TBISF 14

Chapter: 14

 Sticking a Straw into the Domain of the Yomok King

“Will it be okay?”

Indeok looked at Ganghyeon with an uneasy expression.

“It’ll be fine. The Yomok King has its roots in the forest, and the Fire Dragon doesn’t leave the volcanic crater.”

“But still…”

In the end, Ganghyeon decided to confirm the existence that held powerful wood-attribute spiritual energy.
After that, he would decide whether to continue cultivating with the help of that energy or leave far away.

So, after leaving the eastern part of Yangwonchil and traveling for about three months, they finally found the Yomok King and the Fire Dragon.

“I need the wood-attribute spiritual energy coming from the Yomok King’s forest. Of course, if we enter the forest, which is the Yomok King’s domain, we might end up in serious danger.”

“Then can’t you just give up on being greedy?”

“That’s why I’m saying we settle at the boundary between the Fire Dragon’s domain and the Yomok King’s domain. And since this place is far from the center, there shouldn’t be any big problems.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And I don’t plan to enter the Yomok King’s forest myself.”

“Then? Huh? Don’t tell me you’re going to send the monster tree?”

Indeok’s eyes lit up as if he had guessed Ganghyeon’s plan.

“Yes. That’s exactly it. I’ll send the treant into the Yomok King’s forest and let it mix in with the Yomok trees under its control.”

“Won’t it get noticed?”

“It’ll be fine. I checked. Not all the trees in the forest are directly connected to the Yomok King. They’re under its control, but they’re not all linked together.”

“Really?”

“I’m sure. Also, it’s common for the Yomok trees in the forest to fight and even eat each other.”

“What? In the Yomok King’s forest, they eat each other?”

“That means there are gaps. It seems the Yomok King doesn’t manage each tree individually.”

“Then what’s the point of such a huge forest?”

“To maintain dense wood-attribute spiritual energy. It’s better to form a group like this rather than standing alone. And right now, it’s fighting the Fire Dragon from the volcano.”

“Ah, I get it. The Fire Dragon attacks the Yomok King using the volcano’s power, so the Yomok King gathers the power of the trees to fight back?”

“Wood is absolutely disadvantaged against fire. Even so, they’re evenly matched. That might mean the Yomok King is stronger than the Fire Dragon.”

“Or it could just be barely holding on because there are so many trees.”

“Well, that’s possible too. But that’s none of my concern.”

“So you’ll send your monster tree into the forest, absorb wood spiritual energy, and eat other Yomok trees at the same time?”

“That’s right. With only early Qi Condensation, fourth layer strength, we have to start from the outskirts. Still, if it eats small Yomok trees, it’ll grow quickly.”

“And we stay on the outer edge of the volcanic area?”

“Yes. As long as we don’t do anything, the Fire Dragon won’t care about us. And the Yomok King won’t even know we’re there.”

“Hmm. Then it’s worth trying. It doesn’t seem too dangerous.”

In the end, Indeok nodded and agreed with Ganghyeon’s plan.

After that, Ganghyeon and Indeok dug a cave on the outskirts of the volcanic area and built their eastern base there.

The treant was Ganghyeon’s summoned beast.

It was a reward from karma in his previous life, comparable to an innate divine ability one is born with.

In fact, Indeok also called Ganghyeon’s treant a monster tree and believed it to be an innate ability.

Uwooooong! Uwooooong!

The treant carefully made its way into the Yomok King’s forest.

The forest was full of vitality, overflowing with wood spiritual energy.
Rare spiritual plants were everywhere, and absorbing them would allow rapid growth.

However, none of the spiritual plants were without owners.

A Yomok was a tree with the traits of a monster. It could use spiritual energy and think, unlike ordinary trees or plants.

Some spiritual plants could protect themselves by instinct, but Yomok possessed far clearer intelligence.

Because they could think and judge, they were no different from demon beasts or magic beasts.

Thus, in the Yomok King’s forest, each Yomok claimed its own territory and managed the spiritual plants growing there.

“Manage” was really just waiting for the right time to harvest them.

Some Yomok helped spiritual plants grow, but lower-level Yomok weren’t that developed.

They simply guarded them until they were ready to eat, blocking outside threats.

Uwooooong! Uwooooong!

Because of this, the newly arrived treant had nowhere to go.

Even if it saw tempting spiritual plants, they had owners, so it couldn’t eat them freely.

But it couldn’t keep wandering around the outskirts forever.

After observing for several days, Ganghyeon finally chose a Yomok that looked easy to deal with and sent the treant closer.

Uwooooong! Awoooooong!
Kuuung! Kuuuung!

As the treant revealed its presence and entered the Yomok’s territory, the Yomok, which had seemed asleep, reacted.

Its branches extended like vines toward the treant.
At the same time, its roots secretly approached underground, something Ganghyeon sensed through the treant.

‘A fight we can’t avoid. It’s only early Qi Condensation level. The treant can handle it, but we need to be careful.’

Since it was a Yomok, it might have special abilities.

So Ganghyeon didn’t rush and responded carefully to its attacks.

Awooooong! Awooooong!

The treant also extended its branches like vines and drove its exposed roots back into the ground.

Above ground and below ground, their branches and roots tangled together.

It was a clash of strength and a contest of absorption.

‘Hm?’

Surprisingly, it was easy.

The enemy Yomok’s vines and roots were weak compared to the treant’s, and more importantly, its absorption power couldn’t compete.

‘This isn’t even twisting a child’s wrist.’

He felt wronged for being so cautious.

‘The difference in absorption is overwhelming. No, the Yomok’s absorption is almost negligible. Is this because of the true absorption technique gained from the laws of heaven and earth?’

Each time Ganghyeon advanced—entering Qi Condensation, reaching the second layer, then the fourth—he communicated with the laws of heaven and earth.

Out of four times, only the first gave him a fragment of the laws. The other times, he only felt their vast presence.

He had regretted his lack of talent, but watching the treant fight now, he realized even obtaining that absorption technique was a blessing.

‘I didn’t know the treant’s absorption was this powerful because I used it so passively. I had a great treasure and didn’t realize it.’

Reflecting on himself, Ganghyeon strengthened his mental connection with the treant.

Kuuuung! Kuuuuung!

But the fight had been decided from the start.

The Yomok, trapped by the treant’s vines and roots, rapidly lost its energy.

Ganghyeon raised the roots above ground, drawing the treant closer.

They had started about a hundred jang apart, but now there was nothing to fear.

Roots underground kept attacking the Yomok’s roots, while above ground, the treant’s vines crushed the Yomok’s vines as it advanced.

Even the treant’s main body moved forward proudly, while the Yomok could do nothing but endure.

Kuuuung… kuung… kuung…

Then, the Yomok, pushed back, let out a strange cry.

A red flower bloomed on a short branch of its trunk, quickly withered, and formed a fruit.

A red fruit.

‘It’s not a spirit fruit?’

Through the treant, Ganghyeon sensed that it wasn’t a condensed wood spirit fruit.

But it definitely contained strong energy.

‘If it’s not wood energy, then what?’

He decided to observe instead of touching it right away.

The fruit formed after the Yomok gave up so much—it felt ominous.

Then—

Snap!

‘What—this thing!’

The treant moved on its own, wrapping the dark red fruit with its vines.

And then—

Awooooong! Aaaaang!
Sluuuurp! Ssssss!

‘What the hell…’

The treant absorbed the energy in the fruit instantly.

It was hundreds of times faster than absorbing from branches or roots.

‘How is this possible…?’

Ganghyeon focused again, trying to read the treant’s will.

Then he sensed it.

Awooooong!

‘It’s saying it’s frustrated?!’

He realized the treant was sulking at him.

He strengthened their mental bond further, and then understood.

Until now, the absorption he used through the treant wasn’t proper technique activation.

‘The true absorption technique from the laws of heaven and earth has its own system. I only told the treant to absorb, without guiding it to use the proper technique.’

Ganghyeon was deeply shaken.

He had used the treant skillfully in his past life, but here, he was trapped by old assumptions and failed to notice its change.

The true absorption technique is extremely powerful. I can’t use it directly, but through the treant, it can absorb any energy rapidly. And the treant itself is never harmed by the absorbed energy.

‘This is insane. So no matter what energy it absorbs or how much, the treant is safe? It can refine any energy into results or use it for its own growth—that’s the core of the absorption technique?’

Ganghyeon’s body trembled in the cultivation chamber.

Not from regret—but from imagining the future gains from the Yomok King’s forest.

‘Then I need to completely change my plan. Not just mid-to-late Qi Condensation… maybe even Foundation Establishment, or further.’

The revealed power of the true technique was overwhelming.

‘As long as I don’t act rashly and draw the Yomok King’s attention, I can grow incredibly fast. Good. Let’s do this.’

Ganghyeon steeled his resolve and focused once more on his bond with the treant.

Thud. Thud!

“It’s out!”

Indeok cheered when he saw tree roots bursting out of the ground.

He pulled up a large bundle wrapped tightly in thin roots.

“Hehehehehe.”

Laughing, he dashed into the volcanic area.

Only a hole remained, and the roots that had filled it were gone.

Those roots belonged to the treant.

The treant had rooted itself fifty li inside the Yomok King’s forest and sent the spirit fruits underground, wrapped in roots.

Because Ganghyeon had to maintain the mental connection, Indeok retrieved them instead.

“Hehehe! Ganghyeooon!”

Indeok ran into the cultivation hall, calling out.

Ganghyeon opened his eyes, maintaining a thin connection to the treant.

“Back already? Nothing unusual?”

“Yeah. No changes in the volcanic area.”

“Monsters have been coming in lately.”

“It’s fine. They’re weak ones with thin energy. They haven’t even formed cores.”

“Still. More prey can attract stronger ones.”

“Would anything dare come into the Fire Dragon’s domain?”

“Well…”

Ganghyeon nodded slightly.

Weak ones might enter, but stronger ones knew better.

“Still, you never know. Something might come, drawn by fire energy, claiming to serve the Fire Dragon.”

“Would that bad-tempered Fire Dragon even take subordinates? It would just eat them.”

“Someone who doesn’t know that might approach. So always be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah. Enough already. Let’s open this.”

Indeok urged him, eager to see what was inside.

Ganghyeon took the root-made container.

Inside were four spirit fruits.

“Alright, let’s see.”

He infused wood energy and carefully unraveled the roots.

The top opened, revealing the fruits.

“Wow… this is crazy. Poison, earth, metal—hehehe—and this one’s wood.”

Each fruit held a different attribute.

The metal one went to Indeok, while Ganghyeon kept the rest.

Out of those three, only the wood one was useful to Ganghyeon.

The poison and earth ones were stored.

“With this, I’ll challenge the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. What about you, Indeok?”

“Me? I’m short on lightning energy… it’s too early.”

Then Indeok smiled brightly.

“Then I’ll guard you when you break through. Don’t worry—challenge it. I’ll protect you.”

Bang! Bang!

Indeok thumped his chest confidently.

Ganghyeon looked at him with trusting eyes.