Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Monsters of the Dark Cave
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Descending the narrow, steep stairs pressed so close together was no small discomfort, and the oppressive atmosphere of the descent weighed heavily on the senses.
Especially for Dang Yak-ran, Heuk Do-san's large shadow made it hard to see the uneven steps, causing her to stumble several times in the gloom.
Of course, as a master who had cultivated high-level movement techniques, she never tumbled down carelessly, but the physical struggle only added to her frustration.
It was just that her current situation—being dragged along with her hands bound by some nameless fiend from the Ghost Shell Division's outpost—felt utterly humiliating and shameful to her pride.
After descending for what felt like an eternity, Dang Yak-ran finally broke the silence and asked, "What was that about earlier?"
"......?"
"The part about vowing never to enter a cave again while you're alive; it sounds like you have some particularly bad memories of caves, don't you?"
"You're awfully curious about other people's business for someone in your position."
"Being dragged like this is humiliating enough, so I figure prying a little into your identity on the way might make the situation feel slightly less unfair."
"You're refreshingly honest about your motives."
"You know I can't fool you anyway, so why bother with lies?"
"Aren't you afraid of me even a little bit?"
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Do I look like I can't or won't?"
"That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out right now."
She didn't yield an inch, standing her ground with a sharp tongue even while captive.
Though gripped by tension and an underlying fear, she never let it show outwardly, knowing that the moment she revealed her fear, she'd lose any chance to take control of the situation.
'Not bad at all.'
Come to think of it, she was nearing thirty now, and she had accumulated a subtle maturity that made the term "late bloomer" feel outdated and inappropriate.
"I was trapped in a cave for three long years."
"Does that mean you were in a state of deep, secluded meditation?"
"Something like that, though it wasn't exactly voluntary."
"So what did you master in there? Was it sorcery, necromancy, or maybe even seduction arts? Given that you took down even a high-ranking disciple of the prestigious Mount Hua Sect, it must have been some peerless divine technique, right?"
Dang Yak-ran referred to Seop Dae-gang not as a leader of their division, but as a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect to emphasize his lineage from the orthodox schools.
"Are you mocking my origins?"
"Is that a problem for you?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Mastering unorthodox or dark arts isn't exactly praiseworthy, and any arrogance you feel will be short-lived because those paths can never truly surpass the martial arts of the orthodox schools."
The martial arts known as the unorthodox paths offered the advantage of rapid strengthening at the cost of embracing a darker nature within the soul.
In contrast, the orthodox school's arts grew step by step, as slow as the passage of time itself, requiring immense patience.
But upon reaching the higher realms of ascension, one encountered a vast world incomparable to any shortcut provided by the dark paths.
And ultimately, one could even ascend to the immortal realm beyond human reach; that was the true nature of orthodox martial arts.
In essence, Dang Yak-ran was saying that while his current achievements might seem superior, the foundational framework of his arts paled in comparison to the potential of an orthodox master.
"Keep that in mind before you get too comfortable."
Heuk Do-san saw no need to argue the point with her.
Whether the Ten Myriad Great Heaven Scripture was demonic or not, or whether one path led higher than the other, meant nothing to him in his current state.
What mattered was this moment and the task at hand.
When her unexpected opponent so readily conceded the point, Dang Yak-ran was slightly flustered, as it disrupted her plan to probe his background through a heated argument.
"That's it? You have nothing to say?"
"That's it."
"Unexpected; I thought you'd argue fiercely for your path, as most practitioners of the dark arts take great pride in their strength."
"I don't care to converse with someone mixing impure motives into their questions; are you satisfied now?"
"Fine, I'll stop for now, but could you at least loosen these ropes? My wrists are chafing and it really hurts."
"Endure it for a while longer."
"There's no need to go this far; with the level of arts you've mastered, suppressing someone like me should be effortless anyway, right?"
"That's only if you don't use your specialized poisons, and even I have reason to fear the poisons and hidden weapons of the Tang Clan."
"I promise not to use any hidden needles."
"I don't trust the promises of women."
"Sounds like you've been burned by one before."
He'd been burned by women plenty of times in his life.
First by the betrayal of Mo Yong-ak, then right after by her own actions, and just recently by the complications with Seol Mae-ran.
'Women are nothing but trouble when things get complicated.'
If possible, he thought, one should never give their heart to a woman, but if one already had, the trouble was already doubled.
How far did these stairs actually go?
The current division couldn't have dug this place themselves; it must have been constructed by the cultists long ago, but he wondered why they would create something so bizarre and hidden.
Even back when he frequented the Heavenly Demon Palace in his past life, he'd never heard a single whisper of this place.
"How did your people discover this location?"
"We interrogated captured members of the cult until they broke."
"For what purpose did they talk?"
"We promised that if they revealed the hidden treasure's location, we'd give them lifetime wealth and a safe haven, and they all raised their hands to speak."
For most people, convictions were fragile things that, in the face of life and death, were worth less than a final sip of water.
But the mention of treasure caught his attention: "Did you actually find it?"
"If we had, the commanders wouldn't still be wandering around searching; we'd have emptied it out long ago."
"So now you simply use it as a hidden prison for the cultists."
"Something like that, yes."
"Using their own hidden cave to hold their own people; how amusingly cruel."
They'd been talking for a while, but the stairs continued deeper into the earth as the air grew thinner, and he realized that even breathing might become difficult soon.
'They dug this damn thing incredibly deep into the mountain.'
Treasure wasn't something that needed to be buried this absurdly deep, which made him wonder about its true purpose.
Then suddenly, the stairs ended, opening into a vast, cavernous space where even swinging the torch around revealed no visible end to the chamber.
It was a massive natural cavern.
Then a real stench of decay and filth assaulted them—a foul odor beyond description that stabbed at their noses.
Along with it came the sensation of gazes fixed on them from all directions in the dark!
Rage, despair, hatred, and killing intent surged toward them all at once, and paradoxically, the unseen emotions were felt most keenly by his senses.
Of course, this was a change in his perception after absorbing the aura of the Ten Myriad Great Heaven Scripture.
For Heuk Do-san, who had spent three years in a pitch-black snow mountain cave, the current darkness posed no significant issue for his vision.
Plus, he had the light of the torch.
He focused his mind and enhanced his inner sight, pushing back the shadows.
The torchlight pushed back the heavy darkness, gradually revealing the grim surroundings of the prison.
The cavern spanned a significant area, and along its edges, thick iron bars formed prison cells like small, dark niches in the rock.
Beyond those bars, monster-like humans glared at them with murderous and hollow expressions.
'Finally arrived at the heart of the cave.'
"Dang Yak-ran, look for more torches or fuel."
"......!"
Dang Yak-ran was slightly startled by his casual tone.
He had called her name as naturally as an old friend would.
"What are you doing standing there?"
"There's a large brazier in the center over there."
Heuk Do-san looked around and saw it.
Sure enough, a large brazier piled with wood stood in the middle of the floor, oil-soaked for easy lighting; touching the torch to it ignited a roaring blaze instantly.
The entire cavern lit up with an amber glow.
It was now bright enough to take in the surroundings without relying on his inner sight, and the monsters' eyes beyond the bars gleamed with even denser killing intent.
There were about twenty individual prisons, some holding one person and others holding three or four.
Many were empty, and he estimated the total number of prisoners was probably under fifty.
They couldn't have started with so few; no doubt, time and the harsh conditions had whittled them down one by one.
In this thin air and damp, lightless place, even the healthiest warriors wouldn't last long.
Those still enduring owed it to their profound martial arts and internal energy, and the fierce killing intent in their eyes proved they hadn't broken yet.
But their ragged appearances made it impossible to tell man from woman or old from young at a glance.
Heuk Do-san swept his gaze over the cells and spoke with a booming voice.
"I'm looking for someone specific. A man named Gong Cheon-ak, the seventh disciple of the Heavenly Demon; is he here?"
In that instant, a sticky, heavy killing intent, incomparable to anything before, flooded the cavern in response to the name.
Ordinary folk would feel as if they were being pierced by thousands of needles just standing in that atmosphere.
"We don't have much time before the guards notice something is wrong. Is he here or not?"
"Why are you looking for him? Who are you?"
A clear, familiar voice rang out from somewhere in the cells.
Heuk Do-san pinpointed the specific prison and approached it as one person sat calmly beyond the iron bars.
Her hair was wildly disheveled beyond description, her face was filthy from the lack of water, and her clothes were ragged and formless.
But despite the dirt, her eyes shone like brilliant stars in the firelight.
"Bing-seol... is that you?"
"You... how do you know my name?"
"That is disappointing; I figured at least you would be able to recognize me."
As if rummaging through her deepest memories, Bing-seol's eyes deepened as she studied his face, and then they suddenly widened in complete shock.
Staring intently as if in disbelief, silently asking if it was truly him, she finally let tears stream down her dirty cheeks.
"You're really alive... after all this time."
"Didn't you believe that I would survive?"
"I had a prophetic dream once, but it seemed so impossible given the circumstances; what on earth happened to you?"
"It is a long and complicated story to explain right now."
"For coming here like this to find us... thank you so much."
"What are you saying? Of course I had to come for you all."
He thought to himself that their friend Hyeon-gak would have scoffed if he heard this; first he'd sob at Bing-seol's wretched state, then he'd lose control and rampage through the cave.
'It was definitely a good thing I left him behind for this part.'
"But your face looks so different..."
"We will talk about the details of that later."
Meanwhile, the other cultists were dumbfounded watching the sudden intruder converse so intimately with Bing-seol.
His disheveled hair and shabby clothes evoked a sense of kinship; they began to believe he must be a master from their own Divine Cult.
And the fact that he'd brought their enemy Dang Yak-ran bound and dragged behind him spoke volumes.
In that moment, the same hopeful thought flashed through all of their minds at once.
'A master of our Cult has come to rescue us from this hell.'
The cavern, previously thick with killing intent and the air of death, began to stir with a hot, desperate fervor.
Groans like sighs of relief escaped from the cells, and the more impatient prisoners shoved their faces between the bars to see his face closer.
Dang Yak-ran felt extremely uncomfortable with the turn of events.
Bing-seol had once guarded her back in battle, if only for a brief time, but now they met again as enemies with bars between them, making it awkward and disconcerting.
Bing-seol belatedly glanced at Dang Yak-ran standing far behind Heuk Do-san, and seeing her bound so tight, a flicker of pity welled up.
Heuk Do-san and Dang Yak-ran had once cared for each other enough to stake their lives on it—how had it come to this tragic state?
She sent him a silent message through a concentrated sound transmission.
[She still doesn't know who you really are, does she?]
[That's right.]
[You are doing this to spare her the distress of the truth...]
[Right.]
[She might not ever forgive you when she finally finds out what you've done; if I were in her place, I never would.]
[Still, this is the only way for now to keep her safe.]
Ending the secret conversation, Heuk Do-san asked his primary question again.
"Where is Gong Cheon-ak?"
Instead of a verbal answer, Bing-seol glanced toward the opposite prison cell, and Heuk Do-san slowly turned his body.
Naturally, the other side had a barred prison as well, but the center had seemed empty at first glance, so he'd thought it was vacant.
It was not vacant.
Beyond the dim space at the very end of the prison against the cold stone wall, one person was hanging.
His limbs were bound wide in thick iron chains, dangling in the shape of a cross against the rock.
Through his worn and tattered clothes, a gaunt, skeletal body was visible, and disheveled hair draped down from a lolling head.
He looked wretched and emaciated, yet even in this state, his frame remained imposingly grand, and Heuk Do-san recognized him at once.
'Gong Cheon-ak... I've finally found you!'