A Dragon in Human Guise
"I won't waste words. Hand over the egg from the upper reaches, and I will let you leave."
"Concise."
The old man frowned as he observed Jekyeong's calm composure. He instinctively felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell exactly what or how bad it was.
'It's fine. He's a rat in a trap. If worst comes to worst, I can just spend a few Spirit Stones.'
The old man was cold and calculating. He was an experienced mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his opponent was likely at a similar level. Having already seized the upper hand by deploying a formation, his opponent had to be aware of his disadvantageous position. Even if the man resisted, it wouldn't be difficult to extract a profit by combining a bit of intimidation with negotiation.
The old formation master's calculations were perfectly reasonable. The world of cultivators was much like the world of wild beasts. Even if you could kill your opponent, it was meaningless if you were severely injured in the process. A heavily wounded cultivator easily became prey for others, and if one's foundation was damaged, ruining all future prospects, crying out to the heavens would do no good.
Therefore, unless they were certain of a massive profit, or shared an irreconcilable grudge, it was rare for fights between cultivators to escalate to a life-or-death struggle.
The old man assumed that since both he and his opponent were Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would both harbor some hesitation. Thus, his plan was to use the formation to secure the initiative, pressure his opponent, and force a concession. He was even prepared to part with all the Spirit Stones in his possession if the other party proved stubborn. Of course, unless his opponent resorted to a mutual destruction scenario, he had no intention of conceding that much; it was merely a contingency plan for the worst-case scenario.
"Fortune favors me today. Since the situation is against you, it would be no disgrace for you to yield a little."
The cunning old cultivator's eloquence was quite persuasive. This knack for applying pressure while saving the opponent's face was a skill that arrogant, self-absorbed cultivators could never hope to display.
The old man believed that having said this much, his opponent would understand. Although the man's unwavering composure was somewhat unsettling, the formation had already trapped him, leaving him with no choice but to submit.
"You speak of yielding as if it were a choice. Can a concession coerced by another truly be called a concession?"
"...Must you refuse a polite toast only to drink a forfeit?"
"We shall see."
With a mocking retort, the man's figure vanished. In the very next instant, he was already at the boundary of the formation.
The old man's eyes widened. He hadn't felt even the slightest fluctuation of Dharma Power. Yet, to possess such speed? No spell, not even a Divine Ability, could be activated without Dharma Power. That left only one possible answer.
"A Body Cultivator?!"
The man thrust his fist toward the translucent barrier of light.
BOOM!
With just a single punch, the formation shuddered.
'A bit lacking.'
In his human form, his strength was reduced to a degree that felt almost feeble to him, yet even that diminished power was equal to or greater than that of professional human Body Cultivators. That single punch had concentrated all of that strength, but it was still insufficient to shatter the formation.
However, Jekyeong was not disappointed. This was only natural. Shattering a formation deployed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a single punch at the same level? If formations were that fragile, how could they be considered one of the greatest heritages of the Human Race?
"Hmm." Jekyeong let out a low grunt and stepped back slightly, as if he had taken damage from the formation's backlash. In truth, it wasn't entirely an act; there really was a rebound. Though it only made his fist tingle slightly.
"A Body Cultivator... I underestimated you!"
His face darkening, the old man quickly pulled out several flags and threw them. Jekyeong immediately recognized them as formation flags; if allowed to settle into position, they would deploy yet another formation.
'This old man is a pure formation master through and through.'
Instead of raining down attacks while keeping his opponent trapped, he was setting up another formation. Was this cautious, or just cowardly?
'Could it be that this current formation is only capable of trapping?'
Generally, a binding formation should restrict the opponent's movements while allowing one to attack unilaterally from the outside. The very purpose of a binding formation was to strip away any chance of a counterattack as long as the target couldn't break free. Yet, judging by the old man's actions, the formation trapping him did not seem to be of that variety.
'Then again, it was far too quiet.'
Powerful formations always came with significant omens. This was a truth, a rule, that Jekyeong had learned while studying formations. The world was vast, so there might be exceptions, but Jekyeong doubted a mere Foundation Establishment formation master could wield such an exceptional array.
Just moments ago, Jekyeong had not detected any warning signs until the formation completely enclosed him. This meant that the array currently trapping him prioritized stealth and speed over raw power.
'Interesting.'
Even if it sacrificed power, the formation had still managed to withstand his punch, albeit with difficulty. Was this due to the unique nature of the array itself, or the special properties of the formation tools hidden beneath the water?
'I'll find out soon enough.'
Jekyeong lunged toward the translucent barrier of light once more.
"Ugh!" The old man's expression stiffened, and his movements in placing the flags grew frantic. Jekyeong could feel the old man's Dharma Power connecting to the four formation flags. Once the connection was made, it was like boarding a speeding carriage; one could not get off until it stopped. Forcing a disconnection would cause a backlash of Dharma Power, severely shaking both soul and body.
Seeing that the old man had fallen for his shallow deception and committed himself fully, Jekyeong curled his lips into a smirk.
BOOM! His fist struck the barrier. Once again, the barrier only shuddered violently without cracking. But...
BOOM! If once wasn't enough, he only had to strike it twice, thrice, or as many times as it took.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Standing before the barrier as if rooted to the spot, Jekyeong unleashed a rapid barrage of punches. The relentless assault made not just his fists but his entire arms tingle, yet he felt no real pain.
"How can this be?!" The old man trembled in shock. He instinctively realized he had fallen into a trap, but it was already too late. He had only two choices: finish deploying the formation, or suffer severe internal injuries by severing the connection to his Dharma Power. In the face of this completely unexpected crisis, the old man glared with fierce determination. His experience and Mind State, forged through hundreds of years of struggle as a cultivator, provided him with the most optimal answer in this split second.
"Cough!" Blood sprayed from the old man's seven orifices. Simultaneously, the four flags stood erect in midair as if firmly planted in the ground.
Hummm! The formation flags vibrated violently, and brilliantly glowing formation runes embroidered the air. Right at that moment, Jekyeong finally shattered the array binding him and leapt free.
"Die!" a roar erupted from the old man's blood-stained mouth. Dozens, hundreds of formation runes simultaneously unleashed a torrent of powerful Dharma Power, distorting the surrounding space. It felt as if an invisible wave was crushing the very space inward.
"Hup!" Having just broken free of the previous formation, Jekyeong immediately felt the terrifying pressure rushing toward him. This level of power was far beyond what he could withstand in this form. Even as the target, he couldn't help but admire it; it was truly a formidable formation. The massive omen had manifested with bizarre speed, and vanished even faster. Jekyeong was momentarily puzzled, but looking at the old man's near-death appearance, he understood instantly.
'He burned his source essence.'
Among the Human Race, there existed extreme secret arts where one sacrificed their own life force to carve out a path of survival. However, such secret techniques were rare to see, as they were difficult to obtain, hard to cultivate, and required immense resolve to actually execute. While using such an art could save one's life, it carried a severe risk of permanently damaging one's foundation. He had not expected the old man to possess such a dangerous secret art, let alone deploy it so decisively. At this rate, Jekyeong's human body would be crushed to pieces, leaving not even a scrap of flesh behind.
"Ha!" Jekyeong stared at the old man, who was coughing up blood continuously yet remained utterly focused, without a hint of smugness. Such decisiveness and caution—was this the wisdom of his years? In any case, Jekyeong had to admit he had underestimated his opponent.
"Grrr." If possible, he had wanted to gain some combat experience in this human form, but it seemed he had no choice. What couldn't be done simply couldn't be done, and Jekyeong had no intention of being stubborn. If he suffered severe injuries while in his human form, it would affect his true body to some extent. There was no reason to bleed just for a bit of amusement.
The human disappeared, and a colossal serpent took his place. As the coiled body began to unfurl, the heavily compressed space expanded back with a deafening rupture.
"The... the Beast Race!" the old man shrieked, spitting blood. In his eyes, filled with shock and disbelief, reflected a Great Demon that was growing larger by the second.
"The Beast Race!" He was terrified by the dense demonic energy that instantly saturated the surroundings, and nearly bit his tongue at the sight of the Great Demon's endlessly expanding form.
"You... you are the Black Flood Dragon!" When the Great Demon finally stopped growing, the old man at last recognized his opponent's identity. It was impossible to mistake him. An overwhelming majesty that made one shrink back just by looking at him. A suffocating demonic energy that naturally drifted from him without any effort. And the two somewhat ominous-looking horns resting upon his head. This was none other than the master of the Heukgyo Water Territory he had only heard rumors of!
"Was this a trap? Did you cast a line, waiting for a fool like me to take the bait?"
"Hmph!" Jekyeong did not answer. He merely exerted his full physical strength, shattering the pressure that still sought to crush him. On top of that, he exhaled a torrent of flames, sweeping over the already precariously swaying formation flags.
'Oh?' Jekyeong narrowed his eyes. He noticed that although the formation flags engulfed in flames were slightly damaged here and there, they still maintained their shapes. The formation itself was greatly weakened, but it was still functioning.
'They are no ordinary formation flags.' But it didn't matter. From the moment he revealed his true form, this formation ceased to be a threat to him. Targeting the flags with his breath of fire just now had merely been a light way to vent his annoyance.