A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation Chapter 829 Chapter 826: Side Story - Nation Founding (4)

As the sovereign of Ascension Forest, Hwang Ung revels in a blissful routine every day.

Having long achieved the pinnacle of Core Formation and yearning for Nascent Soul, he consumed a handful of peculiarly scented humans who plummeted into Ascension Forest a century back, thereby seizing a vital chance to surge forward in his cultivation.

Though he nearly perished that very day under assaults from Heavenly Being stage experts, enduring those strikes turned into an unexpected boon, allowing him to smoothly assimilate the extraordinary physiques of the humans he had devoured then.

Because of this, seventy years prior, Hwang Ung shattered his realm barriers to enter Nascent Soul and mastered the art of shifting into human shape via Transformation.

Following that, he compelled the spiritual beings of Ascension Forest to bow down and gathered myriad rare spiritual herbs as offerings from fellow demon beasts, and across those seven decades, he fortified his initial Nascent Soul phase and, advancing to the mid Nascent Soul level, manifested the Yin-Yang Spirit while ascending to a domain where he could effortlessly divide and reunite it.

These days, his human guise has fully ripened, so from the outside, he simply appears as a plump fellow covered in abundant hair.

Shifting into a male figure sporting catfish-like whiskers and draped in a yellow robe, Hwang Ung gazes at his image in the flowing stream once more and beams with delight.

"Truly, a Transformation shape ought to boast a sturdy frame like this. Heh heh, I find it pleasing every time I check."

After feasting on demon beasts over the recent winter period, he pats his rounded, stuffed abdomen with glee as he strides toward the boundary of Ascension Forest.

Hwioooooo—

A gust laden with desert sand sweeps across Hwang Ung's features from Ascension Forest's fringe.

Ascension Forest.

Known also as Ascension Path or Ascension Island.

This enigmatic territory is rumored to have originated as a Sky Island hovering amid the heavens during a far-off ancient era.

Yet for unknown causes, the Sky Island slowly descended from the firmament to the earth, and now it stands as a vibrant expanse nestled amid the desert wastes.

"The verdant territory keeps expanding."

Hwang Ung surveys the spots where pale green grasses have begun to emerge and licks his lips thoughtfully.

The scope of this vital domain dubbed Ascension Forest steadily broadens.

Hwang Ung reflects on the ancient tale of Ascension Forest passed down since his father's era.

'Long ago, legend holds that Ascension Island served as a sealing array crafted by a Lightning Immortal, harnessing the dragon veins of an endlessly sprawling realm to bind a sacred artifact. However, amid the clashes of Immortals in a legendary epoch, the sacred artifact was yanked elsewhere, and with nothing left to contain, the sealing array began to unravel on its own... The Sky Island plummeted to the surface...the array fueled by a whole nation's dragon veins dissolved, and gradually, those veins flowed back to their primal origins.'

Across eons from antiquity to the present, the lush expanse of Ascension Island has progressively swelled.

Should the lore Hwang Ung recalls hold true, as the sealing array enclosing the sacred artifact within Ascension Forest disintegrated, the dragon veins composing it reverted to their innate paths, sparking this very expansion.

'And since the vast Heaven-Treading Desert hasn't fully revived yet, it suggests the dragon veins remain incomplete in their return.'

Hwang Ung smirks broadly.

'Seventy years have flown by since I attained Nascent Soul. Given my aptitude, hitting the peak of Nascent Soul is within grasp! Yet ascending to Heavenly Being remains uncertain. Thus, to boost my odds of breaking into Heavenly Being...if I locate the lingering dragon veins scattered across Ascension Forest and draw in their essence...my prospects for Heavenly Being will soar!'

Thrilled by his ambitious scheme, Hwang Ung chuckles deeply to himself and launches skyward, enveloped in roaring flames.

It is then.

"Eh? Wait, what's this? Isn't that a ready meal!?"

Hwang Ung spots a band of humans trekking in from the distant Heaven-Treading Desert, ducks behind the foliage, and starts reverting to his true shape while licking his chops.

Grrrr...

Hwang Ung strokes his coat and darts out his tongue.

"I happened to be famished, so this timing is ideal. But they don't seem like cultivators? I sense zero spiritual power from any of them... No matter. Humans are a gourmet treat, so even ordinary folk make fine snacks!"

Soon enough, the cluster of humans entering Ascension Forest murmur to one another, as though hunting for a particular item.

Observing them, Hwang Ung detects an odd vibe.

'What's going on here? They clearly aren't cultivators...so why does the ambient Heaven and Earth spiritual energy thrum with such menace?'

Demon beasts lack the Human Race's knack for divining celestial signs, yet they sharpen their primal senses via the pulses of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

'No unusual spiritual energy surges stand out...could a powerhouse be masking their cultivation? Unlikely. Even concealed realms can't mask their aura. This isn't the aura of a Heavenly Being stage elder.'

Even should the foes cloak their spiritual energy, Hwang Ung wields a demonic talent to gauge their levels by the scents unique to each realm.

In particular, upon hitting Nascent Soul, that demonic talent hit its zenith, granting him top-tier prowess in assessing foes' strengths.

Ever since, whenever Hwang Ung caught whiffs of superior realm experts, he evaded doom by fleeing swiftly to cover or by groveling and currying favor on his own.

Yet even Hwang Ung's demonic talent fails to pick up any veiled realms here.

'Perhaps they carry some exotic dharma treasure or talisman? Lately, I quizzed some fresh demon beasts, and they mentioned a Talisman War event buzzing between a Human Race kingdom and sea demon beasts... Could it relate to the Naming Family talisman from that Talisman War?'

As Hwang Ung ponders briefly.

The black-clad human party arriving in Ascension Forest has already erected stone markers termed 'Black King Earth Stone Stele' across the expanse of Ascension Forest.

Hwang Ung lacks the full particulars, but he grasps that this forms part of the Human Race's ritual to claim territory as their own.

'This domain bears my mark, my domain...those brazen human fools...!'

Witnessing this, fury ignites in Hwang Ung's gaze, and he advances boldly to expose himself.

Wary of the threatening spiritual energy ripples, Hwang Ung discards his Transformation right away, unleashes his utmost might, and bellows fiercely.

"You worthless Human Race scum...in whose domain do you presume to erect a stele!? This is my turf! Scram immediately!!"

Kururung!

With Hwang Ung's roar, the earth quakes throughout, flocks of birds scatter skyward from every corner of Ascension Forest, and frail demon beasts bolt wildly in retreat.

Hwang Ung's pelt ignites in a tawny inferno, soon shifting to a gleaming gold.

And upon this display, a figure seeming to lead the Human Race contingent steps forth.

"Tch...a presumptuous creature is causing chaos. You must be the one Her Majesty mentioned, right at first sight?"

Makli Hu-gi, a rising prodigy of the Makli Clan and a fresh hopeful, channels imperial might from the talisman plaque bestowed by Makli Hyun-ah.

"This section of Ascension Forest's terrain has been granted for our development by Byeokra's cultivator clans and sects! We've been tasked to crush any obstructing feral beast hindering the mighty Makli Clan's progress, so under the decree of the Makli Clan's Darkness Queen, Her Highness Makli Hyun-ah, I shall subdue this meddlesome beast impeding our work!"

And in that instant,

Tudududududuk!

Power ebbs from Hwang Ung's frame entirely, and beneath the crushing weight permeating the whole zone, he buckles to his knees inescapably.

'Wh-What...what sorcery is this...!? The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy is getting crushed?'

Not just the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, but Hwang Ung's inner demonic power faces suppression too.

"This...what manner of trickery is this...!? You Human Race vermin—!"

Yet as his demonic power wanes under restraint, Hwang Ung senses his savage instincts fade and his mind sharpen, prompting a measured dissection of the technique.

'It curbs the wild essence tied to demonic power. Some Beast Taming art? No, a true Beast Taming wouldn't stifle the area's entire Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. Even summoning demonic power yields nothing. Is my mind intact? My mind remains mostly unbound. Though not utterly free... The relative liberty of my mind hints at an escape via mental channels.'

Hwang Ung eyes the encircling humans brandishing spears around him, and a spark lights in his stare.

"Human scum...now I see, you're no mere mortals. You're all cultivators. But as cultivators, your spiritual power suffers the same clamp as mine, doesn't it? What foolish gamble is this? Think a human can topple a bear sans spells? Relying on those pitiful arms?"

In a clash between human and bear, the bear prevails.

That's plain truth.

Surely, with a lengthy weapon versus bear, it might spark a thrilling bout.

But only if the bear lacks cunning.

Budududududuk...!

Hwang Ung summons force from his swollen sinews, yanks a close tree free by the roots, snaps off its twigs in a flash, and hones its tip to a point like a lance.

"Spiritual power or not, I'm still a bear. Believe I can't slay humans? Charge me, you pests!"

Kwaang, kwaang!

Hwang Ung whirls the towering tree surpassing his stature with abandon and barrels savagely at the spear-armed humans.

Yet oddly, the spear-bearers dart nimbly, evade each tree sweep from Hwang Ung, slice into his makeshift club with their weapons, and close in relentlessly.

Hwang Ung beholds the azure glow cladding the humans' spears and blades, and his gaze sharpens.

'Among humans, tales speak of martial artists...I've heard of those wielding might akin to ours, and indeed it proves true, but with Heaven and Earth spiritual energy quelled, how do they channel such force?'

Hwang Ung scrutinizes them intently, and shortly uncovers the truth.

"Heh heh...ah, I get it now. A clever workaround."

Hwang Ung discards the splintering tree felled by the humans, signals through his tensed muscles across his form, and unleashes his restrained primal fury with full vigor.

[Kwoooooooooo!]

Simultaneously, Hwang Ung's mental realm shrinks from spherical to a contour mirroring his own shape.

Enveloping his frame with this mental realm, Hwang Ung perceives a fraction of his demonic power becoming accessible.

Kwaaaang!

Hwang Ung's forelimb crash sends tremors through the soil, with peaks, waters, flora, and foliage all quivering.

Unlike the Human Race, Demon Race minds morph into self-like forms when invoking demonic arts.

And upon the mental realm hitting Nascent Soul, it evolves distinctly.

Kugugugugu!

With the inner Nascent Soul as core, the Demon Race's mental realm transmutes into what's termed a dharma form.

Through Core Formation, the Demon Race's mental realm merely approximates the body's likeness, but starting from Transformation, it embodies the 'ideal' vision the demon beast harbors, drawing the beast toward that perfection.

The mental realm hovering over Hwang Ung's figure assumes a dharma form, shifting to a gilded bear clad in yellow plating.

As the gilded bear's dharma form forms a gesture, four-hued bears erupt from Hwang Ung's silhouette and charge the humans.

The Blue Bear, Red Bear, Black Bear, and White Bear assault the martial arts-practicing Human Race with ferocity, overwhelming the foes.

Beholding this, Makli Hu-gi summons maximal imperial might, yet grasps he can't readily overpower Hwang Ung.

"Ugh, my depth is insufficient to fully harness Your Highness's strength! Your Highness!"

It is then.

Obsidian radiance erupts from Makli Hu-gi's talisman plaque, shrouding his body in shadow, and from its depths, a stunning-faced individual emerges.

At that apparition, Hwang Ung recoils in shock, his eyes bulging.

'That woman...she's surely the one I spared due to that Heavenly Being stage elder's imprint long ago...! Back then, she was mere mortal tier! What causes this dire spiritual energy surge? And that prior technique, possessing another's form to manifest—it demands at least Core Formation... Has she climbed to Core Formation? In a mere century?'

Hwang Ung spins his thoughts frantically.

'That Heavenly Being stage elder has ascended, and I've become a Transformation stage demon beast. Slaying her now would invite minimal backlash. But...that elder deliberately imprinted her, and atop that, she's surged to Core Formation in under a hundred years. Plus this menacing spiritual energy ripple and the bizarre force quelling Heaven and Earth spiritual energy...'

Swiftly, he reaches a firm resolve. 

'I can't fathom her foul magic. Best to flee for now. Flee, probe her arts further, and strike later without—'

Tudududududu!

Just as Hwang Ung positions his conjured four-colored bears as barriers and attempts to vault skyward in escape.

A colossal force slams down on Hwang Ung, yanking his airborne form back to crash and kneel upon landing.

"K...uuuugh...!"

The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy bears down wildly, hauling Hwang Ung to crumple alongside it,

'Wh-What force is this?'

Differing from Makli Hu-gi's broad-area crush, the Makli Hyun-ah manifesting before Hwang Ung expertly focuses the force on pinpoint zones.

"Gu.aaaaaaaah...!"

Hwang Ung cries out and starts pushing up from his spot.

By channeling demonic power and savagery, by tapping mental might, he manages partial defiance.

"Suppress my demonic power all you want, I'm Demon Race and you're Human Race. Figure you can bridge our bodily gap!!??"

Hwang Ung's cry thunders, rattling hills, rivers, plants, and woods.

'I planned to save it for my Heavenly Being breakthrough...but no choice!'

Kurururung!

Hwang Ung's dharma form blazes intensely, then the yellow plating on the dharma form cracks apart and begins devouring the ground's vitality.

Hwang Ung links to Ascension Forest's dragon veins, sensing boundless vigor flooding in.

[In this instant, I rival this land's Earth God!]

Hwang Ung stamps down while countering the nameless force stifling Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

Urururuung!

A quake erupts, and the entirety of Ascension Forest commences shuddering.

Yet facing this, Makli Hyun-ah smirks instead and lifts her whip.

"This plays right into my hands. I'd already resolved to bind you, unfit for your role, as an Earth God, and you've proclaimed it yourself."

Right then, Makli Hyun-ah lashes the whip.

The whip, coiled in dark aura, whips across Hwang Ung's hide in a blink.

Hwang Ung scoffs derisively.

"A pathetic lash like that, devoid of spiritual or demonic essence...think it'll faze me!?"

Tudududududu!

Defying the force, Hwang Ung inches toward Makli Hyun-ah steadily.

Whiiik, smack, smack!

Amid the fray, Makli Hyun-ah keeps flogging the whip at Hwang Ung, and the force intensifies progressively.

Hwang Ung's limbs carve furrows deep into the soil, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual energy squeezes fiercer, leaving low-realm demon beasts unable to rise where they stand.

Kung, kung, kung, kung!

And at last,

Hwang Ung arrives directly before Makli Hyun-ah.

"Kuhuhuh, that time I spared you since the Heavenly Being stage elders hadn't ascended yet, but now, killing you brings no issues?"

Should Hwang Ung swing to pulverize her skull thus, Makli Hyun-ah perishes on the spot.

However, Makli Hyun-ah regards Hwang Ung with calm poise and emits a soft laugh.

"Your wits have dulled so thoroughly; it clearly works. Beyond overlooking that I'm not the true form, haven't you spotted the oddity yet?"

"Kekeke...what drivel are you...huh...?"

And at that point, Hwang Ung finally perceives the anomaly.

His gaze aligns level with Makli Hyun-ah's.

'So it's not that the earth sank in