Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 30
>Chapter Title: Master of the Corpse Sea (2)
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The Classic of Mountains and Seas states:
In heaven and earth, there exist countless unseen spirits and demons invisible to the human eye.
Among them are those that occupy realms so transcendent even humans and other spirits alike can never hope to approach.
Such beings are the spirit beasts that have lived for eons.
‘Spirit beast?’
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the white-haired middle-aged man.
And rightly so, for a spirit beast—excluding the divine creatures from myths—was a legendary existence at the pinnacle of the spirit hierarchy.
But what was this form?
At a glance, it looked no different from a human, not a spirit beast.
-…Mortal, this is no foe you can fight.
Qingling whispered in a tense voice.
Unlike her usual self, her tone was rigid with fear.
She, who had always been arrogant and domineering, was trembling before this entity.
‘…It hadn’t absorbed all the power after all.’
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed.
He had assumed it weakened after he absorbed all the ominous energy leaking from the wooden box’s crack.
Yet it radiated demonic energy of such magnitude.
At that moment, the white-haired middle-aged man arrogantly brushed back his hair and spoke.
-Are you trembling, human?
“Who knows.”
He wasn’t.
Mok Kyung-un had never placed much weight on death, nor feared it.
Still, he couldn’t help the tension from their overwhelming difference in power.
“For something that was sealed, you’re brimming with strength.”
-Brimming with strength? Hah.
The white-haired middle-aged man scoffed.
He clenched and unclenched his fist, then said:
-Sealed for thousands of years in this scroll, weakened to my utmost limits—did you insignificant worms really think you could touch me?
‘Worm?’
Mok Kyung-un’s brow furrowed slightly.
It wasn’t offense so much as grasping the reality: to this being, he was no more than a bug.
‘To him, I’m just a worm.’
Hard to deny.
The demonic energy it exuded was beyond measure.
Was there a sky above the sky?
If this was its weakened state, its full power would be unimaginable.
No, it might border on catastrophe.
It was then.
-Swish!
The white-haired middle-aged man extended his hand.
In that instant,
-Pak!
Two wooden puppets tore through Mok Kyung-un’s chest clothing and shot out.
‘Huh?’
Mok Kyung-un hurriedly reached out, unleashing his clothing technique.
But he stood no chance against the overwhelming pull of its demonic energy.
Even with the technique deployed, the two puppets flew unhindered straight into the white-haired middle-aged man’s grasp.
-M-Master!
-Ugh.
Inside were the Green Spirit Gu-soha and Qingling.
Even sealed within the puppets, the sheer intensity of the demonic energy had the Green Spirit visibly terrified.
Mok Kyung-un calmly said:
“You’re making this difficult. Could you return them?”
-Hmm. You’re an unusual human. Carrying around trash like these lesser spirits while still alive.
-…
-…
Normally, this would provoke an outburst, but Qingling stayed silent.
Likely wary of provoking it and causing disaster.
Qingling found the situation utterly dire.
‘This is the worst.’
Unlike vengeful spirits like her, whose essence was consumed upon death, spirits and demons like her rapidly weakened when their demonic energy was depleted.
She had assumed long-term sealing would leave it greatly diminished.
Who could have imagined a spirit beast sealed in such a wooden box?
‘What now?’
A spirit beast advanced enough to assume human form was akin to an enlightened immortal.
Even weakened, it far surpassed what she could handle.
‘Is this the end…?’
Despair washed over her.
Could misfortune strike like this?
She had finally seized a chance to resolve her grudge, only to encounter a calamity here.
‘Mok Kyung-un…’
Normally, she’d rely on his cunning mind.
But the matchup was too poor.
It wasn’t human, and with its ancient lifespan, mere words wouldn’t suffice.
Perhaps even he felt fear for the first time.
Before an absolute being.
It was then.
-Perfect timing. I was hungry, and you brought me a meal. My thanks.
“Huh?”
-Ah.
With those words, the white-haired middle-aged man shoved the wooden puppets containing Qingling and Gu-soha into his mouth.
That very instant.
-Krash!
As the puppets entered his mouth, they shattered. Qingling burst out at tremendous speed, grabbing Gu-soha’s puppet and flying forward.
However,
-Pak!
-A mere lesser spirit, yet your spirit power is decent.
The white-haired middle-aged man seized Qingling’s leg and slammed her to the ground.
Though immune to physical pain, for some reason, being smashed down elicited a pained groan from her.
-Ugh!
-I am the Master of the Corpse Sea, born from the gathering of lingering regrets. Offer your spirit power to your master’s sake. Hoo.
-Shwaaaaa!
No sooner had he spoken than red vapors rose from Qingling’s prone form on the ground, sucked straight into the white-haired middle-aged man’s mouth.
She screamed in agony.
-Aaaaaah!
It was then.
-Pak!
Mok Kyung-un launched himself, stabbing his sword finger—charged with sharp energy—toward the man’s brow.
He had aimed for the moment of carelessness, but
-Pak!
The white-haired middle-aged man casually caught Mok Kyung-un’s right wrist.
Then, with a light upward flick,
-Boom!
Mok Kyung-un’s body smashed half a zhang into the cave ceiling before crashing back down.
-Thud!
“Cough! Cough!”
Blood sprayed from Mok Kyung-un’s mouth as he hit the ground.
He had instinctively shielded himself with qi, but the blow still cracked bones and inflicted internal injuries.
-Mortal!
“Cough… cough… This is… cough… a real mess.”
Mok Kyung-un shook his head in disbelief.
Looking down at him, intrigue flickered in the white-haired middle-aged man’s eyes.
-An unusual human indeed.
He was puzzled by the face bearing pain yet tinged with amusement.
A normal human would be paralyzed by terror, but this one showed no such fear.
The white-haired middle-aged man nodded, lifting him up.
-Thump thump!
Mok Kyung-un’s prone body floated into the air.
“Huh?”
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes clearly saw it.
Immense demonic energy from the white-haired middle-aged man enveloped and lifted him.
-Human, I want to see fear spread across your face.
The white-haired middle-aged man smirked wickedly, reaching for Mok Kyung-un’s shoulder.
-Clank!
It was then.
Iron chains forged from spirit power erupted from the ground, instantly binding the white-haired middle-aged man’s limbs and torso.
The chains slithered like serpents, wrapping around his neck.
‘Gu-soha?’
It was the Green Spirit Gu-soha’s power.
Gu-soha cried out.
-Release my master! Or else…
-Shatter!
Before she finished,
The chains around the white-haired middle-aged man’s body exploded into ash-like fragments.
-!?
The spirit-forged chains shattered all too easily.
Gu-soha’s eyes shook wildly.
-A trifling lesser spirit with petty tricks. But you touched this one’s sacred form—you’ll pay the price.
-Swish! Snap!
The white-haired middle-aged man flicked his fingers at Gu-soha.
In that instant,
-Pop!
Gu-soha’s arms burst apart and vanished.
Her spirit-formed arms disintegrated under the demonic energy, wrenching a scream from her.
-Aaaaaaaaah!
She writhed in unimaginable agony.
‘This…’
Qingling, depleted of energy and collapsed on the ground, was awestruck.
Even for a spirit beast, this power—fresh from release—seemed unrealistically overwhelming.
As it said, their struggles might amount to no more than a bug’s wing-flap.
‘…Even if I use that, is there hope?’
But they’d all die at this rate.
Better to try everything possible…
It was then.
“What in the world?”
Everyone’s gazes turned toward the voice.
It came from outside this small chamber.
Beyond the red line stood Guard Post Leader Yang Mu-won, face stunned.
He couldn’t believe the bizarre scene inside the cave.
‘Who’s that white-haired middle-aged man?’
He had rushed here startled by the loud noises.
The source was unmistakably there.
Despite repeated warnings not to enter, an accident had happened—he had sprinted over, only to find… what?
‘Who the hell is that guy?’
Mok Kyung-un floated midair with clear internal injuries: levitation technique.
Only Heaven-Earth Society experts of King Wu rank or higher could perform such advanced arts.
Yang Mu-won was at a loss.
How had such a peerless master infiltrated and wreaked this havoc?
It was then.
-Yes. You look tasty too.
-Swish!
The white-haired middle-aged man nodded toward Guard Post Leader Yang Mu-won.
Startled, Yang Mu-won gathered his qi and assumed a defensive stance.
Yet nothing happened.
‘What?’
As he wondered, the white-haired middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, glancing at the red line on the ground and muttering:
-Something that three-eyed bastard set up?
With that, he left Mok Kyung-un suspended in midair and strode toward the red line.
“S-Stop!”
Seeing it approach, Guard Post Leader Yang Mu-won shouted.
Naturally, the white-haired middle-aged man didn’t halt.
He continued forward, attempting to cross the red line on the ground.
In that instant,
-Boom!
A tremendous pressure warped space, hurling the white-haired middle-aged man’s body backward. He crashed through a bookshelf inside.
-Crash!
Mok Kyung-un’s suspended body then dropped to the ground.
-Thud!
‘What?’
For reasons unknown, the white-haired middle-aged man—whom Qingling called a spirit beast—couldn’t cross the red line and was repelled.
In that case,
“Let’s go!”
Now was their chance.
At her shout, Qingling and the armless Gu-soha shot outward.
As spirits, their speed surpassed Mok Kyung-un’s.
Worried about the red line, but
-Paf!
The two spirits crossed effortlessly.
Just as Mok Kyung-un unleashed his lightness skill to follow,
-Bam!
His body halted right before it.
-Mortal!
Qingling cried out in dismay from outside.
‘Ugh.’
Mok Kyung-un painfully turned his head.
From the shattered bookshelf rubble, the white-haired middle-aged man rose, hand extended.
-Where do you think you’re going?
“Hah… hah… You’re really putting me in a bind.”
-This one is the bind. To think an omen of doom—not even an immortal—wields such power.
The white-haired middle-aged man clicked his tongue at the red line.
Freed from the seal, he was irked at being repelled.
-Mortal!
Then, from beyond the line, Qingling hesitated before reaching in.
Mok Kyung-un hurriedly shook his head.
In this situation, entering would trap her too.
As he watched, the white-haired middle-aged man smacked his lips regretfully.
-Good situational awareness. A moment later, and I’d have devoured that lesser spirit.
Qingling flinched, halting her reach.
Mok Kyung-un’s judgment was spot-on.
The instant she reached, it would have pulled her in.
But abandoning him wasn’t an option.
If he died, the spirit pact would erase them too.
‘Damn it!’
The worst scenario.
Meanwhile, Mok Kyung-un glanced at the red line on the ground.
Unseen from outside, it encircled the entire small chamber.
As if to prevent escape.
He looked at the white-haired middle-aged man and spoke.
“By any chance, is that proposal from earlier still on the table?”
[Chapter 30: Master of the Corpse Sea (2)] End