The Birth of the Yangseo Dragon Palace
After instructing Hyeongu to take over and manage the five water territories he had swept through, Jekyeong closed his eyes and entered Bul-mang-won. Arriving in the vast sub-world as a spiritual body, he immediately detected several familiar auras and moved swiftly toward them. The first person he sought out was Seongsu Jinin.
Not only was this man powerful, but he was also highly knowledgeable. Above all, lately, it had been difficult to meet him outside of their regular gatherings. Since he happened to be in Bul-mang-won, Jekyeong was not about to miss the opportunity to speak with him.
“Oh? You’ve arrived,” Seongsu Jinin greeted Jekyeong calmly, as if he had been expecting his sudden visit.
“Senior Seongsu. I hope you have been well.”
“Haha. What could possibly happen to me?”
Jekyeong did not know much about Seongsu Jinin’s identity in the Human Territory. Members of the gathering rarely spoke of or asked about their identities in the outside world.
However, Jekyeong could vaguely guess Seongsu Jinin’s standing through fragments of conversation dropped here and there. He was likely an elder of some unnamed human sect and seemed to hold a decent position within the Cultivator Alliance. This deduction was based on the political situations of the Human Territory he occasionally mentioned, as well as the highly confidential and high-level information he possessed.
“So, you must have a pressing reason for seeking me out so suddenly?”
“Yes.”
The time they had known each other was by no means short, especially by human standards. As such, neither Jekyeong nor Seongsu Jinin engaged in unnecessary beating around the bush.
“Is the Cultivator Alliance eyeing Yangseo Lake?”
“Yangseo Lake...” Seongsu Jinin murmured softly. Naturally, he knew Jekyeong had nested in Yangseo Lake, and he had previously looked into the lake’s political landscape.
“It might be slightly inappropriate of me to say this to you, but Yangseo Lake is far too small a place for the Cultivator Alliance to set its sights on.”
“However, it seems certain individuals within the Cultivator Alliance have recently taken an interest in Yangseo Lake. As you know, resources in the Human Territory are scarce, so no one would refuse an opportunity to stretch their hands elsewhere if given the chance.”
“I understand.” Jekyeong showed no emotion. He had suspected this for a long time, and now he had merely confirmed his suspicions. There was no reason to be shaken.
In the end, they are just waiting for the right moment.
They were waiting for the humans of Yangseo Lake—specifically, the two major Golden Core sects—to open the gates first and invite them in. Whether it was out of pride or some other reason, they were certainly taking their sweet time.
Not the Cultivator Alliance as a whole, but certain individuals within it. Was this good news or bad news?
“What do you think, Senior?”
“There will be significant changes. However, you may rest easy. The name of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace is not to be taken lightly, so no one will dare act rashly.”
“I am not worried about that. What I am curious about is how Yangseo Lake is perceived by the Human Race.”
“Not bad, but a bit troublesome. That is likely the consensus.” With the Gakchung Clan, who could be considered the local landlords, and the newly renowned Black Flood Dragon, none of them could be taken lightly. Yet, compared to that, the benefits to be reaped from Yangseo Lake were not that great. It was a bit too thorny to swallow whole, but too wasteful to throw away. Thus, it was better to just dip a toe in and take whatever profits they could easily gather.
So that’s all it is. Despite all the clashing and fighting, was it ultimately nothing more than a tempest in a teacup? At this moment, Jekyeong’s feelings became slightly complicated.
“Once the two sects of Yangseo Lake open the gates with their own hands, the situation there will change drastically. I do not think it will cause you any major trouble, but still, it never hurts to be cautious.”
“Thank you for the advice. I will keep it in mind.”
Having obtained information and advice from Seongsu Jinin, Jekyeong began to monitor the atmosphere in the Human Territory even more meticulously from that day on. He gave instructions to Han Cheongyu and Ju-hyeong, and even to Choi Ju-tang, whose great limit was drawing near, to gather as much information as possible.
However, he did not place high expectations on this, as he knew that the timing of the Cultivator Alliance’s intervention in Yangseo Lake’s cultivation world ultimately depended on the whims of the Golden Core cultivators of the Geumyang Sect and the Myeongseomun Sect.
“Dragon Lord. I am not exaggerating; we are truly short-handed.” Returning after nearly three months, Hyeongu prostrated himself before Jekyeong and poured out his grievances.
Jekyeong had previously ordered Hyeongu to make a round of the newly acquired water territories and manage them, and only now had he returned after finishing the task.
“Take the three fellows outside with you.”
“Even with them, it is not enough. Far from enough.”
“I do not expect much. It is enough if you can properly manage the primary resources.” Jekyeong promised the sighing Hyeongu that he would recruit more subordinates for him to use, and only then was he able to soothe the seemingly depressed turtle.
He must have suffered quite a bit. Come to think of it, it made sense. It was a whopping five water territories. Although each individual territory was not as large as the Heukgyo Water Territory he used to reside in, they were not that much smaller either. Combined, the five territories were roughly equivalent to four Heukgyo Water Territories. Even if Hyeongu’s cultivation had increased, touring all of them alone would have been no easy feat. Let alone managing them properly... It was a miracle the fellow hadn't collapsed and given up much sooner.
I made a mistake. Jekyeong glanced sideways at Hyeongu, whose expression remained dark despite his promise. He had casually sent Hyeongu out of a vague notion that the newly acquired territories needed to be inspected, but looking back, it was a highly irresponsible thought.
I need more useful hands. The three he had recently recruited were not enough. Moreover, because their cultivation was low, they were fine for running errands around the Seongya Archipelago, but using them in distant water territories was highly awkward.
But finding trustworthy fellows is hard enough; expecting them to be highly capable on top of that is a luxury.
Furthermore, recruiting fellows who were too strong could lead to annoying problems later. For instance, what if they looked down on Hyeongu? The cultivation world was originally a place where might made right, and the Beast Race, by their very nature, tended to be even more extreme in this regard. Yet, Hyeongu was not naturally strong in combat, making it easy for Great Demons of the same rank to look down on him.
Jekyeong intended to continue handling troublesome matters through Hyeongu in the future. If the newly recruited fellows refused to listen to Hyeongu or even rebelled against him, there would be no point in taking them in. Surely, he couldn't step in every single time to suppress the rebellious ones or squeeze out his own blood to smear on Hyeongu’s body, could he?
Let’s try recruiting first. We might find some useful fellows. Jekyeong shared his thoughts with Hyeongu, and Hyeongu was overjoyed.
“To be honest, I wanted to suggest this much sooner. But since the Dragon Lord did not seem interested in matters outside the archipelago, I hesitated to speak...”
“Indeed. But the situation has changed now.”
After he had run amok, the Human Race was already beginning to show a reaction. Humans living in the waters adjacent to his five newly acquired territories had begun to evacuate, and the local branch of the Cultivator Alliance was dispatching cultivators to try and calm the commotion.
However, this was merely for show. Logically speaking, how could a mere handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators stop the rampage of a Flood Dragon? They had only stepped forward to save face for the Cultivator Alliance; in reality, all they did was pass the time in trembling anxiety.
“Does the Dragon Lord intend to expand our territory further in the future?” Hyeongu asked cautiously, observing Jekyeong’s expression.
“No,” Jekyeong replied immediately.
Then, after a brief pause, he spoke again. Hyeongu had proven his capability and loyalty over a long period, and Jekyeong regarded him as his trusted confidant. In the past, he would have ended the conversation with a single-word answer, but now... he could reveal a bit more of his inner thoughts.
“The foundation of the Human Race runs deep. If we push them more than necessary, troublesome things may arise.”
Therefore, they had to stop at a point of moderate confrontation. Maintaining a level of tension that was neither too excessive nor too lacking, while securing long-term benefits—that was the draft of the plan proposed by Han Cheongyu and accepted by Jekyeong.
“Then... will those five water territories become a battlefield with the Human Race from now on?”
“A battlefield? That is going too far.”
A battlefield? At best, it would be a hunting ground. A hunting ground where humans hunted the Beast Race, and the Beast Race hunted humans. Though it would likely lean more toward the former... Hm? Suddenly, an inspiration struck Jekyeong.
A battlefield. A battlefield, indeed. Come to think of it, it wasn't impossible. Though the word "battlefield" sounded grand, in reality, wasn't it just a stage where people killed and were killed?
A hunting ground is a bit lacking. If I expand the board a little more... I might be able to reap far greater rewards.
It was nothing new. After all, wasn't the majority of the Water Beasts that Han Cheongyu hunted while working as a Demon Hunter on Jaseong Island actually pushed toward him by Hyeongu? A portion of the Spirit Stones earned from hunting those Water Beasts had found its way back into Jekyeong’s pockets. Though it was called a battlefield, when looked at closely, it was merely scaling up what they had already been doing.
Furthermore, if the stage was properly set, they could reap benefits in various other aspects. For example, the Spirit Blacksmiths under his command. Although he had practically uprooted them before, the lineage of Yeongi Island still barely persisted. What they could produce were spiritual tools, mostly low-grade ones, but in times of war, even those were bound to be in high demand. If they could "supply" the spiritual tools produced on Yeongi Island to the Human Race, they would secure a highly stable source of Spirit Stones.
Alchemical pills would be good too. If he could take this opportunity to establish something like an Alchemy Island and churn out low-grade elixirs, he might earn an income that surpassed even that of Yeongi Island.
The more I think about it, the better it sounds. The crucial part was that he could control the intensity of the war. He could maintain a moderate level of tension among the Human Race without pushing them too hard, and if things grew too dull, he could trigger a Water Tide to stir things up.
“A battlefield.” Ignoring Hyeongu, who was utterly bewildered and lost, Jekyeong fell deep into thought for a long while.
Jekyeong resolved to recruit Great Demons, but there was something he had to do first.
“Is it absolutely necessary?”
“It is necessary. Did not the Gyeongwang Palace and even the now-vanished Court of Demons have proper names? How much more so for the Dragon Lord, who is far superior to them...”
“Alright, alright.”
Without much deliberation, Jekyeong took inspiration from the Court of Demons and named his territory the Yangseo Dragon Palace. Hyeongu seemed to find it a bit plain, but Jekyeong thought it was just right.
“Now, spread the word far and wide. If you find anyone useful, you may recommend them to me.”
Upon receiving his orders, Hyeongu and several Great Demons, each with a drop of Jekyeong’s blood marked on their foreheads, dispersed to various parts of the demon territory. While promoting the name of the Yangseo Dragon Palace, they announced that the 'Dragon Lord' was recruiting capable subordinates.
“The Dragon Lord is powerful yet merciful. He treats even a humble turtle like me with kindness. As long as you do not disobey his commands, he is fundamentally not a difficult master to serve.”
“Mm. It wasn’t bad at all. He barely orders us to do anything. Can you feel this dragon aura? This is the very proof of his favor.”
“If you have a mind to join, you had better hurry. Wouldn’t your chances of catching his eye be higher if you step forward now, while there are still few Great Demons under his command?”
The fame of the Black Flood Dragon of Yangseo was already well-known among those in the know, and there had long been quite a few Great Demons who wished to submit to him. Furthermore, with the recent Ghost Disaster that spared neither the Human Territory nor the demon territory, an anxious atmosphere had been looming within the demon realm. Thus, when a safe and grand-looking 'nest' appeared, many Great Demons naturally felt inclined to join.
“Shall we go take a look?”
“A Dragon Lord... Is he grander than the Gyeongwang?”
“You fool! He’s a dragon, a dragon! The Gyeongwang is impressive, but how can he compare to the Sacred Race?”
“Forget it. There’s no way someone like me could catch the eye of such a grand figure...”
Bearing their own thoughts, the Great Demons began to gather one by one toward the Seongya Archipelago—or rather, what people had now begun to call the Black Bridge Archipelago.
“Ugh. Everyone, wait.” Bigu took on the role of gatekeeper and administrator. Even as he watched the ever-growing crowd of Great Demons, he did not shrink back, merely repeating the instruction to wait. A few impatient ones tried to badger Bigu, but it changed nothing.
“If you do not like it, leave. No one is holding you back.” Bigu repeated the lines from the 'script' the Dragon Lord had given him beforehand. Normally, it would be inappropriate for a turtle demon lacking in strength and dignity to play such a role, but Bigu was different.