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“What should I do?”

I had heard that Golden Crow Island once clashed with the Celestial Realm and lost, ending up in some sort of confinement after the Great War. Now, having to endure a full day in this strange and surreal land because of the Four Great Spirits was really weighing on my mind.

While I was trying to figure out what to do, I suddenly felt an aura nearby. So, I called out.

“Four Great Spirits! Can you hide?”

[Of course.]

With that, the Four Great Spirits transformed into a cloud-like form, lying low in a nearby thicket. It was such an impressive disguise that I realized I had no reason to worry about them at all.

‘I should be worrying about myself.’

I activated my Stealth Technique and quickly climbed a tall tree. Soon, I sensed an approaching aura.

‘As expected, not a human…’

What approached was a genuine monster—specifically, a large, muscle-bound creature with four arms, wielding weapons in all four hands. It looked around, scanning the area, and then moved on.

Even after the goblin left, I couldn’t bring myself to climb down from the tree. A whole new set of monster forms appeared, and the intermittent auras suggested I was not in a secluded area at all.

Knowing the effect of my Stealth Technique wouldn’t last forever, I felt anxious. I quickly sent a thought transmission to the Four Great Spirits.

[I’m going to escape from here. Follow me as you see fit!]

[Got it.]

They responded instantly, and as the effect of my Stealth Technique was still active, I hurriedly hopped down and dashed toward a seemingly quieter place.

While I wouldn’t be simply overpowered if a fight broke out, this was Golden Crow Island, the base of the Monster Sage. The Great Generals of the Golden Crow would undoubtedly show up, each being on par with the Eight Immortals of China. That meant they were formidable contenders, and I didn’t even know if I could defeat one of them.

This place was a Demon Cave.

‘Damn it. I’d rather fight a Dharma Guardian…’

Grumbling inwardly, I took a deep breath while hidden in the bushes. A good thing, at least, was that this place wasn’t as dangerous as Dark Heaven Village.

Having already used my Stealth Technique, I had to rely on other arts now. While pondering my next move, a thought struck me.

‘Of course! I’ll use the Shadow Skill.’

While my mind was filled with techniques from Ji-seon Mang-nyang, I realized I couldn’t use them until I had properly trained. So, I started to think about how best to apply a technique that could mask my presence by using an illusion of monsters.

Concentrating on one of the monsters I had glimpsed earlier, I focused my energy. Moments later, an artificial aura enveloped my body, transforming my appearance to match that of the creature. I let out a sigh of relief.

‘That worked.’

A cyclopean monster with a single horn. Here, it would appear normal. Curiously, I ventured toward the place where I sensed some presence, and a couple of monsters glanced at me but paid me no heed as they passed by. My disguise was successful.

Yet, I was still on edge. The Shadow Skill, like the Stealth Technique, didn’t last long. At best, it would hold for a single moment. So I had to find a safe refuge before that happened.

Where would be a safe spot?

As I wandered aimlessly, I suddenly heard a bizarre sound.

Grrrooo—

It was a sound like a suppressed scream, soft yet oddly reminiscent of an infant’s cry. Ordinarily, I would have dismissed it as just another bird call, but…

“……!!”

In that moment, I felt my hands start to tremble.

That was the aura of some serious monster power!

It was merely a single echo in Ghost Valley, yet my own aura recoiled instinctively in a desperate attempt to shield my body and soul from the overwhelming force! Quickly looking around, I noticed the presence of monsters had vanished, leaving behind an unsettling, gloomy forest.

This felt wrong.

While I could avoid detection from the clumsy monsters, this Ghost Valley was different. It implied that a formidable force roamed nearby, one so powerful that weaker monsters wouldn’t dare approach. Sure enough, the Four Great Spirits, still in their cloud form, chimed in.

[There’s a tremendous great demon nearby. You should escape.]

[Escape? To where?]

I muttered in disbelief.

I could certainly escape this place, but I could feel my Shadow Skill’s time running short. Wandering around in an area brimming with monsters aimlessly meant trouble for sure. If I drew attention, my fate was sealed.

I resolved firmly.

[The presence of a powerful entity means the lesser monsters are unlikely to come around. I’ll find a hideout nearby.]

Ignoring the Four Great Spirits, I set off deeper into the woods. The ecology of Golden Crow Island was utterly different from the human world; there were giant man-eating trees and strange plants everywhere. The man-eating trees disguised themselves as ordinary trees but immediately attacked when I got too close.

Whack!

I swung my sword, chopping down five of them without a second thought. Since the man-eating trees didn’t possess significant intelligence, they presented no real danger. I knew this well because I had been slicing through monsters in Aokigahara Life Sea, feeding on all sorts of beasts to train myself.

‘This is easier than the lowest-level challenges. I can handle this.’

The difficulty level I sensed in this man-eating tree forest of Golden Crow Island was somewhat lower than the initial sea life challenges in Aokigahara Life Sea. It didn’t feel like I was up against particularly powerful monsters. If I searched carefully for a cave or a resting spot, I could likely survive this for a day.

It was odd that the base of the Monster Sage had a lower difficulty than the forests of the mortal world, but I chalked it up to the nightmarish environments of Aokigahara Life Sea. As I pondered this, I ventured deeper into the forest, eventually reaching a hillside with a view of the surrounding area.

And the moment I saw the landscape, I realized where that eerie sound had emerged from.

“Gah…!!”

What lay before me were massive iron chains, wrapping around a mountain like a snake.

No—actually, calling it that would be an understatement. Hundreds, thousands of giant iron chains tightly constricted something that looked akin to a mountain. That “something” was writhing and growling, sounding just like the eerie noise I’d heard earlier.

That mountain-like form was a blood-red fox!

Grrrrooo—

The chained fox thrashed as if alive, continuously emitting waves of magic energy. Thousands of talismans surrounded it, sealing the creature down, and beneath this enormous fox lay a massive Eight Trigrams Diagram.

In awe of this impossible sight, I found myself speechless. I recognized the fearsome figure immediately.

‘Daji!!’

Indeed, it was him.

The very being I had faced twice in my past life, whom I had barely managed to defeat while risking my life. Sure, I had succeeded in repelling Daji both times, but I had never truly bested him with pure strength. Once, I had relied on the immense power of Xiang Yu, and the other time, I used magic to synchronize with the powers of two Seven Luminaries and borrowed the might of the White Lotus Master and Dharma Guardians.

Daji was a calamity—a phenomenon that shouldn’t been confronted by mere mortals!

I could hardly believe this monstrous fox was chained here in Golden Crow Island!

In my bewilderment, I froze before slowly piecing the situation together.

‘Wait a minute… The original form of Daji was likely here all along! When the Old Ruler summoned him, he escaped from this realm to the mortal world due to the Law of Cause and Effect!’

It was highly probable that those immense iron chains binding the fox, along with the Eight Trigrams Diagram and talismans, were installed by the Great Immortals of the Celestial Realm during the Divine War. Daji must have remained there for thousands of years, brooding over his resentment toward the mortal world.

Though the pressure now seemed less intense than during my previous encounters, that was merely because Daji was still restrained by the seals. If those seals were broken, Daji would unleash power beyond comprehension, and I wouldn’t be able to nonchalantly observe the situation like I was now. Assuming Daji hadn’t detected my presence yet, I rushed to conceal my aura and glanced down toward the forest.

At that moment, I felt a shift in the surrounding space.

Whoosh!

As I ventured deeper into the woods, the area transformed suddenly into a chaotic swirl. I realized I had entered a subspace through magic, which was corrupting the locale I’d been in. I understood all too well I had stepped into the enemy’s attack zone.

‘Oh no!’ I had let my guard down without any prior warning!

Someone had laid a trap and was waiting for me! The surrounding area was filled with bizarre shapes—colorful balls, odd fruits, and toys—while the darkness morphed into grotesque figures. Drawing my sword, I remained vigilant as something finally revealed itself from the shadows.

It was a Dharma Guardian that resembled a twisted version of a mythical creature, complete with three eyes rolling in different directions. The sight was oddly cute, yet I winced.

“Son Tian-Jun…”

My knowledge from Ji-seon Mang-nyang connected with my memory, allowing me to recognize the Great General of the Golden Crow who stood before me, wielder of the Blood Transformation artifact. Suddenly, one of the higher-tiered monsters had appeared!

Son Tian-Jun pointed a claw-like finger at me.

[A human! And the spirit beast Four Great Spirits… Why have you come to unseal Daji?]

“……”

[I don’t believe you have come to liberate Daji from his seal, but rather to confirm it. Hehe.]

Son Tian-Jun, wagging his tail, gloated as he speculated.

[Become blood! (化血)!]

Swoosh!

In that instant, a tidal wave of blood materialized from thin air. The sanguine tide quickly escalated, covering my vision like a tsunami. It had swelled so large that there was no way I could escape using mere human techniques.

“You think I’ll die so easily?”

Zap!

With the Thunder God Sword Dance unleashed, the Thunderbolt Technique surged through my body, and I triggered the Thunderclap simultaneously.

Normally, trying to do something with water and a sword would seem foolish, but right now, I was in command of my Intent.

After all, water is not resistant to being cut by a sword!

Still, I was capable of cutting through it!

Even if that blood tide was created from the cursed blood transformed by the Blood Transformation artifact under the influence of the Golden Crow, it didn’t matter! Because I could sever its source.

That source was my Intent!

Thunder God Sword Dance!

Ocean-Splitting Slash!

In the next instant, a streak of lightning cleaved through the sky, ripping the crimson wave that had blanketed heaven and earth in two.

[What?!]

I smirked.

‘Its official name might be Waterfall Slash, but…’

While Son Tian-Jun shouted in surprise, I plunged through the divided tidal wave, directing all my energy at the Blood Transformation artifact.

Boom!

The barrier engulfed in the Blood Transformation artifact shattered, and I found myself back in the original forest.

[Kuh… a human has dared…]

As the Blood Transformation artifact broke, Son Tian-Jun stumbled, momentarily disoriented. But instead of attacking him, I swiftly activated the Soul Removal Technique and fled.

‘I can’t win this.’

The only reason I succeeded in breaking the Blood Transformation artifact was that he had underestimated me. From what I had gathered about the Great General of the Golden Crow, his power was on par with the Eight Immortals; engaging Son Tian-Jun head-on would be like shoving aside a sword master like Yeodong-bin.

As a mere human, if I faced Son Tian-Jun’s artifact, defeat was inevitable.

As I dashed forward, an overwhelming feeling washed over me.

Could I really survive a day in Golden Crow Island like this?

Just then, a voice broke through the tension.

“What the hell? A crazy kid fighting against the Great General here?”

“……”

A human voice echoed from atop a nearby cliff. I glanced up while running, spotting a man and a woman. The man was staring down at me with keen eyes and chuckled.

“Looks like I won’t be bored! Want me to give you a helping hand, little guy?”

As I met their eyes, I was left utterly speechless for a moment.

I almost forgot to ask them what they were doing there, the thought slipping my mind completely.

‘What the… Why are you even here?!’

It was none other than Guangsheng, known for his insanity, and Zhuge Sa, the Casino King.

Here I was face-to-face with the people I was all too familiar with on Golden Crow Island.

 

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