Chapter 56: Forgotten Soul Valley
I really thought I was going to die this time.
A true master who had even mastered assassination techniques couldn't react at all when a blade was drawn and pressed to her throat.
Mo Yong Su had been watching from afar as he approached, but up close, when the sword came out, there was zero reaction. I was just pretending to stay calm thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
[What the hell is going on, you monster?]
'The gamble paid off.'
I let out a sigh and perched on the edge of the desk.
Sa Wol's body trembled violently before she settled into a cross-legged position. Anyone looking would think she had attained enlightenment.
[Is Super Peak a realm you can reach just from a few words?]
'No way.'
If it were that easy, every dog and cow would be a Super Peak expert. Well, as the story progresses further, even dogs and cows do become Super Peak, but at this stage, it was the ultimate realm achievable only by a tiny handful of transcendents.
That spoke volumes about Sa Wol's talent. The creator of this world had set it that way from the start.
Of course, I couldn't just tell Pa Cheon, "Yeah, you're all characters from a novel with preset stats."
'Just roll with it.'
[There's a limit to rolling with things, monster.]
Pa Cheon spoke in a sharp tone.
[I've never heard of Master having a secret chamber like this. How did you know about it?]
'I'll tell you someday. Not today. You wanna miss this precious moment?'
I nodded toward Sa Wol.
Sa Wol was now floating in the air while still cross-legged.
The energy of the Gwangmyeongseongga—clear like the righteous sects and turbid like the demonic—began enveloping her body, defying common knowledge. Unlike the ferocious heat from before that seemed ready to incinerate everything, a pleasant warmth emanated from her now, like a gentle embrace.
[If she's truly a descendant of Gwangmyeongseongga, it must be the Holy Fire Divine Art.]
A pretty straightforward name.
[A woman cultivating an extreme yang fiery art... Is that even possible?]
In the Murim Returner world, women were inherently set with "yin nature." Women practicing yang fiery arts or men yin arts incurred penalties.
And yet, Super Peak? It defied all logic.
That said, Pa Cheon had stopped calling Sa Wol a "wench" and now referred to her as a "woman."
Whether because she was a master or a heir of Gwangmyeongseongga, Pa Cheon's attitude toward her had softened a bit.
Makes sense—being from the Divine Cult, he naturally revered the strong.
While I was lost in thought for a moment, the energy enveloping Sa Wol rose above her head and began forming a circular shape. One, two, three. Three flower buds bloomed above her.
Hummmm—
Even I, who knew little about martial arts, could feel an auspicious aura condensing in those buds.
[Is that the flow of energy visible to Super Peak experts...?]
I had no clue, but Pa Cheon seemed to sense something.
Soon, the buds fully blossomed.
They weren't ordinary flowers. They were radiant blooms made of pure energy. Petals fell one by one until only the stems remained.
The flowers embodying a warrior's life dissolved into particles of light and were reabsorbed into Sa Wol's body.
No bone transformation. That process rebuilt the body to its prime, unnecessary for the young—almost childlike—Sa Wol.
But—
Ptooey!
A tiny larva the size of a pinky finger shot out of Sa Wol's mouth. It wriggled briefly before flipping over and going still.
[...Gu Poison!]
The remote bomb attached to her heart, ready to detonate at any moment, had been defused.
[Dangerous! Without the Gu Poison, we can't control Sa Wol anymore!]
'She can't run anyway.'
[You fool! That body is mine!]
Pa Cheon rattled furiously, trying to throw a fit. I clenched my fist to hold it back.
Finally, Sa Wol opened her closed eyes.
No flash of brilliant light. Super Peak meant perfect control over energy flow—no waste, not even a speck.
But Sa Wol gazed at me with an inscrutable expression.
[Run aw—]
"Thank you."
[?!]
Sa Wol dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
"Thanks to you, my lord, I have reached a new realm."
Her words carried a newfound reverence.
Unlike her previous gaze, mixed with suspicion, doubt, and confusion.
"Now that I've attained this realm, I see. You, my lord... are not an ordinary Super Peak."
Did she see through my state?
"I can see it. The flow of energy everywhere, the principles of all creation. Yet from you... I sense nothing. Not even the simsang that every Super Peak possesses."
"......"
"Not all Super Peaks are equal. That's why you're on a level far above."
No. I just suck at martial arts.
Simsang? Never had one.
But since she was mistaking it for something advantageous to me, I put on a stern face.
"At your level, you could smash any trap Sado Gwang set alone. Yet you led me here."
Sa Wol's eyes gleamed as she spoke.
"To give me this chance."
"......"
Of course not.
It was a gamble—and my last resort.
Suppose Sa Wol hits Super Peak and takes out Sado Gwang instead.
What happens after her revenge?
'She'll head into the martial world, obviously.'
To find her brother, she'd leave immediately. I'd lose my most reliable anti-personnel interceptor weapon.
'But I can't die right now.'
No choice. If Sado Gwang bit the dust in the process, at least I'd have a shot at survival.
As I stayed silent, Sa Wol took it as affirmation and continued.
"I won't pursue indiscriminate revenge as you wish. It would be no different from his crimes. But as a Divine Cult member, I will exact righteous vengeance. Because you gave me this chance."
"Have you overcome the demon lurking in your heart?"
Sa Wol rose.
Instead of answering, she said something else.
"I'll wait for you in Forgotten Soul Valley."
With that, she vanished cleanly.
[Monster.]
"Yeah."
[What happens to Master?]
"To stop a Super Peak? Hmm. Probably need about fifty Peak experts ready to die charging in."
The Sado family had just over a hundred Peak experts total. While other demonic great families usually had two or three Super Peaks, the Sados made up for it with sheer numbers.
But they weren't loyal retainers who'd fight to the death. Their alliances were contractual, so they'd prioritize survival.
Realistically, only about forty "loyal" Peak experts were usable.
That wouldn't be enough against a determined Sa Wol. Of course, Sado Gwang wouldn't just watch—he'd have traps set. Sa Wol could still fall if careless.
'But... I don't get that vibe at all.'
A Super Peak assassin master like Sa Wol.
The fools gathered in Forgotten Soul Valley might close their eyes without even knowing what hit them.
If it turned into a living hell, fine—but I couldn't picture Sa Wol losing.
Hummm—
With her gone, Pa Cheon—free from prying eyes—floated around, poking into the bookshelves.
[All these books in this secret library record Master's deeds?]
"Yep. His diary."
[Easily a few hundred volumes...]
"The product of his obsession to heal his body. Records about you are here too. Wanna see? Go ahead if you want."
[No.]
Pa Cheon said.
[No need. I'm not as deeply trained as Sa Wol; I can't let go of my mind or whatever. Hell, do I even have a mind?]
"What's with the sudden philosophy?"
[Look at these books.]
A gloom crept into Pa Cheon's tone.
[Master toyed with all these people at will. What makes me different?]
"......"
[I'm a puppet thoroughly crafted by Master. Do puppets have minds?]
I waved my hand. Pa Cheon resisted a little, but the soul contract on the treasure artifact forced it into my grasp.
I lifted Pa Cheon up. No eyes, but I spoke as if meeting its gaze.
"You have a mind."
[......]
"A mindless thing wouldn't whine about being bored or grumble."
[What if that's programmed too?]
"At first, you didn't treat me like a person at all. Now you at least call me 'monster' and acknowledge me. Puppets don't change."
[......]
"If not, believe in the Soul Swap Great Law. Our souls swapped, so I exist for real. Therefore, so do you."
[Sigh—]
Pa Cheon let out a long sigh.
[Let's go to Forgotten Soul Valley.]
"Go there?"
[I have questions for Master.]
"Sure. Sa Wol said she'd wait, so as long as we're not too late."
I slipped out of the family grounds and galloped off.
Hoping we wouldn't be late.
Forgotten Soul Valley was said to be a deep gorge shrouded in gloomy mist year-round, so dark even midday felt eerie.
I imagined it while riding: fog so thick you couldn't see ahead, corpses strewn gruesomely without knowing how they died. A nightmarish scene reeking not of water but blood, crimson liquid flowing down the valley.
But when I arrived at Forgotten Soul Valley, that wasn't what I saw.
"......Bright?"
The fog had cleared. It was midnight, yet the area felt like broad daylight.
At the center stood Sa Wol.
She stood motionless, daggers resting on her open palms.
Hummm—
Heat and energy poured from her daggers like haze. That must have burned away the mist.
A sense of reverence, almost sanctity, brushed my skin.
Yeah, if that was all, I could've shrugged it off.
Super Peak could bend the world's laws at will—like the ice witch creating a frozen realm in some nameless ruin.
But the scene before me defied all reason.
"Have mercy on our sins, have mercy on our sins, have mercy on our sins......"
"We shall live eternally in atonement, eternally in atonement, eternally in atonement, eternally in atonement."
"I took thirty-six lives and stole a hundred possessions, committed seventy-one thefts and ninety-two—"
Hundreds knelt, confessing their sins in endless chants and pleas.