Chương 61: Chapter 60: 8th Cycle's First Day
I slowly opened my eyes.
It was the familiar scent of the forest.
"...How merciless."
Why do I keep regressing?
I quickly formed a hand seal and used a sleep spell to knock out my companions who were trying to regain consciousness.
Thud, thud, thud...
I recalled the last moments of my past life.
I was struck by the heavenly lightning dropped by the sky, and at the last moment, I reached the 14th Star of Qi Refining through my realization regarding the Unified Origin.
That enlightenment was still with me.
The heavens are both a singular entity and eternal.
And to embody the principle of this oneness within me.
The path of cultivation, after all, might be about becoming like the heavens.
I had encapsulated the principle of the heavens within me.
Now, I have reached the peak of Qi Refining.
After completing the 14th Star, the Infinite Spiritual Cloud, all that was left was to attempt Qi Building.
Zing!
"Argh...!"
Suddenly, blood gushed from my nose.
Crack, crack...
My head started throbbing insanely.
It felt like my eyes would pop out.
"Ugh...uhhh..."
My Upper Dantian was rattling!
'The consciousness from the peak state of Qi Refining in my past life had returned with me.'
This could lead to serious trouble.
I hurriedly ran to where the yellow bamboo roots were, grabbed handfuls of them, and chewed and swallowed them.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
As I quickly consumed the herbs, the energy of the Dragon Vein Qi Method circulated throughout my body.
With considerable internal energy, I began rejuvenation being at the stage of Five Energies Converging to the Origin.
Crack, crunch!
Every muscle and bone in my body twisted and reformed, achieving an optimal state of harmony.
The harmony of the upper, middle, and lower dantians perfectly aligned!
And finally.
Flash!
Brilliant light flowed from my eyes, and the intense pain in my upper dantian subsided.
"Phew..."
I decided to go further and form my Inner Core, condensing Gang Qi into the air.
The Gang Qi interwove and formed a Gang Sphere.
I slowly absorbed the Gang Sphere into my dantian.
As it writhed, the Gang Sphere settled completely in my dantian.
Hum!
The Gang Sphere mixed with the nature of the dantian, fixing itself securely and evolving anew.
After a while, I confirmed the presence of my Inner Core at the center of my dantian.
I had regained a body nearly identical to my previous life.
"Phew..."
Although I had not trained much since my return, it didn't matter.
'This takes care of the immediate crisis.'
I worried about the increasing size of my consciousness.
'Eventually, if this continues, won't I return only to have my head explode instantly?'
It seemed crucially necessary to find a solution.
This is dangerous.
I remembered the heavenly lightning that struck me in my past life and pondered over it.
'When I struggled fiercely, it felt like it was determined to kill me.'
Even a fool could understand.
The heavens are not inanimate.
'Well, maybe that vast sky is just an inanimate object.'
But the flow of heaven and earth energy through the heavens...
The flow of fate, is like a living thing, trying to crush and burst those who defy it.
And I must continue to rise against these heavens.
"...First, I should move the others."
I lifted each of my companions, making sure they were not wet by the dew, and carried them one by one to a cave to lie them down.
The events at the beginning of each return are always the same.
I put my companions to sleep, eat yellow bamboo roots, and undergo rejuvenation.
The next day, a fox comes and deliciously bites off my arm.
It's been an unchanging cycle that's never varied.
Until today.
What's happening now is something I've never seen before.
The fox was staring at me.
[...You.]
"Yes."
[Hmm... Strange. Very strange. You have a peculiar scent.]
Ignoring my unconscious companions, the fox continued talking to me through consciousness.
[Originally, I planned to simply kill you on sight, but since you acknowledge me as the master of this forest and performed the rites, I'll spare you for now.]
Although I thanked the fox, I felt a strange discrepancy.
The fox's emotions were somehow different from before.
[You with the strange aura, step aside. I'll taste an arm or leg from the other humans.]
"....?"
After pushing me aside with a flick, the fox turned its gaze to Kim Young-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kang Min-hee, Oh Hye-seo, and Kim Yeon.
"Wait, master of the forest, please take my arm instead!"
I was used to being mutilated, but for them, it would be their first experience of such terrifying horror.
The fox frowned at me and growled.
[How dare a member of the forest argue with the master of the forest. If you don't want to become my meal, shut your mouth. I want to taste these humans.]
"...?"
A member of the forest?
What is it talking about?
I didn't understand the fox's words.
Was there some unknown change in me?
The other colleagues were frozen in fear as they sat.
The fox then bit off and chewed the arm of Oh Hye-seo, who was closest.
"Kyaaak!"
Crunch, crunch...!
"Deputy manager Oh!"
I quickly ran to her, put her to sleep with a sleeping spell, and applied pain-relieving herbs to the amputated area.
[Hmm, not great. Not tasty. I don't want to eat them again. I'll leave now.]
The fox casually turned around and hopped away, leaving me in shock. I ground more pain-relieving herbs for Oh Hye-seo.
It wasn't just the fox that was strange.
Ssss...
A red snake with two heads.
The snake looked at me, flicking its tongue.
[Hmm... Peculiar. What are you? You seem human, but maybe not? Confusing...]
'Not human?'
Me?
Filled with confusion, I asked the snake.
"...Excuse me. If I'm not human, then what am I?"
[I don't know. I can't figure out what you are. Well... I'll leave you be. Let's taste the blood of the other humans.]
Like before, the snake sucked a mouthful of blood from Jeon Myeong-hoon and left, finding it tasteless.
"...What the hell..."
Jeon Myung-hoon clutched his bitten arm, gritting his teeth.
"...I'll go gather some herbs. Wait here."
I entered the woods, using the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.
Then, I quickly ran towards the snake, which was already far ahead.
This snake is at the initial level of Qi Building.
Flash!
Boom!
The Gang Sphere emitted from my palm flew towards the snake.
The snake glanced at me for a moment, then, seeing the power of the Gang Sphere, immediately rolled away to dodge.
'Mental Link.'
After creating a Gang Sphere, I absorbed its consciousness into me.
The linkage of two consciousnesses doubled my mental facilities.
Zip!
With one step, it felt like space itself had condensed.
To the snake, it must have seemed like I had suddenly cut through time to reach it.
Boom!
I kicked the snake's midsection, sending it flying into the air.
[.....!]
The snake screamed and bared its teeth at me.
However, after slicing its perception with the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, I approached and delivered a knee strike to one of the snake's heads.
[Ouch!]
"Hmm, is that all?"
The two-headed snake, which previously seemed quite formidable, didn't look so strong.
Of course, the fox is still formidable.
But at least, this one, I could handle.
Stomp!
I stepped on one of the snake's heads and demanded.
"Speak. If I'm not human, then what am I?"
[Hiss, hiss, hiss!]
The snake panicked, flicking its tongue.
It seemed to be contemplating its words, judging by the color of its intent.
I needed to find out why the fox and the snake were acting this way towards me during my return, so I was harsh in my interrogation.
"If you don't speak right now, this head will be..."
[Okay, okay, I'll speak!]
The two-headed red snake spoke with a terrified look in its eyes.
[You... You feel like one of our own kind. That's why the master of the forest and I didn't harm you severely for no reason!]
One of their own kind?
Hearing this, I felt absurd.
How could this snake and I be of the same kind?
But the snake looked to be telling the truth.
After a moment of contemplation, I took a little snake venom from it and let it go.
Unlike the fox, which always greedily went after my arm,
The snake could be considered a gentleman, taking only a sip of blood and then leaving us alone.
'Considering the fox also included me as its kind, maybe they thought of me as some kind of demon, not a snake?'
But why?
Why am I suddenly being treated like a demon?
What did I do?
Wrapped in these bizarre thoughts, I returned to the vicinity of the cave.
Afterward, I began to create a Law-Transforming Dantian and prepare for the arrival of the Heavenly Being cultivators.
Two days passed.
I formed the Law-Transforming Dantian and successfully activated one spiritual meridian by chanting the Earthly Fiends True Words, entering Qi Refining 1st Star.
Just as I had succeeded in activating the Earth Leader Star,
Flash!
Familiar faces descended from the sky again.
It was Jin Byuk-ho, White Bone Ghost Devil, and Azure Tiger Saint.
Fortunately or unfortunately, nothing here changed.
Azure Tiger Saint regenerated Oh Hye-seo's arm with his blue healing spell.
The three each attracted to their side Jeon Myeong-hoon, who had the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body, Kang Min-hee, who had awakened the Ghostly Yin Transformation Immortal Root, and Oh Hyun-seok, who had the Unique Holy Body.
When Jin Byuk-ho began to examine my entire body with his unique malignant spiritual root scanner,
[Hmm...?]
A look of confusion appeared on Jin Byuk-ho's face.
[What's this? Are you some kind of demon?]
Again.
'Why are they calling me a demon?'
Is it because of the size of my consciousness?
Or can the Heavenly Being cultivators see the soul of their subject, revealing my unique mental world?
But Jin Byuk-ho, White Bone Ghost Devil, and Azure Tiger Saint all seemed indifferent to me and left me nearby.
"Hmm, interesting qualities. But even if you are respectful, I am already burdened with the Unique Holy Body. I'll grant you a recommendation to the Cheongmun Clan."
Azure Tiger Saint flicked his finger and gave me the symbol of the Cheongmun Clan's recommendation.
I politely declined Azure Tiger Saint's offer and cautiously asked Jin Byuk-ho.
"Esteemed cultivator, I've always admired the reputation of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect and especially admired Yang Su-jin of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. Could you possibly bestow upon me the grace of replicating the records of Ancestor Yang Su-jin...?"
When I asked him in the language of Shengzi Jin Byuk-ho was startled and replied in the same language.
"Why should I do that?"
"I wish to receive the records of Sir Jin and preserve them for generations, so that countless lives in the lower realm can praise Sir Jin and the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect!"
"..."
Jin Byuk-ho seemed to ponder, then replied briefly.
"No."
"...Why not?"
"Hmph, if I say no, then it's no. You talk too much! But alright. Since you show respect, if you're really curious about our history, go to the Great Mountain Range where the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect used to be, specifically Shattered Heaven Peak (碎天峰).
There are several caves there with historical records stored. If you find them, they should be quite detailed compared to the scattered histories known to the public."
"...! Thank you, thank you so much!"
I prostrated before Jin Byuk-ho, and he seemed inwardly pleased, though he pretended not to care.
This time, he didn't drop any lightning unnecessarily.
'Anyway, glad that went well.'
Regarding Jin Byuk-ho and White Bone Ghost Devil, as long as you don't provoke them too much, things usually go well.
The next day came.
I re-implanted the knowledge I had given to Kim Young-hoon in the previous life, including the records of trials and errors he had added to the Record of Surpassing Path and Martial Arts, the day before.
The knowledge would manifest in a few days.
Rumble, rumble...
The sky was covered with dark clouds.
Now, the Sea Dragon King will come to take Oh Hye-seo.
I planned to entrust Kim Yeon to the Sea Dragon King again, send Kim Young-hoon elsewhere, and then leave after practicing in Ascension Path for about 10 years.
Rumble, rumble!
Storms covered the sky.
At that moment, I saw the Sea Dragon King, Seo Hweol, enter the cave and check Oh Hye-seo's pulse.
"You are..."
"I am Seo Hweol, the Sea Dragon King. I came out of curiosity because this girl summoned the wind and rain... But you mortals..."
His words halted as his eyes met mine.
Startled!
He furrowed his brows.
"...You."
He approached me.
"Hmm, interesting. Are you perhaps a demi-human?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Are you a hybrid of human and demon? There are occasionally such beings."
Confused by his question, I blankly replied.
"No, I am not. Do you sense a demonic aura in me?"
Then Seo Hweol asked with a puzzled look.
"Not a demi-human? Then what are you? Are you saying you're not a demon when you're carrying a demon core inside you?"
"...Excuse me?"
Demon Core?
I was taken aback by these unexpected words.
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