A Show of Weakness
They had clearly seen Jekyeong's fire melt the flying sword. That flying sword was no ordinary blade; it was a properly refined Dharma treasure, fit for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to use in battle. If his flames possessed enough power to melt such an object in an instant, a mere graze from them would undoubtedly prove fatal.
"There will be no end to this at this rate! How long must we keep playing this waiting game?!" a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator shouted irritably. At the same time, he surged his Dharma power, unleashing a pressure far more intense than anything he had shown before. To anyone watching, it was clear he was finally drawing upon his hidden strength.
However, seeing this, the grey-robed cultivator, Choi Ju-tang, scoffed inwardly. Cunning old fox. Having concealed his own abilities, Choi Ju-tang's true realm was also mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Thus, he could easily gauge the true depth of the old man who was so skillfully putting on an act. The old man was still holding back. If the power he displayed now was 'half his hand,' then the power he still kept hidden was surely the other 'half.'
As expected, you can never underestimate these old-timers. Though Choi Ju-tang sneered internally, he maintained a solemn expression on the outside as he 'exerted himself' to surge his Dharma power. To any onlooker, he looked exactly like a passionate junior stimulated by his senior's rallying cry.
"Die!" Destructive flames erupted from the Black Flood Dragon's maw, clashing once more with the full might of the cultivators.
"Whew." The Foundation Establishment cultivators sat in a circle aboard the flagship where Gwak Jeong-sin resided. The atmosphere was grim. The opening battle, which had begun with a surprise attack, had been so fierce that it could only be described as a desperate struggle. At best, the outcome was mutual destruction.
They had succeeded in forcing the Black Flood Dragon to retreat, but no one dared call it a victory. While it was true that the Black Flood Dragon had fled after being injured, the strength they had expended was by no means small. There was not a single person present who had escaped without minor injuries, and they had even lost a Talisman Master, who was considered a vital asset to their forces.
The casualties among the Qi Condensation cultivators were even more devastating. More than half of the thousand-odd men they had originally brought were dead. Although they had slain thousands of aquatic beasts in return, such an achievement offered little consolation.
"That Black Flood Dragon's methods are far more formidable than I anticipated." "And incredibly vicious." Two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators spoke up, attempting to break the heavy silence.
"More than anything, that absurd defense of his is the problem. Unless we truly pour every ounce of our strength into our attacks... we won't even be able to shatter a few of his scales." An early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator grumbled. His words were enough to plunge the room back into a heavy gloom, but no one blamed him. They were all thinking the exact same thing; he had merely given voice to their shared anxiety.
"Indeed. You are right. That defense is truly... beyond common sense." "But there is no need to be so pessimistic. That defense is his innate talent. Because of it, he has rarely had to suffer any wounds. But precisely because of that, he is not accustomed to pain. That must be why he turned tail and fled first this time. He may be used to fighting and hunting, but he is not used to a life-and-death struggle. He cannot endure pain, and he fears the sight of his own blood."
The confident speculation of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment senior succeeded in rallying their flagging morale to some extent, but it had the exact opposite effect on one person. Far from boosting his morale, it only drew his silent ridicule. That person was, of course, Choi Ju-tang. While his mouth condemned the cunning and cowardly Black Flood Dragon and vowed absolute victory, he sneered at the sheer stupidity of everyone in the room.
Idiots. Innate defense? That might be partially true. But that ability was certainly not something he had possessed since birth. After all, that Black Flood Dragon was originally a mere Demon Beast. Choi Ju-tang did not know whether Jekyeong possessed a Gyoryong bloodline or not, but he knew for a fact that he had once been a low-level beast. Therefore, the claim that Jekyeong was unaccustomed to pain and battle was utter nonsense. He was a cultivator who had walked a path as grueling as anyone in this room, and his true depth was not to be underestimated. At the very least, no one here had the right to look down on him.
"I am ashamed. To be honest, I had some lingering doubts at the time, so I was unable to give it my all." Choi Ju-tang spoke, casting his gaze downward. The other cultivators were momentarily taken aback by his sudden 'confession,' but they soon nodded in silent agreement.
"That shame does not belong to you alone. It is the same for all of us." "Indeed. Actually..." Choi Ju-tang's confession acted as a catalyst. Now that the ice was broken, the cultivators began making their own minor confessions, expressing renewed confidence in the upcoming battle. At that moment, a strange gleam flickered in the eyes of Gwak Jeong-sin, who had remained silent until now. While the others failed to notice this fleeting change, Choi Ju-tang, who had been keeping a close eye on him the entire time, did not miss it.
Is it working for now? As everyone acknowledged, their opening battle had been utterly disappointing. A fool would rationalize it with all sorts of excuses and harbor groundless hope that the next time would be different, but according to what he had heard from Jekyeong, Gwak Jeong-sin was no fool. As a merchant, he was quick to calculate profit and loss, so he would undoubtedly try to improve the situation by any means necessary.
Therefore, Choi Ju-tang had expected one of two outcomes: either they would retreat, or they would reinforce their strength. Both options were problematic for Jekyeong and Choi Ju-tang. If they retreated, Choi Ju-tang would have to pull out, leaving a vacuum in the battlefield that some unknown, powerful enemy might occupy at any moment. If they reinforced their strength, the enemy would become too formidable to handle.
Thus, the best course of action was to induce Gwak Jeong-sin to act like a 'fool'... and by the looks of it, they had succeeded reasonably well. Everyone's morale had been restored, and they were now sufficiently filled with a false hope of victory.
The Bul-mang-won.
"You did well." "I merely spoke a few words. It was hardly any trouble." "Sometimes, a well-placed word is more powerful than striking ten times, is it not?"
As Jekyeong continued to flatter him, Choi Ju-tang laughed heartily. "Haha. If you put it that way, I won't refuse. Just make sure to compensate me fairly later." "Of course. I will ensure you are rewarded handsomely, so you won't feel slighted in the least."
While the cultivators of the Human Race in the Changram Realm were busy pondering their next moves with their own hidden agendas, the two of them quietly celebrated their minor victory in the peaceful Bul-mang-won.
"I say this out of caution, but do not let your guard down. Gwak Jeong-sin seems to have let his worries rest for now, but there is no telling what kind of calculations he might be making behind the scenes." "Yes, I am taking that into consideration." "Are you confident?"
Though he did not show it, Choi Ju-tang had completely reevaluated this remarkable junior after seeing Jekyeong's actual form and clashing with him. He knew that the bodies of Great Demon Beasts were exceptionally sturdy, and that their combat power was formidable. Yet, even taking that into account, Jekyeong's combat prowess—especially his excessively durable body—was truly beyond common sense, just as the others had said. He now understood the source of the confidence Jekyeong had displayed previously.
"No one knows how honestly those cunning bastards will act. But even if only a third of them give their all, things won't go as smoothly as they did this time." "It is fine. I also have a hidden trump card." "Oh? That is reassuring to hear."
Laughter echoed through the quiet Bul-mang-won for quite some time.
The minor war between the Human Race and the Beast Race in the Heukgyo Water Territory progressed rather sluggishly after their grand first clash. This was mainly due to the humans' cautious advance. Fearing that Jekyeong might stealthily approach and launch another surprise attack, inflicting further heavy losses on their dwindling forces, they slowed their march and focused heavily on scouting.
Considering Jekyeong's mastery of the Presence-Concealing Technique, which had long surpassed that of an ordinary expert, it was highly doubtful how effective such efforts would be. Fortunately or unfortunately, the humans remained ignorant of Jekyeong's greatest talent. In truth, even if they had known, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. At the very least, as they maintained this slow march, the deflated morale of the cultivators gradually began to recover.
When four days had passed in this manner, the two races clashed once more. This time, instead of a surprise attack, Jekyeong openly revealed himself. The two sides collided head-on, and the battlefield was soon divided into three sectors.
In the dead center, Jekyeong clashed with the human Foundation Establishment cultivators. The remaining human cultivators and the aquatic beasts fought on the left and right flanks, centered around the brutally vicious battlefield in the middle. Thus, another bloody battle unfolded.
As if to prove that their conversation from a few days ago was not mere talk, the Foundation Establishment cultivators displayed a momentum unlike before, unleashing a portion of the strength they had previously kept hidden. Consequently, Jekyeong felt a greater burden, yet he did not back down and fought back fiercely.
Clang—! A bronze bell the size of a man hovered nearby, constantly emitting an annoying resonance. Though the chime was deep and clear, like the morning bell of an ancient temple, every time Jekyeong heard it, he felt an unpleasant, crawling pain in his blood vessels, as if ants were swarming through them.
"Graaaah!" Unable to bear it any longer, Jekyeong erupted with Monster Power. As terrifying flames enveloped his entire body, the irritating pain vanished without a trace.
*Boom!* Just as he tried to catch his breath, a golden hammer materialized out of nowhere and struck him on the head. The hammer, which had clearly been small enough for a person to swing with one hand, suddenly expanded to the size of his head the moment it reached his nose. Its power was perfectly suited to its altered size. Even Jekyeong felt momentarily dazed after taking a direct hit from it.
As he tried to steady his shaking vision and regain his balance, a massive sphere of water suddenly slammed into his body. Though it was the size of a giant boulder, compared to Jekyeong's colossal frame, it looked like a mere droplet. On the surface, it didn't seem particularly powerful, but this was no ordinary mass of water. It was an extremely condensed water bomb infused with immense Dharma power. Its destructive force was in no way inferior to the hammer Dharma treasure that had just struck his head.
*Thud!* Jekyeong's entire body was pushed back slightly. The impact triggered a massive surge of water, shaking the other battlefields fighting at a distance.
"Ugh!" Having taken consecutive heavy blows, Jekyeong could not help but swallow a groan this time. His gaze briefly lingered on the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had fired the water bomb—Choi Ju-tang.
Senior Choi, aren't you getting a bit too immersed in your acting? Even though Jekyeong knew those murderous eyes were part of the act, they looked terrifyingly real. For it to appear that way even to Jekyeong, a master of deception himself, Choi Ju-tang was truly a professional.
"You persistent monster! Just fall already!" With a shout that sounded like a mix of a battle cry and a desperate plea, a binding rope emitting a faint glow flew toward him. Just like the hammer earlier, it rapidly expanded in size once it closed the distance. Jekyeong could sense a powerful binding force emanating from the rope. If he allowed it to ensnare him, it would likely become quite troublesome.
"Hmph!" Thus, Jekyeong did not hold back this time. Launching his recovered body forward with explosive speed, he bit down on the binding rope just as it was about to wrap around him.
"Foolish—No!" The Foundation Establishment cultivator, who had been grinning arrogantly out of confidence in his Dharma treasure, gaped in sheer horror as his prized possession was snapped clean in two by the Black Flood Dragon's vicious fangs.
"H-How can this be?!" Having severed the Dharma treasure, the Black Flood Dragon panted heavily. It glared at the Foundation Establishment cultivators with eyes full of deep resentment before vanishing beneath the water.
"It's fleeing! Pursue it!" The cultivator who had lost his Dharma treasure unleashed a barrage of attacks toward the retreating Black Flood Dragon with bloodshot eyes. To be precise, he was blindly firing attacks in the direction he assumed the beast had fled. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators did the same. However, they couldn't even confirm if any of their attacks had reached the Black Flood Dragon.