Aboard a small, swift boat were two men and two women. They were a family; the two parents were early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and their two children were middle-stage Qi Refining.
“Father. We will arrive at Black Flood Dragon Island soon.”
As the young man standing at the bow raised his voice slightly, the middle-aged man meditating inside the cabin nodded his head.
"Tae-yeom.
Your mother and I will scout the situation from above. You and So-hwa follow along, being mindful of attacks from aquatic spirit beasts.” The middle-aged man, Seo Mu-so, ascended on a flying sword with his wife, Yang Yu-wan.
Even while staying in the cabin, they had spread their divine sense to survey the surroundings, but no matter what, it was not as good as looking down from the sky. However, because an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's spiritual power is insufficient, they could not fly continuously in the sky, even with the use of a flight spirit artifact.
To be more precise, they could fly if they wanted to, but no one did so. For if a powerful enemy were to appear while their spiritual power was already greatly depleted, it would be difficult to even flee, let alone fight back properly. "So that is Black Flood Dragon Island."
Seo Mu-so muttered, looking at Black Flood Dragon Island which appeared like a small dot. At that, Yang Yu-wan, who was flying alongside him, narrowed her eyes.
“Husband.
How about we go ahead and take a closer look? If Black Flood Dragon Island is truly Gwak Jeong-shin's vault, there should be guards. Wouldn't it be good if we could take care of them in advance?"
"Are you saying this because you're worried the children will be in danger?"
Yang Yu-wan did not answer, but her silence was an answer in itself. Seo Mu-so seemed to hesitate for a moment before letting out a sigh and speaking.
“Wife. We cannot protect the children forever.”
"I know. But shouldn't we do as much as we can?"
Yang Yu-wan was firm. Seo Mu-so sighed inwardly but said no more. The higher a cultivator's realm, the more difficult it is to have children.
The couple were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they had tried for over twenty years to have children. Since they were the fruits of such difficult labor, Seo Mu-so was naturally concerned as well. But Yang Yu-wan was far more so, and she was reluctant to let the children out of her sight.
This matter was no exception. Originally, Seo Mu-so had wanted to come with just Yang Yu-wan, but she had insisted they must move together, saying she could not leave the children behind. He understood her feelings, but such thorough protection could instead be a poison to the children.
The couple was not young, and their hopes of advancing further on the Immortal Path were dim, so sooner or later, the children would have to stand on their own, whether they liked it or not. He worried whether the children would be able to live steadfastly when that time came.
'Huu.
Still at the middle stage of Qi Refining.' The heavens had taken pity on the couple and gifted them with twins, but regrettably, they did not bestow talent as well.
Even though the couple had supported them without lack in any aspect, be it cultivation techniques or medicinal pills, their children were still unable to break through the bottleneck of the middle Qi Refining Stage.
On top of that, perhaps because they had been coddled too much, their state of mind was not firm either, and he was worried they would be in immediate danger if they were out of sight. 'I can only hope that this venture will not be in vain.'
Seo Mu-so calmed his heart as he looked at the approaching Black Flood Dragon Island. According to the information they had obtained, a secret of Gwak Jeong-shin of the Prosperous Treasure Guild was hidden on that Black Flood Dragon Island.
Gwak Jeong-shin had been rapidly expanding his position within the Prosperous Treasure Guild recently, and he was able to do so because he had money and connections. However, he had only begun to rise in prominence recently, so that money and those connections must have been obtained recently.
Seo Mu-so had not even known there was someone named Gwak Jeong-shin in the Prosperous Treasure Guild, but he came to learn of this matter by a chance opportunity. Gwak Jeong-shin had obtained a Spiritual Fruit Tree, and he had seen considerable profit from the spiritual fruits obtained there.
Originally, that Spiritual Fruit Tree had been discovered by the Black Shark Gang, but Gwak Jeong-shin, who happened to obtain information about it, annihilated the Black Shark Gang to seize the tree. He had originally intended to transplant the Spiritual Fruit Tree, but the tree had already taken deep root on Black Flood Dragon Island, making it impossible.
Therefore, he had spread rumors of a Black Flood Dragon to turn Black Flood Dragon Island into a forbidden land... that was the gist of it. Originally, Seo Mu-so did not believe this story. But when the Black Shark Gang truly fell, and rumors began to circulate that a Black Flood Dragon had appeared, his thoughts changed.
'Someone is trying to make a move against Gwak Jeong-shin.' Seo Mu-so was half-convinced. The fact that the couple had obtained such information must have been a reflection of someone's intent.
And that someone was trying to undermine Gwak Jeong-shin but, for some reason, could not act directly, so they leaked the information in this manner. Could there be a Spiritual Fruit Tree on Black Flood Dragon Island? There might be, or there might not be.
But there must have been a reason why Gwak Jeong-shin went as far as spreading absurd rumors to protect Black Flood Dragon Island. Having thought it through to that point, the couple, Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan, decided to take the risk. Moving according to someone else's will was not pleasant, but such was the life of a cultivator.
Opportunity always comes with crisis, and vice versa, so if one wants to make a fortune, one must be prepared to risk one's own neck. As experienced Foundation Establishment cultivators, Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan knew this principle well, and that was why they did not shy away from this adventure.
"Husband. I'll take a look first."
Yang Yu-wan surveyed Black Flood Dragon Island with her Spirit Eye Art.
"There are no formations, and I don't feel any particular flow of spiritual energy. As for cultivators, there's only one guy at the middle Qi Refining Stage."
“How can that be?"
“What could have happened? Surely Gwak Jeong-shin hasn't already made his move?" Seo Mu-so trusted Yang Yu-wan's skill.
Her Spirit Eye Art had reached a high realm, and it was impossible for her to see things incorrectly. “Let's capture the one on the island and find out.” Before picking up speed, Seo Mu-so spread his divine sense with all his might to check if anyone was hiding nearby.
Yang Yu-wan also lent her strength to the search. And a moment later, after confirming there was nothing amiss, they began to increase their speed and headed towards Black Flood Dragon Island. "There's a building."
When the distance had closed to some extent, the couple discovered a magnificently built structure. The strange building, completely out of place with the empty plains surrounding it, stimulated both their curiosity and their wariness. "It's an ordinary building.”
They observed it several times from a distance, but there seemed to be nothing special about it. They hesitated for a moment but soon captured the island's sole cultivator as originally planned. He was a young fellow who looked to be just about twenty.
The young man, who had been casting the Spiritual Rain Technique on the spirit rice fields, was startled by the couple's appearance and collapsed where he stood.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
“I... I am Han Cheong-yu. I... am tasked with managing the spirit rice fields.”
"Spirit rice?"
Seo Mu-so glanced at the vast spirit rice fields.
"Who ordered you to manage the spirit rice fields?"
“E-Elder Gwak ordered me to."
“Elder Gwak? Do you mean Gwak Jeong-shin?" “Yes, yes." The couple's coldly stiffened faces relaxed slightly. It seemed the information they had received was not entirely wrong after all. "You couldn't possibly manage all these vast spirit rice fields by yourself. Where have the others gone?” "They went to check on the school of Meat-Scaled Fish the day before yesterday.”
“Meat-Scaled Fish......."
Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan met each other's eyes. They still didn't know about the Spiritual Fruit Tree, but it certainly seemed that this place was Gwak Jeong-shin's honey pot.
"Where is the Spiritual Fruit Tree?"
“S-Spiritual Fruit Tree? What is that? I have never seen a tree on this island."
As the two Foundation Establishment cultivators pressed down on him with their aura, Han Cheong-yu staggered as if he would suffocate and collapse at any moment. Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan looked into Han Cheong-yu's terrified eyes, trying to discern the truth in his words. This was quite a troublesome task.
If they could use the Soul Searching Technique, they could instantly search the fellow's soul and grasp the situation, but there was no way that rogue cultivators like them would possess such a method. In the end, they had no choice but to intimidate and pressure him like this, carefully observing his reaction.
Having pushed Han Cheong-yu to the brink of fainting, they judged that the young man was not lying. In other words, it meant there was no Spiritual Fruit Tree on this island. The couple could not hide their disappointment.
They had been half in doubt from the beginning, but they couldn't help but feel let down.
“... What is that building by the water? What is inside?" "It is the place where Elder Cheong-o resides. I do not know what is inside. We are not allowed to enter.”
"Elder Cheong-o? Who is that?"
"Uh・・・ it is a crow spirit beast. It's a spirit beast, but it knows how to talk..."
Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan's eyes narrowed. A crow spirit beast? That knows how to talk?
Just hearing about it sounded extraordinary. They wondered if it might be a Great Spirit Beast, but from the young man's words, it didn't seem so. Of course, it was also possible that this fellow's experience was so limited that he wouldn't recognize a Great Spirit Beast even if it was right in front of him.
“Let's go."
They did not think for long. Whether that spirit beast called Cheong-o was a Great Spirit Beast or not, it was not on the island right now. They decided to check the building first.
If there was anything of value on this island, it would surely be inside that building. 'Things are getting complicated.' Seo Mu-so gradually grew impatient.
We came all this way with such difficulty, surely we won't have to return empty-handed? If we can't find anything of value in this building either, should we just snatch the Meat-Scaled Fish? A moment later.
Having arrived in front of the building, Seo Mu-so looked at Yang Yu-wan and spoke.
"I will go inside. Wife, you stay outside and watch the surroundings. That spirit beast, Cheong-o, might return, or Gwak Jeong-shin's people might come, so do not let your guard down."
"I understand. You be careful too."
“Mm.”
After watching Yang Yu-wan ascend on her spirit sword, Seo Mu-so took Han Cheong-yu, whose face was pale as if he would faint at any moment, and entered the building. Inside the building, it was pitch dark without a single point of light.
For Seo Mu-so, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was no problem, but ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would likely have trouble seeing. The thought of why a building would be constructed this way naturally came to mind, but conversely, this abnormal structure planted a small seed of expectation in Seo Mu-so's heart. 'What on earth is the purpose of this building?'
From the outside, he had thought it was built quite elegantly, but upon entering, the interior was shabby. It was just abnormally dark and spacious, nothing more. Seo Mu-so, who had been walking cautiously, finally couldn't hold back and turned his gaze to Han Cheong-yu.
“How much do you know about this building?"
“I... I......."
Just as Han Cheong-yu stuttered, trying to say something.
Kuuung!
A heavy vibration shook the building. Seo Mu-so tensed and drew up his spiritual power, but he soon looked up in alarm. He could tell.
At this very moment, the entire island had been sealed.
"This......."
The moment Seo Mu-so tried to spread his divine sense. A blurry figure rose from the darkness.
"What!"
By the time Seo Mu-so noticed something was wrong, the figure was already extending a fist from behind his back. It was just a simple punch, but the power contained within it was anything but simple.
Kwang!
His back bent, Seo Mu-so was sent flying while spitting blood.
“Kuaaa!"
Simultaneously, Jaekyung, having transformed into his original form, relentlessly pursued him.