Shifting Winds over Yangseo Lake
If compared to the Beast Race, wasn't it the supreme authority of the Human Race, possessing a status equal to or even higher than the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace? However, the branch in Yangseo Lake was merely a tiny tributary of that massive organization, essentially existing in name only. Was that very place now trying to take action in earnest?
'An upheaval. Since the Human Race is growing stronger, it is indeed an upheaval.' Neither Makgye nor the Jansu Whale King considered the internal power struggles of the humans. They thought simply. If a powerful organization like the Cultivator Alliance officially set foot in Yangseo Lake, the Human Race would naturally become stronger than before. The humans were the enemies of the Beast Race, and the thought of their enemy growing stronger naturally made them uncomfortable. 'Damn bastards.'
The Jansu Whale King, now thoroughly displeased, began to rack his brain. The humans he knew were a race that immediately turned their eyes outward the moment they gained even a little power. They had always been that way, so this time would be no different. 'That Black Flood Dragon...' Thinking of war, the Jansu Whale King first thought of the Black Flood Dragon, a fellow Demon King of the Beast Race, but he quickly changed his mind. 'No. That man belongs to the Holy Race. No matter how bold those human bastards are, they wouldn't dare provoke the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace by touching a member of the Holy Race.'
That Black Flood Dragon was not foolish. The Jansu Whale King remembered him from when he was still a mere Great Yo-beast. Back then, the Black Flood Dragon clearly understood his own position and did not show even a hint of arrogance. However, after forming his core and being reborn as a true Gyoryong, becoming a member of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace, he began to display the true majesty of a Flood Dragon. His relentless sweep through the Human Territory was merely a fraction of that majesty. The Jansu Whale King believed that even if the Black Flood Dragon learned of the upheaval in the Human Territory, he would not react much. He would simply assume the humans would never dare lay a finger on him.
'In that case... there are only two left.' The Jansu Whale King was cautious and sometimes timid, but he was by no means dull or foolish. He wanted to prepare before the strengthened humans made their move. On his own, it would be difficult to stand against the Human Race. Therefore, he had to find an alliance or a collaborator. Two immediately came to mind: the Insect Mother and the Ghost Spider. He excluded the latter for now. If there was no other way, he would have no choice, but as long as an alternative existed, he wanted to avoid involving himself with that mysterious and unsettling bastard. Having made up his mind, the Jansu Whale King spoke to Makgye. "Go to the Jusong Sea Region. Deliver my words to the Insect Mother."
The order of the Human Territory in Yangseo Lake had changed. The Cultivator Alliance, which had existed only in name, had summoned all the influential sects, clans, and even renowned rogue cultivators of the region. It was not a rumor. It was not an invitation, but a summons. Those who received the summoning order were utterly bewildered and at a loss. Even when the two major Golden Core sects were at the peak of their power, they had never acted so overbearingly. How could the Cultivator Alliance dare to do this? They had sensed the shifting winds and anticipated that the heavens might be turned upside down, but they never imagined something like this would actually happen.
"What on earth is this..."
"Who is this Sangcheong Sang-in?"
They soon learned that Sangcheong Sang-in was a Golden Core cultivator newly appointed to the Yangseo Lake branch of the Cultivator Alliance, but they could not grasp exactly what kind of person he was. While everyone busily gathered information, the day of the summons drew near, and more than half of those who received the order headed toward the Cultivator Alliance.
"The Cultivator Alliance issued a summons and gave ample time, yet why are there so many empty seats?"
Waiting for them at the venue was an elderly man with white hair and white eyebrows, possessing a seemingly genial appearance. He swept his sharp gaze across the empty seats, and the atmosphere in the hall turned as cold as if ice water had been poured over it.
"Sect Master Hahou, how should I interpret this?"
"How could I possibly comment on the matters of the Cultivator Alliance?"
When Sangcheong Sang-in, seated at the head of the table, turned to ask, Hahou Jang replied calmly and closed his eyes. At that, Je Rim-so, the Sect Master of Myeongseomun who sat opposite him, spoke up.
"Please calm your anger, Perfected Man. For a long time, the presence of the Cultivator Alliance in the Yangseo Lake cultivation world has been virtually nonexistent. It is only today, with your arrival, that it has finally begun to take its proper place. It is only natural that some have failed to adapt to this sudden change. If you would advise them with kind words once more..."
"Advise them with kind words?" Sangcheong Sang-in scoffed, cutting Je Rim-so off. "It seems not only them, but even you, Sect Master of Myeongseomun, are gravely mistaken about something."
"...Perfected Man. What do you mean by that?" At the blatant mockery, Je Rim-so's face stiffened, and the atmosphere in the hall grew even colder.
"Do not think I am ignorant of their shallow schemes. The Cultivator Alliance is the very embodiment of the Human Race's greater cause, and therefore, its authority can never be tested." Sangcheong Sang-in continued in a steel-like tone. His piercing gaze was directed at Je Rim-so, but his words pierced the ears of everyone present.
"I cannot advise them, nor do I have any intention of doing so. Therefore, if the Sect Master of Myeongseomun has the mind, I hope you will bring them to this place before it is too late."
"How could I possibly..."
"I say this because it seems you regard them as fellow Daoists." Sangcheong Sang-in stood up. "We shall gather again in five days. If there are still empty seats then, the owners of those seats will be deemed as refusing to join the greater cause of the Human Race."
Leaving behind those chilling words, Sangcheong Sang-in departed. The remaining cultivators cautiously glanced around. More precisely, they stole side-glances at the two Golden Core cultivators seated right before the head table: Hahou Jang, the Sect Master of the Geumyang Sect, who still kept his eyes closed with an expressionless face, and Je Rim-so, the Sect Master of Myeongseomun, whose complexion had turned dark.
'A battle of nerves between the rolling stone and the embedded stone, is it?' Jekyeong observed the recent trends of the Human Territory from deep within the Black Flood Dragon Palace. Through Han Cheongyu, he was able to receive detailed news regarding the Cultivator Alliance's summons and the subsequent events. Although Han Cheongyu himself had not received the summons, he was still a well-known Foundation Establishment cultivator, so he had no trouble gathering information by asking around.
'Hahou Jang has already aligned himself with the Cultivator Alliance, while Je Rim-so is holding out.' Although the Cultivator Alliance had issued a summons, barely over half of them had complied. This was undoubtedly due to the influence of Je Rim-so, or rather, Myeongseomun. 'Though Myeongseomun has birthed a new Golden Core cultivator, they have merely restored a fraction of their past glory. With the Geumyang Sect already turning its back on them, they cannot truly intend to oppose the Cultivator Alliance. It is likely just a bargaining tactic to secure better terms before bowing their heads.'
However, from the looks of it, this Sangcheong Sang-in had no intention of playing along with such a tug-of-war. Judging by his actions so far, his temperament was highly overbearing. Of course, it was too early to make definitive judgments... 'We shall see.' While the news from the Human Territory was somewhat unexpected, the situation in the Beast Territory—specifically, the Whale King Palace—was entirely as anticipated.
"You say Makgye left the Whale King Palace and moved north?"
"Yes."
'The Gakchung Clan, then. Indeed, it would be much more comfortable to discuss cooperation with the Insect Mother, whom he has known for a long time, rather than the Ghost Spider, who is unsettling in many ways.'
"Shall we continue to monitor the movements of the Whale King Palace?"
"No. This is enough." Jekyeong instructed Hyeongu to withdraw all the Great Yo-beasts stationed around the Whale King Palace. He had played his hand; now was the time to watch quietly.
While Jekyeong carefully observed the rapidly changing situation in the Human Territory and the reactions of those involved, he did not neglect his own cultivation. One's cultivation level is the ultimate foundation. This was a truth known to all cultivators, but very few truly lived with this truth as the pillar of their hearts. Jekyeong was one of those select few. He never forgot this truth for a single moment. The experiences he had accumulated from his days as a lowly beast to the present day firmly supported his Dao heart.
Rumble! Fierce thunder roared incessantly in the skies above the Black Bridge Archipelago. As flame clouds and thunderclouds collided and mingled, the sky burned red and tore open in brilliant white flashes. Anyone witnessing this sight would surely have thought it a scene from the end of the world.
"Fuuu..."
As a deep breath escaped the wide-open maw of the Flood Dragon, the crimson-tinted air warped slightly. An immense wave of fire energy surged in all directions, heating the dense flame clouds even further.
'The Nine Tribulations. It is truly not easy.' Although he had already passed the first tribulation upon entering the realm, the second tribulation was still far out of reach. Despite actively utilizing the fire energy of heaven and earth drawn by the flame clouds and the lightning energy from the thunder tribulations, his progress remained slow. 'But this is the best I can do. To speed up any further, I have no choice but to rely on the assistance of elixirs.'
However, Rank 3 elixirs that aided cultivation were not something one could obtain just by wanting them. At least, it was difficult to find such elixirs in Yangseo Lake. At best, they were produced and consumed in small quantities only within the two major Golden Core sects. Of course, Jekyeong had a method: the Yeongbu Merchant Group. While items like Rank 3 elixirs were rare treasures hard to lay eyes on in a place like the Yangseo Lake cultivation world, to the Yeongbu Merchant Group, which wielded influence throughout the Human Territory, they were merely commodities that could be acquired as long as one had enough spirit stones.
However, the price of Rank 3 elixirs would undoubtedly be formidable, even for Jekyeong, who possessed his own territory as a Demon King. Furthermore, elixirs that aided the cultivation of a Demon King were rare, meaning their price was said to be twice that of equivalent elixirs. On the other hand, attempting to obtain elixirs used by human cultivators would inevitably arouse suspicion, which Jekyeong wanted to avoid. 'As expected, it would be better for me to refine them myself.'
Among humans, those who earned the most spirit stones were undoubtedly alchemists. There was no other reason; elixirs were simply an essential element of cultivation. As long as a cultivator did not give up on their path, their consumption of elixirs would never stop. This was true even for humans, let alone Jekyeong, who belonged to the Beast Race. Although he had accumulated his cultivation at a speed that almost defied heaven until now, Jekyeong had been feeling his cultivation speed drop significantly since forming his core.
'It will only get slower. If the path of cultivation a human Golden Core cultivator must walk is a hundred li, the path a Demon King of the Beast Race must walk is at least a thousand li. In other words, even if I consume elixirs, I will have to take ten times more.' Jekyeong could not fathom how many spirit stones he would have to spend to obtain that many elixirs, nor did he want to.
'I also need to upgrade the spiritual vein to Rank 2, and no matter how many spirit stones I have, it won't be enough for that.' Since the difference between a Rank 1 and Rank 2 spiritual vein was far greater than the difference between a spiritual territory and a Rank 1 spiritual vein, once the spiritual vein here was promoted to Rank 2, his cultivation would certainly receive a massive boost. Therefore, upgrading the spiritual vein of the Black Bridge Archipelago was something he could never give up on, and it had to be handled as quickly as possible.
"Hmm?"
While slowly withdrawing his Monster Power as he pondered his future plans, Jekyeong suddenly flinched at a presence felt in the distance. The presence had appeared abruptly in the air. This meant that rather than him detecting the opponent, the opponent had intentionally revealed themselves. Looked at positively, it meant the opponent harbored no hostility; looked at negatively, it meant the opponent's strength was sufficient to arouse his vigilance.
'A human Golden Core.' Through the presence and fluctuations of Dharma Power intentionally revealed by the other party, Jekyeong realized that the approaching entity was a human Golden Core cultivator. The approximate level of cultivation felt roughly similar to Hahou Jang's, though he couldn't be certain. The opponent was approaching straight toward him, and their speed was not very fast. This deliberate, unhurried manner was likely a way of signaling that they harbored no ill intent. Jekyeong stepped out from the sky blanketed by thunderclouds and waited. After a short while, the opponent finally arrived before him. It was indeed a human Golden Core cultivator, and a face he had never seen before.
"I greet the Dragon Lord of Yangseo Lake. I am Im Jeseong."
The Golden Core cultivator who introduced himself as Im Jeseong did not look very old. Of course, youthful appearance could easily be fabricated through elixirs or cultivation techniques, but the vigorous, hot-blooded temperament radiating from him was difficult to fake.
"Do you know me?"
"As a cultivator of Yangseo Lake, how could I not have heard of the grand reputation of the Black Flood Dragon of Yangseo?"
"A cultivator of Yangseo Lake? I did not know there was someone like you among the humans of Yangseo Lake."
As Jekyeong stared at him suspiciously, Im Jeseong smiled and spoke.