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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 44: The Snake That Does Not Lie

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On his way to Yangseo Lake, Jegyeong encountered a Great Demon Beast. The instant it saw Jegyeong's face, it recoiled in terror and cried out.

‘A, a Jiao Dragon?!’

Having dissolved his Transverse Bone, Jegyeong naturally understood its words. He could also feel the once-imposing air of the opponent that had approached so boldly rapidly deflate.

‘A Jiao Dragon?’

Without lowering his guard, Jegyeong recalled the little he knew about Jiao Dragons.

As far as he knew, a Jiao Dragon was a powerful creature that had failed to become a true dragon for one reason or another, yet was still worthy of bearing the name dragon.

If true dragons had heard that thought, they would have breathed fire while shouting that it was nonsense, asking whether that meant chickens were dinosaurs too. Still, that was all Jegyeong knew.

And as far as he knew, Jiao Dragons were magnificent, powerful beings worthy of the name dragon. Every Jiao Dragon mentioned in the stories told by the seniors of the Full-Wing Gathering had been powerful.

Yet this Great Demon Beast had called him a Jiao Dragon.

Naturally, Jegyeong knew full well that he was not one, but seeing its excessive reaction made even him begin to wonder.

‘What exactly is a Jiao Dragon, anyway?’

Jegyeong noticed that the Great Demon Beast before him kept looking at his horns.

‘The horns?’

Come to think of it, when people described a Jiao Dragon's appearance, did they not usually mention a snake's body, horns, and poorly developed limbs? In that case, while Jegyeong had no limbs, he did meet some of a Jiao Dragon's physical traits. Besides, even without limbs, was his body not far too large to call that of a snake?

‘It's an understandable mistake.’

He could not deny it. At least in appearance, he matched a Jiao Dragon quite well, so it was no wonder the other party had misunderstood.

Still, for a Great Demon Beast to shrivel up like a deflated balloon was utterly pathetic.

Even if Jegyeong truly were a Jiao Dragon, they were both only in the Great Demon Realm. To cower so miserably was disgraceful.

But there was no need to voice those thoughts. Since the other party had mistaken him for something else and become intimidated on its own, there was no reason to correct it.

With the psychological advantage on his side, Jegyeong asked the Great Demon Beast several questions. First, he asked where this place was and learned it was Yangseo Lake. Then he asked for various information about the lake.

The Great Demon Beast answered everything politely and diligently. It was so thorough that it was almost suspicious.

Later, when the Great Demon Beast hurried away as if fleeing, Cheongo, who had remained silent in Jegyeong's mouth throughout their conversation, asked in confusion.

"Why was that one so scared?"

Even Cheongo seemed to find it strange that a Great Demon Beast had been so frightened.

"I think it mistook me for a Jiao Dragon."

"Jegyeong, are you a Jiao Dragon?"

"Who knows? I don't know."

Cheongo's eyes widened.

Seeing the expression that seemed to ask, ‘If you don't know, then who does?’ Jegyeong added a little more.

"But that one probably only heard about Jiao Dragons somewhere too. It surely has never actually seen one."

"How do you know that?"

"Just a feeling."

"A feeling?"

Cheongo tilted their head from side to side again, but Jegyeong ignored it.

All sorts of thoughts came and went in his mind during that brief time.

And now, some time later,

Having successfully settled at Yangseo Lake, Jegyeong leisurely surveyed the surrounding area around the island that served as his temporary nest. Since he had not concealed his Aura with the Qi Concealment Technique, Water Demons that sensed it fled in panic every so often.

Jegyeong caught up with the one whose Aura felt the clearest.

It was a turtle small for the Aura it possessed. It had been desperately flailing its limbs as it fled, but when Jegyeong suddenly appeared before it, it recoiled in terror and hid inside its shell.

"Do you think I can't do anything about that shell?"

When Jegyeong asked in disbelief, the turtle flinched. After a moment, it cautiously poked out its head.

Then, pressing its webbed feet together as if clasping its hands, it spoke respectfully.

"U-um... what business does Dragon Lord have with a lowly turtle like me...?"

The moment it called him Dragon Lord, Jegyeong's mouth twitched.

It seemed this one had made some grand misunderstanding as well.

Jegyeong did not bother correcting it. Whether the turtle was mistaken or not, all that mattered was settling his business.

"I've looked around this area, but I only saw Water Demons. I didn't see any Great Demon Beasts. What's going on?"

"Excuse me?"

The turtle blinked several times before speaking cautiously.

"Um... wouldn't the Great Demon Beast seniors be in Spiritual Lands?"

"But Spiritual Lands have owners, do they not? Surely Yangseo Lake does not have enough Spiritual Lands to accommodate all the Great Demon Beasts?"

Jegyeong knew it did not.

According to the Great Demon Beast he had met before, there were several Spiritual Veins in Yangseo Lake. A Spiritual Vein contained Spiritual Energy several times denser than a Spiritual Land, but to maintain such dense Spiritual Energy, it had to draw in the Spiritual Energy around it.

In other words, Spiritual Lands found it difficult to exist near a Spiritual Vein.

That was true whether it was a natural Spiritual Vein or an artificial Spiritual Vein created by the Human Race. Once a Spiritual Vein formed, the Spiritual Energy around it dried up completely.

Jegyeong thought that while the Great Demon Beast might have told him a few lies, it would not have lied about something so basic.

"Ah, of course not. Most Spiritual Lands in Yangseo Lake are small. But there are still several fairly large ones located far from the Spiritual Veins. One of them is not far from here."

"Then the Great Demon Beasts must all be gathered there."

"Wouldn't they be? I cannot say for certain."

For a Demon Beast, this turtle communicated well and seemed quite clever. The way it constantly watched Jegyeong's reaction and chose its words made it seem no less capable than an ordinary person.

‘Come to think of it, this one's Aura is quite strong for a Demon Beast, but it does not actually seem strong.’

Whether Human Race or Demon Race, a cultivator's Aura was usually proportional to their actual power. But usually meant there were exceptions.

Cheongo was a prime example, and this turtle seemed to be another.

Of course, the little creature might be hiding a trump card...

"Do you know Yangseo Lake well?"

"Uh... I was born and raised here, so I know it fairly well."

"Good."

He had failed to find a Great Demon Beast, but finding a turtle that could speak and seemed knowledgeable was even better.

Jegyeong began asking it questions in earnest.

His first question concerned the major powers of Yangseo Lake, and its answer was almost the same as the one given by the Great Demon Beast he had met before. The only difference was that the turtle's explanation sounded more objective.

"There are three major powers in Yangseo Lake. One is our Demon Race, the second is the Human Race, and the third is the Horned Insect Race."

Jegyeong knew of the Horned Insect Race.

As the name suggested, they were horned insects, but their forms and habits were so varied that grouping them into one race felt strange. If they had not all been born from a single Insect Mother, it would not have been strange to classify them as different races.

They formed swarms around one Insect Mother, and even the smallest swarm numbered over several hundred thousand. Considering that most members of the Horned Insect Race were cultivators, that meant a single family contained hundreds of thousands of cultivators, all skilled in battle.

No matter how numerous the Human Race's cultivators were, only some of them excelled at battle. That alone showed how powerful a Horned Insect Race swarm was.

They were all one family, with the Insect Mother as their center. Their unity was stronger than that of any other race in the Cultivation World.

"Rumor has it that the Insect Mother's cultivation has reached the late Golden Core Realm."

When referring to the third realm of the Immortal Dao, the Human Race usually called it the Golden Core Stage, while the Demon Race called it the Demon King Realm. The cultivation realms of Other Races aside from those two dominant races were generally called the Golden Core Realm without any distinguishing feature.

Perhaps Human Race cultivators, who enjoyed dividing and naming everything, found it too troublesome to distinguish the realms of Other Races as well.

"The late Golden Core Realm..."

Jegyeong felt as though he could barely breathe.

Those who had displayed such overwhelming might on the battlefield between Upper Demon Grove and Jeyeon Sect had ultimately been only Foundation Establishment cultivators and Demon Race members in the Great Demon Realm. But a Golden Core Realm cultivator? And at the late stage?

Did that not mean they had Formed a Golden Core and were approaching the Nascent Soul Realm?

Jegyeong could not even begin to imagine how strong such an existence would be.

"Because such a being exists, the Horned Insect Race is considered the strongest of Yangseo Lake's three major powers. Neither the Human Race nor the Demon Race enters their territory carelessly, and they are even more careful to avoid causing trouble. Still, the Horned Insect Race does not leave its territory without cause, so as long as you do not enter their territory, you should have no reason to encounter trouble with them."

"You said the Horned Insect Race is the strongest. Who comes next?"

"Uh..."

The turtle scratched its face with the tip of a webbed foot, looking troubled.

"This is purely my own opinion, but I think it would be the Human Race."

Perhaps afraid Jegyeong would become angry, the turtle hurriedly added an explanation.

"Of course, the cultivation of the Remnant Water Whale King, our Yangseo Lake Demon Race's greatest expert, is as vast and deep as Yangseo Lake itself. But the king is alone, while the Human Race has two Golden Core Sects. They snarl at each other whenever they can, but when trouble arises with another race, they unite as firmly as though nothing had happened. Even if our Demon Race has strength, the reality is that facing all of them is not easy."

"I see."

The turtle kept watching Jegyeong's reaction as it explained, but Jegyeong did not mind at all.

He was part of the Demon Race, but he felt neither belonging nor affection for it. Even if the turtle had started cursing the Demon Race in front of him, Jegyeong would not have cared.

"Then the Horned Insect Race is the strongest, followed by the Human Race, with the Demon Race last. What about the other races?"

"They are not even worth mentioning. All they do is live around their own little Spiritual Lands. If the Remnant Water Whale King wished it, the king could wipe out one of them each day."

The Remnant Water Whale King the turtle spoke of was the strongest member and leader of Yangseo Lake's Demon Race. Its cultivation appeared to be at the middle stage of the Demon King Realm.

Of course, a mere Water Demon like the turtle could not possibly know accurate information about such a major figure, so this had to be taken as a rough guess.

"Next..."

The turtle truly knew a great deal. It might have known even more than an average Great Demon Beast.

From the geography of Yangseo Lake to the major and minor powers within and outside it, even the various rumors going around lately, it poured out everything it knew.

It was as though it thought its chances of survival would rise with every piece of information it revealed.

When it even began talking about an island nation supposedly founded by several Human Race fugitives, Jegyeong interrupted its endless stream of words.

"That's enough. I think I've heard everything I need."

He wanted useful information, not trivial gossip.

The turtle stopped speaking and anxiously shifted its gaze with its webbed feet pressed together.

"Um... Dragon Lord, if you have nothing else to ask, may I be on my way?"

"Yes. You did well."

The turtle's information had been of such great help to Jegyeong that useful did not begin to describe it.

It felt like a blind person had suddenly opened their eyes.

Yangseo Lake no longer felt so unfamiliar to Jegyeong.

He did not consider the possibility that the turtle had lied.

The fear it displayed was genuine, and Jegyeong's senses had not detected the slightest lie in its long account. Besides, the parts of its story that overlapped with what he had heard from the Great Demon Beast before, such as the three major powers, were almost identical.

The difference was that the Great Demon Beast had said the Remnant Water Whale King was the strongest in Yangseo Lake, while the turtle claimed the Horned Insect Race's Insect Mother was stronger, but that was hardly important.

"If a lowly Water Demon like me has been even the slightest help to Dragon Lord, I could not be happier. Th-then, Dragon Lord, I shall take my leave."

The turtle departed respectfully, keeping its webbed feet pressed together until the end.

Before turning away, Jegyeong felt the turtle sneak a glance at his horns, but he pretended not to notice.

‘These horns are certainly useful.’

More precisely, the status of a Jiao Dragon was useful, but those two horns had clearly caused the misunderstanding.

‘But aren't dragon horns supposed to look like deer antlers?’

His horns looked far closer to bull horns than deer antlers.

‘Maybe dragons in this world have different horns.’

Like the Great Demon Beast from before and the turtle just now, they made the mistake on their own and treated him kindly. Jegyeong could only be pleased.

Even if that kindness came from a minor misunderstanding, it was not something he needed to worry about. After all, he had never once called himself a Jiao Dragon.

‘I didn't lie.’

Was that not enough?

* * *

With Full-Wing Day coming around again, Jegyeong closed his eyes in his new nest.

After going through the familiar process and arriving at the Forget-Me Garden in his Spirit Body, Jegyeong was slightly surprised to find that the three senior cultivators had already arrived, unlike before.

‘Is something going on?’

The senior cultivators naturally noticed Jegyeong's arrival.

They had been talking heatedly among themselves, but their gazes turned toward him.

"What?!"

Uh Dobaek was the first to react in surprise, followed by exclamations from Ye Janggyeong and Choe Jutang.

They realized that they could no longer clearly see Jegyeong's Spirit Body as they had before, and they also understood what that meant.

"Have you reached the Great Demon Realm? How did you get there so quickly?"

Ye Janggyeong asked as though he could not believe it.

Jegyeong answered modestly.

"I encountered a fortuitous opportunity."

More precisely, a fortuitous opportunity had come to him. The fortuitous opportunity called Sagaewan.

If not for the demon power contained in that creature's two heads, Jegyeong would still have been wondering how to reach the Great Demon Realm.

"Amazing. Truly amazing. I've never seen a cultivator whose cultivation advanced as quickly as yours. Could you possibly be a Heaven's Chosen?"

Uh Dobaek asked, half in astonishment and half in jest.

But the answer came not from Jegyeong, but from Choe Jutang, who had been listening.

"A Heaven's Chosen? You mean those people said to be born under heaven's favor and destined to shake the world? I thought that was all nonsense spread by idle gossips."

"Who knows? We should not dismiss it so easily. You must know that stories in the Cultivation World do not arise from nothing."

The talk of Jegyeong's remarkable advancement continued for a while.

Ye Janggyeong and Choe Jutang, who were still at the early Foundation Establishment Stage, suggested that all three of them begin addressing one another as Fellow Daoist. Jegyeong politely refused.

"Though I was fortunate enough to gain a fortuitous opportunity, how could I place myself on the same level as the seniors who helped me from the beginning? I will continue to treat you as my seniors, so please continue to treat me as your junior."

At Jegyeong's humility, Ye Janggyeong and Choe Jutang laughed heartily, casting aside the brief jealousy they had felt.

After they exchanged several more compliments in the warm atmosphere, Ye Janggyeong, in high spirits, looked at Jegyeong and spoke.

"By the way, Jegyeong, have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"I see you have not. The Bulmang City Gathering will be held soon!"

Excitement filled Ye Janggyeong's voice.

Uh Dobaek and Choe Jutang said nothing, but their excitement was plain to see.

Footnotes:

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