Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: White Bone Net
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All the way up the mountain path.
Namgung San-yeong's mind was a tangled mess.
‘Is this really okay? He must be somewhere around here, right?’
The reason she had begged Unhwi to spare her life wasn't just because of the abilities he'd shown so far, but because she trusted the prowess of those backing him.
If they had unknowingly infiltrated the Nine Dragons Branch Family to protect Unhwi and transform him like that, surely they could protect her too.
But those backers were still nowhere to be seen—not even a shadow.
‘We're not really... all alone, are we?’
Namgung San-yeong glanced back.
The path they'd climbed was shrouded in thick fog once more.
Nothing could be felt beyond it.
“…….”
She was anxious.
Gulp!
Namgung San-yeong swallowed dryly without realizing it.
* * *
The ones who flew into a rage at my question were the specters.
「You bastard!」
「How dare you touch the Young Sect Leader's treasure without permission!」
「You've confessed your own crime!」
「Th-the Young Sect Leader knows nothing about this! I swear it! P-please spare me!!」
As the specters pulled out their clubs one by one, thrilled at the opportunity, Number Fifteen turned pale and clung to my pant leg.
The post-traumatic stress from the "education" I'd given them before must have left quite the scar.
—Ghost King Purple Scripture.
It was a manual I'd written during my active days as the Little Heavenly Demon.
It compiled all sorts of techniques I'd picked up from encountering countless monstrous freaks and otherworldly horrors, so it veered far from the standard sorcery of established schools.
Its contents were incredibly diverse.
Not just things I still used like specter arts, Purple Haze Charm, and wicked ghost summons, but also long-forgotten ancient secrets and supreme arts from the Angma Divine Transformation Sect—all gathered together.
And it seemed Black Bone Ghost Valley had gotten their hands on it.
The principles and structure of this ghost arts formation felt oddly familiar.
‘You expect me to believe you didn't know? Please.’
The specters' clubs gleamed ominously.
「Eek! I-it's true! I vaguely heard that White Bone Net and the Twelve Black Ghosts had gathered up traces left by the Young Sect Leader! But they never once shared with us what they obtained!!」
‘They just pocketed it among themselves?’
「Yes!! If they'd shared even with the likes of us, why would I have dared to challenge the Young Sect Leader without using those techniques!」
In short, the leadership had taken all the sorcery I'd left behind and shared not a scrap with the underlings.
‘That tracks.’
「S-so please—」
‘All of you, stand down.’
「Understood!」
「Tch. What a shame.」
「Oh well. It was a perfect chance to tighten discipline again.」
Number Fifteen trembled anew as he watched the specters smack their lips in disappointment.
Then, another specter piped up slyly.
「Young Sect Leader, does that mean they presumptuously mastered the entire Ghost King Purple Scripture without knowing their place?」
‘The original was always with me, so it probably flew off with Shattering Heaven Peak.」
「Then—」
‘What they gathered were the fragments I left scattered around.’
「Ah!」
‘Of course, even those would have been a huge boon for them.’
Having suffered so much at my hands, Black Bone Ghost Valley must have scoured desperately for any traces of me, eyes blazing.
I'd left plenty of Ghost King Purple Scripture fragments in the Angma Divine Transformation Sect too, so even mastering just those during the civil war would have led to massive progress.
The problem was I had no idea how much they'd collected or to what level—and I needed to know right now.
And if they'd researched based on that, they might have developed countermeasures, even overhauled their own sorcery system.
‘They might have even pulled some from the Nine Great Demon Sects.’
That would make it even more dangerous.
My weaknesses could have been exposed to them.
Which meant I needed to further evolve the Ghost King Purple Scripture—something I'd been putting off.
The one silver lining? The techniques White Bone Net had taken weren't all that impressive.
He'd tried to "improve" them, apparently, but they didn't pass muster in my eyes.
Of course, that didn't absolve him of guilt.
「By the New Religion's laws, theft requires flogging commensurate with the item's value, plus compensation tenfold in coin.」
「Strip White Bone Net bare!!」
「For daring to touch the Young Sect Leader's relics, wipe Black Bone Ghost Valley from the face of the earth and make an example of them!」
‘Come on, it's just one stolen item—no need to exterminate the whole clan over it.’
「??」
「...Pardon?」
「...Wh-what do you mean by—」
The specters stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
‘Black Bone Ghost Valley and everyone from the New Religion behind them get eternal servitude. Prep for new recruits.’
「Understood!!」
「As expected of the Young Sect Leader! We'll prepare thoroughly for their indoctrination!」
「Loyalty! Loyalty!」
By then, the carriage had reached the end of the mountain path.
A fairly large shrine came into view in the distance.
A place invisible from outside.
The same one I'd seen in the attendant's memories.
We'd come to the right spot.
An ominous ghostly energy wafted over.
「Truly insidious—befitting the lair of Black Bone Ghost Valley's leadership!」
「The foul stench of evil vibrates all the way here!」
Creak!
The carriage halted before the main gate.
And then.
Rumble—
The damp, warped doors creaked open forcibly, revealing a boyish-faced attendant.
「The mistress of the Nine Dragons Branch Family, I presume. The Divine Lord bids you enter at once.」
The red script branded on his forehead marked him as a living specter.
Young face or not, he was a death sword warrior like Number Fifteen.
Or possibly even higher—a spirit sword warrior.
「White Bone Net called this living specter White Child. Rank: spirit sword warrior. He's the gatekeeper of this ghost arts formation and one of their top fighters.」
As expected.
The name was blatant, wasn't it?
‘White Bone Net's child.’
Probably made by splitting off part of his own soul.
Namgung San-yeong glanced at me nervously. Beads of cold sweat dotted her forehead.
What should she do?
『Relax first, Madam. If you go in like this, we'll all be exposed.』
Namgung San-yeong's face stiffened.
『Just stick to what I told you on the way here. Handle the rest as you normally would. We'll take care of the aftermath.』
Namgung San-yeong seemed to pull herself together at last.
No turning back now.
She had nowhere left to go.
「Lead the way.」
Namgung San-yeong stepped down from the carriage and gestured imperiously with her chin. White Child bowed familiarly and guided her inside.
As Dang Gon and I followed in our roles as escorts and servants, White Child suddenly blocked our path.
「Ah, you two should wait outside for now. The Divine Lord is in the midst of his rites. If unauthorized outsiders enter and bring calamity, the punishment is severe.」
Dang Gon's and my gazes crossed briefly in midair.
Dang Gon signaled to leave it to me.
What now?
Smash this brat's head and charge in?
「Rites, you say?」
Then Namgung San-yeong cut in.
White Child bowed his head.
「Yes.」
「Then we must bring them all the more. I have offerings for the Divine Lord, after all.」
Namgung San-yeong nodded toward the carriage's cargo hold.
「In that case, we'll handle moving the items ourselves—」
「I'm no expert in sorcery, but I hear precious objects discolor if touched by the dead. If that's fine, go ahead and move them yourselves.」
She let out an arrogant sniff that was pure Namgung San-yeong.
「She's got some wit after all!」
「If she couldn't even manage this, she might as well go kill herself, right?」
I smirked.
Namgung San-yeong's quick thinking was impressive.
「...What exactly have you brought?」
「Items my wastrel son had.」
I stopped smiling.
This woman?
「Stolen secretly from those suspected of backing him. Didn't the Divine Lord say you'd identify sorcery items at a glance?」
「If that's the case... Understood. Escorts, bring the cargo inside as well.」
Dang Gon and I casually hefted one large chest each from the cargo cart and followed Namgung San-yeong.
「So you've brought items from that wretch we should devour and tear apart?」
Namgung San-yeong and that guy treated the absent like they weren't even human—it was a sight.
Entering the front courtyard, White Bone Net emerged in mourning garb.
The bell in his hand jingled noisily with every step.
What was this? Some virgin ghost? A middle-aged man with a thick beard—what the hell was that getup?
「Aaaah! My eyes! My pooooor eyes!」
「Eyes that didn't see for sale! Unseen eyes here!!」
「A truly harmful creature! Young Sect Leader! That pest must be eradicated from the world!」
Namgung San-yeong responded with a nod.
Thud! Thud!
Dang Gon and I set down our chests with a heavy boom.
「Quite a haul.」
「I swept up everything from the White Chamber while the bastard was away. How was I supposed to tell what was what?」
「If even a sorcerer like you can't identify them at a glance, what chance do people like me have? We'd starve! Good work, good work. It's easier for me to sort if you bring everything rather than half-ass it.」
White Bone Net's eyes gleamed with madness as he grinned grotesquely.
「Left chest is from the White Chamber. Right one's gold bars.」
「Perfect timing—my funds were running dry! Well then—」
As White Bone Net rubbed his hands and reached for the right chest's lid, Namgung San-yeong shot out her hand to stop him.
「You wouldn't just swallow all this gold whole, would you?」
「What? I thought it was an offering.」
「Are you insane? Tossing this much into the gutter?」
「Then?」
「You know what I want.」
「Kill the bastard son?」
「Absolutely!」
Namgung San-yeong's eyes blazed murderously.
It looked utterly convincing.
『The Madam seems dead serious about that.』
『Then I'll repay her expectation by staying perfectly alive.』
『Now that's the young master.』
As Dang Gon and I traded brief banter, White Bone Net seemed pleased too and chuckled.
「Hee hee! Hi hi! Fine, fine. You've brought the goods, and once we uncover the backers, the rest is easy. That fool was giving me a headache—couldn't even handle that one thing right! So hands off now! Keep interfering and I might really tear you apart!!」
White Bone Net's face twisted demoniacally, like a different man from the chuckler moments ago.
As Namgung San-yeong withdrew her hand, she glanced at me.
Her part was done.
Dang Gon and I readied ourselves.
Click!
White Bone Net flung open the lid with a grin.
Instead of gold bars, the chest brimmed with fist-sized spheres.
「What is this? Hey, Lady Namgung! Wrong items? These don't even look like—」
「Right on the mark. Thunder bombs.」
「You bitch! Betraying—」
White Bone Net had no time to finish.
The moment the lid opened, the trigger at the chest's base had already lit the fuses.
If a ghost arts formation was a tough fortress, why not blow it up from inside?
The chest interior lit up.
Dozens of thunder bombs—the terrifying light blast demon mines that once plunged the New Religion into fear—detonated in unison.
KABOOM!!
Rumble—
My special surprise gift for Black Bone Ghost Valley.