The Avenger (2)
How long had I waited in front of the main gate of Black Scale Ghost Valley?
By the time the curse masters gathered before the gate exceeded ten thousand in number,
Kuuung!
The main gate of Black Scale Ghost Valley swung open.
Inside the open doorway stood a boy clad in black robes, waiting for us with a neat and proper appearance.
“We are deeply grateful that so many of you have gathered in response to our sect’s request. As some of you may already know, our sect has previously sought out specialists in certain unique fields on several occasions.”
The boy continued his explanation.
“In truth, what Black Scale Ghost Valley seeks are merely ten or so first-rate curse masters of exceptional skill. In other words… the vast majority of those gathered here will, regrettably, have to return home. Those who already understand this will understand.”
At his words, voices filled with discontent rose from various places.
“Hey, what do you mean by that!?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
“I gave up a better job just to come here!”
I crossed my arms and watched how things would unfold with indifferent eyes.
The boy smiled faintly, completely ignoring the clamor of the shouting curse masters, and raised a single finger.
“As those who know already know… well then, from now on, we shall begin testing whether you meet the standards our sect requires of curse masters.”
Kugugugugu!
At the same time, the massive form of a monster appeared behind the boy.
‘…!’
The creature radiated powerful demonic energy and, at the same time, an eerie corpse qi.
And from that monster, I felt an intense sense of déjà vu.
“This one’s name is Bi. As those who know will know, it was created by taking fragments of the corpses from the Void Space and fusing them with the remains of a demon race from the Gwanghan Realm. They are extremely ferocious and difficult to kill. Moreover, because we have specially modified them, they absorb curses and grow even stronger.”
The boy spoke as he rose into the air.
Kuung!
The monster called Bi pressed its upper body against the ground.
The earth trembled, and a sharp, prickling sense of danger erupted.
“From this moment on, only those who can pass Bi and enter through the main gate of Black Scale Ghost Valley will be allowed to discuss the details of the job. I wish you all the best of luck.”
The boy soon disappeared inside the gate, while Bi remained in place, completely blocking the entrance with its enormous body.
“Damn it! Just because you’re a great sect, you can’t just do whatever you want! I heard that anyone who showed up would get the job!”
“You people are going too far. Do you know how much it cost just to get here!?”
“Tch, live well then!”
About a hundred curse masters of mediocre skill streamed out of the area.
Those who remained were at least somewhat confident in their curses.
‘All of them are half-baked.’
I clicked my tongue and looked around.
They all seemed confident, yet far more of them had stayed behind nursing vain hopes after only dabbling in curses.
They too would be filtered out at this gate.
‘No need to watch the spectacle.’
Without a word, I walked toward Bi.
As I approached the gate, Bi bared its teeth and growled.
‘Corpse, huh…’
Those monsters I had seen in the Void Space.
They were apparently called “corpses.”
Bi raised its forepaw to strike me.
I paid it no mind, clasped my hands behind my back, and fell into thought.
Kuuung!
The creature’s paw came crashing down.
But in the next instant, the pitch-black curse scripts wrapped around my body melted its entire forepaw away.
Bi screamed and thrashed, while I calmly melted through its body and advanced.
At the same time, I analyzed the energy I felt from it as I pierced through.
‘It certainly resembles the ones in the Void Space.’
I asked Bi-ryul.
“Bi-ryul, do you know what these ‘corpses’ are?”
[Yes, Master.]
“Tell me.”
[Understood. A “corpse” is a “shedding.”]
Bi-ryul continued.
[They are the shells that Gaeyeol-stage True Immortals and Quasi-Immortals must discard when they ascend to True Immortal. Most of these shells are discarded in the Void Space, where they attack those who wander the void for hundreds of millions of years. Over time, the corpses break into smaller pieces and weaken, eventually turning to dust and being expelled into the Star Realm. There, they become the nutrients from which new stars are born.]
“Ho…”
The monsters of the Void Space.
They were actually the discarded shells of Gaeyeol-stage cultivators who had ascended.
This was new information.
‘From the Unity stage onward, a small world forms inside the body, and by the Gaeyeol stage, even the shed shell becomes powerful enough to qualify as a small world…’
“…If they are the shells left behind during ascension…”
The Dao of Earth and the Dao of this world were clearly different.
Yet they shared far more similarities than differences, and ascension was one of them.
“They are the physical bodies that Gaeyeol-stage cultivators have cultivated all this time. Correct?”
[Correct. In essence, they are the remains of the corpses of Gaeyeol-stage True Immortals.]
“Ho…”
Listening to the explanation about corpses, I finally succeeded in piercing through Bi’s body and reaching the other side.
Chwaak!
Even though I had walked rather slowly, I seemed to be the first to arrive.
Behind me, the curse masters were shouting and trying to bore through Bi’s body with various curses, but it looked hopeless.
The path I had carved through was already writhing and regenerating in an instant.
“Greetings, honored guest. Please state your name and the sect you belong to.”
The boy who had summoned Bi approached me with a smile and asked.
“Seo Lip. Of Black Ghost Valley.”
“Understood.”
The boy recorded my name and moved on to the next curse masters arriving behind me, asking for their names and affiliations.
‘Hmm, that boy…’
I observed the boy with interest.
‘A cultivator of the Heaven-Earth Twin Hands.’
Within his seemingly small frame, I could feel the powerful vitality of the demon race and, at the same time, the strength of the heavenly race.
Strangely, the boy’s power was mutually concealing the heavenly and earthly forces, making it difficult to read his exact level.
Thanks to my experience with the Triple Taiji, I immediately recognized that the boy was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
But if someone had only trained in one of the heaven-earth techniques, they probably wouldn’t even understand what level of expert he was.
How long had I been watching the boy?
Three thousand curse masters had passed through Bi and gathered in the plaza beyond the main gate of Black Scale Ghost Valley.
The boy waited a moment, then spoke after all signs of activity beyond Bi had vanished.
“It seems the others have given up. Very well. As those who know will know, even those who passed the gate will receive a modest reward, so please keep that in mind. However, to receive the actual mission, we must conduct several more tests to further filter the numbers. I ask for your understanding on that point as well.”
Then, a series of tests examining the curse masters’ curses began one after another.
I was the first to clear each test, all the while observing my surroundings.
‘The curses used by the curse masters in the tests are flowing somewhere…’
Black Scale Ghost Valley seemed to be accumulating the curses of the curse masters somewhere.
‘If they condense the curses of this many people, they’ll create an incredibly terrifying curse…’
It was similar to a gu poison.
They gathered curses, gathered them, and poured them all into one place to birth an extremely vicious curse.
‘Just what do they intend to do with such a curse?’
While thinking this, how much time had passed?
Before I knew it, only the ten people the boy had mentioned remained; everyone else had been eliminated.
“Then we have three curse masters from Black Ghost Valley, four from the former Yin Soul Ghost Corpse Valley, one from the Fangliang Sect, one from the Lost Ghost Sect, and one independent curse master. All ten of you have gathered. As those who know will know, our Black Scale Ghost Valley treats capable individuals with respect. Therefore, even if this mission fails, we wish to maintain good relations with those gathered here and will provide an advance payment.”
The boy handed each of us ten a Jeomuldo.
“H-Huh…! They’re giving us this much on top of the promised contribution points…!”
“As expected of Black Scale Ghost Valley…”
I too was impressed by Black Scale Ghost Valley’s generosity.
‘I knew they earned enormous commissions by mediating trade between the human and demon races, but… this is an enormous sum…’
I checked the spirit stones contained within the Jeomuldo and clicked my tongue.
Even I, who had little interest in wealth, felt dazed upon seeing the amount.
“Ahem, then please explain the mission.”
One of the Heavenly Person-stage curse masters who had come from Black Ghost Valley cleared his throat and spoke.
“Yes, I will explain. First, as I believe those present have already noticed… in truth, we have been collecting the curses of curse masters. By doing so, we intend to trap the curses like a gu poison jar and create a vicious curse. Currently, we are strengthening and amplifying the curse through the sect’s grand formation.”
A sinister-looking man who appeared to be from Yin Soul Ghost Corpse Valley licked his lips and said,
“There probably aren’t enough curse masters in Black Scale Ghost Valley… so you want us to handle that curse?”
“That is correct. After helping us amplify and strengthen the curse, you simply need to launch it toward the coordinates we will designate later.”
“Well, that much is easy. On the contrary, if we handle such a powerful curse, we might even achieve enlightenment ourselves, so it’s beneficial for us as well… I hope the job drags on as long as possible.”
The cultivator from Yin Soul Ghost Corpse Valley stroked his chin and nodded with satisfaction.
At that moment, one of the Heavenly Person-stage curse masters from Black Ghost Valley gave a crooked smile at the remnants of Yin Soul Ghost Corpse Valley.
“Indeed. It would be best if it dragged on as long as possible. Right now, we’re staying quiet out of respect for Black Scale Ghost Valley’s face, but the moment the mission ends, you lot will be arrested and taken away by us.”
The remnants of Yin Soul Ghost Corpse Valley merely sneered back at the Black Ghost Valley cultivators.
“How foolish. These are curse dolls made from jiangshi, you idiots. Go ahead and try catching the curse dolls a hundred times. Do you really think you can easily wipe us out? Heh heh heh…”
“Who are you calling fools who only run away in fear of our sect and get beaten when they actually fight?”
“We’re not afraid of you. We’re afraid of the Seopmyeong Ship. Without the Seopmyeong Ship, you’re nothing…!”
“Heh, if you’re so resentful, why don’t you bring a divine artifact yourselves? How pathetic, making excuses after losing a divine artifact with your own hands.”
Sparks seemed to fly between the remnants of Yin Soul Ghost Corpse Valley and the elders of Black Ghost Valley.
Seeing this, the boy from Black Scale Ghost Valley approached and mediated.
“That’s all well and good, but I would appreciate it if you saved private conversations for after the mission is over.”
At his words, the two groups glared at each other for a moment before looking away.
“Then the actual mission will begin tomorrow. For today, please rest and recover from your journey in the lodgings we have prepared.”
The boy guided us to the lodgings of Black Scale Ghost Valley.
We received permission to tour some of the non-restricted areas of Black Scale Ghost Valley from outside the lodgings.
Feeling curious at those words, I wandered around Black Scale Ghost Valley.
“Black Scale Ghost Valley is quite large…”
“It is a sect with a long history, after all.”
The boy’s clone, who had followed me as a guide, smiled faintly and spoke.
The boy had created a clone using the secret art of Thought-Form Nascent Soul to guide me through the less important areas of Black Scale Ghost Valley.
While strolling through various parts of Black Scale Ghost Valley with him, I arrived at the outskirts.
And there, near the outskirts, I discovered an enormously vast valley.
‘Hmm?’
Strangely, the valley was rich in heaven-and-earth spiritual energy, and its slope was not particularly steep, so it wouldn’t have been difficult to build structures there.
Yet there were no buildings of Black Scale Ghost Valley in that valley—nor even any trace of human presence.
And at the front of the valley was drawn the symbol of Black Scale Ghost Valley: a flood dragon ascending to the heavens.
“Why is that valley left so completely empty? The spiritual energy is dense, and it doesn’t look bad for building structures…”
At my words, the boy gave a bitter smile and explained.
“It is a legend that those who know already know… In truth, the original site of Black Scale Ghost Valley was where that valley now lies. Long ago, it was not a valley but a mountain range.”
“What is the story behind it?”
“It is related to the founding of our sect… The symbol of Black Scale Ghost Valley is the [Ascending Flood Dragon]. However, in the early days of the sect, it was a different symbol.”
“A different symbol?”
“Yes. The [Black Snake Biting Its Tail] was the symbol of Black Scale Ghost Valley. Our founder is the Black Dragon King, so we could not presumptuously use a dragon as our symbol. Yet using a symbol completely unrelated to him would also be problematic. Therefore, if he is a dragon, then we are the snakes that follow him, and the [Black Snake] was adopted as the sect’s symbol.”
The boy continued.
“However, the problem arose after the Black Dragon King attended the sect’s founding ceremony. Upon seeing the [Black Snake] emblem that was our sect’s symbol, he flew into a rage and rebuked us, asking how we could have chosen such an ominous and sinister thing as our symbol.”
‘The Black Dragon King flew into a rage?’
He was almost certainly a remnant of a True Immortal.
In my previous life, he had acted as though he feared nothing in the Middle Realm, and he had indeed been that way.
Yet what reason could he have had to become so enraged that the word “rage” was used?
“In the end, the Black Dragon King sank the entire mountain range where the old sect buildings bearing the [Black Snake] symbol stood, creating a valley. Afterward, he told us never again to use such an ominous, sinister, and terrifying symbol as the [Black Snake], personally created the symbol of the [Ascending Flood Dragon] for us, and left. Since then, the [Black Snake] has become a kind of taboo within Black Scale Ghost Valley, along with the old sect grounds.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Only then did I understand what the snake-race technique merchant had said when I purchased Hong Beom’s demon beast technique.
The merchant had said that because Black Scale Ghost Valley considered black snakes inauspicious, snake-race techniques were always sold at a discount.
Now it seemed related to the Black Dragon King, Hyeon-eum.
‘The Black Dragon King became enraged upon seeing Yeon-ui Yeon, asking if a Gaeyeol-stage being had intervened… That means the black snake symbol is also related to Gaeyeol-stage True Immortals, perhaps?’
For now, that seemed the correct assumption.
‘Or perhaps… in the worst case, it might even involve a True Immortal…’
Assuming the worst, I focused my consciousness on my main body.
* * *
“How about it, Hong Beom? Have you encountered any problems while learning the demon beast technique recently?”
“What kind of problems do you mean?”
Hong Beom had just arrived, so we were in the middle of a conversation. I asked him directly.
“For example… feeling someone’s gaze, or suddenly feeling like you’re not yourself… sensing some kind of ‘call’… or feeling as though something is growing inside your body. Anything like that?”
At my words, Hong Beom laughed heartily.
“None at all. I have never felt any problems, Master.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
If Hong Beom felt no issues, then the probability that the being related to the black snake was a True Immortal seemed to decrease slightly.
‘It seems more likely to be a Gaeyeol-stage being than a True Immortal.’
“Right. So there’s no discomfort at all?”
“No, there isn’t. However…”
“However?”
“Recently, my poison arts seem to have hit a slight plateau.”
“Is there something you need?”
“I have already found what I need. I visited an underground information broker and succeeded in locating the materials for the poison I absolutely require.”
Watching Hong Beom grow steadily even when left alone, I smiled with satisfaction and said,
“If you need spirit stones, just say so. I’ll give you as many as you want.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s fine. The one who possesses the poison has given me a mission related to crafting an extreme poison… He said he would give me the poison I desire if I complete it. And to craft the poison he wants, I’ll probably have to go deep into the territory of the Earth Tribe’s True Dragon Alliance.”
Hong Beom looked at me and asked cautiously.
“Would it be all right if I went to the Earth Tribe’s territory? If you do not permit it, I will not go.”
“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s something that will help your growth, so go.”
“Thank you.”
Hong Beom saving me from the dream the lord of Salt Mountain had cast using the Formless Ultimate Poison had left a deep impression on me.
If he grew stronger, it would ultimately benefit me as well, so it was a good thing.
“By the way, what kind of poison did the Earth Tribe person want from you?”
“It seems to be a type of dispersing poison. The client appears to want a poison that can lower the realm of even a Unity-stage governor… Whether it’s possible will depend on the state of the materials they provide.”
“Hah, they must be plotting something quite grand.”
A poison that could affect even a Unity-stage governor.
Just thinking about it, it seemed like a terrifying poison.
After encouraging Hong Beom, I sent him off.
Some time later, after Hong Beom left, Jeon Myeong-hoon entered the eastern wing.
“So, you said you had something to talk about?”
Jeon Myeong-hoon grinned and got straight to the point.
“I’m planning to go to the Myeonggwi Realm. And to go to the Myeonggwi Realm, I’ll inevitably need the help of Black Ghost Valley.”
“I can help you, but it might take some time.”
“No, it’s fine. It might even be possible to go right now!”
“Hmm?”
And at Jeon Myeong-hoon’s next words, I couldn’t help but be startled.
“Through the disciples of the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect who went to the Myeonggwi Realm, I found out where Kang Min-hee is!”