Sagye-wan’s speed was unbelievably fast. The only reason Jaekyung did not lose his direction was because Sagye-wan’s energy lingered here and there like footprints, serving as a guidepost. It was a long while before Jaekyung finally caught up to him.
He could have arrived much faster if he had traveled alone, but he could not, for he had other demon races to lead. Among the demon races following him, many were originally even slower than Mook-soo, and after encountering Sagye-wan, they were in a state of shock, which slowed their feet even more.
For this reason, Jaekyung could not help but arrive at the gathering point somewhat late. By the time he got there, what looked to be thousands of demon races already filled the plains.
"Jaekyung, I-I'm scared…"
The shocked Cheong-o muttered, forgetting the warning to keep his mouth shut. But Jaekyung could not bring himself to silence Cheong-o. He, too, was momentarily overwhelmed by the sight. Was it even possible for demon races, swayed by instinct more than reason, to gather like this?
What’s more, while they maintained a distance close enough to touch if they fell, they only growled at each other, not fighting to the death. Watching the unnatural scene, it was as if all the thousands of demon races were wearing leashes.
For a while, Jaekyung stared blankly at the unnatural sight, then turned his gaze toward the hill in the distance where he could feel Sagye-wan's energy.
'Strange.'
Sagye-wan’s energy was clearly located on the hill, but its size and pressure were much smaller than what he had felt before. Could it be that he, too, knew how to use a means of concealing his energy, like the Aura Concealment Art?
The senior cultivators of the Garden of Remembrance called the Aura Concealment Art a minor trick and did not think much of it, but that was because they were proud Foundation Establishment cultivators.
'That's right.
That Sagye-wan is also a Great Spirit Beast, so he's the same as a human Foundation Establishment cultivator.' If so, it would not be strange for Sagye-wan to know how to use the Aura Concealment Art.
In the first place, the Aura Concealment Art was not exclusive to human cultivators, and even if it wasn't that specific art, the cultivation world was vast, so there could be any number of similar methods. 'In that case… are all those on the hill Great Spirit Beasts?'
Though called a hill, it was large enough to be considered a small mountain. At its peak were several figures, large and small, and Sagye-wan was one of them. All of them were emitting a small but stable energy, just like Sagye-wan, and Jaekyung presumed they were all Great Spirit Beasts.
He did not know if they were Great Spirit Beasts or another faction of the demon races, but it was clear they were powerhouses on the same level as Sagye-wan. This was because the powerful Sagye-wan was positioned on the outer edge of their group.
Of course, one could not judge strength based on standing position, but from the outside, Sagye-wan did not look like a special existence among those on the mountaintop in the slightest. 'The one in the center is…?' Jaekyung unconsciously shifted his gaze, and in that instant, he froze like a stone statue.
He did not know why. He had been moving along just fine, but then he came to an abrupt halt, as if hitting a speed bump. Both his gaze and his consciousness.
'That… is definitely no ordinary Great Spirit Beast.' Among the dozen or so Great Spirit Beasts around, there were a few who were far larger than Mook-soo, truly like living, moving skyscrapers. Compared to their immense size, the being in the center did not stand out physically.
But Jaekyung instinctively felt an intense fear from him. The degree of that fear was far more severe than when he had faced Sagye-wan right in front of him. Was this pressure coming from the instincts of the demon races?
Jaekyung knew he was relatively free from this kind of instinctual suppression. It was probably because while his body was a spirit beast, its contents were mixed with that of a human. 'What is that being?
A Great Spirit Beast? Or a Demon King?'
Demon King.
In terms of the cultivation realms of humans, it corresponds to the Golden Core stage, a realm beyond the Great Spirit Beast. Fitting for the grand title of King of Demons, among the countless demon races in the Azure Abyss Realm, those who had reached the realm of Demon King were a very, very small minority.
Jaekyung could not be certain whether the being at the center of the Great Spirit Beasts was a Demon King or not.
However, the presence that was clearly distinct from the surrounding Great Spirit Beasts and the fear that naturally crept in just by paying a moment's attention to him made him suspect the being was something more than a Great Spirit Beast. Jaekyung did not dare to look directly at him and quietly held his ground.
He did not even think of using the Aura Concealment Art to erase his presence. He was afraid that such an attempt itself would attract the attention of the being on the mountaintop. * "Mountain Lord.
I believe we have gathered enough." Watching the Great Spirit Beast acting uncharacteristically polite, Sagye-wan let out a cold sneer in his mind. It was utterly ridiculous to see a reckless brute who would turn everything upside down if things did not go his way acting so modest.
'Looks like that fool knows how to read the time and place.'
'He'd better.
If he doesn't want to die.' Two heads, two minds. Often, no, most of the time it was annoying, but sometimes it was useful for curing boredom like this.
Being able to gossip without anyone knowing was quite an enjoyable thing. 'By the way, for the Elder to come in person. Is this matter big enough for that?'
'Who knows.
The higher-ups must have their reasons.' He carefully glanced at the one called Mountain Lord. On the surface, he looked like a completely unremarkable, ordinary Tree Spirit, but there was no one in the Upper Demon Forest who did not know the notoriety of the Mountain Lord.
The Old Mountain-Picking Demon. One of the three elders leading the Upper Demon Forest, his skills were said to be comparable to a Demon King. But it was not just his position or skill that made the demon races of the Upper Demon Forest afraid to even raise their heads in his presence.
'The fact that the Elder has stepped forward means more blood will be shed this time than before.'
'Perhaps.
But isn't that a good thing?' The conflict between the Upper Demon Forest and the Flame Lotus Sect was not a matter of yesterday or today.
Even if it was not for the innate adversarial relationship between the demon races and humans, their positions as two sharing one house called the Crimson Spine Mountain Range meant they were bound to clash. However, since neither side could overwhelm or push out the other, their conflicts always ended with both sides bloodied and no winner.
On the surface, it might seem like both sides were foolishly continuing a prideful battle while harming themselves, but this was actually an intended result born from a tacit agreement between the two powers. To understand this fight that continued with neither winner nor loser, one must first understand the situation both powers were in.
In truth, the matter of dominance over the Crimson Spine Mountain Range was a problem that fundamentally could not be resolved by the two powers.
If the Upper Demon Forest defeated the Flame Lotus Sect and took over the Crimson Spine Mountain Range, the Upper Sect behind the Flame Lotus Sect would not stand idly by, and conversely, if the Flame Lotus Sect were to win, a similar situation would unfold.
The Upper Demon Forest and the Flame Lotus Sect were but insignificant, unknown powers in the cultivation worlds of their respective races, but each had a power they relied on. This was why they could fight, but never completely win. In fact, even if they could win, they were not supposed to.
Over a thousand years ago, when they first encountered each other in the Crimson Spine Mountain Range, a truly fierce battle had taken place. They fought a battle of life and death, as if something terrible would happen if they lost, as if there was no tomorrow. But they soon realized the meaninglessness of the fight and grew weary.
They were, so to speak, like bells tied together. It was fine if they clashed and made a racket, it did not even matter if they got dented, but they were beings that must not be completely broken. The frontline of both territories?
No, it was just a remote backwater that no one cared about. It was just a matter of drawing a line in the sand, a place neither particularly wanted to possess but was also unwilling to hand over to the other, just for the sake of saving face.
Having realized their own meaning and value, the two powers lost their will to fight, but it was not long before they discovered an unexpected truth. Their fight might have been meaningless, but it did have value. For humans, the corpse of a demon race was a treasure in itself.
The byproducts from the bodies of demon races all had their uses, and certain body parts were even used as ingredients for medicinal pills. Likewise, for the demon races, human cultivators were a delicacy and a spiritual medicine.
Most demon races, who grew by eating whatever they could according to instinct, inevitably had impure Qi in their bodies, and human cultivators displayed an excellent effect in purifying that impure Qi.
Purifying the impure Qi in this way not only strengthened their energy but also helped in aiming for higher realms, so demon races who knew of this effect would practically drool at the sight of human cultivators.
Thus, as they each had something to gain from the other, the dying embers of the conflict between the Upper Demon Forest and the Flame Lotus Sect naturally flared up again.
However, as they both knew well that neither could completely dominate the other, they would adjust the intensity of their battles so that the aftermath would not shake the very foundations of their powers. They even had somewhat established justifications for fighting.
When the Flame Lotus Sect initiated, they would feign an attempt to expand their influence into neutral territory to provoke the Upper Demon Forest. Conversely, when the Upper Demon Forest initiated, they would create beast tides and push hordes of ignorant demon races into the Flame Lotus Sect's sphere of influence.
This time, the fight was started by the Flame Lotus Sect, which meant the Upper Demon Forest was in the position of retaliating, a format that usually led to a somewhat defensive stance. But for the infamous Old Mountain-Picking Demon to step forward in a fight like this?
Even if he were to appear, shouldn't it be toward the end of the battle? That's how it had always been until now. 'Something is up.'
'Yes.
Something is different from before.' Sagye-wan instinctively sensed that this battle would be more complicated than before, but he could not grasp the reason. 'In times like these, it's best to eat just enough and save your own skin.'
'Right.
Let's be extra careful this time. Don't go losing your head just because the blood rushes to it like last time.' 'That blood last time, didn't it rush to your head?'
'My head is your head, and your head is my head.'
'Oh-ho.
Only at times like these?' Sagye-wan was confident that he was the smartest Great Spirit Beast in the world. Because he had two heads.
When others thought with one head, he could think with two, so wasn't it obvious that he was twice as smart as those with only one? Sagye-wan thought with his brilliant heads. This time, no matter what happened, he would not be the first to step forward.
* Jaekyung, of course, had no idea what Sagye-wan was thinking. He simply saw Sagye-wan lingering on the outskirts like an outcast who could not fit in with the group and suspected that he might be being ostracized among the Great Spirit Beasts.
'They said they were fighting a place called the Flame Lotus Sect… but not knowing how these demon races fight is frustrating.' Surely they were not just going to swarm in and fight like a children's brawl, without any kind of formation, right? 'No, maybe that would be better?'
If a formation existed, Sagye-wan, who had dragged him here, would likely be his superior, which Jaekyung found extremely uncomfortable. It was not just because he had been forced to come. Rather, it was because Sagye-wan seemed to have noticed his special nature.
One could say he was overreacting to what might have been a brief moment of curiosity. But to Jaekyung, even that fleeting curiosity was a serious threat. Because Sagye-wan was a Great Spirit Beast who could kill him anytime he pleased.
For the weak, the attention of a strong person they cannot defy is poison. Some might say that even poison can be used as medicine, but that does not make poison not poison. Poison is fundamentally dangerous, and it is right to avoid danger if it can be avoided.
This was a very simple principle of survival.
"Even with the pressure of hierarchy, can they really control these guys properly?"
The ones from the Upper Demon Forest had forcibly gathered thousands of demon races in one place and were compelling them not to attack each other, but that was all. Even now, there were some spread out, some turning their heads here and there and howling, and some even defecating, a true motley crew if there ever was one.
Was it really possible to command such creatures like an army? While Jaekyung was lost in such thoughts, there was movement on the mountaintop.
"Mountain Lord. Shall we begin now?"
To the polite question, the Old Mountain-Picking Demon, shaped like a giant tree-man, or perhaps an ape, opened his mouth in a low voice.
"Go ahead."
As his permission was given, the colossal Great Spirit Beast who had been respectfully reporting to him turned around. The moment he turned toward the thousands of demon races below the mountain, an explosive pressure erupted from his entire body.
As that pressure spread out from the mountaintop and covered the plains, the thousands of demon races, who had been busy with their own distractions, all stumbled at once, their breathing growing ragged.
"Listen, you vermin! The weakling humans have dared to set foot on our land without knowing their place! They are approaching us even now! To skin us, to pull our sinews, and to chew our flesh!"
The Great Spirit Beast's fury was carried in his roar, spreading out and coloring the hearts of the demon races who heard him. The demon races, who had been merely bewildered and afraid at first, were instantly consumed by rage. 'What is this.'
Jaekyung was overwhelmed by the sudden change in the atmosphere. His own heart was pounding fiercely from hearing the Great Spirit Beast's shout, but fortunately, it had not escaped his control. 'This isn't incitement or anything like it.
Hypnosis?
No, should I call it brainwashing?' He could not help but shudder at the sight of a Great Spirit Beast influencing thousands of demon races with just a few words. Was such a method even possible?
If so, could a Great Spirit Beast not wield thousands of demon races as he pleased? No matter how strongly the demon races were affected by hierarchy, this was still too much.
"Go! Kill those who try to kill you, and skin those who try to skin you! Fight until you die, and if you can, bite and claw at them even in death!"
As the Great Spirit Beast's command fell, thousands of demon races roared in unison and turned their bodies. As if they knew where they were supposed to go, they charged off in one direction without anyone needing to point the way. Jaekyung, reading the room, also mixed into the moving crowd.
"Cheong-o! Mook-soo! Get a grip!"
While doing so, he urged Cheong-o and Mook-soo, who had fallen into a frenzied state similar to the other demon races. Cheong-o's fierce eyes returned to normal after he shouted a couple of times, but Mook-soo's did not, so Jaekyung had no choice but to whip Mook-soo a few times with his tail to snap him out of it.
Of course, before doing so, he first confirmed that there were more than a few other demon races bumping into each other and tumbling over nearby.
"Both of you, keep your wits about you."
The words were for Cheong-o and Mook-soo, but at the same time, they were a reminder to himself.