Congratulations on Your Great Achievement, Dragon Lord!
"Congratulations on your great achievement, Dragon Lord!" Jekyeong did not look back at Hyeongu. He immediately soared high into the sky to face his first tribulation.
In truth, because tribulations were governed by heaven and earth, the tribulations of the Nine Tribulations Ascending Heaven Art were not actual tribulations in the strictest sense. They were a form of trial. It was like forging iron—throwing oneself into a fiery pit to be hammered and tempered. However, the tribulations of the Nine Tribulations Ascending Heaven Art differed from mere tempering in that they were far more dangerous, and once initiated, there was no turning back.
Boom! Crash! Jekyeong soared endlessly upward. As he pierced through the clouds into the dark sky, his body grew heavy, and his breath turned shallow. Yet, he endured even this, keeping his gaze fixed upward, until a sudden bolt of lightning struck his body. It was as if heaven itself were warning him to ascend no further.
"Graaaah!" Jekyeong ground to a halt amidst the torrential downpour of lightning. Instead of retreating, he wrapped himself in a shroud of flames like armor, holding his ground with unyielding resolve.
This standoff—if it could even be called that—did not last long. Jekyeong focused entirely on taming the wild, raging fire within him, which boiled violently in response to the external shocks.
"Whew." Having endured thousands, tens of thousands of impacts, he finally stopped forcing his ascent, and his body naturally began to fall. Still enveloped in unextinguished flames, he plummeted toward the Seongya Archipelago like a falling meteor.
Crash! The Island Protecting Grand Array caught him, absorbing some of the impact, but that was all. Since none of the formations established in the Seongya Archipelago recognized him as an intruder, Jekyeong passed straight through the barrier and crashed onto a nameless, barren island.
Kabaam! The island, unable to withstand the impact of the massive Black Flood Dragon's body, shattered into dozens of pieces and burst into flames. The shockwave reverberated across the entire Seongya Archipelago, sending countless aquatic creatures into a state of sheer panic.
Yet, Jekyeong, the very source of this chaos, was perfectly fine. His hazy consciousness gradually cleared, and his aching, stiff body recovered at a rapid pace. This was due not only to his robust physical form but also to the Origin Earth Fire that enveloped his entire body like armor.
His Origin Earth Fire, born from the Sacred Fire of the fire spirit Hwaryeong, naturally possessed minor regenerative properties. As Jekyeong continued his visualizations and deepened his understanding of the Dao of Fire, those properties had grown significantly stronger. Thanks to this, simply surrounding himself with the Origin Earth Fire now granted him a healing effect comparable to most high-grade demon recovery pills.
Thud. After resting quietly in the center of the shattered island to recover, Jekyeong slowly raised himself. But the moment his front claws pressed against the ground, the already unstable island sank completely beneath the waves.
Having successfully overcome his first tribulation, Jekyeong savored the sensation of shedding his old skin. The feeling of his cultivation level—which had been stagnant for so long due to various reasons—skyrocketing was truly ecstatic.
'Nine tribulations. To advance to the mid-stage of the Yao King Realm... I only need one more.' Initially, he had assumed that the nine tribulations corresponded directly to the early, middle, and late stages of the Yao King Realm. However, now that he had passed the first trial, he realized that was not the case. Two tribulations seemed sufficient to surpass the early stage, though the middle and late stages remained difficult to gauge for now.
"Why does your cultivation have to be so incredibly loud?!" Cheongo complained, and Muk-su's reaction was also quite heated. Hyeongu said nothing, but his face was a mask of shock and terror.
Jekyeong explained to them that it was a new cultivation method he was trying for the first time, but he could not promise that it would never happen again. To practice the Nine Tribulations Ascending Heaven Art, he needed tribulations, and the easiest one to summon was the Cheonroe. Ascending to the highest reaches of the sky, to the very boundary of the world, and drawing the warning of the Heavenly Dao was the fastest and most reliable method. The only issue was that its power was so absolute that recovering afterward was incredibly difficult. Then again, if one could easily shrug it off, it could hardly be called a tribulation.
'Since I am left temporarily defenseless after passing a tribulation... I have no choice but to do it here.' As for the commotion it caused... unfortunately, it was a necessary sacrifice.
"Dragon Lord. The Thousand-Faced Ghost King has triggered another Ghost Disaster." While Jekyeong was finishing his recovery, Hyeongu reported on the recent developments in Yangseo Lake.
"A Ghost Disaster. It seems he has no intention of keeping a low profile."
"Indeed. At first, he made some pretense of restraint... but now he is running completely wild without any hesitation. He is targeting both the Human Race and the Beast Race indiscriminately, drawing resentment from both sides."
"Actually, that is a calculated move."
"Pardon?"
"Is it not better to draw resentment from both sides than to draw it from only one?"
Striking both sides invites resentment, but striking only one invites vigilance and hostility. From that perspective, Myeong-ha was actually maintaining a delicate balance in his own way. Of course, such a balance could only be sustained with sufficient strength. If he had done this under his alias as the Ghost Spider, he would have been hunted down and destroyed within a month. But the Thousand-Faced Ghost King was a different story.
'Still... he is making far too much noise.' Jekyeong grew wary. If Myeong-ha had simply grown arrogant after achieving Core Formation, that would be one thing. But if he had truly degenerated into a servant of the Malevolent God... Jekyeong would have to distance himself from the Thousand-Faced Ghost King completely. Or, alternatively... eliminate him entirely.
"..." Sensing the heavy shift in Jekyeong's mood, Hyeongu wisely held his tongue.
"So, how have the Human Race and the Beast Race reacted?"
"Ah, yes. The Beast Race remains quiet. Some displaced beasts have sought refuge at Gyeongwang Palace, but most have simply migrated far away from the Ghost Region. As for the Human Race... they claim they will subjugate the Ghost Region, but they have achieved no real results. According to Han Cheongyu and Ju-hyeong, word has been sent to the Cultivator Alliance, but there has been no notable response since."
"The Cultivator Alliance." Jekyeong was well aware of them. 'Will they actually intervene?' He was skeptical. If the Cultivator Alliance intended to act, they would have done so already. Furthermore, the Human Race of Yangseo Lake had merely suffered a temporary decline; they had not been completely wiped out. 'A mere disturbance caused by a Core Formation ghost cultivator won't even catch the Cultivator Alliance's eye.'
According to what he had heard from his seniors in Bul-mang-won, the Cultivator Alliance was neither diligent nor particularly free. Jekyeong believed that even if the Human Territory of Yangseo Lake were to collapse entirely, the chances of the Cultivator Alliance intervening were slim. Was that not exactly what happened in Jimagwon? Even when the Demonic Disaster erupted and forced all the humans of Jimagwon to migrate, the Cultivator Alliance had done nothing.
Of course, Yangseo Lake was not Jimagwon, and Jekyeong did not know the exact reason behind the Cultivator Alliance's silence regarding Jimagwon at the time. However, combining the various rumors from his Bul-mang-won seniors with what he had witnessed firsthand, Jekyeong had formed his own assessment of the Cultivator Alliance. 'The Cultivator Alliance does not care about the affairs of such minor cultivation worlds.' Myeong-ha likely shared this view. That was undoubtedly why he was acting so boldly.
'He really is incredibly reckless.' Was he not afraid of his true identity being exposed? What if someone were to reveal that he was a servant of the Malevolent God?
A small boat, barely large enough to hold ten people, glided silently through the thick fog.
"Are you absolutely sure we'll be fine?" "Are you really asking that now?" At the pale-faced youth's anxious question, the young man rowing beside him clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Keep rowing! If you're that scared, go chant the Heart-Purifying Mantra or something!" The pale youth immediately began to mutter under his breath as suggested. Even so, he did not stop rowing, keeping pace with his companion's warning.
"There it is. Can you all see it?" The youths rowing with all their might strained their eyes, catching a faint silhouette of an island looming through the dense fog.
"That's Bangryu Island. It used to have two sects and a market. If luck is on our side, we won't have to worry about resources for our cultivation until we reach the late Qi Condensation stage." The youth actually wanted to say the Foundation Establishment stage, but decided against raising their expectations too high and swallowed his words.
In any case, what he said was true. According to the water map he had purchased, that place was indeed Bangryu Island, where two Foundation Establishment-grade sects had once resided. Even though they were minor sects with only a single sect master at the early Foundation Establishment stage, Foundation Establishment was still Foundation Establishment. Since this was his first time handling such a major haul, the youth's heart was filled with anticipation.
"Everyone, stay sharp. Get your Heart-Purifying Lanterns ready." Upon reaching the island, they stepped off the boat with extreme caution. Each of them held a small lantern called a Heart-Purifying Lantern, a spiritual tool designed to prevent ghost energy from invading their minds.
"Ugh!" "Get a grip, you idiot!" As they walked cautiously, one of the youths stumbled back as if about to faint upon spotting something. The youth walking beside him snapped irritably, though his own expression was grim.
"Damn it. Since this is a large island, it's even worse than before." What lay before them were corpses scattered haphazardly. Dozens of bodies looked so fresh, as if they had just collapsed or were still breathing, sending a chilling sense of dread and unease deep into their hearts.
"Incredible. We're hitting the jackpot right from the start." Unlike his pale companions, one youth stepped forward with a broad grin. He was the same youth who had been leading the group on the boat. Striding forward, he crouched before the pile of corpses and began searching them.
"Spirit stones... a storage bag... and this is... a cultivation technique? Yes, a technique." His voice was thick with delight, sounding as if he might start whistling at any moment.
"What are you guys doing? Get over here and help. Don't expect a free share if you're just going to stand there." At his prompting, the others hurriedly approached the pile of bodies. Though their fear and disgust lingered, the sight of such lucrative spoils quickly warmed their cold hearts.
"Spirit stones! Wait, aren't these low-grade?" "They are, but look how brightly they shine." "A wooden slip. But why is it cracked?" "It's just slightly damaged. It's fine. Even if a jade slip is a bit damaged, it's still usable. Look, the seal is still intact, isn't it?"
With six people working together, searching the dozens of corpses took no time at all. Each of them gathered a substantial amount of loot, their faces lighting up with greed and satisfaction.
"Alright, let's move. Just to be clear, don't get any funny ideas. We pool everything and divide it later." "We know, we know." The power of wealth was truly formidable. When they had first stepped off the boat, their faces had been as grim as cattle led to slaughter, but now the atmosphere was light enough for casual banter.
"See? I told you it was nothing. As long as we keep our Heart-Purifying Lanterns lit, we'll be perfectly fine."
The Ghost Fog that had suddenly appeared alongside the Thousand-Faced Ghost King had silently claimed the lives of all living things in an instant, and the dense mist refused to dissipate even with the passage of time. People trembled in terror, naming this misty world of death the Ghost Region. For years, none had dared to set foot in these fog-shrouded waters.
Yet, eventually, a brave soul ventured into the Ghost Region and returned alive. Seeing his success, others began to slip into the fog one by one, and information about the Ghost Region gradually began to spread.
According to the rumors, the mist lingering in the Ghost Region was no longer the deadly Ghost Fog itself, and most of the treasures and structures left behind remained perfectly intact. This revelation sent waves of excitement through many. They realized that the Ghost Disaster was not just a calamity, but an unprecedented opportunity.
The Ghost Disaster had swept through at least ten water regions by now. What had become of the cultivators and sects that once resided there? Once that realization dawned on them, people immediately boarded boats and set sail for the Ghost Region. Unclaimed treasure belonged to whoever laid hands on it first, and hesitation was a luxury they could ill afford.