Whispers in the Garden
The Jansu Whale King was suited neither to be a Yao cultivator nor the leader of a faction. Despite possessing such immense power, he never wielded it properly, and rather than leading conflicts, he was constantly swept up in them. Though Jekyeong didn't know for sure, the Great Yao of the Whale King Palace probably sighed in secret even as they held their king in awe.
"I understand."
"As for the Ghost Spider..."
"Do not interfere with him. Furthermore, begin spreading word, little by little, that I have established myself in the Seongya Archipelago."
"Understood."
Previously, Jekyeong had lent his name because Myeong-ha wanted to avoid trouble and lacked the strength to protect himself. But now, the situation had changed, and there was no longer any need to do so. Moreover, seeing how Myeong-ha was stirring up such a massive storm right from the start, it seemed wise to establish a clear distance from him as early as possible.
Actually, this might work out for the best. If he draws everyone's attention by causing a ruckus, I can remain quiet in the shadows.
Of course, this was merely wishful thinking. It was highly unlikely that Myeong-ha would so selflessly act for another's benefit. If nothing else, the Heukgyo Water Territory where Myeong-ha had established his base was originally Jekyeong's. If Myeong-ha rose up there, Jekyeong would inevitably face suspicion as well.
Yet, suspicion was merely suspicion. He was now a proud Demon King and a Gyoryong; even if someone harbored doubts or resentment toward him, they would not dare act rashly.
That may be true for now, but there is no guarantee it will remain so in the future.
If he could simply seclude himself in the Seongya Archipelago for a few centuries, all his problems would be solved. Unfortunately, that was not an option. Although he constantly suppressed it through meditation and partially alleviated it using Cheongo's hypnotic divine ability, the demonic obsession was still slowly eroding his mind.
If the erosion continued at this rate, he would have to unleash another slaughter within a hundred and twenty years at the latest. When that time came, he would draw the undivided attention of not only the human race but also the prominent figures of Yangseo Lake.
A hundred and twenty years. It was a span of time that could be considered either long or short, but it was more than enough for Yangseo Lake to recover from the devastation of war. Humans, in particular, had short lifespans, but they grew at an incredibly rapid pace.
Jekyeong was not arrogant. The reason Hahou Jang had yielded to him previously was partly due to Jekyeong's own formidable strength, but it was largely because the circumstances surrounding Hahou Jang, the Geumyang Sect, and the human race as a whole were dire. Their mid-stage Golden Core Grand Elder was either missing or unable to fight, forcing them to make concessions.
But what about a century, or a hundred and twenty years from now? What if Hahou Jang's own cultivation rose, and new Golden Core cultivators emerged within the two major Golden Core sects, restoring their former strength? Would they still back down as meekly as before?
And what of the Gakchung Clan? How would this mighty race, which viewed itself as the shadow rulers and guardians of Yangseo Lake, react to a bloodthirsty Gyoryong appearing in their waters?
Rationally, Jekyeong believed there wouldn't be any immediate issues, but he refused to leave his safety in the hands of others. He would not idle away the next hundred and twenty years either; even if the humans regained their strength, he would have no reason to fear them.
But the Gakchung Clan was a different story. They possessed the Insect Mother, who could stand on equal footing with the Sobyeok Winged King, and the Insect King, who, though slightly weaker, was still a formidable powerhouse that could not be ignored. Unless they had all perished in the recent great war, if even one of them survived... Jekyeong would not dare to oppose them.
I might need to hurry a bit more.
Lately, outside of his cultivation, Jekyeong had been searching for a way to contact the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace through the seniors of Bulmangwon. His priority lay with the Yao seniors, but there were far too few of them in Bulmangwon, and those with whom he could communicate normally were fewer still.
To borrow the phrasing of the human seniors, most of the Yao seniors were as fickle as boiling water, and each possessed at least one glaring flaw in their personality, making it incredibly difficult to build a rapport. Someone like Yu Gon was practically a natural monument, a rare exception; most Yao cultivators were nearly as difficult to deal with as the Sobyeok Winged King.
Jekyeong took into account that these evaluations came from a human perspective, but he could not help but feel his confidence gradually waver.
No, there is no need to overcomplicate things. A Yao cultivator is still a cultivator. Their way of thinking cannot be that different from their human counterparts.
What did a cultivator desire? Naturally, resources and opportunities to reach higher realms—in other words, benefits. Whether they were noble humans or fickle Yao, as long as there were sufficient benefits to offer, there was no reason they could not associate.
The problem, however, was that he currently possessed no "benefits" that would entice senior Yao cultivators. He could hardly tempt them with empty promises, could he?
...Wait. It doesn't necessarily have to be me who provides those benefits.
As Jekyeong pondered deeply, a sudden realization struck him.
My joining the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace is my own desire, but it is also the desire of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace itself.
Why had he decided to seek out the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace in the first place? It was because he knew that once he caught their attention, he would be dragged away like a beast on a leash. Rather than being hauled off so ignominiously, he had resolved to walk in on his own two feet.
In other words, the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace's desire for him was greater than his desire for them. If so, was it not only fair that the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace pay the price?
Having organized his thoughts, Jekyeong changed his strategy from that day forward. He asked the Core Formation cultivators he was acquainted with to promote his name. The reason he asked Core Formation cultivators—who were equivalent to Golden Core—was because he had even extended this request to Yu Gon.
"What kind of scheme are you cooking up now?"
Yu Gon snorted the moment he heard Jekyeong's request. At a glance, it seemed like a negative reaction, but Jekyeong, who had interacted with Yu Gon for a long time, immediately recognized that the ancient Demon King was intrigued.
"To tell you the truth..."
Jekyeong laid everything bare without hiding a single detail. He knew that with someone like Yu Gon, approaching with sincerity was far more effective than trying to play petty tricks.
"You certainly have a quick wit for schemes!"
After hearing all of Jekyeong's struggles and plans, Yu Gon praised him with words that hovered somewhere between admiration and mockery, then readily granted his request without further complaint.
The human Golden Core cultivators were no different. They were more than willing to place a promising Gyoryong junior in their debt over such a simple matter.
Thus, from that day on, rumors of an "extraordinary Black Flood Dragon" began to spread quietly through Bulmangwon. Before long, those rumors reached the ears of several Yao cultivators who frequented the spiritual realm.
"Hmm? A Black Flood Dragon? A Gyoryong?"
The Sobyeok Winged King, who was spending time in Bulmangwon to cool his raging temper, was one of them. He felt a surge of intense curiosity upon hearing of a junior who had risen from a mere spiritual beast to the Yao King Realm in less than five hundred years, awakening a dragon bloodline to become a Gyoryong.
"Impressive."
No matter how grand a bloodline one inherited, it was no easy feat for a rogue cultivator with no backing to ascend to the Yao King Realm. Having witnessed and personally experienced countless storms in Muryangae, he knew that difficulty all too well.
Though rumors were bound to be exaggerated, if even half of them were true, this Black Flood Dragon undoubtedly possessed an extraordinary aura.
A Gyoryong. Those bastards from the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace will be salivating again.
Just thinking about the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace made irritation flare up within him once more. How many times had he been forced to swallow his anger because of those merchant-like bastards who peddled their name like a protective talisman to maintain their prestige?
No, wait.
As he vented his internal frustration regarding the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace, a sudden, novel inspiration struck him.
If that Black Flood Dragon is truly such fine material...
...could he not serve as an excellent gift to those bastards at the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace? And if it was such a splendid gift, surely there would be no issue in demanding a few minor favors in return...
Was that not a rather brilliant idea? Of course, for this plan to bear fruit, the Black Flood Dragon would have to prove himself to be truly exceptional.
I will know once I see for myself.
What was his name again? Jekyeong?
Bulmangwon.
Jekyeong attended Seongsu Jinin's gathering. Only three people, including himself, were present this time. Both Yu Jeonggyeom and Hyeolsu-jinin were absent.
Instead, a newcomer whom Jekyeong had never met before was in attendance: Jeolhon-jinin. As his name suggested, he was a sword cultivator—a sword cultivator who had achieved Core Formation.
Although his cultivation realm was only at the mid-stage Golden Core, his combat prowess as a sword cultivator far surpassed others of the same realm. It was to the extent that even Seongsu Jinin, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, showed him deep respect. This was not Jekyeong's own speculation, but rather what Seongsu Jinin himself had said while introducing Jeolhon-jinin, making it highly credible.
"Fellow Daoist Museon is busy with sect affairs, and it seems Fellow Daoist Hyeolsu has some personal matters to attend to."
Yu Jeonggyeom was a sect cultivator, and an elder of one of the greatest sects in the cultivation world at that. He frequently missed gatherings due to sect business, so his absence was nothing unusual.
On the other hand, it was rare for Hyeolsu-jinin to miss a meeting due to personal matters. She was a rogue cultivator, but a Core Formation rogue cultivator was a rare breed. The notion that a rogue cultivator's life was difficult only applied to those crawling at the very bottom of the cultivation world; once one reached the Core Formation Realm, they could hardly be considered a rogue cultivator in the ordinary sense.
They could reign like kings over a region or wander leisurely wherever the wind took them. Though they might lack the resources of Core Formation cultivators from major sects and clans, they still lived lives revered by tens of thousands.
Because of this, Hyeolsu-jinin was always carefree and unconstrained, and her attendance rate at these gatherings was even higher than that of the host, Seongsu Jinin. Yet, she had personal matters to attend to.
Did she cause some kind of trouble?
To put it politely, Hyeolsu-jinin was free-spirited; to put it bluntly, her temperament was wilder than that of a Yao, making it unsurprising if she picked a fight with anyone at any moment. It was only because she was an experienced rogue cultivator with an excellent eye for choosing her battles that she rarely became entangled in truly troublesome affairs.
However, surviving in the harsh cultivation world with such a personality—and as a heretic cultivator, no less—was akin to walking a tightrope where a single misstep could lead to a fatal fall.
"Regarding the Sacred Mind Iron I mentioned previously..."
"I have still heard nothing of it."
"Nor have I."
Jeolhon-jinin fell silent once more. He had previously asked the members of the gathering to search for an ore called Sacred Mind Iron, but more than ten years had passed without a single lead.
It was one thing for Jekyeong, who was confined to the small pond of Yangseo Lake, but seeing that the other widely traveled seniors had no news either, it must have been an exceptionally rare material.
"It seems... Hmm?"
Seongsu Jinin was the first to react, followed by Jeolhon-jinin, and finally Jekyeong. They sensed an intense presence approaching from afar.
While Seongsu Jinin and Jeolhon-jinin had enough time to react calmly, by the time Jekyeong noticed, the newcomer had already practically arrived.
"Seongsu. It has been a while."
"Fellow Daoist Sobyeok."
All three recognized the sudden interloper. Seongsu Jinin casually exchanged greetings, and while Jeolhon-jinin did not acknowledge him, his calm demeanor made it clear they were already acquainted.
As for Jekyeong... there was no need to even mention it. Though they had vanished by now, he had gazed upon the majestic illusions of this senior Yao King in the Seongya Archipelago until he was sick of them. Thus, even though this was merely a spiritual body, the figure felt remarkably familiar.
Of course, familiarity did not mean he was immune to the pressure. The overwhelming presence of a late-stage Yao King—one who seemed infinitely close to the Nascent Soul Realm—was fully manifested even through his spiritual body.
"What brings you here?"
"What do you mean, 'what brings me here'? I came because I have business."
Following the blunt reply, Jekyeong felt a piercing gaze lock onto him.
It was no illusion. The Sobyeok Winged King was staring at him. And quite blatantly, at that.
"Are you Jekyeong?"
"I greet Senior Sobyeok Winged King. Yes, I am Jekyeong."
The Sobyeok Winged King paused. A strange emotion flickered in his eyes.
"You... are a rather peculiar fellow."
Seongsu Jinin stepped in on behalf of the silent Jekyeong. His gentle demeanor remained entirely unruffled despite the other's rudeness.
"Fellow Daoist Sobyeok, shouldn't you offer an explanation to our young junior? Otherwise, others might misunderstand."
"Misunderstand? That would just be the delusion of fools. Why should I care about such things?"
"Indeed. Which is precisely why you must explain."
Seongsu Jinin's tone remained soft, yet it carried an unmistakable edge of steel.