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‘What should I do?’

I had heard stories about how Golden Crow Island once opposed the Celestial Realm and was ultimately defeated in a great war during the transition to the Silver Age, leading to its confinement somewhere. The thought of having to endure for a whole day due to the Three Body Spirit in this bizarre and dreamlike land darkened my mood.

As I contemplated what to do, I suddenly sensed a presence. So, I spoke up.

“Three Body Spirit! Can you hide your body?”

[Of course.]

Swish

The Three Body Spirit transformed into a cloud-like mass, losing its original form. The transformed spirit nestled low in a nearby thicket, camouflaging itself. I realized this transformation technique was so brilliant that I didn’t need to worry about the spirit.

‘Better worry about myself.’

I cast a stealth technique and quickly climbed a tall tree nearby using the vanishing skill. After a while, the ominous presence I sensed from a distance arrived ominously close.

‘As expected, it’s not human…’

What approached was, quite literally, a monster. It resembled a Kakashi, commonly known as a “goblin,” with a massive and muscular build, boasting four arms equipped with iron clubs. The four-armed monster scanned the surroundings before moving on.

Even after the goblin left, I remained perched in the tree. Why? Because there were unfamiliar monsters passing by intermittently, something I had never seen before. They weren’t swarming, but the sporadic presence indicated that this place was no remote location.

Knowing that the effect of my stealth technique couldn’t last infinitely, I grew anxious. So, I sent a thought transmission to the Three Body Spirit.

[I’m going to escape from here. You’d better follow me!]

[Understood.]

Upon receiving its response, I quickly descended from the tree before the effect of the stealth wore off and raced to a location that appeared to be less frequented.

While I wouldn’t simply get beaten in a fight, this was Golden Crow Island—the stronghold of Monster Sages. If a battle broke out, the leader of the Monster Sages, the Ten Heavenly Generals of Golden Crow, would undoubtedly appear. Each one possessed power on par with the Eight Immortals of China. It made me question whether I could even defeat one of them.

This place was the Demon Cave.

‘Damn it. I’d rather fight the lawful guardian!’

Grumbling to myself, I took a moment to catch my breath in the thicket. On the bright side, this location wasn’t as perilous as the Dark Heaven.

Having used my stealth technique once, I knew I couldn’t use it for at least an hour, so I needed to find another method to endure. I pondered what to do when suddenly an idea struck me.

‘Right! I’ll use the illusion technique!’

My mind was filled with the spell knowledge of Zhuge Clan, but those techniques required proper training before they could be utilized. Therefore, while I thought about how to conceal myself, the idea of overlaying an illusion over myself became appealing.

I focused on conjuring one of the monsters I had seen earlier in my mind. After a moment, an artificial aura enveloped my body, and my appearance transformed to resemble that of a monster. I let out a sigh of relief.

‘This is working!’

A one-horned, one-eyed demon would be an unremarkable sight here. I decided to test it by moving toward a sensed presence, and to my surprise, a couple of monsters passed by without batting an eye. My disguise had worked!

But even though I had succeeded in masquerading, I still couldn’t relax. The illusion technique, much like the stealth, didn’t last long. It would wear off within a short while, and I needed to secure a safe place to keep myself protected for the duration of the day before I returned to my true form.

Where would it be safe?

Wandering aimlessly, I suddenly heard a strange sound.

Kugoooh—

It sounded almost like a scream, a muffled one at that. It was not loud and bore an unsettling resemblance to a baby’s cry. Ordinarily, I would brush it off as merely a bird’s call.

“……!!”

But at that moment, my hands began to tremble.

The power of a demon!

Even a single echo from Ghost Valley could stir my Chi in a way that my body and soul instinctively sought to protect themselves from that overwhelming strength! Glancing around hastily, I realized that the presence of monsters had vanished, leaving behind an eerie forest.

I felt something was off.

I might avoid detection by the bumbling monsters, but this Ghost Valley was not to be trifled with. It indicated a potent magic nearby that even lower-level monsters dared not approach. Sure enough, the Three Body Spirit, who had transformed into a cloud, spoke up.

[A formidable Great Demon is nearby. Run away.]

[Run away? Where should I go?]

I muttered helplessly.

While I could escape from here, I could feel the duration of my illusion dwindling. Wandering mindlessly through an area crowded with monsters would eventually lead to a confrontation. And if a ruckus ensued, I would undoubtedly perish.

I responded decisively.

[The presence of a heavyweight means that low-grade monsters won’t come near—we’re searching for a hideout around here.]

Ignoring the Three Body Spirit’s response, I hurried deeper into the woods. The ecology of Golden Crow Island appeared entirely different from that of the human world; everywhere I looked were man-eating trees and monster grass. The man-eating trees typically disguised themselves as ordinary trees, but when I approached, they immediately extended their trunks and ambushed me.

Whack!

I swung my sword and cut down five of the man-eating trees. Since they possessed no intelligence, causing a bit of havoc wouldn’t matter too much. My knowledge about monsters was relatively well-informed because I had once faced various demons in the Aokigahara falls while ensuring their supply was cut off.

‘The difficulty is lower than living creatures. I can manage this much.’

The difficulty level of the man-eating tree forest on Golden Crow Island felt slightly less daunting than that of the living creatures in the Aokigahara falls. It wasn’t as if the powerful demonic beings were present. If I found a cave or resting place to seek refuge, I could endure for a day without too much trouble.

It was strange for the stronghold of the Monster Sages to be less challenging than the forests in the terrestrial world, but one could argue that the Aokigahara falls represented a truly fearsome magical landscape. Lost in thought, I ventured further into the woods and finally climbed a hill, arriving at a vantage point where I could gaze upon the surroundings.

And upon seeing the view, I realized where that eerie cry was echoing from.

“Gah…!!”

Before me lay the scene of colossal chains entwined around a mountain.

No—not merely chains, hundreds and thousands of immense chains were tightly binding ‘something’ resembling a mountain. That ‘something’ quivered and let out a deep growl, sounding just like the strange cry I heard from a distance.

What I mistook for a mountain was, in fact, a blood-red fox!

Woahhhhhh—

The fox, ensnared by chains, writhed as if alive, continuously exuding a pulsation of spells. Thousands upon thousands of charms enveloped the fox, and beneath the massive fox spread a gigantic Eight Trigrams Diagram.

I stood amazed, my mouth agape at the incomprehensible sight. For that horrifying giant fox was none other than one I recognized!

‘Dalgi!!’

That was right.

In my previous life, I had battled this being, which had descended as a conduit to the mortal realm twice, barely managing to repel it with my life at stake. Though I had succeeded in driving Dalgi away both times, I had never done so with my own pure strength. Once, I relied on the overwhelming power of Xiang Yu, and on another, I had employed the Seven Luminaries through a sinister incantation, utilizing the forces of the White Lotus Elder and the lawful guardian’s power just to repel it. Dalgi was a cataclysmic force beyond human capability.

To find Dalgi bound here on Golden Crow Island was perplexing!

I stood frozen a while, trying to understand the situation.

‘No, wait… The real body of Dalgi was always here! Then, due to causal laws, when the [Ancient Sovereign] summoned Dalgi, it must have escaped from Golden Crow Island into the mortal realm!’

It seemed likely that the chains binding it, the Eight Trigrams Diagram, and the charms were all set in place by the exalted celestial beings during the Great Divine War. Dalgi must have been imprisoned there for thousands of years, harboring resentment towards the terrestrial world.

The pressure was less intense than I’d felt previously, but that was simply because Dalgi was suppressed by an array of seals. If it were to break free from the seals, it would be an unfathomably powerful Great Demon, unmistakably not something I could confront. At the moment, I thought it hadn’t noticed me yet, so I quickly concealed my presence and retreated down into the forest.

That was when it happened.

Woooom!

Upon entering deeper into the woods, the space abruptly warped. I realized that an anti-space had been created by a spell, eroding the original space where I stood. I also understood I had entered the enemy’s attack range.

‘Crap!’

There was no indication; I was caught off guard!

It appeared that someone had set a trap and was waiting. The surrounding area was filled with bizarrely colored spheres, fruits, and toys, and the dark shapes shifted and morphed incessantly. I drew my sword, warily scanning the surroundings, when something revealed itself across from me.

It resembled a grotesquely twisted creature with a tail like a mythical beast, resembling a Heita demon sage. The sight of its three rolling eyes gazing at me struck me as oddly cute. But upon seeing that, I couldn’t help but let out a low growl.

“Son of Heaven…”

From my knowledge of Zhuge Clan and my past encounters, I had a rough idea of what the Ten Heavenly Generals of Golden Crow looked like and their abilities. And this creature before me was one of the Ten Heavenly Generals, wielding the treasure known as Blood Transformation. A being who had cultivated into a sage, possessing the capabilities of a Great Immortal, had suddenly appeared!

The Son of Heaven pointed a claw-like finger at me.

[You’re a human. And the Spirit Guardian, Three Body Spirit… Why have you come to investigate Dalgi’s seal?]

“……”

[I doubt you came to unseal the Golden Crow’s prison. You must’ve come to reconfirm the binding, haha.]

As the Son of Heaven speculated freely, its tail twitched playfully.

[Let the blood flow!]

Shwaaaaa!

At that moment, blood surged forth from an empty spot. The wave of blood grew tremendously, swelling like a tsunami until it fully engulfed my vision. A massive tide made of blood, impossible to dodge with mere human techniques, threatened to crash down upon me from the heavens.

“Do you think I’ll go down easily?!”

Crash!

The thunderous sword dance activated as the thunder Qi surged wildly through my body, and at that very moment, I unleashed the thunderblade technique!

Normally, it would seem foolish to use a sword against water, but I was currently using the Mind Essence Junction.

Water isn’t something that I can cut down with a sword.

However, at this moment, I could!

Even if it was the accursed blood tide formed through the Blood Transformation treasure, I could still cut through it.

That was due to the essence of my thoughts!

Thunderous Sword Dance

Sea Splitting Slash!

In the next moment, the thunderstorm split the horizon as I perfectly cleaved the enormous tide of blood that had threatened to engulf the universe.

[What?!]

I couldn’t help but grin.

‘The original name is Waterfall Slash!’

As the Son of Heaven shouted in surprise, I charged forward between the two halves of the tide, driving the might of my sword infused with Blood Transformation down upon it.

Crack! Crack!

The protective array of Blood Transformation shattered, and I found myself back in the original forest.

[Ugh… a mere human…]

As the Blood Transformation dissipated, the Son of Heaven staggered, appearing bewildered. But instead of attacking him, I activated the vanishing technique and fled.

‘I can’t win.’

The only reason I managed to break through the Blood Transformation was that it had been caught off guard. I knew that facing the Ten Heavenly Generals of Golden Crow was like battling a formidable opponent, equivalent to fighting Yeodong-bin. As long as I was human, there was no way I could contend with the Son of Heaven’s treasure!

I ran ahead, overwhelmed with a sense of despair.

Could I really survive for a whole day on Golden Crow Island?

That was when I heard it.

“What the…? A madman actually fighting with the Son of Heaven on Golden Crow Island?”

“……”

A human voice echoed from atop the nearby cliff. As I made my way toward the cliff, I was met by a man and a woman standing there. The male, glancing down at me with interest, snickered.

“Seems you’re not bored. Need a hand, kid?”

The moment I laid eyes on them, I lost my words.

Forgetting the thought that the Son of Heaven might be coming after me, I stared at them in disbelief. I almost opened my mouth to shout out why they were here.

‘Wha… what?! Why are you two here?’

That was right.

The man was the “Mad Scholar,” Zhuge Clan, and the woman was the “Gambling King,” Byeok Ji-sang.

I had unexpectedly encountered figures I knew from Golden Crow Island!