The Betrayal in the Crimson Valley
Blue light flooded the warship's interior.
For a moment, the golden qi gushing from Beopbo had already lost its color to Seo Ran's breath.
The entire surroundings turned blue.
――――!
A deafening boom echoed, scattering a cloud of dust.
I protected my ears with the remaining inner energy and surveyed the situation.
Through the thick dust cloud, I could clearly see the condition of Guihun.
‘Not yet collapsed!’
After the dust settled, Guihun’s state was visible to the naked eye.
[Hoo… hahahahaha… This attack was quite thrilling…]
Whoosh, whoosh…
Each time Guihun opened his jaw, a large mouthful of black ghost energy spurted out.
‘I hit him properly. He won’t survive…!’
I slowly and cautiously gathered inner energy and law power to recover my body.
Although he wouldn’t survive, at his current state, he could still attack anytime.
It was then.
Kugugugu…
From the eye sockets of Guihun’s skull, thick black ghost energy began pouring out and flooding the surroundings.
[Although I had the upper hand in attributes, I didn’t expect those Core Formation brats to be this strong… I won’t apologize for underestimating them… From now on, I’ll gamble my limited lifespan…!]
“Oh no…!”
Seo Ran’s expression twisted.
“Get up quickly! That old ghost has given up resisting the underworld!”
“Yes…?”
“By absorbing all the ghost energy and yin qi he had been using to resist the underworld until now, he’s decided to fight to the death!”
“H-Has he really given up resisting the underworld? If he just holds on, wouldn’t he be sent to the afterlife world?”
“In the case of an ordinary ghost, yes. But this old ghost would resist the underworld with his mental will and try to kill us…! Once he kills us quickly, he’ll use his law power to resist the underworld again and live…!”
Kugugugugu!
And from within the pitch-black darkness, a massive ghost creature emerged.
[Th-This thing… can’t… take… anything…!]
‘Damn… he’s become stronger…!’
This was a being at the Core Formation level.
A living natural disaster.
[Can’t… take… anything…!]
His mental state seemed unstable compared to before, and he spoke in broken sentences while reaching out his hand.
Crack!
From his hand, a ghost claw shot out.
‘Damn!’
I rolled my body with all my might.
Shuk!
At an unimaginable speed, the ghost claw grazed the spot where I had been standing.
[Can’t… take… it…!]
“Kyuueup…!”
I forced my qi upward and barely managed to stand up.
The massive ghost creature’s two hands sprouted ghost claws again.
[Goe-gun! You… can’t… take… anything… from… the… original… text…!]
Using the ghost transformation, his mind grew hazy, and he shouted for Goe-gun while looking at us.
[As long as I… exist… nothing… can… be… taken…!]
Pung!
Kwaaang!
“Keuk!”
‘I almost died!’
Forcibly drawing out Ganghwan and accelerating my speed, I barely avoided it.
The ghost creature wildly flung ghost claws in all directions.
I retreated outside its consciousness domain and read the intentions while barely evading attacks.
‘Hyung Seo…!’
Seo Ran was slower than me, so he had already been covered in blood from being hit several times by the ghost claws.
‘His speed and power have increased compared to earlier.’
Every time Seo Ran was hit, chunks of his scales were sliced off, gushing blood.
“Hyung Seo!”
I dodged the ghost claws and rushed toward him.
“Let’s run! We can’t win!”
“I… can’t…! If we go now, I don’t know what that old ghost will do with the thing I’m looking for…! If I just match the jade slips and beads, I can read them!”
“Damn…! Do you really value that more than your life?!”
Seo Ran, who had been looking at the situation with confused eyes for a moment, closed his eyes tightly.
“…Yeah. It’s precious.”
I read his intention.
Although his feelings were too complex to read clearly at the moment, it seemed truly that this thing was more valuable than his life.
“…Understood. Then I’ll go collect the remaining jade slips and beads under the ghost creature. We’ll retreat!”
“How… is that possible?!”
“It has to be possible.”
I gathered my energy and focused my consciousness.
I simultaneously raised my perceptual ability to read intentions and the perceptual ability of the Youzu.
At the same time, I squeezed my dantian to the limit and accelerated my speed to the extreme.
‘If I get hit even once, I die.’
The power of the ghost claws exceeded even Ganghwan.
I decided not to block directly but to only evade and approach to pick up the items.
“Protect me!”
I shouted to Seo Ran, then stepped forward with extreme concentration.
The same tension that had enveloped my body when I used Wansuigungmurok in the realm of the Three-Tailed Fox at the Core Formation level wrapped around me.
If I make a mistake, I die.
Death.
I was someone who had been released from death, yet I feared it as much as anyone.
One death meant that all the connections I had seen in this life would be severed as they were.
One death was truly equivalent to death.
Even though I would be deceived by time and open my eyes again.
The life I gained again could never be the same as the previous one.
The people I met again would not be the same ones I knew.
I unfolded the Mountain General Moon Evil Beacon.
The law combining Mountain General and Moon Evil.
The overall flow of the Mountain General Moon Evil Beacon resembled a fierce tiger.
Moving as lightly and swiftly as a tiger leaping over mountains.
Like a tiger evading a hunter’s arrow, I evaded the ghost claws and gradually approached.
The remaining distance to the jade slips and beads Seo Ran wanted was over twenty zhang.
‘It’s sufficient.’
Since the ghost creature was not acting rationally and flinging ghost claws indiscriminately, Wansuigungmurok was useless.
But that made it easier to see the flow of intentions.
‘I see.’
The flow of intentions and the flow of yin-yang qi.
It was directly visible to my eyes.
I accelerated my speed and evaded the ghost creature’s attacks.
I moved five zhang.
The remaining distance was fifteen zhang.
Every time I got closer to the ghost creature, the ghost claws slashed at me from all sides even though they didn’t touch my body.
I had definitely evaded them, but I was still cut.
‘It’s not deep.’
But this much I could endure.
Of course, that didn’t mean it was easy.
Moving through a storm, making sure not to get hit by a single raindrop would have been easier.
‘I need to move faster.’
The more I went deeper, the higher the frequency of ghost claws being scattered became.
Whoosh whoosh―
The wind gathered around me.
My consciousness transformed into the form of the Haeryong, making my body lighter.
Hofung Eungryongbyeon!
Paat!
My dantian rattled as if it would shatter, but I squeezed my inner energy and took even faster steps.
Like a dragon and tiger, I evaded the ghost claws and approached again ten zhang.
The remaining distance was five zhang.
About fifteen paces!
Three ghost claws came rushing forward.
Inside the ghost creature’s consciousness domain, I couldn’t read intentions.
I had no choice but to predict using the Youzu’s perceptual ability.
Shuk!
I hastily lowered my head, and a ghost claw swept over my back.
I evaded three ghost claws and moved three steps.
Twelve paces!
Eight ghost claws came crashing down wildly.
I twisted my body to evade three and lowered my head to evade three more.
But two ghost claws that flew straight toward me from over ten zhang away were hard to avoid.
It was then.
Puaeong!
A blue flash appeared, and the ghost claw was blown apart.
It was Seo Ran’s support.
Seo Ran was bleeding outside the ghost creature’s domain while pouring out complex intentions.
On his front paw was a dark-gray bead I had never seen before. It was probably a law bead he had brought separately.
However, strangely, Seo Ran’s intentions while looking at the dark-gray bead felt overall gloomy.
‘What kind of feeling is this? No, I should focus.’
I trusted Hyung Seo.
He would support me from behind.
I walked seven paces.
The remaining distance was five paces!
‘Up until now, it was difficult to interfere because of the ghost claws… but…’
At this distance.
Paat!
I threw out my intention and manipulated the jade slips and beads using the principle of Eogeom to make them float.
Crack!
The jade slips and beads entered my arms.
‘Got them in my hands!’
Now, I just needed to escape!
I was about to return to the Mountain General Moon Evil Beacon with renewed concentration when.
Twi—
Strength left my leg.
‘Eh?’
My dantian was literally empty.
There was truly no more inner energy left.
And as the inner energy that had been forcing my muscles to move disappeared, my body began to refuse commands.
In front of me, ghost claws approached.
I realized this was my ninth regression.
Crack!
Blood sprayed from in front of me.
A massive shadow blocked me.
It was Seo Ran.
“Thank you.”
He looked at the jade slips and beads in my arms and curled the corner of his mouth into a smile.
But I shouted urgently.
“Get… out… quickly…!”
Crack, crack, crack!
However, several ghost claws hit Seo Ran again.
Blood began gushing from his entire body.
‘Fatal injury…!’
It was then.
From the lower dantian, a warm qi began to flow in.
Having become accustomed to the Youzu qi through Hofung Eungryongbyeon, my dantian began to greedily absorb Seo Ran’s qi.
“Hyung… Seo… what… are… you… doing…! Hurry…!”
“As per the order, eat my blood and wield power. Je-gwi-ryeong!”
Paaaat!
The red blood qi flowed out from Seo Ran’s body and was absorbed by the golden bead that had been suppressing the ghost creature’s power.
A golden band suddenly shot out from the golden bead and suppressed the ghost creature.
[Kuaaaaaaaa!]
Guihun screamed in pain and could no longer swing the ghost claws, only thrashing around.
“S-Stop…! What… are… you… doing! Hyung Seo! The life is draining out!”
“I… know.”
But Seo Ran continued to pass blood qi to the bead.
“Stop… immediately…!”
“If I stop, the ghost creature will go wild, and we’ll both die.”
Paat!
Blue light began to erupt from Seo Ran’s body.
At the same time, Seo Ran wrapped in the blue light began to shrink.
“What…?”
Seo Ran transformed into a young man with blue hair that somewhat resembled Seo Hyul.
Scales appeared all over his skin, and a tail sprouted from his rear.
He was wearing a tattered blue robe, and his complexion was so pale it was dangerous.
“That appearance…?”
“Originally, before reaching the Nascent Soul realm, Youzu cannot transform into human form. That means this is my original appearance.”
“Original… appearance…?”
Seo Ran smiled faintly.
“A great Haeryong royal and one of the disciples of Heuksaek Gwigol Valley fell in love and had a child. The child was treated as an illegitimate child by the Haeryong clan and as a tainted Youzu child born from a dirty union, making it hunted prey.”
“Hyung Seo, don’t say unnecessary things. Now that your power has mostly returned, I’ll carry you, so let’s get out of here.”
“No. I know my wounds. When I got injured long ago, I was already destined to die…”
He shook his head and said.
“Even if you carry me, it will only get in the way. Even if I revert to the In-you form, there’s no difference in weight from the Haeryong form… Hurry and escape alone!”
“What kind of stupid words are those! Didn’t I say we’re going together?!”
Seo Ran gave a bitter smile and spoke.
“…Anyway, even our king accepted me, who was so low, as his descendant. In any case, I was grateful to him and treated him like my own father.”
“Hyung Seo!”
I rushed toward him to take him away.
The qi Seo Ran had given me was surging within my dantian like a dragon.
And at that moment.
Upward—
‘What…?’
My body didn’t move.
“However… because I had been cautious since birth. The king’s caution was also naturally observed frequently. Through that caution, I came to understand the king’s true nature.
Seon-hyun. The king of our clan, your ancestor, is an incredibly sinister person. The true name of the Hofung Eungryongbyeon he gave you is Hofung Eungdanbyeon.
The deeper it is mastered, the dantian or You-dan transforms into a pill that aids the Haeryong clan’s cultivation and recovery, and it becomes a type of demonic cultivation manual that forces those who master it into submission as slaves to the clan’s order.”
“…!!”
I received a shock as if my head had been struck by something I could never have imagined.
‘The cultivation manual Seo Hyul gave me…?’
“I… couldn’t sense any demonic energy…”
I said dazedly, still shocked.
“Haha… How else would one cultivate a demonic cultivation manual. Cultivating power through sacrifice is all demonic cultivation. You were in the process of sacrificing yourself to us to be eaten as a pill… so how could it not be demonic cultivation…”
He gazed into the void with a bitter expression.
“Our Haeryong clan, several generations ago, learned a cultivation manual that actively sacrifices outsiders under the king’s direction. We raised numerous clans as livestock, taught them cultivation manuals similar to Hofung Eungdanbyeon, and had them split their dantian to eat pills and continue cultivation.
One day, Goe-gun broke into the breeding grounds, destroyed the facility, and turned the three royal family members who managed the grounds into living puppets. Chaos ensued, and countless livestock escaped.
If my historical knowledge is correct, among the remaining non-dominant human imperial family clans, the Makri Se Clan’s Se clan are descendants of the livestock the Haeryong clan raised.”
I opened my mouth at the astonishing historical truth.
The Makri Se clan that treated criminals as livestock and ate them were actually a livestock clan raised by the Haeryong clan.
“They say the cultivation manual stolen at that time was modified into a true demonic cultivation manual to escape the influence of our Haeryong clan, but I’m not sure if it’s true… Anyway, under the king’s direction, the Haeryong clan once created such pills and raised the overall strength of the clan…”
Seo Ran continued with a self-mocking laugh.
“His Majesty sent you, who are of the same In-you hybrid, thinking of me, who is an In-you. A pill made from the same In-you hybrid would be of great help to me…
Right now, if you eat my You-dan, I can recover most of my injuries and survive from here.”
“…Why are you telling me this all of a sudden.”
“I thought about it many times. But seeing you go without hesitation to gather my mother’s keepsakes as I requested, I realized my foolishness. You are my friend! Who in the world could sacrifice their friend by splitting their belly just to live?”
“…”
Seo Ran smiled at me.
“I’m sorry. I lied to you, saying there would be something helpful for your cultivation in there, and I never showed you my true appearance even once. Even the king and I have been lying to you.
Please don’t forgive me for confessing the truth only when death is imminent.”
“…I thought the Haeryong king always had a smiling face, so I believed he was a good person.”
“His Majesty has a dignified face under his always-smiling one. But he wears a thick mask, tens of layers deep, and constantly worries about how to exploit even passing insects.”
“You also seemed like a good person for teaching me the cultivation manual with all your heart.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You are not a good person.”
I smiled at him.
“You are not just a good person, but a true friend of mine.”
I had known from the beginning that Seo Ran had been harboring some secret.
With such complex intentions continuously pouring out, how could I not know?
However, he chose the bond with me at the end, not the secret.
‘Then I must answer the bond with a bond….’
“As a friend, how could I just stand by when there’s a way to save you?”
Uddk, uddeok…
I gradually freed myself from Seo Ran’s control and reached toward my dantian.
Death is frightening and painful.
But my life has been lived many times, while Seo Ran’s has been only once.
So if sacrificing one of my lives can save my friend who has poured out everything to me…
“This is a task of sufficient value.”
And Seo Ran sealed it.
“No.”
Kwaddeok…!
The qi Seo Ran had given me spread throughout my entire body and completely controlled my movements.
“Wouldn’t I be happy if I lived in this way? Anyway, I knew I had to die here.”
He took a small bead from his pocket.
It was the dark-gray bead he had been staring at for a long time.
“His Majesty ordered me to find my mother’s keepsakes and completely destroy the Seopmyeong Ship using this law bead. This law bead would destroy all the space laws of the Seopmyeong Ship and eliminate them.
Thus, all the numerous ghost souls trapped inside the Seopmyeong Ship, including the original souls of our Haeryong clan, would be freed…
But today, while preparing to activate the law bead, I realized. When this law bead is activated, I will definitely die. His Majesty probably intended to dispose of me, the illegitimate child of the clan, to eliminate the stigma this time…”
Seo Ran shed tears while smiling.
“You really are a cruel and sinister person. I only just realized now. Seon-hyun. I will die with my mother’s keepsakes, so please live.”
“Hyung… Seo! Do I have to definitely fulfill Seo Hyul’s mission…?!”
“Until now, I have only lived relying on the king’s mercy. But now that I know even that mercy was fabricated, I don’t want to live anymore…”
Paat!
He threw a blue bead from his pocket into my arms using the law technique.
“It’s not really a reward, but the key to the secret warehouse in my residence. Everything in my residence and inside it is yours.”
“Hyung… Seo…!”
“Farewell, my friend.”
At the same time the words were spoken, my body moved on its own and activated Hofung Eungryongbyeon.
The wind gathered around, and I was forcibly forced outside.
* * *
Seo Ran sensed the life force draining from his body after forcibly ejecting Seon-hyun using the Hofung Eungdanbyeon manipulation.
The Je-gwi-ryeong was sucking in the life force, and the fatal injury from the ghost claws’ claws caused excessive bleeding.
“…Seohyul-ahjussi, I will not become like you.”
He followed Seo Hyul.
Even when he learned that the man wearing the endless mask, scheming with sinister tactics to sow discord among countless clans for peace.
Even when Seo Hyul looked for Seo Ran’s usefulness with a dignified face and, when Seo Ran’s talent didn’t meet his standards, he decided not to take him and left him behind without hesitation.
Even when Seo Ran told him about the information on his mother he had been searching for desperately before going to Deungsunhyang, along with the mission to find her keepsakes and completely collapse the Seopmyeong Ship to free the souls of the Haeryong clan warriors inside.
Seo Ran followed and respected Seo Hyul.
But now he knew.
Seo Hyul.
His distant ancestor, the king of the Haeryong clan.
His existence was that of a heartless being.
Or perhaps a broken being that was supposed to exist.
“It would be better to just die here rather than eat friends and live. You might have calculated even this… but….”
The attitudes Seo Hyul had taken that Seo Ran had not known until now, and the countless cruel and ruthless acts Seo Hyul performed while wearing his dignified mask flashed through Seo Ran’s mind.
‘In the end, I was neither of the Haeryong clan nor human.’
He had no one.
Seo Ran slowly matched each jade slip that was clearly his mother’s.
Tap, tap.
At the same time, he began activating the Wave-Breaking Pearl.
‘Anyway, I have a life that will die, so as a final courtesy to you, I will complete your mission.’
The dark-gray bead began to shake and emit light.
Seo Ran’s life force gradually decreased.
However, in the final moment.
Seo Ran successfully matched all the jade slips again and slowly read them down.
Boo-woo-woong!
The Wave-Breaking Pearl emitted light.
The Je-gwi-ryeong that had been eating Seo Ran’s life force to trap the ghost creature also lost power, and the pitch-black ghost claws targeted Seo Ran.
Seo Ran shed tears while reading the jade slips in his final moment.
“…So that’s it.”
The space collapsed, and countless black storms enveloped Seo Ran.
His father had died the moment he was born, and he had never met his mother due to parting from her in life.
Until now, the only one who had treated him with a smile was Seo Hyul.
But today, he realized that even Seo Hyul was not his family.
A life spent being used from beginning to end.
But Seo Ran shed tears while reading the jade slips and smiled again.
“I had a family… too…”
With a pure white light, Seo Ran read the contents of the jade slips endlessly and slowly faded away.
“Mother… Father…”
* * *
“Seo Ran!!!”
I shouted for Seo Ran and flew back into the Seopmyeong Ship.
However, at that moment.
Light flashed from the Seopmyeong Ship, and countless spatial storms blew in.
An enormous light exploded, and the accumulated ghost energy and yin qi in that place spread in all directions.
At the same time, the sources of that ghost energy and yin qi trapped inside the Seopmyeong Ship.
Countless original souls stored by Heuksaek Gwigol Valley began ascending into the void.
[Freedom! Freedom!]
[I’m leaving this damned ship!]
[This time, I’m really going to the underworld!]
Countless original souls flew into the sky and disappeared.
I gritted my teeth and shed tears.
The Seopmyeong Ship was completely collapsing.
Today, my friend died.