Chapter 63

Roar!

Rongduojian, having absorbed all the power of the monster Biyu, was wildly rejoicing. The grade of the treasure increased by one level, and the shape of the scythe blade and spear shaft changed slightly.

Moreover, a surging natural force was overflowing from Rongduojian. It seemed to be at least twice as much as before.

Considering the natural force absorbed into his body, the result far exceeded his expectations.

'If this is the case... I need to continue slaying monsters and obtaining natural force until I get that thing.'

With this thought, Youshenyun naturally turned his gaze to Biyu's corpse.

'If I had used my full strength from the beginning, it wouldn't have been easy.'

In fact, the monster Biyu was a very powerful enemy objectively. His physical abilities were outstanding, and he could use a wide-area fire attribute skill powered by natural force.

The opponent's only mistake was one.

He arrogantly ignored Youshenyun and the undead summons.

'The next monsters I encounter won't be this easy.'

Thud, thud.

Youshenyun took a step closer to Biyu's corpse.

Swish!

He raised Rongduojian high.

'Certainly, each part of a monster's corpse is a treasure to a blacksmith.'

Since he couldn't take the entire corpse to the blacksmith, he planned to neatly cut out the parts and store them in a temporary dimension.

Then Rongduojian drew a circle and moved downward.

No, just as it was about to move downward.

Crack!

'...Wait a moment.'

Youshenyun suddenly stopped Rongduojian in mid-air, a serious expression on his face as he fell into deep thought. He then retracted Rongduojian.

Swoosh.

He gently placed his hand on Biyu's corpse.

'Well, there's no harm in trying...'

Soon, dark mana began to boil up from his body.

He cast a skill.

"Revive."

The moment his words ended.

Whoosh! Roar!

A magic circle began to form on the ground where Biyu's corpse lay.

'It works!'

Youshenyun rejoiced inwardly.

The Revive skill he had used on the Vampire Lord and Basilisk was also effective on Biyu.

A sudden thought flashed through his mind.

- Perhaps monsters can be treated as monsters?

The moment this suspicion was confirmed.

Dark mana began to endlessly seep into Biyu's corpse, which had been charred by lightning. Finally, a new form began to emerge from within.

[Skill, 'Revive' has resurrected the 'Flame Serpent Monster, Biyu'.]

[The 'Flame Serpent Monster, Biyu' has been added to the player's summon list.]

Kiee!

Biyu, reborn with pitch-black scales, let out a roar.

Youshenyun, confirming that Biyu had successfully become his summon, immediately checked Biyu's stat window.

[Flame Serpent Monster, Biyu]

Level: 68

Trait: Great Monster (S+), King of Crawling Things (S+)

Abilities: Scorching Heat, Drought

Natural Force: -(Same as the owner's natural force)

Strength: 463, Agility: 481, Vitality: 440, Spirit: 460

- The summoner's 'natural force' is essential for the summoning and maintenance of the summon.

Youshenyun's lips curled upward as he reviewed the incredible stats and detailed abilities.

A summon that didn't fall short of the Vampire Lord and Basilisk.

No, in some aspects, it even surpassed them.

To think he had almost used such a creature as mere weapon material...

He would have regretted it deeply.

Whoosh!

Just then, Biyu began to move his heavy body and charge at Youshenyun. The Vampire Lord and Basilisk immediately tried to follow, but Youshenyun raised a hand to stop them.

The creature, now close to Youshenyun, lowered its head near him.

And in the next moment.

Squish.

Biyu flicked his tongue and acted affectionately.

Despite the fact that this creature had just tried to take his life, Youshenyun was not at all flustered and stroked its head.

The master-servant relationship established by the Revive skill was absolute.

A familiar scene for a necromancer.

Having confirmed Biyu's loyalty, Youshenyun then began to reverse-summon all his summons, including Biyu.

Whoosh!

Swoosh!

He wanted to see Biyu's abilities in action, but he couldn't afford to waste more time here.

'It's time to leave.'

Because the members of the Jeongun Pavilion were waiting outside.

Youshenyun, now alone, looked around the cave. Then, for some reason, he tilted his head.

'Hmm! According to the Blood Sect's report, the barrier should naturally dissolve and the door should reappear about an hour after the monster is slain...'

However, an hour had already passed.

No matter how he searched, the door that had disappeared did not reappear. The space remained empty.

Was it because he had summoned other summons after entering?

Or because he had made Biyu his limb?

Deep in thought, he suddenly had an idea.

'...If the flow of history is different, it means there's something hidden here.'

With this thought, Youshenyun approached the cave wall. He placed one hand on the wall and closed his eyes.

Whoosh!

Youshenyun, once again drawing on his natural force, focused all his energy on his hand, just as he had when descending the cliff.

Naturally, his natural force began to flow into the wall.

'I can feel it.'

The interior of the wall, swept by his natural force, was as clear as if he had seen it with his eyes. Youshenyun, without removing his hand from the wall, continued to walk along it.

After a short while.

Crack.

Youshenyun finally stopped.

'Here!'

He placed both hands on the wall and poured his natural force into it.

Then.

Crash! Grind!

To his amazement, the wall crumbled, revealing a hidden space.

Youshenyun entered without hesitation.

As he squeezed through the narrow passage, he couldn't hide his excitement.

If this was the usual flow, the end of the passage would contain the corpse of a sage and a secret manual.

Given the sage's skill, as he had felt while passing through the gate of the Wansang Cave, the manual would certainly contain a method to solve the Blood Mist Formation.

Finally, Youshenyun reached the end of the passage.

A small space, about the size of a room, appeared.

'Huh?'

But the interior was different from what he had expected.

There was no corpse, no manual, nothing.

Just another empty cave.

'...Is there another hidden place here?'

Youshenyun, tilting his head, began to carefully examine the interior.

Just then.

- Tsk, tsk, no need to busy yourself like a rat searching for food. There's no corpse of a skeleton anywhere here.

A strange voice suddenly echoed in his ear.

Youshenyun, not flustered, immediately assumed a combat stance and searched for the source of the voice. But he could not sense any living presence in any direction.

Swoosh.

"..."

At that moment, a pale mist began to rise and form a shape in front of Youshenyun.

Taking a step back, Youshenyun, drawing all his energy, watched the mysterious entity.

The mist formed into a human shape.

An old man with a long white beard under his chin, thick caterpillar eyebrows, and a stubbornly pursed mouth, revealing his mischievous nature.

Just as Youshenyun was about to speak, the old man addressed him.

- Hmm, you're from another world, they say. Your appearance is just like ours.

"..."

Youshenyun, realizing that the old man knew he was a reincarnated being, could not hide his surprise.

But he quickly calmed himself and tried to guess the old man's identity.

"Are you... Wansangja?"

- You already know, so why ask?

Wansangja answered his question.

Youshenyun, not expecting this situation, could not hide his surprise.

Just then, Wansangja, staring intently at Youshenyun, clicked his tongue and spoke.

- Tsk! I read the celestial signs and saw that leaving a corpse behind would bring disaster. I almost ended up serving a young man in my old age.

Wansangja, knowing Youshenyun's power, gave a bitter laugh.

'I don't feel any hostility.'

But it didn't seem like he viewed Youshenyun as an enemy.

On the contrary, there was a hint of pity in Wansangja's gaze.

Wansangja spoke in a low voice.

- ...I don't like the way you toy with the dead, but to overthrow a greater evil, it can't be helped.

Suddenly, Wansangja extended a hand toward Youshenyun.

Youshenyun, unsure of the situation, hesitated, and Wansangja, in an irritated voice, said.

- Don't you want it? Then it's fine...

Thud.

Before Wansangja could finish, Youshenyun grabbed his hand.

Wansangja, for the first time, smiled.

'Ugh!'

Whoosh!

Wansangja's energy began to flow into Youshenyun through their clasped hands. Youshenyun closed his eyes and focused on accepting the energy.

- I am a genius who may or may not appear in a thousand years. It's impossible for an ordinary person, a mere novice in formations, to reach the end of my studies alone. Therefore, I will divide my knowledge and give it to you.

Wansangja continued.

- First, I will give you the power to break all the formations in this world.

At that moment, a system message appeared before Youshenyun's eyes.

[The will of 'Wansangja' has been bestowed upon the player.]

[New skill, 'Formation Break (SS)' has been acquired.]

Surprisingly, the power Wansangja gave to Youshenyun was converted into an SS-grade skill.

This was the best outcome for Youshenyun.

Learning about formations from books would have taken an unknown amount of time.

And Wansangja left one more thing behind.

[Secret manual, 'Wansang Secret Record' has been acquired.]

- And this secret manual, containing all my studies on mechanisms and formations, I entrust to someone who can match my talent in formations.

Someone who could match Wansangja's talent in formations.

A figure came to Youshenyun's mind.

As the energy stabilized and Youshenyun opened his eyes, Wansangja's form had vanished.

- Entrusting the future of the world to a stranger from another world... I feel truly apologetic. But I hope you will reach out to the innocent people of the world, just as you saved your comrades by passing through the gates...

Wansangja's final words echoed in Youshenyun's mind.

'I won't let you down. I will stop the Blood Sect.'

Youshenyun repeated these words to himself, pondering Wansangja's words.

Crash! Crash!

Suddenly, the cave began to shake as if it had completed its mission.

Whoosh!

Youshenyun used his light movement technique to escape back to the original cave.

The door, which had appeared when he entered, was now visible.

Creak!

Youshenyun opened the door and stepped outside.

"Lord Guozhu!"

The four members of the Jeongun Pavilion rushed to greet him simultaneously.

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