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Whoosh!
Cutting through the vast mountain ranges and forests of the True Dragon Alliance, a figure is flying through the air, stepping on the void.
It's Gyu-baek.
'Flying through the air is not as difficult as I thought.'
It's just a matter of adding a bit more skill to the Gliding Technique that is in Gyu-ryeon's memories.
Seo Eun-hyun was surprised that Gyu-baek had an unexpected talent, but from Gyu-baek's perspective, it was nothing more than a rehabilitation exercise.
Gyu-ryeon, who was supposed to become a Dragon King of the Integration stage, died, and the remnant that is Gyu-baek isn't even at the level of a Core Formation stage of the Heart Tribe, which honestly did not please her.
'If there is such a thing as talent, why can't I even enter the realm of Beyond the Path?'
From Gyu-baek's standpoint, it's shameful that she, with her experience nearing the Integration stage, can not even reach the realm corresponding to the Core Formation stage of the Heart Tribe.Just as the saying goes, 'At the extremes, enlightenment is shared,' she thought that to some extent, her experiences would resonate with the realm of the Heart Tribe.
Indeed, up to the Ultimate Pinnacle that Seo Eun-hyun mentioned, Gyu-ryeon's experiences were applicable.
However, from the realm of Beyond the Path to Heavens onwards, it was infuriatingly incomprehensible.
She couldn't understand what was being said.
Somehow, by using the Vast Cold Oath, she managed to half step into Beyond the Path to Heavens, but that was applicable only when facing Seo Hweol.
She realized she could not reach the realm of Beyond the Path.
'Do I have to yearn and yearn again?'
She is indeed yearning.
But whether Gyu-baek is yearning out of hatred for Seo Hweol or out of love for him, she can not tell.
She is yearning, but she doesn't know for what.
That's why she can't reach the realm of Beyond the Path.
'The Manifestation of the Heart Tribe is just too alien.'
While there are aspects that resonate with the enlightenment of the Heaven and Earth Tribes, the Manifestation of the Heart Tribe is far too irregular compared to the specific rules of the Heaven and Earth Tribes' methods.
Even Yu Hwa and Seo Eun-hyun, masters of the Heart Tribe, said they had never seen someone create a Treading Heavens that only worked for one person using the Vast Cold Oath.
The Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One had seen it once or twice, but when she asked for an explanation, he said the situation was too different for Gyu-baek and refused to explain.
There are no rules to it and it's too alien.
Indeed, even when she was Gyu-ryeon, she thought of the "Heart Tribe" as such alien beings.
Just too alien.
Gyu-baek, when she was a prospective Dragon King in the times of Gyu-ryeon, knew one fact about the Heaven, Earth, and Heart Tribes, and True Immortals.
There are Heaven Immortals corresponding to the Heaven Tribe and Earth Immortals, that is, immortal beasts corresponding to the Earth Tribe.
However, there was nothing like that for the Heart Tribe.
She had never heard of any existence at the level of True Immortals corresponding to the Heart Tribe.
Even more astonishing was that, when she was young, she met a Sacred Master of the Sacred Vessel stage.
Even Sacred Master Baek Woon did not know what True Immortals corresponding to the Heart Tribe are called, or whether they exist or not.
'It's as if they didn't originally exist, but then someone forcibly inserted them into the flow of history…'
Too bizarre.
Thinking this, Gyu-baek continued to air step, heading towards the resource warehouse of Seo Eun-hyun's pet demon beast.
Swoosh―
A while later, Gyu-baek arrived in front of a large waterfall near the Serving Command Ark.
The waterfall was neatly divided into white and black streams falling down, with a dark cave faintly visible behind it.
'This place holds the stored resources…'
Since the other members of the Golden Dragon Race had come and collected the resources and her belongings after Gyu-ryeon died, she had no choice but to search for this resource warehouse for Seo Eun-hyun's pet demon beast.
'Of course, if I go to the Golden Dragon Race I could be recognized as Gyu-ryeon and treated as a member of the Dragon Race.'
A Four-Axis stage cultivator can be resurrected once, or in a few special cases, more than twice.
This does not refer to those who have some remnants of their Nascent Soul or Golden Core left but to those who have truly died, their Nascent Souls collapsed.
Of course, resurrection after the Nascent Soul had collapsed meant reviving at a stage lower than Nascent Soul. Still, being able to resurrect and accumulate cultivation again is enough for those at the Four-Axis stage and above to be treated as formidable beings.
Some demon races do not resurrect after death because they missed the proper time for resurrection or do not wish to be resurrected.
Yet, there are exceptions.
Despite not wanting to resurrect, those with a desire for life or unresolved resentment sometimes had parts of their spirit resurrected, thanks to the immense life force of a Four-Axis stage cultivator.
They were commonly referred to as 'fragments,' or by the derogatory term 'leftovers.'
This is because they are beings born not from an official resurrection but from the obsession of a Four-Axis cultivator, and thus often resurrected in a body incapable of proper cultivation.
How these remnants are treated varies by race, depending on whether they are honored as the Four-Axis cultivator they once were or simply as remnants.
The Golden Dragon clan, which Gyu-ryeon belongs to, is a race that accords the same respect to leftovers as to the Four-Axis stage cultivator themselves due to the significant amount of the cultivator's memories they retain.
Therefore, when a leftover is born within the Golden Dragon clan, they are often given the role of teaching the young dragons, assigning them many duties.
Gyu-baek, too, would likely have been honored in this way.
But she does not want that.
Even if she wanted to, if Seo Hweol found out she had resurrected in the form of a leftover, he would come to kill her.
'First, I'll meet Seo Hweol again someday.'
Meet Seo Hweol again, settle her feelings properly, and face the end.
Whether to strike Seo Hweol or to quietly meet death at his hands.
That is what Gyu-baek wants.
And for that, she has to find and eat even the feed for Seo Eun-hyun's pet demon beast.
'I don't expect to achieve much with just Core Formation stage elixir, but at least I can elevate my spiritual meridians to the Qi Building stage and circulate pure spiritual force within my body.'
Just being able to circulate pure spiritual force within her body will allow her a significant increase in strength.
Of course, she finds it laughable that she is struggling to obtain the power of the Qi Building stage which she could have crushed with her toe before. But what can she do?
She decides not to think about whether it's funny or not and searches the cave.
'Seo Eun-hyun said he placed a barrier around here…'
She gropes around for the barrier Seo Eun-hyun supposedly set up.
Soon, she notices a place where the flow of spiritual energy twists.
Even though she has become a leftover, the vision of the Earth Tribe remains. She follows the flow of spiritual energy and launches a strike.
Bo-oong!
As she slashes through the air, the strike from her hand touches the weakest part of the spiritual energy flow, dismantling the barrier.
"Hmm…"
She sighs slightly as she looks at a few insect feed pellets, several tens of kilograms of spirit stones, and Core Formation stage spiritual herbs and fruits in front of her.
'He said he filled it a lot, but it's not much.'
The resources are laughably scant.
If she had been presented with these resources during her time as Gyu-ryeon, she would have considered it an insult.
But she decides to be grateful for even this much and picks up one of the nearby spiritual fruits to eat.
That's when it happens.
Tadadadada―
A strange sound echoes and something enters the cave.
Gyu-baek tenses up and glares at the newcomer.
Soon after, it reveals itself.
It's a centipede large enough to fill the interior of the cave.
The centipede's eyes meet with Gyu-baek's.
They look at each other for a moment, and just as Gyu-baek ponders whether to attack the centipede or not, words come out of the centipede's mouth.
"Who is Miss to be stealing from someone else's warehouse?"
"Uh…"
The tone is unexpectedly polite.
"Ah… So you are an acquaintance of Master."
"…"
Gyu-baek came out of the cave and sat down to talk with the giant centipede, Hong Fan.
Surprisingly, Hong Fan readily believed Gyu-baek's words and nodded.
"If you are an acquaintance of Master, you are always welcome. Feel free to take anything you want. Anyway, these items haven't been of much use to me since I reached the Core Formation stage."
"Huh…? Core Formation?"
Gyu-baek looks up at Hong Fan and asks.
"The last time I saw you as a baby, you had just reached the early stages of Qi Refining..."
"Hehe, you remember my childhood so you must be a long-time acquaintance of Master."
"...Well, you could say that. But to think that centipede reached the Core Formation stage in just a few decades?"
Gyu-baek looks at the centipede demon beast in front of her with astonishment.
However, the centipede demon beast just laughs heartily, as if unaware of Gyu-baek's bewildered feelings.
"It's nothing special. I possess a magic artifact that enhances the spiritual nature within my body. With the help of an external divine object, it's only natural."
Swoosh!
The centipede wriggles its many legs, and after a while, pulls out a long pipe from between its carapaces.
"It's a magic artifact called the Immortal Demon Bamboo. Just one inhale enhances spirituality and improves the qualities of a demon race. Master gave me this magic artifact."
"Immortal Demon Bamboo…!?"
Gyu-baek is startled as she watches Hong Fan sucking on the Immortal Demon Bamboo.
It is an item she recognizes.
"As far as I know, that magic artifact helps demon beasts condense their spirituality, but continuous use can lead to toxicity and death by poisoning, which is why its production was banned a long time ago…."
"I guess I have a strong resistance to poison because it doesn't affect me at all."
Whoooosh―
Hong Fan sucks on the bamboo pipe, inhales the smoke, then exhales it again while laughing heartily.
Gyu-baek, watching Hong Fan, is puzzled.
"With your capabilities, you could have easily escaped any restrictions Seo Eun-hyun might have placed and find your freedom. What kind of loyalty keeps you serving Seo Eun-hyun?"
Whooosh―
Laughing, Hong Fan smokes from the pipe again.
"You misunderstand. Master hasn't placed any restrictions on me. It's my choice to call and serve him as my master."
"...?"
"My earliest memory is of naturally climbing onto Master's body, and he accepted me. The exhilarating memories of ascension with Master are still deeply engraved in my mind."
"Is it simply because Seo Eun-hyun took care of you since you were young?"
"No. Around the time I gained spirituality and intelligence, I realized my fate."
"...?"
"I was born to assist and protect Master. I felt that was my fate."
"The Earth Tribe felt fate? Even during the Qi Refining stage?"
"It might be hard to believe, but it's true."
"That's unique… Does Seo Eun-hyun know about this?"
"How could he? Master suddenly went missing during my Qi Refining stage. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Master for decades… Where is Master, and what has he been doing?"
"..."
Faced with Hong Fan's peculiar stream of thought, Gyu-baek feels a sense of oddity.
'I can't understand this Earth Tribe demon beast talking about fate during the Qi Refining stage... And he still follows Seo Hweol, whom he hasn't seen in decades, and calls him master?'
Gyu-baek finds the centipede demon beast, Hong Fan, quite extraordinary.
"When Seo Eun-hyun returns to the Earth Tribe Territory, I'll make sure he explains where he's been. Anyway…"
Gyu-baek points to the cave and asks.
"Seo Eun-hyun mentioned that this cave was originally filled with Core Formation stage spirit fruits and herbs. Did you eat them?"
"Yes, that's correct. Thanks to Master, I've never lacked cultivation resources."
"That Seo Eun-hyun, did he tell you how to disable the barrier before he left?"
"No. I observed the flow of the barrier and figured out how to dismantle the formation myself."
"You figured out how to dismantle the formation yourself…?"
As Gyu-baek converses with Hong Fan, she is convinced.
'This guy has tremendous talent.'
Hong Fan is a genius.
Gyu-baek can't help but be certain of this as she talks with him.
Two months passes.
After meeting Hong Fan, Gyu-baek consumed the spirit medicines prepared by Seo Eun-hyun for Hong Fan and recovered her pure spiritual force.
Meanwhile, Ma Won was preparing to open the pavilion, and Yu Hwa had been investigating Seo Hweol's movements and the overall situation of the Earth Tribe.
During this time,
Seo Eun-hyun finally returned.
"It's been a while."
"Yes, did you manage to accomplish what you intended to do in the Human Race territory?"
"...Not very well, but there were some achievements. Oh, and I'd like to introduce someone."
Behind Seo Eun-hyun, a small, winged figure follows.
***
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