The Defier of Heaven (1)
After the weasel left the temple,
Dang Sobaek sealed the spring portrait album deep within the library inside his magatama.
‘…….’
Why was he the only one who could see this tale? What on earth was it trying to tell him?
Part of him wanted to burn it to ashes, but doing so felt too ominous, so he decided to settle for sealing it away.
Yet, a question remained.
The weasel had felt absolutely nothing. Why was Dang Sobaek the only one aware of the situation?
Because he was a reincarnator?
Because he was a special existence—a human soul trapped in a beast's body?
Perhaps.
There was no way to know for now.
Dang Sobaek calmed his turbulent mind and stared at the golden statue before him.
Zhong Kui, the Ghost-Capturing King.
Literally, it meant the king who catches ghosts.
His appearance was undeniably imposing.
Fierce, wild, and hideous.
Yet, staring at it quietly brought a strange sense of peace to his heart.
‘Strange, truly strange.’
From the spring portrait album to the golden statue,
and even the white deer he had glimpsed by chance some time ago.
This island was filled with things that defied all comprehension.
Naturally, such anomalies should have made him uneasy.
Yet, he felt no such discomfort.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
It was not a problem he could solve by brooding over it now anyway.
Trying to measure the unknown with such limited information was a fool's errand.
After all, this was a place where "spells," entirely distinct from martial arts, existed.
Since the weasel claimed to be at the fourth layer of the Qi Condensation stage,
perhaps a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stage above him could manifest such transcendent spells.
Though they seemed to defy logic at first glance, spells contained the principles and laws of the world.
What Dang Sobaek needed right now was knowledge and understanding of these laws.
The power to overcome and break through an irresistible force.
‘I am exhausted.’
Having pushed himself to the absolute limit both physically and mentally, a terrible drowsiness washed over him.
‘Did I fall asleep without realizing...?’
When he opened his eyes, it was morning once again.
Shaking off his grogginess, Dang Sobaek recalled what the weasel had said.
‘He said the balance between my soul and body has collapsed.’
Ever since he awakened his Divine Sense,
the scale of his consciousness had grown bloated compared to before.
Everything in heaven and earth flooded into his mind as raw information.
That was not all.
Not long ago, he had even become capable of perceiving souls.
While his spiritual side had achieved remarkable growth, his physical body had undergone no change whatsoever.
Even that body was practically in ruins.
If left unchecked, his physical vessel would fail to withstand his bloated consciousness, and his upper dantian would rupture.
The vessel's capacity had been exceeded by far, causing it to crack.
‘An imbalance...’
There were two main ways to resolve this.
The first was to learn a consciousness cultivation technique to control his Divine Sense more skillfully.
If he did, he wouldn't have to blindly absorb all the incoming information.
He would be able to regulate and amplify it as the situation demanded.
However, this was impossible.
Such techniques also required spiritual roots to practice.
The second method was simple yet difficult: just expand the size of the vessel.
If he consistently consumed spiritual flesh, his body would grow to some extent, even if healing his inner core remained difficult.
Unfortunately, even this was hard to achieve on Gwisu Island at present.
The spiritual beasts had been completely wiped out.
In the end, Dang Sobaek had no choice but to take a risk to overcome his current predicament.
If he could fully absorb the core of the Won-myeon-jiju, he would advance to a higher realm, and his physical body would grow much stronger.
‘For now, I must endure for as long as I can.’
His sense of time grew hazy.
He could only guess that a significant amount of time had passed by the changing of the seasons.
During that time, Dang Sobaek searched every corner of Gwisu Island for spiritual fruits, but—
Cough—!
They were nowhere to be found.
Forcing down the blood welling up in his throat, Dang Sobaek looked down at his siblings from the temple roof.
Unlike him, who had grown incredibly weak,
Jim-il and Jim-i had studied under the weasel, learning the etiquette of the cultivation world, various academic disciplines, and cultivation techniques.
Having chosen the areas with the densest spiritual veins near the temple as their respective abodes and training there,
they had already bypassed the Core-Refining Stage, where the inner core transforms into a monster core.
Jim-il had mastered the Water Source Art, and Jim-i had learned a Five Elements technique called the Blazing Sun Cultivation Method. Both had now reached the peak of the first layer of the Qi Condensation stage.
Thanks to their extraordinary innate talent, they seemed capable of breaking through the realms despite their lacking comprehension.
Though there had been many twists and turns, the results could be considered quite satisfactory.
‘Has it been about five years?’
It was likely around that long.
He had managed to hold on somehow, but he had finally reached his limit.
He was at the end of his borrowed time.
Just as Dang Sobaek was about to spread his wings to find the weasel,
Throb—!
A sharp headache flared up. He stumbled, unable to steady his body.
"I must hurry."
He had to go to the weasel, ask him to guard his breakthrough, and consume the core.
Even if things went wrong,
he did not want to harm Jim-il and Jim-i with his own hands.
Steeling his resolve, Dang Sobaek headed toward their abode.
Since the distance wasn't great, it didn't take long before the three of them training came into view.
It was called training, but in reality, it was closer to a scene of violence.
At least Jim-il's comprehension wasn't too terrible, making it possible to teach him through oral formulas, but—
Boom—!
Jim-i was a completely different story.
Thus, the weasel had given up on that approach entirely, opting instead to beat the formulas directly into her body.
Though she had her complaints, the method was highly effective. This was only possible because beast cultivation techniques differed significantly from those of human cultivators.
Dang Sobaek watched them for a moment before slowly descending. Sensing his presence, the weasel, who was in the middle of instructing them, looked up at the sky.
"You've come."
"I came because I have a favor to ask today."
"……Wait here a moment."
He seemed to have already guessed what Sobaek was going to say.
Maintaining an expressionless face, the weasel stepped inside the cave.
With training paused, Jim-i brightened up and quickly ran over to wrap Sobaek in a tight hug.
"L-let go."
"Okay!"
"Speak politely."
"But I'm your big sister!"
‘…….’
Perhaps because she had surpassed the Core-Refining Stage and reached the first layer of Qi Condensation, Jim-i had matured mentally as well, allowing her to communicate somewhat freely now.
Compared to the past, when she could only repeat "sorry" like a parrot, it was a monumental leap forward.
Jim-il also hesitated, glancing at Sobaek before shuffling closer to ask quietly.
"How is your body?"
"I am fine, so you do not need to worry."
If there was another change,
"Who said I was worried about you! I only asked because Master has been concerned about you!"
it was that Jim-il had become extremely obedient to the weasel. He truly regarded him as his master and treated him with the respect he deserved.
A moment later, the weasel emerged from the cave carrying a small wooden box.
"You two stay here and finish your training. I must go somewhere with this fellow for a moment."
"Understood, Master."
Jim-il bowed his head obediently, but—
"Why? Can't I come too?"
Jim-i pouted in protest.
However, the weasel ignored her completely, looking at Dang Sobaek instead.
"You wish to do it there?"
"If I absorb it near here, there is no telling what might happen. It is best to prepare for any contingency."
"As I told you before, if you show even the slightest sign of abnormality, I will have no choice but to end your life. Please... make sure it does not come to that."
Dang Sobaek traveled with the weasel to the most suitable location to absorb the Won-myeon-jiju's core.
It was a cave nestled on the cliffside of the tallest mountain in the area.
"I feel... somewhat nostalgic."
Dang Sobaek slowly looked around with a reminiscent gaze.
Perhaps because no one had set foot here in a long time, a cold silence hung in the air.
On the ground, a pile of bones that had turned to white ash lay gathered in a corner.
This was the nest where Dang Sobaek had been born and raised after reincarnating as a Jimjo—the abode of Mother Jimjo.
"This is my first time here as well. Indeed, as expected of a Jimjo's dwelling, it is brimming with spiritual energy."
It was a place where one could cultivate, and it could easily withstand almost any external shock.
The weasel placed a paw against the wall, sensing the surrounding spiritual energy for a moment before continuing.
"At this rate, even if you run wild, the cave should hold. Shall we begin immediately?"
"Yes, we must."
"Wait a moment."
Saying so, the weasel opened the lid of the wooden box he had brought. A sweet, pure fragrance wafted out. Inside lay a single, large elixir.
"I refined this by mixing the elixir I obtained from the grotto-heaven last time with other ingredients. Though my knowledge of alchemy is not deep enough to create anything grand, it should be better than nothing."
However, there was one slightly unsettling detail.
"May I ask what the ingredients are?"
"The sprouts of a flower called the Blood-Tear Flower... spiritual insects, and the ground-up corpse of the monkey we retrieved last time, all mixed with raw liquor. It will not harm you, so do not worry."
Dang Sobaek was familiar with the Blood-Tear Flower from his past readings.
Named for the blood-red dew that gathered on its petals, it was a precious flower known to help suppress madness.
Even upon closer inspection, he found nothing amiss.
"What? Are you afraid I might have done something to it?"
"It is not that. It is simply... an old habit."
"An old habit for someone who has barely lived a few years? Ridiculous. If you do not want it, then forget it. To think I went out of my way to prepare this for you."
The weasel scowled, looking thoroughly offended.
He had likely searched every corner of the island to gather the ingredients. It was obvious how much effort he had poured into it.
Dang Sobaek offered a genuine, albeit slight, smile. Since he rarely smiled, it felt somewhat awkward.
"Thank you. If this succeeds, I will surely repay this debt."
Only then did the weasel's expression soften slightly.
"Do not speak of such ominous things. Still, it is a pity. Had I broken through to the next realm, I could have read the heavenly secrets properly to choose the most auspicious day for you. But even with my limited reading... today is the best option."
According to the weasel,
if Dang Sobaek swallowed the core of the Won-myeon-jiju, the heavenly secrets pointed to a state of extreme misfortune.
This ill fortune would not be confined to Dang Sobaek alone; it would blanket the entire island.
In other words,
it meant the resurrection of the human-faced spider.
The only factors mitigating this terrible luck were Mother Jimjo's cave and the summer solstice, the day when the Yang energy of heaven and earth was at its peak.
Even so, the heavenly secrets still foretold misfortune.
"Do not worry too much. Fortune is not absolute. As long as you have the will to overcome it and the strength to match, you can conquer any fate."
Though it was hard to believe in the actual existence of fate,
"Yes, thank you. I will make sure to overcome it."
Dang Sobaek trusted the history he had built.
He was not so weak as to be consumed by the mind of a mere beast.
"Will you begin immediately?"
"Yes."
"I shall guard your breakthrough. Keep this in mind: if I sense even the slightest anomaly, I will not hesitate to strike."
"I understand."
Dang Sobaek swallowed the core of the Won-myeon-jiju along with the elixir the weasel had given him.
At that very moment,
his consciousness plunged into the depths, and his world inverted.