Chapter 433: The Lake of Regret (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 433: The Lake of Regret (3)
Woong.
A vibration began to emanate from deep within Nahee’s body.
It was the undeniable proof that she had been Shackled.
Using her hands for support, she pushed herself up from the ground.
“Cough…!”
A harsh, wet cough racked her frame.
Not only had her ribs cracked under the force of my blow, but I had also been… indelicate with the Qi inside her when I applied the Shackle.
It wasn’t a particularly special or complex Shackle.
I didn’t have Qi to spare on such extravagances, nor did I feel the situation warranted it.
“Hgh… Hgh…”
Struggling for each ragged breath, she stared at me, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “You… just what are you…?”
A smirk tugged at my lips. I was growing tired of that question; I’d heard it far too often lately.
“And what will you do once you know?”
My response was the same as always, and it did nothing to make the exchange more interesting.
“…What did you do to my big brother?” she pressed, her voice a pained whisper. “To make him obey your commands?”
“Are you truly curious?”
Step.
I took a single step towards her. She flinched, her body recoiling instinctively.
I had no intention of striking her again, but it seemed the memory of my earlier attack was still fresh in her mind.
I knelt down, bringing my eyes level with hers.
“Just endure it,” I said, my voice flat. “You’ll eventually have to become just like him anyway.”
“…I am nothing like Big Brother.”
I’m sure you believe that.
“Whatever you say.”
Nahee had likely spoken to Tang Duk a few times since he’d suddenly appeared among the crew. She might have even tried to reach him telepathically. But Tang Duk had definitely not responded.
Well, to be precise, he couldn’t respond.
I shook the dust from my hands.
I’d Shackled her primarily to prevent her from reporting this incident, but I was prepared to release the Shackle if the situation developed favorably.
Though it would be simplest to just kill her…
Considering she worked under Tang Duk, the odds of her being a virtuous person were slim. As an assassin of the Tang Clan, she had undoubtedly ended many lives. I felt no hesitation at the thought of taking hers.
However.
Having my own spy could prove useful.
Given my current suspicions about the Tang Clan, planting a spy like her was strategically sound.
I just had to ensure that any potential fallout wouldn’t lead back to me.
That wasn’t particularly difficult. I was rather confident in that area.
Moreover, it was possible Nahee possessed information that even Tang Duk was unaware of.
It would be a waste to kill her now.
Even if I decided to end her life…
I’ll do it only after I’ve wrung her dry of every last secret.
With that thought settled, I stood back up.
“Make sure you keep a good watch. And don’t even think about moving from this spot.”
“…”
“Oh, you’re free to run, of course.”
…if you’re prepared to face the consequences. You wouldn’t make it ten steps before I caught you.
I kept that final thought to myself.
Nahee seemed to understand the unspoken threat perfectly well, even without me voicing it.
I turned my back on her and approached the lake. The closer I got, the more palpable the poisonous energy became.
Hmm.
From a distance, the sensation had been vague, but up close, the energy was undeniably potent.
“…Why are you planning to go into the lake?” Nahee’s voice came from behind me, hesitant yet persistent.
“I don’t recall giving you permission to speak.”
“Is there something inside?”
Her constant questioning was beginning to grate on my nerves.
I glanced back at her, my tone laced with clear annoyance. “If you speak again, I’ll pull your tongue out.”
“…”
I was dead serious.
Nahee’s shoulders trembled as she sensed the killing intent radiating from my words. I stood still, waiting to see if she would dare another word, but she remained silent.
Satisfied, I turned back to the lake and continued forward.
Splash.
Psssh-!
A sizzling sound erupted as my foot made contact with the lake’s surface. The poisonous water seemed to writhe, actively trying to consume my entire being.
Hmm.
A practical thought crossed my mind.
Did I bring a spare set of clothes?
“…”
Right. I hadn’t.
For a moment, I considered ordering Nahee to fetch me a new set, but I quickly dismissed the idea.
I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.
Pssssh…
I pushed through the thick, poisonous fog, heading towards the lake’s center. The concentration of poisonous energy grew denser with every step.
The inside of the lake is probably far worse than this.
I revised my earlier calculations.
Initially, I’d estimated I could survive inside the lake for a few minutes. Now, it seemed that time was cut in half.
While I’d been uncertain from the shore, standing at the center confirmed it. This lake…
Its poisonous energy isn’t leaking outward.
An energy of this magnitude should have been more than capable of corroding the entire surrounding area. Yet, I could barely sense it from the outside. Something was actively containing the poison within the lake’s boundaries.
If I were to submerge myself now, my protective barrier would shatter in no time.
Then, my body, bones and all, would dissolve into nothingness.
It was a horrifying prospect, yet my mind remained strangely, coldly calm.
I surveyed my surroundings with an icy gaze.
Where was it again?
Amusingly, turning back wasn’t even a consideration in my mind.
If I truly wanted to prevent the war in ten years, I should have been far more cautious with my life. Even I wondered why I was being so recklessly decisive.
But standing here, on the surface of this toxic lake, I felt something.
A conviction, deep in my chest, that I could find what I was seeking—and that I would succeed.
What is this?
A faint sensation, a pull. I smiled.
I see.
So it’s calling me.
Something here was summoning me.
That was the only explanation for this feeling.
Truthfully, I’d experienced this sensation a few times before.
In the past, it had been faint and unclear, something I’d dismissed. But now, I understood.
Something was calling for me.
I’d felt this same pull every time I’d discovered a secret vault.
Back then, I’d simply written it off as coincidence.
But now, for some reason, I knew.
What had changed?
Was it because I had reached the Fusion Realm?
Or was it because my Qi reserves were vaster than before?
If not…
Is it because I am a Demonic Human?
Whatever the reason, I knew I had no definitive answer. It was even possible this sensation itself was an illusion.
But even if it was a lie, I had to proceed.
In a situation like this, worrying about personal safety was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
Hesitation was not an option.
Swoosh-!
I channeled my Qi, wrapping my body in a dense, protective cocoon of energy.
Then…
Splash-!
I plunged headfirst into the lake of poison.
Gurgle.
Underwater, I narrowed my eyes to thin slits.
Visually, it wasn’t much different from ordinary water,
Pssssh-!
But the immense pressure crushing against my barrier made it abundantly clear this was no ordinary lake.
My initial estimate of a few minutes’ survival?
Bullshit.
I had been terribly, dangerously wrong.
Halving that time had still been too generous.
I expanded my senses, using my Qi to probe the lake’s depths.
It’s deep.
Far deeper than its surface suggested.
The bottom appeared to be ordinary sediment, but I knew an entrance had to be hidden here somewhere.
How much time do I have left?
At most, one minute.
That was all the time my Qi barrier could withstand.
If this water made direct contact with my skin, death would be instantaneous.
Where are you, you bastard?
Where was this calling coming from?
I had distinctly felt something pulling me in.
Couldn’t you be a bit clearer?
Seconds ticked away relentlessly.
The situation was becoming critical.
Just as I was considering surfacing to reassess my plan, something stirred in my pocket.
“…!”
Shaaa-!
My eyes widened in shock as the Red Water Snake emerged.
This little bastard…?
Right, it had been curled up in my pocket all this time. I’d completely forgotten about it.
Its sudden appearance was startling enough, but then…
It’s swimming?
The snake was moving freely through the poison-saturated water.
Is this the Red Water Snake’s true power?
Or perhaps, since Red Water Snakes were inherently venomous creatures, they possessed a natural resistance to such toxic environments.
Whatever the reason, my immediate priority was to return to the surface. I was running out of time.
Shaa-!
But the Red Water Snake wrapped its tail around my wrist and began tugging me in a specific direction.
The force was pathetically weak, little more than a gesture,
Huh?
Yet, the intent was clear. The snake was trying to lead me somewhere.
I watched as it strained, desperately trying to pull me along.
It clearly had a purpose.
But I really have to surface now.
Every second I stayed down here brought me closer to a very real, very final death. But even as that thought screamed in my mind, my body was already moving, following the snake’s lead.
It felt as if I were under a spell, my actions no longer entirely my own.
I think I’m fucked.
The thought crossed my mind, and I frowned.
I didn’t have to travel far.
The lakebed seemed monotonous—just sediment, with the occasional small rock breaking the uniformity.
I had roughly twenty seconds before my Qi was depleted and my barrier shattered.
I was genuinely gambling with my life.
Shaaa-!
The little bastard frantically pointed its snout towards a particular spot on the lakebed.
That single, frantic gesture consumed another precious ten seconds.
It was pointing at a patch of ground that looked utterly ordinary. My senses detected nothing unusual there.
Yet, I reached out, extending my arm towards that spot.
Crack.
My Qi was nearly spent. The barrier around my body flickered, growing faint.
Tap.
The tip of my finger made contact with something solid.
Kwaaaa-!
Instantly, my vision spun violently.
Thud…!
“Ough…!”
My body tumbled through emptiness, rolling uncontrollably several times before finally skidding to a halt. Air rushed back into my lungs.
“Huff… Hah…”
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding and took stock of my surroundings.
“This place is…”
I was no longer underwater.
The dark, muddy lakebed was gone, replaced by a smoothly paved stone path beneath my feet.
Furthermore, even though I had just been submerged, my body was completely dry, as if the poisonous lake had never touched me.
It would have been a major problem if the poison had remained on my clothes or skin.
I suppose I should be grateful for that, at least.
I lifted my head.
A series of pillars lined the path.
And on those pillars, objects emitted a soft, faint light, illuminating the surroundings.
My eyes widened as I recognized them.
“Wait… are those Luminous Pearls?”
There was no mistaking it.
The sources of light were indeed Luminous Pearls—incredibly expensive artifacts that produced their own illumination. I’d seen them before in the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s secret vault.
As I stood there, stunned by the sheer opulence of using Luminous Pearls for mere lighting,
Shaaa…
The Red Water Snake slithered out and began climbing up my body.
So this little bastard had survived, too.
It settled on my shoulder, its head drooping as if utterly exhausted. Almost charmed by its actions, I spoke softly.
“…Thank you.”
Shaa-?
I had only survived thanks to this creature. Expressing gratitude felt like the necessary first step. Then, curiosity took over.
“How did you even know about that entrance?”
Shaa?
The snake tilted its head, looking genuinely confused by my question.
I clicked my tongue in response and focused on scanning the area. While it was hard to attribute my survival solely to coincidence, finding my original objective was now the priority.
Judging by the environment, I seemed to have successfully entered a secret vault through some kind of transport Formation.
The shift from an underwater lakebed to this place was baffling, but I was long past being surprised by such phenomena. I’d experienced far stranger things.
“It doesn’t look like a typical secret vault, though…”
It felt different from the vaults I’d encountered in my past life.
For one, there hadn’t been any Luminous Pearls back then.
This could only mean one thing.
Someone visited this secret vault before I did…
Wait.
Does that mean they only took the Luminous Pearls and left?
I couldn’t fathom why they would leave the White Demonic Stone behind, but it wasn’t a pressing issue. Ordinary people would have no use for such a stone, whereas Luminous Pearls were inherently valuable. Stealing them made perfect sense.
Who cares what they did.
My goal here was the White Demonic Stone.
Though I certainly wouldn’t say no to taking these Luminous Pearls on my way out.
I never said I was going to leave them behind. Given their exorbitant value, taking them was non-negotiable.
I nodded to myself and shifted my gaze.
First things first, I had to find the White Demonic Stone.
It had to be here somewhere…
Shaaa.
As I searched the area, the Red Water Snake, now perched on my shoulder, suddenly grew tense. Its body stiffened as it stared intently into a specific direction.
“What now? What’s making you so- “
I turned my head to follow its gaze.
“…!”
I saw it—a patch of absolute darkness where the light from the Luminous Pearls failed to penetrate.
And from within that darkness, I felt a presence.
…
Within this silent, hidden vault, I was not alone.
The moment I registered the presence, I instinctively tried to surge my Qi…
Pang-!
“…Ugh!”
But a sharp, rebelling pain erupted from my empty Dantian, as if my body were revolting against the command. The agony was so intense I nearly blacked out.
Damn it.
“Whew…”
Gritting my teeth, I dropped to one knee, clutching my stomach.
[Who are you?]
A voice emanated from the darkness, calm yet carrying an immense weight.
[It isn’t Shincheol. Then who may you be?]
“…!”
My eyes snapped wide open at the mention of that familiar name.
The voice was asking for Elder Shin!
The Formation that altered the environment…
All of this felt eerily, profoundly familiar. I frowned, peering into the darkness.
This is perhaps…
I felt like I was beginning to understand who—or what—was hidden within that shroud of darkness.
“…I apologize for the intrusion,” I began, my voice cautious. “But perhaps you are- “
As if reacting to my words, a faint, silhouetted figure began to emerge from the darkness, moving closer.
I had experienced this before.
And last time, they had also mentioned Elder Shin.
Considering this place was located within the Tang Clan’s territory, all the pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place.
“Are you the Heavenly Poi… Huh?”
[That’s correct.]
The voice confirmed it, but then delivered a revelation I hadn’t anticipated.
[I am Tang Jaemoon.]
“…”
[Who are you?]
Tang Jaemoon wasn’t a ‘He’.
Tang Jaemoon was a ‘She’.