The Rising Tide of Discord
Furthermore, if his predictions held true, the turmoil in Jimagwon would soon spread to Yangseo Lake. Once that happened, Yangseo Lake would become quite chaotic, so it was best to quietly observe the unfolding situation for the time being.
I also need to focus on refining the spark. Since the refinement process had already begun, the spark of the Sacred Fire would eventually melt into his spiritual nature and become one with him over time, even if he did nothing. However, if there was a way to shorten that process, wouldn't it be best to do so?
"Huuu."
Jekyeong, sitting in meditation, exhaled a hot breath. From that moment on, a sweltering heatwave descended upon Heukgyodo, which had been pleasantly cool for some time.
While Jekyeong was focusing on refining the spark, a visitor arrived. However, it was not Jang Yeong, whom he had been expecting, but rather Myeong-ha's Lost-Soul Puppet.
"Fellow Daoist, have you heard the news?"
"What news?"
"Recently, a significant number of outside cultivators have been fleeing to Yangseo Lake."
"Fleeing?"
When Jekyeong, who had been sitting listlessly, showed a hint of interest, the Lost-Soul Puppet's speech quickened slightly.
"Indeed. Upon investigation, those seeking refuge are from Jimagwon. I heard a massive disaster has struck Jimagwon, though I have yet to grasp the exact nature of this calamity."
The moment he heard those words, Jekyeong understood the entire situation, but he maintained a facade of ignorance in front of Myeong-ha's Lost-Soul Puppet.
"A disaster so great that cultivators would abandon their homes and flee... I cannot help but wonder what kind of calamity it is."
"You will find out soon enough. Those who have arrived are not the last of them. The stream of refugees is endless, and it seems to be growing by the day. The higher-ups are trying their best to keep it quiet, but looking at how things are going, they won't be able to cover it up for long."
"You seem rather excited."
"Of course. True wealth always sprouts from the fertile soil of chaotic times."
Currently, the vast majority of the cultivators fleeing Jimagwon were in the Qi Condensation realm and were rogue cultivators. However, Myeong-ha predicted that this was merely the beginning. Unless the disaster in Jimagwon was resolved quickly, the number of fleeing cultivators would only increase, and eventually, clan and sect cultivators would begin to appear among them.
"When the children run away, the adults who protect them will naturally follow. Once that happens, true chaos will begin, and the high and mighty will no longer be able to sit idly by."
"What do you foresee?"
"War."
"Hmm?"
Jekyeong raised an eyebrow.
"There is no need to even think about it; it is an absolute certainty. It is as natural as the sun rising in the morning and the moon and stars appearing at night. When resources are limited and the number of cultivators suddenly surges, what do you think will happen?"
"They will fight among themselves."
"Exactly. However, Yangseo Lake has its own rules and order. The higher-ups will not want the rules and order they established to be shaken. Thus, they will naturally try to redirect that conflict outward. For instance, what if they propose attacking the beast territories to secure land and resources for the displaced cultivators? With both a righteous cause and clear motivation, those homeless cultivators will eagerly charge forward, wouldn't they?"
The corner of Jekyeong's mouth twitched. For a brief moment, the figures of the Lost-Soul Puppet before him and Jang Yeong seemed to overlap.
"Of course, this prediction is based on the assumption that the disaster in Jimagwon will not be resolved anytime soon. There are plenty of capable figures in Jimagwon, so they might cleanly resolve the calamity as early as tomorrow."
"Cut the empty talk. You do not believe they can resolve it, do you?"
"Well, if I had to choose between the two... I would bet on them being unable to resolve it. At least for the time being. After all, so many cultivators are fleeing. I have never heard of such an occurrence before."
Jekyeong neither confirmed nor denied his words. Myeong-ha's speculation was well-founded, but he did not know the exact nature of the disaster blanketing Jimagwon. The reason the cultivators of Jimagwon were abandoning their homeland and fleeing was likely because staying there made cultivation itself virtually impossible. An inability to cultivate meant their path to immortality was blocked, which, to a cultivator, was practically synonymous with death. In that sense, one could say they were overreacting. They had fled prematurely without even checking if there was a fire, or how large it was if it existed.
Yet, they could not be blamed or ridiculed. While the sects and cultivation clans of Jimagwon might have found their own solutions by now, one could hardly expect such resilience from rogue cultivators.
"Whether a war will break out in the future remains to be seen, but it is certain that the prices of goods coming from Jimagwon will skyrocket immediately. Therefore, I want to take action on that front first."
"Is that not something you can do on your own? Why go out of your way to inform me?"
"Because I believe we can use this opportunity to expand Haeyeon Island even further."
Jekyeong, who had been lounging indifferently, straightened his posture with newfound interest. It was partly an act, but also half-genuine. One could never have too many spirit stones, and it was best to rake them in while the opportunity lasted.
"What kind of help do you need?"
"People's minds run along similar tracks, so there will be plenty of others making the same calculations as me. They will likely move soon. While Foundation Establishment cultivators might personally transport some of the truly precious items, most of the goods will be moved by ship... That is when I would like to borrow your strength, Fellow Daoist."
"Are you asking me to step forward personally?"
"No. You are far too conspicuous, Fellow Daoist. If you act directly, rumors will spread instantly."
"I see. I understand."
It meant the time had come to wield the influence he had painstakingly built up. It was a simple task.
Myeong-ha's prediction was spot on. In less than a month, the moment requiring Jekyeong's influence arrived, and Jekyeong fully demonstrated the power of the prestige and 'goodwill' he had accumulated. Led by the Great Yo-beasts Seon-gu and Ha Son-seo, who had built a rapport with him by consistently attending his auctions from the very beginning, a total of six Great Yo-beasts stepped forward. They were drawn by Jekyeong's influence and the immense profits he promised.
Moreover, the task itself was not particularly difficult. All they had to do was attack the human transport ships. Even if there were Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding them, they could simply flee into the water if things went south, so they felt no burden whatsoever.
Crash!
The tentacles of Seon-gu, a Great Yo-beast resembling a giant octopus, wrapped around a human merchant ship. The human cultivators aboard hastily activated their formations, but a black mist that had approached unnoticed snuffed out the newly emerging light of the arrays.
"Aaargh!"
"E-Escape!"
The cultivators, realizing the situation too late, tried to abandon ship, but they failed to realize that the dense black mist surrounding them was another Great Yo-beast. In less than ten seconds, all the human cultivators inside the ship were reduced to mummified corpses, strewn across the deck.
"Mmm. Good. Very good."
Within the writhing black mist, several streams of bloody energy flowed. It was the spiritual energy and vitality absorbed from the human cultivators aboard.
"U-jam. I did all the heavy lifting, yet you reap all the sweet rewards. How is this fair?"
Seon-gu, retracting his tentacles from the half-wrecked ship, poked his head out of the water and voiced his displeasure. At this, the black mist known as U-jam coalesced to form a faint set of facial features.
"Ah, my apologies. In exchange, you can take all of the Black Dragon's rewards."
"Of course I will. But if this happens again, I am washing my hands of this. If that happens, you will have to explain yourself to Fellow Daoist Jekyeong."
"Hmph! Explain myself? I am not his subordinate. I do as I please."
Though he spoke defiantly, U-jam's momentum had clearly weakened. Seon-gu sank back into the water, feeling a quiet sense of awe. He truly is something else. U-jam was a Great Yo-beast notorious for his fickle nature, yet even someone like him had no choice but to behave submissively before the Black Dragon. Was this the majesty of a Gyoryong? Is it the bloodline... the lineage?
When Seon-gu had gone to meet the Black Dragon upon his summons, he had felt an even stronger pressure radiating from him than before. Just standing in his presence made Seon-gu's body instinctively shrink, forcing him to avert his gaze. At first, he suspected Jekyeong was intentionally trying to suppress his spirit, but he soon realized that was not the case. It was an instinctive wariness. Just as a beast reacts hyper-sensitively to the slightest movement of a larger, stronger opponent, he was merely reacting the same way.
Yet, Seon-gu could not comprehend it. On the surface, the Black Dragon did not seem much different from before. However, the monster power faintly emanating from him had clearly undergone a massive transformation. He wondered how such a thing was possible, but there was only one answer he could come up with. The Gyoryong bloodline. The world is truly unfair. It was a fact he already knew well, but he could not help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth.
Crash!
Seon-gu channeled his sour mood into his tentacle, swinging it to snap the ship in half with a single blow. The cargo on board was carefully gathered by the Water Beasts waiting beneath the surface. Directing those Water Beasts was a talkative Turtle Yo-su under the Black Dragon's command.
"Handle them with care! If even a single scratch gets on these goods, your heads won't remain on your shoulders!"
Glancing at the Turtle Yo-su who was shouting at the top of his lungs, Seon-gu moved toward his next target. There were still quite a few prey assigned to their share, so they had to move diligently before the humans noticed anything amiss.
The minor operation Jekyeong had planned was nothing compared to the storm beginning to brew over Yangseo Lake. As the cultivators of Jimagwon began to flee to Yangseo Lake in earnest, minor and major clashes erupted everywhere, and the number of bandit cultivators skyrocketed. In particular, the outskirts of the human territory suffered frequent, severe incidents, such as raids on market towns.
"Hmm."
Gwak Jeong-sin's letter contained information on the current state of Yangseo Lake's human territory that was far more accurate than the rumors circulating in the world.
"Recently, our association's ships were attacked by the beast race near the Pao waters. Do you happen to know anything about this, Dragon Lord?"
"Hmm?"
Jekyeong felt a sudden jolt of alarm, wondering if his tail had been caught, but fortunately, that wasn't the case.
"Clashes with the beast race have been growing more frequent lately. In the past, some beasts who were pushed out of their territories or crazed by the scent of blood caused minor disturbances... but this time is different."
"How is it different?"
"The ships have completely vanished. The escort forces were sufficient, and they had defensive formations active. For such ships to disappear without a trace... we can only assume that Great Yo-beasts were involved. And not just one, but several acting in concert."
"Why are you so certain it was the beast race? Could it not have been humans?"
"Because we have already identified all the humans who possess both the motive and the strength to pull this off."
Indeed, they were the Yeongbu Merchant Association. However, their incredible information network seemed to be strictly limited to the human territory.
"Well, I wouldn't know. Unless they trespass into my territory, I do not concern myself with what others do."
"Is that so?"
There was no sign of disappointment. It was a calm response, as if he had expected as much.
"With the cultivators of Jimagwon flocking to Yangseo Lake, the entire region has become turbulent. Currently, the chaos is confined to the human territory, but there is no telling when the aftershocks will reach the beast territories. Please be careful, Dragon Lord."
"Understood. I shall keep that in mind."
Gwak Jeong-sin's messenger departed.
Not even five days had passed since then when Jang Yeong came to visit.
"Fellow Daoist Jekyeong. I heard you have awakened from your meditation. But..."
Jang Yeong, who was in the middle of greeting him, suddenly froze as if sensing something, his eyes widening in shock.
"What is the matter?"
"No, it is just..."
Blinking with hesitation written all over his face, Jang Yeong managed to squeeze out his words with difficulty.
"You seem to have changed quite a lot since the last time I saw you... I was a bit taken aback."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"If my senses do not deceive me... it seems you have made some sort of breakthrough."
"A breakthrough."
Jekyeong had a good idea of what he meant. It was likely due to the changes in his monster power and presence resulting from refining the Sacred Fire. The presence that grew stronger by the moment and the fundamental transformation of his monster power could not be hidden, no matter how hard he tried. Even if he forced himself to suppress it, some of it inevitably leaked out, making it better not to hide it at all.
Any other beast would have found themselves in a difficult spot. If he were a human, others might simply assume he had attained some grand enlightenment in his cultivation and move on. But what kind of profound cultivation or enlightenment could an ordinary beast possibly achieve? When a beast underwent such a rapid transformation, it was almost always due to a fortuitous encounter, and such encounters easily bred suspicion and jealousy in others. Jang Yeong was no exception.