WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈
Chapter 112: Undercurrents in the Dragon King Palace
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For ten years, as they hunted together, Jang Yeong had subtly let various bits of information slip to Jegyeong.
Stories about his father, the inner workings of Dragon King Palace, and so on.
They were all mere fragments, but they were unmistakably hints.
Yet although Jegyeong understood every one of them, they pretended not to.
It was a subtle indication that they did not want to get tangled up in anything complicated.
“Fellow Daoist. I know you are wise. To be honest, I feel the same way. When great waves rise, I would rather avoid them than ride them.”
“If you know that, why are you trying to drag me in?”
Their intentions were laid bare, so Jegyeong did not bother concealing their sharpness.
“Because these great waves cannot be avoided, even if we wish to avoid them.”
Jang Yeong let out a deep sigh.
The way he furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth looked remarkably human.
Jegyeong could clearly sense his frustration and resentment.
“Fellow Daoist. You are exceptional. Your talent would shine even in the deepest waters of Yangseo Lake. But such talent is both a blessing and a calamity. At least, it is in Yangseo Lake.”
“You mean the Remnant Water Whale King?”
Over the past ten years, quite a few of Jang Yeong’s hints had concerned the Remnant Water Whale King.
He had never said it outright, but Jegyeong could sense subtle criticism and mockery of the Remnant Water Whale King in his roundabout words.
“That is correct. Fellow Daoist, how much do you know about the Remnant Water Whale King?”
“Only as much as you have told me.”
“Ha ha.”
Jang Yeong gave an awkward laugh.
He had worked tirelessly to give Jegyeong a poor impression of the Remnant Water Whale King, but those efforts had been painfully obvious.
And now he was asking what Jegyeong thought of them? Was this a joke?
Jegyeong did not mock him further, not because they were broad-minded, but because they too had their own thoughts about the Remnant Water Whale King.
The information Jang Yeong had shared was biased, but even biased information had something worth taking from it.
“The Remnant Water Whale King... does not deserve to lead Yangseo Lake’s Demon Race.”
“A Great Demon Beast is judging whether a Demon King is worthy?”
“I am not judging them as a Great Demon Beast, but as a member of Yangseo Lake’s Demon Race.”
Jang Yeong had the upper body of a human, but only the upper body.
Even that upper body was not that of an ordinary human, but closer to that of a giant. In the end, he was not human, but a demon fiend.
Even his exceptional intelligence and composure were exceptional only by the standards of the Demon Race. Compared to humans, he still had shortcomings.
“Since the Remnant Water Whale King founded Dragon King Palace and proclaimed themself the ruler of Yangseo Lake’s Demon Race, the Demon Race has steadily declined.”
Even this attempt at persuasion was the same.
His intentions were obvious, and his arguments were weak, making him unconvincing.
Moreover, Jegyeong had no interest whatsoever in the so-called greater good, such as the prosperity of the Demon Race.
The only thing that mattered to Jegyeong was themself.
The Spirit Stones Jegyeong could earn mattered more than the future of Yangseo Lake’s Demon Race.
They had never particularly tried to hide this disposition, so how had this fellow watched them for so long without grasping even that much?
Just as Jegyeong began to feel a little disappointed, Jang Yeong continued in a low voice.
“The decline of the Demon Race was brought about by the Remnant Water Whale King. Because they have desperately prevented the birth of another Demon King, while the Human Race and Other Races diligently built up their strength, only the Demon Race has remained stagnant for thousands of years. No, not even stagnant. All those powerful beings who could have become Demon Kings fell by their hand.”
“Is that true? The Remnant Water Whale King interfered?”
“If that were not the case, how could another Demon King have failed to appear in Yangseo Lake for so long?”
Jegyeong was only half convinced.
“For so long,” huh.
They turned the phrase over in their mind several times, but it still seemed somewhat unnatural for a member of the Demon Race to use.
How long was the “so long” Jang Yeong spoke of? Hundreds of years? Thousands?
Such a span was certainly long for humans, but for the Demon Race... well.
Had the Remnant Water Whale King truly interfered?
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
But Jegyeong became curious.
Were Demon Kings truly so easy to produce?
Even though both involved forming a Golden Core, a human Golden Core cultivator and a Demon Race Demon King were different.
If a Golden Core cultivator was a flower, then a Demon King was a tree.
Flowers bloomed quickly and withered quickly, but trees did not.
They grew so slowly it was enough to make one yawn compared to flowers, but they also lived longer.
Had no Demon King appeared in Yangseo Lake for so long because of the Remnant Water Whale King’s schemes?
Maybe so, maybe not.
But now, one thing seemed certain.
The undercurrents within Dragon King Palace had already reached a point beyond repair.
Why was Jang Yeong displaying such open hostility toward the Remnant Water Whale King?
For the greater good of the Demon Race? Or because he feared the Remnant Water Whale King would strike against him when he tried to enter the Demon King Realm a thousand years from now?
Of course not.
Jegyeong strongly suspected that Jang Yeong was merely parroting his father’s words.
If the unpleasant stories Jang Yeong told about the Remnant Water Whale King were true, then the one with a spark at their feet would naturally be Jang Yeong’s father, that powerful figure within Dragon King Palace.
And if they were not true... who knew? There might be some bloody struggle for power within Dragon King Palace.
Perhaps noticing Jegyeong’s indifferent attitude, Jang Yeong spoke in a meaningful tone.
“Fellow Daoist. Do you think these matters have nothing to do with you? They do. Regardless of your cultivation, that Jiao Dragon Bloodline alone is enough to draw the Whale King’s attention. The only reason the Whale King has not acted against you until now is that they have yet to notice your existence.”
“The Whale King does not know about me?”
“There is no need to be surprised. Beings like Demon Kings can close their eyes and let a hundred years pass unchanged. So it is not strange that they have never heard your name. Of course, there was also a little help on your behalf.”
Jang Yeong’s gaze was as meaningful as his tone.
To Jegyeong, he looked like a puppy waiting for a reward from its master after putting on a performance.
“So? We are already aboard the same boat?”
“Aboard the same boat? It is an unfamiliar expression, but I believe I understand what it means.”
Jang Yeong nodded.
“Yes. We are aboard the same boat. No, we have no choice but to be aboard the same boat, so long as the Remnant Water Whale King remains the master of Dragon King Palace.”
Jegyeong maintained a stony expression, but inwardly mocked Jang Yeong’s foolishness.
If they had been forced to settle in Yangseo Lake for the rest of their life, they would indeed have thought they were aboard the same boat as Jang Yeong.
Unfortunately for him, Jegyeong had another choice.
If Yangseo Lake’s narrow-minded and cruel ruler would not tolerate their existence, they could simply leave.
It would be a shame to abandon the foundation they had built in Yangseo Lake, but no foundation, however vast, could be compared to their life.
Of course, that was a last resort.
Until everything became clear and they were certain they had no choice but to leave, they would not abandon the foundation they had built with such difficulty and flee.
So Jegyeong decided to play along with Jang Yeong for now.
“Suppose that is so. Do you have a plan? I do not know how much strength your side possesses, but your opponent is a Demon King who has ruled Yangseo Lake for more than several thousand years.”
“I know that well. Better than anyone. There is no need for Fellow Daoist to teach me.”
“That is good to hear. So... do you have a plan?”
“Of course.”
Jang Yeong nodded.
“But before that, I must ask once more. Fellow Daoist, will you join us?”
“Do I have another choice?”
Jegyeong’s acting had surpassed even complete mastery. A somewhat clever Great Demon Beast could not possibly see through it.
Their grave expression, wavering gaze, and sigh-laden voice came together perfectly. They were the very image of a resolute cultivator seeking a path to survival.
Jang Yeong was instead reassured by Jegyeong’s prickly attitude.
In his view, Jegyeong’s reaction was entirely natural.
After all, Jegyeong had been forced onto a boat that might sink at any time. It would have been stranger if they were not displeased.
“Fellow Daoist. You will not regret it.”
“Well. We shall see.”
While Jegyeong remained on edge, Jang Yeong’s attitude toward his new comrade grew much gentler.
“Then I will tell you about our plan. We will... start a war.”
“A war?”
This time, even Jegyeong could not control their expression.
“That is right. As Fellow Daoist knows, the Remnant Water Whale King’s strength is formidable. They are in the middle stage of the Demon King Realm. In Yangseo Lake, only the Insect King can contend with them. But we have no way to make the Insect King act, and even if we did, we must not attempt it.”
“I understand what you are saying, but what does that have to do with war? Surely you do not intend to borrow the strength of an expert from the Other Races to kill the Whale King?”
“Something like that. We will borrow the strength of the Human Race.”
At those words, Jegyeong immediately recalled what they knew of the Human Race’s powerful experts.
Anyone who could face the Whale King would naturally have to be a Golden Core cultivator, so there was no need to think very deeply.
‘The two great Golden Core sects, Golden Sun Sect and Myeongseo Sect, each have two Golden Core cultivators. The two sect masters are at the early stage of Golden Core, and the Supreme Elders are at the middle stage, was it? But I seem to recall hearing that they do not have much lifespan remaining.’
If that information was true, then the strength of the two Supreme Elders would not be greatly promising.
Jegyeong had already experienced firsthand how greatly a cultivator’s strength declined near the end of their lifespan.
‘Even so, there are four Golden Core cultivators. With that many... it might truly be worth trying.’
The problem was whether they would actually step forward.
They were not firefighters. Why would they burn themselves to put out a fire in someone else’s house?
As if he had noticed Jegyeong’s doubts, Jang Yeong smiled.
“I cannot tell you much. In truth, I do not know very much either. Those above us draw the larger picture, so we can only follow the tip of their brush.”
“Is that so? It must be nice not to have to worry about it.”
What a puppet for his father.
Jegyeong grumbled inwardly.
* * *
Even after the dangerous conversation with Jang Yeong, Jegyeong’s life did not change, at least on the surface.
They still devoted themself to cultivation, and whenever they acquired Spirit Stones, they visited auctions to purchase suitable cultivation resources.
Meanwhile, they gathered information on the smaller Cultivation Worlds around Yangseo Lake, searching for opportunities to obtain Strange Fire.
Then one day, as time continued to pass without end.
“Hmm?”
Jegyeong had been examining the contents of a Jade Slip without much expectation when their eyes lit up at one passage.
‘A bolt of fire fell from the sky and turned a mountain into a crater. After suffering earthquakes for several days, the people finally overcame their fear and approached the crater, where they found a ball of flame burning at its center.’
That was the origin of Guardian Mountain Heavenly Fire, the fire still regarded as the sacred treasure of the Heavenly Fire Sect today.
The story itself was an exceedingly common legend of the Cultivation World.
There was more than a ninety percent chance that the Heavenly Fire Sect had invented it to enhance its own prestige.
But that was not what mattered.
‘The Heavenly Fire Sect...’
Guardian Mountain Heavenly Fire? The name was grand, but what substance did it have?
Withdrawing their awareness from the Jade Slip, Jegyeong could not help licking their lips.
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