Hunting the Demon Kings
After leaving the eastern district, Jin Somyeong first looked into the situation on Sky Island.
He was curious what had become of it after the demon kings had invaded and made a mess of the spirit vein.
The spirit vein that used to be peak-grade third realm has fallen to high-grade...
Its size, once large enough to be called enormous, had also split into seven pieces and scattered across the sea.
It was both good and bad.
The drop in the spirit vein's grade was regrettable, but because the vein had fractured, the standoff with the demon beasts had ended. Instead of sharing one massive spirit vein, each side now occupied a smaller one of its own.
It was good that the distance from the demon beasts had increased and the minor clashes had decreased.
Hmm... The demon kings must have scattered too, so hunting them one by one should be easier now.
Once Jin Somyeong grasped the current situation, he nodded.
Having judged that there would be no problem even if he fought a demon king, he headed straight for the steward office of Xiaoyue Castle. He needed to find out where the creatures were now.
Fortunately, this was very easy.
Wherever spiritual energy was dense, that was the place most likely to have a demon king.
"Greetings, Senior!"
The stewards, suddenly faced with a Golden Core cultivator, were startled out of their seats. As if on cue, they all sprang up and bowed at the waist.
"Senior Jin! Congratulations on achieving the great completion of Golden Core!"
Apparently, word that Jin Somyeong had broken through to Golden Core had already spread across all of Sky Island.
Seeing their eyes shine so brightly made him feel oddly embarrassed. He waved a hand and said, "Thank you for the congratulations. Everyone, go on with what you were doing."
"Shall we inform the other seniors that you have ended your closed-door cultivation?"
"There's no need to go that far. I only came because I wanted to know how the spirit veins are distributed after the split."
"Ah! Then I will give you a map recording the spirit vein locations we have confirmed so far."
He accepted the jade slip the Foundation Establishment steward respectfully offered.
As he looked over the spirit veins scattered throughout the sea, a perfectly suitable target came into view.
Ultra-small, low-grade third realm.
It was small in scale and low in grade. It was a place where only one early Golden Core-level demon king could cultivate.
Since it was suitable as his first prey, he immediately set out for it.
Three days later.
Jin Somyeong arrived at an island where jagged rocks jutted up like cactus spines.
He expended even the Boundless Great Ability to stretch his vast Divine Sense across two kilometers.
With Divine Sense of this range, unless it's late Golden Core, nothing should be able to slip past my senses.
He circled the island and observed it. As expected, there was only one presence at the demon king level.
Perfect.
His goal was to test the Mugeuk Sword, so he openly revealed his aura and approached.
"Who dares approach my Blue Rock Island without permission!"
Along with a roar that made the sky thrum, a gale swept up from the island.
A giant eagle with a wingspan of ten meters soared into the air, spewing demonic energy.
A Black Night Eagle.
Its strength was low-grade third realm. An early Golden Core-level demon king. As befitted an avian demon beast, it was famous for its swift flight.
Since it was one of the demon kings that had attacked Sky Island two months ago, Jin Somyeong considered this a lucky meeting.
The moment his eyes met the eagle's as it appeared, beating its huge wings, the creature cried, "You!"
The Black Night Eagle's eyes bulged, and midway through its ascent, it snapped into a vertical turn.
Without even leaving time to exchange a single word, it shot across the sky and fled.
It had abandoned even its island and run without trying to fight.
Jin Somyeong frowned, and lightning wrapped around him.
Kwarung!
He became a streak of light and chased the Black Night Eagle.
As expected of a winged demon beast, it was fairly fast, but not as fast as the Lightning Escape Art that moved along thunderbolts.
The distance between them narrowed by the moment.
At last, when they drew close enough for their Divine Senses to collide, the Black Night Eagle spat out its fury.
"Eek! Do you truly mean to do this? Do you think I'm running because I'm afraid of the likes of you?"
"...You weren't?"
Then why was it running? He had asked because he was genuinely curious, and for an instant, silence fell.
Unable to answer, the Black Night Eagle burst out shouting.
"Damn you! Throwing your weight around because you trust in one divine ability! You despicable human wretch!"
"Divine ability? Ah, you mean this?"
As if tapping the empty air, he lightly extended his fist, and the terrified creature jerked aside.
The Black Night Eagle, almost plunging into the sea from the abrupt movement, glared back at him with blood-red eyes.
"You...!"
Just as it was about to say something, Jin Somyeong thrust his fist again.
Whoosh.
The house-sized eagle desperately flapped its wings.
Every time Jin Somyeong waved his fist, it flinched, clearly wary of Condensing Light to Extinguish Dust.
Jin Somyeong gave a small laugh and said, "Don't worry. I won't use the divine ability you're so afraid of."
"A mere human dares mock me!"
The Black Night Eagle, which had only been fleeing until now, finally stopped, apparently enraged in earnest.
Kyaaaak!
The demonic screech made the space between Jin Somyeong's brows ache. He drew up his spiritual power and endured the soul attack.
Whiiing!
A fierce gale strong enough to blind him whipped up and filled the sky.
In the next instant, the Black Night Eagle's form split into five.
Clones.
From the aura he felt to their outward appearance, every one was identical. Since it seemed to be an innate divine ability, they were not easy to distinguish.
So this is a demon king.
As he admired it inwardly, the giant eagles encircling him from all sides sneered.
"Now your divine ability is useless! Can you wager your life on a one-in-five chance?"
In a situation like this, it was certainly hard to use Condensing Light to Extinguish Dust. If he squeezed out all his power and poured it into a single strike, only for the target to be a clone, it would be disastrous.
However...
"I said I wasn't going to use it."
Since he had never intended to use it in the first place, it did not matter.
Shrrng.
Jin Somyeong drew the Mugeuk Sword, and wind coiled around him. With a calm expression, he activated the Wind Transformation Divine Scripture as well.
The instant he ran his sword-seal fingers along the straight blade...
Woooong!
A clear sword hum pierced the violent wind and spread in every direction.
The gale raised by the Black Night Eagle split soundlessly.
At the same time, Jin Somyeong's figure vanished.
Kwarung!
By the time he reappeared with a thunderclap, the head of one clone had already flown off.
He was too fast.
Fast enough that the Black Night Eagle, a third realm demon king, lost a clone without even being able to react.
"You bastard!"
Who was faster and stronger had been proven in a single exchange.
Even so, the Black Night Eagle's momentum did not break.
Two of the four clones rushed in with talons raised, while the remaining two flapped their enormous wings and cast spells.
Fwoosh!
Thousands of feathers, wrapped in flames, poured down.
The rain of feathers that dyed the entire sky was a magnificent sight, like a shower made of fire.
His response to a spell that deserved to be called grand was simple.
Left to right.
From the Mugeuk Sword, slashed horizontally, a crescent cut resembling moonlight stretched out.
Chwaak!
Sword Qi, vivid as though it possessed physical substance, broke through every one of the thousands of feathers and severed the necks of two eagles at once.
They were fake.
He had thought one of the two pouring out spells from a distance would be the real body, but both had been clones.
It was somewhat unexpected, but it had little meaning.
The remaining two, charging in for close combat, were clearly visible to him.
They approached so slowly they might as well have been moving in slow motion.
He could see not only his own reflection on the surface of their sharp talons, but even each feather scattering in the wind.
Using the Wind Transformation Divine Scripture and the Lightning Escape Art at the same time seemed to have changed his very sense of speed.
Whik!
The moment the Mugeuk Sword, filled with Sword Qi, swung precisely twice, one of the eagles was split into three. The demonic energy condensed in the air moved to block the sword, but it could not hold for even an instant.
The last remaining real body, the Black Night Eagle, did not retreat.
Unlike the way it had fled the moment they met, once the fight began, it did not even spare its own life.
As if proving that it was a demon king that had long fought humans, it struggled to the very end.
Die!
The killing intent contained in its sound transmission turned sharp as an awl and stabbed at the space between Jin Somyeong's brows.
But it could not shake Jin Somyeong's soul, which had already reached the middle Golden Core level.
Bang!
A blade of wind, launched like a surprise attack at point-blank range, aimed for the nape of his neck, but it was offset by the Wind Transformation Divine Scripture and vanished.
At the same time, the two figures brushed past each other.
"...Damn it."
With that brief last word, the Black Night Eagle's head dropped.
It had died without even the chance to hide its soul in its demon core and flee.
In the silence that settled over the place, Jin Somyeong stood still and looked at the Mugeuk Sword in admiration.
Incredibly sharp... It was a third realm demon king in name, yet the sword cut through it like tofu.
He examined the blade closely, but not a single chip had formed.
Its outward appearance was still that of the Five Elements Sword, but once Mugeuk seeped into it, its power had changed on an entirely different level.
An early Golden Core-level demon king was no opponent.
It felt as though no matter who appeared, he could cut them all down.
...I should make it my Natal Dharma Treasure.
Having made his decision, he collected the Black Night Eagle's corpse and all the byproducts, then flew through the air and disappeared.
After returning to Sky Island, Jin Somyeong was about to head straight into the eastern district when he stopped.
A single sound transmission talisman was floating at the entrance.
It had been left by In Hu-yeon, the plump Golden Core cultivator, and its message asked Jin Somyeong to contact him when he returned to the cave residence.
How long had he waited after sending a reply?
Before long, In Hu-yeon flew in from beyond the sky and spoke in a warm, friendly manner.
"You've finally come back! It hasn't even been a hundred days since you formed your Golden Core, yet you had left the cave residence, so I was worried something might have happened."
"It was nothing serious. I had something to test, so I went and killed a demon king."
"...Hm?"
In Hu-yeon blinked, then gave a small laugh.
"You seem to enjoy jokes quite a bit. For a moment, I thought you were serious."
"I am serious."
There was no need to hide something like this.
From Sky Island's perspective, currently at war with the demon kings, they needed to know exactly how many enemies remained.
"...You're telling the truth?"
"Yes. I went to this spirit vein and killed the Black Night Eagle there."
When Jin Somyeong recorded the location in a jade slip and handed it over, In Hu-yeon's expression changed several times in a single instant.
"Well, with that terrifying divine ability of yours, I suppose killing one demon king would be entirely possible..."
In Hu-yeon muttered blankly, then spoke with a serious face.
"Even so, be careful from next time onward. Your divine ability has such an obvious weakness that it looked easy for you to be put in danger."
"Yes."
Why take offense at advice offered in goodwill? Jin Somyeong simply nodded.
"Ah, now that you're also a Golden Core cultivator, I suppose I was worrying too much. Just pretend you didn't hear it."
"It's all right."
"Ahem. In any case, I came looking for you this time because I had something to ask."
"Please go ahead."
"Now that you've become a true Golden Core cultivator, shouldn't you hold a Golden Core Grand Ceremony?"
A Golden Core Grand Ceremony was exactly what it sounded like: a celebratory banquet.
It was a feast held to announce in all directions that one had achieved the Golden Core realm, which could be called the realm of a high-level cultivator, and to receive congratulations and gifts.
After thinking for a moment, Jin Somyeong shook his head.
"I don't have a clan or sect I belong to, so holding a Golden Core Grand Ceremony feels somewhat inappropriate. It seems a little troublesome."
"True enough. Since you're a wandering cultivator, do as you please. Then what do you think about establishing a castle?"
"A castle?"
"If you choose a suitable location within Sky Island, we will help you build one."
For a moment, Jin Somyeong thought of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators living in Xiaoyue Castle.
At the suggestion that he become the master of such a massive castle, he could not help but feel stunned.
"It will be difficult in the early stages, but after a hundred years or so, it will help your cultivation."
Perhaps because he had risen to Golden Core in the realm of qi cultivation rather than body refinement, which was treated as a minor or auxiliary method, the treatment was different.
Me, the master of a castle?
Becoming a castle lord had clear advantages and disadvantages. First, it would become easier to acquire resources.
He could collect taxes or cave residence rent from the numerous cultivators who would come to live inside the castle, and he could take subordinates under him and have them gather the spiritual objects he needed.
However, none of these benefits were free. The more help he received, the more bound he would become.
He would have to manage public order and guarantee safety against the demon beasts that would constantly invade.
It was, in a sense, an exchange of time for resources.
Hmm...
At first, the offer was quite tempting, but after thinking calmly, he knew how he should decide.
For him, who possessed the Mental Secret Realm where Spirit Stones endlessly welled up, the position of castle lord brought more loss than gain.
"I prefer traveling alone, so I think managing a castle would be too much for me."
"Hm? Now that you've become a Golden Core cultivator, it should be difficult to cultivate alone."
"For now, I will try doing it alone."
This answer seemed somewhat unexpected, and In Hu-yeon looked flustered before nodding.
"Understood. If you ever want it, just say the word. Hmm... I originally meant to say this at your Golden Core Grand Ceremony, but since you dislike troublesome affairs, I'll say it here."
"...?"
"If you wish, I'll make a Dharma Treasure for you and only take the materials. Consider it a congratulatory gift for achieving Golden Core."
"Materials? Are you an artifact refiner, by any chance?"
"I am. I'm a third realm artifact refiner. You could call my skill the best on Sky Island."
In Hu-yeon proudly straightened his shoulders, then gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Ahem. In truth, I'm the only third realm artifact refiner on Sky Island, so calling myself the best doesn't mean much... but I'm no quack, so don't worry."
If he was going to craft a Dharma Treasure, then of course Jin Somyeong welcomed it.
A Dharma Treasure immediately came to mind. It was something he had wanted for a long time but had found harder to obtain than expected.
"By any chance, can you also craft vehicles like flying carriages?"
"Flying carriages? Of course I can, but to be honest, they aren't especially useful Dharma Treasures. Unless they're made from special materials, they're slower than a Golden Core cultivator flying at full speed."
"Even if high-grade Spirit Stones are used as the power source?"
In Hu-yeon's expression went blank for a moment. As if he had heard something he had never even imagined, he asked again.
"High-grade Spirit Stones? You want to use something that precious on a flying carriage?"
"If I have to move urgently while lacking spiritual power, that won't be the time to spare Spirit Stones."
"Uh, hm. That's true, but..."
In truth, the resource Jin Somyeong had in greatest abundance was Spirit Stones. Even high-grade Spirit Stones, treated as precious valuables, were no exception.
If I fall into an exhausted state after using Condensing Light to Extinguish Dust, a flying carriage that moves on Spirit Stones will help.
It would also be useful for long-distance travel, so there was no reason to hesitate.
"Are you truly sure about this?"
In Hu-yeon hesitated and checked several times, but Jin Somyeong nodded firmly and took out the Black Night Eagle's corpse as the material.