Separating Gems from Stones
"The only reason I have consistently spared time for you all is because I believed you were worth the investment. But now... to be perfectly honest, I see no reason to keep this gathering going."
The temperature in the meeting hall rose. Jekyeong had not actively released his demonic power, but his rhythmic breathing alone was enough to make the Great Demons in the hall feel the air grow stiflingly hot.
"You have allowed your territories to be snatched away by worthless drifters who crawled out of who-knows-where, and you do nothing but babble without offering a shred of real resistance. Surely you aren't expecting me to sweep them away for you?"
"Of course not," a mid-stage Great Yao spoke up with a heavy expression.
"We are not such useless trash. In fact, some of those who are absent today were the very first to step forward when those drifters began pouring in. But as you well know, Fellow Daoist, this is not a conflict that ends simply by killing one or two of them."
Having said that, he looked at Jekyeong. When Jekyeong gave a slight nod of his head to signal him to continue, he let out a sigh and went on.
"Even if we kill one today, another will appear tomorrow. If we kill that one, two or three more might show up the day after. If we get injured while fighting aggressively to defend our territory, those who smell our blood will swarm us in earnest. It is a vicious, never-ending cycle."
Only then did Jekyeong understand. The crux of the matter was that there were simply too many of them to deal with, making the task seem utterly daunting. Territorial disputes among the Beast Race were no different from those of wild beasts; they had to focus on self-preservation rather than a single victory or defeat. Even if one managed to bite an opponent to death, getting injured in the process made it a losing trade. Thus, they naturally avoided any fight where they might get hurt.
Tsk. Jekyeong's gaze softened slightly—shifting from looking at useless trash to looking at mere fools.
"So? You are just waiting for them to tear each other apart?"
"There is that, but we are mostly trying to observe how the situation unfolds. Right now, those drifters are pests we need to drive out, but if the Human Race pushes their way in here... then the story changes entirely."
"Hmm." Judging by the steady eyes and the complex emotions laced in the speaker's voice, this was not an excuse made up on the spot.
"I understand your reasoning, but the future is the future, and the present is the present. Besides... forcing useless trash to gather will only ruin the atmosphere."
"What do you mean, Fellow Daoist?"
"Preparing for the Human Race is well and good. But even if we prepare, we must weed out the riffraff," Jekyeong said firmly. "This actually works out perfectly. Let us sweep away the rabble and fill the vacant seats in our gathering."
Jekyeong rose. His massive shadow cast over nearly half of the meeting hall.
"Lead the way." Jekyeong subtly revealed a hint of his late-stage Great Yao demonic power. The mid-stage Great Yao who had been speaking with him just moments ago gasped, his jaw dropping.
"Fellow Daoist, could you perhaps..." He started to speak without thinking, but quickly shut his mouth. He then carefully lowered his gaze and bowed his head.
Jekyeong was not lying. His decision to deal with the "drifters" was to separate the wheat from the chaff, and in the process, familiarize himself with his late-stage Great Yao realm. While secluding himself in the Black Cult Palace was not a bad option, nothing was as efficient as real combat.
In the past, he probably wouldn't have acted this way. Even before his breakthrough, he hadn't cared much about ordinary early-to-mid-stage Great Yao, yet he had still tried to avoid fighting whenever possible. Hunting and fighting were different. At least, that was what Jekyeong believed. A hunt, conducted under meticulous planning, left no loose ends. A fight was different. One never knew what unpredictable accidents might occur, so it was best to avoid them if possible. Even if he could tear out his opponent's throat, losing a chunk of his own flesh in the process made it a net loss. It was a mindset that prioritized survival above all else.
"Let us begin." But things were different now. It wasn't that his survival-first mindset had changed. It was simply that the things he once considered dangerous no longer posed a threat.
After reaching the late-stage Great Yao realm, Jekyeong himself did not know exactly how strong he had become. However, when he looked at the other Great Demons in the exchange hall, he felt as though he could slaughter them all if he wished. Was it an illusion? Perhaps. That was why he wanted to test it. A perfect opportunity had presented itself right before his eyes.
Perhaps some of them really are affiliated with Gyeongwang Palace or Yojeong... but right now, they won't have the leisure to worry about such insignificant rabble.
Even if they came to demand answers later, it didn't matter. Of course, he still held reverence and caution toward the existence of a Demon King, but he would no longer cower flat on the ground as he once did.
If I compare my current self to Mu-ara, who was secretly active in Gyeongwang Palace... even if I fall slightly short of him, the gap wouldn't be that vast.
This was not arrogance, but an objective estimation based on his experiences so far. Back then, Mu-ara had been bold enough to plot against Gyeongwang at the late-stage Great Yao realm. Jekyeong wasn't quite that reckless, but he felt the need to take a page out of Mu-ara's book of boldness. A bird with undeveloped wings walking cautiously is a commendable display of prudence, but a bird with fully grown wings still waddling on the ground is foolishness masquerading as caution.
"The Black Flood Dragon!" One of the "drifters" shrieked in terror upon seeing Jekyeong and spun around. Flapping several wing-like fins, the creature fled at a speed so immense that even Jekyeong, pursuing at full throttle, found it difficult to catch up. Even when the two Great Demons accompanying Jekyeong lunged from both sides to block its path, the creature effortlessly shook them off and continued to widen the distance.
This won't do. Jekyeong's eyes flashed, and an immense amount of demonic power erupted from his entire body like a volcanic explosion. Countless threads of spiritual energy—no, threads of fire energy, which could only be perceived through Spiritual Awareness—stretched out. In an instant, those threads caught up to the fleeing drifter and caged it.
Whoosh! The threads, which had spread out like a tangled skein of yarn, swelled in size as they trapped the drifter. Seeing the closing ring of fire, the drifter hesitated for a fraction of a second. Even without a Great Demon's instincts, the searing heat that felt as if it were scorching his throat was more than enough to trigger his alarm. He instinctively knew that trying to break through this fire with his bare body would result in something horrific.
The drifter was remarkably agile and clever. Slowing down upon seeing the countless fiery threads was a decision born of a highly developed intellect, quite uncharacteristic of a Great Demon. However, that very rational judgment proved to be his undoing this time. From the beginning, hesitation was useless. Deliberating would not change the answer he had to choose. It was either break through the encirclement or turn around and fight the Black Flood Dragon. But he was no fool. He knew that neither of those options was viable.
"Wait! Fellow Daoist! I—" He tried to surrender. He was certain that groveling was the only way to save his life. But. "Too late." Before he could fully express his submission, hideously sharp fangs descended upon his head.
As he dealt with the drifters, Jekyeong decided whom to kill and whom to spare based on his own standard of separating the wheat from the chaff. His criteria for what constituted "wheat" were far from ordinary. The "gems" he sought were not smooth, glittering jewels.
They must not be too smart, nor can they be too powerful. It was enough if they weren't completely brainless, and sufficient if their strength wasn't utterly lacking. Jekyeong wanted Great Demons he could easily control, much like the current members of the exchange.
In that regard, the moth-like creature from earlier—who had been incredibly swift and quick-witted—was a failure. Aside from his sharp wits and clever mind, his realm-defying speed alone was enough to classify him as "chaff." Jekyeong was certain that abnormal speed was either a Divine Ability or a special talent equivalent to one.
"Let's move." The Great Demons, who had been swallowing hard as they watched the drifter disappear into Jekyeong's abyss-like maw, quietly followed behind him.
Jekyeong continued his "cleanup" without hesitation. According to his criteria, he spared the gems and eliminated the stones. Since most of the drifters were mere stones, the number of Great Demons he disposed of approached nearly ten in less than a month.
The other Great Demons of the exchange were not idle either. To be precise, Jekyeong did not allow them to be idle. Flaunting his late-stage Great Yao strength and prestige, he issued high-handed orders to them. Yet, he strictly maintained a certain boundary. Jekyeong did not forget that the Great Demons of the exchange were individuals who had gathered under his shadow to escape the oppression of Gyeongwang Palace and Yojeong. If he tried to reign over them like a king, they would only look for an opportunity to flee. Therefore, he could not treat them as true subordinates.
This was a special case. They were only cooperating for the moment because they had accumulated enough wariness and hostility toward the "drifters," and because they felt the need to prove their worth. Once the task was finished or some time had passed, they would slowly come to their senses and start harboring other thoughts.
I must wrap this up before that happens.
Jekyeong bit down on the nape of a Great Demon with impressive, sturdy horns who was desperately lunging at him, and slammed him down in a single motion. "Graaargh!" A roar filled with pain and fury rang out. Unconcerned, Jekyeong repeatedly thrashed him against the lake bed dozens of times like shaking out wet laundry.
The creature endured without breaking for the first ten or twenty times, but after thirty, his voice began to grow faint. By the time it exceeded fifty, he was trembling violently, letting out only intermittent, gasping breaths. Only then did Jekyeong release him, a cold, fishy smirk playing on his lips.
"You're quite durable." The creature could not answer. He only looked up at him pitifully with eyes steeped in pain and terror.
"If you wish to die, I shall kill you. But if you wish to live... you must prove why I should keep you alive." This fellow was barely a "gem." If he had been slightly stupider or slightly stronger, Jekyeong would have classified him as a "stone."
"Lord Dragon. We have found Son Seong," a Great Demon approached and said just as Jekyeong secured another member for the exchange. He and the other Great Demons of the exchange no longer addressed Jekyeong as "Fellow Daoist Jekyeong."
"If you found him, why not deal with him immediately?" Son Seong was a "big shot" drifter they had decided to eliminate early on. He was quite powerful, and because he boasted that he had served Gyeongwang Palace and even participated in the recent war under its name, the Great Demons of the exchange had been forced to turn a blind eye to his outrages despite their simmering anger.
"Well... his strength is quite formidable, so..."
"Hmph." Jekyeong did not hide his contempt as he looked down at the Great Demon who lowered his eyes. He couldn't help but chuckle at their glaringly obvious intentions. How could he not see through their calculations? No matter how outstanding Son Seong's strength was, there was no way they couldn't defeat him if three or four of them teamed up. Yet, they deliberately came to him to report it because they didn't want to shoulder any potential backlash.
"You grow more disappointing by the day." At Jekyeong's mockery, the Great Demon hung his head even lower but did not change his stance. Compared to the potential retaliation from Gyeongwang Palace, a brief moment of humiliation was nothing.
"Lead the way." Jekyeong followed the Great Demon, who eagerly took the lead, to find Son Seong. The moment he laid eyes on the target, whose eyes widened as he opened his mouth to speak, Jekyeong lunged at him with ferocious speed.