WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations
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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈
Chapter 100: Minghe
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“Everyone, get inside.”
Jegyeong's ship had neither a Ship-Protecting Formation nor any other special equipment.
It was an ordinary ship in every sense, and its crew were ordinary members of the Human Race.
Though Jegyeong ordered them inside without explaining the situation, they obeyed without complaint.
‘Three.’
Jegyeong stepped onto the deck and rose lightly into the air.
After reaching the mid-stage Great Demon Realm, he could use basic flight techniques without difficulty even while in human form.
As long as he did not fly too fast, he could keep flying for days on end.
Hovering in the air, Jegyeong sensed the Auras of those approaching at an unhurried pace.
‘One early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators? But... something is strange.’
He had not noticed while they were far away, but once they came closer, he could tell.
The approaching figures' Auras felt somewhat hazy.
He could clearly gauge the strength of their Auras, but whenever he tried to examine them more closely, it was like trying to peer through fog.
This was the first time he had encountered anything like this since gaining the ability to sense Auras, and tension naturally seized him.
His body, which had relaxed after he identified their realms, tensed again.
Before long, three cultivators appeared before him aboard a small flying vessel.
Jegyeong quickly looked them over but found nothing unusual.
“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Black Jiao.”
The early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator standing at the front of the flying vessel greeted him in a dry tone.
“You know me?”
At the address of Fellow Daoist Black Jiao, several possibilities flashed through Jegyeong's mind.
His identity was not much of a secret within the Spirit Talisman Merchant Association, at least.
Were they from the Spirit Talisman Merchant Association, then? Had Gwak Jeongsin's rivals sent them?
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Either way, they must have followed him from Stonewall Island.
“Not personally. But Fellow Daoist Black Jiao's reputation is quite well known throughout the Human Territories. I had long heard of your fame, and when I happened to see you, I thought I might come and exchange greetings. I hope I have not troubled you.”
“There's no need to beat around the bush, and even less need for lies. If you came all this way to find me, state your business.”
Whenever he remained in human form, Jegyeong had to endure the discomfort of ill-fitting clothes forced tightly around him.
His mood was already poor, and now an unwelcome visitor stood before him playing word games. Naturally, his words came out sharp.
“Oh. There is no need to be so wary.”
“I'll decide that.”
“Very well. Let us get to the point. I came to offer you a good proposal.”
Jegyeong lightly tilted his head, signaling for him to continue.
“I hear that though you are of the Demon Race, you are highly practical and flexible. By coincidence, so am I. I believe we could offer each other useful assistance.”
“What useful assistance are you talking about?”
“For example, these three.”
“What?”
The two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators behind the Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly lowered their heads.
Their bodies swayed slightly where they stood.
They looked like puppets whose strings had been cut.
“These are a gift to commemorate our first meeting. The flying vessel is included as well.”
“Are they puppets?”
“No. They are not puppets. Their divine souls have been erased, but they are undoubtedly living Human Race cultivators. There will be no problem consuming them.”
Jegyeong's gaze hardened further.
Anyone who could casually speak of erasing divine souls could never be taken lightly.
What was more, he did not know the realm of this opponent, who had yet to reveal their true body. He could not relax his guard.
The other party spoke as though there was no hostility, but how could he trust words alone?
Especially when that mouth was not even the other party's real mouth.
“A strange method.”
“Nothing but a trivial trick.”
“A trivial trick? Hah!”
Jegyeong no longer hid his fierce nature.
Unrestrained demon power flowed from his body like heat haze, while his vertically slit pupils revealed the ferocity of a Great Demon.
At that moment, he was a Great Demon wearing the shell of the Human Race.
“Enough wordplay. If you want a proper conversation, come in your true body. Since you gave me a gift, I won't turn you away at the door.”
“Haha. Very well. I shall visit you soon.”
Once the cultivator finished speaking, the light faded from the Foundation Establishment cultivator's eyes, and their head dropped like those of the two behind them.
Jegyeong watched them cautiously for a while before quickly approaching, snapping their necks one by one, and confirming that they had stopped breathing.
Living prey was better than corpses, but if they could bring unexpected danger, it was better to make certain.
Besides, if he consumed the corpses within a few days, they were not much different from living prey.
‘Sly, but generous.’
The three cultivators were valuable enough, but the flying vessel was no cheap thing either.
For an unknown opponent to casually offer such things as a first-meeting gift showed considerable boldness.
* * *
After returning to Black Shark Island, Jegyeong gave Muk-su the three prey he had received for free and shut himself inside Black Jiao Palace, where he consumed the spiritual treasures he had obtained at the auction one by one.
Perhaps because he had reached the mid-stage Great Demon Realm, he did not feel much improvement in his cultivation despite consuming spiritual treasures of quality similar to those from before.
Jegyeong felt lost for a moment but soon calmed himself.
The amount of water he could add at one time was fixed, while the vessel itself had become much larger. Of course it would feel insufficient.
Crunch!
Jegyeong chewed Spirit Stones like snacks to soothe his impatience.
As the Spiritual Energy was absorbed, warmth soon spread through his body.
He had completed his usual cultivation and satisfied his nutritional needs. Next came study time.
Alchemy Art, which he had once devoted himself to, had now become nearly routine. These days, the field he was putting special effort into was Formation Arrays.
The study known as the Formation Dao was as profound as alchemy.
The more he learned, the harder it became.
Jegyeong had no intention of becoming a Formation Array Master. He only wanted to develop basic knowledge and discernment so that he would not suffer a loss when buying better formation flags in the future. Even that was not easy.
“Ugh.”
Jegyeong finally groaned at the sections discussing the energies of heaven and earth and the lay of the land.
To clear his head and use it as a reference, he left Black Jiao Palace and examined the Island-Protecting Grand Formation installed around Black Shark Island.
Black Shark Island's Island-Protecting Grand Formation had recently been replaced with an even more expensive one.
It was a Formation Array focused on defense, purchased for a full one hundred and sixty mid-grade Spirit Stones.
The Casket-Sealing Island Formation he had first bought had cost twenty-five mid-grade Spirit Stones. This one was more than six times as expensive.
The price alone was enough to make his teeth ache, but after buying and installing it, he was satisfied.
Expensive things had their reasons for being expensive. Knowing Black Shark Island had become safer brought him greater peace of mind.
That sense of security was important.
With his mind at ease, even cultivation seemed to go better.
The more one possessed, the greater the danger became. To protect what he had, he needed to put in even more effort.
Wasn't the incident from a few days ago proof enough?
An unknown, sly individual had approached him. What if that person changed their attitude and attacked?
If such a thing happened, the investment of one hundred and sixty mid-grade Spirit Stones would surely prove its worth.
‘It truly is profound.’
Holding the formation plate, Jegyeong observed the Island-Protecting Grand Formation from every angle and marveled at it again and again.
He had not known when he was a complete outsider, but after learning even a little, he could now see a few things.
Of course, he gained nothing practical from it. He could only admire the lofty complexity of a Formation Array worth one hundred and sixty mid-grade Spirit Stones.
After slowly sipping Spirit Wine and circling the island along the boundary of the Island-Protecting Grand Formation, Jegyeong returned to Black Jiao Palace and continued cultivating.
Several days later.
A small boat arrived before Black Shark Island.
A young man stood aboard it with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face.
“Fellow Daoist Black Jiao. As we discussed before, I have come in person.”
His low voice passed through the Island-Protecting Grand Formation and reached Jegyeong precisely as he cultivated within Black Jiao Palace.
* * *
“Let me introduce myself properly. I am Myeongha.”
“Jegyeong.”
When Myeongha arrived before Black Shark Island and called for him, Jegyeong briefly hesitated over whether to let him inside.
He had not sensed Myeongha's Aura even when Myeongha came right up to the island, nor when he realized Myeongha had arrived.
Jegyeong was startled for a moment but soon understood the situation.
‘Qi Concealment Technique.’
He was usually the one who benefited from the Qi Concealment Technique. Being on the receiving end of it felt strange.
He could not see through Myeongha's Qi Concealment Technique, no matter how he tried.
Jegyeong instinctively found this opponent, whom he could neither understand nor gauge, unsettling. Still, his hesitation lasted only a moment.
Myeongha had shown no hostility so far, and more importantly, Jegyeong himself had told him to come in person.
As one pretending to be a black jiao, he could not show weakness to an opponent who had shown this much sincerity.
So Jegyeong received Myeongha inside Black Jiao Palace, and they exchanged names.
“You are skilled in the Qi Concealment Technique.”
Myeongha smiled faintly.
“You are as well.”
“It is a convenient ability. At least, it is for me.”
“It is for me too.”
“I thought so. If you possess a Jiao Dragon's Bloodline, your Aura must be immense. Once revealed, it would surely attract the attention of many.”
Jegyeong did not understand Myeongha's words, but he did not show it and remained silent.
Perhaps taking that silence another way, Myeongha gave a quiet laugh.
“My words must sound ridiculous to you. I can guess as much. But...”
The moment Myeongha trailed off, an explosive Aura burst from him.
It was an immense and intense Aura unlike anything Jegyeong had ever felt.
For an instant, he even felt as though the Aura might suffocate him.
This time, Jegyeong failed to control his expression.
His eyes widened, and his vertically slit pupils showed themselves.
“What... are you?”
He was so flustered that he blurted out such a foolish question without realizing it.
Myeongha smiled in satisfaction at Jegyeong's reaction and withdrew his Aura once more.
“As I said, I am Myeongha. I am Half-Human and Half-Demon. And as you just confirmed, I am no ordinary person. Just like you.”
Jegyeong knew Myeongha was under a serious misunderstanding, but he did not reveal it.
At that moment, his well-honed acting skills shone once again.
With a calm expression, he tilted his head slightly to one side.
“I understand you are of a rare kind, but what does that change? Aura is only Aura.”
The saying that Aura was only Aura came from the seniors of the Forget-Me Garden.
Once, when Jegyeong said he judged an opponent's strength by their Aura, those seniors had told him that Aura was only Aura. It could serve as a reference, but he should never place blind faith in it.
Jegyeong had let those words go in one ear and out the other until now, but upon facing Myeongha's overwhelming Aura, the saying naturally came to mind.
“That is right. Aura is only Aura. If it cannot be used and fades away, it has no meaning.”
The amusement left Myeongha's face as he nodded.
“But is that not true for you as well? From what I hear, the one called the Remnant Water Whale King seems narrow-minded. How long do you think he will tolerate your existence?”
“...”
“Of course, you must have your own calculations, Fellow Daoist. But there is no harm in gaining more strength, is there?”
“What do you want?”
“It is simple.”
Myeongha straightened his slightly relaxed posture.
“I would like to borrow one suitable island from you.”
Footnotes:
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