Chương 675: Eternal Regression

Kiririk!

I die.

At the same time, my mind and the surrounding environment seem to shift slightly, and I instantly return to life.

'This place is...'

—Let us determine the true Mountain God.

Hyeon Mu disintegrates into chaos before my eyes, and from afar, a massive torrent of chaos boils up as a power I know well reveals itself once more.

'So the first day of the 1006th cycle... is here...'

Splitting Emperor Splitting Heaven (裂帝裂天).

:: Annihilation (滅) Advancement (進) Mu (戊).:: Once again, the golden wave crashes toward me.

I understand the situation.

After Oh Hye-seo just recently awakened to her fate, and the Future King observed it, My regression point has become fixed to this very moment.

I accelerate my consciousness and connect to Indra's Net.

But...

'Astounding. Even connected to Indra's Net, I still can't avoid Annihilation Advancement Mu.'

The authority held by the Salt Sea Supreme Deity as the Castle Wall Heavenly Lord.

The principle of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra learned from the Salt Sea Supreme Deity.

The power of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea accumulated by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.

And the enlightenment of Annihilation Advancement (滅進) seemingly obtained through dual cultivation with Hyeon Mu.

All of those combined unfolded with the Mantra of Splitting Heaven, which splits even the Absolute into seven pieces!

That alone is inescapable, and an inevitable death.

'No matter where I flee, I can never escape. There isn't even a place to run to. I have no choice but to face it head-on.'

But having just died from it, I know.

'There's... far too little time.'

Even if I obtained enlightenment of Martial Pinnacle, I still need time to internalize and refine it before I can use it to resist.

But this instantly unfolding simplified Splitting Heaven Mantra.

If I keep dying in front of Annihilation Advancement Mu like this, no matter how many times I try, fully grasping the enlightenment of Martial Pinnacle will be difficult.

'This is troublesome...'

I frown and send a message to Oh Hye-seo, who is blankly zoning out.

—Oh Hye-seo. Right now, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is trying to kill us. Can't you use your authority to escape all the way to Mount Sumeru in one go or something? If not that, at least slowing down the time it takes for that authority to reach us would be great.

Oh Hye-seo seems slightly surprised by the will I transmit through Indra's Net, but answers immediately.

—Impossible. My authority isn't that kind of power to begin with. Moreover, even if it was, the sheer force condensed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is so vast it'd crush my authority. More importantly...

Oh Hye-seo answers me coldly.

—Even if it were possible, I wouldn't use it for you.

'...'

It seems Oh Hye-seo isn't going to be of any help right now.

'Time... is lacking' It may be the first day of the 1006th cycle, but the actual time I face the Great Mountain Supreme Deity directly is only a few seconds.

Kugugugugu!

I perceive the death that's right in front of my nose.

'I'm not afraid.'

Though it's suffocating just like during Blood Yin, there's clearly an exit even if it is distant, so I only need to aim for it and keep striving.

The problem is the time for those efforts.

'This isn't like the simple Star Shattering advancement. I can't finish it in just a thousand cycles.'

This is the ultimate of Martial Arts.

To manifest even a fragment of that power would take not a thousand, but ten thousand cycles.

No...

At this rate, with only a few seconds given each time, I'd need billions of cycles to have even the slightest chance of success.

Chwaaaaagh!

The power of Annihilation Advancement Mu rips apart my Impermanence Sword and obliterates me.

As I die, I think to myself.

'Good...'

To have even a thousand chances to collide everything I've accumulated in Martial Arts against the Splitting Heaven Mantra is, when I think about it again, a fine opportunity.

That must be why this smile already lingers at the corner of my lips.

But according to the words of the Underworld, if I repeat regression another thousand times, even the Supreme Deities will begin to notice.

'Since Great Mountain is a special case among the Supreme Deities, even nine hundred cycles might be enough for him to realize the regression.'

In other words, at worst, I have around eight hundred regressions left. At best, about a thousand.

'I must reach Martial Pinnacle within that time. Can I do it?'

I assess myself with cold clarity.

And I realize.

'I can't.'

With that realization, I am completely killed by the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's Annihilation Advancement Mu.

That is my one-thousand-and-seventh return.

1007th cycle.

Kiririk!

Coming back to life again in a fleeting instant, I continue my thoughts.

'This isn't just a matter of confidence. This is... as the Underworld said, a matter of statistics.'

My talent, my comprehension, and my willpower—no one knows them better than I do.

Though I always say the wrong things and every plan I make ends up falling apart, at least when it comes to matters regarding myself, I know myself well enough to say this.

'If I keep repeating death in this state, even after a thousand cycles, it'll only amount to a few hours of actual time. I can't draw out even a fragment of Martial Pinnacle in that time.'

In the end, what I need is time.

'Even if I accelerate to Araya Consciousness and step onto Indra's Net, the speed of that Annihilation Advancement Mu stays the same. To dodge or block that... I need to reach at least the speed of undying like Hyeon Mu or Kim Young-hoon.'

Tiiing— I move the principles of Indra's Net and send messages to those connected with me.

Particularly to the Underworld and the Heavenly Venerable of Time.

—Please help me. At this rate, the entire world will be trapped inside this timeline.

Each of the Heavenly Venerables replies immediately.

—If I use the power I've accumulated or my Wheel, I could save you, but those are powers that must not be drawn or wielded. As you've proven before me, withstand it with your own strength.

—Did I not tell you to die back then? Even when I offered you mercy, you kicked it away yourself and now you cause this mess? If there had only been even half a gak before meeting the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, I could have intervened... but now it's too late. It is impossible. It'd be faster to just go through regression about a thousand times, let the Great Mountain Supreme Deity perceive the regressions, and then persuade them to our side.

The Underworld refuses, saying she must conserve her strength, and the Heavenly Venerable of Time scolds me and suggests that I persuade the Great Mountain Supreme Deity to join our side instead.

I send a message to the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable as well.

—O Sal Tree Great King, I beg of you, please help me.

And the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable replies with a response full of meaning, yet still declines.

—You are asking me to interfere in a battle between the disciples of Salt Sea while in the Salt Sea? If it were the Inner Sea, perhaps—but to go against a disciple of the Salt Sea within the Salt Sea is a foolish matter... Even without using the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea in that place, they are stronger than us with our descended Gandhara...

'Is there... something in the Outer Sea that allows Master's power to be drawn out well? Is it because of help from Penglai Island? I'm not sure...'

But what is certain is that while the Great Mountain Supreme Deity can harness the power of the Outer Sea well, I cannot.

'To search for a way to harness Master's power while dying a thousand times and simultaneously challenging Martial Pinnacle—that's a stupid act. Right now, I must focus on one thing.'

I recognize that there is no one who can help me in this situation and compose myself.

Flash!

'In that case... what I can do now is refine myself and try everything I possibly can.'

That is the best optimal attitude I can take in the current situation.

Paaaaaaatt!

With that final thought, I die again.

That is my one-thousand-and-eighth return.

'What I possess...'

1008th cycle.

Immediately upon regression, I summon the Pure-White Three Great Ultimates and overlay the Wheel upon it.

And I understand.

Woo-wooong!

'How noble.'

It feels as though the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld is gazing down at me from behind.

That is how noble a mantra the Wheel appearing behind me is.

'It still looks down on me, refusing to completely permit itself.'

It seems to say that I am still not fully qualified.

But it's different from before.

Whereas before, I had 'no' qualification whatsoever, now I am 'not fully' qualified—meaning, I am to some degree. The Wheel permits itself to my will to some extent.

'Then let's unfold it...'

Behind the Wheel, a white circle appears.

It is the Flawless Mantra that allows me to unfold the power of the God of Gods.

And in front of me emerges the attraction force of the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.

Wheel.

Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra.

Flawless Mantra.

Impermanence Sword.

'Every mantra I can wield... this time, to the very limit...!'

An overwhelming power explodes throughout my entire body, and I feel that now I could even properly exchange blows with Bong Myeong.

'Right now, I am... practically equivalent to a Supreme Deity!'

All principles feel as though they rest within my grasp.

'If it's this state...'

I draw out the surging power and raise the Impermanence Sword.

Flash!

And then, I am obliterated by Annihilation Advancement Mu.

That is my one-thousand-and-ninth return.

1009th cycle.

'So... strength alone is not enough.'

But it is not meaningless.

Unlike the time of Blood Yin, I coldly analyze the situation without a fragmented mind.

'There's no time to waste. I must quickly find the answer. I've already died several times and drawn several conclusions.'

Just power alone, drawn from mantras, is not enough.

'What's needed is to maximize the abilities of the mantras... To do that...'

It is at that moment.

Among the mantras, I suddenly realize there is a power I have not drawn out yet.

'... Come to think of it, the Wheel, the Phenomena Extinguishing Mantra, the Flawless Mantra, the Impermanence Sword... these are not the end of the mantras I possess.'

I know of one more mantra.

No, rather than saying I know it, it's more accurate to say it's embedded in my soul.

Radiance Mantra.

I engrave in my mind the authority of the Radiance Mantra that I've recently discovered.

'The Radiance Mantra is the authority to travel through spacetime and bring regression into reality. And through countless regressions, it is a mantra that allows me to draw out the result I desire. And...'

The regression point fixed by the Radiance Mantra is the moment when the Future King observes both an Ender awakening to their fate and 'me'.

Because once the Future King has observed it, it becomes 'meaningless' to regress to a past beyond that point.

'...'

I float the Pure-White Three Great Ultimates and the Wheel behind my back.

And I think.

'It's only that it's meaningless... Then...'

Isn't it still 'possible' to regress to a point even further in the past?

'... This is it.'

I can tell instinctively.

No—this is the instinct of my mind that's entangled with Indra's Net.

This is unmistakably the 'truth'.

'The way to gain time... is the Radiance Mantra!'

If I can become proficient in the Radiance Mantra and regress to a time before the fixed regression point!

'I'll have enough time to embody the enlightenment that reaches Martial Pinnacle!'

Even if I can change nothing in the past...

I can accept that.

Because even if I can't change anything, I can still further repentantly enlighten myself.

'Only my consciousness will be the present me. It's fine even if I can't lift a single finger!'

I cry out internally, toward the foundation of regression embedded deep in my soul.

'Please, I want to return [to an even earlier point in the past]! Turn back time, O Radiance Mantra!'

And then...

Nothing happens.

But it doesn't matter.

'If you won't listen to me, then I'll make you listen!'

Kiriririk!

The Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld once said this: The Wheel, under the premise that regression is perceived, is a superior form of regression.

She definitely said so.

And if that's the case...

'I can now, in theory, suppress the Radiance Mantra through the Wheel!'

Kiiiiiiiiing!

As I begin turning the [Wheel], I start to stimulate the Radiance Mantra.

'O Radiance Mantra! Hear me!'

I am your master.

So...

'Regress me!'

To before Oh Hye-seo's hatred!

Kigigigigik!

In that instant, the Wheel grinds and an overwhelming frictional sound bursts forth from deep within my soul.

With a headache that feels like my head is cracking open, I am struck by Annihilation Advancement Mu and die, bursting apart between the clash of the two mantras.

Before my eyes, I see the forms of [Wheel of Starlight] and [Black Snake Biting Its Tail].

They are likely the forms of the Wheel and the Radiance Mantra, respectively.

The two circles spin in reverse directions and crash into one another, and I, amidst the two colliding circles, reach my hand toward the [Black Snake Biting Its Tail].

Soon, the form of [Pure-White Three Great Ultimates] floating behind me pours its strength into the form of [Black Snake Biting Its Tail], and begins to control it.

The Wheel and I, combining our strength, are subduing the Radiance Mantra.

'Please... let it succeed...!'

Kigigigigik!

Kigigigigik!

Kigigigigigigik!

Peoooooooooong!!!

At the final moment, an overwhelming radiance engulfs my vision, and I lose consciousness as I am swallowed by that radiance.

Hiss— Hiss hiss hiss— Hiss hiss— As I lose consciousness, I hear the hissing of countless snakes.

That is my one-thousand-and-tenth return.

Hiss— Hiss hiss hiss hiss—

"...?"

'I' regain awareness.

"... Where is this...?"

It is then, Slaaap!

Someone smacks me hard across the face.

"Deputy Seo, you son of a bitch, drive the car properly!!"

It's Jeon Myeong-hoon.

"What kind of joke is this now?"

Annoyed at the guy who can't grasp the situation, I swing my finger to flick Jeon Myeong-hoon's forehead.

Hwooong!

Ascension Path is split in half, the entire continent of the Head Realm is cleaved apart, and the world is destroyed.

"... Huh?"

I hurriedly avert my gaze from the sky and stare blankly at the ground with a dumbfounded expression.

"... Huh? Huuuuuh?"

It's when I'm so flustered, I can't even form words.

☯ Slaaap!

"Deputy Seo, you son of a bitch, drive the car properly!!"

I am back to just before.

No—more precisely, the Head Realm has nullified the anomaly that just occurred.

'Th-This is...'

I realize the situation I'm now in.

Through the Wheel, I've subdued the Radiance Mantra.

And...

I have returned to the very first regression point.

Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss—

"Hm?"

The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, Yang Ji-hwang, frowns at the hissing of snakes near her ear.

'Just now, what was that?'

For some reason...

It feels like someone other than her has entered the memory of Seo Eun-hyun she is reading.

'Only the Radiance Supreme Deity can access the Celestial Lord Incense Burning spell... Could it be another of the Radiance Eight Immortals has entered? Did they come to save me?'

Confusion flickers in Yang Ji-hwang's eyes.

'... If I meet another of the Radiance Eight Immortals... how should I face them...?'