The Toll of the Forge
Jekyeong did not answer, and Hyeongu did not press further.
"Cheongo."
"Huh?"
Having transformed into a small crow, Cheongo fluttered down and perched on Jekyeong's head.
"Have you grown accustomed to the Summer-Chasing Fan?"
"Yeah. More or less."
"Familiarize yourself with it as much as possible. I believe I will need your help before long."
"Okay."
Hundreds of Spirit Blacksmiths arrived on Heukgyodo.
Escorted on all sides by aquatic monsters, they were as dejected as cattle led to a slaughterhouse. In truth, they had been brought here to sacrifice their very lifespans, so the comparison was entirely fitting.
This is highly unusual.
Choe Ubo, following behind the turtle Great Yo-beast Hyeongu, harbored a deep look of anxiety in his wrinkled eyes. Having reached an age where his vital energy was in steep decline, he had assumed he would spend the remainder of his days simply instructing his juniors. He had never imagined he would be dragged back into active labor like this.
And he was not the only one. From seasoned veterans to green youths who had barely initiated into the Qi Condensation stage, virtually every Spirit Blacksmith on Yeongi Island had been rounded up.
No amount of persuasion or pleading had any effect. The overwhelming pressure of the Great Yo-beast crushed their spirits, and those who attempted to flee in secret were instantly devoured by the vigilant water beasts.
Shivering with terror, they arrived on Heukgyodo. Before long, a man clad in thin black robes appeared before them.
The older, more experienced blacksmiths hastily lowered their gaze and held their breath. The younger ones watched in sheer horror as the man was suddenly enveloped in flames, transforming into a massive Black Flood Dragon, their legs giving out beneath them as they collapsed to the ground.
"Begin."
At that single, dizzying command, which seemed to reverberate from the deepest depths of the earth, the Spirit Blacksmiths began to take their places as if possessed.
Clang! Clang!
Choe Ubo struggled to keep his heavy eyelids open. His trembling hands and depleted spiritual energy warned him that pushing any further would be fatal, yet he could not stop. He knew all too well that stopping here would bring an even swifter death.
"I... I can't go on..."
A young Spirit Blacksmith, whose spiritual power had run dry due to overexertion or lack of cultivation, pleaded with a water beast that was closing in on him.
The water beast—possessing crab legs, a lobster's torso, and arms like octopus tentacles—stared at the blacksmith in silence before swallowing him whole.
The sickening crunch of breaking bones and tearing flesh echoed in the ears of the remaining blacksmiths. Those who had been on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion wept, grit their teeth, and gripped their chisels and hammers once more.
Could this be...
Choe Ubo continued his forging at a sluggish pace, not even thinking to wipe the dark blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. As his hammering slowed, the gaze burning into his back grew more intense, but he was past the point of caring. The ominous premonition that had first crossed his mind was steadily becoming reality.
Ten days had already passed, yet not a single word had been spoken, and no rest had been granted. They were forced to mechanically consume elixirs to restore their spiritual power, pouring their very lifespans into the endless forging.
Snap! Strands of his brittle hair fell to the ground, crumbling into ash the moment they touched the dirt. Only then did Choe Ubo notice that the back of his hand gripping the chisel was dry and cracked, resembling earth parched by a long drought.
"Do not... rest. Human. Keep going. Keep going."
The slurred words of the beast sounded like an auditory hallucination, but the sickening stench of fish that followed snapped his mind back to reality. Choe Ubo swung his hammer again by reflex. At that moment, his mind suddenly cleared.
He has no intention of letting us leave here alive.
Fear and despair washed over him like a tidal wave. Yet, the reason he did not stop forging was that the bottomless terror had paralyzed his reason; even though he knew it was futile, he simply could not stop struggling.
Cheonghwa. You were right.
As his vision and consciousness gradually blurred, the last thing he pictured was the disciple who had fled the island long ago. Had that clever child managed to escape safely that day? If so, was she living well in the outside world? What if he had run away with her back then? If he had, perhaps...
A foolish, futile regret.
He had made his choice, and now he was merely paying the price.
"Haa..."
He let out a deep sigh and lifted his head. The dazzling blue sky momentarily cleared his hazy vision.
Still, I am glad I did not stop you back then.
His disciple, that clever girl, was surely alive. She had likely joined a reputable sect, serving a great master, and was now walking the true path of the Dao. Yes, perhaps she was enjoying the breeze in some scenic place, occasionally letting a passing thought drift to this inadequate old man.
"Human. Do not stop."
"Do not nag me. Let me catch my breath."
Where had such courage come from? Choe Ubo was both surprised and impressed by his own words. Had he finally summoned his once-in-a-lifetime courage at this very moment? It seemed a bit too late, but still, it was something.
He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable punishment.
But the water beast did not roar at him, nor did it step forward to strike him.
How unexpected.
Perhaps the beast was capable of reason? Or was it simply so taken aback that it didn't know how to react? Whatever the case, Choe Ubo was satisfied. Thanks to this, he could feel the cool breeze for just a moment longer.
"..."
At some point, for reasons he could not fathom, he opened his eyes. And as if drawn by some unseen force, he turned his head. And there he saw them. A pair of colossal eyes, shining brighter than the sun in the sky.
His breath caught in his throat, but strangely, he felt no fear. At this moment, Choe Ubo felt as though he had transcended into an entirely different being. He dared to look directly into those massive eyes, and even spoke with calm composure.
"Lord Dragon. Do not be so harsh."
"..."
A strange light flickered within the colossal eyes. Was it bewilderment? Interest? Or sheer absurdity?
"Very well."
Watching the elderly Spirit Blacksmith collapse like a crumbling wall the moment the answer was given, Jekyeong closed his eyes once more.
An amusing fellow. To think his final words before drawing his last breath were neither curses nor insults, but such a bizarre request.
Do not be so harsh?
It was an entertaining testament, but unfortunately, the old man had been mistaken. This matter had nothing to do with being harsh or merciful. It was merely hastening an end that had been predetermined from the very beginning.
One raises livestock to eventually harvest their meat. While one might delay the slaughter to breed them, the ultimate end remains the same.
When he first gathered and nurtured the Spirit Blacksmiths on Yeongi Island, Jekyeong had planned for the long term, aiming to extract the maximum possible benefit over time. That was why he had ordered them to forge only periodically, allowing them time to recover and train successors without damaging their foundation.
But now, with the monumental task of Core Formation looming before him, how could he afford to leave any roots or seeds behind? He had to harvest everything.
Before fifteen days had passed since the forging began, every single Spirit Blacksmith had drawn their last breath. Those who pleaded and those who tried to flee died early, while those who ground down their very life force to the last drop survived a few days longer.
"Grrr..."
Feeling the abundant spiritual power infused within his scales, Jekyeong slithered into the Black Cult Palace. Inside, pre-prepared spirit stones were piled high like a small mountain.
Crunch! Crunch!
He could feel Cheongo's glaring gaze. The bird, who had vehemently opposed this as an unprecedented waste, was still absolutely furious. Jekyeong could not understand why the bird was so incensed when the stones did not even belong to it.
As expected, it is not enough.
Even after squeezing the Spirit Blacksmiths to their absolute limits and devouring such a vast quantity of spirit stones, there was still no sign of shedding.
It is fine.
It would be a lie to say he was not disappointed, but he had not harbored high expectations from the start. Although the spiritual power in his scales and the spiritual energy in his flesh had not yet been refined into monster power, they would still serve as a reserve of strength in the final moments.
"Aren't you rushing things too much?"
Cheongo, smacking its beak as it stared at the completely vanished mountain of spirit stones, asked grumpily. Though its tone was blunt and accusatory, it carried a clear undercurrent of worry.
"There's no need to rush like this."
"Perhaps."
Ever since he had laid eyes on that horrific mass of flesh in the Secret Realm the day before, Jekyeong had been unable to shake his anxiety. He feared that at any moment, he might become a servant of Taotie like Myeong-ha, or be trapped in its domain and reduced to a hungry ghost. Yet, it was also possible that Taotie had forgotten his very existence, and that what tormented him was not the shadow of the Evil God, but a fear born of his own mental weakness.
"But why are you in such a hurry?"
"I have a good feeling."
Initially, it had been driven by fear. After hearing from his senior Yu Gon that reaching the Core Formation stage would free him from the shadow of the Malevolent God, he had run desperately toward that goal as if it were his sole means of survival. However, as he formulated a concrete plan for Core Formation and began to fulfill the conditions one by one, a different emotion gradually began to rear its head.
It was anticipation.
As the once-vague concept of Core Formation steadily approached reality, his original purpose receded into the background, replaced by a cultivator's pure anticipation at the center of his heart.
"I feel like I will succeed."
Of course, he might fail. But even if he did, so what? His physical body was harder than steel, his spiritual intelligence was flawless, and his lifespan was abundant. Even if he failed once, he possessed more than enough resilience to endure and rise again.
"Fine, then."
Cheongo flapped its wings and took flight. At the same time, Jekyeong exited the Black Cult Palace.
Breaking through to a major realm was not something one could achieve simply by wishing for it. Not only did a cultivator's personal training need to be sufficient, but the environmental conditions also had to be just right.
When he had previously broken through to become a Great Yo-beast, he hadn't needed to worry about such factors. His nesting ground at the time was already a spiritual territory, so there had been no need to fret over spiritual energy.
But this time was different. A breakthrough to the Core Formation stage was not something a mere spiritual territory could sustain.
He needed a spiritual vein.