Ophidian of the Immortal World - Chapter 71

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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 71: Burning Flame Art

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What was going on?

Jegyeong looked back and forth between the raindrops falling from the sky and Cheongo.

Had Cheongo really used the Spirit Rain Technique? How?

The rainfall was far too meager to call it the Spirit Rain Technique, but every drop clearly contained Spiritual Energy.

"How did you do it?"

"You just have to believe you can and put your heart into it."

As though they had been waiting for the question, Cheongo answered in a somewhat smug tone.

Jegyeong narrowed his eyes.

It was not because Cheongo was showing off. Something about those words had caught his attention.

What should he call it? A profound mystery?

No, perhaps that was going too far.

Still, there was something about it that made it difficult to dismiss as empty nonsense.

'It started after that dream.'

Cheongo had begun to change after having that strange dream.

At first, Jegyeong thought the dream had simply left a deep impression. As time passed, though, he realized that was not the case.

'That strange bird has become even stranger.'

Come to think of it, Cheongo had always been strange. No, special.

That had been true when Cheongo was still a beast, and it remained true after becoming a Demon Beast.

Cheongo showed none of the innate savagery characteristic of the Demon Race. Other than their beastly appearance, Cheongo was practically closer to the Human Race than the Demon Race.

'An Immortal, huh.'

Jegyeong suspected Cheongo's uniqueness was connected to that Immortal.

Calling it a suspicion was generous. He was almost certain of it.

It was bizarre for someone already dead to appear in a dream and influence the living, but the Cultivation World was a place where far more mysterious and strange things could happen.

'Still... just in case.'

From then on, Jegyeong watched Cheongo carefully.

Yet aside from becoming absorbed in practicing the Spirit Rain Technique and occasionally visiting the workers, Cheongo showed no other noticeable changes. They remained innocent and were still deeply devoted to decorating their nest.

After a full fifteen days had passed, Jegyeong decided further observation was pointless.

Cheongo had definitely changed.

But cultivation was a continuous process of transformation. For a cultivator, continuing to change was normal. In that sense, this change could mean Cheongo had finally become a proper cultivator.

'Still... that Spirit Rain Technique is terrible.'

A full fifteen days had passed.

Cheongo had practiced the Spirit Rain Technique steadily during that time, but the results were slight. The rain they summoned was still not even enough to qualify as a drizzle.

Drip. Drip.

Ignoring the occasional drops falling onto his body, Jegyeong quietly closed his eyes.

* * *

"My son! You really came back!"

An old woman with completely white hair clung to a young man who looked to be just over twenty, tears streaming down her face.

The young man shook his head.

"I told you, Mother. It wasn't dangerous."

"How could it not have been? Do you know where you went?"

The old woman was not the only one surrounding him.

People acquainted with the young man, along with people who had never even exchanged a word with him, crowded around him.

They were shocked that someone taken to the terrifying Black Shark Island had returned safely. Now, they wanted to hear his story.

"Dragon Lord is a good person. At least, much better than those bastards from the Black Sect Hall. We went to Black Shark Island to work for him..."

The young man gave them a rough account of the several months he had spent on Black Shark Island.

Naturally, he did not tell them everything. He kept quiet about the parts that needed to be hidden, such as the Spirit Stones Dragon Lord had bestowed upon them as compensation for their labor.

"Is that true?"

"Can't you tell by the fact that I came back unharmed?"

Many still doubted him, but living proof stood before them.

When the young man also brought out several items he had acquired from the Human Territories, even those who had remained skeptical until the end had no choice but to believe him.

It was hard to believe, but the new master of the Black Jiao Waters was not as frightening as they had imagined. If anything, Dragon Lord seemed rather merciful.

Yet the human heart was greedy. Once someone was standing, they wanted to sit. Once seated, they wanted to lie down.

After learning that the black jiao was not as cruel as they had thought and seeing those who had traveled to the Human Territories with their own eyes, some people naturally began to harbor other desires.

It was nothing grand.

They only wanted to leave the island where they had been born and raised and see the world beyond those waters.

The problem was that Jegyeong had no intention of granting that wish.

"Dragon Lord. It has been dealt with cleanly."

Hyeon-gwi, who had just returned from completing the task, bowed respectfully.

Jegyeong had ordered Hyeon-gwi, who guarded the school of Fleshscale Fish, to watch several islands.

Anyone who secretly left an island without his permission was to be dealt with.

"You've done well. There will be no problem with the school of fish while you're away, will there?"

"Yes. Things there have settled down, so there should be no problem even if I leave my post."

Despite the respectful tone, Hyeon-gwi's voice carried strength and confidence.

It was clearly different from before, when Hyeon-gwi had seemed weak and listless. Hyeon-gwi's eyes were clearer, and their overall Aura had grown noticeably stronger.

Whether Muk-su's Spirit Fruit was simply that effective or Hyeon-gwi happened to be particularly compatible with it, Jegyeong did not know. Either way, Hyeon-gwi had become more capable after eating it.

Hyeon-gwi had also grown skilled at handling Water Demons, and their way of dealing with matters had become more flexible.

This matter was proof enough.

Hyeon-gwi had handled it faster and more cleanly than Jegyeong expected.

"Shall I keep watching them?"

"Yes."

There were probably not many people both bold enough and capable enough to act, but they still had to be watched just in case.

Jegyeong could not allow a hole to form in his net, no matter how small.

Once a hole appeared, it could not be mended. It would only grow larger, so he could not permit even a hole as small as a speck of dust.

A fish that escaped the net would bring countless other fish with it, and a net with holes in it would not be able to stop them.

Thorough control was the only answer.

At least, it was the best judgment Jegyeong could make at present.

No matter how much he tried to control things, the net would eventually be ruined, whether something leaked from within or entered from outside. Still, he had to delay that day as long as possible.

Until outside threats could no longer shake him.

'In the end, it's because I'm weak.'

Obtaining guest elder status with the Dragon King Palace had eased the pressure on him somewhat, but he could not relax.

A small awl one could not see was more frightening than a great blade in plain sight. Jegyeong believed the only thing he could truly trust was his own strength.

'If I reached the late Great Demon Realm, or even the middle stage, I could rest easier.'

Since becoming a Great Demon, he had never allowed himself a moment of idleness.

Even so, his cultivation progressed slowly. Without the help of his Bloodline, the process of increasing his demon power stitch by stitch was bleak and tedious.

'At least I managed to obtain a proper cultivation method this time.'

The workers, including Han Cheongyu, had brought back more than cultivation arts.

They had also acquired various cultivation methods, the sort commonly practiced by Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

In other words, they were not basic cultivation methods.

Among them was a fire-aspect cultivation method. Jegyeong could finally bid farewell to the tiresome Heat-Gathering Art.

Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art.

It was a fire-aspect cultivation method that could be practiced steadily through the late Qi Refining Stage. It was not particularly renowned, but it had certain advantages in cultivation speed and stability, so cultivators without access to a special inheritance often practiced it.

It was a common cultivation method that could be acquired with a little effort at a market town. Yet to Jegyeong, who had grown accustomed to the pitiful cultivation speed of the Heat-Gathering Art, the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art was an unrivaled divine art.

Whoosh!

Great flames rose.

They were spiritual flames that burned away stray thoughts and heated the heart.

Compared to the flames kindled by the Heat-Gathering Art, these flames were far more violent. Jegyeong could withstand that violence, so he did not suppress them and simply let them run free.

The fierce flames rising from his Spiritual Essence spread in an instant, as though they would burn through his Spirit and Flesh.

Yet Jegyeong remained calm.

He was not forcibly enduring it. He truly felt no pain at all.

The flames created by the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art could not affect him in the slightest. It was like a tiny spark trying to burn a massive cliff face.

Before the Spiritual Essence he had steadily tempered with fire qi as his Spiritual Seed, and the body that had become tougher through repeated Molting, the flames of the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art were no more than mild warmth.

'I see.'

The original method of cultivating the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art involved controlling these flames of Spiritual Essence to reduce the burden on one's Spirit and Flesh.

That lowered the efficiency of refining Spiritual Power, but ensured stability in return.

Human Race cultivators had no choice but to cultivate that way.

Because they were weak.

They controlled fire while fearing they might be burned by it.

Jegyeong was different.

He was confident, so he tried it.

The result exceeded his expectations.

Even if he cultivated a method more forceful than the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art, he would not feel any burden.

'Should I give it a try?'

An impulsive thought suddenly came to him.

Jegyeong had cultivated both the Heat-Gathering Art and the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art. He could practically be said to have mastered the Heat-Gathering Art.

He had not cultivated the other basic methods, but he had memorized all of them and understood their principles. His understanding of cultivation methods was not shallow.

'The principle itself isn't difficult.'

In the end, the key was drawing in more Spiritual Energy.

It was like opening his mouth a little wider to take a bigger bite of food.

'...No. That's not it, no matter how I put it.'

In any case, increasing the amount of Spiritual Energy he absorbed did not seem difficult.

The only risk was that stronger fire qi might place a greater burden on his Spirit and Flesh. Yet after cultivating the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art and comparing it with the Heat-Gathering Art, Jegyeong did not think it would matter even if the burden grew far beyond his expectations.

'Let's do it.'

Jegyeong made his decision.

The beginning was no different.

He circulated the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art, recited the incantation, and sensed the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth.

Next came drawing in the Spiritual Energy he had sensed.

This guidance had to be carefully controlled through the incantation. The Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth was wild and unrestrained and could damage a cultivator's Spirit and Flesh.

That was why an exceptional incantation could draw in great amounts of Spiritual Energy while controlling it steadily.

In that sense, the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art could be called a fairly impressive cultivation method.

But at that moment, Jegyeong ruined that impressive method.

He discarded its control over Spiritual Energy and focused solely on drawing in more.

Boom!

The maximum amount of Spiritual Energy that the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art could draw in surged toward his Spiritual Essence like a wave and shook it violently.

Jegyeong's sturdy Spiritual Essence endured the wave without trouble.

'Ah!'

After taking in Spiritual Energy came refinement.

That process happened quickly as well.

Unrestrained flames spread through his entire Spirit and Flesh.

Their heat far surpassed the previous mild warmth, but it was still insufficient to harm his Spirit and Flesh.

'Yes. This is it.'

The Spiritual Energy he had drawn in so recklessly transformed into demon power and settled within his Spiritual Essence.

The amount was nearly twice what he gained when circulating the cultivation method normally.

Even compared to the secret cultivation methods of famous sects and cultivation families, this effect would not fall far behind.

Bang!

After finishing his cultivation, Jegyeong returned to his true form and left the island.

He moved freely, releasing all the excitement he had suppressed while cultivating.

The step he took that day was light, but its meaning was anything but.

He had discovered a possibility.

He did not know how abundantly that possibility would grow in the future, but the result he achieved today was meaningful enough to Jegyeong.

'Come to think of it, I can't call the cultivation method I practice the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art anymore.'

The modest name Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art did not seem fitting for his excellently modified new cultivation method.

'Heaven-Burning Art? No, that's too grand, even for this.'

After considering several options, Jegyeong could not think of a suitable name. So he simply removed the two characters Scorching Heart from the original method's name.

His cultivation method was the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art with unnecessary parts removed, so this seemed appropriate enough.

'Burning Flame Art. Burning Flame Art...'

At first glance, it was a bland name, but Jegyeong liked it.

Perhaps it was because it was a cultivation method touched by his own hand.

* * *

After loosely drawing inspiration from the Burning Flame Scorching Heart Art and creating the exceptional Burning Flame Art, Jegyeong once again learned what it meant to enjoy cultivation.

The feeling of his demon power increasing every time he cultivated was truly delightful.

He became so absorbed in cultivation that he ran out of Spirit Wine in less than a month and had to order twice as much from Gwak Jeongsin.

In the past, he could not have dreamed of such extravagant cultivation because of his finances.

Now, he wanted to exchange every Spirit Stone he possessed for Spirit Wine.

Of course, he could not actually do that.

If he did, he would not be able to avoid Gwak Jeongsin's suspicions.

'Don't rush. Slowly, little by little.'

Whenever Jegyeong met Gwak Jeongsin, he praised the taste of the Spirit Wine and exaggerated his image as a drinker.

That way, even as the amount of Spirit Wine he ordered gradually increased, he could avoid suspicion to some extent.

Gulp. Gulp.

Jegyeong emptied another bottle of Spirit Wine and continued cultivating.

Spiritual Energy rushed into him without restraint, and before long, intense fire energy surged up.