A Tempting Offer
And whether it was the Simjeon Demon King, Mu-ara, or his son, Jang Yeong, they were both individuals with eyes to see and brains to think. They anticipated exactly what Jekyeong had foreseen.
“The ambition of the human race has never faded,” Jang Yeong said. “The moment the Demon King of Muryangae and the Heumwon clan are gone, they will immediately push in. There is a high probability they will march straight toward us. When that time comes, I hope you, Fellow Daoist, will lend your strength to our side.”
At those words, Jekyeong curled the corners of his mouth. Dealing with the Heumwon clan was dangerous, but did that mean dealing with the human race was safe? Oh, of course, it might be—provided there was a guarantee that the humans' Gold Core cultivators would not participate. But there was absolutely no way that would be the case.
“Naturally, we would not ask for your help for nothing. We will compensate you handsomely. Furthermore, this matter will not be as dangerous as you think, Fellow Daoist.”
When Jekyeong still did not withdraw his look of disbelief even after those words, Jang Yeong spoke with renewed emphasis. “Fellow Daoist, we are neither reckless nor foolish. This is merely a request, so whether you accept or reject it is entirely up to you. When the time comes, you can observe the situation yourself and make your judgment.”
Since Jang Yeong went that far, Jekyeong finally nodded. It seemed the Simjeon Demon King's side had something to rely on, so as Jang Yeong said, he could simply watch how things unfolded and make his decision then. However, the promise of handsome compensation caught his interest.
“If I assist the Simjeon Demon King, what does he intend to reward me with?”
“Fellow Daoist, you seem to have a deep attachment to this water territory, is that correct?” Jang Yeong asked in a confident tone, as if he already knew the answer.
“Attachment?” Jekyeong was momentarily dumbfounded. What kind of novel nonsense was this? He had an attachment to the Heukgyo water territory? If he had to call it an attachment, he wasn't entirely without one, but that was toward the foundation he had painstakingly built over time, not the Heukgyo water territory itself.
Though Jekyeong's eyes flickered strangely, Jang Yeong did not seem to notice. He was thoroughly convinced that Jekyeong possessed a significant attachment to the Heukgyo water territory. After all, if he wasn't attached to this place, it would be child's play for someone of his strength to seize a far better spiritual territory—even if not a spiritual vein. Why else would he stubbornly remain in such an unremarkable place?
Such cases were uncommon, but they were not entirely rare either. Most of the beast race possessed a strong territorial instinct, and Great Demons were no exception. Their fierce territorial consciousness often developed into an attachment to their domain, and such irrational emotions could manifest regardless of a cultivator's realm. Therefore, it was not hard to understand why a black Gyoryong, who had wandered the cultivation world as a vagrant for so long, would form a powerful attachment to the domain he had finally acquired.
When Jekyeong did not deny it, Jang Yeong spoke with even greater conviction. “The Heumwon clan possesses a secret technique. They call it the Vein Creation Art. It seems similar to the human race's Vein Seeking Art, though they refuse to admit it. In any case, the spiritual vein currently in the Seongya Archipelago was created through that very Vein Creation Art.”
“Oh?” Jekyeong's eyes snapped wide. “Are you saying they will create a spiritual vein here?” As he stared at Jang Yeong with flashing eyes, Jang Yeong nodded once, then shook his head.
“To create a spiritual vein with the Vein Creation Art, an astronomical amount of spirit stones is required. I do not know if you, Fellow Daoist, can bear such an expense.”
Jekyeong fell silent. Spirit stones? Of course, he did not lack spirit stones. Not to mention the business on Haeyeon Island, the spirit stones he earned through various side incomes were substantial. But if asked whether it was enough to create a spiritual vein... Jekyeong lacked confidence.
“Do not be disappointed. Even if you cannot create a full spiritual vein...”
“I understand what you mean.” Jekyeong cut off Jang Yeong, who was trying to entice him even a little more. He had to admit it. The carrot being dangled was incredibly tempting. A spiritual vein. Of course, he wanted a spiritual vein. Although Heukgyodo was a spiritual territory, its spiritual energy was lacking in many ways compared to other spiritual lands. In fact, compared to a true spiritual vein... the spiritual energy here was, with only slight exaggeration, practically dregs.
“I will consider it positively.”
“Those words are enough.” Jang Yeong departed Heukgyodo with a satisfied expression.
“Venerable One, it is a grand formation.” He wanted to snap at the pests clinging to his wings and chattering that he, too, had eyes, but he quickly realized it was pointless and refrained.
“Those cowardly, turtle-like bastards have holed themselves up inside a formation.”
“Truly foolish fools! Do they really think that will do anything?”
“Because they are fools, they were dreaming of a comeback in a place like this.”
Ignoring the chattering pests, he examined the grand formation enveloping the archipelago. It is quite sturdy. As a member of the beast race who had spent almost his entire life in the demon territories, he did not know much about formations, but he was not a complete layman either. He possessed a special channel through which he could acquire various kinds of knowledge, and over thousands of years, he had accessed all sorts of information through it. Knowledge of formations was one of them.
Four pivots. Since they are all guarded by Demon Kings, unless they can all be brought down at once, this will inevitably turn into a war of attrition. He recognized at a glance that the formation was too solid to be broken by half-hearted methods.
“Sobyeok! You bloodsucking bastard! Was the blood you saw in Muryangae not enough?! To think you would chase us all the way here!” A cultivator rose from within the formation. He had assumed a human form, but the dense, almost sticky demonic power radiating from him made his outer shell utterly meaningless.
“Seon-yu. It has been a while. I knew we would meet again.” He brushed off the murderous gaze directed at him with a sneer.
“Is this the best place you could find to run away to? The bloodline of the Heumwon is tarnished because of a piece of trash like you. Stop acting so pitifully and accept your fate already. Just like the main feast.”
“You!” Seon-yu, the Patriarch of the Heumwon clan, could not contain himself and erupted with murderous intent. The surrounding members of the beast race rolled their eyes back and fainted, or collapsed vomiting blood, but he did not even notice.
“You are nothing but a madman! Do you think Mingshe will open the path for you? To them, a bastard like you is nothing but a disposable pawn!”
“Oh? Thank you for your concern, but I will take care of my own affairs.” He, the Sobyeok Winged King, unfurled his three pairs of wings. Instantly, the darkness shimmering around him blanketed the sky, and at the same time, dark, sharp objects rained down like a deluge toward the grand formation covering the Seongya Archipelago.
Facing the onslaught of Senior Sobyeok, Seon-yu of Yojeong stared at the black shapes raining down like a deluge with a hardened gaze. Unlike the pathetic creatures around him who made a fuss in terror, he did not budge an inch.
Rumble! The grand formation violently convulsed, and the entire Seongya Archipelago shook. It felt as though the entire archipelago might collapse and sink along with the formation at any moment, but such an unstable appearance was merely superficial. In reality, although the formation protecting the Seongya Archipelago shook continuously, it was never actually damaged.
“A futile effort,” Seon-yu sneered, raising his voice and curling his lips as he looked at his opponent, who was flaunting his presence as if he had become the master of the night sky. Yet, contrary to his carefully constructed exterior, his insides were shaking as precariously as the light barrier of the formation.
He was afraid. How could he not be? It was because of that very madman that his clan had been swept up in a bloody catastrophe, forced to abandon their homeland and flee, and even lost their Great Elder in the process. Yet, that crazy bastard had chased them all the way here, determined to see things through to the bitter end. What on earth did they do to incur such relentless malice?
Seon-yu did not believe a single word of the madman's ravings about how there must be no blemish on the holy war, or how all sacrifices must be offered to the god. To be more precise, he simply did not want to believe that his clan had been reduced to this state for such an insane reason.
But regardless of his wishes, reality was cold and harsh. The madman's insanity had pursued them all the way from Muryangae to this distant Yangseo Lake, placing the Heumwon clan once again on the brink of survival. Fortunately, their preparations had not been in vain. The grand formation, created by investing massive resources based on human knowledge, was sturdier than expected, successfully blocking the madman's bombardment.
This was not Muryangae. There was a limit to the power that madman could mobilize here, and his time in Yangseo Lake would not be long. Therefore, if they could just hold out...
“Hmph!” Seon-yu's provocation had little effect. Sobyeok Winged King snorted in disdain and flapped his wings once more. Along with a fierce gale, formless vortexes arose and collided violently with the formation's protective barrier. The vortexes clashed continuously with an eerie, grinding sound as if trying to shred the barrier, but the formation held once again. However...
The detailed report that followed was enough to make even him, who had already prepared himself mentally, flinch. But that was all.
“Hold on!” Seon-yu commanded. He did not believe that crazy bastard could maintain such dominance forever. Even a Demon King had limits to their demonic power. Furthermore, if he continued to exert his power so violently, it would inevitably draw the attention of others. Especially since he was heavily stained with the divine rhythm of the Demon God, once attention was focused on him, no matter how high his madness reached, he would have no choice but to withdraw.
Screeech! In the face of the violently raging vortexes, Seon-yu constantly adjusted and readjusted the flow of the formation as it threatened to unravel.
The Demon King of Muryangae had descended upon the Seongya Archipelago. For five whole days, he attacked Yojeong using all manner of destructive means, but Yojeong held out against the fierce onslaught by relying on the power of their grand formation. The attack, which seemed as though it would last forever, came to an abrupt end on the fifth day due to a sudden storm.
A storm? When Jekyeong heard up to this point, he blinked in confusion, but through the subsequent information, he realized it was no ordinary storm. It was a storm of spiritual energy. Or perhaps, a backlash of heaven and earth?
The Demon King of Muryangae, known as the Sobyeok Winged King, had unleashed his power without restraint. When a peak powerhouse of the late Yao King realm—and clearly no ordinary Yao King—unleashed their strength without holding back, the result was nothing short of a catastrophe. Their power was so immense that it could alter not only the surrounding terrain but even the very flow of spiritual energy.
Yet, it seemed the power of this Sobyeok Winged King surpassed even that. According to the reports, the area around the Seongya Archipelago had not merely had its spiritual energy flow altered; it had suffered fundamental damage. The flow of spiritual energy was completely severed in numerous places, and cracks had formed in the void, causing yin winds to howl through them.
Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage could not even dream of approaching the vicinity of the Seongya Archipelago, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators found it difficult to draw near to investigate...
That Sobyeok Winged King... he really acts without any restraint. Of course, the strong had no need to consider the weak. But if all Core Formation cultivators were like Sobyeok Winged King, wouldn't this Changram Realm have met its end a long time ago?
But... this Sobyeok Winged King. For some reason, the name sounded strangely familiar. It was supposed to be impossible. As he ascended to the Great Yao realm and his cultivation deepened, his memory had reached a level where he never forgot anything he had seen or heard. Furthermore, if it was the name of a Demon King, there was no way he would forget it if he had heard it even once.
Jekyeong was far more bothered by this hazy memory than by the news that Sobyeok Winged King had turned the Seongya Archipelago into a barren land. A rampaging Demon King could simply be avoided, but a discrepancy in his own mind was not so simple.
It doesn't seem to be a problem with me. If there were an issue with his memory itself, problems should have manifested in other areas as well. Yet, the only thing that remained hazy was his memory of Sobyeok Winged King. He felt a distinct sense of familiarity, but he could not fathom why.
Is it because he is special? But I clearly remember the other seniors of Bulmangwon, and even the Daoist name of Senior Hyeondo. Setting aside the other Core Formation cultivators of Bulmangwon, 'Senior Hyeondo' was a Nascent Soul True Lord.