The Price of Greed
Since he and his wife were no longer young and their hopes of advancing further along the path of cultivation were dim, their children would eventually have to stand on their own feet sooner or later, whether they liked it or not. He worried if the children would be able to survive resiliently when that time came.
'Sigh. To think they are still only in the mid-Qi Condensation stage.' Heaven had taken pity on the couple and blessed them with twins, but unfortunately, it had not granted them talent to match. Despite the couple providing unstinting support in terms of cultivation techniques and elixirs, their children were still unable to break through the bottleneck of the mid-Qi Condensation stage. Perhaps because they had been pampered too much, their temperaments were weak and fragile. He worried they would fall into immediate danger the moment they were out of his sight.
'I can only hope this venture is not in vain.' Seo Muso calmed his mind as he looked at Heukgyodo drawing closer. According to the information they had obtained, a secret belonging to Gwak Jeong-sin of the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance was hidden on that island. Gwak Jeong-sin had recently been rapidly expanding his influence within the merchant alliance, a feat made possible by his wealth and connections. However, since his rise had only begun in earnest recently, that wealth and those connections must have been acquired not long ago.
Originally, Seo Muso did not even know a man named Gwak Jeong-sin existed in the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance, but he had learned of this matter by chance. Gwak Jeong-sin had acquired a Spiritual Fruit Tree and reaped immense profits from its fruits. Supposedly, the tree had originally been discovered by the Heok-gyo-bang, but Gwak Jeong-sin, having caught wind of it, wiped them out to seize it. He had intended to transplant the tree, but because its roots had already run too deep into Heukgyodo, he was unable to move it. Thus, he spread rumors of a black flood dragon to turn Heukgyodo into a forbidden land... or so the story went.
Initially, Seo Muso had not believed this tale. However, his mind changed when the Heok-gyo-bang truly collapsed and rumors of a black flood dragon sighting began to circulate.
'Someone is trying to make a move against Gwak Jeong-sin.' Seo Muso was half-certain of it. The fact that his couple had obtained this information was undoubtedly due to someone's deliberate design. Whoever it was wanted to harm Gwak Jeong-sin but could not act directly for some reason, so they leaked the information in this manner.
Was there really a Spiritual Fruit Tree on Heukgyodo? Perhaps, perhaps not. But there had to be a reason why Gwak Jeong-sin went to such lengths as spreading absurd rumors to protect the island. Having reached that conclusion, the couple, Seo Muso and Yang Yuwan, decided to take the risk. While acting as someone else's pawn was unpleasant, such was the life of a Rogue Cultivator. Opportunity always accompanied crisis, and vice versa; if one wished to make a fortune, one had to be prepared to risk their neck. As experienced Foundation Establishment cultivators, Seo Muso and Yang Yuwan understood this truth all too well, which was why they did not hesitate to embark on this venture.
"Husband, let me take a look first." Yang Yuwan scanned Heukgyodo using her Spirit Eye Technique.
"There is no grand formation, and I don't feel any unusual flow of spiritual energy. There is only a single cultivator at the mid-Qi Condensation stage."
"How can that be?"
"What could have happened? Could Gwak Jeong-sin have already made his move?" Seo Muso trusted Yang Yuwan's skills. Her Spirit Eye Technique had reached a high level of mastery; there was no way she would misjudge.
"Let's capture the fellow on the island and find out." Before accelerating, Seo Muso unleashed his Divine Sense to its fullest to check if anyone was hiding in the vicinity. Yang Yuwan also aided in the search. After confirming that nothing was amiss, they picked up their pace and flew toward Heukgyodo.
"There is a building." Once they drew close enough, the couple spotted a grandly constructed building. The anomalous structure, completely out of place in its barren surroundings, simultaneously piqued their curiosity and heightened their vigilance.
"It's just an ordinary building." They observed it multiple times from a distance, but there seemed to be nothing special about it. Though they hesitated briefly, they soon proceeded with their original plan and captured the island's sole cultivator. He was a young lad, barely twenty years old. The boy, who had been casting the Spirit Rain Technique over a spiritual field, collapsed to the ground in sheer terror at the couple's sudden appearance.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I-I am Han Cheongyu. I... I manage the Spiritual Rice fields."
"Spiritual rice?" Seo Muso glanced at the vast spiritual field. "Who ordered you to tend to this field?"
"E-Elder Gwak ordered me to do so."
"Elder Gwak? Do you mean Gwak Jeong-sin?"
"Y-Yes." The cold, rigid expressions on the couple's faces softened slightly. It seemed the information they had received was not entirely false after all.
"You couldn't possibly manage such a vast spiritual field all by yourself. Where are the others?"
"They went to check on the school of Fleshy-Scaled Fish a couple of days ago."
"Fleshy-scaled fish..." Seo Muso and Yang Yuwan exchanged glances. While they still knew nothing about the Spiritual Fruit Tree, this place was undoubtedly Gwak Jeong-sin's treasure trove.
"Where is the Spiritual Fruit Tree?"
"S-Spiritual Fruit Tree? What is that? I have never seen a tree on this island." Under the crushing pressure exerted by the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Han Cheongyu staggered, looking as if he might suffocate and collapse at any moment. Seo Muso and Yang Yuwan stared into Han Cheongyu's terror-stricken eyes, trying to discern the truth of his words. This was a rather tedious task. If they could use the Soul Search technique, they could easily scour his soul to grasp the situation in an instant, but there was no way rogue cultivators like them possessed such a method. In the end, they had no choice but to threaten, pressure, and closely observe his reactions.
After pushing Han Cheongyu to the brink of fainting, they concluded that the boy was not lying. In other words, there was no Spiritual Fruit Tree on this island. The couple could not hide their disappointment. Though they had been skeptical from the start, it was still disheartening.
"...What is that building by the water? What is inside it?"
"It is where Lord Cheongo resides. I do not know what is inside. We are not allowed to enter."
"Lord Cheongo? Who is that?"
"He is... a crow Demon Beast. He is a demon beast, but he can speak..."
Seo Muso and Yang Yuwan's eyes narrowed. A crow demon beast? And it could speak? It sounded extraordinary just hearing about it. They wondered if it was a Great Demon, but judging by the boy's words, that didn't seem to be the case either. Of course, it was possible that the boy's ignorance prevented him from recognizing a Great Demon even if it stood right before him...
"Let's go." They did not ponder for long. Whether this demon beast named Cheongo was a Great Demon or not, it was currently not on the island. They decided to inspect the building first. If there was anything useful on this island, it would surely be inside that structure.
'Things are getting complicated.' Seo Muso was starting to feel anxious. They had traveled all this way with great difficulty; surely they wouldn't have to return empty-handed? If they couldn't find anything of value in this building, should they at least plunder the fleshy-scaled fish?
A short while later, having arrived in front of the building, Seo Muso turned to Yang Yuwan and said,
"I will go inside. Wife, remain outside and keep watch. That crow demon beast might return, or Gwak Jeong-sin's people might arrive, so do not let your guard down."
"I understand. You be careful too."
"Understood." Watching Yang Yuwan soar into the air on her dharma sword, Seo Muso dragged Han Cheongyu—whose face was so pale he looked ready to faint at any moment—and entered the building.
The interior of the building was pitch-black, without a single speck of light. While it posed no problem for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Seo Muso, ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators would have struggled to see. He couldn't help but wonder why anyone would construct a building this way, but conversely, this abnormal structure planted a seed of anticipation in his heart.
'What on earth is the purpose of this building?' From the outside, he had thought it was quite elegantly built, but upon entering, the interior was utterly barren. It was merely abnormally dark and spacious. Stepping forward cautiously, Seo Muso finally lost his patience and turned his gaze toward Han Cheongyu.
"How much do you know about this building?"
"I-I..." Just as Han Cheongyu stammered, trying to say something—
Thud! A heavy tremor shook the building. Seo Muso tensed and circulated his Dharma Power, but he soon raised his head in bewilderment. He could feel it. At this very moment, the entire island had been sealed off.
"What is..." The moment Seo Muso tried to expand his divine sense, a hazy figure rose from the darkness.
"What?!" By the time Seo Muso noticed the anomaly, the figure was already throwing a punch from right behind his back. It was a simple fist, but the power contained within it was anything but simple.
Crash! His spine buckling, Seo Muso coughed up blood and was sent flying.
"Graaa!" At the same time, Jekyeong, who had transformed back into his true form, pursued him relentlessly. Although it could not compare to the power of his true form, Jekyeong's physical body even in his human form was sturdier than most human Body Cultivators. Since he had delivered the blow with such a body, even a reckless punch carried a force that an ordinary human cultivator could not withstand. When his fist slammed into the opponent's back, Jekyeong felt a heavy impact. It was the sensation of flesh tearing and bones shattering.
"Cough!" Yet, an experienced Foundation Establishment cultivator was indeed different. Even as he was sent flying while coughing up blood, he circulated his dharma power to protect his body and drew his Dharma Treasure to prepare a counterattack. Such agility was superior even to the leader of the Heok-gyo-bang whom Jekyeong had faced before.
"Roar!" But what of it? Even if this man was superior to the leader of the Heok-gyo-bang, Jekyeong was no longer the same beast who had struggled against that leader back then.
Boom!Yokai Fire swept in all directions. Since Jekyeong's spiritual nature was practically the essence of fire, flames naturally erupted whenever he stirred his Monster Power. While this Yokai Fire was not as powerful as the spells of human cultivators, it was not something that could be easily ignored either. Knowing this, Seo Muso had to expend his dharma power to block the invasion of the monster power.
Clang! A flying sword struck the scales on Jekyeong's head and bounced off. Seo Muso frowned once when the flying sword was deflected, and once more when he saw that not a single scratch had been left on the scales it hit. Although it was a rushed attack meant to keep the beast at bay, it was still a dharma treasure infused with dharma power. As an experienced cultivator, he had faced many demon beasts and even Great Demons, but he had never encountered a case like this.
"Hup!" Chased without even a moment to catch his breath, he somehow condensed his dharma power and launched his flying sword once more.