Beyond Ordinary Beasts
He didn't think much of ordinary beasts. If they were there, he would eat them, but if not, he wouldn't go out of his way to hunt them down. It was the complaint of a well-fed beast, but since he actually was well-fed, what else could he do? Having tasted the flesh of a demon beast once, his body could no longer be satisfied with ordinary meat.
Is this what it means to be of the Beast Race, to be a demon beast? The instincts of a demon beast screamed within him. Eat, eat, and eat some more. Do that, and you will keep growing stronger. Do that, and you will never have to fear anything again.
Will this be alright? However, the prerequisite for this was that Mokyo had to be able to bear fruit at a reasonable pace. What if it took months just to produce a single fruit? That would be highly problematic. When his thoughts reached that point, Jekyeong briefly regretted not leaving a few fruits behind instead of taking them all at once. However, his mind was put at ease when Mokyo assured him that with just one monkey demon beast, it could bear fruit again in no time.
Well, to be precise, Mokyo had also mentioned that with two carcasses, it could bear fruit even faster and in greater quantities, but Jekyeong chose to ignore that part.
The fruits are good, but demon beast meat still seems better. This was the conclusion Jekyeong reached after trying both. It had been true even before his evolution, but after becoming a demon beast, his ability to recognize "good things" had become exceptionally sharp. He could estimate their value just by looking, and once he consumed them, he could gauge them perfectly. Mokyo's fruit cleared his mind. The demon beast's meat strengthened his body. Between the two, Jekyeong was drawn more to the meat.
Yet, Jekyeong surmised that this was not because Mokyo's fruit was less valuable than the monkey demon beast's meat. It was like comparing water and rice. To a thirsty man, water is better than rice; to a hungry man, rice is better than water. In short, one is naturally drawn to what they need most. In that sense, the reason Jekyeong was currently drawn to the demon beast's meat rather than the fruit was likely because the former was what his body required more at this stage.
The real harvest wasn't the fruit, but the meat of those monkeys. He had given one of the four carcasses to Mokyo. Though he hadn't really wanted to part with it, Mokyo needed it to bear fruit, and he also needed to reward the tree for surrendering all its existing fruits. A tree that had become a demon was no longer an ordinary tree. Seeing it this time, Jekyeong realized that while it might not be on par with a human, the tree demon clearly possessed a mind and emotions. It knew how to feel fear, how to feel anger, and how to express those feelings. He had no desire to invite its resentment by being needlessly stingy. After all, they had to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship, at least for the time being.
Hmm. After the battle ended, he had given one monkey demon beast to Mokyo and a single hand to Cheongo. Although the bird had cheered enthusiastically, it had contributed absolutely nothing to the actual fight, so a single hand was more than generous. In return, he had given Cheongo three of the fruits, which seemed to leave the bird highly satisfied. The rest of the spoils belonged entirely to Jekyeong. He devoured everything—both the demon beast meat and Mokyo's fruits—right then and there. In a world where one could never predict what lay a single step ahead, Jekyeong's philosophy was that the safest place for any resource was inside his own stomach.
And now, Jekyeong was coiled deep inside a temporarily prepared cave, focusing entirely on digestion.
If only I can keep going like this. Jekyeong felt the flesh and blood of the demon beast dissolving into him, making his own body stronger. Though the sensation was so faint he wondered if it was just his imagination, it was still a start. He had no doubt that as these small gains accumulated, they would eventually create a massive difference. Hadn't his senior in Bulmangwon, U Do-baek, repeatedly emphasized the importance of the mind in cultivation? Belief was but a branch of the mind; if one truly believed they were moving forward, that belief would undoubtedly aid them in actually doing so.
And I am the living proof of that. Jekyeong thought of his parents. Compared to his parents, whose appearances would not have looked out of place on a monster movie poster, his current self—barely over twenty meters long—might seem small and weak. But the reality? He had already become a demon beast. He was incomparable to his parents, who had been nothing more than oversized beasts.
Even those monkeys are proof enough. By weight class alone, those monkey demon beasts shouldn't have even dared to breathe in front of his parents. Yet reality was different. Jekyeong frowned at the stinging pain from the scratches covering his body. His body was tough enough to slam into rocks without leaving a single mark. His iron-hard scales and only slightly less dense muscles had made him feel invincible, and indeed, during the heat of the battle, he had felt little pain no matter how desperately the monkeys struggled. But now that the fight was over and his tension had bled away, the soreness was catching up to him.
But a demon beast is still a demon beast. Even taking into account that strength varied from individual to individual among both humans and beasts, those monkey demon beasts were quite pathetic in terms of combat power. Though he couldn't say for sure, they were likely near the very bottom of the demon beast hierarchy.
The fact that four of them were traveling together is strange in itself. According to what he had heard from U Do-baek, demon beasts were highly independent. This tendency was even stronger in those with less developed spiritual intelligence; unless they shared a parent-offspring relationship, it was rare for demon beasts to travel together. Yet, those monkey demon beasts had moved as a pack of four. Jekyeong suspected they had stumbled upon some sort of fortuitous encounter that allowed them to become demon beasts all at once. Perhaps they had transformed so suddenly, without any time to adapt, that they failed to develop the instincts of demon beasts and simply continued to act on their old habits as ordinary animals?
Or it could be the exact opposite. Perhaps those clever monkeys realized they were weaker than other demon beasts and decided to band together to overcome their individual weakness through sheer numbers.
"Groan..." Shaking off his thoughts, Jekyeong closed his eyes. Though he had sustained many wounds, they were all superficial scratches that would heal completely in a day or two. However, since he never knew when another enemy might appear, he needed to rest deeply while he could to maximize his recovery speed. After a short while, Jekyeong's breathing grew steady and even.
As always, the vast sky of Bulmangwon captured Jekyeong's gaze. Of course, in terms of sheer scale, it could not compare to the sky of the Changram Realm. However, in the forest where Jekyeong resided, the endlessly towering trees made it difficult to catch a glimpse of such an open sky. While he could climb to the treetops to look whenever he wanted, doing so risked drawing the attention of the demon birds soaring through the heavens. Thus, even after becoming a demon beast, Jekyeong did not dare ascend to high places.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to come look at this from time to time. Although he existed here only as a spiritual body and could not feel the cool breeze brushing against his skin, the visual satisfaction alone was more than enough. He figured it would be nice to drop by whenever he had a spare moment to shake off his claustrophobia.
By the way... am I the first to arrive? He had reached the gathering place, but the stone pillars were completely vacant. Jekyeong chose the lowest of the empty pillars, climbed to the top, and spent his time meditating.
"Hmm? And who might you be?" A moment later, a stranger radiating a powerful, oppressive aura looked up at Jekyeong atop the stone pillar and asked in surprise.
"I am Jekyeong. Senior U Do-baek invited me to this gathering."
"Fellow Daoist U did? Ah... I see." Whether it was due to the mention of U Do-baek's name or because he recognized Jekyeong as a demon beast, the oppressive pressure instantly vanished.
"Jekyeong, was it? A pleasure to meet you. I am Yeo Janggyeong."
"It is an honor to meet you, Senior Yeo." While he exchanged a few words with Yeo Janggyeong, the other participants of the gathering began to appear one by one. With each new arrival, Jekyeong found it increasingly difficult to maintain his composure. Had they not intentionally suppressed their auras, Jekyeong likely would have collapsed the moment their numbers exceeded three.
Excluding Jekyeong, there were five participants in this exchange group, known as the Mansi Association. They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, and one among them was at the late Foundation Establishment stage. When this individual appeared, Jekyeong felt an intense, crushing pressure. Yet, once the man withdrew his aura, the pressure radiating from him became far fainter than that of the others. This was true even though the others were also doing their best to suppress their own presence. It meant his mastery over his own aura had reached a state of absolute perfection.
"A new face after so long. And a rather fascinating one at that," Yoo Gyeyoon, the late Foundation Establishment cultivator, said with a warm smile.
"Indeed. A cultivator of the Beast Race. This is my first time seeing one. What about you, Fellow Daoist Choi?" Yeo Janggyeong, the early Foundation Establishment cultivator who had greeted Jekyeong first, asked in admiration.
"It is a first for me as well. After all, it is rare to encounter a beast cultivator in human territory," Choi Ju-tang, another early Foundation Establishment cultivator, replied to Yeo Janggyeong's question.
"I have seen one once before. A group of merchants from the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance visited the city where I reside, and I caught sight of one then," Chae Yeonri, a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator and the sole woman among the gathered cultivators, recalled calmly. U Do-baek showed immediate interest.
"Oh? Did you meet them in person?"
"I only observed from a distance. Perhaps because they had not properly mastered the Transformation Secret Art, their appearance was grotesque, and their temperament seemed quite violent." Chae Yeonri did not hide her curiosity as she looked at Jekyeong. "That is why I find this so intriguing. Despite your low cultivation, Fellow Daoist Je, the stability of your mind state is so exceptional that it is indistinguishable from a human cultivator's. It is truly a rare talent."
"You flatter me, Senior. As you have said, my cultivation is negligible, so I dare not be addressed as a fellow Daoist by seniors of your stature. Please, treat me as your junior."
"Mmm. If that makes you more comfortable." In the cultivation world, hierarchy was determined solely by one's cultivation level. Thus, yesterday's senior could become today's peer, and tomorrow's junior. Before powerhouses who could crush his spirit with a mere thought or skin him alive with the flick of a finger, Jekyeong showed boundless humility. These "seniors" seemed deeply impressed by his "stable mind state," and their attitude toward him was remarkably gentle.
"Meeting such an excellent junior is a joy for us all. Now that the introductions are out of the way, let us proceed to the main topic," Yoo Gyeyoon, the late Foundation Establishment cultivator, initiated the meeting.
"Regarding our previous discussion, it seems the appearance of the Mancheon Palace is indeed a fact. The Hyeonhae Divine Dynasty has already sealed off the Hyeonhae Sea Area."
"That is true. I heard that the Nokseong Temple has strongly protested the Hyeonhae Divine Dynasty's unilateral actions."
"Even so, doesn't the Hyeonhae Divine Dynasty hold the justification?"
"The Nokseong Temple likely won't openly display their greed for the Mancheon Palace either. They will probably just fan the flames from behind the scenes. A cultivator's heart is not bound by justification or righteousness, so if the Hyeonhae Divine Dynasty wishes to avoid losing the people's support, they will eventually have no choice but to compromise."
This first exchange meeting was vastly different from what Jekyeong had imagined. He had envisioned a solemn atmosphere where powerful cultivators debated their respective paths and sought mutual advancement. Instead, a familiar scene from his past life overlapped with the reality before him. If only they had some drinks, this would look exactly like a group of people gossiping at a café. Of course, there were no drinks here, and even if there were, they would be purely decorative.
It's like they've ordered a cup of Americano and are chatting about international politics and the stock market. The Hyeonhae Divine Dynasty, the Nokseong Temple—these were stories from an entirely different world to Jekyeong. Still, he listened as closely as possible, hoping to catch some passing piece of information that might help him understand his current situation. Since most of their discussion revolved around major events in the cultivation world, it felt distant from his own life, but it was surprisingly entertaining to listen to. Who had broken through, who had fallen, where a treasure had appeared... Hearing about things that had only existed in novels in his past life actually happening somewhere in this world felt surreal.
"I thought I would gain something this time, but in the end, it turned out to be another wild goose chase."
"Do not be too disheartened. Is that not precisely why they are called fortuitous encounters? Since your heart has already touched the Dao, Fellow Daoist, the heavens will eventually open a path for you."
"Haha. The heavens. I certainly hope so."
Once the major topics were exhausted, the conversation shifted to their personal updates. Most of it was about their cultivation. One spoke of achieving a minor breakthrough after repeated meditation, while another lamented returning empty-handed after spending months searching for a spiritual beast.
"Come to think of it, fortuitous encounters aren't always found in distant lands, are they?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Did you not know? Senior Buyun-ja has announced an upcoming sermon."
"A sermon by Senior Buyun-ja? When?"
"Ten years from now. It is said that anyone who wishes to attend may listen." U Do-baek and Chae Yeonri, both at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, seemed slightly excited. On the other hand, Yeo Janggyeong and Choi Ju-tang, who were at the early Foundation Establishment stage, remained relatively calm. Jekyeong could roughly guess the reason. That sermon probably won't be of much help to those two. It's likely because their cultivation realm is too low.