Presumptuous Rumors
"If you're done eating, let's go. We have a lot of work to do."
"Yeah."
Having filled its belly, Cheongo soared high into the air. Perhaps due to its noticeably heavier body, its takeoff was a bit clumsy, but it still had no trouble keeping watch over the surroundings.
With the help of the sharp-eyed Cheongo, Jekyeong smoothly continued his patrol. Just as he had suspected, the natural disasters originating from the Seongya Archipelago had pushed a massive influx of creatures into the Heukgyo water territory—beasts that had never been seen here before.
Most of them were half-mad, rampaging beasts that had crossed the border in a daze, but Jekyeong showed no mercy. Needless to say, the Vicious Beasts were slaughtered on sight, and even the Great Demons who begged for forgiveness or fled in terror the moment they spotted him were hunted down and killed. Once the executions were complete, he never forgot to let out a savage roar, sending a clear warning to all directions.
The patrol dragged on for over a fortnight. During that time, the number of Vicious Beasts and Great Demons he personally disposed of exceeded ten, while the lower-level water beasts numbered in the hundreds.
"I'm full. I can't eat anymore."
Cheongo, whose body had ballooned to over half its original size compared to when they left Heukgyodo, collapsed flat on its back right on top of Jekyeong's head. Despite its tiny frame, the bird had insisted on joining every feast, and this was the inevitable result. It was only because it had kept flying and scouting that it had managed to hold out this long; otherwise, it would have collapsed from indigestion days ago.
"If you have nothing to do, practice your Divine Ability."
"But you told me not to do it because it's distracting!"
"I didn't tell you not to do it at all. I told you to do it away from me."
Since Jekyeong spent most of his time cultivating, Cheongo's Divine Ability, which influenced the mind and spirit in various ways, was nothing but a distraction to him.
"Anyway, no. I'm too full, it's hard."
"You're not struggling, you're just lazy."
"Yeah."
This crow was getting lazier and more shameless by the day. Jekyeong had never once seen it train seriously. Yet, what baffled him was that despite its indolence, the bird's cultivation seemed to be growing increasingly stable. Even its monster power was rising slowly but steadily. Jekyeong couldn't tell if this was due to the flesh of the Great Demons it occasionally scavenged or some other reason entirely.
What a bizarre creature, Jekyeong thought.
He had long since given up on trying to understand Cheongo. From the way it became a Great Demon to the innate Divine Ability it naturally manifested immediately afterward, there were simply too many things that defied logic. Yet, whenever he looked at it, a strange feeling welled up inside him. It wasn't jealousy or spite, but seeing the bird roll around so lazily and shamelessly made him want to discipline it.
"Caw."
After being nagged repeatedly to do something useful instead of just lying around, Cheongo reluctantly began to cry out. As its sluggish, drawn-out caws echoed through the air, a wave of drowsiness and lethargy began to creep into Jekyeong's mind.
Mmm...
Before he knew it, Jekyeong felt the tension leave his tail and body, tempting him to surrender to the swaying currents. Snapping out of it, he abruptly plunged his head into the water. Consequently, the lazy crow perched on his head got an unexpected bath.
"Caw!"
A moment later, the shrill, irritated cries of a very wet crow echoed loudly across the water.
The Garden of No Forgetfulness—Bulmangwon.
Jekyeong met with Choi Ju-tang to exchange information.
"All I know is that the Demon King from Muryangae was pursuing the Heumwon clan," Choi Ju-tang said. "As for why the human Gold Core cultivators got involved in a conflict between demons, I have no idea."
Through this exchange, Jekyeong learned that even human Gold Core cultivators had entered the fray. However, it remained unclear whether they had intervened to assist 'Senior So-byeok' or to oppose him.
"The humans must be feeling quite anxious as well," Jekyeong remarked.
"You can say that again. Quite a few are already planning to migrate inland."
"Isn't it a bit too early for that?"
"Not necessarily. The Geumyang Sect and the Myeongseomun Sect remain silent, but sometimes, silence is an answer in itself."
Choi Ju-tang was not wrong. Moreover, this incident hadn't occurred without warning. In fact, the signs had been so glaringly obvious that they left ample room for all sorts of speculation.
"The Seongya Archipelago has completely turned into a hazardous zone," Choi Ju-tang continued. "They say it's difficult to even observe it from a distance, let alone approach it."
"What about Jusongtan?"
"I haven't heard anything about that area. Which likely means it remains unchanged."
Choi Ju-tang sighed. "A Demon King from Muryangae... Truly, their reputation is well-deserved. To think a single entity could throw an entire cultivation world into such chaos."
Jekyeong did not utter a single word about 'Senior So-byeok' to Choi Ju-tang. It would have been one thing if he were ignorant, but now that he knew the winged Yokai was a senior cultivator of Bulmangwon, he dared not speak of him carelessly.
"If any new information comes to light, let us share it immediately," Choi Ju-tang said.
"Of course."
Though they called it an exchange, Jekyeong had very little information of value to offer Choi Ju-tang in return. He had managed to keep up appearances by gradually leaking bits of what he had previously gathered from Myeong-ha and Jang Yeong, but that well would soon run dry.
Left with no other choice, Jekyeong had to pay a visit to Haeyeon Island. He had kept his distance from Myeong-ha ever since the incident on Yubak Island, but beggars couldn't be choosers in times like these.
"A precious guest has arrived, yet I failed to greet you at the shore. You should have given me some advance notice," Myeong-ha said, offering a familiar greeting.
Jekyeong frowned slightly as he looked at him. On the surface, Myeong-ha looked exactly as he always did, yet there was a subtle, unsettling sense of foreignness about him.
"Is something the matter?" Myeong-ha asked.
"You seem to have changed slightly. I cannot quite put my finger on how or where, but..."
"Oh? Sharp as always, I see." Myeong-ha chuckled. "I have indeed changed. Having formally conducted the ritual and offered the sacrifices, I am now truly a devotee of Docheol."
"It is not as if this is your first time offering sacrifices or performing rituals," Jekyeong pointed out.
"It is different from what happened in the Secret Realm. The ritual back then was merely a transaction."
Myeong-ha seemed disinclined to elaborate further, and Jekyeong did not press him. When it came to matters concerning the Malevolent Gods, avoidance was always the wisest course of action.
"Do you know what happened in the Seongya Archipelago?" Jekyeong asked.
"I do not. That is why I am doing my utmost to investigate."
"And... have you made any progress?"
"To some extent." Myeong-ha's expression and tone grew significantly more serious. "As you may already know, Fellow Daoist, the Seongya Archipelago has been reduced to an absolute wasteland. The spiritual energy in that region has been thrown into chaotic disarray, and a void rift has even manifested."
"A void rift?"
"Literally. Surely you remember what happened in the Secret Realm? When Docheol's domain overlapped with the Secret Realm, it temporarily breached the barrier of the world."
As Jekyeong's expression darkened, Myeong-ha continued his explanation. "I understand a void rift to be something like a scar on that very barrier. When a void rift opens, external energies from beyond this realm leak in, easily triggering all manner of anomalies."
"You seem remarkably well-informed."
"I would have preferred not to know," Myeong-ha replied with a bitter smile. "But through this ritual, I have acquired many things. Power, knowledge, and much more."
For a fleeting instant, countless illusions overlapped across Myeong-ha's figure. It was as if an immeasurable number of entities, trapped within the small cage of his body, were writhing in a desperate bid to escape. Though the illusions vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Jekyeong to wonder if his eyes had played tricks on him, a vivid, lingering aftertaste of bizarre familiarity remained.
"What was that?" Jekyeong asked.
"A blessing. A gift bestowed by Docheol upon his servant." A gloomy shadow cast over Myeong-ha's smile. "I finally understand why Jegu was so desperate for divine grace. Power and knowledge that were once utterly unobtainable, no matter how hard I struggled, now flow into my hands even when I do not wish for them."
"Even when you do not wish for them?"
At Jekyeong's question, Myeong-ha nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What is easily gained can be just as easily lost, can it not? Especially when it is a gift from a Malevolent God. It is hardly something to be trusted."
"Is that not rather disrespectful language to use toward your master?"
"A god soaring through the heavens does not bend down to listen to the whispers of an ant crawling on the dirt. Even if he did hear, he would not deign to anger himself over an ant's lamentations."
For once, Jekyeong could not help but marvel at Myeong-ha's sheer audacity. For a brief second, he felt a strong urge to leave. Myeong-ha claimed there was no danger, but who could ever fathom the whims of a Malevolent God?
Of course, it was merely a passing thought. Jekyeong's courage might not be as reckless as Myeong-ha's, but it was at least fitting for his massive physical size.
"Still, since you have obtained it, you might as well put it to good use."
"True words."
Gold salvaged from filth is still gold. It made no difference even if someone had fished it out and forced it into one's hands. The gloom that had shrouded Myeong-ha's face vanished without a trace, and the familiar, sharp intelligence returned to his eyes.
"I do not know who emerged victorious in the battle of the Seongya Archipelago," Myeong-ha said. "However, seeing as a void rift manifested and still remains to this day, whoever won must have paid a devastating price."
Myeong-ha spoke with certainty, but Jekyeong begged to differ. He suspected that So-byeok-ik-wang had either won or, at the very least, suffered no significant losses. He had no concrete evidence; it was purely an intuitive feeling. Senior So-byeok was a cultivator of Bulmangwon, and an entity whom even an extraordinary Demon King like Yu Gon found troublesome to deal with. If such a figure had traveled all this way alone to stir up such a storm, he surely had a trump card up his sleeve.
"If others share that line of thinking, things will get noisy soon enough," Jekyeong observed.
"Indeed." A strange, feverish excitement crept into Myeong-ha's voice. "When the tiger falls quiet, the wolves and foxes raise their heads. Furthermore, while I cannot speak for the Simjeon Demon King, the Zhanshu Whale King has steered completely clear of this affair. He will not let this golden opportunity slip by."
It seemed Myeong-ha had been keeping a close eye on the movements of the Whale King Palace for some time.
The Zhanshu Whale King...
Jekyeong actually knew the Whale King better than Myeong-ha did. After all, they had met and spoken face-to-face. In Jekyeong's estimation, the Zhanshu Whale King was neither overly timid nor exceptionally bold. He would seize an opportunity if it presented itself, but he would never summon the courage to act if there was any real risk involved. Moreover, the embers of the war between humans and demons had barely cooled; even if the Whale King wished to ignite another conflict, doing so would be no simple task.
A war was not something that could be started simply because a leader charged to the front and barked a few commands. This held true even for the Demon Race, despite their rigid hierarchy. If a Demon King pressured them, the low-level beasts driven purely by instinct would obey instantly, but the Great Demons were a different story. They possessed intellect and self-preservation; those who valued their lives might bow in submission to his face, but the moment they were out of sight, their first thought would be how to escape. In fact, during the previous war, the unity of the Demon Race had been as fragile as a handful of sand. On fronts where a Demon King or a powerful Great Demon was not directly supervising, all sorts of absurd mishaps had occurred continuously.
"Is the plan we established previously still valid?" Jekyeong asked.
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"
"I thought that since the immediate crisis has been averted, there would be no need to make a grand fuss."
"Heh, how naive," Myeong-ha said with a bitter chuckle. "A fire is a fire; what does it matter if it is immediate or not? Even if we do not perform the ritual right away, we must gather sacrifices whenever the opportunity presents itself."
"I see."
Unlike Myeong-ha, who was subtly worked up, Jekyeong's demeanor was calm, bordering on cold. Myeong-ha stared intently at Jekyeong's expressionless face before letting out a highly meaningful smile.
"Are you still angry with me?"
"Business is business, so there is no reason to be angry or otherwise," Jekyeong replied. "It is simply that my debt has been paid, and I have no desire to entangle myself with you any further."
"I understand. But surely, Fellow Daoist, your life is not so cheap, is it?"