The Spark of the Sacred Fire
"So, Yao. Now that I have answered your question, may I ask you one in return?"
"Go ahead," Jekyeong nodded calmly. Asking was free. But answering was also free, as was deciding whether to give a proper answer.
"Though you are of the Beast Race, you cultivate the techniques of the Human Race. What are you? A slave to humans? Or perhaps... a 'spiritual beast', as they call it?"
"Your speech is fluent, but your skill at provocation needs work."
"Oh. I shall take note of that. So, what is your answer?"
"No. As you might have guessed."
"Are you certain?"
"If I were a slave to humans, I would be wearing a pretty collar and following a master around. I wouldn't be wearing this inconvenient shell to deceive their eyes."
"Reasonable."
Along with those words, Jekyeong felt the other party's emotions soften. Yet, precisely because of that, he could faintly guess how deep its resentment toward the Human Race ran. The fire spirit, fire demon—whatever it should be called—had dissolved itself into the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, yet managed to maintain its consciousness. This was likely due to its venomous resentment and obsession regarding humans.
"Is the Qi deviation of the human cultivators your doing?"
"Not 'I', but 'we'. And... yes. It is our little spite. Our only regret is that we can do no more than this."
It spoke, letting slip a sneer directed at no one in particular.
"Those human bastards keep foolishly trying, even though they know we are targeting them. They are greedy beyond belief."
"Isn't that because you egged them on?"
"I won't deny it. But what led them was their own greed; we merely gave them a gentle nudge."
Its emotions, which had barely settled a moment ago, boiled over once more.
"Those human bastards invaded our land without warning and slaughtered us. They captured us indiscriminately, sealed us inside their tools, and used cursed spells to destroy our spirituality so they could use us as ingredients for alchemical pills. We were butchered and hunted without even knowing why. If they call that the victor's right, then so be it. But as long as they frolic upon our corpses in this land, they must bear our lingering resentment for eternity."
The blazing, furious speech was passionate, but it struck no chord in Jekyeong's heart.
"Right. I wish you luck."
Resentment that hadn't cooled for thousands of years? It was certainly impressive. But so what? In the end, it was someone else's business. Jekyeong felt that if he continued to converse with this incarnation of resentment, things might take an unpleasant turn.
When Jekyeong actively showed an attitude of keeping his distance, the entity, which seemed to have nothing left but anger, actually showed interest.
"I feel the power of pure fire from you, Yao. Are you not interested in the pure fire energy of this land?"
"What do you think? I just confirmed that you are sitting tight inside it, harboring poison. What kind of thoughts could I possibly have?"
It laughed. Though he couldn't see it, Jekyeong knew.
"Our resentment is directed only at our enemies. In fact, we could even help you. Rest assured, there is no poison."
"I believe there is no such thing as unconditional goodwill in this world."
"Wise. Yes. We desire your goodwill. We want a small favor born of that goodwill."
Jekyeong discovered one merit in this incarnation of anger. It was honesty, or perhaps straightforwardness. Or maybe it was just simple-mindedness. Whichever it was, it was a definite advantage.
"Goodwill with an agenda cannot be called goodwill. That is a transaction. If you are looking for a business partner, I must say you have come to the right place. I am an open-minded Yao. However, I pursue fair transactions. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Of course."
Jekyeong's stance remained unchanged. He did not want to get involved in troublesome matters. However, if he could obtain a satisfactory harvest even after weighing the risks, then there was no reason to refuse a deal. Jekyeong had always liked transactions. Making a deal brought profit, and profit brought happiness. Who in their right mind would hate happiness? Therefore, he felt no burden or reluctance in making a deal with the entity before him.
The only question was whether the other party could offer a price that would satisfy him.
"Your fire is clean and stable. But it is neither strong nor robust. That is likely because it lacks a core. We can help you establish a solid, powerful core."
Jekyeong's eyes widened.
"Are you talking about the Origin Earth Fire?"
"Origin Earth Fire? Yes. That is what the humans call it."
It spoke in a much more relaxed tone, seemingly satisfied with Jekyeong's reaction.
"We have declined, and the Sacred Fire has been extinguished, but the embers remain. We shall give them to you. As the price of our transaction."
"What is the Sacred Fire?"
"It is the treasure and cradle of us all. We were conceived from heaven and earth, but it was the warmth of the Sacred Fire that ignited our spirituality. It is nobler than any fire in the world, and no rain can ever obscure its light."
Even after hearing what sounded more like praise than an explanation, Jekyeong couldn't quite grasp what the Sacred Fire was. He could only tell that the flame was valuable enough for even a fire spirit to revere it endlessly.
"Very interesting. But that only makes me more anxious. What do you want from me in exchange for such an incredible fire?"
"You are a very cautious Yao. That puts me even more at ease. Worrying about the price means you are taking this transaction seriously."
Its voice softened further, but only for a moment.
"Over the years, we have cursed the humans to the best of our ability. But at most, it was merely egging on their greed and playing minor pranks when they crossed the thresholds of their cultivation."
"Pranks?" Jekyeong chuckled dryly. "Can you really call it a mere prank to shatter their Dao hearts, possess their bodies, and make them run amok like madmen?"
"Fine. I admit we boasted a little. I shall correct it to 'spite'. But whether it is a prank or spite, we cannot be satisfied. We want them to suffer more greatly, to scream more wretchedly. We even have a concrete plan. However, since we have already merged with heaven and earth, we cannot execute it even if we have a plan."
"Let me hear the plan. Don't worry. If it's too dangerous, I'll refuse, but even then, I won't leak a word to the humans. I don't know if you're aware, but we and the humans don't get along. We're practically itching to tear each other apart."
"I know. That is why I proposed this transaction to you."
It had tormented the humans for so long that it could no longer remember when it began. Tempting them was by no means an easy task. The fools blinded by the immortal path would leap into the fiery pit on their own without needing a push, but the clever ones would often hesitate, faintly sensing the fiery hell wrapped in gold. To tempt those suspicious bastards, it had to learn various human methods and knowledge. Its fluent speech and perspective on the cultivation world were but a tiny fraction of that.
From the warlike and greedy perspective of the Human Race, the Beast Race was both an enemy and a living lump of resources. Perhaps the Beast Race also viewed the Human Race in the same light, so the two races, who regarded each other as prey, could never coexist. Their struggle might pause temporarily, but it would never end until one of them was completely wiped out.
Its thought process was simple: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. This was the logic of the cursed humans, but it could not be denied that there was a profound truth within the logic itself.
Jeon Yong-seong furrowed his brow. "They left?"
He had just received a report that the Foundation EstablishmentBody Cultivator, whom he had ordered to be "observed" carefully, had left Gwangyang City with his companion only three days after entering.
It was unexpected. Jeon Yong-seong had thought the man was up to something, but all the cultivator had done over the past three days was wander around various places in Gwangyang City with his companion. Ah, had they also purchased several local specialties of Gwangyang City? At any rate, it was the behavior of a typical traveler.
Did I overthink it?
Perhaps he had been too sensitive. And indeed, it had been a very long time since such a conspicuous outsider had appeared in Gwangyang City. At least, this was the first time Jeon Yong-seong had encountered such an outsider. For Jeon Yong-seong, who had been thoroughly soaked in inertia and complacency for decades, the appearance of such a stimulating figure was a major event that made his heart race.
For three days, he had never let his guard down. If he hadn't been afraid of the consequences, he would have personally monitored the stranger for the entire three days. However, making his past worries look foolish, the stranger had abruptly departed without showing any suspicious behavior.
Jeon Yong-seong felt relieved. He still suspected that the stranger who left Gwangyang City might have some hidden agenda, but he was no longer worried. What did it matter to him what happened outside Gwangyang City?
Hmm. I won't be needing this.
He burned the half-written letter. By the book, he should have finished the letter and sent it to the sect, but since when did the world run strictly by the rules? If they were truly going by the rules, the senior deacon, who had been in secluded cultivation for two years now, should have come out long ago to fulfill his duties, instead of dumping all the work on him like this.
All's well that ends well.
Most problems in the world only became problems because people defined them as such. Jeon Yong-seong was certain that this stranger's affair was just another one of those common "problems."
THE SACRED FIRE
When they first set out, Han Cheongyu's heart was filled with nothing but excitement and joy. He had felt something similar when he left Three Frogs Island and stepped into Human Territory for the first time after leaving the Heukgyo Water Territory, but the sense of liberation he felt this time was far greater.
He had always known he was within the massive world of Yangseo Lake, whether he was on Three Frogs Island or traveling through various parts of the Heukgyo Water Territory. Yes. Yangseo Lake was the entirety of his world. He had never once pondered or been curious about the world outside Yangseo Lake, simply because he had never even conceived of a world beyond it.
But as he left Yangseo Lake this time to travel to Jimakwon, Han Cheongyu came to realize that a world existed beyond that vast lake, and its scale was larger than he could ever have imagined. Upon realizing this fact, Han Cheongyu was seized by an uncontrollable wave of excitement and joy.
If the excitement stemmed from his anticipation of a larger world, the joy came from the realization of the Dragon Lord's favor. Out of all his subordinates, the Dragon Lord had specifically chosen him to join this journey. Was this not proof of his favor?
After emerging from that flood of intense emotions, Han Cheongyu vowed never to disappoint the Dragon Lord. Though all he could do was quietly follow behind and run minor errands, he resolved to do his absolute best to handle even those trivial tasks without a single mistake.
But now, about a fortnight after leaving Gwangyang City, Han Cheongyu was forced to realize just how laughable his resolve had been.
"Pant... Pant..."
The concept of physical stamina was somewhat foreign to cultivators. This was because the moment one stepped onto the immortal path, a cultivator's physical body became incomparably stronger than that of a mortal. Needless to say for Body Cultivators, even Dharma Cultivators rarely felt a lack of physical stamina. Even in combat, what depleted first was spiritual energy or Dharma Power, not physical stamina.
Han Cheongyu was no exception. He had never imagined a moment would come when he would gasp for breath so miserably. Yet, their relentless, non-stop movement through this flesh-searing heat scraped his physical stamina down to the very bottom.
This heat... is absolutely not normal.
The path they had traversed since leaving Gwangyang City was far from ordinary. They had crossed deserts, navigated canyons, and walked across vast plains whipped by bizarre, yin-natured winds. From a certain point, not even a shadow of a human could be found. No, it wasn't just humans; they couldn't see a single living thing.
Where is he going?
For the first time, Han Cheongyu harbored doubts about the Dragon Lord's plans. Even so, he did not ask. He believed that this unconditional obedience was precisely why he had been able to win the Dragon Lord's favor.
Even the spiritual energy has grown sparse.
As the spiritual energy thinned, the recovery of his spiritual power slowed. And as his spiritual power recovered slowly, he had to squeeze out what little physical stamina he had left just to avoid falling behind.
Only when his mouth had gone completely dry and even the sweat had ceased to flow did the Dragon Lord halt his steps, sitting down in a suitable spot without showing a single trace of exhaustion. The moment he closed his eyes in meditation, all the spiritual energy in the area—even the heat—surged toward him. Han Cheongyu stared blankly at the wondrous sight, soon basking in the pleasant, fleeting coolness that followed.
Jekyeong walked and walked. Though he possessed flying swords and flying vessels, he had decided to follow Hwaryeong's advice to avoid the eyes of any potential watchers. Was it a wise decision?