The Tempest of Blood
Hyeongu let out a soft sigh. "That is not a bad idea either." Indeed, numerous waterways fed into Yangseo Lake. Jekyeong himself had originally drifted down into these very waters from the Jugye Mountain Range.
"Lord Dragon, does your mind remain unchanged?"
"It does. Whether it is Yojeong or Gyeongwang Palace, I have no desire to let anyone hold my leash."
"Then you must prepare, my lord. Though it seems we still have some time... given Yojeong's recent aggressive maneuvers, we cannot take even that for granted."
Hyeongu advised that if Yojeong continued its reckless, rampant expansion, they would eventually be forced to make a choice, and Jekyeong agreed. Yet, as is often the case, plans rarely kept pace with reality.
Before long, a massive wave of the Beast Race began flooding into Yangseo Lake. They were refugees fleeing from Muryangae. The moment Jekyeong caught wind of this, he ordered Hyeongu to gather intelligence while he personally went out to investigate and grasp the gravity of the situation.
"They say a certain Demon King of Muryangae has enacted a blood sacrifice. One on an unprecedented, unimaginable scale."
It was Makgye who finally provided a clear picture of the events. When Jekyeong personally visited Gyeongwang Palace, the seahorse envoy made time amidst the chaotic bustle to share what he had gathered.
"Originally, Muryangae was a chaotic realm where various clans of the Beast Race carved out and ruled their own territories. But it seems this blood sacrifice has utterly shattered that delicate balance."
Countless clans had been completely annihilated, and it was said that even several Demon Kings had perished. Makgye added that this information was highly credible, as it came straight from the mouths of the refugees who had escaped Muryangae.
"What on earth could have..."
"Muryangae is a living hell right now. The Demon King who instigated the blood sacrifice calls it a 'holy war' and continues to whip up a tempest of blood across the region. I hear even the Yao Emperors have done nothing to stop him. Whether they are condoning it, or perhaps..."
Makgye trailed off, his voice heavy. Jekyeong expressed his gratitude to the envoy for sharing the intelligence so candidly before returning to Heukgyo Island.
"Lord Dragon, it seems the Human Territory is also in utter chaos."
"Naturally."
While many of the refugees fleeing Muryangae were aquatic beasts, a significant portion consisted of land-dwelling demon beasts. Consequently, the Human Territory suffered immense casualties from this sudden, unexpected deluge of monsters. Many of the islands recently annexed into the outer fringes of the Human Territory were completely overrun, resulting in devastating losses for rogue cultivators and several prominent sect families alike.
"Both Yojeong and Gyeongwang Palace are already making their moves. Rather than suppressing the refugees by force, they seem intent on negotiating first."
"Do you think that will work?"
"I cannot say for certain. However, Lord Dragon, does this not strike you as peculiar?"
"In what way?"
Hyeongu's eyes gleamed as he spoke. "Behind Yojeong stands the Heumwon Clan. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Yojeong itself is merely a front for their operations. And did the Heumwon Clan not originally make a name for themselves in Muryangae?"
Jekyeong furrowed his brow. "Are you suggesting they foresaw this catastrophe long ago?"
"Whether they foresaw it entirely, I cannot say, but surely they must have caught wind of the warning signs. Furthermore, Lord Dragon... this is merely a rumor I happened to overhear, but it is said that the ancient ancestor of the Heumwon Clan was swept up and perished in that very blood sacrifice in Muryangae."
"What?"
Jekyeong, who had been coiled comfortably, instantly reared his massive upper body upright. His relaxed aura surged violently in tandem with his movement, causing Hyeongu to flinch and instinctively shrink back. Jekyeong, however, was too preoccupied to notice the turtle demon's distress.
"The ancestor of the Heumwon Clan... Do you mean their Great Elder?"
"Yes, yes, my lord. It is merely a rumor whispered in passing. But Lord Dragon, as they say, where there is smoke, there is fire. Rumors rarely arise from nothing."
Jekyeong's mind raced, connecting the dots. He traced the timeline back to when Mu-ara first began his schemes, the moment the Heumwon Clan first set foot in Yangseo Lake, and their recent frantic maneuvers.
"They were securing an escape route all along..."
"I believe it is highly likely, my lord."
Jekyeong settled his massive form back down. The mere act of him exhaling sharply a few times had turned the air inside the Black Cult Palace stiflingly hot and humid. Hyeongu wiped the sweat pouring down his face but calmly pressed on.
"I dread to think how things will unfold from here. Compared to the vast expanse of Muryangae, Yangseo Lake is nothing but a shallow puddle of a cultivation world. Why on earth would a powerhouse like the Heumwon Clan flee to a backwater like this?"
A trace of bitter resentment seeped into Hyeongu's voice. To him, the Heumwon Clan was nothing but a harbinger of calamity. Had they never interfered, the Simjeon Demon King would never have risen, and this war would never have broken out. If so, they would not be forced to live in constant, suffocating anxiety.
"Precisely because it is a shallow puddle. They believed it was the perfect place to keep their heads down and hide."
Aside from the events that had already transpired, nothing was set in stone. The theory that the Heumwon Clan had established a foothold in Yangseo Lake solely to secure a retreat was, for now, merely a logical deduction.
"Since Gyeongwang Palace and Yojeong are taking the lead, we shall bide our time and watch. It will not be too late to act once we see how they handle this."
"Your wisdom is absolute, Lord Dragon."
Hyeongu nodded solemnly. As the entirety of Yangseo Lake fell into a tumultuous uproar over the influx of Muryangae refugees, Myeong-ha began visiting Heukgyo Island with increasing frequency. He sought to pry information from Jekyeong, and Jekyeong shared what he knew without hesitation. There was no point in withholding information that the half-demon would inevitably uncover sooner or later; moreover, Jekyeong was curious to hear Myeong-ha's perspective.
Myeong-ha was exceptionally sharp, and above all, he was a Qi-destined child. The protection of destiny and fortune would shine brightest in times of absolute chaos. Observing how such a person thought and acted would undoubtedly yield invaluable insights for Jekyeong's own survival.
"The Heumwon Clan, is it?"
Myeong-ha furrowed his brow after listening to Jekyeong's deductions. "That is highly plausible. The Demon King who instigated the blood sacrifice in Muryangae certainly did not start running amok overnight. A powerhouse with deep roots like the Heumwon Clan would have caught wind of the shifting tides long before anyone else."
Myeong-ha focused heavily on the terms 'blood sacrifice' and 'holy war.' Upon realizing that Jekyeong was entirely unfamiliar with the deeper implications of these concepts, he began to share his knowledge.
"From what I understand, a blood sacrifice enacted by the Beast Race is fundamentally different from one performed by the Human Race. For humans, a blood sacrifice is merely a taboo means to achieve a specific end, which is why orthodox cultivators brand it as a wicked, heretical art and strictly forbid it. But for the Beast Race, it is entirely different. To them, a blood sacrifice is a sacred, divine rite. A grand offering to the Yao God."
"The Yao God?"
"An ancient ancestral deity worshipped by the Beast Race. They believe their very bloodlines descend directly from these primordial gods. Don't look at me like that—I have no idea if their myths hold any actual truth."
"The Yao God... though the Human Race refers to them as Malevolent Gods. Well, the name itself is of little consequence. What truly matters is that whether you call them Yao Gods or Malevolent Gods, they are entities so unimaginably powerful and mysterious that they truly deserve the title of deity. They are known to bestow divine grace and rewards upon the devotees who offer them sacrifices. Given that this Demon King of Muryangae is loudly proclaiming a 'holy war,' it is highly likely he received some divine revelation—or perhaps he has even established a direct line of communication with the Yao God he serves."
"And why does that matter to us?"
"It matters immensely," Myeong-ha replied, his expression turning deadpan as his voice dropped to a low whisper. "If that Demon King is acting with absolute clarity of mind and purpose... then the devastating war currently consuming Muryangae may very well spill over into our waters."
Had anyone else uttered such an ominous prediction, Jekyeong would have dismissed it as baseless paranoia. But coming from the mouth of a Qi-destined child, he could not afford to let the warning go in one ear and out the other.
"We can only pray it does not come to that."
"Indeed." Myeong-ha let out a heavy sigh. A profound sense of helplessness seemed to constrict the air around them. Beyond speculating with their tongues and worrying in their hearts, there was absolutely nothing they could do to alter the course of such massive tides.
"That aside, I must ask you to visit the island more frequently," Myeong-ha said, smoothly shifting the topic.
"Is something amiss?"
"Not yet."
The trade on Haeyeon Island was flourishing more with each passing day. In times of widespread turmoil, secure and reliable trading hubs were exceedingly rare, and word of Haeyeon Island's absolute safety and fair dealings had spread far and wide. Cultivators who could not openly show their faces in the Human Territory, as well as those desperately seeking rare resources unavailable elsewhere, flocked to the island in droves.
"I merely wish to take precautions. As you well know, we are living in highly turbulent times."
"Very well." Jekyeong did not dismiss Myeong-ha's request lightly. The advice was sound on its own, but more importantly, he knew the half-demon never acted without a calculated purpose. What benefit would Myeong-ha gain from Jekyeong making frequent, highly visible appearances on Haeyeon Island?
A short while after their conversation, Jekyeong paid a visit to Haeyeon Island for the first time in months. He lingered on the island for several days, personally spectating the grand auctions, and once the events concluded, he reverted to his colossal true form and departed with a deliberate, thunderous display. The sight of the massive black beast soaring through the skies struck terror into the hearts of most human cultivators, though a select few watched with intense curiosity.
"Is that the legendary Black Flood Dragon? Incredible..."
"So the rumors were true. Haeyeon Island really is a joint venture between the Ghost Spider and the Black Flood Dragon."
Standing atop the highest stone tower, Myeong-ha quietly watched the massive silhouette of the Black Flood Dragon dissolve into the distant mist.
He certainly knows how to put on a convincing show.
Once Jekyeong had completely vanished from his line of sight, Myeong-ha turned back with a highly satisfied smile.
"Were there any disruptions?"
"A few tried, but we dealt with them quietly," a subordinate waiting at a respectful distance answered promptly.
"Drifters fleeing from the outside world?"
"Yes, my lord. They were refugees fleeing the chaos of the Beast Race."
"Tsk." Is it starting already?
These past few years have certainly been... stimulating. Myeong-ha let out a soft sigh. It was, without a doubt, a tumultuous era.
Although the entirety of Yangseo Lake was in a frantic uproar over the influx of refugees, Jekyeong believed he still had time. To him, "having time" meant that the chaos had not yet posed a direct threat to his immediate safety.
Jekyeong's complacency was not entirely baseless. His territory was situated in the far southeastern reaches of Yangseo Lake. For any invading beasts from Muryangae to reach his domain, they would have to cross vast distances and bypass numerous other territories. No matter how much the local beasts of Yangseo Lake lagged behind the powerhouses of Muryangae, they were not so utterly pathetic as to let their homes be trampled without a fight. Any refugee force attempting to push all the way to the Heukgyo Water Territory would have to fight tooth and nail through a gauntlet of local resistance.
Furthermore, the Heukgyo Water Territory was hardly a prize worth such immense struggle. It possessed only a single, modest spiritual land. Unless the Muryangae refugees were blindly, mindlessly marching across the entire lake, Jekyeong reasoned they had absolutely no incentive to target his barren waters.
It was a grave miscalculation. While his logic held true for low-level aquatic beasts, those water-bound monsters made up only a small fraction of the refugees fleeing Muryangae.
"Caw!"
Jekyeong, who had been secluded deep within the Black Cult Palace focusing on his cultivation, bolted upright at the sudden, frantic shriek of Cheongo echoing from the distance. A split second later, his Divine Sense picked up an unfamiliar, hostile aura.
In terms of physical size, the source of the aura was comparable to or perhaps even smaller than Cheongo, but the sheer density of its monster power was far more intense. It was, without a doubt, a Great Yao—and Cheongo was currently fleeing from it.
"ROOOAAAR!"
Jekyeong surged forward at maximum speed, unleashing a thunderous, earth-shaking roar to announce his presence. As the roar, saturated with dense monster power, reverberated across the waters, Jekyeong felt the mysterious Great Yao hesitate. Cheongo seized that brief window of distraction to widen the gap, and Jekyeong redoubled his efforts, slicing through the water like a black bolt of lightning.
"Caw!"
As Cheongo's frantic form finally came into view, Jekyeong was able to make out the silhouette of the pursuer. It was a monstrous demon bird resembling a hawk, though incomparably larger than Cheongo.
From its wings—each of which was far larger than Cheongo's entire body—long, ribbon-like strips of raw flesh dangled, fluttering in the wind like macabre banners. Instead of a beak, its snout protruded like that of a rabid wolf, packed with rows of jagged, hideous teeth.
It was a grotesque creature that looked more like a mutated monstrosity than a typical avian beast, but the dense, suffocating aura radiating from its body left no room for doubt. It was a genuine Great Yao—and a formidable one at the mid-stage of the Great Yao realm.
"Save me! Save me!"
Cheongo shrieked in a desperate, panicked voice. The monstrous bird, which had briefly hesitated upon sensing Jekyeong's approach, seemed to regain its confidence upon hearing Cheongo's trembling cries and seeing its prey slow down. Its eyes gleamed with predatory malice as it lunged forward once more.
The distance between Cheongo and the beast closed rapidly. The predator calculated that it could easily snatch its tiny prey and escape before the colossal black "monster" rising from the depths could reach them.
But at that exact moment, the seemingly exhausted "prey" suddenly burst with explosive speed, shooting straight up into the sky in a near-vertical ascent and instantly vanishing from the predator's field of vision. Startled, the monstrous bird snapped its head upward—only to lock eyes with a pair of mysterious, undulating golden irises.
Jekyeong had taken to the skies. He had unlocked the ability to fly the moment he ascended to the Great Yao realm, though he rarely utilized it. His reasons were entirely pragmatic: flying was simply inefficient. For a serpentine beast capable of moving at blinding speeds underwater, flight offered no real speed advantage and only served to expose his massive frame to potential threats.
Consequently, Jekyeong only flew on rare occasions to clear his head and enjoy the scenery. However, his lack of use did not mean he lacked proficiency. While he might have been clumsy when he first reached the Great Yao realm, he was now as adept at aerial maneuvering as any natural-born avian beast.
Soaring high into the heavens, Jekyeong lunged forward and effortlessly snatched the monstrous bird, which had frozen mid-air, utterly paralyzed by Cheongo's sudden hypnotic gaze.