The Sea of the Black Ghost Valley (5)
Kwajang, kwaddeug!
Jinryu’s aura blazed with ferocious intensity.
She bit through the puppets charging at her with crunch after crunch, then barreled straight into the laser beams and traps hurtling toward her, taking every one head-on.
Clang, clang, clang!
Every time she shattered a puppet, the pieces reformed on the spot and wrapped themselves around her body, binding her.
Gradually, Jinryu’s limbs were encased in puppet restraints, yet her gait remained unhesitating.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The deck beneath her feet was being scooped out in ever-deepening hollows.
Watching her approach, Kim Yeon’s face tightened with rising tension.
She stared at Jinryu’s crimson hammer-like fists and broke into a cold sweat.
‘That thing hurts.’
Jinryu had captured her, and one solid smack from her pot-lid-like palm had dropped Kim Yeon unconscious in an instant.
Kim Yeon shouted urgently toward Buk Hyang-hwa.
“H-he’s almost here! How much longer until it’s ready!?”
“Almost done! Don’t rush me!”
“Damn it, you useless woman! Hurry up! Move!”
Kwaaaang!
Finally, Jinryu smashed the last puppet and glared at Kim Yeon with a scarlet face.
Something still felt lacking.
Kim Yeon could have fought alone, of course, but she had heard about the Tumak Clan’s mating customs and refused to provoke them recklessly.
“Hurry! Now!”
Her face ashen, Kim Yeon reached behind her and, in a daze, seized Buk Hyang-hwa’s hair bun.
“Kyaaah! Let go! It’s done!”
Buk Hyang-hwa gritted her teeth at the scalp-ripping pain and activated the device she had been modifying.
Flicker!
“Krrrk?”
The seductive Jinryu sensed something wrong.
Her senses had changed.
Clank, clank, clank, clank!
The corridor she stood in suddenly inverted. Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon vanished into another space.
No—the entire maze-like corridor they had built for them cracked apart and scattered them in every direction.
‘W-what…’
Too absurd to process. She returned to her rutting state and opened her eyes.
Buk Hyang-hwa stared at the artifact glowing in sync with her own patterns and shouted.
“It’s ready! I’ll transfer the modified parts of the puppet body into the sections of the Sea Dragon, allowing us to forcibly rebuild the Sea Dragon in one go. Sister, you have to help me now!”
“Got it!”
Kim Yeon seized Buk Hyang-hwa’s hand and began infusing her consciousness.
Weeeeee!
Kim Yeon’s consciousness spread across the entire Sea Dragon.
She linked it with the Strange Star-Mind Scroll embedded in Buk Hyang-hwa’s head and exchanged thoughts with her at lightning speed.
“I’ll tell you the exact locations and methods. Follow precisely!”
“Right, fast!”
Buk Hyang-hwa issued orders, and Kim Yeon, receiving them in real time, began rebuilding the entire Sea Dragon through the modified spaces distributed throughout the hull.
“Perfect. Now the ship itself is pretty much a puppet!”
“Great! Then send me the structural diagram!”
“Here!”
While studying the diagram, Buk Hyang-hwa’s eyes sparkled and she grabbed Kim Yeon’s hand.
“That Strange Star-Mind Scroll… can it connect more strongly with my mind?”
“Yes, it can… but…”
“Then connect it now!”
Kim Yeon hesitated for a moment, then deepened the link between their consciousnesses.
In an instant, the space they occupied became the command room.
Clank, clank, clank!
Under Kim Yeon’s Strange Star-Mind Scroll, the command room and all other modified sections of the Sea Dragon connected to the monster’s circuits.
Rebuilding the Sea Dragon into a miniature Wondrous Castle happened in the blink of an eye.
Kugugugu!
Kim Yeon and Buk Hyang-hwa stretched their consciousnesses and looked up at the ceiling.
“We’re heading out to the surface!”
“Let’s go!”
Kuuuuwah!
The Sea Dragon’s bow rose diagonally.
And it began to move.
Uuuuuuung!
Cutting through the deep sea of the Goryeok Realm, the Sea Dragon advanced with its bow raised toward the diagonal above.
And a deafening voice rang out across the entire hull.
[You damn…! What the hell are you doing to my ship?!]
Jin Ma-yeol’s furious shout echoed throughout the vessel.
[Get off my ship! I’ll kill you!]
Kugugugu!
Jin Ma-yeol’s domain surged forward, crushing Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon.
But the moment Kim Yeon manipulated something, his pressure was instantly dispersed by the command room’s devices.
Kim Yeon frowned at the fury twisting Jin Ma-yeol’s face crimson.
“He’s going to come down here soon.”
“Duke Baek Rin needs to wake up quickly…”
Buk Hyang-hwa still glanced worriedly at the unconscious Baek Rin.
Although Baek Rin’s ghost power had recovered somewhat, he had yet to regain full consciousness.
Kim Yeon glanced at him with concern, then startled as she looked around.
“Jin Ma-yeol just retracted his domain! If the Integration Stage cultivators all get shattered and they still make it this far… what do we do?”
Yet Buk Hyang-hwa merely shook her head with a meaningful smile.
“No, that won’t happen.”
“What?”
“As the same ship owner, I know. He never destroys his own ship arbitrarily. He’ll pass through as many of the mazes we built as possible and come straight for us.”
“What? You just self-destructed your own ship!”
“It felt like sacrificing my child. But since there were other ships too, it was possible. The Tumak Clan has only the Sea Dragon, so the attachment he feels for his vessel will be on another level entirely.”
Buk Hyang-hwa said confidently while steering the Sea Dragon toward the sea surface.
“In other words, Jin Ma-yeol won’t reach us for a while yet!”
Kwaaang!
And the wall of the command room exploded. From the captain’s quarters, a straight line of holes pierced the Sea Dragon as Jin Ma-yeol charged in, glaring at them with murderous intent.
“…What the—Hyang-hwa? That’s not it.”
“…Teleport.”
Kwook!
Without a word, Buk Hyang-hwa pressed a single button. The entire group—Buk Hyang-hwa, Kim Yeon, Baek Rin, and Yuk Yo—vanished to another location on the Sea Dragon.
Clank, clank, clank!
Buk Hyang-hwa, ignoring Kim Yeon’s gaze, silently rebuilt the new location into the command room.
“…From now on, your name is Ingyeong. Got it?”
“….”
Buk Hyang-hwa merely puffed her cheeks in response to Kim Yeon’s teasing.
* * *
Kugugugu!
For how long had I been excavating the sea of dimensions using the Taesan Yeolje Art and Jeon Myeong-hoon’s domain?
I finally reached the spot where the Strange Star-Mind Scroll signal had connected.
Yet nothing was there.
‘Damn it, what the hell?’
The signal had definitely connected nearby.
“What is it, Seo Eun-hyun? You said Kim Yeon was here somewhere. Where exactly?”
Jeon Myeong-hoon asked, spreading his domain to prevent the deep sea from intruding.
I closed my eyes and activated the Strange Star-Mind Scroll with even greater precision.
Because of the countless overlapping dimensional waves, my consciousness was not connecting well.
Still, something latched onto my mind.
Jiiing—
“…! There! Kim Yeon and the pirate bastards are moving somewhere right now!”
“What? Moving where?”
I looked up at the diagonal above.
“…They seem to be trying to surface. Were they detecting us?”
“Possible. Good. Then we’ll follow.”
“…No, rather than chasing, we’ll surface again and head to where they’re likely to come up. Once they surface past a certain depth, use the Taesan Yeolje Art to evaporate the deep sea.”
Upon my decision, the senior executives of the Mugeuk Sect nodded and prepared to ascend.
And then I noticed something strange in the depths of the sea.
‘Eh…?’
It was the shadow of a sea dragon.
And on its neck were letters written in the ‘Underworld Language’ I had learned in Black Ghost Valley.
Blood Yin.
Steep Dragon.
Ancient Power.
And below, all realms.
Seed dispersal.
Xuan Yin Strategy. Ancient Power Department. Completed.
Staring at the written characters, I felt my eyes blaze with light.
“…!”
For a moment I simply stared at the object, then reached out.
Kuguguguk!
It was fixed in one spot in the deep sea, just like the one Yeon Wi had mentioned.
Upon closer inspection, the body itself was a colossal statue carved from ancient stone.
A sea-dragon statue!
Kuguguk!
I compressed the space with my internal force, forcibly tore the statue free, and tucked it into my arms before ascending.
‘I’ll have to investigate this.’
The sea-dragon race form Seo Hyul always took.
And Seo Hyul, whose connection to the Blood Yin Realm and some conspiracy I could not yet discern.
The high commander of the sea-dragon race who always maintained contact with Xuanwu, the Black Dragon King.
If I could uncover the thread connecting them…
* * *
“Hey, Ingyeong! You said you’d protect your ship!”
“I never imagined that lowlife pirate would destroy his own ship!”
“What do we do now?! He’s coming back soon!”
“You’re my sister! Do something!”
“Don’t spout stupid things!”
Kim Yeon and Buk Hyang-hwa bantered while bickering over who would help whom.
In the midst of it, Baek Rin woke up beside them.
“Krrk… My King, My Wondrous Ghost King. I apologize. Where…?”
Kim Yeon swiftly transmitted the current situation through the Strange Star-Mind Scroll.
Baek Rin groaned.
“So we’re still far from the surface, but Jin Ma-yeol is coming back here?”
“Yes! If we’re captured, the ship will revert to its original state and we’ll be trapped in the deep sea again.”
“Hmmm…”
They sighed with grim expressions.
Yuk Yo suddenly rose from her seat with a cough.
She wiped the blood from her lips and panted heavily.
“I’ll be the bait.”
Both Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon startled.
And blackish flames blazed in Baek Rin’s eye sockets.
“What do you mean!? You want to die!?”
Yet Yuk Yo only offered a bitter smile in response to Baek Rin’s pressure.
“Jin Ma-yeol wants me. After all, I was the one who let the others get captured while trying to save me. I’ll take responsibility. I’ll roam the Sea Dragon to draw his attention, so the rest of you—please pull the ship up to the surface and escape.”
[You pathetic worm! If just one Nascent Soul runs away, how far will it get!?]
“My dragon transformation technique weakens the skin and attack power when turned into a dragon, and especially its speed. That’s why I was captured by the Mugeuk Sect at first. But with the advice of the Mugeuk Ghost King, I’ve learned to reverse the technique. Now I can maintain my original form while becoming faster and stronger.”
Yuk Yo’s eyes were resolute.
“I’ve spent my whole life running and scamming. It’s better for me to be captured than all of you. If I use my tricks, I might escape even better. Don’t worry.”
She spoke, then left the command room without waiting for anyone to stop her.
Baek Rin, unable to stay still, told Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon.
“Forgive me, my lords. Lord Master commanded me to protect Yuk Yo, so according to his orders, I…”
Kim Yeon examined Baek Rin’s resolve and chuckled, nodding.
“Go on, Duke Baek Rin. You’re only Nascent Soul at best. With you, a Four Pillars cultivator, dragging things out, we’ll have plenty of time.”
“Y-yes! Thank you, My Wondrous Ghost King!”
Baek Rin bowed to Kim Yeon and immediately spat a beam of light, chasing after Yuk Yo.
Kim Yeon watched his retreating figure, then once more sensed the entire hull through her consciousness and spoke.
“…He definitely turned toward us, then diverted toward Yuk Yo and Baek Rin. While they buy us time, we must reach the surface as quickly as possible. Can you do it?”
“Yes… ugh!”
While pouring law power into the machinery, Buk Hyang-hwa frowned.
“Why?”
“The law power… is weakening.”
“Hah, Ingyeong. I told you to ascend to Heavenly Person quickly!”
“It’s not that simple!”
“What else is there to it?”
Kim Yeon smiled and placed her hand on Buk Hyang-hwa’s back, infusing law power.
Weeeeee!
Because of the Strange Star-Mind Scroll, the law power Kim Yeon channeled surged directly into Buk Hyang-hwa. Her face instantly flushed red.
‘Wait, this person…’
A pinkish glow appeared in Buk Hyang-hwa’s eyes.
Receiving both her consciousness and law power, the emotions Kim Yeon had been feeling—love, admiration, curiosity, joy, desire—began to flow into her.
Emotions that could not be named in words.
If forced to name them, they were warm.
For a moment, Buk Hyang-hwa felt as though she were embracing her mother, Yeon, beyond that pink light.
Uuuuuuung!
The patterns on Buk Hyang-hwa’s face blazed with bright light.
“…Stand back, sister.”
“Huh?”
Buk Hyang-hwa inhaled sharply and extended both hands.
At the same moment, the spider-leg puppets attached to her back began to move.
Clank, clank…
Clank, clank, clank, clank!
“W-what?”
Kim Yeon looked at Buk Hyang-hwa with a start.
Her hands moved faster than before.
Feeling as if she were covered in something invisible, Kim Yeon studied Buk Hyang-hwa with a strange gaze.
“From now on, we’re going to overload the machinery we built all at once. It’s not meant for permanent use anyway. We’ll surface quickly. Once we’re on the sea surface, Yeon-ssi, contact Lord Master through your consciousness area. If he sends Kim Young-hoon at least, the situation will be resolved in an instant.”
“Ingyeong, you…”
“And!”
Buk Hyang-hwa shouted at Kim Yeon.
“My name is Buk Hyang-hwa! Not Buk Ingyeong!”
Kim Yeon smiled faintly and stroked Buk Hyang-hwa’s head.
“…Got it, Hyang-hwa.”
“W-wait, don’t get so close to my face! I’m already tall and it’s awkward!”
Buk Hyang-hwa’s face burned as she protested when Kim Yeon drew near. Kim Yeon gave her a playful smack on the head, and the two began steering the Sea Dragon together.
However, the bickering had vanished.