A Kindred Spirit
Once his racing heart calmed down a bit, the Jansu Whale King finally realized what the illusion he had witnessed actually was. It was a simple method used by Core Formation cultivators when they wished to project their presence. He, too, often left a spiritual consciousness imprint on his subordinates to have them act as his proxies. However, the spiritual consciousness imprint engraved upon this "Black Flood Dragon" was not as simple as the ones he had used. To suppress a Demon King with nothing but a spiritual consciousness imprint—he would never have imagined such a thing was possible until he experienced it firsthand.
"This fellow's backer is no joke. Could he really be a true Flood Dragon? But that illusion... no matter how I look at it, it didn't look like a Flood Dragon. Besides, if he has such a reliable backer, why did he come to such a remote place to live in hiding?"
In an instant, his mind became as cluttered as his emotions. Looking at the Black Flood Dragon, who bowed his head in silence, he doubted and doubted again what kind of sinister intentions this fellow might be hiding deep inside. He had long since withdrawn all of his pressure, yet this fellow still showed no intention of raising his head or opening his mouth. It was as if he were waiting to hear what he would say first.
"He wouldn't try to do anything to me." The Jansu Whale King soothed his anxious mind. It wasn't mere self-consolation; he truly believed it. No matter how he thought about it, there was no grudge between him and this fellow. This was the very first time he had heard his name and seen his face, so what grudge could there be? Of course, the fact that he had tried to intimidate him just moments ago weighed slightly on his mind, but...
"Ahem!" Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he slowly opened his mouth.
"Right. Did you say your name was Jekyeong?"
"Yes, Whale King."
"I have heard stories about you from early on. I was curious since you possess the Flood Dragon bloodline, but seeing you quietly settle down in a secluded water region, I thought you might dislike trouble, so I did not summon you."
Of course, this was not true. He had only recently heard the rumor that a Flood Dragon had appeared in Yangseo Lake. Makgye raised his head slightly, sensing something was off, but upon meeting the fierce gaze of the Jansu Whale King, he flinched in surprise and quickly lowered his eyes again.
"I thank the Whale King for his consideration."
"Think nothing of it. As the sole Demon King of Yangseo Lake, I merely hoped that a great talent would emerge among the Yangseo Yao race. Ah, those words are no longer appropriate. There are now multiple Demon Kings in Yangseo Lake."
At those words, Jekyeong swallowed hard, momentarily unsure of how to react. "Is he... joking? Surely not?"
"Yes. So... what do you plan to do in the future?"
"I do not understand the Whale King's meaning."
"Are you not at the late stage of the Great Yao realm? You might not know, but in this place, even that level of cultivation is enough to throw one's weight around. I do not know the details, but the place you are currently staying..."
The Jansu Whale King trailed off, but his meaning was clear. Jekyeong organized his thoughts and carefully chose his words. "Is this... a test?" Was he trying to gauge the extent of his ambition? Or was he showing off the spiritual vein of Gyeongwang Palace to invite him there under some pretext? If that was the case, how should he react?
"The Jansu Whale King must have detected Senior Yu Gon's spiritual consciousness imprint. That's why he stopped his hand." There was no doubt about this part. If so, the important thing was how deep of an impression Senior Yu Gon's imprint had left on the Jansu Whale King. If the Whale King had been frightened by it or felt sufficiently wary, Jekyeong would have room to maneuver no matter how he responded. But if not...
"...I've already ridden the tiger. Shrinking back now will do no good."
Jekyeong decided to trust the two seniors of Bulmangwon and the suffocating majesty he had felt from them.
"As the Whale King said, I prefer quietness. Although the water region I reside in is remote, there is little disturbance because of it, making it the perfect place to lay my body down."
"Oh?" Was it an illusion? For a moment, the Jansu Whale King's eyes seemed to flash. It was absurd, but Jekyeong thought those eyes looked like... those of a lonely soul who had met a kindred spirit for the very first time. Of course, that ridiculous thought vanished even faster than it had appeared.
"I see. I had my own thoughts for you, but if you are satisfied with where you are, I will not force you. No matter what others say, peace of mind is what matters most."
"Your words are absolutely correct."
They conversed a great deal after that. Most of the topics were trivial personal matters, and they did not touch upon anything confidential. Jekyeong felt that his conversation with the Jansu Whale King was going surprisingly smoothly. Was his spirit broken because of the spiritual consciousness imprint? That was highly likely, but this attitude, which was beyond gentle and almost easygoing, was hard to attribute solely to being intimidated...
"Whatever. It doesn't matter."
Since the Jansu Whale King's attitude was unexpectedly soft, this was a good thing. There was no need to overthink something so obvious. Overthinking wouldn't change anything anyway.
"Jekyeong. It seems we share quite a few common views."
When their conversation had lasted for half a day, the Jansu Whale King sighed and spoke. At the sincerity contained in that brief sigh, Jekyeong almost failed to control his facial expression. What on earth was going on?
Jekyeong stayed at Gyeongwang Palace for a full three days. During those three days, he continued to converse with the Jansu Whale King, and even received a few light pieces of advice regarding cultivation. He was even gifted several spiritual items right before his departure. Surprisingly, they were all fire-attribute spiritual items, which were rare to find in Yangseo Lake. The Jansu Whale King had intentionally selected them after realizing Jekyeong was a fire-attribute Yao.
Though he had been half-doubting until then, Jekyeong was now certain. For some unknown reason, the Jansu Whale King clearly held goodwill toward him and made no effort to hide it. Unable to fathom the reason, Jekyeong could only marvel once again at the majesty of Senior Yu Gon.
"Whale King. I shall take my leave now."
"Very well. Have a safe journey back."
After politely bidding farewell, Jekyeong turned and left Gyeongwang Palace. Watching him go, the Jansu Whale King scanned the vast Gyeongwang Palace with his eyes once Jekyeong had completely vanished from his sight.
"Sigh." Sensing the Great Yao who had hidden themselves in caves while walking on eggshells around him, the Jansu Whale King let out a silent sigh. They were all useless fools. Trash who thought they were clever, enjoying causing trouble by borrowing his name. He wanted to kick them all out, but realistically he couldn't, which only left him seething inside. Looking at them made his murderous intent rise, so he tried not to look at them at all. But even when he forced his eyes away from the trash, his mind remained uneasy. It was because of the ruined Gyeongwang Palace.
"Mu-ara, that bastard!" The Jansu Whale King took a deep breath to calm his rising anger. He thought he had accepted it since it had already happened, and thought he had grown used to it... but occasionally, whenever he fell into a sentimental mood like now, the fire in his heart would flare up. How beautiful Gyeongwang Palace used to be! It was overflowing with vitality everywhere, and the living, moving water currents delighted the eyes. But now, that beautiful scenery had become desolate, as if swept over by ghosts and demons, and the rich spiritual energy had been cut in half. It was all because of what that wicked octopus had done.
"Truly, the tree wishes to remain still, but the wind will not stop." Looking around the shabby Gyeongwang Palace, his heart naturally grew melancholy.
"This fellow, that fellow, I wish they would all just get lost." He missed the old Gyeongwang Palace, and he missed the old Yangseo Lake. Those boring days when there were no noisy affairs or dangerous events.
"Bastards. They're all bastards." Sighing deeply, he returned to the Black Water Pool, closed his eyes, and curled up. Immersing his body in silence and soaking his mind in peace, his ragged breathing gradually became steady.
Aided by his highly mastered Presence-Concealing Technique, Jekyeong hurried along even faster than when he had traveled with Makgye. Makgye's method was to avoid trouble by flaunting his power, but that was also mentally exhausting in many ways. Rather than glaring at and driving away every fellow he encountered, it was much more comfortable not to encounter them in the first place. Jekyeong clearly remembered how Makgye had marveled at and envied his Presence-Concealing Technique.
"Jekyeong!" Cheongo, who had sensed him even before he reached Heukgyodo, flew over from afar.
"Did anything happen?"
"Yes, it did."
"Hmm?"
"The turtle broke through."
"Oh?" Jekyeong's eyes widened slightly. "Was it smooth?"
"No. He almost died. I thought he would really die if I left him alone, so I used a few spiritual items."
"You did well."
Jekyeong did not scold Cheongo for using spiritual items without his permission. All things existed to be used, and he was the one who had asked Cheongo to keep a close eye on Hyeongu. Thus, there was only reason to praise, not to scold.
"How is Hyeongu?"
"He almost died during the breakthrough, so he's bedridden even after succeeding. He's still groaning and weak."
It seemed Hyeongu's breakthrough process had been even more arduous than he had anticipated. If Cheongo had not supported him with spiritual items, he would have failed the breakthrough and died in nine cases out of ten.
"Still, I'm glad he succeeded." Jekyeong focused his mind even more on his already widely spread spiritual consciousness. Then, far below, at the bottom of the lake, he could sense a familiar demonic energy. It was far too dense to belong to an ordinary Water Beast, yet too feeble to be called the demonic energy of a Great Demon. Cheongo's description of him being weak and groaning was perfectly apt.
"Was there anything else besides Hyeongu's matter?"
"Muksu says he's hungry."
Jekyeong, of course, did not starve Muksu. Therefore, Muksu saying he was hungry was just a complaint that he wanted a "special treat" rather than his regular "meals."
"...Other than that?"
"I don't think there was anything else."
As soon as Jekyeong returned to Heukgyodo, he summoned a subordinate Water Beast to deliver some demon-healing pills and a few medicinal herbs suitable for the Yao race to Hyeongu. He then summoned Han Cheongyu to ask about recent events while checking his cultivation progress.
"Late Qi Condensation. This level can be considered mature." Since he possessed outstanding talent, did not slack in his efforts, and was provided with ample cultivation resources, his cultivation speed was naturally quite fast.
"Do you have the confidence to cross the Foundation Establishment barrier?"
"I merely do not fear it."
Jekyeong nodded at Han Cheongyu's calm reply. "I shall look forward to it."
Since Hyeongu had become a Great Demon, Jekyeong hoped that Han Cheongyu would also be able to cross the Foundation Establishment barrier. If that happened, he would have trustworthy subordinates among both humans and Yao, allowing him to proceed with various matters much more easily than before.
Having resolved the matter of Gyeongwang Palace, Jekyeong finally breathed a sigh of relief. It felt as though a burden that had been weighing on his mind the entire time had been lifted. However, as long as one was alive, trouble never ceased; as soon as one matter was finished, another would follow in its wake. When an envoy from the Court of Demons arrived not even two months after his return from Gyeongwang Palace, Jekyeong finally understood that truth.
"Jang Yeong. And... who is this?" Sensing two rapidly approaching auras with his widely spread spiritual consciousness as usual, Jekyeong frowned.