A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 530: Filling the Heavens (滿天) (4)

Chapter 530: Filling the Heavens (滿天) (4)

Seo Hweol's flustered appearance makes smile faintly.

Pak!

Once again, my fist strikes Seo Hweol's nose bridge.

Pak, pajik, pajijijik!

Then, I begin pumlling Seo Hweol once more.

"Th-This, what is...?"

The words he had been speaking through ntal speech are now uttered aloud.

Seo Hweol tries to lt into the darkness to escape, but I headbutt him right in the face.

Kwaang!

A dull ringing fills my skull.

A look of shock blooms across Seo Hweol's face.

He reverts from his shadowy form back into his original appearance.

Seeing this, I grin.

"That's a good look."

He is no longer the emotionless Seo Hweol from before.

Now, after dissolving Seo Ran, he has completely regained his heart.

Previously, I had only barely managed to provoke a reaction from him by eroding his empty heart with Filling the Heavens Governing View, but this ti it's different.

This ti, he's truly flustered.

Seeing the genuine bewildernt on Seo Hweol's face makes feel strangely satisfied.

How should I put this...

Yes.

It's pure.

The pure, genuine face of this guy is making smile.

Paaak!

My fist smashes into Seo Hweol's jaw again.

His face seems to cave in for a mont before he hurtles towards a nearby planet.

Paaatt!

I chase after him in an instant and grab his head as I slam him down onto the planet's surface.

Kwaaaang!

In the next mont.

Seo Hweol is glaring up at with dark-red eyes.

"...How did you do it?"

"What do you an? Are you asking to lecture you on 'our' theories and techniques, even though you're neither a martial artist nor a warrior?"

"...I, too."

Seo Hweol looks up at with dark-red eyes and a hardened expression from beneath my foot.

"Understand the principles of the Heart Tribe's techniques."

"Hahahahaha!"

I let out a hearty laugh.

"The Plane of Soul. That uncertain, indeterminate dinsion between the Plane of Qi and the Plane of Fate. Projecting your ideology and thoughts into that uncertainty and fixing it in the direction you desire. That technique, and the beings capable of wielding such a technique. That is what the Heart Tribe is, is it not?"

"Hm..."

From what I hear, it seems he doesn't understand anything from our perspective, but he has his own insights. I nod in acknowledgnt.

"For now, let's say that's true. Then what don't you understand? That you're weak?"

"...That's not it. What I'm curious about is..."

Seo Hweol looks up at with confused eyes.

I smile bitterly at that gaze and remove my foot from his chest.

"...Why...your attacks...'hurt'."

I smile softly.

"...Isn't it obvious, Seo Hweol? Lifeforms, originally...get hurt when hit."

I understand what he's trying to say.

"...Don't...speak bullshit."

Seo Hweol's face contorts.

"It must...be so secret art of yours. Because you've seen my mories. Because that bastard exposed all my truths to you. Did you not cast so secret art on based on what you saw from my past!?"

"...Unfortunately, I'm not using any special secret art on you."

I look down at the contorted Seo Hweol with a peaceful smile.

"As expected, you're curious. Regarding just how it is that you're able to feel [pain], I an. Isn't that right, self-proclaid 'Incarnation of Pain,' Seo Hweol?"

The reason for his confusion is obvious.

He's bewildered by the very fact that he is feeling pain.

At a glance, it might sound like utter nonsense to anyone overhearing.

But having seen Seo Hweol's mories, I imdiately understand the reason for his confusion.

'Because he beca pain itself. He beca Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens precisely to avoid suffering and yet he's feeling pain... It must be bewildering.'

Until now,

Seo Hweol has never felt 'pain'.

Even in the 15th cycle, when he was forced to drink a potion that multiplied pain sixty thousand tis, he revealed the essence of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and overca it in an instant.

Of course, there were monts when Seo Hweol 'appeared' to feel pain.

For example, when hearing the true nas of True Immortals or Governing Immortals, or when failing to withstand the rank of an entity too far above his level.

But even in those monts, he didn't truly experience 'pain'.

He rely received a 'shock'.

Shock is nothing more than a powerful stimulus.

And...

'Pain' and 'stimuli' are fundantally different things.

Making himself into a configuration and becoming Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is Seo Hweol.

For soone like him, it's only natural to be unable to feel pain.

Whether he gained Seo Ran, his main body, or his heart, it's still the sa.

Even if he's reclaid his soul, a being arranged into such a configuration shouldn't be capable of feeling pain.

Can letters feel pain?

Can drawings feel pain?

Can this mass of configurations, whose personality has been fragnted into information and configured, feel pain?

It might feel shock, but it cannot feel pain.

And yet...

I clench my fist and continue pumling Seo Hweol.

My punches gradually beco lighter and faster.

And at so point.

'...As expected. I see it.'

A certain illusion begins to form before my eyes.

It is a Mandala.

One of the nad realms of the Owner of Void.

The form of the Mandala that I've seen every day on the reverse side of Cedarwood Painting.

But this isn't the Mandala depicting the life of the golden monster.

This is...a Mandala depicting the life of Seo Hweol.

A Mandala is completed through Emptiness (空).

Just as the life of a being is concluded through death.

A Mandala can also be described as an art ant to teach that there is nothing at the end of that life.

The one who draws a Mandala ultimately scatters their Mandala at the end, realizing impermanence.

However, this happens only when the Mandala is 'completed' and then scattered to gain enlightennt on Emptiness.

In other words...

Completing a Mandala ans first drawing the most splendid Mandala one can create.

Paaak!

Once again, my fist strikes Seo Hweol's solar plexus.

The sight of Seo Hweol's face contorting into a kaleidoscope of expressions unlike anything seen before is quite an amusing spectacle.

But at the sa ti, my eyes see another scene.

Within the Mandala nad Seo Hweol, sections bearing the na 'Seo Eun-hyun' are being added.

No, it isn't just Seo Eun-hyun.

Everything Seo Eun-hyun experienced throughout his life!

The countless lives of the Heart Tribe perceived in Cedar Wood Grove!

Not just the Heart Tribe, but the Earth Tribe, the Heaven Tribe.

And the lives of humans as well!

With every single strike, those lives are being added one by one.

The 33rd move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship is nad after Mount Suru.

And starting from there,

The moves nad after Mount Kunlun (崑崙山) and Cedarwood Mountain (杉木山).

Among these moves, Suru and Kunlun are, in a sense, techniques that can only be completed with the assistance of Heaven and Earth Tribe thods.

In other words, they are not purely Martial Arts in nature.

However, Cedarwood is different.

'This is...'

The essence of my Martial Arts.

No, to be precise...

The quintessence of my life's martial path!

The principle of Cedarwood is as follows:

Based on the mories of endlessly observing the Mandala in Cedarwood Painting...

I ticulously draw my life.

And through the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections that records my life, I ld everyone within the canvas into my life's Mandala.

At a glance, it might seem as if I'm receiving assistance from Heaven Tribe thods, but this process is not all that important.

It can even be substituted with re recollections of the past.

The more important part cos next.

Manifestation.

In the 15th cycle, just as I had dragged projections of the past through Yeon's Play and struck Seo Hweol with all the Entering Heavens of those at Entering Heavens and above that I had encountered so far...

I dissolve my All-Heavens Sword to its utmost limit into the Void (虛空), manifesting within my body all the Entering Heavens I have encountered in my life.

In short, this can be described as manifesting Yeon's Play with my willpower alone.

In other words, countless Entering Heavens reside within my body at this very mont.

Viiiiing!

Gradually, my fist begins to move faster.

Dududududu!

Sparks begin to fly from my body.

The pure white flas, surpassing simple Heaven and Earth spiritual energy or the aftermath of techniques, are the purification of my willpower.

Seo Hweol, continuously pumled without respite, is savoring 'pain' for the first ti in a truly long while.

Just like with the Sub-Heart Sword, this move of Cedarwood engraves into the opponent's heart essence,

And going beyond that, it engraves all the manifestations I've encountered within my life,

This isn't rely reflecting myself into the opponent's heart essence like the Sub-Heart Sword does.

This is truly, albeit temporarily, 'bestowing' those manifestations upon them.

In other words, if Seo Hweol understands martial arts even slightly, he can now fight on equal footing.

Because what I'm doing now is bestowing upon him hundreds, thousands of extres of martial arts.

Cedarwood is ultimately...

To recall the lives of others and all the martial arts in my life, unfolding Yeon's Play limited to 'martial arts' solely through my willpower.

And through such a Yeon's Play, to embody into reality the manifestations I have seen or the 'hearts' with the potential to reach manifestation.

By doing so, after bestowing even a portion of the embodied extres of martial arts upon the opponent, fighting them honorably on equal footing!

This is the ultimate martial technique I have refined to face people like Seo Hweol, whose heart has been shattered.

Cedarwood, as a formless ultimate technique, is not particularly restricted by movents or forms.

This is the sa reason I'm not wielding a sword.

I am not confronting an enemy.

I am rely wielding my heart towards Seo Hweol, and thus, sothing like a sword is unnecessary.

Seo Hweol tries to counterattack , but covered in pure white flas, I burn as I unleash an unending barrage of attacks towards him.

Amidst the pure white flas, countless figures of others overlap.

The Entering Heavens of Gyu Baek, the Entering Heavens of Yu Hwa, of Baek Yeom, of Kim Young-hoon, of Hong Fan, of the Mad Lord, of Kim Yeon, of Ryeo Hwa, of Gyeong Chang, of Jang Ik...

The silhouettes of all the Heart Tribe.

They reside in every single one of my punches, driving Seo Hweol back.

The cultivation of the Heaven and Earth Tribes emphasizes breadth.

They gradually expand and stretch themselves outward, becoming an ocean.

In contrast, the cultivation of the Heart Tribe seeks depth.

They beco wells, endlessly digging downward until they reach the extre.

That's why the power of the Heaven and Earth Tribes approach omnipotence as they grow.

However, conversely, the power of the Heart Tribe becos capable of only one thing as they grow.

Of course, they can still use that 'one thing' to display a variety of techniques, like Jang Ik.

But the essence of the Heart Tribe is depth.

However...

What happens if the Heart Tribe gathers together?

When the ocean ets the well, the well will inevitably lose.

The difference in sheer mass is overwhelmingly one-sided.

But what if the wells gather together?

If the wells cluster and mix in one place, and they expand their breadth purely as wells—what then!

Woooooong!

Starting with Gyeong Chang, Ryeo Hwa, Jang Ik, Yu Hwa, and others, the Entering Heavens of Kim Yeon, Kim Young-hoon, Hong Fan, and the Mad Lord all mix together.

Their powers overlap within , approaching an omnipotent power not at all inferior to that of the Heaven and Earth Tribes.

This omnipotence is even stronger than the Immortal Cultivation and Immortal Arts of the Heaven and Earth Tribes.

Because when wells gather in one place enough to fill the entire earth, it naturally becos a deep sea (深海).

Countless manifestations overlap, and Seo Hweol's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is suffering unprecedented damage.

The entirety of Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens is shaken by the Auspicious Exchange of Emotional Expression, is unable to dodge because of the Surpassing Radiant Saber, cannot escape as the heart is bound by the Heart of Love, and is being maddeningly shaken by Collapsing Immortals Annihilating Heavens.

Seo Hweol is gradually crumbling.

Of course, there is still the possibility that he can fight against .

Cedarwood, after all, is about bestowing the ultimate will I have realized onto my opponent.

However...regardless of whether he understands martial arts or not,

He cannot accept my manifestations.

Because these are not simple manifestations—they are hearts.

If it's soone who has accepted and understood the hearts of others, it might be a different story.

But for an existence that has closed their eyes and ears, turned themself into a configuration, deliberately closed their eyes from pain, and escaped from it for thousands of years...

They will never be able to accept these hearts.

Kwaaaang!

A pure white fist strikes Seo Hweol's face once again.

At the sa ti, as I imbue my manifestation into the Mandala of Seo Hweol, enriching it further, I experience the sensation of seeing myself reflected in Seo Hweol's Mandala for a brief mont.

In that mont, I understand.

Mandala (曼茶羅).

Jang Ik calls it the Second Step Before the Throne, while Kim Young-hoon and I share the na Void Shattering for this realm.

Today, I have finally reached the pinnacle of Void Shattering.

Hwarururuk...

The more I use the ultimate technique of Cedarwood, the more my body seems to transform into white flas.

Seo Hweol is flung far away.

The countless Seo Hweols scattered across the world follow suit.

Overwheld by the power of Cedarwood, the overlapping of countless manifestations, they all collapse.

I slowly approach Seo Hweol.

Seo Hweol staggers and barely manages to lift his upper body.

His face is drenched in blood.

"...I see. I should stop trying to understand. It's better to treat you as nothing more than a natural disaster."

Seo Hweol spits blood and glares at .

Then, pulling at the muscles of his face, he forces a smile.

"But...haven't you forgotten sothing?"

At Seo Hweol's words, I look around.

Co to think of it, Hon Won and Yeon Wei...

And Oh Hye-seo and others have at so point disappeared from sight.

"You snuck them away; is that it?"

"I couldn't stop you, but you won't be able to stop either."

"Did you forget that my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections has spread across the entire universe?"

"That only ans your focus is that much scattered and there are that many gaps. Escaping through one of those gaps isn't that difficult."

Seo Hweol smiles as he speaks.

"If you had combined all of your powers of the Heaven and Earth Tribes and even drawn upon the power of Cedarwood Painting, I definitely wouldn't have been able to escape. But...you are foolish, and this is the result. I rely used one of my countless selves as bait to tie down your feet."

"Indeed, as you said, I am foolish."

Seo Hweol is right.

Right now, I cannot imdiately chase after Hon Won, Yeon Wei, Oh Hye-seo, and the others who have escaped.

Furthermore, the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections is rely a projection of my history, not my consciousness domain, so it doesn't have any sensing functionality.

Of course, it might gain such a feature if it develops further, but for now, it's impossible.

Thus, even though Seo Hweol is in front of , it's no different from him being able to escape at any ti.

"I've lived my entire life foolishly."

I am not an imbecile.

I am...a fool.

"A dullard with no wit, a clueless stupid retard who only cares about eating. That is the Seo Eun-hyun before your eyes."

But...

Even so, I've survived.

Bearing the weight of life, I've stubbornly climbed my way here.

And because I climbed here as a dullard, I possess strengths that others do not.

Woo-woong!

The world begins to distort.

"It seems it's finally complete."

Seo Hweol's pupils tremble.

He must know what this distortion signifies.

Among the ''s temporarily split as Heaven, Earth, and Heart, the part of the Earth,

The of the Earth pathway has successfully completed the Entering Nirvana advancent.

"I knew I would fail from the beginning...because I am foolish, slow-witted, and steeped in failure. So...I have no choice but to always prepare for failure."

Kugugugugu!

: : I, borrowing the power of the End...twist the predetermined fate... : :

The ''s of the Heaven and Earth Tribes in Cedarwood Painting overlap, and their voices engulf the entire Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

The universe begins to distort.

"I've failed countless tis. So...it's only natural that preparing and bracing for failure has beco second nature, isn't it?"

At the sa ti, through the Phenona Extinguishing Mantra and the attraction force of In and Yeon in Seo Hweol's grasp, the endlessly contracting Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain begins to rapidly contract.

The universe begins to heat up.

"This is...the fight of a fool."

In the next mont,

Seo Hweol and I lock eyes, then quickly begin moving towards our respective goals.

Woo-woong!

I, attempting to twist fate through history revision,

And Seo Hweol, trying to move the world to reach the Akashic Records.

The powers we individually possess.

The Phenona Extinguishing Mantra and the attraction force of In and Yeon begin to collide with ferocity.