The Seeds of War
It was a request to be let inside, and a reply that made it clear he had no intention of doing so.
"I see. It seems there was a misunderstanding. By the way... to establish yourself in a place like this. You are quite bold."
"A place like this?"
Though their voices lacked overt hostility, sharp words were exchanged with casual ease. Je Rim-so attempted to probe Jekyeong, but Jekyeong parried the attempts with a silent, mocking sneer, showing nothing on his face.
"Is that all you have to say? Do you wish to know why I settled here, or perhaps if I obtained something from this place?"
"Of course, I am curious about that as well. However, since I doubt you would tell me even if I asked, I shall not bother."
"You've grown wiser. Since you're already being smart, why don't you get to the point?"
Jekyeong acted increasingly abrasive. His abrasiveness manifested as sheer arrogance, and Hahou Jang, who had met him once before, felt that the serpent's attitude had grown even more foul than before.
Was it because they had arrived as uninvited guests? That was certainly part of it, but not in the way Hahou Jang imagined. The real reason Jekyeong held his nose so high was that he had seen through their weakness.
He had summoned one, yet two had arrived. Did that not mean they were too anxious to come alone? Furthermore, the companion brought along was the Sect Master of the Geumyang Sect. Why the Sect Master of the Geumyang Sect, and not the Supreme Elder of the Myeongseomun Sect? Could it be that requesting the aid of another sect's master was easier than asking a senior of one's own sect?
As if.
Had they chosen not to call him, or were they simply unable to? Jekyeong leaned heavily toward the latter. Had he been ignorant, it would be one thing, but he had overheard rumors during the previous great battle that a Golden Core cultivator had fallen... and he had even confirmed the evidence with his own eyes upon arriving here.
Senior Sobyeok. I should thank him later.
At this moment, Jekyeong felt a strange sense of kinship with the senior cultivator whom he had never even spoken to.
"Very well. Let us get to the point."
Once the probing and psychological warfare concluded, Je Rim-so finally abandoned his roundabout questioning. "Are you aware of what happened to the Simjeon Demon King?"
"I heard he went missing after that great battle. Some say he is already dead."
"He was alive, but he is dead now."
Je Rim-so seemed entirely unconcerned with whether Jekyeong was lying. He proceeded to recount the story Jekyeong already knew, detailing it from beginning to end.
"...And so, the human cultivators are currently wandering and fighting over a Golden Core opportunity that may or may not even exist. In the process, many Foundation Establishment cultivators have lost their lives."
"Are you complaining to me? That is neither unusual nor particularly remarkable."
Cultivators chasing opportunities and slaughtering one another in the process was as natural in this world as the rising and setting of the sun. Playing the part of an arrogant, cold Flood Dragon, Jekyeong looked down at the solemn Je Rim-so with mocking eyes. As if expecting this reaction, Je Rim-so calmly continued.
"Indeed, such occurrences are endless. However, the problem is that the overall strength of the human race has been severely depleted because of this."
"Is that not a good thing?"
"Do you truly think so?"
Hahou Jang interjected. He stared straight into Jekyeong's eyes and repeated, "The only reason Yangseo Lake has remained peaceful until now is because a balance was maintained. We implicitly respected each other's boundaries—competing for profit, but never fighting to the death."
Wasn't the peace of Yangseo Lake actually due to the mediation—or rather, the covert rule—of the Gakchung Clan? Jekyeong wanted to ask, but held his tongue. He, too, had to respect the 'boundaries.' Showing a moderate amount of arrogance was fine, but provoking them too much would yield no good results.
"So? What is your point?"
"When one side weakens, the other inevitably grows stronger. In the case of Yangseo Lake, if the human race declines, it is only natural for the Yao race to rise."
Hahou Jang paused there, as if waiting to see if Jekyeong grasped his meaning. However, Jekyeong remained entirely expressionless, which clearly disappointed Hahou Jang slightly.
"To be blunt, we want the Yao race to take action."
"Hmm?"
At those words, Jekyeong was genuinely taken aback. They wanted the Yao to take action? Did that mean they wanted the Yao to attack the humans? Sensing Jekyeong's confusion, Hahou Jang nodded.
"You understand perfectly. Since the human Foundation Establishment forces have been greatly diminished, the Yao race could reap immense benefits if they seize this opportunity to invade the human territory. And... the humans will be shocked into alertness, learning a much-needed lesson."
Finally, Jekyeong understood. At the same time, his earlier suspicion solidified into absolute certainty. The Supreme Elders of the two Golden Core sects are either dead or on the verge of passing. Jekyeong believed the former was more likely, but in truth, it made little difference. The two Supreme Elders were highly advanced in age; even if they hadn't sustained severe injuries in the last great battle, it would not be surprising if their vital energy had completely withered away by now.
They want to use this opportunity to re-establish their authority.
For the past several centuries, the status of the two great Golden Core sects in the human territory had been unshakable. Because they possessed absolute power, everyone acknowledged and respected their position and prestige without them ever needing to raise their voices or take action. But now, they had lost that power. While they were still strong enough to play the role of the supreme sects in the human territory, they were undeniably far weaker than before. If a new Golden Core cultivator were to emerge at a time like this, their absolute authority might be challenged.
Jekyeong understood their motive. Ultimately, they wanted to manufacture a crisis, and then use that very crisis to solidify their own positions, did they not? It was a rather plausible scheme.
"Do you want me to take action?"
"It would be enough if you simply nudged the Great Yao to act. Of course, if you wish to take the field yourself, we have no intention of stopping you."
If this were a time when his demonic obsession was boiling over, Jekyeong would have leapt into the fray without a second thought. If he could cleanse his demonic thoughts while being compensated for it, there was no reason to refuse. However, his current mental state was stable, and there was no reason to needlessly spill blood himself.
"What about the Jansu Whale King?"
"Of course, we will seek his cooperation as well. We do not believe he will reject such a favorable proposal."
Of course he wouldn't. The Jansu Whale King was a Demon King who loved stability and peace above all else, so he would hardly refuse an opportunity to profit for free.
"I accept."
There was no reason to refuse, and in a situation where the Jansu Whale King was highly likely to participate, Jekyeong's refusal would have been meaningless anyway. In that case, it was better to actively show his greed.
"Excellent. We shall inform you of the timing at a later date."
Having achieved their objective, the two Golden Core cultivators departed immediately, as if unwilling to linger in this ominous place for even a moment longer. Jekyeong watched their retreating figures before turning back.
Jekyeong immediately had Hyeongu relay the news to Han Cheongyu and Ju-hyeong. Since the two Golden Core cultivators, the two great sects, and even the Demon King had agreed to cooperate, a great tribulation for the human territory was now inevitable. Yet, crisis and opportunity were two sides of the same coin. If they prepared for this crisis in advance and acted with wisdom and agility, they could reap immense benefits.
Jekyeong hoped his human subordinates would use this opportunity to establish a more solid foothold in the human territory. The same went for his Yao subordinates. They would be able to gather a bountiful harvest from this war.
"Is it a hunt?" Bigu asked.
"No. It is a harvest."
"A harvest?"
Bigu's chubby face scrunched up in confusion. He had a vague idea of what a harvest was. Wasn't it when the humans on the islands gathered those small, tasteless things? What did that have to do with this?
While Bigu struggled to make his slow mind work, Hyeongu was lost in thought. "My Lord. Does this mean we can only run wild until the two Golden Core sects intervene?"
"I expect they will show some consideration for my face... but yes, doing so would be safer."
Jekyeong was pleased when Hyeongu nodded in understanding. Indeed, it pays to have at least one smart fellow around. Thanks to Hyeongu, he didn't need to waste his breath on long explanations or supervise every detail of the aftermath.
Jekyeong bestowed a single drop of his blood upon Hyeongu and Bigu. As the blood seeped into their foreheads, it granted them a faint trace of dragon majesty. It had no other effect. It was merely a small measure of prestige to help them move more smoothly and to protect them.
"We are deeply grateful for your grace, My Lord..."
Unlike Hyeongu, who smoothly offered his gratitude the moment the bestowal ended, Bigu simply blinked, entirely failing to grasp the situation. No matter how much Hyeongu nudged him from the side, it was useless. Only when Hyeongu's flattery was nearly finished did Bigu finally bow his head awkwardly and mumble a brief, "Thank you."
"As you know, there is no need to overexert yourselves."
Jekyeong did not hold high expectations. The results of such an endeavor depended entirely on luck. Hyeongu was only in the early stage of the Great Yao realm, and though Bigu's physical strength surpassed that of most mid-stage Great Yao, that was the extent of it. In a battlefield where countless cultivators clashed, it would not be easy to achieve anything grand with this level of strength. Still, having bestowed his blood to grant them dragon majesty, they would at least avoid being hunted by their fellow Yao, but nothing beyond that could be guaranteed. If they wanted results, they would have to rely on Hyeongu's wits and luck.
"We shall not disappoint you," Hyeongu said, his eyes filled with determination.
When the dozens of islands adjacent to the Yao territory were first attacked, the humans assumed it was a Water Tide. Although the complete lack of warning signs was strange, watching the waves of Water Beasts surging forward left them with no other explanation.
However, as they looked at the countless carcasses of Water Beasts strewn outside their island-protecting arrays, and saw even more Water Beasts emerging behind them—with highly conspicuous Great Yao standing among them—they realized the truth. This was no mere Water Tide. It was a planned invasion.
"Are the Yao trying to start a war?!"
At the fierce shout of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, one of the Great Yao sneered, its breath smelling of blood.
"What if it is a war, and what if it isn't? Hasn't slaughtering one another always been our way of life?"
Without any warning, the war began. The border islands were swept away in an instant by the raging torrent of the Yao race. By the time the humans realized the gravity of the situation and began to react, the momentum-fueled Yao had already spread in all directions.
"Where is the Cultivator Alliance?!"
"Request reinforcements! Quickly!"
The Cultivator Alliance was thrown into utter chaos by the simultaneous flood of distress calls pouring in from every corner. Having recently depleted or dispersed their Foundation Establishment forces due to the matters surrounding the Simjeon Demon King and the Golden Core opportunity, they were completely caught off guard by the sudden outbreak of war.
"Request aid from all the sects and clans! Send messengers to the Geumyang Sect and the Myeongseomun Sect as well! No, wait—I shall go to those two places myself."
Since the great battle in the Starry Night Archipelago, the two great Golden Core sects had practically shut their gates and remained silent. It was clear they had suffered heavy losses in that battle, but the exact extent of the damage remained unknown. The Cultivator Alliance had avoided contacting them to prevent any provocation, but this was an emergency that left them with no other choice.
Envoys from the Cultivator Alliance rushed to the Geumyang Sect and the Myeongseomun Sect. However, they were unable to meet the Sect Masters of either sect.