Ophidian of the Immortal World - Chapter 62

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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 62: A Strange Guest

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The workers did their utmost.

Jegyeong could sense their almost unbelievably intense dedication.

For a moment, he wondered why they were working so hard. Then he understood.

‘They don't want to die.’

It seemed they had seriously misunderstood something about him.

‘Well, it doesn't matter.’

If they worked hard and built his home quickly, that was a good thing.

“Dragon Lord! It's complete!”

The construction, which he had expected to finish quickly, did not end until a full day had passed.

They had put excessive effort into the interior work. It must have been their way of doing their best, but Jegyeong did not find it particularly impressive.

“You worked hard.”

Still, when he saw exhaustion written all over their faces, he had no desire to criticize them.

“Thank you!”

Perhaps his brief praise sounded to them like, “I will spare your lives,” because the workers were so happy that tears welled in their eyes.

Han Cheongyu was not quite that relieved, but he did look as though a weight had been lifted from him.

‘Not bad.’

Once the workers left, Jegyeong looked around his new home.

He had not taken human form.

This was a home for his true body.

Built for an enormous snake a hundred meters long, the entire structure resembled a tunnel.

‘The architecture in this world really is incredible.’

Cultivators who used techniques could achieve more than any construction machine from his previous life.

To think they had erected such an immense building in a single day.

It had no special functions and was, in every sense, a simple building, but it was still enough to astonish Jegyeong, who remembered his previous life.

‘They say the Human Territories have all kinds of marvelous buildings...’

Not long ago, he had been too busy worrying about how to take Black Shark Island and defeat the Hall Master of the Black Sect Hall. Now that everything had ended so well, his heart felt at ease.

With his heart at ease, his thoughts naturally multiplied.

Vague expectations for his cultivation and future filled his mind.

“Jegyeong! The new house is huge!”

“Yeah.”

Cheongo began taking treasures from the Storage bag worn around their neck like a scarf and building a nest.

The careful way they carried each item in their beak reminded him of the Human Race workers who had worked so diligently to build his home the day before.

‘They're diligent in all the most pointless places.’

While Jegyeong lost himself in various thoughts about his new home and Cheongo immersed themself in building a glittering nest, Muk-su scurried around Black Shark Island.

It was looking for a suitable place to put down roots.

Black Shark Island was vast, and there was nothing threatening on it.

The only flaw was that more than half the ground had been covered in ash because of Jegyeong's Fire Rain Technique, but that was no great problem for Muk-su.

After diligently exploring Black Shark Island for several days, Muk-su chose the summit of the island's tallest mountain as its new home.

When Jegyeong went there, he found it was certainly an ideal place, with a cool breeze and warm sunlight.

“Not bad. It's the perfect place to bear Spirit Fruit.”

Flinch!

Muk-su, which had been happily enjoying the breeze, shuddered.

As an intelligent Wood Demon, it knew that Jegyeong had not cared for it all this time purely out of affection from their long acquaintance.

Jegyeong's patience must have nearly run out after letting it live idly without working for so long.

Muk-su sensed that its good days were over.

It was time to work.

* * *

The Spiritual Energy on Black Shark Island was denser than at the Spirit Spring Jegyeong had occupied before.

He had not cultivated a method while staying at the Spirit Spring, so he could not judge precisely, but it felt slightly less than twice as dense.

‘Excellent. I can see why the Human Race is so desperate for Spiritual Veins.’

Having cultivated only in caves with thin Spiritual Energy until now, Jegyeong smiled in satisfaction at the rich Spiritual Energy of this Spiritual Land.

When he cultivated in the cave before, it felt as if his demon power increased by a single drop each session. Here, it felt as though it increased by more than ten drops.

Of course, that was only a feeling. Whether it was ten drops or a hundred, it remained an insignificant amount.

Even so, this was considerable progress.

‘I'll stop here for today.’

After finishing his cultivation, Jegyeong went outside.

He leaned against the stone bed he had made by the water, habitually took a sip of Spirit Wine, and enjoyed the breeze. It was the very picture of an Immortal at leisure.

It might have looked like idling about, but this was another form of cultivation for Jegyeong.

Cultivation of his Transformation Technique and cultivation of his Heart State.

‘I’ll need to find a way to increase the Fleshscale Fish school.’

To calm the anger that constantly stained his heart, Jegyeong deliberately immersed himself in one thought after another.

Most of those thoughts concerned managing his Spiritual Land and increasing its profits.

‘The islanders need to be controlled as well.’

He had no intention of exploiting them like the Black Sect Hall had, but he could not allow them to interact with the outside world.

Gwak Jeongsin had resolved the problems on the Human Race side, but Jegyeong could not simply trust Gwak Jeongsin and rest easy.

‘The waters around Black Shark Island need to be cut off from the Human Territories.’

To accomplish that, Jegyeong was willing to interact with the Demon Race as well.

He had no intention of crawling beneath the Remnant Water Whale King's command, but perhaps it would be acceptable to interact with a few members of the Demon Race and show outsiders that Black Shark Island belonged to the Demon Region.

‘The problem is that the Demon Race is as dangerous as the Human Race.’

It was amusing for a current Great Demon to say that, but Jegyeong truly believed it.

The Demon Race might not be as bad as the Human Race, but they were not people he could let his guard down around either.

‘Still, it's worth trying.’

Jegyeong continued sipping his Spirit Wine as he considered one plan after another.

That peaceful time ended a while later when Hyeon-gwi crawled out of the water.

“I pay respects to the Dragon Lord.”

Having received a name from him, Hyeon-gwi behaved even more like a subordinate than before.

Their existing courtesy had been joined by a sense of responsibility, and whenever Jegyeong faced them, he found himself unconsciously trying to act more like a Dragon Lord.

Like now, when he spoke less and answered most questions with only a nod.

As Hyeon-gwi inwardly admired the ever-dignified Dragon Lord, they reported on the Fleshscale Fish school.

“The population remains stable. If we harvest them as we did last time, there should be no problems in the future. Still, more and more creatures have been entering from outside these waters lately, so I believe we should increase the Water Demons guarding the school.”

“Is that so?”

Jegyeong frowned.

Creatures entering from outside the waters.

He had expected this, but he had not thought others would start snooping around so soon.

“More of them will keep coming, won't they?”

“I believe so. In the end, everyone wants to live in a Spiritual Land.”

“What do you think? What would be best?”

Hyeon-gwi thought for a moment, then spoke carefully.

“If the Dragon Lord only wishes to protect the Fleshscale Fish school, I do not believe there is any need to pay them much attention. Those drifting in will only be wanderers, and such creatures would not dare approach the school.”

The Water Demons led by Hyeon-gwi numbered several dozen.

With several dozen Water Demons guarding the school, there was no need to worry about stragglers approaching it.

“But if you wish to manage these waters as a whole, using the Human Race may be one way.”

“The Human Race?”

When Jegyeong reacted as though surprised, Hyeon-gwi continued explaining.

“The Human Race is weak and slow, but they are numerous. There are also many islands they can use as bases. If the Dragon Lord commands them, managing these waters will become far easier.”

“Hm.”

Hyeon-gwi's suggestion did not sound bad.

As the master of these waters, both the Water Demons beneath the surface and the Human Race above it were his subjects.

Since he guaranteed their survival, would it not be a legitimate exercise of his rights to demand some labor in return?

“Fine. We'll do as you say.”

Hyeon-gwi bowed respectfully.

“By the way, is there any way to increase the number of Fleshscale Fish?”

“Uh...”

Hyeon-gwi scratched their cheek with a webbed foot, flustered.

“I don't know. If you give me time, I will look for a method.”

“Observe the Fleshscale Fish. Watch what they eat and how they live. You might think of something.”

Until he found another good source of income, selling Fleshscale Fish was Jegyeong's only means of earning Spirit Stones.

Increasing the school was therefore extremely important.

Besides, if he could find a way to grow the school, he might be able to move it somewhere safer.

“I will do my utmost.”

Seeing the fervor burning in Hyeon-gwi's eyes, Jegyeong nodded in satisfaction.

* * *

“Roaaar!”

After hearing Hyeon-gwi's report, Jegyeong traveled throughout the waters and put on a grand display of force.

He let out savage roars that terrified everything around him, and at times personally bit several Water Demons to death.

The Water Demons trembled in fear at his power and brutality, as did the Human Race members living on nearby islands.

“Cheongyu, will this really be all right?”

The islanders of Three Frog Island were no exception.

Their faces turned pale at the constantly churning lake water and the thunderous roars that occasionally reached them.

“It'll be fine. You all saw it. As long as we faithfully follow the Dragon Lord, there won't be any problem.”

Even after Han Cheongyu spoke, the islanders could not shake off their fear.

Only those who had previously gone with him to work on Black Shark Island remained relatively calm.

“Besides, this is an opportunity for us too. Think about it. We're supposed to sail out and hunt the Water Demons coming in from the outer waters, but isn't that essentially the same as gaining freedom of passage?”

At those words, people looked at one another.

Freedom of passage?

Now that they thought about it, it could be seen that way.

Those who dealt with the Water Demons would be able to sail freely through the waters, so they would likely be able to visit other islands too.

“I'm going to do it. Don't hesitate either. Who knows? If we seize this opportunity, an even greater one might follow next time.”

After the Black Sect Hall vanished, Han Cheongyu had suffered from emptiness for a while.

The goal he had believed would define his life had been accomplished unexpectedly. He was happy, but also bewildered.

After some time passed and the emptiness and confusion cleared, he finally began looking toward a future where the darkness had lifted.

In other words, hope.

‘Three Frog Island is too small.’

Not long ago, he had visited several islands while helping with the Dragon Lord's affairs.

At the time, thoughts of the Black Sect Hall had filled his mind, leaving him no room to take it in. Now that he thought back on it, excitement rose in his chest.

‘If I help with the Dragon Lord's work, I'll get to visit other islands too.’

He would see more islands and a larger world.

The thought alone made Han Cheongyu's heart race.

* * *

After roaming the waters for some time, Jegyeong suddenly stopped and frowned.

A powerful presence was slowly approaching him directly.

‘A Great Demon. Its aura... is about as strong as mine?’

The other's cautious approach suggested no hostility, but Jegyeong did not relax his guard.

“Oh.”

Once they were close enough to see one another clearly, the other creature faltered at the sight of him.

No, it would be more accurate to say it froze in place.

“J-Jiao Dragon?”