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Spirit Mountain Journey

“You’re heading to Spirit Mountain, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Before departing for the next Divine Tree, I conversed with the Turtle at the entrance leading to it.

Just like last time, the Turtle used a staff to communicate with me.

“…So, the Master said to go to Spirit Mountain?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong? You still need to visit all the Divine Trees, right?”

Since I had to visit all the Divine Trees anyway, shouldn’t it make sense to go to the next Divine Tree?

“It’s a matter of distance.”

“Distance?”

“Yes, the distance to Spirit Mountain is… in fact, the Black Phoenix Palace is probably closer.”

‘Black Phoenix Palace?’

The castle of the black phoenix.

The name was quite unique.

“Is there a big difference in distance?”

“It would be at least twice as far. If heading to Yawol takes half a day, then it would take two months to get to Black Phoenix Palace, and double that for Spirit Mountain.”

“Wow…”

Hearing that made the distance seem significant.

That kind of distance would take quite a while at a normal pace.

‘Based on my speed…’

I figured it would take about seven days and nights.

‘Moreover, the outside has many cracks, so the bet would likely be reduced considerably. It could be even faster.’

This was due to speed, but as the Turtle pointed out, it was indeed odd when considering the distance.

‘…Is there a specific reason to choose Spirit Mountain first?’

This seemed to be the intention of my Mother, but what it meant was still a mystery.

‘If I hadn’t talked to my Mother’s illusion…’

I would probably have headed to Black Phoenix Palace first upon hearing about the distance.

‘Would anything have changed then?’

Could it be that changes unfold in order? A sudden question struck my mind.

‘But still…’

Thinking about it now wouldn’t change anything. My current destination was Spirit Mountain.

Wasting time on these thoughts felt simply fruitless.

“Anyway… whether it’s Spirit Mountain or Black Phoenix Palace, I feel like we need to set out. Can you give me some information?”

I needed to gather information about Spirit Mountain. Besides, if Black Phoenix Palace was on the way…

‘Then we could just pass through without needing to detour.’

It would be an advantage if I could shorten the route.

“Information…?”

The Turtle paused for a moment as if deep in thought, then continued.

“First, there isn’t much information about Black Phoenix Palace.”

“Really? There’s none?”

“Yes. All we know is that the owner is not from the Moon Night Clan like Yusa, and that they’ve never revealed themselves at all.”

“…”

Even though they were a general and possessed land, there was no identity nor information? That was quite strange.

‘That’s a bit disappointing.’

Knowing or not knowing beforehand about the opponent made a world of difference.

Even Yarang, who became a general last, had some info available, but nothing about the owner of Black Phoenix Palace felt odd.

This was indeed a delicate aspect, but I pushed it aside for now and asked about something else.

“…Then what about Spirit Mountain?”

“That place is fairly famous. It was overseen by quite the wild fellow.”

“Wild fellow?”

“Yeah, I heard you met him too?”

“Really? Ah.”

As the Turtle spoke, memories of my first day arriving in Mankye flashed in my mind.

That guy I met then was a general too.

What was his name again…?

“Duryeong.”

“Right. Spirit Mountain is Duryeong’s domain.”

The black bull that blasted fire from its nose.

That being possessed a massive physical form and immense power.

Back then, they came to assassinate me at the behest of the Master of Mankye.

‘I remember getting beaten up by Shin Noya.’

I recalled how useless I felt when I was being torn apart.

‘So, Spirit Mountain is his territory…’

Since it was a mountain, it felt somewhat fitting.

“Hmm…”

Recalling the fiery presence that opposed me, I asked the Turtle, “Is there anything I should be careful about?”

“If you end up fighting Duryeong, avoid doing so at night.”

“Why’s that?”

“He absolutely does not die when the moon is up.”

“Absolutely?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

I squinted at the surety in that statement. Absolutely not dying, huh…

‘Definitely.’

That was how it played out back then. Even when Noya slashed at him like crazy, Duryeong didn’t die.

Wasn’t he said to be immortal? That was what his power was supposed to be like.

‘Hah.’

Hearing that made me chuckle.

“Then it won’t matter.”

“What?”

The Turtle sounded puzzled at my response.

If he couldn’t die due to power, then it was really no concern for me.

‘At least for me.’

Since Tam was around.

His powers wouldn’t affect me in the slightest.

*

Having departed from the Hwasan Sect, I found myself standing there.

There were no belongings to pack; I only lightly grabbed a few clothes and some water to drink.

In reality, I really didn’t need much water, but I packed it just in case.

I thought I had brought along quite little given the details of the journey.

“Is that really all you have?”

“Yep.”

The Heavenly Demon who came out at night was worse off than me.

She hadn’t even packed any clothes.

It meant she was holding nothing in her hands.

“Are you really just going like that?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not that it’s a problem, but…”

Well, it shouldn’t matter too much, I guess? If the Heavenly Demon wasn’t worried, then I shouldn’t be either.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Just as I was about to set off, one peculiar thought crossed my mind.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“How fast can you run?”

“Huh?”

While it was great to be going, how fast the Heavenly Demon could run was crucial. Now that I thought about it, I didn’t know her speed.

Since we should go as fast as possible, I asked about it.

“I don’t know.”

The Heavenly Demon answered as if she was unsure herself.

“Um…”

In my contemplation, I pointed toward a tree far away.

“See that tree over there?”

“Yeah.”

“Go there as fast as you can—”

Whoosh—!!

Before I even finished speaking, a violent gust of wind erupted. The ground where the Heavenly Demon stood collapsed with a bang, and debris flew everywhere, wrecking the earth.

As I left the mess behind, my eyes were set on the tree.

By the time I looked back, the Heavenly Demon was already at the tree, her hand resting on it.

“…Is that your max?”

I asked with slightly squinted eyes.

“Yep.”

She answered calmly, just like before.

“Well…”

She is indeed fast. No doubt about that.

But…

‘…slower than me.’

When compared to me, she was decidedly slower.

‘Moreover.’

Why did she run like that? She hadn’t even used any kind of movement technique. It meant she was using her physical ability as it was.

‘Considering that, her speed is insane.’

Before I reached transcendence, she was only slightly slower than me. Now, she was considerably slower in comparison.

‘If that’s the case…’

It was likely I’d waste too much time trying to bring her along.

‘What should I do?’

Should I leave her behind?

I pondered for a moment. It might be better to just leave her and continue rather than waste time like this.

“Ugh.”

Right after deeply contemplating, I reached out.

Whoosh-!

With a burst of energy, the Heavenly Demon’s body lifted off the ground. She came flying over to me without resisting.

Thud-!

I turned her neck backwards, gripping her nape.

As a result, the Heavenly Demon turned around naturally and wrapped her arms around my neck.

It didn’t feel like carrying her; she was just dangling there.

“Don’t let go. If you do, I won’t come looking for you.”

“Okay.”

As she responded, she tightened her grip around my neck.

Feeling that, I let out a bothersome breath.

‘…This is annoying.’

I was sensitive to it. The sensation felt familiar. While the scent was different, the feeling was similar.

Was it because her face looked exactly like Wi Seol-Ah? The sensation was quite much alike too.

What should I even call this?

In this life, I had often carried Wi Seol-Ah. And when I had to carry her while she was bleeding in my previous life just surfaced in my mind.

Now I was carrying someone I was being chased by back then.

What should I even say about this?

It felt utterly indescribable.

If it felt bad, it might be so; if it felt complicated, it surely was that too.

It was a feeling that couldn’t be explained in just one or two words.

So, I said nothing. I just stuffed my swirling thoughts inside me and focused on my toes.

Fsss…

Heat began gathering, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Gradually, my body sank down as the ground started melting away.

As I sensed enough heat gathering, I exerted strength in my legs and leaped.

Then—

KWA-AAAAAAAHHHH—-!!!

A magnificent flame erupted as my body soared through the air.

When the blazing fire finally extinguished, according to my calculations, it had taken about seven days and nights.

We arrived at Mount Tai, which was mostly made of rocks.

*

By the time the moon was rising, and the weather was relatively calm without much wind.

I was strolling over the stone surface.

After a brief wander, I spotted a boulder and sat down on it.

“Huh…”

Only then did I let out a tired breath.

“Man, that was exhausting…”

I was out of breath, and my energy had significantly dropped. I thought I wouldn’t tire with all the energy floating around, but my body felt seriously drained, contrary to my expectations.

It seems the continuous flying without rest was the main issue.

“Huhhh…”

I focused on regulating my breath while assessing my physical condition. I felt like my energy and physical stamina would recover before the sun rose.

After catching my breath for quite some time…

I remembered something I had completely forgotten and moved my body. I grabbed what was wrapped around my neck and tossed it away.

“Oof!”

The Heavenly Demon, who had remained quiet, flew through the air as she spun and landed on the ground.

“How long are you going to hang on? If we’re here, get down.”

“….”

The Heavenly Demon hesitated, licking her lips as if she was reluctant. Why was she salivating?

I wanted to say something to her, but I barely had the energy left to do so.

“Huh.”

Catching my breath, I scanned the surroundings.

Everywhere I looked was rock. I thought I saw a few trees, but they were almost nonexistent.

‘…Is this the right place?’

Based on its location, it surely looked like it matched what the Turtle had described.

‘But why…?’

It felt awfully strange.

‘Why is it…’

I couldn’t feel even a single presence of life.

The absence of any kind of sensation in the surroundings was absolutely peculiar.

 

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