Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: The Tomb of the Martial Emperor
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“Where is this place?”
As the series of mechanisms defied all common sense, Bukgung Ryeong had no choice but to ask again.
“Where in the world are we that such contraptions exist?”
“The Tomb of the Martial Emperor.”
“What did you say?”
“It was written on the iron gate at the entrance.”
“The Martial Emperor… you mean *the* Martial Emperor from four hundred years ago?”
Bukgung Ryeong’s heart pounded in his chest.
Though his final years were grim, the Martial Emperor had been one of the greatest masters of the Orthodox Faction in his time.
Could this place, riddled with bizarre traps, truly be the secret tomb where his profound insights and techniques were hidden?
“Which way will you go?”
Bu Eun-seol spoke to the dazed Bukgung Ryeong.
“If you won’t choose, I will.”
“Do as you please.”
“Very well.”
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol started down the left passage.
After a moment of deliberation, Bukgung Ryeong followed him.
“Why are you following me?”
Bu Eun-seol frowned, and Bukgung Ryeong replied with a bold expression.
“We don’t know what traps lie ahead. Two is better than one.”
“I refuse.”
“Refuse?”
“Would you travel with someone who is constantly seeking to take your life?”
“You?”
Sparks flew from Bukgung Ryeong’s eyes.
An ordinary martial artist would have been breathless under such pressure, but unfortunately for him, his opponent was Bu Eun-seol.
“In the first place, the mechanisms here were activated because you forced your way in by destroying the gate.”
“Nonsense. Are you saying the traps didn’t activate when you came in alone?”
“That is correct.”
Left speechless, Bukgung Ryeong raised a finger, his eyes murderous.
“This old man can snap your neck right now.”
“Are you afraid?”
“What?”
“I am asking if you are afraid to go alone.”
“Hmph, you think this old man fears some pathetic traps?”
“So you’re not afraid.”
“Of course not.”
Bu Eun-seol stared at him with cold eyes.
“Then break through on your own. Do not follow me any further.”
He then nonchalantly walked past Bukgung Ryeong and entered the right fork instead.
“I will go this way. Do not follow.”
And without hesitation, he stepped inside.
“Fine. This old man will break through all these traps himself!”
His pride deeply wounded, Bukgung Ryeong shouted at Bu Eun-seol’s retreating back.
“And after that, I will kill you on the spot!”
Bu Eun-seol didn’t even deign to reply as he slowly vanished into the passage.
“Hmph.”
Bukgung Ryeong scoffed and slowly made his way toward the left passage.
But contrary to his confident stride, his expression was quite tense.
This was a tomb personally constructed by the Martial Emperor, a man who had reached the pinnacle of the Orthodox Faction four hundred years ago.
The traps installed here were anything but ordinary; one wrong judgment could leave him as another skeleton guarding this place.
‘How absurd. To think this old man has to be wary of mere mechanisms.’
For Bukgung Ryeong, who could shatter even iron gates with his Naega-tangi, traps and mechanisms were usually useless.
However, the mechanisms and traps in the Martial Emperor’s tomb were on a level unprecedented in the history of Murim. Even he, the Tan-wang, couldn’t guarantee he could break through them.
“I’ll just have to destroy the mechanisms beforehand, like before.”
Taking a deep breath, he strode unhesitatingly into the left passage.
***
“Hah, hah.”
Bukgung Ryeong barely managed to steady his ragged breathing.
He had roamed the Murim alone, overcoming countless crises and defeating formidable enemies. In all that time, he couldn’t recall ever being left panting for breath.
But now, avoiding the myriad traps installed throughout the tomb, he was exhausting himself to the point where his tongue felt like it was hanging down to his chin.
“It’s beyond words.”
The seemingly endless corridor was filled with every kind of formation and mechanism known to the Murim.
And they were not the kind that could be overcome simply by having high martial prowess.
Wisdom and composure. A broad perspective and insight. The ability to grasp and analyze the situation was required.
“And… it’s impossible to break through alone.”
Bukgung Ryeong bit his lip.
Even if one possessed all the aforementioned abilities, the traps in this corridor could not be overcome.
Because they were designed from the outset for two or more people, not one.
“I don’t understand. Why…”
A thought suddenly flashed through Bukgung Ryeong’s mind.
—*In the first place, the mechanisms here were activated because you forced your way in by destroying the gate.*
According to Bu Eun-seol, no traps had been activated when he had entered alone.
Did that mean if one of them died, the mechanisms might stop?
“No, that can’t be it.”
Bukgung Ryeong shook his head.
The Martial Emperor was, after all, a renowned and righteous hero of the Orthodox Faction. It was unlikely he would create such lethal and vicious traps.
“Perhaps it was to prevent two people from entering and fighting to the death over the treasures…”
Perhaps the Martial Emperor had designed the mechanisms so that if two people entered, they would have to cooperate to get out instead of killing each other.
“I don’t know. Maybe his disposition changed after meeting such a tragic end in his later years.”
There was no way to know what the Martial Emperor was thinking when he created these traps.
What was certain was that the traps in this passage could never be overcome unless two people worked together.
*Grit.*
Bukgung Ryeong clenched his teeth.
In the end, he had to join forces with that ice-cold brat.
*Step, step.*
After hesitating several times, he had no choice but to retrace his steps.
When he returned to the fork, Bukgung Ryeong’s eyes widened.
Bu Eun-seol, who had taken the right corridor, had also returned.
He, too, looked as if he had gone through a tremendous ordeal. His entire body was soaked in sweat, and his clothes were covered in dust.
“…”
The two men stared at each other as if on cue.
Though no words were spoken, their gazes conveyed a silent understanding.
—*Let’s work together and not fight until we escape this place.*
Staring at each other, the two men narrowed their eyes and nodded in unison.
*Kwaaang! Peeeong!*
Bukgung Ryeong’s Naega-tangi was truly second to none. Unlike typical energy projectile techniques, its power did not diminish over a distance.
*Swoosh!*
Bu Eun-seol’s Muk-geom looked blunt, but it was a divine sword rarely seen in the Murim.
It could effortlessly unleash sword energy without any infusion of internal energy, and its blade remained undamaged even after hundreds of impacts.
Bukgung Ryeong destroyed the distant mechanisms, while Bu Eun-seol cut through the traps and formations at close range.
Working together, they advanced one step at a time.
Having finally passed all the traps and reached the end of the corridor, Bukgung Ryeong let out a sigh.
“It seems I was the one who broke it.”
Mechanisms are supposed to activate in a set sequence, not all at once.
But the mechanisms in the passage had activated almost simultaneously, and the formations were also in a jumbled order.
The mechanisms and formations inside the Martial Emperor's tomb were all in disarray, activating in a chaotic mess.
It seemed that when Bukgung Ryeong had shattered the iron gate, he had damaged the internal mechanisms.
“This place was originally designed for only one person to enter.”
“There’s no need to blame yourself.”
Bu Eun-seol walked past Bukgung Ryeong toward a sturdy iron door.
“When you think about it, these are mechanisms that were made four hundred years ago. It’s unlikely they would still work with precision.”
“Hmph, are you trying to console this old man?”
“I am not consoling you. I am stating a fact.”
Bukgung Ryeong gave a bitter smile.
In truth, the credit for breaking through most of the traps belonged to Bu Eun-seol.
Using his Gongsim-tongnyeong, he had been able to find the subtle traces of mechanisms that even Bukgung Ryeong had missed.
Not only that, but he had also been able to anticipate the workings of the contraptions and prepare for the onslaught of traps.
What if he hadn't had Bu Eun-seol's help?
Even if Bukgung Ryeong’s Naega-tangi were several times more powerful, he would never have been able to pass through this place.
“There are no signs of mechanisms on the door.”
After examining the iron door at the end of the passage, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“Now, the Martial Emperor’s true tomb will be revealed.”
Bukgung Ryeong reached out and pushed open the iron door in front of him with all his might.
*Creeeak.*
Beyond the wide-open door, a vast hall unfolded.
Beneath a ceiling that seemed to be over thirty *jang* high, statues and structures of dizzying height were erected everywhere.
The interior was so large, and everything was built on such an abnormally massive scale, that it looked like a recreation of a world of giants from ancient times.
“Strange.”
Bukgung Ryeong furrowed his brow and looked around.
“To go to the trouble of creating all those traps, only to build another vast hall like this.”
Bu Eun-seol silently and carefully surveyed his surroundings.
Despite the hall’s scale, the number of luminous pearls embedded in the walls and ceiling was very small.
As a result, the light inside was just barely enough to distinguish objects.
“The exit is likely at the far end.”
Bu Eun-seol pointed to the opposite side, so far away it was out of sight.
“And this will be the final trap.”
“A trap?”
“Indeed.”
Bu Eun-seol gestured to the statues and structures that filled the space in every direction.
“Everything in here is a construct. That is, they were built by stacking materials, which means they can be brought down at any time.”
“You mean they’ll collapse?”
“Probably. The ceiling, too.”
“A simple trap. Not much of a threat, is it?”
Bu Eun-seol then pointed to the floor.
“Among the formations of the Murim, there are those that exert a strange suction force on the ground or bind one’s feet.”
As if to prove his point, the floor was paved with Eunyeongseok, a stone used for setting up formations.
Bukgung Ryeong grunted.
The traps they had broken through so far were bizarre and terrifying enough to be remembered in the history of Murim.
But now, as if that wasn't enough, this entire grand hall was a collapsing trap?
*Rumble.*
As if signaling the start, a low vibration began to echo from deep within the floor.
This entire vast hall was the final trial of the Martial Emperor’s tomb, a death trap.
“Are you prepared?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, Bukgung Ryeong scoffed.
“Brat. Who do you think you’re talking to?”
A powerful whirlwind began to form around his body.
“I am the Tan-wang.”
That single statement was filled with boundless pride.
The Tan-wang. The only one among the Four Divine Seven Kings who held no faction and roamed the world alone, protecting the righteous spirit of the Murim.
“If I were to fall to a mere trap like this, my name would have vanished from the Murim long ago.”
*Kwoong!*
Just then, the head of a distant statue began to fall.
Simultaneously, the great ceiling of the hall began to crumble like a cracker.
“Run!”
At Bu Eun-seol’s shout, the Tan-wang kicked up a whirlwind and shot forward like an arrow.
*Zzziiing!*
The Eunyeongseok on the floor began to glow, instantly reducing his movement speed.
*Kwarururung!*
Despite this, the Tan-wang shot forward with incredible speed, cutting through the air like a fired bullet.
*Kwarung! Kwarung!*
Transformed into a bolt of lightning, the Tan-wang dodged the falling debris, sometimes using it as a foothold to advance.
“Keuh.”
But his speed gradually slowed, and his face contorted in a grimace.
Even though he was using every ounce of his strength to perform his movement technique, a powerful suction force was holding him back.
*Tssst-tsst!*
In contrast, Bu Eun-seol ran with a calm expression, utilizing the directional shifts of Geuk-sok-mu-yeong.
He did not try to run at top speed.
The hall was vast, and there was a limit to the number of collapsing structures.
He was calmly avoiding the rocks and structures without expending his true energy.
*Pshhhhhh!*
But that method also reached its limit.
This time, a ghastly green poisonous mist began to rise from the Eunyeongseok.
“He’s using poison, too?!”
Bukgung Ryeong shouted in outrage.
He was already using all his internal energy to perform his movement technique, and now there was poison mist?
“Keuk!”
Although he was resistant to most poisons, the one rising from the floor was so potent that he felt nauseous even without breathing it in.
The situation was too precarious to burn away the pouring poison mist with his internal energy.
“Fine!”
Bukgung Ryeong took out iron pellets from his pouch and fitted them between his five fingers.
“Haap!”
With a sharp cry, he unleashed the iron pellets, which spun in the air and created a massive whirlwind.
It was one of Bukgung Ryeong’s three ultimate techniques, the Oji-yeonghwaseon.
*Kwawoooo!*
The giant whirlwind instantly dispersed the poison mist and cleared a path.
As he began to run again, he realized that Bu Eun-seol was trapped in the poison mist and out of sight.
‘Can’t be helped.’
Even if he survived, he was someone Bukgung Ryeong could not coexist with.
Bukgung Ryeong clicked his tongue inwardly and was about to move forward when,
*Flash!*
A streak of light shot up from above the poison mist.
*Kwawoooo!*
A huge sphere made of layered sword energy formed, annihilating the poison mist.
The Seventh Form of the Peerless Heavenly Flow.
Hoesin-myeolji, an energy sword technique that burned away poison mist with sword energy infused with potent scorching yang energy, was unleashed.
*Paat!*
Bu Eun-seol shot the massive sphere of scorching yang energy forward, not around himself.
*Jijijijik.*
The sphere annihilated the poison mist as it stretched forward, and finally, a small door became visible about fifty *jang* ahead.
Martial Emperor.
And there, inscribed, were the same characters that had been engraved at the entrance.