A Bold Proposal
Han Cheongyu's face stiffened at the mention of the Ghost Disaster.
"The Thousand-Faced Ghost King is no longer the Ghost Spider who once resided on Haeyeon Island. While he might show me some professional courtesy, as you know, matters within the Human Territory cannot be conducted openly. You must remain vigilant and guard against the Ghost Disaster yourself."
This was the core reason Jekyeong had summoned Han Cheongyu and his wife. He wanted to warn them about the Ghost Disaster and gauge Han Cheongyu's intentions. The threat of the Ghost Disaster could not be ignored. With the Ghost Fog potentially sweeping over Jaseong Island at any moment, retreating beforehand was a viable option. Although abandoning the foundation they had built on Jaseong Island would be a waste, the reputation they had earned and the people they commanded would not vanish. Establishing themselves elsewhere would not be overly difficult. After all, if there was one thing Yangseo Lake had in abundance, it was Water Beasts, meaning Demon Hunters could make a living anywhere.
"I..." Han Cheongyu hesitated, a rare sight for him. Since this was not a decision to be made lightly, Jekyeong waited in silence for him to organize his thoughts.
"Dragon Lord, given Jaseong Island's location, I cannot help but worry about the unpredictable threat of the Ghost Disaster. However, despite my shortcomings, I have already taken deep root on Jaseong Island. Uprooting ourselves and settling in a new place is no simple task. While the foundation I built by managing the Demon Hunters is substantial, it is a double-edged sword when it comes to relocating."
Jekyeong understood Han Cheongyu's point. Having a large following made it easier to establish a presence, but it also meant drawing the wariness of local factions. Why had Han Cheongyu been able to settle on Jaseong Island so easily in the first place? It was because his followers had consisted of only a few Qi Condensation cultivators, and like typical Rogue Cultivators, they had been content with their lot. But things were different now. Han Cheongyu was now a mature Foundation Establishment cultivator on the verge of reaching the late stage, the head of a small but established family, and the faction he commanded was no longer insignificant.
"Furthermore... even if I leave Jaseong Island and move my family, we will never truly be safe as long as the Ghost Disaster continues to spread."
Indeed, this was the primary source of Han Cheongyu's dilemma. Moving his family was feasible if he set his mind to it. Even if it provoked the wariness or resistance of local factions, the cultivation world was ultimately a place where might made right. By crushing the weak and compromising with the strong, he could eventually achieve his goals, even if it took some time. But the Ghost Disaster was different. It was a problem with no clear solution. Even if they left Jaseong Island today, what if the Ghost Fog swept across the Human Territory even more aggressively in a few years? Should they just wait for the two great Golden Core sects or the Cultivator Alliance to resolve the issue? They could, but Han Cheongyu had just thought of a much more definitive solution.
“And? What is on your mind?”
“Dragon Lord, your grand reputation already echoes across the entirety of Yangseo Lake. The Black Bridge Archipelago is vast, but is it not a bit too small to fully reflect your majestic presence?”
“Are you suggesting... I should expand my territory?”
“I will not deny that my own selfish desires are mixed in. However, if you expand your territory to border the Human Territory, even the Thousand-Faced Ghost King would not dare encroach near your domain. If that happens, we would naturally have no need to fear the Ghost Disaster.”
“But that would provoke the humans.”
“Yes. But would that not depend entirely on how we frame the situation?”
Jekyeong seriously considered Han Cheongyu's proposal. First of all, expanding his territory was not a difficult task. The domain of the Whale King Palace, ruled by the Jansu Whale King, was far vaster than the Black Bridge Archipelago. Of course, one had to consider that the Whale King Palace was situated deep within the demon territory. Within the demon territory, no one would dare question or care how much a Demon King expanded their domain.
The Human Territory, huh. If he expanded his territory toward the Human Territory, the two great Golden Core sects would undoubtedly feel threatened. But was it not natural for humans to feel threatened by a powerful entity of another race? Besides, dragons were inherently arrogant creatures; it would be perfectly normal for him to completely disregard such trivial human concerns. Furthermore, a larger territory meant access to more resources. Originally, Jekyeong had planned to solidify his cultivation further before expanding his influence in earnest, all while avoiding provoking the other powerhouses of Yangseo Lake, especially the Jansu Whale King. But now, Myeong-ha had already made a grand entrance, drawing all eyes to himself under the alias of the Thousand-Faced Ghost King. If Jekyeong stepped forward now to assert his presence, it wouldn't seem out of place at all.
No, that's not right. The more he thought about it, the more Jekyeong realized he had been excessively cautious. He was no longer a fake Flood Dragon with nowhere to turn. He was a proud member of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace, a Dragon Lord who had even been bestowed a Sealed Title. Therefore, he ought to act more dignified, more arrogant.
“Since you brought it up, I assume you have already thought this through?”
“Yes,” Han Cheongyu replied, nodding immediately. Yet, despite his prompt nod, the words did not flow as easily. He hesitated briefly before speaking with caution.
“Dragon Lord, you have... unleashed a bloodbath once before. If it happened once, it would not be strange for a second or third time to follow. Since the Ghost King's Ghost Disaster is causing quite a stir, perhaps you could...”
Though he trailed off ambiguously, there was no way Jekyeong could misunderstand his meaning. Without Jekyeong even realizing it, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Bold bastard. He wants me to perform another sword dance. Suddenly, this man felt somewhat unfamiliar. He used to be nothing but simple and honest, yet now he was devising such audacious schemes. On second thought, however, such a transformation was hardly surprising. Having survived and expanded his business in the Human Territory for so long, rubbing shoulders with competitors who employed all kinds of petty tricks, even the most straightforward man would have learned a thing or two.
A sword dance. Yes, there is no reason I cannot perform another. It was neither difficult nor complicated.
“Very well.” Jekyeong's piercing gaze locked onto the top of Han Cheongyu's head.
“But bear this in mind. Since you have made me go through this trouble, my expectations for your family will be far greater than before.”
“I will keep that engraved in my heart.” A single drop of cold sweat formed on Han Cheongyu's forehead as he bowed his head.
The leaders of the two great Golden Core sects sat facing each other. They sipped their tea with expressionless faces before one of them let out a long sigh and spoke.
"These are truly turbulent times. The Ghost King is headache enough, and now even the Flood Dragon is causing trouble."
"It feels as though the fortune of the human race is waning. I fear it is already too late to turn back the tide."
"Turn back the tide? I question if we ever even had the chance. The Fate Seers have already closed their eyes. They say they can no longer endure the backlash of the heavenly secrets."
"Are they not merely exaggerating?"
"I do not believe so. Their hair turned white overnight, and all color drained from their faces."
As their laments dragged on, the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.
"What should we do now? The Gakchung Clan remains shut behind closed doors with no intention of emerging, and our strength alone is insufficient to turn the tide."
"For now... we must wait. How are things on your end?"
"I do not know. We have done everything in our power. I can only pray that the heavens are not indifferent to our plight."
Two years ago, they had paid an immense price to obtain two Core Condensing Pills and bestowed them upon the promising juniors of their sects to aid them in forming their Golden Cores. They had exhausted all possible efforts, yet the probability of success was still less than fifty percent.
"Even if the heavens are merciful and those youngsters succeed in forming their cores, it will not significantly alter the grand scheme of things."
“But it will at least give us a louder voice when we involve the Cultivator Alliance.”
The emergence of the Thousand-Faced Ghost King had forced them to confront a harsh reality. Far from dominating Yangseo Lake, the two great Golden Core sects could no longer even properly defend the Human Territory. They had hoped that if their cultivation reached the Mid Golden Core stage, there might be a chance, but unfortunately, time was not on their side. Furthermore, after learning the true identity of the Black Flood Dragon not long ago, even that sliver of hope—that tiny possibility—had been utterly shattered.
The Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. Though they were merely frogs in a well, trapped within the small pond of the Yangseo Lake cultivation world, they were still genuine Golden Core cultivators. They had heard whispers of the Flood Dragon clan, whom the Beast Race revered as the Sacred Race, and of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace that symbolized their power. That Black Flood Dragon was a member of that very Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace, and a special existence who had even been granted a Sealed Title. Offending a Flood Dragon with a Sealed Title was tantamount to picking a fight with the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace itself. Thus, that mad Black Flood Dragon was not an opponent that frogs in a well like them could ever hope to challenge.
Not long ago, the Black Flood Dragon, seized by madness, had run rampant. Sweeping northward and slaughtering everything in its path, the beast had overturned no fewer than five water territories, indiscriminately killing countless humans and beasts alike. The Human Territory had been thrown into utter chaos, forcing them to interrupt their closed-door cultivation to intervene. They had engaged in a brief, performative clash with the Black Flood Dragon, who seemed to have just regained its senses after its fit of madness, and concluded the matter by issuing a meaningless warning. On the surface, it appeared they had successfully driven the Black Flood Dragon back, thereby saving face. But they knew better than anyone else that the Black Flood Dragon had retreated simply because it wished to, not because it had been pushed back by the two of them.
If the Thousand-Faced Ghost King was a headache, the Black Flood Dragon was a natural disaster. A calamity that struck infrequently, but once unleashed, left them utterly powerless to intervene.
"How exhausting," Hahou Jang murmured in a flat, low voice. Je Rim-so nodded silently in agreement. They had once been rivals and competitors, but now they were each other's sole confidants. Who else could understand their plight? The reason their cultivation had not advanced a single step for decades was the crushing weight resting on their shoulders—the fate of their sects and the Human Territory of Yangseo Lake. With their minds never at peace, how could they possibly focus on their cultivation?
“This, too, is our fate.” As Golden Core cultivators, they saw what ordinary people could not see and pondered what ordinary people could not comprehend—the future of their sects, the destiny of the human race, and the flow of fortune. Every living being carried its own burden, and naturally, the shoulders of great men bore far heavier loads. Since realizing this truth, they had ceased to harbor deep resentment toward the trials of the heavens. Or perhaps, they had simply spent too much time around those eccentric, delusional fellows who babbled about the heavens and the Heavenly Dao every time they opened their mouths, and their temperament had rubbed off on them.
“The Cultivator Alliance... In the end, they will achieve their goals without lifting a finger or offering a single word of appreciation, merely standing by with their hands behind their backs. What do you think? Did they calculate all of this from the very beginning?”
"Who knows. I cannot say. But since we are hardly the only ones in this position, it would not be surprising if they foresaw all of this from their high thrones."
Frogs in a well. They did not want to admit it, but they had no choice. Once, they had been peerless prodigies, unmatched not only within their own sects but across the entirety of Yangseo Lake. Others had lauded them as such, and they had taken pride in it. But as their cultivation levels rose and their horizons expanded, they were forced to realize, like it or not, that terms like 'prodigy,' 'talent,' and 'great sect' were nothing more than jokes whispered inside a well.
Yangseo Lake seemed vast, but in the end, it was neither an ocean nor a river—it was merely a lake. How many such lakes existed across the sprawling Human Territory? And if one looked at the entire world? They would be countless. The titles of the two great Golden Core sects only carried weight in this tiny lake; in the wider world, they were insignificant entities that would not dare raise their voices. Furthermore, they were merely individual Golden Cores within those already insignificant entities.
The ignorant believed that Golden Core cultivators were akin to demigods who could swagger anywhere in the Human Territory, existing half-above the rules of the mortal world. But this was far from the truth. Just as not all cultivators were equal, not all Golden Cores were the same. Some compared them to common weeds and spiritual herbs. Though both were plants, one weed was not worth even half a low-grade Spirit Stone, while a rare herb could not be bought even for hundreds of high-grade Spirit Stones. An insurmountable wall existed between different Golden Cores.
After realizing this painful truth, Hahou Jang and Je Rim-so had not only lost their arrogance, but their Dao hearts had nearly shattered. It had taken them well over a decade just to restore their Dao hearts back then, and even after recovering, a lingering fear of the wider world remained in a corner of their minds. Their intense wariness of the Cultivator Alliance was not unrelated to this. To some, this well might look like a mere puddle, but to them, it was the entire world. They had relied on this small world their whole lives, and barring any unforeseen events, they would continue to do so. That was precisely why they had desperately defended the low stone wall that bounded their well. But the unforeseen had occurred, and change was inevitable. All that remained was to prepare as much as possible before they were forced to tear down the stone wall themselves.
Having finished his rampage, Jekyeong returned to the Black Cult Palace and was met with Hyeongu's awe-filled gaze. The turtle demon showered him with praises, babbling about the majestic dignity of the Dragon Lord, but Jekyeong felt far from comfortable listening to the flattery.
I only meant to put on a show, but I got carried away. His original plan was to expand his territory while pretending to be half-mad, but once he tasted blood, he had unwittingly let go of the reins. The Demonic Obsession he had been suppressing all this time had stimulated him, as if finally finding a vent. While he hadn't been entirely consumed, he had been halfway swept away by it.
“Whew.”