No Need for Shortcuts
Boom! Crash! The Black Flood Dragon, transformed into a living, breathing fireball, continued its wild rampage.
The cultivators of the Hoyeon Family drew back to a safe distance to avoid being swept up in the destruction, catching their breath. They intended to wait until the Black Flood Dragon exhausted its strength.
"Patriarch!" Seeing Hoyeon Sin spitting blood, one of the cultivators rushed over to him.
Hoyeon Sin shook his head, assuming the cultivator was trying to offer him a healing pill. He had his own alchemical pills, but the internal injuries he had sustained were far too severe to be cured by a few simple remedies.
"I am fine. I..." The cultivator, who had approached with a face full of concern, suddenly lunged. His hand, curved like the talons of a bird of prey, clawed toward Hoyeon Sin's throat.
Hoyeon Sin twisted his body instinctively, but he could not dodge completely. Even as his collarbone shattered and flesh was torn away, he did not look away. He stared directly at his assailant, whose face still wore that same worried expression.
Sorcery! Only now did he realize why his son had acted so bizarrely moments ago. There is someone hiding in the shadows!
Staggering backward, Hoyeon Sin unleashed a palm strike. The controlled cultivator, who was pursuing him under the influence of the sorcery, took the blow directly to the center of his chest, coughing up blood as he was blasted away.
"Patriarch!" "Father!" Urgent voices rang in his ears like auditory hallucinations. Spitting blood, Hoyeon Sin raised his head. Two massive, brilliantly glowing fireballs met his gaze. In the eyes of the rage-filled Black Flood Dragon, his own reflection was mirrored.
Myeong-ha showed himself on the battlefield, where the heat still lingered. "You really should have controlled your strength a bit," Myeong-ha said, looking around with a sigh of regret. A few mangled corpses, reduced to mere severed limbs, floated in the surrounding waters. They were the remnants of his frenzied business partner's recent rampage.
What a waste. Every single one of them would have made excellent raw material. At least it was a relief that Hoyeon Sin was relatively intact. Well, considering he was on the verge of death, "intact" was a bit of a stretch, but at least his limbs were still attached.
"I didn't have the chance to do anything about the two who fled." "It matters not." His partner did not seem to care about the escapees at all. Was he relying on that crow?
"How is your body?" "How does it look?" His partner did not hide his pain. His scales were tattered like a landscape ravaged by an earthquake, his monster power was completely undetectable, and his entire body hung limp. For a fleeting moment, Myeong-ha wondered how much strength his partner could actually muster in this state. If he were to strike right now, would the dragon be able to resist?
No. Forget it. This business partner of his was no simpleton. What if this weakened appearance was merely a trap? He had no desire to take unnecessary risks when guaranteed profits lay right before him.
While Myeong-ha was busy calculating in his head, Jekyeong's mind was equally occupied. While remaining on guard against Myeong-ha, who might harbor ulterior motives, Jekyeong recalled Hoyeon Sin's storage ring, which he had inspected before Myeong-ha's arrival. More specifically, the alchemical recipe contained within it.
Jekyeong had placed his trust in Cheongo, and Cheongo had lived up to his expectations. The two who had fled in a panic were instantly subdued by Cheongo, who had been waiting outside the water. With their minds and bodies already in tatters, they couldn't offer even a shred of resistance against Cheongo's hypnosis.
Jekyeong and Myeong-ha divided the spoils on the spot. Jekyeong claimed all the storage bags, while the three captured cultivators were handed over to Myeong-ha. While Jekyeong had surrendered the other two without hesitation, he had hesitated when it came to Hoyeon Sin.
Hoyeon Sin was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and the Patriarch of the Hoyeon Family. His status and the knowledge locked inside his head alone possessed immense value, far exceeding that of any ordinary late Foundation Establishment cultivator. The unfortunate part was that, because Jekyeong belonged to the Beast Race, he could not fully exploit Hoyeon Sin's value himself.
But that did not diminish Hoyeon Sin's worth. This was evident from Myeong-ha's eager attitude. Myeong-ha made no attempt to hide how desperately he wanted Hoyeon Sin.
Originally, Jekyeong had planned to play hard to get and drive Hoyeon Sin's ransom as high as possible. However, Myeong-ha's sheer compliance left him with little to say. Myeong-ha seemed ready to accept whatever price Jekyeong named without a single complaint.
Such behavior clearly demonstrated just how desperately Myeong-ha coveted Hoyeon Sin. This act of throwing up his hands in surrender before a fight even began was highly uncharacteristic of Myeong-ha. This half-human, half-demon business partner was one of the most cunning individuals Jekyeong had ever encountered, and that cunning was usually employed to maximize his own gains.
Does he need him that badly? Jekyeong wondered if he had perhaps underestimated Hoyeon Sin's true value.
...No, forget it. There is no need to get greedy. Even if Hoyeon Sin's value was higher than he anticipated, it had nothing to do with him. Even if he could extract greater profits using Hoyeon Sin, Jekyeong had no desire to deal with the inevitable hassle that would follow.
"What is this?"
"As you can see, they are alchemical pills. They are similar to the cultivation pills commonly used by the Human Race. However, these pills are effective for the Beast Race as well."
Having said that, Myeong-ha waited for a dramatic reaction. Unfortunately for him, Jekyeong showed no reaction whatsoever. He merely glared back with eyes full of suspicion.
"Haha. Don't look at me like I'm some swindler. A single test would expose the truth immediately, so why would I tell such an obvious lie?" With that, Myeong-ha popped one of the pills into his own mouth.
"I'll be frank. While these pills are certainly effective for the Beast Race, the benefits a Great Demon can gain from them are not that significant. Still, it is far better than nothing. And most importantly, I possess the complete alchemical recipe."
"Do you realize what you are saying?"
"Of course I do."
A complete alchemical recipe. Even though Myeong-ha had hedged his bets by stating the effects were minor for a Great Demon, it would still be vastly superior to having nothing at all. If word of such an item got out, the vast majority of the Beast Race in Yangseo Lake would lose their minds trying to get it. Yet he was offering it up so casually? Naturally, the suspicion in Jekyeong's gaze deepened.
"I can guess what you are thinking," Myeong-ha said with a wry smile. "I don't wish to draw your resentment, Fellow Daoist, so I will be honest. The recipe I possess is indeed complete, but most of the required medicinal herbs are extremely difficult to obtain within Yangseo Lake."
Jekyeong's eyes narrowed, as if he had expected as much. "Then forget it."
"Huh?"
"I have no interest in either the pills or the recipe. Pay me in Spirit Stones. Or spiritual items, if you prefer."
"Wait..."
For a rare moment, Myeong-ha looked utterly flabbergasted. He had never imagined Jekyeong's reaction would be this lukewarm—no, downright cold. What he had offered was a treasure that any member of the Beast Race would dream of possessing. One must not forget that beast cultivators were still cultivators. The yearning for the immortal path transcended race.
Is it because he doesn't trust me? No. The suspicious look in the dragon's eyes had mostly vanished the moment Myeong-ha confessed to the recipe's flaw.
"You seem puzzled."
"To be honest, yes."
"I have no need for such pills. Even without them, I will become a Demon King."
"...Haha." Myeong-ha stared intently at Jekyeong before letting out a hearty laugh. It had been a very long time since he had been caught so off guard. The sheer absurdity of it made him chuckle.
My goodness... Looking at this partner who constantly defied his expectations, Myeong-ha's feelings were complicated. How was he to judge this creature? Should he call him a fool for snorting in disdain at a treasure? Yes, he was a fool. But he was different from the common run of fools. His arrogance was backed by substance. After all, the blood of a Flood Dragon flowed through his veins.
A Demon King. Myeong-ha had never seen a Flood Dragon before. Thus, he could not tell if all Flood Dragons were this magnificent, or if his business partner was simply an anomaly. However, based on what he had witnessed so far, he was certain this creature would one day become a titan. As for whether he could actually become a Demon King... Well, perhaps it was possible. Assuming he did not draw the ire of the heavens and meet with a premature tribulation.
"If you want Hoyeon Sin, pay me in Spirit Stones. Essence Blood is also acceptable."
He was arrogant and imposing. Though covered in wounds and utterly exhausted, his aura was somehow even more intense than when he was completely unharmed.
Magnificent. It was as if he were radiating light—the light of one who did not harbor a single shred of self-doubt. Myeong-ha suddenly grew curious. If this magnificent Black Flood Dragon were to one day suffer a crushing defeat that broke his spirit, would he still shine as brightly as he did now?
"Very well."
But curiosity was one thing, and concluding the transaction was another. It was troublesome that the items he had prepared failed to pique his partner's interest, but he could not simply give up. Hoyeon Sin was a treasure he absolutely had to secure.
Spirit Stones... might be tight. Although the profits he had reaped from Haeyeon Island's business and various side ventures were substantial, his expenditures had been equally heavy. Furthermore, judging by the dragon's tone, he wouldn't even blink at a mediocre offer. Myeong-ha's mind raced as he calculated the amount of Spirit Stones he could mobilize immediately and the amount of Essence Blood he could procure.
Jekyeong received a hefty sum of Spirit Stones from Myeong-ha and secured a promise for five drops of a Great Demon's Essence Blood in the future before finally handing over the captured cultivators. Afterward, he immediately retreated into the Black Cult Palace to tend to his wounds.
Although he had put on a strong front before Myeong-ha, Jekyeong's physical condition was actually quite dire. The countless minor cuts and scrapes covering his body were troublesome enough, but they were nothing compared to the wound inflicted by Hoyeon Sin's final strike. His scales, which he had believed to be sturdier than dharma treasures, were extensively damaged, his flesh was necrotic, and even his bones had sustained partial damage.