The Hunter and the Prey
Jekyeong tended to his wounds in a temporary cave located three days' distance from the humans. Though he had suffered no major injuries, he had so many scrapes and ruptured scales that a bottle or two of Yao healing pills wouldn't have sufficed. However, Jekyeong had no need for healing pills, nor did he require any other spiritual elixirs. All he needed was a little time.
"Groan." Jekyeong coiled himself comfortably and closed his eyes. He felt a warm heat blooming throughout his body. It was a potent, pure force of life stemming from his newly forming Origin Earth Fire. Combined with Jekyeong's robust physical body, this power exhibited remarkable healing capabilities. Wounds that would normally have required a full month of rest to heal showed signs of closing in a single day.
'No, this won't do. I have to pace it.' Jekyeong slightly suppressed the power of the Origin Earth Fire, slowing down his recovery speed. To drag this fight out as long as possible, it was crucial to display these visible wounds to his enemies. Only then would their resolve remain unbroken.
"Fellow Daoist Jekyeong, you are injured." Around the time Jekyeong was resting, Jang Yeong came to visit him.
"As you can see. Did you come to mock my pathetic state?" Despite Jekyeong's blunt retort, Jang Yeong maintained his worried expression. For a member of the Beast Race, his acting was quite decent, but it paled in comparison to the soul-stirring performances of Choi Ju-tang.
"How could I? I merely came to assess the situation here and ask if you require any assistance."
"Assistance?" Jekyeong raised his voice, rearing his massive body. His distorted expression and turbulent aura radiated a ferocious, boiling rage. "I have no need for such things. Every last one of those humans who dared step into my water territory will be torn apart and slaughtered by my own jaws."
Although a chilling killing intent swirled right before his eyes, Jang Yeong was neither flustered nor afraid. He knew all of this merely stemmed from the other party's wounded pride.
"Of course, I do not doubt your capability. But with a little help, wouldn't you be able to dispose of those arrogant humans much faster?"
"I do not require the help of others in my affairs." Arrogant. Truly, he was arrogant to a fault. Jang Yeong sighed inwardly. He didn't even feel the urge to mock him. 'A fellow who used to be so clever is now acting as emotionally as the fools he once ridiculed.'
Perhaps this was the arrogance of a dragon? Born with talent and power that forced others to look up to him, had he also been born with a matching hubris? Thinking of it that way, the stubbornness displayed by the Black Flood Dragon before him became somewhat understandable.
'In that case, there is no need to rush.' Though his entire body was covered in wounds, the power radiating from him remained immense. Since his momentum had not waned, he clearly believed he could still handle this. In times like these, offering help would yield little gratitude; it was better to wait until he was more battered and pushed into a corner.
"Understood. Then I shall eagerly await the news of your victory, Fellow Daoist."
"As you should." Jekyeong's anger seemed to soften slightly. At least, that was how Jang Yeong perceived it.
"How are things on the other fronts?"
"Not bad. The humans swarmed us in massive numbers, but we succeeded in repelling them and are currently taking a brief breath."
"And Gyeongwang Palace?"
"They are doing fine as well." Jang Yeong lowered his voice. "Since the Geumyang Sect and Myeongseomun Sect summoned various factions under their names, Jansu Gyeongwang had no choice but to react. He has already left his spiritual vein and headed to the front lines."
Having said that much, Jang Yeong hesitated for a moment before carefully continuing. "Once Jansu Gyeongwang begins clashing in earnest with the human Gold Core cultivators, the Elder will begin his breakthrough."
"A breakthrough?" Jekyeong's eyes narrowed. "Is this not different from what we originally discussed? Besides, do you truly believe Jansu Gyeongwang won't notice?"
Although the time Jekyeong had spent living as a cultivator in his second life was not particularly long, he had diligently studied and learned during that period. Thanks to this, his knowledge of cultivation was by no means inferior to that of other cultivators of the same realm. Furthermore, as a mid-stage Great Yao, he had long harbored an interest in Core Formation and had accumulated knowledge on the subject. Having briefly witnessed the process of forming a core firsthand, he understood the very first threshold of Core Formation better than anyone.
One Qi Penetration. This process involved using a cultivator's extremely condensed power to connect themselves with heaven and earth, preparing for the creation of a Dharma Seed. In the past, Chaesan Noyao of Sangyo Forest, as a ghost cultivator, had condensed the overflowing Ghost Qi on the battlefield to erect a ghost pillar, placing himself at its center to achieve One Qi Penetration. While it was an efficient method available to him as a ghost cultivator, it was ultimately a shortcut. After becoming a Great Yao and gaining sufficient insight, Jekyeong recalled those events and felt certain that Chaesan Noyao had only resorted to such a method out of sheer desperation.
Whether one was a ghost cultivator, a Dharma cultivator, or a demonic cultivator, the best energy for achieving One Qi Penetration was undoubtedly the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. There was no question about this. The only problem was the sheer volume of spiritual energy required for the process. Unless one had access to a spiritual vein—specifically, a second-grade spiritual vein—it was impossible to sustain. Thus, cultivators who lacked access to such veins were forced to seek alternative methods.
The situation was no different for the Beast Race. While their bloodline inheritance allowed them to bypass the creation of a Dharma Seed, the process of One Qi Penetration remained unavoidable. Consequently, most beasts either resorted to shortcuts like Chaesan Noyao or attempted to break through by covertly 'stealing' a spiritual vein when its owner was away.
"The moment he senses something is amiss, he will return immediately."
"Undoubtedly. However, the Elder has suppressed his breakthrough for a very long time, so the process will be completed in an instant."
"Even so, he will merely be a newly ascended Demon King. Can the Elder truly stand against Jansu Gyeongwang?"
"As I mentioned, the Elder has suppressed his breakthrough for a long time. Once he completes it, his strength will be incomparable to that of an ordinary, newly ascended Demon King. Of course, even then, he won't be able to face Jansu Gyeongwang head-on, but he can at least resist. Jansu Gyeongwang will not want to engage in a life-or-death struggle with a petty thief in his own home while a formidable enemy looms outside."
Jekyeong growled lowly. "These are all nothing but uncertain assumptions."
Since he had never trusted Jang Yeong from the beginning and suspected that much of what he said was laced with lies and exaggeration, he was not flustered by this sudden 'change of plans.' However, that did not mean he welcomed such a one-sided notification.
"True. But how many things in this world are truly certain?"
"So your claim of using the humans to get rid of Jansu Gyeongwang was a lie. Was it not?"
"It was not a lie. Merely wishful thinking." Jang Yeong shook his head. "It is exceedingly rare for Gold Core cultivators to perish. To them, shifts in the power dynamics of the cultivation world are minor matters, hardly worth risking their lives over."
"Then what do you plan to do once the war ends? One way or another, once the conflict is over, Jansu Gyeongwang will turn his gaze toward us."
"There is no need to worry. By then, Jansu Gyeongwang will not be able to lay a hand on either the Elder or us."
"You tell me nothing and expect me to blindly trust you. How can I possibly believe your words? Honestly, I feel like throwing everything away and leaving Yangseo Lake this very instant."
Jang Yeong remained calm despite Jekyeong's sarcasm. "If you wish to leave, Fellow Daoist, how could I stop you? However, I can promise you one thing with absolute certainty. If everything flows smoothly, the Elder will divide the demon territory of Yangseo Lake equally with Jansu Gyeongwang, and there will undoubtedly be a place for you under him when that time comes."
When saying this, Jang Yeong did not attempt to enhance his persuasiveness with a fabricated expression or tone as he had before. Paradoxically, this made him seem far more sincere. He truly seemed to believe in the future he spoke of.
Jekyeong stared intently into Jang Yeong's eyes for a long moment before snorting and nodding.
장영이 당초에 논의한 것과 다른 말을 지껄이기 시작했으나, 제경은 겉으로만 불쾌한 척했을 뿐 속으로는 조금도 개의치 않았다. 왜냐하면 애초부터 믿지도 않았고, 달라질 것도 없었기 때문이다.
From the moment he decided not to back out of this war, all Jekyeong desired was to safely maintain his current status. He didn't care whether some faceless Elder from Gyeongwang Palace divided the demon territory of Yangseo Lake, nor did he care if he was offered a position. He was perfectly content as long as he could sustain his current business, steadily earn spirit stones, and maintain his cultivation speed based on those resources.
He had no intention of expanding his business further or seizing a better spiritual territory. Jekyeong knew all too well that whether one belonged to the Beast Race or the Human Race, holding a treasure beyond one's station was an open invitation to disaster. When he had first claimed the Heukgyo water region, hadn't he been forced to repel challengers multiple times? He couldn't even begin to imagine how much harassment he would have to endure if he took over an even better territory teeming with Great Demons.
The current state—where he could earn enough and defend it sufficiently—was just right. Anything beyond this could wait until he reached the late stage of the Great Yao realm; it wouldn't be too late to reconsider then.
'The situation doesn't seem too bad.' Jang Yeong, alongside the Great Demons he had previously recruited, had successfully crushed a human force. The opponent was a sect whose name Jekyeong had heard a few times. Riding the wave of the war, they had ambitiously set out to hunt Great Demons, only to run into Jang Yeong's group and get utterly obliterated. It was a textbook case of the hunter becoming the prey.
According to Jang Yeong, out of the hundreds who had swarmed in, barely a few dozen managed to escape with their lives. He added that similar occurrences were taking place all over. Most of these victories were achieved by those who had prepared in advance after receiving a quiet word from the 'Elder.'
Having tasted bitter defeat, the naive humans—who had crossed into the demon territory in high spirits, believing a festival had begun at the behest of the two great Gold Core sects—would undoubtedly begin taking the war seriously from now on. However, this too had nothing to do with Jekyeong. His own opponent was slowly but surely approaching their destination.
'Will they lose heart if they hear this news?' The place where Jang Yeong and the Great Demons had triumphed was not very far from the Heukgyo water region. In terms of territory, they were separated by only two water regions, and in terms of distance, it was a journey of about a month by a Great Demon's standards.
'It's about time to make a choice. For both you and me.' Ever since they set foot in the Heukgyo water region, the humans had been advancing slowly but steadily toward Heukgyodo. Now, they had penetrated quite deep into the water region, and a little more progress would bring them to an awkward point—a point where they would hesitate to either retreat or advance further. When that moment arrived, both Gwak Jeong-sin and Jekyeong would have to make the decisions they had been putting off.
'We keep going.' Gwak Jeong-sin finally put an end to the dilemma he had shared with no one and made his decision. 'We have come too far to turn back now.'
Having grown up as both a cultivator and a merchant, he was unaccustomed to physical combat and was an absolute novice when it came to battles or warfare. However, he possessed an innate caution, and he had information regarding the Black Flood Dragon, Jekyeong. Because of this, he harbored a slight suspicion about the current situation, which seemed to be progressing somewhat smoothly.
The Black Flood Dragon appeared to be repeatedly defeated and pushed back, but in reality, the damage he had sustained was practically nonexistent, save for his own physical wounds. Although the Water Beasts he mobilized had died by the thousands—no, tens of thousands—it could hardly be considered a loss. To a Great Demon, ordinary beasts were nothing more than free labor. As long as the Water Beasts in the region were not entirely wiped out, he could mobilize them indefinitely.
By that logic, the ones suffering actual losses were them, the humans. While the Water Beasts could be replenished endlessly, the human cultivators could not. Compared to when they had first set out, their forces had dwindled to a third of their original size, and they had even lost a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Among the remaining cultivators, those without injuries were rare, and not a single one was free from exhaustion.
"Vice Chairman! It is an urgent transmission!" A subordinate burst into the cabin with a frantic expression. In his hand, he held a brightly glowing talisman. It was a transmission talisman kept in reserve for emergencies.
"..." Gwak Jeong-sin took the transmission talisman and checked its contents, his brow furrowing deeply.
"What is it?"
"The Seogam Sect has been defeated. They suffered near-total annihilation. The Sect Master is dead, and almost all of the disciples have perished."
"The Seogam Sect..." The name of the Seogam Sect itself was not what mattered. It wasn't that he had never heard of them, but they were merely one of the countless second-rate sects scattered about. What truly mattered was that he had heard this name very recently. They had definitely been in charge of the Seokcheong water region, which was not very far from the Heukgyo water region.