Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 6
>Chapter Title: Evil Dwells (3)
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[The fifth Azure Spirit..... Extremely dangerous. Exorcism requires at least ten sorcerers. A resentful soul that has existed for over a hundred years. It wields enormous influence within a fixed radius and can even induce auditory hallucinations and illusions to inflict suffering.]
So it was written in the Yin-Yang School's Foundational Text from the Compendium of the Philosophers.
And it was described in the latter half.
A resentful soul that has existed for over a hundred years sheds its human elements from that point and enters the realm of true monstrosities.
A true monstrosity is the supernatural itself—goblins,魅s,魍s, and魎s.
'Hah......'
Seal.
It served exactly to imprison something.
The worn prayer beads.
The bizarre spectacle that unfolded the instant they were compressed and shattered.
-Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!
Blood poured down like waterfalls from the ceiling and along the walls of the entire cavern, flooding everywhere.
The flowing blood quickly filled the floor, turning it into a squelching mire.
Mok Kyung-un's lips curled up to his ears.
Anticipation swelled.
'Monstrosity.......'
This was undoubtedly a monstrosity.
One incomparable even to the Demon Monk.
He had hoped for a mere Green Spirit, but something beyond that had appeared unexpectedly.
For any sorcerer, this would be a moment of dismay.
-Thump! Thump!
'Heartbeat.'
Amid the cavern filling with blood, the sound of a heartbeat echoed.
Then, something strange occurred.
From the center of the blood cascading everywhere, the heartbeat emanated, and soon a heart formed around it.
-Shrrrr!
Blood gathered toward the heart.
The blood formed one organ, then two, three.
Bones enveloped the organs in an instant, followed by muscles attaching around the bones.
-Tap, tap!
Snow-white skin then sprouted over the muscles.
The entire process was awe-inspiring, as if witnessing the birth of "something."
-Splashhhh!
The blood surged upward in a reverse waterfall, enveloping the being as skin formed on it.
And the moment the cascade of blood was sucked back into the ceiling,
-Crack
The being revealed itself.
It wore a crown-like headdress, yet its long, unkempt hair draped messily over a strikingly pale, beautiful face.
Draped in red undergarments and a black overcoat, the being held a long pipe in its mouth.
Its appearance was even more natural than the Demon Monk's.
-Huu.
The being inhaled deeply on the pipe through red lips, then exhaled smoke.
Judging by looks alone, it seemed like late teens, but the attire made it impossible to tell if it was male or female.
Of course, Mok Kyung-un didn't care about such things.
"You've made quite the grand entrance. May I ask who you—"
He didn't even finish speaking.
Before Mok Kyung-un could continue, a powerful pull dragged him forcibly toward the being.
-Splashhhh!
The surging blood had already risen to his thighs.
The being, pipe in mouth and exhaling smoke, thrust its face toward Mok Kyung-un.
It scanned him from head to toe.
"What are you doing?"
-........
After staring long and hard, the being's lips twisted into a broad grin.
It wiped away the smile, turned serious, and flicked its hand.
At that moment,
-Whirrr! Bang!
Mok Kyung-un's body lifted into the air and slammed hard against the cavern ceiling.
He then plummeted into the blood-filled cavern.
-Splash!
Soaked head to toe in blood, Mok Kyung-un staggered to his feet.
"Puha."
Mok Kyung-un swept back his blood-matted hair.
Watching this, the being spoke.
-Foolish mortal. Empty your soul and offer your corporeal essence to this sovereign.
Its voice rang clear.
Unlike the Demon Monk's mumbling, the sound resonated distinctly.
No, it echoed from everywhere.
Mok Kyung-un scratched his head and said,
"The Demon Monk said the same thing. Do all resentful souls covet other people's bodies? Can't you do anything without someone else's?"
-Tsk, tsk.
The being clicked its tongue in scorn.
When it lightly tapped its pipe into the blood,
-Splashhhh!
Blood surged in multiple streams, stretching like whips to bind Mok Kyung-un's arms and legs.
-Squeeze!
He strained against it, but the binding force was far stronger.
Mok Kyung-un smacked his lips in annoyance.
He could now see why the Yin-Yang Foundational Text called it extremely dangerous, requiring ten or more sorcerers.
'What to do.'
He had read the Yin-Yang Foundational Text, but he didn't yet grasp sealing arts well.
At that moment, the being drew its pipe horizontally toward Mok Kyung-un.
Then,
-Slash!
A burning pain seared his chest, and his clothes stained red in a straight line.
It felt like being cut, and the pain was intense.
Yet Mok Kyung-un's expression barely changed.
Perhaps expecting a scream of agony, one of the being's eyebrows arched.
-You have strong endurance.
"I'm used to it."
-Used to it? Then can you endure this?
With those words, the being raised its pipe upward.
No sooner had it done so,
-Splashhhhh!
The blood that had risen to mid-cavern surged in reverse, shooting upward.
In an instant, it filled the entire cavern.
In the blood-filled cavern, Mok Kyung-un's body floated buoyantly.
'Hold.'
Mok Kyung-un held his breath.
It was no different from being submerged.
The being watched this Mok Kyung-un with a sneer, as if enjoying it.
Its eerie gaze reminded one that this was a specter.
-Shrrr!
The being approached Mok Kyung-un.
It seized his jaw, which couldn't budge, and said,
-The feeling you're experiencing now is fear......
The being couldn't finish.
What it wanted to see was a face choked by blood, twisted in terror.
In an enclosed space where one couldn't move, unable to even breathe—anyone would fear that.
Yet Mok Kyung-un's eyes stared back without a flicker.
-You....... You're unusual. For a living human to have such eyes.
The being showed curiosity.
At that moment, Mok Kyung-un, who had been holding his breath, flicked his tongue.
'This taste......'
The taste on his tongue tip was unmistakably blood.
The blood filling this cavern was far redder than crushed ripe cornelian cherries.
The sticky sensation was pure blood's viscosity.
All his senses screamed that this was blood.
However,
'It's different. This is just death.'
Mok Kyung-un snorted derisively.
Called the Sickle Murder Ghost, how much blood had he seen?
When touching real blood, life pulsed through it—but here, only death registered.
'It's not real.'
Thus, no matter what his senses perceived, it was all falsehood.
Then,
-Shrrr!
All the blood reflected in Mok Kyung-un's eyes vanished as if it had never been.
In sealing arts, this was called illusion-breaking.
By denying the perceived senses, one deceived their own faculties and escaped all hallucinations.
The theory was simple.
Yet even highly trained sorcerers struggled to escape.
Nothing was easier to fool than human senses.
-!?
A glint flashed in the being's eyes.
It had thought that as time passed, Mok Kyung-un would fail to hold his breath and writhe like any other mortal.
Yet he had become aware and broken free of the hallucination himself.
-More intriguing than he looks.
The being's red lips curved up.
It approached Mok Kyung-un and lightly tapped his shoulder with the pipe.
At that instant,
-Thud!
Mok Kyung-un's knee was forced to the ground.
It felt like a mere tap, but his right knee cratered the floor, hinting at the force.
The being sucked on the pipe, exhaled smoke toward Mok Kyung-un, and said,
-Mortal. Offer your corporeal essence willingly, and I'll grant your wish.
"Wish?"
-Indeed. A youth not yet twenty with such eyes can't have lived ordinarily. Surrender your essence to this sovereign. Then I'll rend your enemies limb from limb and obliterate even their souls.
"......Quite confident."
At Mok Kyung-un's words, the being burst into mad laughter.
-Ahahahahahahahahaha!
-Rumble rumble!
It merely laughed, yet the entire cavern shook.
It was a being on another level from the Demon Monk.
Surpassing ordinary resentful souls, this was the realm of goblins,魅s,魍s, and魎s—the Azure Spirit grade.
After laughing for a while, the being smirked venomously and said,
-You can spout insolence to this sovereign and live only because I seek your essence. Be grateful for this mercy.
"Is it something to be grateful for?"
-Such fearlessness.
-Tap!
The being lifted Mok Kyung-un's jaw with the pipe.
Then appraised him.
-At least that face pleases me. A beautiful essence isn't so bad.
"You're really coveting my body."
-What this sovereign desires, your essence will be.
"What if I refuse?"
The being sneered.
-It may tarnish the essence somewhat, but I'll take it by force.
"Others have tried and failed—and one such monstrosity is right above us?"
At Mok Kyung-un's words, the being chuckled.
-Comparing this sovereign to mere rabble? If I wished, annihilating your soul and seizing your essence would be trivial.
"If you're so sure, go ahead and take it."
-Insolent fool. Since you wish it, I'll rip it out by force.
No sooner had it spoken than the being removed the pipe from Mok Kyung-un's jaw and raised it overhead.
At that moment, head bowed, Mok Kyung-un's shoulders shook.
Seeing this, the being smirked.
-Grown afraid at last?
"No. I just thought of something fun."
-Something fun?
To the being's puzzled query, Mok Kyung-un grasped something and lifted it with both hands.
The instant the being saw it, its eyes wavered.
It knew instantly what he held, without needing to look.
It was the book made of human skin.
The blood-soaked tome of the dead Jo Il-sang now gleamed with luster, unlike before.
-You.........
"The Yin-Yang Foundational Text mentioned that older monstrosities have a medium anchoring them. This book must be it, right?"
-......... Foolish act.
"Your caution says otherwise."
-You dare enrage this sovereign.
No sooner had the being spoken than Mok Kyung-un's body floated into the air and smashed into the ceiling.
-Bang! Bang!
It didn't end there.
His body crashed fiercely to the floor.
With a flick of the being's fingers, it rose again—this time headfirst into the ceiling.
-Bang!
Blood streamed from his battered head.
Undeterred, the being slammed him repeatedly against the cavern walls.
-Bang bang bang bang!
"Keuk!"
Blood sprayed from Mok Kyung-un's mouth after colliding all over the walls.
After several more impacts, his half-limp body floated in midair.
Toward this Mok Kyung-un, the being extended a hand and said,
-Set it down now.
".......Cough, cough..... Just take it. Why bother?"
-Foolish mortal. I'm giving you a chance.
"A chance?"
-Yes.
"......You can't touch it directly yourself?"
-........
The being gave no reply to Mok Kyung-un's loaded question.
This confirmed it for Mok Kyung-un.
This ancient resentful soul apparently couldn't touch the human-skin book directly.
If it could, it would have seized it outright—instead, it inflicted pain to make him drop it.
-You're courting death. Even with it, you can do nothing. What can a non-sorcerer, non-sealer accomplish? Fine. I'll forgo your essence. Die as—
The being reached out to act, when something utterly unexpected happened.
-Crunch!
In that instant, Mok Kyung-un bit into and tore off the book's cover.
-!!!!!!!
The Azure Spirit being couldn't hide its shock.
It had encountered countless sorcerers, Taoists, and monks, but none had ever sealed or burned the book—let alone done this.
-You! You!
Because the book's demonic aura was so potent that ordinary means couldn't damage it.
Mok Kyung-un was no exception.
While being battered around the cavern, he had tried ripping the book by force to no avail.
Then he realized by chance that only the outer cover was human skin.
'Then....'
Mok Kyung-un's choice was simple.
-Munch munch!
He tore off just the human-skin outer part of the book and chewed it vigorously in his mouth.
-Hahk!
At that moment, the Azure Spirit being contorted its pale, refined brow and clutched its heart.
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