Cracks in the Balance
'That sounds plausible.'
Originally, both Golden Core sects had two Golden Core cultivators each, so it was only natural for them to nurture Golden Core seeds to restore their former glory. However, it seemed their plans had only been half-successful.
'Once the balance is broken... thoughts are bound to change.'
Equal relationships only stem from equal strength. If the Myeongseomun Sect truly succeeded while the Geumyang Sect failed, the atmosphere in the Human Territory might take an interesting turn.
"Dragon Lord. Furthermore, Ju-hyeong has a request to submit to you."
"A request? What is it?"
"He wishes to contact a key figure in the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance soon, and is seeking your permission."
"The Yeongbu Merchant Alliance?"
It was unexpected, but upon further thought, not entirely surprising. Within the Human Territory of Yangseo Lake, the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance held a transcendent status. For someone like Ju-hyeong, who lacked a solid foundation, it was nearly impossible to make a massive fortune through a "one-time deal" without going through them.
Local factions avoided risky or dirty transactions because they had to walk on eggshells around others, whereas the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance would trade without care for anyone's opinion as long as it was profitable. Of course, there was still a line they wouldn't cross when it came to ignoring others' opinions. After all, the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance was ultimately a human business operating within the Human Territory.
"I grant it."
Jekyeong did not overthink it. Ju-hyeong was a sharp fellow; he would be able to distinguish between what he should and shouldn't do.
'Still, the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance, huh.'
Old memories suddenly surfaced in Jekyeong's mind. Back when he had first settled in Yangseo Lake, he had rapidly built his foundation through transactions with Gwak Jeong-sin of the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance. But relationships change depending on the circumstances. Gwak Jeong-sin, who had once acted as sweet as a brother, became his enemy overnight, and now, even his corpse could not be found.
'The Yeongbu Merchant Alliance... what a coincidence.'
In truth, after dealing with Gwak Jeong-sin, Jekyeong had contemplated contacting the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance again—not as the Black Dragon of Yangseo Lake, but as a Bulmang Cultivator. Since his initial connection with the alliance had been forged through Jang Hu-am, it would be child's play to mend ties with the Yangseo Lake branch if he asked Jang Hu-am for a favor. They wouldn't openly sail their ships to deliver goods directly to the Black Bridge Archipelago, but trading secretly as before would pose no issue.
However, after carefully calculating the pros and cons, Jekyeong decided against it. If he asked, Jang Hu-am would undoubtedly help him without a word of complaint, but that would ultimately be a debt. Debts must be repaid eventually, and accumulated debts always accrue interest. Moreover, few things were as uncomfortable as owing a debt to a merchant. Thus, Jekyeong had abandoned the idea of mending relations with the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance through Jang Hu-am.
Yet now, Ju-hyeong was attempting to contact them on his own initiative. Though Ju-hyeong himself was unaware, this was exactly what Jekyeong needed. If the boy could successfully establish a connection with the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance, Jekyeong could handle various matters through him in the future.
"Sect Master. The rumors have spread. Not only about Jeyun, but even about the Frost Peach Tree..."
Despite the elder's agitated voice, Hahou Jang showed no reaction. He sat in quiet meditation with his eyes closed, completely motionless.
"Sect Master. What must we do now?"
At the elder's near-pleading voice, Hahou Jang finally spoke.
"Is that a question, or an urge?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Sigh."
Hahou Jang let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. "They leave us no room to breathe."
The discussion regarding the Frost Peach Tree had taken place a mere fortnight ago, yet the rumors had already spread. This was far too blatant. Did they have no intention of hiding it from the start?
"Sect Master, the Myeongseomun Sect's intentions are clear. Is there any reason we should accommodate them?"
"We cannot say that. After all, it is true that we were the ones making unreasonable demands."
The Frost Peach Tree bore a single Frost Peach every hundred years, which served as a primary ingredient for the Core Condensing Pill. Originally, the Geumyang Sect and the Myeongseomun Sect jointly managed the Frost Peach Tree and took turns harvesting the peach. It was recently the Geumyang Sect's turn. However, the Golden Core seeds of both sects had attempted breakthrough around the same time. While Myeongseomun's Sanghyo successfully formed his core and became a Golden Core cultivator, Geumyang's Byeok Jeyun failed. His foundation crumbled, his lifespan was drastically cut, and he could barely even maintain his Late Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Despite their despair, the Geumyang Sect reacted swiftly. Knowing better than anyone what would happen once the balance of power collapsed, they quickly emptied the sect's treasury to gather core-forming spiritual items. At the same time, they sought the Myeongseomun Sect's understanding, hoping to be conceded the Frost Peach that would ripen in ten years.
But the Myeongseomun Sect did not accommodate the Geumyang Sect's plight. They claimed they were simply adhering to the rules, but to the Geumyang Sect's ears, it sounded entirely different.
"Sect Master, it was only a fortnight ago that you discussed the Frost Peach Tree with Jang Mu-hyu. Yet now, even the commoners outside are clamoring about how the Geumyang Sect bowed its head to the Myeongseomun Sect only to be humiliated. What could this possibly mean?"
"You know as well as I do that this story didn't leak from the Myeongseomun Sect."
"Of course. But regardless of who drew the bowstring, the arrow has already flown. We have no path of retreat left."
Hahou Jang sighed deeply. Who was spreading these rumors and driving a wedge between the two sects? Naturally, it was those who stood to gain from their fallout. While there were too many such opportunists to count on both hands, only one entity possessed the audacity to act so boldly right now.
'The Cultivator Alliance. When they remain inactive, they are so quiet you forget they even exist, but once they move, they are utterly ruthless.'
The Cultivator Alliance was forcing a choice upon both the Geumyang Sect and the Myeongseomun Sect. As one of the two great Golden Core sects of Yangseo Lake, the Geumyang Sect could not bow its head to the Myeongseomun Sect. Conversely, the Myeongseomun Sect had no reason to go out of its way to help the fallen Geumyang Sect back onto its feet. A rift between the two sects was inevitable; it was only a matter of time.
Under these circumstances, the arrival of the Cultivator Alliance was practically foretold. The only question left was whether they would force the door open themselves, or if the master of the house would open it to welcome them in. Naturally, the Cultivator Alliance desired the latter, and they didn't care which master opened the door.
'They will want the weaker, more easily manipulated side. Looking at it that way, we might actually hold the advantage.'
Though whether one could truly call such a desperate position an "advantage" was highly debatable.
"It cannot be helped."
As Hahou Jang stood up, the elder's eyes gleamed.
"Sect Master. Shall I dispatch a messenger?"
"No. I will go myself."
"Pardon? But..."
"Trying to save face at this point would only make us look ridiculous. If we drag our feet, the Myeongseomun Sect might move first."
Although Myeongseomun's Sanghyo had successfully formed his core, he would still need time to consolidate his realm. That brief window of time was the sole opportunity the Geumyang Sect could exploit.
Hahou Jang immediately left the mountain gate and headed north. However, before even half a day had passed, the powerful pressure of a Golden Core cultivator forced him to a halt.
"Fellow Daoist Hahou."
Through the scattered, shattered clouds, Je Rim-so, the Sect Master of the Myeongseomun Sect, revealed himself.
"Where are you heading in such a hurry?"
"You ask when you already know the answer." Hahou Jang's expression turned to stone. "Do you truly intend to discard the long-standing friendship between our two sects?"
"Those are the words I should have spoken a fortnight ago."
"Do not play word games with me. How does refusing an unreasonable demand equate to discarding our friendship?"
"Indeed, it was unreasonable. But it was also an effort to avoid this very day."
With Hahou Jang spitting out those final words, the Dharma Power of the two Golden Core cultivators erupted violently.
Hahou Jang, Sect Master of the Geumyang Sect, and Je Rim-so, Sect Master of the Myeongseomun Sect, clashed!
This rumor of unknown origin poured oil on the already blazing conflict between the two great Golden Core sects. Following this, a massive transformation occurred within the Cultivator Alliance, which had previously been nothing more than a nominal coalition of Yangseo Lake's cultivation world. New personnel were recruited from the outside, including a significant number of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Those at the bottom are always the most sensitive to the shifting winds above. The influential cultivation clans and sects, who had been holding their breath in the ominous atmosphere, sharpened their senses and began gathering information in their own ways.
These movements were conveyed to Jekyeong through Han Cheongyu and Ju-hyeong.
'The Cultivator Alliance... they are finally coming.'
Jekyeong understood the changes in the Human Territory far more deeply and accurately than the local clans who were still frantically gathering information. He instinctively sensed that the Cultivator Alliance—or rather, certain factions within it—had begun to set foot in Yangseo Lake in earnest, and he pondered the changes that would follow.
'First, they will try to seize the initiative.'
Could those eyeing Yangseo Lake have stepped forward solely for the grand cause of human prosperity? Of course not. Their primary objective would be to grasp power within the Human Territory. Had the two great Golden Core sects remained united as before, this process would not have been smooth. But looking at the current situation, it seemed one side had already turned.
'Once they clean up the Human Territory, they will turn their gaze outward.'
Where would the humans look once they finished tidying their own house? Naturally, toward the neighboring Demon Territory.
'I wonder how effective the banner of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace will be.'
It would be ideal if the name of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace could intimidate the Cultivator Alliance, but Jekyeong could not rely solely on its reputation.
'Discussing this with the Jansu Whale King... is likely out of the question.'
If Jekyeong had to name the single individual in Yangseo Lake who was most wary of him, he would choose the Jansu Whale King without hesitation. That Yao King, who had always been cautious to the point of timidity, had now become an absolute shut-in, and the Whale King Palace was no different. In the past, Great Yaos belonging to the Whale King Palace would occasionally patrol the Demon Territory to project the authority of the Jansu Whale King and his palace, but even that had ceased.
Jekyeong could guess the reason. The more one knows, the more one fears. As a Yao King who once ruled the Demon Territory of Yangseo Lake, his knowledge and experience were incomparable to those of ignorant Great Yaos. Seeing how he had holed himself up in his nest the moment the sealed title of "Black Dragon of Yangseo" spread alongside the name of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace, he clearly possessed some understanding of what kind of place the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace truly was.
'There is no point in me stepping forward to force his hand. I must make him move of his own accord.'
After mulling it over for several days, Jekyeong finally organized his thoughts and summoned Hyeongu.
The Whale King Palace. Once the heart of the Yangseo Lake Demon Territory, it had now grown accustomed to a heavy silence. Ever since the Simjeon Demon King, Mu-ara, had formed his core here and left to establish the Court of Demons (Yojeong), the influence of the Whale King Palace had steadily declined. Today, only a few Great Yaos who had nowhere else to go or could not let go of the past remained, clinging to its former glory.
"Whale King!"
Makgye rushed frantically before the Jansu Whale King. As one of the very few Great Yaos permitted to enter the deep chambers where the Jansu Whale King resided, the Whale King suppressed his displeasure and asked, "What is it?"
"An incident has occurred in the Human Territory!"
"An incident?"
The Jansu Whale King was momentarily dazed, unable to comprehend Makgye's words. An incident in the Human Territory? From the perspective of the Yao race, shouldn't an incident among humans be good news? Why did he call it an "incident," and why was this usually cautious fellow acting so disheveled?
"What kind of incident are you talking about?"
"The relationship between those two human Golden Core sects has fractured... and after that, the Cultivator Alliance..."
Makgye did his best to explain, but his words were somewhat disjointed. Nevertheless, the Jansu Whale King patiently listened to the half-rambling explanation and grasped the general situation.
"The Cultivator Alliance? The Cultivator Alliance, you say."
The rift between the two Golden Core sects was not particularly surprising. In fact, to him, it was abnormal that two different groups had remained so tightly bound until now. What caught his attention was the name of the Cultivator Alliance. He, of course, knew exactly what the Cultivator Alliance was.