A Century of Patience
But now, the Myeongseomun Sect had finally drawn the weapon they had been holding in reserve.
Boom! Once again, the warship unleashed a blinding beam of light. This time, however, the Yao did not simply stand by and take the blow. A Great Yao with a rocky torso, an elongated neck, and a massive single horn thrust its head directly toward the descending light, which fell like heavenly retribution. To be precise, it lunged forward with its colossal horn.
Hummm! A dense cloud of mist erupted from the Great Yao's horn. The mist silently swallowed the warship's raging beam, and not content with that, it began to crawl insidiously toward the high fortress walls.
"Hmph!" A cultivator snorted, appearing atop the fortress wall. Gripping a fan larger than his own body with both hands, he swung it with all his might, conjuring a massive whirlwind.
Rumble! The whirlwind swept away the mist and tore a deep trench across the water's surface as it surged toward the Great Yao. Seeing the ferocious momentum, the single-horned Great Yao hesitated and recoiled, but the whirlwind pursued him relentlessly, accelerating as if refusing to let its prey escape. Dozens of low-level water beasts caught in the middle were ground to pieces, their flesh and bones instantly separated. Still unsatisfied, the whirlwind—now dyed a gruesome crimson—grew even larger, chasing down the Great Yao who had abandoned all pretense and begun to flee in earnest.
Crack! Just then, a single streak of light shot toward the crimson whirlwind. Compared to the tempest, which looked large enough to swallow an entire small island, the streak of light seemed like a mere toothpick trying to pierce an elephant. Yet, that tiny streak of light pierced straight through the heart of the whirlwind.
"What?!" The cultivator atop the wall, who had been catching his breath with a confident smirk, watched his roaring whirlwind rapidly dissipate. His eyes narrowed sharply.
How is this possible? He struggled to maintain his composure, but internally, he was deeply shaken. The Rain-Summoning Fan he had just used was no ordinary Dharma treasure. It was a peak-grade Dharma treasure, and one of the most powerful of its kind. Moreover, that single strike had consumed nearly half of his Dharma power. How could it be neutralized so effortlessly?
"Pathetic." The streak of light that had pierced the whirlwind flew back into a hand covered in bluish scales, condensing into a trident.
That fellow... is no ordinary Great Yao. The cultivator on the wall frowned as he stared at the demon, who was clearly out of the ordinary.
"If you wish to show off your strength, you should do so against an opponent of equal caliber." Standing tall on the churning lake as if it were solid ground, the Great Yao, Ha Yuseong, raised his fierce eyes and pointed his trident toward the human fortress wall.
The water beasts, who had been trembling in terror at the disastrous whirlwind, instantly regained their morale. They surged forward like a tidal wave toward the sturdy walls and the humans atop them.
Jekyeong dedicated himself to his cultivation, even while keeping his eyes and ears open to the outside world. After completing a month of secluded cultivation, he would check to ensure nothing was amiss before immediately entering another month of seclusion. One month, two months, half a year... a year... Time flowed rapidly.
The war between the Yao and the humans grew increasingly fierce. Word occasionally reached Jekyeong that several human cities had fallen and immortal fortresses had been destroyed. In the process, dozens of known Great Yao perished, and an even greater number of Foundation Establishment cultivators lost their lives. As Demon Kings clashed with Golden Core cultivators, several fairly large islands were completely submerged.
Each piece of news was earth-shattering, yet to Jekyeong, it all felt like someone else's business. He felt as though he had become a half-hearted seeker of the Dao—someone whose heart was entirely set on cultivation, yet who could not completely avert his gaze from the affairs of the world.
If only I could focus entirely on cultivation without a single worry. Jekyeong knew his wish was absurd. What he truly desired was not merely to cultivate without worries, but to cultivate in absolute, leisurely comfort.
A life spent atop a mountain of spirit stones, focusing solely on cultivation without worrying about conflicts or running out of alchemical pills. Jekyeong desired the very life that every cultivator dreamed of. But such an existence was like living above the clouds; it was a luxury unattainable unless one was an immortal. That was why cultivators living beneath the heavens constantly fought to seize greater opportunities.
"Whew." As Jekyeong exhaled a long breath into the air, the already charred walls of the Black Cult Palace scorched even blacker.
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Four years had already passed since the true war between the Yao and the humans began.
When the war first broke out, the Yao had attacked with a ferocity that threatened to sweep through the Human Territory in a single breath. At first, the prepared humans seemed to hold their ground, but once the Yao unleashed their full strength, the balance collapsed instantly. Riding their momentum, the Yao demolished human cities and immortal fortresses in rapid succession, claiming the lives of countless human cultivators. It seemed only a matter of time before the entire Human Territory was trampled underfoot.
However, once the defeated humans felt a sense of crisis and united to resist, the war—which had seemed on the verge of ending—entered a new phase. The Yao were undoubtedly powerful, but they could not breach the defenses of the humans, who dug in their heels and relied on fortress walls, formations, and various formidable defensive weapons. Similarly, though the Jansu Whale King was mighty, he could do nothing against the human Golden Core cultivators who were determined to hold their ground at all costs.
The newly ascended Simjeon Demon King also made his appearance on the battlefield, but his achievements were pitifully meager compared to those of the Jansu Whale King. This was not simply because his cultivation realm was significantly lower than the Whale King's. Rumor had it that the Simjeon Demon King's abilities were maximized in the water, while his power was drastically reduced on land. While this was true for most aquatic demons, the Simjeon Demon King seemed to suffer from this limitation to an extreme degree.
He had easily succeeded in crushing the human army and cornering them onto an island, but he could not take that final step. It was not as if there were Golden Core cultivators defending it, nor was there any other extraordinary variable. It was merely a strategic stronghold where several hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered. Yet, it took the Simjeon Demon King nearly half a year to bring down that single island.
The Yao expressed deep disappointment that a majestic Demon King had struggled so much to conquer a single human island. Compared to the Jansu Whale King, who had held his ground and even pushed back despite being double-teamed by multiple human Golden Core cultivators, many wondered if the Simjeon Demon King even deserved to be called a fellow Demon King.
Idiots. Jekyeong found the reactions of these Yao amusing. In his eyes, the Simjeon Demon King had done a commendable job. What he had faced was a massive defensive stronghold fortified by hundreds of human Foundation Establishment cultivators. No matter how long it took, breaching such a place through sheer force was an impressive feat in itself.
Hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Hearing of the Simjeon Demon King's "disgrace," Jekyeong couldn't help but chuckle. The total number of Foundation Establishment cultivators he had seen in his entire life barely amounted to a hundred. Yet here were hundreds of them, fully prepared and entrenched.
In Jekyeong's past life, there was a saying that to capture an enemy fortress, one needed three times the defender's forces. It highlighted the sheer difficulty of siege warfare, a concept that held true to some extent even in the cultivation world. Humans, in particular, excelled at defensive warfare. If hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators dug in their heels, it was only natural that even a Demon King would find it difficult to break through. Thus, Jekyeong did not view the Simjeon Demon King's performance as a disgrace; rather, he found it quite impressive. Even if it took half a year, he had won in the end, hadn't he?
The Simjeon Demon King is a powerhouse who once won a decision victory against the Jansu Whale King, so he can't be an easy target. Jekyeong suddenly grew curious. The Simjeon Demon King could not be ignorant of the current atmosphere. He knew that he was the Court of Demons, and his reputation was the reputation of the Court itself. He wouldn't allow this negative sentiment to persist. Would there soon be a shift in this stagnant theater of war?
I hope not. Jekyeong was highly satisfied with the current state of the war, where both the Yao and the humans were bleeding each other dry while warily watching one another. Strictly speaking, the current situation was even better than before the war broke out, because the auction house on Haeyeon Island was thriving like never before.
With the outbreak of war, various markets and auction houses, both large and small, had suspended their operations, allowing Haeyeon Island to reap massive windfall profits. Myeong-ha seemed determined to fully exploit this wartime boom, drastically shortening the auction cycles and literally raking in spirit stones by the bucketload. Jekyeong was immensely pleased with Myeong-ha's greedy business strategy—or more precisely, with the astronomical amount of spirit stones Myeong-ha sent him every month.
Myeong-ha was unsettling and untrustworthy in many ways, but when it came to business, he was reliable. At least, since they had launched the Haeyeon Island venture, Myeong-ha had never played games with the ledger or engaged in underhanded schemes. He would even immediately notify Jekyeong whenever items of interest arrived, or outright secure them in advance. It was a clear demonstration of goodwill.
No matter how suspicious one might be of a partner, such dedication was bound to soften anyone's heart, and Jekyeong was no exception. While he maintained his guard against Myeong-ha, he softened his outward attitude to show respect to his business partner—primarily by staying away from Haeyeon Island. Leaving the business entirely to a professional manager without interference... was that not the ultimate expression of trust and respect?
I wish this war would drag on for another ten, no, a hundred years. A hundred years. To most humans, it was a lifetime, but to Jekyeong, it was not a particularly long time.
A hundred years should be enough... Jekyeong had firmly consolidated his cultivation at the mid-stage of the Great Yao realm, but the late stage still felt frustratingly out of reach. However, if he were granted a hundred years, he believed he could reach that elusive realm.
Jekyeong knew he was still far from reaching a hundred years of age. Even after a century passed, he would still be under two hundred. In the eyes of a Great Yao, two hundred was beyond young—it was practically a child. Reaching the late stage of the Great Yao realm at such a tender age... even for one who inherited the bloodline of a Demon King, it was by no means an easy feat.
"Not easy" was an understatement; Jekyeong considered it virtually impossible. Of course, the world was vast, and perhaps there were monsters and geniuses out there who defied imagination. Yet, even if such beings existed, Jekyeong did not believe himself inferior to them. This was not arrogance, but pride. As someone carving out his own path to immortality, he had every right to feel that way.
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Jekyeong wished for the war to last ten or a hundred years, but unfortunately, his wish was not to be.
As the Jansu Whale King remained tightly bottlenecked by the Golden Core cultivators and the Simjeon Demon King failed to exert his full power, signs of a prolonged war emerged. At that moment, the Heumwon Clan, who had remained silent until now, finally stepped into the spotlight.
Beginning with Elder Myowon of the Heumwon Clan assisting the Simjeon Demon King in capturing an immortal fortress, the Heumwon Clan officially joined the racial war of Yangseo Lake. The power of the Heumwon Clan, renowned even in Muryang-ae, was truly formidable. They had dispatched two of their clan elders for this campaign, both of whom were powerhouses of the Demon King realm.
Two elders, both Demon Kings. Jekyeong clicked his tongue upon hearing the news. He did not know whether they were at the early, mid, or late stage of the Demon King realm. However, the mere fact that a single clan possessed at least two Demon King-level powerhouses was astonishing.
Yes, at least two. The Heumwon Clan might have other elders, a clan leader, or even supreme elders. Since status in the cultivation world was generally determined by strength, one had to wonder just how many Demon King-level powerhouses the Heumwon Clan possessed. While these were all assumptions, they were highly plausible ones.
The Heumwon Clan. Muryang-ae. It was surprising, but Jekyeong was not as deeply shocked as the other Great Yao who heard the news. After all, he was a reincarnator of the Garden of No Forgetfulness. Having recognized the vastness of the world early on through Bul-mang-won, the addition of Muryang-ae did not change much for him.
Is it finally beginning? Jekyeong thought, cooling his body, which had grown as hot as lava. If the war proceeded as he anticipated, the cultivation world of Yangseo Lake would undergo a true cataclysm. The supporting actors—the local Yao and humans—would step back, and the true protagonists behind the scenes, the Heumwon Clan and the Gakchung Clan, would take center stage.
"Lord Dragon."