When Jaekyung sensed the presence of the intruders and roughly gauged their cultivation realm, he decided to capture them alive if possible. There were several reasons for this decision. First, for interrogation.
Second, for their storage pouches. Third, for their own value. The first reason was self-explanatory.
He had to find out where these people came from and why. As for the second and third… one could say he was tired of the unfortunate situation of fighting hard and getting nothing in return. But capturing someone alive was not something one could do just by wanting to.
If the opponent's skill was stronger than he anticipated, he would not be able to handle even victory, let alone capture them. Besides, it doesn't end with their capture. Unless they are neutralized by some special means, a half-hearted capture would constantly create troublesome situations.
And this was precisely Jaekyung's problem. He did not know how to perform a Soul Searching Technique, nor did he know any special methods of restriction. But very fortunately, the solution came to him on its own.
"Dragon Lord! We've captured the prisoners!"
Two Qi Refining cultivators who had arrived late from outside the island. They were the children of this Foundation Establishment cultivator couple. And even more fortunately and surprisingly, this couple seemed to cherish their twin children more than their own lives.
"Well done.” Hyeon-gu, whom he had kept on standby in the water just in case, had rendered great service. "Me too! Me too!" Well, Hyeon-gu and Cheong-o. "Are you alright?" “Yes, yes."
But the one who rendered the greatest service was Han Cheong-yu, who had come back from the dead. If he had not remained on the island alone and deceived the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, there was no telling how this fight would have unfolded. Of course, Jaekyung did not think he would have lost to them.
Their attacks could not even pierce his scales, so from the beginning, there was no way for them to win. Therefore, that it might have unfolded differently meant that he might not have been able to capture them alive. Jaekyung did not know methods to cripple their spiritual power.
Nor did he know how to harm their soul or spirit. Thus, the most he could do to restrain these prisoners was to crush their limbs. Normally, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, mere damage to the physical body is not very significant.
Of course, even they could not do anything about fatal wounds like a ruptured heart or a severed neck. But as long as it wasn't an instantly fatal injury, they could recover somehow as long as they had spiritual power.
Yes.
As long as they had spiritual power.
Fwoosh!
“Kugh!"
A faint demonic flame burned their flesh. Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan used what little spiritual power they had left to block the corrosion of the demonic power. This was for their own sake, but also to save their children.
If they did not suppress this demonic flame with their spiritual power, the Great Spirit Beast before them would immediately take action.
“Good.
I will ask one last time.
So……………"
The two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan, were quite cooperative in his interrogation. The speed at which they spoke doubled just from Cheong-o landing on their son's and daughter's heads in turn. They were truly what one would call model prisoners.
Anyway, according to the words they had confessed repeatedly, they had come to strike Black Shark Island, which was highly likely to be Gwak Jeong-shin's place of business or vault, under someone's secret instigation. It was something that happened very commonly in the cultivation world, neither surprising nor new.
"Hm.
I hope you will say the exact same thing to the person who will be here soon.” "The person who will be here soon?"
“Yes.”
Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan did not ask. Right now, only one thing was important to them. "You'll keep your promise, right?
Don't touch the children.”
At Seo Mu-so's murderous gaze, Jaekyung chuckled and spoke.
"I even swore an oath on the Great Dao. You don't believe me?"
An oath on the Great Dao is literally an oath to the Dao. It sounds like a play on words, but when one recalls what the Dao means to cultivators, one can guess the magnitude of its meaning. This oath has no direct binding effect.
But cultivators, who must be true to themselves and have no qualms in their hearts, cannot take an oath on the Great Dao lightly. After all, the Great Dao is what they must pursue for eternity, so an oath on the Great Dao is like placing heavy shackles on oneself on the Immortal Path.
To one who has no will to advance further on the Immortal Path, an oath on the Great Dao is nothing more than a meaningless verbal promise. But to one who cherishes the desire and will for the Immortal Path, an oath on the Great Dao is a considerably effective restraint.
Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan hoped that the Great Spirit Beast before them was the latter. For them, who had been defeated and captured while trying to rob someone else's house, that was the only thing they could cling to. Leaving behind the two silenced Foundation Establishment cultivators, Jaekyung began to check the storage pouches he had collected from them.
The spirit stones were nothing special. He felt no disappointment, as he had already cleared his mind of any expectations from the moment he heard their identities and their motive for coming to Black Shark Island. Were they not plunderers who had come to rob someone else's house because of their own poor pockets?
How many spirit stones could such people possibly have in their pockets? The same went for the medicinal pills. The medicinal pills for cultivation were all things that only Qi Refining cultivators would use, and the rest were all refined pills.
At least the spirit artifacts were somewhat tolerable. The flying sword that Seo Mu-so used was of quite good quality, enough for a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to use without issue. Moreover, flying swords were the most in-demand type of spirit artifact, so it seemed he could sell it for a good price.
On the other hand, Yang Yu-wan's side was quite disappointing. It was a bell spirit artifact, but its function was extremely ambiguous. It was said to have the power to clear a cultivator's mind to control heart demons and repel wicked things?
It might be very effective in specific situations, for example, when dealing with ghosts or demonic cultivators, but would such situations arise so easily? Whether ghosts or demonic cultivators, they were quite a rare sort in the cultivation world.
Jaekyung surmised that Yang Yu-wan had this bell spirit artifact because she had tried to sell it long ago but it just wouldn't sell. 'Still, this isn't bad.' The storage pouches he had obtained before were from Qi Refining cultivators at best.
The storage pouch of the Black Shark Gang Leader, who had been a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had unfortunately vanished into his stomach along with its owner, so this was the first time he had obtained a storage pouch from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
No matter how poor the harvest, a Foundation Establishment cultivator's storage pouch could not be compared to that of a Qi Refining cultivator. Also, since this was his first harvest, Jaekyung was sufficiently satisfied even if it was a poor one. A few days later.
Gwak Jeong-shin arrived at Black Shark Island.
"Dao Friend Jaekyung."
Gwak Jeong-shin, who greeted Jaekyung, frowned upon seeing the two haggard Foundation Establishment cultivators.
“Are these them?"
“They are.
Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan, a husband-and-wife pair of cultivators. Have you heard of them?" Foundation Establishment cultivators were not common, but they were not that rare either.
Considering the population of humans, it was not an exaggeration to say they were overflowing. Let alone early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and rogue cultivators at that, it would be difficult even for Gwak Jeong-shin to remember each and every one.
"Hm.
I think I've heard of them.” But if he still remembered them despite that, it was because they had some special aspect. "They are rogue cultivators and demonic cultivators with a bit of a name.
I hear the number of small cultivator families buried by their hands is more than can be counted on one hand. I heard they wiped out every single member.”
"Cultivator families?"
When Jaekyung asked doubtfully, Gwak Jeong-shin smiled and said.
"A cultivator family is not that grand a thing. There are quite a few families with fewer than ten members."
Not all rogue cultivators are demonic cultivators, but the majority of demonic cultivators are rogue cultivators. Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan were the same. As a rare husband-and-wife pair of Foundation Establishment cultivators with a considerable track record, their names were quite well-known.
However, they had survived until now because they were good at distinguishing between opponents they should not touch and those they could. But there is no festival that lasts forever. This demonic cultivator couple's little festival also came to an end with a single mistake.
"May I briefly interrogate them?"
"Go ahead."
Gwak Jeong-shin first asked a few questions. Seo Mu-so and Yang Yu-wan, who did not want to lose their precious children, naturally answered obediently, and the answers thus obtained created a wrinkle on Gwak Jeong-shin's brow. He thought that what the two prisoners said was likely true.
Because, in his opinion, there was no part of their story where they could mix in lies, and in the first place, they had no reason to lie. Their appearance, having given up on life and worrying only about the safety of their children, was that of typical parents.
"Aren't you going to use the Soul Searching Technique?"
Jaekyung approached and asked, and Gwak Jeong-shin shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I know how to use it, but I am not skilled. If I use the Soul Searching Technique on them, their souls and spirits will soon be broken, and they will die."
"I see.
If Dao Friend Gwak pays a suitable price, I will hand them over to you. Then you can perform the soul search without worry."
“Haha."
Gwak Jeong-shin shook his head once more, revealing that he had no intention of doing so. Qi Refining cultivators have value as prisoners. Whether used for labor or for other purposes, there is in any case a demand for them.
This is because they are fundamentally cheap. However, cultivators at Foundation Establishment or higher are not only expensive but also difficult to manage, so the demand itself is extremely low. Gwak Jeong-shin, who already trusted their testimony by over ninety percent, did not want to pay such a large price to resolve the remaining less than ten percent of doubt.
"I am very sorry to have caused such a disturbance for Dao Friend Jaekyung.” "I was a little surprised. But well, fortunately, I was not seriously injured.”
"This matter can be seen as having happened because of me, so I will provide appropriate compensation.” Jaekyung had summoned Gwak Jeong-shin to claim compensation for his losses, and Gwak Jeong-shin also knew that. Jaekyung did not exaggerate the damage he had suffered, nor did Gwak Jeong-shin try to downplay this matter as if it were nothing.
Such low-class behavior would only have a negative impact on the relationship between them. As they both understood each other's positions and did not resort to petty tricks, the negotiations proceeded smoothly. Jaekyung requested from Gwak Jeong-shin a higher-level formation legacy and one useful Soul Searching Technique.
"That is not difficult.” Gwak Jeong-shin showed a slight smile as he accepted Jaekyung's request. He seemed to think it was fortunate that Jaekyung did not ask for more.
"But similar incidents may occur in the future." Gwak Jeong-shin's meaning was clear. He would compensate this time, but he could not in the future.
After all, a transaction contains a mix of profit and loss for both sides, so the risks associated with the transaction must also be borne by each party. In that respect, Gwak Jeong-shin paying a price this time could be seen as him 'making an effort' to show sincerity. "I am aware."
To his counterpart who showed sincerity, Jaekyung did not make things difficult. "Ah, by the way, is there a way to restrain Foundation Establishment cultivators?"
“Restrain them?
There are restraining cuffs that limit spiritual power."
“Good.
I'll buy one, no, two."
Seeing the puzzled Gwak Jeong-shin, Jaekyung smiled silently. The reason Jaekyung requested restraining cuffs from Gwak Jeong-shin was, of course, to make appropriate use of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators. 'I should sell them to some suitable people.'
To the demon races, human cultivators are a potent medicine. However, if the medicinal effect is too strong, or if it doesn't suit their constitution, it causes problems. This is because the cultivation of the demon races is fundamentally a blood feast, making it rough and dirty.
That is why human cultivators who have accumulated pure cultivation are a potent medicine for the demon races. Their cleanly refined spiritual energy, or spiritual power, plays a role in cleansing their chaotic energy. Of course, this might not apply to demon races born with noble bloodlines, but the majority of demon races are not like that.
However, there are preconditions here. First, the gap between the realm of the human cultivator who will be the meal and the realm of the demon race cultivator who will eat the meal should not be large.
If the human cultivator's realm is high, the demon race cultivator will likely be unable to handle the 'medicinal effect,' and if it's the opposite, the 'medicinal effect' will likely be insufficient. Second, the cultivation technique practiced by the human cultivator must match the fundamental attribute of the demon race cultivator.
Otherwise, there is a high probability of problems, or even if not, the 'medicinal effect' will be extremely diminished. But fortunately, the vast majority of the demon races living in the waters of the Western Twin Lake are water-attribute, and the majority of the human cultivators of the Western Twin Lake are also water-attribute.
Well, one could truly call it a match made in heaven. 'With this opportunity, I can make some acquaintances in the demon race society.'
That's right.
Jaekyung planned to sell these two Foundation Establishment cultivators, no, these two precious medicines, to suitable demon race customers. In his thoughts, these two medicines would be very popular among his demon race kin. 'Don't feel it's unfair.'
If you have lived by spilling the blood of others, you must one day be prepared for your own blood to be spilled. Moreover, is this not a world where one can be caught by some misguided fellows even after a lifetime of pure cultivation, just staring at a wall?
There is nothing to feel unfair about, and nothing to be sad about. It is just that the lightning bolt that struck another's head yesterday has fallen on my head today.