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Chapter 825: Side Story - Nation Founding (3)
In the end, Makli Hyun-ah somehow succeeds in revising his official title to something like the name 'Black King'.
Of course, even so, among the Demon Race the title 'Darkness Queen' has already spread for a long time, and he cannot stop the spread of the very first title that has become known, he figures that blocking only the official title is still something.
Anyway, Makli Hyun-ah uses his authority to suppress the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy and the ferocious nature of the demon beasts in the places his influence reaches.
As a result, countless demon beasts have their ferocious nature suppressed starting from the Qi Refining stage, and they come to possess 'reason'.
The survivability of demon beasts rises explosively, and the more that happens, the stronger their loyalty and acknowledgment toward Makli Hyun-ah becomes.
The more that happens, the stronger Makli Hyun-ah's social authority becomes, and at some point Makli Hyun-ah realizes that he can detach his social authority.
He becomes able to make a 'talisman plaque'.
'Is this the dharma treasure of the Confucian Family Method...?'
Tsaaaaatt...
Makli Hyun-ah blows black energy into an ordinary tiger tally that has no spiritual energy dwelling in it at all.
Then the tiger tally is dyed black, and Makli Hyun-ah's seal is engraved onto it.
The effect of the talisman plaque is simple.
"I, Makli Hyun-ah, King of the West Sea, bestow a talisman plaque upon each of Makli Nobi, Makli Bi-yeol, and Makli Donald, who are this king's retainers, and I command thee to be dispatched throughout this sea to suppress and govern the strange powers and chaotic spirits in regions where this king's authority does not reach."
To the retainers whose names he engraves on the talisman plaques and distributes them to, Makli Hyun-ah grants part of his social authority, allowing him to send dispatches outside the range where Makli Hyun-ah's social authority cannot reach.
They are, so to speak, local magistrates.
And those local magistrates themselves are, in a sense, Makli Hyun-ah's dharma treasure.
Wo-woong—
Makli Hyun-ah shares the five senses of the local magistrates, and he grasps the situation in every part of the West Sea.
'Amazing. Since those guys have my talisman plaques, it feels like they are connected to me as one body...!'
He says he is bestowing power, but rather than a bestowal, it feels more like he's making one more arm.
And so, thirty years pass.
Before long, Makli Hyun-ah's social authority continues to grow, and grows again and again.
The social authority of the Confucian Family Method is not something that accumulates in the body and divine soul like the spiritual power of Immortal Family Methods, but a form that accumulates on the exterior.
The Confucian Family Method starts from Makli Hyun-ah's clothes, gradually expands its range to make a jade throne, and starting from the jade throne it covers the entire manor where Makli Hyun-ah resides and begins to form a palace.
'If social authority is lacking, according to what is written in Pacifying Myriad Demons Under Heaven Survey, you can have the people expand or reinforce the palace. However...if social authority is full, the overflowing social authority makes the palace on its own...or so it says.'
Makli Hyun-ah shrugs as he looks down from atop the jade throne at the enormous palace and halls that has spread across the entire island where he stays before he knew it.
'For now, it seems the current me is overflowing with social authority.'
Of course, since it is a palace made by accumulating Makli Hyun-ah's social authority, if Makli Hyun-ah disappears, it is a palace that will turn into a handful of ash.
Because of that, for the sake of later generations, Makli Hyun-ah has an identical palace to the one his social authority has formed built under the sea.
'They say the most annoying part of the Confucian Family Method is producing a successor... It is really annoying. No, do I have to bear children just to cultivate?'
Of course, the successor does not necessarily have to be a direct child, but it seems that being a direct child is best for maintaining social authority.
Of course, since Makli Hyun-ah has no intention of having children...he decides to look for another person as much as possible.
And so, another twenty years pass.
***
It has already been a hundred years since Makli Hyun-ah came to this world.
"Uuuhm..."
Makli Hyun-ah opens his eyes on the jade throne while feeling a strong headache.
"Are you all right, Your Majesty?"
At his side is Makli Hweol, a friend who stayed face-to-face with him for over a hundred years.
"Mm. I am fine. It is just that I am tired from going through a tribulation."
Before he knew it, Makli Hyun-ah reached a realm corresponding to the Nascent Soul stage.
The size of the nation in the western sea region grew and grew, and now, it has become a size that cannot be ignored.
Naturally, the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance voiced objections to Makli Hyun-ah gathering demon beasts in large quantities and forming a group, and they issued a warning to the Makli Clan to immediately dismantle Makli Hyun-ah's demon beast warlord faction.
But the clan head, Makli Hong, ignored the warning of the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance, and instead even moved the Makli Clan main estate into Makli Hyun-ah's sea region and declared that they will not dismantle the warlord faction.
It is only natural.
Just by bringing the Demon Race who are loyal to Makli Hyun-ah and commanding them with the Beast Taming method, the Makli Clan can, with the reserve strength of a single clan, possess a power that rivals a great sect.
As a result, after the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance formally declared war, they invaded the land ruled by Makli Hyun-ah's warlord faction.
And then...
From that point until now, Makli Hyun-ah continued to undergo the tribulation of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.
Unlike cultivators of Immortal Family Methods, a cultivator of the Confucian Family Method does not have a Heavenly Tribulation in the form of lightning.
The Heavenly Tribulation of the Confucian Family Method is that, upon the 'power bloc' itself, internal and external troubles themselves are formed, such as invasion by enemies, natural disasters, epidemics, rebellions, and so on.
However, since the absolute majority of Makli Hyun-ah's 'people' are the Demon Race, they ignore natural disasters and epidemics with their sturdy bodies, and as for something like rebellions, Makli Hyun-ah's existence suppresses the ferocious nature of the demon beast and generates intelligence, greatly increasing the survivability of young Demon Race, so demon beasts with offspring do not betray Makli Hyun-ah even out of necessity.
Therefore, the tribulation Makli Hyun-ah undergoes is external trouble.
In other words, it is nothing but the oppression of external forces.
Makli Hyun-ah's entire nation was swept up in war, and Makli Hyun-ah felt the war that arose across the entire nation flowing into his head, and he had to live with a headache for decades.
'The tribulation of the Confucian Family Method is thin and long...but if I cannot endure it, I might go mad, so it is not something I can ignore either.'
Makli Hyun-ah lets out a deep sigh and looks at Makli Hweol.
"It seems the conclusion will be decided today."
"Yes, I heard the Makli Clan is also waging an all-out war. Over twenty years, with the help of the demon beasts, through the formation laid across the entire sea region, the foundation to exert the clan head's method was prepared, so they say the clan head can personally take the field."
"By the way, they say Clan Head Makli Hong's method can only be exerted inside the formation, and even that can only be unfolded if various conditions are met...is there some aspect that is stronger?"
"Well...rather than being strong at the same realm...the clan head cultivates Non-Immortal Family Methods like Your Majesty, so his unpredictability is rather exceptional."
"Hoh...what kind is it...?"
"Well, you will know soon enough when you see it. Then shall we go take a look?"
"Yes, well..."
Makli Hyun-ah nods, sits on the jade throne, and closes his eyes, and Makli Hweol heads to the transmission formation in the royal palace.
Woo-woong!
Light shines from the transmission formation as Makli Hweol moves to the front line, and Makli Hyun-ah sends his consciousness into the body of one being among the local magistrates who possesses a talisman plaque on the front line, and temporarily makes the local magistrate's body into his incarnation.
Tsuaaaat!
In an instant, the local magistrate's appearance is wrapped in black light, and the local magistrate changes into the appearance of Makli Hyun-ah wearing a black dragon robe.
"Hooh..."
Makli Hyun-ah, wearing the body of an incarnation, looks around the front lines.
Because the local magistrates who receive his orders suppress the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy around the front, cultivators do not dare step forward and engage in a battle of spells.
Thus, those fighting here are the group called martial artists that the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance have brought, and Makli Hyun-ah's people with sturdy bodies.
That is, demon beasts.
The demon beasts whose ferocious nature is suppressed by Makli Hyun-ah and whose reason opened up all advance at once at their commanders' orders, taking on the Human Race martial artists.
Neither side can use demon abilities or spells, but the demon beasts rely on their powerful flesh bodies.
The martial artists rely on the martial world's sword energy, sword gang, protective gang qi, and so on, and stand against the demon beasts.
Watching that sight, Makli Hyun-ah thinks to himself.
'What are those guys called martial artists that their internal energy does not suppress well...?'
He can suppress the internal energy itself of ordinary martial artists and make them into ordinary people.
However, the internal energy of the martial artists called 'peak masters', who maintain sword and body unity with intent, does not suppress well.
That 'intent,' an ability similar to consciousness, seems to shake off part of Makli Hyun-ah's oppression.
Makli Hyun-ah recalls one of the weaknesses of the Confucian Family Method written in Pacifying Myriad Demons Under Heaven Survey.
'One of the weaknesses of the Confucian Family Method is thieves.'
It is said that the strength of thieves who swagger around saying they learned martial arts with a sword in hand is not easily suppressed even with the power of the Confucian Family Method.
So, the author of the method said that countless Confucian Family Method dynasties were destroyed by bands of thieves and mountain brigands.
'Because intent resists oppression, those bandits called martial artists resist the Confucian Family Method...! What do I do about those guys?'
Makli Hyun-ah bites his fingernail.
The Demon Race face the martial artists by putting their powerful bodies forward, but the martial artists are too strong.
Especially, martial artists of the realm called 'Blooming' are so strong that dozens of Demon Race have to cling to them at once.
They are rather more like a natural disaster.
Against such martial artists, the Demon Race, whose demon abilities are suppressed, find it hard to have an easy fight.
Even so, the cultivators of the Makli Clan are helping through Makli Hyun-ah's Naming Family talismans, but the reality is that it is still far from enough.
'The Confucian Family Method's biggest problem isn't bands of thieves, it's equality!'
The greatest flaw of the Confucian Family Method is that it suppresses every single supernatural phenomenon that enters its range.
There is no distinction between friend and foe.
You can release some effectiveness of external objects like talismans or transmission formation from the range of suppression, but aside from that, Confucian Family Method is the kind of method that goes, 'Release the suppression of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy if you want, and if you don't, then don't'.
'If I release the oppression of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, the Demon Race can also use demon ability, and our side's cultivators can also step in, but...'
Makli Hyun-ah bites his lip as he looks at the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance's cultivators cheering on the martial artists from outside the range of the Confucian Family Method.
'Then, we would get swept away in one go.'
Up to now, the only reason the Makli Clan could endure before the enormous cultivator faction called the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance is due solely to the immense special characteristic of Makli Hyun-ah's Confucian Family Method, that is, the 'suppression of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy'.
In that situation, Makli Hyun-ah cannot recklessly release the oppression of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.
'Just when will Clan Lord Makli Hong step in...?'
Just then,
Makli Hweol, who comes to the front lines through a transmission formation, smiles faintly and pats Makli Hyun-ah on the shoulder.
"Hoho... Please do not worry too much, Your Highness. I have heard the Clan Lord says he is about to personally head into battle..."
"I trust that if the Clan Head personally leads the battle, he can seize victory in a single breath...but how does he intend to turn this situation around...?"
Makli Hyun-ah asks Makli Hweol, looking uneasy.
Even though Makli Hong showed absolute confidence, saying there may be a spy in the clan, he still did not tell him, to the very end, what ability his method exactly has.
That's when it happens.
Flash!
Far away, the elders of the Makli Clan who come riding the Makli Clan's demon beasts, and the current clan head, Makli Hong, arrive at the battlefield.
Because the influence of the Confucian Family Method makes it so they cannot use the Flying Escape Technique, it seems they are quite late because they came riding demon beasts.
Makli Hong speaks while looking at Makli Hyun-ah.
"The preparations are all complete. If your Confucian Family Method and the special mystery of my method combine, we can win the war with the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance in a single breath. Hyun-ah, approve the use of my Innate True Method."
"Hm...but then other people will also become able to use their methods..."
"My method is not an Immortal Family Method."
"Then it is fine, but...right now, the strange powers and chaotic spirits I permit are the teleportation formation and the Naming Family talisman, these two things. If I ambiguously permit one more, my social authority may weaken..."
"Hmm...is that so? Then, suppress one of the strange powers and chaotic spirits between the Naming Family talisman and the teleportation formation, and permit mine. If my method is used, overwhelming victory is possible."
At those words, Makli Hyun-ah nods and controls the Confucian Family Method.
'Approve the Clan Head's method type. Do not permit any other use of Naming Family talismans!'
Tudududududu!
The talismans of the Makli Clan members who are throwing Naming Family talismans simply become scraps of paper in the air.
Makli Hyun-ah leaves behind the teleportation formation in place in case they retreat.
A strange air begins to be felt from Makli Hong's entire body.
At the same time, Makli Hong steps forward and begins to shout.
[Listen, everyone!]
Woo-woong!
It is strange.
He cannot use Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, and he has not even trained a martial artist's internal energy...yet Makli Hong's voice buzzes in everyone's ears like a lion's roar.
[From this moment. As an elder of the current West Sea King's family. And as the current head of the Makli Clan. This Makli Clan declares that it will never stand by and watch the brutal 'animal abuse acts,' that occur within this clan's territory!]
Woo-wooooong!
[This clan head already urges the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance three times beforehand to no longer commit harsh 'animal abuse acts,' in the Makli Clan's territory, but the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance brought martial artists and brutally abused the wild animals that the Makli Clan protects. This is a crime that greatly goes against the 'Animal Protection Law,' enacted by our clan, and it is a malicious act that intentionally ignores this clan head's request.]
At Makli Hong's declaration, not only the enemy camp, but even the demon beasts in the allied camp also show an expression of puzzlement.
The Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance seems flustered because they don't understand what Makli Hong is saying, and the demon beasts can only blink, not knowing whether they are beings that must be protected by law.
[Therefore, this clan head imposes a detention sentence of ten days on the defendants who maliciously commit crimes!]
Kugugugung!
Immediately after, Makli Hong's declaration spreads through the entire sky.
At the same time, the martial artists who are hacking at the demon beasts all stop, as if they are bound in place.
It feels as if something invisible is tying them up.
Of course, martial artists of a certain realm let internal energy flow through their whole bodies and resist it, but they cannot avoid their speed slowing down.
In the end, the demon beasts that are being pushed back by the martial artists begin to reverse the situation in an instant.
Countless demon beasts begin to strike the Human Race martial artists or devour them.
Makli Hong, watching that sight, speaks to Makli Hyun-ah.
"My method is the Legalist Family Method (法家功法), and I can establish laws and wield punishment on those who break them. But those called martial artists are a sort for whom laws do not work well. Still, the power of the two methods, Legalist and Confucian, can combine to suppress them. After your Confucian Family Method, they must also resist my Legalist Family Method, and in doing so they lose all resistance. You know what you have to do, right?"
Makli Hyun-ah snaps to his senses at those words, and he shouts toward the martial artists who are being driven back in disarray.
[This king commands, by this king's royal authority, an expulsion order to the band of thieves who break this nation's Animal Protection Law!]
Tudududududu!
The power of Confucian Family Method is largely of four types, oppression, expulsion, sealing, negation.
And among them, the authority of expulsion activates, and the martial artists, who resist both the Confucian oppression and the Legalist decree, cannot resist any longer and are directly expelled away to a space a thousand li beyond the outside of Makli Hyun-ah's territory.
The moment the martial artists who are fighting the demon beasts vanish from before their eyes, the cultivators of the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance behind them each try to flee while using escape arts and spell arts.
But Makli Hyun-ah is faster.
"Pacify Under Heaven!"
Tududududu!
When Makli Hyun-ah activates social authority along with speech, countless cultivators all drop to the ground at once, unable to resist the oppression, and kneel.
"Haha..."
Watching that sight, Makli Hong clicks his tongue.
"It is victory. Is this the result of two Non-Immortal Family Methods combining...? In longevity, the Immortal Family is the best, but in war and governance, the Legalist and the Confucian are the best... Makli Hweol, you handle the postwar matters together with Makli Hyun-ah...Makli Hweol? Where are you going like that...?"
With Makli Hong's words, Makli Hyun-ah realizes that they are victorious, and he realizes that he has overcome the Nascent Soul stage tribulation that came to him.
At the same time, Makli Hyun-ah feels as if his entire consciousness spreads across his entire territory.
'Ah...this is...'
If the Nascent Soul of an Immortal Family Methods cultivator forms within the body, the Nascent Soul of a Confucian Family Method cultivator is a little different.
Makli Hyun-ah's consciousness spreads widely, and among the countless people in the sea regions, he realizes that he is, to some extent, dwelling in those who acknowledge him and have a heart of loyalty.
Not dwelling inside an individual's body, but dwelling in the people and existing as a single image in their hearts.
That is the Confucian Family realm that corresponds to the Nascent Soul stage.
Countless gazes and thoughts enter Makli Hyun-ah's mind.
The many sea regions of the western sea region, the waves, the wind.
Islands and reefs.
The scenery of the deep sea.
The various yaoguai of the western sea region.
Sea dragons and mussels.
Badger, fighting over otters and clams inside the palace.
An old man in blue stroking his goat beard.
Makli Hweol staring fixedly at somewhere until his eyes are bloodshot...
Makli Nobi and Makli Donald.
And countless other scenes and scenes...
And...
In the darkness,
From the gaze of someone who clearly does not seem to be Makli Hyun-ah's people, the sight of a man writing something with a self-mocking face comes into view.
—I, Hon Won, in order to erase the nightmares my wife is having, created the Confucian Family Method that oppresses strange powers and chaotic spirit.
—By restoring this power, said to originate from the God of Salt Mountain who is said to have fought the Supreme Deity of the Heavens in the distant past, I tried to save those who suffer pain like my wife.
—But how funny. I resolved my wife's matter, yet I truly do not know whether it is really the Confucian Family Method that resolved my wife's pain.
—But whatever the case, this method system will help many people. It will become a seed that realizes the ideal world, Penglai Nation, where divine spirits are said to dwell...
Paaaat!
"Heok!"
Makli Hyun-ah breaks free from the strange scenes and comes to his senses within the body he dwells in.
"Wh-What in the world was that...?"
"Are you all right, Your Highness?"
Makli Hyun-ah realizes that Makli Hweol shook him awake, and he expresses thanks.
"Ah, thank you, Makli Hweol...I think I faced a Heart Demon tribulation."
"...A Heart Demon tribulation..."
At those words, for some reason, Makli Hweol only forms an enigmatic smile.
"It may not necessarily be that."
Makli Hyun-ah does not understand, but Makli Hweol only smiles faintly and soothes Makli Hyun-ah.
"Anyway, you truly worked hard. Now that you have achieved an overwhelming victory and also reached the realm that corresponds to the Nascent Soul, all that remains is truly to accomplish the founding of a nation, proclaim yourself king, and rise to the realm that corresponds to the Heavenly Being stage."
"Hooh...finally...!"
Makli Hyun-ah looks at his two hands and savors the realm he has built.
"Now...I can almost say I achieved the first goal."
Makli Hyun-ah grins and thinks of that Ascension Path said to be in the center of the Heaven-Treading Desert, far off to the east.
That bear demon on Ascension Path!
'Finally...I can repay my grudge.'
100 years since falling into Penglai Star.
Makli Hyun-ah makes up his mind to go bear hunting.