A Single Strike
Strictly speaking, only the destructive power of his fire spells had vastly increased, but even that was bizarre enough. Even if it was just a matter of crossing a single threshold, the difference between a Qi Condensation cultivator and a Foundation Establishment cultivator was so vast they could hardly be considered the same species. Yet, that possessed cultivator was partially bridging that gap, which Jekyeong found quite intriguing.
"It's a Fire Demon!"
"Damn it!"
Unlike Jekyeong, who watched comfortably with his hands behind his back as if enjoying an entertaining spectacle, the surrounding humans were terrified and scrambling to flee. While clashing with the cultivators surrounding him, the Fire Demon occasionally lashed out in fitful, indiscriminate attacks, and the aftershocks sometimes swept over the humans who hadn't managed to escape yet.
"Aaaah!"
Even as all kinds of screams, shouts, and curses echoed around him, Jekyeong didn't even bat an eye. Soon after, a scorching wind hot enough to burn an ordinary human brushed past his face, but he remained standing in the exact same spot, watching the battle.
"Tsk."
Jekyeong clicked his tongue. The battle was dragging on. Over a dozen late Qi Condensation cultivators couldn't subdue a single cultivator of the same realm. Even if the opponent was a somewhat special possessed cultivator, this was clearly an abnormal situation.
They're being passive.
Jekyeong recognized the reason at a glance. Even though the Fire Demon constantly showed openings, not a single person attacked aggressively. Their attacks were all light probes or mere gestures. To an outsider, it would look as if they were intentionally holding back.
"Every single one of them is playing it safe," Han Cheongyu noted, having noticed it as well.
"Indeed. Truly pathetic."
Though he criticized them as pathetic, Jekyeong actually understood them. Circumstantially, they seemed to be cultivators belonging to Gwangyang City, but even so, a job was just a job. The destructive power of the fire the Fire Demon was currently wielding far exceeded the level of the Qi Condensation realm, and those directly facing him would know that power best. In such a situation, who would risk their own life to fight aggressively? Prioritizing their own safety while maintaining their positions was the most one could expect from them.
The cultivators had no intention of actively subduing the Fire Demon, and the Fire Demon couldn't do anything to the cultivators surrounding him either.
Boom!
Naturally, as the fight dragged on sluggishly, the wildly surging flames suddenly erupted explosively. Sensing something amiss, the cultivators retreated simultaneously as if by prearranged agreement, a sight that made Jekyeong chuckle in spite of himself. But his laughter did not last long. The Fire Demon, having unleashed a desperate burst of flames, instantly broke through the widened encirclement. That would have been fine, but the direction he broke through happened to be right toward where Jekyeong was standing.
Oh dear.
Ju-hyeong let out a silent scream, and Han Cheongyu's face hardened as he prepared to spring forward at any moment. As for Jekyeong, he clicked his tongue in disapproval and raised his hand.
The Fire Demon drew closer, kicking off the ground as if flying. To anyone else, his speed would have been a blur, but to Jekyeong, it appeared quite sluggish. Wildly flickering flames, cracked skin beneath them, and a red glow where eyes should have been.
Nothing but mindless ferocity.
The Fire Demon's indiscriminate hostility pierced toward him like an awl, but Jekyeong merely snorted. He lightly extended his fist toward the oncoming wave of flames.
It was an ordinary punch. However, the power contained within it was anything but ordinary. A force equivalent to a full-strength strike from a mid-Foundation Establishment Body Cultivator instantly pierced through the Fire Demon's flames and struck him dead-on.
Crash!
The Fire Demon, who had flown in like an arrow, was blasted back like a streak of light. The gale whipped up by the single punch swept through the surroundings a moment later.
Everyone who witnessed the scene stood with their mouths agape. Even those whose cultivation was too low to see clearly could at least tell that the ferocious Fire Demon had lunged at Jekyeong only to be sent flying by a single punch. They knew it had happened, but they had no idea how it was possible. To their eyes, this situation and the man who had thrown the punch, Jekyeong, were absolute mysteries.
"S-Senior. Thank you for your assistance."
The first to snap out of it were the Gwangyang City cultivators who had been fighting the Fire Demon just moments ago. As late Qi Condensation cultivators, they had been able to observe what happened in relatively close detail.
A Body Cultivator! And a Foundation Establishment one at that!
They hadn't felt even a shred of dharma power just now. That meant the punch from a moment ago had been delivered purely through the strength of his Qi and Blood. Just how immense did one's Qi and Blood have to be for such a thing to be possible?
"It was nothing. Do what you must."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The cultivators dragged out the Fire Demon, who had crashed into and collapsed several buildings. The fire that had enveloped his entire body had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a dry, cracked body resembling drought-stricken earth.
"He's still breathing."
"Thank goodness."
After binding the Fire Demon, who now looked like burnt firewood, the cultivators approached Jekyeong and bowed politely.
"Thank you once again for your help, Senior. We are cultivators of the Gwangyang City Patrol. If you would grace us with your name, our Patrol Chief will surely reward you."
Jekyeong scanned the Fire Demon silently. Although his current state—slumped like a corpse with all his previous momentum completely gone—was pathetic, the fact that he was still breathing without any major injuries after taking Jekyeong's punch proved his extraordinary nature.
His body is quite sturdy as well.
It wasn't quite at the Foundation Establishment level, but it seemed close. He didn't particularly look like a Body Cultivator, yet he possessed such a tough body. Was this also a power gained from falling into demonic possession?
A Fire Demon.
A possessed cultivator enthralled by a Hwaryeong? If so, should this power be considered a gift from the Hwaryeong? Although his mindless rampaging was an eyesore, the transformation itself was quite interesting.
"There is no need for you to know my name. If there is a reward, bring it to the Yuhyang Pavilion."
Dismissing the patrol cultivators with an indifferent remark, Jekyeong headed to the Yuhyang Pavilion under the guidance of an even more deferential Ju-hyeong. The Yuhyang Pavilion, which they reached shortly after, was indeed a very fine establishment, just as Ju-hyeong had said. It was highly satisfactory even to Jekyeong, who had grown accustomed to luxurious treatment as a VIP of the Yeongbu Merchant Group, so its elegance required no further explanation.
"This way, please."
The innkeeper, who had initially cast a doubtful look when Jekyeong abruptly demanded the best room, instantly changed his attitude after Jekyeong flicked a few spirit stones his way, eagerly guiding him to the finest room on the top floor.
"Thanks to you, My Lord, I get to see a place like this."
Ju-hyeong, who had originally intended to turn back at the entrance of the Yuhyang Pavilion, had followed him inside because Jekyeong said he had questions. While cautiously looking around the room, he wondered what business this terrifying 'Lord' had with him.
"There are a few things among what you mentioned earlier that I am curious about."
"Please ask anything, My Lord. I will tell you everything I know."
"There is no need to be tense. Just answer what you know."
Jekyeong first asked various questions about Gwangyang City. What was the basic organizational structure? Since the Heavenly Fire Sect and the Yangbu Cultivator Family split Gwangyang City between them, how were the key positions, including the City Lord, distributed? These were basic matters, and Ju-hyeong was fully capable of answering them.
"So the City Lord is merely a figurehead."
"Yes. You can assume that all major and minor affairs within the city are carried out according to the wishes of the Heavenly Fire Sect and the Yangbu Cultivator Family."
"And the representatives of both sides are their deacons?"
"Yes. I heard they are all Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"Foundation Establishment. Yes, of course they would be."
For figures sent to represent a sect and a family to take charge of a major city, they would naturally be Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, they wouldn't be at the late stage; they were likely mid or early stage.
"Which side does the Patrol Chief belong to?"
"I believe he is from the Heavenly Fire Sect."
Jekyeong asked a few more questions before sending Ju-hyeong back. A short while later, the very Patrol Chief they had just spoken of came to visit him.
Early Foundation Establishment.
Jekyeong instantly saw through the man's cultivation. The opponent, however, could not do the same. His calm demeanor was merely a fabricated expression, and his covertly probing gaze grew increasingly persistent.
"You're going to stare a hole through me. Why don't you stop there?"
"Hmm?"
"Didn't you come to deliver a reward? Or did you come to pick a fight?"
"Ah..."
The opponent looked quite old, but he didn't seem to have much practical experience. Or perhaps, accustomed only to being treated with respect as a cultivator of the Heavenly Fire Sect, he was simply unused to this kind of mockery. Whatever the case, his mask shattered, and he hesitated in embarrassment. Jekyeong did not miss the opportunity.
"This is my first time in Jimagwon, but I believe the etiquette of the cultivation world is mostly the same everywhere... Am I wrong?"
"No. Fellow Daoist is correct. My apologies. It is my first time seeing a Foundation Establishment Body Cultivator, so my curiosity got the better of me."
Admitting his mistake, the man cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
"I am Jeon Yong-seong, an Outer Sect Deacon of the Heavenly Fire Sect. I hold the position of Patrol Chief of Gwangyang City."
Having said that, Jeon Yong-seong fell silent, as if indicating it was now Jekyeong's turn.
"I am Jekyeong, from Yangseo Lake."
"Ah, Fellow Daoist Jekyeong."
Jekyeong had no hesitation in revealing his name. While there might be quite a few who knew of the Dragon Lord of the Heukgyo Water Territory, those who knew his real name were extremely few. Even with the rare trait of being a Foundation Establishment Body Cultivator, Yangseo Lake was vast and cultivators were countless, making it impossible for the opponent to trace his identity.
"I heard that Fellow Daoist Jekyeong provided great assistance to our Patrol. As the one responsible for the Patrol, I came to offer my gratitude."
Jeon Yong-seong was certainly an experienced cultivator. Though briefly flustered by Jekyeong's unexpected remark earlier, he quickly established a warm and friendly atmosphere as if nothing had happened. On the side, he subtly probed into why Jekyeong, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had left Yangseo Lake to come all the way to Jimagwon. To a casual listener, it sounded like a harmless question born purely out of curiosity.
"I grew tired of the scenery I see every day, so I came to broaden my horizons. Once I've seen enough, I'll head back. After all, I can't leave my home empty for too long."
Jekyeong gave a half-hearted excuse. Would the other man believe this insincere answer? Probably not, but it didn't matter. The opponent wouldn't have expected a truthful answer anyway. Unless one was a fool, who would lay bare their circumstances to someone they had just met?
However, one thing Jekyeong said was true. He intended to finish his business as quickly as possible and leave Jimagwon. He couldn't leave his businesses in Yangseo Lake unattended for long, and even if that weren't the case, he had no desire to spend time in such a dangerous place. The former went without saying, and the latter was Jekyeong's honest feelings. This Jimagwon was a cultivation world ruled by the human race, where non-humans had to hold their breath in constant anxiety. Although Jekyeong was confident that no Foundation Establishment cultivator could see through his Transformation Art, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. If he made a mistake and accidentally revealed his monster power, it wouldn't end with just a minor inconvenience.
"Go. Find out everything."
After Jeon Yong-seong left, Jekyeong gave instructions to Han Cheongyu.
"There is no need to move with extreme secrecy. Act openly. Since there will be eyes watching us anyway, it is better to proceed boldly."
"Understood."