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

Hwang Ung enjoys a blissful routine as the sovereign of Ascension Forest.

Having reached the peak of Core Formation long ago while pursuing the Nascent Soul realm, he consumed a few peculiarly scented humans who plummeted into Ascension Forest a century prior, thereby seizing a vital chance to advance his cultivation.

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

Because of this, seventy years back, Hwang Ung shattered his realm barriers to enter Nascent Soul and acquired the ability to assume a human shape via Transformation.

Following that, he forced the spirit beasts of Ascension Forest to submit and gathered rare spirit herbs as offerings from fellow demon beasts, spending those seventy years to stabilize early Nascent Soul before advancing to mid Nascent Soul, where he manifested the Yin-Yang Spirit and attained mastery over its free division and fusion.

These days, his human transformation has refined further, so from the outside, he simply appears as a plump fellow covered in abundant hair.

In the guise of a stout male figure sporting catfish whiskers and draped in a yellow robe, Hwang Ung gazes at his image in the stream once more and grins with delight.

"Truly, a Transformation shape ought to boast a sturdy frame like this. Heh heh, I'm pleased every time I check it out."

After feasting on demon beasts over the recent winter period, he pats his rounded, full belly with contentment as he heads toward the boundary of Ascension Forest.

Hwioooooo—

A gust of desert sand sweeps across Hwang Ung's face 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 high above in a far-off ancient era.

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

"The verdant area keeps expanding."

Hwang Ung surveys the spots where fresh green weeds have emerged and licks his lips.

The life-sustaining domain of Ascension Forest steadily broadens its reach.

Hwang Ung remembers 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, who harnessed the dragon veins of an endlessly sprawling nation to bind some sacred artifact. However, due to the Immortal wars in a legendary epoch, the artifact was yanked elsewhere, leaving the sealing array without purpose and causing it to unravel bit by bit... The Sky Island touched down on the ground...as the array fueled by a whole nation's dragon veins dissolved, those veins slowly flowed back to their rightful spots.'

Across eons from antiquity to the present, the lush territory of Ascension Island has progressively enlarged.

Assuming the lore Hwang Ung recalls is accurate, as the sealing array confining the sacred item in Ascension Forest disintegrated, the dragon veins forming that array reverted to their origins, sparking this expansion.

'And since the vast Heaven-Treading Desert hasn't fully revived yet, it suggests the dragon veins haven't all returned home.'

Hwang Ung smirks broadly.

'It's been seventy years already since I hit Nascent Soul. Given my aptitude, I'll climb to Nascent Soul's pinnacle! But hitting Heavenly Being remains uncertain. Thus, to boost my odds of reaching Heavenly Being...if I locate the unreleased dragon veins scattered across Ascension Forest and draw in their essence...my breakthrough chances will soar!'

Thrilled by his ambitious scheme, Hwang Ung bursts into a booming laugh, then envelops himself in flames and lifts off into the air.

That's when it happens.

"Huh? Wait, what's this—could that be a meal delivery!?"

Spotting a band of humans trekking in from the distant Heaven-Treading Desert, Hwang Ung ducks into the foliage, licks his chops, and starts reverting to his true shape.

Grrrr...

Hwang Ung strokes his coat and darts out his tongue.

"I was getting peckish anyway, so this timing's spot on. But they don't seem like cultivators—no spiritual power from any of them... Eh, doesn't matter. Humans are a treat, so even ordinary folk make a fine snack!"

Soon enough, the cluster of humans enters Ascension Forest, murmuring to one another as though hunting for a specific item.

Observing them, Hwang Ung senses an odd vibe.

'What's going on here? They aren't cultivators...so why is the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy stirring so threateningly?'

Demon beasts can't sense celestial phenomena like humans do, but they sharpen their survival instincts via the ripples in Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

'No unusual spiritual surges stand out...could a powerful expert be concealing their level? Nah. Even masked realms can't hide scents. This isn't the aura of a Heavenly Being stage master.'

Though foes might cloak their spiritual energy, Hwang Ung wields a demonic sense to gauge opponents' realms by their distinctive odors.

Especially after entering Nascent Soul, that demonic sense hit its zenith, granting him top-tier prowess in assessing foes' strengths.

Thanks to it, whenever he caught whiffs of superior experts, he'd either bolt to safety or grovel and fawn to stay alive.

Yet even Hwang Ung's demonic sense detects no hidden powerhouse here.

'Maybe they've got some odd treasure or charm? Lately, some fresh demon beasts mentioned a hot event called the Talisman War between a human nation and sea demons... Could it be like the Naming Family charms from that Talisman War?'

As Hwang Ung ponders this,

The black-clad human party already places 'Black King Earth Stone Stele' markers across Ascension Forest.

Hwang Ung lacks the full scoop, but he grasps that this marks a phase in humans claiming territory as theirs.

'This turf's mine, marked by my own scent...those cheeky human fools...!'

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

Wary of the foreboding spiritual ripples, Hwang Ung drops his Transformation right away, unleashes his full might, and unleashes a thunderous bellow.

"You worthless human scum...how dare you stake a stele in whose domain!? This is my turf! Scram now!!"

Kururung!

Hwang Ung's roar makes the earth quake, sends flocks of birds scattering skyward from every corner of Ascension Forest, and prompts lesser demon beasts to panic and bolt the other way.

Brown flames erupt along Hwang Ung's fur, soon shifting to a golden hue.

And at this display, a figure seeming to lead the humans advances.

"Tch...an uppity creature causing chaos. You must be the one Her Majesty mentioned, right?"

Makli Hu-gi, a rising star from the Makli Clan's youth and a bright prospect, channels clan prestige from the talisman plaque granted by Makli Hyun-ah.

"This section of Ascension Forest's terrain was approved for our development by Byeokra's cultivation clans and sects! We're tasked with crushing any obstructive wild 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'll take down this meddlesome beast blocking our way!"

And right then,

Tudududududuk!

Power ebbs from Hwang Ung's entire frame, and beneath the crushing weight blanketing the zone, he buckles and kneels helplessly.

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

Not just the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy—even the demonic essence within Hwang Ung succumbs to the suppression.

"This...what trickery is this...!? You human vermin—!"

Yet as his demonic power wanes, Hwang Ung finds his savage urges fading and his mind sharpening, enabling a calm breakdown of the spell.

'It curbs the wild instincts tied to demonic power. Some kind of Beast Taming art? No, a true Beast Taming wouldn't stifle the whole area's Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. I can't muster demonic power even if I try. Is my mind intact? Yeah, my thoughts remain mostly clear. Not totally, though... The relative freedom of my mind hints at a way out via mental focus.'

Hwang Ung eyes the humans encircling him with raised spears, and his gaze sharpens.

"Human trash...looking closer, you're no mere mortals. Cultivators, all of you. But your spiritual power's bottled up just like mine, right? What foolish move is this? Think a person can fell a bear bare-handed? Relying on those puny tools?"

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

That's plain truth.

Sure, arm a human with a lengthy spear against a bear, and it might turn thrilling.

But only if the bear lacks wits.

Budududududuk...!

Hwang Ung summons force from his swollen muscles, yanks up a nearby tree by the roots, snaps off the twigs in a flash, and hones the tip into a spear.

"Spiritual power or not, I'm still a bear. You figure I can't slaughter humans? Bring it, you pests!"

Kwaang, kwaang!

Hwang Ung whirls the towering tree trunk with ease and barrels savagely at the armed humans.

Oddly, though, the spearmen dodge his every lash nimbly, slice into Hwang Ung's improvised weapon with their blades, and close in tight.

Hwang Ung spots the azure glow on their spears and swords, and his eyes flash.

'I've heard humans have these so-called martial artists...folks wielding might akin to ours. It checks out, but with Heaven and Earth spiritual energy locked down, how do they channel that stuff?'

Hwang Ung scrutinizes them intently, and soon uncovers the trick.

"Heh heh...I see now. A clever workaround."

Hwang Ung discards the splintering tree as the humans chip it away, tenses every muscle to signal his body, and unleashes his restrained primal fury with full force.

[Kwoooooooooo!]

Simultaneously, Hwang Ung's mental realm squeezes from a spherical blob into a form mirroring his own.

Enveloping his frame with this mental realm lets Hwang Ung access portions of his demonic power once more.

Kwaaaang!

Hwang Ung's paw strike rocks the soil, sending tremors through peaks, waters, flora, and foliage alike.

Unlike humans, demon race minds morph into self-like shapes when activating demonic arts.

And upon hitting Nascent Soul, that mental realm evolves uniquely.

Kugugugugu!

With the inner Nascent Soul as core, the demon race's mental realm transforms into a dharma form.

Through Core Formation, a demon's mental realm merely mimics the body; but from Transformation onward, it embodies the demon's envisioned 'ideal' self, guiding the beast toward it.

The mental realm hovering over Hwang Ung morphs into a dharma form: a golden bear clad in yellow armor.

As the golden bear's dharma form forms a hand sign, four hues of bears erupt from Hwang Ung's shadow and charge the humans.

The Blue Bear, Red Bear, Black Bear, and White Bear assault the martial humans ferociously, overwhelming them.

Watching this, Makli Hu-gi musters every scrap of clan prestige he can, yet grasps he can't handle Hwang Ung alone.

"Ugh, my skills are too weak to fully tap Your Highness's might! Your Highness!"

That's when it strikes.

Dark radiance bursts from Makli Hu-gi's talisman plaque, shrouding his form in shadow, from which a stunning-faced individual emerges.

At that vision, Hwang Ung startles, eyes bulging.

'That woman's...gotta be the one I let slide 'cause that Heavenly Being senior marked her back then...! She was just mortal-level then! What's with this dire spiritual ripple? And that trick of possessing another's body to manifest—needs at least Core Formation to pull off... Did she hit Core Formation? In a mere century?'

Hwang Ung's mind races.

'That Heavenly Being senior ascended, and I'm a Transformation demon now. Killing her wouldn't draw easy revenge. But...that senior left a specific mark, and she's this freak who surged to Core Formation in a hundred years. Plus, this eerie spiritual vibe and the weird force clamping Heaven and Earth spiritual energy...'

Quickly, he decides. 

'No clue what dark art she snagged. Better flee for now. Scout her powers, then strike later without—'

Tudududududu!

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

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

"K...uuuugh...!"

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

'Wh-What force is this?'

Unlike Makli Hu-gi's broad-area crush, the Makli Hyun-ah manifesting before Hwang Ung targets pressure precisely to one zone.

"Gu.aaaaaaaah...!"

Hwang Ung howls and starts pushing up from his spot.

By focusing demonic power and savagery, channeling mental strength, he manages some resistance.

"Suppress my demonic power all you want—I'm demon race, you're human. Think you can bridge our bodily gap!!?? "

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

'Meant to save it for my Heavenly Being push...but no choice!'

Kurururung!

Hwang Ung's dharma form blazes intensely, then its yellow armor cracks and begins devouring earth's vitality.

Hwang Ung links to Ascension Forest's dragon veins, surging with boundless vigor.

[Right now, I'm one with this land's Earth God!]

Defying the mysterious clamp on Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, Hwang Ung stamps down hard.

Urururuung!

Quakes erupt, jarring all of Ascension Forest.

Yet Makli Hyun-ah merely smirks at the chaos and lifts her whip.

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

At once, Makli Hyun-ah cracks the whip.

The black-energy-laced lash whips across Hwang Ung's hide in a blink.

Hwang Ung scoffs.

"A pathetic lash without spiritual or demonic infusion...think it'll scratch me!?"

Tudududududu!

Battling the force, Hwang Ung creeps toward Makli Hyun-ah step by step.

Whiiik, smack, smack!

All the while, Makli Hyun-ah keeps lashing the whip at Hwang Ung, intensifying the pressure steadily.

Hwang Ung's feet dig trenches into the soil, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual energy squeezes fiercer, leaving low-realm demon beasts rooted and unable to rise.

Kung, kung, kung, kung!

And at last,

Hwang Ung closes the gap to stand before Makli Hyun-ah.

"Heh heh heh, back then I spared you 'cause Heavenly Being seniors hadn't ascended yet, but now, slaying you brings no hassle."

One swing to pulp her skull, and Makli Hyun-ah dies on impact.

But Makli Hyun-ah meets Hwang Ung's stare with calm poise and a soft laugh.

"Your wits have dulled so badly—clearly it's working. Forgetting I'm just an incarnation, not the true self, haven't you spotted the oddity yet?"

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

Only now does Hwang Ung register the anomaly.

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

'So the ground didn't sink in