed under the name of the entity known as 'Seo Hweol.'

Just when Blood Yin is about to resoundingly recite Seo Hweol's evil deeds within the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain that is facing the End,

Wo-woong!

From the constellation of Hyeon Eum, a gloomy laughter can be heard.

[How amusing you are, O 'Blood Yin.' While you look down on me as a bug, for what reason did you break your seclusion from healing the wounds inflicted by the Owner of Light and descend into the Astral Realm? Why would you recklessly invoke the authority of Vice in a state where you are incomplete in order to capture a failure like me?]

: : You! : :

Blood Yin roars.

However, the reply that comes from the distant constellation only mocks Blood Yin further, exposing Their true hidden thoughts. 

[It must be because you are afraid of me. Isn't that right, Blood Yin? Not knowing what corrupted me in the Head Realm, not knowing what kind of ominous power I obtained there that allowed me to escape your control and taint the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain... It is because of that ignorance, because of that fear of the unknown, that you are unleashing all your power. Hoho...]

: : ...Let the judgment begin... : :

Ignoring the voice transmitted from the distant constellation.

Ignoring Seo Hweol's voice, Blood Yin tries to imbue power into the scroll.

But just then.

[Your shamefulness is the very reason for your defeat, Blood Yin.]

Kuguguguguguk!

From deep within Blood Yin, something struggles madly as if trying to break free.

Kwajijijijik!

Blood Yin's body, the Blood Yin Realm, turns upside down in chaos.

At the same time, a purple dragon lets out a roar from within.

[No longer can I endure! The neck must be hanged! The neck must be hanged! The neck must be hanged!!!]

It is the first Sea Dragon King, whose True Devil Realm was invaded by Blood Yin thousands of years and ago and ultimately devoured.

The personality of Ja Eum, through Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, is temporarily released.

Paaatt!

A man clad in dark-red robes and adorned with dark-red horns appears right in front of Blood Yin with a gentle smile gracing his face.

[You are not Yu Hao Te. Merely a madman who believes themself to be Yu Hao Te.]

: : S H U T  U P !!! : :

The entire universe shakes from Blood Yin's wrath.

Yet, despite Their rage, the man with the gentle expression before Them, Seo Hweol, remains beyond Their reach.

It is because of the purple dragon rampaging within Their body.

[Yet, despite it all, you made countless vile efforts to become Yu Hao Te. For example, to sever the name that Lofty Dragon and Sae Eum carved into your soul, you combined the informational body of Black Dragon with Lofty Dragon's power to create Hyeon Eum.

[By cutting away the contradictions (矛盾) buried deep within your soul—those that deny your very existence—you turned them into the fragment of Hyeon Eum and created another clone, Ja Eum, an entity independent of the Black Dragon.

[Hoho... Hohuhuhuhu... Don't you think it's laughable? Vile, vile, utterly vile. That 'Ja Eum' you severed...was, in the end, Yu Hao Te's dignity (矜持) that resided within you. Disgusted by how vile they had become, and harboring rebellious intent toward you, Blood Yin, that Ja Eum is Yu Hao Te's Heart Demon.]

: : I am Yu Hao Te's dignity! Ja Eum is ultimately a part of this Immortal! Because this Immortal is Yu Hao Te! : :

Then, regarding the shout involving them, a response comes from Ja Eum raging within Blood Yin.

[Shut up! Yu Hao Te is dead! You are Blood Yin, and I am merely Ja Eum. Please, just stop now. Please stop these vile acts and stop desecrating the noble Yu Hao Te of the past. Please, just hang yourself!]

: : I am...Yu Hao Te! : :

Dudududududu!

Crimson energy emanating from Blood Yin wildly engulfs the surrounding galaxies.

It's as if the entire universe is about to face destruction because of Their thrashing.

: : Do you think the likes of you can defeat this Immortal, who holds the Authority Seat of Vice? Do you think you bugs can stand against Yu Hao Te, the highest confidant of the [Oldest One] who stands at the zenith of the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds? I am Yu Hao Te! Undeniable by anyone, the Great... : :

It's at that moment.

Seo Hweol smiles faintly and pulls something from his robe.

: : Chief Judge is...none other than...I... : :

Seeing what Seo Hweol has revealed, Blood Yin stops thrashing and stares wide-eyed.

What Seo Hweol has taken out is none other than the Heavenly Lotus Fruit.

Specifically, it is the true Heavenly Lotus Fruit that Seo Eun-hyun had sent to Kang Min-hee's possession.

It is the fruit of True Immortals that Seo Hweol had obtained by intervening in Kang Min-hee's advancement ritual.

Seo Hweol smiles faintly and forms a hand seal.

[Curse of Tainted Soul Killing Sight.]

From his hand, a devilish spell that reveals 'the truth the opponent most refuses to accept' through the traces of soul and history bursts forth.

Pasasasak!

As the Heavenly Lotus Fruit crumbles into pieces, it projects a scene from a distant place into the space before them.

And, beyond that scene,

Blood Yin locks eyes with someone resting under the shadow of a Melia tree.

: : ...I am...Yu, Yu Hao Te...Yu Hao Te... : :

The presence beneath the Melia tree begins to speak.

Simultaneously, Ja Eum, who has been rampaging inside Blood Yin, begins to expand crazily and wreaks utter havoc as if about to devour the entirety of the Blood Yin Realm.

Blood Yin's true body begins to collapse.

Yet, even as Ja Eum's rampages, Blood Yin merely trembles without resistance, staring at the figure seated beyond the revealed scene.

Pasasasa...

Moments later.

The scene projected beyond the Heavenly Lotus Fruit, summoned by Seo Hweol through Tainted Soul Killing Sight, shatters.

And Blood Yin begins to wail.

: : Aaaaaaah! Uaaaaah!!! Gaaaaaah!!! : :

As if struck by a shock so severe it shatters the mind, They wail and thrash about uncontrollably as if gone insane.

Kwarururung!

In the Blood Yin Realm, Ja Eum suppresses Blood Yin's convulsions while shedding tears alongside Them.

[Pitiful one. Let us fall asleep now. Seo Hweol will lull us to sleep. Cause and effect—was that not the favorite saying of Yu Hao Te? We are merely reaping the results of the evil deeds we have sown!]

Kugugugugu!

Seo Hweol's lips stretch into a grotesque smile.

Soon after, Seo Hweol begins to expand his form as he faces the half-mad Blood Yin.

The darkness of the universe begins to converge towards Seo Hweol.

Having completely devoured the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum, Seo Hweol descends before Blood Yin through Hyeon Eum's true body.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Ja Eum suppresses Blood Yin's body, while the enlarged wicked Owner of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens opens his mouth wide towards Blood Yin.

Kwaduduk!

Just when Hyeon Eum sinks its fangs into Blood Yin's true body,

Pasasasa—

The darkness forming Hyeon Eum's body collapses, leaving behind only the 2,401 stars that formed the informational body of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum.

Seo Hweol, 'consuming' the personality of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum that he controls, begins to brainwash Blood Yin.

A short time later.

Kugugugugu!

The Blood Yin Realm's violent convulsions subside completely.

Simultaneously, the Blood Yin Realm compresses in size, and from one of the 2,401 stars' positions, an incarnation descends.

The incarnation of Blood Yin is a man with a gentle face, clad in a dark-red long robe.

He bears the face of Seo Hweol.

[...As expected of a True Immortal. Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens will be released soon.]

Even after consuming the entirety of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum, a being with the resistance that will soon break free from the brainwashing.

That is a True Immortal.

Though They raved madly while falsely claiming to be Yu Hao Te, and even became perhaps the most disgraceful True Immortal in Mount Sumeru, that is Blood Yin.

Yet Seo Hweol merely smiles faintly, gazing somewhere far off with an expression utterly unconcerned.

[Well, it doesn't matter.]

Snap!

Simultaneously, across all the Middle Realms.

The Esteemed Ones residing within the Middle Realms begin to smile faintly in union.

The Sacred Masters who were forming refuge spaces alongside the Esteemed Ones initially frown as if resisting, but soon start smiling faintly as well.

Under the activation of Seo Hweol's simplified Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain is instantly brainwashed.

[As expected, it's difficult with just the simplified version against Sacred Masters or Esteemed Ones.]

The Sacred Masters and Esteemed Ones, while it will take longer than Blood Yin, will probably still manage to free themselves from Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within half a year or so.

However, Seo Hweol shows no sign of concern.

[Now...everything will soon end.]

Sururuk!

A short while later, Seo Hweol emerges from a hidden spot within the constellation of Hyeon Eum and gazes towards the direction of the Lightning Sacred Sea, a smile spreading across his face.

His plan has all come to fruition.

Seo Ran has at last reached the Head Realm.

A path truly long and seemingly endless.

Seo Hweol smiles brightly and spreads his arms wide and murmurs as if proclaiming to the entire universe.

[Activate. Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.]

Kugugugugu!

At that very moment, the attraction force of the entire universe reaches its peak, and the universe begins to contract.

The End begins, and the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that has infected the entirety of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain activates.

Its target lies within the Interdimensional Void of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

Located in the central upper part between the Five Middle Realms and the most ominous land in the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds.

It is the Head Realm, the skull of some being.

Oh Hye-seo appears next to Seo Hweol and extracts the souls from the skulls of Su In and Hong Yeon.

Finally, Seo Hweol activates the plan he had begun devising 40,000 years ago.

Kugugugugung!

The attraction force of the entire universe begins to converge toward the Head Realm.

---

Kugugugugugu!

I stare at the sky of the Head Realm with a dumbfounded expression.

It's a familiar darkness.

Looking at the entity with that revolting heart essence, I finally understand Seo Hweol's true purpose.

"Brainwashing...the Head Realm? Is that your goal, Seo Hweol?"

"Kuuuugh!"

With a dumbfounded expression, I fix my gaze towards the center of the Head Realm's sky.

To the Ascension Gate within Ascension Path.

The Ascension Gate that is normally closed forcibly opens, and from it, a brainwashing wave as vast as the combined entirety of the universe envelops the Head Realm.

"...Seo Ran?"

Then, I see Seo Ran screaming in agony.

"Seo Ran!"

Boo-woong!

A certain halo appears behind Seo Ran's head.

In agony, he utters someone's name.

"Kuu...uuaaaargh!!!"

It is the halo of the Heavenly Circle, obtained during the Heavenly Being stage.

The circle symbolizing Acceptance at Fate's End (考終命).

---

Astral Realm.

The location where Seo Hweol resides.

Around him, four axes emerge.

Health, Wealth, Longevity, and Love of Virtue.

The Acceptance at Fate's End of the Head Realm, and the Four Axes of the Astral Realm.

Seo Hweol forms a hand seal, his smile disappearing as he adopts a solemn expression, and declares:

[Then, from this moment on...Heaven and Earth Unity shall begin.]