Feeding the Illusion
It was a method so brutally crude that even Myeong-ha, who had been watching from the sidelines, flinched despite himself. Did he somehow gain enlightenment in that brief moment? Myeong-ha was astonished first by the absurdly durable body of the Gyoryong, and second by the explosive surge of Yokai Fire that erupted as if the beast had achieved sudden, grand awakening. For a fleeting moment, he had even mistaken it for a breakthrough past a cultivation bottleneck.
He didn't break through to a new realm. But his presence has definitely expanded. Myeong-ha's eyes narrowed. The moment Jekyeong shattered Jo Mu-hak's sword strike and trapped him within the fiery vortex to burn him to ashes, Myeong-ha had clearly sensed that Jekyeong's presence was stronger than before.
How intriguing. Ever since Myeong-ha realized a grand destiny lay upon him, he had suppressed and concealed his presence at every moment, making him highly proficient in the Presence-Concealing Technique. Because of this, he could feel it; he knew. That clever Black Gyoryong was of the same breed as him. The shift in presence he had felt moments ago was undoubtedly the result of a sudden, massive surge in energy temporarily slipping past the control of the Presence-Concealing Technique.
Yes. I knew something was off. As a Qi-destined Child, Myeong-ha possessed a unique understanding of presence, which was why he had found Jekyeong peculiar from the very first moment they met. He believed that a Gyoryong should naturally possess a far greater presence than other Great Demons of the same realm, yet Jekyeong's presence had seemed entirely average in comparison. Until now, he had simply assumed it was because the dragon's bloodline was too diluted, but now he saw the truth.
Fellow Daoist Jekyeong. You truly are fascinating. Humming a soft tune, Myeong-ha cast his gaze over each of the individuals caught in his Spider Thread Curse Method.
"Fellow Daoist Jo!" The moment the faint trace of Jo's presence completely vanished within the vortex of fire, the white-haired, white-eyebrowed mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator gasped in horror. Without looking back, he immediately fled. Though his body, already ravaged by a backlash of Dharma Power, deteriorated further from the reckless strain, he did not care in the slightest.
He certainly moves fast. Jekyeong did not pursue him. He lacked the confidence to catch up, and even if he did, it would only result in a net loss. The power is incredible... but the consumption is far too high. The fire he had just unleashed was no ordinary flame. It was the essence of his spirituality—strictly speaking, his Origin Earth Fire. Of course, it was still far from a fully realized Origin Earth Fire, but it was nonetheless the most potent flame he could wield. From what he had experienced firsthand, this fire behaved like a tool. As long as his Monster Power supported it, he could summon it at any time, but because its volume was finite, he had to reclaim it after use.
It is undoubtedly powerful and useful, but it comes with equal constraints. At his current stage, where the flame was barely a newly kindled spark, he could not afford to use it recklessly. If the Origin Earth Fire were to be damaged or, heaven forbid, extinguished entirely... It would be best to refrain from using it altogether for the time being. Jekyeong felt a mixture of satisfaction and regret, but even those thoughts were short-lived. A splitting headache suddenly assaulted him, scattering his focus.
Ugh. Eliminating the enemy named Jo was a triumph, but the toll was far greater than anticipated. On the surface, it appeared he had only lost a horn, but the reality was far worse. An agonizing sensation, as if every bone in his body had been pulverized, washed over him alongside a profound lethargy, as though his very blood had been drained. He wanted nothing more than to return to the cozy Black Cult Palace and fall into a deep slumber.
No. It's not over yet. Jekyeong forced his fighting spirit to flare, squeezing out every drop of his remaining aura. Glaring with wide, fierce eyes, he swept his gaze menacingly over his enemies. "Th-this is bad!" The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators panicked momentarily, but they were veterans who had survived the harsh cultivation world for a long time. Faced with an existential crisis, their instincts overrode their reason. Without a second thought, they scattered simultaneously. Some mounted flying swords, others summoned flying vessels, and some simply fled on foot with nothing but their bare bodies.
Jekyeong spat fire and lashed his tail toward a few of them. It was not a serious attack but a mere threat, yet even that took a toll on his depleted strength. Yes. Run. Run and don't look back. They did exactly that, fleeing for their lives. Unfortunately, two of them suddenly froze mid-flight, their eyes turning glassy. Seizing the moment their minds wavered in panic, Myeong-ha's Heavenly Cursed Threads had pierced through their souls.
"Whew." Jekyeong looked at the two cultivators hanging limply like puppets with severed strings, and then at the one who had been under Myeong-ha's control from the beginning. Suddenly, he recalled what Myeong-ha had said before the battle began. How many did he ask to be left for his share? "Fellow Daoist," Myeong-ha called out, appearing beside him as Jekyeong took a moment to catch his breath. He was still in his true half-human, half-demon form. "Why did you let them go?"
"I've run out of strength, and if we wipe them all out here, the aftermath will be too troublesome to handle." Though his mouth claimed he was exhausted, Jekyeong acted as nonchalant and unbothered as possible. He made it seem as though he were merely complaining lightheartedly, hinting that there was another, deeper reason for letting them escape.
"Hmm." Myeong-ha nodded expressionlessly, his gaze drifting to the three Foundation Establishment cultivators who had now become his Lost-Soul Puppets. "Only managed to salvage three, then." "I have no use for people, so I will content myself with their Storage Bags." At Jekyeong's matter-of-fact demand, Myeong-ha's lips twitched slightly. "...Very well." Jekyeong took the three Storage Bags with satisfaction.
"What about the ones we set to work?" "They must be having the time of their lives right about now," Myeong-ha replied indifferently. "The ones who fled will keep quiet for a while. They might even pack up and go home just like this." "...Yes. Perhaps they will." Jekyeong's voice sank slightly, but Myeong-ha, preoccupied with his three newly acquired puppets, failed to notice.
Inside Bul-mang-won, Jekyeong received a shower of praise from Choi Ju-tang. "I had no idea your strength had reached such heights. It makes me wonder if you ever truly needed my help at all." "You flatter me, Senior. Without your assistance, it would have been incredibly difficult. Even when dealing with that Jo fellow, if the others had lunged at me together, I would have been the one bleeding." "Well, you say that, but who knows what other trump cards you have hidden up your sleeve?"
After exchanging a few flattering remarks, Jekyeong inquired about Gwak Jeong-sin's reaction. "He was completely out of his mind with worry. When he heard the news that a band of Bandit Cultivators had plundered the shops of the Yeongbu Merchant Association, he looked even more frantic. Speaking of which, were those fellows by any chance sent by you?" "They were. I intended to shake them up from behind, but looking back, I wonder if it was a waste of resources." "Haha, I knew it! Well, even so, their morale, which was already scraping the floor, has now plummeted straight into the abyss. You certainly got your money's worth, so don't regret it too much."
Choi Ju-tang went on to describe the pathetic excuses offered by the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who had fled first, as well as the reactions of the remaining cultivators. "How is Gwak Jeong-sin holding up?" "He's keeping his mouth shut, but from what I can gather, he's dying to turn back. However, returning empty-handed after suffering such heavy losses would ruin him, so he's hesitating, unable to face the consequences." "Hmm." Jekyeong organized his thoughts, picturing Gwak Jeong-sin caught between a rock and a hard place. "What do you plan to do now?" "The plan remains unchanged. I want to drag this conflict out for as long as possible." "But you've already shattered their morale, haven't you? They have neither the strength nor the will to fight anymore." "Yes, I am well aware. That is why... this time, we need to boost their morale a bit." "What?" Jekyeong began to explain his minor scheme to the bewildered Choi Ju-tang.
On an unnamed small island within the Heukgyo Water Territory, where six ships lay anchored, thousands of Water Beasts swarmed like a cloud of hornets. "They're coming again!" "Is that damn beast trying to starve us out?!" The Human Race cultivators resting on the island rose to fight the encroaching horde. The Water Beasts, relying solely on their savage instincts, were no match for the human cultivators who used their ships as defensive walls. With the flying Foundation Establishment cultivators adding their overwhelming firepower to the fray, the pier was piled high with the carcasses of Water Beasts in less than an hour.
"This is already the fourth wave. Yet that Black Dragon hasn't shown its face even once." "Could it be, as Fellow Daoist Choi speculated, that the Black Dragon was wounded by Senior Jo's sword strike? A wound so severe that it cannot personally take action?" "Senior Park, what do you think?" The white-haired, white-eyebrowed mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator addressed as Senior Park wore a deeply contemplative expression. He truly could not be certain. Was Choi Ju-tang's hypothesis correct? Was the dragon's unbothered appearance back then merely a bluff? Indeed, Fellow Daoist Jo's sword strike was so powerful that even I wouldn't dare face it head-on. No matter how durable that Black Dragon is, there's no way it escaped unscathed. But... if it wanted to maintain a bluff, shouldn't it show itself instead of just sending its minions to their deaths? Unable to find an answer, he chose to remain silent.
"What are your thoughts, Fellow Daoist Gwak?" Since the sole remaining mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator kept his silence, the eyes of the gathering turned to Gwak Jeong-sin. "As for me..." Feeling the weight of everyone's gaze, Gwak Jeong-sin spoke slowly.
Choi Ju-tang's standing within the Black Dragon Subjugation Force had become delicate. Previously, due to the prowess he displayed in battles against the Black Dragon and the fact that Gwak Jeong-sin, the leader of the force, had actively sought to recruit him and build a friendly rapport, he had naturally been the center of attention. Had the subjugation ended in success, his recruitment into the Yeongbu Merchant Association and his subsequent rise to fame would have been a foregone conclusion. However, because he had provided the catalyst for their defeat in the recent battle against the Black Dragon, the tides had turned.
Of course, everyone knew it was unreasonable to blame Choi Ju-tang for the defeat. While it was true he was the first to fall prey to the enemy's scheme, he had not attacked his allies like a certain someone, and he had ultimately overcome the curse on his own. Yet, human nature is inherently fickle, and people often seek scapegoats rather than actual causes. This situation was no different. Gwak Jeong-sin, who used to initiate conversations and act friendly, had fallen silent, and a couple of Foundation Establishment cultivators subtly displayed their displeasure.
It would not have been surprising if Choi Ju-tang had protested his innocence, but he chose to remain silent as if accepting the blame. Furthermore, whenever the Water Beasts attacked, he was always the first to charge, fighting more fiercely than anyone else. By the time the third wave of attacks had passed, the number of Water Beasts slain by his hand alone exceeded a thousand. At this point, not only Gwak Jeong-sin, who had kept his distance, but even those who had tried to shift the blame onto him were secretly impressed.
Cultivators were abundant in the cultivation world, but the vast majority of them were merely at the Qi Refining stage. Foundation Establishment cultivators were a rare handful, and as such, they possessed a significant degree of pride. This pride was particularly pronounced among Rogue Cultivators, as they had far fewer opportunities to witness the "heavens beyond the heavens" compared to sect or clan cultivators. A frog in a well tends to believe the well is the entire world, making them prone to arrogance.
The Rogue Cultivators of Yangseo Lake—specifically those in the Black Dragon Subjugation Force—were no exception. Fiercely proud, they rarely bowed their heads to others and were unaccustomed to swallowing injustice. Had they been in Choi Ju-tang's shoes, they would have ground their teeth and abandoned the subjugation force long ago. Of course, things would have been different if a Golden Core cultivator, or at least a late-stage Foundation Establishment master, had been present to suppress them by force, but that was not the case. Who here could possibly stop them? Certainly not Senior Park, who had already lost all face and possessed nothing but a dignified appearance.
"Fellow Daoist Choi. Thank you for lending us your strength." Gwak Jeong-sin approached Choi Ju-tang, who was clearing the carcasses of the Water Beasts at the pier. Sweeping away dozens of beast corpses with a single wave of the hand was a feat only a Foundation Establishment cultivator—specifically one skilled in water techniques—could perform. It was rare to see a Foundation Establishment master deign to do such menial labor, yet Choi Ju-tang had volunteered before anyone could even ask. While some sneered at his shallow calculations, dismissing it as a mere show, Gwak Jeong-sin thought differently. What did it matter if it was just for show?