Fanning the Flames
'Could they be afraid?' No other explanation made sense. It was highly unlikely they feared the commoners of Sam-wa-do, so if they were indeed afraid, it had to be of the Water Beasts...
'But why?' Jekyeong couldn't fathom the reason, which made things difficult. According to his calculations, the Heuk-gyo-bang should have deployed their forces by now to suppress Sam-wa-do and the Water Beasts. Only then could he begin chipping away at their numbers and seize an opportunity...
'It can't be helped.' Though it deviated from his original plan, it wasn't a fatal issue. As long as the board itself wasn't flipped, the picture could always be redrawn. It wasn't difficult; it was just a bit tedious.
'It's a pity the turtle doesn't have a talent like Cheongo's.' The turtle was certainly clever, and a rarity among Demon Beasts for being able to speak, but unfortunately, its speech only worked with fellow members of the Beast Race. It didn't possess the ability to communicate across species like Cheongo did.
'What a hassle. But once this is over, I can focus on my cultivation for a while.' Jekyeong raised his heavy body. His mind was exhausted from his recent training, but in a way, that was actually better. Gliding through the water was something he could do without thinking.
Sam-wa-do.
Jekyeong met Han Cheongyu in the dark of night, just as before.
"Senior," Han Cheongyu bowed deeply. Beneath his extreme politeness lay a fear he couldn't entirely conceal. He knew that the senior standing before him belonged to the Beast Race. Moreover, he was a powerful Great Demon who could command hundreds of Water Beasts at will. Perhaps this senior was even stronger than the leader of the Heuk-gyo-bang. The fear he felt was an instinctual reaction born from the vast difference in their cultivation realms.
Rationally, however, Han Cheongyu actually felt grateful to this senior. Of course, he didn't believe for a second that the senior had chosen him out of pure goodwill. He was young and inexperienced, but he was not foolish. This nameless senior was undoubtedly using him. In all likelihood, the senior had chosen him and Sam-wa-do as bait to strike at the Heuk-gyo-bang.
Even though he suspected this, Han Cheongyu didn't care. In fact, he welcomed it. As long as he could spill the blood of the Heuk-gyo-bang bandits, nothing else mattered. It was his dream, and this senior was the benefactor who had helped him realize at least a part of it. Therefore, whether the senior was of the Human Race or the Beast Race, and whatever schemes he harbored, Han Cheongyu didn't care in the slightest.
"Thanks to the decision you made that day, Sam-wa-do has gained its freedom," Jekyeong said, looking into Han Cheongyu's unwavering eyes. Though Han Cheongyu's body trembled, he did not avert his gaze.
"...But at the same time, it has been placed in jeopardy. Why do you think that is?"
"Because of the Heuk-gyo-bang bastards. Because they are still standing..."
"Exactly. Which is why we must eliminate them." Hearing those words, Han Cheongyu's face flushed. His body stopped trembling.
"You have successfully lit the spark. Now, we must fan the flames."
"The spark..." Han Cheongyu muttered blankly, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Do you mean we should bring the other islands into this?"
"Yes. Are they not also suffering under the tyranny of the Heuk-gyo-bang? Good things should be shared." The timing was perfect. Thanks to the unrest caused by the Water Beasts, the Heuk-gyo-bang's control had weakened. Now was the perfect time to contact the other islands.
"Understood!" Han Cheongyu didn't overthink it. To him, the only thing that mattered was that bringing in the other islands would deal a blow to the Heuk-gyo-bang.
"Good." Jekyeong withdrew, satisfied. He didn't give Han Cheongyu detailed instructions. Judging by how he had handled things before, the boy possessed an adaptability that far exceeded his years. Having successfully taken the most difficult first step, a task of this scale would not be hard for him to accomplish.
It didn't take long for Jekyeong's expectations to be met spectacularly. The spark lit on Sam-wa-do spread across the waters. One by one, the islands suffering under the brutal rule of the Heuk-gyo-bang began to rise up.
At this point, the Heuk-gyo-bang could no longer sit idly by and began to move. They had temporarily put off the matter of Sam-wa-do due to the unusual behavior of the Water Beasts, but this was a different story. If they didn't extinguish this spark of rebellion early, people would begin to question the Heuk-gyo-bang's authority.
"Suppress them thoroughly!" At the strict command of the gang leader, dozens of ships carrying thousands of Heuk-gyo-bang members immediately departed from Heukgyodo. Such majesty and influence clearly demonstrated who the true ruler of the waters surrounding Heukgyodo was.
"Impressive," Jekyeong couldn't help but marvel as he watched the dozens of ships and the thousands of cultivators aboard them recede into the distance.
"Of course it is! Those fools who dared to rebel without knowing their place will taste bitter defeat this time! We'll be bringing back plenty of slaves, too." A scruffy-looking Heuk-gyo-bang bandit nodded boastfully. Then, his expression suddenly turned strange, and he sniffed the air.
"Wait, what is that smell?" He turned his head toward Jekyeong. "I think it's coming from you."
"It must be this." Jekyeong pulled out a gourd and shook it. As the aroma of the Spirit Wine wafted out, the bandit gulped, completely mesmerized.
"Do you want a drink?" The bandit nodded eagerly, as if he had been waiting for those exact words, but Jekyeong put on a regretful expression and turned the gourd upside down. Not a single drop fell.
"My apologies, but I've already finished it. I just couldn't resist."
"...Well, nothing to be done about that." Though he felt like he was being mocked, the bandit found himself unable to get angry for some reason. He had a powerful premonition that he absolutely must not show anger. Suddenly feeling anxious, he turned around as if being chased.
"Ah, by the way..." The languid voice from behind made his body freeze instantly.
"I have some business with the gang leader. Do you happen to know where he is right now?" The moment he heard those words, the bandit's body turned to stone.
"Y-you..." He wanted to scream, but no sound came out. His comrades, who had been crowded around just moments ago and were still nearby in large numbers, acted as if the man before them didn't exist. They didn't even spare a glance at his unnaturally stiffened body.
'What is this? Is it a dream?' He desperately wanted to believe it was a terrible nightmare... but the sensation of his blood running ice-cold reminded him that this horrific situation was all too real.
"Where is he?" At that casual question, the bandit rolled his eyes—the only part of his body he could still move—to point in a certain direction. Toward the grand building situated at the center of the island.
The grand structure located at the center of Heukgyodo, bearing the grandiose name of Heukgyojeon.
Jekyeong walked through the magnificent, ornate hall. He had been able to pinpoint the Heuk-gyo-bang leader's location ever since he drew close to Heukgyojeon. He had found it strange that he couldn't sense the presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator despite Heukgyodo being a large island, but upon entering Heukgyojeon, he understood why.
'There seems to be something in this building that blocks presence.' Whether it was a Dharma Treasure or the property of one of the building materials, he didn't know, but it had caused him to wander a bit. It was a good thing he had brought plenty of Spirit Wine; otherwise, he might have been forced to reveal his true form right in the middle of the island.
But regardless, he had made it here safely, and everything had gone smoothly as expected. After reaching the Great Yao stage, his Presence-Concealing Technique had taken another massive leap forward. When he exerted the technique to its limit, a Qi Refining cultivator wouldn't even notice his presence even if he walked right past them, unless they possessed exceptionally outstanding Spiritual Awareness. In most cases, even those he came into direct contact with would fail to perceive his existence entirely.
'Heukgyojeon, is it?' Jekyeong leisurely strolled through the grand hall, reflecting on the fancy name of the building. The island was Heukgyodo, the gang was Heuk-gyo-bang, and the building where the leader resided was Heukgyojeon. At first, he hadn't thought much of these names. A name was just whatever the creator wanted to call it, so what did it matter? But walking through this grand and luxurious hall, a certain thought naturally occurred to him.
'Why a Flood Dragon and not a Dragon?' If they were going to name it, why not choose something with more grandeur instead of settling for a halfway-there Flood Dragon? Of course, a Flood Dragon was a powerful entity in its own right, but there was a far more powerful and divine existence above it—the Dragon. Why settle? Was it because they feared being ridiculed by others if they used "Dragon" in their name, so they compromised with "Flood Dragon"?
'Or was it an ambition—that though they are currently mere Flood Dragons, they will one day ascend to become true Dragons?' Only the leader of the Heuk-gyo-bang would know the exact answer, but if that was indeed the thought... he had to highly commend the grandeur of that ambition. Even if, in reality, they had stopped short of even becoming a Flood Dragon, remaining at the level of a mere threadworm.
"Um... Lord Cheongo," the turtle spoke, glancing up at the large crow perched on its head. "Should we begin soon?"
"Huh? I don't know either."
How can you not know! The turtle wanted to yell, but held it in. Although not a Great Demon, this Lord Cheongo spoke casually with the Dragon Lord, so he must possess some special status.
"Just do it on your own. Jekyeong told you to handle it yourself, didn't he?"
"Ah, yes. He did. Er... but for me to do that, you'll have to get off my head first..."
"Huh? Why? It's comfortable here."
"No, it's just... the ones who are going to do the work are in the water."
"Ah, right." As Cheongo fluttered away, the turtle finally let out a sigh of relief and slipped into the water. Immediately, he flinched instinctively. It wasn't because he was a coward. Anyone would have reacted the same way. When over a thousand Water Beasts are glaring at you as if they want to devour you whole, anyone would shrink back.
"Go!" The turtle knew that complex instructions wouldn't work on beasts whose eyes had already rolled back in frenzy. Thus, he simply pointed toward Heukgyodo and uttered a single word. That was enough.
"Kroaaaaar!"