The First Hunt
Jekyeong weighed Jang Yeong's proposal in his mind and quickly came to a decision. "Very well. But I will choose the prey."
"Of course, as you should. I shall defer entirely to your judgment." Jang Yeong bowed respectfully, yet without a hint of servility.
Bringing Jang Yeong into the fold had been the right choice. The octopus demon's information network exceeded Jekyeong's expectations; he seemed to know the personal details of every Great Demon in the vicinity—their names, their territories, and even their cultivation realms.
This fellow's backer must be a high-ranking official of Gyeongwang Palace. Or perhaps he is a member of Gyeongwang Palace himself. Jekyeong raised his guard against Jang Yeong. At the same time, however, he was pleased that his hunting plans had gained significant momentum thanks to this wealth of information.
Even if he is a member of Gyeongwang Palace, there is no need to hesitate. In a way, I am doing them a favor by cleaning up the rabble. Besides, Jekyeong was a Guest Elder of Gyeongwang Palace, so he was practically one of them anyway. Even if Gyeongwang Palace later discovered his active hunting, they would hardly blame him.
Jang Yeong listed the details of the local Great Demons. True to his word about deferring entirely to Jekyeong, he offered no recommendations or suggestions of his own.
Hunting ordinary Great Demons won't yield much profit. What I need to target is... someone likely to possess Essence Blood. Naturally, a higher cultivation realm increased the probability of finding Essence Blood, but that was merely a probability. High-level foes were difficult to hunt. In fact, it was questionable whether he could even defeat them, let alone hunt them.
Jekyeong was confident in his combat prowess, but he had not yet reached the mid Great Yao stage. Even if Jang Yeong assisted, the octopus demon was only at the early or mid Great Yao stage himself, and Jekyeong did not expect him to fight with all his might. If anything, he viewed Jang Yeong as both a collaborator and a potential enemy—or traitor.
If I show a moment of weakness or suffer a severe wound during the hunt... who can guarantee this clever demon won't covet the flesh and blood of a Flood Dragon?
An early or mid Great Yao is the ideal target. I should choose one that relies on physical combat. This hunt was a long-term plan, and he must not rush.
It has to be an early-stage one. The chances of obtaining Essence Blood are slim, but since it's the first hunt... This initial foray would also serve to test Jang Yeong's attitude.
A Demon Beast would be best. Among the Beast Race, none could match the physical might of a Demon Beast. It might sound crude, but it was no exaggeration to say that Demon Beasts relied entirely on their physical bodies to survive. Therefore, they were naturally the most likely to condense Essence Blood.
"We will go with this one." Jang Yeong merely nodded upon seeing Jekyeong's choice, offering no objections.
"Roaaar!" A thunderous roar shook the surroundings. A giant crocodile thrashed wildly, but the streams of water binding it neither broke nor stretched. This mysterious and powerful binding technique left a deep impression on Jekyeong.
"Its strength is too immense! I cannot hold it for long!" Even before Jang Yeong could shout his warning, Jekyeong was already lunging through the currents. The giant crocodile, struggling to shake off the watery bonds, realized Jekyeong's approach too late. Its wide, bulging eyes instantly filled with terror.
The crocodile was undoubtedly massive—more than twice the size of Jang Yeong, who stood over ten meters tall when his tentacles were fully extended. Yet, even such a colossal beast looked pitifully small compared to Jekyeong. It was like a kindergartener standing before a high schooler. While size was not everything, the sheer momentum of Jekyeong charging with his jaws wide open was not something a mere early-stage Great Yo-beast could withstand.
Crunch! Jekyeong bit down hard on the back of the crocodile's neck, which was frozen in fear and bound by the water. At the same time, he deftly coiled his massive tail and body around the beast's entire frame.
"Gyaaaah!" Around that moment, the water streams binding the crocodile lost their power and vanished, but the beast remained trapped. A foreign, bone-crushing agony violently shattered its consciousness.
Whoosh! But that was not the end. Without warning, Yokai Fire erupted, engulfing the crocodile. Unable to mount any proper resistance, the beast was roasted alive. Its agonizing screams quickly faded, and its desperate thrashing gradually subsided.
From a distance, Jang Yeong watched the entire spectacle from beginning to end.
"..." Jang Yeong always strove to maintain his composure. In truth, he rarely had to try; he was naturally calm. Ever since he had settled in the eastern region, very little had occurred to disturb his peace of mind. When he had hunted that foolish fish-headed demon in the past, he had felt only a mild thrill. Even when the Black Flood Dragon had paid him a visit and pressured him a few days ago, he had felt nothing more than a slight tension.
But now, witnessing the Black Flood Dragon's true power firsthand, his heart churned. Is this the might of a Flood Dragon? Overpowering a physically formidable Great Yo-beast with raw strength was impressive enough, but that destructive fire was simply...
Truly magnificent. He has every right to be arrogant. The brief flare of those flames had thrown the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth into disarray. To be precise, the fierce fire energy was utterly suppressing the water energy of the lake. Jang Yeong could not fathom just how powerful a flame had to be to achieve such a feat underwater.
Crack! With a single surge of strength, the Black Flood Dragon tore off the roasted crocodile's head. Witnessing that violent, monstrous strength, Jang Yeong unconsciously swallowed hard.
The giant crocodile had looked formidable, but it turned out to be quite a disappointing catch. This was true for both the hunt itself and the spoils. All Jekyeong obtained from the beast was a large amount of meat and a generous supply of blood. Of course, this blood was not Essence Blood, but ordinary Yokai blood. Having heard that the blood of a Great Demon was in decent demand, Jekyeong extracted and bottled it. Though it wouldn't fetch a high price, every little bit helped. Besides, given the beast's massive size, the volume of blood was substantial.
Jekyeong exerted his strength and ripped the giant crocodile's carcass in half. He tossed one half to Jang Yeong. "Your share."
"Thank you." Jang Yeong accepted the bloodless meat without any complaints. Since his only contribution to the hunt had been a brief exertion of strength, he was more than satisfied with this portion.
Chomp, chomp. Jekyeong chewed on a piece of the dry, bloodless meat a few times and frowned. The giant crocodile's flesh was imbued with a distinct monster power. As that damp, cold energy seeped into his soul and body, it evoked an indescribable sense of discomfort. It was like pouring oil into a basin brimming with water.
Tsk. Just as I thought. Jekyeong looked regretfully at the remaining half of the crocodile carcass, which barely showed any signs of the single bite he had taken. He could force himself to eat it, but doing so would only leave him suffering from indigestion for a while. It seemed this meat was not meant for him. Jekyeong stored the carcass in his Storage Bag.
"We shall call it a day for now. I will let you know when the next hunt is."
"Understood." Jang Yeong departed without another word.
Before leaving, Jekyeong headed toward the giant crocodile's lair. Recalling how foolishly the beast had behaved until its death, he doubted it had gathered anything of value, but he decided to check just in case.
As expected, nothing much. Inside the cave, which was rich in spiritual energy, the only object of note was a massive rock shaped like a sea urchin. Judging by the dead skin clinging to the sharp, thorn-like protrusions on its surface, the crocodile had likely used it to scratch itself.
Jekyeong turned to leave, but on a sudden whim, he lightly rubbed his body against the sharp rock. Screeech! A harsh, scraping sound echoed. When he pulled away to check, his scales were completely unscathed, as expected—but surprisingly, the sharp stone showed no signs of damage either.
Only then did Jekyeong widen his eyes and examine the bizarrely shaped boulder with genuine interest. This is no ordinary rock. He suddenly wondered what would happen if he slammed into it with all his might. Would his body be injured, or would the rock shatter?
Jekyeong suppressed the urge to test it immediately. While it wouldn't be difficult to try, this was not the place. He needed to leave before other local Great Demons noticed something was amiss and gathered here.
Thud! A massive, bloodless carcass was dropped onto the floor of the spacious great hall. Hyeongu and his son, who had flinched instinctively, quickly examined the corpse with wide eyes. Bigu's eyes, in particular, instantly filled with wild ecstasy. Drool dripped from his slightly parted beak, and his legs twitched as if he were about to pounce at any second.
"Lord Dragon, this is..." Though he had already guessed the answer, Hyeongu asked cautiously to confirm.
"Eat. Consider it a reward for your hard work."
"Thank you, Lord Dragon!" Bigu, who had been drooling so much that a puddle was forming at his feet, shot forward like an arrow. It was a burst of speed unimaginable for a turtle.
Hyeongu, who had opened his mouth to say something, ended up gaping even wider in sheer shock at his son's unprecedented agility.
"Nom!" Bigu was so massive that one might question if he and Hyeongu were truly father and son, but he was still a turtle. His mouth was small compared to his overall size, and though the giant crocodile was only half a carcass, it was still far larger than him. No matter how much he bit and tore with his small mouth, it barely made a dent.
"You insolent brat!" Hyeongu scolded, the veins on his neck bulging as he flustered.
"It is fine," Jekyeong said.
"L-Lord Dragon..."
"I brought it for you two to eat, so do not hesitate."
Originally, Jekyeong had intended to give it to Muk-su, but the sentient fruit had rejected it. Possessing a refined palate, Muk-su demanded meat that retained its original, raw scent rather than dry, bloodless flesh. Jekyeong grumbled inwardly that the freeloading fruit had far too many demands, but there was nothing he could do.
Having grown even more intelligent after Jekyeong became a Great Yao, Muk-su seemed to realize that its Spiritual Fruits were highly valuable. Lately, its demands had been steadily increasing. It wanted meat dripping with fresh blood, cool water sprayed over it, and even claimed to miss the refreshing flavors of the Human Race... At this rate, the fruit was going to climb right on top of his head.
It was a relief that the creature's mobility was limited; otherwise, it might have rolled right into the great hall to demand nutrients at the top of its lungs. Of course, had it done so, Jekyeong would have gladly delivered a physical lesson to teach the insolent plant who the real boss was. Chomp, chomp!