Translator: TranslatingNovice

Editors: Z0Rel, BlueMangoAde

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Chapter 831: Side Story - Ban Ta's Disciple.

Kurururung!

It is then,

Makli Hyun-ah suddenly feels as if the nearby space is buzzing, and he sees the figure of Makli Cheon-sa, whose complexion has turned pale, floating near the pavilion.

[Sacred Master! That child is my descendant who ascended not long ago. My descendant still does not know much about the Purple Gold Realm, so it seems he made a mistake and went to find the Sacred Master, troubling the Sacred Master. Please send that child back!]

"Hmph, you speak strangely. If he is your descendant, why is his bloodline reaction completely different from yours?"

At Makli Cheon-sa's words, Ban Ta snorts and points at Makli Hyun-ah.

"Isn't he a kid you gave your surname to and accepted into your clan, not a descendant? He is not even your direct line, and not even a collateral line, so don't worry."

At those words, Makli Cheon-sa bites her lip hard and speaks.

[But it is true that the child took care of my clan for hundreds of years in the Lower Realm. If so, he is enough to be considered my family. Please let that child go.]

"Hmm."

At those words, Ban Ta frowns, and Makli Hyun-ah uses the tact he has honed from reading the room since childhood to understand Makli Cheon-sa's gaze.

'Becoming Sacred Master Ban Ta's direct disciple is something bad!

'Could it be that for a direct disciple, he even does human experimentation for method experiments?'

"Uh...now that I think about it, I did not even have a proper interview with the Sacred Master, so I am not sure if it is okay to become a disciple like this..."

At Makli Hyun-ah's words, Makli Cheon-sa's eyes shine as if she catches an opening, and she starts to press her opinion.

[You see! That child does not even know about the Sacred Master, and is a child who still knows nothing at all about the Purple Gold Realm. You should give him a little more time to think! He said you did not even conduct a proper interview, so isn't this clearly a violation of procedure!]

"Ahem..."

At those words, Ban Ta's gaze becomes uncomfortable, and Makli Hyun-ah widens his eyes at Makli Cheon-sa's boldness.

'No, didn't they say the Sacred Master is at the Sacred Vessel stage? And I hear that in this Purple Gold Realm, that's no different from a god...and she should be his subordinate. How is it possible for her to talk back like that?'

In Makli Hyun-ah's eyes, Makli Cheon-sa's act even looks like insubordination,

'Could it be that the Sacred Master will get angry and crush and kill our ancestor? That can't happen...'

It is when Makli Hyun-ah worries about that.

Ban Ta clears his throat and speaks.

"The most important thing is this child's will! Am I tricking this kid right now and taking him as a disciple or something!? Don't you know that the ones who become my disciples can reach the Star Shattering stage within a very short period?"

[No, but...]

"That is enough! Stop talking! Fine, I understand. After I conduct a formal interview, I will decide whether to take him as a disciple! Isn't that enough!?"

Perhaps irritated, Ban Ta erases the voice of Makli Cheon-sa's projection, and as he flicks a finger, he creates a table and chair in an instant.

'M-Material creation?'

Makli Hyun-ah gapes as he sees Ban Ta's astonishing authority, and Ban Ta clicks his tongue and says.

"Right. Since your ancestor is nitpicking about procedure, let us try a proper interview. Sit there. First...do you want to become my disciple?"

At Ban Ta's words, Makli Hyun-ah sits on the chair and subtly looks toward Makli Cheon-sa.

Makli Cheon-sa's voice is blocked off, but her projection still remains, and through the projection she shakes her head side to side and makes the shape of the words 'Absolutely not,' with her lips.

'It looks like if I become Sacred Master Ban Ta's disciple, something big will happen...'

The chance to become a Sacred Vessel stage Sacred Master's disciple is an immense opportunity, but Makli Hyun-ah thinks there must be a reason everyone is stopping him, and he starts to smile awkwardly.

'If I refuse directly, that feels a bit rude...'

"Whether I want to become a disciple...honestly, I do not know. I also have not been in the Purple Gold Realm for long."

"...!"

At those words, Ban Ta takes out a book from his robes and starts to write something in it.

"...?"

"Then the next question. What method did you learn, and what kind of life did you live in the Lower Realm?"

"Ah, I learned a Confucian Family Method called Pacifying Myriad Demons Under Heaven Survey. The Confucian Family Method is..."

"I know what it is. Just tell me what your position is. A clerk? A magistrate? A county magistrate? A chief minister?"

"Pardon? Ah..."

'So there are also Confucian Family Methods that can be cultivated as a minister, not as a king.'

"I cultivated the Confucian Family Method as a king. Borrowing the strength of myself and the Makli Clan, I founded the nation, received recognition from various surrounding powers, made all the territory others do not use into my country, and expanded my territory."

At Makli Hyun-ah's words, something changes in Ban Ta's expression.

A powerful signal comes from Makli Cheon-sa's side, but for some reason, the moment Ban Ta hears Makli Hyun-ah's answer, he erases Makli Cheon-sa's apparition.

"I sent her out for a moment because I thought you weren't able to concentrate on the interview. Let us continue."

Ban Ta continues his questions to Makli Hyun-ah with an even gentler smile.

"How old are you, and how, and how much, did you rule the nation? As you ruled the nation, did you have achievements or feats you can put forward?"

"My age is about two hundred. The period I ruled is similar."

"That means you reached the Heavenly Being stage at two hundred?"

"Yes. To be exact, around one hundred and twenty years, I completely founded the nation and proclaimed myself king and reached the Heavenly Being stage, and at two hundred, I reached the realm corresponding to the Grand Perfection Heavenly Being stage, and I have only just ascended recently."

"IseeIseeIseeIseeIsee..."

Ban Ta madly scribbles something into the book, and Makli Hyun-ah scratches his head.

'Is it because he's a being who lived for a long time...? It's hard to read the Sacred Master's mood... But from the very first question, I already put a tactful refusal, so I'm going to be rejected anyway, right?'

"How did you rule the nation, and what feats or achievements did you have?"

"My method, Pacifying Myriad Demons Under Heaven Survey, is a Beast Taming method. Because of that, most of my citizens were the Demon Race, but...since I myself am human, there were also many humans. So I put a lot of effort into harmony between the Human Race and the Demon Race. Not only humans, but among the Demon Race too, there are many different races, so I had to understand the circumstances among them well and often play the role of mediator. As a result, by the time I ascended, the Human Race and the Demon Race, and also the countless races within the Demon Race, all came to harmony, and I created a peaceful and prosperous nation. I think...that would be an achievement."

"You brought the guys who always hit and fight each other into harmony in just 100 years..."

For some reason, Ban Ta's eyes seem a little more bloodshot.

"Ah, as for another achievement, there is Talisman War."

"Talisman War?"

"Yes, it is a game I made, where you use talismans to absorb the energy of Demon Race or natural objects, or human cultivators, and make those talismans fight a vivid sword duel. This game played a big role in bringing the Human Race and the Demon Race into harmony in Penglai Kingdom. By now, it is probably established as Penglai Kingdom's traditional culture."

"I see... So the mediation and harmony you brought about was not that you used force in your rule, put your power forward, and mediated the different races by strength, but that you brought the different races into harmony through the power of a culture you created yourself, yes?"

“I didn’t completely refrain from using force. But as you said, the part where I brought about harmony through culture is a little, just a little, greater…”

"..."

'What is it? It feels like the Sacred Master's breathing got a little rough...'

Makli Hyun-ah shrugs, thinking maybe Ban Ta is sick.

"It seems like you are not in good condition...are you alright?"

"...Why are you asking that?"

"Pardon? No, your breathing..."

"No, I mean, no matter how my breathing is like, why are you asking about that?"

"Ah...I apologize. It is just that the Sacred Master is someone who governs the entire Purple Gold Realm, and I know that if you are unwell, disaster would come upon the Purple Gold Realm...so with a cautious heart I asked. If it was a rude question due to racial or cultural characteristics, I apologize."

"...Respect toward a superior...worry for the Purple Gold Realm..."

Ban Ta stares hard at Makli Hyun-ah and continues speaking.

"Why do you worry about the Purple Gold Realm? After all, isn't this just an unfamiliar land where you have not ascended for long?"

"Ah...well, since it is a land I am going to live in from now on, I ended up worried."

"Land you are going to live in from now on... Then are you saying that even if your realm rises, for example, even if you reach the Star Shattering stage and can perform interdimensional travel or go on visits between Heavenly Domains, you will not go to another Middle Realm?"

"...? Do I have to go to another Middle Realm? Ah, could it be that in the Purple Gold Realm there are drawbacks like there not being life-extending elixirs for Star Shattering stage cultivators...or that it is difficult to advance to the Sacred Vessel stage?"

"How could that be!? Our Purple Gold Realm provides an enormous amount of benefits for Star Shattering stage cultivators! If you want, we even help you reincarnate in the Purple Gold Realm with your memories. And as for the Sacred Vessel stage advancement, I myself help directly. I personally build the altar for the Sacred Vessel stage advancement, and I personally manufacture and obtain all sorts of spirit medicines, spirit pills, and spirit liquids that help with the Sacred Vessel stage advancement, and I spoon-feed them to you. So from the Star Shattering stage to the Sacred Vessel stage, there is not a single thing to worry about!!!"

"Ah..."

Makli Hyun-ah swallows saliva at Ban Ta's shout that seems like a burst of temper for some reason.

'Does he have some painful memory or something...? Anyway, if what he says is true, it doesn't seem like there's a need to move to another Middle Realm...'

"Then I do not really feel a need to move..."

"Is that so...!?"

Ban Ta grins as if he is in a good mood, then suddenly, as if he remembers something bad again, his expression rots away.

"But after you reach the Star Shattering stage, you might suddenly want to travel...or feel like you want to go on an adventure to explore a fortuitous encounter, no?"

Watching Ban Ta's changing expression, Makli Hyun-ah thinks Ban Ta is a person he can't understand at all.

'Is it bipolar disorder? Is that why Ancestor Makli Cheon-sa opposed me becoming a disciple...? If I serve someone like that as my master, it will be exhausting!'

Thinking again that he should cancel this disciple recruitment after the interview ends, he continues the interview.

"Ah...I have a tendency to like being cooped up at home. I cannot stand adventures."

"You cannot stand adventures? Do you not want to freely explore a wider place?"

"For me...rather than freely wandering around somewhere, I prefer lying under a warm blanket at home, eating food I like, or playing enjoyable games..."

"..."

With each round of questions and answers with Makli Hyun-ah, Ban Ta gradually starts to tremble more and more.

"But from now on, as you cultivate, your lifespan will also increase, and you will live an unimaginably long time. During that time, might you not come to want adventures? For reasons like your body feeling stiff and heavy, for instance..."

"Uh...if my body feels stiff, usually if I take a walk near my house, it gets better, so..."

"Near your house...?"

"Like one lap outside the house?"

"Hooh...hoohhoohhoohhoohhoohhooh..."

As the interview continues, Makli Hyun-ah watches Ban Ta show stranger and stranger reactions, and he wants the interview to end quickly, and the more the questions and answers continue, the more Ban Ta's strange reaction keeps growing.

And finally, when it reaches the last question.

"This is the last question... What do you think of the position of Sacred Master? If you have the chance, do you want to become a Sacred Vessel stage cultivator?"

"Ah, isn't that obvious?"

Makli Hyun-ah answers at once and nods his head.

"Why? Why do you want to become a Sacred Vessel stage cultivator? Because of the long lifespan and powerful strength?"

"Rather than that...I heard that if you reach the Sacred Vessel stage, there is almost never a need to go outside the Middle Realm you are in, and you can cultivate only inside it... I do not think a cultivation life where I go adventuring to look for fortuitous encounters while finding materials and stacking up foundations suits me very well. If I can cultivate while getting everything I need right where I sit, then where else can a life that sweet like honey?"

'Ah...I accidentally blurted out something like that...'

Makli Hyun-ah's complexion turns pale at the thought that the expression 'sweet like honey' might sound a little rude in front of someone high up, but Ban Ta does not seem to care.

He just stares fixedly at the book containing the interview with Makli Hyun-ah, endlessly muttering strange words that can't be understood.

"Um...then is the interview over now?"

"...You can go. Whether you pass or not, right now...no, I will notify you within a day..."

"Haha, understood. Then goodbye!"

After greeting Ban Ta Sacred Master, Makli Hyun-ah turns around and leaves just like that.

And Ban Ta, left alone in the garden, stares intently at the interview record sheet, his whole body trembling as he keeps talking to himself.

"Founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit founditfoundit found it...IhavetomakehimaSacredMasterihavetomakehimaSacredMaster IhavetomakehimaSacredMasterihavetomakehimaSacredMaster IhavetomakehimaSacredMasterihavetomakehimaSacredMaster..."

With his eyes half-rolled back, Ban Ta staggers as he stands up from his seat.

"...Thisisclearlyyouinticingmefirst... Now whether you want it or not...I will definitely take you as my disciple...! Definitely...!!"

With crazed eyes, Ban Ta sends out a booming voice transmission to all the cultivators working in Ban Ta Castle.

[All cultivators belonging to Ban Ta Castle, hear me. Immediately prepare a lavish feast, including Ban Ta Castle's specialty fire-grilled black sea cucumber!!!]

Ban Ta, eyes rolled back, proclaims thus, then glares toward where Makli Hyun-ah left and clutches the empty air.

[Heaven and Earth Net, activate! Purple Gold Realm Closed Barrier, activate! Ban Ta Castle Sealing Order, issued!]

Chijijijik!

The dimensional veil covering the entire Purple Gold Realm grows so thick by Ban Ta's will that even a Star Shattering stage Esteemed One cannot pierce it.

From above Ban Ta Castle, a gigantic net-like energy that covers Heaven and Earth spills out, and envelops the entire Stable Realm region within the Purple Gold Realm.

Then, by the Ban Ta Castle Sealing Order, all teleportation formations connecting Ban Ta Castle to other domains stop operating.

At that extreme posture, eleven Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones who were just about to escape the Purple Gold Realm.

Three Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones who were secretly trying to lower their realm within the Stable Realm region.

And thirty-two Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones who were making plans to flee from Ban Ta Castle to another Middle Realm,

A total of forty-six Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones all freeze and are struck with terror.

"The Sacred Master, the Sacred Master noticed our plan!"

"Damn it! Are we going to be caught in the Sacred Master's grasp and be made to take over like this!? That Araya Domain, and that Manas Domain, and the Black Sea...and Ban Ta Castle too!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Ban Taaaa!! Who are you targeting!?"

While the Esteemed Ones tremble in fear,

Ban Ta forms hand seals in Ban Ta Castle and begins to tune all the laws of the world.

"That child's powerful fate is definitely...New Fate! If so, some absurd miracle or fate might cling to the kid and something could happen where he suddenly runs away to another Middle Realm. That cannot happen! That cannot happen! I will never let him go!!"

With his eyes rolled back, Ban Ta twists the fate of the Purple Gold Realm.

—Immortal Art.

—Ban Ta, Wide and Loose, Yet Miss Nothing.

[TL/N: From the phrase 天網恢恢疏而不失, meaning Heaven's net is vast and sparse; yet though it is sparse, it does not miss.]

Ban Ta seems wide and loose, but he misses nothing.

Ban Ta's will twists fate, and to the existences that try to flee from Ban Ta, to all existences that try to move away from the Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm whether by their own will or by another's will, the fate of 'returning to Ban Ta Castle' clings to them.

In one of the eight regions of the Purple Gold Realm, the Mind Domain, seventeen Esteemed Ones at the Star Shattering stage who slipped into the body of a True Immortal and tried to sneakily flee to another Heavenly Domain get caught by Ban Ta's Immortal Art and are dragged back into the Purple Gold Realm again.

Ban Ta roars with his eyes still flipped over.

"Without fail, I am taking you in as my disciple. No matter what I have to do!"

Resolving himself, thinking that he might even be able to do something evil...

Ban Ta moves space in a single step to the outer wall of Ban Ta Castle.

And what enters Ban Ta's eyes is...

Makli Hyun-ah, who still did not run away and instead joined up with his companion Makli Hweol, and is getting this and that said to him by Makli Cheon-sa.

"Uh...Sacred Master?"

Makli Hyun-ah stares blankly at Ban Ta, then slowly pays his respects and asks.

"Why are you here?"

"...You pass. I decided to accept you as my disciple! You must follow me!"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Do you think I would not know? I fully expected it. The Purple Gold Realm is already sealed. No matter where you dare try to..."

In the middle of spitting out the words, Ban Ta's flipped-over eyes roll back and looks at Makli Hyun-ah.

"...What did you say?"

"Um...I said thank you for accepting me as your disciple."

"..."

Ban Ta looks at Makli Cheon-sa.

"...Did you explain everything about the Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm?"

Makli Cheon-sa cannot hide a face of grief, and she nods with sorrowful eyes.

"...Even after I explained everything...he says something like this."

"...You, really...even after you heard the truth about the Purple Gold Realm's affairs and the Sacred Master seat, you genuinely nod and say you will become my disciple?"

"Ah...yes."

Makli Hyun-ah smiles brightly and nods.

—Think carefully! You cannot become a True Immortal! You can never leave the Purple Gold Realm, and you have to clear away the Black Sea the Sacred Master created, and you have to plug the spacetime holes pierced into the Araya Domain and the Manas Domain. On top of that, do you know how many disputes and wars break out in each region, and how painfully you have to control them? The Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones will all, one and the same, only raise rebellions, and the Heart Tribe will request duels with you every single day, and among the Heaven Tribe there will be perverted bastards who try every single day to copulate with you, or try to pollinate you, or try to harass you. If it is only the Heaven Tribe, that would be a blessing! Even among the Heaven Immortals, there is also an existence called Glass Peacock who can target you! Not to mention threats beyond these, there is also a mountain of other work piled up. Becoming the disciple of the Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm means taking on the position of a slave who does nothing but work like an ox for life and then dies! Above all, even if the Sacred Vessel stage seems infinite, it is a finite existence! Someday you die! And it is a position you cannot even run away from! If you cannot secure a successor, it is impossible to run away!

Makli Cheon-sa rapidly fires off the downsides of becoming the successor of the Purple Gold Realm Sacred Master.

But Makli Hyun-ah does not think those are particularly downsides.

'Why do I have to do all the work? I can just make other people do it. If someone harasses me or comes to duel, why do I need to accept all of it? I can just ignore them... Above all, they say the lifespan of a cultivator at the Sacred Vessel stage is billions of years...'

Rather, to Makli Hyun-ah, becoming a Sacred Vessel looks quite good.

'That means for billions of years, I can have a door with which I can go anywhere, right? That's totally the best, isn't it?'

To Makli Hyun-ah, the downsides Makli Cheon-sa tells him do not really hit home.

'And even if I can't reach True Immortality, if I live hundreds of millions of years, that's living enough... Why do I need to live more? If it's around that point, I'd rather want to die. More than anything, they say if I can't secure a successor I can't run away. There's no way that while living hundreds of millions of years, not even one successor comes out. They're probably exaggerating everything.'

Makli Hyun-ah doesn't believe in even the downside that you can't run away once you become the Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm.

'Above all, to cultivate the Confucian Family Method...the Purple Gold Realm is the optimal environment, right?'

With this and that reasons line up, Makli Hyun-ah decides to accept becoming the immediate disciple of the Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm.

"I heard all the downsides too...but if it's just that much, it seems fine. I ask for your guidance from now on, Master! This disciple will diligently cultivate and strive to become the successor of the Purple Gold Realm!"

Hearing Makli Hyun-ah's declaration, Ban Ta stares at Makli Hyun-ah with vacant eyes, then after a while hugs Makli Hyun-ah tight enough to crush him, a single tear falling from his eyes.

"Disciple!!!!!"

And so, the preparations Ban Ta made and came with in full readiness became pointless.

Makli Hyun-ah easily becomes Ban Ta's disciple.

***

One of the eight regions of the Purple Gold Realm.

Above a wasteland in the Tongue Domain,

There stands an old shrine built to enshrine seven immortals, the personifications of the Immeasurable Life Buddha.

Inside the shrine, countless pale ghosts whirl around a girl dressed in pitch-black palace robes.

The girl at the center of the ghosts.

Ahn Geum half-opens her eyes and looks up at the sky.

Her eyes read the celestial energy, and she comes to know the fact that Ban Ta, the Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm, has found a successor.

"Hmm...Rihyunjok? Lee Hyun-ah, was it...? Pitiful."

As Ahn Geum clicks her tongue, she suddenly sees a faint light pour out from the painting of the seven immortals inside the shrine, and a strange light appears in her eyes.

After some time, the light vanishes from Ahn Geum's eyes, and with dazed eyes she enters a state as if communing with someone.

"Ban Ta...successor...True Immortal...impossible...Radiance Hall...cannot recruit..."

As Ahn Geum recites those strange words, her dazed gaze soon returns to her usual eyes, and she rises from her seat.

"Is that so...? Well, if he becomes Ban Ta's successor, that is the end there, so Radiance Hall, which wants to recruit us, has to block it desperately."

She smiles faintly and steps out of the shrine.

"'Save him from Ban Ta's hands and bring him to the Radiance Heavenly Domain where Radiance Hall is,' huh...? Well, anyway, if I want to find out how Oppa is doing, I do need the aura of Penglai Star... While I'm at it, I can kidnap him from Ban Ta's hands and extract the Penglai Star aura."

Outside the shrine,

The moment she steps forward, hundreds of millions of pale spirits appear, blotting out the sunlight and forming dark clouds.

And inside the dark clouds, a gigantic ship appears.

It is the single Nether Crossing Ship she stole when she betrayed Black Ghost Valley and ran away.

Ahn Geum stamps her foot and flies up onto the Nether Crossing Ship, grips the controls of the Nether Crossing Ship, and looks toward Ban Ta Castle.

"Alright, then...let's plan how to kidnap him on the way."

***

Nose Domain.

A battlefield where countless races wage war.

In one corner of that battlefield, there is a woman surrounded by countless Heart Tribe and cultivators of the Hundred Families.

She wears a pure-white martial attire, and though she is surrounded on all sides, she shows no sign of tension, as if meditating with her eyes closed.

Then, suddenly, she opens her eyes and looks up at the sky, reading the celestial energy.

Right after, her eyes are dyed with shock.

"The Sacred Master...I thought he was just using an Immortal Art on the entire dimension, but...Hyun-ah became the successor...?"

Her expression, peaceful until now, quickly darkens.

"Sacred Master...what did you do...!? Did you seize my younger brother with that Immortal Art just now and forced him into being a successor...?"

On her calm face, killing intent begins to bloom.

The other races surrounding her tense up.

A Human Race martial artist lifts a golden chain staff and shouts.

"Everyone, rush in! Before the witch uses her power!!!"

"Uooooooo!"

Countless cultivators of the Hundred Families and Heart Tribe members charge at her all at once.

The next instant, behind the woman in pure-white marital attire, Lee Seo-ah, bright glass-colored flames flare up.

Crystal Glass to Treading Sea.

Eighth Stars!

The glass-colored flames soon become dozens of glass-colored sword energies and pour out thousands of branching sword energies in all directions, and the other races that rush toward her are wiped out in an instant.

And in the center of that slaughter, Lee Seo-ah raises a glass sword in her hand, her face twisted like a ferocious evil spirit, and grinds her teeth.

"I have to save my younger brother...from under that evil ghost!"

Paaatt!

In an instant, Lee Seo-ah's body shines with white light, then turns into a single streak of sword light that begins to fly off somewhere.

It is Lee Seo-ah's Innate Flying Escape Technique, Sword Escape Technique.

"If he chose succession because the Sacred Master brainwashed him...I will bring him back even if I have to tear his limbs apart!"

The countless other races on the battlefield who see Lee Seo-ah's Sword Escape Technique flee in a panic from the infamous Glass Witch Lee Seo-ah, trembling in fear.

"I will definitely save you... Just wait a little, Hyun-ah!"