The giant crocodile looked formidable, but compared to its appearance, it was a rather bland fellow. The hunting process was like that, and so was the result. All he got from hunting this fellow was a huge chunk of meat and plenty of blood.
Of course, this blood was not Refined Blood, but ordinary demonic blood. Having heard that the blood of a Great Spirit Beast had its own demand, Jaekyung extracted and stored the giant crocodile's blood. Although the price would not be much, it was like gathering dust to build a mountain.
Besides, given the size of this fellow, the amount of blood was not small. Jaekyung put all his strength into it and tore the giant crocodile's body in half. Then he gave half to Jang-yeong.
“This is your share.”
“Thank you.”
Jang-yeong, who received the bloodless meat, had no complaints. All he had done in this hunt was exert a bit of strength for a moment, so this was more than enough to satisfy him. Crunch, crunch- Chewing the tough, bloodless meat a few times, Jaekyung frowned.
A fairly distinct demonic power lingered in the giant crocodile's flesh. That damp and cold demonic power seeped into his spirit and flesh, creating an indescribably unpleasant feeling. If he had to make an analogy, it was like pouring oil into a basin full of water.
'Tsk!
Just as I thought.' Jaekyung looked regretfully at the half of the crocodile carcass, which, despite having a bite taken out of it, hardly showed. He could eat it if he forced himself, but if he did, he would suffer from indigestion for a while.
It seemed this meat was not fated to be with him. Jaekyung put the half crocodile carcass into his storage pouch. “Let's stop here for now.
I'll let you know when it's time for the next hunt."
“Understood.”
Jang-yeong left without another word. Before leaving, Jaekyung headed to the giant crocodile's nest. Recalling its foolish behavior right up to its death, it did not seem likely it would have collected anything good, but he decided to check just in case.
'As expected, there's nothing special.' Inside the cave, which was rich with spiritual energy, there was only a single giant rock shaped like a sea urchin. Judging by the dead skin cells stuck on the spiky surface that rose like thorns, it seemed to be used for scratching its body when it felt itchy.
Jaekyung was about to turn and leave, but something came to mind, and he lightly rubbed his body against the spiky rock.
Kkwa-deuk!
A rough sound was heard along with a scraping sensation. When he moved away and checked, his scales were, as expected, without a single scratch, but conversely, he could not find any damaged parts on the spiky stone either. Only then did Jaekyung's eyes widen as he examined the massive, bizarrely shaped rock with interest.
'This isn't an ordinary rock.' He suddenly wondered what would happen if he slammed his body into it with all his strength. Would his body be injured, or would this rock shatter?
Jaekyung suppressed the urge to try it right away. Testing it would not be difficult, but it was not something to be done here. First, he had to leave this place.
Before the other Great Spirit Beasts in the area noticed something was wrong and swarmed in.
* Thump!
A huge, bloodless carcass was placed on the floor of the great hall. The father and son, Hyeon-gu and Bi-gu, who had flinched instinctively, soon examined the carcass with surprised eyes. Bi-gu's eyes, in particular, were instantly filled with ecstatic joy.
Drool trickled from his slightly open mouth, and his feet twitched as if he were about to lunge at any moment.
“Dragon Lord. This is....”
Although he had already guessed, Hyeon-gu asked cautiously for confirmation.
“Eat. Consider it a reward for your efforts so far.”
“Thank you, Dragon Lord!”
Bi-gu, who had been drooling so much that the floor beneath him was soaked, shot out like an arrow. It was a speed hard to imagine for a turtle.
Hyeon-gu, who had opened his mouth to say something, instead opened his already slightly ajar mouth even wider at the sight of his son's agility, something he had never seen before in his life.
"Waaang!"
Compared to Hyeon-gu, Bi-gu was so large it was doubtful if they were truly father and son, but even so, he was still a turtle.
His mouth was small for his size, and though the giant crocodile was only half its original size, it was still much larger than him, so no matter how much he bit and tore at it with his small mouth, it barely left a mark.
“This rascal!"
Hyeon-gu, veins popping on his neck, did not know what to do.
“It's fine.”
“D-Dragon Lord.......”
“I brought it for you two to eat, so don't be reserved and eat.”
Originally, he had intended to give it to Mook-soo, but Mook-soo refused. The fellow with a refined palate said he did not want the dry, bloodless meat, but meat that retained its original fishy aroma.
Jaekyung inwardly grumbled that for someone who just sat around comfortably being fed, it sure had a lot of demands, but he could not do anything about it.
Mook-soo, who had grown even smarter after becoming a Great Spirit Beast, seemed to have realized that its spiritual fruits were quite valuable, and its demands had been increasing little by little lately. Things like bringing it meat dripping with blood, or spraying it with cool water, or that it missed the refreshing taste of humans...
At this rate, it seemed poised to climb right on top of his head. It was a relief that the fellow was not very active; otherwise, it might have come all the way into this great hall and shouted for him to supply nutrients.
Of course, if that had happened, he would have taught the insolent tree a physical lesson about who was the boss. Om nom nom! He shifted his gaze slightly to the hearty sounds.
Bi-gu had buried half his body in the flesh and was repeatedly chewing and swallowing. Watching its gluttonous yet hearty appearance, it was hard to tell if it was a turtle or a pig.
Far away from there, Hyeon-gu was tearing off the meat bite by bite, and compared to Bi-gu, he was incredibly slow, like an old man struggling to swallow porridge.
“Dragon Lord.
Did you hunt this Great Spirit Beast?"
“I did."
“In that case… should we go and check it out?" “No." Hyeon-gu was truly a loyal and capable subordinate. A fellow who could think about work even with a mouthful of tempting meat was rare.
“This fellow was one that shared a spiritual land with others. If you guys go snooping around, you'll definitely catch the eyes of the others.”
That was the reason why Jaekyung had left without delay after finishing the hunt. He was disappointed too, but it could not be helped. Great Spirit Beasts that occupied an entire spiritual land by themselves, or at least controlled a vast territory alone, were rare.
At least, that was what the information Jang-yeong provided suggested.
"Buuurp."
After eating and eating for a long time, Bi-gu finally let out a long burp and flopped down spread-eagled. His already excessively plump body was now swollen like a balloon; if pushed lightly, it seemed it would roll just like a ball.
“Take the rest. Whether you save it for later or share it with the others, do as you please.”
“Understood.”
Hyeon-gu put the remaining meat into his storage pouch and went over to Bi-gu.
"Get up this instant!"
“But Father, I can't move.”
You could understand what it meant to shoot fire from one's eyes by looking at Hyeon-gu now. A face flushed red with shame, veins that seemed to embody anger. Hyeon-gu, who kept urging his son on while glancing at Jaekyung, finally could not hold back and kicked Bi-gu hard.
It was a picture-perfect kick, hard to believe it came from such short legs. * The Whale King Palace, as the ruling power of the Western Twin Lake's demon races, had its authority and dignity acknowledged by all sentient demon races. It could not be otherwise.
In the cultivation world, Cultivation was the foundation and everything, and the Shattered Waters Whale King was the only Demon King in Western Twin Lake. Therefore, whether they liked it or not, the demon races of Western Twin Lake bowed their heads before the Whale King Palace.
Even if they raised their heads and swaggered about as they pleased the moment his gaze was gone. “A flood dragon? A Black Flood Dragon?"
A massive figure stirred in the dark depths of the water.
“Ah.
I remember now. That fellow Mak-gye once mentioned a flood dragon with a thin bloodline." “That would be him.”
Jang-yeong did not relax his body, worried that the irregularly waving tentacle, larger than any human ship, might strike him. His father was an indifferent and unaware being. He did not know, nor did he try to know, that a small, careless gesture from him was like a natural disaster to others.
“So?
Why are you talking about that fellow?" “I've decided to hunt with him.”
"Hunting?"
“We will be targeting the nearby mountain sects. We plan to handle it so that as little noise as possible is made... but just in case.” “So you're asking me to watch your back?"
“It would not be a difficult task, would it? And… it's just a precaution.” In that moment, a dizzying sensation as if the entire space was distorting washed over him.
Coming to his senses and raising his head, Jang-yeong realized that a single gigantic eyeball, large enough to contain his entire being, was staring at him right before his nose. He had experienced it several times, yet an instinctive creepiness and fear that he could never get used to washed over him.
"Insolent brat.
You still think too much. But do you know? If you were not my son, I would have already sucked you dry to the marrow.”
"I know.” "Hmph! Go back.”
A fierce current surged. Tossed about mindlessly here and there like a fish swept away by the waves, he found himself already outside the Whale King Palace. 'He's gotten stronger.'
Jang-yeong was certain that his father's power had deepened since the last time he saw him. Although his own realm was far too lacking to peek into the cultivation of a Great Spirit Beast who had half a foot in the Demon King realm, the resonance through their bloodline told him many things. He had definitely grown stronger.
From the feel of it, it seemed there would be no problem even if he tried to ascend to the Demon King realm right now. But despite being able to ascend, he did not. He even felt as if his father was intentionally suppressing a breakthrough.
'I think too much?' It was laughable. Who was saying such a thing to whom?
Jang-yeong wanted to scoff, but recalling the giant eye that had been staring at him, his heart instantly grew cold. 'Whale King Palace...
Whale King...'
As he recalled things he should not, fear washed over him. When his blurred eyes found their light again, Jang-yeong's complexion had turned dark. Jaekyung expanded the schools of Meat-Scaled Fish even further and began to seriously increase his trade volume.
He knew that this could lower the unit price, but it could not be helped. This was because the Meat-Scaled Fish, said to be a great help to vital energy, had almost no effect on him. Wondering if it was because the quantity was too small, he even swallowed hundreds of them at once, but the effect was still minimal.
It was much better to exchange them for spirit stones and consume those instead.
“Dao Friend's business acumen is truly astonishing.”
When he increased the trade volume by half at once, a startled Gwak Jeong-shin came to visit and showered him with praise. He spoke with a serious tone, but it was no different from flattery.
“There's no need to be so surprised. The demon races have their own advantages." "That is certainly true.”
Increasing the trade volume of Meat-Scaled Fish was only the beginning. Jaekyung devoted himself tenaciously to earning spirit stones, and his business grew larger and larger. And accordingly, the amount of spirit stones he consumed daily also increased rapidly.
And such efforts did not betray him.
Thump!
Jaekyung sensed a powerful tremor from within and wore a satisfied smile.