Spirit Fire's Trial
The group led by Jin Sochan hadn't been climbing Mount Mosan for long when they encountered the Taoists of the Mosanpa. The Taoists were displeased that the group had used the jade bead given for emergencies to summon them, but when shown the letter from the Murim Alliance Leader, they wordlessly guided the way without complaint.
The Mosanpa headquarters was surrounded by layer upon layer of spells and formations. It was so perfectly hidden that no outsider could find it without collapsing the entire mountain by force. The group had only a moment to marvel at it before crossing the main gate—and in that instant, a purple flame enveloped them. Everyone except Hong Yeonhwa, for some reason.
It was such an unexpected event that even the guiding Taoists were startled. Hong Yeonhwa urgently circulated her inner energy to scatter the flames, but she was a bit too late. No burns were suffered, but Jin Sochan and Paeng Soso stood frozen, staring blankly into empty space.
Hong Yeonhwa judged this to be a trap or defensive spell of the Mosanpa and immediately unleashed the Heavenly Demon Ruling Aura to dominate the surroundings. And now, things had come to this.
"I lack the power to end the Spirit Fire's trial myself, but I can at least peek into the process! If things go wrong, feel free to shatter the divine object—just please trust those two for now and calm your anger!"
"……."
Hong Yeonhwa slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. The crushing pressure like the sky collapsing and the killing intent squeezing her heart vanished completely.
"Very well. But if anything happens to this lady's husband and little sister... then..."
Crunch.
The white-haired old woman—the Mosanpa leader—desperately shouted at the grinding-teeth Hong Yeonhwa.
"Don't worry! It's rare, but the Spirit Fire's trial has happened many times before, and not once has anyone been harmed!"
Spirit Fire. The mystical flame discovered by Mosanpa's founding ancestor, Mo Hongok, on Mount Mosan. This purple blaze burned not with physical fuel but with qi as kindling. It wouldn't burn anything with substance, but once ignited, it never extinguished until the energy was depleted.
While seeking a place rich in dragon vein qi for cultivation, Mo Hongok found the Spirit Fire in a cave and was chosen to undergo its trial.
"Our ancestor, who passed the trial, ascended from an ordinary Taoist to the pinnacle realm of Curse Sovereign, and in her later years, became an immortal and departed for the heavenly realm."
Though her field differed, she was like Wudang's Jang Samfeng or Shaolin's Great Master Dharma. Before leaving the mortal world, she established the Mosanpa to propagate her enlightenment and manage the Spirit Fire.
However, Hong Yeonhwa herself was a warrior with one foot in the Present Realm. In this era where immortals were dubious, if anyone came closest, it was her.
Hong Yeonhwa dismissed the leader's words with a cold expression and spoke.
"Enough with the irrelevant tales. So, what proof do you have that this Spirit Fire trial or whatever is safe?"
"After that, other Taoists of exceptional talent underwent the trial as well. I was one of them."
"...Tell me in more detail."
As the leader prepared a spell to spy on Jin Sochan and Paeng Soso's trials, she cautiously explained.
"The ultimate goal of Taoists is to become immortals. This holds true not just for our Right and Left Path schools, but even for those like Wudang or Hwasan who cultivate the Dao through martial arts. ...The Spirit Fire's trial tests the conditions for becoming an immortal, and passing grants immense Dao power."
The method was simple: It showed illusions indistinguishable from reality, delving deep into the heart's desires. Naturally, shocking experiences occurred, but like most dreams, everything became hazy upon waking, leaving no mental aftereffects. And since it all happened in illusion, there were no physical issues either.
Hong Yeonhwa's gaze deepened as she watched the leader sweat profusely while scattering talismans around. The Spirit Fire, burning qi as fuel and granting immense power to those who passed, felt strangely familiar.
The Sacred Flame swallowed just before sparking the Righteous-Demonic Great War. The similarities between Hong Yeonhwa's world and this one, discussed in the carriage. Fragmented pieces of information floated in her mind, stirring unease—but she shook her head to dispel them.
'Right now, I must focus only on my husband's and Soso's safety.'
It fed on dragon vein qi, right? Then the solution was simple. Envelop them thoroughly in her rigidly controlled true qi, and it would snuff out easily.
Hong Yeonhwa's qi sense already blanketed the entire Mosanpa. She'd long pinpointed the Spirit Fire's location. And projecting true qi from afar was no great feat for her.
Steeling her resolve, Hong Yeonhwa waited—and soon, the leader's spell completed.
Zing—
With a resonant hum, the dirt floor's sand shifted on its own, drawing two images. One before Jin Sochan, the other before Paeng Soso. The real-time sand tableaux differed in details but shared the same overall scene: Jin Sochan, Hong Yeonhwa, and Paeng Soso living happily together.
The leader, inwardly admiring the peaceful scene, added an explanation.
"The Spirit Fire's trial divides into two major parts. The first fulfills every desire as wished, revealing the depths of one's greed. No human can fully transcend desire, but if it deviates from the proper path, the trial ends immediately. However..."
"They passed. So, what is the second trial?"
"...To test the firmness of their resolve, it thoroughly shatters the ideal world they've built. The opposite of before—everything goes wrong, confronting them with the worst imaginable outcomes."
"What?!"
Hong Yeonhwa bristled at the brutish approach of beat until they break and see how long they last, but the leader frantically shook her head.
"As I said earlier, forcibly waking them mid-trial risks the unknown! And everything felt in the illusion fades like bubbles, so rest assured!"
"……."
Even if true, the pain felt at the time wouldn't vanish. But the leader had a point. With that in mind, Hong Yeonhwa quelled the inner energy she'd raised to extinguish the flame and coldly reviewed the situation.
'...For now, all I can do is watch.'
Of course, the idea of rummaging through her loved ones' minds without permission disgusted her to no end—but their safety came first. Unless a variable arose, watching quietly was safer. She had to endure.
Clenching her fist until her nails bit into her skin, Hong Yeonhwa glared at the floor images. There, Jin Sochan was just stepping through a door of light.
Everything was perfect. It felt a bit off how smoothly it all unfolded like the ideal scenario I'd only imagined, but whatever. Good is good, right?
With all preparations complete, we finally crossed into Hong Yeonhwa's world together. And...
"Heavenly Demon! The Heavenly Demon has returned! Kill her before she regains her power! No—seal the gate so she can't escape!"
Dozens—no, maybe hundreds—of warriors surrounding us unleashed their killing intent and charged. The distance was decent, but being perfectly encircled was the problem.
Chaang—
I reflexively drew my sword. But something felt wrong. My body moved heavy and sluggish, like underwater...
"What the?!"
Why was my inner energy gone?! Desperately circulating the Martial Spirit Divine Art, I glanced back.
"Th-this...!"
"Paeng family...!"
But Hong Yeonhwa and Paeng Soso were in the same boat, faces twisted in awkward stances of distress. Unlike me, who could at least muster inner energy with Muryeong Singong, they couldn't use any at all—making their plight worse.
No time for calm solutions. Hundreds were rushing to kill us right now. Each one's presence was no joke. If Hong Yeonhwa were fine, maybe—but we couldn't win this.
"Run! Go back! Hurry!"
"Too late! They must've closed the gate somehow—I don't know how, but look!"
I suddenly recalled their initial shout to seal the gate first. Had we not stumbled into a dangerous spot by chance, but been lured here from the start...?
Hong Yeonhwa's face paled, reaching the same conclusion.
"Those uniforms... Murim Alliance? No, not quite. I surely left not a single pillar standing. Remnants, then? How did they know I'd come here..."
"Yeonhwa?"
"Ah... 'tis this lady's fault. If this lady hadn't left remnants... if she'd pondered more carefully why she lost her inner energy at first..."
"Snap out of it! That's not important now! Just figure out how to escape!"
"Oppa! Left! The left looks weakest!"
Turning at Paeng Soso's urgent cry, the foes on the left did seem slightly less imposing. As "remnants" suggested, their levels weren't high—mostly first-rate, occasional peak experts mixed in. Numbers were short too, leaving gaps—the left being what Soso pointed out.
Even without inner energy, Hong Yeonhwa's skill remained, Paeng Soso's monstrous strength didn't vanish, and thanks to Muryeong Singong, my power was weakened but I could still manage sword qi. Worth a shot.
"Got it! Break through left!"
...In conclusion, the left was a trap.
The self-proclaimed New Murim Alliance Leader, a super peak expert leading the remnants, had hidden there, striking from behind.
"Gahk...!"
His sword pierced my heart. Breath caught, knees buckled against my will. Muryeong Singong still lent strength, but it was pointless now. No matter how full the inner energy or sturdy the body, you can't live without a heart.
The cold ground pressed my cheek. Through blurring vision, I saw Hong Yeonhwa and Paeng Soso collapsed before me.
"Ah... uh..."
How did it come to this? Everything had been perfect. Everything was going so well. Just moments ago, we'd been excitedly chatting about wedding plans, how many kids to have...
So why were we crawling on the ground? Wasn't eternal happiness all that remained?
Before anger or sorrow, I just couldn't comprehend. Why...?
Hong Yeonhwa would know. Like always, she'd give me the answer. Dragging with arms since legs wouldn't move, I crawled toward them. Slowly. But just before reaching Hong Yeonhwa's hand.
Kwak!
"Aaaagh...!"
Someone's foot crushed my hand to pulp. Sek— And my vision spun.
My body left behind alone.
"Heavenly Demon! The Heavenly Demon has returned! Kill her before she regains her power! No—seal the gate so she can't escape!"
"H-Huh...? What the fuck."