One Familiar, One Foreign
One was familiar, the other foreign. One was weak, the other strong.
The familiar, weak presence belonged to Jang Yeong. His aura had not progressed a single inch since they last met. This was rather unexpected. His father was a Demon King, now one of the two undisputed rulers of the Yangseo Lake territory, yet his son's cultivation remained completely stagnant. No matter how different the parent-child dynamics of the Beast Race were compared to the Human Race, how could this be? Had he somehow fallen out of favor with the Simjeon Demon King? To put it bluntly, if Jekyeong were meeting Jang Yeong for the first time today, he wouldn't have spared him a second glance. Such a meager aura and level of strength were utterly insufficient to catch his interest.
On the other hand, the presence accompanying Jang Yeong was powerful enough to impress even the current Jekyeong. It was incomparable to Jang Yeong's, and easily a cut above Makgye, a core figure of the Gyeongwang Palace and a late-stage Great Yao. This newcomer was undoubtedly a late-stage Great Yao, and certainly no ordinary one. Jekyeong felt a prickle of tension, quickly followed by curiosity. I'll know once I see him. He waited leisurely inside the Black Cult Palace for their arrival.
Not long after, Hyeongu announced the arrival of the envoys from the Yojeong. Having only recently fully recovered, Hyeongu was still struggling to adapt to his newly attained Great Yao realm. Demonic power occasionally leaked from his body, and he frequently caused minor accidents due to poor control over his strength. Even now, his steps were exceedingly cautious, as if he feared a single heavy stride might shatter the grand hall.
"Lord Dragon, the envoys from the Yojeong have arrived. One is Jang Yeong, but the other is a face I have never seen before. His disposition is fierce; I do not believe they come with good intentions."
Since Hyeongu's ascension to the Great Yao realm, Jekyeong had granted him greater favor and authority. This moment was a prime example. In the past, Hyeongu would have stopped at merely announcing the guests' arrival, never daring to offer such a lengthy personal opinion. Hyeongu wouldn't have dreamed of it, and Jekyeong wouldn't have listened. But things were different now. Jekyeong treated Hyeongu with the respect befitting a Great Yao. Though Hyeongu found his master's consideration somewhat overwhelming, he was deeply moved.
"What do you think their intentions are?" At Jekyeong's question, Hyeongu put his mind—which had grown significantly sharper upon reaching the Great Yao realm—to work, spinning his deductions.
"Are they not here to demand answers? Many witnessed Your Grace departing with Lord Makgye that day, so if the Yojeong has ears, they must have heard the news. Even if they lack concrete proof, they are bound to be anxious."
"Anxious?" Jekyeong chuckled softly, but Hyeongu maintained a grave tone.
"Your Grace's power and majesty are more than enough to blanket the southern reaches of Yangseo Lake. If you so much as gesture toward aligning with the Gyeongwang Palace, the Yojeong will naturally burn with anxiety. How could they not be uneasy?"
Though laced with flattery, it was also his sincere belief. Hyeongu did not doubt for a moment that his master was indeed such a formidable existence. Had not both the Gyeongwang Palace and the Yojeong tolerated his independent path from the very beginning? Furthermore, Jekyeong had recently faced the Jansu Whale King himself and returned unscathed. This was practically a direct acknowledgment from the Whale King that the Lord Dragon had become one of the preeminent figures among the beasts of Yangseo Lake.
"We shall see." In contrast to Hyeongu's lingering concern, Jekyeong remained unbothered. Whatever misunderstandings they harbored, they could simply be cleared up. Jekyeong did not believe the Yojeong would dare strike first unless he bared his fangs first. If they had wanted to make a move, they would have done so long ago. Even if they had a change of heart now, it was already too late.
"Bring them in."
"Yes, milord."
A moment later, two Great Yao stepped into the grand hall of the Black Cult Palace.
"It's massive," Ha Yuseong remarked, scanning the Black Cult Palace from floor to ceiling. It was a blunt, unfiltered impression.
"Naturally. Fellow Daoist Jekyeong's physical size is quite extraordinary, after all," Jang Yeong replied.
"You still call him 'Fellow Daoist'?"
"Nothing is certain yet," Jang Yeong retorted in a cautious but firm tone. Watching Ha Yuseong snort in derision, he grumbled inwardly. What on earth was Father thinking, saddling me with a guy like this?
Jang Yeong was deeply dissatisfied with his royal father's choice of personnel. His father wanted to deliver a warning to the Black Flood Dragon, whose momentum was growing by the day. If the dragon had already aligned with the Gyeongwang Palace, they intended to punish him for making a fool of the Yojeong; if not, they wanted to warn him against doing so. However, in the eyes of Jang Yeong—the Yojeong's foremost 'Black Dragon expert'—this was an utterly pointless endeavor.
If the Black Flood Dragon had already joined the Gyeongwang Palace, punishing him would be a direct provocation to the Jansu Whale King, which they could ill afford. If he hadn't joined them, then a so-called warning would merely be a foolish act that pushed a neutral power straight into the Whale King's arms. No matter how one looked at it, it was a move that should have been avoided.
Unless... they plan to go to war with the Gyeongwang Palace again. At that thought, Jang Yeong's expression stiffened. No way... They wouldn't actually try to start another war, would they?
As his son, Jang Yeong had vaguely sensed that his father's state of mind had been unstable of late. The grand schemes and ambition that once seemed capable of swallowing the entirety of Yangseo Lake had gradually lost their luster, battered by the Whale King's unexpected strength, their subsequent defeat, and the passive attitude of the Heumwon Clan. The Heumwon Clan's stance, in particular, had been the deciding blow. His father had long harbored deep dissatisfaction with how they treated him. He had hoped to use the war to elevate his standing and improve their cooperative relationship, but the attempt had ultimately failed, only fueling his inner demons. Perhaps... his father was clinging to a lingering attachment he should have long let go.
No, surely not. Jang Yeong immediately dismissed the suspicion that had flashed through his mind. His father was no fool. No matter how deeply his inner demons raged, he wouldn't commit such a reckless act. The only reason the Yojeong had been able to stand against the Gyeongwang Palace in the first place was due to the backing of the Heumwon Clan. If they hadn't dispatched an elder beforehand to bolster their strength and intimidate the Jansu Whale King under the Heumwon name, the Yojeong would have been wiped off the map before they could even hang their banner.
But now, with the Heumwon Clan wishing to avoid any new conflicts, provoking the Whale King would mean the Yojeong would have to bear the consequences entirely on their own. No matter how hot-headed his father might be, surely he could perform such basic arithmetic. This mission was likely not a serious endeavor, but rather a petty outlet to vent his frustration. Or perhaps he simply wanted to test the Black Flood Dragon, whom he had long found an eyesore.
But still... why did it have to be this guy? The man assigned as his nominal bodyguard was by no means ordinary. He was a madman who openly boasted that he could match anyone beneath the rank of Demon King. The problem was that he wasn't just a simple lunatic; he was a lunatic with the strength to back up his claims. The Yaksha blood flowing through his veins was far thicker than that of his younger brother, Jo Gang. This meant his combat lust and sheer madness were far more severe than his ruffian brother's. His unquenchable fighting spirit guaranteed stellar performance on the battlefield, and indeed, he had brought glory to the Yojeong's name multiple times during the recent war. But a warrior belonged on the battlefield. Outside of it, a fierce champion was merely a madman—and the worst kind of madman, who could explode at any moment, without warning.
Please, let nothing happen, Jang Yeong prayed fervently in his heart. Unfortunately, his ominous premonition did not miss its mark.
BOOM!
The Black Cult Palace, painstakingly constructed by hundreds of humans, collapsed once again. Amidst the deafening roar and billowing clouds of dust, a giant covered in hideous scales soared into the air, wearing a bloodthirsty grin.
"Is this all your strength? For your size, you're surprisingly weak!" Ha Yuseong taunted, gripping his trident with both hands. The response to his blatant provocation was a torrent of crimson flames. The fire stretched out like dozens of tentacles, attempting to seize him, but Ha Yuseong swung his trident, shattering them one by one.
"A Flood Dragon? No, you're a bat! Hiding away like a rat, watching the wind blow, and shifting sides whenever it suits you—if that's not a bat, what is?!" Ha Yuseong swung his trident, summoning a massive wave that crashed toward the dust-shrouded Black Cult Palace. But just before the wave could strike the dust cloud, an explosive vortex of flames erupted, instantly vaporizing the water.
"If I am a bat, then what are you? A frivolous fish?" A distorted laugh echoed from within the crimson vortex. His smirk widening, Ha Yuseong silently thrust his trident forward. A blue light hovering at the tip of his weapon shot out like an arrow, transforming into the phantom of a monstrous beast as it collided with the vortex.
"Your provocations are childish, and your methods are utterly laughable!" The vortex vanished. In its place, a colossal body of comparable size, enveloped in Yokai Fire, lunged toward Ha Yuseong. Ha Yuseong grinned widely at the sight of the Black Flood Dragon's gaping maw and menacing eyes.
"Haaah!" At his shout, the lake water surged upward. The rising water coalesced into dozens, then hundreds of spears, piercing toward the oncoming Black Flood Dragon. Although most of the spears turned to steam under the heat of the Yokai Fire before they could even touch his body, a few retained their force and struck the dragon's scales.
Sturdy! Seeing that his water spears infused with demonic power failed to pierce the scales, Ha Yuseong noted another piece of information about his opponent. His raw strength is too immense to confront head-on, his movements aren't sluggish, and his body is so tough that it's hard to leave even a scratch without putting my full power into the blow. Based on the information gathered so far, this creature felt more like a Vicious Beast than a member of the Beast Race. Had it not been for his mastery over fire, Ha Yuseong would have dismissed this Black Flood Dragon as some mutant strain of a Vicious Beast.
"Yes, not bad at all!" Blood vessels burst in his eyes, which had previously held a glimmer of reason. His dark pupils bled into crimson, and the scales across his entire body bristled like sharp thorns. "Aaaaaaaah!" A roar saturated with killing intent reverberated past Heukgyodo, echoing across the entire Heukgyo Water Territory. Stormy waves rose in every direction, and several small islets were swallowed and swept away by the surging waters.
"Argh!" Hyeongu, who had taken refuge underwater early on, channeled his demonic power to shield Bigu and several subordinates, while Cheongo hurriedly flew over to secure the humans remaining on Heukgyodo.
"Your voice is loud enough, but what of it?!" Jekyeong saw through it instantly. His opponent had merely unleashed a fraction of the uncontrollable battle lust welling up inside him. Yet, the fighting spirit of a Great Yao at the absolute peak of the late stage—one who could leap into the Yao King realm at any moment given the right catalyst—carried immense weight on its own.
What a troublesome bastard! Jekyeong had already figured out his opponent's intentions. Contrary to his harsh words, this fellow named Ha Yuseong harbored no true malice toward him. He had simply come to pick a fight—or more accurately, to have a proper clash. Perhaps it was to test him, or perhaps he wished to use Jekyeong as a whetstone. Either way, this battle was unavoidable.
Fwoosh! The Origin Earth Fire wrapped around Jekyeong's curved horn. At the same time, an even more intense Yokai Fire erupted from all directions with Jekyeong at the center. Soon, dozens, then hundreds of fiery pillars manifested across the battlefield.
Damn it all! Jang Yeong dove deep into the water to escape the danger. Yet, even though he had descended almost to the very bottom of the lake, his body trembled violently under the terrifying shockwaves of demonic power exploding above. He was seized by a mixture of fear, anger, and skepticism. The fear, naturally, stemmed from the current situation where a single misstep could leave him without a whole bone in his body. The anger was directed at Ha Yuseong, who had recklessly picked a fight with the Black Flood Dragon despite all warnings. And the skepticism arose from the sheer majesty of the two combatants, who seemed to inhabit an entirely different world despite sharing the same Great Yao rank as him. Of course, he knew this intellectually. Even among Great Yao, not all were created equal; the gulf between them could be as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.