The Iron Vulture’s Cave

  As night fell at eight o’clock, Huang Di patiently waited for the Iron Vulture to take flight and leave its nest. However, to his surprise, the beast remained in place, while the other creatures near the entrance of the opposite cave emerged, slightly relieving the pressure on him. To ensure the moment was right, he waited a few more minutes before acting.

  Grabbing a piece of black rock nearby, Huang Di carefully aimed at one of the beast’s eyes and launched the projectile. To his surprise, just as the rock was about to strike its target, the Iron Vulture awakened and shielded its face with its metallic wings, cushioning the impact. It then let out a powerful cry of rage, generating sonic waves with its wings and voice directed at Huang Di.

  Having previous experience with similar situations, Huang Di had partially sealed his auditory senses, minimizing the impact of the sonic attack. After throwing the rock, he quickly moved to another position, evading the direct attack, though he still felt secondary effects that affected his hearing. He reflected that the beast possessed an ability similar to that of the Aracne, but he did not worry, for he had not yet revealed all his cards.

  Mentally cursing the beast, Huang Di employed his camouflage skills and A Sound as a Weapon, attacking from hidden points. The vibrating needles caused little damage but served to test the creature’s abilities. So far, the Iron Vulture has displayed three of the five typical skills of a rank 6 beast, showing nothing extraordinary beyond its roar and the ability to use the metals in its body for defense and offense. Its protection was comparable to iron armor, while its attacks consisted of metal shards that neutralized Huang Di’s needles.

  Aware that a prolonged battle of attrition would be disadvantageous, Huang Di knew he needed to end the fight quickly. Beasts generally had more energy than humans of the same rank, and he, being at a lower rank, had limited reserves. The best strategy was to strike at close range, aiming for critical points.

  However, executing this tactic was easier said than done. The Iron Vulture was well protected and capable of attacking from a distance. Although flight was one of its main advantages, the cave environment limited this ability. If the beast decided to flee, Huang Di would struggle to stop it.

  Thinking quickly, he concluded that the best approach would be to disable the beast’s wings, breaking its defense and exposing its weak spot. The game of cat and mouse continued for some time, and as the creature showed no new skills, Huang Di retreated to a concealed position, hiding from the beast’s sight.

  The Iron Vulture, though enraged, was no fool. Suspecting an ambush, it began to use its wings to fly toward the cave where its subordinates resided. Huang Di watched, stunned, as the creature fled but quickly recovered from the surprise.

  Following the beast’s nest, he examined it and felt an intense metal Qi energy emanating from the location. Removing the nest with ease and throwing it into the lava, he nearly jumped for joy upon discovering a small hole that led to a hidden area beneath the nest. There, he found a trove of treasures that brought a broad grin to his face.

  The Hidden Treasure and the Hasty Escape

  Upon entering what appeared to be a secret chamber of the Iron Vulture, Huang Di was confronted with an impressive collection of treasures. The quantity and variety were breathtaking, but what caught his attention the most were some items that seemed to be his primary objective, the black iron cores, piled in a small heap. He counted seven of them, although he needed only one. Yet, faced with such a fortunate opportunity, he could not refuse such generosity from fate.

  Huang Di faced a small problem: his dimensional pouch was nearly full of the numerous large stones he carried. Even if he exchanged the treasures for stones, he still wouldn’t have enough space to carry everything. Inside this “chest of happiness” lay an infinity of treasures, including sets of armor, weapons, and supportive items. If auctioned, these items could make him incredibly rich.

  Digging deeper, Huang Di found something extremely rare, even in his world: storage rings. These small objects, depending on their rank, could store anything from a small house to an entire city. He could hardly believe his eyes, knowing from the Emerald Elder that possessing such a treasure granted a certain degree of respect in the cultivator world. The Emerald Elder’s ring had a capacity of ten cubic meters, ten times larger than his dimensional pouch.

  The differences between the pouch and the ring, beyond design, included the status that came with the ring, its longevity, and it carrying capacity, all several times greater than that of the pouch. Although larger pouches existed, nobles, who possessed wealth and purchasing power, always opted for rings, valuing both design and prestige. This preference was often used as a form of discrimination and bullying.

  Huang Di recalled how Ye Jue initially wanted to humiliate him, but now, with the situation reversed, he was the one seeking revenge. Holding the rings, Huang Di noticed that many had lost their contents over time, indicating they had been there for thousands of years or more. However, with the unique knowledge of The Foolish King of Runes that he had acquired, he could repair them quickly.

  Though lacking the proper materials to create a new storage space, he knew how to restore existing rings. Huang Di did not want to waste time, for the beast could return at any moment and complicate his situation. He selected the ring he liked best and began inscribing runes to restore the space and time contained within it.

  One discovery that pleased him was that the knowledge about space and time, and their implications, had not come from Merlin but from the Director, through the pills he had ingested. Huang Di relived the Director’s memories, gaining practical knowledge about creating storage rings, essential for alchemists. Knowing how to create an adequate space to preserve each type of herb was crucial, but he also learned to craft advanced models to store living beings and herbs, the main focus of alchemists.

  In just twenty minutes, Huang Di managed to repair the ring, discovering, to his surprise, that its storage capacity was much greater than expected: one million cubic meters, equivalent to a cube 100 meters wide, long, and high. It was an indescribable capacity, enough to store an entire mansion of objects.

  As soon as he finished, he heard a roar approaching, snapping him out of his surprise. Swiftly, like a small black hole, he sucked up all the items from the small secret room, which had a space of one thousand cubic meters. All the treasures now belonged to him. However, he realized he would have to face an angry host when trying to leave, for the Iron Vulture would certainly not welcome an unwanted thief in its home.

  The Confrontation with the Iron Vulture

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  Huang Di, determined not to become easy prey, swiftly departed the bunker and ascended to the top of the cavern. However, upon arrival, he was immediately greeted by a furious Iron Vulture, which launched metal shards the size of his arm directly at him. With no time to fully dodge, Huang Di, resolute and courageous, maneuvered as best as he could while shielding his vital areas with his limbs.

  To his surprise, the impact did not inflict the damage he had anticipated. The shards seared upon contact but failed to pierce his skin. It was then that Huang Di recalled his technique “King's Supra”, now integrated into “A Sound as a Weapon”, which had reached the stage of great success. This technique not only increased his strength by fifty percent but also reduced incoming damage, absorbing half the impact from attacks by King Rank specialists. However, given his current power, the damage reduction adjusted to accommodate strikes from Sky Rank opponents.

  Huang Di pondered:

  “Could I have achieved an even greater reduction due to my increased strength?”

  Wishing to test his theory, he stopped moving and allowed the massive blocks of black iron ore to strike him from all directions. The most fearsome aspect of this ability was its potential to repel fifty percent of the power from received attacks when fully activated. However, he had yet to utilize this function, as he typically reserved the technique for close quarters combat and was uncertain whether it would be effective against long-range assaults. Furthermore, it required additional energy, a resource he could not afford to squander amidst constant exertion.

  Now, as an alchemist, Huang Di fully understood the importance of medicinal herbs for energy restoration. Coincidentally, he had gathered a large quantity of the specific herbs he needed most during his previous journey to procure ingredients for the Director. This realization allowed him to recognize that his body, empowered by “King's Supra”, a King Rank skill, was absorbing nearly all of the incoming damage.

  He was astonished, because the energy cost of maintaining the ability was nearly nonexistent. The attacks of the Iron Vulture were equivalent to those of a cultivator at the peak of the Earth Rank, fighting with all their might. Huang Di’s only benchmark for such power was the Emerald Elder, whose heavy blows during training had often left him battered and occasionally bedridden for a week. Yet now, he remains unscathed.

  Reflecting on this, Huang Di thought:

  “It feels like I’ve surpassed myself again. As if I’m absorbing one hundred percent of the damage... This is unreal.”

  Elated by the discovery, he finally grasped the full extent of his abilities. Due to past traumas, he had been suppressing himself, relying on evasive tactics to avoid direct confrontations. But now, he realized he could fight with full resolve, no longer needing to restrain his power or shy away from combat.

  With a fearless gaze, Huang Di faced the Iron Vulture, which stood frozen in disbelief. The beast thought:

  “From experience, by now, every beast I’ve fought would be torn apart. But this little creature remains unscathed... and dares to challenge me?”

  To the Iron Vulture, such defiance was inconceivable.

  Determined to extinguish the threat, the beast launched another, even denser barrage of metal shards, to no avail. Tired of the pointless exchange, Huang Di advanced boldly, standing face-to-face with the creature, who observed him with stunned disbelief. With a taunting smile, Huang Di said:

  "Boy, at first, I wanted you in my collection... but I’ve realized you’re far too bloodthirsty, and we’re not exactly compatible. I intended to leave, but since you insist on killing me and won’t offer a way out... it seems only one of us will leave this cavern."

  The Iron Vulture, a Rank 6 beast that had lived over five centuries in this secluded world, considered itself the pinnacle of power, second only to the beings of the Ghost City. Recalling its ancestors who had once ascended to Rank 7, it dreamed of reaching such heights and escaping the confines of this miniature realm to witness the vast world beyond. Born and raised within the Relic of Space and Time, the beast knew nothing else but this small universe. Though it had clashed with other leaders before, they had followed a strict code: no one invaded another’s territory unless in pursuit of sustenance.

  Now, a mere human challenged it to a deathmatch. Driven by primal instinct, the Iron Vulture lunged, attempting to rip the intruder to shreds with beak and talon. But at that very moment, it saw the tiny figure before it braces for a strike, his fist drawn back.

  Huang Di, channeling all his strength, unleashed a mighty punch aimed at the creature’s chin. However, with a swift reaction, the Iron Vulture tilted away, causing Huang Di’s blow to shift mid-trajectory and land squarely against the beast’s skull, the most reinforced and impenetrable part of its body.

  The creature, believing it would feel nothing, widened its eyes in horror as the force of the impact nearly flung its massive body into the molten lava. Its skull reverberated with a sensation it had never known about, not even during its childhood, when it endured relentless bullying from siblings. Though it had triumphed over them all in the end, now, in the prime of its power, it had been dazed by a single strike from this small being.

  The Fate of the Iron Vulture

  The scene was chaotic, with both opponents locked in a tense stare. Huang Di, wearing a defiant smile, said:

  "It seems you do have a hard head... but you already retreated after a single punch. Perhaps you’re not as invincible as you believe, are you?"

  With that, the two clashed in a fierce, close-quarters battle filled with sheer force and unrelenting contact.

  Huang Di unleashed a flurry of punches, striking the Iron Vulture’s armored defenses. The beast countered by attempting to claw or bite him, but Huang Di dodged with agile precision, maintaining his assault and using each exchange to better understand his own strength and resilience.

  In an effort to drive Huang Di back, the Iron Vulture activated its “Sonic Screech.” But Huang Di, anticipating the move, retaliated with a powerful barrage of punches aimed directly at the creature’s unprotected abdomen, delivering a significant blow. Roaring in pain, the beast cried out in its native tongue for aid. Instantly, several other vulture-like creatures emerged, ready to defend their leader.

  While the alpha Iron Vulture spanned dozens of meters in wingspan, these newcomers ranged from two to eight meters in length, each varying in rank and strength. Huang Di, ever cautious, retreated several dozen meters to assess the situation. High above, the beasts hovered in formation, circling the cavern and awaiting the right moment to strike.

  Suddenly, Huang Di felt a powerful pull emanating from the alpha. The Iron Vulture had activated its most vile ability: “Insatiable Hunger.” This technique consumed everything within a certain radius, flesh, iron, even allies, pulling it into a gaping maw resembling a black hole. Nearby ores and small flying beasts were devoured in an instant.

  Gripping a nearby rock, Huang Di realized he had to eliminate the monster. It was a heinous entity, indiscriminately consuming friend and foe alike. Once the ability subsided, he launched another full-force assault, unleashing a torrent of strikes that gravely wounded the creature. In a fury, the beast triggered Insatiable Hunger again, forcing Huang Di to withdraw, and sacrificing more of its own kind to heal.

  Huang Di instinctively understood that this cycle couldn’t continue forever.

  The pattern repeated five more times: Huang Di inflicted severe damage, and the Iron Vulture cannibalized its own kin to recover. But during the final iteration, a stark difference emerged, the beast’s body was grotesquely bloated, its movements sluggish and cumbersome.

  Smirking, Huang Di saw his chance.

  He surged forward with another ruthless assault, landing blow after blow until the beast was barely clinging to life. In desperation, the Iron Vulture activated Insatiable Hunger one last time, draining the remnants of its flock. But before it could complete the process, a deafening sound echoed through the cavern.

  Huang Di watched as cracks formed across the creature’s swollen frame, starting at the abdomen and spreading outward like a spider’s web. The vulture’s eyes filled with panic, but the inevitable could no longer be denied. Mere seconds later, a wretched scream rang out, followed by an explosive rupture, the creature had failed to digest its feast in time, perishing from its own gluttony.

  Laughing at the absurdity of it all, Huang Di spotted a shining gem among the creature’s remains. It was a metallic gray sphere, roughly the size of a fist, the beast’s core, where it stored its vital energy. Similar to a dantian, yet distinct in form and function.

  Huang Di quickly collected the core and slipped out through the cavern’s rear exit, avoiding carrying out a massacre of the surviving beasts.