An Unexpected Harvest
Jekyeong did not want to get involved in dangerous and troublesome matters if he could help it. To avoid that, he had to leave this place as quickly as possible, where he might run into bandit cultivators.
'Hmm.' Jekyeong carefully slid his head into the water droplet. His head entered the sphere of water without any resistance.
However, the interior of the droplet was far too cramped to accommodate even his head alone, so Jekyeong immediately underwent anthropomorphism and stepped down beside the corpse of the man.
Jekyeong looked back and forth between the man's wide-open, staring eyes and the storage bag clutched tightly in his hand.
'Rest in peace.' Jekyeong gently closed the man's eyes with his own hand and retrieved his storage bag.
He did not check what was inside the storage bag yet. He could always do that later.
Instead, he searched the man's body to see if he had hidden anything else, and soon discovered a thin, rolled-up object wrapped around the corpse's left forearm.
'What is this?' Having steadily accumulated various pieces of knowledge about the cultivation world and having seen countless storage bags, Jekyeong recognized immediately that the object was a spatial dharma treasure.
Considering the water droplet floating nearby like a balloon, he could guess that the thin, cloth-like object in his hand was the legendary Beast-Controlling Bag he had only heard stories about.
'A fine item.' Although it was similar to a storage bag in that it was a spatial dharma treasure, a Beast-Controlling Bag was far rarer.
While a storage bag could only hold inanimate objects, a Beast-Controlling Bag could house living demon beasts.
Theoretically, even a Great Yo-beast could be kept inside one. Of course, it couldn't be just any Great Yo-beast; it had to be one that had formed a soul contract with the owner.
Jekyeong stared for a moment at the water-droplet-like creature—unsure if it was a demon beast or something else entirely—and tried putting it into the Beast-Controlling Bag as an experiment.
According to what he knew, this creature shouldn't have been able to enter the bag. Since the cultivator who had formed a soul contract with it was dead, the contract should have naturally dissolved.
Yet contrary to his expectations, the bizarre creature slipped into the Beast-Controlling Bag without the slightest resistance.
'Just as I thought.' This droplet-like entity was undoubtedly a living organism, but it seemed to lack any independent thought.
Because it did not think, it possessed no emotions. If pushed, it would slide; if pressed, it would yield. Likewise, if put inside, it would simply go in.
'I'll have to examine it thoroughly later.' But that, too, was a task for another time. Right now, his urgent priority was to escape this area as quickly as possible.
Regardless of his hot blood and blazing spiritual nature, Jekyeong defined himself as an aquatic demon.
If he were to call himself a fire-attributed aquatic demon, some might chuckle and ask if there was such a thing as white ink, but it was the simple truth.
The fire energy originating from his spiritual nature was the result of the cultivation Jekyeong had built up after his reincarnation. On the other hand, breathing underwater and feeling comfortable in the depths were traits he had possessed since birth.
As an aquatic demon, Jekyeong enjoyed immense advantages underwater.
His movements were not restricted like those of terrestrial beings, and supported by his excessively sturdy body, he could move freely in the deep trenches where ordinary aquatic monsters could barely even approach.
This was an absolute advantage. Down here on the pitch-black riverbed where he was currently traveling, Jekyeong was confident even if he had to fight an enemy of a higher cultivation realm.
Provided, of course, that the enemy was not also an aquatic demon.
Clang! The teeth of a giant clam snapped shut ferociously.
Yes, a clam with teeth. The giant clam, about half of Jekyeong's size, possessed teeth as sharp as a shark's, and it even had eyes growing on its shell.
"Are you really looking for a fight?" A cold murderous intent flickered in Jekyeong's eyes.
An ordinary aquatic monster would have fainted or trembled in terror the moment they met that gaze, and even a Great Yo-beast would have flinched instinctively.
But this clam did not. It wasn't because the creature was brave, but purely because it was stupid.
It couldn't distinguish between the strong and the weak, nor was it capable of thought. It merely remained faithful to its primal instinct to hunt and devour anything that moved.
Among the beast race, especially among demon beasts, there were quite a few such creatures. Humans even gave them a special name: Vicious Beasts.
"Graaa!" Jekyeong had detected this creature early on using his Divine Sense, but he hadn't paid it much attention, intending to simply pass by as if he hadn't noticed.
This was because he had judged that its presence was formidable, making it an opponent that wouldn't be easily dealt with.
But if it was going to pick a fight like this, that changed things. Besides, while he couldn't tell when merely sensing its aura with his Divine Sense, seeing it with his own eyes made him realize that dealing with this creature might not be so difficult after all.
This clam-shaped Great Yo-beast, or Vicious Beast, seemed to be the classic 'sturdy body' type.
Its weapons appeared to be its sharp teeth and clamping force, which was a rather laughable arsenal considering its greatest asset was its incredibly tough shell. Was it not?
To attack, it had to open its shell and expose its teeth, which naturally meant revealing its soft, vulnerable flesh inside.
In Jekyeong's eyes, this clam was a major anomaly. At the same time, it was incredibly lucky. If its habitat hadn't been in these deep, dark waters, it would have been hunted and eaten by someone long ago.
Whoosh! Although Jekyeong's body was massive, he was by no means sluggish. He was at least agile enough to easily dodge the giant clam's strike.
In truth, Jekyeong didn't think the clam's bite would inflict any significant damage on him anyway.
If the giant clam's greatest strength was its hard shell, Jekyeong's greatest pride was also his exceptionally durable body.
A body that had undergone repeated sheddings and had been baptized by spiritual nature was a terrifying weapon in its own right. This was not mere arrogance, but a fact proven in actual combat.
When he had previously fought the bandit cultivators who invaded Heukgyo Island, he had taken a direct hit from an opponent's full-power dharma treasure without sustaining a single scratch.
Of course, he had to take into account that the dharma treasure was of somewhat poor quality, and that the cultivator's dharma power had already been more than half depleted at the time, but it was still a terrifying display of defense nonetheless.
'But there's no need to take an attack I can easily avoid.' He was not a foolish beast that relied solely on brute force to ram through every obstacle. If he could fight more intelligently and advantageously, why wouldn't he?
Fwoosh! A fierce torrent of flames erupted from his wide-open maw.
The Yokai Fire, heavily infused with his monster power, instantly engulfed the giant clam.
Through years of cultivation, Jekyeong had gained a deeper mastery over manipulating his monster power, allowing him to wield Yokai Fire completely at will.
Although he could now emit Yokai Fire from his entire body, unleashing it from his mouth yielded the greatest destructive power.
Furthermore, his control over it was so precise that he could continuously spew the flames as long as his monster power did not run dry.
Rumble! The endlessly spewing Yokai Fire instantly transformed the freezing deep waters into a boiling sea of lava.
The giant clam writhed in agony, losing its senses as it was practically roasted alive. It thrashed about wildly, but there was no way Jekyeong would fall for such desperate struggles.
Jekyeong effortlessly evaded the giant clam's erratic movements, continuing to breathe Yokai Fire to burn the creature over and over again.
"Gurgle!" Though this giant clam was in some ways inferior to a common beast, a Great Yo-beast was still a Great Yo-beast.
Even after being practically bathed for several minutes in the Yokai Fire—which would have reduced an ordinary demon beast to ashes instantly—it managed to endure, writhing in pain but refusing to die.
However, even its endurance had limits. As the surrounding area became completely saturated with dense monster power and the flames spread in all directions, the giant clam's stubborn thread of life finally snapped.
Its shell, which had never fully opened even during its attacks, now gaped wide open.
Jekyeong's eyes gleamed as he spotted the golden-brown, roasted flesh inside the wide-open shell, and a glittering object nestled right at its center.
Despite a few minor incidents along the way, Jekyeong safely returned to Heukgyo Island.
'It was a good decision to return alone.' If he had remained on the vessel of the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance, it would have taken him several more days to get back, and he would have missed out on these unexpected gains.
"Welcome back, Dragon Lord." As soon as he appeared before Heukgyo Island, those who had sensed his return beforehand through the Island Protecting Grand Array bowed their heads in unison.
Among them were both humans and demon beasts. The humans consisted of about twenty cultivators led by Han Cheongyu, while the demon beasts were two turtles, one large and one small.
The human-sized smaller turtle possessed eyes brimming with sharp intelligence, whereas the larger turtle, boasting a massive body well over twice that size, had a completely vacant, dim-witted gaze.
The small turtle with the clever eyes was Hyeongu, and the large turtle with the dim-witted look was Hyeongu's son, Bigu.
Hyeongu had formally introduced him four years ago, and when Jekyeong first saw him, he had seriously doubted whether this fellow was truly Hyeongu's biological son.
He had wondered how such a dim-witted creature could possibly have been sired by someone as exceptionally clever as Hyeongu.
However, although Bigu was simple-minded, as his sheer size suggested, he was far more suited for physical labor than Hyeongu.
Moreover, he possessed a gentle temperament, diligently carrying out whatever his father Hyeongu ordered and refraining from doing anything he was forbidden to do.
Hyeongu would often take this simple but loyal son along to patrol various parts of the Heukgyo water territory, flaunting his presence.
Jekyeong found the sight rather amusing but never stopped them.
In truth, he did not care how his subordinates carried themselves within his territory, provided they executed his commands flawlessly.
"Very well." Jekyeong averted his gaze from the two turtles and scanned the humans.
While a few, including Han Cheongyu, kept their heads bowed with unwavering composure, the rest looked rather pale and trembled slightly from time to time.
"Cheongyu. Your cultivation has improved."
"It is all thanks to your grace, Dragon Lord."
The humans bowing their heads were all in the mid-stage of Qi Condensation. Han Cheongyu was among the younger ones, but his cultivation was the highest, nearly knocking on the door of the late stage of Qi Condensation.
Such a rapid pace of cultivation was partly due to his talent, but it was largely attributed to Han Cheongyu's unyielding Dao heart.
Jekyeong would occasionally observe the humans staying on Heukgyo Island in secret, and he had noted that Han Cheongyu devoted almost all of his time to cultivation, save for when he was working.
"Where is Cheongo?"
"He is currently asleep."
Cheongo's sleeping hours had noticeably increased. Over the past ten years, he had spent far more time asleep than awake.
At first, Jekyeong had worried that something might be wrong with him, but after seeing that the bird's eyes grew clearer and his aura became denser each time he woke up, he decided not to fret over it.
There were many mysterious and bizarre things in this world that he did not know and could not comprehend. Cheongo's cultivation was one of them.
According to Cheongo's own description, he was building a nest in his dreams.
Jekyeong had no idea what that meant and could not understand it, but he vaguely guessed it was a form of cultivation.
He didn't know how such a thing was possible, but since it was undeniable that the bird's cultivation advanced every time he woke up from a deep slumber, he had no choice but to draw that conclusion.
"I see." After inquiring if anything unusual had occurred during his absence, Jekyeong headed toward his residence, the place named the Black Cult Palace.
It was a name bestowed by the humans working under him.
Back when the Black Flood Dragon Gang occupied Heukgyo Island, the chief's residence at the center of the island was called the Black Jiao Hall. They had simply changed the very last character of that name.
It felt a bit half-hearted, but it sounded decent enough. At least it was better than the name Hyeongu had suggested: the Dragon Palace.
The Dragon Palace... It was a grand name, of course, but if it ever reached the ears of outsiders, it was practically an open invitation to disaster. Jekyeong simply could not bear such a risk.
Deep within the Black Cult Palace, Jekyeong began sorting through the spoils of his recent journey.
First, he took out the spiritual items he had acquired at the auction. Next, he laid out the various cultivation techniques and artistic heritages he had purchased in small batches, and finally, the storage bag and Beast-Controlling Bag he had obtained from the nameless cultivator.
'Precious Rippling Jade Liquid, Clear Tree Heart Root, Water Horse Essence Blood, and the Vermilion Flash.'
Although these four spiritual treasures he had secured at the auction could not be considered supreme-grade, they were still highly valuable items that ranked among the upper tiers.
The Precious Rippling Jade Liquid was an excellent cultivation treasure that benefited anyone regardless of how it was consumed, while the Vermilion Flash was a fire-attributed spiritual item rarely found in Yang-seo-ho. And...