Chapter 627: Daoist Yin-Yang Manual[R-18] (172)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 627: Daoist Yin-Yang Manual[R-18] (172)
I spoke to the chained Do-gyeong.
“Why were you after Ha-myo?”
“Hmph… As if I'd tell you that!”
“If you don't talk, I can tear your soul to shreds and burn it in a furnace.”
Do-gyeong's eyes wavered. But he whipped his head away and gritted his teeth.
“I'd rather die! The moment I speak, his curse will consume me!”
The mention of ‘him’ instantly brought Ak-cheon to mind.
“‘Him’? What's your relationship with Ak-cheon?”
“Argh… I can't say…!”
He writhed in agony. Just then, golden patterns began to bloom across his body.
“That's…!”
Just then, Ha-myo stepped forward. She took out a talisman, dabbed her fingertip in blood, and hurriedly wrote on it.
“This is a forbidden art… a technique that suppresses and controls the memories of the soul. The Grandmaster was clearly being controlled by Ak-cheon.”
As she spoke, she placed the completed talisman on Do-gyeong's forehead.
Instantly, the cloudiness in his eyes seemed to clear slightly.
“Ugh… Where am I…?”
“Grandmaster, my name is Ha-myo, a descendant of the Mosan Sect. Are you coming to your senses?”
Do-gyeong's hazy eyes trembled as he stared at Ha-myo.
“…Mosan… Sect? Ah… finally… the technique… cough…”
He gasped for breath, planting a hand on the floor. The golden patterns were still digging into his body, the marks occasionally twisting his flesh.
“Are you all right?!”
“…There's no time. If you have questions, ask them quickly…”
“Grandmaster, how did you fall under Ak-cheon's spell?”
Do-gyeong panted, his lips trembling.
“That bastard Ak-cheon… on the day I died, he placed a geas and a spell on my soul. Rather than destroy the Mosan Sect head-on, he intended to use me as a tool to gnaw away at its roots. I tried to resist… but his technique was stronger than I anticipated.”
He continued, his face filled with guilt.
“And so, for many long years, I was forced to kill the children of Mosan with my own hands, following his insane orders. Fortunately, your master, Mo-hu, realized my condition and sealed me away… but as a side effect of that seal, my soul slowly began to go mad.”
“But why did you target my body instead of killing me…?”
“I am sorry… As the madness from the side effects grew, I began to covet the bodies of the living.”
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked a question.
“If Ak-cheon was controlling you, what else did you do besides killing Mosan disciples?”
Do-gyeong's face twisted. He lowered his head and spoke in a small voice.
“…I gave him the techniques. He couldn't take the manuals… so I memorized them and recited them to him…”
“My god… Then…”
“I am sorry…”
Do-gyeong couldn't continue, breathing laboriously.
“What he took… was the Life-Death Reincarnation Great Method… the Life-Death Exchange Healing Art… and the Soul Transfer Art… The Soul Transfer Art is a technique for moving a soul into another body…”
“Soul Transfer Art… Does that mean Ak-cheon can keep living by switching bodies, or by inserting his consciousness into someone else?”
Do-gyeong nodded and closed his eyes. I looked down at him coldly and said,
“So even if we crush the Celestial Sphere, we won't be able to find Ak-cheon if he just hops between souls and runs away.”
“However… it's not that there's no way. Child, that white flower in your hair is a magical artifact he doesn't know about.”
“This? I thought it wasn't an ordinary flower since it hasn't withered for so long, but…”
“When someone whose soul and body do not match is near that flower, it will turn blue.”
Hearing this, Ha-myo's hand unconsciously reached up to the white flower in her hair.
“That's a relief. At least there's a way.”
“Ah… it's almost time… Child… Please, as the last remaining descendant of Mosan—”
He couldn't finish his sentence. His body scattered like smoke, leaving behind only a look of profound apology before vanishing completely.
“Alright, let's head inside.”
*
The new base of the Celestial Sphere, hidden in the lands of the Southern Barbarians as they plotted for the future. But now, it felt desolate and empty.
In a dim room within, a man sat alone. A candle flickered faintly, and in its light, his eyes were as sunken as a deep swamp. The man muttered in a low voice.
“The technique on Mosan… has been broken.”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps approached down the quiet corridor. Soon after, another man in a black robe walked in nonchalantly. His gait was as leisurely as if he were out for a stroll.
“Cult Leader, what is your plan now? All the plans you so carefully built have turned to dust, haven't they?”
Even at those words, the Cult Leader's expression remained unchanged. His fingers merely tapped slowly on the table.
“…Turned to dust, you say.”
Ak-cheon said with a bitter smile.
“Plans are always bound to falter. And this was, to some extent, expected.”
The man in the black robe narrowed his eyes.
“Surely, you don't mean to say you foresaw even this situation?”
“Foresaw… If I could see the future, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation. I simply mean that I had a bad feeling ever since the initial plan went awry.”
Ak-cheon looked down at Son Baek-cheon.
“So, how did the task I sent you on go?”
“Unfortunately, I was unable to find the descendant of the White Lotus Cult.”
“It can't be helped. This body is beginning to break down anyway, so we have no choice but to start anew.”
“You intend to transfer your soul?”
“That Jin Seo-yun seems to know too much about the Celestial Sphere, so we'll have to resume our activities with faces and histories he won't recognize. I also heard he has disappeared from the Imperial Palace. I plan to use that to our advantage.”
“Hah… Starting over from scratch… What a waste of time.”
“Son Baek-cheon, you prepare as well.”
“What? Me too? I have to change bodies?”
“I heard you were also exposed to Jin Seo-yun and the Sword Empress. It's too dangerous to insist on keeping that face.”
“I'd grown quite fond of this body.”
He felt a pang of regret for the long time he had spent acting under the name Son Baek-cheon, known as the ‘Guardian of White Lotus’.
‘A shame I couldn't kill Jin Seo-yun that day.’
“Follow me.”
At Ak-cheon's command, Son Baek-cheon followed without a word. The two passed through the corridor and descended deep underground.
Deep underground, a vast, altar-like space was revealed. A complex formation was carved into the floor, and at its center lay two bodies, side by side. Both were female. They were clearly vessels.
Son Baek-cheon frowned and muttered under his breath.
“Wait, why female bodies this time?”
Ak-cheon looked down at the altar and answered calmly.
“These were the only vessels with usable talent. And rather than the Emperor, who is beyond our reach, I intend to use the Prince.”
“Don't tell me… you plan to seduce the Prince in a woman's body. I certainly hope that's not the plan?”
Ak-cheon didn't answer, merely gesturing for Son Baek-cheon to hurry.
Son Baek-cheon scowled, clearly displeased.
“Hah. I'm a bit reluctant to enter a woman's body.”
“A body is merely a vessel. If you get hung up on the distinction between male and female, your soul will never be able to advance.”
“Dammit…”
“Hurry up and get ready.”
“Yes, yes~.”
In the end, Son Baek-cheon stripped off all his clothes. The cold, damp air brushed against his bare skin. He lay down next to the vessel prepared on the formation-covered floor. On the altar, red patterns were already beginning to glow, pulsing as if alive.
Ak-cheon moved to the center of the altar. Qi bloomed from his fingertips, extending into the air like formless chains.
The formation's patterns flashed red, and dark crimson beams of light shot down onto the two bodies.
*
I moved on with Ha-myo, who was now completely mine. She had been bound to Mosan Mountain by the spirits, but now she was free. Standing beside me, she caught her breath, her face visibly lighter.
I unfolded the treasure map. On the paper, the secret notes left by Chu Yeon were clearly written, and a red line pointed in the opposite direction from Mosan Mountain, to a place deep beyond the mountain range.
“Let's go.”
We set off immediately. We circled behind Mosan Mountain, crossed a rugged valley, and followed the path drawn on the treasure map.
“Myo-a, have you ever been this way before?”
At my question, Ha-myo glanced around for a moment before nodding.
“Yes. Not often, but… I came by occasionally to check if the formations were still intact. I had no idea a secret vault was hidden here, though.”
Just then, Bi-yeon closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the wind.
“Found it. The winds are whispering. They say if we go down this cliff… there's a hidden entrance behind a large rock.”
I lowered my gaze. From an inconspicuous spot at the bottom of the cliff, covered by dense bushes, a faint aura was leaking out.
“Alright, I'm going down.”
I scaled down the cliff first. Seo Ryeo-hwa, Ha-myo, and Bi-yeon followed in an instant.
As we got closer, I saw a boulder that looked like it had been forced into a crevice. It appeared ordinary, but when I placed a hand on it, I could feel a strange energy.
“There's a formation.”
Ha-myo hurried forward.
“This is a sealing formation. If you try to break it by force, whatever is inside will collapse with it.”
“Can you undo it?”
“Yes. But… I'll need a little time.”
Ha-myo knelt and took out her talismans. Her fingertips swept quickly over the rock, placing the talismans, and golden patterns spread across the entire boulder like a spiderweb.
Bi-yeon's eyes flew open as she exclaimed.
“It's open!”
The massive rock groaned and shifted, slowly opening a gap to reveal a dark path.
“Let's go in.”
As we stepped inside, luminous pearls embedded in the walls cast a soft glow, pushing back the darkness. It was like an artificially constructed underground palace.
“Gulp… Luminous pearls embedded right from the entrance… If we just took a few of these and sold them, we could live in luxury for the rest of our lives.”
Seo Ryeo-hwa's eyes went wide in amazement, and Bi-yeon clung to me, her own eyes sparkling.
“Honey~ Are we gonna take some?”
“No. This is bait. Besides, it's not like we're short on money.”
“That's true, but… it'd be nice to just grab a few~”
Bi-yeon pouted.
“No. If we touch them, we'll leave a trace. We can grab whatever we need after the job is done.”
“Tch, no fun.”
We went deeper. Soon, a massive metal door appeared, filling our vision. The door, carved with a master's skill, was no ordinary metal.
In the very center of the door was a groove, perfectly sized for a bamboo slip. Next to it stood a small altar.
“From here, we'll need the bamboo slip and Oh Ha-rang.”
I scanned the area, checking for any signs that the entrance had been opened before. There was no indication that anyone had been here.
Curious, I knocked on the iron door with my fist.
-Thud.
With the impact, my qi seeped into the door and spread throughout it.
‘I think I could break it…’
But I had a feeling that if I tried to force my way through a door this elaborately made, the entire structure inside would collapse.
“Now that we've checked, let's head to the city.”
“Hehe… Leaving Mosan Mountain is making me incredibly nervous.”
Ha-myo clasped her hands together, looking up at me with eyes full of anticipation. She was like a child seeing the new world for the first time.
I chuckled and patted her head.
“No need to be nervous. I'm right here with you, and so are your sisters.”
“Okay!”
We then made our way to the city of Nanjing.