The Awakening of the Flood Dragon
Bigu scratched the back of his head with his front leg, wearing an innocent smile. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought him simple-minded, but Muk-su knew the true nature hidden behind that naive facade all too well.
With a soft whoosh, a brilliant spiritual fruit flew through the air in a neat arc. As if he had been waiting for this exact moment, Bigu's eyes gleamed as he snapped his mouth wide open, catching the fruit perfectly.
"If you used those quick wits of yours on a daily basis, your father wouldn't have to worry himself to death."
"Mmm. But it's hard," Bigu said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. This time, he was being entirely sincere. His brain only worked at lightning speed when food was involved; otherwise, it was always in a haze. Use my brain on a daily basis? That's asking too much. He couldn't find the motivation for it.
"Let's go."
"Yes." Bigu scooped up some soil from the island with his front legs and piled it onto his back. It was his own way of showing flattery—both for the spiritual fruit he had just received and for the ones he hoped to get in the future.
"Hmm." Muk-su used his roots as legs to climb onto Bigu's back. He buried his roots into the freshly piled soil and basked in the warm sunlight. "Let's take our time. We have plenty of it."
"Yeees." Bigu paddled his legs slowly, moving forward. The instruction his father had left—to hurry—had long since slipped his mind.
Jekyeong liked being underwater. It wasn't because it made hiding easy. That might have been true in the past, but now that he had formed his core and become a Demon King, he no longer needed to hide. He liked the water because its cool embrace seemed to soothe his constantly boiling blood, if only a little. Even if it was just an illusion, it was enough if it brought him peace of mind.
With a thunderous rumble, his massive body surged rapidly toward the surface. Even before this, he had been called the Dragon Lord, but in truth, those who used the title probably didn't consider him a true flood dragon. After all, he lacked limbs. That was a glaring physical difference that set him apart from a genuine Gyoryong. If not for the horn on his head—the very symbol of a dragon—not even the most shameless flatterers would have dared to call him the Dragon Lord.
But now, things were different. At least in terms of appearance, he was unmistakably a Gyoryong.
Crash! As the massive flood dragon breached the surface, a violent wave erupted. The towering wave, rising so high it seemed to touch the sky, began to roll slowly toward the Human Territory.
"ROOOAAAR!"
A ferocious dragon's roar struck the Human Territory even before the wave did. The murderous roar, carried by a gale-force wind, shook the very souls of the Qi Condensation cultivators. Those with low cultivation or weak hearts immediately clutched their chests and collapsed.
"W-what is that?! What's happening?!"
"Look over there!" one of the cultivators on the docks shouted. Those who had finally snapped out of their daze followed his gaze. And then...
"Oh my god..."
The first thing they saw was a wave so colossal it defied belief. A monstrous wall of water capable of swallowing Seongjae Island whole. And then, riding atop that wave, they saw something else.
"A... a dragon?" Someone muttered blankly, and those words struck everyone who heard them like a bolt of lightning.
"Ugh, ahhh!"
Whether the distant, small figure was a real dragon or not didn't matter. What mattered was that this extraordinary entity was clearly the source of that terrifying roar and the culprit behind the monstrous wave. The moment that realization struck, they abandoned the Water Beast corpses they had been butchering and began to flee for their lives.
Crash! A moment later, the wave swallowed the piles of Water Beast carcasses on the docks.
They say that when a single whale dies, it sustains countless lives. From the largest chunks of flesh down to microscopic particles, everything becomes nourishment for creatures big and small. Seongjae Island was no different. When the Island Protecting Grand Array shattered, the island collapsed, and the humans on it sank into the depths, countless water beasts cheered in joy.
"Raaah!"
Having held their breath until the black-eyed Black Flood Dragon stopped its rampage and soared high into the sky, the water beasts rushed toward the ruins of Seongjae Island the moment the dragon vanished and its aura dispersed. Hundreds of thousands of water beasts, if not more, joined the grand feast. At the very front were a few Great Yao who had arrived early to claim their spots.
Muk-su, Hyeongu, and Bigu were among those leading the pack. Their cultivation was only at the early stage of the Great Yao realm, which was somewhat lacking to display absolute confidence among the other Great Yao gathered here. However, they were united as a trio, and Bigu's colossal size was intimidating even to other Great Yao. Above all, a dense Dragon's Might emanated from them.
Dragon's Might was like a unique scent inherent to the dragon race—a form of pure pressure. This pressure exerted a powerful suppressing effect on demon beasts with low cultivation and inferior bloodlines. Furthermore, a few clever or sharp-witted Great Yao immediately realized that the Dragon's Might radiating from the trio was identical to that of the Black Flood Dragon who had just departed.
"Back off!" Hyeongu barked, stepping forward. Though he was a seemingly ordinary turtle demon, the Dragon's Might rolling off him made the surrounding Great Yao tremble with fear. The Great Yao, who had been whipped into a frenzy by the scent of blood, meekly stepped aside. Hyeongu held his head high as if it were only natural and strolled forward.
"Father, let's hurry up."
"Stop being so restless!"
The two turtles and a single tree made their way toward the blood-stained ruins of the island.
Meanwhile, high in the sky, Jekyeong, who had just regained his senses, focused on purging the murderous intent that clung to his soul and body like filth. Thanks to his previous experience, he didn't panic this time and managed to calm his mind with practiced ease.
Those rascals.
Thanks to his composure, Jekyeong had the leisure to observe the demon beasts swarming the ruins of Seongjae Island. He let out a soft chuckle as he watched the three Great Yao leading the charge. Hyeongu, who always acted like a wise butler by his side, had transformed into a bad-tempered thug. Meanwhile, Muk-su, who usually acted aloof as if the affairs of the world were beneath him, was now ordering the two turtles around like servants to fill his belly. It was a novel source of amusement for Jekyeong.
"Caw! Are you back to your senses?"
Cheongo approached him as he was purging the murderous intent. The moment the bird saw that Jekyeong's eyes had returned to normal, it transformed into a chubby child and pulled out the Summer-Chasing Fan. Feeling the cool breeze, Jekyeong felt the last lingering traces of his Demonic Obsession completely fade away.
"This is enough. Aren't you interested in that over there?"
"Not really. I'll eat something proper later."
Since mastering the Transformation Art, Cheongo had frequently slipped away to play in the human settlements within the Heukgyo Water Territory. After Jekyeong used the bird as a messenger to contact Choi Ju-tang a few times, Cheongo had even started venturing into the Human Territory completely on its own. Of course, those visits were limited to places with weak defenses—meaning areas without any Demon-Revealing Mirrors or high-level cultivators.
That much was fine. The problem was that after visiting the Human Territory without fear, the bird had developed a taste for gourmet food. In the past, Cheongo would happily devour raw, dripping meat, but now, it wouldn't even look at food that wasn't properly cooked. Because of this, Jekyeong had to find a few skilled cooks among the humans in his territory and station them on Heukgyodo. Even then, though Cheongo seemed satisfied at first, it didn't take long for the bird to start complaining. It would whine about a lack of seasoning or complain that the food lacked a refreshing aftertaste... At this rate, Jekyeong would soon have to kidnap a professional medicinal chef from the Human Territory.
"Suit yourself."
Jekyeong looked down at the water beasts swarming below. Whether they were clever or ignorant, strong or weak, they were all frantically gorging themselves on this rare feast.
"Hmm?"
While basking in Cheongo's fanning and cleansing his murderous intent, Jekyeong's eyes suddenly narrowed. He sensed a powerful presence approaching from afar. The newcomer was moving slowly, almost as if deliberately making their approach known.
"Step back."
"Huh? Okay."
Cheongo didn't understand Jekyeong's intention, but the bird retreated quickly without arguing.
Core Formation. A human Golden Core?
Jekyeong slowly moved forward to meet the approaching figure. Since he didn't sense any hostility, there was no need to provoke them unnecessarily.
A fellow Daoist I have not met before, Jekyeong thought.
Just moments ago, he had felt the other party's Dharma Power fluctuate violently. It was a clear sign of losing control over one's energy. For a proud Golden Core cultivator to show such an unthinkable lapse in composure, it was obvious how deeply shaken he was. Jekyeong, of course, knew exactly why the man was so startled. Was it not because of his extraordinary appearance? He had heard that the reputation of a Gyoryong was even more legendary among high-level cultivators, and now he saw the proof. Even a Golden Core cultivator from a small cultivation region like Yangseo Lake reacted this way.
"Of course it is our first meeting. Do you have business with me?"
"Of course I have business with you. Especially after you have caused such a massive incident."
"A massive incident?" Jekyeong frowned as if he had no idea what the man was talking about. After pretending to ponder for a moment, his expression relaxed as he looked down. "Are you referring to that?"
"Indeed."
"I do not understand. Why should that be a problem?"
"Fellow Daoist."
The man took a deep breath. He seemed to be either suppressing his rising anger or organizing his thoughts. "I am Hahou Jang of the Geumyang Sect. And you are?"
"Jekyeong."
"Fellow Daoist Jekyeong. Are you perhaps..."
Hahou Jang trailed off. He had originally intended to ask if the other party was new to Yangseo Lake, but as the name left his lips, "Jekyeong" struck a chord of familiarity. Jekyeong. Jekyeong. Surely there was a demon beast with that name?
"You..."
Yes, there definitely was. A Great Yao said to possess the bloodline of a flood dragon.