"Although the situation had been solved pretty easily thanks to Lilian, we still can't let our guard down. That Ori guy is probably still somewhere on the island. We must not let him find out about the Spiritual Vein at all costs," Anda said.
"Do you want me to find him?" Leyvi asked.
Anda shook her head. "That would waste your time. The island is pretty big after all. We'll just watch out for the area around the mine."
"Sigh… if only we could set up formation there, we wouldn't have to worry about intruders like…" Leyvi was about to finish his sentence, but he realized his mistake. Glancing at his wife, he knew it was too late.
Anda already glared at Leyvi, her eyes wide.
"If only a certain someone didn't give such an important talent to a stranger on a whim. We would have a much easier time…" Anda said sarcastically.
"Ugh… please spare your husband, Anda… it has been a decade already…" Leyvi lamented. Now he had accidentally activated Anda's nagging mode.
Thinking about Ori Oregano's ability to rebuild his body, Leyvi had a feeling that he might be one of those novel villains who would keep coming back stubbornly like a cockroach. Such a troublesome enemy to have.
---
Somewhere on the island.
A fast-moving glowing orb descended and tore through the woods, smashing into trees one after another before finally crashing to a stop. A few seconds later, cracks spread across its surface, and it shattered apart, revealing a naked man kneeling on the ground. He had an average, slender build with a lean frame, no excess fat or muscle tone, and a handsome face that would have charmed many under normal circumstances.
But right now, that handsome face was twisted with rage and humiliation.
It was Ori Oregano.
"DAMMITTTT!!!" he roared, his voice echoing through the forest.
"That damn ugly panda bitch! It's her again!"
"ARRRGGHHH!!"
Ori slammed his fists into the ground over and over, dirt and debris flying as he vented his fury. The forest trembled faintly with each blow, fueled by his unstable Qi.
While the orb had carried him away, he'd caught a glimpse of two familiar figures before his escape activated. It took him only moments to recall where he'd seen them before.
Those two were part of that hateful panda woman's group, the same woman who had humiliated him during the Alchemy Competition. And her husband… that bastard had even snatched away the girl he'd set his sights on at the auction!
Ever since that day, his reputation in Medicine Valley had plummeted. The admiration and envy he once enjoyed as the "youngest alchemy prodigy in a hundred years" turned to mockery and doubt. Some even whispered that his fame was overblown, that he wasn't worthy of the title at all.
And now, once again, because of them, he had lost everything! His slaves, his resources, his plans—all gone!
His blood boiled.
If not for his mysterious Unique Heavenly Body, which had triggered an emergency regeneration sequence, he would have died along with the rest.
In the seven years before the Mystic Realm opened, he had refined and consumed many demonic beasts and humans' essence, which greatly increased his cultivation. Not to mention his Unique Heavenly Body surprisingly reached the next level, unlocking new abilities that allowed him to refine other people alive, turning their essences into his. This would allow him to take over their bodies anytime.
Refining a living body was not easy, because the living resisted. That was why he turned to Slavemaker Pills. With them, he could make people into obedient slaves who would not resist. He obtained loyal followers and spare lives. It seemed like the perfect alchemy product to complement his abilities.
And then everything was lost in an instant. Who would have thought his group would be wiped out so easily? How could anyone wield such power?
Hatred for that ugly panda burned in him like acid. Even the thought of her twisted his face.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" he pounded the ground again and again.
Ori clenched his teeth and forced himself to think clearly. "As I expected. They must have found something extraordinary on this island. That cloud and those abnormal Demonic Plants. There must be more. If I cannot take them, then I will expose the place to everyone. Let others come and steal their treasures."
A cold smile crept across his face. "Let everyone come to this island and kill each other. Meanwhile, I will spend my time here gathering alchemical ingredients to make more Slavemaker Pills. Once I control enough people and prepare sufficiently, I will make a comeback. No more mistakes this time. I will do it thoroughly. Hyahahaha! Hyahahaha! Hyahaha—"
As he laughed like crazy, he realized that he was in the woods similar to previously, and a sense of trauma triggered in him. Ori immediately scrambled out of the woods.
After escaping the woods, he suddenly remembered.
"That's right. I still have a slave! Bodo! I must find Bodo! Although I failed to refine his body, he's still under my control! I can still use him! Hyahahahahaha!" Ori laughed maniacally. Never would he have thought he would feel happy thinking about that stupid brick.
Suddenly, a strange sensation made him look up. A glowing object was hurtling toward him at incredible speed.
Shit! Someone's attacking me!
Ori spread his spiritual sense and dashed away using his movement technique. He was not good at direct combat, but his speed was exceptional. In an instant, he had already moved hundreds of meters away, yet to his horror, a metal bat charged with immense Qi was still chasing after him.
He made a sharp turn and changed direction, but the glowing metal bat continued to close in.
Dammit! What is this bat? How can it follow me like this? I can't shake it off! I can't die like this! Argh! Curse it! Split!
Ori's body suddenly split in half, forming two identical copies that fled in opposite directions as fast as they could.
The metal bat locked onto one of them and accelerated.
BONK!
The weapon struck its target with the usual bonking sound, sending the body crashing to the ground.
"What? No damage? Only asleep? Shit, it's dead asleep. I can't wake it up at all! How is this possible?"
Ori felt what happened to his other body and panicked. The next moment, his spiritual sense detected something else entering its range.
Up in the sky, a man and a woman were riding a cloud, heading straight toward him.
His face immediately twisted with hatred.
It's really her!
"UGLY BITCHHHH!!!" he roared, his voice infused with Qi, echoing like thunder across the sky.
But he knew he couldn't confront her directly. Not like this. He simply didn't have the strength or cards to deal with two people, especially when one of them could wield Fire Concept.
"SHUT UP! TINY DICK!" Anda's voice shot back from afar, equally amplified by Qi.
Bullshit! It's not tiny!
Ori gritted his teeth and pulled out a fist-sized orb from his space ring. Staring at the emergency escape spirit artifact in his hand, his heart throbbed with pain. He had to waste another one of his precious life-saving treasures, and he didn't even have time to retrieve his other body that carried half of his painstakingly refined essence.
He could only lament his endless misfortune. Bad luck after bad luck.
The only fortunate thing this time was that the metal bat hadn't chased the body carrying his space ring.
"I SWEAR I'LL GET MY REVENGE!!!" Ori roared one last time before he activated his orb.
It flared with blinding light, enveloping him in a massive shimmering sphere. Once again, the orb rocketed into the sky with a deafening whoosh, launching him far away at incredible speed.
"Holy. That was fast. He escaped. As I thought, he really is the cockroach villain. But that way is the lake. Is he that desperate?" Leyvi said, watching the tiny dot vanish.
"Hmph, that tiny dick definitely plans to escape the way he came here." Anda replied.
"Oh right. He came with a modified airship." Leyvi recalled.
Soon, Leyvi and Anda landed. They both stared at the body struck by the metal bat.
"It's already decaying. That was fast. Does that mean he abandoned this body?" Anda wondered.
"Maybe," Leyvi replied and picked up his metal bat. "I didn't expect he had an ability like this. My metal bat was countered twice in a row. I'm sad."
"That's why we can't be too confident in our abilities. We must always have contingencies." Anda said.
With quiet disgust, she set the decaying body on fire and watched it turn to ash. The thought that the body was likely the product of stolen human essences made her hands tremble with revulsion.
"Leyvi. It seems we can't stay on this island for much longer." Anda's voice carried a sharp edge. "You must hurry with your practice. You need to hide that Spiritual Vein as soon as possible."
"Eh? Why? He didn't find out what's in the mine, right?" Leyvi asked, frowning.
"He didn't. But if I were him…" Anda's eyes narrowed, glinting with warning. "I'd probably leak news about this place to cause trouble."