Driven by Instinct
As if they knew exactly where they were headed, they surged forward in a single direction without anyone needing to point the way. Jekyeong, keeping his wits about him, blended into the rushing crowd.
"Cheongo! Muk-su! Wake up!" Jekyeong barked, snapping at his companions who, like the other members of the Beast Race, were falling into a state of wild frenzy.
After shouting a couple of times, Cheongo's feral, bloodshot eyes returned to their usual state. Muk-su, however, was not so easily snapped out of it. Jekyeong had no choice but to smack the fruit a few times with his tail to bring it to its senses. Of course, before doing so, he made sure to scan his surroundings, confirming that there were plenty of other beasts colliding, tangling, and collapsing into each other anyway.
"Keep your heads straight, both of you." Though he spoke to Cheongo and Muk-su, it was also a reminder to himself.
With thousands of beasts charging in unison, their collective momentum was terrifyingly oppressive. Any unfortunate wild animals caught in their path were trampled to dust or devoured on the spot by hungry beasts. Wandering members of the Beast Race who crossed paths with this massive horde were swept up in the momentum, joining the stampede like bewildered citizens caught in a massive protest.
The few who refused to join... became easy prey for the countless frenzied beasts whose eyes were still rolled back in madness.
Jekyeong watched a weasel-like Demon Beast that had tried to slip away from the crowd, only to be violently trampled by two massive beasts and instantly rendered docile. The sight brought a realization. No matter how ferocious a Demon Beast was claimed to be, they were still living creatures at the end of the day; their aversion to death was no different from that of ordinary beasts. In the face of the survival instinct, both innate nature and feral cruelty ultimately had to bend.
As expected, most of them are just Demon Beasts. Jekyeong could tell at a glance that the vast army of thousands was predominantly composed of ordinary Demon Beasts. Wherever he looked, the overwhelming majority were beasts of various sizes, while true Yokai were scarce—perhaps one in a hundred.
He had known for a long time that the majority of the Beast Race consisted of Demon Beasts, but seeing it with his own eyes made him wonder if they should be called the "Demon Beast Race" instead of the "Beast Race."
Is it because there aren't many Demon Beasts among the rulers of the Beast Race? Even the treant-like figure who had exuded the most powerful presence at the mountain summit was a prime example. Jekyeong didn't know if that entity was a Yokai, but it certainly wasn't a mere Demon Beast.
"Keep moving forward!" A booming voice echoed from far above, sounding as if it were being projected through a high-powered megaphone. The sound instantly reignited the fading fury of the thousands of beasts.
"Rwaaaaah!" Jekyeong let out a roar to match the beasts around him, then quickly snapped Cheongo and Muk-su out of their trance once more. Fortunately, because they had been somewhat prepared this time, the situation was better than before. But conversely, it meant that despite being prepared, they had still lost their reason for a moment.
I can't let this go on. Originally, Jekyeong had planned to feign madness, blend in, and slip away at the right moment. He had felt the brand left by Sagaewan gradually fading. Even if he couldn't do it immediately, he figured that if he bided his time, he could escape without drawing Sagaewan's attention.
But if they kept exerting control over the horde with these frequent bursts of brainwashing, finding an opening to slip away would be incredibly difficult.
Damn it. Is there really no other way? Jekyeong glanced sideways at a Great Demon that towered over the surrounding landscape like a hill rising from a field of grass. It was a colossal, gorilla-like Great Demon Beast, easily the size of a skyscraper.
The creature moved slowly, bracing itself on two arms that resembled steel towers. Yet, with just a single step every few seconds, it effortlessly kept pace with the frantic march of the thousands of beasts. Even from a distance, Jekyeong couldn't help but marvel at its overwhelming scale.
Its appearance was reminiscent of a famous giant monster from a movie in his past life, but this beast was far more colossal than its cinematic counterpart. Jekyeong found it hard to believe that such an unrealistic entity was merely a Great Demon Beast.
Of course, a Great Demon Beast was already a high realm of cultivation that he aspired to reach, and cultivation level wasn't strictly determined by physical size. Still, the fact that a creature whose very existence defied reality was classified as nothing more than a Great Demon Beast was deeply shocking.
Yet, regardless of his thoughts, reality was reality. The giant gorilla, which looked formidable enough to be a Demon King, was merely a Great Demon Beast—and one relegated to acting as a mere overseer, driven and ordered around by others.
So even if I become a Great Demon, am I destined to be nothing more than a slightly larger pawn? Back when he was a mere beast, he had mistakenly believed that becoming a Demon Beast would allow him to live freely in the cultivation world. Now that he was a Demon Beast, he was making the same mistake, thinking that becoming a Great Demon Beast would grant him that freedom. But those illusions were always, without fail, shattered by the harshness of reality.
Thud! A black figure dropped directly in front of Jekyeong. A small Demon Beast that had been running in that spot was instantly crushed into a bloody pulp beneath it, dying on impact.
"Ah, here you are."
"We've been looking for you."
Sagaewan spoke, his two mouths tearing the crushed Demon Beast beneath his paws in half. The beast's tough hide and flesh ripped apart as easily as thin paper.
"Were you looking for me?"
"Indeed."
"We wouldn't be here if we weren't."
Sagaewan seemed to possess not just two heads, but two distinct personalities. Rather than taking turns to speak, each personality resided in its respective head. Talking to him felt like conversing with two different individuals simultaneously—and two incredibly difficult ones at that.
"Were you watching Yung-won? He certainly is absurdly massive, isn't he? Even in the Sangyo Forest, beasts of his size are rare. There are maybe five at most. Yung-won claims he inherits the bloodline of the Ancient Demon Ape, but almost no one believes him."
"Not believing him is actually doing him a favor. If Yung-won really were a descendant of the Ancient Demon Ape, he would be a half-breed that doesn't even qualify as a proper half-breed. That would be a truly pathetic story."
A colossal Great Demon Beast like that was considered a pathetic half-breed? Jekyeong wondered if he had heard correctly. Was Sagaewan just spouting nonsense because he had a bad relationship with Yung-won? Or was the Ancient Demon Ape truly that legendary of an existence?
"You look skeptical."
"Even if he's on the smarter side, he's still just a common beast."
"What does being a common beast have to do with it? He simply lacks worldly experience."
"Common beasts lack experience because they die quickly."
Sagaewan bickered back and forth between his two heads, completely ignoring the "common beast" standing right in front of him, before suddenly turning his gaze toward Jekyeong.
"Clever serpent. Jekyeong, was it? Tell me, are you truly just a common beast?"
"Yes, we are curious about your lineage."
Jekyeong wondered why Sagaewan was suddenly asking this, immediately doubting his intentions. He knew this two-headed lion was far from simple. Asking a Demon Beast about its bloodline was equivalent to asking a human cultivator about their secret inheritance. Normally, it was not something one would ask out of casual curiosity, and even if asked, it was private information that would never be shared.
"My parents were ordinary serpents."
"You remember your parents?"
"He has a good memory."
Sagaewan's four eyes gleamed. Jekyeong felt deeply uncomfortable, unable to fathom why those eyes were shining or why the creature was staring at him with such intensity.
"A clever one always stands out, no matter where they are."
"We look forward to your performance."
Having said his piece, Sagaewan leaped away. Despite his departure, Jekyeong's expression darkened even more than when they had been face-to-face. He could feel the spiritual brand, which had been gradually fading, suddenly flare back to life, as vivid as when it was first placed.
That bastard! This confirmed it. Sagaewan was definitely keeping a close eye on him, and regardless of the upcoming battle, he had no intention of letting Jekyeong go. The choices before him were now crystal clear: either submit and follow Sagaewan, or kill him and leave.
As long as that mutant lion is alive, my situation will always be precarious. Setting aside the fact that Sagaewan was a Great Demon Beast, he was also a member of the Sangyo Forest. Jekyeong didn't know his exact standing within that territory, but he couldn't ignore the formidable backing behind him. Therefore, to resolve this cleanly, he had to eliminate Sagaewan by any means necessary—unless he chose to submit, which was out of the question.
"Jekyeong. What do we do?" Cheongo, who hadn't uttered a single word while Sagaewan was present, asked cautiously. Sensing Sagaewan's aura, which had already receded beyond detection, Jekyeong spoke coldly.
"We kill him. If he stays alive, he'll only keep causing trouble." Jekyeong suspected—no, he was certain—that Sagaewan was plotting something.
The question is, what is he after? If he wanted to make a move, he could have done so immediately. Why hold back? Was it because of the impending battle? The Demon Beast he had just crushed to death certainly wasn't a human cultivator.
No matter. He's a scheming bastard, so he'll reveal his true colors soon enough. Sagaewan acted as if he held Jekyeong's fate in the palm of his hand, utterly confident that no matter what Jekyeong tried, he would never escape his control.
What a wretched feeling. The most irritating part was that Sagaewan's assessment wasn't wrong. If the beast willed it, he could kill Jekyeong and devour him on the spot. But...
We'll see about that. Though the situation was grim, Jekyeong's mind remained firm and calm. I need to hurry. The atmosphere around Yung-won shifted. Having kept a close eye on the giant ape, Jekyeong noticed the change instantly. Though its movements remained slow, the aura it exuded had clearly transformed. Jekyeong could easily guess what that shift signified.
"Supreme Elder! A report from the scouts! The Water Tide is approaching, and they have confirmed the presence of a colossal Demon Ape in its midst!" An old man with long white hair and a flowing beard nodded as he listened to the middle-aged cultivator's report.
"I see. It seems they have come out to greet us right on time."
"At this rate, we will clash shortly. Would it not be wiser to halt here and prepare our defenses in advance?"
"Do so." The old man knew such preparations would ultimately mean very little, but he did not stop him. Even if it offered no practical advantage, the act of preparing would at least instill some measure of confidence in the disciples' hearts.
A Demon Ape. It must be that fellow Yung-won. For a creature as cowardly as he was massive to show himself meant that either the Sangyo Forest or Yung-won himself possessed immense confidence and resolve. Although the humans had chosen the timing of this expedition, the current situation made it seem as if the roles were reversed.
"Deploy the formations!" The disciples split into teams and began setting up formations across the area. They were nothing extraordinary, but they were thoroughly proven arrays that would be highly practical in battle.
How many will die, and how many will survive... Approximately three thousand disciples had been mobilized for this expedition. It was by no means a small number. It was safe to say that almost all of the younger generation, especially the outer disciples, had been drafted. Yet, the old man believed they would be fortunate if even half of them returned alive.
Fortunate, indeed. Would it truly be fortunate if fewer died and more survived? Knowing better than anyone that it wouldn't make a difference, the old man smiled self-deprecatingly. It was said that every cultivator harbored a serpent in their heart, but his own was undoubtedly a viper dripping with lethal venom.
They are here. The old man's powerful Divine Sense detected a massive wave of demonic energy approaching from the distance. Most of it was chaotic and weak, unworthy of his attention, but he could sense several formidable signatures among them. And one of those demonic auras... was so intense that even the old man couldn't help but frown.
"The Beast Race approaches! Elders, hold your positions!" At the old man's command, several cultivators soared into the sky. Some stood atop flying swords, others floated in the air with glowing beads orbiting around them, and one sat comfortably upon a large flying carpet.
A moment later, the earth began to tremble. A vibration so faint it could have been an illusion escalated into a violent earthquake before they could even draw another breath. At the same time, a thunderous rumble of trampling hooves and paws echoed through the air. Finally, a mountain-like silhouette came into view, accompanied by a dense, black swarm of figures blanketed beneath it.
"Disciples, prepare yourselves!" The old man's calm voice resonated in the minds of the disciples, cutting through the tension and fear that had begun to paralyze them.
"Obey the Supreme Elder's command!"