A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 528: Filling the Heavens (滿天) (2)

Chapter 528: Filling the Heavens (滿天) (2)

I quickly trace the remaining mories of Seo Hweol.

After awakening from sleep, reaffirming his oath that pierces through his identity, and establishing his goal,

He gradually seized control of the Yuan Clan from his state as an experintal subject.

Without even using Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens much, he captivated the people of the Yuan Clan with his unique eloquence and charm, collapsing the clan solely through sches and strategies.

Afterward, he branded the direct blood descendants of the Yuan Clan with the mark of slavery, making them the first sacrifices of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens in the real world.

Having destroyed the Yuan Clan, Seo Hweol embarked on a long and arduous journey, striving to get even slightly closer to the identity of the 'voice' that awakened him in Agate's dream.

He returned to the base of the Sea Dragon Race while wearing the body of one of them.

Gradually mastering Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, he eventually succeeded in ascending to the throne of the Sea Dragon King.

However, his identity is not inherently tied to the Sea Dragon Race.

After all, he was originally a character in a dream in the form of a human.

In fact, reflecting upon the hazy yet happy mories of his 'childhood'...he is neither male nor female.

Yet he deliberately maintained the form of a Sea Dragon male, focusing his efforts on controlling the Sea Dragon Race.

The first reason for wearing the guise of the Sea Dragon Race is simple.

The body he [first] possessed upon awakening was that of a Sea Dragon male.

Thus, Seo Hweol considers this 'Sea Dragon male' identity to be connected in so way to the mysterious 'owner of the voice.'

No, even if he is entirely mistaken, maintaining this form would still provide an advantage when attempting to reach the 'owner of the voice' by eliminating potential unknown variables.

The second reason lies in his essence.

Having devoured Agate, consud Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, and directly observed the Akashic Records hidden within the Head Realm, Seo Hweol had drawn in and rged several hidden powers and authorities of the Head Realm into his 'configuration.'

The power born from the collected ancient forces of the Head Realm beca Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Ultimately, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was created by absorbing and rearranging the ancient forces of the Head Realm with Purple Soul Filling the Heavens as the central axis and rging them with Agate's authority.

The most suitable dium for Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, at present, is the bloodline of the Sea Dragon Race.

Seo Hweol read the split soul of Blood Yin he dominated, gaining insight into ancient records and fragnts of Blood Yin's mories.

Thus, Seo Hweol learned of the lineage of Purple Soul Filling the Heavens, which flows through Blood Yin, Hyeon Eum, and Ja Eum.

In order to overturn that lineage and gradually reverse-dominate Ja Eum, Hyeon Eum, and Blood Yin, he requires the body of the Sea Dragon Race.

These two main reasons, along with nurous other intertwining factors, solidified Seo Hweol's identity as a [Sea Dragon male with a gentle smile.]

Having seized control of the Sea Dragon Race, Seo Hweol hunted down the escaped fugitives of the Yuan Clan, gradually becoming more proficient in the operation of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Eventually, the position once held by the Yuan Clan was claid by the Jo Clan amidst countless power struggles, and Seo Hweol began to extend his influence into the Jo Clan as well, finding their origins peculiar.

He sched and sowed chaos across the world, spreading Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens far and wide, manipulating all civilizations and societies of the Head Realm.

As the entire world gradually filled with Seo Hweols, he delved deeper into researching the Head Realm itself, uncovering the various powers intertwined within it.

One prominent example was the Black Castle, the forr ho of the Yuan Clan.

By studying the underground laboratory beneath the Black Castle, he discovered that it was connected to the Lightning Sacred Sea.

At the sa ti, Seo Hweol read ancient records related to Ascension Path and, through the techniques engraved upon Ascension Path, learned 'what' is sealed at the center of the Sky Island.

Simultaneously, he investigated the origins of the Jo Clan, and to experint with [In and Yeon] found within Blood Yin's split soul, he manipulated the connection between Jo Yeon and Ha Eun.

Of course, in that process, sothing even Seo Hweol could not have anticipated—his lifelong greatest adversary, the Mad Lord—was born.

Nevertheless, Seo Hweol witnessed the destruction of the Jo Clan and traced back the flow of their life and death, the origin of their attraction force.

Through this, he ca to learn of sothing far more significant than the destruction of the Jo Clan or the birth of his greatest adversary. He discovered where the Jo Clan originally ca from.

Serving Command Palace!

The Jo Clan was nothing more than a lineage of mortals who lived within Serving Command Palace under the orders of cultivators, managing spiritual dicine on their behalf.

At 'so point' while living in the depths of Serving Command Palace, the ergence of sothing called the [Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent] led them to leave Serving Command Palace and form the Jo Clan.

Seo Hweol began investigating Serving Command Palace and gained a certain amount of understanding about the existence known as [Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent].

Afterward, while being pursued by the Mad Lord, he managed to enter Serving Command Palace.

At the center of Serving Command Palace,

After discovering an Immortal Treasure called the [Serving Command Seal], he realized—

[Who exists] within the [Serving Command Seal]...

The Mad Lord, observing the structure of the Serving Command Palace and the Immortal Treasure Serving Command Seal, gained inspiration about the relationship between the world's attraction force, fate, and the thod to summon history.

The Mad Lord began laying the foundation for the [Yeon's Play] plan, while Seo Hweol discovered a critical clue about the Head Realm.

The fragnt of a [True Immortal's dream], discovered within the Serving Command Seal.

Through it, Seo Hweol obtained the clue that [the Head Realm is actually alive].

Although he had seen the Akashic Records, he only understood [the origin of his birth] and could not uncover the various truths he was unaware of. Therefore, this realization terrified Seo Hweol.

He thought he had escaped from the dream...

But what if this world they live in is the inside of soone's living head?

If so, then what difference is there between this entire world and the dream world?

After learning this truth, Seo Hweol beca even more ruthless, abandoning all hesitation in his thods and ans.

As he infiltrated the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, the records of the existence known as the [Golden Divine Yang Su-jin], which he discovered there, gradually solidified his conviction.

Golden Divine realized that the beings of the Head Realm are nothing more than entities confined within a dream and even coined the term [Non-Human].

Non-Human.

Yes, everything in the Head Realm is non-human.

They are nothing but supporting characters in a dream, like Seo Hweol.

Therefore...

Seo Hweol beca even more ruthless.

Everyone in this world is a supporting character in a dream.

They are just characters in a dream.

Playthings of True Immortals, born only to be mocked and toyed with.

Yes, they are...

Nothing more than pieces on a stage.

For this reason, Seo Hweol resolved to beco even more ruthless and even more ticulous.

He had to focus on his 'role.'

Even those infected by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens had to maintain their 'roles.'

Although he infected the entire Head Realm with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, he left everyone's personalities intact, allowing them to live according to the roles suitable for their lives.

Because the True Immortals must not notice anything strange...

Because the Head Realm must not detect the anomaly known as Seo Hweol and erase him.

At the sa ti, to explore the identity of the Head Realm as 'naturally' as possible, Seo Hweol created the Sea Dragon Race astronors.

He did not birth many of them.

The astronors created by Seo Hweol numbered around three.

His direct descendants, Seo Yun and Seo Heon, a father and son.

And Jeon Hyang.

If there were too many astronors, they might glimpse the truth of the Head Realm and witness sothing so dangerous that it could shake Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Seo Hweol, having created only as many astronors as he could control, diluted the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within them as much as possible before allowing them to observe the Head Realm.

Seo Hweol also revealed to them vague truths about the celestial phenona of the Head Realm.

One of the mories from the split soul of Blood Yin, the truth that the Sun and Moon of the Head Realm are actually 'eyes'.

By simply informing them in a roundabout way that 'the Sun and Moon are fixed,' he hoped they would yield results more quickly.

However, during astronomical observation...

Seo Yun, Seo Hweol's descendant and Seo Heon's father, had his very personality sucked into the sky.

If the concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens had been higher, Seo Hweol himself might have been sucked in as well.

Shuddering at the terror of the Head Realm, Seo Hweol transferred his main body into Seo Yun, whose soul had been entirely pulled from his body, and passed on the position of 'Sea Dragon King Seo Hweol' to Seo Yun.

In any case, since the original soul had already been completely removed, transferring his main body was relatively easy.

From the beginning, the first Sea Dragon Race body he had obtained belonged to an experintal subject from the Yuan Clan and thus did not have a long lifespan. Seo Hweol's very first body was nearing the end of its life.

Seo Hweol modified his original main body and turned it into a building for the Sea Dragon astronors.

He then floated the initial body above the 'southernmost sky of the Head Realm,' allowing the remaining astronors to more easily observe celestial phenona while also laying the foundation for his plans.

The remaining Sea Dragon astronors were only Seo Heon and Jeon Hyang.

Fearful of his soul being ripped away in the Head Realm, Seo Hweol diluted the concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within them as much as possible.

But perhaps because of that—

Seo Heon began to slip out of Seo Hweol's control.

Suddenly, he started saying he wanted to quit the dull life of an astronor and beco a Sea Dragon warrior instead.

Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was so diluted that it barely had any effect, and perhaps because Seo Hweol's body originally belonged to Seo Heon's father, Seo Heon frequently ignored Seo Hweol's words.

After all, Seo Heon was Seo Yun's only child, and he seed to believe that Seo Hweol would not dare to threaten his sole heir too severely.

To drive Seo Heon back to the comfortable life of an astronor through the fear of death, Seo Hweol sent him to the front lines of conflict and war stirred by the Sea Dragon Race.

He sent him to the battlefield against Black Ghost Valley.

In any case, most of those in Black Ghost Valley were also Seo Hweols, so they would not actually kill Seo Heon.

Seo Hweol planned to manipulate them carefully, driving Seo Heon to the brink of death, utterly crushing his dreams, and plunging him into miserable despair before dragging him back to his role as an astronor.

At first, the plan seed to proceed smoothly, as if carried by fair winds.

However, the problem arose with the birth of a being nad 'Yu Oh' in the Head Realm.

Seo Hweol imdiately realized that Yu Oh was a fragnt of a split soul of the Nether Ghost Realm Sacred Master.

Because the vast majority of those who ascended to the Upper Realm from the Head Realm already carried Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens after Seo Hweol opened his eyes...

Every ascendant from the Head Realm was practically a carrier after the blooming of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

He had already sent nurous clones to ascend to the Upper Realm.

It was only natural for him to have identified Yu Oh.

Thus, Seo Hweol decided to erode Yu Oh.

Yu Oh is not just an ordinary Sacred Master.

Baek Woon cos from a True Person background.

Ja Eum is the split soul of Blood Yin's split soul.

Ban Ta and Hae Lin can be said to be typical examples of the Sacred Vessel stage, but Yu Oh is a [fragnt] of the Reincarnation Judge Nether Ghost True Lord Yu Soo Ryeon.

The Reincarnation Judge is said to know the secret of resurrection.

Because she is the fragnt of such an entity, the sooner he could obtain her, the more montum Seo Hweol's plan would gain.

Although Seo Heon, like Jeon Hyang, carried only a faint concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol still began to have Seo Heon interact with Yu Oh.

Lest Yu Oh, who is of the sa Sacred Vessel stage, sensed the aura of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, Seo Hweol deliberately used Seo Heon, who carried only a faint trace of it, to make contact with her.

It began when Yu Oh was still young.

From that ti, Seo Hweol consistently facilitated contact between Seo Heon and Yu Oh, attempting to erode Yu Oh through Seo Heon with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

That's where the problem arose.

At first, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens began to gradually seep into Yu Oh, but at so point—

Specifically...after Yu Oh ca of age.

Yu Oh, who continued making contact with Seo Heon, stopped being affected by Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Instead, Seo Heon, who already had a faint concentration of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, started ignoring Seo Hweol's orders.

At that ti, Seo Hweol suspected Yu Oh.

He speculated that she had used so unknown Immortal Art to pull Seo Heon away from his grasp.

Eventually, a child was conceived between Yu Oh and Seo Heon.

Seo Hweol grew extrely wary of Yu Oh, focusing all his attention on her attitude.

He believed that Yu Oh intended to wield so dreadful Immortal Art through her child with Seo Heon.

This is because after conceiving the child, for so reason, there were individuals around Yu Oh who began to break free from the influence of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

Seo Hweol could no longer leave Yu Oh unchecked.

Thus, he made the big decision and resolved to erode Yu Oh with the 'power of the main body'.

The heart of the main body.

And the accompanying Oath of Hatred.

The pain created by the fusion of these two was sothing even Yu Oh would not be able to endure.

Seo Hweol trapped Seo Heon and Yu Oh in a sche that led them to their deaths.

Seo Heon was executed by decapitation at Seo Hweol's hands on charges of treason, and Yu Oh felt imnse pain and guilt because of it. Seo Hweol took advantage of that vulnerability and secretly sent [himself] into Yu Oh's fetus.

In this way, Yu Oh lost her child to Seo Hweol.

What entered in its place was Seo Hweol, masquerading as Yu Oh's child, intending to erode her directly from within her body with his power.

Then...

The real problem began from there.

The connection with the main body beca distorted.

The main body, containing the 'heart,' began to break down.

Instead of receiving the rightful na 'Seo Hweol,' it took the na [Seo Ran] and began to act independently.

Seo Hweol realized it.

Between the main body and himself, an impurity nad 'Seo Ran' had wedged itself.

And before Seo Hweol could even begin to erode Yu Oh...Yu Oh gave all her life force to Seo Ran, grew weaker and weaker, and eventually died.

Seo Hweol brought the Seo Ran left behind by Yu Oh to the Sea Dragon Palace and searched for a way to repair his broken main body.

In the end, the only way to repair the main body was to destroy the 'impurity' that is Seo Ran that existed between it and himself.

Resetting Seo Ran's personality by forcing him to commit suicide.

That was Seo Hweol's plan.

Another problem erged here.

Jeon Hyang, who had thus far obeyed Seo Hweol's orders relatively well, finally lost her mind while observing the celestial phenona of the Head Realm.

At so point, she began spreading insane words like, 'the Sea Dragon Race's astronors are disappearing one by one.'

This was even though after Seo Heon left, she had been the only remaining astronor of the Sea Dragon Race.

It seed that in exchange for seeking the celestial phenona of the Head Realm, madness had taken root in her mind.

That madness was reminiscent of the Mad Lord, making it very unpleasant, but Seo Hweol did not kill her directly but instead let her be.

After she beca consud by the madness that, 'there are many astronors of the Sea Dragon Race, but their numbers are decreasing because of Seo Hweol,'

For so reason, her achievents began to skyrocket insanely.

The Head Realm may have given her madness, but it seed to have also bestowed so kind of special ability upon her.

Though she was mad, she accomplished 'achievents that would require multiple people working together' entirely on her own.

And within a few years, she brilliantly proved several facts and hypotheses about the Head Realm that Seo Hweol had been wanting.

The structure of the Head Realm, the flow of the Head Realm's power, the fact that the Head Realm is asleep, and the phenona that would occur when the Head Realm [awakes from its slumber].

Jeon Hyang proved all those hypotheses and deductions, and even revealed secrets about the Head Realm that Seo Hweol himself was unaware of. She delivered not only everything Seo Hweol desired but even more.

However, at that point, Seo Hweol began to sense danger from Jeon Hyang.

Her madness was gradually worsening.

Starting from the nonsensical delusion that 'the astronors of the Sea Dragon Race are decreasing one by one,'

Each ti one of these imagined astronors 'disappeared' in her delusions, her madness grew stronger and more entrenched.

The mont that madness reached its peak was precisely when she was 'under the delusion that she was all alone.'

Fortunately, Jeon Hyang often stayed with Seo Ran, which greatly reduced the frequency of her 'thinking she is all alone.' However, the very act of keeping such a lunatic by Seo Ran's side was an imnse gamble for Seo Hweol.

Thus, Seo Hweol decided to separate the dangerous 'monster' Jeon Hyang from Seo Ran as quickly as possible.

Seo Hweol sent Seo Ran to a distant corner of the Sea Dragon Palace as if exiling him.

Afterward, he planned to kill Jeon Hyang, whose madness was increasingly resembling that of the Mad Lord.

And so, on the day of the mass ascension.

Seo Hweol finally succeeded in ambushing and killing Jeon Hyang, who seed on the verge of transforming into a second Mad Lord. Then, after burning and crushing her remains, which had already begun turning into strange stone,

He found the traces of her madness that she had hidden away.

He discovered her diary and implanted Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens there, ensuring it could affect Seo Ran in case of an ergency.

Having resolved all these issues, as Seo Hweol ticulously crafted his future plans without leaving room for a single error within the deepest depths of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens,

He headed for Ascension Path.

This is the past of Seo Hweol that I have seen until now.

"...Only now can I seem to understand you."

I engrave Seo Hweol's mories into my heart.

This is his past.

The life of Seo Hweol, who was born as a worthless supporting character in a aningless dream and spent his entire life striving to prove his worth.

Through Seo Hweol's mories—

Through the suffering (苦痛) contained within those mories, I can feel the Seo Hweol currently fleeing away.

He is wailing like an evil spirit, pouring out dreadful resentnt towards the already-vanished Seo Ran.

At this very mont,

The mysterious smile that wrapped Seo Hweol is stripped away.

Everything about him, in the end...has been recorded in my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

Only today, at last...

Have I torn away all the mysterious veils that shrouded Seo Hweol.

"...Finally..."

Wo-woong!

The candle fla of the Torch of Myriad Forms and Connections blazes even more fiercely.

The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, scattered across the universe, reveals itself more clearly.

The starting point of the Immortal Art I have attained.

My Innate True thod, Crystal Glass to Treading Sea, is sothing I imbued my entire life into.

Within my life, everything I have learned, everything I have experienced, mastered, and observed—[all of it] has been lted down, refined, and forged into this Innate True thod.

That is Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.

Crystal Glass to Treading Sea possesses a total of nine abilities and forms.

'Why' Crystal Glass to Treading Sea was refined into nine forms within my heart is sothing even I am not entirely certain of.

However, the only assumption I have is the na Gu Ju (九疇).

Nine (九) kinds of Categories (疇).

Nine ups and downs.

I don't know who first told the term Nine Categories.

Nor can I recall its exact aning.

The only thing I can rember is that perhaps Nine Categories...

'...Symbolizes the suffering inherent to life...'

Gu Ju.

I wonder if the unknown events of that sixteenth cycle may have influenced Crystal Glass to Treading Sea to be refined into nine forms.

First Form, Twin Flowers (雙花).

Second Form, Sword Sea (劍海).

Third Form, Heavenly Shatter (天碎).

Fourth Form, Avīci (無間).

Fifth Form, Mysterious Bizarre (奇怪).

Sixth Form, Wind-Painting (風塗).

Seventh Form, Ghost-Face Killing Heaven (鬼面戮天).

Eighth Form, Myriad Forms and Connections (萬狀因緣).

The suffixes such as Reaching the Heavens, Star Body, Furnace, and Torch are just other ways of saying 'combat form'.

The true nas of these Nine Categories Forms (九疇形) are as they are.

And today, I have completed the final form of Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.

The form that had remained incomplete until now.

The final form forged with Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens and Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens as its raw materials.

Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.

Ninth Form.

Filling the Heavens Governing View (滿天御覽).

Translator Notes: Filling the Heavens Governing View is 만천어람 which is probably wordplay on 청출어람, which is from the idiom 青出于蓝而青于蓝 that ans blue cos from indigo but is better than indigo, figuratively aning that the student surpasses the master.