Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Arrival at the Thousand-Year Prison
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BOOM!
A day had passed, and in the pitch-black night when the lake waters had turned murky.
The large ship from Dongjeong Lake Reed Manor, fully prepared, gracefully sliced through the currents.
Facing the pouring torrential rain and crashing thunder and lightning, they pressed onward toward the western sea without faltering.
They had drawn as close to the island as possible, finally reaching a distance where something presumed to be the Thousand-Year Prison faintly came into view.
But that joy was short-lived.
"This is as far as we can go!"
Bongchu bellowed at the top of his lungs, judging it impossible to venture closer.
Already, they could barely keep the ship steady amid the waves that rocked it violently with each swell.
In the midst of such peril, Hyeok Mulin gazed steadily ahead.
Not only were the waters swirling into whirlpools, but dragon soars were even surging up toward the sky.
"Hoo..."
Beside him, Bongchu swallowed hard, his eyes trembling as he beheld nature's fury.
'Getting off the ship here would be suicide.'
He couldn't even dream of a human body enduring that.
He had come because they told him to, but what were they supposed to do from here...?
Bongchu cautiously glanced sideways.
But he was soon startled out of his wits.
The man who had been watching the waters had silently climbed onto the railing.
"I'll be back."
Leaving those brief words to the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad, Hyeok Mulin dropped down without a hint of hesitation.
"What are you doing?!"
Jumping into those currents!
His body would be torn to shreds, fish food, not even a corpse left behind!
In shock, Bongchu thrust his head over the side to peer below.
But the sight that nearly made him faint caused his eyes to bulge as if they might burst.
The falling man neither died nor drowned.
On the contrary, the water beneath his feet had frozen solid with a crackling sound.
And he strolled across the surface as leisurely as if walking on a frozen pond.
"Wh-what in the world...?"
At the absurd spectacle, Bongchu and the crew's jaws dropped to the deck.
Meanwhile, leaving them behind, Hyeok Mulin advanced with full focus on the situation at hand.
'It's tough, but this is the right path.'
Before departing, he had suddenly recalled a tale of the past Nine Great Heavenly Demons and pondered various options before settling on this method.
When the enraged Seol Woongang had set off for the North Sea Ice Palace, he had frozen the earth and rivers alike to press forward—an example Hyeok Mulin had emulated by freezing the lake to advance.
Rumble-rumble―
A massive vibration coursed up from his lower body.
The fierce currents and violent whirlpools dragged at him like a living swamp, pulling him under.
And that was far from all.
The closer he got to the island, the more the waves churned outward as if repelling any intruder.
Thus, each step Hyeok Mulin took was unbearably heavy, yet the fact that he was still advancing remained unchanged.
'That was close.'
Had he not mastered both the Pure Soul Divine Demon Art and the Ice Pallor Soul-Shedding Palm, he was certain he could never have withstood the dark blue currents of Dongjeong Lake.
Thud.
After advancing over a hundred jang, his footsteps paused briefly.
Raising his head, Hyeok Mulin beheld the scene unfolding before him.
A dragon soar towered toward the heavens, brushing against the thunderclouds, right in his path.
From the colossal vortex that defied mortal bounds, he sensed nature's grandeur—and its warning.
"Interesting."
The dragon soar vibrated with such ferocity it seemed to silently declare no passage allowed.
And as it inched toward him, poised to swallow him whole, he neither dodged nor turned back.
He chose to go straight ahead.
Whoosh―
Toward the encroaching dragon soar, Hyeok Mulin slowly raised his index finger.
At its tip, black light gradually condensed.
And when it became pure darkness...
BOOM!
The bullet finger strike Hyeok Mulin unleashed pierced the vortex straight through.
A round hole about three jang wide bored from front to back, allowing him to resume his steps.
The dragon soar's interior was the polar opposite of its exterior.
It was serene and still, as if severed from the world with time frozen in place.
'Sure would be a good spot for a nap.'
Passing through the tranquil dragon soar, Hyeok Mulin emerged on the other side and continued onward.
The currents still raged against him, but having overcome the greatest obstacle, nothing could stop him now.
"So that's the Thousand-Year Prison."
What had appeared a mere shadow from afar gradually revealed its shape and contours.
The shoreline bordering the western sea curved into a broad, gentle bay, and the sandy beach stretching along it gleamed faintly under the moonlight amid the darkness.
Beyond the shore rose sheer cliffs backed by towering ancient trees.
"Ho."
After briefly surveying the island's outline, Hyeok Mulin pressed on.
Finally reaching the shore, he paused slightly before setting foot on the island.
He encountered no barriers upon entry.
With both feet on the sand, he faintly curled the corner of his mouth.
'Just as I thought.'
According to the Secret Affairs Hall's reports, the island was protected by formations, but Hyeok Mulin hadn't taken that at face value.
Enveloping the entire island in formations would require vast reserves of energy and manpower.
Analyzing this, and considering the scale of the Murim Alliance's dispatched fleet, he had predicted they wouldn't invest such resources in the Thousand-Year Prison.
Thus, he surmised the formations covered only the eastern sea—used as the Alliance's entrance—or perhaps extended to the northern or southern seas at most, where the currents were calmer.
Conversely, he believed the western sea would be free of them, and now confirmed his guess spot-on.
'Not surprising.'
Who would imagine anyone piercing that savage natural fury?
Had he not mastered both the Ice Pallor Soul-Shedding Palm and the Pure Soul Divine Demon Art, it would have been impossible.
But he had made it possible, traversing the western sea to reach the shore.
"This is the place."
The Thousand-Year Prison.
Stepping onto the beach, Hyeok Mulin surveyed the island's landscape.
It felt like a pristine world untouched by human hands.
Jagged, massive cliffs rose along the coast, with majestic giant trees towering between and behind them.
The trees' roots pierced through rocks, sprawling across the shore like tentacles of sea creatures, extending endlessly toward the lake.
Each root was thicker than a burly man's torso.
"......"
Hyeok Mulin looked up, gazing straight ahead.
The forest edge meeting the shore felt like a grand rampart.
Towering trees stood densely packed, concealing everything within.
A fierce wind howled from the woods, carrying an eerie scent, while the rustling leaves emitted a hoarse, metallic groan that sounded ominous.
"Not a place for the faint of heart. No wonder the Murim Alliance dumps its criminals here."
With preparations complete, Hyeok Mulin wasted no time and stepped into the forest.
Splash― splash―
About two gak after Hyeok Mulin departed.
A white-haired woman appeared on the now-empty beach.
Her footsteps on the sand halted abruptly.
"......"
Bending at the waist, her palm touched the water's edge.
After sensing something for a moment, her movements stilled.
Then, placing a hand on her knee, she slowly straightened and turned her gaze.
Her pupils gleamed with a pure white light as she stared at a single footprint in the sand, leading into the dense forest.
Too far now, Hyeok Mulin's figure was no longer visible from the Dongjeong Lake Reed Manor's large ship.
But in Bongchu's eyes, the image of him advancing toward the island remained vivid.
The ice had melted away, leaving no proof, but his own eyes had clearly witnessed the miracle.
'A man walking on water.'
The kind of tale that would earn him a beating at a drinking party for lying.
Even he, who'd spent his life on boats, could scarcely believe it.
Glancing around, his crew seemed equally dumbfounded, sharing his thoughts.
Unable to hold back any longer, Bongchu turned to a nearby warrior.
"Who in the world is that man?"
Ji Wolhon, standing beside him, silently met his gaze.
His eyes seemed to ask, 'Do you really want to know?'
Bongchu quickly backed down, averting his eyes with a smile.
"Haha. This lowly boatman has no interest in worldly affairs. I saw nothing at all."
That man, and these people—they were no ordinary warriors.
Invading the Thousand-Year Prison meant being prepared to clash with the mighty Murim Alliance if things went south.
Better to keep his mouth shut than risk his neck with idle questions. He just prayed these waves would pass quickly.
As he gazed back at the lake, something suddenly crossed his mind.
"......Hm?"
Tilting his head, Bongchu sensed something off and turned to the side.
"By the way... when will the hero head to the island?"
Ji Wolhon replied curtly.
"I'll wait here."
"What?!"
Wait here?
Did that mean only that man was entering the Thousand-Year Prison alone?
That they had to stick with these people until he came back out?
His face drained of color, turning ashen at the realization.
"N-no way..."
Thud.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed on the spot.
Deep, dark despair filled his eyes, rejecting reality.