Chapter 205: Sound and Smell
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205: Sound and Smell
An orange light pierced through the fog.
It wasn't particularly bright, yet it was clearly visible even through the thick, milky curtain.
An enigma.
“What’s… wrong?”
Just as I was about to step forward, Namgung Bi-ah’s voice came from behind me.
“What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’? There’s clearly a—” I began to retort, but cut myself short.
There was no way she could miss such a distinct light.
The realization dawned on me. “Can you not see that?” I asked her.
“…?”
In response to my question, she merely tilted her head in confusion. She genuinely seemed unable to perceive the light.
Is it visible only to me?
This peculiar light, so clear to my eyes, appeared to be invisible to everyone else.
[Why do you keep saying you see something? Huh?]
It seems you can’t see it either, Elder Shin.
If even Elder Shin—despite us sharing a visual field—couldn’t see it, did that mean this light was another ability of the Marble of Celestial Captivation?
Whatever the truth…
It’d be best for me to follow it.
I had no other choice. To find the correct path in this foggy labyrinth, I had to try every possibility.
Enhancing my senses doesn’t work, either.
My Qi flowed smoothly, yet I couldn’t sharpen my senses. It felt as if something within the fog was actively suppressing them.
Fair enough. A fog that has persisted for centuries was never going to be normal.
It made sense why the Black Palace had chosen this place for their main headquarters. Even if one knew the main palace was somewhere in the Misty Mountains, finding it would be a monumental task, especially with additional concealment formations likely in place.
Grabbing Namgung Bi-ah’s wrist, I issued a warning. “Follow closely.”
“…Okay.”
First, I pushed my senses to their absolute limit. The improvement was marginal, but even a slight edge was invaluable in this unfamiliar, treacherous terrain. With Namgung Bi-ah’s arm firmly in my grip, we moved forward.
Despite the lack of explanation as I led her onward, Namgung Bi-ah voiced no complaints. Perhaps my constant reminders of her poor sense of direction had finally convinced her to trust my lead.
We walked through the fog for what felt like an eternity. Under normal circumstances, we would have covered the same distance in a few leaps, but the need for extreme caution severely hindered our progress.
[It really is a nasty fog.]
Indeed, it’s deeply unpleasant.
[So, this fog is a trace left by a demon?]
Yes.
This peculiar fog had appeared alongside a White Gate of Demons in the past. It remained as a scar on the land long after the demon that emerged from that gate had been slain.
Historically, the number of White Demons could be counted on one hand, and all had been successfully sealed or slain. Yet, as if to demonstrate their immense power, they left lasting traces of themselves even after death.
The blinding fog of the Misty Mountains…
The freezing chill of the North Sea…
The scorching heat of the Western deserts…
These environmental anomalies were all testaments to the demons’ profound influence on nature, persisting long after their demise.
At my thoughts, Elder Shin clicked his tongue, seemingly displeased.
[Tsk. These bastards leave a mess even after death, and nobody even bothered to clean it up properly.]
According to Elder Shin, the people who slew the demons should have done a better job tidying up afterwards. Of course, slaying a White Demon—a being considered a walking calamity—was a legendary feat in itself. But since it was Elder Shin saying it, I could understand his perspective.
[Back in my day… if we managed to kill such a bastard, cleaning up the aftermath was part of the job. The generations that came after, though… Ugh, tsk tsk.]
The past, the era when Elder Shin and the other heroes fought against the Blood Demon. A time when high-grade demons ran rampant. Given that Elder Shin was active as the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, he had undoubtedly encountered a few White Demons. The sheer number of lingering traces was proof enough. I could tell just by looking at the Misty Mountains.
You are absolutely right.
[Hmm? What’s gotten into you? It’s really strange for you to agree with me—]
You should’ve cleaned up after yourself.
[…Hmm?]
Elder Shin emitted a confused reaction. The demon responsible for turning this mountain into its current state was named the Mist Dragon. It had cursed the mountain with perpetual fog upon its death. And it was slain by none other than the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, Shincheol—Elder Shin himself.
[…]
Reminded of this truth, Elder Shin fell completely silent. It seemed he was too embarrassed to speak.
* * *
As we continued to follow the light, the silence from a chastened Elder Shin and the naturally quiet Namgung Bi-ah made the journey feel faster. Soon, I sensed we were nearing our destination.
…How long has it been?
The fog made it difficult to tell, but judging by the slowly darkening surroundings, night would soon fall.
A camp…
I could build one if necessary, but the situation was far from ideal. First, the Marble of Celestial Captivation had stopped functioning properly. Its light still guided our path, but even after it had regained its color, I still couldn’t perceive Gu Huibi’s current situation. My field of vision hadn’t changed at all.
What did this mean?
Is there a problem with the marble?
I didn’t know how many times I could use it, but I suspected that wasn’t the issue. It seemed more likely that Gu Huibi herself had run into trouble. This was just a conjecture, but whatever the case, I had lost a vital source of information about her.
I needed to find a way to break through this impasse, but making progress was difficult. The dense fog, combined with the onset of night, reduced visibility to almost zero.
The marble’s light has also become a problem.
The line of light seemed to point the way, yet I had a growing feeling we were moving in circles. The problem probably wasn’t with the light itself—it was most likely showing us the correct path.
“Tsk.”
Noticing my frown, Namgung Bi-ah asked, “What’s… wrong?”
“Sigh. It seems there are formations here,” I explained. I could sense a faint, odd aura in the area, so subtle I would have missed it if I weren’t specifically looking. Since I already suspected the palace would be protected by formations, I was able to detect it.
However…
Hmm. How do I break through?
That was the real problem. If we had indeed arrived at the Black Palace, I not only had to worry about the protective formations but also be wary of the martial artists guarding the place. I had to proceed with my guard up.
The fog that rendered my senses useless…
The darkness that obscured my vision…
Our isolation in the middle of the wilderness…
It all combined to heighten my anxiety.
This is the worst.
Ha.
A hollow laugh escaped my lips. Yet, I couldn’t let my emotions overwhelm me.
I must find a way.
I was no stranger to struggle. Something like this was just another challenge.
What should I do?
If there was a formation in front of me, was I powerful enough to break it by force?
That’s a bit difficult.
Failure could lead to capture, and even if I succeeded, the resulting shockwave would undoubtedly alert our enemies.
What should I do, then?
I lacked professional knowledge about formations. If I were to think back to my previous life…
…I just smashed them apart.
My past solutions to problems were rather brute-force, so those methods were useless here. In my previous life, I had simply torn through formations and incinerated everything in my path. And before I became a Demonic Human, the Sleeping Dragon had always handled such situations.
Realizing how recklessly I had acted in the past gave me a headache.
Hmm… should I wait a bit?
Despite the urgency, the approaching night left me with little choice. I wasn’t powerful enough to break through by force, nor could I confront every enemy we might encounter.
…And I’m not alone, either.
I had to make rational decisions, for her sake as well.
Having reached a conclusion, I spoke to Namgung Bi-ah, who was walking behind me. “First, we’re going to look for a safe place and wait until… what are you doing?”
She was sniffing the air!
At her absurd action, I asked, “What are you doing…?”
“Looking for… a smell…” she replied.
“A smell? What smell?” Why did she keep doing this? Confused, I tried sniffing the air as well, but I couldn’t detect anything special—just the scent of damp leaves and forest decay.
“What kind of scent are you even searching for…?” I began, wondering what was going on with her.
Shing—
Suddenly, Namgung Bi-ah drew her sword. Her hair fluttered in a light breeze as her blade became instantly enveloped in Lightning Qi, sending faint electric pulses through the air.
Startled, I shouted, “Hey, what are you doing!”
The Lightning Qi wasn’t just visible; it was palpable. If she lost control, even for a moment, we risked immediate detection.
Ignoring my outcry, Namgung Bi-ah remained focused on a specific point in the empty air. She finally spoke, staring intently at nothing. “Here.”
“Whether it’s here or not, forget that! First, hide your energy! If we get caught like this…!”
She completely ignored my warning and, without hesitation, swung her Lightning Qi-infused sword at the empty space.
Then,
Slice.
“…!”
To my astonishment, I heard the distinct sound of something being severed. Simultaneously, a faint, white barrier began to shimmer and descend from the air.
“…This is.”
It was an utterly absurd situation. Following Namgung Bi-ah’s sword swing, the invisible barrier parted, revealing a small, shimmering opening that resembled a doorway.
“This… How did you know?” I asked, completely perplexed by the bizarre turn of events.
“…There was a smell,” she replied simply.
Her response only deepened my confusion. I couldn’t understand it.
Namgung Bi-ah had just located and sliced through an unstable node in the formation. A miss would have caused a violent backlash, and such unstable points are inherently invisible to the naked eye. Yet, not only had she found it, but she had also cleanly severed it?
Watching her, I was reminded of a certain individual.
Sleeping Dragon.
That crazy bastard from the Wudang Sect.
In my previous life, he also had a knack for dealing with formations in a similarly inexplicable way. I remembered him casually scanning his surroundings before slicing the air and effortlessly solving problems that stumped everyone else. His method was so absurd it was unforgettable.
Despite my best efforts, I could never comprehend his technique, so I had eventually asked him about the principle behind it.
But his response was even more ridiculous.
-Listen for a sound. Then you’ll hear it.
-What do you hear? The sound of my heart exploding out of frustration?
-I could hear that for quite a while.
-You piece of…?
The memory of the Sleeping Dragon’s mocking laughter still made my blood boil.
But putting that aside…
If I compared the Sleeping Dragon’s words to what Namgung Bi-ah had just said…
-There was a smell.
-There is a sound.
For some reason, there was a striking similarity in their claims.
Namgung Bi-ah turned to me. “Are you… not going in?”
The opening she had created was gradually closing. She hadn’t broken the formation entirely, but merely carved a temporary passage through it, and it would soon repair itself completely. Recalling the Sleeping Dragon’s words from my previous life, it was impossible to create an opening in the same spot once it had healed. Furthermore, enemies would likely notice if the same spot was targeted repeatedly.
Considering this, I couldn’t afford to hesitate.
“…Let’s go.”
I followed Namgung Bi-ah through the opening. Upon entering, I found the interior to be starkly different from the outside.
* * *
Pause.
The Palace Lord abruptly halted his steps.
“Palace Lord?” This prompted the Great Oni following him to speak up.
“Hmm.” The Palace Lord remained silent, his gaze wandering with a strange expression. The Great Oni discerned that his lord’s focus wasn’t on the wall in front of them, but on something beyond it.
After a momentary glance at the wall, the Palace Lord shifted his gaze forward once more. “…Great Oni.”
“Yes, Palace Lord.”
“Inspect the formation later.”
“…Understood.”
Even as he acknowledged the order, the Great Oni was doubtful. The formation, huh? He had inspected it recently and found no issues, making the Palace Lord’s order puzzling. Despite his curiosity, he decided not to question it. His duty was simply to obey.
With the matter settled, the Palace Lord resumed his journey, his destination being ‘that’ room. As expected, he made his way to the same chamber he had visited the day before.
As he neared the door, he pondered. It should be done by now.
A full day should have been more than enough time for the Great One to fully consume the flame.
Approaching his destination, he could feel his heartbeat intensifying. Imagining the most perfect form of His Heaven he would soon witness, the Palace Lord felt a surge of excitement.
Slam!
The colossal door swung open, and the Palace Lord slowly stepped inside.
Slam!
As soon as he entered, the door closed shut behind him. Immediately, the Palace Lord knelt and bowed his head.
“Oh, Heaven… I have—”
His words died in his throat as he took in the sight before him, shock washing over his face.
In a space where only darkness should have prevailed, there was light. A dense, violet flame illuminated the room. This flame was unmistakably the Holy Fire created by His Heaven.
And from the center of the flame, voices could be heard.
“…Why is this book so hard? Uhm… do you have anything else?”
“Book.”
“No, I mean, do you have any other books?”
“N.”
“Sigh…You really give the shortest responses. Didn’t I tell you to respond with at least two letters?”
“No.”
“Good Job!”
Gu Huibi, who should have vanished from this world after becoming one with His Heaven, was instead seated comfortably in the room.
With His Heaven nestled contentedly on her lap.