Chapter 185: Infiltrating the Martial Emperor's Tomb-1
Chapter 185: Infiltrating the Martial Emperor's Tomb-1
The demon minions guarding the outer passageway had been gazing toward the torches of their comrades growing distant, and soon as the light vanished they turned back to each other and began chatting idly.
"Did you see the size of that leopard earlier?"
"Right, it was as big as a tiger."
"Could the guy Ju-gwi be inside that leopard's belly?"
"Nah, no way. A peak-level expert taken down by a mere beast?"
"Who knows. He might have been sleeping off a drunk and gotten swallowed up neat and tidy. Keuheuheu!"
That was when it happened.
Piyiii!
Suddenly, something flew in from the passageway.
"Huh?!"
"What is that?!"
Their eyes instantly rounded wide, and they could only gape at it in astonishment.
Because it was a small bird glowing faintly with a soft violet light.
"Th-that's?!"
"How can that be!"
The bird flew in at a speed barely visible to the eye, veered sharply in an instant, then headed toward the entrance and vanished as if evaporating into thin air.
The demon minions, momentarily dazed, stared in the direction the bird had flown and muttered.
"D-did you just see that? It wasn't only me, right?"
"I saw it too. Looked like some kind of glowing bird?"
"I-I saw it as well. Huh, was it some kind of spirit creature?"
"Earlier a black panther the size of a tiger appeared, now a glowing bird? What in the world is this an omen of?"
They were chattering like that when it happened.
Suddenly, another sound reached their ears.
"Keurrrrrr."
"Hmm?!"
It came from the passageway again.
Startled, they whipped their heads back toward the passageway. Then a pair of enormous green eyes entered their vision.
"That bastard?!"
"It's that thing from earlier?!"
It was the same gigantic black panther from before.
The tiger-sized black panther was slinking toward them, its eyes gleaming.
The demon minions tensed and shouted.
"What?! Where did the guys from earlier go?!"
"Let's catch it first! Just two of you, go and come back!"
At those words, two of the remaining four launched themselves toward the black panther.
"I'll go!"
"Me too!"
Pabak!
But the number of demon minions who actually lunged toward the black panther was only one.
Shhhak! Puk! Shhhak!
"Hurk!"
"Guk!"
"Heuk!"
Because three figures had suddenly risen like ghosts from the shadows behind their backs, each taking down one demon minion in an instant.
While they had been drawing their attention with the small burst of Vermilion Bird Manifestation, Seonwoo Jin, Seol Pung, and Bi Sa-yeong had already moved in concealment and positioned themselves right behind them.
Then the demon minion who had been charging forward sensed something amiss and abruptly turned around.
"Huh?!"
His eyes took in the sight of his comrades who had become wandering ghosts in a mere moment.
Startled, he tried to shout.
"Over...! Urk!"
But Jeung Chil's hidden weapon and Ya Un-hyang's whip were faster.
Hwiririk!
As the whip snaked around his mouth in an instant, Jeung Chil's hidden weapon pierced through the back of his neck.
Puk!
"!"
He couldn't even let out a groan and had no choice but to die on the spot.
Once the four were cleanly dispatched in an instant, Seonwoo Jin silently pointed at them with his finger, then pointed back toward the passageway.
Then the party members, nodding, swiftly transported the corpses toward the cave and hid them away.
At last, the time had come to deal with all the perimeter guards of the outer passageway and enter the inner area.
Seonwoo Jin abruptly looked at the entrance and recalled what No Je-eok had said earlier.
'So this means the middle section now?'
According to his words, Muhwangchong was structured in three stages: the outer section, the middle section, and the inner section.
The trap-filled passageways that Seonwoo Jin and his party had traversed until now was the outer section, and going through that entrance would be the middle section.
But the two men and women whom the Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang had reportedly brought were currently located not even in that middle section, but deeper within the inner section.
Both the fact that it was two people, not three, and the name Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang sent chills down his spine, but regardless, there was no room for choice.
They had to infiltrate all the way to the inner section and rescue their comrades.
Having focused his senses for a moment, Seonwoo Jin confirmed that no one was in the vicinity and opened his mouth to speak in a low voice out loud.
"As you heard earlier, inside this place are roughly seventy peak-level experts, five transcendent peak experts, and Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang, one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World."
That had been the information obtained from No Je-eok and confirmed as genuine by Mukrang.
Though everyone in the party had already known this, when Seonwoo Jin voiced the words again, all their faces inevitably darkened.
Because the enemy's strength was simply overwhelming.
One of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, plus five transcendent peak and seventy peak-level experts—it was to a degree that made one wonder what organization in the world could deploy forces of this scale in a single location.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? The Murim Alliance? The Four Kings Association? Excluding those three, not even the Nine Great Sects seemed capable of fielding this much.
Then Seonwoo Jin, as if trying to shift the atmosphere, flashed a grin at them and spoke.
"There's no need to be too downcast. We're not going there to fight them, but to steal our comrades out. As the saying goes, ten couldn't catch one thief, could they? Besides, it's an immense stroke of luck that the White-faced Corpse Demon Gu Woo-jeol, who had been constantly stationed here, isn't present right now."
That was certainly true.
At Seonwoo Jin's words, everyone gathered their resolve once more and nodded.
Because they all knew that nothing could be accomplished if their spirits were broken to begin with.
Seonwoo Jin inwardly felt gratitude toward his party members, who did not speak of retreat even in this situation.
Even Jeung Chil, who normally grumbled incessantly, was now burning with fighting spirit, his eyes genuine and earnest at this critical moment.
Seonwoo Jin spoke to them again with a solemn gaze.
"Then we shall enter. I'll say it again: the most important thing is our safety. Should a situation arise where we are rendered powerless, please remember that each person's priority must be to retreat and survive. Our rallying point for regrouping after shaking off the enemy is the collapsed passageway where Dakam is waiting."
Everyone nodded at those words.
Then Seonwoo Jin finally declared.
"Now, we advance."
With those final words, Seonwoo Jin entered the middle section through the entrance, taking the lead.
He was accompanied by the black panther, still pressed close to his side.
At that moment, Mukrang suddenly spoke up.
- Hoh! This place is completely different from the outer section. A remarkably well-constructed building, isn't it?
At his words, Seonwoo Jin also abruptly inspected the walls and passageways anew.
Then he saw stone walls crafted so neatly that even a layman like himself could perceive the quality.
On top of that, night luminous pearls were embedded at regular intervals in the ceiling, and torches hung intermittently on the walls, making the illumination exceptionally bright.
At a glance, it seemed even more finely crafted than the Light Sword Tomb he had seen before.
Mukrang continued to marvel and spoke on.
- Balance, harmony, durability. All perfect. No matter how you look at it, this doesn't appear to be a place built by those Blood Cult bastards. I suspect they might have added the outer section separately to an originally existing structure.
'That could well be the case.'
Seonwoo Jin answered half-heartedly, now concentrating on sensing the presence of people around him.
Because even if Mukrang's words were true, he thought it likely wasn't a fact that mattered to them right now.
But Mukrang, knowing full well what Seonwoo Jin was thinking, kept muttering as if talking to himself.
- An originally existing structure.... The architectural style is oddly familiar too. And the name is Muhwangchong, isn't it? Hmm....
Seonwoo Jin let Mukrang's muttering go in one ear and out the other as he continued to move according to the map he had drawn in his head.
'At the first four-way passage, go straight, then at the passage after that, go left.'
He had extracted quite detailed information about the internal structure from No Je-eok earlier.
And rather than simply memorizing it, he had drawn a map in his mind and laid out the general layout.
It was a feat possible thanks to his exceptional memory and spatial perception.
Then in a single moment, Seonwoo Jin swiftly raised the flat of his hand and sent a stop signal.
Then he quickly sent a telepathic sound transmission.
- Stop! Several demon heads are moving up ahead. We'll wait until they pass.
In a corridor about five jang away, four or five peak-level demon heads were on the move.
Seonwoo Jin had to wait a moment until they passed.
Of course, with that number, they could have won a head-on fight.
But he absolutely could not do that.
Because if a commotion broke out and other demon heads swarmed in, this infiltration would be as good as a failure.
'They aren't coming this way. They're going elsewhere.'
Seonwoo Jin was currently maintaining the second form, Hyeonwol, of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance to amplify his senses.
Since his last battle with Am Hyeol-hyang, he could now use up to Hyeonwol without difficulty, making this possible.
A moment later, sensing that they had moved away in another direction, Seonwoo Jin sent another telepathic message.
- They're gone. We advance again.
And he began advancing again according to the map drawn in his mind.
'At this four-way intersection, turn right, then at the next three-way intersection...!'
That was the moment.
Seonwoo Jin sensed that the demon heads who had gone in another direction a moment ago were now coming back this way.
They did not seem to have noticed his presence, but direction-wise, they were now following behind.
He quickly sent a telepathic message.
- The demon heads from earlier are following from behind. We'll increase speed.
At his order, everyone increased speed and, at the two branching paths ahead—straight and left—turned sharply left.
Then a long, straight corridor, about seven or eight jang long, appeared.
According to No Je-eok, once they passed this straight corridor, the passage leading to the inner section was right there.
The group, silent as ghosts, increased speed and began to dash down the straight corridor.
But then it happened.
Seonwoo Jin urgently raised his palm, stopping the group.
- Stop! Seven or eight demon heads are coming from the right around the front corner!
It was a troubling situation.
Since it was a long straight corridor, even if they quickly passed the four-way corner, they would inevitably be spotted by the enemies.
So they had no choice but to pull back.
But the demon heads from earlier were still following in the rear right passage they had just come from.
- We're pulling back! Let's retreat to the rear and take shelter in the left direction for now!
That direction was one about which they had not had a chance to hear from No Je-eok.
But for now, they had no choice.
Just as the group quickly pulled back again,
Seonwoo Jin urgently sent another telepathic message.
- Stop! They're coming from that side too!
Seonwoo Jin was truly flustered this time.
Because demon heads were also approaching from a corner not far away in the left perpendicular direction.
It was the worst.
Then, the group, having stopped dead at his words, could only make flustered expressions as well.
They too had realized that demon heads were coming from all three directions.
Seonwoo Jin gritted his teeth.
At this rate, they would be surrounded by enemies from three directions and inevitably discovered.
But they could not hide either.
Because the Black Panther was with them and the surroundings were too bright to conceal themselves.
Jeung Chil urgently asked.
- Uh, what are we going to do?! Are we going to fight?!
Though he was the only one who had asked, everyone was looking at Seonwoo Jin, waiting for orders.
He had to decide quickly.
Then, Seonwoo Jin, who had been focusing his Mind's Eye for a moment to scan for presences, moved urgently and sent a telepathic message.
- To the left for now!
Since demon heads would appear from all three directions if they stayed still, Seonwoo Jin decided to move toward one direction first and clash with the demon heads there.
The group moved quickly and turned left at the two-way fork.
Then, right after they turned, eight demon heads appeared from the corner of the rear straight corridor.
If they had stood still, they would have been helplessly discovered.
But the danger was still present.
Because five demon heads from the rear corner would soon turn this way, and three demon heads from the front were just about to turn this corner as well.
- Quickly!
Seonwoo Jin swiftly advanced to the front corner.
Right then, three demon heads from the left perpendicular direction were just about to turn toward them.
At that moment, Seonwoo Jin sent a desperate will along with a telepathic message to the Black Panther, who was moving right beside him.
- Go ahead and draw their attention a bit!
Then the Black Panther, without hesitation, shot out with a fwoosh.
Tatak!
"Eeok?!"
"Wha, what?!"
"A leopard?!"
The Black Panther cleverly avoided colliding with the three demon heads, leaping off the wall then the ceiling, soaring over their heads, and landing behind them.
Then, the demon heads, who had momentarily flinched into defensive stances, followed the Black Panther with their eyes, turning their gazes backward.
The group did not miss that moment.
Seonwoo Jin and the group silently pounced on the demon heads' backs like ghosts.
Shashashak!
Uduk! Udeudeuk!
"Hup!"
"Keok!"
"Keuk!"
The time it took to cover their mouths from behind and snap their necks was but an instant.
Seonwoo Jin's group carried the corpses and quickly began moving forward.
Seuseuseuk!
They had not yet been discovered by the other demon heads, but they could not let their guard down.
Even though they had minimized the sound of the attack, the demon heads' earlier shout of "leopard" could still draw a reaction from the others.
Seonwoo Jin's group swiftly advanced, turned right at the next corner, and waited a moment behind it.
Now it was time to check the reaction of the other demon heads.
When they strained their ears, the hearing amplified by the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance's Hyeonwol relayed the distant conversation of the demon heads.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"Ah, we're heading to the training ground. You guys?"
"Going to eat. But hey, was that you guys who yelled 'leopard' a moment ago?"
"No? We thought it was you making that sound."
"Hmm, that's strange. When we were on duty earlier, we saw a big black panther roaming the outer passage."
"Really? That's strange. But could it have really come all the way in here? There are sentries outside."
"Well, that's true... but it feels a bit off. Anyway, got it. Just in case, we'll go check out the second workshop."
"Alright. See you later then."
Listening to their conversation, Seonwoo Jin bit his lip.
'Damn!'
Because the demon heads who said they'd check the workshop were now moving in this direction.
Seonwoo Jin turned his head and looked back at the rear passage.
From this point on, he had heard nothing from No Je-eok.
It was a completely unknown area to him.
'The second workshop, huh....'
But there was no choice.
Seonwoo Jin, without further hesitation, made up his mind and sent a telepathic message to his comrades.
- The demon heads are coming this way. Let's pull back farther.
Even if it was unknown territory, there was no helping it now.
In order to deal with them, they had to go somewhere more deserted.
Seonwoo Jin's group, carrying the three corpses, quickly retreated to the rear.
If a passage branching into several directions appeared there, he intended to wait briefly and see if the demon heads would go another way.
But the situation did not go as he thought.
This direction, even after several turns, only led to a one-way passage.
'Damn.'
Seonwoo Jin's heart grew increasingly impatient.
And after a moment, the passage finally came to an end.
At the end of the passage, only a single entrance leading to some stone chamber sat starkly.
This directional passage was a one-way corridor leading only to a large stone chamber.
The group looked at Seonwoo Jin with eyes asking what to do now.
Then, after briefly sensing the presence of people inside the stone chamber, Seonwoo Jin finally sent a telepathic message.
- We're going in there.
From what Seonwoo Jin could see with his Mind's Eye, the inside of the stone chamber was very spacious.
But at the very least, he sensed no human presence inside.
So he had decided to enter, but....
But as soon as they entered the stone chamber, they were so startled that they had to stand frozen on the spot.
"!"
Because there were countless people inside the stone chamber.
There seemed to be nearly a hundred people.