Chapter 198: Betrayal (6)
"Was there no one suspected to be from the Heart Tribe?"
"It all happened so quickly, I'm not sure."
I respond to his question while helping rectify the devastated Sea Dragon Race territory.
Inquiries about the Heart Tribe are happening everywhere.
"A tremendously large member of the Heart Tribe appeared. They resembled a lion... with three large horns, and when the Heart Tribe roared, it seemed like dark fog spewed out. Something crimson burst out from within that fog, and then I lost consciousness."
"...."
Listening to the Nascent Soul Sea Dragon being interrogated by another Four-Axis cultivator, I'm not sure what expression to wear.
'What did they see? Three horns? Resembling a lion?'
It seems Yu Hwa had put them to sleep, inducing them to see strange things at the boundary between dream and reality.
"Did the Heart Tribe member you saw look like that too?"
"Uh... Yes. That's right."
I also go along with the Sea Dragon's narrative, wildly distorting Yu Hwa's appearance in my answer.
"The horns were large and fierce, and the face was purple. The eyes were terrifying as if lightning could strike from them."
"Hmm... What kind of race is that?"
"Well... It's not a characteristic of a race but a feature of the Heart Path Method, isn't it? It's said the Heart Tribe's Heart Path Method is profoundly mysterious."
"That's true."
The Four-Axis cultivator receives various distorted pieces of information about Yu Hwa from me and several Sea Dragons, and helps heal the injured Sea Dragon Race.
Kurung, Kururung!
Meanwhile, a dark cloud carrying golden lightning flies towards us.
Kugugugu!
From within the dark cloud, a dragon with golden scales leaps down and transforms into a woman in a brown robe with golden horns.
It's Gyu-ryeon.
"I heard there was a vicious attack by the Heart Tribe. Are you alright?"
Moved by her concern, the Sea Dragon Race elders respond gratefully.
"Yes, fortunately, thanks to the seniors from other races who came to help, it seems there was no major damage."
"Be careful. All members of the Heart Tribe are vicious. By the way... Seo Eun-hyun, come here for a moment."
Gyu-ryeon, who was talking to a Heavenly Being stage elder, calls me over.
"As far as I know, you've also trained in the Heaven Tribe's methods. Can you read your celestial energy?"
"Yes, I can."
"Is there any change in your celestial energy?"
"...There is."
I wear a somber expression.
"...Everyone has only heard rumors about the Heart Tribe but has never properly faced them. Moreover, since this place is close to Serving Command Ark, the heart of the Earth Tribe, everyone has been complacent and never properly explained about the Heart Tribe..."
She begins to explain to us.
"Listen well, from now on, you must know about the Heart Tribe. For the monsters that have reached a realm corresponding to the Heavenly Being stage in the Heart Tribe, their abilities have the same effect as facing Heavenly Tribulation the moment it hits."
"Really...?"
Gyu-ryeon's explanation about the Heart Tribe continues, and after a while, the Sea Dragon Race elders wear shocked expressions.
The Heart Tribe, beings they only heard rumors about and never properly encountered.
Located near Serving Command Ark, the core of the True Dragon Alliance, Cloud Heart Lake has been a place where the Sea Dragon Race lived without significant external threats until now.
The traits of the Heart Tribe as described by Gyu-ryeon seem shockingly new to them, as they all look to the sky with bewildered expressions.
And soon after,
A look of disgust and fear towards the Heart Tribe is evident in their eyes.
"...So, when we rise in cultivation, we now have to face two types of Heavenly Tribulations. In addition to the original Heavenly Tribulation, an absurd one has appeared because of that Heart Tribe!"
"...Yes."
"Hah, Hahahaha!"
Those who are confident in their strength and consider typical Heavenly Tribulations manageable just go along with it.
However, those weaker ones who barely overcame their Heavenly Tribulations are outraged.
Especially since from the Nascent Soul stage onwards, with each advancement through the early, middle, late, and reaching Grand Perfection, they face a Heavenly Tribulation each time.
In short, they, now at the Heavenly Being stage, must face Heavenly Tribulations at each step of their cultivation advancement.
Thus, the Sea Dragon Race elders close to their next breakthrough are furiously outraged.
They don't hesitate to hurl all kinds of curses at the Heart Tribe, forgetting they are in front of Gyu-ryeon and the Earth Tribe's Four-Axis cultivators.
"Calm down! Those who suffered damage from the Heart Tribe this time will be allowed to use the True Dragon Alliance's Serving Command Ark for future breakthroughs! I, Gyu-ryeon, the Ark Controlling Envoy of the True Dragon Alliance, promise this in my name!"
At her proposal, the enraged dragons' eyes return to reason.
'There is surely a place in the lower levels of the Serving Command Ark that helps when breaking through Heavenly Tribulation.'
Gyu-ryeon is an elder of the True Dragon Alliance and holds the position of Ark Controlling Envoy.
The title of Ark Controlling Envoy involves managing various areas of the Serving Command Ark as needed and allows the use of the facilities within the Serving Command Ark as necessary.
The Sea Dragon Race elders express their gratitude to Gyu-ryeon, and I say to them with a smile,
"Now that the Ark Controlling Envoy has given us the opportunity to use the facilities of the Serving Command Ark, I would like to repay this kindness by applying to assist the Ark Controlling Envoy's work as an attendant."
"The Grand Leader... is..."
"My title is essentially nominal anyway, but isn't it better to be able to work for the Sea Dragon Race through this opportunity? Or do the elders have a problem with me, who is the liaison between the Ark Controlling Envoy and the Grand Prince, entering as an attendant to serve the Ark Controlling Envoy to repay this kindness?"
"No, not at all. That wouldn't be the case"
Faced with my question, the elders reluctantly accept the proposal, despite their grim expressions.
Gyu-ryeon also easily accepts my offer, thinking it isn't a bad idea since I can communicate with Seo Hweol through the blood I received from him last time.
Thus, I successfully freed myself from the social constraints that tied me to the Sea Dragon Race elders and managed to leave the Sea Dragon Race territory.
"I look forward to your communication with Seo Hweol, Seo Eun-hyun."
Gyu-ryeon cheerfully smiles as she takes me to the Serving Command Ark.
"As a liaison for the Grand Prince, is there anything else I can help with your work? It seems a bit pointless to have followed the Ark Controlling Envoy here as an attendant and do nothing..."
"Hmm, then just take care of a few paperwork tasks for now. For starters."
I followed her, checking her work as we descended to the lower levels of the Serving Command Ark.
"...Hah..."
I swallow hard as I look at the familiar darkness before me.
"Haha, are you nervous?"
Indeed, I am.
I look at the pitch-black darkness of the lowest level, the Emptiness Floor of Serving Command Ark, with a tense expression.
Gyu-ryeon, as the Ark Controlling Envoy, primarily manages the Emptiness Floor, the lowest level of the Serving Command Ark.
She also mentioned she serves as the Immortal Beast Blood Fusion's host and performs duties during such events.
"My main job is to manage the spatial rifts in the lowest level of Serving Command Ark."
She continues to explain while pulling out a few documents from her storage scroll for me.
"The Serving Command Ark was originally an immortal treasure for traveling beyond worlds, and the lowest level is full of power for transcending worlds."
'Power for transcending worlds...'
"Of course, it's now sealed and not very meaningful, but such powers occasionally cause spatial rifts in the lowest level. Those spatial rifts often lead to the lower realms."
"The lower realms?"
"Yes. If not careful, those who come to the lowest level of Serving Command Ark can accidentally fly off randomly to the Astral Realm or Decaying Corpse Realm due to a mistake, so I manage the spatial rifts."
"Was everything alright during the Immortal Beast Blood Fusion?"
"Of course! I was monitoring the entire space with eagle eyes during the Immortal Beast Blood Fusion, so there was no threat of spatial rifts."
"..."
I remember meeting [Him] during the Immortal Beast Blood Fusion.
Given her words that the lowest level of the Serving Command Ark is prone to connecting to other worlds, it seems I was drawn into some interdimensional space by [Him] and faced [Him] there.
"By the way, if there are spatial rifts connected to the lower realms... couldn't they be used to create a Void Spirit Pond and be used as a Flying Immortal Platform?"
I ask her after hearing the explanation about the lowest level of the Serving Command Ark.
"Flying Immortal Platforms can't be created from such spatial rifts. A stable entrance to space-time needs to be formed. If a Flying Immortal Platform is made from a spatial rift, it will close too easily. In the long history of the Bright Cold Realm, only the story of the Lightning Immortal from 120,000 years ago has been known to maintain a Flying Immortal Platform created from a spatial rift."
"..."
Feeling like I know who the Lightning Immortal was, I nod.
"Then, do you usually stay here, Senior Gyu?"
"Why would I? Why would I willingly stay in such a gloomy place for long?"
Woong!
She extends her hand towards me.
On the back of her hand shines the character for Serve ().
"This is the mark I received as the Ark Controlling Envoy managing the lowest level of the Serving Command Ark. With this mark, I can teleport to the lowest level of the Serving Command Ark at any time. If a signal of a spatial rift appearing in the lowest level appears, I just need to quickly go there and close the rift. In fact, aside from during the Immortal Beast Blood Fusion, the lowest level is where the Ark Controlling Envoy has the least to do."
"I see"
"Your task will be to record the actions I've taken to close any spatial rifts that may occur in the documents I've given you and submit them to the elders' council of the True Dragon Alliance. It's not difficult but a bit tedious. In fact, since there's hardly ever a need to close spatial rifts, your main role will be as a liaison between the Grand Prince and I."
"I will do my best."
"Thank you, I'm counting on you."
Gyu-ryeon then writes a letter to Seo Hweol on the spot and reads it to me.
Using the bloodline connection I have with Seo Hweol, I transmit her letter to him through my blood.
After a while, I receive a reply from Seo Hweol and relay it to Gyu-ryeon.
Thus, for some time, I became a human postal service, delivering love letters between Seo Hweol and Gyu-ryeon.
After learning about the duties of an attendant to the Ark Controlling Envoy,
Under the guise of repaying Gyu-ryeon's kindness, I became her attendant and dedicated myself to preparing for the wedding between Gyu-ryeon and Seo Hweol.
The duties of her attendant didn't require much work, so I had plenty of time to help with Gyu-ryeon and Seo Hweol's wedding.
'Seo Hweol must be married to Gyu-ryeon without a chance to react when he returns.'
My goal is to have Seo Hweol at the wedding venue without any opportunity to exert political influence the moment he returns.
'Then, first, I need to create a situation where Seo Hweol must marry Gyu-ryeon.'
Of course, from the moment Gyu-ryeon reaches the Integration stage,
There will effectively be no choice for Seo Hweol, but I started working more firmly to ensure she can have him.
'First, I'll gather Seo Hweol's opposition.'
Though Seo Hweol's actions always seem perfect, like any faction, there are significant numbers of opposing factions.
Mainly, those of the Earth Tribe who suffered losses due to Seo Hweol's proposals, or minor races forced to have their names managed by the True Dragon Alliance, are among them.
Of course, Seo Hweol always cleverly redirects the dissatisfaction towards others, so there are almost no direct adversaries among those minor races and Earth Tribe members who suffered losses.
At best, a handful?
'Then, I'll gather that handful.'
After settling in the Serving Command Ark, I secretly contacted Seo Hweol's opposition, uniting them.
Over several days, I spread bad information and rumors about Seo Hweol among them, manipulating them to spread slander within their forces.
'After all, Seo Hweol will be away for a few decades to a century, so they can say whatever they want without him being able to refute.'
However, not being able to refute directly doesn't mean there aren't plenty who would defend him.
The Black Dragon Race, for some reason, seems to share a fate with Seo Hweol, and other Dragon Races also maintain quite good relations with Seo Hweol, with Gyu-ryeon at the forefront.
Moreover, the other 13 major races also maintain friendships with Seo Hweol, so if minor races try to slander Seo Hweol, they will definitely defend him.
'I'll take advantage of that gap.'
I will rally the so-called opposition, the minor force, and increase their size. Through them, I'll continuously highlight the limits of Seo Hweol's social status.
Seo Hweol's official status is that of a Grand Prince, but he is actually the leader of the Sea Dragon Race, a 'collateral' branch of the Black Dragon Race.
Therefore, assigning a major role in the True Dragon Alliance, led by the noble Immortal Beast bloodlines of thirteen major races, to Seo Hweol, who is not of noble birth, is not entirely suitable. However, Seo Hweol managed to dominate the Elders Council of the True Dragon Alliance with his unique charm and charisma.
Strictly speaking, the status of the head of the Sea Dragon Race, a collateral branch of the Black Dragon Race, frankly does not match the dignity of the Elders Council governed by the noble Immortal Beast bloodline races.
Moreover, being of lower realm origin, Seo Hweol's birth itself is not particularly noble.
'Then, the Elders Council of the thirteen races of the True Dragon Alliance will take measures to elevate Seo Hweol's status in defense of him.'
There is honestly no puppet as good as Seo Hweol for the Elders Council of the thirteen races, so Seo Hweol is naturally to be valued.
Seo Hweol would have surely manipulated things to ensure his continued importance before leaving.
'Then, at that time, I will advocate for Seo Hweol's marriage.'
The partner, of course, is Gyu-ryeon.
Gyu-ryeon is a partner who can fill the gaps in Seo Hweol's lacking status, and her becoming the Demon Queen will actually serve as a perfect shield for Seo Hweol.
'Of course, at the same time, it will be a tremendous prison for Seo Hweol.'
Moreover, Gyu-ryeon's title is Ark Controlling Envoy.
As she belongs not to the Golden Dragon Race but is a serving Ark Controlling Envoy of the True Dragon Alliance, the thirteen major races also have less to worry about Seo Hweol becoming a biased puppet.
The title of Ark Controlling Envoy is something she will carry even after reaching the Integration stage, and rather, her dominion within the Serving Command Ark will expand if she becomes the Demon Queen.
The more territories she manages within the Serving Command Ark, the farther she will be from the power struggles of the True Dragon Alliance, so neither I nor the Elder Council of the True Dragon Alliance will have to worry.
'In this way, after becoming an Integration stage Demon Queen, Seo Hweol will have to marry Gyu-ryeon regardless of the outcome, according to Gyu-ryeon's will.'
While assisting with Gyu-ryeon's duties, I spread malicious rumors about Seo Hweol through the opposition that dislikes him, helping them spread their resentment within their forces.
'By gradually tightening the net around Seo Hweol, he will eventually be caught.'
It won't be long now, Seo Hweol.
Look forward to it.
Thus, laying the groundwork for Seo Hweol's marriage, three more years pass.
Entering the 10th year of my return.
"You found a weakness of Seo Hweol?"
"Yes, Cultivator Seo."
I ask Cheon Ryang, the leader of the opposition faction against Seo Hweol, who has come to see me.
It's been three years.
Three years since uniting the opposition and gradually advancing the marriage plan for Seo Hweol.
During that time, Cheon Ryang, the leader of the opposition, claims to have found Seo Hweol weakness and came to me.
Cheon Ryang is a canine demon beast, who, feeling hot in the room, sticks out his tongue to cool down as he continues his explanation.
"Phew, don't be shocked and just listen. A Nascent Soul elder of my Celestial Dog Race brought up a fact that can be a weakness of Seo Hweol."
"Hmm A fact that can be a weakness"
But conversely, it might not turn out to be a weakness.
"What fact is it? Is the source of this information reliable?"
"Absolutely reliable. We've even secured a witness."
Cheon Ryang leans in close to whisper secretly.
"Seo Hweol has connections to the Blood Yin Realm. Whether this fact is proven true or not, it can significantly damage him."
Cheon Ryang says while chuckling bitterly.
'Blood Yin Realm'
Indeed, it wouldn't be strange if Seo Hweol has connections to the Blood Yin Realm.
"Is this witness reliable? If you bring forward uncertain information trying to shake Seo Hweol, you might be the one to face a counterattack."
As I express my concerns, Cheon Ryang grins and claps his hands.
Clap clap!
Following his clapping, a middle-aged figure enters the room where he and I are talking.
The figure is a plump humanoid demon beast with protruding tusks.
With red hair and wearing a garment that bares his belly, he greets Cheon Ryang and I.
Cheon Ryang introduces him.
"This one is Hong Guk! Despite how he looks, he fought against the Heavenly Fiends of the Blood Yin Realm when they invaded the Earth Tribe territory 700 years ago. He was recognized for his achievements and even worked in the territory of Ark Controlling Envoy Gyu-ryeon."
"Ah!"
That's when I realize who he is.
He was the Nascent Soul stage boar demon that Baek Nyeong beat up last time in Gyu-ryeon's territory.
***
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