The Sea's Sudden Descent
KWAAAAAAAA!
The corner of the Salt Bone Hall.
A storage zone for wines and spirits.
A thunderous explosion erupted from there.
Thanks to the space compression, countless barrels of alcohol were stacked like a small city’s worth of crude, low-quality bottles.
Local hwaesu, milju, and grape wines, along with the finer Mid-Realm vintages like Gyeongnyeongyeon and Baekhongju, all shattered from the massive blast and began to spill everywhere, turning the entire wine cellar into a sea of alcohol.
Baek Rin held Yuk Yo in one arm, gasping for breath.
KWAKWAKWAKWANG!
And right in front of them, several members of the Tuma Clan, including Captain Jin Ma-yeol, descended from above.
Jin Ma-yeol’s face was flushed with excitement as he swelled his muscles and laughed.
Jjierrrerrr!
All five of his horns were vibrating at full force.
“Heh… fighting while holding Yuk Yo like this feels exactly like battling her. Though the little worm doesn’t interest me, focusing on her pretty face while fighting… it’s almost like doing what I wanted to do with her. That’s why it’s so damn enjoyable.”
His cheeks were burning red with excitement.
Baek Rin roared in fury.
“You filthy bastard! Stop looking at her like that!”
“Filthy? Who the hell are you calling filthy? Yuk Yo is the woman my Jeongryong Palace designated as my bride! It’s actually you who stole her away!”
“How can anyone say that about my own fiancée?! Stop spouting nonsense!”
“It’s the tradition of our Tuma Clan! What’s the problem? If Yuk Yo doesn’t want to be abused by me, she should just grow stronger, raise her realm, and fight me happily!”
“Don’t talk like some mongrel! You think I’ve never encountered Tuma Clan filth in Myeonggwi Realm? Tuma people are supposed to choose spouses of the same realm and battle them as their virtue! What you’re doing is nothing but abusing the weak!”
“Are you scolding me for stealing what’s mine?”
Jin Ma-yeol smiled slyly and extended his palm toward Baek Rin and Yuk Yo.
KWAAAANG!
A huge axe flew at Baek Rin, who dodged it with lightning speed.
Behind him, a barrel the size of a house exploded into pieces, and the alcohol inside spilled out, turning the surrounding area into a sea of wine.
Kwaaadddduk!
Baek Rin’s yin and ghost energy turned the sea of alcohol into solid ice, and ice needles shot up from it.
Jin Ma-yeol didn’t use any spells. He charged forward purely with his physical strength and shattered the ice needles one by one.
“Come on, bone man. Stop talking nonsense and make me enjoy this more. Make me happier!”
“Kueueu…!”
Jin Ma-yeol’s face twisted with excitement. He condensed the air into chains and a scythe and swung them at Baek Rin.
Kwagagagak!
The ice ground Baek Rin created shattered instantly.
Chwarararak!
Jin Ma-yeol’s scythe whipped around like a living thing, chasing after Baek Rin relentlessly.
And finally, the scythe came down straight toward him.
Yuk Yo squeezed her eyes shut tight. Baek Rin let out a cold wind and shouted.
“Bone-Splitting Refraction, First Form!”
Kwaaaaang!
The scythe seemed to pierce straight through Baek Rin’s body, but he shattered into hundreds of thousands of afterimages, all fleeing in different directions.
Even the afterimages holding Yuk Yo—how could anyone tell which one was real!
However, Jin Ma-yeol licked his lips in excitement.
“Good…! This is great! If a bug like you has no talent for fighting, you better have talent for running away! It’ll be fun to catch you!”
Jin Ma-yeol swelled his muscles with excitement and swung the scythe wildly in every direction.
Kwaaaaang!
It was like a storm of scythes.
After a while, two-thirds of Baek Rin’s afterimages were wiped out inside the hall.
The remaining third were also being slaughtered in an instant by Jin Ma-yeol’s hunt.
“Stand still and show me your escape techniques! Hahaha! Make me enjoy this more!”
The real Baek Rin and Yuk Yo didn’t even turn around at the chilling voice and ran out of the wine cellar.
Yuk Yo grabbed Baek Rin’s chest tightly and shook him.
“It’s enough now… Please let me go and run away. With you alone, you can escape just fine, right?”
But Baek Rin burned with cold fire in his eyes and said firmly.
“I can’t!”
“Why not?! You became a ghost because you didn’t want to die, right? Jin Ma-yeol is a Peak Integration Realm cultivator! If he gets excited about you, you’d be the first to run away even as a ghost!”
But Baek Rin shook his head with a resolute face.
“The Lord instructed me to protect you. So I won’t run away while leaving you behind.”
“What crazy talk is that?! We’re both going to die! Let go of me! You said to abandon me!”
Yuk Yo pushed him away and tried to run, but Baek Rin grabbed her even tighter.
“…Back then, I ran away while leaving my friends behind.”
Baek Rin recalled the events in Myeonggwi Realm.
The betrayal by Wishun, and the capture by the Wugeuk Sect.
Now, he was moved by the sect’s noble image and devoted himself to loyalty, but back then it had felt like the heavens were collapsing.
“And… I had to pay the price for it.”
The thing that broke his heart came after that.
‘I loved Inwa first…’
But Baek Rin had fled while leaving Inwa behind.
That was why Inwa married Wishun.
So Baek Rin had to give up the woman he loved to a close friend.
That was the price of running away.
“I won’t run away anymore!”
Baek Rin ran toward the food storage with Yuk Yo in his arms.
The food storage was actually smaller than the wine cellar, barely the size of a small town.
But it was filled with the corpses of giant sea beasts and all sorts of food.
Baek Rin hid behind the giant sea beast’s bones on the wall, shielding Yuk Yo with him.
When he completed the summoning, the bones moved and perfectly shielded them.
“Don’t worry. My Bone-Splitting Refraction has a record of outrunning even the Three-Gate Ghost King of the Main Sect. It won’t be found easily.”
He panted as he spoke, and Yuk Yo looked at him with a smile.
“…Should I tell you a secret about our clan?”
“Suddenly…?”
“Our clan once had a Dragon Shark ancestor long ago. That’s why we carry a certain amount of Dragon Shark blood inside us. We’re a mix of crucian carp and Dragon Shark, but… my father successfully evolved into a Dragon Clan after becoming a Dragon Lord.”
“How is that related to our current situation?”
“It’s important. The Black Dragon Clan has the right to control all yin energy of heaven and earth, and the Dragon Shark Clan, as their collateral line, has the right to control all seas of heaven and earth.”
Her voice continued.
“The Dragon Shark Clan is far behind the Black Dragon Clan in controlling yin energy, but they are even more specialized in controlling the ‘sea.’ And the seas the Dragon Shark Clan can control are not limited to salt water.”
Yuk Yo’s eyes sparkled.
“The sea in the Goryeok Realm can move to some extent, right? No, exactly. The Dragon Shark Clan is the only race that can sail on the sea of the Goryeok Realm without being grounded on stone. They found the ‘sea path’!”
She began unbuttoning her top.
And when she revealed her own chest, she pointed at her heart.
“Take my heart. The Dragon Shark blood I carry is extremely inferior and at a pitiful level, so my father treated me like trash. I managed to survive because of that… but last time, when I received Seo Ran’s aura and awakened my Dragon Shark blood a little more, I can now swim out to sea after piercing my stomach and taking my heart with me.”
Baek Rin looked at her face for a moment and said.
“Why are you doing this for me…?”
Yuk Yo trembled as she spoke.
“I’ve been cheating and running away, but you’re the only one who treated me consistently.”
At those words, Baek Rin stayed silent and straightened her clothes.
“It’s unnecessary. I…”
And then it happened.
KWAAAAANG!
The door to the food storage was smashed open, and Jin Ma-yeol walked in with a sly smile.
“I’ve caught all the escaping afterimages. I know everything that’s here. Come out!”
Baek Rin flinched.
He understood.
Jin Ma-yeol’s consciousness was precisely probing the spot where he and Yuk Yo were hiding.
Baek Rin stepped out in front of Jin Ma-yeol with Yuk Yo.
“How did you find so many afterimages so quickly?!”
Jin Ma-yeol laughed coldly.
“I’m a hunter. I’m skilled at tracking, hiding, and hunting. And my pirate crew members who learned the same techniques are the same. Actually, I knew your exact location from the start.”
He pointed at Yuk Yo’s chest.
“It should have been enough to run and cheat just once. I placed a tracking spell on that crucian carp’s heart. As long as that fool doesn’t have the courage to rip it out himself, you were already in my grasp.”
Yuk Yo shrank at those words.
Baek Rin glanced at Yuk Yo.
Jin Ma-yeol noticed her reaction and exclaimed.
“Oh! I guess that scammer did something to you again. Maybe she said if you rip out your heart, you’ll get something good and run away with it?”
“…”
Baek Rin stayed silent, and Yuk Yo shrank even more.
Jin Ma-yeol read her intention and laughed mockingly.
“So it was true. Last time I placed a similar spell on her leg, and she gave it to one of my subordinates and ran away. Since she’s at least at the Nascent Soul realm, losing her lower body won’t kill her. Hahaha. Still planning to keep it? I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over Yuk Yo and get lost. Your energy is probably exhausted anyway, so you won’t get excited. I’ll let you run away.”
Yuk Yo bit her lip tightly.
But Baek Rin didn’t flinch.
Instead, he burned with fighting spirit, the circuit he received from Kim Yeon glowing brightly.
“What? He said you were cheated by that bastard?”
But Baek Rin just burned with cold fire.
“It doesn’t matter. I never had any interest in her, and I had no intention of running away!”
“Oh… your spirit is overflowing.”
Baek Rin didn’t retreat and blocked in front of Yuk Yo, and she looked at him with complicated eyes.
“Good…! I like men like that too! Come on, then serve me more!”
Jin Ma-yeol began approaching them with an excited expression, watching the stubborn Baek Rin.
And then it happened.
Kugugugugu!
The ship suddenly shook violently, and the heavenly energy changed.
Yuk Yo, who sensed the change in heavenly energy, had her eyes sparkle, and Jin Ma-yeol frowned.
“Damn it…!”
“Baek Rin-gong! The Salt Bone Hall has emerged onto the sea!”
The moment Yuk Yo’s words were spoken, Baek Rin immediately spread spiritual energy toward the wall, and a hole was instantly pierced through it.
What emerged was not the dark sea dimension, but clear, bright sea surface.
Paaat!
Baek Rin immediately carried Yuk Yo and escaped with Escape Technique.
Jin Ma-yeol chased after them with rage, extending his hand.
Kugugugugu!
The integration power from the Peak Integration Realm was spewing from his hand, pulling Baek Rin and Yuk Yo toward him.
With his energy depleted, Baek Rin was being dragged toward Jin Ma-yeol.
He clenched his teeth.
‘Damn it… is this the end?’
Yuk Yo’s betrayal didn’t matter.
It was all right now anyway, but he had already been betrayed by a close friend and even had his first love taken by that friend.
Baek Rin exhaled, feeling his cold fire on his eyelids fade.
‘Still… the Conquest King and the Mysterious Ghost King can escape. This much is enough… my mission is complete…’
And then.
KWAAAAANG!
A ray of light from somewhere struck Jin Ma-yeol’s arm.
Baek Rin opened his mouth in disbelief and looked at where the ray came from.
“Your Highness!! Why didn’t you run away?!”
It was Kim Yeon and Buk Hyang-hwa.
Paaat!
Two puppet masters riding a puppet stuck their heads out and rushed forward like lightning, catching the Baek Rin and Yuk Yo who were being dragged by Jin Ma-yeol.
“Don’t worry, there will be good news!”
Kim Yeon smiled brightly and flew away quickly, and Buk Hyang-hwa also smiled as if she was reassuring him with Kim Yeon’s words.
And behind them, the furious Peak Integration Realm cultivator, Jin Ma-yeol, began to chase after them.
Chwereruk!
When he swung the scythe once, the puppet was instantly halved.
But when Buk Hyang-hwa manipulated it, the four people inside the puppet were instantly shot forward.
Buk Hyang-hwa shouted while sending a signal to the puppet.
“North General, self-destruct!”
Kwaaaaang!
The puppet that shot them out exploded into dense fog.
But Jin Ma-yeol shattered through the fog and chased right behind them, swinging the scythe.
Kim Yeon pulled in the heavenly energy, and Baek Rin activated his repulsive power.
However, Jin Ma-yeol’s scythe ignored all defenses and split Kim Yeon’s right arm, Buk Hyang-hwa’s upper body, and Baek Rin’s skull cleanly in half.
“Kuek!”
Buk Hyang-hwa vomited blood, and Kim Yeon quickly regenerated her arm while shrinking her consciousness area.
The consciousness area gathered in the shape of claws on Kim Yeon’s left arm turned a soft pink color for an instant and then became a massive slashing strike, flying toward Jin Ma-yeol.
Kwaaaaang!
It was Kim Yeon’s martial arts that had once shattered the Wugeuk Sect and unleashed monstrous power.
Jin Ma-yeol was about to charge forward ignoring it, but his expression changed drastically in an instant. He spread his area and blocked Kim Yeon’s strike.
Using that opening, Kim Yeon quickly spread Escape Technique while holding the others.
“Baek Rin-gong, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m a ghost so it doesn’t matter!”
“Buk Hyang-hwa, are you okay?”
But Buk Hyang-hwa didn’t answer.
Kim Yeon immediately understood the reason.
‘She’s injured…!’
“Buk Hyang-hwa! Buk Hyang-hwa! Wake up! Come to your senses!”
Kim Yeon’s voice trembled.
She quickly used spiritual energy to seal the wound and supported her so her soul wouldn’t scatter, but Buk Hyang-hwa only looked up at Kim Yeon with hazy eyes, as if her vital energy was still intact.
“Buk Hyang-hwa!!! Hyang-hwa! Wake up! I won’t call you ‘tingting’ anymore! I mean… don’t die! Please!”
Kwaaaaang!
And the Jin Ma-yeol who was blocked by Kim Yeon’s slash chased after them from behind.
[This… I didn’t know before, but the Mysterious Ghost King was quite a formidable warrior!]
He licked his lips while holding the scythe and the hammer in both hands and chased after Kim Yeon.
Jin Ma-yeol instantly followed Kim Yeon and raised the hammer.
[Come on, take this too…!]
The next moment.
Jin Ma-yeol was split in half.
Kwaaang!
Kim Yeon, who was preparing another strike while looking back, collided with something huge while flying.
“Ah…”
Tears welled up in Kim Yeon’s eyes.
“E-Eun-hyun… Buk Hyang-hwa is… right now…”
[Understood.]
The Ghost King with nineteen heads gestured toward the giant centipede behind him.
The giant centipede quickly brought out floating techniques and laid Baek Rin, Kim Yeon, and Buk Hyang-hwa down and began treating them.
I stared with cold eyes at Jin Ma-yeol’s body being reattached in front of me.
He licked his tongue with a face full of excitement.
Jjierrrerrr!
For some reason, the horns on his forehead were vibrating in a bad way.
“This…! Amazing. Wugeuk Sect Lord, you’ll also make me enjoy this, right? Let’s compete! Although it’s a bit unfortunate to see you in ghost form, it’s not a problem at all for a strong like you! Let’s dance with you, body and body mixed together! Hahaha! The thrilling excitement I didn’t feel even with the Three-Gate Ghost King…! Come on, jump me!”
I stared at him for a moment and placed Curse and Blessing in both hands.
[Taesan!]
“What! Wait, damn it! Cowardly bastard! Don’t do that and fight by slamming body with body…”
[Yeolje!]
A blinding white light covered heaven and earth.