Sacrifices of the Holy War
Even if he spent decades or centuries more of hard work, the result would likely be the same. Setting everything else aside, the ability to mass-produce Lost-Soul Puppets was simply too overpowered. If he put his mind to it, he could churn out several high-level informants in a single day. How could anyone possibly compete with a guy like that?
Although their combat power supposedly dropped slightly upon becoming a Lost-Soul Puppet, that hardly mattered in the face of sheer numbers. Of course, Myeong-ha surely had some hidden weakness to his Lost-Soul Puppets, but from what Jekyeong had seen so far, it appeared to be a formidable Divine Ability with almost no drawbacks.
"Since you're already here, why not stay for the auction? We could catch up on everything we've missed."
"Not interested," Jekyeong replied flatly, turning away. He had absolutely no interest in the items up for auction, let alone "catching up."
"I'll contact you if I hear anything."
"Do that."
Having fully grasped the gravity of the situation, Myeong-ha would undoubtedly utilize his abilities to the fullest to gather information. Jekyeong figured he wouldn't have to wait long, and his prediction proved entirely correct.
Less than two months later, one of Myeong-ha's Lost-Soul Puppets arrived at Heukgyodo.
"Fellow Daoist."
"Did you find anything?"
"Of course. You wouldn't have agreed to meet me if you hadn't already suspected as much, would you?"
For once, Myeong-ha's dry banter was a welcome sound. The fact that he was joking right off the bat meant the news he brought was highly promising.
"You probably already know that the Heumwon clan was driven out of Muryangae."
"Yes."
In truth, Jekyeong didn't know for certain; he had merely deduced it. Muryangae was far too distant, and it wasn't a place where a mere Great Yao like him could just nose around for information.
"The Heumwon clan suffered a crushing defeat in Muryangae and fled. As a fellow beast, you know how ferocious our kind is—we rarely tuck our tails, even against a stronger foe. For a clan as powerful as the Heumwon to flee instead of fighting to the bitter end means their enemy was overwhelmingly powerful. So powerful that they couldn't even muster the will to resist."
"And? Don't tell me you're suggesting we draw their enemy from Muryangae over here?"
"Brilliant as always. Why wouldn't we?"
"That's absurd." Jekyeong frowned and shook his head. "The Heumwon clan has already tucked their tails. They accepted their defeat and fled all the way to Yangseo Lake. Why would their enemy in Muryangae bother chasing them here?"
Pulling up the weeds by their roots? That was a concept that only applied to the Human Race. The Beast Race was different. They were broad-minded and indifferent. They didn't waste their time worrying about weaklings who had already been weeded out of the competition. They believed that once a weakling, always a weakling, and once strong, always strong.
This belief was neither arrogance nor ignorance. Was the concept of Bloodline not proof of this? Those born with a powerful bloodline naturally became strong, while those without naturally became their prey.
The Heumwon clan was no exception. They had already lost, and their ancestral home was gone. Could they really make a comeback in this cramped, barren Yangseo Lake? They were likely skeptical themselves, and perhaps they had already accepted their fate as the weak.
"We can't say that for certain." Myeong-ha maintained his easygoing demeanor despite Jekyeong's cold, piercing gaze. Seeing Myeong-ha act as if he had an ace up his sleeve, Jekyeong felt a spark of anticipation return.
"The battle in Muryangae wasn't a simple territorial dispute. The Demon King who started that war—no, that crusade—was apparently screaming about a holy war."
"A holy war?"
It wasn't that Jekyeong didn't know what a holy war was. He was taken aback precisely because he did know. "Holy war" and "Beast Race" were perfectly normal terms on their own, but putting them together felt incredibly bizarre.
"You didn't mishear. The Demon King who started the war is said to be a worshiper of some evil god. He waged a holy war for the deity he serves, and his enemies were merely sacrifices for his god. In other words, this so-called holy war was actually... a massive blood sacrifice. And the Heumwon clan are the sacrifices that managed to escape the altar."
"If that's the case..."
"We leak information about the Heumwon clan to Muryangae. If that Demon King comes to claim the sacrifices that got away, great. Even if he doesn't, spreading the rumors will be enough to make the Heumwon clan keep their heads down."
Jekyeong turned it over in his mind. It sounded like a solid plan. The only problem was the potential fallout if the plan succeeded—meaning, if that Demon King from Muryangae actually descended upon Yangseo Lake, the consequences could easily spiral far beyond their imagination...
On second thought, it doesn't matter.
Even if chaos erupts, the big players will be the first to get swept away. Minor figures like us can just sit back, watch how things unfold, and react accordingly.
"Very well, let's give it a try." After weighing the options, Jekyeong finally nodded.
He left the matter of hunting the Fire Demons and dealing with the Yojeong to Myeong-ha. Though they would have to wait and see how it played out, Jekyeong believed Myeong-ha's plan was sound. No matter how things went, the Yojeong would be forced to exercise restraint, meaning Jekyeong wouldn't have to worry about the lake's waters for a while.
"Lord Dragon. We have received word from Jaseong Island. They say Essence Blood will be up for auction in a fortnight."
"Tell them to proceed as before. Secure it if possible, but if the price is too exorbitant, they may let it go."
"Understood."
This was one of the advantages of Jaseong Island. Because it bordered the demon territories closely enough for Yeobyoin to thrive as a mainstream profession, countless beast byproducts flowed through it. Among the massive influx of byproducts arriving daily, rare treasures like Essence Blood would occasionally turn up.
Han Cheongyu reported back whenever items Jekyeong needed appeared, and Jekyeong made sure to acquire Essence Blood whenever possible, even if he ignored other things. At his current level, refining a single drop of ordinary Essence Blood barely made a dent, but it was still better than nothing.
Jekyeong believed the saying "every little bit helps" was mostly nonsense, but he did agree with the principle that small accumulations could eventually grow into something substantial.
Jekyeong dismissed Han Cheongyu's report with a brief instruction. It would be nice to get it, but it was no great loss if they couldn't. Compared to a single drop of Essence Blood, planning his future cultivation was a far more pressing matter.
Before forming my core, I must accumulate as much foundation as possible and solidify my plan for core formation.
Whether it was the former or the latter, both required a massive investment of time. However, unlike the latter—which required him to ponder and comprehend entirely on his own, even with the insights of his seniors—the former could be accelerated to some extent with the help of external resources. After all, accumulating foundation ultimately meant nurturing both the physical body and spiritual nature.
To use a rough analogy, the physical body was the vessel, and the spiritual nature was the content. The larger and sturdier the vessel of the physical body became, the more content it could hold.
In that sense, Jekyeong's foundation was already halfway to the absolute peak. The reason for the caveat "halfway" was that while his vessel was sufficiently large and sturdy, it was not yet filled to the brim. To put it more bluntly, he lacked accumulated Monster Power.
By his own estimation, his spiritual nature was barely half full. In simple mathematical terms, his Monster Power could theoretically double from its current level. Of course, that was purely theoretical. In practice, reaching that exact limit would be impossible. As the contents of the vessel increased, their weight would grow exponentially heavier.
Theoretically, if I continuously strengthen my physical body, my foundation will keep growing deeper. But... is it worth the effort?
The stray thought crossed his mind, but only for a fleeting moment. He hadn't even filled his existing vessel yet; there was no point worrying about expanding it further.
The problem is that at the late Great Yao stage, simply filling up the quantity of Monster Power is meaningless.
The early and mid stages of the Great Yao realm were entirely different from the late stage. While accumulation in the early and mid stages was a mechanical process, accumulation in the late stage was a preparation for a transcendent leap. If he focused solely on increasing the quantity, he would only have to spend time purifying it all over again later. It was far better to focus on quality from the very beginning.
It was precisely this dilemma that kept Jekyeong locked in deep thought. If he mindlessly gorged himself on any random spiritual herbs or Dan-yak to boost his Monster Power, he would pay dearly for it down the line.
High-quality spiritual herbs and Dan-yak aren't easy to come by. But... it doesn't strictly have to be herbs or pills.
What Jekyeong had in mind was Jimagwon—specifically, the cultivators of Jimagwon. Cultivators of the Human Race who practiced fire-attribute techniques, particularly those at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Of course, Dharma Power and Monster Power were fundamentally different energies, so a significant amount of power would be lost during the refinement process. He would be lucky to retain even ten percent of it. Yet, this method possessed a supreme advantage that easily made up for its atrocious efficiency: while high-quality spiritual herbs and Dan-yak were rare, human cultivators were practically everywhere if one knew where to look. Well, with a slight exaggeration, of course.
Besides... Jimagwon also has Fire Demons.
They were beasts consumed by Demon Qi, but from his perspective, Demon Qi and Dharma Power were essentially the same. At the end of the day, they were both just energies to be refined into Monster Power. True, Demon Qi was far more dangerous and volatile than Dharma Power, but for Jekyeong, whose greatest strength was his robust digestion, it posed little threat.
Well, for now, it's all just wishful thinking.
He had tried something similar in the past, but his circumstances were different now. Back then, he only cared about accumulating Monster Power by any means necessary, so he hadn't been picky. He had gulped down even filthy water back then, simply because it was water. But not anymore. What he needed now wasn't just any water, but the purest spring water.
Therefore, he would have to test firsthand just how efficient it would be to refine the Dharma Power of Foundation Establishment cultivators and Fire Demons into Monster Power.
I can't stay long, but a brief visit should be fine.
Considering the time it would take for Myeong-ha to spread the rumors, for those rumors to circulate, and for the Demon King of Muryangae to react, he had more than enough time for a quick detour.
The Demonic Disaster blanketing Jimagwon remained as oppressive as ever. Although the murderous intent laced within the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had thinned ever so slightly, the change was practically negligible.
Still, now that its momentum has begun to wane... it should return to normal in about two hundred years.
By "normal," he naturally meant the state of Jimagwon before the Demonic Disaster—the curse of the fire spirit Hwaryeong—had engulfed the region. Two hundred years. It was a long time for some and short for others, but looking at Jimagwon's current state, it seemed unlikely that any humans would be left by then.
Even now, almost everyone who could leave had already migrated to other regions. The only ones remaining in Jimagwon were a handful of sects and clans who simply could not bring themselves to abandon the foundations they had built over generations. They were foolish, but they could not be underestimated. The very fact that they were still holding out in a Jimagwon that had turned into a living hell was proof of their strength. And that was precisely why his gaze kept drifting back to Jimagwon.
Unfortunately, I can't make a move on them just yet.
There were more than a few eyes fixed on Jimagwon. Those who once called Jimagwon home, opportunists looking to claim the abandoned lands, and various other powerful figures were watching the region like hawks. The moment the Demonic Disaster showed signs of clearing, they would boldly march in and plant their flags. If Jekyeong caused a massive ruckus under these circumstances, he would inevitably draw their attention—something he desperately wanted to avoid.
Thus, he had to handle this matter as quietly as possible. He couldn't target the established sects and noble clans. He had to hunt Rogue Cultivators or Fire Demons.
Now, let's see.
His Divine Sense expanded outward. Unlike in the Secret Realm, where his Divine Sense and Spiritual Awareness had been utterly suppressed under the shadow of Docheol, there were no such restrictions here in Jimagwon.
Found one.
Moving swiftly while keeping his Divine Sense stretched to its limits, Jekyeong soon locked onto a Fire Demon wandering the arid wilderness.
A Fire Demon, is it?
Then again, who else but a fool or a madman would be wandering alone in a place like this? The cultivators of the sects and clans would be holed up in their sanctuaries, barely daring to breathe, while the Rogue Cultivators...
Come to think of it, did pure Rogue Cultivators even exist in Jimagwon anymore?
Well, it doesn't matter. This is actually better.
In a Jimagwon ravaged by the Demonic Disaster, Fire Demons were far more common than sane cultivators. If he could refine the Demon Qi of Fire Demons into Monster Power, and if the efficiency was even remotely decent, he wouldn't need to hunt the few remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators in Jimagwon at all.