Uninvited Guests
At first glance, did it not look like an ordinary Great Demon? No, perhaps the word "ordinary" was entirely inappropriate. That was no mere serpent...
"A flood dragon?"
"Could it be the Black Flood Dragon?"
Rumors of a flood dragon nesting in the Heukgyo Water Territory had spread quite widely, even reaching the Human Territory of Yangseo Lake. The sheer weight of the title "Flood Dragon" was one thing, but what truly made him famous was that he belonged to neither Gyeongwang Palace nor Yojeong. Despite walking such a solitary path, he continued to wield absolute, unchecked authority.
Since there could not possibly be another flood dragon in Yangseo Lake, this beast had to be the rumored Black Flood Dragon. Had he also entered this Secret Realm?
I don't know what's going on, but this is our chance.
Though neither of them spoke, the same thought flashed through their minds simultaneously. The sudden appearance of the Black Flood Dragon, and even the despairing realization that there was more than one of those horrific monsters, did not matter right now. What mattered was that an opportunity had finally presented itself—a chance not just to catch their breath, but to truly escape.
"..."
Without a word, the middle-aged man and the elder looked at each other. In that heavy, silent exchange, they read the exact same calculation in each other's eyes.
Boom!
As they quickly formulated their plan, a deafening explosion shattered the air. The ground split open, and the mountains trembled. Hurriedly raising their heads, they saw the Black Flood Dragon in the distance, seemingly driven into a frenzy, repeatedly slamming his massive tail down to crush the monster into the earth.
"Grrr..."
After hammering the monster into the dirt five or six times in rapid succession, the Black Flood Dragon bared his massive maw. A crimson glow radiated from his throat, followed by a scorching heatwave that swept through the area like a tempest. In the next instant, a brilliant, blood-red flame pierced the darkness.
Whoosh!
The inferno engulfed everything in sight. Even from their distant vantage point, the man and the elder gasped in horror, hastily wrapping themselves in their Dharma Power.
"Ugh!"
They groaned as the terrifying heat bypassed their protective barriers of Dharma Power, scorching their skin. It was not a matter of weak willpower; the heat felt as though it were searing not just their flesh, but their very souls. What shocked them even more was that this was happening despite their active defensive barriers.
Is that fire... the Black Flood Dragon's Divine Ability?
They had never seen a flood dragon before and knew little about them, but they were well aware that such creatures were revered as the Sacred Race among the Beast Race. As a member of such a legendary lineage, it was only natural for the Black Flood Dragon to possess one or two devastating Divine Abilities.
Now!
The Black Flood Dragon seemed intent on incinerating the monster entirely, unleashing a relentless torrent of flames so intense that merely looking at them made their eyes burn. Even the absolute darkness cloaking this world seemed to retreat before the crimson blaze. This was their golden opportunity to escape. With such a chaotic commotion, the attention of any other monsters pursuing them would surely be drawn to the dragon.
"I believe this is our first meeting, fellow Daoists."
Just as they were about to quietly slip away, an unfamiliar voice arrested their movements.
"I have many questions, but let us set them aside for now. This does not seem to be the time for idle chatter."
Myeong-ha narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two cultivators, who had the guilty air of thieves caught red-handed.
"It seems you are already well aware, but those monsters harbor an absolute enmity toward all living things. Unless we deal with them, we will never be safe anywhere within this Secret Realm."
Myeong-ha subtly flicked his finger. Invisible threads slithered out, gradually binding the unstable souls of the two cultivators.
"I would love to flee as well, but unfortunately, my companion is currently occupied over there. And I simply cannot allow you two to drag your filth over to him."
At Myeong-ha's words, the rugged-looking man barked in anger.
"Filth? What nonsense are you spouting!"
The elder, who possessed the refined air of a transcendent sage, also hardened his expression and replied coldly.
"We are all here seeking our own opportunities. If you wish to fight, there is no need for such pointless provocations."
Myeong-ha sneered at their rising killing intent.
"Oh, is that so? Then why were you trying to flee in such a hurry? And as for fighting... in your current state?"
Crash!
The mountain, already half-shattered, collapsed entirely. The Black Flood Dragon had seized the thrashing monster as it tried to escape the flames, slamming it violently into the ground.
"Aaaaargh!"
The monster struggled violently, but the Black Flood Dragon refused to let go. Biting down on its head, he slammed it into the earth several more times before coiling his massive body around its limp torso, constricting with crushing force.
Crack! Crunch!
Bones shattered and flesh tore. The Black Flood Dragon's victory seemed to be only a matter of time.
Yet at that very moment, the monster's collapsing body liquefied like mud and slipped through his coils. Simultaneously, a guttural, ancient roar echoed from the distance. Startled, the Black Flood Dragon turned his head to see another monster, bristling with thousands of legs, charging toward them with glowing eyes.
The Convergence
The moment Jekyeong saw another monster appear in the distance, his spirit sank. He had fought tooth and nail, believing he was finally about to finish this creature off, only for an identical beast to appear in pristine condition. The sight drained what little energy he had left.
"Gyaaaah—"
The half-melted monster pinned beneath him let out a screech. Though Jekyeong could not understand the sound, he could easily guess its meaning. The cry, which had been filled with pure agony moments ago, was now laced with renewed malice. It seemed even this mindless abomination realized the tide had turned.
Damn it.
How had things escalated to this point? Even now, he couldn't fathom it. He certainly hadn't intended to go this far initially. The moment he realized the monster's vitality was disgustingly resilient, he had planned to retreat. Yet, somehow, he had ended up reverting to his true form and fighting as if his life depended on it.
It hadn't been a bad fight. The monster was a formidable foe, but his Origin Earth Fire had proven effective. While ordinary Yokai Fire could only stall the creature briefly, the Flame King Whip forged from his Origin Earth Fire dealt undeniable damage. The monster had shrieked and recoiled at the slightest touch of the fiery whip, and Jekyeong, believing victory was within reach, had confidently pressed his attack, fueled by rage.
However, while Jekyeong could overwhelm the monster, he could not kill it. No matter how thoroughly he shredded it—to the point where any normal creature would have perished several times over—it would collapse only to rise again. Even when he tore its flesh into hundreds of pieces and incinerated them completely with his Origin Earth Fire, the monster reformed shortly after. It wasn't healing, nor was it regeneration. It was as if the destroyed portions were simply being reborn out of nothingness.
I cannot keep this up.
His heart, boiling like molten lava, urged him to keep fighting. It was a blatant temptation, a primal compulsion. Until moments ago, Jekyeong had followed that inner voice without question. But now, with the arrival of the second monster, a sharp sense of crisis pierced through the haze, awakening his long-buried reason.
Now fully lucid, Jekyeong found himself utterly bewildered by how he had let things spiral so far out of control. He had performed these actions himself, yet the version of him in his recent memories felt like an entirely different person.
Was my mind... subtly invaded without my knowledge?
Jekyeong glared down at the limp, squirming monster that still bared its teeth at him. The creature, whose body was half-mouth, attempted to snap at his flesh, but its weakened, clumsy bites could not even scratch his scales, let alone pierce them.
A sudden surge of irritation washed over Jekyeong, and he constricted his coils with all his might. The monster's gelatinous flesh could not withstand his monstrous strength. *Pop!* The creature burst like an overinflated balloon, its liquefied remains splattering and running down. For any ordinary living being with a physical body, this would have been the end. But this monster was different. This thing was...
"Do you think I truly fear you! You tiresome bastard!"
A thunderous shout shattered Jekyeong's train of thought. Turning his head toward the source of the noise, he saw a massive golden staff slamming down, pinning the newly arrived monster to the earth.
"Excellent!"
As the monster was driven into the ground, a small bell appeared above it. Though it was as tiny as a speck of dust compared to the mountain-sized beast, a colossal phantom image soon enveloped the bell, dwarfing the monster itself.
"Suppress!"
The phantom-shrouded bell plummeted onto the monster. *Boom!* A heavy, resonant roar shook the earth. The shockwave of the impact was barely inferior to the force Jekyeong had unleashed earlier.
Jekyeong recognized their strength instantly. The man who had swung the golden staff and the elder who had deployed the bell Dharma Treasure were both seasoned, late Foundation Establishment cultivators. He had never seen either of them before, and he had no idea who they might be.
"Fellow Daoist."
At the low voice whispering beside him, Jekyeong nearly unleashed a blast of fire out of sheer reflex. He calmed his racing heart only when he realized it was Myeong-ha.
This was the worst part of this godforsaken place. Because his Divine Sense and Spiritual Awareness were completely suppressed, he had to keep his guard up at all times. The constant anxiety of not knowing when or where danger would strike was slowly eating away at his sanity.
"It seems things weren't going particularly well for you?"
In the past, Jekyeong would have found Myeong-ha's incessant, playful banter annoying and either ignored it or cut him off coldly. But now was different. The teasing remarks he once found grating now felt oddly comforting, soothing his frayed nerves.
"They certainly weren't."
Myeong-ha's gaze swept over the scattered, melting remains of the monster. His eyes held a complex mixture of undeniable awe, wariness, and fear.
"You encountered one as well, didn't you?"
"Indeed. I lacked the courage to face it head-on like you did, fellow Daoist, so I barely managed to shake it off."
Jekyeong wondered for a brief moment. Did this fellow truly lack courage, or had he simply calculated the risks and rewards with cold precision before making his retreat?
"Those two are uninvited guests. Well, not that we were invited either... but regardless, they are essentially jackals who followed us. I caught them trying to use you as a decoy to make their escape."
"You caught them? How?"
"I merely nudged them onto a path they were already walking. It was nothing grand."
Jekyeong did not believe a word of it. To manipulate two late Foundation Establishment cultivators so effortlessly and dismiss it as nothing? At this point, such humility was pure deception.
"It is the truth. As you must have felt, fellow Daoist, all manner of things lurk within this darkness. They constantly seek to burrow into our minds. From the very moment we set foot here, we have all been affected by them, to varying degrees."
"..."
"They are no exception. You seem to think I controlled them, but that is not the case. Rage had already accumulated in their hearts. I merely drew out the emotions they were struggling so hard to suppress."
Jekyeong gave a noncommittal nod, acknowledging the explanation, and asked, "So? What is the next plan?"
"Naturally, we move on while they buy us time. After all, we did not come all this way just to wrestle with these abominations."