The Setting Sun and the Rising Tide
Lately, not a few had begun calling Gyeongwang Palace a setting sun. Though none dared say it aloud, it was deeply grating to those whose fates were bound to the palace, like Makgye. As his nerves grew more frayed by the day, meeting someone who praised Gyeongwang Palace—even if it was mere flattery—naturally put Makgye at ease.
Of course, if the affairs of Haeyeon Island were of critical importance, he wouldn't have let it slide so easily. But to Gyeongwang Palace, Haeyeon Island was merely a curiosity, essentially someone else's business. Since the other party had saved their face first, how hard could it be to offer a few kind words in return and play along? Thus, Gyeongwang Palace set foot on Haeyeon Island for the very first time.
"Gyeongwang Palace, the Gwangdo Sect, and now the Heumwon Clan. With this, we have managed to strike a decent balance."
After Gyeongwang Palace came the Gwangdo Sect. The Gwangdo Sect was a major human sect that had once produced a Golden Core cultivator, and its reputation and prestige were second only to the two great Golden Core sects. Contact with them had not been as smooth as with Gyeongwang Palace, but it hadn't caused any major issues either. After a moderate amount of psychological warfare and wordplay, both sides had reached a satisfactory outcome.
According to Myeong-ha, it was a foregone conclusion. Since both sides clearly understood each other's limits, there was never any chance of the deal falling through from the start. The psychological warfare and verbal sparring, which had occasionally felt precarious, were merely the process of finding their rhythm together.
"Once everyone feels the necessity of Haeyeon Island, our business will finally be secure. It took longer than expected, but we have finally reached the final stage."
"Then do not let your guard down until the very end."
"Of course."
From beginning to end, Jekyeong left this precarious tightrope walk entirely to Myeong-ha. It wasn't out of irresponsibility, but because he believed that such an unpredictable gamble required the luck of a Qi-destined Child. At least looking at how things had gone so far, that judgment seemed correct.
Hyeongu sat proudly in one of the VIP rooms without even taking on his human form. Looking down at the crowded venue while chewing on some seaweed, he slowly spoke.
"The Young Master of the Heumwon Clan?"
"Yes."
Hyeongu mulled over the information he had received from his human subordinate. There shouldn't be any issues. The Ghost Spider would have already met him, and the Dragon Lord must have seen him as well. If there was going to be a problem, it would have arisen long ago. He knew this in his head, yet he couldn't help but feel anxious. It was because of the sheer weight that the name of the Heumwon Clan carried.
"And the Dragon Lord?"
"He has departed."
Jekyeong had left, but his eyes and ears remained on Haeyeon Island. Hyeongu was that very 'eye.'
"What about the Han fellow? Has he arrived?"
"Yes, he is on the lower floor."
Unlike Hyeongu, whose identity as a demon was glaringly obvious, very few knew of Han Cheongyu's true affiliation. To the outside world, he was merely a somewhat well-known demon hunter on Jaseong Island, so a VIP room was a luxury he couldn't even dream of.
"He's working hard."
He knew the man was laboring for the Dragon Lord, but picturing him rubbing shoulders in that chaotic mess below brought an involuntary chuckle to his lips. Jealousy... how childish of me. Hyeongu's perception of Han Cheongyu was complicated. He felt a sense of camaraderie as a fellow servant of the same master, but at the same time, he harbored a faint disgust and hostility. However, the latter was not directed at Han Cheongyu as an individual, but rather at the human race itself. Whenever he saw a mere human being so highly valued by the Dragon Lord, something hot would boil deep within his chest.
Of course, it never lasted long. His sharp intellect fully understood why a trivial human received the Dragon Lord's favor. Yet, this feeling had only grown after Han Cheongyu broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm and headed to the Human Territory on a special mission. Though Hyeongu thought he had fully understood and accepted it, every time he saw Han Cheongyu at the auction house, that emotion he thought had vanished would slowly rear its head again.
"I see. You may go."
"Yes."
Hyeongu tossed the remaining seaweed into his mouth in one bite and reviewed the auction list once more.
Earth-Core Wild Willow Flower.
As his eyes casually scanned down the list, one particular item caught Hyeongu's attention.
Not bad. A metallic spiritual item rarely found in Yangseo Lake. It would be highly useful for his foolish son.
"Everyone, please take your seats! The auction will begin shortly!"
As the dry, monotonous voice characteristic of a Lost-Soul Puppet echoed through the hall, the venue fell into an instant silence. Hyeongu leaned his shell back against the plush chair, waiting for the auction to commence.
Upon leaving the stone pagoda, Jekyeong had intended to depart from Haeyeon Island immediately. If his Spiritual Awareness had been even slightly duller, he would have left without a single backward glance.
Caught another one.
Jekyeong headed toward the outskirts of the island. In that area, packed with cheap lodging facilities, transient cultivators with lacking skills and shallow pockets usually stayed for a few days before moving on.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me?!"
"Seven! No more than that!"
"Hehehe, if you've got the guts, why don't we step outside the island and talk about this again?"
Telling the small fry apart on Haeyeon Island was simple. On the day of the auction, anyone outside the auction house was small fry. In that sense, those who remained here, making their usual racket, could be considered the smallest of the small fry. Jekyeong quietly slipped through the crowd of these minor figures. Even though he passed right before their eyes, not a single soul noticed his presence.
Clever.
Looking around at the increasingly noisy surroundings, Jekyeong marveled inwardly. For this fellow to hide here was like burying a treasure in a mud pit. He knew exactly how to avoid danger. Yet, why would such a clever fellow make such a foolish choice?
*Thud!*
Passing the innkeeper who was arguing with a guest of the shabby establishment, Jekyeong climbed the stairs and shattered a tightly sealed door with a casual flick of his hand.
As the door shattered, a heavily suppressed power burst forth. It was neither monster power nor dharma power—an utterly alien energy that he had encountered several times now but could never grow accustomed to. It was Demon Qi.
"Grrr."
A young cultivator sitting cross-legged in the center of the room snapped his eyes open. Two bloodthirsty eyes, completely devoid of reason, glared savagely at the intruder. In the next instant, the cross-legged figure vanished. And *thud!* The two figures collided in midair.
A hand, extended like a claw, clamped around the Demon Human's throat. It didn't merely choke him. The brutal force squeezed as if to snap his neck, and the monster power flowing from Jekyeong's palm instantly suppressed the Demon Qi boiling within the Demon Human's soul and flesh.
"Cough, *ack!*"
As the Demon Qi was suppressed, the Demon Human's sanity returned. His trembling eyes turned toward Jekyeong, who held him by the throat.
"Wh-who..."
He seemed to have something to say, but Jekyeong didn't even spare him a glance. A ruthless hand pierced the young cultivator's chest, ripping out his demon-tainted heart.
Just as the byproducts of the beast race were used as materials for refining and alchemy, and the flesh and blood of humans were treated as spiritual elixirs by beasts, a Demon Human had its own uses. A Demon Human's heart was a supreme treasure that demonic cultivators sought with bloodshot eyes; with a bit of luck, it could be sold for the price of several high-grade spiritual elixirs. Of course, with bad luck, one might be ambushed by penniless demonic beasts, but such concerns did not apply to Jekyeong.
"Uh... argh..."
The lifeless body of the Demon Human shriveled like a mummy. A flash of anger and sorrow flickered through his dimming, vacant eyes.
*Whoosh!*
Jekyeong securely sealed the blackened heart inside a poison box, then snapped his fingers, cleanly incinerating the withered corpse. A moment later, as Jekyeong stepped outside, a human subordinate who had been waiting for him approached.
"Dragon Lord."
"Whose report was this?"
"It is Nang Hwi."
Upon hearing the name Nang Hwi, Jekyeong recalled the one-eyed middle-aged cultivator who looked prematurely old for his age. He was quite an eccentric fellow, insisting on wearing a glass eye in place of the eyeball that had been corroded by Demon Qi.
"Where is he?"
"I believe he is at the auction house."
"Hmm."
Jekyeong pondered for a moment. Since the man had rendered a service, he deserved a reward, but nothing immediately came to mind. Nang Hwi was a fellow so desperate for Foundation Establishment that his eyes practically rolled back at the thought of it, so a Foundation Establishment Pill or some other breakthrough spiritual item would be the most suitable reward. However, even adding up all his past contributions along with this one, it was far from enough to exchange for such precious items.
Let's wait and see.
From what he knew, Nang Hwi was among the more diligent of those lingering on Haeyeon Island. Since he had been eyeing a Foundation Establishment Pill for more than just a year or two, he must have accumulated a decent amount of Spirit Stones by now. Perhaps he might even manage to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill in this very auction.
"Do you have any message to leave for him?"
Everyone possesses the desire to improve, but few can sustain that drive for long. Even fewer can remain unbroken through endless setbacks. If that prematurely aged, one-eyed fellow had managed to find an opportunity on his own... there was no reason Jekyeong couldn't lend him a hand just this once.
"Tell him I have received the item safely. And tell him that I will not forget the contribution he made this time."
"Yes, my Lord."
The cultivation world is a place where the words of the strong are the rules, and might makes right. In a world where the first instinct to get what one wants is to use brute force, an institution like an auction house is highly anomalous. Items are brought up one by one, and those who desire them glare with bloodshot eyes and drool, yet they wait their turn and call out their bids in an orderly fashion. Considering the nature of cultivators, it was like wolves turned into dogs. Despite being utterly starved, they couldn't pounce on the meat right before their eyes, reduced to whimpering pitifully instead.
But they had no choice. Standing right behind that meat was a powerful existence, whose sheer scale and ferocity were completely unknown, looming over them. The very existence of this auction house and its rules were defined by that being. Unless they intended to defy him, everyone who came to the auction house had to abide by its rules.
"Thirty-five mid-grade Spirit Stones!"
Nang Hwi swallowed hard. Before coming here, he had felt reasonably confident, but as the auction progressed, his faith in the Spirit Stones in his possession steadily dwindled. What if it's not enough? Faced with this anxious question, he hesitated.