Outside of the cave

It had been one month since Wang Tian had regained his memories of his life in this world.

During this time, he had stayed in the cave the entire time, focused on practicing the Scripture and understanding his innate abilities.

While in break time, he had focused on mining for spirit stones. He didn't look like a person of the modern era anymore.

It was hard and he had thought it impossible at first. But he was driven by the emotions and memories of his life in this world.

For the food he had the meat of a massive ten-meter-long snake that he had found in the cave. Now, only a one-meter section remained. Of course as a spirit beast the meat of it was tasty and a massive help to him.

As for the man he had found in the cave, Wang Tian had dug a grave and buried him with respect, even though he had the ability to devour the man's corpse and gain powers.

But he had rejected the idea, devouring a dead human! this type of thing he couldn't swallow yet.

"How many spirit stones have I collected?" Wang Tian asked, he had already collected all the spirit stones during this month and stored them into his inventory.

[Answer: 270045]

Looking at the number, a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment welling up within him. He didn't know exactly how much wealth he possessed now, but he knew it was not small.

Considering the man who was a True Monarch level cultivator had one hundred thousand seventh grade spirit stones only.

Wang Tian looked at the remaining piece of snake body that he had yet to eat. His mouth began watering just remembering the taste of it.

Wang Tian couldn't believe that he would come to enjoy snake meat in his life.

Gulp*

Well, maybe because it was a spirit beast instead of a normal snake.

"Should I eat everything today?" he mumbled to himself.

Thanks to the changes in his body, he was able to eat as much as he wanted without feeling sick or full.

Swoosh*

With the wave of his hand he created a small fire in his palm then began to grill the meat.

A sweet juicy and meaty smell soon entered his nose.

Being in the level of Primal he had perceived the elemental principles of the world and could use it to some degree externally.

Munch* Much*

His mouth filled with meat, as he tore it into big pieces and shoved it in.

As he was eating his body greedily absorbed the spirit energy of the meat…

A feeling of ecstasy filled his body..

"Ah, if only I had some alcohol," Wang Tian muttered.

He had been craving a drink after tasting the spirit wine, but there was no way to get his hands on any in this remote cave.

After finishing the food, Wang Tian looked at the black pearl the size of a fist in his hand. It was the monster core of the snake that he had retrieved five days ago.

"Would it be okay if I use that ability now?" he said with uncertainty in his voice.

"This is my first time using it, and I'm not sure how it works."

"Well, let's see," he muttered while closing his eyes.

" Devour"

Swoosh* Swoosh*

The energy contained within the pearl rapidly flowed into Wang Tian's body, and he felt an ecstatic feeling cover his entire being.

He could feel himself growing stronger as the energy absorbed and flowed all over his body, filling him with power and vitality.

The process only lasted for two minutes but it felt like an eternity to Wang Tian. He was lost in the sensation, his body and mind both in a state of euphoria.

Clank*

The pearl turned to dust as the energy inside it absorbed.

He opened his eyes with a faint smile. He didn't expect to have an ability like this.

"Suddenly, I felt like a certain slime from a certain anime," Wang Tian said with a wry smile.

As he looked at himself he noticed his muscles and body had become more and defined.

He could tell his powers are at least doubled than before but he felt he had still a long way from Primal Lord.

Clenching his fist he threw a punch in the air.

Boom*

His punch burst through the air and shattered the cave wall into pieces.

" Holy shit.."

Looking at the broken wall he was quite baffled.

He only punched in the air yet the destruction was massive.

"System, how powerful am I compared to the cultivators in this world?" he asked.

[ Answer: Fourth stage Inborn stage..]

" Well, I have a long way to go.." he mumbled.

" I guess it's time to leave this place.."

He stayed here for two reasons, first to collect the spirit stones and to understand his abilities.

—-----

The Kunlun mountain range was covered in a thick layer of fog, giving it a majestic appearance. The forest at its base was a lush, vibrant green. Fog and greenery created a beautiful landscape..

Suddenly, a young man stepped out of a cave nestled in the mountain. He breathed in the fresh, earthy air, enjoying the peaceful beauty of the landscape.

He stood there, motionless, as the beautiful songs of birds filled his ears and the cool mountain breeze brushed against his skin.

" Fuu let's go.."

Three hours later, Wang Tian was walking through a dense forest at a rapid pace. Suddenly, the sound of loud explosions filled the air.

"What the hell is that?" Wang Tian stopped in his tracks and looked ahead, trying to locate the source of the sound.

"Cloud Mist, you dare to steal from me!" a voice filled with anger and frustration could be heard.

"He he, not only did I steal from you, but I'll also brag about it to everyone," another voice taunted.

"You dare..." the first voice growled.

"What are you going to do about it?" the second voice challenged.

The sounds of more explosions and fierce fighting echoed through the forest, getting closer and closer to Wang Tian's location.

"What the... are they coming this way?" he exclaimed, concerned about being caught in the crossfire.

Wang Tian was nervous as he didn't know the strength of his attackers. Not only that he didn't have any experience in fighting after all he only learned things one month ago.

To defend himself, he focused all of his power on creating a protective shield.

Swoosh*

Instantly, a dense aura burst forth from his body, creating a dense qi shield that covered an area of about two hundred meters around him.

Wang Tian was shocked by the size of the barrier he had created, not expecting it to be so large.

He had only intended to create a small shield to protect himself from the incoming attacks, but it seemed that his power had exceeded his expectations.

.

Crash* Crash*

The two attackers collided with the barrier and abruptly stopped fighting.

"Who's there?" they both exclaimed, turning their attention towards Wang Tian's direction.

Wang Tian looked at them cautiously, he was so nervous that his face became stoic and expressionless.

The two attackers appeared to be in their mid-twenties. One was dressed in a green and white robe, while the other wore a gray robe.

As they looked at Wang Tian with confusion and suspicion, the tension in the air was palpable.

' System, what is their power level..' he asked in his mind.

[ Answer- Both of them at mid level of fourth stage inborn ]

Actually he could tell this by using his spirit sense or his eternal eyes but he was so nervous that he forgot about it.

' Sigh* at least they couldn't harm me..'

He relaxed a little after hearing this and removed the barrier.

The two of them tensed up as they saw that Wang Tian's qi shield had effortlessly blocked their attacks. It was clear to them that he was more powerful.

Cloud Mist frowned at Wang Tian, who looked young and inexperienced. "Did he use some kind of talisman to block our attacks?" he asked telepathically

"Are you kidding? Look at his expression. Do you really think he's bluffing?" the other responded.

And as they crossed a certain distance, a horrible oppression engulfed them, as if their soul would be destroyed if they made eye contact with him. It was an unknown sense of awe and fear, it was like they were in the presence of something otherworldly.

Gulping nervously, Cloud Mist said via telepathy, "This person is definitely a senior who has regained his youth..."

"Yeah, I can see that," the other attacker agreed but he had doubts as he couldn't describe the feeling the he was feeling now.

He met many seniors before but never felt this type of feeling.

Taking a deep breath and mustering up some courage, Cloud Mist asked, "Who are you?"

The shock and panic on their faces were clear as they tried to gauge the strength of the person before them. Wang Tian remained expressionless.

He looked at the two attackers, his eyes piercing into theirs. "Shouldn't I be asking that to you?" he asked, causing goosebumps to form all over their bodies.

Cold sweat covered their bodies as they trembled violently, overwhelmed by a sense of dread.

'Why are they so scared?' Wang Tian thought to himself, looking at the two with a confused expression.

[ Answer- Host's Ruler's aura is overwhelming them. ]

" Oh so that's why" he muttered then removed all the aura he was releasing. He didn't do it purposely it was totally unconscious.

"S-senior, please forgive our rudeness. We didn't mean to offend you," Cloud Mist stuttered, his voice shaking with fear.

"Y-yes, we were just caught up in the heat of the moment. We didn't realize you were here," the other added, bowing their heads in apology.

As soon as he removed the Ruler's aura they became visibly relaxed and sighed in relief.

At this moment the green robe stepped up his fist he bowed and said " Senior, my dao name is Cloud mist and I am a member of penniless thief gate.."

The gray robe also followed " Senior, my name is Yellow mountain and I am the lord of yellow mountain.."

"Heh, more like a homeless person since you don't have a place to stay," Cloud Mist snickered sarcastically.

" You!"

While they began quarreling with each other.

Wang Tian was shocked to hear their introduction.

' Yellow mountain, penniless thief gate..isn't that..'

He didn't think he would meet him like this..

"So, what are you two doing here?" Wang Tian asked.

Cloud Mist and Yellow Mountain stopped fighting and looked at him.

"As for the reason everyone is here, I'm in the same boat as them," Yellow Mountain said. "But this thief dared to steal from me, so we were fighting."

"Huh, what reason?" Wang Tian asked, confused.

"You don't know?" Yellow Mountain asked cautiously.

"I was in a cave, so I don't know what's been happening," Wang Tian replied.

'So he is really a senior who has regained his youth,' both Cloud Mist and Yellow Mountain thought to themselves.

"In that case, let me explain it to you, Senior," Yellow Mountain said. "Apparently, the lord of this forest disappeared a few months ago, so many loose cultivators and some organizations came here to seize this opportunity."

"What kind of opportunity?" Wang Tian asked.

Yellow Mountain hesitated for a moment before speaking "There are plenty of valuable spirit herbs, fruits, and treasures here but with the presence of the lord of the forest, no one dared to come and steal them. And now that the lord is gone, it's a different story."

"I've also heard that some organizations are planning to establish a territory here," Cloud Mist added.

Wang Tian thought about this for a moment. 'So they came here for resources and some came to build a territory.. Well, there's no point in thinking about this nor that I have the ability do anything'

' And my priority is to get back to the village'

"Ah, who is the lord of this place anyways?" he asked.

"The lord of this forest is a sixth rank snake beast. People call him the Black Lord," Cloud Mist said, describing the beast in detail.

"Ehh--" Wang Tian suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. Could it be that the snake he had eaten was the same one they were describing?

"Was it a massive black snake?" he asked.

"Yes, Senior," Cloud Mist confirmed.

"So it was true," Wang mumbled. "That means what I ate was the lord of this forest," he muttered to himself..

"WHAT!" Yellow Mountain and Cloud Mist were dumbfounded when they heard Wang Tian's revelation.

Cloud Mist looked at Yellow Mountain. "Hey, I think I heard something I shouldn't have," he said, his eyes wide with shock.

"Pretend you didn't hear anything, or you can say goodbye to your life.," Yellow Mountain whispered.

Yellow mountain then took a talisman then gave it to wang tian.

" Senior, this is a messenger talisman, if you need anything in future just contact me.."

" Then see you"

He hurriedly left the area.

" That cunning yellow .."

Cloud mist looked at him then bowed his head and also hurriedly left.

Wang Tian looked at them confusingly.

" Why does it feel like they are running away? I wanted to ask them to give me some wine...."

—---

Some miles away, Yellow Mountain landed on a rock and looked in the right direction.

"What a scary senior. He looked so harmless, but every word he said was so scary..." he muttered, still shaken by the encounter.

Sighing in relief that he managed to escape from the mysterious senior, Yellow Mountain continued, "That dog, Cloud Mist. If I meet him again, I'll surely let him taste my fist."