Vigilance and Preparation
In the past, Hyeongu had not only been pushed around by other Great Yao, but had also frequently faced subtle contempt from bold Water Beasts who had not even reached the Great Yao stage. Now, as a mid-stage Great Yao, his cultivation alone allowed him to hold his head high anywhere in Yangseo Lake. Yet, standing before these Great Yao who possessed lower cultivation but far larger statures, the memories of his past naturally resurfaced, bringing with them a sharp sense of vigilance.
"As you likely saw on your way here, the spiritual vein is vast, so you need not worry about finding a place to dwell. However, there is one area you must absolutely avoid. It is where the Lord's companion resides..."
Though he internally resolved to establish strict discipline, Hyeongu did not omit a single detail they needed to know. As for whether they would actually remember it all... that was none of his concern. He had fulfilled his duty by explaining everything diligently.
'I should call Bigu over as well.' The presence of his massive, immensely powerful son would surely suppress any treacherous thoughts they might harbor.
Although he had taken three Great Yao under his wing, Jekyeong did not pay them much mind. He assumed Hyeongu would manage them on his own, leaving nothing for him to oversee. However, he had overlooked the talkative crow that landed on his head every other day.
"Muk-su seems to really like that translucent jellyfish guy! It calls him over and pesters him every single day, I tell you!"
"Jekyeong! Jekyeong! The fatty ate all the food meant for the sharks. At this rate, won't those shark guys starve to death?"
"Jekyeong! You know that octopus guy..."
He was forced to listen even if he didn't want to, and he ended up learning things he had no desire to know. No matter how clearly Jekyeong made it known that he couldn't care less about the squabbles of his subordinates, this oblivious chatterbox simply refused to stop babbling.
Since he could not exactly seal the bird's beak shut by force, Jekyeong had no choice but to listen. As he leisurely refined a few simple spirit pills, he received a steady stream of updates on how the three Great Yao were adjusting to life in the archipelago.
According to Cheongo, the one adapting the best was Haeryang. Whether it was a stroke of good fortune or bad, the jellyfish spirit had caught Muk-su's eye from the very beginning and was now living a leisurely life near the fruit's island.
'It must be because of its ability.' Though Jekyeong did not know the exact mechanism behind purifying water and revitalizing aquatic life, it undoubtedly had some connection to spiritual energy. Muk-su was highly sensitive to spiritual energy and possessed the innate ability to raise the concentration of Qi around itself. It was only natural that the fruit would feel a sense of curiosity toward Haeryang, who possessed a somewhat similar affinity.
'As for the other two...' Compared to Haeryang, the remaining two seemed to be having a much harder time. For some reason, Mobaek had ended up on Cheongo's bad side and was currently being treated as little more than a plaything, while Daecheong was constantly being harassed by Bigu, putting him in a rather difficult position.
'Is he taming them?' It was Hyeongu who had summoned Bigu back from patrolling the outer edges of the spiritual vein, and his intentions were clear. He did not want to be looked down upon by the three newcomers. Understanding this motive, Jekyeong did not interfere with Hyeongu's actions. He merely felt a tinge of pity that Hyeongu, despite reaching the mid-stage of the Great Yao realm, was still so weak that he had to resort to such petty schemes.
"And then, you see..." Because of Cheongo's incessant chatter, Jekyeong could not refine any pills that required deep concentration, but crafting these simple elixirs was still quite beneficial.
It had been a long time since Jekyeong first stepped onto the path of alchemy, but the actual time he had dedicated to the craft was quite short. He had merely dipped his toes in whenever the need arose, never fully committing.
*Poof!* A thick medicinal fragrance drifted amidst the dense smoke. Jekyeong gathered the dozen or so high-grade pills resting inside the cauldron. By his standards, they were nothing special, but if sold in the Human Territory, they would easily fetch dozens of low-grade spirit stones.
A batch of finely crafted spiritual pills, emitting a dense, rich medicinal fragrance.
"Your skills have improved!"
"Is that so?"
"Mhm. They taste much better than before." Having received her customary pill, Cheongo offered a brief review.
'My skills have improved, huh? She isn't wrong.' His ability to control the flames had not changed. What had changed was his understanding of alchemy—or rather, his familiarity with it. To put it another way, his intuition had sharpened.
'Even in simple, repetitive tasks, there are lessons to be found.' One did not always need to tackle great difficulties to accumulate experience; this, too, was a form of learning.
"How is your cultivation coming along?"
"I'm working hard!" Cheongo replied, patting her plump belly. Her carefree attitude did not inspire much confidence, but since her aura was indeed growing steadily stronger, Jekyeong refrained from nagging her further.
"I'm going to meditate, so run along."
"Okay!" After receiving two more pills, Cheongo waddled out of the chamber. Jekyeong quietly closed his eyes. At that very moment, his consciousness transcended the distance separating the Black Jiao Palace from Bul-mang-won.
"Senior," Jekyeong said, immediately seeking out Yu Gon upon entering Bul-mang-won.
"Just how long do you plan on pestering me, brat?"
"I still have a mountain of things to learn from you, Senior, so I have no choice." Today, as always, Yu Gon did not disappoint. He remained exactly where he always was.
"Why don't you go ask your fellow dragon seniors?"
"Do not jest, Senior. How could they possibly be my kin?"
"Tsk. If that is how you feel, why did you align yourself with the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace?"
"Did I have any other choice?"
That was the end of their banter. As was his habit, Jekyeong got straight to the point.
"My business partner does not seem capable of holding out much longer. In fact, he may have already collapsed."
"And?"
"I am debating whether or not I should intervene."
"Your tune has changed. Didn't you say you wouldn't care unless he bothered you first?"
"I did. But in hindsight, I wonder if that line of thinking was a bit too naive."
Yu Gon snorted. "Hmph. Hearing you say that, something must have happened." Jekyeong briefly explained the Ghost Disaster that had recently thrown all of Yangseo Lake into an uproar.
"So? If you do intervene, what is your plan?"
"If I set my mind to it, there are plenty of ways. For now, I am considering leaking the information to the Cultivator Alliance."
"Oh? Bold of you."
"What do you mean by that?" Jekyeong keenly detected the underlying mockery in Yu Gon's brief remark.
"Exactly what I said, you naive brat. You do not comprehend the weight of a Malevolent God's name at all. Leak it to the Cultivator Alliance? How do you think they will react?"
"Won't they take action?"
"Indeed, they will. But the scale of their response will far exceed anything you can imagine. You probably think the Cultivator Alliance will just eliminate your partner and call it a day... but I highly doubt it will end so cleanly."
"Then, how do you foresee it playing out, Senior?"
"Who knows? I am no human, so how could I possibly know what goes on in their minds?"
"You may not know for certain, but you seem to have a good guess."
"Perhaps."
Yu Gon clearly had no intention of elaborating. However, it did not seem like mere petulance; there appeared to be a specific reason he wished to keep silent. "I understand," Jekyeong said, pressing no further. He knew Yu Gon wouldn't speak even under pressure, and more importantly, Yu Gon was not someone he could afford to interrogate.
Jekyeong never mistook Yu Gon for an equal just because they bickered from time to time. The only reason he could converse with Yu Gon like this was partly due to the elder's eccentric personality, but mostly because Jekyeong always maintained an invisible boundary.
Had he ever taken Yu Gon lightly or tried to act as his equal, Yu Gon would have either ignored him entirely or taught him a harsh lesson. It was said that no one could harm another within Bul-mang-won... but was that truly the case? In the past, Jekyeong had accepted that rule blindly, but as his cultivation deepened, doubts began to creep in.
Judging by the attitude Yu Gon occasionally displayed, he was undoubtedly a being on par with So-byeok-ik-wang. He was someone with an extremely high probability of reaching the Nascent Soul stage—or perhaps he had already taken a step into it. Could such a powerful entity truly lack the means to punish an insolent junior?
Even putting such suspicions aside, Jekyeong had no desire to show disrespect to Yu Gon, who had aided him in numerous ways. It was Jekyeong who sought assistance, and Yu Gon had absolutely no obligation to help him. Thus, Jekyeong could request, but he could never demand.
"You won't ask further?"
"If you had any intention of telling me, you would have done so already."
"True enough. Wise choice. Do not ask, for I shall not answer." Yu Gon spoke gruffly, but his refusal to answer was a response in itself. It served as proof of Jekyeong's suspicions. "Understood."
Following his conversation with Yu Gon, Jekyeong completely abandoned any thoughts of acting against Myeong-ha. He had only considered it out of concern that Myeong-ha might drag him into another troublesome affair. He had wanted to strike preemptively to prevent any future headaches, but Yu Gon's implicit warning made him realize how naive that plan had been.
Whether it was the Malevolent God, the Cultivator Alliance, or both, Jekyeong resolved to neither touch nor get involved with them. If Myeong-ha tried to bother him in the future... he would simply ignore him. No matter how bold that lackey of the Malevolent God might be, he wouldn't dare try to coerce Jekyeong. This was true both in terms of raw strength and status.
He was no longer a mere Demon King, but a true Gyoryong who had been granted a Sealed Title by the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. Myeong-ha surely understood the weight of that title and would not dare act rashly.
However, even if Myeong-ha could not touch him, Jekyeong was certain that the half-demon would only grow more rampant in the future. Therefore, he wished to expedite the process of securing various resources from the Human Territory as quickly as possible.
"Lord. Ju-hyeong reports that he has secured about ten painters. Shall I have him send them over immediately?"
"Yes. Do so."
Securing a proper painter was, with only slight exaggeration, even more difficult than recruiting a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A "proper painter" in this context referred to someone who possessed deep cultivation in the Way of Painting while also having a solid cultivation base to back it up.
'To be of any use to me, they must at least be at the Foundation Establishment stage, and certainly not at the early stage.' Finding such individuals was like plucking stars from the sky, meaning his only real option was to train them himself. This might require a generation, perhaps even longer, but it was a burden he had to bear.
Furthermore, while the painters currently being brought in might be useless to him, they could still prove beneficial to his subordinates. Although he was not yet certain if Visualization could fully replace bloodline inheritance, it was clear that it had a positive effect on the cultivation of the Beast Race.
"What about Han Cheongyu?"
"He seems to be putting in effort as well, but there have been no notable results as of yet."
Jekyeong understood Han Cheongyu's predicament. The Way of Painting was a relatively obscure cultivation art. It would be incredibly difficult to find anyone practicing such an elegant art in a remote place like Jaseong Island.
Moreover, Han Cheongyu's situation was different from Ju-hyeong's. While Ju-hyeong, as a merchant, could sail his ships and roam freely, Han Cheongyu was a Demon Hunter based on Jaseong Island. Except when he went out to hunt demon beasts, it was difficult for him to leave the island.
"How are things on Jaseong Island?"
"The Han family seems to have completely established themselves there. While their influence cannot yet compare to the established sects and clans, Han Cheongyu has built a solid reputation, and since they do not harbor excessive greed, they should continue to grow steadily."
With his own cultivation base, the subordinates Jekyeong had assigned to him, and a Dao companion at the early Foundation Establishment stage, Han Cheongyu had more than enough resources to build a clan. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Han family was counted among the top ten clans on Jaseong Island.
"Not bad," Jekyeong murmured. Yet despite his words, his mind remained uneasy. Sensing his shift in mood immediately, Hyeongu asked cautiously: