An Audacious Demand
However, Sobyeok-ik-wang didn't seem to hear a word he said, looking only at Jekyeong as he spoke. "Young one. I shall bestow a golden opportunity upon you. What do you say?"
A golden opportunity? What kind of opportunity? They had never exchanged a single word before, yet he suddenly showed up and offered to bestow a great fortune?
Although the moment he had been waiting for had arrived, Jekyeong could not help but be bewildered by this 'Senior So-byeok's' approach, which was far beyond merely reckless.
Originally, he had planned to display the acting skills he had honed through real-world experience, but there was no need. The bewilderment he showed at this moment was entirely genuine.
"Senior, please understand my candor, but you and I have never even met before. For you to suddenly appear and offer to bestow a great fortune upon me out of nowhere is incredibly baffling."
"Indeed, Fellow Daoist So-byeok. If you wish to speak, you should make sense. Who wouldn't be bewildered when you throw things out like this, cutting out all context?"
"Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace."
Sobyeok-ik-wang once again demonstrated his style of speaking without any context. Yet, unlike before, it was possible to deduce his meaning this time. The name of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace was that famous, and anyone who knew Jekyeong's identity could easily make the connection.
"Do you know of it?"
"I have heard of it."
"Then that is enough. I shall secure you entry into the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. Do you want it?"
Of course he wanted it. In terms of strength and status alone, Sobyeok-ik-wang was the perfect sponsor. In truth, the first sponsor Jekyeong had thought of was Yu Gon. However, considering Yu Gon's characteristic indolence and apathy toward all worldly affairs, there was no way he would grant such a favor—and indeed, he hadn't. Consequently, Jekyeong had no choice but to target other seniors, and among them, Sobyeok-ik-wang was realistically one of the best options he could aim for. And now, the fish he had been waiting for had taken the bait.
"..."
"Why? Do you not want it?"
As Jekyeong hesitated, Sobyeok-ik-wang's tone grew fierce. At the same time, the pressure emanating from his spiritual body intensified.
"Fellow Daoist So-byeok, oppressing a junior is not the way of a senior."
By this point, Seongsu Jinin's attitude was no longer gentle. He unleashed the aura of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator to counter Sobyeok-ik-wang's pressure. At the same time, Jeolhon-jinin, who had been silent like a bystander, also revealed a sharp aura, like a well-forged sword.
"I have no business with you two, so stay out of this. I am asking this kid right now."
Even while facing off against two Golden Core cultivators, Sobyeok-ik-wang remained completely unperturbed. With a bit of exaggeration, it was as if the two Golden Core cultivators did not even exist to him. Aside from the situation at hand, Jekyeong internally admired his arrogance and sheer audacity. Indeed, one must be at least this formidable to shake an entire cultivation world single-handedly.
"Since you have asked, Senior, I shall answer. I do not wish to be bound by any group."
This was half-true. If there were no future consequences, Jekyeong had no desire to belong to any faction. Belonging to a group meant being bound by its rules. However, Jekyeong knew he had no choice in his current situation. Whether due to the pressure from the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace or the events he would face in the future, he had to enter it.
"It seems you still haven't grasped the situation. It must be because you don't know much about the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. If you knew how persistent those bastards are, and how strong their obsession with their own kind is, you wouldn't be saying such childish things."
Sobyeok-ik-wang sneered at Jekyeong. In his eyes, Jekyeong must have looked like an naive child who knew nothing of the world.
"Are you saying they would drag me in by force even if I do not wish it?"
"Drag you in? That's far too polite a word. A fellow like you, who has been rolling around in the outside world, will be worked like a beast of burden by them."
"That only makes my resolve firmer."
"Your resolve doesn't matter. If the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace wants you, you cannot escape. You won't even be able to hope for help, because no one you know will be able to protect you."
It was as he had expected, but hearing it still made him feel uneasy.
"So, Senior, did you come here just to mock me?"
"Oh? Of course not."
When Jekyeong pushed back with a touch of fierceness, Sobyeok-ik-wang reacted with amusement. Moreover, though it might have been his imagination, his incredibly overbearing attitude seemed to soften slightly.
"I told you, I came to bestow a great fortune upon you. Now that you have awakened your bloodline and become a Gyoryong, it is only a matter of time before you catch the eye of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. When that happens, you will be dragged away regardless of your will. But if I introduce you to them, the story changes."
"How does it change? Surely you don't mean they will revere me just because they are wary of you, Senior?"
"Hehehe, I don't know if they'll revere you, but at the very least, your situation will be far better than if you were dragged off alone. Even those bastards at the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace care about my name to some extent."
Through this brief exchange, Jekyeong gained some grasp of Sobyeok-ik-wang's character. This notoriously infamous Demon King senior seemed to prefer people showing their true colors rather than meekly submitting to his power and authority. Seeing how he wasn't particularly offended even when Jekyeong questioned him somewhat insolently, and instead explained things quite kindly, proved as much. Of course, it might have been because he needed to coax Jekyeong, but Jekyeong decided to take this opportunity to push a bit further.
"It seems that if you hand me over to the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace, you stand to gain something as well, Senior."
"Of course. Why else would I go out of my way to find you?"
Sobyeok-ik-wang was shameless. Even as he openly admitted to selling Jekyeong out, he still insisted that it was a "great fortune" for Jekyeong.
"I won't ask what you stand to gain, Senior. But what do I get? A better situation? Is that all?"
"Yes. Is that not enough?"
"It is far from enough."
A searching gaze filled with intense interest swept over Jekyeong. Though it was only a spiritual body, making it doubtful what could actually be observed, Jekyeong felt as if his very soul were being pierced through by that gaze.
"Amusing. I cannot tell if you are exceptionally stubborn or just highly cunning."
"Even if you praise me, my stance remains the same. Rather than being reduced to a beast of burden without gaining anything, I would rather resist with my life. The world is vast, and I do not believe the eyes of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace can sweep over every corner of it."
"Heheh..."
Sobyeok-ik-wang fell silent for a moment. The pressure that had been crushing the surroundings had long since dissipated. Accordingly, Seongsu Jinin and Jeolhon-jinin also withdrew their auras and watched the conversation between the two with keen interest.
"Fine. What do you want?"
After a brief silence, Sobyeok-ik-wang finally compromised. Whether Jekyeong's stubbornness was an act or not, the fact that he dared to stand his ground in front of him showed a certain strength of will. He highly appreciated this. This fellow was definitely different from the run-of-the-mill trash scattered everywhere.
"Only once. You understand what that means, right?"
Though his tone was playful, Jekyeong understood it as a cold warning. State your price, but do not cross the line. This was a concession, but only a single step back. To anyone else, they might wonder how this was a concession at all, but Sobyeok-ik-wang was different. He likely considered this a massive compromise.
Only once, is it? Jekyeong composed his mind and chose his words carefully.
"You visited Yangseo Lake some time ago, did you not?"
"Hmm? You..."
"I wish to know what happened back then. For instance, who died and who survived, and what became of the Insect Mother and the Insect King."
Sobyeok-ik-wang fell silent once more, then burst into a hearty laugh.
"Haha, hahahaha! You certainly have guts. Are you so sure I won't lay a hand on you?"
"If you were to lay a hand on me, Senior, I would have to blame my own poor judgment."
"Is that all?"
"Of course, after that, I would blame you."
Laughter erupted once more. It was louder and more violent than before.
"Good. Good. I'll admit it. You really are an amusing fellow. What did you ask? Who died and who survived back then?"
"Yes."
"Fine. I'll tell you. It's no big deal anyway."
"Two mid-stage Golden Core human bastards died, and one early-stage was heavily injured. On the Gakchung Clan's side, the Insect King died, and though the Insect Mother survived, she was also severely wounded, so she won't be recovering anytime soon. Her cultivation realm might have even dropped. As for those Heumwon Clan bastards... we missed one."
Although he had guessed to some extent, the truth he faced was beyond his imagination. Furthermore, judging by how the Winged King spoke with regret about missing one of the Heumwon Clan's Demon Kings at the end, it seemed the battle back then had not ended with his retreat. It was either mutual destruction, or rather, it had concluded with him holding the upper hand.
Jekyeong had also once held the upper hand against multiple human Foundation Establishment cultivators back when he was a Great Yao, but his past self could not be compared to Sobyeok-ik-wang. There was a reason Golden Core cultivators said that everything below the Golden Core stage was mere insects. The difference before and after Core Formation was literally night and day. Once one reached the Core Formation stage, let alone facing multiple opponents, it was difficult to kill even a single opponent of the same realm unless there was a significant disparity in strength.
Yet, he had not only triumphed against multiple opponents, including the Insect Mother who was of the same realm, but had also slaughtered several of them on the spot. It was safe to assume his cultivation had already surpassed the ordinary late Core Formation stage. Perhaps he was already looking toward the Nascent Soul stage.
"Are you satisfied?"
"Yes."
"Then you won't complain further?"
"I do not go back on my word."
"You had better not."
Sobyeok-ik-wang merely told him to wait regarding what would follow, offering no further explanation. After he vanished in an instant without so much as a parting word, Seongsu Jinin, who had been silent for some time, spoke with a smile.
"A big fish has been caught. Has it not?"
"How could I dare..."
"There is no need to be humble or walk on eggshells. Fellow Daoist So-byeok must have guessed it anyway."
"..."
Once one reached the Core Formation stage, none of them were fools. He might not have noticed at first, but later on, he would have vaguely guessed their intentions.
"Thank you for your assistance, Seniors."
Seongsu Jinin and Jeolhon-jinin stepping in to take his side was also nothing more than a hastily staged play. They had set the stage so that both sides could negotiate stably while maintaining boundaries. It was a voluntary favor, but a debt that had to be repaid.
"The Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. I should have given you a heads-up beforehand."
"I had only heard vague rumors. I did not know they were so eager to recruit their own kind."
As a sword cultivator, Jeolhon-jinin had relatively narrow horizons, but Seongsu Jinin was different. Though he was of the human race, he had significant interactions with Yokai cultivators, so he naturally knew about the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. The reason he hadn't given a heads-up beforehand could simply be that he had forgotten, as he claimed, or perhaps...
Forget it. Speculating about this now is pointless.
Still, things had turned out quite well. He would be able to enter the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace with Sobyeok-ik-wang's backing, and above all, establishing a connection of sorts with Sobyeok-ik-wang was the greatest harvest. Of course, such a shallow relationship might not mean much, but it was still better than nothing.
Jekyeong had misunderstood the meaning of "waiting." Because he took "waiting" by the standards of Core Formation cultivators, he expected to wait at least a few months, or even a few years. This was generally the case for most Core Formation cultivators. Furthermore, since he and Sobyeok-ik-wang were Demon Kings with long lifespans even among Core Formation cultivators, their perception of time was bound to be far more relaxed compared to others.
But Sobyeok-ik-wang was indeed different. Just one month later, right after the Mansi Assembly concluded, he appeared before Jekyeong.
"Senior So-byeok."
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."
"Not at all. You have arrived much sooner than I anticipated."