CHAPTER 339 – SHADOW HUNTER

"Upon reaching the Dao Manifestation Realm, your body is reborn—rebuilt according to the blueprint of your soul. A blueprint you slowly design during the Soul Formation and Soul Transformation Realms."

"As for body cultivators… I'm not one, so I don't know all the details. But it's said that at their peak, they can reshape their entire being. Their control runs so deep, they can rewrite their body's data. I've even heard of men turning into women and vice versa."

"About alchemy products... ahem..." Dastan cleared his throat, a bit reluctant. "This prince hates to say this, but it seems the Cloud Continent is slightly more advanced in alchemy than our Protogaea Continent. So if you don't have it, there's a high probability we don't either."

He had learned this the hard way during one of his earlier attempts to compare and brag about Protogaea to Leyvi. It still baffled him. How could they be ahead in alchemy when they were behind in nearly everything else?

Victor didn't respond right away. His expression darkened slightly. Both options, Dao Manifestation or extreme body cultivation, required strength far beyond his current level.

It wasn't the answer he wanted.

Are you kidding me? Dao Manifestation Realm? Victor's mind screamed. Today is the first time I've heard of that realm, and you're telling me I need to reach it to get a bit taller?

No one in the entire Cloud Continent has reached that level yet! Not a single soul! And you expect me, someone who's not even considered a cultivation genius, to pull that off? Seriously?

He slumped a little in his seat, staring blankly. Let's say I do have the talent. Hypothetically. How long would it even take? Thousands of years? Tens of thousands? What, you want me to be short for that long? His jaw clenched. I'd lose my mind! I'm already losing it, and I haven't even turned forty yet!

As for body cultivation… he didn't even bother thinking about it. That path was a nightmare. Pain, hardship, endless suffering, he wasn't built for that. He liked comfort. Besides, body cultivation wasn't that developed back in the Cloud Continent. It wasn't reliable.

That left him only one option.

Alchemy.

It was still his best shot. The fastest. The most controllable. And his best alchemical formula, the one he'd spent years piecing together, needed one thing above all else: a single rare plant. A plant that no longer grows in the Cloud Continent. The reason he came here.

After the alchemy competition, he obtained a free lifelong transportation service to any of the Alchemy Association branches as a top ten winner. He used this convenience to travel straight to the Cloud Continent's largest herbarium, located in the North Region.

As for the expenses, the ten thousand middle-grade spirit stones prize covered everything, so he didn't have to worry about that at all. Everything was set.

There, he studied every plant ever sampled. He took his time, making sure he understood all their data, properties, and effects. Nothing was skipped.

After five full years of research and testing, using all the knowledge he had gathered, he finally came up with an alchemy formula that he believed could make his wish come true.

However, this was where the next problem began.

A few of the ingredients were extremely difficult to obtain, and one of them was a plant that hadn't been seen in so many years that it was already considered extinct.

One thing led to another, and that was how he ended up here, risking his life in the Mystic Realm just to search for that one plant.

Luckily, he managed to find it fairly quickly. But unluckily, a dangerous demonic beast lived near it.

He didn't have the means to deal with it for now, so he could only give up and return later, once he figured out a better plan. He might have to make an extremely potent paralyzing or sleeping bomb that could cover a large area to deal with it.

"Your Highness, do you think I can reach those realms?" Victor spoke again after a moment of silence.

Dastan shook his head without hesitation. Tantan mimicked him immediately, shaking her head as well. "Unless you're a cultivation genius like this prince, you probably won't."

"Right. That's why I'll be staying here." Victor replied firmly. "The only way to achieve my goal faster is through alchemy. I have to get this ingredient."

"So you need our help?" Dastan asked.

"No. I'll do it myself. I'm not going to ask someone else to risk their life for me." Victor rejected flatly.

Dastan blinked. He didn't expect Victor to be so brave, especially for someone so weak and short. And he wouldn't even ask for help?

"What do you mean by risking our lives? Is there really something dangerous up there?" Dastan asked, curiosity piqued. After all, Leyvi had also sensed it.

"Yes." Victor nodded. "I couldn't tell what it was exactly. It was dark at the time. But when I saw that thing open its eyes…" He paused, brows tightening. "I just knew. If it noticed me, I'd die. No doubt about it. Even with the disguise, even with the scent-masking perfume I made to blend into the air... I still think the moment I step into its range, it'll notice me right away."

"Shit. I hope Leyvi doesn't run into that thing," Dastan muttered.

But just as the words left his mouth—

BOOM!

A powerful explosion shook the forest from afar.

"Shit! This prince should've kept his mouth shut! Victor! Get ready to escape at any time! When Leyvi gets here, we're switching vehicles!"

Victor clenched his jaw. He didn't want to run. But he wasn't stupid either.

He nodded. "Alright. I'll retreat for now… I can always come back later."

Meanwhile...

Leyvi was already fleeing for his life.

His legs were wrapped in blazing flames, launching him forward like a meteor. He bulldozed through the trees, leaving a scorched trail behind him as he shot down the slope.

The ground behind him was littered with patches of fire—and blood.

His left hand was gone, severed up to the elbow. He had already stopped the blood flow, forcefully sealing the wound. But even so, crimson drops still trailed behind him, splattering through the burning leaves with every explosive step.

"Damn! I was careless. What a ridiculously powerful bite!" Leyvi's thoughts raced as he bolted through the forest, flames still trailing behind him. "My severed limb exploded in its mouth just before it got torn off, but I doubt that's enough to beat it."

His spiritual sense was stretched thin, sweeping every direction with heightened alertness. He was bracing for another sudden ambush at any moment.

The one that had bitten off his hand was no ordinary beast.

It was a commander-level demonic jaguar.

Pitch black in color. Practically invisible in the dark.

It had gone for his neck, a clean kill. But Leyvi had caught the danger at the last second and sacrificed his left arm to block it. That quick decision had saved his life, barely.

What unsettled him even more was what happened next—its entire figure vanished. Not just from sight, but from his spiritual sense as well, as if it had melted into the shadows themselves.

Yet, the terrifying pressure never left. It was still there. Still stalking. Still watching.

He couldn't see it.

Couldn't sense it.

But he knew—it hadn't left.

That black jaguar… it was too fast and its bite was extremely powerful. Leyvi didn't even have the chance to summon his volcanic armor. If he hesitated for even a moment, he'd die. So he ran. Ran with everything he had.

And despite all his speed, despite tearing through the forest like a blazing meteor, he still couldn't shake off its presence.

It was always there.

Lurking.

Then, the mystical voice echoed in his mind once again.

"Oh no, I don't like this. The human finally encountered the Shadow Hunter, but his explosive ability is quite troublesome. A lot of my trees will explode and burn if they continue fighting."

Leyvi's eyes widened.

What the...so that jaguar is the Shadow Hunter? Why did it call the jaguar like that? Was it the name of its awakened bloodline? So does that mean the jaguar has a special ability related to shadow or something?

Wait... The voice said my trees... don't tell me it's a demonic plant? Leyvi realized.

At that moment, a fast-moving figure—much larger than before, several times its previous size—lunged straight at Leyvi from the front. Its gaping jaw, lined with menacing fangs, came to swallow him whole.

But Leyvi was ready for it.

With a sharp exhale, he swung the metal bat in his right hand with everything he had, aiming straight for the beast's fangs. He didn't have the time to charge it fully with his Qi, but he figured it should be enough to knock the thing out cold for a few seconds.

He braced for the usual bonk sound, but it never came.

Instead, the entire monstrous figure burst into a cloud of shadows the moment the bat made contact.

Shit! A clone!

A chill ran down his spine. That meant the real one was—

Before he could even complete the thought, something smaller and faster lunged at him from the side—lightning-fast, almost invisible.

He didn't react in time.

CRUNCH!

"ARRGHHHHHH!!!!"

Leyvi howled in agony.