The Name I Wear (3)
Uuuung!
‘Hmm. My main body has become Tae-su’s, then.’
I sat in Dagu-dong beside the Black Ghost Valley entrance gate, forming a seated meditation posture and receiving the signal from my main body. The very word ‘main body’ was oddly strange. Since my main body and I shared every sense—sight, hearing, thought, emotion at the current moment—there was no real separation between us at all. ‘No, our names are different.’ Rip, it was called. I had made up a name as I remembered, but this was one of the most terrifying names I had ever heard. Thinking about it again and again still left me feeling sick to my stomach. “Is it all right to wait here?” “Yes. Just wait a little longer in Dagu-dong.” “Understood!” The Ghost King Qi Condensation monk guarding the entrance gate. Thanks to Baek-jin, a man who had entered Dagu-dong wearing a black robe approached and scanned his surroundings before sitting beside me. The aura he emitted was at the early Core Formation level. “Ah, senior. Are you also someone who wishes to enter the Black Ghost Valley?” From what Baek-jin had said, normally a non-sect member at the Heavenly Person level would swear an oath of loyalty and be given a direct lordship position. Accumulating trust in the lordship would then make him an elder. But since ‘Rip’ was still only mid-Core Formation, I couldn’t grant him lordship yet. Instead, I would hold a test and make him a Yin Soul disciple of the Black Ghost Valley. The hierarchy of the Black Ghost Valley was divided into five stages. Qi Condensation disciples were Gate Spirits. Core Formation disciples were Corpse Spirits. Core Formation disciples who showed talent were Corpse Souls. Core Formation disciples were Ghost Souls. Nascent Soul disciples were Yin Souls. Those were the disciple ranks of the Black Ghost Valley. And among Nascent Soul disciples, the high-ranking Yin Soul was the Guardian. Heavenly Persons were Elders. Among Heavenly Persons, those with high trust, strong loyalty, or great contributions within the sect were considered. Those who had a chance to reach the Four Pillars stage received the title of Elder. From here on, the upper realms used colors to denote ranks. Four Pillars were Black Elders. Integration was Blue Elders. Star Shattering was called Green Elders. It was said that Green-rank elders did not exist in the lower realm Gwanghan, but only in the Ghost Realm of Myeonggwi, where the Black Ghost Valley’s main lineage resided. And according to what Jang Ik had once told me in a past life, there should be no Green elders in Myeonggwi anymore. Probably they had been sent on the expedition to find Yang Su-jin’s broken realm. ‘The Black Ghost Valley is deep in history and roots.’ Even if I had tried it in the Heavenly Mystery Sect or Geumsincheonroemun, I could only reach Four Pillars at best. But the Black Ghost Valley, no matter what, possessed Star Shattering stage. And right now, if I passed the Black Ghost Valley entrance test, I would immediately be accepted as a Yin Soul disciple. It was said that normally, even a Nascent Soul high-ranking outsider had to pass the Ghost Soul disciple test upon entry. But since I had proven my ability at the mid-Core Formation level in the Water Realm, I was being given the test visible only at Yin Soul level. There was, however, one annoying thing about this approach. “Haha, Brother Rip. When this old man Lee Hee-nam…” To enter as a Yin Soul disciple, at least five people were needed. And besides me and the talkative Lee Hee-nam, no one else had been ready to take the Yin Soul test yet. Because of that, while my main body soared with the title of Tae-su, I had to keep waiting in this stinking, rotten-smelling Dagu-dong, listening to Lee Hee-nam’s empty chatter. ‘He said he was a branch line descendant of Black Elder Heo-ryeong.’ It was said that like the Water Realm Cheongmun Clan, he was a branch line from a family that no one cared about. But among those branch lines, somehow he had stood out, reached early Nascent Soul, and been specially accepted for the Yin Soul test. “Haha, actually among the Six Major Sects of the Human Race, I was thinking a lot about which to enter—Black Ghost Valley or Yin Ghost Sect.” I glanced sideways at the chattering Lee Hee-nam and sighed inwardly. His will was a soft pink. ‘This guy, what gender does he think I am?’ Probably because of Yu’s beauty, he was trying to do something with me. “No matter how much Venerable says one of my ancestors was, he’s already in his thirties… Actually, Yin Ghost Sect has been winning against Black Ghost Valley in competition lately. That’s why Black Ghost Valley never even considered it, haha, but suddenly Black Ghost Valley overpowered Yin Ghost Sect and merged with it, and the Human Race’s Six Major Sects became the Five Major Sects.” ‘The Human Race’s Five Major Sects…’ That was right. Around the time we clashed with the Heavenly Tribulation on Noeryeong-do, Black Ghost Valley had used a Seopmyeong Ship brought up from the lower realm to successfully merge Yin Ghost Sect into itself. I hadn’t known about it, so I had only known it as the Six Major Sects, but in reality it had become the Five Major Sects. ‘Well, I heard that Yin Ghost Sect originally split off as a demonic path sect from an old branch of Black Ghost Valley…’ Since it was originally one, there had been no big problem in the merger. “Hmph. By the way, senior…?” Annoyed by Lee Hee-nam’s persistent advances, I glared at him. “We’re not even close, why senior? And I never once said I was a woman.” “Ah, no…” Lee Hee-nam was shocked. His pupils widened and he took a step back from me. “A woman… not in that face…?” “…” ‘I had never cared about Yu’s face at all… but this is really uncomfortable.’ I pondered for a moment, then wiped my face. Uuuung! The black demonic mist from Blood Demon True Light covered my face, just like the one Won Rip used to wear, completely covering it. ‘Damn it, this really does feel like the real Won Rip.’ No, in truth, it was exactly the same as Won Rip in the tenth loop when I had switched bodies to become Yu. The fact made me feel even dirtier. ‘The technique of the Black Demon Mask is disgusting. I should just buy a mask and wear it instead.’ The moment I wore the black mask, Lee Hee-nam shrank, as if all chance of conversation with him had vanished, and he was pressed into a corner of Dagu-dong. How long had I waited in Dagu-dong? Three days had passed. Slap, slap… Baek-jin entered Dagu-dong leading three people. “Well, now we have enough people. Since five have gathered, shall we take the entrance test? Or wait until more people come? Five is only the minimum. We can wait, or we can take it right now. But if you fail this time, you’ll only be able to enter as Ghost Soul disciples, not Yin Soul.” A muscular man with a bald head and a tattoo, a corpse-like man in a black robe, and a woman who looked like a ghost in white robes. The bald tattooed man was late Core Formation. The corpse man and the ghost woman were both high-ranking Nascent Soul disciples. The bald tattooed man looked at me and Lee Hee-nam alternately, clicked his tongue, and said, “Mid-Core Formation? Tsk, this one’s even early. I think it would be better to wait for two more rather than test these weaklings.” The corpse man said nothing. The ghost woman only giggled like a madman. ‘Fake madness.’ As someone who knew Goe-gun’s madness, the weak madness shown by the ghost woman looked terribly fake. “What, why are none of you saying anything?” The one who answered the bald man was rather Lee Hee-nam. “Hey, I don’t know how great you are…” Kwang! The bald man immediately rushed at Lee Hee-nam and smashed his head. “…” Lee Hee-nam regenerated his head and thrashed in pain. The bald man laughed and looked at me. “You can’t even endure this much pain and keep struggling. What about you? You don’t have any objection to waiting for two more either, do you?” Raising his fist at me, he spoke. I smiled faintly and said, “Sorry, but I was the first one here in Dagu-dong and have waited a long time. I don’t want to wait anymore…” “I’ll help you cultivate patience.” Buuung! He kicked the ground and rushed at me. ‘He has learned body reforging technique.’ His physique looked sturdy. But I didn’t panic. I extended my arm and used the Golden Hand to deflect his fist. “Eh, eh?” While he was stunned, I unfolded the Golden Needle and twisted his arm behind his back, suppressing him. Crunch! “Kuaaaak!” “You can’t endure pain enough to shatter your head? That’s surprisingly lenient. If it were one of the guys I know, he would have cut off his arm or something to escape. What’s with this much strength?” Probably even a Water Realm Water Palace expert would have cut off the part that was caught and escaped. Probably most Nascent Soul monks from the Water Realm, unless they caught his crotch, would have let their bodies be discarded like a lizard. But this guy didn’t seem strong enough for that level. “You… you bastard…” Kudududuk! A powerful corpse qi gushed from his body, pushing me away. But I pushed my Blood Demon True Light qi into his body and blocked his energy meridians instead. The blood-red demonic power of the Blood Demon True Light that stuck to his meridians prevented the bald tattooed man from gathering qi and suppressed him directly. “Stay still.” “You…” I lowered my head and met his eyes. Inside the Black Demon Mask, my gaze flashed. Probably what he saw was my Yu’s red eyes glowing inside the black mask. “Before I kill you.” “…” He froze the moment he felt my killing intent. Even a normal Heavenly Person couldn’t imagine it. I had gone through countless battles. Although my Rip was my clone, that killing intent was no longer something a Nascent Soul monk could handle. “…” He wiped sweat and avoided my eyes. I turned my head and saw the Nascent Soul disciples watching me curiously—the one with the killing intent, the corpse-like man, and the woman in robes. “Do both of you have any objection to taking the test with the current number of people?” The corpse-like man awkwardly smiled as he met my gaze, forcing his corpse-like expression to disappear. The woman in robes straightened her waist politely, as if her madness had been cured, and smiled. “No objection.” “Me neither…” I looked at Lee Hee-nam. He had also become as pale as a corpse upon feeling my killing intent. “I, I am very satisfied…” I collected unanimous opinion and conveyed it to Baek-jin. “Everyone seems anxious to take the test quickly.” Baek-jin, who had been watching us, nodded and said, “Then, let’s begin the Black Ghost Valley entrance test. Follow me.” He led us with his back to us and guided us somewhere. As we followed the valley of the Ghost Valley, we had arrived at a place full of thorny vines. I noticed the nature of the thorny vines and emitted my gaze. By now, Baek-jin who had been guiding us was gone. He had probably entered a formation. [The test content is simple.] Baek-jin’s voice filled the space full of thorny vines. [The thorny vines in front of you are a specially made curse. If you five work together to escape this cursed space, the test will pass…] Kwak! Before Baek-jin finished speaking, I grabbed one of the thorny vine stems. “Curse reversal.”