The Great Dao of Spirit Stones
Hyeongu gently shook the wooden box and continued speaking. "The value of an item changes depending on the situation. There is no need to waste our breath. Tell me the absolute maximum sincerity you can show. If the price is right, we trade; if not, we don't."
Hyeongu's bold, take-it-or-leave-it attitude made the demonic beast couple flare with killing intent. Their expressions and aura made it abundantly clear that they wanted to leap forward and tear him to shreds this very instant. True to their nature as demonic beasts, their emotional swings were dangerously extreme.
Yet Hyeongu remained perfectly composed, even when facing two Foundation Establishment cultivators dripping with murderous intent. He knew their reason was still intact.
"...Fine."
Exhaling a ragged breath to suppress his fury, the male demonic beast slipped a storage ring off his finger and threw it. Hyeongu's eyes gleamed as he swept his senses inside to check the spirit stones within.
"Yes. This is more like it. Now I can finally feel your sincerity."
Securing the two storage rings, Hyeongu handed over the wooden box. "I like how reasonable you two are. If you ask me, you two are going to go far."
"And what about you?"
"Foolish question. Turtles are a long-lived species."
Hyeongu scoffed at the cold, murderous inquiry and turned his back on them.
The more spirit stones one had, the better. No matter how many you accumulated, they were never enough. Only greenhorns who knew nothing of the cultivation world or the immortal path would ever look down on spirit stones. Naturally, Jekyeong was no greenhorn, and he understood their importance all too well.
As the sovereign of an entire water territory with several highly lucrative sources of income, the sheer volume of spirit stones he regularly pulled in was enough to make late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators or late-stage Great Yao drool with envy. Yet, he was still starved for more. Even the mountain of spirit stones piled deep within the Black Cult Palace could not satisfy his bottomless craving.
His mountain of wealth only looked grand on the surface; every time he purchased a decent spiritual item, its height shrank by several tens of percent. If he were to buy just two or three high-grade spiritual treasures, his current hoard would vanish without a trace.
"They paid quite handsomely," Hyeongu reported.
Jekyeong checked the spirit stones inside the two storage rings and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. This exceeds my expectations."
"They seemed rather desperate. As you know, demonic beasts are far more impatient in both temperament and cultivation than ordinary cultivators."
What Hyeongu described was a defining trait of most demonic beasts. Unlike Demon Humans who were completely consumed by Demon Qi, demonic beasts controlled the corruptive energy themselves, preserving their identity as cultivators. However, Demon Qi was not as easily managed as spiritual energy. They had to guard themselves against its encroachment at every single moment.
To do so, they had to maintain the absolute purity of their souls while constantly raising their cultivation realms to combat the strengthening corruption. Consequently, a demonic beast's path always ended in one of two ways: they would either be consumed by the Demon Qi and degenerate into a mindless Demon Human, or they would become a true Grandmaster of the Demonic Path, casting off their tragic fate entirely.
Jekyeong did not know if the latter was truly possible. Personally, he suspected that the tales of a Grandmaster of the Demonic Path were merely wild legends fabricated by desperate demonic beasts... but one could never be certain. The cultivation world was vast, and there were more eccentric experts than grains of sand on a beach.
"Do you think they will break through?"
"Yes. They already seemed rather unstable before. If they do not break through in the near future, they will likely succumb to qi deviation."
This was precisely why Hyeongu had chosen them as his trading partners. Who would pay the highest price for water if not a dying, thirsty man? Their situation was practically on the verge of total dehydration, so no matter how much Hyeongu squeezed them, they had no choice but to comply, even if they ground their teeth in rage.
"Excellent."
Jekyeong praised Hyeongu, who had truly blossomed into a skilled merchant, and handed him one of Muk-su's spiritual fruits.
"Thank you, Dragon Lord!"
Hyeongu's eyes sparkled as he swallowed his saliva. Having consumed them a few times before, Hyeongu knew the extraordinary effects of the spiritual fruit. Furthermore, this mysterious fruit seemed to grow more potent over time. Its ability to cleanse impurities from the body and soul, as well as enhance spiritual intelligence, was still highly beneficial even to a Great Yao like him.
However, the reason Hyeongu was so delighted to receive the fruit was not for himself, but for his son, Bigu.
That fellow is certainly a peculiar one.
Whether human or beast, all cultivators were fundamentally individualists. Even if they belonged to a tightly-knit sect or clan, a cultivator's primary concern was always their own progress. When faced with a miraculous opportunity, a cultivator would readily betray their fellow disciples or even their own flesh and blood. In that regard, Hyeongu was unique. Though he constantly grumbled about his son being useless, deep down, he doted on him terribly—to the point of selflessly giving away a hard-won spiritual fruit.
I suppose it is a form of legacy.
It was different from U Do-baek. U Do-baek poured his efforts into nurturing the younger generation because he felt his own path to the immortal Dao had reached its limit. Hyeongu, on the other hand, still had a bright future ahead of him, yet he was investing heavily in his child. The two cases were entirely different.
Is there any hope for that kid?
Jekyeong suddenly thought of Hyeongu's son, Bigu. Aside from being a turtle, the boy shared absolutely no resemblance to his father. He was dim-witted but possessed a colossal, sturdy body. His appetite was monstrous, yet he didn't have a single shred of ambition. It was no wonder Hyeongu constantly fretted over him.
Well, it is none of my business.
Jekyeong had simply rewarded him for his meritorious service. What Hyeongu chose to do with the spiritual fruit was entirely up to him.
"Strengthen the guard around Gwimok Island."
"Are you worried about intruders?"
"It never hurts to be prepared. You never know what might happen."
"The Dragon Lord is correct. In that case, how about we set up a Lost Track Array? Though, regarding Master Muk-su..."
"I will speak to him myself."
Muk-su lived quietly on his island, keeping a low profile, but his massive size was not something that could easily be hidden. A colossal tree towering over a relatively small island naturally caught the attention of passing humans and low-level water monsters. Some, unable to contain their curiosity, approached the island only to end up as Muk-su's food.
After this repeated a few times, the once-nameless island earned the ominous name of Gwimok Island. But the "Ghost Wood" himself, Muk-su, couldn't care less. In any case, no Great Yao or Foundation Establishment cultivator dared to enter the Heukgyo water territory without Jekyeong's permission, so Muk-su was never in any real danger.
"...And that is what happened," Jekyeong told Muk-su, recounting the events of Haeyeon Island.
"So you are going to set up a formation?"
"Yes."
"Will it be effective?"
"Better than nothing."
In truth, if an intruder like the one who had caused trouble at the Haeyeon Island auction house was determined, a simple formation wouldn't make much of a difference. At best, it would only delay them slightly. But even that brief window of time was valuable. While the chances of an intruder making it all the way here were slim, as he had told Hyeongu, one could never be too careful.
"Alright, then."
Sensing Jekyeong's concern, Muk-su readily agreed to the formation. "I just hope it does not block too much sunlight."
"Does it really matter?"
"It is a matter of mood. I don't like it when things are too gloomy."
Jekyeong promised to instruct Hyeongu regarding that detail. Of course, whether it was actually feasible was not his concern.
"You are quite generous today."
"Yes. That turtle did a splendid job."
As always, Jekyeong scattered spirit stones across the island. It looked as if he were spreading fertilizer on farmland, and in truth, it wasn't much different. By raising the concentration of spiritual energy on the island with the spirit stones, the principle was identical to auxiliary cultivation formations like the Spirit Gathering Array.
However, this method was far more inefficient—yet far more natural—than using a formal array. Every time Jekyeong came to visit Muk-su, he could feel the spiritual energy of the island growing denser. Though the change was subtle, it was undeniable. Perhaps one day, this entire island would become a small spiritual territory of its own.
Is it the power of the spirit stones, or this fellow's innate ability?
While the former certainly played a part, the primary cause was likely the latter.
"Muk-su."
"Yeah?"
"Do you think you could create a spiritual vein this way?"
"I don't know."
"Hmm?"
"I don't know what a spiritual vein is. I've heard of them, but I've never seen one," Muk-su replied in a languid voice. "But as long as you aren't stingy, I can definitely make a spiritual territory. One even better than that hot island of yours. So... a spiritual vein is probably possible too. Given enough time and spirit stones."
Jekyeong did not find those words comforting at all. He could not agree with Muk-su's accusation of him being "stingy," and the "enough spirit stones" mentioned at the end was an amount he didn't even dare to imagine.
At that moment, Jekyeong recalled a joke Myeong-ha had once cracked.
"Do you know what the greatest Dao in the cultivation world is? It is the Great Dao of Spirit Stones."
Back then, he had laughed it off, but now, the words struck him with profound gravity.
A thick shroud of blazing clouds gathered in the skies above Heukgyodo.
Those who had evacuated the island early looked back at Heukgyodo, which had transformed into a volcanic island, and gasped in awe.
"The Dragon Lord's cultivation grows more formidable by the day!"
"Father... it's too hot..."
Bigu, his long tongue lolling out, groaned as he floated belly-up like a dead fish. His plastron, several times larger and thicker than that of an ordinary turtle demon, rose above the boiling water like a mountain peak.
"Can you not show some dignity for once, you foolish boy!"
Hyeongu, who had been marveling at the Dragon Lord's power, frowned at his son's mood-ruining whines. Despite feeding him all sorts of rare and nutritious things, why wasn't there the slightest improvement? Moreover, while his intelligence remained completely stagnant, his physical size kept ballooning uselessly. Even as a Great Yao, Hyeongu was finding it increasingly difficult to manage him.
If things continued like this, he might end up being dragged around by his own son again.
That must never happen.
He had worked so hard to reclaim his fatherly authority; he could not allow himself to fall back into such a pathetic state. Hyeongu scrutinized Bigu with sharp eyes. His son's body was clearly abnormal—vastly larger than Hyeongu's own, which had already grown several times over after becoming a Great Yao.
Would he even listen if I told him to cut back on his meals?
Hyeongu briefly entertained the absurd thought before immediately dismissing it.
How on earth did my seed produce such a creature?
If he hadn't watched the boy hatch from the egg with his own eyes, and if he didn't feel that undeniable pull of blood kinship alongside the urge to smack him every time he saw that stupid face, Hyeongu would have doubted his paternity hundreds of times over. But no matter how disappointing, the boy carried his blood. He could only blame the bizarre nature of bloodline inheritance.
Perhaps among his ancestors—or those of that sly female turtle with the exceptionally smooth shell—there had been a turtle Vicious Beast. That ancient blood must have manifested in his foolish son's body. The proof was that his head was completely empty, yet his physical form was disgustingly robust.
"Endure it. And try to focus. Can you really not feel anything?"
On the surface, it only looked like blazing clouds hanging over the island with heat haze thick enough to obscure the vision, but the information transmitted through Spiritual Perception ran much deeper.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was fluctuating violently. The torrent of spiritual energy being sucked toward Heukgyodo resembled a massive, swirling vortex.