The momentum of over a thousand members of the demon races rushing in one direction was incredibly ferocious. Unfortunate beasts caught in the stampede were trampled without leaving even their bones behind, or were devoured by demon race members who happened to be hungry.
Wandering members of the demon races who encountered the thousand-strong horde were swept up in the confusion and joined them, like citizens caught in a massive protest. The few who did not join… all became food for the countless frenzied demon race members.
Jaekyung saw a weasel spirit beast, which had tried to slip out of the crowd, become docile after being consecutively struck by two large spirit beasts, and came to a new realization. People say spirit beasts are savage, but in the end, as living creatures, their desire to avoid death is no different from that of an ordinary animal.
Ultimately, in the face of the instinct for survival, nature and ferocity all bend.
‘As expected, most of them are spirit beasts.’
Jaekyung could see at a glance that the army of over a thousand demon race members was mostly composed of spirit beasts. Everywhere he looked, the majority were spirit beasts of various sizes; demons were perhaps one in a hundred.
He had known for a while that the majority of the demon races were spirit beasts, but seeing it in person like this made him wonder if they shouldn't be called the Spirit Beast Tribe instead of the demon races. 'I heard that there aren't many spirit beasts among the rulers of the demon races, is that why?'
The wooden man who had projected the strongest presence from the mountain peak was a case in point. He didn't know if that being was a demon, but it certainly wasn't a spirit beast.
"Keep advancing!"
From far away, a voice boomed as if shouted through a powerful amplifier, echoing thunderously. The sound reignited the somewhat faded anger of the thousands of demon race members.
Uwaaaaargh-!
Jaekyung shrewdly roared like the other demon race members around him, then snapped the frenzied Cheong-o and Mook-soo back to their senses. This time, Cheong-o and Mook-soo were somewhat prepared, so the situation was better than the first time. But in other words, it meant that despite being prepared, they had still lost their reason.
‘This won't do.’
Originally, Jaekyung had planned to just blend in, pretending to be frenzied, and then slip away at the right moment. He felt that the brand-like thing left by Sagye-wan was gradually fading. He thought that if he could buy some time, even if not right away, he could slip away without attracting Sagye-wan's attention.
But if they controlled the crowd with this sort of mind control from time to time, it would be difficult to find a chance to escape.
'Dammit.
Is there no other way?' Jaekyung glanced at the Great Spirit Beast, which stood out like a hill among the unremarkable grasses in the distance. It was a Great Spirit Beast resembling a gorilla the size of a skyscraper.
The beast moved slowly, supporting itself on two arms like steel towers, yet with each step every few seconds, it effortlessly kept pace with the thousands of demon race members moving busily. Even with just brief glances from afar, he was filled with awe at its overwhelming size.
Overall, its appearance was reminiscent of a certain monster from a famous monster movie of his past life, but this monster was far larger than the one depicted in the movie. Jaekyung couldn't comprehend how such an unreal being was merely a Great Spirit Beast.
No, of course, being a Great Spirit Beast was a high realm he himself was aiming for, and a realm wasn't determined by size… but still, the fact that a creature of such unbelievable size was only a Great Spirit Beast was a fresh shock. But regardless of his thoughts, reality was reality.
The giant gorilla, with an appearance that could pass for a Demon King, was a Great Spirit Beast, and one that was being ordered around, acting as a battle supervisor for another.
‘Even if I become a Great Spirit Beast, does it just mean I’m nothing more than a slightly larger horse?’
When he was a beast, he had mistakenly believed that becoming a spirit beast would let him live freely as he wished in the cultivation world. Now that he was a spirit beast, he had again mistakenly believed that becoming a Great Spirit Beast would grant him that freedom. But those delusions always, without fail, crumbled before the harsh reality.
Thud!
A black figure dropped down in front of Jaekyung. The small spirit beast that had been in that spot was crushed into a mangled heap of meat beneath it, clearly killed instantly.
"So you were here."
"We've been looking for you for a while."
Sagye-wan grabbed the spirit beast crushed beneath its feet with its two mouths and tore it in half. The spirit beast's tough hide and flesh split as softly and easily as thin paper.
"Were you looking for me?"
"Yes."
"We came because we found you."
It seemed Sagye-wan not only had two heads but two personalities as well. But instead of the two personalities appearing alternately, they each resided in one of the heads, so even though he was talking to one being, it felt like he was talking to two. Two very difficult individuals at that.
"Were you looking at Yung-won? That one is certainly stupidly huge, isn't he? A body that big is rare even in the Upper Demon Forest. Maybe five at most? That Yung-won fellow claims to have inherited the bloodline of the Ancient Demon Ape, but almost no one believes him."
"Not believing him is actually for his own good. If that Yung-won fellow really is a descendant of the Ancient Demon Ape, it would mean he's a pathetic excuse for a descendant, and that's a truly miserable story."
Such a colossal Great Spirit Beast is a pathetic excuse? Jaekyung doubted if he had heard correctly. Could it be that Sagye-wan and this Great Spirit Beast named Yung-won were on bad terms, causing him to spout such nonsense?
Or was the existence known as the Ancient Demon Ape truly that magnificent?
"You seem doubtful."
"Even if he's smart, in the end, he's just a lesser demon."
"What does being a lesser demon have to do with it? He's just short-sighted."
"Lesser demons are short-sighted. Because they die quickly."
Sagye-wan, who had been bickering without paying any mind to the lesser demon listening, suddenly turned his heads.
"Clever snake. Jaekyung, was it? So, are you really a lesser demon?"
"Yes. I'm curious about your bloodline."
Jaekyung wondered why Sagye-wan was suddenly asking such a thing and was suspicious of his intentions. He knew this two-headed lion was by no means a simple creature. Asking a spirit beast about its bloodline was no different from a human cultivator asking about their legacy.
It meant it was personal information that one normally wouldn't need to be curious about, and even if one were, it wouldn't be shared.
"My parents were ordinary snakes."
"You remember your parents?"
"You have a good memory."
Sagye-wan's four eyes gleamed. Why they were gleaming, why he was being looked at with such eyes, Jaekyung felt extremely uncomfortable.
"A clever one always stands out, no matter where they are."
"I look forward to your performance."
Having said his piece, Sagye-wan leaped away again. Though he was gone, Jaekyung's expression grew darker than when he had been facing him. He could feel that the spiritual brand, which had been gradually fading, had become as distinct as it was at the beginning.
‘That son of a bitch!’
This made it certain. Sagye-wan was definitely paying attention to him, and it seemed he had no intention of letting him go, regardless of the upcoming battle. In that case, the options were now clear.
One was to submit to Sagye-wan and follow him. The other was to kill Sagye-wan and leave. 'As long as that mutant lion is alive, my situation will continue to be precarious.'
Even setting aside the fact that Sagye-wan was a Great Spirit Beast, he was a member of the Upper Demon Forest. He didn't know Sagye-wan's exact position in the Upper Demon Forest, but Jaekyung couldn't ignore that threatening background. Therefore, to make a clean break, he had to eliminate Sagye-wan by any means necessary.
Unless he was going to submit to him.
"Jaekyung. What should we do?"
Cheong-o, who hadn't said a word while Sagye-wan was present, asked cautiously. Feeling Sagye-wan's energy, which had already receded beyond his perception, Jaekyung opened his mouth coldly.
"I have to kill him. If that bastard lives, he'll keep being a nuisance."
Jaekyung suspected, no, was certain, that Sagye-wan was up to something. 'The problem is, what is he after.' If he wanted to do something, he could have done it right away, so why hadn't he?
He's not acting because a battle is imminent? Was the spirit beast that bastard just trampled to death a human cultivator?
'Forget it.
He's a black-hearted bastard anyway. He's sure to reveal his intentions soon enough.' Sagye-wan acted as if he held Jaekyung's fate in the palm of his hand.
As if he was certain that no matter what schemes this side came up with, they couldn't escape his control. 'It's… a really shitty feeling.' The truly infuriating part was that Sagye-wan's thoughts weren't wrong.
If he wanted to, he could kill him, or even eat him.
But. 'We'll see.'
Although the situation was bleak, Jaekyung's mind remained firm and calm. 'I need to hurry.' Yung-won's atmosphere had changed.
Jaekyung, who had been watching him the whole time, noticed it immediately. His slow movements remained the same, but the aura he exuded had definitely changed. Jaekyung could guess what such a change signified.
* "Grand Elder! A report from the scout! A beast tide is approaching, and a giant demon ape has been confirmed among them!"
An old man with long white hair and beard nodded upon hearing the middle-aged cultivator's report.
"I see. It seems they've come out to greet us in a timely manner."
"At this rate, we will soon face them. How about we stop here and make preparations in advance?"
"Do so."
The old man knew such preparations would be of little meaning, but he did not stop them. Even if it wouldn't be of much practical help, the act of preparing itself could instill some measure of confidence in the disciples' hearts.
‘A demon ape. It must be that fellow, Yung-won.’
For a coward as big as his body to show himself must mean that whether it was the Upper Demon Forest or Yung-won himself, they were that confident and resolved. It was clearly this side that had set the timing for the move, but looking at the current situation, it seemed to be the other way around.
"Deploy the formations!"
The disciples formed groups and began setting up formations in various places. They weren't anything extraordinary, but they were battle-tested and useful in combat.
‘How many will die, and how many will live…’
The number of disciples mobilized for this expedition was about three thousand. It was by no means a small number. It was safe to say that most of the younger generation disciples, especially the outer sect disciples, had been mobilized, but the old man thought it would be a blessing if even half of them survived.
‘A blessing.’
Would it be a blessing if fewer died and more lived? Knowing better than anyone that it wasn't so, the old man scoffed at himself. It was said that every cultivator raises a snake in their heart, but his own snake must surely be a viper with a deadly venom.
‘They’re coming.’
The old man's powerful divine sense detected a wave of demonic energy approaching from afar. Most of it was motley and not worth his attention, but he could also sense several auras of considerable level. And one of those demonic auras… was so intense that even the old man couldn't help but frown.
"The demon races are swarming! Elders, hold your positions!"
At the old man's command, several cultivators soared high into the sky. Some of them stood on flying swords, some floated in the air with several glowing orbs around them, and others sat in comfortable postures on large carpets. A moment later, the ground shook.
The tremor, so faint it could have been mistaken for an illusion, intensified in less than a breath, becoming like an earthquake. At the same time, thunderous footsteps began to be heard. And finally, what came into view was a colossal, mountain-like figure, and beneath it, a thick, black mass.
"Disciples, prepare yourselves!"
The old man's calm voice echoed in the minds of the disciples, who had been consumed by tension and fear.
"Uphold the Grand Elder's command!"
"Activate the formations!"
There was no hurried movement. The cultivators, who were already prepared, simultaneously infused their spiritual power, and dozens of pillars of light shot up towards the dark night sky. The brilliant light not only illuminated the heavens but also instantly dispelled the shadows that had fallen upon the hearts of the Flame Lotus Sect cultivators.
It was at that very moment.
"Crude trickery."
A cold sneer echoed in the cultivators' minds, just as the words of the old man called Grand Elder had moments before.
Kwoong!
Was that the sound of footsteps shaking the very axis of the earth? Or was it an alarm bell ringing in the hearts of the human cultivators who heard the sneer? The night sky, which had been pierced by the pillars of light, was instantly covered in darkness.
The darkness that blanketed the sky instilled an instinctual fear in all living things.
"Old Mountain-Picking Demon!"
A roar filled with spiritual power erupted, but the sky trapped in the curtain of darkness did not tremble in the slightest. On the contrary, far from trembling, it even began to emit eerie wails that sounded like auditory hallucinations.
"Shin Baek-rim! I'm surprised you managed to drag that heavy body of yours all the way out here, eh?"
Beneath the darkest sky, a wooden man shrouded in black smoke revealed itself. The wooden man had a human form, but upon closer inspection, it had many flaws, looking as if it was crudely and incompletely made by a clumsy woodcarver.
However, this clumsy wooden doll-like figure was none other than the Old Mountain-Picking Demon, one of the three great leaders of the Upper Demon Forest and a figure of infamy throughout the Crimson Spine Mountain Range.
"Are you surprised to see me?"
"Yes, I am surprised. I wonder what you and that dullard over there ate to make you show your faces before this old man, you who cherish your own bodies so dearly."
The old man, Shin Baek-rim's gaze turned towards Yung-won, who stood tall in the middle of the demon race horde. At his gaze, Yung-won broke into a cold sweat and cowered, but what difference would it make for a body that large to just bring its arms forward a bit? Seeing the pathetic sight, the Old Mountain-Picking Demon snorted coldly.
"There's no need for pointless chatter. What words are needed? All we have to do is what must be done."
"You are right about that. Yes. All we need to do is what must be done."
The Old Mountain-Picking Demon stepped forward, and Shin Baek-rim stepped forward to meet him. Simultaneously, the thousands of demon race members, whose patience had already run out, charged towards the cultivators of the Flame Lotus Sect all at once.
* Kwaang!
Jaekyung's ears, which were already ringing from the collective roar of thousands of demon race members, nearly burst from this deafening blast. Startled, Jaekyung turned his head and saw the massive body of Yung-won, which seemed as if it wouldn't budge even if the sky fell, stumbling.
Focusing his eyes, he saw a human cultivator in the air a short distance from Yung-won, with one hand stretched forward. 'A Foundation Establishment cultivator!' Jaekyung instinctively lowered his body, raised his tension to the maximum, and withdrew his widely spread spiritual awareness as much as possible.
When explosions ring out from all sides, you must cover your ears. Likewise, now that the full-scale battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Great Spirit Beasts had begun, a widespread spiritual awareness would bring only pain instead of help, so he had to try not to be conscious of it.
"Kraaaaargh!"
Fireballs flew, and formless shockwaves rolled in. Perfectly fine ground suddenly turned into a swamp that pulled at their bodies, and a flash of light in the sky was followed by the appearance of a translucent giant that plunged a spear towards the ground.
‘This is crazy.’
Jaekyung narrowed his eyes as a shockwave struck him. It didn't hurt much, but being hit out of the blue like that put him in a foul mood. But he didn't charge forward according to his temper.
Instead, he let out a pained scream and pretended to be pushed back appropriately, yielding the joy of fighting first to his other comrades.
"Guwoooork!"
A bull spirit beast, having gained the opportunity thanks to his yielding, snorted steam from its nostrils and charged forward. Jaekyung, half-fallen, watched its gallant back, then discreetly rolled his eyes and began to survey the surrounding battlefield.