Meanwhile, somewhere high up in the sky, a rabbit man was happily nibbling on carrot tops, as usual.
"Kekeke! The more I watch him, the more impressed I become! What a performance! He actually defeated a commander-level demonic beast on his own!" His fluffy ears twitched in amusement. "Well, that stupid jaguar did underestimate him and paid the price for it—but still, without real power, no surprise attack would have worked. That spiritual pressure… it's truly something else!"
He took another nibble thoughtfully.
"Among all the humans I've observed so far, this human Leyvi definitely has the strongest spiritual pressure. Human Anda really didn't lie to me. Honestly, I thought she was just being a bragging wife back then. Nyum nyum nyum."
When he was searching for Leyvi, Lapin had already prepared a contingency plan in case the boy didn't have what it took to carry out his plan. He selected a few backup cultivators with strong spiritual sense as potential candidates.
But now? Now he was almost certain.
Leyvi had what it took to carry out the plan.
Lapin had been following Leyvi just recently and still hadn't met and told him about Anda yet. Well, considering what had transpired, he felt that he didn't have to anymore.
When that strange blue light descended from the moon, Lapin had taken note right away. He dispatched one of his nearest cloud scouts to investigate, and there—at the heart of the phenomenon—was Leyvi.
Upon arrival, he couldn't help but chuckle after realizing that it was the same bamboo forest where he obtained the bamboo shoots that he gave to Anda to mend her injured sea of consciousness. It was also his past home. He was amused by the coincidence.
A long time ago, before he awakened his Celestial Cloud bloodline, he stumbled upon the place and settled in this very bamboo forest. He had eaten the legendary bamboo shoot and frequently made use of the bamboo formation. Over time, he became very familiar with the forest and its secrets.
Eventually, he left, seeking greater heights beyond what the forest could offer.
Back then, he had never seen a blue light descend from the moon like that, so when it happened recently, he had some questions.
After that pillar of blue light appeared, one of his clouds arrived just in time to witness the miraculous event unfolding in the bamboo forest. What he saw surprised him greatly. There was no mistake—Leyvi was the source of it all.
Being within range, the miracle Qi naturally reached his cloud as well. Normally, his celestial clouds would shift in color and design when interacting with different types of Qi. But this time, there was no change in color.
Instead, something entirely unexpected happened.
The cloud grew larger in both size and volume, and more than that, it gained a new function. The transformation shocked him.
Then, as if that weren't enough, legendary bamboo shoots began sprouting all over the bamboo forest.
Naturally, Lapin sent his enlarged cloud down to harvest some for himself. Of course, a cloud's storage capacity was still limited by its size, but thanks to the expansion, he managed to gather quite a bounty.
Lapin celebrated his abundant harvest this time.
Later, things became even more interesting when Lapin discovered that the fiancé Tamina had been looking for was actually traveling with Leyvi all this time. He remembered Tamina mentioning that her fiancé was a difficult person to deal with, and she was absolutely right. Even Lapin found himself annoyed just listening to the way Dastan spoke.
He couldn't imagine how Leyvi managed to endure that personality.
Of course, not long after, while eavesdropping on their conversation, Lapin overheard something even more intriguing—Leyvi had found Anda's location.
He told Dastan that his spiritual sense had been enhanced by the formation, expanding its reach to cover the world. Lapin was amazed. That kind of range was extraordinary. Still, he didn't recall the bamboo formation ever having a function like that in the past.
After learning their plan, Lapin decided not to approach them. There was no need. He would simply follow from a distance and enjoy the show. What he wanted most was to see how Leyvi would reach Anda—without his help.
So, in secret, Lapin followed them to the mountain.
And there, he was surprised once again.
Another demonic plant still existed, besides the colossal tree.
It was unexpected. That hateful, domineering tree had already claimed dominion over the land long ago. It had made sure no other plant could develop a will, no other seedling form true consciousness. It monopolized all the spiritual nutrients and cut down anything that could one day oppose it.
But it didn't stop with plants.
Whenever an ignorant demonic beast evolved to the General Level, unaware of the true reality of this world, the colossal tree would detect it as a potential threat—and eliminate it.
Lapin's expression darkened at the memory.
He despised that tree.
After all… he could have been one of its countless victims too. And he longed to walk freely on land again...or hop.
After some careful observation, Lapin eventually figured it out—how the demonic plant managed to avoid the curse that plagued vegetation across the continent.
The answer was simple.
It just had to stay away from the ground. Avoid all contact.
Just like he did.
This demonic plant was a parasite, one that grew by latching onto trees and stealing nutrients from its hosts. Normally, a plant like this would never survive long enough to gather sentience, let alone form true consciousness. But somehow… it did.
Not only that—it had grown strong.
Strong enough to take control of the entire mountain.
Almost every tree across the slope had clones of the parasitic plant clinging to them. They drained nutrients in small, measured amounts—never enough to harm the trees—yet collectively, all of it flowed back to strengthen the original.
It was a delicate, deliberate system. One that allowed the parasitic plant to grow without drawing attention.
Clearly, it understood the danger.
It knew that the moment it exposed itself… it would be erased.
Lapin narrowed his eyes, thoughtful.
With himself and the demonic plant as examples, Lapin wondered if there were more higher-level creatures that had successfully avoided detection by the colossal tree.
It was a possibility that Lapin couldn't ignore.
---
"Shit! That explosion was huge! It even shook the mountain! Leyvi must've used a desperation attack."
Crown Prince Dastan stared at the viewing screen, eyes narrowing as he spotted a distant burst of fire lighting up the sky. All around the explosion site, demonic beasts were fleeing in every direction.
"Victor, you wait here. This prince will go check on Leyvi." Without hesitation, Dastan turned and left the tank.
Victor blinked, caught off guard. From the way Dastan had spoken about Leyvi before, it didn't sound like they got along. He hadn't expected the arrogant prince to actually be worried about him.
He turned back to the screen. "That explosion was caused by him? How strong is this guy my sister married?" he muttered, frowning as he recalled Leyvi's many embarrassing antics during the Alchemy Competition.
"Tch. I knew it. Tall guys get all the best things in life." He crossed his arms, muttering under his breath. "Just wait. I'll make sure being tall gets imprinted in my genes forever."
On the screen, he watched as Dastan's figure darted through the trees, climbing swiftly up the mountain.
Meanwhile, Dastan skillfully weaved through the forest, moving with speed and precision as he rushed toward the source of the explosion.
"Dammit Leyvi, you better be safe!"
Some time later, he came to a stop, perching on the branch of a tall tree. His spiritual sense picked up a figure quickly descending the mountain.
His eyes widened.
"Leyvi!" Dastan called out.
"Let's go!" Leyvi said as soon as he closed the distance. He had noticed Dastan heading up the mountain long before this.
The crown prince turned without hesitation, falling in beside him. Leyvi had already passed by, but Dastan caught up quickly.
"What happened? Where's your left hand?" Dastan asked, eyeing the torn holes in Leyvi's outfit and the still-healing wounds beneath.
"Let's get to somewhere safe first," Leyvi replied without slowing.
"Sure. This prince's Crown War Tank should be safe." Dastan gave a quick nod.
Before long, they arrived at the tank. Leyvi downed another healing elixir just before stepping inside. This one should be enough to fully heal him.
Still, he felt uneasy.
If he kept getting injured this badly and his stock of healing elixirs ran out, things could get dangerous. So he had to make sure not to get severely injured too often.
As they stepped into the safety of the tank—
"Huh? Brother Victor! You're here! Hahaha! I've been looking all over for you!" Leyvi beamed, his mood lifting instantly. "How come I didn't sense you at all on the way up? Ah, well—it doesn't matter anymore. You're already here. Good, good."
Just like that, the tense atmosphere faded. Leyvi was back to his usual happy-go-lucky self. All that searching and worrying—and Victor had been right here all along.
"He disguised himself as a tree and only moved at night. What a waste of time. How did he even have that kind of patience?" Dastan said with a shake of his head.