Chapter 853
Moving through the thicket.
The forest at night is dark, but as always, I can see clearly.
The dull pain from the Blood Qi still lingers in my body. Was it because I overused my Qi perception? The pain was even worse than before.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and kept walking. Pain was something I could endure, as always.
What was important now wasn’t my pain.
[I sense a presence around me. There are four of them.]
I nodded at the premonition of the King of Demons. I knew it too.
‘Though they are far away, they surround this area in a circle.’
As I grasped my energy, I realized this. This energy was the starting point.
It was a strange sensation. The landscape appeared empty, even though it wasn’t particularly large.
There were trees scattered around, with only rocks and weeds visible. Yet, I felt something here.
“Do you feel something?”
With a question, something fell. It was a human head.
Four in total. The King of Demons had killed them all after mentioning their numbers to me.
Did he make the round trip in such a short time? What incredible speed.
“I don’t feel anything.”
“Hmm….”
The King of Demons didn’t know. That statement felt subtly off. How could the King of Demons not sense this?
Then, it might not be related to presence. Or perhaps,
‘It could just be my misconception.’
I might have been mistaken about sensing something, but deep down, I was certain.
There was definitely something here. That was my conviction.
‘Where could it be?’
It was around here, but where exactly? I turned my gaze, scanning everywhere.
There should be something, but so far, I felt nothing.
‘Where the hell is it?’
I needed to concentrate, but my mind kept getting distracted.
Whether it was impatience or annoyance, I couldn’t tell. Or perhaps, I simply disliked the fact that I was here like this? That might be true.
‘All I see are weeds and rocks on the ground. Maybe a flower at best. What am I feeling here….’
I squinted my eyes as I spoke.
Two in front were okay, but something behind the flower bothered me.
‘A flower?’
I turned my gaze to the flower on the ground. It struck me as odd.
‘Why is there a flower?’
I had never seen it before. Not that I’d never seen a flower, but I’d never seen a flower in this area.
Four blossoms in total. The species seemed to be a common flower found in the mountains, and their location didn’t appear to have any connection.
But what was important was.
‘Four flowers. Four people.’
The same number as those who had been killed by the King of Demons. That and the flowers that didn’t exist in the mountains.
It seemed like just a coincidence at first glance.
But I immediately lowered my head and examined the flowers.
I reached out and gently touched a bud. At that moment.
Woom—
“…”
A faint vibration was felt from my fingertips.
This was it.
‘Whether it’s a formation or something else. There’s something with the flower.’
As I felt the vibrations, my lips slightly quirked.
“I will bring more people.”
The King of Demons spoke ominously.
No explanation was needed. It seemed he had deduced the answer from my reaction and the number of flowers.
Bringing more people meant there was no other choice.
As I said earlier, the number of flowers must be related to something, so we would need four people to potentially do something.
Thus the King of Demons stated he would bring more.
“No. There’s no time for that.”
I didn’t have time to wait and figure things out.
“Either way, since you’ve already killed them, soon other guys will come, and dealing with them all while doing something will be difficult.”
It might be possible. After all, if the King of Demons wanted, he could wreak havoc on the entire Sichuan Branch alone. But.
“So what method?”
“If I can’t resolve it, there’s only one way left….”
I had one method that I could attempt.
I grasped the flower stem.
I didn’t pull it out; I just held it and concentrated.
Woom!
The vibrations intensified.
The sensation that came through my hand entered my body, and from my body, it flowed deeper towards my heart.
An unfamiliar feeling filled my body. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
With my Heart Eye opened, I gazed at the flower.
As soon as I saw it, I was amazed.
‘They really made this a mess.’
The tangled vines were unusual. This level of complexity was something I had never seen before.
It was far more complicated than the sorcery used by Pildu Ma to bind the sword line.
How was I supposed to resolve this? Thoughts of worry crossed my mind, but I was already in motion.
No need to call anyone.
I would simply unravel this. I just needed to untangle everything wrapped around me.
Would unraveling take longer than bringing someone in to find a solution?
Perhaps. But I believed.
I could unravel this. I believed that.
There was something Shin Yi had told me long ago.
During a late night when I was learning sorcery from Shin Yi.
– “You really are pushing it too far.”
– “Huh? What do you mean?”
I was following the instructions one by one, and while watching me, Shin Yi said.
– “Where the hell did such a pathetic guy pop up from?”
– “…Suddenly? Did I do something wrong?”
– “No, you did well. That’s why it’s so ridiculous.”
– “Then you should praise me instead of cursing me….”
– “If you were going to pop up, it should have been fifty years ago. Why the hell were you born in such a time?”
I was dumbfounded.
– “What kind of hurtful words are those? Fifty years ago, I hadn’t even been born yet.”
– “Ugh… that’s why it’s even more regrettable.”
– “Regrettable, about what?”
I pondered what was so regretful that the old man was like this.
But.
– “If the Jiegal Clan had still been standing proud in this time… no, maybe at least the way it is now, it would have been fine. As long as your last name was Jiegal.”
Shin Yi spoke as if truly regretful.
– “If the Jiegal Clan had reappeared in the world, it might not have been that difficult. That’s what I regret.”
It was a compliment, or perhaps an excessive one.
I had never heard of being great anywhere. But when it came to sorcery, it was always like this.
At this point, it couldn’t be helped.
‘I do have at least this.’
I thought I had nothing. But still, something big was within my grasp.
But the problem was that it had to do with sorcery.
Moreover, the number of people who knew about sorcery was so scarce that to what extent I was capable, I didn’t know.
But I could tell that whoever saw it would be astonished.
To put it in exaggerated terms, perhaps it was akin to how I saw children?
‘Then.’
If that’s true.
‘I can do it.’
It’s not impossible.
I focused my eyes and observed the lines laid out, slowly gathering strength.
To unravel this mess.
The huge iron gate that had been closed opened.
It was just big enough for a person to pass through.
Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah moved forward. Cautiously, they stepped into the door.
As soon as they entered the room, Nangong Bi-ah frowned.
“…It’s big.”
She muttered while observing the surroundings.
The room was remarkably spacious and also tall.
Compared to the size of the corridor, the overwhelming width was astonishing. How could such size exist underground?
No, had we even come down this much?
Only a sense of estrangement lingered.
“…”
Unlike Nangong Bi-ah, who was scanning the surroundings, Wi Seol-Ah was fixated on one spot with wide eyes.
Right in front. Something completely out of place sat at the front of this vast room.
It was something Wi Seol-Ah had been staring at since she first saw the room.
“…What is that…?”
Wi Seol-Ah’s voice quivered slightly. At her words, Nangong Bi-ah turned her gaze to the same spot as Wi Seol-Ah.
Only then did it appear.
A single tree standing alone in the room, completely out of place.
Not on dirt, but on a stone floor. How was this small tree growing here for some reason?
It was only slightly larger than Nangong Bi-ah, so it could be considered a seedling.
How could such a seedling exist in such a big room? Even more so.
“It’s white….”
Remarkably, the leaves of the tree were white. The coloration was like jade, even giving off a faint glow.
The reason this room was relatively bright without a single lamp seemed to be due to that tree.
Nangong Bi-ah gazed at the tree in curiosity. However, Wi Seol-Ah’s reaction was strange.
She seemed both surprised and somewhat shaken.
“Seol-Ah…?”
Nangong Bi-ah called out to Wi Seol-Ah, but she didn’t respond and advanced instead.
The end of her slow steps was the tree. Standing before the tree, Wi Seol-Ah cautiously brushed the leaves.
As her hands touched, the leaves crumbled away.
The fragmented leaves seemed as if light itself was breaking apart.
“…”
“Seol-Ah….”
As Nangong Bi-ah raised her question about Wi Seol-Ah’s actions.
“…!”
Nangong Bi-ah turned quickly. White hair swayed as a flash burst forth from her waist.
Clank—!!
The sword she swung swiftly deflected something. With the friction, sparks flew momentarily.
It was a sword.
Nangong Bi-ah frowned as she looked in the direction the sword had come from.
“What the…”
There stood an elderly man, hands behind his back, staring at the two.
“I was going to decapitate you immediately… it seems you’re much more sensitive than I anticipated.”
“…”
At the old man’s voice, Nangong Bi-ah raised her sword.
“Oh?”
The old man let out a sound of admiration at the sight of Nangong Bi-ah.
“The young girl is truly lovely. Yes, seeing your hair and appearance, I understand who you are. You are the flower of Anhui.”
Hoo—
With the old man’s words, swords began to float around him.
“Curious… Did the Star King send you? No, it shouldn’t be….”
“Who…?”
The old man murmured to himself. At that, Nangong Bi-ah asked him.
“Ah… right, I’m sorry. I should’ve introduced myself first.”
Finally smiling, the old man introduced himself.
“I am Daehwan, the leader of the Gyecheon Sect.”
As she heard the introduction of the Gyecheon Sect’s leader, Nangong Bi-ah gulped.
“…”
Clink. The sword tip floating in the air aimed towards Nangong Bi-ah and Wi Seol-Ah.
“It seems uninvited guests have arrived. I came to take a look at your faces…”
Swish—!! As the energy around increased, Nangong Bi-ah swallowed hard. It was strong.
My body instinctively tensed.
Nangong Bi-ah glanced back quickly. In this situation, Wi Seol-Ah was still staring at the tree.
It was as if she were mesmerized.
Keek—!!
Clash—!
“Ugh!”
Nangong Bi-ah moved her sword again to fend off further attacks. Though she succeeded again, her hand felt numb; the force was double compared to before.
“When someone is speaking, you shouldn’t be looking elsewhere.”
“…Huff….”
“Child, I hope you can concentrate. This is an important question.”
Swish—
The swords began to circle around Daehwan. In the short time I hadn’t seen him, another sword had been added.
“How did you open this door?”
“…”
Nangong Bi-ah raised an eyebrow at the question.
“For six years, this door hasn’t opened once. No matter what, it could never be opened… How did you open it?”
A door that couldn’t be opened. That statement lost its weight. Nangong Bi-ah recalled the previous situation. The way it opened was simple; it just opened as soon as Wi Seol-Ah’s hand touched it.
Reflecting on that, she assessed the current situation.
Wi Seol-Ah, who seemed mesmerized by the tree. She had opened the door that was supposed to be unopenable, to the astonished Gyecheon Sect Leader.
“…”
As she realized that, Nangong Bi-ah nodded her head.
Did she grasp something?
‘It’s complicated….’
No. She simply decided to give up. Such complicated matters had never suited her since ancient times.
There’s something here. That’s what I need to know.
If so, her tasks were easily determined.
Gathering her thoughts, Nangong Bi-ah spoke to Daehwan.
“…Curious?”
“Oh, are you going to tell me?”
Clang.
“Hmm?”
Daehwan reacted to Nangong Bi-ah’s actions.
She silently aimed her sword at the old man.
“…If you’re curious…”
As Daehwan’s eyes narrowed at the sword’s tip.
“…Then try and find out.”
“Hahaha….”
As always, if I don’t know the answer, I’ll fight.
There’s no easier way for Nangong Bi-ah than this.
“…Oh dear.”
Daehwan shook his head, truly feeling pity for her.
Swish—
The spinning swords halted and aimed their tips at Nangong Bi-ah.
“You’ve made a poor choice.”
With those words, four blades poured toward Nangong Bi-ah.
