Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Hidden Entrance
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Baek Yang-hui recalled the treasure map he had redrawn by combining the one obtained from the Jeong family with Yeo Un-hyeok's original.
Thanks to his peerless memory, he didn't even need to unfold the paper—everything was vividly etched in his mind.
'The entrance marked on the treasure map is definitely not here.'
Right now, Yang-hui stood at the outskirts of the basin, quite a ways along the valley.
In other words, the faint sword qi he sensed here wasn't leaking from the proper entrance.
'Over two hundred years have passed, so cracks must have formed in the Sword King's Tomb during that time.'
He'd heard there were rocks that dissolved particularly easily in rainwater.
The geology of this Baek Su Mountain was probably that type.
If so...
'Then the original entrance is somewhere else.'
Or perhaps, if his assumption was right that a second entrance had formed...
"We can shove all the chaos to one side and slip in safely ourselves?"
In short, they could escalate the mess into total pandemonium without a care.
"Heh heh heh heh. They're all dead meat."
After scanning the martial artists in the basin once over, he confirmed the bandits hadn't arrived yet.
The distance was considerable to begin with, and he'd deliberately delayed passing the info through Gu-ak, so it was only natural.
'I planned to loot the Sword King's Tomb and run into the bandits on the way out to sow confusion and escape...'
But having the bandits charge in as well didn't sound bad.
He didn't care what kind of bloodbath those useless lot stirred up.
'To turn this assumption into reality, though...'
He let his hair down to cover his face decently, then wandered around various spots in the basin.
If his hunch was correct, he'd sense a stronger flow of sword qi somewhere.
He sharpened his qi sense, focusing every nerve to detect even the faintest qi ripple.
Because of that, the qi signatures of nearby martial artists tangled into his mind like yarn, giving him a throbbing headache.
But he didn't give up, methodically traversing the entire basin on foot.
And as a result...
'From the basin's southern edge, twenty-six jang. From the western edge, fifty jang.'
It was extremely faint, but this was still where the flow of sword qi felt strongest.
The Sword King's Tomb entrance was likely buried underground nearby.
'Who knew I could use sword qi to detect the entrance like this.'
If he'd known, he would've waited for the Namgung clan's attention to wane before sneaking in quietly.
A twinge of regret lingered, but there was no helping it.
Things were already in motion, the board fully set.
No, actually, in terms of royally screwing over the Namgung clan, the current situation was far better.
'I'll make you watch helplessly as the fruit dangles right in front of you, only to be snatched by others, you bastards.'
Chuckling to himself, he returned to where his group waited.
"Change of plans!"
"Yang-hui, what's this sudden talk?"
"Little brother, did you find something in the meantime?"
"Brother, you said you were fetching water—where is it?"
"Ah."
He'd gotten so excited about the sword qi that he'd forgotten the water.
They said even ghosts who died from overeating had pretty complexions—gotta eat first.
Perfect time to chat over a meal.
"Chui-dal, go fetch some water."
"...?"
"Want a flick on the forehead?"
"Repay favors twofold, grudges a hundredfold..."
Watching Chui-dal grumble off, Yang-hui made a mental note.
That made two forehead flicks reserved, including the one he skipped earlier, you punk.
"Tang hyung. Gu hyung. And Tang sister. I've got something to say. Telepathic voice from here on."
To keep it from others' ears, he shared via telepathic voice what he'd discovered in the valley with the three.
Gu-ak gasped and immediately asked.
—You sensed qi? Even I, a peak realm master, felt nothing?
Did he think reaching peak realm made one's qi sense sharper?
Well, it did get sharper.
But it still couldn't match his innate hypersensitivity.
Call it the overwhelming gap in talent, or the grade of raw material he was born with.
—It's certain. And I've pinpointed a spot in the southwest basin where another entrance seems buried. He relayed the same to Tang Gun and Tang Yeon via telepathic voice.
Having to repeat it one by one like this was a pain.
'Ugh, annoying. Gotta hit peak realm quick and use Six Harmonies Voice Transmission.'
Six Harmonies Voice Transmission, the advanced form of telepathic voice.
He knew how to use it, but at his current first-rate level, manifesting it was impossible.
—Anyway, little brother. So, how do you plan to change things? —How about this?
The longer they dragged things out, the more sects and martial artists would pour in.
So, let the situation fester to maximize delay, drawing even more into the basin.
Martial artists always ended up in brawls when gathered in droves, for whatever reason.
Especially here, with white and black path folk crammed into tight quarters regardless of affiliation.
—It happens outside, so it'll be worse inside. —Indeed. —At the right moment, leak the entrance location. Once the crowd rushes into that narrow gap... —Once they do? —We slip in through the valley crack we found and explore straight through without a single fight.
Tang Gun, Tang Yeon, and Gu-ak exchanged glances.
Then they simultaneously voiced their admiration for Yang-hui.
—Brilliant stratagem. —Minimizes our risks for sure. —But the issue is... innocent folk will suffer heavy casualties...
The last came from Tang Gun.
Who else but the straitlaced, rigid Tang clan member—especially the most upright one—to worry about needless things?
"Let's just speak normally now. Tang hyung, everyone gathered here is blinded by greed. No need for guilt."
Take the Shaolin for example. Right next door in Henan Province's Song Mountain, yet not a single monk here...
Ah, one was. That Adu punk.
Anyway.
'Plus, most here are black path types. I sold the info to the Hao Clan, after all. Sure, some lone wolf righteous sect folk are around, but the only real sects are Namgung and Wudang, right?'
Tang Gun answered clearly.
"Proceed as planned!"
Hm. Quicker decision than expected.
Even Tang hyung wasn't fretting over Namgung and Wudang.
"Good. I'll step out briefly then."
"Where to?"
"To ensure a solid alibi."
Imagining the asura field that would erupt in a few days, Yang-hui leaped away.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Seven days later, the number of martial artists in the basin had exactly doubled.
"You bastard! Do you know who I am?!"
"Some double-fucked asshole!"
"How dare you! Die!"
"Gasp! B-bandits!"
"Why are those bloodthirsty monsters here... Ack!"
"Even the unorthodox scum are rearing their heads. What will become of this?"
"I fear it might reenact the bloodbath from decades ago."
A storm-before-the-calm tension permeated the basin.
An atmosphere where a mass brawl could erupt any second.
Yet no major bloodshed arose, for a simple reason.
An unspoken consensus not to waste strength prematurely over the Sword King's Tomb bait.
What shattered that consensus was a messenger bird alighting where the Namgung clan's Soaring Heaven Sword Squad held position.
"Young clan leader. A message from the Jeong family, relayed through headquarters."
"Hm? What does that incompetent want?"
Namgung Cheon-hu's face lit with joy as he unrolled the letter.
'That lowly money pit finally pulled off something!'
[After learning the treasure map pointed to Baek Su Mountain, we reexamined and reinvestigated all ancient texts.]
[We've pinpointed the exact entrance location and relay it to you, Young clan leader.]
South edge, twenty-six jang. West edge, fifty jang.
In this vast basin spanning hundreds of jang wide, such precision meant they'd find the entrance faster than anyone.
But.
It wasn't problem-free.
'Thousands of martial artists are already gathered here.'
Moving suddenly in that situation—nay, even locating the entrance?
The Namgung could end up credited by the masses.
No matter their elites, they couldn't forever withstand a multitude's joint assault.
'No choice.'
Namgung Cheon-hu sought out Wudang's cleaning elder.
"Young clan leader, what brings you to this poor Daoist...?"
"I have a proposal."
Confident Wudang wouldn't refuse, Namgung Cheon-hu made his offer, and as expected, Cleaning's narrow eyes gleamed with emotion as he accepted.
Immediately after.
Namgung and Wudang moved as one, forming a circular formation where the Sword King's Tomb entrance lay buried.
"Wudang and Namgung...?"
"They found a clue!"
Naturally, their alliance drew every eye.
Martial artists began flocking around.
"Keep your distance! This is Namgung and Wudang territory!"
An outcry that would've cowed them normally, but now it fell short.
"Territory on an ownerless mountain?!"
A burly bearded man stepped forward, murmurs rippling out.
"Bandit Ten Supremes!"
"The bandits really came!"
Bandit Ten Supremes—Iron Whip Iron Chain Meng Xiong among them—laughed mockingly.
"Did Namgung and Wudang folks mark territory here or what?"
"Uahaha!"
"Marking territory! They're not dogs!"
Namgung and Wudang ground their teeth but held the circular formation.
Others kept provoking, probing for clues.
Yang-hui's group watched the standoff from afar.
"Everything's going to plan."
"It's unfolding exactly as you said, Yang-hui—almost scary."
"Heh heh, this much is par for the course."
"Brother, what happens to them now?"
"What happens?"
Yang-hui's follow-up differed slightly from expectations.
"The moment the entrance is found, they'll all amiably pile in."
"Hm? No fight?"
"Tang sister, they're not all idiots. No reason to fight outside."
"Ah, right. Only one entrance anyway."
"Tang hyung's spot on. Only one entrance."
After all, there was just one exit they could emerge from.
Meaning no need—and no point—in brawling outside or racing in first.
Beyond no need, they shouldn't.
The first to expend strength would become the sacrificial lamb.
"They'll standoff at a distance while probing the Sword King's Tomb. Then, when trouble hits..."
Blood would flow like rivers.
Whatever, not their problem.
"Let's wait a bit more. They'll find it in a day."
It took not a day, but half, for the entrance to reveal itself.
A stone gate engraved with dozens of swords.
It stood firmly shut, but that hardly mattered.
Dozens of peak masters unleashed sword qi in unison.
As that barrage shredded the gate...
Kwarrr rumble rumble!
"Huh?"
"What?!"
Yang-hui stared dumbfounded at the distant dust cloud billowing up.
Why... didn't it just crumble?
'No way?'
As the valley crack showed, Baek Su Mountain's geology was rainwater-vulnerable rock layers.
Had centuries of erosion left the foundation so weakened that the sword qi barrage collapsed the whole thing?
'If the stone gate acted as a keystone, and its destruction triggered a chain collapse...'
Very possible.
"Wonder if those fools got wiped out en masse."
"If so... we'd have sparked a bloodbath."
"Brother. What now?"
"Brother, are we martial world public enemies?"
"Nah. Doubt it."
He snuck closer to check the entrance area.
Not an entrance anymore—a gaping hole, or perhaps a sheer circular cliff.
'Jumping in's fine, but climbing out? Tricky.'
"Maybe they're all dead."
"......"
"......"
"Eh, probably not. Let's head in quick and check."
"Yeah."
They headed straight to the valley.
The gap behind the waterfall leaking sword qi, scouted earlier.
"Gu hyung, if you would."
"Got it."
Gu-ak infused axe qi into his twin axes and worked meticulously.
Cautious of collapse, he applied force carefully until a section of waterfall crumbled, opening a cave wide enough for a curled body.
"I'll go first!"
Yang-hui dove in, the others following one by one.
Water trickled inside too, walls and floor slick as ice from dissolved rainwater.
Thanks to that, they slid deep without walking—and at that moment.
"Ah."
The gap suddenly widened.
Ahead, between split boulders, light revealed engraved letters.
[Sword King's Tomb]
He scrambled forward and peeked through the boulders.
The sight that met his eyes.
"Things are getting more interesting by the minute."
Yang-hui grinned wickedly.