It's Time for Revenge
In the depths of the Primordial Forest, where colossal trees thrust toward the sky like spears, the canopy cast a subtle gloom even at midday.
Han Yujin drew a deep breath, Mu-yong cradled securely in his arms. The air was thick with potent spiritual energy, and no matter how often he experienced it, the sensation always felt brand new.
Jjik! Jjik!
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
The little creature had already begun demanding attention, so he promptly pulled out clothes and helped her into them. Clever as she was, Mu-yong understood through their bond that even if her garments were damaged in this awakened world, it wouldn’t matter.
Since they were linked by the Tongmyeong Eosu-gyeol, she could sense and comprehend things without him needing to explain every detail.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he decided there was no better time than now and changed into the clothes Eun Miryeong had made for him. Having worn similar attire for so long in the martial world, they felt far more comfortable and familiar than any explorer’s outfit.
“Let’s go!”
With their simple preparations complete, he activated his wind movement technique and set off. His destination was the nest of the monkey monsters.
The gap in power between them had grown so vast that he briefly considered sparing them, but he quickly shook his head. He didn’t want to leave any potential variables behind while advancing toward his breakthrough. Maybe if he returned later, but not this time.
I’ll send you off without pain.
It wasn’t as if he owed them any mercy. Considering how territorial these creatures were and how they treated intruders, he felt no guilt about eliminating them when necessary.
Soon after, he arrived above the monkey monsters’ nest and dropped from the sky, simultaneously drawing the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle and taking aim.
Shhhk—!
Black lines of light shot forth instantly, harvesting their lives before the creatures could even react. In a single blink, their bodies were pierced through and disintegrated into dust.
Out of habit, he gave the bottle a slight shake to feel the liquid rising inside. Then his eyes met Mu-yong’s earnest gaze from within his embrace, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Here.”
Jjik—! Jjijik!
He extracted a few drops using the beast-taming art and watched with amusement as she eagerly lapped them up. Afterward, he harvested the fruits from the black tree at the center of the clearing and stored them in a jade box.
They would have no effect on him now that he had finished refining the Dragon Heart, but they would be immensely helpful for Lee Won-hee. Especially since she possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root and was still growing.
I’m confident I can refine them into something even better than before.
The unique insights he had gained through the pendant allowed him to conceive ideas he had never considered previously.
I should also prepare enough spiritual pills to counteract the side effects of Nascent Soul sublimation and bring those along.
He hadn’t officially taken her as a disciple yet, but that was merely a formality. Given the context of their relationship so far, it was no different from having already accepted her.
The next place he needed to visit was naturally the wolves’ den.
Using his wind movement technique, he arrived in an instant and didn’t bother with luring them out like before. He charged straight in, aimed the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle before they could react, and granted them an extremely swift death.
There wasn’t even time for them to yelp. In less than a minute, every last wolf beast had been reduced to a handful of dust.
Once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I’ll probably be able to wipe them all out with a single snort.
Recalling how he had once fought these creatures, he realized how weak he had been back then. At the time, he had felt incredibly powerful and celebrated his victory in every ridiculous way imaginable.
Even as these idle thoughts crossed his mind, he smoothly converted the wolves’ den into a convenient living space. After finishing the task in just a few minutes, he installed an illusion formation as well.
Without taking any rest, he immediately began his search.
The target was obvious—that arrogant bear cub.
If he wanted to attempt his breakthrough undisturbed, he needed to find and eliminate it first.
Just how sharp were the senses of a mid-to-late stage beast? And how far would the presence of something like a Dragon Heart radiate?
Now that his own strength had increased, Han Yujin had a rough idea. The search area he had mapped out based on that estimation was vast, but he trusted his abilities.
Even if it took a long time, that was fine. During the search, he could refine the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle using the Samgyeong Johwa-gyeol.
It was currently his most powerful possession and would remain useful for a long time. Now that he knew it could be refined, it would be foolish not to do so.
And so, a search operation began—one similar to the long-range reconnaissance he had performed in the Great Rift, yet slightly different.
Instead of simply recording unfamiliar things, he explored their identity and utility himself. Rather than collecting specimens, he gathered spiritual plants and fruits that seemed useful for alchemy.
There was no impatience in his movements.
After all, he was searching for a mid-to-late stage beast. As soon as he got close, he would definitely sense it. A creature with that much power wouldn’t have a small territory, nor would it hide like a timid herbivore.
While calmly continuing his search, he steadily refined the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle.
No matter how powerful and useful it was, it couldn’t compare to the heart of a Void Refinement stage dragon. Moreover, since it had been created for exactly this kind of use, the refinement process progressed extremely quickly.
When roughly two weeks had passed, he had already moved past the heart realm stage and completed more than half of the qi realm stage.
What he naturally noticed was that items that had never passed through another person’s hands were easier to refine. The Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle also lacked any particular spiritual consciousness, which made the process even smoother.
Since everything about it pleased him, he even considered visiting Icapa Pangea once more to try his luck with the gacha.
But another thought occurred to him alongside that idea.
The fact that I’m even entertaining this notion probably means something far more cunning and vicious will be created.
The version of himself that had been altered by wearing the pendant became significantly more demonic in nature, despite the boundless knowledge and wisdom at his disposal. That version of him would likely try to corrupt his normal self by any means possible.
Starting subtly, so it wouldn’t clash too strongly with his principles in the city—gradually making him use useful but partially vicious items.
In the end, that means I absolutely cannot use it to create my main life-bound treasure…
It seemed best to gather all the necessary materials first and then visit a world that combined sci-fi and xianxia elements. Whether such a world truly existed remained to be seen.
Another week passed.
Just as the refinement of the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle’s qi realm stage was nearing completion, he finally sensed the mid-to-late stage presence he remembered. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile.
“It’s time for revenge, Mu-yong.”
Muttering softly, he concealed his appearance and presence with Monghwan Yusim and moved toward the source of that aura.
Inside a hidden den formed by a convex boulder covering a deep, wide pit like a lid.
The creature resting there resembled a black-brown bear overall.
However, the silver metallic spikes protruding from various parts of its body—including its back—and the long tail tipped with similar metal club-like thorns made its ferocity obvious even without provocation.
Particularly striking was the yellow energy that constantly swirled around it even while it rested, crumbling away like dust in a rather threatening display.
Grr…!
It shifted slightly in its sleep, and the sound of its breathing vibrated through the den. Given that the creature was as large as a decent-sized truck, even that small movement caused the space to tremble noticeably.
During this peaceful, comfortable moment—
Grr…!
It shifted again and cracked its eyes open. Suddenly sensing an inexplicable unease, the bear beast tried to rise. It wasn’t a calculated decision but a purely instinctive reaction.
Yet right before it could move, it realized it was dreaming. A remarkably relaxed and comfortable dream.
Six strange, never-before-seen illusions shimmered before its eyes. The more it focused on them, the happier it felt. Instead of questioning the sensation, it simply enjoyed it.
After all, it was only a dream.
Grr…! Grr…!
The breathing that shook the den continued without pause. Its eyes gradually lost focus.
Such carelessness was unusual for a beast ruled by instinct. Yet considering how long this creature had reigned as the tyrant of this region, it wasn’t entirely strange.
It meant the bear possessed a mountain-like pride and confidence that it wouldn’t be caught off guard even if it let its guard down.
Long periods of peace were more than enough to dull vigilance and judgment. Even for a beast with exceptional instinctive senses, there were no exceptions.
The feeling of happiness only grew deeper with time instead of fading, and in proportion, the bear severed all thought and fell into a state nearly indistinguishable from sleep.
At that exact moment—
A sharp sense of crisis pierced through the infinitely deepening happiness like a blade. However, just as someone trapped in a swamp cannot escape instantly, the bear failed to snap back to full awareness immediately.
Completely unprepared, it took a direct hit to the head from an Origin Power Great Hand strike infused with Deep Sea Cold Ice.
BOOM—!!!
An enormous roar erupted.
Wide-ranging cracks spread instantly across the floor where it had been lying. The resulting shockwave not only blew away all the dust but also violently shook the massive boulder that served as the den’s lid.
Krrruuuugh…!
Shockingly, the bear did not die despite taking that powerful blow directly to the head. Blood poured from its eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, yet it rose with spasmodic movements and exploded with its power.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom—!!
Kwarrr…! Kwa-kwa-kwang—!!
All the surrounding earth and stone seemed manipulated by an invisible force, shooting out sharp, hardened spikes. Some of them shattered into fragments that began swirling with terrifying power.
Kugugugugugung…!!
A phenomenon resembling an earthquake spread throughout the area as the surrounding spiritual energy churned violently like a stormy sea.
“Tsk.”
Having succeeded in his ambush, Han Yujin clicked his tongue at failing to kill it instantly. He immediately thrust the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle forward.
This was currently his strongest offensive tool. No matter how heavily injured the creature was, he could not afford to hold back against a mid-to-late stage being.
Shhhhhk—!
Amid the thunderous roars, a faint yet particularly eerie sound of piercing air rang out. Countless black lines of light shot forth, ruthlessly skewering the bear’s entire body as it tried to roar.
At the same time, the Origin Power Great Hand swung repeatedly to disrupt its movements. The Deep Sea Cold Ice that separated from it transformed like snakes, rapidly coiling around the creature’s body.
Kuhaaaang—!!!
Finally, a roar burst forth as the bear made its last desperate struggle. The Deep Sea Cold Ice Suppression Prison spell shattered strand by strand, and the Origin Power Great Hand was instantly destroyed by the intense counterforce.
But—
The Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle remained embedded in its body, rapidly draining its blood essence. In the end, as if that had been its final act, the bear staggered and collapsed.
Its ragged panting quickly grew fainter until it stopped completely.
In the devastated clearing, Han Yujin stood gazing down at the dead bear with cold eyes.