Chapter 324
Chapter 324
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 87
>Chapter Title: Fragments of Truth (5)
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Mok Kyung-un had felt this emotion before.
Sometimes when he thought of Grandfather, he missed him.
That feeling of longing naturally carried a faint wistfulness within it.
'What is this?'
Mok Kyung-un felt a strong curiosity about this emotion that this being possessed, independent of his own will.
He didn't know when this being had entered him, but the wistfulness stemmed from longing just the same.
Cheongryeong was a vengeful spirit who had died long ago—why had he felt such an emotion from her?
He had only just turned eighteen.
So how could it be connected to Cheongryeong...
'No way?'
A suspicion arose in Mok Kyung-un's mind.
Could a high-level vengeful spirit have possessed his body?
If it could seize control of his body during unconscious states, it might be a spirit so formidable that even Cheongryeong couldn't match it.
But according to Cheongryeong, once one crossed the wall, not only the body but the soul's level strengthened as well, making possession by vengeful spirits nearly impossible. Was that true?
The more Mok Kyung-un thought about it, the more complicated his mind became.
Then,
-Mortal.
Cheongryeong approached Mok Kyung-un and spoke.
-Yes?
-That being inside you... it doesn't seem to be just a matter of personality.
-Personality?
-Have you ever heard of multiple personalities?
-No.
It was his first time hearing of it.
-Long ago, there was an unusual executive in the Heaven and Earth Society. One person housed two other personalities within. Of course, it wasn't possession or anything like that. But strangely, both had different speech patterns, behaviors, and temperaments.
-So they called it multiple personalities because there were two?
-Yes. But your case seems quite different. It spoke words you wouldn't know, as if you had become some divine being. The breadth of experience felt too vast to simply call it multiple personalities.
-Could it be possession?
-Possession? Absolutely not. No matter how high-level the vengeful spirit, it can't take your body. From the moment you cross the wall, not just the flesh but the soul strengthens too.
-Then what exactly is it inside me?
-......
Cheongryeong's eyes took on a strange glint at Mok Kyung-un's question.
Black pupils like obsidian.
The moment she looked into them, she felt disoriented.
It was because a faint memory from long ago resurfaced.
But that memory was from the fleeting instant before death, so it wasn't clear—more like a hazy dream.
In that hazy memory, she saw 'him' roaring.
Everyone trembled in fear at that roaring figure, but to her, it seemed more sorrowful than angry.
Why had that imprecise, faint memory resurfaced the moment she saw Mok Kyung-un's obsidian-like eyes?
-Cheongryeong?
Mok Kyung-un called to her.
At his expression, as if pleading for her to share what she knew, Cheongryeong soon pouted.
Why was she suddenly annoyed with this guy?
She snapped irritably.
-I don't know! Do you think I know everything in the world just because I'm the Venerable One?
With those words, Cheongryeong suddenly flew off to a distance.
Mok Kyung-un shrugged as he watched her go, then muttered.
“......Well, whatever. Anyway.”
-Swish!
Mok Kyung-un lightly extended his hand to the left.
In the direction he reached, about twenty paces away, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord's body, which had been struggling onward, suddenly stiffened as if seized by something.
“Hup.”
“Where do you think you're going?”
At that question, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord's spine chilled.
She didn't know the reason, but Mok Kyung-un's demeanor had returned to normal, and seeing him stare into empty space like a madman while acting strangely, she had attempted to flee.
She had never truly hoped to escape.
She hadn't learned martial arts, and with her aged body, she had moved in the desperate grasp of a drowning man clutching at straws.
“I, I was just......”
-Swish!
“Eek!”
As Mok Kyung-un mimed pulling, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord's body floated up and was forcibly dragged right before him.
Having no martial arts, she had no power to resist.
Thus pulled right up to him and forced to her knees, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord trembled violently, utterly terrified.
Mok Kyung-un smiled faintly at her and said,
“You must have a guilty conscience to try running away, right?”
“N-No, it's not that.”
“What do you mean no? What did you do with your prophecy?”
“Pardon?”
The Sacred Flame Spirit Lord looked baffled.
Just moments ago, Mok Kyung-un's eyes had turned black as obsidian, exuding an absolute presence, and he had spoken as if he knew everything.
But now, his attitude suggested he knew nothing at all.
'What is this?'
Come to think of it, the atmosphere had changed too.
When his eyes were black, he emanated dignity and the air of an absolute sovereign, but now, within his characteristic politeness lurked a contradictory savage madness.
The Sacred Flame Spirit Lord grew puzzled.
'Not the being itself, but an incarnation after all?'
If it were the being itself from the start, there would be no reason for such a completely different appearance.
Rather, as an incarnation, it might show an imperfect form.
In that case, wasn't this her only chance to survive?
Watching carefully, she cautiously opened her mouth.
“Listen......”
-Slash!
-Thud!
The Sacred Flame Spirit Lord's face twisted in pain.
Her left ear had been sliced off and fallen to the ground.
She didn't scream, but clutching the bleeding ear, she writhed in agony. To her, Mok Kyung-un spoke in a dry tone,
“Cut the nonsense and answer my questions.”
At those words, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord lifted her flushed face, grinding her teeth as she said,
“Ugh...... You can't kill this old woman.”
“I can't kill you?”
“If you kill this old woman, it would trouble not only the Orb but your own position, since you have to bring me to the Heaven and Earth Society Lord.”
It wasn't yet clear if Mok Kyung-un was the great being itself or its incarnation.
But she had her own insight.
From her conversation with Yi Gwang and the situation so far, Mok Kyung-un needed her for his ties to the Heaven and Earth Society Lord.
She had to make that clear to protect herself from him.
But right then—
-Slash!
'!!!!!!'
-Splash!
Something heavier than before fell into the pooled rainwater.
It was none other than,
“Aaahhhh!”
The Sacred Flame Spirit Lord screamed as if sobbing.
Even in the underground Golden Prison, she had endured countless tortures with firm patience.
However, the tortures and interrogations in the imperial palace had been moderated somewhat, considering her advanced age might lead to death.
Of course, they weren't mild by any means.
At minimum, there were lashings on the back and beatings, along with needling or nail-pulling.
But having a healthy arm severed was pain on another level entirely.
It was beyond endurance.
“Kuuh......”
The immense pain made her clutch her chest, gasping for breath.
The shock had caused cardiac paralysis.
Mok Kyung-un then kicked her jaw with his foot.
He stepped on the chest of the fallen woman.
-Squeeze!
It looked as if he didn't care whether she lived or died, but soon her labored breathing stabilized.
It was because Mok Kyung-un had infused energy along with a strong impact into her heart, releasing the rigidity.
“Cough, cough......”
-Tap, tap, tap!
And by pressing the hemostasis point, the bleeding from her arm stopped too.
It felt like poisoning and then curing, but the sense of being saved from the brink of death was stronger.
“If you kill this old woman, what you want will be......”
“Don't try bargaining with irrelevancies.”
“It's not irrelevant......”
“The Heaven and Earth Society Lord doesn't seem to need you anymore.”
“He ordered you to bring me, so how dare you act on your own......”
“Does the Heaven and Earth Society Lord need just you? Or your prophetic ability?”
“That much more so......”
“You don't need the Orb to prophesy.”
'!?'
At Mok Kyung-un's razor-sharp words, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord's eyes trembled wildly.
Did this one possess memories as the divine incarnation?
-Squeeze!
Pressing harder on her chest, Mok Kyung-un said,
“From the moment you lost your prophetic ability, you're nothing but a useless old hag.”
Though he had briefly lost control of his body, he had observed the entire situation, making it easy to deduce her circumstances.
“And you'd better not provoke me further.”
-Shwaaaa!
Immense killing intent rose, making the surroundings quake.
Even Yi Gwang, who had crossed the wall, or Gu Yang-so, the Eight Poisons Elder of the Gu Yang Clan, couldn't withstand Mok Kyung-un's killing intent.
Naturally, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord stood no chance.
Her eyes reddened, and faint steam rose from her crotch.
Her aged body couldn't handle the terror, and she had wet herself.
“I, I......”
“Oh, right. You said you had ties to the Tang Clan Patriarch and entrusted your granddaughter to him? How convenient. That Tang Clan Patriarch seems to have used Formless Poison on my grandfather.”
“Elder Jang, your real grandsire is......”
“Tearing apart the Tang Clan Patriarch and your granddaughter limb from limb right before your eyes sounds delightful.”
With those words, Mok Kyung-un grinned chillingly.
The Sacred Flame Spirit Lord's face drained of color as she watched up close.
Whispering into her ear, Mok Kyung-un said,
“So don't test my patience. Tell me—what was the real prophecy?”
Unlike the whisper, his words brimmed with intimidation. Trembling violently, the Sacred Flame Spirit Lord finally spoke.
“The true master of the sacred flame...... shall appear in this world...... On the day new feathers sprout from the torn wound...... all shall worship......”
* * *
Around the same time, in the pitch-black grand hall.
-Crack!
A faint sound of cracking echoed.
At that moment, the shadow-draped being seated on the raised throne opened its eyes.
The being gazed at the ornate wall lit by six candles.
Before the last candle was a jade plaque encircled by a red thread, cracked right in the center.
The shadow-draped being extended its hand.
-Pak!
The round jade plaque flew into its grasp.
As the being moved to inspect it—
-Crumble!
The cracked jade plaque shattered into powder.
At the same time, the shadow-draped being's head snapped back.
The being slowly returned its head to position.
A sticky something trickled from its forehead.
Its two eyes sharpened, and soon—
-Crack, crack!
Its forehead split, revealing an eye filled with bizarre red spots.
The being, now with its third eye open, crushed the armrest of the chair in its left hand.
-Kwach!
No sooner had the sound rung out than a voice echoed from the ceiling.
“My lord. What has happened?”
To that question, the third-eyed being released the shattered armrest and replied.
“Summon all the first-tier executives I can gather.”
“Pardon? Why do you......”
To the cautious voice, the third-eyed being spoke in a meaningful tone.
“The thing I feared has come to pass.”
“No way?”
“I sensed him.”