Chapter 104: The Title of Number One Under Heaven (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: The Title of Number One Under Heaven (4)
A deep stone cavern nestled in the heart of Black Mountain in Liaoning Province.
Known today as a treacherous place, it is shunned even by herb gatherers due to dark rumors. They call it the Yeobing Cave.
The interior of the Yeobing Cave is a tangled labyrinth; one wrong turn, and a person is as good as lost.
I landed lightly in front of the cave's entrance.
Thud.
I reached out, and the Namcheon Iron Sword flew into my hand.
—Woon-hwi, seeing how much frost is in your breath, it must be a very cold region.
"It’s just as you say."
The region itself is so cold that the people of Liaoning wear fur for nearly half the year.
"Is this the place?"
Regardless, if the rumors were true, this was definitely it.
I had intended to use the Ground Shrinking Technique to get here, but I ran into an unexpected obstacle.
To use the Ground Shrinking Technique, one must first have a precise memory of the target location or position. Without that, movement is impossible.
—That’s quite a limitation.
"Tell me about it."
There were other restrictions as well. Since I hadn't properly trained in the Way of the Tao or the Demon Path, my maximum travel distance was shorter than expected.
While I could cover two hundred li in a single leap, doing so three or four times in a row placed a massive strain on my Mental Focus and Innate True Qi. I had to recover before I could use the Ground Shrinking Technique again.
—I guess nothing is perfect.
"Well, who knows? If I train properly, maybe those limits will expand."
In any case, I had arrived at the right place, so it was time to head inside.
Crunch, crunch.
The air grew even more frigid as I stepped into the cave. Protecting my body with internal energy made my current attire bearable, but ordinary people would likely struggle to survive without several layers of clothing.
Before long, a multitude of branching paths appeared.
'A spell has been cast.'
All six paths were warded with sorcery. As expected of her, she had placed various restrictions to protect her true body.
—Why don't you just call Mu Jungyu?
The "Mu Jungyu" the Lesser Conversation Sword referred to was Cheol Eum-yu, the eldest of the Four Lewd Demons. Originally the adopted son and attendant of Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon—one of the Five Great Villains—he had been following me ever since he realized she was the one who had exterminated his family.
'I don't think that'll be necessary.'
Since a spell was active, she would have realized the moment someone intruded into the cave. She would be coming out on her own soon enough.
Snap!
With a flick of my fingers, I dispelled the sorcery at the cave entrance. There were various spells, ranging from those that deluded the mind to those that bound the feet. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that once someone entered, they could almost never leave.
'Not that it matters to me.'
Since I had absorbed Cheol Su-ryeon's Spirit Fragment, I was capable of performing most of the sorcery she had developed and mastered. Naturally, dispelling them was no difficult task.
I entered the second path from the right, and the way gradually led deeper underground. Branching paths appeared every ten zhang or so, each protected by various spells.
I dispelled them all.
Then—
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Dozens of spears rained down from the cave ceiling. They stopped mid-air before they could even touch me. With a light wave of my hand, the shafts snapped and flew off to the sides.
—There are mechanism traps, too.
"Of course there are."
This was the most important place for Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon. It housed the Extreme Ice Coffin containing her true body. Her original physical form was at stake; she wouldn't have left the defenses light.
—But she’s taking her time.
'Hmm.'
That was true. I had already penetrated quite deep, yet there was no reaction. Was she overconfident in her spells and traps? It was a bit annoying, but I had no choice but to keep dispelling them one by one as I advanced.
I descended further, breaking through about twenty mechanisms and spells. The deeper I went, the more the walls were covered in ice, and the air overflowed with a bone-chilling cold.
'Presences.'
I felt numerous presences inside. Judging by the lack of the vitality found in normal humans, they seemed to be Half-Corpses—living beings turned into Jiangshi.
Cheol Su-ryeon was known to possess hundreds of these Half-Corpses under her command. Of course, they now obeyed my orders.
'I should put on the mask before going in.'
I pulled the evil ghost mask from my Bottomless Pouch and placed it over my face. After all, Mu Jungyu knew me as the Blood Demon.
'Namcheon, you step inside for a moment as well.'
—Understood.
I tucked the Namcheon Iron Sword into the pouch and moved forward. As I entered a cavern where even the wind felt frozen, a massive, man-made hollow spanning dozens of zhang revealed itself.
Inside, as expected, were hundreds of Half-Corpses with their eyes and mouths sewn shut. No matter how many times I saw them, the sight was enough to make me grimace.
—Isn't that him over there?
'Yeah.'
Just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said, past the hundreds of Half-Corpses, Mu Jungyu stood before a cave entrance at the far end. He was holding an iron staff with bells attached. Though he was older, he was a martial artist in his prime; he wasn't the type to rely on a cane.
—What’s with that look on his face?
As the sword noted, Mu Jungyu was glaring at me. His expression was that of someone looking at a mortal enemy.
I called out to him.
"Mu Jungyu."
At my call, Mu Jungyu spoke.
"So, you've come here on your own two feet. Blood Demon!"
'!?'
I frowned, staring at Mu Jungyu. He wasn't the type to call me "Blood Demon" with such blatant hostility. I could clearly feel a murderous intent radiating from him.
Staring intently at him, I spoke.
"......How did you take over Mu Jungyu's body?"
—Eh? What do you mean?
On the surface, it was definitely Mu Jungyu, but his tone of voice was identical to Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon. This unique aura made me even more certain.
At my question, Mu Jungyu's lips curled into a sickening smirk.
"Did you think I wouldn't be able to break a restriction seal that I created myself?"
"Ah......"
So that was it. I had placed a restriction seal on the body of the child she had been using as a vessel. Just like the Half-Corpses, it was meant to ensure she could only obey my commands. It seemed she had broken it through sheer force of will.
'I suppose I should have expected as much.'
Even though I had taken her Spirit Fragment, she was still worthy of being called the best in the Central Plains when it came to sinister sorcery. I snorted and spoke to her.
"Not that it changes anything."
Did she really think she could do something with these Half-Corpses? Regardless, they now obeyed my commands, not hers.
At that moment, Cheol Su-ryeon, inhabiting Mu Jungyu's body, slammed the iron staff against the ground.
Thump! Jingle! Jingle!
As the sound of the bells echoed, the Half-Corpses drew their weapons as if they had been waiting for that signal. This was unexpected. They shouldn't have been able to hear her commands.
Seeing my confusion, Cheol Su-ryeon, in Mu Jungyu's body, spoke in a triumphant voice.
"Did you think I wouldn't have taken measures? Cackle, cackle, cackle!"
Hearing that laugh from that body was beyond unsettling. It seemed I had underestimated her. After breaking free from the seal and seizing Mu Jungyu's body, the first thing she must have done was reclaim control over the Half-Corpses.
Seven months was indeed a long time to leave this old hag unattended.
Occupying Mu Jungyu's body, she gave the order to the Half-Corpses.
"Kill him."
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
The moment the command fell, the Half-Corpses swarmed toward me all at once. Having hundreds of them rush at me gave me goosebumps. The sight of those things with sewn eyes and mouths attacking in a group wasn't a spectacle; it was revolting.
I flicked my fingers.
Snap!
The charging corpses suddenly ground to a halt.
'!?'
Cheol Su-ryeon, in Mu Jungyu's body, couldn't hide her bewilderment.
"How did you...?"
"I wondered if it would work, and it did."
"What?"
"You might have altered the restriction seal, but you still used the existing sorcery as a base."
At my words, Cheol Su-ryeon's brow furrowed. It seemed my guess was correct. No matter how much of a master of sorcery she was, seven months was far too short to completely tear down the existing seal and build a new one from scratch.
"Kill that person over there."
At my command, the Half-Corpses, who had been frozen in place, turned around. They prepared to carry out the order.
She slammed her staff again, the bells jingling as she screamed.
Jingle, jingle!
"You idiots! Kill him!"
As she gave the order, the Half-Corpses trembled violently before turning back toward me. Since it was the same sorcery, neither of us had clear superiority; they simply followed whoever gave the most recent command.
I flicked my fingers again and shouted.
Snap!
"Kill that person!"
The Half-Corpses swarmed back toward her.
Jingle!
"I said kill him!"
The Half-Corpses turned again and rushed toward me.
Snap!
"Not me, kill that person."
I flicked my fingers and gave the order again, and the Half-Corpses turned back.
Cheol Su-ryeon, in Mu Jungyu's body, was now seething with rage. She shook the bells violently as she screamed her orders. I matched her, flicking my fingers and shouting.
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
As the commands and the sorcery hit them simultaneously, the Half-Corpses began to waver in confusion, their bodies shaking uncontrollably. Then, they all stopped dead in their tracks, as if they had truly died.
"What are you things doing?"
Cheol Su-ryeon shook the bells and urged them on, but it was useless. It was as if their internal mechanisms had overloaded; they showed no intention of moving ever again.
I spoke mockingly.
"They aren't listening, are they?"
Cheol Su-ryeon bit her lip, unable to contain her fury.
"You... just what are you...?"
In that instant, I used the Ground Shrinking Technique.
Vwooom!
Space rippled, and I appeared behind her in a flash. As I suddenly manifested behind her, Cheol Su-ryeon spun around, her face pale with shock.
"How did you...?"
Her reaction was different from what I had expected. Since she was connected to Noejangjo, I thought she would recognize the Ground Shrinking Technique the moment she saw it. But she was acting as if she were seeing it for the first time.
It was likely one of two things: either Noejangjo had never shown her the technique, or she had lost so many memories when she lost her Spirit Fragment that she no longer remembered it.
'I should subdue her first.'
I reached out toward her, using the Golden Snake Hand Technique. At that moment, a strange expression crossed Cheol Su-ryeon's face. Then, she suddenly collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
What kind of trick was this?
"What are you doing?"
I grabbed the fallen Cheol Su-ryeon and shook her, but she didn't wake up. I checked her pulse; it was beating normally, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong.
It was at that very moment.
Whoosh!
An eerie energy was released from her.
'This is...?'
It was a phenomenon similar to when she had left the old woman's body to enter the child's body. The released eerie energy immediately tried to bolt deeper into the cave.
I tried to grab the invisible force.
Slip!
But it wasn't a physical thing, and it was completely different from the concept of Qi, so I couldn't catch it. What was she up to?
I threw myself forward, following the eerie energy. As I moved through the cave passage, a cavern appeared—not as large as the previous one, but still quite spacious.
'Ah!'
Upon entering, I couldn't hide my amazement. The entire cavern was filled with Luminous Pearls, just like I had seen in Bongnim Valley, making the interior glow with a brilliant blue light.
Shuuuuuu!
The eerie energy sped toward a specific spot. It was at the far end of the cavern lit by the pearls. It was the place where the cold was most intense, and instead of Luminous Pearls, dozens of torches were planted there.
There was something like a pool carved out of rock, reminiscent of a bathtub. Seeing the reflection of the torchlight, it seemed to be filled with water.
'Could it be?'
I had one suspicion. If I were her, there was only one final option left.
—What is it?
To return to her original body inside the Extreme Ice Coffin. No matter how many bodies one hopped between, it was only natural that none would be as good as one's true physical form.
I approached the place where the eerie energy had gone. Right then—
Splash!
The water, which had been gently rippling under the torchlight, surged upward like a reverse waterfall. Through the overflowing water, a slender silhouette appeared.
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
As I watched the figure, droplets from the surging water suddenly flew toward me like hidden weapons. It was a type of Flicking Finger Divine Power.
I reached out toward the flying droplets. The air rippled like waves, and the droplets were reflected back.
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
It was a technique of the Formless Qi. The reflected droplets were blocked by the surging water and absorbed back into it.
As the rising water subsided, a naked woman with long, blue-black hair cascading down her back was revealed.
'Ah!'
The moment I saw her, an exclamation escaped my lips involuntarily. Since she was the original body of that old hag, I had assumed she would look like her or at least be aged. I never imagined she would be a woman with such beautiful features and a perfect physique, appearing to be in her mid-twenties.
—This counts as pretty by human standards, right?
"It does."
With sharp eyebrows, round eyes, and the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, her face was reminiscent of a cat. Seeing her now, I understood why the Golden Emperor had shared even a brief affection with her.
Cheol Su-ryeon, having returned to her true body, spoke with a frigid expression.
"Now that I have returned to my true form, prepare yourself."
Rumble!
As she released her aura, the wind pressure sent the surrounding water droplets flying in all directions. At this level, she was even stronger than when I first met her in her old hag form.
So this was the power of her true body.
I slightly averted my eyes and spoke.
"Before that, you should probably cover yourself."
It was hard to look straight at her since she had been naked this whole time. Her chest was quite large, and every time it swayed, my gaze involuntarily drifted there.
—Whoa. With that size, she could probably give Hwang Hye-ju, the leader of the Hwangyeong Escort Agency, a run for her money.
"What do you mean, 'run for her money'? When you say things like that, I can't help but look."
It was at that very moment.
Flash!
Before I knew it, the naked Cheol Su-ryeon had reached me. Perhaps because she was in her true body, she attacked with a look of supreme confidence. It was a claw technique, each strike a lethal move aimed at my vital points.
I stood still with my head turned away, using only my left hand to effortlessly block her moves.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
When her techniques were blocked so futilely, her eyes widened in shock.
"Your martial arts... they've grown stronger than before?"
The last time I fought her, I had only just crossed the Wall. Furthermore, I had the help of my father-in-law, Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak, and she had been weakened by the loss of her Spirit Fragment.
She must have assumed she could easily overpower me now.
"Hmph! Even so, nothing changes."
Cheol Su-ryeon tried to unleash an even more powerful ultimate move.
Swish-swish-swish!
More than the technique itself, the other things swaying were more distracting. Even with my head turned, I was too conscious of it.
"I have no choice."
"What?"
Grab!
I snatched her wrist mid-strike. She surged her internal power, trying to shake me off in one go, but—
"What?!"
There was no way she could break free. Even if she had returned to her true body, the current me was worlds apart from who I was back then.
I brought my palm down toward her head. She hurriedly blocked with her other arm, but she was slammed face-first into the ground.
Boom! Craaaaash!
"Agh!"
I had controlled my power to some extent, but because I intended to subdue her in one blow, the entire floor of the cavern caved in.
Rumble!
The cavern shook violently. Debris from the ceiling rained down.
—Watch your strength. The place is going to collapse.
I had momentarily forgotten we were in an underground cave. Still, after taking that hit, Cheol Su-ryeon lay prone on the floor, staggering and unable to clear her head. The impact must have been severe; blood was trickling from her eyes, nose, and mouth. If I had been even slightly less careful, she would have died.
Cheol Su-ryeon looked at me with eyes full of disbelief.
"W-Who... what are you? How, in just a few months...?"
She seemed horrified by a level of martial prowess that was incomparable to before. She was one of the Five Great Villains who had lived for over two hundred years, yet she had been reduced to this state in a single move. Her reaction was only natural.
"That's not for you to know. From now on, you're going to answer my questions."
At my words, she bit her lip hard. Despite her crushing defeat, she didn't seem inclined to talk easily. Regardless, I asked her.
"At Noejangjo's request, you must have planted Jagyeongjeong's Spirit Fragment into the Calamity Slaughter Sword, right?"
"What?"
At this question, her beautiful brow furrowed. It wasn't a look of feigning ignorance, but one of genuine confusion. It seemed that after losing her Spirit Fragment, her memory loss was indeed extensive.
"Are you playing dumb?"
At my words, she raised her voice.
"Noejangjo may have helped me in many ways, but why would I ever... into such a demon sword..."
She stopped mid-sentence and shut her mouth. It seemed she hated the idea of being manipulated into revealing anything to me. She bit her lip and turned her head away sharply.
'She's stubborn.'
—Are you going to torture her?
That was an option, but her memories were clearly too unstable. I needed to restore her memories to get the information I wanted.
—What are you going to do?
'Hmm...'
I looked at the Heavenly Authority, one of the seven spots of the Big Dipper on the back of my hand.
—Wait, you don't mean?
"I think I have to return her Spirit Fragment."
At my words, the Lesser Conversation Sword asked in surprise.
—Is that even possible?
"It is."
Having properly received the Seven Stars Profound Gate from my master, the Sword Immortal, I could handle it much more skillfully than before. The Heavenly Authority could act as a medium to imprison Mental Focus or Spirit Fragments like a jail. Cheol Su-ryeon was the first living person whose Spirit Fragment I had absorbed, and it seemed I would have to return it to restore her memory.
—Will it be okay?
"It doesn't matter. I absorbed the power within the fragment long ago. Returning it won't harm me at all."
However, since it had been kept inside the Heavenly Authority alongside countless other Spirit Fragments filled with resentment, it might have been influenced by them.
—That sounds like a bad influence.
"It might have become a fragment filled with resentment itself. If Cheol Su-ryeon accepts it, she might go mad or be consumed by that resentment."
Still, I had to restore her memory.
Grab!
I gripped her head.
"W-What are you trying to do?"
Startled by the grip on her head, Cheol Su-ryeon tried to push my hand away. But her internal injuries were severe, and with her current internal power, shaking me off was a distant dream.
"I'm giving it back. Your Spirit Fragment."
"What?"
The spot for the Heavenly Authority glowed with a blue light.
'Return.'
I pulled her Spirit Fragment out of the Heavenly Authority. A haze-like energy emerged from the spot on my hand and seeped into Cheol Su-ryeon's head.
"Gah!"
She began to convulse violently, like someone who had been struck in the head with a sledgehammer.
"Gwaaaaaaaah!"
Her eyes rolled back; she was in a bad state. This was a reaction even I hadn't anticipated.
—Is she going to die?
It was her own Spirit Fragment, yet I hadn't expected such a violent side effect. I felt I should take the fragment back immediately.
Just as I was about to activate the Heavenly Authority—
Grip!
Cheol Su-ryeon grabbed my hand, which was still holding her head, with both of hers. It wasn't a gesture of pushing me away, but a desperate grasp, like a drowning person clinging to a lifeline.
"Please... don't send me back there!"
What? What was she saying?
I was about to ask what she meant, but the words died in my throat. Cheol Su-ryeon was sobbing, her face twisted in pure terror. Had she regained the memories of the Spirit Fragment while it was inside the Heavenly Authority?
As I stood there wondering, she pleaded with me.
"I'll be your slave... I'll be anything... just please, don't send me back to that place with those demons!"
'!?'
I stared at the spot of the Heavenly Authority, still shimmering with blue light.
.......Just what on earth had been happening inside there?